Work motivation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Work motivation - Case Study Example Examples of experts leaving this company to go and work inother companies include Elizabeth Pedersen and Ola Rennemo. Their work motivation can be explained through a number of theories including Maslow hierarchy of needs motivational model, Herzberg motivational theory, and McClelland’s motivational needs theory. This paper expounds these three motivational theories in relation to Norsk Petroleum case study. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the theories that describe drive and enthusiasm to work. It is important to posit that Maslow categorized individual needs and aspirations into five categories. These include psychological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem, and finally self actualization. This theory is best illustrated by the use of a pyramid that begins at the base and continues or progresses up. This theory corresponds to the precedence or the main concern of the desires and requirements of human beings. These desir es can further be divided into two groups with bodily physical desires or requirements being symbolized at the base and emotional requirements being symbolized at the top. In Maslow’s theory, displeasure in human beings is considered a significant stimulator for human actions. Maslow elucidated the fact human beings have their own individual desires and when one desire is attained, other desires come up. However, individuals may even not be conscious of what is happening (Bagad, 2008). That is the case with Elizabeth Pedersen and Ola Rennemo. Despite being awarded more privileges, they eventually left the organization for self-actualization due to their ambitions. Ola had to meet his needs and requirements to be closer to family while the reason for Elizabeth’s resignation was purely as a result of ambitions hence she was seeking self actualization. Herzberg motivational theory Herzberg motivational theory is also referred to as the two-factor motivational theory. In c reating this theory, Herzberg did a study whereby he questioned two hundred engineers and accountants in nine different organizations on the instances when they were motivated and instances they were displeased with their work. In his findings, he asserted that motivation in the workplace is determined by appreciation and achievements. Therefore, less compensation for work done may result to individuals being displeased in their work but on the other hand over compensation may not necessarily mean that an individual is pleased. According to him, issues that contribute to motivation in the workplace are directly connected with satisfaction. Discontentment is cause by issues related to settings and physical conditions in the workplace. He proposed that motivation is contributed by accountability, accomplishments, appreciation, as well as progression and development (Bagad, 2008). Elizabeth had found an opportunity to lead her own team of engineers hence this motivated here to take the new assignment. He further argued that work itself is a factor causing motivation. Ola wanted to take the near his family. Therefore, his needs were accomplished. McClelland’s motivational needs theory McClelland’s motivational needs theory elucidates the fact that individuals derive inspiration in the workplace through three requirements. According to Bagad (2008), these requirements include the need for success, need for influence and authority, and the need for attachment and relationships. Since Elizabeth was well paid and she declined a salary increase as well as other added privileges, she had the need for influence and authority. She was seeking larger and superior duties of accountability since she was to supervise various teams of engineers and also bargain novel agreements with dealers and

The Greeks and Philosophy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Greeks and Philosophy - Research Paper Example For, â€Å"†¦without any assistance of sense, and perseveres until by pure intelligence he arrives at the perception of the absolute good, he at last finds himself at the end of   the intellectual world, as in the case of sight at the end of the visible.†2 Philosophy is about finding points that will lead one to theorize. Philosophy includes â€Å"†¦steps and points of departure into a world which is above hypotheses, in order that she may soar beyond them to the first principle of the whole†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 3 â€Å"Until the person is able to abstract and define rationally the idea of good, and unless he can run the gauntlet of all objections, and is ready to disprove them, not by appeals to opinion, but to absolute truth, never faltering at any step of the argument --unless he can do all this, you would say that he knows neither the idea of good nor any other good; he apprehends only a shadow, if anything at all, which is given by opinion and not by science; --drea ming and slumbering in this life, before he is well awake here, he arrives at the world below, and has his final quietus.†4 For Plato, what equaled philosophy included the truth. â€Å"And I thought that I had better have recourse to ideas, and seek in them the truth of existence.†5 Naturally, the most logical thoughts that were reinforced as correct were what Plato considered philosophy, saying that â€Å"†¦I first assumed some principle which I judged to be the strongest, and then I affirmed as true whatever seemed to agree with this, whether relating to the cause or to anything else; and that which disagreed I regarded as untrue.†6 True philosophy, after all, lies â€Å"†¦in [the] asking and answering questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 7 Rejecting the false and embracing the truth seems to have been what Plato was searching for all the time in his dialogues. The process of philosophy was about digging into the psyche to find a deeper truth. The process involves lots of rational thinking, evaluation, and critical thinking skills. Not only that, but Plato’s ideas of philosophy held fast to the ideas that what was good and virtuous were things that were worth philosophizing about. This process of parsing out what was good and virtuous in itself was worth it to Plato to take great pains to try to explain—in detail—what was worth expounding upon in his dialogues. Plato consistently maintained that philosophy was a constant search for that which was real, good, true, and reliable—versus that which was fake or a facade, bad, untrue, or inconsistent. Constistency is what made Plato such an emblematic figure in philosophy, because one knew what to expect from his type of logic. Therefore, his points were not only true but rational. B) Find at least two passages in the dialogues that were covered in this module where Plato shows Socrates entering into the dialectical process of Philosophy. Copy and paste the passages usi ng quotation marks and cite the source dialogue. You find two passages where Socrates is exchanging questions and answers with someone on a topic, issue or question. Where do you find these passages? Find them in any of these dialogues: ION EUTHYPHRO APOLOGY CRITO PHAEDO REPUBLIC SYMPOSIUM ?DO NOT USE THE SEVEN PASSAGES SUPPLIES IN PART A THAT DESCRIBE DIALECTICS! Those passages are not demonstrations of the process but are descriptions of it. How long do they need to be? Not the entire dialogue! Just submit a passage long enough to see the back

Human Trafficking In Cambodia Criminology Essay

Human Trafficking In Cambodia Criminology Essay Human trafficking is considered as one of the most problematic issues in today worlds society. Since this problem happens throughout the world, it is necessary to deal with it globally. For ASEAN level, human trafficking is one of the transnational crimes that take place across national borders or take place within one country but their consequences significantly affect another country. Likewise, Cambodia also faces with this kind of serious crime as a transit, origin, and recipient nation. I.1 Types of human trafficking There are many types of human trafficking. One of them is the forced labor. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), forced labor is a work or service exacted from a person under threat or penalty which includes penal sanctions and the loss of rights and freedom. Another type is sexual exploitation. In this type of trafficking, traffickers resort to deception in terms of recruitment particularly through the promising of well-paid jobs, yet victims who have been abroad are locked in apartments with their passports confiscated by traffickers who coerce them to work in prostitution. Victims are promised that they will get freedom only after earning for the cost of their purchase price as well as their travel and visa costs. Other type of human trafficking is organ removal, and the victims of such trafficking mostly are children. The children are removed their organ for the purpose of begging and peddling (selling small equipment, flowers and cigarettes). Besides these, f orced marriage also considered as one type of human trafficking. The practice of forced marriage occurs on a significant scale today. In Cambodian society, especially in rural areas we can see that parents always forced their daughter to marry to foreigner on the hope of improving their living condition. Unfortunately, their daughter somehow exploited by foreigner as domestic workers or sex slaves. Last but not least, illegal adoption of children is also another form of human trafficking since it involves the selling and buying children or baby illegally between parents and buyers. In this kind of trafficking, due to unclear family plan or unwanted pregnancy, parents often sell their kids to buyers for the purpose of adoption as they are poor. This is also kind of human trafficking since it is not legally recognized. After being aware of all types of human trafficking, it is also important to know who the trafficker and the trafficked are. Traffickers are recruiters, transporters or exploiters. However, mostly women play a role during the recruitment and exploitation process. For instance, she might be the one who go to contact the victim directly. Then, male trafficker is the transporters and managers during the exploitation process within the trafficking network. For the trafficked person, adult women are mostly known as victims followed by children. Plus, men are victims of human trafficking as well. II. Current situation Victims of human trafficking in Cambodia particularly men, women, and children are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation in Thailand, Malaysia, Macao, and Taiwan.  Ã‚  Specifically, men are trafficked for forced labor in the agriculture, fishing, and construction industries while women are trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor in factories or as domestic servants.  For instance, they might be serving as house keeper and maid for looking after their bosss child. Furthermore, it is not surprisingly that children are being trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor such as begging, flower selling and so on. As the transition, Cambodia is a transit country for human trafficking from Vietnam to Thailand; and as the destination, Cambodia is a destination country for victims of sexual exploitation from Vietnam and China especially, women and children. In fact, internal trafficking in Cambodia is considered to be predominantly for the purpose of commercial s exual exploitation basically in urban and tourist areas, including to Phnom Penh and to Sihanouk Ville. Increasingly, young women are being recruited to work in karaoke, beer garden, bar, club and so on. These women are employed as a job in a restaurant or as a waitress in an entertainment place. Even though they are often not physically forced to have sex with clients, the women still face with sexual harassment committed by their customer while they work. Besides this, currently trafficking in children, particularly very young children and children who are disabling are also recruited to sell stuffs which in clued newspaper and flowers on the streets. A small number are recruited for work in other sectors, such as domestic work or in restaurants. Trafficking from Cambodia also takes place for the purpose of labor exploitation in a number of industries, including construction and so on. What is more, Cambodian men are being trafficked to work in Thailands fishing industry suffer fr om long working hours, dangerous working conditions and physical abuse. III. Causes and Effects of human trafficking in Cambodia Human trafficking in Cambodia is caused by many factors. One of the most important causes of human trafficking is poverty. Poverty is an important factor which has increased women and childrens vulnerability to human traffickers particularly the poor and unemployed since they have will to join or they are level of awareness on the dangers associated with human trafficking is low. Poverty again is considered as the main root behind their decisions that make they decide to migrate for work. In addition to poverty, the lack of education and unemployment there are also significant social and culture factors that contribute to human trafficking. For instance, culture norms that perpetuate a lack of respect women increase the likelihood of them being exploited. Similarly, the perception of children as wage earners also increases the likelihood of them being trafficked. Moreover, the low level of education, family debt, agriculture failure, lack of land and off-season work were pushing peop le to the big cities or other countries as the men go into construction, women into services and prostitution. Last but definitely not least, broken families, disaster, uneven economic development, lack of border controls, socio-economic imbalance between the rural and urban areas, increased tourism, unsafe migration are also significant contributing factors to human trafficking. After getting to know the roots of human trafficking, it is also important to understand its effects. In fact, human trafficking has many consequences. First, the spread of HIV/AIDS is one of the consequences of human trafficking. For instance, many victims of human trafficking are physically and sexually abused. Trafficked women are often not in a position of negotiate safe sex, or lack access to education about HIV/AIDS. Therefore, they can transmit the disease to the next customers. That is the reason that HIV/AIDS can spread from one person to another person easily. The victims not only suffer from HIV/AIDS, but also often suffer from stigmatization by their communities. Moreover, many are treated as criminals by officials in countries of transit and destination due to their irregular status in the country, and their status as illegal workers or sex workers. What is more, human trafficking is generating the violation of human right. As we know that the victims are forced to do th e prostitute and other kind of exploitations. In this case, there will be a human right violation concern. IV. Solutions of Cambodian Government In fact, The Royal Government of Cambodia does not stand still without taking any actions. For this reason, the government has implemented several mechanisms. The first mechanism is the prosecution. It is making some many significant efforts; for example, the government created a national anti-trafficking task force to improve the interagency response to trafficking and coordination with civil society, increased law enforcement action against traffickers and complicit officials, and undertook prevention activities. Besides this, in February 2008, Cambodias new Law on the Suppression of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation was declared wisely and went into effect immediately. This law provides enforcement authorities and the power of investigate all forms of trafficking, and it is also a powerful tool in efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers and make them face with strict punishments. The Ministry of Interior (MOI) reported 53 trafficking cases from April 2007 t o March 2008, thirty-five cases were sex trafficking involving 60 victims and 11 were labor trafficking cases involving 106 victims. The MOI reported that 65 traffickers were arrested during the reporting period. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted 52 trafficking offenders. The MOI Department of Anti-Trafficking and Juvenile Protection reported 52 cases, involving 65 trafficking offenders. There is also a figure that we get from non-state actors such as NGOs. For instance, NGOs reported 19 labor trafficking cases. In February 2008, Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the Ministry of Commerce to annul business licenses for marriage agencies, calling that kind of business is also a form of human trafficking. Another mechanism of combating human trafficking in Cambodia is the protection. The Royal Government of Cambodia improved its efforts in providing protection to victims of trafficking while continuing to rely on NGOs and international organizations. Victims are not treated as crim inals. For instance, the victims are provided with education or skill in order to make them have jobs to support their living. For foreign victims, they are provided temporary residence in shelters, education, and counseling services while they are waiting for repatriation. Last but definitely not least mechanism is the prevention. The Royal Government of Cambodia demonstrated concrete efforts to prevent trafficking. In April 2007, the government established a National Task Force (NTF) comprising 11 government ministries, three government agencies, and more than 200 international and local NGOs. The NTF has an oversight mechanism known as the High Level Working Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. This illustrated that this is the first time that we have such coordinated anti-trafficking efforts across government ministries and agencies, and also civil society. In coordination with civil society, the NTF launched a nationwide anti-trafficking campaig n using positive messages incorporating Khmer values and cultural traditions to inspire Cambodians to take action against human trafficking. The campaign emphasized trafficking as a national priority and launched a national dialogue on trafficking via public forums across Cambodia. More interestingly, Cambodia also has international cooperation in combating human trafficking. V. Conclusion I would recommend Cambodian government continue the implementation of the anti-trafficking mechanisms and provide law enforcement mechanisms to government officials on the new law. Moreover, significantly improve the number of prosecutions, convictions, and punishments of trafficking persons. What is more, the government should continue to enhance cooperation and collaboration with civil society under the direction of the National Task Force. Last but definitely not least, government of Cambodia should increase efforts to prosecute sex tourists and those facilitating commercial sexual exploitation of children. In addition to that, here is also another general recommendation such as protect the rights of victims. According to the UN principle on Human Rights which states that the human rights of trafficked persons shall be at the center of all efforts to prevent and combat trafficking and to protect, assist and provide redress to victims., the needs and rights of victims should be con sidered at every stage in proceedings. Furthermore, in order to prevent and protect successfully, the demand of customers should be reduced since the demand reduction must be linked to the prevention and protection. Another recommendation is the establishing of policies. The complexities of the trafficking problem require efforts by relevant entities at the local, national, regional, and international levels. Therefore, it is vitally to form partnership with intergovernmental organizations, governments, NGOs, international organizations, communities and families confronted with trafficking.

Critcal Analysis of CATCHER IN THE RYE :: Essays Papers

Critcal Analysis of CATCHER IN THE RYE 10 Quotes and Responses from The Catcher in the Rye "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth." This statement actually caught my full attention. I like the way that he started this book off. It gave me a sense that the book was going to be very interesting and real. This is a very catchy statement that made me want to continue reading at my own willing and not to just be continuing so I can finish this assignment. It shows that the narrator is not going to start the book off by giving the reader boring details about his life. Instead, he is going to skip all of the usual details and jump to the real stories about his life that he finds and interesting, and that I also found very interesting. â€Å"The more expensive the school is, the more crooks it has-I’m not kidding.† I agree with this statement because people tend to assume that if the school is very expensive, then the crime rate will be lower. Although they think that way, they are making the wrong assumption because they have crooks too. Not only do they have crooks, but they also have high-class crooks. The only difference is that the crooks at more expensive schools may get away with the crime because they have an advantage that crooks in other schools do not have. They have money and they can use the money to bribe people so their reputations are not messed up. â€Å"Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hotshots are, then it’s a game, all right-I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it? Nothing. No game.† Holden feels that in order for life to be a game one must be a hot-shot. He feels that if people are not considered to be hot-shots, then those people are not participating in this so-called game of life.

Diversity in instructional methods toward meaningful learning Essay

Abstract There is diversity in instructional methods that teachers can use to bring about meaningful learning. This paper discusses five of them; namely integrated inquiry approach, 5-model of inquiry, the jig-sawing approach, role playing and WebQuest. These instructional methods are learner centered methods that consider prior knowledge, attitude and skills and promote development of new knowledge and relate them to a variety of contexts. All of them also deal with real-life situations that essentially develop interpersonal relationships, problem-solving skills and content-knowledge among others. The teachers’ tasks are to plan and carry out efficiently the instructional designs to have meaningful learning among diverse learners, instructional methods and learning environments. Diversity in Instructional Methods Toward Meaningful Learning Diversity is an essential ingredient of success of all ventures in life including education. There are different kinds of learners as there are teachers, instructional methods and learning environments; but there is only one goal in education and this is for an effective and meaningful learning. Teachers should set environments for students so they could think critically and independently and relate new knowledge learned with a variety of contexts for meaningful learning. It is the task of the teachers to match the learners, the learning environments, the knowledge to be learned and the instructional methods. Learning meaningfully means that learners relate new knowledge to what they already know. Meaningful learning is non-arbitrary, non-verbatim, substantive deliberate effort to link new knowledge with higher order concepts in cognitive structures. It is a learning related to experiences with events or objects and affective commitment to relate new knowledge with prior learning. The diverse instructional designs towards meaningful learning should identify outcomes, guide the development of instruction content and establish its effectiveness. Efforts to consider meaningful learning in the different stages of instructional design are essential. Gagne et al. (1992) identified the different stages of instructional designs as: defining instructional goals; conducting instructional analysis; identifying entry behaviours and learner characteristics; developing performance objectives; selecting an instructional method; assembling instructional materials and planning formative and summative evaluations. He and his colleagues further cited that current educational theory and researches support the use of instructional methods that make students active learners. Among the diverse instructional methods available to teachers to explore and use, the commonly utilized approach towards construction of new knowledge meaningfully are the problem –based learning and inquiry approach, cooperative learning, and technology strategies. Each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, but when used effectively can maximize learning. Problem-Based and Inquiry Approach Students in the problem-based and learning inquiry approach engage in meaningful learning through being actively involved in their own learning and reconstructing these based on their experiences. They further participate in active investigation, more of integrating knowledge rather than separating them so that deep understanding develop from acquisition of new facts. In this method, students are given relevant problems by teachers which inquiry must be done. The general steps in this inquiry approach are: identifying the problems, gathering of data, organizing the data in attempt to analyse the problems and analyses of the strategies to use to solve the problems. Integrated Inquiry In the Integrated Inquiry planning process, a model of inquiry approach developed by K. Murdoch, sequences of activities and experiences are developed to build on and challenge student perceptions. These sequences begin with students’ prior knowledge and experiences and move through deliberate processes wherein that knowledge is extended, challenged and refined. Students have their own prior experiences that they bring to their classes and teachers should be aware of how to address this situation. Activities and learning experiences in this model are grouped as: tuning on, finding out, sorting out, going further, making conclusions and taking actions (Murdoch, 1999). Furthermore, planning for assessment is a very important element of planning for Integrated Inquiry. Murdoch (1999) highlights the need for the collection and analysis of information about what and the how students have learned. The assessment in the Integrated Inquiry model is to determine how to improve student learning as these new information help teachers modify their plans of work to suit the needs of the learners. Students’ involvement in planning for assessment as in selecting responses to particular learning experiences and designing demonstrations of understanding are highly encouraged. Therefore, teachers are also tasked to identify and design learning experiences that will provide information for assessment purposes. The strengths of this model are focussed on assessment of learning in context and encouraging a variety of demonstrations of understanding based on the learning experiences that students undertake. Learners that may benefit most from this Integrated Inquiry Approach are those capable of setting goals in their own learning and significantly contribute in determining how assessment could be effectively done. 5-E Model In the book â€Å"Activities for Teaching Science as Inquiry† by Carin, Bass & Contant (2005) many laboratory investigations were cited as inquiry approach to learning. They focused on the 5-E Instructional Model with the five main components identified as Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration and Evaluation. Each of these components is learner-centred. This investigatory method maybe time and resource consuming but it allows the learners to develop critical thinking and problem solving skills experientially. The use of this method is not limited to teaching sciences, which are considered to be not very easy subjects. This experiential learning brings more opportunities for learners to bring forth better understanding and longer retention of knowledge learned. Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning is an instructional method that takes place in a small group of learners of different levels of ability and in environments of responsibility not only for their own understanding of the subject but also for his co-learners. It brings more meaning to learning because it provides shared cognitive sets of information between students, motivating them to learn the materials, ensuring that they construct their own knowledge, providing formative feedback, developing social and group skills necessary for success outside the classroom. Cooperative leaning promotes learning and academic achievement, increases retention and satisfaction with their learning experiences among students, helps develop skills in oral communication, social skills, promotes student self-esteem and fosters mutual responsibility. Although this method helps students learn to be more patient, less critical and more compassionate, some students may find difficulty with this method. Students who work alone find difficulty in sharing answers while aggressive students will tend to take over and brighter students to act superior to the rest. Teachers who will employ cooperative should prepare their students how to work in groups for this method to be successful. Jig Sawing Approach The â€Å"Jig Sawing† Approach is a cooperative learning strategy wherein students becomes an â€Å"expert† in a particular area, then shares his or her learning knowledge with other members of the group that eventually all members of the group learn the concepts. In the Modified Jigsaw, the class is divided into equal expert groups, with each of these groups working on isolated portions of the activity. Once each expert group has completed the tasks, they report their findings as group to the class. Group report allows for greater flexibility in student presentation style and prevents the possibility of unintentionally misrepresentation of information (Beaudrie et al. 1998). This method best suits heterogenous learners across disciplines. It provides opportunities for learners to show various competencies. Moreover, students are more comfortable to exchange ideas with their co-learners because of their dynamic open relationship. Role playing Another instructional method of interest is role playing. It also deals with solving problems but through actions. In role playing, problems are identified, explored through actions and discussed. The students input in their role playing their prior knowledge, values and attitudes. A role-playing strategy seems to work best when there are multiple correct approaches to solving problems. It encourages thinking and creativity to develop and practice new behaviours in non-threatening setting. It provides opportunities for students to explore further their feelings; gain more insights about their attitudes and also enhance their problem solving skills. It also promotes effective interpersonal relations. The learning in these role playing activities are meaningful as they are retained longer and hoped to be of use to the real life of the learners. Terms which are used, often interchangeably with role playing are â€Å"simulation,† â€Å"game,† â€Å"role-play,† â€Å"simulation-game,† â€Å"role-play simulation,† and â€Å"role-playing game†. Role playing dynamically promotes effective interpersonal relationships and social transactions among learners. Technology Supported Approach Technology provides a set of tool for addressing the issues on improving student learning. These issues are of providing more of learners’ time on authentic, challenging tasks with rich contexts with emphasis on multi-disciplinarity; changing of role of teachers to facilitators of knowledge that guide students and learn along with them; students working in an environment of more cooperative relationships that encourages communication and access to real-world examples towards the development of learning communities; and with greater emphasis placed on reflective thinking and productivity with the understanding that students will preform their tasks differently and have different task-relevant skills ( Grabe and Grabe, 2004). WebQuest WebQuest, the model developed by Bernie Dodge, is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web. WebQuests is most often a group activity in a library or distance education setting. It may be enhanced by wrapping motivational elements around the basic structure by giving the learners a role to play, simulated personae to interact with via e-mail, and a scenario to work within. They can be designed within a single discipline or they can be interdisciplinary (Dodge, 1997). The WebQuest challenges he learner to be creative in problem-solving. In the world of education, there are so many instructional designs that can be utilized to end up with meaningful learning. No instructional method is better than the other but each one in the hands of a committed and learned teacher can merit students across academic levels and disciplines to bring about meaningful learning. References Beaudrie, B. , Slater,T. F. , Stevenson, S. & Cadit, D. (1998). Teaching astronomy by internet jigsawing. Leading and Learning with Technology Journal, 26. , Retrieved December 13, 2007 from http://www. aem. umn. edu. Carin, A. A, Bass, J. E & Contant T.L. (2005). Activities for Teaching Science As Inquiry. NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about WebQuests . Retrieved December 13, 2007 from http://webquest. sdsu. edu/about_webquests. html. Gagne, R. M. , Briggs, L. J. , & Wager, W. W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design . TX: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Grabe, M. & Grabe C. (2004). Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning. NY: Houghton Mifflin Company. Murdoch, K. (1998) Classroom Connections: Strategies for Integrated Learning. Melbourne: Eleanor Curtain Publishing.

Character Analysis of Aminata: Book of Negroes Essay

The Book of Negroes by Lawerence Hill started as a story of the capture of a West African girl and her journey to become a slave. Her traumatizing experience was written with a desperate tone that was achieved through the use of literary devices such as metaphors and alliteration. Emphasis was put on the conflict between Aminata and society which helped to develop her as a hopeful character. â€Å"We walked for many suns, growing slowly in members, lumbering forward until we were an entire town. Each time, people swarmed out to stare at us. Initially, I believed that the villagers were coming to save us. Surely they would oppose this outrage. But they only watched and sometimes brought out captors roasted meat in exchange for cowrie shells and chunks of salt. Some night when they had us lie down in fields, our captors paid village women to cook for us-yams, millet cakes, corn cakes, sometimes with a bubbling peppered sauce. We ate in small groups, crouching around a big calabash, spooning out the hot food with the curved fingers of our right hand. While we ate, our captors negotiated with local chiefs. Ever chief demanded payment for passage through his land. Every night, our captors bartered and bickered well into the evening. I tried to understand, in the hope of leaning something about where we were going and why† (p. 34, Hill). In this quotation, Aminata’s journey is described with a bleak and demoralizing tone. The journey of Aminata and her hostages lasted â€Å"for many suns† and wore down their hope for freedom and their faith in humanity. The hostages continued â€Å"lumbering forward† as â€Å"an entire town of kidnapped peoples,† with no hope of being saved. When â€Å"people swarmed out to stare at us †¦ e initially believed that the villagers were coming to save us. † Eventually the captives realize that the people are only interested in making exchanges with their captors. This leaves the hostages with the forlorn realization that no one would make an attempt to liberate them. The captives were demoralized further when they â€Å"crouched around a big calabash, spooning out hot food with the curved fingers of our right hands. † As captives, the native West Africans were treated as less than human. Like animals, they were forced to gather around a bucket of food and eat without tools. The lack of respect and dignity given to the captives corrupted their sense of self-worth until there was little left but the instinct to survive. Literary devices are a key element in setting the tone of this novel. As the captives were continuing they were â€Å"slowly growing in number†¦ until we were an entire town of kidnapped people. † This metaphor emphasizes the number of prisoners the captors have taken hostage and that the group goes far beyond Aminata. It also emphasizes the amount of power the captors have other the captives. Even though the captives outnumber the captors, the captors are still capable of preventing any rebellion and power within the hostages. Another literary device that highlights the hopeless situation of the captives is parallel structure. On their journey they â€Å"passed village after village, and town after town. † The us of parallel structure creates a sense that the journey of the slaves is perpetual and induces the feeling that the slaves are stuck on a ceaseless journey. This also contributes to the hopeless mood of the novel; with no end in sight the slaves find little to look forward to. Although the captives lose hope in their future, Aminata manages to keep a part of herself hopeful and this is essential to her characterization. Aminata knows that there is a very small chance of escaping, but she also knows that if she has more knowledge of the captor’s plans, she has a better chance at freedom: â€Å"Every night I heard the captors barter and bicker well into the evening. I tried to understand, in the hope of learning something about where they were going, and why. † This also demonstrates her thirst for knowledge. Growing up Aminata strived to learn reading and writing and any other skills she could. She does not let go of this part of herself even in her futile situation. As well as being hopeful and clever, Aminata proves to be innocent and naive. While travelling through villages she believes â€Å"the villagers were coming to save us. Surely they would oppose this outrage. † But Aminata eventually realises that the villagers are not interested in freeing the captives. The only concern the villagers have is to make deals with the captors. Her ideals, that the people of her country would band together to bring a stop to their exploitation, are crushed and strips her of her innocence on her journey to slavery. Aminata finds herself in many conflicts with many different elements. One example is the conflict between her and society. Society viewed Aminata and her fellow prisoners as less than human and with little value. The slaves were treated like animals, â€Å"people swarmed out to stare at us†. They are seen as another species and not as people with intelligence and skills. But contrary to the beliefs of the society, Aminata is an intelligent and skillful girl whose thirst for knowledge is never put to rest. She continues to try â€Å"to understand the chiefs, in the hope of learning something. She also knows how to read and write which is considered extremely valuable in her culture. But because society views slaves as non humans who are not capable of being intellectual, Aminata’s capabilities are not seen by others and she is continual seen as an inferior. The Book of Negroes tells a story about the degrading experience many had to go through because they were seen as inferior. This degradation is apparent through the demoralizing and bleak tone. But Aminata manages to keep hope and a clear head and provide a beacon for herself and others around her. She continues to expand her horizon of knowledge and aspire to better herself. Although she is faced against the power or society, Aminata holds strong to herself and carries on. Her story is told with the use of literary devices such as parallel structure and metaphors to emphasize the desperation and inadequacy of her journey. She manages to look past all the horrors that surround her and hope for a better future, and perhaps with her strong will and knowledge she will achieve this someday.

Sojourner Truth essays

Sojourner Truth essays Sojourner Truth, Fearless Crusader, by Helen Stone Peterson. The book had two hundred and ninety four pages. I chose this book because people overlook this woman when thinking about African Americans The main character is Isabella, who later renamed herself Sojourner Truth. The book begins while she is only nine years old. In the beginning she is a naive and scared little girl, but as the book progresses, she becomes a strong and opinionated woman. The other characters are the people who help her throughout her life, and those The book is about Sojourner Truth, and the struggles she faced throughout her life due to her race. It begins with her as a nine year old girl who is frightened about being seperated from her family, and being sold to a new family. By the time she is thirteen she had been sold five times. Shortly after July 4, 1827, Sojourner escaped her former owner, to begin a life of her own, as a free woman. At the time she was twenty nine. By leaving her owner, she left her children. To get them back, she placed a formal complaint with a local courthouse, in Kingston, NY. The court appealed in her favor, allowing her her son. In 1829, she and her two children moved to New York City, so that her son and daughter could have an education. She lived there for three years. In the beginning of her fourth year, a religious man invited her present employer to come to his communal country estate, so as to worship God. While there, Sojourners employer died, and she was blamed for his death. To prove that she was innocent, she went to former employers, getting letters that praised her highly. Due to this slander of her name, she took her complaint to court, where in a white jury, she was pronounced not guilty, and awarded a small sum of money. Shortly ...