Friday, November 15, 2019

Effect of Age Stereotypes on Balance Performance

Effect of Age Stereotypes on Balance Performance Question 1: An important aspect of physical functioning is the ability to stay balanced. How may expectations generated by age stereotypes influence older adults’ balance performance? Critically review psychological theory and research relevant to this issue, and discuss broader implications for interventions that may support healthy physical functioning of older persons. Loh Qiu Yan Melissa Abstract Older adults face wide range of age stereotypes as they age into their golden years. Such life cycles made people question their cognitive ability and physical functions. The effect of age stereotypes led to one facing both positive and negative aspect of life. These constant stereotyping had negative impacts on health and physical function. But with the help of social interactions, it helped older folks have a choice in leading a more balanced life. The use of social networks helped maintain their physical and cognitive functioning, giving them the room to have independence as well as learning more about their bodily functions. Importance and interventions in maintaining balance performance in physical functioning of older adults. Aging is an inevitable process in living beings where the condition of the body deteriorates resulting in decline of functioning. This challenges the physical abilities and cognitive functioning of older people (Wulf, Chiviacowsky Lewthwaite, 2012) in instances of performing daily activities such as being mobile enough to bath and dress on their own (Clark, Hayes, Jones, Lievesley, 2009). In order to maintain the ability to be mobile and independent in bodily functions at an older age, this is usually accompanied with the decline in physical, mental and sensory abilities. These declines in functions can affect performance in areas that require cognition involving fluid intelligence for example memory and abilities to reason and explain, along with task that require executive control involving vocabulary and word knowledge. Moreover, with the decline in physical functioning, particularly muscle strength and joint flexibility mostly involves motor tasks and balance; such as walking a nd running results in more dependence on cognitive resources at an older age due to the decline in eyesight and auditory range (Schaefer, Schumacher, 2010). These physical and cognitive challenges faced by older individuals can become issues; potentially leading to age stereotypes caused by expectations and assumptions in limited abilities of older adults (Wulf, Chiviacowsky Lewthwaite, 2012). By understanding how aging and age stereotypes take place plays an important role for individuals in realising the anxiety and uncertainty that can further affect cognitive capacity, assuming of own abilities for example intellectual and reasoning abilities (Schaefer, Schumacher, 2010), and regulation of positive and negative feedback given (Wulf, Chiviacowsky Lewthwaite, 2012). The cognitive aspect of a person can be affected positively and negatively in one’s mind set for example towards a challenging motor task which tests an older person’s ability (Wulf, Chiviacowsky Lewthwaite, 2012). This further challenges the balance performance of an older person who might require more cognitive resources later in life (Schaefer, Schumacher, 2010). Hence, the importance of understanding aging, age stereotypes, cognitive and physical functions in influencing balance performance can help develop a more positive aspect in maintaining healthy physical functioning. To better perform the interventions required for physical functioning of older folks, it is necessary to understand the reason behind age stereotypes which can have a negative impact on older folks. One probable reason that can lead to a rise in age stereotypes is by labelling and categorising people into old age groups. As a result, it usually occurs where less favourable attitudes are placed on older adults, viewing them as less productive members of society (Phillips, 2014). This in turn makes individuals come to a conclusion that these deep rooted thoughts and beliefs, mind-set and perceptual behaviour actually support age stereotyping (Blaine, 2013). Furthermore reinforcing and heightening their levels of fear and dependency on others throughout their aging process (Clark, Hayes, Jones, Lievesley, 2009). These thoughts and fears are further embedded in their mind, altering their mind set thus creates a self-conscious state (Wulf, Chiviacowsky Lewthwaite, 2012), which results i n self-stereotyping (Levy, 2003), and affecting balance performance which reduces the ability to perform (Wulf, Chiviacowsky Lewthwaite, 2012). An example of old age stereotype expressed with the use of cartoons characters in portraying older individuals such as Abe Simpson who is the father of Homer Simpson in â€Å"The Simpsons† cartoon. He was portrayed as a senile and dependent person who appears to be quite difficult to handle at times, also seen as being a burden to his son. This portrayed older adults in a negative stereotypical manner with limited abilities to be independent which is not the case for everyone (Blaine, 2013). However, switching to a different perspective of age stereotyping happening in a workplace environment in the context of Singapore, it proved that there were certain generational differences in the negative stereotypes towards older employees. For example, employees at a younger age felt they had more efficiency towards the aspect of multitasking and creativity compared to older employees whom felt that they have stronger work ethics but think that younger employees have stronger demand to wards recognition (Blauth, McDaniel, Perrin, Perrin, 2011). These generational differences were similar in the aspect of comparing the cognitive functioning which is related to balance performance of both groups of people. With better understanding of the cause and reasons for age stereotypes guides older individuals foster a better relationship with their cognitive and body functioning. As much as ageism being a concern, with the constant stereotypical opinions and perception on older people, emotional reactions of these elderly folks are affected in both positive and negative ways (Blaine, 2013). Positive influences and implications can be through social means by interacting with family members, friends and various people from all walks of life. Not only does social interaction help regulate the emotional reactions of older folks; it also encourages individuals in integrating with society through social means (Charles Carstensen, 2010). Social networks and interactions also have an effect on cognitive functioning where it is a motivational factor behind a better quality of life and the ability in maintaining independence despite increase in age; Furthermore, resulting one to developing more self- efficacy in leading a better functional health. This is due to the body reacting in a positive manner where social interaction has a direct relationship with neuroendocri ne and cardiovascular reactivity. Thus, with positive and supportive interactive reactions in the body help to reduce the physiological reactivity that has been linked to endocrine and cardiovascular activity resulting in cognitive decline (Seeman, Lusignolo, Albert Berkman, 2001). In the event of cognitive functioning of an older adult decreasing, there are higher chances of cognitive disorders or impairments such as signs of vascular dementia or Alzheimer to appear (Price, Corwin, Friedman, Laditka, Colabianchi Montgomery, 2011). Hence in order to maintain or increase cognitive functioning, having strong social networks and support in maintaining connectedness can improve one’s mental and physical health, resulting in prevention of cognitive decline. Voluntary activities are one of the social network and integrating activities that encourages bonding sessions with different individuals, demands social and mental skills (Charles Carstensen, 2010) provides a sense of purpose and prevents isolation for those who face difficulties at any point in their life (Grimm, Spring Dietz, 2007). The effect of social interaction has a potential and positive influence on cognitive functioning where both fluid intelligence and executive control involve extensive int rinsic cognitive components required during social interaction for example striking conversations with people during bonding sessions and activities. Social integrating activities such as volunteering can help one have a better sense of control over life and physical health by providing support to other older adults and gaining a sense of accomplishment. With the use of these cognitive components can further promote older individuals having better cognitive engagement and functioning (Seeman, Lusignolo, Albert Berkman, 2001) which are linked to balance performance. Maintaining of balance may seem as a simple and indispensable part in many people, however it is a task that is physical and demands independence in the aspect of an elderly person (Onambele, 2006). Through the study done by Wulf, Chiviacowsky, Lewthwaite (2012) showed that balance is influenced by social cognitive, affect and assuming of own abilities etc. Thus older adult’s balance performance can be further strengthened by increasing their perceived abilities in performing and completing tasks. In addition, based on a study done by Levy Leifheit-Limson (2009) similar to Wulf, Chiviacowsky, Lewthwaite (2012) where instilling of positive age stereotypes on physical or balance performance help mould a certain level of expectation towards the stereotype led to one conforming to it. As a result this causes one to self- stereotype (Levy, 2003), which affect the performance of the individuals in performing better due to the positive influence. Likewise if it was a negative ster eotype, the outcomes are negative. Further implications on how stereotypes can affect balance and physical functioning are neatness of handwriting and speed of walking. This was seen in a study done by Levy (2003) where older adults exposed to negative stereotypes are likely to appear older and frail. The body conditions as observed through handwritings produced seemed to have a little towards illegible due to shaking and unstable movements of the hands which explains that balance performance is affected. In another experiment of exposure to positive stereotyping, the speed of an older adult showed connection between the former and the latter. By exposing them to positive views, makes them self- stereotype themselves towards a more positive and satisfying aspect. The idea of measuring the speed of walking is by how much time is needed for foot to be lifted off the ground and this is measured as swing time which indicated balance. Therefore, results show that older individuals who we re exposed to positive stereotypes had greater swing time in particular to having better balance in their physical movements and their cognitive functioning. In conclusion, age stereotypes, cognitive abilities and physical functions share significantly close relationships in maintaining balance performance for older adults. Positive and negative age stereotypes can give significant effects to an older adult which can be misled and neglected at times. This can cause further effects in time and worst if the stereotypes are negative. The use and help of social interaction and network can boost a person’s physiological reactivity making one have a sense of accomplishment which promotes social integration. Most importantly it leads older individuals to keep their mind and body in working conditions which allow them practice and maintain independence. References Blaine, B. (2013). Understanding Age Stereotypes and Ageism. InUnderstanding the psychology of diversity(2nd ed., pp. 175-186). SAGE Publications. Blauth, C., McDaniel, J., Perrin, C., Perrin, P. (2011). Age-Based Stereotypes: Silent Killer of Collaboration and Productivity.  AchieveGlobal,1(2), 1-15. Charles, S., Carstensen, L., (2010). Social and emotional aging. Annual Reviews of Psychology, 61, 383-409. Clark, A., Hayes, R., Jones, K. Lievesley, N., (2009). Ageism and age discrimination in social care in the United Kingdom. Centre for Policy on Aging. Grimm, R., Spring, K., Dietz, N. (2007). Volunteering, Life Satisfaction, and Mental Health. In  The health benefits of volunteering: A review of recent research.Corporation for National Community Service, Office of Research and Policy Development. Levy, B. (2003). Mind Matters: Cognitive and Physical Effects of Aging Self-Stereotypes.  The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences,58(4), P203-P211. Levy, B., Leifheit-Limson, E. (2009). The stereotype-matching effect: Greater influence on functioning when age stereotypes correspond to outcomes.  Psychology and Aging,24(1), 230-233. Onambele, G. (2006). Calf muscle-tendon properties and postural balance in old age.  Journal of Applied Physiology,100(6), 2048-2056. Phillips, L. (2014). Efforts to Promote Physical Activity Must Battle Ageist Stereotypes. Research in Gerontological Nursing,7(1), 4-5. Price, A., Corwin, S., Friedman, D., Laditka, S., Colabianchi, N., Montgomery, K. (2011). Older Adults Perceptions of Physical Activity and Cognitive Health: Implications for Health Communication. Health Education Behavior, 38 (1), 15-24. Schaefer, S., Schumacher, V. (2010). The Interplay between Cognitive and Motor Functioning in Healthy Older Adults: Findings from Dual-Task Studies and Suggestions for Intervention.  Gerontology,57, 239-246. Seeman, T., Lusignolo, T., Albert, M., Berkman, L. (2001). Social relationships, social support, and patterns of cognitive aging in healthy, high-functioning older adults: MacArthur Studies of Successful Aging.  Health Psychology,20 (4), 243-255. Wulf, G., Chiviacowsky, S., Lewthwaite, R. (2012). Altering mindset can enhance motor learning in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 27, 14-21. DOI: 10.1037/a0025718

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

American Literature Essay

American literature traces back to the time of the Native Americans and Puritans, and over time developed many literary movements influenced by Transcendentalists and Realists. The beliefs of the Native Americans and Puritans as well as the philosophy of the Transcendentalists and Realists contrast with one another. These four major groups of American writers all differ in the sense that all of them look to a different power head or ideology for truth. For example, Native Americans look outside themselves to nature; while Puritans look to God, and Transcendentalists look within themselves; whereas realists question whether there is truth. The Native Americans have enriched our history of American literature with their stories and songs that depict their nature oriented beliefs. The Native Americans were polytheistic, meaning they believed in multiple gods. The gods they worshiped were all elements of nature such as the sun, the sky, and the earth. Look more:  irony in huckleberry finn essay The Indians had a strong spiritual connection with nature which is shown quintessentially in a Native American piece, Song of the Sky Loom, when the poem reads, â€Å"Oh Mother Earth, oh Father Sky, your children are we† (Tewa 34). The Indians believed without qualms that the truth is found in nature, which differed greatly with another group of American writers that became very popular in this time. The Puritans had a very strict religious ideology, and only looked to one place for truth; God. Unlike the Native Americans, the Puritans were monotheistic, in other words they only believed in one god. The structure of their life and their actions all revolved around the word of the bible. The Puritans believe that God is the creator of everything and therefor legislated by his law making Puritans very strict, moralistic, and conservative. Puritans looked to God for truth and faith which is expressed when a Puritan poet writes, â€Å"And when I could no longer look, I blest His name that gave and took, that laid my goods now in the dust† (Bradstreet 141), showing her devotion and respect towards God. Further down the road in American literature, a new philosophy was developed with a liberating idea of truth. The idea that truth can be found not outside of man, as other groups of writers suggest, but within man, had evolved. This idea is called Transcendentalism and it emphasizes the idea that truth is found in man’s own thoughts and intuition. Transcendentalists stress individualism and self- reliance while straying away from the desire for material things. They are religious; however, do not find it necessary to worship instead just stay in tune with one’s introspective thoughts and nature. Walt Whitman, a famous transcendentalist poet, wrote, â€Å"I celebrate myself, and what I assume you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you† (Whitman 400), showing that every person is an individual but is also unified with the world and nature. Realists conceptualize their beliefs through questioning whether we can even find truth. Realists tend to try and dig beneath the facades that society so blindly accepts. One of the key strategies realists use to enable readers to question the truth is satire. Mark Twain was a famous Realist writer in early American literature that became very famous for using satire in his novels. Twain used satire to poke fun at social norms, potentially giving readers a new perception of the social normality people succumb to. Mark Twain’s famous novel, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn consists of several uses of satire, for example, when the main character of the novel responds to a women’s lecture on heaven by saying, â€Å"Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she’s going so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it.† (Twain 12). This quote allows readers think of religion less seriously and question whether it is even a place worth striving to get to. Although Native Americans, Puritans, Transcendentalists, and Realists differentiate from each other, they all embellish American literature with a wide range of ideologies and point of views towards where to seek truth. This variety allows readers to develop their own individual thought and conceptualize where they can also find truth.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Verizon Communications

Verizon Communication’s Core Competencies: Verizon’s success stems from the core competencies in which it possesses that provides for its basis of competitive advantage. The company has really made it a primary focus to strengthen these competencies to their full potential and utilizing them in an effort sustain its competitive advantage and strive toward long-term business growth. Below you will find a list of the key core competencies that Verizon depends on for its continued success and the details entailed to each one:Corporate Citizenship: In 2005, due to an industry that was going through many changes, as well as technologies experiencing an extremely rapid evolving rate, Verizon decided that it needed to focus on the internal processes of the business. Verizon did this by creating what it calls â€Å"CR360†, which stands for â€Å"Corporate Responsibility 360 Degrees†. According to the Business Civic Leadership Center, Verizon’s CR360 model à ¢â‚¬Å"provides a framework that enables employees to look at an issue from an internal and external perspective.The model integrates Verizon’s core values with an understanding of stakeholder expectations into a responsible decision-making process. Verizon has been able to generate employee understanding and cooperation in the CR360 program by incorporating its framework into its employee orientation and leadership training, as well as creating an online training course. According to Kathryn C. Brown, Senior Vice President – Public Policy Department, â€Å"as a company we are becoming more accountable and more cognizant of stewardship and responsibility, and we think that’s important to the success of our business.Infrastructure & Strength and Reliability of the Verizon Network: With the strongest, most reliable network in the market, Verizon has distinguished itself among many other carriers in being a leader in the industry. According to Tony Melone, Verizon Wireless senior vice president and chief technology officer, â€Å"I can promise you that reliability will continue to differentiate Verizon Wireless in the marketplace. There will be no substitute for good old-fashioned engineering. † Verizon is implementing this strategic approach by building the most reliable ext-generation 4G LTE wireless network in the country, and one of the first on the globe. The development of this mobile ecosystem will be due in part to the collaborative initiatives that are taking/took place: †¢ Verizon LTE Innovation Center: Serves as an incubator for early development of both traditional and non-traditional products for use on Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network. The company actively works with several strategic partners to help the consumer electronics industry quickly bring products to the market. The Verizon Developer Community and V CAST Apps: A strong group of application developers are helping the company bring innovative applicati ons to its customers. V CAST Apps will allow developers to take advantage of the company’s scale and distribution to market their applications to Verizon Wireless customers. †¢ Join Innovation Lab: Collaborating with China Mobile, Softbank and Vodafone, Verizon Wireless is developing a software platform that will allow developers to create their mobile applications to run seamlessly across multiple operating systems.Experience in the Industry: Verizon has over 125 years of experience in the telecommunications industry. Over those years, Verizon has acquired and merged with other companies, causing a large body of knowledge and skills being integrated into the Verizon businesses. Training Employees and Customer Satisfaction: Verizon holds the facet of learning as a large aspect of their business. Verizon’s trainers are expected to tie instruction directly to the company’s objectives.According to Lou Tedrick, Staff Vice President of Workforce Development, thi s approach ensures executive buy-in, provides concrete benchmarks by which to measure success, and helps the company better serve its growing customer base. The establishment of a certification program was needed because giving sales and customer service reps the product information they need, and keeping customers happy is a clear necessity for business. The program has four steps[1]: †¢ Stage 1: â€Å"Learn It† o The employee receives initial instruction both online as well as in the classroom †¢ Stage 2: â€Å"Show It†: Includes an activity-based demonstration to managers of knowledge attainment followed by feedback †¢ Stage 3: â€Å"Prove It†: o Workers take the test that determines whether or not they’ve earned the certification, and also includes an examination of post-training performance indicators. †¢ Stage 4: â€Å"Earn It†: o This stage is devoted to recognizing those who gain certification. Verizon’s Tangible and Intangible Resources: Tangible Resources: †¢ Financial Stability: According to Verizon Communications 2009 Annual Report, the company has $227. 3 billion in assets, operating revenues of $107. billion, and cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year ranging from $1. 2 billion – $9. 7 billion over the last three years. With substantial assets, revenues with steady increase over the last three years, and substantial amounts of cash on hand consistently year after year, Verizon’s financial backbone is very strong. Intangible Resources: †¢ Reputation with Customers: Verizon’s customers know that when they are signing up with Verizon for any of the services that it offers, they are going to be getting a reliable product and/or service with substantial quality.Whether it is wireline or wireless services or products, customers know the Verizon Communications’ reputation precedes itself. †¢ Goodwill: Verizon Communications’ firmly b elieves in the concept of corporate responsibility and giving back to the community and environment. Verizon really encourages people to get involved and volunteer for something that they love. In 2009, Verizon employees volunteered over 700,000 volunteer hours and donated more than $12. 6 million, which was matched by the Verizon Foundation for a total donation of $26. 1 million invested in community causes.Verizon is also very involved with finding a cure for America’s epidemic in domestic violence. The company provided the Jenesse Center in Los Angeles with a $250,000 grant for a job-skills training program to encourage economic self-sufficiency for domestic violence victims. Also, Verizon provide the Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence with a $50,000 grant to build its capacity to educate people throughout the state about domestic violence. Another philanthropic effort that Verizon has made has been the establishment and launching of free legal services.These legal services are provided by the company’s legal department and focuses on providing free legal services to three areas: education, support for victims of domestic violence, and support for returning veterans. Verizon anticipates that their attorneys and legal staff will volunteer more than 5,000 hours in 2010. [2] †¢ Company Image and Perception to Customers: When you think of AT&T, you typically think of dropped calls, no service, or lackadaisical customer service. More often than not, this is usually the case.Verizon, on the other hand, has a known reputation for quality customer service, meeting and exceeding the expectations of customers, and providing a product that is reliable, efficient, and consistent. Capabilities: Strategic Business Relationships: Verizon and Microsoft have collaborated to enhance the system characteristics of the cloud-based communication networks. Verizon is able to leverage its financial stability and resources in order to meet the high requirements of capital in order to obtain the best technology. [3]Human Resources: Verizon’s HR department had a keen awareness to the change in industry that was approaching. It knew that rather than making substantial investments in tangible assets, the key to a successful and profitable organization was the investment and sustainability in intangible assets like intellectual capital. Industries are becoming more focused on knowledge management versus hard inventory management. The ways in which Verizon implements this strategy is by focusing on five sectors of their personnel[4]: 1.Talent: Investing in the development of their employees in order to grow its pool of talent, as well as providing for an environment that promotes adequate ethnic and gender diversity. 2. Leadership: Locating employees with potential and providing coaching, development, and rewards for behavior that reflects leadership characteristics. 3. Customer Service and Support: Promote a work environment that encourages collaboration and teamwork, as well as increasing the employees’ knowledge about the products that the company provides and the services that it offers. . Organizational Integration: Provide different avenues and better systems that allow other business units to share information efficiently. 5. HR capability: Focuses on identifying specific talent for different rotational assignments and instituting a measurement system that identifies specific human resources achievements. SWOT Analysis: †¢ Strengths: o A wide range of different technologies o Access to a large amount of qualified employees o A network that has established a bold presence in the market. †¢ Weaknesses: Dealing with an increasing number in workers retiring o Due to the recent merges and acquisitions, Verizon is continuing to deal with differing cultural issues that are present throughout the organization. †¢ Opportunities: o Trying to attack different growth markets o Leveragin g its brand identity in order to institute it into potential markets. †¢ Threats: o Increasing government regulation o Substitution of its products and services with other providers’. o An economy that remains weak due to the financial crisis.Four Criteria of Sustainable Competitive Advantage: 1. Valuable: By integrating its dedication to quality customer service, it adds value to the consumer by letting them know that Verizon is putting forth the effort to make sure all of their problems are solved and to increase employee satisfaction. 2. Rare: By leveraging its name and resources resources, Verizon’s strategic relationship with Microsoft is a rare capability that other competitors simply cannot implement due to their limited IT budgets and personnel that is considered to be less technically avvy. 3. Costly to imitate: Competitors simply cannot afford to make the same capital investments and budget expansions that Verizon is capable of doing. If T-mobile wanted to invest into cloud service technology with Microsoft, the budget for its IT services simply wouldn’t permit. 4. Non-substitutable: Verizon operates the most reliable network in the telecom industry as well as exercisingWorks Cited†Corporate Responsibility. † Verizon Communications Corporate Responsibility. Web. 26 Oct. 2010. http://responsibility. verizon. om/home/results/community/ Lewis, Debbie.

Friday, November 8, 2019

How to Write a Descriptive Essay Easily and Correctly

How to Write a Descriptive Essay Easily and Correctly Good Descriptive Essay Topics 30 January, 2019 The descriptive essay is a text of a small volume, which freely expresses individual impressions and thoughts about what is heard, read or viewed. The purpose of the work is to reveal the proposed topic by giving arguments. An essay may not contain many ideas. It reflects only one version of thinking and develops it. When writing a descriptive paper, try to answer the posed question and do not deviate from the topic. The essay is an individual task and does not tolerate co-authorship. How To Write A Descriptive Essay When choosing a question on any topic, before creating a plan for your answer, make sure that you read and understand it correctly because it can be interpreted differently; there are several approaches to highlighting the theme. Therefore, you need to choose the approach you will follow, as well as be able to justify your choice. The content of the issue may cover a wide range of problems that require the involvement of a large amount of literature. In this case, only certain aspects of this issue should be covered. Descriptive Essay Format The title of the essay may not be directly related to the topic. In addition to reflecting the content of the work, it may be the starting point in the thoughts of the author. Before you start writing your paper, analyze the information you have, and then make a thesis plan. Introduction It should include the summary of your understanding of the paper essence and justification of the chosen topic. It is useful to highlight what you intend to do in the work, and what is not included in your essay, as well as provide brief definitions of key terms. When doing it, try to minimize the number of definitions. The Body Of The Text This part assumes the development of your argumentation and analysis, as well as their substantiation, based on the available data, other arguments, and positions on this issue. The argumentation (or analysis) should be structured. Do not refer to the works that you have not read. Careless handling of data, including excessive generalization, reduces the result. Repeats should be avoided. It is necessary to write briefly and clearly. Conclusions This part of the paper should have such elements as: Justification of the author's findings. Indication of the future research direction of the topic. The essay expresses the individual impressions and considerations of the author on a particular occasion or subject and does not claim to be an exhaustive interpretation. This writing style is characterized by imagery, the mobility of associations, antithetical thinking, orientation to intimate openness and spoken intonation. A descriptive essay involves the expression of the writer's point of view; a personal subjective assessment of the subject of reasoning gives the opportunity of non-standard (creative) coverage of the material. The Essence Of The Descriptive Essay A descriptive essay is a subjective, individual, independent space, where positions are formed; thoughts, predictions and the corresponding individualized attitudes are demonstrated. Therefore, the main mission and the purpose of the paper is the presentation of an independent vision of the problem, issue, or theme based on the elaborated material and arguments, in accordance with the chosen approach, style, etc. The easiest way to present the main idea is to express it in the first sentence of the paragraph, and then submit the facts and examples that support this idea. Each point must be associated with the main sentence. Information that does not relate to the main idea is not worth mentioning. However, in the essay, there is no rigid regulation of the system of presentation and reasoned conclusions. Based on the thesis (idea), the student can freely use his or her personal impressions, thoughts, and associations. The essay cannot be built only on facts and judgments. It is an ext remely moving, alive, and original system of views of each particular author. Writing descriptive essays is ideal for improving critical thinking. The work on a paper does not require inventing of the plot and creation of characters. However, an essay gives the author the opportunity to use imagination; such a text may contain authorial reflections, lyrical indentations, descriptions (portraits, landscapes, etc.), a description of the background of the relationship of characters, etc. The process of writing an essay can be divided into several stages (thinking, planning, writing, editing). Planning This stage implies the definition of the purpose, basic ideas, sources of information, terms and presentation of work. The purpose is to determine the actions. Ideas can be concrete and general, more abstract. Thoughts, feelings, views, and representations can be expressed in the form of analogies, associations, assumptions, reasoning, judgments, arguments, etc. Sources The subject of the essay will tell you where to find the right material. Of course, you may use libraries, Internet resources, dictionaries, reference books. The quality of the text depends on four main components. They are clarity of thought, expressiveness, literacy, and correctness. You need to articulate the ideas, which you want to express, clearly. Otherwise, you will not be able to convey these thoughts and information to readers. The easiest way to achieve it is by using logically and consistently selected words, phrases and interrelated paragraphs that reveal the topic. Literacy reflects the rules of grammar and spelling. Here are some good descriptive essay topics for you! Human and nature What is freedom? The role of the Internet in modern life People and society The problems of loneliness Global problems of modernity and ways to overcome them My future profession Use these descriptive essay topics to write a good paper.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Motifs and Motives

Motifs and Motives Motifs and Motives Motifs and Motives By Mark Nichol The Latin term motus, meaning â€Å"a moving† or â€Å"motion,† is the progenitor of the Old French word motif, which survived unchanged into Modern French and was subsequently borrowed into English. Motif, in turn, inspired the English term motive and its variants. Here’s an introduction to the motif/motive family. Motif, employed in French to mean â€Å"theme† or â€Å"dominant feature,† was adopted into English to serve the same purpose, pertaining to a recurring idea in a literary work. The Germans borrowed it, too, attaching the native word leit (meaning â€Å"lead,† synonymous with primary) to it to describe an element in a musical composition associated with and characteristic of a person, place, or thing; the term was popularized by discussions of Wagner’s operas. The ever-welcoming English language included leitmotiv in its repertoire in the 1870s, a few decades after motif was adopted. However, motive, descended from the French term, dates from late medieval times and has spawned other words. Motive refers to an inward inclination to behave in a certain way or to take a specific action or course; it is less commonly employed as an adjective. (Interestingly, the connotation in a reference to someone’s motive for doing something is often a negative one; the word often implies scheming for selfish purposes.) Automotive (motive joined with the Greek prefix meaning â€Å"self†) was coined to refer to a theoretical flying vehicle in the mid-nineteenth century and later pertained to horseless carriages; locomotive was started out as an adjective in the early 1600s but became associated with railroad technology 200 hundred years later, first in the phrase â€Å"locomotive engine† and soon thereafter as a noun itself. Emotive began life as an adjective meaning â€Å"causing movement† and then acquired the connotation of â€Å"capable of emotion,† but its primary sense now, dating from early twentieth-century literary criticism, is â€Å"evoking emotions.† (The verb emote, meaning â€Å"to express emotions,† is a back-formation not from emotive but from the noun emotion.) To motivate is to inspire or prompt action; the noun form is motivation. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Is Irony? (With Examples)Whenever vs. When Ever20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Primary Source Focus Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Primary Source Focus Questions - Essay Example Duties that masters and mistresses expected from their servants include retaining honesty and overall morality in the house. According to Mrs. Beeton, one of the most important qualities of a good mistress is her ability to engage her servant. Another quality is informing her friends and relatives of an empty house through friendly domestics and a relatively lasting willpower (Clark 415). Beeton says some of the most typical issues that exist between masters and servants are decadence and somewhat disposed attitudes towards each other. Beeton’s instructions tell modern readers of the radical change in relationships between household owners and their house cleaners within a span of hundred and fifty years. However, the instructions do not portray any contemporary relevance since this culture was completely abandoned during the twentieth century. 1) In The Ladies Paradise, how is the department store personified (i.e. portrayed) and what do you think this says about the new culture of 19th C consumerism? What challenges and advantages did shop-girls like Denise face? The writer gives the department store the features of a monster-like apparatus and personifies it. The book portrays the department store as a â€Å"continual cascade of materials† flowing alongside the rumble of a river (Zola 36). This portrayal of the department stores paints the image of the 1800s Parisian department store by using numerous definitive pictures. These pictures allow Zola to make an unambiguous comparison between what a customer views at the store and what took place behind the curtains. Challenges Denise faced as a shop girl include supporting her orphan siblings by working at the kid’s section of the store and the store’s uninviting working conditions. However, Denise benefited from the â€Å"match of progress† and her immunity to shopping desires (Zola 41). The theory of evolution challenged conventional belief systems by crossing

Friday, November 1, 2019

Health promotion in Hong Kong Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Health promotion in Hong Kong - Essay Example ealth Service of the Department of Health (DH), the obesity rate among primary school students increased from 16.4% in 1997-98 to 21.3% in 2007-08.  Recent study states that 20.3% of the boys and 10.1% of the girls are overweight at 10 years of age and about half of this figure is noticed among the 15-year-old (10.3% boys, 6.3% girls). To encourage healthy eating habit, DH has made arrangements so that public awareness with regard to the vitality of healthy eating can be increased. Obesity is now a global problem. There is now consensus on the negative impact of obesity on physical, mental and social functions in children (Swallen KC, et all, 2004 and Reilly JJ, Wilson D, 2006). What is more, majority of the obese children stay obese in their adulthood also (Vanhala M, 1998), resulting in potential augmented hazard of adult mortality and morbidity (Rudolf MC, 2001), (Burke V, 2005) and (Karnehed N, et al, 2007). Community need appraisal was conducted before the project was instituted. Clear pictures of health issue, identification of the problems and directions for intervention were undertaken. Obesity is the foremost public health scourge worldwide in children and adults [(Flegal KM, et all, 2002), (Hedley AA, et all, 2002), (Ogden CL et al, 2002), (Sharma M, 2007)]. The occurrence and brutality of childhood obesity is considerably raising with a consequent augment in the frequency of obesity-related unwholesomeness especially those linking to obstructive sleep apnea and metabolic and cardiovascular sequelae (Tauman R, Gozal D, 2006). Avoidance of childhood obesity is a critical concern for public health in several industrialized countries and some changeover societies. Nutrition and physical activity (PA) has been the most vital study focused on obesity prevention. But the issued findings of such treatments recommended little achievement in keeping away childhood obesity (Nestle M, Jacobson & MF. Halting, 2000). Some studies also focused on dietary or/and PA