Albert Camus’ the Plague Essay

Can God possibly exist in a world full of madness and injustice? Albert Camus and Samuel Beckett address these questions in The Plague and Waiting for Godot. Though their thinking follows the ideals of existentialism, their conclusions are different. Camus did not believe in God, nor did he agree with the vast majority of the historical beliefs of the Christian religion. His stance on Christianity is summed up most simply by his remark that â€Å"in its essence, Christianity (and this is its paradoxical greatness) is a doctrine of injustice. It is founded on the sacrifice of the innocent and the acceptance of this sacrifice† (Bree 49). Camus felt that Jesus Christ was an innocent man who was unjustly killed. This does conflicts with all of Camus’ values. However, Camus did not believe that Jesus was the son of God. Camus’ inability to accept Christian theology is voiced in The Plague by Riex and juxtaposed against the beliefs preached by Father Paneloux (Rhein 42). Paneloux’s attitude toward the plague contrasts sharply with Rieux’s. In his first sermon, he preaches that the plague is divine in origin and punitive in its purpose. He attempts to put aside his desires for a rational explanation and simply accepts God’s will. In this way he is not revolting and therefore falls victim to the plague. Father Paneloux’s belief that there are no innocent victims is shaken as he watches a young boy die of the plague. Camus purposefully describes a long, painful death to achieve the greatest effect on Paneloux: â€Å"When the spasms had passed, utterly exhausted, tensing his thin legs and arms, on which, within forty-eight hours, the flesh had wasted to the bone, the child lay flat, in a grotesque parody of crucifixion† (215). Paneloux cannot deny that the child was an innocent victim and is forced to rethink his ideas. During his second sermon, a change is seen in Father Paneloux. He now uses the pronoun â€Å"we† instead of â€Å"you,† and he has adopted a new policy in which he tells people to believe â€Å"all or nothing† (224). Father Paneloux, as a Christian, is faced with a decision: either he accepts that God is the ultimate ruler and brings goodness out of the evil that afflicts men, or he sides with Rieux and denies God. The conclusion formed by Camus is that because this is a world in which innocent people are tortured, there is no God. Samuel Beckett does not necessarily deny the existence of God in Waiting for Godot. If God does exist, then He contributes to the chaos by remaining silent. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal noted the arbitrariness of life and that the universe works based on percentages. He advocated using such arbitrariness to one’s advantage, including believing in God. If He does not exist, nobody would care in the end, but if He does, a believer is on the safe side all along, so one cannot lose. In this play, either God does not exist, or He does not care. Whichever is the case, chance and arbitrariness determine human life in the absence of a divine power. This ties in with the two tramps’ chances for salvation. As one critic observes, â€Å"For just as man cannot live by bread alone, he now realizes that he cannot live by mere thinking or hanging on in vain to a thread of salvation which does not seem to exist† (Lumley 203). This explains Vladimir and Estragon’s contemplation of suicide after Godot remains absent for yet another day. One could also argue, in the absurd sense, that each man has a fifty-fifty chance of salvation. One of the two prisoners who were crucified with Jesus was given salvation. This element of chance for salvation can also be extended to Pozzo and Lucky in Waiting for Godot. When they come across the two tramps, Pozzo is on his way to sell Lucky because he claims that Lucky has grown old and only hinders him. In this way Pozzo is trying to draw that fifty-fifty chance of salvation for himself. One of the ways in which Lucky hinders him is that Lucky could be the one to be redeemed, leaving Pozzo to be damned. Even Lucky’s speech is concerned with salvation: Given the existence†¦ of a personal God†¦ outside time without who from the heights of divine apathia divide athambia divide apaia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown†¦ and suffers†¦ with those who for reasons unknown are plunged in torment. (28) After removing all of Lucky’s nonsensical meanderings, the gist of his speech is that God does not communicate with humans and condemns them for unknown reasons. His silence causes the real hopelessness, and this is what makes Waiting for Godot a tragedy

Extensive Reading for Efl Learners: a Library Research Essay

Abstract Most of EFL learners do not like reading and they rarely read. It is because some factors such as difficult reading material, uninteresting material and low motivation to read. However, reading skill is important skill to improve learners’ ability in learning a language. From reading, the learners will get much exposure to the language. Therefore, the teachers should introduce a good reading approach for the learners to help them in reading. Extensive reading is one approach which gives the learners an opportunity to get contact with the target language. Extensive reading will motivate learners to read and also learn English. Therefore, it will also enhance the learners’ vocabulary and improve the learners’ language proficiency. Keywords: EFL, Extensive reading, learner. Introduction Reading is one of basic skills which is learnt in English as Foreign Language (EFL) besides listening, writing and speaking. Reading will influence learners’ success in the learning process. Without having a good reading ability, learners will have problems in getting any information from reading sources such as book, newspaper, or journal. As stated by Richard Anderson and the Commission on Reading â€Å"reading as the process of constructing meaning from written texts†. Reading is one way to get information from the source that was written. However, reading is not an easy skill to be learnt. There are some factors that influence the result of the reading activity such as the type of reading, environment, and reading material. In most EFL classes, the focus of the reading skill is on the study of vocabulary and grammar, which is known as intensive reading. That kind of language lesson is not reading at all (Alderson and Urquhart, 1984; Robb and Susser, 1989 in Sheu, 20 03). Moreover, the reading itself should be more than studying the vocabulary and the grammar. The most important of reading is to understand the information in the text, in the other words the focus of the reading is in the reading comprehension. It makes the learners have little time for reading practice in their learning process. As the result, they are maintaining their ability which can help them to read extensively and understand the content of the text latter. Some researchers have introduced some approaches which can help the learners to develop their reading comprehension. One of the approaches is extensive reading. Extensive reading is contrasted with the intensive reading which is slow reading and careful reading which will take much time. According to Sheu (2003) â€Å"an extensive reading (ER) approach appears to be most appropriate option for improving learners’ language proficiency and reading ability†. This kind of reading approach can help the learners to maintain their reading skill and reading ability, because they do not need to know the meaning of every word in the text. It concerns more in the context meaning which help the learners to reduce the time spent for reading. This article will show some reasons why the teacher should use extensive reading (ER) in teaching EFL. Definition of Extensive reading Extensive reading is an approach to language learning, including foreign language learning, by the means of a large amount of reading. The learners’ view and review of unknown words in specific context will allow them to infer the word’s meaning, and thus to learn unknown words (Wikipedia.org). Extensive reading is a kind of reading that ask the learners to read large amount of books which are relative easy and understandable for the learners. It also means reading for pleasure, because the learner read what they want to read or their favourite books. The aim of this approach is to develop the learners’ reading interest and to give them more opportunities to get a large contact with the foreign language in order to master it. Extensive reading will help the learners to understand the meaning of a text or to get the information in the text as quickly as possible. Moreover, reading is one way to get a large contact with the foreign language. However, the learners have limited time in the class to get large amount of reading practice. Therefore, they need to have their own reading practice outside the class. The reading source should be understandable and also should fit with their current level of language comprehension. Therefore, in this approach, the learners are given a freedom to choose and read their favourite books or anything that they want to read. As stated by Nancy (2000) by reading many books that fit in with their language level and also understandable for them, there will be some changes occur in the learner, such as: a.Learners become able to visually and mentally process written English in a smoother, more natural way, rather than in a halting process of translating. Because the readers progress smoothly and comprehendingly through short and easy books, they are able to understand the overall flow of stories and organization of nonfiction texts. b.The foundation of English vocabulary and grammar become better established and remembered by being processed in the mind dozens or hundreds of times in natural, comprehensible contexts. c.Many of the variations of high frequency vocabulary and grammar elements that are too numerous to learn explicitly, can be learned incidentally by reading texts composed exclusively of this high frequency lexical and grammatical core. d.Learners feel satisfied and enjoy a sense of accomplishment from reading many books on their own. This increases their confidence and autonomy. e.Learners who have experienced successful English reading on their own are more appropriate to develop a reading habit. They are more likely to read outside of their courses and after their formal education ends. The characteristics of Extensive Reading 1.Reading Material In this reading approach, the teacher need to provide the learners with large amount of books which are appropriate with the language level of the learners and also the books which the students may interested in. It will be better if the books are kept in the classroom because it will give the learners an opportunity to read in their leisure time and also give them the opportunity to borrow the book. It will also help the teacher to direct the learners to read. 2.Students choice In extensive reading approach, the learners are given freedom to choose the books that they want to read based on their interest. If the learners find difficulties in reading that books, they can return the book and choose other books. 3.Reading for pleasure and information Usually learners do not like to read. They feel frustrated to understand the reading text which is too far from their language level, because they are asked to understand the whole words in that text. It will make them do not want to try to read. In the extensive reading, the learners are asked to understand the text without forcing them to understand every single word in the text. This approach will maintain the learners’ interest in reading. 4.Extensive reading out of class In extensive reading, the teacher can persuade the learners to read a lot even outside the classroom. As stated before, when the books are kept in the classroom, it will encourage the learners to borrow books and take it home, it will help to maintain learners’ reading ability. 5.Language level The level of vocabulary and grammar in the books that the learners read should not pose difficulty. It is because the purpose of the extensive reading approach is motivating the learner to read and also encouraging the learner’s reading fluency. However, the books should not too easy, because it will lead the learners’ feeling that they get nothing from reading that kind of books. 6.Use of dictionary Reading becomes a boring activity for the learners because they need to stop their reading to look up every word that they do not understand in the dictionary. Therefore, the use of the dictionary in this kind of reading should be avoided when their reading flow. They can write or take note for some difficult words and can look them up after they have finished their reading. 7.The teacher role in Extensive Reading In the extensive reading, the teachers’ roles are to encourage, to motivate, and to help the learners with their reading. The teachers can involve their individual counseling in the learning process. This situation gives the teachers an opportunity to ask learners’ reading experiences and also ask learners’ problems in reading during or after class time by checking and commenting on written summaries that learners do of their reading (Susser and Robb, 1989). By making summaries, the learners are given opportunities to demonstrate what they get from reading and allow the teacher to check their understanding to the texts or books that they have read. The teachers’ role is also as a model for the learners. When the teachers are also seen to be a reader by the learners, it will encourage them to read. The teachers can talk in class about the books that they have been read. If the teachers are knowledgeable about the books in the class library and having them r ead, they can give recommendations to learners about what to read. The teachers can also read aloud to the learners, as a way of introducing students to different genres or individual books. Benefits of using Extensive reading technique for EFL students Many researchers have been held some research to know the benefit of using Extensive reading technique (ER) and also to demonstrate the effectiveness of ER to support the development of language acquisition for the learners. First, extensive reading can improve learners’ motivation in learning English. One characteristic of extensive reading is that the learners can choose books or articles in which they are interested because learners have their right to choose books or articles that they like to read. According to some result of experiment by Shang, Briody and Lin (2006), the learners prefer reading articles or books which they are interested in, rather than reading textbooks. Therefore, learners have more motivation to read English materials. Second, extensive reading can enhance learners’ vocabulary. In the process of extensive reading, the learners can read some words which show up frequently in the articles or books. When the learners read more and more, they will become familiar with the words that they usually read. They can understand those words and memorize them easier. In addition, learners have greater motivation to learn some special or interesting words through reading. Consequently, extensive reading can enhance learners’ vocabulary, these findings fit into the literature (Lai, 1993). Third, extensive reading can improve learners’ reading comprehension. Learners can comprehend more extensive vocabularies, build their reading ability, and access to background information through extensive reading. When learners read more, their vocabularies could be developed. Once the learners’ ability in vocabulary has been developed, it will be easier for them to get and understand the main idea from articles and other texts. Fourth, extensive reading can improve learners’ overall language proficiency. It does not only improve their reading skills but also improve learners’ skills in listening and also speaking as reported by Cho and Krashen (1994). Writing skill is also impacted by reading extensively as reported by Elley and Mangubhi, (1981) and Janopoulos, (1986). The most important thing is that extensive reading will make the learners become better readers. Research in languages learning shows that learners learn to read by reading. It means that the more they read, the better reader they become. Conclusion Extensive reading is an approach which give the learners high amount of reading chance. It is a good technique which can give the learners high contact with the target language which can help them to master the language. There are some benefits of using extensive reading for EFL learner such as: improving learners’ motivation in learning English, enhancing learners’ vocabulary, improving reading comprehension, and also improving language proficiency (speaking, listening, writing and reading skill). References Alyousef, Hesham Suleiman. (2005). Teaching reading comprehension to ESL/EFL learners. Retrieved from www.readingmatrix.com/articles/†¦/article.pdf. Bell, Timothy. (1998). Extensive reading: why? and how?. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/articles/bell-reading.html Hafiz, F.M., &Tudor, I (1989). Extensive reading and the development of language skills. English language teaching Journal, 43, (pp 4-13) Lan, Yu-Ju., Sung, You-Ting., & Chang, Kuo-En (2006) Collaborative early reading EFL reading among distributed learners: a simulation pilot study. The JALT CALL Journal, 2006, vol.2, No.2, pp3-18. Maley, Alan. (2009). Extensive reading: why it is good for our students†¦ and for us. Retrieved from http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/articles/extensive-reading-why-it-good-our-studentss†¦-us Mason, B., & Krashen, S. D. (1997). Extensive reading in English as a foreign language. System, 25, 91-102. Retrieved from http://www.benikomason.net/†¦/extensive_reading2.pdf Richard, R.D. The benefits of extensive reading (ER). Retrieved from www.oup-bookworms.com/†¦reading/er_article. Shang, Hui-Fang., Briody, Paul., Lin, Chia-Yun. (2006) The effect of extensive reading strategies on

A Review Article on Concept Mapping

A Review Article on Concept Mapping A concept is a perceived regularity in events or objects designated by a label. Concept maps are graphical tools for organizing and representing knowledge in networks of concepts and linking statements about a problem or subject (Novak one for pathophysiology and one for care planning. It is sometimes easier to follow a care map if diagnoses, goals and interventions are placed in different shaped figures such as circles, octagons, and triangles. Concept mapping is used broadly in nursing education. Nursing faculty may employ them as a teaching strategy in the classroom and students may use them as a note taking or study tool. There are multiple structures used for concept mapping. They are an effective way to teach learners how to think about concepts and to see the big picture of how the many facts and variables in a situation fit together. Objectives Concept maps have been used in nursing education as a method for students to organize and analyze data. This review article examine s empirical studies on the use of concept maps as a metacognitive tool, as a tool improve students’ critical thinking abilities and as a teaching-learning method in nursing and discusses the effectiveness of using concept mapping in the nursing education. Its implications to research and implications for nursing education will also be discussed.

Summarizing a case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summarizing a case study - Essay Example Analysis From the case study, it is clear that the Delta III project was at risk for several reasons. In the opinion of Scott (1999), the project risks at Delta III can be categorized into four such as ‘customer mandate, scope and requirements, execution, and environment (p.223). Since the Pinnacle warehouse automation integrated with SAP R/3 had threatened job opportunities, it raised severe ethical problems among the warehouse employees. It seems that an effective change management program might eliminate such labor issues to a large extent. Change management programs are very crucial for an organization to change its structure from the current state to a desired future state. According to Stewart (2000), change management programs play a vital role in overcoming resistance from employees and other officials. The unprecedented volume of R/3 transactions that arose as a result of a large contract between FoxMeyer and University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) also exacerbated th e situation. Shortage of skilled and knowledgeable personnel was another issue that added to the failure of Delta III project and thereby bankruptcy of FoxMeyer Drugs.

Managing Diversity and Equal Opurtunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Managing Diversity and Equal Opurtunity - Essay Example According to this theory, discrimination is categorised into realistic, social and consensual discrimination. Realistic competition refers to a type of discrimination is driven by self-interest, which a person or group of people intend to obtain things like food, shelter, customers or territory among others. This form of discrimination is perpetuated when one group, which is often advantaged favours its members to enable them receive or obtain more same resources as compared to the others (Blank and Citro, 2004, p. 57). Social competition on the other hand is a kind of discrimination driven by desire for self esteem. The intention of this discrimination is to achieve positive social status for members of one group or groups as compared to other disadvantaged groups. Finally, consensual discrimination refers to a kind of discrimination based on desire to be excellent or accurate. This type of discrimination reflects legitimate and stable hierarchy status of a specific group of people. Example of this form of discrimination is racism, where certain race feels more superior as compared to the others. It is worth noting that discrimination can be perpetrated anywhere by any person or group of persons. ... evident during hiring and firing, compensation, classification of employees or assignment, recalling, laying off, promotion, transfer, testing and recruitment of employees. It is also evident during utilization of company’s resources, apprenticeships and trainings, pay, fringe benefits, retirement plans or disability leave of employees. Discrimination behaviour or action is evident when bosses become harder on certain employees than others based on irrelevant characteristics such as gender, race, height, weight, sexual orientation, physical disability or age. This is unethical especially if one losses or suffer damage like not getting well deserved promotion or pay hike. Discrimination takes many forms and are based on what Cahn (2002) refer s to as irrelevant characteristics such as age, disability, genetics, religion, race/ colour, sex or nationality. Examples of different forms of discrimination are listed as follows. If a person decides to donate to help disadvantage membe rs of the society like helping the orphans, but decides to donate less to others out of racist attitude, the person acts discriminately even if he benefits the recipients. Excluding students from an educational institution, training program, loan, student group, opportunities or scholarships on the basis of age or colour is some form of discrimination. Excluding people from housing, contracting/leasing or obtaining a loan on the basis of sex or age is also discrimination (Lucas, 2009). Refusal to give (advance) credit or perpetuating unequal loan terms for people because they are people from a different religion or gender is also discrimination. In the past, the government of the day in countries like South Africa and Papua New Guinea develop policies of racial discrimination during the era of

Research on the effects of water pollution Paper

On the effects of water pollution - Research Paper Example by Calhoun and Seideman (2005, p 23), they described environmental pollution as â€Å"the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment, which normally results to an adverse negative change on the natural environment.† In these two studies, it was collectively noted that pollutants comprise of chemical substances, wastewater, garbage, and various forms of energy such as noise, light, and heat. Goel (2006) in his writings stated that certain pollutants normally cause an harmful effect if they are used in excess, for example, a small discharge of noise, light, or heat into the environment is not likely to cause an harmful effect or rather it is not likely to pollute the environment. This research study will focus on water pollution and in particular, it seeks to investigate the effects of water pollution from a broader perspective that comprises of the eco-system and even the living organisms. Because of the essential use of water in everyday life by all living organisms, Villers (2001) argued that water pollution tends to have the most detrimental effects amongst all other forms of pollution. Water pollution occurs when toxic substances either in liquid or solid form are discharged into water bodies and there is no effective treatment plan that has been put in place to remove the toxic substances. Because of it wide use by all living organisms, water pollution tend to have the most detrimental effect on the entire population, individual species and the natural biological community. This fact is supported by the argument that was given by Calhoun and Seideman (2005), who deemed water pollution as a major global problem that is the root cause of many diseases and deaths that in the society. In particular, a report released by the United Nations in the year 2011 under the title ‘Water Factsheet’ noted that water pollution accounts for over fourteen thousand deaths that occur on a daily basis across the World. This report further noted that water

Incentive Effects Of Stock Purchase Plans Case Study

Incentive Effects Of Stock Purchase Plans - Case Study Example The study proved that equity-based compensation plans tend to have a more positive impact on shareholder wealth; one of the primary reasons behind adopted these compensation schemes is to ensure that managerial and shareholder interests are in sync and equity ownership boosts key execuctives more than sub ordinate employees. Smitt and Watt claimed in this study that equity based compensation schemes will trigger top employees more than the lower level employees. The hypothesis is proved using identified plans in the study. The stock purchase plans that were meant were key executives guaranteed greater returns compared to other adjusted returns. The result thus vaguely support the Smith-Watts suggestion. For instance, the IRS 423 plan which was meant for the employees within the organization gave a zero reaction on the announcement date. Article 2: The impact of Long range Managerial Plans on Shareholder wealth by James A Brickley Economists have often voiced out the economic importan ce of different types of managerial compensation schemes. However there are certain groups, for instance shareholder advocate groups who are against managerial compensation contracts. These groups insist that some plans are advantageous for managers at the expense of other shareholders. This means that while they may prove worthy for managers, they put the interest of shareholders at stake. Moreover, very little research has been conducted on this subject. There is insufficient literature out there to draw inferences from as well. The effect of various managerial plans on shareholder wealth is an empirically important issue. This study attempts to look into this issue more comprehensively and empircally. This study throws insight on the stock price reaction when there was on announcement regarding changes in long term managerial compensation packages. It is a comprehensive study undertaken by James A Brickley. The study presented evidences proving that most change plans are welcomed with positive market reaction. This is because at the end of the day, they increase shareholder wealth. The study is unable to mark comparisons between different types of market reactions to different types of compensation schemes. The difference could not be nailed in this study. The result supports the nation that every firm has it’s own set of managerial compensation requirement and every firm treats it different. Thus, there is no compensation package that is better than the other one. The profitability and feasibility of every compensation plan depends on the organization. A cross sectional analysis was done to prove the afforementioned notion. Article 3: The Modigilani Millar Propositions after 30 years by Merton H. Miller This article was published in the Journal of Economic Perspective. The journal was published on the 30th anniversary of the Modigilan-Millar propositions regarding the cost of capital, finance and the theory of investment. The article was published i n the American Economic Review of June 1958. This article throws insight into the kind of significance these propositions hold today ; to what extent have they impacted the financial models of today, what reforms did they arouse, where do these propositions stand today and how have they progressed after almost three decades of intense scrutiny , rancor debates etc. Most of these controversies can be thought off as settled today, thanks to all the research done in