Advantages of Being Bilingual

Abstract This essay deliberates the benefits of being bilingual. The information has been analyzed from resources dating from September 2010 through 2012. The idea put forth in this essay is to prove that the brain of a bilingual person is agile and nimble. It argues a bilingual signs in babies having the ability to distinguish between two languages as young as 4 months old. It also presents how infants show a strong preference for the language their mother spoke during pregnancy. It confirms that using two languages throughout life delays the onset of dementia symptoms by an average of four years.The research further explores how bilingualism is positively connected with many cognitive outcomes, including: metalinguistic awareness, focus attention, auto control, active memory, and abstract and symbolic representation skills. In general, bilingual speakers enjoy far nimbler cognitive commands, maintaining a continuously active and alert brain, even when only one language is in contro l. Being bilingual actually provides opportunities in many corners of life totally impossible for monolinguals speakers. Advantages of Being BilingualThe saying â€Å"less is more,† does not apply when the topic of monolingual versus bilingual language skills is concerned. This work is a recompilation of the advantages of being bilingual. It discusses how the brain of bilingual speakers is ingenious and clever. Moreover, extends how infants as young as 4-months old and children who live in bilingual environments have advantages over those living in monolingual environments. The article presents how using two languages throughout life delays the onset of dementia symptoms by an average of four years.This essay proves, through a number of studies, the cognitive outcomes associated with bilingualism. According to Flora (2010): Infants as young as 4 months who live in bilingual environments can distinguish between two languages, monitoring lip and facial movements. Babies also sh ow a strong preference for the language their mother spoke during pregnancy. We're built to acquire language, of course, but we're also built to learn and accommodate more than one. Monolinguals are essentially underutilized their abilities: Brain scans show that while monolinguals use established language centers such as Broca's rea, bilinguals employ far more of the neural landscape when expressing themselves. (p. 75). Wang (2010) uses the results of the studies performed by Dr. Bialystok and Dr. Craik (2004) on how children learn a second language. Doctor Bialystok and Craik conducted three studies that look at the cognitive effects in some 150 monolingual and bilingual people between 30 and 80 years old. They found that in both middle and old age, the bilingual subjects were better able to block out distracting information than the single-language speakers in a series of computerized tests.The advantage of bilingualism was even more pronounced in the older subjects. Compared wit h people who speak only one language, bilingual children and young adults have slightly smaller vocabularies and are slower when performing certain verbal tasks, such as naming lists of animals or fruits. Bilingualism equally doesn't just apply to the small percentage of people who are perfectly fluent in two tongues. In the same fashion, bilinguals might speak beautifully in one language without being able to read or write it. Moreover, they may have acquired their second tongue as a child, a teen, or an adult.Wang, (2010) affirms that: A lifetime of speaking two or more languages appears to pay off in old age, with recent research showing the symptoms of dementia can be delayed by an average of four years in bilingual people. Multilingualism doesn't delay the onset of dementia—the brains of people who speak multiple languages still show physical signs of deterioration—but the process of speaking two or more languages appears to enable people to develop skills to bett er cope with the early symptoms of memory-robbing diseases, including Alzheimer's.Over time, regularly speaking more than one language appears to strengthen skills that boost the brain called cognitive reserve, a capacity to work even when stressed or damaged. This build-up of cognitive reserve appears to help bilingual people as they age. Specifically, the advantages of bilingualism are thought to be related to a brain function known as inhibitory or cognitive control: the ability to stop paying attention to one thing and focus on something else, says Dr. Bialystok (2004). Fluent speakers of more than one language have to use this skill continually to silence one language in their minds, while communicating in another.People who are bilingual are often asked which language they think in, but when people are walking down the street, riding a bus, or jogging in the woods, their thoughts may not be in a particular language, points out Francois Grosjean, author of the research-based Bi lingual Life and Reality. Parker-Jones, (2012) and his colleagues used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether neuronal activation differs in bilinguals and monolinguals during picture naming and reading aloud when only one language is in use.They found that when a bilingual person names pictures or reads words aloud, in their native or nonnative language, activation was higher by the monolingual in 5 left hemisphere regions: dorsal precentral gyrus, pars triangularis, pars opercularis, superior temporal gyrus, and planum temporale. They further proved that these areas are sensitive to increasing demands on speech production in a monolingual person. This suggests that the advantage of being bilingual comes at the price of increased work in brain areas that support monolingual word processing.By comparing the effect of bilingualism across a range of tasks, they argue that activation is higher in bilingual speakers as compared with monolingual speakers beca use word retrieval is more demanding. Furthermore, articulation of each word, by bilingual speakers, is less rehearsed. In addition, speech output needs careful monitoring to avoid errors when competition for word choice occurs between, as well as within, language.The Parker-Jones (2012) team’s conclusions offer novel insights into the effect of bilingualism on brain function. They emphasize that the advantage of being bilingual comes at the expense of increased demands on word retrieval and articulation, even in simple picture naming and reading tasks. The Parker-Jones (2012) team also has shown images of the increased activation for bilinguals relative to monolinguals during overt picture naming and reading aloud, even when bilinguals are only responding in their native language.The areas where these effects were observed are remarkably consistent with those previously associated with low- versus high-frequency picture naming in one's native language and the control of inte rference in bilinguals as they respond in a dual language context. Their findings suggest that bilinguals increase processing within a system that is also used in monolinguals (Abutalebi & Green, 2007). However, they contrast sharply with the idea of a unique and helpful bilingual system that exploits resources that are untapped in monolinguals Baker and Shalinsky (2008).By including multiple tasks, they have been able to interpret the function of the areas where activation is higher in bilinguals than monolinguals. In addition, by including multiple groups, and only testing in a single language context, they were able to control for differences between native versus nonnative language. In the final analysis, attaining fluency in two or more languages not only looks fabulous like an advantage on college and job applications, it actually presents opportunities in many corners of life completely denied to the monolingual.The advantage of being bilingual now has science behind it. My r esearch proves that the list of advantages includes, staving off dementia, improved cognitive skills, and heightened creativity. Moreover, bilingual speakers have an easier time focusing on tasks, and greater control over literacy skills which is heightened by environmental awareness. Additionally, bilinguals have an easier time switching between tasks; have denser grey matter, faster response time, and higher scores on intelligence tests.References Flora, C. (2010, October). Double Talk. Psychology Today. 70-79. Wang, S. S. (2010, October 12). Building a more resilient brain. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from http://online. wsj. com/article/SB10001424052748703794104575 545923443462444. html Parker Jones1, O. , Green2. D, W. , Grogan3, A. , Pliatsikas4, C. , Filippopolitis1, K. , Ali5, N. , Lee6, H. L. ,†¦Price1, C. J(2012). Where, When and Why Brain Activation Differs for Bilinguals and Monolinguals during Picture Naming and Reading Aloud.Oxford University Press. 22 (4). Retrieved from http://cercor. oxfordjournals. org/content/22 /4/892. full Grosjean, F. (2012, November). Linguistic Aspects of Childhood Bilingualism. Bilingual: Life and Reality. Harvard University Press. Abutalebi, J. , Brambati, S. M. , Annoni, J. M. , Moro, A. , Cappa, S. F. , & Perani, D. (2007). The neural cost of the auditory perception of language switches: an event-related fMRI study in bilinguals. Journal of Neuroscience, 27, 13762-13769.

Journey

My life has been very interesting, living In Morocco and then moving to California and now I'm in Massachusetts and the Journey continues. Throughout the years I lived in so many houses and picked up so many memories. Each house had Its own design that made it some how special and unique. But after all they're all places that I spent my everyday at and had fun with family and friends. The first time I entered Oakland, I felt the vibe of the city and It was Like love at first sight. The city was so energetic and so much different than my hometown.So I went to my ether's neighborhood and It was In a very quiet area which I really liked because I'm not used to the city and all Its noise. Walked In home and looked around and knew that place going to be so fun to live In, the best place In the inure house was my bedroom which was so big you could open a super market in it. Then I walked out to the back yard that had all the essentials to a great barbeques party with all the seats and the grills and thanks to the weather the sun was there everyday.Because of my dad's job we had to move from place to place. So we moved to Malden ND it was a big move because the area and the city was so different from what I'm used to. We moved to a house near the Malden river and I really liked the fact that it was in a quite area and the house itself was big enough for both of us. I spent my entire first day exploring the house from the first floor down to the basement. T was a really clean house and because it was renovated everything was basically brand new, but of course what really mattered to me was my bedroom which I wasn't Disappointed about at all because it met all my needs with the really comfortable bed ND the big windows that showed the river and let sunshine light up my room. The best room in the house was the kitchen even though I don't know how to cook. But after all I really spent great days at my house and IM really grateful that its close to school. Rooney By amine- mean ENG 111 My life has been very interesting, living in Morocco and then moving to years I lived in so many houses and picked up so many memories. Each house had its own design that made it some how special and unique. But after all they're all places time I entered Oakland, I felt the vibe of the city and it was like love at first sight. The father's neighborhood and it was in a very quiet area which I really liked because I'm not used to the city and all its noise.Walked in home and looked around and knew that place going to be so fun to live in, the best place in the entire house was my Because of my dad's Job we had to move from place to place. So we moved to Malden used to. We moved too house near the Malden river and I really liked the fact that it but of course what really mattered to me was my bedroom which I wasn't best room in the house was the kitchen even though I don't know how to cook. Journey Area of Study Essay- Journeys The Oxford Dictionary defines Journey as â€Å"an act of traveling from one place to another†; this could, of course, be taken literally. Instead, why not think of â€Å"places† as emotional or mental situations? So you take a Journey between different emotional states. â€Å"The journey, not the arrival, matters. † This statement is correct for all four texts I will be discussing. The Journey is more important than the arrival because it is the Journey that makes people who they are.On a life Journey there are tipping points that define who we become. On our life Journey, what Is the end, death or meeting beyond? What significance does death have to the person you have become? Nothing: in death we look back at who we've become, but we have become like that, not because of the situation that you are in at that moment in time, but the choices or paths that we took on our life Journey. A life Journey has bumps and dips that can sometim es feel like mountains or craters as deep as hell, but the Journey will always continue.It could be argued that we never really have a specific arrival point in the Journey, but have multiple points of arrival and departures. Does a life Journey ever really end? The journeys that are shown in the texts are inner journeys (spiritual, mental and emotional) that revolve around certain significant points in the subject's life Journey. The four texts that will be compared are; â€Å"God's Grandeur†-Gerald Manley Hopkins, â€Å"l wake and feel the fell and dark. To day-Gerald Manley Hopkins, â€Å"Reign Over Me† written and directed by Mike Binder and a visual representation of Journey. â€Å"God's Grandeur† contains a significant inner Journey. In the flirts four lines of the octet Hopkins describes a natural world through which God's presence runs like an electrical current. Alternatively in the last four lines of the octet he talks about how humans are robbed of t heir sensitivity to the beauty of what is left in nature, people have become unaware of the wonders of the world around them.The sestets shifts In argument again, even though humans do not realize It, nature continuously offers the potential of power and re-blurt. Hopkins Is In awe of the beauty of God's presence all around him. Hopkins uses a metaphor of God's grandeur as an electric force. This suggests an undercurrent that is not always seen, but which builds up as a tension r pressure that occasionally flashes out in ways that can be both brilliant and dangerous. In this moment Hopkins is amazed at how rich and full of life God can make him, Hopkins emotions peak at a high at this point in time.Hopkins uses repartition of the word â€Å"trod† and triple rhyming words; have trod, have trod, have trod, all is seared with trade blared and smeared with toil† to emphasis the struggle of humans, continuous Journey, they have been on a journey for so long that they can't s ee God clearly anymore, and the use of the word â€Å"smeared† is to exaggerate he same thing again, the screen between God and humans is getting murky and dirty, not easy to see through, so they are losing contact.. Hopkins is disappointed that humans have destroyed the land by building factories.Seeing this makes that man does not recognize His power and the beauty of nature; â€Å". †¦ The soil is bare now, nor foot can feel, being shod. † This may mean that because humans are wearing shoes we are disconnected to nature, and we cannot feel God's presence because we have a barrier between us and the earth. Humans have been cutting down trees and ruining the Earth for centuries, we have made the soil bare. Once Hopkins realizes that humans have stopped being one with nature, it made him almost annoyed that we can Just ignore God's presence.Hopkins spirits are finally lifted again when he notices that there will always be the promise of re-birth, new life and â₠¬Å"dearest freshness†. In the last four lines of the sestets Hopkins employs imagery from nature to convey rejuvenation by saying â€Å"†¦. Last lights off the black West went Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs†¦. Ah! Bright wings† meaning; that even though the sun goes down in the west he knows that God will bring it back up in the East, he as faith that God will keep the Earth surviving long enough that a similar cycle will happen with nature; that things will go back to how they were, fresh and rejuvenated.Also, Hopkins believes that eventually if God keep the Earth turning someone will eventually notice the beauty and wonder that God's presence makes. In this poem Hopkins is on an emotional Journey, he first starts by being amazed at God's presence, then his emotions change to almost angry at how human can be so ignorant, then when he realizes that God will always be there his emotions transform to astonishment at Gods persistence. WSDL it m atter that he was astonished at the end of the poem, if you didn't know how what occurred to redder him this way?The second text that I will be discussing is â€Å"l wake and feel the fell of dark, not day', this is a terrible sonnet by Gerald Manley Hopkins this poem, is an emotional Journey also. In this poem Hopkins is suffering from insomnia, he longs for the brightness of the day time. The darkness of night makes Hopkins feel claustrophobic, the poem emphasis his feelings of loneliness and isolation. The sonnet finishes with the consolation of sleep, while it opens with its impossibility. Hopkins starts this poem by stating that he wake up expecting day light, but unfortunately he is still stuck in the fall of darkness.The clever use of â€Å"fell of dark†, relates back to the fall of Adam and Eve, or how the Lucifer (the devil) is a â€Å"fallen† angel. Hopkins is trying to get across the meaning that darkness is cruel or the equivalent to â€Å"Lucifer†, compared to the brightness of daylight. Hopkins is exhausted and he feels as though the night time is endless â€Å"But where I say Hours I mean years, mean life†. The last four lines of the octet describe how Hopkins is wondering where God really is, â€Å"†¦ Eke dead letters, to dearest him that lives alas! Away. Hopkins has been trying to get a response from God for all the hours of the night, but he feels like pleading with God for sleep is pointless. He thinks that God is Just ignoring him. The first line of the sestets has a metaphor â€Å"l am gall, I am heartburn. † Hopkins is now feeling so terrible that is feels like he is the pain; the darkness is so overwhelming that he feels that he himself has become the insomnia. â€Å"The lost are like this†¦. As I am mine, their sweating selves; but worse† Hopkins now feels like he can understand how â€Å"the lost† (damned) feel, hat they too; are trapped in never ending darkness.Hopkins emot ional Journey in this poem moves from a pleading state with God, through self-pity then to an his suffering of insomnia, but disappointed with himself for being so. Between the two poems Hopkins emotions change of emotions from the Joyfulness of ‘Gods Grandeur† to the despair of â€Å"l wake and feel the fell of dark, not day' is a journey in itself. Hopkins must have experienced a pivotal moment in his life for his emotions to change so dramatically. â€Å"Reign Over Me† written and directed by Mike Binder has a very powerful inner journey (both mental and emotional).It is the story of a man named Charlie and his struggle to deal with the loss of his family in the tragedy of 9/1 1, Charlie suffers from Postgraduates Stress Disorder (PETS) and is helped through the struggle by his former college roommate Alan. In the movie, Charlie starts off weaving through the traffic on this motorists scooter, symbolizing that he is in his own world. Charlie is stuck in a loop the whole way through the movie, every day is a struggle to Just get up out of bed. He lost his family and he is constantly trying to shut that out, he pretends he doesn't remember any of that pivotal moment in time. He Just shut down.Quit work. He stopped wanting to talk about her. Then he acted like he didn't remember them. Then he pretended like he didn't remember us. † Charlie's in-laws are constantly trying to talk to him, while Charlie is Just trying to forget. He is in a state of denial for most of the movie, until Alan gets him to talk to someone. First he tries a therapist, but Charlie refuses to talk. Eventually Charlie confides in Alan and tells him the story of how he lost his whole world â€Å"†¦.. And I felt them burning. † This is the beginning of a new Journey for Charlie; he has finally realized that he must member them to enable himself to move on.Charlie's emotions peak at amazing highs and drop so low at times that he doesn't know if he can liv e with the pain of losing his family, but with the help of his in-laws and his friend Alan, Charlie's journey has gotten back on a more stable path. What Charlie went through, made his mind and soul so distressed that his Journey to recovery will never end, it will be a constant struggle to stay on the stable path. So this particular example of Journey has no arrival, but the process of his emotional peaks and falls has made his Journey a lot ore important than where he will end up.Again, does a life Journey ever really end? Will Charlie ever arrive at a point where is can Just stop? No, he must always continue The final text in a visual representation of a Journey, in the middle of the frame you are looking at a set of steps (outside) leading up to darkness with a caption above reading â€Å"Life is a Journey-EnJoy the Journey. † The steps in the visual are not perfect or straight, they are rough and uneven. This is a symbol meaning that life may not be easy; it will have pa rts that are unstable and scary.Also, the steps are leading up to rankness, this represents that we do not know where life will lead us, and it is unknown. If we knew where we were going what would be the point of the Journey? Why wouldn't we Just Jump around the hard parts and go straight to our destination? No one knows where life will take us; each decision has a separate path leading us to another choice. It doesn't matter where we end up if there was no story of how we the place where we are standing at a certain moment in time is lit up, we can only see so far ahead of us. Once that light ends it is unrevealed where the path will lead.The caption above the image reads â€Å"Life is a Journey-EnJoy the Journey. † A life Journey has multiple inner Journeys; each inner Journey is important and significant. There would be no point to the Journey if we didn't not enjoy each moment. Enjoy life; it is the only real Journey we ever undertake. Each inner Journey is experience di fferently by the main subject of the individual texts. In both of Hopkins poems he experiences two vastly opposing emotional states. One is admiration for God's presence, while the other is disappointment at how God can Just ignore Hopkins suffering.Neither one of his poems bring him to any kind of conclusion, therefore his Journey continues and does not arrive anywhere. In â€Å"Reign Over Me† Charlie's grief moves through the seven stages but does not conclude. He will always grieve but is stable enough for his life Journey to continue. Like Hopkins, Charlie's Journey is not over when our involvement is over. In the visual representation we cannot see the end of the path so the only option is to persist up the steps, even though it is scary and unknown still the Journey continues. So what is the arrival without each separate step of the Journey? Journey Each person’s life is a journey on a contorted road dotted with bumps and craters. At certain points, the bumps could seem as high as mountains and the pits as deep as hell, making this journey called life appear quite despondent. Although occasionally, your predicaments are entirely fate’s blunders, but perchance, they are your own. Your personal characteristics roughly resemble a steering wheel for your journey. They could be positive traits, which could steer you on a more decent path; or negative traits, which could steer you to a path that’s, well†¦ not so decent.Although you have no control over fate, you have power over your own â€Å"driving skills†, and could thus widen or narrow your chance for a smooth, prosperous journey. Also, it is beneficial to remember that you are not alone, for there are many other roads that coincide with yours, where others are conducting through their own journeys and floundering through their own bumps and crater s as well. Drive together, and you could purvey support and encouragement for one another, and thus institute milder paths for all of you.Most prominently, no matter how harsh the terrain of your road becomes, just remember that you will pull through and be transformed for the better because of it. This optimistic philosophy that I’ve adopted had been much solace to me in my own journey in becoming a successful high school student. It was not at all easy. Although fate has been overall lenient to me, it was my â€Å"driving skills† that tended to direct my course towards huge bumps. Despite my awareness of my own flaws and omissions, I still compulsorily reproached others and sought ways to exonerate myself.This was one of the worst traits I retain. It precluded me from obtaining responsibility for my choices and learning from past oversights, thus impeded my maturing process. For example, my projects were oftentimes undone till the last minute (including this one). I would think to myself, â€Å"I don’t feel like doing it today, so I’ll work on it tomorrow†. Thus the project was delayed further and further until there was no â€Å"tomorrow† for it anymore, and then I would end up working well over midnight while secretly scowling at the teacher for giving out such a tedious and inane assignment.Immaturity and refusal to admit my errors caused me to plunge into countless pits in my journey. The one positive trait that had proved to be highly efficient in boosting me out of these pits is ambition. I know that too much of it could corrupt a person, but so far it had only empowered my spirit with much-needed optimism. My greatest ambition is to become a renowned novelist; therefore every hardship and pain to me befits an inspiration for a potential novel. It is a most optimistic perception of things, and it had succoured me through many phases of emotional turmoil.Although my own choices and personal characteristics had p rompted many of my dilemmas, a certain number of large bumps on this road did bluntly materialise without my causing them. An example of that would be my kindergarten teacher. Back then, I was excessively shy and timid. (I still am, but not as much). I mainly kept to myself and was far too apprehensive to participate in class activities. Consequently, I might have appeared to be rather slow or mentally challenged. That was exactly what my teacher assumed.She would openly denounce me as a retarded child in front of myself and all my peers, and I was at that stage in my life of accrediting whatever adults told me. Thus for a long time, I subconsciously retained the impression that I was somehow less than other kids. The lack of self-esteem had often induced me to fail before I even try. The other major obstacle that I’ve contended with was during my first years in the States. I had moved to Philadelphia, PA at the age of nine with primitive English comprehension.In addition, we were coerced to dwell in one of the most delinquent and precarious districts in West Philadelphia due to our low budgets. The despicable socio-economic status of my neighbourhood could be seen from the school I attended, which had metal detectors installed at its doors. I underwent a great deal stress both academically and socially due to problems of communication. Plus there were a number of students that discriminated against me because I had the lightest skin colour in my school. As a result, I developed paranoia towards my peers, which ensues me even now.Nevertheless, everybody undergoes their own adversities, shed their own tears, and abide their own pains. At these times of needs, friends, family, and other favourable resources are to be treasured more highly. I was never alone on this road, for many other roads that coincided with mine have brought much joie de vivre upon my journey. One of which who was always there behind me was my dad. I am not abashed to say that he is m y best friend. There was a period in my childhood when he was not there for me. However, he made up for it by being the best father one could have.Not only did he did take the time to assist me with my homework when needed and spent plenty of quality time with me, he was always there with wisdom, encouragement, and consolation. The other momentous source of benefit is Canada. Moving across the Atlantic Ocean was undoubtedly the best thing that ever happened to me. The reason is that the education system in China is not only relentlessly harsh; it is sadistically cruel. Society has deemed that if you failed to attain a university degree, you’d be a disgrace. Your career and marital opportunities would be despicably downtrodden.In addition, China possesses an enormous population and too few universities to match, thus eliciting nervous breakdowns among many high school students, some were even impelled to commit suicide due to the immense pressure. I, on the other hand, am inde scribably glad to be here in Canada, where I am much more likely to do well in high school and thus hold a promising future. Now here I am in grade 10 with a tolerable grade average and a healthy attitude towards school and life in general. Although this journey had been difficult and even toilsome at times, I pulled through.One of the merits that I have acquired from my past experiences is strength. (I’m not referring to muscles, of which I have none). Strength in mind and spirit is like steel, and the most sublime of its quality can only be heated through suffering. I do not mean to pity myself, but I do believe that I’ve suffered more than many other teenagers have. There are certain things that I have not mentioned in this assignment, deeper pits in the hidden trails of my memory. Nonetheless, each time I fall, I was obliged to obtain strength in order to rise.Thus each time I rose, I was a little stronger than before. My kindergarten teacher’s abuse, for ex ample, had brought me much self-loathing, but not anymore. What’s left is a searing urge within me to spite her by proving her wrong. Another lesson that I’ve learned through my journey up to this point is to appreciate all that life has to offer. Life is short, and my road could abruptly come to a halt at anytime. Thus it is prominent to savour each and every moment of it by focusing on the positive things. My struggles and desolation have procured me to value what I have in order to overcome depression.My family, friends, and other fortunate events in my life have been lights in times of darkness, reminding me that the world is not completely forlorn and bleak. Optimism, along with strength, is all that I need to carry on. And thus I go forth on this journey with the memories of all the people and places I’ve left behind. I know that as long as I possess a goal, I will never be lost. My goal as a successful high school student had been so far adequately accomp lished, however, as always, there is much room for enhancement. It had been a most arduous but rewarding journey.My friends and family, especially my father, had made this journey much easier. Also, I would not overlook Canada, which is such an enlightening and lenient learning environment. All of these allies and resources have presented me with guidance in the right course. However, some of my personal characteristics, like irresponsibility, were inclined to steer me astray. Then again, other traits that I possess, like ambition, succoured me in the continuance of my journey. The bumps and craters that I’ve met along my journey held a large role in constituting the person that I am now.I have fallen so many times into the seemingly abyss of despair and struggled against the mirror for just a speck of self-esteem, but I have survived. I understand that there will be greater obstacles and barriers in the future, but I personally believe that pain is a thing to be prized. Some one who does not know pain would not appreciate joy, nor would he obtain the strength to make his journey worthwhile. You can also order a custom research paper, term paper, thesis, dissertation or essay on journey from our professional custom essay writing company which provides students with high-quality custom written papers at an affordable cost.

How to Respond to Conflicts with Colleagues in Working Environment Essay

At my work placement, I had a conflict with a teaching assistant at the school. I was working two days per week, in year 4 with teaching assistant Mrs X, where she was continuously belittling me and at the same time discouraging me by working against me rather than working with me in assisting the children with their learning. For example, if I was working with the children on a group task, she would suddenly ask me to get her something unimportant. Which would not only interrupt the task and the children’s learning but their concentration as well. On another occasion, she contradicted me by giving another set of instructions to a group of children I was working with, to the instructions I had given to them earlier. It confused the group and they were unsure how the task was going to be carried out. Though she knew I was working with that particular group and I had already discussed the task with them. There were almost every days several occasions when I could feel the tension between us. At first I thought that as Mrs X was more experienced, she would know better and so I accepted the situation as it was. And being a trainee TA, I felt that she was genuinely correcting my ways to assist children in their learning. Secondly I also thought that I might be reading the situation wrongly and I might have misunderstood her. But as the days went by, the situation deteriorated further. And I began to realise that I was being picked upon by Mrs X for no particular reasons. At this point I decided to raise the matter with my mentor. I explained the situation to her. She was quite considerate and listened to me carefully. I was careful to explain the situation in a way, in case if my mentor took any action or decided to talk to Mrs X, than any bad feelings didn’t persist afterwards between us. After few days, my mentor got back to me and told me that she had a word with the class teacher of Mrs X and now on wards, I would directly be taking instructions and giving feedback to the class teacher only so that I had less and less interaction with Mrs X in the class room. It worked for me for some time, though luckily, I was asked by the Head teacher to start working with another year class where I was needed. I think I tried to resolve the conflict, with my colleague, amicably and constructively. I did so by first, not allowing it to go on for longer. Secondly, giving due time and consideration, to analyse the situation carefully, and then deciding to talk to my mentor in utmost cautious way so that no bad feelings persist afterwards with Mrs X, and that it’s on record with my mentor as well.

Convergence between GAAP and IFRS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Convergence between GAAP and IFRS - Essay Example Furthermore, consideration in respect of financial statement presentation and business combination is required significant convergence (Kaiser et al., 2012). Challenges and Benefits of Convergence As far as the convergence is concerned, it can be observed that US public listed companies will be benefitted more if they adopt IFRS as an obligation from SEC. There are various difficulties as well as benefits of adoption of IFRS as a means of convergence. The major difficulty that may arise due to such convergence is the transition of financial statements from US GAAP to IFRS. The transition will cause a significant change in both the financial performance and financial position of the entities. There is likelihood that the entities may not be able to present better financial results due to such convergence which, otherwise they would have presented in case of applying US GAAP. However, the advantages of convergence still supersede the challenge of transition of IFRS by US listed entitie s. Some of these advantages are discussed as under: The first and foremost advantage of convergence to a single accounting framework is the comparability. The benefit of comparability can be illustrated through an example. For instance, if a US entity plans to be merged with a European counterpart, the issue arising for both the firms would be of comparability. The US firm would be following US GAAP and European firm would be applying IFRS. In such case, both the financial statements cannot be matched with each other, as the accounting frameworks are different. Under US GAAP, inventories are valued at LIFO whereas IFRS asks the entities to use FIFO. For that matter, one of the entities would have to translate its financial statements according to the counterparty’s accounting standards. The element of comparability can facilitate the international investors especially those who are interested in the stocks of listed entities. The uniformity of the accounting framework across the globe can help them interpret and compare the financial statements of those companies which are located in different geographical boundaries (Shamrock, 2012). This would make the financial statements more comparable across the globe and would result in an increasing investors’ base. Comparability of financial statements can lead to increase in the inclination of international investors to participate actively in the global equity markets as this step can simplify the cross border investments along with amalgamation of different equity markets. Increased liquidity and reduced cost of funds are the additional benefits that can be reaped through comparability. In short, there would be increased access available to the US MNCs to reach across the globe and utilize their resources in an efficient manner. The second most important benefit available to US entities regarding the adoption of IFRS is the reduced cost of financial reporting. Since these are the costs which US multin ational companies have to face because their operations are spread widely across the globe and they have to prepare and translate the financial statements as per jurisdiction’s applicable financial reporting framework, thus causing increased cost of financial reporting. If US entities are obligated to adopt IFRS, it would result in the

Observational assignment police ride along Personal Statement

Observational assignment police ride along - Personal Statement Example With over thirty years of experience between them I felt pretty safe! The officers planned to set up a road block on the main street that leads to the largest disco in town, but that plan would have to wait. On our way to set up the roadblock to the main disco the officers got an emergency call from a smaller disco that that there had been a fight between a Russian and an Italian. The Italian had been stabbed in the shoulder so while we waited for the ambulance the officers questioned both men. It was very interesting to watch their interrogation methods. They spoke to the men separately and asked them the same questions over and over but the officers cleverly reworded the questions to see if they could identify any contradictory statements. It was fascinating to watch. Once the officers gathered information from the victim and the witness the ambulance transported the Italian to the hospital. The officers found an outstanding warrant on the Russian for a failure to appear in court so he was arrested even though the charges for the stabbing were still pending a full investigation. Then we moved on to set up the major roadblock. Unlike American patrol methods where officers drive around neighborhoods, German patrol officers use the tactic of setting up roadblocks at potentially troublesome locations and remain stationary allowing the trouble to come to them. After setting up at our location at 23:27 officer Schmidt pulled over a 2000 BMW and began questioning the nineteen year old occupant. As officer Schmidt took the man's information he also was observing his behavior, how he answered questions, what his eyes looked liked. Based on what office Schmidt observed he asked the driver to submit to a breathalyzer test which registered at 1.2 pro mille. The man was arrested for DWI. At that point Officer Schmidt took the opportunity to educate me about the consequences of DWI. He said since the man was nineteen and still on Germany's two year probation for young drivers, he probably would not be able to drive again for years. In addition, he will have to pay a fine ranging from 2000 to 3500 euros. The next call we received was a report of an overdose in the large disco. A 17 year old girl apparently overdosed on ecstasy pills and was being rushed to the nearest hospital. When we arrived the officers questioned the girls "friends" but of course none of the "friends" knew anything about where she got it or how much she took. Naturally the officers were skeptical but didn't push the issue and seemed satisfied that at least the girl was on her way to hospital. At about 2:00 the traffic from the disco had begun to slow down so the officers decided to patrol around the city. As we drove around office Schmidt noticed a 2003 model Opel without a license plate parked on the main artery. The circumstances seemed to indicate a stolen vehicle so the officers called in the VIN number and sure enough the car had been reported stolen two weeks earlier. I noticed the officers were very careful not to disturb any evidence as they obtained the VIN number and inspected the vehicle. They told me that car thefts have been on the rise in the area over the last few years. Thieves take the cars across the border into Poland and then strip them and part them out making the stolen vehicles very difficult to find. Officer Schmidt then called a towing company to take the car to impound where a team of specialists from

The enviorment now and then Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The enviorment now and then - Essay Example They argued that the people are ignorant about the slow killing process of industrialization. The article suggests that manipulation of strong law of nature is not possible for the human beings as nature would pay back to men in larger magnitude. The environment may well be the gut issue that can unify a polarized nation in the 1970s. It may also divide people who are appalled by the mess from those who have adapted to it. Here we can see that, it is in the 21st century that people realized the great aftermath of environmental pollution. In 20th century, only intellectuals, scientist and anthropologist predicted environmental disaster as they have the mental potentiality to vision the future. But the men of this age did not experience any threat from nature due to the industrial revolution .It is a fact that â€Å"nature don’t take leaps† but act on a slow basis. Gradually, as people entered the 21st century, the global environmental threat like global warming and risin g of sea level started to surface. This is exactly when the human population repented about the emergence of industrial revolution. Perception of environment pollution in past and present In the 20th century, the world was just witnessing the industrialization and people saw an immediate upsurge in transportation and emergence of factories. ... This shows the degree of ignorance among people regarding the nature and different aspects related to it. If we enquire about â€Å"ecosystem† to any educated person in 21st century he would definitely define it to us. The people of past, had little or no scientific facilities to unlock the effect of industrialization. Scientific world does mention about ecology and negative impact of industrialization on nature, but could not understand the practical impact of industrialization on nature. People in 20th century were appalled by the environmental mess but could not contain it any way. When we discuss of environmental pollution during 1970s, the effect of automobile pollution on nature was of less magnitude that that of 21st century. According to (Singh, 2009, pg.358) â€Å"Global affluence has vastly increased mobility. The number of motor vehicles in use worldwide has more than doubled since 1970, to the now imposing figure of about 600 million cars and trucks†. Here w e can assert that, the people of 1970s were appalled by environmental pollution and people of 21st century are adapting to the adverse natural phenomenon. Ecology – A Subversive Science Ecology in scientific terms relate to the relationship between man and living organisms in a natural environment. Ecology could also be considered as the study of natural web of life. However, ecology of man itself cannot be examined as there is no technique or body of thought related to it. It is easier to see ecology as a subversive science as the web of life in which the human exists is too simple or meager. This ecological natural relationship between man and living organism is elastic but has insufficient depth. Ecology itself cannot be studied but only

They Thought They Were Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

They Thought They Were Free - Essay Example The Versailles Treaty punished the losing Germans severely. Weapons production of any kind was banned. A heavy monetary cost of the war was also levied against Germany. Many Germans were over taxed, unemployed, and morally defeated. Adolf Hitler was one of these Germans. He wanted to change Germany. Hitler did not get up and make a speech about killing six million Jews, or starting a war that killed twelve million more. He did not get up and promise a war that would devastate Germany forever. Hitler promised a prosperous Germany. The promise of a good economy was the first bit that seduced the German people. The second seduction was national German pride. After the German loss during World War I, the German morale was at an all time low. Germans wanted a reason to believe in Germany. Hitler gave them those reasons. The pride, economic boost, and strong government helped the Germans regain a proud nation. The concentration camps, war, and death all came gradually. Heinrich Hildebrandt , interviewed by Mayor, explained: "What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security. And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.† (1971:166). The evilness of the Third Reich came about gradually. The Nazis groomed the regular German citizens. As Major pointed out anti-Semitism was a way of life in Kronenberg since the Middle Ages. As the Race Laws started to take effect, many Germans including those in Kronenberg were not too upset. The isolation of the Jews had been a way of life for centuries. Thus w hen Kristallnacht occurred on November 9, 1938 the people of Kronenberg probably did not realize what was really going on. Kristallnacht was also justified by the killing of a German diplomat in Paris, France by a Jew. The Germans really thought that the Jews were trying to attack them. They wanted a little retribution by burning the Synagogues and smashing Jewish business’ windows. The German people at this time did not think six million Jews would die as the result of this action. When SA Kuhling ordered the Synagogue to be burned, Sturmfurher Schwenke, an unemployed tailor, followed orders. Not all of the Nazis, especially the leaders or SS were mentally stable. For example, Sturmfurher Schwenke had wet the bet until he was twenty-two years old (Major 1971:22). The Nazis put the brutal mentally off men in charge of other innocent civilians. People like Gustav Schwenke would not have balked at an order that made them feel important. The momentum then swept the other German citizens away. If World War II had not broke out, maybe the German citizens might have spoken out more. However Hitler and the Nazi government would use the war to justify everything. Jews were resettled to prevent them from working with the enemy. The Americans did the same with Japanese Americans. It seemed logical. Even if Germans became uneasy they did