Thursday, September 19, 2019

Essay --

Nietzsche’s early work On the Birth of Tragedy put forth the Apollonian and Dionysian concepts. Within the work, the German philologist and philosopher states â€Å"The effect aroused by the Dionysian also seemed ‘Titanic’ and ‘barbaric’ to the Apollonian Greek: while he was at the same time unable to conceal from himself the fact that he was inwardly related to those fallen Titans and heroes.† Nietzsche goes on further â€Å"Indeed, he was obliged to sense something even greater than this: his whole existence, with all its beauty and moderation rested on a hidden substratum of suffering and knowledge, which was once again revealed to him by the Dionysian.† He then strongly concludes, â€Å"And look! Apollo was unable to live without Dionysus!† Nietzsche terms the Dionysian as â€Å"Titanic† to indicate his concept’s vastness. This vastness is similar to the vastness of Schopenhauer’s ocean imagery that describes how the earlier philosopher felt about consciousness unconstrained by ego. If an Apollonian Greek were to break his ego, or what Nietzsche would term his ‘shell,’ he creates the possibility of experiencing the pleasure offered by the Dionysian element. He allows himself to be overtaken by an ‘ecstatic’ ocean. The word ‘Titanic’ implies an enormity unable to be controlled. In this sense, the feeling of vastness can present itself as the antithesis to the Apollonian ideal of structure and thus prove overwhelming. So overwhelming, that one may be destroyed. This is where the description â€Å"barbaric† comes into the picture. Nietzsche goes to great lengths to define what he terms the â€Å"Dionysian barbarian† and which he separates from the Dionysian Greeks. In this passage he expounds upon the traditional Dionysian festivals which occurred â€Å"in all c... ... about accurately portraying facts. Rather, Nietzsche is interested in affective interpretations. There is also a possibility he had not reexamined the pros of On the Birth of Tragedy until he wrote Ecce Homo. What is more, Nietzsche is blunter in his Nachlass when he states â€Å"there are no facts, only interpretations.† Additionally, some insight can be provided based upon the very nature of Ecce Homo, in which Nietzsche puts himself on trial, ironically in Socratic fashion, and defends his life’s work chapter by chapter. Nietzsche is ultimately interested here in providing a definitive rationale for his philosophy, which celebrates the Dionysian worldview of emotion and instinct over cold rationality and reason. Birth of Tragedy, offers an extended defense of the Dionysian worldview and, with all of its flaws, was a work with which Nietzsche was finally able to com

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Euthanasia and the Right to Die Essay -- Doctor Assisted Suicide

The Oxford English Dictionary defines euthanasia as â€Å"the action of inducing a gentle and easy death† (Oxford English Dictionary). Many people around the world would like nothing more than to end their lives because they are suffering from painful and lethal diseases; suffering people desperately seek doctors to help them end their lives. Many people see euthanasia as murder, so euthanasia is illegal in many countries. Euthanasia is an extremely controversial issue that has many complex factors behind it including medical costs, murder and liberty rights. Should people have the rights to seek euthanasia from doctors who are well trained in dealing with euthanasia? The bases for western knowledge, the Greek and Roman empires, usually supported euthanasia. Although they did not like giving â€Å"’a deadly drug to anybody, not even if asked for,’† by the patient, they preferred a gentle death as opposed to their patients suffering a miserable life (ProCon). It was not until the middle ages that euthanasia was actively opposed. In the middle ages the predominate religions of Europe were Christian and Judaism; these two religions did not approve of euthanasia because not only was suicide itself a sin, but the doctor who helped the patients would have committed the sin of murder. The three major religions that influence the world, Christianity, Islam and Judaism, all see suicide as a sin. These three religions have a major impact on the world today, so the trend of criminalizing euthanasia continued up into the modern era with euthanasia still being illegal in many parts of the world. The first law explicitly prohibiting euthanasia in the United States was enacted in New York in 1828 (ProCon). Since then many more states have outlawed ... ...2011. . Opposing Viewpoints."Introduction to Euthanasia: Opposing Viewpoints." Euthanasia. Ed. Carrie Snyder. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2000. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2011. http://ic.galegroup.com.library.collin.edu/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&disableHighlighting=false&prodId=OVIC&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010134107&userGroupName=txshracd2497&jsid=af2eacb374dfea6a89c0773d16c35a50 Oxford English Dictionary. "Euthanasia." Def. 3. Oxford English Dictionary. Sept. 2011. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. . ProCon. "Historical Timeline." Euthanasia - ProCon.org. ProCon.org, 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. .

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

A Critical Response to Lady Chatterleys Lover Essay -- chatterley

A Critical Response to Lady Chatterley's Lover      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence examines the human condition in the modern era.   Through the experiences of the novel's characters, Lady Chatterley's Lover advances techniques for coping with the modern world:   retreating from society and engaging in phallic sex.   However, the application of these techniques is problematic as phallic sex necessitates the abandonment of social convention, while retreating from society conflicts with phallic sex.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lawrence's tactics of retreating from society and engaging in phallic sex are a response to conditions that he perceived in England.   A problem that afflicts the English people in Lawrence's novel is the pressure of social convention causing individuals to lead unhappy lives.   For example, Lawrence examines the lives of colliers:   "The iron and the coal had eaten deep into the bodies and souls of the men" (159).   Iron and coal are also a reference to the capitalist-industrialist complex that drives the colliery, making it clear that it is capitalist values which are eating away at the men.   The village of Tevershall reflects the state of its builders:   "The utter negation of natural beauty, the utter negation of the gladness of life, the utter absence of the instinct for shapely beauty which every bird and beast has, the utter death of the human intuitive faculty was appalling" (152).   Both the people and their dwellings have been warped by m odernity.   The narrator sums up the consequences of modern society for the colliers and the English people:   "...a new race of mankind, over-conscious in the money and social and political side, on the spontaneous intuitive side dead, but dead.   Half-corpses, all of t... ...f phallic sex.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two strategies that D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover offers for coping with the modern world are phallic sex and a retreat from society.   Unfortunately, the ideal of phallic sex is difficult to achieve due to the necessity of abandoning social convention, while retreating from society conflicts with having phallic sex.   Lawrence's ideas offer unconventional methods for coping with modern life.   However, a reader who wishes to apply these ideas must bear in mind that no amount of sex or isolation is likely to resolve the problems which plague modern society. Works Cited Lawrence, D. H..   Lady Chatterley's Lover.   Ed. Michael Squires.   New York:   Penguin Books, 1994. Lawrence, D. H..   "A Propos of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'". Lady Chatterley's Lover.   Ed. Michael Squires.   New York:   Penguin Books, 1994. A Critical Response to Lady Chatterley's Lover Essay -- chatterley A Critical Response to Lady Chatterley's Lover      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence examines the human condition in the modern era.   Through the experiences of the novel's characters, Lady Chatterley's Lover advances techniques for coping with the modern world:   retreating from society and engaging in phallic sex.   However, the application of these techniques is problematic as phallic sex necessitates the abandonment of social convention, while retreating from society conflicts with phallic sex.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lawrence's tactics of retreating from society and engaging in phallic sex are a response to conditions that he perceived in England.   A problem that afflicts the English people in Lawrence's novel is the pressure of social convention causing individuals to lead unhappy lives.   For example, Lawrence examines the lives of colliers:   "The iron and the coal had eaten deep into the bodies and souls of the men" (159).   Iron and coal are also a reference to the capitalist-industrialist complex that drives the colliery, making it clear that it is capitalist values which are eating away at the men.   The village of Tevershall reflects the state of its builders:   "The utter negation of natural beauty, the utter negation of the gladness of life, the utter absence of the instinct for shapely beauty which every bird and beast has, the utter death of the human intuitive faculty was appalling" (152).   Both the people and their dwellings have been warped by m odernity.   The narrator sums up the consequences of modern society for the colliers and the English people:   "...a new race of mankind, over-conscious in the money and social and political side, on the spontaneous intuitive side dead, but dead.   Half-corpses, all of t... ...f phallic sex.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two strategies that D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover offers for coping with the modern world are phallic sex and a retreat from society.   Unfortunately, the ideal of phallic sex is difficult to achieve due to the necessity of abandoning social convention, while retreating from society conflicts with having phallic sex.   Lawrence's ideas offer unconventional methods for coping with modern life.   However, a reader who wishes to apply these ideas must bear in mind that no amount of sex or isolation is likely to resolve the problems which plague modern society. Works Cited Lawrence, D. H..   Lady Chatterley's Lover.   Ed. Michael Squires.   New York:   Penguin Books, 1994. Lawrence, D. H..   "A Propos of 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'". Lady Chatterley's Lover.   Ed. Michael Squires.   New York:   Penguin Books, 1994.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Leadership: The MBTI Assessment

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality assessment that helps to assess one's psychological preferences based on a psychometric questionnaire. These preferences were extracted from the typological theories proposed by Carl Gustav Jung writings in his book ‘Psychological Types'. The MBTI focuses on normal populations and emphasizes the value of naturally occurring differences. [1] Also recognized commonly as a behavioral assessment tool, the MBTI uses a combination of 4 letters and each represent a clearly defined attribute. Altogether, the MBTI test consists of 16 different personality types that will describe one’s personality in alleged detail. The MBTI test has reviewed that I am type ENTJ which covers aspects of being extraverted, intuitive, thinking and judging altogether but in different extents. According to Dr. David Keirsey, he states that a person with type ENTJ is recognized as a ‘Fieldmarshal’ or basically someone who is a natural born leader as agreed by Joe Butt in his article on ENTJ. He adds that this attribute of Fieldmarshals are a rare breed that are natural at taking the lead, are structural organizers and have an act on devising contingency plans. These collectively form characteristics of a leader who will be decisive and are visionary in setting goals and direction. Having these traits of a leader, Fieldmarshals are expected to take up roles of higher responsibility and will usually take pleasure in them. However their strong devotion to their work may sometimes be a hindrance to their social lifestyles. Another prevalent characteristic of a Fieldmarshal is the tendency to emphasize on efficiency and are usually intolerant of prodigality. [5 &6] I have to admit that while reading the results and review of my personality type; it felt like a strong confirmation of how I evaluate myself. Most of the traits specified were indeed very accurate such that I am a natural leader. I have come to realize that not only do I have the tendency to lead others but I also enjoy taking responsibility and I feel more comfortable in planning ahead rather than doing things spontaneously. Being extraverted is also a spot on because I am that person who would walk across the room to get to know someone new and am not afraid to express my thoughts publicly. Looking at the basis of how the personality results were generated, I still do not comprehend how I only scored 1 in the ‘Thinking’ category as I usually make decisions based on facts and logic. Apart from the MBTI test, the Dominance Influence Steadiness Conscientiousness (DISC) test is also another credible assessment tool that provides an effective feedback and rational to help one identify his/her personal behavior and strengths, thus increasing self-awareness. The DISC assessment is a shorter test as compared to the MBTI and yet yields more specific results from over 19,000 personalized responses and 384 separate behavioral descriptions. [3&4] One other assessment would be the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) which measures thinking preferences in people. This model functions very similar to the others by incorporating cognitive style measurement. HBDI in short, adapts a concept of determining one’s dominant thinking style based on analytical, sequential, interpersonal and imaginative aspects. [7&4] Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, who are both recognized experts in personality type and career development, agreed that the MBTI can serve as career counselors to guide and find jobs that are best suited for a person. [8] However the Army Research Institute commissioned a review on this and argued that there is no evidence for the utility of the test and further claimed that the classification scheme is limited and may be an example of stereotyping personalities. Other questions have been raised in David Pittenger’s report of how the MBTI instrument comes up short for what it purports to measure. Some of which are mainly concerns on the reliability and validity of the results. [9] Considering all that, the objective of the MBTI is somewhat achieved when it helps to facilitate self-awareness which can then lead to self- improvement. With critical feedback provided, one will be able to realize their potential essentially natural leaders, and also to reaffirm one’s focus on their strengths. As discussed, discretion may be necessary to protect one against undue reliance upon the MBTI especially in career choices.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Leadership and nurse retention: The pivotal role of nurse leaders Essay

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in collaboration with the CITATION Thu12 l 1033 (Thurston, 2012)organized a working sectional conference titled Effective Mentoring; Nursing Leadership Practices after Training Completion and development skills for charge nurses. Over 40 experienced professionals from major statewide stakeholders in the Healthcare industry were brought together during this session. Those in attendance included nurses from various practice sessions and representatives from the Department of Higher Education, the Board of Registration in Nursing, the Massachusetts Center for Nursing (MCN), the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Nursing (MACN), the Massachusetts/Rhode Island League for Nursing (MARILN), other national accrediting agencies were also present like the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The keynote speaker for the conference was MD Welborn E. Crawford of Massachusetts Semin Hospital who has extensive experience in offering guidance on organizational leadership in the practice of medicine and is also chairman on the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) board. Crawford also has several publications under his belt specifically discussing about how to boost development skills of leadership at the workplace. His past roles in professional development are inclusive of nursing peer review and advancement, teaching and the use of simulation. The current role he holds at the hospital as MD provides oversight on how various departments of the hospital are run including quality service provision and process improvement. The conference sought to ensure that, graduating nurses from nursing school to have a platform to ensure a seamless progression in their career by furnishing with necessary knowledge and skills that will ensure their development while practicing nursing after their graduation. Participation in the conference was on the consideration of the fact of holding a charge nurse position at my workplace and the constant need to make decisions and supervise ACRNs at the workplace needed a more astute approach of leadership. Analysis of Leadership Characteristics and Style Most of the conflicts in the nursing industry are as an increased inefficiency in leadership styles and practices. In many instances, personality traits often in one way or the other demonstrate a link with leadership behaviors and characteristics and in this instances are either inborn or easily learned. The main focus of Crawford’s speech was on the process of enhancing transformation of other nurses’ while at the workplace through meeting the needs of the pre-identified environment. The keynote speaker kept the participants going throughout the session through the asking of questions. Through the question and feedback process, a debating platform was created similar to the one encourage for organizational leaders where employees are allowed the opportunity to be engaged in the decision-making process of an organization. He reflected on Brooks and Andersons publications which suggested that a good number of nurses felt invaluable to an organization when they were not allowed the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes and their efforts at the workplaces going unrecognized. These ideology posters to core the need of as a leader to acknowledge a subordinate in the event they contribute something worthy at the work setting. The exchange of information and negotiation between people and their leaders has evolved over the years and this and this has similarly had an impact on leadership theories evolvement. In the conference setting, our keynote speaker had adopted the democratic style of leadership where all and sundry were allowed to measure in on the debate and from the information provided by the audience, the Crawford expounded further on their ramifications in ensuring success during task performance. Further from his speech, it became clear that apart from the democratic leadership style, there existed other two distinct styles that have always been adopted by leaders namely; authoritarian and laissez faire. Under authoritarian leadership, an employee were not allowed to make any decisions and in most cases handles all managerial duties and decisions all by themselves without any external interference from the employees. It is largely the opposite of democratic leadership. Lastly, there is the lais sez-faire leadership style where the leader is in total control of all aspects of an organization. Environments are also fundamental in determining what particular style of leadership will be a success but transformational leadership is mostly championed for in many leadership settings for it is particularly considered to create a conducive environment for not only nurses but also their respective patients. However, there still exists doubts on the credibility of these words for there exists little or no studies at all that pinpoint an exact correlation between leadership behaviors, patient outcomes and nursing practice environments. Charge nurses were therefore encouraged to adopt the transformational leadership style for the nurses that one is in-charge of are allowed to participate in any decision-making process. It has been established that nurses have positive response to transformational leadership because it ensures that build and develop themselves individually as a unit thus they are personally empowered to achieve their goals. In retrospect, in utilization of this kind of leadership, a leader is equally motivated a leader that allows the creation of synergetic environments where creativity can be easily managed. Considering the fact that a good number of nursing discords are in one way or the other related with the leaderships styles, it is important for charge nurses to adopt a stance of being facilitators for solutions as opposed to being problem creators. One important aspect fro transformational leadership is the participatory decision-making approach with employees to similar to what Dr. Crawford w as utilizing at the platform. The participatory decision-making approach allows an increased accountability of actions at the workplace by employees thus they are empowered and the same can be transformed to patients. Frontline charge nurses who not have effective leadership practices in most instances do not perform their duties for solving problems at the nursing unit, it therefore important for such leaders to adapt effective leadership skills so that they can be assured of achieving better outcomes. Communication skills In delivering speeches, it is important for a speaker to develop an interpersonal relationship with his audience for it is the foundation for all human interaction. Not only are effective communication deponents beneficial in delivering speeches but also it ensures the normal function of various systems of an organization. In the nursing workplace, as a charge nurse it is important to ensure that communication is two-way in the sense that not only are people listening to directives of their leader but also the leader allows them the opportunity to air their concerns. Whether an individual is traversing information in a formal or informal context, it is important for them to acknowledge their audiences, purpose for speaking, follow through in what one is putting across, have a broad array of presenting your information and utilization of several techniques in delivering information CITATION Ant13 l 1033 (Anthony, et al., 2013). It is also important to note one’s external enviro nment while putting across a specific message for it determines how information seriated and perceived by an audience. In the case of Crawford, he focused mainly on the ensuring the comfort of his audience by constantly asking whether or not they were comfortable in the conference room and delved mainly on the progressive leadership in nursing for all those in attendance were knowledgeable of the topic being discussed. The speaker was also keen on ensuring that all the stakeholders and those in attendance were convinced of his thoughts on progressive leadership for nurses and how to develop this in graduation nurses form nursing school by ensuring that he gave a clear background information of the topic he was discussing then finally gave an in-depth analysis of the developmental ways for building leadership skills for junior nurses at the workplace. While communication his information across, his stands on leadership styles were backed up by facts and claims from other professional s in the healthcare industry with utmost clarity and simplicity which ensured a good number of those in attendance to comprehend the information that was being put across and the purpose of the conference was thus being achieved in an astute and prospective manner. MD Crawford made it his mandate to ensure that all relevant aspects of leadership in nursing and how to nurture young habits in graduating nurses could be attained which brought to core leadership issues that if neglected by one who is in-charge at the workplace could impact negatively on the functioning of a particular unit of a hospital CITATION Ame09 l 1033 (Association, 2009). Considering the fact that nurturing the graduating nurses was a new noble idea for healthcare practitioners, the idea therefore needs a lot of selling. The delivery of this message was efficient in the sense that it was being aimed at the correct audience who effectively act on it, this was ensured through constant repetition of the idea in the delivery of his speech and for sure he did deliver the message to its desired levels for a good number of participants after the conference signed up for a two month seminar that Crawford suggested for the 27th the same month where further leadership models would be discussed and how they could be applied at the workplace. With respect to the experience of Crawford and considering that he was getting delivering his speech to his peers, he adopted the good old boy presentation style. Basically, his presentation was divided into an introduction which gave a clear understanding of the problem that needed nursing practitioners’ attention. Secondly, he talked of the organizations which sponsored the event and their role in collaboration with the American Nursing Association in ensuring nurses developed well envisaged skills to be great leaders in their nursing careers upon graduation from school by ensuring there existed some sort of mentoring platform where they could interact and exchange ideas with experienced professionals in the industry CITATION Gir12 l 1033 (Girvin, 2012). Thirdly, using visual aid supports like chart drawings and diagrams, the speaker used supporting facts to put across information regarding leadership styles and how effectively communication can be achieved at the workplace. Most importantly, each visual aid used in the delivery of the speech fully gave an in-depth understanding of what was being discussed whose main purpose was to ensure that those in the audience were familiar with the topic being discussed by the end of his presentation. The conclusion of the presentation effectively showed that the proposal that was presented by the speaker could be made effective in hospital interstate and according to the interpersonal discussions among the participants; it was evident that the stakeholders present were eager to take up the initiative of pushing the recommendations into a reality. Upon conclusion of his speech, the keynote speaker allowed the participants to air their questions which were promptly answered Critical Reflections The speakers’ speech was outlined and delivered to the requirements of the Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives who had organized the conference. In clearly defined detail, the conference topic, â€Å"Effective Mentoring; Nursing Leadership Practices after Training Completion and development skills for charge nurses,† was extensively addressed and all the stakeholders present were given a challenge of developing some sort of mentoring program that will help in nurturing the leadership skills of graduating nurses. Guided by the conference topic, Crawford presented the leadership debate convincingly through diving his content into leadership issues and the most effective ways and the role played b communication in ensuring one was efficient in their position as a leader. The adoption of a Good Old Boy presentation style of communication was effective considering that the participants at the conference were his peers and this coupled with his use of visual aids t o deliver his speech ensured a good delivery CITATION Was10 l 1033 (Waskett, 2010). Implications for Professional Nursing Practice The conference proceedings were influential in answering good number of concerns that those in the nursing environment experience in their workplace which generally affect the outcomes of the job. A good number of problems are associated with the nursing charge position such as poor description of the jobs being delegated to others, irresponsibility experienced with the an increase in the duties appended to a particular individual at the workplace and most importantly the lack of necessary knowledge on how to undertake leadership positions. Personally, the conference furnished with important knowledge of I was previously ignorant on: the role of communication for leadership. It was evident that as a charge nurse, I need to be not only authoritarian when it came to decision-making situations but also involvement and listening to other nurses will help with ensuring that a diverse pool of ideas are available to ensure an easy decision-making process. At the same time, involving other i n decision-making ensured that they felt part of the organization that they were more motivated to perform their tasks effectively CITATION Gar09 l 1033 (Garvey, Stokes, & Megginson, 2009). As a leader, I have the mandate of ensuring and facilitating the learning process of other junior nurses at the workplace through the more refined method of mentoring. With respect to developing a mentoring platform for graduating nurses, it is important to ensure that all nurses at the workplace are under a senior guardian at the workplace who will ensure that the nurses are given lessons and guidance on how to communicate effectively at the workplace thus preparing them for future leadership positions. References   Anthony, M., Standing, T., Glick, J., Duffy, M., Paschall, F., Sauer, M., et al. (2013). Leadership and nurse retention: The pivotal role of nurse leaders. Journal for Nursing Adminstartion, 146-155. Association, A. N. (2009). Nurse leaders pass measures on disastser planning . Washington DC: American Nurses Association . Garvey, B., Stokes, P., & Megginson, D. (2009). Coaching and Mentoring: Theory and Practice. London: SAGE Publications . Girvin, J. (2012). Leadership and nursing: Part two: styles of leadership. Nursing and Managment , 20-22. Thurston, B. (2012, August 24). Annual Conference on Nursing leadership 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from Massachusetts Organization of Nurse Executives : http://www.mooneleadership.org/ Waskett, C. (2010). Clinical supervision using the 4S model 1: Considering the structure and setting it up . Nursing Times , 12-14. Source document

Language acquisition Essay

Contemporary researchers, who are interested in the language teaching, ELT publishing, second language acquisition and the theory of language in general while referring the process of a mother tongue influence on a foreign language teaching, usually apply the terms: ‘Language Interference’, ‘Cross-Linguistic Influence’, or ‘Transfer’. All of the terms imply that the language produced by foreign learners is that all the languages of the world have similarities which make a foreign language more familiar to a learner. Thus, while learning a foreign language students try to look for similarities with their mother tongue. These similarities in many cases depend on individual perceptions and in this way can be deceptive. Modern scientists suggest that the idea that the language produced by foreign learners can never be pure, it is unavoidably influenced by learners’ mother tongue. Sometimes mother tongue affects learning a foreign language so much, that the foreign language becomes distorted. So, the foreign language learnt should be better termed an ‘inter-language’ and, as Nicholls, D points out in the article What is learner English? , â€Å"it [the foreign language learnt] will always be a blend of the foreign language and the mother tongue. † (Nicholls 2002). As it was already mentioned above, the similarities found between a mother tongue and the foreign language a hindrance and a help, causing positive and negative transfer. (Nicholls 2002). Positive transfer is found in correct ‘guesses’, and the prompts, which help a learner to get the things right. Though positive transfer is a rich area of study, it is not in the scope of the study of the paper. Further the paper will discuss the negative transfer or the language interference that causes the learner errors in the process of a foreign language acquisition. In the sphere of contemporary education, the English language produced by learners is referred as ‘learner English’. An opposing term to ‘learner English’ is ‘Non-learner English’, the meaning of those is closely connected with the notions: ‘Standard English’ and ‘correct variant of English’. So, following the ideas of scientists, the English produced by learners will always be ‘foreign’. In order to make the further research more clear, it is necessary to define the main terms of the theory. First of all, the theory of language interference operates with the notions: first language and foreign language. Walters K. and Brody M. in their article What’s language got to do with it? define first language as the first language acquired by a person since his/her birth or childhood. If a person learns two or more languages in his/her infancy, then the person is considered to have two or more first languages. (Walters and Brody 2005) In this way, the term ‘First Language’ is very close to the terms ‘Native Language’ and ‘Mother Tongue’. However, the notion of mother tongue presupposes that the person learns the languages from infancy in the home. (Walters and Brody 2005) All in all, native language, as well mother tongue, and first language are learnt by a child mostly unconsciously and involuntary. A child may learn his/her mother tongue even if no special attempts at teaching are made. Also, the first language serves as a spoken medium of communication and â€Å"is largely achieved from random exposure. † (Encyclopedia Britannica 2004). In contrast to the first language, foreign language is taught purposefully. It is not necessarily acquired in one’s childhood or in one’s home. Walters K. and Brody M. write about a foreign language: it is â€Å"learned or used by a person for limited and/or specific purposes such as business transactions or reading. A foreign language is not learned with the in-tent of using it extensively in daily life. † (Walters and Brody 2005) So, another difference is found out. The first language is used in a person’s everyday life, whereas the spheres of usage of a foreign language are limited by place and by time. In other words, students speak or think in a foreign language during their lessons and at their classroom. When the lesson of a foreign language is over, students naturally go back to their mother tongue. This feature, certainly, gives more advantages to students’ mother tongue and encourages them to use their native language in a wider range, more ‘extensively’. The last not only fosters better development of a mother tongue in comparison with that of a foreign language, but also it puts the mother tongue in a dominating position over the foreign language. However, the notion of foreign language should not be confused with the notion of second language.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Global Security: Weapons of Mass Destruction Essay

Since the Cold War, introducing nuclear weapons into the global system was one of the biggest changes that created a global phenomenon even after the year 1945 to the contemporary global politics. It has shaped the crucial aspects of the strategic actions of the states and transformed the international system. After experiencing two catastrophic global conflagrations, the global system has not triggered major wars and intra-regional wars over the post-Cold War period. However, utilising nuclear weapons to prevent world war should be treated with great attention as there are prospects of nuclear proliferation globally. The traditional definition of security is being freedom from danger and risk. However, in this context of the global politics, it perceives ‘security’ as something that makes protection and creates sense of safeness. Thus throughout this essay, it will discuss the meaning of security in the means of how it was created through the influence of nuclear/ weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Firstly, it will analyse the changing attitudes of strategic studies post-Cold War in the developments of nuclear technology proliferation. Moreover, it will critically discuss the influences of the nuclear weapons towards the security model in relations to why states still seek to develop weapon of mass destruction (WMD) in the contemporary global politics. Understanding the terror and recognising of the destruction capabilities of nuclear weapon in the contemporary era can be a challenge to the people of today as the last nuclear weapon detonated in 1945. Subsequently, it is important to observe the historical context of WMD development and study the intention of the WMD. 1940 was the year of the birth of the first nuclear arsenal named as ‘Ivy Mike’. American physicists and their leader Edward teller developed nuclear armaments that was first detonated in 1945, (Balogun, 2011 p. 160) which was defined as; extreme scale immediate mass destruction. The strategic studies of the international relation have drastically changed in the past 20 years. Steve Smith’s The increasing insecurity of Security Studies: Conceptualising Security in the Last Twenty Years (1999) examines some aspect of security study literature in the last two decades. Smith addresses his main analyses of the changed perspective of the core subject nitially concentrated on state and military to human social security. His view of what it is called the security studies in the contemporary system, moves away from the concentrating on the aspect of the military, WMD as the dominant issue but argues that the crucial issue is human security. On the other hand, Andrew O’Neil (2009) approaches the study in different perspective as he argues that WMD continues to act as the central role in international relations and in security studies as still in the contemporary system numerous states continues to value nuclear weapons as the supreme strategic possession for their security. Synder (2000 p. 174) has given the two variables for explaining the dynamics of nuclear proliferations. The operative growth of nuclear arsenals among the superpowers can be identified as ‘vertical proliferation’. Furthermore, significant potential for the spread can be recognised in other technologically capable states to develop nuclear technology and this is recognised as ‘horizontal proliferation’. Increase in producing nuclear technology and actions of testing have developed public’s eye catching concern, which is in relations to both military and environmental crisis. In generating nuclear power into the state it builds the sense of both security for the state conversely insecurity for human and the environment. Acknowledging the power of state after possessing nuclear weapons will definitely achieve security against external threat, nevertheless it is crucial to consider the aspect of economic effect on the state. In obtaining nuclearization, the state must have the capability in economic and technological terms. Developing researches and building nuclear arsenal are phenomenally expensive even to sustain, whether the state is able to begin to build nuclear weapon programs, if the state is incapable to maintain their program effectively it would lead to the chances of misleading the program, thus may cause major threat to its own state. Moreover, nuclear arsenals under the programs can lead into the hands of the ‘rouge state’ (2000 p. 159). External threat of bribery from other rouge states can follow after the financial struggle of opening of the bureaucracy. In the past states have failed to sustain the nuclear system as it is outstandingly costly, Soviet Union is one the example that diminished nuclear program due to lack of finical hold up. In this case, the state should pursue for other survival resources to provide security for their people, for instance; environmental sustainability and enhanced agriculture. Neo –classical realist assesses the state’s power and examines of the consequences of the nuclear proliferation, on why the state pursue changes in its power in relations to their declining power position in the global system. Leaders and decision makers of their states are afraid of the strategic costs in their own actions in trying to achieve further and superior security. The NMD not only profoundly stresses the status quo (2000 p. 171), but it also threatens to create an incongruous actions to other states to produce or prepare a similar level of power of security to counter the external threat. Thus it generates a certain situation as known as; ‘acute security dilemma’ or a ‘cascade’ of nuclear proliferation, â€Å"an increase in one state’s security decreases the security of others† (Jervis, 1993 p. 8). The states facing security dilemma are determined by the given factors of their geographic size and location, power of their equipped military and strategy. These factors are expected to manipulate the position of the state in the international system by means of security threats. Security dilemma actively elevates up and down the chances of conflictions between states, hence it shapes balancing strategies. In comprehending the occurrence of nuclear proliferation, it is important to understand the theory on why states pursue nuclear power. In the means of security, constructivist have presented an insight on how to analyse the question of ‘‘How nuclear weapon technology mean different things in different places and times’ (Rogers, lecture), constructivist states that it is challenging to determine with the absence of calculating and the perceiving into giving attention to cultural, social and historical context of the state to how the definition came to assessable. Thus, it is important to develop an understanding of the purpose of WMD in the international system, with the question of why states seek to build nuclear power. Numerous realist and non-realist scholars consider the ‘security model’ as the standard justification for occurrence of nuclear proliferation (Sagan, 1997). According to the security model states will, â€Å"develop nuclear weapons when they face a significant military threat to their security that cannot be met through alternative means. † (1997 p. 54) Established on Waltz’s theory of neo-realism, a limited, although persuasive part of the realist theory; the security model was derived initially from the original thought of balance of power. He puts forward his thought that states involves in competitive strategies for insure of their security and survival. In the short term, it is anticipated that states will weigh against from the changes in relative power that destabilise their position in the global system, externally by unifying with a nuclear armed state or internally by developing nuclear technology themselves. Further looking at the long term, states are likely to develop nuclear arsenals through imitating after observing an effective but also successive strategy attempted by states. Sagan concludes that almost all the judgments to develop nuclear arsenals â€Å"appear to be best explained by the security model† (1997 p. 85). Consequently, the security model addresses a persuasive explanation regarding the theory nuclear proliferation. Three specific models are introduced in explaining the incongruous impact of nuclear proliferation; why states seek to build nuclear weaponry, in Sagon’s article, ‘Why Do States Build Nuclear Weapons? Three Models in Search of a Bomb’ (1997). Security model of ‘nuclear weapons and international threat’ is the first model Sagon introduces. According to the neorealist, the international system is an anarchy which is driven by the threat of nuclear weapons where states are to equip for preparation for conflict. Absence of authority in the system, states can desire to choose to achieve self-help. However in spite of authority, there are strong and weak states that separate which states are capable of obtaining more power through nuclear weapons. The three factors are crucial in the makeup of a strong state, they are; powerful military, economy and politics. As mentioned earlier, security dilemma is a result of proliferation but also in vis a versa producing a chain reaction, Sagon believes that ‘From this perspective, one can envision the history of nuclear proliferation as a strategic chain reaction’ (1997, p. 58). The previous model could not offer the whole explanation which the second model could explain whole reason why states pursue to develop nuclear weapons. The second model is, domestic politics model, it focuses on who encourages and discourage the state government to develop WMD. Within the domestic level Sagon explain that there is also a chain reaction and maps out who governs the state to process of developing nuclear arms, Sagon says, ‘the acquisition of nuclear weapons †¦ is likely to serve the parochial bureaucratic or political interests of at least some individual actors within the state’ (p. 63). In contrast to the security model, the causality is not ‘unidirectional’ (Rogers, 2012 lecture) but further complexity follows as it activates at the level within the state. The last, third model that Sagan study is the norm model which addresses states as unitary actors and it concentrates on norms in reference to the possession of nuclear arsenals. It peruses to apprehend the role of nuclear weapons symbolically and argues that state’s actions are ‘determined by common beliefs about which actions are appropriate in the international community’ (p. 73). As a final point, the last model seeks to envision the forthcoming future for the potential of non-proliferation era. The three models by Sagan have explained and provided a perception on the theatrical justification of nuclear proliferation on the reason behind states would seek nuclear power for the ultimate power for threatening external states. The studies of the three models demonstrated an aspect on how possession of a nuclear weapon can change the system drastically internally and externally through the distortion of the balance of power. Nonetheless, these models have also given the truth about the consequences that ultimate power can be achieved however; nuclear weapons will not necessarily provide or elevate complete state security. In actual fact, this security practice also accompanies insecurity where the contemporary international system in presence of nuclear proliferation it is a challenge not to face security dilemma. The ongoing nuclear proliferation is one of the distress issues in the international system. The movement of the proliferation alters the balance of power between the states creating a possible eruption in the system. An example in the contemporary politics, North Korea has obtained nuclear and missile technology and have directed bomb testing which have intensified the tension between the two Koreas (2009). Moreover, North Korea’s uncertain internal political activities may have created falsifiable knowledge, however this clearly demonstrates the security dilemma in the states surrounding as well as the allied superpowers are caused in the consequences of contemporary proliferation. In 1970, the regime of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entered the international system which became the central focus in the non-proliferation organisation. It is a prime structure of managing the spread of nuclear weapons in the international system. It is designed and bounded built from expectations by policy makers in solving security dilemma. The NPT operates as a normative regime, the treaty seeks to challenge why or why not state choose to build nuclear weapon but also examines state behaviours and perceptions in the state in accordance to their nuclear power (2000 p. 175). The NPT is influential and conspicuous in shaping the thought of policy makers and leaders of the state to determine whether the state should develop nuclear technology or not, allied or independent or as for energy provision. Most importantly, it determines and suspects the validity of a nuclear armed state as well as their maintenance. Moreover, it is an arrangement between nuclear armed state which have agreed to nuclear materials and technology transmission to a non-nuclear armed state for peaceful determination, then this state obligate themselves to utilise nuclear materials and technology only for peaceful purposes and not dissuade its primary purpose to develop nuclear weapons (Bosch, 2007 p. 16). According to the NPT, the current situation in North Korea and Iran are in the case of being outside of the normative framework. Only those state who act inside the normative framework are reflected as a proper state, states that are outside the framework are considered as an improper state and these states are recognised as ‘rouge states’ (2000 p. 159) From this, it is clear to vision the influential power of NPT in the international system in shaping state’s actions. Various debates have risen in regards to its unbalanced regime by the NPT. In respect to the military rules NPT have regulated a biased and unequal military regime labelled as â€Å"imperial like imbalance† (Kissling 2008, p. 30). It is states that NPT lacks in some aspects of definite responsibility and keeping the timeframe to discharge nuclear weapons. Though NPT is considered influential, its role in accomplishing complete disarmament, negotiations in the international system has not been an effective control. Organisations and treaties such as Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation or the Fissile Material Cut off Treaty hardly enacted policies. Primary time of the NPT regime, many states imposed the NPT’s disarmament commitment on nuclear technology through the prevention of aircraft and ship transports holding nuclear materials from entering the state boundaries. However, prohibition of nuclear armaments was infrequently imposed. Thus, lack of strict obligations, have made perpetual actions of nuclear proliferation within the states, including rouge state, which is still persists so far in the contemporary politics. 2008, p. 31) Furthermore the NPT authorized nuclear armed states to conduct ‘peaceful nuclear explosions’ and in military purposes to experiment nuclear weapons, all below level zero. Comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty was finally enacted in 1996 and prohibited these actions of testing or detonating any nuclear weapons. Most importantly, states from NTP that possesses nuclear armaments and non-nuclear armed states have not yet ratified or signed for the NPT. Hence, NPT still lack in the requirements to enter the international force. Consequences of these unresolved of complete disarmament by the NPT or any other non-proliferation regime, the threat of nuclear weapons will continue to rise and sense of fear and insecurity will continually follow The study of the structure, development, and history of the non-proliferation regime, analysing some of conflicting attitude to the issue has led to recognise that this contemporary politics are in a period trapped by the growing dangers. Give the impression that more than ever, the regime of proliferation will continue to arise to be more powerful; however understanding of nuclear behaviour has limits as nuclear power also carries both great senses of security and insecurity for the state (Synder, 2000, p. 189). Nuclear weapon alone carries great amount of complexity. There it challenges external states, policy makers and leaders in determining nuclear armed state’s motivation and its behaviour especially rouge states attaining nuclear arsenals. There are two paths in regards these consequences in the future; a state can strive towards or away from nuclear weapons. Non-proliferation and disarmament will occur as there are perspectives on states denuclearising due to the fall any of politic, economic, and military factors. Proliferation may continue due to the chain reaction of security dilemma encircling insecurity in the international system. Thus this has developed critical thinking on why states still choose to pursue nuclear technology in the contemporary politics. Security models pointed by Sagan are filters to understand the theology of nuclear proliferation. WMD has challenged the thought on international security in the contemporary politics as the studies still haven’t settled with a definite answer of when the complete non-proliferation era will arrive, before then the sense of insecurity through security dilemma will encircle the international system.