Developmental Reading Essay

What makes reading different from the other macro skills of communication? How does it relate to the other skills needed for communication? â€Å"Reading† is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting meaning from them. When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols (letters, punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our brain to convert them into words, sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to us. Reading can be silent (in our head) or aloud (so that other people can hear). Reading is a receptive skill – through it, we receive information. But the complex process of reading also requires the skill of speaking, so that we can pronounce the words that we read. In this sense, reading is also a productive skill in that we are both receiving information and transmitting it (even if only to ourselves). Reading is the third of the four language skills, which are: Listening Speaking Reading Writing In our own language, reading is usually the third language skill that we learn. Do we need to read in order to speak English? The short answer is no. Some native speakers cannot read or write but they speak English fluently. Read more:  How to write a reflective essay. On the other hand, reading is something that you can do on your own and that greatly broadens your vocabulary, thus helping you in speaking (and in listening and writing). Reading is therefore a highly valuable skill and activity, and it is recommended that English learners try to read as much as possible in English. A. The Psychology of Reading The last 20 years have witnessed a revolution in reading research. Cognitive psychologists, using high-speed computers to aid in the collection and analysis of data, have developed tools that have begun to answer questions that were previously thought unanswerable. These tools allow for a â€Å"chronometric,† or moment-to-moment, analysis of the reading process. Foremost among them is the use of the record of eye movements to help reveal the underlying perceptual and cognitive processes of reading. Reading is a highly complex skill that is a prerequisite to success in our society. In a society such as ours, where so much information is communicated in written form, it is important to investigate this essential behaviour. In the past 15 years, a great deal has been learned about the reading process from research by cognitive psychologists. Reading as a complex skill is pretty much taken for granted by those who can do it. While those who can do it fluently take it for granted, its complexity is more apparent to those who are having trouble reading. Reading is sometimes difficult for children to learn and illiterate adults find learning to read agonizingly frustrating. The roots of cognitive psychology, the branch of psychology which examines internal mental processes such as problem solving, memory and language can be traced to the experiment of Wundt’s laboratory in Leipzig in 1879. As a part of the larger field of cognitive science, this branch of psychology is related to other disciplines including neuroscience, philosophy and linguistics. The core focus of cognitive psychology is on how people acquire, process and store information. There are numerous practical applications for cognitive research, such as improving memory, increasing decision-making accuracy and structuring educational curricula to enhance learning. Until the 1950s, behaviourism was the dominant school of thought in psychology. Between 1950 and 1970, the tide began to shift against behavioral psychology to focus on topics such as attention, memory and problem-solving. Often referred to as the cognitive revolution, this period generated considerable research on topics including processing models, cognitive research methods and the first use of the term â€Å"cognitive psychology. † The term â€Å"cognitive psychology† was first used in 1967 by American psychologist Ulric Neisser in his book Cognitive Psychology. According to Neisser, cognition involves â€Å"all processes by which the sensory input is transformed, reduced, elaborated, stored, recovered, and used. It is concerned with these processes even when they operate in the absence of relevant stimulation, as in images and hallucinations†¦ Given such a sweeping definition, it is apparent that cognition is involved in everything a human being might possibly do; that every psychological phenomenon is a cognitive phenomenon. † Today, we find many psychologists interested in reading. Why has the change taken place? The primary reason appears to have been the failure of behaviourism to account for language processing in many reasonable ways. The promise of behaviourism was always that if psychologists could understand the laws of learning and behaviour is simple tasks, those laws could be generalized to more complex tasks like language processing. Some cognitive psychologists who study the product of reading would also want to argue with the bias towards understanding the process of reading. To their way of thinking, what people remember from what they read maybe more important than how they go about the chore of reading. However, the response to such a point is that understanding the process by which some mental structure is created almost logically entails understanding that structure. In contrast, understanding what gets stored in memory may not reveal much about the processes that created the structure. Thus, understanding what is in memory as a result of reading discourse may not be unique to reading; essentially the same structures may be created when people listen to discourse. It is not saying that understanding the product of reading and how remarkable skill must be understood- quite apart from issues like general comprehension skills and intelligence. B. The Meaning of Developmental Reading C. The Teaching of Reading Traditionally, the purpose of learning to read in a language has been to have access to the literature written in that language. In language instruction, reading materials have traditionally been chosen from literary texts that represent â€Å"higher† forms of culture. This approach assumes that students learn to read a language by studying its vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure, not by actually reading it. In this approach, lower level learners read only sentences and paragraphs generated by textbook writers and instructors. The reading of authentic materials is limited to the works of great authors and reserved for upper level students who have developed the language skills needed to read them. The communicative approach to language teaching has given instructors a different understanding of the role of reading in the language classroom and the types of texts that can be used in instruction. When the goal of instruction is communicative competence, everyday materials such as train schedules, newspaper articles, and travel and tourism Web sites become appropriate classroom materials, because reading them is one way communicative competence is developed. Instruction in reading and reading practice thus become essential parts of language teaching at every level. What is reading? Reading about understands written texts. It is a complex activity that involves both perception and thought. Reading consists of two related processes: word recognition and comprehension. Word recognition refers to the process of perceiving how written symbols correspond to one’s spoken language. Comprehension is the process of making sense of words, sentences and connected text. Readers typically make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand written text. Much of what we know about reading is based on studies conducted in English and other alphabetic languages. The principles we list in this booklet are derived from them, but most also apply to non-alphabetic languages. They will have to be modified to account for the specific language. Learning to read is an important educational goal. For both children and adults, the ability to read opens up new worlds and opportunities. It enables us to gain new knowledge, enjoy literature, and do everyday things that are part and parcel of modern life, such as, reading the newspapers, job listings, instruction manuals, maps and so on. Most people learn to read in their native language without difficulty. Many, but not all, learn to read as children. Some children and adults need additional help. Yet others learn to read a second, third or additional language, with or without having learned to read in their first language. Reading instruction needs to take into account different types of learners and their needs. Research has shown that there is a great deal of transfer from learning to read in one language to learning to read in a second language. The principles outlined below are based on studies of children and adults, native speakers as well as those learning to read in a second or foreign language. They deal with different aspects of reading that are important in the planning and design of instruction and materials. The practical applications are based on general learning principles, as well as on research. Briefly stated, these learning principles start with the learner in mind. The type of learner will affect the type of methods and materials to be used. The context of learning is also important. For instance, children and adults who are learning to read in a language different from their native language will also need to learn about the culture of the second or foreign language. Because texts are written with a specific audience in mind, cultural knowledge is present in texts and it is assumed that the reader is familiar with such knowledge. Both research and classroom practices support the use of a balanced approach in instruction. Because reading depends on efficient word recognition and comprehension, instruction should develop reading skills and strategies, as well as build on learners’ knowledge through the use of authentic texts. 1. Theories of Reading Just like teaching methodology, reading theories have had their shifts and transitions. Starting from the traditional view which focused on the printed form of a text and moving to the cognitive view that enhanced the role of background knowledge in addition to what appeared on the printed page; they ultimately culminated in the metacognitive view which is now in vogue. It is based on the control and manipulation that a reader can have on the act of comprehending a text. a. The Traditional View According to Dole et al. (1991), in the traditional view of reading, novice readers acquire a set of hierarchically ordered sub-skills that sequentially build toward comprehension ability. Having mastered these skills, readers are viewed as experts who comprehend what they read. †¢ Readers are passive recipients of information in the text. Meaning resides in the text and the reader has to reproduce meaning. †¢ According to Nunan (1991), reading in this view is basically a matter of decoding a series of written symbols into their aural equivalents in the quest for making sense of the text. He referred to this process as the ‘bottom-up’ view of reading. †¢ McCarthy (1999) has called this view ‘outside-in’processing, referring to the idea that meaning exists in the printed page and is interpreted by the reader then taken in. †¢ This model of reading has almost always been underattack as being insufficient and defective for the main reason that it relies on the formal features of the language, mainly words and structure. Although it is possible to accept this rejection for the fact that there is over-reliance on structure in this view, it must be confessed that knowledge of linguistic features is also necessary for comprehension to take place. To counteract over-reliance on form in the traditional view of reading, the cognitive view was introduced. b. The Cognitive View. The ‘top-down’ model is in direct opposition to the ‘bottom-up’ model. According to Nunan (1991) and Dubin and Bycina (1991), the psycholinguistic model of reading and the top-down model are in exact concordance. †¢ Goodman (1967; cited in Paran, 1996) presented reading as a psycholinguistic guessing game, a process in which readers sample the text, make hypotheses, confirm or reject them, make new hypotheses, and so forth. Here, the reader rather than the text is at the heart of the reading process. †¢ The schema theory of reading also fits within the cognitively based view of reading. Rumelhart (1977) has described schemata as â€Å"building blocks of cognition† which are used in the process of interpreting sensory data, in retrieving information from memory, in organising goals and subgoals, in allocating resources, and in guiding the flow of the processing system. †¢ Rumelhart (1977) has also stated that if our schemata are incomplete and do not provide an understanding of the incoming data from the text we will have problems processing and understanding the text. Cognitively based views of reading comprehension emphasize the interactive nature of reading and the constructive nature of comprehension. Dole et al. (1991) have stated that, besides knowledge brought to bear on the reading process, a set of flexible, adaptable strategies are used to make sense of a text and to monitor ongoing understanding. c. The Metacognitive View According to Block (1992), there is now no more debate on â€Å"whether reading is a bottom-up, language-based process or a top-down, knowledge-based process. † It is also no more problematic to accept the influence of background knowledge on both L1 and L2 readers. Research has gone even further to define the control readers execute on their ability to understand a text. This control, Block (1992) has referred to as metacognition. Metacognition involves thinking about what one is doing while reading. Klein et al. (1991) stated that strategic readers attempt the following while reading: Identifying the purpose of the reading before reading Identifying the form or type of the text before reading Thinking about the general character and features of the form or type of the text. For instance, they try to locate a topic sentence and follow supporting details toward a conclusion Projecting the author’s purpose for writing the text (while reading it), Choosing, scanning, or reading in detail Making continuous predictions about what will occur next, based on information obtained earlier, prior knowledge, and conclusions obtained within the previous stages. Moreover, they attempt to form a summary of what was read. Carrying out the previous steps requires the reader to be able to classify sequence, establish whole-part relationships, compare and contrast, determine cause-effect, summarise, hypothesise and predict, infer, and conclude. Tips and Guidelines for implementing a theory of reading which will help to develop the learner’s abilities Text characteristics. Pre-reading tips During-reading tips After-reading tips These tips can be viewed in three consecutive stages: before reading, during reading, and after reading. For instance, before starting to read a text it is natural to think of the purpose of reading the text. As an example of the during-reading techniques, re-reading for better comprehension can be mentioned. And filling out forms and charts can be referred to as an after-reading activity. These tasks and ideas can be used to enhance reading comprehension. Text characteristics. Good readers expect to understand what they are reading. Therefore, texts should contain words and grammatical structures familiar to the learners (Van Duzer, 1999). In texts where vocabulary is not familiar, teachers can introduce key vocabulary in pre-reading activities that focus on language awareness, such as finding synonyms, antonyms, derivatives, or associated words (Hood et al. , 1996; cited in Van Duzer, 1999). The topics of texts chosen should be in accordance with the age range, interests, sex, and background culture of the students for whom they are intended. Pre-reading activities that introduce the text should encourage learners to use their background knowledge (Eskey, 1997; cited in Van Duzer, 1999). Class members can brainstorm ideas about the meaning of a title or an illustration and discuss what they know. Pre-reading tips Before the actual act of reading a text begins, some points should be regarded in order to make the process of reading more comprehensible. It is necessary to provide the necessary background information to the reader to facilitate comprehension. In addition, as stated by Lebauer (1998), pre-reading activities can lighten students’ cognitive burden while reading because prior discussions will have been incorporated. Teacher-directed pre-reading (Estes, 1999) Some key vocabulary and ideas in the text are explained. In this approach the teacher directly explains the information the students will need, including key concepts, important vocabulary, and appropriate conceptual framework. Interactive approach (Estes, 1999). In this method, the teacher leads a discussion in which he/she draws out the information students already have and interjects additional information deemed necessary to an understanding of the text to be read. Moreover, the teacher can make explicit links between prior knowledge and important information in the text. Purpose of reading It is also necessary for students to become aware of the purpose and goal for reading a certain piece of written material. At the beginning stages this can be done by the teacher, but as the reader becomes more mature this purpose, i. e.awareness-raising strategy, can be left to the readers. For instance, the students may be guided to ask themselves, â€Å"Why am I reading this text? What do I want to know or do after reading? † One of the most obvious, but unnoticed, points related to reading purpose is the consideration of the different types of reading skills. Skimming: Reading rapidly for the main points Scanning: Reading rapidly to find a specific piece of information Extensive reading: Reading a longer text, often for pleasure with emphasis on overall meaning Intensive reading: Reading a short text for detailed information. The most frequently encountered reason as to why the four skills are all subsumed into one – intensive reading – is that students studying a foreign language feel the urge to look up every word they don’t understand and to pinpoint on every structural point they see unfamiliar. To make students aware of the different types of reading, ask them about the types of reading they do in their first language. The type of text – The reader must become familiar with the fact that texts may take on different forms and hold certain pieces of information in different places. Thus, it is necessary to understand the layout of the material being read in order to focus more deeply on the parts that are more densely compacted with information. Even paying attention to the year of publication of a text, if applicable, may aid the reader in presuppositions about the text as can glancing at the name of the author. Steinhofer (1996) stated that the tips mentioned in pre-reading will not take a very long time to carry out. The purpose is to overcome the common urge to start reading a text closely right away from the beginning. During-reading tips What follows are tips that encourage active reading. They consist of summarizing, reacting, questioning, arguing, evaluating, and placing a text within one’s own experience. These processes may be the most complex to develop in a classroom setting, the reason being that in English reading classes most attention is often paid to dictionaries, the text, and the teacher. Interrupting this routine and encouraging students to dialogue with what they are reading without coming between them and the text presents a challenge to the EFL teacher. Duke and Pearson (2001) have stated that good readers are active readers. According to Ur (1996), Vaezi (2001), and Fitzgerald (1995), they use the following strategies. Making predictions: The readers should be taught to be on the watch to predict what is going to happen next in the text to be able to integrate and combine what has come with what is to come. Making selections: Readers who are more proficient read selectively, continually making decisions about their reading. Integrating prior knowledge: The schemata that have been activated in the pre-reading section should be called upon to facilitate comprehension. Skipping insignificant parts: A good reader will concentrate on significant pieces of information while skipping insignificant pieces. Re-reading: Readers should be encouraged to become sensitive to the effect of reading on their comprehension. Making use of context or guessing: Readers should not be encouraged to define and understand every single unknown word in a text. Instead they should learn to make use of context to guess the meaning of unknown words. Breaking words into their component parts: To keep the process of comprehension ongoing, efficient readers break words into their affixes or bases. These parts can help readers guess the meaning of a word. Reading in chunks: To ensure reading speed, readers should get used to reading groups of words together. This act will also enhance comprehension by focusing on groups of meaning-conveying symbols simultaneously. Pausing: Good readers will pause at certain places while reading a text to absorb and internalize the material being read and sort out information. Paraphrasing: While reading texts it may be necessary to paraphrase and interpret texts subvocally in order to verify what was comprehended. Monitoring: Good readers monitor their understanding to evaluate whether the text, or the reading of it, is meeting their goals. After-reading tips It is necessary to state that post-reading activities almost always depend on the purpose of reading and the type of information extracted from the text. Barnett (1988) has stated that post-reading exercises first check students’ comprehension and then lead students to a deeper analysis of the text. In the real world the purpose of reading is not to memorize an author’s point of view or to summarize text content, but rather to see into another mind, or to mesh new information into what one already knows. Group discussion will help students focus on information they did not comprehend, or did comprehend correctly. Accordingly, attention will be focused on processes that lead to comprehension or miscomprehension. Generally speaking, post-reading can take the form of various activities as presented below: Discussing the text: Written/Oral Summarizing: Written/Oral Making questions: Written/Oral. Answering questions: Written/Oral Filling in forms and charts Writing reading logs Completing a text Listening to or reading other related materials Role-playing 2. The Reading Purpose Reading is an activity with a purpose. A person may read in order to gain information or verify existing knowledge, or in order to critique a writer’s ideas or writing style. A person may also read for enjoyment, or to enhance knowledge of the language being read. The purpose(s) for reading guide the reader’s selection of texts. The purpose for reading also determines the appropriate approach to reading comprehension. A person who needs to know whether she can afford to eat at a particular restaurant needs to comprehend the pricing information provided on the menu, but does not need to recognize the name of every appetizer listed. A person reading poetry for enjoyment needs to recognize the words the poet uses and the ways they are put together, but does not need to identify main idea and supporting details. However, a person using a scientific article to support an opinion needs to know the vocabulary that is used, understand the facts and cause-effect sequences that are presented, and recognize ideas that are presented as hypotheses and givens. Reading research shows that good readers Read extensively Integrate information in the text with existing knowledge Have a flexible reading style, depending on what they are reading Are motivated Rely on different skills interacting: perceptual processing, phonemic processing, recall Read for a purpose; reading serves a function Reading as a Process Reading is an interactive process that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension. The text presents letters, words, sentences, and paragraphs that encode meaning. The reader uses knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what that meaning is. Reader knowledge, skills, and strategies include Linguistic competence: the ability to recognize the elements of the writing system; knowledge of vocabulary; knowledge of how words are structured into sentences Discourse competence: knowledge of discourse markers and how they connect parts of the text to one another Sociolinguistic competence: knowledge about different types of texts and their usual structure and content Strategic competence: the ability to use top-down strategies, as well as knowledge of the language (a bottom-up strategy). The purpose(s) for reading and the type of text determine the specific knowledge, skills, and strategies that readers need to apply to achieve comprehension. Reading comprehension is thus much more than decoding. Reading comprehension results when the reader knows which skills and strategies are appropriate for the type of text, and understands how to apply them to accomplish the reading purpose. Developmentally Appropriate Materials for Preschool and Kindergarten Children (Ages 3-6). Materials for preschoolers and kindergarteners should support their developing social skills and interest in adult roles, growing imaginations, increasing motor skills, and rapidly expanding vocabularies. Refer to the table below for examples of developmentally appropriate materials for preschool and kindergarten children. Type of Material Appropriate Materials Examples Skill/concept Books/records Picture books, simple and repetitive stories and rhymes, animal stories, pop-up books, simple information books, wide variety of musical recordings. Games Socially interactive games with adults, such as What If; matching and lotto games based on colors and pictures, such as picture bingo or dominoes; games of chance with a few pieces that require no reading, such as Chutes and Ladders; flannel board with pictures, letters, and storybook characters Gross motor Active play Push and pull toys; ride-on toys; balls of all kinds; indoor slide and climber; rocking boat Outdoor Climbers, rope ladders, balls of all sizes; old tires, sand and water materials Manipulative Fine motor. Dressing frames; toys to put together and take apart; cookie cutters, stamp and printing materials, finger paint, modeling dough, small objects to sort and classify; bead stringing with long, thin string; pegs and small pegs; colored cubes, table blocks, magnetic board/letters/numbers and shapes; perception boards and mosaics Puzzles and form boards Fit-in or framed puzzles (for 3-year-olds: from 4-20 pieces, for 4-year-olds: from 15-30 pieces, for 5-year-olds: from 15-50 pieces); large, simple jigsaws; number/letter/clock puzzles Investigative. Toys, globe flashlight, magnets, lock boxes, weather forecasting equipment, scales, balances, stethoscopes Construction Building sets Small and large unit blocks; large hollow blocks; from age 4, interlocking plastic blocks with pieces of all sizes Carpentry Workbench, hammer, preschool nails, saw, sandpaper, pounding benches, safety goggles Self-expressive Dolls and soft toys Realistic dolls and accessories; play settings and play people (e. g. , farm, hospital) Dramatic play Dress-up clothes, realistic tools, toy camera, telephone, household furniture. Sensory Tactile boxes; auditory and musical materials such as smelling and sound boxes; cooking experiences Art/music All rhythm instruments, music boxes; large crayons, paint, paste, glue, chalkboard and chalk, sewing kits, collage materials, markers, modeling dough, blunt scissors Natural and everyday Sand and water Sandbox tools, bubbles, water toys Old clocks, radios, cameras, telephones; telephone books; mirrors; doctor kits; typewriter; magazines; fabric scraps; computer; cash register and receipts; measuring cups and muffin tins 3. Basic Reading Skills  a. Skimming – is used to quickly gather the most important information, or ‘gist’. Run your eyes over the text, noting important information. Use skimming to quickly get up to speed on a current business situation. It’s not essential to understand each word when skimming. Examples of Skimming: The Newspaper (quickly to get the general news of the day) Magazines (quickly to discover which articles you would like to read in more detail) Business and Travel Brochures (quickly to get informed) b. Scanning- is used to find a particular piece of information. Run your eyes over the text looking for the specific piece of information you need. Use scanning on schedules, meeting plans, etc. in order to find the specific details you require. If you see words or phrases that you don’t understand, don’t worry when scanning. Examples of Scanning The â€Å"What’s on TV† section of your newspaper. A train / airplane schedule A conference guide c. Extensive reading- is used to obtain a general understanding of a subject and includes reading longer texts for pleasure, as well as business books. Use extensive reading skills to improve your general knowledge of business procedures. Do not worry if you understand each word. Examples of Extensive Reading The latest marketing strategy book A novel you read before going to bed Magazine articles that interest you d. Intensive reading – is used on shorter texts in order to extract specific information. It includes very close accurate reading for detail. Use intensive reading skills to grasp the details of a specific situation. In this case, it is important that you understand each word, number or fact. Examples of Intensive Reading A bookkeeping report An insurance claim A contract Essential Components of Reading Reading is an astoundingly complex cognitive process. While we often think of reading as one singular act, our brains are actually engaging in a number of tasks simultaneously each time we sit down with a book. There are five aspects to the process of reading: phonics, phonemic awareness, vocabulary, reading comprehension and fluency. These five aspects work together to create the reading experience. As children learn to read they must develop skills in all five of these areas in order to become successful readers. 1. Phonics Phonics is the connection between sounds and letter symbols. It is also the combination of these sound-symbol connections to create words. Without phonics, words are simply a bunch of squiggles and lines on a page. If you think about it, letters are arbitrary. There is nothing innately bed-like about the written word â€Å"bed†. It is simply the collection of letters and corresponding sounds that we agree constitute the word â€Å"bed†. Learning to make that connection between the individual sounds that each letter represents and then putting those together is essential to understanding what that funny squiggle means. There are a number of ways that phonics can be taught because there is a variety of ways to apply this aspect when reading. Each approach allows the reader to use phonics to read and learn new words in a different way. Synthetic phonics builds words from the ground up. In this approach readers are taught to first connect letters to their corresponding phonemes (sound units) and then to blend those together to create a word. Analytic phonics, on the other hand, approaches words from the top down. A word is identified as a whole unit and then its letter-sound connections are parsed out. Analogy phonics uses familiar parts of words to discover new words. Finally, phonics through spelling focuses on connecting sounds with letters in writing. All of these approaches can be taught and used independently or in combination to help young readers learn to identify new words. 2. Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness is closely related to phonics because both involve the connection between sounds and words.

Mastery Is Maturity

In life, there is a time when one loses his or her innocence, later resulting in new awakenings that cause an individual to see their world in a different view. Throughout the novel, Harper Lee illustrates the journey of two characters, Jem and Scout Finch, to adulthood. Scout, Jem, and their childhood friend, Dill, often mess around with their neighbor, Boo Radley. Boo is a mysterious man that isolates himself inside his house, but makes an appearance at the end of the book in order to save Jem from Mr. Ewell. Ewell wants to assert his power through threats of violence to anyone associated with Tom Robinson. Scout and Jem do not have much of a connection with Tom directly, but attacking them is a powerful way to hurt Atticus, their father, a defense attorney, who accuses Bob Ewell of abusing Mayella. Through Scout and Jem’s adventures and journeys, they eventually mature from mere children to wise adults. Prior to Tom Robinson’s trial, Jem and Scout are both innocent and naive. However, as they witness Tom Robinson’s trial they are able to perceive the inequality and racism within their community. Through this experience, Scout and Jem later experience life differently by realizing that everything is not always the same what it seems like. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee demonstrates that the transition to adulthood involves the loss of sweet innocence while gradually understanding the adult world through the characters of Jem and Scout. Initially, Jem acts childishly, but when he experiences the harshness of the adult world, he begins to have a greater understanding of the real world and changes him so that he becomes more mature. In the beginning, Jem, Scout, and Dill are fascinated by Boo Radley and believe that he is a ghost-like person since he is never seen outside his house. Once, the children decided to concoct a plan to force Boo Radley come out of his house. Read also  How Powerful Do You Find Atticus Finch’s Closing Speech? While Dill and Scout deliberate a plan, Jem warns Dill about the consequences that may arise from executing this plan. Jem says, â€Å"I hope you’ve got it through your head that he’ll kill us, each and everyone, Dill Harris. Don’t blame me when he gouges your eyes out,† (Lee 17). When Jem says that Boo will â€Å"kill us,† it shows the absurd perception and child-like view that he has of Boo, whom he hardly knows. It furthers shows that when children are young and naive, they tend to exaggerate reality and draw unrealistic conclusions about situations or people. When Lee writes, â€Å"he gouges your eyes out,† Lee illustrates that Jem is childish because he characterizes Boo as a monster. Jem’s judgment of Boo is considered accurate because society perceives Boo as a monster. Children readily believe what adults regard as the truth without considering what the truth really is. Most people of Maycomb County view Boo Radley as a monster. As for now, Jem also sees him as such. However, as Jem grows older, he starts to look at situations in a more sophisticated manner. Subsequently, Dill secretly runs away from home and sneaks into Scout and Jem’s house. Jem must decide whether he should tell Atticus about Dill’s escape or not to show that he is responsible. Jem believes that telling Atticus is the right thing to do because he wants Atticus to know that he's responsible. Eventually, he tells him and announces to Dill, â€Å"‘Dill, I had to tell him, you can’t run three hundred miles off without your mother knowing. ’ [Scout and Dill] left him without a word. †(Lee 188). When Jem argues, â€Å"I had to tell him,† it shows that he is becoming more responsible. Even though Scout and Dill would be upset with him, Jem is aware that ultimately telling Atticus is the right decision. Jem says that he â€Å"had† to, which shows that he is starting to make the right choices in life rather than succumbing to what his friend and his sister may want him to do. He makes his decision based on what is right for Dill, which reveals his maturity. Clearly, Jem evolves and matures as he starts to understand the adult world and begins to form his own opinions of what is right and wrong. On the other hand, Scout also begins to understand the adult world as she begins to grasp her father’s lessons about empathy, relating his teachings to the real world. This causes her to become more mature and grow over time. Scout is originally enraptured by Boo Radley’s isolated existence, but later sees the world from Boo’s perspective and begins to understand Boo’s decisions. Like most of the people of Maycomb, Scout has misconceptions about Boo Radley because he hides inside his house. Scout rationalizes that Boo Radley must be dead. In one instance, Miss Maudie and Scout discuss Boo Radley’s history. Since Scout has never seen Boo before, she explains to Miss Maudie why she thinks Boo is dead. Miss Maudie’s responds to Scout’s inquiry, â€Å"What a morbid question†¦ I know he’s alive, Jean Louise, because I haven’t seen him carried out yet. However, Scout childishly responds, â€Å"Maybe he died and they stuffed him up the chimney. † (Lee 57). While Miss Maudie, being an adult, makes reasonable conclusions using logical reasoning of situations, Scout does not understand Miss Maudie’s reasoning due to the rumors she hears aro und town. Scout justifies her thoughts about Boo Radley by theorizing that Boo’s father must have, â€Å"stuffed him up the chimney. † She expresses her childish outlook because she easily falls for what others say about Boo Radley rather than understand the situation from Boo’s perspective. Because children are inexperienced in situations concerning the real world, they believe everything they hear, and cannot distinguish between what is true and false. This shows that Scout is still very much a young child. Near the end of the story, when Bob Ewell attacks Jem and Scout, Boo saves them. This leads Scout to change her perspective about who Boo Radley really is. She starts to connect her father’s teachings to real life. Once Scout finally meets Boo and is asked to take him home, she realizes that â€Å"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough. † (Lee 374). The words, â€Å"Atticus was right† imply that, prior to the attack, she did not comprehend Atticus’ message. However, when Scout applies her father’s teachings to her understanding of Boo Radley, it demonstrates that she now grasps what Atticus was trying to teach her. Scout learns one cannot judge others by their outer qualities or their appearance, but to understand a person entirely. It is important to refrain from judging others but â€Å"[stand] in [their] shoes and [walk] around in them. She puts to action Atticus’ words of â€Å"standing in one’s shoes† by literally standing on Boo Radley’s porch steps, leading Scout to understanding all the previous events through Boo Radley’s perspective. Through this experience, Scout grows and learns by losing her innocence and becomes more mature by understanding. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jem and Scout’s comin g of age begins with their childish outlook of life, leading into their eventual understanding of the adult world. By the end of the novel, Jem and Scout have evolved into young adults that become more responsible. They have not fully understood every aspect of life, but they are beginning to, as through the events concerning Boo Radley, the Tom Robinson’s trial, and the Bob Ewell’s attack. Thanks to Atticus’s life teachings, Scout has been equipped with the tools to navigate the world by maintaining compassion and empathy in their lives. On the other hand, by learning from his experiences and what he has witnessed, Jem is also now responsible and able to understand the real world. Now their world is indeed different, but as the old adage states: With experience brings maturity and wisdom.

A ShortStory Based On: Conrades an Eposode

I knew that it was coming, the day I had been dreading. Everyone was saying that it was great, time we taught those Germans a lesson and that we had a duty to do for our country. But I was different. I knew what it was going to be like but whenever I tried to speak out no one listened and said that I was a coward. May be it was true I didn't want to die. I packed up my stuff it had been eight days since I had received the letter informing me that I had to go to war. I had no choice. I had to go. I thought I would be better off just killing my self right now. I had no hope in war. Just look at me 5 feet 2†³ and weighing just 8 stones. What good will I be in the Great War? I said an emotional farewell to my family my mum especially I had always been closest to her. My Dad had always thought of me as a â€Å"no hoper†. He was big and strong nothing like me all he said was â€Å"good luck† with a firm handshake. I could tell he didn't think I was going to last very long what possibly could someone like me do on the battlefield. I was taken to Chesterfield rail station along with another 150 young recruits. We were then to be taken to Winchester army base .I was sitting in the first carriage seat 6a. I was nervous and tired but slightly excited .I was the fist in my seat. It was alphabetically but with a name like Alfred Ambrose I had no choice. I could hear people giggling and looking and pointing. I could imagine what they were saying † I have seen an ear wig bigger than that†. I sat down and took out a book. We were told that it was going to be a six-hour journey. I was disturbed by a deep voice â€Å"Hi nice to meet you I'm Tim Bright†. Tim was a big man, he made me look like a dwarf but my first impression was that he was a gentle giant. He sat down and took out a comic he was 23 and still reading comics but he explained that he had never been taught to read I felt sorry for him. But I was sure that no one was going to mess with him. I read up to chapter six but I was tired, I had not had too much sleep the night before, I couldn't get to sleep because I was nervous and sad to leave my family. I shut my eyes and tilted my head. I was woken by the sound of the steam engine stopping. I heard a whistle and the doors flung open. The 22 men from my carriage departed and formed an orderly queue. When all 150 men ranging from 17 – 23 had left the train a little man with a moustache came round the corner with a green uniform on with socks tucked into shorts and a black cane under his arm. He didn't look scary but looked as if he could get angry very easily. He introduced him self as Corporal Blake † Right lads, you are to be based here for 4 days, during this time you will go through basic training and get to know your fellow comrades. Then you will be shipped of to France and split into pontoons you will be driven to Shrewsbury dock and transported across the English Channel to Normandy.† We were then taken to our dormitories, they were small and were full of old bunk beds made out of thin metal. There was a musty smell in the room but this didn't make much difference I was only here for 4 days. Training was due to start tomorrow. I sat on the bed and thought about what was to come. I was sharing with the same people from my carriage so at least I had seen all the faces before. I was on the bottom bunk and Tim was on the top he came down and we played a nice friendly game of black jack with a few of the other guys. It was getting dark and I was feeling tired I lied down on the bed but it wasn't very comfortable but It would do. † Ding a ling, ding a ling† I was woken at 7o'clock by the sound of a large bell fitted in all dormitories. It was earlier than I was used to but I had had a long sleep so I was feeling refreshed. This gave us time to have a shower and eat breakfast, which wasn't particularly nice, warm lumpy porridge had never been my favourite. This was our last day before we set off for Normandy. Today we were due to received our kit. It took all day for everyone to get kited out, I was near the beginning due to my name but this did give me time to think and write my parents a letter. It was six thirty by the time every one was ready. Then we were called to the briefing room (a really big long room with a desk). We were given our orders and instructed to be ready by four thirty for a five o'clock sharp leave. Once again the bell was to be sounded there was to be 35 trucks full of men and 12 full of equipment. † Ding a ling, ding a ling† up we got and out side we went, lining up next to our assigned truck. We climbed in, when given the order as warned we left at 5 0'clock.A convoy of 47 trucks. In my truck there were the men from my dorm but my only real friend was Tim I sat next to him and we just talked of home. The journey was only going to be 2 hours so it wasn't that bad but it was really uncomfortable. We arrived at Shrewsbury dock at 4 minutes past seven. Our so-called â€Å"ferry† was to leave at seven thirty. It was more of a raft than a proper boat made out of iron with a small sheltered area with a little engine only capable of a top speed of 8 knots. We were told that we couldn't travel in anything to big, as it was too DANGEROUS because we ran the risk of being bombed. I thought it would still be pretty easy to see 32 boats crossing the English channel but that was the reason we had to go at a time of low light ready to be there at noon so we could fight straight away. The crossing was rough but not quite as bad as I had expected. We arrived at a small naval port in west Normandy there were only a few other men waiting our arrival but they did let of a small cheer to make us feel welcome which was enough for me. We unloaded and received our equipment it was so heavy I could hardly stand up. But the worst of it was still to come we had to march 6 miles with our equipment to get used to the weight and the amount of walking that was to come in the future. We set off in good sprits but after almost 2 hours we still had not arrived at our string hold on the front. But we had seen and heard our first exchange of bullets and shells this just reminder us of the reality and the reason that we are here. It was scary but I was ready to fight, I might not be much good but I had come this far there was no point backing out now. We marched through a small French town deserted but under close watch from our allies. The trenches were just 200 yards but we had to walk another half mile along them before we got to the fighting. We were to be stationed along the trenches as backup and reserve's for the troops already there. As I had expected Tim had been put in charge of our pontoon it was only twelve strong. He had been chosen because of his outstanding performance in the training. The noise was amazing there were non-stop firing and exploding. I just wondered how you were supposed to sleep. I was told that you didn't even try to sleep just for the fear of a grenade or shell landing near by. I wasn't concentrating when I heard a bellow â€Å"section 2† it was Tim our pontoon were needed on the front line for the first time and it was only our fourth day here. â€Å"Right lads, we are needed the others have been drooping like flies lets do it for our selves and our country.† † One last thing good luck†. It wasn't the best speech but Tim wasn't that good with words. We moved forward as a team, for the first time I loaded my rifle and looked out over the trench wall for to see a mess of mud and barbed wire, craters and even dead bodies. I had got through 56 rounds off ammo in 3 days we had only lost 2 lives which was a good ratio compared to things before. â€Å"Lets go lads we are going over the top† This is what I had been dreading, there were 4 other sections going with us to try and make 12 yards to the next set of trenches where we were needed as back up. This was the most dangerous part of the job so far as we were venerable to German fire as well as our own sides as they try to protect. â€Å"1,2,3,4,5†¦10 OK lets go† I was running with my head down when my first nightmare came true. Tim had been hit only in the leg but it looked bad he was like a sitting duck, there was no way he could survive. I luckily made it to the other side, we had suffered 6 deaths and 4 injuries. I looked back to see Tim still alive in pain I couldn't leave him I had to try and save him. I knew I was mad and stupid but he was my best mate I had to. I climbed over the back of the trench with a determined look in my eye, I ran as quickly as I could and reached him in good health, he looked bad, pale and weak, blood pouring out of his wound. I grabbed him by the arms and pulled with my little strength luckily it was enough. I was only a meter away when I felt an unbearable pain in my lower back, I collapsed and couldn't move. I knew it was bad but even worse I had failed Tim what kind of a friend was I. Fortunately we were close to the trench and we had a chance, as expected two men crawled out and dragged us back to the safety of our own trench. The medic was called for and looked at Tim first because he was more important than I was. The verdict was good he and his leg could be saved. It was bandaged and he was taken away. I was not quite so lucky I thought I had no change of walking again and would be lucky to still be a live in 12 hours I was taken to the nearest hospital along with Tim. It didn't hurt that much mainly because I had no feeling up to my navel. 12 WEEKS LATER I had been lucky the doctors had managed to save me but I was paralysed from the lower back down. I was in a wheel chair and in the same ward as Tim. He was staggering about and was on course for a full recovery. Tim and my self were due to go home in three hours there was no use for us anymore. We were both injured and could do nothing to help our country. All I was happy about was that I had managed to save my friend he said he owed every thing to me and promised to look after me for as long as he could. I was sedated for the crossing to stop pain and discomfort I thought back 16 weeks ago when I was on my way to France not on the way back in a wheel chair. We arrived earlier than expected and my parents were not there yet it wasn't long until they arrived and were shocked when they saw me. Tim went over and explained what had happened and how I was a hero in his and everyone else's eyes. My Dad came over and said, † I'm proud of you my son† This was the first time he had ever said anything like that to me. I went home to a hero's welcome, totally unexpected every one in the town lined the streets to cheer me home. They thought of me as someone special who gave his ability to walk to save another persons life. That's not the end of it I was even given a bravery award presented to me by Her Majesty the Queen. But if anyone asks I would do the same again to save my best and only friend Tim.

The Case Study of Blue Cloud Adapting Agile Research Paper

The Case Study of Blue Cloud Adapting Agile - Research Paper Example It is thus suggested that assessments of company output, proper dissemination of pros and cons of changes, and even input from all concerned members be taken into account before continuing or discontinuing the improvements in work structure or programs within an organization or company. Â  1. The first year of using Agile at Blue Cloud created a mix of approving, dissenting, and passively uninterested voices, which lead to the confusion of the CEO, Shel Skinner in whether the changes made in the company were proper or not (Spector, 2012). The events were suggesting that the implementation of the new software program may have been rushed, which could have risen from the lack of reviewing Lewin’s process of change. While the changes were made of good intentions for improving the methodology of software development, it might have been that some steps in implementing successful changes in management or in company work protocol have been bypassed, and later caused some dissatisfaction within the group (Paton & McCalman, 2008). Based on the reactions of some employees, it could be possible that the need for changes were not fully explained to some employees, and that the improvements of the old methods versus the new methods may not have been clarified to most emp loyees, especially among those which were more focused on planning than reacting to necessary work modifications. Lastly, employee feedback during the course of the implementation may not have been valued as some commented that there some aspects of the company remained unchanged (Spector, 2012).

Financial Mnangement (Lindt and Sprungli. Zetar plc companies) Term Paper

Financial Mnangement (Lindt and Sprungli. Zetar plc companies) - Term Paper Example The overview is followed by a comparison of the financial performance of both the company. The financial performance of the company is analyzed by using different measures such as the ratio analysis technique and the comparison of the revenues and the profits of both the organizations. The value of Zetar plc is calculated so as to assess whether Zetar plc can be considered for acquisition purposes by Lindt and Sprungli. This valuation is performed using different methods such as the P/E ratio and the market capitalization concept. Finally, the valuation is used along with other arguments to suggest that the company is worth acquiring. This is further displayed by indicating the different advantages and the disadvantages that the merger/acquisition can bring. Both the advantages and the disadvantages are weighed before the final decision is given. Company Background and Overview Lindt and Sprungli is a group of confectionary company which is globally known for its high quality chocolate production. The company’s head quarter is based in Kilchberg, Switzerland. Lindt and Sprungli, more commonly known as Lindt is considered to be a global market leader with respect to the production of chocolates, its products are highly appreciated by people around the globe. The main markets that Lindt focuses on are highlighted below with respect to their Sales North America (28.3%) Germany (17.5%) Switzerland (12.7%) France (12.5%) Italy (11.5%) Great Britain (5%) Lindt’s success has been attributed to its long term strategy. The company’s focus and its main strategy revolves around its seven pillars; brand management, premium positioning, better bondage with customers, Innovation, marketing expertise, understandability of products and the company’s hunger for expansion. All these seven pillars are deemed to be the Critical Success Factors for t he company and it is because of these long term strategies that the company gave an outstanding performance during an era of economic downturn (Lindt and Sprungli, 2010). â€Å"Zetar is a leading manufacturer of confectionery and natural snacks with a reputation for quality and product innovation† (Zetar Plc, 2011). Zetar plc is known for its good quality chocolate within the United Kingdom. The company’s main target markets are the children and for that reason they produce chocolates which appeal to children mostly. The company was incorporated on 8 December 2004 but its main business started in the year 2005. Zetar plc comprises of two groups, Confectionary Division and the Natural snack division. The confectionary division covers the production of chocolate which is later sold within the UK and other export markets such as Australia, China and Ireland. The natural snack division, on the other hand, manufactures and processes a wide range of nuts and dried fruits whi ch are later sold within the UK market only. The natural snack division’s only market is deemed to be the UK market only. Zetar plc has developed a strong relationship with all the UK food retailers and it can be said that the company

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Marine Finance(Capital Funding Structure) - Essay Example In 1958, Franco Modigliani and Merton Miller, two prominent financial economists, constructed a theory of capital structure (usually referred to as the MM) that is widely considered as the most influential financial theory up to this time. Basically, the MM theory assumes perfect capital market conditions where all relevant information is readily available, where there are no transaction costs, and where borrowing and lending rates are the same for all investors. The theory likewise assumes that there are no income taxes, that operating income is constant over time -- i.e., there is no growth -- and that all earnings are paid out as dividends. In 1963, Modigliani and Miller modified their original work by including corporate taxes. With such taxes, leverage would increase the firms value because interest on debt is a tax-deductible expense and more income accrues to the investors. Consequently, the value of the firm increases. The cost of debt is the after-tax yield (1-tax). This lower cost of debt, combined with the existing cost of equity, will result in a lower weighted average cost of capital the greater the leverage. The benefits of debt financing derive from solely from the tax deductibility of interest payments. This observation would lead one to conclude logically that the company should use more leverage to the extent that all financing will be done through debt. In reality, however, companies do no such thing. While historically the debt/asset ratios have risen overall, companies maintain capital structures that are stable with a some combination of debt and equity at some in-between point. (See Brealey & Myers; Brigham & Gapenski; Keat & ). Much later, Merton Miller extended the theory by including personal taxes. Personal taxes in the modified model would reduce -- but not eliminate -- the benefits of debt financing. Because the introduction of personal taxes lowers the income to investors, they reduce the value

Observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Observation - Essay Example However, there are means and ways put in place to aid in teaching this group of students. This paper is going to address the education of students with emotional and behavioral disorders, physical abilities, health impairments and traumatic brain injury. Moreover; it is going to describe the type of teaching strategies for this group and how to nurture their self esteem and self advocacy skills. Moreover, this paper is going to explain how regular students can be aided into accepting, understanding and respecting their colleagues and how to respond to their needs appropriately. In order to teach special needs student’s teachers need researched, evidence based teaching strategies to be sure of what they are giving to their students. Research and evidence based strategies can be defined as an intervention program that has been researched over and over and has positively yielded consistent results when tested. There are a variety of research evidence based teaching strategies that teachers can use. The first teaching strategy is class wide peer tutoring (Cullinan, 2007). This strategy is meant to teach students who are at different levels with the rest and those who have different needs but are in the same class. Class wide peer tutoring stipulates that after a class lecture by the teacher, the students must then bond together to evaluate and find out if they have all got the information together and in the same manner. Methods here include pairing of students that is regular students are paired with a special needs student, immediate correction of errors; inter class competition and frequent spontaneous tests. This will ensure that the special needs students are at par with the regular students. This method is very effective in math since one method in math is sometimes difficult to understand and group work exposes different methods. The second researched teaching strategy is the Direct Instruction, DI (Cullinan, 2007). This method involves teaching of

Guidance for reating an Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Aspects of Policing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Aspects of Policing - Research Paper Example In essence, the same words, "to serve and protect," might be on many police departments' patrol cars, but interpretation is left wide open to the many analysts engaged in the field. Body Traditionally, police officers have been viewed as soldiers engaged in a war on crime. This view has had the detrimental effect of focusing on ineffective strategies for crime control while resulting in a major cause of police violence and civil rights violations. The "war model" inaccurately portrays a ‘search and destroy’ mentality to banish crime, disorder, and the scourge of drugs (Byrne & Pease, 2008). According to DeParis (2000) it does not help that many police departments continue to use a bureaucratic, closed-system approach in an ever-changing and intrusive external environment. Such an environment results in an unstable situation (p. 108). Nevertheless, noteworthy changes in the policing philosophy have resulted in the movement towards community policing. Many feel that this m ovement is the result of police that have not been accountable to the community, but have served status quo interests. Researchers declare that the conversion from traditional policing to a community-oriented approach will be one of the most significant challenges affecting police organizations today (Gilling, 2007). With the help of responsible citizens and progressive police administrators there have been tremendous accomplishments in developing a form of policing that better meets the needs of the community. But Goldstein (2000) complains that the term "community policing" tends to be used indiscriminately to encompass the most ambitious project in policing to the most mundane, without regard for its true meaning. Politicians, administrators and police executives exacerbate the problem by misleading citizens into expectations that community policing will provide instant solutions not only for the problems of crime, disorder, and racial tension but for many of the other acute prob lems that plague the community as well. Of course, the failure of superficial programs with the community-policing label then adds to the frustration of not only the community, but also the police officers involved (Jean, 2007), One reaction in the law enforcement community has been to attempt definition and simplification of the community policing model. This presents a problem for such a complex process as policing. In fact, Goldstein (2000) argues, the field already suffers because so much in policing is oversimplified (p. 72). The criminal justice system has traditionally categorized and defined crime, violence, and disorder into simple convenient terms that act to disguise amorphous, complex problems. Oversimplification places a heavy burden on the police and complicates the police task. Goldstein (2000) explains that the police respond with such equally simplistic terms as "enforcement" and "patrol" in which the community is familiar but does not understand the methods they em brace or their value. Goldstein (2000) is concerned that if community policing is used as just another generic response or simplistic characterization of the police function this truly innovative approach will quickly lose credibility (p. 72) Another concern for police executives making the transition to community policin

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American history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

American history - Essay Example Moreover, the North, the South, the Free Soilers, and the Republicans had their own ways of definitions. They differed in their views as follows: Lincoln defined liberty as the ability of a citizen to do what he wishes for himself, and whatever that is a product of his labor. This made slave trade an oppression since the person who created labor was not the same one who used it, rather a different person got the freedom to utilize it. In addition, Lincoln defined Liberty as a condition where citizens could do anything they desired with others and anything they had generated with their labor. The definition of slavery was therefore not a matter of liberty, but that of human rights. On the other hand, Stephen Douglass questioned most of Lincoln’s quotes against freedom. He disagreed with most of the phrases, arguing that America had been existing half slave and half free, several years. His view was that there was no issue about some people being at liberty while others were not ; the system should have continued. The U.S was a big country and what Liberty meant for one region was not the same as the other. Differences between the North and South view of Liberty To the North, both liberty and power resided often with the community as compared to individuals. Societies had both the liberty and the duty to rule themselves as per their own wishes to invest in their general good, and to punish or favor people whose behavior threatened or improved the rest of the community. An individual was responsible to balance personal desires and needs against entire good of the community. In return, the community was responsible for caring for the sick, educating the young, and providing for the less fortune. This support expanded every person’s liberty to live in self-respect and prosper. In contrast, the South believed that the degree of liberty that one enjoyed was a directly given by God in the social hierarchy. More authority was determined by the level of stat us one had, and thus, one with more authority had more liberty to exercise. This meant that one had more â€Å"liberties† with the rights, properties, and the lives of fellow citizens. How the Free Soilers differed with the Republicans on the meaning of liberty The Free Soil party adopted the motto, â€Å"Free Soil, Free Labor, And Free Men.† They opposed the expansion of slavery into the western regions and believed in freedom and equal rights. No party had powers to make a slave than to make a leader. The free soilers viewed that through forgetting all the past political disagreements, they could form a union of free men, to obtain liberty, and have a common goal. Liberty meant having the rights to free labor without the violence of the slave authority, and to safeguard free soil for free citizens. The Republicans had the conception that, an agent is free because he is not dominated by other agents. He is dominated only when and because others have capabilities of in terference, deliberately and on a random basis, in particular choices that he has an opportunity to make. Conclusion Although the word Liberty was used by various elites and communities to give it a different meaning, the issue at hand remained to be slavery. Lincoln’s definition was the most logical, particularly in this context. Anyone who had never read about Lincoln’s declaration of liberty would probably define it in the same way. Question 2: The meaning of the fourth of July

A proposal to modify Exercisco Fitness Club Essay Example for Free

A proposal to modify Exercisco Fitness Club Essay Description: A proposal to modify Exercisco Fitness Club in Pokfulam, the location has been proposed to Baguio Villas. This location has been chosen because the area is very clean and there is a large population and this would be an advantage because there is more market share, and there would be more potential customers. The location is also good because there is a major project developing (cyber-port). This would be an advantage for the business because it would give it a good reputation. Plus this is another advantage because there is less competition and Baguio Villas is a very scarce place. The new technology applied to the Fitness center would in theory increase the customers attending the club. The club would easily keep a record of the customers joining and leaving the club. Plus the new system would be able to pinpoint specific addresses for business purposes. E. g. if a customer has not paid the bill for a month. Also the club would let members interact in fitness courses if they prefer and they would be able to purchase different materials connecting to the course. Address: 59th Mount Hermon Rd,5th floor Krono Plaza, opposite Glon Canyon Rd Telephone: 25849843, Fax: 28394785, Manager Mobile: 91234534 How the business could use the following: Databases: The business will use this to record all the members data and personal phone numbers etc. And also if they are a regular fitness members. Also the database will ensure that the different courses which members attend. And also if they would want to purchase some material concerning the course Spreadsheets: The business uses this to record all my annual or monthly results so I can see if I make any profits etc. Web Sites: The business uses this to help people sign up as a member online so they dont need to travel to the center to obtain the form. And also any special offers or any special events Image Creation: The business will use this to format my images to suit posters and web sites etc. And also I will use image creation to produce and format a logo unique for the business Desktop Publishing: The business will use this to create posters and newsletters for members and maybe also forms for people who would like to become members. History: The business has been recently opened. To be exact the business was first formed 4 months ago. The business has not succeeded very well compared to its predicted cash flow rate. This is because the business has not been able to keep a stable record of the time and number of customers who come and go from the Club. But the has started to release that without technology it would be very hard to cope with the expanding competition around the country and the world. The types of customers targeted are spilt into 2 categories. Day time customers and Evening time customers. This is because since Hong Kong is a large low unemployment country customers, a majority male, will travel and work. This meaning that since the males or females who work will be off on their jobs there would be a less customers coming in at the day time. So the best thing to do is to target mostly house wives or else young adults. But in theory at the evening there would be more customers because the customers who arrive from their jobs normally tend to travel to a fitness club. Overall adults will the type of customers who would most likely attend the Fitness club. The role of the receptionist is to welcome people into the fitness club and also take phone calls and entrance fees etc. The receptionist also checks members ID and handles the database to record the revenue coming into the business. Instructors The role of the instructors would be to train the members who preferred to have instructors rather than working out sole. Also the instructors would be trained in medical so they could aid people if a situation arises. Managing Director The role of the managing director is to run the day to day of the business this meaning he/she would motivate the employees and give feed back to the Board of Directors, and the managing director would receive feedback from different departments in the business and make decisions. Cleaners The cleaners have been contracted from a different business, this saves the hassle of employing individual cleaners by the business. Accountants Analysis of ordering system When a member first enters the fitness club and wants to work out, the staff asks for the membership card, they identify the number from their notebook (which consists of the members name last name alphabetically and their membership number). Then the staff asks the member to fill out the table on their record book consisting of the Members name, membership number, time checked in and their signature. When the members finished, they sign-out and record their time on the book. Also the staff will collect the members card, and they give back to the member when theyre done with theyre work out.

Production of Pure Lipases

Production of Pure Lipases Most Rhizopus lipases described in the literature are produced by their host cells in very small amounts, which is not suitable for large-scale industrial applications. Another drawback of working with native microorganisms is that Rhizopus sp. usually produces different isolipases with different biocatalytic properties, which complicates biocatalytic application with unwanted side effects caused by unrelated enzymes (67). Thus, in order to implement more industrial lipase applications, one of the most promising strategies is to produce heterologous lipases in a host microorganism which have the advantages to minimize the complexity of the bioprocess, to facilitate the more economic production of large quantities of pure lipases and to reduce costs (68). Rhizopus species was mainly divided into three groups, including R. oryzae, R. microsporus, R. stolonifer (69). Until now, the lipase genes from all these three groups have been cloned. Consistent with the proposal that many Rhizopus isolates are actually the same organism (69), nearly complete identities were observed in the lipase genes from the genus Rhizopus. In the R. oryzae group, lipases from R. niveus IFO 9759 (70) (71) (72), R. delemar ATCC34612 (73) (74) and R. javanicus (75) have identical amino acid sequences, and the lipases from R. oryzae ATCC 853 (76, 77) (78) and R. arrhizus L-03-R-1(79) differ by only several substitutions. The lipase from R. stolonifer (GenBank No. AAZ66864.1) and R. chinensis (GenBank No. ABN59381.2)(80) were of about 80% amino acid sequence identity to R. oryzae lipase (GenBank No. BAG16821.1) (Fig). Rhizopus lipases are synthesized as pre-pro-proteins composed of signal sequence, prosequence and mature lipase sequence (76) (80). The production of Rhizopus lipases has been performed in Escherichia coli [8], in Saccharomyces cerevisiae [9] and in Pichia pastoris [10,11]. Due to either different protein post-translational modifications affecting the glycosylation pattern of these lipases, or to proteolytic cleavage products arising from the mature, the pro- or the pre-pro-enzyme, the lipases derived from recombinant strains showed different molecular mass and different enzymatic properties compared with those from wild strains (75) (81). E. coli as host When E. coli was selected as a host, overexpression of R. oryzae prolipase (ProROL) and mature R. oryzae lipase (mROL) was achieved by using E. coli BL321, the heat-inducible vector pCYTEXP1 and the preOmpA sequence to achieve secretion into the periplasmic space (77) (76). Both fusion proteins induced by a temperature shift to 42  °C were correctly processed and translocated to the periplasmic space, but both mROL and ProROL accumulated as insoluble aggregates. Furthermore, the enzyme activity of mROL damages cells even at low concentrations, whereas the expression of active ProROL has no toxic effects on E. coli and the amount of purified active ProROL (103 U/mL) is larger than that of mROL by a factor of more than 100(77). By in vitro refolding of the insoluble form of mROL, its prosequence was supposed to support the refolding of mROL in vitro (77). R. delemar lipase was also expressed as inactive and insoluble forms in the cytoplasm of E. coli BL21(DE3) using plasmid vector pE T11d (74). In order to achieve soluble production in E. coli, Di Lorenzo et al. (82) used a reductase-deficient host strain, E. coli Origami(DE3), which greatly enhance disulfide bond formation in the E. coli cytoplasm, and pET-11d as expression systems, yielded correctly folded and active mROL and ProROL only in the cytoplasm fraction. Although the specific activities of mROL and ProROL are comparable, the yield of ProROL (166U/mL) was higher than that of mROL (82). S. cerevisiae as host In contrast to E. coli expression system, eukaryotic expression system (eg. P. pastoris, S. cerevisiae) has the advantage of secretion into the cell culture supernatant, avoiding cell disruption, and post-translational modifications, including glycosylation and disulfide bond formation. Takahashi et al. (78) reported the production of the active R. oryzae lipase (ROL) by S. cerevisiae. When the ProROL gene fused with S. cerevisiae ÃŽ ±-factor signal sequence was expressed in S. cerevisiae using UPR-ICL as a promoter, two forms of ROL, ProROL (46 kDa) and r28ROL (35 kDa) having 28 amino acids of the prosequence, were secreted into the culture medium, but the activity of mROL was not detected in both the medium and cells (78). The N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the processed form r28ROL was cleaved by Kex2-like protease in S. cerevisiae at the recognition site KR in the prosequence (78). The independent production of two different molecular forms of ROL was succe ssfully obtained using Kex2-engineered strains of S. cerevisiae (83). The amounts of enzyme secreted were estimated as 78.8 mg/l broth for ProROL and 38.3 mg/l broth for r28ROL. These two forms of ROL exhibited distinct properties. ProROL were more thermostable than the processed lipase r28ROL (83), which was also observed in the case of R. niveus lipase expressed in S. cerevisiae (84). The expressed R. niveus lipase activity in the culture supernatant reached 1600 U/mL, a value equivalent to 0.2~0.3 g lipase protein per 1 liter of culture supernatant (72). The role of the prosequence of ROL was further analyzed in S. cerevisiae. When mROL was co-expressed in trans with the prosequence fused to the pre-alpha-factor leader sequence, the activity of mROL was recovered, suggested that the covalent linkage of the prosequence to the mROL was not necessary for the function (85) (86) . From the expression of the ROL mutants with deletions at the N-terminal end of the prosequence together w ith mROL in trans, the residues from 20 to 37 in the prosequence were essential for the secretion, and those from 38 to 57 were essential for the formation of the active ROL and might play a role as an intramolecular chaperone (86). Apart from extracellular expression, R. oryzae lipase was also successfully displayed on the cell surface of S. cerevisiae with a lipase activity of 350.6 U/L (87-89). P. pastoris as host On the contrary to S. cerevisiae expression system when the prolipase gene from R. arrhizus was expressed in P. pastoris, only the mature lipase attached with 28 amino acids of the carboxy-terminal part of the prosequence was secreted in the supernatant (Niu, Li et al. 2006). Prolipase with complete prosequence was nearly found in the supernatant which may be the result that the activity of Kex2-like protease was higher in P. pastoris than in S. cerevisiae (Niu, Li et al. 2006). Interestingly, expression of the prolipase gene from R. chinensis in P. pastors produced two forms of lipase, mature lipase attached with 27 amino acids of the prosequence (r27RCL) and mature lipase (mRCL) (Yu, Wang et al. 2009). At the early stage of fermentation, the recombinant P. pastors produced only r27RCL, which was gradually degraded into mRCL along with the fermentation, probably processed by serine proteases presented in the culture medium (Yu, Wang et al. 2009). For R. oryzae lipase, r28ROL was als o observed to convert to mature lipase gradually incubated at 0-6  °C for a few days (Sayari, Frikha et al. 2005, Hama, Tamalampudi et al. 2006). It has been reported that the prosequence from R. chinensis lipases was more efficient than that from ROL in the role of facilitating the folding and secretion of an active lipase (Yu, Sha et al. 2013). The activity of the chimeric lipase from R. oryzae by replacing the prosequence with that from R. chinensis reached 4050 U/mL, which was 11 fold higher than that of the parent expressed in P. pastoris (Yu, Sha et al. 2013). mROL activity expressed in S. cerevisiae was not detected (Ueda, Takahashi et al. 2002), whereas mROL was functionally expressed and secreted in P. pastoris (Beer, McCarthy et al. 1998) (Minning, Schmidt-Dannert et al. 1998). The expression of mROL was compared under different regulated promoters (Serrano 2002) (Cos, Resina et al. 2005) (Resina, Serrano et al. 2004), i.e. alcohol oxidase 1 promoter (PAOX), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase promoter (PGAP) and the formaldehyde dehydrogenase 1 promoter (PFLD1). Expression of the mature form of ROL under the constitutive PGAP promoter resulted in extremely low extracellular lipase levels (Serrano 2002). PAOX is highly induced during growth on methanol, but tightly repressed during growth of the yeast on most common carbon sources such as glucose, glycerol or ethanol, while PFLD1 allows the design of methanol-free culture strategies, being methylamine a less volatile and flammable inducer. Valero and co-authors (Resina, Cos et al. 2005) (Cos, Resina et al. 2005) successfully expressed mROL in P. pastoris under the PFLD1 promoter using methylamine as nitrogen and sorbitol as carbon source. The productivity under PFLD1 promoter are comparable to the classic PAOX system (Resina, Cos et al. 2005) (Cos, Resina et al. 2005). However, limitationsincurrent knowledgein the regulation of methylamine metabolism in P. pastoris limit thedesignof efficientfermentationstrategies using PFLD1 promoter. The presence of multiple integrated copies of a desired expression cassette has been reported to be an important factor in increasing foreign protein production in P. pastoris (Cos, Serrano et al. 2005). The high-level expression of R. chinensis lipase was achieved by optimization of the lipase gene copy number in the host strain P. pastoris (Sha, Yu et al. 2013). Among 1, 3, 5 and 6-copy strains, the maximum lipase activity reached 12,500 U/mL in 5-cope strain, which was 6.2-fold higher than that in 1-copy strain (Sha, Yu et al. 2013). Maximizing gene copy number sometimes resulted in a decreased final productivity yield (Sha, Yu et al. 2013) or a negative effect on cell growth (Cos, Serrano et al. 2005), which indicated stress effects of Rhizopus lipases overexpression upon P. pastoris cells. Recent transcriptomic-based studies (Sha, Yu et al. 2013) (Resina, Bollok et al. 2007) strongly suggest that heterologous overexpression of Rhizopus lipases in P. pastoris indeed triggers the unfolded protein response (UPR). However, co-expression of certain chaperons could relief the cell stress caused by foreign protein overexpression. The productivity of R. chinensis lipase in P. pastoris was improved by co-expression with ERO1p and PDI (Kumar, Jahan et al. 2013) (Sha, Yu et al. 2013). These two chaperons are involved in the protein disulfide bond formation pathway in the endoplasmic reticulum, thus chaperon co-expression contribute to the relief of the protein overexpression stress in recombinant P. pastoris (Kumar, Jahan et al. 2013) (Sha, Yu et al. 2013). Co-expression of unfolded protein response transcriptional factor (Hac1) resulted in about a 3-fold increase in the overall specific productivity of mROL in P. pastoris while the deletion of GAS1, required for the cell wall assembly, achieved 4-fold increase. And the double mutant HAC1/Δgas1 strain yielded about a 7-fold increase (Resina, Maurer et al. 2009). Novel genetic factors enhancing heterologous protei n secretion in P. pastoris have been identified on the basis of transcriptomic analyses (Gasser, Sauer et al. 2007), which give a new insight into engineering P. pastoris for heterologous expression of foreign proteins. Another factor that should be considered for expression optimization is the Mut phenotype. When single copy mROL was expressed in P. pastoris under control of PAOX, the Maximal lipase activity (205U/mL), the specific production rate (qp, 63 U/gbiomass/h ) and the yield of lipase activity per biomass unit (YP/X, 5775U/gbiomass) by Muts strain were 1.37-, 1.29- and 2.34-fold higher than those by Mut+ strain, while the productivity (2246 U/L/h) by Muts strain was 1.34-fold lower than that by Mut+ strain (Cos, Serrano et al. 2005). For R. chinensis prolipase expressed in P. pastoris, Muts strain exibited 1.4-fold higher activity than that of Mut+ phenotype (Yu, Wang et al. 2009). Muts is not as sensitive as Mut+ to high transient methanol concentrations which make the bioprocess easier to control and enables scale up. However, Muts phenotype fermentation results in long induction times with low growth rates (Arnau, Casas et al. 2011). Different strategies have been implemented in the production of R. oryzae lipase under the PAOX promoter in P. pastoris Mut+ phenotype, eg. dissolved oxygen control (DO-stat), methanol limited fed-batch (MLFB, control of the substrate concentration close to zero), methanol non-limited fed-batch (MNLFB, maintenance of the substrate concentration at a constant value), as well as temperature limited fed-batch (TLFB). The MNLFB strategy for ROL expression led to 20–30 h reduction in the production time, a 11-fold higher final lipolytic activity, a 13.6-fold higher productivity and a 10.3-fold higher specific productivity compared to the DO-stat strategy (Minning, Serrano et al. 2001). After optimization of methanol concentration, the activity of Rhizopus chinensis lipase reached 2130 U/mL by maintaining methanol concentration at 1 g/L controlled by an on-line methanol analyzer (Wu, Yu et al. 2011). One of the main drawbacks of P. pastoris Mut+ phenotype is the high oxygen demand i n high cell density cultures using MNLFB strategy (Cos, Serrano et al. 2005). A TLFB strategy was thereafter applied to solve oxygen transfer limitations (Surribas, Stahn et al. 2007). Barrigà ³n et al. (Manuel Barrigon, Luis Montesinos et al. 2013) compared MLFB and MNLFB strategies for the production of mROL expressed in P. pastoris. Yields, productivities and specific production rate in all MLFB conditions were very low. Best results were obtained by MNLFB strategy at methanol set-point of 3 g/L, under which condition maximum lipase activity, productivity and specific productivity reached 280 U/mL, 5406 U/L/h, 102 U/g/h, respectively (Manuel Barrigon, Luis Montesinos et al. 2013) . Due to low specific growth rate of Muts phenotype, strategies to use mixed carbon sources in the induction phase are applied to improve the expression levels of mROL and to increase the productivity of the bioprocess. Glycerol and sorbitol are both frequently used as co-substrates. When glycerol was used as co-substrate, one of the key advantages is its higher ÃŽ ¼ (0.18 h−1 versus 0.02 h−1) compared with sorbitol. However, when the relation ÃŽ ¼Gly per ÃŽ ¼MeOH was larger than 4, a significant decrease of YP/X, volumetric and specific productivity was observed due to the repression of glycerol (Arnau, Casas et al. 2011). The sorbitol as an excellent non-repressive carbon source avoids the severe decrease of the specific production rate and it permits to achieve higher mROL production (Arnau, Ramon et al. 2010) (Ramon, Ferrer et al. 2007). During the induction stage, the ammonium ion released into the fermentation broth has a deep impact on cell growth and protein expression. In our previous study, the impact of NH4+ concentration on the expression of the R. oryzae chimeric lipase in P. pastoris co-expressed with ERO1p and PDI was investigated (Yu, Lu et al. 2013). Analysis of carbon metabolism and energy regeneration pattern revealed that under the optimum NH4+ concentration of 440 mmol/L more carbon source (methanol) was consumed with surged AOX activity and then the higher energy and amino acid precursors demand for recombinant protein synthesis is compensated for by the TCA cycle. Under the optimum NH4+ concentration the lipase activity reached 12,019 U/mL, which was 1.7-fold higher than that without supplement of NH4+ (Yu, Lu et al. 2013). It was also useful for other recombinant protein expression in P. pastoris by addition of inorganic nitrogen source (Kobayashi, Kuwae et al. 2000) (Zhang, Wang et al. 2008) (Yan g and Zhou 2004).

The Good Soldier Beginning English Literature Essay

The Good Soldier Beginning English Literature Essay In The Good Soldier (1915) by Ford Madox Ford, the narrator, John Dowell tells the reader his story, the story of his marriage to his wife Florence and when she met an English gentleman, named Edward Ashburnham. (The good soldier from the title of the novel). He goes on to describe the events that lead to Ashburnhams affair with his wife and it being revealed to him. Edward and Florence had both committed suicide by the end of the novel. However, John Dowell seems not to narrate any of these events in a linear, traditional fashion. Ford Madox Ford attempts to recreate Johns ignorance of Florences adultery by representing the events of the store, not in a casual sequence but instead as they occur to him in his recollections and reminisciences. Its not that Dowell himself intends to be misleading, but he has an awful habit of teasing the reader by revealing the crucial parts of information in an off-hand, casual manner. He says I dont know how it is best to put this thing down-whether it would be better to try and tell the story from the beginning, as if it were a story; or whether to tell it from the distance of time, as it reached me from the lips of Leonora or from those of Edward himself.  [1]  Reading The Good Soldier feels like the reader is a detective in a mystery novel, trying to make sense of the clues presented to them along the way. Fords innovative use of this fallible or unreliable narration plays a major role in the novel and other modernist fiction.  [2]  In this essay, a particular section of the book will be examined, between page 37 and 43. The essay will take a number of examples in the text, in an attempt to draw attention to the language used in this section to reveal a deep understanding of Dowells character, especially focussing on his reliability or in this case unreliability as a narrator. Then, the essay will bring all the facts into a conclusion. (Lewis, 2007) The first thing this essay must do is examine the character of Dowell so that it is better to understand him from a readers perspective. Dowell, from the start of the novel is shown to be naÃÆ' ¯ve and not as intelligent as he thinks he is. He doesnt realise that his wife is having an affair behind his back, that she is lying to him about her heart condition and many other examples that are too numerous to list. Dowell has a habit of recalling, in great detail, the parts of an experience that most people would ignore or remember less of. Yet, when something important or climactic happens his recollection is weak and limited. It becomes evident throughout the novel that Dowell is a curmudgeon. He seems to see absolutely everything in a negative light and what is most evident is that he seems to take pleasure from other peoples misery. A good example of this is when Dowell tells us about Leonora teaching Edward and Leonora would just nod her head in a way that quite pleasantly rattled my poor wife. (Ford, 2002, p. 38) Another excellent example of Dowell searching for the negative in a positive situation is when he is describing their excursion. He describes shortly the green grass and the beautiful location but the reason he remembers the trip and the scene is nothing to do with the beauty but something else. Why, I remember on that afternoon I saw a brown cow hitch its horns under the stomach of a black and white animal and the black and white one was thrown right into the middle of a narrow stream. I burst out laughing,. It shows that Dowell focuses on the parts of a story that most people would gloss over. He reflects that he probably should have pitied the animal but he didnt; he merely enjoyed the sight. Dowell adds that no one paid attention to him laughing. (Ford, 2002, p. 38) Dowells apparent inability to understand any of the events that are about to happen, mean that he creates a lot of dramatic irony. A significant example of this irony is the obvious discrepancy between Dowells perception of himself and the readers perception of Dowell. Dowell for example, considers himself to be really intelligent, perceptive and insightful. Because he has had nothing to do for nine years, he reasons that he must be a faithful and reliable narrator. He explains to the reader that his attention was entirely focused on his surroundings, for example: the dining room decorations, the hotel plan layout, the flirtatiousness of Florence. But as he relates to the story of their trip to Nauheim, Dowell is quite the opposite of insightful. He is so obsessed with seeing things at face value and in trusting those he sees as good people, that he seems to be incapable of noticing the things happening all around him. He doesnt even notice that there is a budding romance between Edward and his wife, Florence. Even when Leonora explicitly tries to reveal the truth to him, Dowell doesnt understand. He simply accepts her Im an Irish Catholic (Ford, 2002, p. 43) excuse quite happily with no objection. Dowell seems to only recognise the details which have little bearing on the situation or of little importance. Florences betrayal and Leonoras absolute horror seem to remain completely transparent to him. When Dowell laughs at the cows, it can be inferred that this is a bigger metaphor for how the reader perceives Dowell while reading the novel. The reader laughs at how pathetic and disastrously inept he is. He laughs at what is an act of violence among the animals in quite an odd, awkward manner. It is strange that he manages to notice the intricacies of the cows relationships but fails to notice the violence, emotional not physical, that floods his quite intimate foursome. It is also interesting to note that when reflecting on the situation Dowell admits that he SHOULD have pitied the animal that was hurled into the water, but didnt feel any pity at all. With this said, it is hard for the reader to feel sympathetic for Dowell because though his situation is tragic, it is also morbidly hilarious. His ignorance and naivety means that an outsider observing the story develops only a queer fascination. Dowells character is clearly complex and has a lot of layers. Unreliable in life and a s a narrator, Dowells narration is confusing and misleading. Before this essay can examine Dowell as an unreliable narrator, the term must be defined so that is clear exactly what an unreliable narrator is. An unreliable narrator is a first-person narrator who for some reason has a biased or compromised point of view. What the narrator himself does not know or experience can therefore not be explained to the reader. In this novel, Dowell is an unreliable narrator as the reader is given reasons not to trust his narrative. There are a number of ways that a narrator can be seen to be unreliable. He could have prejudices against a particular age, race, class or gender for example. The narrator may have an intelligence level considered to be lower than average. A common one is that the narrator may be trying to make a point contrary to the actions of the story or be attempting to slander or misrepresent a person or situation. In Dowells case, he seems to fall into a few of these categories. Dowell has a very confusing way of talking, as if he is recalling memories there and then and writing them down on paper without the thought of editing them afterwards. Because of this, there are a number of issues that arise for the reader. For example, on page 37, he tries to remember something but cannot remember when it happened. I cant remember whether it was in our first year the first year of us four at Nauheim, because, of course, it would have been the fourth year of Florence and myself but it must have been in the first or second year. (Ford, 2002, p. 37). This passage leads the reader to question how reliable the narrator is, as he is not sure of the time he is referring to and in his wording confuses the reader even more than perhaps himself. By adding in the reference to him and Florence, he makes it unnecessarily confusing to understand when he is talking about. Soon after, when describing a European castle, Dowell says: It has the disadvantage of being in Prussia; and it is always disagreeable to go into that country. (Ford, 2002, p. 38) This shows that Dowell is trying to force his opinion onto the reader as if it were fact. If it were his opinion, he could have said It is my opinion that it would be disagreeableà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ or something similar. When talking about Florence educating Edward, Dowell makes another comment to seem unreliable. He mentions that Florence was singularly expert as a guide to archaeological ruins and then went on to say there was nothing she liked so much as showing people around ruins. However, he then says that She only did it once. For something to be considered somebodys favourite thing to do in the world, it would be typical to assume that they had done it many times, not just once. This questions once more whether the narrator, in this case Dowell, is reliable. To conclude, the section of the book analysed shows us that John Dowell has a unique and vibrant character and personality. He is shown to be rather naÃÆ' ¯ve and ignorant in the way he does not notice or understand that his wife is having an affair or even that Leonora was attempting to tell him about it. His habit to find the negative in every situation makes the reader rather depressed and frustrated, which seems a strange way of telling a story, both by Dowell and by Ford himself. When seeing the cows fight, he finds this funny, remembering this example of violence over remembering the pleasant surroundings and the fun of a holiday. This shows us that Dowell is a pretty unreliable guy to rely on when it comes to recalling the story as he does not remember the things of importance. When it comes to being an unreliable narrator, it becomes increasingly evident that Dowell fits this criteria as he constantly glosses over important facts giving his own opinions and slant instead o f the facts, leading the reader to believe everything that he says to be the truth when it clearly is not the case. The Good Soldier presents the reader with a confusing and at some times frustrating read. The narration throughout the novel is convoluted, misleading and annoyingly erratic. Regardless, the narration creates a morbid comedy of the situation, with the reader warming a little to Dowells uselessness and sheer dumbfoundedness. One thing is clear, John Dowell is unreliable as a narrator and would not be a good choice to tell a story!