Sunday, October 6, 2019

International Cross Cultural Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International Cross Cultural Management - Essay Example Culture refers to the way of living of a people basically referring to the way people carry on in their daily life. Each and every group of people has its own culture and this is what creates a difference between various groups of people. National culture is commonly used to refer to or is described as the shared programming of the mind of the people nationally. This makes one country unique from another. Individual countries have various cultural rituals as well as cultural activities. This includes the way that these people understand and think about the world, the values and beliefs they hold. The differences in national culture are more often reflected in the basic solutions given to the organisational issues and problems in various countries. The various national cultures normally have differences in the preferred ways towards the organizational structure as well as different modes of motivating the employees. For instance, some organizations minimise on the options appraising employee performance, managing the organization by objectives, and the use of strategic management. National culture is not an individual affair but rather a function of a group. The boundaries between countries usually put boundaries for national culture. This form of culture is usually instilled in individual's right from birth. The national culture has everything in regard to what is perceived as proper, polite behaviour in that particular country. This includes for example how to behave in front of the family, colleague's strangers, family. Germany's National culture Germany is a culturally diverse state. German is the language spoken by almost every citizen. Other cultural groups found in Germany include the Frisians, Danes, Sorbs, and Gypsies; these are the people who are non-Germany minorities. The religious beliefs observed in Germany include Protestants which has the largest percentage of approximately 38%, the Catholics who form a proportion of 34% and a small portion of Jews. Islam has also become common from immigrants. The culture of this country has been influenced by the middle ages. The philosophers from Germany have assisted in shaping the culture of this nation. There is a lot of influence by the guild system of the medieval times. This system has today seen Germany attain an apprenticeship system. The people have a pride in their occupations and the organizational managers need not work too hard on their motivation. The country is rated as having very productive personnel but does not have good leadership skills. Magala, S. (2005). The united Kingdom The UK is made up of North Ireland and the Great Britain. The United Kingdom is culturally diverse wit a total population of close to 58,587,194 people. Majority of these people live in the suburban and urban areas. The UK is home to different cultures especially due to immigration. The people have their origins in China, the Caribbean, Africa, India, South Asia, Pakistan and continental Europe. The indigenous people include the Celtic, Anglo-Saxon, Roman, and the Pre-Celtic. The dominant language spoken here is English. Other languages include Scots aw well as the insular Celtic Languages. The religious beliefs are also diverse with reports of having Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and

Saturday, October 5, 2019

English Orthography Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English Orthography - Scholarship Essay Example Define the term regular polysemy and demonstrate whether or not the relation between the senses of the bold words in (a) and (b) is a regular relation. Be sure to describe the senses of (a) and (b) first, before going on to explore the polysemy of semantically similar words. If you find that it is not a completely regular relation, discuss any reasons you can see for the limits on the pattern. Before we explore the relation between the senses of the bold words in (a) and (b) and whether it is a regular relation or not, let us throw some light upon three ubiquitous terms in semantics. These terms are polysemy, regular, and regular polysemy. First, Crystal (1988, p.236) defines polysemy as 'a term used in semantic analysis to refer to a lexical item which has a range of different meanings'. The definition sounds clear and concise. According to this definition, any lexical item (word) which has more than one meaning is polysemous and thus falls under the umbrella of polysemy. Regular, on the other hand, is 'predictable from non - lexical conceptual information', Murphy (2004, p.235). When we combine the two words together, we will get a semantic term that has gained much attention recently, viz. regular polysemy (also known as meaning shifts). Many definitions have been give... When we combine the two words together, we will get a semantic term that has gained much attention recently, viz. regular polysemy (also known as meaning shifts). Many definitions have been given to regular polysemy by linguists and semanticists. According to Peters (2005, p.232) ' regular polysemy is a metonymic phenomenon: a non - literal figure of speech in which the name of one thing is substituted for that of another related to it'. Lobner (2002) refers to regular polysemy as meaning variants which are related via metaphor, metonymy or differentiation. Clearly speaking, regular polysemy denotes the process whereby a word has more than one meaning due to a general rule for making new meanings out of old ones. For example, a word which indicates a container indicates the content of the container too as illustrated below: Can as container: I have poured coke into the can. Can as content: I have drunk the whole can. Also, a disc might refer to a thin, flat, round object in general as well as a magnetic disc. A mouse is used to refer to a small furry animal with a long tail only, but it is also a device that controls the movement of the cursor on a computer screen, Lobner (2002). The relation between the senses of the bold words in (a) and (b) is a regular relation. The senses of these two words are closely related since they are all related to poultry. Turkey, in the first sentence, refers to a large, gallinaceous bird of the family Meleagrididae, especially Meleagris gallopavo of America that typically has green, reddish-brown and yellowish-brown plumage of a metallic luster and that is domesticated in most parts of the world (Dictionary.com, 2008)

Friday, October 4, 2019

History of Biligual Education Essay Example for Free

History of Biligual Education Essay My project was to go and find out about bilingual education’s history, process, and the experts in the field of bilingual education. Bilingualism is the ability to speak two languages fluently. Bilingualists study Bilingualism and bilingual education, which is teaching all subjects in school through two different languages. Bilingual Education was first adopted in Ohio in 1839, due to the increase of German-Americans (Rethinking). By the end of the 19th century, many states had adopted bilingual education laws to meet the demands of new immigrants due to industrialization. When World War I came many Americans changed their views of bilingual education, due to the fear of German-Americans and the government’s new Americanization policies, including English-only instruction. It wasn’t until the Civil Rights Movement Era and the Bilingual Education Act of 1968, when bilingual education was reintroduced into the United States. â€Å"The courts decision in the landmark Lau v. Nichols case required schools to take affirmative steps to overcome language barriers impeding childrens access to the curriculum. Congress immediately endorsed this principle in the Equal Educational Opportunity Act of 1974.†(Rethinking). In California, bilingual education was banned until 1967. In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan signed legislation (SB 53) that authorized bilingual education, before the Bilingual Education Act of 1968. A blow for bilingual education came in 2002, when President George Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act got rid of the Bilingual E ducation Act of 1968, changing the way people look at bilingual education. In 1998 California, under Ron Unz’s Proposition 227, reverted Ronald Reagan’s SB 53. This Proposition later confirms Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act and the country’s renewed interest in English only instruction, due to the Iraq War. Many critics of bilingual education believe that bilingual education is failed, but proponents of bilingual education feel bilingual education is a better option than English-only instruction. Critics of bilingual education believe that children who receive bilingual education will not be able to help students learn English as well as English-only students. One of the critics of bilingual education, Rosalie Pedalino Porter of the Institute for Research in English Acquisition and Development (READ), believes that â€Å"the expectations for bilingual schooling were threefold: better and more rapid learning of English; better mastery of school subjects; and higher self-esteem among students, which could lead to higher academic achievement and fewer school dropouts. Unfortunately, none of these goals was achievedThe goal [of English immersion] is threefold: early literacy development in English, subject matter instruction in English with a special curriculum, and early inclusion of LEP students in mainstream classrooms for maximum exposure to native speakers of English and for greater integration of diverse student populations(Porter). However, â€Å"controlled studies consistently show that children in such properly organized bilingual classes acquire at least as much English as those in all-English classes and usually acquire more†(Krasen). Another proponent of bilingual education, Jay Greene provided research that â€Å"the use of the native language in instructing limited English proficient children has moderate beneficial effect s and that efforts to eliminate the use of the native language in instruction harm children by denying them access to beneficial approaches†(Greene). In addition to the belief that children who receive bilingual education will not be able to help students learn English as well as English-only students, critics of bilingual education believe that the passage of Proposition 227, caused test scores to increase. Proponents of 227 from the READ Institute argue that, the test scores from 1998-2000, show that minority English language learning students in California have done better on the SAT 9 test than those in bilingual education had done before (Mora). Kenji Hakuta, shows in his article, Points on SAT-9 Performance and Proposition 227, â€Å"test scores rose in districts in California that kept bilingual education, as well as in districts that never had bilingual education† (Hakuta). In addition, â€Å" Scores increase about 1.5 to 2 points per year after a new test is introduced. Thus, test score inflation accounts for about half of the increase in grades two and three in the SAT9 reading test since 1998, and all of the inc rease in grades four through seven SAT9 reading scores in California have actually declined slightly in grades eight through eleven†(Linn et. al). Research done by these bilingualists show that Proposition 227 has not increased the minority English language-learning students in California’s English skills. Critics of bilingual education believe that poorly trained teachers and complicated bilingual education structures cause more confusion than English-only programs. Susan Headden, writing in U.S. News World Report, comments, â€Å"Poorly trained teachers further complicate the picture. . . . The paucity of qualified candidates has forced desperate superintendents to waive some credentialing requirements and recruit instructors from abroad. The result is teachers who themselves struggle with English† Advocates cite that just because bilingual education needs improvement doesn’t mean it should be eliminated. Critics of bilingual education look at the success of Canada’s French immersion policy in schools. In kindergarten and first grade native-English speakers are taught entirely in French. Then gradually, English is introduced and by the end of elementary school, most students become fluent in French and English. However, more impressive is the bilingual education of European countries. Since there are eleven different official languages of the European Union, students are taught multiple languages .The study of first foreign language begins in first year of primary school, then an additional language is added in the second year of secondary school and the fourth year of secondary school. By the time students exit college with a Baccalaureate degree, they will know at least four languages. From, my research I was able to find proponents and critics of bilingual education. I noticed that there were many more proponents of bilingual education, among them are Kenji Hakuta of Stanfor d University, Colin Baker of the University of Wales, Stephen Krashen of the University of Southern California, Wayne P. Thomas and Virginia Collier at George Mason University, and Jim Cummins of the University of Toronto. Critics of bilingual education include politicians, George Bush, Susan Headden, and Rosalie Pedalino Porter. Perhaps we should be looking to other nations to solve our educational issues, as neither English-only nor bilingual education seems to work. References *Based on an Analysis by National Association of Bilingual Education. (2002, Winter). History of Bilingual Education. Rethinking Schools. Retrieved May 10, 2007, from http://www.rethinkingschools.org/special_reports/bilingual/langhst.shtml * Greene, J. (1997). A meta-analysis of the Rossell and Baker review of bilingual education research. Bilingual Research Journal , 21(3), 103-122. *Hakuta, K. (2000). Points on SAT-9 Performance and Proposition 227. Lecture presented at Stanford University , Cubberley Hall 228, 485 Lasuen Mall Stanford, California. *Headden, S. (1995, September 25). One Nation, One Language? U.S. News World Report, 38+. Retrieved May 10, 2007, from http://faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~jmatthew/articles/onenation.html *Krasen, S. (1996). Under Attack: The Case Against Bilingual Education. Culver City, CA: Language Education Associates. *Linn, R., Graue, E., Sanders, N. (1990). Comparing state and district test results to national norms: The validity of claims that ‘everyone is above average. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice , (9), 5-13. *Mora, J. K. (n.d.). What Do the SAT-9 Scores for Language Minority Students Really Mean? Retrieved May 10, 2007, from San Diego State University Web site: http://coe.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/SAT9analysis.htm *Porter, R. P. (1999, December). The Benefits of English Immersion. Educational Leadership, 1(57), 52-56.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Case Study Career Aspirations Analysis Education Essay

Case Study Career Aspirations Analysis Education Essay A career is a job market as well as of the individual career seekers interest and skill. By examining the job market, those interested in careers can learn what jobs are available and in demand now and what jobs will be available and in demand in the future. Career in essence is a series of related jobs towards the fulfillment of a set of individual goals that provide a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. My career aspiration is be to be a General Manager. To fulfill my needs, I have to do a lot of thing to get it. There are four general individual characteristics affect how people make career choices, which is Interest where they believe match their interest, Self-image where an extension of a persons self image as well as molder of it, Personality which is personal orientation and personal needs and lastly Social backgrounds which is social economic status, educational and occupation level of a persons parents. Yes I choose my career from this characteristic. I believe in myself that one day Ill be general manager. This is because my believed is really matched what I want to be in future. The type of company that I would like to work is in a international company. It because by working there I can challenge myself to achieved my goals. This has been a aspiration for me since Im small to be general manager. This is because most of my family members are working in high post in a big c ompany. So I said to myself that one day I also want to be like them. I knew something about this high post general manager from my family members, they told me and teach me some important. I have choose this because I want my personal looks to be formal, in a very standard way. By working in this area I can gain more knowledge  because of the rapid change and growth in the business where most business is going global now days. In that, I also can gain more profit faster if the business that Im doing is successful. According to John Hollands theories, the personality types and working environment has been divided into six types which is realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional. Investigative gives more interest in intellectual activities where it must be a idea and theories for someone who does a work. Enterprising is a type concerned with action and with achieving result through other people, enjoy leading and persuading for an entrepreneur and representative. This both theories really suits me because I have the criteria in it. Besides that, Career Anchors by Edger Schein function also had suits me. This career wants a person perception about his or her own talents, motive and values tended to evolve into a relatively stable pattern. Identifying ones area of contribution in the long run, this has inspire my career in working in a managerial role. I also like to learn more than one thing after fully understanding the first thing. I like to move forward every ti me and gain extra knowledge in new field. I strongly decided that this field that Im choosing for my career is well suits with my personality test. In that test my result is ENFJ. I really concern about myself when Im out with people because Im harmonious. Im very respect person, harmony, and loyal to thing that I do. I will take a risk to do job, because I want to achieve my goal and I know I have to take a risk. If I really cannot take it something that has fail my success I will regret it and will ignore it. I know by doing that I can try for second time. But it will be a bit had for the first time to hear the truth. I will be happy if I get to create something new where it can give me a lot of profit in my life. Im also ready to hear about others problem because I have the ability to solve problem. Sometimes I will confused whether which decision shall I take, but after reading all the thing carefully I will take my decision, and I wont follows others in that. 1.2 Skill Required When choosing an occupation it is very important to be skillful. Skill can be divided into basic skills and related skills. When talking about related skills we can discuss on the skills that are related to the specific job. Basic skills that are needed to be in a job can be similar to one another but will different when it comes to carrying out a specific task. The basic skills that have in myself is athletics. I can do coaching, team sport and individual sport. I have a football skill. I start coaching long time ago by helping my school teacher to train his team. Other than that, my communication skill is very good. My grammar, speaking style, listening and writing is also good. I practice my listening from other people talk and talking on phone and also talk good English to all my friends. This is how I practice my communication skills. A outdoors activities skills like farming and animal care is my aspiration skill. I learn farming from my dad, in he will always do farming and I will help him and from here I got the skill. The related skill that I have choose to be General Manager is organizing, making decision, managing time, solving problem, leading and owing or operating a business. I used to make own decision at times at college. Its like a group of my friends planning something and I will make a decision and they will listen to me. I will be on time if I go out. I want to be a good time making if I go out. This will practice me when I start my work in future. Solving a problem is my main concern, because I used to solve many of mime and my friend problem very well. I dont this to be happened very often in life. Sometimes I will lead my brothers business, he will tell me what to do and not. Im creative in making idea and very imaginative. A skill of a General Manager can be more diverse and be more general in nature to classify in any area of management or administration. The other skill that may see of a General Manager is personnel, purchasing, or administrative services. In some organizations, the duties of general and operations managers may overlap the duties of chief executive officers. By looking at these related skills of being General Manager it is seen that I have to improve and develop myself so I could achieve my career development goal and aims in future. When being a General manger it is very important for an individual to be knowledgeable and wide thinking so in any consequence the companys growth will not decline. 1.3(a) Strength Looking at my strong educational background, I have completed my Foundation Studies in Business 1 year ago and now Im doing my degree in International Business. From here I have the knowledge of the theories which I have studied for foundation. I can contribute my knowledge to others because I have the strength to do so. Below is my strength: Very punctual Creative Able to do something without anyone help Understanding in everything Friendly to everyone Very hardworking Good listener Good in creating Ideas Brave in doing anything Good in resolving problem Good in handling problem Good in giving Counseling Maintain thing well Managing time Tolerant Being a good group leader Looking at all my Strength, I have done everything at above and I know that I can do that. this is because being a good group leader can bring me to the top of leader board for a management. I can handle and solve complains, diversify works to my members, being patience and also calm down any serious situation. This is the most important characteristics needed by a good group leader. I know from here becoming a group leader will bring me to success when I become General Manager. A General Manager also will have all kind of this job working together and gain more things from it. In college, a task I given to us by our lecture and we need to choose 1 group leader. They had selected me as group leader because I have the ability to work hard, to things together, and also can solve problem if my members dont know. Other than that, I can be a good listener, member will talk and I will listen to them. Punctual is the key word, I used to be very early and will push my friends to reach at col lege early to start our work, and they listen to me. This is because Im the group leader so I feel proud and this will happen when I become a General Manager. 1.3(b) My Weakness Like to do things very fast without knowing it Language Problem Do work at last minute Take things easily My main weakness is my language problem. At college when I talk to Chinese student from China, they wont really understand English. They can only speak in Chinese language. This is what my main problem, because it might give an effect to me in future when Im dealing with customer. To solve this problem, I have to start learn English. In order for me to communicate with them, I must take sometimes to get to know them well. Section 2 Experience 1: Working After finish my SPM (secondary educational level), I worked at my uncle office as admin officer. I worked there for almost 4months before joining Stamford College. My work at first is to check all the old report and then have to clean it up. It was fun working at that way. After that I has given a task to work out with 1 employee regarding about his work. From here I really gain a lot of profit knowledge. Although I dont have knowledge about the work Im doing, but I had been guided by my uncle. Microsoft word and excel is the main subject for my working period. I have to list down the company rough account with guides from my uncle. I learn how to improve language while working, my computer skill been improve and also has solve a problem without telling to my uncle. It really gave me the exposure of office life where it increases more interest to remain in this particular field where I can actually prosper. During my working period I learn a lot of thing and it has gave me a working life style. Dress code everyday must be formal and its like a practice for me in future. When we study we dont exactly get the picture of working life. I learn to be more responsible where it really help me to organize myself. By learning all this skills I can always improve my skills because it is very important at least to have this basic requirement. For my working experience, this has gave me roughly idea how to manage myself and this can help me to my future career aspiration as a General Manager. Experience 2: Student As a student I have learn how to do my assignment without others help, exam, presentation and group project. Every subject at college has a task of assignment to do. This is given to student is because, they want student to learn doing things together and in group. For assignment, I will do research in web and find details about the task. Exam is where we will train our self to see how far we have learnt something during a certain period. From here will really push our self to achieve a good goals of mark. Presentation will be done in a group in my college. We will communicate between friends to do a work. Group project is where all members will sit together and complete a task together. This work as student is testing how far we can do something with individual and with friends. Exam we get to learnt how to write, think, how to organize something and how to manage our time management by reaching before the exam start. For assignment I learnt how to do research on net, analysis and do work in computer. Presentation I learnt oral studies with my group members about how to do, complete and research for the work. Group project is to see our team work. I was the group leader and I see that team work in my group is very well going. Experience 3: Society/Activity Final experience that I want to share is when I became a captain for my futsal team in college. From here I learnt a lot of thing about how to manage things carefully. Im a vice president of badminton club in my college. Being a team captain for my futsal team is very hard task. I learnt how to make strategies and manage my team while playing on field. Vice president works is enjoyable because I been very friendly to everyone who just join the club, get to give my experience to the junior who dont really know how to play and manage my work with arranging all the student info in details. Section 3: Objective 1 The first objective that I want to set is to find part time job on my semester break. To gain more knowledge of working style is my main target and how to solve things easily. The action that I have to take is to search job in internet and newspaper. I will do this in this 2years time because I have 2 more years to go to complete my degree. Objective 2 My second objective is I would like to set to learn Mandarin. This is because I want to improve my listening and speaking skills in this language. The actions I have taken to improve in this language is by attending for the language classes. Other than that, even to improve faster, I will start to mix around with those who have knowledge about this language. I will attend for this class during my semester break. The class will be on every weekend only for 2hours. I want to do in weekend because I will be busy on weekdays because I have classes to attend. Objective 3 My final objectives is to learn about computer programming which is basically gives more importance to internet usage. I want to learn this because computer programming is very important in today s world. To do so, I have to attend for classes in order to get the specific knowledge about using the internet. I will ask any of my friends to recommend for me a better centre that offer this program or else I will ask my brother to teach me because he is good and have experience in computer programming. I will tell my brother to give me a class for this computer programming every day for 1hour because Im staying with him. Curriculum Vitae Ravinder Singh Toor Current Address: Main Address: 88, Jalan 14/15, Section 14 958, Lorong Anggerik Kanan 3,58000 Petaling Jaya, Bandar Sunggala, 71050PD,Selangor Darul Ehsan. Negeri Sembilan. Tel: 016-6560217 DOB: 4 APRIL 1989 E-Mail: [emailprotected] To fulfill all the needs that a company want and will come up with great ideas to bring the company into a upper level of successfulness. Education 2008-2011 Currently doing my Degree in BA(Hons)International Business Average point for Year1: 66% Module: Introduction to Economics, Governing Business Activities, Accounting and Its Regulatory Framework, People Organizations Management, Marketing Principle and Practice, International Entrepreneurship. 2006-2008 Foundation Studies in Business(FSB) at Stamford College. 2002-2006 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia(SPM) at Sekolah Tinggi Port Dickson. Experience 2005 Work part time as Waiter. 2006 Work at Damai Jaya Shipping Trading as admin. Academy/Society Sport- Football captain (2008-2009) Badminton- Vice President (2009) Toast Masters member Interest Like working in a area where I can develop my experience and learn new thing. Skills Good in Microsoft Office, Excel and Power Point. Good in handling and solving problem. Language- Excellent English and Bahasa Malaysia.

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Epithets in Othello :: Othello essays

Epithets in Othello An epithet is an adjective or adjective phrase that characterizes a person or thing. Epithets can often consist of abusive or contemptuous words such as those directed by the professionally offended Iago in Shakespeare's Othello. Iago refers to Othello with damning epithets to suggest the Moor as a lust driven animal that is violating the innocent Desdemona. For instance, he calls Othello, "an old black ram" who is "tupping" Brabantio's "white ewe"(Act I, Scene I: 90-91). He is referring to the fact that Othello is a Moor, or dark skinned man. Iago is also making the insinuation that Othello is, at this moment, copulating with Brabantio's innocent daughter, Desdemona. In addition, Iago warns Brabantio that if he does not rescue his daughter, the "devil" will make Brabantio a grandfather (Act I, Scene I: 93). Again, he is suggesting that Othello is demonic and comparable to a wild animal. He continues erupting insults shouting that a "Barbaray horse" is mounting D esdemona and that Brabantio's nephews will "neigh" and cousins will be "coursers," or strong horses (Act I, Scene I: 113-114). Yet again, Iago is suggesting that Othello is animal-like and that this quality will arise throughout Brabantio's family. It is important to note that in the play production Iago speaks such crude and obscene language while hiding behind several clustered poles below Brabantio's window. This gesture reveals Iago's attempt to remain an "honest man" in the eyes of the other characters while carrying out a plan of revenge. Although Iago's insults toward Othello appear to be racial, it does not make the entire play racist. Iago is so consumed by revenge against Othello, for passing him over for the promotion that he will say or do anything to attain his "peculiar end" (Act I, Scene I: 62).

Race and Ethnicity in Social Sciences Essay examples -- Identity Gende

Use of the Terms "Race" and "Ethnicity" in the Social Sciences Defining identity can be complex and therefore we have to investigate the factors involved that make us who we are and how we are seen by others, collectively or individually. Social scientists have to consider the key elements which shape identity, the importance of social structures and agency involved. The differences and/or similarities between us are the focus that categorise and label us in society. Knowing who we are is important for many reasons including, social rights, obtaining a passport, housing, health, employment, marriage, and over all, being able to ascertain who we are, and belong. The terms ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ are central features in the process of categorisation. ‘Racial’ or ‘Ethnic’ identifications are produced as part of a social process, which is dynamic and changing. Therefore we know that identities are not static and terms such as ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ cannot cover the changing categories without being dynamic terms themselves. The use of quotation marks with these terms is adopted to emphasise that the terms are broad terms and aim to avoid discrimination or misrepresentation of groups under the umbrella term. ‘Race’ is commonly used by media and society to portray the physical differences between people, however, social scientists choose to show that the term does not refer to exact biological differences, is stereotypical, and the quotation marks emphasise the concept as ...

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Where I Lived, and What I Lived for

In the â€Å"Where I Lived, and What I Lived for† chapter of Walden, Thoreau emphasized that people need to make life simple and slow because it eventually helps you know your real goal and realize the true meaning of life. He begins with his own story –he imagines that he works at farms as a farmer and he cares for seeds in succession. He thinks his farms will bring happiness because all sessions for cultivation are naturally accomplished. However, his imagination ends up with his real financial situation.He wants to buy farms not minding his profit margin but enjoying his time with seeds. However, the owner turns down his proposal because his reason was hardly accepted in modern times where people give importance to wealth. After this experience living in a house in the woods, he feels a natural spirit and he glorifies the beauty of nature. He developed his feeling for nature after he realizes that people should be awakened –â€Å"[They] must learn to reawaken and keep [them] selves awake, not by mechanical aids, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn†.He also came to know why people are so busy and why they work as hard as â€Å"ants† It is because people seem to set count on economical value but people do not know what they really want. According to his examples, there is a railroad which can effectively reduce time between places. At the same time, we could lose our landscape to see. So, he describes a railroad that â€Å"We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us†. Therefore, he criticizes that â€Å"fast† seems to be effective but it brings wrong judgment and lose our opportunity.He mentions that our society is pressured to â€Å"hurry† for our life to be successful. However, he thinks that our society now is complicated and dangerous because we do not have ideas of â€Å"slow† and â€Å"simple† to reflect ourselves. All in all, he states that we need time to be â€Å"slowâ €  and â€Å"simple† for our clever intelligent life. This is his obvious viewpoints – â€Å"Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track†.