Comparing Arts of the Contact Zone and Animism and the...

Every breath you take is comprised of bits and pieces of your immediate surrounding. While outside the confines of the manmade structures that stand strong before you everyday, you’re unavoidably absorbing nature. You unconsciously and almost immediately determine how well the day will progress: Can you smell the presence of rain in the air? Are the pollens scattered throughout the atmosphere hinting to your itchy nose that allergy season is fast approaching? Whichever the case, it’s obvious; the environment is communicating with you. In â€Å"Arts of the Contact Zone†, Mary Louise Pratt defines contact zones as â€Å"the space in which transculturation takes place – where two different cultures meet and inform each other, often in highly†¦show more content†¦She believed autoethnographic text is â€Å"a text in which people undertake to describe themselves in ways that engage with representations others have made of them.† In order words , the text is a person’s opinion of themselves with the input of others. Autoethnographic text – or the lack of – can be seen in the natural world. An example is natural tragedies, such as volcanoes eruptions and hurricanes. Nature does not take into consideration our attempts to stop these disasters. The most we can do is try. In order to take full advantage of autoethnographic text we are given everyday, we can try to listen more intently and take action more effectively. A problem with translating the natural messages this world contains into language we can understand is accuracy. After all, what human can actually understand the music of the rain and the barks of dogs? The most we can do is infer. The bits and pieces of nature we breathe in everyday is aids our wellbeing. Listening to the language of the culture of nature enables us to make better decisions in our lives. The wet surface of the earth outside your house signals you to bring an umbrella â€⠀œ which will prevent you from becoming wet and catching a cold. The scent of flowers in the air sets off a sneezing fit reminding you to take your allergy medication. However, people will not always understand the hints nature dishes out to us. An example is the signs of

Emily Dickinson Essay - 1254 Words

Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 in the community of Amherst, Massachusetts. She was the second daughter of Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson. Emily, her brother Austin, and her sister Lavinia were brought up and nurtured in a quiet reserved household headed by their father Edward. Throughout her life, her mother was not always around, or accessible, a fact that is said to have caused Emily’s eccentricity. They were raised in Puritanical Massachusetts, where they were expected to take on their fathers beliefs and values. Because Emily was the daughter of a prominent politician, she was able to get a good education at the Amherst Academy. After her time at the academy, she went to South†¦show more content†¦It is said that although he was married, Emily had a love for him, and he may be the subject of some of her love poems. When Emily had enough poems, she went to find someone who could help her and give her advice about anonymous publication. O n April 15, 1862 she found Higginson. She wrote letters to him asking for advice. He was against publishing her poetry, however he did realize that Emily was talented and gifted. After the letter in 1862, Emily decided against publishing her poems, and that was why only seven of her poems were published in her lifetime. The later part of her life was spent in mourning because of several deaths in a few years time. Emily’s father died in 1874, both her mother and Wadsworth in 1882, and her nephew in 1883. Over those years due to the amounts of deaths she encountered, the theme of death became more prevalent in Emily’s poems. Emily Dickinson died on May 15, 1886. As a result of her life of solitude, it is said by some that she is able to focus more on the world around her. Many of her poems were not complicated and were written on scraps of paper, such as grocery lists, and when she died and her works were published Editors began to arrange her works into catego ries, such as friends, nature, love, and DEATH. In 1955, Thomas Johnson published Emily Dickinson’s works in their original format. In order to get a clear understanding ofShow MoreRelatedEmily Dickinson1172 Words   |  5 PagesEmily Dickinson’s works are studied by various audiences from high school students to college scholars. Even without striving to hope that her works would impact so many generations, Dickinson has influenced many generations of poets and plays a major role in the development of American Literature. Dickinson did not become famous for her works until after her death in 1886. Not only is Emily Dickinson’s work important to the study of American Literature, most of her writings were composed duringRead MoreContributions Of Emily Dickinson1045 Words   |  5 Pagesideas to flow. When alone an individual can be with their thoughts, dreams and hopes. Emily Dickinson spent years in solitude and confinement which allowed her creative juic es to progress. Overtime, her ideas began appearing on paper as magnificent poems. Love, death, life, hope, weapons, birds, bees, flowers, and gardens are all themes used by Emily Dickinson in her poetry. It is unbelievably stunning that Dickinson gives off such beautiful imagery for someone who rarely left the house. She has connectedRead MoreEssay On Emily Dickinson1034 Words   |  5 Pagespeople didn’t remember Emily Dickinson. Emily Dickinson was a talented poet who used her previously devastating personal experiences to enhance her poems. Emily Dickinson was born on December 10th, 1830 to Edward and Emily Dickinson in Amherst, Massachusetts. In the year 1833, her little sister Lavinia was born into the family. During February of 1852, A Valentine was published in the Springfield Republican. That was one of the first poems that she had written. Emily Dickinson was an amazing poetRead MoreEssay On Emily Dickinson1348 Words   |  6 PagesEmily Dickinson The beloved poet, Emily Dickinson lived as a recluse to become the greatest American woman poet of the 19th century. Even in such peculiar circumstances, her works remain alive as she unites people through her talent. Furthermore, her poems were not recognized until after her death, her art is now praised with its impact on society. She intrigues readers with prominent themes of life and death and its comparison to living and nonliving aspects. Dickinson’s unique background, interestingRead MoreUncovering Emily Dickinson603 Words   |  2 PagesUncovering Emily Dickinson The poem â€Å"Taking off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes† By Billy Collins, amplifies the conflict of Emily Dickinson’s inner feelings being revealed as a result of her poetry being published (Emily Dickinson wanted to keep her poetry private). The speaker is aware of this and he shows a lot respect for Dickinson and her poetry throughout the poem. Respect is shown by the speaker by constantly referring to Dickinson’s poems. The speaker references Dickinson’s work in a way thatRead MoreEssay On Emily Dickinson1419 Words   |  6 PagesEmily Dickinson â€Å"I know that He exists,† is the first line in one of Emily Dickinson’s many poems. This is poem number 338, and it is one of her most famous poems even though most people do not understand it (Faulkner 8). Emily Dickinson is a well-known poet, but it was not always like that. During her lifetime, Dickinson rarely published her poems, and it was not until later that she became famous for her work (Crumbley 1). During Emily Dickinson’s life, she was a reserved person, to the pointRead MoreAnalysis Of Emily Dickinson s Emily 1867 Words   |  8 PagesPoetry is meant to provoke in a thoughtful way. It makes the reader consider what the deeper meaning behind the piece may be. I Heard a Fly Buzz—when I died does all that but it also perplexes the reader, making one wonder what was Emily Dickison writing about in this poem? And what is the reader supposed to take away? It begins with the tone, in the very first sentence, I heard a Fly buzz—when I died—, there is a puzzling, almost disbelief on the part of the speaker. They can’t seem to believeRead MoreThe Works of Emily Dickinson726 Words   |  3 Pages Emily Dickinson’s writing reflects the Realistic period through personal themes: death, isolation, God, marriage, women in society, and love. Dickinson’s writing is affected by numerous factors. Among these are her family, the Realism period, and her life experiences. Emily Dickinson herself was a sort of mystery. Emily Dickinson’s background had a profound effect on her writing. Family always plays an important role in the upbringing of an individual. Her grandfather had a prominent position inRead MoreEmily Dickinson: An American Poet1793 Words   |  7 PagesEmily Dickinson is one of the most influential American authors, whose works transformed the way people view poetry and female authors. Her exceedingly complex life has proved a tremendous influence on her instrumental poetry, creating its originality and distinguishing her from other great poets of the nineteenth century. As well, her use of symbolism and imagery has continued to make her work celebrated. Although Emily Dickinson lived a private and reclusive life, full of death among many closeRead MoreSolitude Of A Poet By Emily Dickinson1545 Words   |  7 Pagesin Amherst, Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson was one of three children to Edward Dickinson and his wife, Emily Dickinson. According to Pettinger, Dickinson’s r oots trace back to her Puritan ancestors from England in the 17th century, who later immigrated to America to freely exercise their religion (Pettinger, The Biography of Emily Dickinson). Dickinson was a quiet, intelligent individual, excelling in Amherst Academy, a school founded by her grandfather, Samuel Dickinson, and later the Mount Holyoke

Theories of Development Free Essays

Theories of Development There are many branches of psychology. The field of human development is divided into five theory groups. The theory groups are Psychodynamic, Cognitive, Systems, Biological and Behavioral. We will write a custom essay sample on Theories of Development or any similar topic only for you Order Now Each theory group has many contributing theorists. Some theories overlap while others are independent. Often theories are credible whereas others cause skepticism. There are many contributors to the world of psychology with different views and beliefs about human development. Psychodynamic Theory Sigmund Freud was one of the most influential contributors to the field of psychology. Freud was born in 1856, in Moravia. In 1881, Freud received a doctorate in medicine. Freud’s main focus of study was neurology; this led him  to begin  concentrating his research on nervous disorders. Freud’s research brought him to his psychoanalytical theory. Freud’s theory suggests that an individual’s unconscious processes or thoughts contribute to one’s personality and influences one’s behavior. Freud’s theory included the concept that personality is composed of three elements: the id (pleasure seeker), the ego (deals with reality), and the superego (one’s sense of right and wrong). Freud also believed that human development consisted of five psychosexual stages: the oral stage (birth-18 months), anal stage (18 months-3 years), phallic stage (3-6 years), latency stage (6-12 years), and the genital stage (12 years and up). The theory included the belief that if one wants to develop a healthy personality, one has to complete all five psychosexual stages successfully. Another great contributor to the Psychodynamic field of psychology is Erik Erickson. Erickson was born in 1902, in Germany. Erickson travelled around Europe and attended the Vienna Psychoanalytic Institute. Erickson was intrigued by Freud’s theory, however Erickson believed that development occurred throughout one’s lifespan and that one’s personality is shaped consciously from social interactions. Erickson developed the psychosocial theory of personality development. The theory includes eight stages of development: Trust vs. mistrust (birth-12 months), Autonomy vs. shame and doubt (12 months-3 years), Initiative vs. guilt (3-6 years), Industry vs. inferiority (6-12 years), Ego identity vs. ego diffusion (12-18 years or older), Intimacy vs. solation (18-40 years), Generativity vs. self-absorption (40-65 years), and Integrity vs. despair (65 years and older). According to Craig and Dunn (2010),   Erickson’s theory emphasizes social interactions and argues that a distinct part of each individual is based on the culture in which the individual is raised, depending heavily on the individual’s interactions with  caregivers  during infancy. Social forc es continue to shape personality throughout the lifespan as the individual experiences relationships with others (p. 13). Cognitive Theory The cognitive theory attempts to explain human behavior. This theory of psychology tries to understand the thought process behind one’s personality or behavior. Two of the main cognitive theorists are Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky. Both theorists have come a long way to help us understand the cognitive theory. The cognitive approach to psychology has shown a lot of advancement from the contributions made by Piaget and Vygotsky. They have set the foundation for other theorists to do more research. Vygotsky and Piaget had similar thoughts on how children learn. Both theorists believed that children learn and think differently than adults and that children learn actively, through hands-on experiences. Piaget suggested that children think differently than adults. He developed this belief from observations and his stage theory of development. He was one of the first theorists to state that children are actively gaining their own knowledge of the world. Piaget often referred to children as â€Å"little scientists†. The reason behind the nickname is Piaget believed that children in free play were conducting their own â€Å"experiments† in the world to gain their own knowledge from it. One way that Piaget believed that children were learning object permanence, was by rolling a ball into the other room and then going to get it. This was the natural way for children to learn from their own â€Å"experiment†. Piaget developed a theory of cognitive development, known as the Development Stage Theory. Piaget’s theory is broken into four stages. Stage one is the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to two years of age. Children use their five senses and movement to experience the world. Children are completely egocentric. Stage two, Preoperational Thought Stage, occurs from 2 years of age to seven years old. They must be able to organize their own thoughts and ideas. The third stage is Concrete operations stage, from seven years old to eleven years old. This stage of thinking becomes organized on a mental plane. The fourth and final stage of Piaget’s theory is formal operations. This stage occurs from age eleven to adulthood. Thinking goes into the realm of purely abstract and hypothetical (Crain, 2011). Vygotsky was a psychologist; his interest was developmental psychology, child development and education. Vygotsky also studied children’s play. Vygotsky was a Marxist; a person that believes that we can understand humans only in the context of the social-historical environment (Crain, 2011, p. 224). Vygotsky presented the zone of proximal development (ZPD). The ZPD is the range in which a child can complete tasks on their own and tasks that they can complete with guidance from adults to assist. The ZPD captures a child’s cognitive level of maturation (Crain, 2011). This method is guidance assistance; the children gain new skills with minimal assistance. This method helps each child develop equally in the classroom. Biologicial Theory Biological Foundations of Human Development influence the course of development throughout an individual’s lifetime. Some developmental processes include growth during the prenatal period, the onset of puberty, and when a person gets their first grey hair. Most development through the lifespan is a result of successive interactions between biology and experience. (Craig Dunn, 2010, p. 4)   There are factors of biological development that considers maturation, ethology, and attachment. Jean-Jacques Rousseau introduced several keys into developmental theory and proposed a biological timetable that included these components. Maturation, a theory created by Gesell, is the development of growth and aging over time and depends heavily on biological processes. The theory states that development has a preordained sequence, that the rates vary but the sequence does not, and depends heavily on the internal make up and the environment. The theory basically suggests that development begins in the womb. The theory continues on to measure the development of a child in the first few years of life. Maturation definitions include reciprocal intervening, functional asymmetry, self-regulation, individuality, proximodistal, ontogeny/phylogeny, patterning and others. Ethological theories have major influences on biological development. Ethology is the study of behavior within the evolutionary framework. It is the science of animal behavior and the study of human behavior and social organization from a biological standpoint. The theory states that how a person thinks is passed down genetically. Learning has a small role in this theory. Charles Darwin, who wrote the â€Å"Theory of Evolution†, is included in this theory. Though controversial, Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest and natural selection shows that evolution is a major factor in a person’s development. Evolution is factual and gives people the genetics that create skin color, height, etc. Konrad Lorenz wrote, â€Å"Modern Ethology† and discovered the idea of imprinting. He showed that this is a critical bonding period when animals are born. Animals bond with the first thing they see after they are born, be it their mother or any caregiver. Lorenz studied with Nikolaas Timbergen and they won a Nobel Prize for their work with animal patterns. Ethology includes naturalistic observation, instinctive behavior, and imprinting. Systems Theory Ludwig von Bertalanffy originally proposed general systems theory, in 1928. Bertalanffy was born and grew up in a little town near Vienna. He grew up in a wealthy family and had private tutors. After Bertalanffy’s parents divorced, he found a new example to follow, Paul Kemmerer, a famous biologist. Kemmerer was Bertalanffy’s neighbor. Kemmerer soon became an example for Bertalanffy. Bertalanffy attended the University of Vienna. At this time he had to choose between studying philosophy and science. Bertalanffy chose to become a biologist. Bertalanffy was a professor at many universities. Many early theorists that studied about system’s theory aimed their work and research to find a general system’s theory that would explain all the systems in all of the fields of science. Bertalanffy developed the â€Å"Allgemeine Systemlehre†. The â€Å"Allgemeine Systemlehre† is a German term that means a system that can be applied in a number of fields. He did not like when it translated into â€Å"General Systems Theory†. His idea cut across what is known as the Weltanschauung, or worldview that entails Epistemological (study of nature), ontological (relating to existence), and ethical implications. Systems can be controlled or uncontrolled. Today researchers are still using the studies and findings from Bertalanffy. Other researchers of the system’s theory are Barker, â€Å"Behavior Settings† and Learner who did work on life expectancy and environment and wrote, â€Å"Developmental Systems Theory. † A most recent theory used in social development today is the use of the four stage model of development. It is a major model used in the measurement from birth to adulthood. The four stages are co-dependant (0-8 months), counter dependant (9-36 months), independent (3-6 years), and interdependent (6-29 years). The most current happenings in system’s research include how environmental factors and culture influence adolescent development. The five theory groups of human development have led to many breakthroughs  in psychology. There are many theorists that have contributed to the five theory groups. However, there are also theorists that are considered to be the founders of each group. All of the theories are relative and may help explain human development, including one’s personality or behavior. Works Cited Crain, W. (2011). Theories of development: Concepts and applications. (6th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Craig, G. J. , Dunn, W. L. (2010). Understanding human development. (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Mike Wade (October 18, 2005) Theories used in Research General System Theories http://www. istheory. yorku. ca/generalsystemstheory. htm   Walonick, David S. (1993) General Systems Theory. http://www. statpac. org/walonick/systems-theory. htm How to cite Theories of Development, Papers

Solving Customer Service Problems free essay sample

Companies that are known for great service, such as the retailer Nordstrom Inc. , have this standard of customer service that exists to make employees feel empowered to make the best decision for the customer, said Craig Chanoff, vice president for client services at Blackboard Inc. , a Washington, D. C. -based provider of educational software. Delivering good service needs to be an integral part of a business. Its an ongoing thing that you do, said David Bianconi, president of Progressive Medical Inc. , a Westerville, Ohio-based health care cost containment company. You have to always be aware of that and focus on that. While often a dropoff in customer service can be a problem, sometimes its part of growing pains, particularly at young firms. A lot of companies go through this _ they have substantial growth but unfortunately cant keep up with the service that clients require, Chanoff said. When Blackboard went through that difficult process, it hired Chanoff to oversee and revamp its customer service. We will write a custom essay sample on Solving Customer Service Problems or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It focused on relationships with customers; now Blackboard has customer service reps dedicated to specific clients. The Internet is another solution to help improve service. About six years ago, Progressive Medical created an online system to allow customers to access their information, Bianconi said. When you make changes in your customer service processes, dont do it in a vacuum _ get input from your customers to see what would help them. Progressive Medical brought customers into the planning process. Id much prefer you telling me what you want instead of me guessing, Bianconi said. And if you do decide to create an Internet-based customer service, be careful that you dont lose the human touch that many customers still want. Bianconi said his customers have an option of going online or talking to a company employee. Perhaps the best approach to good customer service is to be proactive, by keeping in touch with clients or customers. Knowing how theyre feeling can help you solve problems before they turn into disasters. While e-mail can make communication easier, Brian Kaplan, owner of New York-based Impression PR, said business owners still need to be getting on the phone or meeting with them (customers) every other week at least and say to them: This is where your money is going. In a larger firm with many customers, that can be harder. So Chanoff suggested periodic surveys of customers not just to determine their satisfaction level, but to understand what changes need to be made at a company. Use it for coaching opportunities for your staff, he said. Steve Kaplan, author of Bag The Elephant: How to Win and Keep Big Customers, advises business owners to audit their companies, asking a friend to pose as a customer seeking help. Evaluating his or her experience is another way to see where problems might exist. Any company can do it, said Kaplan, president of The Difference Maker Inc. in Chicago. If youre a small print shop, coffee house, or b-to-b (business to business) company, it doesnt matter. Of course, when problems crop up, its important to have someone in the company _ preferably yourself or another senior executive _ talk to aggrieved customers. Listen to their concerns and be flexible in trying to reach a solution; doing so will help you keep them.