Analysis of Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth Essay -- Tintern Abbey

Analysis of Tintern Abbey by William Wordsworth William Wordsworth existed in a time when society and its functions were beginning to rapidly pick up. The poem that he 'Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey, on Revisiting the Banks of the Wye', gave him a chance to reflect upon his quick paced life by taking a moment to slow down and absorb the beauty of nature that allows one to 'see into the life of things'; (line 49). Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey'; takes you on a series of emotional states by trying to sway 'readers and himself, that the loss of innocence and intensity over time is compensated by an accumulation of knowledge and insight.'; Wordsworth accomplishes to prove that although time was lost along with his innocence, he in turn was able to gain an appreciation for the aesthetics that consoled him by incorporating all together, the wonders of nature, his past experiences, and his present mature perception of life. Wordsworth begins his poem by describing the landscape of the abbey as unchanged during the past five years. He emphasizes the lapse of time by stating, ' again I hear';, 'again do I behold';, and 'again I see';. He seemed to be overwhelmed with emotions that he, though up on a very far away cliff, was certain that a hermit was in his cave sitting by the fire alone. Wordsworth wanted so much to remember the place that he was allowing his perception of the past take over his present reality. More importantly he says, 'I again repose here?'; to express that the scene gives him a sense of reconciliation. He further illustrates the isolation, peacefulness, and greenness of the abbey to tap into his vague memories of past encounters. Although there had been a 'long absence'; from the abbey, the memories of his hurried time in the Wye had consoled him ' 'mid the din of towns and cities'; (lines 26-27). 'With tranquil restoration'; Wordsworth has changed from the state of observing to the state of recalling his 'unremembered pleasures[s]'; (31). He had many times returned in spirit to the Wye, to escape the 'fever of the world'; (53). These memories have produced emotions beyond his understanding; enlightening him and relieving his frustrations. It is the abbey, 'in which the heavy and the weary weight of all this unintelligible world, is lightened'; and makes him become a 'living soul';. (40-49) Wordsworth was claiming th... ...e it was 'full of blessings'; (134). And if she ever happened to be alone, scared, in pain or in grief, Wordsworth wanted her to look upon these 'healing thoughts'; (144) and think of him. Wordsworth's 'Tintern Abbey'; is the poetry of consciousness and becoming aware of this state, and the understanding of where one fits into the scheme of everything within the world. Wordsworth looked into life as an active participant ready to grasp all knowledge and understanding that was available to him. So although he missed the abbey and lost some of his youth, he had gained ten-fold by being able to interpret his feelings through his own perception and knowledge. He had found a way to console himself, he had found a basis for hope in 'Tintern Abbey';. Wordsworth had become more thoughtful and saw the abbey in a different way than in his youth. He had learned how to appreciate things and wanted to instill those values in his sister/';Dear Friend';. Wordsworth had found the true comfort in nature and had incorporated that respect for nature in his life. Works Cited: Wordsworth, William. "Tintern Abbey." Romanticism: An Anthology. Ed. Duncan Wu. Oxford: Blackwell, 1998. 265-269.

A Definition of Collaborative vs Cooperative Learning Essay

I have been searching for many years for the Holy Grail of interactive learning, a distinction between collaborative and cooperative learning definitions. I am getting closer to my elusive goal all the time but I am still not completely satisfied with my perception of the two concepts. I believe my confusion arises when I look at processes associated with each concept and see some overlap or inter-concept usage. I will make a humble attempt to clarify this question by presenting my definitions and reviewing those of other authors who have helped clarify my thinking. Collaboration is a philosophy of interaction and personal lifestyle whereas cooperation is a structure of interaction designed to facilitate the accomplishment of an end product or goal. Collaborative learning (CL) is a personal philosophy, not just a classroom technique. In all situations where people come together in groups, it suggests a way of dealing with people which respects and highlights individual group members’ abilities and contributions. There is a sharing of authority and acceptance of responsibility among group members for the groups actions. The underlying premise of collaborative learning is based upon consensus building through cooperation by group members, in contrast to competition in which individuals best other group members. CL practitioners apply this philosophy in the classroom, at committee meetings, with community groups, within their families and generally as a way of living with and dealing with other people. Cooperative learning is defined by a set of processes which help people interact together in order to accomplish a specific goal or develop an end product which is usually content specific. It is more directive than a collaboratve system of governance and closely controlled by the teacher. While there are many mechanisms for group analysis and introspection the fundamental approach is teacher centered whereas collaborative learning is more student centered. Spencer Kagan in an article in Educational Leadership (Dec/Jan 1989/1990) provides an excellent definition of cooperative learning by looking at general structures which can be applied to any situation. His definition provides an unbrella for the work cooperative learning specialists including he Johnsons, Slavin, Cooper, Graves and Graves, Millis, etc. It follows below: â€Å"The structural approach to cooperative learning is based on the creation, analysis and systematic application of structures, or content-free ways of organizing social interaction in the classroom. Structures usually involve a series of steps, with proscribed behavior at each step. An important cornerstone of the approach is the distinction bet ween â€Å"structures† and â€Å"activities†. â€Å"To illustrate, teachers can design many excellent cooperative activities, such as making a team mural or a quilt. Such activities almost always have a specific content-bound objective and thus cannot be used to deliver a range of academic content. Structures may be used repeatedly with almost any subject matter, at a wide range of grade levels and at various points in a lesson plan. † John Myers (Cooperative Learning vol 11 #4 July 1991) points out that the dictionary definitions of â€Å"collaboration†, derived from its Latin root, focus on the process of working together; the root word for â€Å"cooperation† stresses the product of such work. Co-operative learning has largely American roots from the philosophical writings of John Dewey stressing the social nature of learning and the work on group dynamics by Kurt Lewin. Collaborative learning has British roots, based on the work of English teachers exploring ways to help students respond to literature by taking a more active role in their own learning. The cooperative learning tradition tends to use quantitative methods which look at achievement: i. e. , the product of learning. The collaborative tradition takes a more qualitative approach, analyzing student talk in response to a piece of literature or a primary source in history. Myers points out some differences between the two concepts: â€Å"Supporters of co-operative learning tend to be more teacher-centered, for example when forming heterogeneous groups, structuring positive inter- dependence, and teaching co-operative skills. Collaborative learning advocates distrust structure and allow students more say if forming friendhip and interest groups. Student talk is stressed as a means for working things out. Discovery and contextural approaches are used to teach interpersonal skills. † â€Å"Such differences can lead to disagreements†¦. I contend the dispute is not about research, but more about the morality of what should happen in the schools. Beliefs as to whast should happen in the schools can be viewed as a continuum of orientations toward curriculum from â€Å"transmission† to â€Å"transaction† to â€Å"transmission†. At one end is the transmission position. As the name suggests, the aim of this orientation is to transmit knowledge to students in the form of facts, skills and values. The transformation position at the other end of the continuum stresses personal and social change in which the person is said to be interrelated with the environment rather than having control over it. The aim of this orientation is self-actualization, personal or organizational change. † Rocky Rockwood (National Teaching and Learning Forum vol 4 #6, 1995 part 1) describes the differences by acknowledging the parallels they both have in that they both use groups, both assign specific tasks, and both have the groups share and compare their procedures and conclusions in plenary class sessions. The major difference lies in the fact that cooperative deals exclusively with traditional (canonical) knowledge while collaborative ties into the social constructivist movement, asserting that both knowledge and authority of knowledge have changed dramatically in the last century. â€Å"The result has been a transition from â€Å"foundational (cognitive) understanding of knowledge†, to a nonfoundational ground where â€Å"we understand knowledge to be a social construct and learning a social process† (Brufee, Collaborative learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge, 1993). Rockwood states: â€Å"In the ideal collaborative environment, the authority for testing and determining the appropriateness of the group product rests with, first, the small group, second, the plenary group (the whole class) and finally (but always understood to be subject to challenge and revision) the requisite knowledge community (i. e. the discipline: geography, history, biology etc. ) The concept of non- foundational knowledge challenges not only the product acquired, but also the process employed in the acquisition of foundational knowledge. â€Å"Most importantly, in cooperative, the authority remains with the instructor, who retains ownership of the task, which involves either a closed or a closable (that is to say foundational) problem ( the instructor knows or can predict the answer). In collaborative, the instructor–once the task is set– transfers all authority to the group. In the ideal, the group’s task is always open ended. † â€Å"Seen fr om this perspective, cooperative does not empower students. It employs them to serve the instructor’s ends and produces a â€Å"right† or acceptable answer. Collaborative does truly empower and braves all the risks of empowerment (for example, having the group or class agree to an embarrassingly simplistic or unconvincing position or produce a solution in conflict with the instructor’s). † â€Å"Every person, Brufee holds, belongs to several â€Å"interpretative or knowledge communities† that share vocabularies, points of view, histories, values, conventions and interests. The job of the instructor id to help students learn to negotiate the boundaries between the communities they already belong to and the community represented by the teacher’s academic discipline, which the students want to join. Every knowledge community has a core of foundational knowledge that its members consider as given (but not necessarily absolute). To function independently within a knowledge community, the fledgling scholar must master enough material to become conversant with the community. † Rockwood concludes: In my teaching experience, cooperative represents the best means to approach mastery of foundational knowledge. Once students become reasonably conversant, they are ready for collaborative, ready to discuss and assess,†¦. † Myers suggests use of the â€Å"transaction† orientation as a compromise between taking hard positions advocating either methodology. â€Å"This orientation views education as a dialogue between the student and the curriculum. Students are viewed as problem solvers. Problem solving and inquiry approaches stressing cognitive skills and the ideas of Vygotsky, Piaget, Kohlberg and Bruner are linked to transaction. This perspective views teaching as a â€Å"conversation† in which teachers and students learn together through a process of negotiation with the curriculum to develop a shared view of the world. † It is clear to me that in undertaking the exercize of defining differences between the two ideas we run the risk of polarizing the educational community into a we versus them mentality. There are so many benefits which acrue from both ideas that it would be a shame to lose any advantage gained from the student-student-teacher interactions created by both methods. We must be careful to avoid a one-size-fits-all mentality when it comes to education paradigms. As a final thought, I think it behooves teachers to educate themselves about the myriad of techniques and philosophies which create interactive environments where students take more responsibility for their own learning and that of their peers. Then it will become possible to pick and chose those methods which best fit a particular educational goal or community of learners.

One Today- Poem Analysis Essay

Richard Blanco is a Cuban- American poet who was given the oppurunity to write an inaugaration poem for Barack Obama’s second swearing-in. He wrote a poem titled â€Å"One Today† that praised the good and unique things about the United States and also the everyday people who’s daily routines help to make America the proud country that it is. Blanco uses several rhetorical devices throughout â€Å"One Today†, more so in the first few stanzas. An example of figurative language he used was the repetition of certain words or similar words in order to create a flow within the poem. My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors† is a line in the poem that best represents this. Blanco also uses personification to give a better description of the beauty that he is describing, such as â€Å"plum blush of dusk†. Another use of figurative language found in stanza four is the repetition of the word â€Å"hands† which he uses to represent the many hard-working hands of America and the things they do to contribute to the well-being of the country. The word choice in the poem is a big part of what I think ties the whole poem together, and creates a theme that carries through each stanza. As you read the poem you will notice the excessive use of the word â€Å"one† which is most often featured at the beginning of a stanza and followed by something that connects everyone in the country together. An example of this is the first line in the fourth stanza of the poem, which reads â€Å"One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat and hands†¦ . Another example is the use of words that represent movement. â€Å"Rose, charging, crescendoing, teeming, launching, jetting† are all words used throughout the poem that outline the daily movement that occurs in the lives of American citizens. In the sixth stanza of the poem Blanco gives examples of the many different ways that you may hear U. S residents say hello. I think that he did this to represent the many different cultures that make up the population of the United States, and the vast amount of languages that they speak. I think the tone and voice that this poem has is that of pride and patriotism. The author does this by outlining the good qualities that the United States has to offer. However he does this is in such away that it does not sound like bragging, because he does not boast about all of the beauty or things that America is known for but rather the people who work to make it this way and how these things bring them together. â€Å"One Today† is of course written in a formal manner because of the occasion that that it was written for. That is why it does not contain any humour, abbreveations or informal language. I think that the voice that the author used in this poem fit the occasion perfectly because it was straight forward, easily understandable and relatable to any American citizen. The sentence structure of this poem is unlike a lot of poems that you might see where the lines are of equal length and contain the same amount of sylables. Rather than taking that approach, Blanco’s poem contained senteneces, and lines that were all of different length. For example, in the second stanza blanco included two very long lines that included dashes and comma’s because he was creating a list. Some of the very short lines feautured throughout the poem occur beacause the sentence was too long to fit into the line before and was continued in the next line. After I applied all of these craft techniques to the poem â€Å"One Today† it helped me to better understand why the author wrote it the way that he did.

Plato’s Theory of Forms Essay

Qu.1. A] Explain Plato’s concept of the Forms. B] Evaluate carefully Forms as a way of understanding the world. Plato, Socrates’ famous pupil, created the Theory of Forms. This essay will explore the ideas of Plato’s theory, the strengths and weaknesses of his thoughts, and how they affect our understanding of the world. The Theory of Forms states that everything has a Form- whether it is a chair, a bed, an animal etc; absolutely everything has a Form. Plato also states that ‘Forms are perfection’. Plato says there are four Forms for ethical values; these are Truth, Justice, Beauty, and Goodness. Plato believes there is a hierarchy of Forms, with the Form of Goodness being at the top. Plato believes that True Knowledge comes from knowing the four values, and using them to achieve Ultimate Reality. The way to achieve True Knowledge is ‘Only through the mind’ according to Plato. You have to separate body and soul, and concentrate on mind, to accomplish Ultimate Reality. Plato says we are born with the knowledge of Form, and through education, we recollect this knowledge. For example, we say ‘that is a beautiful flower’, but what is beauty? As we grow up, we are told what objects are beautiful; Plato states that we learn of Forms through experience and learning. Plato uses the ‘Analogy of the Cave’ to explain his Theory. The sun in the analogy represents the Form of Goodness; it gives life to everything, and is the source of all. In Christianity, the Form of Goodness is God, as He is the creator and leader. Plato believes to become a true philosopher you must attain knowledge of Forms, and to accomplish true enlightenment you must have true awareness of the Form of Goodness. Plato’s ‘Analogy of the Cave’ also shows that Forms are in a world beyond shadows and beyond appearance, they are the truth within our souls. Saint- Exupery agrees with this by saying ‘What is essential is invisible to the eye’. Plato suggests there is another reality, a reality that is invisible and beyond our senses. Plato says that facts (sight, touch, smell etc) assist in Forms, for example, we look at things to see if they are good. However, Plato says senses are unreliable and relative, and do not give an absolute view on anything. Plato’s ‘Analogy of the Cave’ also explains that although everyone knows the Forms, many refuse to accept them as it can take away the security of illusions, and the world as you know it. Plato believes Forms cannot be taught, only valued, and utilized. Plato’s Theory of Forms has had many criticisms, one being that it is not really a theory. It relies on the ‘Analogy of the Cave’ to support and explain its’ details. This suggests that Plato is unsure of Forms himself, or at least how to explain them. It is suggested that the Theory is unsure of the extent of the Forms, for example, is there a Form for humanity or each individual? This is important as the answer could change the concept of Form, and alter how the concept is used to understand the world. Another criticism is that Plato states that each Form is unique, but does not explain why this is. Plato also tells us about the Forms but does not say what they actually are. This suggests he has little evidence behind his assumptions, and perhaps does not fully understand Forms himself. Plato’s Theory also has many strong points. It is true that we know Forms- such as beauty etc, and learn about them throughout our lives. This suggests that we are born with knowledge of Forms within our minds, and understand the world using these Forms. It is also true that our senses are unreliable and ever-changing, for example we say something is ‘big’ but compared to something else it may be ‘small’. The way we believe things are true, is by using our senses. This suggests that the way we understand the world is untrustworthy and false, as it is based on unreliable sources. Another strong point is how many of us are secure in our world, and do not want to believe another world exists. We are comfortable in believing what surrounds us is true, and do not want our reality to be shattered. Overall, Plato’s theory is complicated and based on the fact that everything has a Form, and we all have an innate knowledge of Forms. Plato’s theory is criticised because it is unclear and imprecise, with little evidence to back it up. Nevertheless, it offers us a different way of thinking and a new light to see things. We have no idea whether it is true- how can we really know anything? Plato’s Theory of Forms is comprehendible and definitely possible and allows us to broaden our mind and consider another reality.

Business Systems Development and Implementation Essay

Business Systems Development and Implementation - Essay Example Many of the projects became a failure due to lack of proper skills in order to undertake these projects successfully. On the other hand the companies which initiated and successfully implemented these projects enjoyed the hyper growth. In order to make these projects different tools and techniques were introduced by the management gurus in order to increase the success rate of these projects. The implementation cost of the new information system often have some hidden costs which cannot be calculated at the beginning of a project (Anderson and Dawes, 1991). Often workers are required to be trained to effectively use the technology being implemented but this training reduce the working hours. Currid (1995) states the same fact as: When a new system is introduced, it rocks day-to-day activity so much that some people don't adjust quickly. They stay less productive than they were without the new computer. And, if this situation goes unchecked, they may never recover. In Standish Group's CHAOS Report, the group analysed 8380 Information projects that were underway in 365 companies and reported failure and success rates. The report used some indicators and divided the companies into following three categories which are as follows: Resolution Type 2 is "Project Challenged." These were completed, but were over cost, over time, and/or lacking all of the features and functions that were originally specified. 52.7% of all studied projects fell into this Resolution Type 2 (Challenged) category. Resolution Type 3 is termed "Project Impaired/Failed." These projects were abandoned or cancelled at some point and thus became total losses. A disturbing 31.1% of all studied p

Urban tourism, heritage and culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Urban tourism, heritage and culture - Essay Example Cultural and heritage centers are remarkable for contributing towards tourism industry, and generating income to towns and communities. Ð ¡ultures and heritages may be remarkable for construction of historical narratives regarding a culture, or concerning particular communities. In most cases, promotion of heritage centers and cultural heritages are not meant for tourism, but to preserve identity of communities for long periods. This heritage may be a form of symbolism, representing spectacular events, which may have shaped the lives and history of the people concerned. The main aspect in conservation of heritages is to maintain these symbols, and the unique characteristics of the preserved heritages are responsible for attracting both local and international tourists, as unique images of identity. Attraction of tourists to heritage sites leads to increased income generated through tourism activities in these regions, and urban tourism may result from this tourist activities. Many a uthorities have therefore reconditioned cities and towns near heritage centers to attract more tourists with an aim of not only preserving heritages, but to increase income in the tourism industry. In this report, the Amiens Cathedral of Notre- Dame in France will be considered as a precious heritage center that has been recognized and listed under UNESCO’s global heritage centers. Historical Background Amiens Cathedral, located in the heart of Picardy is among the largest Gothic churches constructed in the 13th century. The cathedral particularly stands unique in its construction, coherence of its plan, amazing fine displays of sculptures in the principle facade and the South transept, among other spectacular aspects (UNESCO, 2012). The cathedral was initiated in 1152 under the auspices of Bishop Evard, who made huge collections from clergy and people for this noble function (Brown 1846, 100). The cathedral was designed by Robert Lusarche as the architect, but the bishop and Lusdarche did not live to see the completion of the Cathedral that was completed in 1288 (Brown 1846, 100). However, the cathedral was first designed under the Romanesque architecture but was destroyed by fire in 1218, making reconstruction to be carried out in 1220 (UNESCO, 2012). Many of the statues and decorations in the cathedral were completed around 14th century; many years after the completion of the cathedral. The Amiens Cathedral is very different from other cathedrals and buildings in England, and other European locations in many aspects; including both style and design (Brown 1846, 101). This Cathedral is documented to be more advanced and perfect compared to other Gothic architectural works that were prominent during this period (Brown 1846, 101). The French cathedral is in many aspects different from many other cathedrals designed according to the Gothic architecture in this period, making it the most remarkable Gothic architectural work in history. The cathedral was r ecognized in 1972 by UNESCO under the World Heritage Site Agreement, but was to be officially listed as a world heritage in 1981 (Durand 2012, 9).This recognition changed the entire Amiens area, with the town being reconfigured as a tourist’s destination, leading to growth of more tourism infrastructure, consequently attracting thousands of tourists in this area, considering that France is one of the global leading tourist destinations today. Heritages leading to urban tourism Jenkins (1999) uses the word destination image a number of times and in different contexts. The image of any tourist destination is firstly designed in the cognitive opinion of the events, typical features, and character of the place. Increasing the information related to the image of such cities or places through organic means leads to enhanced clarity as Jenkins further elaborates, and this enhanced clarity leads to more tourists flocking these

Do we think for ourselves or does society determine what we think (the Essay - 1

Do we think for ourselves or does society determine what we think (the social construction of reality) - Essay Example Society determines us; the life of an individual and how he/she thinks is determined and moulded by the society the individual lives in: this form the thesis of my paper. An analysis of different stereotypes and concepts will be carried out to help prove this statement. A critical society is one with individuals who value critical thinking as well as value those who are practicing it.   Its most distinguishing feature is that it stresses on thinking as central to the emancipation of mind, to the development and preservation of the species and to the establishment of just practices. Unfortunately, no critical society exists in the world.   The concept represents an ideal that is yet to be achieved and actualized.   However, there are some professions and culture on earth in which critical thought is the characteristic of everyday social and personal life. The world is occupied by superficiality, bias, prejudice, distortions, manipulation, lies, deception, short sightedness, hypocrisy, close-mindedness, righteousness, on and on, in each culture in every part across the world.   These problems in our thinking occasion untold negative implications such as fear, sadness, anxiety, hopelessness, suffering, pain, injustices of every thinkable kind. People have an incredible capacity for reasonability and rationality.   The history of our accomplishments, achievements and contributions, initiated and shaped by our society well documents this fact.   Nonetheless, for the better part, this capacity should be actively developed by the mind.   It is our second nature determined by our society. What is more natural to our mind, whatever comes first concerning human tendencies, and habitually takes priority, is an orientation emphasized on self-gratification, self-protection and self-interest.   This perspective is inborn, and most people would say it`s necessary for survival. To visualize that our societies are critical