The Zulu Culture Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Zulu Culture - Research Paper Example The Zulu culture is part of the Bantu society that hails from the south-west part of Africa. The Zulu have been evidenced to be in existence long before the advent of the 17th century. The culture is one of the major traditions of the South African region. The Zulu culture is intense and rich in tradition, and has been the focus of study to numerous schools of thought. The Zulu people intensely believe in three major factors of life. These factors include the importance of women in the society, the sovereignty of the ancestors, and the rituals of passage. These three factors deeply explain the Zulu culture, and their contribution to the cultural aspects of the modern world. To the Zulu, a woman’s way of life is completely different from that of the men. The woman’s special life starts right from birth and end at death. The newly born girl child is washed only with warm water only, until she attains three months of age. Female toddlers, according to the Zulu culture, are handled very gently, and with abundant love, affection, patience, and gentleness. In addition, the culture demands that the girl baby is paramount to any other thing or task. When she attains about 1 year of age, and can finally stand unaided, she is sung to by a circle of women dancers, while the elderly women clap for her. After reaching the age of three years, the women prick her ears to make six openings in her right ear, and seven in her left one (Patrick, 2008). During her child years, she is mandated to play two roles, both as a daughter, and as a sister.

Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay The list comprised in this article is unfortunately true and eye opening. Many white people are unaware of the natural advantages that are written here. They take it for granted thinking everyone else is also entitled to these rights. Since I am not white, I can clearly see that these are privileges given to whites only. I can even say that I have never experience some of the things written in McIntosh’s list. I disagree with many of these terms. The item on her list that I feel most strongly about is: 10. Whether I use checks, credit cards or cash, I can count on my skin color not to work against the appearance of my financial reliability. People should not relate other’s financial situation based on their skin color. That is very wrong. It has been engraved into people’s minds that all black people are on welfare or food stamps because they don’t work. But that is not true. Just because someone is black does not mean that they are poor and unable to support themselves. If you are judged for walking into a high end store just because of your skin color, that is very unfair. Race and ethnicity does not have anything to do with someone’s financial reliability. Another that I think is unfair is: 12. I can swear, or dress in second hand clothes, or not answer letters, without having people attribute these choices to the bad morals, the poverty, or the illiteracy of my race. For the same reason as the previous one, race should not be a factor in the judgment of others. McIntosh sees these are privileges for white only when in fact; it should not be a privilege. Anything written on this list should be given to everyone, regardless of the race. I definitely agree with McIntosh that: whites are taught to think of their lives as morally neutral, normative, and average, and also ideal, so that when we work to benefit others, this is seen as work which will allow â€Å"themâ€Å" to be more like â€Å"us.† The idea of white privilege relates to the themes of white power because it is giving whites an overall advantage in life. White privilege also relates to the themes of white supremacy because it makes them more powerful. Privilege is being of a favored state by birth or luck. If the things stated McIntosh is called privilege, then it is extremely misleading. The idea of white privilege makes them feel confident, comfortable, and oblivious; on the other hand, other groups were likely being made unconfident, uncomfortable, and alienated. White power and white supremacy is all about making white people the most powerful and advantageous, white privilege also supports that.

An Urge to Write :: Personal Narratives Writing Essays

An Urge to Write Everyone seems to have a reason for liking or disliking writing. It seems to stem from past experiences, or things writing has done for someone or not done for someone. For me, writing is a privilege and I enjoy writing immensely. It’s hard to put my finger on one distinct reason I take pleasure in writing but I think one of the causes for my appreciation of writing stems back to about two years ago. I was a sophomore in high school, and it was basically a tradition that my friend Jess and I would get together sporadically on various Friday nights. She would come to my house in the early evening hours, and we would start our walk. As soon as we would turn the corner of my block I’d light up my cigarette and we’d begin our recollection of the week’s events. On one particular Friday in October we began our walk as we had any other. The air had a cool brisk quality about it but we weren’t really bothered by the sudden chill and just kept walking. We walked throughout town for a few hours just walking and talking, laughing and acting hysterical and crazy over the most minute details of that week’s happenings. We walked till the street lights shown bright on the black streets before us and then we went to our usual stop after our walk. We entered the restaurant just like we had so many times before. We took our seat at the regular booth with the torn vinyl and wooden sides etched with the signatures of the many who had sat in the booth before us. The air reeked of grease and cigarette smoke and was polluted by the sound of senseless chatter from the thirty or so people that crowded this tiny room the size of a large closet. Yet, neither the smell, or the noise or the dà ©cor of dollar bills littering the walls bothered us. This was our tradition as corny and juvenile as it was we knew we would always treasure this special and unusual little place. We sat at our little booth and began our own little chatter fest there.

Comparison of Lao Tzu and Machiavelli Essay

It is obvious to most people the differences between black and white, light and darkness, or Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Many people have different preferences for each of these things, as well as different views about them. While one person may argue that Pepsi is the ultimate cola beverage, another person may claim that Coca-Cola is the best by far. This is such the case with many different people in this world, on many different topics. A prime example of contrasting views on many issues is Niccolio Machiavelli and Lao Tzu. Among the issues that they address include war and violence and the qualities of an ideal ruler. The issue with the most differences is obviously that of war and violence. In his work â€Å"The Qualities of a Prince† Machiavelli claimed that a good ruler must always be prepared for war. Even when their country is not at war, the ruler must be constantly considering combat. They must take the time to look at the land in which any battle will be fought, whether that is in their kingdom or that of their enemies. â€Å"He must, therefore, never raise his thought from this exercise of warm and in peacetime he must train himself more than in time of war; this can be done in two ways, one by action, the other by the mind. And as far as action is concerned, besides keeping his soldiers well disciplined and  trained, he must always be out hunting, and must accustom his body to hardships in this manner; and he must also learn the nature of the terrain, and know how the mountains slope, how the valleys open, how the plains lie, and understand the nature of rivers and swamps†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (38). Lao Tzu’s â€Å"Thoughts from the Tao-Te-Ching† took a more pacifistic approach. He believes that no man had the right to defeat enemies by using violence and  weapons. When violence is used against somebody, it will eventually rebound and come back upon the person who inflicted it. â€Å"Whoever relies on the Tao in governing men doesn’t try to force issues or defeat enemies by force of arms. For every force there is a counterforce. Violence, even well intentioned, Always rebounds upon oneself.† (24). The contrast in Machiavelli’s ideal ruler and that of Lao Tzu is drastic. Machiavelli thinks that the ideal ruler should be careful when it comes to being generous. He believes that if a ruler is too generous, the people he governs will become unappreciative of their good fortune. A prince should be feared by his people, but they should not despise him because of it. â€Å"A prince must nevertheless make himself feared in such a manner that he will avoid hatred, even if he does not acquire love; since to be feared and not to be hated can very well be combined; and this will always be so when he keeps his hands off the property and the women of his citizens and his subjects. † (44). Lao Tzu has many views that are in great opposition to those of Machiavelli. He believes that the best ruler is one that the people don’t even realize is there. A leader should be loved, and not feared or hated. He acts upon things, and when he is a success, the people of his kingdom get the full credit for his work. â€Å"When the master governs, the people are hardly aware that he exists. Next best is the leader who is loved. Next is the one who is feared. The worst is the one who is despised†¦ The Master doesn’t talk, he acts. When his work is done, The people say â€Å"Amazing, We did it, all by ourselves!†Ã¢â‚¬  (22-23). A ruler should also not have the desire to leave his country. If you are restless and feel the urge to move on, then you will lose touch with who you truly are. â€Å"The heavy is the root of the light, The unmoved is the source of all movement. Thus the master travels all day Without leaving home. However splendid the views, She stays serenely in herself. Why should the lord of the country Flit about like a fool? If you let yourself be blown to and fro, You lose touch with your root. If you let the restless move you, You lose touch with who you are.† (23-24). Clearly these men believed in two entirely different sets of values. This can be shown in their interest and opinions on many subjects, among them violence and war, and the traits of an ideal ruler. One is full of optimism, while the other brings out the pessimism is the most jubilant people.

Teachers Point of View

As a high school teacher I have to be a facilitator-guide and a sage who imparts knowledge. I believe that teaching and learning are creative and very social. Based on my understanding, in order for some students to become productive learners; teachers should understand what is occurring inside students minds. As well, as what methods will help retain and retrieved that knowledge. Cognitive principles relates to how information is process in the mind (referred to Atkinson-Shiffrin model pg. 159). In addition, cognitive also deals with how the mind stores, organizes, retrieves and incorporates new information.The following are some of the ways I incorporated cognitive principles to my classroom, through metacognition ( schema) , rehearsal , elaboration ( activating prior knowledge) , note taking , verbal learning ( Paired- associate , serial , free-recall) , and analogies. Students now a day has a very short attention span, as a teacher I have to become eclectic. In the constructivist classroom the teacher becomes a guide for the learner, providing bridging or scaffolding (mediated learning), helping to extend the learner's zone of proximal development.Constructivist theory relates to Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, social interaction helps the student learn. The student is encouraged to develop metacognitive skills such as problem solving skills and reflective thinking. The self-sufficient learner is essentially motivated to generate, discover, build and enlarge their own framework of knowledge. In my classroom I observed and applied constructivist through cooperative learning, discovery learning, self- regulated learning and mediated learning. I will start my class by pre-assessing my students, to check their prior knowledge (cognitive theory of elaboration).If my students are having difficulty remembering what they learn from previous classes, than I will start scaffolding. I will give the students prompts, so that the prompts will trigger their short term memory (working memory). The prompts will give them a foundations and than they built on it and hopefully becoming independent learner. Mediated learning is applied in my class, I will show them how to perform a lab and than they will mix chemicals on their own. Their product or conclusion should be similar to my expectations. Another method that I applied in my classroom is cooperative learning.According to Vygotsky’s, students working with their peers will allow them to think out loud (private speech) and work in a thinking zone where they are comfortable at. If some of my students understand a concept that I am teaching I will break my class in groups. In each group, each member is at different cognitive level and they will assist each other. They will discuss, check each other understanding and see the concept from a different point of view. Another method that I utilized is â€Å"Group Investigation†. Each group will pick a topic and they will dis cuss, learn about that topic and than present on that topic.One of the methods that I incorporated cognitive theories is through verbal learning. In my class, if we encounter a lesson or word that is hard to remember we will associate it to another word. For instance, when we covered the Periodic Table students will associate the elements symbol to its name by using an image (Paired –associate learning through imagery). Another verbal learning is memorizing the elements name in alphabetically order or based on their weights, if in alphabetically order they will create a name or sentences based on the first initials of the elements (serial learning through initial-letter strategies).But the most effective way that I noticed in my class is free- recall. They will memorize the elements or body system in no particular order. Another example how cognitive is incorporated in my class is repetition, practice and elaboration. My students’ will practice a week before exam while other will practice a day before the exam. If my students want to benefit from what the practice they have to practice (study) everyday (distributed practice) rather than cram study. Elaboration is when they have to paraphrase. They will take a concept and than translate it to their own words, to check their understanding.When they are paraphrasing they also visualize what they are paraphrasing, because Paivio’s theory of memory stated that to retain something it has to be verbal and visual (dual- code). Graphic organizer is another technique that I applied in class; this allows the students to retrieve prior knowledge and applied it to their current classwork. There are a lot of techniques, for examples note taking, underlining, analogies, summarizing etc. But if the students are not using this techniques and the teacher is not incorporating different techniques the student will be limited.In conclusion, both constructivist and cognitive theories go hand in hand. There are different types of memories short term and long term (flashbulb, semantic, episodic memory) but for these memories to be activated there must be some stimuli that will trigger the activation. To retain the information the student has to use mnemonics (different memory strategies) but if information is meaningful it will be a schema in the brain. To trigger the working memory teachers should scaffold or student becomes self-regulators. But not all memories will be retain some are forgotten based on Atkinson-Shiffrin model

Investment Portfolio Essay Example

Investment Portfolio Essay Example Investment Portfolio Essay Investment Portfolio Essay Investment Portfolio Name: Course: Institution: Instructor: Date: Investment Portfolio The investment portfolio would take more than seven years considering there are bonds that will mature after 10 years. Therefore, the time horizon for this project would be in the long term. Although other investments such as securities are within seven years, the bonds make the investment a long-term project. The investment experience for this project can be described as extensive considering the time horizon as well as the investment portfolio itself, which combines several investments in the long term. With securities and bonds that go for more than seven years, the investment can be describes as extensive (Goldie Murray, 2011). Additionally, it is an investment by the same person, meaning the portfolio is diversified making it extensive. I do not intend to withdraw retirement savings for non-retirement expenses. This raises the risk of having no retirement savings in the end. Therefore, I would prefer leaving the retirement savings untouched and exploit other means. I would consider retirement savings to be a future investment, and should not be withdrawn since it means having no savings at the end. However, if it is an investment withdrawal likely to earn more, I could consider withdrawing. In case of an emergency, my long-term investment would last for quite some time if the emergency were not solved by short-term investments. My long-term investments would last for more than a year, about two years in the event of a significant amount of emergency. The monthly income used for paying up the installment debt is between 25% and 50% per month, which does not include the mortgage. The installment debt does vary with the variation of interest rate in the market but does not exceed 50% of my salary. In the future, about five years from now I expect that my salary and earnings will be able to grow and exceed the inflation, considering the investments I have made. As I expect my investment to grow within the five years, I would also expect my earnings to exceed the inflation rate or grow faster than the inflation rate within the five-year period (Goldie Murray, 2011). I could be ready to take some risks for my investment in order to exceed the inflation rate. Currently, the investment is likely to exceed the inflation rate in the future. However, if it would require taking more risks, I would take some, but not to a big extent. During steep decline in the equity markets, many people or investors are under pressure to sell their investment. At this time, the equities sell at a cheap price. Therefore, I would see it as a chance of increasing my investment by buying more equities. Therefore, after a steep decline, I would be comfortable, and see it as a chance of buying more equities (Hagin, 2004). If I had $100,000 invested and lost 20%, which is $20,000, I would see it as an investment opportunity and buy more since many investors would sell cheap at that time to avoid further loss. I would probably hope they would gain in the future, when I shall have some profit. However, if the investment dropped by another $12,000, which is 15% loss to make it 35 in total, I would still hold on and wait for them to gain. Selling the entire investment would mean a bigger loss than waiting for them to gain and earn some earnings. References Goldie, D. C., Murray, G. S. (2011). The investment answer: Learn to manage your money protect your financial future. New York, NY: Business Plus. Hagin, R. (2004). Investment management: Portfolio diversification, risk, and timing–fact and fiction. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley.

The needs of people and the needs of the environment

The needs of people and the needs of the environment The central question that these readings pose is how the needs of people can be reconciled with the needs of the environment. Although, human beings are a part of this environment, we have an enormous amount of influence on nature.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The needs of people and the needs of the environment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In many cases, this influence is not beneficial. This is why the authors of these articles urge readers to think about long-term effects of human activities on the planet. More importantly, people have to understand that their welfare is dependent on sustainable environment. Therefore, its protection has to be one of their top priorities. These are the main ideas that have to be discussed and critiqued. One of the concepts that appealed to me is the anthropocene. Generally, it is used to refer to the epoch in which the footprint of human race has become very clear and massi ve. Overall, this term appears to be quite appropriate because human beings did change the surface of the planet within the last three centuries, especially since the time of Industrial Revolution. The main problem is that people’s environmental impact adversely affected many species, water, and air. People often have an anthropo-centric view of the planet, and it is difficult for them to acknowledge that their survival may depend on the bio-physical environment. In my opinion, educators have to change people’s views on this problem, because the protection of environment greatly depends on individual effort. Furthermore, these articles show that the adoption of eco-friendly technologies is not a luxury, but a necessity for every country. Thus, governments should adopt different policies on this problem.Advertising Looking for essay on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Yet, there is another issue that has been raised by the authors. They refer to the so-called mass extinction events. It is believed that in the past these events were caused by unavoidable factors such as climate change. The key issue is that human activities can be the cause of a mass-extinction event, but many people may not realize it. Certainly, it is possible to argue some of these concerns can be exaggerated, but there are some signs or markers of such events, for instance, the increasing rate of species extinction or the deterioration of coral reefs. Furthermore, one can mention such problems as soil erosion, overfishing, industrial wastes, and so forth. Unless these problems are not addressed, humankind can trigger a true mass-extinction event. This is why many researchers advocate the idea of biodiversity. One of the most important tasks is to promote the variations in ecosystem because in this way ecosystems can be made more sustainable. If people continue to turn a blind eye to the pos sibility of such an event, its probability will dramatically increase. This is why I agree with various authors who try to raise people’s awareness about different environmental problems. Some of the ideas discussed in these articles have been familiar to me. Nevertheless, these readings have prompted me to take a broader look at the role of human beings. On the whole, these articles call for a change in the mindset. They urge people to acknowledge that economic, social and political sustainability is impossible if the needs of the environment will be overlooked. Certainly, it is necessary to cope with specific environmental problems such as water pollution. Yet, at first, people have to see that they are a part of nature, rather than their masters.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The needs of people and the needs of the environment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More