Understanding the Roles Characters Play in Literature

Every great story has great characters. But what makes a great character? The main character is central to a story and needs to be â€Å"round† or complex, with depth and distinctive qualities. A cast of supporting characters can be of various types—even â€Å"flat† or uncomplicated ones, who nonetheless help move the story along. Definition A character is an individual (usually a person) in a narrative  in a work of fiction or creative nonfiction.  The act or method of creating a character in writing is known as characterization. In British author E.M. Forsters 1927 â€Å"Aspects of the Novel,† Forster made a broad yet worthwhile distinction between flat and round characters. A flat (or two-dimensional) character embodies â€Å"a single idea or quality.† This character type, Forster wrote, â€Å"can be expressed in one sentence.† In contrast, a round character responds to change: he or she â€Å"is capable of surprising [readers] in a convincing way,† Forster wrote. In certain forms of nonfiction, particularly biographies and autobiographies, a single character may serve as the primary focus of the text. Etymology The word character comes from the Latin word meaning mark, distinctive quality† and ultimately from the Greek word that means scratch, engrave. Observations on Character In â€Å"Essentials of the Theory of Fiction,† Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy wrote: â€Å"If, in a sense, the  flat character  embodies an idea or quality, then the round character encompasses many ideas and qualities, undergoing change and development, as well as entertaining different ideas and characteristics.†(Michael J. Hoffman and Patrick D. Murphy, Essentials of the Theory of Fiction, 2nd ed. Duke University Press, 1999) Mr. Spock as a Round Character â€Å"Mr. Spock, my favorite character in ‘Star Trek,’ was James T. Kirk’s best friend and one of the most interesting characters ever written for television. Spock was a Vulcan-human hybrid who struggled for many years with his dual heritage before he finally found peace through acceptance of both parts of his heritage.†(Mary P.  Taylor, Star Trek: Adventures in Time and Space, Pocket Books, 1999) Thackeray’s Description of Lord Steyne â€Å"The candles lighted up Lord Steyne’s shining bald head, which was fringed with red hair. He had thick bushy eyebrows, with little twinkling bloodshot eyes, surrounded by a thousand wrinkles. His jaw was underhung, and when he laughed, two white buck-teeth protruded themselves and glistened savagely in the midst of the grin. He had been dining with royal personages, and wore his garter and ribbon. A short man was his lordship, broad-chested, and bow-legged, but proud of the fineness of his foot and ankle, and always caressing his garter-knee.†(William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1847–48) Narrator as a Character in the Personal Essay â€Å"[In a personal essay], the writer needs to build herself into a character. And I use the word character much the same way the fiction writer does. E.M. Forster, in ‘Aspects of a Novel,’ drew a famous distinction between ‘flat’ and ‘round’  characters—between those fictional personages seen from the outside who acted with the predictable consistency of caricatures, and those whose complexities or teeming inner lives we come to know. ... The art of characterization comes down to establishing a pattern of habits and actions for the person you are writing about and introducing variations into the system. ...The point is to begin to take inventory of yourself so that you can present that self to the reader as a specific, legible character. ...The  need thus exists to make oneself into a character, whether the essay uses a first- or third-person narrative voice. I would further maintain that this process of turning oneself into a cha racter is not self-absorbed navel-gazing. But rather a potential release from narcissism. It means you have achieved sufficient distance to begin to see yourself in the round: a necessary precondition to transcending the ego—or at least writing personal essays that can touch other people.†(Phillip Lopate, â€Å"Writing Personal Essays: On the Necessity of Turning Oneself Into a Character.† Writing Creative Nonfiction, edited by Carolyn Forchà © and Philip Gerard, Story Press, 2001) Details of Character â€Å"To achieve a fully dimensional character, fictional or real, a writer must watch people closely, much more closely than the average person would. He or she looks especially for anything unusual or distinct about the person or persons involved but does not ignore what is ordinary and typical. The writer then reports, in as interesting a way as possible, these poses, posturings, habitual gestures, mannerisms, appearances, glances. Not that the writer limits observations to these, but these frequently appear in creative nonfiction writing.†(Theodore A. Rees Cheney, Writing Creative Nonfiction: Fiction Techniques for Crafting Great Nonfiction, Ten Speed Press, 2001) Composite Characters in Nonfiction ï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬Å"The use of a composite character is a dubious device for the writer of nonfiction because it hovers in a gray region between reality and invention, but if it is employed the reader should be made aware of the fact early.†(William Ruehlmann, Stalking the Feature Story, Vintage Books, 1978)

Case Analysis Fate, Athena - 1490 Words

In the conclusion to the case which decided Orestes’ fate, Athena, offering explanation for her final decision, notes her inherent preference towards men: â€Å"There is no mother anywhere who gave me birth/ and, but for marriage, I am always for the male/ with all my heart†¦ I shall not value [Clytemnestra’s] death more highly than his† (The Eumenides, lines 736-40). This argument calls back to Apollo’s claim that children are not born from the characteristics of both their parents, but rather from their father’s seed: â€Å"The mother is no parent of that which is called/ her child, but only a nurse of the new-planted seed/ that grows† (The Eumenides, lines 658-60).Women are only the vessels, imparting no influence besides nurturement to their children. While this clearly biased justification eschewed the rights for her own gender, this reasoning worked within the consistency of Athens’ cultural frame. The case, in the canon of the play being Athens’ first trial by an impartial jury, was decided largely by the influences of the personal sexist biases held by most citizens in that society. The morally pure systems defining Greek democracy could only be seen as true if the moral inconsistencies derived from their cultural bias were ignored. The system of justice and democratic vote appealed to the higher ideals of human virtue, but humans inevitably let their own personal prejudices intercede. The American Declaration of independence sought, as it claimed, life, liberty, and theShow MoreRelatedThe Eruption Of The Iliad1558 Words   |  7 Pagesto Achilles. Agamemnon offended Apollo when he refused to give the girl back which resulted in a curse by Apollo. â€Å"Apollo heard his prayer and descended Olympus’ crags Pulsing with fury, bow slung over one shoulder, The arrows rattling in their case on his back As the angry god moved like night down the mountain.† (130, I: 52-55) Here Apollo is humanized by the expression of his anger. He rages on, shedding plague and death over the Greeks. For nine days the god’s arrows rained death on theRead MoreThe Involvement By The Gods888 Words   |  4 PagesThe involvement by the gods simply begins with Aphrodite. Though the gods do not determine fate, they work alongside the fates and have the ability to act against them. Zeus tells Thetis, who has convinced him to aid her son Achilles to attain revenge against Agamemnon, â€Å"I’ll say yes to you by nodding my head, / The ultimate pledge. Unambiguous, / irreversible, and absolutely fulfilled, / Whatever I say yes to with a nod of my head† (Lombardo 1.556-559). And despite Hera’s reluctance, Zeus speaksRead MoreZeus Vs. Greek God Essay2252 Words   |  10 Pagesmillennia. Rather than cover generalities yet again, I ll focus on probably the best known of the polytheistic gods - Zeus, IMHO the extraterrestrial (though one could just abo ut pick any of the thousands of polytheistic deities and perform a similar analysis). Zeus vs. God: The Greek god Zeus (Jupiter in the Roman pantheon of gods) was a King-of-Kings deity, top of the totem pole, but unlike the monotheistic God... Zeus was born and had a precarious start in life and childhood. His daddy wasn t aRead MoreHelen Of Troy1455 Words   |  6 PagesAn oath sworn beforehand by all the suitors (known as the Oath of Tyndareus) requires them to provide military assistance in the case of her abduction; this oath culminates in the Trojan War. When she marries Menelaus she is still very young; whether her subsequent involvement with Paris is an abduction or a seduction is ambiguous. The legends recounting Helen s fate in Troy are contradictory. Homer depicts her as a wistful, even a sorrowful, figure, coming to regret her choice and wishing to beRead MoreMythology: Edith Hamilton Archetypes2717 Words   |  11 PagesArchetypal Analysis of Myths Part One: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes Chosen Myth: Dionysus or Bacchus Situational Archetype: Battle between Good and Evil In the myth of Dionysus there isn’t exactly a conflict between two sides of people battling for good or evil, its more as a battle between the two sides of Dionysus’ inner self. Unlike most examples of good versus evil, there isn’t a triumphant side. Just the personality switches between Dionysus being the joy-god or theRead MoreThe Greek Mythology Of Women1820 Words   |  8 Pageswomen had the position of both power and necessity as well. This reigns true in the case of the mythological tale of â€Å"Pandora’s Box,† in Hesiod’s Theogony . At the command of Zeus to punish mankind (after Prometheus fed the gods bones instead of food), the god Hephaestus crafted the first mortal woman as a gift to Epimetheus. She is showered with gifts, thus her namesake Pandora (â€Å"all gifted†), by the Olympians. Athena grants her the talent of weaving, Aphrodite bestows upon her grace and beauty, andRead Moretheme of alienation n no where man by kamala markandeya23279 Words   |  94 PagesEurydice takes her own life, leaving Creon to grieve alone. THEMES Major Themes Sophocles’ plays often deal with the specific struggle of a strong- willed individual against fate. In Antigone he depicts a resolute and heroic female protagonist, who pits her individual free will against the intractable forces of fate and against the irrational and unjust laws of tyrannical men, like Creon. Basically, the play centers on the conflict between the steadfast protagonist and an equally resolute antagonistRead MoreA View from the Bridge: Story of a Brooklyn Longshoreman6101 Words   |  25 Pages1930’s had a profound effect on Miller as he has intimated in his autobiography, but not solely for the pain of watching his family and community suffer. Growing up in the Depression meant a time â€Å"when it had been all but impossible to think of one’s fate apart from that of society† (Timebends 363). This is a belief that would stick with Miller and so many other working class men and women because it was linked to their survival. Through a seri es of economic depressions – 1870s, 1890s, and now the 1930s

Should Teenage Girl Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Without the Permission of Their Parent free essay sample

Billie Holiday once said, â€Å"If you copy it means you’re working without any real feeling† what she is saying that if you copy you have know feelings. Harlem Renaissance was a place to show people talent in the 1920’s. It started in the 1920’ s and ended 1930. It happened in Harlem, New York. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement. Billie Holiday, W. E. B Dubois, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bessie Smith were all there and others. Meanwhile, the re-development and gentrification of midtown pushed many blacks out of the Metropolitan area. As a result, African-Americans began moving to Harlem between 1900 and 1920 the number of blacks in the New York City neighborhood doubled. By the time the planned subway system and roadways reached Harlem, many of the countrys best and brightest black advocates, artists, entrepreneurs, and intellectuals had situated themselves in Harlem. They brought with them not only the institutions and businesses necessary to support themselves, but a vast array of talents and ambitions. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Teenage Girl Be Allowed to Get Birth Control Without the Permission of Their Parent or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The area soon became known as â€Å"the Black Mecca† and â€Å"the capital of black America. † Billie Holiday was a great jazz singer. Billie Holiday was born on April 07,1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and died on July 17, 1959. Billie Holiday was a jazz singer she made so good song called â€Å"what can moon light do† and â€Å"Strange Fruit† and other songs. Billie Holiday did a lot of things and had been through situation that no one knows her pain Holiday started skipping school, and she and her mother went to court over Holidays truancy. She was then sent to the House of Good Shepherd, a facility for troubled African American girls, in January 1925. Only 9 years old at the time, Holiday was one of the youngest girls there. She was returned to her mothers care in August of that year. According to Donald Clarkes biography, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon, she returned there in 1926 after she had been sexually assaulted. In her difficult early life, Holiday found solace in music, singing along to the records of Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. She followed her mother who had moved to New York City in the late 1920s and worked in a house of prostitution in Harlem for a time. Around 1930, Holiday began singing in local clubs and renamed herself Billie after the film star Billie Dove. â€Å"I never hurt nobody but myself and that’s nobody business but my own†. â€Å"Strange Fruit† was a good song by Billie Holiday. Billie holiday is a good jazz singer her voice sound like a chipmunk. In â€Å"Strange Fruit she is talking about Africans-Americans hanging in the tress and blood falling from the bodies. † A quote from the song is Southern trees bear a strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees. Billie Holiday made this song because that is what happened in the old days and how white people treated to do colored people. â€Å"What a little moonlight can do† by Billie Holiday was a good jazz song. Billie Holiday Voice sound like a chipmunk . In â€Å"What a Little Moonlight can do is talking about one of her relationships that she was in. A piece from the song What a little moonlight can do to you, Youre in love, Your hearts fluttering all day long, You only stutter cause your poor tongue, Just will not utter the words, I love you, What a little moonlight can do. Billie Holiday made this song because she was in a relationship like the song. The Harlem Renaissance was deration of African American art, dance, poetry, and music. Billie Holiday contributed with many songs like her famous â€Å"strange fruit†. In this song Billie Holiday is talking about African-Americans bodies hanging from trees. Billie Holiday once said â€Å"One day a whole damn song fell into place in my head† she is saying that she was thinking about a song and it can to her.

Shakespeares Hamlet Through a Historical Lens free essay sample

Writing is largely the product of an author’s desire to say something, to tell a story, or to simply entertain an audience; but it is also a product of the time in history in which it was written, and thus shaped by the standards, expectations, attitudes, limitations, and events of the day. One could read Hamlet merely as a revenge tragedy: Hamlet’s father, the king of Denmark, is killed by his brother, Claudius, who, as a result, arrogates not only the crown, but also his departed brother’s wife, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The ghost of the deceased king reveals the circumstances of his death to his son, leaving Hamlet with a sense of obligation to avenge the murder, the usurpation, and the adultery. In the end, Hamlet does exact revenge by killing Claudius. This leads many to view Hamlet primarily as a revenge tragedy, but it is actually more enlightening as a topical history; in fact, J. We will write a custom essay sample on Shakespeares Hamlet Through a Historical Lens or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Dover Wilson, a scholar of Renaissance drama, particularly on the work of William Shakespeare, regards Hamlet as â€Å"the most topical play in the whole corpus† (Rowse 188). Hamlet markedly relates to the era in which it was written. William Shakespeare was born in England in 1564, just eight years after Queen Elizabeth I came into power. Queen Elizabeth’s reign lasted for 45 years, a period in which Shakespeare wrote the vast majority of his plays, including Hamlet, which was written sometime between 1599 and 1602. This was a time of great political instability and turmoil for Queen Elizabeth due to a failed assassination attempt, a failed uprising, and a failed invasion attempt. Shakespeare’s plays were written not only to entertain the lowly masses, but also to appease royal censorship and appease the queen. The protagonist in Hamlet is portrayed as a diplomat and a lover rather than a fighter, possibly to please Elizabeth, who embodied these new modern qualities. Furthermore, Shakespeare may have included the murder of a monarch, a country in crisis, and the threat of invasion in Hamlet in an attempt to arouse sympathy and provide a storyline that would truly resonate with audience members. The Elizabethan era in England was a time of dramatic change, which is exemplified in Hamlet. â€Å"During Elizabeth’s reign, England experienced a cultural renaissance† (Spielvogel 373). The mindset of the English was changing from medieval, feudal ideas to a more modern, diplomatic way of thinking, which involved a craving for knowledge and proof. Hamlet personifies this revolution by seeking proof of Claudius’s guilt rather than opting for the feudal option of immediate revenge. The shift in thinking in Elizabethan England was also religious, which is represented in Hamlet as well. â€Å"In Elizabethan times, there was a different way of looking at life. People, including Shakespeare believed in a Divine Order, or Great Chain of Being. The Divine Order was the belief that everything in the universe has a specific place and rank in order of their perceived importance and spiritual nature† (Mularski). This natural order was extremely important to Elizabethans. This logic could be used to explain the chaos that ensues as a result of the king’s murder. In the natural order within society, a man such as Old Hamlet was considered closer to god since he was of noble birth, and the assassination of a man of such rank upsets the universe’s balance. It is even noted by Marcellus that â€Å"something is rotten in the state of Denmark† after Hamlet follows the ghost of his father (1. 5. 100). During the creation of Hamlet, a conflict between Elizabethan playwrights, known as the War of the Theatres, was taking place. It covered a period when one of the playwrights was writing for a children’s company of players and the other was writing for another, rival group. The conflict was certainly sharpened by the intense competition that existed between children’s companies at the time. This is a prime example of how knowledge of the historical context of Hamlet can enrich the reading experience and give a reader insights into certain passages that other readers may not have. In this case, a conversation in Hamlet between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern alludes to the War of the Theaters: Rosencrantz: Faith, there has been much to do on both sides; and the nation holds it no sin to tar them to controversy: there was, for a while, no money bid for argument unless the poet and the player went to cuffs in the question.

Demonstrate Knowledge of Human Development Across the Lifespand Essays

Demonstrate Knowledge of Human Development Across the Lifespand Essays Demonstrate Knowledge of Human Development Across the Lifespand Essay Demonstrate Knowledge of Human Development Across the Lifespand Essay In this essay my discussion of the human development thought out the lifespan so the theorists I have chosen are Erik Erikson, Jean Piaget, and Albert Bandura, john bowlby and also Vygotsky to look into the theories also relate them to the modern early childhood education these days. The four theories will be arguing about how the influences of the hereditary and the environment pr personal experiences that affects ones life path THEORIST AND THEIR THEORIES Erik Erikson is a psychoanalytical theorist who divided his theory to eight developmental stages throughout the life span (Berk, 2007). The eight stages are , Trust vs mistrust, autonomy vs shame and doubt, initiative vs guilt, industry vs inferiority, identity vs role confusion, intimacy vs isolation, generative vs stagnation, integrity vs despair. If issues were to arise any of the stages were not dealt with well, it would influence the next later stages of development. Erikson also emphasized the wider social and Vygotsky was a social development theorist. Vygotsky focused on the connections between people and the sociocultural environment, where they interact and share experiences (Crawford, 1996). Vygotsky theory is one of the foundations of constructivism. This states three major themes he created. They are: inter/ intra psychological, more knowledgeable other (MKO), Zone of proximal development (ZPD). family relationships who surrendered the child to be more of an influence rather than biology. Jean Piaget was a cognitive theorist who had believed that children learn through adapting their world and since â€Å"he was trained as a biologist† (Pearson, 2007, p. 143) he showed humans how to demonstrate their intelligence through adaptation to the environment. Like Erikson, Piaget had believed that children pass through different stages of the development, but in their thinking. The four stages of development are : Sensory motor stage (birth – 2years) – knowledge develops through sensory and motor abilities, Preoperational Stage (2-7 years) – the child is learning to apply logical structures with languages, mental imaginary and symbolic thoughts, Concrete Operational stage (7-12 years) – the child has now a hold on logical perations that helps them to understand physical properties, Formal Operational stage (12 years and up) – children think deeply about concrete events and reason abstractly and hypothetically. Since Piaget was influenced by biological principles, he believed that humans were not seeking too much disruption in the children’s development. They were to be left on their own to explore and develop their own time and capabilities. John Bowlby believed that attachment had an evolutionary component; it aids in survival. The propensity to make strong emotional bonds to particular individuals [is] a basic component of human nature (Bowlby, 1988, 3). This theorist relates to my experience when my parents went Afghanistan for six months and I had two children to take care of and a whole house this was a hard job to me it seemed like I was a mother because the child would call me that im there mother. They got so attached to me and even now they are the same they tell me that a (big sister is like our mum) and I felt like I have been a mum for years. That my theorist. SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES Vygotsky and Piaget are two obvious theorists who would disagree on a lot of each others’ theory. However, there are some few common grounds that they can meet on. Vygotsky and Piaget (Black Well Publishing, 2003) emphasized the importance of the early stages of development, where an infant uses body language instead of speaking verbally. Both Piaget and Vygotsky believe that development proceeds in stages, building on the previous stage, and how children think using different strategies at different stages. Their major difference is about a child’s development with or without a significant other. Piaget strongly believes that children discover for themselves and developing precedes learning. Whereas Vygotsky believes that children develop their thinking or learning abilities by the help of an adult, significant other or a more knowledgeable peer. By interacting with others, the child’s development will be further pushed to its advantage. Bandura and Vygotsky also share similar view points of approaches to learning; they both focus on the social – environmental influences and their study of the human’s inner psychological process such as language (Berk, 2007). Bandura’s heory focused more on how children develop through watching adults or teachers behaviors, especially with those that they identify with. We can connect that to Vygotsky theory about the zone or proximal development, where an adult has to actively interact with the child to further push their knowledge. This adult can be someone close like a peer or a caregiver. APPLICATION OF THEORIE S Piaget’s Preoperational stage (2-7 years) mentioned that the child has developed motor skills and develops a sense of self (Berk, 2007). They are able to think imaginatively, but still not able to think logically. In the centre, we can observe children play in the sand pit, constructing imaginary objects using simple equipments. Vygotsky theory encourages the teachers to collaborate with children in order to make it easy for them to have a meaningful constructive learning. This can also push parents to expose their children to a variety of social situations, because every interaction is considered to be a learning experience. John bowlbys theory of attachment can be easily seen today in an early childhood centre. A way for children to learn is through attachment with others. When children see other parent hugging there children they will watch and see then they will go and do the same In Erikson’s initiative vs. Guilt is where the child develops motor movements and coping skills, their curiosity is increasing. Parents who take time to answer their preschoolers questions can increase their intellectual initiative. But parents or caregivers who see their childrens questions as and annoyance may suppress their initiative and cause them to be too dependent on others and to be ashamed of themselves. Task 2 Influences on Human Development Children develop in many different ways at the same time. While physical growth and maturity are the most obvious signs that development is occurring, children also develop cognitively (mentally), socially, emotionally, and sexually. The influence is genetics. At this period, we relate infants to Piaget’s Sensory motor stage (Berk, 2007) where they get to learn their environment or come to know their world through their bodies and their senses. They dont understand their environment very well at first, but are born exquisitely prepared to explore and learn. They learn how to make movement, how to make sense of things, how to speak, and how to do other skills. All these developments need babies to use all senses: touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. Development are mostly described as achievements in life significant to particular person, this can include crawling, walking or even first words of the infant. Though a development milestone occurs at a certain stage, everyone is different. An infant might have inherited genes that might prevent development of child, where other infants or toddlers might develop faster. When infant grows into early childhood, their thinking is still in process of developing, their ability to use language becomes more obvious, depending on their genes, they slowly develop while some are quickly excelling. We now enter Piaget’s Preoperational stage age 2-7 years of age; this is where childrens thought processes are developing, although are still considered to be far from logical thought, in the adult sense of the word, and unable to take the point of view of others. In middle childhood, the child is influenced by his or her family. School-aged children also need benefit from loving nurturance expressed by parents and caregivers. Children receive nurture from caregivers when caregivers give love and affection, spend time with them, include them in stimulating activities, and help them build their self-esteem. We can relate this to Bronfenbrenner Ecological system theory of the Microsystems the small, immediate environment the child lives in. This will include any immediate relationships or organizations they interact with, such as their immediate family or caregivers and their school or daycare. The more encouraging and nurturing these relationships and places are, the better the child will be able to grow. This expression of love helps children grow in self-esteem and self-respect. Bronfenbrenner Ecological system can also link to when the child moves on to adolescence where he or she will be influence by their social circle. Erikson calls this stage to be Industry vs. Inferiority (Berk, 2007), where child learn to use methods and develops competence, skills and also they will learn to relate to their peers. Interaction with other children will then have to be a necessity to ensure development happens. An interchange of knowledge with a more capable other can be especially helpful, Vygotsky zone of proximal development theory (Berk, 2007). Another dimension in life that is influenced by social factors is young adulthood. This stage we move into Erikson’s Identity vs. Role confusion. How a person come to know how they see themselves in relation to the world. A young adulthood must struggle to discover and find his or her identity, while negotiating and struggling with social interactions and trying to fit in, and developing from right and wrong. If the person is successful in their young adulthood, they will now be focusing on attention to the system of production and management of material wealth, ecology, in their middle adulthood. This would cover Erikson’s theory of the Generativity vs. Stagnation or self-absorption, Career and work are the most important things at this stage, also their family. Attempting to work and produce something that makes a difference to the society. In Bronfenbrenner theory of the Ecological system, this person is part of the interlinking system which will affect the development of the child; it can either be directly if the person has children The last stage of life dimension is the late adulthood, where the person might be influenced demographically. Bronfenbrenner theory comes into this influence again, how they are affected in how they will now be living according to the law of the government, most would be using their pension and living in an old home stay area or lives in their own home far from there parents. Task 3 Reflection on Human Development Many theorists formed theories to explain how humans behave, think or develop intellectually, solve problems, and remember certain things. From studying these different types of theories can help us understand children and their development. I will be examining how knowledge of human development across the lifespan develops an adult’s understanding of children in an early childhood setting. Also, how this knowledge of human development across the lifespan can influence our practices with children in an early childhood centre. The like of Piaget (Berk, 2007) who is a cognitive theorist is only interested in how the brain works and how children learn more by leaving them alone to explore the things around them. We can relate this to Piaget’s sensory motor stage, a stage where infants’ senses are being fully used. Their senses of touch, sight, smell, taste and hearing can contribute to their increasing curiosity of objects and the things around them. If this was the case, in an early childhood setting, we would do well to provide materials, equipments and resources for infants to explore on. Making the environment safe for the infants learning is also essential. â€Å"In exploring the physical environment, children gain increasing motor and manipulative control and skill in using tools and materials safely†. Ministry of Education, 1996 p. 98) As Piaget stated, development precedes learning (Ebeck, 1996) In other cases, there are theorists who strongly believed that social factors were important for cognitive growth, scaffolding. Scaffolding is a temporary support system around that child’s attempts to understand new ideas and complete new tasks (Children’s developing minds) the purpose for this is that the child will be able to achieve higher developments by simplifying the task or idea, motivating the child and even modeling that can be imitated easily. If scaffolding is applied successfully children are in a better position to â€Å"convey and receive ideas, feeling and information in different cultural and social contexts†. (Ministry of Education, 1996 p. 96) Having this basic theory in mind, as teachers, Also, this can help children develop understanding and appreciate different view points of others (Ministry of Education, 1996). An additional theorist who could agree with having social factors to help further develop a child is Vygotsky, who came up with the zone of proximal development (Berk, 2007). He put emphasis on teachers to be always aware of the child’s intellectual development when they might need to be pushed further, a higher level than where they are now. This theory surely is related to scaffolding, but Bruner formed his theory based on Vygotsky zone of proximal development theory (Black Well Publishing, 2003) The zone proximal development is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can do with help. Interestingly enough, it is not only from adults that this knowledge can come from. In an early childhood setting, it’s good to take note of the child’s intellectual development and always looking out for ways to further push their development. Collaborating children with others can also help them develop within their zone of proximal development and â€Å"are able to participate in a range of social settings†. (Ministry of Education, 1996 p. 94) â€Å"A child’s learning environment extends far beyond the immediate setting of the home or early childhood programmes outside the home†. (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 9) Bronfenbrenner, an Ecology of Human development theorist (Ministry of education, 1996) developed the environment systems which can either directly or indirectly influence the child. In this ecological system, we are directly influencing the child, because we fall under the Mesosystem as the school, early childhood centre. In the Mesosystem, that’s where the child learns to explore and discover new things, a saf e place to fully develop themselves. As a teacher or caregiver we are responsible for taking care of the children that are entrusted to us. This moves us to provide a well nurtured place where the development of the child can be enhanced. Also, the child might be developing relationships with adults outside their immediate family for the first time, so it emphasizes how we have to care and nurture the needs of the child. We can relate this to John Bowlby’s attachment theory. A child feels a special emotional relationship (Berk, 2007) that involves an exchange of comfort, care and pleasure. He also agreed with Piaget, of how an early experience in childhood can have an important influence on development and behavior later in life. By examining the characteristics of attachment, we can differentiate the kind of attachment the child has made. There are three, safe haven is when the child feel threatened or afraid, he or she can return to the caregiver for comfort and soothing. Secure base, the caregiver provides a secure and dependable base for the child to explore the world. Proximity maintenance is when the child strives to stay near the caregiver, thus keeping the child safe. Separation distress, when separated from the caregiver, the child will become upset and distressed. The way we care and nurture for the children in the centre will have an affect on how we view separation of a child and parent as they get dropped off, and how they socialize with strangers. If we find that the child takes a while to get separated with his or her parent, we leave give them time to settle in and feel comfortable in the place. We are also responsible for creating that safe haven in the centre for the children, especially when the child spends 11 hours, five days a week in the centre. Consequently, having knowledge of different theories will help us to better understand how children develop their understanding of themselves and those who are taking care of them. It helps us to open our views to a much wider idea of why such behavior is happening, or how a child might want to learn, why a child is finding it hard to separate himself to his parent and to the care of another stranger or even how the environment can have an influence on children. Just as the theorists themselves have their own opinions on development, this also goes for caregivers who will apply a different approach to learning. However, it’s all for the benefit of the child. Thus, having this knowledge from different kinds of theorists, let’s put them into application and continue to develop the child’s intellectual, physical and emotional needs. References massey. ac. nz/~alock/virtual/trishvyg. htm cyc-net. org/cyc-online/cycol-0304-bowlby. html http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/bandura. html http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/erikson. html http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/piaget. html

Analysis of protocol for Management of Hypertension in Adults Research Paper

Analysis of protocol for Management of Hypertension in Adults - Research Paper Example A decision to embark upon antihypertensive therapy effectively commits the patient to life-long treatment, hence it is vital that blood pressure (BP) monitoring and management be taken seriously by pursuing the set norms and protocols to safeguard individuals from numerous predicaments (High Blood Pressure). The present article is an analysis of the Protocol For Management Of Hypertension in Adults to have a deeper understanding for hypertension measurement. Blood Pressure Measurement "Protocol For Management Of Hypertension In Adults" is based on the guidelines of National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) for the hypertension management in adults in primary care. The protocol lays emphasis on the accuracy and precision of the blood pressure management, appropriate training of the health care provider and periodic review of the individual suspected or confirmed with the condition of hypertension. This holds true because precision is imperative in measurement of blood pressure. Any inaccuracy in the measurement of blood pressure may turn out to be overwhelming. Measurement of blood pressure is the most prevalent assessment in clinics, interpretation or analysis of the results or outcomes procured are responsible for future implications, an imperative step for the individual whose BP is measured. Any error in the reading or ignorance in taking the exact reading or taking a low reading than actual, may deprive the individual from taking medication at the right time and thereby enhances the susceptibility of the person for stroke or heart attack. Alternatively, if the person is normal and the measurement of the blood pressure is taken high the individual may be exposed to the BP lowering medication without any basis. These may result in serious implications, therefore, it is highly imperative to get an accurate measurement of blood pressure (O’Brien, et al, 2010; Hypertensive Crises: Recognition and Management). The current protocol emphasizes on the appropriate servicing and calibration of the equipment. As blood pressure is a hemodynamic variable, to get an accurate reading of blood pressure it is highly essential to have a validated measuring device in clinical settings in order to prevent erroneous outcomes. As per the protocol routine blood pressure measurement must be performed at least every 5 years until the age of 80 years, under normal circumstances, every individual who is around 40 years of age or above must get the BP checkup as a routine in 5 years to avert morbidity and mortality caused due to hypertension (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, 2011). However, the current protocol does not mention that treatment and care should consider individual requirement, i.e. care should be person-centred care, which is well explained in the protocol of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, (2011). The current protocol does not lay emphasis on development of excellent communication skill, wh ich is essential for better compliance and prognosis and is also encouraged by evidence- based research studies. The protocol provided by National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, (2011) on the other hand, facilitates individuals to accomplish learned decisions about their care all. The current protocol further emphasize the fact that individuals with above normal values with the range of 135-139/85-89

Strategic Management Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

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