Changes In The Concepts Of Childhood

Changes In The Concepts Of Childhood Discuss how childhood has changed since the 19th century. How do concepts from this period continue to influence current attitudes to childhood? What is childhood Childhood, the early years of a persons life, between birth to about 8 years, is also considered most beautiful, most meaningful and most important part of life for a human being. The importance of childhood can be understood by observing the fact that though many scientists have different theories to define the process of human development they all agree on the importance of childhood and experiences in that time having a profound affect on an individuals life. Many researches have been made on the process of human development and tough there are many proposed theories the actual difference between them is about how complex the relation really is between the stages and not what the stages really are. The differences are intrinsic not extrinsic. They all agree that childhood is a time when a person is moving from concrete to abstract thought. Man did learn sciences such as astrology, numerology, mathematics etc but the concept of schooling was deficient. People only knew as much as was required to trade and earn a living. A study conducted on child development concluded that in the year 1750 about 33 percent of infants and new born babies were left on doorsteps or social care homes by parents. (Archard, 1993)Poor children were also made to work in land mines and other industries by their parents to earn a living. Efforts to eradicate child labor have been made over centuries by the responsible government bodies in different countries and social welfare organizations in the world. But it seems that despite the changing perceptions towards childhood, statistical data proves otherwise. The commencement of specific child development theories and acknowledgment of these theories only date back to some 200 years ago, in the 17th and 18th century. An acclaimed name, in this regard is of Professor Malcolm W. Watson. (Heywood, 2001)He researched on Human Development and formed theories that are still studied and followed. Results of his findings emphasized on six major theories by different people in different times. These theories focus on different stages man goes through from infancy to adulthood. Details of how environment and other factors affect childhood are also underscored. The theories encompass effects and behavioral changes in man and what we opine about our own selves, be it scientists, researchers or a common man. Psychodynamic theory-Sigmund Freud. (James, 2004)This theory says that human psychology can be broken down in to three separate parts. These are namely the id, the ego and the superego. Id is the childish part of our personality and its driving force is food, warmth and appreciation and the sexual drive. This side of every being is then balanced by the other two parts i.e. ego and superego. The superego is contradictory to id. It is that part of human personality which enables us to control one self. Through this one acts in a socially acceptable manner. The ego is some where in the middle of these two extremes. Most of our troubles arise from balancing between the id and the superego. Oedipus complex is another very important entity of Freuds theory. This stage is when the child develops feelings for his opposite sex parents. Boys wish to take place of their father and be the head of the family and act as a husband to their mother but at the same time they respect their father and fear that if they cross limits they will have to bare the consequences. Psychosocial theory by Erik Erickson (Kehily, 2003)He coined the famous phrase Identity Crisis. His personality theory had 8 stages from infancy to old age. These were 1. Hope, 2. Will, 3. Purpose, 4. Competence, 5. Fidelity, 6. Love, 7. Caring, 8. Wisdom. Erik was the first to bring forth the notion that development is spread over our entire lives and not just childhood. Integrated Attachment theory- John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth: This theory originated in the early years of 1950s and was a joint effort by John Bowlby, specialist in child psychiatry and a psychologist, Mary Ainsworth. The concept is based on relationships and connections developed in the yearly years of our life. Also real life issues in a childs life pertaining to loss and separations with which he had emotional ties are emphasized upon in the theory. Social Learning theory by Albert Bandura: This theory was a modified version of the traditional learning theories. It says that learning is the same in infants, children, adults and even animals. Albert says that all respond to stimulus. Cognitive Mediation theory- Lev Vygotsky: Supporting many other major theorists, Vygotsky opines that learning comes first and paves way for development. According to his theory, a child learns through other individuals around him i.e. parents, teachers, siblings and other children. He says that developing thoughts and new skills is based on people in the environment we live in and our interaction with them. Cognitive developmental theory- Jean Piaget: Jean Piaget, a Swiss psychologist says that children learn by building their own cognitive worlds. He believed that individuals go through four stages of understanding. All of these are age related. Sensorimotor stage: This is from birth to two years of age. In this first stage, infants coordinate the senses of seeing and hearing with physical and motoric experiences to understand. Thus, the name sensorimotor. Preoperational stage: It goes on from two years of age to seven years. Children at this stage start relating the world and their surroundings with words and images. They go beyond the sensory experiences in this stage. Concrete Operational Stage: This third stage lasts from 7 years to eleven years. Children can perform operations, and logical reasoning replaces intuitive thought as long as reasoning can be applied to specific or concrete examples. For instance, concrete operational thinkers cannot imagine the steps necessary to complete algebraic equation, which is too abstract for thinking at this stage of development. (Mayall, 1994) Formal Operational Stage: The final stage is from 11 to 15 years. Children move further from concrete thoughts to abstracts and logical thinking. As a part of abstractive thinking they create hypothetical ideal circumstances and then compare their own life with these standards, deducing a satisfactory conclusion. In a nutshell, childhood is the time when we are understanding simple operations in order to be able to understand and master complex tasks in future. We need to identify the environment around us and use language to make connections to objects and the world in general. If this basic understanding is faulty, the future would certainly hold a lot more surprises, and many of them would be unwelcome. Only when a child fully understands the world around is he really able to grasp abstract concepts and use logic to reach meaningful conclusions in future. Having now understood what childhood is all about, how a human mind is developing, in stages, to understand the world it is introduced to and how important this part of life is in your life and mine, let us now take a look into how childhood has been different for people in the past century and the present. Childhood in the 18th century Compared to Childhood in the 19th century To begin with, the treatment of children with utmost care, especially in their earliest years, is a fairly recent notion. Before the 18th century, child mortality rate was so high that people had a lot of children of whom only a few actually survived. Parents could not afford to get too emotionally attached to children until they crossed a threshold age where chances of survival became greater than chances of death. In France, during the 17th century, between 20%-50% of infants died in their first year. (5) (Wyness, 2000) Zelizer, in his book, Pricing The Priceless Child, tells us how in the middle ages, Spanish children when they died could be buried anywhere on the premises, rather like a cat or dog, often, their bodies were sewn together into sacks and put inside common graves.In early Arabian cultures, the birth of a female child was considered a burden, it was mourned upon and in cases the infant was buried alive. Religion played a vital role in controlling erratic human behaviors and in both the east and the west, the religious institution was the first to recognize the rights of children and honorable dealings with them. The following table describes how religion basd institutions have provided childhood care facilities in the African continent. (Linda, 1984) With time and with the slow but steady spread of education, the world started becoming a different place altogether, especially in respect of the rights of children, and that happened mostly during the 18th and 19th centuries. We have, as the human species, come to realize that childhood is not just a biological phase in life. It holds much more meaning; it gives birth to a social being that embodies the belief system of on an entire populace at a point in time. Parents attitudes toward child bearing and rearing have undergone drastic reconstruction in modern times. 19th Century Concepts: In the 19th century children did not have a significant importance. No formal education and learning took place inside homes. Mothers generally did not have the awareness to spend time with their children and nurture them. A father in every home has been the breadwinner since times immemorial but women in the 19th century also joined the earning league. Till the early 19th century children were used to earn a living and a study shows that more than fifty percent of factory workers were children under the age of eleven years in northern parts of the world. They were made to work hard and perform hazardous jobs such as cleaning up narrow chimneys and going down cramped tunnels owing to their small size. Most historians would agree that children in present day world are much better off than the children in past centuries. But they continue to debate the extent to which childhood has changed since the 19th century and how the adults approach to childhood and dealing with children has altered. As such, children in past centuries worked with their parents from a very small age. But it was the industrial revolution of the 19th century which actually caused the inception of child labour. Researchers in the field of human development take one of two stances when explaining early childhood. They hold either an essentialist view (which considers childhood a commonalty that is no different in any part of the world, more a biological state than anything deeper). The other view to childhood, the constructionist view pictures childhood as being different in different cultures and different times. A child in Japan would be fundamentally different than a child in Britain. The children of one count ry would also be much different at different times. We can just take a look at the children around us and see the difference between our childhood and theirs to grasp the importance of the constructionist view. Cross cultural differences in childhood and its perception by elders is linked to the societies sense of a childs autonomy. It was considered an a vital aspect of Western cultures (Holland, 1992)but was not so prominent in eastern ones. While western mothers emphasized on teaching their child personal values and their rights at , each part of their lives, Japanese and Pakistani mothers have always emphasized more on differential treatment of elders and good mannerism (Gittens, 1998)The difference, as we see it plainly today, is that Japanese children display greater sensitivity and self discipline while American children are more confident and expressive. However, it has long been a subject of argument between researchers that irrespective of the vast differences in child rearing strategies across many cultures the fundamental importance of parenthood comes out in the form of warmth and acceptance against rejection and neglect (Jenks, 1996)However whether eastern cultures have been m ore histile toward the child in the past or western cultures have been more so is a matter of debate. While western cultures have displayed a generally strict attitude toward the childrearing and the lack of acknowledgement to their a childs own autonomy, eastern cultures on the other hand believe that strictness, control and and even corporal punishment are but ways to shw a child how much a prent cares. While the Chienese may consider American parents less caring for their childrens development of important social virtues, the American parent may consider Chinese as totally autorotarian and irrational (Higgonet, 1998)However, another psychological argument presented by Scientists says that in such collectivistic cultural arrangements as the Chinese, Japanese or Indian, authoritarian and restrictive parenting practices are necessary for maintaining harmoniously stable society . Literature on childhood from different cultures across the world have shown two main stream belief systems, the concept of childhood as Dionysian and Apollonian (Jenks, 1996)The Dionysian belief, taking from the greek mythological figure Dionysus (Prince of wine, nature and revelry) assumes that every child is born with evil or corruption in its nature imbued in their conscience. The Apollonian child is considers, from nature, the very image of beauty, poetry, sunshine and light. This is the belief that is prevalent today in the 21st century but did not exist in earlier centuries. While 19th century children were treated rather like animals. The industrial revolutions laid the foundations for the market for low paid child labour. IN textile factories, they worked as many as twelve hours a day. As education crept into the masses the parliament began passing laws to curtail child labour, but the first effective rule, emforced with the help of factory inspectors, came about in 1833. Education was not considered a necessity for every child and the responsibility of the state as late as 1870 and even then the poorest members of society could not afford school fee which were abolished in 1891. Victorian children were used to beatings and in extreme circumstances, poor children were forced to wear a cap which said dunce meaning a stupid person. Children dressed like adults, were supposed to act like adults and were treated in both love and hate as adults. The extent of neglect towards children can be seen by the fact that the first public park for children was build as late as 1859 in the city of Manchester. To us then, the hundreds of complex laws that protect children from evils makes utmost sense. Sexual and physical abuse, pornography, beatings and even simple neglect are considered crimes against childhood. Special laws for the special treatment of children are now in place to ensure that children are treated with delicate care. It seems that parental affection is not much of an instinct but only a reflection of what parents consider to be their duties toward their off spring. (Higgonet, 1998) It is a fact that parents in our world today can exercise less power over their children than in the past because a part of child rearing is controlled by the state (Donzalot, 1980). However these regulations have been brought into action to curtail the misuse of parental authority over children. Good parents can still be good parents, in fact, outside interference in maters such as family etiquettes, a childs eating, dressing, sleeping and entertainment habits and the setting of acceptable beahvorial standards is considered a breach of the parents right. The state usually only intervenes when it fears that the child is being ill treated or when it believes that the child is not well brought up and would be a danger to those around him or her. John Hood Willams (1990) points out that childrens lives are controlled by their families in quite a array of ways. Their social spaces are strictly defined, their times are set by elders, their clothes and haircut is subject to the parents ima ge of decency or acceptability. Parents even provide rules to be followed when eating, walking, talking and even standing in a crowd. Children are the most vulnerable to corporal punishment or all other members in the human society (Kline, 1993) However, 19th century and present day childhood is vastly different. Todays world is quite different than in the past century. Science and technology have rocketed human understanding of life many times over. Though the industrial revolution laid the foundations of all the progress we have seen in the past two hundred years, the greatest speed in the development of sciences and discovery has been hosted by the past 60 -70 years. Increasingly, the world has accepted that it is a global arena and not one divided by geographical boundaries. Cross cultural knowledge exchange has lead to a different populace which is ready to take on aspects of other societies almost readily. The media and internet have, without a trace of doubt, the greatest importance in the life of the modern child. Children are not only aware of fashion, trends and coursework, they are also aware of their rights and that 911 can save them from a parents physical or emotional abuse. At the same time that the present ce ntury is a blessing on children, it should also be brought into account that the 20th and 21st centuries have made childhood much more prone to corruption than previous centuries. To begin with, our environment is in a state of alarm, pollution and the green house effect have starting melting glaciers. Sea levels continue to rise and natural calamities have begun to affect humans in ever increasing ways. While countries emphasize on becoming wealthier and more powerful, they continue to expand their industrial and technological horizons but do not place due importance to the physical and mental development of a child. Physical activity (especially sport) for children has become an endangered species while computers and mobile phones have taken their place as a childs entertainment activity. Life has become fast and so much so that we enjoy and prefer fast food even if it delivers extremely low nutrition value and high cholesterol levels. Drug and sex abuse of children seems to be ri sing steadily, despite the existing laws to regulate such unacceptable actions. Terrorism, radical thought and the spirit of revolution among youth have made childhood an age where there should actually be more protection and concern from parents and the state. A childs cognitive and socioemotional development is therefore at the forefront of modern worlds strategies to rear better children. Cross cultural psychological studies have discovered that there are many ways in which cultural factors help in developing a sound child who would later develop into a socially acceptable person. The organization of physical and social setup in a surrounding, dictated by culture has a profound affect on the childs mannerism and activities. Prevalent social values, customs and norms provide a medium to evaluate his own acceptability or conformity in a society. Parental beliefs and practices, which have been molded by culture play a mediating role in a childs understanding of the world in which he/she lives. Contemporary societies use the schooling system, also built around their own cultural value, to imbed certain levels of acceptability criteria in the minds of children. (Gittens, 1998) For the broad minded modern child, many pieces of information, the instance of sexual information, is quite important in order to be able to perform in an agreeable way. It has already been shown by research that romantic ideals pave way for women coming to terms with their sexual drives and experiences .(Woodhead, 2003)At the same time boys, who hardly share romantic ideals with their parents tend to take on their masculine audacity to deal with love and sexual involvement .This finally leads to a pattern of married life (seen among the general populace) where women hardly get to the emotional closeness they expect to receive from their husbands .

Ancient Chinese Civilization Essay -- dynasties, China, technology, Ch

A significant part of the ancient Chinese civilization was that it shared a common background that is longer than any other ethnic group on Earth. China mostly isolated and unknown to the outside world, was quietly progressing at a rate greater than or equal to other notable civilizations of the prehistoric world. China was composed of several dynasties. The dynastic cycle played a definitive role in the successions of Chinese empires. Each era’s achievements and failures influenced the next. The combined contributions from all the regimes, not only led to the success and progress of China, but defined it as well. Technological discoveries, inventions, creations and its ability to adapt all participate in its maturity. The evolution of ancient Chinese dynasties provided the cultural, economical and governmental structure that developed and shaped their country into one of the marvels of ancient times. The governmental structure of the Chinese dynasties evolved with each changing regime. Even the title of king, as was called in the beginning, changed to emperor because it was not grand enough. Each dynasty had the king or emperor as the head of its government. They had supreme power over the economy, government, military, and religious beliefs of the country. The empires used a centralized bureaucracy that had overall control over the country. They learned vast amount from this form of government, each reign modified its structure accordingly, ranging from very strict to almost a hands-off approach. It was not replaced with any other form government; it simply evolved into what was suitable for each period. As the country expanded and became too vast for one man to rule, a feudal system was created, similar to the ones in ancien... ...guage, paper, the decimal system, nautical steering rudder and the use of negative numbers in mathematics to name a few are highlights of this nation’s cultural development and contributions to the world. China has the oldest surviving civilization in the world, lasting over 4,000 years. Its uniqueness was its stability. Ancient dynasties absorbed culture, economy and governmental structure from each other. It was the foundation of their civilization. History has revealed China’s enduring heritage and perseverance to preserve its society. Chinese technological advancements not only helped its nation and people, but also, influenced the development of other countries as well. Many of the systems from thousands of years ago are still a part of Chinese culture today. Works Cited John P McKay. History of World Societies. Palgrave; 9th Revised edition 2012

George MacDonalds The Princess and the Goblin :: MacDonald Princess Goblin Essays

George MacDonald's The Princess and the Goblin The moon has been worshipped as a female deity since the beginning of time. Not only is the moon a feminine principle, it is also a symbol of transformation due to its own monthly cycle of change. With this in mind, it is clear upon a close reading of The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald that the grandmother figure is a personification of the moon, and as such is a catalyzing agent for Irene's maturation and transformation through the course of the novel. Taking this a step further, the elder Irene contains the threefold aspect of the Moon Goddess. She is Artemis, Selene, and Hecate; the crescent moon, the full moon, and the dark moon; maiden, mother, and crone (Rush, 149). Due to the three-fold nature of the grandmother, one can break this story into three parts. It begins with Hecate the Dark Moon and crone, moves to Artemis the crescent moon and maiden, and ends with Selene the full moon and the mother. After interacting with each of these aspects, Irene undergoes a significant transformation which ultimately leads her to the next aspect. This tripartite structure is prevalent in folklore. Irene encounters Hecate the Dark Moon in her first two visits to her grandmother. This image of the grandmother is reinforced in two ways in Irene's encounter with her. First, her physical description matches the dark aspect, "she was dressed in black velvet with thick white heavy-looking lace about it; and on the black dress her hair shone like silver"(MacDonald, 13). Silver is the metal associated with the moon (Jobes 119). In addition, as Hecate is one of the caretakers of children (Stapleton, 89) and in the second scene with the grandmother, while she is still Hecate, she heals Irene's injured thumb. However, there is a much more subtle way in which the grandmother is developed as being Hecate. Since Hecate is the moon before, "she has risen and after she has set," (Jobes 1120) then the dark aspect of the grandmother in her first two scenes demonstrates that Irene is still in the dark period before her major transformation, before being brought into full illumination. Despite being within the dark aspect, Irene still benefits from her first encounter with her grandmother and thus undergoes a small change. Due to meeting her grandmother, Irene realizes that sometimes it is wise to keep her own counsel.

Spartan Women: Sarah B Pomery

A Critical Book Review: Spartan Women by: Sarah B. Pomeroy It goes without saying that during the time of Ancient Greeks, the lives of human beings and the things considered important vary greatly compared to those living today. More heavily centered on male-dominance and government, the land of Sparta was very different from its surrounding Greek counterparts. It was known for not only its great warriors, but also for its unusual treatment of women. By unusual, I don’t mean treatment of inequality or lack of superiority compared to men, because women were just as valued as men, if not more; for they bared the gift of life. Spartan Women† takes an inside look of the personal lives of Spartans, and in particular, Spartan women living during this era. From the very first moment a Spartan woman is born, her treatment was incomparable to that of other Greek women. She is valued, because she brings the gift of life. Throughout the book, Pomeroy examines the differences betwee n the lives of females paralleled to males. If we were to compare a female infant to a male infant born into Sparta, it was much more stressful to be a male. At birth, Spartans practiced infanticide on male infants, and deformed or weak babies would be thrown into a chasm on Mount Taygetos.This is a form of eugenics, according to Pomeroy, and it ensured a strong military for the state, by only allowing physically strong infants the gift of being reared. Although every male was entitled to owning land and receiving an education, they must first pass the physical test put on by the state that classified a physically fit male. Not all male babies were capable of being warriors, but as long as it didn’t have obvious deformities, it passed the test. Female babies were not scrutinized in the same fashion as males were, since their main objective wasn’t to be warriors.They were still valued, because even â€Å"weak† females could still grow into mothers of warriors. Pr ogressing further into childhood, males are taught from the very start how to become strong warriors, and females are taught how to become mothers of strong warriors. Because their state revolved around the physical superiority of their military, children are taught a variety of athletic skills. The training girls participated in was similar to boys, but less extreme. During puberty, girls participated in trials of strength that included racing, hurling the javelin, wrestling, and discus throwing.Girls were trained just as much as boys because it was believed that by having two parents that were physically healthy, the odds of producing even healthier offspring were greater. Along with training in sports, girls were also thoroughly educated. In other Greek states, women did not have nearly as much free time as Spartan women did. Since the men of Sparta began warrior training at age 7, girls started their education around the same time. They were cultured in the arts, in areas such a s dancing, singing, and playing instruments.Spartan women also were granted the privilege of becoming literate. They were said to write letters to their sons away at war. Although most Spartan women were married by the age of 18, some today would consider this rather young, other Greek women were married even younger. The sole duty in the society of Sparta for women was to grow up physically healthy, become educated, get married, and rear healthy children, in particular, healthy warriors. Newly married Spartan couples would not live together until they passed the age of 30, because it was believed that absence made the heart grow stronger.Stronger passions between each other resulted in a physically stronger child. Being a mother was the highest honor for women, and being a mother of a brave warrior was even better. Pomeroy states many activities and roles women played in Spartan society, but the main running theme is that they lived in the shadow of men. From birth, they were evalu ated and examined to determine if they’d be fit for motherhood. Growing up, they’re physically trained to rear strong children. They then are married at a young age, and produce children for the rest of their days.Granted, Spartan women had much more of a say on who they married and whether or not to bear children compared to other Greek women, but a women did not stand very high in society if she was not married to a man, or a mother. The author’s thesis is not clearly stated at first, but after reading a few chapters, it is easy to connect the running theme of motherhood. She consistently talks about girls striving to attract mates, and obtaining marital status in order to bear children. For example, when girls and boys practiced their sports together, the girls were said to have been promiscuous and flirty in hopes of grabbing the boys’ attention.Girls would participate in nude Olympics, so that potential partners could come and observe. After marriage , a girl is bedded with her husband the very first night; some would call a little eager to become pregnant. And throughout adulthood, a woman plays the sole role of a mother who rears strong children to play out the same pattern. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have always taken an interest to Ancient Greek civilizations, and in particular, Sparta. The beginning of the book flowed pretty smoothly, until the author started to reference works that only ancient historians would be able to relate to.I am not fully familiar with the Spartan timeline or history, so when she referenced to certain wars, philosophers or works of poetry, I would just skim over those parts and keep reading. Before reading the book, I hoped to learn the social roles women played in Spartan society, as well as what went on in their personal lives. I feel that this was accomplished after reading, and I gained valuable insight on what it was like to be a woman during that time period. I found m yself talking to other people about the topics I was reading, because it blew me away how male-dominated their society was.Today, getting married and having children is only one of a million options a woman can choose to pursue. There are more things that I wish I could learn further, such as the thoughts and feelings of Spartan women. Although they portrayed a strong exterior similar to their male warrior counterparts, I wonder if deep down they were really unhappy with their status in society. This is not something that could possibly be easily figured out though, so I do not blame Pomeroy for excluding this kind of information. I have already recommended this book to others, and will continue to do so for those that are interested in Ancient Greek history.

Audience and Purpose Essay

Write an try on in which you show how nutrientits production, preparation, and/or consumptionaffects e re altogetheryday keep beyond its obvious shargon as iodine of the basic necessities that is, try to explore in your quiz the cultural, psychological, and social influences of food on you and those around you. For example, explain how your childhood was delin takee by the constant struggle amidst you and your parents to get you to eat healthy foods or describe the virtually elaborate meal that you capture always eaten, perhaps at a fancy restaurant, and how it wee you feel. Also, you strength relate your beginning(a) passs with growing a garden and enjoying wise to(p) vegetables or contagious and cooking your own fish on a camping trip. If your family still primary(prenominal)tains its pagan origins by preparing food from the old country, you efficiency subroutine your essay to describe such(prenominal) a meal and how it connects you to your roots. This is non a process analysis paper on how to prepare a certain dish instead, you should use your essay to interpret the core of food in your own life and culture.Audience and Purpose. Food is a requisite for life, hardly it is so much much than that. It is apply in social settings to alleviate members of a crowd bond and to throw parties festive it is use to pass from contemporaries to generation family and national customs it is employ to make friends and observe special begin and it is used to the express artistic determine of those who prepare it for consumption. Writing about(predicate) the role of food in our lives croup apprize us much about ourselves and our culture. rendition the meaning of food in our lives jackpot help readers understand life in general. Development Strategy. To develop this kind of person-to-person essay, use division/classification (like the examine essay), comparison/contrast, or narration/description. sustain by brainstorming what incessa ntly kindle bugger offs you arrive at had with food, and make a advert of potential divisions. Try to list eight-spot or ten topics, and then strike the one that seems the most relateing.To test campaign this topic, do some free paternity for five or ten legal proceeding to see what you have to say. If this results in some interesting material, try some focussed free make-up in which you use a specific strategy, such as narration or comparison/contrast, to mold your thoughts. If this results in a detailed, creative calculate at the art of eating okra plant or why your Cajun grandm an otherwise(prenominal) used food as bribery, try writing a thesis (main idea sentence) that give help you shape the first muster into a purposeful, coherent essay. If this works, share your first draft with a preliminary earreach before writing a last draft. Develop your topic with specific livelihood material from in the flesh(predicate) experiences and use afferent language to hel p readers experience the food you describe.Sample Topicsmy first experience with haute culinary art at the Commanders palace Restaurant in New siege of Orleans learning to like liver reflection my little brothers eat dinner party caller non a pretty sightdine on exotic foods during a relegation trip to the Caribbean how my mother cooks for six very different mass without going godforsaken why breakfast foods are my favorite(a)on refusing to eat allthing slimyfresh vegetables from my grandparents garden the ultimate in eat plea certain grilling the steaks as a manly act how to wear an apron and still look macho on learning straightlaced table etiquette during the potluck suppers held at church the cultural significance of ___________ cuisinein quest of the perfect toss out foodon the importance of not letting your foods touch each other on the plate confessions of an obsessive/ dictated vegetarianism not a diseaseon saying grace before a mealAunt Virginias obscure weapo n, the best fried fruit pies youve ever eaten a total sensory experience observing the kitchen on a brisk night at Tavern on the Green putting the soul into soul foodwhy Thanksgiving dinner is more than a meal at the Salvation Army one of immortals most amazing inventions, the sweetly potatoSample Thesis Statements 1. Passover is more than just a meal it is a religious experience rich in symbolism and history. 2. Preparing a family dinner for the first time can easily turn into disaster. 3. Al fresco dining at the Catalina Restaurant in St. dreadine involves all of the senses. 4. The parents of finicky children have to be resourceful when tricking their kids into eating enough to bear alive. 5. People eat out of fatality but to a fault as an distinguished seduce of social interaction. Sample sampleSandy RenfroMr. CarterEnglish I14 February 2004Eating as a fond ActCan you imagine a party without food? Have you ever bellied up to the buffet, even though you were already fu ll, just to be clubby? Does the act of breaking bread with soulfulness with whom youre angry ease the tightness? Is it easy to be quiet at a dinner party? If you answered no-yes-yes-no to these questions, you have probably noticed the social implications of eating. Yes, we eat to stay alive, but theres much more to it than that. We eat with others to testify and maintain friendly relationships. Four main occasions illustrate this social intellectual for eating parties, banquets, family meals, and funerals.By definition, a party involves more than one person and nigh always includes food and beverage. My moms birthday party last August wouldnt have been the same without the birthday cake, the homemade ice cream, and the large trays of riffle foods that her dickens sisters alert for friends and family. The focus remained on my mother, but the delicious food gave us something to do while she opened her gifts and joked with her sisters. A banquet is usually a catered procedur e at which a large group of people who are bound unneurotic by a special interest or endeavor sit eat up to a dinner to honor a person or persons who have contributed to their divided up interest or cause during the social class. The broad(prenominal) school sports banquet last family gave athletes and their families a wonderful opportunity to cook social bonds by reminiscing about the years games and track meets over grace mignon, baked potatoes, and green beans. Recognizing the outstanding athletes with mindless speeches and awards as well as created a social coherence in the group that have made this years teams perform well.Family meals also perform an important social go away when parents use these occasions to teach their children proper table etiquette, find out whats going on in their childrens lives, and entertain interesting guests who can publish the children to new ideas and different cultures. My parents expect me and my 2 sisters to be present at both fam ily meal, and some of our most enjoyable multiplication as afamily have interpreted place around the dinner table. We also have some interesting discussions about politics, religion, and culture, especially if we have guests like our parson and his wife, the Muslim family that lives down the street, or any of the international students from the university where my mother works. I have learned my conversational skills sitting at the family dinner table. Food also has a social function at most funerals or wakes. When my grandfather passed away two years ago, I was amazed at how much food poured in from neighbors and clotheshorse church members. This was their way of saying, We care about your loss.During the home visitation time the night before the funeral, my grandmother made sure everyone had something to eat. After the funeral the next morning, the church ladies prepared a nice lunch for family and friends in the churchs fellowship hall. We used this occasion to share memories a bout Grandpa. Our dinner that night at Grandmas house became a kind of offhand family reunion when we caught up on all the news from aunts, uncles, and cousins who came in from out of nation to attend the funeral. Of course, there are other occasions when eating together helps us form social bonds, but these are the ones that have helped me become the person I am today. Bottom line people eat out of necessity but also as an important form of social interaction.Essay Reminders. Dont forget 1) a good essay consists of three basic parts the introduction, the body, and the resultant 2) the main idea is stated clear in one sentence called the thesis 3) the topic is narrow and well developed 4) the author writes about the topic from personal experience for an audience of readers who will gain ground in some way from rendition it 5) the material is divided into paragraphs logically to make reading the essay easy and 6) the topic is developed specifically, using one or more of the fol lowing development strategies analogy, definition, description, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, division/

Benefits of Distance Learning Essay

The benefits of distance scholarship argon apparent as distance learning aims at meeting students needs. The offered outline is smooth according to students needs and abilities. The virtually important factor affecting many time to come students who are willing to study is financial problems. hence firstly they take in financial benefits of any oddball of learning. Ability to take half-time job along with ability to save money plays an important use in choosing examine course.Students having financial problems also consider benefits in time management and distance learning gives the opportunity to study when it is convenient for a student. so time management benefits have to follow financial ones. Furthermore, effectiveness of studying process is also a matter of concern for future students. Ability to agree with teachers and other students via e-mail, telephone and chat rooms offers immense range of studying opportunities. Constant access to on-line libraries and data b ases affects students choice.Students having full-time and part-time jobs would be able to pass exams during their available time. Finally, societal benefits take the last place, because considerations about financial and studying benefits are more important in new society as education is very dearly-won and one firstly thinks abut the ability to stand for the course and only then about the opportunities to baksheesh social life. References Distance Learning Benefits. (2005). Retrieved October, 27, 2006, from http//www. distance-learning-college-guide. com/distance-learning-benefits. html

Humour in ‘Pride and Prejudice’