Child Language Development Case Study

Child Language Development Case Study Introduction This paper explores a case study with one family with a child displaying slower language development, examining the case in the light of well-known theories around child development. These theories, which include scientific approaches, social approaches, and applied approaches to understanding and supporting child development, are evaluated in the light of the existing literature and in relation to health visiting practice. The Case Child A is a 2 year old male, the only child of a same sex lesbian couple, living in an ex-council house within a village environment. The area of the village in which they live is predominantly local authority housing, but they bought their house as a private sale from its previous owner. The biological mother, who for the purpose of this essay will be called Mother A, was brought up in this village, and left to attend university and have a career, returning when the child was 3 months old. Mother A works 21 hours a week as a nurse, and also works ad hoc shifts as an agency nurse. Mother B is a university graduate who left full time employment to move in with Mother A, and now works for a local women’s charity part time, as a child support worker. Child A displays normal development in most areas, and demonstrates clear cognition and understanding of language and interactions, potentially beyond the standard for his stage of development. However, Child A does not use verbal language himself very much, and at times displays behaviour which suggests he is withdrawn and not interested in socialising. Mother A states that Child A socialises well in the Creche he attends 3 days per week. However, Mother A also states that as a family they are very socially isolated. Mother A’s extended family lives within 3-5 miles of them, but has very limited contact, because of discomfort with their lifestyle. The family attempted to join a mother and toddler group, but were made to feel unwelcome, and both parents state that they are ostracised by their local community, and cannot access social support from a wider lesbian community because they have no childcare other than the crà ¨che. They have been unable to secure a childminder or babysitter because of their alternative family arrangement. Observations of interactions between parents and child demonstrate good, positive attention from both parents. Mother A is very ‘attuned’ to the child and ‘interprets’ behaviours and expressions, anticipating the child’s needs. Interaction between health visitor and child suggests the child is capable of proper linguistic expression. On one occasion, the child corrected the health visitor, to inform her that a shell in his ‘collection’ was grey, not white. The child also shows some ability to recognise alphanumeric characters. Despite this, verbal communication seems very limited. Discussion This case provides an interesting dilemma in exploring the theories which would explain the apparent linguistic retardation this child displays. Bowlby’s attachment theory, for example, might suggest that the child’s linguistic restriction is due to some element of attachment, and that the primary attachment figure for this child is Mother A. In the absence of what others might describe as a normal social sphere for the child, the attachment between Mother A and Child A may never have been challenged, and this close attachment means that the child feels no motivation to speak, because his needs are being anticipated by his primary caregiver. Discussion with both parents does not indicate that the child undergoes separation distress (Bowlby and Bowlby, 2005)), but this could be anticipated from what might be an overly strong and exclusive attachment to Mother A. However, this author feels that attachment theory does not provide a model to explain what effect this kind of relationship might have on linguistic development. Behavioural theories of child development might also provide some insight, particularly if the child views that his current behaviours are being rewarded and reinforced by one or both of his parents (see, for example, the theories of Skinner, Pavlov and Watson). Scientific and biological theories of linguistic development may shed some light on the situation. Chomsky (2007), for example argues that the development of language in the individual child depends on a combination of genetic factors, which precipitate language learning in terms of a biological imperative, experience, which relates to the placement of the child as interacting with its social world, and principles of development which are not specific to the faculty of language. What this demonstrates is a move away from Cartesian dualism, and the reintegration of the processes of the mind into the functional and developmental processes of the body (Chomsky, 2007). In this case, therefore, Child A is likely to have biological imperatives precipitating linguistic development, but may not be achieving his potential due to a possible deficit in his interactions with the social world. It may be that this theoretical perspective highlights the single most important feature in this case, t he lack of social integration into the wider social world, or into normal society. This is not to say that if a same sex lesbian family were socialising in peer groups or social networks, that this would not be normal – far from it. What is notable about this case is that the family are isolated from both general, â€Å"heterosexual† society and from peer-related social groups. If there are, then, elements of linguistic development which are founded on social interactions, a deficit in these areas would likely indicate a potential reason for Child A’s linguistic retardation. The family have attempted to ensure the child is with his own peer group by placing him in a crà ¨che, a group childcare environment, rather than a single carer environment, which is a positive move. However, it could be that even this is not sufficient to precipitate the linguistic development that would be expected of Child A at this point. Classic theories such as Piaget’s constructivist theory, which posits certain developmental stages, might be useful here. In Piaget’s theory, constructivism is an alternative to simple biological understandings of child development, and the development of children’s thinking and cognition is segemented into four stages, which are viewed as progressive (Dawson-Tunkin et al, 2004). Piaget’s stages suggest that children must all move through these stages, sequentially, in order to develop ‘normally’. It is unsurprising that many theorists argue against the centrality of these sorts of stages, as being too restrictive and rigid and not necessarily universally applicable (Dawson-Tunkin et al, 2004). Piaget posits that equilibration, the process of learning wherein the individual reflects on previous experiences to assimilate new concepts and knowledge into current knowledge, is perhaps the most significant of the features of children’s devel opment (Dawson-Tunkin et al, 2004). So, although Piaget understood that biological maturation may set the timetable and limits of some aspects of child development, but stresses that the environment in which children are placed, and their interactions with that environment, is essential to them developing as they should. â€Å"Children who have severely limited interactions with their environments simply will not have the opportunities to develop and organize their cognitive structures so as to achieve mature ways of thinking† (Cook and Cook, 2005). There appears to be an almost inbuilt dissatisfaction with equilibrium, requiring individuals to extend their cognitive structures by seeking out, assimilating and processes new information (Cook and Cook, 2005). This is complemented by reflective abstraction, in which individuals take note of something in their environment, then reflect on it (Cook and Cook, 2005). However, Piaget also argues that â€Å"children do not passively absorb structures from the adults and other people around them†¦[but] actively create their own accommodations and so construct their own understandings† (Cook and Cook, 2005). Feldman (2004) criticises Piaget’s theories because they do not properly allow for the individuality of children, and for differences in development which might be quite marked between children in different circumstances (Feldman, 2004). This author also questions whether there is any need for such rigorous demarcation of stages of development, because if they are still only theories, then labelling children as failing or falling behind might be detrimental to the child and his/her family. However, many theories of development, general and linguistic, do suggest that social environment and/or interactions affects cognitive and linguistic development. Therefore, it could be that in this case, Child A, through his experiences to date, which have been somewhat limited in wider social interaction, has developed his own understandings of the role and function of language in his life, and has perhaps come to the conclusion that the verbalisation of language, at least for him, is rarely necessary. Cognition is not absent, this is evident from interactions with him. He can speak, or at least, it is evident that he understands language, symbols and complex sentence structures, but he does not have any motivation to speak. If asked to carry out a relatively complex task, such as ‘put the shells back in the truck, and put the truck away†, he can do this, readily, and willingly. But if asked to describe what he is doing or to describe his truck, he uses one word answers, gestures and facial expressions to communicate. Cole et al (2004) discuss how positive emotions are important in child development, suggesting that â€Å"emotions organise attention and activity and facilitate strategic, persistent or powerful actions to overcome obstacles, solve problems and maintain wellbeing (Cole et al (2004). This might suggest that perhaps Child A is not being placed in situations where he is emotionally tested enough, in order to motivate him to utilise language in ways that other children might do. Bell and Wolfe (2004) also suggest that there is a need to better understand and explore the role of emotions in organizing and regulating a child’s thinking and learning, and also in understanding the role and of thinking, learning and action in the regulation of children’s emotions. Certainly both Piaget and Vygotsky both argue that children working together learn more than children attempting to, for example, solve problems alone (Cole et al, 2004). It would be no great stretch to see the connection between these collaborative or interactive experiences, the emotional responses of children, and their development, and this must include linguistic development, because these interactions would require the use of language, and perhaps, the development of new linguistic capabilities. Callanan (2006) states that children’s cognitive processes are connected to the language they hear around them. In this case, therefore, it could be argued that Child A may be limited linguistically because the language he hears around him is only that of his two main carers, and of course, the language he hears on television. His social isolation may be affecting the ways in which he is thinking about the world, because he is exposed to limited verbiage. A Freudian analysis of this situation would be both problematic and challenging. If Child A is passing through Freud’s stages of psychosexual development, it could be said that he is perhaps arrested in his oral stage of development, and has not moved out of this stage because of his relationship either with Mother A alone or with both of his female parents. Freudian analysis here is fraught with difficulties, however, because this is not a typical heterosexual relationship, and so the parameters within which Freud’s psychoanalytical theories are framed simply to do not apply. The whole issue of gender here could be a difficult one, because there may be those who believe that a male child needs a gender-similar role model, and his current parenting situation does not provide this. However, contemporary theories on child care and child rearing have veered away from gender-specific behaviours and advocated for gender-neutral child rearing, a reorientation which has follow ed in the wake of radical and second wave feminist theories (Martin, 2005). These feminist theories have at times rejected concepts such as socialisation in the development of children’s social and personal awareness and in developing gender identity (Martin, 2005). However, this author believes, as does Martin (2005), that socialisation is an important feature in child development, and that while Freudian theories posit primary socialisation as occurring within the home, socialisation also occurs once the child is exposed to new environments. If the child is only exposed to limited social environments, this might also mean the child does not become socialised to as many environments and behavioural codes as it should do. Certainly, this author has met colleagues who have argued that the lack of a male role model, or male role models in the home situation, would constitute a problem. However, it would seem that many would argue that gender neutral parenting would not affect d evelopment, particularly if gender and chld development is fixed by biology (Martin, 2005). Vetegodt and Merrick (2003) suggest that there are five important needs that children have, in relation to formation of their identity and in relation to their cognitive development. These needs are: â€Å"the need for acknowledgement, acceptance, awareness, or attentions, respect and care† (Vetegodt and Merrick, 2003). There is a suggestion that if children do not have these needs met, they may then modify their own identities to adjust to their parents and the situation (Vetegodt and Merrick, 2003). While this may not necessarily be true, in the case of Child A and his family, it might be that his needs are met in the home situation, but his needs may be being met in other situations. Certainly, conversations with the parents suggest that they fear his needs, of the nature described above, would not be met outside the family environment because of the nature of his family. There is an ongoing belief that childhood is of primary importance in children forming ‘healthy i dentities’ (Taylor, 2004). The Role of the Health Visitor These theories are mere explorations of potential reasons for an apparent deficit in linguistic development in Child A. Addressing this developmental issue with the parents, in this context, is likely to be somewhat challenging, particularly as the relationship between the health visitor and the parents is of primary importance (Jack et al, 2005). Certainly the child’s home situation is a positive one, and there are no issues in relation to economic or other deprivation. Both parents are intelligent and open to discussion about development and the child’s social needs, but both are also, understandably, sensitive about their continued social exclusion. However, the role of the health visitor is to promote the child’s health and wellbeing (Condon, 2008), and so part of the role in this situation is to assess this wellbeing and ensure the child is offered full participation in all the aspects of health promotion and disease prevention available (Condon, 2008). In t his case, as Mother A is a nurse, and Child A has been subject to all necessary health checks, immunisations, and the like. Engaging with the family has allowed the health visitor to identify elements of the home situation which could affect maternal wellbeing, and so affect child development and wellbeing, but there are no signs of postnatal depression or anything else to raise any warning signs (Peckover, 2003) Here, the role of the health visitor may be to assist the family in identifying ways of extending their social sphere and social life, and integrating their child into social groups and networks which might be more accepting of their alternative family construct. However, there are limits to what a health visitor can advise, and it might be necessary to look at other disciplines, other professionals, and other agencies to support this family. Certainly with changes in the law and social life in recent years, it is becoming less challenging for alternative families to find support and inclusion, but in this case, it would seem that social inclusion may be negatively impacting upon their child’s development. The public health dimension of the health visitor role is very much vaunted in the literature and in governmental policy, but is less easy to realise in practice (Cameron and Christie, 2007). Yet activities such as those discussed in this essay contribute to the public health dimension of the health visitor’s role, in concrete ways. Perhaps it is most important to view the macrocosm of public health policy in relation to the microcosm of the daily work of the health visitor, although it is not always easy to evaluate the day to day function of this role in relation to wider public health improvements. Conclusion It would appear that, whatever the theoretical standpoint, there seem to be a range of ways of defining child development, and many of these relate to the way that children relate to their environment. While there may be a biological imperative to develop cognitively, developing cognitive and, in the case of Child A, linguistic processes, there can be factors which can negatively affect these processes. If these factors are socially mediated, then the social environment that the child finds itself in may be as important as providing good nutrition and health protection. The author deliberately chose a family which was not characterised by typical socio-economic deprivation, or domestic violence, or drug abuse, to demonstrate that child development is fundamentally about the child learning to interact with others, peers and adults alike, in a range of social contexts, and it would seem, from this case, that linguistic development may be more psychologically mediated by such contexts. It may be more than a simple biological/cognitive process, and may require exposure to a range of social settings to fully develop properly, to motivate the child to use language effectively. References Bee, H Boyd, D (2006). The developing child. 11th Ed. USA: Allyn Bacon Longman. Bell, M.A. and Wolfe, C.d. (2004) Emotion and cognition: an intricately bound developmental process. Child Development 75 (2) 366-370. Bowlby, J Bowlby, R (2005). Making and breaking affectional bonds. London: Routledge. Callanan, M.A. (2006) Cognitive development, culture, and conversation: comments on Harris and Koenig’s ‘Truth in Testimony: how children learn about science and religion. Child Development 77 (3) 525-530. Cameron, S and Christie, C. (2007). Exploring health visitors perceptions of the public health nursing role. Primary Health Care Research Development, 8 80-90 Chomsky, N. (2007) Biolinguistic explorations: design, development, evolution. International Journal of Philosophical Studies 5 (1) 1-21. Cole, P.M., Martin, S.E. and Dennis, T.A. (2004) Emotion regulation as a scientific construct: methodological challenges and directions for child development research. Child Development 75 (2) 317-333. Condon, L. (2008) Child health promotion in the United KingdomL does health visitors’ practice follow policy? Journal of Advanced Nursing 62 (5) 551-561. Cook, J.L. and Cook, G. (2005) Child Development: Principles and Perspectives Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Dawson-Tunkin, T.L., Fisher, K.W. and Stein, Z. (2004) Do stages belong at the center of developmental theory? A commentary on Piaget’s Stages. New Ideas in Psychology 22 255-263. Department of Health (2004). The Children Act. London: HMSO. Department of health (2008) Child Health Promotion program. Feldman, D.H. (2004) Piaget’s stages: the unfinished symphony of cognitive development. New Ideas in Psychology 22 175-231. Hall, D Elliman, D. (2006). Health for all children. 4th Revised Ed. Oxford University Press. Jack, S.M., Dicenso, A. and Lohfeld, L. (2005) A theory of maternal engagement with public health nurses and family visitors. Journal of Advanced Nursing 49 (2) 182-190. Martin, K.A. (2005) William wants a doll, can he have one? Feminists, Child Care Advisors and Gender-Neutral Child Rearing Gender and Society 19 456 – 478. Peckover, S. (2003) I could have just done with a little more help. An analysis of women’s help-seeking from health visitors in the context of domestic violence. Health and Social Care in the Community 11 (3) 276-282. Santrock, J.W. (2006). Child development.11th Ed. USA: McGraw-Hill. Sheriden, M (Revised and updated by Frost, M. Sharma, A. (1997). From birth to five Years. London: Routledge. Taylor, C. (2004) Underpinning knowledge for child care practice: reconsidering child development theory. Child and Family Social Work 9 225-235. Ventegodt, S. and Merrick, J. (2003) The life mission theory IV. Theory on Child Development. The Scientific World Journal 3 1294-1301.

Walt Whitman Changes the Face of Literature Essay -- Biography Biograp

Walt Whitman Changes the Face of Literature When Walt Whitman published the first edition of Leaves of Grass it was received with a wide variety of reactions. From critics to fellow poets the reactions to his first volume were often admiring, but also dubious. This pattern continued with each of the six editions of Leaves. Many wondered where this 36 year-old "poet of the people" came from. The very way he presented his first volume of poetry was controversial. Whitman presented himself in this self-published volume as, "Walt Whitman, an American, one of the roughs, a Kosmos, a Disorderly, fleshy and sensual".eating drinking and breeding." (2725) This style of self declaration was unheard of at that time. "It was as if the beasts spoke," commented Henry David Thoreau on Whitman's departure from the typical literature of the time. (2725) Critical reviews of his work ranged from high praise to near disdain. It was written in United States Review that, "Self-Reliant, with haughty eyes, assuming to himself all the attributes of his country, steps Walt Whitman into literature, talking like a man unaware that there was hitherto such a such a production as a book, or such a being as a writer." (205) It was Whitman's style of self-proclamation that caused such a stir. When one reads Whitman poetry they must decide , "does this poet really speak for me, as he claims to?" The review of his works recognizes this question. Whitman proded people toward a new way of thinking. It was written that, "With strong and steady call he addresses men. Come, he seems to say, from the midst of all that you have been your whole life surrounding yourself with: Leave all the preaching and teaching of others, and mind only... ...ars to intend, his last literary effort, it closes firmly and fitly the literary career of a poet who has with pride and fidelity obeyed his own genius, and who has sought to understand and speak--in his oracular, strange voice--the experience of common humanity." (305) Works Cited Buchanan, Robert. "Walt Whitman." Broadway Magazine. November 1867, 188-95. Dana, Charles. "New Publications: Leaves of Grass." New York Daily Tribune. July 23, 1855, p. 3. Lauter, Paul. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. 1998 Houghton Mifflin Co, New York. Literary World 22. "Goodbye My Fancy." September 12, 1891. 305 Morse, Sidney. "The Second Annex to Leaves of Grass." Conservator 2. September 1891, 51-2. New York Tribune. "A Melancholy Book". August 16, 1891. p. 14. United States Review. "Walt Whitman and His Poems". September 5, 1855. 205-12.

Interrelationship of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Essay

In the article â€Å"Interrelationship of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation† by Jerry Dermer, there are three different assumptions about the interrelationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation from three different researchers. Firstly, Deci, E.L. stated that an extrinsic performance-contingent reward reduces people’s intrinsic motivation. Secondly, Hofstede, G.H. supported that intrinsic motivation is a necessary co-requisite for extrinsic rewards to be motivating; however, intrinsic motivation is not reduced in the occurrence of extrinsic rewards. Thirdly, the general assumption of many motivational researchers believed that intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are unrelated. The purpose of the study was to firstly determine if there is a relationship between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and then to help management in resolving the dilemma of whether or not they should provide rewards based on performance. The study conducted a questionnaire which was distributed to 81 department store managers in a large department store chain. The questionnaire included measurements for extrinsic and intrinsic motivation. For extrinsic motivation’s measurement, the questionnaire listed seven statements for managers to rate on the Likert scale. The budget performance in these seven statements was linked to seven extrinsic outcomes: recognition, advancement, job security, better peer relations, better supervisory relations, increased responsibility, and increased salary. For example, â€Å"‘exceeding budgeted performance will lead to more responsibility’† (Dermer, 1975). For intrinsic motivation’s measurement, the questionnaire only listed three statements asking the managers to rate the level to which higher order need satisfaction is affected by good performance. For instance, â€Å"‘Doing my job well gives me a feeling of accomplishment’† (Dermer , 1975). In order to have a fair and accurate result, both statements were presented in Likert format. Managers needed to rank the statements from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Also, the questionnaire was intermixed with other random statements to minimize halo effects and hence increase the accuracy of the result. The result reinforces Hofstede’s statement and overthrows Deci’s and the general assumptions. This research showed that the higher a store manager’s intrinsic motivation, the greater his responsibility, recognition, pay and motivation for advancement. The main finding was that intrinsic motivation was an essential co-requisite for extrinsic motivation. Meanwhile, extrinsic reward would not reduce workers’ intrinsic motivation. The research found out that the higher one’s intrinsic motivation, the greater his motivation for extrinsic rewards. Therefore, based on this concept, management should implement some strategies to stimulate workerâ⠂¬â„¢s intrinsic motivation. During the hiring process, the hiring manager of the organization should inquire about the interviewees’ interests. The main purpose of doing this is to make sure that the interviewee does like the job. The goal of the interview is to hire people who are intrinsically motivated because these individuals are more willing to learn and to accept challenges. Depending on the nature of the organization, the human relations department should carefully select candidates that fit the job requirement, as well as to consider one’s personality. For example, a hospital requires nurses to be extraverted and agreeable. As the employees achieve the person-job fit, which is defined as the workers finding the job that fits their values the most, the employees will have a higher level of intrinsic motivation. For example, when a patient is recovered, the nurse will be proud of herself, hence her intrinsic motivation will increase. Besides, management should work to increase the level of organizational commitment of the workers. The higher the affective commitment, the higher the level of job performance the workers achieve. The reason is that if the workers have high affective commitment, they are more motivated to stay in the organization and is happy to devote their time and energy in benefiting the firm. High affective commitment implies these workers are intrinsically motivated because they love their work. To increase the level of organizational commitment, management should provide a fun workplace and encourage them to think creatively. Moreover, managers should permit workers to have great autonomy and encourage new ideas at the workplace so that workers will be more willing to think about ideas in a greater depth. However, promoting intrinsic motivation may lead to several potential costs. Firstly, a long period of time is needed to foster each worker’s intrinsic motivation. Secondly, the strategies to nurture intrinsic motivation vary from person to person. Even though there are potential costs for promoting intrinsic motivation, the potential benefits resulting from intrinsic motivation are much greater. Firstly, an organization will be more profitable and efficient as its employees are more self-motivated and satisfied with their job. The more self-motivated the employees are, the higher their efficiency. Also, workers will be more motivated and will not need continuous supervision if they like the job. Another benefit from having intrinsically motivated workers is that these workers are less likely to be late as they like their job. Also they are more likely to excel at their jobs. Hence, the organization’s efficiency will be improved significantly. To conclude, the article â€Å"Interrelationship between Intrinsic Motivation and Extrinsic Motivation† by Jerry Dermer is informative in explaining the relationship between two different types of motivation. The reason is that Jerry found three different authoritative researchers and compared their views. Instead of taking away from the research, readers should think about Deci’s and Hofstede’s statement critically because Jerry Derman also talked about the saving grace of Deci’s statement. Lastly, the recommendations for management practices are appropriate as all of the organizations highly demand intrinsically motivated employees. Reference Dermer, J. (1975). The interrelationship of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The Academy of Management Journal, 18(1), 125-129. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/stable/255630?&Search=yes&searchText=Motivation&list=hide&searchUri=/action/doBasicSearch?filter=jid%3A10.2307%2Fj100040&Query=Motivation&Search.x=0&Search.y=0&wc=on&prevSearch=&item=20&ttl=1206&returnArticleService=showFullText&

International Court of Justice Essays

International Court of Justice Essays International Court of Justice Essay International Court of Justice Essay Unit 5 Int’l Business Issues and Ethics Marilyn Benjamin 1P5 American InterContinental University April 21, 2011 International Court of Justice The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the main judicial organ of the United Nations. It replaced by the Permanent Court of International Justice after World War II, when it was made part of the UN Charter drafted in San Francisco in 1945, International Court of Justice . According to international law there are two form of law, in which they both have a legal dispute when it is brought by individual countries; the two may give an advisory opinion on any legal question that is referred to it by authorized international agencies. The two are pretty much alike because they both have judicial authority over their respective established communities and they both speak English (World of Criminal Justice, Gale (2002). They make rules that are concerning the law and both interpret the laws, they are responsible for the laws and must settle any dispute between any states that is a part of their jurisdiction. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is between states and they stands firmly on their grounds. The international laws are more tradition and a non binding. They carry no precedential and their value are non-binding without conform of the States National laws. The members of the United Nations are eligible to bring cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The jurisdiction court may voluntary with the (ICJ) which presents several countries. An Advisory opinion is basically an opinion by the court or a judge; member can submit their legal opinions to the ICJ in writing. I think the World Court is like any other court; everyone must abide by the rules of the court regardless of what the situation is. In today society people do what they want, we are guilty or we are not guilty, it’s up to the lawyers and the court to prove otherwise. Why some time they make a mistake ? Reference: . (2002). In World of Criminal Justice, Gale. Retrieved from credoreference. com/entry/worldcrims/international_court_of_justice

Compare the way death is presented in MTB and OMFS Essays

Compare the way death is presented in MTB and OMFS Essays Compare the way death is presented in MTB and OMFS Essay Compare the way death is presented in MTB and OMFS Essay Essay Topic: Seamus Heaney Poems Both MTB and OMFS are both poems of similarity as they both speak out the loss of a child. There are however many differences in the two poems. MTB is written by thirty years old, Seamus Heaney looking from the perspective of his younger self when he brother died and explains the gradual understanding of the death. Benjamin Johnson writes differently in OMFS, about the loss of his son, at the time of the passing away. This difference already begins my comparison as the ages of both narrators influences both the poems greatly. MTB has a lack of understanding in the memories as they are remembered by a child; however, OMFS has the more mature tone because its coming straight from an adult. The two poems may be written about the same topic, but there are many subtle differences contained within the wording and the background. Heaney wrote MTB in 1968, when he was 29, but Johnson wrote OMFS more than 350 years ago, in 1616. These time stamps altar the way we read the poems immediately because Johnson was writing in a completely different time. Then world he lived in was a time of low sanitation, scarce amounts of food and therefore child mortality rate of 20-40%. 1616 was also a time when a man wouldnt show emotion so crying over his son was not expressed in the OMFS. Johnson however tells us I met my father crying, so the time must have changed to make this socially acceptable. The opening line to OMFS begins Farewell thou child of my right hand. There isnt anything ambiguous about it, we know immediately a child has died. Broken down into two sections, this line already shows us the tone of the poem. Farewell thou child shows us from the very start that this is a poem where something has gone and its not returning. Also the poem is addressed to the child, not about it. Unlike MTB this is a way of showing the authors grief directly rather than through words and emotions. [T]hou child of my right hand makes the child seem more than just a person to Johnson, but more like a partner. Its frequently said how you right hand man is your best friend and most trusted companion, also in ways of the Gods; the right hand man would have been an accomplice or a personal messenger so we really see the seriousness of how much the child meant to Johnson. Heaneys beginning to MTB is completely different in comparison. I sat all morning in the college sick bay is a much more laid back start to a poem as its extremely simple linguistically, using everyday words and writing in a journalistic form. Its a very detached sentence which really kicks off the poem with no messing about. Compared with the complexity of Johnsons writing this is extremely bland and almost un-meaningful. Of course its not un-meaningful at all because as we progress into the poem the language changes becoming more complicated, for example the description of wearing a poppy bruise is not as obvious as the first line. The two lines, although they prepare us for similar poems on child deaths, start us in very obvious different ways as MTB does not prepare us for a poem about death. The first line of it sets us up for a poem about a holiday for teenagers or possibly someone going home early as theyre ill whereas OMFS immediately plunges into the concept of somebody lost. Both Heaney and Johnson are both from religious backgrounds but both have different styles which are inflicted into their poems. Heaney was from a strict catholic background and Johnson was in a time where everyone was strictly protestant. Therefore they both included a significant amount of religious context in their writing. Johnson says, tho wert lent to me and I thee pay which gives the impression he believes God leant him his son and when his time was up, the bill of life was paid back. This shows how strongly he has faith in God and is being consoled by the effects of religion because its almost as if hes saying that God knows what hes doing. Heaney goes about it differently, saying Snow drops and candles soothed the bedside. The candle and snow drops are both symbols of serenity and peace, showing how the dead child is now comfortable. Also because snow drops are white it shows the purity of this, and they care known to come out at the beginning of spring so can be seen as a new life starting somewhere else. In both poems, the deaths seem very soothing. Heaney says the candles soothed the bedside and Johnson says Rest is a soft peace. This imagery seems more like the children are sleeping though, rather than dead. Both the writers seem strong through their poems, however, Johnson does say could I loose all father which can be interpreted in different ways. We could see it as him saying hes contemplating suicide, but I think we know this wouldnt have been an option as this would only send him to hell. I think it would be more correct to see it as him simply relinquishing fatherhood now. Johnsons poem seems to see death as a heroic thing as he is writing the poem in heroic couplets, and refers to the death and something he should envie. Heaneys poem however seems to see it more as a dire thing and the death of his brother was seen as a hard blow. Both of the poets mention how old the dead children were, but neither of them actually says so. Heaney sneaks it in as he ends the poem a four foot box, a foot for every year and Johnson says seven yeeres tho wert lent to me which shows that the age of the children is not important, yet still significant. The description of Heaneys brothers wounds are that he was wearing a poppy bruise which implies the wonder of how something so small could cause so much damage, as if hes in disbelief whereas Johnson embraces the death of his son, Exacted by thy fate. It also gives us the war imagery as poppies are worn as remembrance for the soldiers. I find the most effective poem Heaneys Mid-Term Break because I can understand it more at first glance and I think that it is more likely to draw people in because they dont have to study it in as much detail. However the detail in Johnsons On My First Sonne does stop you and leave you wandering, so I also think this is effective.

The Tet Offensive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

The Tet Offensive - Essay Example The â€Å"Tet Offensive† of 1968 has been widely referred to a moment that defined future policy, political as well as public opinion on the War in Vietnam. The offensive formed the biggest series of confrontations during the war. On the night of January 30th, Vietcong troops launched massive surprise attacks on twenty-eight provincial capitals in South Vietnam. The assaults targeted major U.S as well military installations belonging to the South Vietnam Army. The President’s palace at Hue and America’s Embassy were some of the targets of assault in the plan. Vietcong troops did not completely take control of any city, the lost approximately 15,000 of their troops but they successfully completed the mission. They were able to show the force that disenchanted public opinions in both America as well as South Vietnam on the war.The offensive demonstrated clearly that Vietcong was not about to surrender and more importantly that Allied troops could not guarantee the safety of civilians. The U.S military was successful in curtailing the offensive but in the eye of the public, it was a major defeat for the U.S and Allied troops by the way they were caught by surprise. Major players in the Tet Offensive were the Viet Cong and North Vietnam Army launching assaults on South Vietnamese troops, US forces and allied troops. The campaign was characterized by surprise assaults on military, civilian troops and centers of control in entire Southern Vietnam. communist forces orchestrated a well-coordinated series of attacks late in the night of January 30 on the 1st and 2nd Corps Tactical Zones of Southern Vietnam. the next morning saw countrywide attacks with over eighty thousand troops of the communists hitting over one hundred cities & major towns which included thirty-six of the forty-four provincial capitals, five autonomous cities out of six.

Strategic Management of Wal-Mart Stores Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Management of Wal-Mart Stores - Essay Example It is to mention that the company that has been chosen for the study is Wal-Mart. The purpose of the study is to recognize the Wal-Mart’s strategy and further create an argument to verify if the strategy that has been adopted by the company is appropriate or not. About Wal-Mart Wal-Mart Stores, Inc is a company that is in America and belongs to the category of public corporation. It operates numerous chains of the discount department based stores and also warehouse stores. The company outperformed in the year 2010 and was successful at becoming the biggest corporation in the world in terms of revenue as per the Forbes Global 2000 for that particular year. It was incorporated in the year 1969. It is worthy of stating that because of the strategic actions taken by the company, it has been successful at expanding its operations in 15 countries with 8500 stores and 55 numerous names (Scribd, 2011). Wal-Mart’s Low Cost Strategy The Wal-Mart’s stores are present in alm ost every ‘nook and corner’ of the world. The obvious question that arises in the mind relates to the reason behind the successful operation of the company. The reason behind is the low prices that the company maintains for the purpose of attracting the customers. ... The main objective of the store is to maintain low prices so that the customers are happy with Wal-Mart. However, these corporations don’t take into concern the happiness of the workers in 48 different countries (Bauer, 2005). It can be argued that the company’s strategic move towards the maintenance of low price seems to be immoral and immaterial. Although by maintaining low prices, it can attract its customers and keep them happy and satisfied but it seems to be negligible towards the society. Wal-Mart Expansion Strategy It is apparent that the company has been successful at expanding its operation in various countries of the world for the purpose of rejuvenating the sales growth. It tried to expand its operation in Germany, however it was not successful at maintaining long term survival in that particular country where Wal-Mart tried to make the store profitable for many years. The reason behind the malfunction had been the company’s inconsideration towards th e German competitors, shoppers as well as the rules, cultural differences and labor unions whose strength impeded the success of the company in Germany. The same strategy has been quite successful in the United States. At this instance, it is important to assess the cause behind the disappointment of the company’s strategy of expansion in Germany. It is to be stated that different countries have dissimilar cultures and different perceptions regarding the purchase of a product. The companies need to adopt the strategies accordingly. A particular strategy that helped the organization to outperform its operation in one country may take the business to failure in another country (DePamphilis, 2009). Competition at