Fate of the Passionate in Virgils Aeneid Essay -- Literature

Virgil’s The Aeneid, to this day, remains one of the most influential epics to ever grace the merciless limitations of manuscript, inspiring, in pop culture as well as literature, an onslaught of themes, mythology, values, and the general sense of what a hero must be-or do- in order to overcome the obstacles of the gods and man. Written somewhere between 29 and 19 BC, consisting of twelve books (although never completely finished), The Aeneid takes us through the turbulent journeys and prophesied triumphs of Aeneas, a warrior and man bound by piety and destiny. Like usual, in every great epic, there are many battles: heads gashed open and gore galore; however, to say that this master piece is just for men would be atrocious, considering that Venus, Aeneas’s mother (the goddess of hunt, extremely beautiful), plays a major role in the book from beginning to end, but, although women are portrayed as a symbol of strength (most of the time, at least), one cannot ignore the invocation to the muse at the very beginning: â€Å"I sing of arms and of the man† (3). Through the wars, travels, monsters, and grief that awaits our protagonist, I feel that the relationship between Aeneas and Dido, the queen of Carthage, holds special relevance in my life, for I have loved and lost as well, but one thing may surprise you, I have seen it through the eyes of Dido, not Aeneas. Fortunately, for me, I didn’t have to sacrifice myself, but I did learn to love, relish it, and then, sadly, let it go. Early in the beginning of the poem we see Aeneas, surrounded by blood thirsty Greeks, trying to save his family-fighting as well-and, after an apparition of Hector pleas with him to leave, eve... ...er allowing his life to interfere with his destiny, if indeed he truly believed in it, for judging by his master piece, I must simply believe that he, in all of his expert wisdom on battle and virtue, failed to understand the complications of love and passion. As a man who has lost much, constantly pondering the ambiguity of love, I cannot deny that the road to happiness is a long, uncertain path, but, just like my loss of companionship, I can’t help but to think what would have happened if Aeneas would have just forsaken his path and cradled Dido until the grave, yet one cannot deny the fate of passion, in all of its uncertainties and unseen truths. Works Cited Virgil. The Aeneid. London: Penguin, 1991.

Spartacus Essay -- essays research papers

Spartacus Spartacus is a historical epic film showing the rise and fall of a slave revolt in the Roman Empire. The film follows the life of the Thracian slave, Spartacus, from his purchase by a trainer of gladiators and his leadership of the revolt to the climactic battle with the Roman Army and his eventual crucifixion at the order of Crassus. The Film stars Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton and a host of other stars. The film was released in 1960, and it won four Oscars. The film won Oscars for Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Cinematography, Color; Best Costume Design, Color; and Best Supporting Actor, Peter Ustinov. Spartacus is one of three films that cover the transition of Rome from Republic to Empire. The movie is historically correct in the overall story about Spartacus, but because not much is know about the characters individuality, the presentation of their character is fictional. The characters were improved to meet the requirements that Hollywood puts on them. For example, not much is known about Varinia, Spartacus’ wife, but she is believed to be a Thracian. There is a very little possibility that she was a Briton as she was portrayed in the film, because the Romans do not invade Briton for another 20 years after the slave uprising. Spartacus was born and eventually sold into slavery. He was born in the Roman city of Thrace. It was there where he joined and later deserted the ever powerful army of Rome. In 71 B.C., after being...

How Do “an Unearthly Child” and “Rose” Introduce the Doctor Who Concept Essay

Doctor Who was designed by Sydney Newman, the director of the BBC in 1963, who was faced with a dilemma. He was to produce a program for the family audience, which could be played between a sports programme, Grandstand, and a teen pop music programme, Jukebox Jury. Newman wanted the programme to entertain and educate people at the same time, in the ways of science and history. Newman, himself an adamant science-fiction fan, came up with the idea of a man, whom the people know little of, who travels around the cosmos in his 1960’s blue police box, his TARDIS. However, he needed some way to get the information from the Doctor to the public. Thus he created the companion, a normal person who accompanies the Doctor on his travels. He would introduce them in the first episodes, such as â€Å"Rose† and â€Å"An Unearthly Child†. 60’s audiences needed a programme that was not only entertaining, but also educational, since the whole family was to watch it. It also had to be appropriate for children to watch. Many families complained that the show was too frightening and gory. In fact, interest declined greatly if the Daleks did not feature in an episode. However, towards the late 1980s, interest bottomed out completely. The director of the programme at the time decided to take it off air. In 2005, we wanted shows that could make us ask questions, gave us an adrenaline rush or related to real life. Our expectations of television shows, especially in science-fiction and film, have risen with the new technology and special effects that can be used in a programme or film. Therefore, â€Å"Rose† uses special effects One of the show’s producer’s commented that she thought that the show may be too gory or frightening for the younger generation. The theme music was also a cause of complaint, as one mother said, â€Å"The theme music alone frightens my son†. A report showed that 3% of a surveyed audience found the show unsuitable for â€Å"family viewing†, because of the violent and frightening content. The show Doctor Who was a programme designed to educate families about space, science and history. However, nowadays, a typical family would not watch this together unless most or all of the children were teenage or grown up. We expect that a science-fiction programme should be dynamic, violent and exciting, because we want to have something to be scared of. It has, in recent times, leant over to the special effects and entertainment side of programmes in general, we do not expect a science-fiction programme to be educational as well as entertaining, and we feel that we only need documentaries for educating people. Doctor Who has merely become a source of entertainment. Rose, in â€Å"Rose†, is a blonde savvy East Londoner, speaks with a typical East-London accent and is a tough, here-and-now girl. Susan, in â€Å"An Unearthly Child† is a strange girl, seems to be the age of a secondary school girl, but with a much higher IQ and much more intelligent. We need the companions to ask questions, to help the public learn about the Doctor. There have always been no more than 3 companions at one time who travel with the Doctor. In â€Å"An Unearthly Child†, the first aired episode of Doctor Who, the Doctor traps 2 teachers in the TARDIS and takes them to the planet of the Daleks with his â€Å"grand-daughter†, Susan. Susan is around 16 years old. She seems to be the perfect student, according to the conversation which science teacher, Ian, who is worried that she may be too intelligent, and who is worried about his own intelligence has with Barbara, Susan’s history teacher, who is worried about her home life. The conversation is mixed with flashbacks of Susan in class, showing a more superior knowledge than her classmates. She has a high breathy voice, as was expected in actresses in the 1960s, and a 60s-style haircut, although it is very severely cut. These are the first clues that Susan is truly and â€Å"unearthly child†. When Barbara voices her worries, we are told that Susan has explained that she lives at a certain address. However, when Barbara visits to drop off a book that Susan has requested, there seems to be no legitimate address; it is a dump site, and when Barbara asks about Susan’s grandfather, Susan says that he prefers not to see people, although she mentions that he is a doctor. This plants the first seeds of doubt in the viewers’ minds, because although the flashbacks were strange, they could have just been referring to Susan as an overly intelligent child who doesn’t quite fit in with school life. We think that surely such an intelligent girl cannot live in a dump with only her grandfather. It also brings the viewers to worries such as, Is the grandfather a criminal, hiding away like that? and Is Susan really safe, living with such an old man?. We begin to think with the history teacher. When the teachers decide to go see Susan in a classroom, we have already learnt many of her qualities. The scene cuts to a shot of Susan in a classroom by herself. She is holding a small handheld music device to her ear and she is dancing to it. However, her dancing is not the typical 1960s dancing you would expect – it is very smooth and flowing, not something the audiences would expect from a teenager in 1963. The dancing makes her seem as if she has never heard the music before. This is another sign to show she is not really â€Å"from this world†. When the teachers ask her whether she would like a lift home (for it is dark), she declines the offer, saying that she likes the dark, â€Å"it’s mysterious†. She is also lent a book by Barbara, which appears to be one she has asked for. It is about the French Revolution. When scene ends, the shot is of Susan sitting on the table, holding the book and saying, â€Å"That’s not right! †. This almost seems as if she knows better, that she may have been there. This is the first proper hint of the fact that Susan is a time traveller. The previous hints may have shown that Susan was an odd child, that she had an active imagination. In â€Å"Rose†, we are introduced to Rose when she is finishing her shift at a department store. This shows that she is short of money, and implies that she did not receive a good education, because of the simple idea that uneducated people get jobs in Boots and Tescos. We cut to several shots from different angles within the space of a few seconds, as if to show the hectic speed that her life is played out at. This effect has been used because today, we are all familiar with Music has always played a key feature in television programmes, especially in dynamic and exciting shows like Doctor Who. For example, in â€Å"An Unearthly Child†, not much music is played, because much of the programme is conversation. The music that was played was spooky music, designed to scare the listener. It was mostly orchestrated, although some was edited with the â€Å"latest† 1960s equipment and technology. If the modern audience heard it today, they would think it is old-fashioned and outdated, because the music we hear today has a stronger beat and is we use more electronics to edit it. The props used in both â€Å"Rose† and â€Å"An Unearthly Child† have been synonymous to their times. The props used in the school scene of â€Å"An Unearthly Child† are only normal school desks and chairs. In the dump scene, outside the TARDIS, the dump is filled with typical things you would expect to find in a dump then. These props were well within budget, and because there were no stunts involving those scenes, the producers did not have to continuously pay money to have replacements built. This therefore, was cost effective. However, in â€Å"Rose†, to get the shots right when the department store blows up, the BBC had to pay for various things including safety screens for the cameras, insurance if the pyrotechnics went wrong, explosives and models for repeated shots. This however, was not too much of a problem, as the more modern episode had a bigger budget to account for the modern audience’s tastes – action, adrenaline, mystery and adventure. The camera shots also had to be cost effective, meaning that the ways in which both episodes were filmed both had to be appropriate and as accurate as possible. In â€Å"An Unearthly Child†, people were not used to people getting hurt on screen or otherwise. The budget and the technology could not stretch to the limits that we possibly might expect today. For example, the only major â€Å"stunt† scene is when the TARDIS starts up and Ian falls over. This effect was achieved by shaking the camera about while the actors fell about on set. This effect is laughable when watched today, but the 1960’s audience will have been filled with concern. Nowadays, the effect is achieved with a moving floor and a shaking camera. The shots in â€Å"An Unearthly Child† were produced by a camera which could not be zoomed in. This meant that between close-ups, the camera had to be moved. This was obviously time-consuming. The shot where the camera is moving around the TARDIS is achieved by placing the camera on a moving platform on rails or wheels. This is then moved while the camera is filming. Nowadays, we can pre-set the movements of the camera with a computer. In â€Å"Rose†, many computer generated effects were used to bring a sense of something that could not be created by man. For example, the Nestene Consciousness was a CGI effect. The effect had to be backed up by sound. The sounds that were needed were computer generated also, because the effect could not be achieved through instrumental music. . The actor Christopher Eccleston actually had to talk to a blank area on the ground while filming. Today the effects have moved on even more, and we can simply use greenscreen to solve the problem. The older episode, â€Å"An Unearthly Child† obviously could not have achieved these effects, as the technology to design them had not been created yet. As a viewer, I prefer the episode â€Å"Rose†, because the effects used in it created a sense of what the modern viewer wants – action, adrenaline, mystery and adventure. It is also longer, providing more entertainment for a longer period of time. This meant that the producer could cram a lot of information and adventure into one episode. The plot is more intriguing because the effects can be created by computer and other technology, not just physical objects.

Art History Renaissance Essay

The making of a work of art is much like the story of Creation in the Bible. However, this divine ability was not fully realized until Michelangelo described the creative experience as â€Å"Liberating the figure from the marble that imprisons it†. Perhaps that is why the concept of creativity was once reserved by God, as he could give material form to an idea. 1) The interest of the artists in Italy in rational and systematic order, in the revival of classical vocabulary and in humanist naturalism signaled the commencement of the renaissance in Italy. Discuss using two works from this period. When the French invaded northern Italy and sacked Milan eighteen years later Florence would come under the sway of the Hapsburg dynasty. During the high renaissance in Italy could be considered the age of great accomplishments in the fields of art which as occurred in the late 15th century and the first half of the 16th century. During this age is politically a period of tension and turbulence, wherein foreign invasions and internal conflicts produced upheaval and instability. Under the sway of Hapsburg but it no longer provided the primary impetus for creative activity. In the mean time that Rome was under the control of ambitious Popes succeeded Florence as the artistic center of Italy. For the patronage of the arts, the greatest contribution was probably made by Julius. His successor Leo X (1513-21) continued the patronage of major painters, sculptors and architects, but the artistic achievements of the period were not matched by political success. In the burial place of Julius II, it should be perceived the Medici tombs in the scenery which their designer initially intended for them, much has been written on the importance of the four recumbent figures two-faced below seated figures of the Dukes; the woman beneath Duke Giuliano is imaginary to be symbolical at night. 2) Evolution in artistic style is sometimes characterized as including a `classical peak` or high point of perfection, followed by a dramatic and reactionary period. Mannerist art had a reactionary nature to the ideals of the high renaissance. Discuss with reference to an artists and specific works. The unique format for the ornamentation of the enormous ceiling of Michael Angelo of the Sistine chapel demand to only have compromise, a sequence of paintings of Apostles of colossal measurement within the lunettes on top of the windows, and fillings in the rest of the ceiling with an attractive decoration. The Pietas subject matter shows Christ in is mother’s knee, just after he is taken from the cross. But the two figures characteristically appeared discomfited in northern art, with the body of a full grown man lying laboriously transversely the lap of much smaller woman. Michelangelo initially projected for the portion to be located inside a low place, and therefore, he refined to a smooth finish all the surfaces that would have been perceptible and gave scrupulous heed to the material. This towering amount of finish is not often present in Michelangelo’s vocation, and so most likely reflects the tastes of the supporter. Leonardo Davinci’s stylistic innovations are even extra obvious in The Last Supper, which represented a customary subject in a completely original means. In fifteenth-century Italy artist made increasing use of pigments applied a secco. But around 1500 there was a revival of pure fresco technique, which came to be regarded by art theorist as the ideal means for painting walls and ceilings, and also as the one that revealed artistic proficiency most clearly. In many, perhaps most drawings and paintings apart from those produced in Italy between the fifteenth and twentieth centuries, differences in the size of figures signify their relative importance- a deity and worshippers, a ruler and courtiers, sometimes a man and a woman-rather than their physical distance from one another and the foreground. Cited Literature Hugh, Honour. (2005). A World History of Art. Laurence King Publishing Art.

Araby Symbols

Joyce introduces astonishing symbols in the short story Araby. Some of the symbols we talked about in the class were religion, dark, blind and other more. Specifically, Joyce expanded on symbolic imageries to set a particular scene in The North Richmond Street. With attention to, the priest became the symbol for the unknown narrator in the story. The narrator is currently residing in the dead priest’s house. According to James Joyce in Araby, â€Å"Air, musty from having been long enclosed, hung in all the rooms, and the waste room behind the kitchen was littered with old useless papers. The narrator is exploring the house while thinking about his friend’s sister. Singularly, the room is very old and definitely doesn’t smell good. It smells like a prison. It’s almost like a prisoner was trapped in jail and had died there. Correspondingly, the religion was criticized, looked upon like a jail, and a negative factor. In addition, the priest was a kind person from inside because he had donated his house, money, and furniture to his sister. For the time being, the narrator is eradicating in the room and he finds books. The following books are about religion and exploration. The priest was a innovative person. On the other hand, the priest had died just like his rusty bicycle-pump in the garage. In any case, the majority of the people are compared to the town because all of the kind people were gone. In the long run, a question comes to mind, how can Dublin become a better city? All of the good people are gone. To sum it up, the priest was represented the essential past. Furthermore, on the facade of the story another symbol is light. According to Joyce in Araby, â€Å"When were returned to the street, light from the kitchen windows had filled the areas. By definition light is something that makes things visible. Light is the ultimate hope and savior from the dark. Above all, the story continues and light is illustrated more often. â€Å"Some distant lamp or lightened window gleamed over me. †The symbol darkness was described often in the story too. The dark and blind street is the symbol of Ireland. Exclusive of, immediately the light takes the position of the country’s brighter future. Nevertheless, the light came from the kitchen window. Therefore, Joyce signifies gloomy future for his country.

Improving Student Test Scores Utilizing Brain

Improving Student Test Scores Utilizing Brain-Based Learning People often say that everyone can learn. Every person is born with a brain that functions as an immensely powerful processor. Brain-based learning offers some direction for educators who want more purposeful, informed teaching. This paper will provide information on how brain-based learning works. In addition, discuss how brain-based learning is improving student test scores. Lastly, provide research findings on the benefits of brain-based learning. Creating stress-free environments, enhancing complex cognitive skills, and understanding memory become essential in brain-based learning. Receiving, encoding, storing, and retrieving information make sense as the memory pathways are defined. Assessing student learning becomes the simple task of accessing the same methods that were used for teaching. The more we understand the brain, the better we will be able to educate it. Brain-Based Learning (definition) Brain-based learning is the informed process of using a group of practical strategies that are driven by sound principles derived from brain research. Brain-based education is defined by three words, engagement, strategies, and principles. It is learning in accordance with the way the brain is naturally designed to learn (Jensen, 2008). The overall goal of brain-based education is to attempt to bring insights from brain research into the arena of education to enhance teaching and learning. The area of science often referred to as brain research typically includes neuroscience studies that probe the patterns of cellular development in various brain areas; and brain imaging techniques, with the latter including functional MRI scans and positron-emission tomography scans that allow scientists to examine patterns of activity in the wake, thinking, human brain. These brain imaging techniques allow scientists to examine activity within various areas of the brain as a person engages in mental actions such as attending, learning, and remembering. Proponents of brain-based education espouse a iverse group of educational practices and approaches, and they generally attempt to ground claims about effective practice in recently discovered facts about the human brain. They argue that there has been an unprecedented explosion of new findings related to the development and organization of the human brain and that the current state of this work can inform educational practice in meaningful ways. Advances in brain science led brain-based educator David A. Sousa to proclaim that â€Å"no longer is teaching just an art form, it is a science† (Sousa, 1998). Principles of Brain-Compatible Learning that have Emerged from Brain Research. Educators who have a background in the neurobiology of learning and memory have a distinct advantage in their classrooms. By following the brain-based teaching principles we can create an enriched, brain-compatible environment and effectively counter such existing negative influences as stress, sleep deprivation, and poor nutrition. According to Ronal Kotulak in his 1996 book â€Å"Inside the Brain†, an enriched environment can contribute up to 25% increase in the number of brain connections both early and later in life. Our environments need to allow for active manipulation. To summarize, there are at least twelve principles of brain-compatible learning that have emerged from brain research. 1. Uniqueness-every sing brain is totally unique. 2. Impact of threat of high stress can alter and impair learning and even kill brain cells. 3. Emotions are critical to learning-they drive attention, health, learning and memory. 4. Information is stored and retrieved through multiple memory and neural pathways. 5. All learning is mind-body-movement, foods, attention cycles, all have powerful effects. 6.  The brain is a complex and adaptive system-effective change involves the entire system. 7. Patterns and programs drive our understanding-intelligence is the ability to construct patterns. 8. The brain is meaning-driven-meaning is more important to the brain that information. 9. Learning is often rich and non-conscious-we process both parts simultaneously. 10. The brain develops better in concert with other brains. 11. The brain develops with various stage of readiness. 12. Enrichment-the brain and grow new connections at any age. Cognitive skills develop better with music and motor skills (Kotulak, 1996). Three Instructional Techniques Associated with Brain-Based Learning. Orchestrated immersion-creating leaning environments that fully immerse students in an educational experience. The idea is to take information off the blackboard to bring it to life in the minds of students. Orchestrated immersion provides learners with rich, complex experiences that include options and a sense of wholeness. Relaxed alertness-trying to eliminate fear in learners, whole maintaining a highly challenging environment. It is a dynamic state that is compatible with great deal of change. Relaxed alertness ensures that students are being challenged within a context of safety. It also includes a personal sense of well-being that allows students to explore new thoughts and connections. Active processing- Allowing the learner to consolidate and internalize information by actively processing it. It is the path to understanding, rather than simply to memory. Active processing necessarily engages emotions, concepts and values (Caine & Caine, 1994). How Brain-Based Learning Impacts Education. There are three ways that brain-based learning impacts education through curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Curriculum- teachers must design learning around student interests and make learning contextual. Instruction- educators let students learn in teams and use peripheral learning. Teachers structure learning around real problems, encouraging students to also learn in setting outside the classroom and the school building. Assessment-since all students are learning, their assessment should allow to understand their own learning styles and preferences, this way, students monitor and enhance their own learning process (Jensen, 1998). What Brain-Based Learning Suggests. How the brain works has a significant impact on what kinds of learning activities are most effective. Educators need to help students have appropriate experiences and capitalize on those experiences. As Renate Caine points out in her book Making Connections, three interactive elements are essential to his process. Teachers must immerse learners in complex, interactive experiences that are both rich and real. One excellent example is immersing students in a foreign culture to teach them a second language. Educators must take advantage of the brain’s ability to parallel process. Students must have a personally meaningful challenge. Such challenges stimulate a student’s mind to the desired state of alertness. In order for a student to gain insight about a problem, there must be intensive analysis of the different ways to approach it, and about learning in general. This is what’s known as the â€Å"active processing of experience. † A few other tenets of brain-based learning include: Feedback is best when it comes from reality, rather than from an authority figure. People learn best when solving realistic problems. The big picture can’t be separated from the details. Because every brain is different, educators should allow learners to customize their won environments. The best problem solvers are those that laugh (Caine & Caine, 1994). Most neuroscientists believe that at birth the human brain has all the neurons it will ever have. Some connections, those that control such automatic functions as breathing and heartbeat, are in place at birth, but most of the individual’s mental circuitry results from experiences that greet the newborn and continue, probably, throughout his or her life. Some researchers believe the circuits are completed by age five or six. Other studies extend the period of development from birth to the later elementary school years. Still others argue that nerve connections can be modified throughout life with new connections forming perhaps even late in life. The links between learning, the number of neural connections, or the time frame for development of those connections are not clearly understood. These and other findings encourage educators and parents to expose very young children to a variety of learning experiences-providing blocks and beads to handle and observe, talking to the child, playing peek-a-boo. How does Brain-Based Learning Improve Student Test Scores. Recent scientific studies about the brain and how it learns have given educational leaders and teachers new insights about teaching and learning. Recently, educators have explored links between classroom teaching and emerging theories about how people learn. Exciting discoveries in neuroscience and continue developments in cognitive psychology have presented new ways of thinking about the brain-the human neurological structure and the attendant perceptions and emotions that contribute to learning. Brain-based research also discusses the school environment that is best for optimal learning to occur. According to Dr. Petrie and Dr. Chan in their article, â€Å"The Brain Learns Better in Well-Designed School Environments, â€Å" optimal learning takes place in well-ventilated classrooms, which offer plenty of water for students to drink. In addition, students learn best in bright warm colored well-lit environments that offer challenging activities including visual and performing arts, physical activity, and real life situations (Chan & Petrie, 1998). Summary of Findings: A study Conducted by the Education Trust in 1998, done in collaboration with the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), demonstrates those qualities which appear to be necessary to promote student achievement. Such qualities demonstrate how teaching to higher standards can be effective when appropriate support. This work analyzed data collected from 1200 high performing high poverty elementary schools in 21 states. The study concluded that high performing; high poverty schools tend to use state standards extensively to design curriculum and instruction, assess student work, and evaluate teachers. Over 80% of the successful schools in this study were using state standards to design instruction, assess student work and evaluate teachers. In the great majority of top performing schools in this study, extended learning time in the areas of math and reading was provided for their students. In addition, to crease student achievement, these schools often devoted a larger proportion of funds to support professional development focused on changing instructional practice. The school in this study appeared to be making greater progress than lower performing schools in creating greater opportunities for teacher to obtain training in those areas determined to be important to helping students achieve. It was noted that a majority of schools implemented comprehensive systems to monitor individual student progress and provide extra support to students as soon as it’s needed. 80% of the schools in this study had systematic ways to identify and provide early support to students in danger of falling behind in the academic progress. It was obvious in this study that the more uccessful schools focus their efforts to involve parents on helping students meet standards; the traditional role of parents in schools is that to provide support in fund raising efforts. In the majority of the schools in this study, parents were given opportunities to increase their knowledge of the standards, be involved in curriculum and in reviewing students’ work. Lastly, it was clearly observed that these successful schools have state and district accountability systems in place that have real consequences for adults in schools (The Education Trust, Inc. 1999). Teachers can no longer ignore the findings and implications of brain-based research in the educational environment. The cognitive development of children is affected by a multitude of diverse factors, but educators have been slow to recognize the impact that brain-based research provides in our awareness of the role of the brain in learning Findings suggests that heredity provides 30-60 percent of our brain’s wiring, while 40-70 percent is due to environmental factors (Jensen, 1998). Teachers and educational leaders need to develop a biological understanding of how the brain works. In order for student achievement to continue, principals must look at all aspects of instructional strategies. Understanding the brain’s ability to grow and adapt in response to stimuli increases our ability to develop meaningful relevant lessons, which challenge students and broaden their comprehension of their world. Developing interdisciplinary instruction allows the brain to develop patterns and thus increases student learning. Learning to apply brain research in the classroom helps teachers gain a deeper understanding of how students learn and to develop challenging lessons that stimulate the brain. All in all, understanding how the brain functions is just one more way to help students achieve. In conclusion, scientists caution that the brain is complex and, while research has revealed some significant findings, there is no widespread agreement about their applicability to the general population or to education in particular. Nevertheless, brain research provides rich possibilities for education and reports of students from this field have become popular topics in some educational journals. Enterprising organizations are translating these finding into professional development workshops and instructional programs to help teachers apply lessons from the research to classroom settings. Every person is born with a brain that functions as an immensely powerful processor. The more we understand the brain, the better we will be able to educate it.

Human Cloning: Morally Wrong, Sinful, and Dangerous Essay

Sheep, cattle and further animals have now been replicated by the cloning method which is known as somatic cell nuclear transfer. The process is that an unfertilized egg has its nucleus removed or inactivated, and swapped with the nucleus from an animal’s body cell. This nucleus, enclosing the animal’s complete genetic code, is moved to interact through the egg, and a new embryo created that is genetically equal to the animal providing the body cell. (William, 2000) According to the scientists, the technique may be helpful for animal breeding and medical research, whereas the Catholic Church does not object, providing the norms in opposition to mistreating animals in research are respected. However the question still remains: is human cloning morally wrong, sinful, and dangerous? Cloning as a danger to Life Cloning possibly will appear like a new means to generate human life, not destroy it. However a closer look exposes its darker side. Animal trials show that any attempt to use human cloning for reproduction will have several sufferers. About over 90 percent of cloned embryos miscarry or are stillborn. The first successful cloned sheep Dolly was the sole survivor out of 277 attempts. Those hardly any who endure to birth have severe medical problems. Dolly, such as, developed early arthritis and lived only half a normal life period. In a nutshell, human reproductive cloning is a dangerous and immoral research on everyone. A lot of scientists are in opposition to reproductive cloning for these reasons; however still support cloning for research. However the major difference among the two is this: In reproductive cloning, the majority of the cloned humans will die at very young age; in cloning for research, all of them will die, since they will be intentionally killed as means to someone else’s idea of medical progress. The reality is that this killing might occur at a very early stage makes no difference, for our ethical tradition regards human life at each stage as justified admiration and safety. Cloning for study presents a new evil which not found even in the practice of abortion: creating new human lives exclusively in order to destroy them. This is the crucial reduction of human life to an object, to a product that has no worth but for the use someone else chooses for it. Pope John Paul II has underscored the grave evil of such researches, calling them atrocities that are unworthy of man. (Michael, 2001) Cloning and Human Dignity Human cloning is the last step along this course of depersonalized reproduction. It absorbs no gathering of male and female at all, actually, a child produced by this means has no mother or father in the normal sense, however only a pattern or model. Rather than openness to existence, it involves control over life, for a technician manufactures the new embryo in a laboratory, along with even controls his or her genetic makeup to be equal to that of somebody else. The method of cloning has the nature of a manufacturing process, suited to a product somewhat than a human kind. It dehumanizes in the act of generating. Human cloning would create a human being who deserves to be treated as our equal, but would do so in a way that undermines this equal dignity. It is not a worthy way for humans to bring other humans into the world. (Leon, 2002) Is cloning Sinful? Cloning encourages humans to treat their creations as less than themselves, as less than human. However it moreover tempts them to think of themselves as better than human, as gods with the power to produce life. So that, certainly, the first and supreme temptation presented to human beings, to Adam and Eve: â€Å"You will be like gods† (Gn 3:5). (Michael, 2001) If this seems an exaggeration, we have only to look at statements by cloning proponents. Cloning is an opening technology to efforts to persuade the human species, for 2 reasons. First, genetic engineering is such a hit-and-miss method that one should be able to copy one’s rare successes. Next, if scientists can make a new being who is accurately as same as another, they can purify their method to create that new being the same except for one or 2 superior traits, and then build on this. The human species itself would be the laboratory bench and the investigate animal for such experiments. Unfortunately, a lot of scientists became blind to the paradox in this magnificent scheme. When the true God creates people in His image and reproduction, He produces an infinite variety of people who reproduce special facets of His endless goodness. (John, 2000) When we simple humans attempt to do the same, we only replicate one narrow set of traits previously provided to us in the history? And when we attempt to get better on that inheritance, all we can apply are our own narrow, prejudiced and defective ideas of an enhanced human. By striking those biases on our issue, we would still treat them as objects we can manage and govern, still if we are trying to create a better product. These new powers for controlling the species are not a net increase of power for humankind; they are ways for a small number of imperfect humans to exercise control over a lot of other humans and the expectations of humankind. (Leon, 2002) To imagine we are prepared for such power above all humans is to commit the ultimate sin of arrogant satisfaction that the Greeks called hubris, the pride of grasping at what belongs only to gods. Although some sensible person can notice the destructiveness of such pride, Christians know especially that the road to human development is paved in its place by humble service to others. Jesus’ sacrifice blazed the right path for us long ago. From this point of view, human cloning and the attitude that accepts and uses it is offend to God. References William E. May, Huntington (2000) â€Å"Catholic Bioethics and the Gift of Human Life†, Ind. : Our Sunday Visitor Books John F. Kilner, et al. (eds. ), (2000) â€Å"Cutting-Edge Bioethics: A Christian Exploration of Technologies and Trends†. Grand Rapids, Mich. : Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub Michael C. Brannigan (ed. ), (2001) Ethical Issues in Human Cloning. New York: Seven Bridges Press Leon R. Kass, M. D (2002) â€Å"Life, Liberty and the Defense of Dignity: The Challenge for Bioethics†, San Francisco: Encounter Books