Schindlers List Essay free essay sample

Question: ‘Schindler’s List’ is no less a â€Å"Jewish story† or a â€Å"German story† than it is a human story. And its subject matter applies to every generation. We will write a custom essay sample on Schindlers List Essay or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ’ [Stephen Spielberg] Discuss. The film ‘Schindler’s List’, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel Schindler’s Ark, by Thomas Keneally, gives us an insight into the corruption and destructive capabilities of humans. This film portrays many themes, all of which are evoked due to the factual historical event of the Jewish Holocaust which occurred in Germany during WWII. The exploration of the themes of hope, use and misuse of power, the nature of evil and courage makes this film prominent over others. Spielberg’s purpose in making this film was to raise awareness of the horror experienced by the victims during this era and to inspire todays and future generations to understand the impact of, and end, such prejudice. As such, we are presented a human story, the subject matter of which applies to every generation. The film focuses on the Holocaust, an era when millions of Jews and others were murdered for their ethnicity and religious beliefs – an era which many wish to forget. Although one of the darkest periods in human history, many people of all ages know little, if anything about it. Spielberg’s film enables an understanding to develop in the viewer and thus, encourage respect for the Jewish people in light of the brutal facts. As the film opens, Oskar Schindler is portrayed as an ordinary German businessman with one thing on his mind – money. The film opens showing a man dressing with impeccable style, his face unknown. The Swastika lapel pin identifies him as a member of the Nazi party; a significant symbol throughout the film. The technique of keeping the man’s identity a mystery suggests that to begin with he is a ‘no one’; however, as future events take place, his name and actions become a significant imprint in history. Initially Schindler sees the Jewish people as any other German would – slave labour, a way for him to make easy money. His ability to connect with the Jews seems to be lacking, yet the first flicker of a bond is shown when he saves his accountant, Itzhak Stern from Auschwitz. Up until the liquidation of the Ghettos, Schindler was oblivious to the reality of the war. He was only focused on himself and his own well being, rather than looking at the bigger picture. During this incident, Schindler’s attention is directed to a young girl in a red coat. This isolated element of colour is surrounded by a sea of black and white, representing the innocence of the Jews being slaughtered. The instant Schindler sights the child it marks the moment when he is forced to confront the horror of Jewish life during the Holocaust and his own hand in it. We witness the beginning of Schindler’s redemption and Spielberg’s exploration of the universal theme of loss of innocence in the face of the abuse of power, and the courage of those who stand against such negative forces. As the film progresses, Schindler’s attitude begins to change, along with his view about life. The contrast of black and white allows the director to deepen the impact of the story. This contrast marks Schindler’s face, which is often half in shadow, reflecting his selfish, dark side. However, his face becomes more lit as he makes the transformation from war profiteer to saviour. Although Schindler initially made small attempts to save the Jews, he didn’t have the true motivation to put his heart and soul into becoming a saviour. However, later in the film, as Schindler sees the body of the little girl in the red coat being exhumed and wheeled into the fire under the direction of Nazi officers, he decides to save as many Jews as he can with his profits from the war – the death of the young child was the death of innocence and Schindler’s hope. Stern, with Schindler’s assistance, types a list of 1,100 Jewish workers known as, â€Å"Schindler’s List†. The list is an absolute good. The list is life. All around its margins lies the gulf† (Itzhak Stern). Lists are an extremely important motif in the film, the majority of them symbolising evil and death, however Schindler’s list represents pure good and hope. Without this list, thousands of descendents of the Schindlerjuden would not be alive today – th ey owe their lives to one man. ‘Schindler’s List’ explores the issue of power and the misuse of power. The differences between Oskar Schindler and Amon Goeth clearly display the different viewpoints regarding power and its use. Schindler wields a great deal of power, mainly due to the amount of money he has, whereas Goeth, the Nazi commander of Plaszow, uses his power to corrupt and destroy human lives. Amon was a man who wavered on the brink of madness. His sick sense of reality was shown throughout the film. His intense hatred for Jews led him to perform horrific acts of cruelty, portraying his misuse of power. A prime example of this is when he willingly and callously shoots innocent Jews from his villa balcony at the Plaszow labour camp. His inability to see the Jews as humans allows him to kill without sympathy, justification and guilt. Amon’s power is fuelled by fear, making him the symbol of evil in the film. He takes pride in extinguishing the Jewish Ghetto and rules the Plaszow labour camp without mercy. When a Jewish engineer advises him that he needs to re-pour a foundation, he has her instantly executed – her seemingly black blood spreads through the pure white snow. This contrast in colours emphasises the split between good and evil. The blood pouring from the victim’s head is both literally and metaphorically the life blood pouring out of the Jewish race. We begin to define the line between good and evil and the way in which it can corrupt human beings. The message portrayed that evil and the misuse of power is an ongoing matter, one in which could affect anyone and is partially an involuntary act – the evil animalistic behaviour becomes engraved into minds; like Goeth. Goeth can also be considered to be Schindler’s foil, as they can parallel one another in many ways. At the beginning of the film, this parallel is shown through the use of mirrors and reflections, however, as the film progresses along with the character transformations, they become opposites. Like Schindler, Goeth is a practical man, not a thinker, but also fancies himself as someone of great importance; he also has a weakness for liquor. However, what defined the two as good and evil was that, unlike Schindler, Goeth was a cruel man who was physically abusive. He uses his power to construct a road paved with Jewish headstones, symbolising the destruction of the Jewish race. Amon seems to be unsatisfied with merely wiping out existing Jews, so by planning the road he denies acknowledgement of many Jews final resting places. Despite his intense hatred for Jews, he is intoxicated by his Jewish maid, Helen Hirsch. Unable to touch Helen in love, his only acceptable option is to lash out at her with a horrific display of violence. â€Å"I would like so much to reach out and touch you in your loneliness. Is this the face of a rat? Are these the eyes of a rat? Hath not a Jew eyes? I feel for you, Helen. [leaning to kiss her] No, I dont think so. You Jewish bitch, you nearly talked me into it, didnt you? He quotes Shakespeare’s Shylock from the Merchant of Venice showing that Goeth temporarily pauses in his rampage and listens to the voice of his victims, in this case Helen Hirsch. For a critical moment evil seems to pause and consider the fact that it may be possible to love this ‘creature’, although Amon’s face tells us no. His fists thrash out not so much at Helen, but at the recognition that he is doomed to loneliness by his evil By watching this film and witnessing the effects power can have on people, viewers can learn and gain a certain level of respect for those who are successful global leaders. Schindler’s List displays Amon Goeth as an evil man who abuses power, but Spielberg also manages to show an unexpected depth and complexity to his character, displaying the tentative impression of how quickly power can change from good to evil. Throughout the generations good and evil have had a diverse range of meanings, each person with a different denotation. In practical thinking, even the most malicious criminal may contain a strong sense of love or compassion, whether towards parents, partners of children. Every person is capable of the noblest good or horrific evil; it just depends on the will power of the individual. Good and evil are inseparable aspects of life . â€Å"Schindler’s List† is a true story which follows the man, Oskar Schindler and his transformation from war profiteer to saviour. Viewers watch this man’s actions become significant in history, but at the same time they begin to increase an understanding and connection with the Jewish people, in particular Schindler’s Jews. WWII in Germany was an act of mass destruction and loss of life , in this historic circumstance six million Jewish and five million other lives were lost. These large numbers makes portraying the Holocaust accurately extremely difficult. However, Spielberg has managed to replace the vast numbers of Jewish people sacrificed during WWII with specific faces and names, enabling readers to make personal connections with the characters, positive or negative. Viewers follow the stories of various different Jewish families Caja and Danka Dresner, Mila and Poldek Pfefferberg amongst others. Viewers meet these characters at the beginning of the film and follow their journey’s closely, beginning to develop a connection to these individual victims, who represent the vast numbers of the entire Holocaust. By using this individualism, it forces viewers to confront the horror on a personal level, and to realise that every victim had a story, loved ones, a home and a life. To perceive the Jews of the Holocaust simply as a group or race dehumanises them a second time, removing their individuality and uniqueness, each person was a separate being and deserved respect – respect that the Nazi’s refused to give. In today’s society people still remain unique, their differences and individuality making the world a multicultural and diverse country. Oskar Schindler himself also embodies this idea of recognising and caring for the individual, he begins to learn names, resulting in his extensive list. He is unable to stand by and watch his workers perish, he has made a personal connection with them and by seeing them die, and it is once again the death of innocence. Schindler embraces the chance to save his Jewish workers, at one point he grabs Danka Dresner on her way back to Auschwitz and shows her tiny fingers to a Nazi officer, pointing out that only little fingers like her can polish the inside of small shell casings in his factory. His courage could have killed him hundreds of times, yet he still prevailed saving thousands of lives. This connection and courage allowed the Jews to gain hope, Schindler is their light, their saviour. As the war ends, Schindler is forced to flee as he is now considered a criminal. In an almost ironic twist Schindler himself is presented with a list of all 1,100 worker signatures, vouching that he is a good man with honourable intentions. Stern gives Schindler a gold ring, with the inscription, â€Å"Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire†. Schindler breaks down, stating that he should’ve saved more lives. He shows that even the most collected people have a weak point and Schindler’s was guilt and regret. Schindler flees and the next day his workers walk free, marching to the tune of a Hebrew song. This black and white scene dissolves into colour and the actors/actresses turn into â€Å"The Schindler Jews Today† Spielberg carries the idea of individualism through to the final scene in the film, over 100 of the real Schindlerjuden appear. In tribute, each of the survivors places a stone on the gravestone of Oskar Schindler, accompanied by the actors who portrayed them in the film. For every life saved, one rock is placed on the grave. The last mourner places flowers on the gravestone and stands with his head bowed, this is Liam Neeson. By connecting the real life survivors into the film it proves that the characters are real, not fictional and shows proof that the holocaust was real and shouldn’t be denied, it was a significant event in Human history and should be acknowledged. Although the war ended a long time ago, the impact and impression it left still remains. Hearts have been broken, families lost. Yet still in a time of never ending darkness, there was light. This light was Schindler – he saved the lives of more than just 1,100 Jews – there are over 7,000 descendents of the Schindler Jews and they would not be alive unless one man decided to stand up against evil. Schindler’s list was not only the story of Jews and Germans, it was a human story. One which connects to every generation, enabling mistakes to be corrected and people to be forgiven, this can be done through learning and understanding, the holocaust shall remain in the minds and heart of thousands of people.

Find the Anode and Cathode of a Galvanic Cell

Find the Anode and Cathode of a Galvanic Cell ​Anodes and cathodes are the endpoints or terminals of a device that produces electrical current. Electrical current runs from the positively charged terminal to the negatively charged terminal. The cathode is the terminal that attracts cations, or positive ions. To attract the cations, the terminal must be negatively charged. Electrical current is the amount of charge that passes a fixed point per unit time. The direction of the current flow is the direction in which a positive charge flows. Electrons are negatively charged and move in the opposite direction of the current. In a galvanic cell, the current is produced by connecting an oxidation reaction to a reduction reaction in an electrolyte solution. Oxidation and reduction reactions or redox reactions are chemical reactions involving a transfer of electrons from one atom in the reaction to another. When two different oxidation or reduction reactions are connected electrically, a current is formed. The direction depends on the type of reaction taking place at the terminal.Reduction reactions involve the gain of electrons. Electrons are needed to fuel the reaction and pull these electrons from the electrolyte. Since electrons are attracted to the reduction site and current flows opposite the flow of electrons, current flows away from the reduction site. Since current flows from the cathode to the anode, the reduction site is the cathode.Oxidation reactions involve the loss of electrons. As the reaction progresses, the oxidation terminal loses electrons to the electrolyte. The negative charge moves awa y from the oxidation site. The positive current moves towards the oxidation site, against the flow of electrons. Since current flows to the anode, the oxidation site is the anode of the cell. Keeping Anode and Cathode Straight On a commercial battery, the anode and cathode are clearly marked (- for anode and for cathode). Sometimes only the () terminal is marked. On a battery, the bumpy side is () and the smooth side is (-). If youre setting up a galvanic cell, youll need to keep the redox reaction in mind to identify the electrodes. Anode: positively charged terminal - oxidation reactionCathode: negatively charged terminal - reduction reactionThere are a couple mnemonics that can help you remember the details.To remember the charge: Caions are attracted to the Cahode (the t is a plus sign)To remember which reaction occurs at which terminal: An Ox and Red Cat - Anode Oxidation, Reduction Cathode Remember, the concept of electrical current was defined back before scientists understood the nature of positive and negative charges, so it was set up for the direction a () charge would move. In metals and other conductive materials, its actually the electrons or (-) charges that move. You can think of it as holes of positive charge. In an electrochemical cell, its just as likely cations will move as anions (in fact, both are probably moving at the same time).

Psychological Testing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychological Testing - Term Paper Example In a recent commentary regarding President Obama’s speech in The New York Times, author Trip Gabriel briefly discussed the President’s remarks regarding the â€Å"high stakes† tests and the incited reaction from a couple of bloggers. The President remarks on how much focus is given to these tests at the expense of the curriculum. According to the article, President Obama said, â€Å"Too often, what we’ve been doing is using these tests to punish students or to, in some cases, punish schools.† A blogger for Education Week remarked that the President is going against his own government’s policies on standardized tests that involve having students go through several tests in a school year. However, the Department of Education maintains its stand on the expansion of testing. They claim that these are actually means to ease the pressure on teachers, because instead of year-end tests that normally put the blame on schools if the results are bad, st udents will be tested for their own progress more than once a year (Gabriel, â€Å"Bloggers Challenge President†). The issue here is not merely the number of tests a student has to go through, but the test itself. However, increasing the number of tests in a year increases the issues in these tests as well. Even author Alfie Kohn in his book â€Å"The Case against Standardized Testing: Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools† explains his opposition to standardized testing. The issues STANDARDIZED TESTS 3 surrounding the tests are abound, yet articles that give adequate information on the tests are lacking. Most of the publicly available articles offer generic information on the tests, but do not really describe the content. Sometimes, the content of the test might surprise the students and their parents (Harlen, 2002, p.141). For example, in another article from The New York Times last March 16 by Jacques Steinberg entitled â€Å"For SAT Test-Takers, Is ‘The Si tuation’ the Right Answer?,† the peculiarity of a test question is discussed. The essay prompt asked the students to provide opinions regarding reality television. The executive director of the SAT test declared that the question is about pop culture and it was just a fair question to ask. People may have differing opinions on this matter. However, it sort of emphasizes the point that the scope of the exam is not widely discussed publicly, since topics such as this causes surprise from parents of test-takers (Steinberg, â€Å"For SAT Test-Takers†). Still, the presence or absence of the information is not the main topic of this paper. The issue on how necessary these tests are is the area that needs more attention. First, even though newspapers frequently quote the scores of the tests, and several experts believe that this is the best measurement for an individual’s progress, it is not the absolute standard for success (Ryan and Weinstein, 2009, p.224). Stu dents have endured more and more tests over time, yet discussion on new educational processes are not happening. The tests only force the institutions to push their students to earn higher grades, but they do not result in providing solutions to the real problems that causes low marks (Harlen, 2002, p.141). Second, Indian University Professor of Education Roger Farr states that â€Å"multiple-choice questions do not allow students to apply what they can do.†

Fashion of Men's Clothing in the Culture of Qatar Essay

Fashion of Men's Clothing in the Culture of Qatar - Essay Example The essay "Fashion of Men's Clothing in the Culture of Qatar" presents a business plan for the foundation of a fashion company of men’s clothing in Qatar overviewing all the important aspect of the culture in this country. Qatar is endowed with huge reserves of natural resources and is currently one of the most developing countries in the world. It is important to study the culture of Qatar before venturing in the market.Qatar people associate American companies with high capitalism and high-profit motives. Qatar people prefer to establish good relationships before starting any serious business conversation. It is important to understand the norms and values of Qatar people, especially while interacting with people of the opposite gender. The business will have to use professionals to analyze the similarities and differences of US and Qatar culture. The personnel must be able to communicate Arabic using Qatari accent to easily gain acceptance by the local population. Qatar men take pride in their culture and traditional clothing. Men wear a long thou with stylish collars and buttons. During winter, men prefer either heavy fabric for the thous which are mainly gray, brown or black color. Young men prefer embroidered caps and cover their heads with folded square cloth. During ceremonial occasions, Qatar men wear a black-gold cloak and keep one hand free in order to allow for handshakes. During the winter, men also prefer woolen sleeveless waistcoat that mainly contains camel hair. (Torstrick 88). The target market The business will sell new men’s clothing fashion to Qatar people. The clothes will be customised to Qatar culture in order to attract a lot of demand. Qatar is endowed with large gas and oil reserves and the per capita GDP is one of the largest in the world. Qatar enjoys political stability and cordial relationships with the USA government. The country is favorable for US exports and has no foreign exchange controls and has allowe d 100 percent foreign ownership of businesses in some sectors such as health, education and exploitation of the natural resources. The business will benefit from expanded market, reduced business risks due to diversification and increased global recognition. Qatar market offers viable opportunity from fashion men’s clothing due toe increase in the number of citizens living in the urban areas (Orr 198). Marketing strategy The target market consists of Qatar men who prefer customized clothing. Due to the increasing educated young men who prefer western clothing that is customised to their culture, the business will experience minimal resistance in penetrating the market. Customer satisfaction is key to the success of the business thus good relationships will be maintained with all the customers. The business will use Arabic language in the media advertisements and advertising themes will not be offensive to Islamic religion. In addition, the color in the advertisements will hav e to be grey or white in order to appeal to the culture of Qatar. The marketing staff will follow Qatar norms since male staff will not be allowed to shake hands with female customers. The business will avoid giving free gifts to first time customers since free gifts in the first business transactions may be declined by the customers. The

Examining Ethnic Differences in Achievemen Essay Example for Free

Examining Ethnic Differences in Achievemen Essay 1. The definition of an ethnic group is a group of people of the same race or nationality that share the same cultural norms and values. 2. Three ways in which the education system may encourage separation between children of different ethnic backgrounds are: Labelling and teacher racism, many teachers label their students and studies by interactionist sociologists found out that many teachers labelled black children as disruptive and they didn’t want them in their class. Another reason is the ethnocentric curriculum. Troyna and Williams describe the curriculum in British schools as ethnocentric because it gives priority to white culture and the English language; this causes separation between white pupils and other ethnic pupils. A final reason is the selection and segregation available to schools. David Gillborn argues that marketization has given schools greater scope to select pupils. This puts some ethnic minority pupils at a disadvantage because selection gives more scope for negative stereotypes to influence decisions about school admissions. 3. There are many ways in which factors in children’s home background may lead to differences in achievement levels between ethnic groups. The first way is cultural deprivation; this is split into 3 aspects. The first is intellectual and linguistic skills. Cultural deprivation theorists argue that many children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. Bereiter and Engelmann consider the language spoken by low-income black American families as inadequate for educational success. The next aspect is attitudes and values. Cultural deprivation theorists say that some black children are socialised into a subculture that instils a fatalistic ‘live for toady’ attitude that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success. The final aspect of cultural deprivation is family structure and parental support. Daniel Moynihan argues that because many black families are headed by a lone mother, their children are deprived of adequate care because she has to struggle financially in the absence of a male breadwinner. Also Ken Pryce claims that Asians are higher achievers because their cukture is more resistant to racism and gives them a greater sense of self-worth. However, he argues, black Caribbean culture is less cohesive and less resistant to racism. As a result, many balck pupils have low self-esteem and under-achieve. Another reason is Material deprivation and class. According to Flaherty; Pakistani’s and Bangladeshis are over three times more likely than whites to be in the poorest fifth of the population, as a result statistics show that Pakistani and Bangladeshi boys are among the lowest ethnic groups in the country to obtain 5 A-C GCSE’s. A final reason is racism in wider society. David Mason says â€Å" discrimination is a continuing and persistent feature of the experience of Britain’s citizens of minority ethnic origin. † 4. The differences in educational attainment between different groups of pupils have been a major focus of much sociological research. These differences can often be seen to be largely due to different social class, but also gender or ethnicity. Social class is the most significant and dominant factor when looking at these differences, but ethnicity also has a relative impact on educational achievementÃ'Ž Education has a key role to play in eradicating racism and valuing diversity and it a responsibility for all educational establishments, including those with few or no ethnic minority pupils. Promoting racial equality demands a whole school approach and commitment from all those who are involved in the life and work of their school. Racism is linked to the educational achievement of minority ethnic groups, however the connections are complex. Gilborn and Mirza conclude that ‘social class and gender differences are also associated with differences in attainment but neither can account for persistent underlying ethnic inequalities: comparing like with like, African Caribbean, Pakistani and Bangladeshi pupils do not enjoy equal opportunities. ’ They also argue that in promoting educational inclusion as a means of raising standards, there is a need ‘for clarity and guidance in translating the commitment to equality and inclusion into policy proposals and practice at the local and school level. Many cultural deprivation theorists see the lack of intellectual and linguistic skills as a major cause of under-achievement. Gordon Bowker identifies their lack of standard English as a major barrier to progress in education and integration into wider society. However the Swann Report found that language was not a major factor in under-achievement. Other cultural deprivation theorists suc as Charles Murray argue that a high rate of lone parenthood and a lack of positive male role models lead to the under-achievement of some minorities. Also Anthony Flew believes that ethnic differences in achievement stem from cultural differences outside the education system, not discrimination within it. However Geoffrey Driver criticises the cultural deprivation theory for ignoring the positive effects of ethnicity on achievement. He shows that the black Caribbean family, far from being dysfunctional, provides girls with positive role models of strong independent wome Driver argues this is why black girls tend to be more successful in education than black boys. Some socilogists that the ethnic differences in education are cause by racism. John Rex shows how racial discrimination leads to social exclusion and how this worsens the poverty faced by ethnic minorities. In housing, for instance, discrimination means that minorities are more likely to be forced into substandard acoomodation than white people of the same class. This creates separation due to the ethnic children not being able to study at home and therefore getting lower grades than the white children who are able to study at home.

education Essay -- essays research papers

Surburn Public Schools vs. City Public Schools   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What type of educational standards does the American society accept and expect for their child? Article will compare and contrast two different types of schools. One school is located in an affluent suburban community and the other school is located in a poor urban area. The suburban school has twice as many students as the urban school. Both schools are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania vicinity. One school is in jeopardy of closing due to poor student achievement and the other school is a nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School. The schools are only five miles apart although they are many miles apart as far as educational promise. What are the physical, financial, esthetic, and intrinsic values that enable one school community to be more productive than the other? When it comes to education what standards does society accept? Image entering into a cold, brick building that is dark and old. The exterior of the building is covered with graffiti. The football field is nothing but dirt and weeds; the bleachers are made of weather beaten wood. Adjacent to the football field is a concrete basketball court, the rims do not have nets and the metal backboard has not been painted in years. The interior of the building is not much better. The paint on the walls is a dreary gray and maroon. There are wires hanging from the ceiling. The building smells old and musty. As one walks into the school you are immediately confronted by metal detectors, and a blocked off section for crisis intervention. The building offers three security guards, two school police, and two probation officers. The office is very busy, and chaotic. . The lunch that is being prepared in the cafeteria turns my stomach as I walk past. Can you believe I was describing a school? I wonder how children learn in this depressing environment. â€Å"The school is so depressing and old. It makes me not even want to come to school. â€Å"The school is so depressing and old. It makes you not want to even come everyday. But I try to make the best out of it.† Lamar Canty ... ...not. Hopefully, the factually and staff will not give up hope and try to stay positive leading the students in the right directions. At the city schools in Pittsburgh they do not seem to promote Historically Black colleges. Many students go to state schools but, I believe that these students will feel a since of community if they are guide to something that is very obtainable a higher education. Peabody should have a guidance consular office just like Fox Chapel because the students also need help. It seems as if the government has given up on the students that are not making the test scores instead of putting more money into the future.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  How can two schools that are so close together be so far apart educationally? Are the parental values that far apart? Are Americans becoming polarized again into the haves and have-nots? How can we change the segregated school systems that are cropping up all over the country? Should we start busing again? The schools that I saw are separate and unequal. Many suburbanites travel into the city to work, for cultural or athletic events and they should pay an educational tax for the city schools. Something has to be done!

Exploring a Communication in Arabic Lingua Culture Essay

Conversation is the most basic form of communication and human beings rely on conversation to exchange information and maintain social relationships (Gardner 1994: 97). Human interactions rely on conversation for simple chatting as well as work related tasks, political discussions and educational decisions (Gardner 1994: 98). Conversation is at the heart of the human ability to interact with one another in everyday life. Communicative events typically involve definable boundaries and a joint effort at interaction (Orr 2008: 317). A communicative event that occurs within its social boundaries becomes an engagement between two people (Orr 2008: 317). In other words, a communicative event between two friends results in an engagement that has meaning to both parties involved. In contrast, a communicative event that is between two strangers, such as a shopper and salesperson, cannot be considered an engagement because when the encounter is over it holds no meaning to those involved (Orr 2008: 317). Further, a communicative event is only successful when both parties involved contribute to the process of understanding as the conversation takes place (Aune, Levine, Park, Asada, & Banas 2005: 358). In a communicative event between friends, each friend is responsible for contributing something to the conversation that will make the interaction meaningful for both people. When both friends are not contributing to the communicative event equally, then the encounter fails to have meaning and makes the person who is contributing view his or her friend negatively (Aune, et al 2005: 358). An analysis of a communicative event that occurred between two friends in Saudi Arabia is offered. This analysis includes a discussion of the eleven components that Saville-Troike identifies. The Communicative Event Cultural analysis is an important part of discussing linguistics and communication. However, linguistics is not typically associated with a cultural analysis even though the conversation styles and traditions of different cultures are an essential component to communicative events (Wierzbicka 1997: 1). In fact, there is a very close link between culture and the lexicon of the language spoken as part of that culture. This is why many cultures rely on special words for important aspects of their culture such as food (Wierzbicka 1997: 1). Additionally, many cultures, such as the Arabic culture, rely on special greetings and phrases as part of their communicative events. These special greetings and phrases add depth to the communicative events and allow them to have meaning to the people involved. The conversation analyzed for this paper occurred between two friends and included a special greeting as well as common phrases used in Saudi Arabian culture. These components of the communicative event allowed the interaction to mean something to the two friends and resulted in positive feelings from both. The definition of a communicative event and a consideration to cultural differences is particularly useful for language teachers because it gives them insight into the importance of specific aspects of communicative events that differ across cultural boundaries. Language teachers are most successful when they are able to incorporate aspects of native language into new language acquisition. Changing the way that language teachers instruct is a constant part of the job of language teachers (Jacobs & Farrell 2003: 5). At the same time, it is important that a language teacher give students the tools necessary for learner autonomy, understanding the social nature of learning, the ability for curricular integration, a focus on meaning, attention to diversity, thinking skills, assessment and utilizing the teacher as a co learner (Jacobs & Farrell 2003: 5). These eight skills are essential for language teachers to implement in order to allow students to rely on their native language while also learning a new language. Further, sensitivity to cultural differences in language style will allow the language teacher to provide students with authentic opportunities to engage in meaningful communicative events. At the same time, language teachers cannot choose to only implement one or two of these components. They are all necessary components to successful language instruction. Classroom language instruction is an important part of the job of a language teacher. However, the type of language instruction has an impact on how well students acquire language skills (Spada 1987: 137). A study of three separate language classrooms over a period of sixty observation hours shows that students are sensitive to the communicative orientation of new language acquisition (Spada 1987: 137). The reason behind this observation is the different communicative styles utilized by different cultures. For example, the special greeting and phrases used the in conversation to be analyzed here differ from the style of communication in other cultures. Therefore, sensitivity to different communicative styles may result in better instruction and higher levels of learning. The ability to improve in the speaking, listening and discourse areas of language learning seem to be related to classroom instruction style (Spada 1987: 137). When a language teacher begins to work with a specific location, the first step is to study the community that will make up the instructional population. This is important so the language teacher is able to gather important information about the social organization and important aspects of the culture in order to relate that information to the culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 107). At the same time, it is important for language teachers to discover the way that native speakers structure their communicative events in order to gain insight into the importance of different communication components important to that specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 107). Ultimately, the goal of a language teacher would be to make many careful and thorough observations of native speakers engaging in a variety of different communicative events so a complete understanding of communication can be gathered. Once this job is completed the language teacher should be able to model communicative events after the communicative events of native speakers (Saville-Troike 1989: 107). To this end, Saville-Troike introduces eleven components that will each be commented on as they relate to the communicative example used in this paper: type of event, topic, purpose or function, setting, key, participants, message form, message content, act sequence, rules for interaction and norms for interaction (1989: 138). Type of Event, Topic, Purpose and Setting The type of event, topic, purpose and setting make up the scene of the communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 139). The type of event analyzed is an informal conversation between two university friends who have not seen or spoken to one another for a week. The topic of the conversation is the time that has gone by without speaking or seeing one another and includes a discussion about why so much time has passed as well as plans to spend time together in the near future. The purpose of the communicative event is time for the friends to catch up with one another and make plans to engage in further conversation. Finally, the setting for the communicative event is Abha City in the Southern Province of Saudi Arabia. These four components of this specific communicative event make up the whole scene. While only the setting can be directly observed, the type of event, the topic and the purpose of this communicative event are equally as important for gathering information about the cultural aspects of Arabic linguistics and conversation style (Saville-Troike 1989: 139). Further cultural information can be obtained by observing the traditions and customs of a specific culture with regards to communication. This communicative event occurred between two friends and included the special greeting, â€Å"Peace be upon you† and â€Å"peace be upon you too. † This greeting is an essential aspect of Arabic communicative events and means that there is goodwill among the two friends. If this greeting would have been omitted from the conversation it would indicate that the friends were angry with one another. When analyzing components of a communicative event that are not directly visible it is important to be watching for important information regarding the sacred nature of communication and what that looks like for different cultures (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). For example, in this communicative event between two friends, an observer cannot see what the type of event or what the purpose of the event is. However, listening to the conversation and watching for customs and traditions provides valuable insight into the nature of cultural differences and what is important (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). These observations will allow an observer to discover what is sacred to a culture with regards to communication as well as what types of beliefs are important to them. Further, an observer can learn what behaviors are unacceptable, what the purpose of particular behaviors are and see external signs of participation in ritual parts of a communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). Key The key of a communicative event is introduced in order to provide the tone, manner or spirit of the encounter (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). This can take the form of teasing versus seriously discussing something, being sincere versus sarcastic, being friendly versus hostile or being sympathetic versus threatening (Saville-Troike 1989: 141). The type of key that is present in a communicate event relies on the type of relationship the people involved in conversation have. In this case, the communicative event was informal, but respectful and was a sincere and friendly exchange between two friends. However, if the conversation took a sarcastic key, the sarcasm would have overridden the sincerity of the interaction thus making the conversation far less meaningful than it was (Saville-Troike 1989: 142). In this way, the strongest key takes center stage and is determined by who the participants of the communicate event are, what their relationship as well as the nature of the conversation. Further, the key of the communicative event may be determined through the use of nonverbal cues in addition to the dialogue. For example, if one person winks at the other this may suggest some teasing during the conversation while a stiff posture may indicate that a serious conversation is occurring (Saville-Troike 1989: 142). Observing the communicative event that is analyzed here, the nonverbal cues may have included changes in facial expression when the friends began to discuss why one friend had been to busy to spend time with friends. Watching these facial expressions would lend insight into how serious or friendly the communicative event really was. Participants The participants are the most important component of a communicative event. Without participants, conversation would never happen. The participants in this communicative event were two young male university friends. The absence of females indicates the nature of gender roles in the Saudi Arabian culture. In the Arabic culture, males are not permitted to meet with females and are only allowed to converse with other males. This information provides important information regarding the role relationship of conversation in Saudi Arabia as well as information about sex and social status (Saville-Troike 1989: 143). The absence of females provides a great deal of information about the Arabic culture. It shows what the rights of each member of society are as well as the attitudes, expectations and behaviors toward others. It also shows who has authority over whom (Saville-Troike 1989: 143). This communicative event shows that males are the dominant gender in Saudi Arabian culture and this prevents them from openly conversing with females. Further, it gives insight into the attitudes, expectations and behaviors expected from males versus females. Finally, the culture dictates the formality or informality of a communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 144). This exchange between two young male friends was informal as compared to a conversation that may take place between a young Arab male and an older Arab male. In other words, the participants engaging in conversation have a direct influence over the nature of the communicate event and dictate what type of interaction will take place. Message Form Message form, message content and act sequence are determined by various social, cultural and situational constraints on communicative behavior. Each of these components can be presented vocally or non vocally (Saville-Troike 1989: 144). Many cultures rely on non vocal sounds to represent meaning in conversation and these make up the message form. These vocal and non vocal sounds make up the verbal and non verbal components of conversation style. For example, the verbal vocal relationship includes spoken language while the non verbal vocal relationship includes such things as laughter. Similarly, the non vocal verbal relationship is comprised of such things as written language or sign language while the non vocal non verbal relationship includes such things as silence and eye behavior (Saville-Troike 1989: 145). Although these different aspects of language vary across cultures, they are important aspects of any communication style. This communicative event example used here relies on these different relationships in order to allow the participants to engage in a conversation that has meaning to both parties. The two friends engaged in the verbal vocal relationship simply by exchanging spoken dialogue. At the same time, they engaged in the non verbal vocal relationship by relying on laughter to become part of their conversation. They also relied on the non vocal verbal relationship through the use of hand gestures and facial expressions that lent support to the nature of the conversation and also injected meaning into the exchange. Finally, the two friends showed the non vocal non verbal relationship through their use of appropriate silences and eye contact while speaking to one another. Message Content The message content is closely related to message form and cannot be separated for appropriate analysis to occur (Saville-Troike 1989: 150). Message content refers to what communicative acts are about and what meaning they hold. The dialogue and silences of a communicate event make up the message form while the meaning and implications derived from the communicative event make up the message content (Saville-Troike 1989: 150). The overall meaning of a communicate event rely on the verbal and non verbal messages being exchanged. However, meaning is also derived from extra linguistic context as well as information and expectations participants bring to the conversation (Saville-Troike 1989: 150). The physical content of a communicative event is important because it lends additional information to the exchange that allows for enhanced meaning. In this way, people who do not even speak the same language are often able to find meaning in their exchange simply be relying on physical objects or other outside influences that inject meaning without words (Saville-Troike 1989: 151). Whatever type of physical objects, outside influences or even hand gestures that are used during a communicative event it is important that they convey meaning and allow for a successful conversation. The example of a conversation used here was successful because the two friends understood the location they were in as well as the gestures each person used during the course of the communicative event. Act Sequence The act sequence component of a communicative event includes information about the ordering of the conversation. This is evident through the appropriate initiation of conversation by one person and the following of that initiation by the other person (Saville-Troike 1989: 152 – 153). The example provided here is a good example of appropriate initiation. One of the young men starts the conversation by saying, â€Å"peace be upon you† and the other man responded with, â€Å"peace be upon you too. † In Saudi Arabian culture this is an important greeting and indicates friendship and goodwill at the start of a conversation. Eliminating this greeting would suggest anger and would upset the natural ordering of conversations in Arabic culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 153). Regular patterns and recurring events are important cultural component of communicative events. When participants follow these patterns and recurring events it suggests that the nature of conversations is important and sacred within a culture. Further, the types of patterns that emerge from these patterns and recurring events allow for comparison across cultures (Saville-Troike 1989: 153 – 154). The conversation between the two young Arabic students followed a natural progression and provided important insight into the nature of communicative events in Arabic culture. Rules for Interaction The rules of interaction dictate an explanation for the rules of speech which are applicable to communicative event in a specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 154). These rules refer to the way that the participants in the conversation are expected to behave based on the values of their culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 154). Again, the special greeting at the start of this conversation is one example of an expectation for behavior. In Arabic culture, this is the standard greeting that comes at the beginning of a communicative event and Arabic males are expected to make use of it. These rules may not necessarily be dictated by law but are used based on values that are important within a specific culture (Saville-Troike 1989: 154). Arabic law does not require this greeting at the start of a conversation, but the values and beliefs of the Arabic culture make the greeting an expectation. Further, the use of this greeting indicates the role of turn taking in conversation within the Arabic culture. The initial greeting is followed by a follow up greeting which allows the participants to take turns greeting one another and starting a conversation. At the same time, turn taking is important in this example of a communicative event because it allows each young man to have a turn speaking while the other young man listens. This injects meaning into the conversation because the interaction relies on listening skills as well as speaking skills to get the point across (Saville-Troike 1989: 155). Norms of Interpretation Norms of interpretation are important because they provide all of the other information about the culture. These are essential for the overall understanding of the communicative event (Saville-Troike 1989: 155). For example, the different types of speech must be analyzed in order to fully understand cultural differences within a conversation. This example of the communicative event used here includes the use of the phrase, â€Å"old man. † In some cultures this may a derogatory phrase but is included in this example to show respect. In Arabic culture using the term â€Å"old man† shows respect for one’s elders and the young men use it in reference to one of their fathers. The understanding that this phrase shows respect is well known within the Arabic culture so it becomes a norm of conversation that is acceptable (Saville-Troike 1989: 155). Conclusion The development of communicative competence cannot take place without a relationship among these eleven components (Lock 1983: 253). Contexts rely on cultural information in order to provide an interplay of conversation as well as the self concepts of the participants and social structure acceptable within a society (Lock 1983: 253). A relationship among these eleven components can lead to successful communicative competence based on the cultural implications of language and how this relates to self concept and social structure (Lock 1983: 253). This can be directly applied to the language teacher because communicative competence is a cornerstone of successful language acquisition (Lee 2006: 349). Further, successful communicative events are only possible if a language teacher is able to blend the cultural components of the native language with the cultural components of the new language (Holliday 1997: 212). Therefore, an understanding of communicative competence is an essential part of successful language instruction (Lee 2006: 349). Communicative competence is the part of language knowledge that dictates which communicative system to use (Stalker 1989: 182). When the communicative system chosen is spoken language or conversation it is important to connect the goals and context of the situation in order to have a meaningful communicative event (Stalker 1989: 182). A basic understanding of what communication abilities are necessary for successful conversation within a specific culture is necessary to function adequately in society (Wiemann & Backlund 1980: 185). Therefore, the eleven components applied to a specific conversation example provide evidence and insight into the importance of language teachers enabling students to gain the knowledge the learning necessary in order to successfully participate in communicative encounters (Wiemann & Backlund 1980: 185; Gardner 1994: 104). 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