Assisted Suicide Essay Example for Free

Assisted Suicide Essay If you’re suffering from excruciating pain and there’s no hope you will recover and doctors are keeping you alive for as long as you can take for no reason, would you want them to pull the plug? Assisted suicide is mostly legal in 16 countries. In the U.S. assisted suicide is legal in Washington, Oregon, Vermont and Montana does not specifically address physician-assisted suicide but have no laws against it and physicians who practice it are shielded from prosecution. Assisted suicide is a controversy because too many people it’s against their religion. Assisted suicide is considered to be inhumane to some people because some people say that animals are put down, not human beings. Also some believe that some people might take advantage of assisted suicide. It’s a choice that some people might want to take if they’re suffering. Most of the people that are against assisted suicide say it’s because it’s against their religion. Others believe it is inhumane and say it violates a fundamental tenet of medicine by contradicting the doctors role as a healer to end a person’s life (murder) even if they are suffering. Assisted suicide should be legal everywhere because if you do not believe in it then you don’t have to choose that option, but people that believe in it should be able to choose. Many physicians believe assisted suicide should be legal and terminally ill patients should have the choice to end their suffering. If you have the right to live, shouldnt you have the right to die? If you have the right to live, shouldnt you have the right to die? When such people ask for assistance in exercising their right to die, their wishes should be respected† This quote from Claire Andre (page 1) is stating that someone who is asking to end their suffering from a terminal illness/disease that their wish should be honored and respected. Claire is trying to prove that assisted suicide should be respected if one has the desires to end their  life but only from a terminally illness/disease. She is stating that it’s actually inhumane to keep someone alive as long as possible through medical treatment. If the doctors know that a patient wont recover they should be able to ask the patient if they want the option of getting a high dose of medicine that will end their s uffering. Most people who are against assisted suicide have no reason besides that it’s against their religion because it’s technically suicide. Others say that it’s inhumane and it’s technically murder because you’re taking someone’s life. Also some people think that some people that are having family issues or people who are in debt might try to take advantage of assisted suicide. Dr. Ann McPherson, a 64-year-old GP from Oxford, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. After 14 years of being diagnosed she now has terminal pancreatic cancer and secondary cancer in her lungs. She is only taking her morphine and she does not receive cancer treatment anymore. Assisted dying is something I have considered. I have no idea if I want it, that depends on how my dying goes. But I want it to be there. I feel very strongly that palliative care should include assisted dying, I call it assisted dying, not assisted suicide, because suicide has connotations of someth ing bad, running away. I think the law is inhuman as it stands and I think the  ­public is ahead of the lawmakers on this. (Page 1) she believes that making it illegal to have a physician end ones suffering is inhumane and should be reconsidered. Also no one would be able to take advantage of assisted suicide because there are protocols and you have to be terminally ill. To those who believe that assisted suicide technically suicide and against their religion are wrong. How can it be inhumane if it’s their choice to end their own suffering? If God loved you he wouldnt want you to suffer through terminally illnesses/ diseases he would want you to be able to end your suffering. Dr. Ann McPherson calls it assisted dying because she believes that suicide is just as excuse to end your problems or run away. Maybe some people are just against assisted suicide because of the name and havent looked into it. Maybe if they used the name Euthanasia or Assisted dying more often people might look at it different. Dr. Ann McPherson also has a husband, children, and grandchildren. She states that she wants her family to be there for her and she said I dont want to go to  Zurich, to some anonymous facility; I would want to do it in my own bed. I have a husband, three children and five grandchildren and I would like them to be there if that is the route I go down, though I dont want them to be directly involved. A professional should be able to do that. (Page 2). She doesnt want her family to take part in her death but if she was able to choose that path she would want her family to be there. Also if someone asked a physician to help them assist suicide and they were not terminally ill but they had life problems, they should and would be turned away. Assisted suicide is a way out of suffering from illness and diseases not life issues. There have been only 5 countries to fully legalize assisted suicide and only 3 states (soon to be 4) in the United States. The other 11 countries have no law against suicide/ assisted suicide. Assisted suicide is starting to appear in many court cases around the world and is starting to be considered worldwide. Some countries have no laws about assisting a suicide or suicide itself but do have laws like failure to assist a person in danger, an assisted with manslaughter, accessory to murder, and even murder is brought up in cases that involves someone assisting someone in suicide. While Oregon, Washington State, Vermont and Montana permit physician-assisted suicide, Montanas Supreme Court determined that assisted suicide is a medical treatment. We find no indication in Montana laws that physician aid in dying provided to terminally ill, mentally competent adult patients is against public policy and therefore, the physician who assists is shielded from criminal liability by the patien t’s consent.†(Page 1) The Montana Supreme Court states that physicians may assist patients in ending their lives with a high dosage of legal drugs. The states living-will law provides the basis for the practice said by the Montana Supreme Court (page 1). Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, and the United States (Washington, Oregon, Vermont, and Montana) have legalized assisted suicide. More countries are starting to move toward legalizing assisted suicide/ euthanasia. In 1997 Colombias Supreme Court ruled that penalties/ criminal offenses for mercy killing should be removed. They havent legalized assisted suicide but are leading towards it. In the United Kingdom a man named Martin who is 46 years old suffered from a brainstem stroke. He is completely paralyzed everywhere except for his eyelids. He has a computer in which he stares at 24/7, that recognizes one letter at a time as Martin blinks and stares at it. He uses his eyes to spell out his desires, frustrations and anger on his computer. He wants to go to court for an assurance that any professional person/ physician who helps him to die/pull the plug will not be prosecuted. The doctors said that he could live for years in his state and even his wife is trying to help him fight for the right to die. He describes his life as S-H-I-T and he just wants to die (page 1). The United Kingdom’s laws are suicide is not a crime but assisting a suicide is. Martin is fighting for his right to die and the United Kingdom is debating it. This shows that more and more countries are starting to consider legalizing assisted suicide and they are realizing that in some situation s it should be allowed. Assisted suicide should be legalized, allowed, and accepted everywhere .More and more countries are legalizing assisted suicide every year. There should be a choice for someone who is terminally ill and suffering to end their life without anyone being prosecuted. If you dont believe in assisted suicide then you dont have to choose that option. A person who is suffering from a terminal illness/disease should have the right to die, no doubt. If you believe its inhumane to end ones suffering how is it not inhumane to keep someone who is suffering alive by a machine keeping them alive. If suicide is against your religion then you dont have to choose assisted suicide, but would God really want you to suffer, no. Also if the name â€Å"assisted suicide is the reason youre against it, call it euthanasia. If you believe that it violates a fundamental tenet of medicine by contradicting the doctors role as a healer to end a person’s life (murder) even if they are suffering, you are mos t definitely wrong. It’s inhumane to keep someone alive who is suffering and have asked you to end their suffering by using an overdose of medicine to make their passing painless and quick. If you have the right to live, shouldnt you have the right to die? The answer is yes because why/how can it be a crime to commit suicide or assist suicide by a physician? How can you possibly be punished and also why should a Judge be able decide whether you live or not? Assisted suicide  should be legal and not have to have a Judge decide your life. Some people might say its technically suicide and some people might say its technically murder. How on earth is it either of those? First off you are just trying to end your suffering if you choose assisted suicide and a physician assisting a patients suicide/death isnt (should not be considered) murder. The physician is just helping them ease away their suffering. All around the world countries are debating whether or not to legalize assisted suicide. More coun tries every year are legalizing it and already 4 states of the United States have approved it. In some countries if you assist a suicide you could be charged from failure to assist someone in danger to murder. Most people who have been charged with assisting a suicide were let off. The charges were acquitted but not after fighting them in court. Learning more about assisted suicide and suicide in general would give more people more knowledge about assisted suicide and why it should be legalized. Most people were taught very young that killing yourself/someone is very bad so every time the topic about assisted suicide by physician comes up they say it’s wrong to kill yourself and it’s wrong to kill someone. They do not have the slightest clue that assisted suicide is helping suffering people and their families watch them suffer. It would bring peace to the person who is suffering and to their family to know that their suffering has ended. So shouldnt we have the right to die, if we also have the right to live? If you are suffering from a terminally illness/disease or terrible accident where you can no longer eat, clean, use the bathroom, change clothes, and even adjust yoursel f wouldnt you want the option of assisted suicide.

A Review Of The Novel Alias Grace English Literature Essay

A Review Of The Novel Alias Grace English Literature Essay Grace Marks is one of the two accused for the murders of her employer, Mr. Kinnear and his housewife, Nancy. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Initially she claims that she does not remember what happened at the scene of the crime. Grace is introverted and carefully chooses what she says so that she does not reveal much information about herself. After Dr. Jordan comes, she opens up a little and tells him her tough childhood and what she remembers about the murders. By the end of the novel, Grace is pardoned, marries her lover, Jamie Dr. Simon Jordan is the physician that is to analyze Grace. He is interested in her circumstances and wants to use what he knows about psychology to pry as much information from her as possible so that it can be determined whether or not she really is suffering from amnesia. After entering in a relationship with Mrs. Humphrey, his landlady, and the results of Graces hypnotism, Dr. Jordan becomes disillusioned. He is unable to come to a conclusion and in the end just returns to Europe. Mary Whitney is a girl about Graces age who also worked for Mrs. Parkinson. Mary is more experienced with worldly matters and thus becomes sort of like a mentor to Grace. It is through Mary that Grace is able to find family. They are like sisters and become close to each other. She has an affair with Mr. George that ends up in a pregnancy and a failed abortion that takes away her life. Grace seems to care more for Mary than her own mother because when her mom died, she thought twice about using the sheet to cover her. On the other hand, Grace uses her money to provide the best possible funeral for her friend. Supposedly, the spirit of Mary resides in Grace and will come out during hypnotism. Nancy Montgomery is the housemaid of Mr. Thomas Kinnear. When she is first introduced, she is looking for extra help. She is not as welcoming or friendly as Graces last employer, Mrs. Parkinson. She feels as though she is superior to Grace. Nancy has an affair with Kinnear and gets jealous of Kinnear when he starts lusting for Grace. She is later found in the cellar, strangled and her throat cut. 4. Conflicts: One major conflict in the novel is determining Graces innocence and also her identity. Much of the book is concerned about Grace giving the readers background information about herself and her version of what happened during the time of the murders The conflict never gets resolved because Dr. Jordan never comes to a conclusion and just abandons his all of his findings. He does not know what to think after he witnesses the spirit of Mary Whitney possess Graces body. Atwood gives you all of many small pieces and it is up to readers to put everything together and then decide whether or not Grace is guilty or not 5. Opening chapter or scene: Alias Grace opens with a dream about Nancy, a dream that also occurs again later on in the novel. The year is 1851 and Grace is twenty-four years old. She has been in prison ever since she was sixteen. She tries to be the model prisoner even though life in the penitentiary is described as tough. She tells this dream to Dr. Jordan when they arrive at the part of the story. In the next section is a little poem that gives a quick but somewhat inaccurate summary of what has already happened before the novel started. The opening gives some background information about Graces life and also foreshadows many events. 6. Plot: Grace has been kept at the Kingston Penitentiary when Dr. Jordan comes and performs his project with Grace, the inciting incident After Graces initial reluctance to participate with Dr. Jordan ends, the rising action occurs when Grace relates her past to him. She is an immigrant from Ireland to Canada and suffers from a dysfunctional and poverty-stricken family. Life was hard for her because her father was worthless. She was able to find a job as a housekeeper. While working, she befriends Mary Whitney. She is traumatized when Mary dies because of an unsuccessful abortion and quits her job. She takes up another job with Nancy Montgomery, who works at the Kinnear estate She also meets James McDermott, another worker under Mr. Kinnear. Nancy and Mr. Kinnear seem to have a relationship together but now Kinnear is paying more attention to Grace. James thinks that Nancy and Kinnear should be killed. Grace then tells Dr. Jordan that James kills them both and then faints when James threatens her. When she awakens, James says that she must keep her part of the deal which implied that she was to go to bed with him. Grace tries to put him off and persuades him to escape to Toronto but they soon get captured. In the climax, Dr. Dupont hypnotizes Graces but instead a spirit comes out saying that she is not Grace but Mary Whitney. When the trance is broken, Grace comes back but does not remember what happened during the hypnosis. 7. Conclusion: In the novels falling action and conclusion, a disoriented and confused Dr. Jordan ceases his investigations and returns back to Europe Grace is pardoned and released from the penitentiary at the age of forty-five. She ends up marrying her childhood lover, Jaime Walsh and soon gets pregnant. The novel ends with a passage about how Grace will quilt the Tree of Paradise. She will interweave Marys petticoat, her prison nightdress, and Nancys dress altogether. The ending was only somewhat appropriate because it did not really feel as if he flowed with the rest of the story, that it did not belong there. It just seems attached on. 8. Themes: One theme of the novel is gender and feminism in the nineteenth century. Women back then were supposed to act a certain way. They were to be submissive and modest with the men dominating. Women were also thought to be more petite and moral. This may be a reason why James was executed and why Grace was only sent to prison. Another theme of the novel is that of sexuality. This theme seems to be a big driving force in the story. Mary Whitney gets involved in a sexual affair that has big repercussions. While in prison Grace must deal with the verbal abuse and sexual advances of the guards. Grace is accused of having a sexual encounter with Jamie in the orchard. Also when Mrs. Humphreys husband leaves her, she turns to a sexual relationship with Dr. Jordan for comfort. Dr. Jordan, on the other hand has fantasies of Miss Lydia and even Grace. Both Mr. Kinnear and James lust after Grace. Kinnear and Nancy have an affair too. Either way, sexuality plays an important role in the novel. 9. Symbols/Archetypes: One big symbol is that of the quilt. There is both a physical quilt, the one that Grace is working on, and a mental quilt. Each time Dr. Jordan examines Grace, it seems if as though another piece of Graces life and identity are sewed onto a quilt. All of the little intricate bits and memories are stitched together make up the whole quilt and there are also different ways to look at and interpret quilts. In addition, the title of each chapter is a name of a real quilting design. Another symbol may be that apples. They could symbolize the truth and knowledge. It could also represent the apple in the Garden of Eden. Grace could symbolize Eve, who was manipulated by something evil and then was punished for it. 10. Parallel events/parallel works: Alias Grace is similar to the story of the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gillman. Both works of literature were about psychiatric care. Women were the protagonist in both stories. Also both women were isolated from other people, one in an asylum, another in a lonely room. The dream that Grace describes in the opening chapter makes another appearance in the middle of the novel. In it, Grace sees Nancy with blood all over her face. Alias Grace is the retelling of the real story of Grace Marks. It is a historical fiction novel though, so some aspects such as the character of Dr. Simon Jordan are made up. 11. Style: Atwood rarely uses quotations in this novel. This makes the text more confusing as to who is talking and thinking which thoughts. This does emphasize the ambiguity of Graces life and her account of the murders In addition to the lack of punctuation, Grace also uses the word could very often. This makes it seems like she is making up some of the details, that what she says is conditional The story is presented from the point of view of Graces At the beginning of each chapter, Atwood uses a real historical article and/or a quote that describes something about Grace to introduce the next section. To highlight the quilt theme, Atwood also names each chapter after a genuine quilting pattern and even provides a small picture of the design. 12. Significant lines: I would rather be a murderess than a murderer, if those are the only choices (23) showing feminist attitudes like passing through the gates of Hell and into Paradise (447) when she left the penitentiary and went off into the real world and that is the same with all quilts, you can see them two different ways, by looking at the dark pieces, or else the light (162) there are always more than one way to look at things in life and everything has a dark and light side Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you (27) she has a label attached to her and it makes her think a certain way And so we will all be together (460) the last line of the novel, Grace will all of the remnants of her past onto one quilt so that she can look at it and move on

History And Developments Of Jazz Music Essay

History And Developments Of Jazz Music Essay In this essay I am going to discuss the evolution of jazz music, from its beginnings in African culture to its many forms in the twenty first century. I have focused on styles/ genres, instruments, ensembles, technology, composers (both classical and popular), and musicals. As a singer I find the jazz repertoire challenging and enjoy improvising when performing. I selected my A level solos from three different decades in the twentieth century, to demonstrate contrasting styles of composition. Taking part in this years school production of the musical Bugsy Malone encouraged me to research the background to the story and led to my Investigation and Report. The origins of jazz lie mainly with African American musicians. The early songs were not written down but were passed on from musician to musician orally. In Africa, the culture and life remains centered around the village. Everyone participates in some way and the music is connected to everyday events, with songs and dances for such occasions as births, deaths and other rites of passage. Some characteristics of traditional African music involve the whole body, with hand clapping, swaying to the beat, etc. The singing was often led by a soloist and the group replied using harmony. The heart of African music is rhythm, this is also the case in jazz today. African slaves were taken against their will to America, between the sixteenth and the nineteenth centuries, mainly to work on the cotton plantations. Whilst working in the fields slaves would sing work songs and field hollers. (CD track 1) Call and response came from the African traditions mentioned, and was sung by people working on a physical and often repetitive task, such as picking cotton (track 2). Possibly, the rhythm of the music helped to increase productivity in the daily task and the meaning of the words reduced feelings of sadness and boredom. The work songs also helped to create a feeling of familiarity and connection between the workers, as often families were separated and other slaves were from different regions. The verses were often improvised and sometimes mentioned escaping to freedom. Negro Spirituals (CD track 3) were created by enslaved African people in America and are religious songs. Later they may have served as socio-political protest helping with assimilation into white American culture. In the USA, slaves were forbidden to speak their native languages and were unable to express themselves in ways that were spiritually meaningful to them so they often held secret religious services. These meetings were known as hush-harbours and were also centres for organising rebellions. The Afro American slave population began to increase naturally around 1810, as the slave trade to the USA had almost stopped. Clergymen in the South saw an opportunity to convert slaves to Christianity. They preached the message that in the eyes of God all Christians were equal, giving Afro Americans a reason to live, with hope for the after life, when they felt hated and not valued on earth. The Services held were similar to the ones Afro Americans organised for themselves, with clapping, dancing, enthusiastic singing and spirit possession. Afro Americans felt more comfortable attending this style of Christian worship. Many white slave owners forced their slaves to attend white controlled churches, afraid slaves would rebel if allowed to attend other churches which preached messages of liberation and equality. With their freedom and the opportunity to chose their own religion, many Afro Americans continued with Christianity. 90 % of Afro Americans, in the 21st Century, attend one of seven black dominated Christians denominations. In the early eighteen hundreds there was a movement to end human slavery, known as Abolitionism. The Anti-abolitionist Riots, also known as the Farren Riots, occurred in New York City in 1834. In 1865, after the American Civil War, slaves were freed. (The Anti-abolitionist riots song, Charles Ives, see page 11, Investigation) As free men, African Americans were able to buy instruments and formed musical groups, such as military bands, which became really popular. At the end of the nineteenth century the people of the city of New Orleans began to experiment with different sounds and styles of music. Some of these styles blended together to create a new kind of music, which is now known as Jazz. In the 1920s due to the harsh economic climate, these musicians moved to Chicago as this was becoming a centre for music. Their music was then known as New Orleans or Dixieland Jazz, (track 4) and is now known as traditional or trad. Jazz. This musical genre was popular in America, as well as in Britain and Australia from the late eighteen hundreds to the nineteen forties. By this time, Dixieland/ traditional Jazz was appreciated by the general public, not just a small section of Afro- Americans. Dixieland or Dixie is the name for the Southeastern portion of the USA, where most of the slaves lived. The style of music is sometimes referred to as Hot Jazz or Early Jazz. Dixieland Jazz combines brass band marches, ragtime and blues. There is collective, polyphonic improvisation by trumpet (or cornet), trombone and clarinet, over a rhythm section of piano, guitar or banjo, drum kit and double bass or tuba. The polyphonic sound is in contrast to the extremely regimented Big Band sound. The term Dixieland became widely used after the advent of the first million selling hit records of the original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917. The most popular band, identified with Dixieland, was Louis Armstrongs All Stars. The Dixieland style came to an end with the introduction of the swing era of the 1930s. Many musicians retired at this time, unable to maintain popularity. Early Ragtime music was written for the piano, and became one of the most popular styles. Some of the features are: A) Question and answer melodies with step wise movement and contrasting syncopated leaps B) Use of chromatic scales/ melodies, ascending or descending by semi tones. C) Use of syncopation to emphasis the weak beats in a bar, rather then strong beats. D) Parallel thirds and sixths are used in melodic passages. Scott Joplin, (1868-1917), known as the King of Ragtime, performed and composed music, has inspired musicians to the present day. As well as 44 original ragtime pieces, he wrote a ballad and two operas. In 1893 he went to Chicago for the Worlds Fair, which played a major part in making ragtime music a national craze. Maple Leaf Rag brought Joplin royalties for life, although later he struggled financially. His music was rediscovered and became popular again in the early 1970s with a best selling album and was featured in the popular film The Sting, particularly The Entertainer. (CD 5) The Blues (track 6) form is characterized by specific chord progressions, usually the primary chords I, IV and V, twelve bar blues, and use of blue notes ( flattened third and seventh in the scale) in jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. Genre of Blues ranges from country to urban blues. The blues is often used to describe a mood of depression and sadness. Typical early instruments were just voice and acoustic guitar. In the 1940s instruments began to change from acoustic to electric and more people began to listen to the style of music. Bass guitar, electric guitar, rhythm guitar and drum kit were typical instruments. Blues-rock evolved in the 1960s and 1970s. Another style of music, associated with piano, is Boogie Woogie, popular in the 1930s and early 1940s. Often used to accompany singers it was also used as a solo part in bands and small combos. The left hand part was very important and featured a repeated bass figure. Winifred Atwell (1910-1983) was a very popular Boogie Woogie and Ragtime performer in England in the 1950s and 1960s. She moved form Trinidad to the United States and then moved to London to attend the Royal College of Music. She started the craze of the honky tonk style of playing piano. Honky tonk piano is an ordinary piano in which nails are placed on the hammers of the instrument to give it a very old (out of tune) sound. Another method of preparing the piano, made popular by Mrs Mills, is to lacquere the hammers. Mrs. Mills (1918-1978) was a popular pianist in the 1960s. (cd 7) Rhythm and Blues (cd 8) also evolved in the 1940s and had a strong gospel back beat, with intense, emotional lyrics for the vocalist. The instruments used were usually piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums and sometimes saxophone. This term has evolved in the 1940s, for example in the 1950s RnB was often applied to blues records. It contributed to the development of electric blues, rocknroll, gospel and soul music. In the 1970s it covered soul and funk and In the 1980s the new style was called contemporary RnB. Electric Blues started in the 1930s; in Chicago, in the 1940s, musicians used amplification of guitar, bass guitar plus drum kit and harmonica. Electric blues includes the Memphis blues and Texas blues scene which lead to the development of blues-rock. It also led to rock-music. The harmonica is also known as blues harp. As well as in electric blues, the harmonica is sometimes featured in RocknRoll, for improvisation. There are many types and sizes of harmonica including diatonic ( major/ minor) and chromatic. Memphis Blues was created in the 1920s and 1930s by musicians such as Frank Stokes and Memphis Minnie. As well as in main entertainment centres, such as clubs and bars the style was popular in vaudeville ( various acts such as magicians, jugglers and acrobats, performing in a theatre) and medicine shows (traveling horse and wagon teams, selling miracle cure medications, between entertainment acts. They were common in the 19th century). At the same time as guitar based blues, jug bands were very popular. This style of music used simple, often homemade instruments such as harmonicas, mandolins, banjos, violins, washboards, guimbarde (jews harp), kazoos and jugs, blown to supply the bass. Examples are the Memphis Jug Band and Gus Cannons Jug Stompers. The style used a range of traditional folk music and emphasised the syncopated rhythms of early Jazz, which were easy to dance to. (CD 9) Texas Blues has more Swing in style and differs from Chicago Blues, in its use of sounds and instruments, relying heavily on the guitar, with guitar solos featured. It began to appear in the early 1900s, with African Americans working in lumber camps, ranches and oil fields. Slide guitar/ bottleneck guitar is featured. This is a particular guitar technique using a slide against the strings. ( cd 10) Originally necks were broken from glass bottles and placed over the fingers, instead off pressing the strings against the frets with the bare fingers. Metal picks were attached to the fingers instead of using the triangular plastic plectrums. A resonator guitar, or resophonic guitar, is an acoustic guitar which has resonators (one or more spun mental cones) in place of a wooden sound board. A lap steel guitar is held horizontally and uses a slide called a steel, held in the left hand. This instrument is often featured in Blue Grass country music. In the 1920s jazz-like improvisation was introduced by Blind Lemon Jefferson, who inspired later musicians, for instance, T-Bone Walker and Lightnin Hopkins. T-Bone Walker was admired by Muddy Waters and his style influenced the Chicago electric blues sound. In the 1960s and early 1970s, influenced by Country music and Blues-rock, the Texas electric Blues Scene evolved. The style has continued to the present day with artists such as ZZ Top. RocknRoll (cd 11) evolved during the 1940s and 1950s in America, its often considered to be one of the best selling musical forms since this time. It became very popular to dance to and the new Teenagers in the 1950s wore a distinctive style of dress when jiving in pairs. The instruments were electric guitars, drum kit and vocal soloist and often backing singers, using Doo-Wop harmonies. The chords were usually the primary chords, I, IV, V, as in the twelve bar blues with improvised guitar solos in the middle, and the form was usually verse and chorus. Bill Haley and the Comets took RocknRoll to England in the 1950s and he was copied by many British musicians, for instance Cliff Richard and Adam Faith. Soul (cd 12) originates stylistically from Rhythm and Blues, Doo-Wap and Gospel as well as Jazz. It started in America in the late 1950s and typical instruments are keyboards/ piano, vocals, horn section, drum kit and guitars. From the 1960s to the early 1980s was the most popular era for the style of music and contemporary RnB, Hip Hop, Disco and Funk emerged from soul. Important features are handclaps, improvised body moves and catchy rhythms. There is often call and response between the soloist and chorus with use of improvisation. Ray Charles is often considered to be one of the most important early soul singers, starting with Ive got a woman, 1954. Solomon Burke recorded soul hits for Atlantic Records in the 1960s, followed by James Brown and Fats Domino. James Brown, (1933 to 2006), known as the godfather of soul started by singing gospel and progressed to soul. Although his own career eventually declined, his work has often been used recently in digital sampling, for instance in Hip Hop, with the consequence that his music remains popular in the 21st century. In the 1990s Beyoncà © Knowles, popularly known as Beyoncà ©, became famous as the lead singer of the RnB girl group Destinys Child. When the group disbanded in 2005 she became one of the most honoured solo artists, with many Grammy Awards, singing soul and pop as well as RnB. Beyoncà © released a cover version of the famous jazz standard Fever, which originally was sung by Peggy Lee. A contemporary of Beyoncà © is the British jazz singer Jamie Cullum. Born in 1979, his compositions and performances have brought jazz to the attention of all age groups. He graduated from Reading University and has released best selling albums. He presents a weekly Jazz Show on BBC Radio 2 and has belonged to many bands, singing and playing the piano. He has performed at many large music festivals, for instance Glastonbury Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and the North Sea Jazz Festival. In 2003 he was awarded the Rising Star by the British Jazz Awards, and he has been nominated fo r the BRIT Award, Grammy and Golden Globe Award. Although his musical roots are firmly based in Jazz, he performs in a wide range of styles, and draws inspiration form many different musicians. Jamie Cullum has made a cover version of the famous song Hit the Road Jack, by Ray Charles, which I have performed as part of my coursework. In America, Funk (cd 13) evolved in the 1960s from soul music, RnB and rock as well as jazz. Typical instruments are bass and electric guitar, drum kit, organ, horns and congas. The rhythm is very important and makes funk very danceable. William Everett Billy Preston (1946 to 2006) was a musician, songwriter and bandleader. His music combined genres such as rhythm and blues, soul, rock, funk and gospel. He played many instruments but mainly organ and piano. He worked with The Beatles, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan and many other famous Soul, Jazz and Blues artists relevant to the period. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers were formed in 1983 in America and play funk rock, which fuses funk with punk rock and psychedelic rock. Technology has played an important role in the development of Jazz bands and ensembles, as well as helping to increase the global audience. By the 1930s radios were present in most households appliance in the developed world. During this period advances in recording technology, in particular the microphone, enabled subtle nuances in both playing and singing to be amplified for the first time and improved both radio broadcasts and life performances. Studio musicians were employed as both soloists and background instrumentalists for shows and commercials. The amplification enabled instrumental soloists/ vocalists to balance their sound with large groups, such as big bands, and not be overwhelmed. The first weekly radio broadcasts in America in 1934 were Benny Goodmans Lets Dance, which featured Hot Jazz music. The ribbon or velocity microphone was introduced in 1931 by RCA and became one of the most popular. In 1933 RCA developed the cardiod pattern dual ribbon microphone. Forms of am plification, for instance wireless technology, continue to evolve to the present day. One of the famous big band leaders, Paul Whiteman, invited George Gershwin, American composer and pianist, to write a jazz influenced concert piece for an experimental concert in 1924, which was called Rhapsody in Blue (cd 14). Ferde Grofà ©, another American composer orchestrated the accompaniment provided, for jazz band. Gershwin had to improvise at the actual concert has he had not completed the piano score at this time. The jazz band accompaniment was later rewritten for full symphony orchestra by Grofà ©. The two main jazz ingredients used are syncopation, placing emphasis on weak beats and blue notes, flattening the third and the seventh notes of the scale, creating a clash with the underlying harmony. The one act jazz opera Blue Monday, set in Harlem, is considered to be the forerunner to Gershwins opera Porgy and Bess. Based on DuBose Heywards novel and play which deals with African American life in Charlston, South Carolina in the early 1920s, Porgy and Bess was first perf ormed in 1935. The premier production featured an entire cast of classically trained African American singers, and took place in New York in 1935. Due to social conventions of the time, this was a daring act. The opera is now regularly performed internationally, although some critics have always considered it to be a rather racist portrayal of African Americans. Musicals have been a very popular form of entertainment for more than sixty years and there are many based on jazz music. For instance, in the early 1950s the American dance director Jerome Robbins had the idea of a modern musical based on Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, with music composed by Leonard Bernstein. In the musical West Side Story the two families are represented by New York street gangs and the famous balcony scene takes place on a fire escape. As well as Jazz, Bernstein incorporates many other musical styles into his score. (cd 15) Bernstein, who died in 1990, is best known as the musical director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as being the composer of West Side Story. He was highly regarded as a conductor and, like many other classically trained musicians, he appreciated many other styles of music and incorporated them into his work. In 1966s there was a hit Broadway production of Cabaret, based on the book written by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.(cd 16) The story is based on the rising power of the Nazi Party in Berlin, it focuses on nightlife in the seedy Kit Kat Club, in particular English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshow. Many films, plays, and numerous subsequent productions of the musical followed. Another hit Broadway production also with Jazz music by John Kander, starting in 1975, was Chicago, with lyrics by Fred Ebb.(cd 17) This is based on the book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse and the 1926 play by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins. The story is a parody/ satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the celebrity criminal. This musical holds the record for the longest running musical production. Also in the 1970s the very popular musical film Bugsy Malone, directed by Alan Parker, lead to the musical of the same name. Although both film and musical are based on events in New York City, in the prohibition era, especially the exploits of gangsters such as Al Capone and Bugs Moran, the subject matter was considerably lightened as the musical is performed by children, imitating adults. One of the most recognized jazz songs from this musical, in the 21st century is Tomorrow, which I am singing as part of my coursework. (cd 18) In conclusion it can be seen that many musical styles have evolved from Jazz. The early beginnings of the genre, performed by African Americans, spread throughout America and eventually other countries. Although the jazz style of music became really popular globally from around the 1930s/1940s, it seems that, in the 21st century, Trad. Jazz and Modern Jazz is only heard in a few specialist concerts, clubs or radio programmes. However, the influence of Jazz on many musicians and styles of music remains considerable and shows no signs of diminishing at the present time.

Good Things About Oregons New Driving Law :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Oregon’s new driving law is going to make a major difference The new law changes the ages of becoming a fully licensed driver. The new program goes in three steps instead of two like the current program. It works like this: When a potential driver is 15, he can get his learners permit. He must have a licensed adult with him at all times while driving. When he turns 16, he can get a license that only allows him to drive during the day and never with any other teenagers in the car when by himself. Then, when he turns 18, he can get a full license. The law is designed to foster the development of maturity in teens, , and the new law has worked successfully in other states.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The new driving program is made to fit the maturity level of teens better than the current one. It gives teens a chance to learn to drive, but during the period of time in a teens life that causes, cuts out some of the most major distractions that cause accidents like night driving and when there are other teens in the car. This, many lawmakers believe, should help reduce the number of accidents and car-related deaths drastically. Many young drivers, like myself, hope it will help lower the price of insurance so that we will have a little more money in our pockets for the future. This is one reason why the new law is going to make driving safer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another big distraction eliminated with Oregon’s new driving law is the presence of other teenagers in the car. Studies have shown that the chance of an accident by a teen driver is greatly increased with the presence of teen passengers. The main theory behind that is that teens like to show off to their piers and in so doing so can kill them because of inexperience or plain stupidity. Many politicians, lawmakers, and drivers hope this will help eliminate a fair amount of the wreckless driving that takes too many peoples lives each year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another hopeful sign of the new law is that it has already been used in other states showing promising results. Car-related teen deaths and accidents dropped a significant amount in other states like Georgia and South Carolina. Many people are looking forward to seeing those same results here.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many teens don’t agree with the new law because they want to get their drivers licenses

Intrinsic Motivation is Ideal Essay -- Learning Education Motives Ess

Inquisitive and self-directed learning is a natural behavior for young children. They marvel at each new discovery and strive to understand the meaning behind every question in their world. However, older children seem to be resistant to learning unless directed by teachers or parents with various forms of external recognition (Deci and Ryan, 1981). Their enthusiasm and inner desire for understanding has diminished. Learning, to older children has become directly connected to demands, controls, and rewards. In order to understand why this attitude toward learning develops, the concept of motivation in education must be defined and examined in a theoretical sense. "Motivation is an essential condition of learning" (Ray, 1992, p.3). A motivating condition may be defined as an emotion, desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement to action. Ray (1992) comments that "motivation in education is concerned with students’ motivation to learn" (p.3). With the understanding of these defined concepts in hand, we can begin to examine the reasons behind school age children losing their enthusiasm for learning. In order to comprehend the reason for the undermining of this intrinsic behavior, we must acknowledge the basic theories of motivation from an eclectic standpoint. By embracing the concepts of learning from both a behaviorist and cognitive point of view, a teacher can tailor the use of reinforcement in the classroom to commit the students to achieving acad emic excellence with enthusiasm and devotion. Findings Motivational Theories Humanistic behavior and learning techniques are viewed from many different positions of psychological theories (Ramirez, 1983). In order for a teacher to effectively apply these psychological principles in their classroom, they must become knowledgeable in the various conflicting theories. Looking at the theoretical aspect of motivation to learn provides background information about the basic nature of different learning processes (Ericksen, 1974). The locus of control in motivation is the subject area where separate theoretical views come into play. People have either an internal locus of control, an external locus of control, or are simply amotivated. "Intrinsic motivation is a state where the relevance for the learner of the content of the material is the main reason for learning. Extrinsic... ...istrators who respond to their initiations and support their practicing methods to remain intrinsically motivated in the same way that students need teachers to respond to their initiations and mastery attempts to remain enthusiastic about learning (Deci and Ryan, 1981). School administrators, and the community in general, need to be supportive of teachers’ efforts to try new things, to respond to the challenges, and to teach according to their preferred methods. "Deci and Ryan propose that if the climate of the educational system were more informational and autonomy-oriented in nature, this would foster teachers’ intrinsic motivation for teaching. In turn, teachers would be better able to foster intrinsic motivation in their students" (Deci and Ryan, 1981, p. 17). The art of skillfully implementing reinforcement, in a tailored fashion, for the students’ development of intrinsic motivation to learn is a difficult task for a teacher to master. Even though the school administration and community should be responsible for setting precedence of intrinsic motivation throughout the schools, the obligation of effectively facilitating this concept is in the possession of the teacher.

Education of Philosophies Essay

After reading through the different philosophies of education, I have come to the conclusion that I can relate to the student centered philosophy the most for several different reasons. As stated in the chapter, education is not a competition. I don’t agree with having students take multiple choice tests to see who gets the highest amount of right answers. Many students suffer from test anxiety and giving them one chance to prove they are educated on the subject isn’t fair. I am a firm believer that students don’t gain knowledge from textbooks, they gain knowledge by being out in the real world. To me, experiencing things first hand is the strongest way to learn about a subject matter. This leads me to the progressivism philosophy of education. I am all for experimental learning, having students have the chance to learn by doing. Another method of this is called the scientific method. This happens by expecting students to pursue their answers through problem solving and critical thinking, and are rarely expected to find their answers in a textbook. Another method I agree with is social reconstruction. Democracy in a classroom encourages teachers to guide an important dialogue among the children, but to avoid telling students how to think or what to believe. Social purpose gives students an opportunity to instill habits or values that are useful to the greater community. I believe students should be encouraged to think about local, national, and international issues in the real world. More importantly, I believe existentialism is the most crucial student centered philosophy in education. Giving students the ability to develop their own creativity and different ways of self-expression is something that should be focused on in every school. Students should be allowed freedom to go at their own pace and should be inspired by the things shared among peers  in the classroom. Students are expected to be in control of their own lives at school while playing an active role in functioning community, students should leave the school with the important ability to think critically.

School Crime And Violence

Crime and violence in schools are issues that are of significant public concern, especially after the series of tragic school shootings recently. The schools have exercised care in making the students safe but many schools are now facing serious problems so that effective strategies can be devised to prevent school violence and increase school safety. (Small and Tetrick). The terms â€Å"school violence† and â€Å"school safety,† are still terms that need to be commonly defined. The authors maintain that â€Å"Multiple approaches can prove beneficial as each discipline brings to bear the full force of its knowledge and experience, but they complicate the task of summarizing the state of school violence. For instance, should school violence be considered a subset of youth violence? †(Small and Tetrick). Most of the violence in schools are involved in gangs. A gang is a group of people who form an allegiance for a common purpose and engage in unlawful or criminal activity. Gangs give members companionship, guidance, excitement and identity. When a member needs something, the others come to the rescue and provide protection. Gangs members have significantly lower levels of self-esteem compared to their non-gang peers. They also could name fewer adult role models than did their non-gang ,peers. It is no doubt that America has become a violent society. Television programs alone show gruesome murders and violence as if they are normal incidences in our lives. It is said that children learn to imitate the violence that they see on television. These take root in a lot of issues, foremost of which is on gun control. The positive effects of the strict enforcement of gun laws are readily seen. The Brady Campaign, for example believes that â€Å"background checks nationwide stopped over 600,000 felons and other prohibited purchasers from buying handguns from federally licensed firearm dealers. † Some say this is one big reason why there is a need to advocate gun control. Once people realize that there is a direct correlation between the increases in violence as correlated with gun possession, they would also be against gun violence in society. However, opinions are at odds with regards to the issue of gun control. Remarkably, both advocates and opponents of gun control policies in the United States use statistics to back up their stance. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that: According to the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), in 2003, 449,150 victims of violent crimes stated that they faced an offender with a firearm. Incidents involving a firearm represented 7% of the 4. 9 million violent crimes of rape and sexual assault, robbery, and aggravated and simple assault. The FBI's Crime in the United States estimated that 67% of the 16,503 murders in 2003 were committed with firearms. â€Å"Gun Control vs. Gun Rights). Advocates of gun control directly use statistics such as this to assert that the increase in violence is positively correlated with gun possession. Organizations such as the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) and other proponents of gun rights oppose such view. Alexander, for one, insists that such arguments contradict factual studies. He contradicts the correlation, saying that â€Å"cities with the most restrictive gun laws, like Washington, D. C. , and Atlanta, Georgia, in fact, have the highest murder rates in the nation. At the center of the gun control issue is the Second Amendment to the Constitution: â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed. † Arguments usually focus on the interpretation of the law. The Second Amendment is the main banner of gun rights activists. Gun control advocates, on the other hand, feel that gun control opponents misinterpret the law when they assume that it means absolute right to ownership of guns by private individuals (Krouse). They assert that the Second Amendment only refers to gun ownership in situation of â€Å"militia† and not for general purposes. Gun control supporters feel that gun possession by just anybody is a contributing cause of increased incidence of crimes in the United States. In Guns and Terror, Berger and Henigan present studies to support their statement that â€Å"Gun shows are a breeding ground for gun sales to terrorist [and that] nothing in federal law prevents terrorists from quickly amassing arsenals of weapons† (4). Opponents to the gun control movement also believe that there is not enough factual evidence to the other side’s claim that banning the sale of some kinds of guns result to lower crime rates (â€Å"Gun Control vs. Gun Rights†). Alexander accuses gun control groups of ‘demagogue-ing’ the issue and maintains that the root of the problem is culture, and not the gun. He even notes that â€Å"many of the problems in question are the result of Leftist doctrines. † The Brady Campaign believes that stricter rules on gun ownership will result in communities with minimal crimes since they correlate guns with most crimes committed. Proponents of gun control also base this belief on what they see as positive effects of enforcement of gun laws. The Brady Campaign, for example believes that â€Å"background checks nationwide stopped over 600,000 felons and other prohibited purchasers from buying handguns from federally licensed firearm dealers. † Gun rights proponents maintain that stricter rules could actually cause crime rates to rise as criminals only tend to go places with stricter gun rules. Alexander quotes Thomas Sowell as saying, â€Å"Most criminals aren’t that stupid; they tend to go where the guns aren’t. †(Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence). Proponents of gun control continue to push for the passage of new laws and/or amendments to existing laws to restrict gun ownership. For one, they are lobbying for legislation covering what they refer to as loopholes, specifically in issues such as juvenile access to firearms, and sales at gun shows and through the Internet (Brady Campaign). Opponents are also continuing efforts to gather support to counter the move of gun control advocates. The NRA is drawing support through massive information drive advocating Second Amendment rights and the protection of Americans’ hunting heritage. The NRA also performs studies and surveys contradicting the position of gun control supporters. In their survey on what Americans think of Right-to-Carry laws, results show that 79% of the voters stood in favor of such laws (National Rifle Association of America). The Brady Campaign notes, â€Å"according to an analysis of the FBI Uniform Crime Report, the percentage of violent crimes committed with firearms has declined dramatically after the Brady Law went into effect. † Supporters of gun control assert the need for more restrictions in gun ownership, especially in the federal level. They call for stricter background checks for people who intend to purchase licensed firearms. Gun rights supporters do not see additional laws and amendments to laws as a solution to increase in crime rates. Alexander writes, â€Å"Gun restrictions have not protected citizens in Atlanta, Washington, D. C. , New York or Boston, much less anyone in Columbine or Red Lake. Nor did such laws protect Jews from Hitler or Stalin or Chinese peasants from Mao, etc. , ad infinitum. † Alexander also advises politicians and gun controllers alike to look at the cultural aspects of the problem and not the instruments. The National Rifle Association of America has opposed every effort by gun control advocates, specially the Brady Campaign group, which they think will encroach on their rights under the Second Amendment. They maintain that gun ownership is their constitutional right and should not be limited to recreational purposes only. The NRA, in fact, is supporting enactment of laws involving Self-Defense and â€Å"freedom† to carry guns (Alexander, Mark 2005). Indeed, the right of law-abiding citizens to carry concealed firearms for purpose of self-defense has become a hot and controversial topic and one that will continue to be so for a long time. Schools need to protect the children from these gun-toting individuals and avoid another Columbine or Virginia Tech incident.