“Things Fall Apart” as well as West Africa and Sundiata (Sunjata) Essay Example for Free

â€Å"Things Fall Apart† as well as West Africa and Sundiata (Sunjata) Essay In this essay I will be talking about the book â€Å"Things Fall Apart†, as well as West Africa and Sundiata (Sunjata).   I will look at the unique personal relationships among the people in West Africa, and how this affected the economy and trade, especially following the infiltration of the Europeans in 1450.   In analyzing the book â€Å"Things Fall Apart† I will further look at a fictional, but poignantly portrayed, story of life and death and drama in West Africa in the late nineteenth century.    I will discuss the role of women in the book, the role of religion, and the decision-making process. The book â€Å"Things Fall Apart† was published in 1958 and written by Chinua Achebe as a college work.   Mr. Achebe was actually born in, and grew up in, a village in Nigeria.   However, the book was set in the 1890s, so the story in the book was not written as any kind of a memory of Mr. Achebe.   The book is both entertaining and informative about tribal relations in West Africa. There is a unique relationship between the people of the tropical rainforest, the savannah (sudan), the Sahara Desert, and the Mediterranean coast of Africa in the period down to 1450 CE.   The savannah in West Africa is a climate and vegetation zone with grass and some trees.   In the savannah horses could survive.   This caused the people in the savannah to form empires. In the rain forests horses could not survive.   Across the Sahara Desert, trade was conducted by the use of caravans.   A caravan was a source of trade across the desert.   It took place mostly between Arabs and West Africans.   Caravans were initially comprised of donkeys, but later came to be made up of camels.   Finally, the people on the coast traded with the Europeans the things that were brought from the interior of Africa, as well as things found along the coast.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certain patters of trade and cultural influence existed in these areas during this time period.   After 1450 when Europeans settled along the Western coast of Africa, more Africans moved to that area.   Slaves and gold were big moneymakers in the coastal villages.    The people in the book â€Å"Things Fall Apart† lived in the coastal rain forest.   Gold was mostly mined along the â€Å"Gold Coast†, and along the coast Africans would also help the European slave trade.   They would go into the interior of Africa and bring other Africans out to be sold into slavery.   Some coastal Africans were thus able to become rich from the pay they received from the Europeans.   Many Africans died in the process of being transported within Africa, and many also died during the boat transport after they left Africa. Although the role of women in â€Å"Things Fall Apart† is limited and mostly submissive, there is a certain power of women in the book.   When Chielo decreed the death of Ikemefuna she may have had a female motive for it.   Normally she is a widow and a very ordinary woman. However, as the Priestess and the oracle she can say what happens to other people and their lives.   By forcing the death of the boy, using claims that she had the gift of prophecy from the gods, she was able to gain control over the life of a child.   In her normal life as a woman she did not have this much control.   However, using her role as the oracle she was able to elevate her position in society above what her gender would normally allow her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Additionally, women exerted certain limited police and judicial powers over the market place.   The incident of the escaped cow is a good example of this.   When the cow escaped in Chapter 12 the women preparing for the bridal feast quickly push the loose cow back home and away from the neighboring farmers crops (Achebe).   Their quick intervention, coupled with the cow’s owner immediately paying the find for the cow being in another farmer’s crops, led to a fast dissipation of any potential conflict entering the joyful feast.   The women were able to use their womanly ways to avert attention from the fact that the cow was eating another person’s crops, in order that the bridal feast could happily continue. Religion is very important in community decisions in Umuofia.   The gods in Umuofia made many decisions.   Actually, people dressed up as gods or speaking on behalf of the gods made the decisions.   A religion based on multiple gods, such as that in Umuofia, is called polytheism.   Animism is another religion common in Africa.   Animism is a religion whereby people worship and revere animals. In Umuofia there were also decisions made by people speaking simply as people.   An example of this is the assemblies of male warriors.   Various people speaking as people, in numerous capacities, have made decisions in West Africa, throughout history.   A chieftain in West Africa is .   A king in West Africa is important because the kings of Western Europe rules in Africa when they colonized West African nations and when West Africans were forced into slavery. Sometimes tribes also had kings.   An emperor in West Africa is another kind of ruler within the tribal culture.   The people of Igbo in â€Å"Things Fall Apart† did not have any Emperor or king, however.   They generally dispensed justice internally, with a system of democracy among the men in the tribe.   Additionally, the Igbo people had a high sense of social mobility and were not predestined into a certain class. (Classic Note On Things Fall Apart) There are reasons for the two types of decisions making processes.   When people are speaking as gods they are deferring to the decisions of the gods to actually make their own decisions.   For example, when the oracle makes decisions she is probably allowing her own bias to influence what she believes the gods are telling her.   When the British commissioner is speaking, he is speaking as a person for himself because he does not want to be seen as deferring judgment to anyone else.   He wants the credit for all of his judgments. In contrast, when people are speaking as people they take credit, as well as blame, for what it is that they are saying.   They do not try to shift their opinions onto anyone else.   Instead, they stand up and say what it is that they believe.   The new Christian converts and the missionaries in â€Å"Things Fall Apart† were speaking on behalf of themselves and their own beliefs when they spoke.   They did not claim to have the gift of prophesy and speak on behalf of gods.   Neither did the British commissioner when he dispensed justice; when the British commissioner dispensed justice he spoke as a person speaking as a person, not as a person speaking for a god. In conclusion, the tribal people in West Africa were vastly affected by the infiltration of Europeans beginning in 1450.   Trade had historically been done by caravan on donkeys between Arabs and West Africans, but caravans later changed to be comprised more of trade on horses.   After 1450 Europeans were also actively involved in trade in West Africa, mostly of Gold, along the Gold Coast, and of slaves.   The slave trade made many Africans rich, and many Africans initially brought other Africans out of the interior of Africa out to be sold into slavery. Religion was also affected by the colonization of West Africa by the Europeans; Europeans brought Christianity to West Africa in a way that it had not been brought before by just missionaries.   Additionally, justice changed dramatically when Europeans arrived.   Europeans brought their own justice and their own white men to administer it.   In general, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† showed all of these aspects of West African society in the later nineteenth century.   And, importantly, â€Å"Things Fall Apart† served to realistically remind readers that the people in West Africa were intelligent tribal people who were hurtfully affected by British rule. REFERENCES Classic Note On Things Fall Apart. GradeSaver. 28 May. 2005  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/things/about.html. Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: DoubleDay Company, Incorporated,   1994.

Has Nontraditional Training Worked for Women? Essay -- Women Workforce

Has Nontraditional Training Worked for Women? The Best of Intentions... In the 1970s, the imbalance in gender distribution across occupations came to be recognized as a socioeconomic problem, and federal legislation aimed at education, training, and employment began to address the issue over the next 2 decades. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and Executive Order 11246 in 1978 prohibited discrimination by schools and contractors receiving federal funds. The Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act and its successive reauthorizations established state equity coordinators and set aside program funds specifically for gender equity and single parents/displaced homemakers (SP/DH). The Nontraditional Employment for Women Act of 1991 amended the Job Training Partnership Act to require employment goals for women in NTOs, and the 1992 Women in Apprenticeship Occupations and Nontraditional Occupations Act (WANTO) provided technical assistance to employers and unions for integrating women into NTOs. In 1994, the School-to-Work Opportunities Act was inte nded to increase opportunities for people to prepare for careers not traditional for their race, gender, or disability (Ohio State University 1996; Olson 1999; Wider Opportunities for Women 1993). Over the last 2 decades, have these combined efforts made a difference? According to the Department of Labor's most recent statistics (Women's Bureau 1998), a handful of NTOs are now 20-25% female, but many others remain at less than 10%, including firefighters (2.5%), heating/air conditioning mechanics (1.5%), and tool and die makers (0.2%). Despite the 1978 goal that the construction work force of 2000 would be one-quarter female, today's reality is about 2.7%, the same leve... ...Strategies for Increasing Women's Participation in Technical and Skilled Trades Training." [digital publication] Victoria, British Columbia: Pine Tree Publishing, 1995. <http://www.islandnet.com/~haturner/edtech/edtech1.htm> Wider Opportunities for Women. Training, Placing and Retaining Women in Nontraditional Jobs. Washington, DC: WOW, 1993. (ED 362 788) Women's Bureau. Women Workers: Outlook to 2005. Washington, DC: Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, 1992. (ED 356 171) <www.all-biz.com/outlook.html> Women's Bureau. Nontraditional Occupations for Women in 1998. Washington, DC: Women's Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, 1998. <http://www.dol.gov/wb/public/wb_pubs/nontra98.htm> Zhao, P., and Fadale, L. New York State New Ventures Program Model. Albany: Two-Year College Development Center, State University of New York, 1996. (ED 404 467)

Early Literacy in Education Essay

Introduction â€Å"Literacy learning has a profound and lasting effect on the social and academic lives of children. Their future educational opportunities and career choices are directly related to literacy ability. Since early childhood is the period when language develops most rapidly, it is imperative that young children are provided with a variety of developmentally appropriate literacy experiences throughout each day, and that the classroom environment is rich with language, both spoken and printed. Early childhood teachers are responsible for both understanding the developmental continuum of language and literacy and for supporting each child’s literacy development. Literacy learning begins at birth and develops rapidly during the preschool period. The main components of literacy—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—should all be encouraged and supported through conversations and activities that are meaningful to the child and that involve adults and peers. Each child’s interest and motivation to engage in literacy-related activities are evident before that child is able to read or write conventionally. Children should be provided with environments that encourage literacy exploration and their emergent reading and writing behaviors should be valued and supported by their teachers. Effective language and literacy programs provide children who do not speak English with opportunities for listening, speaking, reading, and writing in both English and the home language. It is important for the teacher to recognize the need to make modifications in the presentation of vocabulary, directions, storytelling, reading, and other oral language communication when working with children who do not speak English as their home language. These modifications may include the use of visual aids, scaffolding, repetition, rephrasing, and modeling. † (NJ Department of Education, 2009) Gone are the days in which manual labor was the backbone of our society. We are a people living in the information technology age. Everything that is done from brewing your morning cup of coffee to setting your I-pod to wake you up morning and everything in between requires reading. Without reading a person will face great adversity in day to day living let alone success. It is now critical that every child and adult be able to read and comprehend. Over the past ten years, the amount of information that requires one to read, utilize writing skills, problem solving, and critical thinking has grown enormously. Studies have shown that one of the strongest indicators of a child’s success in school is the educational attainment of his or her parents. As you can imagine, this can plainly effect more than the person who is illiterate. This can also be a death sentence of poverty and destitution as the child grows into adulthood just as doors open for the life-long reader. Today we will discuss: what is needed to prepare children to read, the methods used to help recognize phonics and begin the transition into emergent readers, and what can be done to encourage reading in the future. Preparation In order for a child to begin reading parents must begin assisting their child from an early age. â€Å"Every step a child takes toward learning to read leads to another. Bit by bit, the child builds the knowledge that is necessary for being a reader. Over their first 6 years, most children †¢Talk and listen. †¢Listen to stories read aloud. †¢Pretend to read. †¢Learn how to handle books. †¢Learn about print and how it works. †¢Identify letters by name and shape. †¢Identify separate sounds in spoken language. †¢Write with scribbles and drawing. †¢Connect single letters with the sounds they make. †¢Connect what they already know to what they hear read. †¢Predict what comes next in stories and poems. †¢Connect combinations of letters with sounds. †¢Recognize simple words in print. †¢Sum up what a story is about. †¢Write individual letters of the alphabet. †¢Write words. †¢Write simple sentences. †¢Read simple books. †¢Write to communicate. †¢Read simple books. Children can take more than one of these steps at the same time. This list of steps, though, gives you a general idea of how your child will progress toward reading. † (Helping your child become a reader) While these ideas may seem structured, it is also important to allow children to be creative and use their imagination. Although reading is imperative, too many arrangements and rules can turn a child off and lead to feelings of resentment, anger, and resistance. Reading should be set to the tone and pace of the child. Emergent Readers As the standards of education change a consistent factor remains the focus on reading. Early childhood educators must provide an atmosphere that is both developmentally stimulating to the student while also meeting the standards of education. The methods used to help recognize phonics and begin the transition into emergent readers vary from student to student. Without the foundation of phonics research shows that a child will not learn to read. All children must know the alphabet in order to communicate effectively. Phonics cannot be drilled into the child. This will only produce memorization. Instead, educators must understand a child’s individual needs as well as balance. There is no true need to teach phonics as a separate subject. Most children will develop a sense of curiosity from their own knowledge, ideas, and interest. There will of course be a select few that may benefit from a more formal instruction. When children have a reason to know this will provide enthusiasm. For example: The first letter and sound a child typically learns may be his or her own name. A teacher may ask Billy to identify the first letter of his name. â€Å"B† replies Billy. â€Å"What sound does the letter B make? † â€Å"Buh-buh-Billy exclaims the child. Billy is now inspired and driven to want to learn the other sounds the letters make. Parents and teachers must also realize that reading will contrast greatly as children grow. Below is a list that may help each parent as well as teacher: â€Å"Infants †¢Talk, read, and sing to infants–they learn from everything they see and hear even in the first stages of life. †¢Take your baby to the park, zoo, and the store with you. Bring her attention to objects, signs, and people. †¢Always make books a part of your baby’s toy selection, even if he enjoys handling books more than being read to. As your child grows, point out pictures of objects and offer their names. Eventually, your child will be able to name the pictures, too. †¢Encourage associations between symbols and their meaning–as they get closer to toddlerhood, children may begin to recognize familiar signs for products and logos for cereal or fast food restaurants. Toddlers †¢Help toddlers make the transition from baby talk to adult language by repeating their words and expressions correctly without reprimanding them. †¢Let toddlers â€Å"read† their favorite picture books by themselves while you remain close by to comment. Or, pause before a familiar word as you read to your toddler, and let her fill in the missing word. This works especially well with rhymes or repeated refrains. †¢Provide magnetic and block letters to introduce a toddler to the spelling of his name. †¢Before you take your toddler on a new type of outing, read about the events you are about to witness. Talk with your child about the experience, and follow up with further reading to reinforce learning. Preschooler †¢Add new books to your child’s collection, but keep reading old favorites. Your preschooler may know them by heart now–this represents an important step in learning about reading. †¢Continue to take children shopping with you, and let them help identify products with coupons. Let preschool children join in as you follow a recipe. †¢Take books on long trips with you to encourage reading as entertainment. School-age children †¢Continue to read to your child, even if she has learned to read already. Take turns reading pages of your favorite books. †¢Encourage story writing by listening to the stories children tell. †¢Play word games like Scrabble or Boggle with children and introduce them to crossword puzzles. † (NAEYC, 1998) Encouragement â€Å"The first step in teaching a child to read is encouraging them to read. † – Unknown. This is a proven fact in the development of children. A child that is encouraged has no limit on what he or she can achieve. As educators and parents the responsibility begins early. Reading will encourage children to develop a life-long love for learning. If knowledge is power, books are full of it. Why is reading so important to children? â€Å"The Media Awareness Network emphasizes the potentially negative effects watching television can have on kids. This includes increased exposure to violence, sexual content, and adversely affecting a child’s course of development. In addition, watching television teaches children habits that promote a sedentary lifestyle, contributing to childhood obesity. Meanwhile, reading has been proven to enhance a child’s life by assisting cognitive development and helping children build language skills. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization points out that reading helps children develop a sense of empowerment. It can also help children develop social and communication skills. Furthermore, good reading skills increase educational opportunities and may dramatically increase a child’s chances for academic and lifelong success† (Lendabarker, 2010) There is a vast assortment of options for parents to help encourage reading at home. One of the longest running programs to encourage reading is Pizza Hut’s â€Å"BOOK IT† program. â€Å"This provides an incentive to motivate children to read. BOOK IT! runs every school year from October through March. The teacher sets a reading goal for each child in the class. A tracking chart and reproducibles are included to make it that much easier. As soon as a child meets the monthly reading goal, the teacher gives him or her a Reading Award Certificate. † (Pizza Hut) Flexible BOOK IT! goals are based on reading ability. Number of books, number of pages, or number of minutes – they all work. BOOK IT! can also be used with the reading curriculum or as support for comprehension or intervention programs. For children not reading independently, the goal can be set where a parent or others read to the child. Fun Pizza Hut is proud of all BOOK IT! readers! The restaurant manager and team congratulate every child for meeting the monthly reading goal and reward them with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza, BOOK IT! card and backpack clip. Other ideas to encourage reading include: †¢Make a habit of reading to your child every day, whether she is a one-year-old or a 10-year-old. †¢When your child is able to, have her read to you. You can take turns reading chapters in a simple chapter book, for example. †¢Get a library card for your child. Go to the library every week and take out several books. †¢Be aware of your child’s interests and direct your child to related books. †¢Try to find a series that she really likes and will want to continue reading. †¢Provide a comfortable reading area, with good lighting, in your home. †¢Discuss books with your child. †¢Buy books for your children that are related to their special interests. †¢If your child is a reluctant reader and not reading on grade level, buy her hi/lo books (books with a high interest level, low vocabulary). †¢Talk to your child’s teacher and ask for suggestions. †¢If your child likes incentives and the computer, enroll in an online book group. †¢If your child really enjoys a particular author, check with your librarian about other authors or books she might enjoy. †¢Children also often enjoy the opportunity to read children’s magazines As parents and educators, it is more important to spend time reading with your child on a consistent on-going basis. The method you select is not nearly as important as the time spent actually reading together. Conclusion Show me a child that can read and research will show you a child on his or her way to succeed. Parents, educators, grandparents, aunts, uncles all need to take time to read to a child. All too often parents rush out to buy the latest video game or latest toy. Where is that enthusiasm for the love of reading? How many children even see their parents read? We live in an age where technology surrounds us at every given moment; that does not negate the need to read and to take an active role in the education of children. The research speaks for itself. Reading equals succeeding. Works Cited Bagert, B. C. (1993). Helping your child learn to read. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from Kids Source: http://www. kidsource. com/kidsource/content/learread. html Lendabarker, K. (2010, January 3). Encouraging Children to Read. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from Suite101: http://earlychildhood. suite101. com/article. cfm/helping_children_develop_good_reading_habits NAEYC. (1998). Phonics and Whole Language Learning. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from Education. com: http://www. education. com/reference/article/Ref_Phonics_Whole/ NJ Department of Education. (2009, Unknown Unknown). Retrieved February 16, 2010, from www. state. nj. us: www. state. nj. us/education/cccs/2009/PreSchool. doc Pizza Hut. (n. d. ). Pizza Hut. Retrieved February 25, 2010, from Pizza Hut BOOK IT! program: http://www. bookitprogram. com/bedtimestory/ Uknown. (n. d. ). Literacy Guide. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from Bankstreet: http://www. bankstreet. edu/literacyguide/early2. html Unknown. (unknown, unknown unknown). Helping your child become a reader. Retrieved February 19, 2010, from Ed. gov: http://www2. ed. gov/parents/academic/help/reader/part4. html.

A Thin Layer Of Fiction Are Looking Backward By Edward...

Throughout the years, literature has often been used as a means to spread social critique. When it unfavorable or even dangerous to publicly speak out against the society of the time, the written word can act as a shield. Adding a mask of fiction to these novels allows the author to get their message out to the public who otherwise would not take the time for such issues. Two novels that exemplify this social critique behind a thin layer of fiction are Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy and Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Both of these novels offer a critique to certain aspects of American society during the time period, and do so in very similar ways. Each of these novels, Looking Backward and Herland, depict utopian societies in order to fully illustrate the issues that the authors see in their current society. Although the issues being addressed may be different, the way Bellamy and Gilman discuss them contain numerous parallels. Ranging from the cause of these utopian soci eties, to the mindset of the individuals living in them, both novels are very similar in their approach to social critique of America. Even the differences between the two are caused by common reasons. These parallels show the underlying format used by both Bellamy and Gilman that allowed them to identify the flaws in American society and offer solutions to them. One such parallel found within the novels is the cause of the utopian societies. Both Looking Backward and Herland depict communities