Influence of the Age Factor on Second Language Acquisition essayEssay Writing Service

Influence of the Age Factor on Second Language Acquisition essayEssay Writing Service Influence of the Age Factor on Second Language Acquisition essay Influence of the Age Factor on Second Language Acquisition essaySecond language acquisition is a complex processwhich depends on a number of factors, such as cognitive development, cultural background, personal abilities, motivation, socio-economic background, age and the level of native language acquisition. Age is one of the important factors which influence second language acquisition. In addition, the age has strong influence on the level of native language acquisition and thus has additional meaning for the study process. Multiple researches have been performed in order to trace the relations between the age and second language acquisition. All these studies agree that age has an extremely important influence on language learning and that different researches in this field may greatly contribute to the theory and practice of second language acquisition. A lot of authors such as Ellis (2008), Larsen-Freeman (2008) and Mayberry and Lock (2003) state that younger learners are more successful in language study than aged ones.   The interconnection between age and second language acquisition is evident and it is necessary to trace peculiarities of this connection. This study aims to trace correlation between the success of language acquisition and learners’ age.FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITIONIt is important to explain the notion of second language acquisition. Under this process specialists understand the process of acquiring other but foreign language. Studies in this field are concerned with the investigation of the process where learner acquires any other but his first language. This process can occur both – in the natural surrounding and in the form of the organized study process.   The time of the beginning of study may differ significantly and may thus influence the results of the learning.First of all, it is necessary to distinguish factors which influence the learning process when it comes to second language acquisi tion. Different specialists name different factors. For example, Yigiter (1988) distinguishes three factors which have influence on language learning. These factors include the role of teacher, the leaner and his position, and the learning method.   Collier (1988) named leaner’s cognitive style, progress in native language acquisition and social and economic situation as the most influencing factors.The age of learning is one of the most important factors in the process of second language learning. A lot of specialists believe that it has extremely important influence on the results of the study.CRITICAL PERIOD HYPOTHESES  Lenneberg (1967), one of the pioneers of the researches in the field of second language acquisition, expresses the   idea that there is a certain period of language learning which should be considered by teachers and educators. His ideas got name Critical Period Hypotheses in language acquisition and expressed a thought that there is a period during w hich language acquisition is easy and natural. The Critical Period Hypothesis can be defined as â€Å"the period during which a child can acquire language easily, rapidly, perfectly, and without instruction† (Richards Schmidt, 2002, p.145). During this period leaning process goes more successfully and the learners are more likely to achieve good results. This is explained by the fact that learning language is an innate characteristic peculiar to all human beings. It is regulated by the biological factors and they determine the certain period when acquisition is the most effective.   This period lasts from two years to puberty. Starting from the age of two human brain becomes ready to acquire new things and to create new connections and correlations between things and objects. As Lenneberg (1967)   states in his famous book Biological Foundations of Language at the age of two or three years the period when the language can be acquired easier than in other time of life. Th is period lasts till the age of puberty. During this period language acquisition gives the best results and this is explained by the peculiarities of human brain.   So   according to this hypothesis during certain period of time human brain is naturally inclined to learn.This process lasts during childhood and youth and declines after puberty. Despite the fact that Lenneberg (1967)   himself names different time limits to this period, he still traces strong correlation between human activity and puberty. According to him after the period of puberty language abilities quickly become worse and the process of leaning becomes less effective. After puberty the functioning of brain changes in such a way that basic skill which are necessary for the successful language acquisition decline.   Ã‚  During this period learners show the best results in second language acquisition.   Lenneberg explains the duration of this period from biological point of view and uses the notion of late ralization. Lenneberg believes that language function is an innate characteristic of human brain and the process of language acquisition is not the process of learning new things but rather the process of the activation of the function which already exists.Lenneberg presupposes that during the childhood and early youth the right hemisphere takes part in the process of learning language. According to him, in the beginning both hemispheres take part in the process and it has got the name lateralization. Lateralization is a process when two sides of the brain develop special function. With the flow of time right hemisphere loses its language function and it passes totally to the left one.  Ã‚   As soon as this process is over, language acquisition become more difficult. Lateralization is usually finished by the age of puberty. So, after the age of puberty language acquisition becomes more difficult. Lenneberg made different research and spend much time to investigate the critical per iod of successful language learning. He compared pronunciation of people who started learning language before the puberty period and after it and came to the conclusion that people who start learning language later than puberty period can not acquire the right accent in contrast to children and teenagers who start second learning acquisition before puberty and speak with little accent or without accent at all. These argument are also supported by the study performed by Fathman (1975)   and Williams(1979).   Fathman summed up his research in the work called The Relationship Between Age and Second Language Productive Ability, Language Learning, and Williams in the article called The Modification of Speech Perception and Production in Second Language Learning. After several years of study of pronunciation they came to the conclusion that younger students were more likely to adapt the pronunciation of the language acquired while the older ones were more likely to speak with an accen t. These researches prove again the findings of Lenneberg about the critical period hypothesis. Later researchers have also proved his ideas about brain activity and connections between left and right hemispheres. Critical Period Hypothesis is an important notion in the study of   the influence of age on second language acquisition. Despite the fact Lenneberg made his investigation a lot of years ago his ideas are still up to date and most of them are useful nowadays. Knowledge about Critical Period can become a powerful tool for teaches of the second foreign language and for those who wants to acquire it. The functioning of brain and the structure of human psychics definitely have an extremely important influence on the process of language study and this knowledge can increase teaching results to a great extent.OLDER LEARNERS AND SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITIONA lot of researches started taking for granted Lenneberg’s studies about age limitation (12-13 years) in the second la nguage acquisition. However, still there are researches (Singleton) which show that older learners are also successful in the second language and able to reach the same level or even higher as the young learners do. Singleton states that language capacity of some immigrants improves with time. He refers to Ervin-Tripp which took place in 1974 as an example: â€Å"Ervin-Tripp conducted of 31 young English speaking children who had been exposed to French for a period that spanned nine months. The results of Ervin-Tripp’s research showed that the older students outperformed the younger learners in every field of the learning process† (Singleton, 2004, p.184). He also gives another example of Dutch learners who started learning English in the classroom after the age of twelve. These learners were able to gain native-like accent (Singleton, 2004).   However, these are single cases and more exceptions from the rule and even Singleton himself states that for the long run yo ung learners are able to reach more language proficiency than those who started learning the second language after twelve.Krashen (1979) also investigates this subject and presents short- and long-term results in the second language acquisition among children and adults. His conclusions are the following: adults and older children come through stages of morphological and syntactic development quicker than children, but early start or second language learning usually guarantees higher general language proficiency with the flow of time.STAGES of SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITIONThe process of Second Language Acquisition consitsts of 5 stages. Haynes (2007) marks out the following stages: Preproduction, Early Production, Speech Emergence, Intermediate Fluency and Advanced Fluency. The Preproduction stage is also called â€Å"the silent stage† and the learner’s vocabulary is up to 500 words at this period. At the Early Production stage the learner’s vocabulary grows up to 1000 words and he/she is already able to build up simple phrases and use short language forms. At the stage of Speech Emergency the vocabulary is about 3000 words and the learner builds simple phrases and sentences here. The stage of Intermediate Fluency presumes the vocabulary of about 6000 words and at this stage the learner is able to make more complex sentences and his/her comprehension of the second language is great. The last stage called Advanced Fluency can be compared with almost native speaker’s language abilities, however, it takes time to achieve it – around 5-10 years in average (Haynes, 2007).Halgunseth (2009), a SLA researcher, states that children can learn the second language in two ways: simultaneously or sequentially. Simultaneous learners are children under three who learn their mother tongue at home and acquire the second language in the kindergarten or other close surrounding. Young children from multi-language families also learn two or even mor e languages simultaneously: mum speaks German, for example, and dad speaks English. The child makes no difference between the languages and does not choose the favourite one. He/she subconsciously knows what language to use with a particular member of the family and does not mix them up. Children’s brain allows them to learn more than one language. If children hear two different languages, they construct two different language systems in their brain. Each system corresponds to the one language. The construction of such systems reminds the process of language acquisition which occurs when the person stats learning not native language.   (Halgunseth 2009). If one language is more frequently used in the family and prevails over the second one, with time the child feels it and declines   it. The frequency of the language usage may also depend on the time spent with the member who speaks the particular language.The sequent learning presumes the usage of one language as the mot her tongue (the main language) and introduction of the second language at extra classes or language school, for example.   Halgunseth (2009)   insists that the age factor is crucial for the simultaneous learning, while it is not so important for the sequent learning. The factors which influence the sequent learning are motivation and language capacity.CONCLUSIONIt is generally believed that younger learners are more successfully in mastering the second language. A lot of specialists believe that the younger the learner is, the easier the study process goes. In reality the relationship between and success in learning second language is complex . From the one side Critical Period Hypothesis theory states that early age is the best age for language acquisition, from the other side mystery in native language contributes greatly to the successful acquisition of the second language. There are specialists who doubt The Critical Period Hypothesis and state that older learners show bette r results than the younger ones. For example, David Singleton (2003) expressed an idea that â€Å"younger learners to do better in the long run in the matter of second language lexical acquisition is no more than a tendency† (p. 22). In addition, other factors have also a very strong impact on language acquisition. A lot of authors state that surrounding and social factors have a very important impact on the study success. For example, if the person learns language in the class during lessons, his result will be different from the person’s results person who lives in the language environment and has an opportunity to hear the target language all the time. In addition, some specialists believe that older learners have better language competency and have better abilities for problem solving and thus can achieve better results in language acquisition. Different aspects of language are perceived differently by different age categories. Early learners show better results in learning pronunciation, while older students acquire grammar and syntax better. Language capacity is another factor which has an important impact on second language acquisition. Some people have natural ability to language study while others do not and these tendencies are only reinforced by age factors.

Sport In Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sport In Society - Essay Example Physical activity is an expression of emotion and competitive sport can have a beneficial impact when performed in favorable conditions (Cockerill, 1995). Sports participation generates transferable life skills and acquisition of motor skills can lead to enhanced self-esteem and self-efficacy. Fitness training has a beneficial effect on mood, performance at work, cognitive function and self-concept. It helps to ameliorate conditions like obesity and develop and maintain optimal fitness (Gilson, Cooke & Mahoney, 2005). Sport is an important factor in the development of the society which is why UNESCO has supported the demand to include physical education and sport in the Human Development Index (Schwery, 2003). Sport contributes to self-confidence and organizational skills. Sport is an essential element in the growth and development of the society. Its benefits are immense for the physical and mental well-being of an individual but much depends on the self-perception of an individual. the motivation and mood determine the outcome of participating in sport. Sport also fosters brotherhood and brings people together. However, globalization of sport is happening at a very fast pace. Globalization is inevitable and consumerism has given different dimensions to sport. It has led to heightened international understanding and cooperation; it has transcended national borders. Media has exploited the popularity of the sport and the sports people as the athletes are used for celebrity endorsements by marketers.

Financial Statement Ratio Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Financial Statement Ratio Analysis - Essay Example (basic raw material) plus an oven to bake the cookies (plant and machinery), and also a place to keep the oven (premises). Plus, not to forget, skilled labor (You've got to know how to make cookies OR hire someone who can.). Last but not the least, your have to find a way to sell the cookies - either hire a salesman with a fixed pay or hire an agent with a fixed share in profits (Selling and distribution overhead). All these factors would sum up to be the 'Cost' incurred on making the cookies. Based on this cost, you may decide your expected 'Selling Price' and thus the 'Contribution' per unit. (Activity Ratios) Also, to keep things going, you would need enough money readily available for your short term requirements (like buying more raw materials, paying rent, electricity bills, wages to employees, etc.) as well as for long term requirements (paying off debts, more money for further expansion, etc.). Also, you very well know that your creditors will supply you material on credit only if you are worthy of it. i.e. you are able to pay them in time. (Liquidity Ratios) In both the cases, money doesn't come free of cost. Business should be profitable enough. Both the parties would again, check your credibility as well as the worthiness of the business. In the first case, you would be liable to pay a fixed interest to your bank, regardless of what you make. In the second, you've got to make enough money so that you and your friend are glad that you invested in the business. Therefore, to be sure of what you are doing, at every moment you would be analyzing your 'profitability ratios', like you would constantly be calculating your earnings as against your investments (EPS) and comparing it with what ever was the next best use of your money (opportunity cost). Further, you could even decide your debt-equity ratio - how much share in the profit should be sacrificed for funds and how much should you borrow from the bank. And if you make handsome profits, how much of it should be invested back in the business (retained earnings). Or maybe you have better uses for your money and decide to take a further loan against your business from the bank so as to free your capital and maximize your returns on investment (leverages). Thus, organizing your 'Capital Structure' is a very basic and important decision. The point behind this entire example is that the smallest of small business would require analyzing their basic ratios to know how well they are doing. Without comparing various financial figures (ratios) we cannot make an informed decision. Without these, you will never know what can go wrong with your business. Before staring any business you must know in advance what you may expect from the business and what you should be expecting in return for your time, effort and investment. At any stage of the business you must know how much have you given to the business and how much the business can return back and what is the present condition as well

From the Slums to the Superstar Status Essay Example for Free

From the Slums to the Superstar Status Essay Abstract He was the most leading emissary and practitioner of the reggae music genre. He embodies its spirit and spreads its message to all the ends of the earth. Bob Marley’s exceptional songs incorporate the stylistic range of the contemporary music of Jamaica spanning ska, rock steady, and eventually reggae. He transported this music further as a social force with worldwide appeal. No other musician was able to transform the cultural as well as musical landscape as significantly as the boy from the slums did. Bob Marley: From the Slums to the Superstar Status The man is like a hero in the classic legends of old. He lived at a time when the concept of One World, One Love inspired by the religion he believes in was starting to be felt and heard. He lived a remarkable life. It remains to have an increasing and utterly strong resonance. His was a life that represents several occasions of mystical wilderness, gangland wars, artistic as well as metaphysical insights, and political cruelty. He has reached a wide audience and his influence continues to spread. His apocalyptic truths are life-changing and inspiring as far as his Western audiences are concerned. His influence extends much further in the Third World region. His impact goes beyond the confines of his native country. He has also touched the lives of the people in certain parts of West Africa, the Maoris of New Zealand, in India and Indonesia as well as the Hopi Indians in New Mexico (Moskowitz, 2007). To these people, he was a redeemer. The elements which contributed to his exceptional works are his talent, his understanding, the love he has to give, and the sadness he felt for the society into which he was born. In his demise, he left a great deal of brilliant music from where people have taken inspiration and lessons out of. A man from a country that belongs to the Third World was able to transcend seeming boundaries. His only tools were his philosophical wisdom and natural humility. He is considered to be the most valuable artist of the 20th century (Toynbee, 2007). He has left an evocative and exceptional music to the world. His music has outlived him. Truly, the songs he made are not only universal but timeless too. Robert Nesta Marley became the first and perhaps the only big name to surface from the third world. From his meager roots, he has grown to become a man of major import and impact that his attempted assassination has political motivations. His musical influence is still felt. He became the first reggae artist to release a full-length LP that instantaneously transformed the 30 year old marketing model (Moskowitz, 2007). Apart from its commercial success, his music has a universal quality that is able to surpass language, social status, and nationality. Bob Marley was a boy from the slums of Jamaica. It was where his music drew inspiration from. His life ended too soon. Nonetheless, he is an artist that was well loved the world over. His superstar status continues to rage on. As a biracial son, his was an unhappy childhood. At a young age, he was already exposed to a society that is cruel and racist. Still, together with the bands he has formed and the music he has played, Bob Marley was able to realize success not only in his native country but even across the globe. His background is of particular essence. He was the first to rise to the ranks of superstar status, the first from a Third World country, that is. He was one of the rebellious and charismatic artists of recent history whose music reflects his humble origin. Jamaica’s history of slavery lingers on the memory of its people. Slavery has filtered through the very heart of Bob Marley’s native country, from the mid-nineteenth century plantations to the popular music of recent times. Even though it has been eradicated way back in 1834, the Africans and their offspring started to develop a culture of their own from what is left from their traditional way of life and combining them with other British traditions (Moskowitz, 2007). Precisely, such mixed culture had certain similarities with the rising society of people of color in the United States. Still, Bob Marley’s native country remained to be a rural community that exclusive of the industrialization of its northern neighbor was more strongly attached to its African heritage. Bob Marley was able to leave behind numerous songs even though his life was relatively short-lived. Not like other songwriters, he was took part in all phases of creation of his music. Bob Marley penned the lyrics of his songs, he worked on the instrumental parts, his was found inside the control room while in the process of laying down his tracks (Moskowitz, 2007). Moreover, he also took part in the overdubbing and editing process involved in the creation of his music. His music was essentially reggae that it practically cornered the â€Å"roots reggae† term. Bob’s rhythm section initiated what came to be called as the â€Å"one drop† rhythm. The term refers to the standard roots reggae groove. It can be done by accenting the drum only on beat three of a four beat measure. Normally, in Western Europe’s classical music, the accentuation is placed on beats one and three of a four beat measure. On the other hand, the second and fourth beats of a four beat measure are accentuated in the American rock and roll music (Moskowitz, 2007). The unique rhythm set his apart from the ones he has grown accustomed to. Such rhythm gave his music a distinct Jamaican character. Moreover, the man was likewise a skilled lyricist. He was able to construct expressively powerful chains of words which are apparently pleasant to the ears yet contain serious punches the moment their meanings are explored. Bob Marley was able to extract the sense as well as the emotion out of every word and then skillfully conceal them in laid-back â€Å"island†-sounding music. It was his intention. If Bob Marley’s songs were quite clearly venomous or political, perhaps it could not have crossed over into the airwaves or has gained commercial success. He exhibited a kind of front which manifested itself in the way he carried himself and the way he looked. He was usually seen dressed up in pants, shirts, boots, and stocking hats or â€Å"tams† (Moskowitz, 2007). While performing, Bob Marley usually fell into a trance-like state as he sings his songs. Bob Marley sings with eyes closed as he flails his arms and his dreadlocks swings to the rhythm. This is the character that is distinctly Bob Marley. He became the foremost star from the so-called â€Å"world music† (Stephens, 1999). Born to a biracial family in the year 1945, he was exposed to the extraordinary musical culture of his native country in the 1950s. The American rhythm and blues, the rumba and calypso of the Caribbean, the ballroom dance of Europe, the Protestant Revivalist hymns, and the drumming sounds of African music are the songs he has heard while growing up (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). Attached to the networks which connected Jamaican families to the North American and English communities, part of a local hotel circuit and inter-island club, as far as the popular musicians of Jamaica is concerned, the local was already the global (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). In the year 1962, Bob Marley cut his first records as a singer (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). He was only 17 years old at that time. The following year, he assembled a vocal group which came to be known as the Wailers. Inspired by existing American soul acts like Curtis Mayfield’s Impressions, Bob Marley and his band were used by their producer, Coxsone Dodd, as an in-house vocal group to front whatever was fashionable at that time on the local dance floor. They then covered versions of international soul and pop hits, ska, rocksteady. In 1963 and 1966, they were able to release approximately eighty singles with enough hits to launch the group as Jamaica’s most successful. However, in 1966 the group was reduced to a vocal trio which included Bob Marley, his childhood friend, Bunny Livingstone, and Peter Tosh. The stripped-down vocal group that recruited the Barrett brothers, Carlton and Aston to play the drums and bass, dedicated themselves to Rastafarianism and started working with producer Lee Perry, who added a rhythm section and encouraged them to come up with their unique sound and material (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). The Wailers’ records around this time were instrumental in defining reggae as a music genre. It was also during this time that Bob Marley started to make his mark onto the British pop. A Jamaican music entrepreneur by the name of Chris Blackwell, who was concerned in supplying reggae records to the British Jamaican community through the Trojan label and was developing new rock acts under his Island label, heard the new Wailers sound and came into a realization that his two markets need not be separated from one another (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). He believed that the reggae music of the Wailers can be sold to rock fans. His first Island album entitled Catch a Fire which was released in 1973 serves as a blueprint for international music marketing (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). It can not be denied that the Wailer’s distinction lies not only in the complexity and dynamism of reggae as compared to rock music, but in the exotic quality of Rastafarianism itself. Their songs became recognizable in the production standards, the enhanced guitar accompaniment and of course, the distinct voice of Bob Marley (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). His religion and music as it appears covers an ancient mysticism that is quite suitable for the shanty town of his origin. There is certainly something of the prophet about him which makes him unique from the other popular music stars and allows diverse constituencies to grab him. To a certain degree, it has something to do with Bob Marley’s mission, a passionate drive to create music and in the process, proclaim the truth about the world. Still, to some extent, it can be attributed to the man’s poetic vision, taken in equivalent measure from the King James Bible and patwa, the creole language of Jamaica (Toynbee, 2007). Moreover, it has something to do with the mystery of his life. His mother is black while his father is white. He was born in a colonial island in the Caribbean. Nonetheless, the boy of humble decent became one of the most respectable superstars the world has ever known. Many years have already past since his demise but he remains to be that superstar from the third world to rise to such phenomenal status. Undeniably, all of the aforementioned factors are of the essence. However, the most vital component in the creation of Bob Marley’s Messianic aura lies in the careful and effective repackaging of his music by the culture industry at a time when the legendary artist is already gone. If the measure of celebrity status is based on amount, in the sense that the more people know who a certain person is, the more famous that person is considered to be, it is safe to say therefore that Bob Marley is quite a very famous celebrity (Toynbee, 2007). He has long been gone yet his music lives on. His audience still exists. Perhaps, he is indeed the most popular musical figure of the modern times. Certainly, in the north and west of the global market, figures do give some indication of the man’s celebrity status. There is the existence of cumulative sales, for instance. In the year 2005, Bob Marley’s albums have earned sales amounting to 16. 5 million in the United States alone (Toynbee, 2007). In 2005, he placed twelfth in the Forbes list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities. The list was based on total yearly revenue which takes into account earnings generated not purely from record sales but counting as well those earned from the exploitation of merchandising, licensing deals, and copyright to name a few. It gives a more rounded gauge of celebrity status in comparison to record sales. Such list even reflects worldwide earnings (Toynbee, 2007). However, the global factor of such figures from the cultural industries barely arrives at the man’s status in the marginal regions around the globe. Here, his audiences listen to his music on cassette tapes which are generally copied and spread outside official music industry channels. Statistics are not available for such kind of activity. There is even no way to measure the circulation of images of the man in the form of drawings and posters, or the proliferation of tales about him. There is also no available statistics to tell the number of local musicians playing his songs, or have simply considered him as the inspiration in their respective musical careers. To be considered popular exclusive of buying power, even when it accounts to the millions, has not so much value in the cultural industries in the center of the global system (Toynbee, 2007). To be famous means to have a greater social importance even when measures are not registered commercially. That kind of distinction bucks the system, signifying that there are certain autonomous tendencies working on. In that light, and considering anecdote and some somewhat unreliable verifications it appears to be logical to state that in the international south, Bob Marley is certainly quite famous. Combining such assessments with the available statistics, it can be concluded that the man is a universal superstar of the present day (Toynbee, 2007). The sheer geographical stretch of his achievements is visibly noteworthy. However, it also has an unusual quality. Bob Marley is not only a superstar. He is a third world star who traces his roots from the small Caribbean island of Jamaica, and eventually securing an audience and a particular resonance across the underprivileged citizens from the southern part of the world. Remarkably, he remains to be the only figure of this kind. Certainly, there are other successful artists who hailed from the margins, for instance form what came to be known as â€Å"world music† (Toynbee, 2007). Produced primarily in former colonies beginning in the middle part of the 1980s, world music has been secured an audience from the middle-class market in the highly developed capitalist nations of the world. Nonetheless, it remains to be a small niche, representing only 2 per cent of worldwide recorded music sales (Toynbee, 2007). Bob Marley was ultimately to surface as the first reggae superstar, even though the Wailers’ success created conflicts within the group. Prior to the third album, Natty Dread which was released in 1974, Livingston and Tosh were refusing to go on another exhausting tour of the United States and Britain (Hebdige, 1990). Bob Marley revised the line-up for the 1975 tour. He hired musicians and added a female backing group which came to be known as the I-Threes. He toured Africa, Europe, and North America over the next few years. He even produced a live album called the Wailers Live and three other LPs for Island Records, namely, Rastaman Vibration, Exodus and Kaya. During his final years, he gained the respect of not only his fellow Jamaicans but also of other music critics and audiences the world over (Hebdige, 1990). In the year 1976, the album entitled Rastaman Vibration broke into the hit charts in America (Hebdige, 1990). For most people, the aforementioned album was yet the most obvious display of the man’s beliefs and music. The worldwide success received by this album strengthened the increasing political importance of Bob Marley in his native town wherein his Rastafarian views reverberated clearly among the ghetto youth. As a gesture of thanksgiving to his fellow Jamaicans, he made a decision to stage a free concert at the National Heroes Park in Kingston scheduled on the 5th day of December 1976 (Moskowitz, 2007). The concert was intended to stress the need for peace in the city slums where rival groups have caused murder and chaos. He became a major target for politically motivated violence because of his fame. Shortly following the announcement of the concert, the government declared a December 20th election (Hebdige, 1990). It signaled another ghetto war. Before the scheduled concert, armed men forced an entry into the house of Bob Marley and fired a gun at him. Unfortunately, it was just an attempted assassination. For a while, he thought about whether or not to push through with the concert. Nonetheless, he came out on stage on the scheduled date in defiance of his would-be assassins. Right after the concert, he left his native country for London. He then settled on the English city and recorded another album (Frith, Straw and Street, 2001). His fellow Jamaican artists have taken advantage of the interest in roots reggae which the man has inspired. Groups like the Burning Spear and Culture, the Third World, the Gladiators as well as the Mighty Diamonds have all toured outside of their native country attracted a huge following among young white rock fanatics (Hebdige, 1990). Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh have both gone on to produce successful solo hits, and they have refused to stay at a far distance from their musical roots. On Tosh’s albums entitled Equal Rights and Legalise It, his audience saw a man who is just as angry as he was back in the old Wailers days when he penned the songs such as Get up, Stand up and 400 Years. On the other hand the Blackheart Man album of Bunny Livingston was his tribute to his fellow Rastas. Both Livingston and Tosh’s albums sold well in the United States and Europe. Tosh even conquered his distaste of touring when he visited Britain way back in 1979. Even Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus, whose music is based on conventional Rasta drumming have toured Britain and played before a white audience (Hebdige, 1990). All of the aforementioned achievements are in the end, owed to the larger success of the man himself. However, part of the reason why his music reached soaring heights is that his musical compositions are basically pleasant-sounding. His brand of music is forever sweet sounding although the lyrics contain critical commentaries about the colonial system. Similar to the calypso artists, he knew how to convey his message across behind a lilting refrain. It is the classic Caribbean package of harsh social criticism concealed in a easy-sounding and uplifting rhythm. He was effectively causing the Western world dance to the rhythm of the prophecies of their own fall (Hebdige, 1990). With the kind of violent society that Bob Marley had surfaced from and rose above, his death seems quite a cruel stroke of fate. It was in the year 1977 when the doctors surgically removed a portion of his toe which had been wounded in a soccer game (Moskowitz, 2007). The doctors found a cancerous lump on his toe. In 1980, while jogging at Central Park, he suddenly collapsed. When he was brought to the hospital, the doctors discovered that the cancer has already spread to other parts of his body. In less than a year later, he succumbed to death. He was all of 36 years old at that time. Even though he died young, the heartbeat reggae rhythms of the vast amount of songs he made have endured. The legend of Bob Marley has transcended the years. Furthermore, his music and charismatic persona has effected a transformation to his native country. On the 21st day of May 1981, Bob Marley was laid to his final resting place with full state honors. In a great paradox, considering the loathed position that Rastafarians and their music once has in Jamaica, One Love, the antiwar reggae song of Bob Marley was adapted by the country’s tourist board as a theme song. In the mean time, his music kept on finding its audience. Garnering sales which amounted to over 10 million in the United States alone, the Legend best of covering the Island Records days from 1972 until 1981 is still the best-selling record of a Jamaican artist and the best-selling reggae album of all time (Moskowitz, 2007). This man’s influence in the music scene during his lifetime and even after is certainly extraordinary. Together with his band, he has sold over 21 million starting in 1991 (Moskowitz, 2007). The figures have not been collected until after 10 years has passed since the time of his death. Moreover, he was bestowed with the Jamaican Order of Merit, received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, became a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Moskowitz, 2007). Apart from the aforementioned and all the other awards he has received during his lifetime and even after his death, the real measure of his worth is time itself. He was long gone. Nonetheless, his music is still as relevant, remarkable and popular as it was at the time it was initially released in the market. The hypnotic and loping beats of reggae music bear a distinct signature which climbed to the 1970s music scene on the forefront, primarily through the music of Bob Marley and his band under the Tuff and Island recording labels. The songs they made, particularly the ones included in the Rastaman and Natty Dread albums remain to be the landmarks of reggae that served as the voice of the disfranchised and poverty-stricken Jamaicans and, by extension, to the people of the world. Through his music, Bob Marley was able to fill them with dignity and pride of heritage, no matter how sad real life seems to be. Furthermore, his reggae music hits gave rhythmic boost which has what he prefers to call â€Å"positive vibrations† to those who listen to them. No matter how his sound was perceived, be it the dance music with a strong political undertone or political music fit for dancing, the music of Bob Marley is a powerful remedy for difficult times. References Frith, S. , Straw, W. , Street, J. (2001). The Cambridge Companion to Pop and Rock. New York: Cambridge University Press. Hebdige, D. (1990). Cut ‘n’ Mix: Culture, Identity, and Caribbean Music. New York: Routledge. Moskowitz, D. V. (2007). Bob Marley: A Biography. California: Greenwood Publishing Group. Stephens, G. (1999). On Racial Frontiers: The New Culture of Frederick Douglas, Ralph Ellison, and Bob Marley. New York: Cambridge University Press. Toynbee, J. (2007). Bob Marley: Herald of a Postcolonial World? Cambridge: Polity.

An Analysis of Mending Wall Essay -- Mending Wall Essays

An Analysis of Mending Wall Robert Frost once said that "Mending Wall" was a poem that was spoiled by being applied. What did he mean by "applied"? Any poem is damaged by being misunderstood, but that's the risk all poems run. What Frost objects to, I think, is a reduction and distortion of the poem through practical use. When President John F. Kennedy inspected the Berlin Wall he quoted the poem's first line: "Something there is that doesn't love a wall." His audience knew what he meant and how the quotation applied. And on the other side of that particular wall, we can find another example of how the poem has been used. Returning from a visit to Russia late in his life, Frost said, "The Russians reprinted 'Mending Wall' over there, and left that first line off." He added wryly, "I don't see how they got the poem started." What the Russians needed, and so took, was the poem's other detachable statement: "Good fences make good neighbors." They applied what they wanted. "I could've done better for them, probably ," Frost said, "for the generality, by saying: Something there is that doesn't love a wall, Something there is that does. "Why didn't I say that?" Frost asked rhetorically. "I didn't mean that. I meant to leave that until later in the poem. I left it there." "Mending Wall" famously contains these two apparently conflicting statements. One begins the poem, the other ends it, and both are repeated twice. Which are we supposed to believe? What does Frost mean? "The secret of what it means I keep," he said. Of course he was being cagey, but not without reason. At a reading given at the Library of Congress in 1962 Frost told this anecdote: In England, two or three years ago, Graham Greene said to me... ...ating a similar moment each time it is encountered. Works Cited and Consulted Barry, Elaine. Robert Frost. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1973. Robert Frost. â€Å"Mending Wall.† Making Literature Matter: An Anthology for Readers and Writers. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. p106-107. Gerber, Philip L. Robert Frost. Ed. Kenneth Eble. Boston: Twayne Publishers. 1982. 124-125 Lentricchia, Frank. Robert Frost: Modern Poetics and the Landscape of Self. Durham: Duke University Press. 1975. 103-107. Zverev, A. A Lover's Quarrel with the World: Robert Frost. 20th Century American Literature: A Soviet View. Translated by Ronald Vroon. Progress Publishers. 1976. 241-260. Rpt. in World Literature Criticism. Vol. 2. Ed. James P. Draper. Detroit: Gale Research Inc. 1992. 1298-1299.

Literature Paper Essay

Sophocles two plays, namely the AD 6717-658 Oedipus the King as well as the 658-693 Antigone, are dominated by elements of conflict – both external and internal. The external conflict involves two persons with opposing viewpoints being engaged in a physical or philosophical confrontation. On the other hand, the internal cases of conflict occur when certain individuals in the 2 plays encounter dilemmas regarding doing things that their consciences counsel against. Further, the playwright describes various characters handling the conflicting situations in a variety of ways. For example, some characters just choose to give in, become complicit, and do the things that their consciences advise against. A notable example of this phenomenon in Oedipus the King is Queen Jocasta’s action of bowing to King Laius’ (her husband’s) pressure and thus giving away the young Oedipus to be disposed off. Likewise, in Antigone, Ismene depicts the same behavior of allowing outside pressure to adversely influence her conscience-led aspirations. To this end, Ismene refuses to join efforts with Antigone – her defiant sister – in burying Polyneices – the 2 sisters’ departed brother. Conversely, the 2 plays contain cases whereby physical person-to-person conflicts arise. For instance, in Antigone, Creon – Thebe’s ruler – holds viewpoints that conflict with those of Haemon – Creon’s son. To illustrate, when Creon detains and intends to murder Antigone – Haemon’s fiance – son and father are at loggerheads. The situation deteriorates to the extent of father and son insulting one another. Haemon angrily leaves, promising that he will never come back. Similarly, in Oedipus the King, King Oedipus becomes conflicted with prophet Tiresias because Tiresias is experiencing an internal sort of conflict. The prophet is aware that telling King Oedipus the truth about who killed King Laius would yield no good results. On the other hand, King Oedipus is very intent on ascertaining the true identity of Lauis’ killer, not knowing that Oedipus himself killed Laius. The conflict between the 2 personalities pushes them to exchange harsh words. This conflict is resolved when Tiresias utters the definitive paradox that Laius was indeed killed by his (Laius’) son. All in all, through the two plays – Antigone and Oedipus the King, playwright Sophocles describes both external and external cases of conflict, with the conflicts being resolved to the detriment of a certain individual. To begin with, Queen Jocasta’s conflict regarding either disposing off or saving the life of Oedipus – her son – ends with the infant son being disadvantaged when he is disposed off. The hopeless Oedipus passes from the hands of Jocasta, to a servant, to a lowly shepherd and eventually to a King’s palace. Through such transition, the baby encounters various hardships. Firstly, he risks being killed and then spends some time out in the open fields where he is exposed to the elements. Further, it is notable that the shepherd who eventually passes Oedipus on to King Polybus has no means of keeping and raising the condemned child. Jocasta’s indecisiveness when she faces the internal conflict of either saving or killing Oedipus thus causes the son immense problems. In this case, Sophocles describes a conflict being resolved to the detriment of a particular personality – Oedipus. In a similar version, in Antigone, Sophocles describes Antigone’s conflict as resulting in a string of misfortunes. After Creon the King unjustly orders that Polyneices should be ignored regarding proper burial, with Eteocles being accorded a fitting send-off, Antigone – Polyneices’ sister – becomes mentally conflicted. Antigone immediately detects Creon’s partiality in ordering for this obviously discriminative treatment. She thus cannot demonstrate complicity by adhering to Creon’s unjust edict. The determined girl therefore opts to secretly accord Polyneices a proper burial. By doing this, Antigone risks being put to death as indicated by Creon’s directive. She however gallantly carries on with her plan and even boldly defending her decisions before the King. Related to Antigone’s mental conflict is Ismene’s dilemma whereby she has to choose to either stand by Antigone or obey Creon’s controversial decree. By adhering to the directives that Creon has issued, Ismene will in effect be betraying Polyneices – her brother. Conversely, by deciding to join Antigone in properly burying Polyneices, Ismene will be showing sisterly responsibility to her departed brother as well as to Antigone. In addition, Ismene risks being put to death as per Creon’s orders should she go by Antigone’s bold decision. Eventually, Ismene shies away and avoids going by Antigone’s plans. On her part, Antigone boldly accords Polyneices a proper send-off, thus attracting Creon’s wrath. Ultimately, the 2 sisters find themselves behind bars, with Ismene being a sort of martyr since she did not participate in Antigone’s defiant actions. It is at this point that Antigone faces another conflict when Ismene offers to suffer the consequences of Antigone’s actions. Antigone is aware that it would be unjust to allow Ismene suffer the same fate as Antigone. Although outside pressure eventually forces Creon to let the 2 girls walk free, the conflict that Ismene and Antigone face is resolved with disastrous results. Further, the decision that Antigone makes because of being mentally conflicted serves to make Creon’s son – Haemon – to also become conflicted. To illustrate, after Creon puts Antigone in prison, intending to kill the girl, Haemon intervenes, trying to persuade Creon to let the girl walk away. Haemon does this because he is an intimate friend to Antigone. He thus cannot allow his father to kill Antigone owing to the love that Haemon has for Antigone. It is worth noting that Haemon is in a tight spot when he approaches Creon, persuading the King to let Antigone go away. This is because Haemon risks being branded a traitor or someone who demonstrates insubordination towards the King. On the other hand, should Haemon decide to keep quiet, allowing the King to do as he wills with Antigone, Haemon will demonstrate lack of commitment towards Antigone. Son and father thus confront each other because they hold varying viewpoints about the incarceration of Antigone. Again, Sophocles describes a person-to-person conflict being resolved in a negative way. After Haemon and Creon hurl insults at each other, Haemon walks away, promising that he will never come back. True to his words, Haemon commits suicide. Likewise, through the Oedipus the King play, Sophocles describes the shepherd who witnessed King Laius’ murder as well as Oedipus as being conflicted both externally and internally. For instance, King Oedipus desires to know every detail of his (Oedipus’) childhood. On the other hand, the shepherd is aware that should he become aware of his past, Oedipus will only experience pain. The shepherd thus only gives certain details of Oedipus childhood after which he begs to be allowed to stop the narration. By doing this, the shepherd seeks to shield Oedipus from the pain that will inevitably result when the King learns of his (the King’s) past. Such good intentions are however misunderstood by Oedipus as the shepherd’s demonstration of insubordination. Consequently, Oedipus threatens the shepherd with death should he hold back any information from the King. The shepherd is thus deeply conflicted. He is very sure that when Oedipus learns the truth about Oedipus’ lineage, the King will surely be gravely hurt. Out of fear for his life, the shepherd finally explains all the details about Oedipus life. Consequently, the King becomes distraught. Further, the Queen commits suicide, after which Oedipus gorges out both his eyes and goes into self-imposed exile. Once more, Sophocles describes the conflict between the shepherd and King Oedipus as being resolved in a bad manner as it results in the deaths of Queen Jocasta and the self-imposed exile of King Oedipus. In conclusion, though his 2 plays – Oedipus the King and Antigone – playwright Sophocles describes numerous instances whereby various characters are conflicted either externally or internally. One notable case of mental conflict in Antigone is the instance when Antigone has to choose to either remain loyal to Polyneices – her brother – or obey Creon’s dictatorial decree. Conversely, the instance when Creon and Haemon exchange bitter words denotes external conflict. On the other hand, in Oedipus the King, Jocasta’s indecision regarding whether to dispose off or save Oedipus represents internal conflict. The shepherd and Oedipus’ confrontation demonstrates external conflict. Further, all the conflicts that are presented in both Oedipus the King as well as in Antigone are resolved in ways that harm certain characters.

The Goal Of Trio Student Support Services At Pulaski...

On January 12, 1965, during his education message to Congress, President Lyndon B. Johnson conveyed that in order to strengthen our country, we needed to provide more higher education opportunities for lower and middle income families, and on November 8, 1965, the Higher Education Act became law. The first three programs established under the new Higher Education Act were, Upward Bound, Talent Search, and Student support services. Together this â€Å"Trio† of federally funded programs encouraged access to higher education for low income students. Currently, there are eight programs administered under the Higher Education Act that target to serve and assist low income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post baccalaureate programs. The purpose of this Evaluation is to justify the necessity and validity of the Trio Student Support Services at Pulaski Technical College and the impact it has upon the community. The goal of TRIO Student Support Services is to help participants have a successful college experience and achieve their academic and personal goals. The program serves 180 Pulaski Tech students who qualify for services. Students must be first-generation college students (neither parent has a baccalaureate degree), meet income requirements based on family size and/or have a documented disability. The Identification/recruitment process for the TRIO StudentShow MoreRelatedTeaching Skills Offered Through The Admissions, Academic Advising, Or But Financial Aid Processes819 Words   |  4 Pagesadmissions, academic advising, or even financial aid processes. Within this service, the students have a counselor that they know that can steer them in the right direction and can answer any questions they may have during their undergraduate college career. Study Skills Another service offered to the TRIO students are Study Skills. As first generation college students, some of the TRIO students are not coming to college straight out of High School and sometimes maybe they didn’t finish High school