Prejudice to Kill a Mockingbird Essay Example for Free

Prejudice to Kill a Mockingbird Essay Prejudice denotes a prejudgment and negative opinion formed without adequate knowledge or justification. Individuals who are prejudicial are often biased and act unfavourably to other groups, particularly those of differing race and socio-economic status. Ideas and themes about prejudice are strongly evoked through Harper Lee’s 1960 novel â€Å"To Kill a Mocking-bird† and the poem â€Å"The Child† by Valerie Church. â€Å"To Kill a Mocking-bird† explores the prejudices associated with the coloured and underprivileged community group in a small town of the central Alabama which contrasts to the simplistic nature of a mentally-disabled boy in â€Å"The Child†. Through the juxtaposition of ideas conveyed in both texts, audiences are confronted with a greater understanding of the differing aspects of prejudice. Racism is and continues to be one of the most common types of prejudice experienced and exercised within the international community. Traditionally, the importance of race and skin tones was believed to signify the wealth or superiority of an individual or group. Written in the 1960’s America, Lee’s novel concentrates on the negative impact and effect of the orthodox prejudices held against the coloured community. Derogative connotation to the minority black community as â€Å"niggers†, portray the constant racial prejudice experienced by them within the small town of. Although the protagonist family are of Anglo descent, they fall victims to racial prejudice in their attempt to defend a black person in the court of law. The importance of skin tone is expressed through imagery, where Atticus explains the need to symbolically â€Å"climb† into someone’s â€Å"skin† to consider the light of their circumstances. Further, the repetition of â€Å"nigger lover† connotes the negative attitude Atticus and the Finch family experiences in response to helping Tom Robinson, one of the mockingbirds in the text. Lee’s employment of the mockingbird as a motif symbolises the harmless and caring nature of the black community who â€Å"never annoy you† but are heavily prejudiced against simply because of the colour of their skin. As the salient theme within the text, â€Å"To Kill a Mocking-bird† highlights the dire impact of radical prejudice and the disparity between members of difference races within 1960’s America. Another aspect of prejudice which is presented within the â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird†, is the importance of socio-economic class which connotes an individual’s standing within a community. Within the text, the town of Maycomb is divided into three distinct socio-economic classes from the well respected white working class, the â€Å"white trash† to the African American community. The classes are about the same as each other as they have the same type of people in each, the good and the bad. Scout soon realises, â€Å"there’s just one kind of folks. Folks†. Even the children in Maycomb are aware of the socio-economic class between the groups of people in the town. It is most noticed on the first day Scout went to school; Walter did not bring his lunch and Miss Caroline tried to lend him a quarter. As the Cunninghams did not borrow what they could not lend back, Walter refused and Miss Caroline became frustrated until Scout responded with â€Å"he’s a Cunningham† which reveals even adolescents in the community actively categorise individuals into stereotypes. Lee has used the freedom of the black community to portray a small town’s reaction to their freedom. Those from the black community fortunate enough to have an education were well respected as they had good jobs compared to the rest of the black community. There is a fourth social class briefly mentioned as there only a couple of them. Children of Dolphus Raymond, they are half black and half white. They do not fit in either the black nor white community as they have blood of the other race. As Jem says ‘Around here, once you have a drop of Negro blood that makes you all black’, refers to the townsfolk’s thoughts and beliefs on people with a black heritage. Physical and emotional separation is a prominent theme conveyed in both â€Å"The Child† and â€Å"To Kill a Mocking-bird†. Church’s â€Å"The Child† opens with the persona’s use of third person to recount their sight of a small boy with â€Å"an incomplete brain†. The use of the metaphoric connotation to the boy offers audiences the view that child is mentally- disadvantaged and is subject to prejudice of the general public with their â€Å"cruel eyes†. This representation emphasises the importance of physical appearance especially in a society which often judge and assess an individual by their exterior. As Church conveys that the boy experiences â€Å"mocking voice of the other boys†, this emphasises the importance of physical appearance to become accepted in the community even though traditionally, adolescents are presumed to be innocent and free of prejudice. Although physically, the young boy has a â€Å"simple exterior†, Church highlights that the boy is subject to prejudice due to his physical appearance which reveals his disabled nature. Further, this poem also highlights circumstances in which individuals deal with prejudices as the young boy reverts to smiling â€Å"simply at the onlookers†. Whilst â€Å"totally happy in his world†, Church use of imagery emphasises the positive responses to prejudice even though he is still physically separated from civilisation as he is standing â€Å"on the opposite kerb† being mocked by the other boys. The repetition of the young boy’s physical separation from the others assists in emphasising the physical aspect of prejudice. Valerie Church’s â€Å"The Child†, is an emotive poem which strongly addresses the physical nature of prejudice and the simplistic views by a young boy to combat issues of prejudice. Prejudice is both a physical and emotive concept which is prevalent within society. Harper Lee’s â€Å"To Kill a Mocking-bird† and Valerie Church’s â€Å"The Child† are texts which offer insight to the effect of prejudices based on both race and physical appearance. Both texts address the dire consequences of prejudicial acts and comments which continue to separate those in a society. Thus, the study of both texts has allowed audiences to gain a deeper and more extensive insight in the various aspects of prejudice. Word Count: 1,000Ã'Ž

The Changing Face Of Youth Transitions Social Policy Essay

The Changing Face Of Youth Transitions Social Policy Essay Whether a young person is from a richer or poorer family may determine the age and the level of difficulty of going from a young person to an adult. The definition of youth transition seems vague. It generally means the time period when young people take increasing responsibility for themselves, their relationships and the decisions about their lives that shape their future prospects (HM Treasury, 2007). It is a principle that can be applied that to several key areas of adulthood, such as transition from education to work, moving out from home and starting a new family. The aim of this essay is to look at how social background could affect how long the speed of someones transitions in the mentioned areas. It will attempt to come to a conclusion afterwards. For simplicity, social class will be divided into working-class and middle-class. First of all is the transition from education to work. The main theory linking social class with this transition is that adolescents from middle-class backgrounds are more likely to stay in education at university level than youths from less well-off backgrounds. This could be because of more than one reason. This is because a persons level of education is likely to affect their childrens. For example, a mother from the working-class probably would not have had a higher education and may not have performed well in school as a child or adolescent herself. As a consequence, she may not have seen education as important as a parent from a middle-class background. This could possibly affect her childs education in two ways. The first way is that the parents unfavourable attitude towards education means that they are unlikely to encourage their child to pursue a university education. This is referred to by Jones (2002, p.9) as cultural capital. The second way is that parents who did not do well academically might have, as a result, low expectations of their children, expecting them to be similar to their parents. This would also mean parents not favouring university education. The importance of these two relationships between a parents social background, cultural capital and low expectation, is that children who do not study at university level (normally a three year course) are likely to get some form of employment sooner than those who go to university. For the same reasons, teenagers from wealthier backgrounds probably have better educated parents and are, perhaps, expected to attain a university degree. From this, it can be said that social class may influence the timing of transition to adulthood as children from less well-off backgrounds are more likely to move from education to employment earlier than those from middle-class backgrounds. It can also be said that this transition is made earlier and easier for working-class youths simply because their parents cannot afford to pay for their university fees. Therefore there is little choice for them but to get a job. This is another example of the influence of social class. Teenagers from a wealthier background could have the option to delay transition into work by furthering their qualifications at university, because there is money available from their parents or other sources. On the other hand, however, this theory is may not be very convincing. This is because there is usually financial aid available to those who do not have the money themselves, such as government loans, grants and university bursaries. According to Jones (2002), 68% of student income is from loans. This suggests that a high amount of higher education students are from backgrounds that cannot themselves afford it. The relevance of this is that it gives the impression that the influence of social class on transition from education to work is minimal, as many working-class children are also pursuing higher education in recent times. It is also crucial to consider domestic youth transitions. The first is the change a young person experiences from living in their parents houses to living independently. Living independently means that the adolescent is living in accommodation financed by his or herself. This links together with the education-employment transition as university students, although most of them are living away from home, are not living fully independently because it is most likely their parents who are responsible for their childs education and university accommodation fees. It was claimed earlier in this essay that middle-class adolescents are expected to go to university more than those from a poorer background. From this it could be said that the moving from home transition may occur earlier for those from the working-class as they will go into employment sooner than those from wealthier backgrounds. The relationship between social class and standard of living may be important. Using economic intuition, it can be said that higher income and wealth leads to a higher standard of living as more luxury goods and services become affordable. Therefore young people from middle-class backgrounds would enjoy a higher standard of living than youths from working-class backgrounds. This is surely influential over the time and ease of the transition of leaving home. This is because high living standards may reduce the incentive for young people from middle-class backgrounds as they are enjoying a higher quality of life while living with their parents. It is probable that moving away from home and earning their own living would reduce their quality of life as they will not be able to afford it in the short-term. Those from working-class background, however, do not have this quality of life and therefore have more reason and enticement to move out of home and aim to make a better living from hi s or her self. Another domestic transition is a youth going from their family of origin to starting a new family. This could mean having children. Before this, it is important to consider why a young woman would have a planned pregnancy. According to Carter and Coleman (2006), an unsettled childhood can be a key factor in this fast-track transition. Separation of parents and domestic violence are usually more associated with people of working-class background than any other. It can be claimed that teenagers that have separated parents and difficult family relationships desire a baby to achieve more stability in their lives something which they believe being a parent may bring. An unsettled background could also result in the youth abandoning home. This suggests that teenagers from less-wealthy backgrounds may make the family transition or the leaving-home transition earlier than those from richer families. Another theory is that poor educational achievement and bullying may prompt young women to c hange to a different life course such as parenthood (Carter and Coleman, 2006), but it is difficult to link this to social class. In fact, the issues of separated parents and domestic violence affect middle-class families too, undermining the strength and validity of the previous point. From the analysis above, it can be said that social class seems to have some influence over the timing and ease of youth transitions. It appears that all the mentioned transitions employment, moving out of parental home and parenthood seem to happen earlier and with more ease for children of working-class background. However, it is difficult to conclude the extent to which social class affects youth transitions. There are also other factors that need to be looked at such as the individual characteristics of a young person or the role of ethnicity in youth transitions (Cassidy. et al, 2006). Overall, social class might has some influence over the timing and ease of youth transitions through the family situations, academic expectations and living standards typically associated with that particular social background. Reference List Jones, G. (2002). The youth divide: diverging paths to adulthood. Joseph Rowntree Foundation Carter, S. and Coleman, L. (2006) Planned teenage pregnancy: Views and experiences of young people from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation Cassidy, C. et al (2006). Young peoples experiences of transition to adulthood: a study of minority ethnic and white young people. Joseph Rowntree Foundation HM Treasury Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007) Aiming high for young people: a ten year strategy for positive activities [Online], Available: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/PU214.pdf [July 2007]

Web Based Technology and Continuing Medical Education

Web Based Technology and Continuing Medical Education This dissertation explores the use of Web based technology to enhance and maintain procedural skills in the context of continuing medical education. The research was initiated by the perceived need for novel and alternative methods of providing procedural skills training to health practitioners. This observation, supported by learning needs analysis, led to the design and implementation of a Web based educational resource aimed at doctors and other healthcare practitioners. The assessment part of the research focused on an empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of this Web based educational resource. This dissertation draws on a number of strands of Health Informatics: Principals of Heath Informatics Research Methods Clinical Information Systems Creating Online Educational Resources Whilst on a small scale, the results are relevant to medical educators involved in developing and evaluating web based educational resources. BACKGROUND Medical practitioners receive comprehensive procedural skills training and it is expected that this is maintained and regularly updated to limit skills decay and ensure clinical competency. Skills decay is defined as the loss of a trained or an acquired skill after a period of nonuse. Skills decay rapidly as the period of nonuse lengthens; and the extent of the decay is influenced by the characteristics of the skill and how and when these skills were learnt. Arthur et al., (1998) Skills are classified either as closed loop or open loop tasks. Arthur et al., (1998). Closed loop tasks are fixed sequence tasks with a defined beginning and end, for example, the preoperative anaesthetic machine check. Open loop tasks are tracking and problem solving tasks, for example, managing patients hypoxia. Arthur et al., (1998) in their review on the rate of skills decay and its influencing factors concluded that closed loop tasks decay more slowly than opened loop tasks. Arthur et al., (1998) also mentions that mental tasks decay more quickly than physical tasks and after 28 to 90 days of nonuse of the trained skills, task performance declines by 23% and by 40% after a year of nonuse. Clinical practice alone may be insufficient to prevent skills decay as indicated in a simulated airway management training study Kovacs et al., (2000). Skills decay quickly without practice; and procedural skills are only optimally retained when trainees regularly practiced the procedure on their own, in their own time and received periodic feedback. Training on simulation modalities, mannequins, fresh cadavers and live patients have the potential to successfully teach the procedural skill with significantly less skills decay over time as compared to didactic teaching alone. TI L et al., (2006). The traditional one to one apprenticeship model of medical procedural skills training and the in-hospital continuous medical education and maintenance of a skills base are often inefficient, expensive, and labour intensive. Patients, who are often used as practice tests subjects during skills training, safety is reliant on the medical practitioner skills retention and task competency. Maintaining procedural skills competency may prove to be increasingly more challenging as expense, time constraints, available manpower, lack of resources and patients reluctance to be used as experimental models make this endeavor increasingly impossible to set up. The resultant worldwide move towards competency based training programs and self directed problem oriented based learning has made necessary the search for alternative valid and reliable educational methods for skills training and its maintenance. Fortunately, the last decade has seen an explosion in the use of technology to enhance medical education. Web-based educational programs, computer aided virtual reality situations, and high fidelity simulation has played an increasingly important role in medical education owning to its efficiency, ability to provide flexible learning experiences, multimedia capabilities, and economies of scale and power to distribute instructional content internationally. Vozenilik et al., (2004) In the last 5 to 10 years extensive empirical research has been conducted on the use of computer aided and web-based instruction in medical education where there has been overwhelming support for these mediums of instruction. Unfortunately the literature is strikingly sparse on the use of Web based instruction for procedural skills training and in the few studies where empirical research has been carried out; study designs were not robust enough to withstand interrogation or had inconclusive results. LITERATURE REVIEW A review of the literature was conducted to ascertain what work had been done in the field of Web based learning, medical education and procedural skills training. A CINAHL and Medline search was carried out exploring all citations up to June 2010. The search using Medical Subjects Headings (MeSH) Computer Aided Instruction, Internet, CME returned 322 publications. Adding the MeSH term Review returned 21 reviews of which four were relevant. Replacing CME with Procedural Skills Training produced only one noteworthy empirical research paper and 2 publications worthy of discussion. Relevant systematic reviews of the literature are summarized in the table below: 3 Title Author / Date Findings Review Conclusions Assessment of the Review Internet-Based Learning in Health Professionals: A Meta-analysis Cook et al., 2008 201 eligible studies with qualitative or comparative studies of Internet based learning accounting for 56 publications Internet formats were equivalent to non-Internet formats in terms of learner satisfaction and changes in knowledge, skills and behavior. Internet based learning is educationally beneficial. Comprehensive work with a robust study design. Skills outcomes included communication with patients, critical appraisal, medication dosing, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and lumbar puncture. Unfortunately the study had many limitations as many publications were poorly designed with low methodological quality, without validity and reliability evidence for assessment scores and with widely varying interventions What the meta analysis did suggest was that no further studies comparing Internet based interventions with traditional methods or no intervention were merited as these types of studies would almost invariably be in favour of Internet Based interventions. The author of the review suggested that the questions that warranted further research would be when and should Internet based learning be used and how could it be effectively implemented giving impetus to the exploration of Internet based skills training and maintenance. Title Author / Date Findings Review Conclusions Assessment of the Review The Effectiveness of Computer-Aided (CAL) Self-Instructional Programs in Dental Education: Rosenberg et al. 2003 1024 articles systematically reviewed. 12 publications included in the final review. Five studies significantly favored CAL. CAL is as effective as other methods of teaching and can be used as an adjunct to traditional education or as a means of self-instruction. This study is a comprehensive review of controlled randomized studies with clear and relevant inclusion criteria assessed with good inter and intra rated reliability. The reviewer limited the study to dental students. Forms of Computer Aided Instruction was not clearly defined or specified in the inclusion criteria. It is unclear whether web based studies were included. The skills referred to in the studies were dental diagnostic not procedural skills. The apparent dearth of studies assessing procedural skills justified the investigation undertaken by this dissertation. Title Author / Date Findings Review Conclusions Assessment of the Review Internet-based medical education: a realist review of what works, for whom and in what circumstances. Wong et al. 2010 249 papers met their inclusion criteria. Learners were more likely to accept a course if it offered a perceived advantage over available internet alternatives, if it was easy to use technically, had elements of interactivity and gave formative feedback. This study is a realist review and the methodology used answered the question of the study which aimed to provide a theory driven criteria to guide development and evaluation of Internet based tools. The findings and guidelines suggested in this review would later be incorporated in the design of the resource to be investigated in this dissertation. Title Author / Date Findings Review Conclusions Assessment of the Review eLearning: a review of Internet-based continuing medical education (CME). Wuton et al. 2004 16 studies met their eligibility criteria Internet based CME programs were as effective as traditional formats of CME A comprehensive and appropriate search of databases. Randomized controlled trials of Internet based education in practicing health care professionals. These results showed that Internet based interventions do have a place in CME and that these effects on skills behavior warrants further investigation. Title Author / Date Review Conclusions Assessment of the publication Procedures can be learned on the Web: a randomized study of ultrasound-guided vascular access training. Chenkin et al. 2008 Web based tutorial may be an useful alternative to didactic teaching for learning of procedural skills A randomized control trial with non inferiority data analysis. The non inferiority margin was specified at a 10% margin however the actual amount of improvement was not specified. Blinding bias was not assured and the trial relied on the reputation of the investigator. No mention of inter rated reliability was made. Despite its inherent weaknesses, the trial suggested that web based intervention is as good as the alternatives; however, the study incorporated the use of simulation and live models to teach the actual procedural skill. David Cook is a prolific writer of many reviews and publications investigating Internet based formats in medical education. His noteworthy publications Web based learning: pros, cons and controversies Cook, (2007) and Where are we with Web based education Cook,( 2006) extolled the benefits overcoming barriers of distance and time with novel instructional methods, and extenuated the disadvantages which included social isolation, upfront costs and technical difficulties of Web based education. He concluded that Web based instruction can be a potentially powerful tool and strongly recommended that the focus of future studies should concentrate on the timing and application of Web based learning tools. Summary of literature survey The review of the literature has outlined the use of Web based procedural skills training as an area that requires further research. Empirical research and systematic reviews that has been carried out thus far has been limited. The literature research conducted for this dissertation (though in its self may have been limited) was unable to find publications exploring the whole use of the Internet as a means of procedural skills training and skills maintenance. Justification and Learning needs analysis To assess the effectiveness of an Internet based learning resource in the context of procedural skills training, a skill had to be chosen that was relevant, involved both a physical and mental task, and had the potential of decaying. A procedural skill is defined as the mental (knowledge) and motor activities (behaviour) required to execute a manual task and usually involves patient contact. Kovacs (1997). Furthermore, a learning needs analysis was undertaken to assess the value of this topic choice. Justification Intubation with a Laryngeal Airway Device (LAD) was chosen as the representative procedural skill. When a patient collapses from a cardiac or respiratory cause, timely control of the patients breathing and airway with prompt delivery of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation have resulted in life saving survival and neurological recovery. The LAD is a breathing maintenance device that can, with minimal training, be inserted effortlessly into the mouth of the patient allowing for breathing and oxygenation. It is increasingly being used in the repertoire of techniques available to frontline practitioners (practitioners first on call to resuscitation events) in emergencies where the technique has proven to be easy to use and life saving in the management of an airway crisis. Kette, (2005). In a survey of family medicine practitioners, all practitioners surveyed agreed that insertion of an LAD during a resuscitation procedure was a core procedural skill that most practiti oners were required to perform in any setting; 86% admitting that they had been called upon at some point to perform the procedure. Wetmore et al., (2005). Insertion of a LAD with knowledge of the patients anatomy, indication and contraindication for use and technique of use both under a controlled setting and in an emergency is representative of a procedural skill a frontline practitioners is expected to perform. Learning needs analysis A key step in developing an effective educational website is performing a learning needs analysis to determine what the learning needs the resource hopes to address are and why these needs were not met by existing learning or teaching arrangements. Cook Dupras, ( 2004). A questionnaire not previously validated, making use of closed type questions, were used to assess three broad areas; knowledge and training, skills application and Internet accessibility. Eleven frontline practitioners were asked to provide an indication of how often they were called to attend resuscitation or airway management situations in the last two years. They were surveyed regarding training received in LAD usage and insertion, their desire to obtain more information or skills updating, and whether there was a perceived need for Internet-based continuing medical education courses on LAD usage and intubation. Their attendances at CME workshops in the last year were surveyed and the barriers to CME workshop attendance were assessed. The respondents were surveyed regarding access to the Internet and previous exposure to e-learning modules. This was done to assess whether the uptake of the resource would be biased towards participants with Internet access, frequent Internet uses or previous e-learning experiences. The results of the learning needs analysis showed that most respondents (90%) received exposure to the device. It is a requirement of their post as frontline practitioners, to be Acute Life Support (ALS) trained where usage of the device in resuscitation is taught. Half the respondents indicated that they were not comfortable with their level of knowledge; and 63% felt unconfident about inserting the device as they were on average, only exposed to two resuscitation scenarios per year. All had Internet access at work and at home; and half had previous experience of online learning. Only one percent of the respondents were able to attend a CME session in the last year, citing lack of time and convenience as the main reasons. 80% of respondents were interested in taking courses through the Internet, as continuous education credits are a requirement of a license to practice in medicine. Interest in the topic was high and given the above self-appraisal, it was felt that the course was nee ded and should appeal to this population. METHODS The method section is dealt with in two parts. The first will focus on the development and design of a Web based educational resource and the second on the evaluation of the resource. 1. Development and design The idea was to develop an educational resource that could be used to train, reinforce knowledge and maintain a procedural skill by employing and integrating principles of effective adult learning with the unique features of the web. The development was driven by educational needs and outcomes of learning needs analysis completed by participants in a previous part of this study. 1.1 Development Theories The course design reflected Adult Learning Principles and the aim of the course was to improve knowledge (cognition), integration of attitude changes (confidence) and in so doing result in a change in behaviour (competency). Gale (1986). With accessibility of the Web based educational resource, it was hoped that the resource would be accessed frequently until the task becomes automatic or accessed as a refresher when required or at regular intervals. The resource incorporated principals that were shown to be effective. It was centered on the learners needs, was focused on a specific task and recognised past experiences of the learner (Gale 1986). The theories used in the development of the resource included; Experiential Learning Theory, which concluded that experiential learning should have personal relevance, should be self-initiated and lead to pervasive effects on the learner. Rodgers (1969) Constructivist Theory where learning is an active process with learners constructing new ideas and concepts based upon past and current knowledge. Bruner (1966) Information Processing Theory where knowledge is presentation in sequences or chunking to accommodate short attention spans (Miller 1956). The educational resource strived to be pedagogically sound uniquely applying these principles online. Information was presented in small chunks in a sequential fashion, was self-contained, had interactive components and contained assessments with instant feedback. Online communication did not occur in real time as which happens with video conferencing and online chat rooms, instead the resource used communication that was asynchronous where participants logged on, viewed and downloaded course material, read postings and submitted interactive tasks. The advantage of using an asynchronous format was that learners and/or the instructor did not need to be online at the same time allowing the participant to work at his or her own pace. The asynchronous nature of this web based learning environment allowed for barriers of time, location and expense to be overcome. Sanoff (2005) 1.2 Moodle Description University College Londons (UCL) Moodle was the platform used to develop the educational resource. There are many applications offering free alternatives to the commercial software WebCTTM and BlackboardTM, however the UCL Moodle was chosen as a matter of convenience because it was accessible, independent of specific operating systems, fit for purpose and easy to use without much technical computer knowledge thereby potentially removing barriers to any future course design and development.. Moodle (Modular Object Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is software freely available to use and was developed by Dougiamas. Moodle. org (1999). The Moodle software was designed on pedagogical principles that encourage learner interaction in a virtual learning environment. Moodle is a course management system used to support Web-based courses and has a number of innovative tools that could be used to create courses that promoted collaborative learning. Moodle is able to run without modification on Unix, Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, Mac OS and Netware. (Moodle. Org). After an initial learning curve, the program was easy to use with simple but comprehensive online instructions. Moodle It did not require pre-existing computer programming knowledge, and in fact the author of this dissertation considered herself a novice computer user. Moodle is written in hypertext pre-processor (PHP) which is HTML embedded scripting language used to create dynamic Web pages.  PHP allows for connecting to remote servers, checking email, URL encoding and setting cookies. It offers good connectivity to many databases including MySQL, and PostgreSQL,  which Moodle uses as a single database. MySQL is a  relational database management system  that runs as a server providing multi-user access to a number of databases. (www.php.net). Moodle had the support for easily displaying multimedia aspects of the educational resource and the interface could be used in over 70 native language translations. The Web based educational resource was easily built up using multimedia activity modules and design elements, which included with easy navigation; Authentication and enrollment, Syndication with a chat forum made available to others as newsfeeds, Current evidence based didactic teaching, Interactive quizzes allowing import/export in a number of methods Hyperlinked resources to provide for branched learning, The use of a Wikipedia, A glossary of commonly used terms, Instructional video presentations. All the attributes of the Moodle made for an international transportable tool ideal for knowledge presentation, learner interaction, comments and reflection, dynamic and interactive assessments, flexibility, extendibility, and most importantly, support for autonomous learning and continued educational development around the world. The only noteworthy disadvantage of using the UCL Moodle was an imposed instructional design. 1.3 Resource Description The educational resource was named; VIRTUAL [emailprotected]: Onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å"line Laryngeal Airway Device training. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" Virtual suggesting both the virtual reality of an Internet based generated environment and the adjective, meaning practically or almost Collins English Dictionary ( 2008). The Web based educational resource was developed for distance learning and contained all the elements of a totally Internet delivered educational resource. The content of the course was drawn from the authors personal experience using the Laryngeal device; peer reviewed journal articles, manufactures product information and videos downloaded from the Internet. Permission for the use of copywriter-restricted material was sought and obtained where appropriate. 1.3.1 Screen Design The screen design refers to how the information was arranged and presented on the display screen. The guidelines used followed those (amongst others) suggested by DoD HCI Style Guide (1992). The screen was kept simple, orderly, clutter free and consistent with a limited, non-dominating colour palate of four colours à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" blue, black, white and blue à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" green, a combination that has been shown to cause little fatigue and distraction. Kelley (1988). The content of each lesson was presented on a plain white background with black text in a non-jarring informal style font that made the lessons easy to read. Clark (1997). One template was used and the navigation bar, top bar and individual lesson heading bars kept the same with only the content of each lesson changing. All the content was displayed statically on one screen with individual lessons accessed by scrolling vertically down to the individual lesson. Unnecessary menus and long selection lists were avoid ed. This allowed for an overall view of the content, minimized pointer and eye movements and caused less distraction with easy navigation. (Gruneberg 1978). A discussion forum, interactive quizzes and an end of resource examination were included to allow engagement and self-assessment. The quizzes and examination included a range of question types à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" multiple choice questions, true/ false, photo matching and random short answer matching type questions. These varieties of questions were shown to improve the learning experiences of adult learners. (Mackway-Jones, 1998). Information was provided in chunks and the writing style kept informal, with plain, simple language and in conversational tone with some elements of humour. There were fewer than 60 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" character positions on a standard 80 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" character line, spacing between characters were 25 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 50% of character height and spacing between lines were equal to the character h eight, this to increase reading efficiency. 1.3.2 Course Content The course material was presented as text, graphics, power point presentations, hyperlinks and video demonstrations of the procedural skill presented in animation and on an actual patient. Knowledge was provided in five short lessons that followed the natural sequence of usage and intubation with a Laryngeal device. Aims of the resource and objectives of each lesson were stated at the beginning of the course. Here too a glossary of commonly used terms and a baseline knowledge assessment quiz were included. Each lesson was kept succinct with hyperlinks to websites and folders for those seeking extra information. This was to limit download times. Each lesson was concluded with an interactive quiz used to reinforce and test the knowledge learnt. Instant responses were provided to the quizzes after submission with suggestions to either revisit the lesson or to continue depending on the results obtained in the quizzes. The resource was concluded with an end of course examination and the c ourse was predicted to take 1 to 2 hours to complete. The resource content was accessed with a secured password with all content downloadable by way of an Internet connection. All the participants were supplied with a secure company email address and all the ISTCs had Internet access. Permission was requested for the use of company time and resources e.g. airway device training mannequin and time during the working day for those who chose to access the resource at work. Participants were supplied with instructions on how to use Microsoft Word and how to log on to and navigate the Moodle site. The course material was available online for two weeks with access monitored. 1.4 Pilot Study The aim of the pilot study was to assess the ease of navigation, gauge the time it took to complete the course, the integrity of the hyperlinks and the validity and reliability of the content and examination questions. Font preferences, layout and download speeds were also assessed. A prototype of the resource was tested on a selected sample of five participants of similar profile to the participants used in the study. The participants of the pilot study were excluded from participating in the actual study. An external panel of three Consultant Anaesthetists and two trainee Registrar Anaesthetists where used to provided expert advice. The Consultant Anaesthetists were selected based on their special interest in emergency medicine or difficult intubation scenario teaching. A few typographic errors were corrected, aims and objectives were clarified, difficult navigational issues were corrected and some content deemed repetitive and lengthy by the pilot participants were excluded before rolling out the resource. These changes however, were minor and further usability studies were deemed unnecessary. 1.5 Content Validation The content presented was current, evidence based and peer reviewed for content validity by the panel of experts (made up of three Consultant Anaesthetists and two trainee Registrar Anaesthetists), who deemed the content to be relevant and appropriate. The panel of experts and the pilot participants also judged good face validity. 2. Evaluation of the Resource The study evaluates effectiveness and acceptance of a Web based educational resource used to train and maintain a learnt procedural skill in the context of continuous medical Education (CME). The evaluation of the resource was undertaken in two parts. First the effectiveness of the resource was evaluated and the endpoints measured were changes in knowledge, confidence and technical ability. This evaluation made use of a summative framework redefined by Saettler (1990); which takes place after interaction with the resource. A before and after interventional ipsative assessment was undertaken where participants performance was compared to their own over a period of time. The second part of the evaluation was undertaken to assess the acceptability of the Web based educational resource as a medium for procedural skills training and this was done by way of an evaluation questionnaire completed by the participants after course completion. 2.1 Participants and Setting The participants and settings were specifically targeted, as they would ultimately be interested stakeholders and end users of this type of resource. The research was conducted at five Care UK TM Independent Centers (ISTCs) on practitioners employed at these facilities. The ISTCs are part of the governments initiative to reduce long NHS waiting times for elective surgery by adding increased capacity and alternative treatment venues for patients. There are approximately 25 ISTCs in the United Kingdom with Care UK TM represents 20% of this market. The ISTCs were chosen as a setting because: They are not part of the UK NHS medical training scheme and therefore have no formal programs of medical training or teaching that similar grades of staff in the NHS would receive. Contractual obligations of the ISTC contract decreed that the ISTCs could not employ medical practitioners from the NHS; therefore, most of the medical staff employed at the ISTCs have trained abroad and are waiting either to enter a formal career path within the NHS or wanting UK work experience. This situation has resulted in a mixture of nationalities, non-uniform medical training and medical staff with differing levels of post qualification experience and more importantly, a high staff turnover. (ref) These resulting factors were conducive to a system of competency-based appraisals and continuous medical education, which could be addressed with Web, based educational resources. Participants in the study were all frontline practitioners employed at Care UK TM ISTCs, which employs 48 practitioners of this grade. This represents 50% of all frontline practitioners employed in ISTCs throughout the UK. This intended sample size of 48 adequately represented the wider population in this type of analysis. frontline practitioners are the first practitioners on call to the resuscitation of a collapsed patient where they would be called upon to secure the patients airway and ensure oxygenation until the Anaesthetists or the resuscitation team arrives. It is expected that frontline practitioners are trained and certified with acute cardiac and life support skills and confident in dealing with clinical emergencies. In reality, analysis has shown that frontline practitioners in these ISTCs, though some trained and certified, rarely use these skills due to the infrequent nature of resuscitation clinical emergencies, making these scenarios potentially high-risk events when they do occur. Frontline practitioners are made up of Resident Medical Officers (RMOs), Anaesthetic Assistants (ODAs) and Recovery Room Practitioners (RNs). RMOs are doctors who have completed their medical training and have at least two years post graduate work experience as qualified doctors. They are employed to provide 24 hours on site medical management of patients at the ISTCs and like general practitioners (RACGP 2006) and doctors outside NHS academic hospitals, are usually first on call for emergencies and the sole source of medical advice on the premises on which they work. Anaesthetic assistants and recovery room practitioners are nursing practitioners

Romeo And Juliet Essay -- essays research papers

The story, Romeo and Juliet carried a constant theme of love and death. William Shakespeare wrote this play with several different ideas in mind. He tried to have a romance story that still incorporated violence as well as comedy making a play that all classes of people would enjoy. He succeeded by making one of the most famous plays of all time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Immediately as the play is commenced, the plot of the story is unfolded. The chorus begins revealing the story about two equal ranked families, battling over an ancient grudge carried out from their ancestors. The theme of fighting is already revealed in the opening line to the story. Following the line of fighting and anger comes the second theme, love. Shakespeare writes about two “star - crossed lovers,'; referring to Romeo and Juliet. The term “star – crossed lovers,'; sets the reoccurring theme of love and death and represents the entire play in those three words.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Romeo and Juliet met one night at a party where they immediately fell desperately in love at first sight. Both were happily in love until they found they were in love with their enemy. The theme of teenage rebellion becomes an issue at this point. Romeo and Juliet love each other but this love is rejected throughout their families being both their families have had a grudge carried out from their ancestors. The only way for Romeo and Juliet to have a relationship is to keep ...

Utopian Dreams Essays -- Utopia Perfect World Essays

Throughout the ages, man has come to idealize a word that is most commonly related to ‘heavenly’ or ‘perfect’ without actually picking up the book and realizing for themselves that there is no such thing. A Utopian society could never exist because man is made to want, to desire success. Man is competitive by nature and would never be happy in a society where everyone is equal and there is no chance of advancement. Sir Thomas More dreamt of a land that was much like England but could never surpass time. He opened the eyes of a nation and made its people desire something new. Views were significantly changed and the world would never be the same. Sir Thomas More inspired dramatic changes in religion, community life and even paved the way for communism. And he did all of this through one simple book about one simple society. In a perfect utopian society, there is no official religion. The people are allowed freedom of belief. â€Å"Some worship for god the sun, some the moon, some some other of the planets† (117). The only thing that they all believe in is that there is one supreme ruler that creates miracles and brings them such joy. This is all quite contrary to the beliefs held in 1516 England. Their opinions resemble those of Christianity: their priestly caste, their high standard of morality, their prayers, and their hymns. However, in England the Roman Catholic Church allowed no freedom of beliefs. In fact, the church was firm in its insistence upon the principle of one church and one authoritative doctrine. More even went so far as to poke fun at the idea of the priests of Utopia being men of eminent piety. This remark, under normal circumstances, should be taken as a matter of course. However, in Europe at the time there were many outcries against the laxity and corruption among the clergy. Therefore, many saw this as an indirect thrust at the Christian priesthood. The fact that Utopian priests could marry represents a significant difference from the Catholic vow of celibacy. This was shocking to the citizens and especially clergy of England and Europe. The idea of a married priest was not something that they were quite ready for but were willing to think about. Another surprising contrast to Christian rule was that in Utopia, women were appointed to the priesthood occasionally. Although there were many contrasts, there was o... ...topian society everyone works the same amount of time, at the same job and for no money. In a Utopian society, everyone shares everything and no one gets ahead. In a Utopian society, very few are able to explore their talents and dreams, they are required to work if visiting another city for too long and do not even know what vacations are. In a Utopian society a true American would commit suicide after realizing that they could no longer be individuals. In a Utopian society ... there is no such thing. Utopia is England with no specific jobs. It is England with more structure and a little bit more freedom. Utopia is England if Sir Thomas More was ruling England. Utopia is not an idealistic place to live. It is a trap for those who can not get ahead in the real world and for those who just want to belong. Utopia changed the eyes of a nation and opened the minds of millions. It gave light into what perhaps the world should be like without forcing it upon anyone. It has crept into most governments and lands and has remained there ever since. It is Utopia and its presence is immense. Utopia may not be the perfect society but some of its traits could help to create one.

A Dirty Job Chapter 5

5 DARKNESS GETS UPPITY Hey, Ray,† Charlie said as he came down the steps into the storeroom. He always tried to make a lot of noise on the steps and usually fired a loud and early â€Å"hello† to warn his employees that he was coming. He'd worked a number of jobs before coming back to take over the family business, and had learned from experience that nobody liked a sneaky boss. â€Å"Hey, Charlie,† Ray said. Ray was out front, sitting on a stool behind the counter. He was pushing forty, tall, balding, and moved through the world without ever turning his head. He couldn't. As a San Francisco policeman, he'd caught a gangbanger's bullet in the neck six years ago, and that was the last time he'd looked over his shoulder without using a mirror. Ray lived on a generous disability pension from the city and worked for Charlie in exchange for free rent on his fourth-floor apartment, thus keeping the transaction off both their books. He spun around on the stool to face Charlie. â€Å"Hey – uh – I wanted to say that, you know, your situation, I mean, your loss. Everybody liked Rachel. You know, if I can do anything – â€Å" It was the first time Charlie had seen Ray since the funeral, so the awkwardness of secondary condolences had yet to be forded. â€Å"You've done more than enough by picking up my shifts. Whatcha working on?† Charlie was trying desperately to not look at the various objects in the shop that were glowing dull red. â€Å"Oh, this.† Ray rotated and pushed back so that Charlie could see the computer screen, where there were displayed rows of portraits of smiling, young Asian women. â€Å"It's called Desperate Filipinas dot-com.† â€Å"Is this where you met Miss LoveYouLongTime?† â€Å"That was not her name. Did Lily tell you that? That kid has problems.† â€Å"Yeah, well, kids,† Charlie said, suddenly noticing a matronly woman in tweed who was browsing the curio shelves at the front of the store. She was carrying a porcelain frog that was glowing dull red. Ray clicked on one of the pictures, which opened a profile. â€Å"Look at this one, boss. It says she's into sculling.† He spun on his stool again and bounced his eyebrows at Charlie. Charlie pulled his attention from the woman with the glowing frog and looked at the screen. â€Å"That's rowing, Ray.† â€Å"No it's not. Look, it says she was a coxswain in college.† Again with the eyebrow bounce, he offered a high five. â€Å"Also rowing,† Charlie said, leaving the ex-cop hanging. â€Å"The person at the back of the boat who yells at the rowers is called the coxswain.† â€Å"Really?† Ray said, disappointed. He'd been married three times, and been left by all three wives because of an inability to develop normal adult social skills. Ray reacted to the world as a cop, and while many women found that attractive initially, they expected him eventually to leave the attitude, along with his service weapon, in the coat closet when he arrived home. He didn't. When Ray had first come to work at Asher's Secondhand, it had taken two months for Charlie to get him to stop ordering customers to â€Å"move along, there's nothing to see here.† Ray spent a lot of time being disappointed in himself and humanity in general. â€Å"But, dude, rowing!† Charlie said, trying to make it all better. He liked the ex-cop in spite of his awkwardness. Ray was basically a good guy, kindhearted and loyal, hardworking and punctual, but most important, Ray was losing his hair faster than Charlie. Ray sighed. â€Å"Maybe I should search for another Web site. What's a word that means that your standards are lower than the desperate?† Charlie read down the page a little. â€Å"This woman has a master's degree in English lit from Cambridge, Ray. And look at her. She's gorgeous. And nineteen. Why is she desperate?† â€Å"Hey, wait a minute. A master's degree at nineteen, this girl is too smart for me.† â€Å"No she's not. She's lying.† Ray spun on the stool as if Charlie had poked him in the ear with a pencil. â€Å"No!† â€Å"Ray, look at her. She looks like one of those Asian models for Sour Apple Flavored Calamari Treats.† â€Å"They have that?† Charlie pointed to the left side of the front window. â€Å"Ray, let me introduce you to Chinatown. Chinatown, this is Ray. Ray, Chinatown.† Ray smiled, embarrassed. There was a store two blocks up that sold nothing but dried shark parts, the windows full of pictures of beautiful Chinese women holding shark spleens and eyeballs like they'd just received an Academy Award. â€Å"Well, the last woman I met through here did have a few errors and omissions in her profile.† â€Å"Like?† Charlie was watching the woman in tweed with the glowing frog, who was approaching the counter. â€Å"Well, she said that she was twenty-three, five feet tall, a hundred five pounds, so I thought, ‘Okay, I can have fun with a petite woman.' Turns out it was a hundred and five kilos.† â€Å"So, not what you expected?† Charlie said. He smiled at the approaching woman, feeling panic rise. She was going to buy the frog! â€Å"Five foot – two-thirty. She was built like a mailbox. I might have gotten past that, but she wasn't even twenty-three, she was sixty-three. One of her grandsons tried to sell her to me.† â€Å"Ma'am, I'm sorry, you can't buy that,† Charlie said to the woman. â€Å"You hear the expression all the time,† Ray went on, â€Å"but you hardly ever meet anyone really trying to sell his own grandmother.† â€Å"Why not?† the woman asked. â€Å"Fifty bucks,† Ray said. â€Å"That's outrageous,† the woman said. â€Å"It's marked ten.† â€Å"No, it's fifty for the grandmother Ray is dating,† Charlie said. â€Å"The frog is not for sale, ma'am, I'm sorry. It's defective.† â€Å"Then why do you have it on the shelf? Why is it marked for sale? I don't see any defect.† Evidently she couldn't see that the goofy porcelain frog was not only glowing in her hands, it had started to pulsate. Charlie reached across the counter and snatched it away from her. â€Å"It's radioactive, ma'am. I'm sorry. You can't buy it.† â€Å"I wasn't dating her,† Ray said. â€Å"I just flew to the Philippines to meet her.† â€Å"It is not radioactive,† the woman said. â€Å"You're just trying to jack up the price. Fine, I'll give you twenty for it.† â€Å"No, ma'am, public safety,† Charlie said, trying to look concerned, holding the frog to his chest as if shielding her from its dangerous energy. â€Å"And it's clearly ridiculous. You'll note that this frog is playing a banjo with only two strings. A travesty, really. Why don't you let my colleague show you something in a cymbal-playing monkey. Ray, could you show this young woman something in a monkey, please.† Charlie hoped that the â€Å"young woman† would win him points. The woman backed away from the counter, holding her purse before her like a shield. â€Å"I'm not sure I want to buy anything from you wack jobs.† â€Å"Hey!† Ray protested, as if to say that there was only one wack job on duty and he wasn't it. Then she did it, she quickstepped to a rack of shoes and picked up a pair of size-twelve, red Converse All Stars. They, too, were glowing. â€Å"I want these.† â€Å"No.† Charlie tossed the frog over his shoulder to Ray, who fumbled it and almost dropped it. â€Å"Those aren't for sale either.† The tweed woman backed away toward the door, holding the sneakers behind her. Charlie stalked her down the aisle, taking the occasional grab at the All Stars. â€Å"Give them.† When the woman butt-bumped into the front door and the bell over the jamb jingled, she looked up and Charlie made his move, faking hard left, then going right, reaching around her and grabbing the laces of the sneakers, as well as a scoop of big, tweedy ass in the bargain. He quickstepped back toward the counter, tossed the sneakers to Ray, and then turned and fell into a sumo stance to challenge the tweed woman. She was still at the door, looking as if she couldn't decide to be terrified or disgusted. â€Å"You people need to be put away. I'm reporting you to the Better Business Bureau and the local merchants' association. And you, Mr. Asher, can tell Ms. Severo that I will be back.† And with that, she was through the door and gone. Charlie turned to Ray. â€Å"Ms. Severo? Lily? She was here to see Lily?† â€Å"Truant officer,† Ray said. â€Å"She's been in a couple of times.† â€Å"You might have said something.† â€Å"I didn't want to lose the sale.† â€Å"So, Lily – â€Å" â€Å"Ducks out the back when she sees her coming. The woman also wanted to check with you that the notes for Lily's absences were legitimate. I vouched.† â€Å"Well, Lily is going back to school, and as of right now, I'm back to work.† â€Å"That's great. I took this call today – an estate in Pacific Heights. Lots of nice women's clothes.† Ray tapped a piece of notepaper on the counter. â€Å"I'm not really qualified to handle it.† â€Å"I'll do it, but first we have a lot to catch up on. Flip the ‘Closed' sign and lock the front door, would you, Ray?† Ray didn't move. â€Å"Sure, but – Charlie, are you sure that you're ready to go back to work?† He nodded to the sneakers and frog on the counter. â€Å"Oh, those, I think there's something wrong with them. You don't see anything unusual about those two items?† Ray looked again. â€Å"Nope.† â€Å"Or that once I took the frog away from her, she went right for a pair of sneakers that are clearly not her size?† Ray weighed the truth against the sweet deal he had here, with an apartment and under-the-table income and a boss that had really been a decent guy before he went 51/50, and he said, â€Å"Yeah, there was something strange about her.† â€Å"Aha!† said Charlie. â€Å"I just wish I knew where I could get a Geiger counter.† â€Å"I have a Geiger counter,† Ray said. â€Å"You do?† â€Å"Sure, you want me to get it?† â€Å"Maybe later,† Charlie said. â€Å"Just lock up, and help me gather up some of the merchandise.† Over the next hour Ray watched as Charlie moved a set of what seemed randomly chosen items from the store to the back room, directing him to under no circumstances put them back out or sell them to anyone. Then he retrieved the Geiger counter that he'd obtained on a sweet trade for a stringless oversized tennis racket and tested each item as Charlie instructed. And, of course, they were as inert as dirt. â€Å"And you don't see any glowing or pulsating or anything in this pile?† Charlie asked. â€Å"Sorry.† Ray shook his head, feeling a little embarrassed that he was witnessing this. â€Å"Good first day back to work, though,† Ray said, trying to make it all better. â€Å"Maybe you should call it a day, go check on the baby, and make that estate call in the morning. I'll box this stuff up and mark it so Lily won't sell or trade it.† â€Å"Okay,† Charlie said. â€Å"But don't throw it out, either. I'm going to figure this out.† â€Å"You betcha, boss. See you in the morning.† â€Å"Yeah, thanks, Ray. You can go home when you finish.† Charlie went back to his apartment, checking his hands the whole way to see if any of the red glow from the pile of objects had rubbed off on them, but they seemed normal. He sent Jane home, fed and bathed Sophie, and read her to sleep with a few pages from Slaughterhouse-Five, then went to bed early and slept fitfully. He awoke the next morning in a haze, then sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide and heart pounding when he saw the note sitting on the nightstand. Another one. Then he noticed that this time it wasn't his handwriting, and the number was obviously a phone number, and he sighed. It was the estate appointment that Ray had made for him. He'd put it on the nightstand so he wouldn't forget. Mr. Michael Mainheart, it read; then upscale women's clothing and furs, with a double underline. The phone number had a local exchange. He picked up the note, and under it was a second piece of notepaper, this one with the same name, written in his own handwriting, and under it, the numeral 5. He didn't remember writing any of it. At that moment, something large and dark passed by the second-story bedroom window, but by the time he looked up, it was gone. A blanket of fog lay over the Bay and from Pacific Heights the great orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge jutted through the fog bank like carrots from the faces of sleeping conjoined twin snowmen. In the Heights, the morning sun had already opened the sky and workmen were scurrying about, tending yards and gardens around the mansions. When he arrived at the home of Michael Mainheart the first thing Charlie noticed was that no one noticed him. There were two guys working in the yard, to whom Charlie waved as he passed, but they did not wave back. Then the mailman, who was coming off the big porch, drove him off the walkway into the dewy grass without so much as an â€Å"excuse me.† â€Å"Excuse me!† Charlie said, sarcastically, but the mailman was wearing headphones and listening to something that was inspiring him to bob his head like a pigeon feeding on amphetamines, and he bopped on. Charlie was going to shout something devastatingly clever, then thought better of it, for although it had been some years since he'd heard of a postal employee perpetrating a massacre, as long as the term â€Å"going postal† referred to anything besides choosing a shipping carrier, he felt he shouldn't press his luck. Called a wack job by a complete stranger one day and shouldered off the sidewalk by a civil servant the next: this city was becoming a jungle. Charlie rang the bell and waited to the side of the twelve-foot leaded-glass door. A minute later he heard light, shuffling steps approaching and a diminutive silhouette moved behind the glass. The door swung open slowly. â€Å"Mr. Asher,† said Michael Mainheart. â€Å"Thank you for coming.† The old man was swimming in a houndstooth suit that he must have bought thirty years ago when he was a more robust fellow. When he shook Charlie's hand his skin felt like an old wonton wrapper, cool and a little powdery. Charlie tried not to shudder as the old man led him into a grand marble rotunda, with leaded-glass windows running to a vaulted, forty-foot ceiling and a circular staircase that swept up to a landing that led off to the upper wings of the house. Charlie had often wondered what it was like to have a house with wings. How would you ever find your car keys? â€Å"Come this way,† Mainheart said. â€Å"I'll show you where my wife kept her clothes.† â€Å"I'm sorry about your loss,† Charlie said automatically. He'd been on scores of estate calls. You don't want to come off as some kind of vulture, his father used to say. Always compliment the merchandise; it might be a piece of crap to you, but they might have a lot of their soul poured into it. Compliment but never covet. You can make a profit and preserve everyone's dignity in the process. â€Å"Holy shit,† Charlie said as he followed the old man into a walk-in closet the size of his own apartment. â€Å"I mean – your wife had exquisite taste, Mr. Mainheart.† There was row upon row of designer couture clothing, everything from evening gowns to racks, two tiers high, of knit suits, arranged by color and level of formality – an opulent rainbow of silk and linen and wool. Cashmere sweaters, coats, capes, jackets, skirts, blouses, lingerie. The closet was shaped like a T, with a large vanity and mirror at the apex, and accessories on each wing (even the closet with wings!), shoes on one side, belts, scarves, and handbags on the other. A whole wing of shoes, Italian and French, handmade, from the skins of animals who had led happy, blemish-free lives. Full-length mirrors flanked the vanity at the end of the closet and Charlie caught the reflection of himself and Michael Mainheart in the mirror, he in his secondhand gray pinstripe and Mainheart in his ill-fitting houndstooth, studies in gray and black, stark and lifeless-looking in this vibrant garden. The old man went to the chair at the vanity and sat down with a creak and a wheeze. â€Å"I expect it will take you some time to assess it,† he said. Charlie stood in the middle of the closet and looked around for a second before replying. â€Å"It depends, Mr. Mainheart, on what you want to part with.† â€Å"All of it. Every stitch. I can't stand the feel of her in here.† His voice broke. â€Å"I want it gone.† He looked away from Charlie at the shoe wing, trying not to show that he was tearing up. â€Å"I understand,† Charlie said, not sure what to say. This collection was completely out of his league. â€Å"No, you don't understand, young man. You couldn't understand. Emily was my life. I got up in the morning for her, I went to work for her, I built a business for her. I couldn't wait to get home at night to tell her about my day. I went to bed with her and I dreamed about her when I slept. She was my passion, my wife, my best friend, the love of my life. And one day, without warning, she was gone and my life is a void. You couldn't possibly understand.† But Charlie did. â€Å"Do you have any children, Mr. Mainheart?† â€Å"Two sons. They came back for the funeral, then they went home to their own families. They offer to do whatever they can, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"They can't,† Charlie finished for him. â€Å"No one can.† Now the old man looked up at him, his face as bereft and barren as a mummified basset hound. â€Å"I just want to die.† â€Å"Don't say that,† Charlie said, because that's what you say. â€Å"That feeling will pass.† Which he said because everyone had been saying it to him. As far as he knew, he was just slinging bullshit clichs. â€Å"She was – † Mainheart's voice caught on the edge of a sob. A strong man, at once overcome by his grief and embarrassed that he was showing it. â€Å"I know,† Charlie said, thinking about how Rachel still occupied that place in his heart, and when he turned in the kitchen to say something to her, and she wasn't there, it took his breath. â€Å"She was – â€Å" â€Å"I know,† Charlie interrupted, trying to give the old man a pass, because he knew what Mainheart was feeling. She was meaning and order and light, and now that she's gone, chaos falls like a dark leaden cloud. â€Å"She was so phenomenally stupid.† â€Å"What?† Charlie looked up so quickly he heard a vertebra pop in his neck. Hadn't seen that coming. â€Å"The dumb broad ate silica gel,† Mainheart said, irritated as well as agonized. â€Å"What?† Charlie was shaking his head, as if trying to rattle something loose. â€Å"Silica gel.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Silica gel! Silica gel! Silica gel, you idiot!† Charlie felt as if he should shout the name of some arcane stuff back at him: Well, symethicone! Symethicone! Symethicone, you butt-nugget! Instead he said, â€Å"The stuff fake breasts are made of? She ate that?† The image of a well-dressed older woman macking on a goopish spoonful of artificial boob spooge was running across the lobes of his brain like a stuttering nightmare. Mainheart pushed himself to his feet on the vanity. â€Å"No, the little packets of stuff they pack in with electronic equipment and cameras.† â€Å"The ‘Do Not Eat' stuff?† â€Å"Exactly.† â€Å"But it says right on the packet – she ate that?† â€Å"Yes. The furrier put packets of it in with her furs when he installed that cabinet.† Mainheart pointed. Charlie turned, and behind the large closet door where they had entered was a lighted glass cabinet – inside hung a dozen or so fur coats. The cabinet probably had its own air-conditioning unit to control the humidity, but that wasn't what Charlie was noticing. Even under the recessed fluorescent light inside the cabinet, one of the coats was clearly glowing red and pulsating. He turned back to Mainheart slowly, trying not to overreact, not sure, in fact, what would constitute an overreaction in this case, so he tried to sound calm, but not willing to take any shit. â€Å"Mr. Mainheart, I appreciate your loss, but is there something more going on here than you've told me?† â€Å"I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean.† â€Å"I mean,† Charlie said, â€Å"why, of all the used-clothing dealers in the Bay Area, did you decide to call me? There are people who are much more qualified to deal with a collection of this size and quality.† Charlie stormed over to the fur cabinet and pulled open the door. It made a floof-tha sound that the seal on a refrigerator door makes when opened. He grabbed the glowing jacket – fox fur, it appeared to be. â€Å"Or was it this? Did the call have something to do with this?† Charlie brandished the jacket like he was holding a murder weapon before the accused. In short, he thought about adding, are you fucking with me? â€Å"You were the first used-clothing dealer in the phone book.† Charlie let the jacket drop. â€Å"Asher's Secondhand?† â€Å"Starts with an A,† Mainheart said, slowly, carefully – obviously resisting the urge to call Charlie an idiot again. â€Å"So it has nothing to do with this jacket?† â€Å"Well, it has something to do with that jacket. I'd like you to take it away with all the rest of it.† â€Å"Oh,† Charlie said, trying to recover. â€Å"Mr. Mainheart, I appreciate the call, and this is certainly a beautiful collection, amazing, really, but I'm not equipped to take on this kind of inventory. And I'll be honest with you, even though my father would be spinning in his grave for telling you this, there is probably a million dollars' worth of clothes in this closet. Maybe more. And given the time and space to resell it, it's probably worth a quarter of that. I just don't have that kind of money.† â€Å"We can work something out,† Mainheart said. â€Å"Just to get it out of the house – â€Å" â€Å"I could take some of it on consignment, I suppose – â€Å" â€Å"Five hundred dollars.† â€Å"What?† â€Å"Give me five hundred dollars and get it out of here by tomorrow and it's yours.† Charlie started to object, but he could feel what felt like the ghost of his father rising up to bonk him on the head with a spittoon if he didn't stop himself. We provide a valuable service, son. We are like an orphanage to art and artifact, because we are willing to handle the unwanted, we give them value. â€Å"I couldn't do that, Mr. Mainheart, I feel as if I'd be taking advantage of your grief.† Oh for Christ's sake, you fucking loser, you are no son of mine. I have no son. Was that the ghost of Charlie's father, rattling chains in his head? Why, then, did it have the voice and vocabulary of Lily? Can a conscience be greedy? â€Å"You would be doing me a favor, Mr. Asher. A huge favor. If you don't take it, my next call is to the Goodwill. I promised Emily that if something ever happened to her that I wouldn't just give her things away. Please.† And there was so much pain in the old man's voice that Charlie had to look away. Charlie felt for the old man because he did understand. He couldn't do anything to help, couldn't say, It will get better, like everyone kept saying to him. It wasn't getting better. Different, but not better. And this fellow had fifty more years in which to pack his hopes, or in his case, his history. â€Å"Let me think about it. Check into storage. If I can handle it, I'll call you tomorrow, would that be all right?† â€Å"I'd be grateful,† Mainheart said. Then, for no reason that he could think of, Charlie said, â€Å"May I take this jacket with me? As an example of the quality of the collection, in case I have to divide it among other dealers.† â€Å"That would be fine. Let me show you out.† As they passed into the rotunda, a shadow passed across the leaded-glass windows, three stories up. A large shadow. Charlie paused on the steps and waited for the old man to react, but he just tottered on down the staircase, leaning heavily on the railing as he went. When Mainheart reached the door he turned to Charlie, extending his hand. â€Å"I'm sorry about that, uh, outburst upstairs. I haven't been myself since – â€Å" As the old man began to open the door a figure dropped outside, casting the silhouette of a bird as tall as a man through the glass. â€Å"No!† Charlie dove forward, knocking the old man aside and slamming the door on the great bird's head, the heavy black beak stabbing through and snapping like hedge clippers, rattling an umbrella stand and scattering its contents across the marble floor. Charlie's face was only inches from the bird's eye, and he shoved the door with his shoulder, trying to keep the beak from snapping off one of his hands. The bird's claws raked against the glass, cracking one of the thick beveled panels as the animal thrashed to free itself. Charlie threw his hip against the doorjamb then slid down it, dropped the fox jacket, and snatched one of the umbrellas from the floor. He stabbed up into the bird's neck feathers, but lost his purchase on the doorjamb – one of the black talons snaked through the opening and raked across his forearm, cutting through his jacket, his shirtsleeve, and into the flesh. Charlie shoved the umbrella with all he had, driving the bird's head back through the opening. The raven let out a screech and took flight, its wings making a great whooshing noise as it went. Charlie lay on his back, out of breath, staring at the leaded-glass panels, as if any moment the shadow of the giant raven would come back, then he looked to Michael Mainheart, who lay crumpled on his side like a stringless marionette. Beside his head lay a cane with an ivory handle that had been carved into the shape of a polar bear that had fallen from the umbrella stand. The cane was glowing red. The old man was not breathing. â€Å"Well that's fucked up,† Charlie said.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth Essay

Macbeth is a story consisting of very complex, intricate and unique characters. Two of which are Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. It has been constantly debated as to who among the two of them has a stronger character. In my opinion Macbeth has a stronger character. This I will justify as I go along with my argument. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth as mentioned above have several similarities and differences between them. The most common similarity they share is that they both a fickle minded and they can both be easily manipulated into doing/committing evil acts such as murdering a king just because 3 witched predicted that they would be king queen. Next, both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a very commanding and authoritative personality which helps solidify the statements that either of them makes. In other words they are able to use their commanding personality to create trust and make people believe them. Lastly, they are both very loyal and charming hosts. They both impress their guests very well and are able to gather lots of praises and applaud for them no matter where they go. Lady Macbeth on the other hand has a few strong characteristics as well. She is able to manipulate Macbeths mind into doing her will easily. Next, she is very ambitions which makes her very determined to get whatever she wants. But all these so called strong characteristics in Lady Macbeth are more towards the negative side. So I think that it is not appropriate to call her as having a stronger character than Macbeth. Next I will explain why Macbeth is in my opinion the stronger character. There are many qualities that can be associated to people with strong characters but in my argument I have decided to highlight only a few major characteristics which are follows. Being courageous and honorable, thinking before acting, feeling remorseful for the bad acts he commits and lastly having courage to face the consequences of all his actions. Courage and bravery are 2 qualities which are synonymous with people of strong personalities. I believe that this is a very important quality to be reckoned with when identifying people with strong qualities because it in a way glorifies the character and gives more meaning to the word â€Å"strong†. So a good example to show this would be in the following extract from the story. For brave Macbeth–well he deserves that name– Disdaining fortune, with his brandish’d steel†¦ (Act 1 scene 1 conversation between sergeant and Duncan) We can clearly interpret from this quote that the sergeant refers to Macbeth as being a very valiant and strong warrior, he also says that Macbeth moves through the battle field fearlessly slaying all in his way. Another quality of Macbeth which makes his character stronger is his nature to think of the consequences of his actions. In the story Macbeth thinks of what would be the consequences he would have to face if he killed Duncan to become king. He finds out that firstly it is wrong to commit murder and also he finds out that if he kills Duncan he will have to live with a guilty conscience for the rest of his days. I believe that this quality is just as important as the above 2 because it shows that a â€Å"strong† character is able to think one step ahead before committing his actions, meaning that he knows whether what he is doing is right or wrong. We can see Macbeth showing this quality through the following lines. Cannot be ill, cannot be good: if ill. Why hath it given me earnest of success, Commencing in a truth? We see in thorough this quote that Macbeth is truly questioning as to whether or not the witches are right and whether or not he should believe them. Which helps solidify the point that he thinks before he acts. Another strong characteristic that Macbeth possesses is that he feels guilty for the bad actions that he commits which in our context is the killing of King Duncan and several other people. But I believe that this can also be seen as an act to courage in a way, because it takes extraordinary courage to commit murder and that too killing the King himself. Another way to view this is a positive act is that fact that Lady Macbeth forced Macbeth into committing this acting by challenging his manly hood, and it was because he wanted to keep his honour that he was forced to commit such a horrid act. On the other hand Lady Macbeth’s sole aim was to reap the benefits of this act. So I believe that Macbeth’s ability to show that he feels guilty for his actions and is willing to take an action to rectify those actions makes him a stronger character. So in conclusion I would like to state that Macbeth has a much stronger character than that of Lady Macbeth and that all the qualities that I have stated above make Macbeth a much stronger character than Lady Macbeth in all rights.