Is Childhood in Crisis free essay sample

The nature of childhood, has changed significantly over time. Reference for definitions The word ‘childhood’ can be defined as being ‘the period during which a person is a child’ and is seen as the period between birth and adolesance. Childhood is built up by a range of different aspects for example: development socially, educationally etc. The idea of childhood being in crisis, can relate to a range of different issues i. e. family breakdown, increase in technology, culture/society changes etc. A crisis can be defined as being a time of intense difficulty. Whether childhood is in crisis or not it is extremely important to support a child’s development through childhood. Childhood is made up of three different stages: Early childhood (play age), Middle childhood (school age) and adolesance (puberty age). During the course of this essay, the phrase will be examined, giving the history of childhood and how it has changed through time. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Childhood in Crisis? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page An individual’s childhood can shape ‘who’ they are and how they live their life in the future. The key issues that will be highlighted will be how childhood has changed focusing on the idea of culture, peer groups, technology, and media. Throughout time, the concept of childhood has continually changed and developed. During the 17th-century painting and furniture have shown that children were represented as ‘mini-adults’. They were expected to behave and dress as adults coming across as miniature replicates of their parents. During this era there was no real existence of childhood (Aries 1961) as we understand it. The concept of childhood did not exists in the medieval times; to grow up as a child would have been brutal and an uncaring experience. A lot of families were in poverty and there was a high infant mortality rate, (over a third of babies died) there was also no education available for the majority of children. Children born in this era were seen as a benefit to the family as the child could go out to work or marry into a wealthy family. During the Enlightenment (1650-1750), childhood began to be seen as more of a stage between birth and adult hood, but children were still seen as an ‘investment’. During this era, education started to become more evident boys were sent to upper schools, but girls were often made to stay at home; learning how to be a house wives but some aspects of childhood have been development. During the industrial revolution, there was an increase of child labour. Children were expected to go out and work to bring money home, from a very young age limited opportunities meant that working class children were not expected to attend school and the increase of child labour meant that chances of surviving childhood were lowered because of poor living conditions and accidents. One idea, as to why childhood is linked to the idea of family breakdown and the moving away from the typical nuclear family (two parents two children). In 1969 the Divorce Reform Act, which made it easier for married couples to get divorced. Nowadays this has become norm, but the changes this bought had a range of different effects on childhood. It had taken away the ideal idea of childhood being easy and anxiety free. Divorces and subsequent extended families can have a great impact on a child and affect how they experience childhood for example. Childhood adversities, development issues, affect them socially. These issues are still around today and are unlikely to become easier for children going through a family breakup. If childhood is such an important part of life, an increase of family problems, can have a massive impact on child’s development to adulthood. The increase of divorce has led to the adaptation of family structure, families are now more likely to consist of step parents and step children. This means everyone has to live to learn with the new adjustments, resulting in every child experiencing childhood in different ways. The Children Act 1989 now means that children have a say in their parents’ divorce arrangements which gives children more responsibilities and shows that families have now become more child centred. Over time the concept of the nuclear family has started to deteriorate and the idea of a male dominated home is now rare. Since the nineteenth century and the growth of Women’s Rights Movement, women have been given more rights. The idea of the stereotypical woman being a housewife and raising the children has changed; women have started to help support the family financially by going out to work. This has meant that children over the years have had to adjust to the idea that the role of their mum has changed. This can give the era of childhood for children a sense of restlessness. Add why Since the seventeenth century, children have been given a voice in the family home; by letting them to make their own choices. Reference This has changed the nature of childhood dramatically, which can be seen a positive and negative effect. It has enabled children to be more independent with decision making which prepares children more for adulthood; this is what childhood is supposed’ to do. On the other hand, it can put too much burden on the child, meaning they are being treated more like an adult rather than a child. The concept of childhood, is not a natural state, but it has been socially constructed through society and can only exist in a society that understand the term this has been reinforced through history. Another issue is how much of ‘childhood’ has been so cially constructed (created and defined by society) through history; it is clear that throughout history the idea of childhood has been continually developed. On the other hand Piaget has suggested that there are clear stages of development which all children must reach on their journey to adulthood. Philip Aries has been a huge influence, in the expansion of understanding around childhood. He claims that childhood is social; a social construction that has been assembled by society and culture. Bearing in mind in the past, children did not go through the stages of childhood, due to high death rate and large families; some childhood was not seen as being about sentimental leading to parents being emotionally detached from their children. Make sense of. The modern construction of childhood has created a social division based on age; children are being separated from society by being placed into nurseries and school from a very young age. It has meant that social relationships are now determined by the integration decided by the parents Alanen, L (1994). The media focus on modern childhood, is portrayed in a negative way with the other view of childhood becoming increasingly dangerous which creates concerns of unease and panic for parents. The media has portrayed today’s society as being ‘dangerous’ which has led to more parental insecurities, which has led to childhood, since 1950’s to become more restricted. Due to parents’ increase of concern for their children, it has led to determine their child’s friendships and relationships, limiting children’s freedom to play outside. Due to the increase of car, ‘stranger danger’ and fears of surroundings, it has created more anxieties amongst parents. Childhood is becoming increasingly ‘toxic’ rather than a time of ‘innocence’ (palmer, 2006). Since before the industrial revolution, parents have pushed their children to grow up, this has changed dramatically; parents have new anxieties that their children are growing up too quickly despite the fact that children rely on parents for a larger period of time. The gives the perception that childhood still exists but is prolonged and the perception of childhood has changed. The invention of television,video games and the media has contributed to the continual changes in childhood. Children are spending more time watching TV, than playing and exploring the outdoors. Television has means that children now have access much more information and with the internet children have no limitations as to what they can watch which can give them unlimited access to the adult world. Postman concluded that TV has influenced children to become â€Å"more sceptical and disillusioned† about the ‘real’ character of adults which has appealed to children. The influence of TV has slowly started to erode childhood by promoting growing up too quickly. Different social groups have been formed, by the influence of TV and video games and these groups spend time socialising while doing these things. adults. Postman claimed that nowadays children are better informed but warned that in having access to the previously hidden fruit of adult information, they are expelled from the garden of childhood, (1994, p. 97). He suggested that increasing crime rates, alcoholism, drug taking and sexual activity among children provide evidence of childhood’s ‘disappearance’. Postman’s view is now generally recognised as exaggerated by most commentators (for example, Buckingham, 2000; Prout, 2005) and there are a number of ways in which his evidence might be challenged. Media stories which focus on childhood in almost entirely negative ways stoke these concerns and breed unease and panic. In addition two recent reports on the material circumstances and well-being of children were widely publicised in the media. The UNICEF (2007) overview of child well-being in rich countries rated UK children the lowest of all 21 countries for both relationships and happiness. In terms of poverty, British children were fourth from the bottom and only one point above for educational well-being Idea of childhood being socially constructed? Piaget stages of developmemt Issue of fragmentation: growing up into an uneasy/uncertain society, not settled, things keep changing. Integration children becoming more of an individual compared to what it was before, people before seen as being the same Culture change: Change of Anxieties: employment, more worries but more opportunities – little adults- assmumbd to deal with things nowadays- linking back to little adults before time. Impact of change of society: student protests, women’s movement, media, technology- not a time of innocence . decontextulisation- loss of society- weak- more individualism- alienation. Technology- no longer simple, peer groups- alcohol Conclusion: Considering childhood, is supposed to be seen as a time of ‘innocence’ and limited worries, many children would say this statement is incorrect, considering there are a lot more anxieties amounts people in childhood. This is due to a range of different issues i. e. unstable society, integration, exams and peers. Children do not just develop as individuals, but they collectively create peer cultures, which contributes to the reproduction of society, which is always growing and changing. The modern idea of childhood appears to progress as lifestyles change and adult expectations adjust. Society have different ideas of how childhood should be lived, some believe that a child should live a happy and trouble-free life. It is clear that today childhood is a mixture of happiness and anxiety with limited adult interference, beside parents and teachers (palmer, 2006). Childhood is a pure example of learning about different responsibilities, preparing each individual for adulthood. The idea of childhood has changed dramatically over time, the idea that children were no different to adults during the Enlightenment. Now it is clear to suggest that childhood is seen as a clear distinct life stage, which is seen to be a ‘special time’ of life. This is presented by children not being able to certain things that adults are able to do, this has been put into place by laws, acts and cultural attitudes. Child needs to experience childhood to ensure that they do not lack in having different experiences to gain different skills to prepare them to enter the adult society. Whether or not you are convinced by Aries and Postman’s view that the concept of childhood is a modern invention, the actual experience of being a child has changed dramatically throughout history. In the past children were not separated from public life as they routinely are nowadays and the expectation would have been that they should earn their living as soon as they were able. Increasing public perception of children as a social group distinct from adults grew slowly supported by the popularity of certain writers whose ideas have continued to influence the ways in which children are understood. The changing experience of childhood accelerated after the Industrial Revolution when concerns about child labour began to surface. Gradual social reform led eventually to universal compulsory education which changed the status of the child from wage earner to schoolchild. With this change came the idea of childhood as a time of dependency and by the twentieth century parents had begun to focus on children’s psychological and emotional rather than economic value. Childhood has always been affected by particular discourses which construct the child as inherently wicked or else naturally innocent. These contribute to an understanding of childhood which combines conflicting portrayals of children as innocent, vulnerable, dependent, incapable, incompetent and in need of protection and control as if these are all ‘natural’ attributes of the child.

Cynddylan on a Tractor Essay Example

Cynddylan on a Tractor Essay Example Cynddylan on a Tractor Paper Cynddylan on a Tractor Paper Essay Topic: W H auden Poems Discuss the infinite variety of complaints shown in different forms in the poems The Unknown Citizen by W. H. Auden, Naming of Parts by Henry Reed, Cynddylan on a Tractor by R. S. Thomas and Do not go gentle into that Good Night by Dylan Thomas. Each of these four poems has a prominent theme of complaints or complaining, although each poem laments about something different. The poets use a variety of linguistic techniques to display their feelings to complain and vent their anger, including tonal shifts and the use of words from certain semantic fields. The Unknown Citizen by W. H. Auden is an ode to mediocrity. It complains about the way people are numbered and labelled by various organisations so that they can be clustered and sorted to generate lists of facts and figures about society in general. It is also a complaint about the boring and pointless life, that people are said to have, projected by these details. Audens use of language within this poem is particularly interesting and he uses a variety of linguistic techniques to get his point across. The title itself, The Unknown Citizen, has connotations to the famous Unknown Soldier, which represents all missing soldiers, and the reader immediately associates the two, connecting this Unknown Citizen to be representative of all normal people. The title indicates that the person described in the poem is completely unknown and Auden backs this point up with the number he gives the citizen, indicating that this person is so anonymous he is only justifiably identified by a number and not a name. Auden varies the length of lines dramatically throughout the poem and this is perhaps to add swiftness and pace to a mediocre subject, however Auden does use enjambment, i. e. He worked in a factory and never got fired/But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc. to continue his feelings onto the next line. The effect of this enjambment is that the syntax, rhythm and thought are continued onto the next line, whilst ensuring that the lines are not too long (as this would reduce the poems rapidity). Auden writes in rhyme to give this poem regularity and pace and uses rhyming couplets, such as the question is absurd/we should certainly have heard; to give the poem (or its verses) definite, tidy endings. One very interesting observation on Audens use of language is that he does not use a very critical and complaining lexis, but prefers to grumble through the use of irony, a technique used throughout the poem. For example, he suggests that it takes important psychologists to work out that He (i. e.the subject of the poem) was popular with his mates, which is hardly surprising as everyone is popular with friends, and that it took researchers to discover that he held the proper opinions for that time of year, which suggests that opinions are only seasonal and do not depend on the persons character. Auden complains by pointing out the irony in grouping an unknown person into a group to find out who they were and what they were like and tries to draw attention to the fact that there is no such thing as an average person. Auden wants the reader of his poem to discover that the pompous views of such psychological and educational organisations hold no value when talking about an individual person, which is why he rants about the boring and pointless life such average people are supposed to lead. Henry Reeds Naming of Parts demonstrates the contrast between the harsh realities of the military with the beliefs of a romantic young soldier. In the context of a complaint, it laments about the everyday mechanical organisation of the military and perhaps is a complaint that there is no romance in the daily life of a recruit, or perhaps in life itself. Reed uses the contrasting halves of each verse to illustrate the vast difference between the unforgiving, monotonous, mechanical organisation in the armed forces and the romantic visions of a young poet. He does this by distinguishing between the cold and emotionless drill instructions for army recruits and the passionate beliefs he embraces. Like W. H. Auden, he fails to use a lexis that is very critical or complaining, but instead uses two contrasting lexis to poetically describe natures romance, where words such as blossom and glistens are used, and the opposing mechanical structures he deals with, where Reed uses words including flick and swivel. To complain, Reed uses a technique of repeating what his drill instructor has said and almost translating it into his own, amorous tongue. An example of this is when he converts the drill instructors directions on how to slide the bolt rapidly backwards and forwards to open the breech of a gun to a sexual metaphor of bees rapidly assaulting and fumbling the flowers. The effect these translations have on Reeds piece is that they add overemphasis (they are hyperboles) on the romance in nature and they intrude and ignore the voice of his unromantic drill instructor. Instead of openly complaining about the mechanical tone of life, Reed overrides his teachers commands with romantic notions. Cynddylan on a Tractor by R. S. Thomas is essentially a complaint about the removal of man from the soil and his dependence on machinery. The quote Hes a new man now, part of the machine sums up Thomas belief that when man meets machine then the person ceases to be human. Thomas uses an irregular rhythm, some lines link whilst others dont, to highlight the modifications in the relationship between man and earth. Like W. H. Auden, R. S. Thomas uses enjambment to link ideas to one another, to ensure that the syntax, rhythm and thought of one line are continued onto the next, whilst ensuring that the lines are not too long and an example of enjambment in this poem is Mirror of silence, emptying the wood/Of foxes and squirrels and bright jays. Thomas also uses other linguistic techniques to convey his message, including personification to present things which are not human as if they were human, i. e. His nerves of metal and His blood oil link Cynddylan to the machine and presents him as part of the mechanism. Another interesting element of the poem is where Thomas says His engine runs on a different fuel. This likens Cynddylan to the tractor as it describes Cynddylan as having an engine and having to guzzle fuel as opposed to food like other humans. The lexis used within this poem is often associated with machinery, with words such as metal, oil and fuel often being used to show similarities between the tractor and its driver.

Annotated Bibliography Writing

Annotated Bibliography Writing Annotated Bibliography Writing Annotated bibliography writing may look like a foreign language, but it is a great way to begin your work for any writing project, particularly projects over five pages in length. The annotated bibliography is a great way to gather information for large writing projects or simply to learn how to evaluate sources for use in papers. You will create an annotated bibliography from sources you gather from online, your school’s library, or even other course materials from your class. The annotated bibliography is designed to assist you in practicing formatting based on your school’s required formatting styles – such as APA and MLA; however, many schools will not strictly adhere to the styles as found online. Your best resources for developing the correct formatting for your annotated bibliography is to use the resources provided by your school to determine how the style has been assigned for use by your school – such as listing your sources as references, works cited, or the bibliography. Most schools will make at least minor changes to the style requirements, or be more lenient on some aspects while being very strict on others. In addition, when developing your annotated bibliography it is ok to summarize the works using the summary section of the source; however, the summary should not be a direct quote, and should include the key information in the source that will be most applicable to your particular project. This is to assist in assigning value to the source you have chosen. Finally, while writing the annotated bibliography consider how this source will play a role in meeting the needs of the paper later – such as where the source applies for the layout of the paper and how the source will fit with the topic sentence. You can also contact our professional annotated bibliography writing service which provides high-quality custom papers with annotated bibliography at an affordable cost.

Comparison of the Happiness Concept of Young and Elderly Person Essay

Comparison of the Happiness Concept of Young and Elderly Person - Essay Example Happiness baffles definition. Each one sees the new horizon. Happiness is also related to time and circumstances and the level of spiritual progression of an individual. Spiritual giants, philosophers, and intellectuals have written millions of pages on the subjects of ‘joy’ and ‘happiness’ that have eluded the humankind in the known history. In the final analysis, the happiness of each individual is within and one has to achieve the state of happiness for oneself and it varies from individual to individual. The wise saying goes, ‘there is a beauty in the sunrise and also in the sunset’. The concept of happiness of a young man (Sunrise) discussed in the above interview differs much from the senior citizen mentioned in the second interview (Sunset). The young man is clear about the type of happiness that he is going to pursue and he is interested in long-term happiness. This means he has a vision in life and would like to remain away from negativities and gives importance to ethical values in life. He has secular ambitions; desires to earn money taking up the career of his choice, and as such, this young man is going to shape into a balanced personality and will be happy in life in the real sense of the term. According to Janaro and Altshuler (2011), this youth is given to â€Å"Critical Thinking† (the faculty of rational and logical analysis; looking at subjects objectively, gathering all information, and the opposite of jumping to hasty conclusions based upon a purely emotional response) in taking decisions in life. In the case of the senior citizen, he has c ome to terms with his life after a fairly long inning and has firmed up with his concept of happiness. He seems to be an introvert personality; the divorce might have contributed to his staying away from the society and not mixing freely with the people.     

Financial institutions and markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial institutions and markets - Essay Example There are a number of benefits of OBS activities that a given bank can reap. It has been mentioned earlier that the bank is required to make a committed, which it is expected to honor. As a consequence, the bank charges some amount of fee while making this commitment. This fee charged by the bank charges constitutes the initial benefit of the off-balance-sheet activities to the bank. The structure of the normal interest rate is also applicable to the commitment if it is a requirement that the bank honors this initial commitment. This happens as the normal interest rate structure moves onto the bank’s balance sheet. However, the need to use either equity or deposits in funding the asset is an operation that the bank avoids. This is due to the fact that the original commitment by the bank never appears on the balance sheet. Possible additional deposit insurance premiums as well as reserve requirement balances are thus avoided by the bank as the bank improves its stream of earnin gs. A bank may encounter some risks while engaging in OBS activities, with the borrower’s credit risk being the primary risk on the bank’s asset’s side. On many occasions, until the borrower encounters a credit-worthiness altering financial situation or problem, the borrower does not utilize the bank’s commitment. The other risk is the negative impact that the movement of the off-balance-sheet activities into the balance sheet has upon the foreign exchange and rates of interests of the bank. Off-balance-sheet mortgage-backed securities were created and also held during the financial crisis by the largest FIs. However, these are some associative losses with regard to these securities, which lead to the acquisition, failure and bailout of some of these FIs. Additionally, the world’s economic as well as financial systems almost experienced some melt down. Based on

Democracy is NOT Right for All Nations Essay -- Politics Government

Is Democracy the Right Thing For All Nations? No, Democracy is Not Right For All Nations. Merriam-Webster defines the word Democracy as a government by the people, rule of the majority, a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. It is a government designed for the peoples choice for their ruling of themselves and others within their community or even nation over political, economic, and matters for the well being of their survival. A democracy is a great thing that can be perfected with a perfect nation, unfortunately a perfect nation is as hard to build and come by as a banana slug's climb is up the 1,860 steps of the Empire State Building in New York City. Democracy is not the best form of government for all nations. Nations can be divided into two separate categories when it comes to economically balanced countries, first-world countries and third-world countries. In a first-world country, such as the United States of America(democracy), Canada, Great Britain, and most of modern-day Europe, the country is "successful" in its attempts to survive with profitable results in keeping their countrymen without famine, wide-spread disease, and poverty by exporting more goods then they import and by having a governmental system that works for the people by means of the government looking out for them and having the welfare of people in mind. In a third-world country the economy is underdeveloped and basically has no where to go but up in that sense. These countries are poverty stricken, disease ridden, environmentally depleted, and full of war and violence deep within itself a... ... people things that sound unimaginable to them and will most likely get elected for it just so they could win with the race with the steroids of lies and deceit. Democracy is not a just thing for a nation like this. Our democratic society has reached a level of advancement in society, economy, and technology where we hold a standard to even the most basic things so how can a nation that would see a value meal from McDonalds as a 5-Star dinner survive under the same democracy we do? Democracy is a great thing and freedom, not even a question, but not all nations have the ability to use it, understand it, and fully reap its benefits. A democratic nation needs to have the knowledge to comprehend its economic problems and their solutions and the strength keep a firm hold of itself with the help of its people and as of know, not all nations are capable of doing that.

My Decision to Pursue an MBA Degree

The decision to pursue a master’s degree these days is highly important due to the professionally competitive environment that we live in. Everyone has a bachelor’s degree but an MBA is a way to stay ahead from the rest, it sets you on a higher level. I chose to purse my MBA in order to further my career and have better opportunities. According to the â€Å"What’s my Jungian 16-type Personality? † assessment I have a possible career future as a manager, management trainer, stockbroker, lawyer, chemical engineer, police officer. I currently have a manager’s position inside a family owned company where there aren’t any more professional growth opportunities. In order for me to remain competitive in a very competitive job market I decide to pursue an MBA in Business Management without discarding the option of also including and MBA in Project Management as well. While searching for new jobs I have discovered that there are many positions for project managers. Some of the qualities mentioned in these job postings are that the person has to be visionary, responsible, have leadership qualities, organized, and so on. According to the results of the â€Å"What’s my Jungian 16-type Personality? † assessment I am outgoing, visionary, argumentative, have a low intolerance for incompetence, and often seen as a natural leader; so I believe I have what it takes to be a great project manager. Professional growth and/or advancement opportunities are a very important part of my decision to pursue an MBA. I was feeling stuck and unable to move forward with my career goals, but I believe that with a higher level of education I can achieve those goals. Fresh out of college I thought I had my life planned out but it was all based on me having an awesome job in a place I liked and doing what I like and what I know I’m good at. But that didn’t work out so well. So I found myself stuck at my part time job which was supposed to be only a temporary thing while I was in college. I don’t want to be one of those people who look back on their life and wonder where the time went and why didn’t they do something to change it. Although sometimes I feel frustrated and that I’m getting nowhere, I know I’m doing the right thing and I just need to hang in there. While it took me some time to actually get up and do something about it, here I am, ready to take on this MBA and land that job I am looking for.