The Panama Canal Essay -- History Historical Essays

The Panama Canal In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt had a dream of a dominant America in both major oceans, connected by an American canal. With his inspiration, construction began on what has been called the largest project of any kind ever undertaken. Now that it is complete, the Panama Canal makes the world a much smaller place for ocean-going vessels of all sizes. Ideas for a canal across Panama have been in the works ever since the time the isthmus was discovered. In 1513, Vasco Nuà ±ez de Balboa crossed the 50-mile wide land bridge and claimed the water on the other side in the name of Spain. Shortly after, in 1534, a team was sent to survey possible canal routes that would follow the Chagres River, but it was deemed to be impossible to build at the time. There were no other notable instances of interest in a canal until 1848, when the California Gold Rush swept the United States. The Panama railroad was completed in 1851, and transported millions of dollars worth of gold and other riches from one sea to the next. In 1952, future president Ulysses S. Grant led the American Fourth Infantry across the isthmus and 150 of his men died of cholera in the jungle, inspiring him to commission surveys in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama during his presidency in 1969. The survey teams, which were supervised by the Secretary of the Navy, decided that a route through Nicaragua would be the best for a transcontinental canal (www.pancanal.com). Three decades later, President McKinley’s U.S. Isthmian Canal Commission would also favor the Nicaraguan route, but for reasons which will be discussed later, the Panamanian route was ultimately chosen. The only physical attribute of Panama t... ... On December 31, 1999 the Panama Canal was handed over to the Republic of Panama, ending United States influence there for almost a century. As it always has been, the canal is to remain neutral, safe, and open to vessels from all nations for as long as it is in operation. Although the circumstances by which the construction of the canal came about were less than diplomatic, the final state of the passageway represents a free and equal ideology for mankind. Bibliography LaFeber, Walter. The Panama Canal. Oxford University Press: New York, 1978. A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama. A WGBH Production In Association With The British Broadcasting Corporation. WGBH Foundation: Boston, 1999. The Panama Canal. http://www.pancanal.com/eng/history/index.html. Panama Canal Authority: 2001. CanalMuseum.com. http://www.canalmuseum.com. Ared Networks: 2002.

Macbeth †Study Guide †Act I Essay

1.Why is Scotland at war at the opening of the play? Scotland is at war at the opening of the play because Mackdonwald, a rebel, was trying to overthrow Duncan and make a deal with the King of Norway. 2.What three predictions do the witches make in Scene 3? -Macbeth will be Thane of Glamis -He will be Thane of Cawdor -He will be King of Scotland. 3.Who is named heir to the Scottish throne? Malcom is named heir to the Scottish throne since he is King Duncan’s oldest son. 4.What is the â€Å"double trust† that makes Macbeth hesitate to kill Duncan? In Macbeth’s first soliloquy, he expresses his doubts about murdering the king. Among the reasons he should not kill the king are his â€Å"double bond† as kinsman (countryman) and subject, which should make him oppose the deed he is contemplating. 5.How do the murderers plan to implicate Duncan’s grooms? They will smear the blood of Duncan on the sleeping chamberlains to cast the guilt upon them. 6.What atmosphere and tone are created in the short opening scene? Macbeth opens with a scene which creates an atmosphere of foreboding and introduces the evil powers which are about to tempt Macbeth to his ruin. The tone of this scene is evil and intimidating. 7.When we are first introduced to Macbeth by the nobleman to Duncan, what is the reader’s initial impression? The reader’s initial impression when we are first introduced to Macbeth by the nobleman to Duncan, is a good one regarding Macbeth. Duncan and the nobleman make us picture Macbeth as a brave, victorious general who knew what to do and who saved Scotland from losing the battle. Macbeth seems loyal to his King, Duncan! 8.In what ways is Banquo â€Å"lesser than Macbeth, and greater†? Banquo is lesser than Macbeth meaning potentially since Macbeth is the King and has more power, but he (Banquo) is greater than Macbeth, not as happy as him, yet happier! 9.What impression do you form of Lady Macbeth Act I? Lady Macbeth has a passion of ambition. Her disposition is high, proud, and commanding. We observe in her no love of country, and no interest in the welfare of anyone outside her family. Her habitual thoughts and aims are, and, we imagine, long have been, all of station and power. She supports and loves Macbeth but does not overshadow her husband. 10.How is Macbeth feeling in his soliloquy in the beginning of Scene 7? What is his state of mind? Macbeth’s soliloquy shows that he shrinks from the murder of Duncan; his wife, however, forces him into action with her taunt that he is a coward. His fear foreshadows the way that his deeds will eventually come back to haunt him. 11.Shakespeare ends Act One with Macbeth and Lady Macbeth plotting the murder of Duncan. a.How exactly do they plan to kill him? While Duncan sleeps, she will give his chamberlains wine to make them drunk, and then she and Macbeth can slip in and murder Duncan. b.What is the dramatic effect of concluding the act by letting us see the murder plot as it crystallizes? Will he or won’t he? Audience is kept in a state of dramatic tension and suspense†¦

Grammar translation method Essay

Both the grammar translation method and communicative language teaching are teaching methods for acquiring a foreign language. Whereas the grammar translation method focuses on the translation of certain grammar rules and the translation of vocabulary, the communicative approach aims for acquiring the skill of communication for the learner Scrivener (2011). Both methods are effective in their own way, although the communicative approach focuses on the actual goal of language, namely communication between human beings. In this essay the grammar translation method and the communicative approach will be compared and contrasted, laying special emphasis on the assertion that the communicative approach is more effective for the learning and understanding of a foreign language than the grammar translation method. First of all, a remarkable difference in language usage is noticeable when comparing the two methods. While the grammar translation method exclusively uses the learner’s mother tongue, the communicative approach uses nothing else but the actual target language. With the use of the mother tongue, it is easier to understand grammar and meaning of words. (Rhalmi, M. (2009). This is a required skill to decipher written texts. When only using the foreign language, the level of oral communication increases. (Rhalmi, M. (2009). To find out which of both outcomes has a bigger value, it needs to be clear what the original goal of language is. Communicating is a required skill to survive. Oral communication is something that dates from the origin of the human kind. The invention of written language is a lot more recent. (Bright, W. (n.d). This proves that language is originally used for communication. Given this point, there can be concluded that the outcome of the communicative approach has bigger value to language’s actual goal.  In contrast, a really attractive feature on th e grammar translation method is its easily understandable explanation of grammar, words and phrases. Because of the fact that all the explanation happens in the mother tongue, it is easy for the learner to understand what is being said. Also, learners acquire a better capacity of understanding synonyms in the foreign language, due to the fact that they have already learned the meaning. Secondly, the communication between teacher and learner is flawless. Since the teacher and the learner speak the same language, the teacher can easily verify whether the pupils have learned what is just explained. (Fitriyanti, R. (2011).  Within the communicative approach, the communication between student and teacher is a lot more difficult and tedious in the beginning, which has to do with the use of target language only. However, the communication between teacher and learner is from much more value as the learner becomes more familiar with the foreign language (Abradi, C. (n.d). Because of goal aimed teaching in communicative language teaching, the communicative competence improves quickly (this will be explained later). What this says is that the tedious communication at the beginning can better be seen as a learning moment, rather than a disadvantage. Thirdly, in both methods there is a completely different way of acquiring skills. With the grammar translation method the students are supposed to learn the rules about the target language when sitting down and listening to their teacher. Grammar structures are explained and vocabulary is taught through word lists with a translation. The learner’s practice to apply what they’ve learned exists out of exercises where the learner needs to translate sentences or texts from the native to the target language and the other way around. (Rahlmi, M. (2009). Thus, this is a rather passive way of learning. The communicative language teaching lessons are quite different. These lessons contain meaningful activities in which the learner is required to interact. The activities are based on the interest of the learner to boost learning motivation. (Rhalmi, M. (2009). So, whereas the grammar translation method is rather passive, communicative language teaching is quite active. Passive learning is not really effective for the learner. (Ebbens, S (2013) states that a much better result of learning is caused by (inter)active practice. To go on, the teacher’s role is quite different in both methods. With the grammar translation method, the teacher is basically the guide for the learning process. The method is teacher centred, which means that the class focuses just on the explanation of the teacher. The role of the teacher here is to provide information to the students (Fitriyanti, R. (2011). â€Å"Teachers in communicative classrooms will find themselves talking less and listening more–becoming active facilitators of their students’ learning (Larsen-Freeman, 1986)† The communicative approach is a student centred method. Although the teacher sets up the exercise, it is the learner’s performance which fills up most of the lesson (Orellana. (2007). The  learning process is less effective when the teacher does most work in the classroom (teacher centred method) instead of the students doing most work in the classroom. (student centred method) (Ebbens, S (2013). A fifth issue, on which the two methods can be compared and contrasted on, is its historical background. The fact that learners of the grammar translation method are not able to produce comprehensive output in the form of oral communication, became evident in the years 1939 until 1945 (World War II) when the grammar translation method was not teaching students the foreign language effectively enough to communicate with allies or to understand the communications of the enemy, which was required to survive. When this occurred, a new approach appeared known as the audio lingual method which was based on structuralism and (The Grammar-Translation Method, n.d,). In 1957 the audio lingual method was criticised by the prominent linguist Noam Chomsky for its inability to teach learners to creatively apply language (Rhalmi, M. (2009). Partly because of this criticism, during the 60s of the 20th century, commutative language teaching was introduced in the classroom. (Rhalmi, M. (2009). This states that communicative language teaching was invented as a reaction on an alternative method for the grammar translation method. Thus, the communicative approach is actually already a more modern and adapted method of teaching the core goal language has. To summarise the main points mentioned in this essay; The difference of language usage in both methods, the advantage in language usage of both methods, the way of acquiring skills in both methods, the teacher and students role, and the historical background of both methods. These points given, I can conclude that the communicative approach of teaching a language is more effective to teach the learner language’s original goal, communication, than the grammar translation method. Although, if one is talking about comprehensive output in the form of letters and/or written text translations, the grammar translation method is superior to the communicative approach. Bibliography Rhalmi, M. (2009). Communicative Language Teaching (The Communicative Approach). Available: http://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/communicative-language-teaching-communicative-approach/. Last accessed 05/06/2014. Bright, W. (n.d). What’s the Difference between Speech and Writing?.Available: http://www.linguisticsociety.org//resource/whats-difference-between-speech-and-writing. Last accessed 05/06/2014. Rahlmi, M. (2009). Grammar Translation Method. Available: http://www.myenglishpages.com/blog/grammar-translation-method/. Last accessed 05/06/2014. Fitriyanti, R. (2011). Grammar Translation Method. Available: http://novaekasari09.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/grammar-translation-method/. Last accessed 05/06/2014. Abradi, C. (n.d). Advantages and disadvantages of communicative language teaching. Available: https://www.academia.edu/4743392/Communicative_Language_Teaching_theories_lesson_plan_and_application. Last accessed 05/06/2014. Orellana. (2007). The Communicative Approach in English as a Foreign Language Teaching Leer mà ¡s: http://www.monografias.c om/trabajos18/the-communicative-approach/the-communicative-approach.shtml#how#ixzz33uLe7fXe.Available: http://www.monografias.com/trabajos18/the-communicative-approach/the-communicative-approach.shtml#how. Last accessed 07/06/2014. The Grammar-Translation Method. (n.d). Available: http://hlr.byu.edu/methods/content/text/grammar-text.htm. Last accessed 02/06/2014. Scrivener (2011). Learning Teaching. 3rd ed. Londen: Macmillian. 31-32. Ebbens, S (2013). Effectief leren. Houten: Noordhoff uitgevers.

Legal Awareness Is the Need of Hour Essay

Our country is a democratic country as well as a welfare state. â€Å"Rule of Law† is the edifice on which the democratic structure has been built on. â€Å"Rule of Law† means everybody is equal in the eyes of law. In spite of this solemn principle, every day we hear news about instances of atrocities committed against women and children, excesses by law enforcing agencies, harassment of citizens by officials, cheating by seller of goods, exploitation of the weak, stories of discriminations and deprivation in the society besides heinous crimes like rape, murder, looting, etc. In most of the cases the victims accept these suffering silently by ascribing them to fate or are afraid to protest on the grounds of further reprisals. The fact is that many times people are not aware of the law and the rights such laws confer for their protection. The Directive Principles of the constitution lays down the guidelines for the welfare of the socially and economically neglected section of the society. A number of laws have been enacted to contribute to the welfare of the socially and economically downtrodden population of the society. However, the benefits of these provisions are not reaped by them due to lack of awareness about the same. Every country has prescribed Rights and Duties for its Citizen. The Citizens need to be aware about their Rights, the related legal provisions and processes. Coupled with this knowledge, they are also required to know how to realize their rights and entitlements. On the reverse side, there are certain duties and prohibitions which are cast upon people and that need to be observed so that they do not transcend the barriers and get into trouble for the same. The lack of legal awareness is not, unfortunately, confined to illiterates. Even educated person are often not aware about their Rights and Duties. A country can progress only when all its citizens are well aware of their Rights and know to exercise their Rights. This empowers citizens to demand justice and seek remedies for wrong done to them. Such a position would bring greater harmony, accountability and transparency at all levels which is sine-qua-non for progress and development. The examples of Europe and USA are noteworthy in this respect. They present a picture of a more just society than many of the developing countries in the world. The Constitution of India has outlined the Fundamental Rights of Citizens under Part III of our Constitution. Similarly, the Duties of the Citizen have been enshrined therein. Any violation/deprivation of the same can be enforced through High Court/Supreme Court under Art 32 and Art 226 of the Constitution. Natural justice provides that no person can be coerced into giving evidence against him. It is in this background Supreme Court of India has ruled that ‘Narco Analysis’, ‘Brain Mapping’, ‘Polygraph Testing’ tantamount of self incrimination and violation of Section 20(3), in the case of Smt. Selvi and others v. State of Karnataka, AIR 2010 Educated and uneducated citizen are often not aware about the process relating to arrest by police. Before arresting somebody, police has to show the warrant, if the offence is bail able or not. Any person arrested has to produce before a magistrate within 24 hours. Before conducting a search in somebody’s house search warrant has to be given. In case relating to seizure of Passport of Maneka Gandhi, the court observed that such station Action cannot be arbitrary and the reasons of seizure need to be given to the concerned person. A host of laws have been enacted for the welfare and exercise of positive discrimination in favor of the neglected section of the society. For example-: Hindu Marriage Act, Untouchablity Act, Dowry Act, Engagement of Child Labor, Child Marriage Act, Domestic Violence Act, Consumer Protection Act. For expeditious disposal of the grievances of citizen’s, legal institutions like Lok Adalats, Family Courts, Mahila Courts, Consumer Courts, Ombudsman, District Legal Service Authority, etc have been created. These institutions have been established on the basis of dictum â€Å"Justice delayed is Justice denied† For the progress of the country where everybody lives in harmony with others, ensuring a just society there is an urgent need for spreading legal awareness amongst people. The idea behind spread of legal information is that people are empowered before the need to seek Legal Aid arises and if the need for legal aid does arise then at least the people armed with newly acquired legal information can use the information in the best possible way. In order to promote the legal awareness following step should be taken-: †¢Increase in the literacy rate in the country. In our own country also because of high literacy rates people from Kerala are more conscious about their legal rights than other states. †¢Societies like ‘SEWA’, ‘MARG’, ‘ICARE’, ‘CRY’, etc have been doing a pioneering work in creating legal awareness among people. Such work needs to be encouraged. If other governmental an non-governmental organizations come up with such ideas then making people aware of their rights and duties and delivering justice would not be a difficult task. †¢Legal classes can be held in schools and colleges, with the aim of training the student also in turn can spread the same to their parents and friends. Particularly, women and girls can be enlightened on various legal protections and procedures to approach Police Station and courts for protection of their rights and obtain remedy for their problems. †¢Along with the legal acts, people need to be sensitized about various welfare schemes of the Government, functioning of the Legal Service Authority, the enacted provisions regarding free legal aid and services. Legal reforms which are long overdue in our country should be expedited. This would enable the judicial system to cut away lot of practices and procedures which delay the process of administration of justice. Most of the laws in our country owe their origin to colonial days and need to be reframed and simplified. The mind set for formulation of laws couched in legal jargons, clauses, sub-clauses not easily understood by the citizens has to change. Laws outlined in simpler terms can be easily comprehended by common people and would contribute towards enhancing legal awareness among citizens. Economically, India is having a sustained growth. The country is on the threshold of a developed country, an elevation from the status of a developing economy. In this scenario, the need for legal awareness amongst the citizen is very much necessary. With citizens conversant with their rights and duties, the presence of justice and fair play in the society, transparency, accountability would enabl e the country to make bigger strides in this economic development. Being a democracy is an advantage in this regard.

The Preventing Workplace Discrimination

a. People with disabilities or drug abuse problems can be accommodated in several ways. It is especially important to accommodate those with disabilities. The physical workplace setup can for example be arranged in such a way to be more accessible to the blind or wheelchair bound. Those with hearing disabilities can be accommodated by providing interpreters during meetings or interactions with the rest of the workplace staff. In terms of drug abuse, programs and workshops focusing on the problem, its consequences and its management can be offered. If not voluntary, such persons can be forced to attend under threat of losing their jobs. b. Personality, attitude toward work, and future upward mobility are very important considerations for hiring future employees. In terms of the first, it is important to consider whether the employee will be better suitable for teamwork or individual tasks, for example. The personality in this case will determine which requirements the employee will be best suited for, and must be aligned with the requirements of the job being applied for. Attitude towards work is probably the most important consideration. An employee with a positive attitude is much more valuable and more likely to succeed in any job situation than one with a negative attitude. Upward mobility is a consideration that will carry particular weight according to the nature of the job being applied for. An employee that is upwardly mobile will probably be more motivated to perform well than one who is not. c. I believe that Title VII can and will override the employment environment and conditions in a written employment contract. The reason for this is that an employee signing a contract may be unaware of the current legislation regarding such conditions. An employee's willingness to work under certain conditions does not change the law regarding these conditions. It is the job of the employer to educate him- or herself regarding the newest legislation, and complying with this. Non-compliance can result in legal problems and a negative public image for the company.

Critically discuss the key issues involved in studying children and Essay

Critically discuss the key issues involved in studying children and young people - Essay Example This paper takes a keen look at the way education brings a renewed confidence and adaptability within the ranks of the young people and the children in meticulous. Young people and children are always studied from a number of angles and perspectives. This is because they are hard to understand at the best of times. There is so much going on within their lives that it is difficult to comprehend all of this. It is a matter of fact that the children who attend schools are better off than the ones who study within the four walls of their homes. The reasons could be manifolds for the same however what is important is to ascertain what forces these children to remain within their homes and not go to schools at all (Guha, 2008). The reasons are immensely different from one another. These could include their parents’ financial conditions, their lack of access to proper schooling regimes, absence of any schools whatsoever or non-granting of admission to schools to name a few. The kids start learning from a very young age and it is understandable that no parent would want his child to lag far behind the other children in the society or city for that matter. The school ensures that the kids learn the basics of schooling right from the very beginning and they are taught the most basic of activities, habits and manners right from the start (Guichard, 2011). This also guarantees that the parents are lessened of their responsibilities, though to a small extent since they have to look after the chores of their homes as well. It is a fact that the schools act as significant role-playing instruments within the growth and developmental regimes of the young people and children. The manner in which the difference is brought to the fore is another pertinent consideration, and one that has a lot of bearing on the way these students conduct themselves within the global dynamics. On the part of the child who is being looked after and taught at the school, it is made sure that he starts interacting with the young ones of his age and friends are created all this while, which when seen in the proper perspectives, is something of a healthy exercise (Strong, 1998). The school makes sure that the young ones get to learn easily and in a quick manner without any such hiccups happening at a very young age. At school, he is provided mentoring as well as training on different subjects while at home, there are serious issues as regards to a student’s timely coaching and getting acquainted with the educational norms (Cotugna, 2005). Mentoring helps in understanding what the psyche of the student is and how he will cope up with pressure in the form of projects, assignments and exams. The same is however a missing link within the home schooling domains. Young people and children need help from different quarters of the society and more specifically from the domains of their own parents and guardians. This is because they have little knowledge about the world that they live in, and need guidance from all and sundry (Jenkinson, 1995). Children need to be given the support and confidence from their elders so that they can develop into better human beings in the future. It is for their own good if they comprehend the true essence of life and

Gender and psychology in Carol Ann Duffy's poems Thesis Proposal

Gender and psychology in Carol Ann Duffy's poems - Thesis Proposal Example Issues of gender, society, psychology, surrealism, sexuality, history, and fantasy have all found a place on the pages of her books. In my thesis, I intend to explore her poetic device of the dramatic monologue and its relation to the multiplicity of voices her poetry embodies. To better understand the societal and literary importance that set her body of work apart from others, it is necessary to indicate how this type of monologue gives a sense of freedom and authority to the misunderstood and neglected. Furthermore, I plan to shed light on the mental processing of the marginalized through the speakers reflections; in addition, I will focus on how her characters create their own identity by transforming the narrative language. The objectives of my research are firstly, to explore the various topics Carol Ann Duffy addressed in her writing, such as gender roles, female sexuality, suicide, and childhood, and to discuss what she had to say about each of them; secondly, to explore Carol Ann Duffy’s use of the narrative monologue as a vehicle of expression for her characters; and thirdly, to reveal the importance of Carol Ann Duffy’s body of work in the world of literature. It is my supposition that an analytical exploration of Carol Ann Duffy’s poetry will reveal a female writer who has found her voice in controversial topics by allowing her characters to develop their voice through her writing. The question I want to address is how successful is Carol Ann Duffy at broadening the reader’s perception of women, by shedding light on women’s issues through the unique usage of narrative monologues? In several of her books, such as The World’s Wife, Feminine Gospels, and Selling Manhattan, Duffy uses her writing to bring the female characters from the background to the forefront to emphasize the importance of the female