Thursday, November 28, 2019

Women and Society an Example by

Women and Society The novel Bridget Jones Diary is a good depiction of how a woman struggles to cope with the people around her while keeping in mind about the things that matter to her. It reflected how a woman balanced her life despite the challenges that she constantly face. One of these challenges is how to remain beautiful as time goes by, as people around you grow old. It showed a struggle to look beautiful, feel beautiful, and stay beautiful; a struggle to conform to the womens beauty myth. Need essay sample on "Women and Society" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed In this novel, the beauty myth was that women should stay sexy and beautiful no matter what happens. This is shown by the main character, Bridget Jones. In the novel, she is a woman in her 30s who s still single and overweight. She smokes a lot, and when she tries to quit, she finds it hard to do so. When she realizes that she is way off the womens beauty myth, she tries hard to do away with her vices and lose weight, as well as find herself a man to settle down with. Looking at Bridgets situation, we can say that she is clearly trying to fit in to the beauty myth, wherein the physical aspect is the most important factor of a persons beauty. In order to do so, she is willing to give up everything that she was used to, and is very willing to change her way of life (Kesselman, McNair and Schniedewind). She seemed unhappy with herself at that time, wherein she was single and overweight. Here we can see that the beauty myth is stretched out to mean that a woman cannot attract a man if shes old-looking and weighs a little more. They view that falling for someone is purely physical attraction, and that if you want someone to fall for you, you have to make yourself physically appealing, just like what Bridget Jones think. She lacks confidence in herself, thats why she is willing to do anything just to change. Another beauty myth being shown in the novel, Bridget Jones Diary was regarding aging. At the start of the novel, we see Bridget Jones as a 30-something single woman who doesnt have any love life. For her, she is trailing n the relationship bandwagon and she needs to catch up. Age seemed to be a defining factor in this novel, considering that as a 30-something-year old, Bridget thinks of herself as getting old, and that she has to change the situation. Bridget fears that at her age, no one would get attracted to her anymore thats why she resorted to flirting with her boss at work. Despite knowing that her boss is a known womanizer, Bridget still pushed her luck since she feared that it would be the last chance for her to have a relationship. At her age, she was fearful tat she might be too old to be liked by someone else. She then turns to making herself look younger in order to attract men. She tried to loose weight along with her bad habits, all these just to be young again. There are a lot of other people just like Bridget Jones. Even though the novel slightly exaggerated on her experiences, there are still a lot of women who can relate to her story. There are a lot of Bridgets out here living up to their beauty myths. Despite the negative connotation that the beauty myth has on people, the novel still turned out well for Bridget. She was able to find the man for her, as well as conquered her own problems with the beauty myth. Whats important is that you are confident that youre lovable. Physical traits are just superficial; in the end, all of us will grow old and look old, wherein which the beauty myth is impossible to apply. What matters most is what is inside, what we really feel and not how we look. Work Cited: Kesselman, Amy, Lily D McNair, and Nancy Schniedewind. Women: Images & Realities, a Multicultural Anthology. Third ed: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, 2002.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Dispelling the Mathematical Misconceptions

Dispelling the Mathematical Misconceptions You Can Do Math! Weve probably all been at a restaurant with a group of people who want to pay individually, but only one bill arrives. You then find yourself in the position of trying to determine how much each person owes. What happens? You look over the bill with a slight wave of panic at having to figure out your total, but instead, you say, Im no good at math and you proceed to pass it to the next person who immediately responds the same way you did. Eventually and usually with some hesitancy, one person takes ownership over the bill and calculates the individual costs or divides the total by the number of people at the table. Did you notice how quickly people say that they were no good at math? Did anyone say, Im no good at reading? or I cant read? When and why is it acceptable in our society to say were no good at math? Wed be embarrassed to declare that were no good at reading yet its quite acceptable in our society to say that we cant do math! In todays information age, mathematics is needed more than it ever was before - we need math! Problem-solving skills are highly prized by employers today. There is an increasing need for math and the first step needed is a change in our attitudes and beliefs about math. Attitudes and Misconceptions Do your experiences in math cause you anxiety? Have you been left with the impression that math is difficult and only some people are good at math? Are you one of those people who believe that you cant do math, that youre missing that math gene? Do you have the dreaded disease called Math Anxiety? Read on, sometimes our school experiences leave us with the wrong impression about math. There are many misconceptions that lead one to believe that only some individuals can do math. Its time to dispel those common myths. Everyone can be successful in math when presented with opportunities to succeed, an open mind and a belief that one can do math. True or False: There is one way to solve a problem. False: There are a variety of ways to solve math problems and a variety of tools to assist with the process. Think of the process you use when you try to determine how many pieces of pizza will 5 people will get with 2 and a half 6 slice pizzas. Some of you will visualize the pizzas, some will add the total number of slices and divide by 5. Does anyone actually write the algorithm? Not likely! There are a variety of ways to arrive at the solution, and everyone uses their own learning style when solving the problem. True or False: You need a math gene or dominance of your left brain to be successful at math. False: Like reading, the majority of people are born with the ability to do math. Children and adults need to maintain a positive attitude and the belief that they can do math. Math must be nurtured with a supportive learning environment that promotes risk-taking and creativity, one that focuses on problem-solving. True or False: Children dont learn the basics anymore because of a reliance on calculators and computers. False: Research at this time indicates that calculators do not have a negative impact on achievement. The calculator is a powerful teaching tool when used appropriately. Most teachers focus on the effective use of a calculator. Students are still required to know what they need to key into the calculator to solve the problem. True or False: You need to memorize a lot of facts, rules, and formulas to be good at math. False False! As stated earlier, theres more than one way to solve a problem. Memorizing procedures is not as effective as conceptually understanding concepts. For instance, memorizing the fact 9x9 is not as important as understanding that 9x9 is 9 groups of 9. Applying thinking skills and creative thought lead to a better understanding of math. Signs of understanding include those Aha moments! The most important aspect of learning math is understanding. Ask yourself after solving a math problem: are you applying a series of memorized steps/procedures, or do you really understand how and why the procedure works. (See page 2) Answer the questions: How do you know its right? Is there more than one way to solve this problem? When questions like this are answered, youre on your way to becoming a better math problem solver. True or False: Keep giving more drill and repetition questions until children get it! False False, find another way to teach or explain the concept. All too often, children receive worksheets with drill and repetition, this only leads to overkill and negative math attitudes! When a concept isnt understood, its time to find another method of teaching it. No new learning has ever occurred as a result of repetition and drill. Negative attitudes toward math are usually the result of overuse of worksheets. In summary: Positive attitudes towards math are the first step to success. When does the most powerful learning usually occur? When one makes a mistake! If you take the time to analyze where you go wrong, you cant help but learn. Never feel badly about making mistakes in mathematics. Societal needs have changed, thus math has changed. We are now in an information age with technology paving the way. It is no longer enough to do computations; thats what calculators and computers are for. Math today requires decisions about which keys to punch in and which graph to use, not how to construct them! Math requires creative problem solving techniques. Todays math requires real-life problems to solve, a skill highly prized by employers today. Math requires knowing when and how to use the tools to assist in the problem solving process. This happens as early as pre-kindergarten when children seek counters, an abacus, blocks and a variety of other manipulatives. Family involvement is also critical in nurting a positive and risk-taking attitudes in math. The sooner this begins, the sooner one will become more successful in math. Math has never been more important, technology demands that we work smarter and have stronger problem solving skills. Experts suggest that in the next 5-7 years there will be twice as much math as there is today. There are many reasons to learn math and its never too late to start! Another terrific strategy is to Learn From Your Mistakes Sometimes the most powerful learning stems from the mistakes you make.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

John Browns importance in the antebellum slavery debate Essay

John Browns importance in the antebellum slavery debate - Essay Example Christian savior Jesus Christ (â€Å"John Brown’s Holy War,† 2010).John Brown can be a banner for which all abolitionists really under to continue the fight for the freedom and dignity of all of the people who have been wrongly chained and enslaved. The harder that we deny these winds of change the greater the force will ultimately be all the more destructive; do you not see this only brings us further from bringing this country together, but only further tear us apart. John Brown’s crime is not the charges levied against him, but what he represents and the likelihood fuel he can add to the fight against slavery. The time for change is now. Thoreau’s message speaks volumes of the respect that many have for this condemned man. He explained that his character will likely live long after him and that is his legacy (â€Å"John Brown’s Holy War,† 2010). Ultimately, the court will decide his fate, but we can take up his cause, pass the torch, and continue the fight to the end. We can no longer allow injustices that so freely and legally occur in the southern states; crimes of the most heinous kind. If ever there was a time to rise up the banner of John Brown is now. Let his cause be ours as we bring Americ a into a whole new era and very different