Two People of Wal-Mart an Ethnography Experiment - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1607 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Culture Essay Level High school Tags: Ethnographic Essay Did you like this example? In anthropology, culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns. (ONeil, 2006). In the United States, this culture could be defined as a massively multi-ethnic, materialistic consortium of merging cultures from around the world. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Two People of Wal-Mart an Ethnography Experiment" essay for you Create order Known as the melting pot the world over, America has the distinction of being a nation built from emigration. While smaller subcultures exist and are referred to as the American Way, they are not mutually exclusive, nor are they sole proprietors of that title. So, when challenged to conduct an ethnography and desiring to focus on Americans, the search began to find a site that offers the greatest convergence of these various subcultures. A possible solution: Wal-Mart. Everyone shops at Wal-Mart. This may seem like a gross generalization, but, an analytical study of register activity conducted by the NPD Group, a global analytics and survey firm, showed that a staggering 95 percent (let that sink in) of Americans bought something from Wal-Mart in 2016 (Where Consumers Spent in 2016, 2017). Even a brief period of observation in this institution of American commercialism must provide a terrific opportunity to see a cross-section of our vibrant multi-cultural society. Through the allotted 25 minutes, four anthropological concepts emerged. First, a pattern of gender norms was identified. This is closely related to the second concept, the family dynamic. Third was socialization. Due to the density of people in a relatively confined area, cultural norms were both demonstrated and could observed being passed to the next generation. And finally, a definitive material culture was assessed by observing the types of goods being bought. Being limited in observation time and the scope of this ethnography, the conclusions drawn are likewise incomplete. The Setting With more than 5,000 stores in the U.S. alone (Wal-Mart Locations Around the World United States, 2018) the layout of both the store and its supporting parking lot are familiar to most of us95% of us apparently! For this observation, the store is fed from a large rectangular parking lot with row upon row of horizontally oriented parking stalls providing space for just over 500 cars. It being just after noon on a Saturday, the store is doing a brisk business and throughout the parking lot, the activity is frenetic. Cars and SUVs zip up and down the aisles hunting for that premium parking spot close to the entrances. It is here we see our first hints of deviance, speeding and cutting across parking stalls were both very commonalmost to the point of becoming the social norm. The vehicles run the gamut of cost from six-figure German imports to rickety dirt bikes and everything in between. Business is so good at this store as to warrant the permanent presence of a police cruiser. Heading through the triple-wide automatic sliding doors, the ubiquitous paid Greeter says a perfunctory hello to passers-by that only vaguely acknowledge him. The store itself is immense. Hundreds of feet in both length and width, it is lit by wall to wall soft fluorescent lighting that only just pales next to the midday sun that was baking the parking lot outside. The noise is a muted rumble of dozens of people, shopping cart wheels on hard floors, the shuffle of feet and, above it all, the higher-pitched and unmoderated voices of excited children exclaiming over this or that bauble. The firmly conditioned air is a steadfast 74 degrees based on my watch mounted thermometer. As shoppers tromp up and down the aisles they are assailed by a myriad of smells: coffee, plastic, rayon fabric, ozone, body odor, and various perfumes and colognes. Demographics. While the purpose of this ethnography is not to explore the demographics of Newport Country, a quick review of that data will help to identify if the observed population is a fair representation of the feeder community. According to the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau, Newport Countys population of roughly 80,000 is predominantly white (86.2%) with Hispanics (5.33%) and black people (2.96%) making up the bulk of the minority. Population by sex is almost completely even at 50.4% female. The median age is 44.2 years old (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, 2018). With a market penetration of 95%, stores like this Wal-Mart offer a terrific opportunity to perform an ethnographic study over a random sampling of the population. Gender Norms. Throughout the observation period a couple of gender trends became evident. First, was the distribution of genders in the various departments of the store. Women were observed in disproportionate numbers shopping in childrens clothing, housewares, and the infant care departments when compared to men by a ratio of three to one. Most of the men were found shopping in typically masculine departments like sporting goods, automotive and electronics, outnumbering women two to one. Overall, more women were in the store than men with 57 of 78 adult shoppers being women. Another disparity was the number of each group of adults that was accompanied by children. Women were again the stronger showing. Of 33 distinct sets of children, 21 were accompanied solely by an adult female, six were accompanied solely by an adult male, and the remaining six were accompanied by both an adult male and an adult female. From these observations, it may be assumed that American women are predominantly focused on the traditionally feminine roles when shopping for household goods whereas men are more likely to shop for prototypically masculine household items in support of kinetic (sports and outdoor diversions) and technical activities. A second conclusion might be that women are more likely to be charged with child care, even outside of the home based on the higher incidence of female guardianship observed. Family dynamic. Some insight into family dynamics was also gained through this ethnography. Most notably was the number of family units (for the purposes of this observation, any group consisting of at least one adult leading at least one child or one geriatric) when compared to single adult shoppers. Family units represented 68 percent of all shoppers. This would follow reason since the store boasts departments for every age from infant to geriatric. While shopping alone would certainly be more expeditious and less contentious, it seemed that shopping as a family was more important. Not only were children more often led by women, but multi-generational groups also appeared to center around a woman more often than they did a man. In fact, even when an adult male was present, most of the conversation and, ultimately the decisions on what product to select, was conducted between the woman and her elders. This would imply a matriarchal dynamic in the context of shopping here. Interestingly, this held true even over a couple interactions that occurred in the automotive departments. Another facet of this dynamic centered around the shopping cart. In the majority of cases, the adult that was pushing the shopping cart was the ego of the group. The path around the store, the pace of that transit and quite often the decision on what did or did not go in were all decided by the pusher of the cart. Females were predominantly in this position, edging out the men in family groups 23 to 14. Socializing and children Socializing is the act of passing on or learning a cultures rules and values. On several occasions, parents were seen taking the opportunity of shopping to socialize their children. Teaching them to modulate their voices, keep their hands to themselves and exercise restraint were the predominant themes of this instruction. From this, it might be concluded that American culture is a conservative one where public behavior is concerned! These acts of socialization were reinforced even by apparent total strangers through either verbal or non-verbal means. Some adults would give looks or sighs at social deviance and some would straight up comment to either the offender or the offenders apparent guardian, offering encouragement or criticism. Neither form of input seemed to be particularly welcome, but the parents would invariably reinvigorate their instruction to the children. Beyond this, there was very little real interaction between groups or family units. Most of the time, these parties were more likely to avoid eye contact, move to avoid close proximity to strangers, and were more often than not self-centered. This is not to say that overt rudeness was displayed at any point, more a general indifference. These are not the norms of community and shared experience we normally associate with American living. American Consumerism Consumerism is a primary facet of American life and that was observed at the registers. However, without discussing each purchase with the shoppers themselves, it is difficult to say if the goods bought were selected for materialistic reasons. Most of the items in these carts were not what would normally be considered essentials. Sure, there were food stuffs and basic household goods, but the vast majority of items purchased were for entertainment, quality of life, and luxury items. Based on a very limited observation window I would draw the following conclusions. American culture, at least in the context of shopping is slightly matriarchal, with strong familial ties and a healthy respect for elders. (Traditionally) Feminine roles are predominantly performed by women and masculine roles by men. Public behavior tends towards the conservative at least until you get to the parking lot! Wal-Mart does provide a healthy cross-section of the local community, but I do not believe it is the best representation of American culture. People dont go to Wal-Mart to socialize or interact and so it is unlikely to see any real examples of culture beyond the ravenous consumerism that is our societies bad side. From my personal experience in less urbanized areas, I would paint a much warmer and communal picture of our culture than what I saw at this Wal-Mart.

Expectancy Violations Theory Of Expectancy - 1301 Words

Expectancy Violations Theory Every day we make predictions. Its subconscious, but we do. Imagine meeting someone for the first time and you predicted shaking the person’s hand. In fact, you may have even extended your hand out, if the person you were meeting took the hand and pulled it into a hug, you have just experienced a violation of what you expected to happen. This is called expectancy violations theory. The expectancy violations theory was developed by Judee Burgoon. The theory is an in-depth look into how people respond to an offense to what they perceive as a social norm. Individuals make predictions based on their past interactions and have compiled their own expectations. Expectancy violations include personal space. Personal space is the distance that a person prefers to be from others. Personal space is subjective to every individual’s preference and can be influenced by their cultural background. Edward Hall who coined the term, proxemics, said Americans have four proxemics zones. The first being the intimate distance about zero to eighteen inches, the next was called personal distance which was eighteen inches to four feet, then third proxemics zone was named social distance which was from four feet to 12 feet, and finally the last zone was public distance which was twelve feet to 15 feet. Hall taught that we shouldn’t be incentive to other special cultures and that it was important to adjust our non-verbal behavior to accommodate others (Griffin et al.,Show MoreRelatedExpectancy Violation Theory Of Expectancy1373 Words   |  6 PagesBurgoon originally developed the Expectancy Violation Theory in 1978; it began as a simple theory a bout personal space. Today, it analyzes how individuals respond to unanticipated violations of social norms or expectations. Violations of expectations can completely alter a relationship for better and even for worse. Understanding the past research done on expectancy violation theory can help people prepare for various social situations and understand past violations as well. This literature reviewRead MoreExpectancy Violation Theory1588 Words   |  7 PagesExpectancy Violation Theory Introduction â€Å"Expectancy violations exert significance on people’s interaction patterns, on their impressions of one another, and on the outcomes of their interactions† (Burgoon 1993:40). In other words, Judee Burgoon, founder of the expectancy violation theory, concluded from various experiments that people evaluate communication with others in a negative or positive regard, based on their expectation of the interaction and their opinion of the communicator. WhenRead MoreThe Theory Of The Expectancy Violation Theory1668 Words   |  7 Pagespre-existing and external factors. Burgoon’s Expectancy Violations Theory analyses people’s reactions to unanticipated violations of social norms or expectations. This theory discusses many of the different factors that play a role when individuals form their expectancies such as context, relationship, communicator characteristics, and nonverbal communication. This paper analyses the pros and cons of the Expectancy Violation Theory. It argues why this theory satisfies enough of Griffin s six standardsRead MoreExpectancy Violation Theory And Its Significance1650 Words   |  7 Pagesreviews expectancy violation theory and its significance in understanding interpersonal communication. The theory highlights the unexpected behavior of human being while interacting (Dainton, 2011). This theory is based on the reduction uncertainty where ambiguity on behaviors of others is reduced through interaction. Expectancy violations theory offers some prospect to compare the personality of traditional empiricism with humanism. The theory was developed from the Nonverbal expectancy violation modelRead MoreThe Expectancy Violations Theory And Human Norms1299 Words   |  6 Pagesassignment, Professor Striley, after explaining the expectancy violations theory, challenged her students to apply its concepts to violate a stranger’s expectations in publ ic and record the subsequent response. Through this activity, I learned firsthand that low communicator reward valence potential could cause a seemingly ambiguous violation to seem negative. In this paper, I will first explain the expectancy violations theory and describe the expectancy my group violated for the assignment. Next, IRead MoreChristian Perspective On Expectancy Violations Theory3137 Words   |  13 PagesCarter Almquist Communication Theory Professor McCormick December 2, 2014 Christian Perspective on Expectancy Violations Theory In this paper there will be a critical analysis of the Expectancy Violations Theory and views points of a Christian on that theory. Expectancy Violations Theory is best defined as a way to explain how someone reacts to unexpected behavior of their friends and peers and the many meanings that people bring to the violation of their personal space. According to communicationtheoryRead MoreExpectancy Violation Theory (Paper Rough Draft)1192 Words   |  5 PagesExpectancy Violation Theory (Paper Rough Draft) â€Æ' Expectancy Violation Theory, or more commonly referred to as EVT, is the study of attempting to explain one’s reactions to unexpected behavior of their peers, and the various meanings that people attribute to the violation, or infringement, of their personal space. Judee Burgoon defines personal space as the invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines that individual’s preferred distance from others. I will explainRead MoreThe Expectancy Violations Theory Originated By Judee Burgoon1917 Words   |  8 PagesThe Expectancy Violations Theory originated by Judee Burgoon explains a person’s response to unpredicted actions by their peers, and the numerous meanings that individuals attribute to the abuse or violation of their personal space. Burgoon defined personal space as the â€Å"invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines that individual’s preferred distance from others† (Griffin, p. 85 ). Expectancy is what people predict (or expect) will occur, instead of what they wish. Read MoreAnalysis Of Judee Burgoon s Expectancy Violations Theory943 Words   |  4 PagesJudee Burgoon’s expectancy violations theory is about how people deal with violations of personal space, behaviors, and communication. Burgoon first started with Edward Hall’s theory about proxemics. Proxemics is someone’s personal space. She then modified her theory to include behavior and communication violations. The three main parts of Burgoon’s theory are expectancies, violation valence, and communicator reward valence. Expectancies are what some expects to happen. There are three factorsRead MoreExpectancy Violation Theory1573 Words   |  7 PagesExpectancy Violation Theory Introduction â€Å"Expectancy violations exert significance on people’s interaction patterns, on their impressions of one another, and on the outcomes of their interactions† (Burgoon 1993:40). In other words, Judee Burgoon, founder of the expectancy violation theory, concluded from various experiments that people evaluate communication with others in a negative or positive regard, based on their expectation of the interaction and their opinion of the communicator. When people

Leading and Managing Organizational for Woolworths- MyAssignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theLeading and Managing Organizational Changefor Woolworths. Answer: Introduction The main purpose of this assignment is giving personal reflection and review of change management. The essay gives my self-evaluation of my experience gained during my internship program at Woolworths company (Humayun, 2016). I found that leading and managing organizational change is a critical field that helps personnel understand the importance of change within an organization and the approaches management can take to ensure its success. What Happened My attachment was full of great transition as a learner of leadership and management concepts and this greatly influenced my professional and personal life perspective. The work environment at Woolworths was very conducive and friendly, and this made me enjoy all my duties and responsibilities as instructed by the senior management. My interaction with a diverse workforce, both permanent and casual brought a significant impact to my professional aspirations. My attachment at Woolworths helped me in every leadership and management aspect. The management employed trait theory of management when implementing change by considering the skills, capabilities, and knowledge of every intern before doing interdepartmental transfers. I understand the practicability and applicability of change principles, change implementation methods, the challenges faced during change management, and the strategies of controlling change challenges (Benn, Dunphy, Griffiths, 2014). This experience helped me develop my self-evaluation analysis abilities, and this contributed to my success in the professional life. During the four-month internship program at Woolworths, many things happened. We were offered the chance to work with multicultural and diverse members of the team. Everyone enjoyed the principles used by the management in leading the group activities. The company employed change management agents who supervised our group activities in the sale of retail stocks (Wagner Hollenbeck, 2014). The emphasis on excellent communication skills was key. I learned that communication plays a significant role in change management by eliminating all possibilities of conflict. This opportunity to work with diverse people enhanced my abilities and acknowledgment of the impact of group members in the group. The contingency theory approach was highly recognized since no individual skill was valued singly. Also, the company organized for our conferences and workshop programs where we learned various skills of leadership and management change within an organization. These meetings gave us an opportunity to benchmark with interns from other companies such as Wesfarmers, Target, and others (Clegg, Kornberger, Pitsis, 2015). I gained a lot from these events for I was able to exchange views on what our company does with my colleagues from other businesses. Again, I learned how change management impacts positively to interns creativeness and innovation of new ideas for the enterprise. I learned the importance of theory X and theory Y in leadership by realizing that change management is influenced by managers believes and trust about a workers attitudes. As a result, our team managers had to convince Woolworths management that as interns we need some little compensation for motivation and commitment to the firm's retail processes. Events Interpretation Attending conferences, seminars, and workshops were imperative to my professionalism as an aspiring project manager. I learned reasonable content relevant to my profession for I had an opportunity to interact with different industry experts and colleagues from other firms. I found out that every team member's idea, opinion, and contribution to organizational processes is significant for proper decision making. I learned a lot about leading and managing organizational change and the best strategies adopted by project managers. Project managers first understand the skills, abilities, and passion of employees before bringing in changes. Again, I learned that different organizations employ different management theories, concepts, and philosophies when implementing change processes in their operations. I gained a lot from the ideas and thoughts shared by various experts as well as my fellow interns on how to learn, network, and create content that appeals and conforms to the organizational objectives. Again, Woolworths ability to recruit interns from diverse cultures, origins, beliefs, and races was very helpful to me. I learned that most organizations value cultural diversity and that diversity in work means professionalism. I noted that diversity in work is an essential change management success. Workplace diversity benefits both the interns, employees and the management of a company. I realized that diversity is an essential tool to conflict resolution since each trainee, employee, or the management itself learns to acknowledge other's differences and their similarities hence leading to shared goals achievement. Also, I discovered that workplace diversity creates mutual respect among the interns/employees whether as a group or company. The trait theory plays a critical role in workplace diversity since every employee has his or her strengths and weaknesses and need to get tolerated. Further, leading and managing organizational change in a diverse manner improves the business reputation to the public and hence making it easy to implement change management. Lastly, I have learned from my experience that business reputation flourishes only when a company exercises workplace diversity especially in the recruitment of employees. Effectiveness and Usefulness of the Experience My internship program was very efficient and useful to my knowledge as an aspiring project manager. Again, the experience I gained at Woolworths is beneficial to my personal life as well. First and foremost, the experience developed my self-analysis capabilities of how I can establish and implement plans in my personal and professional life so as to implement the right changes when I become a manager in future. The chance granted to me by the company to benchmark with other interns in workshops and conferences helped me enhance the abilities to interact and recognize other peoples ideas and consider them as equally important to decision making in a firm when it comes to leading and managing organizational change (DuBrin, 2013). It was also useful to me to learn and acknowledge the importance of work distribution among other group members and this has prepared me psychologically to work with all firm employees in the event when I become a manager. I realized that work distribution and togetherness reduces workload in a given department. Another usefulness of the experiences I gained from the internship program is the ability to solve group conflicts and first understand the source of the problem before intervening. In leadership and organizational change management, there is need for peace and harmony in the work group. I also benefited from being tasked with leadership responsibilities and increased responsibilities where the management made me the team leader. I enjoyed the virtue of leading and managing work team, and this provided me with a great edge to be a leader. Further, the experiences I gained at Woolworths made me upgrade my curriculum vitae and enhance my application forms and interviews. Professionally, I learned how to brand myself different from other people and make myself more presentable in employment opportunities. Personally, I learned the importance of timekeeping since the company was very strict on the reporting time as well as project timeframes. Plan of How I will Use this Information As an aspiring project manager, this means I am a management student. The information and experiences I gained from the four-month internship at Woolworths will serve me in my course, program, future, and personal life generally in various ways. The central importance of internship and attachment program for students is assisting their professional and personal lives in future. In future, I aspire to be a successful project manager when it comes to change management. From the experiences I have learned in my internship, I would value workplace diversity in the workplace given its numerous benefits to organizational success. As a manager, I will assess trait theory when assigning duties and responsibilities to the workers. I have understood that different people are talented, skilled, and expertise differently and this knowledge would be my reference to when implementing change management in a firm (Hayes, 2014). I look forward to recruiting employees from different cultural diversity, gender, and professionalism. This is because I have learned that leadership and management change requires different skills in the firms and this is only achievable by recruitment of diverse workforce. I look forward to being a successful manager and sponsoring professional development of my employees as well as interns. Being an optimist, I believe on my mandate as a company director, I will fund intern workshop programs for them to benchmark with interns from other company. Further, I will ensure that the ideas the interns learn and gain from the conferences are integrated into the current organizational strategies and measure the value of their input to organizational success (Peterson Dover, 2014). From my experience, I was motivated when the change manager collected our workshop reports and put into consideration our ideas when implementing changes within the organization. This hence will be subject to my leadership as a motivating tool to the interns to make them feel valued and treasured within the workplace. During my internship program at Woolworths, we were not compensated, the program was purely voluntary. This to some extend demotivated our efforts, commitment, and dedicated to serving the retail supermarket optimally. I was surprised during the benchmarking program to note that other interns from other companies like Wesfarmers get some little compensation to their work. The approach my Woolworths on interns lack of payment did not please me (Ausker Rothman, 2015). This, therefore, makes me feel that in future when I become a manager, I would ensure that all people in attachment and internship programs are given some little compensation to motivate them while in the workplace. I am looking forward to getting a permanent full-time job after graduation so that I may grow professionally and form a solid foundation of personal life growth. Conclusion In conclusion, leadership and management theories play significant roles by helping managers to formulate change management policies that align with organizational goals. For change management to succeed, the managers must put into use the trait, situation, and contingency theories into practice. Management concepts and principles have helped companies succeed and remain competitive in the business environment. References Ausker, R., Rothman, T. (2015). Researching the Effectiveness of Skills Development Programmes: Methodological difficulties and recommendations. Bay, U., Macfarlane, S. (2011). Teaching critical reflection: a tool for transformative learning in social work?.Social Work Education,30(7), 745-758. Benn, S., Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A. (2014).Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Clegg, S. R., Kornberger, M., Pitsis, T. (2015).Managing and organizations: An introduction to theory and practice. Sage. DuBrin, A. J. (2013).Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. Hayes, J. (2014).The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Humayun, S. H. (2016). Merchandising operation of Woolworths Global Sourcing. Peterson, R. M., Dover, H. F. (2014). Building student networks with LinkedIn: The potential for connections, internships, and jobs.Marketing Education Review,24(1), 1 5-20. Wagner III, J. A., Hollenbeck, J. R. (2014).Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge..

Technological Advancement

Question : Discuss about the Techological Advancement ? Answer : Introducation At the helm of the highest beneficiaries of technological advancement is the field of electronics. The latest models of electronic appliances are continually released in the market with the proceeding brands being better versions of their predecessor. Ranging from increasing the safety of the users from theft to making the user's life simpler, technological inventions in electronics have tremendously improved the life of man. Unfortunately, there have minimum considerations concerning human health as the inventions progress. Most of these inventions are coming out to be more hazardous and unsafe to the users comparatively to the preceding inventions. A lot of focus is given to increasing the processing power of the device while decreasing the sizes, thereby leaving a small surface area for heat transfer and dissipation. Poor dissipation and heat transfer from such devices may result in health complications and such conditions as cancer. Increased processing power results in a significant increase in the energy consumption of an electronic device. The amount of energy input in a device is equal to the energy output in a device assuming there are no energy interactions within the device. The available mechanisms to facilitate heat loss in electronic devices are not sufficiently usable for massive appliances and at the same time involving additional costs to improve their efficiency. For example, while using conduction and radiation as the cooling mechanism; the power device should be fitted with heat sinks which would conduct the heat to the outside. The rate of dissipation and transfer of heat has become a stumbling block in the performance of numerous electronic devices thereby evoking the need to find effective methods of cooling that would ensure the electronic component can adequately serve it purpose. Fears of side effects from heat dissipation should be curbed to achieve maximum usability. Following the aforementioned shortcomings of the available heat transfer mechanisms, 3D printing structures tend to be better alternatives. This new technology also commonly referred to as additive manufacturing comes with a package of that can solve the existing problem to a greater extent. Through such advantages as flexibility and ability to manufacture complicated devices at minimum cost, 3D printing ensures a boost in the efficiency of heat transfer and dissipation as well as maintaining a maximum capacity of usage of the device. Scope and Objective The scope of this study is to demonstrate an innovative and advanced approach to manufacturing highly complex components and filigree using laser beam melting. This article synthesizes the freedom of the laser beam melting technology in the manufacture of unique and complex components of structures. Also demonstrated is the ability of laser beam melting to allow speedy and tool-less production of superior components within the shortest time possible. At the end of the study, it will be analyzed and concluded that additive manufacture/ 3D printing provides structures and components which have superior characteristics in comparison with conventional manufacturing methods. The study gives an opportunity for the production and development of an individual heat transfer component that is to be used in an electrically driven race car. This development would ascertain the originality of the study thereby fulfilling the creativity requirements of the task. References Chen, P. (2008). Manufacturing of Porous Surfaces with Microscale Features for Advanced Heat Transfer. New York: ProQuest. Ohji, T. (2016). Advanced Processing and Manufacturing Technologies for Nanostructured and Multifunctional Materials II: Ceramic Engineering and Science Proceedings, Volume 36, Issue 6. Kansas: John Wiley Sons. Savalani, M. M. (2016). Handbook of Sustainability in Additive Manufacturing, Volume 2. Hong Kong: Springer. Schwalbe, M. (2016). Predictive Theoretical and Computational Approaches for Additive Manufacturing: Proceedings of a Workshop. London: National Academies Press.

A Gift from a Son Who Died Essay Sample free essay sample

cubic decimeter thought the Sun and the Moon would travel oui. I thought ioy itself would decease when Eric died. He had given so much to all ot us his household. his iriends And yet his decease is non the terminal oi ioy after all lt s sornehow another beginning. . lour’ Eric died at 22. aller a ahd-a-half -year battle with leukaemia. R While he left thallium with the deep contusions ol heartache. he left us sg much more So much to celebratel There’s a triumph here that I m still lrying io understand Why do l. even in loss. leel stronger? Why does life on lhis untldy. unsafe planet seem more wonderfullY Precious? I am witting now ol the vaiue of each good minute. the importance oi blowing nil. These lhings are Eric’s gildings to me. They weren’t easy bought or qui6kly accepted. And noi all came iied with ribbonst manY were delivered with blows ln add-on to leLrkemla. We will write a custom essay sample on A Gift from a Son Who Died Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Eric was enduring from adolescence. And there were iimes when this status took more oui of us than his other one A seventeen-year-old male child who may non populate to go a adult male is all of a sudden in a great haste. Like a hawkish new state he wants instant lndependence and no comprornises A { ier the ilrst few hebdomads Eric qulckly took charge oi his unwellness cubic decimeter was no longer to speak io the physicians ln Nraga’ ne Copvrighl vitamin E ) lact-the message came through clearly-l was no longer to speak at all unless lcould avoid sounding like a disquieted female parent. Possibly it would hold been dilferent iJ we’d had a opportunity cubic decimeter ( J preparo tor whal was coming. but it was a bolt of lightning from a cloudless sky. We live in a little ConnocticLlt town. merely a block from the beach. This had been a summer Iike many others. The forepart hall was. as usual. full ol sand and kicked-of T gym shoes. cryptic towels thal didn’l belong lo us. an assorlment ol swimming Lins. and association football balls. By September. l. like many female parents. was hall-lo’rgilg for school to slarl and hal’dreading it. Our twenty-year-old girl had married. and now Eric was packed and ready to travel otf ior his first-year twelvemonth at the Universily of Connecticut. But len-year-old Lisa and ‘ourleen-year-old Mark would still oe al place. lkept telljng myself how lucky Id oe to hold less laundry and fewer cooky crumbs to postulate with. But I didn’t precisely believe it. One afternoon Eric and lboth wanted the auto at the same minute. †1ve got to run al the path. N4om. † He was have oning his association football shoris and running places. â€Å"lve merely got two more yearss before school starls. and Im non in form † I knew how much he wanted to do the lreshman association football squad when he got to college. but I had work to. make. â€Å"l have to travel to the pressman. † lsaid. â€Å"But l’ll bead you ofl at the field and choice y ou up subsequently. † â€Å"Okay. He scowled a spot at the via media. As we drove olf together. I noticed something on his leg-an ugly ruddy sore. large and unit of ammunition as a Ag dollar’ There was another larther down. And another on his other leg. â€Å"Eric. What have you got on Your legs? † â€Å"Dunno. Liille infection possibly. † †lt doesn’t look small to me. cubic decimeter protested. â€Å"lmpeiigo is what it looks like. We’d better travel R ; ght over to the doctor’s ‘like mad. lf that’s what it ls. they aren t even traveling to allow you into the cabinet room. We ve got two yearss before You qo. Let’s acquire the physician to unclutter it up office. ’ – â€Å"Moml† He was ferocious. †Eric. ‘ I said- â€Å"lmpetigo spreads †All right. † he said dully. The sores did non look like impetigo to our physician. He told his secreiary to name ll^e hospilal a ’ld â€Å"-range to hold E. Intelligence Communities admilted following forenoon for trials. Be at that place at eight. Eric. † he said†What trials? † lturned to the physician. Eric had had a complele physical requ’red lor all freshers. merely 12 yearss before. Blood tesls. excessively. He’d passed wilh winging colourss. †I want them lo rebroadcast some of the blood trials. ‘ said the physician. I’ve besides ordered a bone marrow-† I blanked out the words â€Å"bone marrow† as if I’d neer heard them Alter all. llhought as we drove home’ he d jlst had that perfect physical. ‘ Yet the nexl afternoon when the phone rang and the physician was saying’ â€Å"l’d like to speak to you and your hubby togelher-† I knew at one time. â€Å"You don Ts have to state me. † I said. â€Å"l know. Eric has leukamla. † I was one time in a house struck bY lightning. The sensati on’ the scene’ even the unusual electrical odor relurned at that minute A powerful bolt seemed to enie. the top ol my skull as I got the message. . Eric had leukemiaHe’d ever been a all right athlete’ a competilor. a smuggler. Now fate had lripped him ; he stumbled and fell’ Yet how rapidly he tried to acquire up and fall in the race againl Leli at horno that lall. really ill. with his friends scatlering to schools and iobs. he still was determined to travel to college subsequently. analyze difficult. nlake the association football ieam. finally make all Arnerican. To these ends he shortly added suppress symptoms and produce periods of remittal. They did non cognize how to bring around it. There was hope. though’ in the fact that Eric had a type ol childhood leukaemia that was particularly antiphonal to drug thorapy. { BY now. a lew youngsiers arb really belng cuaed of it. ) But Eric. Al 17. was beyond the age of most efiective intervention Soon we discovered that his body overreacted to many of the best drugs and that the recommended high dosage’ needed to destruct morbid cells. tended excessively rapidly to pass over out heallhy ones’ There were times during those first months when I saw him agitate. tighting for control. After all. it hadn t been tqo. long since he was a little male child who could throw himself in my a. MS for comlort Part of him must hold been shouting. †Please salvage me! Don’t allow me diel† fifty couldn’t save him. but lcould show him my ain best courago cubic decimeter learned to conceal my conceln. my tenderness’ and lsaw he was strengthened by my composure He had to run free to be a mafl lwanted that. lf there were io be no other option. eventua ly I would assist him decease like a We learned to be insouciant with danger. to populate with decease I! st around ihe corner. Whenever Eric was discharged irom the infirmary after lransiusions ( first they would give him two. ihˆn five. lhen seven ) . he would lly toss off the stairss one more-to stay alive We both knew ihat lremendous ordeals lay in front Leukemia malignant neoplastic disease of the blood. had always been a fleet slayer When Eric develoPed lhe dlsease in 1968. physicians had merely found ways to decelerate it down by utilizing powerlul drugs lo A Time lor couraqe merely singing a dut { el bag’ as Illinois he were himback lrom a great weekend l’d manus the keys to lhe auto. slide over. and Ho would pick up his life as if nil had happened. Bqt there were ever drugs’ ever turns of sickness. I remember one time slarting uP the stepss to convey him a cup oJ weak tea He passed me on the manner down have oning his swim short pantss and transporting a speal gun get lgnor: ng l’le lea. he said Vaybe cubic decimeter ll played pick-up you a fish lor supper† He soccer. weekend foolball’ and hoops with a haemoglobin so low it left him short of breath. on occasion falnt On ihe hoops tribunal. his teammates. galloping lor a end at the other terminal of the gym. would shout†Ã¢â‚¬ËœJusl remain there’ Eric-we’11 be right back. † ll was ever more than a game he played. His life was on the line’ †Exercise. Attitlld6. Desire were the chalked words on his chalkboard These threo words would convey him through †You don t dice of leuk you know. ’ he qoes said one time lo me Somelhi. g else traveling to Your bosom. Or your child ; eys lm l’m be ready ior it when it comes for ‘ne traveling to win. But he was rioi coniused about ihe nature of hls enemy-at least nol by the clip he d exhausted some hebdomads on the 8th lloor of [ 4emorial Hospitals Ewing Pavilllon in New York Ewing Pallenls speak a batch about remittals. oi class. Remission -that seductive wordl Hope. with the end_tohope implied. Eric’s remittals encouraged us Once he gol an elevenmonth stay of executing with the dr! g at him Methotrexate. I remember beach Thai summer as he ran the ‘ooklng with triends. AII of them tan. radiance. happy’ allwith the same powqrful shoulders’ the same strong. brown legs What could at that place be in the bonds of one that differed from the others? The following twenty-four hours Memo’ial phoned- Eric’s most recent trials had showa that his remittal was at an terminal Even as lwatched him. wild cells had been jumping up in his marrow like dragon’s ieeth. More and so more AIM/ays more than could be slain’ ‘ Eric endured and survived many crises- He learned to populate on the border of the shelf and non look down Whenever he had to be in the hospital’ Memorial’s doclors qave him passes to get away tho horror. Once he wenl out beckoning good-by to less fortunate inmales on the’floor. merely to return an hr subsequently beckoning from the ambulance stretcher. There was no livjng withoul R ; sks and so he tool them. { Th: s is one of his particular giits to me. Darel Take life. dangers and all. ) The disease gained on him. To forestall infitction Ho was fjnally put jn a windowless. stray chamber. the laminal air-flow room. Sterile air. sleriJe everything. sterjle masks. caps. gowns. baseball mitts for anyone come ining his room. He joked. played io the eager audjence peering through his gtass-windowed door. And so sudden terrible bleedings. Six yearss of unconsciousness. soarjng febrilities. His white count was perilously low. Plalelet count zerol Hemoglobin barely deserving adverting. Certain I thougrrt. Thursday. s rs the terminal. 8ut friends came. literally by bLsloads to gtve blood for t. ansfusrors During that crisisr it took more than 32 blood givers a twenty-four hours merely to maintain him alive. lwatched the physicians and nurses proding for veins_ taping both needled weaponries lo boards. packing the bleedings. agitating him to bestir him irom daze. and llhoughl: EnoughlLet him dje in peacel Why brlng him back lor more? He’s proved himsetl-and beyond. He s had two qood old ages of college. He made the association football squad and even made the dean’s list. No morel Let him gol But I had atom to larn about my son’s strength and lesources. There was still much good tife to be lived at the border of the dark topographic point. Erio came back. He had to stay in the laminal air-flow room. off and on. for about fou. . months. Yet within hebdomads hˆ was running from 12 to fifteen stat mis a twenty-four hours. That spring. he didn cubic decimeter acquire back lo coltege. but in hjs absence they named him captain of the association football leam ; he received lhe award for The l4ost lmproved ptayer. and fina Y was ljsted among the All-New England All-Stars. Proud awards. jusuy won. And rl. ere were others. We have a bookcase full of plaques and decorations. BJt I I’easure even more the rhings they don’t give decorations for: his irreverent wit ; the warmlh and love and consideration he qave his lrjends. especjally his companions in the War on the Eighth Floor. For these last he was a jaunty hero. subsister ol heroic poem batfles. yet he was ever one of them ; hopefully. the Golden Warrior who would take them all to victory-or at least flight. He and a fetlow lnmate about managed it one time. Hiding themselves in laundry carts under djrty linen. they rode down nine floors on the service lift and out to the pavement. Just short of oe’rg joaded wilh tl^e taurdry on a t. uc. they decided to give thenselves up and travel back to cram maarow’ endovenous bottles. and the remainder of it. There was after all. no existent manner oulAs a varlation on the subject of flight. Eric invenled Ralph the Camel. a melancholic dromedary who’ although hospitalized { or â€Å"humpomeia†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ someway managed to last all the witless ireatments his dociors could invent. lncluding day-to-day injections of pineapple juice. Ealph starred in a series of belowground amusing books known as The AdlentLrres ol Eiting 8. which featured Memori al’s top physicians. nurses’ technicians. and other notables’ all drawn by Eric in unmerciful imitation As Dr Bayard Clarkson put it. Eric spared no 1. but we could haadly wait for the following Advenhue- ‘ When they asked for more. his monetary value was simple: â€Å"Get me in remittal. two looked convincing. The dociors broke up. The ward cheered! For the moment’ wit had decease on the tally. The 8th lloor was a bad Topographic point to do friends. As one crusty old patienl put ii. Makg mutton quad and you’ll lose’em † Bul lor Eric. there was no manner to remain uninvolved. ln the beginning he looked for the secrets of endurance in the most spiriled people around him. â€Å"That Eileen is so great. ’ he told me ‘She’s crush this thing tor five yearsl† Or. â€Å"Look at that old glry. Mr. Miller’ They merely took out his lien. but he’s hanging in therel† . Then. as the months oi his interventions lengthened into old ages. he began to see them travel. The good. the brave. the beautilul. the weak. the whining. thˆ passive- They were all traveling the same manner. . Eileen. Mr. l4iller’ and so many more. when he was at place during one of his last remissions’ he chalked uP new words on his chalkboard. ‘We are all in the same boat in a stormy sea and we owe each olher a lerrible loyally ( G. K Cheslerton ) Eric would non abandon or fauli his companlons He would play his bosom out while the qame might 6till be won’ but he was get downing to ihink ol the unthinkable. The casualty lists on the eighlh floor were long. At the terminal. Eric eventually accepted his ain decease. This credence was his last’ most cherished gilding to me-what made my one ol his feats becarne a fable.

Free Essays on If Though Must Love Me Response

Poetry to me is a way to express thoughts or feelings in an artistic and meaningful way. The poem â€Å"If Thou Must Love Me† by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is more or less a love poem that sends many messages to me about love. A few of Browning’s messages are that true love is forever, love transcends image, and the use of love is too common. The first message in Browning’s poem, true love is forever is directly supported. Line 14, â€Å"love’s eternity† says that love is forever. The whole poem talks about how sometimes love is called love but may not necessarily be true love in fact, and thus won’t last forever. â€Å"Except for loves sake only†, line 2, means that if one loves the person for love of that whole person then the love is genuine and will forever exist. The second message in Browning’s poem is that love transcends image. One cannot love someone because of some physical beauty, â€Å"Do not say ‘I love her for her smile-her look’ †, she doesn’t desire to be loved for this reason. Nor does she want to be loved because of her manner of speech â€Å"Do not say†¦her way of speaking gently†. The last message that I can relate to in this poem is that the use of love is too common. Browning says several times that she doesn’t want to be loved for such superficial things. Love is a deep and meaningful thing that shouldn’t be conditional, this is supported by lines 9 through 12, â€Å"Neither love me for thine own dear pity’s wiping me cheeks dry-A creature might forget to weep, who bore thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby†. Furthermore, if love is based on superficial things then when these things change that the foundation for the love is thus lost, â€Å"For these things in themselves, beloved, may be changed, or change for thee-and love, so wrought, may be unwrought so† This poem was chosen for the personal response because for me, love is a touchy subject. To me love is something th... Free Essays on If Though Must Love Me Response Free Essays on If Though Must Love Me Response Poetry to me is a way to express thoughts or feelings in an artistic and meaningful way. The poem â€Å"If Thou Must Love Me† by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is more or less a love poem that sends many messages to me about love. A few of Browning’s messages are that true love is forever, love transcends image, and the use of love is too common. The first message in Browning’s poem, true love is forever is directly supported. Line 14, â€Å"love’s eternity† says that love is forever. The whole poem talks about how sometimes love is called love but may not necessarily be true love in fact, and thus won’t last forever. â€Å"Except for loves sake only†, line 2, means that if one loves the person for love of that whole person then the love is genuine and will forever exist. The second message in Browning’s poem is that love transcends image. One cannot love someone because of some physical beauty, â€Å"Do not say ‘I love her for her smile-her look’ †, she doesn’t desire to be loved for this reason. Nor does she want to be loved because of her manner of speech â€Å"Do not say†¦her way of speaking gently†. The last message that I can relate to in this poem is that the use of love is too common. Browning says several times that she doesn’t want to be loved for such superficial things. Love is a deep and meaningful thing that shouldn’t be conditional, this is supported by lines 9 through 12, â€Å"Neither love me for thine own dear pity’s wiping me cheeks dry-A creature might forget to weep, who bore thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby†. Furthermore, if love is based on superficial things then when these things change that the foundation for the love is thus lost, â€Å"For these things in themselves, beloved, may be changed, or change for thee-and love, so wrought, may be unwrought so† This poem was chosen for the personal response because for me, love is a touchy subject. To me love is something th...

Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 8000 words

Research - Essay Example violence or acting out.   Because these effects within the children have a strong potential to be carried into the next generation as well as to impact the public health, it is necessary for the social worker to learn how to recognize these signs and develop means of providing the children with the needed elements they are missing within the home.   While this seems a nearly impossible task without the investment of vast resources and time into each family unit, there are some tools and practices that may help.   It is the purpose of this study to examine the prevalence of these issues within society and to illustrate the importance of understanding on the part of the social worker in bringing about positive effective change within the home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It seems to be almost common knowledge that substance abuse/misuse can have serious detrimental effects on the care and raising of children within the home where one or both parents are involved in substance abuse activity.   The tendency of this thinking holds that all children living within homes in which substances are used or abused are the victims of domestic violence.   However, children living in these types of situations may not have any experience at all with the concept of violence within the home. But they may definitely have numerous other issues to deal with as a result of neglect or other forms of abuse.   Parents engaging in substance abuse are least likely to have enough time or attention to provide their children with the necessary skills and attention they require in order to thrive while the parents may also be spending much-needed time and money away from the home as a means of supporting their habit.   Children living in this sort of environment may find themselves needing to survive without adequate clothing, food or housing. In fact, they are of thrust into such situations that they find no other way but to raise themselves without the benefit of proper parental guidance or support.