Chart and Reflection Essay

1980 Election This was a political event because it caused a change in the government. Americans wanted a firm, patriotic leader who had a plan to fix the economic problems carrying over from the 1970s. Jimmy Carter was running for reelection, and Americans overall were very unhappy with his leadership. Ronald Reagan emerged as his challenger, a former actor with great public skills and a plan. They elected Ronald Reagan in 1980 who had a controversial plan for fixing the U.S. economy, later dubbed â€Å"Reaganomics.† 1980  Reagan Doctrine Treaty of 1987 the president’s foreign policy in the 1980s of supporting anti-Communist revolutions. reduced existing weapons. the Reagan Doctrine would not shy away from directly confronting Soviet-supported regimes or groups. prevent nuclear proliferation in our own territory and around the globe.   U.S. support favored groups that, while not Communist, were not democratic either. The most controversial of these efforts was in Nicaragua. Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union. He believed that the future of the Soviet Union depended on important reforms and began to implement two programs. the policy led to U.S. involvement in conflicts around the world. Part 2: Answer the following questions in a complete paragraph of your own words. Do you think President Ronald Reagan’s policies had a positive or negative effect on the country overall? Explain your response. Reagan’s foreign policy actions were very positive because they lead to the end of the Cold War and the threat of communism that had been plaguing America for decades. What do you think was the most significant event of the 1980s and why? -Ronald Reagan elected president -Britain’s elite SAS frees Iranian embassy in London after being taken over by terrorists -52 Americans held hostage are returned home after 444 days in captivity -Ronald Reagan survives an assassination attempt by John Hinckley -Riots in Brixton and inner cities in Britain -Britain’s Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding -Discovery of AIDS virus These events are significant because they have had an impact on our country today.

Leaving Home

My brother, Ricky, sister, Amrit and I had only found out a week before, that we were just about to be whisked away to a foreign country we hadn't set in for seven years, and seven years before that. We would be staying there for a whole month, so as you can imagine, we were taken aback, yet somewhat sceptic, as we'd always heard our parents mentioning a trip to India for a few months, but never actually believed they would go to the bother of booking the tickets. After all, my mother had only taken my now 5-year-old sister to see her family there four years ago. My immediate concern was language. I can read and write my mother tongue, and understand what people are telling me, but wasn't very good at speaking back. I think this pleased my parents, they thought it would be good for us, as they knew we would have to start learning to talk in our mother tongue Punjabi. It wasn't really difficult to prepare for the trip, well not for me anyway. All I had to do was make sure I had a holiday form, homework and suitcase packed. However, my poor parents had to sort out the passports, visas, currency, jabs (ouch) and house security while we were away. I didn't really tell my friends until the last minute, as I was expecting a cancellation, change in plan or even told I'd been set up and it was all a joke. I was actually a little annoyed with my parents for not booking during school holidays, not because I'd miss school, only the workload I'd have to catch up on. But once they explained that they couldn't get a holiday the same time as us, I felt quite sorry for them. When I think back to it, I was actually disappointed that we were going to India, instead of Canada in the summer, which is where I was hoping go, which was no longer possible. India as I last remembered it, was freezing in the morning, and boiling in the afternoon (we went in December), pretty smelly, the people were scared to talk to me and my brother (my sister wasn't born then), and we didn't really want to say anything to them. The thing that disgusted me most about this country was definitely the latrines. I tried not to go to the toilet unless I had a full bladder and was desperate; it was also hard to get toilet paper over there. This time, we prepared ourselves with plenty of rolls before we left. I wasn't very impressed then, but it was also the reason we had gone in the first place, that we didn't feel like enjoying ourselves. It was pretty depressing, as my mother's brother had died in a tractor accident on Diwali, so my mother left England a few weeks before us to go to his funeral. I must admit that I was a little exited, as many of my relatives from Britain had gone a few weeks before us, so we would be meeting them there as well. The flight had been delayed three hours, so I didn't really have a positive attitude when we arrived at the airport. The one thing that thrilled me when we were boarding the plane was that the passengers went on the stairs instead of the corridor, like in the movies, so that we could actually see the plane as we were boarding it. I' m not scared of flying, but I did grow a little nervous as I approached the plane, the paintwork was hand done, the panels looked loose, and generally dirty. I didn't look like it would make it all the way to India. The airhostesses also looked scary. The were from Kyrgystan, the airline company we were travelling with, and spoke in Russian to each other and in a Russian accent to the passengers. I had to strain to understand them properly. They wore thick bright coloured make up, and were always smiling. This had the opposite effect on me than intended, they reminded me of clowns! Inside, the plane was pretty cramped, and during the take off, my ears hurt and I felt sick. Since we were stopping in Turkey for a break, and changing planes in Russia, I had to go through this six times before we even landed in India. On the plane journey, my family were relaxing, listening to music, and reading magazines, but I was working away, struggling to get my homework finished before we reached India, so I could feel free without the stress of having to catch up there. Although we would be so busy I wouldn't even have time. The whole journey lasted two days, the second plane was even worse. Russia is so cold, that there was ice forming inside the plane! It was brilliant when we actually landed in Delhi. The sun was out and the people at the airport were so welcoming. After we came out through customs, we were re-united with my sister's water gun, and mother's almond hair oil, which had been confiscated in Birmingham. I had to laugh. Then we came across a big problem. One of our suitcases was missing. It contained all of my Ricky's clothing. We could claim the contents on insurance, but had to take him shopping for new clothes as soon as possible. I was thirsty, and wanted a drink, but there was one thing that stood in my way, no rupees. While my parents sorted out the lost property forms, l sneaked over to one of the currency exchange bureaus and decided to test the Indian in the office. I got out one pound and put it on the desk. He said, â€Å"is that all? † grinning. I replied,† it's all I've got. † Then he said, â€Å"well only for you then! † I got my sixty-five rupees, and went straight to get a coffee. My mother and I went to the arrivals lounge, where we met my uncle. They were hugging each other, and they all started chatting in Punjabi. The poor man had been waiting for ages, as he hadn't known about the delay, so I went to get the rest of my family. I whispered to my mum â€Å"Mum, he looks nothing like you. † Then she told that he was her cousin, not her brother. We somehow managed to pack everything into the Sumo, which is like a type of jeep or taxi. I was squashed in the back, it was very uncomfortable, but I concentrated on everything around me. There were loads of children coming back from school in their mopeds. Apparently, the timing for our trip had been brilliant for the weather, but our cousins would be taking their exams at this time. In India, the children have to take an exam at the end of every school year; the result of this exam determines whether they will be allowed into the next class. If they fail, they will have to repeat the year. I felt a bit like an intruder when I heard this, because they would have vital work to do, and I would be expecting them to show me around or getting bored. We arrived at the village we would be staying at, Gureh in Ludhiana, Punjab for the next week at around about midnight. I was surprised; could say shocked at the state of the house. The standard was better than the housing in England. The layout is not quite the same, but there was a toilet, a decant shower area, separate bedrooms, and they even had a car. I met my aunt, and my cousin Manjit, who's eighteen years old. He seemed quite shy, and always walked with his head down. His sister who is my age was already gone to sleep. We dumped our bags in our room, and after about an hour, went to sleep. The next day, we got up late and relaxed the whole day. When I met Pardeep, I remembered her from seven years ago straight away. She was pretty cheeky, and sometimes a bit spoilt, but she showed me around the village. I felt ever so conscious of my clothes. I was wearing trousers and a top, but everybody else, in their salwar kameez (type of Indian suit) just smiled. For the next the day of two, we visited relatives from villages that lived near Ludhiana. My uncle drove us. I felt a bit rude, as I didn't remember many of them. One day that week, we took the car ourselves, and I was told I was going to go to Mussayala. This village I could not forget. Last time Ricky and I had great fun chasing after the chickens, feeding the cows the chapattis we refused to eat, running around with our uncles and aunts. They're actually our age, but it's one of the funny age differences that happen a lot in our family tree. At this village lived my great granddad, which gave me something to talk about at home. The only way I can think of to describe Mussayala is that it is one of those ancient forgotten old places in the middle of nowhere. The village had a single toilet, which was sometimes pretty embarrassing. As I thought about how many times we had watched the home video we made from last time, I grew more exited. But when we arrived, in the evening, my â€Å"cousins† acted as if they couldn't figure out who we were. Okay, so maybe my Punjabi wasn't great, but they were so shy. I hoped that this would not carry on. Because my parents had arranged to see an architect about the building on the plot of land for my grandmother. The only architects we knew of were in Chandigardh, the capital of Punjab. I didn't really have any expectations of the city at first, but was very impressed. We got there on the bus, which isn't the best way of travelling in India. We were out in the town, and got to travel in the rickshaws. The roads were a lot cleaner than those in the villages. It was practically like England. We went an actual fast food restaurant, but it didn't sell meat so we just ordered chips and pizza. I wasn't anticipating there would be so many young college students, who wore the same sort of trousers and top I did. I immediately regretted my decision to wear a traditional suit that day. This was the one time I would have felt comfortable in my normal English clothes, and I'd just wasted that chance. The architects had a proper office, and were very professional, not just some back room of a shop, and didn't take long to find. It wasn't a very long meeting, as my parents didn't have enough information about the plot to make a plan. The data had to be really detailed, such as which direction the sun rises. I didn't realise that little things like this affected the construction of a house. We wandered around the centre of the town for a while, and the things I saw made me sure I would have felt comfortable staying here for a few days. But the problem of having too many things to do and too little time to do it in always got in the way. The city is really quite modern and developed; in fact, the whole of the country has really progressed in the last seven years. The shantytowns still lie on the outskirts of the towns, but technology is more advanced and the nation has noticeably prospered. Some people in the farm villages were even walking around with mobile phones. I think that which area of India you see that affects the overall impression. If you compared somewhere like Mussayala to Gureh, you can really see the change. The original plan had been to spend one week in Punjab, two weeks in U. P. where my mums family lived, and go to somewhere like Goa or Bangalore for the remaining week, before heading back towards Delhi. Since we had spent so long in Punjab because of this plot business, this was no longer possible. My dad said that it was silly that we thought we could get everything done in only a month. I was delighted that my cousin Pardeep had holidays and could come to U. P. with us. We really couldn't afford to be lazy the day we were leaving, we got ready early that day, but were still delayed, as the Sumo we had hired had to go back and get a roof rack for all of our luggage. My mum gave the servants some money, and we left with everybody waving goodbye. I was very grateful for their hospitality. This trip took the whole day. Me, Pardeep, Ricky and Amrit sat at the back, parents in the middle and drivers at the front. I just read a magazine, my brother and sister played, and my cousin listened to the Walkman. We stopped off at a few of what would be the equivalent to cafes a few times, bought a supply of crisps and some drink, and went to the latrines while we had the chance. On the route to U. P. , we had to go through a beautiful rural state called Haryana. This is the sort of place where you meet village maids milking cows, there was green grass everywhere and the landscape was beautiful. I had never seen anywhere like it, not even in the Hindi films. On the map, the state was just a small chunk of land. As we came nearer to the heart of U. P. (my mum's family lived south of UP) we saw many women wearing cloths over their heads, there were many more Muslims living here. I also noticed that the signs were written in Hindi. It was annoying, because I couldn't understand what they said, and felt quite ignorant. In Punjab, the main language was Punjabi. Even when the people here spoke Punjabi, they did with a Hindi accent which was difficult to understand fully. I didn't realise that such a change could happen only across states. As it grew dark, we were just approaching the town nearest to my mum's village, Kashipur. We stopped here to buy some bottles of coke. It was here that I began to get exited, we were so near. Pardeep kept telling us how far we were. My mum had already warned me, that most of my cousins my age, would be at their boarding schools, but the younger ones would be here. I was a bit worried, but also enthusiastic. We were all half asleep when we arrived. As we approached the house, I saw a huge a mass of people waiting to welcome us. I never realised I had such a big family. We got out, and everyone was hugging everybody else. It felt good, even if you didn't know who was who. My mum began telling how I was related to everyone else which sometimes got a bit confusing. My older cousins were joking, telling me how they were planning to marry me off some overweight drunk from India. They were also joking about my brother, because he doesn't speak much Punjabi. â€Å"He wouldn't know if we were swearing at him though, would he? He'd just ignore it. † This made me laugh. During the next week, some of cousins came from boarding school for a bit, but there was only one day where everyone was there together, and that was on Ricky's birthday that was celebrated with a couple of party poppers. In the middle of the last week, me and my family, Pardeep, my mum's brother and his son, Jatinder, my mum's sister's daughter, Kuldeep, and my mum's late brother's daughter, Amandeep, who is a bit bratty went on a day trip to Nainital, a village on the foothills of the Himalayas. This is the place my parents visited when they first bought Ricky and me to India. My brother and I of course couldn't remember the place at all, and didn't understand why they were so keen to go back there again. But when we actually got there, we soon found out. We were all crammed into the back of a jeep, and arrived in two and a half hours. During which Jatinder, who was sitting opposite me, flicked nuts at me, tapped me continually and succeeded in annoying me, although he is a year older. Nainital was BRILLIANT. It reminded me of Nepal. The people looked Nepalese and spoke in a Nepalese accent. We even dressed in Nepalese costume and took photos. We went on a few rides, and rode on some horses up the mountains. The view on the ski lift was spectacular, and the scenery of the Himalayas was amazing. Me, Ricky, Jatinder and Pardeep went to on a paddleboat on a large lake for an hour or so. This was tiring, yet relaxing at the same time. It was shortly after this, that we left to go back to UP. I was disappointed when we returned to Delhi for our last night. I didn't miss England at all, not even the tele. There were tears as we left the village. I felt sick at the bottom of my stomach when we waved goodbye. I'd got a little gift for each of my cousins, and made my uncle promise he'd make sure they got them. † See you in four months† I said to him, as we dragged our entire luggage to the x-rays. I knew there wasn't much chance of my parents letting me come back in the summer holidays, even though I told them I was willing to go alone. Apparently, it was so hot, that I wouldn't be able to survive, and would get ill quickly. When Kuldeep asked me when I was coming back, I jokingly told her on her wedding day, though she is only seventeen, but I was surprised when she made keep it as a promise to her. I had picked up many skills throughout the holiday. These include: milking a cow, driving a tractor, making ghee, and insulting somebody in Punjabi, many of which are pretty useless to me in Britain, but it was the experience of learning theses things from my relatives that I treasure. When the plane landed in Britain, I don't think I've ever felt so down. I still want to turn around and go straight back. The weather suited my mood perfectly, it was pouring down. My friends at school and family said there were three things that had changed about me. My skin colour was darker, or as my friend Shona said, â€Å"glowing†. (This sounded much nicer. ) I had also lost a bit of weight, which I have unfortunately regained. I think the change that most people especially my relatives noticed was, that I spoke much nicer Punjabi, and my words flowed better. I think this is because, in England, I could get away with thinking in English, translating the words into the other language, and then letting them out. Whereas in India, you must think sharply and reply quickly, so I had to train my mind to think, as well as speak in Punjabi, which is why it has improved so much. Leaving Home It was the last time I saw my Mother. My grieving pain for my mothers love infinitely grew. She was god in my eyes but was I the god given daughter she had hoped for? Everyday I had run to her absorbing her warmth as I wrapped my long limbs around her waist. The waist that had carried me for nine months, but was I worth the wait? Mother's predictable great force would transfer into my weakened bones forcing me to collapse onto the striped wooden floor. I would land with a thud hoping that the chances of me receiving a hug the next day would increase. Maybe my accidental escape was for the best. Perhaps I was destined for this moment, this was fait in the palms of my hand, waiting for me to reach out and snatch the opportunity. Mother had snatched my rights to live as a normal human being away. It was forbidden for me to even talk to her. I needed permission. I told my self through every breath that everything would end up right, I was right. Rain, rain everywhere. Summer had died out, until next year. Autumn had approached me. My memory remained in the happy days but my solidified body moved on with life. My inner self, deep down, stands proud and fearless to this world creation signed to god. I always believed that if god brings you to it, he will bring you to it. I was eight. I was blessed with the perfect parents. Both their hearts were fulfilled with love and care. Every moment was heavenly. I lived in an averaged sized, 3-bedroom apartment in what was considered ‘normal. ‘ It was good enough for me. The oval shaped window revealed its outer secrets, the growing towers bordered with a beautiful skyline. Father was a man of great expectations. A man of many wise words. His broad shoulders would easily swing me from side to side like a wild hungry lion ripping and swinging his possession; his raw meat. In my case I was the loving prey for my Father, the predator, the bread winner of the family. I was his little princess. Mother was a lady, petite sized with a facial appearance carved from the clouds up above, the clouds in heaven. Mother was a woman who glowed with love for me. Her greatest asset was her silky, black locks that matched her thinly waxed eyebrows which also complimented her brown tan. One day, for the first time every Mother and Father were in their bedroom raving. It wasn't a common sign which usually are positive. I could hear smashing and slamming against the walls. My ears sensed danger. They were noises that I had never heard before. The sense of love that flowed like a river through the air had shattered into broken pieces like corrupted glass which were non-fixable. I could barely make out what was being said. My distraction towards the aromatic spices and herbs from the kitchen flew up my tempted nose. The cuisine had blended with my tears of sadness. I couldn't understand, everything used to be perfect, what could have happened? Before the argument I had thought of Mother's voice as a relaxing tone, music being played from a magical flute that only she could master. Then the tables had turned. My voice seemed as sweet as sugar compared to mothers. Hers was now flat and dull. The lifeless mono-tone wasn't Mother at all. It was as if a Hoover had vacuumed out the energy, the encouragement, the enthusiasm. I thought that the past argument was normal for all married couples until it became a trend. To see physical fighting would be less painful than my pain. It felt as if a needle had attempted to pierce its way through my heart but got stuck leaving never ending pain. The trend became daily. The light ore around both my parents, especially Mother, had faded into the dark shadows. As everyday passed the hatred between the two grew and grew. Mother's once soft, tanned skin mounted with make up for affect had altered to a yellow, pale colour. I preferred Mother without make up but it was far better then seeing Mother like this. She didn't even attempt to make her self look better. You could tell by the way that she lounged around the house that she was too lazy to even care. Mother would sit on the Indian decorated sofas which stood out. The black, long shiny hair had also moved on to knotted tangles. Personally I blame the bottles containing alcohol that Mother used to wash down accompanied with her finger-sized cigarettes. I would watch her drown her sorrows as the booze over took her mind flooding her inner self with this poison. Mother's behavior began to really show. As much as I detested my life I loved it. Half of my heart, the candy half, told me everything would be fine and to carry on loving Mother but the other half, the cold half, would send messages to my brain whispering in my ears for me to leave. To escape! Escape to where though? All the pressure from my parent's constant arguments was too much for me to handle. My sensitive brain was over powered. The repeated parrot phrase ‘leave home' would haunt me in my dreams. Everyday before bed time I would bend my legs, clasp my hands tightly together so pearls of sweat would form. I would pray to god with devotion asking for him to solve my problems. I wished to exit my world of stress and tension. I never gave up. I waited and waited and waited†¦ The day came unexpectedly. With care I would drift pass Mother's negative energy. Deep down my love grew towards Mother no matter what she was. Mother was soft and sweet like gum on the inside but her hardened shell took over on the outside. She was brainwashed. I was always alert of every sharp movement she made, every sligh glance she gave me in the corner of her beady camera eyes, every snarl she would utter under her rotten breath. I quickly limped across the carpet like a sneaky mouse to find my self in front of the powerful door. I called it the ‘deciding door' as it decided weather I should leave the house and never return. On the way I had passed the rose red, ribena stain from when I spilt my glass on the floor. Mother had rescued me from injury. The memories were so fresh in my mind. It was as if it were yesterday. As I opened the door, the invisible wind flew in and out of my ears sending shivers up and down my spine as if an elevator were traveling to different floors. I would stand there shivering, imagining myself in Mothers arms. The whole of my Indian coloured skin would cover in goose bumps, each individual one containing a hair all stood up equal sized looking like they were under commandment in an army. My first step onto the African rug could have been my last. I wished. My long legged limbs would co-operate together so I could travel to where I wished to travel. They were under my instructions. I reached the pavement on the sides of the roads. As the first car lead the rest my heat rotated at a ninety degree angle to the right. No cars in sight. As I reached mid point in the road an internal feeling of sickness approached me. I looked down to find no blood. My consciousness was fading vastly. As I tried to demand my legs to get up they laid there lifelessly. I blinked once, the blue sky. I blinked twice, half the sky. I blinked 3 times, nothing†¦ Leaving Home It was the last time I saw my Mother. My grieving pain for my mothers love infinitely grew. She was god in my eyes but was I the god given daughter she had hoped for? Everyday I had run to her absorbing her warmth as I wrapped my long limbs around her waist. The waist that had carried me for nine months, but was I worth the wait? Mother's predictable great force would transfer into my weakened bones forcing me to collapse onto the striped wooden floor. I would land with a thud hoping that the chances of me receiving a hug the next day would increase. Maybe my accidental escape was for the best. Perhaps I was destined for this moment, this was fait in the palms of my hand, waiting for me to reach out and snatch the opportunity. Mother had snatched my rights to live as a normal human being away. It was forbidden for me to even talk to her. I needed permission. I told my self through every breath that everything would end up right, I was right. Rain, rain everywhere. Summer had died out, until next year. Autumn had approached me. My memory remained in the happy days but my solidified body moved on with life. My inner self, deep down, stands proud and fearless to this world creation signed to god. I always believed that if god brings you to it, he will bring you to it. I was eight. I was blessed with the perfect parents. Both their hearts were fulfilled with love and care. Every moment was heavenly. I lived in an averaged sized, 3-bedroom apartment in what was considered ‘normal. ‘ It was good enough for me. The oval shaped window revealed its outer secrets, the growing towers bordered with a beautiful skyline. Father was a man of great expectations. A man of many wise words. His broad shoulders would easily swing me from side to side like a wild hungry lion ripping and swinging his possession; his raw meat. In my case I was the loving prey for my Father, the predator, the bread winner of the family. I was his little princess. Mother was a lady, petite sized with a facial appearance carved from the clouds up above, the clouds in heaven. Mother was a woman who glowed with love for me. Her greatest asset was her silky, black locks that matched her thinly waxed eyebrows which also complimented her brown tan. One day, for the first time every Mother and Father were in their bedroom raving. It wasn't a common sign which usually are positive. I could hear smashing and slamming against the walls. My ears sensed danger. They were noises that I had never heard before. The sense of love that flowed like a river through the air had shattered into broken pieces like corrupted glass which were non-fixable. I could barely make out what was being said. My distraction towards the aromatic spices and herbs from the kitchen flew up my tempted nose. The cuisine had blended with my tears of sadness. I couldn't understand, everything used to be perfect, what could have happened? Before the argument I had thought of Mother's voice as a relaxing tone, music being played from a magical flute that only she could master. Then the tables had turned. My voice seemed as sweet as sugar compared to mothers. Hers was now flat and dull. The lifeless mono-tone wasn't Mother at all. It was as if a Hoover had vacuumed out the energy, the encouragement, the enthusiasm. I thought that the past argument was normal for all married couples until it became a trend. To see physical fighting would be less painful than my pain. It felt as if a needle had attempted to pierce its way through my heart but got stuck leaving never ending pain. The trend became daily. The light ore around both my parents, especially Mother, had faded into the dark shadows. As everyday passed the hatred between the two grew and grew. Mother's once soft, tanned skin mounted with make up for affect had altered to a yellow, pale colour. I preferred Mother without make up but it was far better then seeing Mother like this. She didn't even attempt to make her self look better. You could tell by the way that she lounged around the house that she was too lazy to even care. Mother would sit on the Indian decorated sofas which stood out. The black, long shiny hair had also moved on to knotted tangles. Personally I blame the bottles containing alcohol that Mother used to wash down accompanied with her finger-sized cigarettes. I would watch her drown her sorrows as the booze over took her mind flooding her inner self with this poison. Mother's behavior began to really show. As much as I detested my life I loved it. Half of my heart, the candy half, told me everything would be fine and to carry on loving Mother but the other half, the cold half, would send messages to my brain whispering in my ears for me to leave. To escape! Escape to where though? All the pressure from my parent's constant arguments was too much for me to handle. My sensitive brain was over powered. The repeated parrot phrase ‘leave home' would haunt me in my dreams. Everyday before bed time I would bend my legs, clasp my hands tightly together so pearls of sweat would form. I would pray to god with devotion asking for him to solve my problems. I wished to exit my world of stress and tension. I never gave up. I waited and waited and waited†¦ The day came unexpectedly. With care I would drift pass Mother's negative energy. Deep down my love grew towards Mother no matter what she was. Mother was soft and sweet like gum on the inside but her hardened shell took over on the outside. She was brainwashed. I was always alert of every sharp movement she made, every sligh glance she gave me in the corner of her beady camera eyes, every snarl she would utter under her rotten breath. I quickly limped across the carpet like a sneaky mouse to find my self in front of the powerful door. I called it the ‘deciding door' as it decided weather I should leave the house and never return. On the way I had passed the rose red, ribena stain from when I spilt my glass on the floor. Mother had rescued me from injury. The memories were so fresh in my mind. It was as if it were yesterday. As I opened the door, the invisible wind flew in and out of my ears sending shivers up and down my spine as if an elevator were traveling to different floors. I would stand there shivering, imagining myself in Mothers arms. The whole of my Indian coloured skin would cover in goose bumps, each individual one containing a hair all stood up equal sized looking like they were under commandment in an army. My first step onto the African rug could have been my last. I wished. My long legged limbs would co-operate together so I could travel to where I wished to travel. They were under my instructions. I reached the pavement on the sides of the roads. As the first car lead the rest my heat rotated at a ninety degree angle to the right. No cars in sight. As I reached mid point in the road an internal feeling of sickness approached me. I looked down to find no blood. My consciousness was fading vastly. As I tried to demand my legs to get up they laid there lifelessly. I blinked once, the blue sky. I blinked twice, half the sky. I blinked 3 times, nothing†¦

Jan Van Eyck Madonna in the Church

Madonna in a Church is a small oil panel on oak by Flemish painter Jan van Check. Madonna in a church was made between c. 1438-1440. Van Check has been traditionally credited with the invention of painting in oils, and, although this is incorrect, there is no doubt that he was the real master of the technique. The use of oil paints is very significant in this artworks luminescent quality and presentation of space. The artist creates a new relationship between the viewer and the picture.There is an illusion of a modern, tatterdemalion's scene and through this new more attraction, lifelike approach, the viewer becomes connected to the painting, not Just in physical terms, but socially, spiritually and emotionally as well. † The minute we look at it the shimmering quality of the art stands out. Being only 12. 25†³ x 5. 5†³ it's clear why its elaboration is so astonishing. The painting is very long compared to its width, emphasizing the size of the Madonna and the tall st ructure of the church that it portrays.The artwork has brilliant intense warm colors, dominating brown and red and the light illustrated with light yellow. On Madonna in a Church, the artist represents a variety of subjects with striking legalism in microscopic detail. The pigment was suspended in a layer of oil that also trapped light, this way Van Check created a Jewel-like medium. On the Madonna's crown and Jewelry we see shiny precious metals and gems and also, with the help of this technique he could give a life like impression to light. The colors are so luminous that the passage of five hundred years has barely diminished them.There are so many details and elements to discover on the painting that the eye has a constant exercise inside the picture. From the first view we can tell that the artwork is narrative and descriptive. Van Check had a sharp edged look of the world but he put this look into a fictional environment. The painting was stolen in 1877 and the frame was not f ound. Despite this absence we still have an impression of a frame because the cathedral interior is viewed at an angle. From this perspective the doorway has a frame effect to the painting.The shape of the doorway is round, following the ceiling and with this circle effect leading our eyes to the main figure, Mary. † Van Check has followed traditional theology; his realist art displayed in iconic and allusive forms the Church's teachings and popular piety. Yet at the same time, he played with symbolism, which is evidently present in the artwork. The Madonna's size is surreal, very big in proportion to the interior of the exceptionally beautiful church. This is a symbolic niche, giving her all the importance. Byzantine painters used this method for the same purpose.In the background, angels appear to be singing from hymn books or saying Mass before her altar. † The image of light has a heavy vision, the rays of the sun come supernaturally from the north to strike through the glass and hit the floor with breathtaking realism. Two lolls of sunlight on the floor in front of Mary come from a direction that defies natural law. Therefore the light is mystical, a symbol of God. We can see it penetrating the church Just as the Holy Ghost entered and impregnated the body of the Virgin, in direct opposition to the laws of flesh.The perspective and lighting seem to be so natural, until we think about it we don't see that it's unnatural, and that it is actually a sacred light. Maybe this is a way to express that what is religious was incorporated into everyday life, that even a Heavenly light had to become like daylight under Jan Van Cock's paintbrush. The virgin takes her place in the center, gently swaying, she seem to follow her own gaze. Her hair is red; throughout the ages red-haired women have had significance in the arts. They are viewed as unique and mystical, Just like Mary.She has a beautiful tracery behind her: wooden carving, the stories of her life . It is especially important in the Northern Renaissance, because they used the Juxtaposition of the presented sacred character and then an object or artwork of the exact same personage on the picture, referring to Biblical times. We see a sculpture of Christ behind her, while the baby Jesus is in her arms. She is presented in the everyday life of those people living in the 15th century and part of their modern culture. The church is richly decorated, in the Gothic style.Jan Van Check pays attention to detail in his painting of architectural interiors, done with unrelenting accuracy. The church is an important symbol of Marry chastity. It's an Ideal church, Jan Van Cock's fantasy of a perfect interior to enthrone Mary. This is a way to represent the heavenly sphere in an environment that the people of the time period can recognize. Concluding from the small size of the painting, it was not a painting designed for a huge Gothic church where most paintings were much bigger in proporti on. It was probably made for a wealthy man at the time.In the Renaissance it was common for wealthy people to collect artworks, it had a social significance. Above this, religious paintings and prayer books were manifestations of commitment to prayer. The Flemish didn't limit their demonstration of piety to the public realm, the individuals commissioned artworks for private use in their homes as well. † Ideology of the time also influenced the painting. The Madonna is holding the child that is supposed to be Christ. Her face is turned away from the child, achieving a less engaged look. The scene is all about her.In Van Cock's painting, the child is a realistic baby; emphasizing the humanity of Christ. The interpretation of this can be the fact that Mary was a human, and in the Renaissance, humanism had a very big impact. After the neglected human dimension of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance brings humanity in focus again with the development of art, technology, and inventions . † Van Check gives Mary three roles: Mother of Christ, the personification of the Christian Church and Queen of Heaven, the latter apparent from her Jewel-studded crown.The painting is majestic and luminous, it lights up like a dream. But at the same time the message is both worldly and devout, the artist set out to satisfy both demands, but in a form of realism that contained within itself a playful, even ironic attitude towards the relations existing between individuals, society and religion. Sources: Graham, Jenny. Inventing van Check: the remaking of an artist for the modern age. Oxford: Berg, 2007. Print. Harrison, Craig. Jan van Check: the play of realism. London: Reaction Books ;, 1991. 188. Print.

Week 1 Discussion HUM 112 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 1 Discussion HUM 112 - Assignment Example Consequently, there are several well-known painters when it comes to Baroque style paintings representing not only the era of the period but also the flamboyant and rich culture. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) created a portrait painting of a young woman. Emphasis of the portrait is placed on the various white accessories such as lace cuffs, gloves, coifs, and the large millstone ruff. In another different painting from the same period, describing the details of the woman costumes, the significance was accorded to the overall portrayal and appearance of a rich heritage. Moreover, another baroque painting by Portrait of Marchese Spinola, the female fashion is seen to have changed so much from 1630s and 1660s (Hill, 2011). The whole silhouette changed, from the elevated wasted gowns of 1630s to that of long and slender wasted in 1660s. Paintings that have been viewed clearly provide more details when observed keenly. They do not just represent the painter, but also the particular message being conveyed by each of the art viewed within that period. The baroque paintings are not just distinguished by the rare presentation of the surrounding, but also the messages that are successfully presented by the painters. Baroque style paintings remind me of Christian film and videos. Nonetheless, the work that distinguishes the baroque style paintings is contradictory and stylistically complex. Moreover, the desire of evoking emotional states through appealing to the senses in dramatic ways underlies its very manifestations (Hill, 2011). The qualities associated with baroque include sensuous, drama, grandeur, emotional, vitality, and tendency to blur the distinctions between various

Three-river-sources ecological environment protection Essay

Three-river-sources ecological environment protection - Essay Example It sought to evaluate the region’s management strategies on how the conflict between protection of the region’s ecological environment and exploitation of the natural resources for commercial purposes can be best resolved. The major findings of the paper showed that the activities of men such as hunting and construction of infrastructure have immensely contributed to the degradation of the ecology. As such, this paper observed that in order to create a long-term plan for management of ecological environment in the Three-River-Source, nationwide and local government will need to be foresighted and consider the specifics of each environmental problem in order to balance the conflict between protection of the region’s ecological environment and the use of natural resources for commercial purposes. Three-River-Source which is also known as Sanjiangyuan is located in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau. This name refers to the headwater of three rivers in Chinese and these are Yangtze River, the Yellow River and the Lancang River. These rivers are the major sources of water in the region whereby Yellow River accounts for 42 per cent of the total volume of water supplied while Yangtze River accounts for 25 % and Lancang River accounts for 15% (Wang, 2008). The Three-River-Source region has significant ecological value in the Qinghai Tibet plateau which is regarded as the worlds highest and largest plateau with wetland ecosystem. The region accounts for 2.32% of the total area of national wetlands (Wang, 2008). As such, the region is known as the â€Å"water tower† in China.

Louise Bourgeois Suspension art show and write an essay about Louise

Louise Bourgeois Suspension art show and write an about Louise Bourgeois current exhibition - Essay Example ’s marble sculptures, of the 1990s large installations, the Cells, the house –women theme is omnipresent in all the works by Louise Bourgeois (Armstrong, 2006). In her works, which derive their meeting taste of incongruent elements coming from the surrealists, the bodies of women terminated in different houses types. In this work, the rigorously vertical canvas, the female figure that is without arms, carrying a grey building that has columns on its shoulders. The house grey rigidity contrasts with the bright pink color of the female body whose genitals that have been outlined resemble a flower. Louise Bourgeois also has a wood painted in white with black and blue 69.10 by 68.60 by 206.40 cm in size. In her early career, Louise Bourgeois did a lot of painting until 1947 when she began doing sculpture work, producing totemic figures from wood. These figures, which she referred to them as â€Å"personages†, are entities which enabled Louise Bourgeois to get rid of the homesickness which she experienced after living France and the members of her family. Louise Bourgeois considered sculpture as an interrelationship with what is around her and the pieces of works between themselves. Lacking bases, she designed her personages in such away that they were pushed into the ground just like totems. Her gallery constraints obliged her to include bases on them. Quarantania sculpture is made up of five figures, including all the totems that Louise Bourgeois displayed separately in the exhibition in 1949 at the Peridot Gallery. At the centre of the sculpture is the woman with packages with several shuttle-women surrounding it. The shuttle, which is one of the tools that were used by her parents as they worked in their workshop restoring Aubusson tapestries, is an emotional and formal element associated with the childhood of the artists. Insecurely balanced at that point which fixes it to its base, each of the female figure look like are supporting the other figures and

Network system , Cloud Networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Network system , Cloud Networking - Essay Example It decreases latency or network load. However, this new concept has many challenges’ in future. This research paper presents the new concept of â€Å"Cloud Networking† and its design architecture, sustainability and security in the networking infrastructure. The primary goal of this report is to explain the challenges, solutions and need that are associated with cloud networking. Key words: Cloud Networking, sustainability, Design, Architecture and Infrastructure. I. INTRODUCTION Cloud computing is a very broad term and includes a variety of aspects and dimensions, which are very helpful in hosting a large number of applications and making them available to any device at any time [1]. Mostly it is used by business houses whether they are big, small or medium size. But the concept first originated back in the days when cloud computing was introduced by companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon, etc. and now is used on a large scale in organizations like Dell, IBM, HP, Microso ft, and alike. The emergence of cloud networking has eliminated the concept of ‘silo computing’ where an application or software was of restricted use and available to only selected systems. A cloud networking system creates multiple layers and multi-tiered systems inside a cloud server, allowing for enhancement of cloud protection and security and application of complex software [2]. The report aims at understanding the development of cloud networking, its impact on the environment and how various organizations joined forces to formulate plans to protect the natural surroundings. II. DEVELOPMENT OF CLOUD NETWORKING There has been a paradigm shift in how computers are used to store, manage and retrieve data in an organization. The very concept of cloud computing has satisfied the uneven demands of users who wanted cheap computing resources which was able to record, store, retrieve and disseminate information. Cloud networking poses some new challenges when compared to c onventional OSI systems. Many new components and dimensions have been added to the use of computers, the internet is one of them. The cloud network now includes a layer of web applications, which is additional in comparison to traditional OSI systems [15]. Cloud networking works with IaaS (Infrastructure as a service) and SaaS (Software as a Service) while aiming at reducing consumption of energy and cost, leading to a green cloud. Though in early times, sleep mode was seen as a very effective way of decreasing energy usage, but now as servers are required to be online 24*7, expenditures made for maintaining them have increased by many folds; cloud networking is the solution for it. The concept behind the development of cloud networking is using Software as a Service (SaaS). There are a large number of servers in a data centre and several processors intensive software which requires more processing power, in which case they need more developed networks which are capable of handling big data storage capacity and transferring capability [20]. Figure 1: Software as a Service (SaaS) [15] A. ATTRIBUTES OF CLOUD NETWORKING Scalability: There are a large number of nodes that are involved in a cloud network. It is necessary that they must measure the rate of successful message and information delivery to the user

Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Evolution - Essay Example The effects of evolution, while difficult to prove, have left an archeological record that gives us a picture of how and why evolution occurs. One of the most basic and fundamental forms of evolution occurs when a virus or bacterial agent mutates to become immune to the drugs that are developed to treat them. HIV is a particularly challenging agent to overcome through drug therapy. According to Luskin, "HIV is particularly prone to "evolution" (i.e. change) because of its high replication and mutation rate--nearly one mutation per replication". The physical characteristics of the HIV virus adapt to the agents designed to kill it. While we can measure and observe this in HIV, "The amount of genetic informational change between rapidly mutating virus strains, such as HIV, is miniscule compared to the type of informational changes required in the wild to create new body plans or biochemical pathways" (Luskin). This is evolution being accomplished at the most basic level. Just as HIV evolves as a group, higher life forms also experience change over time to adapt to their environment. Ancient environmental events forced animals to adapt to a new environment and nature accentuated the differences.

International security environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International security environment - Essay Example As the conventional/traditional military prove itself outdated and no more useful in modern warfare, the irregular threats compel the military to transform its structure and technology. The unique position of the U.S. Military in international security and its leading role in counter terrorism/counter-insurgency compel it to be innovative and refined. From this view point, the future military service can be predicted and it provide due importance to sophisticated training and innovative technology. For instance, the 9/11 terrorist attack forced the government to shape the Office of Force Transformation (OFT) to transform the US Military to be competitive in present and future missions. So, it is quite evident that the future military services will be more aggressive than present. Barnett points out that future may prove the maximization of U.S. Military influence in every nook and corner of the world. Apparently, one who is in military service must be prepared to be in any part of th e world to serve the nation. Besides, Barnett states that globalization leads to increase in standard of living, but some areas are disconnected from its influence and is still underdeveloped. This disconnection resulted in non-integrating gap among world countries, and acts as a threat to national security of the U.S. government. In the work- ‘American defense policy’ by Paul J. Bolt, Damon V. Coletta, and Collins G. Shackelford points out that: â€Å"Our next war in the Gulf will make a historical tipping point- the moment.

Professional and organisational Development Assignment

Professional and organisational Development - Assignment Example It is a procedure of continuous evaluation, planning and implementation of the knowledge for the improvement of the organisation’s ability of problem solving, capacity management and changes in future. Organisational development assists in improving the business by engaging several products and services. It helps in observing the dynamics of the working environments so that the progress in faster and effective. The three components of the organisational development approaches are systems thinking, behavioural sciences and values. Fig 1: Organisational Development Approach Source: (Haneberg, 2005). The managers within an organisation use the organisational development approach for increasing the effectiveness and capacity by implementing the set of values by systematic thinking approach to provide best output in the work. Moreover, they apply the behavioural sciences theories for the success of the organisation. The values of the organisation are set which are to be followed by the people to indulge in for greater success (Haneberg, 2005). Organisational development depends on the values which help in taking proper decision regarding the employees and the organisation. These values give a shape to the decision taken and replicate an appropriate result for the efficiency of the success. The values are the most eminent part of the organisational approach as it involves the process of engagement within the culture and the employees. Relationship building, authenticity, respect, empowerment and flexibility are the values which help in the success of the organisations in any sector. In the automobile sector managers also implement these approaches for ensuring success and proper coordination among the people (Haneberg, 2005). The objective of this management report is to deal with the organisational approaches followed by the automobile sector giants such as Ford Motors, General Motors and Toyota. The approaches and their effectiveness in the development for t he professionals or leaders and the organisation are evaluated in this study. Organisational Development Approaches of a Group of Organisations in Automobile Industry Ford Motor Company Organisational development approach is an essential part in an organisation for its successful functioning. It is imperative as the profit of a concern depends a lot on the systems thinking approach and the values of the employees in accordance with the business. In this regard, it is affirmed that Ford Motor Company follows the open system approach which is a continuous process that renders emphasis on the environmental dynamics. As Ford Motors follows the open system, it gets continuous flow of information regarding the products in the form of feedback. The feedbacks are then analysed thoroughly for the betterment of the product as per the need of the environment. Therefore, the efficiency of the company depends on the interaction level with the environment. In the recent years, the organisational development demonstrates a shift in the approach from system to the organisational approach. Correspondingly, it is acknowledged that Ford Motors has used the systems analysis approach which is effective (Brown & Harvey, 2006). In this regard,

Summary of Health Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of Health Articles - Essay Example Most of the women, especially those above the age of 75 were found to be dependent in more than one way. Singapore has the fastest growing elderly population in Asia and it is estimated to triple over the next twenty years. This rapidly aging region of the world is estimated to spend 11% of its Gross Domestic Product on solely health related costs. The major concern that warrants this study is the increasingly high cost of looking after the elderly. In The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, a study was performed to evaluate the quality of exercise prevalent in low income communities. This was done through having subjects perform 6 minute walk tests, checking their blood pressure, and analyzing the activities in their daily lives (ADL). The upper body strength of most individuals, as well as their estimated body fat at the beginning of the project, was not affected, but their blood pressure did tend to decrease. There was also a dramatic increase in lower body strength of these individuals. The results can be expected from a younger group of individuals, but part of its sociological value stems from its use on the elderly.

The Truth Behind Lies Essay Example for Free

The Truth Behind Lies Essay September 11, 2001 is the most tragic day in Americas history. These attacks were a series of United Airlines plane hijackings by Al-Qaeda radicals. Two planes hit the twin towers, one hit the pentagon, and another was aimed to hit either the White House or Capital Building but was crashed prematurely. Although the death count is not an exact number, it is estimated to be around three thousand people. There are many conspiracies surrounding this tragic event, which claim this attack was not one committed by terrorists, but by the United States government. Motifs for a staged attack would be to justify the invasion of Middle Eastern countries for geostrategic reasons. Healthy skepticism is expected when an event of this magnitude occurs but to completely put this off as an inside job is simply naà ¯ve. September 11, 2001 was a terrorist attack planned by radical leader, Osama Bin Laden, not a conspiracy by Americas government, and there is plenty of information to prove it. Conspiracy theorists make rash claims and provide their listeners with half facts when the entire truth has been unveiled. They lack credibility and see only what they wish to see while ignoring the blatantly obvious facts that are right in front of them. Many reasons have been given as to why this was an inside job, such as a lack of debris found at the crash site of Flight 93. Others say that jet fuel does not burn hot enough to melt the steel structures of the twin towers, and multiple explosions were heard and reported by those inside the buildings. Building 7 of the World Trade center was what many conspirators focused on. They stated that the building was demolished and that its lower supports had bombs planted on them that caused  the building to go down rather than fires created by debris from the two initial attacks. Another argument is that the hole in the pentagon, created by Flight 77, was much too small for an airliner to make and rather missiles were shot into the building. The reasons given for these attacks are clear; Countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan are rich in oil and all the United States government needed was a reason to invade. Of course all of these theories can be disproven when facts are brought to the table. Flight 93, on the date September 11, 2001 was a quarter full having forty four people on board including four suspected hijackers. The plane was a Boeing 757-222 on route from Newark International Airport to San Francisco International Airport in California (The Crash of Flight 93, 2). The Twin Towers were first hit at 8:46 AM Eastern Time (Flight 93, 4). At 9:23 the pilots of Flight 93 received a transmission warning of possible cock pit intrusion, and, at 9:26, forty minutes into the flight, three passengers put on headbands, stormed the cock pick, an took control of the plane (Flight 93, 6). Passengers were made aware of the hijacking, of what was happening in New York, and began calling loved ones to say good bye. They bravely made the decision to stop what was happening, overwhelm the hijackers, and crash the massive plane. The plane crashed head on going around five hundred miles per hour, into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania (Flight 93, 12). Conspiracy theorists argue that much too little debris was recovered from the crash site for a plane of that size to have hit. In the past when planes crash, debris is scattered everywhere but, in the case of Flight 93, there was very little debris to be seen. This is because most planes attempt to crash-land when a plane malfunctions, scattering debris all around. Due to the angle and amplitude the plane hit the ground at, the engine and black boxes were buried fifteen to twenty five feet underground, and were not discovered until weeks after. Other debris was found scattered up to eight miles from the initial crash zone (Flight 93, 29). Continuing, the twin towers supports were made from A36 steel, varying between four inches thick at the base, and a quarter inch thick at the top (Franco, 2). Jet fuel has a maximum burning temperature of 825 degrees Celsius and theorists have stated that jet fuel does not burn hot enough to  melt steel which has a melting point of 1,370 degrees Celsius (Kross, 1). While the steel was not melted, it became soft at 538 degrees Celsius (Kross, 3), and weakened to the point of being unable to support the 500,000 ton structure. Therefore, it is proven that burning jet fuel was the cause of the buildings collapse; not the explosions that were reported at the base of the building. No actual evidence has ever been found of any explosions separate to those made by the planes. These buildings were not systematically demolished, but rather taken down by the planes that crashed into them, just as was reported. Building seven of the World Trade Center (which was separate from the Twin Towers) also has controversy surrounding it. It is believed by conspirators that bombs were planted at the base of the building and that is what caused it to fall, this has no truth to it whatsoever and no evidence was found of any bombs. Building seven was only 400 feet away from the 1,300 foot Tower that was collapsing. As the Tower peeled open, a perimeter column fell creating a gaping twenty story hole in the building, and igniting numerous fires throughout (Benson, 35). Firefighters were preparing to enter the building when they were ordered to abandon it (Benson, 39), its collapse was imminent at that point. Conspirators argue that Building 7 should have collapsed to the side and not straight down like a building does when being demolished. Of course it collapsed straight down! It was a fifty story building made up of separate pieces instead of one solid building, just like the Towers (Benson, 60). This evidence further proves that anybody who believes the government is responsible for September 11, 2001 is drawing a story around the truth like a child drawing around their hand. The final piece of evidence that these theorists use it that the hole Flight 77 made in the pentagon was much too small for a plane to make, and there was too little wreckage from the plane recovered. French Author, Thierry Mason, concludes that the pentagon was not struck by a plane, but by a satellite guided missile, part of an elaborate United States Military coup. Mason argues that a 757 airliner has a wingspan of 125 feet, why was the hole only measured to be seventy five feet (The Pentagon, 24)? The truth is, a real jet does not punch a cartoon like outline of itself when hitting a  reinforced concrete fortress. The planes wing scraped the ground prior to full impact and the other was sheared off by the pentagons blast resistant columns (The Pentagon, 36). There was absolutely no lack of debris found either. Black boxes were found, engines were found, pieces of plane with United Airlines markings were found (The Pentagon, 97)! All of the claims made by conspirators lack one c rucial thing, any truth whatsoever. September 11, 2001 was a truly tragic event in our nations history and those who lost their lives will be remembered. It is disrespectful for conspiracy theorist to make such rash and absurd claims that the United States Government is responsible for their deaths. Conspiracy theorists have no actual hard evidence that anything they say is true and are simply telling lies on lies with a speckle of truth in between. If one was to look at the credibility of theorists such as those who produced the film Loose Change, a film attempting to persuade that September 11, 2001 was a government conspiracy, may second guess believing a word they say. It is important to educate ones self and not believe everything that is said like a child does. Look at the real proven facts and evidence and the answer will be apparent.

Representing Prostitution In Victorian London

Representing Prostitution In Victorian London Nineteenth century England is commonly characterised by the successful expansion of an industrial society. Industrial growth defined the geography, economy and society of Victorian Britain, allowing for further establishment of the British Empire as a controlling and comprehensive Empire. The expansion of the urban society and the migration from rural life to that of the city worked to create a new public, with new social and economical opportunities. From the embers of the Industrial Revolution emerged a new middle-class. Complied of persons from varying economical heritages the new middle-class, those who had achieved significant financial success during the revolution placed themselves under a capitalist philosophy but defined themselves by their strict codes of morality. Such importance was placed upon social morality and respectability that was further clarified by domestic ideologies and clearly defined gender roles. The population of London was five times greater at the end of the nineteenth century than it was at the beginning and at its most explosive nearly tripled in two generations  [2]  . This influx of people moving from rural England to the urban environment of London had a resounding affect on the establishment of the city, socially, economically, politically and geographically. The industrialisation of the city provided many with new opportunities, which were not previously attainable and resulted in the rose of the new middle-class, the effects of which were polarized for many. Despite the vast expansion of other British cities as a result of the Industrial Revolution, namely Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham, London was targeted in contemporary literature as the prime example of an immoral urban environment. London was overwhelmed by the increased population, her foundations struggled to uphold the lifestyle migrants expected, and more often than not they were resolved to a life of hard labour, crime, disease and pollution.  [3]  Images of the lives of the lower and working classes were frequently depicted in the publications of the day, The Illustrated London News, The Graphic, The Saturday Review, The Illustrated Police News and the satirical Punch to name a few. One such image is Houseless and Hungry, 1869 by Samuel Luke Fildes, which, when published in the first edition of The Graphic, depicts a group of poverty stricken Londoners queuing alongside a large brick wall collecting tokens allowing them to stay in the Victorian workhouses overnight.  [4]  This image is in stark contradiction to MIDDLE CLASS ILLUSTRATION. Whilst these images show a distinct extreme in class identity, one can begin understand the varied social identities that circulated within London City in consideration of the following citation; ruling-class debauchee, masturbating adolescent, frigid middle-class housewife, precocious and depraved slum-child; the factory girl with her easy morals, the prostitute, the violated virgin, the lubricious working-class housewife, the incestuous alcoholic, the mothering pimping for her daughters; and more idealised types: fulfilled wife, attentive husband, chaste and informed student, innocent child.  [5]   Barret-Ducrocqs suggestion of Victorian characters shows how varied Victorian London was, and how class and gender affected the roles, which one could adopt within society. It was scarcely unexpected that representations of socially controversial figures found their way into prominent publications and paintings of the day. Chapter Two: The Women of London To understand the anxieties surrounding the figure of the prostitute in Victorian London one must first appreciate how women were regarded during the nineteenth century. Being that nineteenth century society was dominated by the middle-class, a result of the industrial revolution, one must account for social life before the arrival of the Victorian bourgeoisie. Before the development of the middle classes in the mid-early nineteenth century ideologies surrounding domesticity and moral responsibility were less prolific. It was the development, most prominently, of domestic ideology, which resulted in the significant decline of freedom available to women, Women enjoyed considerable freedom, status and authentic function during a golden age for women in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  [6]  Mid-nineteenth century society, induced by the industrial revolution, was dominated by the concept of separate spheres. The prevailing ideology of separate spheres placed the man in the public environ among industry and politics, while the woman was resided to the private sphere. Thus women, mainly those of the middle classes, were expected to partake in the activities predominantly designated to domesticity. George Hickss triptych Womans Mission, 1863 narrates the concept of the separate spheres in a series, which follows the adult life of a moral and respectable middle-class woman. The use of the triptych form allowed Hicks to portray the varying roles associated with the nineteenth century feminine ideal. As previously stated the feminine ideal was, during the Victorian ear, rooted in the middle-class ideology of domesticity and moral responsibility. Entitled Womans Mission: The Guide to Childhood an image of a young woman partaking in the role of the doting mother begins Hickss series. As the title projects, The woman is defined as both physical and spiritual guide to childhood.  [7]  Neads statement is further encouraged by the symbolism of the woodland pathway along which the mother is tenderly leading her child and the manner in which she protects the child by sheltering him from the brambles. The central, and most well known, image of the triptych reveals a scene of the dedica ted wife tending to her grieving husband. This image known as Womans Mission: Companion of Manhood discloses the expected dynamic between husband and wife of the middle-class. His masculinity is represented as prominently within the image as her femininity is. The husband shows his character to be a moral and respectable male as he shields his weeping eyes from both the audience and his wife. Nineteenth century medical studies on the differences between male and female anatomy cited that women, as a result of their finer nerves, were more sensitive than men. Thus the archetypal Victorian man was widely represented as having control over his emotions and sensitivity.  [8]  The ornaments on the mantelpiece and the silverware on the nearby coffee table coupled with the fine and traditional Victorian middle-class interior support the feminine ideal, of a respectable wife dedicated to the pride of keeping her husbands house within this painting. The woman herself is portrayed as a fi gure of the feminine ideal; she is modestly dressed, in neutral and earthy tones, and leans upon her husband signifying the importance of the male figure within the domestic constitution.  [9]  The final image in the series Womans Mission: Comfort of Old Age shows the same woman as in the previous two scenes, this time, tending to an elderly relative. The prominence of this image is to show the continuity of the feminine ideal as it was expected during the period. The concept of the feminine ideal required at every stage of a middle-class womens life as, a mother, wife and daughter. Originally a doctrine of the middle-class alone, domesticity and the concept of the separate spheres began to infringe the boundaries of the working class. Hicks again narrates this concept in The Sinews of Old England, 1857. This image is similarly composed to Hickss later images Womans Mission where the female also stand alongside her husband leaning upon his left shoulder. Whilst this image shows the concept of the separate spheres in working-class circumstances it does not depict the domesticity and feminine ideal. The woman is decidedly different to that depicted in Womans Mission, her dress alone shows she is not of the middle-class ideal, the front of which is hitched up at the knee and she wears her sleeves rolled to the elbow suggesting she is ready to partake in the manual work common to those of her class. To support the differences suggested by dress are the physical attributes of the women. The lower-class woman reveals strong muscular arms as she rolls up her sleeves an d her complexion suggests someone who partakes in manual, possible outdoor, labour. This is in stark contrast to the petite frame of the middle-class woman who leans upon her husband for support. There are certain similarities between the paintings however. In both images the woman is shown as the keeper of the house, and in both it is the domestic accruements that highlight this ideal, behind the lower-class woman the audience is able to see the interior of the house in front of which she is stood. The similarities between the two images further stretch to the depictions of the men as the stronger gender. While in Womans Mission his masculinity it supported by his hiding tears from the public, the lower-class mans masculinity is show by his facing away from his wife and the domestic sphere and, as critics presumed, towards his source of work.  [10]   With such importance placed upon domesticity, moral responsibility and the feminine ideal by the middle-class it was not surprising that anything or anyone distancing themselves from what was often conceived as the norm or expected was called in to quested by Victorian moralists. The most questionable figure of nineteenth century urban society was that of the prostitute. The figure of the prostitute was not an uncommon one during the nineteenth century, as Dr Ryan, Campbell and Talbot citied, the number of prostitutes within the city was expected to be somewhere close to 80,000.  [11]  A wood engraving from Henry Mayhews London Labour and the London Poor, 1862 entitled The Haymarket-Midnight depicts a scene of London, at the Haymarket, where prostitution and deviant behaviour is plentiful. A social investigation by George Augustus Sala commented on the nocturnal activities of London, when among the socially deviant; A new life begins for London at midnight. Strange shapes appear of men and women who have lain a-bed all the day and evening, or have remained torpid in holes and corners. They come out arrayed in strange and fantastic garments, and in glaringly gaslit rooms screech and gabble in wild revelry. The street corners are beset by night prowlers. Phantoms arrayed in satin and lace flit upon the sight. The devil puts a diamond ring on his taloned finger, sticks a pin in his shirt; and takes his walks abroad. It is a stranger sight than even the painter Raffet imagined in his picture of Napoleons midnight review, and it is, I think, a much better thing to be at home and in bed, than wandering about and peeping into the mysteries of this unholy London night life.  [12]   What must be understood is that not all prostitutes were deviant figures for comparable reasons. The definition of prostitution was vast and varied according to where in society the figure was operating. Henry Mayhew in London Labour and the London Poor cites six different categories of prostitute; kept mistresses and prima donnas, convives who were separated into those subject to a mistress and those independent, low lodging house women, sailors and soldiers women, park women and thieves women.  [13]  Each of which, whilst remaining a deviant and immoral figure, certified their own social interpretation. Victorian representation of prostitution primarily focused on the lower class women of the city, however certain attention was given to women of the middle-classes who by some form of bad fortune found themselves in the world of prostitution. Known as fallen women those who transgressed the conventions of the middle-class, who negated domesticity and whose moral identity was dam aged caused particular anxieties for contemporaries. Known to be a society of sexual prudery, in reaction to the foundations laid by the new middle-class, Victorian society had to find a method of understanding and representing this ever developing social evil. Abraham Solomons representation Drowned! Drowned!, 1860 eloquently epitomises the varying discourses surrounding the figure of the mid-Victorian prostitute. Drowned! Drowned! was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1860, the year of its execution. Having previously painted two social commentaries, which were also exhibited at the Royal Academy, Solomon hoped that this work would finally acclaim his name as a prominent painter of social modernity.  [14]  The work however received a number of reviews, which frequently shifted between positive and negative. At one end of the scale his work was championed, receiving awards for its contemporary relevance, while at the other it was seriously criticised. Originally created as an oil painting, Drowned! Drowned! is now only in existence as a wood engraving. The image depicts a woman, whom one immediately associates with prostitution, being pulled from the River Thames. Solomon has provided viewers with an easily interpreted image portraying the devastating effects of social immorality. The environment around the prostitutes body is laden with symbolic imagery devoted to offering viewers an enveloping narrative of the circumstances in which the woman fell to such a degree of demise. The image illustrates the prostitutes body now settled on the riverbank at Westminster, easily identified by the commonly represented Bridge of Sighs in the background. Her body is laid up against that of a lower-class woman, who in reaction gazes down at the lifeless body, an expression of grief across her face. The prostitutes figure held in the womans arms emulates the form of the Pieta  [15]  . This traditional symbolism is pivotal in representing th e prostitute as a victim within the picture. By admitting moral symbolism into the image, Solomon portrays the representation of juxtaposed morals within Victorian society. The prostitutes social and moral downfall is highlighted prominently in the figures surrounding her dead body, which further act as instruments in this depiction of juxtaposing morals. To the right of the dead prostitute is a group of lower-class citizens, whilst to the left of the dead figure stand a group from middle-class boasting costumes from a masquerade ball. Here we see two groups of stereotypical Victorian characters, which seen together increase the power of the image by allowing not only a statement of the importance of morality but also providing the scene with a full narrative. The left-handed figures represented aspects of the immorality within society, they stand for indulgence, extravagance, corruptness and disorder. This is contradicted prominently in the morals shown by the group of lower-class characters, whose hard work and responsibility is given as an example of respectability.  [16]  The left-hand group of figures are understood to be travelling home from a masquerade ball, a popular event among the higher classes. Their clothing suggests such an outing has occurred, they are dressed in seventeenth century attire with aspects of the fanta stical added through masks and capes. The use of masqueraders as a representation of higher-classed figures encourages the audience to consider their immorality. The word masquerade can be attributed to the concept of deception, to faà §ade ones identity and thus can be applied to the female figures on the left of the image. To contemporaries this symbolic meaning highlighted the immortality of such activities, the true class identity of the figures is hidden from the public, and thus the women featured may be little more than kept mistresses or highly risen prostitutes. This is again polarized against the image of the lower class women, who do not attempt to hide their social identity, these women, despite their lower class, were considered respectable within Victorian society. The immorality of the deviant middle-class is further exhibited in the image portrayed by the most forward male masquerader who contemporary audiences interpreted to be the fallen womens seducer. The narrat ive surrounding this figure arises from his surprised expression as he stares at the dead prostitutes body. The placement of the seducer within the picture enhances the idea of the prostitute as a victim of society. VICTIM OF SOCIETY WHY WAS SHE CONSIDERED SO? The concept of the prostitute as a victim of society at, is promoted in other Victorian imagery, however it remained that as a patriarchal society the promotion or display of male sexuality did not act to destabilise the morality of society. Ford Maddox Browns painting Take Your Son Sir, 1851-6, has occasionally been referenced with the theme of social immorality, though others believe it to be a purely representation of a wife holding a child out to her husband. The painting uses a traditional Madonna and Child composition, however shows the mother and child within a contemporary Victorian interior, which negates away from the concept of traditionalist imagery. The woman holds the child out in front of her, whilst the image of a male can be seen in the mirror behind the mother and child, a mirror which acting as a nimbus continues the theme of traditional Madonna and Child imagery, on initial viewing the woman appears to hold her child toward the audience. On considering the contemporary environment the figures are situated in, the absence of the father and the uncomfortable expression across the womans face interpretations emerged that this was in fact the depiction of a kept mistress holding a child out to her seducer .  [17]   Chapter Three: Representation in Paint Much like Drowned! Drowned! Augustus Leopold Eggs 1858 painting known as Past and Present provides audiences with a prominent narrative. However in Eggs work the tale is generally considered indisputable. Accounting for this definite narrative is the triptychs official title; August the 4th. Have just heard that B. has been dead more than a fortnight, so his poor children have now lost both parents. I hear she was seen on Friday last near the Strand, evidently without a place to lay her head. What a fall hers has been! The language within the title is fundamental in initialising the symbolism within the images. Aside from securing the narrative, the inclusion of such a citation allowed audiences to clearly understand the issue of morality within. The images tell of a man, known to us only as B, who has died and untimely death leaving two orphaned children. As the passage continues it becomes clear that his orphaned children are at the mercy of an immoral mother, who having fallen into the destitute world of prostitution has become a social outcast. The theme of the deviant woman is continued in her reference only as she and her, she has, as a result of her adultery, has forcefully become anonymous loosing both her class identify and social standing.  [18]  Completed as a triptych Past and Present was not displayed chronologically. When on display the first part of the series, Past and Present No 1 the scene of the husbands discovery becomes the central segment flanked either side by scenes year s after the central episode. When considered together this imagery allows an insight into a possible, and frequent, reason for a womans decent to prostitution. Adultery, during the nineteenth century was considered the most serious form of female deviancy. Whilst the image of the fallen woman or prostitute was frequently represented as a victim of society that of the adulteress was not permitted sympathy. Whilst is it entirely possible that other women depicted as prostitutes suffered similar experiences to that of the woman in Past and Present there is rarely any symbolism suggesting such disgrace. Naturally the Eggs image is occupied with symbolism hinting at her adulterous activities. The woman is seen sprawled across her floor, her arms are outstretched, almost reaching the lower right hand corner of the image; her fists are clasped together in a motion to suggest begging, though it is unclear who this is aimed at as her body is forced away form that of her seated husband. The womans face is hidden from the viewer, perhaps in tune with the use of pronouns to remove her social and class identity. Above the woman sits her betrayed husband . He is posed, with one hand clenched upon the tabletop the other grasping a single piece of paper. The audience cannot but assume the possibilities of what is on this piece of paper. Beneath his left foot one can just make out the image of a broken photograph frame, perhaps their wedding photograph or an image of her lover? From the figure of the betrayed husband the viewers eye is encouraged towards the presence of two paintings on the wall behind him. The upper painting is a print of Clarksons The Shipwreck, which debuted to a great response in the Royal Academy exhibition of 1856.  [19]  The lower painting shows the portrait of a man, suspected to be the husband, this mirrors a similar portrait on the left of the painting this time assumed to portray the wife. The individual portraits can be seen to show division within the marriage, a statement of what is to follow this scene of discovery. The most symbolic painting within the image is that above the portrait of the wife. T his frame is representative of Eves deviancy and expulsion from Eden. Symbolism reverting to womans first incident of violation is again referenced in the half eaten apple next to the womens strained body. Problematic for the viewer is the depiction of the couples two daughters within the scene. Whilst the younger appears oblivious the elder is distracted from the card tower they are structuring resulting in its collapse. The tumbling cards are balanced upon a book by the French novelist Balzac. French society was regarded as unstable and dangerous, its literature was believed to be a source of corruption and immorality and many contemporaries were concerned about the harmful reverberations of French morality in England.  [20]  The inclusion of this work of literature is used as method of anchoring the infidelity to a modern and believable cause. The second and third sections of Past and Present illustrate the lasting implications the scene of discovery had upon the women of the family. Past and Present No 2 shows the hardship the daughters suffer as result of having a deviant and adulteress for a mother, while Past and Present No 3 exemplifies the immoral and sorrowful existence the adulteress has succumbed to. As previously mentioned female deviancy in the form of adultery was considered the most severe, from 1854 this was the only clause in the initial divorce bill taken to Parliament, which entitled a husband to divorce his wife.  [21]  Though it was possible for women to divorce their husbands from 1854 onwards incest was the only grounds accepted, it was not considered indecent for men to continue seeing prostitutes or to have extramarital sex, partly due to the vast number of years their wives were expected to be with child. As Nead cites a female who commits adultery was condemned so on the grounds that it was see n to have the most serious social consequences not only in relation to their own social position but also, and more critically, in terms of its effects on husband, children and home.  [22]  Past and Present No 2 shows the two daughters, seen in the first image, sitting together gazing out of an open window. From their surroundings one immediately understood that the downfall of their mother had also resulted in their own fall from society. They sit in an attic room away from the new middle class and bourgeoisie lifestyle they were born into. Women who were charged with committing adultery were forbidden to claim custody and more extremely to see their children as stated in the Custody of Infants Act, 1839.  [23]   Critics generally understood Past and Present No3 as being set around the same time as the second instalment of the triptych. The third image represents the fate of the adulteress. Again the environment in which she is depicted suggests a lot about her social standing. Sitting beneath the Adelphi arches, an area between the Strand and the River Thames and a well-known dwelling for streetwalking prostitutes. The figure of a woman, the adulteress, is scarcely seen for the vast shadows and poor lighting beneath the arches, again immorality is referenced through the use of darkness, on first glance it would be easy to miss the child she is holding upon her lap. Nevertheless a pair of legs emerge from the confines of her dark shawl. Understood to be an illegitimate child we again see how the actions of the deviant woman can affect the life of her family. Whilst it was common practice to publicly condemn the adulteress, the figure of the prostitutes and very often that of the fallen woman was represented to society as a victim of the deviant seducer. As Egg manipulates the way in which his female character is depicted, that being from adulteress to homeless prostitute, he manages to produce imagery, which as in many images of the same topic, particularly Drowned! Drowned!, evokes the ideal of the victim. Where Solomon has applied religious iconography within him image, relating to that of Christs dead body so too has Egg. Thomas brings to light the reference to religious imagery by citing that Eggs image goes as far as to employ iconographical details usually associated with the Virgin Mary to transform this sinful woman into a type of Madonna. Thomas continues to note that the adulteresss change of clothes and environment seen to symbolize not only her tragic fate but a spiritual rebirth.  [24]  This can further be supported by the use of light within the image, potentially acting as a halo to secure her repentance. While Past and Present highlighted a scenario, which enlightened audiences to why a woman might end up working as a prostitute, William Holman Hunts The Awakening Conscious, 1853 focused more forcefully on the ideas of regret and remorse. The theme of the regretful prostitute was a common representation during the latter nineteenth century, particularly among the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. The most prominent of these images are, The Awakening Conscious by Holman Hunt, The Gate of Memory, 1857 by Rossetti and Thoughts of the Past, 1859 by J.R. Spencer Stanhope. These three images congregate contemporary symbolism to tell their respective tales. As previously noted when discussing both Drowned! Drowned! and Past and Present a narrative that was accessibly to the contemporary audience was a primary factor in the painting of socially controversial images. While all three images provide audiences with a depiction of remorseful and regretful women they do so in varying manners. Both Hunt and Stanhope proceed with similar methods of symbolising the women within their images as prostitutes, showing various accoutrements associated with such a profession. Stanhopes womans profession is defined by the details upon her dressing table prominently the money and jewellery, which contradicts her shabby appearance and dockside residency.  [25]  Her profession is further hinted at in the inclusion of a males walking stick and stray glove. Hunt, in The Awakening Conscience, also uses the inclusions of such accessories. The composition of Hunts image encourages the audiences eye toward the clasped hands of the woman where one instantly notices the lack of a wedding band, a roughly discarded gloved and the unravelling of a piece of embroidery advance theories of her profession. The models loosely flowing hair suggests her intimacy with the male as does her close proximity to him, his arms circled around her waist. A stream of light flows through a nearby window, which lights up the lower portion of the painting. It is this stream of light, again as an allegory of Christian morality, which contemporaries understood to have induced the prostitutes moment of remorse and regret. The remainder of the paintings symbolism is dedicated to the further development of the female as a figure of remorse. Behind the figures we can see a wide-open widow, from which the light entered the darkened environment. The window provides the possibility of escape from this life of immorality; encouraged in the painting of the natural world this could be considered an ode to the morality of rural life. However the possibility of escape is then contradicted in the imagery of a cat toying with a bird just as the male figure has done with his mistress. Although the issue of morality was extensive in the painting of prostitutes so too was the subject of disease and infection. Dante Gabrielle Rossetti in his 1857 painting The Gate of Memory allows a manifestation of the Victorian Prostitute through association with dirt and physical impurity. Whilst the painting shares compositional similarities with formulaic interpretations of the topic such as the separation from a more innocent and honourable lifestyle and the use of light against dark as an allegory for moral verses immoral, though Hunt and Stanhope refer to the conflict between natural and unnatural light, Rossetti furthers the use of symbolism as a means of defining the prostitutes immorality alongside that of the cities. While there are no si

Every Child Matters Case Study

Every Child Matters Case Study Every Child Matters is a Government approach aimed to ensure all children, regardless of their circumstances or background have the support they need to: be healthy; stay safe; enjoy and achieve; make a positive contribution; and achieve economic well-being. This essay will explore the background of the framework, its aims and other relevant policies and legislation. I will then reflect on how ECM has affected my Local Authority and the school where I will be training. Finally I will then reflect on how ECM will inform my planning and teaching, and what it will mean to me as a professional in the classroom and in developing my practice. In 2003 the Government released the original Every Child Matters: Green paper, it was a response to the Joint Chief Inspectors report on the findings of Lord Lamings (Victoria Climbies death) public enquiry. It highlighted many failings from services to communicate and intervene. It set out proposals on how to address the issues of concern that had been identified and suggested measures that were needed to improve and reform childcare The Green Paper identified four areas of action: Support for parents and carers Effective protection and early intervention Accountability and poor integration Reform of the workforce The aim was to not only protect children but also to enable children to improve and fulfil their lives. The Green Paper built upon the foundations of Sure Start, aiming to eradicate child poverty and raising school standards. The success of the Green Paper led to the paper being transformed in to Every Child Matters: The Next Steps. Alongside this and with the support of the Houses of Parliament, the 1998 Childrens Act was reformed and adapted into The Childrens Act 2004. This Act aimed to encourage. It also aimed to ensure that LAs (Local Authorities) were given more flexibility when implementing their provision. One result of this act was the development of Local Safeguarding Childrens Boards. These boards aimed to co-ordinate between all LAs in a local area in order to safeguard children. The Act also resulted in the formation of the Every Child Matters Framework Every Child Matters: Change for Children, became a national framework. The title Every Child Matters was used to amalgamate all of the documents, that aimed to organise and deliver services that ensured every child and young person became an active member of society. There was also the aim of preventions as opposed to just dealing with the consequences. For this to work the framework suggested multi-agency collaboration from all those working with children and young people. Through this collaboration of services it would hopefully allow children and young people to achieve the five outcomes of the The Children Act 2004 (Section 10). Section 10 requires public services to ensure all children and young people are: -Protected from neglect and harm -Have the right to education, training and recreation Physical and mental health and emotional well-being -Contributing to society -Achieve social and economic well-being These are summarised as enabling children or young people to: Stay Safe, Be Healthy, Make a Positive Contribution, Enjoy and Achieve, and Achieve Economic Well-Being. These five outcomes are referenced to throughout Every Child Matters. To ensure all children and young people progress against these outcomes, policies and practices needed to be developed and implemented. The framework also focused on trying to ensure every child had provision regardless of their background or circumstances, and to enable children and young people to have a greater say about the issues and problems that affect them collectively and as individuals. This was evident in 2005, when the first Childrens Commissioner for England was elected; this gave a voice for children. This was one action aimed to prevent problems rather than dealing with consequences. As well as this the framework was seen as an inescapable moral imperative that it intended to assist a radical reform of services In 2007 The Childrens Plan was published, this aimed to build upon the Every Child Matters framework. The Childrens Plan: Building Brighter Future was a ten year plan that aimed to centralise children and young people, and increasing the focus on parental roles and the wider communities. The Plan focused on the Childrens Trusts, and believed that this was central to delivering quality, and set high expectations of them to deliver. The Childrens Trusts had similar aims to those of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards, they both aimed to collaborate. The Trusts take the child centred approach and use an integrated strategy of joint planning and commissioning, and pooled budgets. This inter agency co-operation aims to be sustainable by using a shared language and similar processes. Working in this manner means that the trust will hopefully be able to deliver a service that is very child centred, and has no restrictions from professional boundaries or any other existing agencies. Other frameworks, initiatives, acts and policies that have been a result of, or linked to, the Every Child Matters policy include Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) and The Equality Act (2006). My Local Authority has made many changes and developed many policies. The LA has developed a policy on e-safety, explaining the risks and what can be done to stay safe. They have also developed an Assessment and Response to Children System (ARCS). This explains the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and how it aims to assess The LA are also currently undertaking a consultation of the Thurrocks Draft Children and Young Peoples Plan 2010-2013 (CYPP). This is the revised plan is signed up to by many organisations that provide key services for children and young people in Thurrock (including the Council, the NHS, the Police, schools and colleges and the voluntary sector). It sets out the priorities for the Childrens Trust, based on the analysis of the needs of children and young people, and what has been learnt through various consultations and interactions with children, young people, their parents, carers and professionals. These plans have to be prepared by every area in the country and the Department of Children Schools and Families (DFSF) provide guidance to help them do this. These plans will form the main planning document of all Childrens Trust agencies, and partner agencies, meaning that whatever is done with children and young people in Thurrock it will contribute to achieving the collective ambiti ons everybody has for them. Thurrock Children Young Peoples Plan 2007-10, developed many policies such as Each Child, Every Young Person, All Agencies Our Plan 2007 2010. This identified the priorities that were needed and the goals to be set in order for all children and young people in Thurrock to be able to achieve the five outcomes of ECM. It aimed to improve services in Thurrock over the past three years. The plan was delivered through the Children and Young Peoples Strategic Partnership (CYPSP), which aims to meet the need of children and young people in Thurrock. It sets out 12 goals that they aimed to achieve to be able to meet the ultimate five goals of ECM. In January of this year A Review of School Improvement was also conducted by Peter Wylie for Thurrock Council. It was a review of how effective school improvement services in Thurrock were, and it went on to propose options for the future whilst keeping in mind the local and national policy priorities. One such policy: Your child, your schools, our future: building a 21st century schools system aims to create a school system. It is a system that aims to respond to changes in economy and society and enable every child to enjoy growing up, and develop their potential and talent. It also gives them the broad skills they will need for the future. There are many guidelines, policies and legislation in place to ensure children are protected and achieve wellbeing, and each covers various areas and ensures multiagency collaboration. As a trainee teacher and a qualified teacher I will need to be aware of these because they underpin everything that I do. Within school and within my teaching and planning, the five key principles of the ECM framework must be at the forefront of my mind, they need to be at the heart of every aspect of the school, including. Within Every Child Matters, at the heart of the curriculum it states that ECM requires teachers to be committed and passionate, and offer. It also states that teaching should include activities that are beyond the school, that involve parents and relate to real life experience. It also suggests. The curriculum is designed with ECM at the centre; the design features address all 5 aspects, such as ensuring children are given the opportunity to learn in many subjects, and in a variety of settings and environments. ECM is at the centre when considering and ensuring opportunities for events such as productions and sports days, and when considering the schools routines. Also when considering any extended hours, offering opportunities before, during and after school, and links with health and social agencies. Young peoples lives are centred around school, and they clearly have an important part to play in supporting children to achieve the five aspects of ECM. Schools need to take into account the needs of all learners when planning. I will now consider how each aspect is/can be promoted in the curriculum. Schools can promote being healthy and staying safe by having a positive school ethos, which promotes inclusion. It should also follow many policies and procedures, to ensure children stay safe. When working as a Trainee Teacher and a qualified teacher I will need to be aware of all the policies that the school follows and ensure I am kept up to date with these. For example: safeguarding and health and safety policies. Some procedures for this might be: questioning any adults in the school without a name badge; and safety hinges on doors. I will also need to ensure I promote inclusion by methods such as personalisation. The school in which I am training tries very hard to ensure that children stay healthy. They have gained the Healthy School Award and have recently been given The Sports Unlimited Award. The school now offers a range of after school and lunchtime clubs, and provides healthy snacks for Foundation Stage and KS1 children. The school also brings in coaches to take P.E. lessons, to motivate learners and teach them the sport that they are experts in. Drinking water is provided throughout the day and each child has their own water bottle for them to drink from when in lessons. The school also actively promotes walking or cycling to school, and conducts cycling proficiency for pupils. Over the past year lunchtimes have become more structured with MDA and LSAs taking structured activities. Another good initiative that the school has adopted is the use of peer buddying and mentoring, with each adult in the school mentoring at least one child that is in need. The school also provides opportunit ies for learners to grow vegetables. As well as having regular assemblies taken by police officers and visits from health workers. The school makes many links between the community with visits to sing at old peoples homes and links with reading schemes through the library. When I am planning and teaching I will need to ensure that I use circle time to explore health and personal issues as well as encourage debate and peer decisions. I could also provide a quiet area within my classroom where children are able to take time out. Opportunities should be given to promote and encourage and to learn to be healthy in many subjects. I will need to be aware of this and apply them in my teaching. A few examples include: allowing for leaners to be empowered through making their own decisions, encouraging diversity, respecting difference and teaching them about their own identity, and using mathematics to investigate data on diet and health. History could also be used to explore community history and individual identity. Schools have the responsibility to ensure children are able to enjoy and achieve whilst staying safe when they are at school, through a wide range of policies and procedures. For example rules for how to use equipment safely, safeguarding, carrying out risk assessments, and bullying policies. However the staying safe element of ECM goes much further than the school and it is about. The school in which I am training provides many opportunities to ensure children are able to stay safe. They provide day and residential trips and set rules around the school based upon the schools Core values. With the increase in the use of the internet, the LA have also developed a policy for E-safety. The school provides mentoring and home work clubs to ensure the learners dont fall behind with work and also provide pupils with the opportunities to discuss any issues they may have. The school also has a council that acts as the student voice and gets learners more involved in the school. The school also encourages confidence for children to speak out, and uses role play, performances and presentations to promote this. The school uses visits from outside professionals, such as community police officers, and before any school trips, a safety check has to be conducted. There are also many opportunities to promote staying safe in the subjects that are being taught in my school. For example art, and design and technology could be used to promote safe practice and managing risks that may occur. ICT could be used to develop safety, such as questioning information and how to sit correctly at computer, i.e. .posture. When Teaching I need to be aware of how I can incorporate staying safe in my planning and in my classroom. I would also need to use the schools Core Values to assist safety and set class rules with the children. I will also need to take some responsibility in ensuring the school is safe, because it is everybodys responsibility not just the head teachers or senior managers. I could use stories in my class to deal with behaviours such as bullying and challenging stereotypes, resolving conflict and consequences. Schools need to ensure every child is making a positive contribution by ensuring the environment is created to encourage all to participate. They also give learners a voice, and vary in teaching strategies. The school where I am training has a school council that provides the children with a voice to speak out. In the Every Child Matters, at the heart of the curriculum booklet it states that if the children are aware that they have the opportunity to enrich the lives of others and support and care for them, and ultimately change things for the better, then they are much more likely to be more sociable beyond the school gates. The school I will be training at provides opportunities across the curriculum to ensure children give a positive contribution. The school council gives the opportunity to make decisions such as what equipment shall be built in the playground. It is important that children are able to make choices that have a true impact. Learners are also given various responsibilities around the school such as being responsible for the library, putting books away or giving them out, watering and looking after the garden, and collecting the register. They also encourage learners to participate in clubs and projects around the school. The school offers various clubs and everybody participates in the Christmas plays, as well as using buddying and mentoring schemes. They make links with the community through projects such as Christmas singing and also use such projects to raise money for charities. I will need to be aware of these points to ensure that I incorporate them into my classroom, for example by giving children responsibilities. I will also need to be aware of the ways the children can offer a positive contribution in certain subjects, such as promoting group work in English, including listening, speaking and responding to others, or encouraging children to contribute to a performance in music. When I am teaching I will need to ensure I enable and provide children with an opportunity to speak out and tell me the support they need, and provide an environment which is created for all to be able to participate in. I could use various methods to promote positive contribution such as using talk partners, incentives and mentors. Enjoying and Achieving is promoted in schools by lessons always taking account for different learning styles and abilities, thus ensuring that learners enjoy their learning. To ensure they enjoy and achieve, I may need to refer a child that may need more specialist help, research any needs they may have, differentiate and personalise my lessons, and celebrate achievements. If children are enjoying learning and have good supportive relationships, they are more likely to achieve. Every child has a talent, and it is the responsibility of the school to uncover these talents and ensure that all young people view themselves as a success and can live a fulfilling life. This means that the curriculum needs to be full of challenges and surprises. Children need to be able to build upon their own aptitudes as well as being able to enjoy what they are learning, and should be given opportunities to take on responsibility, whilst always considering each childs individual needs. The school that I am training at offers the pupils many opportunities to achieve and enjoy across the curriculum. The school gives each year group a topic every term, this allows children to see links between subjects, and provides them with opportunities to deeply explore issues. The school provides many trips from adventurous activities to historical sites, and provides opportunities for children to participate in the community through activities and projects. The school also provides many opportunities for children to demonstrate their skills through concerts, plays, and sports, and uses an achievement wall to praise children that achieve and/or participate, as well as having ac hievement assemblies once a week. In the achievement assemblies many awards are given: sporting awards; awards for effort; knowledge and reading; or anything else that is considered an achievement. The school also provides catch-up lessons and additional support through lunchtime and afterschool. I need to ensure that I see the school as a learning community and that I see myself as a lead learner. I will need to ensure that I provide opportunities for children to explore deeply and widely. When I am planning I will try and ensure to incorporate the childrens interest into lessons, and I will also need to ensure I arrange trips to help them to enjoy and achieve. I will need to try and use experts and organisations when teaching, and reach out and use parents where possible. I will also need to fully participate throughout the school to ensure I assist in allowing children to enjoy and achieve. There are many opportunities in lessons where I can plan to ensure children enjoy and achieve. In PSHE I could provide practical learning activities that relate to real life. I could also use real life situations in mathematics or use investigation games and strategies. I will need to be able to incorporate and ensure the children enjoying and achieving is at the heart of my teaching and planning. I must understand that it isnt about just teaching the lesson; it is about them understanding, enjoying and learning from the lesson. Economic wellbeing is about contextualising learning by relating it to the real world, and learners see the value of their learning. It also helps learners to create a. This means that children can achieve a great sense of satisfaction from being responsible for their own future. The school where I will be training uses many opportunities in the curriculum to help children to achieve economic wellbeing. The school provides learning opportunities for children to fundraise, in school or in an outside school setting. The school also encourages children to take on jobs in school such as taking responsibility for the school library or collecting the register. The school also provides leadership opportunities for pupils, such as becoming mentors or part of the school council. The school also actively promotes and embraces cultural difference and diversity. I could help children to achieve economic wellbeing by making them responsible for their dinner money and make it their responsibility to work out any change. I must ensure I encourage children to take on responsibilities in the school and in the class. There are many opportunities for learners to achieve economic wellbeing in subjects. For example I could use English to develop communication skills, and expressing views and ideas effectively. Learners could also develop their skills in obtaining information, analysing it, and evaluating it in science. P.E. could be used to teach children to work both as an individual and as part of team. When considering my personal development, my priority is to learn how to plan correctly, ensuring I use various learning environments and take into account the different childrens contexts. I will need to sit down with my School Based Trainer and maybe the classs last teacher, and consider each childs context. I will then be able to use this to personalise and differentiate planning. It will also inform me of the childrens interests, this will help me to plan for their interests and ensure they enjoy the lessons. ECM has greatly affected education and the way teachers teach. It has impacted many areas from, planning, safety, and dealing with behaviour. It has played a major part in radically reforming many children and young peoples services and lives. It is important however to not only praise the policy but also to criticise the policy in order for it to be developed and improved. This can be seen in the development from the Green Paper. At every stage the original policy aims were evaluated and then reset. For ECM to fully achieve its aims it is important that there needs to be multi-disciplinary work, and that teams and colleagues need to continuously reflect and evaluate. The overall effect of Every Child Matters and been massive, and Im sure that the results will continue to be seen for many years to come.