Wrinkle in Time Essay Example for Free

Wrinkle in Time Essay In A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962), 14-year-old Margaret (Meg) Murry finds herself in trouble and miserable. Her beloved father has disappeared, her five-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, is the object of ridicule, and she’s having enormous problems at school. Then, one dark and stormy night, she meets a â€Å"woman† with the odd name of Mrs. Whatsit, who seems to know more than she lets on and who leads Meg, Charles Wallace, and a popular boy from Meg’s school, Calvin, 14, on a quest to find Meg’s father. This quest takes them to other planets and into great danger as they pass behind an evil presence called the Black Thing. The children and their extraterrestrial helpers, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, manage to rescue Mr. Murry from a prison planet, but leave Charles Wallace behind during the attempt. Mr. Murry uses a technique called a â€Å"tesseract† in order to jump from one planet to another to make their escape once the children free him from his prison cell. But because Mr. Murry is greatly inexperienced at tessering, which is how he ended up on a prison planet in the first place, Meg is almost killed. Once she recovers, she understands that only she can return to the prison planet by herself to rescue Charles Wallace because the two of them are very close. In the end, Meg is successful and the family is reunited back on Earth. I decided to select this book for my fictional character review because I remember no other book from my childhood enchanting me the way A Wrinkle in Time (L’Engle, 1962) did when my sixth grade teacher read it aloud to us. The opportunity to look at Meg from a different point of view intrigued me. Is she gifted? Does she have some kind of disorder? Perhaps she has dysthymic disorder, a kind of low-grade, long-term depression? Does she meet the criteria to be diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)? Looking at the story from this point of view opens up a whole new way of seeing this character, and the task of analyzing what Meg is experiencing and what her mother and teachers could have done differently to support her is what I hope to accomplish. One thing that the staff at Meg’s school and even Meg’s mother have failed to deal with is Meg’s grief over the loss of her father. Mr. Murry was a physicist who disappeared while doing top secret experiments for the government. He’s been gone for a year, and the government will provide no information about where he is or when, or even if, he will ever return. Meg’s mother lives in a kind of denial, expecting him back at any time, and so Meg has nowhere to turn to express her grief. She tries to hide her feelings like her mother does, but they just back up on her as she turns them inward. Perhaps because of this, I feel that Meg fits the criteria for a diagnosis of dysthymic disorder. For a child or a teen, two or three criteria must be met for a period of at least a year in order to qualify (Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, 2000, p. 311). I believe that Meg meets five of these criteria. Meg certainly suffers from low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. She calls herself a monster and a delinquent. She thinks that her 10-year-old twin brothers, Sandy and Dennys, are the only normal ones in the family. She feels her plainness acutely, with her mousy hair, her thick glasses, and her braces, and she compares herself unfavorably to her mother, who is a great beauty. Her teachers also compare her unfavorably to her brilliant parents right to her face. Meg feels that she is â€Å"doing everything wrong. † (L’Engle, 1962, p. 7) Another criterion of dysthymia is feelings of pessimism and despair and a kind of hopelessness. Meg has been dropped to the lowest section in her class, and her teachers chastise her frequently for not trying and not being smart enough. She is grieving the loss of her father and his loving support. She is also subjected to nasty town gossip, such as once overhearing a townsperson say, â€Å"I’ve heard that clever people often have subnormal children,† and that the â€Å"unattractive girl† was not â€Å"all there† (L’Engle, 1962, p. 13). All of these things have culminated in despair and hopelessness for Meg. She also suffers from â€Å"subjective feelings of irritability or excessive anger† (DSM, 2000, p 775). She talks back to and even shouts at her teachers and her principal, Mr. Jenkins, when they criticize her or bring up her father’s absence. In addition, when a boy a year older and 25 lbs. heavier than she is called Charles Wallace her â€Å"dumb baby brother,† she beat him up so badly that his mother called to complain (L’Engle, 1962, p. 8). Another symptom of dysthymic disorder is Meg’s inability to concentrate on her school work. She faithfully does her homework every night, but when she gets to class, she can no longer remember what she read. I also feel that Meg meets the criteria established for Oppositional Defiant Disorder, although it is very hard to know exactly how much of an impact her dysthymic disorder has had on her ODD behavior since there is often some relationship between the two diagnoses and there are some areas that overlap. With Oppositional Defiant Disorder, there is a pattern of negative, hostile, defiant or disobedient behavior towards adults and/or authority figures that lasts for six months or longer (DSM, 2000, p. 100). I feel that Meg’s ODD manifests in six different ways. The first three criteria suggest that she suffers from ODD because she frequently loses her temper, is quite touchy or easily annoyed, and she argues with adults who are in authority. At school, as I mentioned before, she talks back to her teachers and to the principal, she gets angry and shouts at them, and there was also the incident on the way home from school in which she beat up an older boy. She also has a pattern of actively refusing to comply with the rules of adults. In this case, Meg’s mother believes that Meg has set up a mental block about math. For most of her life, Meg’s parents tested her IQ and played a lot of math games with her. They know that she is gifted, and they taught her a lot of short cuts in math, so that Meg can actually do math that is two grades above her. However, in 9th grade, the grade that Meg is in, the math teacher wants Meg to show her work; she wants Meg to do the math the long way so that the teacher can see that Meg knows how she arrived at the result. This annoys Meg to no end as she thinks it is a total waste of her time, so Meg refuses to do it. Another criterion of ODD that Meg meets is doing things on purpose to aggravate other people. For example, when Meg is called into the principal’s office, Mr. Jenkins starts asking her questions about her missing father. Meg starts shouting at him and when he asks her to keep her voice down, she refuses and just shouts all the louder. Lastly, Meg blames others for her misbehavior. It’s the teacher’s fault, or the principal’s fault, or the fault of the boy who taunted her. She does not take responsibility for her own actions. It’s unfortunate that Meg has not received the mental health treatment that she needs. But it’s important to remember that the setting is 1962, and that the guidelines for these mental health disorders had not yet been established. School officials and teachers were often working in the dark and had no idea how to handle â€Å"problem children† like Meg. Her teachers berate her for not trying and the principal tells her that she must face facts about her father’s absence. Meg’s mother is doing her best to hold her family together in the face of humiliating rumors and the loss of the man she loves. Because of her own grief, it no doubt never occurred to her that Meg could use some professional help. In conclusion, one would hope that these days, Meg’s grief, her dysthymia, and her ODD would be identified by her teachers or her mother, and addressed by the school social worker. She should definitely be receiving help from a mental health professional. If the topic of the loss of her father is too sensitive for Meg to discuss with anyone at school, such as a school psychologist, then she should be offered the chance to talk to someone from another town. As it is, her main confidant and her emotional rock is her five-year-old brother, Charles Wallace, and although he is smart and mature for his age, he can’t bear that burden for her. References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistics manual of mental disorders (4th ed. , Text revision). Washington, D. C. : American Psychiatric Association. L’Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Technology in Mathematics Classrooms :: Education School

Technology Views NCTM summarizes the technology principle by saying, â€Å"technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics; it influences the mathematics that is taught and enhances students’ learning.† I’m not sure that I agree with the entirety of this statement. Technology is important; it allows students to quickly make connections that would be lost without the speed and precision of computers. Technology also allows for thoughtless reproduction of facts already known. Imagine how long it would take to solve a college level mathematics problem without the aid of calculators for division, multiplication, exponents, and logarithms. Although I feel that technology is an important tool for enhancing mathematics, I feel that technology is replacing the foundation required for understanding mathematics. I am a firm believer that mathematics is more of an ability to solve problems than it is a solution to a given problem. Students must be required to think mathematically for themselves if they are to be successful at mathematics. All too often, math is reduced to formulas and specific ways of solving problems. I believe that meaning and reason are the two most important qualities of mathematics. Without these tools, mathematics may as well be left out of schools. I feel that it is vital for students to learn the â€Å"why† before they learn shortcuts. Imagine a test without calculators in a high school class. Most students would experience great difficulty in working with simple operations such as division. (Fractions may in fact be the work of Satan in the minds of some students). It is of the utmost importance for students to learn how to approach problems without the aid of technology. The great minds of the past did not have computers, calculators, or even chalk boards; yet, they were able to develop a world of reason that we call mathematics. If past scholars could do complex proofs without the aid of today’s technological advancements, I do not think it is nonsensical to expect a student of algebra to be able to graph a function with pencil and paper. Although many may feel I have focused on what is wrong with technology, they are mistaken. Technology itself is a good thing; it is only through poor instruction that technology becomes a vice. The most important word that NCTM uses to summarize its technology principle is â€Å"enhance.† Technology is meaningless without proper instruction, but with an excellent guide, the mathematical possibilities are endless. According to NCTM, â€Å"Students can learn more mathematics more deeply with the appropriate and responsible use of technology.† It is necessary for technology to be used appropriately and responsibly. Teachers cannot just give a student a calculator and

Compare the Effects of the Use of Different Narrative Voice in Miramar and Devil on the Cross Essay

In both Ngugi’s â€Å"Devil on the Cross† and Naguib’s â€Å"Miramar† we see a distinctive use of polyphony to convey both the political stances and social viewpoints of the authors. Although, the use of this literary technique differs between the two novels, the authors both have the same intention of persuading the reader to agree with their personal stand-point. Ngugi’s use of this literary narrative technique consists of describing the argument that he is attempting to put across to the reader, from the perspective of all of the characters to portray it in a light that leaves no room for reasonable doubt, where upon in â€Å"Miramar† Naguib manipulation of the narrative is more subtle at commenting upon the social class divides and barriers in the Egyptian society of the era in which it was written. To consider now, how this use of polyphony affects the readers of â€Å"Miramar† the aim of Naguib must first be questioned. Upon interpretation the character Zohra can be seen as a crucial part of the novel despite not having a section to narrate her side of the story. The reason for this could be that Naguib wanted to use Zohra as a symbol for his notion of an ideal, modern Egyptian. Being a religious Egyptian himself, there are evident influences of his native culture, in the representation of this ideal Egyptian, Zohra. However, this concept of Zohra being a semiotic for Egypt is not the only point to consider whilst interpreting the narrative structure’s impact; rather, it is the interaction between Zohra and the different narrators in the novel, that is crucial to analyse . This is especially important, as the different narrators are all from different backgrounds and can be clearly discerned as representations of the different Egyptian social classes. The intention of Naguib could most definitely be, to help the reader understand the varying lives of people from the different social classes in Egypt and the problems that arise because of these divides. An interpretation as to the reason why Zohra doesn’t have her own section to narrate could be because of the fact that, as stated previously, she is the symbol of Egypt, and quite simply she represents the struggle Egypt faces when fairly telling its own story. Instead of being given the chance to speak freely the novel is only told by people who have been influenced by the â€Å"Wafd† or â€Å"the revolution† or even the colonists, and therefore they are tainted, and no longer considered pure of mind. There is an unmistakable feeling of Naguib’s resentment towards the way â€Å"times have changed. This bitterness is especially impressed upon the reader regarding the new beliefs that people should be separated into social class groups and is present throughout the narrative of each character. Especially in Amer Wagdi’s narration, as the reader can almost imagine Naguib speaking in place of Amer when describing that they are foolish â€Å"obstacles† that separates Zohra from her love, Sarhan, because although â€Å"times have changed,† â€Å"young men haven’t changed†. In a similar style to Naguib, Ngugi also uses a female character to symbolise his country. In â€Å"Devil on the Cross† Wariinga is clearly intended to be interpreted by Ngugi as a symbol of Kenya and Ngugi has also, like Naguib, used the narrative to help enhance the symbolic interpretation of the interaction between Wariinga and the characters around her. However, Ngugi’s use of autobiographical narrative is highly differentiated from Naguib’s in the sense that Ngugi merges the narrative voice unnoticeably into the tone of the character in which he is focusing on. Ngugi does this especially in the â€Å"Matatu† chapter of the novel. This is a highly symbolic scene, used to portray the perspectives of each character, and these perspectives are particularly important as each character is an exemplary representation of the different social classes and backgrounds in Kenya. As this autobiographical narrative is used, it makes the reader empathise more and become more emotionally attached to the characters because they can relate personally, where as attempting to relate to the masses of people that these characters are representation would depersonalise the interaction Ngugi is trying to achieve between the reader and the story. Wangari, a character who is easily recognised as a symbol for the â€Å"Old Kenya† and the â€Å"Old Haraambe† is a clear example of this shift into an autobiographical narrative as her thoughts are written to the reader, revealing a greater insight into there character than is otherwise normal, this is particularly important as her saga tells the story of the Kenya before the colonists. It is through her history that the audience is able to discern the passionate feelings Ngugi holds of resentment towards the capitalist society that Kenya has become. Focusing more on this conviction of scorn held by Ngugi, the â€Å"Matatu† is also a vastly important chapter of â€Å"Devil on the Cross† because of its use of Socratic dialogue. Likewise to Naguib, Ngugi uses a character of his plot as a medium to express his feelings towards what his country has evolved to. Considering now Wangari, the poor, woman who, â€Å"wore no shoes† and â€Å"fought for [the] country’s independence† is definitely the mouthpiece for Ngugi as he himself has fought and is still fighting, even with this novel, for the independence of Kenya. Moreover, the juxtaposition of this Socratic dialogue is even more effective as it is placed in direct opposition to the materialistic, and greedy views of Mwaura, the foreign minded matatu driver who measures â€Å"Independence not [by the] tales about the past but the sound of money in one’s pocket†; a parallel with this character can clearly be drawn between him and one of the people in â€Å"Western suits,† who â€Å"took the devil off the cross. † Contrastingly, unlike Devil on the Cross, Miramar’s revolutionists, are not fighting the same cause, and are in fact met with the same praise as Wangari was by the rest of the Kenyan’s in the matatu. The revolutions of Miramar are, although quite central to the plot, often talked about but yet never given a voice of their own. These revolutionists goal in Miramar isn’t as simple as encouraging the revolution, however, they are in fact symbolic of the greater problems in Egypt, because the characters never verbally oppose the revolution (the problems in Egypt since the colonial occupation) as they are afraid of the outcome, however, in their hearts they know it will never work. Another crucial point in assessing the novel is the way in which Naguib manipulates the narrative is through the language used by each character helps to shift the tone of the narrative. It is crucial in understanding the feelings Naguib has towards this social class. For example, minor sentences showed in the free indirect discourse in the opening of Hosny Allam’s account helps to create a good impression to the reader of what this character’s temperament will be. The â€Å"progeny of whores† who â€Å"push you noses in the mud† described right in the opening paragraph is more than enough to nderstand that Hosny Allam is a bitter character. To interpret this further, the reader can also question accordingly, the social class in which Hosny Allam the â€Å"gentleman of property† represents and uses the portrayal of his character to interpret the feelings held by Naguib towards this social class. As Naguib has deliberately used mainly pejorative vocabulary in the syntax of Hosny’s it is clear that he wants the readers to dislike this character and therefore have negative feelings towards people of his class. In conclusion, after a close analysis of the literary techniques coinciding with the narrative structures and styles used by both Naguib and Ngugi, it is more than plausible to say that these two novels are both highly critical and greatly detailed in not only their poetic language used but the significant features of their intricately structured narrative and they more than achieve their aims of informing the world of their political stance against corruption.

Business Continuity Planning Is Now A Vital Part Of...

Business Continuity Planning 1.0 Introduction Successful firms are usually optimistic, somewhat averse to dwelling on the more unpleasant aspects of business. But the unexpected can happen to any organization, at any time. While organisations cannot control the unexpected, but they can control on how they respond. In the post 9/11 world, Business continuity planning is now a vital part of corporate security planning, as business must keep functioning in midst of any disruptive events, business continuity and disaster recovery can mean either life or death for a firm especially when their dependence on IT is significant. For an organization that uses IT extensively for its operations, not just recording of transactions, the non-availability†¦show more content†¦Business continuity requires availability of computing, application services, physical network access and network services, as well as user/ client access to this infrastructure. Maintaining continuity operations and services, including systems such as Web servers , email, critical database and so forth, requires specific technology. This technology and infrastructure can include virtualization, clustering/failover/failback, server hardware, network and network services, remote datacentre facilities, replication services and redundant shared storage. Depending upon the type of event, continuity of a given application is achieved by falling over its services and user/client access locally within the same datacentre or to a remote, physically disparate datacentre. With business continuity, the failover of a service is measured in seconds or less. Backup technologies, including those that rely on disk as a backup target, can’t provide this level of continuity of services. Backups, in order to be used a restoration process and are typically used for disaster recovery purposes. 3.0 Disaster Recovery Disaster recovery is an activity of recovering IT systems following of complete or partial loss of a site due to a natural disaster or security event. Depending on the extent of disaster, DR can be achieved by restoring systems at an alternative site or within the same site using alternative equipment. DR requires extensive manual methods to bring IT