Italian or German Essay Example for Free

Italian or German Essay In this paper, I was interested in exploring whether or not bilingual children were more likely to have delayed language development compared to their monolingual peers. I looked at several resources that each focused on a different aspect of language development. All the information came from noted experts in the field of child development, although the types of resources differed. I began with an article that sorted through much of the existing data on bilingualism in order to create a foundation for the subject. Then I looked at additional readings to see whether or not they supported the information from that source. The first article, by Ellen Bialystok, is itself a review of existing literature and studies regarding the acquisition of literacy among children who have been bilingual since birth. She writes that most research focuses on literacy development for learners in their second language, second language literacy in monolinguistics or the cognitive and linguistic aspects of achieving fluency in a second language. Studies that look at how true bilingual learners acquire necessary skills for reading and writing are few, but among those that she reviews, important discoveries may provide insight into how those children can achieve literacy. Children need three language skills before they can learn to read and write. They must have an oral competency with the literary forms of a language, an understanding of the symbolic meanings of print, and the metalinguistic awareness of phonology. This information comes from studies of monolinguistic children, but each of these skills is influenced by bilingualism. The question to be answered is, Does bilingualism have a positive, negative or neutral effect on the acquisition of literacy? All of the above, as it turns out. It depends upon the skill. According to Bialystok, several studies have shown that vocabulary size is smaller in bilingual learners, although these studies are limited and may have been influenced by the verbal abilities of the individual subjects. Regardless, weaker oral language skills contribute to difficulties in literacy acquisition. Another building block for reading and writing is the understanding that the printed symbols encode meaning and represent the spoken language. This skill appears to be transferable across languages, giving bilingual learners an advantage in its mastery. Individual languages have different specifics, but the generalities extend across all languages. Bialystok reviewed studies that examined children’s understanding of the invariance of print, or that a particular arrangement of notations always corresponds to the same spoken word, and their understanding of the rules that govern the correlation of the printed forms to the meaning of the text. Bilingual learners were much more aware of both of these concepts, giving them an advantage over their monolinguistic peers. The last prerequisite for literacy is phonological awareness. Bialystok found that studies of this metalinguistic concept revealed differing levels of competence depending on the language. Some languages, such as Italian or German, are more transparent and have more consistent spelling patterns. English is more difficult because of the many irregularities and exceptions to the rules in the language. Due to the many differences, it appears that bilingual learners develop phonological awareness separately, meaning that the knowledge of two languages has a neutral impact on this skill. A very limited number of studies indicated monolinguistic and bilingual learners each had some advantages in different phonological tasks but that most of these differences equaled out by the first grade. The following three articles look at one or more aspects that Bialystok addressed. Each has a slightly different focus and purpose, but all try to answer the basic question of whether bilingualism is an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to the language development of young children. The article, â€Å"Bilingual Acquisition,† on the Earlychildhood News website, is aimed at parents and educators of young children and focuses on some of the most common concerns about the effects of bilingualism. The author, Fred Genesee, is an expert in his field and therefore is a reliable source. The general tone and the presentation of the article seem to be geared towards parents and educators who fear that children will be delayed in developing language skills if they are exposed to more than one language in their preschool years. Genesee reassures readers that bilingual children do not show a significant difference in their language development other than the differences that occur among all children. His findings are consistent with Bialystok’s regarding vocabulary size. Although bilingual children may have smaller vocabularies in each of their languages compared to monolingual speakers, the total number of words from both languages tends to give bilingual children larger vocabularies. Genesee points out that the differences in vocabulary size are usually not very great once children begin school. This article does not spend much time discussing how to ensure that children achieve literacy in their second language without sacrificing ability in their first. This makes sense because most readers on this website are more likely to be interested in making sure that their non-native English speakers will be able to catch up to their peers. Genesee comments a few times that it is important for children to continue to hear both languages in order to remain bilingual. He encourages parents to use the language that they know best and to provide opportunities for children to hear their first language in the community and their homes. The next article is actually a chapter entitled â€Å"Young Bilingual Children and Early Literacy Development† from the book, Handbook of Early Literacy Research. This reading examines the development of literacy among bilingual children and takes into account how the amount of exposure to each language affects that development. In this study, the authors, Patton O. Tabors and Catherine E. Snow, looked at the effects of bilingualism during three time periods: birth to age 3, ages 3-5, and then ages 5-8. Children at each of these three periods were at different stages of language development and presumably had different language influences. First, the study looked at the various combinations of language exposures for infants and toddlers. The children were grouped into four categories. In the first, both the family at home and the members of the surrounding community used the home language, in this case, Spanish. English input was limited. The second group heard their native language at home, but the outside community spoke English. This is often the case among families who have come from countries that do not have large numbers of immigrants to the U. S. In the third and fourth groups, the children heard both their first language and English at home, but only the third group heard both in the community These different levels of exposure mean differing levels of bilingualism, and that has an impact on later literacy development. Beginning at about age 3, children could be placed into three types of classrooms: a first-language only, a bilingual or an English-language classroom. The children who come from the first or second exposure groups mentioned above did very well in both the first-language and bilingual classrooms. They received support from home in the language of instruction, which strengthened their development. Children who spoke both their first language and English at home also did well in bilingual classrooms, and they did better in English-only classrooms than their peers who spoke no English at home. The danger for the last group, which heard their first language at home only and not in the community was that they began to lose proficiency in their first language. Bilingual classrooms are particularly beneficial for them. What to do during these early school years, first and second grades, is a subject of much debate. Proponents of single language instruction believe that it is best for children to learn in the second language. However, underdeveloped oral command of the language leads to significant problems when trying to learn to read. Some evidence shows that these children fail to grasp the meaning of what they’ve read. In addition, these children rarely, if ever, become literate in their native language, which contributes to a loss of their heritage and culture. The best way for bilingual children to achieve literacy, according to these authors, is for them to become proficient in their first language and then transfer those skills to the second. This idea is supported by Bialystok. Tabors and Snow do mention some concerns with this approach, such as when should children begin the transition to the second language and should they continue to develop literacy skills in their first language after that transition. In the final article, the researchers, Stephanie M. Carlson and Andrew N. Meltzoff, designed a study to determine if bilingual children have any other advantages over their monolingual peers. Particularly, the study examined the effects bilingualism has on young children’s executive functioning. Their conclusions found that bilingual children are much more adept at conceptual inhibition, or in ignoring previously relevant information. Bilingual children do not switch back and forth between languages. Instead, they keep the relevant language in focus and ignore input from the irrelevant language. In doing this, these children have a lot of practice in inhibitory control, and that ability is transferable to other behaviors. For their study, Carlson and Meltzoff looked at three different groups of children: native bilinguals in Spanish and English, English monolinguals, and English monolinguals who were in a language-immersion kindergarten. The researchers controlled for numerous variables, including a family’s socio-economic status and the children’s verbal ability. The children participated in several experiments designed to test executive function when engaged in delay tasks or conflict tasks. In one of the tests of inhibition, children played a sorting game. They were given cards with either a rabbit or a boat that were either red or blue. First, children were asked to sort by shape, and then by color. To make the task more difficult, the examiner then switched to a set of cards that had gold stars on some of them. Children were instructed to sort by color if the card had a gold star, and by shape if it did not. Another test was â€Å"Simon Says,† using the typical rules. In order to test delay, children were given two bowls with treats in them. One bowl had more than the other. Children were given a bell and told that if they waited while the examiner left the room, they could have the larger snack. However, if they didn’t want to wait, they could ring the bell for the examiner to come back, but then they could only have the smaller snack. Several other studies also tested delay ability. As hypothesized, bilingual children outperformed monolingual children in conflict tasks, or tasks in which they had to follow new directions and ignore the previous ones. The children in the language-immersion program did not do any better than their monolingual peers. But what the researchers found most significant was that in looking at raw scores for all groups, the bilingual children did not show a difference in executive function. As the authors note, this means that the bilingual children were doing â€Å"more with less,† since they were at a disadvantage in several important factors, including SES and parents’ education levels and lack of home-based reading. This suggests that bilingual children are compensating for their disadvantages through increased cognitive functioning resulting from their abilities to process two languages. Bilingualism is a complex idea with multiple facets. Debate about English-only instruction will continue, especially in light of the ongoing debate about immigration. Bilingual children may face many difficulties, but in some aspects, they have the advantage. Works Cited Bialystok, E. (2007). Acquisition of Literacy in Bilingual Children: A Framework for Research. Language Learning, 57: Suppl. 1, 45-77 Carlson, S. M. , Meltzoff, A. N. (2008). â€Å"Bilingual Experience and Executive Functioning in Young Children. † Developmental Science. Volume 11, Issue 2, pp. 282-298. Genesee, F. (2008). Bilingual Acquisition. Retrieved on April 23,2010, from http://www. earlychildhoodnews. com/earlychildhood/article_view. aspx? ArticleID=38 Tabors, P. Snow C. (2003). Young bilingual children and early literacy development. In S. B. Neuman D. K. Dickinson (Eds. ), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 159-178). New York: The Guilford Press. Retrieved from: http://books. google. com/books? hl=enlr=id=iDguatyRT_ACoi=fndpg=PA159dq=bilingual+children+have+delayed+language+developmentots=N5ysWJOWTnsig=cnsR9nhU5FVlfgKuFU3B_Bh6bt8#v=onepageq=bilingual%20children%20have%20delayed%20language%20developmentf=false Appendix 1. The Genesee and Tabors Snow articles came from using the Google search engine. The Bialystok and Carlson Meltzoff articles came from using EBSCO. Access to these databases was supplied by the University of California. 2. Search terms used were Bilingual-Children-Language-Development, entered all together for Google and for EBSCO, entered as Bilingual, Children, and Language Development as search terms for subject keyword and using the boolean â€Å"and†. 3. The Genesee article was on a website for early childhood education. It was specific to that website and was just one of the articles presented. It was a primary source. The Bialystok was a literature review of numerous studies, making it a secondary source. Both the Carlson Meltzoff and Tabors Snow articles were primary sources. They were reports of research studies that each set of authors conducted themselves.

Literature Comparative Analysis

Literature Comparative Analysis An Encounter by James Joyce deals with the theme of a persons yearn for escapism from the monotonous routine of day-to-day life through the tale of a day in which two young boys are miching from school a feeling which most, if not all, people will experience at some point in their lives. In this story, Joyce suggests to the reader that although people yearn for escape and adventure, routine is inevitable, and new experiences, when they do come, can be profoundly disturbing. The author achieves this through his incorporation of ambiguity, epiphany and writing through first person narrative, with inner monologue to highlight the consciousness of the protagonist and also to subtly divulge the feelings of others. The theme of paralysis is key to Joyces work; the notion is inherent throughout Dubliners as a whole. With this idea comes its antithesis escape or, in the case of An Encounter, thwarted escape. It is because of the characters desire to achieve this freedom, that when the day fails to reach its high expectations, the stagnation and restrictiveness of the surroundings are powerfully reinforced. From the outset of the tale, Joyce ponders the notion of escape. Characters searching for such an escape often describe how they would wish to travel afar to achieve it. This feeling is openly exhibited in An Encounter, as Joyces first person narrator states; Real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad. In the story, Joyce develops the theme in the form of an inner monologue the thoughts of the protagonist dictating how his Wild West' adventures opened doors of escape. The thought processes of the boy (relating to escape) are ultimately what drive the tale, quietly conveyed by Joyce through subtle details. An Encounter deals with methods of escape other than exotic foreign adventure found elsewhere in Dubliners, focusing on the attempt of two boys to break out of the weariness of their everyday environment. At first the prospect of adventure excites the young boys, although there is a constant undertone of anti-climax carefully intertwined into the story. Joyce writes from the first person point view, often through the use of analepses, leading to a frequent air of restriction and frustration surrounding the boys. Quite often, Joyce does not commit any impassioned emotion to events, preferring to use lacklustre qualifying adverbs or adjectives: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦We were all vaguely excitedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ it was a mild sunny morning. Joyce chooses to focus in on the most insipid details such as the docile horsesthe groaning carts which works to suppress the carefree, exciting experience which the boys see as an escapism from their jaded routine. The negativity which is now apparent in almo st everything encountered appears to be an entrapping agent over the boys, who sulk into a resigned and somewhat resentful state, a state which is furthermore reiterated by the repetition of the adverb too: It was too late and we were too tired to carry out our project of visiting the Pigeon House. Joyce presents Dublin as a city of incapacitation to the young characters. He begins to erase the protagonists claim; I was very happy, from the readers memory, introducing words such as solemn, sedulous and eventually even denotes the characters thoughts as jaded. There is constant repetition of the adjective tired; the day has become tedious, adventure and escape have proved elusive, and the encounter of a sinister old man has confirmed that the protagonist will not find merriment in Dublin, but is instead doomed to live in the fantasies of comic book and literature. However, despite its lack of event, the day does provide the boys with one notable incident through the scene encapsulating the encounter with the old man. Aspirations of escape having been superseded, Joyce begins a new paragraph focusing primarily on the silence and stillness of the situation: There was nobody but ourselves in the fieldwe had lain on the bank for some time without speaking. Through creating such an ominous atmosphere; sentences slowly becoming shorter and more concise with a less picturesque use of vocabulary, signalling new themes to be introduced through the introduction of the curious antagonist. The old man introduces the possibility of in-depth monologue and direct speech. In the conversation with the boys, he seemingly manages to entrap the young protagonist with his reference to literature a topic of known interest to the boy. The monotonous voice of the antagonist and the way his voice slowly circles round and round in the same orbit help to achieve the spellbinding quality of the man. This technique paralyses the narrator, who seemingly allows the man to give a discourse in the form of a monologue mainly due to his apparent inability to interrupt. The politeness evident in the boys character is in hindsight, far from being useful, instead placing the boy in a situation of danger. The worrying feature of the mans discourse is the implicitly perverse way in which he speaks. He frequently refers to the whipping'of young boys with an over-excitable zeal. Joyces primary use of such adjectives as magnetised and circle in reference to his thought process establishes the mans odd approach. This creates the impression that he is intent on the subject. Secondly, a section of reported speech is introduced: When a boy was rough and unruly there was nothing would do him any good but a good sound whippingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ what he wanted was to get a nice warm whipping. Joyce emphasises the mans positive outlook on the subject through the use of positive repetition; of the word good, firstly as a noun, secondly as an adjective, and also use of the adjective nice, which appears somewhat misplaced when used in conjunction with the concept of whipping. The protagonists isolation from intellectuals due to young age and low social class means he is quick to warm to the old man when he talks of literature. In the epiphany, he even appears isolated from his closest friend, Mahoney, and it appears to that the epiphany of the piece (from the young boys perspective) confirms that the older man has had a profound influence on his views. It appears that the isolation of the naÃÆ' ¯ve child has left him susceptible to corruption and the encounter has left the boy and the reader with the realisation that the world is not an innocent place. The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe, like The Encounter, is concerned with entrapment, but unlike Joyces tale, is centred on one individual and the terror he experiences when in isolation. The protagonist, a prisoner subject to the tortures of the Spanish inquisition, is often left thinking of what may be the surrounding atmosphere offering no apparent subjects for the character to focus on. Poe incorporates a feeling of perpetual unease and fear into the thought processes of his first person narrator, leaving the reader in a parallel state of mind as they experience the horror of the protagonists situation. The perspective that the reader is allowed on Poe choosing a first person narrator gives the reader a stronger feeling of isolation due to our constant awareness of the innermost feelings of the protagonist. The narrative does not, unlike a third person perspective, allow the audience to transcend the situation, providing direct access to the horror which is occurring on the page. There is also no direct speech in the story. This fact reinforces the idea of isolation in the way that the protagonist has no need to speak due to absolute solitude. Poes use of highly descriptive language, incorporating frequent use of alliteration and anaphora, escalates the terror and entrapment suffered by the protagonist, focusing heavily on the senses even before the ghastly prospects of the character are realised, resulting in a heightened state of suspense. The odour of the sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I prayed I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm, and lay smiling at the glittering deathà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ To accomplish the desired atmosphere for such the tortured fate of the narrator, Poe describes the physical surroundings of the protagonist in some detail. The subterranean world of darkness becomes a perfect agent to carry an unnerving, mystifying atmosphere. Further concern for the protagonist is drawn from the constant reference to his fatigued' state and also the dangerously moist and slippery characteristics of the chamber his elusive surroundings becoming the antagonist of the story in the absence of any other companion. The tension generated relies heavily on Poes use of a sequence of brief sentences as the protagonist encounters The Pit, representing his calm and clear thought even in the throes of fear: I proceeded for many paces; but still all was blackness and vacancy. I breathed more freely. However, as the narrator becomes evermore aware of the horrific situation, Poe mirrors his mounting terror through increasingly complex syntax, resulting in a faster movement of thought and a growing sensation of confusion: The difficulty, nevertheless, was but trivial; although, in the disorder of my fancy, it seemed at first insuperable. Eventually, as the narrator gradually uncovers the secrets of his confinement, a greater sense of danger inside him is realised. Poe displays this through an ever quickening pace and complex sentences. giving the effect of total bemusement and terror. Quite suddenly, with a simple sentence, out of step with the ever-increasing complexity of the syntax the climax of the characters investigation is revealed: I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face. With this inclusion, Poe signals to the reader that the tension has peaked. The fact that the piece is written in the form of a first person narrative suggests that the protagonist is reminiscing about his ordeal, and that ultimately the piece will not end in his death. The narrators salvation is assured when General Lasalle of the French army comes to the rescue. Poe chooses at the end of his tale, unlike the other events of the story, to dramatically reduce proceedings; deciding to summarise the rescue in a short paragraph, in an anti-climatic fashion: The fiery walls rushed back!.. The French army had entered Toledo. Throughout the tale, the narrator maintains the capacity to recount faithfully and rationally his surroundings while also describing his own emotional turmoil. Terrified and alone as the narrator may be, with the pendulum symbolising deaths literal unstoppable sway, he does not lose hope of salvation, instead recruiting his rational senses and using the starved rats for his own benefit. Along with being a tale of horror, it also shows the nature of human resolve in a seemingly impossible situation; faced with horrific trials and the realisation of deaths inevitability, the human beings instinct for self-preservation remains, in itself, an unstoppable force. Alice Munros short story Floating Bridge is a story of domestic realism about learning to accept the tentative nature of human life and an exploration of the many challenges posed by cancer and its arduous, disfiguring treatments. Like Joyces The Encounter, the protagonist has a chance meeting with a stranger with leads them to re-evaluate their outlook on life. Also, like Poes The Pit and the Pendulum, the protagonist is, too, faced with the prospects of both death and salvation. Floating Bridge is written in the first person narrative, the protagonist is a cancer sufferer named Jinny, whose life is divided into the time before the diagnosis and the time after. The understated and restrained language and rhythm of the prose, suggesting Jinnys resigned acceptance of her illness and her impending death, is sustained throughout, even though at the very beginning of the story, Jinny has learned that her cancer has entered a stage of remission. Because she has already accepted the relative freedom from responsibility that knowledge of her incurable disease gave her, she shows no exuberance at this new knowledge that she has more time than she thought she did. On the day in which the story is set, the doctor has told her that there is reason for cautious optimism, but this does not make Jinny feel better. Before, she was relatively sure of her future, knowing that she had little time left in her life. This new information forces her to go back and start the year all over again, removing a certain low-grade freedom from her life. The new knowledge has removed a dull, protecting membrane she did not even know was there and leaves her feeling raw and vulnerable. Since learning of her illness, she has felt a kind of unspeakable excitement that results when a disaster releases one from responsibility for her life. Now that is gone and a feeling of apathy remains. She reflects on a time she left her husband, Neal, briefly to sit in a bus shelter near her home, reading graffiti on the wall and identifying with people who have left messages there. When she returns home, she asks Neal if he would ever have come after her, and he says: Of course. Gi ven time. Neals detached attitude toward Jinny and his cavalier treatment of her despite her life-threatening illness is an undercurrent that runs throughout the story. Part of Jinnys emotional turmoil at the time of the story stems from Neals excited reaction to Helen. He becomes more animated, enthusiastic, and ingratiating around her, as he often does around other people. Helen has a fresh out-of-the-egg look, and Jinny thinks that everything about her is right on the surface, which gives her an innocent and disagreeable power. Neal teases Helen, his whole being invaded with silly bliss. It is not that Neal desires Helen; rather, it is that her innocence and simplicity seem a welcome relief from the complexity of Jinnys situation. When they arrive at the trailer park where Helens foster parents live, they are invited in, but Jinny wants to stay outside. There is a strong feeling of isolation or the time that Jinny is waiting for Neal to return; he has accepted the invitation while Jinny, his sick wife, is left alone, tired and overly hot from the daytime temperature. The meeting of seventeen-year-old Ricky creates a similar reaction in Jinny as to her husbands feelings towards Helen. There appears to be an instant chemistry between the pair. A sense of connection is established when they discover that they both choose not to wear a watch. It seems in Jinnys sense of isolation, something as mundane as this is enough to cling to. In contrast to her husband, Ricky shows simple consideration to her by offering her a ride home. It is then that Munro takes the reader away from realism and introduces an almost magical element with Rickys innocent simplicity in his desire to show her the floating bridge where he takes his girlfriends, allowing the reader and Jinny herself to forget momentarily about her illness and the self-consciousness she feels over her baldness; his kiss providing an innocent acceptance of her, regardless of these things. When Jinny is on the floating bridge, she imagines that the road is a floating ribbon of earth, underneath which is all water. After the kiss, Jinny thinks of Neal getting his fortune told, rocking on the edge of his future, and accepts the tentative nature of her own future, feeling a lighthearted compassion for Neal. Rickys interest serves to remind her that she is still alive and capable of adventure and secrets. The most problematic subject of the story is Neals treatment of Jinny, which seems, if not cruel, at least unfeeling. The reader may feel he is much too excited by the presence of the young girl Helen and much too indifferent to Jinnys plight. However, there is nothing to suggest that he does not love Jinny. . He, too, is on a shifting floating bridge, trying to find something to cling to, even if it is of such little substance as an innocent young girl who is healthy and sound. Similarly, there is nothing to suggest that the young man, Ricky, at the end of the story has any desire for Jinny. In contrast to the messy complexity of her life, his kiss is the epitome of innocent acceptance, instilling in her a tender-hearted sort of compassion. The storys structure plays a balancing act similar to that required of walking on a floating bridge. The firmness of solid ground is only an illusion; all around lies the danger of loss of self. However, even though the bridge seems to be shiftin g and tentative, it is sufficient if one is content to live in the realm of the unsure. Munros story effectively reflects this tentative and delicate balancing. In all three stories which I have detailed, it is the writers subject matter and careful narrative technique which enrich our reading of them, allowing the reader not only pleasure and entertainment, but to view their lives more clearly. To enable the reader to truly engross themselves in a work of fiction, the story must be intellectually challenging and appeal to our senses and our own life experience. Joyce, Poe and Munro propitiously accomplish this, proving themselves as true masters of their art.

Changes Of Time :: essays research papers

Ever since the invention of the television in 1939, African Americans have been portrayed as maids, servants or clowns. These negative perceptions started to appear in sitcoms such as in Amos and Andy, who were the stereotypical blacks who never took anything seriously. All those views changed during the 1970’s when black sitcoms were becoming more reality based. Although blacks have been, and often still, portrayed in a negative way on TV, there has been some improvements of stereotypical images of African Americans on television. There were five stereotypical roles of blacks between 1940-1970; the Tom, Coon, Mammie, Tragic Mulatto, and the Buck (Gray â€Å"Recognizing†). The â€Å"Tom† was always insulted, but kept to his faith and remained generous and kind. The â€Å"coon† (most used image) was always lazy, unreliable and constantly butchered his speech. The â€Å"mammie† was more distinguished than the coon only because of her sex. She was usually big and plump and full of life. The â€Å"tragic mulatto† was fair-skinned, trying to pass for white. Always well-liked and believed that their lives could have been better if they were not biracial. The last stereotype was the â€Å"buck†. He was the big, oversexed black man (Gray â€Å"Recognizing†). In the late 1960’s, there were shows like â€Å"I Spy† and â€Å"The Flip Wilson Show† which had blacks starring in them. Starting in 1971, shows were premiering everywhere with black casts (â€Å"Changing Image† 76). Sanford and Son appeared on NBC on January 14,1972, to replace another show (Booth 26). The show took place in South Central California, where Fred Sanford and his son Lamont lived and owned a junkyard. Fred was satisfied with his little business. However, Lamont, wanted something bigger and better. Fred would do anything to keep his son from abandoning him and the business. Every time Lamont threatened to leave, Fred would do his famous act and fake a heart attack and start moaning to his late wife, "I'm coming, Elizabeth, I'm coming." Lamont, never fooled by his father's scheme did love him and, despite what he said about his future, really would not have left him (â€Å"Network and Cable†). They were rated the 6th most pop ular show during the 1971-72 season, and 10th during the 1976-77 season. The stereotype was still there, but realistic views were appearing on the show of realistic lives of black men. After Sanford and Son aired, others followed. Good Times appeared in 1974 (Ingram ‘Good Times†).

Does Playing Violent Video Games Promote Aggressive Behavior? Essay exa

Introduction Violent video games are becoming more popular among children and adolescents of all ages since its debut approximately 30 years ago. This growing popularity is generating an increasing concern that these sometimes very graphic videos and life like characters can have a negative influence on the younger generation. Although never proven, there has been speculation that some of the high school shootings across the country were committed by students who were habitual players of violent video games. Due to these concerns, a non-profit, self-regulatory organization was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to appropriately rate all video games from EC (early childhood), E (everyone), E10+ (everyone 10 and over), T (teen), M (mature), and AO (adults only). While assessing the efficacy of violent video game ratings, it is unknown how effective these ratings are for the intended audience (Becker-Olsen & Norberg, 2010). The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review on existing articles relating to the possibility of violent video games promoting aggressive behavior. The hypothesis set forth was that people who played non-violent video games displayed more Prosocial behavior versus those who played violent video games displayed more antisocial and aggressive behavior. A search was conducted on regular search engines on the internet, and on EBSCOhost using the title â€Å"can violent video games promote aggressive behavior.† The research articles presented are obtained from five case studies each focusing on different measures that were obtained, methods used, the participants involved, the designs of the study, and the results of the studies. Measures Demonstrating Viole... .... DOI: 10.1080/10888690903288748. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Research Database. Polman, H., Orobio De Castro, B. & Van Aken, M. A.G. (2008). Experimental Study of the Differential Effects of Playing Versus Watching Violent Video Games on Children’s Aggressive Behavior. Wiley-Liss Inc. Interscience. Doi: 10.1002/ab.20245. Retrieved from EBSCOhost Research Database. Saunderson, Matt (August 17th, 2005). The American Psychological Association says violence in Videogames is bad for children’s health. Kombo.com. Retrieved from http://ps3.kombo.com/ Article.php?artid=1760. Suhn Lee, M., & Barr, R. (August 2004,). Effects of Video Game Violence on Prosocial and Antisocial Behaviors. Journal of Young Investigators, 11(2). Retrieved from http://www.jyi.org/Volumes/volume11/issue2/articles/lee.html.

Ayckbourns Short Plays and Themes of Isolation and Loneliness :: Ayckbourn Essays

Ayckbourn's Short Plays and Themes of Isolation and Loneliness Isolation and loneliness are common themes in three of Ayckbourn's short plays. It appears, in varying degrees within MF, DC and TP but always is a problem/theme inside each play. MF starts off with on the first page with a strong image of Lucy being isolated from the world outside., "she lifts the receiver then replaces it immediately" and "the door chimes again. Lucy ignores these". Lucy is isolating herself from people at the door and anybody trying to ring her, we discover in the next play why she ignores the phone but the door must just be a way of keeping all her outside troubles and upsets away. I.e. Harry her husband who has 'abandoned' her and left her on her own with the multiple children. An adult in a home with no other adults to talk to may feel very alone intellectually speaking. With nobody around to discuss 'adult issues' e.g. the reason why she is so isolated and why Harry has left her. This ties in with the loneliness of Harry in DC. Here Harry is isolated from females in general, he is away from his wife, but he is miles apart from the girls he's trying to impress. You can see, especially with the arrival of Paula that neither of the girls find him remotely interesting or amusing, on page37 Bernice says, "Oh my God, I thought we'd never get rid of him" just before the pair quickly exit the restaurant. Also Harry turns to attempting to have an affair, probably affairs observing how he behaves, either from obsession and lust-or he truly feels so distant from Lucy he cannot sort out any marital problems. Harry and Lucy are a married couple with children and commitments to each other, but both are lonely, and feel remote from the other. They deal with it in different ways though-Harry attempts to cure loneliness with brief sexual companions, while Lucy just cuts herself off from everyone or at least tries to. Lucy's display of role reversal with Terry and Rose shows how distant from the adult community she appears to be becoming. She turns the pair into squabbling kids, and sends them on their way. When it was they who came to help her! The waiter in BM shares a similar problem, he must be friendly and warm to everyone while keeping a respectable isolated stance from their affairs. Meaning in his everyday working capacity he is lonely and having to present a distance between himself and his customers. This is impressed every time the waiter wanders

Copyright infringement case between Leibovitz and Paramount Pictures Corporation Essay

Copyright infringement case between Leibovitz and ParamountPictures Corporation Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Copyright infringement is the duplication, circulation, presentation, or cradling of a copyrighted part of work lacking the clear approval of the copyright holder or owner. The idea of Infringement is a strict offense that interrupts different limited rights granted to those who on copyright (Gerstenblith, 2004). In this case, the ad adds a bit new and succeeds as a transformative exertion. In addition, because the grinning face of Neilsen differentiate the serious appearance of Moore, the advertisement may practically be alleged as remarking on the solemnity of the original, conveying it within one of the purposes. Idea that the ad is diverse from the original is not negative as to whether it comments. Here, the ad varies in a way that may practically be alleged as remarking through tease on the seriousness borne in the original or the attractiveness of the expectant female physique. Therefore, the parody was used to stimulate a marketabl e product that is the motion picture and the stable parodist nature of the advertisement balances in favor of ruling fair use (Sobel, 1979).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, referring to the infringement case between photographer Leibovitz and the paramount pictures corporation, the case is entitled to little safety under the fair application of defense. The circumstance that the copyrighted work is innovative from the photographer and thus adjacent to the principal purpose of copyright protection is implausible to supplement much in terms of parody examination because parodies defines expressive works, this means that Leibovitz was all right since little attention is given to the issue in the general analysis because it ascends in the background of parody. This parody will possibly not influence the market for the unique copy because the parody and unique usually serve diverse market purposes. According to the appellant, the advertisement did not hamper with a market for her photo and derived works centered upon her photo and therefore this factor favors Paramount (Sobel, 1979).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of parodies can be explained through; the quantity and value of the materials taken from the unique work, enough of the original, desertion from the previous condition that for a parody to be eligible to unbiased use defense in order to conjure up the unique, whether the quantity of work used is reasonable depending on the level to which the duplicate work override purpose and personality to the original (Gerstenblith, 2004). Leibovitz description of a naked, pregnant body impersonated in a certain mode is not allowed to safety since such posturing long ago passed in the public purview and therefore this factor favours defendant. The main analysis should be whether the replication work merely replaces the object of the original or as an alternative puts something new, with more purpose or diverse character, changing the first with new appearance, implication, or communication. References Sobel, L. S. (1979). Entertainment law reporter. Beverly Hills, Calif: Entertainment Law Reporter Pub. Co.Gerstenblith, P. (2004). Art, cultural heritage, and the law: Cases and materials. Durham, N.C: Carolina Academic Press. Source document

Humor in Stephen Crane’s “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” Essay

Stephen Crane’s short story â€Å"The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky† is considered by many to be a masterpiece. One writer even called it â€Å"the greatest story ever written.† One of the reasons the story is so good is that Crane uses humor to make some serious points about people in general and the Old West in particular. In the first part of the story, Crane portrays Jack Potter and his new wife as humorous characters. Not only are they awkward with each other, but they are also completely out of place in the fancy railroad car that is taking them to the Yellow Sky. Crane makes us see them through the eyes of the condescending porter and the other passengers, who keep giving the couple â€Å"stares or derisive enjoyment†. Jack’s fear about how the people of Yellow Sky will react to his marriage is also amusing because we would expect a town marshal to be brave, not afraid of the people he is paid to protect. Part II presents another comical situation- a lone drunk is able to scare a whole town just because Jack Potter is away. This situation is especially funny because of an ironic contrast that the reader already knows about. The man the townspeople are depending on to protect them is the same man we have just learned is afraid to tell them he is married. Part II also includes the comical character of the unsuspecting traveling salesman, whose increasingly agitated questions about Scratchy Wilson set the state for the confrontation the reader knows will occur. Crane is in effect setting us up for the â€Å"punch line† of his story. First we hear about the raging, fearsome drunk who is terrorizing the town- and then we see him. In Part III we get a close look at this Scratchy Wilson, whom we are supposedly prepared for. At first glance, he does behave like a typical Wild West villain. However, we soon learn details about him that make him seem ridiculous. For one thing, he wears a shirt made by women in New York City and boots favored by little boys in New England, hardly the outfit we would expect an authentic Western villain to wear. In fact, these details are the reader’s first hint of what will develop as Crane’s major theme: that the West is no longer a terribly wild place. The lengths Scratchy goes to in order to frighten a dog also show him to be a bit ludicrous as a bad guy.  Scratchy may roar and bellow â€Å"terrible invitations† to fight, but Crane lets us know exactly how terrifying he really is: â€Å"The calm adobe preserved their demeanor at the passing of this small thing in the middle of the street.† In Part IV, Crane finally brings his two major characters together for a showdown that is comical because it disappoints our expectations. Facing Scratchy down without a gun, Potter proves to be just as brace as we have been led to believe, but as a villain, Scratchy turns out to be pretty easily subdued. Presented with the news of Potter’s marriage, he loses all his menace and sadly walks away. Ironically, he is defeated not by brute force or sheer courage but instead by â€Å"a foreign condition† that he does not understand. His world is suddenly turned upside down by Potter’s news. Ferocious, gun-toting drunks and the courageous town marshals who fight them are not supposed to have wives. Once the bride comes to Yellow Sky, the rules of the game are so different that Scratchy no longer knows how to play. According to one critic, Donald B. Gibson, the point of Crane’s story is that by the late 1800’s, the Wild West was dead, even though some people living there did not realize it. While Jack Potter has taken a big step toward adjusting to the changed world he lives in, Scratchy is simply befuddled by it. Gibson’s interpretation makes sense and it gets at the heart of the humor in Crane’s story. However, one cannot help but suspect that Crane is doing more than simply mocking the conventions of the Western. That would make his story a funny parody, but certainly not a masterpiece. Crane is also showing us what happens to a society in transition, a culture whose values are in a state of flux. A â€Å"simple child of the earlier plains†, Scratchy Wilson is an anachronism, a man who finds himself out of place historically. Luckily, he has the good grade and good sense to realize his predicament and walk away from what he cannot understand. But who knows- perhaps some day he’ll find himself a bride and bring her back to Yellow Sky.