Toni Morrison's Commencement Speech at Wellesly College on Adulthood Essay

Toni Morrison's Commencement Speech at Wellesly College on Adulthood - Essay Example When we talk about development, there are three phases- the future, the present and the past. The trick here is, to understand the realities of each phase face them and live each one of them with the greatest zeal. According to Toni Morrison, nothing gives one a more satisfactory feeling than becoming the adult at mind and heart- not in age. Age is inevitable and so is death, but adulthood is not! One can live being a child forever- immature, careless, insensitive and aimless. The beauty of being an adult is that one can work towards whatever he wants to achieve. Some people like Kardashian never grow up because they do not achieve maturity of the mind. Adulthood is about being content with the present, being happy about the bounties one has and working towards better every day. It is also about understanding the differences between generations and coming to a compromise to reduce discrepancy between generations. Furthermore, adulthood is the outcome of learning from experiences and mistakes that have been made during childhood and teenage, where the requirement is to acquire ample understanding of life from them. Morrison further clarifies this phenomenon by saying that adulthood in the global context requires one to make their story individualistic and different rather than just ordinary. Every adult has the opportunity to make at least his own circumstances different and personalized in the context of his individual circumstances. Morrison believes that every individual who is mature enough to be called an adult should have the tolerance and patience to bear problems and develop tolerance in oneself for others and for things that are out of one’s control. Instead of whining about a specific situation, one should make desirable effort to achieve results that would make things relatively better. Morrison believes that it is the

White-tailed Deer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

White-tailed Deer - Research Paper Example It has a brownish gray body with white hairs on the under side of the tail. During summer its color is reddish brown. Today the white tailed deer population is 18 million (pp. 5-11). They are found in deserts, swarms, farmlands, prairies. They mostly prefer living in open lands near the rivers and streams. As described in Zwaschka (1999), an adult male deer grows 41 inches tall and weigh about 160 pounds.(72 kgs) Female deer (doe) is smaller in size and they weigh 40-90 kgs on an average. The weight of white tailed deer varies from region to region. They live up to 10-20 years. It is herbivore and its feeding hours are in the early morning and late after noon. Its diet changes depending on the habitat and the season (pp. 4-10). It is a shy and cautious animal. They are good runners, leapers and swimmers. In alarming situations they flag their tails and run. The bucks alone have antlers that grow annually and fall off in the winter. Female deer gives birth to one to three young ones a t a time, usually in the May or June. Their gestation period is 7 months. They are nocturnal and crepuscular animals. They are preyed up on by bobcats, coyotes and mountain lions. The scientific classification of white tailed deer; Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Artiodactyla Family: Cervidae Subfamily: Capreolinae Genus: Odocoileus Species: O. virginianus (Source: Squam Lakes Natural Science Center). Life Cycle The breeding season or rut extends from October to January though the majority occurs in October- November. Both bucks and does are seen active and they get out of their nocturnal habits during the breeding season. Patent (2004) describes the life cycle of white deer; the bucks rub their well developed antlers against big trees to mark their territories. These signs are called rubs. Bucks often fight with each other using antlers but fatal injuries are rare. During winter they shed off their antlers. But, antlers grow very fast, and those which grow will be stronger than the previous ones. (pp. 5-11). Antlers get their nourishment from a highly vascularized membrane called velvet which dries off which is rubbed against trees and shrubs. Fully grown antlers mark the breeding season for the bucks. Fawns are born after a 200 day gestation period. Two to three fawns are born in one litter. For the first few weeks the doe hides the fawns by themselves. The fawns have a spotted coat for the first 3-4 months but it is lost when the first winter comes. As described in National Geography website, when the mother goes in search of food the fawns lay flat on the ground quietly among the grass. They are scent free for few weeks to safe guard themselves from predators. Deer reproduces quickly and can over populate the area. To keep check on their numbers natural predators like bobcats and coyotes play a significant role (National Geography). Structure and function The organ system of the white tailed deer is same as that of any mammal. But its digestive system requires special mention. The front of the upper jaw bone does not have any teeth like other mammals. Teeth are replaced with a resilient pad which is in contact with the lower incisors. As Deal (2010) illustrates, they have 32 teeth. 8 incisors, 12 pre molars and 12 molars. They have a four chambered stomach. This ruminant stomach enables the deer to collect large quantity of food at a time, chew and digest it later. The deer pushes its food with its tongue to the back of the mouth where it is chewed. It is chewed just enough to swallow (p. 139). Then it is passed to the gullet of the stomach. The stomach is compartmentalized to four sections. They are the rumen, reticulum,

Organizational Culture Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organizational Culture Analysis - Research Paper Example The presence of continues disagreements on the shared values or lack of commitment by the staff members is a sign of weak organizational culture and it is usually not healthy for any given company. Some of the strongest values that the employees of the company that I worked for termed, as being important to them are that of honesty, trust, quality production, and discipline amongst others. Consistency is one of the primary values that the employees viewed as being most important (Baack, 2012). Consistency in the duties that we performed in the company accompanied by a high degree of precision together led to an improvement in the general performance and production of the company. The behavior of each and every employee acting as a role model for the other also acted as a strong culture that helped in the smooth running if the organization. The above culture helped in making the employees be responsible for whatever action they did in the company (Baack, 2012). Being responsible tends to reduce the conflicts between the management and the employees themselves that in turn lead to strong relationships between the parties. The result of this was improved production. Another key culture that existed in the company is that of attention to details that lead to the creation of a very strong production culture with lots of accuracies. In this value, the employees paid full attention in the process of production. The process then ensured that quality was achieved and at the same time, the deadlines for production were met too. The production of high-quality goods was another organizational culture that governed our work in the company (Baack, 2012). Each employee was supposed to work in his or her line of production while ensuring that the full production procedures were followed to ensure the production of high-quality products. The employees were given the opportunity to start or stop the production process if they noticed any fault in the production line

European Convention on Human Rights

European Convention on Human Rights The European Convention on Human Rights and the supreme court in matters relating to its jurisdiction, the European Court of Human Rights, are no longer a matter of external control, following their incorporation into domestic law via the Human Rights Act 1998.   The European Convention on Human Rights provides that the judgement of ECHR shall be final and that parties to it will abide by the Court’s decisions.   The institution resides in Strasbourg and is responsible for all matters relating to the interpretation and application of the Convention.   In relation to the ‘necessary in a democratic society’ provision, five of the Convention’s Articles specify the phrase in their text, although it is assumed that the Convention as a whole upholds its importance.   This essay examines the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter ECHR) and its interpretation, and relative importance, of the phrase, ‘necessary in a democratic society’ in r elation to the Convention.   Due to limitations in word count, the contents of this essay are not exhaustive. The inception of communications has seemingly created an increase in challenges relating to Article 8 of the Convention.   In Malone v UK, the ECHR found a breach of Article 8 of the Convention, relating to the right of privacy.   More specifically, it was found that telephone tapping by the police and authorised by the UK Government and condoned by the High Court was in breach of right to privacy, contained in Article 8 of the Convention.   This Article provides: There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security. It was held by the ECHR that tapping was against the Convention because it was not in accordance with law but governed by an unregulated decision.   The reason why it could not be necessary in a democratic society was that there were no constitutional safeguards against misuse of the power.   The Court concluded that the law was unclear and stated that, ‘the minimum degree of legal protection to which citizens are entitled under the rule of law in a democratic society is lacking.’ This case thus initiated new Government legislation to control telephone tapping by the police.   The legislation comes in way of the Interception of Communications Act 1985 which limits telephone tapping to cases where the Home Secretary has issued a warrant and, to safeguard against arbitrary use, the warrant can only be issued in three distinct circumstances, one being serious crime.   Furthermore, a tribunal and Commissioner will review how the Home Secretary has exercised his power s on an annual basis.   The main findings of this case were reiterated in Kruslin v France and Huvig v France, where it was decided that there were insufficient safeguards in the law and that, accordingly, the Convention was violated. A very different approach was reached by the court in Klass v Federal Republic of Germany. In that case, German legislation was challenged for authorising the inception of mail and telecommunications.   It was held that, whilst the right to privacy was infringed, the inceptions were justified due to the ‘necessary in a democratic society’ provision, contained in paragraph 2.   It was said that surveillance of citizens was legitimate to the extent that it was ‘safeguarding the democratic institutions’ of the State.   As there were no adequate guarantees against abuse, Article 8 was not violated.   It can be observed from these cases that their relationship to Article 8 of the Convention is markedly similar, yet, they have been decided differently.   The cases symbolise the importance of the phrase relating to the necessity of a democratic society but show how, according to its own discretion, the court can manipulate the case one of two ways:   ei ther by stating the importance of a democratic society in safeguarding the State and thus authorising the surveillance of citizens, or; offering protection to the same citizens because this is what is needed in a democratic society.   It seems that the cases were decided upon according to the likelihood of relative threat, as the Convention states, ‘in the interest of national security, public safety or the economic well being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.’ Article 10 of the Convention provides for the right to freedom of expression.   These freedoms are subject to ‘formalities, conditions, restrictions and penalties, as are prescribed by law and necessary in a democratic society.’   At this point, it is perhaps worthwhile to note that the ECHR applies what is known as the margin of appreciation, so that Member States have a measure of national discretion in the way they give effect to general standards set out in the Convention.   An example is the ECHR’s decision in favour of the United Kingdom’s decision to ban the film, Visions of Ecstasy, under its blasphemy law, in spite of the Director’s claim that it violated his right to freedom of speech. The Court ruled by seven votes to two that the refusal of the Director’s claim was justified under Article 10(2) as being necessary in a democratic society.   The Board of Film Classification believed that the film would infringe the criminal l aw of blasphemy.   It was stated however that although the law of blasphemy did not treat all religions equally, it did not detract from the legitimacy of the Director’s aim, and it was consistent with the aims of Article 9 of the Convention.   The Court ruled that while the law of blasphemy was invoked rarely, there was not sufficient consensus with Member States to conclude that the blasphemy legislation was ‘unnecessary in a democratic society and incompatible with the Convention.’   The restriction was justified on the basis of excessive interference to Christians, which could amount to blasphemy. The United Kingdom’s record in relation to cases taken against it in the ECHR is not promising.   In 2000, the United Kingdom came second to Turkey in this vein. These decisions are extremely important because they are now binding precedents in the law of the United Kingdom.   Although the case of Wingrove may have pleased the United Kingdom with the imposition of the margin of appreciation, there have been a number of controversial cases in which the decisions have gone against it.   One example was the decision that the rights of suspected IRA terrorists had been violated by their summary execution in Gibralter.   It follows that the ‘necessary in a democratic society’ provision, is capable of being argued either way.

A Movement Away From Colloquial Singapore English :: Singapore Language Papers

A Movement Away From Colloquial Singapore English ‘The need for intelligibility and the need for identity often pull people – and countries – in opposing directions. The former motivates the learning of an international language, with English as the first choice in most cases; the latter motivates the promotion of ethnic language and culture’ (David Crystal, 1997). Language planning policies in Singapore have often been characterised by the ‘desire to achieve a balance between the national pride of linguistic ownership and the need for international intelligibility’ (Khoo 1993: 67). This is evident, for instance, in the state’s current move to promote the use of Standard English (particularly the variety known as Standard Singaporean English, or SSE) and to discourage that variety known as Colloquial Singapore English (CSE, or Singlish as it is popularly known), although in this case, the state’s ‘desire to achieve a balance’ between intelligibility and identity appears to be one involving conflict rather than compromise – one in which these two principles (embodied by SSE and CSE respectively) appear to be opposing linguistic forces, and in which the former appears to be espoused and the latter (at least in the case of CSE, though not that of the ethnic ‘mother tongues’) denigrated. T his essay will study whether (and if so, why) these two principles are truly opposed to each other, as seemingly implied by both the David Crystal quotation and the English language policy in Singapore, and in what way the application of these principles may result (as stated in the Crystal quotation) in the ‘pulling apart’ of people and countries, especially in the sense of socio-economic inequality and marginalisation on both international and intra-national levels; and all these will in turn be related to the present-day situation in Singapore. At first sight, the need for identity and intelligibility appear to be irreconcilable on a linguistic level, the former requiring the adherence to a dominant language variety (such as Standard English) as well as its set of linguistic norms in order for speakers to maintain mutual comprehension, and thus implicitly demanding the non-usage or even abandonment of alternate varieties (Leith and Graddol, 1996: 139); the latter demanding, by contrast, the use of languages or varieties apart from this dominant variety as a way of identifying with one’s culture and distinguishing it from the rest (Crystal 1997: 133–134) – languages and varieties that are, however, incomprehensible to a large proportion of the world population and will therefore (as some perceive: e. A Movement Away From Colloquial Singapore English :: Singapore Language Papers A Movement Away From Colloquial Singapore English ‘The need for intelligibility and the need for identity often pull people – and countries – in opposing directions. The former motivates the learning of an international language, with English as the first choice in most cases; the latter motivates the promotion of ethnic language and culture’ (David Crystal, 1997). Language planning policies in Singapore have often been characterised by the ‘desire to achieve a balance between the national pride of linguistic ownership and the need for international intelligibility’ (Khoo 1993: 67). This is evident, for instance, in the state’s current move to promote the use of Standard English (particularly the variety known as Standard Singaporean English, or SSE) and to discourage that variety known as Colloquial Singapore English (CSE, or Singlish as it is popularly known), although in this case, the state’s ‘desire to achieve a balance’ between intelligibility and identity appears to be one involving conflict rather than compromise – one in which these two principles (embodied by SSE and CSE respectively) appear to be opposing linguistic forces, and in which the former appears to be espoused and the latter (at least in the case of CSE, though not that of the ethnic ‘mother tongues’) denigrated. T his essay will study whether (and if so, why) these two principles are truly opposed to each other, as seemingly implied by both the David Crystal quotation and the English language policy in Singapore, and in what way the application of these principles may result (as stated in the Crystal quotation) in the ‘pulling apart’ of people and countries, especially in the sense of socio-economic inequality and marginalisation on both international and intra-national levels; and all these will in turn be related to the present-day situation in Singapore. At first sight, the need for identity and intelligibility appear to be irreconcilable on a linguistic level, the former requiring the adherence to a dominant language variety (such as Standard English) as well as its set of linguistic norms in order for speakers to maintain mutual comprehension, and thus implicitly demanding the non-usage or even abandonment of alternate varieties (Leith and Graddol, 1996: 139); the latter demanding, by contrast, the use of languages or varieties apart from this dominant variety as a way of identifying with one’s culture and distinguishing it from the rest (Crystal 1997: 133–134) – languages and varieties that are, however, incomprehensible to a large proportion of the world population and will therefore (as some perceive: e.

Writing your Story

Today's society, the media has succeeded in brainwashing the world . Things like, â€Å"Thin is in† â€Å"fat is out†, â€Å"eat this†, † your beautiful if you look like this†, the list goes on and on. From the media, to weight loss company, magazine articles and cosmetic lines, they all want women to take their advice because of course they know what's best for you as a woman, right?Self-esteem, according to an article on the United States Small Business Administration (SABA) website entitled, â€Å"Self Esteem,† is appreciating one's own worth ND importance and having the character to be accountable for oneself and to act responsibly toward others. It Is a confidence and satisfaction In oneself, and an absolute necessity (2001, pig. 1). The article also states that â€Å"nearly 1/3 of all Americans suffer from low self-esteem† (pig. 1).The media, specifically women's fashion magazines, is increasingly being held for the self-esteem epi demic that plagues' our society. In almost every woman's fashion magazine such as Ell, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour are advice articles on dating and sex, weight loss and beauty. In fact, the subtitles for these articles are on almost every cover of every issue of these publications. However, these same magazines consistently put thin, attractive women on the cover of their magazines as well.Studying how these advice columns in women fashion magazines affect women will determine how often and to what extent women rely on these articles, therefore assisting in understanding the role communications and its mediums have on society. Women's fashion magazines demonstrate how a woman should look and act and therefore have been criticized for Dolling the thin, attractive female. An article In the Journal of Family and analysis of body related content in Girl Zone,† in essence states that mainstream women's fashion magazines make physical appearance out to be the most important aspect of a woman.The problem is that these magazines use the thin, attractive women in their magazines without explaining to the reader that the pictures have been airbrushed and therefore are presenting â€Å"fake idols†. Women's magazines have always have always had a large effect on women's actions, mainly by indirectly dictating the role a woman should have in society. The easiest way this can be done is by publishing advice columns that â€Å"teach† women how to keep a man and how to â€Å"look beautiful†.Today's women's fashion magazines, such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Mademoiselle not only affect women, but also young girls. An article entitled â€Å"Narrative analysis of sexual etiquette in teenage magazines† found in the Journal of Communication discusses the messages teen magazines send to young women about social and cultural norms for sex and sexual relationships (Garner, Steer & Adams, 1998). The study suggests teen magazines teach women to accept men for who they re and to change themselves so that men will desire them. The authors explain that â€Å"the rhetoric of sexual etiquette encourages young women to be sex objects and teachers of interpersonal communication rather than lovers, friends, and partners. Young women are being taught to subordinate self for others and to be contained† (pig. 59). Being a woman in today's' society is tough. You have to try to be something that you are not, and unless you can afford the latest diet plan, newest makeup line, or latest fashion trend you will be left behind.It would make more ensue to promote self-worth and happiness, but that would be too easy, and how can companies capitalize and make money from you being happy with yourself? They cannot. So to make you feel like something is wrong with yourself, they have come up with way on how to improve yourself so that you can learn to accept yourself, and so will others. Not to say that all magazines are alike, because they are n ot, but for the most part they want you to see and do things the way they see best, and if you don't, then society will not accept you and neither will anyone else.

Definition and Examples of Broadening in English

Definition and Examples of Broadening in English Broadening is a type of semantic change by which the meaning of a word becomes broader or more inclusive than its earlier meaning. Also known as semantic broadening, generalization, expansion, or extension. The opposite process is called semantic narrowing, with a word taking on a more restricted meaning than it had before. As Victoria Fromkin points out, When the meaning of a word becomes broader, it means everything it used to mean and more (An Introduction to Language, 2013). Examples and Observations Broadening of meaning . . . occurs when a word with a specific or limited meaning is widened. The broadening process is technically called generalization. An example of generalization is the word business, which originally meant the state of being busy, careworn, or anxious, and was broadened to encompass all kinds of work or occupations.(Sol Steinmetz, Semantic Antics: How and Why Words Change Meaning. Random House, 2008)Cool: Sometimes the use of existing words can become broader. For example, the slang word cool was originally part of the professional jargon of jazz musicians and referred to a specific artistic style of jazz (a use that was itself an extension). With the passage of time, the word has come to be applied to almost anything conceivable, not just music; and it no longer refers just to a certain genre or style, but is a general term indicating approval of the thing in question.(Adrian Akmajian, Richard Demers, Ann Farmer, and Robert Harnish, Linguistics: An Introductio n to Language and Communication. The MIT Press, 2001) Dog and Bird: Quite a number of words have undergone semantic broadening in the history of English. The modern English word dog, for example, derives from the earlier form dogge, which was originally a particularly powerful breed of dog that originated in England. The word bird derives from the earlier word bridde, which originally referred only to young birds while still in the nest, but it has now been semantically broadened to refer to any birds at all.(Terry Crowley and Claire Bowern, An Introduction to Historical Linguistics, 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2010)Thing, Companion, Broadcast, and Pudding: The word thing is a classic example of such broadening. In Old English and Old Norse, this word meant a public assembly. In present-day Icelandic, a language with similar Germanic roots to English, it still does. In Modern English, however, it has now been extended so much that it simply means an entity of any kind. The word companion provides another example. It used to mean so meone who eats bread with you (see Italian con  with plus pain  bread); now it means someone who is with you. The word broadcast, which only a couple of centuries ago meant to sow seeds, has now, in this technological age, been extended to include the spreading of information on television and radio. Pudding, which today is usually sweet and eaten for dessert, comes from the French word boudin, meaning a sausage made with animal intestines, a meaning retained in English black pudding.(Andrew Radford,  et al.,  Linguistics: An Introduction, 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2009) You Guys and Sell-by Date: A recent generalization or  semantic broadening  has taken place in the phrase you guys in AmE, which is no  longer restricted to men and can refer to mixed company, or even women only. Sell-by date also shows an extended meaning (metaphor) in Kennedy kept Hoover on past his sell-by date.(Stephan Gramley and Kurt-Michael Ptzold,A Survey of Modern English, 2nd ed. Routledge, 2004)Religious Terms: - Extension or Generalization. A lexeme widens its meaning. Numerous examples of this process have occurred in the religious field, where office, doctrine, novice, and many other terms have taken on a more general, secular meaning.(David Crystal, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge University Press, 2003)- An example of broadening of meaning is the change from holy day as a religious feast to the very general break from work called a holiday.(George Yule, The Study of Language, 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2006)Semantic Shift a nd Semantic Broadening: Semantic shift represents an extension of a words meaning with the loss of its earlier meaning (e.g. pineapple no longer means fir cone in standard English).  Semantic broadening  is such extension without the loss of the original meaning. For example,  tea in most English Creoles  refers not only to the infusion made from various leaves, but also to any hot drink.(John Holm,  An Introduction to Pidgins and Creoles. Cambridge University Press, 2000) Bleaching and Grammaticalization: Thing used to refer to an assembly or council, but in time came to refer to anything. In modern English slang, the same development has been affecting the word shit, whose basic meaning feces has broadened to become synonymous with thing or stuff in some contexts (Dont touch my shit; Ive got a lot of shit to take care of this weekend). If a words meaning becomes so vague that one is hard-pressed to ascribe any specific meaning to it anymore, it is said to have undergone bleaching. Thing and shit above are both good examples. When a words meaning is broadened so that it loses its status as a full-content lexeme and becomes either a function word or an affix, it is said to undergo grammaticalization.(Benjamin W. Forston IV, An Approach to Semantic Change. The Handbook of Historical Linguistics, ed. by Brian D. Joseph and Richard D. Janda. Wiley-Blackwell, 2003)