Of mice and men Coursework Essay Example for Free

Of mice and men Coursework Essay I have been given the following question what does the novel show the reader about the authors view of the American dream? The novel mice and men written by john steinbeck examines two main characters George and Lennie who are travelling together in the hope of a successful dream. In my opinion the book strongly refers to the American dream and portrays how desperate they are for the dream to materialise. The American dream is constructed on the theme that anyone can achieve success so long as they work hard enough. The dream originated when many people immigrated to America. The majority of people leaving the countries were lower class people. The conditions virtually meant that the country would make them lower class for life. When Europeans left for America they were told that everyone would be landowner, they would live like kings and the streets were paved with gold. Everybody would live equally. This was a wonderful dream for the Europeans fleeing from the class system of their home countries. This soon became known as the American dream and had a huge influence on the American society, with hard working and strong willed people. In the book George and Lennie share a dream together, and this dream has several elements that refer to the American dream. George and Lennie believed that if they worked hard enough and ran up a stake they would be in a position to own their own farm. In the very first chapter George describes the dream when he tells lennie we are going to have a little house and a couple of chickens and a couple of acres of land and a cow and some pigs. At this moment lennie would interrupt and shout an live off the fatta the land. An have rabbits. Lennie was most excited and enchanted by the dream, as he would constantly ask George to tell him about rabbits. George tells lennie not to tell anyone about the dream; you almost get the feeling that George thinks that if the dream is shared the dream will be lost. This is shown when George says to lennie Dont tell nobody about it. Jus us three an nobody else. They lible to can us so we cant make no stake. However, because of the special bonding between George and lennie there is an aura about them that says the dream will be successful. This is typified when lennie says that the dream will have an happy ending because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that why. This continues to show that they have the belief and desire for the dream to succeed. In the novel candy an old swamper who works on the ranch also has a dream Candys dream is to have security. Security in his job, that he wont be sacked because hes getting too old, or because hes useless because hes only got one hand, this normally wouldnt effect someone now but in the time the book was set Candys chance of getting a job if he was sacked from the ranch would be minute. Because of this insecurity Candy is very scared of Curly and the boss. In the book when Curly first meets George he speaks nicely about the boss and said that at Christmas he gave them whisky. I think he lied to George about the boss in case George told the boss what he had said which would have been true but nasty. When the boss comes into the room Candy quickly makes up an excuse why hes talking to George and Lennie and gets back to work. He did this because he doesnt want to get in any trouble with the boss because the boss might sack him. Then Candy will have no job and will be too old to get another one in addition to this he cant retire and because he doesnt have any family to go to hell probably have to live on the streets. When he accidentally overhears George and lennie discussing the dream Candy wants to go along and be involved to. Now Candy thinks hes going to be leaving the ranch soon to go with George to his dream farm, his attitude towards Curly, the Boss and Curlys wife changes. When Curly starts on Lennie, Candy quickly rushes to his defence. Glove fulla Vaseline, he said disgustedly Referring to the glove Curly wears on his hand to keep soft for his wife. He is not scared of Curly and the boss anymore because if he gets sacked he feels he can just move on to Georges dream farm. With Candys newfound confidence he starts sharing his views and sticking up for other people such as Crooks the black stable buck. Curlys wife is verbally attacking Crooks, telling him how she can get him killed if she wanted too. Candy retaliates by saying, If you was to do that, wed tell Wed tell about you framing Crooks. He sticks up for Crooks, which shows he wasnt racist and that he also had a dream for a better society. This is that when you have worked and are getting old you would have money, a pension, and that everyone is treated equally like him and Crooks. This shows that the book reflects the time its set because Candy would probably have a pension and wouldnt have been able to get sacked without out a just cause in our time. Crooks is an illustration of the way in which loneliness can corrupt and destroy a man. Crooks has a double burden, he is not only a Negro in a society that immediately relegates non-whites to a sub-human status, but also a partial cripple in a society that values human beings simply on their ability to provide a service. Crooks dream is to be treated like a human and be accepted in society. Because hes black hes always been bullied and picked on by most of the others. Candy, George and Lennie are the only ones who dont regard Crooks as sub-human. Candy describes him as a nice fella. He is never allowed to go out with the other people in the ranch and has to stay in his own room in the barn, he hates everyone at the ranch because they treat him badly, he says to Lennie, They play cards in there, but I cant play because Im black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all stink to me. While talking to Lennie, Crooks reminisces of his childhood. How his father owned a chicken ranch and the white children used to come and he would play with them, and how most of them didnt care about the colour of his skin and that they were nice to him. He recalls Instead of how he slept all alone now, he used to sleep with his two brothers. They was always near me, always there. Used to sleep right in the same room, right in the same bed-all three. He was happy in the past, dignified, because he wasnt alone and he was treated equally and he wants that back. In the whole novel we never hear the name of Curleys wife, she is always referred to as Curleys wife. This makes her sound like she is Curleys property, like Curleys shoes or Curleys horse. Maybe she doesnt deserve one, maybe that if she married Curley she would get a name. This reflects on her dream of equal rights for women. She is a very lonely person; she has no one to talk to except the men on the ranch who dont really listen to her. So to make them listen to her, or pretend to in most cases, she dresses provocatively to get attention. However Candy and others see her as a tart and shes always giving the eye. Even Curly doesnt notice her; he still goes out to the cat houses with the other ranch workers, instead of staying with his wife. She seems to be hurt by this, she says. Think I dont know where they all went?. I know where they all went. Curleys wifes dream is to be a star, when she was young, she was asked to go on a show, but her mother wouldnt let her. Film work was one of the few types of work you could get as a woman, it was every girls dream, but it was often only a scam to take advantage of young women. Curleys wife remembers how a man in the pitchers said he was going to write to her about being in the movies. But she says her mother stole the letter when it came, when really it didnt come at all. When Lennie killed her the writer says. The meanness and.. the ache for attention were all gone from her face. This means that she didnt have to try anymore and life wasnt just one long struggle for recognition. She had been released and was now more beautiful and alive than ever. However, from the moment Curleys wifes neck was broken George realised that Curley will want Lennie lynched and, even worse, that their dream had been shattered by Lennies actions. When George finally caught up with Lennie they discussed the dream one last time before George took Carlsons lugar and shot him. He was dead. To conclude I would say that the author has a very negative view of the American dream. All these dreams failed, George will never get his farm with Lennie, Crooks and Curleys wife will never have equal rights to a white man and Candy will always be in fear of losing his job.

Van Goghs Starry Night: Analysis

Van Goghs Starry Night: Analysis Introduction â€Å"Starry Night† is one of the most popular canvasesin modern-day philosophy along with being one of the most simulated and pursued after images. This painting was done by Vincent van Gogh when he was at an asylum in Saint-Remy in 1889.It is said that this painting is a view out of Van Gogh’s asylum window. The painting shows swirling clouds in a starry night and a bright crescent moon, overlooking perhaps a village. This shows a contrast between the bright night sky and the silence of the village which is supposed to be Van Gogh’s hometown Netherland. The painting also consists of a cypress tree which is typically found in graveyards . This might have something to do with the artist’s perception of the inevitability of death and how close it is on Earth. Starry Night is just one example of Vincent Van Gogh’s numerous painting which show night life, from which it can be presumed that the artist loved night time. Vincent van Goghs art is generally observed by criticizers as Early Post-Impressionism. The artist was inspired by the innovative ideas of Paul Gauguin and Camille Pissarro, and wanted to bring out something innovative of his own because their works were being called repetitive and limiting. In his asylum, Vincent van Gogh was not allowed to paint in his room on the second floor. He was given a separate room and some charcoal and paper on which he used to do his work and then improve it later. Van Gogh used to write about his painting to his brother however, there does not exist a particular reason for the creation of this painting as the artist only wrote about Starry Nights twice. A letter to his brother contained the following words: â€Å"This morning I saw the country from my window a long time before sunrise, with nothing but the morning star, which looked very big,† This is a very vague statement regarding the painting, hence the reason for its creation remains unknown. I, as a night lover myself, feel very strongly about the painting Starry Nights. The imagery of clouds painted in a swirling motion create a magnificent affect and brings out the beauty of the night which can only be seen from the eyes of a true lover of night time. I am particularly impressed by the unique use of colors in the painting. Which most people’s perception of the color of stars would be white, Van Gogh has painted them a bright yellow, and yet they appear to be a beautiful shining sight. 2. Body Vincent van Gogh was going through a serious medical condition at the time he painted Starry Nights. This might be one of the reasons why his brush strokes are very thick and prominent in the painting, which give a sever sense of drama in the painting. His brush strokes have an unrelenting rhythm, which creates the illusion of the image being in motion. Moreover there is a certain consistency in his procedure that adds extra depth to the work. The most prominent shapes in the painting are of the circular motion in which the stars and the clouds are portrayed. Normally, clouds are never given the shape of circles in painting but in Starry Nights, Van Gogh has shown them as swirling clouds forming a perfect circle and appear to be in motion. The stars are also painted in a circular form, rather than the typical pointed star form. This results in the painting looking consistent as the stars and the clouds are both circular shapes. The main sources of light in the picture are the luminous stars and the hemispherical moon. It is evident that the artist had a passion for night life, as the painting shows a silent village resting underneath a dominant sky. All the light sources are present in the sky as compared to in the village at the bottom. The darkness is reflected in the village at the bottom half of the painting. It represents how gloomy the world looks as compared to the bright night sky. Moreover the cypress tree is also a dark figure in the painting. As cypress trees are mostly found in cemeteries, this element of the painting is meant to show a connection between life and death and how close they are. Hence this is one of the darker elements of the painting. In Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Nights, there is a dominance of the color blue which is visible in the sky as well as in the village shown in the bottom of the picture. The artist’s strange use of colors is sometimes associated with his medical condition, perhaps he might have been a patient of lead poisoning or a kind of brain disease. Van Gogh’s use of yellow and white to represent the stars draws the viewer’s attention to the sky. Perpendicular lines for example the cypress tree and church tower gently disintegrate the structure without withdrawing from the influential nighttime atmosphere illustrated in Starry Night. The reflection of the moon is shown by streaks of dark blue and greens, complemented with a touch of mint green. The houses of the village in the painting are small blocks of greens, oranges and yellows with a hint of red towards the left of the church. The bright blue colors of the sky are carefully balanced by the orange of some of the elem ents of the night sky. The rich colors used in Starry Nights are used to portray emotions and show the real love of night time of Van Gogh. Starry Nights was created in June 1889. It is made on a canvas of height 73.7 cm and length 92.10 cm. Oil paints have been used for this painting. Starry Nights can be characterized as a landscape painting as its main focus is the natural element the sky. This oil painting is framed and is currently owned by and displayed in New York in the Museum of Modern Art. One of the various interpretations of Starry Nights by Van Gogh is that it is a depiction of hope. Van Gogh has shown that even in such a dark night, the sky is illuminated by the bright shining stars, which can be seen as a ray of hope from the silent village underneath. The sky is filled with shining stars that show that even in complete darkness, there is a light to guide you. Van Gogh had been severely sick at the time he made this painting. We can assume from his work that he was at last being treated of his sickness and he saw a hope of a new life, which he so masterfully illustrated in his painting. Also, the cypress tree shows that he knows death is inevitable but when it does come, it will give him eternal peace. Van Gogh mentioned the painting to his brother in a letter, in the following words: I should not be surprised if you liked the Starry Night and the Ploughed Fields, there is a greater quiet about them than in the other canvases. Later in the same letter, Vincent van Gogh referred to a book by Leo Tolstoy â€Å"My Religion† and talked about its lack of belief in resurrection. This shows how Van Gogh was at war with himself regarding the topic; he could neither accept that death was coming, nor was he able to completely forget about it. Concluding, it can be said that the night sky made him feel at peace with himself and calmed his heart. (Artble, 2014) Conclusion: It can be concluded from the analysis that Vincent van Gogh was a nighttime lover and saw the inner beauty in the night sky which people usually overlook. He has communicated from the painting that night time is not just about darkness; it can sometimes be so illuminating and can contain a ray of hope which leaves the worldly things looking dark and dull in its comparison. The painting also contains a link between life and death which is present there due to the artist’s ill health and his knowledge about death being inevitable. Though he was not looking forward to it, he had accepted the idea that death might be coming soon and he would eventually have to come to terms with it. http://www.artble.com/artists/vincent_van_gogh/paintings/starry_night/more_information/analysis

American Literature :: essays papers

American Literature American literature during the first half of the nineteenth century took many forms and ideas that still effect our ever so changing society today. Henry David Thoreau was among the notable writers during this time, and his impact of American literature will not soon be forgotten. His perseverance, love for nature, and humanitarian beliefs helped to mold the ideas and values of early American history. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12 in 1817. His parents, both abolitionists of slavery, were John and Cynthia Thoreau. During his childhood years his parents, along with Henry’s older siblings John Jr. and Helen, often took the family on long walks though the valleys and hills of Concord. The seeds of Henry’s love for nature were planted during this time. As a young school boy, at the Concord public school and later at the Concord Academy, many of his peers sought after him as loner who took everything too serious. In 1833 Henry’s parents had save d enough money to send him off to college at Harvard University. Even though he barely passed the entrance exam, he would later become one of the top students in his graduating class. In 1836 financial and health problems forced Thoreau to postpone his studies at Harvard and seek a job. He taught school for a semester in Canton, Massachusetts and returned to Harvard in the Spring of 1837. He took a full load of classes that Spring and Summer semesters and graduated in August of 1837. After graduating Thoreau had no idea what he wanted to do with his education. After debating over many different careers he finally concluded that teaching would be his calling. He landed a position at Center School in 1837 in Concord, however he resigned two weeks later after many teachers and students complained of his teaching methods and strictness in the classroom. Over the next year he worked many small jobs around Concord, and also became friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson. The elder Emerson influe nced Thoreau in his belief in Transcendentalism. â€Å"Thoreau was indelibly marked by his mentor’s philosophy† (Sanborn 122). In 1838 Henry and his brother John started their own public school in Concord. John taught English and math, while Henry taught science and foreign languages. The brothers had completely different teaching methods and often times came at odds with each other.

Le Morte dArthur Essay -- essays research papers

The Chivalric Code in Le Morte d?Arthur   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An act of chivalry is described as the qualifications or character of the ideal knight. Knights were expected to uphold this code of conduct. In the English literature Le Morte d?Arthur, French for ?The Death of Arthur?, by Sir Thomas Malory, the characters display acts of chivalry from beginning to end. Though the code of chivalry contains many qualities or acts, nevertheless bravery, loyalty, and courtly love are demonstrated more throughout this literature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bravery is the mental or moral strength to venture and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Fear is what one feels when fighting, knowing that he or she could die. For example, when Sir Mordred and King Arthur were to fight, Arthur was told that if he fought Mordred, Arthur would die. Regardless, Arthur fought Mordred. Though not stated in the text, one would assume that Arthur had fear of himself dying running through his brain, and that would explain how his adrenaline got pumped up enough to kill Mordred. Difficulty is going against someone who is more skilled. When the young Sir Gryfflette challenged King Pellinore to a joust to avenge a knight?s death, Gryfflette lost, but because he went up against a more experienced person, he was demonstrating an act of bravery. The danger of the two is that one can always die in matters such as those.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bravery and loyalty can go hand-in-hand with o...

The Harlem Renaissance Essay -- The Black Intelligencia

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Harlem Renaissance Poets consist of: James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Jean (Eugene) Toomer, Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, Robert Hayden, and Gwendolyn Brooks. These eight poets contributed to modern day poetry in three ways. One: they all wrote marvelous poems that inspired our poets of modern times. Two: they contributed to literature to let us know what went on in there times, and how much we now have changed. And last but not least they all have written poems that people can sit down and relate to and what people are writing about and take time out to let the people of their families know that they were living in those times. And these people should receive such recognition because of the effort, and the time that was put fourth to doing this great work for the people of their generation and ours.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Claude Mckay, Jean (Eugene) Tommer, Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, Robert Hayden, and Gwendolyn Brooks, again, all were very excellent Poets who took pride In what they did, for the people they did it for and for themselves. To be exact, the Harlem Renaissance is a time after the KKK completed their raid of African Americans, when all of the Blacks would get together and have a good time. Whether it was listening to the jazz band play background of a beautiful vocalist, as the people of Harlem danced the night away, or looking at "freestyle" artist paint away. Harlem was always occupied. Each poet wrote very many famous poems that we now read today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What started the renaissance was when the KKK finished the raid in which ended in the early 1900's, because blacks were being terrorized by whites just because of the color of their skin. Eventually the Blacks overcame the racism, although the name calling was still going on the blacks had a good time in spite of the racism, which then became know as the "Harlem Renaissance." These poets became known as Harlem Renaissance poets because of the time period they began to write in, and they became famous fairly quick to be beginners. They were also known as the renaissance poets because of the poems they wrote about being called out of their names, and writing about how they overcame that time in their live, but mainly experiences they had as a juvenile target. These eight poets deserve such recognition because of what they wrote ... ... Harlem Renaissance Poets because I'm very interested in poets, and poetry. It' interest me very much how the Blacks had fun no matter of what they had been through with the KKK, and all the criticism. Everyone has their own way of getting over things, and in this case it's writing down their feelings. So as was once said "good always comes out of bad."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Harlem Renaissance Poets consist of: James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Claude McKay, Jean (Eugene) Toomer, Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, Robert Hayden, and Gwendolyn Brooks. These eight poets contributed to modern day poetry in three ways. One: they all wrote marvelous poems that inspired our poets of modern times. Two: they contributed to literature to let us know what went on in there times, and how much we now have changed. And last but not least they all have written poems that people can sit down and relate to and what people are writing about and take time out to let the people of their familie s know that they were living in those times. And these people should receive such recognition because of the effort, and the time that was put fourth to doing this great work for the people of their generation and ours.

Nursing and Care Essay

The concept of Synergy can be applied to the practice of nursing by means of education and service. To obtain Synergy in nursing the nurse’s knowledge and skills are able to meet the individual needs of the patient population that is presented. Currently in Western Pennsylvania, there is a rising number maternal substance abuse during pregnancy. This epidemic in turn creates a different type of population in infants than other areas of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with specific healthcare needs. One area that is lacking synergy is the care of this rising patient population of infants suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). This creates a gap between nursing education and clinical application. Due to the rise in NAS infants it is important for nurses to be educated in proper care for an infant presenting with this diagnosis, symptom management, communication skills, and the fundamental knowledge Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Poor patient outcomes can be caused by a lack of understanding addiction. The Vermont Oxford Network states, â€Å"Fear of stigmatization, discrimination, child removal, poor treatment, and criminal prosecution has deterred women from seeking care. However, the research suggests that providing substance dependent women with comprehensive healthcare, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, and social support improves pregnancy, birth, and child development outcomes. † (Horbar, Soll & Buus-Frank, 2013) When the infant is admitted into the acute care setting, the care needs of these patients should focus less on the immediate outcome, and more on what will create the greatest good for each patient as an individual. There is an essential need for the development of collaborative solutions for care and education in the healthcare setting for the care of this rising population. Often this would be to provide care with a realistic goal of maintaining optimal levels of comfort with minimal side effects of withdraw. â€Å"About 40% of infants who exhibit withdrawal symptoms can be treated without medication. † (White, 2013) Nurses who take time to ensure a level of comfort will help to alleviate symptoms of NAS withdraw and also help support the family in their infant’s care. In addition to providing comfort will help decrease the need to be medicated for withdraw and ultimately will lead to a shorter hospitalization. The manager of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will need to address this issue and implement change in order to improve patient outcomes. The competencies that make up the Synergy model are clinical judgment, advocacy and moral agency, caring practices, facilitation of learning, collaboration, systems thinking, response to diversity, and clinical inquiry. For the NAS population advocacy, clinical judgment, caring practices and facilitation of learning are most important. Advocacy proposes the nurse to serve as a moral agent to work on the infant’s behalf in order to provide the greatest good to help resolve concerns that are both clinical and ethical. Clinical judgment is the ability for the nurse to take on the leadership role to care for their patient. Infants are unable to make healthcare decisions; the nurse must consider the parent’s wishes and what the result the nurses’ actions will yield for this infant. These actions must positively contribute to their plan of care overall. Caring practices creates a compassionate and therapeutic environment for each the patients, recognizing the unique needs of each infant. The nurse acts as a facilitator of learning when he/she incorporates the understanding of the infant’s family into the care. The Synergy mode includes patient characteristics, which are, resiliency, vulnerability, stability, complexity, resource availability, participation in care and decision-making and predictability. For the NAS population the patient characteristics would immediately associate complexity, vulnerability, and participation in care and decision-making. Complexity as referred to as to the multitude of symptoms that are to be considered for proper care of the patient. These infants are unable communicate pain, symptoms needs, and what their desire’s are. For example, these infant’s cry and are inconsolable until the nurse goes through a trial and error until he/she figures out the needs of the child. They do not understand what is happening to them. Vulnerability includes the stressors that these patients will be exposed to that may affect outcomes. The infants depend on the decisions their families and healthcare professionals. Increased length of hospital stay can lead to problems that may decline in their already compromised condition, for example, infection. Lastly, the NAS patients are vulnerable due to the fact that they are unable to make their own healthcare decisions and have to depend on parents and healthcare providers to be speak on their behalf. The parents participate in care as they receive information and help assist in the care for their child. Analyze the Case Nursing education places emphasis on clinical presentation, physical stressors and conditions that affect the patient and their associated treatments. Increased education is needed for nurses on the postpartum and NICU units about the treatment for this specific patient population. With the increase in drug dependent mothers there seems to be little nursing education provided on postpartum and NICU nursing units about the care for these infants, and this issue needs to be addressed. â€Å"Infants with NAS have higher rates of neonatal complications, prolonged lengths of stay and consume substantial NICU and hospital resources. Further, they impose a growing burden on already strained healthcare resources because state Medicaid expenditures are disproportionately impacted. † (Horbar, Soll & Buus-Frank, 2013) The administration and education team needs to identify this problem and incorporate teaching and updated research on these units. One competency that lacks synergy in the nursing care of the NAS population is collaboration. â€Å"Collaboration enhances the capacity of a group and increases the potential for success. † (Hardin & Kaplow, p. 75, 2005) It is not uncommon when different discipline areas such as the nurse, doctor, social worker etc. identify different goals for the patient. Poor communication causes the team to not work in unison to collaborate and work towards a common goal. â€Å"A key to collaboration is the communication that must exist between the patient, family, and health care team members as well as among members of the health care team. Another synergy lacking competency would be caring practices, which is the unique nursing care provided to the patient and families. Within the NAS population nurses have to recognize the differences and incorporated them into the infants care. Having compassion and creating a calming environment help provide comfort in a therapeutic environment. Often times the NAS population is considered as level II care, this allows for the nurses to take on a multiple patient assignment of three to five infants at a time. The NAS population is unique; they require much coddling and almost constant attention from the nurse. Having greater than three patients causes a great disadvantage to these children due to the nurse having to spread herself thin to meet the basic needs of feeding, changing and medicating, the nurse does not have adequate time to rock and soothe the infants causing greater withdraw symptoms. The rational decision-making model will help identify and implement the appropriate changes that are essential in optimizing care for the NAS population. Improvement in the education of the healthcare staff will create better patient outcomes. This decision making process includes three steps to achieve this objective: identify possible outcomes, determine probability of each outcome, and take action with the highest probability to achieve a positive outcome. The considered actions are increased in-person training, mandatory review of printed materials, or an on-line training course. The greatest positive outcome would come from increased in-person training. Create a Change Proposal Part of the nursing orientation for staff will be to participate in a class specified for the training related to care of the NAS infant prior to working in the NICU. Written material as well as a presentation will be provided. The attending physician will make a statement about services provided to the NAS infant, medications and important facts that the physician would like in report. For the staff nurses’ senior nursing projects are assigned yearly and are presented to maintain their status on the unit. Assigning NAS care to a few nurses each year will keep the most up to date research on the unit. These nurses will participate in Internet presentations that focus on quality, safety and care for infants and families of and NAS infant. Finally, a staff member from the social work team will join and present his/her role in the case of a NAS infant. The unit will provide CEU’s for this training. This proposal will affect the unit internally by involving the management team and multiple staff disciplines. The management team will help aid in this proposal by providing a day that is designated this additional training and appoint the appropriate nursing, physician and social work staff to participate in running the program. Finally obtaining CEU’s approved by the state board of nurses to offer education credits for after the completion of training. The designated nurses assigned to NAS as a senior project must keep up to date with the training information prior to the class of new staff, doing so will ensure they are prepared for questions that may arise. With this proposal the staff has the potential to increase the patient stability, outcome and satisfaction. Also this proposal will be aimed to help the nurses caring for NAS infants to promote patient care through evidenced based research. A change model that applies to this proposal would be the Lewin’s change model. This model is based on unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. First the unfreezing stage, the current beliefs and ideas will change with the desired outcome. The health care team will sufficiently identify the epidemic and need for changes in care for the NAS infant, inspiring the education and treatments needed to move the staff towards bettering practices. Lastly, refreezing, the nursing staff will have a new outlook or attitude towards NAS infants. Changes in the treatment process will be instituted based on the staff’s new outlook. Having the knowledge and resources for the care of the NAS infant will allow the care team to handle each unique case with evidenced based approach. Along with any type of change there will always be positive and negative outcomes on the environment. Positive outcomes will include an influx in nursing knowledge, better patient outcomes and an increased amount of resources for the staff. Negative outcomes may include not having the adequate amount of staff to run this program and the biases formed by individuals prior to participating in this class. A way to follow up with the care provided to these patients and their families would be an optional survey completed by the families allowing the unit to see their strengths and weaknesses. The survey will allow for improvement of care. â€Å"Nurses who have confidence in their ability to positively impact maternal parenting behaviors through education and skill building may impact patient care outcomes. It is imperative that the management and supervisors recognize the issues that nurse’s experience when caring for NAS infants. Educating staff will allow for a balance of practice and the nurses actions. Instituting this educational program will provide synergy to the NICU units and the epidemic of withdraw infants. The unit directors will be able to see that the changes to the unit and education instituted has worked when NAS infants have a shorter hospital stay, a decrease in the use of morphine and phenobarbital and finally patient/parental and nurse satisfaction. In conclusion, with the epidemic of substance abuse mothers on the rise it is imperative that neonatal nursing units properly educate their staff about the treatment and care of NAS infants. With the changes proposed in this case the care of this specific population will be enhanced. These infants are very fragile and require a lot of special attention. The proper care and education could make the world of a difference in a baby’s life.

Education and the Role of Philosophy

Education and, the Role of Philosophy In The Journey through American Education â€Å"Curriculum as a field of study has been characterized as elusive, fragmentary and confusing† (Ornstein and Hunkins, 2009, p. 1). According to Wikipedia, education is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual and is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one generation to another.This report will journey through the history of education, its philosophies and the philosophers that helped shape and design it. Originally American schools were defined by religion. The foundation of education was based on religious study. The schools meaning in 1620 was to build a republic of God-fearing citizens. Women taught children to read the bible and to write the scriptures while the men and older boys were out in the fields working.With the women as nurturers teaching themselve s to read and write and then assuming that responsibility to nurture their children’s moral through the teachings of the scriptures led to the establishment of women as the backbone of American education which appears to still be the case of present times (History of American Education Primer, p. 27). In the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Protestant ideological managers sought to create a moral and God-fearing society and their goals were: 1. Honor, fear, and obey God, 2. Honor, fear, and obey the father in the home and 3. Honor, fear, and obey the government.This philosophy of the Protestants was called Calvinism which is the belief that humans are born in sin and must purge this sin as children grow into adults (p. 10). The Massachusetts Law of 1642 which called for all parents to find someone to teach their children how to read the bible, write out scriptures, follow Protestant theology, and obey the laws of the land along with The Old Deluder Satan Law of 1647 which called for all towns of 50 households or more to appoint a teacher to teach reading and writing and all towns of 100 or more households to build a school and hire a schoolmaster were the first major laws of education (P. 0). As the colonies expanded, different forms of schooling philosophy developed but the Common Schools (schools that sought to bring together white children in a common school to perpetuate the goals of the dominant white culture) were still dominated by Protestant values of a moral, God-fearing society (p. 31). Over time the teaching of children began to include, along with reading, writing and ciphering, social skills such as knowledge, etiquette, and debate. Schools began to include topics to prepare children for employment and if one’s family could afford it, college (p. 16).As time passed, education grew to include many different instructions and philosophies to where we are today. With the extra teachings came many more philosophies. These different philosophies determine with teaching style, instruction, and school curriculum that will be used to include Axiology, Behaviorism, Epistemology, Existentialism, Ontology, Perennialism, Eclectic, Pragmatism and Reconstructionism. According to Pratt and Collins (2001), effective teaching may be classified as transmission, apprenticeship, developmental, nurturing, and social reform. To start, William Kritsonis (2005, p. 1) defines philosophy as the human being’s attempt to think most speculatively, reflectively, and systematically about the universe and the relationship to that universe. He writes that philosophy has no proof and is therefore without theorems and has not questions that can be answered with yes or no. The purpose of educational philosophy is to help develop the educator’s thinking capacity (p. 91). The three branches of philosophy are Metaphysics (Ontology) which deal with ultimate reality, Epistemology which deals with the nature of knowledge and Axiology which is the study of values.The major schools of philosophy are Idealism which are certain universal absolute concepts, Realism where work is governed by various laws, known or unknown, Pragmatism which is primarily an American philosophy of scientific analysis or learning through experience, and Existentialism which believes that students should control much of what goes on (p. 92). Philosophy has many definitions and is hard to define. The word itself comes from the Greek meaning â€Å"love of wisdom† and is the belief system that a person develops concerning existence, reality in the world, truth, ethics, honesty, thought processes, aesthetics, and logic (Kritsonis, p. 8). In regards to education, philosophy is a way of examining ideas, proposals, and recommendations for learning and how best to use them in the educational setting and it is therefore, the application of ideas or idea systems to educational problems (p. 97). Educators study philosophy to help them attain a better unde rstanding of the best way to success. Educators use philosophy for the roles in which philosophy stands for which includes: to suggest alternative methods of thinking, to develop sensitivity to the logic and language we use in gathering solutions to problems (p. 97).Philosophy of education is the philosophical study of the purpose, nature, process and ideals of education (Siegel, 2003). As time has progressed so has the understanding of philosophy and its importance on education. The history of philosophy and education would not be complete without its â€Å"fore fathers† so to speak and the four primary philosophies of Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism and Existentialism. Idealism was the main philosophy of the thinkers of western civilizations during the last half of the 19th century and its believers believed that external reality must be understood through the medium of the human mind (Kritsonis, p. 03). They believed that when humans came into contact with whatever existed, the human mind functions to grasp the nature of reality and what is real.The three key words of idealism are growth, imitation, and maturity and by imitating a model of behavior, one matures and grows toward an ideal that contains the perfection of virtues (p. 103). It applies to any theory that views the world as being made up of mind, spirit, or reason. They believe that to learn is to distinguish among values because some values are a matter of personal preference while others are absolute regardless of time, place, and circumstance (p. 03). Plato is a major contributor of Idealism and is considered to be the first and foremost Idealist. He believed that proper education comes before law and there would be no need to dictate laws to humans of good breeding, for they will find out for themselves what regulations would be needed (p. 104). He believed that good breeding developed through a sound educational system that produces reasonable humans. The impact that Idealism has on educ ation is that its’ educational philosophy focus on who should be responsible for education, who should be taught, and what should be the curriculum (p. 109).To the Idealist, education is to assist in the development of the mind and self of the pupil and help in attaining the good life of the spirit. The curriculum must be based on the idea of the spiritual nature of humans and must draw on both sources of truth and right opinion for its subject matter. Its prime purpose is to teach student to think and to teach skills that develop conceptual ability (p. 109). The philosophy of Realism involves the act of truth being determined scientifically. It is based on absolute truth. It proclaims that objects of perception are objects and contain real existence outside the mind (Kritsonis, p. 12). Aristotle was a major contributor of Realism and he believed that a proper study of matter could lead to better and more distinct ideas. He felt that education was designed to preserve the sta bility of the state, to create good citizenship, and to prevent revolutions (p. 115). The impact Realism had on education was to present material to students so they could become acquainted with the subject matter as a pre-established block of material and the idea that successful learning consists of understanding that material (p. 118). The philosophy of Pragmatism is the result of action.Pragmatists believe that ideas become true in order to get into satisfactory relations with other parts of experience (kritsonis, p. 121). John Dewey was a major contributor of pragmatism. He was one of the most influential of all American philosophers and educators and was actively interested in the reform of education (p. 122). His philosophy of education emphasized many things including experiences, experimentation, and freedom. He believed the learner must interact with that which is learned if a productive educational experience was to be achieved (p. 122).Other pragmatic philosophers were J ean-Jacques Rousseau and Charles Darwin. The impact that pragmatism had on education is that the child’s own instincts and powers provide the material and starting point of all education and the educator’s knowledge of social conditions is necessary to interpret the child’s powers. The philosophy of Existentialism is a revolt against other traditional philosophies. Others attempt to grasp the ultimate nature of the world in abstract systems of thought; existentialists consider what it is like to be an individual human being living in the world (Kritsonis, p. 125).It is concerned with an individual’s willingness truly to commit to something with intensity (p. 127). A major contributor to Existentialism was Soren Kierkegaard who believed that a human’s essential self is developed in three stages: Aesthetic stage, ethical stage, and religious stage. He believed that individuals are confronted with choices in life that they alone can make and for which they must accept complete and full responsibility (p. 127). Existentialism impact on education was to stress unique experiences in the affective and what a student hears in class is more impressive than what the teachers say.The Philosophy of education in the United States has undergone a series of internal struggles over the past 25 years. Some of the struggle with philosophy in these modern times has been the issue of the curriculum of multicultural education. The multicultural movement defines the main purpose of curriculum as social improvement, particularly as it relates to peoples who have been marginalized on the bias of race, ethnicity, language, social class and other identities (English Teaching, page 122).Over time and through history philosophers have had to be adaptable to change and that change in American included a multicultural movement. This movement includes the philosophy of Reconstructionism which involves the attitude toward change and encourages individuals t o try to make life better which ultimately means every individual in all cultures (National Outlook, 2006). Philosophers of the future will have to find a way to inculcate mulitculturism into their ideas (Educational Administration Quarterly 1998, p. 236).Multiculturalism is described as focusing on how gender, race, sexual orientation, and class differences are inscribed in political and cultural practices (Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 2000). â€Å"Our schools are, in a sense, factories in which the raw products (children) are to be shaped and fashioned into products to meet the various demands of life. The specifications for manufacturing come from the demands of twentieth-century civilization and it is the business of the school to build its pupils according to the specifications laid down† (English Teaching, p. 25). We build our curriculum based off of past philosophers because of the beliefs our present curriculum decision makers may possess. Philo sophy is concerned with questions about the analysis of concepts and with questions about the grounds of knowledge, belief, actions and activities. The philosophy of education is then occupied with the analysis of such educational concepts as teaching, child-centeredness, inculcation of belief and curriculum.The main point of contrast between philosophy and education is the role of value judgments; values and ideals are embodied and expressed in the purposes of imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes (Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 2001). In conclusion, the question remains unanswered, â€Å"Are our schools headed in the right direction with its curriculum? † From past philosophers to present we have had a continuous confusion take place which continues to make curriculum hard to define.References Adult Education Quarterly (1977). The Concept of Educational Need: An Analysis of Selected Literature. 16-127 American Education Through the Civil War (Chapter 2). Community College Journal of Research and Practice (2000). Student Experiences With Multicultural and Diversity Education. 531-546 English Teaching: Practice and Critique (2004). Critical Multicultural Curriculum and the Standards Movement. 122-138 Kritsonis, W (2005). Philosophies of Schooling. 82-159 Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research (2001). Some Notes on the Relevance of Philosophy to Education. 341-351 Siegel, H. (1988). Educating Reason: Rationality, Critical Thinking, and Education. 369-382 http://en. wikepedia. org