Academic Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Academic Skills - Essay Example twentieth century, when the world was moving towards immense development at a global level, Nigeria was experiencing high unemployment, weak economy, abandoned and ruined educational system, high poverty, increased corruption and other malpractices in the private and public sectors, increased rates of crime, international criticism and imposed sanctions, and a bad management system. Okonkwo (p.58), along with other leaders, sociologists, and researchers advocated a strong need for a revamped and innovated educational system. Although the need for good education was recognized at the beginning of this century, or even earlier dating back to the colonial period (Ajayi, 420), researches conducted in recent times have also identified these or very similar needs. For example, Odia and Omofonmwan (p.81) have identified specific problems related to the educational system such as decline in standard, deterioration of facilities, examination malpractices, mass promotion syndrome and others. Ajibade stated, ‘Many Nigerian elites, going by the quality of their contributions to debates, are suffering from acute â€Å"intellectual malnutrition.† It is now pretty difficult to fight ignorance in Nigeria, a country which the World Bank report for 1991 says is the 13th poorest nation in the world. The per capita income of an average Nigerian hardly permits him the luxury of getting information materials. Not many Nigerians can afford the exorbitant prices of books.’ (qtd. in Ihonvbere, 73). This indicates two factors affecting the Nigerian education, firstly the standard of education and secondly, socioeconomics of the nation. In fact, academic crises and strength of sociopolitical conditions are interdependent. On similar terms, Odia and Omofonmwan (p.82) pointed out that education in the contemporary times has become the privilege of the affordable masses, and a business with great earning potential for the educationalists. Their research discovered that most of the

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 14

Management - Essay Example First of all it presents the general introduction of the outsourcing and in-sourcing. The technique of outsourcing directs a corporation/ business/Company that contracts with another corporation to proffer services that could or else be carried out through in-house personnel. A lot of huge corporations at the present time outsource employments like that e-mail services, call center servicesas well as payroll. These professions are griped through detach corporations that concentrate in every service, as well as are frequently positioned out of the country (Outsourcing?, 2009). There are a lot of causes that businesses outsource an assortment of employments; on the other hand the majority famous benefit appears to be the information that it frequently accumulates money. A lot of the businesses that offer outsourcing facility and services are capable to carry out the job at significantly smaller amount charges, because they do not have to offer profits to their employees, as well as have smaller amount fixed cost expenses to be anxious about (Outsourcing?, 2009). Outsourcing is contracting out practice, like that manufacturing or product design, to a 3rd party business. The assessment to outsource is frequently prepared in the significance of small price or producing enhanced utilization of efforts and time expenses, forwarding or saving efforts going to at the competencies of a particular industry, or else to destroy more well-organized utilization of information, labor, land, capital, technology as well as resources. Outsourcing turned out to befraction of the industry lexicon all the way through the period of 1980s. It is fundamentally a supply of labor.1 Organizations have attempted to enlarge their competitive recompenses as the industrial revolution. Though, in the fifties and sixties variation as well as financial systems of scale turned out to be the novel movement, and in

Influences on American Politics

Influences on American Politics Question 1: What are the two major types of interest groups and examples of each? Which of these types of interest groups tend to be more powerful? Explain your choice. Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: In the United States there two main types of interest groups that actively work to influence public policy. The main differences between the two are how they are organized, funded, and what their main purposes are (Patterson, 2013). Economic groups are the most common, most funded and most influential. They are comprised of businesses, labor unions, professional organizations, and agricultural groups that seek public policy that provides monetary benefits to their members. The funding of economic interest groups comes from the members that willingly contribute money in hopes of receiving political influence and/or profit that only they will benefit from. An example of an economic group would be businesses. Business groups are the most influential of any special interest group and all large businesses lobby the government. Many smaller businesses band together to form associations like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to promote their interests by seeking tax cuts, regulatory changes, and other pro-business benefits (Patterson, 2013). The second type of special interest group, citizens groups, is comprised of single issue groups that work toward a focused goal that they believe in. They fight for causes instead of economic or material gain and for the good of society as a whole (Patterson, 2013). Though the number of citizens groups as increased sharply over the years, the total number still lags behind that of economic groups. One of the main reasons for this is that citizens groups have not nearly the same access to funds that economic groups do. Citizens groups do not generate profits or fees from their daily activity and their only incentive for membership are ones that everyone can take advantage of, member or not. Because of this, many people take advantage of the benefits but do not pay for them. References Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Question 2: How has the news media evolved from the nations founding to what it is today? Discuss the various functions the news media has in American society. How well do you feel the media carries out these functions? Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: The founding fathers felt that a free press was crucial to the health of a successful democracy. That is why they gave us the First Amendment protecting the rights of a free and unrestrained press. Some of our founding fathers were themselves involved with the printing of journalistic newspapers. They understood the importance of keeping the populace informed of the workings of their government. The first press and newspapers were initially closely associated with the days political parties and helped them muster public opinion (Patterson, 2013). This was partly done because without party support and/or subsidization, the newspapers would never have survived; the cost to purchase was prohibitory for the average citizen. The drawback to this was that the newspapers themselves very partisan in the information that they imparted. Eventually, as printing methods improved and the cost decreased newspaper moved away from such partisanship. The height of newspapers power came around 1890-1900; during this time, reporters and editors number one goal was to increase sales of their papers (Patterson, 2013). They did so by sensationalizing the news in order to drive up circulation. This period was termed yellow journalism and thankfully was relatively short-lived by the advent of a new style of reporting: objective journalism. Objective journalism emphasized fair and accurate information and accounts of events. This new approach to reporting was the method that began being taught at newly established journalistic universities and is what still governs the news reporting of todays traditional media. The newest form of media today comes in the form of radio talk shows, cable talk shows, and internet blogs. This type of media has made news more accessible than ever before and has greatly increased the choice viewers have to what they hear. The problem with these outlets, as Patterson points out in The American Democracy, however, is the many address information through a partisan lens. Talk radio is a growing format for political information but is often imparted in a conservative manner, internet blogs lean primarily liberal, and the cable new networks split evenly between the two ideologies. Regardless of the manner in which the information is disseminated, the media performs four basic functions (Patterson, 2013). First, is to act as a signal, alerting and communicating information on breaking events and news developments to the public. Second, is to act as a common carrier of information from political leaders to the general public. Medias third function is as a partisan advocate to influence public response to a particular party, leader, or issue. Lastly, the press acts as a watchdog to the government to expose deceitful and corrupt officials. In my personal opinion, the news media does carry out these functions fairly well. The problem lies in ensuring that, as a citizen, you listen to and pay attention to multiple news outlets in order to get the entire story, not one with a particular ideological bent. As they say There are three sides to every story, his, hers and the truth. References Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Question 3: Discuss how the news audience has changed from the 1970s until now. Do you feel that Americans can still find unbiased news anywhere today? Why or why not? Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: News audiences have changed considerably since the 1970s. Though there is more diversity than ever, cable television and the internet now reign supreme for news information in the lives of the average American, while the daily newspapers and traditional broadcasters are losing audiences by the droves (Patterson, 2013) These new forms of media behave quite differently than the media of the baby-boomers and their parents. News was received in regulated segments, in the morning through your newspaper and then in the evening by the network news. It was all relatively similar as well, owning to the fact that they both received their stories from the same sources. The news reported was objective and fair with little political spin. People received the exact same message regardless of what their own ideology was; it is at that point that people form their opinions on issues. The emergence of cables 24-hour news cycle, political talk shows, and internet blogs, where information is handed out already with partisan spin has made it harder to get just the facts, and also makes it is easy for citizens to only receive their news through the specific ideological lens of their choosing. All of this is leading to more and more polarization in political society (Patterson, T. (2013). Another change that has occurred is an overall decline in consumers of media. Young adults are less likely than older ones to pay attention to any type of news and when they do, it is often from less than reputable sources like social media, a.k.a. Facebook. All of these factors combine to a current generation that is considerably less informed politically than prior generations. References Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc Question 4: Do you feel that special interest groups have too much power in politics today? Why or why not? Do you think we should allow these interest groups to continue to function as they currently do? Why or why not? What do you think would happen to our nation if we did not allow interest groups to continue to operate? Your response should be at least 200 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. Selected Answer: Special interest groups are an important way for people to show support or discontent for governmental policies and are an effective way for the average citizen to influence politics. They help keep their members informed of the current political issues they identify with, make sure policies are carried out effectively, help organize member activities in a more focused manner, and some even offer its members legal representation in grievances against the government, However, in regards to our current political system, I feel that many have grown too powerful. For every case of a SIG promoting the common good, there are cases highlighting the corruption that has eroded the quality of our democratic process, generally through corruption. A good example of what interest groups can achieve is the NAACP brought and won the case of Brown vs The Board of Education of Topeka (NAACP, n.d.). While at the same time you have examples of SIGs buying influence such as when during the 1973 Watergate hearings it was revealed that the milk industry had donated money to President Nixons administration and to members of Congress in exchange for favorable decisions by the Department of Agriculture (Torres-Spelliscy, 2013). The issue comes down to political influence vs. political power. I, along with the vast majority of Americans (Gallup, 2011), feel that lobbyist groups have gone beyond just influencing politicians and politics, and have moved into the realm of over-whelming political power. References Gallup. (2011, April 11). Americans Decry Power of Lobbyists, Corporations, Banks, Feds. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http://www.gallup.com/poll/147026/americans-decry-power-lobbyists-corporations-banks-feds.aspx milk industry had donated money to President Nixons administration NAACP Legal History. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http://www.naacp.org/legal-department/naacp-legal-history/ Patterson, T. (2013).The American Democracy (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc Torres-Spelliscy, C. (2013, October 21). Got Corruption? Nixons Milk Money. | Brennan Center for Justice. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/got-corruption-nixon%E2%80%99s-milk-money

Pure Luck :: English Literature Essays

Pure Luck During a warm and lucid evening in September my life would change forever. Something like this does not just happen to anyone; fate decides who deserves such a wake up call. That seemed to be the last night I expected a scene so horrifying to happen because the vibe of the whole evening was uplifting. Everything seemed perfect since everyone happened to be in that happy-go-lucky mentality. We did not expect the events that were to follow later that evening. I heard the restlessness in his voice. â€Å"You got a light?† Steve questioned with eagerness. He was not the only one with the anxious tone to his voice. I hooked him up with that so needed light to calm his nerves a little. We were on an excursion to one of the greatest places in the world: New York. Steve, Dennis, and I had planned this journey for several weeks now. Our anticipation grew immensely. The outing was to a club in New Rochelle which would be a new experience for all of us. Riding in the car seemed ominous. â€Å"Na man, you gotta take the exit for the George Washington Bridge,† I nearly screamed at Steve when he almost took the wrong exit, which would have put us in a position we absolutely did not want to be. â€Å"Alright, DICK† he sarcastically replied. After what seemed like an eternity we hit the right exit and it put us down the road from the club. We arrived, jumping furiously out of the car and hauling ass to the line at the front of the club. At the club there were many DJ’s and live acts that I looked forward to catching. Fortunately I got to see most of them. The experience was quite a relief after that car ride. The inside of the club appeared amazingly pleasing to the eye. The surroundings were the most comfortable of leather couches and a balcony over the main floor that was humongous. More than two hundred people occupied the balcony alone: drinking, talking, and staring awestruck at the sights, which included a thirteen foot tall glass case housing two six foot long iguanas and two sixteen-foot long Burmese pythons. After a few hours the party ended and patrons dispersed including my friends and I. Once outside, the masses gathered around handing out flyers that would most likely end up with a new home on the sidewalk.

How the Characters in 1984 Rebel Against Oppression :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many characters in the novel 1984. These characters all rebel in separate and distinctive ways from each other. In George Owell’s not so sanguine vision of the year 1984 from his standpoint in 1949, he tells of a dreary future of what the world was becoming. In this future, no one has the right to anything, including free speech, freedom of press or even freedom of thought. Even the details like the history of the known world are changed by a corrupt and ever growing political party, which is managed and run by un-emotional and odious officials. From Julia, who rebels by purely simple, sexual acts, to Winston, who dreams to overthrow the party; all the characters have their own personal way of dealing with the oppression.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One example of rebelling against the party is that of Julia’s sexual escapades. She plots and plans to have sex with many of the different party members in order to find release in her otherwise boring lifestyle and by doing so she increases the amount of mass personal rebellion within the party’s regiment. After Winston and Julia are done having sex in the woods for the first time, he asks her how many other men has she done this with. She told him that she had done it with â€Å"scores† of other men and Winston is delighted to hear the good news. He feels that the more men she has had sexual encounters with makes the party weaker because those men don’t really feel committed to their party. Julia does not dream of rebellion against their oppressors as Winston does. However, she accepts her role in society and goes about life enjoying herself when she can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Syme can also be marked as a rebel of the party. Although we have very little actual contact with him in the book, Winston thinks that Syme is too smart to have the party favor him for long. This is probably the reason that Syme disappears later on. He was working on a new Newspeak dictionary for the party but may have fell out of favor because of his intelligence. Syme is a rebel because of his brain. He refuses to go along with everyone else and bring himself down to the I.Q. of the masses, so he, in turn, gets himself killed by the party. This is an important note because Syme does not actually hate the party or even dislike the party.

Global village Essay

America was a time of challenging authority and established conventions. It was into this era that a Professor of Media studies at Toronto University rose to media personality status. Marshall Mcluhan is famous for introducing society to catchy aphorisms such as â€Å"the medium is the message†. Although his theories have always been contested, they were popular at the time and are currently enjoying a revival. One such theory is his vision of the â€Å"Global Village† which I will discuss in this essay. To understand the term, a comprehension of some of his other ideas is necessary. Mcluhan was influenced by Harold Adams Innis who suggested that each medium of communication had a time â€Å"bias† which affected the stability of society. In short, he saw that â€Å"time biased† media such as stone carving would endure time and lead to a stable society. â€Å"Space biased† media, such as papyrus, could easily be revised and lead to an unstable culture (Meyrowitz 1985:17). Mcluhan went beyond this to suggest that different media have â€Å"sensory bias† (Postman went beyond this to argue that the medium contains an â€Å"ideological bias†). Mcluhan saw each new media invention as an extension of some human faculty. In The Medium is the Massage he notes, â€Å"All new media are extensions of some human faculty† (Mcluhan and Fiore 1967:26). The book illustrates some examples; the wheel of the foot, the book of the eye, clothing of the skin and electronic circuitry of the central nervous system. In terms of the â€Å"global village† the last extension is the most important. He saw us as breaking our ties with a local society and, through our new electronic extensions, connecting globally to a new world of total involvement. â€Å"We now live in a Global Village†¦a simultaneous happening† (Mcluhan & Fiore 1967:63). He refers to the village as a global community, existing with a level of connection associated with small rural settlings. We can see evidence for this in terms of what is sometimes termed an â€Å"always on† culture. News travels instantaneously across the globe, 1 in 6 people own a mobile phone (Guardian 2002) and the Internet smashes old barriers of communication. However, the Internet was in its infancy when Mcluhan used the term, which was first used in response to radio. There is some debate over the origin of the term â€Å"global village†. Eric Mcluhan writes that James Joyce reffered to a similar phrase, as did Wyndham Lewis. His opinion is that his father was probably already developing the concept and found it referenced in Lewis’ work afterwards. Mcluhan’s view of the â€Å"Global Village† was positive. He saw it championing greater social involvement and wrote, â€Å"In an electronic information environment, minority groups can no longer be ignored† This is a technological determinist attitude as it holds the medium as the single key to their involvement. Mcluhan also notes, â€Å"there is absolutely no inevitability as long as there is a willingness to contemplate what is happening† (Mcluhan and Fiore 1967:25). This is rather at odds with some of Mcluhan’s other material. He often makes poetically powerful statements about our helplessness in the face of technology (â€Å"All media work us over completely† (Mcluhan & Fiore 1967:26)). Digital TV offers increasing interactivity with Internet functions such as e-mail and online banking available next to greater entertainment choices. It is being put to an alternative use in sheltered housing by allowing residents in difficulty to contact the manager; an example of how new technology is including minority groups. However, with the advent of digital TV the Government has come under pressure to sell the broadcasting spectrum that analogue occupies and is planning to do so before 2010. The effects of this look set to create a greater divide than the one it healed. 50% of homes currently have digital TV but a third of homes are unable to receive digital TV at all. A report by the Department of Trade and Industry found that 6% of the population are likely to object to the switch-off based on the cost of upgrading and the belief that we watch too much TV (The Observer, 2004). If the analogue signal were to be switched off, those who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) receive digital TV would have no access to TV. The gap between rich and poor would accelerate and a greater social divide would exist. Technological Determinists refer to a â€Å"technological revolution† and since the invention of this term there has been concern for those left outside. The issue is more complex than Mcluhan presents it and subject to factors beyond that of just the medium. In Mcluhan’s time the Internet was far from the widespread facility it is today. He died in 1980, but only 5 years later the system to which the phrase â€Å"online community† is most pertinent was operational. Internet forums allow a number of people across the globe to converse in real time. The Internet seems to provide the most convincing argument for the â€Å"global village†. With broadband most actions are instant, allowing the user to converse, transfer money, view information and order products regardless of geography. Mcluhan’s idea of electronic circuitry extending the nervous system is easier to comprehend when you consider someone sitting down at a computer. The physical action of typing becomes the cause, but the effect is realised in an electronic global network. Meyrowitz notes how â€Å"At one time, parents had the ability to discipline a child by sending the child to his or her room-a form of ex-communication from social interaction† (Meyrowitz 1985:Preface). This is no longer the case. The Internet offers the possibility of extending our central nervous system across the globe. It is intrinsic in today’s society and much has been written over its social effects. Wellman and Gulia remark, â€Å"those on either side of this debate assert that the Internet will create either wonderful new forms of community or will destroy communication altogether† (Wellman: â€Å"The Networked Community†). The reality is unlikely to be as clear as this (although Mcluhan’s â€Å"global village† would suggest that it is). Meyrowitz has argued that new media blur the boundaries between public and private behaviour (Meyrowitz 1985:93-114). The same headline in a newspaper and read by a newsreader are two different messages. Print media does not invite the same depth of character analysis that TV does. The public broadcast begins to merge a private situation and invites a personal reading of the presenter. The personal homepage is an explicit example of the blurring between public and private boundaries. People from all walks of life are making available to the connected world their presentation of themselves. Cheung notes how it can be emancipatory as it allows you to rehearse your presentation (Cheung 2000). Unlike face-to-face communication you can refine your presentation until you are content. Mcluhan envisaged the â€Å"global village† as creating a greater level of social involvement and to some extent we can see this happening with the personal homepage. Individuals are reaching out to a global mass audience to say, â€Å"this is me†. Grosswiler notes that Mcluhan â€Å"would have agreed with the idea that electronic media increase the desire for closeness and intimacy in the Global Village† (Grosswiler 1998:118). However there is a problem in defining what we mean by â€Å"closeness and intimacy†. A personal webpage is more personal than the BBC homepage but not as personal as face-to-face communication. Mcluhan would argue that the â€Å"closeness and intimacy† on the personal webpage is the only type that exists as we live in the â€Å"global village†. For Mcluhan there was no other village and intimacy could be with anyone, anywhere. There is a tendency by those who consider the Internet in a technologically determinist way to view it in isolation. The Internet is for most people not the totality of their social interaction, although it is becoming increasing possible to live your life without human contact. It is possible to order almost everything you could need using the Internet, yet town centres still exist. I may talk to friends online but the majority of communication with them will be face-to-face. Mcluhan is often accused of exaggerating his conclusions and this is evident. While the personal webpage is popular it doesn’t provide a substantial system of interaction. It also clear that while a minority of people make friends online, face-to-face interactions comprise the majority. Mcluhan’s famous aphorism â€Å"the medium is the message,† represents the belief that the medium itself has social impact of which the masses are usually considered to be unaware. If the power of the media is so great, how is it that determinists such as Mcluhan can stand outside of it to comment? Furthermore Mcluhan thought that as soon as we are aware of something as environment, a greater process must be in effect (Mcluhan, Eric). However, Mcluhan was considered knowledgeable enough to sit on a board set up to examine â€Å"the totality of communications problems in modern society† (McBride cited in Briggs and Burke 2002:258-260). The outcome of this report would have made interesting reading but unfortunately political conditions halted proceedings. Maybe I would be discussing a different concept if the report had gone ahead. Mcluhan once remarked that the one thing a fish is not aware of is water. The water determines everything the fish does yet the fish is blissfully unaware. The point is that we are the fish and technology our water. However this doesn’t prove the argument, it simply explains it. At first glance the phrase appears clever yet contains no empirical evidence and is typical of Mcluhan’s inventive and persuasive useful of language. Mcluhan’s global village is perceived as optimistic. Yet a Marxist interpretation offered by Ang notes that â€Å"the making of the â€Å"global village† can be rewritten as the transformation, or domestication, of the non-Western Other in the name of capitalist modernity† (Ang 1996:150-180 cited in Grosswiler 1998:142). While the idea of the spread of communication remains constant, it is seen to destroy individual non-western cultures to make way for capitalist exploitation. The sociologist Tom Nairn argues that while Mcluhan’s â€Å"global village† could be reality, it is prevented from being so by the social forms of capitalism† (Nairn 1968:150 cited in Grosswiler 1998:34). He is not denying that it is achievable, but notes, â€Å"The potential of electric media is, in fact, in contradiction with a great deal of the actual social world†. He accuses Mcluhan of creating myths and ignoring the contradictions of his theory. The graphic below compare the distribution of Internet routers and the global population. (Soon-Hyung Yook, Hawoong Jeong, and Albert-Laszlo Barabasi at http://www. cybergeography. org/atlas/geographic. html) It is obvious from the map that the majority of the world is not connected. According to this the â€Å"global village† is made up of a minority of the worlds population. This is a model far from creating greater social involvement and has the potential to create a global divide between the connected and the unconnected. In my introduction I cited a statistic claiming that 1 in 6 people own a mobile phone in support of the â€Å"global village† concept. As with Mcluhan’s aphorisms this initially seems persuasive but closer inspection reveals the truth. The statistic suggests proportionality. As Briggs and Burke explain, â€Å"While there were 600 million telephones in the world in 1982, half the world’s population lived in countries which together had fewer than ten million†. Again this undermines the â€Å"global village† vision and adds empirical weight to Nairn’s criticism that the potential of the media is in contradiction with reality. As with the Internet, the â€Å"global village† is presented here as almost exclusively existing between developed western countries. Mcluhan’s vision dictated that minorities couldn’t fail to be incorporated, yet they have been excluded by virtue of being unconnected. Furthermore the Marxist view upholds that where third-world nations are included, it is only as means of stripping them of identity for capitalist ends. These points considered, it seems that Mcluhan’s vision is not a reality. Much of the world is unconnected and I need cite no evidence that it has not led to world peace. However, it should be noted that Africa is currently leading the way in the realms of mobile phone ownership. It has become the first continent in which the number of mobile phone users exceeds that of landline subscribers. A report â€Å"has estimated that there will be 60 million people using mobile phones by the end of the year – more than double the 27 million who have a landline† and mobile phone ownership is growing at an annual rate of 65%, double the global average (Guardian, May 2004). It seems that we may be fast heading toward a â€Å"global village†. However even with Africa’s growth in mobile phone ownership, this still only brings the total to 6% of the population (Guardian, May 2004) and Internet access is considerably lower. While it may be true that a virtual village has been created, it is far from the all-inclusive global vision that Mcluhan prophesised.

Peter Skyrznecki Essay

Our idea of belonging is a result of the choices that we make. We feel a sense of acceptance wherever we choose to belong. This is explored in Peter Skrzyneckis poem Feliks Skrzynecki and St Patricks showed the ides of alienation and belonging. They are shown through various techniques such as an allusion, direct speech and many more poetic techniques. Feliks Skrzynecki is a poem that shows a tribute to Peter Skrzyneckis father. Through the use of powerful and vivid imagery, the poet successfully conveys Feliks as a man who is comfortable, content and secure in his own identity. In this poem, concepts of belonging and not belonging occur within place, family, community and culture. The first stanza emphasizes the idea of belonging. Feliks sets standards ‘of his own minds making’. He is comfortable in belonging to his own world, his garden, family and cultural heritage. This is further emphasized through the use of the simile ‘ loved his garden like an only child’ which demonstrates the love he possessed for his garden. The garden can also be interpreted as Feliks constructed world: a place he escapes to in order to feel a sense of belonging. The garden is also the reward for his hard work. Skrzynecki’s poem ‘St. Patricks College’ displays how a sense of belonging is influenced by external forces. For someone to belong to something they must make their own decisions in life, understand their surroundings and build relationships with those around them. These qualities are lacked by Skrzynecki in ‘St. Patrick’s College’ which resulted in him not belonging. Skrzynecki was sent to this school because his mother was ‘only wanting, â€Å"what was best†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The direct speech is a cliche as every parent wants what is best for their child. The irony of the situation was that ‘for eight years’ sending Skrzynecki to St. Patrick’s College ‘Wasn’t â€Å"for the best†. He did not understand the ways of the school which led to his lack of belonging. The repetition of the phrase ‘for eight years’ reinforces how long the alienation and detachment lasted for, the feeling of not belonging did not change for eight years. The use of the personal pronoun ‘I’ throughout the poem gives a dreary, detached tone which emphasises his loneliness. No relationships with students, teachers or anyone else at the school were formed over his time there. The time at the school was useless as highlighted by ‘I could say the lord’s prayer in Latin, all in one breath. ’ He claims that as what he received from eight years at the school, a useless skill. Skrzynecki found it so hard to belong to St. Patrick’s College because the decision to go to the school was not his own, he did not understand his surroundings and he did not build any relationships with those around him. In Conclusion the ability to belong can be affected by understanding, choices, culture, relationships and experience. In the poem â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† showed the sense of belonging in the respective place, like his garden. In contrast, the poem â€Å"St Patricks College† showed that Skrzynecki lacked in building any relationship with those around him. Peter Skrzynecki used various to show the alienation and belonging in the poems â€Å"Feliks Skrzynecki† and St Patricks College†.