Antigone And Creon Essays (1088 words) - Greek Mythology

Antigone And Creon Issue of male authority and challenges to that authority in the play "Antigone". In the play "Antigone" by Sophocles, Creon and Antigone have distinct conflicting values. Antigone first demonstrates feminist logic when she chooses to challenge a powerful male establishment. This establishment is personified by her uncle Creon, who is newly crowned as the King of Thebes. Creon poses to be a major authority figure in a patriarchal society. Creon's regard for the laws of the city causes him to abandon all other beliefs. He feels that all should obey the laws set forth by him, even if other beliefs, moral or religious, state otherwise. Antigone, on the other hand, holds the beliefs of the gods in high reverence. She feels that the laws of the gods should be obeyed above all others, especially when in respect to family. The bold, tradition-braking character of Antigone clearly clashed with the overpowering patriarchal dominance of Creon. This collision between characters gives rise to the conflict between the sexes in Sophocles' "Antigone." The denial of burial to Polynices strikes directly at her family loyalty. This enormous sense of loyalty leads to her simultaneous violation and observance to the duty of women of the time. It is precisely this loyalty that makes her an active rather than a static figure. Antigone herself represents the highest ideals of human life -- courage and respect for the gods. She believed that the law of the gods, which dictates that a body be given proper burial rights, was more important than the law of the King. Throughout the play, Antigone amazingly retains the traditional role of women, while at the same time boldly challenges this depiction. The challenge occurs as both a defiance of Creon's laws in Antigone's burying Polynices and as a direct verbal assault on Creon himself. Creon becomes angry that a woman questions his sovereignty and condemns her to death even though she was the daughter of his sister, Jocasta. Creon believes that if he does not follow through on his word the people of Thebes will not respect his authority as king. Thus Creon's patriotic values clash with Antigone's ethical values to make conflicting roles. Creon, being a new king, wants to prove his abilities as a firm and strong administrator. Creon wants to be respected and feared as a king because this will prove him to be the ultimate authorative figure in Thebes. He stands for obedience to the State. Surely it is his voice the townspeople should obey. Creon abuses his power to force others to accept his point of view. This extreme dominance conflicts head-on with Antigone's bold unwomanly challenge to Creon's authority. Creon made many convictions insulting womenkind. His convictions seemed true a large population of men. He uses her to set an example for the entire city of Thebes, for Antigone is the first person to ever deliberately disobey Creon's order not the bury her late brother, who has been declared a traitor of the city. "Imagine it: I caught her naked rebellion, /the traitor, the only one in the whole city./ I'm not about to prove myself a liar,/ not to my people, no, I'm going to kill her!"( 94,ll.731-734). Creon refuses to compromise or humble himself before others especially women. He states " Better to fall from power, if fall we must,/at the hands of a man-never to rated/ inferior to a woman, never" (94, ll. 759-761 ). Antigone does not give Creon additional respect either because he is a man in a patriarchal society or because he is king. In such way, she argues an equality of the sexes, as well as equality under God. In the prologue, Antigone tells Ismene that she will take action pertaining to their brother, whether or not Ismene agrees . Antigone, persuades her to help bury their brother, "He is my brother and-deny it as you will-/ your brother too(61, ll.55-56)." The two sisters argue, but in the end their differences in opinions stand out. Ismene being too weak is afraid to defy the king. On the other hand, Antigone is brave enough to go ahead with her decision. Even without her sister's help, she is willing to risk her life to give her brother what he deserves and what the gods say should be done, despite Creon's edict. Thus unlike her sister, Ismene refuses to challenge the male authority, even if it means to not fulfill her duties as a sister. Ismene states: "Remember we are women,/ we're not born to contend with men.

Kotkins examination of home and roots Essays - William Deresiewicz

Kotkin's examination of home and roots Essays - William Deresiewicz Kotkin's examination of home and roots ENG 101 ONL 2 Nov 17, 2013 How Kotkin's examination of home and roots compares to William Deresiewicz's discussion of online friendship. Does Deresiewicz's essay confirm or complicate the conclusions Kotkin draws about Americans' increasing commitment to place and to each other? Both of the articles have employed different aspects but they are interconnected with each other. Theres No Place Like Home and "Faux Friendship seems unlike with each other, but we can evaluate the relation that faux friendship has taken the hold in the modern society, and therefore; people like to say that there is no place like home and their families. In earlier times, friendship hold the essence in its meaning, but Deresiewicz claims that today the bond of friendship is diminishing and people merely call them friends to each other. Moreover, he argues that the word has lost its charm and value; it is like something increases and the value of the product decreases. Both of the article talk about society, professionalism, career, and friends. Somehow the idea is similar but its presentation is different. At one point, Kotkin says that we contain low mobile nature and how this is rebuilding the corporate globe. Here, he is attributing the two factors of family and technology. These factors have become the reason that the people are not willing to proceed for work Theres No Place Like Home by Joel Kotkin talks about the modern fashionable trend of localism. As per the Kotkin writes, Family and technology are two key factors working against nomadism (Kotkin, 2009). He mentions that the current situation of global economy is difficult because families cannot sell their houses; therefore, they decide to stick around. He considers localism as a longer stay of people in their communities and homes, and their commitment towards living in communities. He basically drafts the situation thats what American society is current experiencing. Kotkin uses the term placeness which holds the meaning of we care for the place where we belong and the identity that we have (Deresiewicz, 2009). In the article "Faux Friendship, William Deresiewicz portrays a contemporary idea behind the fact of the word friend, and puts forward his argument with deep analysis. The idea of Deresiewicz shows that in modern times we have changed the way of our perceptions regarding th e things that we used to do. Deresiewicz mentions that in 20th century, it is believed that an important part of someones emotional life usually take place not with their families but with their friends. But this is merely an idea not the reality. However, the article of Kotkin presents that home is the place where person feels completely comfortable and secure as with no one in the world (Kotkin, 2009). Currently people are considering family more over money and they are not willing to leave their placeness. The article of Kotkin shows that the more time someone spends in community or home the more they are identified with it. The article of Deresiewicz also agrees with this thing in a complex manner which is stated in the lines Social changes play into- rootlessness of modern life (Deresiewicz, 2009). I believe this trend is growing in the proper direction but it is important for creating authentic relationships and communities that we need for striving. It is believed that the reason of this trend evolved because people realized that living in a place where everyone is unknown and moving around the world is not certainly an adventurous journey but loose the original roots. For instance, if we find a job in a city and very few people we know there, it might change our mind and provoke to switch there but will not prove as long term happiness. Indeed, we will make friends there or might get married there after sometimes, but there will be no trace of our roots in that unknown city. Both of the articles reflect the attributes of family and technology. Faux Friendship greatly presents the idea that 18th and 19th portrays the qualities of a friend in different way. Today the concept of friendship and friends has changed because now we allow our friends to be admired by our events or activities that

Discussion question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

Discussion question - Essay Example Consequently, the American government suffered a reduction in the level of its exports alongside other effects like a state of consumer’s surplus. In addition, this resulted to high rate of unemployment among the unskilled and semi skilled personnel. With the many provisions availed through NAFTA, member countries have tried to gain comparative advantage with regard to import and export trade. For instance, the agricultural industries benefited following NAFTA provisions of 1989, which abolished tariffs put on agricultural produce traded between the Canada and the United States, with a few exceptions for items covered by tariff-rate quotas, which were removed by January 1, 1998. This free trade attracted Import-competing industries that concentrated in goods once produced by firms mentioned previously. On the other hand, the growth of companies demanding high skills resulted in what has been termed as off shore outsourcing. This program took in many immigrants and offshore out sourcing companies estimated to be more than a quarter of the entire American labor force. Opponents of this program express their discomfort insinuating that it has wreaked havoc in the lives of most Americans. We can simply say that Consumer and producer surplus felt today is a result of the loss of low-skilled manufacturing jobs and increase in high-skill industries jobs both of which affects the American nation. The employment effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement: recommendations and background studies. (1992). Washington, D.C. (1522 K St., N.W., Suite 300, Washington 20005): National Commission for Employment

Analyze and evaluate Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken Essay

Analyze and evaluate Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken - Essay Example According to Larry Finger (1978), he once told an audience, â€Å"You have to be careful of that one; it’s a tricky poem - very tricky† (478) when referring to this poem. The title of the poem is â€Å"The Road Not Taken† rather than â€Å"The Road Less Taken† (emphasis added), which provides the first clue as to the author’s original intentions and a different reading of the poem. Understanding Frost’s background enables one to analyze the poem through each of its four stanzas and trace the linguistic tools used by the author to make his personal philosophical meaning clear. Robert Frost was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. Although he lived in small apartments throughout the city during his first 11 years, Frost is more commonly associated with the natural scenes of the New England countryside that is used in his poetry (Parini 2000, 3). When his father died, Frost moved with his mother and sister to his paternal grandparents’ home in Massachusetts until his mother found a teaching post in nearby Salem. Life was always a struggle for Frost and his family, but he did well in school and helped on the farm and eventually earned a scholarship to Dartmouth, supplemented by his grandfather, in 1892. Soon after this and before receiving a degree, he returned home to take over his mother’s unruly classroom. He did this and other odd jobs until his secret fiancà © Eleanor graduated from St. Lawrence University and they could get married (Pirini 2000). Frost then began attending Harvard until it became necessary for him to support his gr owing family. His grandfather bought him a farm that Frost attempted to work, but he eventually returned to teaching, through it all demonstrating a heavy preference and talent in the area of literature. However, by this time, his writing was beginning to gain recognition and he was developing his own style and poetic approach. â€Å"The Road Not Taken†

The Sample Technical Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Sample Technical Report - Research Paper Example This paper outlines that the tone of document is professional and formal. Teacher education language is used in terms of talking about the curriculum. Students will also learn concepts that teachers use in creating curricula and courses. The report focuses on 2012 teacher and student STARTALK programs and not on other blended learning programs Is the report credible? Why or why not? In what ways does the document ensure its credibility? What information/data/research and/or methods does it present? Is the document persuasive? Why or why not? The report is credible because it has a clear research design with clear data-collection procedures and discussions of results. It also provides the data at the end of the report, so that readers can check the data themselves. For instance, raw figures on the teacher and student blended programs are presented in Table 5 in the Appendix On average. In addition, the report does not make sweeping generalizations. For instance, it says: â€Å"In conducting such studies, researchers must bear in mind that cost-effective instruction does not necessarily result in highly effective education† .

Evaluating Gujarat Tourism

Evaluating Gujarat Tourism EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Gujarat has all the ingredients to become one of Indias leading travel destinations natural beauty, rich heritage, ancient archaeological sites and a colourful culture as well. Yet, Gujarat tourism has not met success in comparison to destination branding success stories such as Kerala, Rajasthan, Goa, etc. The primary aim of this study was to study destination Gujarat and probe for the reasons behind this phenomenon. A secondary aim of this study was to explore destination branding as a concept by evaluating Gujarat tourism and in the process understand how domestic and foreign tourists choose destinations for travel. The literature review highlighted issues such as critical success factors behind destination brands, growth of destination brands on the internet and the main points of the current tourism policy of Gujarat. There was a lack of information on Gujarat Tourism and hence a research was conducted which had both qualitative and quantitative components. The results from this research were used to compare destination Gujarat with three other competing states. Finally, on the basis of the research findings and analysis it was recommended that Gujarat has the potential to become a top tourist destination if it manages to create a distinct identity and strong brand associations via effective marketing strategies. INTRODUCTION Since centuries Gujarat has been a vibrant melting pot of cultures, traditions and movements. It has also been blessed with a unique natural landscape and architecture which includes ruins of a long forgotten ancient Harappan civilization at Dholavira and Lothal to the abode of endangered wildlife like the Asiatic Lion and Wild Ass not found anywhere else in the world; from the holy town of Dwarka to the glorious Modhera Sun Temple built by the Solanki rulers. Yet, unlike rival tourist states such as Rajasthan, Kerela, Andhra Pradesh and Goa, Gujarat has still not been able to fulfill its tourist potential. Much of it is due to an inability to carve out a unique identity and develop offerings which attracts more tourists. The objective of the study ‘Understanding and Evaluating Gujarat Tourism is to understand Gujarat as an emerging tourist destination and on the basis of research suggest recommendations for it to be amongst the leading tourist destinations in India. The main reasons for choosing this topic as an area for study are: * Marketing destinations provides an immense challenge to any management student in my opinion. It is an extremely complex product which has a mix of natural beauty, heritage, culture, tradition, folkart, food, etc. The study provides an opportunity to understand and analyze the marketing of such a product * Most of the academic articles that I came across on destination branding were written in a global context. A few case studies have been written on successful tourist states such as Kerela, Uttarkhand, etc. There is no recent research as such done on Gujarat tourism or its marketing and branding initiatives * Around six years ago, research had been done in MICA on â€Å"How to attract foreign tourists to Gujarat†. However, this project was not academic in its outlook and much has changed the way communication flows since then LITERATURE REVIEW Destination Branding To understand, Gujarat as a tourist brand it is imperative to understand the concept of destination branding that has been looked upon by various academicians. Tourist Destinations Tourism destinations are products of history and culture. To some level, a successful tourist destination is one which can connect instantly with the cultural background of its potential tourist. If one looks at the meanings associated with a particular place, some of them are shared by the local community whereas others are shared by global cultural communities. For example, a place like Manali or Rishikesh attracts tourists from all over the world. Hence a tourism destination may generate certain internationally shared meanings which can constitute a standardized platform from which a culturally di ¬Ã¢â€š ¬erentiated market communication can take its point of departure and provide a distinct flavor. An effective portrayal and communication of these meanings is what ultimately helps the tourist decide one place over another. Concept of Destination Brands In todays age of globalization, intense competition between destinations is forcing various states to build a strong distinct destination brand which can help differentiate one state from another and attract tourists as well as investors. To create this unique identity and build the competitive edge , it is important to study the microenvironment, tourist behavior and trends, strategies adopted by other successful tourist destinations, evaluation of its own strengths and weaknesses, etc. as a basis for coming up with effective communication strategies. Hence the marketing of places has received more increased interest and become accordingly more sophisticated over the last three decades. Also from a marketers perspective, many have shied away from the topic- arguing that places are too complex to be included in branding discussions since they have too many stakeholders and too little management control; they have underdeveloped identities and are not perceived as brands by the general public. And yet, destination branding is one of todays hottest topics among place marketers from Switzerland and New Zealand to Hawaii and Costa Rica. (Piggott, 2001) As per the World Tourism Organisation, this century will mark the emergence of tourist destinations as fashion accessories. The choice of holiday destinations will help define the identity of the traveller and in an increasing homogenous world will set him apart from the hordes of other tourists (Lurham, 1998) As style and status indicators destinations can offer the same consumer benefits as other more highly branded lifestyle accoutrements such as cars, perfumes, watches and clothes. All are used to communicate, reflect and reinforce associations, statements and group memberships and in the same way tourists use their trips as expressive devices to communicate messages about themselves to peers and observers. Travel for leisure is often a highly involving experience, extensively planned, excitedly anticipated and fondly remembered. Souvenirs and props trigger and display those experiences photographs, videos and ‘wish you were there postcards are shared with friends and relatives, and logo emblazoned merchandise and luggage labels proclaim ‘ been there, done that to any observers who care to notice. (Clarke, 2000) So, what exactly is a brand ? In marketing terms a brand represents a unique combination of product characteristics and added values, both functional and non-functional, which have taken on a relevant meaning which is inextricably linked to that brand, awareness of which might be conscious or intuitive. (Macrae, Parkinson, Sheerman, 1995) Brand advantage is secured through communication which highlights the specific benefits of a product, culminating in an overall impression of a superior brand. The image the product creates in the consumers mind, how it is positioned, however is of more importance to its ultimate success than its actual characteristics. Brand managers position their brands so that they are perceived by the consumer to occupy a niche in the marketplace occupied by no other brand- thus, for marketers, the value of a successful brand lies in its potential to reduce substitutability. Brand managers differentiate their product by stressing attributes they claim will match their target markets needs more closely than other brands and then they create a product image consistent with the perceived self image of the targeted consumer segment (Schiffman Kanuk, 2000). When consumers make brand choices about the products including destinations- they are making lifestyle statements since they are buying into not only an image but also an emotional relationship. (Sheth, Mittal, Newman, 1999). Consumers have their own brand wardrobes from which they make selections to communicate, reflect and reinforce associations, statements and memberships; in effect, ‘ consumers enrobe themselves with brands, partly for what they do, but more for what they help express about their emotions, personalities and roles. (Chernatony, 1993) When one speaks about destination branding, a few attempts have been made at defining it. Some of these definitions include, ‘Destination branding is a process used to develop a unique identity and personality that is different from all competitive destinations. ‘Destination branding is selecting a consistent brand element mix to identify and distinguish a destination through positive image building. ‘Destination branding is about combining all things associated with the place (i.e., its products and services from various industries agriculture; tourism; sports; arts; investment; technology; education, etc.) that collaborate under one brand. Its aim is to capture the essence of the destination, in a unified manner, and can be consumed simultaneously at a symbolic and experiential level. It is then used to market those unique added values to consumer needs and sustaining its success in the face of competition. From the above we can infer that destinations behave just like products. Thus they also have a life cycle of their own during which they need to constantly stay relevant and salient if they are to remain successful destination brands. Tourism area life cycle shows the stages a destination goes through, from exploration to involvement to development to consolidation to stagnation to rejuvenation or decline (also known as the â€Å"tourism destination life cycle†) Just like product brands, image is all important and how a place is represented can inspire people to visit and revisit it. (Coshall, 2000) Never was the saying ‘accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative more true than in destination branding. Destination marketing requires foresight and planning but it is not an exact science and branding offers destination marketers an opportunity to communicate key place attributes to their intended audience. Branding can help bridge any gaps between a destinations strengths and potential visitors perceptions. Place reputations are not made in a vacuum and neither are tourist choices, so place marketers must establish how their destinations image compares with those of its key competitors. How the destination rates according to ‘wish you were here? appeal and celebrity value is critical. Do tourists regard it as a fashion accessory, a must see place on every aspirational travelers shopping list or as a fashion paux- somewhere with no conversational value and even less C:UsersMIHIRDesktop1.jpgstatus. The represents a celebrity matrix and illustrates a range of destination brands measured on the axes of emotional appeal and celebrity value. Obviously, how people relate to any destination brand depends on their own individual interests, opinions and experiences, and such On any positioning map, however, brand winners emerge as those places which are rich in emotional meaning, have great conversation value and hold high anticipation for potential tourists. By comparison, brand losers are places with little meaning, even less status, virtually no conversation value and zero anticipation for tourists. Problem places are those destinations which are talked about for the wrong reasons and, far from holding an emotional appeal, actively repel potential tourists. Places which currently offer little emotional pull face an uphill task if they are to ever become destination winners. Other destinations which do have emotional pull but currently have limited celebrity value hold huge untapped potential and could be tomorrows winner destination brands. The challenge for their marketers is to craft identities for these destinations which convey and build on their emotional appeal and which turn them into places with high celebrity value. The message here is that rich, strong destination brands seem clearly differentiated and have a sense of being somewhere worth visiting. Thus, today destination brand building is all about developing a rich, relevant brand personality. ‘Developing is the key word here as successful brands never stagnate; instead they reflect and respond to changes in consumers lives while the brands core values remain the same, its personality will continue to evolve. (Morgan, Pritchard, Pride, 2002) Over a period of time, any successful destination brand will have an emotional bond with its stakeholders and more importantly the tourists who have visited the destination as well as potential tourists. An excellent example of this, is Mumbai the commercial capital of India which has over decades has established its image as the ‘City of Dreams or the ‘City that never sleeps which reflects the impact and emotional connect it has built with one and all. To successfully create such an emotional attachment a destination brand has to be: * Credible * Deliverable * Differentiating * Convey powerful ideas * Enthusing for trade partners * Resonating with the consumer A destination which is currently building such a brand proposition around its stunning natural environment is New Zealand. (Harris, 2000) A geographically disadvantaged destination, New Zealand is in the process of building a strong brand to double the countrys foreign exchange receipts to more than 3 million pounds by 2005. Delving further into the concept of brand personality for a destination brand, one can say that a brands personality has both a head and a heart its head refers to the logical brand features, while its heart refers to its emotional benefits and associations. Brand propositions and communications can be based around either a brands head or its heart; head communications convey a brands rational values, while heart communications reveal its emotional values and associations. Brand benefit pyramids sum up consumer relationships with a brand and are frequently established during the consumer research process where consumers are usually asked to describe what features a destination offers and what the place means to them. (Morgan A, 2002) The brand pyramid can be instrumental in helping to distil the essence of a destination brands advertising proposition. This refers to the point at which consumers wants and the destinations benefits and features intersect any communication should then encapsulate the spirit of the brand. The Challenge of a Destination Brand Examples of countries being influenced by external pressures to adapt and change their marketing activities or whose marketing is seriously compromised by events outside their marketers control, highlight the fact that destinations are not a single product but composite products consisting of a bundle of different components, including accommodation and catering establishments; tourist attractions; arts, entertainment and cultural avenues; and the natural environment. (Buhalis, 2000) Destination marketers have relatively little control over these different aspects of their product and a diverse range of agencies and companies are partners in the task of crafting brand identities. These could include local and national government agencies, environmental groups and agencies, chambers of commerce, trade associations and civic groups. While packaged groups normally have an obvious core- so their advertisements can anchor themselves to product performance and attributes with destinations the situation is much less clear. (Morgan Pritchard, 1999) Yet destinations have very strong and pervasive associations for tourists which if skillfully orchestrated, can provide the basis for brand building. (Baloglu Brinberg, 1997)Todays tourists are not asking ‘what can we do on holiday?, but ‘who can we be on holiday?. They are increasingly looking less for escape and more discoveries and that creates an emotional connection which marketers can exploit through branding. The challenge beyond that is to make the destination brand live, so that visitors truly experience the brand values and feel the authenticity of a unique place Factors leading to successful tourist destinations At the core of any successful tourist brand, is a clear set of brand values emotional and functional, a robust brand identity, an attractive brand personality and an efficient and targeted communication strategy. Another critical factor that impacts the brand image of tourist places is the flavor and image of the local inhabitants. Studies have proved that a places image is more often than not shaped by the ‘typical local people and their culture. Destination image, similar to the image of products and services can be seen as a multi-item construct, implying that the sum of the attributes, are the elements of  ¬Ã‚ nal composite image. This comes in line with Gensch who argues that product image is evaluated by its attributes. So, basically destination images are the result of individual attributes plus a more holistic image. The following table contains some of the critical success factors identified for destination branding (Baker Cameron, 2008): Strategic orientation 1. Visitation statistics are included and the destinations main markets are quanti ¬Ã‚ ed and segmented 2. The main competition is identi ¬Ã‚ ed 3. Tourism trends are identi ¬Ã‚ ed 4. A long-term orientation is adopted 5. The importance of international competitiveness is recognised 6. The need for infrastructure improvements is highlighted 7. The need for integration with national/regional tourism plans is recognised 8. Residents attitudes to tourism are considered 9. Local cultures, values and lifestyles are considered 10. Wealth and job creation and quality of life for residents are primary aims 11. The issue of overcrowding is addressed 12. The issue of environmental problems is addressed 13. The issue of seasonality is addressed 14. The bene ¬Ã‚ t of tourism to the destination is quanti ¬Ã‚ ed 15. Scenarios are developed Destination identity and image 16. The need to develop brand identity is recognized 17. Brand associations are identified 18. The need for image development is recognised 19. Positioning is discussed 20. The need for coordination of industry promotional material is recognised 21. Recognition to ensuring the promises made in marketing communications are conveyed to visitors 22. New and innovative forms of communication channels are addressed 23. The need to improve branding and brand awareness is recognised 24. The importance of experiences to tourists as opposed to tangible propositions is recognised Stakeholder involvement 25. National government agencies are involved in planning 26. Local government agencies were involved in planning 27. The area tourist board/area tourist office was involved in planning 28. Local residents were involved in planning 29. Local businesses were involved in planning 30. The need to improve communication between stakeholders (public, private and residents) is recognized 31. Leadership is addressed to give greater guidance to stakeholders. Implementation, monitoring and review 32. The timescale for each task is included 33. The need for monitoring and review is established Evaluating destination brands The strategic brand analysis framework comprises three main parts: * Tourist analysis, * Competitor analysis * Self-analysis. First, a destination must conduct a systematic tourist analysis. It should focus on identifying relevant new trends and developing a thorough understanding of tourists motivation for travel. Secondly, a destination should also carry out a competitor analysis. A destination needs insights into the competitors advantages and disadvantages in order to improve its own competitiveness. For example, by capitalizing on perceived niche market opportunities that rival destinations have so far failed to respond to. Last but not the least; a destination should aim to identify its true position in the market through the systematic preparation of a critical self-analysis. Highlights of the Gujarat Tourism Policy 2003-10 Objectives With a view to accelerating the pace of economic activities through tourism, the Government of Gujarat had announced the tourism policy for a period from 2003 to 2010. As per this, the following were some the key objectives * To initiate event based tourism * Chalking out of tourist circuits * Attention to be paid to tourism related infrastructure * Adoption of innovative marketing techniques and promotional tools * Developing manpower in the area of tourism * More private public relationships * Facilitation through Government policies for quick development * District Administration should play a more proactive role in tourism activities Incentives to the private sector The policy envisages privatization and incentivisation of all competitive and commercial activities of the tourism corporation of Gujarat Limited. Under this strategy the following incentives will be made available to the private sector: * Tourism will be given status of industry * Incentive package for new tourism projects * Strengthening of infrastructure facilities * Effective mechanism to build coordination with central government, state government, local self-government and NGOs * Land acquisition various tourism projects * Loan facilities will extended for tourism related projects * Better incentive packages * A special paying guest scheme to compensate for inadequate accommodation facilities * Suitable schemes for marketing tourism products * Reputed consultants will be hired to develop master plans * Decentralizing the process of development of destinations * A single window clearance system for speedy clearance Mechanism for implementation of policy For implementation of the policy, it is essential on the part of the State Government to play a facilitative role by granting necessary permissions/clearances required by investors in a time bound manner. The facilities of Gujarat Industrial Promotion Board (GIPB) set up to grant necessary clearances on fast track basis under the system of Single Window Clearance will now be made applicable to Tourism Sector also. All projects having investment less than Rs 50 crore will be approved at the Government level and the projects having investment exceeding Rs 50 crore will be approved by GIPB. The Commissioner (Tourism) and Managing Director, Tourism Corporation of Gujarat will act as the Secretariat of GIPB, for the purpose of investment in tourism projects. The Vision of the State Government for Tourism development For the growth of overall development of economic sector and social sector, the State is determined to develop tourism as a key growth sector. It has been decided by the State Government to provide condusive climate for this sector to grow and for the purpose, Tourism has been identified as the Engine of Growth. For the purpose, efforts will be made by way of promoting: * Hospitality Industry * Indirect Employment * Cultural Development * Infrastructure Development * Employment Opportunities * Sustenance of rich heritage of arts and crafts Proposed Marketing Strategy to attract tourists The State Government is keen to attract flow of tourists in the State and for the purpose, international fairs like Navratri festival, kite festival; etc will be arranged in the State from time to time. Further, the students of Gujarat shall be encouraged to develop an interest for communication through e-mail with the students and other persons abroad to interact with them about Gujarat and ultimately motivate them to visit Gujarat. Means to attract investment The policy promises for long term investment and business opportunities for national and international corporate bodies and private enterprises. The sectors like hospitality industry, eco-tourism, Viswa Gram Global village, Dinosaur theme park, Cruise trips with whale watch, Deep driving and snorkeling snorkeling of coral island, Golf Courses, Royal orient gauge conversion, Special Entertainment Zones, Wayside amenities, etc are the areas to attract further investment in Tourism Sector, leading ultimately to attract tourists flow. Relationship between Industrial Development and Tourism The massive flow of investment in industrial sector will increase the frequency of visits by executives of different industrial houses. Further, the investment in infrastructure sector in port and road, will also increase the international trade from Gujarat and particularly from the land locked states. All these developments are expected to play an important role to increase the flow of business tourists. Gujarat Tourism at a Glance Today Some of the emerging areas identified by Gujarat Tourism are as follows: Spiritual Tourism / Religious Tourism Many of Gujarats historical monuments represent the great religions of Asia Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Zoroastrianism and Sikkhism. Gujarat has two Jyotirlings ( Somnath and Dwarka ), two shakti peets ( Ambaji and Pavagarh ), Narmada river (one of the seven holiest for the Hindus) and Narayan Sarovar ( One of the five holy lakes in India ). Two of the five important Jain sites ( Palitana and Girnar ) are in Gujarat besides a host of popular Jain temples spread across the state at Shankeshwar, Tarangaji, Mehsana,etc. The Dargahs of Sarkhej and Unjha hold great importance for the Muslims of India. Also, in Gujarat are Sacred Iranshaw Fire Temple at Udavada, Navsari Atashbehram and Surat Atashbehram. All three hold utmost importance for the Parsi community in the country. A number of popular spiritual gurus such as Morari Bapu, Asharam Bapu and Rameshji Oza have ashrams spread across the states. These attract followers from all over the globe. Akshardham is also a very popular temple of the wealthy Swaminarayan sect. Medical / Well Being Tourism Medical tourism is seen having a particularly high growth potential because of the availability of high-quality, low cost surgeries at Gujarats hospitals. The large population of people of Gujarati origin in America, Europe and Africa can be a major growth driver for this segment of tourism. It is home to some of the finest world class hospitals in the world such as Apollo Hospitals, Wockhardt Hospitals, etc. Care has been taken to ensure such places are set throughout the state at places such as Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Karamsad, Nadiad, etc. Gujarat is also home to the ancient healing art of ayurveda and fine ayurvedic treatment has been made available to domestic as well as foreign tourists across the state. Archaeological and Heritage Tourism The archaeological zone of Champaner, Pavagadh has been acclaimed by UNESCO as the World Heritage Site1 because of its great mosques, temples, stepwells and forts. There are more than 400 archaeological sites in the Slate including some of the most substantial excavations of Indus Valley civilisation period at Lothal (near Ahmedabad), Surkotada and Dholavira Cultural Tourism Gujarat is the land of rich handicrafts like Patola weaving, khadi, bandhani, embroidery, block printing, rogan painting, matani pachhedi, namda, woodcrafts,etc. Gujrat also possesses a diverse mix of exotic communities from the camel riders of Kutch to the tribals of the hilly regions of Sabarkanta, Dangs, Chhota Udaipur, etc. Event-Based Tourism The Gujrat tourism department has created a variety of successful event properties such as Rann Mahotsav, Vibrant Gujarat, Modhera Dance Festival, International Kite Flying Festival, etc. With the celebration of festivals like Navaratri Mahotsav, Tarnetar Fair, Sharadotsav, Dangs Darbar and Kvant Fair the state intends to put the rich culture of Gujarat on the world map Business Tourism Today Gujarat has emerged as an immensely popular business destination and 55 SEZs in the state reflect the increase in business tourist, air traffic and road traffic Entertainment and Recreation Tourism Gujarat has a famous hill station in the form of Saputara. Its vast coastline of 1666km means that there are beautiful beaches all along the coast such as the one at Mandvi. Gujarat also has ample of theme parks, water parks and multiplexes too which provide entertainment. Wildlife Tourism For eco-tourists, the state offers opportunities to see a wide range of wildlife including the Asiatic lion and Indian wild ass, endangered antelopes, a variety of deer. etc. It has Indias first marine national park. Gujarat is also one of Indias most important areas for birdwatchers. Some Statistics Total of 33 Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) involving an investment of INR10.793 crore {USD 2.57billion) were signed at 2007 vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit (VGGIS). Tourism sector registered an increase of 47 % over the investments in 2005 VGG IS The domestic air-traffic in Gujarat increased from 1.21 million in 2005-06 to 1.93 million in 2006-07 and the international air-traffic increased from 0.13 million in 2006-07 to 0.33 million in 2006-07. The State witnessed total 12.34 million tourists during 2006 07 out of which 12.1 million were the domestic tourists and 0.20 million foreign tourists. The average contribution of tourism industry to the States GDP is close to 2.5 %, while the comparable for India is 5.3%. The average foreign tourist spend per person per day is close to USD 700 to 1050 in Gujarat. The total flow of tourist during the year 2006 07 was 12.34 million and recorded a growth of 15% over the previous year. Growth of 18.5 % was also observed in the foreign tourist inflow. With a number of more than 2 lakh foreign tourists in 2006-07 and around 1.75 lakhs in 2005-06. Recent tourist flows for the year 2008-09 suggest that the number has gone up 15.80 million tourists which include 12.2 million from with Gujarat, 3.2 million from other states and 2.9 lakh from foreign tourists. Ahmedabad, Ambaji and Dwarka are the major tourist destinations which invited the maximum number of tourists in Gujarat. These three destinations accounted for nearly 33% of tourist inflow. Almost 77.2% of the tourist flow in 2006- 07 was from within Gujarat. The Share of other states was 20.2%. The foreign tourists accounted for 2.68% in the total tourist inflow. During the 2006-07 season, the majority of tourist visit for the business purpose (53%) in the state, subsequently followed by religious visit (35%). 8% of the tourist visit for the leisure purpose, which is showing an increasing trend. Value Chain Analysis The tourism value chain concentrates on meeting and exceeding visitors expectations of the internal quality of a destination. Those aspects of a destination that involve every step from pre-visit image, marketing and after sales care and commitment. Each stage of t

The Use Of Mood In Macbeth :: essays research papers

The Use of Mood in Macbeth Noah Webster, author of Webster’s Dictionary, defines mood as the â€Å"temporary state of the mind in regard to passion or feelingâ€Å" and â€Å"a morbid or fantastic state of mind.† E. L. Thorndike and Clarence L. Barnhart, authors of Scott, Foresman Advanced Dictionary, define mood as â€Å"the overall atmosphere or prevailing emotional aura of a work.† Shakespeare’s Macbeth, especially the pivotal and ominous second act, exemplifies both denotations of mood. The act has an â€Å"overall atmosphere,† even though the mood shifts, while this mood places a sense of cliff-hanging anxiety at the beginning, an ambiance of hysterics towards the middle, a feeling of tragic realization directly following, and an unsure aura of occult extractions. Shakespeare cleverly uses six key elements to further shape and add to the mood: the characters, the imagery, the setting, the sounds, the characters’ actions, and the characters’ dialogue. In scene one, the setting is revealed. It is late, past midnight, and there are no stars, making extremely dark and a dramatically perfect opportunity to commit murder. In any good horror movie, all the deaths occur at night, when it is dark. The location is a castle, which would have to be the eeriest, coldest, darkest piece of architecture ever constructed. Banquo’s â€Å"cursà ¨d thoughts† (II, i, 8) keep him without sleep, in exact contrast with the eternal sleep Duncan will soon begin. Then, as Banquo retreats to his quarters, Macbeth’s imagination and intensified emotional exhaustion and strain generate a looming image of a dagger pointing to Duncan. â€Å"I see thee still . . .† (II, i, 35), he yells at the vision, creating a sense of madness. Again, â€Å"I see thee still . . .† (II, i, 45), but this time the hallucination is glistening with blood (and in all likely hood, that of Duncan). He casts this apparition aside and awaits his signal to make the final walk into his beloved king’s chambers. The bell rang by Lady Macbeth interrupts this thick, tense mood and startles the audience to either jump out of their seat or creep slowly to the edge of their seat. This also related to a popular sermon of the same time period, Meditation 17 by John Donne. A famous excerpt from it reads, â€Å". . . and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee . . . † (Donne, 284).

Improving Teaching and Learning Essay

As all children’s experiences and development are individual, every child will have their own unique ‘starting point’ from where to continue their learning of a subject from. Ausubel (1968) puts forward the interesting thought that we should design our teaching to start from where the pupil is. However, as Littledyke & Huxton (1998) suggest, it is almost impossible to take into account every individual child’s educational ‘starting point. I tried to establish a ‘common starting point’ by getting the whole class to brainstorm what they knew about metal. This would provide me with a vague idea of the knowledge each child held and enable me to successfully plan suitable investigative activities. This matches Piaget’s (1926) notion of ‘cognitive match’. The need to pitch the learning experience at the right level, for each child. † The teacher leads a discussion on a topic to draw out a range of ideas from this the teacher may be able to judge which children are most or least knowledgeable. However there may be several children within the class about the teacher knows very little even after the brainstorming session. † (Littledyke & Huxford, 1998, p22) To combat this problem that Littledyke and Huxford (1998) mention I talked to children who did not take part in the whole class session individually to found out their level of knowledge on the subject. One of the objects on my display table was a magnet. Many of the children seemed fascinated by the magnet, as groups of children would constantly pick it up and play with it. After seeing this I decided I would get the children to investigate which materials are attracted to a magnet. This seemed like an excellent idea as I had already observed that the children were interested in this subject. The investigation would be carried out in a constructivist manner, with the children working individually. From this I could see that Rodney had had no past experience with magnets and therefore had no knowledge that magnets are made of metal. All he knew was that the object he held in his hand was called a ‘magnet’ and that it stuck to metal objects. He had guessed that the magnet was made of plastic (probably due to the fact that it was coated in plastic) and constructed a misconception. On analysing this conversation I concluded that carrying my investigation out in a constructivist manner and pitching my investigation at an intermediate level, had missed Rodney’s (and no doubt others) ‘starting point’ of subject knowledge leading him to create his own incorrect idea. I believe this evidence contradicts a constructivist way of teaching as without positively intervening, questioning and explaining to Rodney that the magnet was made of metal, more problems may have arise in the form of further misconceptions or being unable to carry out following work effectively. Instead it matches Littledykes & Huxtons (1998) suggestion that matching every child’s ‘starting point’ is extremely challenging and if not done accurately, as shown from the evidence, can cause problems for the child. This brings to light that maybe a different teaching style needs to be adopted. Maybe I should have used the transmission approach of teaching at the beginning of the lesson and clarified vital pieces of information so that non of the children would have had misconceptions and the investigation would have succeed to the best of its ability. This however would have been uninteresting for the children. In using a constructivist method of teaching, allowing the child to work independently building on old ideas to construct new ones, there is always a risk that misconceptions may arise. When children are discovering a convention for themselves and intervention from a more knowledgeable source is absent, children may take the information and instead of placing it in the perspective of conventional science they place it in their own logical perspective. For example, after the investigation, I sat with each ability group and asked them to inform me of their findings. Through discussion and questioning within the group, I challenged ideas, aiding children to have access and maybe use of other children’s ideas and therefore make their own clearer. The following conversation was typical of all the groups. In conclusion, I believe that constructivism is an effective way in enabling children to build on or amend active ideas as it allows the child to undertaking ‘hands on’ activities and actually appreciate a theory in action. This in turn could either deepen understanding or change misconceptions they may have emerged throughout the topic. Practical activities subsequently help the children to retain the information as ‘doing’ experiments, which are of interest to them, help them remember the vital information needed. These facts could then be recalled instantaneously when re-visiting and building on a similar topic, later on in the curriculum. Due to all the disadvantages mentioned earlier in my assignment, it is obvious that constructivism cannot stand-alone. It is acceptable to use constructivist methods but they must be used in conjunction with other teaching methods also mentioned earlier. This, as teachers, is down to our professional judgement to decide when and where they should be used. The right teaching style should accommodate the right job and although constructivism is a sound way to allow children to investigate, it does not always fit the purpose of the scientific investigation wanting to be carried out. However I believe that we adopt many different teaching styles throughout a lesson without even knowing it. Bibliography ASHCROFT, K & LEE, J (2000) Improving Teaching and Learning in the Core Curriculum. London: Falmer. ATKINSON & FLEER (1995) Science with Reason. Hodder & Staughton. COLLINS EDUCATIONAL (1995) Nuffield Primary Science, materials: teachers guide. London De BOO, M (2000) Science 3-6 Laying the foundations in the Early Years. ASE Hatfield. DFEE, (2000) The National Curriculum: Handbook for Primary Teachers in England. London: DFEE & QCA. FARROW, S. (2000) The Really Useful Science Book. London:Falmer.

Novelist Charles Dickens Essay

What impression does Dickens give of Miss Havisham and Estella in Chapter 8 of â€Å"Great Expectation† and how does he achieve this? The story is set in the Victorian times. It is written by a novelist called Charles Dickens. It is about an orphan called â€Å"Pip†, who is reminiscing on his past. The novel is written in a 1st person narrative perspective. Chapter 8 fits into the rest of the novel because it is about how Pip learns the way of life and the road to being a gentleman. Pip gets into debt and receives money from a childhood acquaintance – Magwitch, an escaped convict. During the novel we not only see Pip’s life we also follow the life of his love, Estella. After falling into debt and running away from the consequences of his reckless actions, Pip realizes that he can no longer be a real gentleman. The first meeting Pip has with Miss Havisham and Estella has a big impact on Pip because it changes his life by showing him exactly how much of a lower class person he is compared to Miss Havisham and Estella. Dickens makes Miss Havisham seem rich, but poor, and scary by the way he describes the outside of her house. He uses irony to describe Miss Havisham’s house, saying that the house â€Å"was of old bricks, dismal and had a great many iron bars to it. † This makes Miss Havisham look scary and the house look broken because the phrase â€Å"had a great many iron bars to it† suggests that whatever is in there, has been locked up and is not allowed out of there. The use of â€Å"old bricks† suggests that the house it tatty and hasn’t been refurbished in a long time. It also suggests that Miss Havisham is poor because if she were rich, she would have gotten the houses bricks fixed. The word â€Å"Dismal† suggests that the house is gloomy and of poor quality. The phrase â€Å"had a great many iron bars to it† could also mean that Miss Havisham doesn’t want to be disturbed and doesn’t want to be involved with the outside world. Dickens also uses Miss Havisham’s room to show the reader that Miss Havisham is of a higher class citizen than Pip. He does this by using phrases like â€Å"all clocks and watches stopped at twenty to nine† and â€Å"dresses lying around† and also â€Å"no glimpse of daylight could be seen†. The phrase â€Å"all clocks and watches stopped at twenty to nine† shows the reader that Miss Havisham might be mentally disturbed because normally people would make sure at least one clock works, but in this case none of the clocks work and all of them happen to have stopped exactly twenty minutes to nine. However, the phrase â€Å"dresses lying around† could suggest that Miss Havisham doesn’t know how to clean and could also suggest that there was once a lot of people there but not anymore. â€Å"No glimpse of daylight could be seen† indicates to the reader that the house is very dark inside and it is abandoned. It could also mean that whatever lives there has been trapped. This is a perfect use of irony because normally a rich person would have a house that didn’t have iron bars on the front and also they would have a tidy, clean and under control house, but although Miss Havisham is rich her house is nothing like what you would expect from a rich and upper class person. Dickens uses the characters to give an impression of Miss Havisham and Estella. He uses sentences like â€Å"Dressed in rich materials† and â€Å"satins, and lace and silks – all of white†, â€Å"Bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands† and â€Å"I had been taken to see some ghastly waxwork†. The phase â€Å"rich materials† implies to the reader Miss Havisham is rich and she can afford the materials that are in her dresses. Also the use of â€Å"satins, and lace and silks – all of white† suggests to the reader that Miss Havisham is a ghostly and spiritless character with no human emotions. The phrase â€Å"Bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands† could also suggest that Miss Havisham is rich because they â€Å"sparkle† and she likes to show off by wearing the jewels on her neck and her hands. However, â€Å"ghastly waxwork† shows the reader that Miss Havisham’s body has not moved for ages and therefore is rotting and therefore it has turned into a waxwork. The word ghastly implies to the reader that Miss Havisham body is informal and unpleasant. The irony is that you wouldn’t expect someone as rich as Miss Havisham to look informal or unpleasant when they have guests. On the other hand the word ghastly could mean that Miss Havisham is ill and can’t afford medical care. One way Dickens makes Miss Havisham look rich but poor at the same time is by the things he says she does. He says she sits in the dark â€Å"corpse like† and that she â€Å"watches Pip and Estella play†. The use of corpse indicates that Miss Havisham is dead. The phrase â€Å"watches Pip and Estella play† suggests that Miss Havisham enjoys watching the children play and that even though she is rich, and therefore should have a nanny for the children, she still doesn’t mind watching the children even if it might affect her social status. However the phrase corpse like could suggest that Miss Havisham isn’t dead but wants to be dead. Dickens also shows the reader that Miss Havisham is of a higher social status than Pip by the way she says things. For example instead of calling him Pip, Miss Havisham calls him â€Å"boy† Also, she says â€Å"Who is it†¦ Pip? † as if she didn’t know it was him that came even though she asked for him to come. The use of â€Å"boy† suggests to the reader that Miss Havisham is of a higher social status than Pip because in the Victorian times a person who is of a higher social status usually didn’t call a person who is of a lower social status by their name. Also, the way Miss Havisham doesn’t recognize Pip even though she asked for him suggests that she doesn’t remember much. However, the use of â€Å"boy† could also suggest that Miss Havisham doesn’t have the decency to call Pip by his name because he is a guest at her house and guests should be treated with respect. Dickens gives the impression that Estella is a good-looking girl and that Pip likes her. He does this by using phrases like â€Å"young lady, who was very pretty† and â€Å"her light came along the dark passage like a star†. â€Å"Young lady, who was very pretty† emphasizes the point that Estella is an attractive girl because the word â€Å"pretty† means pleasing to look at and that is exactly what Pip thinks when he looks at her for the first time. However the use of â€Å"her light came along the dark passage like a star† could suggest that Estella is attractive to look at but is also blinding in a bad way because a star is pretty but if you were close to it or stared at it for a long time it could make you go blind. Dickens gives us the impression that Estella is evil because she â€Å"stands in the dark passageway until called repeatedly† and she â€Å"chucked food at me as if I were a dog† The phrase â€Å"stands in the dark passageway until called repeatedly† indicates that she likes the dark because she is evil and she doesn’t come as soon as she is called, she comes after being called â€Å"repeatedly†. Also, the phrase â€Å"chucked food at me as if I were a dog† suggests that Estella is evil because you would expect a normal person to give food to another person with respect and into their hands but Estella â€Å"chucks† the food at Pip as if he were a â€Å"dog†. Dickens shows us how the upper class liked to insult or find the fault in everything a lower class person does. Estella insults and intimidates Pip as shown by â€Å"I misdealt, as way only natural when I knew she way lying in wait for me to do wrong† and â€Å"she denounced me for a stupid, clumsy labouringly boy†. This shows the reader how Estella had been trained to look for the fault in people and to be cruel. However the use of â€Å"I misdealt, as way only natural when I knew she was lying in wait for me to do wrong† could suggest to the reader that Estella is impatient and can’t be bothered to play with someone who is of a lower social status than her. Dickens describes many feelings of Pip’s which change throughout the visit. This is shown by â€Å"I think she is very pretty† and â€Å"I think she is very insulting†. This is what Pip whispers into Miss Havisham’s ear about Estella. This also shows that he has mixed feelings for Estella. Dickens further describes Pip’s feelings about the visit â€Å"as if I were a dog in disgrace. I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry – I cannot hit upon the right name for the smart – God knows what its name was – that the tears started to my eyes† and â€Å"as I cried, I kicked the wall, and took a name, that needed counteraction†. This clearly highlights Pip’s feeling to the reader. He feels a huge amount of rage that he cannot even describe it himself. He has never felt in such a way before as he has been insulted and offended about it his natural social state and at the same time has mixed feelings about what he feels for Estella.

How Are AP Exams Scored

How Are AP Exams Scored SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re studying for an AP exam right now or are thinking about taking an AP class in the future, you might be wondering: how are AP exams scored? In this post, we'll break down the scoring process, all the way from the raw scores you earn on the multiple-choice section and essays to how you get a final score on a scale of 1-5. Knowing how AP exams are scored can help you do your best on them- especially if you want a perfect 5! The AP Scoring Scale Each AP test is given a score from 1 to 5.According to the College Board (the group that administers AP tests), these numbers translate in the following ways: 5: Extremely Well Qualified 4: Well Qualified 3: Qualified 2: Possibly Qualified 1: No recommendation Any score that's 3 or higher is considered a passing score, though some colleges only accept 4s and 5s for credit. (See AP’s college database for specific policies at each university.)Getting a 5 is especially desirable because, for most exams, it puts you in the top 10-20% of scorers. See our list of AP classes for more info on passing rates. Your 1-5 score is a scaled score,converted from a composite score.Your composite score is calculated from the total number of raw points you earned from your correct multiple-choice answers and your free response. It’s a bit confusing, but we will guide you through the process! Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. How Are AP Tests Scored? The majority of AP exams consist of two sections: multiple choice and free response. On some exams each section is weighted equally, whereas on others one section is worth slightly more. You can look up the specifics for each exam on the officialAP courses pages. The multiple-choice section is graded by a computer. There are no deductions for incorrect or blank answers, so your raw multiple-choice score is simply the number of questions you get correct. The free-response section is graded during the annual AP Reading held in the first two weeks of June. The AP Reading is basically a huge convention. Tons of teachers and college professors gather to grade thousands and thousands of student-written responses for each exam. This is why you don't get your AP scores until July even though you take the test in May:the written portion of your exam isn't graded until mid-June. After that, the College Board has to calculate the composite score and final scaled score for each exam, equating the test so the scores stay even from year to year. (For example, they want to make sure a 3 on the AP US History exam means the same thing from one year to another, even if one version of the test turned out to be more difficult for students.) (Side note:There is a good chance that an AP teacher at your school goes to the AP Reading each year. It can be interesting and helpful to talk to them about what happens at the convention, how quickly free responses are scored, and the best and worse free responses they’ve seen. These are answers that will vary a lot from subject to subject but could ultimately be helpful to you!) This is a picture from the English Literature Reading from this blog post over at AP Central. It's worth taking a look at if you are curious about what the AP Reading is like! Each free response is given a "holistic" score, meaning it's evaluated for its overall effectiveness or correctness. Typically, points aren’t deducted for the occasional small error, such as a spelling or grammar mistake. Most tests grade their free responses between 1 and 9, with 1 being least effective and 9 being nearly perfect. Your raw free-response score is the total of the scores you get for each response. How to Get a Scaled AP Score Between 1 and 5 After your multiple-choice section is graded by a machine and your free response is graded by a human, your essay and multiple-choice scores are combined to give you a composite score. This score is just a way of combining the two section scores so that they are weighted correctly. For example, for AP English, multiple choice is worth 45% and free response is worth 55%. Often, composite scores are between 0 and 100, or 0 and 150. The composite score is then converted to a number on the scaled score range 1-5. This means that for each scaled score, there is a range of possible composite scores that could earn it. For example, a 5 could be any composite score between 0 and 150 on one exam. Since scaling varies year to year, there are no exact cutoff numbers for scores for AP tests, and the College Board does not release detailed scoring data. Furthermore, you will not see what your composite score was on your AP score report- you'll only get the final number between 1 and 5. However, many teachers, prep books, and websites have come up with formulas to predict the scaled score for each AP test, which can help when you are grading your practice tests and trying to come up with a target score. Scoring Example: AP English Language and Composition As we've seen, AP test scoring is not exactly straightforward. To help clarify the process, we will walk through a scoring example using the most popular test, AP English Language and Composition. Also known as the class in which you annotate every. Single. Thing. Here are the basics of the AP English exam: it has 55 multiple-choice questions, worth 45% of your score, and three essays, worth 55% of your score. Each essay is graded between 1 and 9. Before we get into the scoring example, remember that this guide is an estimation since score conversions can vary year to year based on test difficulty. While it's impossible to precisely predict an AP test score before you get your score, you can still get an idea of how the process works. Step 1: Add Up Your Correct Answers to Get Your Raw Scores There are 55 multiple-choice questions on the AP English exam. Let's say you get 40 right, get eight wrong, and leave seven blank. Your raw multiple-choice score would be an even 40 points. Out of the three essays, let's say you earn the following scores from the graders: 4, 7, and 8. This gives youa total raw essay score of 19 (4+7+8). Step 2: Convert Your Raw Scores to a Single Composite Score Now, this is the tricky part in which we will convert each of those raw scores to a single composite score between 0 and 150. The maximum converted essay score is 82.5, or 55% of 150. The maximum converted multiple-choice score is 67.5, or 45% of 150. To figure out your composite score, use this formula: (Multiple Choice Raw Score x 1.23) + (Essay Raw Score x 3.05) = Composite Score In this example, your multiple-choice composite score would be 49.2, and your essay composite score would be 57.95. Thus,your total composite score would be 107 (rounded down). Step 3: Use the Chart to Estimate Your Scaled Score The last step is easy. Use the chart below to estimate your final AP score (on a scale of 1-5): Composite Score (0-100 or 0-150) Scaled Score (1-5) 104-150 5 92-103 4 76-91 3 50-75 2 0-49 1 As you can see, your score of 107 would earn you a 5- but just barely! Again, these numbers are estimates and will shift from year to year based on test difficulty. Since 107 is just over the mark of 104, it's possible that in some years it could net you a 4 instead of a 5. What About Scoring Other AP Tests? We’ve learned how to score an AP English Language and Composition exam. However,you can’t use this exact same process for every AP test. Most AP tests have slightly different section weights and question totals, so the scoring formulas are different. For example, AP Calculus AB has fewer multiple choice questions (45), more free responses (six total), and weighs each section at 50%. Each AP subject is a unique challenge ... and has its own scoring formula. So how can you figure out how the AP tests you are taking are graded? First, if you’re taking the AP class for the test you want to take, ask your teacher if he or she has a formula for converting practice test scores to scaled scores. Most AP teachers have a formula they use with their students for practice exams. If you’re not taking the class or your teacher doesn’t have a formula, either find a prep book for your specific test or search online. Remember that all formulas are estimates. Soif you really want a 5, you shouldn’t aim for the lowest possible composite- you should aim for perfection, or very close. That’s the only way to guarantee you'll get a 5 on test day. On the other hand, if you just want to make sure you pass, try to aim for a 4 so that even if you make more mistakes than you're hoping to, you’ll still get at least a 3! Want to get a perfect 5 on your AP exam and an A in class? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What’s Next? Curious about the benefits of taking an AP Exam? See our in-depth guide about what AP tests are and why you should take them. Also studying for the SAT? Get tips from our resident 1600 full scorer, and check out how to improve a low SAT Math score. Studying for the ACT instead? Get tips on the essay, read a guide to the daily ACT question, and learn how you can score a perfect 36. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Assignment - Assistive Technology for Visual and Hearning Impairments

- Assistive Technology for Visual and Hearning Impairments - Assignment Example In addition, these devices are enabling students with such low-incidence disabilities thrive academically and contribute a great deal to their communities, despite any setbacks that they encounter. Teachers today are wise to learn about such devices and become an agent for helping students properly apply the technology to their daily personal and academic lives. What follows is a description and evaluation of several such devices that are currently available and in use today. It is estimated that 24 million Americans suffer from some degree of hearing loss. For students, this can be particularly troubling because, if proper modifications are not implemented, such individuals are placed at an academic disadvantage. It is important to use modern technology to assist students in leveling the ‘playing field’ as much as possible. According to research, students who are hearing impaired can exhibit a low self-esteem, lose interest in many learning activities, fail to participa te in social activities, and often have poor communication skills (DeConde-Johnson & Thibodeu, 2005). As such, looking incorporating assistive technology devices that help hearing impaired students perform better in school and become more sociable with their peers can only serve to benefit the entire academic community. While there are many such devices on the market today, three particularly stand out for their effectiveness, even in the face of certain inherent challenges that must be overcome. ASL software is a readily available program that can be used on either a PC Windows operating system, or on a Macintosh. This software allows students to learn advanced sign language skills in an interactive environment, thereby allowing them to communicate more opening and freely with their peers and other adults. In essence, the program promotes literacy skills for the hearing impaired student in much the same fashion as phonics does for the non-disabled individual. This assistive technol ogy device can be easily implemented into a traditional classroom setting. In addition, students can use the software independently at home or in other locations. The benefits are many, and the challenges minimal. One hurdle for the software is that the teacher will likely need to have some basic knowledge of sign language in order to assist the student in learning how to make full use of the program. That being said, such knowledge can only serve to strengthen the student/teacher relationship, which in the end should prove beneficial itself. ACL software requires only 3-4 hours of training time for the student learn how to make proper use of it, and the IT department at any school should be able to assist with its installation. Such devices and software can be used to enhance math skills, promote literacy and spelling, focus on the advancement of sign language, improve visual perception, and strengthen memory skills. From this evaluation, the software should be considered in any en vironment where there is a hearing impaired student. The cost is minimal, with most packages running only about $35. Another device designed to help hearing-impaired student is the speech synthesizer. Depending on the age of onset for the disability, many hearing impaired students cannot communicate verbally. They do not know how to make certain sounds and cannot hear what they are saying. A speech synthesizer enables the student to type out information that they wish to say and

September 11, 2001 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

September 11, 2001 - Essay Example This paper will show that these changes are fully justifiable in the context of the ends justifying the means. The social contract theory is among the most influential theories in political sciences. The theory proposes that in order to have peace and stability, it is relevant for people give up some elements of their freedom to the ruling parties. Though these principles were used to justify the presence of all-powerful monarch, it was later revised to show that the state also has responsibilities to protect her citizens (Boetke, 2014). This theory shows that stability, real stability, takes sacrifice. The social contract theory proposes that it is necessary to sacrifice some freedoms in order to uphold others. For example, in the current situation, the state is only trying to protect the right to safety by infringing on some of the other rights. Before the terror attacks, the state held no interest in personal information such as banking statements and secret mobile monitoring of suspects. However, opponents of the social contract theory propose that the new regulations make the state more powerful that is good for the citizens. Therefore, the new rules infringe on the rights of citizens that were previously untouchable. There is an argument that it takes the control of the state closer to the monarchs powers that resulted in the revision of the social contract theory (Boetke, 2014). The idea of an all-powerful government would make the contemporary society a little uncomfortable. Opponents also propose that the new rules make no sense because they are an attempt by the state to cover for its mistakes. For example, terrorism is widely viewed to be the product of American involvement in the affairs of the Middle East, especially the support of establishment of the nation of Israel, and American support of that nation in the gulf war. What these opponents fail to realize is that the international policies adopted by the state benefit