The Role of Literacy in Society Essay Example for Free

The Role of Literacy in Society Essay Adult literacy is essential to the economics of modern nations. It is crucial to individuals to have proficient literacy skills to make a difference to their prosperity. In 2003 the National Assessment of Adult Literacy used the following as a definition of literacy: using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve ones goals, and to develop ones knowledge and potential. This definition does not simply mean comprehending text it includes the range of information-processing skills that adults use in home, work and community. Literacy can be subdivided into three different categories: prose literacy, document literacy, and quantitative literacy. Prose literacy is defined as editorials, news stories, poems and fiction; these can be broken down into two categories expository prose and narrative prose. Expository prose is printed information that defines, describes, or informs. Narrative prose tells a story. Prose literacy is divided into 5 different level of learning. The first level of prose requires a person to read a short passage of text and locate a single piece of information that is identical with the information given. The second level of prose literacy requires a person to locate a single piece of information in the text, compare and contrast easily identifiable information based on criteria provided in the question, or integrate a few pieces of information, when distracters were present or when low level inferences were required. Level 3 of the prose requires a person to match literal or synonymous information in the text with that requested in the question, to integrate many pieces of information from dense or lengthy text, or to generate a response based on information that could be easily identified in the text. The fourth level requires a person to search through text and match multiple features, and to integrate multiple pieces of information from complex passages. The last level requires a person to search through text and match several features contained in dense text with a number of plausible distracters, to compare and contrast complex information, or to generate new information making high-level inferences. Document literacy is defined documents that are short forms or graphically displayed information found in everyday life. Some examples of document literacy are job applications, payroll forms, transportation schedule, etc. Document literacy is also divided up into five levels of document literacy. The first level is requires a person to locate information based on a literal match to the question or to enter information from personal knowledge into a document. The next level requires the reader to match a piece of information either when several distracters were present or when low-level inferences were required. Level 3 requires a person to integrate multiple pieces of information from one or more documents. The fourth level requires a person to perform multiple-feature matches, cycle through documents, and integrate information, all of which required high-level inferences. The fifth level requires a person to search through a complex displays that contained multiple distracters, to make high-level text-based inferences, and to use their specialized knowledge. Quantitative literacy is information that is displayed visually through graphs, charts, etc. Quantitative literacy like the other types of literacy is divided into five different levels. The first level requires a person to perform single, relatively simple arithmetic operations, such as addition, when the question included the numbers to be used and the arithmetic operation to be performed. The second level requires a person to locate numbers by matching the required information with that given, infer the necessary arithmetic operation, or perform an arithmetic operation when the tasks specified the numbers and the operation to be performed. The third level requires a person to locate numbers by matching the required information with that given, infer the necessary arithmetic operation and perform arithmetic operations on two or more numbers, or to solve a problem, when the numbers must be located in the text or document. The fourth level requires a person to perform two or more sequential arithmetic operations or a single arithmetic operation, when the quantities could be found in different displays, or when the operations had to be inferred from semantic information given or drawn from prior knowledge. The last level requires a person to perform multiple arithmetic operations sequentially, when the features of the problem had to be extracted from text; or when background knowledge was required to determine the quantities or operations needed. The relationship between economy and literacy is a crucial and well documented relationship. In a Canada study close to 50% of adults with a low literacy lived in low-income households, compared with only 8% of adults with high literacy lived in high-level incomes. This clearly shows what low literacy is capable of doing to the economy of the country. Also during that study it found that the risk of living in a household below the poverty lines is six times greater for a person that is at level one than someone that is at level four or five. It did say however the risk is significantly decreased from 50 percent to 22% if the level of literacy is increased from the first level to the second level. The other interesting fact is that women make about half of what men. This translates to all levels of literacy no matter what level of literacy it seems that women make about half of what the men make in that literacy level. If more of the population were literate it would increase the wealth of the entire nation. In conclusion it is clear that adult literacy is essential to the economics of modern nations. Many are below literacy level and these effects the economics of a country because the low literacy directly affects the wealth of an individual thus effecting countries wealth. Bibliography 1. The Value of Words: Literacy and Economic Security in Canada, Vivian Shalla and Grant Schellenberg The Centre for International Statistics Canadian Council on Social Development 2. Literacy in a thousand words. Beatriz Pont and Patrick Werquin, Education and Training Division, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Published: November 2000 3. Hughes, Languages and writing from class.

Statement of Educational Goals and Philosophy :: My Philosophy of Education

Statement of Educational Goals and Philosophy Henry Ford, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, and Abraham Lincoln. What do these four men have in common? First they are considered geniuses. Second they were all considered poor learners in school. This is why I want to teach. I want to help the kids who have obvious potential, but may be struggling in the classroom. By ignoring kids who are falling behind, we may be losing the next revolutionary thinker of our time. To achieve this goal, I will have to undergo a series of training steps. The first step I have already completed. I have been a mentor for the Americorps Energy Express program for two years. This has helped me to choose the career of education, and has also influenced the area in which I want to teach, special education. This past year I had a child in my class with a slight physical handicap, he was partially deaf. He had fallen behind in all of his classes at school, and was going to have to repeat the third grade. His teachers had never noticed his handicap, but for some reason he decided to tell me. By employing some different techniques, his reading improved greatly over the summer to the point were he was one of the best readers in my class. The look of pride when he read aloud was priceless, as was the look on my face because I knew I had made a difference in his life. In addition, I am in the process of earning my undergraduate degree from Concord College. My area of emphasis is library science. The reason I chose this major instead of Special Education is that in case I can not find a job, I will be able to help children with, in my opinion, the most important aspect of learning- reading. After I receive my undergraduate degree from Concord College, I plan on attending graduate school and earning my Master’s Degree in Special Education. This way I will be able to help children in two ways. Since I plan to teach children with learning problems, I will need special techniques which none of the major philosophical viewpoints can offer by itself.

Short Biography William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 26, 1564, to a farmer named John Shakespeare. No one knows the exact date he was born, but church records show that he was baptized on April 26. Shakespeare had seven brothers and sisters. Everyone assumes he attended the grammar school in Stratford. Shakespeare didn't attend a university but at the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway. Six months after their marriage they had their first daughter, Susanna, and in 1585 they had twins, Hamnet and Judith. He is considered the world's greatest dramatist. He wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets. William Shakespeare was an actor, a playwright, and a poet. William Shakespeare first started his career in the theatre. During the year 1594 Shakespeare career took a turning point, he joined The Lord Chamberlain's Company (formerly known as ‘Lord Strange's Men'). The Lord Chamberlain's Company was a theatrical company that Shakespeare was with for most of his professional career. He was known to play many roles, it's also assumed that he played small roles in his own plays, including Hamlet (as Hamlet father). His first biographer, Nicholas Rowe, referred to him as â€Å"the ghost of his own Hamlet†. Even Though William Shakespeare reputation is based on his plays, he actually got famous first as a poet. His first publication was Venus and Adonis in 1593. It was dedicated to 18 years old Henry Wriothesley, the third Earl of Southampton. The dedication received patronage, after receiving it Shakespeare dedicated his next dramatic poem, Lucrece, to the young lord as well.Today Shakespeare is known as the greatest playwright. By 1596 Shakespeare was very successful as a playwright. At this time Shakespeare was already a well-established actor with a great reputation. His plays were attracting a lot of interest, he had theaters fullback in the 16th century. It's impossible to know the exact date that Shakespeare started writing Hamlet, but he finished it in 1601. Hamlet is the most widely performed play, its estimated that it's being performed every minute of every day somewhere around the world. Its Shakespeare's longest play at 4,042 lines, its said that the character Hamlet has about 1530 lines, which is the most of any character that Shakespeare made. Hamlet is considered a tragedy/revenge tragedy. It was written in London, England and first published in 1603 in a pirated quarto edition titled The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet and then it was published again in 1604 in a superior quarto edition. In the play, Hamlet feels a responsibility to avenge his father's murder. Claudius, who is Hamlet uncle, is the main suspect for Hamlet's father murder but since Claudius became the king after marrying Hamlet's mother, Claudius is very protected. Making it very difficult for Hamlet to find the truth about his father murder. After becoming depressed and summoned home to attend his father's funeral, he is shocked to hear that his mother Gertrude is already remarried. Hamlet's father then comes to him as a ghost and tells him he wants him to avenge his death. The Ghost triangular relationship between Hamlet, Gertrude and Claudius is very much strong and makes the whole play.As we know the Ghost has come to Hamlet as â€Å"Hamlet's father†. In the starting of the play when Hamlet is introduce to this ghost he is very wary and doesn't trust anything he says. â€Å"GHOST: My hour is almost come. When I to sulfurous and tormenting flames. Must render up myself. HAMLET: Alas, poor ghost! GHOST: Pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing. To what I shall unfold. HAMLET: Speak. I am bound to hear. GHOST: So art thou to revenge when thou shalt hear. HAMLET: What? GHOST: I am thy father's spirit† (Act 1 Scene 5). Some literary critics would say Hamlet relationship with this ghost is just a pigment of his imagination but regardless young Hamlet just lost a person who meant a great amount to him. His mother Gertrude, keeps telling him to move on, â€Å"GERTRUDE: Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not forever with thy vailà ¨d lids. Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Thou know'st 'tis common. All that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. HAMLET: Ay, madam, it is common. GERTRUDE: If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee? HAMLET: â€Å"Seems,† madam? Nay, it is. I know not â€Å"seems.† ‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black, Nor windy suspiration of forced breath, No, nor the fruitful river in the eye, Nor the dejected ‘havior of the visage, Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief, That can denote me truly. These indeed â€Å"seem,† For they are actions that a man might play. But I have that within which passeth show, These but the trappings and the suits of woe.† (Act 1 Scene 1). This is a conversation Hamlet and his mother had before he met the ghost, he didn't want his mother to just tell him to stop moping about the death of his father. In fact, as the play goes along he asks his mother why isn't she moping around. In the play, Hamlet mentions, several times on different occasions that his mother committed a sin by marrying his uncle. He has a very deep angry towards his mother for doing it and he mentioned to her that he didn't want her to be his mother. Hamlet angry towards his mother wasn't created by the ghost, the ghost tells Hamlet to respect his mother at some point of the play but it doesn't stop the ghost from igniting Hamlets angry. The ghost, or better known as Hamlet father, also mentions Gertrude sins. â€Å"GHOST: Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast, With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts—O wicked wit and gifts, that have the power. So to seduce!—won to his shameful lust. The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen. O Hamlet, what a falling off was there! From me, whose love was of that dignity. That it went hand in hand even with the vow I made to her in marriage, and to decline Upon a wretch whose natural gifts were poor To those of mine. But virtue, as it never will be moved, Though lewdness court it in a shape of heaven,So lust, though to a radiant angel linked, Will sate itself in a celestial bed And prey on garbage.† ( Act 1 Scene 5). Hamlet's relationship with the ghost was created by the angry he felt towards Gertrude and Claudius, before the ghost mentioned ‘murder' Hamlet knew something was up not only about his mother marrying her dead husband's brother but also the fact that Claudius took the crown from him.The ghost didn't really have a relationship with Gertrude and Claudius. In fact, the only people who seem to see or conversate with the ghost is Hamlet. The ghost relationship with Gertrude is merely just the betray Hamlet father feels towards her. The ghost doesn't ask Hamlet to avenge his mother, the ghost actually tells hamlet to let God deal with her. â€Å"GHOST: Let not the royal bed of Denmark be A couch for luxury and damnà ¨d incest. But howsoever thou pursuest this act, Taint not thy mind, nor let thy soul contrive Against thy mother aught. Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge To prick and sting her. † Hamlet's father wasn't really focused on his wife. His angry was more for his brother, the one that seduced his wife, poisoned him and took his crown. Claudius gained Gertrude trust, where she would go to him about a problem rather than anybody else, for example when Hamlet kills Polonius, Gertrude confided in Claudius. She is also always defending him, some would say she loved Claudius more than she loved her own son. In act 3 scene 3, Shakespeare introduced a play within Hamlet, Claudius who was on the sidelines watching the play begun to feel remorse for killing his brother. This gave Hamlet confirmation that the ghost was telling the truth about his murder, and also the opportunity to kill Claudius. â€Å"CLAUDIUS: Thanks, dear my lord. Oh, my offense is rank. It smells to heaven. It hath the primal eldest curse upon ‘t, A brother's murder. Pray, can I not. Though inclination be as sharp as will, My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent, And, like a man to double business bound, I stand in pause where I shall first begin, And both neglect. What if this cursà ¨d hand. Were thicker than itself with brother's blood? Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens, To wash it white as snow? Whereto serves mercy But to confront the visage of offence? And what's in prayer but this twofold force, To be forestallà ¨d ere we come to fall Or pardoned being down? Then I'll look up. My fault is past. But oh, what form of prayer Can serve my turn, â€Å"Forgive me my foul murder†? (Act 3 Scene 3). This scene made Hamlet's anger towards Claudius grow and his relationship with the ghost strong. Claudius has no clue that Hamlet knows about his sins, and although Claudius can't physically see the ghost, as he's praying he can somehow feel the ghost presences. The ghost somehow creates the main conflicts within the play without really being in the play. In conclusion, Shakespeare, the greatest playwright of all time, has left us with many mysteries in Hamlet. But one thing that we all know is that, if there wasn't a ghost the play would have no meaning. The ghost came back to the kingdom to ask Hamlet to avenge his murder, and because of this, it creates the main points of the play. In some opinion, Hamlet's madness was caused by the ghost. Some think Hamlet's madness was caused by the betrayal he felt towards his mother and uncle. Shakespeare has given us a play that leaves us wondering and looking for answers.

Club Drugs Essay - 1018 Words

Its 6 oclock on a Saturday morning and while some teenagers are enjoying the extra hours of sleep, many are still bouncing around to the sounds of techno music. Thousands of teenagers and even some adults gather into clubs decorated with black lights, disco balls, and tons of smoke machines. Their hearts are pounding and their pulse is racing at the speed of light, all compliments of designer drugs known as club drugs (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Changing the molecular structure of an existing drug or drugs to create a new substance creates designer drugs (Kusinitz 151). The all night dance parties, known as raves, are about the wildest thing going from midnight till dawn, and often beyond. Just because these drugs may portray†¦show more content†¦Ecstasy is a combination of other illicit drugs. Because many different recipes are used to make Ecstasy, the risk of death and permanent brain damage are heightened when some substances are combined (NIDA). The bottom line with this drug is you never know what is in the $5-$20 pill you just bought, so the safest bet would be to do without it. The use of Ecstasy has led to more powerful drugs such as Ketamine, known on the streets as Special K, or K. Special K emerged as a recreational drug in the 1970s and was known as Vitamin K in the underground club scene in the 1980s (Kusinitz 44). It resurfaced in the 1990s as Special K in the rave scene (45). Normally found in an injectable form, it is converted to powder and re-packaged into small ziplock bags or capsules (46). This powerful hallucinogen is generally snorted, and is occasionally sprinkled on tobacco or marijuana and smoked (NIDA). Special K is usually combined with other drugs, such as Ecstasy or cocaine, to enhance the high. The high, called the K-Hole, can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and can produce hallucinations that include visual distortions and a lost sense of time and identity(NIDA). Sold by the vials, K runs around $10-$30 and is available widely throughout raves (Mass 16). The most common form of hallucinogen and the easiest to get at raves, is LSD. Commonly known as acid, it is sold for $3-$5 a hit and can last up to 12Show MoreRelated Club Drugs Essay986 Words   |  4 Pagessounds of techno music. Thousands of teenagers and even some adults gather into clubs decorated with black lights, disco balls, and tons of smoke machines. Their hearts are pounding and their pulse is racing at the speed of light, all compliments of designer drugs known as club drugs (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Changing the molecular structure of an existing drug or drugs to create a new substance creates designer drugs (Kusinitz 151). The all night dance parties, known as raves, are about theRead More Club Drugs and Teens Essay2233 Words   |  9 Pagesa common target of anti-drug campaigns and government advertisements. The goal of these campaigns is to make teens and young adults aware of the dangers associated wi th drug use. While these campaigns are generally effective, teens are still greatly tempted by the dangerous, exciting, and fast-paced world of club drugs. Despite the information they are constantly receiving from their teachers, parents, and government media, some teenagers will still adamantly pursue drugs in hopes of finding â€Å"a goodRead MoreCase Study : Club Drugs Addiction1474 Words   |  6 PagesAfterPartyChat: Club Drugs Addiction Beginning with discothà ¨que scene of the 1970s, the recreational and often psychedelic substances commonly known as â€Å"club drugs† maintained their prominence in later decades at nightclubs, concerts, and raves all across the United States. These substances gained their moniker because their use became commonplace in settings where users wanted to enhance their experiences, most frequently used at clubs with loud music, dramatic lights, and countless people dancingRead MoreThe Ethical Dilemma Of The Case Of Banned Performance -enhancing Drug At The Club2014 Words   |  9 Pagesperformance -enhancing drug at the club, where he works. The two healthcare professionals involved in this case will be the physiotherapist and sports scientist. The essay will also discuss the rights and dignity of the players, principles of health care ethics and will propose a legal and defensible resolution for this situation, with the help of relevant code of ethics and professional conduct. †¢ Stakeholders and Healthcare Professionals Kamil as an employer of AFL club is a sports physiotherapistRead MoreOn Raves and Club Drugs1058 Words   |  4 Pagesthat we don’t have to worry about anything in our life, that we part of a family where everyone respects each other. That’s what made us feel different and being part of something that not many people could tell back in the days. Can’t deny that club drugs helped to achieve this feeling and it was a massive part of it as well. We were confused teenagers who desperately tried to find the way to make sense of this whole world. We wanted to choose our way of life against from a prescribed life whatRead MoreThe Negative Effects Of Club Drugs1252 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Drug Free World, an estimated 208 million people use illicit drugs internationally. Some people take them at home or out with friends, but one of the main places drugs are common is on the dance floor. Club drugs have become increasingly prevalent in our culture and there seems to be no signs of stopping. With how easily these drugs seem to get into clubs the problem is becoming larger and larger. These substances, whether its smoked, swallowed, inhaled, or injected, are extremely dangerousRead MoreFight Club Analysis1678 Words   |  7 PagesDo you find yourself lost, searching for self-worth in modern Society? The Narrator in Chuck Palahniuk’s novel Fight Club struggles with insomnia due to his repetitive nine to five office -job. He longs to feel alive, thinking that purchasing materialistic objects and conforming to what modern society considers the norm will fill his void. Tyler Durden, The Narrators alter ego states, â€Å"the first step to eternal life is you have to die† (Palahniuk 11). His extreme statement represents that one mustRead MoreThe Issue Of Insider Outsider972 Words   |  4 Pagesexperiences and processes (e.g. White customers refer Black dancers as a gold digger if they asked for money directly; Black dancers always non-scheduled to perform in a more lucrative booth) that Black exotic dancers gone through within the exotic dance club environments, and is also a member of her researched group since she was a Black exotic dancer and familiarised with the sex worker movement prior to her research (Siobhan, 2010). For McClelland and Newell, their research on the influence on motheringRead MoreThe Fight Club By Chuck Palahniuk1309 Words   |  6 PagesSenior English: Fight Club Essay 8 September 2014 Violence as a Coping Method In the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, what it means to be alive is examined through violent underground boxing rings, featured in cities around the world. The story follows an unnamed narrator, who lives a monotonous yet well off life, and his alter ego, Tyler Durden, a more freethinking and violent character, as he explores himself and the essence of living through participating in a fight club. Growing from the narrator’sRead MoreInterpersonal1363 Words   |  6 PagesHunter Davis-Interpersonal Communication Fight Club Fight Club, a 1999 American film, is a brilliantly constructed film of escaping reality and dealing with pain in the famous art form of fighting. Director David Flincher adapted the film from the 1996 novel. Main actors, Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden and Edward Norton as the narrator, act excellently as they deal with their reality by celebrating violence in underground fight clubs. The narrator becomes involved in a relationship triangle between