Effective research based strategies Essay

Reading is an activity closely linked in the person’s ability to keep record. Readers aim to understand the meaning of the written text to enhance his or her knowledge and evaluate the significance of what they had read. Effective way of reading will be achieve by using the research based strategy of summarizing and note taking. This strategy will be a good help for the reader to recognize better the content of what he or she had read. Taking down notes of the unfamiliar words or phrases are useful tactic in reading. Those phrases and words will be a great help in the process of analyzing. Using the note taking strategy such as taking the important part of the text and looking for the meaning of the unfamiliar words will be an easier technique in understanding the flow of the reading assignment. Subsequently, summarizing what was given for a reader to read will be an effective way for him or her to know the useful content of the text. Removing the nonsense content and leaving the main points of the text will result a shorter and straightforward reading task. This will be easier and faster for a reader to evaluate the contents. In summarizing, the reader can also construct ideas in a way he or she can be aware of the same content of the text. One example intended for implementation of effective summarizing and notes taking strategy will be when there was a given assignment to increase a reading conception of a person. First, they should be well instructed on how to summarize the text. Teach them that while reading the content they should know how to remove words, sentences or phrases that doesn’t have much value and idleness, make the unfamiliar words uncomplicated to be known by giving terminologies that are simple to understand, likewise retain all the important points to be aware in the reading assignment, give a sentence that states the min idea of the paragraph. This was usually to be found at or near the beginning of the summary. Mathematics Mathematics as what defined to us is the study of connection between numbers or quantities. This kind of study usually needs of analyzing problems and familiarization of tricky formulas. Some persons are good in numbers and some are not, with this, the strategy in homework and practice will be a good help in learning. Particularly for students, it will be a good manner for them to do often solving problems not only at their schools but also at home. Given practice and home works sets of math problems will help students intimately familiarize their learning at this matter. Practice is one of the perfect ways in learning things because in doing it frequently has the high tendency to retain awareness and improve the performance. Homework in addition will train the students to have a study habit at home and must be in the guidance of their parents. Teachers will also be sure that their students are enforced to study their lessons especially when it was graded. They were sure that studying math problems by their students will be continued at home and not be left at schools only. An example for this will be giving students math problems to be done at home. Homework should fit the time of the students to answer and just to be sure that they will have a practice at home for more familiarity in solving math problems Implement proper instructions on how they have to answer the problems and appropriate recognition for finishing the given homework. Emphasize that they can ask support to someone at home but they should be the one to answer the problems, someone who will help them will only serve as guide for them to learn additional strategies and lessen the difficulties they encounter upon solving. Homework should be presented the next day after it was given to discuss and assess the result. So that if there will be a poor outcome it just imply that students still have to practice more concerning the topic and the teacher will know how to give his or her support to improve the learning system. Social Studies Social studies as we all know is the study that involves the relationship among people, and the environment. It also identifies the challenges and benefits of living in a different cultural and ideological society. Identifying similarities and differences will be an effective strategy to apply in this learning because here the learners will be able to connect ideas and make some patterns in order to construct thoughts on how they view their society. The difference and similarities can be use in societal study because in giving characteristics of that particular thing we have to make some comparisons and then develop system on how to organize such descriptions. Even correlations can still present the similarity of a thing and do some of comparisons by going further than the limited thinking of the learner and this will challenge him or her to much effective way in learning. Knowing the similarity and difference will explore more the thinking of the learner for the topic given and will be able to connect ideas easily. Example on how to execute similarity and differences for social studies will be in giving a topic concerning a particular society and let the learners explore their knowledge on how they can arrive to the similarity and difference of that topic. For the case of the societies before and nowadays, how can they build ideas by expanding their opinions in evaluating the scenarios occurred? Let the learners present all their ideas focusing on the topic then organize them by distinguishing the similar and difference. Thoughts that learners already know will serve as patter for them for create much higher thinking by knowing what they already know to that given topic. Integration of ideas through identifying similarity and difference will be an effective way to learn more in given topic and a good way to increase knowledge. Uses of realistic diagram such as images in comparing will also be effective to better analyze the particular situations and make it easier, this was the new approach on how learners express their ideas in creative manner. Reference: Focus on Effective Research Based Strategies, Retrieved August 16, 2007, http://www. netc. org/focus/strategies/them. php.

The Positive Part Social Networking Web Sites.

THE POSITIVE PART Social networking Web sites are helping businesses advertise, thus social networking Web sites are benefiting businesses – economically. Social networking Web sites are helping education by allowing teachers and coaches to post club meeting times, school projects, and even homework on these sites. Social networking Web sites are enabling advancements in science and medicine. Job hunting Stay in touch with friends Positive causes/awareness THE NEGATIVE PARTThe very nature of such sites encourages users to provide a certain amount of personal information. But when deciding how much information to reveal, people may not exercise the same amount of caution on a Website as they would when meeting someone in person. This happens because: * the Internet provides a sense of anonymity; * the lack of physical interaction provides a false sense of security * they tailor the information for their friends to read, forgetting that others may see it.Sharing too much informa tion on social networking sites can be problematic in two ways: firstly, it can reveal something about you that you’d rather your current or future employer or school administrator not know, and second, it can put your personal safety at risk. Another potential downside of social networking sites is that they allow others to know a person’s contact information, interests, habits, and whereabouts.Consequences of sharing this information can range from the relatively harmless but annoying—such as an increase in spam—to the potentially deadly—such as stalking. Another great issue of concern with social networking web sites is that of child safety. Research has shown that almost three out of every four teenagers who use social networking web sites are at risk due to their lack of using online safety. Joly, Karine, 2007) A lot of the web sites do have an age requirement but it is easily bypassed by the lying about of one’s age. Even if they donâ €™t lie about their age the average age requirement is around fifteen years old. Predators may target children, teens, and other unsuspecting persons online—sometimes posing to be someone else—and then slowlyâ€Å"groom† them, forming relationships with them and then eventually convincing them to meet in person.

Module 2 Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Module 2 Discussion - Essay Example Various institutions are working towards improving the security of the cyberspace. Individuals are still bound to use the internet for such responses (White, 2010). The last decade has seen fruitful in-depth collaborations between people and the internet. In fact, it can be documented that stakeholders who don’t make use of the internet experience numerous forms of hindrances when fostering incident mitigation and fruitful cooperation in different fronts like terrorism or fire incidences. While it is clear that most issues affecting Incident Command Systems need engagements from various stakeholders, some changes have to be from within the communities. The Internet Governing Forum through the Multi-Advisory Group has acknowledged that well put out communal structured would even go further to help handle internet security issues that most organizations currently face. â€Å"ICS allows agencies to work together using common terminology and operating procedures for controlling personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications at an incident scene,† said Jeffrey Paniati who is the Associate Administrator for Operations Federal Highway Administration (Operations, 2006). A well-articulated emergency response plan made prior to the emergencies will certainly lessen property, liability and reduce chances of deaths. At the scene of critical incidents handling communication, controlling resources and personnel will certainly require a predetermined chain of command ( Moynihan, 2009). The internet is still facing security challenges. However, the use of internet in emergency operations is still crucial in responding to recurring emergency problems. Some of the challenges are like unmanageable span of control, nonintegrated communication systems and the inability to expand and contract mitigation resources. The backgrounds of

Strategics management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategics management - Essay Example The ten schools of thought model from Mintzberg et. al. (1998) is a framework that can be used to categorize the field of Strategic Management. These schools are classified as: Design, Planning, Positioning, entrepreneurial, cognitive, learning, power, cultural, environmental and configuration. The Sony Scenario presents a management overhaul problem and re-structuring of the organization to meet the cultural environment needed for the future. For these the following schools of strategic thought will be directly related (Aguilar, 1967): The Design School: This school sees strategy formation as a process of conception. The approach used by this school is clear and unique, where strategies are formulated in a deliberate process. In this process, the internal situation of the organization is matched to the external situation of the environment. The Positioning School: This school sees strategy formation as an analytical process. The approach used by this strategic thought is that it places the business within the context its industry, and looks at how the organization can improve its strategic positioning within that industry. The Entrepreneurial School: This school sees strategy formation as a visionary process. The visionary process takes place within the mind of the charismatic founder or leader of an organization. The school stresses the most innate of mental states and processes- intuition, judgment, wisdom, experience, and insight.

Advancement of Policies for Gender Equality Essay

Advancement of Policies for Gender Equality - Essay Example These are for example forums such as the famous Beijing meeting, which surprisingly took the world by surprise and which saw the creation of awareness through the setting of several policies and objectives through their mission statement. Such objectives included and not limited to empowerment of women, principle that terms women’s and female children’s rights as inalienable, etc. in general, advancement of policies for gender equality entails taking actions to promote equitable distribution of resources and wealth across both genders such that there is growth and development in the economy (Lorber, 2005). The goals of these policies enhance several goals, which can be classified basically into three categories. These include focus areas such as; capabilities, resources, opportunities and services as well as human security. Under capabilities, education for both genders especially women is advocated for so as to ensure that they attain the necessary qualifications to en able them compete effectively with their men counterparts in all fields. This is necessitated by the fact that most of the societies used to view women as property such that instead of advocating for them to go to school, they were made to get married at a fairly tender age. Under resources and opportunities, women are given a fair chance to participate in decision making thereby enabling them to acquire leadership skills. This means that they can no longer be viewed as inferior to men in this context but as equal partners in development activities.

Credit cards can be a blessing and curse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Credit cards can be a blessing and curse - Essay Example The monthly statement of your expenditures can allow individuals to keep a record about their expenditures. It allows one to trace that where he is spending more. In addition, credit cards are also a quick source of emerging cash at the times of need but are dependent on the credit line of the customer. If the individual makes monthly payment on time it can build credit rating. On the contrary, credit card has enormous of disadvantages. In the contemporary times, high inflation rates and strict monetary policies have made credits expensive. A certain amount of interest is charged on every purchase, which eventually increases the price of the commodity more. In addition, the easy excess to borrowing allows one to spend more than his or her limits. This shows that individuals spend more than their capacity and this eventually lead people to face credit issues that can also influence reputation. In case of the monthly payments being delayed, a penalty fee is charged on the late payment. This penalty becomes burden for the person who is already facing issues to pay off his or her pervious debts. Moreover, the interest rate that is being charged on the credit card is a lot, the lowest interest card rate is about 11.18 percent, which goes up to a high of 23.95 percent in current times. This means that purchases on credit cards are far expensive than purchases ma de with cash or debit cards. In case, if your credit card is lost or stolen the others can misuse it. The misuse of the credit card can lead an individual to face certain legal issues till they are cleared. Furthermore, banks charge additional amount of about $50 for the lost or stolen of the credit card. As monthly payments on time can improve your credit rating, contrarily in case of late payments credit bureaus reduce your credit rating that can be a major obstacle for the approvals of future loans. Credit cards

Universal Design for Learning Resources Research Paper

Universal Design for Learning Resources - Research Paper Example   Moreover, they assist students in mapping out concepts visually. They are visual aids for instruction and learning. The graphic organizers aid students to actively engage in their learning process. They help students find out new information and make links that they did not know or think of previously. On the other hand, graphic organizers permit students to visually organize ideas, concepts, thoughts, feelings, and data. Selecting the suitable graphic organizer relies on the kind of elements that require organizing and analyzing. After completing the organization process, comprehending multifaceted decision making, ideas and solving problem becomes less difficult. Graphic organizers can be obtained through online shopping at books store. An individual needs to have a great selection of the available graphic organizers at the bookstore to secure them. An example of graphic organizers includes K-W-L chart that is divided into three columns namely K, W and L. The K-W-L chart is uti lized to list what the students previously recognize, what they desire to be acquainted with and what they learned at the culmination of the unit. It activates the students' previous knowledge and makes them think on the subject and what they would like to know. It permits students to coordinate the information they are learning and make them involved and absorbed in the unit. Further, it helps students organize their opinions and learning and assists teachers to give instruction during the unit.   

International Perspectives of Organisations Literature review

International Perspectives of Organisations - Literature review Example Portfolio is an evidence collection that is gathered for the purpose of showing the learning journey of an individual over a period of time and to show the abilities of the specific person. Portfolios have specificity in particular fields or broadness in demonstrating the learning of a person. (Devlin 2003).There are different types of evidence that are used in a portfolio and these include written samples, videos and photographs which can be both finished and unfinished, supervisors’ evaluations and observations and a thinking that clearly reflects all these. The key consideration s to a portfolio therefore are the reason for choosing the type of evidence used and the reflection on the evidence type used and the lessons that the portfolio creator learned from using them. In literature review, the persons involved in compiling the portfolios need to be involved in learning of these portfolios. They are also used in measuring learning and development over a certain period. The learning takes place in the process of constructing the portfolio and not in the end product. There are many reasons that necessitate the development of portfolios and these include the requirement for use in learning assessment and in professional development (Ridley 2008). An academic text according to Devlin (2003) is any that is used in schools or in classroom. Students are in many cases required to write different types of texts by the teachers or the instructors, which according to the topic and the field concerned may take different forms, which are referred to as genres. Devlin (2003) continues to explain that the context of the issue that the writer is expected to address determines the type of genre that they using in constructing an argument to address the issue. These genres as well take different forms depending on the field that they are applied and following the requirements and expectations of what they are expected to follow in

Mike Tyson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mike Tyson - Research Paper Example He lived in the Bedford-Stuveyesant district of Brooklyn but his family experienced tremendous hardship in this area which eventuated a move to the Brownsville region. Tyson was a poor student and struggled in his daily life. This was only compounded by the death of his mother when Tyson was sixteen years old. This event had a tremendous impact on Tysons personal and professional life and it eventually led to his involvement in boxing. He would later say, â€Å""I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something: She only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didnt pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but its crushing emotionally and personally" (Heller, pg. 79). During this period Tyson became involved with boxing trainer Cus DAmato who would work with Tyson and hone his boxing skills in the amateur ranks. This relationship would come to be a str ong bond that would result in DAmato becoming Tysons eventual legal guardian. Its also been argued that later in life the loss of DAmato would have a tremendous adverse impact on Tysons direction and professional career. After the death of Tysons mother he became increasingly involved with juvenile delinquency and fighting. Its been noted by a number of researchers that Tysons first fight was with another individual who had killed one of his prized birds (OConnor). This juxtaposition of Tysons ferocious side with an almost childlike and sensitive innocence have become a recurrent narrative throughout Tysons life. Tyson also experienced a great amount of conflict that is related to the rather unique, high-pitched voice, as children would oftentimes tease him resulting in furthered shows of aggression. Eventually Tyson was sent to the Tryon School for Boys juvenile detention center, where he was discovered by a former boxer that would

Frankenstein Analysis ; Essay Essay Example for Free

Frankenstein Analysis ; Essay Essay I. The pursuit of knowledge is at the heart of Frankenstein. In the letters at the beginning of the novel, Robert Walton had been writing to his sister of how he longs to travel the seas and attempts to surpass previous human explorations by endeavoring to reach the North Pole. Due to his pursuit of knowledge, he finds himself in a dangerous position trapped between sheets of ice. Victor’s pursuit of knowledge started from when he was just a child. The narrator begins to pick apart and identify the aspects of his personality that will eventually lead to his downfall. He possesses what he calls a thirst for knowledge. Thirst, of course, is a fundamental human need, necessary to ones very survival. Victors desire to learn, therefore, is driven by nothing so insubstantial as curiosity. It is instead the precondition of his very being. The fascinations of the human soul and how the body works, intensifying his thirst by reading the books of Cornelius Agrippa, Paracelsus and Albertus Magnus. As Victor attempts to surge beyond accepted human limits and access the secret of life, his creation ends up destroying everyone that he had care for. Although the two had a thirst for knowledge, one quickly realized that they had chosen a dangerous path, Robert Walton. You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been. ( letter IV pg 39)From the wise words of Victor, Walton ultimately pulls back from his treacherous mission, having learned from Victor’s example how destructive the thirst for knowledge can be. The theme of the pursuit of knowledge leads into the theme of secrecy. Victor keeps his studies and his experiment of his creation a secret. He also keeps the knowledge of Williams killer a secret because it was his creation of the monster that murdered the innocent boy. II. In chapter two, Victor witnesses the destructive power of nature when, during a raging storm, lightning destroys a tree near his house. â€Å" It was not splintered by the shock, but entirely reduced to thin ribands of wood. I never beheld anything so utterly destroyed. † (pg 48) Therefore Victor had witnessed the destructive powers of nature and was astonished that something so beautiful could be destroyed so abruptly. The world of nature that is expressed in the book can be argued that it affects the moods of characters in the novel. The sublime natural world, embraced by Romanticism as a source of unrestrained emotional experience for the individual. It initially offers characters the possibility of spiritual renewal. Mired in depression and remorse after the deaths of William and Justine, for which Victor responsible, Victor heads to the mountains to lift his spirits. The harsh winter that Victor endured symbolised depression and remorse. As well, after a the hellish winter of cold and abandonment, the monster feels his heart lighten as spring arrives. The influence of nature on mood is evident throughout the novel, but for Victor, the natural world’s power to console him wanes when he realizes that the monster will haunt him no matter where he goes. By the end, as Victor chases the monster obsessively, nature, in the form of the Arctic desert, functions simply as the symbolic scenery for his primal struggle against the monster. III. Victor has been in a stage of secrecy since he was a child. Because of his interests and ambitions that no one could understand, he stayed in secrecy. Victor conceives of science as a mystery to be examined and discover its secrets, once discovered, must be jealously guarded. He considers M. Krempe, the natural philosopher he meets at Ingolstadt, a model scientist: â€Å"an uncouth man, but deeply imbued in the secrets of his science. † Victor’s entire obsession with creating life is shrouded in secrecy, and his obsession with destroying the monster remains equally secret until Walton hears his tale. Whereas Victor continues in his secrecy out of shame and guilt, the monster is forced into seclusion by his bizarre appearance. Walton serves as the final confessor for both, and their tragic relationship becomes immortalized in Walton’s letters. In confessing all just before he dies, Victor escapes the stifling secrecy that has ruined his life; likewise, the monster takes advantage of Walton’s presence to forge a human connection, hoping desperately that at last someone will understand, and empathize with, his miserable existence. IV. The way Mary Shelley wrote the novel Frankenstein is in first person point of view. By having the book in first person the reader is able to witness Victor’s life story on a different level. This helps the reader have a better understanding of whats going on in the novel. If the novel was written in another form, the reader would probably have great difficulty understanding Victor’s story. Other pieces of works were also mention in the novel such as Paradise Lost. The texts and languages strongly associate with the story as well with other themes in the novel. â€Å"It moved every feeling of wonder and awe, that the picture of an omnipotent God warring with his creatures was capable of exciting. I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own. Like Adam, I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence; but state was far from different from mine in every other respect. He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature, happy and prosperous, guarded by the especial care of his Creator, he was allowed to converse with, and acquire knowledge from, beings of a superior nature, but I was wretched, helpless and alone. † (Ch. XV, page 116) As stated in the quote, the monster is comparing himself and the relationship of him and his creator to the story that he reads in Paradise Lost. The reader can relate to the monster and can see his point of view of how he is mistreated by his creator unlike Adam in the Story. V. In Victors case, his isolation comes from pursuing his ambitions, choosing his ambition over the people around him. Even when Victor finishes creating his creature, his feelings of melancholy and guilt overwhelm him so that he cannot have solace from those around him. Though Victor is alone once the Creature has killed his family, this isolation could also be considered brought upon by Victor himself. Victor’s isolation, then, should create in him a sense of guilt or atonement for his creation of a Creature who stripped him of those friends and family surrounding him; however, Victor only seeks vengeance and his continued state of melancholy. The Creature, on the other hand, is isolated because of Victor. Victor was the Creature’s creator and should have provided and taught the creature, taking responsibility instead of running away. He also is isolated by society because of his appearance, which is, again, not the Creature’s fault. Compared to Victor, the Creature is far more isolate, and we can see that this isolation is superior to that of Victor because of the drastic measures the Creature takes in order to be with people. Victor does not really consciously attempt to engage with those around him, but the Creature does, craving companionship and a way to release himself from his isolation. Ultimately, the Creature cannot become part of any community so this isolation creates rage inside of the monster and leads him to commit the acts that ultimately isolate Victor. VI. In the novel Frankenstein by mary shelley there is a clear comparison between the creature and Victor to God and Satan. Victor and the creature are mostly compared to God and Satan. Victor was so blind by his determination to recreate that he was too late to realize exactly what he was creating. He saw that he wasn’t creating life but he was just twisting death. God also regretted his creation after it was too late. In the novel, Frankenstein, Mary Shelley intertwines the relationships between her characters through their insatiable desires for knowledge. The actions of these characters, predominantly the monster, allude to Satan, in John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost. Both the monster and Satan are fixated on vengeance because of the parallel rejection they are faced with in their respective works. Vengeance becomes the principal theme during the course of both works and it fuels the fire for the consciences’ of the monster and Satan’s every judgment. Rejection by creator plays a vital role in the plots of both the monster and Satan. Victor’s creature, born innocent, tried to fit in the world that he was put into. But the constant rejection and isolation from the very beings that he longed to interact with caused him to evolve into a self-acknowledged Satan, from Paradise Lost. The monster immediately upon setting eyes on the world is abandoned and rejected by Victor Frankenstein. The monster states, â€Å"It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. † (Shelley 194) VII. Throughout the novel, Victor has been struggling with his identity. He was isolated because of his interests in philosophy that no one else had. â€Å" When i was thirteen years of age, we all went on a party of pleasure to the baths near Thonon: i chanced to find a volume of the works of Cornelius Agrippa†¦I communicated my discovery to my father. My father looked carelessly at the titlepage of my book, and said, â€Å"Ah! Cornelius Agrippa! My dear Victor, do not waste your time upon this: it is sad trash. † † ( pg 46 chap II) Victor’s interest were not accepted therefore he kept to himself and became non social. Thus hindering the aid of finding his identity. The creature also struggled with his quest to find his identity. His creator was filled with disgust at the first sight of him. Without hesitation he shunned his creation and ran away from him. The monster was left with no one to teach him how to love, no one to teach him social skills, how to live, the creature had to fend for himself in every case. This left the monster to question his identity, Was I then a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled, and whom all men disowned. This leads him to doubt himself, and actually contemplate suicide. Not knowing ones identity can be troublesome for someone. It can make one question everything they do, every move every thought questions. This can put a strain on ones life and cause them to feel depressed and suicidal. We can see this in the monster and Victor throughout the novel. Although the creature starts to realize that he is alone, there is no other like him. This helps him create an identity for himself. He can characterize himself as an outsider. The theme of identity helps the reader to have a stronger understanding of the characters. In the novel of Frankenstein it can be argued that the theme of religion has been illustrated within the book. While many people view Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† as a horror novel, it is also to be believed it has more of a religious background due to the insertion of â€Å"Paradise Lost† into the story. The story of God creating Adam is a popular topic in this story and is also believed that Shelly had intended for â€Å"Frankenstein† to be an allegory for the story of creation. In the instructional novel of How to read Literature Like a Professor, chapter five and seven can be used to make a connection with the novel of Frankenstein. In chapter five of the instructional manual of How to read Literature Like a Professor, the author explains how stories overlap in a way. Book are never totally original. They all use similar characters with similar personalities. Authors use other authors to influence their style of writing and what they write about. In the novel, Mary Shelley introduces the story â€Å" Paradise Lost†, to make a comparison and difference between the creature with Adam. â€Å" But ‘Paradise Lost’ excited different and far deeper emotions. I read it, as i had read the other volumes which had fallen into my hands as a true history†¦ I often referred the several situations, as their similarity struck me, to my own. Like Adam. † This quote can prove that the creation referred to the story of â€Å"Paradise Lost† and used it as a comparison to its own situation. Therefore stories indeed did overlap in a way. In chapter seven of the instructional manual of How to read Literature Like a Professor, it is mainly about how every piece of literature is somehow related to or referring to the Bible. They all involve things such as temptation, betrayal, denial, etc. Also, writers refer to the Bible because almost everybody knows at least some of the stories from the Bible. The novel Frankenstein expresses religion because Victors obsession with recreating life. He takes a place as God and the creature takes the place of Adam. The story of God and Adam was used in the novel to draw out the use of religion. Chapter seven also connects to Frankenstein because he felt the temptation of knowing the secrets of nature. † The world was to me secret which i desired to divine. † As quoted, Victor had temptation for knowledge. Therefore temptation was involved in the novel. Therefore, the instructional manual of How to read Literature Like a Professor and the novel Frankenstein are relatable. The manual is solely based on teaching rising students like me how to think, and change my perspective in order to get the deeper meaning behind a piece of literature. In Frankenstein the Monster, who is thought to be illiterate, watches the Frankenstein family and teaches himself to eat, sleep, and hold himself like them. He teaches himself to be a more sophisticated human being by watching this family similar to the way millions of students are teaching themselves to be more sophisticated by reading this manual.

Gender and Pornography

Gender and Pornography Introduction Throughout history women have been portrayed as subordinates of men or the weaker gender. This essay explores the portrayal of femininity as the weaker gender through the discourse on pornography and femininity portrayed in popular culture. Its purpose is to broaden the understanding of femininity- gender discourse from the perspectives of pornography and femininity portrayed in popular culture. In order words, how does the perception of pornography and the portrayal of femininity in popular culture emphasise the weaker gender perception of femininity? Therefore, the purpose of this essay is clear but the lingering question is how it can be achieved. In this regard, the essay advances four propositions. The first section provides a conceptual understanding of gender and femininity for analytical discourse. The second section critically explores the femininity- gender discourse within a legal structure and questions like is femininity the weaker gender? How and why femininity is portr ayed in this regard come up for discussion. This will also be discussed in relation to how femininity gendered roles disadvantages women. The section that follows critically analyses the law on pornography and femininity nexus. The third section critically explores how femininity is depicted in the media. The last is the summary and the conclusion. What is Gender? Gender can be defined in many ways. Sociologists contend that gender is a consequence of nature resulting from the effect of hormones, brains or genes of two different sexes.[1] However, this essay will explain Butlers perspective and views on gender. According to Butler, gender is defined as a social construct formed through constant cultural reinforcement and rigorous regulatory practices.[2] Hence, gender is associated with how an individual takes part in certain manners of conduct. In order words, through everyday practices or actions, laws, dress codes, taboos, pornography and advertisement the conception of essential masculinity and femininity is developed. Butler asserts that gender operates from the cultural associations and values that the sexed body takes on.[3] This creates the concept of essentialism. Essentialism is defined as the characteristics of persons or groups which are largely similar in all human cultures and historical periods, since they are significantly infl uenced by biological factors.[4] Through the course of essentialism, gender roles are created in the society and are related to an individuals sex. Gender essentialism often creates stereotypes in relation to the behavioural pattern that should be exhibited by men and women. The problem with this is that the perceptions of gender is not fixed and changes from culture to culture, society to society as well as generation to generation and within these confines changes and evolves. Therefore, the rationale behind social constructs of masculinity and femininity being associated with a particular biological sex is void. Butler asserts that taken into its logical limits, the sex-gender distinction suggests a radical discontinuity between sexed bodies and culturally constructed genders.[5]  For Butler, there is no need for a doer behind the deed but the doer be constructed through the deed.[6] In terms of understanding identity, the distinction between gender and sex must be established. Hence, the concept of gender and sex has been used interrelatedly. While sex involves the biological aspects thus distinct and unchangeable, gender is a social construct formulated by the culture in which an individual lives in.[7] Therefore the labels man and woman are biologically and socially different.[8] The importance posited on this distinction is that the biological fact of sex is merely a fact of interest as a result of the cultural importance attached to it.[9] This categorisation usually begins from childbirth and parents are required by the law to specify whether the sex is male or female. The traditional ideology concerning gender and sexuality involves the notion of heteronormativity which relates to the idea of heterosexuality as the natural and normal behaviour in the society.[10] However, sexuality is natural and normative if it if it fits into the context of heterosexuali ty. Femininity Shea describes femininity as the classified set of attributes, behaviours, mannerism, interests, expectations, roles and appearances that are associated with being female.[11] Under Butlers view of repeated acts appropriate gender-specific roles are formed. Simone Beauvoir contends that one is not born, but rather becomes a woman.[12] She further asserts that the concept of femininity is actualised by consistently creating gender through interacting with individuals in a specific social context.[13] Women can be different things; they can be wives, mothers, lesbians, heterosexuals and criminals.[14] However, Butler does not allude that the individual can choose which gender he or she wants to enact but the script is invariably already determined within a regulatory framework and the individual is given a limited number of costumes in which he or she is obliged to make a particular choice of gender style.[15] Butler describes this act as girling the girl[16] it is important to note th at though essential femininity relates to women, men can also exhibit essential feminine traits likewise women exhibiting essential masculine traits.[17] This alteration of societys binary gender roles is described as gender nonconformity. Therefore, if a woman does not fit into this premeditated identity formulated by law and society her essence could be invisible. [18] Gender Performance According to Butler, gender is performative. She defines performativity by stating; gender is in no way a stable identity of locus of agency from which various acts proceed; rather, it is an identity tenuously constituted in time [. . .] an identity instituted through the stylization of the body and, hence, must be understood as the mundane way in which bodily gestures, movements, and enactments of various kinds constitute the illusion of an abiding gendered self.[19] She argues that gender and gender roles are social acts that an individual performs in daily life, the hegemonic versions of which underlay prevalent concepts of male as masculine and female as feminine.[20] Zimmerman further contends that a persons gender is categorised based on how they perform it.[21] Therefore, the way society reacts to gender performances forms gender identification. Men and women in the society are required to comply with specific gender roles according to the sex in which they are categorized. Oa kley states that gender roles have an important impact on human lives as numerous reports suggests that gender are culturally rather than biologically produced[22] Conclusively, individuals are taught on how they are expected to behave within the society. Traditional stereotypes associated with men described them as protectors, providers, openminded and aggressive whereas women were perceived to be weak, passive and emotional.[23] These stereotypes have shaped the way masculinity is seen as the stronger gender and femininity as the weaker gender. Hence, this essay argues that feminine norms regularly relegates women to subordinate or secondary roles and performing such gendered roles disadvantages women in the society. This aspect of the essay focuses on gendered objectification of women. Objectification described as the act of objectifying an individual is often significantly gendered (mostly towards females) and, vital towards the process of gendering a person and rendering them a s lesser human beings.[24] In western society, the pressure on females to perform an ideal expression of femininity is so extreme that it is impossible for a woman to be adequately skinny, beautiful, submissive, sexy and conventional so as to be seen as a good woman.[25] Women tend to be dehumanised even in situations where they perform their gender roles according to hegemonic norms.[26] Ironically, they are being dehumanised for performing their gendered roles. Objectification acts as one basis against which the gender binary criticises womens gender performance irrespective of appropriate performance of gender norms. They are constantly ridiculed as merely weak tools for emotional and sexual satisfaction of other people.[27] Performing gender tends to objectify women and this objectification goes beyond sexual objectification. Arguably, when a woman performs the role of motherhood, she is required to prioritise the needs of her child over that of herself thereby treating herself as an object through which the physical and emotional desires of the child are sustained. This can be regarded as an extremely gendered experience as society does not require fathers to give the same level of care and treatment a woman gives to a child. This can be considered as demanding because it requires placing a childs needs ahead of the mothers. Although, these occasions themselves are episodic, their repetition and reiteration in addition to the background discourse of the good selfless mother[28] provides a structure to legitimise the treatment of women as objects that nurture children into adulthood.[29] This can be partially attributed to social customs which dictate that good mothers take care of their wards and their failure to perform motherhood brings about punishments ranging from social alienation to government intervention and loss of parental privileges.[30] Conclusively, feminist theories of objectification have classified it as a universal problem that mainly affects women. However, they mostly define it based on the constant repetition and reiteration of episodic experiences rather than why it occurs. Wilson contendsthat By using Butlers theory of gender performativity to analyse the structure of gender it seems that we can redefine objectification as a systemic occurrence that is significantly gendered and also important to the very process of constituting gendered categories.[31] Pornography Several definitions of pornography exist from debates surrounding it. Joel Feinberg gives a broad definition of pornography as sexually explicit writing and pictures designed entirely and plausibly to induce sexual excitement in the reader.[32] Dworkin and MacKinnon state that The bigotry and contempt pornography promotes, with the acts of aggression it fosters, diminish opportunities for equality of rights in employment, education, property, public accommodations and public services.[33] This critique states that pornography is more than just a sexual fantasy but rather recognised discriminatory acts against women with damaging effects.[34] Williams asserts that pornography as a genre proves to be more about gender than sex.[35] Under UK law, there exist no definition of pornography instead it relies on the concept of obscenity.[36] Hence, pornography is regulated under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 and 1964 and Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 which establishes the cri minality of pornography on appropriate pornography and appropriate sexual expression.[37] Section 1 of the OPA 1959 states an article shall be deemed obscene if its effect or the effect of any one of its items is, if taken as a whole, tends to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely, having regard to all relevant circumstances, to read, see or hear the matter contained or embodied in it.[38] Therefore, the threshold test drawn from the case R v Hicklin[39] is whether the tendency of the matter charged as obscenity is to deprave and corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences, and into whose hands a publication of this sort may fall.[40] In regards to this, section 63 of the CJIA 2008 outlaws the possession of an extreme pornographic image. It states that an image is pornographic if it is of such a nature that it must reasonably be assumed to have been produced solely or principally for the purpose of sexual arousal.[41] Justice Stewart in the case Jacobellis v O hio[42] commented on obscenity, stating that I know it when I see it.[43] Hence, what this depicts is that what may be perceived as obscene to a group may be normal to another. The deductions that can be made from the above Acts, shows that, Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998 will permit any action that does not violate the law against obscenity. This is rendered problematic as the messages pornography relays should not be protected under free speech, neither should the effect it ultimately has on gendered roles especially on femininity.[44] Hence, this essay contends that any form of pornography is harmful in the society as they send negative messages about gender roles. Scoular opines that pornography is a political statement of womens inequality rather than a sexual imagery for pleasure.[45] However, Dworkin argues that the way pornography is seen to be sexual depictions and representations about sex indisputably emphasizes how the society views femininity.[46] For the purposes of this essay, four elements of subordination of femininity will be discussed. These are; hierarchy, the dynamic of dominance and submission, violence and objectification. Foucaults concept of texts of pornography and society can be used in explaining the concept of hierarchy.[47] Men tend to define feminine sexuality through images and writings.[48] Fiedler states that pornography is produced mainly by men for men, using womens bodies as objects for male pleasure.[49] Men through pornography tend to portray the female gender role as inferior and how it should be performed. Such characterisation has an adverse effect on feminine roles in the society as traditional social norms usually associates masculinity with certain traits (dominance, power, superiority) while femininity with (submissiveness, weakness, inferiority).[50] According to Dworkin Pornography is the material means of sexualizing inequality and that is why pornography is a central practice in the subordi nation of women.[51] Pornography is initially presented as a sexual imagery for erotic satisfaction, but in-depth assessment depicts that it is rather a political statement portraying feminine inequality. Scoular supports by asserting that, pornography is a powerful depiction of feminine subordination and inequality, societal degradation and emphasising the phallocentric hierarchical power of men over women.[52] Inequality is sexualized; the relationship between masculinity and femininity is that of dominance and submission, which is constantly played out during sexual intercourse, which defines sex as a man being possessive or domineering and a woman submitting to a man.[53] MacKinnon believes that pornography is an ideal representation which displays masculine dominance and feminine submission, and describes it as a political campaign by the strong against the weak (males against females) that legitimizes, sexualizes and permits abuse against women.[54] Masculine dominance and feminine submission also exist in soft-core pornography for example Vogue Magazine or Calvin Klein commercials where women are depicted as being desperate to be taken and used by men.[55] It is noteworthy that the dominant and submissive representation is not limited to only heterosexual pornography but also lesbian pornography. Arguably, some women prefer to play the submissive role, however, this is due to the ment ality instilled by the sexist power structures that they are meant to enjoy these acts[56]. Deckha contends that females who claim to enjoy performing a submissive role do so because they have been brainwashed into believing that it is required of them to do so.[57] The argument as regards to lesbian pornography is that, even with the absence of men, this still represents the patriarchal power structure through the representation of the butch lesbian controlling the femme lesbian.[58] As explained earlier, there is a possibility that without the influence of the sexist power structure, these individuals might have different opinions as to what they actually prefer. Therefore, the constant repetition and reiteration of these constructed identities of masculine dominance and feminine submission tends to be classified as the norm in the society. According to Dworkin, not only does pornography cause violence against women, it is violence.[59] Violence towards women either in physical or psychological form tends to be the norm in modern society. Men believe that they can commit these acts, either as a means of enjoyment or an assertion of masculine dominance. Feminists believe that images of women being bound, tortured, raped, degraded or murdered for sexual stimulation and satisfaction creates a psychological link between sexuality and violence, and teaches men that women are easy targets, masochistic, hypersexual, and a sexual plaything, who derive pleasure from being pushed around, and that violence in itself is a sexual turn-on. Such portrayal teaches women to feel passive and helpless and to assent to victimization.[60] Reports from a research conducted in America on the commonness of verbal or physical aggression in pornographic contents show that of the 304 scenes studied, 88.2% included physical aggression and 48.7% of scenes contained verbal aggression with the perpetrators usually the male and the female being the victims.[61] Because of the way femininity is portrayed, people tend not to be interested in the fact that women are actually hurt even in violent pornography. Cole compares this by stating that just as behind a faà §ade of marital bliss there could be a battered wife, likewise, behind the appearance of consent and pleasure in pornography, there could be rape and violation.[62] Furthermore, numerous debates have emanated concerning if there is any correlation between pornography and sexual violence. In the case of Coutts[63], Jane Longhurst died during asphyxial sex with a man that had a tendency for extreme pornography involving rape, necrophilia and asphyxiation. After this incident, the CJIA 2008 was implemented to ban the possession of extreme pornographic materials.[64] From this, it can be perceived that this act was created because pornographic contents could influence people to commit sexual abuse. Barry emphasises that pornography can significantly influence human behaviour and numerous behavioural scientists support this position as witnessed in their dealing with sex offenders.[65] MacKinnon also opines by stating that the subscribers of violent pornography are also interested in practicing it.[66] Andrei Chikatilo, who was a Russian killer, responsible for the murder of over 53 women and children blamed pornography to be the cause of his suicida l behaviour[67]. The evidence above depicts that, there is a strong link between violence and men who watch pornography. Fredrickson and Roberts define objectification as being treated as a body (or collection of body parts) valued predominantly for its use to (or consumption by) others.[68] MacKinnon asserts that pornography tends to objectify women, exploit their sexuality for mens pleasure, and portrays sex roles in which women are inferior, violated or subject to physical abuse.[69] Dworkin describes sexual objectification as occurring when a human being, through social means, is made less than human, turned into a thing or commodity, bought and sold.[70] Women tend to be inhumanely objectified and displayed as objects for the sexual satisfaction of men. For example, both men and women magazines are based around eroticised images of women viewing them as sexual objects basically used to satisfy or provoke the desires and attention of readers. The editor of a UK magazine Esquire stated in an article that women were objectified in various publications (both male and female) stating that we provide pi ctures of girls in the same way we provide pictures of cool cars. It is ornamental.[71] By using pictures of women primed for sexual pleasure amongst advertisement of fine cars and good scotch portrays women as commodities that can be easily bought. Arguably, a reason why people fail to link acts associated with pornography is because such acts are seen as ordinary in the society. Society tends to define the images portrayed by pornography as normal and ordinary, therefore, if pornography is seen as the ordinary, it cannot be harmful to women. In recent times, concerns have been raised about the objectification of women in society. Clare Short a former Labour M.P introduced a piece of draft legislation advocating for the ban of Page 3 of The Sun newspaper which Caroline Lucas had criticised for normalising the notion that womens primary function is to titillate men.[72]Therefore, this raises awareness of the backward, damaging and hypocritical media treatment of female bodies and th e society becoming more sympathetic of the plight of womens objectification.[73] Gender essentialism also exists in objectification. Collins believes that black femininity is differently represented from white femininity.[74] Black women are mostly presented to be breeders, raped for pleasure and profit of their owners in interracial pornography which is a recreation of the colonial slavery a period when black women were used as sex objects for the pleasure of white men.[75] This also reflects the hierarchical system of race as Walker states, that where white women are depicted in pornography as objects, black women as depicted as animals.[76] The portrayal of black women as animals reiterates their lesser status in the society. Therefore, whilst white women face gender objectification as gendered oppression, black women deal with both racial and gendered oppression. A critique against obscenity laws in the UK, is the inability to protect women from the violence and objectification which pornography portrays but rather focuses on what is regarded as prurient inte rests.[77] Conclusively, the way masculinity is portrayed in pornography influences male attitudes towards the treatment of women as the weaker gender. Jensen highlights that the sexual violence and cruelty that characterizes much pornography, and to the evident pleasure that men take in viewing this material, evidence that there are serious problems with our understandings of what it is to be a man today.[78] Additionally, the similarity between the portrayal of masculinity in reality and in pornography is that to be classified as a real man, one is supposed to be aggressive, dominating and controlling. Green asserts that in gay pornography, where there is a female absence, there is a contention that one of the men performs the role which patriarchal sexuality assigns to women; the role of receptivity, passivity, subordination. This confirms that, we can have women without having any females.[79] The portrayal of masculinity in pornography has an influence on how men view women in society. Hence, it can be concluded that pornography certainly plays an important role in the construction of femininity as weak. Popular Culture James Rosenau defines media as a label that is presently in vogue to account for peoples, activities, norms ideas, goods, services, and currencies that are decreasingly confined to a particular geographic space and its local and established practices.[80] The mass media is one of the most universal and powerful vices influencing how men and women are viewed in the society. Intertwined through our everyday lives, the media integrates messages into human consciousness at every opportunity. Different forms of media convey images of the sexes, which disseminates biased, stereotypical, and limiting perceptions.[81] Hence, this essay argues that all forms of media sends negative subliminal and stereotypical messages about female gender roles in the society and the portrayal of an ideal woman as shown in the media is harmful. In recent years, the representation of femininity in the media has constantly exploited women merely portraying them as trophies to be won or objects to be shown off. It has also established a standard of beauty that women are compared to either by men or by the women themselves. Swami asserts that In patriarchal societies, the roles and privileges accorded to women are inferior to those assigned to men, and as such, sexism plays a central role in the continuing oppression of women.[82] Reiterating the beauty ideals are oppressive (BIO) hypothesis, the existent patriarchal structures and attitudes influences the relationship that exists between sexist attitudes and the endorsement of beauty ideals and practices.[83] Craft asserts that physical features such as attractiveness and thinness are the requirements for women in news media rather than intellectual capabilities expected from their male counterparts. (Craft, 1988; Sanders Rock, 1988). The media creates an imagery of two that of women that exist namely the good women and the bad women. A good woman is supposed to be respectful and mainly focused on taking care of her home. Subordinate to the male gender, they are usually represented in films as victims, supportive wives and helpers. Though, women who defy the traditional roles are represented positively, this is done either by making their alienating career lives like Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show, whose career engagement in family matters was well portrayed while her career as an attorney was alienated. or feminizing careerwomen so as to align them with the traditional aspect of femininity. The producer of the show Cagney and Lacey Barney Rosenzweig complained, These women arent soft enough. These women arent feminine enough regarding the characters of the actresses thereby illustrating the medias bias towards favouring traditional femininity. Faludi asserts that for female gender to be considered as successfu l, it is necessary to portray the traditional stereotypes of femininity and maintain an identity dependent on the male gender who