Boys Literacy Essay Example for Free

Boys Literacy Essay Boys are seen as in trouble, says Smith. But while the common assumption is that boys reject literacy because they see it as feminized, Smiths research points in another direction. The boys participating in his study, he maintains, rejected certain literate activities not because they were for girls but, rather, because they were schoolish. In our research, we looked outside of school to see what boys were reading and writing about, Smith says. What we found, essentially, was that boys read that they in fact value literacy but most of them dont read or write in ways that schools recognize. The authors worked closely with 49 middle- and high-school boys at four sites in three states, including New Jersey. The boys school environments ranged from an urban high school to a private, all-boys prep school. Participants kept journals detailing not only how they spent their time in the classroom, but also how they applied literacy skills to activities outside the classroom. In addition, the authors conducted in-depth interviews with the boys several times during the course of the study. Many study participants expressed a pronounced dislike for literacy-related classroom activities. But in their passionate descriptions of extracurricular interests such as sports or movies Smith and Wilhelm found the boys were engaged in an abundance of reading-based activities. This contrast between school reading and life reading led the researchers to conclude that boys are motivated to excel inliteracy-related areas when they feel competent in them, understand their purpose or see a connection to their social environment. If that passion could be tapped, the authors write, school would be revolutionized. Perhaps no boy illustrated this point to Smith as poignantly as a functionally illiterate teen-ager, who had difficulty in school but nevertheless subscribed to several automotive magazines. I knew he couldnt read and wondered why he wanted to subscribe to a magazine, Smith relates. He said he likes to look at the pictures and, if something seems important enough to be read, hell ask someone to read it to him. Another boy, an avid wrestling fan, eagerly absorbed facts and trivia about wrestling and took the trouble to document more than 600 wrestling moves in a notebook to share with his friends. To call that kid alienated from literacy would be wrong, says Smith. Its not only literate behavior, but schoolish behavior, although not in a context that school allows. The materials that many boys might actually enjoy mystery stories, novels of suspense, song lyrics, or Web sites and magazines about hobbies or sports are not valued in the traditional classroom, says Smith. In their place are texts selected by teachers that might not appeal or be accessible to every student. Lots of teachers like Lord of the Flies, for example, because it lets them teach about symbolism in a nuanced teacherly way, Smith notes. Theres nothing wrong with that approach to teaching, but we have to recognize that some boys many boys wont feel particularly competent about their abilities in that environment. We argue that, yes, boys need to be taught how to do that kind of literary reading, but that theyll be more motivated to do so if the reading is done purposefully for example, in the context of pursuing an answer to an authentic question. Smith and Wilhelms research also casts suspicion on the persistent myth that boys and men favor fast-paced action over character-driven stories. We asked boys to respond to four different stories, which differed in terms of the gender of the narrator and the relative emphasis on action versus character development, says Smith. The story that provoked the most response from the boys centered on the family conflicts experienced by a female narrator. Some boys rejected the story, but many more were engaged by the issues it raised about family relationships. Thats something we never would have guessed, Smith adds. We put that story in there to give the boys a chance to reject it, and they didnt. The study also calls into question another gender-based myth, which posits that adolescent and teen-age boys are less social than girls, a finding that the researchers believe should inform curriculum development in the future. Our study challenged conventional wisdom that boys at this age are alienated and unemotional, says Smith. All of the boys in our study had intense friendship circles. We found sustained relationships and strong social engagement. Smith hopes his and Wilhelms groundbreaking research on boys literacy will lead to some changes in the approach to literacy instruction in the classroom. He sees this as especially critical in the upper grades, where boys are given fewer choices in their assigned reading materials and writing assignments. In secondary school, theres a shift from teaching how to read to reading canonical texts, Smith points out. Choice goes out the window, and difficulty increases. Why in high school does it always have to be hard literature? Why does it alwayshave to be teacher-chosen? he questions. We need to work in choice in the classroom. The alternative, Smiths research suggests, will continue leaving boys stranded in the classroom, much like the young island castaways left to fend for themselves in Lord of the Flies. What is it about Harry Potter? Parents, teachers and other adults who hope to inspire young readers to develop a lifelong appreciation for reading and literacy may wonder what it is that accounts for the phenomenal success of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, which have inspired even those youngsters who previously had no interest in literature. Associate Professor Michael W. Smith believes that his research on boys andliteracy provides some answers. In our study, we found that the boys like sustained relationships with authors and characters, says Smith. That may explain why some young readers find it so difficult to wait for the next Harry Potter book to come out. For them, its like not being able to see a good friend for a whole year or more. Smith explains that serialized books help young readers develop an appreciation for literature because these books create a familiar world that the reader returns to in book after book. Smith uses the term scaffolding to describe this concept. Once youve imagined a world, you dont have to re-imagine it, explains Smith. The boys in our study didnt like to read stories if they had difficulty imagining the worlds the books created. For similar reasons, sometimes young readers are more engaged in reading a book that has been made into a movie after viewing the film instead of before, Smith says. Another reason Harry Potter is so popular is because its storylines are exportable in conversation, which, to the minds of the young men in his study, adds practical and social value to reading the books, says Smith. Like reading box scores or sports tidbits in the newspaper, there are cool parts of Harry Potter that are easily reducible for conversation, Smith says. A more complicated piece of literature is harder to bring into everyday conversation.

Comparing All Quiet On The Western Front, The Wars, and A Farewell To A

All Quiet On The Western Front, The Wars, and A Farewell To Arms Any and all events in one's life may change a person profoundly, but the effect may not always be as expected. For instance, situations of despair may cause feelings of depression and uncertainty to develop in an individual, as would likely be expected. However, those same situations could ultimately lead to a sense of fulfilment or enlightenment. In the novels All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Remarque, The Wars by Timothy Findley, and A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemmingway, the varying possibilities of the effects of war on an individual are clearly displayed. In All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul Baumer finds the war has changed not only the way he views himself in the present, but also the way he views his past and his future. In The Wars, Robert Ross finds himself on a path of uncertainty, questioning the apparent loss of humanity in the world around him. Yet he ultimately uses the war as a medium through which the true essence of his character is able to shine. Finally , in the American classic A Farewell To Arms, Lieutenant Henry recognises that he is losing himself in the war and attempts to find an escape through love. As a result of the horrors and tragedies surrounding them, the characters in these three novels question their sense of self in light of their experiences in the war. Â  In Remarque's All Quiet On The Western Front, Paul Baumer encounters many inner struggles. Through examining the changes occurring within himself, he finds he can no longer relate to his own past. His present thoughts and feelings are quite reclusive in nature and as he looks ahead, he finds himself fearing how the repercussions of the war will affect him in th... ...not only something as drastic as a war that may cause one to re-examine his outlook on himself and his life. There are many events in life that will prompt one to question his sense of self. The result may be a personal revelation, or the opposite. In any case, it is through these events that a man is shaped and discovered. These changes are evident not only through the world that created the man, but also through the man who experiences the world. Works Cited and Consulted Dos Passos, John. "The Best Written Book." Critical Essays on Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms. New York: G.K. Hall & Co., 1994. 89-90. Findley, Timothy. The Wars. Penguin Books, Toronto: 1996. Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell To Arms. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1986. Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. New York: Ballantine, (1928)1958.

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Jonathan Swift’s poem, The Lady’s Dressing Room, is a comic satire that seeks to show readers the inescapable humanity – and its flaws and gory ugliness – that women have to live with no matter how hard they try to make themselves appear immaculately beautiful on the outside. It could be read as a criticism of the extreme efforts women do to make themselves beautiful, and as a criticism of the beholder, the man, who is enamored by the physical beauty only to realize the imperfections being hidden underneath that flawless exterior in the lady’s dressing room. The dressing room is where the transformation takes place – this is where the lady goes in simple and when she comes out she is a radiant beauty and men cannot help themselves. That is what the poem implies that is why the poem begins with a man, Strephon, who is enamored by Celia who takes at least five hours to prepare herself, sneaking in the dressing room to find out why, and discovers the horrors that goes on not only inside the room but also with his beloved Celia’s body beneath those laces and brocades. He discovers: first a dirty Smock appear'd, Beneath the Arm-pits well besmear'd. Strephon, the Rogue, display'd it wide, And turn'd it round on every Side. On such a Point few Words are best, And Strephon bids us guess the rest; But swears how damnably the Men lie, In calling Celia sweet and cleanly. That in fact, Celia is not as perfect as she seems – her clothes have perspiration and bad smell on them. hat follows next is a series of finding other items Celia uses to prepare herself – combs with dirt, dandruff and sweat, a piece of cloth with oil used to cover wrinkles, gloves made from Celia’s dog’s skin when it died, and various little jars filled with pomade, paint, ointments, all these used to cover her imperfections. Strephon even finds the discarded stockings that reveal stinking toes. No wonder that at the end of the poem, Strephon could no longer look straight at any woman, for his imagination always conjures the images he saw in the dressing roo m and saw their stinks, their flaws that they try so hard to hide. The narrator of the poem says that this is vengeance for his peeping, for if Strephon did no such thing then he could still be blessed when he sees beautiful women without knowing â€Å"such gaudy Tulips rais’d from Dung†. Hence this is the curse of the lady’s dressing room, that it took the magic and wonder for the beholder and made him see the woman as the imperfect creature masquerading to be a work of art. However, the dressing room is also a curse for Celia and all women, as it is the chamber where they feed their obsession to make themselves beautiful for men. In the poem the narrator mentioned â€Å"Celia’s magnifying Glass†, which is simply a mirror, but in this mirror everything was enlarged, that it can †¦to Sight disclose, The smallest Worm in Celia's Nose, And faithfully direct her Nail To squeeze it out from Head to Tail; For catch it nicely by the Head, It must come out alive or dead. — that it makes her so insecure to make her spend time to look for even the minutest flaws that no one would see anyway. The woman spends a minimum of five hours (perhaps an exaggerated figure, but the point is that women spend a large amount of time preening) and fails to see that real beauty comes from within, not on what is reflected by a piece of glass. The poem shows the readers an image of the preparation taken to make one look good outside but in so doing shows that perhaps it is nature’s way that makes it so difficult – that we should learn to appreciate each other and ourselves, flaws included, for we all have them. This is not to say to forgo hygiene, but merely to examine what activities we spend time on. The curse of the dressing room is that it makes us believe in the illusion that media sells us: the dream of that perfect skin, that Barbie body, that photoshopped face, that if we make up ourselves as long as we need to we can transcend our human bodies’ flaws. But we cannot, because all these are parts of what makes us who we are.

Social Security - 999 Words

Social Security History, Current Structure and Calculation of Benefits The Social Security Act was implemented in 1935, after the stock market crash had wiped out the savings of millions of Americans, the nation reached out to their president to guarantee the elderly a decent income. The original Act provides retirement benefits payable to a person 65 years and older who were no longer working. There were very few people that had access to pension from their employers and through government pension programs. Most of the elderly lacked enough income to be living on their own without working. The Social Security Act was enacted at the urging or President Franklin D. Roosevelt to create a social insurance program that ensures workers†¦show more content†¦The U.S. needs to help their people first before helping others. If the government would make cuts in foreign aid it can save million sof dollars, this doesn’t completely solve the future deficit of Social Security but it helps from the government having to borrow more money from it. Social Security is more than a retirement program because you may receive Social Security if you are disabled, a spouse or a child of a worker whom passed away, a dependent parent of someone whom passed away. Depending on the situation you may be eligible for Social Security at any age. Social Security in fact pays more benefits to children than any other government program (2015, June 1). The benefits of Social Security are retired worker, survivor benefits , disability and Medicare. Average monthly benefits for retired worker is $1,328, retired couple $2,176, disabled worker $1,165, disabled worker with a spouse and child $1,976, widow $1,274 and widow with two children $2,680. Medicare has several parts to it, hospital insurance helps pay for inpatient hospital care and certain follow ups (Part A). Part B helps pay for doctors’ services, outpatient hospital care and other medical services. Part C is Medicare advantage plans that are available in many areas, people with parts AShow MoreRelatedSocial Security1185 Words   |  5 Pages) ADM653: SOCIAL SECURITY AND EMPLOYEE BENEFITS ADMINISTRATION TOPIC: DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY IN UNITED STATES PREPARED BY: AFIQAH BINTI MAD KASSIM 2013455736 ALIA ATIQQAH BINTI ADENAN 2013 FIQRIN HANIS BINTI ROSLI 2013488894 INTAN SURAIYAH BINTI RAMAT 2013460818 NUR AMILY BINTI ZAINUDDIN 2013439594 GROUP: S3BA5G (SEPT 2015) PREPARED FOR: SIR SUHAIMI BIN ABD SAMAD SUBMISSION DATE: 13 OCTOBER 2015 1.0 Introduction United States Social Security AdministrationRead MoreSocial Security And Economic Security1311 Words   |  6 Pages In 2033 a retiree with the average Social Security benefits of $1,294 will only receive 77% of this number or $996. This average retiree pays the average monthly costs for a single adult in Grand Rapids, Michigan of $1,323. This shows Social Security benefits today are sinking below the amount necessary to live. 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TheRead MoreEssay on Social Security782 Words   |  4 PagesSocial Security The purpose of this paper is to analyze social security so as to show the reader what makes it beneficial to us today. . Throughout my life the words social and security have meant little more to me than the representation of a small blue card in my wallet, a consistent and increasingly significant deduction of funds from my weekly pay-check, and a vague academically-instilled recollection of the potential for long-term future benefit. In fact, it was not until I researchedRead MoreThe Social Security Act1240 Words   |  5 PagesA. Is Shirley Caretaker disabled within the meaning of the Social Security Act in that she meets the requirements of the disabling listing for 12.04 affective disorders in 20 C.F.R. Appendix 1 to Subpart P of Part 404-Listing of impairments? With respect the answer is yes for the reasons stated in the Argument section of this brief. B. 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