Social Phenomenon Warrants Sociological Research Essay Example for Free

Social Phenomenon Warrants Sociological Research Essay There are several social phenomenon’s and social problems that warrant sociological research however, there is one that stands out more in this mind than in any other one. Being a church going individual something that truly needs sociological research are the Mega Churches. What defines a mega church? Its basic description is â€Å"a congregation which has two thousand or more worship attendees in a week† (Thumma, 2007, para. 1). The megachurch is an organization unlike any other. In order to fully the megachurch, it must be viewed as a phenomenon rather than incredible growth or outstanding successful spiritual ventures. After investigating the megachurch there are several common characteristics that appeared. One of these common characteristics is obviously size, which is the most common characteristic; however, the list of traits is much longer. There are three distinctive ways of expressing the megachurch message. They are nontraditional, the conventional, and the composite. Just like all general descriptions of social phenomena, any megachurch will vary in its characteristics. On the other hand, these congregations have too much in common not to be seen as a distinctive social and religious reality. Megachurches are a new phenomenon. The megachurch is more than a church with a massive attendance. â€Å"It is a congregation with a distinctive pattern of organization, programmatic ministries, and membership relations† (Thumma, 2007, para. 5). The rapid growth of this form of congregations has become more and more within the last several decades. Almost all the current megachurches were founded after 1955; however, they mainly came about more around the decade of the eighties. Since Durkheim, sociologists have been interested in the church as a social phenomenon. Now Mega churches are a growing phenomenon in U. S. ociety. They attract the attention of scholars, religious leaders and journalists. Although most churchgoers in the United States still attend smaller churches, the attention of religious practice into large associations is an issue for sociologists studying religion and organizations. The problem with the megachurch is that there is a social issue there, such as questions like how do such large organizations function and survive? How does one minister, pastor, or reverend, attend to the need of so many people? I would research this social phenomenon by using the scientific method. The only real way to do it. I identified the problem, which is how do such large organizations function and survive? and how does one minister, pastor, or reverend, attend to the need of so many people? I then formulated the hypothesis of them having several associate pastors, and leaders in the church to help out with different activities and sections of the church. Then, I reviewed different literature on megachurches and how they operate and function. Lastly, I drew the conclusion to the research and found out how they function and hold things together. It turns out that the main or senior minister or pastor is not the only leader of the church. It turns out that there are large numbers of staff and volunteers. As the church grows, the number of â€Å"employees† so to speak grows too. They help coordinate and facilitate through the week and on the weekends. In my research I found out that â€Å"megachurches average 20 full-time paid leadership staff positions and 9 part-time positions. These churches also have on average 22 paid full-time and 15 paid part-time administrative or support staff positions† (Thumma, 2007, para. 36). On average there are more than 284 volunteers that put in more than five hours of work a week. More than 50% of these volunteers put in between 20 to 40 hours a week in service to the church. This therefore, supports my hypothesis that the minister has help in running the megachurch. In conclusion, based upon the research done a megachurch is a social phenomenon. Having so many people who socialize, sociologists have so much to research so that others can understand how things like this work. Through sociological research American society can get a better perspective on how different things go that not everyone is a part of. Therefore, giving sociologists a great demand.

The Effects Of Plastic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay

The Effects Of Plastic Waste Environmental Sciences Essay Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semi synthetic organic solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Millions of plastic products are manufactured each year throughout the world. As the technology for their production increases, even more products will enter the plastic age. The major chemicals that go into the making of plastic are highly toxic and pose serious threat to living beings of all species on earth .So, there are many aspects that affect the plastic: the environmental and include human, plants and animals and in economic terms. All of this cost a lot of money because finding alternatives require a lot of researches and studies which is expensive either.. We have many solutions for this problem such as recycling and we introduce the step of recycling and the effect of recycling .Finally how can we reduce using of plastic? Introduction almost certainly you will see plastic. Our homes, offices, schools, hospitals, factories -indeed, our entire surroundings are dominated by products made from this material. We live in the age of plastics; bright, attractive, colorful, long-lasting, relatively inexpensive substances whose invention has revolutionized the manufacturing industry. Plastic certainly have advantages. Unfortunately, they also bring problems to our world, not the least among these being the generation of vast quantities of waste material. This report will speak about : The definition of plastic History of the plastic Chemical structure Types of plastics and their uses: Good plastic Bad plastic Damage of the plastic The Effects of Plastic on environmental The Effects of Plastic on Human The Effects of Plastic on plant The Effects of Plastic on animals The Effects of Plastic on economy Solutions to avoid plastic problems Plastic Recycling Solution to avoid using of plastic. Definition of plastic: We must know When plastic invent?. Also where it use in that time ?. All this question we will answer it in this part of report. In addition, we will tell you about chemical structure for plastic to know why it does not Degrad? History of the plastic : Plastic is a term of a polymeric material. In 1855 Alexander parkes invent the plastic and he called it parkesine but later it called celluloid. The plastic was revealed in London at 1862 Great International Exhibition. However, some polymers which can occur naturally like rubber wasnt known until 1910 when was the development of synthetic polymers. In 1909 Leo Baekeland invented phenolics or Bakelite a plastic material. Little would he have realized then what a profound effect this and other plastics would have upon ourselves and our earth. His invention marked the beginning of a new plastic age that has transformed many aspects of industry and our lives. Great enthusiasm greeted the discovery, and plastic was labeled the manufacturing material of the future. When those polymers appears,people thought that it is suitable to the engineers needs. Bakelite was one of the first developed commercial plastics and they used as a cover of early radios. Later on, in the second world war plastic like nylon and polyethylene used as replacement material for other materials in short time. Because the early plastics were not complete chemically stable, it become popular as a unreliable and cheap material. Nevertheless, the plastic technology was developed which let the plastics to be very useful and reliable as a material to design product. The plastic characterized by its light-weight , the possibility to colored when manufacturing. Plastics are used widely for products packaging and other applications where mechanical strength is not conceder premium. And plastic can model complex shapes in an easy way. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™ Chemical structure Thermosets assumed to have unaccounted of molecular weight. But in fact its common range around 20,000 and 50,000 amu . these chains are composed of a sequence of molecular units are called repeating units. The majority of plastics have polemers of hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, chlorine and oxygen or sulfur for the backbone. The backbone of the chain is the part that function as a linking of a big number of repeating units. But what gives the plastic its qualities are the molecular groups that connect the backbone. This set of polymer properties of repeating molecular structure units allowed plastic to be an important part of the twenty first century. Plastics are organic liquids which dissolve in big qualities into solid polymers. This effect the the chain to be regardless of the disappearance by a liquid of oil. This lisette them to make them slide over each other easier . this what makes plastic very flexible and reduced its tensile strength the plasticier should not own a vapour pressure or it will leave the plastic brittle again when it is evaporates. It proved to be clean, inexpensive, long-lasting, strong, and able to be produced in a wide range of bright and attractive colours.The irony is that their strength and durability are two of the factors which make plastics cause serious disposal problems. Types of plastics and their uses: There are around 30 different types of plastic in regular use. We will tell you about four kinds of plastic that people use it and it some time we can say it is good for use, Also we will write some kinds of them. Then we will write about bad plastics that human use. Good plastic: Probably the easiest to identify is Polyethylene Terephthalate, or( PET). It is used for the clear plastic bottles which we find in supermarkets, containing fizzy drinks such as lemonade and cola. PET soft drink bottles make up about 20 per cent of all moulded plastic containers. Seventy per cent are soft drink bottles made of another type of plastic.it was known as the safest and as a well known plastic and easy to be recycled. However, recently they found that traces of DEHP in a water bottles kept in PET bottle for over 9 months. . Called high-density polyethylene or (HDPE). Scrap from PET is used to make fibre fill, a lining material for jackets, pillows and sleeping bags. It is also used as lining in the upholstery of furniture and as a fiber in the construction of carpets. HDPE plastic is used in the manufacture of garden furniture, flower pots, toys, dustbins and various other sorts of plastic containers. HDPE is considered safe and easy to recycle. (LDPE) Low density polyethylene, used in gro ­cery plastic bags , some bottle and most of the plastic wraps. So now can you guess the number of plastic bags used in the world per year? 500 billion per year !!. In other words, thats almost 1 million plastic bags used per minute it is popular by its safety but difficult to recycle. polypropylene (PP) used in most deli, syrup, rubber maid, yogurt and soup containers, and some straws besides baby bottles. Bad plastic: (PVC) or (V) or (DEHA) : Polyvinyl chloride used for wrap, , some types of plastic compress cooking oil, peanut butter jars and bottle like, window cleaner bottles and detergent. (PVC) is famous to be connected with liver cancer. (DEHA) is related to the harmful effects on bone structure, spleen, body weight , liver and kidney. And this is recyclable the least. (ps) polydtyrene used to make eggs cartons, bowls, not reusable cups and plastic plates and styofoam food trays. Styrene is filtered from polystyrene and it conceder toxic to the nervous system and the brain .PS also known to affect liver, red blood, kidneys and stomach in animals studies . and it is not easy to recycle this type of plastic. Polycarbonate used in sports water bottles, metal food , clear plastic cups, body bottles, water bottle of 5- gallon and plain plastic dishes. The new plastic with bio- base can be labeled number 7. It has the ability to leak Biphenyle A, the material that the hormone estrogen. It is known to increase prostate cancer, produce ovarian dysfunction, genetic damage , etc . Millions of plastic products are manufactured each year throughout the world. As the technology for their production increases, even more products will enter the plastic age. Many of the plastic products around you are made by a process known as injection moulding. Molten plastic is squirted into a mould, where it quickly cools and reproduces the shape and form of the mould itself. When the plastic has cooled, the mould is opened to revel the finishing product. This amazingly quick and accurate process is used for a variety of goods, from dustbins to high-precision watch parts, and including items such as kettles, irons and cookware. Almost no labour cost are involved, and therefore plastic products are inexpensive compared to those made from the materials. They are also colorful, attractive and easily cleaned. We are living in plastic age, with its many advantages. Unfortunately, it is an age which brings inevitable and serious problems for our earth. And as support for information we put a Pie chart to see the Percentage of different types of plastics found in Egypt. Also a picture show the important types of plastics and in what it use? Damage of the plastic The Effects of Plastic on environment: There are many of the damage caused by the plastic of living organisms (human, animal and plant). Plastic contains some chemicals that are difficult to Nhalilha and constitute a threat to the ocean environment and living organisms. plastic factories produce a great amount of green house gases and carbon dioxide . which lead to significant increase in global warming that can change many species habitats therefore their numbers will decrease. another fact that most kind of plastic diffuse toxic pollutants to the atmosphere, besides burning plastic generate toxic fumes fuse with the air. In addition these toxics can leak to the soil and groundwater and cause contamination of soil and groundwater which makes it impossible to grow the plants . these harmful chemicals have the ability to conflict with hormones in the body which is a major reason of many disease and faultiest in cells functions. The Effects of Plastic on Human: Plastic contains chemicals that cause damage to the nervous system and immune system and some genetic diseases. If the plastic exposed to high temperature is produced from the melt poisonous substances called dioxins, causing this article some tumors, birth defects, genetic mutations, and cause gas and vehicles Alheidrockeropponip liquid resulting from plastics pollution in the air and the earth, as well as causing chemicals resulting from the manufacture of plastics, such as oxide, ethylene, gasoline and Alaakslin destruction of the nervous system and immune system and certain types of cancers, kidney disease, and this chemical pollution dangerous resulting in poisoning of food and causing health problems are complex, most important of which increase the chance of infertility and disease cancer and hormonal imbalance in the body and disturbances in the nervous system and imbalance in the mental capacity. Prevents heating food in the microwave using plastic containers, especially tho se of food containing fat, which leads to the food poisoning which affects the body and human health. The Effects of Plastic on the plants: Bags and volumes of plastic if stabilized volumes and bags on the plants to prevent the arrival of sufficient light to also prevent them from breathing at night and hinder its growth, if you reach this material to the soil to prevent it from breathing and ventilation, may reach hundreds of years, because most microorganisms can not analysis of plastic materials, plastic bags that need to be 1000 years to decompose in the soil. because they contain chemical analysis difficult. The Effects of Plastic on animals: The plastic is a danger to marine animals, when you get these materials to the seas and oceans is destroying the marine environment. When you get to work on the dam fish gills and prevent them from breathing and cause death. As well as causing damage to wildlife that may be addressed, causing blockage of the gastrointestinal tract and lead to death. Furthermore, around 100,000 animals like dolphins ,penguins and turtle whales are killed because of the plastic bags. Many animals eat the plastic bags by mistake this problem doesnt end in here because later when these animals died , the animal body will decompose but the plastic will not decompose and it will kill another victim. The Effects of Plastic on economy: Plastic types are vary , some of them are petroleum -based plastic . which need more than 12 million barrels of petrol in its industry ,this type of plastic has a sharp increase in its price because of the petrol price . So scientists tried to find alternative materials for the petrol so they suggested to use oil shale and tar oil but it still expensive .besides people use plastic in big amount which can affect the economy of the individuals and country for example many people in the countries where water cannot be consume ,they buy bottled water which cost a lot yearly and increase the amount of plastic waste ,for that environmental groups like Clean Up the world suggest to find places of the good water to let the people use them instead of the bottled water. However ,all of this cost a lot of money because finding alternatives require a lot of researches and studies which is expensive either. Solutions to avoid plastic problems Plastic Recycling There are many studies try to solve plastic problems in earth. But we didn`t wrote about all this studies. We will talk about the most effect solution. Then we will take about some proposals can help to less a damage of plastic.

Terrorism and the Pursuit of God Essay example -- War Terror Essays

Terrorism and the Pursuit of God To set out on a suicide mission, to willingly kill thousands of civilians seems unfathomable for many Americans in the wake of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Why would anyone do something like that? The answer from many sources has been: religion. More specifically, many people are blaming the Islamic religion, the religion that the hijackers are suspected to adhere to, claiming that Islam reveres its martyrs and sanctions war. But the answer is much more complicated than this, and a look at religion and technology can help get a clearer picture of Islam and the events of September 11. Karen Armstrong, in her book The Battle for God, claims that nearly all religions have a sect of â€Å"fundamentalists,† or what some have called â€Å"extremists,† who feel it their duty to rebel against the recent global cultural shift toward secular humanist precepts. Christian fundamentalists have blown up abortion clinics in America; Muslim fundamentalists have committed acts of terrorism. It wasn’t always like this. In the premodern era, according to...

Terrorism and Subcultural Theory of Crime :: essays research papers

The horror of domestic terrorism is a problem all Americans should be concerned with, especially since there is a violent subculture in this nation which seeks out and indoctrinates people into their way of life. The crime that I will be focusing on during the course of this paper will be domestic terrorism, specifically hate groups such as the KKK, and various other white supremacy groups. The theory that I will be using to try and explain these crimes will be subcultural theory, but more especially the Subculture of Violence theory provided to us by Marvin Wolfgang and Franco Ferracutti. The reason I will be using his specific subcultural theory is because I feel that it bests describes how the people in these situations are desensitized to the evils they do and then begin to believe that the acts and beliefs are normal, or superior to all other views.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The issue of domestic terrorism has been a fairly recent phenomenon. With little attention given until such acts as the Oklahoma City Bombing and the Unabomber made national headlines. It is because of this that there has been little research done on the area and most of the research there is focuses on the hate groups associated with the acts of violence. A strong force in the domestic terrorist movement is the fervent anti-government stance that these groups internalize. As Mark Hamm wrote in 1997, â€Å"I used the term apocalyptic violence to depict not only the astounding carnage witnessed on that day, but also to describe the anti-government counter-culture to which Timothy McVeigh and his accomplices belonged. In this statement he is referring to the assault on the Branch Davidian complex in Waco, TX. It is believed by many that this is the act which pushed McVeigh to bomb the federal building in Oklahoma City. Hamm went on further to argue, â€Å"The fede ral government had created an apocalyptic subculture in the hinterlands of the USA. And that it had done so through its ruthless use-of-force at Waco.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is the belief of these groups, most specifically the white supremacy groups that the government is corrupt and run by inferior people, anyone not Anglo-Saxon white, and the country needs to be cleansed. The issue of hate groups has been plaguing this country for many decades but only in recent years have they begun to organize to the tune of committing massive acts of violence and terror.

Same Sex Marriage Essay -- Ethical Issues, Lesbian or Gay Parents

Same sex marriage is already taboo, but same sex couples raising children is mostly not considered acceptable by the public because of the misconception that they are not qualified to bring up children in accordance with proper social values. The public is not certain if children will receive proper education about society and behavior to fit in as responsible members. However, several recent movements, such as Feminism and Post-modernism, argue about equal rights for everybody. Feminism is mainly concerned about the equality of men and women in society while Post-modernism is mainly concerned with ending all forms of discrimination in society. Feminism is actually a subdivision of Post-modernism because Post-modernism is against all discriminations while Feminism specializes in pointing out women's rights in the society and the equal status of women and men. Among other things, both ideologies re-evaluate the meaning of love and marriage in modern society. Besides the social movemen ts, several scientific research was made regarding children who grow up in same sex marriages. Children raised in a same sex marriage share the same core values with the society, maybe even higher because they never learned about sexual discrimination in their home, and the only reason why they are restrained is because of the public opinion on these situations. In accordance with scientific research, the American Psychological Association (APA) claims that there are should be no concerns with same sex marriages. It is not just a violation of privacy and an act of discrimination against other people, but there are also no scientific basis which prove that it contributes to an improper development of children. Fears about children of lesbian or gay p... ...ation because same sex marriage is something people are used to and they will retain their opinion that it is the only way to provide a person with a normal childhood, even though this marriage might not be happy or might not last. On the other hand, a child will feel better growing up with a same sex couple instead of growing up alone. The main things Post-modernism and Feminism are re-questioning in the modern society, love and marriage, are the most important things a child can look up to when growing up. If there is no love in a regular marriage, this marriage cannot provide a decent environment for a child's upbringing. However, if a same sex marriage provides a loving environment for the child, it should not be discriminated against, but rather encouraged to contribute to the harmonious development of a child without sexual or any other forms of prejudice.

Comedic element in the Importance of Being Earnest Essay

Throughout the play, Oscar Wilde portrays several binary opposites using the characters and themes of the play, such as the town and country, class, age, gender and morals. However I don’t think that the binary opposites are the main source of comedy in the play. The reason I find it comical is from the fact that the play is a comedy of manners as well as Wilde’s satirising of the Victorian morals. Wilde’s depiction of Victorian caricatures also creates amusement for the audience. In the play, trivial things are regarded so seriously and the serious things in life are treated with sincere and studied triviality. This philosophy allows for a very comic scene at the end of Act II, as it ends with Jack and Algernon eating and arguing over muffins instead of chasing after their beloved ones who have found out the truth about them and seems like the marriage is off. So even though the binary oppositions in the Importance of Being Earnest provide comedy, I don’t believe that they are the key comedic element in the play. A binary opposition is portrayed with the theme of gender and the contrast between male and female. The play is set during the Victorian era where men have greater influence than women. Usually men would make all the political decisions for the household and the women would be the mother and housewife. However, Wilde reverses gender roles by placing Lady Bracknell in a position of authority and power in the house. And to add to this, he makes the male characters such as Jack and Algernon quite irresponsible. When Gwendolen is talking to Cecily about who she is, she talks about her father. â€Å"Outside the family circle, papa, I am glad to say, is entirely unknown. I think that is quite as it should be. The home seems to me to be the proper sphere for the man.†(Act II.266) Wilde uses Gwendolen to go against the traditional roles of men and women of the time by implying women can also be business people and work for the family instead of being just a housewife. Oscar Wilde also reverses the typical characteristic of women in relationships of the Victorian times by having Gwen dolen and Cecily the controlling person in their relationship. The man would usually court the woman but once again, this has been reversed by Wilde as the women (Gwendolen and Cecily) both chase after their loves. Gwendolen goes all the way to the country in secret which would be very surprising for a lady of high social class and technically speaking, Cecily created her own relationship with Ernest and Algernon just played along with it because it worked in his favour. You couldn’t help but laugh at the fact she even cancelled the engagement at one point simply to make it more exciting. But there are situations where the women act accordingly to traditional roles so that the play doesn’t change the Victorian ideals and also that the play works out to follow the traditional happy ending with weddings after overcoming the obstacles that was set out by all the circumstances and other characters. Another binary opposite is shown through class and society. The contrast is between the upper class and lower class. Many of the play’s characters are from the high social class and are aristocrats like Algernon. Then there’s the lower class characters like Jack and the people of the manor and Lane who is Algernon’s servant. Nearly all the characters in the play lie to or deceit another character but they rarely show any regret about doing so. In fact, there is more regret when telling the truth after lying. When Jack is forced to explain everything after Gwendolen and Cecily become suspicious about Ernest existing, he answers; â€Å"Gwendolen – Cecily – it is very painful for me to be forced to speak the truth. It is the first time in my life that I have ever been reduced to such a painful position, and I am really quite inexperienced in doing anything of the kind.†(Act II.348) This shows that Jack doesn’t consider honesty to be very important as lying about things makes it easier for him to live his life. The lower classes in Earnest are less pretentious and more humble in comparison to the upper class. A major contrast in class is shown through Gwendolen and Cecily when they sit down for tea. After some heated words, they believe the other is trying to steal their love and they show some hostility towards each other. This exchange takes place in Act II. (308-314) â€Å"Cecily: May I offer you some tea, Miss Fairfax? Gwendolen: (With elaborate politeness) Thank you. (Aside) Detestable girl! But I require tea! Cecily: (Sweetly) Sugar? Gwendolen: (Superciliously) No, thank you. Sugar is not fashionable any more. (Cecily looks angrily at her, takes up the tongs and puts four lumps of sugar into the cup.) Cecily: (Severely) Cake or bread and butter? Gwendolen: (In a bored manner) Bread and butter, please. Cake is rarely seen at the best houses nowadays. Cecily: (Cuts a very large slice of cake, and puts it on the tray.) Hand that to Miss Fairfax.† Cecily takes advantage of Gwendolen’s obsession with fashion and appearance to others. To Gwendolen, these choices are important statements on one’s stylishness and reputation amongst peers and to people in society. Here, Cecily takes advantage of her lower birth to insult Gwendolen. Gwendolen is of a high social class and a luxurious upbringing compared to Cecily who lives in the country with Jack as her guardian and under the care of Miss Prism. When talking about Gwendolen and Cecily, these two characters are used for another binary opposite of the town and the country. â€Å"When one is in town, one amuses oneself. When one is in the country, one amuses others. It is excessively boring.† Firstly there’s Jack who is trying to get away from the borin g life in the country and into the town to spend time with Gwendolen even though he is using Ernest Worthing as his name and living a double life unbeknownst to the people in the country as well as in town. Then there’s Algernon who is trying to get away from the life in town as it has become routine and boring and he wants something different so he goes into the country. He uses the excuse that he has a sick friend called Bunbury on the verge of death. He himself calls this ‘bunburying’ and believes that Jack is doing the same thing. However, after finding out that Jack has a beautiful, young ward in the country, he goes out in to the country to try and get her to fall in love with him. This relates to the morals of the men of the Victorian times, which if was accurate according to the play, was wrong and deceit was used to get out and have some fun implying the hedonistic lifestyle people had back then. Although all these can cause humour and several comedic situations, in my opinion, binary opposites aren’t the key comedic element in the play. The main reason the play is funny is because the play is a comedy of manners. The utilisation of stock characters, such as Algernon representing the schemer, as he secretly notes down Jack’s country house address and visits Cecily. By imitating and trying to marry into the aristocracy, Jack is a traitor to his own class, and is the hypocritical stock character. And Lady Blacknell as the interfering old parent who will not allow the marriage of Jack and Gwendolen because Jack has no parentage and Lady Bracknell ultimately becomes the obstacle that the two must overcome. All these provide lots of comic exchanges throughout the play allowing for a traditional rom-com finale. The structure of the play is also vital as it contributes to comedy as the plot consists of rapid twists in events, often precipitated by miscommunications. Ernest is really Jack. He lives two lives. He can’t marry without parents. Algy chases Cecily. Gwendolen chases Jack. There is no Ernest. The marriages are off and then back on. Lady Bracknell comes and marriages are off again. Truth about Jack is revealed and he is actually Ernest. Everybody gets together with their love and marriages take place. Throughout all this, a lot of misunderstandings take place and lies come out in the open at the expense of the honour of others. Another counter argument that is a key reason to the success of comedy in Importance of Being Earnest is Wilde’s use of satire on the Victorian morals and his depiction of Victorian caricatures which creates amusement for the audience. The obvious example of this is Lady Bracknell even though she is the opposite of how a Victorian woman was. Summing everything up, Wilde’s use of binary oppositions contribute to quite a bit of the humour from the play but after considering everything, I conclude that it’s not the key comedic element in the play. The fact it is a comedy of manners and the satire of the upper class and Victorian morals, is the reason I found it funny. Bibliography http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/gender-theme.html http://www.shmoop.com/importance-of-being-earnest/society-class-theme.html Wordsworth Classics, the Plays of Oscar Wilde, Oscar Wilde. The Importance of Being Earnest. (Text) The Importance of Being Earnest (2002) Directed by Oliver Parker. Written by Oscar Wilde (DVD)

Practical Life Exercises Montessori Free Essay

DMT 104 Practical Life (Assignment One) Montessori in the Absorbent Mind writes that â€Å"the hands are instruments of man’s intelligence†. It is therefore critical that children develop the ability to control and coordinate their hand muscle so that these can come into contact with the environment in intelligent ways. Discuss the principles underlining the practical life exercises and how it fosters independence in children. Introduction A child in the first six years becomes a full member of her particular culture and family group absorbing language, attitudes, manners and values of those in which she comes in daily contact.A child develops properly if they are in an environment full of affection, love, caring and support. They feel comfortable and safe when they find a secure and lovable environment. Children learn according to their abilities. In the first six years of life they do this by imitating those around them. To support this we should provide them a physic al and social environment suitable for them. We should provide the children with the tools they can create by themselves.Children are able to explore, investigate and fulfil the natural curiosity about the world around them. The child's purposes are not to complete the task as much as to construct the self. In addition, Dr Maria Montessori developed her philosophy of education based upon actual observations of children. She said children prefer work than play, and they can only be in their natural self, when their natural self is satisfied through work. It’s also through work they acquire independence, order, the power of concentration and be normalized.Exercises of Practical Life were introduced and were recognized at the very heart of Montessori Education for it provides the opportunity for the child’s development of physical co-ordination, social skills, emotional growth as well as cognitive preparation. Practical Life Activities are the first activities the child i s introduced to within the Montessori environment. These exercises are prepared based on activities children witnesses in their day to day life. That is why children can immediately satisfy their inner needs and desires by mastering these exercises independently.Also Practical Life area allows children to do the things what adults do every day, for example cleaning, dressing or greeting people. As we know that children construct their knowledge by themselves through their life exercises. Motive of Practical Life Exercises Practical Life Curriculum area has four main direct aims; Order, Co-ordination, independence and Concentration. Dr Maria Montessori observed that children need order at a specific sensitive period in their development. I f not provided during this period the opportunity is foregone. A routine is very important as well as a place for everything and everything in its place.This offers the child for orderly self construction. Co-ordination refers to coordinating large and small muscle movements as well as eye-hand co-ordination that reflect the respective development of child’s mental life. In the practical life exercise of Montessori they learns to concentrate, to develop the fine-gross motor skills-i. e. controlling the muscle, to develop language, to develop the mathematical concepts, they will be good in care of environment, they will be good in logical steps and they are ready to complete the cycle of activity.This is will be the good basement for the children not only in the early childhood, but throughout in life. â€Å"If teaching  is to be effective with young children, it must assist them to advance on the way to independence. It must initiate them into those kinds of activities, which they can perform themselves. We must help them to learn how to walk without assistance, to run, to go up and down the stairs, to pick up fallen objects, to dress and undress, to wash themselves, to express their needs, and to attempt to satisfy their desires through their own efforts. All this is part of an education for independence. † – TheDiscovery of the Child by Maria Montessori MM, pg. 56~57 By giving the exercise of practical life in his early years of the child, he goes through a period when he wants to or likes to learn to do all the work he sees the adult doing. At first, he likes to learn the works at home. This age will pass, but if it is used, the child will know how to do everything well in the home environment. He will grow intellectually. It requires real intelligence to run a modern home. The indirect aim of Practical life exercise is to meet the child’s needs, to encourage and facilitate development, and to facilitate the child's adaptation to the world.It is very important that the child is given freedom to do these exercises at a time the child pleases; he should be allowed to try, make mistakes and correct his mistakes by himself without any help. The satisfaction of completing an activity drives the child towards independence. â€Å"Man achieves his independence by making efforts. To be able to do a thing without any help from others: this is independence. If it exists, the child can progress rapidly; if it does not, his progress will be slow† The Absorbent Mind, chapter. XIV, pg 155 The power of Concentration is one of the most calming activities for a child.This is something which is controlled by the child and it challenges his body and his mind. With concentration the child is able to focus on purposeful work. I’ve witnessed to the concentration that my 3 and half year old niece had for folding her little brothers’ nappies. The pile of nappies was two times bigger than her, I thought, she would be bored and leave, but for my amazement after 45 minutes I could see that she has folded all nappies very neatly and have kept one on top of another and was ready to be placed in the drawers. Within the Montessori classroom deep concentration can be acquired through the ‘Silence Game†.To achieve silence requires effort and the attention of the will, and maximum control of self-consciousness of every movement. Montessori thought of the silence lesson as a means for bringing children to this higher level of spiritual awareness. Practical Life Exercises aid the child in his journey towards normalization As a result of learning Practical Life Exercises in the Montessori environment, the child starts to develop confidence, self-esteem, he grow towards independence, mutual aid and co-operation, profound spontaneous concentration, attachment to reality and most importantly child's joy of learning is supreme.All these help the child to lead towards normalization. The normalized children possess a unique character and personality not recognized in young children. Children needs a carefully prepared environment It is important to provide the child an environment to work on activities of their own choice at their own p ace experiencing freedom and self discipline while developing towards independence. Even though materials in Practical Life area are the least standardized, exercises needs to be carefully thought and designed. A prepared environment should consist of purposeful and meaningful materials and properly trained instructors.When preparing materials the teacher needs to consider few principles of the Montessori Practical Life materials which satisfy Childs’ development needs. Firstly she needs to make sure that each material we give the child should have a definite purpose, for an example the mat is laid to mark the area of his workstation, handling the spoon develops child’s skill of spooning which leads to independence. Secondly materials should progress from simple to more complex design and usage. As a preliminary exercise for transferring solid objects we could give the child a spoon and later, it could progress to tweezers, chopsticks.Also it should be designed to prep are the child indirectly for future learning’s such as writing, mathematics and scientific concepts. We prepare the child for wiring by teaching them the pincer grip, using thumb, index and middle fingers to hold objects and by left to right and top to bottom concepts, so that these orders naturally incarnates in the child’s mind. The mathematical concepts such as judgement of capacity and volume, division, calculation and exactness includes in activities of spooning, pouring and sweeping.The activity, transferring water using a sponge gives the child the scientific concept of weight. The child could feel the weight of the sponge defers when the water is absorbed and when the water is released. Dr. Maria Montessori said, â€Å"Each individual should become aware of his own errors. Each should have a means of checking, so that he can tell if he is right or not. † Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, pg 247 So she included the path to perfection, which she called â€Å" the Control of Error† within the materials itself so the child would be able to observe the activity he completes and understand his own mistakes.If a child has finished working on the dressing frame with large buttons, and he can see that buttons has gone through wrong buttonholes or buttoning halfway or seeing only half of the button come up the flap, these would be his control of errors. He has the opportunity to guide himself to correct his own mistakes. â€Å"Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed. †-Maria Montessori. Furthermore when preparing the activity in the Montessori classroom the directress need to make sure that all materials are kept together in a basket or a tray and grouped accordingly to the level of development.The activity should have its unique location and be reachable to the child so that the child could use the materials of their own choice and return the exercise, leading to independence and self-discipline. Also it is important to be providing attractive and clean child friendly and child size materials. Each activity should be limited in quantity. In a Montessori classroom the directress plays a major role. She needs to be properly trained, be a good role model and she should be able to develop and maintain a happy and rewarding teacher-child relationship. The first essential is that the teacher should go thru an inner, spiritual preparation – cultivate certain aptitudes in the moral order. † Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, pg 298 The teacher’s prime objectives are to maintain order in the prepared environment, facilitate the development of the child, and encourage independence and self-sufficiency. Practical life activities can be divided into the following 4 categories: Exercises in each of these categories provide the opportunity to do purposeful work and are designed to teach the child life skills, so that they may become confident to do their daily chores at home. Care of the self: includes activities such as hand washing, dressing, and personal hygiene. These activities embody the foundations of self-esteem. The exercises are designed to provide the child skills need for his sole independence. In order to gain independence, the child needs to establish will and discipline in order. The child needs to build himself and learn to take care of himself * Care of the environment: includes activities such as washing chairs, dusting, raking leaves, cooking, feeding animals, watering plants, composting, recycling and job time at the end of the day.These activities promote the beginnings of community awareness and embody the foundations of an ecological ethic. They learn that they are a part of the environment and learn to respect and develop a sense of responsibility towards the environment. Also the child will gradually learn how to gain greater control of his gross motor movements so that he would be able perform more complex tasks later on. Some of th e activities such as washing of a table can be carried out as a group task, which helps the child to be socialized. Social relations and courtesy: Maria Montessori called these exercises Grace and Courtesy. They include developing skills in greeting visitors, participating in a conversation, self-assertion, resolving conflicts, initiating and maintaining friendships. These exercises are focused on developing will power, establish a proper posture, greet people, excuse one and interrupt when necessary. Maria Montessori considers the Social Grace and Courtesy activities as the most important exercises in the practical life curriculum.She felt that when children are first brought into a Montessori classroom, emphasis must be placed on social grace exercises. * Development of Motor Skills: this includes many exercises involving hand/eye coordination, carrying objects, self-expression through movement as well as initiating and inhibiting actions and impulses. The Silence Game is an examp le of a group activity in which children have to restrain impulses to speak or move for a short period of time in order to report on what they may have experienced in the interim.The particular exercise will be appropriate for any particular child will depend on that child’s individual development and interest. ans it is only possible to give a very general indication as to whether an exercise is ‘early’, ‘immediate or ‘later’. So each and every activity indirectly helps them to develop the language, mathematics movements and social awareness. To give an opportunity to exercise and co-ordinate body movement is one of the aims of the exercises of Practical Life activity.Movement is so important for the young children; children need to move. Movement is very important to the child; because it contributes not only for the physical growth also intellectual and spiritual development of the child. â€Å"Through Movement, he acts upon his external en vironment and thus carries out his own personal mission in the world. Movement is not only an impression of the ego but it is an indispensable factor in the development of consciousness, since it is the only real means which places the ego in a clearly defined relationship with external reality. The secret of childhood by Maria Montessori pg-97 Conclusion Practical Life exercises teach children to care for themselves, for others, and for the environment. They involve a wide variety of activities such as carrying objects, walking, polishing, sweeping, dusting, lacing, mainly activities that are done in day to day living. It is divided into four major areas namely: movement, care of self, care of environment, and grace and courtesy.These activities are Montessori’s response to the child’s need for movement, order, independence, among many others; they are basic activities that enable the child to explore his environment and eventually make him one with it. Through practi cal life exercises, he learns to refine his movements, becomes conscious of his body and of what his body can do. He learns how to move and act in a socially accepted manner, thus helping him in his task of adaptation. He learns the ways of social living and becomes comfortable and confident in his society.These exercises also teach the child to complete a task following a step-by-step procedure. This sequential ordering of tasks prepares him for the logical task that awaits him in mathematics. Likewise, activities in these areas are presented in isolation in order to help the child focus his attention only on a particular task. Practical Life Exercises refines movement, providing a foundation in early learning, attitudes and dispositions. Practical life exercises also provide children a sense of accomplishment as they engage in real, meaningful work with tangible results.The familiar home-like environment of the practical life corner allows children to gain independence, order, con centration and confidence as they carry out thoughtfully prepared activities. This leads to normalization. BIBLIOGRAPHY Montessori, Maria, The Discovery of the Child, page 56-57, published 1967 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Chapter XXIV, page 247, published 1967 E. M. Standing, Montessori, Maria, Her Life and Work, Chapter XVIII, page 298, published 1998 Montessori, Maria, The secret of childhood, page 97, published 1966 Montessori, Maria, The Absorbent Mind, Page 155, published 1967