The novel, Fahrenheit 451 reflects Ray Bradbury’s concern for decline of individual thought among his society

The novel, Fahrenheit 451 reflects Ray Bradbury's concern for decline of individual thought among his society. According to Captain Beatty, the head of the fire station â€Å"technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure carried the trick† of replacing independent thought with conformity and finally leading to censorship (Bradbury, 58). Bradbury wants readers to notice these potential hazards in his fictional world and to beware of them in their own society. Technology in Fahrenheit 451 and today is seen as a great threat to individual thought. Even though the society that Bradbury depicts in the novel is very extreme, it warns the reader of the dangers of technology. Mildred, Montag's wife is taken over by the media and escapes form her life through the modern technologies. According to Clarisse, people no longer think or talk about anything important, â€Å"No, not anything. They name a lot of cars or swimming pools mostly and say how swell. But they all say the same things and nobody says anything different from anyone else† (Bradbury, 31). Similarly today many have turned into mindless human beings by sitting in front of the television or computer. The fast cars, loud music, advertisements and other forms of technological advances have created a lifestyle with too much stimulation in which no one has the time to think. (http://www. sparknotes. com/lit/451/themes. html) For example, Beatty explains that when zippers replace buttons â€Å"a man lacks just that much time to think while dressing at dawn† (Bradbury, 57) In Fahrenheit 451 minority pressure plays an important role in the decline of individual thought. This issue is still relevant today. For instance various pressure groups' campaigns against sex and violence on television or hard rock music have great influence on the types of programs and music people watch and listen to. Beatty explains to Montag that in the past pressure groups were influential in ending free expression, which eventually allowed the government to begin censoring its citizen. â€Å"Bigger the population, the more minorities. Don't step on the toes of the dog lovers, cat lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans†¦ (Bradbury, 57). Despite the obvious role of minority pressure in the decline of thought, the novel suggests mass exploitation to be the more serious problem. While minority pressure comes from a few members of the public, exploitation comes from the majority of the population. â€Å"Publishers, exploiters, broadcasters† sense the public's desire for relaxation and pleasure and exploit mindless types of entertainment for profit (http://ipl. ulis. ac. jp:8001/cgi-bin/ref/litcrit/litcrit. out. pl? ti=fah-198. This suggests that even more dangerous than the pressure groups is the public's desire for comfort and pleasure. Beatty's discussion of minority pressure is very explicit and clear however, his discussion of mass exploitation is more implicit and is scattered through ten pages. Mass exploitation speeds up the decline of thought even more directly than minority pressure. While pressure groups may manipulate people to avoid gaining knowledge, entertainment provides an alternative to any difficult thought (http://www. pinkmonkey. om/booknotes/monkeynotes. com) The types of entertainment exploited in Fahrenheit 451 are only produced for the public's relaxation and pleasure. The simplification of intellectual challenges and use of drugs are the most basic kinds of exploitation in the novel, which are still common in today's society. Beatty explains that intellectually challenging works were made easier so that they would appeal to a larger audience. This is similar to the way Hollywood producers have produced many simplified motion pictures of famous pieces of literature. Films like Romeo and Juliet and Gone with the Wind are more appealing to the new generation than reading the work itself. Another type of thought destroying mass exploitation in Fahrenheit 451 as well as the real world is the common drug use. When Mildred, overdoses by taking too much sleeping peels the medics, who replace her blood tell Montag, â€Å"We get these cases nine or ten a night. Got so many, starting a few years ago, we had the special machines built† (Bradbury, 15), which suggests that use of drugs is common. It is obvious to see that Bradbury recognizes drugs as a threat to individual thought. Montag smokes early on in the novel (Bradbury, 24), but as he becomes wiser his habit disappears, which shows that smoking was partially responsible for his ignorance in the beginning. Fahrenheit 451 demonstrates the author's extreme sensitivity to any attempts of restricting freedom of expression. He uses a dystopian setting to warn people of the dangers of technology, mass exploitation, and minority pressure and considers them as threats to individual thought. Moreover, Fahrenheit 451 is an excellent social critique novel, which contributes to positive changes in society.

Information Sysems

Use of Video Conferencing to gain competitive advantage in New Bank New bank can make use of video technology to connect customers with the right experts in a short span of time to provide quick and personalized service on-demand. Most banks worldwide are in a nascent stage of using video to carry on various businesses with their customers remotely; hence New Bank can take advantage of this. Through video-enabled web conferencing or branch office video conferencing the bank can conduct high risk, high return businesses of discussing purchase and sell of stock, selling mortgages, structuring investment portfolios and advising on loans.Advantages of adopting video conferencing in New Bank (Drivers) * Optimization of the cost/lemon ratio Cost income ratio is the standard benchmark of bank efficiency. In some cases, bank balance sheets and cost income/ratio are in an unhealthy state such that reducing cost whilst increasing revenues becomes critical. In this regard, video banking will he lp in reducing cost/income by decreasing branch banking headcount and improving revenues effectively. * Integration of disparate business processes Video technology paves way to integrate the disparate processes in the enterprise ND bring synergies between business teams across geographies. Real-time remote access Video conferencing enables real-time access to expert bankers located remotely. This then improves the quality of interoffice interactions. * Value to customers Video technology implemented in retail branches can provide high value product information to customers. This decreases turnaround times for closure of customer queries. * Enhancement of branch banking interactions Video conferencing allows expansion of video across branch networks helps information dissemination and cross selling. Visual Connect Video conferencing is used to connect customers with product experts when selling higher margin products.This then allows wealth management experts to maintain visual cont act with clients spread across the branch network. Examples of real life scenarios of video conferencing * Video teller technology in retail banking This is ideal where financial organizations seek to offer personalized transactional services to customers more flexibly and its benefit is that, it optimizes branch resources by focusing on higher value, non transactional advisory work and permits a eider range of services at branches and unstained locations. Social Media Innovation This is ideal to support a virtual branch online to support enquiries regarding advice on mortgages, foreign exchange and setting up payments. The merit of this is that it helps in providing personalized services to the customer and enhancing customer relationship. 2. Use of automated call centers in New Bank to capture competitive forces New Bank can adopt automated call centers as a meaner for cutting costs and improving transactions from high touch, high cost, traditional branch banking channel.This then allows branch employees to concentrate on revenue generating activities. Additional benefits for using automated call centers include: * The creation off comprehensive view of each customer's profile to understand his or her needs. * The standardization of the sales process to maximize the use of customer information in sales. * The upgrading of the personnel's skills so they can satisfy the customer by offering the right products and services. This allows the recognition of productive staff with the facility to monitor operator productivity.

Bach analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bach analysis - Essay Example And just as important it stands a clear testimony of the skill and wonder of Johann Sebastian Bach as the foundational composer of Western music. This portrayal of â€Å"Herr, unser Herrsche† is so rendered by the Cologne Cathedral Boys’ Choir.1 Conductor Eberhard Metternich has shaped the quivering triple-like motif that is later carried through the lower instrument voices as a continuum expressed and released on a recurring sixteenth motif. The accents on the third, and the first in the phrases of four sixteenths maintain the triple feel activeness or energy of the quiver. Durr describes the motif as an enhancement over "a persistent pedal point" that is latter carried into the voices 2. The contrast of the strong pedal and the persistent repeating motif to dictate rises and falls in emotional feeling is perhaps indicative of the tools and techniques Bach has, at that time in his life, finally polished to display skillful and precise artistic control. Bach wrote his m usic through the Lutheran Christian frame of reference. He guided it through the Baroque frame of the Enlightenment to its decorative height, by way of the Saint John Passion and the Magnificant, to his magnus opus, as noted and appreciated by so many, the St. Matthew Passion. \ Discussion The St. John Passion was first performed in 1724 as Bach entered the first prolific period of his Leipzig phrase. As the New Canto zu St. Thomae, some believed he had written the work earlier in preparation for the Good Friday performance, the high point of the year for music in the Lutheran church.3 The work covers the Passion play biblical narrative in John 18:1 to 19:42 and enabled Bach to realize an uninterrupted and thematic score for the chorales and the arias. The work leads up to the Pontius Pilate tribunal scene in Part II where it ends with the Golgatha and burial scene. Repeated text passages were used, along with repeated crowd scene responses to unify the work. Wolff identifies "inten sity and depth of expression" in the key sequence as it progressed later in part two. His sketch identifies Bach's precision toward foundation harmony. Chapter 19-22 is scored with three flats; through 24, four sharps; through 28, two flats; through 35, four flats; with the vocals and instruments expressing contrasting colors.4 Over the course of time, Bach took the Passion through several changes and never seemed quite satisfied with the final form. A year before his death, he had reworked almost half of the two part, 40 piece work. By that time he had reverted, after two major edition changes, back to the tighter original version. The problem he had was not a musical one but a libretto one. Wolff writes of it lacking textual unity.5 Bach uses familiar church hymns to develop some of the recitatives, arias, and choruses making up his work and draws from the work of other composers and poets for themes and ways of rendering the libretto. The music was written for a four-part chorus with solo tenor and bass, and a solo quartet of soprano, alto, tenor and base. Bass voices belong to Jesus, Peter, and Pilate, and the Evangelist is tenor. Instruments of the orchestra comprise two flutes, two oboes, viola da gamba, strings, lute and organ. Period instruments included viola da gama, two violas d'amore, continuo with cello and two oboes da caccia. The opening chorus is followed by the Evangelist recitative who sets the background for the betrayal of Jesus. Jesus sings to identify himself to the

The Current Strategic Position of Amazon com Essay

The Current Strategic Position of Amazon com - Essay Example The web guides in countries like Japan, Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many others, it has been able to reach out to an international internet audience. Moreover, its business associates are also swelling in ranks and may now be more than 900,000 members in over 150 counties of the world. Its strategic alliance with Dell Computers in co-branding endeavors has also yielded excellent results. Dell main strategic position has been due to its fundamental, or core concept, of devising a long-term strategy for its company, and all its efforts are being directed towards achieving a robust long-term leadership in this field. Current strategy: Its current strategy is seen in terms of achieving market leadership on a long-term basis by a portfolio of judicious investments that could consolidate its position and brand image in the global markets. Internet business is subject to ill effects of market vicissitudes, which strike without notice, and companies need to take previous safeguards to alleviate, if not eliminate the detrimental effects of such risks and threats. Problems facing amazon.com : The main issues that are now being faced by amazon.com are firstly, in terms of whether their present business model could be successfully implemented during the next five years of the company’s lifetime, or should grassroots changes need to be institutionalized to keep pace with market demands and changing business environments. Secondly, the idea of catering a large number of products and services to all strata of customers needs to be reviewed or not, and what the future holds for this kind of marketing strategies. Thirdly, it also needs to look into the matter of how marketing innovative techniques and methods could be successfully evolved to meet future leadership challenges, and how this could lead to increased levels of consumer satisfaction. Finally, whether the image of being an internet Wal Mart could be successfully sustained in the years to come.

Business memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business memo - Assignment Example As for privacy, the candidates should not give out their passwords and neither shall information obtained used for any other different purpose. The search should look for factors that can make a candidate the best suited for the job or factors that can make him or her unsuitable. From, the social sites searches, Ms. Flanders will be able to learn more about the interpersonal skills of the candidate such as non-verbal communication skills and the social life of the candidate. Because Hathaway Jones is a luxury apparel retailer, Ms. Flanders should look for the fashion sense of candidates through the photos they post. Secondly, Ms. Flanders should gauge the behavior of candidates as suggested through their photos, comments, and conversations with their friends. From this information, Ms. Flanders will learn more about the prospective candidates. Through Google search Ms. Flanders can verify the authenticity of the academic qualification stated by the candidate and the work experience. Secondly, through Google search Ms. Flanders can be able to know of the candidates’ criminal record or past misdemeanor that can make him or her unsuitable for the job. In order to ensure that the searches do not incur the company a lot of cost, the company should state in their job adverts that those wishing to apply for the advertised positions should ensure their personal profile or page can be viewed by the public in either Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. This will minimize the time for carrying out the searches and the labor required since it will be a simple task. In order to ensure that the searches are uniform for all candidates the same checklist or criteria for searching should be applicable to all candidates to look for similar factors or issues about each candidate. In order to prevent against any form of discrimination, candidates should ensure that their

Why the internet and online socialization causes social isolation, Essay

Why the internet and online socialization causes social isolation, loneliness and damages our interpersonal skills when encountering people in person - Essay Example An online social network is a website that functions like an online community of people who use the internet. There are a lot of online social websites which allow the internet users to take their membership for free and socialize with other members regarding hobbies, career, religion, fashion, politics etcetera. The users read the profile pages of other members, share views and ideas, give comments and contact them via their profiles. In short, a social networking website is a great means of bringing people of same wave length together and socializing with the outside world. However, along with all these advantages, there are some drawbacks attached with the use of these social networks the most important of which is social isolation, loneliness, anxiety (Brown). They also damage our interpersonal skills when encountering people in person. The negatives of the Internet are often hidden and indirect. Taking a closer look at the effects of the Internet on our lives, we can easily discover and agree on one drawback for sure. This essay will primarily focus on how our modern technology, the internet, sites like Facebook or Twitter, and our overall digital lives decrease the need for personal interaction and the skills that come with it. Social isolation is a condition in which an individual lacks human interaction through avoiding social contact. When there is too little interaction with people, man tends to get socially isolated and becomes depressed. This gives rise to anxiety and stress which is not manageable by the person himself. Hampton, Sessions and Her assert in their study that â€Å"Evidence from the US General Social Surveys (GSS) suggests that during the past 20 years, people have become increasingly socially isolated and their core discussion networks have become smaller and less diverse.† When a person spends hours and hours in front of the computer screen behind the objective of staying connected to the people

Academic Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic Argument - Essay Example tes need to enforce teachers to teach their cultural and social values to children so that they can reflect the signs of a strong local community when they grow up. Dewey discussed that the distinction between progressive and traditional education is not particularly meaningful: what really matters is the vision of society for action that an education embodies (Kaplan, 1997). Teachers need protection of the states even when they teach what the states want them to teach in order to perform required social development based on objectives learning. Based on a clear contract between a state or local schools and teachers, no one would criticize what the teachers teach. Moreover, increased job opportunities and a better job environment for teachers would also play a significant role in making this profession attractive for teachers. Parents have a strong concern about what teachers teach to their kids in local schools. States’ role in the development of curriculum is very important for parents to determine whether they should put their kids in public schools to learn particular curriculum of science, religion, or moral values or not. Obviously, parents play an important role of involvement and participation in terms of creating successful education endeavors. Curriculums help in determining what students need to achieve or do in any particular academic year (Perkins-Gough, 2003). Parents always expect schools to provide the best education to their children to help them in marking their educational achievements (Seginer, 1983). Performance appraisal helps in determining whether an employee is meeting the standards set by the company or not. In case of teachers, this appraisal will help in knowing whether teachers are doing their jobs in accordance with the standards or not. If a teacher is found negligent in following the standards, proper actions can be taken against him/her, whereas certain rewards and incentives can be given to the obeying teachers as

Human Resource Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human Resource Managment - Essay Example Figure 1 Applying the principles of total reward strategy into reality, Taj Group devised the STARS (Special Thanks And Recognition System) as an attempt to appreciate the excellent performers and making employees happy by recognizing their efforts and contribution made to the organizational success. STARS was more inclined towards fostering a spirit of cooperation, motivation and excellence by introducing more of intrinsic rewards than cash awards. STARS as such, worked as a five-level strategy where employees earned points for their acts of kindness, hospitality and teamwork (Chandran 2003). Based on the accumulated points, employees were put into silver, gold, platinum, etc. grades and were applauded in public. An overview of the nature of reward system and its components at Taj are shown in table 1 below: STARS Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Grade Silver Gold Platinum Chief Operating Officer’s Club Managing Director’s Club Points 120 130 250 510 >760 Time l imit 3 months Within 3 months of attaining silver grade Within 6 months of attaining gold grade SPECIFIC FEATURES OF STARS Receipts Only recognition, no cash awards Acts Honesty, kindness, leadership, teamwork, etc. Gathering points Positive feedback or appreciation received either from colleagues or customers Rewards Hampers, vouchers, free vacation sponsored by Taj Group, etc. Recognition Award giving ceremony to highest point earners and public display of their photographs. Table 1: Components of STARS at Taj Group The incorporation of STARS fulfills the basic underlying principles of reward management. As Taj Charter says, its people philosophy is orchestrated to make employees feel important and special while working at Taj (Chandran 2003). Its core principle remains to attract,... This paper approves that reward management facilitate employees remain stuck to the organization’s vision of quality, responsiveness and assurance. Cross-functional teams which are the talk of the town also perform well when total rewards strategy is put in place. Reward management even establishes a sense of equity amongst employees whereby they feel that efforts of every single person are appreciated proportionately. The research conducted on Le Meridian’s Hotel of practicing reward management as one of its core HR strategy put forth many positive findings, major of which was employees ranking high on their health and energy aspect. This essay makes a cocnclusion that Taj Group has no doubt innovated in its human resource adaptations and aligning its business objectives with that of people objectives. It thrusts on people-oriented culture rather than work or profit oriented one. This is the reason behind its immense success and expansion spree worldwide. Same feat is replicated by Le Meridian Hotel in Mauritius which is also known for its top class quality and service delivery. The commonality between both remains their people strategy and inclusion of a total reward component in their HR dimension to retain their best talent. Both these hospitality giants present an example of how recognizing and appreciating the efforts of people can garner unimaginable benefits and growth prospects to a service business. Though sustaining on such philosophies and making them happen against set standards remain risky, yet what these two have done is commendable and should be followed by others in the industry.

How do UC Berkeley and UC Boulder strategic IT plans compare against Essay

How do UC Berkeley and UC Boulder strategic IT plans compare against the Baldridge criteria and each other for assessing strategic planning - Essay Example There are seven main categories of Baldrige criteria that can be unswervingly implemented for analysis and organizational research: Furthermore, there are several crucial core concepts ranging from agility to systems perspective which can be recombined to create special assessment blocks. (Baldrige Performance Excellence Program 2013) UC Berkeley’s (2007) IT plan has been developed in a straight forward manner, where all its chapters are almost directly interconnected with each other in numerous ways. The plan, first of all, seeks to focus on the fundamentals of IT infrastructure management and related service issues. The plan prioritizes delivery of excellent customer service, which expands on customer engagement and governance. In this way, the university seeks to deal with student expectations with a corporate attitude. Contextually, the university plans to improve the security of its IT related data and assets. The university seeks to make special provisions of research support. Enabling campus-wide shared IT services is the prime stepping stone for achieving these aims. The IT plan thus addresses collaboration issues along with a final emphasis on continual improvement of its IT services and applications. UC Berkeley’s attitude of focusing on the basics of IT infrastructure management shows that the IT action plan has a strong strategic grounding. This approach is in accordance with the Baldrige criteria group of Strategic planning. Direct Customer focus criteria can be implemented and further improvised along with the university’s vision on expanding customer engagement. The university also addresses Workforce focus criteria by continuously evaluating its governance system. Core concepts of agility and societal responsibility are implemented as the university seeks to provide research support along with optimal IT security. This same

Healthy Eating Essay Example for Free

Healthy Eating Essay People tend to think of healthy eating as a strict diet of unsubstantial meals. They imagine eating meals consisting of boring salads and food with no taste. The reality of the matter is that healthy eating should be looked at as a way of consuming a well-balanced diet with a variety of colorful and delicious foods that will be beneficial to the body. The human body requires an assortment of nutrients that include, but are not limited to fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Eating the right types of food is not the only step to healthy eating. Portion control is an important step of the healthy eating process that people tend to often overlook. Although healthy eating is a significant way to promote a healthy lifestyle, combining it with exercise will provide the body with energy, assist in weight loss, and lower the risk of disease. After all, we are what we eat. Not many people understand what it means to have a well-balanced diet. A popular belief is to eat vegetables and fruits and stay away from sugars and fatty foods. Although these are good examples of healthy eating, there is more to having a well-balanced diet. A well-balanced diet means to provide the body with the right kind of foods and liquids that will maintain the body in a healthy state for supporting normal growth and development. According to â€Å"Nutrition for Life† (2012), â€Å"As we age, our nutrient needs change with our bodies.† People require different nutrients throughout the different stages of their lives. For example, infants and toddlers need nutrients for normal growth and development. Teaching them at an early age impacts their health and weight later in life. It’s never too early to implement healthy eating habits. Well-balanced meals fuel children and give them energy for school and playtime. For women, nutrition plays an important role in fertility and pregnancy. The â€Å"Pregnancy: Staying Healthy and Safe† (2010) website states that an expecting mother needs more nutrients than before her pregnancy. In order to stay healthy, the human body needs a combination of nutrients. Unfortunately, there is not one single food that can provide everything that the body needs in order to function. According to Let the Pyramid Guide Your Food Choices (n.d.), â€Å"oranges provide vitamin C and folate but no vitamin B12; cheese provides calcium and vitamin B12; but no vitamin C.† Varieties of diets exist and make it difficult for a person to choose one. It is up to an individual to pick the right diet for them. Some foods to  consider in a well-balanced diet include protein, dairy, and grains. There should also be fruits and vegetables mixed in the diet. It is recommended to include each food group in a meal to get the necessary nutrients for good health. Fats and oils should also be a part of a healthy diet, but they can impact health in a negative manner. Diets should limit saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol. Added sugars should also be limited because although they provide some calories, they contain little to no vitamins and minerals. One last food that should be limited in order to have a well-balanced diet is sodium, also known as salt. Awareness of what a person eats is important for healthy eating, but another factor to consider is the portion. Portion control can be difficult to manage. The key is to eat enough of every food group without eating too much of them. Recommended serving sizes can be found in the Food Guide Pyramid, which is an outline based on dietary guidelines created by the United States Department of Agriculture. Many restaurants are serving more food than a person needs. When eating out, a good strategy to use is to eat half of the meal and take the other half home for another time. Another good idea is to share meals with someone else. To control portions at home a person should read the labels on packages. People can be tricked by what they believe to be a single serving, when in actuality there may be several servings per package. In a short report written for the BMC Research Notes, the authors state the following, â€Å"A randomized controlled study in Canada observed that a portion control plate led to significant weight loss†¦ among obese patients with diabetes.† (â€Å"Portion control for the treatment of obesity in the primary care setting,† 2011, pp. 346-347). Diligent and responsible consumers must read the labels in order to know what nutrients are found in their food and to know the serving sizes per package. In addition to nutrients and portion control, dietary supplements also can be a part of a diet and healthy eating. Dietary supplements are vitamins, minerals, and other substances that can be used to supplement a person’s diet. They should contain one or more dietary ingredients or their constituents. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates these supplements but not under the same regulations covering conventional foods and drug products. Manufacturers are  responsible for properly labeling and marketing their supplements to the public and making sure that the product or ingredient is safe before it is  sold. It is a common practice to take supplements to add nutrients to a person’s diet, but it should not be thought of to replace food and nutrients from its original source. Dickinson, A., Bonci, L., Boyon, N., Franco, J. (2012) stated, â€Å"Most users of dietary supplements say their primary motivation is to improve overall health or wellness or to fill perceived nutrient gaps in their dietary intake† (p. 14). Consumers should be aware that taking too much of a supplement can build up and cause toxicities. A general rule is if a supplement will be used, it should provide 100% or less of the Daily Value. Dietary supplements are good ways to fill in the gap if vitamins and minerals are missing in a diet. The combination of eating the right nutrients, controlling the sizes of a meal, and using dietary supplements will affect a person’s health and benefit them. Benefits of eating healthy can range from effectively losing weight to controlling stress. Having a well-balanced meal also helps fight off diseases. In fact, many diseases are caused because of a poor diet (Top Benefits Of Eating Healthy: Ideas That Go Beyond The Ordinary, 2011). Another benefit of eating healthy is that it increases energy levels. Eating whole foods energizes the body leading to more productivity. Setting goals like weight loss and seeing the results give a person a sense of accomplishment and motivation, thus releasing stress. Healthy foods also promote cell growth and can eliminate toxins found in the body. Another benefit that people tend to overlook is that when a person is healthy, they can reduce their healthcare costs and save money. Healthy eating also promotes a healthy lifestyle when accompanied with exercise. Exercising is a terrific way to keep in shape. As healthy eating does, exercise can improve an individual’s mood, control his weight, and lower the risk of diseases. Exercising helps with weight loss by burning calories and excess fat. It will also boost an individual’s energy level and also promotes better sleep. Not eating healthy has its risks, which should not be overlooked because of the negative aspects and harm that can happen to a person. Poor diets can come from poverty, meaning that people do not have the means to a healthy diet. It can also come from eating disorders. There is a misconception that eating disorders happen among young girls and women, but in fact boys and men also suffer from the disorders. There are three common eating disorders. They are called anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge  eating disorder. According to Weisenberger (2012), Eating disorders —such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder —include extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues.† These eating disorders can be defined in the following manner: anorexia is when a person starves and losses excessive weight, bulimia is the act of binge-eating followed by purging and binge-eating is characterized by compulsively over-eating. Obesity is another problem that can come from an unhealthy diet and no exercise. It can increase the risk of chronic diseases. Some of these diseases are diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. According to Wang and Beydoun (2009), â€Å"Obesity has become a global epidemic, and is becoming a public health crisis in the United States.† Adhering to a good diet that is reduced in sugars and other poor nutrients will reduce chronic diseases related to weight gain. People that engage in a daily exercise routine and that maintain a well-balanced diet will feel energized throughout the day, be at a healthy weight, and visit the doctor’s office less often. It is never too late to get into the habit of eating healthy. Choosing the right diet and giving the body the proper nutrients is essential for everyone’s well-being. It is an effective method to staying healthy throughout an individual’s lifetime. Knowing the benefits of eating healthy and the consequences of not doing so should be reason enough to start today. Are you doing your part to promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle? References Dickinson, A., Bonci, L., Boyon, N., Franco, J. (2012). Dietitians use and recommend dietary supplements: report of a survey. Nutrition Journal 11. 14. Let the Pyramid Guide Your Food Choices.(n.d.). Retrieved from http://brashear.k12.mo.us/dept/super/Pyramid1.htm Nutrition for Life. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=5518 Portion control for the treatment of obesity in the primary care setting. (2011, January). BMC Research Notes, 4(1), 346-350. doi:10.1186/1756-0500-4-346 Pregnancy: Staying Healthy and Safe. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/staying-healthy-safe.cfm#a Top Benefits of Eating Healthy: Ideas that go Beyond the Ordinary. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.eatinghealthyfoods.org/top-benefits-of-eating-healthy.html Wang, Y. Y., Beydoun, M. A. (2009). Meat consumption is associated with obesity and central obesity among US adults. International Journal of Obesity, 33(6), 621-628. doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.45 Weisenberger, J. (2012). Eating Disorders: Problem also Affects Boys and Men. Retrieved from http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=6442470406#.UJ_7goc72Ag

Feminist Research Into Soap Opera Audiences

Feminist Research Into Soap Opera Audiences Feminist Research into the field of television has made a vital contribution by studying the genre of soap opera and its audiences. The understanding of the relationship that the genre share with its audiences is important in gaining knowledge about why this genre has remained such a popular form, despite the continuous criticism that has been receiving from the television critics and journalists. Feminist researchers such as Ien Ang, Dorothy Hobson, and Lesley Henderson etc focused their research of soap operas in exploring how soap opera audiences use this genre as a medium to engage into social debates and interpret the drama in their own ways. Rather than focusing on the text alone, they have elaborated on how audiences bring their perspectives in the stories. These authors have tried to put themselves in this scenario and explored the study as fans rather than just being critics. As Brunsdon(1995, p.50, cited in Henderson, 2007, p.8) notes, On the one hand, there is a perceived incompatibility between feminism and soap opera, but, on the other, it is arguably feminist interest that has transformed soap opera into a very fashionable field for academic inquiry. The aim of this essay is to out light on and the work of this feminists by analysing and exploring the key concepts such as active audiences, and breaking away from the allegory that soap opera audiences are passive watchers. The aim is also to understand why women have always been the dominant members of the soap operas. Do they enjoy this genre merely for entertainment? If no, then what understanding do they bring to soap operas? Another aspect that this essay touches upon is to critically understand whether soap opera writers lack creative ability, as people especially non soap opera viewers, often think that the storylines of such genre are dragged and over dramatized. Lastly, it touches on the social relevance that soap operas have, apart from just being considered as a source of melodrama and entertainment. Talking about television is part of the everyday work culture of both men and women (p 175). Discussing storylines in the form of gossip or debate, criticizing or applauding, sympathizing with the characters and relating to incidents that unfold in reel life with the real lives, are some of the processes through which soap opera audiences find this genre so entertaining. Breaking the myth of passive viewer One of the most crucial contributions made to the media studies by feminist researchers is the understanding of the relationship between soap operas and its audiences. The answer to the question why the soap opera is so popular lies in understanding the relationship it shares with its audiences. The effects that soap operas can possibly have on its viewers form the basis of their success or failure on television. Feminist researchers have time and again exhibited the importance of understanding the audience/text relationships. But, often soap opera audiences are stereotyped as passive viewers. As the term suggests, passive viewers are the ones who just blindly accept the information that is provided to them. There is a misconception that the members of this category do not use their own knowledge and understanding while watching the soap operas, as they are a product of fiction and fantasy. According to Hobson (2003, p.166), journalists and critic s often stereotype the soap opera audiences as easily duped mass, who fall prey to the melodramatic storylines. This assumption is stated by Seiter et al too (1997, p. 162). They add that critics feel that viewers usually turn off their brain cells while watching a programme, hence losing any critical ability to judge the merits and demerits of a soap opera. They do not understand the difference between what is real and what is fictitious. In a recent episode of BBCs Eastenders, the show tackled with the issue of cot death and baby swap. The episode was subject of a lot of debate and criticism. Viewers termed this particular storyline as awful tragic and sensationalism, especially since it was aired during the New Years time. Joyce Epstein, director of the Foundation For The Study Of Infant Deaths (FSID) was quoted in Mailonline saying, I just hope that people realise that this is fiction, this is not real life. I would hope people can view it as something that happens on screen and is not real life. Apparently, the show received around 5000 complaints about how the subject was so sensitive and the events were exaggerated. This means that the viewers were in fact critical of the subject and brought their own understanding to the topic. Another analysis of this could be that maybe viewers always have had opinions about soaps, its just that now their opinions are more visible because more and more people are using web tools and the whole issue is sometimes blown out of proportion to gain the attention. A viewers interpretation of the text could be in any form a moral argument, a social debate, a group discussion or a part of everyday gossip. Through all these means, it can be said that audiences are bringing their own experiences and opinions to the show and also add their perspectives to the stories. Soap operas depend on the audience following the stories and need their audience to be loyal and watch regularly (Hobson, 2003, p.161). This exemplifies that soap operas are constantly thriving on the support of its audience, and if the audiences discontinue their support, then soaps cannot run for a long time. According to Gillespie (1996, p.13), spending time on watching soap operas is a productive way to understand how viewers consume the text, images and narratives. This thought is also resonated by Slade, who supports the concept of active audience and asserts that viewers do not just accept a producers perspective of a particular story, add their own meaning to it through their reactions. This statement in a way contradicts the famous Hypodermic syringe model which subscribes that audiences are under the spell of media producers and that the audiences act and think according to what the media is trying to tell us, rather than putting your understanding to the media texts. Philip J. Hanes(2000) suggests that rather than understanding the audience/text relationships through effects model terming audience as passive viewers, it is important to focus on a new approach through Uses and Gratification model , as this model focuses on how audiences use and interpret media texts rather than focusing on what effects media has on the audiences. According to the model, audiences have specific needs and actively turn to the media to consume various texts to satisfy those needs (Hanes). Originally targeted towards women above the age of thirty, are shows like Desperate Housewives and Sex And The City. These are now widely popular amongst women in their twenties. Male viewers also e njoy these shows because of the glamour quotient; these viewers would otherwise avoid soap operas. Audiences are not blank sheets of paper on which media messages can be written; members of an audience will have prior attitudes and beliefs which will determine how effective media messages are (Abercrombie 1996, 140, in Hanes April 2000). In her research on audience reception of American Prime time show Dallas, Ien Ang (1985, p.26) found that each of the viewers watching the show shared an exclusive relationship with its characters and storyline. This experience or bond that they feel could be a product of their thinking, their social surroundings, and their background or depending on their social class and age group. Gender studies Why do women audience dominant this genre? As mentioned, soap operas heavily thrive on their viewers attention. And a large part of this audience is dominated by women. Because this genre deals with storylines and themes that are melodramatic, emotional, fantasy based, critics would argue that that are the reasons that soap opera producers can easily attract womens attention. But, feminists researchers believe that there are valid and important reasons as to why women love viewing these types of programmes. Undoubtedly, Soap operas are a means of entertainment, and provide the pleasure of viewing fictitious lives. Emotional realism, the fantasy world, melodrama are some of the reasons that evoke women to watch soap dramas but at the same time, it is important to note that female audiences bring a whole new meaning and knowledge to the soap opera viewing experience. One of the most exceptional qualities that women possess (as a gender) is the ability to relate and empathize with experiences. However, Ang(1985, p. 82) argues th at the fact that women love watching soaps is not so much associated with their social surroundings, especially housewives per se and that they are inclined towards a melodramatic lifestyle. Rather she points out that women are accustomed to tackle any situation psychologically, filled with a lot emotions. Hence, it becomes easier for them to identify with tragic structure of feeling inscribed in the dramas. In her work on audience reception of Crossroads, Hobson (2003, p.168) observed that women related the content of Crossroads, with their own personal lives, by relating the stories and characters with everyday lives. The problems depicted in the programme bore resemblance with the problems that they experienced. A lot Indian audiences, (again mainly women) enjoy watching soap operas because they feel that some of the situations or events in these programs teach them how to tackle family issues, since most of the dramas revolve around family lives as the main theme while rivalry, extra marital affairs, form the sub themes. Another important aspect that attracts women towards soap operas is fantasy world, which offers things and experiences that one cannot experience in real life. It acts a mode of escape from a daily routine in to the world full of possibilities. Pleasure of fantasy lies in its offering the subject an opportunity to take up positions which she could not in real life.The best example could be that contemporary soap operas such as Desperate Housewives and Sex And The City (SATC) narrate the story of women who are independent, powerful and charismatic, but at the same, they are shown to have their share of lifes struggles, and as expected they manage to work their way through domestic problems and family quarrels. For women viewers, such situations act as a means of forgetting their own personal problems by getting engrossed in such programmes. It gives them a chance to divert themselves from the pressures of their mundane life. Women form a personal bond with such characters and start im agining themselves to be like those fictitious characters. For some women, solving a domestic issue is too serious an issue, but when from a third persons point of view, they watch a TV character going through the similar situation, it tend to imagine the issue as a minor one. Moreover, apart from emotional involvement, these shows celebrate free spirited nature of womanhood by focusing attention on female friendships. In her interaction with women via group discussions on SATC, Deborah Jermyn found out that the programmes realism lay predominantly in its depiction of the womens friendships and conversation particularly within the scenes where they meet together as a group to talk.(Akass and McCabe, 2004, p.214) Moreover, the location of the show, New York, for some women, added the escapist quality to their life. However, Mary E. Brown makes a contrasting point here. She argues that soap operas usually portray women characters as passive and powerless on one hand, and sexual objects for men on the other (Brown 1990, p. 75). She gives the examples of strong and positive women characters such as Christine Cagney from Cagney and Lacey, and Maddie Hayes from Moonlighting. The former portrays the life of two strong, independent, working women living life in a modern way. Brown stresses that such positive representation of women on soaps operas act as potential role models of its female audiences. From such a perspective, it is only logical to claim one should strive to offer positive role models by supplying positive images of women. (Brown, 1990, p.83). Hobson (2003, p. 178) echoes Brown views by noting that The women characters that were seen as the most popular were those who had to struggle against the vicissitudes of life. British soap operas often are based on the topic of emotional realism. They are considered to be realistic in nature. In her discussion on English soap operas, Hobson found out that women audiences felt that the female characters in the show held strong popularity because they had the ability to cope with difficulties. Such qualities, as per Hobson are considered as admirable (Hobson 2003, p.178). Many of the characters in the series Coronation Street and Crossroads were women who themselves had to confront problems in their everyday lives, and the resolution or negotiation of these problems within the drama provided point of recognition and identification for the women viewers(167-68) Gender studies play a vital role in understanding how different members (male or female) of audiences think about a particular soap drama. It has been mentioned above how women have the ability to relate to the fiction and bring their own meanings to the soaps. Women, especially housewives who are considered as the prime targets of this genre, generally find this medium to get away from their mundane domestic life. Hence, they switch on to soap operas and watch stories of women who either have better or worse lives than theirs. It gives them a reason to escape from their own surroundings for a while. Men, on the hand, ideally prefer entertainment. They think that soap operas are dramatized beyond belief. They believe that soaps are generally slow and even a little fictitious incident in them is dragged and hyped. Moreover, they cannot be bothered to watch every episode of the show. In short, they are not brought to think emotionally as women usually do. This is an argument put forward by some theorists that identity of a soap opera viewer is inscribed in the soap itself. Soap operas identity is most dominant by women viewers. The competences necessary for reading soap opera are most likely to have been acquired by those persons culturally constructed through discourses of femininity. (Morley, 1992, p.129 cited in Chandler, 1994). Death of creative writing? Due to the qualities that soap operas inherit: exaggerated storylines, melodramatic imagination, tragic structure of feeling, emotional realism, escapism, it is often assumed that they tend to lack creativity and originality in terms of writing. In the recent years, there has been an increase in number of soap operas that are being produced. This might give television critics a reason to think that soap operas have nothing new to offer to its audiences, except stretched storylines and themes. This genre is originally meant to provide entertainment and the reason that it is successful in doing so, is because its audience loves it. They love being a part of writers fictitious world and then, also have the advantage of bringing their own endings or beginnings to these soaps. Moreover, it should be noted that the makers of such soap operas often take examples from real life events and situations and then play them out by adding drama and fiction to it. More importantly, the issues that formed the basis of stories were those which were important and relevant at the time when they were conceived and had a place within the planned storylines (Hobson 2003, p. 201). Since, they cater to a vast amount of audiences, it is impossible to the soap producers to not be reflective and not tackle the everyday issues. In a recent episode of BBCs Eastenders, the show tackled with the issue of cot death and baby swap. The episode was subject of a lot of debate and criticism. Viewers termed this particular storyline as awful tragic and sensationalism, especially since it was aired during the New Years time. The example that is previously mentioned about Eastenders, also to a certain extent implies that soap opera storylines do take instances from real life events. Another quote by Joyce Epstein, (FSID) saying, I would hope people can view it as something that happens on screen and is not real life. However, she did say that, But cot death does happe n (Thompson, 2011). This shows that scriptwriters do take instances from real life or issues that affect people and played them out on screen. Rather than saying that soap opera writers lack creativity, it should be said that they possess reflectivity, the tendency to reflect their views through dramas, while keeping in mind its relevance. As Henderson notes, Creeber challenges the perception of a decline in quality programming and argues that we should not lament the death of the single play but should instead celebrate the generic hybridity of television drama (Creeber, 2004, p.15, cited in Henderson, 2007, p.15). A T.V drama writer has the whole world of imagination to choose from, (Henderson, 2007, p. 9). They have the gift to experiment with the storylines, introduce new characters from time to time, bring mini climaxes and dramatize cliff hanging moments. The Eastender example manage to grab the eye balls apart from becoming a topic of debate, and both these points work in the favour of the show, because it keeps the audiences hooked and possibly also get the attention of viewers who are not regular watchers. According to Henderson, 2007 (p. 168), the production team behind the working of soap operas most often bring their own experiences to the show, hence acting as surrogate audience. Hendersons thoughts are echoed by Hobson as well. Hobson argues that the biggest advantage soap operas have as compared to other genres is that this genre has the scope to engage the audiences by exploring the events based on daily lives. Soap opera writers stay true to their audiences by showing their high creative ability to adapt real life situations rather than manipulate them. The repetitive nature of soaps, with its core of established characters, may also allow a level of identification and empathy which is impossible to replicate in other fictional forms. (For example, the single play) p 174 h) Ang states a rather different view on this. She asserts that exaggerated plots and themes function as metaphors for lifes torments.(Ang, 1982, p.63) She adds that this should mean that there is a lack of creativity or originality in the soap operas as critics who opine this ignores the structural function that lays this genre. The repetitive nature of soaps acts as metaphors for lifes torments in our culture, speaking directly to the imagination of the public.(Ang, 1982, p.64). An exploration of the important issues in everyday life, the soap opera provides a set of representations which can be seen as vibrant reflections of reality. They work because they reflect important issues and they connect with the experiences of the audience; unless they make that connection they will not succeed. After all, shows like Eastenders have always talked issues such as teenage pregnancy, issues related to drugs, suicides and extra marital affairs. Social relevance Lesley Hendersons research in the field of television fiction stresses on the argument that television fiction is not simply is a site of pleasure but it also is a site of definitional power (Henderson, 2007, p.8). She also adds that Soap opera has emerged as a format within which controversial or socially sensitive issues are played out (Henderson, 2007, p 12). As soap operas cater to a wide range of audiences across the world, it becomes important for the broadcasters to own up a moral responsibility by imparting social education to the audiences, apart from just entertainment. When producers realised that the audiences were slowly getting alienated from family dramas, they shifted their focus on socially relevant issues like Child marriage, eve teasing, female infanticide and other important issues and incorporated them into stories. Soon, the television fiction saw a huge change in the way soap operas were earlier perceived. Women, Men and children and elders, everyone started wa tching soap operas again and applauded the creative teams for talking about issues that were long ignored. Television fiction has largely been studied as a site of entertainment and pleasure despite its importance in relaying social meanings and cultural forms (Grispurd 1995, p.21, cited in Henderson, 2007, p.7). A recent T.V drama, Nivedita, talks about the issues of HIV/AIDS. Inspired from education oriented soaps operas produced in South America, this soap opera follows the route of education as entertainment, as described by its makers. Its a 26 episode series and at the end of episode, viewers get to see a short message on HIV/AIDS awareness by celebrities. In a developing country like India, where HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the major concerns, a soap opera like Nivedita is a good way to educate the audiences about the epidemic. Besides, in India, television and film actors are considered as demi gods, whatever they do, good or bad, audiences keenly observe them. According to marketing strategy followed by media owners, incorporating a social message as a part of storyline is an eff ective tools because viewers relate to them in a better way (Pain, October 2010). The secret is to make sure that the drama remains recognisably real while subtly redefining reality in such a way as to alter perceptions of what is normal and good (Carlin 2003 in Henderson, 2007,, 2007, p.18-19). The fictional soap operas and the situational comedies give us an impersonal way to begin a debate about moral issues. (Slade, 2000, p. 424) Slade(2000, p.422-423) provides an example of Mirada de Mujer, a Mexican high quality telenova. Based on the life a women character Marie- Inà ©ss, this soap opera dealt with controversial themes such as AIDS, unwanted pregnancy and extra marital affair. It became a topic of debate not only in domestic sphere but also in the Mexican press. The life events of this central character were a constant topic of debate among Mexican household. Thus, this telenova was successful in generating enough controversy and encouraging people as well members of the audiences in participating in social debates. But, in order to be a success in terms of attracting the audiences, such soap operas need to thoroughly understand the audiences needs as well. The producers of soap operas that deal with a certain social message need to make sure that the message is clearly put across to the audience, for them to continue watching the show. (Henderson, 2007, p.19) They should avoid making the drama look like a documentary or a commentary. Contemporary soap operas audiences feel the need to be entertained with every scene. Hence, a right balance of entertainment and seriousness is a must for such a soap drama. How is this genre different from other dramas? Unlike some of the other genres such as crime, the format of soap opera is not meant to be full of suspense, where the audiences are supposed to tune in everyday to see the suspense unfold, rather this genre is a product of a long, slow, and complex fiction which becomes successful in engaging the audiences, as they are tempted to know more about the storyline and characters. According to Ang (1982, p.57), even as the theme is recurring and repetitive, it works in the favour of the audience, as they start viewing the show not as an outsider but as one of members of that show. aUnlike a talk show, where audiences are just made sit and watch two people converse, in soap operas, the main theme is constructed in a way that it seems never ending. Life in a soap opera is full of troubles crime, rape, burglary, extra marital affairs. The French semiologist Violette Morin points out, for example, that the popularity of the television serial could derive from the fact that the life depicted in it seems to proceed more slowly than real life. (Morin cited in Ang, 1982, p.81) This could mean that in todays contemporary society, where people have to just rush through moment, due to time constraints, they till crave for a life in slow motion. A small incident in a soap drama stretches for minutes, sometimes days, hence bringing a melodramatic meaning to audiences life, which they normally do not experience. The longer they run the more impossible it seems to imagine them ending.(Geraghty, 1991, p. 11, cited in Chandler, 2004) Conclusion: Undoubtedly, as Charlotte Brunsdon put it, soap operas today have become a subject of many syllabuses, rather than being considered merely an object of ridicule. While it has been mentioned that audience engage and contribute their understanding in the viewing of soap operas, it should also be kept in mind the judgment of this knowledge and comprehensive study largely depends on a viewers own awareness of culture and experiences, meaning that a particular story or a scene in a soap, could possibly have different meanings. It can also be concluded that soap operas take the process of communication beyond the experience of television viewing itself, in the form of social debates, imitating the fictional characters and their lives. Through the analysis of Angs work, it can be said that soap opera audiences relate to the metaphors that storylines often depict and this is study is relatable to contemporary soap opera audiences as well. The pleasure of watching a soap lies in i ts exaggerated plots, emotional sufferings and cliff hanging plots. The experience of watching a soap drama is very personal too, because everything is told from a personal viewpoint. Another assumption that can be disrupted from the research on Active audience is that contemporary soap opera audiences have become smart and aware of that content they are watching. They can no longer be fooled by the programme markers. That means, even programme makers have to deal with certain challenged to keep the viewers engaged. So, it is a possibility that in an effort to keep the audiences glued to the drama, producers today resort to techniques such as over dramatizing the events, sensational stories, spreading true or false link up stories of their TV actors in media, because today since news spread really quickly, owing to the internet and hence, such means help the producers in grabbing eyeballs. After all, any publicity is considered to be good for such shows. Lastly, it is important to understand that soap operas were originally meant to offer a company to housewives, who fitted their daily routine work around soaps. A domestic life of any person is filled with all kinds of emotions. These are used as metaphors to depict situations and events in soaps. While it is a valid argument that emotions are portrayed in extreme ways of melodrama, it cannot be denied that these metaphors are sourced from real life events, more or less. Apart from providing entertainment to their audience, a soap opera producer also holds the responsibility to regular be reminded of their social responsibility as a broadcaster. Critics, who view soap operas as merely a source of repetitive pleasure, need to understand that socially relevant themes can also act as means of pleasure for the audiences. After all, bringing up socially relevant issues too form a source of moral debate in the contemporary society. But when what has happened in the last thirty years or so is, a strange restructuring of presenting women on screen. This point is most valid with context to contemporary shows such as SATC and Desperate Housewives. While it has been pointed out that such shows celebrate the true spirit of women, but at the same time, shows trivialises the female condition by making them into money hungry, male craving pieces of physicality. A valid query could be do they want anything else? is the changing the attitude of the people or are people forcing their opinions onto shows? Similarly, another stereotypical notion arises when one views Indian TV soaps, where the traditional housewife is shown as the positive role model while the sexy modern thinking woman is the vamp. The strange aspect of this is that these stereotypes are still prevalent; somehow these facts are overlooked by audiences because of the popularity this genre holds. Lastly, the reason that audiences keep coming back to their favourite soap operas each and every day lies in the fact that they not only do they relate to the storylines and characters but it is the personal experiences and memories that these soaps show which intensifies their relationship with this genre, because they feel that they have been through such situations at some point of time. As Hobson (2003, p.202) puts it, The future of soap opera of intricately interwoven with the power and desire of the audience.

Hamlet and King Lear :: essays research papers

There are a lot of similarities in two Shakespeare stories HAMLET and KING LEAR. I guess its because of the style in which Shakes peare wrote. William Shakespeare wrote three kinds of stories: comedy, tragedy and history. Both of these books are tragedies and they are very similar tragedies. In both of these stories there is a feud going on within the family. And in both the feud is between the children and their parents or relatives. Hamlet is looking for the revenge on his uncle for killing Hamlets father and hes upset with his mother marrying the murderer. Here Lears evil daughters try to completely destroy their father. Lear calls his daughters and asks them who loves the most. Regan and Goneril lie just to get Lears land and power. Cordelia honestly answers Lear and for that is given away to France, because Lear has gone out of his mind. After Lear gives out almost all his land he realizes his wrongdoing and tries to restore his power. But now its too late, because his daughters already took away all the land. He sees how evil his daughters really are and they dont love him at all, so he curses them. Now Lear appears to be crazy from his actions, but in reality he exactly knows what is going on. Hamlet saw the ghost of his father and it told Hamlet that his uncle killed him to become the king. This shows that the person will even commit murder to get control of the country, just like we see in KING LEAR. After the ghost appeared to Hamlet, he started to act like he was crazy. But just like Lear, in reality he wasnt crazy, he was thinking of how to get back at his uncle. The endings of both stories are very similar. Besides the fact that all the main characters in both stories die, its how they die thats interesting. Because Goneril wants to get Edmund, she poisons her sister Regan. Hamlets uncle wants to poison Hamlet, but by mistake he poisoned his wife, Hamlets mother. Hamlet by mistake kills his uncle servant Polonius. Because of the death of her father Ophelia (Polonius daughter) goes insane and later kills herself. Because Gonerils plan didnt work, she kills herself. At the end there is a duel between Edgar and Edmund, where Edgar kills his bastard brother. At the end of HAMLET there is a duel between Hamlet and Polonius son, where Hamlet wins but in

My Definition of Terrorism :: Terrorism, Terrorists, 2015

To me, terrorism is the use of violent actions to provoke fear or terror in a population for the purpose of spreading a message. I agree with Moeller in that terrorism is distinguished from other forms of violence in that â€Å"The victims and the intended audience of a terrorist act are not the same,†1 and â€Å"the psychological impact of a terrorist act is intended to be greater than the physical damage caused. The goal of terrorism is to send a message, not defeat the enemy.†2 Additionally, in regards to Moeller’s questions of whether terrorism is a tactic or ideology, terrorism is purely a tactic among many others, not an ideology at all. I do not believe that actions can be crimes or acts of war. Those are purely interpretations of those reacting to events. In some jurisdictions, terrorism is a crime. At least one nation has chosen to consider it an act of war. I consider these judgments to be separate from the definition of the action. Similarly, the usage of transnational pre-emptive force is irrelevant to a definition. I disagree with Moeller in her assertion that terrorism is targeted at civilians. Terrorism can be targeted at military troops as well, as they are a population. Whenever the nature of an attack is to invoke fear over causing direct damage, it qualifies as terrorism. My definition is broad, encompassing many actions not always considered terrorism, and seeks to avoid entangling terrorism with other topics. Works Cited: Moeller, Susan. 2009. Packaging Terrorism; Co-opting the News for Politics and Profit. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.

Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers

The Role of Books in Wuthering Heights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily Bronte's 1847 masterpiece of English literature, Wuthering Heights, is a very deep and complex book that cannot simply be classified as a love story since there is no traditional happy ending for the primary characters and the heroine dies halfway through the book. This book is such a classic because Bronte has the ability to transform characters feelings onto the paper like no one else can. One important theme that relates to most of the characters in Wuthering Heights is that of books and the role they play throughout the story. There is no simple response to this question since the answer differs with each individual character. It is evident, though, that books are very important to the various relationships encountered in this story and that they can be interpreted in many different ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first incident in which books play a role in this story is also one of the most powerful scenes in the entire book. It occurs when Mr. Lockwood has determined that he must stay the night at Wuthering Heights, his landlord's estate. Heathcliff's servant, Zillah, shows Mr. Lockwood to his room and cautions him to 'hide his candle and not make a noise'; since Heathcliff would not willingly approve of his staying in that room. Just after Mr. Lockwood enters the room, he discovers three names carved over and over onto the ledge near the window, Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Heathcliff, and Catherine Linton. Mr. Lockwood begins paging through and examining the collection of books he determines to be Catherine's. The books, he notices, have been well used judging from their dilapidation and 'scarcely one chapter had escaped a pen-and-ink commentary at least, the appearance of one covering every morsel of blank that the printer had left.'; After a short time, Mr. Lockwood dozes off but is awaken quickly by the sound of tapping on the casement window. He sleepily decides that it is the rapping of a nearby tree branch and goes back to sleep. Not much later, he dreams that he is again awakened by the same sound and tries to open the window and break off the source of the distraction. He cannot open it and, breaking the glass, reaches for the branch. To his absolute horror, he finds himself grasping a little ice-cold hand while 'a most melancholy voice'; sobs, 'Let me in let me in!'; In a sense of panic, Mr. Wuthering Heights :: essays research papers The Role of Books in Wuthering Heights   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Emily Bronte's 1847 masterpiece of English literature, Wuthering Heights, is a very deep and complex book that cannot simply be classified as a love story since there is no traditional happy ending for the primary characters and the heroine dies halfway through the book. This book is such a classic because Bronte has the ability to transform characters feelings onto the paper like no one else can. One important theme that relates to most of the characters in Wuthering Heights is that of books and the role they play throughout the story. There is no simple response to this question since the answer differs with each individual character. It is evident, though, that books are very important to the various relationships encountered in this story and that they can be interpreted in many different ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first incident in which books play a role in this story is also one of the most powerful scenes in the entire book. It occurs when Mr. Lockwood has determined that he must stay the night at Wuthering Heights, his landlord's estate. Heathcliff's servant, Zillah, shows Mr. Lockwood to his room and cautions him to 'hide his candle and not make a noise'; since Heathcliff would not willingly approve of his staying in that room. Just after Mr. Lockwood enters the room, he discovers three names carved over and over onto the ledge near the window, Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Heathcliff, and Catherine Linton. Mr. Lockwood begins paging through and examining the collection of books he determines to be Catherine's. The books, he notices, have been well used judging from their dilapidation and 'scarcely one chapter had escaped a pen-and-ink commentary at least, the appearance of one covering every morsel of blank that the printer had left.'; After a short time, Mr. Lockwood dozes off but is awaken quickly by the sound of tapping on the casement window. He sleepily decides that it is the rapping of a nearby tree branch and goes back to sleep. Not much later, he dreams that he is again awakened by the same sound and tries to open the window and break off the source of the distraction. He cannot open it and, breaking the glass, reaches for the branch. To his absolute horror, he finds himself grasping a little ice-cold hand while 'a most melancholy voice'; sobs, 'Let me in let me in!'; In a sense of panic, Mr.

Lost Property Essay

Introduction: Yes, relationships are fragile but not permanently so and they are not just a group of individuals. Scope: address positive family representations of Tambling’s past family life and Michael’s own family, address current situation with Michael’s absence, not multiple issues, being the root of tension and final coming together being the result that Michael and Mr Tambling had planned and all had hoped for. Para 1 – address positive family  representations of Tambling’s past family life and Michael’s own family, Para 2 – address current situation with Michael’s absence, not multiple issues, being the root of tension, not multiple issues, dysfunctional behaviour. Para 3 – final coming together being the result that Michael and Mr Tambling had planned and all had hoped for. Conclusion Family life is documented, questioned and applauded in many Australian stories and James Moloney’s ‘Lost Property’ is one such tale. It may be argued that the Tambling family, upon which the novel is based, is a group of individuals held together by fragile relationships. Contrarily however, one may conclude that the family turmoil within the novel is a temporary state. Following, the positive representations of family life, Michael’s temporary exile and the family’s ultimate reconciliation will be explored to prove that the relationships within the family make them more than a group of individuals. The Tambling family has a solid past and has built ideals within the Tambling children to create healthy family networks. We are provided a picture of a productive family life initially; good schools, house close to Sydney. Josh tells us he has ‘just about everything I want’ (p 47). More than the material though, the family invests in the family unit; dinners together at the table, lifts from parents to above-board activities and support at school. Josh and his father share a love of music, share easy banter and have obvious habits of drives together. Josh recalls idyllic beach outings ‘before that bottle of rum’(p 64) when Mrs Tambling wanted to ‘stop the sun going down’. Life was good. Michael perpetuates these ideals in his own life with Kelly; care, commitment and love are obvious. All the time though, we feel a perpetual pull of Michael back to his family of origin. The Tambling siblings have a strong bond, there is genuine family values, traditions and history so strong that it can be re-created by Michael in his own home-life; all evidence to show that the issues that arise, the arguments that occur are not exemplary of their standard life, but a reaction to the fact that their tight family unit is disunited. Michael’s abs ence sits like a seeping wound upon the family psyche. All the family relationships are put under strain by Michael’s behaviour and departure – Michael and Mr Tambling, Mr and Mrs Tambling, Josh and his father, Josh and his mother in particular. Mr Tambling sending  Michael away has put a wedge between him and his wife, her need to know of his safety causing great strain. Josh’s unhappiness, his feeling of being lost, having no identity could be paralleled with Michael’s absence – Josh begins to feel more connected when he begins his mission to Mackay, a quest to return the prodigal son. When we consider the events leading to Michael’s leaving – the drinking, behaviour, his age, one could consider whether Mr Tambling made a sacrifice in insisting Michael leave†¦a calculated decision for the sake of the remainder of the family. He makes another calculated decision when he discovers where Michael is – to not seek him out, to not tell the remainder of the family. One could argue that these calculations were made not due to fragile relationships within the family but because of a deep love and the ultimate hope that the family will be reunited in good time. Family crisis is not unusual but working through crisis is a true test of family strength. In Michael’s case time was required to heal his wounds, perhaps growth as a person, finding his own identity, falling in love, made it possible for him to understand his father, forgive and accept him. The fragility is a consequence of Michael’s absence, the turmoil that preceded his departure and  The unending need for the family to be reconciled, from all sides, invites readers to anticipate a family reunion, not a continuation of fragility.

Saturday Night and Sunday Morning

Director Karel Reisz's Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, the classic story of an angry young man, heralded a new kind of cinema for British audiences. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a classic social realist film of the British New Wave. Made in 1960, it was groundbreaking in both its portrayal of the industrial nightmare of working class factory life, and its unrepentant, cocky anti-hero Arthur Seaton. The British New Wave and La Nouvelle Vague Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960) was Karel Reisz's first feature film, made in the light of a number of outstanding documentaries from the Free Cinema movement. Interestingly, this film emerged at the same time as Jean-Luc Godard's debut feature A Bout De Souffle (Breathless). Reisz and Godard, the enfant terrible of the French New Wave, shared certain traits. Both were critics turned film-makers whose debut films were the first commercial hits of their respective new waves, and both films were anti-establishment pieces from directors with political agendas. The Angry Young Man Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was a film to which many people could relate. Alan Sillitoe, who adapted his book for the screen, was the creator of one of the original angry young men of cinema history, Arthur Seaton. Arthur is a working class anti-hero whose boredom of factory life is assuaged only by his reckless attitude to life. Trapped in a dead end job, Arthur represents the individual against the system. He makes the most of his leisure time in an attempt to escape the mediocrity of his life. Arthur is blunt and cocky, out for a good time with women, booze and a well cut suit. But he is angry about the restrictions placed on him by his working class life. The cause of this aggression – factory life – united a public who recognized his anger. Cinema attendances reflected the fact that this was one of the first times audiences felt their own lives were represented on screen. Fatally Flawed At the beginning of the film Arthur is having an affair with Brenda, a married woman, who he gets pregnant. He tries to help her when she says she wants an abortion, although ultimately this is unsuccessful. It is a testament to the film-makers that this storyline does not alienate audiences. In fact, for all his gruff, rabble rousing, Arthur remains a likable, if flawed, character. He is seen to get a sort of comeuppance when Brenda's brother in law beats him up at the Nottingham Goose Fair, but audience sympathy is still with Arthur. This is also due in no small part to Albert Finney's amazing portrayal of Arthur as a working class lad coming to bitter terms with the responsibilities of manhood. The Midlands – A Backdrop For Social Realism Setting the film in Nottingham adds a further dimension of imprisonment, through iconography which has since been integrated into British cinema. The imposing chimney stacks and factories serve to increase the feelings of claustrophobia and provincial entrapment. Karel Reisz had already shown in his documentaries Everyday Except Christmas and We Are The Lambeth Boys that ordinary people could provide stories and entertainment, but his directors vision also demonstrates a poeticism of social problems. The views Reisz portrays through his lens have become embedded in British films, and typify a landscape still seen today in any British film within the social realist cannon. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Saturday Night and Sunday Morning By Alan Sillitoe Adapted by Amanda Whittington [pic] Harrogate Theatre 22nd February – 8th March 2008 Directed by Joyce Branagh Resource Material [pic] Alan Sillitoe's ground breaking picture of 1950's Britain, as seen through the eyes of the unforgettable Arthur Seaton (immortalised on screen by Albert Finney), is now brought raging back to life and bang up-to-date in a fast-moving new stage adaptation.Classic kitchen sink drama blended with high energy action and a toe-tapping 1950's fuelled soundtrack makes this at turns funny and heart-rending tale of the life and loves of the original angry young man a must see for three generations. ContentsPage Brief Synopsis Historical context About the author The adapted text List of Characters Principals Analysis In different media 21st Century references Synopsis Saturday Night and Sunday Morning tells the story of Arthur Seaton, a young Nottingham factory worker, who is having an affair with Brenda , the wife of Jack, an older co-worker.He also has a relationship with Doreen, a woman closer to his own age. When Brenda becomes pregnant with Arthur’s child, he goes to his aunt for advice on aborting the child. Jack discovers the affair. His brother and a fellow soldier give Arthur a serious beating. The play ends on an ambiguous note, with a recovered Arthur and Doreen discussing marriage and the prospect of a new home. Historical context 1958: The European Economic Community (Common Market) starts operation. The birth of Rock and Roll, which resulted in the emergence of clubs. Jerry Lee Lewis’s Great Balls of Fire reaches no 1 in the US charts.Women’s rights were still limited, but this was to change over the coming decade. Marie Stopes, a campaigner for women’s rights, dies, aged 69. The first man-made nuclear fusion was created. The class divide was still very prominent and strong. Labour were in government. Queen Elizabeth II had only recently bee n crowned. The idea of a new age had begun. About the Author Name:Alan Sillitoe Born:4th March 1928, Nottingham. Family:Second son of an illiterate tannery laborer. His father, Christopher Sillitoe, became one of the long-term unemployed during the 1930s Depression.On different occasions he worked as a house painter. Once he was imprisoned for â€Å"running up bills for food that he had no hope of paying. † Sillitoe's mother, Silvina (Burton) worked in a lace factory. â€Å"We lived in a room on Talbot Street whose four walls smelled of leaking gas, stale fat, and layers of mouldering wall-paper,† Sillitoe has recalled. Early life:Left school at 14 Sillitoe’s childhood was shadowed by the financial problems of the family, but he also found early on the joys of literature and started to plan his career as a writer.However, his first semi-fictional tale about his wild cousins was burned by his mother for being too revealing. At the age of 14 he left school and wor ked in a number of jobs in Nottingham factories, including a bicycle factory from 1942 to 1946. He served in the Royal Air Force, where he was a wireless operator. After returning from Malaya, he was discovered to have tuberculosis. Sill toe spent sixteen months in an RAF hospital. During this period he started to write again and read intensively. Pensioned off at 21 on 45 shillings at week, he lived in France and Spain for seven years in an attempt to recover.In 1951 he met an American poet, Ruth Fainlight, who was married, but they decided to go abroad together. From 1952 to 1958 they lived in France, Italy and Spain largely on Sillitoe's air force pension. Encouraged by Robert Graves, whom he met on the island of Mallorca in 1956, Sillitoe began to write his first novel, SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING (1958), a story about working-class life in Nottingham. Adapters of the book †¢ Amanda Whittington Previous plays for New Perspectives include: The Boy on the Hill; Last Sto p Louisa’s; and Player’s Angels.Other plays include: Ladies Day (Hull Truck); Satin N Steel (Nottingham Playhouse and Bolton Octagon); Be My Baby (Soho Theatre and subsequently staged by Oldham Coliseum, Hull Truck and Salisbury Playhouse); Born To Run (Third Space); Bollywood Jane (Leicester Haymarket); The Wills’s Girls (Tobacco Factory, Bristol and Radio Four). Publications include: Satin N Steel and Be My Baby (Nick Hern Books); and Twist & Shout, Runaway Girl and Shirley’s Song (SchoolPlay). Amanda has also written for film and television, and was joint winner of the 2001 Dennis Potter Screenwriting Award. David Brett David Brett is an English actor, singer and arranger. David Brett is one of the original members of The Flying Pickets. He arranged a number of the group's songs, including the number one hit Only You. Brett is working as an actor, mainly performing on stage, but he has also participated in a number of TV productions and played Dedalus Diggle in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone[1]. Characters Arthur Seaton: (21) a tall, iron-faced, crop-haired youth Loudmouth: (40) a sailor Brenda: (30) a married mother of two Em’ler: (20’s) Brenda’s friend, a bit touchedWinnie: (25) Brenda’s sister, small and fiery Waiter: too old for the job he’s forced to do Sweeper Girls: (20’s) factory workers Tealady: (40’s) a fixture of the factory Jack: (30) self-contained, fresh-faced, with a perpetual frown Robboe: (40) the foreman, a quiet man with tortured eyes Aunt Ada: (50) the personality of a promiscuous barmaid Mick: (40’s) an Irish drunk Landlady: (50’s) worldly-wise and cynical Courting Couple: (20’s) love-struck Grieving Man: (30’s) confused and sad Doreen: (19) fresh and innocent with a sharp edgeSwaddies: (20’s) army thugs Can be staged with a minimum of six actors, playing: Arthur Brenda/Tealady/Landlady Jack/Loudmouth/Grieving Man/Sw addie Winnie/Aunt Ada/Sweeper Girl/Ratface Doreen/Em’Ler/Sweeper Girl/Courting Girl Waiter/Robboe/Mick/Courting Boy/Swaddie Principal Analysis Arthur: Arthur Seaton, a lathe operator in a bicycle factory in Nottingham, England. The blond, muscular twenty- one-year-old fights to remain independent of society, employers, and marriage. He dates married women—first Brenda, then Winnie—and engages in boisterous drinking bouts.After a beating by Winnie’s soldier husband, he settles for the single Doreen, deciding that he need not reject all that life offers to remain independent. Brenda: Jack’s wife and Arthur’s lover. A young mother of two, she is bored with Jack and finds romance and excitement with Arthur. She is part of the dangerous â€Å"Saturday Night† life of the first half of the novel. After having an abortion, and after Arthur, discovered by Jack, has been beaten, she fades from the action. Doreen Greatton: a factory worker. Nine teen years old and single, she is eager to be married but seeks to curb Arthur’s excesses.She represents marriage and settling down to Arthur in the â€Å"Sunday Morning† half of the novel. She fails to get him past every pub but has won commitment from Arthur at the end. Winnie: nicknamed â€Å"Gyp,† Brenda’s sister. She is livelier and more reckless than her older sister. She, too, has an affair with Arthur. Her husband, Bill, is a soldier stationed in Germany. He returns on leave with a friend and, tipped off to the affair by Jack, beats Arthur. By dating Winnie, Arthur hastens an end to the dangerous life that he is finding to be a strain.Jack: Brenda’s husband and Arthur’s foreman at the factory. He is steady but dull. Rather than confront Arthur, he betrays him to Bill, Winnie’s husband. Aunt Ada: Arthur’s widowed aunt, a large, boisterous, and nurturing mother figure whose house teems with family at Christmas. Following his beating by Winnie’s husband, Arthur becomes withdrawn and cautious. It is in her house, under her vital influence, that Arthur breaks out of his withdrawal and returns to life, but with new attitudes. In different Media Saturday Night and Sunday Morning was first a novel written by Alan Sillitoe in 1958.It was one of the first kinds of Kitchen Sink Drama’s, with other noticeable ones being Angry Young Men and Billy Liar. It was adapted into a film in 1960, starring Albert Finney. The screenplay was adapted by Sillitoe himself. The next adaptation was by David Brett in 1964 as a low budget stage show, with a then unknown Ian McKellen in the role. The next proper adaptation was by Amanda Whittington References and Themes in the 21st Century Adultery Loyalty Revenge Violence Love/Friendship Deceit Rectification of your Mistakes

Direct Labor as a Variable Cost

Throughout the corporate world, businesses are transforming labor into a more flexible (and variable) cost. Among such companies are Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, DuPont, Sun Microsystems, and British Airways. Discuss whether direct labor is a fixed or a variable cost. What are the pros and cons of management treating direct labor as a variable cost? Are there ethical issues to be considered here? Direct labor can be classified as a fixed cost or a variable cost, depending on how flexible the employer needs to be/can be with the labor force throughout the year. Direct labor will be classified as a variable cost if the employer employs the practice of hiring/firing (or laying off) permanent employees throughout the year depending on seasonal business. This is a common practice in the US & UK, where management is legally & customarily given much more latitude to fluctuations in the labor force. Where direct labor is classified as a fixed cost, firms typically see laying off personnel during a business down-turn as letting go skilled/trained workers not easily replaced when business picks back up. These types of firms will also employ the practice of hiring temporary employees in times of upturn, so as to not need to lay-off any permanent employees when business returns to normal. The pros of management treating direct labor as a variable cost is giving management the latitude to keep producing at optimal staffing levels whatever the fluctuations of business. This means a leaner, more competitive business. The cons of management treating direct labor as a variable cost are that valuable employees are often laid off, and are not easily (or inexpensively) replaced, and lay-offs can undermine the morale of those remaining employees. The ethics of the situation is that management could be toying with a person’s psyche if they’re repeatedly laying off an individual. If you hire an individual knowing of the likelihood of laying him off in the future, you’ve taken away the opportunity for that person to find permanent employment with another firm. (Brewer, P. C, Garrison, R. H & Noreen, E. W. (2011). Managerial Accounting for managers (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. )

Action Research Essay

Abstract This paper reports the results of an action research (RA) on the effectiveness of teaching stories in a new way â€Å"Teaching Stories without Telling Them†. The purpose of this research was to justify that how interactive ways of teaching stories enables students to perform better in the classroom, how the interactive teaching expands the knowledge of both teachers and learners, and how the teacher, at the same time, is teaching and drawing on and learning from the knowledge and experience of the students. That creates an ideal teaching cycle, a self-reinforcing teaching and never ending learning process. Introduction The teacher can choose particular designs and techniques for teaching a foreign language in a particular context. No quick fix is guaranteed to provide success for all classroom situations. Every learner is unique; every teacher is unique; so is every learner-teacher relationship. The teacher’s key task is, therefore, to understand the properties of these relationships and set the classroom environment accordingly. In other countries such as Nepal, students are taught to view their teachers  as an authority and a knows-everything person in the classroom, and this value-based relationship hinders the learners from freely expressing themselves in the classroom. In this firmly established teacher-centered system, it is often offensive for the students to contradict the teacher’s point of view. This unequal classroom relationship is often seen as a cultural disposition. I believe that this is not a new issue. Many published writings have critically looked at it. However, a teacher can always adopt various strategies to increase students’ participation in the classroom activities. In order to justify this possibility, I used a technique that I have termed as â€Å"teaching stories without telling them†. If the stories are carefully chosen, students feel what they do in the classroom is relevant and meaningful to their lives. Moreover, when asked to respond personally to the texts, students become increasingly confident about expressing their own ideas and emotions. The stories involve emotions as well as intellect, which adds to motivation and contribute to personal development. This is in particular very useful where the classroom is often only source of English. Background I’m a new English Teacher at Kaunlaran High School but I have been teaching English for the last four year. The pre-requisite to join this programme is School Leaving Certificate (SLC). Practically, the students who join this course range from SLC graduates to University graduates. I also work at â€Å"English Speaking and Research Club† that runs classes for those who want to improve their speaking skills. Interestingly, the members coming to this Club include school students to professionals and businesspersons. Certainly, the classes in both settings are multilevel in nature. I would like to refer to Hess’s (2002) definition – multilevel class is the class in which students vary considerably in their language and literary skills. In my case, students not only differed in language level, but also in age, motivation, expectations, attitude and interest. The Procedure In both places, I began with a pre-test in order to diagnose the learners’  level of English. The candidates were tested all their skills – first day reading and writing and the second day speaking and listening. Later they were divided into three groups named as triple five (those scoring less than 50%), triple seven (those scoring between 50-60 %) and triple six (those scoring 60% above) according to their test results; but they were not informed about it. Action plan teaching process Selecting a story: (I selected stories from books available in the market. I purposely chose books that had an appropriate level of difficulty and length.) Briefing the students about the different nature of class: (I told my students that they would have to read the text and be able to answer the questions I would ask them in the class. I did not read the story. My role as a teacher and facilitator was to ask questions very carefully so that I would be able understand the story and students’ role was to make me understand the story.) Giving students the story to read at home as reading assignment: (I gave each student a copy of the same story to read at home.) Grouping the students according to their language proficiency level and carrying out the class: (I asked simple factual questions to below average group i.e. 555; reflective questions to average group i.e. 777; and interpretive and judgmental questions to above average group i.e. 666. This actually engaged every student in the classroom activity. Moreover, they were very attentive when someone was speaking. This various types of questions actually motivated all level students to participate in the classroom activity.) Carry out discussion: (I was very careful while carrying out the discussion. Sometimes the students gave contradictory answers to the same question I asked. In such situation I played a very careful role – I gave the students equal opportunity to justify their answers. My job was to facilitate them to come to an agreeing point.) Giving home assignment: (I gave different tasks to different group – I asked the below average group to write a summary of the story, I asked the average group to imagine one of the characters in the story and write the story from their own perspective. For example, imagine that you are the Brahmin in the story, write a paragraph how these three thieves cheated you. I asked the above average group to interpret t he story using their own feelings and emotions. For example, do you think you would punish these thieves if you  were a judge? Write a very logical paragraph of your argumentations. The students at the beginning were little puzzled but did not express openly. However, they participated very actively in the classroom activities. My primary aim was to promote learner autonomy, by encouraging them to take charge of their own learning (Nguyen, 2005). This became even more interesting as I purposely did not read the story to create a real information gap. If I had read the story, I would already have known everything and then the questions I asked in the classroom would have been merely mechanical ones. For this reason, I claim that the classroom language was authentic. Classroom activity In the classroom, I asked four different types of questions: factual, reflective, interpretive, and judgmental. It is vital that we understand the nature of the different types of question. I have briefly described what they mean and quoted some sample questions I used in my classroom and their respective answers that students gave. They are as follows. a) Factual questions: the questions are very simple and they can pick up the answer from the text very easily such as: T: what is the title of the story? 555: Brahmin and thieves (they can pick from the text) T: How many characters are there? 555: There are four; one Brahmin and three thieves. b) Reflective questions: the types of questions are related with peoples’ emotions, feelings and associations for which the students have to use their won feelings to characters, event and plot of the story such as: T: What could be another suitable title? 777: Brahmin and the goat (they have to associate with the text.) T: why did they try to fool the Brahmin? 777: because they want the goat. c) Interpretive questions: the types of questions are related with meaning,  purpose and values such as: T: Why do you think the title should be Brahmin and goat? 666: Because the goat also has main role in the story. d) Judgmental question: these sorts of questions allow the students to decide their feelings, emotions and response to the topic and discussion they have had together such as: T: Write a very logical description, why do you want to punish one? 666: I should judge very carefully. We all know that if we miss judge then there is no one to help poor people. In this case, any way the Brahmin is (sis) victim †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. In this way, every learner participated in the class. Though the class was multilevel, the task designed for different levels was really challenging. The classroom rule was that only the group was supposed to answer the question, in case they did not answer then other group would answer. As far as the error correction concerned, I did not correct all the errors they made in the discussion. It does not mean that I ignored all the errors. I corrected only global error not the local error. I agree with Brown’s (2000) definition that the local error is clearly and humorously recognized and recommended that they may not be corrected as long as the message is understood and correction may interrupt a learner in the flow of communication. The global error needs to be corrected in some way since the message may otherwise remain unclear and rather ambiguous. I have corrected the errors watching the situation without disturbing in their attempt to produce the language. The result I found a dramatic change in the classroom atmosphere: all trying to say something, listening to others what they say. In fact, I had never had such satisfaction in my class before even though I used pair work, group work and role-play. In this sense, I agree with Nunan’s (as cited in Hiep 2005) suggestion that the teacher should use such activities that involve oral communication, carrying out meaningful tasks and using language which is meaningful to the learners and as well as the use of materials that promote  communicative language use. Such activities helped the learners to find the ways of helping them to connect what is in the text to what is in their minds. One of the major advantages of this approach is that texts can be selected based on the richness and diversity of the language and on the relevance to the English learners who should find them both meaningful and motivating. I refer Nguyen (2005:5) â€Å"Exposing students to varieties of stories let them experie nce not only the beautiful language but also something beyond, such as sympathy with characters and engagement with emotional situations that relate to their actual lives.† As a result, I found the activities vital for progress in language learning process. Such discussion certainly enhances students’ ability to pay attention, remember new grammar and vocabulary, process ideas and response appropriately. Moreover, students get enough chances to express their own ideas and opinions and discuss the opinions and ideas of other students. I agree with Byrd and Cabetas (1991:9) ‘by discussing these differences students learn to use English more clearly and to understand it better.† Moreover, they learn to clarify their own ideas, values, perspectives, and learn from others. A major innovation that I have noticed about this technique is to systematically build students’ ability to present their own ideas, opinions and feelings – both accurately and confidently. I have particularly focused on maximizing student-talking time and minimizing teacher-talking time in the classroom setting. This action research proved the idea of Breen and Candlin (as cited in Byrd and Cabetas 1991) that the teacher has two roles: the first role is to facilitate the communicative process and to act as an independent participant within the teaching-learning process; second role is that of researcher and learner. Action Research Essay Abstract This research is conducted to find out whether the use of CALL can boost students’ level of confidence in learning English. CALL is one of the methods used by teachers to facilitate students learning. Quantitative approach is selected to conduct the study. Survey is distributed to form four 15 male and 15 female students of SMK Sultan Abdul Aziz. CALL is proven to help students increase their level of confidence in learning English. Therefore, teachers can maximize the use of CALL in their teaching. Keywords: Computer-assisted language learning, confidence, English Chapter 1:Introduction 1.1 Introduction The development of technology has given huge impact to the advancement of instructional technology in education. Therefore, many researchers have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness of computer usage in teaching and learning process. In this 21st century, most of the teachers use Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as one of the teaching pedagogy to facilitate students’ need in learning second language. Students especially in rural areas have lack of confidence in using English as their second language. One of the major concern is they are afraid of making mistakes either in speaking or written language. So, teachers should use different kinds of approach to overcome this issue. One of the approaches is by using CALL during teaching and learning process. Therefore, the need of this study is to find out the usage of CALL in boosting students’ confidence level. 1.2 Background of the study In learning second language, it is essential to have high confidence in using the language. According to a school teacher of SK Dato’ Laksamana Raja Mahkota in Teluk Intan, the biggest problem faced by her in teaching English is lack of confidence among students. Students are reluctant to communicate in English, especially in conducting activity that requires them to use the language. Without confidence, students may have difficulties in using English either in speaking or writing. Students with low confidence level  need new methodology to motivate them do well in learning English. According to Liton Weili Xu (n.d), the usage of CALL indicates that second language students can benefit from greater confidence and motivation given the opportunity to communicate with varied audiences. 1.3 Statement of the problem Many researchers have mentioned about the usage of CALL to boost students’ confidence level. However, there was little empirical study on the usage of CALL to boost confidence level among secondary school students. Advances in technology now allow students in secondary schools to be connected to one another beyond the four walls of the classroom. Students can interact through online discussion with other students from around the world. They can access huge amounts of information in seconds. They can share experiences through video, still image, online blogs, chat rooms and messaging sites by using English language. It is such a waste if teachers miss out on opportunities to motivate the students unless they take advantage of the use of technology in the classroom. The more students can share real experiences in the target language, the more their confidence will grow. 1.4 Research Objective For this study, the objectives are as follows: 1. To identify preferred platforms used by the students in learning English. 2. To investigate the role of technology in boosting students’ confidence level in learning English. 3. To find out the difference between male and female students’ confidence level in using CALL. 1.5 Research question For this study, the researchers seek to answer these research questions which are as follow: 1. What are the preferred platforms of technology used by students in learning English? 2. Do students find technology helpful in boosting their confidence in learning English? 3. Is there any difference between male and female students’ confidence level in using CALL? 1.6 Significance of the study Many students find it hard to learn English because it is not their mother  tongue. They are also not confident to use the language and participate in class activity. The teaching of English language should be in a way that can boost their confidence and interesting. Therefore, this study regarding the use of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in teaching English might help students to build their confidence in using the language. 1.7 Limitations The limitations of this study are as follows: 1) This study will involve limited number of students from one of the schools in Teluk Intan, Perak. 2) This study will be conducted in limited time which is only two months. 3) The questionnaire will be distributed online through Facebook message which may create a barrier between researcher and respondent. 1.8 Definition of terms In this study, there are several terms that have been used which are: Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) Michael Levy (1997) defined Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) as â€Å"the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning† (p. 1). CALL involves the use of computer as instructional technology to teach students. Jones and Fortescue (1987) also mentioned in their study that computer is a flexible classroom aid which is very useful for both teachers and learners (as cited in Nzh Gunduz, 2005). The usage of CALL in classroom can help students to learn the language better in a different environment. Teachers can apply interesting approaches or strategies while teaching with the help from computer. Confidence Sieler (1998) defined confidence as an individual’s feature (a self-construct) which leads a person to possess a positive view of themselves or situations that they are in (as cited in Maizam Alias &Nurul Aini Hafizah Mohd Hafir, 2009). Every student has different level of confidence in their learning process. Some of them may have high confidence and some have low. As mentioned by Stevens (2005), self-confidence refers to â€Å"a person’s expectation of his or her ability to achieve a goal in a given  situation† (p.1). Therefore, in order to learn better, students need to have a good expectation of themselves which means to have great confidence. 1.9 Conclusion This chapter elaborates background, objectives, significance and limitation of the study. This chapter also addresses on the importance of using CALL in language teaching and learning. It is hoped that the usage of CALL will help students to overcome their problems in gaining self-confidence in learning English language. The next chapter will discuss on the findings from previous researchers. Chapter 2: Literature Review There are vast opportunities for the use of computer assisted language learning (CALL) to assist second language (L2) learners in the classroom. Lee (2000) noted that â€Å"Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has not been fully explored yet and the average school still makes limited use of computers, it is obvious that we have entered a new information age in which links between technology and TESL have already been established†(p.1). Learning another language is a difficult task and advances in slow, steady increments. Almekhlafi (2006) investigated student attitudes with regard to the effectiveness of CALL. He found: CALL users had a positive attitude toward using CALL and had a high intention and satisfaction to use it in the future due to their perception of its utility and educational benefits. Results also showed a high self-perception of knowledge gain as a result of using CALL (p.134). Furthermore, it is suggested by Trites (2006) that asynchronous communication activities such as email, blogs and key-pal activities can boost student confidence by providing them the opportunity to slow down oral-like exchanges. Students can self-correct, use dictionaries, and take time to search for the right words or for reflection. In addition, most language teachers face the same big problem, which is to get students to respond in a classroom, perhaps because they have no confidence in responding to the teachers and afraid of making mistakes. Therefore, CALL is used to enhance  confidence level of the students. According to Ducate & Lomicka (2005), he concluded that shy students may feel more comfortable in the relatively anonymous and equalizing environment of blogs and may therefore be more willing to share their comments with classmates. It is supported by Hata (2003), who claimed that CALL â€Å"allows collaborative learning activities, encourages participants to take active roles in communication, allows participants to have control over their learning, facilitates negotiation of meaning between students and encourages students to be less self-conscious of their language†(p.117). McIntosh (2005) experimented with an action research project designed to test whether techniques in information and communications technology (ICT) could provide more extension for stronger pupils, to stretch their abilities in language. McIntosh indicates, â€Å"Several new ‘social technologies’ can improve writing and reading skills, as well as encouraging higher order thinking skills† (Personal blog, September 30, 2005). Studies have shown that students are comfortable using CALL technology and feel that it is beneficial to their learning. Many of the applications create an environment where language production and analysis are slowed down, thereby giving students more opportunity to self-pace and self-correct. Furthermore, CALL technology provides a venue where shy students have equal opportunity for participation and do not have to be aggressive to be heard. Students may be more likely to be active participants in the learning process. As a result, they will have more confidence in using English Language in their daily life. Wen-chi Vivian Wu, Ling Ling Yen and Michael Marek (2011) mentioned in their research paper that technology such as computer helps people to interact wherever they are. It just depends on the willingness of people to either use it or not as for example in the world of education where educators can use part of technology as a learning tool. Fresen (2007) also supported the idea of using technology in teaching by stating that the choices of technology is one of the factors in fostering students’ active learning (as cited in Wen-chi Vivian Wu, Ling Ling Yen & Michael Mare, 2011). The use of computer assisted language learning (CALL) such as video conferencing can help students to have real communication which can make them use English regularly (Wen-chi Vivian Wu, Ling Ling Yen & Michael Mare, 2011). This can  make students to feel confident in using English language. It has been supported by Ortega (2009) in which he mentioned that the use of CALL for learning boost students’ confidence in using English (as cited in Wen-chi Vivian Wu, Ling Ling Yen & Michael Mare, 2011). As Reza Dashtestani (2012) said in his journal, there have been changes in educational context whereby students have great interest in the application of computers and technology. With the developments of educational tools, language teachers are trying new ways to integrate technology into teaching methodology. Over a certain period, computer assisted language learning (CALL) become one of the method to replace traditional method of teaching. However, the question is whether the use of CALL is beneficial to boost students’ confidence level. Many studies have examined CALL as an approach to second language instruction. Basically, learners are more motivated in learning when they the process or lea rning is enjoyable. Students’ confidence level can be seen whether they are willing to communicate in using English language. Often time, learners refused to use English language because of embarrassed about making mistakes and lack of fluency. According to Lee (2000), Warschauer and Healey (1998) in research done by Ferit (2013), using CALL in teaching can support learning in variety of ways, enable pair and group work, promote global learning, enhance students achievement and confidence, create opportunities to treasure from various sources and motivate learners. However, to achieve positive result of using CALL, competent teachers that are equipped with skills and strategies were needed to integrate the used of CALL in the classroom. In the research, the respondents got excited and motivated when the teachers introduced blogs and wikis to them in learning writing skills. They felt confident to write and express themselves using English language and willing to correct the mistakes done. The teacher used Voice Thread website by recording voice to teach speaking skills. This method encouraged the learners to speak rather than speaking in front of the class. They refused to use English language in front of their friends because lack of confidence and they think their friends will laugh at them. So, the teacher shifted to new method to boost their confidence in using English language. As mentioned by Kung (2002), it has been recognized by educators that utilizing Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) programs can lead to  independent and collaborative learning environments as well as allow students to have language experiences as they acquire their second language which consists of different stages. Computer technology or computer assisted language learning programs can be stimuli for second language learning where it can promote learning motivation (Lee, 2000; Taylor, 1980). It was proposed by Cheng-Chieh Lai and Kritsonis (2006) that â€Å"through various communicative and interactive activities, computer technology can help second language learners strengthen their linguistic skills, affect their learning attitude, and build their self-instruction strategies and self-confidence† (p. 2). Computer technology nowadays provides many benefits for second language learning where it allows learners to become independent and work on their learning material by themselves (Rost, 2002). According to Robertson, Ladewig, Strickland, and Boschung (1987), participants who are involved with computer assisted language learning programs had significantly higher self-esteem ratings than regular students. With the rapid development of technology in this globalized era, Cheng-Chieh Lai and Kritsonis (2006) also stated that: Computers can capture, analyze, and present data on second language students’ performances during the learning process. As we know, observing and checking students’ learning progress are very important activities to help students achieve their second language acquisition (p. 3). Furthermore, technology helps students to learn grammar and writing. According to Thanawan Suthiwartnarueput and Punchalee Wasanasomsithi (2012), the researchers claimed that the students in Thailand had positive attitudes toward using Facebook as a means of learning grammar and writing because Facebook provided them a convenient and attractive means to engage in discussions with the teacher and other users who had better grammatical knowledge. They also claimed that students can construct new knowledge after they interact with other people on Facebook. When students receive comments and suggestions, they can use the information given to improve their language skills. But, as for Abeer H. Malkawi (2010), the students did not depend much on tape recorder to learn English language skills. According to the researcher, the presence of a teacher in a classroom is considered among the most important and they did not put technology as the main source of learning English. Moreover, Lenka Temerovà ¡ (2007) claimed that the students did not feel confident to speak in English even after they listen to different accents of the language. The embarrassment is usually caused by students’ inability to adjust to native speakers’ speech. Some studies were conducted to see the difference of level of confidence between male and female in using CALL. There is a study done by Comber, Colley, Hargreaves, and Dorn (1997) where they found out that male possessed more positive attitudes and confidence more than female. Chapter 3: Methodology 3.1 Introduction The purpose of this study is to find out the usage of CALL in boosting students’ confidence level. For this study, the researchers seek to answer these research questions which are as follow: 1. What are the preferred platforms of technology used by students in learning English? 2. Do students find technology helpful in boosting their confidence in learning English? 3. Is there any difference between male and female students’ confidence level in using CALL? 3.2 Research Design This study will be conducted using quantitative method. Researches will distribute questionnaires to secondary school students to know whether the usage of CALL can increase their confidence level in learning English Language. Researchers plan to use this method because it involves numerical data which later can be calculated easily. 3.3 Population and sampling The researchers use non probability sampling; which is convenience sampling. The sample of this study consists of 30 Form Four students of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Sultan Abdul Aziz, Teluk Intan Perak. 3.4 Method of data collection The questionnaires were distributed through online, which is Facebook private message. Researcher used Facebook because it saves time, energy and cost. Besides, researcher found that it would be easier for respondents to answer the questionnaire through online. 3.5 Instrumentation Researcher used a set of survey for this study. It was adapted from various researchers; Jenny Brooks, Jia-Chyi Chu, Laura Marquez, Leticia Parsons & Nan Zhang (n.d.) and Dogan Bulut & Ali Farhan Munify Abuseileek (2007). According to Moras (2001), as cited in research done by Sanja Seljan, Norbert Berger, Zdravko Dovedan, there are three phases of CALL. In this study, the researchers adapted questionnaires from various researchers that only focused on two phases, which were Communicative approach and Integrative approach. The Communicative approach focuses skill practice in a non-drill format, such as language games, reading, and text reconstruction. Meanwhile, the Integrative CALL approach is based on multimedia computers and the Internet that combine text, graphics, sound, animation and video. The survey used consists of three sections which were demographic background, section A, and section B. Demographic background is a survey on respondent’s information. Items that had to be filled by respondents are age, school and gender. Section A consists of five general questions about Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Meanwhile, in section B, respondents were required to make a choice based on the level of their agreement. The level of agreement comprised of five stages, 1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-average, 4-agree, and 5-strongly agree. Section B consists of four questions for each skill in language (reading, listening, speaking, and writing). The questions in this survey were designed based on research questions. 3.6 Validity and Reliability This research used a new developed questionnaire whereby the researchers look into few aspects which are listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The validity of the questionnaire was tested in terms of face validity. Face validity involves process of survey pre-testing to avoid misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the items. The pre-test was conducted and the  result showed that the items do not violate face validity. This proves that the respondents did not misunderstand the questionnaire. So, this research survey was shown to have high validity. Meanwhile, the reliability of the questionnaire was measured by conducting a pre-test survey to students. A set of questionnaires was distributed to examine the reliability of the items which consists of items that are similar but have different wording. The result of the pre-test was found to be incoherent because the respondents gave different answers for the similar items. Therefore, the items were reviewed and modified in order to increase the reliability of the items. 3.7 Pilot Study The questionnaire was piloted to ten students from Kuliyyah of Engineering in IIUM. The respondents were briefed by researchers about the purpose and way to answer the survey. They were given 15 minutes to complete the survey. The survey was conducted at Kuliyyah of Architecture and Design cafe during lunch hour. The data collected from the survey was tabulated and analyzed using SPSS to determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaires. Due to small sample size of respondents, the Cronbach Alpha was found to be 0.6ÃŽ ± 3.8 Data Collection Procedures and time frame The research began in April until June 2014. It took approximately two months to complete this research. This research used survey as the instrument for data collection. It took several procedures which were getting consent from respondents, briefing about the details of the survey, distributing the survey through online and collecting the data. 3.9 Data Analysis Plan This research consists of three research questions. The first research question is â€Å"What are the preferred platforms of technology used by students in learning English?† The data was analyzed by using Microsoft Excel to see the highest percentage of platform preferred chosen by the respondents. The data was visualized by using bar graph. The second research question is â€Å"Do students find technology helpful in boosting their confidence in learning English?† The items which addressed this research question were constructed  using Likert scale ranging from one to five (strongly disagree to strongly agree). For this research question, the researcher focused on the answer from the respondents which range from four to five because the researcher want to know whether CALL helps to boost students’ confidence level in learning English. The data was illustrated in bar graph by using Microsoft Excel. The third research question is â€Å"Is there any difference between male and female students’ confidence level in using CALL?† The data was analyzed according to gender to see the differences between male and female students ‘confidence level in using CALL. The researcher used the same result from second research question and observed if there is any difference between male and female respondents of their preference in answering the items given. The result that was shown in the bar graph will determine their level of confidence. Chapter 4: Findings Research Question 1: What are the preferred platforms of technology used by students in learning English? Figure 1 Figure 1 showed that 20 out of 30 respondents chose Facebook as their platform in learning English. That took up 66.67% of the respondents. Skype and other platform took up the least number of respondents, with one respondent respectively, which carried 3.33 % of the sample. Research Question 2: Do students find technology helpful in boosting their confidence in learning English? Figure 2 Figure 2 showed three items in the survey which addressed the research question two. The first item is â€Å"I feel confident to use tape recorders in listening classes†. As for the first item, 13 out of 30 which is 43.33% of the respondents agreed that tape recorders help them to be confident in listening class. That was the highest number of preferred answer by the respondents. Meanwhile only seven respondents did not feel confident using tape recorders in listening class that comprises 23.33% of the sample. The second item is â€Å"I feel confident to speak after listening to different accents from English movies†. As for the second item, 20 out of 30 which is  66.67% of the respondents agreed that they feel confident to speak in English after listening to different accent of English native speakers. Meanwhile only four respondents did not feel confident to speak after listening to different accent of English native speakers that comprises 13.33% of the sample. The third item in the survey is â€Å"Chatting using social network helps me write better in English†. As for the second item, 24 out of 30 which is 80% of the respondents claimed that chatting helps them to write better in English. Meanwhile only eight respondents which is 26.67% disagree that chatting helps them to write better in English. Research Question 3: Is there any difference between male and female students’ confidence level in using CALL? Figure3 Figure 3 showed the difference of answers given by both respondents male and female. According to the figure, 27 male respondents agreed that they had high level of confidence in using CALL. Meanwhile, 7 of them did not have the confidence in using CALL. As for female respondents, there were also 27 of them who had high level of confidence in using CALL. Meanwhile, there were 6 female respondents who did not have the confidence in using CALL. So, the level of confidence between male and female was slightly different because there was more number of male respondents who disagreed that they had confidence in using CALL. Chapter 5: Discussions The research showed that the respondents’ preferred platforms of technology in learning English is Facebook. This result is parallel with the previous research done by Thanawan Suthiwartnarueput and Punchalee Wasanasomsithi (2012). They claimed that the students in Thailand had positive attitudes toward using Facebook as a means of learning grammar and writing because Facebook provided them a convenient and attractive means to engage in discussions with the teacher and other users who had better grammatical knowledge. This research also proved that students find technology helpful in boosting  their confidence in learning English. They felt confident to use tape recorder in listening class. This result contradicts with the previous research done by Abeer H. Malkawi (2010). According to her research, the dependence on tape recorder to learn English language skills is low. The author believes that these statistics are disappointing as the percentage of those using tape recorder should be higher since this method is easy to use, has low cost to own, and it can be easy moved from one place to another. Moreover, using the tape recorder can help students record their own statements and hear again. It is unfortunate that the methods of radio and tape recorder are not well-used although they have so many benefits in helping students improve their listening comprehension. The presence of a teacher in a classroom is considered among the most important. Besides, the respondents felt confident to speak after listening to different accents from English movies. This result contradicts with the previous research done by Lenka Temerovà ¡ (2007). According to the researcher, the students did not feel confident even after they listen to different accents of English. The embarrassment is usually caused by students’ inability to adjust to native speakers’ speech. The respondents also agreed that chatting using social network helps them to write better in English. This result is parallel with the previous research done by Thanawan Suthiwartnarueput and Punchalee Wasanasomsithi (2012). According to the researchers, students can construct new knowledge after they interact with other people on Facebook. When students receive comments and suggestions, they can use the information given to improve their language skills. The findings also suggested that there is a slight difference between male and female students’ confidence level in using CALL. There was more number of male respondents who disagreed that they had confidence in using CALL. This was contradicted with the previous study done by Comber, Colley, Hargreaves, and Dorn (1997) where they found out that male possessed more positive attitudes and confidence more than female. Chapter 6: Conclusion In conclusion, CALL is proven to be helpful in boosting students’ confidence level in learning English. Although this research was limited by the small convenience sample and time constraint, the information about the use of CALL could be important for educators who develop educational programs also for students to perform better in English language. The findings of this study suggest that additional works needs to be done on to replicate and extend the study on CALL and students’ confidence level in learning English in other schools. Even if the current finding was stronger, it would be difficult to generalize the finding to other schools. References Cheng-Chieh Lai &Kritsonis, W. A. (2006). The advantages and disadvantages of computer technology in second language acquisition. National Journal for Publishing and Mentoring Doctoral Student Research, 3(1), p.2. Comber, C., Colley, A., Hargreaves, D. J., & Dorn, L. (1997). The effects of age, gender, and computer experience upon computer attitudes. Educational Research, 39(2), pp. 123-133. Dashtestani, R. (2012). Barriers to the Implementation of CALL in EFL courses: Iranian EFL teachers’ Attitudes and Perspectives. Jalt Call Journal, 8(2). Gunduz, N. (2005). Computer Assisted Language Learning .Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 1(2), pp. 193-214. Kung, S. C. (2002). A framework for successful key-pal programs in language learning. CALL- EJ Online, 3(2). Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://www.clec.ritsumei.ac.jp/english/callejonline/6-2/SCKung.htm Lee, K.W. (2000). English teachers’ barriers to the use of Computer assisted language learning. The Internet TESL Journal, Retrieved June 25, 2006, from http://www.4english.cn/englishstudy/xz/thesis/barrir Maizam Alias &NurulAiniHafizahMohdHafir. (2009). The relationship between academic self-confidence and cognitive performance among engineering students. Academia.edu Share Research. Rost, M. (2002). New Technologies in Language Education: Opportunities for Professional Growth. Retrieved March 7, 2014 from http://www.longman.com/ae/multimedia/pdf/MikeRost_PDF.pdf Robertson, E. B., Ladewig, B. H., Strickland, M. P., &Boschung, M. D. (1987). Enhancement of self-esteem through the use of computer-assisted instruction. Journal of Educational Research, 80(5). Sanja Seljan, N. B. (n.d.). Computer assisted Language Learning. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from http://dzs.ffzg.unizg.hr/text/call.pdf Sieler, A. (1998). Self-confidence. Retrieved March 15, 2014,from http://www.newfieldaus.com Stevens, T. G. (2005).Self-confidence. RetrievedMarch 15, 2014, from http://www.csulb.edu Taylor, R. (1980). The computer in the school: Tutor, tool, tutee. New York: Teachers College Press. Wu, W.-C. V., Yen, L. L., & Marek, M. (2011). Using Online EFL Interaction to Increase Confidence, Motivation, and Ability.Educational Technology & Society, 14 (3), pp. 118– 129. Xu, L. W. (n.d.). Using CALL to Enhance the Confidence of Foreign Language Learners. p.8. Action Research Essay The English Language dominates a higher prestige in the Philippines just as it enjoys a higher part in the Philippine Education System. Thus, authentic English Language teaching and learning environment should be given a full blast attention naturally and effectively. In this age of globalization, where society is being transformed and is transformed by technology, so too are innovative ways in teaching and learning the English subject. It should be noted that as time flies, the number of Filipino English Language Learners has rapidly increased. These learners are full of hopes and dreams to learn the language of the world that every English subject is accountable for. Yet, he/she needs not to be idealist to expect that by the end of the academic year, learners will be great English speakers, readers, spellers, writers and listeners. There may be some variables that may hamper the learning process however this should not block the goal of English teacher to bring the English language in the open. Furthermore, the spread of English as instructional language and the emergence of technology as a fast learning channel should be mutually enforced. Indeed, technology has revolutionized the teaching of the English subject, as the last few decades have affirmed the role of English as â€Å"Lingua Franca† which means any language for communication between groups who no other common language (Matthew, 2009) from this context, the researcher takes the challenge to lead an action in finding out the most effective way to create a better if not the best intervention material in teaching English subject so as to improve the performance of the students. MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY is the answer. The researcher believes that the ability to incorporate educational opportunities that multimedia technology promises will tremendously be the key ingredients in making it possible for English Teachers to address core educational challenge. Moreover, multimedia technology is utilized for the upliftment of modern styles. It somehow satisfies both visual and auditory sense of the students. With the spread and development of English around the world, it has been learned and used by more and more learners. Nonetheless, multimedia technology applies interactive computer elements such as graphics, text, video, sound and animation to deliver a message. On the wings of change the use of multimedia technology should be a must for English teachers because in using such, pictures and images enrich the content of the subject matter. Through the whole interactive process, it can be visibly experienced that using multimedia is effective in nurturing students in learning the English subject at the same time enhances the teacher’s interest in teaching English. As Zhang (2010) points out, multimedia offers students rich resource materials-both authentic and instructional as well as attractive and friendly interface, vivid pictures, pleasant sounds which to a large extent overcomes the lack of authentic language environment and arouses students intense in learning the English subject. By far English teachers should already give walls to traditional teaching as it only gives the class monotony and boredom. They should try something new and different, something that captivates pupils’ attention and interest and that is MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY. Come to think of this, traditional English teaching allows the teacher spend time on writing the vital language points and important information on the chalkboard. While, with the use of MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY, the class becomes more attentive, more active and the teacher just uses the button and keyboard to show significant content in a few seconds. Moreover with the same courseware, the English teacher does not need to write some notes several times in different classes, hence saving time and energy. The researcher observes that pupils tend to be preoccupied with things not connected with the English subject, thus affecting their performance. Nonetheless, the pupils lack learning competencies especially in their grammar skills, noting details, sequencing events, and getting the main idea from a selection being read. Hence, MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGY is highly suggested as it increases students motivation to learn. (WanZek et. Al. 2008). With the above literature, the researcher aims to find out the effectivity of multimedia technology in improving the performance of Grade Six section 5 pupils of Mandaluyong Elementary School. Statement of the Problem This action research seeks to find out the effectiveness of multimedia technology as an intervention tool in improving the performance of Grade Six-5 pupils of Mandaluyong Elementary School. Specifically, the study aims to answer the following questions: 1. What is the extent of performance of Grade Six section 5 pupils before and after the use of multimedia technology? 2. Is there a significant difference between the extent of performance of Grade Six section 8 pupils in their English class before and after the use of multimedia technology? Significance of the Study The primordial objective of this study is to provide complete, balanced and modern concepts on the effective use of multimedia technology. Essentially, the researcher believes that result of this study will be significant to the following people: To the Pupils – they will be the direct recipients of the study, they will be more enthusiastic in the English subject upon experiencing multimedia technology in the classroom. To the English Teachers – they will have a better understanding on the use of multimedia technology thus enabling them to adopt such tool thereby improving their skills and strategies in teaching English. To the School Administrators – this study will be of great help as it will create a milleu of awareness about multimedia technology so that they can assist their teachers on the modern teaching of thupplement classroom activities. e English subject. To the Future Researchers – this will serve as a springboard for further research activities on the use of multimedia technology with the purpose of using it to s Conceptual Framework The use of multimedia technology is one effective tool in teaching English. It has to be affirmed that it really enhances pupils comprehension on the subject matter thus improving their performance. Expert and scholars say that multimedia assisted instruction certainly improve learning motivation and attention of learners increases interactivity, satisfies individualized demand and monitors the learning condition of the learner. The researcher will make use of a flow chart that will serve as his road map in coming out with the desired result. It will describe how he will introduce the use of multimedia technology as an intervention material in improving the performance of students in English. The flow chart shows how the result of pre-test will serve as a guiding factor for the researcher to think of the multimedia technology. From this, the improved performance of the pupils should be visibly reflected in their post test. Figure 1 shows the conceptual framework of the study.