Fail Math free essay sample

It was the first Wednesday in September. The first day of school. As math rolled around, I got nervous. The room was humid and the teacher wasn’t there yet. Strangely, the woman sitting on the side introduced herself as our teacher. This was not going to work. She was over-excited and trying to be cool. I knew something was coming when she tried to act like a kid while still maintaining her authority as the teacher. â€Å"Mrs. Smith† did not seem like a good teacher for me. She couldn’t teach. I didn’t know how I knew this but on the first day of school I could tell so much about a teacher. It was weird. As if I had an extra sense, a sense to identify people on the inside. This year was not going to be good. I didn’t really know why, I just knew. I tried my best anyway. We will write a custom essay sample on Fail Math or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But when it comes to fighting the impossible, I just don’t. Whatever it was that she was trying to teach I wasn’t getting, and she wasn’t getting through to me. Mrs. Smith did not present herself as a very approachable person. Not only to me, but to everyone. It was like George Bush answering questions about his drunk driving past. The answers would never be forthcoming, no matter how hard one tried to elicit them. And I did try to get answers to my questions, but she didn’t communicate in a way I could understand. When that happened, I felt a combination of resignation and fear. I stopped listening to her lectures and it became clear to me that I was in danger of failing her class. I wasn’t paying attention anymore and I had put up barriers to even possibly hearing what she was saying. Once those barriers went up, it was very hard to get through them. I was on longer getting the knowledge I was supposed to be getting. I didn’t get it. And I didn’t feel good about it. Not proud. Not smart. I felt like a failure. I felt like I did something wrong. I didn’t know how to fix it. On the outside, I behaved like I knew what I was doing, but on the inside, I knew better. I knew I was not doing well. You know how they say with alcoholics, that they have to hit absolute bottom before they can start doing better? I hit absolute bottom. It was this one test. I didn’t study. I didn’t expect a test so early in the year to be at that level of difficulty, but it was. When I took the test, I kept asking, â€Å"What did I get myself into?† â€Å"Why didn’t I study?† I started blaming myself for everything. I knew I didn’t do very well, the only question was, how badly did I do? She walked up and down the rows, starting from my right to left. I would be second to last, prolonging my agony. I wasn’t looking at her, or at anything in particular, but I was just staring out into space. Finally, she came to my desk and showed me the results The grade – thirty seven. Not only is that a failing grade, it’s the grade my five year old sister would get. She said, â€Å"You have to come for extra help.† I replied, â€Å"I know.† This grade, although anticipated, was still terribly disappointing. The test affected my average. But it really affected ME. I was behind. I didn’t really know what was going on. But, because of this, I started moving slower to make sure that I got everything. It was like I was running with an egg in my hand. I was hyper aware and trying to pay extra-careful attention. This pattern of poor communication and poor grades, along with my whole attitude in class and the subject matter of the class, continued throughout the rest of the quarter. What I learned anything? Yes, I’ve learned the hard way that hard work pays off—and that no work doesn’t.

Betrayed by my best friend Essays

Betrayed by my best friend Essays Betrayed by my best friend Essay Betrayed by my best friend Essay As a child growing up friends are everything. Your best friend is the one you share all your secrets with and trust them not to tell anyone. They are the one who knows everything about you and stands by your side through everything. For some, best friends may change frequently, but that wasnt the case of Michelle and l. That was the type of friend Michelle was. We had been friends since the first grade and shared everything. We never kept secrets from one another and more importantly, we never shared those secrets with anyone else. Well at least I didnt. One fall I learned many important lessons in life. The most important one was not to trust people. Sounds cynical I know, but I dont know any other way to put it. I was 12 years old and trust had never been an issue for me, but that year brought on many changes. On a beautiful Saturday afternoon my whole outlook on life changed. On a day that seemed like so many before, my brother-in-law raped me. Dealing with that was more than I knew how to handle. The betrayal of the one person I thought I could trust only added to the pain. A few weeks passed before I could even bring myself to tell Michelle. He had made me feel like it was my fault, that I had done something to deserve it. He has also convinced me that if my sister found out it would cause her to lose the baby she was carrying. At that time I really didnt know any better so I believed him. Finally I realized I had to tell someone and of course Michelle was who I turned to. I explained what happened, how it made me feel, how it made me view things. Never in my life did I think she would tell anyone. Once again I was wrong, within three days it seemed the whole school knew. To make matters worse Michelle told people that it had been my fault. That it wasnt rape at all, that I had agreed to it. Even worse she told them I was pregnant by him. I couldnt understand how she could do something like that to me. Here I was trying to cope with what had been done to me physically and she betrayed me in a way that I couldnt even begin to understand. Granted, in time the talk moved on to something else as it always does in schools, and they all realized that I wasnt pregnant. Still, the damage to me was already done. I learned the hard way the need to be careful who you trust. It is something that was remained with me to this day. After being betrayed by my best friend, it became nearly impossible to trust anyone. Betrayed by my best friend By eschewing 123

Multimedia and design Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Multimedia and design - Assignment Example ny professional in any occupation where they build or construct something from scratch, there are right ways and wrong ways to utilize elements of design and they are not all based on what someone simply likes. When looking at the fashion, someone can design an outfit but is it functional? Badly designed outfits will never be worn and are not ever going to be purchased if they do not include good elements of design. The same with a car. If the design of a car is based on what the creator likes, then no one would buy it. Design in these fields has to do with marketability and bad design can crush profitability. Interior design is another field where elements can create different moods. If a person mixes and matches fabrics and textiles all due to their own likes, the space can be overwhelming to be in or even evoke a negative response. When it comes to design in technology, while taking a look at a website, if a design of a website is not functional, no users will come visit the site. If it is cluttered and is chaotic, it is not appealing to anyone. When looking at multimedia as a personal experience, it is all about using design of pictures, interactive features and other elements to create ways for people to get something out of their experience. When thinking of blogs, websites or social networking sites, it is a goal of multimedia techniques to intrigue others. It is a form of marketability and branding to enhance a persons visit. It is not necessarily for ones own use but for productivity and profitability increases in ways to increase others personal experience. It creates more of a personalized

XYZ Scholarship Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

XYZ Program - Scholarship Essay Example As the telecommunications and communication science fields are quickly evolving, I recognize that it is a driven industry that relies on electrical engineering and computer science.   Bioinformatics, as difficult as it may seem, is also intertwined with computer sciences, algorithms and advanced relational databases and computing.   I am extremely driven to make these endeavors a reality due to my lifelong interest in these areas and my dream is to utilize my gained wealth of knowledge to help give back to others in the future.   When considering what generated this interest in computer science, electrical engineering and telecommunications engineering and my aspirations of working in bioinformatics or advanced communications, I would have to say that I have always been fascinated by tinkering by taking things apart and putting them back together again to see how they work.   Additionally, my father is an electrical and mechanical engineer and I can recall always going to bed late at night after watching my dad work on funny looking drawings, which I know now were blueprints to something bigger and better.    With bioinformatics in mind, this sector influenced my career goals due to my fascination of the human genome project which is being completed under a National Institute of Health (NIH) Nationwide grant at several leading universities.   This type of sophisticated research relies on the rapid and advanced computerized system arrays operating at Peta flops and eventually Hexa flops.

Education Among the Pakistani Women Essay Example for Free

Education Among the Pakistani Women Essay Introduction Education is perhaps the main source of human intellectual development and a critical factor pertaining to standard of living. Education here refers to all instructions received by a child, whether at home, playground, or school. Continuous increase in population and declining assets in public education give birth to a serious dilemma for developing countries. Like most of rest of the developing world, Pakistan is known to be a male dominated country and ranks as the seventh most populous of the world. The sex ratio is 105.7 men to every 100 women, with an overall literacy rate of only 45%; 56.5 percent for males and 32.6 percent for females in 1998 (Jehan, 2000). For centuries women have been battling for equality, yet the society continues to shape the stereotypical view of women and is responsible for the lower status of women. This paper aims to explore the factors obstructing Pakistani women, specifically in rural areas where they cannot acquire education. The consequences they face due to lack of academic opportunities are also discussed alongside an elaborate analysis pertaining to various sociological concepts introduced in the course. This is an ongoing cultural and political issue, which reflects the corrupt government and extreme subjective interpretations of the religious doctrines. The status of Pakistani women reflects the complex interplay of many factors such as social, cultural, and religious views. In addition, the gender biases, geographical regions, and social classes pose several difficulties for Pakistani women. Lack of education quite obviously hinders their practicality in the workforce along with increased unawareness about health and failure to access legal rights for mistreatment from the male dominating society. The social and cultural perspective of Pakistani society is primarily patriarchal. At a very early stage men and women are divided into two separate worlds, this becomes a way of life. For women home is defined as being the lawfully ideological space whereas, the men dominate the world outside the home. This false ideological discrimination between inside and outside worlds is supported by the notion of honor and the tradition of purdah (veil, the seclusion of women from the sight of men or strangers) in Pakistan (Country Briefing Paper, 2000). The male honor is associated with the women’s sexual behaviour, the family’s honor hold great emphasis on women’s sexuality. Although the women are not prohibited from working, at the same time they are supposed to firmly follow the rules of morality. They may feel a role strain, to be a â€Å"good† daughter or wife or to have the right to do a job they wish to do. Status is defined by your social location, and women in general face everyday prejudice because of their gender. Pakistan, being a developing country, has a lower overall status in the world. Pakistani women have many statuses; one being a â€Å"Pakistani†, this however is an achieved or ascribed social position. Meaning it can be attained either by taking birth in the country, or by applying to become a citizen. Being Pakistani is not her only social position, when she’s born; she’s a daughter (ascribed status), when she gets married; she’s a wife (achieved status), and then when she has children she’s a mother (achieved status). The status in terms of just occupying a position; the 3 different statues that the Pakistani women achieve are daughter, wife, and mother. She is not known for anything other than that. Rarely are they known for ‘working women’, or any kind of job positions. The culture looks at them as nothing more, nor are they supposed to have any other status. Status in terms of prestige or honour; for centuries women have been fighting for equality, equal rights, honour, and respect; despite all of that, it is still an ongoing struggle. Pakistani women have an ascribed lower status, this means that women don’t earn or work towards being a lower status; they are given it by birth. Most Pakistani families yearn for a son, so he could handle the family business, but on receiving a daughter, they are ashamed. Hence this starts her being worthless in the eyes of her parents. As she grows older, the neighbours start to look at her that way, and so forth. Eventually the society looks at her that way and therefore, it becomes a norm, or part of an ideology. A Pakistani women’s life particularly in rural areas is a journey of subordination. As a woman is growing up she must listen to her father who decides whether she obtains education and who she would marry. After marriage her husband and in-laws are the decision makers on her behalf, who mainly decide how many children she would have and whether she is allowed to work outside the household. In a woman’s senior years her sons decide the fate for the rest of her remaining life. This is the norm in Pakistan; the behavioral expectations of women are to listen to the males that dominate their lives. Furthermore the entire society acts as an oppressor imposing stereotypical roles upon them. As such, daughter, wife, mother: in all three of these roles, the woman is expected to be sexually ‘pure’, that is, not to commit any acts of adultery. In all three, she must protect her family’s honor by learning conventional general labor skills, exquisite manners, and modest dressing. Women are part of a loop: this loop starts from being a daughter, being a wife, and finally a mother; it ends in the mother giving birth to another daughter who must now follow her mother’s footsteps and live a life reminiscent to that of her mother. This social structure reflects the roles of women in a shocking new light, a light that barely, if not at all, reaches the west. The daughter’s role: starts when she is born into the family. Her role in her family is to clean the house, take care of the chorus alongside her mother, serve food, and if she’s lucky, go to school in a very unhygienic, little populated school. She is to get married at a very early age and this often results in her not finishing her education. Her father decides whom she should marry; this is a process with both cultural and religious significance. According to Islam, it is already written to whom you will marry. By the father being the person who decides, that gives him the â€Å"higher authority† or â€Å"higher status† as the daughter must be handed over by a wali (the present caretaker, either her oldest brother or father). The role of the wife: in most sense the role of the wife is very similar to that of the daughter; she is supposed to keep the honour of the husband by keeping quiet, following his lead, and implicitly being a slave. The role of mother: this is when the daughter learns to take all the cultural guidelines and the norms and apply it on her children. Thus the cycle starts all over again. In order for this cycle to break the women need to view their roles in perceptive of the bigger picture. They need to realize that they have voices and that they can change their faith. Though this does not mean going against their religion, but to fight for their rights in a politically corrupted governing system. Acquiring academic and career planning resources is definitely a constructive and logical start to absolving them from this loop. Conversely, the political and cultural infrastructure most definitely tries to thwart these efforts. The implications of these cultural requirements and lack of education for women’s economic activities are catastrophic. The female labour force participation is known to be the second lowest for Pakistan in the world (Jehan, 2000). Their high contribution in agriculture and the informal sector of work tends to go unrecorded by the statistics. However, in the poorest regions, some opportunities occur for women to work outside areas for domestic services such as sweepers, construction workers, and hired labourers. Women are also restricted to several industries such as textiles, food and beverages and pharmaceuticals. This norm guides the social behavior of Pakistani women, where they cannot acquire high paid jobs and limits women to jobs that are lowest paid and require less mobility. These gender-defined roles vary from the geographical region in which they reside, where some areas are stricter. The main concern is the lack of education among the rural areas limiting their working capabilities. The total number of females with less than primary education is 18% (Ibraz, 1993). The situation is better in urban areas where women have overcome some of the traditional restrictions due to educational facilities. Another factor that restricts Pakistani females from acquiring higher level of education is the traditional rule of marrying them at an early age. The average age of marriage is stated at 17 years for females (Ibraz, 1993). After marriage the beliefs of the husband interfere; resulting in his social behavior of making his wife take care of the household and his family rather than continuing with further education or working outside the household. Cultural ideas such as protecting the family’s honor result in women barely communicating with men outside th eir family. If any communication is necessary, they adjust their religious headgear to make sure that proper protocol is followed and communicate only with minimal eye contact and enthusiasm. Another cultural idea such as honor killings also encourages males to warn females of the consequences of not following the norms and of course, encourage them even more to carry out an execution if the woman is in fact found guilty. Also, in rural areas, a common cultural idea is that education encourages women to rebel against their respective families. This furthermore advocates the practice of not wasting money sending girls to school. Social identity: women who are brave and resourceful enough to leave their families are marked as ‘heathen’ or ‘witchy’. Other females in the neighbourhood are forbidden to socialize with them. Therefore, a common tool to dominate women who do rebel is to take away all social identity from them or in worse cases, demeaning their social identity through media propagandas and common word of mouth. This is a very potent technique; it makes other women (who are in sync with ‘norms’ ) disrespect and look down on those that actually stood up to the discriminating societal structure. The male dominating ideology, therefore, persists. The health indicators of Pakistani women are among the worst in the world. Pakistan is known to be one of the few countries where the life expectancy of males exceeds the females. One in every 38 women die due to pregnancy related complications (Annual Report, 2009). The health of the Pakistani women was never considered a priority because woman as a gender are not culturally, traditionally, or religiously given equal status in the society. The health system relies on this gender inequality and is hesitant to adopt policies to help improve women’s health. Lack of awareness among the female population allows them to accept the mistreatment from the system. They are more likely to approach different methods of treatments themselves. More than 80% women are delivered at home in the presence of unskilled birth attendants (Annual Report, 2009). Social and domestic control over women’s sexuality, their economic dependence on men, and restrictions on their mobility establish the health services provided to males and females. Furthermore, honour killings, rape, and illegal trafficking of women are prevalent across much of the country. Women in Pakistan are seen as a representative of the men’s honour to whom they belong; they are responsible for guarding their virginity and chastity. If a woman is superficially having an illicit sexual relationship, she degrades the family honor and looses the right to life (Amnesty International, 1999). In response the man publicly reveals his power to safeguard his honour by killing the women that have damaged it, these acts are done openly. Brutal punishments are reported for bringing food late, for answering back, and even for undertaking forbidden family visits. Extreme measures such as honour killings take place for several matters. Conveying the desire to choose a spouse and marrying a partner of their own choice is an act of disobedience since most marriages are supposed to be arranged by fathers. Divorce is seen as a public rebelliousness and women must be punished for restoring male honour. Rape among the Pakistani women is seen as a highly shameful event and thus rape victims are also executed. The Government of Pakistan has failed to take any measures against the honour killings (Amnesty International, 1999). The political institution is flawed; the law and government that are supposed to protect their people from harm’s way; institutionalized corruption. To give women a lower status and view them as unequal is prejudice. It is institutionalized for a Pakistani woman to follow the authority of the man, since he is superior to. It is a practice to look down upon women in Pakistan as it became a norm. An example of such injustice is a story of rape victim named Shazia Khalid. She was a medical doctor, who got married and was offered a job by a government run facility. Her husband worked outside the country, she was staying at the facility that was secured by the members of the military. She was repeatedly raped overnight and then silenced by the military as they would not allow the police to investigate. To avoid embarrassment of the military, General Musharraf, the president of Pakistan, declared the rapist innocent. They further attacked Shazia by suggesting she was a prostitute. At this point Shazia attempted suicide but thankfully was saved by her child’s request. Her story increased media’s attention and further humiliated the president of the country, her family was asked to leave the country by the order of the government. They decided to immigrate to Canada but because immediate actions were required they were told to reside in England where they will be further assisted by the government to move to Canada. When landing at England they were abandoned by the government and are living on welfare waiting from their admission to Canada (McKenna, 2006). Egocentrism plays a big role in the hearts of Pakistani men. Their pride and honor has a prestige status; meaning its worth more whereas a woman’s life is worthless. They created this norm shared by the society. In deciding not to follow the norm results in negative sanctions. Due to the institutionalized corruption many Pakistani women have taken a toll to fight for their rights. Diverse groups including the Womens Action Forum, the Pakistan Women Lawyers Association, the All-Pakistan Womens Association and the Business and Professional Womens Association, are supporting projects throughout the country that focus on empowering women. They have been involved in such activities as instituting legal aid for indigent women, opposing the gendered segregation of universities, and publicizing and condemning the growing incidents of violence against women. ( Group, strict)The progressive women’s association (PWA) and the all Pakistan women’s association (APWA) is comprised of educated individuals; an example of their political struggle is the attempt to change the hadood ordinances law in Pakistan regarding rape. They are quite effective as they are setting the milestone for women standing up for their rights in the country. Conclusion In light of arguments presented in the paper, the low status of Pakistani women can be attributed to lack of education and cultural values. The consequences are very negative: inequality in the workforce, poor health, and marriage at young age with high fertility and childbearing mortality. Pakistani women lagging behind in education are not aware of their legal rights and are forced to focus on obligations of family life. Although this paper is geared mainly towards the women in rural areas of Pakistan, the cultural and traditional aspect of life imposed on women still persists in middle and higher classes, merely less strict. Hence, there is definitely a big gap between the loose group of women and the strict group of women. Consequently, a solution to the issue can also be portrayed as bridging the gap between these two respective groups. Assistance from the global community will be required to educate different populations to invoke change. Resources APA style Annual Report. (2009). Health of women in Pakistan. Society of Obstetricians Gynaecologists of Pakistan. Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC). Amnesty International. (1999). Pakistan, Honour Killings of Girls and Women. Country Briefing Paper, Women in Pakistan. (2000). Situation Analysis of Women in Pakistan: An overview Ibraz, Tassawar S. Fatima, Anjum. (1993). Uneducated and Unhealthy: The Plight of Women in Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review. 32:4 Part II, pp. 905-915 Jehan, Qamar. (2000). Role of Women in Economic Development of Pakistan. University Of Balochistn. McKenna, Terence. (Feb-Mar 2006). In Dept Pakistan: Pakistan, Land, Gold, Women. CBC news. Retrieved from: http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/pakistan/mckenna_pakistan.html Munir, Shafqat. (2001). Institutionalized Exploitation of Women as Negative Impact of Globalization. Journalists for Democracy and Human Rights† (JDHR) Pakistan.

tragoed Essay on the Tragic Flaws of Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex)

The Tragic Flaws of Oedipus Rex    At one time in our lives there is a moment that we may think of ourselves as better than someone or something else. There may also be a point when making a decision leads to a great error in judgment. In the play Oedipus Rex, written by Sophocles, both of these characteristics can be seen in the main character. These characteristics are known as tragic flaws. These flaws are known as hubris meaning excess pride, leading to overconfidence, and hamartia meaning errors and weakness in judgment. Both of these characteristics are the main reason of destruction and downfall in mankind and the tragic hero in this play. The tragic hero is unable to escape his misfortune that is destined to happen. There are many more tragic flaws other than these two that also contribute to the falling of the hero. The destruction and downfall can be seen as fate. Even though the hero chooses his own actions, the resulting consequences that come about are ones that are unable to be changed. As seen, no one i s able to outrun his or her own fate.    Oedipu...

Differences and Similarities between American and Japanese Friendship

My concept of Japan was what I have seen in Japanese movies such as the Geisha and was very much the same as almost everyone living in America. My whole idea of the now Japanese culture changed when I went there for a couple of weeks for a business trip. Stepping into Japan is as if stepping into a busier New York but no one speaks English as much. Having spent some time in Japan I was able to have a look at their culture and their relationships. On my way, back I analyzed the similarities and differences of American and Japanese friendship. Americans are very friendly people; they care about their friends and family.They have a life of their own, and do not like uninvited guests. In fact Americans rarely step into some1 else’s house without an invitation. They treat their guests with great respect, offer them a drink and try to make them as much at home as possible. Japanese too are very friendly people and care a lot about their relatives, families and neighbors. They may be living on their own but do not have a private life. If a guest knocks on their door unannounced, they will be honored to have them in the house and would go an extra mile to make them comfortable. Japanese follow the true meaning of ‘A good friend is my nearest relation’.The American culture does not promote friendship, being friends with someone means knowing that person, trusting him and being there for him. The Americans lead a very busy life and they live their lives with a chip on their shoulder, since they do not know whether someone is being friends with them for personal gain or genuine likeness. Japanese Culture on the other hand believes that if you are unable to figure out a persons character look at his friends, therefore they make sure that from childhood children understand the importance of being friends with someone.Japanese may chose their friends very wisely but not because they fear being taken for a ride but because their friends reflect their own c haracter and because they believe that once a friend always a friend. It is a misconception that Japanese are busy people and will be found busy in their work. Japanese are sincere people and that applies to their work, their family and their friends. After a hard days work they try to make out time for their loved ones by meeting at a club or going to one’s home.One thing that is similar in American and Japanese friendship is that when invited to a friends house they never go empty handed, they take either a gift item or food, whatever that their friend likes best. As times are, changing so is the Japanese culture but no matter how much they change one thing that will not change is their attitude towards their friends and acquaintances, since this is part of their upbringing. The American culture however is now trying to promote friendship by creating web spaces for people to interact and not spend their time alone.