The Electric Ant By Philip K Dick Essays - The Electric Ant, Garson

The Electric Ant by Philip K Dick In the short story The Electric Ant, Philip. K. Dick is expressing his sarcastical opinion of man in society and man's inability to distinguish between the truth and fantasy. Using his main character's life, Garson Poole, the author illustrates teh delusion of mankind's freedom. This delusion is demonstrated by three components of Garson's life: his automated reality chip, and his emotional and physical makeup as an oranic robot. Garson Poole who, prior to his detection of the reality chip was under the impression that he was exempted from all the world's restraints, finds himself in a bliss of confusion when he realizes that his life is being dictated by an automated reality tape. The presents of this mechanical apparatus symbolizes the conditioning man inherits from parents and others to conform and be accepted by society. This reality gadget restricts Garson from certain thoughts and certain actions and forces him into others. Unaware of his programming, Garson represents man's naive attitudes towards the forces of the mass. With the discovery of the reality tape, Garson than understands that his life is inflexible and determined by a tape, and accepts his circumstance. This awakening dissloves the mirage of his freedom, an awareness that so many of mankind lack. The facade of Garson's freedom, was disguised by his physical apperance as a human. However we soon discover that beneath that skin and flesh hides a mass of mechanical gadgets that control and restrict his every thought or move. His physical structure, so brillanty cerated granted Garson with human feelings and the mirage that he was in control of his life. Eventhough Garson is an Electric Ant, he is an excellent representation of mankind's delusions and their mechanically lead lives. So repitious and monotonous are our lives that we operate like machines not realizing that we are trapped in a vicious cycle.We isolate and remove ourselves from society, hopping that we can rebel and regain control. However our inability to cope in a complex world, once againg signifies that society is in control of us. Our reluctance to conform, leads to the loss of our individuality and eventually and eventually to our extinction. Using the development of garson Poole's life to illustrate the delusion of mankind;s freedom, we notice that eventough Garson appears to be human and alive, in actuality he is a machine and his life is determined by a reality chip. The underlying message in Garson's realization tha the is trapped in this circle, is that all mankind has the power and desire to understand that he can discared of this fantasy and establish a true freedom.

Stanford White Essays - William Rutherford Mead, Stanford White

Stanford White Essays - William Rutherford Mead, Stanford White Stanford White Stanford White, the son of Richard Grant White a noted writer, editor, music critic, and Shakespearean scholar, was born in New York City on November 9, 1853. As a boy, he showed a talent and interest in drawing and the arts, which was greatly encouraged by his family. Although he had no formal training in art, he attended private schools and studied under tutors, Stanford White demonstrated a remarkable artistic gift; he was able to convey an outdoor atmosphere or a particular mood on paper. He wanted to follow a career as a painter, but did not know how to prepare himself. Most American painters were self taught, and art instruction was scarce at the time, so White went to painter John La Farge, a friend of his father, for advice. La Farge bluntly told young White to abandon his thoughts of a career as a painter. He suggested that White should try a career in architecture instead. At the age of sixteen, White was introduced to Henry Hobson Richardson, one of the first Americans to study at the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris. The Ecole de Beaux Arts served as the first source for formal American architecture. When Richardson met the tall, thin freckle faced child, he was impressed with White?s enthusiasm, an enthusiasm that later characterized him as a mature man. At the age of nineteen, after studying for a while in New York, White went to work for Richardson in New York as a student draftsman. White quickly developed skill in design. He worked with as one of Richarson?s chief assistants on many important works. While working, White met his future partner Charles McKim, who also attended the Ecole de Beaux Arts, and worked for Richardson the same time White did. In 1872, McKim left his job to start his own architectural firm with William Rutherford Mead and William Bigelow as partners. White left Richarson?s office on an extended visit to Europe ! in 1878. When he was in France, he met up with McKim again, and the two traveled together through southern France and Spain. In 1880, as a result of the trip, White was asked to join McKim and Mead as partnership; Bigelow had retired.McKim, Mead, and White had a very successful partnership, which can be seen in all the buildings they designed. In 1884, White married Bessie Springs of Smithtown. Three years later, they had a son, Lawrence Grant White, who later went on to become an architect, join with his father?s firm in 1914, and in 1920 become a partner. White was a connoisseur of beautiful things in architecture, other arts, antiques, decoration, and in women. One woman White found to be attractive was a sixteen year old artist model and chorus girl, Evelyn Nesbit, with whom he became romantically involved. White at the time was living apart from his wife. He was living in New York city, and she was living in their house in St. James. A few years later, Evelyn Nesbit married Harry K Thaw, the son of a rich railroad tycoon. Thaw lived a wild life, and was said to be a drug addict. He was madly jealous over the affair his wife had, before they were married, with White. Stanford White died, at the age of fifty-three, at the height of his fame and popularity. On the evening of June 5, 1906, while attending the summer opening of the Garden?s Roof Show, White was killed by Harry Thaw, who had approached and shot him from the rear. Stanford White was a man of his times; he was definitely a colorful person who believed in living well. For two decades, he was a commanding force in New York life. As well, he was a leading man in turn of the century, upper class New York social life. Which would have been different had it not been for White?s strong personality and influence at the center of so many events. As an architect, he maintained high standards for comfort and design, with some of his buildings being the most notable of the time. With his partners, White dominated his profession in the United States for some time. The firm of McKim, Mead, & White was

Limitations on Freedom during the Cold War Essay

Limitations on Freedom during the Cold War - Essay Example It also explores the reactions of Americans in each era. The main similarities between the Cold War and the Red Scare are that they were both based on â€Å"fears† against the â€Å"leftist† other and they also led to reckless accusations and curtailment of freedoms of association and speech. The fear of communism both stimulated the Cold War and the Red Scare. It was during the Red Scare that the federal government exercised its full power against the labor and political left-wing parties. During the Red Scare, a national anti-radical hysteria ensued, because there were fears for a Bolshevik revolution in America. This Bolshevik revolution threatened to reshape the American way of life and basic social institutions, such as home and family. From 1916 to 917, the Industrial Workers conducted several strikes, which the media portrayed as leftist and anti-democratic. The government systematically arrested and detained people who were suspected as spies and among those aff ected were labor organizations, anti-war activists, members of different communist organizations, journalists and writers, African American activists, and other groups that fought for just wages, better benefits, and child labor laws. On January 2, 1920 alone, 10,000 people were arrested without warrants. The Congress, however, could not tolerate such wide-scale abuses of constitutional rights and by 1922, the Red Scare ended.

Interest groups Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Interest groups - Dissertation Example This paper studies how the roles of the interest groups within the modern day American politics has shaped up, and how these roles are translated to bring out a true message for the Americans. What is even more significant here is the fact that this study aims to find which strategies are made use of by these interest groups to achieve their respective goals as far as the lengths and breadths of United States are concerned. Also the due role of the National Rifle Association as an interest group has been detailed within this discussion which only adds meat to it in the long run. ... inquire about the areas where interest groups have been able to provide their services and to see if these areas have any political perspectives present as well To explore the due role of the National Rifle Association as an interest group that has done much for the United States over a passage of time Methodology The methodology used within this paper is entirely dependent on the usage of secondary research which is the research that has been gained through evidence and available resources. The secondary research always comes ahead with the passage of time and is manifested through books, journals, newspapers, magazines, periodicals, TV interviews and reports, etc. The methodology lists down the areas from which information has been extracted for the completion of this study and the manner in which it has been done suggests the authenticity that is much required for this paper. The Role Played by the Interest Groups in American Politics Interest groups within the United States are b uilt up in such a way that they have their respective aims and objectives. The reasons why they exist are difficult to ascertain because they are serving the interests of varied stakeholders. The manner in which they operate is visible to everyone yet they exist to make sure that their interests are met in a priority basis. These interest groups have their own vested interests and they can go to any limit to make sure that they are recognized, their work done in a proper way and the results are such that nearly everyone can see and decipher easily. Now how these interest groups bring success is dependent on how well they have been devised in the first place. If these interest groups are working to satisfy a general audience, then the interests will remain broad but if these interest groups

Special Education Research Critique Essay Example for Free

Special Education Research Critique Essay REFERENCE Rickson, D. J., Watkins, W. G. (2003). Music therapy to promote prosocial behaviors in aggressive adolescent boys A pilot study. _Journal of Music Therapy, 40_(4), 283-301. PURPOSE The hypothesis of this research study was to determine if music therapy would help promote prosocial behaviors in aggressive boys. These subjects have different social, emotional, and learning disorders. METHOD The subjects were selected from a group of 88 young boys who have intellectual, social, and emotional deficits. These boys were enrolled in a special education facility in New Zealand. The students who started before May 2000 and after March 2001, which was 49 students, were not included because of the likelihood of them leaving before the study was completed. This left a remaining 39 students. These students were given the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) test. A total of 21 students were excluded due to lack of aggressiveness and already gone through musical therapy. Researchers were left with 18 boys whose ages ranged from about 11 years and six months to 15 years and three months. These subjects had an extreme measure on the CBCL test. 12 of the boys were already diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Of the 12, five had a dual diagnosis which included Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) or Conduct Disorder (CD). Four had a general developmental delay and two had a head injury along with depression. About half of the boys were taking psychotropic medication. They were randomly assigned into two music groups of six and one control group of six. One subject was suspended right after the therapy began. Another quit after a few minutes into a session. Also, one more was suspended from school after one session due to extreme  disruptive and aggressive behavior. A total 15 students completed the treatment. The treatment was the participants were placed into different music groups. In the music groups, the students would do different musical activities and express themselves through music. RESULTS There was an increase in disruptive and aggressive behavior in Group 1. This is a negative result due to the treatment. Group 2 had no changes in behavior. Group 3 also had little to no change in their behavior at school. AUTHORS CONCLUSION No significant statistical differences were found after the treatment was completed. Because there was no difference, there can be no definitive conclusion to be made by the author. Some social workers did record small improvements that were interesting and could lead to further study. They noted that the subjects were not as aggressive as they were before the research study. The author would also like to try to do another study but have it be based on a specific diagnosis of the subject. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The usefulness of this treatment is very minimal. The results after the treatment was conducted were negative or neutral overall. If I were to try and implement it into a classroom environment, I am not sure if it will be helpful in any way. CRITIQUE I feel like this study not fully prepared or researched. The researchers did states their hypothesis, addressed the results, and the sample size. But the treatment itself was not successful. The sample size for this kind of treatment should have been bigger than just 15 students. The researchers could have gone and tested other schools or even elementary and high school.  A sample size of 15 subjects cannot represent 100 subjects. In conclusion, this musical treatment study was not well planned out.

Jane Eyre :: essays research papers

In Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre, Jane goes through numerous self-discoveries, herself-realization and discipline leads her to a life she chooses to make her happy. Jane Eyre has a rough life from the start. Forced to stay with people who despise her, Jane can only help herself. Jane must overcome the odds against her, which add to many. Jane is a woman with no voice, until she changes her destiny. The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte consists of continuous journeys through Jane’s life towards her final happiness and freedom. From the beginning, Jane possesses a sense of her self-confidence and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   contentment. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and Jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of her so as to find contentment. There are many ways in which Bronte shows Jane’s tribulations, through irony, honor, and tone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlotte Bronte includes many different aspects to this novel. â€Å" One of the keys to power of Jane Eyre is Bronte’s deployment of multiple genres† (Clarke 2). Clarke says that there are many levels to the book; the book can have a greater depth than a love story, but as a tale of strength and endurance. 2 Jane Eyre has a rough start to her foundation, to begin she is orphaned at a young age. This sets up many problems for the young girl and her fragile identity. The people around worsen the situation as Jane grows. They challenge her patience, integrity, and intelligence. As a female Jane must deal with the caste system of her time as a threat, and as an orphaned child she must deal with the cast system as an obstacle. The family of Reeds that she lives with reminds her everyday of her low position. â€Å"She suffers precisely because she knows the value of caste; She may be poor, but she does not want to belong to the poor† (Bell 2). This makes Jane want to thrive more because she realizes the odds against her. Originally, Jane comes from a middle-class family but when her father dies she is left to the pity of the Reeds. The Reeds mistreat Jane and she grows to long the outside world. Jane clearly shows her position when she says, â€Å" It is as natural as that I should lov e those who show me affection, as submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved†.

Helping Young People Learn

Taking part in youth club activities has provided me a rich experience, which includes finding a way to help and teach the young. Whenever we visit a community, we make it a point to dress up casually so we can relate easily with people, and give them the idea that we have a lot in common. This allows them to feel comfortable to share their ideas and feelings with us, making us understand their situation more vividly. Most of the communities we visit are composed of poor families, so they normally expect us to give them food, clothing, and toys for the kids.Aside from the material things, part of our program also provides tutorial sessions for children to help in their studies, and give them an idea of how they can contribute to the family's financial resources. Particularly, I was assigned to tutor a group of young people about the age of thirteen. The teenagers were not classmates in school, but they belonged to only one level, thus their lessons were the same. Our regular session consisted of discussing topics in Science and Social Studies, and answering Math problems. 1.As we progressed with our tutorial sessions, we became close, and eventually, they shared with me their experiences in school and at home. I learned that one of them was suffering in class because of the family’s financial constraints. There were times when her parents did not have enough money to finance her projects in school, or provide her everyday meal allowance. Given this situation, I helped the child find other ways to do her projects. For example, when they were asked to make a calendar in their Art subject, I taught her how to use recyclable materials such as colored paper cups, old magazines, and empty snack foils.In the next project that she did, I noted that she used this kind of materials and accomplished the project on her own using other recycled resources. Based on this, I felt that the girl learned something from me regarding cost cutting when accomplishing school pr ojects. Teaching someone to be resourceful is important to enhance creativity as well. According to Vaune Ainsworth-Land (1982), there are four categories of a process and its product. The first category operates out of necessity. In my experience, we see that we were able to come up with a good output out of the need to make a project at a low cost.In Maslow’s, this category is a primary one, as it centralizes on the idea of materialistic need. The second category involves the analytic process. Referring back to our experience, the child found out that she could do a lot of things even without spending, and she would receive a better grade by recycling materials. In behaviorist theories, this explains the operant response in which the individual is rewarded for a good behavior. The third category involves synthesizing and innovation.As mentioned above, the child learned to accomplish projects using the same kind of material, thus she was able to apply her knowledge in other things. This behavior represents Koestler's bisociation, because the child was able to apply the learned concept to different aspects. The fourth category is â€Å"the ultimate form of relatedness,† (Ainsworth-Land, 1982) in which the person is seen to attain a â€Å"transformed consciousness. † Applying this to the situation, the child that we referred to would later attain this, when she continues to apply her knowledge into practical terms.Another student that I tutored had difficulty in solving word problems in Math. Based on his behavior, I recognized that his problem aroused from not having enough patience to comprehend items in problem solving. Apparently, reading problems confused and bored him the moment they appeared. To address this problem, I challenged him to imagine what was being described in one of their math problems, and illustrate what he understood in it. It showed that the boy understood the problem completely after illustrating it, and he was able to solve the problem after that.The theory of Situated Learning (1988) by J. Lave explains that a child can learn easily when the context and activity are based on his own experience. To help the child in problem solving, what I did was to situate him in the activity, and made him a part of the situation by asking him to illustrate based on his background of the problem. Particularly, I let him draw the situation and did not dictate what was conveyed. The activity made the child express himself better, which also led to motivate him to come up with the correct answer.Other theorists such as Brown, Collins & Duguid (1989) emphasized active perception over concepts and representation. Thus, by illustrating, the child gained an active perception of what was presented in the problem. The other boy that I handled had problems with his classmates who bullied him. Due to what his classmates did to him, he felt reluctant to go to school, and pretended to be sick at times. During our sessio n, I asked him first what the other boys told him, and why they called him with nasty words. The boy said that the other boys called him names and wrote on his notebook.I felt the boy’s pain as he told me about the hostilities of his classmates, so right away, I informed his mother of the situation, and advised her to consult with the classroom adviser or the guidance counselor in the school. I believe that this should be handled by authorities in the school as other students were involved. Through reporting to the teacher and school counselor, the boys were reprimanded of their teasing, and my friend felt better. Later on, he felt more comfortable going to school because the other boys already stopped teasing him.A lot of teenagers undergo this stage when their peers bullied them for nothing. In these cases, the victim tries to keep the situation to himself because he is afraid to create a scenario in class, or is threatened by his peers. According to Maslow’s theory of Motivation and Personality (1954), a person is driven by both internal and external factors. In addition, one’s motivation is dominated by his specific needs. In the boy’s situation, we can identify his need for belongingness as the factor that made him dissatisfied with school.Because this need was not realized, the boy felt reluctant to go to school, thus the motivation to go to school was associated with his need for friends and companionship. When the need was addressed, the barrier to learning also collapsed. 2. Aside from tutoring students in their academic subjects, I also told them stories to teach values like friendship, honesty, and service to others. In one session, I told them a fable, in which a rabbit sacrificed for another animal. Having told the story, I challenged them to do something similar to what the main character did, and tell their stories next time.Amazingly, one of the children took my challenge seriously, and did what I told them. He narra ted to us how he helped a man he saw on the street by sharing him some food, and giving him medicine to heal the man’s wound. In telling this story, the boy expressed how it felt good to do such kindness, and how the man thanked him with a smile. He professed that he will do this again once he sees another person needing his help. Just like the character in the story, he said that the kindness he showed the man will go a long way because by helping, he brought hope to the man, and made him feel loved.The boy added that if other people would do the same, no man will by lying cold on the streets. The words the boy uttered reflected his own realization based on experience. Those words also reminded me of the Good Samaritan, who helped an ill man lying in the cold. The experience of the boy reminded all of us, especially me, of our responsibility to others, especially the needy. With such good Samaritans like the boy, we can see hope in the next generation. 3. The success of a te am depends on the performance of each member’s role.Applying Meredith Belbin’s (1981) Nine Roles in Team Management, I served as the â€Å"specialist† in the tutorial session for teenagers, teaching them how to use the Internet as a useful tool for research. Due to the limited number of computers, and my own hope of making them learn how to teach others, I initially taught only four students to access the Internet. In turn, these students taught their peers and served as the â€Å"company workers† who provided the work of teaching others in their community.In one week’s time, we were able to teach a total of forty-five children how to use the Internet in their assignment and advanced readings. As discussed by Tuckman (1965) in his Stages of Group Development, we exhausted the means to reach our common goal of attaining learning for the group. In addition, we also assessed individual performance by asking them to make a simple research on their topi c of interest. During the Performing stage, the â€Å"company workers† or those tasked to teach their peers experienced some problems in that their peers wanted to spend time visiting gaming sites.This somewhat forfeited the purpose of teaching them the use of the Internet for research purposes, but with close monitoring, the behavior was corrected right away. After the Performing stage, the core group was asked to evaluate what they accomplished in terms of their own roles during the training. Notably, the students felt very proud of being able to teach their peers, and looking at the outputs, they cherished memories of taking part in other’s learning. References Berguist, Carlisle. (n. d. ) A comparative view of creativity theories: Psychoanalytic, behavioristic, and humanistic.Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://vantagequest. org/trees/comparative. htm Famous models: Stages of group development. (2001). Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www. chimaeraconsulti ng. com/tuckman. htm Gawel, Joseph E. (1997). Herzberg's theory of motivation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, [ED421486]. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://chiron. valdosta. edu/whuitt/files/herzberg. html Manktelow, James. (2003). Belbin’s team roles. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newLDR_83. htm