The Old South and John Crowe Ransom :: John Crowe Ransom Writers Poems Essays

The Old South and John Crowe Ransom Most remember it as a time of dashing young heroes on horseback, fair damsels in distress, and majestic castles hidden from the vulgarity of daily life by the cool shade of fragrant magnolia and honeysuckle. It was a time and place so far removed from today’s fast moving, billboard covered world that one could easily imagine that this lost civilization existed on some far off continent, or perhaps not at all. However, the fact remains that once upon a time the old South did exist, and there are many people still who feel that the loss of this culture and its ideals is nothing short of a tragedy. One such individual was John Crowe Ransom, a man whose life was tempered with his intense yearning for the tradition and stability that the old South embodied, and that has been lost forever amid the skyscrapers and factories that have replaced the cotton fields and plantation homes of long ago. The power that the old South held for Ransom drove his works, as can be evidenced in his poem, â€Å"Old Mansion,† which describes his ultimately futile attempts to return to the old traditions. The common thread unifying Ransom’s work is that of longing for the stability and tradition that the old South embodies. As in his essays, this poem explores the possibilities of what unlocking the secrets of this lost era might entail, and what benefits could be reaped in today’s society from such an undertaking. In this poem, Ransom fails; however, the poem remains an important step in his journey to seek out the old traditions and integrate them into a modern framework. To begin this journey, Ransom introduces the â€Å"old mansion† as a concrete concept to represent the traditional values and lifestyles sought. Every bit of the structure, from its ivied columns, crumbling graveyard, and ultimately, its inhabitants themselves, serve as parables for Ransom’s search. The language in the opening stanzas clearly demonstrates the reverence and personal affinity Ransom feels for the plantation home, i.e. the old South. Yet despite the fact that he wants nothing more than to return to this way of life, he still refers to himself as an â€Å"intruder† (ln 1) into this world that he cherishes so highly. Clearly, despite Ransom’s desire for a return to these simpler times, he maintains a feeling of respect for the past itself, and is not attempting to relive it. He is an intruder in this past, yet he wants desperately to understand its meaning, rather than just appreciate its beauty.

Potbelly’s Case Essay

1. Potbelly’s strategy in terms of product and market are to provide great food and a friendly atmosphere. As far as their product goes even their CEO Keil says that anybody can make and sell a sandwich. What strategy they use is by using quality ingredients and a superior value. Their strategy towards the market is to provide a fun, unique experience to their customers. Their previous attempts as far as product goes was to sell antiques along with their sandwich shop, kind of the same approach as a cracker barrel. It seems the sandwiches become a more important part of their revenue. The antiques became more of decoration then sale items. The past market was very small just having one sandwich shop owned by a couple. With the purchase of the shop they quickly started a chain of restaurants and have opened a lot of locations just recently. 2. Potbelly’s position strategy seems to have been starting small in one area while making a name for itself. In its first five years all the locations opened were in Chicago, Illinois. After they had built a reputation they moved into Washington D.C. This seems to be an attempt to stay in major cities to increase their reputation. The nation’s capital is one of the many major travel destinations for work. This way the businessmen of Chicago can get the sandwiches they love even away from home. The next year instead of branching out to the other major business travel cities, for example, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, and Los Angeles, Potbelly took the approach that many other chains take. There central location was Chicago, Illinois; from there they spread into neighboring states, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Like mentioned earlier most chains take this approach until they are nationwide. A lot of grocery stores northerners are familiar with will not be found as the y head further south just as southerners will not find the same stores they are used to shopping at when they head north. The next year it opened locations in some of those same states and spread to Indiana as well as another major business travel destination, Texas. In the more recent years they have built more locations in the already occupied states while spreading to neighboring state Ohio. From this point they have made a good name for themselves and have over 100 locations; with the reputation the company has I am sure they will continue to spread their market. Their original locations are located in Northern Mid America, they did not start on one coast and try to spread to the other, this will help extremely with them being a nationwide chain and in the coming years will probably start seeing Potbelly’s as far east as New York, as far south as Georgia, and west into the mid-western states. 3. Potbelly’s environmental opportunities in the external environment would probably include their original location and how much easier it is to spread from the middle of the country rather than the corner or coastline of the United States. The threats Potbelly’s would face more importantly is the competition. There are many well established chains of sandwich shops in the United States including, Sub-way, Quiznos, Panera Bread, Jimmy John’s, and Schlotzsky’s Deli to name a few. When moving into a new market promotion is a key element as the market the company does not know the companies name and would rather go with what they know. Potbelly offers promotions and a great atmosphere that may be able to take some of these competitors business. Subway for example does not use quality ingredients, nor does it have any sort of friendly atmosphere for around the same price. It should be very easy for Potbelly’s to take business away from them. For Potbelly’s to maintain its antique setup and friendly atmosphere they will require excellent management expanding into these new markets. I do not see any reason for Potbelly’s to change their strategy at this time. Changing the way they do business, either the looks of the restaurants or the friendly workers would take away from why people will choose them in the first place over their already known sandwich shops.

Linguistics and Children Essay

The power of language to reflect culture and influence thinking was first proposed by an American linguist and anthropologist, Edward Sapir (1884–1939), and his student, Benjamin Whorf (1897–1941). The Sapir–Whorf hypothesis stated that the way we think and view the world is determined by our language (Anderson & Lightfoot, 2002; Crystal, 1987; Hayes, Ornstein, & Gage, 1987). Instances of cultural language differences are evidenced in that some languages have specific words for concepts whereas other languages use several words to represent a specific concept. For example, the Arabic language includes many specific words for designating a certain type of horse or camel (Crystal, 1987). To make such distinctions in English, where specific words do not exist, adjectives would be used preceding the concept label, such as quarter horse or dray horse. Cultural differences have also been noted in the ways in which language is used pragmatically. In our American culture, new skills are typically taught and learned through verbal instruction (Slobin, 1979). In some cultures, new skills are learned through nonverbal observation. A distinction has also been made between cultures that encourage independent learning and those that encourage cooperative learning (McLeod, 1994). Differences in the social roles of adults and children also influence how language is used. Home and school contexts may represent different cultures, subcultures, or both and may influence language acquisition in noticeable ways. Nonverbal cues (e. g. , facial expression) and contextual cues (e. g. , shared experience) have different communicative roles in different cultures (Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2003). In some cultures, prelinguistic children (who are not yet verbalizing) are spoken about rather than spoken to (Heath, 1983). Children may be expected, and thus taught, to speak only when an adult addresses them. They are not encouraged to initiate conversations with adults or to join spontaneously in ongoing adult conversations. Additionally, in some cultures, children who enthusiastically volunteer answers at school are considered show-offs (Peregoy & Boyle, 1993). In some cultural settings, children are not asked recitational questions. Instead, they are asked only questions of clarification or for new information. Thus, when these children experience recitational questions in a school setting, they may be confused as to the purpose of the questioning and the expected response. Further cultural differences in how language is used in educational settings have been documented by Tharp (1994). These differences include variations in how stories are told, the wait time given by teachers to students during questioning sequences, the rhythmic patterns of the verbal interactions, and the patterns of conversational turn-taking. During the 1970s and 1980s, educators and linguists researched and debated the verbal-deficit perspective. This perspective contended that anyone who did not use standard English did not have a valid language and thus was verbally deficient. Although the verbal-deficit perspective has now been proven invalid, it is important to understand the research that was conducted to either support or discredit that perspective. Bernstein (1971), Bereiter and Englemann (1966), and Labov (1979) were among the researchers who studied language differences between different social groups, including middle- and lower-income groups and ethnic groups. This body of research identified specific differences in the way children from different socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds used language in school and out-of-school settings. Implications of this research have been widely discussed and interpreted in a variety of ways. Basil Bernstein (1971) documented the different linguistic codes used by children from lower- and middle-income families in England. Lower-income children were described as using a â€Å"restricted code† or highly contextualized language, while children from middle-income families used an â€Å"elaborated code,† or decontextualized language. His research also documented differences in school achievement for these two groups of children. Interpretations of Bernstein’s work concluded a cause–effect relation between language use and school success, supporting a â€Å"verbal deficit† perspective: the working-class environment of the low-income children created a verbal deficiency responsible for subsequent low educational achievement (Winch, 1990). Here in the United States, Bereiter and Englemann (1966) conducted further research from the verbal-deficit perspective. They focused on the language of preschool African American children in Urbana, Illinois. Bereiter and Engleman concluded that the language used by African American children was not a valid language and thus recommended that these children needed to be taught English in the school setting (Winch, 1990). Academically oriented preschool curricula were developed (e. g. , Blank, Rose, & Berlin, 1978) to provide the needed English language training for verbally deficient children. William Labov (1979; Winch, 1990) explored social dialects of lower income African American children in urban settings. He studied the differences in children’s in-school and out-of-school (e. g. , playground) language competencies. His data directly challenged the verbal-deficit theory because it documented the elaborated and systematic linguistic properties of Black English. His research supported the idea that Black English was a separate language system with its own grammar and rules. Labov described dialects as having â€Å"slightly different versions of the same rules, extending and modifying the grammatical processes which are common to all dialects of English† (Labov, 1995, p.54). Labov’s research supported the idea that verbal differences are not verbal deficits. Because Labov’s research focused on language used in academic and nonschool settings, he also created a greater awareness of the role of context and dialect in communication. Tough (1977) conducted a longitudinal study of children from advantaged (college-educated, professional parents) and disadvantaged (parents who were in unskilled or semiskilled occupations) homes. The study began when the children were 3 years old, with follow-up at 5 1? 2 and 7 1? 2 years. At age 3, the disadvantaged children and the advantaged children showed significant differences in the ways they used language. Specifically, the disadvantaged children did not use language to recall and give details of prior experiences, anticipate upcoming events and possible outcomes, reason about current and remembered events, problem solve using language for planning and considering alternatives, reach solutions, create and sustain dramatic play events, and understand others’ experiences and feelings. When these children were studied again at 5 1? 2 and 7 1? 2 years, the disadvantaged children produced shorter, less complex responses. This research contributed to our understanding that children from different cultural environments may be learning to use language differently and may experience difficulty in participating in the language environment in classrooms. Further awareness of the role of cultural environments in the acquisition of language was influenced in the 1980s by ethnographic research techniques that were used by language researchers. Ethnographic studies have contributed significantly to our understanding of linguistic diversity. Ethnography uses participant observation in real-life settings and focuses on individuals within their social and cultural contexts. In her ethnographic study, Heath (1983) explored children’s acquisition of language at home and school in two communities in the southeastern United States. She found differences in communication in working-class black and white families as well as among middle-class townspeople of both ethnic groups. Heath also described differences in story structures, language, and sense of â€Å"truth† (fiction vs. nonfiction) that children learned at home that were different from those expected at school. To be successful at school, these children had to be able â€Å"to recognize when a story is expected to be true, when to stick to the facts, and when to use their imaginations† (Heath, 1983, p. 294). Heath’s research also documented valid and authentic differences in the ways language is used and in the ways in which children in those respective communities become competent language users. Heath concluded that the contrasts she found in language were not based on race, but on complex cultural influences in each community. The importance of family context in language acquisition was more recently described by Hart and Risley (1995, 1999). Findings from their longitudinal study document the significance of â€Å"talkativeness† in families in influencing language acquisition rather than the family’s socioeconomic status or ethnic group identity. Differences in language use were attributed to the complex family culture—not simply due to socioeconomic status or ethnic group identity. Among the families that were studied, the most important difference was in the amount of talking. Children in families where there was more talking developed higher levels of language in the areas of vocabulary growth and vocabulary use. These differences were strongly linked to school performance at age 9. Among these families, Hart and Risley (1995) identified five quality features in parents’ language interactions with their children: 1. Language diversity: the variation and amount of nouns and modifiers used by the parents 2. Feedback tone: the positive feedback given to children’s participation in the interaction 3. Symbolic emphasis: the emphasis placed on focusing on names and associated relations of the concepts and the recall of those symbols 4. Guidance style: parental interaction that used asking rather than demanding in eliciting specific behavior from the child 5. Responsiveness: parental responsiveness to requests or questions initiated by children Hart and Risley (1995) speculated that these categories may be â€Å"important for the language-based analytic and symbolic competencies upon which advanced education and a global economy depend† (p. 193). A current hypothesis on why children from diverse linguistic backgrounds experience difficulty in school is the socialization mismatch hypothesis. This hypothesis â€Å"predicts that children are more likely to succeed in school when the home language and literacy socialization patterns are similar to those that are used and valued in school† (Faltis, 1998, p. 23). This hypothesis has been applied to children who speak a nonstandard English dialect as well as to children who are learning a second language. Home language socialization patterns may differ from those favored in the school classroom in the following ways (Faltis, 1998): 1. The amount of talk directed to preschool children 2. The participation of young children as conversation partners with adults 3. Opportunities children have to explain or give a personal interpretation of events 4. The types of questions asked of children during storybook sharing 5. The forms of narrative that are used (e. g. , fiction, nonfiction, or ongoing narratives) In addition, the social interaction patterns used in the classroom may vary from the home culture’s with respect to expectations for competitive versus collaborative or cooperative activities as well as the â€Å"courtesies and conventions of conversations† (Tharp, 1994, p. 140).

Elementary Physical Science Fair Project Ideas

Elementary Physical Science Fair Project Ideas Trying to find the topic for a science fair project can be almost as challenging as the project itself. Helping a child decide on a project that doesnt involve huge expense, constant supervision or the danger of burning down the house need not be an impossibility. Elementary school level projects should be not only informative but quick and fun. Great projects usually answer a question, rather than a general demonstration or display. Remember that the project is your childs, let them have fun with it. Here is a list of ten ideas to help get past the difficult first step. Fly a kite.Making a kite is fun and easy. Adding a tail to the kite adds stability. Does a longer tail make the kite fly better? Try different lengths of tail or vary the number of tails.Parachutes - Throwing things for science. Make parachutes with garbage bags and fishing line. See if larger parachutes are better than smaller parachutes. Are square parachutes better than round ones? Long strings better than short strings?Swinging Pendulums.Make a simple pendulum from a string and fishing weight. How does varying the length of the string affect the period? Add more weight and see what that does.Musical Glasses.Running your finger around a wine glass to make a tone is always entertaining. Does the tone change if you use different liquids in the glass? Check to see if changing the amount of liquid changes the tone.Balloons and Static Electricity.If you rub a balloon against your hair or a wool sweater, you can generate enough static electricity to stick the balloon to a wall. How many rubs does it take to this? Do fuller balloons take more or less rubbing? Does the type of hair matter? Spaghetti Bridge.One piece of spaghetti is easy to break. Bundling several pieces together can support a lot of weight. Make bundles of spaghetti to make beams that span two chairs or tables. Hang a cup from the middle of the spaghetti beam and add fishing weights or bolts until the beam breaks. Is your bridge stronger if you bind the spaghetti with thread, glue, tape or rubber bands? Try different pastas. Is flat spaghetti stronger than round?Electromagnets.You can make a simple electromagnet with a lantern battery, copper wire and a nail. Wrap the wire around the nail several times and connect the ends to the battery terminals. Use the magnet to pick up iron filings. Increase the number of windings and see how the amount of filings your magnet picks up changes.Buoyancy with eggs.If you put an egg into a jar of water, the egg will sink. If you add salt to the water, the egg will start to float. How much salt does it take to float an egg to the top of the water? What if you used suga r instead of salt? Watt about light bulbs?Light bulbs come in several styles, sizes and wattages. What does the wattage mean? Do higher watt bulbs run hotter? brighter?Battery Battle.All battery makers claim their battery lasts longer. Why not see for yourself? Are more expensive batteries better? Does one brand stand out?How Strong Is It?Test the strength of trashbags, grocery store bags, or plastic wrap.Whitest of Them All.Which tooth whitener is best at removing stains and whitening? You can stain tile or another material with coffee, tea, berries, smoke, etc., then compare the whitening power of different toothpastes. Try something similar for laundry detergents or bathroom cleaners.Haircolor ColorfastnessGrab a human hair wig and dye different areas with the same color of haircolor, except different brands. Wash the wig and see which color lasts. Do any of the colors change in unexpected ways? Dont dont have a human hair wig? Try wool or another animal hair.

How to Get Learning Accommodations at School

How to Get Learning Accommodations at School Some students struggle in school and need more support than is typically found in the traditional classroom, but that extra support isnt always easy to come by. For college students, typically the institution will require that the student provide documentation and request accommodations in a timely manner, and most will have the resources available to meet the students needs. However, the same isnt always true at secondary schools or middle/elementary schools. For schools who dont have robust academic support programs, students may be  forced into special education classrooms or they may be required to stumble along without accommodations in the traditional classroom.   However, there are options for students struggling in school, and one of those options is a private school. Unlike public schools, parochial and private schools do not have to grant students with learning disabilities accommodations. This ruling falls under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act  and is a direct result of the fact that private schools dont receive public funding. These private schools also have a pass when it comes to the need to follow the regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which states that public schools must grant students with disabilities a free appropriate public education. In addition, unlike public schools, private schools do not offer students with disabilities IEPs, or Individual Educational Plans. Private Schools: Varying Resources and Accommodations Because they do not have to adhere to these federal laws governing the education of students with disabilities, private schools vary in the support they grant to students with learning and other disabilities. While years ago, private schools often said that they did not accept students with learning issues, today, most schools accept students who have diagnosed learning issues, such as dyslexia and ADHD, and other issues such as autistic spectrum disorder,  recognizing that these issues are actually common, even among very bright students. There are even a number of private schools who cater to the needs of students with learning differences. Some private schools for learning differences were founded specifically for students whose learning challenges  dont allow them to enter the mainstream classroom. The goal is often to support students and teach them to understand their issues and develop coping mechanisms that allow them to enter the mainstream classroom, but some students remain in these specialized schools for their entire high school careers.   Dedicated Learning Specialists In addition, many private schools have psychologists and learning specialists on staff who can help students with learning issues organize their work and refine their study skills.  As such, a number of mainstream private schools even offer academic support program, ranging from basic tutoring to more comprehensive academic support curriculums that provide students with a personal educational expert to help them better learn how they learn and understand the challenges they have. While tutoring is common, some schools go beyond that and offer organizational structure, time management skill development, study tips, and even provide advice on working with teachers, classmates and handling workloads.   Private schools also may be able to grant accommodations to help students in school, including the following: extra time on testsuse of a computer or tablet for writing in-class essays and assignmentshelp from a learning specialist to learn how to prepare for tests, study, organize study materialsuse of a private room for testing or work If youre thinking of private school and either know or suspect that your child may need extra assistances, consider these steps you might pursue to determine if the school can meet your childs needs: Get Started with Professional Evaluations If you havent already, make sure to have your child evaluated by a licensed professional. You may be able to have the evaluation conducted by the local school board, or you may ask your private school for the names of private evaluators. The evaluation should document the nature of your childs disabilities and the required or suggested accommodations. Remember, that while private schools arent required to grant accommodations, many offer basic, reasonable accommodations, such as extended time on tests, for students with documented learning issues. Meet with Professionals at the School before you apply Yes, even if youre just applying to the school, you can request meetings with the academic specialists at the school. Assuming you have the testing results available, you may set up appointments. You would likely coordinate these meetings through the admission office, and they can often be combined with a school visit or sometimes even an Open House, if you provide advance notice. This allows both you and the school to assess whether or not your childs needs can be properly met by the school. Meet with Professionals at the School after youre accepted Once youre accepted, you should schedule a time to meet with your childs teachers and learning specialist or psychologist to begin developing a plan for success. You can discuss the results of the evaluation, the proper accommodations for your child and what this means in terms of your childs schedule. Here are more strategies about how to advocate for your child with learning issues. Article edited by Stacy Jagodowski.

Change Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Change Models - Essay Example All these factors will be outlined in a change model. The first change model that can be adopted is popularly known as ADKAR Change Management Model. This model manages the change process by basically linking the activities related to change with a particular business goal decided by the management. This helps in the execution process of the change. The management will be able to know which specific change activity related to the merger is not giving the results that were anticipated. Once identified, the activity can be avoided by changing its course of action. This change model also helps a manager figure out gaps in the change management process. Most importantly, ADKAR creates awareness for the need to change, creates desire among the employees to support the change, provides knowledge of how the organization should go about it, encourages the employees and management by providing the ability to implement the change process and lastly, demands reinforcements to keep the change process successful. In short, it can be used to assist the employees through the change process, investigate if and why employees are resistant to change and create a successful change plan for the employees and the management once the change has been initiated (Change Management). All the points discussed above explain how this change model is helpful. However, at the same time, this change model is very simplified. It fails to take into account various situational problems that could occur which will result in no contingency plans for the organization. Another change model that can be adopted is the Lewin, Three-step Change model. This model basically analyses two types of forces (driving and resisting forces) in any change process. The driving forces must be more than the resisting forces in order for the change to occur. In our scenario, the management must list all the driving forces and the resisting forces

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Art - Essay Example He had stated the same six years earlier, in his rather personal manifesto in the catalogue of his 1855 exhibition: To word, to make a living art, that is my aim.’ This is a very important idea that artists must contend with in the contemporary world since it’s the basis of pop art. Secondly, Pop Art was created in New York and London, and its view is on the very special world of the mid-twentieth-century metropolis. Unmistakably, Pop is rooted in the urban environment. Additionally, Pop looks at special aspects of that environment which because of their associations and cultural level seemed impossible as subjects of art. These included: comics and picture magazines, the world of popular entertainment, Hollywood movies, pop music and fairgrounds; consumer durables, foodstuffs and even money. Thirdly, pop artists treat this subject matter in a special manner. For instance, they insist that a soup can or comic strip is simply a ‘motif, an excuse for a painting, like an apple in a still-life by Cezanne. Roy Lichtenstein, for instance has said before that: ‘Once I am involved with the painting I think of it as an abstraction. Half the time, they are upside down anyway when I work.’ On the contrary, while in a Cezanne the motif is a familiar one, and it’s easy for the viewer to ignore it and focus on the formal qualities of the painting, in Pop Art this motif is by no means familiar and thus strongly engages the viewer’s attention (Rubin 162). Not only is the motif new, its presentation was startlingly literal and looked more like the real thing than ever before in art’s history. The outcome was a kind of art combining the abstract and the figurative in a new way. It was realism, though done in the full knowledge of all that happened i n modern art since the time of Courbet. The next part of the discussion focuses on the major Pop artists, namely Roy