Aristotle Versus Plato Essay

Abstract Plato and Aristotle argue that artist (Demiurge) and poet imitate nature, thus, a work of art is a reflection of nature. However, they have different views on the functions of imitation in art and literature. Plato believes in the existence of the ideal world, where exists a real form of every object found in nature. A work of art –which reflects nature is twice far from the reality it represents. Aristotle, on the other hand, does not deal with the ideal world, instead he analyses nature. He argues that a work of art does not imitate nature as it is, but as it should be. In this sense, an artist does not violate the truth but reflects the reality. Key Words: Imitation, art, literature, mimesis, etymology, ethic. Introduction Plato and Aristotle attribute different meanings to the term ‘mimesis’; Plato considers ‘mimesis’ in ethical and political context, Aristotle uses ‘mimesis’ as an aesthetic phenomenon. They both agree that poetry is mimetic but they have different idea about poetry and ‘mimesis’. The present paper aims first to define ‘mimesis’ and explain the historical and linguistic background of the term, then to analyze the concept of ‘mimesis’ in Plato and Aristotle. In literature the word ‘mimesis’ has two diverse applications; it is used â€Å"to define the nature of literature and other arts and to indicate the relation of one literary work, which serves as a model. † Plato and Aristotle take ‘mimesis’ to define the nature of art, yet they ascribe different meanings and value to it. Plato and Aristotle consider the historical and etymological background of the term, therefore, it is necessary to know about the linguistic and historical background of the term ‘mimesis’ to understand what kinds of meaning and value they attribute to the concept. Linguistically, the root word is ‘mimos’; mimesthia, mimesis, mimetes, mimetikos, and mimema are derived from ‘mimos’. Mimesthia denotes imitation, representation or portrayal; mimos and mimetes designate the person who imitates or represents, whereby ‘mimos’ originally refers to the recitation or dramatic performance in the context of dramatic action. The mime, which is a kind of banquets given by wealthy man, is most probably derived from mimos The noun ‘mimesis’ as well as corresponding verb mimeisthai refer to the re-enactment and dance through ritual and myth. In Athenian drama the re-enactment is equivalent to acting out the role of a mythical figure and ‘mimesis’ in such a context connotes the imitation of the earlier re-enactment of the myth and rituals. Historically, the word ‘mimesis’ as re-enactment first appears in such rituals, and the historical origin of the term, as located in Dionysian cult drama, coincides this meaning in that ‘mimesis’ in both cases refers to imitation, representation and expression. It is argued that myth, and divine symbols of the rituals are transformed to artistic-dramatic representation through which it became possible to represent the divinity and gods in drama. Tragedy, for instance is the transformation of the myth and rituals. In a different context ‘mimesis’ may refer to identification. People identify themselves by means of their mimetic ability when they see themselves in the other and perceive a state of mutual equality. In this sense, ‘mimesis’ is distinct from mimicry, which implies only a physical, and no mental relation. That is, a person regards the ‘Other’ as equal and assumes the ‘Other’ to be doing the same in reverse. Associated with the physical aspect of ‘mimesis’ is its performative aspect, as an actualization, a presentation of what has been mimetically indicated. Thus, the term ‘mimesis’ is combined with an action-oriented speaking. The term ‘mimesis’ may also refer the simile, similarity and representation; it may refer to the symbolization of the world when we take it as a transformation of myth. ‘Mimesis’ has also been cited since classical times in the exploration of relationships between art and reality. The meanings and applications of the term changes according to the context it is used. Therefore, Plato and Aristotle ascribes different meanings and value to ‘mimesis’ with respect to the contexts they use it. The Concept of Imitation in Plato takes the term ‘mimesis’ with several meanings and connotations in the dialogues and alters the meaning of the term according to the context in which he uses it. He uses ‘mimesis’ in the context of the education of the youth; he discusses the function of ‘mimesis’ as likening oneself to another in speech and bodily behaviour and as addressing the lower part of man’s soul; he also refers to the epistemology and metaphysics of the concept. He takes the word ‘mimesis’ with pedagogic attributes and uses it in educational and ethical context when he says ‘guardians of an ideal state should be educated to imitate only what is appropriate’. In the third book of the Republic, for instance, Plato provides further definitions of ‘mimesis’, centering on the relation between ‘mimesis’ and poetry, ‘mimesis’ and education and also poetry and education. ‘Since young people learn essentially through imitation, it is significant to select the models’. ‘Mimesis suggests unfavourable effect on the part of the young people’ and ‘poetry is one important source of the youth’s experience with examples and models’; therefore, if the world of models and examples ought to be controlled in the interest of education, poetry must be likewise subject to control. Plato argues the case in the Republic as follow: The youth cannot distinguish what is allegorical from what is not, and the belief they acquire at the age are hard to expunge and usually remain unchanged. That is important that the first stories they hear should be well told and dispose them to virtue. The contents, forms, and representational modes of poetry play an important ethical role in the education of guardians and should, because of the effects they exercise through mimetic process, be based on ethical principles. Young people should only imitate brave, sober, pious and noble men, which will increase their strength and will not infect them with weakness. In this sense, it is argued in the Republic that tragedy and comedy, as mimetic poetry, represent injustice among the gods in the assertion that gods are responsible for unhappiness among people. In the Platonic conception, gods cannot be evil; heroes cannot be weak. The poet’s representation violates the truth and by representing the deficiencies of gods and heroes, has negative effect on the community and the education of youth. Mimetic poetry not only misrepresents gods and heroes and leads young people to immoral behaviours but also appeals to and strengthens the lower, desiring part of the soul. According to Plato, poetry encourages short-term indulgence in our emotions when reason would forbid their gratification because it is useless or harmful for the citizen who considers life as a whole. ‘Reason is a capacity that enables moral quality and authorities. Poetry is intuitive and stirs up a part of a citizen that ought to be kept quiet and fosters the lower part of the soul against the rule of higher part, reason’ Poetry becomes a dangerous rival to morality, which ‘is able to corrupt even good man and is a very dangerous thing encouraging all the lower desires and making them hard to cope with suffering in the theatre, and taking pleasure in laughing at comedies tends to affect our attitudes in real life and make us cynical and unserious. Sex, anger, and all desires, pleasure and pains are fostered by poetic imitation, thus, Homer and tragic poets are not true example for a citizen’. Poetry, then, taking its theme as human emotion and human frailty, threatens to disturb the balance and rational disposition of the individual for the individual, by way of his mimetic abilities, is infected through poetry. Philosophy provides wisdom and truth in the education but poetry has a potential capacity to demoralize mind. For example, Homer’s poetry was drawn on for educational purposes as a collection of knowledge and wisdom and enter in to competition with philosophy, it should therefore, be censored. It is obvious that poetry endangers the ideal citizens who can control and manage their feelings and remain reasonable, thus should be censored. While being an aspect of misrepresentation and something used in a dangerous way for the education of young people, ‘mimesis’ may also come to mean re-enactment in Plato’s dialogue when it refers to the imitation of a man in action in drama. In the Republic, Plato uses the term to refer to the behaviour of the philosopher: â€Å"As he looks upon and contemplates things that are ordered and ever the same, that do no wrong, are not wronged by, each other, being all in rational order. He imitates them and tries to become like them as he can† A similar process occurs in tragedy, which is the artistic and dramatic re-enactment of ritual and myth and transformation of religion. Through tragedy it becomes possible for a man to represent the divinity and gods. For instance, the re-enactment, in Athenian drama, is equivalent to acting out the role of a mythical figure. ‘Mimesis’, in such a context, designates the imitation of earlier re-enactment, the instances of which is taken from myth and rituals. The nature of ritual is spiritual and pleasing and such primitive rituals serve communal interests, in that each member of community gets rid of self. A tragic play may lead to self alienation; and may lead to identification with the fallen character and with the hero. The process of re-enactment, then, leads one to enter into another’s feelings and suffering. Plato insists that no one of truly noble character could suffer as a tragic hero does, since one whose soul is in a state of harmony is not to be influenced and hurt. Therefore, he objects to the re-enactment of ritual. Mimetic behaviour should be avoided because it may lead to identification with fallen characters and with the hero. Plato in the Republic argues that ‘or have you not observed that imitations, if conditioned, settle down youth’s life, and turn into habits and become second nature in the body, the speech and the thought . Apart from this, people identify themselves by means of their mimetic ability when they see themselves in the other and perceive a state of mutual equality. In this sense ‘mimesis’ is distinct from mimicry, which implies only a physical and no mental, relation: a person regards the ‘Other’ as equal and assumes the ‘Other ‘ to be doing the same in reverse. In this respect, a person who imitates is doomed to self-sacrifice and lack of self-identity. Moreover, the process of mimetic identification becomes a source of pleasure in the form of tragedy, which correspondingly frames the myth or re-enacts to substitute the myth in the form of dramatic representation. In the seventh book of the Republic, which is about law, he states ‘we are ourselves authors of tragedy, and that the finest and the best we know how to make’. In fact, our whole polity has been constructed as a dramatization (mimetic) of noble and perfect life; that is what we hold to be truth in the most of real tragedies’. However, in art, ‘mimesis’ has a different function. Aesthetically, ‘mimesis’ refers to misrepresentation. Reality and truth can only be understood through reason. The artist works with inspiration and imagination: the two faculties don’t give us the true image of reality, and the end of tragedy is a partial loss of moral identity. On the one hand, there is ‘mimesis’ as a re-enactment of Dionysian rituals in the form of tragedy which leads to self-sacrifice and wrong identity and which addresses the lower part of the soul and corrupts the ethical development of the youth. On the other hand, there is ‘mimesis’ as an imitative, imperfect image of reality. In a sense, Plato’s resistance to ‘mimesis’ is not only due to the fact that tragedy (mimetic art) may lead the audiences back to the ritual and irrational mode of primitive society but also due to the fact that mimetic art is an imitation of objects (eidon), which are imitations themselves. He objects to ‘mimesis’ for the fact there is no relationship between what is imitated and what is real. ‘Mimesis’ designates the ability to create expression and representation on the part of poet, painter and actor, both in a general and specific sense. For example, the painter produces a relationship between an image he created and the object. If the relationship consists in the production of similarity, then, there arises a question of where the similarity between image and object lies. If the images he creates don’t make a reference to reality and real object, and if the relationship between object and image is on the level of similarity created by the poet through art, then, there appears a lack of link between true and false. But in Plato’s philosophy the relationship between objects and reality does not consist of likeness or similarity. According to Plato, Demiurge creates the idea and by beholding the idea Demiurge produces the object; his ability is exalted in the imitation of the Idea. The poet, on the other hand, creates the images neither by seeing the idea nor from more substantive knowledge of the object since he produces nothing but phenomena by holding up a mirror. In this sense, the artist produces appearance and his work cannot provide us with true insight. Then, when a poet writes about the bed, for instance, it is not a bed manufactured by the craftsman from the idea nor does it have any relation to the real bed; it is only simulation and phenomena. There is also a difference between the knowledge of the poet and the knowledge of the craftsman. Man makes things and makes images. The craftsman makes the things following the original copy or model; the poet follows the image of the model or copy; therefore he gives only a proportion of reality. The proportion of knowledge and opinion, truth and falsity plays a contrasting role in distinguishing imitation as proportion of being to appearance. Plato argues that to understand the image, one needs to know the reality and the path to reality is in philosophy and reason, not in poetry and emotion. Although Plato admits that every object in nature is a reflection of the Idea, he doesn’t object to the reflection of object in nature. Plato uses mirror and water as constant metaphors to clarify the relationship between reality and the reflection of eidon. Plato argues that the poet holds up mirror to nature and in his work we see the reflection of nature not reality. He objects to the reflection of objects in the mirror, since things are divided into two parts: visible and intelligible. The first of the visible things is the class of copies, which includes shadows and reflections in the mirror. The second class of visible things is that of which the previous is a likeliness or copy. Plato objects to the reflection of object in the mirror, since mirror (poet) imprisons and limits the image. And he also objects to the imitation, since the poet imitates without knowledge. Therefore, it is not its imitative character but its lack of truth and knowledge, which brings poetry to its low estate. Homer and all the poetic tribe are imitators of images of virtue and other things but they do not rely on truth. Poetry, after all, is a madness that seizes the soul when it contemplates in true knowledge of goods. Plato’s objection to ‘mimesis’ may also interpreted as a reaction to the sophistic thinking that aims to produce images that the listener will regard as real, all of which take place in the world of phenomena. Image, thought, and opinion combine into a world of appearance characterized by nonbeing, a phenomenal nature and similarity. And as long as illusion and reality are not distinguished, science, ignorance, and appearance merge together. Within the concept of ‘mimesis’, then, Plato creates an independent sphere of the aesthetic consisting of appearance, image and illusion and excludes it from the domain of philosophy. He insists that there are no phenomena without being, no images without reality, no ‘mimesis’ without a model. Yet reality and idea cannot be represented without knowledge and images are not part of reality. Plato, in the Republic, in Ion, and in Symposium uses the concept of ‘mimesis’ with several meanings. He refers to the education of the young in Book X of the Republic; in Ion he develops a metaphysical discourse on the concept of imitation, and in Book III of the Republic he objects to imitation because ‘mimesis’addresses and strengthens the lower part of the spirit. Plato refers to ethical aspects of ‘mimesis’ whenever he refers to the concept of imitation. That is, ‘mimesis’ is an ethical matter in Plato’s dialogues. He is not interested in the aesthetic aspect of ‘mimesis’; therefore, he does not pay attention to the form and matter of ‘mimesis’and art. Plato deals with the value of ‘mimesis’. Aristotle is the first to deal with ‘mimesis’ as a theory of art. He dwells on the concept of ‘mimesis’ as an aesthetic theory of art and ‘considers imitation in terms of the form in which it is embodied’. By imitation, ‘he means something like representation’ through which ‘mimesis’ becomes the equivalent of artistic and aesthetic enterprise’. Unlike Plato, Aristotle also argues that ‘mimesis’ is not morally destructive since reason controls art. II. The Concept of Imitation in Aristotle Aristotle states that all human actions are mimetic and that men learn through imitation. In particular, ‘mimesis’ is the distinguishing quality of an artist. He argues that ‘public classifies all those who write in meter as poets and completely misses the point that the capacity to produce an imitation is the essential quality of the poet’. The poet is distinguished from the rest of mankind with the ‘essential ability to produce imitation’. A poet may imitate in one of three styles in poetry; he may use pure narrative, in which he speaks in his own person without imitation, as in the dithyrambs, or he may use mimetic narrative and speaks in the person of his characters, as in comedy and tragedy. A poet may use mixed narrative, in which he speaks now in his own person and now in the person of his character, as in epic poetry. Mimetic poetry may also differ according to the object of imitation. In this respect, tragedy differs from comedy in that it makes its characters better rather than worse. ‘Mimesis’, particularly, becomes a central term when Aristotle discusses the nature and function of art. In the Poetics, he defines tragedy as: ‘as an imitation of human action that is serious, complete and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with every kind of artistic ornament, the various kinds being found in different parts of the play; it represents man in action rather than using narrative, through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotion’. Aristotle is interested in the form of imitation and goes on to consider plot, character, diction, thought, spectacle and song as constituting elements of a typical tragedy. The action of plot must be complete in itself with a proper beginning, middle and an end. All parts of action must be equally essential to the whole. Each part of the tragedy is imitation itself. Character in tragedy imitates the action of noble man who has to be a man of some social standing and personal reputation, but he has to be presented us in terms of his weaknesses because it is his weakness that will make his fall believable. Aristotle thinks that all types of art are mimetic but each may differ in the manner, means, and object of imitation. Music imitates in sound and rhythm, painting in color and poetry in action and word. Aristotle’s ‘mimesis’ does not refer to the imitation of Idea and appearances, like that of Plato. He argues that each area of knowledge is imitation in the sense that as a human being we all learn through imitation. However, he carefully makes a distinction between different kinds of knowledge. For instance, he claims that art and philosophy deal with different kind of truth; philosophy deals with concrete and absolute truth, whereas art deals with aesthetic and universal truth. The difference, for instance, between mimetic poetry and history is stated as ‘one writes about what has actually happened, while the other deals with what might happen’. Art, unlike science, doesn’t abstract universal form but imitates the form of individual things and unites the separate parts presenting what is universal and particular. Therefore, the function of poetry is not to portray what has happened but to portray what may have happened in accord with the principle of probability and necessity. Since poetry deals with universal truth, history considers only particular facts; poetry is more philosophical and deserves more serious attention. In addition, aesthetic representation of reality is not technical, factual, philosophical, and historical. Aristotle compares aesthetic process (mimesis) with the process that takes place in nature. While nature moves through internal principles, art moves through organic principles like plot, action, characters, diction, and there is a unity among them. In a sense, art imitates nature and the deficiencies of nature are supplemented in the process of imitation, and art follows the same method, as nature would have employed. Thus, ‘if a house were natural product, it would pass through the same stages that in fact it passes through when it is produced by art, they would move along the same lines the natural process actually takes’. Poets, like nature, are capable of creating matter and form. The origin of nature is nature itself and the origin of art is the artist and the defining characteristic of the artist is the ability to create, through imitation, as nature does. The artist constructs the plot as an organizing principle, character constitutes the relation and carries on the action and style gives pleasure. For instance, the plot of tragedy and Dionysian rituals display similar organization. The rituals begin with the spring, which is a striking and beautiful time of the year, and they represent the strength of gods and nature upon primitive society. Tragedy, like the image of spring, has a striking and fascinating beginning and, like ritual, a tragic play pervades and shapes the feelings of the audiences. Dionysian ritual is a sacrifice of human being for gods and nature in the hope for a better and peaceful beginning. Similarly, the tragic hero is symbolically sacrificed after which there appears a peace. Then, the poet takes tragedy, as a mimetic representation of myth, from the natural course of an event that takes place in nature and reorganizes it. In this sense, ‘mimesis’ designates the imitation and the manner in which, as in nature, creation takes place. Mimesis, as Aristotle takes it, is an active aesthetic process. He argues that ‘imitation is given us by nature and men are endowed with these gifts, gradually develop them and finally create the art of poetry’. The poet does not imitate reality but brings reality into existence through ‘mimesis’. The poet recreates and reorganizes already known facts and presents them in a fresh and attractive way; therefore, though audiences know the story of Sophocles’ Oedipus, they go and watch it. The reality as presented to us through ‘mimesis’ is superior and universal not only because we are pleased to learn through imitation but also because such reality is better. Homer, for instance, depicts Achilles not only as a bad character but also depicts his goodness. Mimesis is thus copying and changing. The poet creates something that previously did not exist and for which there are no available models. Even in dealing with historical materials, the poet needs to fashion it in accord with his art rising to a higher level than is found in reality. Art is fictitious but the mimetic and aesthetic nature of art pervades the fictitious deviation and a work of art forces the thing to appear as something more beautiful and better than that nature and human being posses in common, ‘for it is always writer’s duty to make world better’. It can be argued that Aristotle defines and argues about art with respect to ‘mimesis’, and the concept of imitation in Aristotle is an aesthetic matter. Mimesis is not only ‘origin of art but also a distinguishing quality of man, since imitation is natural to mankind from childhood on’; in addition ‘all men find pleasure in imitation’. He claims that there are ‘things that distress us when we see them in reality, but the most accurate representation of these same things we view with pleasure. In this sense, catharsis is not a moral and psychological matter but a natural end of the aesthetic act as Salkaver discusses below: Fear and pity are dangerous emotions: painful and troubled feelings arise from the imagination of an imminent evil and cause destruction and pain. Pity, in particular, is a kind of pain upon seeing deadly or painful evil happening to one who does not deserve. However, in the representation of such feelings one feels empathy and gets rid of them. So, a work of art gives a man an opportunity to get rid of painful and troubled feelings arising from the imagination of an imminent evil that may cause destruction and pain on the part of the citizen. Aristotle develops a consistent theory of art upon the concept of imitation. He begins saying that all human actions are imitation, then, he focuses on poetry and other areas of studies like history and philosophy. Lastly, he dwells on the poet and the concept of imitation as taken and practiced by playwrights. All his arguments upon ‘mimesis’ are, both in general and in specific sense, have aesthetics quality, since he does not take imitation as social, moral or political phenomena but as an activity of the artist. CONCLUSION Plato’s main concern is with the public recitation of dramatic and epic poetry and in Plato there is emulation between philosophy and poetry. The poet influences the character of the young in every way and has corruptive impact upon the education of the young mind. In addition, poets don’t have a true knowledge of the things. Plato suggests that the emotional appeal is a threat to reason, that mimetic art is remote from reality, that the poet is not serious and knows nothing about poetry and cannot give satisfactory information about his art. It is obvious that he resists the concept of imitation in the case of poetic composition. Tragedy, in particular, and poetry, in general are concerned with pleasure rather than instruction and since it is not possible to imitate a wise and quiet person in the play, since such a person does not fit the content of tragedy, ‘mimesis’ is ethically distracting. Therefore, the function of various discussions of mimetic art in the Republic is ethical: wherever he mentions art he discusses it in relation to education and ethics. Although Aristotle agrees with Plato that poetry has the power to stimulate emotions, he does not pay much attention to the ethical and epistemological aspects of ‘mimesis’. Yet he dwells on the pleasure that men take in learning and argues that tragedy discharges the feelings and spectators leave the play in a state of calm, free of passions. He does not restrict art and poetry and the concept of ‘mimesis’. Aristotle’s ‘mimesis’ is defined by mythos and praxis’, which brings the concept close to areas of time and action- in contrast to Platonic ‘mimesis’, which is closer to image, imagination and imitation. He argues that tragedy is the imitation (mimesis) of a man in action. Aristotle’s ‘mimesis’ is active and creative; and he gives a dynamic character to ‘mimesis’ by introducing mythos and praxis, thus, defines art as ‘mimesis’ and the artist as character. Plato worries about the moral effect of poetry, while Aristotle strikes to psychology and returns repeatedly to shuddering terror (phobos) and pity (eleos) that the tragedy is creating in the spectator, who therefore repeats or imitates what has already taken place on stage. Plato argues that there is a duality between art (mimesis and narrative art) and ethics. The more poetic the poems are the less suited are they to the ears of men. Artistically, the better the comedy is, the worst it is, since the more attractive and perfect the comedy is the more disastrous its effects are. For instance, Homer, in the â€Å"Iliad† tells us or narrates the story of cypresses, as he was himself a cypress. He tells the story as far as it makes the audience feel that not Homer is the speaker, but the priest, an old man. This manner of representation (impersonation), according to Plato, leads to the loss-of-self or transformation of identity and becomes a matter of moral destruction. Aristotle takes the same activity of impersonation in a different way. He praises Homer for not telling excessively in his own voice since, after a few words he immediately brings on stage a man or woman or some other characters that represent the action with larger perspective. As a conclusion, ‘mimesis’ has since the antiquity been discussed to refer to the relation between reality and representation. The nature of discussion upon the concept of ‘mimesis’ as a theory of art changes according to the person who discusses the term and the way he deals with the term. Auerbach, for instance, distinguishes the reality and ‘mimesis’ in literature with respect to the narrative techniques and argues that Homeric epic is not mimetic but realistic since; narration of the tales comprehends every detail and leaves no space for interpretation. Plato, on the other hand, agrees that reality cannot be represented; therefore, ‘mimesis’ is misrepresentation of truth. Aristotle becomes the defender of ‘mimesis’ against Plato and develops a theory of art with reference to ‘mimesis’ and claims that art (mimetic art) is superior to philosophy and histpry.

Design Teaching

Design teaching is seen as important, both in itself and as an integrated theme running throughout environmental degree courses. One of the prime objectives is to show the requirement for incorporating the material covered in traditional environmental engineering courses within a design framework. In this way, the importance, relevance and application of water resources and environmental engineering courses can be highlighted. In addition to this, it is recognized that project-based work is important in developing student enthusiasm for engineering and can therefore provide a mechanism for maintaining the required levels of interest throughout the course (Hopkinson et al., 2008). Design projects are often carried out with the students working in groups, which can be applied to develop teamwork and effective communication.One of the major advantages of project-based design work over traditional, formal lectures is that it is student-centered, requiring active learning rather than the passive acquisition of information through lectures. Even though the material that is possible to cover within a design project is challenging in terms of both student and faculty time, it is argued that project-based work may be a more effective method for acquiring knowledge and developing understanding. The importance of authenticity in effective design teaching has been highlighted by other authors who argue that the creation of an artifact or system designed is an essential part of the educational process (Koehler and Mishra, 2005). Project-based design teaching often offers the opportunity assessing an existing design through an audit or for producing a new prototype, which would not normally be possible within a conventional lecture course. Project-based teaching, therefore, presents the extra benefit to students of dealing with real problems and it is arguably more tangible than other teaching techniques. Although formal lectures provide an important means for acquiring knowledge, it is suggested that students often have more difficulty in understanding the material and realizing the relevance in course material when it is delivered in this way alone. The educational purpose of project-based design teaching within water resources and environmental engineering degree courses are not always fully appreciated. Therefore, it is the aim of this paper to discuss a range of objectives and show how they may be achieved within the perspective of a particular storm-water management design project. A shelter belt system along with a storm-water transfer management system was analyzed using calculations and formulas taught in the class. The shelter-belt technology is a proven technology being used in Germany and the Netherlands for controlling storm-water (Meurk, 2005). It was combined with the most-advanced Japanese water transfer technology (Saraswat, 2016). A group of students worked on storm-water management using different alternatives like shelter-belt technology and rainwater gardens and calculated various parameters. Students were encouraged to search for the information on the internet (like scholar.google.com, usepa.gov and uspto.gov) and other sources. Required information and guidance were provided by the instructor. The project aims to demonstrate the importance of integrating water resources and environmental engineering in the design process as well as to develop team work and communication skills. In the following sections, an outline of the project specifications is first given. The educational objectives are then presented in detail and the educational value of project based design teaching is discussed. The design process may be considered to comprise the following well-established phases: project specifications, common conceptualization, demonstration, and detail. This process pertains largely to original designs, but aspects of the overall process are also relevant to variant design into which category the current design projects in general fall. The present design projects identify a case study in variant design. The generation of design solutions requires some consideration of the original design process discussed above. But the majority of the project is concerned with the detailed design phase.

Addiction Definition Essay

Teens all across the world are facing addiction; they are becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol. It’s happening right under our noses whether they are getting it from their house, grocery stores & pharmacies, even at schools and parties. Teen addiction comes with a lot of consequences anywhere from jail time to even death. It is important to watch for signs such as blood shot eyes, knowing how to prevent it from happening in your teens life, find out all the treatment plans for you teen if it comes down to it. There are a number of resource’s out there to help you with talking to your teen. â€Å"People experiment with drugs for many different reasons. Many first try drugs out of curiosity, to have a good time, because friends are doing it, or in an effort to improve athletic performance or ease another problem, such as stress, anxiety, or depression.† (Robinson, Lawrence, Smith, Melinda, M.A., Saisan, Joanna, M.S.W., 2013, Drug Abuse & Addiction,). Teens start abusing drugs and/or getting addicted to drugs in stressful situations such as moving to a different city or state, changing schools, parents getting divorced, as well as being abused physically, mentally, sexually, emotionally. As well as hanging out with the wrong crowd can make your teen get into addiction with drugs and alcohol. Situations like this can make teens start to experiment with drugs and alcohol. The most common signs of drug addiction in teens is they always have bloodshot eyes, using eye drops to mask what’s really going on with them. One of the biggest signs is probably missing class; grades are starting to go down, & getting into trouble at school. Money and valuables missing from the house; some other signs can be signs of addiction are not acting like themselves or behaving rather weird. Loss of interest in things they once loved such as hobbies, being with friends and families, school. How can you prevent addiction or drug use in a teen? Speaking with your teen about the addiction to drugs and how it can affect them in the future may prolong the use of it. Sometimes that’s not always enough for some teens! â€Å"That’s why delaying the age of first use of alcohol and a drug is a critical goal of prevention. However, other protective factors, especially proactive parenting and strong family bonds, can help delay adolescents’ experimentation with drugs and alcohol and thus help reduce long-term problems.† (Author Unknown, Preventing adolescent substance abuse). Having a strong family bond with your children, always be in their life as much as possible can prevent them from touching that first drink or smoke that first blunt. Preventing teen addiction should be from different sources just not from parents or family, but schools should have something every year that explains the risks and dangers of addictions. My dad started using drugs when he was a teenager got addicted to coke and then he met my mom stopped using for a while. Then all of a sudden he’d take me and my sister to his drug house to get high off of whatever was there that day, I seen how messed up it made my family and how badly it hurt my mom to find out that my sister and I were being exposed to drugs at this drug house. My dad’s addiction tore my family apart because shortly after this my parents got a divorced and then on November 28 1998 he passed away from a brain aneurysm due to the long term drug use. I had to beat the stereotype that since my dad was a drug addict that I would be one too. I stayed focused on graduating on time, spent time with my family and friends that were good for me, as well as be being aware of what my dad went through and how he passed away too early. â€Å"The most important thing that can be done for teenagers who have an addiction problem is to ensure that they are able to get treatment for their problems, and getting the right treatment that will help them overcome their addiction. Although many of the options that are used for treating addiction among adults can be successful in treating teenagers, there are a number of additional things that will be of great help to teenagers trying to overcome their addictions.† (Author Unknown, Treatment options for Teenage Addicts, 2009-2013,) There are so many treatment centers and â€Å"cures† for any kind of addiction, but what one is the right one for you and your family? Is it to put your teen into rehab to get over their addiction or is it to just let them sit in jail and detox from whatever job they are on that’s just if they get caught. Or would you rather find out that your child is dead because of a drug over dose? Drug treatment programs could help for many reasons they provide general therapy, awareness, and education on getting treated for addiction. Counseling sits the addicted person down and makes them realize what they dealing with as far as drugs. There are also many drugs that doctors say â€Å"help with addiction† but I don’t know how true that is for a teenager that’s dealing with addiction. There are so many different types of treatment for addictions those were just to name a few. If your teen is suffering from addiction get them help fast from any of the above treatments. Teens all across the world are dealing with this deadly thing called addiction whether it’s from drugs or alcohol to even social media addiction to sex. There are ways to see if your teen has signs of addiction by their attitude, to their lack of attendance in school, to their bloodshot eyes. There are so many types of preventions for your teen, having a strong family bond, to being active in your teen’s life (even though it can be hard at times when it comes to teens and their parents). If your teen is suffering from addiction and you’d like to get them help there are drug treatment programs, counseling, medications, self-help groups, rehab, and possibly jail time if caught. Teens shouldn’t have to go through this alone. Reference page Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse (2013) http://www.hazelden.org/web/public/substance_abuse_prevention.page Robinson, Lawrence, Saisan, Joanna, M.S.W., Smith, Melinda, M.A (2013). Drugs Abuse & Addiction, http://www.helpguide.org/mental/drug_substance_abuse_addiction_signs_effects_treatments.htm#top Treatment Options for Teenage Addiction, (2009-2013), http://www.troubledteensparenting.com/treatment-options-for-teenage-addicts.php

Position Paper Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Position Paper - Movie Review Example In other words, there are substantial issues and various points linked to autism. What is most important is to come up with relevant point of view about it. The work at hand points out some relevant views about autism based on the point of view of the film. At certain point, the film simply showcases the thought that autism could be due to environmental toxins. This has remarkable basis, which particularly includes the prevailing lifestyle of the people in the modern world. With the advancement of technology and the innovative approach of creating something new in the market place, people are bound to experience relevant health, psychological and emotional variations. At some point, one remarkable change that may be brought by this is relevant to the level of learning of an individual. Autism based on the film is considered as a problem associated with learning. A person having difficulty in learning might be highly influence by the presence of autism or any symptoms associated with it. However, the thought that this might be due to environmental toxins remains debatable. For this reason, there is another point of view that surfaces. The issue about neurodiversity is so strong that it encourages everybody to support a person under the condition of autism. For the reason that there are only few cases of autism and average people do not act the way an autistic person does, many experts believe that it is quite substantial point to consider that autism is not a normal mental condition after all, but something that requires moral support from all concerned. This view is humanistic in its approach, and in fact, this is how the film presents the point of looking at autism as something that may require substantial public consciousness. Based on these thoughts, there are vital topics or concerns that may be good items for teachers to consider. Taking into account the concept of learning and the prevalence of autism are phenomenal ideas. Banking on the point of

The Assault on Reason by Al Gore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Assault on Reason by Al Gore - Essay Example Nursing homes are run as a community and the community may have certain laws that have to be followed by all those who live in it. These laws may define the nature and the extent of the relationships that individuals within the community can have with each other. While consenting sexual relationships may be seen as acceptable by society at large, the board which controls the nursing home may not consider all such relationships to be kosher. Particularly, in cases where they develop between the individuals working as caregivers and those who are residents of the community. Even in situations where the sexual relationship is between two residents of the same community, there could be legal issues involved which may come about as a result of the health conditions of one partner. For example, if one of the partners has lost or has a diminished capacity to make reasonable judgments, the relationship may not be considered to be founded on consent. These issues give a solid foundation towards denying sexual relationships between the elderly who are placed in nursing homes. However, it must be noted that our society is founded on the principles of freedom and allowing people to do what they want as long as they stay within the bounds of the law. Having a consenting relationship is largely considered to be legal therefore there should be no reason why the elderly should be dined the same freedoms which their counterparts outside the nursing homes enjoy. It is often the agenda of nursing homes to provided a full, fun and participating life experience for the golden years of the elderly therefore they should be permitted to have sexual relationships if they so desire. Further, sex is healthy since it improves the mental abilities of the elderly and prevents them from falling into a cycle of depression. It gives them the understanding that even if they are old, they have not lost their life or their life goals. In

The Economic Role of R & D Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Economic Role of R & D - Essay Example However, behind all these, Canada seems to have been a very quiet spectator seeming lagging on the development bandwagon. The country seems to have been a very quite neighbour, dwarfed by the gigantic research and development machinery of the United States. Sancton1 abhors the seemingly backwardness and lack of initiative on the Canadian government to invest in research and development comparing the cities’ innovations that are left wanting as well as the seemingly lack of political will to support such investments that will lead to economic development. However, it is quite unfair to match the two nations evenly since there is a large difference between the dollars allotted by Americans to research and development than Canadians. Hence, it is only fair for any country with lesser resources to allocate these much more intelligently and therefore focus of the much needed improvements that are essential for the betterment of their constituents. Thus, even governments and non-pro fit organizations have adopted the use of the balanced scorecard (BSC) postulated by Kaplan and Norton in order to be able to have a more strategically planned allocation of these resources. Of course these institutions work on a limited funding whereby there are the limitations of taxes and grants respectively2. Hence, in light of the aforementioned limitations, Canada cannot go toe-to-toe with its giant neighbour in terms of research spending. However, as Clark brings forward, the country has more consciously focused their research efforts in order to have more impact and to be able to bring in more economic developments given the limited amount of funding available3. A Parallel Flux There has been an increasingly similarity though on the forces that affect the two countries. The impact of the forces has steadily been having the same effect on the US and Canada whereby there has been an increasing similarity in the responses of the two countries as the effects of such forces affec t the two countries in almost the same way. However, as mentioned, the capability of the latter seem wanting as compared to the former4. Indeed, Canada needs to step up on the research and development area since the competition globally has likewise become stiffer. Of course Canadians will want to enjoy the same economic prosperity by the other countries, especially its peers among the advanced economies. There have been improvements that have crept at towards the close of the last century5. However, these changes have not moved fast when the speed of the global economy shifted to a higher gear when the technological innovations kicked in during the past decade. Indeed, the only effect of the housing crisis of the US in Canada was the dampening in the demand for housing needs, particularly lumber, which goes to show the extent to the disparity between the neighbouring economies. Focused Improvement In effect, the country has to really focus its efforts to improve their research and technology. Basically, economics is about allocating scarce resources and Canada knows that compared to its giant neighbour, their resources are indeed lacking. However, research truly involves more than funding since it also involves the intelligence of researchers and of course their creativity which cannot always be calibrated. But, given the realities, the

LETTER OF LEGAL ADVICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

LETTER OF LEGAL ADVICE - Essay Example Moreover, it also puts forward some of the legal advices that are needed to be considered in order have a lawful advantage in this corrupted era. Acceptance is an expression or implication of undertaking something, which is being offered. In legal terms, acceptance of a contract is an expression or the willingness by an individual or a party undertaking the contract that is being offered by ran offerer. In this regard, one party accepts the terms and conditions of a contract or deal as stated by the other (Krol, 1993). To begin with, ‘Conditional Acceptance’, is a form of contractual acceptance where the acceptance is made on the account of fulfilment of certain conditions. Elaborately, the party who accepts the offer of contract considers the same only if certain conditions lay down by the acceptor are fulfilled by the party who offered the contract (Meena, 2008). This is evident from the fact of Malago Pty Ltd v AW Ellis Engineering Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 227, where a prominent depiction of the conditional acceptance was observed. The Head of the Agreement in this case proposed a condition of compelling the total water surface to the respondent. The decisions by the court were that both the parties should consider the surrounding circumstances. The court also rejected the agreement due to the lack of formalities. The court further, implemented that a conditional acceptance needs to have the formal guidelines and also requires considering the surrounding circumstances. From the case, i t can be learnt that for any firm to have legal advantages in the contracts, adequate formalities and official procedures should be considered. Therefore, from the case analysis it can be stated that to have an effective conditional acceptance, a company should meet all the legal requirements amid the parties (Allens, 2012). Furthermore, there are witnesses in case of people accepting the offer of caution money of rent, only if

Vietnam War Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Vietnam War - Term Paper Example The former imperialistic Roman Empire should serve as an example of how this cause and effect scenario plays out. A similar destiny awaits America if it refuses to stop repeating the rationalizations for military involvement that kept it in Vietnam for a decade. A result of justifications emanating from Cold War, anti-communism attitudes, Vietnam became the standard by which limitations of the American military can be measured. Following the U.S. victory over the Japanese in 1945, the U.S. and former Soviet Union became engaged in a politically ideological battle that enveloped much of the rest of the world, the Cold War. Communism was clearly America’s adversary and after the Soviets build the Berlin Wall and continued to dominate other Eastern European countries, which became known as ‘satellite’ nations of the Soviets, the U.S. decided to not allow communism to spread into far Southeast Asia for motivations that remain unclear. Though the U.S. used the atomic b omb in Asia less than 20 years earlier, it deployed thousands of troops to the jungles of Vietnam during the decade-long ‘police action’ despite pleas by some that ground troops were necessary only after ‘the bomb’ was dropped in a clean-up role. The fiasco of Vietnam instigated an anti-military response from the majority of American citizens which contributed to the Cold War’s end. ... isolationism at the ending of the 19th century to its status as the sole remaining superpower, has always been centered on the promotion and conservation of its own interests and ‘the advancement of civilization,’ the exercise of power to assert itself beyond the bounds of the American continents in ‘the interest of civilization and of humanity’ and its own selfish interests.† (Olney, 2004) This period of military re-evaluation lasted from the end of the Vietnam War in 1973 until the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. The U.S. entered the Vietnam conflict to bring democracy to the oppressed indigenous population (the official reason) very optimistic of securing a quick victory. Unsurprisingly, the U.S. went into Vietnam War with somewhat of an arrogant attitude thinking that the North Vietnamese army would soon bow to the mighty American military machine and that South Vietnam would willingly accept and adjust to a westernized style system of governmen t. According to Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State under President Nixon, America entered Vietnam with a â€Å"brash confidence in the universal applicability of America’s prescriptions.† (Kissinger,2003) The paradoxical epilogue to Vietnam was that America went into this bloody, horrifying and long-term war believing it would be the noble liberator of the South Vietnamese. The U.S. did this without appreciating the obvious fact that the South Vietnamese people had been fighting for liberation from a North Vietnamese government which represented the same imperialistic way of thinking as the American government. (Ignatieff, 2003) The U.S. failed in Vietnam not because it lacked military capability but because it did not understand the enemy. Although the U.S. marched in with a tremendous military

Managing a health and social cae orgainsation Essay

Managing a health and social cae orgainsation - Essay Example In this context, identifying appropriate management practices for the particular sector can be a challenging task. This paper presents a series of management theories that could be effectively used in the health and care industry. Reference is also made to the ethical and legal issues that tend to appear in the particular sector, at the level that these issues set limits to the freedom of the industry’s employees to take initiatives. It is proved that, like in all sectors, in the health and social care industry the use of appropriate management practices is quite necessary so that the industry’s organizations are able to face market challenges. In any case, before applying any management theory in one of the industry’s organizations it is necessary to take into consideration the ethical implications of the particular initiative. 2. Management and health and social care organizations 2.1 Models and theories of management relevant to a health and social care enviro nment Different views seem to exist in the literature in regard to the involvement of management theories in the health and social care industry. In general, the necessity of these theories for the industry’s organizations is not doubted. Still, oppositions have been developed as to which of existing management theories are most appropriate for the health and social care sector. ... asis is given on hierarchy, as it results to ‘different levels of responsibilities and rights among the members of the organization’ (Harris 2005, p.63). The bureaucratic theory is based on a series of rules, that need to be followed in all organizations that adopt the particular style of management: a) the hiring of an individual to a specific position is depended on his skills; the power of each employee as ‘a member of the organization is related to his position in the organizational hierarchy’ (Harris 2005, p.63); b) following the procedures is of critical importance; no employee has the right to take initiatives, unless they are within the context of the power given to the employee as member of the organization; (Harris 2005, p.63) the activities of individuals, as members of the organization, ‘are predictable’ (Harris 2005, p.63), meaning that there is a routine in regard to the tasks assigned to each individual; this routine cannot be cha nged unless it is ordered by the employer (Harris 2005, p.63). Another management theory that it is widely used in organizations operating in the healthcare sector is the institutional theory. The particular theory is based on the idea that organizations operate in environments that are characterized by ‘a series of myths, such as rules of professional conduct or ethical standards, to which organizations have to conform’ (Shortell and Kaluzny 1997, p.21). At this point, a key difference seems to exist between the common organizational environments, also characterized as ‘technical environments, and the institutional environments’ (Shortell and Kaluzny 1997, p.21). The former tend to press the organizations for continuously increasing their profits (Shortell and Kaluzny 1997, p.21). The latter require that the

L4 Reading Essay Example for Free

L4 Reading Essay What do listening and reading comprehension skills have in common? ?BOTH ARE RECEPTIVE SKILLS ?THEY PROVIDE INPUT FOR LLS (LLS NEED TO BE EXPOSED TO THE LANGUAGE THEY LEARN AS much as possible) ?LLS LISTEN AND READ BOTH EXTENSIVELY AND INTENSIVELY ?INPUT HYPOTHESIS (KRASHEN) – LLS ARE ABLE TO ACQUIRE LANGUAGE THAT IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE their level (i+1) ? GOALS OF LISTENING AND READING – SIMILAR ?IT IS NECESSARY TO FOCUS ON THE PROCESS, NOT ON THE PRODUCT ?THREE STAGES: PRE-, DURING-, AFTER- ?IN COMPARISON WITH LISTENING AND SPEAKING, READING IS A RELATIVELY EASIER SKILL. ?REASONS: ? THE READER HAS TIME TO PROCESS THE WRITTEN TEXT (HELP OF A DICTIONARY) ? WRITTEN TEXT CAN BE USED REPEATEDLY Bottom-up view of Reading ?PROCESSING IN READING FROM LETTERS TO SOUNDS, TO WORDS, TO MEANING (DATA-DRIVEN) ?COMPREHENSION TO PROCEED LINEARLY FROM THE ISOLATED UNITS (LETTERS, WORDS) TO HIGHER units of comprehension. Top-down view of Reading Reading texts 1. Literary texts (novels, short stories, plays, essays) 2. Specialized or technical texts (reports, reviews, textbooks) 3. Correspondence (letters, e-mails, postcards) 4. Journalistic literature (articles from newspapers and magazines, weather reports). 5. Information texts (dictionaries, timetables, signs) 6. Realia (tickets, menus, recipes) Different kinds of reading 1. Scanning – looking for a particular piece of information. 2. Skimming – looking for the main idea or the general gist of a passage. 3. Extensive reading – longer texts for pleasure, needing global understanding 4. Intensive reading – shorter texts, extracting specific info, detail Decide: skimming, scanning, extensive reading or intensive reading ?THE ‘WHAT’S ON’ SECTION OF THE LOCAL PAPER ?A NOVEL ?AN ARMCHAIR TRAVEL BOOK ABOUT A COUNTRY YOU HAVE ENJOYED VISITING ?A NEWSPAPER  ? A TEXT IN CLASS ?A SERIES OF ARTICLES, ONLY SOME OF WHICH WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU, FOR A REPORT YOU’RE writing ?A POEM ?THE TELEPHONE DIRECTORY ?A POSTCARD ?INSTRUCTIONS FOR KITSET FURNITURE YOU’RE ASSEMBLING (YOU’RE USUALLY NOT VERY GOOD AT doing this) ?A TRAIN TIMETABLE ?A RECIPE ?A TRAVEL BROCHURE WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO DECIDE ON A HOLIDAY DESTINATION Reading aloud ?FOR PRACTISING PRONUNCIATION AND INTONATION (CHILDREN) ?SHADOW READING: ? LLS FIRST LISTEN TO THE WHOLE TEXT (NOT BE VERY LONG, ONE PARAGRAPH) ?LLS LISTEN TO ONE SENTENCE, THE TEACHER STOPS THE CD AND LLS READ THE SENTENCE OUT,  paying attention to correct pronunciation and intonation ?WHEN THEY CAN DO IT WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS, THEY ARE ASKED TO READ THE TEXT TOGETHER with the CD ?AFTERWARDS, INDIVIDUAL LLS MAY BE ASKED TO READ THE TEXT OUT. Feedback on during-reading activities ?AFTER LLS HAVE READ THE READING COMPREHENSION TEXT AND WRITTEN THEIR ANSWERS, THEN check the answers in pairs ? LLS UNDERLINE THOSE SENTENCES – THE EVIDENCE FOR THEIR DECISIONS ?AFTER THE ANSWERS AND THE EVIDENCE HAVE BEEN CHECKED IN PAIRS OR SMALL GROUPS, THE T elicits the answers from the LLs ?ELICITATION – T KNOWS WHICH PASSAGES CAUSED PROBLEMS AND CAN HELP LEARNERS TO  analyse the particular section ? IF LLS’ ANSWERS DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER, T SHOULD NOT TELL THEM THE CORRECT ANSWER, BUT let LLs discuss their decisions and evidence and come to a conclusion Reading Strategies for Efficient Reading ?BE PREPARED FOR READING THE TEXT (ASK QUESTIONS FOR YOURSELF WHICH YOU THINK THE TEXT may answer; read the title, subtitles; look at pictures and other visuals to predict the content of the text) ? READ THE TEXT QUICKLY FOR THE GIST; ?YOU MAY HIGHLIGHT KEY VOCABULARY AND LOOK THE KEY WORDS UP; ?TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE MAIN IDEAS AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THEM; ?TRY TO FIND THE LINKING WORDS; THEY INDICATE THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN IDEAS AND MAKE the text coherent; ?IGNORE UNKNOWN WORDS OR TRY TO GUESS THEIR MEANING FROM THE TEXT; ?USE DIFFERENT READING STRATEGIES TO READ DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEXTS (SKIMMING, SCANNING, reading for detail) ? READ WIDELY Don’t!!! ?TRANSLATE THE TEXT; IT REQUIRES VERY CAREFUL READING WHICH IS NOT NECESSARY FOR understanding the main ideas and doing the tasks; ?TRY TO UNDERSTAND EVERY WORD, IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF THE text; ?READ ALOUD; IT SLOWS YOU DOWN AND IT MAKES YOU LOOK UP THE WORDS YOU CANNOT pronounce.

Suicide and the Question of Rationality

Suicide and the Question of Rationality Imoghena Usman Suicide and the Question of Rationality and the Thought of Death (Question 6) In her work, Ethical Issues in Suicide, Margaret Pabst Battin tries to determine if suicide can be rational by using a number of criteria. I believe that two of her criteria can be weakened. While I agree that suicide can be rational, I think she fails to examine critical points that could lead to the irrationality of killing oneself. I will argue that suicide can be considered rational due to the humans capacity to make their own choices and their rights over their own body. However, if the individual committing the act are not the ones making the decision by themselves, then suicide in both cases should be determined irrational because it does not involve the individuals deduction process. Battin states that rational suicide is usually defined as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the individual is not insane, in which the decision is reached in unimpaired, undeceived fashion, and in which the choice made is not a foolish thing for that individual to do, (132). People determine suicide to be something a person would reasonably and knowingly do. Battin comes up with five criteria, which fall into two groups: the first three being non-impairment criteria and the last two being satisfaction of interests, both which could be used to evaluate other acts as well (132). It seems to be based on the humans logical thinking process and their physical and emotional wants. The ability to reason is the first criterion in the list, in which most think is that the person can come up with different logical reasons and the person can evaluate the consequences of the conclusion (Battin 133). However, there are mistakes that people commit while proving irrationality of suicide as Battin states it is thought that people should be able to predict the consequences after suicide if the act itself should be considered rational (133). Battin is explaining that humans must be able to figure out what would or could happen if they kill themselves in a thought process. However, she declares that many people do not actually see these consequences correctly (Battin 134). Battin points out that people do not imagine their deaths correctly (Shneidman and Farberow; Nagel, cited in Battin 1995, 134) or are focused on affecting the other people in their lives in a dyadic suicide (Shneidman, cited in Battin 1995, 134). This would prove that suicides could be rational because i f individuals could not see the outcomes of their deaths, then the argument about consequences would be prove false. Battin goes on to state that suicides based on religion, to continue life and experiences after death, and reputation, to be seen in a particular way after death, are rational because it would be hard to prove ability to reason due to error in reasoning (Battin 134-135). Overall, I believe that Battin is stating that rational suicide involves a clear mind and extensive thought process. Adequacy of information is another criterion where it is assumed that many suicides cannot meet this to be considered rational (Battin 137). It is assumed that inadequacy is people committing suicide based of mistaken information, such as an individual with a terminal illness committing suicide based off of a physicians facial expressions, and can involve the persons thoughts about present and future consequences (Battin 137). This would mean that people would not be rational in committing suicide because they do not have the right information to base it off of. However, Battin claims that you cannot determine irrationality of a suicide if there was no way possible of the individual knowing; it can only be judged if there was no attempt to get it from reliable sources (Battin 137-138). I think that Battin is inferring that not having the correct information could mean they are unable to participate in rational thought process. Another assumption of suicide not being rational due to t his criterion is caused by internal factors, such as depression where they can unknowingly suppress certain information (Brandt, cited in Battin 1995, 138). She counters this by stating that you can still have adequate information because the future may be already negative, even with a smaller view (Battin 138-139). Therefore, from her counterargument, she is countering any claims of narrow views that the opposition would try to argue by stating that an individuals health status does not matter. Battin states that some would claim that suicide would be irrational if one committed it because of an unlikely future, but states that committing suicides later, such as in illnesses, would be rational while committing it early would not be (140-141). Battin is saying that it would have to depend on the situation that the individual is in. Overall, I think Battin is trying to conclude that it would be difficult to determine the amount of reliable information needed in order to commit ration al suicide. I think that suicide can be rational since it is in regards to the individuals body and mind because it was what they were born with. It is their choice whether they commit suicide or not and they have the right to do whatever they want with it. I argue that they know their own bodies enough since they have lived in them for so many years and ultimately would know what is best for them. Therefore, it would not be irrational to commit suicide if they are the ones who are committing that act. Some could say that just because you own your body does not make it rational to commit suicide. In fact, you may not know much about your body at all and are making an uninformed decision, thus making it irrational to commit suicide. This would be an example of inadequacy of information being used as an assumption for irrational suicide (Battin 137). However, objectors would not know the humans situation either so it would not be fair to say if an individual commit suicide. This is something Batti n acknowledges when she states that each person has their own ideas about suicide and what comes after (142). It is up to the individual to decide whether they end their lives; if they think they have done enough research and learned as much as they can to commit suicide, then they should be allowed to proceed. However, I believe that suicide is irrational if the person committing the act is not the one who thought about it or came up with the idea to kill themselves. To be more specific, the individual who is committing suicide should have thought about it all by themselves without any influence or coercion. This derives from the original definition given in the text, in which the person should not be deceived when committing rational actions (Battin 132). This is something that I believe Battin should have looked at further since it could have affected her choice of criteria. If they are being influenced by any other person, then that is not their own decision. Even if they are committing the act with their own bodies, their mind was not a part of the decision. One example is if they were a part of a cult led by one main individual who had control over their followers. If that person preached to his followers to drink poison for him, and they do, then they were not clearly thinking about it. They let someone else tell them what to do, not what they thought to do. They should also not be physically forced into committing suicide as well. An example of this could be pointing a gun to someones head while handing them a knife and telling them to slit their throats. Whether from physical or emotional pressure, no one should not have a choice on whether or not to end their lives. I would consider this also irrational because that person is not being given a chance on whether to end their lives or not; someone else is making the choice for them. Battin claims that no act is fully rational with coercion (131).   This demonstrates that suicide by force could not be rational because if you are being forced with no other options then there is no way that could fully be your decision. Battin also reinforces this in which one of her criteria is that it should meet the interests of that individual (Williams, cited in Battin 1995, 146). Also, both of these points fail the c riteria of ability to reason, in which they can move from premises to conclusion (Battin 133). If the individual is being forced or influenced by others, then they cannot figure out the premises or conclusion by themselves. If suicide is forced or not their decision, then it does not meet their interests but the interests of others, demonstrating that suicide in that regards could not be rational. One objection to my argument could be that the person was able to make those decisions by themselves even if they were coerced or influenced by another individual because they were able to think about it regardless. For example, they could have answered no and walked away, and that would have been more rational because they actually thought whether they wanted to proceed or not. However, I think that would be less rational in certain circumstances than suicide. Not everyone can decline and look the other way. If an adult had the mind of a six-year-old child, then they could not fully comprehend suicide. If the leader of a cult told that individual to drink a vial of poison, it is likely that they would because they may trust them. They would not have the ability to make a rational decision about suicide because they cannot fully understand the situation. The individual may not have the capacity to say no either. The same would go for an actual child as well, as seen in the text where children would not think of suicide as the end of their lives, but only sleeping (Battin 133-134). This does not fulfill the criteria of adequacy of information, because they do not have the information from other resources or there was no effort to get them from reliable sources (Battin 138). This would mean that even if suicide by individuals under those circumstances was considered, it would not be rational because they do not have a variety of information available to make a conclusion, or it would not be possible for them to an informed decision. It does not fulfill the ability to reason criteria either because they are not moving from premises to conclusions (Battin 133). If they cannot comprehend the situation due to their minds age, then there is a chance that they cannot be able to complete that process. If the person with the gun pointed to their head had their spouse threatened who they loved, then they would seemingly have no choice. Battin reinforces this by stating th at people in forced-choice tests choose the option that suits their most fundamental interest (151-152). In this example, it would be the spouse that is saved if the person is selfless. It also goes against one of Battins criteria, in which it does not serve the persons interests which come from their values (Williams, cited in Battin 1995, 146) because it would not serve any interest to kill the spouse if the individual loved them. By committing suicide for these reasons, I do not think they are committing rational suicide because they are being influenced or have no comprehension of what they are doing. Both examples still lack the ability to reason, in which Battin states that the reasoning for suicide that involves living after death could be rational (135). If they are being forced or influenced, then it must be considered someone is doing it for them. They may not be thinking about it at all. Suicide needs to be thought out, not rushed. In my opinion, rational suicide would ne ed to be the persons choice if it, and not the choice of others. In conclusion, I think that suicide can be rational in regards to Battins criteria, but only if it is the persons choice. Works Cited Battin, Margaret Pabst. The Concept of Rational Suicide. Ethical Issues in Suicide. Prentice Hall, 1995, pp. 131-135. Print.

An Overview Of Tourist Motivation Tourism Essay

An Overview Of Tourist Motivation Tourism Essay Tourist motivation is seen by many writers as one of the key elements in understanding tourist decision-making behaviour. A sound understanding of travel motivation plays a critical role in predicting future travel patterns and destination selection. The big answer to the basic question, why do people travel? has occupied the minds of tourist researchers for many years. Many different motives compel people to travel. Various methods have been employed to uncover travel motives. The following literature will shed light on various theories that can be used to have a knowledge why people travel to urban destination. Tourist motivation can be defined as the global integrating network of biological and cultural forces which gives value and direction to travel choices, behaviour and experience. (Pearce, Morrison Rutledge, 1998). Put simply, motivation is a state of arousal of a drive or need which impels people to activity in pursuit of goals. Once the goals have been achieved the need subsides and the individual returns to the equilibrium-but only briefly because new motives arise as the last one is satisfied. As cited in Seaton (1997) motivation of the individual person to travel, to look outside for what he cannot find inside have been largely created by society and shaped by everyday life. Grays (1979) travel-motivation theory, poses only two main motives for travel. One is the desire to go from a known to an unknown place, called in Grays theory wanderlust. The other motive is what Grays called sunlust. This generates a trip to a place which can provide the traveler with specific facilities t hat do not exist in his or her own place of residence. Some of the motives which determine their travel choices are recreation, pleasure, new experiences, cultural interest, shopping. The existence of internal and external factors which motivates human behavior is assumed by many authors. Kotler (182) for example, stipulate that motivation can be caused by the result of internal and external stimuli. Internal stimuli arise from personal needs and wants that can be physiological, social, egocentric, safety, and self-actualisation. External stimuli arise from marketing. Travel motives can be personal (personal training, compensation, rest and knowledge) or interpersonal (resulting from social relations) (dann, 1977, Yoon and Uysal, 2005). Dann (1977) classifies personal motives as those that predispose the individual for travelling, escape from daily routines, the desire to escape from solitude while interpersonal motives arise from the need to seek some form of social recognition that is obtained through travel. According to the push and pull concept, Crompton (1979), push factors explains the desire for travel while the pull motives have been used to explain the actual destination choice. Nine motivations of leisure travelers were identified and classified seven as socio-psychological or push motives and two as cultural or pull motives. The seven push motives were, escape from a perceived mundane environment, exploration and evaluation of self, relaxation, prestige, regression, enhancement of kinship relationships, and facilitation of social interaction. The pull motives were novelty and education. Maslow (1943) identified two motivational types: tension-reducing motives; arousal-seeking motives. There are five needs forming a hierarchy, progressing from the lower to the higher needs. At the bottom are the basic needs for food, water and air. Then, above them is the need for safety, security, and protection. The higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus when the lower needs in the pyramid are met. Once an individual has moved upwards to the next level, needs in the lower level will no longer be prioritized. Cooper et al (2005) questioned Maslows theory saying that why and how Maslow selected the basic five needs remain unclear, although Page (2003) feels that it has relevance in understanding how human action is understandable and predictable compared to research which argues that human behaviour is essentially irrational and unpredictable. Though much criticism about Maslows theory, the tourism literature has borrowed a lot from Maslow since he provides a convenient set of containers that can be relatively labeled and provide a useful framework for understanding psychological motivational factors in tourism. Thus, for example, although the apparent purpose of a trip may be for shopping, the underlying psychological motivation may be to impress their neighbours and gain higher social status. Iso-Ahola (1982) says that tourists will switch roles while on holiday, and that over time different needs will arise. Single motivation may not always act as the determining factor for travel. If within the holiday, the initial needs are satisfied, other motivations might emerge. Indeed, it is congruent with Maslows theories of needs to argue that if initially there is a primary need for relaxation while on a holiday, the satisfaction of that need will create awareness of other needs such as exploration of place as a means of acquiring a sense of belonging or to enable processes of self-actualisation to take place. Dann (1981) has identified seven elements of tourist motivations: travel as a response to what is lacking yet desired; destination pull in response to motivational push; motivation as fantasy(engage in behaviour and activities that are culturally unacceptable in their home environment like prostitution and gambling); motivation as classified purpose(VFRs); motivational typologies; motivation and tourist experiences; motivation as auto-definition and meaning (the way in which tourist define their situations and respond to them).[Page Connell,2003]. Beard and Ragheb (1983:225), propose four motivational needs which came from the work of Maslow (1970).These are: the intellectual component (such as learning, exploring, discovering, thought or imagining), the social component where individuals engage in leisure activities for social reasons. This component includes two basic needs (need for friendship and interpersonal relationships and the need for the esteem of others), the competence-mastery component assesses the extent to which individuals engage in leisure activities in order to achieve, master, challenge and compete. The activities are usually physical in nature and finally the stimulus-avoidance component of leisure motivation which assesses the drive to escape and get away from over-stimulating life situations. It is the need for some individuals to avoid social contacts, to seek solitude and calm conditions; and for others it is to seek to rest and to unwind themselves. These four motivations form the foundation of their Leisure Motivation. P.Pearce (1988) using the concept of a travel ladder when investigating motivation for tourism, suggested that motivation are multivariate and dynamic, changing particularly as a result of ageing and lifecycle stage, as well as being influenced by other people. He proposed the following motivation categories: relaxation, stimulation, relationship, self-esteem and development, fulfillment. In Pearces model, the motivations listed can be divided into two categories. The needs may be self-centered or directed at others. Thus, for instance, relaxation may be a solo exercise where the holiday-maker seeks a quiet restful time alone or it can be relaxation in the company of others, springing from the need for external excitement and desire for novelty. Stimulation can be self-directed which springs from the concern for own safety, or it can be directed toward others arising out of the concern for others safety. Relationship can be self-directed which means giving love and affection and main taining relationships, or it can be directed at others which means receiving affection, to be with group membership. Self-esteem and development maybe self-directed like development of skills, special interests, competence and mastery, or it may be directed at others like prestige, glamour of travelling. Fulfillment is totally self-directed as it fulfils individual dreams, understands oneself more and experience inner peace and harmony. There are some criticisms against Pearces travel motivations. For example, Pearce argues that stimulation may be understood along a dimension of risk and safety of self or others. However, it might be argued that there is a real and distinctive difference between these two motivations. Chadwick (1987) provided a simplified categorization of why people travel under three main headings. These are as follows: Pleasure: leisure, culture, active sports, visiting friends and relatives, Professional: Meeting, missions, business, etc, other purposes: Study, health and transit. Classifying tourist behaviours have important implications for the study of the impact of tourism on destination. Shaw Williams (2002) opines that many of the typologies are based around identifying the significant traits of tourists. According to Klenosky (2002) travel behaviour is motivated by two sets of factors, one that influences or pushes a person to consider travelling outside his or her everyday environment and another set that attracts or pulls that person to visit a particular destination. Several sociological theories have been put forward in the tourist literature in an attempt to explain motivation. Cohen (1972), in his early studies sub-divided tourist into four types based on motivation. He asserted that all tourists are seeking some element of novelty and strangeness while, at the same time, most also need to retain something familiar. He distinguished tourist using sociological principles into organized mass tourist, individual mass tourists, explorer and drifter. Hence, at one end of his continuum was the organized mass tourist seeking familiarity in the holiday surroundings, while at the other end, the drifter is willing to accept far more strangeness. Smith (1977) provided a more detailed variant of Cohens tourist typologies. Smith (1977) identifies 7 categories of tourist who have been termed as interactional typologies: explorer, elite, off-beat, unusual, incipient mass, mass, and charter. However, Plog (1990) criticised the validity of Smiths typology. Shaw Williams (2002) argued that Plogs typology is built upon asking tourists about their real general lifestyles or value systems, often using perceptual information derived from in-depth interviews. Plog suggested two set of individual: allo-centric and psycho-centric. The latter are concerned primarily with the self, are inhibited and non-adventurous. In term of tourist behaviour, psycho-centrics want the familiar and are unlikely to travel great distances to explore new tourism destinations. Conversely, the former are confident, naturally inquisitive and seek out the unfamiliar when travelling. This typology can be used to examine tourist motivations as well as attitudes to particular destinations and modes of travel. Johns Gyimothy (2002) states that Plog (1973) used a psychometric scale to categorise tourists into allocentric, midcentric and psychocentric, depending on individuals relative focus on their own culture and the one they are visiting. Psychocentrics tourists like nice swimming pool; well organized trip; good facilities; pub lunches. Cooper et al (2005) feel they are conservative in their travel patterns. However, Cooper et al (2005) questions the applicability of the typology. They feel that tourists may on a second visit travel to nearby psychocentric-type areas, whereas the main holiday maybe in an allocentric-type destination. Gottlieb(in Davidoff and Davidoff,1983) as cited in Seaton(1997), suggests that there are two kinds of tourists-those who seek a pampered lifestyle beyond their means in everyday life while the latter, having access to material luxuries in their everyday life, seek simpler, more primitive contacts in their leisure(e.g. on safaris, roughing it on adventure h olidays, etc). Shaw Williams (2002) states few problems associated with tourist typologies. Firstly, typologies are relatively static models due to lack of information (Lowyck et al, 1990).Secondly, individuals change as tourists over time. Changing patterns of tourist behaviour do not exist in sufficient detail or scale. Tourist typologies offer just mere generalities. According to Shaw Williams (2002) these typologies are beneficial despite their limitations. They provide insight into motivations of tourist and their behaviour. An insight of the various types of tourism purpose and motivation is crucial for those planning and marketing tourist destinations. All service providers and tourism planners must know why people want their products. However, there are many problems of determining tourism motivations. According to Seaton (1997) people rarely think about the underlying reasons for their actions. Motivations for activities may not bear too much self-critical scrutiny like sex tourism. Again tourism motivations often include contradictory impulses. Seaton (1997) typifies two such sets of opposing desires: Novelty and adventure (exploring a new place) vs. Familiarity and security (staying in a hotel with familiar comforts). Another problem is that it is often difficult to distinguish individual motives from socially constructed vocabularies of motives. People often give reasons for doing things that they have been programmed to give, none of which may constitute the real reason for a trip. According to P age (2003), if we are able to understand what prompts people to leave their homes and travel to new places, then we may be able to develop approaches that will help us to manage the tourists and their impacts and plan an enjoyable experience for them. More fundamentally, understanding tourist motivation may help to explain why certain places are more developed as successful tourism destination than others and then continued to grow, stagnated or declined as tastes and fashions changed.

Changes in Child Socialization Essay -- Sociology Sociological Essays

Changes in Child Socialization The socialization of children has changed during the past century. According to Shepard 2001, child socialization is defined as a close interaction with a small number of people-none of whom the child has selected-where the child learned to think and speak, internalizes norms, beliefs, and values; forms some basic attitudes; develops a capacity (or incapacity) for intimate and personal relationships; and acquires a self-image. In the past, a child may have learned to be social through relationships at home, at school and at church. Today, a child learns socialization through relationships in many different situations. In 1900, twenty percent of women in the United States had full-time jobs outside the home. In 1997, this figure tripled to sixty percent of all women holding full-time jobs. The percentage of men in the workforce has remained fairly steady, with the average holding full-time jobs being eighty percent. Stay-at-home mothers are becoming a rarity, as households feel the need to increase income. With both parents working, children have become used to spending more time at daycare and school. Parents may be more likely to send their children to school at an earlier age when daycare costs are prohibitive. Children now participate in an array of extra-curricular activities, spending their time outside of school away from home. Some parents may feel this is a way to spend time with their child, if they are involved in coaching or being a spectator. For other parents, the activity gives them some free time while their child participates. Children learn to work in groups or as part of a team, while learning from adults and peers alike. Parents may or may not have a part in this type of... ...a/releases/98legacy/html. Moore, Kristen Anderson, Sharon Vandivere, Jennifer Thrle. "Turbulence and Child Well-Being." Urban Institute. (November 2001) http://www.newfederalism.urban.org/html/series_b/bl6/bl6.html. Parents, Are you Listening? "Do Listening Skills Affect Learning?" (November 2001) http://www.lauds.k12.ca.us/Haskell_El/parent%20information/listeningz.htm. Shepard, Jon M. Sociology. "Child Socialization." (2001) Wadsworth Group. Belmont, CA. Eighth Edition. Ch. 4: pp. 103-108. Trinity University San Antonio, Texas. "Exploring Americans' Attitudes Toward Socializers and Childrearing Recipes." (2001) http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl.obeys.html. Waters, Steve, M.A. Focus on the Family. "Protection and Socialization-Two Keys on The Family Internet Use." (1998) http://www.family.org/cforum/research/papers/60002553.html.

Leonard Peltier Should be Released from Prison Essay -- Argumentative

Leonard Peltier is currently serving time in the Leavenworth federal penitentiary for the shooting deaths of two Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents. According to FBI documents, at around 11:50 A.M. on June 26th, 1975, agents Jack Color and Ron Williams were supposedly searching for Jimmy Eagle, a thief wanted for stealing a pair of cowboy boots. The agents encroached on the Jumping Bull Compound in Oglala, South Dakota of the Pine Ridge reservation, in two separate vehicles that no one could recognize (Incident). In this area, there were several members of the American Indian Movement (AIM). After the intrusion of the agents, someone-and it is unsure who-fired a shot and a shoot out began. By the end of the shoot out at Pine Ridge, Williams, Color, and one AIM activist, Joe Stuntz Killsright, were dead (Incident). Peltier was one of the AIM members at the Jumping Bull Compound, and ultimately he was charged and convicted on murder charges. There is a great controversy surr ounding the Peltier case. A large contingency of both domestic and international citizens and organizations feel that Peltier has been wrongly convicted, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government authorities here feel as justice was served. Leonard Peltier should be released from prison via Executive Clemency because the evidence that he was convicted under was inconclusive and insufficient to warrant a conviction, the FBI committed many acts of misconduct when pursuing Peltier as fugitive and trying to extradite him from Canada, and his trial was unfair. As an individual committed to social justice, human solidarity, and the liberation of the people, this case is of great interest to me since it is a prime example of the ri... ...ight be lying or covering up something, or even just being far too zealous and unprofessional, is rejected a priori because of the cognitive dissonance it causes in the individual that believes in the FBI. Most people that push for Peltier's guilt simply don't look honestly and objectively (or at least as objectively as possible) at the evidence. Leonard Peltier, currently serving his twenty- fourth year of prison, should be immediately released. As I have shown, there is much reasonable doubt as to whether or not he committed this crime. The hard evidence is minimal to non-existent against him, he was illegally extradited from Canada on perjured affidavits, and his trial was unfair since it was in a hostile setting and the actions of the court seemed biased. While there is no good reason to keep him in prison, there are several good ones for letting him out. Leonard Peltier Should be Released from Prison Essay -- Argumentative Leonard Peltier is currently serving time in the Leavenworth federal penitentiary for the shooting deaths of two Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) agents. According to FBI documents, at around 11:50 A.M. on June 26th, 1975, agents Jack Color and Ron Williams were supposedly searching for Jimmy Eagle, a thief wanted for stealing a pair of cowboy boots. The agents encroached on the Jumping Bull Compound in Oglala, South Dakota of the Pine Ridge reservation, in two separate vehicles that no one could recognize (Incident). In this area, there were several members of the American Indian Movement (AIM). After the intrusion of the agents, someone-and it is unsure who-fired a shot and a shoot out began. By the end of the shoot out at Pine Ridge, Williams, Color, and one AIM activist, Joe Stuntz Killsright, were dead (Incident). Peltier was one of the AIM members at the Jumping Bull Compound, and ultimately he was charged and convicted on murder charges. There is a great controversy surr ounding the Peltier case. A large contingency of both domestic and international citizens and organizations feel that Peltier has been wrongly convicted, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other government authorities here feel as justice was served. Leonard Peltier should be released from prison via Executive Clemency because the evidence that he was convicted under was inconclusive and insufficient to warrant a conviction, the FBI committed many acts of misconduct when pursuing Peltier as fugitive and trying to extradite him from Canada, and his trial was unfair. As an individual committed to social justice, human solidarity, and the liberation of the people, this case is of great interest to me since it is a prime example of the ri... ...ight be lying or covering up something, or even just being far too zealous and unprofessional, is rejected a priori because of the cognitive dissonance it causes in the individual that believes in the FBI. Most people that push for Peltier's guilt simply don't look honestly and objectively (or at least as objectively as possible) at the evidence. Leonard Peltier, currently serving his twenty- fourth year of prison, should be immediately released. As I have shown, there is much reasonable doubt as to whether or not he committed this crime. The hard evidence is minimal to non-existent against him, he was illegally extradited from Canada on perjured affidavits, and his trial was unfair since it was in a hostile setting and the actions of the court seemed biased. While there is no good reason to keep him in prison, there are several good ones for letting him out.

Addiction and Al-anon Meeting Essay

Just like the AA meeting, I felt very uncomfortable with attending an Al-Anon meeting. I have been fortunate enough where no one close to me has ever been addicted to alcohol. I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to relate to the members of this meeting. I was very nervous walking in the meeting and I felt out of place. One thing that brought me relief was the smiling faces and happy conversation I encountered as I entered the room. These people looked like they were trying to make the best out of the situation that their loved ones put them in. There was a lot of chatter in the room. People were talking about their past week and common ground between each other. The atmosphere of the room wasn’t as gloomy as when I attended the AA meeting. The people who were chatting the most looked like they might attend the Al-anon meetings regularly. The room I walked in looked like a lunch room with chairs and tables set up. The meeting started with a Serenity Prayer, which was similar to how my AA meeting started. Once again, like my AA meeting, it was explained to everyone that this was an Open meeting and no one was required to talk. The story that stood out the most to me was the story that came from the man in the blue jacket. This man looked to be about 26 years old. He told the story about how his father is an alcoholic and how he has been spending extra time with him during his free time to try and keep his father’s mind off of alcohol. He said he would do anything to help his father beat this addiction. I can relate to this story because I to have a family member who’s addiction consume her life. Just like the man in the blue jacket, I to would do anything to help my family member beat this addiction. No one really reacted to his story accept for the leader of the meeting. The leader said some words to the man. There was another member of the group who began talking about her struggles in relation to the man in the blue jacket’s story. All of the people attending this meeting are there because someone they love needs help fighting an addiction. From the stories I heard, these addictions are affecting everyone’s daily life, not just the person addicted. From my own personal experience with addiction, I am always worried about my family member. My family member has a gambling addiction, so she must never be able to have cash. This is a daily struggle for me because I take care of all her finances, so she does not have any temptation. The people in this meeting were trying to help their loved ones in the same way, by trying to limit the temptation of drinking alcohol or doing drugs. I think the biggest difference with the Al-anon meeting versus the AA meeting is that the people attending the Al-anon meeting were all there voluntarily. When I attended the AA meeting you could definitely tell that there was some court ordered participants. Everyone at the Al-anon meeting was more than willing to share their struggles and triumphs with everyone in the room, where as in the AA meeting only one or two people shared their stories. Overall, It think these meetings are a great source for people dealing with addiction, for everyone needs to be able to share their experiences to be able to lift them off their shoulders.