Testing to Improve Educational Improvements Research Paper

Testing to Improve Educational Improvements - Research Paper Example This project stresses that an educational standard is a means of improving school quality, by educating the need of effectiveness, and student data. By mandating the importance of educational values in public schools, these include states; policy makers’ not forgetting elected officials have the ability to increase the chance that students will obtain a minimum or set body of skills and information throughout their public-school education. Educational standardized achievement tests to determine learning quality as measuring high temperature with a tablespoon. Standardized success tests have a special measurement undertaking other than showing how good a school educational system is. Standardized tests should, therefore, be used to regulate the relative interpretations they were proposed to provide. Therefore, they should not be used to judge the quality of education. By looking at the significant reasons considered to be invalid in order to base inferences about the quality of education on standardized achievement test. This paper makes a conclusion that assessment aids in enhancing education and at the same time helps in recognizing how students use their knowledge in understanding and discovering. It also includes helping in developing and integrating new information by understanding the skills gained. It aids teachers and scholars to be acquainted with current understanding for future education. Thus educational standards are important in the assessment of the education process.

Examples of Discipleship Essay Example for Free

Examples of Discipleship Essay I believe that Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Christian Aid are two prime examples of discipleship in this century, Bonhoeffer as an individual and Christian Aid as an organisation. Bonhoeffer was a German preacher born in 1906 to a medical professor and his wife in Breslau, a small town. From an early age he wanted to serve God, and so he studied theology at university and taught and preached in both Germany and America. He returned to his homeland in 1933 to protest against the newly elected Nazi party, and joined the new Confessing Church, having rejected his previous Protestant church for bowing to Hitlers demands. He worked in a secret training centre for new pastors, run by the confessing church, for four years, as the Gestapo closed it down in 1937. After that, and with the signs of the oppression soon to be felt by the German people becoming clearer, Bonhoeffer took a more active role in his campaigning against the Nazis, eventually leading him to a cell in a prison and the hangmans noose in 1945. One of the main tenants of Christian discipleship is Jesus teaching on the mountain: pacifism and love for enemies. Bonhoeffer was an avid believer in these ideals, and wrote his still-relevant book, The Cost of Discipleship, based around those thoughts. He interpreted the maxim of If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also as a call for pacifism and working out disagreements by reasoning rather than force. But Bonhoeffer was forced to challenge his own morals when the news of the violent anti-Semitism ignited by Hitler spread and several of his friends joined the German resistance. Most of those opposed to the Nazis saw that the only way to end the suffering caused by Hitler was to kill him. Public meetings were banned, and the press were heavily censored. The huge propaganda departments of the government would not allow any attempt by Bonhoeffer to spread his Christian teaching. So Bonhoeffer felt that he could be quiet, and wait until the war finished, and congratulate those that ended it, or he could play an active role in a plot to kill Hitler. Firstly he helped smuggle Jews out of Germany, but was caught and forced to give up any legitimate teaching. Forsaking any hope of reaching a peaceful end to the conflict, Bonhoeffer helped the bomb plot to assassinate Hitler. When it failed he was incarcerated, and he contemplated his deviance from Christian law. Bonhoffer had to make, on his own, one of the main questions that hangs over all belief systems: Whether the moment dictates what a person should do, or if people should always keep constant what they believe in. In his case it was between fighting evil and helping those in need or staying true to his pacifist roots. He chose to take a drastic step against some of Christs teachings to implement others, leading to his arrest and execution. This inevitable question still hangs over the church, and a viable answer has yet to be suggested. Christian Aid is a charity funded by numerous churches in the UK and Ireland. Although it is funded and staffed by Christians, Christian Aid will support any people in need, regardless of religion or race, and does not attempt to convert those it helps to Christianity. Although it combats poverty and need immediately and continually in global trouble areas, it also tries too stop poverty at its root, and was a large part of the Jubilee 2000 campaign to abolish third world debt. Christian aid has interpreted Jesus teaching on Discipleship and concentrated on the aid and help parts of his teaching. It would look to examples from his life: When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying hands on each one, he healed them (Luke 4:40) This sort of passage, frequent in the gospels, shows that Jesus cared greatly for the needy, rejecting the idea that they somehow deserved their punishment, and was not afraid to get dirty and ritually unclean to help. In the same way, Christian Aid was set up by Christians who do not judge those they help, and will go to any lengths to re-enact Christs good work. They also follow the teaching laid down by Jesus in his parables, such as the parable of the Good Samaritan: He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own Donkey, brought him to an Inn and took care of him. (Luke 10:34) The idea of this parable, where one man steps in where others fear to tread, inspires Christian Aid a lot, as they are physically helping the needy of the world while other members of society just stand back and watch, sometimes nodding approvingly. They see this following of Jesus as being true to one of Jesus main teachings, Love your neighbour as yourself And seek to harmonise the lot of people around the world by abolishing suffering through war, poverty and disasters. As Christian Aids motto goes; We believe in life before Death, Christian Aid is rejecting the traditional view of the churches preaching yet not acting, and are playing an active role in the reduction of suffering. They see Jesus message not just as an instruction to put up with life until you die, but also as a chance to help the needy, and prove before God their faith as Christians.

Gojira 1954 And Godzilla 1998 Film Studies Essay

Gojira 1954 And Godzilla 1998 Film Studies Essay Humans have been around for thousands of years. Today, many movies have been created based on stories and legends of influential people and life-changing events that were recorded in history. Inspiration for the 1954 film Gojira came about as a result of World War Two during the twentieth century. The devastation brought on Japan by the two nuclear bombs had inevitably raised a wide spread awareness about nuclear weapons and its radioactive destruction (Ragone 2007). Both, Gojiras and Godzillas creation were linked to the nuclear bomb. With reference to the 1998 film Godzilla, it can be seen that the creation of the terrible lizard was linked to French nuclear weapons testing in the French Polynesia. Similarly in the Japanese context, Gojira was shown to be linked not only to the atomic bombs, but the hydrogen ones as well. With the devastation of the two atomic bombs still fresh in the Japanese minds, further H-bomb tests were carried out near Japan and eventually, the radiation fallout directly impacted on the Japanese fishing industry, causing a sharp decline. With all these tragic events occurring within a short span of time, Gojira was concocted out as an incarnation of the war itself (Ragone 2007 pg. 35) as the producers wanted a real-world scenario that reflected the Japanese concerns that time. In order to effectively protray the nature of destruction caused in the films Gojira and Godzilla, visual effects became increasingly important as it was necessary to provide an acceptable level of realism for audiences who will be watching the film. Therefore, this led to the development and creation of different visual effect techniques. Then with the advancements in technology, some older techniques were modified and re-developed accordingly. In this investigation, it will bring to light the common, yet contrasting comparisons of filmmaking between the analogue and digital eras. 2| Scene Selection | I will be comparing two parallel special effects sequences in both Gojira and Godzilla. A breakdown of this complex scene will be accompanied with a description of its technical aspects in laymans terms. The scenes involve the two animals going on a rampage through a major city at night causing massive damages. It also includes military forces trying to eliminate the creature. These two scenes were specifically chosen as I will like to highlight the core visual effects elements that can be found throughout the films. 3| The Character| It was called Gojira, but was later known as Godzilla for the American audiences. (Godzilla, King of the Monsters 1998) In the 1954 Gojira, visual effects director Eiji Tsuburaya pioneered a technique called Suit-mation. The main reason for the introduction of Suit-mation was because of the need to complete the job within a short timespan (Ragone 2007). If stop-motion technique was used, it would have taken them seven years to complete the film. The suit was constructed mainly from hand-stirred latex and then refined subsequently. Even after refinements, the suit could only be worn for several minutes due to the unbearable heat and almost non-existent ventilation within. Due to its flexibility limitations and tremendous weight, the first suit was scrapped as the actor inside could not even move. In certain scenes where only the legs of Gojira were filmed, the suit was cut into two and attached to suspenders, allowing the actor to be more comfortable while filming (Godzilla, Designing Godzilla featurette 2005). Figure |Man in halved Gojira suit Development on analogue visual effect techniques can be seen clearly in the 1998 Godzilla, when Tsuburayas technique of Suitmation was used. Trained professional puppeteers were hired for shots that needed more physical realism with the miniatures that they were interacting with. Eventually, the Godzilla suit would be replaced with a CG Godzilla. Animatronics, a technique similar to the Suitmation technique, was introduced. In this case, instead of Human actors in the creatures costumes, machines were used to replace them. This method allowed many close-up interaction shots which enabled a high level of realism (Aberly 1998). The suit was not entirely presented as a guy-in-a-suit. Primitive visual effects were added to give Gojira a scarier feel. In the shot where Gojira was tearing up Tokyo and boasting its bright flashing hind fins, hundreds of cells were hand drawn frame by frame (Ryfle 1998). In several shots where Gojira was using its atomic breath, the creature was actually a hand puppet (Godzilla 2005). With much use for puppetry and animatronics, computer generated graphics still triumphed as the best tool for visual effects in the digital era. In addition, with the developments of computer animation software and techniques, realism took to a new height. Puppeteers whom took the role of Gojira would soon be replaced with computer animators sitting behind the desk. While the actor in the Gojira suit was acting for the scene, he would be filmed using a high speed camera at around 240 frames-per-second. The film would then be projected at 24 frames-per-second giving the feel of weight and size (Faller 2010). Using modern day tools to make Godzilla (1998) move, instead of shooting a guy-in-a-suit at a high frame rate, Centropolis FX had Godzilla key-frame animated in the computer. Due to the difficulty of animating such a huge creature, the team of animators grew from twelve to sixty (Martin 1998). Subsequently, After many failed attempts of animating a proper walk cycle, the team managed to get the same feel of the high speed camera shots by animating Godzillas movement at a slower speed (Martin 1998). From using chicken wires and glued latex for the construction of the 1954 Gojira (Designing Godzilla featurette 2005), polygons and NURBS took over in the digital era. The Gojira suit was made by wrapping thin wires and bamboo with chicken wire. Cushions and fabric were also added for the actors comfort. Hand stirred latex was later applied onto the suit as skin (Designing Godzilla featurette 2005). Even though CGI was of an advanced technology, there were still setbacks. Modelers had to split up their work of digitizing the entire creature by manually using a stylus to draw out every single mesh into the computer. Furthermore, the software was not perfect and had its limitations. A Special Projects team was sent from Soft Image to trouble-shoot problems encountered by the CGI crew (Aberly 1998). Ideally, Gojira was thought to have suffered burns and scars from the H-bomb test. The textures and the suit of Gojira were hand crafted by two people. Tireless hours were spent modeling the skin bumps by using latex and then gluing it onto the skin (Godzilla, Designing Godzilla featurette 2005). However in the modern day Godzilla, there was the technology of displacement mapping whereby the 3D geometry of Godzilla would be displaced using a texture map that contained details of the skin. With the model rendered out in different passes (Martin 1998), the process was more effective and also gave compositors more freedom in manipulating the image to create a realistic Godzilla. 4| The Set | As the two Godzillas enter the city and begin their trail of destruction, the set they were on had to look real. Although both movies used miniatures for filming, this special effects technique was inevitably developed and refined extensively due to technological advancements. 4.1| Miniatures | Miniatures for Gojira (1954) were made for use as a city scape. Tsuburaya had the miniatures built mostly in the 1/25 scale, with the exception of the Diet building which was a 1/33 scale (Ragone 2007). With reference to the scale of the Gojira suit with the miniature set scale, it created an illusion of Gojiras large size. Buildings were made in a forced perspective method where buildings closer to the camera were built bigger and those at the horizon smaller. The sets were actually built on wooden platforms to allow cameramen to do low angle shots, making the buildings look even bigger (Ryfle 1998). Thin plaster and wood were used for the buildings framework. Elaborate planning of the citys construction included custom made streets that would create footprints when being stepped on. Plaster was poured over sawdust to create that effect (Ryfle 1998). Digital techniques such as CG effects animation helped the 1998 Godzilla in creating street cracks. With the help of Thomas Hollier, a senior technical director, street impact technology was created. This allowed a pipeline for a more effective way for animating pavements that would crack under Godzillas weight (Martin 1998). Miniatures were also widely used in the making of Godzilla (1998). Huge 1/24 size models were built to accommodate Godzillas path of destruction. Huge 1/10 models were also built for close-up shots. The buildings were much more detailed with some featuring plumbing and even desks. There were several miniature buildings that were reused from The Hudsucker Proxy and The Fifth Element. With this, a great amount of production time was saved as redesigning of the rest of the set was no longer required. Although both Godzilla movies incorporated miniatures, Godzilla (1998) added extensive digital compositing over its miniatures to give it more realism (Martin 1998). Techniques adopted for destroying the miniature buildings were much more sophisticated in the newer film. In the 1954 version, kerosene soaked rags were used to set the miniatures ablaze (Ragone 2007). For those that were to be destroyed by Gojiras fiery breath, explosives were set behind the buildings. Several buildings even had gasoline sprayed on them to make them burn more easily. For buildings that were supposed to be destroyed by physical contact, small cracks were made in those miniatures so that it would crumble in a more believable fashion when Gojira crushed it. It was a daunting task for the actor inside as he had to get it right on the first take as there was not enough budget and time for a rebuild (Ryfle 1998). In 1998, there were more types of pyrotechniques available and one such example would be the military type. Different methods were developed to be used on the different types of destruction. As Godzilla races through the city with its tail in free motion causing damages to buildings, cable pulls were attached to sandbags in the buildings interiors. When they were pulled, a trail of damage would occur as if Godzillas tail had swept through them. Mechanical rigs were also used to blast through a building with the CG Godzilla to be composited in later. The Chrysler Building in the scene which was destroyed by a misfire from the attack helicopters were very complex mechanical rigs. Right after the top floors exploded, it was orchestrated to shift and descend towards the camera (Aberly 1998). On the whole, miniature destruction could be choreographed with more control. Miniature vehicles were also used on the set for both films. The military elements used in the Gojira scene were tanks. Extensive pyrotechnical effects were used for the firing of the tank weapons. When the tank shells hit Gojira, blasts were created by wire rigged charges (Ryfle 1998). Comparing this to a similar scene in the 1998 movie, instead of tanks, CG Apache attack helicopters were used. Tracer fire, blasts including debris and smoke from the damage were all entirely computer generated. In addition of the rain and lighting effects which included the volumetric searchlights, RenderMan shaders were developed solely for the wet look of the helicopter. However, at the shot when Godzilla decides to lash out at the attacking military helicopters, a miniature was used. With creative ingenuity, a 1/8 scale model was made loaded with pyrotechnics and detonated (Martin 1998). 4.2| Atmosphere | To create the perfect terrorising atmosphere, Gojira (1954) was shot using a low-key lighting effect (Biodrowski 2007). This is because Low key lighting would create a darker toned picture with contrasting bright contours which is more suitable for dramatic shots. The grainy cinematography would also feed an extra punch to the eerie effect throughout the film (Ryfle et al. 2007). With the advancements in technology, analogue methods would be often replaced by colour grading and compositing. In Godzilla (1998), instead of using a low-key effect to give the dramatic shots, the environment was given a CG rain touch up. This was a complicated scene where many effects animations were applied. Not only was computer generated imagery used, acquisition footage was also being recorded for the environments. From rain to shattering windows, these footages would later be composited at different scales to tie up the scene together with the CG Godzilla (Martin 1998). Lighting was a key element in creating the perfect environment. Real lights from orange and bluish street lamps had to be reflected onto the CG Godzilla. Due to location shots where real lights were aimed at buildings when Godzilla was supposed to be in the foreground, artists had to rotoscope out the real lights and animate the CG ones. More complications had arisen when Godzilla rampaged and took out the real street lamps. Firstly, lights from the real lamps had to be rotoscoped out. A CG lamp would then be created and animated to flip or be destroyed (Martin 1998). Although this entire sequence would seem small compared to the main character, it made the scene look believable. Another small detail to add on is the stationary cars from the live action footage that underwent rotoscoping when Godzilla stomped past them. Compositing artists had to create rotoscope mattes for the vehicles and animate their bounce by hand. The add-on of the camera shake at post-production level also helped with the realism (Martin 1998). 5| The Conclusion| In my chosen scenes which depict the destructions from the streets of Tokyo to Manhattan, both Gojira and Godzilla held similar iconic symbolisms and metaphors. In the 1950s when Gojira was made, there were many underlying reasons for its creation. The focal point was the atomic bombs. Since Japan had directly experienced the impact of the bombs, it would have held a deep significance for them. To a certain extent, it was believed that without the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Gojira would not have surfaced. Gojiras rampage through Tokyo would serve as a reminder of the recent devastating nuclear attack on Japan to the survivors of the atomic bombs as well as to the rest of the Japanese. Gojira also created awareness on new nuclear weapon testing and how our interference with Mother Nature might one day prove apocalyptic and leave a trail of death and devastation. Today, in the modern world context where technological advances are ever improving and as well as relative peace, Godzilla (1998) still carries the same essence as it did 44 years ago. With the threat of existing nuclear weapons and even deforestation which leads to Global Warming, metaphorically, Godzilla still serves as a reminder and warning of an impending disaster if we do not change our ways. Iconically, Godzilla would be referred to as a present doomsday movie. From comparing the different special effects techniques that were used in 1954 to those used in 1998, one could see how the technology leap into the digital era made a big difference in improving film quality and the workflow efficiency of special effects artists. Even though gone were the days where analogue techniques such as filming in front of glass mattes were regarded as the modern methods of special effects, several analogue techniques are still considered relevant with the present world. The integration of both analogue and digital effects proved to be a success in creating a hyper-real Godzilla. With the age of computers and constant development on digital techniques and tools, no one knows what the future might hold for us as special effects artists. However, like all foundations of buildings, the journey of learning the history and methodology of analogue techniques should be deemed as equally important for future developments. 6| Bilbliography| BOOKS Aberly, R., 1998. The making of godzilla. London: Titan books. Kalat, D., 1997. A critical history and filmography of tohos godzilla series. 2nd ed. USA: Mcfarland and company, inc. Ragone, A., 2007. Eiji tsuburaya: masters of monsters. San Francisco: Chronicle books. Ryfle, S., 1998. Japans favourite mon-star: the unauthorised biography of the big g. Canada: ECW press. JOURNALS Martin, K., 1998. The sound and the fury. Cinefex, 74(3), 84-107. WEBSITES Faller, G., 2010. Tsuburaya, eiji. Available from: http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Ta-Vi/Tsuburaya-Eiji.html [Accessed 9 October 2010] Biodrowski, S., 2007. Gojira(1954)/Godzilla, king of the monsters(1954)-Film and DVD review. Available from: http://cinefantastiqueonline.com/2007/11/godzilla-1954-film-dvd-review/ [Accessed 25th October 2010] Ryfle, S. and Goldstein, B., 2007. Godzilla 50th Anniversary Pressbook. Available from: http://www.scifijapan.com/articles/2007/12/06/godzilla-50th-anniversary-pressbook/ [Accessed 1st October 2010] DVD Godziszewski, E., Ryfle, S. and Aiken, S., 2005. Godzilla. DVD. UK: British Film Institute. Godziszewski, E., 2005. Godzilla-Designing Godzilla featurette. DVD. UK: British Film Institute. VIDEO Godzilla, King of the Monsters, 1998. Video. UK: BBC Video.

Rudolph Christian Karl Diesel :: essays research papers

Rudolph Christian Karl Diesel Rudolph Diesel was born on March 18, 1858 in Paris. On September 4, 1870 Rudolph's family moved to England. In late November they decided it would be better for Rudolph to continue his schooling in Germany so he moved there on his own and stayed with a young professor. The problems Rudolph was trying to solve were the noise, size and unreliability of the steam engine. he wanted to create something that superheated ammonia gas could take the place of steam in a steam engine. He wanted to enable much higher compression pressures to be used than was able with conventional steam engines. In this way he could make greater use of heat energy. Rudolph was 32 when he finally accomplished his goal of creating the first ever Diesel Engine. To create the Diesel engine which made Rudolph famous he had to take the original steam engine and give it exhaust valves water cooling for the cylinder head and barrel and a compressed air fuel-injection system to ensure that the liquid fuel was forced into the combustion space with sufficient pressure to overcome the air in the cylinder. This basic idea of how to go about creating the engine was modified and improved many times before finally prefected in 1896. To do this Rudolph had to have a great understanding of Thermodynamics. He had to know basic principles of engines and how they work. Rudolph got help from many people. Some of the people that helped him are Machine-fabric Augsburg, Gasmotoren-Fabric Deutz and Mannesmann-Werke. It took them six years to finish the Diesel Engine. It was important because it gave a new and easier way of using engines. It gave a way for large vehicles to transport goods safely.

Inuit Culture and Society Essay -- Culture

When you mention Alaska and the Arctic Circle, one envisions igloos, dog sleds, and invariably, Eskimos. However, little do most know, that what most refer to as Eskimos is actually a generalization representing three distinct groups. In order to understand the societies that live in this region and acknowledge their cultural differences we must explore the different groups that inhabit this region of which there are two: the Inuit, and the Yupik. For the purposes of this discussion we will focus on the lives of the Inuit. The Inuit are a group of people often mischaracterized as Eskimos. They lived in the area of central and northeastern Canada and Greenland. There has been much discussion of the orignination of this group of people but the most recognized theory is that they crossed from northern Asia across thin bridge of land over the Bering Strait sometime around 6000-2000 BC. Many people mistakenly think that the Inuit and Native Americans are one in the same. It seems that the Inuit most likely came from Asia more likely than the Native Americans. Although both probably came to the Americas through the Bering Strait. Biological, cultural and dialect differences show the different origin. Much of this theory is supported due to the close resemblance of the Inuit to the Mongoloid races of Eastern Asia. Because of the harsh land and climate of the Arctic, this area was probably one of the last regions to be inhabite d making the Inuit on of the earth’s younger cultures. A large portion of the Inuit culture was developed based upon the need to survive. Migratory societies such as the Inuit were driven by the need for food to feed its members, by the availability of trade to secure resources not normally available ... ...es, J. Sidney. (2012). Inuit, . Retrieved March 11, 2012, from http://www.everyculture.com The Inuit Culture. (2009). Retrieved March 10, 2012, from http://www.mythicjourneys.org Frederic V. Grunfeld (Ed.), Oker: Spiele der Welt II. (in German) Fischer, Frankfurt/M 1984. ISBN 3-596-23075-6 Betty Kobayashi Issenman: Sinews of Survival – The Living Legacy of Inuit Clothing. UCB Press, Vancouver 1997. Pulaarvik Friendship Kablu Centre (2007). Retrieved March 7,2012, from http://www.pulaarvik.ca Maas, David. "Alaska Natives," in Native North American Almanac, edited by Duane Champagne. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. Craig, Rachel. "Inupiat." Native American in the Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia, edited Mary B. Davis. New York: Garland Publishing, 1994. Ernest Burch Jr., Werner Forman: The Eskimos. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman 1988, Macdonald/Orbis, London 1988

“Drown” by Junot Diaz Essay

In the book Drown by Junot Diaz has expressed a persons experience and environment impacts them in a negative ways. Even the ones that help eachother throughout the way could also affect one in a negative way.It will make one do things one might not want to do and doesnt notice because their in a type of mood. They don’t realize what their decisions are taking them the right path taking challenges and overcoming them or go the wrong path to life trying to make things easy for you which means doing things that are wrong.. In the beginning of my reading Yunior and Papi relationship wasn’t so close. Papi and Yunior were in the car together and Yunior was feeling car sick. In chapter â€Å"Fiesta† on page 29 it stated â€Å"when we were alone he treated me much better,like maybe I was his son or something†. This is saying since their father and son relationship was not close they didn’t have father and son love. Meaning Papi doesn’t give Yunior â€Å"heat†(father love). Unlike Mami she would say â€Å"que dios te bendiga† in chapter â€Å"FIesta on on page 35 which means god will be there protecting you at all times. One night Mami and Papi were at a party dancing acting as if their teens again having no responsibilities. Yunior would be like the security guard making sure nobody trashes the party. Mami and Papi are two different people. Papi would cheat and Yunior would find out at the parties. Papi was too strict because he would tell Yunior and his brother in chapter â€Å"Fiesta,1980† on page 37 said â€Å" If you eat anything I’m going to beat you  ¿Entiendes? I nodded And if your brother gives you any food, Ill beat him too right in front of everybody.  ¿Entiendes?† This means that the father didn’t have any respect towards his son or the people at the party. The father doesn’t care what happens to his son he wants to be the boss. This affects Yunior in a negative way because Yunior would be scared of his own father and wouldn’t have the love of his father. Yunior would like to eat the food that they have at the party but his father said no! A real father wouldn’t do that to his own children. If Papi was a real father he would treat his children in a nice way as a real caring father. This overall affects him when he continues to grow up when Yunior has his own children. He would treat them with more love because he didn’t get love from his own dad. Yunior would probably doesn’t want his children to grow up like that but better. Time has passed by and Yunior has lived without his father for nine years of his life. This could affect him because so many  things could have been happening in his life and Papi was never there for him. This affects him because they don’t have a close relationship. Mami took care of them for a long time and was always with them because she would work for 12 hours. Mami has worked at a bar but the neighborhood they live in isn’t safe. So men walk her home. Yunior could also be affected by Mami because while Papi wasn’t in their lives Mami had to do everything possible so Yunior and his brother would have everything needed for example food,clothes and water etc. Which means when Mami works shes away from her children. In this case Junot Diaz fails to prove the purpose that the people that help you throughout the way in life could affect one in a negative way. In chapter â€Å"Aguantando† on page 75 Yunior says â€Å"I never wanted to be away from the family,Intuitively distances could harden and become permanent†. This is saying since his father was away for many years and he doesn’t want to have distance between family because soon theyâ€⠄¢ll become strangers. This connects to the authors purpose that a persons experience and environment impacts them in negative ways. There will be changes in life, they might be positive or negative.This proves how Yunior felt about his family being separated not being a normal happy family. He expresses his sensitive side that family is supposed to be close and never should distance be a problem. In chapter â€Å"Aguantando† on page 83 it states â€Å"Rafa was right.It wasent the first time in two yeras after left. Papi wrote saying he was coming for us and like an innocent, mami believed anything. she prepared a party even lined up to have a goat there for slaughtering. she bought me and Rafe new clothes and when he didn’t show she sent everybody home.† This says that Papi wrote a letter to them saying he would go get them but he lied. Mami tried her best to have a welcome party when papi arrived. This also proves that Papi affected the whole family. But the father doesn’t see m to care at all. When Yunior grows up he will probably try to be a better father to his children than his own children. Without his father it also affects him to what kind of friends he has. Because he doesn’t have a father advice. Yunior shoplifts and sells drugs. His mother probably didn’t notice because she was busy with work and and payed more attention to her childrens needs like having food,shelter and good to go to school. But not emotionally on how Yunior felt about Papi not there with him and Mami working all the time for them.. Yunior could have a empty space in  his heart because his family isnt complete. Ramon De Las Casas (father) left Santo Domingo before his fourth birthday. â€Å"Papi had been planning to leave for months,hustling and borrowing from his friends or from anyone† on page 163. This is saying thats his father left him at a very young age. Yunior will live without fathers love. His father wanted to leave and probably didn’t think about it carefully he just wanted to leave right away. â€Å"After a fork pierced him in the cheek, Papi decided to move ,just until things cooled down. He took a small bag of clothes and broke out early in the morning† on page 1 63 from â€Å"Negocios†. Mami and Papi had a argument and and Papi just decided to leave and not communicate with each other. This would affect Yunior because at this time he was little and probably wouldn’t understand things. Maybe he thought his father just didn’t want to be with his family and doesnt love them. Subsequently a person could be affected by their environment and experience â€Å" He was twenty four. He didn’t dream about his familia and wouldn’t for many years. He dreamed instead of gold coins,like the ones that had been salvaged from the many wrecks about our island,stacked high as sugar cane† in chapter â€Å"Negocios† on page 169. this is expressing that Ramon didn’t care about his family and the love they have for him. He just wants to be rich and leave. This would affect Ramon and Yunior because Ramon won’t have nobody to be with and Yunior would be affected by not having his father with him in his childhood. He would probably ask himself †why did he leave us? why doesn’t he love us?† Overall one is affected by the environment and experience they go through. It is always important to value things in life even if their little. Big or little things affects one in a positive or negative way. Junot Diaz’s proves that a person’s environment and experience affects them in a positive or negative way. But overall one must not let negative things that happen in life to a serious impact on one because it brings us down emotionally and mentally. One must always be grateful to what they have not everyone has the same things as one does!

How basketball taught me hard work and discipline Essay

Self-Presentation General purpose: how basketball taught me hard work and discipline Specific purpose: hard work can help achieve anything Thesis statement through basketball I learned how to work hard and discipline myself to achieve my goals in life My passion for the basketball started when I was in my second year of high school, basketball not only helped me grow but also taught me a lot of things that I use in my everyday life. My passion for the game began during my last year of middle school, but despite trying out for the middle school team I was not chosen to be a part of it. Although this was of great disappointment to me, it did not deter me from my love of the game. It made me more driven and determined to work hard during the summer prior to entering high school to ensure that I was in a position to try-out for the high school freshman team. I practiced morning, noon and night in 90 degree heat, perfecting my shot and working out to improve my skills. This hard work paid off, when I was chosen to be a part of the freshman team and I have continued to work hard during my high school years to be an asset to the varsity team. I feel sure that this experience of being a part of the high school basketball team has helped me become successful in my academic life. Being part of a team has instilled in me the responsibilities and work ethic that carries over into other aspects of my life and I feel sure that this will be extremely valuable in my future endeavors at the University. And really more precisely on hard work, there is a saying that â€Å"hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.† I believe this because to me it means that no matter how good you are if you don’t work hard, your talent is nothing. If Michael Jordan had not believed in working hard then he would not have been anywhere near as good as he is today. You do not only need to work hard in sports in the classroom, and life in general. Working hard in the classroom will give you many advantages later in life. That way you can get into a good college, and get a good job later in life. In all this experience, the greatest thing I learn is that hard work pays off, Although the above experience and accomplishment of being chosen to be a part of a team has contributed and shaped the person I am today.