School Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

School Violence - Essay Example Furthermore, there are many factors which can lead to integration within a gang, making it difficult to predict or prevent (Winfree Jr., Fuller, Vigil & Mays, 1992). For many people, time within a gang constitutes an important part of their life, however, a large number also successfully leave a gang (Pyrooz & Decker, 2011). It is important to understand the culture of gangs to help find ways of preventing youths from entering gangs, or helping them to successfully exit. One important study that has focused on delinquency in adolescents is the Rochester Youth Development Study. This research is critically important, because it considers the behavior of youth, as well as the causes and consequences of this behavior over a long period of time. The research first started in 1986, and followed a sample of 1,000 adolescent juveniles from the 7th and 8th grades in public schools within Rochester New York, through to their early adulthood. In this study, gang membership was present in a third of the sample group, yet it was responsible for 86% of serious acts of delinquency as well as 70% of sales of drugs that occurred within the group. Those who were gang members committed violent offensives more often when they were actively part of the gang than either before joining or after leaving. The authors examined violent behavior taking into account all other potentially confounding factors, including prior violence, and poverty, and still found a significant association between being active in a gang and violence. The authors argued that this result suggested that the norms of behavior within the gang, as well as group dynamics, strongly contributed to the prevalence of violence and delinquency (Thornberry, Krohn, Lizotte & Smith, 1998). This article focused on examining the behavior of adolescents across time without any selection for gang activity. Because of this, the sample size and the duration of the study, it

Challenge is Managing the People Who Manage Knowledge Essay

Challenge is Managing the People Who Manage Knowledge - Essay Example The management should present the knowledge worker with an opportunity to collect, verify, validate and apply knowledge learned from his experiences and from the corporate records, and be able to share it with other workers. Such knowledge, when effectively disseminated in the organization, adds value to the organization or can aid in problem solving. According to McFarlane, despite the knowledge and experience a knowledge worker has, he or she needs exposure to tasks that will encourage personal growth. The management should realize that this is a need to the knowledge worker and has to be satisfied. Tasks assigned to these workers should present an opportunity for them to apply their criticality, skills, and experience. The tasks must pose a challenge to them, so that they can grow. Giving knowledge workers easy tasks will be under utilizing them and they will look for more challenging opportunities elsewhere. According to Serrat, an organization should define task objectives clear ly. In addition, the management should ensure that each worker understands the performance standards. An organization seeking to manage the knowledge workers effectively should formulate critical mission vision statements. Mission vision statements of an organization determine the mission vision statement of an individual in an organization, as well as the values an individual will display. If the mission of an organization presents great responsibility, the knowledge worker will be pushed to give his or her best and share knowledge with other workers in an effort to achieve the set goals of the organization. Setting challenging goals will push the workers to be more creative and critical and this will bring new ideas into the organization. The vision of an organization gives the knowledge worker a clear picture of the direction in which the organization should be moving. When the knowledge worker has a sense of direction, he performs better. According to Serrat, knowledge workers n eed knowledge managers. This is critical for any organization, because it requires a change in the type of managers hired. Organizations should no longer look at the ability to exercise power in a manager, but rather an ability to lead a team. A manager should have skills that enable him handles issues in his or her team effectively. A knowledge manager should be able to appreciate the talent of the team, mentor, and efficiently give feedback to the team. Knowledge workers need good working relationships with their managers. It is critical for the organization to ensure that managers provide a good working environment to the workers. Organizations should therefore do away with the traditional boss who spends time in supervision and giving orders. A knowledge manager should focus on organizational learning to ensure exemplary performance of the organization. The knowledge workers deserve space and time for them to work on their own. Constant supervision limits creativity and creativi ty. This does not mean that the management should allow them to do things their own way, but poses a challenge for the smart manager to realize when to supervise, or when to give them their space. It is not easy for an organization to quantify the amount of work done by knowledge workers, as it is n form of knowledge

Themes In The Novel The Tortilla Curtain English Literature Essay

Themes In The Novel The Tortilla Curtain English Literature Essay Boyles The Tortilla Curtain is a well woven literary piece that proves to be the best and the most successful of all his novels in history. Looking at his style of writing, he knits together illegal immigration, poverty, social class, racism, the American dream and xenophobia into a highly contrasted society that runs deep into the veins of the 21st Century America. Most publicists and scholars as well as critics have posed Boyles novel, The Tortilla Curtain as a timely provocative account that vividly highlights the immigration events in central California. Following this stance, Boyle had a purpose of writing this book and its success is dependent on the nature of understanding of his writing by the readers. The success of any literary piece is guaranteed if the writer achieves the unity of thought. This implies that the main reasons why the author wrote the books are communicated to the reader; the same understanding of the book is shared between the author and the reader. This co ntext seeks to analyze symbolism and the major themes that Boyle portrays in The Tortilla Curtain. The protagonists in this novel form the key focus in the analysis of the themes and symbolism used. The story entails two families that belong to the low class and the middle class in the society. The poor family consists of illegal Mexican immigrants (Candido and Amà ©rica) and the rich family (Kyra and Delaney) who are a real estate agent and columnist in an environmentalist magazine respectively. The setting of the novel portrays a man eat man society whereby the middle class care less about the low class. The story is woven from the two families that are intertwined from the time when Kyra has an accident which involves Candido, the poor man. The American Dream encompasses the belief that as long as one enters America and works hard, success is inevitable. This is a mere illusion as Candido and Amà ©rica remains the poorest in spite of their hard work. The middle class family works less yet they have a better life than those who work tirelessly. It is inevitable that everyone aspire good life and this is the reason why immigrants moved into the United States. Each of them had their share in making the American dream come true regardless of the hardships that they have to go through. The dreams of the two couples are varied but they both find nothing but illusions in their dreams at the end. It all matters where they are and what they want to achieve and since none achieves, then the American dream to them is just but an illusion. The aspect of class and racism will be discussed together in this analysis. The gated community where Kyra and his family live creates a gap between the haves and the have-nots. It does not only tear the middle and low class apart but also portrays racism between the whites and other ethnic minorities such as the Mexicans in the United States. At first Delaney, is a liberalist who believes in equal opportunity. This is evidenced in his quote that, everyone deserves a chance [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] immigrants are the lifeblood of this country (p.101). However, this is blurred by his concern on the environment over the starving immigrants (the poor) as he quotes,chewing up resources of the planet like locusts (82). The contempt and atrocity of racists is shown in Delaney when he hits Candido with his car and pays off a bloody $20 bill (13). Candido decides not to call the police because he knows that he is in the country illegally: On the other hand, Melaney hesitates to call the police beca use he only hit a Mexican forgetting that he had committed a crime. The$20 bill is an insult and serves as a bribe to blackmail the poor man to remain silent after the ordeal. In support of this, Jack who is an attorney is portrayed as a racist as he supports the stone wall construction and the gate. He fails in his duty to reinforce the law in the knowledge of a crime already committed. The attitude and fear they have on Mexicans is purely on the segregation of the Mexicans as shown in his quote, You want another crazy Mexican throwing himself under your wheels hoping for an insurance payoff? (102). This leads to the next theme; xenophobia. By definition, xenophobia is the feeling of hatred and fear that is experience by the citizens of a country when immigrants sets foot in their land. Though the immigrants are feared to be criminal, the actual perpetrators are inside the wall that was built. They are afraid of competition from the immigrants. They understand that the immigrants have the potential yet they will not give them equal opportunities as the citizens. Instead they exploit their vulnerability by paying low wages for work so that they can make huge profits. This portrays them as selfish. In addition, they are criminals who are perceived as honourable members of the society. They thus use the power gained to discriminate against the ethnic minorities. Work should be a move to improve the living standards of the employees and therefore people of true spirit care about their employees welfare. Immigration as a theme is portrayed as illegal in the timeline of this novel. This can be coupled by the theme of poverty as it comes out best together. Further in this novel, the coyote symbolizes the immigration. The exploitation of labor for the poor as shown by the low wages paid to Candido is one instance of immigration and poverty. Though they knew that they deserved better, they had no option but to work and earn the meagre wages for survival. They couldnt talk about it for the fear of the repercussions from the illegal immigration. Poverty is again witnessed when Socorro, Candidos daughter is born and is suspected to be blind but they cannot face the problems due to poverty. In another instance of poverty, Candido robbing in the city leads to feeding from trash cans to avoid starving. This shows how the society doesnt care for the poor. This is the lowest form of poverty that one can live in; its far beyond the international poverty line that projects that the poorest homeste ad spends at least $1 a day. Again, it shows the realities of life in the modern era where civilized is highly upheld. What is civilization when the country is symbolized by coyotes? This leads us to the use of symbolism in this novel. In the analysis of symbolism, coyote is the most prominent and a motif that recurs throughout the novel while at the same times the strongest representation of the immigrants in this analysis. Immigration is portrayed as a monster in America in the case where the Mossbachers two dogs are feasted by the wild animal. Though a fence is built such as that at the US-Mexican border, they still penetrate (Boyle 39). Delaneys column coyote experiences are brought in this view as he quotes, One coyote, who makes his living on the fringes of my community [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] has learned to simply chew his way through the plastic irrigation pipes whenever he wants to drink.(212): This symbolizes Candido who steals water and other basic requirements for his family just like the coyote does to the dogs. In addition, Delaney quotes that, The coyote is not to blame-he is only trying to survive, to make a living, to take advantage of the opportunities available to him (215). This also applies to Candid os way of life: He takes up any opportunity that comes to his way such as the case of the Turkey offer and he doesnt care what the society thinks of him. He is forced to do so for survival and he again resembles the coyote. Think of this: no house and camps in a canyon, digs in garbage in search for food, intrudes on other peoples property for survival; is this not exactly the way a coyote lives? Candido, an illegal immigrant, is not welcome in the city just like the hunted coyote. In addition, Josà © Navidad backs on the symbolic coyote; he is portrayed as the bad guy. He rapes women and survives by intruding on other peoples property. It is more interesting when Candido feels that his space is intruded by Josà © Navidad as quoted, Now he had to worry about this stinking crack-toothed pendejo nosing around down in the canyon, as if he did not have enough problems already (90). The nature of house where one lived defines the class and the achievement of the American dream. The low class live in simple houses that were self made and others were homeless while the middle class lived in fenced houses. Following this, the wall as a symbol of separation between the two classes was constructed. From a general stance, a wall serves as a physical barrier between two parties. In reference to the case at hand, the wall is used metaphorically to keep the two cultures apart. Though the fences have been put in place and failed to serve the purpose it is inevitable that the illegal immigrants will continue to find their way through the US-Mexican border into America in search of success and the achievement of the American dream. Those who live inside the wall that is, the middle class and those who live outside the wall, the low class are separated by the wall. The wall also symbolizes the great fear that the Americans had for the Mexicans. The wall is a symbolic device for creating gaps between the haves and the have-nots but this is not the solution to the problems which they perceive to emanate from the Mexicans. As the poor struggles with their lives outside the wall, the haves are also affected as well though they wont admit it. This is demonstrated when Candido roasts the bird pack given to him by a Turkish customer after a promotion thanks giving (an act of kindness from the customer), it causes fire which extends to the gate community of the haves. In conclusion, Boyle portrays Americas life a struggle and survival for the fittest. The smartest in adopting and coping with the changing face of America survives. Symbolism comes out as the main stylistic device that was used by the author to complete this well thought literary piece. Through the use of imagery and excellent choice of diction, he voices out the realities of immigrants without sounding rude and offensive. The themes discussed in this novel fit in the contemporary literature: The modern United States is still fighting illegal immigration, poverty, social class and racism. Its current economy is at threat as more immigrants gets their way in America and floods the job market and exert pressure on the natural resources (Stringer x). The American dream and xenophobia are still eminent given the adverse effects of immigration on the economy, the environment and social amenities. Boyle book exhibits powerful mastery of literary techniques which leaves the reader pondering on the immigrants situation in the United States more so for those who have future prospects of living and working there. He shows that America is tattered with poverty in the midst of the vast development, hence the economic disparities that are the norm in the global economic arena. Work Cited Boyle, Coraghessan. The Tortilla Curtain. London: Penguin Books, 1996. Stringer, Jenny. The Oxford companion to twentieth-century literature in English. United States: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Mentoring a Third Year Student Nurse Essay -- reflect on mentoring expe

For this assignment I will address Morton- Cooper & Palmer (2005) enabling traits and discussed the core skill of a mentor. I will analyse and reflect on how I’ve utilised these skill with a third year student nurse in my practice area (cardiology) I will also reflect and evaluate my mentoring experience with my learner to see if there is any area of improvement or changes to be amended. The Department for Health (2001) defined a mentor as an individual who facilitates learning and supervises and assesses students in the practice setting. As mentors, they make time for there students, checked student performance, set boundaries for the shift, knew what students were learning, explain what they were doing, asked questions and challenged students and acted as positive role models. In summary an effective mentor is someone who has a particular view of the nature of human beings and how they should be treated, has certain personal attributes, up-to-date knowledge and skills related to their professional practice and a genuine desire to give time and energy to the role of mentor. This is important as its helps in building student’s confident and also be able to work in friendly environment. Morton- Cooper & Palmer (2005) has identified three characteristics /Enabling Traits of an effective mentor which would be analysed in the essay. This involved Competence, Confidence, and Commitment. As a mentor I have to prepare myself prior to meeting my student needs. My manager gave me details of my student including the year and duration on the ward. With this information, I prepared my shift rota to fit in with my student for the first week. I met with my student for the first time and introduced myself to her as her mentor. I ... ...n important role in developing nursing students’ learning. The interaction with patients and their families during this experience helps nursing students to develop technical, psychomotor, interpersonal and communication skills (Banning et al 2006). In conclusion, mentoring is an important and effective adult learning strategy. There is a need to recognize that once one take on the role of mentor, there will be need to be equip with relevant educational training and with up to date knowledge. Being a mentor has given me the opportunity to develop learning skills in my clinical practice that will contribute to students learning in the future. It is ideal for mentor and student to link prior to starting the placement. The reflection process has given me skills to reflect, address strengths, weakness and the opportunity to address issues within practice area.

Specialty of Yellow Sapphires

Yellow sapphire ring Long gone are the times when blue was the only color associated with sapphires. With every leap mankind has taken, new wonders in every field have come to the forefront, yellow sapphire being one of them. Cheerful, sunny Yellow is synonymous with success, self confidence and power. Universally, yellow sapphire rings are worn for therapeutic, medical and spiritual reasons . The power of yellow sapphires is such that it is reported that by wearing it the girl of your dreams will become yours truly and if girls wear it they will find their true prince charming.The history of yellow sapphires is very interesting. For ages, the inside people of gem trade guarded its existence and found this magnificent stone worthy of nobody less than royalty. Considered to be the safest stone in gem industry for its neutral effects on the people with which it has least compatibility and exceeding effects on those it suits, it is the most valuable gem, coming second only to the diamon ds. In fact the diamonds and sapphires are very much alike in appearance and luster. It is the unique chemical structure of each which sets them apart.It is often said that a naked human eye can’t easily distinguish between these two beauties. Like diamonds, sapphires also exist in various hues and shades, depending on the type of impurity impregnating its internal structure. After chemically analyzing it, it has been found that iron, aluminum and florin are present in it. The yellow sapphires were originally found in the lands of Srilanka and India. In several cultures all over the world, yellow sapphires have great astrological significance.Wearing a large yellow sapphire ring brings peace, good luck and prosperity. It is the symbol of wisdom and wit. It exudes a calmness and serenity which enables the wearer to deal with his day to day activities with the attitude of a winner. Apart from this, ladies will agree that wearing unique, eye catching and one of its kind yellow s apphire rings will no doubt add an extra oomph to their outfit and personality and give it a warm accent on grayest of the days. You can always ear a small, delicate ring with formal attire or a large, eye catching piece on fancy occasions and be the centre of attention. Additionally, different colored sapphires can all be worn simultaneously depending on the mood and they will still look beautiful. Sapphires are often confused with the mood identifying opals because they have the ability to change color based on the intensity of light they are exposed into. Yellow, green, pink, violet, blue and purple are just some colors which these sapphires can show.The color changing ability has nothing to do with the change in mood in fact it’s the following three factors which play a major role in the color changing abilities of sapphires. Hue: The hue is what you see as the color. Saturation: The saturation describes the brightness or vividness of the color. Tone: The tone refers to t he darkness or lightness of the color. Yellow sapphires are found in a range of hues from smooth transparent light yellow to deep greenish yellow and orange yellow.Sometimes the yellow in these sapphires can be so pale that it can be deemed as a transparent white sapphire. Deep golden sapphires with a tint of orange in them are considered to be the finest type of yellow sapphires. The deeper the color of the stone the more it is valuable. Mostly these gem stones are cut in oral shapes with multiple facets to retain maximum weight of the stone and highlight inclusions like feather, color zoning, crystals or the natural fissures etc Because of their distinctive value in history, these stones are favored by men and women all over the world.Buying yellow sapphire rings is a safe bet as they are astrologically suited to every kind of nature and make for wonderful rings to celebrate your past, present and future with your loved one. Distinctive yellow engagement sapphire rings look bedazz ling, are durable and are marked with the power of creating harmony and affection in a relationship. Indeed, Princess Diana herself received one of the most exquisite sapphire ring on her engagement. In meticulous cuts, brilliant hues and its shimmering beauty yellow sapphire rings will be undoubtedly an unparalleled addition to your jewelry collection.

Huckleberry Finn Persuasive Essay

Dominique Garcia English 3 Honors Ms. Boden February 21, 2012 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a short novel that has been around for more than 100 years. Through the characters Huck and Jim, Twain demonstrates the importance of friendship and humanity in society. This novel is not for the ignorant or uneducated. The novel uses diction to emphasize how the past should not be repeated. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should belong in the American Canon because it demonstrates how society contributes to our opinions, morals, and attitude.Many students and adults can relate to Huck’s struggle to become free. Most students who read this novel are between the ages of 15-17. Adolescence is a point in a persons life when they do not know who they are. The book explains the struggle most of us go through. Also, the novel shows the importance of friendship. Through the novel, the students learn that it is right to stand up for a cause. For example, in the novel Huck stands up to racism. This can be applied to someone standing up for someone who is being bullied. Also, the novel contains many historical background of the U.S. A. Through this book we can learn what not to do. Twain emphasizes how evil slavery is and how is should not be done again. Most readers are able to understand this through the choice of words he uses. The novel also shows how ignorant and evil society can be. It lets students open their minds to not judge everyone by society’s standards. However, people complain that Twains diction in the novel is derogatory. African Americans argue that there freedom was hard earned and that the word â€Å"nigger† only emphasizes the negative .Some feel that the word is used in wrong connotation and that the book should be banned. They believe that if the youth read the book than it will only influence the use of the word and racism might begin as a problem again. The Adventures of Huckl eberry Finn by Mark Twain is a novel that has withstand 100 years. People still read it and make connections to the novel thru the themes of freedom, friendship, and society’s standards. However, other people see the novel as derogatory, unsuccessful, and improper.