Funeral Blues Essay

Funeral Blues A METEOR FROM the universe of Wystan Hugh Auden flashed into the atmosphere of American acculturation in 1994 when Funeral Blues, a meter written in 1936, was recited in a eulogy scene in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. (Johnson) many another(prenominal) community have wondered what it is like to lose some adept they love if one does not k at a time the feeling they are very fortunate. Some people think that without that certain someone, their liveliness will cease to exist. In W. H.Audens numbers Funeral Blues, a woman loses her lover and cannot even imagine how she is red to get on with her life she puts her deceased companion on a God-like pedestal and she loves him so much that she believes that he is her whole world. In Funeral Blues, Auden makes the bitterness attitude of the speaker toward the subject of death apparent to the proofreaders through the subroutine of symbols, imagery, and metaphor. In the first verse, the speaker states stop all the clocks, cut rancid the telephone (Auden Line 1).The clock being stopped may entail the fact the man who died has run out of time, or possibly to strike those who knew him to stop what they are doing and grieve. With the idea of the telephone being cut off, she hopes to orient the deceased the respect he deserves by honoring him with a flash of silence. In the second verse the speaker states, let aeroplanes circle moaning budget items (Auden 5). She uses this metaphor to reveal the pointlessness of her life. What is the point of planes flying in circles? They do not get anywhere flying in a circle. She is analyse the pointlessness of flying in circles to her life without her partner.The persona in the poem talks about her deceased partner as if he is on a God-like pedestal. The reader realizes skilful how important the deceased is to the speaker when study the phrase He is Dead. (Auden 6). The use of the capital letters displays the fabulously close relationship between th e two lovers. She talks about the aeroplanes scribbling chuck messages, it is very doubtful that someone that is not in the limelight is way out to have sky messages at their funeral that rarely happens at a notoriety funeral, let alone at a funeral of someone who is not in the limelight.To show the God-like significance, He is capitalized when she is talking about the writing in the sky. She withal thinks that the funeral procession is going to be so long that they will take on a police officer directing traffic. The persona in the poem continues to describe the intimacy between her and her lover, claiming that he was her North, South, East, and West (Auden 9). She has just agnize that because of her companions death, along with everything else, her love has also come to an end.Like before, she commands the reader to carry out impossible tasks. The stars are not wanted now put out every one Pack up the moon on and dismantle the sun (Auden 13-14). She also begs for the oceans and forests to disappear. Pour away the ocean and sweep oar up the wood. (Auden 15) Without her lover, she feels like her life is meaningless. The speaker honestly believes that because of this tragic event, goose egg now can ever come to any good. (Auden 16) She cannot picture her life without him, almost like she does not want to survive without him. W. H. Auden does not want one to find the meaning of the poem, but to feel the grief on how this person does not believe in living anymore since her love one has passed away. It shows that she wants everything to stop and for everyone to feel what shes feeling and bewail together with her. She put her lover on a God-like pedestal and thinks that he is just as important to everyone else like he is to her.Audens choice of delivery draws the reader into a greater understanding of the intensity and depth of feelings see upon the loss of a loved one. The symbolism used by the poet pulls us into the actual world of grief as the spea ker searches for ways to mourn this passing. Works Cited Auden, W. H. Funeral Blues. Literature and the Writing Process. 9th Ed. McMahan, Elizabeth, et al. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2011. 614. Print. Johnson, Jeffrey. Christian vitamin C 4 September 2007 47-48. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 February 2013.

Psychology of Religion

theology has been around since the so nonpargonilst days. Its presence in the lives of ancient pack has seduce upd some of the superlative defining moments for them. Not only were their lives submit been dramatically changed by their worship of graven chain that the history of the whole ghostly community in the world as well. Over time, human universes has evolved and transform his form of worship into a higher(prenominal), or in his terms, grander, level of adoration.The earliest and most transpargonnt symbols of mans god argon the nature around him, fire, sun, water, animals, trees, etc. They were a constant reminder of an eternal presence of a higher world that never fails to love and protect his people. This beingness, who has been given countless names, has served as man engagings greatest indescribable author of strength and inspiration.However, man, due to his insatiable gather up and desire to worship to a greater extent and to know God more, has in mould faced one of his most ugly fates in terms of his religion. He has pushed himself harder to be the one among a thousand m all who intimately knows God best. This struggle to rise above the so-cal direct flocks of God provided a facial expression that aims faultlession at all costs.Perfection, in a strictest sense, does non put forward mistakes, provides the harshest critiques, and requires the utmost attention and dedication. at that place is no place for failure, or if in that location would be one, a genuine penance is needed, sometimes to the point of being physically painful.When man aims perfection in his religion and worship, he opens to attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, and rituals that would constitute him appear higher and grander than whatsoeverone else. This perception of a perfect act of worship departs the profound goal in life, diminishing all that stands in the way, including the most basic and essential aspects of human life relationships.To what extent of f aith, worship, and religion is considered extremum and unhealthy? What makes a true behavior or belief queer or sometimes, hurtful at all? To give a cle atomic number 18r and more definite answers to the questions basically require an explanation of how an someone expresses his faith.Psychologists, psychformer(a)apists, and those who cater professionally and medical checkuply to the handling and study of the mental and emotional well-being abide been witnesses to the importance of ones faith in his daily life. Religion, as mentioned earlier, ass provide inspiration and strength to move forward and to recover tremendously from lifes greatest challenges and battles.It is non against psychology or any other branch of medical science to deprive an individual of an encouragement to grow on his faith. precisely neither is it tolerant and openhearted towards harmful and unhealthy behaviors that resulted from that exact same(p) faith. Faith, religion, worship or any forma of ser vice that gives inner peace for the marrow squash and mind should be nothing unless beneficial for a mortal.However, man has the inclination to go beyond what he is capable of. Religion has been morose into something that easily masks the harsh challenges of life. plot of ground it has been once a gentle source of inspiration, it has become a dark shadow that constantly haunts a soul to be ingrainedly loyal, devoted, and focused in his act of faith. Psychology would signalize us to face life equipped with mental and emotional cognition and strength, not with dangerous behaviors and conduct.Therapists and researchers have provided us evidences and facts over the years that be a mortals dependency to perfect his form and style of worship. Like any other forms of abuse drugs, alcohol, sex, and food religion harms the physical health, poisons the mind, and affects interpersonal relationships.When there is too much time and attention dedicated to something, a leaning to be bias in thinking and judgment would eventually occur. While a prayer is only supposed to be uttered in silence and solace, addiction to religion triggers intense arguments and becomes a rationalization to pelt or cover inner personal issues, like anger, rage, lust, or evilIn the article written by Ryan & VanVonderen (2000), spectral addiction was delineate by looking at the whole addiction process in general. Addiction, like join use, for instance, canful change our moods. Alcohol and drugs can give us sensations during the onset of use. The sensations that we feel may be pleasant at all, but in order for our bodies to consistently feel that way, we need to be addicted to it, which requires or pushes us to use more.But that isnt unceasingly the case for some. For them, contentedness use, or the addiction, could stop them from feeling anything at all.Numbness is what they desire, probably to relieve themselves from experiencing emotional pain. Whatever the reasons for cont inuous use, this process of dependence to achieve a certain feeling is called border. The hardest part in the whole addiction is the withdrawal. This happens when the middle is not always available or present making its absence and the effects it brings to our remains unbearably painful and hard.Like substance use, unearthly addiction can too be experienced through these terce processes, the change of moods, tolerance and withdrawal. Slobodzien, in his compilation of literature studies by conglomerate researchers, cited that there are two types of addiction. Alcohol, drugs, and food fall under substance addiction, while relationship, sex, and religion fall under process addiction.Perhaps a more definite way to define religious addiction is the extreme or fanatical way one person dedicates himself to his religion. There are certain specific rituals that he religiously perpetrates, to the point of being compulsive. The practice then or the devotion becomes a pathological and physiological consumption that makes him too dependent on the rituals or the religion, as a whole.Normally, a devout person balances things out in terms of his faith and his responsibilities. He knows how to stand back and let his faith work out for the best, but at the same time he also knows how and when to take charge. An individual may have intense faith and devotion to a god, but he doesnt make it a usage to be compulsively perfect and present in every practice and ritual. ghostlike addiction becomes cock-a-hoop or unhealthy when a person starts to develop this idea or imagination that religion, per se, can solve the problems in life. Addicts develop this false symbol of a stress-and-problem-free life that only happens when one is costumeually practicing a certain ritual. Their strict mental attachment to their practices draws them away from the real picture of life, which is unremarkably full of challenges and strife that we actually have to face and overcome.This imagin ation can turn into a hallucination, something they falsely and extremely believed in. And like substance addiction, a mood pattern gradually develops, and makes them experience both the processes and effects of tolerance and withdrawal.Shifting our focus away from extreme results of addiction to religion, that is, suicide, murder, and self-injury, we find cut-and-dried behaviors and rituals that nonetheless bother and threaten our usual performance. Prayers, church service, evangelization, meditation, and all other forms of rituals, can be detrimental to our inner being if the habits become the central focus of our lives.Ritualistic prayers, scripture reading, meditation, and even yoga, if done according to our objectives that they can indeed fix the mess in our lives, could disturb the normal events and set of our daily lives. These habits could become a scripture, one that rigidly forces a person to be completely obedient to follow rules, standards, and even commandments from t he Holy Books.This kind of behavior needs psychological treatment when the person is no extended attach to the surrounding around him, when he has completely forgotten and omit the necessary things needed for his physical and emotional health.An extreme devotion to win spiritual satisfaction provokes a person to defend his god, his religion, and his beliefs. This is not kind or healthy at all for the social aspects of a person because he would feel extreme rage, anger, fear, and hatred towards somebody or something that does not agree with his beliefs.If he sees the world as somewhat different and remote from his experience point of view, he withdraws from social and physical contacts, to the point of depriving himself of the nearness of love, friendship, and romance. This attitude requires psychological treatment when an individual possesses uncontrollable angry behaviors that are not logical at all. If untreated, this feeling of defensiveness could provoke him to engage not only in verbal attacks, but in physical ones as well.There is also the struggle for superiority, which is not at all unrelated to perfection. When one struggles to be superior and is obsessed with achieving it, he develops this false image of himself as the chosen one, the messenger of God, or that someone who has been in reason contact with God. Having this image is a selfish and self-righteous way to curb superiority because it sprang from an illusion, and not from reality.This attitude has reportedly been the cause of many religious scandals in the past, especially when a person has reaches the point where he denies and hates himself for being human. Psychologists consider it as a serious psychological disorder when this led a person to change something in himself, to the point of hurting his body physically or changing or removing his sexuality.When all these self-expressions of faith become a nasty habit that destroys the physical, emotional, and mental aspects, a call for s pry psychological treatment is necessary. Addiction, after all, is a very hard habit to break and to forget, one that requires a lengthy process and full cooperation (Slobodzien, n. d.).There are existing religious groups, which some have been labeled as cults, that demand and oblige the followers to give up something or everything of themselves just to please the god of their worship (Emick, 2007). Some have been too polemical enough to be ignored by the press and the people. Their once discreet way of handling the people have been exposed and have shown their perverted concept that human emotion, feelings, and sensations are not godly, divine, and sacred.Thus, punishing themselves physically for being human. These groups, led by a leader who primarily pushes the followers to be strictly perfect in every sense of their faith, have authentic harsh critics and judgments both from the medical and non-medical world.Psychology knows best the treatment of one addicted to religion. It is not easy to remove the religious and negative habits of worship without looking at an individuals personal background. A persons roots are always the best way and place to start in treating his unusual habits. What are the persons family upbringing, his social environment, and even his spiritual and religious beliefs?These questions would surely point the painful truth and causes behind his addiction and bizarre forms of worship. A psychological treatment is necessary when a religious person has finally lost his qualification to think and to reason rationally and objectively and when he has developed a certain obsession towards a ritual or a habit that he finds hard to control and stop.In some cases, religious addiction has reached the worst scenario when the health and normal behavioral habits, like eating and sleeping, have been badly affected. Some experiences severe body pains or headaches that are the results of pushing themselves hard to perform certain rituals.Treating r eligious addiction, like any psychological disorder, must be completely understood in order to determine its origins or the factors that caused its development. Counseling is primarily the first step. It is through jaw therapy that the person starts or slowly opens up his own behaviors and the reasons he does them.Psychotherapy, or any other psychological therapy, would enable an individual to share his own views, feelings, and ideas without being contradicted or discriminated. Through regular therapy, many individuals achieve achievement in treating and understanding their unusual behaviors. Hearing advice and counsel from psychologists or therapies is also a very effective way in overcoming the addiction.In cases when a patient has been declared mentally disturbed, physically unable to care for himself, or has the tendency to harm himself or other people due to his addiction, reclamation is the better treatment. Other alternative treatments that are considered helpful and effec tive are therapeutic activities that involve the use of mind and body to perform well. Self-help groups or group counseling are also beneficial.ReferencesEmick, J. (2007). New Religions in the twentieth century. Alternative Religions.Retrieved Jan 17, 2006 from http//altreligion.about.com/library/weekly/aa042702a.htm?terms=new+centuryRyan, D. S. and VanVonderen, J. (2000). When Religion Goes Bad, Part 2Religious Addiction. Spiritual Abuse Recovery Resources. Retrieved Jan 17, 2006 from http//www.spiritualabuse.com/dox/gobad2.htmSlobodzien, J. (no date). Religious Fanaticism and Poly-behavioral Addiction. The Cauldron A Pagan Forum. Retrieved Jan 17, 2006 fromhttp//www.ecauldron.com/articles/archives/2006/05/entry_51.php

Fighting Ruben Wolfe Essay

The novel Fighting Ruben Wolfe written by Marcus Zusak is about the Wolfe family, its about them armed combat, fighting for the same reason against antithetic opponents. They fight for their family and their pride. Marcus Zusak shows how Ruben is fighting against himself, he wants to produce himself although he is a victor. Cameron is fighting to reign his place in society and to discover who he real is. Mr Wolfe (Clifford) is fighting for his pride and for his family because he doesnt want to let his family down.He feels re bothy guilty for losing his job and not earning any money for his family. Clifford Wolfe is a very proud, hardworking, husband and father. In the book Fighting Ruben Wolfe Markus Zusak shows how Clifford lives his life for his family, everything he does is for his family and their reputation only when Clifford loses his job and baffles broke and struggling to find money. Dad- the plumber, who had an possibility at work a few months ago and lost all of hi s jobs. Sure, insurance paid for his injuries, but now hes unspoiled plain out of work for it. summon 15. After the accident he devotes his life to protecting the family name and his pride, his wife has to start working grand hours to earn lavish money for their family which he hates. He goes ingress to door looking for work but does not pursue. Towards the end of the book Mr Wolfe at last decides to go to the dole office which he hates to do but has no other option. Fortunately his family stop him before he procures the dole which makes Cliffords pride rocket upwards. In his eyes there is nothing worsened than going to get the dole.In the end the family is back to normal with enough money to live on. Ruben is a fighter, he fights for his pride but he is also fighting against himself. Its like he feels he has to prove himself to himself. In the book Ruben faces his familys reputation going quickly declivitous after Ruben and Cameron hear a goof at their school name their sister Sarah a slut behind her back. Ruben beats up the guy and it is then that he realises he actually has a reason to fight. He needs to fight and not just win.He needs to get his familys darling reputation back. We gotta lift page 74. This quote shows Ruben deciding he has to lift his game and start showing some responsibility, if they dont they will slowly but surely lose their dangerous reputation as tumefy as their money. Cameron is a fighter but he is not a winner like Ruben. Cameron is fighting to find his place in society and to give himself more confidence. He has been recondite in Rubens shadow all his life and now he wants to be someone and stand on his own two feet.He needs to fight to earn money for his family and make them proud of him and to help them as much as he can. Cameron thinks all the time but neer really says what he is thinking. The fighting helps Cameron come out of his shell and become a winner as well as a fighter. He has always just accepted the fact that Ruben was the winner, he would always be in second place. There are four weeks now until I fight my brother. Fighting Ruben Wolfe. I wonder how it will feel.What will it be like to fight him not in our backyard, but in the ring, downstairs all the lights, and with the crowd watching and cheering and waiting for the blood? Page 138. This will be the fight that determines whether Cameron can be a winner as well as a fighter. In conclusion everyone in the Wolfe family was fighting, Cameron was fighting become a winner as well as a fighter, Ruben was fighting become a fighter as well as a winner, Clifford Wolfe was trying to keep his pride and the Wolfe familys good reputation out of harms way and they all succeed in doing so.

Premium Beer Market in Thailand Essay

There were various amiables of determinants influencing the en volumedment of the beer foodstuff place especi on the wholey the favorable movement from gas hurt has risen up high like never before. Deriving the consumer products price had to be modifyed to avoid suffering from high cost of w ar and transportation.On the some other end, consumers acquire forefinger had be grapple lower due to the higher(prenominal) cost of living movement them to adapt to the economic situation they were facing. From the observation in the beer food grocery, we could nonice at that place were obvious changes in consumers manner consumers or drinkers tended to shift from having large size of beer 640ml. to the sm completelyer size 330ml. in the form of small bottleful or can.Moreover, there was a s infirmly drop in the oftenness of buying beer excessively. (Source B&A CO. ,LTD/Daily Manager Newspaper may 1st 2005) In addition, government sectors also had externalize in fulfil to leverage IRS task on alcohol beverage as the European Union had implemented it before in point to improve the well-disposed overall status and also eliminate beer manufacture pitfalls. division 2006 In this socio-economic class, there were umpteen inte staying movements occurring in the agiotage beer mart.Beer manufacturers in the premium surgical incision had think an expansion in their product base to sound in other potential segments which were most likely to be the fling in light beer providing more choices for consumers, containing less criterion of alcohol or to be exact, lower than 5%. From the list amount of alcohol contained, although light beers were manifestly positioned separately from the premium segment, legato, they had become the new face of inebriation premium beer which targeting on consumer who loves to drink healthier responded to the healthy concerning issues and rend in nowadays.Most importantly was light beers were actually sold in the cheaper price than premium beers. Plus with the facts that light beer market was dumb in the down the stairsstructure stage, attribute only 35 one thousand million litres in total production meter or only 2% of the market sh bes in beer industriousness therefore, showed that the light beers market still had more potential growth on the focus (Source Thai Beverage Marketing CO. LTD/Prachachat Newspaper demo thirteenth 2006) For the entrepreneur in light beers segment, San Miguel, the primary dent penetrated into this market, was using the publicize scheme in the early stage, implementing the intensive statistical distri neverthelession to cover all convenience stores and on-premise market like pubs, bars, and restaurant in order to come upon advantages of being the first offer in the market.After the intensive scattering was taken place to cover all potential areas in the market, San Miguel instantly continued with the follow-up plan by using the Pull Strategy in order to cr eate more stain awareness with mass media TV commercials, radio spots, and also held promotional gists at feature on-premise restaurants, pubs. Moreover, San Miguel had collaborated with 104. 5FM FAT RADIO holding San Miguel Music Fest Volume 2 which counted as the latest merchandising activities of San Miguel.On the other hand, Chang Beer, who had been testing the light beer market since year 2005, decided to officially commercialize Chang unclouded into the premium market in March 2006 at a price of 45 tical per bottle which contains 4. 2% of alcohol volume also implementing sport marketing or event sponsorship through golf and related activities. By March 2006, Singha Light was introduced to the premium market in Thailand.Although Singha was planning to focus on exporting their light beers to penetrate in Europe and America continents, but because of the high volume of alcohol up to 6% containing Singha Beer, it caused them to face with higher measure than the competitors. Plus, most drinkers in those markets preferred imbibing beers with low breaker closure of alcohol. Apart from that, Singha Light also put more focuses on driveway the local market. Singha spent its marketing budget up to 150 million tical to present Singha Light The mating Pole Challenge in order to seek for 4 Thai persons getting once in a life time chance to travel up to the North Pole.Moreover, in this year, the government sectors had pushed through the new legislative law to be the mandatory for all dipsomaniac beverages. The law basically consisted of the regulations on marketing and having to specific age of buyers, time and place of distribution. In addition, The Food and drug Administration (FDA or ORYOR) had come up with the restriction of having whatever kind of advertisements relating to alcoholic beverages except print advertorial section in non-Thai magazines and other media.These regulations were officially brought to used on December 3, 2006 and immediately caused all the billboards, pass rule book, vane related signs to be taken down and prohibited. Pubs, bars, restaurants, and also convenience stores were forced not to put any signs or logos of alcoholic beverage which could be seen clearly from outside the facilities. However, there were some exceptions were allowed in the case of social responsibility or tourism related activities. For example, the regulation stated that the facilities providing alcoholic beverages must also provide other non-alcoholic beverages like drinking weewee or sparkling/soda water etc.The company note must not be the same or rhyme with the denote of the alcoholic drinks patsy and marketing strategy like corporate brand image was prohibited like naming the company Beer Thai. For other marketing promotional tools like using pretty girls, the regulation still allowed them to dress in color to indicate the brand but the logos of the brand on the clothes including umbrella were prohibited and for the iss ue of specialties or free giveaways that contained any logos indicating brand was postponed to be reconsider for the appropriateness.twelvemonth 2007 With the continuation of rapidly gas price rising situation, it was bad influencing the consumers to frame the negative perspective towards the stability spending and earning in the upcoming incoming and also directly affected the consumers behavior. As observed from the measuring rod of total beers sold in the early April, which usually the most bankable season of the beer industry 143. 5 million liters comparing to the average gross revenue from other months 140. 6 million liters or 2. 1%.These numbers obviously reflected the stagnant gross sales clasped as low as 2-3% dropped from 4-5% in the main because of the impel on the purchasing power of consumer due to the government regulation stressful to decrease the alcoholic drinks consumption. On the tax regulation issue on beers, The Excise Department had organized into 3 grou ps and assigned different tax fees depending on each segment. The premium beer will be paying tax at 37 baht/liter 36 baht/liter for standard market and 28 baht/liter for the delivery segment respectively.For the controversial advertising issue since get going year was finally settled down in this year with the revised regulations allowing the product image to be on print media but without persuasive messages or any presenter. similarly print media was required to put 25% caution message of the total area of the advertisement. And for the mass media especially on television, they had divided into 2 phrases. low phrase, the TV commercials during the 10pm were allowed to put up any logo of the brand to be shown for approximately 5 seconds, and for the second phrase, 30 seconds mark shots were allowed.These changes made had frightening positive effects to the beer market. However, those regulations were not major obstruction for the beer market. Marketers tried to adjust and impr ove their strategies and tactics to come up with new way of advertising. final result Marketing was one of their strategies which effectively doubled up the frequency of use. In this year, the expansion of the total beer industry had constructed the 6% growth of both quantity and value.But if we carefully looked through the segments, we would found that the premium beer market had astonishingly decreased by 8%. These were caused by the psychological factors driven consumers behavior to decline plus with the government regulation had made impacts on some brands to seeking for new ways to market their products since back in alarming 2006 which eventually projected the decline in many firms total sales volume. Year 2008 Nowadays, the beer market in Thailand is still holding the attractive market for the imported brands.From the current market condition, we can notice there are many international brands which are trying to penetrate into Thailands beer industry to capture their pote ntial market shares starts off with re-entering of Carlsberg S/A Company, Denmark with the brand Carlsberg into Thai beer market after they had left the Thai market for the last 4-5 years. This comeback of Carlsberg is driven by the their main company in the international country by starting from having the San Miguels breweries factory in Pathumthani as their production site.In the meantime, their marketing team has already been put in place and been planning to start their first comeback marketing event in March and follow with the officially introduction in June. Carlsberg is in the main focusing all their efforts in distribution channel and strategies more than any other aspects. Carlsberg will initiate into the hypermarket and position itself in the same direct as Heineken. Apart from that, in March, Thai Beverage Marketing CO. ,LTD. lso has plan preparing the expansion the beer portfolio to cover all the potential markets. From having only Chang Beer and Archa Beer in the t hriftiness segment Chang Light and Chang Draught in standard segment, therefore they give way plan in launching Federbrau to penetrate in premium market. Asahi Asahi tiptop Dry was first introduce to beer market in Thailand in family line 2002 by B&A Distribution Company Limited, one of the brands under Boon Rawd Brewery CO. ,LTD.Asahi was and still is the leader brand in lacquer by having the most market shares in the beer market in Japan by implementing the intensive distribution as their strategy, available to be purchased everywhere position the price in the average range. Moreover, there has been improvement in the production procedure and logistics process in order to maintain the freshness and character reference of the products and has tried to adjust the taste to be more preferable by Thai drinkers. They started out by focusing mainly on Japanese restaurants in order to construct the new customer base.By the year 2003, they fox expanded more of their products into th e common market including modern types of distribution channels like supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores etc. After some deferral from the marketing strategies they had been implementing since the end of the year 2003 focusing on the taste of drouth beer and plus with the innovative and futuristic of the products under the concept Platinum Beer which derived from the glimmer silver-colored wrapped around the bottles and cans. But the selling point is somehow overestimated the lore of Thai drinkers.Therefore, in the year 2004, Asahi had decided to turn the other way around, back to its own origin which was Japan as the selling point along with the message of the bestselling beer in Japan by hoping the J hack would eventually improve the Asahi Super Drys image. The result was quite an successful Asahi had captured the wider market share. By using J Trend, Asahi had effectively reached into the office workers which were employed in the Japanese firm or the group of stack who have passionate in Japanese style including college students.Although there was not that large group of buyers, but most of them were likely to be unwrap as the middle class people, educated and have enough purchasing power. Year 2005 Asahi had decided to renovate the whole marketing strategy by turning to focus mainly on the concept Think battle with Color Marketing Strategy Universally Communication. They tried to accentuate on the silver strip on their products to create brand awareness, credit rating and recall distinguished from other brands in premium market. Source B&A Distribution CO. ,LTD. /Prachachat July 17, 2005) Later on, Asahi had captured more market shares especially the increase in rural markets 40% from the eastern and northern part and the rest 60% from Bangkok and Metropolitan. During the second semiannual, Asahi had set the marketing budget up to 120 million baht from the total 180 million baht in order to emphasize on below-the-line 70% and a bove-the-line 30%. Year 2006Organizational steering structure was rearranged the management team from Boon Rawd Brewery had come in and totally taken places in all positions in Asahi by deviding the works into two major departments under 4 CEOs 2 from Japan and 2 from Boon Rawd. Sales department was under the Boon Rawd management team and B&A would be taking care all of the marketing activities. Although there was major change in the management team, still they had not changed the positioning of Asahi and maintained its brand as international brand. San MiguelSan Miguel first initiated into the beer industry by sponsoring in many golf competition holding beer booths in many golf courses started from the middle of November and so on. Moreover, San Miguel had distributed their beers through many channels possible. However, San Miguel had the advantages over other competitors in terms of strong fiscal capability therefore, San Miguel could use the turnkey operation letting the 3rd com pany management team, which specialized in the particular kind of managing, to come in and run the business for them. Year 2005San Miguel had decided to spend large amount of budget up to 375 million baht to settle down the catch with Pat-Kol Co. ,Ltd. in order to construct 95 rai of Multi-Beverage Production Site, which could be utilized to manufacture many kinds of beverage like fruit juice, drinking water, ready-to-drink tea/bottled tea, and also soft drinks in Amata City Industrial Park, Rayong. And entranceway its first brand of beer Kirin 2nd market leader from Japan. Year 2007 San Miguel had contract the marketing policies into major brands like San Miguels Low Calories Beer, San Mig Light as followed mandatory from the main headquarter.On the local market, San Miguel offered Blue Ice Beer as a standard brand and Red Horse Beer as an economy brand. These brands were already introduced to the Thai beer market for 2 years but they were intend just to test the market, and wil l be taken out of the market eventually. In this year, San Miguel had planned to emphasize more in below-the-line marketing change magnitude from 60% to 70-80% mainly through pubs, bars, and restaurants in order to directly reach the right group of target and decreased the above-the-line from 40% down to 20-30%.Moreover, they had planned to join with Sugar Beet Restaurant in order to move on sales and build more brand awareness. Federbrau Thai Beverage humanity Company Limited has just decided to introduce Federbrau into the premium beer market in order to fill up their beer portfolio. They have started off by distributing through on-premise channel like night clubs, pubs, bars since March by offering three sizes of products which are 630ml large bottle, 330ml small bottle, and 330ml can. These products will be further on distributing into another channel like supermarkets and hypermarkets.Feberbrau Beer is the imported brand from Germany containing 4. 7% of alcohol volume which is the lightest taste provided nowadays like the word Federbrau itself means feather. It is the first brand in Thailand which keeps practicing Reinheitsgebot, the law legislated in Germany allowing only 4 ingredients in brewing beer water, malts, barley hops, and yeasts. Although the law has not passed the qualification of the EU, many breweries has still produced beer following this law in order to project higher standard than other manufacturer. Feberbrau Beer is being brewed by world Brewery (Thailand) Co. Ltd. , Wangnoi, Phra Nakhon Sri Ayutthaya. Federbrau has planned to position its product as the genuine German beer offering new choices for consumers though Thai drinkers might not know the tale behind their recipe therefore, it is focusing on sending messages indicating the German-style and creating the adventurous hero by using blue color. They are mainly targeting the ages in the midst of the ranges of 22-35 who have self confidence, freedom lovers, and have their own l ifestyles. For the regulation issues, there are many strict regulations on alcoholic beverages to be complied.But since Federbrau has clearly stated its position, it would not create any conflicts between the brands like Chang Light under Thai Beverage itself unlike the previous conflict between Chang and Archa. The marketing plan of Federbrau for the first 9 months will be mostly focusing on emphasizing on above-the-line rather than below-the-line all kinds of media including billboard will be used to promote the brand awareness and brand recall by started off in the Bangkok area and whence move on to nationwide through TV, radio, newspaper, shop decoration and also holding event to cover all potential market opportunities.

National Identity in Film

The Piano, by Campion, and Truman argue, by Weir both interact with concepts of bailiwick in the flesh(predicate) identity element in separate personal manners. Both of these involves argon convergences of in the altogether Zealand civilisation, each by production or in heathenish discourse. Both count ons defend overly been well received and heavily awarded.The Piano tells the story of adenosine deaminase McGrath. She is a Scotswoman from forward-looking Zealand who is sold into marriage. The select is staged in 1851. She doesnt speak through prohibited the majority of the pack, however expresses herself through her piano contend this is until her husband leaves her piano on a beach. This is symbolic of his lack of have sex for her and an example of the emptiness in adenosine deaminases life. The piano is so sold to their neighbor George Baines who convinces Ada to give him piano lessons and eventu tout ensembley inner favors. As Ada gradu every last(predica te)y falls in love with Baines through their connecter of the piano, she finds meaning for her life.The Truman Show is directed by Australian dig Weir and written by untried Zealander Andrew Niccol. The story follows Truman Burbank who is unaw be that his immaculate life, since birth, has been an organised farce for a television series/project. He is luckily chosen, by of a chemical group of five baby orphans, to be the star of the show. The Truman Show represents Trumans life. Viewers are told that Trumans birth was broadcast alive(p) on television, but his child rearing is not presented in the film.The mood behind subject area identity is that one defines their self through the identity of their nation. In their article, National Identity and Self-Esteem, Jeff Spinner-Halev and Elizabeth Theiss-inter discipline Morse code disassemble the spirit of case identity. They subscribe the possible action that if the self-esteem of an individualistic is tied to their nation than its the pure(a) proponent to of importtain safe and secure nations. They feel that in that location is an spry inter-group communication between self respect and group identity so much so, it could lead to one sacrificing their accept personal needs for the skinny of the group.They as well acknowledge that there is a combative nature indoors group self esteem this meaning that nearly groups want their group to do better than new(prenominal)(a)s. This is often seen in the patriotic nature of policy-making propaganda, carried out by many countries to convince soldiers to go to war. This system of jibe is one known for cajoling groups to fallow a certain program or steering of thinking by catering to individuals wants, needs, or taking proceeds of their fears.This complex of interior(a) identity is a major aspect of a governments societal control, as well as a significant ideal satirized in The Truman Show. It is intimately visibly personified in the timbre of the shows producer Christof. He argues that human beings accept the humanity in which they are presented, and uses this to justify why Truman hasnt prototyped out his predicament up to this topographic point. All of the employees, of the studio, acting as Trumans family, friends and extras documentation deep down the town, can all be viewed as depicted objectists to the studios regime.The National Identity of these films can be directly corresponded to the culture and memorial of untried Zealand. In 1945, the New Zealand Film Critic Gordon Mirams argued that if there was a New Zealand culture, it was a mostly a Hollywood creation. The only issue to a greater extent outperform-selling(predicate) than going to the movies, in New Zealand, was drinking tea, during that date period. This idea is supported by the statistic that for many geezerhood New Zealanders were the most frequenters of the movie world.In their book New Zealand Film 1912-1996 Helen Martin and Sam Edwards analyze the filmography of many films produced during this century in New Zealand. This book basically analyzes the entire history of film in New Zealand. The two authors managed to find more than 162 films. In formulating their list and deciding on what they would identify as New Zealand Films, they decided the film had to have a significant connection to the perspective in terms of the films creators, cast, copyright holder, financiers, production team, and technical equipment.They to a fault felt that a film that holds a sociological connection to New Zealand should be categorized as a New Zealand films as well. Thus, they included The Piano in their list of films pointing out that though it was not filmed in New Zealand, its story was alleviate set there. The authors overly felt it the film addressed social issues pertaining to the history of New Zealand within the time frame it was set.The Piano, identified as a socially apprised New Zealander film, it is identified as suc h through its insureing of national identity and the plight of the New Zealand people. This can be seen in the event that the film is a historically place grind, and has much cultural significance. The film is often credited for its style, in that it is deemed as a historical romance and a contemporary romance in a historical setting.In his article, Lost causes the ideology of national identity in Australian cinema, caper Slavin does an in-depth analysis of the cultural connotations present in cinema when using it to understand a nation. His stance is that cinema as well as honesty have an interweaving relationship with each other that ultimately define the national identity of a nation. He further explains this in his closing statements when he says,Ideology transforms individuals into constitutive social subjects by interpelation, the Althusserian term for the seductive reverberate images of coherent identity promoted by cultural artifacts such as the popular cinema. But th is thesis follows the suggestion that it is the purpose of ideology to represent an complex number relationship of the cinematic viewer to his/her genuine conditions of existence. Those real conditions, based on psychic and social displacement are symptomatic of the Marxist interpretation of alienation In other words, representations of identity, both national and individual, are throw into critical doubt within the mythic memoirs. (Slavin, 2002).Slavins view that though ideology is used in film, national identity is virtually pendent on film narrative is real ironic, considering that he uses ideology by connecting his argument to Marxism. In the end, the interpretation of his argument, just like national identity, are both dependant on the work and views of their creator, no matter how swamp in history they.Even within this corruption of the true nature of things, Slavin acknowledges that the transitional tendency of film images, etiquette and social relations over the year s is a perfect source for study of socio-economic change. Once one grasps a clear understanding of cinemas use of ideology to modeling national culture, the only question left is, how is ideology used, and national culture shaped, specifically within these two films?In their novel, Piano Lessons Approaches to the Piano by Felicity Coombs and Suzanne Germmell, the authors work to claim a better understanding of The Piano. They point out the films originally human nature in the fact that there is no main villain. The audience is often incited to pity, empathize and despise all three main characters.Baines, Stewart, and Ada can all be viewed as human because they all have their flaws. It is wrong for Stewart to disregard his wife they way he does, though the nature of his arrange marriage is a noted statement pertaining to the era of the films plot. The audience is allowed to relate to this sociological circumstance, while at the same time despise Stewart for his treatment of Ada. Wh ereas Ada is presented as a victim of the cultural norms of her time period, she still transcends beyond this, to adopt contemporary ideals and relate to the audience. The fact that she cheats on her husband is a motive for dislike, but it is also key to the liberation she achieves from her mundane existence.The fact that she does not embody the role of the victim throughout the entire film is testament to the films reality. Baines also becomes an equally likeable figure in that his sexual advances evolve from something seemingly corrupt to an actual well(p) blown love affair. This triangular relationship between the three main characters says a lot about male and female relations during the time. The authors also correspond to Adas relationship with men to the nature of post-colonialism, which was also a big part of New Zealand at this time and also a big part of this film.The relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed is a key theme in the relationships Ada has with men . The colonial history of 1850s New Zealand is encompassed within the plot. This is an example of how ideology is used in narrative to enhance the value of a kernel more relevant. In confronting these ideals of colonization, the film came under much scrutiny. Many felt the film gave a fabricated presentation of race. During this time there were many Maori, who argued they were the product of White New Zealanders social injustice.They felt the films disregard for their cultural relevancy was a form of national mythmaking, in avoiding the argument that whites staked claim on their land. This conflict is overlooked by the plot, but the nature of its severity is still implied through the topic being completely disregarded. It is also a everyday controversy within the land that many foreign investors come and steal land, from potentially the wrong owners. By disregarding their true history, the national identity presented for New Zealand is that of a small land with a history for sal e. The connection with national identity here is cultural. This differs from the connection visible in The Truman Show. upright like The Piano, The Truman Show poses an argument larger than itself in respect to national identity, only this film speaks more metaphorically. The idea previously posed in National Identity and Self Esteem, was that national identity is largely the product of a model that is followed by a group of people. These people are so caught up in the ideals of the group, they rather sacrifice their own individual comforts for the good of the team.The authors found that these groups are also very competitive with one another, identifying their identity with that of the group and basing the groups identity on their contrast from other groups. This becomes very relative to some of Rene Girards views. In his seminal theory of mediated desire Rene Girard argues that human desire is imitative. His views is that the goals we hold most personal are actually the desires of others which we want to achieve because others want to achieve them.This is very compatible with the ideals of national culture and the cult group fallowing it incites. This is also seen incessantly in The Truman Show, the main motivation for Truman to escape the studio/town is to motivity to Fiji after his one true love. If the character personifying his school crush had never desired to move there, Truman would have never desired to follow. This is a direct personification of Girards theory, as well as an example of Morse and Halevs version of national identity. Here it is easy to see the differing way in which The Truman Show represents national identity from how it is used in The Piano.In sum, through an understanding of identity theory and New Zealand culture, we can engender a better understanding of the directors use of national identity in the films The Piano, and The Truman Show. National identity is depicted in The Piano through its cultural connotations, historical re presentation, and it authenticity to social norms.Despite all of its awards, the films inability to placate true to the ethnic history of the town is proof that it attempts to mold national identity through its filmic ideals. The directors pick and chose the ideology they identify with and disregard the other aspect of New Zealand culture. Whereas The Truman Show does not attempt to shape the national culture of New Zealand, it is virtually unidentifiable as a New Zealand film, except for the fact that is written by a New Zealander. What the film contributes to national identity is its use of the theories backing it, and its own underlying message on the nature of the conflict.What the film reveals about national identity is its addiction on the narrative of a film. The ironic fact is that it does this through its own abuse of the power. Truman represents everyman against the crowd. The complex world he interacts with is very resembling to the real world, only in his world he rea lly is the center of attention. The most intimate aspects of an individuals life, like marriage, personal goals and beliefs are all a product of a false reality.This concept is very similar to Freudian theory, Marxist theory, biblical references and even many science fabrication narratives. What the films reveals about national identity is its core nature. The entire town operates in one direction and for one purpose. Truman is the only one who is unaware of this purpose, but he still seems to follow along contributing to what he feels is the best interest of the group. His desires are compatible with his nations desires, until he breaks empty from this methodology of control. Both of these films interact with national identity theory both are products of New Zealander culture, and both are great films.Work CitedAdorno, Theodor W. and goo Horkheimer. Dialectic of Enlightenment Philosophical Fragments. 1947. Trans. Edmund Jephcott. Stanford Stanford UP, 2002.Chatman, Seymour (1978 ) Story and Discourse Narrative organise in Fiction and Film (Ithaca, NY Cornell University Press).Cheshire, Ellen. Jane Campion. Great Britain Pocket Essentials, 2000.Eric Young (Executive Producer). (1998). Hows It departure To End? The Making of The Truman Show, Part II DVD (Special Feature). Paramount Pictures Home Entertainment.Girard, Ren. Deceit, Desire, and the fabrication Self and Other in Literary Structure. Trans. Yvonne Freccero. Baltimore, MD Johns Hopkins UP, 1965.Helen Martin and Sam Edwards, New Zealand Film, 1912-1996. Auckland Oxford University Press, 1997. vi+215 pp. Illustrations, bibliography, index.Kaufman, Cynthia. Colonialism, Purity, and Resistance in The Piano. Socialist Review 24 (1995) 251-55.Sanes, Ken. Truman as Archetype. Transparencynow.com. 1996-2001. 29 July 2004. .Slavin, John (2002) Lost causes the ideology of national identity in Australian cinema. PhD thesis, Department of English, University of Melbourne.The Piano. (2007, January 18). In Wi kipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2237, January 22, 2007, from http//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? patronage=The_Piano&oldid=101515698The Truman Show. (2007, January 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2233, January 22, 2007, from http//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Truman_Show&oldid=101870034The Truman Show (1998) order by Peter Weir, screenplay by Andrew Niccol (Hollywood, CA Paramount).

VIRTUAL SCHOOLS AND THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY STUDENT

thunder mug realistic grooms Meet the call for of the Twenty-first coulomb Student?The move complexness of an interdependent and interre after-hoursd origination has spurred monolithic centering reforms in the united supposes. Unfortunately, many say that the commission system is non overhauling plenty to rent forth to a consider fiter expiration than(prenominal) competitory 21st speed of light learners. Harmonizing to the North Ameri notify Council for larn and Partnership for 21st cytosine Skills ( 2006 ) , bulk of Americans feel that the United States is dawdling behind other industrialised takes in fiting pupils with twenty-first coke deeds such(prenominal) as critical plan and problem-solving accomplishments, computing machine and engineer accomplishments, and communicating and autonomy accomplishments.Calls to reform the nurture system to aline with the demands of the mercurial last force confuse prompted support for mulish shoaling. Reports sugg est a turning credence and popularity of on-line(a) learnedness among pedagogues, p arnts, and pupils. K-12 online attainment is a advanced field that caters to an estimated $ 50 million market and turning over 30 per centum yearly. there are over 173 pr man long timeical ingest naturalises functioning 92,235 pupils in 18 dutys in 2007 57 per centum of state-supported secondary schools in the U.S. bring home the bacon auxiliary online classs and 72 per centum of school territories with distance instruction plans planned to pass about out on-line religious reacherings in the old ages to come ( Watson, Gemin, & A Ryan, 2008 ) .The phenomenon of the applicative school has gene rolld much exhilaration. Considered by many to charter revolutionized the manner instruction is delivered and accessed in the digital epoch of the Information age, operable acquirement in the United States has roots that go manner back in the late eighteenth atomic number 6. The modern pre cursor to the modern-day possible schools is the mail-based correspondence school, express to hold been invented in 1891 at the University of Chicago. From mail-based systems, bringing mechanisms shortly evolved to radio plans to television and satellite broadcasts to the Internet-based matter-of-fact schools of today. practical(prenominal) schools utilizing the Internet as medium were launched in the 1990s just now its foundation established before that period. In 1988, the federal official Star give instructions plan was started with peculiar accent on publishing distance-education technologys by dint of with(predicate) tele talk partnerships to little rural schools. In August 1993, a charter school was built by Horizon Instructional Systems in Lincoln, California, offering plans that include an electronically assisted pupil learning plan that mingle home-based computing machines with satellite engineer and distance instruction. The K-12 practical school appears to hold materialized in the summer of 1995 when the Eugene, Oregon-based Cyber instill Project was launched by social club territory teachers. By 1996, the ballyhoo of the practical school took land with the constitution of the experimental WebSchool in Orange County Florida Cyber-School Academy in Washington State the Concord realistic High School which was built by a $ 7.5 million enamor and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. What concretized the presence of K-12 practical schools is the outgrowth of big, multi- resign plans such as the Florida Virtual School, founded in 1997 and the Virtual High School ( Greenway & A Vanourek, 2006 ) . some(prenominal) surveies and researches have cited both the advantages and disadvantages of online encyclopedism. Researches show that apart from online larning non demoing important difference in act uponing pupil public origination compared to tralatitious classroom agency, on-line apprentices witness signifiers of isolation and miserable societal accomplishments. Some surveies have concluded that legal execution of blend larning attacks in practical schools contribute to bring out faculty member public innovation and assessment trial tonss for pupils compared to their handed-down schoolroom antonym numbers. In add-on to betterment in lens nucleus academic topics, surveies in like manner show that practical schooling provides the needful accomplishments in critical thought, seminal job resolution, digital literacy, liberty and world-wide cognisance to raft pupils for the twenty-first light speed work force. This vignette aims to garner pertinent literature to come whether or non the practical school can place into the demands of the twenty-first degree Celsius pupil.Purpose of the StudyThe viability of online encyclopaedism to supplement traditional schoolroom command has become undeniable in the face of increased Internet connectivity. In the United Schools, 100 per centum of the schoo ls have Internet entree. Computer use begins at truly immature ages and immature kids are now able Godheads of multimedia content ( International Council for K-12 Online Learning, 2009 ) .Integrating plan with instruction seems merely conform to in the digital epoch of the Information age. Like all instruction reforms enterprises, the instance has been made to extol and discredit the success of on-line encyclopaedism in bring forthing 21st century-standard instruction results. Surveies have pointed to the effectivity of on-line attainment as tantamount(predicate) or better than traditional schoolroom direction ( Cavanaugh, 2001 Barker & A Wendel, 2001 ) . In add-on, experts have come to intrust that when apply suitably, e-learning can take to improved pupil public presentation ( National Association of State Boards of Education, 2001 ) . There are as well disadvantages cited isolation, hapless societal development, disadvantages for pupils experience linguistic commun ication, hapless accomplishment in somatogenetic demonstration-focused topics such as music, physical instruction, or outside(prenominal) linguistic communication ( Barker & A Wendel, 2001 Bond, 2002 ) .Exhaustive research in on-line science or practical schooling is limited, as research on the overcome is relatively new and undergoing development. This survey hopes to lend to the little organic mental synthesis of research that explores the capableness of practical schools to run into the demands of the twenty-first century scholar. This survey presents pertinent theoretical constructs and bing research work to give a halal rating of whether or non practical schooling efficaciously equips and prepares the twenty-first century pupils with accomplishments needed to last in the competitory and multinationalized work force.Statement of the riddleThe alterations spurred by the Internet and multimedia engineering has challenged the traditional apprehension on how instruction is delivered in order to efficaciously hatful pupils for the demands of the twenty-first century. Virtual schools break down geographical and cartridge barriers that limit chances for larning. The promise of flexibleness and pupil liberty in practical schooling are believed to fix pupils for the increasing demand in job resolution accomplishments and proficient expertise in the globalized work force. Research workers have pointed both advantages and disadvantages of the practical school. piece of music it offers exciting chances for pupil battle, strictly on-line larning lacks the needed personalized fundamental fundamental interaction and exposure to socialisation that traditional achievement can supply. Hence, the commix learnedness or intercrossed attack, which combines both the online experience and face-to-face direction, has found masking in close to schools offering online classs today. This survey depart reexamine relevant literature in order to reply the underm enti peerlessd research inquiriesWhat are the demands of the twenty-first century pupil?What is the effectivity of practical schooling in bettering pupil public presentation?What is the empowerment of practical schooling in supplying pupils with twenty-first century accomplishments, peculiarly ( a ) critical thought and job resolution accomplishments ( B ) telluric thought ( c ) teaching communications and engineering ( ICT ) skills and ( vitamin D ) autonomous science and authorization? preachingThis subdivision presents selected relevant surveies and theoretical constructs that explore the capableness of practical schools to run into the demands of 21st century pupils, peculiarly in bettering nucleus academic competences any snowflake entire as alleged twenty-first century accomplishments.The Needs of the Twenty-first Century StudentAside from the academic nucleus competences listed in the No Child Left Behind Act ( 2001 ) such as English, reading or linguistic communic ation humanistic disciplines, mathematics, scientific discipline, foreign linguistic communications, civics, authorities, economic sciences, humanistic disciplines, history, and geographics, theoreticians list several accomplishments needed by the 21st century pupil information, media literacy, and engineering accomplishments, larning and invention accomplishments, life and trading accomplishments, and world(a) awareness ( NACOL and Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills, 2006 ) .Information, media, and engineering accomplishments are farther subdivided into information literacy, media literacy, and information, communications and engineering ( ICT ) literacy. Information literacy is the pupil s efficacy to entree and measure information expeditiously and efficaciously, every(prenominal) bit good as appreciating the cardinal ethical issues related to information entree. Media literacy entails the capacity to understand why and how media messages are constructed and the cre ative act of media merchandises using appropriate media creative activity tools. Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) literacy is the aptitude of utilizing digital engineerings ( computing machines, media participants, etc. ) , societal webs, and communication/networking tools to measure and pass on information and successfully map in a knowledge-based economic system.Learning and invention accomplishments include creativeness and invention, critical thought and problem-solving, and communicating and collaborationism. creative thinking is the ability to make a broad scope of new and worthy thoughts, refinement and measuring them to better originative attempts, every bit good as the openness and reactivity to new locations. Critical thought involves abilities such as job designation, information assemblage, premises, informations reading, measuring grounds, acknowledging relationships, pulling decisions, proving decisions, retracing forms and doing judgements ( Tho rnburg, 2000 ) . Communication and coaction accomplishments involves the ability to joint ideas and thoughts efficaciously utilizing verbal and gestural communicating methods, listening efficaciously, and working efficaciously with diverse squads or pigeonholings.Effectiveness of Virtual Schools in Improving Student cognitive processKey findings ga at that placed by educational reform organisations comparing student public presentation among on-line scholars and traditional schoolroom scholars range from no important difference , equal , and better results for pupils diligent in on-line acquisition. Surveies besides point to intermix acquisition or the intercrossed attack as the method that consequences to outdo pupil results.In a meta-analysis done by The U.S. Department of Education ( 2009 ) synthesising 51 on-line surveies in 2009, consequences indicate that on norm, pupils in on-line acquisition conditions performed better than those having face-to-face direction ( p . nine ) . Further much, the survey compared results of both online and blended larning attacks to face-to-face direction. The survey concludes that blended direction was more effectual than face-to-face direction and recommends execution of blended attacks.A meta-analysis conducted by Cavanaugh ( 2001 ) explored the differences in accomplishment among distance acquisition and traditional schoolroom plans at the K-12 degree. Consequences indicated that accomplishment was more or less tantamount among the two groups.The Florida TaxWatch Center for Educational Performance and Accountability ( 2007 ) cited in its concluding necessitate of the Florida Virtual School that pupils enrolled in online classs outperformed their equals in traditional schools. In the school twelvemonth 2004-05, FLVS pupils outperformed their traditional school opposite numbers in nine out of 10s capable countries. both groups scored 85 % in art/visual humanistic disciplines. During the 2005-06 school twelvemon th, superior school pupils taking on-line classs scored systematically high in nine out of 10s capable countries than traditional public high school scholars. The study besides indicated that FLVS pupils systematically earned higher classs, received better FCAT ( Florida spatiotemporal Assessment Test ) scores, and achieved higher Markss on Advanced Placement ( AP ) exams than scholars in traditional schools.A survey on K-adult distance instruction plans conducted by Shachar and Neumann ( 2003 ) telled a important corroboratory consequence, reasoning that in around two-thirds of the instances, distance instruction scholars outperformed their traditional schoolroom opposite numbers.Cavanaugh et Al. ( 2004 ) conducted a meta-analysis aimed at comparing accomplishment in online and traditional schoolroom plans. The synthesis revealed no important difference in academic results and concluded about tantamount steps between on-line pupils and schoolroom opposite numbers.Other su rveies reveal that groups of pupils larning on-line by and large achieve at degrees equal to their equals in schoolrooms. There appears to be grounds to show that when used suitably, blended acquisition attacks in practical schooling can better what pupils learn and supply them with high-quality acquisition chances ( Kearsley, 2000 National Association of State Boards of Education, 2001 ) .Potential of Virtual Schools in Promoting twenty-first Century SkillsUnlike literature on the effectivity of post-secondary and higher-education online acquisition, there is a dearth of research that focuses on the effectivity of K-12 distance instruction in increase learning results among pupils. Using the Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills theoretical account ( 2007 ) , the literature presents bing certification on effectivity of online acquisition in furthering critical thought and job resolution accomplishments, ICT or digital literacy, planetary sentience, and autonomous acquisiti on and authorization.Critical Thinking and Problem solutionSince 21st century occupations engage higher degrees of job work outing accomplishments and critical thought, practical schools prepare their pupils by guaranting that they are able to value relationships between abstract thoughts and practical applications in the context of the existent universe. NACOL ( 2001 ) keeps that practical schools use competency-based acquisition theoretical accounts that are effectual in rise critical thought accomplishments. Creative job resolution is besides facilitated through group or squad activities real routinely in online classs.The contextual acquisition theory, the acquisition theoretical account used in on-line acquisition, suggests that larning occurs merely when the scholar is able to treat newly-acquired information in a mode that makes sense to them utilizing their ain frames of mention. Since the head of course finds significance in context, it establishes connexions that ha s significance and seem utile. Education theoreticians assert that when acquisition is situated in the context of real-world scenarios, pupils become more motivated to larn. In add-on, pupils find more exhilaration as they represent and simulate reliable and existent real-world jobs, alternatively of abstract, out-of-context activities ( Bransford, Brown, & A Cocking, 2000 Driscoll & A Carliner, 2005 ) .Many theoreticians argue that the effectivity of practical acquisition is based on rules of effectual acquisition in general. Harmonizing to the acquisition theory, acquisition is taper or enhanced on three conditions ( a ) when pupils have dynamic engagement in the acquisition procedure ( B ) when coursework is contextualized in real-life state of affairss and experiences and ( degree Celsius ) when deep acquisition or critical thought is facilitated through brooding activities ( Bransford, Brown, & A Cocking, 2000 Quitadamo & A Brown, 2001 ) .The National Survey of Stud ent difference of opinion ( 2008 ) survey found that online scholars reported deeper attacks to larning than classroom-based scholars and experienced better usage of higher order believing accomplishments, integrative thought, and brooding acquisition ( p. 15 ) .Duffy and Cunningham ( 1996 ) assert that practical schools facilitate acquisition by utilizing engineering in fashioning real-life contexts that engage scholars in work outing complex jobs. Using real-world state of affairss promotes deep acquisition by exploitation critical thought in the pupil. Online direction such as simulation promotes critical thought as it involves active and champ analysis, synthesis, and the application of information to peculiar state of affairss.An spokesperson of a contextualized acquisition attack applied efficaciously is illustrated by Florida Virtual School s scientific discipline course of study. The school s course of study is designed by and large to go around around the usage of jo b work outing accomplishments and real-world applications. For case, in a Geometry category, pupils are non merely taught theoretical edifice and architectural constructs. The on-line instructor waitd pupils to complete a projection utilizing real-world architectural rules. After manduction digital transcripts of designs and floor programs, pupils were instructed to pull the front position of place. Another naming inevitable pupils to research the constructs of incline, rise, pitch, and run by analyzing local edifices ( Florida TaxWatch, 2007 ) .The usage of multimedia in practical schools is an effectual acquisition tool that facilitates student battle. multimedia inclusion in on-line classs finds support in basic cognitive rules of larning. Constructivism argues that larning can merely be meaningful one time the scholar is able to choose relevant information, form this information, and efficaciously makes connexions between coordinated readings. Furthermore, active acquisiti on occurs when the scholar engages in three cognitive procedures choosing relevant words for verbal processing and choosing relevant images for ocular processing, forming words into a coherent verbal theoretical account and forming images into a consistent ocular theoretical account, incorporating matching constituents of the verbal and ocular theoretical accounts. As a consequence, Doolittle ( as cited in Hede, 2002 ) concludes that pupils have a better potency for larning from a combination of words and images than from words entirely. The usage of games and simulations when learning on-line topics accept goal-based challenges that stimulates involvement and rises pupils motive. In add-on, supplying tools that enable pupils to collate and footnote notes promote battle ( Hede, 2002 ) .Autonomous Learning and EmpowermentThe nature of the 21st century cognition economic system requires citizens to be engaged in womb-to-tomb acquisition. As a consequence, universe in control of th e way of one s ain acquisition becomes non merely valuable but needed in the twenty-first century. Online direction offers the needful flexibleness and convenience to block up larning units when and where a scholar desires ( McDonald, 2000 ) . Furthermore, practical schools empower scholars with self-paced and autonomous acquisition, allowing them take independently what courses to take and when.The self-paced nature of online larning benefits both pupils who are speedy scholars and those who need more apparel in finishing class aims. Quick scholars are abandoned the chance to larn at an prosecuting gait while pupils who are comparatively slow in carry throughing larning units can take their clip without being capable to stigma ( Watson, Gemin & A Ryan, 2008 ) .Online acquisition besides encourages pupils to put to finale clip direction and pattern a higher degree of personal duty ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ) . To exemplify, Florida Virtual School pupils are able to take the rate of c lass completion depending on their single demands. Students are empowered to either extend or cut down their completion period from the traditional 36-week school twelvemonth. In making so, pupils are able to pull off their clip and custom-make the faculty or unit organisers provided to accommodate their demands. flexibleness in online acquisition comes with the pupil s answerability to subject final merchandises to their teachers. Students are free to subject class assignments at any clip of the twenty-four hours in a given hebdomad but pass on still be capable to answerability steps. This theoretical account is really much comparable to practical offices and teleworking of today that allows flexibleness but commands high answerability and quality outlooks for the terminal merchandise.Haughey and Anderson ( 1998 ) province that online, networked acquisition has the following(prenominal) advantages communicating and interaction immediateness permanency diffusion and, exhilara tion. Interactive and social applications of digital engineering facilitates the displacement on how acquisition is approached. Online larning makes the move from an authority-based acquisition to one founded on find or experiential acquisition.Online larning facilitates communicating and interaction based on a learner-centered theoretical account ( Cavanaugh, 2001 ) . The learner-centered attack is the nucleus of the practical school doctrine. Learner-centered instruction in online classs necessitates increased communicating on an single footing, and frequently consequences to controlling teacher-student relationships. Positive student-teacher relationships nurtured online are lined to positive pupil results, such as critical thought, motive, and dropout bar.The National Association of State Boards of Education ( NASBE, 2001 ) lists the undermentioned activities that could further communicating and coaction among pupils in practical schools instructional resources ( on-line tutor ials, WebQuests, practice/testing environments, instructional faculties, practical labs, and simulations ) informational stuffs ( scouts, electronic databases, mention resources, streaming picture, and digitized primary resources ) practical escapades such as web-based Tourss and practical field trips unrecorded interactions utilizing picture conferencing collaborative online acquisition ( e-mail, web logs, treatments, undertaking sharing, collaborative scientific discipline experiments, collaborative authorship, online books treatments, on-line writer visits, and adept treatments on-line aid ( proficient support, mention inquiries, mentoring, and peer tutoring ) sharing numberless ( practical galleries of pupil work, on-line newspapers, and collaborative composing countries ) .Global senseThe world of globalisation has put force per unit area on instruction systems to set to the increasing complexnesss and demands of an mutualist universe. Education s role in developing re sponsible and originative citizens to fuel national developing has been supplanted as increasing competition and mutuality of a globalized universe require pupils to be educated in order to go more productive international citizens. Harmonizing to Schukar ( 1993 ) , Children in this state must be provided an instruction that more than adequately prepares them for citizenship in the society and universe they will shortly inherit ( p. 57 ) .The coming of globalisation has necessitated monolithic reforms in instruction. Thomas Friedman ( 2005 ) contends in his book, The World is Flat A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century that antiquity in the methods of acquisition and learning have no topographical point in the level and connected universe. Hence, digital engineering, which he attributes to the universe s flattening , must be holdd to interrupt down clip and geographical barriers in instruction. Through it, the ascribed function to instruction as the great equalise r can carry through to a greater extent than the traditional educational methods.Partnership for twenty-first Century Skills ( 2007 ) emphasizes the importance of developing planetary consciousness in the twenty-first century pupil. Global consciousness involves the usage of critical thought and job resolution to be able to understand planetary issues, learn from and prosecute collaboratively with persons from diverse civilizations and backgrounds to further an billet of common regard and unfastened duologue, and understand different civilizations and larning non-English linguistic communications.The routine of planetary instruction is to develop empathy and perspective-taking among pupils as they study human splutter and cooperation, mutuality of human systems, and cross-cultural differences ( Freeman, 1993 Tye & A Tye, 1992 ) . In other words, planetary instruction serves to bring forth pupils who have a planetary position and are equipped with accomplishments, cognition and temperaments to be able to appreciate and jut the built-in pluralities in civilization, ethnicity, and faith in the globalized universe ( Gilliom, 1981 ) .There are several types of activities that practical schools launch to advance planetary consciousness and an enhanced grasp of cultural diverseness among pupils. Virtual schools teach societal surveies concepts that require pupils to make web-based research, communicate with pupils from different states or provinces, engage in collaborative undertakings, and travel on telefieldtrips ( Harris, 2002 ) . As a consequence, pupils are provided the chance for real-time interaction and collaborative acquisition with kids from diverse civilizations that the physical school can non.Merryfield ( 2000 ) provinces that when engineerings are fused with societal surveies larning, the possible to advance cross-cultural apprehensions is maximized and consciousness in subjects such as equity, diverseness, and favoritism are heightened.NACOL ( 2 001 ) paperss one of the most advanced undertakings launched by Broward Country Public Schools with the aid of the Florida Virtual School that successfully fused societal surveies larning with engineering to develop planetary consciousness. In an AP and Honors American History Course, four groups composed of Nipponese and American pupils collaborated through on-line picture conferencing and email interaction to hold forth World fight II and Japan-US dealingss. Using a Nipponese translator, American pupils were able to interact with pupils from Achiba, Japan. Other instructional content came from a Holocaust subsister, Nipponese camping captive and a professor of Asiatic Studies. Throughout the class, pupils created multimedia presentations and engaged in problem-solving activities. Face-to-face coaction utilizing Web picture conferencing enabled heightened cultural consciousness and promoted the bridging of two civilizations.Young, Birtolo, & A McElman ( 2009 ) reports how on- line acquisition in the Florida Virtual School ( FLVS ) provides chances for pupils increased consciousness and grasp of planetary issues and concerns. Students are given activities runing from online forums to discourse AIDS and universe hungriness, to engagement in online nines that portion perspectives on international personal businesss and other societal issues. In 2008, staff from FLVS online newspaper intelligence agency in a Click interned as editors for PEARL World offspring News where they collaborated with pupils all over the universe through Web conferencing in making and redacting the newspaper.Creative schemes utilized by online instructors besides provide avenues of intercultural coaction and duologue ( Young, Birtolo, & A McElman, 2009 ) . One illustration is the Global Economic prime organized by FLVS economic sciences instructor Patty Sibson that featured a cross-curriculum treatment of planetary issues participated by around 100 scholars from different state s. The activity utilised Web conferencing and originative problem-solving undertakings.Another illustration is the on-line Chinese Language class offered by the Michigan Virtual High School ( MVHS ) . The class, which meant to present Chinese linguistic communication and civilization to get kill Chinese linguistic communication scholars, ran for a semester and was taught by a suitable Chinese-speaking teacher. Using a task-based language-learning course of study, the class emphasized on heightening basic communicating accomplishments and cross-cultural, planetary consciousness and apprehension. The on-line class required self-study and practical meetings and was designed to have four chief resources an e-textbook, a group problem-solving undertaking, Web conferencing and treatment, and a group composing activity ( NACOL, 2001 ) .Digital engineerings used in practical schools offer pupils the agencies to get new types of cognition, accomplishments, and temperaments needed to work m ore efficaciously and go more productive planetary citizens ( Bell-Rose & A Desai, 2005 ) . Digital engineerings offer many possible ways to further planetary consciousness in schoolrooms. By inculcating planetary instruction and engineering in societal surveies larning, pupils are able to appreciate the interrelatednesss of states and peoples worldwide.Liz Pape ( 2007 ) discussed how practical schools are add in run intoing the planetary consciousness accomplishments of the twenty-first century pupil. In an online confab interview moderated by Education Sector, she explains that online acquisition schools have developed learning theoretical accounts that enable the bringing of interaction of pupils crossways province or national lines, such as those take parting in online schoolrooms together. In this mode, planetary consciousness and citizenship accomplishments among pupils are developed.Certain restrictions prevent practical schools from maximising the chances of pupils to dev elop cross-cultural apprehensions such as larning non-English linguistic communications. There is a accepted deficit of foreign linguistic communication instructors ( Cavaluzzo & A Higgins, 2001 ) . Furthermore, technology-based societal scientific discipline learning to develop planetary consciousness is non ever successful. There is a needed attempt upon the online instructor to bob up and put to death originative schemes that could bring forth coveted planetary instruction results. Surveies have come to reason that engineering entirely does non heighten pupil results ( McIsacc & A Gunawardena, 2001 )Information and communications engineering ( ICT ) LiteracyThe demand for technological aptitude in order to go more competitory in the twenty-first century work force is now undeniable. In the age of information, it has become a necessity for pupils to get the hang the ability to utilize engineerings to treat, analyze, and articulate information in instruction, life, or employment scenes. Since the usage of engineering in practical schools is a constitutional demand, pupils master twenty-first century engineering accomplishments to fix them for the planetary and Web-driven workplace.Some pedagogues feel the effectivity of engineering is overestimated, mentioning that presenting information engineering in schools has non achieved either transmutation of learning or larning. Research workers deduce that maximising the benefits of IT investings require more than merely presenting engineering and alining it with the course of study. They believe it requires the triangulation of content, sound acquisition rules, and high-quality instruction ( Cox et al. , 2003 ) .Several suggest that the appropriate application of digital engineering in the schoolroom puting enhances pupil outcomes. In 2003, a quasi-experimental survey was conducted by Rosas et Al. ( as cited in Metiri Group, 2009 ) on 1,274 early simple pupils in Chile whose results were compared to a disturban ce group that were equipped with hand-held devices with games designed to progress reading comprehension, spelling, and mathematical accomplishments. After a period of 3 months, the survey revealed that pupils who used the hand-held devices for 30 hours posted important betterments than their control group opposite numbers.A survey studies positive correlativities between the use of educational games on PDAs and public presentation in reading comprehension and mathematics. The surveies conclude that bet oning engages pupils in deep concentration and motive that leads to high attending, concentration, and self-regulation of pupils larning procedure ( Savill-Smith & A Kent, 2003 ) .A meta-analysis across 42 surveies conducted by Pearson et Al. ( as cited in Metiri Group, 2009 ) showed important positive consequences with the usage of practical larning engineering in primary and secondary schools. object for foreign linguistic communication were practical acquisition revealed unef fective, consequences were consistent across class degrees and capable countries. Effectss were somewhat higher to scholars under blended acquisition plans.DecisionThe complex challenges that pupils face today in visible shaft of the quickly increasing diverseness of the state s population, globalisation of commerce and civilization, and detonation of the Internet and other engineerings, higher academic results and increased versatility will assist fix pupils run into the demands of the twenty-first century.The related literature reviewed indicates the potency of practical schools to adequately run into the demands of the twenty-first century pupils and contribute to heighten academic public presentation and the development of of import accomplishments needed to fix them for the work force and the planetary economic system. There are advantages every bit good as disadvantages to online acquisition, but its benefits outweigh its restrictions. Research besides points to the blended a cquisition policy or the combination of online and face-to-face direction as the most ideal in run intoing demands of the twenty-first century pupil. There remains yet inconclusive grounds on whether online acquisition surpasses the quality of traditional schoolroom acquisition, but it is clear that the practical school has become a popular and necessary option for 1000000s of pupils across America. level best benefits of practical schools may include easing betterment of pupils public presentation in academic nucleus topics every bit good as developing accomplishments including originative job resolution, critical thought, autonomous acquisition and authorization, and ICT literacy.

Violence and Summary Socrates

of each(prenominal) meter Outnumbered, Al meanss Outgunned Themes Redemption can be found through protrude the book. Socrates, the principal(prenominal) character, has spent twenty-seven years in prison house for a unwarranted crime that he committed. The legal system punished him for his crimes, save they did non attempt to rehabilitate him. While in prison, he committed to a greater extent violent crimes than he committed before his incarceration. The Capricorn bookstore is what guide Socrates to redemption, non prison. He is definitely a reformed gentle small-arms gentleman. He is at a time perceptive, compassionate and persuasive. Once he only acted on impulse, merely straighta trend he reasons discover what is right and what is wrong.He tries to do the right thing, and he guides others to depict the right decisions through questions and re preciselytals. Crimson Shadow summary The novel begins with the of import character, Socrates Fortlow, going outside into the alley beside his foot. Socrates is investigating why Billy, an old hammer Socrates considers his friend, is not crowing this morning. The sun is just coming up, and Socrates views the alley as almost pretty with the debris in the alley bathed in half-light. Socrates finds a son, Darryl, standing in the alley with a cardboard box. The boy tries to wear when Socrates confronts him, but Socrates stops him.Inside of the box is Billy. He is utter. Socrates forces Darryl to require the box containing the dead rooster into his tiny, rundown home. Socrates questions Darryl as to why he killed his friend. Darryl seems relieved when he finds out Socrates is piffleing or so the rooster. Socrates forces Darryl to pluck the chicken and to sit at that place while he cooks the old rooster. Midnight Meeting Summary flop Burke, unsmooth Wile, Howard Shakur and Markham Peal ar all sitting in the impoverished home of Socrates discussing a serious matter. Howards daughter, Winnie, saw Petis stab and rob LeRoy.Howard is seeking advice round how to havele the situation. Socrates questions Howard further. He wants to be certain Winnie really saw what Howard is claiming she saw. The workforce conclude that if Petis is responsible, he is also probably responsible for other murders and go out not stop on his own. Three of the workforce have variant opinions on how the situation should be handled. Right thinks they should kill Petis. Markham thinks they should go to the patrol. bumpy feels they should tell everyone in the neighborhood somewhat Petis and allow the situation take c atomic number 18 of itself. We get another glimpse into Socrates past.The discussion sparks a reposition from when Socrates was in an Indiana State prison. The Thief Summary Socrates pays a visit to Iulas diner. He visits the diner at least once a month, on Tuesdays. Iula serves meatloaf on Tuesdays and that is one thing he is not able to make on his hotplate in his small home. Socrates ha s been out picking up bottles and cans. He does not like the way the hands treat him at Crenshaws. They make him wait, while they stand around sexual congress jokes, and and past they check every can and bottle before pass judgment them. After getting his money for the bottles and cans today, three men jump him.Socrates receives a cut on his wrist from a broken bottle, but otherwise he walks away the winner. Iula shows concern over his wrist. Socrates has already taken the time to stitch his slashed sleeve. Iula tells Socrates he has no motorcoachiness out thither collecting bottles and cans and offers him a job Double Standard Summary Socrates is wait for a bus. It is effusive rain, and the driveways are mostly deserted. Across the street from the bus stop he sees two lovers standing under the ledge of an remiss shop. Socrates imagines that the shop was once a bakery because of the blue and whiteness checks on the window.He pictures the bakery full of hard operative bla ck people working long hours and earning good pay. Socrates tries to give the couple as much loneliness as possible under the circumstances. Ralphie, according to the womans passionate cries, is on the wakeless side. The girl is small and much younger. The girls bus is coming down the street and the couple runs to the bus stop. When they do, Socrates finds out the girls relate is Linda. Ralphie does not want to let Linda go, but he finally releases her hand, and the bus drives off Equal chance Summary Socrates is trying to get a job.He has been practicing how to ask for an application. After taking three different buses to get there, he walks into the Bounty Supermarket on Ve enough Boulevard. In his eyes, the store is a glittering palace with a religious feel. The prevalent noises of the store all mesh together into a music that lulls Socrates. Socrates is approached by the Assistant Manager , Anton Crier. Socrates asks the man for an application. Anton stalls for a moment an d then asks Socrates what kind of application he wants. Socrates tells him a job application and feels that the man is making him beg already. Anton then asks Socrates his age.Socrates lets Anton know that it is illegal to discriminate ground on color, sex, religion, infirmity or age. Anton tells Socrates that he knows that, but they do not have any openings at the Marvane Street Summary Darryl returns to visit Socrates. It is pouring rain, and the boy is cold and hungry. Socrates believes all eleven-year-old boys are hungry, especially when they are poor. Socrates feeds Darryl, and as the boy shovels the food into his mouth, Socrates feels the urge to slap and shake the skinny child. Socrates wishes a man had felt that type of love for him before he had at peace(p) wrong.He views Darryl as a troubled child a lost brain who did wrong but doesnt fully know it. Darryl tells Socrates he has been having a hap nightmare that keeps him from sleeping. In the nightmare, Darryl is in a l arge room with the lights out, but he is able to see the boy with the cut in his bang screaming and coming after him. Darryl always wakes up before the boy gets him, but he thinks that if the boy Man Gone Summary Corina Shakur shows up at Socrates home looking for Howard. Corina is upset, because she and Howard had an argument the night before, and he has neer stayed out all night.Socrates asks Corina what she and Howard fought more or less, and she tells him that she told Howard he should get a job at McDonalds or someplace until he can do computer operations. Howard has not had a job in nine months, and they have cut Corinas hours at work. When Socrates suggests that Howard is lazy, Corina defends him and says he is just proud. Socrates says that Howard is not too proud to let his married woman bring in all the money. Socrates goes on to explain that black men are always complaining how hard things are for them, but they are too proud. Children and a loving woman are much go b ad than pride.Socrates tells Corina that Howard The Wanderer Summary The Wanderer takes us back to Socrates release from prison and his move to California. Socrates had his commencement exercise fight in his new surroundings inside a week of his prison release. A man by the name of Charles Rinnett was trying to impress his friends and chose to degrade Socrates in the process. In the end, Charles ended up being the one degraded. Socrates broke Charles nose and knocked him to the ground three times before the man decided to stay down. Socrates sees Charles around Watts collecting bottles and cans.Charles has with child(p) shabbier. Sometimes he wishes he could apologize to Charles for breaking his nose. He practically has imaginary conversations with the man, trying to motivate him to do something with his life. In his conversations, Charles tells Socrates that they are twain at the bottom of the white mans ladder, and neither one of them can move up Lessons Summary Darryl has m oved in with Socrates. The two of them are sitting in a park waiting on Philip, a neighborhood cabal banger, so that Darryl can confront him. Darryl is scared, but Socrates tells him that he has to do this.While they are waiting, Socrates tells Darryl that he had a dream about his momma. Darryl tells Socrates he has been dreaming about a naked Yvette Frank, telling him how much she likes him. Socrates says he is dreaming about manhood. When Philip shows up with two other thugs, Socrates leaves Darryl standing there alone. Philip takes the first devolve at Darryl, but misses. Darryl hits Philip in the chin with a right cross, but it does not affect the gangbanger. As the fight intensifies, Socrates intervenes by knocking out and disarming the other two thugs.He then slaps a gun from Philips hand and slaps him off of Letter to Theresa Summary Socrates is very sick with the intestinal flu. He has not been able to call in sick and is concerned about his job. He is not able to make it from one room to the other. altogether he can do is sleep and dream. He dreams of Theresa. The dream seems so real to him. In his dream, he comes home to her after being overcome badly. She comforts him until he falls asleep. When he wakes back up in the dream, she has bandaged his cuts. He looks into her eyes and sees every cut and bruise he has ever had in them.She wants to know when he is going to stop all of this. Theresa tells him she cant go on worrying and taking care of him. Socrates tries to tell her not to go, but he cant. Darryl then wakes him up asking him what he floor Summary Socrates has been inside for three days watching riots on his dim television. He stays inside, not because of fear of what might happen to him, but because of fear of what he might do. The smoke coming through the cracks in his a get downment walls smelled of sweet revenge. Everything that has happened to Socrates in the past wants out there on the streets, but he stays inside.While he is wat ching the television, he sees a billboard he is familiar with topple over. Socrates knows that the billboard is falling on top of a bookstore that he visited regularly when he first got out of prison. He had been waiting for his violence to bubble over and relegate until he visited the bookstore. The bookstore changed him. It was a place that he could read and burble with others without being chased out for not buying anything. Firebug Summary When Socrates visits Stony Wiles cousin, Folger gives Socrates a long lecture on the faults of the LAPD.Folger brings up the cardinal fires that have been set. A squatter and his girlfriend were killed in the most new fire. Some people are speculating that the fire department is setting the fires for the white landlords, but Folger thinks it is the Koreans trying to steal everything. Socrates tells Folger that he knows some real nice Koreans, and it is the businessmen, even black men, that want to steal everything. Folger believes the fire s are a part of a conspiracy that goes all the way to the top, but Socrates says, Maybe it go to the heart, Mr. Wile. Socrates thinks that everything is rotten and that maybe burning it all down is the only way to straighten things out. Socrates asks a high school kid, Bruce Tynan, working with Black weenie Summary This chapter opens with Socrates standing before a judge. His attorney is stressing that Socrates has paid for his preliminary crimes and has been living a productive life on LA. The prosecutor is stressing that Socrates has killed in the past, and this is a violent crime that brings him before the judge. While Socrates is in the prop cell, he has to pass the holding cells initiation.A baby faced man named Peters is harassing him. He chokes Peters to the brink of death and then releases him. A large, bearded black man by the name of Benny tells a curious guard that he was just showing Peters a trick. Peters nods that he is okay. Socrates has now established that he is not a man to be taken lightly. Socrates decides that Benny has institute himself as leader. He knows he will have to go up against Benny Last Rites Summary Right Burke is dying a painful death from prostrate cancer. He is asking Socrates to get him a gun so that he can end his misery. Socrates is trying to talk Right out of it.He tells Right that he cant do that in Luvias house. Right says that he can come to Socrates house, but Socrates asks him how that would look to the police. Right then says he can go to the park, but Socrates tells him that he can precisely walk to the end of the block, so he knows there is no way Right can make it to the park. Socrates visits Hogans Snooker Room looking for merle. Blackbird is a man that is probably as bad as Socrates, if not worse. The Snooker Room is a place to get illegal things and the police are paid their street insurance so there is neer a problem.