Best teacher Essay Example for Free

Best teacher Essay My best teacher that I have had thus far in my academic teacher would have to be Elias Semaan. Professor Semaan taught the upper level Finance courses here at JMU and his intelligence as well as his passion captured my attention and made me want to absorb the knowledge that he was preaching. I had Professor Semaan my sophomore and junior year and he was great. He taught a difficult course, FIN 360 Analytical Methods in Finance but he made difficult concepts and equations seem easy by going through the logic behind them and why and how we use them. He added in humor to lighten the heavy load of the courses content and keep the class happy. He was also very creative and used his own little real world examples while explaining bigger critical concepts. Professor Semaan did an excellent job of keeping the class active and participating. He was open to the student’s opinion and always asked at the beginning of class if anyone was having trouble with anything in the course or had any questions, if they did we would discuss it as a class until everyone was caught up. At first I had difficultly grasping some of the concepts as I had switched my major from Management to Finance, but he sat down with me one on one in his office and walked me through any questions I had with clear cut explanations until I had them down. He used tests as assessments for the class and they were tough but fair. If you paid attention and did all your work, the problems would seem familiar and if you slacked off in class or did not attend it would show through the grade of his tests. He was not an easy teacher by any means and you had to work hard for a good grade but he made you want to succeed and motivated me to reach my full potential more than any other of my teachers had. I liked him so much in FIN 360 that the next year I took his other class, FIN 450 Financial Risk Management. I grew a close relationship with Professor Semaan as we shared stories, went over new and challenging concepts, and he served as a role model for me through my College career. Professor Semaan said I remind him of a younger version of himself and I take that as a great compliment. He is very intelligent, he received his PhD in Finance at George Washington University and has been teaching at a University level for over 10 years now. He is in his early 50s and has had a hard life with many ups and downs but continues to push forward and motivate his students to succeed and reach their highest potential. He is dedicated, ambitious, intelligent, funny, charismatic and strong-minded and I admire him and respect him tremendously as a person and mentor. He has made me want to put in all of my effort and work as hard as I have to until I understand what I am learning. He pushed me in the right direction and offers me priceless career information as to what paths to go into and how to make myself look good to employers. He even gave me his cell number to call him if I have any questions or problems at any time. He has my back and I respect him for all that he has done for me and all that he has accomplished throughout his life. I believe Professor Semaan’s teaching philosophy is to have his students maximize their learning potential and focus on their strengths to pick a career path where they will ultimately be happy as well as successful. He has done a great job abiding by his philosophy and has helped me through College and the job searching process. He held office hours by schedule and by appointment and was very flexible and would work with you and do whatever he had to ensuring that his students learned. He also pushed his students to succeed through his charisma and charm and worked one on one with students who went out of their way to learn. He was my best teacher and I feel very lucky that him and I were able to cross paths and establish such a great relationship as teacher/student, mentor/role model, and friends.

Child Labour: Causes and Impacts

Child Labour: Causes and Impacts Child labour is a global issue that is becoming increasingly common in modern society due to implicating factors such as labour law/ employment protection, poverty, and the economy (i.e. supply and demand for goods and services). Child labour refers to the employment of young people in jobs that are considered to be illegal and/or exploitive. Including (however not limited to): agriculture, manufacturing, mining and quarrying, prostitution/sexual exploitation and domestic service. This map in which displays the 2014 child labour index has data categories ranging between Extreme Risk, High Risk, Medium Risk, Low Risk and no data/ not applicable. There are concentrations of extreme risk areas across the entire world, centralized in predominantly Northern South America i.e. Brazil and Bolivia, Central America i.e. Mexico and Guatemala, The majority of Africa excluding anomalies sparsely scattered on the periphery of Africa (predominantly in the extreme Northern and extreme Southern area s) including South Africa, Libya and Gabon, Far East Europe, Northern and Southern Asia excluding central countries such as Kazakhstan and Mongolia, and random scatterings in South-East Asia. The top three extreme risk counties in the world are located in the Northeastern periphery of Africa (Eritrea), The Eastern North East periphery of Africa (Somalia) and lastly the core of Africa (Democratic republic of Congo). This displays a central clustered pattern of extreme risk areas in Africa on a global scale. High-risk zones are scattered randomly across the globe, including: within the remainder of South America (the areas that have not already been mentioned as extreme risk), Southern Africa, far Eastern Europe and the remainder of Asia (the areas that have not already been mentioned as extreme risk). Areas that are of low or medium risk include Central and Northern North America, Central and Western Europe, New Zealand and Australia. Lastly there are anomalies in which have no data regarding their child labour statistics including but not limited to: Western Sahara and Greenland. This can be as a result of low population and therefore sparse data collection, data censorship, or in terms of less economically developed countries, not enough funding. Overall the pattern is generally clustered in the core, South-western and North-eastern segments of the map with a holistically dense scattering of child labour across the globe. Factors Poverty Poverty can be defined as a state of being extremely ‘poor’, having inadequate living necessities such as: food, water, shelter, money, goods or means of support. The particular factor of child labour has helped to shape the pattern of this global issue as displayed through the relation between their patterns. Concentrations of risk for child labour are generally compliant to that of poverty rate, the relation being that as poverty rate increases, so does Child labour risk. With the exception of certain anomalies, which do not comply with the shared general trend of poverty and child, labour e.g. China. The most prominent concentrations of child labour on a global scale can be found in Africa with the top three worst recorded child labour index’s being centralized in: Eritrea, Somalia and the Democratic republic of Congo. This relates to multiple independent studies on the poverty rate, which suggest that the proportion of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is currentl y the highest in the world, therefore showing an interaction between the three highest risk areas for child labour, and poverty rate. Other global regions poverty statistics (apart from Sub-Saharan Africa) which are displayed in the graph of ‘Extreme Poverty Falls in Every Region of the Developing World’ include: Asia (excluding India), South-Eastern Asia, Eastern Asia (China only) Western Asia, Latin America (and the Caribbean), Sub-Saharan Africa and lastly Northern Africa. All of the regions mentioned for being of the worst poverty rates in the world correspond directly to the concentrations of extreme risk and high risk (high risk being the minority) child labour regions, therefore finalizing the proof of a relationship between poverty and Child labour. Countries that are considered as below the poverty line consist of families within financial struggle who are unable to obtain a sustainable income and further-more basic living necessities such as sanitation, safe-d rinking water, food, and shelter. This lack of essential human requirements results in a need for alternate finance, which in some cases is then derived from their children. They are forced to expose their children to child labour in order to gain finance to support their families, which shows a direct interaction between poverty and child labour. However there are also other aspects of poverty in which lead to child labour including lack of education. Lack of education being one of the many measures of poverty, which can result in children being used for cheap labour as opposed to gaining an education. Lack of education occurs due to either communal financial struggle meaning that they are unable to fund a schooling system or individual financial struggle in which individual families cannot afford to send their children to school which once again results in their children becoming victims of child labour. Labour law/ employment protection The labour law/ employment protection within a country is a primary contributor to the pattern of child labour risk globally. This is because a country in which has un protected worker rights, is a country that leaves their citizens helpless against employment exploitation such as child labour. There are a number of independent studies that take place with regards to employment rights, one of which is carried out by The Institute of Global Labour and Human Rights. This institute acts to investigate employment protection and rights amongst developing countries. Developing nations are under scrutiny for their labour laws more so than developed nations as less economically developed countries tend to be more prone to seeking out cheap labour due to their still developing businesses and corporations. Still developing in the sense that they are a predominantly primary industry meaning that the profit from their efforts in minimal as they are not selling a final product (which is where the majority of profit is coming in from) and rather are a small part of a larger process. Another reason this study focuses on whether or not less economically developed countries in particular abide by the labour laws in place is because often one of the reasons for a country being less developed is due to government instability which influences enforcement of labour laws. This is because an instable government tends to have less general control over its citizens therefore making them less likely to be able to enforce laws upon civilians and protect the rights of their workers, maximising chance of human rights breach. In the same breath, bribery is also often present within an instable government meaning that corporations often have the ability to use bribery in exchange for the dismissal of their employment exploitation. Less economically developed regions are located approximately within: Latin America, Southern Asia, Far Eastern Europe, and Africa. These regions are all densely c lustered with child labour at both high and extreme risk levels, displaying an interaction between the areas under suspicion for labour rights breach and the areas of high/extreme risk of child labour. This therefore shows the implications that labour laws and employment rights can have on child labour, because (as discussed previously) the areas that are less developed are at higher risk of their labour laws being breached due to the requirement for cheap labour amongst developing nations combined with the possibility of government instability which results in lack of protection for workers. However more developed countries such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada in which have a stable democratic political leaders, have laws placed with the intent of protecting the rights of workers rights, and they have the ability to enforce these laws. These same developed countries are also included in the low risk concentrations of child labour dispersed globally once again displaying the d irect interaction between a countries labour laws/ employment rights and the pattern displaying risk of child labour on a global spectrum. Economy The economy plays a huge part in shaping the pattern of child labour found globally, the sparsely and densely concentrated areas as well as the general dispersal. The success of a world economy can result in child labour in a number of different ways, such as through supply and demand, and general economic change. The general increase in global economy creates competition between countries in order to produce and sell more goods and services in order to enable economic stability within the country and create more employment opportunities. However this increased magnitude of employment opportunities is one of the factors in which helped to shape the pattern of child labour globally. This is due to the fact that the economic growth occurring in present times in developed countries enhances the demand for goods and services to be produced at a low cost.. The demand for commodities to be produced at a low price is one of the influences of child labour within less economically developed n ations. This is because although goods and services are readily accessible to developed countries, they demand for less costly commodities which is produced through one or multiple different less economically developed countries before being exported to a more developed country which then sells it for a far greater profit than what they initially obtained it for, strengthening the economy of already developed nations and depleting the economy of less developed nations. Less economically developed regions are located approximately within: Latin America, Southern Asia, Far Eastern Europe, and Africa. These regions are all densely clustered with child labour at both high and extreme risk levels, due to the economic factors previously discussed. However, this is not the only trend that has helped form the global pattern of child labour. Urbanisation is a process, which by extension, can result in a higher risk of child labour. This is because within less developed countries, the population is often self-sufficient or work in independent agricultural businesses. However due to peoples perspectives on the gradual improvement of the economic environment, and the benefits of a paying job versus a self-sufficient farming life, urbanisation rates are increasing and people are progressing from being self-sufficient to dependent on an employer and income. However as a result of the ever-changing economic environment, urbanisation is risky as often, due to the fluctuations of economy they risk unemployment, which can lead to poverty and their children being forced into child labour as a result, which displays how the economy with relation to urbanisation, helps shape the pattern of child labour globally. Significance Economic The significance of child labour on the economy is enormous in terms of the affects that it has on the economy. Despite child labour being a form of modern slavery, which is highly illegal and inhumane, it generally has a positive affect on the global economy. This is because regions in which practice child labour have the ability to greaten their GDP as they are generally producing and exporting commodities at a faster rate and a greater magnitude. This allowing for an economic increase within the countries affected by child labour. More economically developed countries also receive economic benefits as a result of child labour as they are able to imports goods at a far cheaper rate than if the commodities had come from a corporation in which pays their workers a higher salary, spends more money on safety precautions, facilities and materials/supplies. This improves the economy, as developed countries are able to spend less money on the imported items and there fore expand to a grea ter profit margin, further developing their corporations and businesses, economic environment. Although the economic affects of child labour are generally positive, there are negative aspects including the fact that because the products are coming from these primary industries in which have few resources and sparsely educated, pre-adolescent staff, the goods are not always of the same quality/ value that they would have been, had they have been made in better conditions by a more knowledgeable staff. The affect of this lack of quality is that some corporations will opt for a more expensive alternative that tends to last longer as opposed to buying the products produced by cheap labour, which would ultimately reverse the positive affects of child labour. However this reigns true only for a minority allowing to conclude the significance of child labour within the economy in predominantly positive. Social The significance of child labour socially in terms of a global spectrum can include aspects such as: Dehumanisation, Breech of human rights, and the promotion of child exploitation/abuse (especially within families and communities). As a result of child labour, socially, we are dehumanising both the recipients of child labour produced products as well as the children who are being exposed to this form of labour. This is due to the fact that the people who are receiving these products are often knowledgeable of its origins, and still choose to purchase it regardless. Also, children who are working in child labour environments are trapped within a form of modern slavery in which they are forced and obligated to complete work tasks in which are out of the normal social guidelines for their age: i.e. getting an education and developing their social skills. This leads to dehumanisation as child labour has changed social regulations in order to make it appropriate to dismiss the compassion and sympathy that humans are meant to feel for each other. Another social implication is the fact that child labour is a clear breech of human rights, as any involuntary act that a person is forced to do is against their right as a human-being, as well as the fact that often they are denied their education, social life, and childhood, which is also a breech of their rights. Lastly, the occurrence of child labour promotes exploitation and abuse amongst families and entire communities. Often child labour is caused by parents who send their children into labour due to the fact that they need the extra salary in order to survive, regardless of this fact, a parent sending their children into child labour is a form a abuse as they are exploiting their children in order to gain finance. The same can be said for a community who allows child labour to occur, displaying the social significance of child labour on a global spectrum. Bibliography: Galli, R. (2001). The Economic impact of child labour. Retrieved May 3, 2015, from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/dgreports/inst/documents/publication/wcms_193680.pdf Multiple authors from ILO, Child Labour. Retrieved May 3, 2015, from http://www.ilo.org/ipec/facts/langen/index.htm Srivastava, Kalpana. Child Labour Issues and Challenges. Industrial Psychiatry Journal. Medknow Publications Media Pvt Ltd, 2011. Web. 5 May 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3425238/>. Latest Products and Reports. Child Labour Index. Maplecroft, 2013. Web. 2 May 2015. http://maplecroft.com/portfolio/new-analysis/2013/10/15/child-labour-risks-increase-china-and-russia-most-progress-shown-south-america-maplecroft-index/>. Naeem, Zahid, Faiza Shaukat, and Zubair Ahmed. Child Labor in Relation to Poverty. International Journal of Health Sciences. Qassim University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 2011. Web. 2 May 2015. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3533357/>. Varma, Bhakati. Child Labour and Its Impact on Economic Growth. Child Labour and Its Impact on Economic Growth. Slideshare, 2011. Web. 5 May 2015. http://www.slideshare.net/BhaktiVarma/child-labour-and-its-impact-on-economic-growth-9225274>.

The Merchant Of Venice Anti Semitic Essay

The Merchant Of Venice Anti Semitic Essay Many texts are classed as racist purely because they contain some element of racism, whether or not this is intended to be taken literally. Specifically, The Merchant of Venice is often viewed as anti-Semitic, and thus regarded in a worse light than other, less contentious, Shakespeare plays. However, it is questionable as to the extent to which the play can be considered entirely anti-semitic, or whether it is merely a social commentary, still relevant today. The primary criticism regarding Anti-Semitism within The Merchant of Venice is the presentation of Shylock. His portrayal as the stereotypical Elizabethan Jew has caused much controversy, gaining further poignancy after the plays use as Nazi propaganda. However, the bardolatry evident in modern society has limited our ability to see the play as racist, preferring to blame the anti-semitic stance on alternative influences, and flawed interpretation. However, there are certain instances within The Merchant of Venice that are surely anti-semitic, such as Lancelots statement the Jew my master is a kind of devil  [1]  . There is no effort to disguise the hatred for Shylock, despite the fact that being Lancelots master, he should rightly command some degree of respect, yet he is ridiculed for his inability to control, perhaps the reason why he asks for such a barbarous forfeit. Consequently, Shylock is viewed as comical; an almost pantomimic villain. Yet there are few more disquieting speeches in Shakespeare than Shylocks to Solanio and Salerio (III.i.49-68). For whilst his initial statements are eloquent and justifiable: I am a Jew. Hath a Jew not eyes?, forcing sympathy from the audience, his words hide a darker sentiment. He must remind the Venetians that he too has hands, organs, dimensions and senses  [2]  , and thus feels the same emotions and pains that they themselves do, proving himself an theoretical equal. Yet this is not a speech of exaltation for shared experience, nor an exercise to force acknowledgement of his humanity. On the contrary, Shylocks monologue is anguished, highlighting a deep-rooted desire for vengeance, as seen when he states if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?  [3]  . The use of first person adds a sense of imminency, making it more personal, forcing the audience to evaluate their own stance. Furthermore, the use of rhetoric adds to sense of internal conflict, demanding a sympathetic response, yet that he goes on to state the villainy you teach me, I will execute  [4]  , shows a lack of culpability for his revengeful actions, but that he blames his need for violence and revenge on his maltreatment, and thus Christians. Despite the empathy we are forced to feel, the ending reaction to this speech is more one of pity; whilst Shylocks motivation is understandable, the perpetuation of malevolence and racism is not, turning us against the Jew, and Judaism as a whole. It could be argued, however, that anti-semitism is perpetuated by the characters within the play, and the audiences interpretations, as opposed to the play being anti-semitic as a whole. For example, whilst many characters have reason to despise Shylock, due to his lack of mercy, the fact he is rarely referred to by his actual name, and simply as Jew, implies that his malevolence is an embodiment of his Judaism. Furthermore, this derogatory referral (with parallels evidently drawn between the alternatively named Jew of Venice and Marlowes clearly anti-semitic The Jew of Malta), gains significance as it is repeated; it becomes a term with connotations that infuse it with additional meaning. As such, it is not necessarily the act of the disparaging use of Jew that can be construed as anti-semitic, but the repetition of the insult. This is comparable to the use of the phrase the moor, in Othello (interestingly, the phrase the moor  [5]  was also used offhandedly in The Merchant of V enice, highlighting the candid fashion in which racism was used in Elizabethan society). Whilst the expression is clearly racist, it is the recurrence of the term, such as at the climax of Othello, when Othello is at his weakest (the Moor may unfold me to him  [6]  ), that creates the overall disparaging effect. It could be argued, however, that rather than an anti-semitic play, The Merchant of Venice could be classed in modern terms as Brechtian, in the sense that societal flaws concerning racism as a whole are highlighted, causing the audiences reflective detachment from the performance. For example, the Prince of Morocco, an evidently respected individual, states mislike me not for my complexion  [7]  , showing his ability to objectively observe the racism that was commonplace at the time, forcing the other characters into recognition of their discrimination. The use of the personal pronoun, as opposed to Shylocks earlier use of the collective we is interesting, as it highlights the sense of personal victimisation the Prince feels, and is demonstrative of a more personal vendetta. However, it is questionable as to whether this statement is aimed at the other characters, or at the audience, with the racism of the characters embodying the views of the public at the time of writing: Lanc elots image of the Jew as the devil incarnate conforms to a common medieval notion  [8]  . This questions whether the play was created as a vessel through which societys failings could be highlighted, or as genuinely anti-semitic, which at the time of writing would have been wholly acceptable, and thus the plays moral stance would have been less poignant. That is not to say that because racism, and in particular anti-semitism, was socially acceptable that it was morally correct. On the contrary, Shakespeare frequently refers to equality between religions. For example, when Antonio states The devil can cite scripture for his purpose, and evil soul producing holy witness, he adds weight to the dichotomy of the play, demonstrating how Jews and Christians will both argue that their interpretation of scripture is correct, purely because they naively assume the other point of view is that of the devil. Shakespeare highlights that scripture is in fact subjective, and open to various interpretation, a profound ambiguity that is also true of The Merchant of Venice. Furthermore, there is equal hatred from both sides, with Shylock proclaiming he hates our sacred nation  [9]  , mixing his own personal feelings with anti-semitism, but also Ill go in hate, to feed upon the prodigal Christian  [10]  . Here, he accepts a dinner invitation purely to fuel the mutual religious hatred. That there is so much previous animosity between the two parties proves that the invitation cannot be taken as a real gesture, but merely as a cloying flattery, and thus he responds with hatred. This further emphasises the contextual view of race overriding intention and personality, a sentiment perfectly summed when Lancelot leaves a rich Jews service to become the follower of so poor a gentleman. Evidently, Lancelot has chosen religion over wealth, preferring a poor Gentleman over Jew. Interestingly, although Shylock has admittedly treated him badly, Lancelot criticises the religion, rather than the individual. However what is most significant in this assertion is the comparison between the referral to a Christian as a poor gentleman versus simply Jew. This implies the impossibility of direct contrast, denoting an inequality between the two. It could be argued that there is no need to specify a gentleman as Christian as Christianity would have been the norm at the time, perhaps everyone was assumed a Christian, yet either way, to be Jewish is portrayed as abhorrent. Consequently, Shylocks forced conversion to Christianity is one of the most disturbing scenes in literary history. Although it could be construed as a way for Shylock to access heaven, and thus an act of compassion and acceptance, the fact that it is foreshadowed when Antonio states the Hebrew will turn Christian, he turns kind  [11]  , creates a sense of inevitability, and thus a feeling of resolution when it occurs. That Antonio also states he will turn kind is a further insult, the implication being that personality is based upon race and religion, and thus Shylock cannot be considered kind or equal until he relinquishes his faith. Yet there are flickers of moral justice within the play, particularly visible in the character of Jessica, insinuating that the play is a device to highlight societys moral injustices. For example, she states I shall end this strife, become a Christian and a loving wife showing how she prises love and family above race, and can accept the racist Venetian ideals in order to find love. That Shakespeare also satirises the stereotypes of many nations, creates a link with the audience, and whilst also gaining popularity, adds a sense of clarity and societal significance outside the plays boundaries. Ultimately, The Merchant of Venice is a play not centralised around the glorification, or acceptance of anti-semitism, but about highlighting racism as a whole. Whilst, in recent times, Shakespeare has been overly revered, the play is undeniably captivating and thought provoking. Whilst it may not be an anti-semitic play, or even a play wholly about anti-semitism, The Merchant of Venice is an accurate social commentary on human nature, still relevant today.

We Must Have the Right to Defend Our Home Essay -- Castle Doctrine, Se

The Castle Doctrine is a bill that was passed which lets you defend yourself with necessary force in your residence if someone is breaking into your home. Criminals like to go after easy targets such as, the elderly, disabled citizens, children, and people who are unarmed. Every citizen has the right to live free and happy, if they are attacked they should be able to defend themselves and their property without being charged as a murderer. The previous state law, if someone unlawfully enters your home or attempts a car-jacking, you are required to first retreat instead of immediately fighting to protect yourself. The trouble is on the home owner to define that an intruder intends to do them bodily harm before the home owner can use appropriate force against them (InfoKwik). Having a gun for personal protection is a constitutional right. When facing an armed criminal an armed citizen levels the playing field. When you are in your own home and someone is breaking in and you see them armed or unarmed, they have no right to be in your home anyway. The castle doctrine, in this ca...

How the Use of Drugs and Alcohol Affect High School Achievement Essay

How the Use of Drugs and Alcohol Affect High School Achievement A student at Lakeside High School, called Ann for purposes of privacy, had a grade point average of 3.6 through her sophomore year. During her junior year, she dropped out of extra-curricular activities and became withdrawn from other social activities. As she was introduced to the world of hard drugs, Ann’s grades dropped to C’s and D’s. At her graduation party, she was rushed to the hospital for a heroin overdose. Ann’s grades plunged as a result of heavy drug use, a likely combination of emotional and physical degrading upon herself. Society as a whole degrades itself in this manner, whether the individuals themselves realize it or not. Achievement in high schools today is lacking greatly because of the societal problem of teen drug abuse. (Callahan 1) The achievement of high school students is affected by the usage of drugs and alcohol. Many factors can lead to the usage of drugs. There is an apparent correlation between family income and drug use. The pressures exerted by society and peers also increase the chance of high school students to use drugs or alcohol. Students who are under the influence of mind-altering chemicals cannot learn as well, lack motivation, and risk permanent loss of memory and ability to learn. Many programs have been put into effect in the last five years to help combat this social disease, such as D.A.R.E. This is a serious problem in today’s society because not only is the usage illegal, it causes society as a whole to degrade its social climate for growth. (Schydlower 1) Some of the most common factors that seem to have a direct correlation with drug use are peer pressure, high unemployment rate, low paying jobs, continued poverty, health problems, and lack of health insurance. There are many reasons why a high school student may use alcohol or drugs, but there are five main reasons as thought by Cepulkauskaite. They may feel the need to use drugs in order to feel grown up, to fit in and belong, to relax and feel good, to take risks and rebel, or to satisfy curiosity. Students yearn for social acceptance more than academic achievement, which is a problem that society continues to fight. These causes are among the many that may or may not lead to drug usage. (Hayslett 1; Cepulkauskaite 2) The effects of drug abuse are many and range from coma to ... ... Executive Summary of the 2000 Primary Prevention Awareness, Attitude, & Use Survey (PPAAUS). 2000. March 23, 2003. Futris, Ted G. and Urvia McDowell. Adolescents at Risk: Illicit Drug Use. 2002. April 6, 2003. Hayslett, Chandra. Alcohol, Drugs Affect Dropout Rate-Study. February 13, 1996. March 9, 2003. Jacobus, Karen. Effects of Drug Use. 1999. April 6, 2003. National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Prevention. School Health Policies and Programs Study. September 30, 2002. April 6, 2003. Parents. The Anti-Drug. Winter 2002. April 7, 2003. Pride Says Teen Drug Use at 10-Year Low. July 19, 2002. April 6, 2003. Schuster, Eli. Education, Poverty Linked. November 26, 2002. April 9, 2003. Schydlower, Manuel and Committee on Substance Abuse. The Role of Schools in Combating Substance Abuse. May 1995. March 9, 2003. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. September 3, 2002. March 9, 2003. Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drug Use Among High School Students – United States, 1991. August 5, 1998. March 9, 2002. Your Time-Their Future. Overview. 1999. April 9, 2003.

A Migrant’s Diary

Dear Diary, Hello, my name is Lucas and I am a migrant. I am the oldest of eight children and we live on a small farm in the Hills of Kenya. Tomorrow I will have to leave my Family to move to the capital city Nairobi. Here I work on our small patch of land with my Mother and Father, the only problem is that everything is getting worse. There are so many in my Family that we haven't got enough food to feed everyone. That is why I must go. I will try to find work to earn some money and then send it too my Family to help them. We rely on the Weather to be able to grow crops but this is normally not very successful. The weather here is very bad for our crops because mostly there are either Droughts or Floods. The condition of the soil is very poor and our crops die very quickly. Because we live on high land it is hard to grow crops because of all the slopes. I am very excited to go because I will hopefully be able to help my Family but also a bit worried because maybe I will not even find a Job. I have heard that Nairobi has quite a lot of jobs on offer so I hope I will find one. Very many people live out here in the Countryside but not very many people live in the city. More and more Migrants like me are moving to the City. I hope the People in Nairobi will be nice to me and not make me feel down. I do not like to leave my Family but I have to, so that they will be able to survive. I must go now to get ready for Tomorrows leave. Goodbye Lucas Dear Diary, I have just arrived in Nairobi and I am very impressed at what it looks like. The Journey here was very long, Tiring and bumpy and I am glad I have got some fresh air to breathe now. I am now waiting for my cousin to meet me here. Most buildings here are very small and are made of Iron. It looks quite clean here but there are a lot of piles of rubbish outside the Houses. The people here wear much better quality clothes and they look a lot richer than I do. The city is built on very low Land and so it is very easy to build houses. There are some higher buildings but I cannot see any Skyscrapers of any kind. There is a lot more Traffic here than were I used to live. The people here look much more busy and I cannot see any Farms. I think they work in Offices, Hospitals, Schools and shops. I have a lot of hope that I will get a Job even if it is only small but I need to save my Family. The City looks much bigger than the Countryside. There seem to be a lot of People crowded in one little space. I hope that my cousin will come soon because I am starting too feel very nervous. Oh, there she comes, I will write to you later. Goodbye. Lucas Dear Diary, I am now in my cousin's house and I am not very pleased. I thought that I would live in a really nice house, because my uncle told me that she was doing really well but it doesn't seem like it. The House is very clean but very small. She calls it a shanty house and there is lots of rubbish outside and a river of sewage is running outside. There is no Electricity or clean Water and I can't believe anybody could live like this. The Walls are made from mud and the Roof from Iron. It is very hot in the day and very cold at night. There are a lot more Jobs here, which is what I was looking for, but the ground here is not ideal for farming either. I have written a letter to my Family describing what it is like and that I am searching for a Job. Every day I go out and look for a Job, but it is very hard as I am a Migrant. The Offices, Schools, Hospitals and Shops are a lot cleaner than the Shanty Houses. Well I will write more Later. Goodbye. Lucas Dear Diary, I have now been looking for a Job for 4 weeks and I became very desperate. My Family have been asking what's going on and I told them that I couldn't find anything, but my cousin was helping me. It is very hard to find a Job because all I know about is farming and there are no Farms in the City. But yesterday a man came up to me and asked if I would like to work for his cleaning Company. I was so pleased that I said yes without Thinking First. I am so happy that I have found a Jog. I only get paid very poorly but it is still better than working on the Farm. I will get my first amount of money next week and that Money will go straight to My Family. I have already sent them a Letter. I work as a cleaner on the streets of Kibera and have to pick up the Rubbish that is left in front of all the Houses. It is not very nice to do but I need to bring some money to the Family. I hope that they will be Pleased with the Amount I send. Being a Cleaner is very hard work and I work 11 Hours a day. All the rubbish outside the Houses makes me feel a bit sick but apart from that I'm O.K. I will write more later. Goodbye. Lucas Dear Diary, I have know been working for 3 Month and have been sending Money to my Family every Week. My sister said that she is very impressed and wants to come to work here as well. I wrote a Letter to her that said something like this. Dear Sister, I am very pleased to hear that you would like to come and live with me and help me. I must tell you though that the City isn't as great as you think. The shanty houses are very clean inside but very Dirty outside. As I have previously told you I am a Cleaner and I have to pick up all the Rubbish people leave outside. You might need to get the same Jog as me but if you are Lucky you will get a Different one. Working here is great but very Hard. I hope you will come so that we can send even more money to the Family and maybe sometime I could pay them a Visit when you are working. If you tell me when you will arrive then I can come and Pick you up at the Bus Station. I hope the whole Family is well. Please write back as soon as Possible, to tell me all Information. There are a lot more Shops here and better health care. Please come to visit because I am starting too fell very Lonely. Even though I live with my Cousin I'm still Lonely because I never see her as she is working at Night and I am working at Day. The City is very nice and Different so Please Come to Visit. Goodbye, Your Brother Lucas. I am so happy because she wants to come and Visit me. I am really starting too fell Lonely and It would be great if she came, so I am holding Fingers crossed. I am sorry but I will have to go to work now.

The Role of Women in Spartan Society

THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN SPARTAN SOCIETY The women of ancient Sparta, those who were born to Spartan parents, had many roles. They were very important and essential for the stability and running of the ancient warrior society. The woman’s role in Spartan society was highly regarded by the state as equal in importance to that of a man’s, but they could not rule or hold public office. They were given the freedom, power, respect and status that was unheard of in the other polis, along with the rest of the classical world.Since the time of Lycurgus, the Spartan lawgiver, the women of Sparta were very much aware of their role in society. These roles were in regards to motherhood, ownership and maintenance of land, religion, education, marriage and their strong influence and power in society. In Xenophon’s explanation of the Spartan constitution, the central and most important role in Spartan society for the Spartiate or free woman was to continue Sparta, through childbirt h. Spartan women were highly valued as the mothers of warriors and they had to maintain their fitness to ensure healthy pregnancy and childbirth.Since Sparta was regularly at war for much of its five hundred year history, it was a woman’s role to bear and rear healthy children, in particular, strong and brave sons to serve in the Spartan army. Females were encouraged to participate in physical training so that they could give birth o healthy babies. According to Xenophon, Lycurgus decreed that â€Å"women should take as much trouble over physical fitness as men†¦ on the grounds that if both parents were strong, the offspring would be more sturdy and the women themselves would be able to bear the pains of labour. The role of motherhood was so important that mothers who had numerous sons were given special status and according to Xenophon, â€Å"Spartans value motherhood so highly that there were only two ways a Spartan would receive their name on a gravestone: death in battle or death in childbirth. † Women were responsible for bringing up their children in their early years where both girls and boys received a public education. Mothers were responsible for communicating the Spartan values to their children. They encouraged bravery in their sons and did not tolerate cowardice in battle or mourn their sons when they died in battle.Rather than mourn the death of their son, they would take pride in the fact that their son died in defence of Sparta – Source 1 (Plutarch On Sparta, p. 160) â€Å"As a woman was burying her son, a worthless old crone came up to her and said: ‘You poor woman, what a misfortune! ’ ‘No, by the two gods, a piece of good fortune,’ she replied, ‘because I bore him so that he might die for Sparta, and that is what has happened. † To die for Sparta in battle was a man’s highest honour and what a mother dreams of for her sons.Therefore, the pride of a Spartan woman was to be a mother of a truly courageous and dutiful son – Source 2 (Plutarch On Sparta, p. 160) â€Å"When an Ionian woman was priding herself on one of the tapestries she had made (which was indeed of great value), a Spartan woman showed off her four most dutiful sons and said they were the kind of thing a noble and good woman ought to produce, and should boast of them and take pride in them. † Spartan mothers were not tolerant to a son’s act of cowardice or unworthiness towards her and Sparta. They were known to shame and kill their sons when they displayed these actions.For example, a quote from Plutarch’s Sayings of Spartan Women shows just this. Another Spartan woman killed her son, who had deserted his post because he was unworthy of Sparta. She declared: â€Å"He was not my offspring†¦ for I did not bear one unworthy of Sparta. † (Blundell, 1995, 151 & 157; Pomeroy, 2002, 34-37 & 52-69 – Don’t know who said what, notes given fro m a uni student. ) Spartan women were known to be wealthy although Sparta did not have a coinage system and women were not allowed to possess gold or silver. This wealth was known to have been acquired from property ownership.Land ownership in Sparta was different from other polis. A family’s land was shared between all members of the family, including the girls but their percentage was smaller than her brother’s. At the beginning of the classical period, a Spartan woman could inherit part of her family’s estate but she never owned it, it was always passed on to her children. This changed and towards the end of the classical period, Xenophon and Aristotle noted that women did own and could manage, control, and dispose of property without the need of male approval.Women could also acquire land through marriage says Powell, Athens and Sparta. Aristotle indicated that women owned two-fifths of the land near the end of the classical period. With the women owning thi s much land and the men were constantly away training or at war, they played very important roles in the management of the household and the kleros. They had to supervise the helots who worked in the house and kleros because they did not perform domestic duties or manual labour, an act which was seen only fit for helots.If a woman was married, any profit from her estate was her husband’s profit too and the same goes for any profit from the estate of her husband’s. If a married couple were to divorce, which was very rare, women were allowed to keep their estates. Women were encouraged to be skilled and knowledgeable with horses so they could ride out to supervise theirs and their husband’s estates which could have been spread out over a vast amount of area. Therefore, Spartan women usually owned, bred and trained fine horses which served as an example of their wealth in land. Blundell, 1995, 155-157; Pomeroy, 1975, 38; Pomeroy, 1991, 144; Pomeroy, 2002, 19-34 & 7 6-86 – Don’t know who said what, notes given from a uni student. ) Women also played an important role in religion. According to S. B. Pomeroy, Spartan cults for women mirrored the society’s emphasis on female beauty, health and most of all, fertility, being prominent in the cults of Dionysus, Eileithyia and Helen. During religious festivals, such as the Hyporchema and the Caryatid, women would sing, dance, race, feast, dedicate votive offerings, drive chariots in processions and weave clothing for cult images of the gods, said Pomeroy.At the Hyakinthia festival, women played a part in â€Å"riding on richly decorated carriages made of wicker work, while others yoked chariots and drove them in a procession for racing† says Hooker in The Ancient Spartans. At the sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, a large number of votive offerings have been found. It is thought that these offerings were made by women who were barren, pregnant or had survived childbirth, as Artem is Orthia was associated with childbirth. Also, Spartan mothers made offerings and sacrifices to the goddess Aphrodite Hera when their daughters got married.In addition, Pomeroy stated that sundry votive offerings by individual women were evidences of other personal relationships with the divinities. In figure 3. 9 in the book Antiquity 2, there is a 5th century relief showing a Spartan girl involved a religious rite. From early childhood, girls were raised to be the kind of mothers that Sparta required, just as boys were trained to be the soldiers it needed. The Spartan education system that was devised for girls was to create mothers who would produce the best hoplites, to manage property and to participate in religious festivals.Girls stayed at home with their mothers who taught them the basics of reading and writing. Since music was an important part of Sparta’s religious festivals, the girls had to learn to sing and perform dances such as the bibasis, which was also a fo rm of exercise. Sparta was the only polis where the training of girls was prescribed and supported by public authority. The girl’s physical education involved, â€Å"running, wrestling, discus throwing, and hurling the javelin†, as accounted by Plutarch.The main reason why girls participated in physical activities was to serve the state purpose of giving birth to strong and healthy children, on the basis that both parents were strong and healthy, according to Barrow and Powell. (Blundell, 1995, 151; Fantham, 1994, 57-63; Pomeroy, 1975, 36; Pomeroy, 2002, 4-27 – Don’t know who said what, notes given from a uni student. ) According to Plutarch, unlike girls from other polis, Spartan girls married when â€Å"they were ripe for it†, probably around the age of eighteen when they were more physically mature and ready for motherhood.Spartans were expected to marry within their own social class and was generally arranged between families, with the bride an d groom usually knowing each other beforehand. Another form of marriage that was believed to have been practiced in Sparta was marriage by capture. This occurred when a man would choose a bride and carry her off. Although it sounds like the bride had no choice in who she would marry, A. J. Ball suggests that the act of â€Å"capture† was purely a symbolic act. Plutarch states that the bride was dressed like a male with her hair shaved off in preparation for the marriage.Some suggestions why this procedure was undertaken were because it implied chastity, and to â€Å"ease† the groom into unfamiliar grounds to have sexual intercourse with a woman since he spent the majority of his time with other men. Trial marriages were also practised in Sparta. It was not unusual for a married couple to keep their marriage a secret until the birth of their first child, just in case the wife was barren and so a new marriage contract could be arranged. The Spartan society had an open mi nded attitude towards extramarital relations, provided that it was to produce more children.It was acceptable for an older man with a young wife to give permission for a younger man to have sexual intercourse with her provided that they produce more physically fit children. Also, according to Xenophon, if a man wanted to have children but did not want to get married, he could ask permission from another man if he could share his wife sexually. There were no indications that women made objections or complaints to such arrangements. Married Spartan women had significantly more influence and power in society than other women from other polis.It is thought that they obtained all this influence and power as a result of their wealth, the constant absences of their husbands and an educational system that encouraged them to speak out and express themselves. However, their authority was more social and not political. They were restricted from voting and could not hold governmental positions, even though they made up the majority of Spartiates. It is thought that they did, nevertheless, give their opinions on public matters. They were known to be unbelievably straight talking and dominated their husbands in the household.According to Plutarch, â€Å"When a woman from Attica asked ‘Why is it that you Spartans are the only women who can rule men? ’ Gorgo replied, ‘Because we are the only ones who give birth to men. ’† Another way females in Sparta practiced their authority was during festivals, where girls would sing songs of praises for Spartan boys who deserved them. They would cheer for the winners and mock the losers of competitions which influenced the boys to strive for excellence. According to S. Blundell, â€Å"Females in Sparta were so thoroughly indoctrinated that they formed an effective branch of a state propaganda machine. A shrine of one of Sparta’s most famous women, Cynisca, who had been hailed as a hero for her equ estrian victories, was centrally located in Sparta. This further emphasises how much power and influence they had. Aristotle was critical of the wealth, power and influence women exercised in Sparta because he felt that it strongly contributed to Sparta’s ultimate downfall. (Blundell, 1995, 155-157; Pomeroy, 1991, 144-149; Pomeroy, 2002, 56-93 – Don’t know who said what, notes given from a uni student. ) In conclusion, the role of Spartan women in society was of great importance.They not only played a vital role in the economy, religion, education and public matters, they were the backbone of the entire Spartan race. Without the women playing their role in society, Sparta would not have been the once mighty and great polis as we know it today. Bibliography Hurley, T. , Medcalf, P. , Murray, C. and Rolph, J. 2008, Antiquity 2, Oxford University Press : Victoria. Stevens, V. , Merchant, W. , Hampson, M. and Bradshaw. G. 2006, HSC Ancient History, Macmillan Educati on Australia : South Yarra. Pomeroy, S. B. 2002, Spartan Women, Oxford University Press : New York Jovy Celestino