Outline the Ways in Which Factors Essay Example for Free

Outline the Ways in Which Factors Essay There are many ways in which factors in children’s home background which may lead to differences in achievement between ethnic groups. The first way is from cultural deprivation, with the socialisation experience of children, values, expectations and norms transmitted at home. Driver and Ballard 1979 argued that high achievement in some Asian groups might be linked to the presence of close knit extended families. However with some ethnic groups many tend to have low income, which may explain why black pupils tend to underachieve as many children from low income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. Some cultural deprivation theorists argue that many children from low-income black families lack intellectual stimulation and enriching experiences. Evidence suggests that those ethnic groups who tend to underachieve also tend have low incomes. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2007 estimated that 70% of Bangladeshi and over 50% of Pakistani children grow up in poverty, compared to 20% of the white population and 30% of Indians. Unemployment is 3 xs higher in African and Bangladeshi/Pakistani people than for whites and Pakistanis are 2x more likely to be in unskilled/semi skilled jobs compared to whites which can lead to material deprivation. Moynihan 1965 said that many black families are headed by lone mothers and may experience poor care due to the lack of money. Some may have material deprivation because they cannot afford to pay for books and other materials that the child needs to do their work, and many may not have the room to do their work if they live in a cramped home meaning they may not be able to concentrate. This becomes a vicious cycle as if the child receives inadequate socialisation which equals in them failing at school meaning they may become an inadequate parent, which will repeat. Also some theorists say that some black children are socialised into a subculture that instils a fatalistic ‘live for toady’ attitude that does not value education and leaves them unequipped for success. There are other factors which effect different group’s educational achievement, with there being ways in which the education system may encourage separation between children of different ethnic backgrounds, such as labelling and teacher racism, many teachers label their students and sociologists found out that many teachers labelled black children as disruptive and they didn’t want them in their class. Troyna and Williams describe the curriculum in British schools as ethnocentric because it gives priority to white culture and the English language which causes separation between white pupils and other ethnic pupils.

Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis Essay Example for Free

Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis Essay In the book The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the narration is done by five of the main characters: Orleanna, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May Price. When analyzing the narrative led by Leah Price, a 14-year old tomboy, the reader may notice her progression from a young girl who idolizes her father and loves him more than anyone else, into a rebellious young woman who despises her father. Some of Leah’s more prominent characteristics are her compassion and devotion. These characteristics are portrayed from the very beginning when Leah follows her father around even saying that, â€Å"I know he must find me tiresome, yet I still like spending time with my father very much more than I like doing anything else† (Kingsolver 36). In that context, Leah is still a young girl, who basically worships her father and does everything he does, loves everything he loves, but he does not give her anywhere near that much love in return. This is also evident on pages 41-42; she goes on about how awesome her father is and how admirable he is, almost justifying her idolizing him. Also, Leah states that â€Å"His devotion to its progress, like his devotion to the church, was the anchoring force in my life throughout this past summer† (64). These things are very important because it shows just how much Leah’s persona is affected by her father, also how influential he is on her beliefs (with emphasis on religion). After one has read the book The Poisonwood Bible and begins analyzing the text, one may notice that in the first part, there are events between the females of the Price family, and the father. In Book One, Genesis, in Leah’s narrative, starting on page 64, she describes a situation where her and her sisters were accused of teaching Methuselah (their parrot) a bad word. Going on to page 68, it appears that the girls were not actually responsible, but the emotionally jarring part is in the second paragraph of that page when she says, â€Å"Once in a great while we just have to protect her,† and Leah goes on to explain how her mother is chastised by her father, for â€Å"sins of womanhood.† Consequently, it seems as though these happenings were just the flint and steel of a fire in the making, most apparently in Leah. The first notion of rebellion starts on page 101, Leah’s narrative, but the strike is on page 115 when she announces, â€Å"For the first time ever I felt a stirring of anger against my father for making me a white preacher’s child from Georgia.† This strike failed to start a sustainable fire, as obviously when she goes with her father to Leopoldville, and actually says upfront, that she and her father â€Å"have patched things up.† Also when she explains to Mrs. Underdown how her father knows what’s best â€Å"in the sight of the Lord,† and that they were all â€Å"privileged to serve.† In this case, it is two steps forward, away from her father, but one step back. Leah’s next big step forward comes in Book Three, The Judges, when she begins to truly doubt her father: If his decision to keep us here in the Congo wasn’t right, then what else might he be wrong about? It has opened up in my heart a sickening world of doubts and possibilities, where before I had only faith in my father and love for the Lord. Without that rock of certainty underfoot, the Congo is a fearsome place to have to sink or swim. (244) Kingsolver uses imagery, so the reader might begin to see what Leah is seeing, and relate to her statements; her doubtful mind of her father could be very easy for readers to understand, maybe not all are able, but those who are may create an attachment to this character. People might say that the world is a place full of lies, deceit, and pain. Others might say that truth, justice, and happiness are just as common, or need to be. Leah has a strong sense of justice, and she believes that her father provides just that, but then she starts asking, â€Å"What if he’s wrong?† and that opens her mind to imagine her father, who was everything she believed was good and right in the world, her idol, as someone who isn’t so great after all; he made a mistake. As a result of this, she rebels, and starts turning away from her father. â€Å"Leah is the cause of all our problems†¦Leah would rare up and talk back to Father straight to his face†¦Leah always had the uppermost respect for Father, but after†¦ they voted Father out, she just plumb stopped being polite† (335). That quote is from Rachel’s narrative in Book Four, Bel and the Serpent; she continues to explain how Leah’s rebellion against their father began when she tried to go hunting with the men. Eventually, Leah’s contempt toward her father caused her to leave behind everything she loved because he loved it, mainly her religion. She continued was always very intelligent, and she grew up and became a teacher, but she was still a tomboy at heart, and she was still devoted, not to her father, but to her husband instead. Leah Price, a 14-year old tomboy who once idolized her father completely, became a woman married to a man of Kilanga, who opposed her father; she no longer believed in the God of her father, she live d among the people of Africa and married an African man. She was no longer a duckling to her father, but her own complete person who had her own opinion and beliefs and independence.

Psychological Theories for OCD

Psychological Theories for OCD Sana Akram PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF OCD Psychological Perspective Key characteristics of the perspective used to explain the cause of obsessive compulsive disorder Analysis of the Perspective to effectively explain the cause of obsessive compulsive disorder 1. Psychodynamic perspective Freud’s theory: The inner self (the consciousness, level-headed personality) of patients with OCD is disturbed by their obsessions and impulses, and this leads them to utilize conscience guard components including fixing, and response development. Freud contended that OCD is connected to the anal-centric phase of an individual’s development, which happens at around 2 years old, on the grounds that amid this stage youngsters are toilet prepared. Defence psychological responses, isolation: Any connection between potty training and OCD is only that, an affiliation, so we cant build up causation and we cant say that latrine preparing causes OCD. Rather there could be different elements, for example personality trait, that influence both potty training and OCD. A noteworthy clash inside of the kid between needing to soil his or her garments and needing to hold dung can happen if parents are excessively cruel and make the kid feel grimy and embarrassed. The infant might intentionally soil his or her clothes as a demonstration of defiance. This debate over cleanliness can prompt OCD. Freud (1949, see A2 Level Psychology page 530) 2. Biological perspective Abnormal brain functioning: There is some kind of irregularity in the neurotransmitter serotonin, among other understandable mental or instinctive anomalies; then again, it is conceivable that this movement is the cerebrums reaction to OCD, and not its cause. Serotonin is thought to have a part in controlling uneasiness; This neurotransmitter goes starting with one nerve cell then onto the next through neural connections. With a specific end goal to send compound messages, serotonin must tie to the receptor locales situated on the nerve cell. It is theorized that OCD sufferers may have blocked or harmed receptor locales that keep serotonin from working to its maximum capacity. Abnormalities in brain areas: Various studies have shown irregular cerebrum working in people with OCD (Saxena, Brody, Schawtrz Lewis, 1998). These studies have recognized over activity in the limbic framework. The basal ganglia set the bodys gauge excitement and smother regulation of engine development. Over activity around there is related with the physical impressions of tension, shirking propensities and tics. 3. Behavioural Perspective Classic conditioning, operant conditioning: As per the behavioural clarification, fear in people with fixations and impulses is activated by apprehension connected with boosts (e.g. unwashed hands, obsessional contemplations) that are unrealistic to bring about genuine mischief. The habitual ceremonies (e.g. hand washing) diminish trepidation thus this conduct is strengthened or remunerated by apprehension diminishment. Face and investigative legitimacy: The hypothesis that the enthusiastic ceremonies decrease tension divines well (face legitimacy) and is reinforced by confirmation (exploratory legitimacy). Nature versus sustain: Behavioural clarifications represent support, as per these, conduct is exclusively a result of adapting as we are conceived as a clear slate. They disregard nature, which is a critical shortcoming as the developmental clarification recommends certain boosts are more inclined to be adapted than others. 4. Cognitive Perspective Impaired information process, irrational fear: As indicated by the intellectual viewpoint, OCD patients have an expanded feeling of moral obligation thus get a handle on they must convey their urgent ceremonies to maintain a strategic distance from unfriendly results, and this is their key psychological mistake. Salkovskis (1996, see A2 Level Psychology page 532) clarifies the impulses are in light of intellectual intervals. The need to be free of distress and anxiety by performing same task again and again Face and exploratory acceptability: Patients with OCD do have the flawed discernments regularly encompassing their feeling of moral obligation so this clarification bodes well (face legitimacy). It is likewise upheld by exact proof and in this manner has exploratory legitimacy. The completing of the enthusiastic events imply that OCD patients never get the chance to test out their flawed thinking and acknowledge there is not a critical outcome in the event that they commit an error. Psychological Perspective Brief description of study(I.es) offered to support the perspectives explanation for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Evaluation of the methods of data gathering used by each perspective 1. Behavioural Perspective Hypothesis provided by Mowrer which was backed by Rachman and Hodgson Mowrer (1947, see A2 Level Psychology page 531) added to a two-procedure hypothesis: the first process includes traditional moulding whereby an unbiased traumas gets to be connected with devastating cogitations or encounters and this prompts the improvement of nervousness, e.g. partner shaking hands with contamination. The other process includes operant moulding whereby the individual finds that the uneasiness is lessened by certain behaviour, thus this turns into the compulsion. Rachman and Hodgson 1980 A2 Level Psychology page 531) give backing to Mowrers hypothesis. They found that when patients with OCD were presented to circumstances setting off their fixations this did result in an abnormal state of anxiety and nervousness and when they performed their enthusiastic customs, this diminished their tension. Naturalistic research approach: The research methodology taken place is naturalistic, the scientists compare the subject’s behaviour pattern with the general population, and the tools used were keen observation then were given a form of hypothesis. (Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B. (1985).Research methods in psychology. Alfred) 2. Cognitive Perspective Researches done by Buttolph and Holland: Buttolph and Holland (1990) found that 69% of female patients with obsessive compulsiveness had the onset or intensifying of side effects amid pregnancy or labour, which is steady with the expanded feeling of identity hypothesis on the grounds that unmistakably the conception of a kid is a huge obligation regarding the prosperity of their youngster. Neziroglu et al (1992, see A2 Level Psychology page 532) found that 39% of female patients with over the top impulsive issue with youngsters reported an onset of the issue amid pregnancy. Tallis (1995 A2 Level Psychology page 532) discusses the feeling of moral obligation clarification in light of the fact that, if this was the main variable included in obsessive compulsive issue, numerous more individuals would experience the ill effects of it. Abramowitzs audit 2006 A2 Level Psychology page 532) of the flawed comprehensions demonstrated by obsessive compulsions additionally underpins the misrepresented feeling of moral obligation clarification on the grounds that such intellectual lapses incorporate the conviction that musings can help to bring about occasions called thought–action combination. Quantitative research methodology along with case studies/ cases history: The research methodologies used in the theories and hypothesis were case studies, mostly among female patients going through pregnancy, the hypothesis were made on the grounds that for new mothers children are a huge responsibility which can be a trigger for OCD in those patients. These case studies were done among several pregnant females and the percentage was taken out. The other research method applied was Experimental research method in which one is a dependent and other is an independent variable. INTRODUCTION In this case study, we need to assess the psychological perspectives and evaluate the influence of such perspectives on the subject. The subject who is now recovered, seems to have a terrible experience from this disorder, the psychological perspectives may be behavioural perspective, cognitive, psychodynamic or even biological. In this essay, we will discuss the contributing factors from a psychological point of view. There are certain theories that evaluate the main causes of OCD, but the fact that the reasons vary from person to person make it difficult to be diagnosed and treated. From the biological perspective, it is easier for the disorder to be subsided, but that is not a successful solution in all cases. DISCUSSION OCD is likely a heterogeneous disorder, and different modalities of treatment have been discovered to be successful in enhancing OCD indications to differing degree. These incorporate pharmacotherapy, subjective conduct treatment, electro-convulsive treatment, and psychosurgery. By and large psychotherapy alone is not powerful, but rather mental backing for the OCD patient and his family is critical. (American Psychiatric Association 2000). Individual components of OCD may have imperative ramifications for treatment arranging as far as consistence, reaction to treatment and elements that fuel or diminish indications (AACAP, 1998). Mellow fixations or impulses that are not the wellspring of significant trouble or weakness may warrant observing over the long haul without the start of particular treatment (AACAP). In the event that such fixations or impulses are identified with outer or formative stressors, psychotherapy or other psychosocial mediations focused to these stressors may be valuable. In this case, the patient has mentioned about the Cognitive treatment, and that she felt better with it means it was progressive; however, the cognitive treatment is a kind of talking treatment, in which the thoughts, behaviour, thinking can affect the power of dealing with certain problems. Since, the patient showed improvement with CBT that makes it a reason of one of the causing factors of the patient’s OCD. The patient here complains about having horrendous thoughts of killing her children that had led her to the compulsiveness of sealing the bag which contained cords that can be used to strangle her own children, so the cognition here is affected, leading to behavioural problems, the CBT is different than the conventional talking session with the psychiatrist because the professionals can utilize a wide range of tools to improve the condition of the patient, these tools may include motivating and helping the patient to identify the wrong and right practices and suppressio n of the wrong thoughts, moreover, the psychiatrist may help the patient to learn about different relaxation techniques that can help her to relax when such thoughts arise. Diane further adds that she doesn’t have the traditional OCD symptom i.e. she was not a cleanliness freak, but her OCD did take an evil approach when her cognition, her thoughts pattern started to derail and she feared herself that she might be dangerous for her children, we can conclude that the thoughts she experienced might be a result of her early pregnancy when she was anxious that she is going to be a parent which is going to be a highly responsible job, this might have led her to the derailment of rational thoughts. Moreover, Diane also gives detail of her early experience that she used to fear the fact that if she didn’t follow her daily ritual something bad might happen to her parents, this tells about her behavioural pattern, and the theories of punishment and rewards apply here. The biological perspective also plays an important role here; Diane explains that she was under anti-depressants which had made her calm and easy. So the theory of biological perspective applies here, we can conclude that she must be going through the misbalance of chemical neurotransmitters. Kobak, K., Taylor, L., Bystritsky, A., Kohlenberg, C., Greist, J., Tucker, P., et al. (2005) Her details reflect that she was prescribed sedative hypnotics to calm her down and help her sleep, which is also a muscle relaxant. Other than sedatives, SSRIs (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) (Abramowitz, 1997) are the most widely used anti-depressants must have been given to her for her complete therapy. Furthermore, for the treatment of her delusive thoughts and psychosis, she must have been kept under haloperidol, which is a highly effective drug. Buttolph and Holland (1990) The theories suggest that the OCD and other mental disorders are inherited; here Diane explains that her eldest child is also under the same practice as his/her mother, this explains the biological and genetic perspective of OCD. (Barrett, P. Shortt, A. Healy 2002) The eldest child of the subject who is showing few symptoms of OCD, this can be related to another psychodynamic perspective, the child may have been attached to the mother, as a result of which the child must have received the same habits as her. Sigmund Freud psychoanalysis suggests that the first stage of OCD is the outcome of behaviour of the parents that brings the sense of guilt and punishment if the particular task is not done. There are various causes of OCD and various therapies that should be kept in mind when dealing with such patient, till date, no accurate therapy has come to existence that would eradicate this disorder. The treatment of OCD varies from person to person; the psychological perspectives play a vital role in diagnosis and give a clue about how it should be treated. CONCLUSION In spite of the fact that the examination to date has tended to numerous basic issues in the treatment of OCD, critical points still require further study. Case in point, a treatment program that incorporates preparing relatives about OCD, its treatment, and how to adequately help with a friend or family members treatment would be valuable, given the high predominance of social issues in families of OCD patients. Inspiration to start treatment, particularly given the uneasiness bringing out nature of ERP, is regularly an issue. In these way availability programs, in which patients read case histories or examine treatment with previous patients, may diminish refusal rates and build treatment consistence. From the clinicians viewpoint, giving effective ERP can be a test, and not very many focuses offer the preparation expected to wind up capable in these strategies. Hence, improvement of projects for brain science and psychiatry students may likewise enhance access to this powerful tre atment. REFERENCES Abramowitz, J. S. (1997). Effectiveness of psychological and pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a quantitative review of the controlled treatment literature. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 44–52. Abramowitz, J. S., Moore, K. M., Carmine, C., Wiegartz, P., Purdon, C. (2001). Obsessive compulsive disorder in males following childbirth. Psychosomatics, 42, 429–431. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35 (3), 333-342. American Psychiatric Association (APA). (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th Barrett, P., Shortt, A., Healy, L. (2002). Do parent and child behaviors differentiate families whose children have obsessive-compulsive disorder from other clinic and non-clinic families? Journal of Child Broocks, A., Briggs, N. C., Piggott, T. A., Hill, J. L., Canter, S. K., Tolliver, T. J., Murphy, D. L. (1997). Behavioural, physiological and neuroendocrine responses in healthy volunteers to m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP) with and without ondansetron pre-treatment.  Psychopharmacology,130(2), 91-103. Kobak, K., Taylor, L., Bystritsky, A., Kohlberg, C., Greist, J., Tucker, P., et al. (2005) March, J., Mulle, K., Herbel, B. (1994). Behavioral psychotherapy for children and adolescents with Miller, D., Slater, D. (2000). The internet: An ethnographic approach. New York:Berg. Neziroglu, F., McKay, D., Yaryura-Tobias, J. A. (2000). Overlapping and distinctive features of hypochondriasis and obsessive–compulsive disorder. Journal of anxiety disorders,14(6), 603-614. Rode, S., Salkovskis, P. M., Jack, T. (2001). An experimental study of attention, labelling and memory in people suffering from chronic pain.  Pain, 94(2), 193-203. Saxena, S., Brody, A. L., Schwartz, J. M., Baxter, L. R. (1998). Neuroimaging and frontal-subcortical circuitry in obsessive-compulsive disorder.  The British Journal of Psychiatry. Shaughnessy, J. J., Zechmeister, E. B. (1985).  Research methods in psychology. Alfred A. Knopf.

Defining Personal Responsibility and Exploring My Own Responsibilities

What is personal responsibility? Some examples people would probably come up with would be these: working, chores, taking care of your family and some might even say going to school and getting a better education. The definition of personal responsibility is: the obligation to carry forward an assigned task to a successful conclusion. With responsibility goes authority to direct and take the necessary action to ensure success. ("DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms"). Personal responsibility to me is taking ownership of the things that will affect us in anyway, whether it is in the long run or short term. If we do not take ownership of the situations around us we will be consumed by duties and assignments which at that point become a task and no longer just a responsibility. College is a personal responsibility to us all. In order to take control of our lives and have the options we desire, college is the avenue most of us will have to take. Successfully completing our studies and obtaining the highest level of education possible will open the doors to providing for those we care most about in our lives. It will allow us to live our dreams by having options to choose from, which is why we worked so hard and decided to go to school. According to "10 Incredibly Successful People Who Went To Community College" (2012), â€Å"Nolan D. Archibald who is the CEO and Chairman of Board of the Black & Decker Corporation, was once one of the youngest CEO of a Fortune 500 Company and has been celebrated by the American Marketing Association, Business week and Fortune as one of the most successful and ‘most wanted’ business executives in the country†¦Archibald graduated from Dixie Junior College† (7). The point is, it doesn’t m... ...e to use in any given situation. Works Cited 10 incredibly successful people who went to community college. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.onlineuniversities.com/blog/2010/01/10-incredibly-successful-people-who-went-to-community-college/ DOD Dictionary of Military and Associated terms. (). Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/dod_dictionary/?zoom_query=responsibility&zoom_sort=0&zoom_per_page=10&zoom_and=1 Famous people & the schools they went to. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.collegecrunch.org/fun-stuff/famous-people-the-schools-they-went-to/ Julian, T., & Kominski, R. (2011, September). Education and Synthetic Work-Life Earnings Estimate. 2010 CENSUS, (), 2 Leading Thoughts. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.leadershipnow.com/responsibilityquotes.html Lincoln, A. (1862, December ). Message to Congress. Message to Congress, 10().

National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship Essay -- Medical E

National Science Foundation Pre-doctoral Fellowship Biotin is an essential vitamin for humans; it must be included in infant formulas and in fluids for intravenous nutrition. Even though it is a necessary component of our diet, we do not yet know the mechanism by which biotin, also known as vitamin H, is synthesized in the body from dethiobiotin. The enzyme that accomplishes this conversion has been termed biotin synthase. This enzyme catalyzes the insertion of sulfur at nonactivated positions of dethiobiotin, between carbons C1 and C4, to generate biotin. This mechanism is of interest because it appears to involve uncommon chemistry and because of the commercial value of the product. Biotin is sold as a pharmaceutical and as a food and cosmetic additive. This water soluble vitamin is essential for the growth and well-being of animals and humans, and it is used in the formation of fats the utilization of carbon dioxide. Prof. Richard H. Holm's bioinorganic chemistry class sparked my interest in the understanding of enzyme mechanisms as model systems for the design of more selective drugs and better synthetic catalysts that allow us to run reactions with good yield, little waste, and inexpensively. Having worked for two years with Prof. JoAnne Stubbe on the mechanism of nucleotide reduction in E. coli by ribonucleoside diphosphate reductase, I have come to appreciate the positive effects of an understanding of this mechanism in the synthesis of more efficient drugs for the treatment of cancer and viral diseases. Increased knowledge of the biotin biosynthase mechanism should allow us to produce biotin more efficiently, and the knowledge gained from this mechanism could be applied to similar enzymes. Despite recent advan... ...should aid me in designing more successful experiments. Works Cited 1. Sanyal, I., G. Cohen, and D.H. Flint. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 3625-3631. 2. Birch, O.M., M. Fuhrmann, and N.M. Shaw. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 19158-19165. 3. Sanyal, I., K.J. Gibson, and D.H. Flint. (1996) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 326, 48-56. 4. MÃ ©jean, A., B. Tse Sum Bui, D. Florentin, O. Ploux, Y. Izumi, and A. Marquet. (1995) Eur. J. Biochem. 217, 1231-1237. 5. Frappier, F., M. Jouany, A. Marquet, A. Olesker, and J.C. Tabet. (1982) J. Org. Chem. 1982, 2257-2261. 6. Parry, R.J. (1983) Tetrahedron 39, 1215-1238. 7. Parry, R.J. and M.G. Kunitani. (1979) Methods Enzymol. 62, 353-370. 8. Trainor, D.A., R.J. Parry, and A. Gitterman. (1980) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 1467-1468. 9. Baldet, P., H. Gerbling, S. Axiotis, and R. Douce. (1993) Eur. J. Biochem. 217, 479-485.

Matthew Christopher Bourne Essays -- Drame

Matthew Christopher Bourne Born 13th. January, 1960, London. British dancer and choreographer. His parents were June and Jim Bourne and he had a brother Dan. His mother was a secretary and his father worked for Thames Water for 30 years. When 12 or 13 he and his friend Simon Carter waited to get the autographs of actors outside the Apollo, Lyric, Palace, or Queens theatres. He attended a Methodist-run youth club which had a choir and he put on his versions of musicals. He went to school at the Sir George Monoux mixed comprehensive (later a sixth-form college) in Walthamstow in north-east London. He left with two grade C A levels. He didn't admit to himself that he was gay until he was 18. He then rang the telephone number for Gay Switchboard which was printed on the sleeve of Tom Robinson's single Glad To Be Gay and he was directed to a gay youthclub in Holloway. He first took a job in the contracts department at the BBC. He next had a job with the Keith Prowse ticket agency. This was followed by a job in the Royal National Theatre bookshop. He also worked as an usher and became aware that among the other theatre devotees were dance and drama students. In 1982 he was given a place at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. Being 22 he was older than usual, and he also had no previous dance lessons. However, he had a great breadth and depth of knowledge of theatre, dance, and old musicals. He obtained a BA in dance and theatre in 1986. In 1987, with the help of friends from the Laban, he set up his own dance company Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP). The company reworked classical pieces including The Nutcracker and La Sylphides. In 1995 the company produced Swan Lake with all the swans being played by men, and in 1997 it became the longest-running ballet in the West End since Diaghilev's Sleeping Princess in 1926. In 1999 it went to Broadway. He received a Tony Award for best choreographer and best director of the musical. He had a seven-year relationship with David Manners who designed for AMP. In 1995 he started a relationship with Arthur Pita, a principle dancer with AMP. In 1997 Matthew Bourne became an honorary fellow of the Laban Centre. Also in 1997 he was asked by Cameron Mackintosh to create the dances for the revival of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver!. The fees from this allowed h... ...egan in his early twenties, and his love for theater and cinema has led him to be dubbed "the Noel Coward of modern dance." Born in London on January 13, 1960, Mr. Bourne graduated from the Laban Centre in 1985 with a degree in Dance/Theater, spending a further year touring with Transitions Dance Company. He was a founding member of AMP at its launch in July 1987, and his stage works for the company include "Overlap Lovers" (1987), "Spitfire" (1988), "Buck and Wing" (1988), "The Infernal Gallop" (1989), "Town & Country" (1991), "The Nutcracker" (1992), "Highland Fling" (1994), "Swan Lake" (1996) and "Cinderella" (1997). His television work for AMP includes "Late Flowering Lust" (BBC TV 1993) and "Drip - A Love Story" (BBC TV/Arts Council Dance for the Camera Award 1993), both broadcast in 1994. As well as creating many roles in his own work, he has also worked with choreographers Ashley Page, Jacob Marley, and Brigitte Farges, and was a founding member, in 1988, of Lea Anderson's company The Featherstonehaughs. Mr. Bourne has won several awards for his choreography, including a Bonnie Bird award, a Place Portfolio commission, and a Barclays New Stages award. Matthew Christopher Bourne Essays -- Drame Matthew Christopher Bourne Born 13th. January, 1960, London. British dancer and choreographer. His parents were June and Jim Bourne and he had a brother Dan. His mother was a secretary and his father worked for Thames Water for 30 years. When 12 or 13 he and his friend Simon Carter waited to get the autographs of actors outside the Apollo, Lyric, Palace, or Queens theatres. He attended a Methodist-run youth club which had a choir and he put on his versions of musicals. He went to school at the Sir George Monoux mixed comprehensive (later a sixth-form college) in Walthamstow in north-east London. He left with two grade C A levels. He didn't admit to himself that he was gay until he was 18. He then rang the telephone number for Gay Switchboard which was printed on the sleeve of Tom Robinson's single Glad To Be Gay and he was directed to a gay youthclub in Holloway. He first took a job in the contracts department at the BBC. He next had a job with the Keith Prowse ticket agency. This was followed by a job in the Royal National Theatre bookshop. He also worked as an usher and became aware that among the other theatre devotees were dance and drama students. In 1982 he was given a place at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance. Being 22 he was older than usual, and he also had no previous dance lessons. However, he had a great breadth and depth of knowledge of theatre, dance, and old musicals. He obtained a BA in dance and theatre in 1986. In 1987, with the help of friends from the Laban, he set up his own dance company Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP). The company reworked classical pieces including The Nutcracker and La Sylphides. In 1995 the company produced Swan Lake with all the swans being played by men, and in 1997 it became the longest-running ballet in the West End since Diaghilev's Sleeping Princess in 1926. In 1999 it went to Broadway. He received a Tony Award for best choreographer and best director of the musical. He had a seven-year relationship with David Manners who designed for AMP. In 1995 he started a relationship with Arthur Pita, a principle dancer with AMP. In 1997 Matthew Bourne became an honorary fellow of the Laban Centre. Also in 1997 he was asked by Cameron Mackintosh to create the dances for the revival of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver!. The fees from this allowed h... ...egan in his early twenties, and his love for theater and cinema has led him to be dubbed "the Noel Coward of modern dance." Born in London on January 13, 1960, Mr. Bourne graduated from the Laban Centre in 1985 with a degree in Dance/Theater, spending a further year touring with Transitions Dance Company. He was a founding member of AMP at its launch in July 1987, and his stage works for the company include "Overlap Lovers" (1987), "Spitfire" (1988), "Buck and Wing" (1988), "The Infernal Gallop" (1989), "Town & Country" (1991), "The Nutcracker" (1992), "Highland Fling" (1994), "Swan Lake" (1996) and "Cinderella" (1997). His television work for AMP includes "Late Flowering Lust" (BBC TV 1993) and "Drip - A Love Story" (BBC TV/Arts Council Dance for the Camera Award 1993), both broadcast in 1994. As well as creating many roles in his own work, he has also worked with choreographers Ashley Page, Jacob Marley, and Brigitte Farges, and was a founding member, in 1988, of Lea Anderson's company The Featherstonehaughs. Mr. Bourne has won several awards for his choreography, including a Bonnie Bird award, a Place Portfolio commission, and a Barclays New Stages award.

Dead Poets Society Essay

Both The Mosquito Coast and Weir’s next feature, Dead Poets Society (1989), foreground fathers myopically invested in misguided personal aspirations. A significant critical and commercial success, Dead Poets Society is a period piece set in the 1950s in Welton College, a private boys school, at the heart of New England’s establishment. It is a study in the mechanisms with which the ruling class absorbs and expels rebellious influences before proceeding undeterred in its primary mission of reproducing itself. As in Picnic, Weir introduces eager young lives both oozing potential and straining under expectation. In both period pieces Weir deftly establishes the restrictive weight of the institution’s traditions through repeated interior, constricted compositions. Here, however, the challenge to the status quo, far from being a mysterious force, is an enthusiastic, unconventional teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), who nevertheless will play a role in leading the boys to a traumatic awakening. Keating’s passion for literature moves his students to personal quests of self-expression: â€Å"Make your lives extraordinary†, he pleads. The film evokes the American spirit of democratic self-actualisation, as epitomised by the poet Walt Whitman, a portrait of whom Keating displays in his classroom and gestures toward when inciting the boys to emulate his free spirit. Inspired by Keating, the boys re-establish the â€Å"Dead Poets Society†, a club that Keating himself had participated in when a student at Welton. They convene at night in the romantic setting of a nearby cave and share poetry. Keating’s encouragement proves most successful with one of the â€Å"Dead Poets†, Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), a teenager so neglected by his parents that he is fearful of human interaction, and petrified of public speaking. Weir subtly conveys the evolving effect Keating’s presence has on Todd, through dexterous camera placement in a series of scenes. In the initial scene, Todd chases his roommate, Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), around their dorm room, trying to retrieve a poem he was composing as an assignment for Keating, which Neil is now playfully reciting aloud. The camera captures the action in a continuous spiralling, pan shot of the boys running in circles within their confined space, creating a spirited, flowing sense of movement. Later, in a long take (28 seconds), the static camera observes Todd, again in his room, as he reads his poem to himself while walking in circles. He is initially pacing at a steady rhythm and smiling to himself, animated by his work, but he then gradually slows and begins to look less sure, before ultimately stopping and despondently tearing up his poem. A cut transfers us to the boys’ classroom the next day, where they are reading their compositions. Todd cowers, insisting he did not prepare a poem, but is encouraged by Keating to usher forth inspiration from Whitman’s portrait for an improvised composition in front of the class. As Keating covers Todd’s eyes, eliciting poetry from the student, the two walk around in continuous circles, followed by the camera, which in turn circles around them in a continuous shot. The effect is a vertiginous one of dizzying movement, which captures the moment of release and rupture for Todd, as he overcomes his inhibitions and spontaneously recites a heartfelt creation, eliciting impressed silence, followed by applause from his classmates. This series of circular movemen ts, suggesting Todd’s burgeoning capacity for self-expression, represents Weir at his most subtle and sophisticated. Todd’s ability to spontaneously compose and recite is rendered all the more persuasive by the almost subliminal referencing of the previous moments of circular movement. Keating’s influence holds different consequences for Todd’s roommate, the kind and charming Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard). When Neil’s father learns that his son has discovered a passion for theatre, he forbids him from performing in the local production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Neil defies him, only to be informed after the performance that his father is removing him from Welton the next day and sending him instead to military academy, after which he will attend medical school. The news constitutes a ten-year sentence for the artistically inclined teenager, who cannot bear the prospect. That night, in a haunting sequence of elisions, we learn through his parent’s distraught, slow motion reactions that Neil has killed himself. John Keating is indirectly blamed for Neil’s death and the school authorities coax some of the boys Keating had taken into his trust into condemning his unconventional teaching. Rather than presenting a facile depiction of a repressive establishment’s collapse against the ultimately victorious seekers of self-expression (a favourite American tale), Weir explores the scapegoating mechanism through which the establishment responds to a challenge to its symbolic order. As Keating’s class sits sheepishly, listening to droll instruction from the school principal who orchestrated Keating’s dismissal and who is now teaching his poetry class, their former teacher enters the room to collect his belongings. Before Keating leaves, Todd, previously unable to talk in front of a group, boldly stands on his desk (a position Keating had occasionally encouraged them to assume in order to â€Å"change their perspective†) and turns in one last circular motion, this time to face Keating and address him with the teacher’s favourite Whitman address, â€Å"Oh Captain, my Captain†. Rousing music builds to a crescendo as the school principal repeatedly orders Todd to get down or risk expulsion. The boy stands firm, looking more composed than ever before, as various other students follow his lead. A high angle point of view shot reveals Keating, with eyes watering, from Todd’s vantage point. With this final scene of defiance, Weir suggests that the seeds of discontent that will usher in the counter-culture of the 1960s have been sown.