John Deweys interest and effort in education Essay

John Deweys interest and effort in education - Essay Example This scholarly work of John Dewey proves its significance from the time it’s conceived until this era more enhanced by technology. As a proponent of pragmatism (which means the realistic way to solving problems rather than obeying fixed rules) in the field of pedagogy, he is famous for the line: â€Å"Learning by doing.† In this book, Interest and Effort in Education, the main tenets that this author expresses are: the arguments between interest and effort, unified and divided activity,good teaching defined as â€Å"teaching of the future will make school life vital to youth, the provision of school experience wherein the child is wholeheartedly active in acquiring the ideas and skill needed to deal with the problems of his expanding life.† On the other hand â€Å"genuine interest is the accompaniment of identification, through action, of the self with some object or idea for the maintenance of self-initiated activity. Effort, as opposed to interest, implies a separation between the self and the fact to be mastered or task to be performed and sets up a habitual division of activities.† (Dewey, 1913, p. 14).Dewey describes in vivid and comprehensive detail of the educational setting of his time: its weaknesses and how his tenet could be of significance in the change that he hopes to develop. Moreover, his discussion on the strengths of the theory of interest and effort are equally well-compared contrasted.... It is an impressively structured work that is confident of its impact to the administrators and learners both. It discourages the society's continuous adherence to the already educational theories despite their weaknesses. He expresses the failure of most schools in maintaining student-motivation. Many students leave school for lack of interest. There are a lot of cases of school drop-outs that became successful in their chosen fields, most of them land in different business industries. Insufficient interesting training earned due to the goal of merely acquiring a certification or diploma, labeling them as "those who emerge from the schools, duly certified, too many are skillful merely in an outer show of information and manners which gives no surety that the major part of their inner impulses are capable of rational and easy self-direction." Dewey points out the true cause for student boredom and blames the unappealing method of teaching that stops students from continuing their education. The weakness of the schools rest on their inability to establish creative methods wherein students' personality , level and interest are well gauged. As Dewey puts it, "A child's character, knowledge and skill are not reconstructed by sitting in a room where events happen. Events must happen to him , in a way to bring a full and interested response. The teacher is only successful if there is a student response where change is visible. One of the striking points that Dewey stresses is "It is absurd to suppose that a child gets more intellectual or mental discipline when he goes at a matter unwillingly than when he goes at it out of the fullness of his heart." (Dewey, 1919,

Ajax Minerals and Perrier Essay Example for Free

Ajax Minerals and Perrier Essay Ajax Minerals and Perrier 1. Identify two (2) sources of resistance to change in the Ajax Minerals exercise and describe how the organization dealt with each type of resistance. Ajax mining association had been trying their hardest all the way, it also has confronted a few issues. The administration had been seeing that in the middle of three to four years, Pacific Rim association could mine alongside shipping comparative Minerals to US and such things could present more prominent rivalry for the Ajax. The administration has been ready to do something on sudden premise even though it has confronted a few difficulties. Since there had been the correspondence hole among the administration and laborers, by this way specialists didnt give a second thought of the current position of the association alongside those difficulties, which the administration had been confronting. Management saw danger alongside simply that they had been mindful about that. Managers alongside of the rest of the specialists of the associations who had been chipping away at hourly premise may not see such risk about rivalry. Also they had been of the conviction that the associations had been running in the remarkable position along with them and there had been no trouble being confronted through Management. They may very well see that associations work had been going round the clock and in addition this had been profiting inside the business. Second issue, which the association had been confronting at the risky stage, had been poorer relationship among Management furthermore work. There had been the history in the Ajax of terrible run changes. Pessimism stirs inside the working group alongside there had not been backing from any side to anyone. Situation deteriorated thereafter, that even while Management has chosen of doing anything of that,  laborers used getting suspicious of Managements choices alongside they may start suspecting that associations had been going to influence them most exceedingly bad either with respect to pay or as to alternate offices. On account of those issues, Management realized that, whatever choice they have been taking, at completion of laborers couldnt favor of working with the association alongside they could leave. Administration may overcome such trouble exactly when administrators alongside specialists may comprehend this situation. Thusly Ajax Management started building the connectio n inside directors alongside administrators through having the intuitive sessions including both. In the past, Management has taken choices without including anyone from laborers side (Jeffrey, 2012). Later for keeping those prior mix-ups alongside for building the certainty inside those specialists, they have done those smart sessions and additionally in the middle of those sessions they have talked about stories of rest of different associations. They have taken after the Open book approach in that they have given the right to gain entrance towards information of the fiscal execution to the workers of Ajax. It turned into the routine practice in which directors, managers alongside specialists may meet week after week and in addition impart its exhibitions. Those practices assembled the fresher kind of participation with laborers of association. 2. Identify two (2) sources of resistance to change in the Perrier case study and describe how the organization dealt with each type of resistance. Perrier association has brought numerous choices alongside Nestle purchased Perrier. More up to date Management of the Nestle brought a few choices alongside rolled out specific improvements in example of work for keeping up improvement of the association (Austin, 2012). There have been a few focuses that have assumed part about safety in progressions brought through the Perrier association. More current administration of the Nestle has watched the current circumstance of the association alongside has attempted to settle association. Since administration had completely separate the laborers, there had been a lesser correspondence among Management and additionally workers. Administration has presented numerous changes such as that they didnt educate their workers of the progressions inside creation alongside the rest of the progressions. Whats more, their representatives felt that such changes had not been mandatory for development of the association  furthermore they had not been prepared to convey comparative execution in past. The majority of their workers felt that those unnecessary changes in generation alongside the rest of the fields may improve its workload. Workers saw negative effects of those progressions on a few variables like its status, rewards, pay rates, choices and a lot of people more. The representatives had identified with the progressions for thems elves and how it had influencing them, separated from with impacts for achievement of the business. Second real safety in change had been the nearby mindedness of association’s parts, which fail to offer the improvement alongside collaboration. General choice making from administration has side influenced laborers severely, which they started averting dangers to association, alongside separated they got aware of its individual preferences alongside dangers that had been relied upon to them. Such thing has influenced choice making criteria alongside it has constructed the negative thinking inside representatives against administration. There had been a prerequisite for Management for corresponding with laborers alongside the rest of the parts unmistakably of changes that have been being created inside the association. Results of above-termed resistances had been brought through association. Real result had been lying being developed of the transitional space inside the laborers alongside Management. Since Perrier association had now been possessed through Nestle also there ha d been the hole among the two managements concerning the working circumstance, society and countries, by that way those things need to be conveyed inside all parts accordingly, and that could be the principle focused on advancement for effective business. Such thing has helped Management to know imperativeness of social contrasts, which have not been immaterial alongside may not be disregarded. Consequently, Management has understood that differences has in this manner been the fundamental alongside the essential component being developed alongside achievement of its association even in the middle of the fringes. 3. Compare and contrast how management diagnosed and approached change at the two (2) companies and indicate which company dealt with resistance to change in a more effective manner. Justify the reasoning. Execution of both associations may be diagnosed all things considered: As Management had completely adjusted with the situation of Perrier association and there had been the trouble in framing the communication with specialists for  Management, consequently Management first took choice of wiping out the correspondence hole. They have attempted of developing the solid relationship with laborers thusly that they had been ri ght for building the certainty inside them alongside getting their one hundred percent productivity. Ajax Minerals went past its cutoff points. They realized that the association with Management alongside laborers had not been, best case scenario subsequently they furthermore attempted to construct correspondence among their Management alongside specialists through doing week by week gatherings with the specialists and additionally directors. Be that as it may they have examined few more data with its specialists, which for the most part no association does. They have demonstrated their money related execution information to the specialists for making them effectively comprehend its available position inside business. Both of associations Managements took very compelling choices according to its situations alongside they attempted of fathoming their present issues for leaving trouble. On the other hand, as per my assumption, Management of Ajax has improved concerning choice making. Purpose for that has been that Management of Ajax has manufactured the long haul relationship with dir ectors alongside laborers. They took the whole group along in every choice making procedure furthermore keep whole group mindful about the progressions, which they had been going to make. They started doing week by week gatherings with specialists, which had been very mandatory in building the solid correspondence with the workers and through that, laborers got to improve its certainty inside the Management. They brought their chance alongside acted according to thusly there had been no idea about pessimism of administration. Second best thing, which Ajax Management had done, is examining the budgetary execution among specialists. As it has been bit dangerous however to increase complete certainty of the laborers in the harder situation, those sorts of activities have been necessary. Side by side with those deliberations, Ajax Management has vault one more exertion in talking about execution alongside methodologies of the rest of the associations in such a harder situation consequently, to the point that specialists got to know of needs of Management along with that those that had not been difficult to satisfy in conclusion. 4. Consider a situation as a consultant wit h Ajax Management. Propose two (2) adjustments that should  be made to improve its change strategy and provide a justification as to why those adjustments would improve the effectiveness of the strategy. Being the advisor of the Ajax Management, I ought to propose those alterations towards the changed methodology. The primary thing, which makes issues have been the absence of mindfulness about issues of the associations inside specialists. Also, it has been the reason specialists dont incline toward of giving the extra work in any situation. I may lean toward of keeping laborers completely mindful about all situations, which have been confronted through association, not just with issues however with certain positive viewpoints about association additionally. Side by side, they must be furnished with the data of every laborer alongside their exhibitions through doing week by week gatherings. They must talk about focuses on that they have been ready to accomplish alongside for the most elevated targets, they must be given the high remunerates with respect to rewards accordingly that they would not have any issue with Management. Second conformity, which I need to propose, has been that there must be benevolent society among laborers, chiefs and Management. Purpose behind that has been that, when there has been the inviting society among them, there could be no negative considering anyone furthermore of the Management alongside their choices. Administration may feel free while taking choices and also laborers could feel free of climbing any grumble when they have any issue as to choices of Management, separated from that giving the abdication letter. 5. Consider a situation as a consultant with Perrier. Propose at least two (2) adjustments that should be made to improve its change strategy and provide a justification as to why those adjustments would increase the effectiveness of the strategy. Being expert with the Perrier, I may propose those changes for upgrading the change method of association. Since Perrier has been the association having completely separate society, having separate working criteria alongside laborers in examination to the Nestle, I could have proposed that much in the wake of fusing with the Nestle, Perrier must keep choice making force with itself. As Perriers individual Management realizes that their specialists alongside its attitude matches with each other alongside being its individual supervisor, Management couldnt take any choice, which could hurt the preferences alongside offices, which have given to their representatives at expense of the association. In actuality,  worker could likewise not have any protest on choices taken through Management as they realize that those have been choices taken through its individual Management alongside them couldnt provide for its laborers any mischief. On account of that, specialists couldnt lose its enthusiasm toward function and Management furthermore they could be working with a great deal more enthusiasm and also potential for bringing the association out of the awful situation. Both, Management alongside laborers may fabricate inspirational state of mind of each an alternate alongside no cynicism could influence gainfulness and in addition advancement of the association (Tomlin son, 2004). Second principle step, which I may take being the specialist of association, I could favor taking every choice of the association after dialog and in addition aggregate supposition from all specialists alongside Management parts. As this has not been attainable to examine every choice among all laborers, accordingly for the representatives union in control must be termed and in addition Management must talk about matter among him furthermore his assessment should, whats more, be given inclination. Such thing would help the association bringing viable choices alongside would assemble the certainty inside their representatives of their choices of progressions and also workers would be intrigued of working with full certainty. This report portrays how safety may harm choice making methodology of any association however how the compelling Management may tackle every one of those Management issues. The best Management has been the particular case that brings all laborers alongside Managem ent parts along and also redirects all its exertions towards positive bearing for creating the association and side by side specialists. References Austin, A. (2012). Management 6681. Problems at Perrier. SAGE learning. Jeffrey, H. (2012). Change Management: The people side of change, paperback edition. Prosci Learning Center Publications. Tomlinson, R. (2004). Waters at Perrier. Retrieved from: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/11/29/8192716/index.htm

Factors contributing to child abuse

Factors contributing to child abuse According to the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, about 4,000,000 children die each year as a result of child abuse and neglect (Bob 12). Child abuse refers to nonaccidental harm that is inflicted on children by their parents or other adults (Magill 218). Many people do not take child abuse seriously because they either believe that harsh discipline is necessary, or they do not realize how bad it really is. Both child abuse and neglect are serious social problems that often have a lasting negative impact on the development of minors (Magill 218). Due to the incredibly violent and graphic nature of A Child Called It, readers may not believe the encounters are factual. However, they most regrettably are true. The abusive actions in A Child Called It parallel those of real-life child abuse cases. Abuse mostly occurs in families who are young, poor, and single (Palmisano 228). When families are going through hard times, there is a lot of stress that comes along with it. With all of this stress, the parents take it out on their children. Having a crisis in the home heightens the chances that a child will be abused (Bob 15). A familys relationship is a very important part of the system in the household. Domestic violence and parental issues are also contributing problems in reoccurring child abuse cases. Parents who abuse each other are more likely to abuse their child as well, because violence in one aspect of family life often flows into other aspects (Rein 54). Families in which the wife hits the husband, the child abuse rate was considerably higher, resulting in 22.9 children per one hundred children (Rein 54). There has also been found a correlation between family income and child abuse and neglect, (Rein 52). Child abuse cases are more likely to occur in households where money is in short supply, especially if the caregivers are unemployed (Bob 15). Difficulty in the family structure can also trigger child abuse. Children in single-family households were at higher risk of physical abuse and all types of neglect than were children in other family structures (Rein 51). In A Child Called It Dave Pelzer suffers child abuse at the hands of his alcoholic mother. It was not like this all the time. At first she was a loving and caring mother, and then she changed dramatically. Together they used to have good times. They would always spend all their time together, going to the zoo and the park, until the family slowly started to split apart. Pelzers father was a firefighter, so he worked many twenty-four hour shifts, which caused problems between him and his wife. If parents are having problems in their relationship, then they take out their anger on others. In Pelzers situation, his mother took care of all her feelings by drinking and abusing her son. Most people believe that the fathers are abusers because they are bigger and stronger, but it is mostly the women. In fact, there are many households where the woman of the family beats the man: 80% of fatal maltreatment cases were attributed to women, that is for both child abuse, and spouse abuse (Carey 23). Many people believe that women are not capable of child abuse because of their maternal instinct, but woman are the abusive ones. According to Carey, 58% of child abuse is by the mother. Many abusers inflict abuse onto their kids because that is how they grew up. The severity of child abuse, and the manner in which children are abused, bears a strong resemblance to the type of maltreatment experienced by their mothers (Kim 54). Another big contributing factor to child abuse is substance abuse. There are some cases where there is drug abuse, but the most common substance is alcohol. According to the Children of Alcoholics Foundation, 40 percent of confirmed child abuse cases involve the use of alcohol or other drugs (Kim 54). In most cases, with or without depression as a factor, studies indicate that a major contributing factor to child abuse is alcohol or drug addiction (Kim 54). In A Child Called It, the abuse is done by Pelzers alcoholic mother. With the father gone, the mother made herself useless and drunk. At times while Father was away at work, she would spend the entire day lying on the couch, dressed only in her bathrobe, watching television. Mom got up only to go to the bathroom, get another drink or heat leftover food (Pelzer 30). Shortly after this phase of being lazy, she started to abuse her son, with alcohol at her side. Whenever child abuse is suspected, the most important thing to do is to report it. Many people do not report child abuse, which may result in the child dying. There are so many reasons that people do not report child abuse, and it becomes a big mistake: 60% failed to report child maltreatment because they did not have enough evidence that the child had been maltreated (Rein 23). Whether there is a lot of evidence or not, all child abuse suspicions should be reported because it could save a childs life. Also, around 16% failed to report because they did not think CPS would do a good job (Rein 23). Whether it is believed that they would do a good job or not, letting someone know what is going on can make the smallest difference in a childs life. One-third of the mandated reporters thought the abuse was not serious enough to warrant reporting (Rein 23). There are many organizations today that will help if there is suspected child abuse, without putting the victim in any further danger. For example, there are the Societies for the Cruelty to Children, American Human Association, Child Welfare League, National Council on Child Abuse and Family Violence, and much more (Dolan 60-68). In A Child Called It all of the teachers knew about Pelzers abuse but did not say anything. According to Pelzer, every day when he walked into school he went to the nurse for their daily routine. She would ask him to remove his clothes and check all over his body for new marks. All of the teachers knew but were afraid to say something. Mr. Hansen, one of the teachers that knew about this, even called home one night to talk to his mother. When Pelzer got home that night he got a beating because of it. Child abuse is a serious crime. Many people are afraid to intervene, but they should. Many people do not really believe that child abuse is as bad as they hear from different stories, but it really is. In A Child Called It, most things that happen in real life child abuse cases, was present in the book. In both real life and in Pelzers story, the family was experiencing trouble in the structure and relationships. Also, the abuser was the mother figure. And the worse thing of all is the community negligence. Many people do not say anything, whether what they suspect is really happening or not. Child abuse is real and Dave Pelzer experienced it first hand.

Examine Eliot’s treatment of women in Prufrock, Preludes, Portrait of E

Examine Eliot’s treatment of women in Prufrock, Preludes, Portrait of a Lady and Rhapsody on a Windy Night In all four of the poems; ‘Prufrock’, ‘Preludes’, ‘Portrait of a Lady’ and ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’, Eliot makes references to women. Eliot seems to treat women almost as objects to either be looked at with wonder and, at times, fascination or as objects to be scorned upon. In all of the poems Eliot makes the voice of the poem slightly distanced from the women and this, to me, makes the women seem almost untouchable. When looking at the poem ‘Prufrock’ we must first notice that the full title is ‘The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock.’ This title seems almost ironic as, after reading the poem, we realise that the poem is not a love song at all. The title is beauteous however, like the women Eliot makes reference to in the poem; â€Å"In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo.† This small, non-descriptive mention of women tells us much about Eliot’s perception of women in ‘Prufrock.’ These two lines, presented to us almost like a chorus, interrupt the flow of the poem, which is perhaps what women did in Eliot’s life. These lines also show Eliot’s fascination with women as women were less educated than men around 1910 when ‘Prufrock’ was conceived, so for these women to talk of Michelangelo is almost shocking and something to be marvelled upon. In Prufrock, I believe Eliot is concerned with the high society of women and the poem shows his fascination with them. The tone of ‘Prufrock’ is not bitter towards the women, nor does it celebrate them, it merely comments on the women and Eliot seems to give a fairly neutral view of women. ‘Portrait of a Lady’ is another poem in which Eliot ex... ...apsody on a Windy Night’. By appealing to our senses, Eliot draws us in to his poetry up to a point where we can almost smell exactly what he is describing, which brings us closer to the women in his poems. Between the four poems â€Å"Prufrock†, â€Å"Portrait of a Lady†, â€Å"Preludes† and â€Å"Rhapsody on a Windy Night† Eliot provides us with a rounded view of women. He describes the beautiful and untouchable side of them in ‘Prufrock’, the darker, more sordid side of women in ‘Preludes’ and ‘Rhapsody on a Windy Night’ with a description of how false women can be in ‘Portrait of a Lady’. Eliot’s imagery is effective in the poems, as by using it he justifies his reasons for describing the women in the way he does. I feel that Eliot describes women in the way in which he views them, drawing from personal experiences and what he takes from poets who have gone before him.

A merger between Kennecott and Carborundum Essay

In 1968, Kennecott Copper Corporation made a hasty decision when it purchased Peabody Coal Company. In the years preceding the acquisition, Kennecott had experienced wide swings in its profitability, which it was looking to offset by diversification. Investing in another company in a different industry was an intelligent decision; however, Peabody was the wrong company to do this with. Although Peabody had been profitable and stable over the past few years leading up to the acquisition, the internal rate of return related to the investment was not high enough to justify a purchase of the company. Peabody’s cost of debt was .038. This was calculated by assuming a 40% tax rate and .095 rate on debt (Exhibit 3). There was a .095 interest rate on notes payable due June 30, 1998; therefore, we assumed the rate of debt at the time of purchase would have been similar. Also, Peabody’s cost of equity was .1397. This was calculated by using a risk-free rate of .055, which was the rate of the 90-day T-bill in 1968. A beta of 1 was assumed and a .082 market risk premium was used. The latter figure was determined by taking the average returns on the short-term T-Bill rate from 1951-1975. This rate was used because we know Peabody was a short-term investment and the years 1951-1975 give a more accurate reflection of the market return than using the figure from 1926-1987. Furthermore, the weight of debt and equity were .35 and .65 respectively. These figures were used because we are told that approximately 65% of Kennecott’s net worth was tied up in Peabody. These figures gave a weighted average cost of capital of 9.70%. The IRR for this purchased was calculated by using $621.5 million as the initial investment. This figure was determined as a result of Kennecott giving Peabody $285 million in cash, assuming $36.5 million in liabilities, and taking on a reserved payment of $300 million. Also, the figures used to determine IRR came from the figures given under cash flow from operation for the 8 years preceding the Peabody acquisition. This gave us an IRR of 6.8% (Exhibit 3), which is less than the WACC. When the IRR of a project is less than the WACC, the project should not be accepted. Likewise, after Peabody was acquired, it under-performed for several years until Kennecott sold it. Because of its underperformance, Kennecott had to sell Peabody for less than it paid for it. After being forced to sell Peabody, Kennecott had a large amount of cash on hand, which it did not know what to do with. Instead of giving the money back to its investors in the form of dividends or repurchasing shares of Kennecott stock that was trading below book value of the firm, Kennecott once again chose to diversify by investing in another company. This time Kennecott tendered an offer to Carborundum, a company that produced abrasives and ceramics used in the high-technology industry. Kennecott is correct in its decision that it must do something with its excess cash. By doing nothing, it will be vulnerable to a takeover; however, we do not believe diversification is the most prudent form of action. Kennecott is simply reacting to low and unstable copper prices, which have drastically hurt its bottom line. Furthermore, there are no obvious synergies connected with this deal. During an acquisition, the company being acquired should provide a greater value to the acquiring firm, than to any other firm. Because there are no synergies and the fact that the $66 tender is over $31 greater than Carborundum’s book value, the acquisition should not be made. Similarly, when discovering the terminal value, we took the total capital for 1976 and divided it by the net profit (Exhibit 1). We then took this figure, which was 10.68, and used it as our multiplier. We multiplied the projected net incomes for the next 10-years by 10.68 (Exhibit 2) to discover the firms terminal value. Finally we added the firm’s projected terminal value in 1977 to its net present value, which we calculated to be ($1.05 Million). This was achieved by discounting the cash flow each year by the IRR. So for year 1 the formula was (410)/1.054 giving (389). We discounted through 1987 (Exhibit 4). The large initial investment is what hurt Kennecott. They paid too much for a company they knew little about. This gave us a firm value of $ 409.06 million in 1977. At the time of the tender there were 8 million outstanding shares. At $66 per share, Kennecott was paying $528 million for a firm with a value of only $409.6 million. Obviously, it does not make sense to acq uire this firm. Like wise, Kennecott was ignoring its responsibility to its shareholders. Making this acquisition would dilute shareholder value. This was most evident in the actions of one investor who took the time to file a suit against Kennecott. This investor also believed the tender offer was too high. We feel Kennecott would best benefit from a stock repurchase. At the time of the Carborundum tender offer, Kennecott’s stock was trading at $28 per share, which was $14.50 less than its book value. By not partaking in a stock repurchase, it appears as if Kennecott does not believe it can turn its own operations around. If it cannot fix its own business, it should not be expanding. Kennecott must take an inward look at itself and discover where its problems lie. Until this is done, it should put ambitions of expanding on hold.

Methods Section: How Work Affects GPA

To assess the influence of employment on the grade point average of students who are either part time or full time employed, the researcher prepared a questionnaire with open and closed ended questions.   The open ended questions were meant to provide greater insight into the subject.   Responses to such questions that the researcher considered worthy of note were recorded in the Discussions section of the study.   The closed ended questions, on the other hand, provided the researcher with quantitative data.   An analysis of the answers to the closed ended questions utilized descriptive statistics, the most important of which was the mean value of the variable in question (See Questionnaire in the Appendix).The researcher identified fifteen students who were engaged in full time employment, plus fifteen more who were employed part time.   Participants in each of the groups were selected out of the student population based on the researcher’s discretion rather than ra ndom selection.   The selected participants in the study had first of all to sign an â€Å"Informed Consent† form to declare that they understand that they are participating in a research study to understand the influence of employment on the grade point average.Also on the â€Å"Informed Consent† form was a signed statement of the researcher, claiming that the data collected through the questionnaire as well as the results of the research would not identify the participant’s name.   In other words, all information gathered through this research is confidential with respect to the names of the participants in the study (See Informed Consent form in the Appendix).Following the agreement of the students to participate in the study – as indicated on the â€Å"informed consent† forms that each individual subject was required to sign – the participants,  divided into two groups based on the above mentioned criteria, received the questionnai re designed by the researcher.   The verbal instructions given the participants were simply to answer all questions honestly, and to turn in their completed questionnaires by the end of the week during which the questionnaires were handed out.   The participants, upon being handed out the questionnaires, were also asked to feel free to contact the researcher at any time in order to pose any questions that would emerge in the process of the completion of the questionnaire.Once the participants had submitted their questionnaires on time to the researcher, the latter began qualitative and quantitative analysis on the collected data.

Ideological underpinnings of a movie Essay

An expectation has arisen among film-critics and audiences, that movie-makers will deal with the serious issues, such as racism and violence, at a serious level. In other words, it is expected by critics and film-goers alike that films will have meaning. However, if meaning is expected — what precisely creates and communicates meaning in a film? As Louis Giannetti points out in his book, Understanding Movies (2008), the presence of ideology in a film impacts the film in its entirety, from tone to theme. In Giannetti’s estimation, â€Å"ideology is another language system in film† and this language is largely conveyed through â€Å"code† (Giannetti, 453). In order to help illustrate the way that ideology influences films, Giannetti offers a series of categories into which the influence of ideology in film can be functionally divided. The following discussion of the film 300 (2007) will use Giannetti’s ideas as a support-structure to show how meaning in film is ultimately determined by the film’s prevailing ideology. In any discussion of meaning in film, it will be important to distinguish between what might be considered â€Å"overt† or even propagandistic meaning and thematic or expressive meaning. Of course this distinction is quite artificial and the two hypothetically divided types of meaning are often one and the same. That said, there is often a conspicuous difference between a film which has an explicit propagandistic agenda than a film which is based on generating thematic and emotional subtlety. The movie 300 offers, even to the most casual viewer, an example of what Giannetti calls â€Å"Explicit† ideology (Giannetti, 449). In this category of ideological content, a movie serves, at least partially, as obvious propaganda for a viewpoint or cause. That 300 functions as a form of propaganda is easily arguable. However, it is slightly more difficult to pinpoint exactly what specific cause or theme is being forwarded by the film’s ideology. In order to determine the film’s ideological bearing, closer attention must be paid to its content and its artistic tone. Giannetti mentions that tone in a film can be one of the most important aspects of presenting the film’s ideology. What Giannetti means by tone is â€Å"its manner of presentation† (Giannetti, 489). For example, in the movie 300, any number of important scenes, if played with a â€Å"comic† rather than a â€Å"heroic† tone, would create a different response in the viewer and therfore communicate a different ideological vision. Imagine the scene where Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well: if the well had sounded out a loud burp after swallowing the messenger, the tone of the scene would have mocked the idea of Spartan pride and Spartan loyalty rather than celebrating it. The reason that tone is so important in a film is that it defines the way the audience will evaluate and judge the characters and scenes of a film. Because as Giannetti insists, â€Å"Tone can strongly affect our responses to a given set of values† (Giannetti, 489), tone is closely connected to ideology and theme. In the example given above, Leonidas kicks the Persian messenger down the well and this scene is presented in a heroic tone. From the outset of the film, the viewer is cued-in to understand that the Spartans are heroic and that they operate from a sense of pride and fearlessness. The tone of heroicism is conveyed not only through the action of the scene, but through the stylized representation of the characters as muscle-bound heros. The Mise-en-scene of the film is connected to the visual color-schemes of comic books and graphic novels. The sense of legend permeates the film, as it permeates the actual historical event. Therefore, the most dominant or controlling tone of 300 can be considered â€Å"heroic. † The fact that a movie has a controlling tone does not mean that other types of tones are not present in isolated scenes. In fact, the opposite is generally the case. The shifts against the dominant tone also help to convey meaning and ideology in a film. If the controlling tone of 300 is heroic, then the scenes that play against this dominant tone, such as the scene where Theron rapes Queen Gorgo, serve to reinforce the film’s dominant tone and ideology. When Theron tells the Queen she will not enjoy what is going to happen to her, the tone of the scene is tragic rather than heroic, and Theron’s status as a villain is cemented in the audience’s minds. The scene, by depicting graphically, the rape of Sparta’s Queen reinforces the heroic sacrifice of Leonidas and his men. Another aspect of films that influences ideological language is the cultural context in which a given film is made and shown. Cultural context is a crucial aspect of a film’s ideological meaning. The expectations of a given audience rest on the fact that â€Å"Every nation has a characteristic way of looking at life, a set of values that is typical of a given culture† (Giannetti, 465). The movie 300 is an American movie made for American audiences. ecause of this it would be hard for anyone to miss the obvious connections between contemporary world-events and the ideological themes that are shown in the movie. Comparisons with recent events are more or less easy. Any observer could see the present-day war against terrorism as a stand for freedom and to view the Battle of Thermopylae as a sort of allegory for the modern-day struggle against tyra nny. Obviously, the movie 300 forwards this connection through the kind of â€Å"code† that Giannetti describes. Still, as Dennis Behreandt points out in his review of the film from The New American (2007) the movie â€Å"serves to buttress the American mythos that our present-day warriors are likewise fighting for freedom in Iraq† and also that this is most evident in the scene where † Gorgo addresses the Gerousia, the Spartan Senate† when her speech could only remind any aware person of the â€Å"recent troop surge in Iraq† (Behreandt). This kind of cultural context would, obviously, be of less significance to someone who lived out side of the U. S. han to someone steeped in to American values. In addition to the cultural context of a film, there is usually a predominant political context. The political context of a film, for Giannetti, can loosely be divided into one of two categories: left and right. Left-leaning films are those that show multiple viewpoints to issues and propose more flexible responses to issues and problems. Giannetti describes leftists as people who â€Å"believe we ought to be flexible in our judgments. † By contrast, right-leaning film-makers are those who embrace a more stringent world-view. The rightist film-maker is â€Å"more absolute in judging human behavior [†¦ ] Right and wrong are fairly clear-cut and ought to be evaluated according to a strict code of conduct† (Giannetti, 457). In the case of 300, the designation of â€Å"Rightest† is, obviously, the most fitting for the film due to its tone and cultural perspective. Loosely, according to the discussion above, the following observations about 300 can be made in light of Giannetti’s criteria for evaluating the ideological underpinnings of films. First, that 300 is a film that relies predominantly on a heroic tone. Second, the film 300 depends on the specific cultural associations of American society to find its full ideological impact. Third, that 300 represents a â€Å"Rightest† political ideology. The three conclusions, taken together, along with the initial determination that 300 is an â€Å"explicit† communicator if ideology, beg the question as to whether or not 300 is more a vehicle for entertainment or propaganda. One of the opposing aspects to this idea is the fact that 300 is based on history. The idea that historical realism balances out the â€Å"poetic licesne† often taken by Hollywood regarding tone and presentation is one that, for better or worse, many film-goers probably believe. In addition to the idea that a culture could exert such self-discipline in its military caste and instill within each soldier a sense of bravery and fearlessness was a very powerful concept in 300 , which seems to resonate deeply with modern times. It is hard not to be fascinated by the Spartans, to wonder what made them as strong and resolute a they were and to wonder just as Xerxes â€Å"†What kind of men were these Spartans who in three days had slain before his Majesty’s eyes no fewer than twenty thousand of His most valiant warriors? † (Pressfield, 8). However, the fact shades of realism exist within the largely stylized or expressionistic â€Å"flavor† of the film only serves to elevate its power to transmit equally stylized (or stereotyped) ideologies. For example, the difference between vanity and pride seemed to have a great deal of influence on the Spartan conception of bravery as it was portrayed in the movie 300. Modern-day leaders would never think of putting themselves in direct danger like King Leonidas: his pride rather than his vanity dictated his actions and pride stems from a sense of civic (or national) unity. Loyalty is another important concept in the movie. It becomes the central most important idea, given that Spartan military power evolved out of the phalanx, which required the utmost loyalty and steadfastness of each warrior in the unit as a whole. The idea that â€Å"a Greek traitor showed the Persians another path, which enabled them to come round behind and encircle the Greeks† and that this ultimately led to the wholesale destruction of the Spartans at Thermopylae shows how important loyalty was to the Spartans. After Leonidas is killed † his men fought on with redoubled fury under the Persian arrows, as much to defend the fallen body of their King from the savagery of the barbarians as to show their valor† (â€Å"THE GREATEST WARRIORS†). The historical basis of the film is incorporated into the larger and more important â€Å"myth† of the movie that is conveyed in heroic tones that simplify historical subtleties and create a fictional paradigm of idealism. Therefore, the fact that realism in films can be construed into a propagandistic function, is the reality that filmmakers, and especially American filmmakers, are subject to the prejudices and â€Å"blind-spots† which are inherent to the social position they occupy and to which they owe their ability to make high-profile films. Elizabeth G. Traube’s Dreaming Identities: Class, Gender, and Generation in 1980s (1992) offers background to the mores and machinations of the filmmaking industry in America and her observations are important for understanding that movies are, in fact, propagandistic and often they represent the experience of only a very small segment of American society. This narrowness is obscured, according to Traube, beneath a veneer which can be thought of as a traditional moralistic package. Traube points out that, in reality, â€Å"audience preferences are only one of many factors that influence production decisions. Producers also shape their work to conform to dominant sensibilities and values, including those of the producing community itself† (Traube, 69). This reality combined with Traube’s complex but insightful understanding of â€Å"fairy-tale† motifs in movies is crucial to elucidating the way that anger and racial conflict are expressed propagandistically in film. All fables rely on a straightforward, linear narrative due to the fact that complex stories tend to obscure the thrust of the intended moral. Because the author of any fable is able to transform â€Å"topical news and politics into universal predicaments† (â€Å"Haggis’s Fable† 38), a fable carries with it the dangerous connotations of stereotype and oversimplification. The movie 300 stands as an heroic statement about the importance of protecting liberty and freedom. The ideological message that bravery and loyalty are essential aspects of preserving freedom and rather than Sparta, now â€Å"it is America that faces the threat from Persia† and by telling this story so forcefully and with so much passion the film embrace the â€Å"mythos of the battle rather than the historical truth of the era,† which is strongly conveyed in the film. (Behreandt). The ideological underpinnings of the movie 300 are based in a rightist, conservative set of political values that celebrate military capacity and force of strength. he films’ ideological message is one of social and civic duty as well as xenophobia. The film is geared toward an American audience in a time when America faces military challenges on several fronts and as such plays to the expectations of its audience. The tone of the film is heroic and its political ideology is conservative. The most logical conclusion that can be drawn from these facts is that, as mentioned by Giannetti, the ideological language of the film emerges as the most important aspect of the film as a whole. Further, the â€Å"code† that is used in the movie is comprised of historical truths and cultural stereotypes. The film blurs the line between entertainment and propaganda. It is accurate to suggest that the film, stripped of its propagandistic functions, would cease to exist. The unity of the film, in terms of narrative, editing, staging, costuming, scene construction and even music is derived more from a unity of ideology than from a unity of style or form. The movie follows a traditional fairy-tale arc of narrative to reinforce an already existing set of ideologies in its expected audience. Therefore, the best way in which to interpret the movie 300 is the method demonstrated by Giannetti that isolates and categorizes the ideological code of a film and makes the ideological language much more understandable for the average film-goer.