Selective Mutism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Selective Mutism - Essay Example As you can imagine, the condition can have dramatically negative effects on social functioning. Selective mutism refers to selective silence in a child who speaks freely in very familiar situations. Children who demonstrate this condition appear comfortable and talkative with close family members. However, whenever people other than the closest family members are present, the child is quiet and shy. Some children avoid eye contact and do not communicate in any form with others. They refrain from the use of gestures or changes in facial expression. Selective mutism occurs in a small number of children, probably less than 1% of children in the elementary school settings. It is not known how often children demonstrate the problem during the pre-school years. Prevalence may be higher in the pre-school years because many more children are attending preschool programs than in the past. Children who have developmental language or articulation problems and children whose first language is not English are more likely to be selectively mute. In both circumstances, children may be quiet because of concerns about accents and limited fluency. Research shows that most children with selective mutism were anxious in social situations from an early age. Contrary to many popular ideas, most selectively mute children have not experienced trauma. ... Children who have developmental language or articulation problems and children whose first language is not English are more likely to be selectively mute. In both circumstances, children may be quiet because of concerns about accents and limited fluency. Back to top. How does selective mutism develop Research shows that most children with selective mutism were anxious in social situations from an early age. Contrary to many popular ideas, most selectively mute children have not experienced trauma. Rather their history often includes a toddler period of appropriate language development at home, but clingy, dependent behavior in the presence of unfamiliar or infrequently encountered people. Some children have shown mild forms of separation anxiety, although overt refusal to attend school is not usual. For children for whom English is a second language, case studies usually indicate that the children were not comfortable speaking with people in their first language either. At this time, researchers believe that most selective mutism is a form of social phobia: that is, an anxiety disorder that reflects inhibited social actionts for fear of embarrassment or concerns that others will judge them negatively. Some children have reported that their throats clog up when looking at others as if their vocal chords will not permit them to speak. It is probable that children with the condition have inhibited dispositions as part of their personality characteristics. Extensive studies by Dr. Jerome Kagan and his colleagues have found that about 5% of children react to novel situations with high levels of uncomfortable arousal and a tendency to withdraw. This pattern is

Summative Assessment for Poverty as a Challenge Essay Example for Free

Summative Assessment for Poverty as a Challenge Essay A. IMPORTANT QUESTIONS 1. Every _________ person in India is poor. (a) third (b) fourth (c) fifth (d) sixth 2. Vulnerability to poverty is determined by the options for finding an alternative living in terms of (a) assets (b) education (c) health (d) all the above 3. Social exclusion denies certain individuals the (a) facilities (b) benefits (c) opportunities (d) all the above 4. How many people in India live below the poverty line? (a) 30 crores (b) 26 crores (c) 28 crores (d) 24 crores 10. What is the poverty ratio in the state of Orissa? (a) 50% (b) 47% (c) 60% (d) 57% 11. In which state has the high agricultural growth helped to reduce poverty? (a) Jammu Kashmir (b) West Bengal (c) Punjab (d) Gujarat 12. In which state have the land reform measures helped to reduce poverty? (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Punjab (c) West Bengal (d) Kerala 13. Which state has focussed more on human resource development? (a) Gujarat (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Maharashtra (d) Kerala (1 mark) 5. Which organisation carries out survey for determining the poverty line? (a) NSSO (b) CSO (c) Planning Commission (d) None of the above 6. Which social group is most vulnerable to poverty in India? (a) Schedule castes (b) Schedule tribes (c) Casual labourers (d) All the above 7. Which two states of India continue to be the poorest states? (a) Madhya Pradesh, Jammu Kashmir (b) Uttar Pradesh, Utarakhand (c) Orissa, Bihar (d) None of the above 8. Poverty line in rural areas (As per 1999 – 2000 prices) is (a) Rs 328 (b) Rs. 370 (c) Rs 454 (d) Rs. 460 9. Who are poorest of the poor? (a) Women (b) Old people (c) Children (d) All the above 14. In which state is the public distribution system responsible for the reduction in poverty? (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Both (a) and (b) (d) None of the above 15. What is the main cause of poverty in India? (a) High income inequalities (b) Less job opportunities (c) High growth in population (d) All the above 16. Which of the following is responsible for high poverty rates? (a) Huge income inequalities (b) Unequal distribution of land (c) Lack of effective implementation of land reforms (d) All the above 17. What is the biggest challenge to independent India? (a) illiteracy (b) Child labour (c) Poverty (d) Unemployment 18. In rural sector which of the following is not poor? (a) Landless agricultural workers (b) Backward classes (c) Rural artisans (d) Medium farmers 19. Nutritional level of food energy is expressed in the form of (a) calories per day (b) wheat consumption (c) rice consumption per day (d) none of the above 20. As per Planning Commission, minimum daily intake of calories for determining poverty line for rural area is : (a) 2100 (b) 2400 (c) 1500 (d) none of the above 21. Poverty ratio in India as compared to Pakistan is : (a) same (b) half (c) twice (d) two and a half times 22. Common method to measure poverty in India is based on (a) income level (b) subsistence consumption level (c) both (a) and (b) (d) none of the above 23. Decline in poverty in Kerala is due to (a) emphasising more on human resource development (b) land reform measures (c) efficient public distribution of foodgrains (d) none of the above 24. To generate wage employment our government has started (a) National Social Assistance Programme (b) National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (c) Valmiki Ambedkar Awas Yojana (d) None of the above 25. In which group of countries did poverty ratio remain constant? (a) South Asian countries (b) Latin American countries (c) Socialist countries (d) None of the above 26. Poverty line prescribed by World Bank (As per 2001 study) is : (a) $ 1 per day (b) $ 2 per day (c) $ 5 per day (d) $ 6 per day 27. National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) provides assured employment to every rural household for (a) 120 days (b) 100 days (c) 60 days (d) 50 days B. QUESTIONS FROM CBSE EXAMINATION PAPERS 3. Which of the following programmes was launched in the year 2000 ? [2011 (T-2)] (a) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (b) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (c) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (d) Pradhan Mantri Gramodaya Yojana 4. Who conducts the periodical sample surveys for estimating the poverty line in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) National Survey Organisation (b) National Sample Survey Organisation (c) Sample Survey Organisation (d) None of the above 2 1. Who advocated that India would be truly independent only when the poorest of its people become free of human suffering? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Mahatma Gandhi (b) Indira Gandhi (c) Jawahar Lal Nehru (d) Subhash Chandra Bose 2. Which one of the following states in India has focussed more on human resource development? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Punjab (b) Karnataka (c) Kerala (d) Tamil Nadu 28. In how many states and Union Territories is poverty ratio less than the national average? (a) 20 (b) 22 (c) 16 (d) 18 29. Poverty line in urban areas (As per 1999 – 2000 prices) is : (a) Rs. 354 (b) Rs. 454 (c) Rs. 554 (d) Rs. 455 30. Poverty ratio in Bihar (As per Planning Commission Report 1999 – 2000) is (a) 40% (b) 43% (c) 46% (d) 47% 5. When was National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) Act passed? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2000 (b) 1995 (c) 2005 (d) 1993 6. Which category does not come under the category of Urban Poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) The Casual workers (b) The Unemployed (c) The Shopkeeper (d) Rickshaw-pullers 7. How many per cent of Indian people were poor in the year 2000? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 36% (b) 46% (c) 26% (d) 29% 8. Which state has the highest percentage of poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Bihar (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Assam (d) Orissa 9. Average calories required per person per day in rural areas in India are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2400 calories (b) 2800 calories (c) 3200 calories (d) 3600 calories 10. Which scheme was started in 1993 to create self-employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth in rural areas and small towns? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana (b) National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (c) Rural Employment Generation Programme (d) Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana 11. For how many days NREGA provides employment? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 70 (b) 80 (c) 90 (d) 100 12. Who is considered as poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Landlord (b) Landless labourer (d) Businessman (c) A rich farmer 13. Which among the following is the method to estimate the poverty line in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Investment method (b) Capital method (c) Human method (d) Income method 14. Which one of the social groups is vulnerable to poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Urban casual labour (c) Rural agricultural household (d) All the above 3 15. By which year governments are aiming to meet the Millennium Development Goals including halving the rate of global poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2011 (b) 2015 (c) 2045 (d) 2035 16. What is the average calories required in rural areas for measuring poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2400 calories per person per day (b) 2100 calories per person per day (c) 2800 calories per person per day (d) None of these 17. What is not one of the major causes of income inequality in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Unequal distribution of land (b) Lack of fertile land (c) Gap between rich and poor (d) Increase in population 18. In which of the following countries did poverty actually rise from 1981–2001? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Sub-Saharan Africa (b) India (c) China (d) Russia GO YA L BR OT HE RS 19. The calorie requirement is higher in the rural areas because: [2011 (T-2)] (a) they do not enjoy as much as people in the urban areas (b) food items are expensive (c) they are engaged in mental work (d) people are engaged in physical labour 20. Which of the following is an indicator of poverty in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Income level (b) Illiteracy level (c) Employment level (d) All of these 21. Which one of the following economic groups is vulnerable to poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Scheduled tribes (c) Rural agricultural household (d) All the above 22. Which one of these is not a cause of poverty in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Low level of economic development (b) Migration of people from rural to urban India (c) Income inequalities (d) Unequal distribution of land PR AK AS HA N 23. Which of the following is not a valid reason for the slow progress of poverty alleviation programmes in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Lack of proper implementation (b) Lack of right targeting (c) Corruption at the highest level (d) Overlapping of schemes 24. What is the accepted calories requirement in urban areas? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 2000 cal/person/day (b) 2100 cal/person/day (c) 2300 cal/person/day (d) 2400 cal/person/day 25. Which communities are categorised as economically vulnerable groups in India? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled caste (b) Agricultural labour household (c) Scheduled tribes (d) All the above 26. Which industry suffered the most during colonial period? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Jute (b) Textile (c) Indigo (d) All the above 27. Calorie requirement in rural areas is more than in the urban areas because: [2011 (T-2)] (a) rural people eat more (b) rural people have big bodies (c) rural people do more hard physical work (d) rural people have to take more rest (c) Lack of access to health care (d) Lack of job opportunities 32. Full form of NFWP is: [2011 (T-2)] (a) National federation for work and progress (b) National forest for wildlife protection (c) National food and wheat processing (d) National food for work programme 33. Who are considered as the poorest of the poor? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled castes (b) Scheduled tribes (c) Disaster struck people (d) Women, female, infants and old people 34. Which country of South-East Asia made rapid economic growth resulting in significant decline in poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) India (b) China (c) Nepal (d) Pakistan 35. In which part of the world poverty has remained the same during 1981 to 2001? [2011 (T-2)] (a) South Asia (b) Sub-Saharan Asia (c) China (d) Latin America 36. Which of the following states has the poverty ratio below the national average? [2011 (T-2)] (a) West Bengal (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Assam (d) Maharashtra 37. In year 2000 what was the average Indian poverty ratio? [2011 (T-2)] (a) 15% (b) 43% (c) 26% (d) 47% 38. The organisation that conducts surveys for finding poverty levels in India is. [2011 (T-2)] (a) NSSO (b) USO (c) World Bank (d) None of these 39. The current anti-poverty programe consists of two planks, they are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) Socio-economic reasons and public distribution system (b) Promotion of economic growth and targeted poverty programe (c) Anti-poverty programe and public distribution system (d) None of the above 40. In 2000 the percentage of people below poverty line in India was: [2011 (T-2)] (a) 26% (b) 46% (c) 56% (d) None of the above 4 28. Poverty ratio in which of the following states is above the national average? [2011 (T-2)] (a) West Bengal (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Karnataka 29. The most vulnerable social groups for poverty are: [2011 (T-2)] (a) Scheduled tribes (b) Urban casual labourers (c) Rural agricultural labourers (d) Scheduled castes 30. Which of the following states of India has the highest poverty ratio? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Bihar (b) Orissa (c) Punjab (d) Assam 31. Which of the following is not considered as a social indicator of poverty? [2011 (T-2)] (a) Less number of means of transport (b) Illiteracy level

history of the port of long beach :: essays research papers fc

History of the Port of Long Beach   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The San Pedro Bay breakwater began construction in 1899. This was to facilitate the building of the Port of Los Angeles. It served well as a breakwater for both ports.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1909 the Los Angeles Dock and Terminal Company purchased about 800 acres of marshes and mudflats at the mouth of the Los Angeles River. On June 24, 1911, in a grant from the State of California, the City of Long Beach was given the tideland areas in trust for the people of the state. The theory behind the tidelands was that although they were mostly shallow water, they could be dredged to make deep water. This provided as much fill as the port needed to make additional land and piers. The Tidelands Trust restricted the use of the land. It also restricted what could be done with monies received from the different ventures allowed on the property. The money was only to be used for improving or maintaining harbor commerce and navigation, or for marine recreation or fisheries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1916 the Los Angeles Dock and Terminal Company declared bankruptcy and turned over all operations of the port to the City of Long Beach. The city then completed the dredging projects that were already underway including a channel and a turning basin. The following year a committee was formed to oversee harbor operations. It was the first Board of Harbor Commissioners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1924 voters of Long Beach approved a five million dollar bond for use in improving the inner harbor area as well as beginning development of the outer harbor areas. The goal was to become a deep water port and by 1926, the Port of Long Beach did exactly that. The port handled eight hundred twenty-one ships and imported or exported a total of more that one million tons of cargo. Shortly thereafter, in 1928, construction began on new facilities to include new Piers A and B. At the same time, Pier 1 was reconstructed and a new transit building was completed on it. The port then renamed Pier 1, â€Å"Municipal Wharf.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Further construction of the San Pedro Bay breakwater began in 1932. The extension was to be three and one-half miles by authorization of the Federal River and Harbor Act of 1930. In 1936 oil was discovered in the harbor. The good thing about finding oil in the harbor was that the port then had a sizeable amount of capital to invest back into itself.

Martin Luther King Jr Speech Compared to a Raisin in the Sun Essay

In the speech, â€Å"I have a dream† by Martin Luther King, Jr. , he talks about equality for the all men and how he dreams about a world where people can be in harmony with no division of color. The play, â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun†, relates to this subject in multiple facets centering around dreams. The play and speech take place in the same time period of the mid twentieth century, where color was a major divide in society. There are many similarities between the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† and the speech â€Å"I have a dream†. One example of a similarity is that both center on a dream that they or a character has. â€Å"I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustration of the movement, i still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the american dream†¦ † This is an excerpt from Kings speech that is him relating to the people that he has a dream about equality. The Raisin in the Sun also relates to this because the main character, Walter Younger, has a dream about supporting his family and supplying them with everything they have ever dreamt for. Another way they are similar is the way they reflect the inequality and hardship that racism inflicted on them and their families. In The Raisin in the Sun, the main character walter faces an unfair world where it is specifically better for people who are white instead of african american, this reflects on his career as white workers are paid significantly more than african americans. â€Å"The life of a Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. This is King explaining that after many years of african americans being released from slavery and become free americans, they are still treated the same and that they are not actually free until the people are all equal regardless to skin color. In the end, they both reflect the conditions that african americans had to go through to get equality from discrimination and segregation. Both the play and the speech had similar ideas about having dreams of equality and supporting their families.

Differences in Cultural Perspective

Almost every individual tend to be fascinated with beliefs or things that are different from what he or she normally sees in his or her every day life. These variations usually arises the interests of the person in knowing and understanding the things that are not familiar to him or her. However, there are also instances wherein these differences could make people pose their judgment or prejudices upon others that do not practice or adhere their beliefs. This kind of thinking is applicable in the cultural differences that most countries have.The movie Forbidden Kingdom could greatly exemplified the importance of understanding various cultures. This motion picture feature two of the biggest stars in the martial arts film genre namely Jackie Chan and Jet Li. Other actors also supported them most specially Michael Angarano, which plays Jason Tripitikas that represent the western part of the world in the story. The plot of the movie paved the way for the exploration of the western and ea stern cultures. It enables its viewers to see the differences that these different parts of the world have.Nevertheless, it also paved the way for people coming from these two cultures to increase their tolerance for each other’s difference even to the point of appreciating it. The movie revolves around a teenage boy name Jason Tripitikas. He is an avid fan of Chinese martial arts. He frequently goes to China town in order to buy some DVDs about martial arts movie. During one of the normal days that he went there, he pass by a pawnshop where he saw a staff. The owner of the establishment, an old Chinese guy named Hop informed him that the staff should be given back to its rightful owner.On his way back home, Jason encountered the local bully, Lupo. He violently forced him to go to the pawnshop at night so that Hop would open it, which will allow them to rob the shop and took Hop’s money. As the robbery happened, Lupo shot Hop but before he died, he instructed Jason to bring the staff back to its owner. Jason ran away from Lupo and his gang. However, Lupo was able to get a hold of him but before they could hurt him the staff transported him into ancient China where his adventure began.Jason interacted with the Chinese community back then and learned the true value of their culture especially that of martial arts (The Internet Movie Database). The American teenager’s perception of the eastern culture specifically of the Chinese started with only the idea of martial arts. Every time he would heard about their culture it is not surprising that the first thing that came into his mind is martial arts or Chinese food. This is not unexpected especially for a western teenager since most of his knowledge about the Chinese culture is influence by the media.However, when Jason was able to really partake in the real culture of ancient China he was able to understand their way of life. In doing so, he was able to adhere to some of their beliefs and prac tices. In line with this, Homi Bhabha’s arguments in â€Å"Culture’s In-Between† tend to explain the cultural differences that happened in the movie. The first thing that Jason experienced was a sense of identity that is only based upon the western culture that he has. His view of other culture is also based upon the beliefs that his western roots reinforced. Nevertheless, this changed when he experienced the ancient culture of the Chinese.He was able to understand the variation and even follow some of the Chinese way of life. In this situation, Jason’s identity became multicultural because he does not only follow one particular belief or practice but he tend to be tolerant of others as well (Bhabha, 54). Moreover, based on Randall Raus’ â€Å"The American Perspective of: What is Culture? † he asserted that America is actually very tolerant of other nations’ culture. He asserted that there is no other country that is culturally divers ified as the United States due to the presence of numerous people coming from various states that have their respective ways of life (Raus).Being the case, this caused the establishment of different cultural practices in the country that is observable in varying communities there like the Latino, Chinese, Filipino, and others. Early on in the story, the western teenager already has his fascination with martial arts. Due to the influence of media, he thought that martial arts were a â€Å"cool thing. † He perceived it as some sort of trend that if he could be able to perform such kind of stunts he would instantly gain popularity.The teenager also has this thinking that learning martial arts would demand respect from other people and this would also boost his reputation in the community. This kind of adage is greatly influence by the media. Communication technology like the television, Internet, advertisements, commercials, and others has a huge impact in the way of thinking of people especially of young adults nowadays (Rayuso). Martial arts are usually portrayed in movies or television shows as something that is merely fascinating rather than its true purpose of self-defense.In this sense, media tend to modify the view of the people with regards to other culture. This eventually impedes the proper understanding of other nations’ beliefs and practices. The manipulation of the media regarding people’s perspective about a certain group or nationality is widely observable at the present time. A good example is the issue of terrorism wherein some irresponsible media reporting tend to always put Arabs and Muslims in a bad light as they pertain to them as the one responsible in terrorist attacks (Hamza, et. al).Citizens of various nations either get interested with the culture of other countries or they would immediately disregard it especially if it is not similar or near the practices that they have. Nevertheless, the knowledge of other nations culture is very essential in order for people to properly understand each other and learn to accept the differences that exists among them. It also aid in clarifying wrong notions that people have regarding their counterparts in other states. The correct knowledge of other cultures could foster greater understanding and acceptance among the people all over the world.

Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Dougl Essays

Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Dougl Essays Review of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland, near Hillsborough. He doesnt know for sure of his age, he has seen no proof and his master will not inform him. Most masters prefer for their slaves to stay ignorant. He believes that he was around twenty-seven and twenty-eight when he began writing his narrative - he overheard his master say he was about seventeen years of age during 1835. His mother, Harriet Bailey, was separated from him when he was an infant and she died when he was seven years old. Fredericks father was a white man who could have been his master but he never found out. Education was of utmost importance in his life. He received his first lesson while living with Mr. and Mrs. Auld. Sophia Auld, Fredericks "mistress", was very humane to him and spent time teaching him the A, B, Cs. After he mastered this, she assisted him in spelling three and four letter words. At this point in his lesson Mr. Auld encountered what his wife was doing for Frederick and forbid her to continue. He believed that "if you give a nigger an inch, he will take an ell" and continuing with "learning would spoil the best nigger in the world". The masters felt that an ignorant slave formed a choice slave and any beneficial learning would damage the slave and therefore be futile to his master. His next step on the road to success was during his seven years living with Master Hughs family. Frederick would make friends with as many white boys as he possibly could on the street. His new friends would be transformed into teachers. When he could, Frederick carried bread on him as a means of trade to the famished kids for knowledge. He would also carry a book anytime he had an errand to run. The errand would be completed quickly, allowing extra study time. When Frederick was working in Durgin and Baileys ship-yard he would notice timber marked with various letters. He soon discovered how the letters matched the type of wood and the names of these letters. Any boy he met that could write he would challenge them to a writing contest. Frederick would use the letters he recently learned and told the child to challenge that. He then copied the Italics in Websters Spelling Book until he knew them well. All this hard work and years of practice gave Frederick the knowledge to write. After his relocation to Mr. Freeland, who was the owner of two slaves, Frederick devoted his Sundays teaching these two and other slaves how to read. Frederick heard the word abolitionists a few times but it wasnt for a while until he found out what it meant. If a slave succeeded in escaping from his Master or performing a radical action such as burning a barn or killing his Master, it was considered to be a form of abolition. One day while running an errand, Frederick ran into two Irishmen hard at work. Frederick assisted the Irishmen and soon after they asked if he was a slave. The men then advised Frederick to run away to the north to find friends and freedom. Ever since this encounter he has dreamed of the day he could safely escape. An attempt to carry out his dreams surfaced during his stay with Master Thomas. He did not attempt to escape, however he regrets not doing so since the chances of succeeding are ten times greater from the city than from the country. Anthony, one of Fredericks two masters, was not a humane slaveholder. Frederick was awakened habitually by the sounds of his own aunt being whipped repeatedly because she was caught away for the evening with a man. Slaves, when unhappy, sing songs to help drown their sorrow. Frederick would often sing for this purpose, and not to express his happiness as some slaves also do. The men and women slaves received eight pounds of pork or fish and one bushel of corn meal monthly. On a yearly basis, they received very little along the lines of clothing. The children unable to work in the field were given two shirts per year. If they happen to wear out, the children would have to go naked until the next year. No beds were supplied, only coarse blankets. Master Thomas would not even give a sufficient amount of food to eat, which was usually mush (coarse boiled corn meal). This

Great Captains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Great Captains - Essay Example A number of individuals from many walks of life find it quite fascinating to study war strategy over the past several thousand years and how the same strategies have been employed, despite the fact that warfare has changed dramatically overtime. Being that warfare has changed over the past one hundred fifty years, the study of captains, such as Napoleon, Ulysses Grant, and Frederick the Great are still valid for a modern military professional, as it is these three individuals who have contributed largely in shaping our civilization and making it what it is today. One reason that the study of captains, such as Napoleon, Ulysses Grant, and Frederick the Great are still valid for a modern military professional is that a military professional can learn a great deal from these individuals. For instance, from the study of these great individuals, a modern military professional can learn to be an effective leader. The modern military can study the art of war from all three of these great captains and possibly employ some of these strategies in today's modern war fair. Some may challenge that learning the strategies of these captains is useless for a modern military professional, since war fair has changed so much since these men were alive. Those supporting this argument state that the weapons during the time of these captains were not as sophisticated as they are today, and wars are fought on a much larger scale than in times past. These captains did not deal with the challenges that we do now. Though these arguments are true and valid, the reason s for engaging in war are the same as they were since the beginning of humankind, and because of this, the study of such captains is relevant, as such study helps the future leader in deciding what he should and should not do to see to it that his outcomes are successful. If these three captains have employed a particular strategy that brought them a plethora of success, then there is no problem at all making use of that same strategy today. In regards to this, Paret and Clausewitz state that the purpose of war has always stayed the same, even though we now use more sophisticated weapons. Not to mention, the tactic to attack the enemy with the utmost force, to concentrate on what allows the enemy to resist and do away with it so the enemy can resist no longer and the desire to annihilate the enemy has been the same. Furthermore, the definition of war has also stayed the same, as war is merely a way for us to force the enemy to do our will and see to it that it is carried out (Chapte r One, Book One). Another reason that the study of these great captains is valid for a modern military professional is that a great deal can be learned from their use of intelligence. On the subject of intelligence as it pertains to war, Paret and Clausewitz state that those who are savages normally fight solely motivated by passion. There is no real intelligence on their part, as they are going to do whatever it takes to destroy their enemy. On the other hand, civilized peoples actually take the time out to sit and strategize how they will attack their enemy, defeat them, and successfully conquer them, if conquering is part of the reason that the war is being fought (Chapter One, Book One). These three great captains, no doubt, took the time to intelligently strategize how they would advance upon their enemies. Surely, they did feel some passion of hatred for their enemy, hence the reason they would attack them in the first place, as one would not attack someone they