The Strange Case of the Speluncean Explorers free essay sample

Katie Rush July 6th, 2010 Intro to Philosophy The Strange Case of the Speluncean Explorers This prompt poses many moral questions. My immediate, intuitive response was that the four defendants were guilty of the crime of Roger Whetmore’s murderer. If you look at the question as simply and literally, â€Å"Did they willfully take the life of another? ,† the only possible answer is yes. However, the circumstances surrounding this problem were extreme, and that forces one to consider other factors in the problem. As a Judge on the Highest Court of the land, I would be required to give the defendants a completely fair trial. Innocent until proven guilty† does not apply in a traditional sense here, for they do not need to be proven guilty; all four involved in the crime have clearly and repeatedly admitted that they killed Roger Whetmore in order to eat his flesh, hoping to survive until they were able to escape or be rescued from the confines of the cave. We will write a custom essay sample on The Strange Case of the Speluncean Explorers or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The real question at the heart of this issue is, â€Å"How does one define guilty? † Whetmore was the one who had initially suggested that they resort to cannibalism in order to bring about the group’s survival. He was the one who rallied everyone to understand the then-present necessity of eating the flesh of another human being. He convinced them that it was for the greater good of the group. Whetmore went even so far to say that even the victim had reason to be grateful, for he would die a quick death, avoiding the phlegmatic fate that would come from their imminent starvation. In fact, he said that he himself would prefer to be killed rather than starve to death. In this, he made a verbal contract with his fellow explorers, and through his idea, gave them hope of survival. This is why it came as such a sudden and painful shock when, at the the very last minute, he changed his mind and told everyone to wait yet another week; the defendant’s minds were already set on his previous idea and they had already begun to mentally prepare themselves for the gruesome, but necessary, task. Changing his mind, when he had previously been so adamant about his first argument made the rest of the party question his trust. Why should they listen to him now? Would he change his mind again? Is he just scared that he would be the unlucky one? Their mental state was one of primal excitement and expectation: it had been many weeks since the explorers had last eaten an adequate meal. Does carrying on with the initial plan truly make the defendants guilty? Prior to the radio running out of battery life, Whetmore suggested the idea cannibalism to the physicians, along with everyone else listening on the other side of the radio. He asked for moral guidance and practical advice; he wanted them to tell him if he was making the right and proper choice to ensure the survival of the group of stranded explorers. Present there was, in fact, the Secretary of the society (who was also a justice of peace) who decided to stay quiet when Whetmore suggested killing one their members in order to eat their flesh for sustainment. Although the Secretary did not give his express permission, he certainly did not voice opposition to the idea. I do not think that it is fair nor just that when the trapped asked for moral advice, none was given, and upon their return to civilization, they were immediately arrested and considered murderers. I find it to be extremely hypocritical for authority to sit back and not say anything when called upon for counsel, presumably in fear of being considered an â€Å"accomplice. † One of dominant players in this case is that the woman who Whetmore convinced to pull out with him at the last minute. She followed Roger’s every move; she was persuaded to agree to the cannibalism in the first case, but was just as easily swayed to â€Å"wait another week† upon Whetmore’s urging. The case portrayed the woman and Whetmore as if they would agree on every issue and almost as if they acted as one unit. Although she said that she didn’t want to partake in the drawing of lots, or the cannablism as a whole, she carried on, following the group, and partook of Roger Whetmore’s flesh after his murder. This is strong evidence that disproves the opposing theory that Whetmore and the woman pulled out of the initial agreement because of any moral opposition to cannibalism. Therefore, this leads me to conclude that the only real reason that they so suddenly changed their minds about killing one for the good of the majority is the fear that one of them would end up being the unfortunate one to have the unlucky roll of the dice. The â€Å"Trolley Case† is, on the surface, an entirely different scenario, but the two cases share several common themes and motifs. Both issues play to the moral question, â€Å"Is the ultimate ethical goal to save the most lives possible? † When asked about the first incident in the trolley problem (pulling the lever to move the trolley and kill one workman instead of five workmen), I was one of the twenty-five percent that said I would not pull it. In this particular case, you are not directly involved in the situation, and I believe that you do not have the power to decide which set of lives is more valuable. Some people argued that one is â€Å"actively making a choice by remaining inactive, by not making a choice,† or that â€Å"through not involving yourself, one is involving yourself. † But if you pulled the lever to save the five workmen and take the life of the one workman, you are taking away the one workman’s free will, and are â€Å"playing God. † Another sufficient difference in the Trolley Case is the important issue of timing. In this case, you do not truly have time to rationally consider all possibilities, and the decision of whether or not to pull the lever is â€Å"spur of the moment,† and completely reliant on animal instinct. In the Speluncean explorers case, the other members of the exploration group did have time to rationally and carefully consider their every choice. An additional difference is the circumstances, and the state of mind that the explorers were in when they committed the killing. In the Trolley problem, presumably, as the conductor, you are of sound mind at the time of the decision. In the Speluncean explorers case, on the other hand, it had been quite a few weeks since the group had last eaten and, at that time, one might start to look at everything in animalistic terms. They no longer saw their fellow explorers as friends or partners, but as possible fuel and means to survive. The Queen versus Dudley case is almost identical to the Speluncean explorers case; the primary difference is that in the Queen versus Dudley case, the cabin boy murdered for the sustenance of the majority was completely and entirely innocent. He had no prior knowledge or warning of the situation and had no idea that he could be killed; in other words, he was completely unaware of his impending doom and by no means brought about his own death. Conversely, in the Speluncean explorers case, Roger Whetmore not only was the most informed about the situation at all times, he was the one who had suggested the idea of partaking in the act of cannibalism in the first place. I do not think that the killing of Roger Whetmore and the consumption of his cadaver was entirely just, but I do think that it was excusable in a moral sense, considering all of the given circumstances. If there were particular changes and variations in the case, then the outcome (just versus unjust; excusable versus inexcusable) would directly vary. For example, had the idea of cannibalism had not been Roger’s idea in the first place, and he had opposed the consumption of human flesh from the beginning, he could have taken himself out of the drawing of lots without the consequence of the other explorers questioning his trustworthiness and capacity for follow-through. Another possible scenario is that when Roger suddenly backed out, he might have said he wanted to renege on the idea of cannibalism altogether, instead of just saying he wanted to wait another week. If Whetmore had done this sudden about-face mainly because the act of cannibalism went against his morals and value systems, this would have shown that his virtues overpowered his primitive hunger and his inherent desire for self-preservation. However, Roger contested by saying that he simply wanted to wait one more week to draw lots, proving that he was simply panicked that there was a twenty percent probability that his name would be called and he would wind up being the one sacrificed. This cowardly behavior shows that Whetmore breached trust. Although there are innumerable facets of this problem that affect the outcome and, ultimately, the judgment of the actions of the four surviving explorers, I feel that it is safe to say that they should not be held culpable for the death of Whetmore. The loss of human life, in any number, is not to be trivialized, but nor should the weight and importance that a leader’s decision carries. Roger Whetmore acting, essentially, as leader of the group, made a decision that was to lead to the survival of the rest of the explorers. Then, backing out of this choice for selfish reasons, he put the safety of the entire group in jeopardy. In this, he largely brought about his own tragic fate. His murder, as unfortunate as it was, can be justified when all of the circumstances are taken into account. In the evaluation of this case, one must be careful not to judge simply through the processing of numbers and figures in terms of human life; they must be cautious to consider important factors such as free will, the pertinence of the acting leader’s decisions, and the necessity of faithful follow-through. All of these factors are vital to the process of making an appropriately quantitative and qualitative assessment of this case.

Young and Feminine Comportment Essay Example

Young and Feminine Comportment Essay Example Young and Feminine Comportment Paper Young and Feminine Comportment Paper Iris Marion Young- Feminine Comportment The aim of this essay is to evaluate and discuss Iris Marion Young’s account of feminine comportment. Much of her essay is based on theories and ideas expressed in the work of Merleau-Ponty and so to evaluate Young, this essay shall briefly discuss the work of Merleau-Ponty. The essay shall then turn to the overview of Young’s essay. The evaluation of this argument shall be clearly and concisely encapsulated in a short conclusion. The first point that Young concerns herself with is that Erwin Strauss in his study of body comportment takes but a moment to discuss why young girls have the ineffective throwing style that they do. Strauss finds no conclusion as to why young girls awkwardly throw a ball and so puts it down to an â€Å"effeminate essence or feminine attitude†. However attitudes are built through socialization as in the blank paper socialization view- that perhaps seems the most possible if not rational. What is apparent is that attitudes are learnt- not acquired so where would a five year old girl have learnt of her â€Å"feminine essence†? In her own words Young seeks to â€Å"†¦fill a gap that thus exists both in existential phenomenology and feminist theory. † (Young. 1990, p 145) Young seeks to find out how the body completes a definite task and this is done through combining the works of Merleau-Ponty and Beauvoir who both tackle and formulate different ideas concerning movement. Awareness of body is inherent- our bodies have the ability to â€Å"learn† where we are in relation to space. With practice our bodies can act without cognitive thought, the things that we practice with thus become an extension of ourselves- as with an experienced typist that no longer needs to look at a computers keyboard, Merleau-Ponty likens this to his typewriter where a â€Å"motor space† opens under his hands and he is able to type without thinking about finding the letters. This can be noticed in sports too, for example when a squash player’s racquet is an extension of the body. The player is aware of it, has an idea of where it is in relation to them and employs it as an extension of the body without much thought, in order to hit the ball. The same occurs in many other sports like hockey, competent practice for long enough turns the stick into an extension of the arms, the player is as aware of it as they are of a limb. When a ball is hit dangerously into a player’s body, instead of raising hands to catch it, the stick automatically comes up to block it. This is because the player has trained to do so and now gives the action no thought- it just happens. This could be likened to muscle memory- and even after not touching a stick or riding a bicycle, the person trying to do either would still be able to. This idea that we can so involve our bodies in the world around us should not be strange. Humans are too removed from their surroundings for the most part and this mechanism of acquired body movement should be perfectly natural as after all we control our bodies. Young also mentions Simone de Beauvoir’s study on feminine comportment. The problem with this study according to Young is that Beauvoir focuses on why women have always felt their body a burden- this mostly due to how carrying child and giving birth tends to create a earthy bond to nature that men do not experience. This in part oppresses women- also the fact that men don’t carry children seems to be part of the natural oppression that women feel. However this does not address the issue of â€Å"feminine essence†, as this has to do with a woman’s physiology and not with a mysterious essence. She starts with the basic movements- mapping the differences in stance while walking, standing and sitting and then moves to how things are carried and used in relation to the body. The general findings are that women try to protect themselves from harm; they do not believe themselves physically able to perform heavy tasks like men do. Also their actions reflect an inherent subordinate position in relation to the way men walk, stand and interact with objects. Men and women use their bodies differently according to Young- as if this was not immediately apparent, but to Young the â€Å"why† is what is important. Quite generally Young concedes that women do not feel as comfortable with space as men do, men tend to take a more active view of space, and sport is a good way of measuring this. But surely it is too easy to say that women are more afraid of getting hurt than men are and that they don’t have confidence in their bodily abilities as men do- which Young offers as a two-prong answer to why women are at a base level more uncomfortable with space and actions. She suggests that women do not trust their bodies as men do instead having to fight their bodies to fulfill an action. Young then defines the three modalities of movement that are inhibited by inherent femininity and these are: ambiguous transcendence, inhibited intentionality and discontinuous unity. To explain these terms- ambiguous transcendence is the idea that rather than moving through the body, women are uncomfortable in it, they do not forget that they have a body, rather they are perpetually aware of it, and yet not comfortable with it. Transcendence is when you are one with your body, where your body is entirely you, you don’t even think about it because it is the thing that does all the experiencing. Immanence is when you are aware of something as a thing. The hockey stick thus is immanent to us. Young is saying that for women, their bodies are only partly transcendent. At no time does a woman become lost in an activity and forget she has a body, she doesn’t connect to the action through the body. She is always aware of the body as an object. She says that the fact that in, for example, throwing, women only move part of their bodies (just the arm, say) shows that the unmoving part is still an object for them. To describe inhibited intentionality, think that rather than your body reaching forward to get something, you hesitate. Intentionality is involved with how directly one intends to do something. Young here is interpreting Merleau-Pontys idea that people exhibit intentionality in their movement. Men have an excellent sense of intentionality while that of women is not as developed or is hindered by many factors. Discontinuous unity has got to do with the surroundings of the body. Young describes how women isolate muscles and muscle groups in order to get a task done. This is not productive by any stretch as women don’t use the major muscle groups to bear the weight. She also advocates the idea that women see themselves as objects within the situation. This is based somewhat on what Merleau-Ponty says about the unification of the body and the action, for Young it is possible that his experience is simply due to him being a man. This indeed would make his interaction with the world different from hers. Thus simple tasks, if Merleau-Ponty is correct would require a woman to do both the task at hand and also fight her body- or compel it into doing the task. â€Å"Woman takes herself to be the object of the motion rather than its originator† (Young. 1990, p150). Also it must be noted that Young takes the view that women see an object as coming at them not towards them, the idea of catching for instance must then difficult. The idea of the object coming at them must be conquered in order that the object can be caught. This adds another dimension to a simple act, as the body must be coaxed into doing such a seemingly simple task. To sum up the implications of this are easy- Young postulates that women experience a sense of inherent otherness concerning their own bodies. As to Young’s use of Merleau-Ponty’s work, she uses his work in her discussion of modality, which she summarizes into three points. Albeit these three points deal apparently with the same concept and seem to have almost the same premises and conclusion. The first relates that Merleau-Ponty makes a distinction between the types of space that a human can experience. The different ideas of space for him arise due to a man or woman’s relation to that space, from this, Young surmises that feminine space is different to that of males in that women find space enclosing and find themselves positioned in space- this must mean that men find themselves surrounded by space but not positioned in it- rather it around them. Merleau-Ponty finds that â€Å"here† and â€Å"there† to men are one and the same- as I would also have thought- being male- the view of men is that â€Å"here† and â€Å"there† are the same- joined by their bodies. Feminine spatiality again is not the same as it assumes the view that â€Å"there† is different from â€Å"here†- Young labels this double spatiality (Young, 1990, p152). The third point starts with the idea that women find themselves positioned in space. For Merleau-Ponty the world is made up of objects and objects require space, the body is not the object but the mechanism by which space can be measured. This cannot be so for women if they are positioned in space. Young sets out to propose that feminine bodily comportment is a complex issue and that it has nothing to do with a â€Å"feminine essence† as Strauss wanted to believe. Instead for Young- and her study does lead one to the conclusion that- the modalities of female bodily comportment are in fact due to the oppression of women by men since time immemorial. This has nothing to do with the anatomy and physiology of the female form, instead with the â€Å"situation† of women in society as Young calls it. Women have always been objectified- to the extent that this objectification is part of what it means in this contemporary world to be a woman. When a young girl sees how women walk and act- something that they in turn did occurs- she imitates their stance and behavior. This can be seen in the case of â€Å"tom-boys†, they are more likely to succeed at sport and they are generally stronger and more aware of space as they prefer the idea of being men when they are young. In conclusion, the work of Merleau-Ponty is compelling and intuitive- perhaps as I am a male- in all it is very concise, cogent and easy to understand. The ideas and insights that Young shares on how women view their bodies and space also seems clear and cogent. However the way that she uses Merleau-Ponty’s work to give contrast to her work is excellent. The usage of the three points that were in contrast to Merleau-Ponty’s study might perhaps have seemed repetitive but in fact they deal with miniscule differences that are seemingly unimportant until a further observation. In all this is a well written and intelligent argument or set of theories. The coup de grace is that as a male one cannot but blindly disagree- as one has no knowledge of what it is like to be a woman, or one must blindly agree as what is said about the way women relate to space does make sense. The idea that the way women walk, carry and hold things too is easy to agree with, there is no doubt that women have been oppressed and objectified throughout history and this could very likely have changed their views on space and the body- as opposed to the views of men. From a male point it would be more rational and politically correct to agree with Young. Words: 2052 List of Reference 1. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, 1962, Phenomenology of Perception, Routledge, London. 2. Iris Marion Young, 1990, Throwing Like a Girl and Other Essays in Feminist Philosophy and Social Theory, Indiana University Press, Bloomington

SAT Admission Requirements The Importance of the SAT

SAT Admission Requirements The Importance of the SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re currently applying to college or getting ready to apply to college, you’ve probably heard of the SAT and/or the ACT.You may already know thatthe SAT is a standardized test which high school students take before applying to college, but how important is the SAT in college applications? It’s hard to overstate the importance of the SAT. Your testscore will beone of themost important partsof your college application (if not themost important part). In this guide, I'll explain why test scores are a key part of your application and how you can determine the SAT admission requirements for the schools you're interested in. Why Is the SAT Important to Colleges? There are two main reasons for the importance of the SAT to colleges. Let's go through them one at a time. #1: Your SAT Score Is How Colleges Compare You to Other Applicants from Around the Globe. Applicants to one university will come from different backgrounds, will have attended different high schools, will have taken different classes, will have done different extracurricular activities, but all applicants will have taken the SAT and/or ACT (at least at non-test optional schools). Your SAT score reveals whether your GPA and transcript are accurate representations of your academic ability. Admissions officers use your SAT/ACT score to figure out if your grades were inflated or not. If you have a 4.0 GPA with a perfect 1600 SAT score, admissions officers will likely be impressed and think your GPA is reflective of your academic potential.If you have a 4.0 GPA with 1000 SAT score, admissions officers may think your grades were inflated and that your SAT score is a better representation of your academic potential. A high SAT score can also make up for a lower GPA.If you have a 3.0 GPA with a perfect 1600 score, a college admissions officer may be willing to overlook your GPA and consider your SAT score as an indication that you’re college ready. #2: Colleges Are Judged by Their SAT Score Ranges The SAT is important to colleges becausethey use it tojudge your academic preparedness for college. However, it's also important to colleges because if you're admitted, your SAT score will be incorporated into their yearly SAT statistics. Each year, universities publish their freshman admissions profile (see an example of Princeton's freshman admissions profile).In this profile, collegesprovide the data on admitted students.The data includes either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. However, usually, the 25th/75th percentile is provided instead of average score.The 25th percentile score means that 25% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 75% of admitted students scored above).The 75th percentile score means that 75% of admitted students scored at or below that score (and therefore 25% of admitted students scored above).The average score is just what it sounds like, an average of all the admitted students scores. The public judges this data to perceive the selectivity of the school (the higher the range, the more competitive or â€Å"better† the public thinks the school is).When you think of Ivy League schools such as Harvard, UPenn, Columbia, you likely think, "Wow those are good schools!" Why do you think they are good schools? You might think of their alumni or campuses. However, many lower ranked schools such as Denison have beautiful campuses with famous alumni like billionaire Michael Eisner. You might think of their low admissions rates, but there are othercolleges with comparable admissions rates tothe Ivies. The mainreason you associate Harvard, Stanford and other top colleges with prestige is because of their published SAT score ranges and their ranking. When doing research on applying to colleges, you likely came across the US News World Report ranking of US colleges.Every year, US News World Report assembles their rankings based on several categories including the SAT scores of admitted students.If you’re admitted to the school, your SAT score will be factored into that school’s overall national ranking in US News World Report. Top colleges such as Harvard, Yale, and Stanford want your SAT scores to be agood so that it reflects well on them. Even "second tier schools" such as Vanderbilt, USC, and Emory care about thisbecause they hope to continue to rise in theUS News World Reportrankings. Don't be blinded bybeauty or rankings! Find the right school for you! What Does This Mean for You? Because colleges rely so heavily on SAT scores in their college admissions process, you want to make sure that you have an SAT score that fits their expectations. How do you figure out what that theirscore expectation is? Remember, those score percentiles I mentioned earlier?As a brief refresher, colleges publish an admissions profile every year that shows either the 25th/75th percentile SAT/ACT scores (sometimes referred to as the middle 50%) or the average SAT/ACT scores of admitted students. Admissions officers use this data as the standard for the students they admit.Colleges willbe looking for applicantswho are in or above this range (or at or above the average). That way colleges are always getting the same or better caliber student (to either stay the same or increase their rankings). At PrepScholar, we recommend trying to get your score at or above the 75th percentile score for your target school to give yourself the best chance of admission. How To Find Out a College's SAT AdmissionRequirements? I’d recommend reading our guide to finding your SAT score for your target school first. However, the simple route is to Google Search for â€Å"[College Name] SAT PrepScholar.†That will bring you to our admissions page for your target school. You will find the average SAT score, along with the 25th/75th percentile SAT scores of admitted students, and you’ll be able to use our nifty admissions calculator to determine your chances of getting into that school based on your GPA and current SAT score. Take note of the 75th percentile SAT score listed onour admissions page for your target school. That should be your target SAT score. You can do it! What Can You Do To Improve Your SAT Score? Now that you’ve found out your target score, what can you do to reach it?If you have not prepared for the SAT, you need to. Start with our complete SAT study guide. If you’ve prepared but are still seeing no improvement, consider switching up your strategy. We’ve prepared many great SAT strategy guides. Read them hereand make sure you’re trying to incorporate some of these strategies. NOTE: not all strategies will work for all test-takers. Try out some on your practice tests. Try to figure out what works for you and what doesn't work for you. If you’ve tried all of the strategies and are still seeing no improvement, you should consider hiring a tutor or trying PrepScholar’s program.Don’t sweat! With the appropriate amount of time and effort dedicated, you should be able to reach your score. In a hurry? Check out our SAT 10-day cramming guide. What’s Next? Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school. Worried about the rest of your college application? We’ll help you write a great personal statement and get excellent letters of recommendation. Still not sure whether the SAT or ACT is right for you? Let’s help you pick the right test for you! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Car engine danger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Car engine danger - Essay Example In this case a person was injured in a road accident, as he was hit by a fire engine which had ignored the red light while on duty to save lifes by reaching at the location as soon as possible so that any extra damage to the property and life could be minimized. The key issue in this case was whether there was any immunity and privilege enjoyed by fire extinguishers gave them a right to run over people while on duty and whether any exception exists in favor of emergency services on duty or the general principles of tort of negligence are applicable in these situations. The Court of appeal held in this case that "It is said that, because he was driving a fire engine, he was in a certain privileged position. That is not so. He was not in a privileged position at all. It is perfectly true that, when the bell is clanged, people generally draw aside, but, if they do not draw aside, the driver of a fire engine has no business to charge into them.

City Council Meeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

City Council Meeting - Essay Example Seated at the center is the Deputy mayor and also the Head of Committee Services. To the left of the mayor are seated the Chief government, the town Solicitor and also the Council Manager. They supply recommendation on the conduct of the meeting similarly as creating a politician record of the proceedings and selections taken. Upon election, Councilors ar allotted a particular seat within the Chamber. The media create use of a Press Table set below the soapbox and ahead of the Members seating room. Variety of officers also will be gift within the meeting for supporting numerous aspects of the meeting. There’s a Public Gallery to the left of the Lord politician. Officers Gallery is going to be to the correct of the mayor. Each seat has shared access to an electro-acoustic transducer that is controlled from a console on the soapbox within the Chamber. The Lord politician encompasses a reproduction of the electro-acoustic transducer layout on the chamber in order that those desires to talk are often known. The console and also the Mayors electro-acoustic transducer incorporate associate degree override button. The reduction from originally a hundred sixty five Councilors to the current ninety Councilors implies that not all of the seats within the Chamber square measure currently occupied. The Council meets each seven weeks and extraordinary conferences square measure generally commands to subsume specific problems. At the start of each municipal year the council holds its annual general meeting. This is often the meeting wherever the mayor, deputy mayor, leader and executive board square measure appointed, yet as the numerous different committees of the council. There square measure total ninety councilors in thirty wards of urban center council. One ward is consisting of roughly twelve, thousand populations. All wards square measure community based mostly wards. There square measure three councilors for every ward. They’re the representative

Social Promotion Essay -- essays research papers

Social Promotion: An Excuse for Not Educating a Child   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When it comes to students failing a grade level there has always been two options, either a student can be socially promoted or they can be retained. The choices for a failing child are limited and both situations have stigmas attached. Both options have positive and negative effects this I concur. While, presenting both sides of the argument I will note that retention is not always the solution to a failing child’s future, however, promoting a student without the skills or knowledge to proceed to the next grade level only paves a future of destruction. What is Social Promotion?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Social promotion is the practice of promoting students to the next grade when they have failed to master part or all of the grade-level curriculum.† Social promotion is considered to keep a student’s social and psychological well being intact by allowing them to stay with their peers (social promotion). Social promotion reinforces failure, ignores students’ problems, and sends a message to every student that achievement and effort do not matter. (#1 pg. 1) The Alternative†¦Retention   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Retention is often viewed as the only alternative to social promotion, it is a policy that holds back students who have failing grades at the end of a school year (#2 pg. 3). Retention allows students to have an additional year to repeat a grade and to master the core curriculum for that grade level. However, when a child repeats a grade level they are often taught the same skills in the exact same manner from the previous year, thus leading them through another unsuccessful year.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While most teachers know that educational research indicates that retention can be ineffective, if not harmful, they feel there are insufficient educational alternatives (#2 pg. 4). It is estimated that between 15 and 19 percent of students are retained each year and as many as 50 percent of students in large urban areas are usually retained at least once before they graduate or decide to drop out of school (Starr pg.1). The American Federation of Teachers reports that very few studies have ever documented any appreciable long-term academic gains with retention (Starr pg. 1). The AFT also notes that with retention come problems such as, student alien... ...ly intervention, and a determine and well prepared staff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is so easy to pass a child off by just promoting them to the next level. One might think it is not my problem anymore. By socially promoting children by just one grade level can effect that student’s performance for a lifetime. Students are in school to learn not to be passed off. They have right to a proper education and they must master all skills before being promoted. There is no hope for a child who has not met the standards or mastered the skills to be constantly promoted from one grade to the next. A student with an immeasurable amount of unmet skills and standards will never be able to function on â€Å"normal† level within society. If school systems, teachers, and parents do not hold each child responsible for the set standards then they are depriving these students of an education and a chance to ever have a successful future. When the question asked what is to be done with a failing student the answer is not social promotion. Social pro motion is an excuse, a scapegoat, or a way out of taking the time, extra effort, and responsibility of educating a child.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Bronze Age Mesopotamia Leadership

The Epic of Gilgamesh Bronze Age Mesopotamia had a distinct culture and tradition; their rich cultural heritage was passed down by some incredible fictitious and non-fictitious writings like the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’. There are many inferences that can be made about Bronze Age Mesopotamia by reading the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’. It’s clear from this document that the dichotomy between a tyrannical and a just leader existed in the society where the leaders were expected to be courageous, bold and adventurous.The importance of the role of religion on leadership cannot be overlooked and religion seemed to mingle with and govern the lives of the leaders. One of the most powerful deductions that can be made about Bronze Age Mesopotamia is the constant struggle between a tyrannical ruler and a just ruler. In fact one can go as far as claiming that the entire document highlights the need for a leader who rules well over his people. In the end of the tale we see Gil gamesh, a tyrannical barbaric ruler, repent by pledging to become someone who loves the people he rules (Kovacs).This shows that perhaps corrupt tyrants who thrived at the expense of the common people marred the Bronze Age Mesopotamia. Similarly another key deduction on leadership is the apparent divine mandate to rule. The Persian Empire is known to have solidified the ‘divine mandate to rule’ and it seems that the Bronze Age Mesopotamia wasn’t too far off from the same notion. In the story we see Gilgamesh as a ‘hero’ mandated by the Gods to rule and after he displeases the Gods we see the birth of another ‘hero’ once again mandated by Gods to challenge Gilgamesh (Kovacs).This intricate relationship between heroes and Gods is something that seems to be a key feature of leadership as no ordinary person could simply become a leader. The Bronze Age Mesopotamian society had somewhat unique expectation from their leaders. The most important expectation dealt with courage and strength, which is to clear from the numerous incidents during the ‘Woe unto Gilgamesh who slandered me and killed the Bull of Heaven! † We see Enikdu and Gilgamesh fight off ‘the bull of heaven’ as well as fight each other with courage, passion and determination. A leader who did not ave the courage to fight and the strength to win was considered no leader at all during the Bronze Age Mesopotamia (Kovacs). Similarly, the leaders were also expected to have a sense of adventure to test out their courage. During the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ we see Gilgamesh and Enikdu travel to the dark cedar forest to fight the great monster called Humbaba. There seemed to be no reason for both these leaders to fight this monster but in order to prove their worth and win over the love of their people they had to embark upon this journey and prove their courage as seen in this quote, â€Å"I am Gilgamesh, I killed the Guardian!I des troyed Humbaba who lived in the Cedar Forest†¦ I slew lions in the mountain passes! † (Kovacs) . During the course of the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’ we also find out about interesting and intricate relationship between Gods and leadership. The Bronze Age Mesopotamian notion of God was very different from our modern notion and God’s often had physical form and interacted with men and other beings. Its clear from the tale that Gods were deeply concerned about who rules and it what manner. As seen in tablet VI, after Gilgamesh rejected Ishtar’s proposal to her father, â€Å"the god of creation, brings about a curse upon the city of Uruk (Kovacs).Even though the Gods do not have complete control over how the leaders behave they seem to be the ones who ultimately decide their fate as is evident from the death Enkidu. The Gods also seem to decide the creation of leaders and their qualities. The leaders can be seen as ‘appointed officials’ and w henever a leader is doing what the Gods would have him do the God’s can create a new one to bring about balance and harmony. To conclude, the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, one of the few surviving works of the ancient literature, provides with wonderful insights into the hidden world of leadership in the Bronze Age Mesopotamia.From this tale we find out that the Mesopotamian society had experienced tyrannical rule but at the same time people seemed to have realized a way forward where rulers needed to be just. We also find out that Bronze Age Mesopotamian culture recognized courage, passion and a sense of adventure as important virtues in their leaders. Similarly a lot can be said about the close connection between leaders, Gods and the ultimate power of the Gods over the leaders. Works Cited Kovacs, Maureen. The Epic of Gilgamesh. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Sep 2012. .