Moby Dick Essays - Moby-Dick, Captain Ahab, Ishmael, Moby Dick

Moby Dick The moral ambiguity of the universe is prevalent throughout Melville's Moby Dick. None of the characters represent pure evil or pure goodness. Even Melville's description of Ahab, whom he repeatedly refers to "monomaniacal," suggesting an amorality or psychosis, is given a chance to be seen as a frail, sympathetic character. When Ahab's "monomaniac" fate is juxtaposed with that of Ishmael, that moral ambiguity deepens, leaving the reader with an ultimate unclarity of principle. The final moments of Moby Dick bring the novel to a terse, abrupt climax. The mutual destruction of the Pequod and the White Whale, followed by Ishmael's epilogue occupies approximately half a dozen pages. Despite Melville's previous tendency to methodically detail every aspect of whaling life, he assumes a concise, almost journalistic approach in the climax. Note that in these few pages, he makes little attempt to assign value judgements to the events taking place. Stylistically, his narration is reduced to brusque, factual phrases using a greater number of semicolons. By ending the book so curtly, Melville makes a virtually negligible attempt at denouement, leaving what value judgements exist to the reader. Ultimately, it is the dichotomy between the respective fortunes of Ishmael and Ahab that the reader is left with. Herein lies a greater moral ambiguity than is previously suggested. Although Ishmael is the sole survivor of the Pequod, it is notable that in his own way, Ahab fulfills his desire for revenge by ensuring the destruction of the White Whale alongside his own end. Despite the seeming superiority of Ishmael's destiny, Melville does not explicitly indicate so. On the contrary, he subtly suggests that Ishmael's survival is lonely and empty upon being rescued: "It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan." (724) That single instance of the appellation "orphan" as applied to Ishmael speaks volumes when taken in light of the destruction of the Pequod and her crew. Melville's inclusion of Ishmael's survival as an epilogue, a suffix attached to the dramatic destruction of the Pequod, suggests that Ishmael's survival is an afterthought to the fate of Ahab and the rest of his crew. Ishmael's quiet words at the beginning of the chapter, "Why then here does any one step forth? ?Because one did survive the wreck," (723) indicate a deep humility on Ishmael's part. The question is then raised of why Ishmael is the sole survivor. It is clear that Ishmael significantly differs with Ahab concerning their respective perspectives of the White Whale. Ishmael clearly indicates in the chapter "The Try Works" how disagreeable he finds the mission and mentality of those around him: "?the rushing Pequod, freighted with savages, and laden with fire, and burning a corpse, and plunging into that blackness of darkness, seemed the material counterpart of her monomaniac commander's soul." (540) Here, Ishmael breaks his usual detached observancy and boldly divorces himself from Ahab's mission and those whom Ahab has recruited to aid him . Ishmael further distinguishes himself from the rest of the crew by being the sole non-exploiter of whales in general. Melville makes it clear early on that Ishmael initially chooses to ship on the Pequod for the experiential value of whaling. It has been indicated that his outlook on the whale is the only significantly benign one. Whereas Ishmael is terrified by the "whiteness of the whale," Stubb sees economic gain in the valuable whale oil, subtly hinted at by his overbearing gloating upon his first kill. In the harpooneers, we see a violent savageness, even in Queequeg's otherwise loving nature. To Ahab, the whale is a emblem of pure evil. Even prudent, rational Starbuck looks on the whale as a dumb animal, which it is his duty to exploit. The terror that Ishmael perceives is a consequence of his own vague fear of the whale's "nothingness." What Ishmael fears is the mystical, terrifying manifestation of white in the natural world, coupled with its subversion of the sense of purity attached to whiteness in the human world. Ishmael is distinguished from the rest of the crew in his ability to consider the perspectives of the others. In his role as narrator, Ishmael's ability to detachedly analyze the viewpoints of those around

Why Are Young People Predisposed to Negative Influence

Why Are Young People Predisposed to Negative Influence Raising children is never easy. It takes a lot of time, patience, and understanding to make sure your children end up on the right path. Raising children is never easy. It takes a lot of time, patience, and understanding to make sure your children end up on the right path. While you might do everything you can to teach them the right way to behave and live life, that doesnt mean that there isnt a chance that something isnt going to cause them to stray. Many people feel that some children are more rebellious by nature. They think that it doesnt matter what the parents say or do because children are going to behave a certain way regardless of what you teach them. That isnt necessarily the case. Children End Up Being Rebellious for Many Reasons When children act up, many end up saying it is because they were born that way and it is just their nature. While this might be a simple way out, it isnt the case. No child is born rebellious or wants to act out of control. It is something that they pick up on over the years. Children tend to be rebellious for a number of other factors. SEXUAL CONTENT ON TV HAS A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON TEENAGERS Something like having their parents divorce can cause a child to become rebellious. They act out because they want attention and dont feel like they are getting enough attention now that one parent is out of the home. It is a cry for help. They are letting you know that there is something going on emotionally and they need a little extra help to get through the ordeal. They arent acting up and going against you because they are hard-wired that way. By taking the time to learn whats really going on beneath the surface, you can begin the healing process and help turn things around for your child. It only takes your being willing to listen and work with them to get things going in the right direction once again. Rebellion Doesnt Equal Negative Influences While all children are going to push the boundaries at some point in time or another, that doesnt mean that they are always going to be that way. Many associate rebellious children as those who are always going to do the wrong thing and hang out with the wrong crowd. Sure, that might happen every now and again, but it isnt necessarily the norm. There are a number of rebellious children who have a lot of positive influences in their life on a regular basis. In fact, they were probably just like their peer group at one point. That is  until something happened that changed their life around and caused an upset in it. Negative Influences Are Everywhere As much as you might want your children only to hang with the right crowds and do the right things, you cannot control everything going on in their lives. There will always be negative influences out there for your children to deal with on a regular basis. The key is being able to teach them the differences between what is right and what is wrong and helping guide them on the right path. Even though you arent always going to be there to make the decisions for them, you can try to help in any way you can by preparing them for what they might face on a regular basis. SINGLE-PARENT CHILDREN BEHAVIOUR Negative influences will always be around. Whether it be in the form of peer pressure, a co-worker, friend, family member or something else, you cannot escape it. The only thing you can do is to take the time to make sure your children know what they should or shouldnt be doing and how to deal with any negative situations that might arise. Growing up is difficult enough already. By taking the time to try and prepare your children for everything the world holds in store for them as they grow older, you can make things a little easier and far less stressful. Remember, no child sets out to be rebellious. There is always something else going on beneath the surface that you need to address.

Definition and Examples of Family Slang in English

Definition and Examples of Family Slang in English The informal term family slang refers to words and phrases (neologisms) created, used, and generally understood only by the members of a family. Also called kitchen table lingo, family words, and domestic slang. A lot of these words, says Bill Lucas, a trustee of the English Project at Winchester University, are inspired by the sound or the look of a thing, or are driven by an emotional response to that being described. Examples [Examples of this] sort of vocabulary [i.e., family slang or kitchen table lingo] . . . include words for items for which no standard name exists, like Blenkinsop (a comical-sounding but authentic British family name) for the little tab which slides across the top of self-sealing plastic bags for refrigeration, or trunklements to describe bits and pieces, personal possessions. Words which have moved into wider circulation such as helicopter and velcroid for intrusive parents or neighbors, howler for baby, and chap-esse for female probably originated in family usage. (Tony Thorne,  Dictionary of Contemporary Slang, 4th ed.  Bloomsbury,  Ã‚  2014)Greebles and TwangerIf there was no word for a thing, Sally Wallace invented it: greebles meant little bits of lint, especially those which feet brought into bed; twanger was the word for something whose name you dont know or cant remember. (D.T. Max, The Unfinished. The New Yorker, March 9, 2009)Hotchamachacha!One of [my fathers] favori te words Ive never heard on anyone elses lips: hotchamachacha! I imagine this began life as a conjurors invocation, like abracadabra. My father uses it, though, to create a general sense of humorous mystification (Am I going to get a chemistry set for my birthday, Daddy? Hotchamachacha!), or to pour scorn on what someone (usually me) is saying (Come onquickseven nines! Um... eighty-two? Hotchamachacha!), or to warn you urgently against doing something dangherooz. (Michael Frayn, My Fathers Fortune: A Life. Metropolitan Books, 2010) KaboofI’m 64 years old and ever since I can remember, we’ve called the area under stairs (the crawlspace) the kaboof. (Paula Pocius, Grammar Composition blog, December 31, 2007)Missmas CardsMissmas Cards are those you send after receiving Christmas Cards from people to whom you would not have sent, and which will surely arrive at their destination after Christmas. (Tanja, Grammar Composition blog, December 31, 2007)Manniversary and Mundungus DrawerThe Today program (Today, BBC Radio 4) asked its listeners to e-mail in their kitchen table lingo:Manniversary: John Roser and his partner use this to describe their annual anniversary.Mundungus Drawer: a drawer in Caroline Harris kitchen where everything and anything lives. Splosh, Gruds, and Frarping: Family Slang in Britain Linguists have published a new list of ‘domestic’ slang words which they say are now commonplace in British homes. Unlike some other slang, these words are used by people of all generations and are often used as a way to bond with other family members. According to the research, people are now more than likely to ask for splosh, chupley or blish when they fancy a cup of tea. And among the 57 new words identified meaning television remote control are blabber, zapper, melly and dawicki. The new words were published this week in the Dictionary of Contemporary Slang  [2014],  which examines the changing language of today’s society... Other household slang used by families include grooglums, the bits of food left in the sink after washing up, and slabby-gangaroot, the dried ketchup left around the mouth of the bottle.The personal possessions of a grandparent are now referred to as trunklements, while underpants are known as gruds.And in less well-mannered households, there is a new word for the act of scratching one’s backsidefrarping. (Eleanor Harding, Fancy a Blish? The Daily Mail [UK], March 3, 2014) Homely Terms - Family slang undoubtedly does in one way or another modify and create novel forms of speech which tend to become homely terms of unconventional usage. It may even be true that the most insignificant member of the family, the baby, may have the greatest influence in the matter of introducing novel forms. (Granville Hall, The Pedagogical Seminary, 1913)- More often than not, family words can be traced back to a child or grandparent, and sometimes they get passed down from generation to generation. They seldom escape the province of one family or a small cluster of familiesso are therefore seldom written down and must be gathered in conversation. (Paul Dickson, Family Words, 2007)

No topic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

No topic - Term Paper Example Our hospital provides our patients with 24/7 psychological support. Moreover, there is a perfect opportunity for family members to take part in these meetings and see positive results of our help. In spite of our efforts, there are some complaints from our patients. We clearly realize that they suffer from constant pain and depression and that is why we would like to apologize for making you and your mother worry. We can assure you that we do our best to make our patients feel comfortable in the process of treatment. We can solve this problem together and work in the name of good emotional conditions of our patients. We would like to invite you to visit meetings and trainings, which are free of charge and available for family members of our patients at any convenient time. Programs of support â€Å"Trust me†, â€Å"We hear you†, â€Å"We shall overcome† are available online at www.wakemed. com. You can contact me via email or by cell phone, which I specified on my visit card you have. We are looking forward to cooperation, understanding and help from you. Let’s help your mother live through this difficult period in her life

Ethical Delimas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethical Delimas - Essay Example BP used its own business analysis about the production resources of its reserves worldwide and their depletion through â€Å"peak oil† theories, and determined that it would be innovative in investing current budgetary surplus and profits into future sectors and alternative energy. This can be seen as evidence of a 20 to 30 year future plan for the company aligned with socially progressive â€Å"Green† ideologies, yet rooted in the profit of the status quo and oil-dominated economies globally. Thus, the Green initiative of BP can be critically questioned as to its veracity of motive or construction as a marketing tool and brand, but few other companies globally have invested so much capital in Green technologies and clean, alternative energy sources. Evidence suggests that this is derived from the influence of socially progressive forces inside the publicly traded company as employees and management as the primary cause for the change in business model, though it is bas ed also in a stark view of the changes required in Western societies economically over the next twenty years. This can be seen in a lecture given by Dominic Emery of BP in London in March of 2011, where he shows how BP’s policy on renewable energy was developed out of its own research into global economic trends: â€Å"Renewables, including biofuels, are projected to account for 18% of the growth in energy to 2030 – compared to 5% of the growth since 1990 - and the rate at which renewables penetrate the global energy market is similar to the emergence of nuclear power in the 1970s and 1980s. The projected shift from higher to lower carbon energy is driven in large part by the anticipated trend of increasing policy support. So even in our base case – what we see as the most likely outcome - we see a change in the fuel mix that projects a strong future for renewables, gas and nuclear. Wind, solar, biofuels and other renewables all look set to grow their share in primary energy, from less than 2% now to over 6% by 2030. The same is true of nuclear and hydropower.The use of renewable energy will grow strongly – we believe at around 8.2% per year to 2030 which is almost four times the 2010 level by 2030.† (Emery, 2011) Focusing on cleantech and renewable energy is not simply a marketing ploy or lip-service for BP to mask its environmental destruction in oil drilling or the inordinate profits, salaries, and benefits of its executives & owners. Rather, BP has actually some of the most highly respected market analysts in the oil and gas industry looking at internal production numbers related to peak oil, and sees the development of cleantech in a society as proceeding at an accelerated rate over the next twenty years. In this business analysis, BP management decided to form a venture capital affiliate (AE Ventures) to invest profits from current operations in future business opportunities in cleantech. â€Å"AE Ventures is the strat egic corporate venture capital arm of BP Alternative Energy. The team is focusing on three investment activities: investing in highly innovative cleantech companies and funds; investing in next generation carbon offsets; incubating proprietary cleantech R&D. The team was set-up in 2006 and has since invested around $100m in 20 different cleantech and carbon ventures and funds. The aim is to invest a total of $150-200m by 2013.† (BP, 2011) An excellent example of this is the company’

Graduation Speech: Perseverance and Determination :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

As a hurdler for County High, I stumble upon some pretty tough obstacles each time I race; the same is true in life. Everyone encounters obstacles, but in order to overcome them and succeed, one must never give up. I love to run hurdles, but unfortunately last year, little pulls and strains prevented me from running to my full potential. One Thursday, we had a home track meet against Lake Stevens. For the first time I was in pretty good shape for my race, the 100-meter hurdles. I began jumping up and down partially to stay warm, and partially to let out some of my excitement. By this time, I had butterflies in my stomach and the adrenaline was pumping. The starter asked us to 'Take your sweats off and stand behind your blocks.' 'Runners take your marks.' Hands shaking, I crouched into the starting blocks. The gun was up. 'Set!' 'Bang!' I bolted out of the blocks. I was way ahead of the other girls when suddenly, I realized I didn't have enough speed to carry me over the next hurdle. Gathering all of the strength I could, I grabbed at the air in hopes of guaranteeing clearance. I had just brushed over the wood when my foot hit the ground and my ankle gave out. I fell. I heard a gasp from the cro wd and the other racers' feet pounding past me. I got back up. I had never gone over a hurdle with my right leg first, but I did after that fall. Sprinting as fast as I could in between hurdles, I found myself basically bunny hopping over the rest of them. My goal was to cross that finish line and to be able to say that I did the very best that I could, even if I didn't look very graceful along the way. Although it might have seemed like a bad day, I was proud. It was the first time I had ever fallen in a race, and not only did I get back up and keep running, I managed to place second. Sometimes you encounter hurdles in life - sometimes you have to adapt and alter your normal routine to clear them. Then there are times you fall; the people surrounding you may gasp - they had been rooting for you. But they haven't given up on you-it's now more than ever that they want you to succeed - it's human nature to want the underdog to come from behind.

Child Development Holistic Essay

Introduction I am require to review a play activity that I used my observational skills to plan for. I decided to do indoor art activity, which was making a Robin with the Children while observing TC by doing this activity may learn the textures and colours, and they will use a hand and eye co-ordination. The Intellectual, Physical, Language, social and emotional observations allows us to find out what children understand, how they think, what they are able to do, and interests are. This information helps us to build rich stories of children as capable and competent learners in order to support further activities and development. In doing this, observation gave me information to give on-going feedback to children about how they are getting on in their learning, to provide enjoyable experiences for them, to choose appropriate supports for them, and to document, celebrate and plan the next steps in their learning. Aims My play activity was a robin, so in this activity children need to stick and cut out a small pieces of carbon sheet. This art activity supporting children’s large and small muscle development, as well as their eye-hand coordination. Using paintbrushes, fingers and scissors helps children practice the fine motor control they will need for writing later on. Children were work together in the art area , they learn to share and interact with others , these are important changes for social learning. During this activity I valued TC’s creativity, so I helped him to feel valued as like everybody and hopped to raise his self-esteem. After this activity I got better observation and planning skills. Read more:  How many words in 10 minutes. Planning Before doing that activity I had discussion with my supervisor about that activity it is propped for children in that age and do she have any ideas. Also I must to have a permission from supervisor and parents. After that I need to plan what equipment I may use and plan out a costs of it. I need to buy a 20pack of carbon sheets which cost 3.25e, sugar paper cost 2.45e, PVA glue cost 2.50e and the rest of equipment like brushes, scissors etc. I used a room in the setting so that was no costs. Also I need help in washing hands, and I also needed help with supervising my group. And the last step before my activity was to make sure is everything safe for children like for  e.g. glue was non-toxic, floors are non-slip and is no any sharp corners in the room etc. Narrative Date of observation: 04th April 2014 Time observation started and finished: 12.00a.m. to 1.00p.m.but observed TC 12:35-12-12:45 Number of children present: sixteen children did this play activity, including TC Number of adults present: 2 and 1 student Permission obtained from: supervisor Description of setting: This observation took place at the Montessori, the observation took place in the main room of the Montessori, It’s a bright and spacious room. All children were involved in this too . Immediate context: The Montessori room was a bright and airy rooms. The observation took place at 12:00 in the evening. TC is listening and sitting down when I was explaining and demonstrating the play activity . Brief description of the child observed: TC is a male aged (4). He is a bright and very happy child, he gets on with all his classmates. and loves getting involved but also can get a bit distracted. Aim of observation: The aim of this observation is to observe TC for a period of 10minutes in order to assess his Developments. the play activity was an hour long. Rationale: It is important to observe children in order to plan developmentally appropriate activities for them. Method: Narrative TC is sitting around the table along with fellow classmates and is enjoying himself. TC approaches fellow classmate ‘Why is your Robin messy?’ Child X ‘no its not!’ TC ‘yes it is, you painted on the table’ child X ‘I didn’t mean too’. TC turns around and continues to finish his work. He leans over to get some googly eyes for his Robin. TC ‘I want the big ones’, hoping that the teacher or myself would hand them to him. TC gets off his seat an says ‘I’ll get them I want to see if there is two funny ones’ Child Y ‘haha, I’m going to do that too’. TC laughs and sits down to apply his eyes onto his Robin and shouts ‘FINISHED’, he then jumps up and shows myself and the teachers his work, I praised him for a good job he did and TC replies back ‘Thank you Chloe’, He then goes over to the sink as he has glue on them and starts to mess with his hands by slap ping them together. TC ‘haha, feels  funny’. TC then washes his hands to remove paint and glue of his hands. He then goes over to the place he was sitting and cleans up what pieces of paper were there. TC throws it in the bin ‘Thank you Mr. bin’. As TC is finished before some of the other children he goes over to some to observe their work. TC ‘child Z that’s really cool’, Child Z ‘thanks it took ages’. TC walks away and find a piece of paper on the ground and picks it saying ‘paper! who owns this paper?, I have paper!! anyone want this paper?’ Child F ‘no’, TC ‘oh okay, I’ll put it in the bin’ TC walks over to the bin and opens it and says ‘you are very good Mr. bin’. TC then goes over to the library to read a book as he is finished his work. This ends my 10 minute observation on TC Observations I choose this activity because children one week before were doing something similar before, they were enjoyed so I decide to do something similar. Children’s reaction was positive, when I told them what we will do it they clap their hands. I ask them to sit down at the table in the art area and I prepared all staff that was needed. TC sat down and started to chat away among friends. After that I explained how we will make a robin and I show them a final work, to give it an idea to children how final peace should look like. Then we started doing it. During activity I again explained clearly what we need to do next, step by step. I want to learn children how to share which others, what is proper handing a paintbrush and scissors, how to use their creativity and imagination to solve problems, learn them how to interact and work co-operatively and give help to others, also I think that this activity help to make children a better team workers. When every child have it done, I ask them to line up to the sink and I ask them to wash their hands. TC was a problem as he had glue on his hands and wanted to run and stick his hands to other fellow classmates hands. Implementation Section 2 My play activity took me one hour. I think that TC had a great time with doing a robin because he didn’t lose interest and I know that, cutting out, painting , sticking and playing with other in my case was working in the group, and for TC. I learn more about supervising TC during an activity and  now I know how to make children interested in something. TC meets all the development skills in this play activity. TC by doing art activity can in easy way express his feelings. To the Physical development I can bring Aistear well-being theory, because everything was healthy and safe, the equipment that I used was non-toxic etc. Intellectual development during this activity TC had problems with proper holding scissors so my role was to show him how to do it. Vygotsky stressed the importance for development of someone who knows more than the child to learn something that would be too difficult for the child to do on his or her own. Also we can bring Vogotsky and Piagets theory about concentration and imagination, it will suit to Aistear, team exploring and thinking. Language development TC was well able to communicate with me and with other children in the group. Skinner says that behaviour thought that language had to be ‘put into’ children, because they are rather like empty vessels. But the Chomsky had different opinion on ‘empty vessels’ and he says that babies are born with the predisposition to learn, talk and listen. Children learn to talk because they are genetically equipped to do so. Language development is in Aistear in communicating team. Emotional development when TC was doing this activity he build a relationship with other children in group, they communicate with him. When they finish their work I praised them and also to TC who was thrilled with himself, this gives them self-esteem and has grown, so that build attachment between me and children (TC). I talk with children and to TC about good behaviour and I told them what consequences will be when they won’t listen me. In this part we can see Freud’s theory about ego. Definition of an ego is that the children begin to consider the consequences of their actions and also start being able to plan the best way of meeting the powerful id’s demands. Also I can see here superego, because TC knows what is right and what is wrong. TC was a good team workers and built a friendships with others. It is in Identity & belonging team in Aistear. Reflection Section 3: My Role: * Judging how best to support TC during activity. Adults have to be able to gauge when and how to intervene in child led activities – too much intervention can interrupt the flow of TC’s play and  learning, but lack of support may mean that TC’s play/activity becomes repetitive or learning opportunities were missed. * Encouraging TC to take ownership of activities Most children will concentrate for longer periods when they have some kind of ownership over an activity. This means that wherever possible children should be encouraged to be creative and make their own decisions. This requires adults to be confident, and quite often the more confident early years worker is able to find opportunities for children to develop their own ideas or approach an activity in their own way. * Encouraging TC to preserve There are often situations where children need a little help or encouragement from an adult in order to finish an activity, such as drawing etc. This may mean giving children a little helping hand . Helping children to preserve to the end of the activity can increase their self-esteem and concentration skills. * Interacting with TC A major part of the early years worker role is to build children’s communication and language skills. Older children may need questioning and prompts to learn from their experiences, for example question such as ‘ why do you think this is blue colour?’ Also I need to be able to listen and simply chat to children. * Extending or adopting activities to meet TC’s needs It is important for adults working with children to know how to adapt or extend an activity for a child e.g. to make a task easier or more challenging. This is the way in which you can include all children and is major focus of inclusion policies. Ideally I should think about the needs of children before an activity starts, but in some cases I will need to adapt the activity once I see that is not meeting a child’s needs. Varying the activity according to the needs of the children will mean that children enjoy learning and do not get bored or feel that they failed. Section 4: †¢ Objectivity means to keep your own opinions, emotions, prejudices, and biases out of a situation. When applying objectivity in child care, it helps to teach the child the importance of; observing boundaries, the consequences of right and wrong, ineffectiveness of manipulation and other key character traits that will make them more responsible members of the society. †¢ You can recognize a sensitivity period occurring when you see child your child developing a passion for a certain toy or activity. *He may be trying to acquire balance and is drawn to walk on the cracks of sidewalks, or along  the curb. * She may be drawn to pick up small objects of any kind to develop the pincer grip. *Your child will spontaneously repeat the activity again and again until one day the cycle is finished. *The activity may not seem to be particularly meaningful to you, but it fulfils some area of mental or physical development and aware parents and caregivers will permit the activity. †¢ There are many influences on the environment such factors that influence a child’s early years of development. Some factors can be within the environment itself, like chemicals and pollution. Other factors can be parental, societal and economical. A child’s behaviour and personality is dependent upon the world around him. The interaction between heredity and the environment can also play an important role in the growth and development of a child. Chemicals and Pollution -Chemicals in the environment can affect a child’s performance in school, growth and development, health, and overall well-being. According to Chemical Kids by Dan Orzech, children are exposed to toxins in various ways–diesel exhaust from school buses, pesticides in foods, lead paint and mercury. Parental Factors -A child’s growth and development in the early years are primarily shaped by parents. The amount of parental interaction with a child can negatively or positively affect a child. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, the state of the parents also plays a role in the developmental process. Factors such as whether both biological parents are in the home or if the child is raised by a single parent come into play. In a single-parent home, there is often less of a support system, which increases the odds a child will grow up in poverty. Societal Factors -Societal factors, such as peer interaction, may also influence the child. Children with poor language skills may have a difficult time interacting with other children. However, interaction with children can be useful in child development due to imitation–the child learns to imitate the behaviour of peers. This can aid in motor skills and language development. Social isolation can negatively affect a child’s ability to play normally, due to the lack of imitation. According to Laurie A Couture, denial of  social interaction can be a form of abuse. Economical Factors -According to National Center for Children in Poverty, poverty can affect brain development in early childhood, due to the lack of proper nutrition and quality of care. Poverty can also increase risk factors in parents, such as depression, substance abuse and social isolation. Stressors placed on poor families increase occurrences of child abuse and neglect. Abuse affects a child’s ability to form healthy attachments and can lead to depression, anxiety and a propensity for violence. In addition, poor families tend to live in dangerous neighbourhoods and cannot afford proper child care. †¢The Impact of Nature on Development Nature, which is also known as heredity, is the genetic code you are born with. It is passed on to you from your parents. Some examples of nature or heredity could be your height, behavior, and IQ just to name a few. The issue of nature having a great impact on a child’s development can be illustrated in the studies of twins. Flanagan (2002) explored the Minnesota study in which a set of twins was raised separately. In one case, a set of identical twins was raised apart, known as the Jim twins. They did not meet until they were almost forty and had many similarities even though they were raised apart. There was no real explanation for all their similarities except that nature must play a crucial role in development. â€Å"The Minnesota twin study concluded that on multiple measures of personality and temperament, occupational and leisure-time interests and social attitudes, mono-zygotic twins reared apart are about as similar as are mono-zygotic twins reared together† ( Flanagan). This is a prime example that nature plays a significant role in our development.Another example of nature is the study of adopted babies. Families with adopted children share the same environment, but not the same genetic code (Flanagan, 2002).The Texas Adoption Project found â€Å"little similarity between adopted children and their siblings, and greater similarity between adopted children and their biological parents† (Flanagan). This example also shows how important the role of nature plays on a child’s development.Knowing that nature plays a role in a child’s development, educators can use this to determine possible disabilities. For example, if two parents have a reading disability, it is  more likely that their child may develop a reading disability as well. It gives teachers a heads up on what to look out for. This can help educators be proactive and intervene at earlier ages. The Impact of Nurture on Development The influence of a person’s environment on their behavior is a very commonly accepted factor. The question is how much can the environment affect the behavior and abilities of a person. Some basic factors such as nutrition can be shown to have an important influence on the abilities of a person. It has also been demonstrated that fears, through the experiences of children, can be learned. Most importantly, some behaviors, if not learned from the environment, will never develop. Environment plays a significant role in development as humans.When considering a person’s environment in influencing ability, nutrition plays an important example. In one study, a group of children were given vitamin and mineral supplements for eight months. They were given intelligence tests before and after the eight-month treatment. The result was improvements in scores as compared to another group whom we not given vitamin and mineral supplements (â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture†, 2001). The results suggest that environment plays a role in the intellectual ability of people. It is not an illogical leap to understand this will probably extend to physical abilities as well.nother example of environmental influences in the behavior of people comes from a study done to an infant of 11 months. The infant was subjected to a terrible noise whenever he attempted to touch a white rat in the room with him. The child later displayed fear whenever he came in contact with anything white or furry (â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture†, 2001).A last example of environmental influences in behavior comes from France in 1799. A boy of 12 or 13 was found running with wolves. When he was discovered he was brought back into society. He never developed as a normal human and had tremendous difficulties in society (â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture†, 2001). This suggests that much of what we consider human behavior is socially learned. While no one would suggest that nurture is the only factor that needs to be considered in discussing behavior, it is definitely a significant factor in how we behave as humans. By ignoring the environment, we would miss a large part of what shapes and guides us in life. In conclusion, both sides of the nature/nurture debate present evidence which  supports its impact on development. Studies have shown that heredity is a major factor in developmental similarities among twins raised separately (Flanagan 2002). Studies have also shown that nutrition plays a significant role in cognitive development (â€Å"Nature vs. Nurture†, 2001). Most experts agree that most aspects of a child’s development are a product of the interaction of both nurture and nature (Bee, 2004). Interestingly, in recent years, new technology has enabled scientists to gain a deeper understanding of the genetic component of development, increasing interest on this side of the debate (Bee). Although no longer an â€Å"all or nothing† issue, the extent to which nature and nurture affect development will likely be debated for years to come. †¢Having a good understanding of the normative measurements of the framework of developmental milestones can assist us in early identification of any delays or difficulties. This can then enable access to early interventions to support the child and family. If milestones are viewed too rigidly and do not take into account the variance of individual development children can be incorrectly perceived as â€Å"failing†, or worse, they can be set up to fail by over-expectation. Section 5: Planning Name of activity: Robins Setting: The setting consists of a Montessori preschool. It is a bright and spacious and perfect for the children to do their art activity. Number of Children: sixteen children did this play activity, including TC. Age of Children: 4 – 5 years old, TC is 4 Gender of Children: The gender of the children are a mixture of male and female. TC is male Timing: I spent approximately 15 minutes preparing and explain and about 45 minutes doing the actual activity with the children, and then had 10 minutes to clean up clean up at the end with the help of each child Materials needed and what I did with it: * Circular paper plate or white paper/carol or cereal box -> cut into circle * PVA glue (non-toxic) * Tones of sugar paper for e.g. brown (light brown, dark brown) * Red breast -> tissue paper (can use any colour) * Brush/glue stick * For eyes/beak/legs -> sugar paper * Cut out circular shape, can trace it from e.g. circular plate, use compass or top of circular stool * Get glue of brown sugar papers  * Draw a line for the breast curve the line to make him/her more 3D * Start with bottom section, use watered dawn glue. Stick on chosen colours of tissue paper , I used pink & purple, every child could choose any colour what they like. * Place tissue down on circular cut out shape and brush over with watery glue to stick- cover all this area. * For face/ layer brown sugar paper * Tear the sugar paper into small strips, then starting put a row of glue down and start to stick a row of sugar paper. * Next layer another raw of brown sugar paper on top of this one- keep going until you reach top of head * Depending on the ages- either use googly eyes or cut eyes, legs and beak from sugar paper . (My group was suitable for cutting eyes, legs and beak) Discussion with supervisor: I asked the teachers about this play activity as the children have done something like this before and they agreed to let me do it. Safety: This activity is safe for the children to undertake. The paint is non-toxic so the children will not be inhaling any harmful toxins. Equality of opportunity: An equal opportunity is offered to the children regardless of their race, colour, sex, ethnic background and religious beliefs. Preparation of space and materials: I spent 10 minutes preparing the activity. I prepared the paint, putting them into a container, getting bibs for the children to prevent any messing of their clothes. I put a plastic cover over the table to prevent the table from being messed up. I demonstrated the activity to the children first. Discussion with children: I talked to them at the end to see if they enjoyed it and to observe TC and to see if all five developments being used during this, and to see if he enjoyed himself. Learning Outcomes (PILES): TC learned about the colours they are painting, learned about Robins on what colour and shape and what type of animal they were. Physical: TC will further develop skills like fine motor skills, hand eye coordination and gross motor skills. Intellectual: TC learned about the colours of the paint and shapes. Emotional: TC got a thrill out of doing messy activities such as hand and finger painting.   Social: TC learned to share and clean up after themselves. Learning Theme (Aistear): The theme of Exploring and Thinking are about TC making sense of the things, places and people in their world by interacting with others, playing, investigating, questioning, and forming, testing and refining ideas. Evaluation My play activity took me one hour. I think that TC had a great time with doing a robin because he didn’t lose interest and I know that, cutting out, painting , sticking and playing with other in my case was working in the group, and for TC. I learn more about supervising TC during an activity and now I know how to make children interested in something. TC meets all the development skills in this play activity. TC by doing art activity can in easy way express his feelings. To the Physical development I can bring Aistear well-being theory, because everything was healthy and safe, the equipment that I used was non-toxic etc. Intellectual development during this activity TC had problems with proper holding scissors so my role was to show him how to do it. Vygotsky stressed the importance for development of someone who knows more than the child to learn something that would be too difficult for the child to do on his or her own. Also we can bring Vogotsky and Piagets theory about concentration and imagination, it will suit to Aistear, team exploring and thinking. Language development TC was well able to communicate with me and with other children in the group. Skinner says that behaviour thought that language had to be ‘put into’ children, because they are rather like empty vessels. But the Chomsky had different opinion on ‘empty vessels’ and he says that babies are born with the predisposition to learn, talk and listen. Children learn to talk because they are genetically equipped to do so. Language development is in Aistear in communicating team. Emotional development when TC was doing this activity he build a relationship with other children in group, they communicate with him. When they finish their work I praised them and also to TC who was thrilled with himself, this gives them self-esteem and has grown, so that build attachment between me and children (TC). I talk with children and to TC about good behaviour and I told them what consequences will be when they won’t listen me. In this part we can see Freud’s theory about ego. Definition of an ego is that the children begin to consider the consequences of their actions and  also start being able to plan the best way of meeting the powerful id’s demands. Also I can see here superego, because TC knows what is right and what is wrong. TC was a good team workers and built a friendships with others. It is in Identity & belonging team in Aistear. Reflection Recommendations I would need extra help, and I would change an age of children because some children were waiting for others. And also If I will have another chance to do it again I would do it in different time of the day (straight away in the morning), because in my opinion TC was tired and was hard to make him pay attention sometimes. I should have done my narrative earlier instead of doing it near the end of the play activity. I would recommend to do more play activity’s cause it’s a great way to develop all skills and TC finds it very enjoyable. Bibliography * http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Attachment-Theory/52354 * http://www.extension.org/pages/25680/creative-art-helps-children-develop-across-many-domains * http://www.appleton-child-care.com/child-care-daily-schedule.shtml *http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/providers/little.html *www.ehow.com †º Parenting‎ *Bee, Helen (2004). Child and adolescent development (Section 1, pp. 3). Retrieved July 28, 2004, from University of Phoenix website: www.myresource.phoenix.edu *Flanagan, C. (2002). Nature and nurture: why are siblings so different? Psychology Review, 8(3), 23. Retrieved July 28, 2004, from the InfoTrac Database. *Nature vs. Nurture (2001). Planet Papers. Retrieved July 28, 2004, from the World Wide Web: http://www.planetpapers.com/Assets/3492.php