Humor is a Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Humor is a Philosophy - Essay Example In this regard, the philosopher has, I think, a family resemblance with the comedian, who also asks us to look at the world askance, to imagine a topsy-turvy universe where horses and dogs talk and where lifeless objects become miraculously animated. Both the philosopher and the comedian ask you to view the world from a Martian perspective, to look at things as if you had just landed from another planet. In its own way, a joke can reveal the pathos in laughter, grotesqueness in opulence and life's struggles' in the quiet that envelopes it. The power of humor in liberating the mind and enlightening it to see deeper also connects it to Zen. This is discussed in greater detail below. Zen says that reality can be understood in a way that is not conceptual. Zen philosophy believes that unitive point of view is not attained by logical dissection of reality but by the intutive method, which transcends subject and object and all logical categories including affirmation and negation. As pointed by Ha Tai Kim 1955: Zen transcends the logical bifurcation of subject and object, mind and matter, being and non-being, which always falls into the realm of relational knowledge. It is due to the thoroughgoing attitude of Zen that it pierces through relational knowledge, so as to acquire an absolute point of view. It attempts to see the world in its absolute wholeness (p. 21). This This is really the philosophical spirit and what connects it so beautifully with humor. Zen does not build any philosophical systems since it defies concept-making, much like comedy; for very often humor arises when a situation is viewed in its completeness with all its paradoxes and contradictions. Humor is related with people and situations, not concepts and objects. Just as Zen points to facts as they are, so does the comedy of recognition. Zen says, when you are offered tea, sip it, and, when you happen to take wine, drink it and that there is nothing more than this. Humor as a philosophy, too offers a view of reality by making one view situations in wholeness. Comedy of recognition for example reinforces status quo and does not criticize established order, much like Zen, which points to facts, as they exist. Paradox and Language Let us examine paradox. Paradox is apparent whenever there is incongruity. Humor, very often works by way of a felt incongruity between what one expects to be the case and what actually takes place in a funny situation. For incongruity to be humorous, usually, there exists congruence between joke structure and socially accepted norms. For example: "Someone's hat falls on the coffin in a freshly dug grave, the funeral loses its meaning and laughter is born"(Kundera, 1983, p.232-33). The incongruity that thus results and pricks, what is socially accepted, gives rise to laughter. Just like the incongruence in situations, there exists incongruence in what is being said, which can make statements comic. Language plays a crucial role here. Language is explained as "an approximation of thoughts through symbolic manipulation, and the gap between the expectations inherent in those symbols and the breaking of those expectations leads to laughter" (Wikepedia, 2005). The language connection and especially the paradox that can be inherent in language, reminds one of Zen. Zen teaching

High Needs School Teacher Application Essay Essay Example for Free

High Needs School Teacher Application Essay Essay As a human with a certain compassion for those who are less fortunate than myself, I believe it is my innate responsibility to ensure that low-income school children receive the same educational benefits through my methodology of teaching. My past experiences in the field of education such as a piano teacher, a Spanish tutor, and childcare food program representative demonstrates my love for aiding children in every capacity. The fact that the school is high need only makes my commitment more substantial. I have also completed 12 units of early childhood development at Pattern University in Los Angeles, California in preparation for any situational concerns that may arise in coping with students who are of low-income communities. It is without a doubt that I am ready for the challenges that may face me in the quest to provide educational support and attention for every individual student under my auspice within the high needs school. Also, I will always ensure that all the needs of each student are met at my best ability through the use of observational techniques, setting goals for each student to achieve and executing a reward system for exceptional achievement. I believe that certain qualities I possess such as attentiveness, great communication skills as I speak three languages—Spanish, English and Korean, which makes me a great commodity or assistance for many low-income area schools as the area may be diverse. Explain how a skill or ability that you possess will help you ensure high academic achievement for all students and provide an example of how you have effectively demonstrated this skill or ability in the past. The counseling skills I obtained from working as an administrative assistant at the Student Assistant Center gives me a keener understanding of how to communicate effectively in the enhancement of academic achievements for all students. My intentions are to help these students make the daily transition from hardship at home to a serene enjoyable environment where the focus will be solely on the acquisition of knowledge. I will implement conflict resolution initiatives in an effort to promote rules and regulations if a situation arises contrary to the policies of the school and the classroom. I am also committing myself to providing additional help to ensure that my students perform to the best of their ability. While working in the capacity of Spanish tutor at Beverly high school, my dedication to promoting excellence was exemplified by taking the time to assist students with their grammar skills, composition, and reading—all essential elements in effective ways of communication whether writing or speaking. Although, it took great diligence, it was worth working because of the benefits the student would receive as a result of enhancing these skills. Briefly describe a professional, personal or academic challenge you have overcome. What steps did you take to address the challenge, and how will that experience contribute to your success as a Teaching Fellow? As an administrative assistant at the Student Assistance Center at Los Angeles City College, I encountered many students who lacked the knowledge in the process of applying appropriately to be admitted into college. They were often overwhelmed with anxiety and fear due to the intricate process of applying to college. I became their support system as I assisted them in the application process. Although I was not directly connected with these students, they felt a dependency towards me because of their unfamiliarity with what they needed to do to successfully submit their college application. To address this particular challenge though would seem simple in the eyes of many, I sat and reviewed all the requirements needed for the process and assisted them with whatever questions and answers they required to be addressed. There were still many limitations as I could not go beyond just assisting them but as policy I was unable to write their application as that would be an unethical method of assistance and completely inappropriate. It is quite obvious that I do not support any unethical means to any given situation. If there are rules and regulations to be upheld, I will always adhere to them, as that is my duty as a Teaching Fellow. Teachers must always be guided by their own discretion as well as I intend to do. This is an important factor because any misguided situation can become a major issue. As a Teaching Fellow, I will allow my past experiences to complement my future successes in the educational field by learning from mistakes in an effort to achieve a high standard of expectations necessary for great achievement for my students as well.

The Line between Democracy and Totalitarianism in Lord of the Flies Ess

Golding immediately shows how voting procedures of a democratic society can help stop evil from taking over. During the first encounter between Jack and his choirboys and Ralph and his group, it becomes clear the differences in between both groups. Jack, during the first meeting, yells at the boys to â€Å"Stand Still!†(Golding 20) and even when â€Å"one of the boys flopped on his face in the sand† he makes the others choirboys move â€Å"the fallen boy to the platform and let him lie† (Golding 20). With this brief peek into the leadership of Jack, it is evident that Jack has no concern for the common men in his choir, furthering the illusion of his dictatorial skills. The theme of leaving the masses of common citizens uncared for, while the elites are given exclusive powers is a major notion of the totalitarian government. When these boys see how mistreated Jack’s choirboys are, the vote for chief is affected. When Ralph asks, â€Å"Who wants Jack for chief?† the choirboys â€Å"With dreary obedience [they] raised their hands†(Golding 23). Then, when Ralph asked, â€Å"Who wants me? Every hand outside the choir except Piggy’s was raised immediately. Then Piggy, too, raised his hand†(Golding 23). Evident here is how the public and Golding perceive the two contradicting types of government. This tiny glimpse shows that even when a dictator has all the power over his citizens, he cannot beat a democratically elected leader in an election. The undertone of this situation shows that citizens prefer a democratic leader that they elect than somebody who attempts to usurp the throne. While this was only the first time the two sides meet, the two sides only become more distanced by every time they meet. Furthermore, Golding uses frequent meetings to further es... ... until â€Å"the prodding became rhythmic†(Golding 182). Then, â€Å"Roger advanced upon them as one wielding a nameless authority† (Golding 182). Samneric, in this situation, are illusions to the political opposition that are present in most totalitarian societies. Samneric are treated as political prisoners and bullied into keeping their mouths shut about their views and into accepting the new leader’s way of ruling, which is with an iron, unyielding fist. Golding, in this situation, tries to show the reader how a totalitarian government does not allow any opposition to the official government’s idea. If a person disagrees with the government, then it is better to keep that opinion to their self or face severe backlash from the government. All in all, Jack’s newly increased tribe only happened due to Jack using fear and brutality as a means to keep his tribe in line.

Maintenance of Minority Languages in Majority Settings Essay

Rather than showing the picture of how the people with different languages are related to each other, it is more essential to break down the orders of natural languages existing in any given area and only by this way that we can identify which language is considerable as good and appropriate to ensure somehow that they will continue to be used.   Language serves as marker of group of people and most disputes involved in language minorities deals with the way the languages are reproduced in consideration with the affiliation in geographical boundaries. Maintaining language minorities which are all too often ill-equipped for modern life, strengthens the position of the dominant language as the only common language of communication. Francophone comprises larger fraction of Canada’s speakers prior to the twentieth century and it went less due to imbalance in the flow of population such as birth rate among French speakers and as immigration of English speaking people. Quebec apparently endures English and they have maintained the high concentration of French speakers. Francophone  Canada  remained a vital community sustained by the hard efforts of people from within the community who ensure that the French speaking minority population will continue to thrive (Posner and Green 345-358). The same case had happened in some other part of the world where the people had different origin that changed their cultural sphere, such as in India which, aside from Hindi, also has some regional dialects. Having language minority remained as a matter of political questions especially as it was applied in instructional materials which requires rationalized language policy. Multilingual education came out as another option and a good consideration for better accessibility of education transcending the boundary of language (Groff 8-12). Endangerment or even extinction can be the worst case scenario when language wasn’t maintained. When we talk about endangered language, we refer to the gradual decrease of monolingual speakers using the language. One example of this implication was stated in the works of David and Maya Bradley (316-321) which tackles the revival of native languages of Aboriginal group in Australia. Designs for the attempt of reviving languages can only be possible with enough resources like documentations or retrieving information from similar languages. The efforts for this also require valid aim or intentions in having it done apparently to make it worthwhile than just having it done for the luxury of education. Losing the function of a language relates to the reasons for its decrease of usage or may extent to total non-usage. A language has the power as long as it has the function fulfilled as it was used contemporary industries. The report by Michelle Goldberg and David Corson (1-3) shows that bilingual Immigrants, with an official language learned, are not perceived to bear any advantage for they are not recognized in their chosen field even though, in some situations, proficiency in the language is a crucial skill required in the job. Valuing this skill thru formal recognition is greatly beneficial for the company itself since it contributes in returns in the market specially when dealing with bilingual clients. Linguistic minorities whether in Canada, or in Europe or in Asia don’t just preserve the natural communication means of their group but can also provide reflection of their culture which separates them to the rest. They were therefore protected and promoted by laws in the belief on its significant importance of preserving the identity of these groups (Jimenez & Nakagawa 6). Compared to the situation in Australia, the minorities in Canada, Francophone, has different form since they are comparable to the majority group, Anglophone, when we talk about their origin. None of these two naturally emerged in the land since both were influences or contributions from European. French colonized Quebec after its discovery and for centuries, French has already been an official language (Mc Creery 6). Vitality of relationship between the language and culture in a community determines proliferation of a language therefore, and maintenance and preservation requires analysis of people in group by their demographic prominence, social status, and economic power. These variables can determine the vitality of a language relative to the culture developed in parallel to the language. In order to study the essential factors affecting the growth of the language and design a maintenance procedure, it needs a clear definition of the culture in which it is in. Anything that is associated with vernacular culture manifests linguistic features. Daily activities of people and collective behavior can show its relations to linguistic attributes then we can determine what perceptions and concepts influence the language (Grenoble and Whaley 261-264). Another implication that needs to be aided by language maintenance is the tendency that the difference in language would extend to the separation of people and a state. In Canada, tension rose between English speakers and French speakers, mainly Quebec, carrying the biggest fraction of French-Canada. For decades, a Marxist group called Front de Liberation de Quebec (FLQ) tried to gain sovereignty and fought for the independence. The government applied quick aid to pacify the nationalist actions by making French speakers feel more welcome as they created official policies for the benefit of bilinguals (Ruypers 149). From the viewpoint of anyone who wants to grow towards the wider immediate community such as in the case of minority relative to the majority surrounding them, it tends to make the minority encouraged to gain the actual condition of the majority. When we talk about the will to sustain linguistic identity, it needs to be acknowledged that it is important to develop individuals and the community without compromising the culture and language. Keeping the diversity of language varieties needs not to be broken instead should be respected in the way that none will be damaged (Bastardas-Boada 3-5). Any action in a community, whether it is verbal or physical, contributed to the culture that defines the distinction of human group. The ability to share with the rest this developed culture makes the group dynamic in the wider scope. These are the notions to be considered as a challenge for anyone attempting to participate in different social dimension. This idea can be applied to the relationship of minority and majority languages which are connected by communications since every language users are considered as part of the community of ideas and practices (Duranti 46). After all, the maintenance of a language, however few the users are, would be simplified as long as there is enough reason for it to stay. It will not matter whether the majority of people around use different language or doing different thing from what you do for if language really serves as a mean for communication, differences will then not make this a problem but a source for it to become richer and maintained. References Duranti, A. â€Å"Linguistic Anthropology†. UK:   Cambridge UP (1997): 46 Posner, R. and Greene, J.N. â€Å"Trends in Linguistics†. Walter de Gruyter and Co. (1993): 345-358 Groff, C. â€Å"Status and Acquisition Planning and Linguistics Minorities in India†.   (2003):8-12 Bradley, David and Maya. â€Å"Language Endangerment and Language Maintenance† TJ    International (2002): 316-321 Corson, D. and Goldberg, M. â€Å"Minority Languages learned Informally- The Social Construction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Language Skills through the Discourse of Ontario Employers† ON: University of   Ã‚  Ã‚   Toronto (2001): 1-3 Jimenez, V. and Nakagawa, M. â€Å"Linguistic Minorities† Public International Law and Policy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Group (2005): 6 Mc Creery, C. â€Å"the Order of Canada† Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated(2005):   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   6 Grenoble, L.A. and Whaley, L.J. â€Å"Endangered Languages† UK: Cambridge UP (1998): 261-264 Ruypers, J. et. al.†Canadian and World Politics†. Canada: Emond Montgomery (2005): 149 Bastardas-Boada Albert. â€Å"Linguistic Sustainability and Language Ecology†. Catalonia, Spain:    Centre Universitari de Sociolinguistica I Comunicacio (2005): 3-5

Normalization in Montessori Essay

Normalization that I have experience in a Montessori class-room between the ages of 3-4 years old. . In this essay I will be referring to the child as he/she. Human beings are born with the desire to know things, the urge to explore, and the need to master their environment. The class room is carefully prepared to train Children to develop their senses, to stimulate curiosity, to satisfy their child’s need-to-know and to protect them. (Kramer.1976) Firstly, the environment must be prepared to meet the needs of the children positively and all obstacles to the child’s development must be removed. Secondly, the environment had been prepared by the teacher before the children arrived in to the classroom. Thirdly, the teacher is there to direct the children positively in the classroom, and all of these processes prepares the child and contribute to normalization. In the Montessori classroom, another evidence of normalization can be witnessed when the child prepares for an activity through Movement and Freedom. The child chooses a table and chair. The child walks to the classroom shelves. Choose his activity. He chooses the practical life material (The pouring exercise) and carefully carries it back to his seat, placing the tray on his desk. He then begins the next cycle. In addition, concentration and freedom begin to develop gradually at this stage. The normalize child continue to show concentration with his work; and ignore other children in the class-room. â€Å"For his work is the expression of his mind†. (Montessori. 1949, P133). Bearing in mind the sensitive period for Order. He carried out his work, according to the presentation already shown to him previously by his teacher. I noticed how he kept on repeating the exercise, by pouring the water from one jug to another using his manipulative skills. Dr. Montessori’s observation about the girl that kept repeating the exercise â€Å"Forty-Two times†, flashed to my mind instantly. I notice how the child look content with what he was doing. This leads to repetition of the exercise over and over again. He remains calm and confident while carrying out the cycle of activity. Finally, after deriving satisfaction with himself and perfection, he checked to see if he made any spill (Control of Error). He smiled and carefully returns the (Pouring Exercise) back to the practical life shelve. The child demonstrates a sociable attitude. He smiled, and then turns to other children in the classroom after finishing his activity. â€Å"Montessori has arranged things so that the control of error is to be found in the materials themselves†. (Standing. 1962, P 80). He displays the characteristics of normalization previously listed. He was self discipline and stood up quietly after the exercise, and very graceful in his movement, Order and Language. To summarise my point, In a Montessori classroom, the practice of Montessori‘s teaching on â€Å"Normalization† is daily practiced everyday in the Montessori environment. The idea that the environment is prepared, encourage children to work on activities of their own choice at their own time. It helps the child to show the characteristics expected from a normalized child that is -Independent, Respectful, Love of Order, Work, Silence, Mutual cooperation, Obedient and Joy. In Conclusion; I believed that Normalization is constantly practiced in the classroom and this facilitates the child to develop physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. Finally after understanding how to meet all the needs of the child, this normalized child appears in the Montessori classroom.