The Caucasian Chalk Circle Essays - The Caucasian Chalk Circle

The Caucasian Chalk Circle The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Brecht uses epic theatre to bring forth an idea or meaning for the audience to consider while entertaining the audience. Epic theatre involves the use of alienation techniques to distance the viewer from the story but still concentrate on the overall meaning. The person who just views the story would likely take it as fantasy and not reach the true depth of the play. Brecht shocks the viewer by making the events and actions in the play strange and abstract this contrasts with dramatic plays where the audience sympathises and relates to the characters of the play. The theme throughout the play is natural justice versus class justice. The title has links to other parables and stories before it. The Chalk Circle, a Chinese play involved a legal action where the false claimant was granted custody due a bribe to claim her dead husbands estate. This however was overturned by the emperor, the guarantor of the law, in a retrial as the emperor was the father. This particular story is a whisper to the result of Grusha's trial. The emperor is portrayed as the epitome of justice and gives a true verdict. The trial scene is also adapted from the parable of King Solomon. Solomon the paragon of justice and truth oversees the trial of two mothers, one child is dead the other alive, they seek custody of the alive child. The king asks the child to be cut in half, the real mother relinquishes her claim and thus gains custody of her rightful child. In these two whispers the law is shown to be equated with justice, however Brecht seeks to highlight that within Grusinia this is not the case and it takes a greedy Azdak who despises the upper classes to give a just verdict. The class justice presented in the novel has close links to the Marxist view of the law, with the law serving all, but in reality it protects and secures the interests of the ruling classes. The play seeks to emphasise that within this class justice the poor can only gain justice under exceptional circumstances. Azdak as the judge and arbiter of justice has come to this position only through a matter of chances and mistakes. Firstly he harbours the Grand Duke from Shauva, then he confesses to the Ironshirts only to be made judge because the Duke escaped. Then through shear chance just before his execution the Duke redeems him and makes him judge, finally making him the arbiter of justice between Natasha Abashvilli and Grusha. This shows that the poor class can only get justice under a system of whims and extraordinary circumstances and that justice is intrinsically linked to a series of chances and not linked to the law as it should be in a feudal regime. Azdak finally decides in Grusha's favour on the spur of the moment, the chalk circle is a real test, and it is through this test that Azdak decides the child's fate. In order to entertain the audience, Brecht sought to keep the verdict in flux, keeping the audience in suspense as to the final outcome. Azdak although seen as the arbiter of justice between Natasha Abashvilli and Grusha is shown throughout the play as greedy and corrupt when dealing with the upper classes. The humour that Azdak displays toward the upper class is entertaining, he constantly refers to them as arse-holes.. sows.. well-born stinkers. This anal imagery is continued right through the novel. Azdak is so disgusted by the odours the upper classes emit that he occasionally before passing judgement, I went out and sniffed the roses. This helps Azdak give the verdicts he gives to the monied classes such as the Invalid, and the landowner. He swindles them into giving him money for a bribe then turns about and gives a contradicting verdict against the upper classes. This duplicity when passing judgement is seen by the audience but the lower classes see that for once the law is on their side. This is the final hint that Grusha will get the child, as she is good for the child and will continue to do good for the child, contrasting to Natasha Abashvilla's intent to get the child only to keep her late husband's estate. The singer sums up the meaning of the entire play, linking the prologue with the stories of Azdak and Grusha. That what there is shall belong to those who are good for

Assessment Plan of Students Ability

Assessment Plan of Students Ability Abstract Assessment plan is an important tool in education since it provides information about student’s ability. After completing an assessment plan, the next important factor is the analysis how it can be used appropriately. This essay will explain my assessment plan by indicating its importance and use.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Assessment Plan of Student’s Ability specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The essay will then give justification that led to the selection of the context of the assessment plan. Finally, the essay will identify the reasons why the assessment constraints in my assessment plan are effective in testing the students reading and writing abilities. Student assessment is an important leaning process to both the teacher and the students and therefore it needs a plan. The need for a plan requires the development of an assessment plan that provides the guidelines on how the assessmen t will be effected. The assessment plan is also important since it allocate the available resources according to the expected uses. For the developed assessment plan to become useful, it needs to be understood by both the tutor and the learner. This essay provides an explanation for the assessment and the factors that make the assessment plan effective and appropriate in assessing students. The main objective of the developed assessment plan is to gather information about the student with the aim of identifying their weaknesses as well as their strengths (Brownlie, Feniak McCarthy, 2004). The focus of the assessment is to identify the students understanding capacity for the lessons taught throughout the course. The assessment therefore works through identification of reading strengths and weaknesses as experienced by students. Most of the course materials given to the students during the learning process are given in written form and therefore reading is a very important part. A re ading assessment is therefore an important form of assessment since it provides information about the students concerning the other courses learned in the module. The assessment also provides useful background information about the students that can be applied in determining their areas of weakness and difficulties. This information is very useful since it offer guidance on how a particular student should be advised or assisted.Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For the provided assessment to become an important tool in student’s evaluation, the assessor needs to have basic or background information about how it works (Brownlie, Feniak, McCarthy, 2004). My assessment plan provides basic information about a student’s performance and therefore I have ensured that it is user friendly by making it easy to understand and use. The assessment has two learning outcomes that I believe are basic parameters in identifying a student’s strengths and weaknesses. The most important part of the reading process is the identification of the content from the rereading or obtaining information from a text. My assessment plan is considerate of this point since it identifies the main ideas from a reading as the first learning outcome. Some students work better as individual while others work better in a group setting. Some learning activates also recommend group work while others consider individual work. The assessment plan therefore considers this point by making provision for group assessment and individual assessment. The assessment can be applied to assess the reading ability of a group of students as well as the reading ability of an individual student. Writing is the second most important part of the learning process since it determines how students present their work. A good assessment plan should provide a measure on the writing ability of the s tudent using appropriate assessment parameters (Colorado, 2007). My assessment plan is an appropriate learning assessment since it provides information about the writing abilities of the student. The assessment plan mainly focuses on the grammatical aspect of writing by analyzing the student’s ability to use capitalization. Analyzing capitalization provides information on a student’s grammatical abilities and this indicates their strength in writing. The context of my assessment plan is an appropriate context for the evaluation of students and this is the main reason that made me settle for this particular plan. The first reason for choosing the plan is its ability to provide the required information in details and this makes it an appropriate assessment. The second factor that justifies my assessment plan as an appropriate plan is that it is an explicit assessment. Being explicit makes the assessment plan user friendly to both the assessor and the students. Unlike oth er assessments of similar caliber, my assessment plan is a proficient plan since it provides adequate information with minimal input. This factor demonstrates the third reason why the context of the assessment plan is appropriate.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Assessment Plan of Student’s Ability specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More With an appropriate and justifiable assessment plan, the next important point is the determination of the appropriate testing constraints that makes the assessment appropriate. The basic constraints in my assessment plan are accuracy, speed and understanding capacity. These constraints are basic features of my assessment plan since they provide detailed information about a student. The second reason why I selected accuracy, speed, and understanding ability of the students as major constraints in the assessment is that they provide an appropriate measure about a student’s perf ormance. In order to have an appropriate assessment I set the constraints at a minimum of 75% and 80% for accuracy in capitalization and reading respectively. The assessment also requires that each student should complete the allocated task within the required time. Finally, the assessment requires that students should have moderate understanding ability. These constraints are also important in drafting a rubric that should be used together with the assessment to rank students according to their performance. The assessment plan is therefore important since it does not only provide information about the students but also contributes to the learning process. References Brownlie, F., Feniak, C., McCarthy, V. (2004). Instruction and assessment of ESL learners: Promoting success in your classroom. Winnipeg: Portage Main Press. Colorado, C. (2007). Using formal assessment for English language learners. Retrieved From: Colorin Colorado! colorincolorado.org/article/using-informal-assessme nts-english-language-learners

Romanesque Architecture and Renaissance Architecture Compared Essay

Romanesque Architecture and Renaissance Architecture Compared - Essay Example This paper evaluates historic movements such as Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Islamic and mannerism, and seeks further to compare and contrast some architectural designs and artworks of these movements. Answer to Question one Romanesque architecture The term Romanesque architecture describes the building style adopted between 800AD to 1100 AD. One of the finest Romanesque architecture buildings in England is the Durham Cathedral and is often regarded as the leading Romanesque building in the world (Kimball & Edgell 251). The composite piers, of the cathedral, are alternated with drum columns, flying buttresses or lateral abutments all concealed within the triforium over the isles. These characteristics were highly inspired by the religious fervor of the Romanesque architecture period. Therefore, the design shows the Christian values which were highly valued by the people of the time. Gothic architecture Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was most common during the early and late medieval period from 12th century through 16th century. An example of a Gothic architecture is the Cologne cathedral, which dates back in the early 19th century (Kimball & Edgell 260). The geometrical and mathematical nature of the construction is indicative of the orderly universe, which is laid logically and with rationality. The statue, the sculptural decoration, stained glass and murals incorporate the creative genius as portrayed by the old and new testaments. The building and its style emphasize the religious nature of the people and the way they valued God’s power and creative works of logic. Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture started in the fifteenth century through the early seventeenth century and replaced Gothic architecture. An example of renaissance architecture is the Palladio's Basilica in Vicenza, Italy (Kimball & Edgell 258). The church has orderly arrangement of columns, pilasters and lintels. There is the use of hemispherical d omes, which are all characteristics of the renaissance architecture (Kimball & Edgell 252). All these details were used to emphasize solid and spatial relationship where the idea of harmony leads to free and imaginative rhythms. The details of the style especially in the church building were more civic than spiritual. This feeling, therefore, emphasizes the blending of religious and secular values of the people of the time. Answer to Question two Islamic architecture incorporates both secular and religious styles from the time when Islam was founded to date and is extensively used in the shrines of Mecca and Medina (Bloom & Blair 152). Comparing the Fatimid’s architecture used in Bab al-Futuh gate and the Gothic architecture at the entrance of Carmo Church in Lisbon, Portugal, there are notable differences. Bab al-Futuh gate has a hemispherical dome while the main entrance of Carmo church has a pointed arch. In content, the Gothic architecture is created to give less democrac y in the religious sense, while the mosque architecture emphasizes freedom and secularism (Bloom & Blair 159). Therefore, the sense of holiness elicited by the two gates varies from the outside details depending on the gate architectural style. The form and content of the two are seen in the materials used, the color designs, murals employed and the emphasized details with regards to logical arrangements, balance and creativity. Answer to Question three These two works of art represent the two periods; the early Northern Renaissance and the early Italian Renaissance respectively. These two artworks are different in form. The first element that differentiates their form is the painting details, which are emphasized by

The Rise of Strategic Management Accounting Essay

The Rise of Strategic Management Accounting - Essay Example Management accounting systems ideally provide information regarding all aspects of an organisation’s transactions; by covering all spectrums of the organisation they represent an important source of information for decision making. As mentioned above, traditional management accounting has come under attack for failing to provide sufficient information for strategic decision making purposes. This failure lies in the inability of traditional management accounting to fulfil those information requirements that would contribute to both the competitiveness of the organisation vis-a-vis its competitors in the industry, and its long term performance. Langfield-Smith states that surveys of practice in the 1990’s suggested that the adoption of SMA was slow; others also go on to mention that it was ill—defined and it is unclear in terms of coverage. Others have said that there are gaps in the understanding provided by SMA and this is attributed to various interpretations th at have been put forward by writers advocating its use. This paper explains the difference between management accounting and financial accounting. ... Management Accounting versus Financial Accounting Management accounting is distinct from financial accounting in that it provides information to persons internal to the organisation to facilitate decision making, while financial accounting provides information for external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders are the management personnel of the organisation, based within various departments/sections/divisions working together to achieve organisational goals. External stakeholders include shareholders, advisors, potential investors, regulators, government authorities and creditors – including suppliers, banks and holders of debt instruments (Atkinson et al, 2003). This however does not imply by any means that financial accounting information is not used for internal purposes; it is in fact, crucial. The only difference is that it is not necessarily appropriate to apply it in the same format as it is for external purposes; although, it does derive from the same integrated account ing system. While financial accounting information conforms to standards and guidelines that have been instituted by standard setting bodies such as the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), management accounting does not conform to any particular standard since it is used for internal purposes only. Management accounting deals with both financial and non-financial information. Traditional Management Accounting versus Strategic Management Accounting In his seminal work entitled â€Å"Strategic Management Accounting† (SMA) Simmonds (1981) defined SMA as â€Å"the provision and analysis of management accounting data about a business and its competitors, for use in developing and monitoring business strategy.† Bromwich (1990, p.28) defines it as:

Sociology of Law and Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sociology of Law and Punishment - Essay Example Norbert Elias suggests that civilisation transform human habitus so that violence in all forms is gradually subjected to greater and more sophisticated forms of management and control. 'Decivilisation' according to him, encompasses processes which produce an increase in violence and a breakdown in the stability and consistency of social relations. What remains unexplored is the extent to which attempts to bring about civilisation, have revolved around essentially violent policies and practices (Robert van Krieken, Abstract, The British Journal of Sociology, Volume 50 Issue 2). Nils Christie, in Crime Control as Industry, suggests that the spiralling prison populations, particularly in the United States, represent a move towards gulags western style, in much the same way that Zygmunt Bauman saw modernity itself as creating the possibility for the Holocaust. For Christie the current 'gulagisation' of the West is not an aberration of modern society, but something that occurs naturally within it. Pratt's book suggests that man may be moving into an area of penal control that takes one beyond the gulag. The gulag it says may not be a sufficient modality of punishment to absorb the punitive sentiments of modern societies. What we find is the supplementation of modern penal sanctions by new forms of legal and extra legal punishments. For Christie, there is hope, that at some point, good sense of the ordinary people will prevail and counter the trends that the forces of modernity made possible. It is argued that there is no goodness to human values and public sen timent: unleashing them may only add to the spiral of penal control (Beyond gulags western style A reconsideration of Nils Christie's crime control as industry, Abstract, Pratt. J). 2.0 Introspection Elias offers a particular paradigm for sociological thought which opposes both the structural-functionalist and methodological-individualist tendencies in sociology. The concept that he developed hoped to severe and expose many of the central dilemmas in sociology, especially the opponents of action and structure, individualism and society. Elias' 'Civilising Process' is contentious, and overlooked with suspicion. Elias deviates from the more fashionable trends in sociology to dig deep into retrospection and seek the unknown. His writing has been a source of ideas and has appealed the senses of those who crave for the unknown. Commentators have veered between two theological pointers; an uncompromising acceptance or ungenerous rejection. His work frequently is a contradiction between supposedly admiring 'followers' and critics. To appreciate Elias, one needs to steer a path between the lines. His handling of human issues; emotions, attitudes towards the body, sexuality, socialisation, and so on, reflected a balanced and systematic approach. His analysis of the human mind is of significant relevance in the context of his larger-scale processes in State formation, urbanisation and

The human digestive system

The human digestive system The human digestive system is responsible for the intake, breakdown, absorption and finally removal of nutrients and energy needed for the functioning of the human body. It performs these duties by allowing nutrients and energy in the form of food to enter the body, and then removing the materials needed from the food, then absorbing the materials into the body, as well as sending these materials to the place that theyre needed, and finally removing the leftover materials from the body. The system consists of the primary organs; the mouth, the esophagus, the stomach, the small intestine, the large intestine, the rectum, and the anus, as well as the secondary organs; the liver, the salivary glands, the gallbladder and the pancreas. The mouth is responsible for the immediate intake of food, and is partially responsible for digestion, through the process of mastication, which is the chewing of food. Food enters the body through the mouth, where it is than chewed to soften and partially breakdown the food. Saliva from the salivary glands also aides in the preliminary breakdown of foods, because of the chemicals and enzymes contained in saliva. Once the food is sufficiently broken down, it is swallowed and brought to the next organ in the digestive system, the esophagus. The Role of the esophagus is simply to allow the partially broken down food to travel from the mouth to the stomach. Its role in digestion is minimal, but it is still considered one of the major organs in the system. At the joining point of the esophagus and the stomach, called the cardiac sphincter, is the blocker that prevents gastric acid from exiting the stomach and damaging the mouth or the esophagus itself. When the Cardiac sphincter fails its job, the gastric acid seeps into the esophagus, causing damage to the interior of the esophagus, as well as the painful sensation known as heartburn. The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the human digestive system, and is one of the primary sites of digestion. It is filled with gastric acid, a powerful acid that breaks down food with relative ease, digesting most foods in about 4 or 5 hours. The stomach contains three glands, which are used to either aid in the digestion of food, or protection of the stomach from its own digestive materials. The three types of glands are the pyloric gland, the cardiac gland and the gastric gland. The pyloric gland is responsible for secreting gastrin, a hormone which stimulates the production of gastric acid. The gastrin activates the gastric glands, which start secreting gastric acid. The cardiac glands are the centers of mucus secretion in the stomach. This mucus is used to protect the lining of the stomach. A common problem associated with the stomach is peptic ulcers, a type of ulcer formed by a disturbance in the regulation of the hormone gastrin, which causes to much gastric acid to be produced, which causes damage to the mucus membrane and the stomach lining. After food has been digested enough, it moves out of the stomach and into the small intestine. Another round of digestion occurs in the small intestine, even more than in the stomach. Absorption also begins to occur at this stage in the digestive system. The small intestine is broken down into three parts, the duodenum, the jejunum, and the ileum. The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine, and it is responsible for most of the food digested in the small intestine. The duodenum also regulates the rate of emptying of the stomach via hormonal pathways. The next part of the small intestine is the jejunum, which is the longest portion of the small intestine, but it is also responsible for very little digestion, but is primarily responsible for the first round of absorption, where it takes most of the nutrients out of the food matter. The final portion of the small intestine is the ileum, which is where the final bit of absorption in the small intestine takes place. Once the now digested material finishes its path through the small intestine, it enters the large intestin e. The large intestines primary purpose is to remove most of the water from the now indigestible mass, and move it to the anus, where it will be removed from the body. The large intestine is made up of the cecum, the rectum and the colon. The cecum is not very large in humans, and is barely existent at all. It serves a much higher purpose in herbivores, where it digests tough leaves with the help of symbiotic bacteria. In humans this is not necessary, so it has become very unimportant. The colon is where the water is taken from the digested food matter. The rectum is where the waste is temporarily stored before it is excreted from the body, which takes place in the anus. The secondary organs in the digestive system are also vital to the survival of a human, but they take a more passive role in digestion. The liver plays a major role in digestion and has a number of functions, including glycogen storage, decomposition of red blood cells, plasma protein synthesis, hormone production, and detoxification. It lies below the diaphragm in the thoracic region of the abdomen. It produces some of the systems bile the rest is produced by the gallbladder, an alkaline compound which aids in digestion. It also performs and regulates a wide variety of high-volume biochemical reactions requiring highly specialized tissues, including the synthesis and breakdown of small and complex molecules, many of which are necessary for normal vital functions.

Adolescent Gangs and Violence in Schools Essay -- School Violence Essay

Dave Reichert once said â€Å"Gang violence in America is not a sudden problem. It has been a part of urban life for years, offering an aggressive definition and identity to those seeking a place to belong in the chaos of large metropolitan areas† (Dave Reichert Quotes). These days, gangs are not only made up of adults on the streets, but teens who are in school as well. Various experts say that â€Å"gang membership is particularly widespread among urban youths under the age of 18† (Teen Gangs). As a result, gangs are now seen in many schools, and as a result may lead to increased violence among students. Schools must take a firmer stand against these gangs in order to reduce the increased violence. Throughout the history of the United States, gangs have always been groups that regularly use threats to commit crimes. Crime rates escalated during the 1960s and 1970s, partly because of the large number of teenagers involved in crime. During the 1980s, juvenile crime continued to rise even though particular types of crime fell. But according to most reports, â€Å"gang activity declined somewhat in the 1990s. Experts attribute the decline to a combination of factors, including an improved economy, a decline in crack cocaine use, stricter law enforcement and more violence-prevention programs† (Teen Gangs). Statistics show that the number of gang members dropped to â€Å"780,000 in 1998 from 846,000 in 1996, according to the OJJDP† (Teen Gangs). Another report coming from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that â€Å"the proportion of high-school students who reported carrying a weapon during the past 30 days declined to 18% in 1997, from 26% in 199 1† (Teen Gangs). Various people come to believe that membership in a gang is a severe dan... ...eb. 22 May 2012. . "School Safety." Issues & Controversies On File. Web. 23 May 2012. . "Teen Gangs and Crime." Issues & Controversies On File:. Web. 23 May 2012. . "Teen Gangs." Issues and Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 09 Apr. 2009. Web. 22 May 2012. . "Update: School Safety." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 11 May 2007. Web. 5 June 2012. . "Zero Tolerance." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 13 July 2001. Web. 5 June 2012. .