The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Essays

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 31 March 1797),[3] known in his lifetime as Gustavus Vassa (/vs/),[4] was a prominent African in London, a freed slave who supported the British movement to end the slave trade. His autobiography, published in 1789 and attracting wide attention, was considered highly influential in gaining passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807, which ended the African trade for Britain and its colonies. Since the late 20th century, there has been some debate on his origins, but most of his account has been extensively documented. [5] His last master was Robert King, an American Quaker merchant who allowed Equiano to trade on his own account and purchase his freedom in 1766. Equiano settled in England in 1767 and worked and traveled for another 20 years as a seafarer, merchant, and explorer in the Caribbean, the Arctic, the American colonies, South and Central America, and the United Kingdom. In London, Equiano (identifying as Gustavus Vassa during his lifetime) was part of the Sons of Africa, a black group who opposed the slave trade, and he was active among leaders of the anti-slave trade movement in the 1780s. He published his autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789), which depicted the horrors of slavery. The first-known slave narrative, it went through nine editions and aided passage of the British Slave Trade Act of 1807, which abolished the African slave trade.[6] Since 1967, his memoir has been regarded as the "true beginning of modern African literature."[7] As a free man, Equiano had a stressful life; he had suffered suicidal thoughts before he became a born again Christian and found peace in his faith. After settling in London, in 1792 Equiano married an English woman named Susannah Cullen and they had two daughters. He died in 1797 in London; his gravesite is unknown. Equiano's death was recognized in Britain as well as by American newspapers.[8] Plaques commemorating his life have been placed at buildings where he lived in London. Since the late 20th century, when his autobiography was published in a new edition, he has been increasingly studied by a range of scholars, including many from Nigeria. Early life and enslavementEdit Show table IJzeren voetring voor gevangenen transparent background.png According to his own account, Olaudah Equiano was born in 1745 to the Igbo people in the region now known as Nigeria. His name, Olaudah, means one who has a loud voice and is well spoken, and signifies good fortune. He was the youngest son, with six brothers and sisters. His father was a man of dignity, given the title "Embrench" (modern Igbo: mgburichi), a man whom he remembers bearing scarifications on his forehead, which signified his father's status. Equiano expected to receive such scarification when he came of age among the males of his community. Equiano recollects his mother teaching him self-defence, and he witnessed her taking part in communal wars. His mother particularly impressed on him the religious rites of his community. She often carried him along to an ancestral shrine in the wild where his maternal grandmother was buried; she would give offerings to the shrine and weep by its side. Equiano said his early life was filled with what his people considered good omens or mysterious signs; for instance, he was on a path in his village when he accidentally stood on a large snake but was left unharmed. Equiano recounted an incident when an attempted kidnapping of children was thwarted by adults in his villages. When he was around the age of eleven, he and his sister were left alone to look after their family's compound, as was common when adults went out of the house for work. They were both kidnapped and taken far away from their hometown, separated, and sold to slave traders. After changing hands several times, Equiano met his sister again, but they were separated and he was taken over a large river to the coast, where he was held by European slave traders.[3][9] He was transported with 244 other enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean to Barbados in the West Indies. He and a few other slaves were sent on to the British colony of Virginia. Literary scholar Vincent

case study trans-european plastics Essay Example

case study trans case study trans-european plastics Essay case study trans-european plastics Essay 1) Rotary variable differential transformer (RVDT) is an electromechanical transducer that provides a variable alternating current (AC) output voltage that is linearly proportional to the angular displacement of its input shaft. When energized with a fixed AC source, the output signal is linear within a specified range over the angular displacement. Long life High reliability High accuracy Repeatable performance Robust, compact construction Custom electrical and mechanical designs available ) hall effect transducer: The Hall element is constructed from a thin sheet of conductive material with output connections perpendicular to the direction of current flow. General features of Hall effect based sensing devices are: True solid state Long life (30 billion operations in a continuing keyboard module test program) High speed operation over 100 kHz possible Operates with stationary input (zero speed) No moving parts Logic compatible input and output Broad temperature range (-40 to +1 500C) Highly repeatable operation 3) magnetostrictive transducer Magnetostrictive materials transduce or convert magnetic energy to mechanical energy and vice versa. The reciprocal effect, the change of the susceptibility [response to an applied field] of a material when subjected toa mechanical stress, is called the Villari effect. Two other effects are thus related to magnetostriction: the magnetostrictive material when subjected to a torque and the Wiedemann effect is he twisting of these materials when a helical magnetic field is applied to them. ) Orifice Plate The orifice plates are simple, cheap and can be delivered for almost any application in any material. Venturi Tube 1. Physics a device for measuring fluid flow, consisting of a tube so constricted that the pressure differential produced by fluid flowing through the constriction gives a measure of the rate of flow. 2. Also called venturi a tube with a constriction used to reduce or control fluid flow, as one in the air inlet of a carburettor

By The Waters Of Babylon Essay Research

By The Waters Of Babylon Essay, Research Paper # 8220 ; By the Waters of Babylon # 8221 ; by Stephen Vincent Ben T I. Describe the narrative s expounding. During the expounding you learn that it is out to travel to any of the Dead Places except to seek for metal, and he who touches the metal must be a priest of the boy of the priest. You besides learn that John is the boy of a priest and is developing to go a priest. II. Describe the narrative s struggle. The struggle of the narrative is that John must over come his frights and travel to the metropolis. This is needed for him to go a priest. He must travel explore the metropolis. III. What events make up the narrative s lifting action? The lifting action is made up of many parts. John touches a piece his male parent got from the Dead Topographic point. He so fasted for a twenty-four hours and delay for a mark. He so saw an bird of Jove winging east. Then he had to get down his journey. He so goes to the metropolis and explores happening many statues and edifices. He so sees a adult male locating in a chair in one of the temples ( skyscrapers ) . IV. Describe the narrative s flood tide. The flood tide of the narrative is when John realizes that the adult male and all the work forces in the Topographic point of the Gods were merely normal people. He realizes they are more advanced worlds, but they were merely like he was. V. What events make up the narrative s falling action? The falling action is when John goes back to town to state his male parent what he saw. He so went to his male parent to be praised an purified. His male parent told him that # 8220 ; You went off a male child. You come back a adult male and a priest. # 8221 ; He started to travel to the Dead Topographic points to recover books and thaumaturgy tools. VI. Describe the narrative s declaration. The declaration is all summed up in two sentences. # 8220 ; They were work forces who were here before us. We must construct again. # 8221 ; They will larn the ways of the old people, and from that they will construct a better civilisation. They learned that all the regulations that had been put on them kept the from happening the truth about the Gods. VII. What complications increase the secret plan s tenseness? Several complications increase the secret plan s tenseness. There is great tenseness in the secret plan, because many of the things he is seeing were destroyed and difficult to understand what it is. We besides can non see what other people are believing, because the narrative is told in first individual, John. IX. Choose 3 of import symbols and depict what they represent within the narrative. The metal represents the regulations that the people have and things they do non understand. The adult male represents what worlds used to be and once more things they do non understand. The # 8220 ; ashing # 8221 ; statue represents what people think of things that they can non understand. Ten. What kind of individual is the chief character. John is a caring individual. He is immature so he is unfastened to new thoughts like the Gods being human. He is a good developed individual. You see every facet of John. He besides is a dynamic individual. He changes from believing that the people in the Dead Places were Gods to believing that they were normal people. Eleven. How does the scene affect the narrative s characters and the result? The scene of the narrative is a small E of New York metropolis. Them traveling from a rural part to a urban part make them think that they are small compared to the people in the urban country. Because of this they thought of the people in the City Gods. The result of the narrative shows that they learned that is what their hereafter will be like, and that those are the error they do non desire to do. Twelve. What is the narrative s subject? Why do you state this? The subject of the narrative is clip repetitions itself and each clip it gets better and better. I say this because the human civilisation was destroyed except for a few and yet they were able to re-start the civilisation that will likely one twenty-four hours govern the universe.

See below Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

See below - Essay Example t-shirt, at the time of Lees’ brief kidnapping and Falconio’s permanent disappearance during a struggle with a stranger, was actually investigators’ best lead but less certain. The police, because of legal concerns, refuse to pursue this lead by acquiring samples from each of the thousands of persons of interest to it. The investigators’ second-best lead was the footage shot at a truck stop on the night Falconio vanished. Bradley Murdoch was interviewed because his appearance and match with truck video, and passed over for DNA sampling. But Murdoch provided an apparent excuse to the police and he was declared innocent. After six months, the Broome police pulled over Murdoch’s former flat mate and business partner, James Hepi. This was Taskforce Regulus’ third big break, after the t-shirt DNA and the truck stop video. As a consequence of Hepi’s arrest, the police was offered the identity of the suspected killer of Falconio. In Australia, arrest and DNA sampling powers are typically restricted by a requirement that the police have objective investigation specific justification for using force. Murdoch was deliberately avoiding the Falconio investigators, so it was doubtful that, even if they found him, they can not touch him without his consent. At the same time Hepi was a first-time informant and, moreover, had much to gain (and nothing to lose) from pointing Murdoch. Without any grounds to trust Hepi himself, Taskforce Regulus took considerable efforts to verify claims made by Hepi. But every claim proved to be off-key. According to Senior Sergeant Megan Rowe, the head of Taskforce Regulus’ intelligence cell, Murdoch was the only man not ‘eliminated’ out of the nominated by the public as men in the truck stop video, hot prospects identified by Rowe, and persons ‘of interest’ to the investigation. Hepi’s tips were of some hope, but Taskforce Regulus’ ability to lawfully take Murdoch’s DNA sample, once he was found, was in doubt.

American Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Politics - Essay Example They act as spotlights when they highlight a particular issue that is being advocated by different political parties and their members. Lastly, they perform the role of talent scouts as they publicize the private as well as the public lives of politicians. The most commonly and overplayed function of media is the role of being spotlights as they tend to highlight different issues in order to gain public attention. This can be both good and bad for the American government and the political system. This role becomes challenging for the government because due to this role, the public gains awareness about different issues and some of these issues might not have been made public or the government may want those issues to remain hidden from the public. Since issues are spotlighted by the media, certain fractions of the government try to gain public backing for these issues in order to force the government to tackle these issues. For example: the issue of gay marriage has been highly highlighted by the media and this has provided certain political fractions and public members to gain support from the public for the acceptance of gay marriages as a legal form of

Commentary On Hawk Roosting and The Author Essay Example for Free

Commentary On Hawk Roosting and The Author Essay The poem Hawk Roosting demonstrates the predator and prey process through the extensive use of metaphors and personification. The hawk is portrayed as a ruthless predator who surveys its surrounding in search for its meal. At the same time, the hawk is personified as a ruler and creator who possess a great deal of wisdom [W1]and strength. This brings out the subject of the poem that the hawk is an idealistic [W2]and arrogant creature, suggesting that is Hughes is trying to challenges our perspective of being a human. As humans, many of us believe that we are the supreme beings in the entire world, that this world was created by God solely for us, that we are imbued with the ultimate task of looking after the world. This is ironic by the fact that the roosting hawk is looking down on us here, fully convinced that the world is his for the picking and yet ignorant of the fact that a higher authority exists. While the seat of our intellect is innately the hawks tearing of heads, we pride ourselves on our sophistry and manners'[W3]. Furthermore, the hawk also states that we live in the myth of progress, that history is cyclical, as seen in nothing has changed since I began[W4]. This leads to consider an unanswered question of life: Are we the only ones running the show?[W5] An in depth analysis reveals that the author chose to write the poem in a monologue 6 quatrains structure, each resembling a monologue[W6]. Stanza 1 shows that the hawk believes that he is natures most deadly and perfected creature. Stanza 2 shows that the hawk possesses the arrogance of a king. Stanza 3 emphasizes the complexity and uniqueness of the hawk. Stanza 4 shows the hawk doesnt have good manners. Stanza 5 suggests the hawk wields unquestionable authority over ones[W7] fate. Stanza 6 shows the hawk exercising power over his regime. In stanza 1, the hawk is napping. While weaker birds are always on their guard and are alert, the hawk sleeps without worrying about being threatened. Through the use of personification, the hawk is given human characteristics. As[W8] the hawk can speak in poem, [W9]we are given the opportunity to experience the hawks world through its eyes. In line 4, the hawk makes reference to his killing ability- perfect kills, prominently highlighting the arrogance of the hawk. In stanza 2, the hawks arrogance is even more stressed. The hawk perceives his surroundings as his submissive servant[W10]. The high trees were exclusively created for its convenience; the airs buoyancy provides greater lift; the sunrays [W11]shines light onto its meal[W12]. In stanza 3, the hawk portrays itself as an authority above god. This is seen in line 12, Now I hold Creation in my foot. Making the point that it has surpassed its creator and now assumes the responsibility of creation. In stanza 4, the hawk attempts to show off its authority. This is seen in I kill where I please because it is all mine. The hawk makes openly reveals its uncompromising and ruthless way of killing. tearing off heads. It shows that the hawk is free of social obligations and does not have to be polite in its mannerisms.

Essay --

The use of a necklace to adorn oneself can be traced back through the ages, despite having a sole purpose to be aesthetically pleasing and to enhance an outfit, they have been used to demonstrate our individuality; and to show individuals expression of non-conformism in an attempt to distinguish oneself from society (Menninghaus, W. in Robert, K. 2011). Necklaces have been used as complex visual decorations to convey various meanings; cultural, social status to dictate wealth to others, it was even normal at one stage for wealthy ladies to wear more than one necklace at any single time to signify her wealth and class (McCarthy, M). They can be worn to confirm love and loyalty, and in the case of lockets even store our most treasured mementos, such as photographs and locks of hair. For example, in the Zulu tribe, girls often communicated their feelings to boys through jewellery making; they would thoughtfully and delicately make the jewellery, choosing motifs with great care to subtly convey their feelings. (Vanhaeren, M. 2009). By studying jewellery not only can we identify people’s personal tastes, but we can travel back through the ages, especially by studying the materials in which they are made. The earliest known necklaces were discovered to be made from teeth, bones and such materials that were readily available (Gere, C and Rudoe, J. 2010), today however, the variations are never ending, made from varying materials, such semi-precious stones to gold and silver to more affordable materials, such as plastic and glass beads; with a vast amount of designs, from simple and sophisticated to elaborate and over the top. Jewellery can be passed down through family generations, or given as a gift to a loved one. Necklaces have a hig... ...o bring luck and good fortune for the rest of the month. However, they have not always been viewed as lucky creatures, for example, in the nineteenth century fishermen would refuse to speak the word while out at sea. Whilst in Devon to see a white rabbit would indicate a forthcoming death in a person that was currently ill (Russell, H. (1925). Through the Celtic tribes it was noted that it was taboo to eat rabbit meat, quoting to do so ‘was like eating one’s own grandmother’ (Ezpeleta, A. 1996) this shows us the importance of rabbits and how highly they were regarded throughout history, whilst elsewhere it was considered that eating rabbit meat would cause beauty and vitality. The Celtics also believed that rabbits burrowed underground in order to communicate with the spirit world, and that they could carry messages from the living to the dead. (Ezpeleta, A. 1996).

Amino Acid Chromatography

In this experiment paper chromatography was used in order to identify two unknown amino acids using eight known amino ones. The two unknown ones were identified by comparing the distance they travelled up the chromatography paper and their Rf values to the corresponding values of the other eight known amino acids. The unknown amino acids identified were Glycine and Methionine. Introduction Proteins in cells are important in many ways. There are different types of proteins such as contractile proteins, enzymes, hormonal proteins, structural proteins and transport proteins. They are vital to regular cell functioning.Proteins are made up of amino acids that are joined together by peptide bonds. When fewer than 50 amino acids are joined together, a polypeptide is formed. All proteins have two groups in common. They have a carboxylic group and an amino group. There are 20 types of amino acids that bond together in different combinations to perform different functions. The primary structur e of proteins is the order and number of amino acids. Secondary, tertiary and quarternary structures are formed from chains of peptides that are folded into sheets, ribbons and coils so that they form a 3D shape and are more stable.Different weights of amino acid make them differ in polarity. This characteristic enables the separation of proteins by polarity using chromatography. Paper chromatography is an example of a chromatography technique called absorption chromatography. The paper is the adsorbent, which will bind the components of the mixture. The substance will be â€Å"spotted† onto the chromatography paper and put into a beaker filled with solvent. The solvent will then flow through the paper. The solvent chosen depends highly on its polarity as this will be the characteristic that will separate the different substances.Petroleum, ether, hexanes, cyclohexanes and toluene are some examples of solvents with different polarities as well as increasing polarities. In som e cases, mixtures of solvents are made to reach a certain polarity. If substances that are needed to be separated are polar, then the solvent must be slightly less polar. Non-polar substances need a polar solvent to be separated. The solvent travels faster than the samples. The Rf value is the ratio of the distance traveled by the sample and the distance travelled by the sample.Rf = distance travelled by amino acid sample from the origin in mm distance travelled by the solvent from the origin in mm Factors affecting how far the amino acids travel depend on how high the solvent is allowed to rise on the paper, the type of absorbent, the type of concentration of the solvent, temperature and the distance of the origin from the solvent. One type of test to detect proteins is the Ninhydrin test. This test makes the amino acids spots visible. Ninhydrin is a pale yellow solid and it reacts with the amino group in the amino acids and proteins and produces a purple product.Heat must be used in order to speed up the reaction. Objective The objective of this experiment was to spot various amino acids and an unknown mixture on chromatography paper and run it with a chromatography solvent. The lab period following included treating the samples with Ninhydrin solution and heating it so that the amino acids could be visible. The distance of the samples were then measured in mm from the origin. The measurements were then used to calculate the Rf values for each sample and thus the unknown sample could be identified. Materials Alanine, 1% Solution Arginine, 1% SolutionAsparagine, 1% Solution Aspartic acid, 1% Solution Glycine, 1% Solution Lysine, 1% Solution Methionine, 1% Solution Tyrosine, 1% Solution Unknown, 1% Solution Chromatography Solvent, 20mL Ninhydrin solution, 2%, 10mL Beaker, 600mL Chromatography paper, 20X10 cm Graduated Cylinder, 25-mL Heat source, drying over or hot plate Microtip pipets, 9 Pencil Ruler Spray bottle Stapler Watch glass or aluminum foil Procedur e 1. On a 20cm wide by 10 cm high piece of chromatography paper, a pencil was used to draw a straight line (about 1 cm) from the bottom of the paper from the left to the right side 2.Nine pencil dots were placed 2cm apart on the line 3. The name of each amino acid was written under each dot in pencil. 20 mL of chromatography solvent was then added to the 600-mL beaker 4. A micropipette was used to obtain a small amount of the first amino acid 5. The tip of the pipette was placed above the chromatography paper directly above the pencil dot and a spot of the amino acid was dropped on the dot 6. Steps 4 and 5 were repeated for the eight amino acid solutions 7. With the sample side facing outwards the chromatography paper was turned into a cylinder and the top and bottom edges of the paper were stapled. .The paper cylinder was then placed into a beaker with the chromatography solvent. 9. The beaker was then covered with a watch glass 10. The samples were then allowed to run till the sol vent level was about 1 cm from the top of the paper. 11. The chromatography paper was then removed from the beaker. The solvent height was then marked with a pencil line and the staples were removed 12. The chromatography paper was then left to dry During the following lab 13. The chromatography paper was sprayed with a spray bottle containing 10mL of 2 % Ninhydrin solution 14.The chromatography paper was left to dry for 10-20 minutes 15. The paper was then put in a drying oven or held 10 cm above a hot plate to heat so that the color could develop 16. A dot was placed with a pencil at the centermost point of each amino acid 17. The distance in mm of the solvent traveled from the pencil line till the where the solved stopped traveling was measured. 18. The distance in mm from the origin till where each amino acid traveled was measured 19. The Rf value for each amino acid was calculated ResultsTable 1: Distance and Rf values of the amino acids and unknowns Amino Distance(mm)452427223 015574235/60 Rf Value0. 50. 270. 30. 240. 330. 170. 630. 470. 39/0. 67 The distance traveled by the solvent from the pencil line drawn was 90mm. The unknown samples were found to be Glycine and Methionine by comparing their Rf and distances values to those amino acids with Rf and distance values that were calculated. Discussion Paper Chromatography is used to separate a mixture of compounds into its components.Pens and markers are not used as their ink will be separated too. Instead, pencils are utilized as they are made from graphite which does not separate. Capillary action is the ability of a liquid to flow in narrow spaces without any help from external forces. This flow is against gravity as well. This happens because of the intermolecular attractive forces between the liquid and the solid surrounding surfaces. Surface tension and adhesive forces between the liquid and solid also help the liquid rise through the solid.The Rf value is defined as the ratio of the distance travell ed by the amino acid sample from the origin to the distance travelled by the solvent. The ratios, therefore, stay the same regardless of the solvent used. Ninhydrin is used in paper chromatography to identify amino acids. Ninhydrin solution turns the amino acid fingerprints to the color purple, therefore making them visible. For this reason we take care when touching the chromatography paper. The least polar amino acid was alanine as the distance it moved up the paper was the least.

Features a of Successful School Essay

The way in which U. S. schools are ran today are not adequate for the growing needs of students in the 21st century. According the Darling-Hammond (2010), if these trends continue, by 2012, America will have 7 million jobs in science and technology fields, â€Å"green† industries, and other fields that cannot be filled by U. S. workers (p. 3). Other nations have figured out how to educate their youth, and those students will take the jobs of their U. S. counterparts if the U. S. does not change the ways in which we educate our youth. Darling-Hammond (2010), found that higher-achieving nations are more focused on quality teachers, and development of curriculum and assessment that encourages continuous reflection of teachers and students (p. 8). There is a need for change in the current education system, which was designed to educate students in the 20th century. According the Darling-Hammond (2010), â€Å"At least 70% of U. S. jobs now require specialized knowledge and skills, as compared to only 5% at the dawn of the last century, when our current system of schooling was established (p. 2). Now that a need for change has been identified, it is up to the districts, schools and teachers to implement the changes. Through much research Darling-Hammond (2010), has identified five essential features of education that need to be changed to help prepare students for success in elementary though college. These five features include: small school size or learning communities within the school, personalization and strong relationships among teachers and students, challenging and relevant instruction, performance based instruction, and collaboration of teachers (p. 244). Features Defined  The aspect of small school size and learning communities are important to schools success, because it allows students to feel important in the school system. Studies have been done by Darling-Hammond (2010), and have identified that there is less violence in smaller school compared to larger schools, because everyone knows each other and there is more accountability for a student’s action (p. 245). When the school and or class sizes are smaller the teachers get to know each of their students and have the ability to identify with each student, where as larger schools the students just ecome a number with little to no individual attention. Darling-Hammonds research states: These experiences underscore evidence accumulated over several decades that suggest that, overall, smaller high schools are associated with greater safety more positive student attitudes about school, higher levels of student participation and attendance, much lower dropout rates (p. 245). The reduction of school size alone will not solve the education problem our nation is facing, but merely an aspect that will help with the problem. The second aspect to a successful school according to Darling-Hammond (2010) is the need for â€Å"structures that allow for personalization and strong relationship† (p. 244). The way that teachers and students gain these strong relationships is through an advisory class, teachers are given a small number of students and in many cases these students stay with the same teacher over a number of years. Because of these factors of small class sizes and extended time with the teacher, teachers are able to gain strong relationships with their students. By knowing students well, teachers are more able to tailor instruction to students’ strengths, needs, experiences, and interests† (Hammond & Friedlaender, 2008, p. 17). According the research done by Darling-Hammond: †¦ we found that strong relationships between and among students and faculty were central to participants’ views of what enabled them to succeed. Students often compared their school to a family and linked their achievement to their caring relationships with teachers (p. 248). Another equally important aspect to a successful school touched on by Darling-Hammond (2010) is â€Å" intellectually challenging and relevant instruction† (p. 44). Since the beginning of time teachers have taught curriculum and given students assignments based on what was taught, but is the assignments relevant to the students learning? Darling-Hammond, (2010) says teachers should be getting away from fill in the blank worksheets and having students produce more meaningful work such as research reports, discussions of problems, and open-ended questioning to challenge students more (p. 249). These types of challenging assignments help prepare st udents to become critical thinkers, and get them ready for college. Successful schools also ensure that teachers are giving performance-based assessments, Darling-Hammond (2010) states: All of the schools engage students in completing complex projects and investigations of various kinds, and most of them require the completion of portfolios for graduation, which include high-quality work illustrating disciplinary inquiry in each of the major subject areas (p. 257) These types of assessments are helping create students that are critical thinkers, rather than just recall and memory, which were previously performed. These high-quality assessments are beneficial to students in helping them be more prepared for success in college and beyond. The final aspect of Darling-Hammond plan to improve education is â€Å"highly competent teachers who collaborate in planning and problem solving† (2010, p. 244). The idea of collaboration allows teachers and students significant time to discuss, problem solve and create valuable lessons. If teachers were just left to their own means they could teach lesson with little to no results. There is the need for collaboration to identify ways in which they can teach lesson to better help their students. When time for professional development is built into teachers’ working time, their learning activities can be ongoing and sustained and can focus on particular issues over time (Wei, Andree & Darling-Hammond, 2009, p. 39). In the U. S. very few hours are build in to the work week for teachers to plan and many times the planning is done individually and not collaborative with other educators. Many high achieving nations provide the opportunity for continued staff development as well as a wide-range development to teachers, where as the United States give one day workshops with little to know follow up (Wei, Andree & Darling-Hammond, 2009, p. 1). The small amount of time by U. S. teachers spend on collaboration has an adverse effect on students achievement. Prioritizing the Essential Aspects The most important of Darling-Hammond’s aspect is providing students with highly competent teachers that are given the opportunity to collaborate with their peers. As addressed by Darling-Hammond and Richardson (2009): Current research suggests that providing intensive, content-rich, and collegial learning opportunities for teachers can improve both teaching and student learning. When schools support teachers with well-designed and rich professional development, those teachers are able to create the same types of rigorous and engaging opportunities for students—a foundation for student success in school and beyond (p. 52). Teachers are one of the key features to the important of student’s education, therefore they need to be given the opportunity for collaboration with their peers to gain the knowledge needed to reflect and plan to become better at their profession. Research done by Darling-Hammond shows that professional communities are an aspect that is important to schools that are achieving high levels of student learning (2010, p. 261). The next important aspect is providing instruction that is challenging and relevant to instruction. Teachers need to have high exceptions of their students and give students experience through task that are relevant to the real world and future success. Students are placed in internships and volunteer work as young as 11th grade to provide students with real-world experiences (Darling-Hammond, 2010, p. 257). According to Darling-Hammond (2010): Students reported that, even when they found they did not like the work or setting they had chosen, or when they experienced conflicts on the job, their internships made them feel more capable, responsible, and confident about solving problems and succeeding in their world beyond school (p. 256). These skills that students are learning from their internship are helping them become more prepared for their future. Keeping instruction relevant helps keep students interested in learning. Just as important as instruction is on education is the types of assessments used. It is important that the school system gets away from memorizing and gives more performance-based assessments, where students are involved in the revision of their work. Students need to be given more authentic assessments that are relevant to their learning and then have the opportunity to present their portfolios to communities of students. In the study by Darling-Hammond (2010) â€Å"†¦a deep sense of accomplishment from their experience, and, having repeated it several times before graduation, a growing sense of confidence† (p. 260). These types of assessments are giving students the skills needed to be successful in life. Schools that allow for personalization and strong relationships are important to students’ growth in school. Today students are cranking through each day like an assembly line (Darling-Hammond 2010, p. 250). Teachers know very little about the potential of each of their students, and therefore the students suffer. Students from the study by Darling-Hammond have said that they feel like teachers care about them and their work as well as pushing them to perform at their ability (2010, p. 50). The last aspect is also related to personalization of students, it is small sized school and or classes. With the small class sizes teachers are better able to know each of their students to help tailor their learning to meet those needs of the students. It is not a surprise that smaller schools have the ability to have a focus on safety. These smaller schools have an increase in safety a decrease in incidents, because the adults know the students in the school and hold them accountable for their actions (Darling-Hammond, 2010, p. 45) Implementation The changes that need to be made to school system are something that is not going to happen over night by one teacher. These changes need to start at the state level with help of the district, schools and teachers. Teachers cannot implement all of these changes on their own. The aspects that teachers can control are changing the way that they teach to create students that are more critical thinkers and provide students will more meaningful assessments. Teachers can also help guide students to assess their own learning. Another aspect that teachers can control is the amount of time they are spending collaborating with colleagues to share strategies, and solve problems. Teachers can so also try to get to know each of their students, but this a daunting task with such large class sized. There are many changes that need to be made that are out of control of the teacher’s hands. One of these changes is the amount of time they spend collaborating with other teachers. The district and school site needs to make this a priority and give those teachers the time they need to become more effective teachers. The district and school also needs to implement more meaningful staff development training. As teachers can start implementing more meaningful assessments for students, it is the district that will need to set graduations requirements associated with these assessments. To more effectively tailor students learning it will be the districts responsibility to lower classes sizes or implement an advisory period. Teachers can try to get know each of their students’ strengths, but with such large class sizes it is very difficult to individualized instruction. The aspect that teachers have no control over is the school size. If the district wants students to feel safe and accountable for their actions, this is something they will need to implement. Conclusion The traditional model of education that was designed for the 20th century is not working to educate the youth in the global world of the 21st century, and changes need to be made to better reach the needs of the students today. Some schools have already implemented and embraced these changes and have seen great results in achievement of students. By making the necessary changes to the education process students will become better prepared with skills to help them be successful beyond high school.

Entertainment Architecture and Disney Design

Entertainment Architecture and Disney Design The Walt Disney Company must be a fun place to work. Even the Seven Dwarfs have smiles on their faces as they sing Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho, its off to work we go!   But who knew cartoon characters would be asked to hold up the floors of Disney Headquarters in Burbank, California? Designed by internationally known American architect Michael Graves, this whimsical building is a landmark example of entertainment architecture. Disney Architecture Needs Disney Architects The Walt Disney Company is not just for kids. When you visit any of the Disney theme parks or hotels, youll find buildings designed by some of the worlds leading architects, including Michael Graves. Typically, theme park architecture is as the name implies - thematic. Borrowing popular motifs from history and fairy tales, theme park buildings are designed to tell a story. For example, its well known that the romantic Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany inspired Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle in Southern California. But the Walt Disney Company wanted more when Michael Eisner took over in 1984. Were not about safe-deposit boxes. Were in the entertainment business, Eisner told The New York Times. And so the company set out to find architects to develop an entertainment architecture. Architects Who Have Designed for the Walt Disney Company All architects do not submit to the blatant commercialism behind entertainment architecture. Most notably, when the Disney Company was enlisting architects for their Disney World expansion, Pritzker Laureate James Stirling (1926-1992) denied Disneys advances - the commercialization of Britains Queen, the   changing of the guard, and other regal traditions soured the Scottish-born architect on using architecture for frivolous commercial promotion. Many postmodernists, however, jumped at the challenge of designing an architecture whose purpose was to envelop entertainment. They also jumped at the chance to be part of the powerful Disney empire. Architecture becomes magic, whether designing for Disney or not in the 1980s and 1990s. Robert A. M. Stern may be the most prolific Disney architect. At the Walt Disney World Resort, his designs for the BoardWalk and the 1991 Yacht and Beach Club Resorts are modeled after New England private resorts and clubs - a theme Stern also used for the 1992 Newport Bay Club Hotel at Paris Disneyland in Marne-La-Vallà ©e, France. Even more Disneyesque is Sterns 1992 Hotel Cheyenne in France - conceived in the image of a nineteenth-century American western town, but filtered through the lens of Hollywood....Hotel Cheyenne is the town itself. The meaning of the lens of Hollywood is, of course, what became known as the Disney version and not the 1973 horror tale of robots gone amok in the Westworld movie by Michael Crichton. A New York architect known for his sleek, postmodern urban designs, Stern developed the art moderne Disney Ambassador Hotel in 2000 in Urayasu-shi, Japan - a design that looks back to an architecture that represented the promise, magic, and glamour of a time when travel and movies were a romantic escape. Stern is also a champion of the new urbanism movement. In 1997 Sterns architecture firm, RAMSA, was chosen to design the Master Plan for Disneys planned community known as Celebration, Florida. It was to be a real community, where real people live and commute to nearby Orlando, but modeled after a typical sleepy Southern town of children, bikes, and neighborhood pets. Postmodernist architects were enlisted to design playful town buildings, such as the multi-columned Town Hall by Pritzker Laureat Philip Johnson and the Googie-styled movie theater designed by Cesar Pelli. Michael Graves designed a small post office that looks like a lighthouse, or a silo, or a ships smokestack. Graham Gunds inn is designed for visitors to step into 1920s Florida relaxation, but Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown planned the local bank to look like the old J.P. Morgan vault on the Corner of Wall Street in Lower Manhattan - all postmodern fun. Colorado architect Peter Dominick (1941-2009) knew how to design Disneys Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom Lodge - resort rustic based on American Rockies. The whimsical Michael Graves (1934-2015) incorporated swans and dolphins, waves and shells into the architecture of the Walt Disney World Swan and Walt Disney World Dolphin hotels. Charles Gwathmey (1938-2009) designed Bay Lake Tower to look like a modern convention center and hotel, which it was. Disney employees work in Team Disney office buildings, which in a postmodern world are designed to look like cartoons. Michael Graves dwarf-clad headquarters building in Burbank, California substitutes dwarfs for Classical order columns. Japanese architect Arata Isozaki uses sundials and mouse ears within the Orlando, Florida Team Disney building. Italian architect Aldo Rossi (1931-1997) created Celebration Place, an office complex that is a drive-by lesson of postmodernism in the history of architecture. When Rossi won the Pritzker Prize in 1990, the jury cited his work as being bold and ordinary, original without being novel, refreshingly simple in appearance but extremely complex in content and meaning. This is the architecture of a Disney architect. Disney Design Specifications At Disney, architects may (1) strive for historic authenticity and recreate historic buildings; (2) take a whimsical approach and exaggerate storybook images; (3) create subtle, abstract images; or (4) do all of these things. How? Take a look at the Swan and Dolphin hotels designed by Michael Graves. The architect creates a storybook destination without stepping on the toes of any Disney character. Giant sculptures of swans, dolphins, and shells not only greet each guest, but also stay with the visitors throughout their journey. Sculptures are everywhere.   Located near EPCOT in the Walt Disney World ® Resort, the hotels architectural theme not only takes storybook-like figures, but also environmental elements as their theme. Like the swans and dolphins, water and sunlight are everywhere. Waves are painted as murals on the hotels facade. The hotel itself is an entertainment destination. What is Entertainment Architecture? Entertainment architecture is the design of commercial buildings with a focus on amusing themes. The approach has  been loosely promoted and/or defined by the entertainment industry, with the Walt Disney Company leading the way. You might suppose that entertainment architecture is the architecture of theaters and amusement parks, and structures exclusively designed by Disney architects. However, the term entertainment architecture can refer to any building or structure, regardless of its location and function, provided that it is designed to stimulate the imagination and encourage fantasy and whimsy. The Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall in California may be a hall for entertainment, but its design is pure Gehry. Some works of entertainment architecture are playful recreations of famous monuments. Some feature enormous statues and fountains. Entertainment architecture is often considered postmodern because it uses familiar shapes and details in unexpected ways. Examples of Entertainment Architecture Perhaps the most striking illustrations of entertainment architecture are amusing theme hotels. The Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, for example, is designed to resemble a giant pyramid filled with over-sized imitations of ancient Egyptian artifacts. In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, the Fantasyland Hotel stimulates make-believe by decking out rooms in various themes, like the Old West and ancient Roman splendor. You will also find many examples of entertainment architecture in Disney World and other theme parks. The Swan Dolphin Hotels may be considered entertainment architecture as guests discover giant birds lurking through windows into lobbies. It is a destination in and of itself. Likewise, the exaggerated pediment at Disney Headquarters in Burbank, California is not supported by Classical columns but is held up by six of the Seven Dwarfs. And Dopey? Hes at the top, within the pediment, unlike any other symbolic statuary youve ever seen. Building a Dream One of the best sources for in-depth information on buildings at Disney resorts world-wide is Building a Dream: The Art of Disney Architecture by Beth Dunlop. Dont let the Disney name in the subtitle fool you. Building a Dream is not a travel guide, a childs storybook or a sugarcoated romanticization of the Disney empire. Instead, Dunlops picture-packed book is a careful study of the imaginative and often-revolutionary designs found in Disney theme parks, hotels, and corporate offices. At over two hundred pages and with a focus on the Michael Eisner years, Building a Dream includes interviews with architects, drawings and color photos along with a helpful bibliography. Author Dunlop has written for numerous architecture, design, and travel magazines, as well as being the architecture critic at the Miami Herald for fifteen years. In Building a Dream, Dunlop approaches Disney architecture with the care and respect of an anthropologist. She examines original concept drawings and historic photographs and she conducts extensive interviews with architects, imagineers and corporate leaders. Architecture enthusiasts will be fascinated by the inside story of how the trendy architects Eisner hired managed to incorporate Disney motifs into complex and often abstract designs. Building a Dream is a book studded with anecdotes: We learn about the heated competition to build the Swan and Dolphin hotels and the oriental philosophies expressed in Isozakis striking Team Disney building. We make dizzy and sometimes disorienting leaps from Disneyland to Walt Disney World to EuroDisney. An occasional technical term, such as scuppers along the parapet may leave some readers baffled, but overall Dunlops tone is relaxed and conversational. Devoted Disney fans may wish Dunlop had spent more time on Cinderellas castle and Thunder Mountain. Even in its early days, the Walt Disney Company pioneered imaginative building styles. Dunlop traces the evolution of the first Disney Main Street, Future World and the original corporate offices. For Dunlop, however, the most exciting architecture was created when Eisner took over the company in 1984. When Eisner commissioned prize-winning architects to create new designs for Disney worldwide, the ideas baked into modern architecture were brought to the masses. This is the importance of the Disney architects. Sources Disney Deco by Patricia Leigh Brown, The New York Times, April 8, 1990 [accessed October 2, 2015]Additional photo of the Team Disney Building in Burbank, California by George Rose/Getty Images; additional photos of the Swan and Dolpin Hotels courtesy Swan Dolphin MediaWDW Architecture, magicalkingdoms.com/wdw/more/architecture.html [accessed January 25, 2018]RAMSA, Hotel Cheyenne, ramsa.com/project-detail.php?project451 and Disney Ambassador Hotel, ramsa.com/project-detail.php?project453langen [accessed January 28, 2018]Pritzker Prize, https://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/1990 [accessed January 26, 2018]

Billie Holiday and her influence on Jazz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Billie Holiday and her influence on Jazz - Essay Example The way she sang was completely new to the genre of Jazz at that time and her contributions are still followed by Jazz musicians in today’s time period. There are several legends and myths regarding the personal as well as her life as a musician. Even though she was surrounded with several scandals and was in trouble for a major portion of her life, he life experiences became the real inspiration of her music. The huge amount of contributions she made to Jazz music can never be forgotten. She can easily be said to have been the one who made major transformations to the way Jazz music was being practiced during her time. If a survey of modern Jazz history is conducted, the survey would prove that the Jazz music that is experienced in current times was her innovation. When she started practicing jazz music, there were hardly any jazz musicians who were personalizing their own tunes. There were only a few singers at her time who were singing different from rest of the singers. These singers were not a part of the Jazz music industry. These singers were representative of the Blues genre of music. One of these singers was Bessie Smith wh o along with another great Jazz singer and trumpeter named Louis Armstrong influenced Billie Holiday’s Jazz music (Henderson 295). During her early life she was singing most of the songs that were quite popular. She found this form of music quite monotonous and she started experimenting with her music. During her experiments she altered both the melody as well as the rhythm of the songs. To create her own music, she started phrasing music in relation to the beat and she even included different harmonies that were played by some of her personal favorite horn players including Louis Armstrong (Henderson 295). This mixture of music and experimentation resulted in the development of music that was regarded as magical. Current Jazz musicians use their own vocals as instruments for songs.

The Rental Apartment Agency Industry Research Proposal

The Rental Apartment Agency Industry - Research Proposal Example In addition to apartment rentals, we will be providing additional services, which will not be considered our main services, such as car or limo rentals, student admission, translations, and immigration attorneys. We will be targeting people who are coming from the Middle East to start with, then we might expand the business to target a larger segment in the future. You can find more information about targeting and segmentation in the Segmentation section. According to the reports for the Texas medical centers, â€Å"The Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world with one of the highest densities of clinical facilities for patient care, basic science. The Texas Medical Center receives 160,000 daily visitors and over six million annual patient visits, including over 18,000 international patients.† These visitors would definitely need to find the right one or two-bedroom apartments to stay in. We conducted a site survey. Our sample was not too big, 50 Middle Eastern patients and 10 students, and we found the following results: The demand for this service is increasing every year. More patients and students from the Middle East are coming to Houston as mentioned previously because it has some of the best hospitals and schools in the world. The following figures show statistics about the number of patients’ families who come to Houston from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirate and Kuwait who we managed to get from the consulates and the medical attaches offices. On the other hand, the supply is not great. There are very few new firms that enter this industry. Those who already exist are not providing good quality service or customer service, and they are met with too many complaints to be successful. Also, there is no single firm who can provide all of the many services that we are providing. (More information about competitors can be found in the Competitors section.)