s ‘Patriarchy’ a useful concept anymore?

My personal way of defining patriarchy is a society typically dominated and control by men. Patriarchy shows us how our society functions and how it controls women, including all systems, like work place, home, religion etc, where women are formed and developed to the way men want them to be. It is the opposite of matriarchy, meaning women are the head and in control of families. This quote given by H, Hartman signifies social patriarchy, so it is not naturally suggested but socially. ‘I define patriarchy as a set of social relations which has a material base and in which there are hierarchical relations between men, and solidarity among them, which enables them to control women. [p3, H Hartman: (1982), ‘What about women? ‘; ‘Gender Inequality in Employment', 551. 04 leatures 11 and 12. ] The way in which society used to be, was that once the content of ‘patriarchy' had been established, it was used strongly in every society and in many different ways, creating sexual politics, where men were seen as the dominant sex class and the treatment of women, through this patriarchy system determined their future and success in life. The possibilities for women making choices in every aspect of their own personal life were taken away from them or where very limited because of this patriarchal control that was upon them. In the past the husband was clearly the principal negotiator, with the marriage license being the only exception, where the women would really be going into a life long commitment of serving her husband as a slave. The females main source of learning were things such as learning to spin, sew and weave, and maybe a little reading and writing. The main company that was given to them, were other females, and they lived more or less behind closed doors. The women had a separate section in the house that was located away from the other sections so that communications with males or strangers were barred. While the men when out to work, the women's role was just seen as to be looking after the house and children, and listen to their husbands. ‘The separation of home from work led to a sharper separation of male and female spheres. The world of business outside the home became a male sphere and the world of home and children became a women's one. ‘ [p366, Fulcher & Scott. (1999) Sociology] The husband's leisure and business time were of no business to the wife, domesticity cut women off from business life and public activities in general. In some society's women were degraded, they were seen as objects used for male needs and a simple tool of breeding children. ‘A woman of a particular community, caste or social-economic stratum is raped to ‘teach' that section of the society, in other words, to reproduce the hierarchical structure. ‘[http:marxists. org/archive/marx/work/1884/orgin-family/ch02d. htm]. It was in the mid-1800 when the first signs of the feminist movement came about. In 1961 it was discussed by a man named John Stuart, that the role of women is society during that time, pointing out how the patriarchy placed such an intense limit on what women could do. A time came out when evidence should the existence of a pre-industrial division of labour between men and women. However this existence contained occupational segregation, where the females worked only in female jobs and males concentrated in male jobs. ‘Middleton (1979) argued that women did carry many different agricultural tasks, but it was the men who did the high status work of plouging. ‘ [p367 Fulcher & Scott. (1999) Sociology Family and Household] Job segregation enabled males still to maintain superiority over women, because of the patriarchal relationships in paid work. The labour market urged lower wages for women, so that it would encourage them to marry and stay financial dependant on their husbands. Women were excluded from better jobs than men, to keep their primary responsibilities as the main caregiver for children and family. However in some areas of the pre-industrial society capable women who entered the labour market were forced into part-time and insecure employments, where they would be excluded from promotion. Once they married they had to leave their job, so their personal status would drop back down into the status level as they were when they started off. Also the employment of women alarmed men highly as their position of the male role of head of the household became seen as threatened, especially in the twenty century then demands for labour by women became stronger, and women would no longer be ignored. This was when the ‘family wage' became known, when the male breadwinner would support his family with his earnings, whilst the women's earning were treated as a additional source of income so that their unpaid domestic work would not be interfered with their paid work. It was not until the 1980s that these requirements changed, when recruitment practices of certain companies had referred to the Equals Opportunities Commission. The position of men was altered and the women's position underwent significant changes. More women moved into the labour market and were used less in the homes. With the changing of attitudes towards means of the production, families began to drop away from the ways and ideas of ‘male ownership' with society and the changing attitudes of women's role became stronger. Society needed women to work as men could not fill all the vacancies and they needed women to do the jobs that men would not. More opportunities for young children to go to school were given. ‘Private housekeeping is transformed into a social industry. The care and education of the children became a public affair; society looks after all children alike, whether they are legitimate or not'. [p170, Jodi Dean. (1997) Feminism and the New Democracy] Changes in women's employment have had consequences that we still do not know what will happen in a situation involving children, marriages and other important factors in ones individual life. Countries that have high birth rates now have low birth rates, due to women working. Dramatic changes have also taken place, such as divorce rates rising and single mothers increasing. Organizations themselves are re-thinking employing different work time and working practice; because number of paid work and taking care of unpaid domestic and family work has increased as men have to also help now. Females that were before at home looking after husband's mother refuse to do this now. The late twenty century patterns was going to work, leaving work on the first child, then gradually coming back to work. These females were married, where as mentioned before that in the early days, that if women worked, they had to leave the employment completely when they got married. Now there are more women in the labour force than men. Women's economic behaviour is the same as men, but still do different jobs on a lower level. Patriarchy was also found in adopting the name of their husbands after marriage, but more women are choosing to keep their maiden and have a choice of titles e. g. Ms, Miss and Mrs, so that they can retain their own identity. Also another element that changed in society which is widely appreciated now is the fact that women were able to vote which began after the First World War, which was still based on age. However the question still remains that is patriarchy still useful? I would personally argue that yes it is. One has to understand it with other concepts, with the way of how the concept of patriarchy is used. I would personally argue that some concepts of patriarchy has fad away from today society's, but overall it has not lessened, but is now being used under different forms. One form of patriarchy that can be seen as a useful concept, is entertainment given by women. Women are appreciated on their glamour. In the media women such as the ‘Spice Girls' are a role model in society because of glamour. Naked women are commonly shown e. g. in the Sun Newspaper, on page three, where as men nudity is more under the covers. This is seen as useful, as it can be forfilling entertainment for men, and women' role models are being used to put across message, such as Spice Girls putting forward the message of ‘girl power'. It can also still be useful in a relationship as men still oppress women, maybe it is something that males inherent, that men can use to impress women, such as paying when going out, walking the lady home etc. I would say it's main usefulness still lies within the family, as the family and religion are the source of many of our beliefs. Families and religion can be the most powerful sets of shaping one's personality and future. This is important as it is given to us from our primary experiences of family life. It is believed that for a family to work it needs to be organized within a set of rules and belief's. These still mainly come from the main positional power, which is mainly the role of the father. The rules and beliefs are expected to be practiced in order to keep a family together. ‘The key to survival and success for the children in the family system, or the underlying incentives and rewards, is to please the father or, in it's modern form, please the parents, and obtaining their attention and/or approval. [http://www. 2. warwick. ac. uk/fac/soc/siology/researh. htm] In some religions and cultures it is seen as a useful concept, for example Islam, because some elements are practice to protects women and their dignity. Their rules come from the Holy Qur'an, which Muslims obey by not only because they have to, but also because they believe it has been given to them to help guide them and protect them from the dangers of life, one example, adultery. However some may not see it as useful, as facts have shown that the top politicians and scientists are men. Work hours still have had seen to be problems for women. In Britain inequality is illegal but still is happening in other parts of the country, and men still oppress women. Sometimes society promotes sex- stereotyped roles themselves when it is unnecessary, for example in some cultures there is more of a celebration when a baby boy is born, or when children are a bit older society places them into their sex roles, e. . to praise them we say things like â€Å"that's pretty for a good girl† or to a boy it is said † you do that like a girl†, or â€Å"boys don't cry†. We are teaching girls to be feminine, and boys are taught to be masculine, by being tough and insensitive. My conclusion to this essay from reviewing the facts I have gained, is that patriarchy is seen more as useful concept in society today despite the negative elements. I would personally say that women today still depend on certain patriarchal concepts to enable them to gain security within their lives, however this is not true for everyone. During this essay I have covered a range of topics to with patriarchy. In my essay I have concentrated on four aspects, I have defined the term ‘patriarchy'; I have talked about how society was how society has changed, and discussed if patriarchy still is a useful concept. I have produced this with relevant evidence in a form of quotes.

President of the Academy of Finland

Alvar Aalto is considered a modern architect, yet his work exhibits a carefully crafted balance of intricate and complex forms, spaces, and elements, and reveals traditionalism rooted in the cultural heritage and physical environment of Finland. He was born Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto in the Ostro-Bothnian village of Kourtane, Finland in 1898. He graduated with honors from Helsinki Polytechnic in 1921 after which he opened his own practice. He held the position of Professor of Architecture at MIT 1946 to 1948, and was President of the Academy of Finland 1963-68.Aalto was a religious man and a practicing Christian. Although his early work borrowed from the neoclassic movement, he eventually adapted the symbolism and functionalism of the Modern Movement to generate his plans and forms. It allowed him to create a series of functional and yet non-reductionist buildings. Even though he borrowed from the International style, his use of color, texture, and structure was creative and new in its own right. He refined the modern European architecture and molded it to develop and define a new Finnish architecture.His designs were always contextual as they were responsive to site, material and form unlike most of the other modernist architects who designed in isolation. Aalto produced a lot of work in countries like Germany, America and Sweden. A lot of his projects under construction at the same time have overlapping ideas and details. Moreover, Aalto was of the few architects who designed to the last detail and was aware and receptive to the needs of the people and the environment. Aalto was a master of form and planning.His buildings have provided renewed inspiration in the face of widespread disillusionment with high modernism on one hand, and post-modernism on the other. Aalto's mature work embodies a unique functionalist/expressionist and humane style, successfully applied to libraries, civic centers, churches, housing, etc. In their scale, mastery of light and distincti ve palettes, Aalto’s buildings were characterized with a robust humanism. During the mid-1930s Alvar Aalto's work began to embody a more tactile, romantic, and picturesque posture, becoming less machinelike in imagery.The presence of these characteristics in his work, coupled with a seemingly rekindled interest in Finnish vernacular building traditions and a concern for the alienated individual within modern mass society, signals a movement away from the functionalist tenets that formed his architecture in the early 1930s. In renouncing industrialized production as a compositional and formal ordering sensibility, Alvar Aalto moved toward a more personal style which solidified over the next decade, a direction achieving maturity in his work executed after World War II.Aalto’s Saynatsalo Town Hall, built between 1942- 1952, in Saynatsalo, Finland, was one of the civic projects he undertook. The building had a pioneering effort in using brick. Never before had red bricks been used in civic buildings in Finland as they common concept on them not being too formal existed. However, bricks were warm with reference to color and not as formidable looking as stone, so they fit right into context in the cold harsh climate of Finland. Aalto had strong political opinions and wanted to make the town governments strong enough to be able to stand up to central governments.He had individual freedom in mind while designing the Saynatsalo Town Hall. He changed the program brief to increase the footprint and the mass of the building. He introduced a courtyard in the centre with single loaded corridors to ensure well-lit offices and corridors. He utilized the principal idea of the Greek agora when designing the town hall. The building followed the contours of site and the courtyard level defined the spatial datum. The use of exposed timber trusses was there as well as a double height council chamber to give it that hierarchy.Similarly, the Baker House Dormitory, at t he MIT campus in USA was designed and built between 1946- 1949. In this building, Aalto comes up with a slightly different approach which he later carries on in his other projects such as the Church of the 3 crosses in Vuokesenniska. He uses the concept of duality and carries it out in detail throughout the project in the sinuous serpentine wall. It’s a large brick building with repetitive elements. The duality exists in the background vs. foreground relationship of the building, in the repetitive vs.the unique, the curvy vs. the rectilinear, the planar vs. the volumetric, the large vs. the small and the brick vs. the marble. The unique staircase projects out of the buildings and becomes the diagonal element. It gives a certain degree of dynamism to the project. Like the Baker House Dormitory, Aalto juxtaposes the rectilinear against the curvilinear in a lot of his other projects. He breaks away from the idea of symmetry and uses asymmetry to his advantage and for functional reasons.Aalto’s later work had a lot to do with acoustics as he attempted at making acoustically sound buildings such as the Finlandia hall or the Church of the 3 crosses. Before totally moving towards architecture ad designing buildings, Aalto designed products and furniture. So in 1935, with the assistance of Maire Gullichsen and with Nils Gustav Hahl as director, the firm of Artek was formed, which produced and marketed Alvar Aalto's furniture, fabric, and glassware designs. Amongst some of his most famous product designs is the Savoy vase which was an organic form.Aalto’s vases had a fluid sinuous shape in varying colors that let the users decide the use. They are being manufactured to this day. Aalto’s furniture was mainly bent wood light furniture which followed the principles of clean functional design. He made the Paimio Chair for the sanitorium in 1931-32. It was inspired by the tubular steel Marcel Breuer chairs in his own home and was devised to ease the breathing of tuberculosis patients in a combination of molded wood and plywood which, Aalto believed, would be warmer and more comfortable than metal.Alvar Aalto died in 1976 in Helsinki. Over the course of his 50-year career, Aalto, unlike a number of his contemporaries, did not rely on modernism's fondness for industrialized processes as a compositional technique, but forged an architecture influenced by a broad spectrum of concerns. Alvar Aalto's architecture manifests an understanding of the psychological needs of modern society, the particular qualities of the Finnish environment, and the historical, technical, and cultural traditions of Scandinavian architecture.Bibliography : †¢ Gardner’s Art through the Ages †¢ Alvar Aalto (Archipocket) by Alvar Aalto and Aurora Cuito †¢ Alvar Aalto by Richard Weston †¢ www. wikipedia. org/wiki/Alvar_Aalto †¢ www. scandinaviandesign. com/Alvar_Aalto †¢ www. designmuseum. org †¢ http://virtual. fi nland. fi/netcomm/news/showarticle. asp? intNWSAID=26966 †¢ http://architect. architecture. sk/alvar-aalto-architect/alvar-aalto-architect. php †¢ Finnish Architecture and the Modernist Tradition by Malco Quantrill †¢ www. artek. fi

Management of International Business Finance Essay

Management of International Business Finance - Essay Example we can conclude that as long as the relative price of two currencies is flexible, it will then adjust to equal the ratio of their price level. Even if this type of adjustment does not take place, the ratio of price levels can give us a reference point from which we can assess if a current exchange rate is under or over evaluated in relation to its PPP level. For the OECD the simplest way to calculate PPP is to take into consideration a same product within two countries. It uses a liter of Coca-Cola to illustrate the example. In France, one liter is worth 2.3 euros where in the United States the same liter costs 2 dollars. Therefore the PPP (calculated as a ratio) is 2.3/2 which equals 1.15. The result can be interpreted as follows: for every dollar which is spent in the United States to purchase a liter of Coca-Cola, in France, it is necessary to spend 1.15 euros to receive the same quantity and quality of Coca-Cola. As the OECD points out, the PPPs are not only calculated for individual products but also for group of products. One of the most famous PPP index is the Big Mac PPP. Used as a vulgarization for a greater part of the population to understand the issues regarding PPP, it represents the exchange rate that would leave a burger in any country costing the same in America. (See Appendix 1) (The Economist â€Å"Food for Thought† May 27th, 2004.) The most important and certainly the best known research made on the failure of PPP in the long run is the â€Å"Balassa-Samuelson† effect, work of Balassa (1964) and Samuelson (1964) The effect states that if high-income countries hold a more important relative productivity advantage in the production of traded goods, they will consequently produce these goods more cheaply. Starting from the hypothesis that the law of one price – abstracting from complicating factors such as transportation costs, taxes, and tariffs, the law of one price states that the price of any particular good that

Soc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Soc - Essay Example All members of the public have to be given a chance to take part, question, introduce assertions and express their attitude on a matter that touches their lives. Since the best decision is based on a wide number of contributions, the internet would be the best choice for what can be called an ideal speech, as it can reach any people than any other known system. The modern society has brought about quiet a lot of divisions along several lines. If not racially(black/white) inclined, then it is will be gender (male/female), religion (Muslims/Christians), Ethnic, and so many others. If used in the correct context, an ideal speech offers freedom from the such mentioned categories by awakening response in every human being. An ideal speech stirs into action a man's birthright of true freedom equal rights and dignity, hence will act reconcile the above mentioned divergent groups. According to Habermas, there are four different social formalities; The Traditional, the Primitive, the Capitalist and the Post-Capitalist. Out of these classes, the Post-Capitalism is more preferable as it depicts the principles of an ideal speech more than the others. It represents the modern society which is more discursive and allows for consensus unlike the other three which are quiet stringent in characteristics. The Post-Capitalistic society gives room for a pluralistic participation when it comes to decision making.

The Benefits of Using Marijuana for Medical Purposes Research Paper

The Benefits of Using Marijuana for Medical Purposes - Research Paper Example THC happens to be a cannabinoid compound binding to CB1 cannabinoid receptors within the human brain. These cannabinoids tend to mimic endocannabinoids produced in the brain that occur naturally, though they do it with effects that are much more powerful. CB1 receptors are within the cerebral cortex mainly the frontal sections, the basal ganglia, the hippocampus, the cerebellum, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the hypothalamus. There are experimental illustrations of the outcomes of THC by the use of animal studies, as well as in vitro human studies. The performance of THC is through inhibiting the discharge of neurotransmitters, comprising of L-glutamate, acetylcholine, GABA, 5-HT, noradrenaline, and dopamine. Though endocannabinoids tend to be rapidly inactivated through the enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase, there are exogenous cannabinoids like, which persist for longer periods of time, leading to the noted physiological effects (Masson, Leavitt & Chaffee, 2011). Benefits of Medical marijuana It is impossible to list all the medicinal, as well as medical benefits of marijuana since they are so many; people all over the world are standing up for their rights for the incorporation of holistic, natural medicines so as to remedy their ailments. With the help of modern technologies, the numerous medicinal benefits associated with marijuana are ever-increasingly turning out to be integrated into the same fabric of worldwide societies all over the world. Marijuana helps in the treatment of conditions, which in most cases are side effects of certain diseases including reduction of stress, thwarting depression and battling the effects of an astounding number of diseases, as well as other adverse health conditions. Below are some of the most remarkable, medicinal marijuana that is clinically-proven. In order to understand these benefits, it is appropriate to analyze some of the diseases leading to these side effects (Gerber, 2004). a) AIDS: Studies show that a qu arter of all AIDS patients is using cannabis as a way of pain or anxiety relief, in curbing nausea, and in helping in the improvement of their appetites since medical marijuana has anti-emetic, as well as analgesic properties, which tend to be beneficial in treating HIV and AIDS-related symptoms.  Ã‚  

It Is Important to Identify and Meet the Individual Needs of Learners Research Paper

It Is Important to Identify and Meet the Individual Needs of Learners - Research Paper Example As a teacher, planning is one of the very essential roles as it helps in directing or guiding me in delivering. My planning depends on the various individual needs identified; that prompt me to apply the necessary teaching strategy. This dependency is due to my requirement to ensure that these needs of my students are all properly attended to within my planning. Without this planning, it would be difficult to meet the individual needs of every of my students, and many of them might not follow in line with the curriculum. Therefore, it may result in dissatisfaction and/or de-motivation to the students and me as the students would feel not well catered for and I may feel I have underperformed in my teaching role as a planner. Also, it is a part of my teaching responsibility to allow the involvement of learners in the planning of assessments. Since learners are not to be subjected to surprise tests, I always involve them in the planning process while giving them chances to make their su ggestions. This way, they may not feel put in overwhelming situations. Furthermore, they will have a feeling of a sense of ownership. That way, the planning process can meet every learner’s individual need, by the consideration of different resources that enhance effective and fair test. It is the responsibility of a teacher that requires me to implement/deliver teaching according to design and plan while including diversity and equality promotion. It is essential for educators to recognize the influence of culture on learning.

Final project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Final project - Essay Example Internet nowadays is a part of our daily life. Transactions from different field are being done thru the internet. And now shopping is done not only in the department stores or malls but at your living room as well. The use of IT technology has been increasing; computers are no longer treated as luxury but as a necessity and are important in our daily transactions. One subject that has been gaining popularity in the internet is the on line shopping. The objective of this paper is to be able to present to the readers the pros and cons of on-line shopping. This is done by presenting the personnel experience of some persons during their encounter in online shopping. Another objective of the study is to evaluate the e-business that has been gaining the popularity. Most articles that I encounter about e-business presents one conclusion, that a company would not make it in the international market if they were not able to penetrate the online shopping. The paper will also discuss the complexity of the design. This will include the effectiveness and safety of the said design. Online shopping is one aspect of electronic commerce. Electronic commerce, or e-commerce, relates to a variety of business dealings conducted online. They include service providers selling services, and retail businesses selling items to customers. They also include auctioneers who create marketplaces where citizens can buy and sell goods, and business to business commerce. All of these transactions are done via the Internet. Retail business is the biggest part of electronic commerce. Instead of shopping in the traditional way, such as going to an actual retail outlet, using telephone shopping or mail order catalogues, online shopping allows companies and consumers to make their business transactions over networked computers. Online shopping could be defined as the buying and selling of goods over the Internet. Just about anything can be purchased over the internet. Examples of items consumers can buy are computers, cars, clothing, airline and event tickets, food, and pharmaceutical s. The most popular products purchased online were flowers, computer hardware and software, books, consumer electronics, music and videos, toys, and wines (Summers, Gardiner, Lamb, Hair, & McDaniel, 2003). http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/index.php/Online_Shopping The Advantages and Disadvantages of On-line Shopping On-line shopping benefits all; young and old, disabled and able and others as long as you know how to use it. There are things that are considered as an advantage in using the system. The advantages and disadvantages are enumerated in the table below. The purpose of presenting the advantages and disadvantages of on-line shopping and traditional shopping will help the reader decide whether to use the system or not. Another objective is to analyze the process of on-line shopping. The plans objective also include on how to convince a person to use the online shopping. Table 1: Advantages and Disadvantages On line shopping Traditional Shopping Time Unlimited - you can purchase online anytime you want. No closing and opening hours You can shop at limited time only. Availability One will be able to know right away if the item is available or not and where it will be available. You need to drive from one location to another just to find the item you need. You have wasted your time and effort. Comfort You

An Assessment of British Airways Dispute and its Employee Relations Essay

An Assessment of British Airways Dispute and its Employee Relations - Essay Example British Airways concentrates mainly on its management approach which is considered to be inward-looking. Moreover, the company also focuses on the retention of its different routes and the outcome has been unsatisfied customers. Under the management of Bob Ayling's, British Airways faced industrial action, the employees were protesting against cost reduction which was aimed at improving the airline’s profitability. Subsequent to the earlier strikes and the cost reduction plan, the morale of workforce deteriorated resulting in continued unrest since then. In 2005, the union members protested against the decision to leave out a group of workers, replacing them with the agency staff when the company failed to renew their contract. The company incurred a lot of costs due to this and several passengers were disrupted. In October 2006, the company faced dispute which resulted from a check-in Christian worker putting on his faith’s visible symbol. In 2007, the cabin crew plann ed a strike action, they were protesting against the salary changes. Later it was withdrawn before it took off. According to Books Llc, (2010), British airways and the union Unite relations have continued to be turbulent, especially in 2009 and 2010. It manly resulted from the proposed changes of the cabin crew working conditions as the company was facing the global financial crisis. On December2009, a strike ballot was conducted regarding the working practices changes. It was supported by many especially the Christmas 2009, planned action. However, the industrial action was declared illegal by the court. On February, a re-ballot was held. The negotiations that were ongoing did not stop the strike action which took place in March. The company punished the staff involved through the withdrawal of the travel perks. Today the company is still faced by different challenges and has been trying to find a lasting solution to this. Competitive nature of the business and the rationale behind management proposals British airways is ranked as the ninth airline worldwide with regard to the total number of passengers it can carries. The airline network in the international market is considered to be the strongest. This is because as compared to other airlines, it operates in several destinations internationally. British airways has its base at London Heathrow which is the best location. This location is known to be central to the European air travel and is the leading business hub. The airline connections to various destinations globally are convenient and timely and this is the company’s main advantage of being situated at London Heathrow. Some of the company’s operations which are short haul have been moved to London Gatwick. This came up as a result of the increasing air traffic in Heathrow. In both the international and the domestic market, the company is faced with competition. The company’s main competitors in the domestic markets include airline s like Easy Jet which incur lower costs. In the international level, it has to face several giants which include Lufthansa and American Airlines. British airways main business in both the international and the domestic routes is to provide air services that are scheduled to passengers and cargo. The scheduled passenger service and cargo service of the company are separate divisions that operate in an independent way. The scheduled passenger services contribute a greater percentage to the company’

Dance Critique Essay Example for Free

Dance Critique Essay Ballet â€Å"Cry† simply showed to us real life of all African women. Every single American people know what kind of life they went through. Therefore it touched their heard. Alvin Ailey’s â€Å"Cry† presented wonderfully combined movements, technique and emotion. Ms. Donna Wood uses tragic face, a mask of sorrow. It is a face born to cry, but when she smiles it is with an innocent radiance, joyfulness that simple and lovely. She never tries consciously to please an audience. He was not only concentrating in movements and physical performance, but also using flowing white gown with a long white scarf for the dancer. A long sleeve white blouse is slim, to show the dancers body. Especially her movement and technique. It made dance more interesting to audience. This beautiful piece of modern dance consists of three sections. Ms. Donna Wood performed solo dance for 16 minutes from section to section. Her ways through the dance are different in movement quality that she gives to each passage. In this tribute to black women, the free sprit or the African women comes through in the energy of her dancing. In the first section started on dark stage, only dancer has a spotlight. Music was soft and smooth. We could hear only piano while dancer was walking forward in straight posture with graceful movement. Started with smooth then mixed up with sharp and pedestrian movements. She uses long white scarf on the floor by showing to us hard work. In dance we say †low† level. For example, she scrubs the floor, uses as a headband representing to carry something. Emotionally sad ness, she worked hard, she contracts in pain, she flutters her hands like captive birds and she tried to get out of struggling life, but she never gives up. There is pain here as well as power, and the music, so oddly modern to me. In the end of the first section she starts picking up her dress, shows her leg and fills the stage. Basically first part of work showed their slaver life and unhappy living. In the second section background lightening became blue and the stage color gets brighter. Still we can see and feel some dark sides of lightening. Music tempo was faster and stronger and Ms. Donna Wood has stronger movements. The most interesting in this section was singing human voice. She starts to sing and has a little smile on her face. Most of her movement shape was very sharp, edgy and angled especially her arms at first. She represents them to be united and get free. By jumping and crossing arms, she sinks to earth and then she rises. Strong steps and ecstatically raised arms, dances freely off the stage, toward freedom. In short, in this part of work the young women life get better and better, but still it wasn’t completed. In the third section Ms. Donna Wood looks like an African goddess and her body has an unexpected gracefulness. Even stage color was bright reddish, warm atmosphere around the dancer, like a sunrise in the morning. Stage would fill with colors. Music and performer are singing together. A sound of music tempo gets faster. She has the happiest face ever, no pain and no slavery. She jumps, she swings her leg and arms, and even she pulls her dress up and shows her leg an entire dance. Sound and lightening create the environment and good mood. She uses high level of dance than in previous two sections. She moves in between melody. I liked how she uses the stage in this section. She has the high energy to cover so much space by dancing alone. Finally, Ms. Donna Wood gives us her version of black power and black pride in â€Å"be free†. In conclusion, the solo dance â€Å"Cry† performed by Ms. Donna Wood has 3 sections for 16 minutes work. An African women’s journey through the agonies of slavery to an ecstatic stage of grace. She dances with an articulated beauty, serene, together and womanly. She holds herself a little aloof from the audience, but she is reserved rather than shy. She is wonderfully proud, from the poise of her head set perfectly on a long, strong neck. The simplicity of the staging was exemplary, and the lighting made most telling contribution in varying the effect of each section and matching work. Ms. Donna Wood’s angular, cleanly shaped gestures slashed through the air for an exciting finale. Alvin Ailey made it for her and as a birthday present for his mother.

Diversity and Education According Essay Example for Free

Diversity and Education According Essay America’s student populations are increasingly reflective of an ethnically diverse society. However, we recognize that there are several major variables for improving the multicultural accommodation apparent in a school. Bruner and Vytgotsky lend this discussion some useful insight concerning such variables. Chief among them, the diversity of faculty, of learning content and of learning media all are directly relevant to the school’s embrace of difference. As the immigrant population continues not only to rise but to diversify in the United States, our educational system, and indeed, our nation has in many contexts attempted to enforce a degree of cultural uniformity inclined to either assimilate or exclude incoming cultures. Standardized testing, rigid curriculum design and poor representation amongst teachers and administrators of a diverse student population have all had the impact of white-washing American education. In the urban setting such as the case at hand, this can be especially problematic, with such failures of institution causing vulnerable students to disengage. Vytgotsky contributes an important idea to this discussion, referring us to the relevance of effective pedagogy in engaging such students. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through group activity. We have a core understanding of the fact that diversity implies not just a diversity of ethnicity or culture but also of potential learning styles or strategy. Vytgotsky offers an effective way to use this diversity to the advantage of the classroom. Group activity is always an effective way to help distill strategies and strengths for individuals. By strategically grouping students according to aptitude and academic strength, we enable stronger learners to directly engage weaker learners in a way that helps to effectively communicate concepts and ideas in play. Vytgotsky essentially contends that there is value to the less effective student of being partnered with a more skilled learner. This interaction can be beneficial to the aptitude of the former and can help the latter develop innate leadership skills. The focus of such legislation as No Child Left Behind does not leave a great deal of freedom or latitude for the urban school to engage in such activities however. There seems at present to be an impulse of standardization directly opposite the need for diversity celebration. Some of the root causes of the failure of our educational system to accommodate diversity as it cuts across multiple demographic lines are resultant of the instruments used to promote student aptitude measurements. (McCarty, 1) Primarily, the ability or interest of teachers to accommodate diversity is stunted by the entrenched presence of institutional prejudices that shape testing standards, curricular design and instructional method in a way that embraces standardization, legislative mandate and procedural uniformity. (McCarty, 1) One of the most heavily-recognized and persistent of such conflicts may be observed still today in the genuine lack of equality in the cultural standards applied to teaching African Americans. Particularly, there is a fundamental failure in the content choices which shape curricula such as those concerning literacy, history, policy and even the natural As part of a cyclical pattern which institutionally prevents our minority populations from being loosed of such a negative spiral, students beholden thereto are either locked into curricula which are given a financial short-shrift and are thus, armed with fewer qualified teachers, or are committed to districts where their cultural and ethnic perspectives are not being accounted for. This is a circumstance which regrettably continues today, with the current presidential administration’s No Child Left Behind initiative imposing further dependence upon the diagnostic testing and grade-evaluation policies which have long been an appendage of established educational patterns. The new education standards are given over to a â€Å"fundamentally punitive law that uses flawed standardized tests to label schools as failures and punish them with counterproductive sanctions. † (Neill, 1) This is also a sharp diversion in focus from that which Bruner argues is a priority for the diverse student bodies in our urban schools. The social impact of the educational experience is, according to Bruner, a fundamental aspect of its quality. The student’s engagement in class will often be a function of his socialization. This provides a firm rationale for the critique of diversity standards in our educational system. Indeed, there is an inherent danger by way of this administrative approach of the loss of pragmatism, which often incorrectly attributes the challenges related to diversity as products of learning deficiencies. This constitutes a fundamental disservice to the student and, it is worth asserting, basic intellectual prejudice which generally stigmatizing the future opportunities availed to those of ethnic minority or immigrant status. In Bruner’s understanding, the socialization of a diverse student body will actually promote learning rather than obstruct it. Therefore, as the ultimate resolution on the subject, our discussion inclines us to acknowledge as a basis of assumption that greater multicultural sensitivity is needed in the teaching of literacy, of the social sciences and of all disciplines on the individual level. Moreover, we resolve that both Bruner and Vytgotsky would find fault with the rigid and disruptive patterns of No Child Left Behind. Ultimately, the two provide theories which merge to suggest that diversity can be managed through flexible management of the classroom and educational experiences. Works Cited McCarty, Teresa. (2005). Language, Literacy and Power In Schooling. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Neill, Monty. (2003). Don’t Mourn, Organize! Rethinking Schools. Online at http://www. rethinkingschools. org/special_reports/bushplan/nclb181. shtml