The U.S. Military Should Prepare for both Conventional and...

To paraphrase the quote attributed to Trotsky, â€Å"We may not be interested in insurgency but insurgency is interested in us.† The United States faces this dilemma. The question remains how to prepare for this amidst competing interests and threats. The U.S. military should prepare for both conventional and irregular warfare, while prioritizing conventional warfare, recognizing irregular warfare as the most significant short term threat to national interests and conventional warfare the most threatening in the long term. This paper will compare and contrast the considerations for these types of warfare, explain why the U.S. should prioritize conventional operations while preparing for both, and describe the short and long term†¦show more content†¦Given the context of current strategic guidance, it is important to ask if the U.S. can be prepared to conduct both conventional and irregular warfare successfully. The answer is yes. However, preparation for conventi onal operations should always be the priority. Preparation for irregular warfare should not come at the expense of conventional warfare preparation. This is necessary because of the reasons discussed below: the strategic limitations of irregular warfare, the enduring nature of conventional war, resource constraints, and prioritization of operations and training. Irregular Warfare is not a strategy. It is better defined as a military capability. Thomas Hammes articulates this point, â€Å"This conflation of counterinsurgency techniques and strategy by participants in the discussion is not helpful. The very phrase ‘counterinsurgency strategy’ confuses a method or way of fighting with a complete strategy.† Thus, while the U.S. military can be prepared for operations and capabilities dealing with irregular warfare, it should not overtake the primary strategic objectives and purpose of the military – conventional operations. Hammes further states, â€Å"The extraordinary cost and low payoff or outright defeat the United States has experienced when conducting direct, population-centric counterinsurgencyShow MoreRelatedThe Nature of Warfare1074 Words   |  4 Pageshistory the nature of warfare has remained the same, it is â€Å"a violent clash of interests between or among organized groups characterized by the use of military force,† however, the character of war is constantly changing. The means by which wars are fought are no longer limited to easily identifiable conventional forces, nor do non-traditional actors abide by the same set of international standards and rules of law. The United States can no longer expect to face a purely conventional threat. As a resultRead MoreEssay about The Nature of War: Clausewitz1374 Words   |  6 Pagesthe character of war changes over time. Current US strategic guidance is advancing the point of view that since the character of war has changed to focus on irregular wars then the US military should prepare for a future of irregular wars. This shift in focus forgets that the nature of war is enduring and in order to be successful, we must prepare for all types of conflict. This paper will define the types of conflict and the likelihood of each followed by a discussion of US strategic guidance and endingRead MoreConventional and Irregular Warfare1484 Words   |  6 Pagesinstrument of war must first ask himself what the next war will be like.† The United States (US) military establishment has been asking itself this exact question for hundreds of years, in an attempt to be better postured for the future. From the Civil War, through the American Indian Wars, and up until World War II (WWII) the American military’s way of war consisted of fighting traditional, or conventional, wars focused on total annihilation of an enemy. Since that time, there has been a gradualRead MoreCountering Global Threats On U.s. National Interests Essay1390 Words   |  6 PagesCountering emerging threats to U.S. national interests requires a rebalancing of the current U.S. Joint Force strategic capabilities. This rebalancing requires a widening of our current engineering and technological capabilities as relates to our adversaries capabilities while simultaneously enhancing our land force deterrent capability in order t o project U.S. power worldwide. This paper will discuss pressing future challenges, and how Joint Force 2025 must prepare for them. Based on our currentRead MoreArmy Transformation Essay1967 Words   |  8 Pagesto prosecute its adversaries. The Army must do what is necessary to protect the U.S. against all enemies, and advance the national interests of the American people. To accomplish this, anticipation of threats is crucial and victory against its adversaries is an imperative. The nation relies on the military for strategic level deterrence and expects that it will be decisive in combat operations. For the military to be successful, it is important that transformation adapt to meet these expectationsRead MoreA Study Of Warfare During The Modern Era4626 Words   |  19 PagesA study of warfare in the modern era suggest a progression through three distinct generations. Although U.S. Armed Forces are still coming to grips with the third of these, strong trends point to an emerging fourth generation. Tho se who would prepare for future warfare must consider the trends envisaged here and the challenges they would present to existing forces. As the world devolves into nations with less clear borders than perhaps any time in recent military history with the closest exampleRead MoreArab Military Performance During The World War II3390 Words   |  14 PagesWithin the modern military era, Arabic-speaking armies have traditionally shown themselves to generally ineffective. From the 1960s, where Egyptian regular forces performed poorly against Yemeni irregulars, to the ‘70s, where the Syrians only managed to impose their will upon Lebanon through the utilisation of their overwhelming weight of weaponry and numbers. The Iraqis army demonstrated their own ineptitude in the 1980s, firstly with their wars with Iran, where their opponents were in possessionRead MoreThe Advantages of Non-Conventional Warfare over Conventional Warfare2295 Words   |  10 Pagesgood. The technique that is frequently used in combat, that dates back to the American Revolution, is called Guerrilla Warfare, and is fought by small teams of four to eight people; these small groups are called Special Forces. Many argue that the use of sniper teams and Special Forces in combat is unethical and even more for unconventional weapons, although unconventional warfare is often the reason to a quick ending war and results in thousands, even millions of lives being saved. Throughout myRead MoreSSD2 Module 4 Notes Essay28478 Words   |  114 PagesKin group members internalize a corporate identity - the family is viewed as an extension of the self. Often large, pyramid-shaped kin groups - usually descendants of one man (or, rarely, woman) and their dependents - serve to organize political, military, economic, and religious activities. City vs Country People in the city generally have much different ways of living and worldviews than people in the country. Adherence to rural customs may begin to slacken, groups of acquaintances and awarenessRead MoreThe Military And Military Intelligence5950 Words   |  24 PagesTo understand the shift in military knowledge requirements, as an element of military intelligence, it is necessary to examine the evolution of employment of intelligence to support military operations. The shift in the use and value of knowledge in the military domain parallels the evolution of knowledge as a commodity within Western society. This issue is quantified in valuation, where in the private sector knowledge has become a key asset for the world’s major corporations. The value of knowledge

The Constitution Of The United States - 988 Words

The Constitution of the United States holds the upmost law for our country. It is a very important document that keeps our government in control and regulates the rights of people. The first part of the Constitution breaks down the government into three branches. The Legislative branch, which is the branch that creates laws and ratifies them. Congress is also a part of the Legislative branch. There is also the Executive branch, which consists of the President and Vice President. The last branch of the government is the Judicial branch, which is where the state courts and Supreme Court comes into play. The rest of the Constitution deals with federalism, differentiating state governments and the federal government, and the procedures for how to ratify a state. The Constitution was amended twenty-seven times since it was first written, which means there are twenty-seven amendments located within the Constitution. The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Righ ts highlights citizens’ rights and protects their freedom, while also placing regulations on what the Government can intercede on. The rest of the amendments also apply to protecting the rights of the people, but they are more specific to causes. The Constitution is accepted by all who live within the United States. It is followed every day and it is the people’s job as citizens of this country to uphold the Constitution to the highest degree and follow the law.  The Second Amendment ofShow MoreRelatedThe United States Constitution And The Constitution Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States Constitution, this very detailed group of words was written in 1787, but it did not take effect until after it was ratified in 1789, when it replaced the Articles of Confederation. It remains the basic law of the United States then and till the present day of 2016. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware; the last of the original thirteen to ratify was Rhode Island and since only nine were required, this was two years after it went into effect. When the U.S. ConstitutionRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States Constitution Essay1185 Words   |  5 Pages(framers’ of the U.S. Constitution) position on the Presidency: The framers experienced the abuse of the English monarchs and their colonial governors. As a result, the framers were skeptical of the excessive executive authority. Furthermore, they also feared excessive legislative powers. This was something that the Articles of Confederation had given their own state legislatures. The framers of the constitution deliberately fragmented power between the national government, the states, and among the executiveRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States885 Words   |  4 Pages In 1787, our founding fathers came up with a few principles that would establish what we now know as the United States of America. These principles were put on paper to serve as a guideline for how the United States would be operated and structured. This historical piece paper became known as the Constitution of the United States. In the Constitution, a Preamble is implemented at the beginning that essentially tells what the founding fathers set out to do. â€Å"We The People, in order to form a moreRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States894 Words   |  4 Pagesthe substratum for that country. A Constitution can be defined as a document that is the substratum of the country’s principles. Elements in the Constitution may contain sundry information. Which can include: how many terms a leader may serve, what rights the citizens have, how the judicial system works, etc. The United States in no different from those countries. Every constitution is different, no country has the exact constitution as another. The U.S Constitution is a four-page document detailingRead MoreThe United States Constitution Essay1515 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States constitution was written in 1787 by the founding fathers of this country. Now it might be appropriate to question why a document that is the basis of the government for one of the most culturally and racially diverse countries in the world, was written by a group of heterosexual, cisgender, rich, white men. Some might think that a constitution written well over 200 years ago would be outdated and irrelevant to the American society of today but with some research, it is quite theRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States756 Words   |  4 PagesPromulgation and Legislation in the U.S. Constitution: The federal system of government of the United States is based on its constitution. The Constitution grants all authority to the federal government except the power that is delegated to the states. Each state in the United States has its own constitution, local government, statute, and courts. The Constitution of the United States sets the judiciary of the federal government and defines the extent of the federal court’s power. The federalRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States of America has previously experienced failure every now and then. With trial and error, the country has learned to correct its ways and move toward(s) perfecting itself. Realizing the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation is a prime example of the U.S. learning how to better itself. Subsequent to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the United States was set as our new and improved framework of government. Possessing knowled ge on how America, although strongRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States951 Words   |  4 Pageshappening again. Unlike the artifacts, The Constitution of the United States has not been forgotten, it is actually still very alive today. Unlike most relics, The Constitution still holds a very heroic and patriotic implication, freedom. With freedom comes self-government, freedom of speech, religious tolerance, etc. With all these things comes the great responsibility to adapt and fit to the wants and needs of the decade. Even though the Constitution was made for the interests of the people ofRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1338 Words   |  6 Pages The Constitution is the basis of law in The United States and has been since it was written in 1789. Since then it has been amended 27 times with the first ten amendments collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The US Constitution was preceded by the Articles of Confederation and supported by the Federalist Papers which we will touch more on later. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson all wrote or influenced The Constitution in a very important way. Alexander HamiltonRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1388 Words   |  6 PagesInterpretation of the Constitution is one of the biggest conflicts within the United States–the highly contentious issue of states’ rights resulted from two different interpretations of what powers should belong to the federal government versus what powers belong to the individual states. No issue has ever caused as much turmoil as the issue of states’ rights–but one side must have more v alid arguments. Should the federal government’s power be superior, or should the authority of the individual states be held

Hbs Jetblue Airlines Managing Growth Free Essays

Analyzing each of these areas we recommend that Getable Implement (A) a new employee selection strategy, (B) a formalized training program, and (C) a reference management system to continue fostering employee autonomy and motivation. II. Analysis Stable’s rapid growth presents a potentially costly problem. We will write a custom essay sample on Hbs: Jetblue Airlines Managing Growth or any similar topic only for you Order Now In terms of strategy, Getable avoids the common airline problem with unions by investing heavily in (1) selection, (2) culture, and (3) systems, areas in which it can grant employee autonomy and foster motivation. While this strategy works currently, these areas do not have the fundamental Institutions to survive the company’s growth. People: employee selection and hiring: Currently, Getable constructs highly motivated teams using both n in-depth selection process and role customization. Stable’s human resources (HRS) department uses behavioral interviews, where all interviewers reach consensus, to determine applicant cultural fit and value alignment. By closely controlling employee quality and fit, Getable can offer employees significant autonomy and fulfill their higher order â€Å"esteem† needs. In addition, Getable developed customized compensation, benefits, and work structures per role that align with each group’s respective desires. The hiring and compensation structures have two main results: 1 ) Jet Blue can attract top talent that matches the organization and (2) the company reinforces overall fairness by tailoring each role. While currently successful, Stable’s hiring process is a hindrance to its continued growth as it is not scalable. Getable will Increase its workforce 400% in a limited timeshare to meet Its internal growth targets. The current selection process will fall because Getable does not have the HRS resources or time to personally interview all applicants multiple times. If Getable maintains its current hiring practices, it risks losing quality employees and grunting the fairness and autonomy that it currently offers. Culture through values, employees, and approachability: Stable’s value-centric, employee focused, and approachable culture motivates employees, attracts talent, differentiates the firm, and enforces the company’s values. First, the company establishes culture by focusing on values. Stable’s top management locked themselves in a New York hotel and defined the company’s core values that align with Its strategy and culture. These values gulled Stable’s hiring, strategy, dally operations, and employee evaluation. Second, Getable focuses on meeting employee needs. Through customized and 1 OFF clear signals that employees are a priority and treated fairly. Third, the management is approachable to all employees. Stories of David Melanin, CEO, working as flight attendant and responding directly to crew member suggestions, or Dave Barge, COO, staying on the plane with his family helping the cleanup crew were famous among employees. These actions reinforce that coaches and teams work in a fair â€Å"find a team solution† environment instead of â€Å"pointing fingers† culture visible in other airlines. The combination of clear values, employee focus, and management approachability gives Getable a culture that motivates employees through visible fairness and clear expectations. While Stable’s culture has succeeded, it lacks more formal embedding mechanisms to survive substantial growth and prevent cultural dilution. Stable’s current culture practices require a method by which to formally spread and reinforce the norms to all new and existing employees as the company expands. If Getable fails to sustain its culture, it risks compromising employee motivation and, as a result, its mechanisms that prevent unionization. Performance systems: To deliver low-fare airline tickets to customers, Getable uses genealogy to cut operating costs. Stable’s â€Å"paperless environment† not only saves paper and resources, but also is a motivating factor. Each pilot’s laptop computer allows him to eliminate monotonous work required for pre-flight checks and further focus on his Job, helping satisfy his need for interesting work. While technological systems help Getable develop a competitive advantage, their employee performance management systems are limited. Currently, Getable â€Å"coaches† review workers’ performance informally along the company’s five values. Because the company does not have more explicit expectations, the procedures risk Ewing perceived as unfair. As the company grows it must explicitly correlate performance to expectations to continue motivating employees. Ill. Recommendations We recommend a multi-faceted and integrated solution that addresses Stable’s scalability problems regarding their people, culture, and systems. First, we recommend that Getable use metrics and refine its hiring process. Second, we recommend that Getable pursue a formal training program. Third, we recommend that Getable construct a formal performance management system. Institute a performance metrics hiring selection process: We recommend using two online tests hat identify interpretable candidates. The first test will use multiple choice and review an individual’s personality against Stable’s five core values. The second test is role-specific and measures each individual’s work skills. Getable will then interview candidates that perform well on both tests only once. Getable can compare test results with career success and identify desirable characteristics from testing. This process will simultaneously (a) speed hiring practices, (b) significantly reduce costs associated with a talent search, and (c) improve employee fit while meeting workforce deeds. This improved efficiency will allow Getable to continue offering employees significant autonomy as the company grows. A potential hurdle is that individuals may attempt to cheat the tests. We contend this will not be a major problem. These individuals will either not pass the interview round, be terminated quickly, or potentially absorb the Getable culture through the training. Construct a formal management and new employees engage in mandatory â€Å"core training. † First, Getable must implement an all roles new hire orientation that focuses on values and the company goals. This will foster a shared company identity and create formal culture embedding. Top management involvement will reinforce that values and culture are universal from CEO to cleanup crew. Second, Getable must offer role specific training where employees are introduced to their coaches. This training will, along with teaching necessary Job skills, outline each role’s expectations, how it fits at Getable, and how each coach will help their employees develop. To ensure ongoing success, Getable should survey employees before the training about their expectations along with their feedback afterwards. Getable must then improve the program based on the feedback, further fostering a collaborative team environment. The training program ensures that Getable will reinforce company identity and embed its culture as the workforce grows. Implement a formal performance management system: We recommend that Getable adopt a formal performance management system to properly motivate employees. First, this system must formally outline each role’s expectations. This mandates that each role have both specific and accessible expectation by which coaches and peers can evaluate each other. Second, Getable must provide employees tit semi-annual â€Å"360† performance feedback. This feedback will allow both coaches and the employees’ peers to review their performance along the company values and role expectations. Third, employees must give formal feedback to both their coaches and Getable. This feedback fosters a greater company identity and helps coaches understand how to help employees. By implementing a more explicit performance management system, Getable can demonstrate fairness across employees and roles that will continue to motivate workers as the company grows. ‘V. Conclusion Stable’s competitive edge comes from its ability to discourage unionization and, s a result, it can keep costs low. Unions fulfill employee needs and culture when the parent company fails to do so. Currently, Getable uses a combination of successful selection, cultural practices, and systems to motivate employees and meet their needs; however, these will not survive Stable’s growth. To continue motivating employees through autonomy, shared identity, clear expectations, and fair practices, Getable must implement an improved hiring process, a formal training program, and a performance management system. These changes will help Getable retain its competitive edge as it expands. How to cite Hbs: Jetblue Airlines Managing Growth, Papers

Innovation and Organizational Performance †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Innovation and Organizational Performance. Answer: Introduction: The study in the area of human resource practices and its impact on the human resource management will definitely help in getting clear and concise ideas and knowledge on how the HRM practices helps in enhancing the performance of organizations (Tzabbar, Tzafrir Baruch, 2017). This area of study will help me develop core knowledge and ideas on the concept of HRM, the various HRM practices by different organizations and its linkage with the organizational performance as well (Chowhan, 2016). I will use the publicly available data sources as the secondary data to get information related with HRM practices and its relationship in improving the performance of organizations in the domestic and global context of the business. The research questions which are evaluated for the study are given below What are the different HRM practices practiced by different organizations within the competitive business environment? What is the linkage between adopting HRM practices and performance in different organizations? The search terms which will be used in searching in Google scholar would be HRM practices and the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance References Tzabbar, D., Tzafrir, S., Baruch, Y. (2017). A bridge over troubled water: Replication, integration and extension of the relationship between HRM practices and organizational performance using moderating meta-analysis.Human Resource Management Review,27(1), 134-148. Chowhan, J. (2016). Unpacking the black box: Understanding the relationship between strategy, HRM practices, innovation and organizational performance.Human Resource Management Journal,26(2), 112-133. Sani, A., Maharani, V. (2015). Relationship between Human Resource Management (HRM) Practices and Organizational Performance Moderated by Organizational Commitment.Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences,9(7), 185-188.

am going to design and then carry out an experiment to test peoples reaction times, and therefore test my initial hypothesis Essay Example

am going to design and then carry out an experiment to test peoples reaction times, and therefore test my initial hypothesis Essay Example am going to design and then carry out an experiment to test peoples reaction times, and therefore test my initial hypothesis Essay am going to design and then carry out an experiment to test peoples reaction times, and therefore test my initial hypothesis Essay and therefore most of the people were slow in this afternoon histogram. This is not of normal distribution as 95% of the data is not within 2 s.d either side of the mean. I can conclude that my hypothesis has been proven, and that Girls between 11 and 16 at Withington Girls School DO have faster reaction times in the morning than in the afternoon. As a small extension, I decided to test three other girls outside our school aged between 11 and 16. This will show whether the data I collected was representative of the entire population of girls aged 11-16. I predict that the results should be around the same as which school you attend should not affect whether or not your reaction times are quicker in the morning than in the afternoon. The results were as follows.. Median Time for Each Pupil Year Pupil Dominant AM Non Dominant AM Dominant PM Non Dominant PM 8 1 13 16 15 18 10 2 14.5 19 17 23 11 3 6 8 6.5 9 These results show that girls aged 11-16 have quicker reaction times in the morning than in the afternoon. However, to really prove this, I would need to take reaction times from many more girls aged 11-16 across the country. If I had had more time, I would have looked into whether or not the same hypothesis could be proved in males aged 11-16. I would also have seen if age made a difference, for example would people aged 71-76 have slower reaction times than those aged 11-16. I could have looked at all sorts of aspects (age, gender, environment etc) and seen how these altered reaction times. The variables I listed at the beginning could have been altered to see how this affected reaction times. I might also have taken certain measures to ensure my data was more accurate. For example I could have * taken a larger sample size- in a larger sample, trends would have been easier to identify * made the participants repeat the experiment more than 5 times for each dominant and non dominant in am and pm. * used a computerized device to measure the reaction times- results such as it taking some participants 0 hundredths of a second are clearly not possible and therefore inaccurate, showing how easy it is for human error to take place

An Analysis of Rip Van Winkle Using Psychoanalytic and Archetypal Criticism Essays

An Analysis of Rip Van Winkle Using Psychoanalytic and Archetypal Criticism Essays An Analysis of Rip Van Winkle Using Psychoanalytic and Archetypal Criticism Paper An Analysis of Rip Van Winkle Using Psychoanalytic and Archetypal Criticism Paper Essay Topic: Literature Rip Van Winkle When reading â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† by Washington Irving for the first time, one would get the impression that something bad and awkward is bound to happen to people who are controlled by their feelings and curiosity. In a way, this short story symbolizes the improvement of a young nation and its transformation to a free and democratic country. But, in it, there are certain people who don’t take notice of the political and historical changes, and as a result, they do not fit into the new system, leaving the impression of being odd and old. Rip Van Winkle is one of those people, and if we read the story from psychoanalytic and archetypal points of view, we will see that he was actually happy to have been asleep for 20 years. â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† answers some questions, such as the one taking into consideration Winkle’s absence from home for 2 decades. One of the answers suggests that a man, who only cares for himself, would eventually end up losing his wife and family. Another answer suggests that if someone sleeps or drinks for 20 years, he or she is not a terrible person, as long as the village is his/her friend. But, this story may also relate to a soldier’s struggle to adjust to society, after his return from war. We know very little of both Winkle’s intimate life and his hidden desires. But, with the help of Freuds concept of id as the â€Å"home† of the irrational, instinctual and the unknown, we can interpret Rip Van Winkles appearance in public. We know that he’s loved by the whole village, and that he’s happy in making everyone else around him happy. It is safe to say that he’s popular, a model citizen. But, this is not the case in his house and with his family, because he doesn’t care about them, as seen in paragraph 8:â€Å"Rip was ready to attend to anybody’s business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, it was impossible. † He doesn’t work, nor attend his family. Laziness is considered a sin, but Winkle doesn’t have a guilty conscience about it or the abandonment of his family, and he â€Å"blames† his wife for the way he is. So, the contrast of his public and private life seems to be the same as the contrast between his impulses and the duty he has as a father/husband. Any reader would conclude that either Rip doesn’t love his wife or he is an immature man, incapable of handling his marriage. Winkles psyche controls the logical and rational, and his ego is probably the reason why he doesn’t divorce or harm his wife, or even himself. It is also the reason for his good standing with the other villagers, as it tells him that they would repay him in time. They really repay him, and Winkle is spared from complete anonymity when he returns home after 20 years, as seen in paragraph 56: â€Å"an old woman, tottering out from among the crowd, put her hand to her brow, and peering under it in his face for a moment, exclaimed, Sure enough! it is Rip Van Winkle- it is himself. Welcome home again, old neighbor. - Why, where have you been these twenty long years? † The final challenge that awaits Winkle is his attempt to be completely accepted in the society again. We, as readers, never know if he actually slept for 20 years, but we are not given any other choice. Winkle tries to redeem himself from his past sins by becoming a recognized legend. However, Winkle’s superego suggests that his disappearance is immoral. And yet, he gets a second chance after coming back from the Catskill Mountains. Without any effort, he becomes a respected man; his long absence justifies his political ignorance, and he even becomes a symbol of the village. We realize that his 20-year sleep has only cost him his wife. Maybe that’s what he always wanted: to live a carefree life, without working, taking care of children, or having an intimate relationship with a person he never really loved. But this desire is never revealed and we only see him as someone who follows the principles set by society. Since divorce is not an option at the time, it is best for Winkle to simply disappear. He could have also become grumpy and antisocial, but that simply isn’t his style. The story doesn’t have enough elements for us to apply Freuds Oedipus complex, but there are some interesting facts, like the one that Winkle â€Å"kills† his life while living with his family. Also, Dame Van Winkle is portrayed more like a mother, than a wife: â€Å"whenever her name was mentioned, however, he shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, and cast up his eyes; which might pass either for an expression of resignation to his fate, or joy at his deliverance† (paragraph 61). From this, we can assume that Winkle probably hated her. He even reflects about the new-found freedom from his wife (the other freedom being the freedom from the old society) in paragraph 61: â€Å"he had got his neck out of the yoke of matrimony, and could go in and out whenever he pleased, without dreading the tyranny of Dame Van Winkle. At the end of the story, the old Winkle is dead, and we have a new, regular citizen of a new nation. But, in order to reach this independence, he had to distance himself from his family, and disappear into the mountains. He goes there with the excuse of going squirrel hunting, but ends up falling asleep: â€Å"one taste provoked another, and he reiter ated his visits to the flagon so often, that at length his senses were overpowered, his eyes swam in his head, his head gradually declined, and he fell into a deep sleep† (paragraph 24). As a conclusion, Winkle’s disappearance was the best thing that could happen to him. While the people of the Dutch community had to fight a war, Winkle was sleeping, and woke up only to witness a completely new life, with a new type of government and without any family or private duties. He didn’t suffer any serious consequences, with only his physical appearance being a minor problem. In other words, he found a perfect, and yet simple solution to his â€Å"lifelong† problem. Archetypal criticism may also help us in analyzing this short story. A symbol which appears throughout the story is the tree. In more than one occasion, Winkle visits a group sitting under â€Å"the shade of a large tree. In order to escape from his wife, he would often go to the forest, and â€Å"here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree† (paragraph 16). He also falls asleep there. According to Wilfred Guerin, the tree is a symbol of immortality and regeneration (Guerin 152). That’s probably the reason why Winkle comes back home after 2 decades of i dleness in Nature and is not hurt by Nature’s elements. The tree where Winkle spends time may also be connected to the tree of life, which keeps people alive even if they do not care for their families or marriages. Dame Van Winkle resembles a terrible mother in her husband’s eyes. Having this in mind, we can say that she represents both sex and death: her husband is afraid of her and the fear leads him to emasculation. As a result, we see that Winkle is not interested in his wife as a woman, and regards her more as a monster, a witch. However, if she’s mad at him for his laziness and refusal to find a serious job, she would be a representation of the Earth, its fertility and abundance (a good mother). But in reality, besides protecting her children, she terrifies Winkle and constantly provokes him, so we can consider her as being good and bad at the same time (Guerin 151). At the end of the story, we see that Winkle becomes a respectable old man, or a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. According to Jungian archetypes, he tests the moral qualities of others. However, not everybody sees him as a wise man, which is clearly revealed in paragraph 57: â€Å"some were seen to wink at each other, and put their tongues in their cheeks; and the self-important man in the cocked hat, who, when the alarm was over, had returned to the field, screwed down the corners of his mouth, and shook his head- upon which there was a general shaking of the head throughout the assemblage. So, we have a situation where Winkle doesn’t end up left out by his community, but there are suspicions over the credibility of his story. Therefore, he closely follows the pattern of a hero, and is a kind of a sacrificial scapegoat. One of the most important symbols in the story is the birth of a new nation, something which was completely new for those of European origin. Again we have Wi nkle as a scapegoat, because he represents all the old European traditions that must be extinguished in order for the new nation to grow. Everybody must work to form and support the new government and keep the country’s independence. The old ways of thinking and living are long gone. While Old Europe was in a deep slumber, its colonies woke up, one by one. The group of pseudo-philosophers, formed by Winkle and his friends, represents the Old World and its â€Å"process† of doing nothing, while the colonies grow more and more independent. As a consequence of it, the transformation of Old Europe was something inevitable, and it changes, much like Rip Van Winkle. In this story, we can also try to identify Northrop Frye’s four mythos. In the beginning we have a romantic (summer) phase, as Winkle is loved by all the villagers. What follows is the anti-romantic, satirical and ironic phase (winter), when we discover that Winkle is miles away from being the perfect husband and father, probably because of him having regrets about his marriage. After that, we have a comedic situation (spring phase), expressed by his â€Å"adventure† on the mountain and his falling asleep and waking up 2 decades later. But, it all ends in a somewhat tragic note (autumn phase), because when he comes back to the village, Dame Van Winkle is dead, Winkle’s daughter doesn’t recognize him and even the villagers, who respect Winkle, don’t believe his story. Although Winkle doesn’t experience this as a tragic situation, any common sense would. All in all, if we follow Fryes scheme, this short story is rich with irony, because even after Winkle finds out about the death of his wife, he doesn’t want to know anything about her. At the same time, he has to prove the credibility of his story. By reading â€Å"Rip Van Winkle†, one may come across several interesting facts: that the Dutch, not the British, represent Europe; that an implausible story required some proof of its credibility, so that people would find it plausible or funny; that back then, people were equally interested in politics, as they are now†¦ But, what was most important for me was the fact that by reading this story, besides enjoying it, I could also try and analyze a complex character, a character leaving the impression of being happy at first sight, but having problems that are very much present even today. No matter how you look at it (as a story of a disillusioned husband or the representative of an old, changing nation), â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† is an enjoyable short story by Washington Irving, a thought-provoking work leaving a lot of space for discussion and comparisons to the people and nations of today.

Learning Disabilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Learning Disabilities - Essay Example The study consisted of a sample from seven schools of 1,361 consenting elementary students (678 girls, 683 boys; 55 with LD) of which data was collected two months into each semester beginning in the spring of 3rd grade and ending in the fall of 6th grade. All 55 (34 boys, 21 girls) of the children diagnosed with learning disabilities were in inclusive classrooms. The study included a meta-analysis of intra-group functioning, the features of the peer group in relation to its member size and its standing within the classroom, and 3 other components: being popular, peer nominations for best friend, and social preference. The results from the multiple measures of social functioning yielded that although LD students were members of a peer group with similar features as typical students, and at a similar rate, these students had lower statuses in regards to the classroom as a whole. These same distinctions remained consistent throughout the study period despite the fact that all classrooms were inclusive. Limitations of this study include the sample size of LD students and the certain context-elementary school-as these distinctions may fade in other areas or ages.