Social Networking Sites Have Made It Easier for Everyone to Publicly Express Political Views. Has This Ability Benefited or Challenged Democracy?

Social networking sites have made it easier for everyone to publicly express political views. Has this ability benefited or challenged democracy? In the 21st Century, the new media technologies of for social networking had created a commonplace for people all across the globe to actively participate in discussion of political issues. To date, social networking sites such as Facebook had come up with at least a billion users in 2012 (Vance, 2012). Other popular social networking sites are MySpace, Blogger, YouTube, and Google which people used widely nowadays.With increase to the popularity of social networking sites, users involved in political issues had grown rapidly over the years. These social networking sites put millions of people in constant contact with each other and are tools which many people used to connect with their families and friends and to freely express their political thought which shapes public opinions and improve democratic participation. Everyone can be a jour nalist through these online communication technologies. News travel instanteously and are ubiquitous.I believed that communication freedom is essential for democracy, and the ability to publicly express political views on social networking sites have benefitted democracy. In this essay, I will discuss the term of democracy, state the factors such as freedom of speech and encourage democratic participation in young people and gives examples on democratic practices through online technologies uses. Firstly, to talk about democracy, it is said to be a government that gives the citizens the right to choose who to govern them, and have a say to decide on what will affects their future.There should be free and fair elections and to protect human rights. Democracy requires responsibility and participation of people. I personally think that two key factors of democracy are equality and freedom of speech. Social networking sites is a useful medium for political discussion, education, debate and participation which allow greater freedom of expression, facilitating the citizens to challenge and criticise on political issues, which is a basic democratic right. People would now able to comment on any political issues, or even create political groups forums and campaigns through these social networking sites.The internet can support the organisation of topic oriented pressure groups, protests organisations, and ideological movements (Neumayer, Christina and Celina, 2008). All these improve democratic participation. To promote democracy through social network uses, government becomes transparent and accountable, which works in the people’s favour, and eventually gains trust and empower the citizens. In (Scott, 2010), it is stated that, â€Å"People passionately fight and die for their freedom, and even to gain freedom for others.People want to have and express their individual and collective identities, which may be an even more important concept than freedom itself. They want free from oppression, want justice, and want to engage in collective activity that promotes everyone's wellbeing. Some of these needs have been recognized and formulated into political systems from as early as 5000 years ago in ancient Sumer. Democracy has proven best for obtaining those goals of identity, individual freedom, and collective wellbeing. Another factor is that enabling freely expressing political views on social networks had increased the number of young people actively involving in political issues. Nowadays, the world of communication technologies is the only world young children and youth knows, it is a routine for them to use internet as educational tool, in and out of school (White, Rob and Wyn, 2008). Political issues are seldom discuss or taught in school. Social network hence engages young people, increase youth voter turnout and raise awareness of political issues amongst the youth.Media technologies are an extremely important part of informal learn ing environment. (Greenfield, 2009). This is also another factor which contributes to improving democratic participation. From the findings of Pew Internet and American Life Project, 2012: â€Å"Younger users are more likely to post their own thoughts about issues, post links to political material, encourage others to take political action, belong to a political group on a social networking site, follow elected officials on social media, and like or promote political material others have posted. Lastly, there are a few examples of democratic practices through social networking sites used by political representatives happening in our world. One of them is the United States President, Barack Obama who formed online campaign using social media and technology, as a part of its successful strategy for the presidential election in 2007, to raise money, and more importantly, develop a groundswell of empowered volunteers who felt that they could make a difference (Aaker and Chang, 2009). B ased on the today’s method of teaching, digital immigrant whom need to adapt to the current needs to always be retaining their foot in the past.Likewise for the 2012 presidential election, President Obama makes use of the social media, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube and eventually won the election the second time. The second example, is the Singapore Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong who had joined Facebook and Twitter in 2012 as an increased effort to engage with younger Singaporeans. He has also asked the people to suggest, share and voice out ideas and thoughts of how to change and reform the country and improving lives. The social networking sites had proven to contribute political success across the globe.In conclusion, the use of social networking provides convenient access for everyone to be better informed about current state affairs. It is being widely used in many parts of the world, not only for personal communication, but also to address publicly political, c ritical or taboo issues, which are not always accessible through traditional media. Social networks had also raised awareness of current political affairs among youngsters, which results has shown that more young people are participating in political issues than years ago when politics has not officially stepped in the media frenzy.Furthermore, even political leaders had actively joined the social media to be able to engage more with the youngsters and modern digital natives. More democratic practices are performed through social media uses. With the ever growing numbers of social network users now able to access, create and distribute information, ideas are spreading faster, pushing the boundaries of freedom of expression and opening up new possibilities for change, reform and better quality of lives. The social network created a avenue for discussion about political issues and has become a potential catalyst for democratisation.References Ashlee Vance. 2012. â€Å"Facebook: The M aking of 1 billion users. † Bloomberg Business week http://www. businessweek. com/articles/2012-10-04/facebook-the-making-of-1-billion-users Dorian Scott Cole. 2010. â€Å"Philosophy of Democracy† Visual Writer http://www. visualwriter. com/WhatKindWorld/philosophy_of_democracy. htm# Greenfield, Patricia M. 2009. â€Å"Technology and Informal Education: What Is Taught, What Is Learned. † Science 323: 69-71. Jennifer Aaker and Victoria Chang. 2009. â€Å"Obama and the power of social media and technology† The

Pollution in Vietnam

HANOI—As Vietnam's economy has boomed in recent decades, so too have pollution levels in its major cities, with experts concerned that air pollution could pose a major public health concern. â€Å"Environmental pollution in Vietnam is a real problem,† said Tuong Lai, former dean of Vietnam's Social Science Institute. â€Å"It's not just foreign visitors who have complained about our dust pollution—people in our country are also very dissatisfied with it,† he said.A study conducted by employment consultants ORC Worldwide put economic boomtowns Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi on a list of the 20 worst cities in the world in which to live and work, for environmental reasons. Air pollution was cited as a key factor for both Ho Chi Minh City, which was the ninth worst place to live, and Hanoi, which was ranked 11th worst. A 2008 environmental report by the World Bank ranked the two cities as the worst in Vietnam for pollution, while an environmental study by 400 int ernational scientists in the same year said Hanoi and Saigon were the worst-ranked cities for dust pollution in the whole of Asia.Expert warning And experts at a Southeast Asia air pollution seminar hosted by the Industrial Institute of Asia warned that air pollution in Vietnam had reached dangerous levels. In 2007, Vietnam started to publish results of its own surveys, with an Environmental Protection Bureau report officially recognizing in 2007 that dust pollution was a serious problem in Vietnam. Vietnamese residents of the worst-ranked cities were well aware of the heath effects, and of the effect on tourism revenues. The atmosphere in this country is now seriously polluted, yet the government has not found any solutions,† one Hanoi resident said. â€Å"The air pollution in Saigon and Hanoi has annoyed not only the people in the country, but also the Vietnamese who come back to Vietnam as visitors,† he said. â€Å"It has disappointed so many foreign tourists, too. † Thousands of deaths Health authorities say that thousands of cases of death or illness have been confirmed as having been caused by atmospheric pollution with carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene, and fine particulates (dust).In 2007 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that an average of 16,000 deaths a year in Vietnam are now caused by air pollution, with thousands of people now confirmed to be suffering from pulmonary disease. Environmental studies blame fuel emissions from public transportation and industrial pollution from factories. Pressure is now growing on Hanoi from international as well as domestic environment specialists to step up controls on industrial pollution and clarify the responsibilities of the various government agencies involved in environmental protection.Calls are emerging in domestic media for the government to enforce a switch to cleaner fuels, and to punish or penalize anyone causing environment pollution. â€Å"Pollution greatly affe cts the health of our people,† Tuong Lai said. â€Å"Therefore the government must make multiple efforts to make a healthy living environment for the people who crowd such big cities as Saigon [Ho Chi Minh City] and Hanoi,† he added.

International Financial Reporting Standards Essay

International Financial Reporting Standards - Essay Example It includes the diversification from GAAP to IFRS which have to be adopted by the US in order to compliance with the Security and Exchange Commission, also provides knowledge why and how conversion enhances the reporting quality. The framework for the preparation and presentation of the financial statements adopted by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) is known as International Financial Reporting Standard, IFRS provides a procedure norms, rules and regulation that how to prepare and present the financial statements, what data must be included and what should be omitted. Most of the standards which come under the umbrella of IFRS are previously known as the International Accounting Standard (IAS). IAS was issued between 1973 and 2001 by the International Accounting Standard Committee. While General Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) is also a standard framework of financial reporting, it includes the standard, convention, rules and regulation an accountant must follow in recording and summarizing transactions and in the making of financial statements. IFRS and GAAP have some similarities and differences which we will discuss later. IAS 2 elaborates the accounting treatment for inventories. The issue which arises often in this standard is when we intend to recognize the cost as an asset and carried forward it until related revenues are recognize. The cost formula assign for the cost of inventory is also prescribed in IAS-2. Basically there are two main methods of inventory valuation. i) First In First out (FIFO) which means the organization has to utilize its stocks which they have first in line. ii) Last In First out (LIFO) which means organizations have to use the last purchase stock first. Generally FIFO is for low Cost of Good Sold (COGS), high ending inventory so ultimately the bottom line will show a high net profit, while as far as LIFO is concerned, is for high COGS , low ending inventory and low net profit. Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff elaborates practical examples of FIFO and LIFO in their book namely "The Accounting Game" which shows how FIFO leaves a positive impact over the net income and LIFO condensed the net profit or the profit after tax (PAT), Usually Companies uses LIFO method in order to save the Taxes. Differences are there between IFRS and GAAP, like adoption of LIFO method in IFRS is prohibited while under U.S GAAP, companies have the choice between LIFO and FIFO method. Some sort of similarities are also there between IFR

Apple Marketing strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Marketing strategy - Essay Example According to Schneiders (2011), Apple is able to charge higher prices than its competitors buy its products remain competitive. He argues that Apple makes use of traditional and cult marketing strategies. Moreover, the company manages to manufacture products with high software compatibility hence easy to market in the competitive market. Madden (2010) argues that Apple has a unique marketing strategy that has not been mastered by many brands. The strategy enables Apple to cross-sell products that people already own. Moreover, the company designers have great understanding of the needs of the customers and focus on creating products that meet the changing needs of the customer. The alterations involve inclusion of more software to ensure the products are better than previous ones. For example, Apple iPhone was considered unique in that it has the features of an iPad as well as those of a smartphone. Mickalowski, Mickelson, & Keltgen (2008) argue that Apple makes advantage of trade sho ws and media coverage to market their products long before they are released into the market. Moreover, the company remains secretive about the features and outlook of their product to prevent imitation of new inventions by their competitors. For example, during development of iPhone, Steve jobs managed to sign Apple as the select carrier of the product. Moreover, the company understands the needs of the customers and comes up with unique products. Apple’s success had been greatly determined by the former CEO, Steve jobs. Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak who were quite unprofessional in terms of their academic qualifications founded the company. However, they became successful right from the start.

BusinessMGT Unit1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BusinessMGT Unit1 - Assignment Example Business Management Unit 1: Part 1 Introduction The function of job organization and information is a crucial offshoot of the organization structure that effectively delineates the different departments, divisions, sections and units in the light of the organization’s philosophy, resources and needs. A job description details the content of the job, specifically the nature of the job, the person the worker is responsible to, accountabilities, competencies and skills requirements, among others (Martires, 2004, 108). Given that the vice president for services requires a detailed presentation of the job description of a manager to be recruited for the services division, the essay hereby details the requirement. Job Description o a Manager of the Services Division Position: Manager, Services Division, assists the Vice President in the performance of management services functions and understands the organization’s practices and competently delivers outputs consistent with fu nctions expected of a manager. Characteristics and Experience Required: 1. Must be at least a Master’s Degree in Business Administration preferably with strong service background; with at least 3 years experience in a Service oriented organization. 2. With good moral character and exhibiting exemplary conceptual, communication, effectiveness, and interpersonal skills. 3. Must have knowledge of theories, principles and practices of managing a service organization with than 3 years experience in planning, organizing, leading, and controlling a new service department to provide excellent customer service. 4. Must have the ability to manage projects and programs by designing an interplay of activities consistent with the maintenance of a conducive working environment for the service personnel; must motivate subordinates towards the accomplishment of goals; must effectively coordinate requirements of various stakeholders and to recommend alternative courses of action to authorized higher management personnel for required decisions making processes. 5. Must be mature and dependable in all situations, aggressive with sincere desire further one’s professional career in the organization; flexible in working under different working conditions; possesses the highest degree of integrity and discipline and resourceful in undertaking assignments and projects, as necessary. Duties and Responsibilities 1. Directs and manages the service department into the development of strategies towards the accomplishment of plans, objectives and goals pursuant to policies and procedures; actively develops schedules, budgets, proposals and plans to comply with required programs; assigned duties, tasks and responsibilities of personnel; performs performance appraisals and evaluation of personnel; monitors the compliance to programs and the level of accomplishments of projects as planned; coordinates all activities with external agencies; prepares business continuity and emerge ncy plans and procedures; reviews required documentary reports and advises senior management, as required; actively involved in problem-solving, troubleshooting, conflict resolution and decision-making, as needed. 2. Coordinates with various stakeholders in terms of activities of the new department in terms of utilization of resources and the need to use funds, as proposed. 3. Reviews and updates policies, procedures and

Moral Issues in Our Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Moral Issues in Our Lives - Essay Example I do know that the former always brings the latter; however, I particularly like instances when I am able to influence the consequences directly regardless of the previous actions. In such situations, I feel the maximum freedom. This, in turn, allows me to think about the actions that I am about to perform and the decisions tend to be correct ones. As for the rule that I consider to be the most important in my life, I might mention the Golden Rule of interaction. I do believe that others should be treated just like one wants to be treated. Several times in my life I was able to prove the validity of this kind of thinking and saw that it brings positive results for the people that apply it. For example, I want to be respected, therefore I always behave in a respective way towards other people. I think that this rule allows one to structure social interactions in the most effective way. There are many ideas and role models in my life that I would like to adhere to. However, the most significant of them of the Prophet Mohammed. I admire that He was able to be a successful spiritual guide, effective political leader, and a victorious warrior. It would not be a mistake to suggest that He lived life to its fullest and should become a role model for every active person. Furthermore, many events from His life teach how to behave in difficult situations. A good person is one who does his or her best to contribute to the good in the world. One would make no mistake that such definition engages extremely broad notions such as good and bad. Nevertheless, it is my strongest belief that all people have an innate ability to distinguish between the two and various religious systems simply guide this ability and teach people to use it. Indeed, sometimes, detecting bad can be rather simple.

Comparative projects Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Comparative projects - Assignment Example Thus, societies that fundamentally observe matrilocality and matrilineal descent will regard women with higher social functions than in one where their custom provides for patrilocality and patrilineal descent. The living arrangements upon marriage and the order of inheritance have a direct correlation to the status of women in the group. The practices of the Minangkabau of Indonesia and the Yanomamo of Venezuela illuminates on these differences as postulated by Scupin. Matrilineal societies do not necessarily imply that women are the center of power in this setting. This suggests that contrary to the belief of male dominance, women have a more active role and participation in society. Lewis Henry Morgan in his work Ancient Society which inspired no less than Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels theorizes that matriarchy had always been the standard during earlier times. But there was a movement toward patriarchy as adopted by men in order to secure that their property passes on to their male lineage in contrast to the matriarchal system where property is communal (as cited in Scupin, 2012, p. 228). Peggy Reeves Sanday in her study of the Minangkabau confronts the Western ideas of patriarchy. She writes that the women in this culture are viewed in an egalitarian manner rather than being subdued members of the tribe (as cited in Scupin, 2012, p. 230). On the other hand, Yanomamà ¶ are patrilineal and the men hold the most power. The common system in thei r survival follow the common conception of a patriarchal system where the men prepare the forest for agriculture while concurrently protecting everyone from intruders and the women tend to the vegetation and harvesting of crops as they simultaneously rear the children (Scupin, 2012, p. 175). The Minangkabau is recognized as the largest matrilineal society in the world and studied

Health Care Reform Bill Obama Care Research Paper

Health Care Reform Bill Obama Care - Research Paper Example Even though, the government is spending billions of dollars every year to help the public, it is not reaching the ordinary people because of the administrative problems and the exploitation of the private insurance companies. Still United States has the highest healthcare costs compared to some other developed countries. President Obama, even before his election promised that he will make immense changes in the healthcare sector in order to make it more public-friendly. Obama has assured the public before the election that he will increase the insurance coverage, decrease the cost and social burden of healthcare, implement reform in insurance sector and increase the government involvement, once he succeeded in winning the election. After winning the president election, Obama introduced the legislations (Senate bill and Reconciliation bill) in both houses of the U.S. Congress and succeeded in passing it in March 2010. It is estimated that more than 50 million American citizens do not have the health insurance coverage at present. One of the major criticisms labeled against Obama’s health care bills is the annual increases in healthcare costs per person and the enormous budgetary strain this bill may cause on U.S. state and federal governments. In other words, The nationalization of health care should be unconstitutional because it conflicts with American civil liberties, and it allows some Americans to live off of the government rather than making something themselves.   â€Å"A U.S. district judge in January 2011, Judge Roger Vinson, in Pensacola, Fla., ruled that as a result of the unconstitutionality of the "individual mandate" that requires people to buy insurance, the entire law must be declared void† (Judge Rules Health Care Law Is Unconstitutional). The court declared that the over involvement of the government in healthcare sector is not necessarily the duty of the government. It is unconstitutional to spend the taxpayer’s money in this way. The primary role or the duty of the government is to give protection to the life and property of the citizen. However, the primary duty of the government does not include the protection of the public health according to the ruling of the court. The court also observed that the Congress does not have the authority or power to pass such a bill according to American constitution. It is the duty of the Congress to reform or regulate the healthcare market, when we consider the huge size of the health care sector with respect to national economy. However, Congress does not have the authority to put the entire responsibility of keeping the health of the public intact, upon the government. A federal judge in Virginia also ruled against the bill a week before. The judge declared that the â€Å"law's requirement that citizens buy health insurance or pay a penalty starting in 2014 is invalid† (O’Dell). However, the Obama administration argued that the above clause was attached in the law based on a constitutional provision, giving Congress power to regulate interstate commerce. Even though the Congress argued in favor of the bill, the court rejected the argument of Congress, citing reasons that: The means of payment for services in the interstate health care market is an economic activity that substantially affects interstate commerce, and the requirement that participants in the health care market have insurance to pay for the services they consume is thus a quintessential exercise of the commerce power (O’

Business Operations - A Systems View Assignment

Business Operations - A Systems View - Assignment Example When faced with rising costs and slumping sales, Aramex’s management would tend to look within examine existing operations and reversing the trend. The idea of looking at the external aspects beyond their company is not a new concept. What is new, concerns viewing their company as collective of systems, creating a whole, whereas also examining the relations between the individual systems in order to determine their effect on the whole system. The systems theory advances the premise that organizations consist of systems that form a larger system. The manner in which a sub-system fits in the system determines whether the sub-system will prosper. The managers at Aramex can use this concept to achieve a more holistic picture of the entire organization. Learning and understanding how Aramex relates to the system it exists in, and the manner in which the organization’s internal systems detract or contribute from the larger system relationship could give a more relevant analys is. Restructuring a learning company needs an understanding of the concept of learning organizations and its relationship to the outcomes the organization desires (Kontoghiorghes et al, 2005: p185). ... If the material is not flowing, then the supply pipeline is non-existent. Instead, there will be inventory imbalances with products and components not ending up where the organization wants. The movement could be very broad in its geographical scope. Completed products and raw materials could be moved among and between any regions in the world. As organizations pursue competitive advantage, most are now considering their supply chains and developing customer-supplier relationships to the smooth flow of materials (Phillips et al, 2006: p452). The plan for movement of material needs to be flexible. Sometimes, the existing supply chain is perceived to be a barrier and too rigid (Phillips et al, 2006: p457). The weakest link at Aramex, according to Iyad, is forecasting in their corporate execution and planning. Therefore, the movement needs to be able to deal and adjust with business activity swings. This could need a multi-level, multi-level, and/or multi-mode service program to keep a smooth flow of the global supply chain. For instance, it could need a mix of air and sea modes to ensure a smooth flow of material, particularly if there are swings in requirements and volumes. On the other hand, a mix of slow and fast boat transit time, freight costs on the sea, and transit times for trading off. In addition, if the material’s destination were on, say, the east coast, a mix of all water and MLB service, the multi-carrier approach would work, although it could stay with the same line of steamship. Enabling Responsiveness throughout the Supply Chain While the movement of materials and products is fundamental to Aramex, it is also important for them to know where the inventory is and whether there

Inter Textual Synthesis Essay Essay Example for Free

Inter Textual Synthesis Essay Essay Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, centers around the theme of discovering oneself. The book shows readers the world of Edna Pontellier and gives them a window into her numerous insecurities and hesitations. Throughout the book, Edna attempts to become the opposite of the stereotypical women of her time. She chooses to be herself instead of the socially acceptable role she is expected to be. Additionally, Natasha Tretheway’s poem â€Å"Domestic Work† and Bobby Coles’ poem â€Å"Finding Yourself† attack the issues of independence, relationships, and gender. These two poems in combination with The Awakening strive to challenge the status quo of women everywhere. In the 19th century, women were expected to be domestic goddesses. As a married woman, it was important to be a positive influence on her husband and children, but was still expected to address to her husband as the head of the household. These restrictions had many women, including Edna in The Awakening, feeling trapped. Some women felt the need to become their own person, as opposed to the woman they were expected to become. In the poem, â€Å"Domestic Work†, the reader is given a preview of a typical woman in the 1930’s: â€Å"She beats time on the rugs, blows dust from the broom like dandelion spores, each one a wish for something better. † (Trethewey 23-26). The poem displays the monotonous life of women in the 19th century, and how some women desired something more. Edna, from The Awakening, is included in the category of women who longed for a life beyond household chores. In both The Awakening and â€Å"Domestic Work†, independence and a woman’s relationships are subjects of choice. Edna feels that she should be able to be free and independent. She wants to make her own choices about men and decide on her own who she loves without anyone else’s opinion influencing her choice. When Edna starts to lose the feelings she once had for her husband, she falls for Robert Lebrun. In fact, Edna had no intention to marry Leonce to begin with; â€Å"Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate† (Chopin 23). Edna desires to have freedom. Robert wants a marriage with Edna, which conflicts with what she wants. Her feelings for Robert are strong but Robert has mature feelings for Edna, eyond what she feels for him. Though Edna wishes she could say the same, her love for him is more an infatuation-not true love. â€Å"As Edna walked along the street she was thinking of Robert. She was still under the spell of her infatuation. She had tried to forget him, realizing the inutility of remembering. But the thought of him was like an obsession† (Chopin 71). In the end, Edna realizes she cannot have both independence and true love. She decides to keep Robert out of her life and ends up drowning herself because of the internal conflict she has endured. In the poem â€Å"Finding Yourself†, author Bobby Coles explains that a person has to reach inside himself/herself in order to discover who he/she is. Similarly, Edna and the woman in â€Å"Domestic Work† are enduring their own journey. In Coles’ poem, he intentionally writes without specificity of gender, therefore making the poem easily relatable to readers of any gender. Coles uses descriptive language to create an image of what it is like to go through the process of finding yourself like Edna and the woman in Domestic Work did. â€Å"When are you most comfortable? Are you being true to yourself? You are in there somewhere. Judge on your own. Listen not to others. Look in the mirror. See beyond the image† (Coles 35-41). Coles encourages readers to not be influenced by the opinions of others, and instead, judge for themselves. In each text, the idea of taking your life in your own hands is present. Each of the poems and The Awakening displays themes of gender, relationships and independence. These themes help shape the stories and give the reader a greater understanding of the messages, as well as make connections to each of the characters.

Information Technology On Nursing Practices Health And Social Care Essay

Information Technology On Nursing Practices Health And Social Care Essay Methodology -Survey based instrument was used to gather the responses from the nurses working in leading hospitals having more 300 beds in Tiruchirappalli district. 70 respondents participated in this survey. Findings Chi-square test revealed that demographic characteristics of nurses and usage of information technology are independent The results of factor analysis demonstrated that softwares, data bases, file tranfer and input devices are significant in explaining confidence level among nurses and factors like computer access, perception about information technology, connectivity, and shortage of computers are significant in creating barriers in usage of information technolgy. The extent to which nurses access and use information technology and the purposes for which nurses use information technolgy are also highlighted. Limitations- This study is limited to only hospitals and the results. The results may not be applicable to other business organizations. Keywords Information Technology, Nursing, Hospital INTRODUCTION The impact of information technology on nursing has been a subject of discourse and dissertation for the latter half of the 20 (th) centuries and the early part of the 21(st). That this burgeoning technology has impacted the way nurses nurse can be without doubt. Whether this technology has and will have a negative or positive outcome on nursing practice is where the debate centres. This study was undertaken with an objective of analysing the debate that surrounds the issues of the impact of Information Technology (IT) on nursing practice. The study is also intended mainly to findout the extent and use of information technology on nursing practices. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Toofany, Swaleh (2006) examined the attitude of nurses to the use of information technology (IT) in health care in Great Britain. A system is being developed by the Department of Health that will allow nurses to retrieve the health records of patients from core computer storage. A nurse does not consider themselves as having central roles in IT management. Many commentators believe that technophobia among nurses continues despite the increasing need for them to employ IT in health care Porter-OGrady, Tim (1999) had undertaken a study on Technology Demands Quick-change Nursing Roles. The study mainly focused on how nursing managers must face the emerging technological changes in health care and what is the impact of technology on nursing care and role of the manager in relation to the changes. Simpson, Roy L (2006) in their study, focused on the significance of information technology (IT) to nursing. It is said that a new way of practicing evidence-based nursing will rely on IT. The mindset about the importance of IT is said to be the most challenging hindrance to IT ubiquity. The elements that are necessary to IT ubiquity in nursing are products, learning, access and need. Rollins, Gina (2007) reported on the growing number of nurses in the U.S. who are leaving hospitals to enter the clinical informatics field as electronic health records proliferate. A recent survey by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society found the top three job responsibilities for nurse informatics include systems implementation, systems development and liaison or communicator. Simpson, Roy L.(2002) in their study on The virtual reality revolution: technology changes nursing education discussed the benefits of virtual technology for the improvement of nursing education. The author also focussed on background on limited opportunities for nursing students to practice their skills; Advantages of using virtual reality technologies in improving the clinical skills of nursing students are also highlighted. Information on several nursing simulation tools were also presented in this study. Simpson, Roy L (2007) presents an analysis of how increasing the number of informatics-trained nurses can help in the continual growth of demand for nurses in the U.S. A paradigm of the supply-side economics was provided to compare the positive effect of stimulating supply than demand. The healthcare industry has reached the world of information technology (IT) so that nurses should then learn the language that it speaks, which is informatics. The author contends that the amount of effort, time and money can be saved if informatics-trained nurses are indeed pursued as a focus of development in the industry. Wallis, Alison (2007) in his study on Clinical data standards and nursing describes the benefits of information and communications technology programmes, often referred to as electronic health (e-health), to nurses in Great Britain. Among its contributions to patient care include its ability to offer ways of sharing patient information and the access it provides clinical data for benchmarking and audit. The benefits of data standards accrue to nurses at all levels, whether they work in direct patient care, in unit management or at health board level. Brommeyer, Mark (2005) explains the concept of e-health healthcare technology. The authoer also highlighted the advantages of adopting e-health; Information and communication technologies being used in most hospitals are also studied and Implications of using the technology are clearly furnished in his study. Hudson, Kathleen (2007), in his study Innovations in cardiac nursing and technology deals with several areas in which emerging technologies in cardiac nursing are most promising. The three options that exist for heart failure patients include destination therapy, bridge to transplant and bridge to recovery. A cost-effective risk predictor is the Electrocardiogram T-wave analysis using microvolt T-wave alternans. Cardiac performance can be reliably assessed by non-invasive ambulatory impedance cardiography. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The present study is undertaken to find out the following. To identify the extent to which nurse have access to and use information technology and information management systems. To identify the purposes for which nurses use information techonolgy and information mangement systems. To find the association between the demographic profile and the work related activities with using computer To identify the variables and their grouping into factors that influence level of confidence in the use of the following systems like input devices, software packages, data storages, and file transfer. To understand the barriers that prevents nurses from benefitng from information technology and information management system. 3.1 The Sampling Design A private hospital was chosen for conducting this study. The study has taken into account the various aspects of information technology and its impact on nursing practices. A sample of 70 nurses has been chosen from the populaton of 147 nurses working in same hospital using simple random sampling method. The tabulated description of demographic details of sample is presented in Table 1. Table 1. Frequency Distribution of sample demographics S.no Variables Number Frequency (%) 1 Gender Female 70 100 2 Age Below 30 55 79 30-40 15 21 3 Designation Staff Nurse 42 60 ANM 25 36 Surgical technician 2 3 Anesthesia technician 1 1 4 Shift timing Continuous shift worker 54 77 Day shift worker 7 10 Evening shift worker 4 6 Night shift worker 1 1 Morning and Evening shift worker 3 4 Evening and night shift worker 1 1 5 Qualifications Diploma 46 66 UG 12 17 PG 2 3 Other 10 14 6 Department General ward 43 61 Annexe ward 7 10 Operation Theatre 7 10 Dialysis Unit 4 6 ICU 9 13 3.2 Data Collection The data was collected from the nurses of the selected hospital through a questionaire which has 11 parts, namely; Demographic characteristics and background of IT Access and Use of computers Use of Information Technology Access to Internet and Intranet Knowledge of current Health I.T initiatives Job requirement for I.T Training and Education about Information technology Barriers to use of computers Technical support Management attitudes and support Security 3.3 Measurement Scale The questionaire consisted of a series of statements, where the nurses were requested to provide answers in the form of agreement or disagreement and good or poor and rarely or frequently and confident or not confident to express their perceptions towards information technology. A Likert scale was used. DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 Chi Square Analysis 4.1.1 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Age and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between age and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between age and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.2 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Designation and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between designation and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between designation and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.3 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.4 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer. 4.1.5 Chi- Square Test of Significance (Department and Work related activities at Home computer) H0: There is no significant relation between department and Work related activities at Home computer. H1: There is significant relation between department and Work related activities at Home computer. The values of chi-square statistics obtained from chi-squre distribution table for all 5 combinations are 14.07, 32.67, 49.80, 32.67 and 41.337 in that order and the calculated chi-square statistics values are 12.853, 25.408, 36.97, 26.34 and 34.14 in that order which lies in the acceptance region. Thus, the null hypothesis can not be rejected .So, it can be concluded that demomograhpic characteristcs of nurses are independent with regard to work related activities at home computer on the basis of statistical evidence at 5 % level of significance. Results of chi-square are presented in Table 3. Table 3: Results of Chi-squre Analysis S.no Variables Chi-square statistic 1 Age and Work related activities at Home computer. 12.853 2 Designation and Work related activities at Home computer. 25.408 3 Shift timings and Work related activities at Home computer. 36.97 4 Qualifications and Work related activities at Home computer. 26.34 5 Department and Work related activities at Home computer. 34.14 4.2 Factor Analysis 4.2.1 Key dimension: Level of confidence in using computers Data validity for factor analysis was calculated using KMO Measure of sampling adequacy. The minimum acceptable level is 0.5. Since calculated Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (0.859 ) is greater than 0.5, so it is appropriate to do factor analysis. Hence Bartletts test of sphericity value is 1144.756, it is also a kind of chi-square and it is significant. The results of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartletts test of sphericity are shown in table 5. Table 5: KMO and Bartletts Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .859 BartlettsTestof Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 1144.756 Df 153.000 Sig. .000 Table 6: Total Variance Explained Component Initial Eigen values Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % 1 9.288 51.599 51.599 9.288 51.599 51.599 2 1.926 10.698 62.298 1.926 10.698 62.298 3 1.468 8.154 70.452 1.468 8.154 70.452 4 1.254 6.965 77.416 1.254 6.965 77.416 5 .869 4.830 82.246 6 .728 4.044 86.290 7 .476 2.642 88.933 8 .353 1.960 90.893 9 .334 1.853 92.746 10 .264 1.465 94.211 11 .237 1.319 95.530 12 .225 1.250 96.780 13 .148 .820 97.600 14 .140 .778 98.379 15 .107 .596 98.975 16 .087 .481 99.455 17 .055 .308 99.763 18 .043 .237 100.000 The Principal Component Analysis was used for extraction method. The Table 6 reveals that 4 factors have been extracted out of 18 variables that exceed the Eigen value of one. The variables less than the Eigen value of one are not considered during extraction method. Table 7: Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % 6.626 36.812 36.812 2.707 15.038 51.850 2.660 14.777 66.627 1.942 10.790 77.416 The Table 7 shows that Factor 1, factor 2, factor 3 and factor 4 explain a variation of 36.812%, 15.038%, 14.777%, 10.790% respectively and together show the variance of 77.416%. Table 8: Rotated Component Matrix Component 1 2 3 4 Apple Mac OS .888 .125 .204 .106 SPSS .853 .212 .245 -.014 Reference tools .836 .199 .291 -.072 Spreadsheet .811 .219 .152 .065 Evidence based practice resources .810 .116 .399 -.020 Data projector .773 .226 .271 -.056 USB .766 .113 .446 .030 Presentation .684 .376 -.042 .272 Touchscreeen .645 .282 .131 .212 Wi ndows OS .590 .232 .150 .355 Email .294 .868 .223 -.018 Intranet .149 .842 .267 .030 Internet .497 .741 .052 -.112 Data base .195 .260 .882 .085 Cd/DVD ROM .399 .338 .754 .079 Word processing .352 .039 .700 .157 Keyboard .048 .045 .067 .920 Mouse .066 -.108 .118 .880 Table 9: Naming of Factors Factor 1 Software Packages Factor 2 File Transfer Factor 3 Data Storage Factor 4 Input devices Apple Mac OS Email Data base Keyboard SPSS Intranet CD/DVD ROM Mouse Reference tools Internet Word processing Spreadsheet Evidence based practice resources Data projector USB Presentation Touchscreeen Windows OS It is infered that factor 1 consists of ten variables of which Apple Mac OS , SPSS and Reference tools are found to be significant with a variation of 36.812%. Factor 2 consists of three variables of which email and intrant are significant with a variation of 15.038%. Factor 3 consists of three a variable of which database is significant with a variation of 14.777%. Factor 4 consists of two variables of which key board is significant with a variation of 10.790 %. Based on the results of factor loading (table 8), the factors are named which is given in table 9. 4.2.2 Key Dimension: Barriers to access of computers Data validity for factor analysis was calculated using KMO Measure of sampling adequacy. The minimum acceptable level is 0.5. Since calculated Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (0.685) is greater than 0.5, so it is appropriate to do factor analysis. Hence Bartletts test of sphericity value is 592.529, it is also a kind of chi-square and it is significant. The results of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartletts test of sphericity are shown in table 10. Table 10: KMO and Bartletts Test Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. .685 Bartletts Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square 592.529 Df 153.000 Sig. .000 Table 11: Total Variance Explained Component Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % Total % of Variance Cumulative % 1 6.105 33.916 33.916 6.105 33.916 33.916 2 1.759 9.774 43.689 1.759 9.774 43.689 3 1.581 8.785 52.475 1.581 8.785 52.475 4 1.517 8.430 60.905 1.517 8.430 60.905 5 1.150 6.390 67.294 1.150 6.390 67.294 6 .982 5.455 72.750 7 .828 4.599 77.348 8 .736 4.092 81.440 9 .642 3.568 85.008 10 .528 2.931 87.939 11 .458 2.544 90.482 12 .403 2.241 92.723 13 .327 1.815 94.538 14 .284 1.579 96.117 15 .246 1.365 97.482 16 .208 1.157 98.640 17 .158 .876 99.516 18 .087 .484 100.000 Table 11 reveals that 5 factors have been extracted out of 18 variables that exceed the Eigen value of one.The variables less than the Eigen value of one are not considered during extraction method. Table 12: Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings Total % of Variance Cumulative % 3.715 20.641 20.641 3.282 18.235 38.876 2.084 11.578 50.454 1.822 10.121 60.575 1.210 6.720 67.294 The table 12 shows that factor 1, factor 2, factor 3 and factor 4 explain a variation of 20.641%, 18.235%, 11.578%, 10.121% and 6.720% respectively and together show the variance of 67.274%. Table 13: Rotated Component Matrix Component 1 2 3 4 5 Too many work demands .727 .023 .177 .150 .310 Confidence in use .726 .305 -.077 .074 -.285 IT knowledge .712 .086 -.087 .053 .063 Response time of computer .678 .191 .359 -.014 .141 Working in computer does not fit my work demand .675 .091 .491 .082 .137 Lack of IT support .622 .471 .019 .086 -.053 Attitudes of IT Department .368 .802 .051 .118 -.106 Discouragement by others .059 .758 .065 .102 .054 Patient and others are resentful of me at the computer -.074 .692 -.131 .030 .361 Concerns about health and safety .274 .678 .232 .016 -.088 Lack of encouragement by mgmt .380 .537 .267 .080 .267 Age -.057 -.049 .852 .040 .088 Senior staff take priority .322 .511 .600 .068 -.054 Not having Interest in using computer .466 .248 .530 .029 -.020 Location of computer I use .242 -.096 -.195 .813 .235 Unreliable connections -.136 .268 .316 .787 .091 Log on is too long .230 .212 .082 .670 -.465 Not enough computers .182 .139 .097 .092 .687 Factor 1 Computer Access Factor 2 Perception Factor 3 Usage of Computer Factor 4 Connectivity Factor 5 Not having enough computers Too many work demands Attitudes of IT Department Age Location of computer I use Not enough computers Confidence in use Discouragement by others Senior staff take priority Unreliable connections IT knowledge Patient and others are resentful of me at the computer Not having Interest in using computer Log on is too long Response time of computer Concerns about health and safety Working in computer does not fit my work demand Lack of encouragement by mgmt Lack of IT support Table 14: Naming of Factors It is also infered that Factor 1 consists of six variables of which variables like too much demand of work and confidence in used are found to be significant with a variation of 20.641%. Factor 2 consists of five variables of which variable namely Attitudes of IT deparment is significant with a variation of 18.235 %. Factor 3 consists of three variables of which variable namely age is significant with a variation of 11.578%. Factor 4 consists of three variables of which location of computers is significant with a variation of 10.121%. Factor 5 consists of one variable of which not enough computers is significant with a variation of 6.720 %. Based on the results of factor loading (Table 13), the factors are named which is given in table 14. CONCLUSIONS The conclusions derived in empirical analysis are summaried below. Most of the nurses are aware of Information Technology Practices prevailing in their workplace. There is a common consensus that Information Technology reduces the errors in handling the Patient/client data. Nurses use information technology for the purposes like professonal development, clinical care, patient care, administration, research and communication. Regarding the extent of access, majority of nurses disagree that they avoid using computers at their work. They have also realized the importance of using computers in their work. It is also found that use of information technology enables nurses in reducing errors in patient data and also helps in reducing duplication. There is also common agreemnt on the fact that Information technolgy made their job easier. Since the nurses are able to realize the importance of Information technolgy for their employer, they prefer that training on Information technology has to be provided to them by face-to-face. Many nurses didnt have their personal email id at their workplace and they are not financialy rewarded for the usage of Information technology. There is a lack of confidence in using of systems like Patient/client monitoring ,Diagnostic result access ,Financial management,Staff Management,Delivery and On-line professional journals etc., The demographic characteristics of nurses have a significant impact on the work related activities at their home. Factors like software packages, file transfer, data storage and input devices are significant in explaining the confidence level of nurses regarding the usage of computers. Factors like computer access, perception about Information technology, usage of computers, connectively, shortages of computers are significant in explaining the barriers to access of computers. Based on the findings, few suggestions have been made by researcher which is summarized below: This study should be made every year to evaluate the new practices that can bring in changes in the hospital. The hospital administrators should provide rewarding system for Using of IT in work. The hospitals should also try to remove the barriers for improving the computer access among nurses. The nurses may also be permitted to access the Internet and Intranet in their work place. The management should provide them the training on the basis of the knowledge of current health initiatives It is concluded that the latest development in the IT greatly influences the day today activities of the nurses. So the Hospital Management should take necessary steps to take initiatives for the nurses to access the technology. LIMITATIONS AND FUTHER RESEARCH The results obtained in this study could be subject to some limitations as mentioned below: The study is limited to a particlar hospital in a district. Since it is a service sector it was found to be difficult in meeting the respondents. The findings are based on the responses of 70 moderate sample sizes of nurses. Some avenues for further research are as follows: A further study may be undertaken on factors that influences Information technolgy adoption among nurses and The impact of information technolgy on patient safety A study regarding how information management addressess the nursing issues may also be focussed.

Creon’s Perspective in Oedipus Rex and Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Creon’s Perspective in Oedipus Rex and Antigone   Ã‚   The role of the king in the time of Greek tragedies was simultaneously desired and dreaded because of the king's responsibility to the people and because of the effects of the position on the king's character. Creon reveals such ambivalent thoughts towards the kingship in his speech defending himself from Oedipus's conspiracy accusation in Oedipus the King; these ambivalent thoughts reveal much about the nature of the kingship, especially in conjunction with Creon's later actions in Antigone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In attempting to refute Oedipus's assertion that Creon has taken part in a conspiracy to obtain the kingship, Creon evaluates the nature of the kingship and of his present role. First, he says, "Consider, first, if you think any one/ would choose to rule and fear rather than rule and sleep" (36.584-585). By this, Creon means that the main difference between his position and the king's is that of the accompanying action to ruling. In both positions, one is a ruler who holds great power over the state. However, the king is placed in a greater place of accountability to the people. This accountability is what Creon says inspires "fear" in the king, for if affairs of state or of the people fall into decline, the king is the first person whom the citizenry look to blame. This is analogous to executive leaders throughout history, as one can see in looking at American presidents and the correlation between the present conditions and events of the nation to the public's opinion of the president, regardless of the actual impact that his decisions may have made in these conditions. Creon maintains that he has the same amount of power as the king but without the accountability that inevitably leads a king to distress. Creon's reasoning concerning the equality between his power and Oedipus's leads him to state:    I was not born with such a frantic yearning to be a king- but to do what kings do. And so it is with every one who has learned wisdom and self-control. (36.587-590)    He means that he has never desired the position of king, because he sees no advantage over his present position in the state. Rather, he sees the disadvantage of the fear that accompanies the position of king. Creon has evaluated this situation for his circumstances and then goes further in stating that anyone with wisdom and self-control would come to such a conclusion as well.

Analysis Of The Machine That W :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Machine That Won the War,† by Isaac Asimov, is a story that teaches a valuable lesson about humanity and also has an ironic twist at the end. The setting is the future of Earth, and a great war had just been won against an enemy race. Two men, Swift and Henderson, are debating over who really won the war for Earth: the giant strategy computer known as Multivac, or the men in charge of making the maneuvers and programming the computer. John Henderson is an excitable man, while Lamar Swift, the military captain, is calm but rational. While the people hailed the computer, the two really knew who the heroes were. Henderson explained the fact that Multivac was nothing more than a large machine, only capable of doing what it was programmed to do. He stated that ever since the beginning of the war, he had been hiding a secret. It was the fact that some of its (Multivac’s) data might have been unreliable. This conflict, as you will note later, helped win the war. The great computer was capable of creating a direct battle plan which Earth forces could use to attack their enemies. However, with Henderson inputting faulty data, this caused some of the battle plans to be unreliable. His internal conflict between himself losing his job and wanting to keep it made him jingle with the programming until it seemed right. This foreshadowing helps the reader to see that someone is going to have to act upon Henderson’s faults if the war is to be won. Swift, the military commander, received these battle plans that Henderson had ‘printed up’ out on the front (the front being the battle front). He, realizing that some of these plans were outrageous, had to act upon a different form of machine. Swift’s motivation for not always acting upon what was laid before him helped change the course of the war. He told Henderson that when faced with the difficult decisions, he didn’t use Multivac’s data all of the time. This conflict, making these tough decisions, helps influence the climax. The climax of the story comes when Swift tells Henderson he used a coin to make all of the though decisions instead of

Essay on Literacy in Song of Solomon -- Song Solomon essays

Literacy in Song of Solomon    Through literacy will come emancipation. But emancipation comes in many forms, as does literacy. The various aspects of academic literacy are rather obvious in relation to emancipation, especially when one is confronted with exclusion from membership in the dominant culture. Most, but not all, of Toni Morrison's characters in Song of Solomon appear to have attained at least a modicum of literacy. But what part does literacy play in the advancement of the individual, and to what lengths will one go to achieve it?    "But if the future did not arrive, the present did extend itself, and the uncomfortable little boy in the Packard went to school and at twelve met the boy who [...] could liberate him [...]" (Song of Solomon 35-36). So says Toni Morrison of Milkman Dead, the boy in the Packard, in Song of Solomon. The other boy of whom she speaks is Guitar Bains, Milkman's mentor-of-the-street. Morrison tells us little more of Milkman's formal education, but we can assume that he goes on to high school because Guitar is in high school when she introduces him. We do learn that Milkman's sisters attend and graduate from college, but their education isolates them from the rest of the community. In fact, at age forty-four, Corinthians eventually goes to work as a maid and enters into a relationship with Porter, one of her father's tenants, much to her father's dismay. Within the class structure of "haves" and "have-nots," Corinthians finds the "haves" side abhorrent, the "have-nots" side attractive, but she can not cross the socioeconomic line that her father has drawn. She must remain within the paradigm that separates her from the lower, uneducated portion of their society.    Milkman's mor... ...ith the earth and at the conclusion of the novel when he finds he is able to fly. Is the state of super-metacognition he enters during these episodes a metaphor for an inherent attachment to the past? something akin to a shared history? something ingrained and transferred with roots deeply embedded in African traditions? Morrison leaves the answers to these questions (and many others) up to her readers, but it is obvious that Milkman finds more in historical literacy than he ever received from his formal education.    Milkman sees hope for the future through a connection with the past. In a certain sense, he finds emancipation through his relationships with literacy.    Works Cited Middleton, David. Toni Morrison's Fiction: Contemporary Criticism. New York: Garland, 1997. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc., 1987.

“Her Kind” by Anne Sexton Analysis Essay

After reading the poem â€Å"Her Kind† by Anne Sexton a lot of thought and emotion arises. It leaves a lot to be questioned and can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the reader. I perceive it as the author symbolically describing her experience with manic episodes that she endured, but she describes it all in the second person perspective. She writes of a â€Å"witch† who is dark spirited, â€Å"twelve fingered†, mentally abnormal, and isolated from her community. I translate her description of the â€Å"witch† as a oman simply experiencing her darkest hour. She is angry, hurt, conflicted, depressed and prefers to shy away from others. She feels unaccepted, misunderstood, and monstrous. She is experiencing enraged behavior due to the lack of comfort within herself; A crazy woman consumed by her own thoughts. The Author describes the â€Å"witch† finding â€Å"Shelter in the woods†. I’m unsure if she’s referring to an actual physical place, but I believe it is symbolic for a state of mind she goes into. The â€Å"woods† is her mental safe house so to speak. Fixed the suppers for the worms and elves† I interpreted as her calming her own thoughts of mischievous interference (as per elves), and when she speaks of worms she’s referring to the slow consumption of her mental health which she is trying to fight. â€Å"Whining, rearranging and disaligned † is referencing the â€Å"witches† thought pattern and process. She has constant unorganized, racing and droneful cognition. I translate the conclusion of the poem as the description of the Author’s, Anne Sextons, reluctant, yet necessary hospitalization. Symbolically, she is being transported to the hospital and as she â€Å"waved† her â€Å"nude arms at the villages going by’ theoretically it is her putting up a fight during her transport. â€Å"Learning her last bright routes, survivor† I decipher as the advisement of the treatment options available to her at the hospital. â€Å"Where your flames still bite my thigh† and â€Å"my ribs crack as your wheels wind† I depict as her receiving a shot to induce sedation and her fighting while being restrained and that the closer she gets to the hospital the ore she feels a sense of regret and shame. She is embarrassed that her mental deficiency has come to this point and she wasn’t strong enough to gain control of herself. â€Å"A woman like that is not ashamed to die† to me says she is so distressed, meek, humiliated, and fatigued by her mental instability, that death to her would not be a negative occurrence, if anything, she welcomes it and sees it as a way out. â€Å"Her Kind† is a very strong poem and is a very insightful look into a woman’s head ho is unbalanced and a bit unhinged. I feel sympathetic for Anne Sexton, who I have affirmatively believe the poem is regarding. It appears that she struggled with her illness and had to go through a lot to try to get some sort of mental stability. It seems aggravating, painful, and burdensome to have uncontrollable thoughts of anger, sorrow, rage, and shame. The poem suggests that Anne Sexton fought an intricate battle which sadly came to an end by her own hand. â€Å"Her Kind† by Anne Sexton Analysis By katal

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-One

Dimitri didn't elaborate. I was too startled by his words and the rest of the night's events to even know how to begin to address them. He took me back inside, past the Strigoi on guard duty, and upstairs to my suite. Nathan was no longer outside. For a few brief moments, that nagging voice in my head spoke loudly enough to break through my addled thoughts. If I had no guard in the hall and Inna returned soon, I had a very good chance of threatening her enough to get out of here. Admittedly, that would mean I'd have to deal with a house of God only knew how many Strigoi, but my escape odds were better in the house than in this room. Then, almost as soon as those thoughts appeared, they vanished. Dimitri snaked his arm around me and pulled me to him. It had been chilly outside, and even if his body was cold, his clothes and jacket provided some warmth. I snuggled closer to him as his hands ran all over me. I thought he was going to bite me, but it was our mouths that met, hard and furious. I wrapped my fingers in his hair, trying to pull him closer to me. Meanwhile, his fingers were running against my bare leg, pushing my skirt up almost to my hip. Anticipation and eagerness lit every part of my body. I had dreamed about the cabin for so long, remembering it with so much longing. I'd never expected anything like that to happen again, but now it could, and I was astonished at how badly I wanted it. My hands moved down to his shirt, undoing all the buttons so that I could touch his chest. His skin still felt like ice, a startling contrast to the burning within me. He moved his lips from mine, down to my neck and shoulder, pushing down the dress's strap as he covered my flesh with hungry kisses. His hand was still on the side of my bare hip, and I frantically tried to pull his shirt off altogether. Suddenly, with a surprising abruptness, he jerked away and shoved me down. At first, I thought it was just more of the foreplay between us, until I realized he was purposely pushing me away. â€Å"No,† he said, voice hard. â€Å"Not yet. Not until you're awakened.† â€Å"Why?† I asked desperately. I couldn't think of anything except him touching me-and, well, another bite. â€Å"Why does it matter? Is there†¦ is there a reason we can't?† Until I'd come here, sex with a Strigoi had never occurred to me†¦maybe it just wasn't possible. He leaned toward me, putting his lips near my ear. â€Å"No, but it'll be so much better if you're awakened. Let me do it†¦ let me do it, and then we can do anything we want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It was a bargaining chip, I realized vaguely. He wanted me-it was written all over him-but he was using the lure of sex to get me to give in. And honestly? I was this close to accepting. My body was overriding my mind-nearly. â€Å"No,† I whimpered. â€Å"I†¦ I'm scared†¦Ã¢â‚¬  That dangerous look softened, and while he didn't exactly look like the Dimitri from before, there was something a little less Strigoi about him. â€Å"Rose, do you think I'd do anything that would hurt you?† Somewhere, hadn't there been a discussion about how my options were to turn or die? The latter seemed like it might hurt, but I didn't mention that just now. â€Å"The bite†¦ the turning would hurt†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I told you: It'll be just like what we've already done. You'll enjoy it. It won't hurt, I swear it.† I looked away. Damn it. Why couldn't he still be sinister and scary? It was so much easier to put my foot down and resist. Even in the heat of passion, I was able to resist. But somehow†¦ seeing him like this, calm and reasonable†¦ well, it was too close to the Dimitri I'd loved. And that was hard to turn away from. For the first time, it made turning Strigoi seem†¦ not so bad. â€Å"I don't know,† I said lamely. He released me and sat up, frustration filling his features. It was almost a relief. â€Å"Galina's patience is running out. So is mine.† â€Å"You said we still have time†¦ I just need to think more†¦Ã¢â‚¬  How long could I use that excuse? The narrowing of his eyes told me not much longer. â€Å"I have to go,† he said harshly. There would be no more touching or kissing, I could tell. â€Å"I need to deal with some things.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said, both confused and afraid. I didn't know which Dimitri I wanted. The terrifying one, the sensual one, or the almost-but still not quite-gentle one. He said nothing. Without any other warning, he leaned down and bit into the tender skin of my throat. Whatever feeble escape strategies I had were gone. I closed my eyes, nearly falling over, and only his arm wrapped firmly around me kept me upright. Just like when we kissed, his mouth was warm against my flesh, and the feel of his tongue and teeth sent electricity through me. And like that, it was over. He pulled away, licking his lips as he still continued to hold onto me. The fog was back. The world was wonderful and happy and I was without any cares. Whatever he'd been worrying about with Nathan and Galina meant nothing to me. The fear I'd felt moments ago†¦ my disappointment over sex†¦ my confusion-I didn't have time to worry about any of that, not when life was so beautiful and I loved Dimitri so much. I smiled up at him and tried to hug him again, but he was already leading me to the couch. â€Å"I'll see you later.† In a flash, he was at the door, which saddened me. I wanted him to stay. Stay forever. â€Å"Remember, I want you-and I would never let anything bad happen to you. I'll protect you. But†¦ I can't wait much longer.† With that, he left. His words made me smile more broadly. Dimitri wanted me. Vaguely, I recalled asking him outside why he wanted me. Why on earth had I asked? What answer had I wanted? Why did it matter? He wanted me. That was what counted. That thought and the wonderful endorphin rush enveloped me as I lay on the couch, and I felt drowsiness overtaking me. Walking over to the bed seemed like too much work, so I stayed where I was and just let sleep come. And, unexpectedly, I found myself in one of Adrian's dreams. I'd pretty much given up on him. After my first desperate attempts at escape in the suite, I'd finally convinced myself that Adrian wasn't coming back, that I'd sent him away for good. Yet here he was, standing right in front of me-or, well, at least his dream version was. Often we were in the woods or a garden, but today we stood where we'd first met, on the porch of an Idaho ski lodge. Sun shone down, and mountains soared off to the side of us. I grinned broadly. â€Å"Adrian!† I didn't think I'd ever seen him look as surprised as he did just then. Considering how mean I usually was to him, I could understand his feelings. â€Å"Hello, Rose,† he said. His voice sounded uncertain, like he was worried I might be playing a trick on him. â€Å"You look good today,† I told him. It was true. He wore dark jeans and a printed button-down shirt in shades of navy and turquoise that looked fantastic with his dark green eyes. Those eyes, however, looked weary. Worn. That was a little odd. In these dreams, he could shape the world and even our appearances to what he wanted, with only a little effort. He could have looked perfect but instead appeared to be reflecting real-world fatigue. â€Å"So do you.† His voice was still wary, as he eyed me from head to toe. I was still in the clingy sundress, my hair down and loose, the sapphires around my neck. â€Å"That looks like something I'd normally dress you in. Are you asleep in that?† â€Å"Yup.† I smoothed down the dress's skirt, thinking how pretty it looked. I wondered if Dimitri had liked it. He hadn't said so specifically, but he had kept telling me I was beautiful. â€Å"I didn't think you'd come back.† â€Å"I didn't think I would either.† I looked back up at him. He wasn't like his usual self at all. â€Å"Are you trying to figure out where I am again?† â€Å"No, I don't care about that anymore.† He sighed. â€Å"The only thing I care about is that you aren't here. You have to come back, Rose.† I crossed my arms and flounced onto the porch's railing. â€Å"Adrian, I'm not ready for anything romant-â€Å" â€Å"Not for me,† he exclaimed. â€Å"For her. You have to come back for Lissa. That's why I'm here.† â€Å"Lissa†¦Ã¢â‚¬  My waking self was pumped full of endorphins, and it carried over here. I tried to remember why I should be so worried about Lissa. Adrian took a step forward and studied me carefully. â€Å"Yeah, you know, Lissa? Your best friend? The one you're bonded to and sworn to protect?† I swung my legs back and forth. â€Å"I never made any vows.† â€Å"What the hell's the matter with you?† I didn't like his agitated tone. It was ruining my good mood. â€Å"What's the matter with you?† â€Å"You aren't acting like yourself. Your aura†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned, unable to continue. I laughed. â€Å"Oh yes. Here it comes. The magical, mystical aura. Let me guess. It's black, right?† â€Å"No†¦ it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He continued scrutinizing me for several heavy seconds. â€Å"I can barely get a fix on it. It's all over the place. What's going on, Rose? What's happening in the waking world?† â€Å"Nothing's happening,† I said. â€Å"Nothing except me being happy for the first time in my life. Why are you acting weird all of a sudden? You used to be fun. Figures the first time I'm finally having a good time, you go all boring and strange.† He knelt down in front of me, no trace of humor anywhere. â€Å"There's something wrong with you. I can't tell what-â€Å" â€Å"I told you, I'm fine. Why do you have to keep coming and trying to ruin things for me?† True, I'd desperately wanted him to come a little while ago, but now†¦ well, that wasn't so important. I had a good thing with Dimitri here, if only I could figure out how to solve all the not-so-good parts. â€Å"I told you, I'm not here for me. I'm here for Lissa.† He looked up at me, wide-eyed and earnest. â€Å"Rose, I am begging you to come home. Lissa needs you. I don't know what's wrong, and I don't know how to help her. No one else does either. I think†¦ I think only you can. Maybe being apart is what's hurting her. Maybe that's what's wrong with you now, why you're acting so weird. Come home. Please. We'll heal both of you. We'll all figure it out together. She's acting so strange. She's reckless and doesn't care about anything.† I shook my head. â€Å"Being away isn't what's wrong with me. Probably not what's wrong with her, either. If she's really worried about spirit, she should go back on her meds.† â€Å"She's not worried; that's the problem. Damn it.† He stood up and began pacing. â€Å"What's wrong with you two? Why can't either of you see there's something the matter?† â€Å"Maybe it's not us,† I said. â€Å"Maybe it's you imagining things.† Adrian turned back toward me and looked me over again. â€Å"No. It's not me.† I didn't like any of this-not his tone, expression, or words. I'd been excited to see him, but now I resented him ruining my good mood. I didn't want to think about any of this. It was too hard. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"I was happy to see you tonight but not anymore, not if you're going to sit and accuse me and make demands.† â€Å"I'm not trying to do that.† His voice was gentle-the anger was gone. â€Å"The last thing I want is to make you unhappy. I care about you. I care about Lissa, too. I want you both to be happy and live your lives like you want†¦ but not when you're both heading down destructive paths.† He almost made sense. Almost seemed reasonable and sincere. I shook my head. â€Å"Stay out of it. I'm where I want to be, and I'm not coming back. Lissa's on her own.† I jumped off the rail. The world swirled a little, and I stumbled. Adrian caught my hand, and I jerked away. â€Å"I'm fine.† â€Å"You are not. Jesus Christ. I'd swear you're drunk, except†¦ the aura's still not right for that. What is it?† He ran his hands through his dark hair. It was his typical sign of agitation. â€Å"I'm done here,† I said, trying to be as polite as possible. Why on earth had I wanted to see him again? It had seemed so important when I first arrived. â€Å"Send me back, please.† He opened his mouth to say something, then froze a few moments. â€Å"What's on your neck?† He reached forward, and addled or no, I managed to dodge pretty efficiently. I had no idea what he saw on my neck, and I had no interest in finding out. â€Å"Don't touch me.† â€Å"Rose, that looks like-â€Å" â€Å"Send me back, Adrian!† So much for my politeness. â€Å"Rose, let me help-â€Å" â€Å"Send. Me. Back!† I shouted the words, and then, for the first time, I managed to pull myself out of Adrian's dream. I left sleep altogether and woke up on the couch. The room was still and silent, the only sound my rapid breathing. I felt all tangled up inside. Usually, so fresh from a bite, I would be floating and gleeful. Yet, the encounter with Adrian had left part of me troubled and sad. Standing up, I managed to make my way to the bathroom. I flicked on the light and winced. It hadn't been very bright in the other room. Once my eyes adjusted, I leaned toward the mirror and pushed my hair out of the way. I gasped at what I saw. There were bruises all over my neck, as well as signs of fresher wounds. Around where Dimitri had just bitten me, I could see dried blood. I looked†¦ like a blood whore. How had I never noticed this before? I wet a washcloth and scrubbed at my neck, trying to get the blood off. I rubbed and rubbed until the skin turned pink. Was that it? Were there more? That looked like the worst of it. I wondered how much Adrian had seen. My hair had been down, and I was pretty sure most of it had covered my neck. A rebellious thought came to my head. What did it matter if Adrian saw or not? He didn't understand. There was no way he could even come close. I was with Dimitri. Yeah, he was different†¦ but not that much different. And I was sure I could find a way to make this work without becoming a Strigoi. I just didn't know how yet. I tried to reassure myself over and over, but those bruises kept staring back at me. I left the bathroom and returned to the couch. I turned on the TV without really watching, and after a while, the happy fog rolled over me again. I soon tuned out the TV and returned to sleep. This time, my dreams were my own. It took a while for Dimitri to come again. And by â€Å"a while,† I mean almost an entire day. I was getting twitchy by that point, both because I missed him and because I missed the bite. He usually visited twice a day, so this was the longest I'd gone without the endorphins. Needing something to do, I preoccupied myself with making myself as beautiful as possible. I sorted through the dresses in my closet, choosing a long ivory silk one that had purple flowers delicately painted into the fabric. It fit like a glove. I wanted to wear my hair up, but after looking at the bruises again, I decided to wear it down. I'd been provided with a curling iron and makeup recently, so I worked my hair over carefully, turning the ends up in perfect little curls. Once made up, I stared happily at my reflection, certain Dimitri would be happy too. All I needed now was to put on some of the exquisite jewelry he'd given me. But when I turned to leave, I caught a glimpse of my back from the side and saw I'd missed fastening a clasp. I reached around to do it but couldn't get a hold of it. It was in that perfect spot just out of my reach. â€Å"Damn,† I muttered, still grappling with the hook. The flaw in my perfection. Just then, I heard the door open in the other room, followed by the telltale sound of a tray being set on the coffee table. A stroke of luck. â€Å"Inna!† I called, walking out of the bathroom. â€Å"I need you to-â€Å" Nausea rolled through me, and as I stepped into the living room, I saw that Dimitri wasn't the source. Nathan was. My jaw dropped open. Inna stood near him, waiting patiently by the tray, eyes downcast as always. I immediately ignored her and then looked back at Nathan. Presumably, he was still on guard duty, but that had never actually included him coming inside. For the first time in a while, some of my battle instincts kicked in, assessing escape options. My fear urged me to back away, but that would trap me in the bathroom. Best to stay where I was. Even if I couldn't leave the room, this gave me the most space to maneuver. â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked, surprised at how calm I sounded. â€Å"Taking care of a problem.† I didn't really need any pointers to figure out the subtext here. I was the problem. Again, I fought the urge to back up. â€Å"I've never done anything to you.† It was faulty logic to a Strigoi. None of their victims ever did anything to them. â€Å"You exist,† he said. â€Å"You're taking up space here, wasting everyone's time. You know how to find her-the Dragomir girl-yet you'll offer nothing remotely useful until Belikov gets off his ass and awakens you. And in the meantime, Galina forces me to waste time watching you and keeps promoting him because he's convinced her that you're going to be some amazing asset to us.† It was an interesting set of grievances. â€Å"So†¦ um, what are you going to do?† In a flash, he stood in front of me. Seeing him so close triggered that memory in my mind's eye-him biting Dimitri and starting all of this. A spark of anger kindled in me but didn't do much in the way of development. â€Å"I'm getting the information one way or another,† he hissed. â€Å"Tell me where she is.† â€Å"You know where she is. She's at the school.† There was nothing useful in giving up that news. He knew she was there. He knew where the school was. The look he gave me showed he was not happy about me providing knowledge he already had. Reaching out, he gripped my hair and jerked my head painfully back. Wearing my hair down maybe hadn't been so useful after all. â€Å"Where is she going? She won't stay there forever. Is she going to college? The Royal Court ? They must have made plans for her.† â€Å"I don't know what they are. I've been away for a while.† â€Å"I don't believe you,† he snarled. â€Å"She's too valuable. Her future would have been planned out a while ago.† â€Å"If it is, no one's shared it with me. I left too soon.† I shrugged by way of answer. Rage filled his eyes, and I swear, they grew redder. â€Å"You're bonded! You know. Tell me now, and I'll kill you quickly. If you don't, I'll awaken you to get the information, and then I'll kill you. I'll light you up like a bonfire.† â€Å"You†¦ you'd kill me once I was one of you?† Foolish question. Strigoi felt no loyalty to each other. â€Å"Yes. It'll destroy him, and once Galina sees how unhinged he is, I will return to my original place by her side-especially after I stamp out the Dragomir line.† â€Å"The hell you will.† He smiled and touched my face, running his fingers along my neck and the bruises all over it. â€Å"Oh, I will. It really will make things easier if you just tell me now. You'll die in ecstasy rather than being burned alive. We'll both enjoy it.† He wrapped his hand delicately around my throat. â€Å"You're definitely a problem, but you are beautiful-especially your throat. I can see why he wants you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Warring emotions played within me. Logically, I knew this was Nathan-Nathan, whom I hated for having turned Dimitri in the first place. Yet my body's need for Strigoi endorphins was raising its head too, and it barely mattered that it was Nathan. What mattered was that his teeth were only a breath away from my neck, promising that sweet, sweet delirium. And while one hand held my throat, the other ran down my waist, down to the curve of my hip. There had been a sultry edge to Nathan's voice, like he wanted to do more than just bite me. And after so many sexually charged encounters with Dimitri-encounters that never resulted in anything-my body almost didn't care who touched it. I could close my eyes, and it wouldn't matter whose teeth bit into me or whose hands peeled off my clothes. Only the next fix would matter. I could close my eyes and pretend it was Dimitri, lost in it all as Nathan's lips brushed my skin†¦ Except, as some small reasonable part of me recalled, Nathan didn't just want sex and blood. He eventually wanted to kill me. Which was kind of ironic. I'd been dead set-no pun intended-on killing myself when I got here, lest I become a Strigoi. Nathan was offering me that now. Even if he turned me first, he planned on killing me immediately afterward. Either way, I wouldn't have to spend eternity as a Strigoi. I should have welcomed this. But just then, as my body's addiction screamed for his bite and that bliss, I realized something with startling clarity: I didn't want to die. Maybe it was because I'd gone almost a day without a bite, but something small and rebellious woke up in me. I would not let him do this to me. I would not let him go after Dimitri. And I sure as hell wasn't going to let him hunt down Lissa. Pushing through that endorphin cloud that still hung around me, I summoned up as much willpower as I could. I dug deep, remembering my years of training and all the lessons Dimitri had given me. It was hard to access those memories, and I only touched a few. Still, enough came to spur me to action. I lunged forward and punched Nathan. And accomplished nothing. He didn't budge. Hell, I don't even know if he felt it. The surprise on his face promptly turned to mirth, and he laughed in that horrible way Strigoi did-cruelly and without any real joy. Then, with the greatest of ease, he slapped me and knocked me across the room. Dimitri had done nearly the same thing when I'd arrived and attacked him. Only I hadn't flown quite as far or had so miniscule an effect on him. I slammed into the back of the couch, and good God, did it hurt. A wave of dizziness washed over me, and I realized the idiocy of fighting someone vastly stronger than me when I'd been losing blood all week. I managed to straighten up and desperately sought my next course of action. Nathan, for his part, seemed in no hurry to respond to my attack. In fact, he was still laughing. Glancing around, I latched onto a truly pitiful course of action. Inna stood near me. Moving with a speed that was painfully slow-but better than I expected myself to manage-I reached for her and wrapped my arm around her neck. She yelped in surprise, and I jerked her harder against me. â€Å"Get out of here,† I said to Nathan. â€Å"Get out of here, or I'll kill her.† He stopped laughing, stared at me for a moment, and then laughed even harder. â€Å"Are you serious? Do you honestly think I couldn't stop you if I wanted? And do you honestly think I care? Go ahead. Kill her. There are dozens more just like her.† Yeah, that really shouldn't have been a surprise either, but even I was a bit taken aback by how easily he could throw away a faithful servant's life. Okay. Time to go to Plan B. Or maybe it was Plan J? Frankly, I was losing track, and none of them were very good anyway â€Å"Ow!† Inna suddenly elbowed me in the stomach. I released her in my surprise. She spun around with a strangled scream and socked me in the face. The blow wasn't as hard as Nathan's had been, but it still knocked me over. I tried to catch a hold of something-anything-as I fell but failed. I hit the floor, my back slamming against the door. I expected her to come right back at me, but instead, she darted across the room and-God help us all threw herself into a defensive posture in front of Nathan. Before I could fully process the weirdness of her trying to protect someone who was willing to let her die, the door suddenly opened. â€Å"Ow!† I said again, as it hit me and pushed me aside. Dimitri swiftly entered. He looked from face to face, and I had no doubt mine showed signs of both Nathan's and Inna's attacks. Dimitri's fists clenched, and he turned toward Nathan. It reminded me of their scuffle in the hallway, all rage and malice and bloodlust. I cringed, bracing myself for another horrible confrontation. â€Å"Don't,† warned Nathan, face smug. â€Å"You know what Galina said. Touch me and you're out of here.† Dimitri strode across the room and came to stand in front of Nathan, knocking Inna aside like a rag doll. â€Å"It'll be worth facing her wrath, particularly when I tell her you attacked first. Rose certainly bears the marks of it.† â€Å"You wouldn't.† He pointed at Inna, who was sitting dazed on the floor from where Dimitri had knocked her over. Despite my own injuries, I began crawling over to her. I had to know if she was all right. â€Å"She'll tell the truth.† Now Dimitri looked smug. â€Å"You really think Galina will believe a human? No. When I tell her how you attacked me and Rose out of jealousy, she'll let me off. The fact that you'll be so easily defeated will be proof of your weakness. I'll slice your head off and get Rose's stake from the vault. With your last breath, you can watch her drive it through your heart.† Holy crap. That was a little worse than Nathan threatening to burn me-wait. My stake? Nathan's face still bore haughty arrogance-at least to me. But I think Dimitri must have seen something that satisfied him, something that made him think he'd gotten the upper hand. He visibly relaxed, his smirk growing larger. â€Å"Twice,† Dimitri said softly. â€Å"Twice I've let you go. Next time†¦ next time, you're gone.† I reached Inna and gently held out my hand. â€Å"Are you okay?† I murmured. With a look of hate, she recoiled and scooted away. Nathan's eyes fell on me, and he began backing toward the door. â€Å"No,† he said. â€Å"Twice I've let her live. Next time she's gone. I'm the one in control here, not you.† Nathan opened the door and Inna stood up, stumbling after him. I stared, mouth agape at the events that had just taken place. I didn't know which of them I found more disturbing. Looking up at Dimitri, I grappled with what to ask him first. What were we going to do? Why had Inna defended Nathan? Why had Dimitri let him go? None of those defiant questions came to my lips, though. Instead, I burst into tears.

Lincoln and Johnson vs. the Radicals Essay

The Civil War, which lasted up until 1865, was the bloodiest battle that this Nation had ever faced. Making it even sadder was the fact that this Nation was divided, North against South, and brothers were killing brothers, fathers killing sons. It was indeed a tough time for President Lincoln who was sworn into office in 1861. He needed to end the war and figure out a way to bring peace and rebuild the Nation. In order to end the war he devised a plan to free all slaves in the eye’s of the government, and on the first day of the year in 1863 he announced his â€Å"Emancipation Proclamation,† declaring all slaves owned under the Confederacy to be now free men. The Confederacy was beginning to crumble; Southern cities were destroyed and the Southern economy was in ruins. Lincoln now focused his attention on the idea of Reconstruction, and reuniting those Southern States back into the Union. It would not be easy for Lincoln, however, as he faced far different ideas than his, proposed by the Radical Republicans, led by Pennsylvania Representative Thaddeus Stevens and Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner. Despite being the Republican nomination for President, Lincoln was far more conservative than those Republicans taking the majority of seats in Congress. In December of 1863, before the war had officially come to a close, Lincoln began to devise his Reconstruction plan, which at the time was considered to be very lenient by those of the Union. His plan was very compassionate toward white southerners, except for major leaders of the Confederacy. He needed those Confederate Army generals and high-ranking officers to take an oath of loyalty to the Union, and verbally accept the Nation’s abolition of slavery. Lincoln’s plan was to institute new state governments in the South, under control of those southerners who had not aided to Confederacy. Lincoln also had the idea of granting voting rights to those freed African Americans who were educated, owned land, or had participated in the fighting for the Union. Under Lincoln’s plan, three southern states (Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee) acknowledged the abolition of slavery, formed new Union-loyal governments, and were ready to be readmitted completely into the Union. The Radical Republicans were not pleased to the slightest with Lincoln’s plan. They demanded much harsher penalties for seceding the Union, and they refused to seat the representatives from those three states, reconstructed under Lincoln’s plan. Because they were so displeased with Lincoln’s leniency, they pushed what is known as the Wade-Davis bill through Congress in 1864. This bill instituted a temporary governor, from the North, to each of those 11 Confederate states. When the majority of men residing in those states had pledged their allegiance to the Union, the governor was to hold a â€Å"constitutional convention,† where only men who had never fought against the Union could elect delegates to represent them in Congress. Once this was accomplished, the new state governments had to acknowledge the total abolition of slavery, disenfranchise Confederate leaders, and pay off all of their war debts, mainly owed to England. After all of this, and only after all of this, could those southern states be readmitted into the Union. Dissatisfied with the Radicals bill, Lincoln overrode their authority with a â€Å"pocket veto.† As you would assume, the Radicals were utterly outraged with Lincoln’s actions, and demanded that Lincoln accept some of their ideas proposed by the Wade-Davis Bill. Unfortunately, we will never know how the President would have negotiated terms with those Radical Republicans. On the night of April 14th, 1865, Lincoln was shot from behind while watching a play with his wife, and died early the next morning. Andrew Johnson, Lincoln’s vice President, became the Nations new President shortly after the assassination. Johnson, who was originally a democrat, was now faced with the issue of Reconstruction, and like Lincoln, took a more moderate approach. While Congress was out of session in the summer following his launch into Presidency, Johnson quickly began to â€Å"R estore† (as he like to call it) those southern states back into the Union. His plan was very much like the Wade-Davis Bill in which he instituted a temporary governor to those southern states and had the governor allow qualified voters to elect delegates to represent them in Congress. When Congress came back into session in December, they began almost immediately to refuse seats to those elected delegates. Even though Johnson’s intentions were very similar to their Wade-Davis Bill, those Radicals were angered by the fact that most southerners still wished for slavery even though they took an oath against it. Many Confederate generals being voted in as Representatives in Congress also angered the Radicals. So they shot Johnson’s plan down, plain and simple. The Radicals began to gain more and more power in Congress due to several factors. First, Black Codes began to arise in southern states which authorized sate officials to apprehend unemployed blacks for vagrancy, and hire them out to mostly plantation owners in order to pay off their vagranc y fines. This angered many northerners as is basically violated southern states oaths of African American freedom. This caused Congress to pass the first Civil Rights Act, which gave the federal government the right to intervene in state affairs if blacks were not given appropriate rights. Johnson vetoed this bill but was easily overridden by the all-powerful Radical Congress. Next, Congress devised the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. It stated that all people born or naturalized in United States territory are considered citizens, and penalties would arise for states that denied the right to vote to any male citizens. It also stated that former Confederate officials were prohibited from holding any state or federal position unless they were pardoned for their treasonous Civil War crimes by two-thirds of Congress. Any state that ratified this 14th Amendment would be readmitted into the Union. Tennessee was the only state to ratify and be readmitted right away. Finally, those ten states that were still outstanding from the Union were divided into five different â€Å"military districts.† A military commander was assigned to each district and was responsible for registering citizens to vote (black males, and those whites who had not bore arms against the Union). Voters had to elect government bodies who would write their new state constitution, and have it passed by Congress. And finally, after all that, the state had to ratify the 14th Amendment. All but Virginia, Texas and Mississippi had reunited with the Union by 1868 and finally by 1870 those last 3 states were reunited only after ratifying 15th Amendment in addition to the 14th one. Alas, the Union was rejoined, blacks now had their freedom and right to vote, and peace was beginning to take presence. When we look at the similarities proposed by Lincoln and Johnson, we see that both men were in favor of leniency for those southern states. Lincoln only felt it was necessary for Confederate leaders to take an oath of loyalty as opposed to the Congressional decision that Confederate leaders needed to be pardoned by two-thirds of Congress (Which would likely never happen as Radicals held so much power in Congress) in order to take part in state or federal legislature. It is clear that Johnson also opposed this idea, and leaned toward Lincoln’s plan, in the way he vetoed Congress vigorously. This similarity in ideas between Lincoln and Johnson is also a major difference between the presidents and Congress’s final decision. Unfortunately for Johnson (and Lincoln), and the rest of the moderate northerners, his veto was no match for Congress. A key similarity between the presidents and Congress though, was the issue of African American rights. The final Congressional plan involved a federal Civil Rights Act and two new Constitutional Amendments, in order to protect the rights of African Americans. Lincoln obviously believed in equality when he delivered his Emancipation Proclamation, and stated that educated, land-owning, or allied blacks should be given the right to vote. And based on Congresses final decision, I would say the majority of people from the south who were qualified to vote on the new state governors were probably African Americans. In conclusion, when comparing the presidential Reconstruction plans, with those actually put into play by Congress, the main difference falls within the idea of leniency vs. anger. The presidents wanted the whole ordeal over and the states rejoined, whereas the Radicals wanted revenge on the South for seceding. As to which ideas would have worked better? It is very hard to say. All that can be said is that eventually, the Radicals gained too much power in Congress for the presidents to handle, and ultimately an all-powerful republican Congress overruled their ideas. Bibliography(EZbib.com) Brinkley, Alan. â€Å"Reconstruction and the New South.† The Unfinished Nation. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York [u.a.: McGraw-Hill, 2000. 369-83. Print. 35b. Radical Reconstruction.† Radical Reconstruction [ushistory.org]. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013. â€Å"Time Line of The Civil War, 1865.† Time Line of The Civil War. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.