An Evolving Relationship in The Circling Hand Essay -- Circling Hand

An Evolving Relationship in  The Circling Hand    An evolving mother-daughter relationship is the focus of Jamaica Kincaid s autobiographical   The Circling Hand.  Ã‚   Like the narrator, Kincaid grew up in Antigua as the only child her mother and carpenter father.   Also like the narrator, Kincaid admits her mother kept everything she ever wore.  Ã‚   This narrative is a coming of age story, in which this dynamic and unusual mother-daughter relationship plays an important role.   Through the beginning bliss of childhood to the frustrating stage of adolescence, this unique relationship, in which the daughter is infatuated with her mother, seems to control the narrator s development as a free ­thinking person.      Ã‚  Ã‚   It is easily inferred that the narrator sees her mother as extremely beautiful.   She even sits and thinks about it in class.   She describes her mother s head   as if it should be on a sixpence,   (Kincaid 807).   She stares at her mother s long neck and hair and glorifies virtually every feature.   The narrator even makes reference to the fact that many women had loved her father, but he chose her regal mother.   This heightens her mother s stature in the narrator s eyes.  Ã‚   Through her thorough description of her mother s beauty, the narrator conveys her obsession with every detail of her mother.  Ã‚   Although the narrator s adoration for her mother s physical appearance is vast, the longing to be like her and be with her is even greater.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The narrator spends her young childhood drunk with love for her mother.   She happily sleeps late on school holidays, follows her mother ar... ...tionship has completely evolved and the narrator somewhat comes into her own  ­ a natural and inevitable process.      Ã‚  Ã‚   As a result of the freshly severed apron strings, while at her new school, the narrator starts to   love   a new friend named Gwen.   When she shares her day with her mother and does not mention her new - found love, this is her young mind s way of saying   You have your life and I have mine and I don t have to tell you about it.  Ã‚   While the mother  ­ daughter relationship still exist, the narrator forms another relationship, making her less dependant on the first.   The evolution of adolescence is the theme of the story, but the transformation of the mother daughter relationship proves to be the most drastic change the narrator goes through at an age revolved   around change.   

Family as a Primary Group

Family as a Primary Group Social Problems Garelick August 2010 Family as a Primary Group Family plays an important role in the life of every person and society as a whole. It is no surprise that at every new stage of development in our society, with every revaluation of values, the interest in the issues of family, morality and spirituality spikes. At the present time, in the complicated environments through which we weave our lives, the family remains a unique mediator between the interests of the individual and society and is in the epicenter of a major social upheaval.The transition to current market relations and with them the related apathy, and with the impoverishment of the general population drastically came the turnaround in the view affecting the well-being of our families and their stability and potential for proper upbringing of the young. These, along with many other social instabilities, have led to a crisis of family values. The consequences of this crisis are bifurcat ions between the generations, the prevalence of reduced lifetime fertility and the growing number of single parents in the United States.If marriage, parenthood and kinship are what constitute family relations, at the present time we are witnessing a decay of this little tiny trinity. The problem is complicated by the fact that at present time, the institution of marriage is going through a transitional period. There is a certain destruction of the old traditional values of marriage, and the new have yet to be formed. Marriage and family are increasingly becoming more about individuals and their need for intimate satisfaction and informal communication, and less about structure and support of one another.Let us pinpoint and define just where the family lays its essence within the complicated world of social institutions and in which groups, as defined by our text. In a broad sense, the concept of a social group is any social association of people, anything from peer groups to a popu lation of a particular country. In sociology, this concept is used in a narrower sense as â€Å"any number of people with similar norms, values, and expectations who interact with one another on a regular basis† (Schaefer, 2009, p. 107). In general, members of a society feel like they belong to a group, and are also perceived by others as members of said group.To analyze the social structure of a society there must be items explored that appear in all elementary parts of the given society, which incorporate all of the social perspectives. For this, I have chosen what is generally accepted to be the â€Å"primary group† (Schaefer, 2009, p. 110). The most successful definition, and essentially creation of the term, was created by â€Å"Charles Horton Cooley† who â€Å"coined the term†¦ to refer to a small group characterized by intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation† (Schaefer, 2009, p. 10). In other words, primary groups are those in which individuals have personal interaction with one another. For example, classmates can be members of a primary group, and the rest of the student body would then be members of a secondary group. From a social perspective of a â€Å"functionalist† for the normal operation of the human society we must consolidate certain types of social relations so that they become mandatory for members of a particular social group (Schaefer, 2009, p. 14).This primarily refers to those social relations in which, in order to obtain entry, members of a certain group must satisfy the most vital requirements needed for the successful functioning of the given group as an integrated social unit. For example, for the production of material comforts, people tend to perpetuate and secure a level of financial cushioning; this is also done for the upbringing of children, for unstrained family relationships, as well as for education and training for everyone involved.A symbolic â€Å"interactionist† would view the family process as a consolidation of social relations and a way to establish a system of roles and statuses, prescribing certain rules of conduct in a â€Å"social network,† and in defining a system of sanctions in case of a default by any of the individuals in the process of living out and following the given rules of conduct (Schaefer, 2009, p. 16/111). Social roles, statuses and sanctions are implemented in the form of social institutions that define sustainable patterns of behavior, ideas and incentives.Social institutions â€Å"are organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs, such as replacing personnel† in the family setting (Schaefer, 2009, p. 113). Social institutions dictate how ideas and goals are perceived and defined by the system of standard social values, such as patterns of public behavior and the complicated systems of various social ties, i. e. the sets of roles and statuses through which a range of behavior is carried out and kept within certain limits.So, within the concepts of â€Å"social institution† and â€Å"social group† there is a significant internal difference. While the social group, whether primary or secondary, is a collection of interacting individuals, the social institution is a system of social relationships and social norms that exist in a particular area of human activity. However, it should be noted that these concepts are inseparable from each other, because  a social institution is a set of relationships and systems of behavior, and is determined ultimately by the needs of people.In other words, although the social institution creates social relationships and norms, there are people for whom these relationships are linked and carried out; the family is the perfect example of a social group that puts the rules in to practice. People organize themselves into different groups using institutional rules. Each institution includes many social groups tha t provide the overall institutional behavior. Consequently, institutions and social groups are interrelated, and it would be completely meaningless to separate these notions and study them separately.So, based on the foregoing, I conclude that the family is a social phenomenon that combines the features of a social institution and a primary group. The idea of the modern family arises from the desire to satisfy purely personal needs and interests of individuals. According to structure-functionalists, â€Å"the patterns of reciprocal obligations among people and between structures of people and the greater society define family. The greater society has needs that must be met; in order to meet those needs, society creates subsets of people structured to help meet the needs of society.The family is one of those structures. The definition of â€Å"family† changes as the needs of the greater society change. When the greater society needs rapid population growth — after a ti me of war, for example — society's definition of family emphasizes heterosexual bonding, procreation and child rearing; but when the greater society is faced with over-population and the need to limit population growth, society's definition of family may be modified to include homosexual bonding and may be more supportive of childless couples† (Diem, 1997, P2).As a primary group, the family connects the personal needs of the public interest, adapting to social relations, norms, and values that are accepted in our society. In other words, the family's personal needs are sorted and organized on the basis of accepted societal values, norms and behavior patterns and, eventually, acquire the character of the social functions such as the regulation of sex, procreation, socialization, emotional satisfaction, status, safety, and economic security.From what I have gathered, the definition of family from a conflict perspective has been a highly discouraged and slightly controvers ial subject since family â€Å"is considered a sacred institution. As a result, support for research on conflict in the family has been discouraged† (Werner-Wilson, 1993, p. 6). And it would seem that a social institution of such prominence would not have a dark side from which can leap and bound toward freedom suppressed minorities. But for the sake of this essay, let us assume that if Karl Marx were to look at the institution of marriage, he would wave his well bearded nugget side to side disapprovingly.The idea of a traditional family has roots in male supremacy, and suppression of women’s rights. If only Karl Marx was not a man of the nineteenth century, but lived in present time. The ideal family includes: 1) a set of social values (love, for children), 2) public procedure (for the care of children, family rights and obligations), and 3) interlacing of roles and statuses (status and role of husband, wife, child, teenager, mother-in-law, brothers, etc. ), with the aid of which the family exists.Thus, the institution of family is a collection of certain bonds, rules and roles, which in practice are manifested into the activities of this individual primary group. We all know how great the importance of family is in everyday life, society and even in the political arena. After all, it is the family of each person that provides them with an inexhaustible source of love, devotion and support. The family lays foundation for morality, spirituality and tolerance. And it is the family that is recognized as the major reason for why cultural beliefs survive, are inherited and passed from generation to generation.It is a prerequisite for socialization and the lifelong study of social roles, basic education, skills, and behavior. A healthy, strong family is the basis of stability and prosperity of any society. The family is the foundation of all social institutions vis-a-vis the development of the family is ultimately the progress of society as a whole. B ut the world does not stand still, in its ever-changing atmosphere social institutions take on new meanings and the ideas of marriage and family change with the times.Marriage has ceased to be life-long and is losing its legitimacy: divorce, single parent families, broken hearts and bank accounts used to be exceptions, and are now becoming the norm. The vast majority of professionals such as philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, economists, and students of the modern school of thought, all agree that the family is going through a real crisis. The strength of family is being tested under the weight of total catastrophic failure that our society is facing; the deep nature of which is characterized by our flailing ivilization. As a primary element of society, it gives a miniature image of the same contradictions that are inherent in our cultures. One of the most remarkable properties of the family is its flexible and dynamic form of structural organization. Thanks to the universal ability to adapt to the peculiarities of the ever-changing world, the family has developed an enormous variety of types of family structures, sometimes adapting itself beyond recognition, but while keeping unchanged its essence as a social institution and a primary group.In addition, the family is created to meet any number and range of essential human needs. The family, therefore, in contrast to other social groups defines the very meaning of integrity and adaptability. Because of its multifunctional ability to ameliorate the physiological and psychological human needs, and its inclination toward self-organization and self-development the idea of family is able to combine all personal, collective and public interests into one little amiable ball with a gigantic potential for explosive cataclysm.The world is not static, it changes, and with it change its social institutions, and thus the family. Clearly, the family today, like society in general, is in deep cow dung. The strength o f the family, its charm and vitality lie in the integrity that is inherent in the family idea and in the definition of the primary social group and social institution. The present era in which we have had this great pleasure of existing is different from any other in recorded history.Today’s complex economic and social situations require a modern approach, which can often cause stress and depression, which have already become integral parts of our existence. Today is the time when the need is particularly great in having a safe retreat, a place of spiritual comfort. This safe retreat can be our family, its stability and strength can be built to withstand the widespread variability of the painful world. The family is something worth celebrating, and in celebrating ourselves we can go on further to build everything else that will try to destroy it.References Schaefer, R. T. (2009). Sociology: A Brief Introduction (8th edition). New York: McGraw-Hill Diem, G. (1997). Formulation s: The Definition of â€Å"Family† in a Free Society. Social Scientists’ definition of Family. Retrieved August 12, 2010, from http://libertariannation. org/a/f43d1. html Werner-Wilson, R. (1993) Social Conflict Theory. Retrived August 12, 2010, from www. public. iastate. edu/~hd_fs. 511/lecture/Sourcebook15. ppt

Van Gogh vs Salvador Dali

Van Gogh vs Salvador Dali The focus of the paper is to make a comparison and contrasts between Van Gogh's ‘Starry Night' and Salvador Dali's ‘Persistence of time'. While Van Gogh's theme formed the basis of expressionism in twentieth century, Dali initially became a leader of the Surrealist movement and later on developed interests in psychology and science, both movements influencing their beliefs and formal approaches in distinctive ways. The ‘Persistence of Time' is regarded as one of the most famous paintings of Salvador Dali. The painting is rendered in yellow, faint brown and blue colors and has earned a world-wide recognition for Dali.Like Van Gogh's ‘Starry Night' that shows typical moonlit scene in Saint-Remy asylum's neighborhood where he stayed for more than a year during his last period of life, Dali's painting resembles Port Lligat, his home. Dali uses sandy beaches and other imagery to which he had been exposed to as a child in his home town. Sim ilar to Van Gogh's ‘Starry Night', the ‘Persistence of Time' could have several interpretations. Although, some could be more meaningful, others remain elusive. The contents of Dali's ‘Persistence of Time' are not only puzzling but open to interpretation.Contrary to Van Gogh, Dali was also a philosopher, besides an artist as mostly known. While VanGogh's was expressionist, Dali was initially a surrealist and later on developed interests in psychology and science. ‘Persistence of Time' is no more than a collection of theme that are perception of time, reality, death, birth, and sexual desire. Orange clock placed on the rectangular table-like object is attacked by the ants show the anxiety related with time. This specific psychology as well as understanding of the reality of death could configure the viewer's behavior.Furthermore, Dali uses light in the painting, in contrast to Van Gogh's ‘Starry Night', for communicating themes of this painting. On the b asis of the arguments presented in the paper, it can be concluded that Van Gogh's ‘Starry Night' and Salvador's ‘Persistence of Time' although had some common aspects, themes of both Van Gogh and Salvador differ. While Van Gogh was an expressionist, Dali was initially a surrealist and later on developed interest in psychology and science, both movements influencing their beliefs and formal approaches in distinctive ways. Van GoghSalvador Dali

Early Childhood Managers †Early Childhood Development Essay

Early Childhood Managers – Early Childhood Development Essay Free Online Research Papers Early Childhood Managers Early Childhood Development Essay Management in early childhood is a very important aspect that professionals have to deal with everyday. Samson and Daft (2000, p9) define management as ‘the attainment of organizational goals in an effective and efficient manner through planning, organizing, leading and controlling organizational resources’. Whereas Light (1968, p.10) describes management as ‘the body of knowledge about managing and the process of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating and controlling men, materials, machines and money so as to secure the optimum achievement of objectives’. Both concepts of management agree that it has to do with planning and organizing but Light describes it a bit further by saying that it also includes controlling men, materials and machines. Samson and Daft talk about how they have to lead and control organizational resources and that is what management is; it is concerned with the present and the future of the organization. There are five levels of hierarchy of competencies for early childhood managers as Hayden (1996 as cited in Ebbeck and Waniganayake, 2003, p.9) describes. Level 1 is Technical functions, Level 2 – staffing functions, Level 3 – client oriented functions, Level 4 – public relations functions and Level 5 – cultural and symbolic functions and Hayden (1996 as cited in Ebbeck and Waniganayake, 2003, p.10) also points out ‘to be a good manager one has first to be able to perform the technical tasks that are placed at the base of the hierarchy. Only then can one focus on the staffing asp ects including mentoring and inspiring staff and building a team based work environment’. Therefore, any manager that takes care of the management of the service has to deal with the technical aspects like ‘the operations, including purchasing, budgeting, record keeping, hiring and firing staff†¦.’(Ebbeck and Waniganayake, 2003,p.9). Light has described management in detail and even put in the fact that money is also needed to have a good management. However, both concepts do not discuss how management is to monitor quality and improvement and also do not say anything about the people that will be involved in the organization and what part they will play in the management. Management in early childhood is quite different because children that attend the centre might suffer as a result of bad management skills and a developmentally appropriate curriculum is also to be designed for the children and you have to deal with families as well, whereas in other organ izations such as business management, you would not have to deal with these aspects. Managing means to take care of, to run, to supervise, to manage a particular task or organization and both concepts have described ways in which you can do that; planning, organizing, leading, controlling, coordinating. Light also describes that ‘†¦.optimum achievement of objectives’ and recognizes that in management you have to manage in a way so that you can get the best possible results from the objectives. Both concepts agree that managements has to have a set of goals or objectives that you have to achieve and you have to do that in the most convenient and effective way. Research Papers on Early Childhood Managers - Early Childhood Development EssayThe Project Managment Office SystemBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductResearch Process Part OneLifes What IfsThree Concepts of PsychodynamicPETSTEL analysis of India

Two Things †Branding and Writers Block

Two Things – Branding and Writers Block Of course youre wondering what these two have to do with each other. Actually its more about what they have in common. For the first time in my career, I see writing income sliding to a new level I feel it will not recover from. What Im trying to say is that the effort you put into your writing business last year isnt enough for this year. To make the same income, you have to work harder and smarter. The competition is fierce. Whether you hate traditional or indie matters not anymore because authors on both sides are hurting. Incomes are down. Its harder than ever to be heard and seen, much less read. Why such a morbid post? Look at the title of this post again. Its like youre in a mob. Ever seen that commercial about the little door that data is trying to run through, only to see people pile atop one another unable to get through? Then the advertiser talks about a bigger door that allows all data to go through? Well, were at that stage where the door (the reader) is tiny. Authors are that mob. Only some will get through. Thats why branding is super critical right now. I listen to long-time, mid-list authors complain these days about how their incomes are way down, but they are doing the same thing theyve always done. Thats the problem. They are doing the same thingmarketing some, maybe posting on FB three times a week, thinking what worked in 2005 still works now. You cannot be seen without being different. You cannot be heard without noise, a dfferent kind of noise, because God knows its noisy out there. You need a brand, and when you figure out what it is, then you need to sling it and work it hard. Daily. Yep, daily. Now, that brings us to the other topic: writers block. In this day where Amazon accepts thousands of books per day to its database, you cannot sit back and profess to have writers block. Like your marketing, you need to write daily. Block NEVER stops you from writing. Somewhere in your head it makes you think you cant write, but guess what? Your brain and hands still work . . . so write. With the sea of writers out there writing daily, youll be soon forgotten otherwise. Sorry for the rant, but Im seeing good writers, long-time writers, being run over

The growth of suburbs and urban sprawl in the United States is a Essay

The growth of suburbs and urban sprawl in the United States is a problem, or just part of the natural growth of cities - Essay Example The move by the American government to push investments away from the central cities in the 19th century is a justification of a problematic scenario. An introduction of high housing tax rates proved homeownership as an alternative to wealthy Americans. â€Å"At the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, housing prices in the United States rose rapidly during a period through which interest rates were low. Government tax policy made homeownership even more attractive† (Dahlman & William 393). The decision to retain a cultural practice is a factor of consideration in the suburb development and impact on the development of cities. The wealthy population developed a natural attraction to the rural environment influencing the growth of suburbs. This is a justification of a natural effect on the growth of metropolitans. The invention of the automobile industries acted as an immediate solution to the challenging city life. The wealthy opted to commute from th e suburbs to places of work as a way of evading city

Successful FDI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Successful FDI - Essay Example This paper addresses benefits and disadvantages of FDI to both home and host countries and presents a brief business plan for the company linking its foreign investment proposal and analyzes its future plans. E-Walky Plc: E- Shoe and Slippers Electronic shoes and slippers from E-Walky Plc will be extremely amazing experience to the new generation. In today’s technology-driven business environment and life-style, the company plans ‘e-walking’ of new generation. E-Walky, a public limited company headquartered in Colorado, is in its very progressive stage of developing new products, e-shoes and slippers. The days yet to come are to witness how the slippers and shoes can be integrated with advanced technology to make an easier life to both sportsmen and general public. Company plans to campaign its brand name ‘E-Walky’ for its products and chooses China for its FDI. It’s truly going to be a mere micro-computer in every one’s foots, being att ached to the down-part of slippers and shoes covered by specific metals for its safety as well as water-proof purposes. These micro-chips can automatically measure the distances one walks, counts his footsteps, measure the speed of a sportsman and so on. Count-down, safety-walk and speedy-walk are some extremely useful utilities that the company itself kept secret and rather surprising to the public. Its usefulness to electronically track one’s footsteps will attract indoor players of badminton and tennis as well as outdoor players of cricket and football. Its importance to play ‘two-men game’ and group games will certainly appeal to children and youngsters. Its importance to health and convenience to use inside houses will attract both house-wives and old aged customers. More specifically, all these customers will find its operation wonderful and convenient due to the small ‘remote controller’ in their hand. E-Walky Business Plan The main objective of E-Walky is to design and develop electronic shoes and slippers to its customers in and outside the US to continuously promote the digitized life for both general public and sportsmen. The main mission is to create a generation of ‘e-walking’ with help of the highly advanced technology the company adopted in developing E-Walky shoes and slippers. The financial management of the company proposed an initial investment of $10 million to establish the enterprise based in Colorado and to expand the business by directly investing in China with an approximate expenditure of $25 million. It plans to start its R&D and manufacturing activities in the US and to sell around 1.5 million shoes in the US markets within first 12 months. At the same, the company’s operation will be held in large scale in China to market around 10 million products through major countries like Japan, UK, India, Brazil etc. The management expects that once its marketing starts in the US, it will a ttract a large number of sportsmen and other people from around the world. As planned, the penetration pricing policy would be used as a competitive tool to merit the firm and build a long-term brand image for the company (Hirschey, 2009, p. 567). The financial department proposed that the company would be able to sell more than 13 million products worldwide returning an