How does Edgar Allan Poe create atmosphere in “The Tell Tale Heart” Essay

This essay is about how Edgar Allan Poe created tension and atmosphere in his short story â€Å"the tell tale heart†. The Tell Tale Heart was written in the year 1843 by Edgar Allan Poe. Edgar Allan Poe was born to a Scots-Irish family in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809, the son of actress Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and actor David Poe. His later life was over-shadowed by financial and mental problems and periodic drunkenness, and he was temporarily disinherited by his foster father, but this could have influenced many of his short stories and poems, some of the short stories and poems he is most famous for are: â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum,† â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher,† â€Å"The Gold Bug,† â€Å"The Black Cat,† â€Å"The Raven† and â€Å"Annabel Lee.†. On October 3, 1849, Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious and â€Å"in great distress, and†¦ in need of immediate assistance,† according to the man who found him. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died early on the morning of October 7. This was most distressing for people who were a fan of his work, but they knew that his work would still be read over a long time past his death. There was never a certain cause for his death but some of the suggestions to why he died were: alcohol, drugs, and other agents. Poe’s Tell Tale Heart is of the gothic and horror fiction genre; this means it is a story that is wrote to induce a pleasing terror on the reader. Gothic is a genre that many people enjoy to read, because people like the suspense and shock that is involved in a gothic story, it gives the reader a sense of insecurity, making sure that they think about what could happen. Its stories like this that class as a gothic genre. The Tell Tale Heart is most definitely of this genre because the suspense in the story is immense and there is much tension, in this essay I will try my very best to describe how Edgar Allan Poe does this. Tension plays a pivotal role in the short story, so Poe used all the techniques available to create this tension. These techniques are stylistic. He uses things like characterisation, setting and plot. In the following paragraphs I will explain all of these techniques. Poe’s â€Å"Tell Tale Heart† is set at night time in a house that sounds like an old gothic manor. At night the house is sealed off from light. This creates a dark, eerie feel to the story. Night time sybolises danger and evil; it sybolises this because vicious things like dangerous animals (e.g. wolves) strike at night and kill their prey, also mythical creatures such as vampires are more active at night, this creates a scary atmosphere to night time. A descriptions in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† that show its night time is: â€Å"His room was as black as pitch with the thick darkness.† This shows how dark it really was. It’s also as if the narrator can feel the dark, and has to push through it. This description of the dark paints a picture in your mind and it gives the effect of being in a silent room with no light and no escape. The effect of no escape is important because it’s as if the old man cannot escape. The main thing that triggers the narrators murderous tendency is the old mans eye. The old mans eye is described as the â€Å"Vulture Eye†. We do not know the relationship of the narrator to the old man; this adds tension because we do not know how the narrator knows this man and why he would want to kill him. There are some ideas of what the relationship is; my view on the relationship is that the narrator is a person who cares for the old man, due to poor vision. I get this impression because it says: â€Å"with a film over it†. It’s difficult to see through a film, so this denotes an impression of poor vision. He may have gone not expecting this â€Å"vulture eye† to begin haunting him. This eye is basically sending the narrator insane. The narrator’s obsession with the old man’s eye culminates in his own undoing as he is engulfed with internal conflict and his own transformation from confidence to guilt. The fixation on the old man’s vulture-like eye forces the narrator to concoct a plan to eliminate the old man. The narrator confesses the sole reason for killing the old man is his eye: â€Å"Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees – very gradually – I made up my mind to rid myself of the eye for ever†. The narrator begins his tale of betrayal by trying to convince us (the reader) he is not insane, but we quickly surmise the narrator indeed is out of control. The fact that the old man’s eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is so mentally unstable that he must search for justification to kill. In his mind, he rationalises murder with his own unreasonable fear of the eye. Another reason this adds tension is because the narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man’s â€Å"Evil Eye†. Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man. The narrator shows his contrariety when he confesses he loves the old man, but he is still too overwhelmed by the pale blue eye to restrain himself from the all-consuming desire to eliminate the eye. His struggle is evident as he waits to kill the old man in his sleep so that he won’t have to face the old man when he kills him; but on the other hand, the narrator can’t justify the killing unless the vulture eye was open. The narrator is finally able to kill the man because â€Å"I saw it with perfect distinctness – all a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones; but I could see nothing else of the old man’s face or person: for I had directed the ray as if by instinct, precisely upon the damned spot†. This creates tension because all of the conflicting emotions make us think â€Å"will he do it†. It really keeps us in suspense and we are desperate to find out what he does. The story hooks us in and makes us read the whole thing. We know that the man is insane but we do not know if he regains his mental stability until he actually kills the man nearing the end of the story. But still then we cannot be certain he is insane until the very end, I will explain this further in the next paragraph. It is said that a neighbour had heard a shriek and that â€Å"suspicion of foul play had been aroused†. The narrator is very confident and does not seem to be vexed by the murder he had just acted out. The narrator’s language show his confidence and audacity, even pride, in his kill: â€Å"Never before that night had I felt the extent of my own powers – of my sagacity. I could scarcely contain my feelings of triumph†. The narrator’s assurance in his dark deed continued even when the police came to check on the old man and investigate the loud noises neighbours heard the night; â€Å"I smiled,-for what had I to fear? I bade the gentlemen welcome†. He is very polite and confident. He is also very persuading, it’s almost as if he is sound of mind. He manages to persuade the men that the old man is somewhere else in the country. He invited them around and even showed them his treasures to show that nothing had been disturbed. He even had the audacity to get some chairs and tell the men to rest in the old mans chamber whilst the whole time the old man was dismembered beneath the floor boards. However, the narrator’s mind is quickly consumed with guilt, which creates his delusion of hearing the old man’s heartbeat taunting him from under the flooring. His paranoia makes the heart beat â€Å"louder – louder – louder!† and in his state of delirium he confesses to killing the old man in hopes of ridding his life of the menacing heartbeat: â€Å"I felt that I must scream or die!†. His guilt reached his imagination which then went on to make him hear things that wasn’t real, his conscience was putting an image into his head that this old man who he had no quarrel with was going to haunt him because he killed the man for no justifiable reason. He ends up driving himself even more insane and confesses. The story ends with his shrieking â€Å"I admit the deed! – tear up the planks! – hear, hear – it is the beating of the hideous heart† The most dramatic way of which tension is created is through plot and character. As shown already the plot is very sinister. But the characterisation is very good. The plot evolves around the killing of someone who is obviously vulnerable. With the poor vision, old age and treasures he is obviously a very vulnerable man, he has no safety apart from the narrator who is going to kill him, so he has no safety. This adds tension to the story because we want to know if the narrator will show this compassion he has for the old man, or murder him regardless. We know the narrator loves the old man because he says: â€Å"I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult.† The narrator loved the old man, the narrator even admitted it, but he still had plans to kill him. The fact that the narrator chuckled at the fact that the old man was oblivious to his plans also showed the old mans vulnerability. The narrator also said that he did not have any problem with the old man, who he saw himself as vulnerable. But it was the eye that vexed him: â€Å"it was not the old man who vexed me but his evil eye†. It is the characterisation that leads to the biggest tension in the story. This is because the story is a confession, told in a first person narrative. The reader feels what the narrator feels. The punctuation and tone that Poe used in the story shows us that the narrator is hysterical and mad. But the schizophrenic tendency he shows at the end confirms his insanity. This adds a lot of tension because we see how evil he can be but how calm and friendly he can be a short time later. It makes us wonder what he will do next, his actions are very unpredictable, which also tells us he is insane. With this conflict within himself it really makes us wonder, this also makes the story exciting. In this section I will focus on the stylistic devices used by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe creates tension with the use of short, choppy sentences with active verbs signal tension. In a way mirroring the narrators racing heart. Long, meandering sentences filled with adjectives and adverbs imply a relaxed pace, so Poe rarely used long sentences in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†. Short sentences are vital whist writing a story with tension. An example of short sentences in â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart†: â€Å"There was no pulsation. He was stone dead.† This shows an urgency to make sure he was dead He could not risk the old man to be alive It adds tension because we do not know what he will do. Will he stab him more to make sure he is dead or will he just finish the deed and hide the body It leave us open to guessing. Poe also adds tension through the use of his punctuation. Poe heavily relies on the exclamation mark to show the narrators growing discomfort. The use of this exclamation mark shows us the tone that the narrator must be using. For example: â€Å"But the beating grew louder! I thought the heart must have burst. And now a new anxiety seized me – the sound would be heard by a neighbour! The old mans hour had come!† This shows how panicked he was becoming. You could practically hear the panic. As of he is saying it in a high voice. It has a sense of upset to it, the panic was upsetting him and he was worried that other people could hear it. It is clear that the narrator is becoming hysterical. As he does so, tension is added because his actions become even more unpredictable, will he panic and leave or will he dismiss it and kill the man anyway. Edgar Allan Poe uses a lot of repetition in this piece â€Å"Louder – louder – louder†. He does this a lot in this story; it adds tension, because it can add a variety of things. It can mean sinister planning â€Å"I proceeded – with what caution – with what foresight – with what dissimulation† There is a sinister planning I this, how should he proceed with his plan, with what caution, with what foresight etc. Repetition can also show panic â€Å"Louder – louder – louder† he is beginning to panic about the beating of the â€Å"hideous heart† He can hear it and he is worried that the police can also hear it so he begins to panic, this leads to his confession. In the last paragraph it was probably noticed that I used dashes (-) in the repetition. This is because Edgar Allan Poe used them at two very important scenes. The first time he consistently used them was when he was stalking the old man: â€Å"I proceeded – with what caution – with what foresight – with what dissimulation† He is stalking the old man and is planning how to kill him, he is trying to figure out how he should follow the old man as he is doing it, the dashes indicate a pause as he plans his next step. The second time he uses them is just before he confesses the murder, and can hear the heart beating â€Å"Louder – louder – louder†. The man is obviously panicked. This adds tension because we don’t know what he will do because he is so unpredictable. It adds a lot of tension, because we want to know what happens and we are waiting to fid out. Finally I will conclude with if I think the story was effective or not. I have described in the essay numerous techniques to why it is effective. I must say that I agree with all of them. I think the plot is engrossing and it really hooks you and you want to know what happens. The characterisation is excellent and the mystery of the sex of the narrator (who I have referred to as a he) adds tension because it’s hard to think of a woman committing such an act, but it is possible because the narrator confessed to loving the old man. The old mans eye, it is possible to picture it and I find it chilling to think about, but I find it even more chilling to think that someone would kill over it. The setting is marvellous, an old house, sealed off from all light, its chilling and scary making me feel lucky to live where I do, in the light. I also think that all the punctuation that Edgar Allen Poe used was used at an appropriate time and was an asset to the piece as a whole. The punctuation shows how clever the killer is and how cunning and sinister he is. But it also shows how panicked he can get. The start of the piece was also very good, because it began in the end, when he is where I can only assume, a mental institution. Where he is telling his story. In all it is a very good and very effective piece of writing.

Memo Week

We have more than fifteen years of experience In the Puerco Rican market helping successful entrepreneurs establish or expand their operations in the Island. Our expert team has made a thorough analysis based of the information you gave us and is ready to present you the knowledge needed to make an informed decision. I am sure this data will be of great value to you and your partners. Puerco Rice is ranked 40 by the World Bank Group in the list of â€Å"Ease of Doing Business† out of 1 89 in 2014. The same organization ranked the Island number 18 In the starting a business category.There are SIX procedures that need to be fulfilled in order to establish a new enterprise in Puerco Rice as a Corporation: 1 . Check online the uniqueness of the company name and register online at the PR Department of State to obtain a business certificate. 2. Apply for an employer identification number (NINE) with the US Internal Revenue Service and the PR Department of Treasury (Department De Hac ienda). 3. Apply for a municipal business license. 4. Request unemployment and disability account numbers from the PR Department of Labor and Human Resources. 5.Subscribe to a workmen's insurance policy (Fond del Secure del Estate). 6. File an application with the Treasury Department to get the Merchant certificate. These six basic steps will help you begin the process of establishing your operation in Puerco Rice lawfully. There are several other processes you must take care of to ensure that the business will run smoothly. In Puerco Rice all companies are required to provide a yearly financial statement. If the company Is incorporated outside of the Island or if It has a turnover of more than Sum must also include an audited balance sheet.Also, companies must present CPA certified accounting report and a financial statement. Like the United States, companies unction as Spa's that provide public attestation services must be registered with the Public Accounting Oversight Board. Ent ities registered in Puerco Rice are required to prepare and file several statutory reports with different governmental agencies. There are four basic returns that apply to almost every entity: 1 . Income tax return – Entities doing business in Puerco Rice are subject to income taxes that range from 20% to 30%.A return must be filed with the Secretary of Treasury by corporations on or before the 15th day of the month following the end of the taxable year. A foreign entity is subject to Puerco Rice income taxes on its Puerco Rice sourced income and on its Income effectively connected with the Puerco Rice operations. They are allowed to deduct expenses related to the Puerco RICE operations, such as depreciation, also allowed. 2. Estimated income tax payments – Payment of the tax must be done in four installments on or before the 1 5th day of the fourth, sixth, ninth, and twelfth month of the taxable year. . Personal property tax return – All personal property is su bject to a tax that ranges from 5. 80% to 8. 83% depending of the municipality in which is located. This return and payment is due on or before May 15 with the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIME). 4. Volume of business declaration – All businesses are required to pay a license tax based on gross revenues generated. The tax rate varies depending on the municipality but ranges from . 002 to . 005 in the case of non-financial businesses.Also, all corporations registered with the Department of State of Puerco Rice must file an annual corporation on or before April 15 of every year. Puerco Rice has a developed banking industry with 19 commercial banks, most of them local corporations. The FIDE a federal agency that oversees Nanking operations regulates all local commercial banks. Locally the COIF (Commissioner of Financial Institutions of Puerco Rice) regulate, supervise and oversee the financial institutions operating in Puerco Rice.This gives your operation the assurance that all your banking transactions will be made safely in the Island. Credit transactions are held by banks and most of them offer opportunities to entrepreneurs that are establishing business in Puerco Rice. In MEG'S specific area of business, which is mental counseling, Puerco Rice has local laws that apply to foreign counselors who want to establish offices. Being your company originally from Massachusetts, you must present evidence that you passed the NBC national exam.Also you must present evidence that your curriculum complies with certain specific competences in counseling. After all your accreditations have been evaluated by the Professional Counselors Review Board of PR Mount Regenerator De Consenters Professionals De PR) they will issue a provisional license that will allow you to make business as a professional counselor. After that license is provided, you will have three years to comply with 500 mentoring hours given by a board certified mentor hat will award your perm anent license.The license must be renewed every three years and comply with 45 hours of continuing education. We are confident that the information provided in this communication will be useful in the decision of you and your partners. It is very important that MEG Inc. Complies with all local laws and avoids problems that can slow the expansion process. LIMP recommends that MEG Inc. Continue with the expansion plans in Puerco Rice as soon as possible. We look forward to meet with your executive team and continue forward with the plans. It will be a pleasure doing business together.

Elopement Essay

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The paper based on published research will analyze an organizational

The based on published will analyze an organizational change effort - Research Paper Example During the 1970s, Samsung invested in the heavy, chemical, and petrochemical industries. The company also posed competitively for the world's textile industry, through vertical integration of manufacturing processes from raw materials to end products (Samsung, 2011). In 1978, Samsung Semiconductor and Samsung Electronics separate into two entities (Samsung, 2011). During the mid-1990s, Samsung radically changed its business through a renewed commitment to making world-class products, giving total customer satisfaction, and being a good corporate citizen – following the vision of â€Å"quality first† (Samsung, 2011). At the same decade, Samsung already offered 17 different products, such as semiconductors, computer monitors, TFT-LCD screens, and color picture tubes (Samsung, 2011). It had successfully climbed to the ranks of the top-five products for global market share in their industries and 12 others also achieved top rankings (Samsung, 2011). The 1997 financial crisi s negatively affected almost all Korean businesses. Samsung was one of few companies that grew and not so much scathed, due to its leadership in digital and network technologies and its diversified portfolio in electronics, finances, and related services (Samsung, 2011). ... Samsung now has the No.1 global market share for 13 product types, including semiconductors, TFT-LCDs, monitors and CDMA mobile phones (Samsung, 2011). The company is active in pursuing research and development (R&D) for their overall semiconductor line, such as flash memory and non-memory, custom semiconductors, DRAM and SRAM, best-in-class LCDs, mobile phones, digital appliances, and other products (Samsung, 2011). Samsung is presently one of the biggest players in the global electronics business. Samsung's flagship unit is Samsung Electronics, which is one of the world's top makers of DRAMs and other memory chips. Samsung also makes and sells various kinds of electronic gear, including LCD panels, DVD players, and wireless phones. Some of its affiliated companies include credit-card unit Samsung Card, Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung SDS (IT services), Samsung Securities, and trading arm Samsung C&T Corporation. In 2009, the revenues of Samsung were $119 million, but the revenue gr owth rate actually decreased with 21% change from previous year. Samsung has 277,000 employees and has an employee growth rate of 0.40%. As stated in its new motto, Samsung Electronics' vision for the new decade is, "Inspire the World, Create the Future." It strives to constantly innovate itself through leveraging its corporate R&D center (SAIT). This paper analyzes the organizational change effort of SAIT and evaluates its leadership of change using Kotter’s suggestion on effective changes. The kind of change that happened to Samsung is that it turned its R&D operations around by aligning it with its business strategy. From there operational and cultural changes took place, which accompanies the organizational change stages presented by Kotter

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France's Resistance to the Membership of Turkey in the European Union - Essay Example Since 1963, Turkey has had the privilege of being an associate member of the European Union. (ARIKAN, H. 2006). On 14 April 1987, Turkey officially forwarded an application to accede to the European Union. The events that followed the membership bid, has become a major controversy over the last two decades. Turkey, apart from the ten founding members, was one of the first countries to become a member of the Council of Europe in the year 1949. Furthermore, Turkey was also one of the founding members of The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (JOSEPH, J. S. 2006). Since 1992, Turkey has had an associate membership with the Western European Union. Moreover, Turkey also fulfills its services in the United Nations, as a member of the Western Europe branch of the Western European and Others Group (WEOG). (BELKE 2004). In 1995, a Customs Union Agreement was signed between Turkey and the European Union. At European council’s summit held on 12 December 1999, Turkey was recognized as a candidate for membership in the European Union. Despite the fact that Turkey has contributed tremendously for the welfare of European countries, ironically its accession to the European Union remains at a standstill. Furthermore, France has always resisted Turkey’s membership in the European Union. (JUNG, D. et al 2008). The motive behind the resistance is not entirely based upon religious affairs. Moreover, the resistance has not stemmed due to a single reason, it is however, a cumulative result of numerous underlying issues. This Paper includes an overview on the ongoing enlargement process of the European Union and attempts to throw light at some of the major reasons forcing France to neglect strong Europe-Turkish ties and fiercely resist Turkey’s accession to the EU. The paper also attempts to weigh Turkey’s chances of accession to the European Union. Furthermore, the paper also attempts to speculate on whether France’s resi stance is justified. Overview: The long awaited accession negotiations finally opened on 3rd October, 2005. Turkey embarked on a long difficult journey of negotiations and it might take a decade before a decision is finalized. (ARIKAN, H. 2006). The terms of accession and the future benefits that turkey could give to the European Union, if its membership is confirmed, are two issues which have created an unclear and perplexed scenario. (JUNG, D. et al 2008). In order to become a member country, Turkey has to make tremendous efforts to fulfill the Copenhagen Criteria. Firstly, Turkey has to stabilize its political conditions by creating stable institutions which would ultimately guarantee and follow a democratic system and fulfill all the norms of a full European democratic country. Secondly, Turkey must transform into an economically strong country by creating a sound functioning market economy. Moreover, the EU expects Turkey to adopt and strictly adhere to the â€Å"acquis commun autaire† i.e. a set of EU laws. Thirdly, Turkey must reform its foundation in an effort to fully adopt and implement the political, economical and monetary Laws of the European Union. (TOGAN et al 2005). Opponents of turkey consider the country to be too big and too poor to join the European Union, on the other hand, some opponents consider Turkey to religious to be allowed to become a part of the European Union. Proponents of Turkey consider such opponent claims to be nothing but dubious notions because they recognize Turkey as an economically strong nation. Furthermore, they recognize the fact that Turkey is not bounded by a single religion as the Nation has no official religion thus, the issue of religion should not be treated as a major stumbling block to Turkey’s dream of accession to the European Union. (ENGERT, S. (2010). Turkey’s accession to the EU-A long, troubled journey: Since 200 years, Turkey has been trying to

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Covert Action - Essay Example The case facts are that either a coup or the outright â€Å"elimination† of Bashar Al-Assad is possible through an asset that could organize such action, embedded within the Syrian establishment. There is merit in covert action in this case, given the hard line stance of Al-Assad, the intractable nature of the war and of the positions of the two camps, the international opposition to the actions of the Syrian government and the need to stop the escalation of the violence to prevent further massive bloodshed, and the atrocious nature of the way thousands have already perished in the hands of the government forces (Bennet, 2005; Chulov, 2012; International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect, 2012; MacFarquahar, 2011; Mawad and Gladstone, 2012; Middle East Policy Council, 2012; The New York Times Company, 2012; Rosenbach, 2009; Best, 2011; Cumming,2010 ). The literature tells us that covert actions convey many benefits to the US and to the international community, as a means to secure the interests of the international community and in the US where diplomacy and the legal channels are slow, cumbersome, ineffective, or just plainly deadlocked for a variety of reasons. Covert action essentially short circuits and bypasses all those difficulties. Moreover, an essential element of covert action is that it can be denied, while at the same time providing the US with a means to depose the intractable regime of Bashar Al-Assad and save thousands of lives more from the on-going attack of the Syrian government of its own people. On the other hand, the risks include that the covert action can backfire and strengthen the ranks and the resolve of the Al-Assad forces. The backlash can include more civilian deaths in retaliatory attacks on the public.

A Modern Mythological Tale THE TASKS OF JAMIE Essay

A Modern Mythological Tale THE TASKS OF JAMIE - Essay Example One of Jamie's favorite things to do was to play baseball. He and his friend Dave often practiced hitting and pitching in Jamie's backyard. Jamie would take a turn hitting and then Dave would take a turn. The backyard looked out onto a neighbor's yard. The neighbor was named Mr. MacGregor. He was a reclusive gentleman, about 85 years of age. He rarely came out of his house, but when he did he usually looked quite angry. No one knew anything about MacGregor, no one knew what he did before he became such a recluse. One day Jamie and Dave were playing baseball in the backyard. Dave pitched a ball to Jamie, and Jamie connected with it, cracking it towards MacGregor's house. It was Jamie's favorite ball. It had been signed by Roberto Hernandez, his favorite major league player. Jamie watched as the ball sailed towards MacGregor's house and smashed through the old man's sun-room window. â€Å"Oh no!† thought Jamie. Jamie and Dave discussed the issue between the two of them. Jamie was frightened of MacGregor but he knew he would have to get the ball back somehow. While Dave hid behind a tree, Jamie went to MacGregor's front door and rang the bell. MacGregor opened the door. He was holding the prized ball in his hand. â€Å"What do you want, kid? Are you the one who broke my window?† â€Å"It wasn't me,† said Jamie, â€Å"it was my friend, Dave. All we want is the ball back, sir.†... I'll do anything.† â€Å"OK,† said Mr. MacGregor, â€Å"maybe we can work out an agreement. I have a number of things you can do to help me out. Otherwise, you're going to have to pay for the broken window and I think it will be around $500 at least.† Jamie looked back towards the tree where Dave had been hiding, but he couldn't see him anymore. He gulped. â€Å"Okay,† he said. â€Å"What do you have in mind?† MacGregor invited him into the house and closed the door behind him. He smiled cruelly at Jamie. â€Å"First of all, my cat Tabitha is missing in the basement. I need you to go find her. Be careful—she is very vicious.† Jamie went to the basement and climbed down the stairs. It was dark and gloomy. He could hear some mewing coming from a corner. There was Tabitha. She was an old, orange cat and looked mean. He tried to grab her with one hand, but she clawed at him and scratched his forearm. Jamie shrieked. He found an old blanket and threw it over the cat. He brought the bundle back up the stairs to MacGregor. â€Å"Not bad,† said the old man. â€Å"Now, please have a look at the bathroom in the basement. There is a huge spider there I need you to deal with.† Again Jamie went to the basement and looked around. He found the small bathroom in the corner. Inside the drain of the sink was the biggest insect he'd ever seen. It wasn't a spider; he realized as it seemed to have a dozen different heads and at least 40 legs. It must be some exotic creature from Africa, he thought. He turned on the faucet and the insect was washed away. â€Å"Next,† he thought to himself. He went up the stairs again and went to find Mr. MacGregor. â€Å"OK,† said the old man. â€Å"Next, you have to help me with something else.† He pointed to the

Summary the article The Power to see ourselves by Paul J. Brower

Summary the The Power to see ourselves by Paul J. Brower - Article Example The only thing professional managers can do to new managers is to help them trust in themselves and understand their own situation. Self-concept has an extensive impact on individual perception and abilities. The author has as well equated self-concept with a filter that screens and eliminates things that people do not want to hear or see and pass on those things that are favorable to individual’s public image. Self-concept also offers eccentric flavor to individual behavior. A part from its significance in understanding the general human behavior, self concept is exceptionally vital in explaining manager development, especially in the situation where the behavioral change is objective. Referring to Brower’s observation, professional behavioral change is in most cases used to explain individual change in self-concept. The term self-concept deals with immediate and immerses changes in managers’ behaviors. As stated by Brower, an individual behavioral change is in most cases influenced by one’s past experiences and age. As people grow, they achieve new experiences and learn new things that are incorporated in their perceptive mass. This change alters individual perception on emerging issues and happenings. As a result, Brower observes change in managers’ behavior as a constant process in their career development (Brower,

Song dynasty and its significance in Chinese History Essay Example for Free

Song dynasty and its significance in Chinese History Essay In this article, I would like to introduce the Culture History of Song dynasty. I will mainly talk about Literature, which will be divided into 4 parts that are: 1)Poetry; 2)Prose; 3) Ci(è ©Å¾); and 4)History. After introducing the Literature, I would like to explain Song dynastys significance in Chinese History. In Zhen Zong period, Xi Kun Ti became popular among the high officials. The representative of the Xi Kun Ti were Yang Yi, Liu-yun, Qian Wei-yan and the like. Besides Xi Kun Ti, there were some poets with special style in early-Song period. They were called Late Tang group. For instance, Wei-ye, Lin Bu, Kou Zhun and the like were all the representatives of Late Tang group. Then in the Ren Zong period, Ouyang Xiu had proceeded Classical Prose Movement and created created a flow of poetry new to each other model, with the help of Mei Yao-chen and Su Shun-qin, also reference by Han Yu. In the period of Shen Zong, Wang An-shi was active on creating political poem. He did write poem about politics, in the expression of a neat style while incorporating the ancient poems poetry-Story. Another wonderful poet must be introduced is Su Shi. He created a lot of marvelous poems and taught many students, For instance, all of Huang Ting-jian, Zhang Lei, Chao Bu-zhi and Qin-guan were students of Su Shi. Especially Huang had the greatest impact on posterity-statement gave birth to a stream called Jiang Xi Shi Pai after. Then, to represent the sadness of the lose of North China and the lather of being oppressed in Gangnam were Chen Yu-yi, Ceng Ji and Lu Ben-zhong. Many poems of them had mentioned the sadness of losing kingdom and reflected the age. Among three, Chen Yu-yi, who respected Du-fu very much, had the most similar style with Du-fu that always criticized the problems of the country in his poems. Entering into the reign of Xiao Zong, poetry celebrated the heyday again as Southern Song Dynasty gained a certain extent of stability. The representatives of this period were Fan cheng-da, Yang wan-li and the best poet in Southern Songï ¼ Lu You. Lu You had been the top in Ke Ju, but because of Qin Xun, who was the grandson of Qin Gui, he could only be No.2. Until he died when he was 86, he had created 9000 poems which is a surprising amount. Followed by a period of peace since the end of the Xiao Zong period, the number of people read poems had increased significantly. Yong Jia Si Ling was the representative of this period and they were called Jiang Hu Pai. Yong Jia Si Ling included Xu Zhao, Xu Ji, Weng Jaun and Zhao Shi-xiu. At the Late-Southern Song period, Mongolias attack was intensifying day by day. And Wen Tian-xiang was the one who could mostly describe the sadness and lather of worrying the dynasty. Song of sanity was famous that giving a deep impression on posterity patriot. After the fall of the Southern Song dynasty, people who presented themselves, as remnants of the Song people even became the era of the original weave. They reminisced about the poem in the song of past days. The representatives in this period were Wang Yuan-liang, Xie Ao and Zheng Si-xiao. After introducing the poetry, I would like to introduce prose in Song dynasty. In the early Song, Pian Wen was the major form of poetry. However, Liu Kai, Wan Yu-cheng, Shi Jie and Fan Zhong-yan had claimed a return to the simple and spartan style that was used in Qin Han dynasty. Especially the Tai Xue Ti created by Shi Jie was even used as the form for exam. However, Tai Xue Ti was actually affected by Han Yu, who was using a form that was arduous to understand. In 1057, when Ouyang Xiu served as the examiner, he let some people like Su Zhe and Ceng Gong passed but failed the answer of Tai Xue Ti. As a result, the form of Ouyang Xiu and other people who had same thinking with him like Su Xin, Su Zhe, Su Shi, Wang An-shi and Ceng Gong, that means Tang Song Ba Da Jia became the major form. Even in the same category of Guwen, Ouyang Xius guwen was described as Yin Rou while Han Yus was described as Yang Gang. Although Ou was lack of inflection, his writing was plain, clear and easy to understand. Therefore, even in Southern Song period, the form of guwen basically still followed Ous form. Thus, we can say that Ou Yang-shiu should be the most momentous person of prose in Song dynasty. Then, I would like to introduce Ci. Northern Song Ci prosperity was largely taken over five generations. Ren Zong period and its after was the true prosperity period. The representatives of this period were Yan Shu, Ouyang Xiu, Zhang Xian, Liu Yong and the like. Especially the last two had opened a new field of Ci. Ci included mundane things since Zhang wrote daily things in Ci. Also, after Liu Yong, a form called Slow Ci also became famous not only among civilians but also the literati. The most important person in the Shen Zong period was Su Shi. Su Shi formed a friendship with Zhang when he was appointed to Hangzhou as passing judgment, and was greatly affected by Zhang. Su Shi genius did not stop there, but picked a theme, such as the Battle of Red Cliff in Three Kingdoms, which was a topic that did not appear in the traditional Ci. By this, he opened a new frontier of Ci. In the Hui Zong period, Zhou Bang-yan had done the culmination of the Ci. Zhou was good at music, so was ord ered to set up the music departments Da Cheng Fu. Zhou had extremely large effect that Zhou derived almost all of Southern Song Ci writers. The style of Zhous Ci was described as Hun Hou He Ya. Another person should be mentioned is Li Qing-zhao, who was a female Ci writer. She intensived colloquial expression, emotional expression was also characterized by delicate feminine. In the Southern Song dynasty, Ci had change a lot by entering into the Old Southern area, which was a place Ci was being famous. The representatives of this period should be Xin Qi-ji and Jiang Kui. As Xin supported occurring war against Jin, he was unfortunate for spicy. His Ci was similar to Su Shi and both of them were called Hao Fang Pai and also Su Xin, which is a simplified name by taking their surnames. On the contrary, Jiang Kui inherited the style of Zhou Bang-yan that his Ci was very elegant. Although Jiang did not want to be official, he could still form relationships with many officials by his Ci. Finally, in the late Southern Song period, Chinese Sanqu poetry had been the major instead of Ci as many Ci had been changed to something about the lost of kingdom. It was better to sing with melody but not just by reading words. Thus, Ci started being long forgotten since the fall of Song dynasty. The last thing I would like to introduce is History of Song dynasty. The most representative history book written in Song period must be Zizhi Tongjian, which is a pioneering reference work in Chinese historiography, published in 1084, in the form of a chronicle, by Sima Guang. Besides Zizhi Tongjian, there were also other historical books like Bo Gu Tu by Lu Da-lin and Xuan He Bo Gu Tu Lu by Hui Zong. It should also be mentioned that epigraphy, which is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the writing and the writers, was started by Ouyang Xiu. Ouyang Xiu collected all the epigraphs and editd them as Ji Gu Lu. Therefore, history was also a remarkable point of Song culture history. Last but not least, the significance of Song dynasty in Chinese History will be talked about in the follows. First I would like to talk about the significance of Song culture in Chinese History. About the Song Ci, Ci had established music literature, or we would say that Chinese music was started by Ci. Many literati had participated in the writing of the word and they were even called Hao Fang Pai. From a literary point of view, Hao Fang Pai had created a new kind of Ci. Xin Qi-ji also engaged in the writing of the patriotic words; but from the musical point of view, Ci written by Hao Fang Pai caused the deviation of Ci. Because the scores of Ci was generally Qian Zhen Di Chang and Chou Mou Wan Zhuan, such as Nian Nu Jiao, it expressed the amiability of prostitutes by music. However, this kind of music was obviously different with Su Shis creation Da Jian Dong Qu by using the Cipai. Unfortunately, Ci scores now had basically lost, but the Ci had created an important mode of music, had a significant impact on the development of drama. From the Yuan Dynasty to Modern Peking Opera and local opera, the basic mode was to write Ci by fixed scores. People often called Ci as Song Ci, of course, it means people have marked the Song as the highest level of Ci of this literary genre. Then about prose, after the beginning of Song Dynasty, prose became popular and almost been handed down till now. For instance, Tang Song Ba Da Jia included 6 people of Song Dynasty. As Chinese characters seem like square, the most suitable genre to express the beauty of words should roughly be Parallel Prose, ancient poems and couplets. Parallel Prose should not be totally rejected, but the Guwen was undoubtedly more freely and fully express ideas and depicted on the analysis things comparing to Parallel Prose. Overall, Song prose achievement was greater than the Tang Dynasty. About History, Song Dynasty was the heyday of Chinese History. Many history books were edited by the official. Some history new genre was created. In addiction, the realm of history expanded from the compiling of geography and chronicles to epigraphy. The epigraphy pioneered by Song was the forerunner of modern archeology. All these, and also the great lengthy books, historians achievements of Song was great and it is enough to override the Han and Tang Dynasties, even can be arrogant to the Ming and Qing. Then I would like to introduce other significance of Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty formated a new social class structure. The old social class structure in mid-steps of the Tang Dynasty like Gentry Clans and Jun Tian households, slaves capacity, ragtag, Fan Carpenter and slaves changed to the Song Dynasty bureaucratic landlord and Tian Ke of, above and under group of village, poor-employed Carpenter, and employed Carpenter, human and women to make a new social class structure. This is a major change of the internal class relations of ancient Chinese society. This is an adjustment of the social relations of production. This change gradually affirmed by the law. After the down of late Tang emperor and the total collapse of the Shi Zhu polity, the Song Dynasty established the Centralization, Autonomy. This actually already pointed out that the status of the Song Dynasty in Chinese history, which means it was a continue to develop the new period following the middle of the Tang Dynasty. Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, not only the social and economic development was on the basis of the conventionalism of the Song Dynasty, their political system and some of its iconic prominent social phenomenon was also emerging as early as the Song Dynasty. For instance, Chu Rui-xi indicated that Ming and Qing eight-legged essay prototype was started from Song. Also, Li Hong-qi thought that Ming Qing Ju Rens benefits and privileges has existed in the Song Dynasty. These phenomenas are still many, just because we cant research the all. Such as the country of residence of the Ming and Qing dynasties and fame, who are extremely similar to the official and on behalf of the local forces, but actually they are just normal people, had been appeared in Northern Song Dynasty and in the Southern Song Dynasty, the number was even greater. Taixue in Song dynasty and local counties, colleges of boom. Among them, College influence in particular. In Shen Zong period, Taixue triple care law, that is, homes on residential care homes and rounded down and upgrade system, which is the first in the history of China and even the whole world education, in fact, pioneer of modern education classification system. Northern Song dynasty on the previous-generations Education Division has been developed, in addition to Taixue, establishing martial arts, law, medicine, programme, as well as calligraphy, painting, although not enough attention to other subjects, but is undoubtedly higher education branch of green shoots. Thanks to the development of printing, such as the Chinese surnames, of the thousand character classic spelling book series of popular education larger than the former was popular in the Song dynasty, there have been many urban and rural areas dedicated teachers, many districts use year organizing winter study. Educational achievement in the song at the same time, should also be noted that, starting from the Northern Song dynasty, completed the study of imperial examination, education and Trinity together, thus education features simply, narrowly linked to career, which gave birth to Chinese education towards backward factors. The golden age of Chinese ancient science and technology development was the Song dynasty. Known in the four great inventions of ancient China, compass, printing and gunpowder was the three main application and development of the Song dynasty. Shen Kuo is the main representative figures of science and technology in the Song dynasty. His scientific achievements are manyremarkable. Northern Song dynasty had two famous Supernova records in the history of astronomy. The astronomical clock tower and armillary sphere were great. Others such as Agronomy, agricultural technology, architecture also had notable achievements. Beginning of the Northern Song dynasty, people almost build a large pontoon bridge across the Yangtze River, history of bridge initiative. The view was expressed that study the history of science, must focus on the continuity of scientific development, which means people constantly added to the predecessors on the basis of results, just as it is in the history of science. From this point of view, the ancient Chinese science could be mainly divided to mathematics and medicine, which has connection to the fact that there were medical school in Song dynasty. Mathematics achievement was great in the Song dynasty, but had no impact on modern mathematics. Unique theoretical system of traditional Chinese medicine is well received by the influence of ancient philosophy. Medical theories had new development in the Song and Jin dynasties period, and forensic books even occurred. Medical Branch at the time of the Northern Song dynasty was already similar to the branches of modern medicine. The Jin people did not know medical, so medicine of Jin should be the continuation of the Northern Song dynasty medicine and development. The meridian of the body mechanisms and Qi Gong was the oriental important scientific endeavor, even though so far we havent been able to resolve modern exact sciences. Making bronze and correlated with acupuncture and moxibustion in Song dynasty medical books was a landmark progress of acupuncture and moxibustion. Different from ancient mathematics, Chinese traditional medicine is still benefiting the Chinese nation, and make a greater contribution to human health. Thus, we can say that the Song Culture History is an important and momentous page of Chinese History. Although Song may not be a perfect dynasty, it still has its significance among the 2000 years Chinese History. References [1] Toktoghan and Alutu, History of Song (Zhonghua Book Company, 1977) [2] Pratt, Keith L. and Richard Rutt. (1999). Korea: A Historical and Cultural Dictionary. Surrey: Curzon Press [3] Hargett, James M. Some Preliminary Remarks on the Travel Records of the Song Dynasty (960–1279), Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews (CLEAR) (July 1985): 67–93. [4] Needham, Joseph. (1986). Science and Civilization in China: Volume 1, Introductory Orientations. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd. [5] Bol, Peter K. The Rise of Local History: History, Geography, and Culture in Southern Song and Yuan Wuzhou, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies (2001) [6] D.C.M. Platt, Finance, Trade and Politics in British Foreign Policy 1815-1914 (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1968), p. 281. [7] Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; Walthall, Anne; Palais, James B. (2006), East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Boston: Houghton Mifflin [8] Twitchett, Denis and Paul Jakov Smith (ed.). 2009. Cambridge History of China: Vol. 5 Part One: TheSung Dynasties and its Precursors, 907-1279. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [9] Franke, Herbert and Dennis Twitchett (ed.). 1994. Cambridge History of China: Vol. 6 , Alien Regimes and Border States. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press [10] Uno Naoto, Kanshi no Rekishi (Touhou Shoten, 2005) [11] Maeno Chokuakira, Chugoku Bunkashi (Tokyo Daigaku Shubankai, 1975) [12] Murakami Satoshiken, Soushi no Sekai (Asia Books 50, Taishukan Shoten, 2002) [13] Kojima Tsuyoshi, Soumana no Keisei to Tenkai (Soubusha, 1999) [14] Mizoguchi Yuzou, Maruyama Matsusachi, Ikeda Tomohisa, Chugoku Shisou Bunka Jiten (Tokyo Daigaku Shubankai, 2001) [15] Chen Yinke, Chen Yin Ke Wen Ji Volume 2 (Shanghai: Shanghai Guji Publishment, 1980) [16] Chu Ruixi, Song Yuan Shi Dai de Shi Wen (Li Shi Yan Jiu, 1990) [17] Li Hongqi, Song Dai de Ju Renï ¼Å½Guo Ji Song Shi Yan Tu Hui Lun Wen Ji (Taipei: China Culture University, 1988)

Imagery Of Madame Bovary

Imagery Of Madame Bovary In many forms of literature, authors use symbols as a representation of interpretive meaning. In Gustave Flauberts novel, Madame Bovary (1856), one of the major achievements is the excellent use of symbolism. Many of the moral values throughout the novel lie within the use of symbols, which are the elements in the narrative that communicate the rich values over and above their literal meanings (Dauner 1). The apparent purpose of the author is to paint pictures with words, bringing scenes and settings alive with the astonishing use of descriptions. Flauberts descriptions are often built up like pictures, from left to right of background to foreground, occasionally even moving through the senses, from sound and smell to touch and sight (Levi 235). Through the use of symbolism, this novel appeals to the senses of idealists. Flaubert uses the garden as a symbol throughout his work that affects the main character, Emma, and implies certain connotations other than its literal meaning. In P art I of the novel, this symbol is presented repeatedly with rich association. Throughout Part I, the Tostes section of Emmas life, the garden appears four different times. It first appears after Emma marries Charles and has seats made around the sundial in the garden. This not only represents her initiative, but also her early stages of romanticism. Later, after she has realized the difference between her vision of Romance from the novels in which she has read, and the marriage to a man that is satisfied with his middle-class lifestyle and has no desire to ascend into higher social class, she begins to go to the garden by moonlight and tries to make herself fall in love with Charles, while singing passionate poems and singing melancholy. The garden now functions as a character symbol, representing Emmas ambition and her bourgeois romanticism. The garden also plays a major role at Vaubyessard. During the ball, Emma looks out the window which opens to the garden, where she then sees peasants peering in from the garden, their faces pressed against the glass (Flaubert 1067). From the garden, her memory of the past seems to be as remote to her present as her actual present is remote for this single night of wealth and society. According to Clive James, this is the scene that awakes Emmas dangerous taste for the high life (3). For this night, Flaubert explains to the reader, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] had opened a breach in her life, like one of those great crevasses that a storm can tear across the face of a mountain in the course of a single night (1070). Now, the garden creates a type reference in time and character, embracing past, present, and future. Emma is not as she was nor how she will be. The final appearance in Tostes is represented as a pure mood mirror (Dauner 2). There was no sounds of birds, everything seemed to be sleeping- the espaliered trees under their straw, the vi ne like a great sick snake under the wall coping, where she could see many legged wood lice crawling as she came near (Flaubert 1074). Here, the garden is used as an objective to Emmas self-pitying of her marriage. Later in the novel, the garden also plays an important role in the fulfillment of Emmas destiny. Later, the garden appears at least seven times in the fulfillment of Emmas destiny. Because of Emmas taste for a higher lifestyle, she develops bad health that persuades Charles to move from Tostes to Yonville, where she meets Leon, the young clerk at the notarys. They soon become attracted to each other through their romantic interests. One day, Leon accompanies Emma on a walk to see her infant, who is with the wet nurse. On their way back to Yonville, Emma becomes tired and takes Leons arm. Next, they pass by The garden walls, their copings bristling with broken bits of bottles, were as warm as the glass of a greenhouse. Wallflowers had taken root between the bricks; and as she passed, the edge of Madame Bovarys open parasol crumbled some of their faded flowers into yellow dust; or an overhanging branch of honeysuckle or clematis would catch in the fringe and cling for a moment to the silk (Flaubert 1093). The two then spoke for a brief moment, but Their eyes were full of more mean ingful talk; and as they made themselves utter banalties they sensed the same languor invading them both (Flaubert 1093). Through the objective details of the author and with Emmas apparent purposeful violation of the wallflowers with her sunshade, Flaubert may have been employing an underlying sexual tone that relates to both the concept of the garden and the tension of the walk, which may also be foreshadowing Emmas affair with Leon. Emma herself is a kind of wallflower-emotionally untouched (James 5). Soon after Leon leaves for Rouen, Emmas thought revives her happiness of the [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] afternoons by themselves in the garden! He had read aloud to her, bareheaded on a rustic bench, the cool wind from the meadows ruffling the pages of his book and the nasturtiums on the arborà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. And now he was gone, the one bright spot in her life, her one possible hope of happiness! (Flaubert 1110). The garden now acts as the physical force that creates Emmas emotion. Later, w hen Leon comes back from Rouen to visit her, it is behind the garden that she meets him, as she had previously done with Rudolphe. The garden continues to play an important part of Emmas life up until the point of her death. Emma soon becomes disgusted with the garden because of the memory in which it evokes. She then develops a type of sickness for the garden and keeps her blinds in the house down on that particular side so that she will not have to see it. At this point, the garden functions simply as a symbol of memory and mood. Finally, after Emmas death, it is in the garden that the reader finds Charles, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] with his head leaning back against the wall, his eyes closed, his mouth open; and there was a long lock of black hair in his hands (Flaubert 1249). The author uses the garden in this instance as a symbol of tragic irony. According to James Panero, Symbolism has always been stronger in its literary rather than graphic forms (3). Through examining the work of Flaubert, and his superb use of symbols and vivid descriptions, one could conclude this assumption to be true. Flaubert revolutionized fiction with his use of point of view to provide multiple images to provoke symbolic meanings (Smothers 3). Flaubert uses the garden as a poetic symbol in a variety of ways throughout his novel. It moves from the lighter tone of a character to assuming darker qualities that foreshadow Emmas increasing involvements. The garden also carries a sexual connotation and often becomes a thematic symbol. It would not be a far stretch to say that the garden in this novel has become a conventional symbol, meaning that people have to come to accept it as standing for something other than its literal meaning (Barnet 212).

Effects of Ability Grouping in Middle School

Effects of Ability Grouping in Middle School Ability grouping is viewed by workers as a controversial educational practice (Ansalone, 2006; Rubin, 2006) because it has been the subject of more research studies (well over 500) than almost any other educational practice (George Alexander, 2003, p. 414). The proponents who include teachers and parents maintain that ability grouping specifically targets instruction thereby needs of a particular group of students is met while opponents maintain that the expected advantages often are not materialized. According to Snider and Schumitsch (2006) ability grouping promotes stigma and destroys academic motivation, especially among the slow learning students; self-esteem is regarded to be the condition that aids student achievement. Generally speaking, child-centered teaching methods embrace the child as a whole and give emphasis in meeting the socio-emotional and cognitive needs of the child. William and Bartholomew (2004) statistically analyzed data from the General Certificate of Secondary Education and Key Stage 3 tests. The data analysis provided the basis for measuring achievement which is independent of the individuals ability. William and Bartholomew noted that grouping by ability level had little impact on overall Mathematics achievement. Moreover, the group placement produced increments in academic achievement for high-achieving students at the loss of these gains among the low-ability students. Also noted is that performance in mathematics did not vary across school type and ability group placement. Burris, Heubert, and Levin (2006) reported contradictory results and revealed that high attaining students are not affected when integrated with students whose ability is below theirs. A longitudinal approach was conducted which examined scores in Mathematics achievement tests in six succeeding years. Data obtained from the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) were likewise collected. The problem tackled the belief that ability grouping is the cause of persistently low academic achievement in schools. The research probed on the impact on Mathematics achievement when high attaining students are grouped with students in the lower ability levels. The study revealed that highly achieving students were unaffected by the ability grouping. Venkatakrishnan and William (2003) reported that tracking students in mathematics affected them differently. ANCOVA model showed that high-achieving students were not advantaged significantly when placed in the tracks however, student progress in the heterogeneous group detected significant progress-prior achievement correlation. This indicates that when placed in mixed-ability group, low-achieving students attained the most advantage while setbacks on high-achieving students are minimal. Robinson (2008) noted that ability grouping in kindergarten reading classes significantly correlated with greater benefits for the Hispanic students when compared to students of other ethnic backgrounds. However, benefit was reduced during summer and the first grade, unless during the first grade, ability grouping is continued. There is robustness in the study results suggesting that variations in instructional strategies at the start of the school could prove effective and a more economical means of bridging the achievement gap faced by an ever growing student population. Liu (2009) found that students in low-ability groups perceived lower academic self-concept than the average and high-achieving groups. A noteworthy outcome in the study is that the low-ability student participants largely improved in academic confidence and overall self-concept in English while the high-performing group remained stable in these respects. Tach and Farkas (2005) utilized national ECLS-K data in estimating the predictors and impact of reading ability grouping in the kindergarten and first grade levels. The research noted that prior performance in the test is the most significant predictor of the placement followed by the teachers subjective evaluation of the students classroom learning behavior. Both of these variables could be attributed to the differences in the effect according to social class, gender, or race when ability grouping is first implemented. The study revealed that in kindergarten and first grade classes where ability grouping is introduced, a higher placement positively affected learning behavior and reading performance of students. Placement in an ability group as well as evaluation of teacher regarding student behavior both significantly influenced students increase in reading performance, even net of prior scores to reading achievement tests. The grouping takes group- and individual-level performance variations that appear during preschool which widen even more than during the first two formative schooling years. Totten and Bosco (2008) measured the effect of ability grouping in a university geology class. Students from the nine sections in elementary geology laboratory class were administered a Mathematics Proficiency Basic Skills Test (MPBST) before the start of the semester. The results of the MPBST divided the student respondents to homogeneous, heterogeneous, and self- selected groups. GTAs were assigned blindly to the sections so they have no knowledge as to how the classes were grouped. Grades became the gauge for student achievement by computing the scores obtained from individual work, ten quizzes, and two examinations and 11 group laboratory reports. Within and between group comparisons were applied on the scores using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study suggest that students from the homogeneous group demonstrated the highest academic performance in introductory geology. Powell (2008) assessed if grouping students in accordance to reading ability would impact the self-concept of third to fifth graders who have below average, satisfactory, and above average reading skill. Independent t -tests showed significant differences in self-concept levels. Among the third graders, only the average learners significantly improved in the self-concept scores since they obtained higher scores during post-test. In the 4th grade students, statistical differences exist in the self-concept of below average learners. Fifth grade students did not show any change in self-concept despite the grouping. Ireson and Hallam (2005) established pupils liking to attend school and correlated this construct, experiences of pupils during lessons, self-concept and school setting. Stratified sampling was done and selected 45 mixed secondary comprehensive schools. The schools represented various types of ability grouping methods in years 7-9. When the other variables were controlled statistically, extent of ability group in the school did not exert any significant effect. Karademir and Ucak (2009) investigated the effect of ability grouping on the academic achievement of 7th grade students in If there were no pressure? in Science and Technology Education during the second semester of AY 2006-2007 in an elementary school. Using co-variance analysis, there were significant differences detected in academic achievement (p0.05), the reverse was noted among the males. Lleras and Rangel (2009) examined the effect of ability grouping on Hispanic and African American students at a primary school. Data analyzed were taken from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study and results supported the differential effect of ability placement. Students with low reading ability learned substantially less compared to those grouped higher. The latter group slightly learned more over the first years of schooling against those from classrooms where grouping is not practiced. In sum, the study questioned the notion that ability grouping beneficially affect the first few years of learning in school. The paper published by Toomela, Kikas, and Mottus (2006) dealt with concerns on the quality of schooling and impact of ability grouping on the academic achievement of 147 students from two mainstream town schools, one rural school, Step-by-Step school and an elite private school. Two assessment periods were performed: at start of age 7 and grade 3. First, an assessment on the respondents cognitive abilities was conducted followed by proficiency in mathematics and Estonian language was evaluated. Results indicated that attendance in the elite private school correlated to abilities and increase in academic performance. However, a Multiple Regression Analysis using both school and average cognitive ability of the school the child attended negatively affected those in the elite private school. Valdez (2010) conducted an action research focusing on a ninth-grade Algebra I class at Kensington International Business High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The study commenced last February 2010 and completed in March 2010. Students were assigned to two groups, namely: failing and passing students. The former repeated the first half of the Algebra course while the latter continued. The principal respondents of the study were passing ninth grade students. Data were collected from interviews, teacher observations, assessment results, journals, and student questionnaires. In summary, the results implied that reorganization of the Algebra I course into two, Algebra IA and Algebra IB benefitted the achievers and the teacher. Researchers like Ellison and Hallinan (2004) noted that students in Catholic high schools outperform public secondary schools in standardized achievement tests. Though many follow up research has been conducted focusing on this finding, the effects of ability grouping on academic achievement is given little attention. Because it is an almost universal method practiced in middle and secondary schools all over the US, ability grouping channels opportunities for learning to students. The authors also traced the historical background of ability grouping and reviewed findings pertaining to effects on ability grouping, the process of assignment, and mobility across groups of students in every school sector. Analyses implied that implementation of ability grouping in Catholic schools contributes to higher achievement. Saleh, Lazonder, and Jong de (2005) examined the effects of various grouping arrangements on academic achievement, social interaction as well as motivation. Students varying in ability were randomly assigned to two ability groups homogeneous or heterogeneous ability groups. The students took the same botany course. The main findings indicate that below average students increased in achievement and learning motivation when integrated to the heterogeneous group. Average students better performed in same ability group while above average students show comparable learning outcomes in both groupings. In terms of social interaction, heterogeneous group placement produced more individual elaborations, while more collaborative elaborations in the other group. The results of the study of Cheung and Rudowicz (2003) revealed that ability grouping did not have any significant negative effect. Grouping was done according to prior academic performance. Those in the more homogeneous group significantly reported higher self-esteem and academic achievement in the subsequent school years. The effects of ability grouping in mathematically gifted students on academic self-concept and boredom were established by Preckel, Gotz, and Frenzel (2010). Students were shown to report very pronounced low math academic self-concept at the early period of the academic year. Interventions should therefore be implemented to counterbalance this negative effect. There is no evidence that gifted students are bored in the regular classes. The students gave different reasons for the experience of boredom in class and that there are changes in boredom attributions over time. This supports the notion that gifted classes should be provided appropriate levels of challenging tasks. Dukmak (2009) investigated the interaction between teachers and students in various learning environments in selected middle primary schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These environments were as follows: same- and mixed-ability and same- and mixed -ability learning groups in one classroom. The sample were 16 low-and high-achieving males and females. The results demonstrated that students with high academic performance in all learning settings had more interaction with low-achieving students. Females from high-achieving groups interacted more frequently with males sharing same academic ability as they are. More interaction was observed among boys in same-ability classrooms compared to that in mixed-ability classrooms; among females, the trend was the opposite. Same-ability students interacted more when compared with the mixed-ability students. The results likewise revealed that more teacher interaction with males and achievers. Low-achieving males received more teacher interac tion than females of their academic level. Teachers interacted more with males who are high academic achievers in same-ability than in mixed-ability classrooms. In mixed-ability classrooms, teachers had more interaction with low-achievers of both gender than those of their academic status in same ability classrooms. Lipps, Lowe, Halliday, Morris-Patterson, Clarke, and Wilson (2010) showed evidence that academic tracking is associated with depressive symptoms. They sampled students from Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent. More than half of students reported experiencing depression while 19.2% and 10.7% felt moderate and severe depressive symptoms, respectively. Jamaican students significantly reported higher depression compared with those in St. Vincent and St. Kitts and Nevis. Students in the higher tracked tended to obtain significantly lower scores in BDI-II than lower academic track students. Mulkey, Casambis, Steelman, and Crain (2005) employed a mixed methods design using the conceptual framework and analysis of surveys. Data collected by the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 were subjected to further analysis. The survey data were taken at two years of interval. The findings revealed that academic self-esteem was significantly lower in the high- than the low-level ability group. Chiu, Beru, Watley, Wubu, Simon, Kessinger, Rivera, Anahi, Schmidlein, and Wiqfield (2008) concluded that academic self-concept in Mathematics was significantly affected by ability grouping but not the overall self-esteem of students. The researchers found evidence that students are comparing with each other within rather than outside their ability group. It was likewise shown that students more likely compare themselves with students who performed better than themselves instead with those who had poorer performance. Teachers and students attitudes towards ability grouping The attitude of the teachers toward the ability of their students influences tracking decisions according to Watanabe (2007). The same author suggested that teachers philosophies and expectations, specifically their belief that providing students with various skills opportunities to have access to higher level college courses and enrolment in the required prerequisites influences practices of college placement. A qualitative research was employed by Chisaka and Vakalisa (2003). In-depth one-on-one interviews were done with educators, school administrators, and students. Informal conversations with these respondents complemented the formal interviews since relevant themes also emerged. Documentary analysis, observations, as well as limited participation were the means of gathering data. The principals findings of the study were as follows: little or no preparation among teachers in low-ability classes; slow learners felt that the school administration and high-achieving students discriminate them; students in high-ability classes maintained that teachers who bunked their classes view them as intelligent to independently learn and that slow learners had no desire to learn and are disruptive; poor social interaction among learners from both groups creating a social stratification which is unhealthy. It was also concluded that the negative effects of ability grouping outweighed the expected ben efits. Therefore the practice warrants further re-examination. Hallam, Rogers, and Ireson (2006) explored arts and sports teachers attitudes towards ability grouping. The respondents were 45 secondary school teachers who have adopted different ability grouping levels. The questionnaire used elicited responses regarding teachers beliefs regarding ability grouping and its effects. Overall, physical education teachers demonstrated the most positive attitudes; drama teachers, least positive and arts and music teachers, moderately positive. Thus, the best determinant of attitudes was the subject taught. The findings of the study supported that notion that arts and sports teachers positively perceive mixed-ability teaching. The study of Hallam and Ireson in 2006 revealed that of those pupils who expressed a preference 62% of pupils indicated a preference for setting, 24% for mixed-ability classes, and 2% each for streaming, banding or an unspecified other. Seven percent said that they didnt know (Hallam Ireson, 2006, p. 587). Later in 2007, Hallam and Ireson conducted a follow up study determining the students level of satisfaction with their present ability group placement. About 38% wanted to change to another group and62% of the lowest achieving students were more desirous to switch their group placement. The research of Hallam and Ireson (2008) compared teachers attitudes in teaching different subjects in high, low, and mixed-ability classes in 45 secondary schools. There were more than 1500 teachers covering a wide range of subject specialists and they completed a questionnaire asking them their thoughts and beliefs regarding ability grouping and its impact. More supportive perceptions were noted in mathematics and foreign language teachers in comparison with English and Humanities teachers. Business, design, ICT, PE, arts, and science teachers expressed intermediate perceptions. The perceptions of the teachers were determined partly by the conceptions on the nature of the subject being taught and the type of ability grouping that is adopted in the school. MacQueen (2010) examined attitudes of teacher-respondents toward ability grouping based on the interviews conducted in three schools. The research discussed how the beliefs of teachers on this strategy affect practice in literacy classroom situations. The study concluded that the practices of teachers negatively impact regrouping strategy which compromised student learning. Chen (2006) investigated practitioners rationale and the experiences of students in flexible ability grouping. The researcher conducted interviews of four teachers utilizing this practice and surveys of 70 5th grade students at an elementary school located in southern California. Results suggested that despite the usefulness of ability grouping in planning and instruction, perceptions of low-achieving students were slightly more negative compared to that in high-achieving students. Ansalone and Biafort (2004) showed in their study that 70% of teachers reported adjusting classroom presentation according to the ability group while an even percentage reporting that more time is needed to cover the lesson in the low-ability tracks. Seventy-one percent employed special teaching techniques in aiding the delivery of instruction by track. According to 62% of teachers, more course material is provided in upper-track groups. While there are differences in the curricula according to the ability group, such as repetition of lesson and slower discussion pace, most educational sociologists fear that the presentation of the specific curriculum and the whole educational experience of low-achieving students will be different substantially and simplified conceptually. While the answers to the interviews are pointed towards curricular modification, many comments conveyed a desire and feeling among teachers to willingly work in presenting the whole curriculum to the entire student s and assisting them regardless of ability group. Little support is given to the notion that low-achieving students cannot be taught. While more than 70% of teachers in the survey reported adjustments to the curriculum in accordance to track, the general response indicates that the teacher would still want to present the same curriculum to students despite being in the lower- or upper-track levels. The purpose of Fans study (2007) is to investigate the attitudes of students and teachers on ability grouping in Freshman English instruction.ÂÂ  It tested whether students from the different ability groups varied in their perceptions towards the practice. In addition, it likewise explored the variations in the perceptions of students and teachers. Participants were 676 second year university students and 17 teachers. Questionnaires were self-administered to determine the perceptive of students and teachers towards ability grouping for the school year. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics; t-test and and one-way ANOVA tested the hypotheses. Similarities in student perceptions (level A and B) were summarized in the following: First, students manifested positive or neutral attitudes toward ability grouping in English instruction.ÂÂ  Second, students regarded that improvement in English proficiency is related to their personal learning attitude. Howe ver, some differences were detected between levels A and B students in psychological effects and instruction and material.ÂÂ  First, level B students considered that when they are learning together with similar level colleagues, learning anxiety and pressure are reduced compared with level A students.ÂÂ  Second, level B students also viewed that teachers could modify their pace of teaching and evaluate them by their level in comparison to level A participants. In addition, there were significant differences in the perceptions between the students and teachers.ÂÂ  First, students believed that learning with classmates in different classes increased motivation when compared to the teachers. Second, teachers maintained that because of the grouping, teachers can assess students in terms of their ability level in comparison with the students. Moreover, teachers also viewed that improvement among students in English is associated to their learning attitude against the stude nts views. Despite ongoing researches that establish the effectiveness of ability grouping, schools are increasingly maintaining and applying stratification practices such as streaming, banding and setting in order to raise levels of attainment. While past English studies investigated various elements of school-level grouping methods, there still is a research gap since there is no attempt on the part of the researchers to elucidate ways that head teachers frame the problems, pursue and consider equity and influence decisions and practices at the school-level pertaining to grouping methods. The paper of Trigg-Smith (2011) reviewed how policy climate contributes to the decisions of the school with regard to ability grouping, how the head teachers work, how existing theories of intelligence and ability reinforce the grouping methods, plausible frameworks for the exploration of equity in the grouping, importance of the impact head teachers have on the grouping, and recommendations as to the counte rmeasures leaders can adopt to curb inequity and further structural change. Grouping criteria In schools, the process of assigning students to a particular group is referred to by Kelly (2007) as student/parent informed choice system; choice which means that the students can enroll in any class which they are eligible for. On the contrary, the description of the policy is misleading; based in a number of school curriculum guides, the school decides the students eligibility because of the prerequisite grade requirement which is most commonly obtaining score better than the cutoff in a standardized test, teacher recommendations, prior course taking, and other vague requirements. The author emphasizes that employing both objective and subjective assignment criteria creates placement practices ranging from highly to less restrictive. While standardized tests, quota systems, and rigid scheduling form part of highly restrictive placement criteria, test placement is avoided in less restrictive criteria allowing overrides following assignment of course. The criteria promotes catching up during summer and put forward a less elite-centric philosophy. Watanabe (2007) concluded that out of 6 teachers, 5 recognized that the choice of the student on the course to take is a significant element on how tracking is defined. However, no one of the teachers in the study conceptualized the definition of tracking and its manner of implementation. In addition, it was observed that the perceived level of student preparation critically determined granting access to high level subject by the teacher. Scores in standardized tests, prior coursework, and grades were the most often utilized indicators measuring the skills and level of preparation of the students. RESULTS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS In this chapter, findings are summarized and conclusions are drawn based on the results. A discussion of the issues related to this study and possible implications for educators and administrators follows. Finally, recommendations for future research and practice of this study are shared. Summary of the Study The issue of ability grouping in schools has been the subject of debate for many years and will be for years to come (Hopkins, 2003). Many have feared that ability grouping will hinder the advancement of students with low ability since there will be an emphasis on basic knowledge instead of advanced learning. On the other hand, proponents insist that that grouping by ability has the potential of improving student achievement by increasing level of motivation. The only certain conclusion is that further research on ability grouping will benefit both educators and school administrators. Hence, this examination of perceptions on ability grouping was conducted. This proposed study looked to explore the pros and cons of ability grouping as it pertains to student academic achievement. This study also examined the perceptions on ability grouping from various stakeholders to include administrators, teachers, and parents in the educational system at the middle school level. The purpose of this research was to gain further insight on ability grouping as an educational policy but based on the perspective of administrators, teachers, and parents in three middle schools within a rural school district. This study intended to allow for inference on the effective strategies and techniques of implementing ability grouping in the operation of the school. Information collected in this quantitative research was gathered from surveys given to the administrators, teachers, and parents. Findings from this research will be forwarded to the district superintendent in hopes of providing guidance for improving classroom instruction and raising student achievement. Ultimately, this research serves to shed light on an instructional approach that should increase student achievement. The following four research questions acted as lenses to guide the research: Will administrators have an overall positive perception of ability grouping at the middle school level? Will teachers have an overall positive perception of ability grouping at the middle school level? Will parents have an overall positive perception of ability grouping at the middle school level? Summary of Findings and Conclusion The current research addressed the question of educational tracking and its continued use in contemporary American education, especially considering that the bulk of literature has pointed to its negative outcomes on students. After identifying the key stakeholders in this debate, namely teachers, school principals, students and parents, an attempt was made to assess the perceptions of each in order to arrive at an understanding of the mechanisms that keep this educational practice in place. R1: Will administrators have an overall positive perception of ability grouping at the middle school level? A full account of the results for Question 1 is presented in Chapter 4. It was hypothesized that administrators will view ability grouping at the middle school level positively. Descriptive analysis of the survey responses for administrators indicated that their perceptions were moderately in favor of ability grouping. However, this means that administrators did not necessarily have an overall positive perception of educational tracking in the middle school. Most administrators reported having background knowledge of ability grouping. Responses consisted of agree (66.7%) and strongly agree (33.3%) including a mean rating of 4.33 and a median rating of 4.00. Administrators perceived that ability grouping will result to improvement in students scores in standardized tests. Responses were evenly spread through undecided (33.3%), agree (33.3%), and strongly agree (33.3%). Mean and median rating was 4.00. Administrators slightly agreed that ability grouping expands the teachers capacity in meeting students needs. Responses include disagree (33.3%), agree (33.3%) and strongly agree (33.5%). Mean and median rating was 3.67. Administrators slightly agreed that ability grouping increases student motivation. Responses include disagree (33.3%), agree (33.3%) and strongly agree (33.3%). Mean rating was 3.67 while median rating was 4.00. Most administrators perceived that ability grouping increases teacher effectiveness in planning instruction. Two administrators (66.7%) strongly agreed while one was undecided (33.3%). Administrators agreed very slightly that when students are grouped according to ability, they become more confident in terms of student achievement. One administrator disagreed (33.3%) while two of the administrators agreed (66.7%). Mean rating was 3.33 while the media rating was 4.00. Most administrators perceived ability grouping to be an unfair practice to students. Their responses included undecided (33.3%) and agree (66.7%). Mean rating was lower at 3.67 compared to the median rating at 4.00. Administrators were ambivalent on whether ability grouping creates a positive learning environment. Most could not decide (66.7%) or agreed (33.3%) to the statement. Mean rating was 3.33 while median rating was 3.00. Administrators strongly agreed that teacher input is essential in the appropriate ability group placement of students. Their responses were agree (66.7%) and strongly agree (33.3%). The mean (4.33) and median (4.00) rating showed relatively strong agreement. Administrators strongly agreed that placing talented students along lower-achieving groups would lower self-esteem. The mean and median rating for this statement was 4.00. Administrators perceptions were divided on whether ability grouping only benefits high school students. Their responses to the statement were strongly disagree (33.3%), disagree (33.3%), and agree (33.3%). The overall mean and median rating indicated a moderate level of disagreement. Administrators had mixed perceptions on whether ability grouping would improve overall education of students. Their responses to the statement were disagree (33.3%), undecided (33.3%), and agree (33.3%). The mean and median rating indicated undecided at 3.00. Administrators did not agree that ability grouping had no positive benefits for students. Their responses to the statement were