Dr. Faustus Essay: Satirizing Renaissance Humanism -- Doctor Faustus E

Satirizing Renaissance Humanism In Dr. Faustus       In Dr. Faustus, Christopher Marlowe has vividly drawn up the character of an intelligent, learned man tragically seduced by the lure of power greater than he was mortally meant to have. The character of Dr. Faustus is, in conception, an ideal of humanism, but Marlowe has taken him and shown him to be damned nonetheless, thus satirizing the ideals of Renaissance Humanism.    M. H. Abram's A Glossary of Literary Terms defines Renaissance Humanism, stating that some of the key concepts of the philosophy centered around "the dignity and central position of human beings in the universe" as reasoning creatures, as well as downplaying the "'animal' passions" of the individual. The mode of the thought also "stressed the need for a rounded development of and individual's diverse powers... as opposed to merely technical or specialized training." Finally, all of this was synthesized into and perhaps defined by their tendency to minimize the prevalent Christian ideal of innate corruption and withdrawal from the present, flawed world in anticipation of heaven. (p. 83)    The character of Faustus is reasoning and very aware of the moral (or immoral) status of what he is undertaking. His opening speech is devoted to working out logically why he is willing to sacrifice both the road to honest knowledge and his soul in favor of more power. (I, 1-63) He exhibits, in his search for power, anything but animal passion; he indeed exhibits a chilling logic as he talks himself out of the possible delights of heaven. Not only is he intelligent, he also demonstrates a broad base of learning, another quality admired and upheld by humanists.    In several sections of the play, F... ... with the world hereafter. (p. 83)    Christopher Marlowe was not a Humanist, as evidenced by how clearly the tragedy that was Dr. Faustus exemplified the downfall of a humanist and reinforced themes which conflicted with the basic tenets presented by Renaissance Humanism. If this reading is to be believed, the man was in fact violently and intelligently opposed to it. It is difficult to imagine a more effective and thorough attack on the mentality and methodology of the humanist than Dr. Faustus.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Abrams, M. H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 7th ed. New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1999.    Marlowe, Christopher Dr Faustus in ed. WB Worthen. The Harcourt Brace Anthology of Drama, 2nd edn., Texas: Harcourt Brace 1996.    Steane, J.B Marlowe Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1965.   

Beloved :: essays research papers

Toni Morrison's Beloved is set in rural Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. The novel is centered on a woman named Sethe, who is the mother of four children, and an escapee from slavery in a Kentucky plantation 18 years ago. She lives with her daughter, Denver in a shabby house at 124 Bluestone, that they share with the ghost of a dead baby, which haunts Sethe by reminding her of past tragedies. Paul D, Sethe's new lover and a former Kentucky slave man whom Sethe takes in, helps shed light in Sethe's sad life. Also arriving at the doorstep is a mysterious, ill young woman who calls herself Beloved. Gradually, Beloved penetrates the lives of all who live in the haunted house, forcing Sethe to confront her nightmarish memories. Morrison's compelling scene in chapter 27 of when the thirty community women congregate in front of 124 Bluestone to battle the ghost haunting the house, is carefully constructed to contribute to the theme of healing and structure of the work. As Denver is awaiting transportation for her first day on the job as Bodwin's evening nurse, thirty neighborhood women pray and sing at the edge of the yard after hearing speculations from that the ghost of Sethe's dead daughter is causing the family to deteriorate. Sethe and Beloved intrigued by the music move to the porch. "Sethe was breaking a lump of ice into chunks.When the music entered the window she was wringing a cool cloth to put on Beloved's forehead.Sethe and she exchanged glances and started toward the window" (Morrison 261). As the Bodwin approaches in a cart with his horses to pick up Denver, Sethe is triggered by a flashback of when the schoolteacher and the slave catcher came to get her children 18 years ago. Racing towards the cart, Sethe releases the hand of Beloved and runs toward to crowd using the ice pick as an attachment of her hand to protect her Beloved. "He is coming into her yard and he is coming for her best thing..And if she thinks anythin g, it is no" (Morrison 262). The thirty community women whom Sethe was running toward stop her and Beloved neglected on the porch by herself disappears. "Sethe is running away from her, running, and she feels the emptiness in the hand Sethe has been holding. Now she is running into the faces of the people out there, joining them and leaving Beloved behind. Beloved :: essays research papers Toni Morrison's Beloved is set in rural Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. The novel is centered on a woman named Sethe, who is the mother of four children, and an escapee from slavery in a Kentucky plantation 18 years ago. She lives with her daughter, Denver in a shabby house at 124 Bluestone, that they share with the ghost of a dead baby, which haunts Sethe by reminding her of past tragedies. Paul D, Sethe's new lover and a former Kentucky slave man whom Sethe takes in, helps shed light in Sethe's sad life. Also arriving at the doorstep is a mysterious, ill young woman who calls herself Beloved. Gradually, Beloved penetrates the lives of all who live in the haunted house, forcing Sethe to confront her nightmarish memories. Morrison's compelling scene in chapter 27 of when the thirty community women congregate in front of 124 Bluestone to battle the ghost haunting the house, is carefully constructed to contribute to the theme of healing and structure of the work. As Denver is awaiting transportation for her first day on the job as Bodwin's evening nurse, thirty neighborhood women pray and sing at the edge of the yard after hearing speculations from that the ghost of Sethe's dead daughter is causing the family to deteriorate. Sethe and Beloved intrigued by the music move to the porch. "Sethe was breaking a lump of ice into chunks.When the music entered the window she was wringing a cool cloth to put on Beloved's forehead.Sethe and she exchanged glances and started toward the window" (Morrison 261). As the Bodwin approaches in a cart with his horses to pick up Denver, Sethe is triggered by a flashback of when the schoolteacher and the slave catcher came to get her children 18 years ago. Racing towards the cart, Sethe releases the hand of Beloved and runs toward to crowd using the ice pick as an attachment of her hand to protect her Beloved. "He is coming into her yard and he is coming for her best thing..And if she thinks anythin g, it is no" (Morrison 262). The thirty community women whom Sethe was running toward stop her and Beloved neglected on the porch by herself disappears. "Sethe is running away from her, running, and she feels the emptiness in the hand Sethe has been holding. Now she is running into the faces of the people out there, joining them and leaving Beloved behind.

Culture and Attribution Essay

Every country in the world practice their own cultural traditions and norms. Nevertheless, these various cultures are generally characterized as either individualistic or collective. Individualistic culture is defined as â€Å"a society in which the ties between individuals are loose and everyone is expected to look after himself or herself and his or her immediate family only† (â€Å"Individualism versus collectivism†, n. d. ). On the other hand, a collective society pertains to â€Å"a society in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong cohesive ingroups, which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty† (â€Å"Individualism versus collectivism†, n. d. ). These kinds of culture would be further elaborated in the duration of this paper. A group of business people coming from two different cultures work together but unfortunately, the project they conducted fails. This failure could be attributed to the fact that they have different beliefs and priorities. As such, they would also have different reactions as to why they did not succeed in this business venture. The ones who came from the individualistic culture would blame themselves and point out that it was their weaknesses and misgivings that cause this downfall. It could also be possible that they would blame their business associates and do all the possible means to protect the assets that they have invested on this project. On the other hand, those business people coming from the collective culture would blame the whole group for their failure. Since it is a group project, their shortcomings as a whole team could be the reason why they failed. Another possible reaction could be that they would propose that they work together to address the problem and to regain what they have lost from this unsuccessful project. Another similar incident personally happen to me in one of the group projects that is required in a course that I took. The professor assigned us to make a resolution regarding the issue of plagiarism. The group have to work together and each person must contribute their ideas on how the problem of plagiarism could be address. However, we were not able to complete a sound resolution due to the lack of group cooperation. This is due to the fact that some of our members did not attend the scheduled meeting, which is why only some of us made the resolution. Our professor gave us a failing mark that resulted for most of the members to blame each other. This attribution clearly shows that most of us came from an individualistic culture because we tend to think of ourselves and our own interest without giving due consideration to the shortcomings of the whole group. In another perspective, if this incident happen from someone coming from a collective culture the failure that took place would be seen as the responsibility of all members. Those who did the resolution also have their misgivings as they fail to remind the other members of the meeting. Furthermore, the lack of cooperation and teamwork of all the members is one of the major factors as to why we get a failing mark. The aforementioned incidents prove that culture has a huge impact in an individual. The behavior as well as the decisions of a person is greatly influence by cultural factors. Reference Individualism versus collectivism. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 29, 2008, from http://www. via-web. de/284. html.

Children’s Language Development

Children’s language development and second language acquisition Sandra Morales Texas Woman’s University Children’s language development and second language acquisition The paper investigates how children develop their cognitive and language skills in a context that is influenced by social and biological factors. The literature review discusses the Cognitive and Social Constructivism theories and their influence on the education field. In addition the author presents how children develop their language at different stages and how those stages influence the growth and development of a second language.Language acquisition is one of the most important topics in cognitive development. In the study of language development it is necessary to consider all the factors that affect cognitive development and their influence on child development. Many theorists investigate how children acquire language skills and how heredity, environment, culture, and biological factors infl uence language development (Meadows, 2006). Rationale It has been said that language is a characteristic that establishes a difference between animals and humans.It is the ability to communicate with others, transmit and receive information gathered through symbols, gestures, facial expressions or other ways to express thoughts that others can understand what has been said (Jones, 1972). What is language? According to Bochner (1997) language is a form of communication. It involves a system of signs and symbols that are used by a group of people to communicate. The symbols include but are not limited to written symbols and sounds.The language may be diverse in different cultures in terms of how the symbols system is used, the formal properties of the language, and the way people use that language to communicate with others in the same culture. Every culture has its own language system. As a matter of fact all languages have four main components (Bochner, 1997): Pragmatics (use) †“ learn to use the sounds, gestures, words, and body language. Meaning (semantics) –understand the messages, represented in words, or written.Rules (syntax and morphology) – use the grammatical system of the language, combine words to convey a meaning. Sounds – Are the words intelligible enough that others can understand them. Throughout this paper the author will discuss various theoretical perspectives associated with the language development of children at different stages of their development. Some scholars such as Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner and Chomsky have revealed common ideas between the language acquisition and the cognitive development that are being discussed in this paper.The purpose of this paper is to present the process of how children develop their language through the lenses of those four theorists and their contributions in the early childhood field. In addition the reader will find information regarding how children learn and develop a second language and the implication during the development. The primary consideration about language development is immersed in a controversy concerning the roots of language acquisition, and how people communicate their thinking processes, feelings and ideas.According to Meadows (2006) language development involves different processes that include but are not limited to physical, emotional and cognitive development. Having an understanding of the differences between individuals, their experiences and their contact with other adults and significant ones, will help to understand how the language is developed. All this provides the opportunities for growth and development in different areas that complement the life of the person. In relation to the development the contact and relation with others start influencing the baby in his mother's womb.During the gestational time the fetus can hear the voice of their mother, and other sounds (music, etc), and after their birth they can recognize the voice of others. In other words the learning process starts at early stages in child development. Literature Review Piaget Cognitive Constructivism Piaget’s main focus of constructivism has to do with the person and how they construct their knowledge. Piaget believed individuals must adapt to their environment, and develops as parts of the adaptation process to the environment.According to Piaget, the individual needs to understand the information that they are receiving in order to be able to use it; they must construct their own knowledge (Powell, 2009). For Piaget, language development is internal mental processes controlled by developmental processes and is done individually, without the interventions of others (Agbenyega, 2009). As a result of mastering one stage, children will be ready to move, learn, and develop according to the expectations of the next stage. In regards to language development Piaget sees language as part of the cognitive development.How children thin k determines when and what the child can speak. In addition Piaget, states that children’s talking abilities emerge naturally without any formal teaching by adults, however more sophisticated vocabulary require formal education and experiences with the language. During early stages of the development according to Piaget, words are related to schemas of actions related to the child and those schemas will later be incorporated into exiting schemas that will support future learning experiences. Through the process of assimilation and accommodation, children go searching for what Piaget called balance or equilibration.Assimilation according to Piaget, is when the individual adds new information into their schemas. Accommodation is when individuals change their schemas to understand new information into their knowledge. Piaget states that children learn to construct meaning about the new information and through assimilating and accommodating that information into their schemas. Du ring the equilibration the individual looks for information received that makes sense with previous information. When the children find that balance, they move again to a more comfortable stage where the information received makes sense.According to Piaget, children pass through different stages in their development; going through these stages provides children with a constant acquisition of information that will increase and help to build new knowledge and understanding of previous information learned. The basic principle of assimilation refers to the ability of children to use what they already know to understand the world around them. In contrast accommodation refers to the process of changing mental structures to provide consistency with external reality. It occurs when existing schemas are modified for a ew experience. Both principles help children to develop and construct their thinking patterns and use it according with their needs (Agbenyega, 2009). He believed that the mind does not respond to stimulus and consequences, but grows and change over different periods of time. In other words the intelligence appears progressively through the repetitions of activities that vary in each stage of the development. Piaget’s four stages of development: Sensorimotor from 0 to two during this stage children discover the environment around them, using their senses and then acquiring the language.Preoperational from two to seven years old: At this stage children develop language skills, however, they understand what they are saying but do not grasp totally what others have said. Here they distinguish pictures and other objects. Concrete operations from seven to eleven years old: At this stage children use their logical reasoning about things. Formal operations from eleven to adulthood: During this stage individuals use higher order thinking skills and abstractions to solve problems. Piaget’s stages of development are all about how children learn at dif ferent ages through their development.Based on the individual, all go through the same stages during their development. Social Constructivism Vygostsky and Bruner Social constructivism is based on the social interaction between the children with significant others, such as parents, caregivers, peers, and teachers. Vygotsky framework involves the social interactions and culture as part of the language development. He discussed the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The ZPD controls what the children learn, also what he can learn and do when he is helped by others. According to Vygotsky the learning process is easier when others are involved.Children may be asked to perform a task, students have some meaning of the task they need to complete, however, they may have difficult to do it. But with the adequate support to complete the task they will do it. Bruner's theory of constructivism discussed the idea of learning as an active process where the learners are able to form new ideas ba sed on their current and past knowledge. Jerome Bruner emphasized the importance of social interactions and explained that children develop language based on their contact with others as a result of educational processes (Bruner, 1960).He discussed scaffolding and how the construction of knowledge is based on their existing knowledge acquired during previous development. Scaffolding refers to the knowledge of previous skills that provide support for the acquisition of new learning experiences. Bruner and Vygostky believed that learning processes are tied to this concept, and facilitate a student’s ability to build on prior knowledge. For these theorists, the influence of experiences is a basic ingredient in the language development. Chomsky naturalistic approachChomsky argues that language is a unique human ability. He discussed the innate abilities of children to learn the language. As a result, all children go through the same process to learn a language (Stark, 2008). He d iscussed the language acquisition device (LAD) that allows children to produce in consistent ways the use of their first language. In this framework, all languages use nouns, pronouns, verbs, and other grammar rules. In addition, Chomsky established that children learn language through means other than imitation; they do not always imitate mistakes made by others.Chomsky maintains that it is necessary to have formal instruction in the proper use of language and grammar (Stark, 2008). Child language development When we speak about the communication process, we speak about the ability to receive and transfer information that other people can understand and mean something to others. Verbal and nonverbal forms are expressions that enhance the communication with others. The process of language development would be described as a continuous process that gradually changes during the individual development. As soon as after birth a process of communication begins.Infants try to communicate with adults using sounds, cooing. Those sounds are an important step on the road of language development, leading to a future stage where children are able to use the language to communicate in complex ways such as using words and sentences to express their thoughts. Language development includes understanding and communication skills based on words, spoken and written forms. According to Meadows (2006) different theoretical models such as Chomsky stated that language is innate and just with minimal exposure the child could develop their home language.The exposition to language pattern gives them the basic knowledge to learn the maternal tongue. The nature versus nurture perspective supports the point that when the child is exposed to a language, they will learn the patterns for that language naturally. In other words exposing a child to a language pattern will allow them to learn that language. However, the exposure to another language other than maternal tongue on a regular basis will provide with the pattern in that second language that the children will eventually learn, due to his exposition to the patterns and sound of that other language.Studies conducted by Macilla (2011) reveals that the frequency of the exposure to a second language and the consistency will influence how well the children will learn and perform using the second language. From birth the children are preparing for speech as a way to communicate with others. They are developing their physiological and cognitive structures to learn how to talk. Children pass through different stages to prepare the pharynx and larynx to produce those sounds, related to a pattern of their language.The native language of the child does not matter. They all move through the same stages using vowels and consonants to produce sounds that seem like words for the adults. The adults assign the meaning to the first sound that the babies produce. However, at the beginning there are just random patterns, babbling th at later during the development will continue into repeating the letter combination until the children learn a way to communicate using those patterns previously learned. All children are born with an innate ability to communicate (Chomsky 2006).As children grow language becomes an important tool to establish and maintain relationships with others. The nature of language includes the use of words, sentences and other grammar rules. It is important to understand the relationship between cognition and language development, in the context of prior knowledge and how experiences influence development (Wegerif, 2011). According to Bochner (1997) children move through these stages in learning to talk: Stage 1: Preliminary skills – Looking together, imitation, playing.Stage 2: Pre-verbal skills – Performatives (broom, quack) Stage 3: First words – â€Å"dog† â€Å"car† â€Å"mum† Stage 4: Early sentences – â€Å"daddy's car† â€Å"dog gone† Stage 5: Extending meaning – adding English morphemes, such as plurals Jones (1972) describes the stages in the development of speech as follows: Crying period – At birth, a newborns crying is the first vocal response to the environment around them. Vocal play period – Around the second month, infants begin to make different sounds. This production of sounds is an important step in the child’s language development.A variety of sounds may be heard in any language, but from the phonetic elements of babbling, the language that the child hears is the language that he or she eventually will use as their first language. Eventually, they will learn and master the grammar rules of that language. Sound imitation period – This period has two phases. The first phase begins around the six months and is initiated by the child’s awareness of sounds he produces. Because he likes what is being heard, he continues the repetition of those sounds. In the second phase, the child imitates sounds that he heard from others, â€Å"echolalia. This stage begins about the ninth month. The first sounds that the child imitates are those which are familiar, mostly coming from parents or caregivers. At this stage is when language development makes its formal appearance. The child comprehends simple words, specific vocalizations that have meaning for parents and caregivers. Language acquisition period – Begins about the last month of the first year. At this stage begins the conventional sound pattern or close to one. The child says the first words in their native language. The child understands and responds appropriately to others verbally.Between thirteen to eighteen months there is a slow growth of vocabulary. A language is based on grammatical structure, and that structure rests on rules that determine how to express thoughts. The three major components of language are: phonology (study of the smallest unit of speech called ph onemes), syntax (refers to the rules to form sentences), and semantic (the meaning of words and sentences). Every language has its own particularities; however, every language has the same components, in which people learn how to communicate based on the structure of their own language.To summarize how oral language is acquired, it is important to mention that the child moves through different stages during their development, in order to acquire the language and skills to be successful. Infants listen and very early begin to communicate their needs through the use of sounds and gestures. Toddlers use the language using simple sentences and asking questions. Young preschoolers used complete sentences to communicate. Theorists in language development discussed that a child produces sounds as a form to communicate with others.Those sounds come from his or her adaptation to the environment around them and as a consequence of the reinforcement by others during the learning and developmen tal processes. According to Beller (2008) the reinforcement occurs primarily when the child hears the sounds and considers those pleasant sounds. When those sounds are imitated by the child and he or she is rewarded in any way that produce satisfaction, the act of repetition begins, and eventually those sound combinations and repetitions open the door for a more sophisticated way of communication until the proper use of language appears.Learning a second language How children develop a second language has been a topic of interest since 1940 (Beller, 2008). Theorists discussed that learning a new language requires the use of existing structures that are supported by the first language. Language is a symbol for a social group. In many countries, people learn more than one language is associated with political issues. In many countries it is related to the level of education. To be considered educated in Europe, people have to know at least two languages. In the United States the secon d language is more related to immigrant issues.Many children who come from immigrant families learn their parent’s language and English as a second language. In future generations English will become their first language. During the early stages of the development of the mother tongue is necessary. It is considered part of the intellectual ability, is the individual’s first contact with language from birth, and supports emotional and cognitive development. Through the development the child learns the structure of his or her first language and that helps them to come up with his or her interpretations of the events around them.To master a second language according to Noormohamadi (2008) a child has to master his or her mother tongue. If the child does not master the first language, that will make the process of learning another language more difficult. When the first language is learned and the child has a total command of the language, the process of learning another l anguage will be supported by the first language, and all the concepts and learning can be transferred to the second language. The environment around the child has great influence on the child's vocabulary, skills, and general understanding of the language.According to Vygotsky, social interactions between children and adults influence the acquisition of any language. Another aspect to consider during the child's language development is the concept of nurturing. This concept is totally related to the social interactions. Nurturing bring up the issue of the relationship between the child and other adults. Children who are attached to their families are more likely to communicate for longer periods, and this helps their communication and language development.The amount of time children spend talking to others will improve their language skills. It is important to mention that each culture has standards of conversations between children and adults. Many cultures such as western cultures see children as conversational partners, promoting the verbal development of the child. Other cultures such as Hispanic culture do not discuss events or problems with their children. In these cultures children are not allowed to be active participants in adult conversations.Variations in social-cultural beliefs are aspects to consider in the development of a second language Oades-Sese (2011). The influence and relationship with others, within the same cultural values and language is significant and will add positive reinforcement to how the child learns and develops through his life. Based on Piaget's theory children learn and develop by organizing their experiences into schemas that helps them to understand the world around them. Those schemes are related to two important concepts in Piaget’s theory, adaptation and assimilation.During development children assimilate new information into the schemas that they already have, accommodating the new information into their mental structures. This process continues until the children learn the new information and come into a stage of equilibrium. For those children who are learning a second language the knowledge of their first language helps them in the acquisition of the second. All languages have their structure integrated by sounds, letters, grammar rules, and other factors that help the learner to acquire the language.The structure of each language contains variations such as alphabet, pronunciation, specific rules based on that language, but in general the similarities in structure facilitate the acquisition of the second language because using the knowledge in the first language helps make connections with the second language. Therefore the learning process is easier for the child. Conclusion The combination of the theories presented in this paper provides the author a new perspective regarding language acquisition and development in early childhood.Each theory supports Piaget, Vygotsky, and Chomsky fr ameworks based on observations and their studies on how children develop the language. However, each theory can blend to show how a child develops language and which methods can be used in order to reinforce the acquisition and retention of the first and second language. Each theory discussed helps to explain the process of language development, from Piaget’s cognitive constructivism which emphasizes a child’s ability to reason and construct his or her own knowledge, based on the individual experience, to Vygostky’s social influences and interactions to Chomsky’s nativism approach.All of these theories interpret language development differently. However, of all theories discussed throughout this paper it is the author’s belief that social interactions are the most helpful approach to understand how children develop language. Biological and environmental factors are necessary in order for a child to learn the language and develop the language. Moreo ver, the child’s interaction with others influences the acquisition of the language. It is important for the child to interact with others in order to learn the pattern of the language.Language development is a long process influenced by biological, family, and environmental factors that contribute the growth of the child in all aspects of their development including of course, the language acquisition. In order to learn another language, researchers such as Bruner, Vygotsky, Piaget, and Chomsky discussed the importance of learning and mastering the mother tongue. It is necessary to learn the grammar rules of the first language to use that knowledge to transfer the concepts learned into the second language. However, is a long learning process that starts after birth and continues through the child development.According to Mancilla-Martinez (2011) who stated that children need to continue having formal instruction in order to develops proficiency in the first language and have formal instruction in the second language. For some immigrants’ children born in a foreign country or even those who were born in the United States to immigrant parents, school is the first formal exposure to English language. This group will eventually come a large portion of the society needs the support of formal instruction to learn and develops the proficiency on the second language.To become proficient in the English language does not require parents use of English at home; however, to develop proficiency in the first language the instructional support and use of the language at home is necessary. It is necessary to be aware of the increments of this population and the particularities of each culture in order to support the language development (Mancilla Martinez, 2011). Many factors are associated with language development; most of them are associated when children begin attending primary grade levels, this is when the use of more sophisticated vocabulary is introduce d.The students need to learn the higher level of language in order to become proficient in the second language. Even learning the mother tongue, children need to learn more scholarly vocabulary and grammar rules appropriate for their age and to understand these when they encounter them in textbooks. When children come from homes in which a language other than English is used lead the proficiency in that language. Understanding the patterns of the first language is essential to developing effective programs to facilitate the study and acquisition of a second language.This fact is applicable for all levels of study of second languages. Therefore the educational systems should support the study and application of this in the teaching of second language. Mastery of the first language is a vital factor in the progress to study and acquire fluency in other languages. Its acquisition is a basis and support for all other languages studied throughout one's lifetime. References Agbenyega, J. (2009). The australian early development Index, who does it measure: Piaget or Vygotsky’s child? Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 34(2), 31-38.Beller, S. (2008). Fostering language acquisition in daycare settings. Early Childhood Development. 49, 1-52. Bloom, L. , Lahey, M. (1978). Language development and language disorders. US. Bochner, S. , Price, P ; Jones, J. (1997). Child language development. Lerning to talk. London: England. Chomsky, N. (2006). In Chomsky. Info. Retrieved February 9, 2011, Chomsky. Info Online: http://www. chomsky. info/ Chosmky, N. (2005). Three factors in language design. Linguistic Inquiry, 36(1), 1-22. Feldman, R. S. (2010). Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 9th edition Greene, M. 1960). Learning to talk. A parents’ guide to the first five years. US. NY. Jones, M. and Guidon, A. (1972). Language development. They key to learning. US. Mancilla-Martinez, J. and Lesaux, N. (2011). Early home language use and later vocabulary devel opment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 103(3), 535-546. Meadows, S. (2006). The Child as Thinker. The development and acquisition of cognition in childhood ( 2nd ed. ). NY: Routledge. Noormohamadi, R. (2008). Mother tongue, a necessary step to intellectual development. Journal Pan-Pacific Applied Linguistics, 12(2), 25-36.Oades-Sese, G. ; Li, Y. (2011). Attachment relationship as predictors of language skill for at-risk bilingual preschool children. Psychology in the Schools, 48(7), 707-722. doi: 10. 1002/pits. 20583. Piaget, J. (1928). The child’s conception of the world. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Powell, K. ,, and Kalina, C. (2009). Cognitive and social constructivism: Developing tools for an effective classroom. Education, 130(2), 241-250. Wegerif R. (2011). Towards a Dialogic Theory of How Children Learn to Think. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 6(3), 179–190.

Lean Accounting

Essay Question 1 What are the main benefits and challenges of implementing a lean accounting system in a lean manufacturing environment? Do you anticipate interest in lean accounting will grow, the methods will change, or the concepts will fade out and be replaced with another ‘flavor of the month’? How do you perceive lean principles affecting your career? Justify your answers. I. Lean Accounting Lean accounting often refers to more simplified accounting practices that focuses on eliminating waste, reducing production lead time, and producing products on customer demand. But Lean accounting does not stand alone. It is enabled by lean thinking and lean production methods. And lean accounting not only needs lean manufacturing, it also facilitates lean manufacturing. 1 That’s why lean accounting is always related to, but not necessarily have to be associated with lean manufacturing. Here are some specific positive reasons that lean accounting is important. 1. Reduces time, cost, and waste by eliminating wasteful transactions and systems. 2. A better way to understand costs, product costs and value stream costs. 3. Provides information for better lean decision making. 4. Identifies the potential financial benefits of lean manufacturing improvements. 5. Frees up the time for finance people to work on lean improvement. 6. Focuses the business around the value-added activities created for customers. 2 II. Benefits of Implementing a Lean Accounting System in a Lean Manufacturing Environment According to the positive reasons that addressed above, companies can be benefited from implementing a lean accounting system in a lean manufacturing environment in several different ways. 1. Eliminate Waste One of the most important objectives of lean improvement is to eliminate waste from the non-value-added . Chapter 2, â€Å"Maturity Path to Lean Accounting†, Practical Lean Accounting. 2. Chapter 1, â€Å"Why Is Lean Accounting Important? †, Practical Lean Accounting. activities and processes of the company. Companies can save costs, free up capacity and improve product quality through eliminating waste. Generally, most of the reduced waste translate s into available capacity. Then, companies can make good use of the freed up capacity to generate financial benefits. If the reduced waste saves costs, companies can reinvest the saved working capital into the business and make improvements in production. 2. Better Lean Decision Making Lean accounting methods for decision-making revolve around an understanding of the flow of production through the value streams, and the effect of these decisions on the value stream profitability and contribution. Why we need to manage the business through the value streams? It was repeatedly stressed that the primary importance in lean is the focus on the flow of the product from the customer order to its final delivery. 3 We can clearly analyze the performance of the company through three parts on a box score, i. e. , operational performance, capacity usage, financial performance. Then, it’s easy, clear, and quick to make decisions upon the specific information we need. Especially, the advantages are that we can change some of the information to see how they will affect the profitability and margin, like some of the exercise we did with the outsourcing decision, and the financial information is up to date, often to the current week. 4 3. Time Freed up Employees are often categorized into different value streams so that the time of employee has been freed up by lean accounting, meaning that companies produce the same level of product or services with fewer employees. And finance people do not have to spend a lot of time preparing the financial statements, because it’s simpler and straightforward, forecasting and budgeting. Another way to conclude is employees’ work efficiency has been improved. Companies will save money if labor cost is reduced, as labor cost is usually the highest expense in the companies. The freed up time not only saves cost, but also can be devoted to lean improvements to pursue the goal of continuous improvement. In addition, companies can use the available time to cross-train employees and create them more skilled. . Chapter 7, â€Å"Managing by Value Stream†, Practical Lean Accounting. 4. SMA (2) _Lean Accounting, Decision Making, P23. III. Challenges of Implementing a Lean Accounting System in a Lean Manufacturing Environment Although there are more benefits from the implementation of lean accounting, the challenges do exist. There are always two sides to a thing. And we can’t avoid some challe nges during the implementation process. 1. Senior Management Initiative This is the most critical part when implementing lean accounting in a lean manufacturing environment. Lean implementation across the company will not be successful if senior management is not fully committed. The same situation in Who’s Counting? , the company won’t achieve anything if the executives are not fully supportive. And there will be conflicts between different departments, because they are not on the same boat. 2. Short-term Profitability Companies may find out that there is no short-term financial improvement after implementing lean. And this causes comments such as: â€Å"We see wonderful results in operations, but they don’t show up in the financial statements. If lean is so great, why doesn’t it hit the bottom line? †5 So lean accounting faces with the challenge that how to present and convince the executive team with different perspective and make sure they don’t give up transforming into lean in the very beginning formation of lean. 3. Traditional Accounting System Stand in the Way For those companies who have already on the right track, it’s harmful for companies to still use the traditional accounting methods. There is a very common example of this problem. Using the traditional accounting methods do not show the financial benefit of lean manufacturing, especially hen there is a sudden reduction in inventory level which has a negative effect on company’s profitability. IV. Future of Lean Accounting Before this course, I didn’t even hear about lean accounting. But, after learning this new concept via different channels, I personally prefer the idea of lean accounting than traditional accounting. Now, people desperately find ways to make things simpler, and easier to understand and use. So, in my opinion, the future for lean accounting is promising in that it saves time and energy, provides understandable information for all others besides the finance . Chapter 4, â€Å"Financial Benefits of Lean Manufacturing†, Practical Lean Accounting. people, and is value-added. Lean production is a model for the future—it may well become an essential element of a sustainable global strategy. As Henry Ford so aptly noted, â€Å"Customers cannot be expected to pay for waste, nor can a worker be paid very much for producing waste. †6 Lean is all about eliminating waste and creates value for both customers and the companies. But there are some problems when it comes to the time needed to completely transform into lean. Recall this issue from Who’s Counting? , it takes time to implement lean accounting and see the anticipated outcome from it. And a most critical problem is that lean accounting requires proper environment, i. e. , a lean manufacturing environment, to work out. However, everything takes time and has its disadvantages. Maybe some changes will be added to it and make it happen without these problems. In a word, the best future for lean accounting will be figured out through more and more companies joining the implementation of lean accounting and those companies wanting the change. V. Lean Principles Affect the Career The five lean principles, to be simplified, are 1) Customer value; 2) Define the value stream; 3) Create flow; 4) Create pull; 5) Continuous improvement. From my understanding, I think these principles can be concluded by a concept in lean thinking, i. e. , PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act). First of all, there should be a short-term or long-term plan for my career. And the core objective is to create value for the work and the company. Second, implement those plans instead of just thinking; find the root cause to solve problems instead of running away from them; be proactive in work, that is to say, don’t wait others to push me move forward. Third, constantly check whether I am on my way towards the ultimate goal in my career and make changes accordingly. Fourth, be strict with myself. The organization should continuously strive itself to become better and better. So do I. I have to make progress every day in order to adapt to the changing environment. Seeking perfection can be the ultimate goal both in career and in life. 6. SMA _Lean Enterprise, Conclusion, P28. Bibliography [1] Tyler Lacoma, Demand Media, Accounting Differences with Lean vs. Traditional Manufacturing [2] Dan Antony, Demand Media, Benefits of Lean Accounting in a Lean Manufacturing Company [3] Dan Woods, Lean Accounting’s Fat Problem, 07/28/2009 [4] John Cleveland, Benefits of lean in the accounting department, Feb, 2005 [5] Brain Maskell; Bruce Baggaley, Practical Lean Accounting [6] SMA _Lean Enterprise; SMA _Lean Accounting [7] Karen M. Kroll, The Lowdown on Lean Accounting—A new way of looking at the numbers, Journal of Accountancy, July 2004

Perception of The Vietnam War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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