Critique on Distinctive Features Essay Example

Critique on Distinctive Features Essay Andrew Ike B. Waga ENG 106 Dec. 14, 2011 2010-53632 Trubetzkoy, Jakobson or Chomsky, Whose Distinctive Features are truly â€Å"Distinct†? â€Å"Teacher, teacher, Help me, I have just been side swiped by a car! † These were the exact words that came out from the mouth of the school’s resident hooligan, Kevin, one afternoon after class. During those times, our school has been intensively campaigning for every student to speak English at least while on campus, in preparation for the coming PAASCU (Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges) visit, we were so prepped up that we were even speaking in English outside school â€Å"just in case the Assessors are just loitering around, observing† our teachers would say. So one afternoon, after finding not much to do, Kevin, decided he wanted to show his antics to us, saying that he is planning to pull off a prank on our school’s English Coordinator, and our class adviser as well, we had a carefully laid out plan, he would be rushing from the street towards our school gate while we convince our teacher to approach the gate as well, and then he shouted, the exact words on quotation, except that he pronounced swiped as /s? ?pd/. Our teacher, knowing Kevin’s reputation, was already sensing that she was a bait to a good laugh, calmly yet in an authoritarian manner said, â€Å"side swipe! s? aIp/ Next time, Kevin, try pronouncing the words well, so as not to lose your momentum, there’s always a next time! † with her signature smirk. I remembered this incident while reading about Natural classes, I am very sure that my teacher knew what Kevin meant, since all of us thought that Kevin’s pronunciation of that word was corre ct as far as we were concerned, until the jokes went back to Kevin. Growing up in a city that speaks Cebuano, it is inevitable for some English words to get that â€Å"bisaya† flavour, like the occasional /p/ becomes an /f/ or the letter h is pronounced as /? ? / and many more, but nevertheless, besides deviating from what we know as a â€Å"standard† for American English, we pretty much understood each other despite the glitches. And so I thought, why was it necessary to dwell on the distinctive features of sounds when the main importance has been served, comprehension. But then, I had to understand that it is necessary so that I would know just how these sounds are related to be viewed as almost interchangeable, just how â€Å"similar† was similar? Hence, we go to the distinctive features of sounds. We will write a custom essay sample on Critique on Distinctive Features specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Critique on Distinctive Features specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Critique on Distinctive Features specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In dealing with Distinctive features, I focused first on the work of Trubetzkoy, most people would start with Jakobson before Trubetzkoy but I saw that it was Trubetzkoy who first saw Phonetics and Phonology as separate disciplines. He mentioned that form (contrast, system patterning) must be studied separately from substance (acoustics, articulation). Hence, there was a greater concentration on sounds first before they are seen as words. It was Trubetzkoy who introduced the idea of â€Å"oppositions† in Phonology which he mentioned in his primary work, GrundzUge der phonologie  (1939). Oppositions would refer to a pair or set of sounds sharing the same feature that is not shared with any other sounds. Here are some of Trubetzkoy’s Oppositions: a) Bilateral oppositions A bilateral opposition refers to a pair sounds that share a set of features which no other sound shares fully. For example, voiceless labial obstruents =  /p,f/. Note that obstruents are defined as having a degree of stricture greater than that of approximants (that is, stops and fricatives). b) Multilateral oppositions A group of more than 2 sounds which share common features. For example, labial obstruents,/p,b,f,v/, are both labial and obstruents, so they share two features. c) Privative (Binary) Oppositions One member of a pair of sounds possesses a mark, or feature, which the other lacks. Such features are also known as  binary  features which a sound either possesses or lacks. Voicing is such a feature. A sound is voiced or NOT voiced. The sound which possesses that feature is said to be  marked  (eg  [+voice]) whilst the sound lacking the feature is  unmarked  (eg. [-voice]). d) Gradual Oppositions The members of a class of sounds possess different degrees or gradations of a feature or property. For example, the three short front unrounded vowels in English  /? ,  e,  ? /  which are distinguished only by their height. In this system height would be a single feature with two or more degrees of height. As of present times, when Chomsky and Halle’s set of Distinctive features are accessible to us, this would seem very broad and general, hence, not really dwelling into more specific details. But this jumpstarted the notion that sounds share similar qualities and it is crucial for the development of his friend, Jakobson’s own Distinctive Feature Theory. Jakobson is known as the first one to formalize the Distinctive Feature Theory. He followed the findings of Trubetzkoy as one of his basis for building up his set of distinctive features. Jakobson’s original formulation of the Distinctive Feature Theory aside from Trubetzkoy was based on the ff. Ideas: (1) All features are BINARY. Sounds are either [+voice] or [-voice] (2) A small set of features is able to differentiate between the phonemes of any single language. (3) Distinctive features may be defined in terms of articulatory or acoustic features. Here is a table showing Jakobson’s Distinctive Features: Though, the advantage of Jakobson’s set is that it also has an acoustic description, I do think that the articulatory description is sufficient enough, since after articulating the sound we hear the sound we produced ourselves and yet not at all times would people share the same acoustic descriptions to their produced sound, because we all have our own ways of pronouncing sounds, hence, I think that the acoustic description should be left for the speaker to describe and not defined by Jakobson’s description. Jakobson’s idea was a good starting point for Chomsky and Halle’s own set of distinctive features. With Jakobson’s Distinctive features serving as a terminus a quo for Chomsky and Halle, they were able to refine Jakobson’s set of features. A great achievement done by this duo is that they were able to establish the idea of â€Å"Natural Classes†. The aim is to carefully choose distinctive features to form a natural class of phonemes. An advantage of this approach is seen in writing Phonological rules hence, we get to understand why we can still comprehend to some words though they are mispronounced. Another is that if we are to choose the features well, it should be possible to refer to natural classes of phonemes with a smaller number of features, therefore allowing a more refined set of characteristics to describe the phonemes involved in a natural class. Chomsky and Halle also introduced the feature classifications such as the major class features, the manner features and the place features thus paving the way for a more organized description in giving characteristics of phonemes. Chomsky and Halle was able to answer the concerns of redundancy when giving features, which is found in Generative Phonology, a component of generative grammar that assigns the correct phonetic representations to  utterances  in such a way as to reflect a native speaker’s internalized grammar. Given the current situation, I would have to choose Chomsky and Halle’s Theory of Distinctive Features as the most functional, because it is able to give more specific descriptions as compared to Trubetzkoy and Jakobson. Since we have established that Chomsky and Halle’s set gives the most detailed, comprehensive and most organized distinctive features, it would be best to follow their findings. But It is also important to note that without the ideas of Trubetzkoy and Jakobson in the Distinctive Feature theory, Chomsky and Halle’s own theory would not be as it is today, not able to answer loopholes and deficiencies found in the previous studies. So for me, it is like a ladder, one has to go through the intial steps first before reaching your destination, because as what my teacher would have said, â€Å"so as not to lose your momentum. † Bibliography

History of Early German Immigration essays

History of Early German Immigration essays German immigration has been a huge influence in our country's development. Germans came to this country in the hundreds of thousands to millions over the history of the United States. They came in search of religious freedom, new farmland, more jobs and to flee from genocide. Many of the German immigrants settled in the middle and northeastern states of the USA. Their influences can be seen in town names (name here) and there is a high population in the United States of German descendants with German names. The Germans also brought with them famous scientists such as Einstein and started many businesses for instance paper mills in the States. The first wave of German immigrants came in the 1600's and 1700's. In Germany, there was a man called Martin Luther, and he formed a new branch of the Christian Church. His followers were known as Lutherans. This sect was persecuted highly in Germany. About 150 years later in the 1680's a man known as William Penn traveled throughout Germany spreading the word of a new colony called Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There he promised freedom of religious worship and good farmland. Many Quaker Germans (who were also persecuted) and Lutherans accepted his offer and settled in Pennsylvania, New York, and other northeastern states. The Pennsylvanian-Deutch colonies were successful, but their name was "Americanized" to "Pennsylvanian-Dutch." By the 1720's about 200,000 Germans lived in Pennsylvania alone. They moved on to found Baltimore, Maryland in 1729. Other towns in Maryland that were founded by Germans were Frederick and Hagerstown. Another wave of about 12,000 Swiss-Germans found their way to South Carolina and Georgia late into the first half of the 1700's. New York was also a German "hot spot." Such towns as Austerlitz, Berlin, and Rhinebeck were set up here. Famous folk tales (Rip Van Winkle, Sleepy Hollow, and others) from the Hudson River-Catskill area written by Washington Irving were based ...

Sodium Element (Na or Atomic Number 11)

Sodium Element (Na or Atomic Number 11) Symbol: Na Atomic Number: 11 Atomic Weight: 22.989768 Element Classification: Alkali Metal CAS Number: 7440-23-5 Periodic Table Location Group: 1 Period: 3 Block: s Electron Configuration Short Form: [Ne]3s1 Long Form: 1s22s22p63s1 Shell Structure: 2 8 1 Discovery of Sodium Discovery Date: 1807 Discoverer: Sir Humphrey Davy [England] Name: Sodium derives its name from the Medieval Latin sodanum and the English name soda. The element symbol, Na, was shortened from the Latin name Natrium. Swedish chemist Berzelius was the first to use the symbol Na for sodium in his early periodic table. History: Sodium does not usually appear in nature on its own, but its compounds have been used by people for centuries. Elemental sodium was not discovered until 1808. Davy isolated sodium metal using electrolysis from caustic soda or sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Physical Data State at room temperature (300 K): Solid Appearance: soft, bright silvery-white metal Density: 0.966 g/cc Density at Melting Point: 0.927 g/cc Specific Gravity: 0.971 (20  °C) Melting Point: 370.944 K Boiling Point: 1156.09 K Critical Point: 2573 K at 35 MPa (extrapolated) Heat of Fusion: 2.64 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 89.04 kJ/mol Molar Heat Capacity: 28.23 J/mol ·K Specific Heat: 0.647 J/g ·K (at 20  °C) Atomic Data Oxidation States: 1 (most common), -1 Electronegativity: 0.93 Electron Affinity: 52.848 kJ/mol Atomic Radius: 1.86 Ã… Atomic Volume: 23.7 cc/mol Ionic Radius: 97 (1e) Covalent Radius: 1.6 Ã… Van der Waals Radius: 2.27 Ã… First Ionization Energy: 495.845 kJ/mol Second Ionization Energy: 4562.440 kJ/mol Third Ionization Energy: 6910.274 kJ/mol Nuclear Data Number of isotopes: 18 isotopes are known. Only two are naturally occurring. Isotopes and % abundance: 23Na (100), 22Na (trace) Crystal Data Lattice Structure: Body-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant: 4.230 Ã… Debye Temperature: 150.00 K Sodium Uses Sodium chloride is important for animal nutrition. Sodium compounds are used in the glass, soap, paper, textile, chemical, petroleum, and metal industries. Metallic sodium is used in manufacturing of sodium peroxide, sodium cyanide, sodamide, and sodium hydride. Sodium is used in preparing tetraethyl lead. It is used in the reduction of organic esters and preparation of organic compounds. Sodium metal may be used to improve the structure of some alloys, to descale metal, and to purify molten metals. Sodium, as well as NaK, an alloy of sodium with potassium, are important heat transfer agents. Miscellaneous Facts Sodium is the 6th most abundant element in the Earths crust, making up approximately 2.6% of the earth, air, and oceans.Sodium is not found free in nature, but sodium compounds are common. The most common compound is sodium chloride or salt.Sodium occurs in many minerals, such as cryolite, soda niter, zeolite, amphibole, and sodalite.The top three countries that produce sodium are China, United States,  and India. Sodium metal is mass produced by electrolysis of sodium chloride.The D lines of sodiums spectrum account for the dominant yellow color of the un.Sodium is the most abundant alkali metal.Sodium floats on water, which decomposes it to evolve hydrogen and form the hydroxide. Sodium may ignite spontaneously on water. It does not usually ignite in air at temperatures below 115 °CSodium burns with a bright yellow color in a flame test.Sodium is used in fireworks to make an intense yellow color. The color is sometimes so bright it overwhelms other colors in a firework. Sources CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics, (89th Ed.).Holden, Norman E. History of the Origin of the Chemical Elements and Their Discoverers, 2001.â€Å"National Institute of Standards and Technology.†Ã‚  NIST.

Role model Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Role model - Essay Example He became well-known for his non-violent resistance to reach his political and social goals to win independence for India. His belief of nonviolence influenced other civil rights movement leaders, such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. Gandhi’s influence can still be found through peace organizations that have been created throughout the world. His personal world view is still having a huge impact on today’s modern world. Mahatma Gandhis belief of nonviolence, which he called satyagraha, has often been mistranslated as "passive resistance," but it literally means "holding to the truth† (Gersom, 1992). Nonviolence does not mean just being passive instead of aggressive, but also means to ‘gain freedom peacefully’. Gandhi’s teachings can be correctly applied into the lives of people today in all walks of life. Gandhi’s teachings can become powerful only when every person is using them. "Nonviolence is the greatest force humanity has been endowed with," Gandhi wrote to the Fellowship of Reconciliation in 1926 (Dear, 2006). Gandhi’s beliefs about nonviolence are that it can be used as a weapon itself when trying to win peace. Using nonviolence instead of violence is not always an easy path. Sometimes people become too angry and cannot control their violent actions or words. However, nonviolence can offer an amazing power to fight with, as opposed to the weapons of t he enemies, which are far weaker than nonviolence. Part of Gandhi’s teachings was that violence is always more suitable than cowardice. Gandhi first used satyagraha in September 1906 with a gathering of three thousand Indians. Gandhi stated that they needed to protest calmly and without anger; they needed to suffer with the consequences of their protest instead of turning to violence. In the end, however, the British government arrested the protestors (Duvall, 2006). This act of Gandhi and his

Examine the Movements of their Employees at Work Essay

Examine the Movements of their Employees at Work - Essay Example It is this monitoring that has raised ethical issues causing detrimental effects to both employer and employee. Whereas employers justify their actions with the right to get value from their employees and resources, employees’ have objected with the reasoning that their personal privacy is being unlawfully breached. Background Employee monitoring can be defined as the act of surveillance and monitoring employees’ actions during stipulated working hours by use of employer equipment (Stanton & Stam, 2006). It entails the use of computers to record, evaluate and observe an employees’ use of computer, plus communications like web sites visited and emails sent or received besides telephone calls made. However, it is legal for employers to use computer programs to monitor employees (Duquenoy, Jones & Blundell, 2008). Employee surveillance has gained prominence as a prerequisite and in the same breath a contentious issue due to the complexity and prevalent use of techno logy at the work place. Employers are worried with employees’ proper behavior and conformity to work related regulations. Hence some critics believe employee monitoring is an inalienable responsibility. To others it is an invasion to privacy. Managers employ different ways of monitoring employees’ internet use, emails and their location to capitalize on employee productivity, uphold the integrity of the firm and to defend the interest of clientele and work mates (Duquenoy, Jones & Blundell, 2008). When managers start to probe into employees’ private life, mistrust and acrimony are built between employees’ and managers. Many workers have lost their employment and a lot more companies have had to face lawsuits filed against them because people believe that the use of internal company communications should remain confidential (Bassick, 2007). Managers and owners of private firms have had several reasons to scrutinize the activities of their employees. Some a re driven by the displeasure when employees misuse company money and waste time to carry out non-work related tasks. Others would want to confirm any suspicion of criminal, fraudulent or unwanted conduct by their employees; observe application of safety and health regulations; make certain to compliance of internal employment policies; verify the quality of work done; protect staff from harassment or unjust treatment in the office and so forth (Lane, 2003). Managers base their actions on the basis that they have a right to examine employee productivity and to guard against fraud and theft. This will ultimately lead to employee monitoring (Lane, 2003). Some of the areas prone to abuse in the work places include use of company resources like vehicles, technology adapted at workplace like electronic communication, and adherence to acceptable working hours. In this report, I will review employee monitoring on their use of electronic communication at the workplace, more so the ethical di lemma facing managers and employees. Hence the questions of how far should managers go to examine employee movements? With the arrival of advanced technological capabilities, many professional and personal tasks are becoming quicker and more convenient to carry out. For instance, email has been viewed as a convenient substitute to making telephone calls because it is perceived as private. In the real sense it is public because it leaves a record long after it has been deleted (Bassick, 2007). Thus a skilled person can easily retrieve it from a networked communication system.

Adding a Class to the School Curriculum Essay Example for Free

Adding a Class to the School Curriculum Essay Dear Principal, a class that specializes in focus, prioritizing, organization and study skills is absolutely necessary for any Middle School student. At my age and younger, students have a tendency to be disorganized both physically and mentally. I have a knack for losing and forgetting my homework assignments and my grades suffering. I know I am not alone in this struggle against clutter and forgetfulness. Critical thinking classes provide a student with structure, study skills and the art of prioritizing. I know personally the effects of school on a student who is unprepared and disorganized. The stress and sleepless nights can be avoided with a class dedicated to the students future. Unlike Math and Language Arts, this class would be linked with the students success in EVERY other class. The benefits would not only pertain to students, but to the enthusiasm and effectiveness of a teacher. Is there anything more important than preparing a student for his or her future? The skills learned in a critical thinking class would help a student not only through Middle and High School. The study skills and note taking strategies would also be useful and very beneficial in College and whatever career they choose to pursue in the future. A class dedicated on teaching a student to remain focused and take accurate notes in lectures would be beneficial to all the daydreamers, doodlers and dozers who cant listen to a teacher and stay focused on the words coming out of her mouth. I know the effects all too well. As my teacher begins her daily rant, I shut my mind off and let it wander around the room. I see students snoring in the corner and others doodling in their notebook or flinging notes to each other as slyly as possible. I smile at their antics in relieving the exhausting boredom of a class like this. Only a handful of students are actually listening to the teacher and it is evident that they rather be anywhere else doing anything else. With lunch just ten minutes away the whole class is already leaning towards the door and staring hungrily at the wall clock. I am snapped out of my daydream by the shrill shrieking of the lunch bell above my head. Relief runs through me as the teacher dismisses us and our grumbling stomachs. As quickly as I possibly can I scramble to pack up all my things and rush to the lunchroom. I dont even remember to write down the homework assignment! This forgetfulness is fueled by my inability to stay focused in any class much less the one right before lunch. The night before I had stayed up all night studying for a different test this inevitably leads to me being grumpy and unfocused for the following days. Especially since every night seemed to be a late night and with the stress and lack of sleep I am on the verge of snapping. The next day I fail the pop quiz along with almost all of the students who stopped listening to the teachers lecture, five minutes in. Mr. Principal, if students knew how to take accurate notes and focus, then the snoring in the back of the class would be brought to a minimum as well as all the other distractions in the room. Students would be more eager to learn if they understood how to do it in a way that works for them and they see the positive effects it can have on their lives. Grades overall would improve if students knew how to listen in class and study correctly. Instead of waiting until the night before a huge exam, reading words over and over until they become a jumbled mess of never ending letters and symbols, I could study one step at a time so that on the night before I can skim over the topics and be prepared to face the test. Being prepared keeps students from wanting to ditch school in order to avoid the test as a whole or just to sleep in and catch up on some Zs. Preparation would also bring the lack of sleep and stress to a minimum. No longer would the piles of never ending homework and study guides hover over our worn out minds, not if we knew how to work ahead and prioritize what needs to be done now and what can be done progressively. It would help to keep students fresh, awake and ready to learn every morning. Not only could grades improve, but so would the schools attendance record. Mr. Principal, students are more willing to come to class if there is something to look forward to. Instead of school being boring and torturous, it could be viewed as an opportunity to put the skills learned in their Critical Thinking class to the test. There would also be less problems waking up and therefore making it to class on time. No more napping in class, instead students would be note-taking and teachers would see the increased enthusiasm in their class. The teachers would be motivated to work even harder to teach their students all they can. Why would teachers want to teach if they know that the students couldnt care less? If teachers see students participating and not acting out then they would also be motivated to help the students learn even more than what is specified in the curriculum. Regular and advanced students would surpass any of the other schools. The school would work at least ten times more efficiently and productively. Everyone would be enthusiastic and successful in school. Mr. Principal if adding a class could determine whether your school is average or above average, would you take the chance? The skills learned in Middle School Critical Thinking classes would have a lasting impression in a students life forever. With the added skills, advanced teachers, and motivation that a student gains while taking a Critical Thinking class would definitely up their chances of that student staying in school not only in High Sch ool, but progressing even in the College level. This is not a simple feat and many students who just dont know how to keep their lives organized have a lot more chances of dropping out than the student who is well prepared and ready to take on anything the class has for them. In college most if not all the classes are lectures, if this bores a student or a student knows how to keep organized notes then the classes will be a lot harder. In comparison to High School, College has a lot more temptation to go party instead of studying, or hanging out with friends in your dorm instead of going over yesterdays notes. This can lead to dropping grades and even dropping out of school. Peer pressure to drink, smoke and not study is a LOT stronger as the years go by. In college teachers are no longer on top of their students to do their assignments and to study like the teachers in Middle School and High School. Students have more freedom and a more responsibility to keep their grades intact and the choice to worry about their academic or the ir social life. This responsibility may be too much for an average student, but for a student who has been taught and has practiced their critical thinking skills, the choice is obvious. The students who have the discipline to prioritize correctly and put their school first will be more successful time and time again over the student who picks his social life over his stupid grades. The students who stay up until midnight cramming for an exam that they knew months before will also struggle with their own problems in the future. Mr. Principal, a student who has practiced discipline, prioritizing, focusing and productivity will be prepared for anything that can come at them in the future. It is your job to prepare your students and if your students arent improving then their academics are failing. This is not something that can be fixed with MORE work, but with a class that helps kids manage their time better. Skills like these are not only useful in college though. They are useful in the students car eer. Discipline and respect are very useful in an office setting especially when interning. Interns are usually put through a series of test before they are even accepted! Most of the time these tests have nothing to do with what one hundred twenty thousand times fifty is, but with how to manage two or three tasks at the same time and how to be adaptable in any situation. An intern who already knows how to take outline notes and schedule their days accordingly will have much more chances of succeeding in the business world over an unprepared slacker. Bosses look for organization and preparation in their employees, but above that they look for someone who looks the part. Before you even open your mouth in an interview, the only thing the employer sees is just how long you stayed up the night before preparing a last minute resume. The bags under your eyes and crumpled outfit wont seem like a presentable and organized employee and the typos in your resume will stand out in comparison to the other applicant who worked on their resume for a week, reading and rereading it until it was perfection. The applicant who has her hair perfectly in place, her outfit ironed flat and fully prepared to speak to the employer has a lot more chances of being hired. This all goes back to you, Mr. Principal. The students ability to focus on the interview and be prepared depends fully on what opportunities YOU put in their lives when they are in your school. If Critical Thinking Classes arent offered in school then your students will be beat out in interview after interview not only for their careers, but for college and for advanced placement. This will hinder them in comparison to the students who have all the skill they taught in their Critical Thinking classes to help them through the interview and even to their promotions in work. Mr. Principal students deserve to have a class that will allow them to have an upperhand in classes, interviews and applications. Every student has the ability to have straight As and be successful, but not all of them have the skills needed to put their abilities to work and help them not only in Middle School, but for the rest of their lives. Mr.Principal you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. The admiration of both your staff and students and the incredible feeling that comes from knowing that youve made a difference in your students lives. Without a doubt, thanks to the Critical Thinking Class your school could benefit from the increased academic abilities of your students. This class will help students for generations to come, if you could go back in time wouldnt you want to be given this chance?

Accounting Report Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Accounting Report Anyone considering accounting needs to assess whether this career fits his or her interests, abilities, and aspirations. There are certain qualities and qualifications, however, that a person should consider before making a commitment to a particular career field. Selecting a career can take a lot of time, and many people do not choose until they are adults. Contributing to the difficulty in choosing a career is the vast number of vocations from which to choose. The field of accounting alone covers dozens of types of accountants and dozens of jobs. In trying to decide whether accounting is an appropriate career choice, a person should talk with bookkeepers and accountants that have years of experience. Ask questions about their daily work requirements, their likes and dislikes about accounting, and how they became interested in the profession. Questions such as these can give a person insight into the profession and help in considering accounting as a career. Accounting is a system used to provide financial information about a business or person. Accountants prepare and analyze financial records for individuals, companies, governments, or other organizations. Accounting is a basic need for every business, and the term business has been broadened to mean any operation that deals with money. That includes families and corporations, and also schools, theaters, art galleries, charitable organizations, and even some private persons. People sometimes call accounting â€Å"the language of business† because accounting data are used to detail firms activities. Accounting tells the history of a business or person in numbers. Over one million people are employed as accountants, and most can be found in private business and industry. â€Å"Nearly 40 percent of all accountants are certified, and about 10 percent are self-employed’(Caruna, 1). In addition to openings resulting from growth, the need to replace accountants who retire or transfer to other occupations will produce thousands of job opening annually in this large occupation. The Occupational Outlook Handbook states that the expansion of accountants is related to: â€Å"increasingly complex taxation, growth in both the size and the number of business corporations required to release financial reports to stockholders, a more general use of accounting in the management of business, and outsourcing of a... ...anning and control. â€Å"Other examples of consulting projects of CPA firms are: advising and developing a system for a stock exchange, assisting a new integrated financial management system for New York City, and helping several major railroads with resource planning† (Rosenthal, 22). A career in management consulting offers the opportunity to work with a company’s executives in applying the concepts of modern management and information technology. The final level of entry into public accounting is entrepreneurial services. In the book Careers in Accounting, it says that working in the entrepreneurial field â€Å"is a fast-growing and dynamic area that has been formed in most large firms in the last few years† (5). The person working in this area deals with the special requirements of a startup or growing company. Professionals in this group are involved in counseling and advising the emerging or middle-market company that may lack the resources to successfully handle planning, cost control, attracting capital, going public, or choosing the right information system or compensation plan. Audit, tax, and management consulting skills are all used to fill the needs of an emerging business.

History of Auditing

| | |The History of Auditing | |A detailed overview | | | | | | | | Auditing has a rich history within the United States. There have always been various rudimentary forms of auditing when the first businesses were started; however the focus of this paper will be on auditing standards within the twentieth century. To look beyond that departs from what would typically be termed as â€Å"modern accountancy† and its relevant roots.Author Bruce Marshall helps describes why this historic perspective is so important of our field: â€Å"Accountancy is a recognized profession like those of law and medicine. †¦ In fact it might not be too much to say that it is regarded as the most important of all the professions. Indeed it is the cornerstone upon which the whole industry of our Empire is built. †[1] Establishing a Need for Auditing In one of the earliest forms of organized auditing, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued a series of pamphlets to the accounting profession in 1917.The pamphlets were designed to guide financial statement analysis and auditing in general, offering more transparency to the emerging corporations that were springing up around the country. Strong motivation for this release came from the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve Board, stemming from a panic in the previous decade that had sent chills through the investment community. Both entities wanted to offer a stabilizing force to help guide the United States’ corporate growth.An early accounting journal discusses the pamphlets: â€Å"The memorandum is of such importance that it has been reprinted in full in this issue of The Journal of Accountancy and we are confident it will appeal to all readers. To the members of the institute it will serve as a guide in all their audits for credit purposes, and they will understand that the burden of proof will be upon them if they omit any of the procedure laid down in the memorandum. [ 2] The pamphlets were an adequate start, yet lacked the authority to be the final solution for stability. Federal Trade Commission Chairman W. E. Humphrey delivered a well timed statement on the progress the FTC had made, but also addressed some of the limitations: â€Å"I am constrained to believe that the business of this country, and particularly big business, is more and more forced to the conclusion that honesty is not only the best policy, but that it pays the highest dividends.I feel that there has been a tremendous improvement in the conduct of the business of the country over the last few years, but the time has not come, and I regret to say that it seems far off, when the strong arm of the government will not be needed to protect the public from greed, monopoly, fraud, and unfair practices. †[3] Humphrey however, could not foresee how right he actually was. After an especially lucrative decade for investors in the roaring twenties, one of the most devastating financ ial crises struck the United States in 1929 as the NY stock exchange came tumbling down.Corruption and greed were rampant among most major companies, whom often distorted how risky their operations actually were. Margin borrowing by investors allowed huge amounts of debt to be taken on without proper risk mitigation. Investors, knowing no better, had dumped small fortunes into the market. The fragile infrastructure of the system couldn’t handle the load and eventually caved in. Those companies that would survive the crash needed standardization and change in order for the investors’ faith to be restored.The Federal Trade Commission stepped in to fill this need. The first official document: â€Å"Verification of Financial Statements,† which was solely dedicated to provide guidance for audit, was released the same year as the crash. This document dove further than the previous decades’ pamphlets did, focusing in on small and medium sized companies, as well as the general need for the customized auditing tailored to each different companies, based on need. In response to the extreme amounts of personal wealth destroyed during the tock market crash in 1929 and the ensuing depression, Congress was forced to take even more action. The suggested guidelines outlined by the FTC were just not enough to ensure a stable economy. The regulation of business and the accounting firms is commonly recognized to have been born just after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was established in the mid 1930s. Despite public investment being in an advanced stage at the time, corporate regulation was practically unheard of. The SEC was a product of both the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act.William Raymond offers insight on the initial operations of the SEC and how the investor took advantage: â€Å"There are probably thousands of investors throughout the country who are at a loss to understand what value is all the data gathered by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is headquartered in Washington and no convenient way for the investor to visit and secure the valuable data themselves. To these investors, the commission offers a very adequate mailing service, through which various actions by the commission, decisions and other matters may be obtained simply by requesting the placing of their names on the mailing list. [4] Even from the beginning, serious debates raged in Washington about whether it was constitutional for the government to be involved in public corporations, much less private ones. Without regulation, there was fear another collapse was unavoidable. Establishing standards for preparing and auditing financial statements was decided to be the bare minimum that was essential to steer clear of any future turmoil. The authority to set the rules and oversight for what would become â€Å"auditors† was given to the SEC. Auditors themselves were allowed to set their own standards, but fi nal say was still in the hands of the SEC.It is important to distinguish between accounting standards and auditing standards. Although related, auditing is but a piece of accounting. Nevertheless, to truly understand the history of auditing, one must note the progression of accountancy as well. Regulating Auditing Procedures In recognition of the expertise and resources of the accounting profession, the SEC has traditionally looked to the standard setting bodies from the private sector to provide a foundation for improving accounting principles and reporting standards.The private sector offered a baseline set of guidelines, which the SEC built off of. From 1938 and 1959, the Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP) issued 51 Accounting Research Bulletins. The ARBs formed the basis of what is probably the single biggest resource to accountants today. GAAP, or the generally accepted accounting principles, is the foundation of all modern accounting. By 1959, CAP had been replaced by ano ther entity, the Accounting Principles Board (APB). The APB was responsible for 31 new general accounting standards from 1959-1973.This transition would mark the beginning of a plethora of different organizations over the years which would guide the practice. To improve the quality of audits in the 1960’s, the bigger companies added a new technique. Peer review, as it was called, required firms to confirm the accuracy of one another. It was so effective; the AICPA eventually added it as a requirement in 1977 for any member of the CPA division (within the AICPA). Firms were not required to join this division, but those who did agreed to a peer review as part of the guidelines.Eventually the peer review was deemed mandatory for all firms, membership or not, as part of the complete overhaul to the self control systems in 1989. The restructuring enacted change in the AICPA’s bylaws that required all members who practice must belong to a special group within the parent orga nization called the SEC Practice Section. The Practice Section had numerous guidelines for membership. The most notable included provisions that each member must engage in a peer review with another firm of comparable size.The point of the provision was to offer further reassurance to investors that operating accountants had adequate control mechanisms, regarding the integrity of GAAP and GAAS. While peer review is not a complete test, the idea is that a sampling of a firm’s work represents an adequate representation of the entire operation. Auditing every piece of work in a firm would be a completely unreasonable request, thus sampling method would have to suffice. Any findings from the peer reviews were available for viewing by the general public.Each firm is issued a report that contains the audit results and sometimes even comments on how the firm might improve its reporting procedures. Occasionally, a reader might even find the resulting changes made and any comments the audited firm has made regarding the issue. This open communication was a significant step forward towards complete transparency. William Kinney comments on what is important to the users: â€Å"Internal controls are also important to investors, the government, and ociety as a whole since they may affect long-term confidence in corporate accountability, and in the corporate form of organization. †[5] Despite this transparency, the increasingly complex business environment was proving to be too much to handle for one part time regulating committee, even with peer reviews. In order to solve this issue, an independent organization was necessary to help cater to the interests of investors, accountants and creditors. A full time committee eventually ended up relieving the AICPA of its duties.FASB, or Financial Accounting Standards Board, was officially created in 1972. FASB’s primary responsibility surrounds setting ground rules in all non governmental entities. These groun d rules covered anything from revenue recognition  and all other broad topics, to specific topics such as dividends. Marshall Armstrong writes in detail about its purpose: â€Å"The objective of the qualitative standards is to provide guidance in determining the substance of a transaction or event, regardless of its form, and a moral and ethical basis for its fair presentation in financial reports. [6] These standards are officially recognized by the SEC as the authoritative standard. Even with the establishment of FASB, the AICPA still existed to a limited extent. Through the means of the Accounting Standards Executive Committee, the AICPA works to collaborate with FASB on common objectives. Membership practices in FASB are intended to keep a level of independence but still effectively operate with the private sector in mind. It operates under the auspices of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), which consists of sixteen trustees, twelve of whom are elected by representati ves of FAF’s sponsoring organizations — the AICPA, the American Accounting Association; the Financial Executive Institute; the Securities Industry Association; the National Association of State Auditors, Controllers and Treasurers; the Institute of Management Accountants; and the Government Finance Officers Association. The other four at-large members are appointed by the FAF itself.The FAF, in turn, appoints the members of the FASB and its advisory council. It is also responsible for funding the FASB. †[7] The first specific auditing standards were issued way back in 1939. The American Institute of Accountants authorized the appointment of a standing committee to advise on auditing procedure. By 1941, the AIA had released a several statements with the purpose to guide the individual auditor. Most notably was the â€Å"Statements on Auditing Procedure†, which offered a baseline for how auditors should responsibly approach individual audits, while using pro per judgment.These â€Å"SAP† s would be the first of 54 future statements issued up until 1970. The SEC required all auditors to swear upon their work, that it followed these generally accepted auditing standards. To help with compliance of this requirement, the SEC released the â€Å"Generally Accepted Auditing Standards—Their Significance and Scope. † Within ten years, the committee combined twenty-four of the pronouncements into one single body which would be referenced often during the process of internal control.Other notable consolidation efforts included the 1962 release of the â€Å"Statement of Auditing Procedure No. 33† which combined many of the standards trickled out between 1949 and 1963. This baseline document was turned into a single presentation, being coded in the process by 1972. The 1972 revision was held under the title: â€Å"Statement on Auditing Standards† or SAS. With the combination and official first uniform document, the committee officially changed its name to the Auditing Standard Executive Committee (AudSEC).In the next six years, AudSEC released 23 total SASes as a guideline for auditors. The AICPA continued to conduct numerous studies through committees on how to operate most effectively as a tool to the accounting profession. By 1978, the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) was the newest incarnation of an organized body charged with setting standards for the profession. An AudSEC’s successor, the ASB operated as 15 members with the responsibility to make relevant public statements, without having to obtain clearance first from the AICPA.Furthermore the ASB would set ground rules for how an auditor performs his assessment in regards to whether financial statement presentation conforms to the generally accepted accounting principles. Before setting new standards, the ASB will carefully gather all relevant opinions, including those of the Chief Accountant of the SEC as well as various other w ell known and respected individuals in the profession. The ASB replaced all previous senior technical committees in regards to the GAAS. The Public Oversight Board (POB) was created in 1977, which further helped to push transparency in the industry.The POB is a watch group entity responsible for oversight of the processes of the SECPS. The POB is an independent organization, which despite being funded by the SECPS, controls its own membership. If a firm has more than thirty SEC audit clients, then the POB will engage in reviews of the firm. The reviews can also take place in firms with less than thirty SEC audit clients, but the frequency of them is far fewer. Furthermore, the SEC will periodically inspect a sample of the peer reviews and even compile an annual public report that details its operations for the year. Auditing in Modern TimesOver seventy years after the stock market crash of 1929, again the Unites States would be struck by the uncertainty of the public corporation. Th e collapse of Enron revealed fraudulent accounting practices by the energy company itself and its accounting firm Arthur Anderson. By creating special purpose entities, Enron and Arthur Andersen effectively hid massive amounts of Enron debt, making the company appear much more profitable than it actually was. The house of cards built by Enron eventually collapsed leaving the SEC to sift through the rubble to discover what had actually happened. Also complicit were Arthur Andersen and lead Partner David Duncan. Duncan earned $700,000 annually to manage this account, plus part of Andersen's partnership profit pool. To appease Enron, he apparently did not require many large audit adjustments for several years, and often signed off on financial statements that were, by any reasonable standards, unclear and misleading. This shoddy work and attempts to eliminate key evidence led to Andersen's felony conviction and demise – apparently ignoring its founder's key slogan of thinking st raight and talking straight. [8] In response to the Enron collapse as well as the other companies which went down in its wake, the SEC was forced to up the ante, so to speak, with public transparency and accountability. In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was put into place, which drastically altered the structure of GAAP. Through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) were given the final say over all auditing standards. Registration was required with the PCAOB for CPAs and CPA firms who worked with public companies.Once registered, members must adhere to all standards, principles, rules, and interpretations set forth by the PCAOB. Further restructuring surfaced in 2004 as the PCAOB was set as the authority on public companies (as it pertains to GAAS), while the ASP oversaw private companies. Chuck Landes, a VP with the AICPA, speaks to the changes in an interview with the Ohio Society of CPAs: â€Å"A uditing standards have changed and now call for more attention to the audit itself. Auditing is a serious business and it needs to be taken seriously. You can't be a part-time auditor.I see firms making intelligent decisions about being in the audit business and committing the necessary resources around the audit function. In our new risk assessment standards, having an understanding of the industry is essential. †[9] The unfortunate trend with auditing standards is that a tragic event usually occurs for the foundation to adjust. It is a great system to catch and fix problems, but as the time passes, the scale of the instigating event becomes larger and larger. As long as there are men and women with greed, there will be a need for auditing.Armstrong, Marshall. 1973. FASB will develop broad qualitative standards. The CPA Journal (pre-1986)  43,  no. 000010,  (October  1):  844 Bateman & Co. A History of Accounting & Auditing Standards. February 2002. http://www. bate manhouston. com/newsStds. htm Humphrey W E. 1928. A Friend of Honest Business. Nation's Business (pre-1986),  June  5,  31. Kinney, William R. , Jr. ,  Maher, Michael W. ,  and  Wright, David W. 1990. Assertions-Based Standards for Integrated Internal Control. Accounting Horizons  4,  no. 4,  (December  1) Lasch, Erin. 2002. Chuck Landes is Rewriting Audit History.Catalyst 48-50 Marshall, Bruce. 1958. The Bank Audit. Edinburgh: Houghton Mifflin. Alan Reinstein,  Stephen R. Moehrle,  and  Jennifer Reynolds-Moehrle. â€Å"Crime and punishment in the marketplace  :Accountants and business executives repeating history. †Ã‚  Managerial Auditing Journal  21,  no. 4  (May  1,  2006):  420-435. Raymond, William T. (1935,  July  29). SEC Keeps Investors Informed. Barron's (1921-1942), pg. 8 Richardson, AP. â€Å"The Federal Reserve Board and audits. †Ã‚  Journal of Accountancy (pre-1986) 23,  no. 000006  (June  1,  1917):  4 52. ———————– 1] Marshall, Bruce. 1958. The Bank Audit. Edinburgh: Houghton Mifflin. [2] Richardson, AP. â€Å"The Federal Reserve Board and audits. †Ã‚  Journal of Accountancy (pre-1986) 23,  no. 000006  (June  1,  1917):  452. [3] Humphrey W E. 1928. A Friend of Honest Business. Nation's Business (pre-1986),  June  5,  31. [4] Raymond, William T. (1935,  July  29). SEC Keeps Investors Informed. Barron's (1921-1942), pg. 8 [5] Kinney, William R. , Jr. ,  Maher, Michael W. ,  and  Wright, David W. 1990. Assertions-Based Standards for Integrated Internal Control. Accounting Horizons  4,  no. ,  (December  1) [6] Armstrong, Marshall. 1973. FASB will develop broad qualitative standards. The CPA Journal (pre-1986)  43,  no. 000010,  (October  1):  844 [7] Bateman & Co. A History of Accounting & Auditing Standards. February 2002. http://www. batemanhouston. com/newsStds. htm [8] Alan Reinstein,  Stephen R. Moehrle,  and  Jennifer Reynolds-Moehrle. â€Å"Crime and punishment in the marketplace  :Accountants and business executives repeating history. †Ã‚  Managerial Auditing Journal  21,  no. 4  (May  1,  2006):  420-435. [9] Lasch, Erin. 2002. Chuck Landes is Rewriting Audit History. Catalyst 48-50

Psych Unit IV Article Review Essay

There are so many different theories out there that try to explain why we act the way we act. How do we explain evil or hateful behavior? I just finished reading the article ‘’Prison Violence: Does brutality come with a badge?’’, written by: Bruce Gross. This article talks about being a prison guard, and how some people act when they enter this career. Would you act differently if you went from the role of the prisoner to the role of the prison guard? There have been many reports of ‘’cruel and unusual’’ punishment that is being administered by prison guards to inmates in prisons. Not only are inmates reporting this abuse, but federal authorities are also recognizing there is a problem. In 2005, the commission on Safety and Abuse in Prisons said there were 16,000 allegations of sexual and physical assault that were reported. There are also reports of abuse happening in County jails as well as in prisons. ‘’Inmates have reported being choked, kicked, punched, and hit with objects by single or multiple guards’’, (Gross, 2008). If you look back at our history, it is full of ordinary people who commit terrible acts of violence. Some people have done studies and are trying to understand why people commit these ‘’evil crimes’’. Stanley Milgram is one of those people. He was a Yale University professor, who conducted an experiment in 1961. In this experiment there were ‘’teachers’’ and there were ‘’learners. The teachers were given the power to administer a shock to the learners if they answered a question wrong. It was surprising how much the ‘’teachers’’ in the experiment would shock the ‘’learners’’ and the amount of volts that they would use without protest. Another experiment that was done to test these violent behaviors was known as the Stanford Prison Experiment. In August of 1971, this experiment was started by psychology professor Philip Zimbardo. He put an ad in the paper and found volunteers to play role of ‘’prisoner’’ and the role of ‘’guard’’. He created a prison-like environment in the basement of the psychology building on the Stanford Campus. There was some definite brutality that started to show in the guards during this experiment. Some showed more than others. After only 6 days, the experiment was shut down. One third (1/3) of these ‘’guards’’ showed sadistic behavior. There was a similar study done that was called the BBC Prison Study. This study was also shut down early. ‘’Both of these prison studies demonstrated that under some circumstances, some individuals resist going-with-the flow of group associated brutality’’, (Gross, 2008). Sometimes an individual will behave differently if they know they’re being watched. In the SPE experiment, the participants knew they were being watched by ‘’supervisors’’, and on the BBC experiment, they knew they were being watched by an audience (including family and friends). These factors may have affected the way that either group acted throughout the experiment. I know I would act differently if I knew that my mother was watching me. Some people think it’s the environment that people are in that brings out violence. Well of course it is! If you treat someone like a caged animal, eventually they will start acting like one. If a guard is told to dehumanize a prisoner, then you will probably see violence out of the guards, as well as out of the prisoners. ‘’Violence and extreme behaviors by guards against inmates have many sources’’, (Gross, 2008). In the prison studies that were covered in this article, it didn’t surprise the experimenters that ‘’good people’’ were committing evil acts when they played the role of the guards. They were more surprised and shocked that more people didn’t stand up for what was right. Even if they didn’t agree with what was happening, they just kept their mouth shut, and went with the flow. At the end of the article, Gross says, ‘’Perhaps the adage is true, that real evil exists and flourishe s when good people do nothing’’.

How to Maintain Sanity in Your Medical intern Year

How to Maintain Sanity in Your Medical intern Year Going into your intern year, you certainly know you’re in for long days (and nights†¦ and overnights†¦ ) with very little time to yourself.  The key to making the most of your precious free time? Planning. Meticulous, think-ahead, strict and careful planning. It may sound counterintuitive, but you’re going to have to become adept at planning relaxation and self-care well in advance. Sound silly? It’s not. If you don’t think ahead, your precious days off will come and go in an unfulfilling haze.Do you have friends you absolutely want to see this year? Nail down their availability, make dates (no matter how far in advance), and put them in the calendar. Want to spend a whole day catching up on your favorite show? Sounds great–book a huge block as â€Å"busy† and give yourself permission to laze around all day. Do you need to see a handful of doctors for annual exams? Call their offices, make appointments now, and get them down in yo ur planner.Careful organization of your limited days off–even for the fun stuff–will help you soak of every bit of your limited free time and will make you a better doctor. In order to have the mental and physical capability to care for your patients, it’s vital to take care of yourself in mind, body, and spirit.

Alice in Wonderland Essay Example for Free (#4)

Alice in Wonderland Essay As the Cheshire-Cat appears and sits on a limb of a tree with his grinning face while Alice is walking in the forest he explains to her that everyone in wonderland is mad even Alice, which is why she is there. Alice did not agree with the Cheshire-Cat but continued on her way to see the March Hare anyways. Being mad or crazy does not always make a person bad. In fact the Cheshire-Cat was right, all the people in Wonderland were indeed mad and they were all there for that reason. In every classic story there are good characters versus bad characters. In the book, Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll, there is no exception. The characters Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire-Cat are all positive characters in the story and the Queen of Hearts is the villain or the negative character in Wonderland. Positive characters can be identified in the story of Alice in Wonderland by their personalities and how each character interacts with one another. Lewis Carroll only made one distinctive negative character and the rest he made either positive characters or characters that are Just in the middle. Most of the characters in the ook are middle characters that do not have a good or bad sense of personality. Negative characters can be identified by color and personality as well. The Queen of Hearts for instance is represented by the color red with represents fury and anger. That describes the Queen perfectly. Alice is a positive character in the story of Alice in Wonderland. She is the main character of the story. Lewis Carroll does a good Job of portraying Alice as a young curious and well mannered lady. Youth and innocence can describe Alice as a positive character. Throughout the whole story Alice gets onfused quit easily when talking to the other people in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar especially. Although she is in an obscure and crazy world, Alice keeps her cool for the most part and tries to keep her senses. In the world of Wonderland, however, being sane is mad, which allows Alice to fit right in with the others (From Alice on Stage). The White Rabbit was made to contrast Alice in every way. He is timid, old, punctual, and often nervous. The White Rabbit can be seen as a positive character because he is white in color, also because he is somewhat helpful. Although he is shy and nervous he does not do anything that would make him be considered a negative character. I would say he is somewhat of a mediator, neither positive nor negative. The White Rabbit is significant in the story of Alice in Wonderland in order to understand Alice more (From Alice on Stage). Most unique of them all is the Cheshire-Cat. When Alice first comes across the Cheshire-Cat he is in the house of the Duchess and is grinning very widely. From the way he is first described I thought that he was going to be a negative character in the story. His grin seemed some what villainous and because he was mysterious led to the conclusion he was a negative character. After the book goes on the Cheshire-Cat is very calm and sensible in the mad world of Wonderland. He helps Alice when she need someone to talk to and when she has questions about Wonderland. The Cheshire-Cat is the most knowledgeable about Wonderland and fits right in when it comes to craziness (Spark Notes from Alice in Wonderland). Queen of Hearts. Some of the other characters have their moments of rudeness or snappy ways but none of them can be identified as complete negative characters esides the Queen of Hearts. When we first meet the Queen she comes into the yard yelling orders at everyone and being very rude. From the beginning you can tell that the Queen has anger and fury within her. Because she is red in color she can be identified as negative. Red usually has a bad connotation and is usually associated with anger and fire or fury. She makes irrational decisions, most of them affecting everyone but herself. Everyone in her court is afraid of her because she is known for prosecuting and beheading anything and anyone who gets in her way (From Alice on Stage). Of all the characters in Alice in Wonderland the Queen of Hearts and Alice are the most significant. I would not say that in this story there is a hero or villain, but Just positive and negative characters. A lot of the characters in the story were middle characters that had no sense of good or bad, they were Just mad. Everyone in Wonderland was mad, including Alice, that is why she ended up in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll defined each character using their personalities. The Queen of Hearts impatient, loud, and obnoxious and Alice is curious, sensible, and has a sense of uperiority. Alice in Wonderland. (2018, Nov 07).

Choose one of the following and write a two-three paragraph post Essay

Choose one of the following and write a two-three paragraph post - Essay Example The main point is that men have been forced, in the past at least, to conform to a very limiting stereotype and they have been ridiculed if they dare to step outside of this narrow concept. By defining the word with a perspective of looking back in time, I would hope to encourage people to think about a different approach for the present and the future. Robert Jensen’s technical definition of masculinity is certain psychological or social traits that inherently come with being biologically male and he summarizes this in a more informal form with the phrase the tough guy. The negative aspects of this definition are quite clear to Jensen, and he describes the â€Å"toxic† effects which prevailing ideas of masculinity have on men today. Jensen stresses the cultural values attached to gender divisions, and advises that we do not need the extremes of masculinity and femininity any more, and we should concentrate instead on humanity, which can be shared by people of any gender. I think this is quite unrealistic and that masculinity as a concept is likely to last for a very long time. Rather than banning the use of the term, I would rather see it transformed with new and more positive