Individual Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Individual - Case Study Example As far as its tasks system, Whole Foods is utilizing a market-drove procedure which showed by its fluctuating store size, format and plan that is generally reliant on the specific site and building design and the store’s target customers. Ongoing turns of events and conditions in the common and natural nourishments portion of the food retailing industry, for example, the USDA naming measures for natural items and the post 2000 expanded deals of regular and natural nourishments at ordinary U.S. grocery stores than in the nation’s characteristic nourishments stores have expanded industry rivalry. Entire Foods advancement of new stores and obtaining of others guarantees the organization keeps on expanding its piece of the overall industry which gives it muscle to all the more likely face the rising rivalry. Additionally, the company’s fluctuating store configuration, size and item assortment expands its market situating among its objective customer base. Entire Foods procedure is in this manner all around coordinated to meet these ongoing turns of events and conditions. John Mackey’s key vision is for Whole Foods to turn into a national brand and be viewed as the best food retailer in each network it served. This is a decent key vision for two fundamental reasons. Initially, the pattern towards organics is still in its early stages and as such to expand incomes and productivity the association needs to seek after market advancement. For advertise advancement over the United States to be compelling Whole Foods would require national marking. Furthermore, Whole Foods needs to contend with huge built up retailers that have enormous dissemination systems, for example, Wal-Mart and Costco that are progressively pulled in to the regular and natural food industry. With a developing business sector it is increasingly judicious for Whole Foods to quickly pick up piece of the overall industry so as to go up against these â€Å"more-resourced† contenders. Basic beliefs

Research design in psychology-week 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research structure in brain science week 5 - Essay Example Potential research inquiries to the extent the quantitative methodology towards tending to the issue of adolescent wrongdoing can be spellbinding, prescient or easygoing. An enlightening inquiry for this quantitative research can be ‘What is the connection between the social condition and adolescent crime?†. A prescient inquiry can be â€Å"Does the social condition foresee the juveniles’ capacity to enjoy crime?† An easygoing inquiry which analyzes the various varieties of a wonder to recognize the reason for something can be â€Å"does variety in presentation to various social situations produce an adjustment in a juvenile’s capacity to perpetrate offences?† These exploration questions can be tended to by either constraining the extent of the examination to specific components of the social condition like elements of the family, network support or the impact of the media and music. A potential theory for embracing a quantitative way to deal w ith this territory could be transferred in the accompanying manner: â€Å"If the social condition affects adolescent wrongdoing, at that point there should be a perceptible connection between's different social factors in the lives of adolescents and their rate on criminal behavior.† A breakdown of the elements that establish to the social condition, (for example, abusive behavior at home, substance misuse, peer weight or tutoring and so on) can be utilized as free factors whose relationship should be resolved on adolescent misconduct (the dependant variable). Taking a gander at the exploration by receiving a subjective methodology the conceivable potential research question one may ask is ‘What job does the social condition assume a job in the lives of adolescents and their capacity to carry out crimes?† Other research questions identifying with the current issue could be ‘Why do adolescents perpetrate crimes?’ or ‘How can adolescent wrongdoing be prevented?’ or something like that while our quantitative methodology will in general see whether there is a potential connection between our two characterized factors the subjective methodology will examine this relationship and go into its profundity. Subjective research will investigate and assess the criminal conduct of adolescents through a social learning point of view. Despite the fact that in subjective research we don't utilize amounts, they can be utilized to demonstrate or invalidate a theory, anyway essentially it is utilized to assemble and break down information. Assets Creswell, J. (2009). Research structure: Qualitative, quantitative and blended strategies draws near. (third ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications,

How ADHD Can Affect Peer Relationships

How ADHD Can Affect Peer Relationships ADHD School Print How ADHD Can Affect Peer Relationships Ways ADHD Related Difficulties Can Affect Social Behaviors By Keath Low Keath Low, MA, is a therapist and clinical scientist with the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina. She specializes in treatment of ADD/ADHD. Learn about our editorial policy Keath Low Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on June 19, 2019 ADHD Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Living With In Children Wan Mohd Saifudin W Ibrahim / EyeEm / Getty Images Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often experience problems in their relationships with peers. As a parent, it can be very difficult to see your child struggle to make and keep friends. You may find that your son or daughter is not receiving invitations to birthday parties of classmates and is seldom asked for play dates or sleepovers. For your child, this rejection and isolation can be doubly painful over time. In order for friendships to grow and be maintained, a child must be able to control impulses, take turns, cooperate, share, listen, be empathetic, attentive and focused, communicate effectively with others, be aware of and respond to social cues, and have an ability to problem-solve situations and resolve conflicts as they ariseâ€"all skill areas that can be challenging for a child with ADHD. How ADHD Related Difficulties Affect Social Behaviors Children with ADHD often interact in ways that can provoke negative reactions from peers. Some may try to dominate play or engage in ways that are too aggressive, demanding, and intrusive. They may have trouble joining in with peers in the things their peers like to do. Instead, they may want to make their own set of rules, or engage in bossy, unfair or non-compliant ways, and generally may have a hard time knowing how to cooperate with other kids the same age. Many kids with ADHD have a hard time picking up on and reading social cues. Others may become bored easily, get distracted and check out on friends. Problems with attention and self-control can interfere with opportunities to acquire social skills through observational learning. Many kids with ADHD also have a hard time managing difficult feelings and can very quickly become overwhelmed, frustrated, and emotionally reactive. Impulsive reactions, hyperactive, or distracted behaviors may be viewed as not only frustrating and irritating, but also as insensitive to the needs of others, and so the child is further avoided and rejected and deemed less and less likable within the group. Skills Learned From Peer Groups Experiences and relationships within a peer group can have a profound effect on a childs development. Through these connections, a child learns how to have reciprocal friendships and how to make and maintain healthy relationships with others. Through peer groups, a child learns the rules and skills of social exchange including cooperation, negotiation, and conflict resolution. Unfortunately, symptoms of ADHD can impair a childs ability to observe, understand, and respond to his or her social environment. Because of difficulties with self-control, many kids with ADHD tend to react without thinking through the consequences of their behavior or of the impact their behavior can have on others around them. In addition, they can have a hard time learning from past experiences. This disruptive or insensitive behavior is often viewed as purposeful and deliberate; as a result, the child with ADHD may be labeled as a troublemaker and be further avoided and quickly rejected by the wider group. Once stuck with such a label, it can become even more difficult for the child to overcome this negative reputation and connect positively with peers even as he or she begins to make positive changes in social skills. Some kids with ADHD isolate themselves because of repeated failures in friendships, feelings of wariness and reticence with others, and plummeting feelings of self-confidence. Problems are then compounded because when children avoid or disengage from others, they no longer have opportunities to learn adaptive skills, and as a result, they develop ever lower peer competencies. These deficits in social skills can certainly take a toll and have a negative effect on a child as he or she grows and moves into adolescence and adulthood. A Word From Verywell If your child is struggling with peer relationships, know that it is important that you target peer problems directly and over the long term. The good news is that you can help your child develop these social skills and competencies. Being aware of the social difficulties that can be associated with ADHD and understanding how your childs own ADHD is negatively impacting his or her relationships is the first step. With this information, you can then begin to move forward in a solution-focused way to help your child develop positive social and friendship skills.

My Freshman Year Of High School Was The Year Of The 2008

My freshman year of high school was the year of the 2008 presidential election, it was during this election cycle of Obama and McCain that I fell in love with politics. While I was in high school, I decided that I wanted to major in political science and become a public servant. Thus, my dream job was to run and be elected to the United States Congress. When participating in the requirements for the Garnet and Gold Scholars Society, I realized that my experiences in services, leadership, and having an internship have greatly complemented each other on the fact that they involve some form of politics and working with or for a public servant. This is because, I completed my internship requirement with the Al Lawson for Congress Campaign, I†¦show more content†¦In the beginning, I thought that a ton of people worked on a campaign and that it was very difficult to work there, because there was a lot of previous knowledge and experiences needed. However, I learned after interning there that the staff is very small, and that the two biggest focus in a campaign are fundraising in the beginning and then field work at the end. Field work is basically canvassing, phone banking, placing out yard signs, and attending events. The reason why these task is so important is because it is the easiest and cheapest way to get the name of the candidate out to voters. Without field work the large majority of consitiuents wouldn’t know who the candidate is and what office they are running for, in addition when meeting with voters I could talk to them about why I wanted to vote for Al Lawson, what his platforms where, and answering any questions that they had. Hopefully, after they finished speaking with me on election day they would be more likely to vote for him. Through my experiences in services, leadership, and my internship, I have learned how important it is to be involved as a leader in the betterment of my community, while actively pursuing an activity that I was passionate about, because only through passion could I find enjoyment in what I was doing. I absolutely loved my internship, my volunteer work, and my leadership role as the Director of Policy with the CampaignShow MoreRelatedCollege Education : High School College886 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Freshman myth†, the freshman myth is high school seniors that get affected by the transition from college life. They are overly optimistic and confident in their ability to manage the challenges they will encounter in college. This freshman myth being blamed on by high school because in high school there is no help preparing students for the transition from high school to college, giving future students high expectation on academic, social and personal experiences for when entering college. ButRead MorePersonal Statement : My Son945 Words   |  4 PagesWithin this particular question I have chosen to examine my son, who is fourteen years of age and just beginning his freshman y ear of high school. In addition, also to be examined will be my daughter, who is seventeen (17) years of age and is just beginning her freshman year of college. Upon examining my son he is a very carefree, smart, caring child; never asked for much nor to go many places, he is a golfer and plays for the high school golf team. From the time that he has been born he has beenRead MoreThe Year Round At The Age Of Five970 Words   |  4 PagesFrom the age of five, I grew up swimming year round in Fremont, California. Many people may not know where Fremont is, however most of us have heard of Silicon Valley in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fremont is about twenty-five minutes from the heart of Silicon Valley. I honestly cannot recall what lead me to start swimming year round at the age of five, however I knew from a very young age that swimming would be a big part of my life. I had four different swim coaches growing up and two of themRead MoreI Am A Great Worker, Wife, And Mother Essay937 Words   |  4 Pageschosed my life partner twenty years ago, I involved all the institutions of my home country to secure my marriage. What did I do? How did I maintained my relationship with my family? Throughout this essay, I’ll focus on answering these questions in details through my cultural background and additional theories. My family, the Djidjoho’s, is made up of six members, Pierre, Marlene, Jean- Mary, Sena, Raoul, and I. Pierre, my husband is about my age. Marlene, my eldest daughter is eighteen years old andRead MoreLeadership Self Assessment : Ronald Reagan1540 Words   |  7 PagesRonald Reagan once said, â€Å"the greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things, he is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.† This quote by our past president, Ronald Reagan, relates to my experiences with leadership. Throughout high school I experienced democratic leadership though playing sports like field hockey and track. I have also experienced leadership during small group projects, as well as being a leader of an organization on a college campus. ThroughRead MoreBecoming A Successful And Responsible Adult1377 Words   |  6 PagesExcitement, confidence, and future are three words that are associated when someone is transitioning from high school to coll ege. Another three words people do not like to think of when it comes to college are stress, time management, and workload. 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Coming from my background living in Northern California going to schools where students were so similar. I came to Southern California with no idea of the cultures in the area. Glendale seemed like a nice place to live and it is for a big city. The culture of the area and the culture of my school site were nothing like anything I had seen before. What is culture? I found this definition very helpfulRead MoreMy Personal Identity1107 Words   |  5 Pages Christianity has been my religion for about 13 years, and has aided in my development of a healthy personal identity. Unlike race or family, this is a part of my identity that I chose to take part in. Similar to many people, I have been judged before because of parts of my identity, such as being biracial (half African-American and half Caucasian), or coming from a low-income family, and unfortunately, my religion is another part of my identity that others have found to be comical and have stereotypedRead MorePersonal Narrative Essay1395 Words   |  6 Pagesepisode in my life, I think about the unexpected things that have happened. However something out of the ordinary â€Å"tickled my fancy†. After all my years of thinking it was impossible, the improvable became reality. Now just for a second I want you to sit back, relax, and enjoy my journey of becoming Stud ent Body President. Although it was not an easy task it was quite interesting. So, let’s go back about three years (my freshman year that is)

Classical Approach Of Management Based On Their Type Of...

Every company has a unique style of management based on their type of business and their operation. Some of them are willing to take risks, some are at the top of the data, some focus on their employee relations, and others have the ability to innovate. Based on what is their headline practice, they styles of managements ranked between, Best Practicers, Data Champions, Controllers, Classics, and Forward Thinkers. The place that I have been working for many years Yata (fictitious company name) is a sales focus organization, and based on those categories, it falls in the classic styles. â€Å"Classical approach of management focuses on sale, and they belief that employees have only economy and physical needs. Job satisfaction either doesn’t†¦show more content†¦At Yata, the management team is watching you closely that you don’t get full-time hours because they don’t want to give any type of benefits or insurance. Your value to them is only the labor work and productivity. It doesn’t bother them if you are short on maintaining your monthly budget because they are cutting their ours which ultimately increase their benefits . All they check is you are not working more hours than they want you to work. In this management type obviously regular team member has absolutely no contribution to the decision making or any knowledge of the profit that the company is making. The team member don’t get that much of salary raise annually either. Freedman, D., Villano, M. Horwitz, C. As far as the planning and innovation go, in this type of companies leadership has no innovation. They just follow whatever they are being told. So, whatever the district managers or their bosses see through the routine visits and tells them; they have to follow. I work at one specialized department of this company. I have my own direct manager whom I work with on daily basis. Ms. XX is my direct manager who has an academic degree on what she is doing. To me she is very good manager or a good leader. She is responsible for her little area to make it the most productive and to its best look. Between all the five styles of the management she is more â€Å"Participative† than any other type. She gives her employees the power of theShow MoreRelatedOrganizational Studies And Management Essay1708 Words   |  7 Pages Assessment No 1 Individual Essay Dispatched by and prepared for: HRM3008 Organisational Change B.A (Hons) Business and Management (Cohort 5) October 2014 Module Submitted By: Kavita Dhawan (UON ID 14439311) INTRODUCTION Management has been proficient a long time period. Organized endeavors focused by people accountable for planning, organizing, leading, and controlling undertakings have occurred for thousands of yearsRead MoreClassical Management Approach During The 19th Century1224 Words   |  5 PagesThe classical management approach emerged during the 19th and 20th century. 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These classical theoristsRead MoreThe Management Of An Organization1607 Words   |  7 PagesManagement is found everywhere you go and without realizing people are somewhat managers themselves even if they don t hold a management position in their job such as, taking care of the household. Management can be simply defined as taking care of things and people, and managers are the people who ensure this. (Pyle, G 2015) There are different types of Managers in an organisation and this is referred as the management hierarchy which include: Top-level managers, which are the board directors andRead MoreManaging Business Assignment992 Words   |  4 PagesLearning Outcomes You should be able to: Appreciate the different management theory and practice from the era of scientific management to contingency theory. Demonstrate knowledge of the underlying concepts and principles related to entrepreneurial and management activities. 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Without successful management any organisation will struggle to succeed in today’s competitive business world. But what is the best approach for managers to take? How can employers use the idea of motivation within their management approach, to achieve a true competitive advantage? From the moment that the labour shortage hit the United States of America, during the industrial revolution, back in the early 1900s, theoristsRead MoreThe Importance Of Management At Mcdonald s And Google Essay1600 Words   |  7 PagesIn what ways are management of companies different or how are they similar to one another? And what is the importance of management in how a company runs nowadays? Many of us question about why knowing the history of management is important to Managers? According to (Samson et al, 2012, Page 53) â€Å"A historical perspective provides a broader way of thinking; a way of searching for pa tterns and determining whether they recur across time periods.† In the history of management, many trends have appearedRead MoreContemporary Issues Of Leadership : Paradox Of Strength Based Leadership1686 Words   |  7 PagesContemporary issues in leadership: paradox of strength based leadership Leadership is the most practiced aspect of an organization but yet the most dynamic and complex phenomenon. Humans are gregarious beings and tend to consciously or unconsciously form groups whenever they meet. Much scholarly work have been in human extraversion in informal groups but yet changing time and behavior demand that groups be considered for their particular qualities in its environment in a time that information aboutRead MoreTheories Of Management And Management1721 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Management exists in business and human organizations; it is the set of tasks, activities leading to achieve a common desired objectives through people and resources. Management takes place within a structured organizational scenery with specified roles. It is the framework to what management is all about. Classical school Taylor, Fayol, Weber, HR School Hawthorne, Chester Barnard Blake Mouton’s, Mayo. Classical management school had three mainstreams namely Classical Scientific school

To what extent is Congress the broken branch of American politics Free Essays

Introduction In recent years Americans’ opinion of Congress has reached historic lows (BBC News Online: 22.11.2011). We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent is Congress the broken branch of American politics? or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is this worrying indictment which has led Thomas Mann to assert that Congress is the broken branch of the US tripartite political system (Mann: 2006). Aside from this lack of confidence in the collective body of their elected representatives, which some Americans have condemned as wasteful and self-serving, there is also uncertainty as to whether it is fulfilling its constitutional role (Storey: 2007: 271). It was intended that it should operate alongside the other political branches – the executive and the judiciary – to enact legislation and keep in check the other component parts of government. Today its legislative role has largely been passed to the executive, though it maintains responsibility for revenue raising measures. This essay will argue that whilst some aspects of Congress might indeed by condemned as broken, it is still performing, with success, a variety of tasks that it has been charged with. In order to demonstrate this, the two reasons for Congres s’ supposed failure outlined above will be examined one by one and balanced against counter-arguments. This approach will suggest that in many ways it is functioning competently and in accordance with the role it has been assigned. When devising the Constitution the Founding Fathers bestowed upon Congress the task of ‘keeping the other branches of government within their constitutional boundaries’. Integral to this was the forging of new policies. As time has progressed it has become apparent that the executive branch of government is capable of performing this role far more effectively (Storey: 271). In contrast Congress has the reputation of inhibiting legislative progress because it has a complicated and time consuming method of processing bills (Mckay: 2009: 194). This issue stems from its practice of referring proposed legislation to its system of standing and select committees. These committees, consisting of a small number of Members of Congress who debate and investigate various specialist matters passed to them, are party-controlled and effectively set the policy agenda by having the power to bury bills. Less than 10% of bills submitted for their consideration make it to the next stage of the approval process (McKay: 194) In addition each bill has to be handed over to both the Senate and the House of Representatives with their own individual committees and votes for it to pass through before becoming law. The difficulties presented by this extensive process are compounded by the ascendancy of partisan politics which dominates contemporary Congresses and the committee system. Cross-party negotiation and deal breaking has become increasingly difficult and protracted because both the political ideology of the Democrats and the Republicans has polarized. (Mckay: 196,209) The impact of this on the legislative process was keenly seen during the Autumn of 2011 when the US Federal deficit threatened to exceed its $14t ceiling. Quick and decisive action was required to introduce cost-cutting measures but the stark policy differences between the Democrats and the Republicans meant that the joint-committee who had been assigned the task of recommending a solution to this pending problem failed to come to any agreement, placing their country on the brink of financial disaster (BBC News Online: 22.11.2011). Conversely, Congress’ limited influence the legislative agenda and the fact it makes lawmaking difficult is, Storey argues, constitutionally appropriate. This is because the Founding Fathers would approve of legislative barriers, as part of Congress’ constitutional role is to ‘limit the overall scope of the national government, including the influence of Congress itself’ (Storey: 271). It follows that the more laws there are, the more responsibilities the government acquires (if only to administer them). The fundamental purpose of the division of political power between the federal and state governments, and between the presidency, Congress and the judiciary, is designed to keep in check the authority of each one of these governmental components. Yet, it has been the trend for the federal government to expand in scope and this undermines the carefully designed, constitutional balance of the political system (Storey: 272) To label Congress ‘broken’ on the grounds of constitutional failings is, however, to overlook the role it plays in overseeing the activities of the executive. Storey champions this aspect of Congress which he believes has been effective (Storey: 277). There is certainly evidence to suggest that in recent years this is indeed the case. Following the 2006 elections and the new Democratic majority in Congress there was an upsurge in the number of investigations held into potential presidential abuses of power (Mann: 2010: 123). It is important though when putting this argument forward in defence of Congress’ ‘broken’ nature to recognize that oversight is task which has its own limitations. Congress still have difficulty obtaining from the Whitehouse the various documentation and witnesses they need to carry out their investigations thoroughly, and the number of hearings conducted is minimal (McKay: 200). Crucial in conditioning the low opinion poll results received by Congress is the view that it serves interest groups, lobbyists and members’ self-interest before the needs of the nation (Burnstein: 2009: 164). Additionally, earmarks, the allocation of funding for constituency-based projects, have soared. This is illustrated by the 2005 peak of 13,492 schemes which amounted to almost $16b worth of federal money (Mann: 125). Whilst the success most Senators have in directing funds towards their own districts indicates there is mutual interest in letting this practice continue, the perception held by many Americans is that this preoccupation with winning lucrative contracts is promotes wasteful spending (Storey: 272). This is because earmarks have a reputation for encouraging pointless expenditure, an example of which is the Alaskan â€Å"bridge to nowhere† (Mann: 125). However, this characterisation of Congress as a â€Å"market for legislation† and the notion that Members of Congress work on behalf of lobbyist is, Burnstein argues, fundamentally wrong. Whilst not denying that they do listen to the wealthy members of their districts, or that they hold talks with interest groups, they themselves are running Congress, not the people who attempt to sway them (Burnstein: 164-172). To support this assertion Burnstein cites the research of political science and economic academics which have repeatedly reached the same conclusion – that campaign contributions or lobbying has little influence on policy (Burnstein: 165). There are several likely reasons why this is the case including the fact that lobbyists have limited access to members of Congress who in fact generally vote in accordance with their own political ideology. Furthermore, even if lobbyists succeeded in bringing Congress men and women round to their cause, the number of swayed me mbers is usually too small to radically reshape the outcome of important votes (Burnstein: 66). Given these hurdles to buying policy decisions why do Americans believe Congress is so willing to be bribedFor Burnstein the answer is simple; ‘people tend to remember the egregious but atypical cases of apparent influence’ (Burnstein: 166). This certainly seems to be a viable assessment of the situation because Congress, in actuality, accurately reflects the mood and desires of the nation – a result of a close congressperson-constituency relationship (McKay: 208). Furthermore, Congress has taken marked steps to rid itself of the influence of lobbyists. After the Democrats won the Congress majority in 2006 they prioritized ethics, lobbying and earmark reform. The Democratic Party rule packages which ensued restricted use of corporate jets and privately financed travel, placed a ban on gifts and meals paid for by lobbyists, forced disclosure of the campaign finance activities of lobbyists and promoted earmark transparency. Two weeks later the Senate passed its own version of this rule package which was soon followed by a Bill in the House of Representatives. Therefore, to levy a charge of corruption against Congress is somewhat unjustified, though that is not to deny financial enticements are accepted on occasions and, as the pervasiveness of earmarks suggests, the self-interest of constituencies worked towards. Having outlined the dominant criticisms which surround Congress’ characterization as ‘the broken branch of American politics’, it is evident that it is neither as corrupt nor as inept as this statement first implies. Undoubtedly Congress does have its limitations. It is open to the influence of lobbyists and there is strong evidence that its members are keen to secure investment in their own districts at the expense of the federal budget. Its partisan politics inhibits the legislative process as policy agreement is hard to negotiate. On the other hand Congress has taken steps to rectify some of these issues, especially regarding its own ethical operation. Its role as overseer is one it takes seriously and this aspect of its constitutional assignment, though limited, is far from being broken. In general Americans have a very positive attitude towards their own members which implies that as representatives, individual Congresspersons are performing well (Mckay: 209 ). Where the real problem lies is in its deep and deepening political divisions. This renders Congress inept at functioning as a unified body and acting in the national interest, something which has a critical impact on its ability to respond to pressing situations. Bibliography BBC News Online, ‘US ‘super-committee’ fails to reach deficit deal’, 22.11.2011 accessed [26.03.2012] Burnstein, P., ‘Is Congress really for sale?’, in R. M. Valelly (ed.), Princeton readings in American politics, Princeton University Press, Princeton and Oxford, 2009 Mann, T., The broken branch: How congress is failing America and how to get it back on track, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2006 Mann, T., ‘Congress’, in G. Pelle, C. Bailey and B. Cain (eds.), Developments in American Politics 6, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke, 2010 McKay, D., American society and politics, 7th ed., Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester, 2009 Storey, W., US Government and politics, Edinburgh University Press, 2007 How to cite To what extent is Congress the broken branch of American politics?, Essay examples

Land of Cokaygne free essay sample

The poem that I will study is entitled the Land Of Cokaygne and it belongs to the â€Å"Kildare poems†. The Kildare poems are a group of sixteen poems written in an Irish dialect of Middle English and dated to the mid-14th century. Together with a second, shorter set of poems in the so-called Loscombe Manuscript, they constitute the first and most important linguistic document of the early development of Irish English in the centuries after the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. The poems have religious and satirical contents. They are preserved in a single manuscript in the British Library, where they are scattered between a number of Latin and Old French texts. The conventional modern designation Kildare poems refers both to the town of Kildare in Ireland, which has been proposed as their likely place of origin, and to the name of the author of at least one of the poems, who calls himself Michael (of) Kildare. We will write a custom essay sample on Land of Cokaygne or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The authors or compilers were probably Franciscan monks So what is a land of Cockaygne : it is a medieval mythical land of plenty, an imaginary place of extreme luxury and ease where physical comforts and pleasures are always immediately at hand and where the harshness of medieval peasant life does not exist. So it’s actually a utopian world. t’s a theme or a world that belongs to the European folklore Some critics focused on its Irish provenance and according to them the poems have some relationship with the Old French Fabliau de Cocagne (1250) and the Middle Dutch Dit is van date dele Land van Cockaengen ( but in don’t have the date) This poem is seen as a satire, a parody and a burlesque text. We can actually say that his text is also content some element of Utopia because it deals with a sort of mythic world which is better than Heaven. This theme is not something new because according to Professor Bella Millet, it comes from three main traditions: * The classical tradition: and we can refer to True History by Lucian, a Greek work of the second century AD which deals with a comical paradise full of drinks, food and women * The Christian tradition: we can refer to Alexander the Great’s description of the Heaven and the Earthly Paradise * The Goliardic tradition too: one Latin poem of the twelfth century (Carmina Burana 222) is spoken an abbot of Cockaygne who presides over drinking and gambling, and the descriptions of the two abbeys in Cockaygne, which invert the usual norms of religious life, echo themes found elsewhere in Goliardic poetry According to Wim Tigges, who makes an interesting paper on the Land of Cokaygne ( that I used in order to do my presentation) the poem is based or develops some variants of the Other World which are : * the land of fair ease whose bliss consists in a superfluity of food an d drinks. This land is separated from the outside world by an unpleasant obstacle * the earthly Paradise of the Christian legend the Celtic myths of the blessed isles : a land, traditionally located near the place where the sun sets, to which the souls of the good were taken to enjoy a life of eternal bliss. OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY * There is also an echo to the fabulous western island described in the Old Irish Travelogues and it seems to be parodied in the text * Some account of the Golden Age : it echoes the Ovid’s Metamorphoses * It’s based also on the medieval tradition of the locus amoenus ( I will give a def. latter) * And , The notion of the cloister as a paradise We will know focus on the text which is composed of several parts and we will see that the poem is actually a folk-tall based on satire and irony. In this first part, the poem opens on the description of the Land of Cockaygne, a land that seems to be better that Heaven as we see line 3 to 6 : â€Å"no place on earth compares to this – for sheer delightfulness and bliss – thought paradise is fair and bright- cockaygne is finer sight†. The author gives us all the assets of this wonderful land but we quickly realized that there are not a lot of differences between the Land of Cockaygne and Heaven: as in Eden and in Cockaygne there is no care for labor (line 18) there is no nightfall (line 26) – no quarrel (line 27– no death (28) and no dangerous or harmful animals (line 31). But he excludes â€Å"common† animals from the land as horses or cows, which is a bit paradoxical because they are not harmful. So we may relate those exclusions with the absence of labour : people in that land do not have to take care of it. By then, we see that the author invites us to believe that every unpleasant things simply do not exist in that world : as the muck because there is no animal , or bad weather and even blindness. However one element is often repeated in the description of the land which is the elements of food and alcohol and this latter does not exist in Heaven, which is one of its defect : â€Å"no alcoholic drink at all l. 12†. According to me we can associate these references to gluttony, one of the seven deadly sins which is also one of the folkloric feature of the Cockaygne imagery. So first we only have a â€Å"classic† presentation of a â€Å"perfect† Utopia, of an unrealistic place but when we keep reading, we notice that the description of the rivers which are rivers of oil, milk, honey and wine ( which by the way echoes Paradise’s rivers) introduces this notion of absurd and satire that we will find all along the text. Indeed at first we can think that this description is only a metaphor in order to praise, to speak highly of the Land of Cockaygne, a kind of continuity of the previous description. But when we reach the second part of the poem we understand that we should take this description seriously because there is in this land an abbey which is completely made of food : as we can see from line 51 to 62 =gt; the author here introduces a folkloric imagery which obviously makes us smile and we can help to imagine that building made of food. And once again, line 61-62, there is another invitation to gluttony: in this wonderful world we can eat everything we want and when you want as well. So here, the author clearly underlines that the monks are living in idealistic and surrealistic world and we may be question the credibility of the monks because at the end of the Middle Ages there was a sort of â€Å" anti-monastic† criticism. The monastery was seen at that time as a place secluded from the world in which monks could play and do their task. This satire may be directed against the Cistercian abbey. As I found on the website of Millet, the Cistercian were a reformed order who followed a stricter and more ascetic way of life than the ordinary black Benedictine monks In our text, the monastery fit with the tradition of Cockaygne ( line 54 to 66) and indeed George Ellis published in his novel In Specimens of Early English Poets ( 1790) a 13th century French poem called â€Å"the Land of Cockaign† where I quote the houses were made of barley sugar and cakes, the streets were paved with pastry, and the shops supplied goods for nothing. And it’s also a mixture of LOCUS AMOENUS of medieval romance, as I aid previously in the introduction. A definition of the LOCUS AMOENUS (that I found on the internet) : it’s a literary term which refers to an idealized place of safety or comfort. It is often a beautiful, shady lawn or open woodland with connotation of Eden. There are 3 recurrent patterns in a LOCUS AMOENUS : water; grass and trees and we find an accumulation of all of these elements in our text and it give us the impression that the author is exaggerating, that is a parody of the LOCUS AMOENUS Then, in a new episode, we are asked to believe that roasted geese and larks fly in the sky into the abbey and that they announced themselves with a kind of cry I QUOTE line 114 : â€Å" geese all hot, all hot†. It is obviously an absurd scene that invites us to picture the whole scene and there is even a kind of contrast we the previous passage with the birds which are sweetly singing. Obviously the author’s purpose is to amuse the reader, to distract him from the real life. Then, the poet finally tells us the lifestyle of the monks of the abbey. They are young (l. 121) and they are able to flight and no birds can compete them because they have â€Å" Fluttering sleeves and hoods† (l. 126). We know also that they do not obey their Abbot so in order to make them land, he has to beat a maiden’s rear as if he was, actually, giving them the hour in order that they start working again. Once they land, they start to â€Å"dance† around the girl giving her a pat on her rear as well. The poet records us the scene as if it was a common event, a kind of ritual that they do every day. In this episode is a mixture of both absurd and satire. Indeed the author gives us a completely different image, aspect of the monastery’s life, we have a caricature of the monks: they do not respect their vow of obedience and in the next part we will see that they did not respect their vow of chastely as well. In the last part of the poem, we are invited to see another â€Å"side† of the religion: it’s the description of a nunnery. As the monks, the nuns are young (l. 152) and during the hot days of summer they swim naked in one of the fourth river of the Land. As I read in T. D Hill’s explication: the sweet milk, the boating and the naked swimming are supposed to underline their innocence and even their chastity. But obviously the monks see them and they â€Å"instruct† the nuns. It’s a new aspect of the folkloristic Cokaygne which is the sexuality. The act of intercourse in the medieval text, is always â€Å"subtle†, is always paraphrased and here in terms of prayers and dancing. It’s a criticism and a satire of the clerical life, the vows of chastity is not respected. And eventually, the poem closes on another folkloric feature of Cockaygne: the one who will sleep the much will be rewarded and, I QUOTE : â€Å" and the monk who sleep the best – and gives himself a thorough rest- may if he cultivates the habit- hope to end up as Father Abbot. It’s a reference to sloth one of the deadly sins. It’s completely absurd because even now days we will never be rewarded is we do nothing, it will be great if it was true = the aim here is again to make us dream. Then, the end of the text gives us the key to enter into the Land of Cockaygne : we have for seven years, I QUOTE â€Å" wade through pigshit to his chin – the pleasure of Cockaygne to win†. We may interpret it by the fact that we have endured a harsh life in order to have the right to enjoy such bliss. We have to experience a penance to access the land but once again the penance is quite absurd, which is aligned with the tone of the entire poem. Moreover the end of the poem can be considered as a parody of a moral that we found at the end of tall tales To conclude we easily understand that of course this kind of text does not have a serious purpose. The aim of the poem is to allow the reader to enter into a world where all the restrictions of the society are defies, were sexual liberty is open and where food is plentiful. Moreover it is also a kind of text that mix all sort of genres in order to be accessible to everyone.