Substandard Prenatal Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Inadequate Prenatal Care - Essay Example Both Latin America and Mexico are creating countries that have a cutting edge economy that is included in a rustic worker populace. Mexico and Latin America are impacted by the powers of financial matters, legislative issues, and social conventions that add to a pace of pregnancy issues and newborn child mortality that essentially surpasses their neighbors in North America. The issue of pre-birth care is an issue that has a few significant angles. It is a lady's issue, and as such has experienced sex predisposition that has swarmed the half of the globe because of the effect of religion and its perspective on ladies. Likewise with other ladies' issues, for example, bosom malignant growth, subsidizing for pre-birth care is regularly lessened by the male overwhelmed power structure. Be that as it may, pre-birth care isn't only a ladies' issue as it impacts guys and female the same and is a necessary piece of a solid family. In the 21st century, pre-birth care has become an issue of fundamental human rights. It tends to the most key units of society (the youngsters) that are unequipped for choosing or representing themselves. Sufficient pre-birth care is a wide based program that conveys a sound youngster during childbirth, yet in addition tends to the requirements of the pregnant lady, her sustenance, psychological well-being, and conveyance security. It ought to incorporate Protected and clean conveyance, early recognition and the executives of explicitly transmitted maladies, contaminations and intricacies during pregnancy and conveyance and considering the physiological needs of the infant (World Health Organization 25). At the point when these mediations are available, reasonable, and offered to pregnant ladies, they can substantially affect improving the strength of the infant youngster and mother. There has been some expanded worldwide spotlight on this issue as it has been perceived that by far most of newborn child and maternal passings and handicaps are preventable through great consideration, discovery and productive referral for complexities, and access to the fundamental components of obstetr ic consideration when required (Glei, Goldman, and Rodriguez 3). While these activities are useful, they are obstructed by contending social, social, and financial elements. The powers that impact the conveyance of satisfactory pre-birth care have especially affected Latin America and Mexico, our neighbors toward the South. Financial matters, culture, and legislative issues have all negatively affected this district with respect to social insurance. While the outer impacts of diet and the earth add to newborn child mortality, maternal mortality is completely inferable from an absence of-or low quality pre-birth, conveyance, and puerperal consideration (Casas, Dachs, and Bambas 27). These administrations are hard for some ladies to accomplish because of social customs that have enslaved ladies and a monetary framework that has set pre-birth care out of the scope of the majority in this district. Disparities dependent on riches are perhaps the greatest obstruction that ladies in the lower financial classes face. In Mexico, under 10 percent of the considerable number of infants destined to the lower monetary classes are conceived in a medical clinic, yet th is number ascents to 90 percent for the upper financial regions (Casas, Dachs, and Bambas 31). Nations in Latin America have intervened this figure by commanding an objective of 80 percent of all conveyances be gone to by a gifted proficient,

Nuclear arms race during the Cold War Research Paper

Atomic weapons contest during the Cold War - Research Paper Example 6). An expanding doubt of socialism created among most Americans before the finish of the war. Their point was to ‘hide’ atomic privileged insights from Soviet hands. America had an imposing business model on atomic weapons, which guaranteed that Russia was increasingly reasonable from a political perspective. Pressure prepared between these two states, and started an atomic weapons contest. The atomic weapons contest was where a few nations created and analyzed the intensity of a heap of atomic innovation. They kept support loads of thousands of atomic weapons with a point of being in front of each other. Force was tried by the nation with the best innovation. This was a risky time, since the chance of a hard and fast atomic war between nations consistently lingered. The twentieth century had a decent amount of close to fiascoes and uncomfortable universal strategies (Swift p. 14). The Cold War didn't make it into the 21st century. Its history clarifies a period where countries expanded their quality and amount of ‘tools’ of military force; â€Å"An arms race.† This period was first experienced in the nineteenth century where Russia and France stood up to Britain’s maritime predominance. Germany had endeavored to exceed Britain’s armada, and the impacts overflowed into World War I. After the war between Britain, Japan, and the United States, an arms-restriction arrangement occurred at the Washington Conference. The level of strain among countries was high. Countries were induced to create and test weapons that would clear out a whole age. This system kept going up to November, 1990, when the Conventional Forces in Europe settlement was agreed upon. The whole age lived under the shadow of approaching disaster; the endurance of humankind was flawed. Any incitement or misconception could have started the termination of humankind. Stores of weapons were created to levels a long ways past

Jury and Group Think Essay Example for Free

Jury and Group Think Essay A jury is a sworn gathering of residents accumulated to give a sensible and fair decision and a finding of truth on a lawful request introduced to them formally or set a punishment dependent on the confirmations and the law. This training is considered to have begun from England where nobles and freeman were agreed the option to be attempted by a board of trustees of a similar class as they are instead of be exposed to the judgment of the ruler. The privilege to jury preliminary in both state and government procedures is ensured by the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Seventh Amendment likewise concurs unequivocally the privilege to jury preliminary for all gatherings engaged with common cases at the area level. In the United States, no one but juries can give a decision and set a punishment for the denounced whenever saw as liable. This is particularly valid for situations when the punishment chose is the death penalty (Jury, 2006). This force vested in a jury makes it imperative to break down how decisions are shaped in nature of jury consultations. One approach to do this is through jury reenactment inquire about. Jury reenactment examine includes the strategies for look into used to see how a jury would respond to articulations made by parties associated with legal disputes and how they would show up at the decision. A portion of the techniques utilized are planned legal hearer segment examine, mock preliminaries, jury choice, shadow jury and post-preliminary jury interviews. The standard statistical surveying strategies are additionally utilized, for example, telephone reviews, center gatherings and criticism meetings. The aftereffects of these investigates are utilized by parties engaged with court procedures for settlement exchanges and setting up a resistance or arraignment methodology that would be convincing to the (Jury explore, 2007). The principle quality of jury explore is that it presents invested individuals potential mixes of methodologies that might impact the jury decision in support of them. Visual displays, witnesses, illustrations, timetable of occasions and different methods in the introduction of proof are tried to comprehend the feasibility of each and mixes of these to help the invested individual. Mental and sociological examination is utilized to give parties an edge on jury preliminaries. Research of this sort has been effectively used in some milestone cases, for example, the IBM antitrust preliminary of 1969 and the O. J. Simpson murder case (Jury look into, 2007). The primary constraint is that it is difficult to anticipate precisely what should be accomplished for a jury to settle on a ruling for the gathering. In the strategies engaged with jury look into, questions are regularly broad segment ones that won't precisely foresee the result of the jury considerations. Proxy legal hearers and not the genuine jury individuals are utilized to speak to the jury pool in the exploration. Jury investigate is essentially no assurance for triumph for a situation (Jury examine, 2007). Mock juries are utilized in jury research to attempt to break down in a controlled investigation how a decision is reached in a real jury. Be that as it may, they can't precisely mirror the conduct of genuine juries. The conduct of the jury depends on the individual viewpoint of the individual members of the jury and outer components that may influence the conduct and dynamic abilities of the people and the entire jury as a rule. For example, the weight gave by the high stakes of a case, the pressure from time limitations and routine interruption and other mental anxieties may not be actually recreated in mock juries. â€Å"Group thinking† is the term used to portray inclinations of gatherings to put together their choice not with respect to their own judgment yet on the group and single consistent choice that may not generally be the best given the predispositions and wants of the individuals from the gathering to concoct the choice at the soonest conceivable time. It is characterized as â€Å"a method of thinking that bunch individuals use when their craving for unanimity supersedes their inspiration to survey every accessible arrangement of action† (Janis, 1972). This normally influences the decision of a jury. This is on the grounds that, following the system arranged by Janis (1983) on Group Thinking, the forerunners, for example, auxiliary shortcomings (protection, absence of unbiased authority, absence of standards and methods) and provocative setting (high worry from outside dangers) are ordinarily qualities of a directing jury. This propensity to look for unanimity over appropriate evaluation prompts awful dynamic. A portion of the indications that regularly describe deficient dynamic originating from bunch thinking incorporate the inadequate examination and thought of choices and goals, inability to inspect dangers from decision and reappraise dismissed ones, poor data search and specific data predisposition and inability to alternate course of action. As a result of the high stakes engaged with jury cases, it is imperative to guarantee quality dynamic by directing ceaselessly from the propensity to aggregate think. The best method to forestall bunch believing is advancing watchfulness against it. The initial step is to perceive when side effects of gathering believing are beginning to show up. Gathering individuals must endeavor to hold status balance to keep a solitary part from affecting the whole gathering. New data should consistently be looked to provoke an authoritative consent to test its quality. Standards must be set to hold cautiousness, for example, having a devil’s advocate, initiating argumentative request and doling out a particular part to remind against predisposition and gathering thinking (Meade, 2003). The inclinations of gathering thinking might be revealed through jury examine. There is a risk that specific gatherings that depend on jury research may go after these propensities. In this manner, it is significant that jury hold its fair-mindedness and steady dynamic ability to successfully play out its obligation to maintain equity in any court continuing. Book reference Janis, I. (1972). Casualties of mindless obedience, Boston: Houghton †Mifflin Janis, I. (1982). Oblivious conformity (second edn. ), Boston: Houghton †Mifflin Janis, I. (1983). Mindless obedience model. Recovered 19 May 2007 from http://choo. fis. utoronto. ca/FIS/Courses/LIS2149/Groupthink. html.

Mechanization Takes Command in Melvilles The Tartarus of Maids - Literature Essay Samples

In Melville’s short story, â€Å"The Tartarus of Maids,† Melville creates a foil to the preceding short story, â€Å"The Paradise of Bachelors.† Melville juxtaposes these two stories as if in imitation of Blake’s contrasting poems with a theme of balance. One of those themes in the narratives is modernization and mechanization in the two places. The first has little mechanical or technological presence. It has too much of the carnal and the earthly body. However, â€Å"The Tartarus of Maids,† the representative hellish life of a maid, is ruled by machinery. Melville creates a hell in which machinery runs the lives of the women instead of the other way around in order to warn of this dangerous slavery to machines and to condemn the loss of humanity. Melville uses the cold and whiteness of the setting along with paper to symbolize this loss of humanity and path towards blankness.Melville sets the story in the high mountains filled with cold and snow. It is no coincidence that in the location of the paper-mill â€Å"you would hardly believe it now, but it is colder than at the top of Woedolor Mountain’† according to Mr. Bach (286). The names of places in the setting also reflect this coldness and despair. The mountain’s name contains â€Å"woe† as part of the title, the river is â€Å"Blood River,† and the valley of the paper-mill is â€Å"Devil’s Dungeon† (272). These names immediately create a sense of foreboding, evil, and despair. Melville once again foreshadows the overall horror of the story. He also does this through the weather on the way to the paper-mill. The narrator describes the trees and plants as â€Å"feeling the same all-stiffening influence, their inmost fibres penetrated with the cold† (273). This coldness for now seems as nothing more than cold weather, but the image created by frozen trees and some â€Å"all-stiffening influence† leaves the reader with some disquiet. The cold seems unnatural in some way, a little too cold for the forecast. Then the narrator describes the wind shrieking â€Å"as if laden with lost spirits bound to the unhappy world† (273). Shrieking winds and lost spirits are red flags to the reader. We know that there is something amiss when the wind sounds supernatural and sad. The first sight of the paper-mill itself comes through â€Å"a pass of Alpine corpses† when â€Å"suddenly a whirring, humming sound† alerts the narrator to the site of the paper-mill (274). The area is dead, â€Å"a pass of corpses† except for the whirring of the paper-mill.The sound is no of humans, but of machinery. It is not much more alive than the cold scenery and dead mountains. The narrator declares that the paper-mill is â€Å"‘the very counterpart of the Paradise of Bachelors, but snowed upon, and frost-painted to a sepulchre’† (275). The snow upon the paper-mill symbolizes th e coldness and death associated with the machinery. It is no accident that he describes the place as a tomb covered with ice and snow. Immediately thoughts of death, isolation, and coldness associate themselves with the very building of the paper-mill.The people at the paper-mill, all maids but two men, show the same coldness and deadness as the setting, they reflect the white paper they are making surrounded by white snow. The first girl he meets is â€Å"blue with cold† and has â€Å"an eye supernatural with unrelated misery† (276). Once again, the cold is set with unhappiness and the girl is as cold and miserable as the mountain wind. Melville implies that the paper-mill and its machinery steals life from the girls working in the factory. The link between the blank paper and blank girls is emphasized ruthlessly in the passage, â€Å"At rows of blank-looking counters sat rows of blank-looking girls, with blank, white folders in their blank hands, all blankly folding blank paper† (277). The narrator notices that the machine makes red paper, but the cheeks of the girls are white. The paper seems to drain the life from the girl into itself as he looks from â€Å"rosy paper to pallid cheeks† (277). We see this theme again in reference to the Blood River.Blood symbolizes the red life of humanity and gives color to our skin and usually symbolizes passion or anger, the height of human emotion. However, these girls are pale while the redness of the river flows into the paper. Ironically it is Blood River that turns the wheel that â€Å"‘sets out whole machinery a-going’† (280). The life force of the river runs the machine, not the humans. The narrator stumbles saying it unusual that â€Å"‘red waters should turn out pale chee- paper, I mean’† (279). Obviously he was thinking of the pale cheeks and not pale paper, but it is symbolic of the reverse nature of the paper-mill. The humans give life to the machines and the machines kill the humans. Melville explains the relationship between the two in the passage, â€Å"the human voice was banished from the spot. Machinery- the vaunted slave of humanity- here stood menially served by human beings, who served mutely and cringingly as the slave serves the Sultan. The girls†¦mere cogs to the wheels† (277-8). The humans serve the machine instead of the other way around. Humans designed machines to improve their life and make it easier, but instead we have sold our souls to run the machines. The girls are â€Å"feeding the iron animal† but with more than just paper. The machine’s comparison with an animal gives it life. It is not â€Å"a mere machine† (283).The nature of the relationship is terrible enough, but Melville seems most appalled by the submission of humanity to that relationship. The narrator says, â€Å"Always, more or less, machinery†¦strikes, in some moods, strange dread into the human heart†¦But what made the thing I saw so specially terrible to me was the metallic necessity, the unbudging fatality which governed it† (284). He cannot abide the attitude of the humans towards this monstrosity as inevitable or necessary.The narrator calls the girls, â€Å"Their own executioners; themselves whetting the very swords that slay them† (281). They are their own executioners because they willingly work for the machine, which drains their life from them. We see the symbolic nature of this when he sees â€Å"Glued to the pallid incipience of the pulp, the yet more pallid faces of all the pallid girls†¦slowly, mournfully†¦yet unresistingly, they gleamed along† (285). Their very faces are now imprinted on the white paper. They cannot even have their own face. They give everything to the machine and become nothing more than the paper the machine produces. We are slightly disturbed by the narrator’s line, â€Å"my travels were at an end , for here was the end of the machine† (283). If as John Locke suggests, â€Å"the human mind† is â€Å"at birth†¦a sheet of blank paper,† then the final product as blank paper suggests death (284). The girls leave as they entered life: blank sheets of paper.The narrator’s cheeks serve as a symbolic cycle and indicator through the story. It seems fitting to end with them since they are symbolic at the beginning, middle, and end. In them we find the conclusion of the story. His cheeks are frozen upon arrival and must be revived. When he leaves, he feels certain that his cheeks will be fine once he leaves Devil’s Dungeon. His cheeks represent the drainage of life by proximity to the machine. The only way to save his rosy cheeks is to leave the place and the machine. Our narrator escapes, but what of the girls trapped inside this factory of robotic life?

Swedish Patronymics and Surnames Explained

Until the turn of the  20th century, family surnames were not in common use in Sweden. Instead, most Swedes followed a  patronymic naming system, practiced by about  90–95% of the population.  Patronymics (from the Greek  pater, meaning  father, and  onoma, for name)  is the process of designating a surname based upon the given name of the father, thus consistently changing the family surname from one generation to the next. Using Gender Distinction In Sweden,  -son or -dotter was usually  added to the fathers given name for gender distinction. For example,  Johan Andersson would be the son of Anders (Anders’ son) and  Anna Svensdotter the daughter of Sven (Svens’ dotter). Swedish sons names are traditionally spelled with a double s—the first s is the possessive s (Nils as in Nils son) while the second is the s in son. Technically, names that already ended in s such as Nils or Anders should have three ss under this system, but that practice wasnt often followed. It is not uncommon to find Swedish emigrants dropping the extra s for practical reasons, to better assimilate into their new country. Swedish patronymic son names always end in  son, and never sen. In Denmark the regular patronymic is sen. In Norway, both are used, although sen is more common. Icelandic names traditionally end in son or dotir. Adopting Nature Names During the latter-half of the 19th century, some families in Sweden began to take on an additional surname to help distinguish them from others of the same name.  The use of an extra family surname  was more common  for people who moved from the countryside into the city where long-term use of patronymics would have  resulted in dozens of individuals with the same name.  These names were often a composition of words taken from nature, sometimes called nature names.  Generally, the names were made up of two natural features, which may or may not have made sense together (e.g. Lindberg from lind for linden and berg for mountain), although sometimes a single word would make up the entire family name (e.g. Falk for falcon). Sweden passed the Names Adoption Act in December  1901, requiring all citizens to adopt heritable surnames—names that would pass down intact instead of changing every generation. Many families adopted their current surname as their hereditary family surname; a practice  often referred to as a frozen patronymic. In some cases, the family just chose a name they liked—such as a nature name, an occupational surname related to their trade, or a name they were given in the military (e.g. Trygg for confident). At this time most women who were using patronymic surnames ending in -dotter changed their surname to the male version ending in -son. One last note about patronymic surnames. If you are interested in DNA testing for genealogical purposes, a frozen patronymic does not generally go back enough generations to be useful for a Y-DNA surname project. Instead, consider a geographical project such as the Sweden DNA Project.

Running Head Written Assignment Unit 2 1. Psyc 1111...

Running head: WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT UNIT 2 1 Psyc 1111: Introduction to Human Psychology Written Assignment Unit 2 University of the People WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT UNIT 2 2 Introduction to Human Psychology Written Assignment Unit 2 Introduction This paper will review an article entitled â€Å"Insomnia and the Performance of US Workers: Results from the America Insomnia Survey† that appeared in Vol. 34 of the journal SLEEP. The lack of sleep has been shown to â€Å"have significant negative psychological and physiological consequences† for people, and hence a better understanding of the impact of sleep deprivation is important in promoting overall wellbeing (Openstax 2014: 116). This paper will therefore review the aforementioned article and assess the†¦show more content†¦Methods The study took place between October 2008 and July 2009 and consisted of a stratified probability sample of 10094 adults belonging to a large US commercial health plan (Ibid. 1162). The sample was selected to be broadly representative of the overall population, with additional requirements being access to a telephone (with no impediments to speaking over the phone) and ability to speak and understand English (Ibid.). Of the total respondents, 7428 were either employed or self-employed and therefore eligible to participate in the study (Ibid.). The cooperation rate of respondents was 65% (Ibid.). Analysis of the results was done using linear regression analysis, specifically to estimate associations of insomnia with work performance while controlling for sociodemographics and comorbid conditions (Ibid. 1163). Results of the Study The results of the study estimated the prevalence of insomnia in the America Insomnia Survey to be 23.2% (Ibid. 1164). Insomnia prevalence was significantly lower among people aged 65+ (14.3%), higher among women than men (27.1% to 19.7%) and higher among respondents with either a high school or some college education (25.3% and 26.4% respectively) as compared to those with less than high school education (19.9%) or college graduates (21.5%) (Ibid.). The percentage of work hours lost due to absenteeism associated with insomnia according to the study was 7.1% of the total (slightly less than 1.5 days of absence in a

Julius Caesar An Expository Essay Example For Students

Julius Caesar An Expository Essay Throughout the play, Julius Caesar, opinions over important mattersclash. Brutus and Cassius, both senators of Rome, have two completelydifferent ways of looking at matters. Brutus, an idealist, has a more naveway of looking at things. He tends to see only the good in a person. Cassius, on the other hand, is a realist. He sees what is really there. Cassius is the lead conspirator in the play, showing that he is all forself advance. Brutus is the only one who isnt plotting to kill Caesar forselfish purposes. Brutus has the good of Rome in mind, not himself. Brutusand Cassiuss characters come out vividly in three separate arguments theyhave in the play. The first major argument they have is about killing MarcAntony, a close friend of Julius Caesar. Brutus doesnt and Cassius does. The second major argument the have is after the death of Julius Caesar. Brutus wants Antony to speak at Caesars funeral but Cassius disagrees. Thelast argument they have proves to be fatal to both Brutus and Cassius. Theydispute over battle tactics at Sardis, the Plains of Philippi. Shakespearewas wonderful at showing the high and low points of two different people,Brutus and Cassius. The first major argument that occurs in this play happens when theconspirators are deciding whether or not to kill Marc Antony. Antony is avery close friend of Julius Caesar. One could say he was riding hiscoattails. Cassius sees Antony as a threat to their purpose, and of course,wants him gone because he is only after his own advancement. Cassius alsoknows that if Julius Caesar is killed, Antony will avenge his death by anymeans possible. Antony has Caesars army pretty much in his power, andcould give the combined troops of Brutus and Cassius a run for their money. He knows that Antony is power hungry. In Cassiuss mind, Antony will useany leverage he can get to gain power. He has already ridden the coattailsof Caesar to get to the stage he is presently at, and that he will useCaesars death to overthrow the conspirators and move higher up into power. Since Cassius is a realist, he sees people for what they are, not for whatthey appear to be. He sees Antony as an opportunist and very intelligent. He knows that Antony covers up his intelligence by being a reveler, or aplayboy. Cassius believes Antony should be killed; just to be sure thereare no complications after the murder of Julius Caesar. Brutus completelydisagrees with Cassius. Brutus cant see past the faade Antony puts up. Hethinks that Antony is an unintelligent reveler. Brutus thinks Antony wontdo anything about Caesars death, that he will accept it, as the whole ofRome would, after being explained. Brutus also doesnt want the episode tolook like a bloodbath. He doesnt want to unnecessarily kill anyone. Hewants the death of Julius Caesar to be thought of as a purging ratherthan a murder. After all, Brutus thinks he is saving Rome of a dictator. Hewould kill Antony also if he thought he had any power to rise up againstthe conspirators. Brutus also thinks that if Antony is so attached toCaesar and is so hurt by his loss, that he will commit suicide to be withhim. In my opinion, Brutus is a little too nave. He is blind t o the factthat Antony is hiding being the mask of a playboy. Cassius seems to knowand understand Antony better. He sees right through the faade. In a caseso sensitive as this, I would side with Cassius to be safe. To side withBrutus would be like diving into a pool, not knowing how deep it is. Catcher in the Rye - Holden Caulfield EssayCassius, overall, believes if they wait on the mountain for the enemy tocome to them, they will still be rested, while the foe is worn out from thehike up the mountain. They will still have the land advantage and theknowledge of the area. Reflecting over the argument, I would side withCassius again. Even though having a psychological advantage against theopposition is a great thing to have, a well-rested army is needed just asmuch. If they know the land well, and the forces are healthy, they have amuch better chance of coming out victorious than if they march all the waydown the mountain to fight in an open battlefield. It seems as if Brutuswasnt thinking clearly, or he was stuck on the other, minor advantagesthey would gain going down the mountain. After Cassius finds out aboutBrutuss wifes death, he doesnt want to fight anymore. He doesnt wantto make matters worse for Brutus by quarreling with him further, so he gavein. Pathetic fallacy also had a role in his surrender to Brutus. His camphad an eagle visiting every day for a couple of weeks. This is a good sign. When the eagle didnt come back, and scavengers like crows and hawks tookits place, Cassius believed something was up. Much like an owl in the cityin the daytime, the presence of scavengers in a camp is a bad omen. Cassiusalso mentions that it was his birthday, and he just didnt have a goodfeeling about anything. At the end of the play, both Cassius and Brutuskill themselves. Cassius feels he has betrayed his friend, and Brutusrefuses to be caught by Antonys army. I have actually caught myself thinking about what mightve happenedif Cassius hadnt given into Brutus on one or more of the disagreements. How would things have changed if just one time he hadnt given in? Wouldthey have had to go through the entire ordeal with the crowds if they wouldhave knocked off Antony at their first disagreement? If they let Antonylive, but not speak at the funeral, would they have had to flee the cityafter their second quarrel? If they waited on the mountain for the opposingforces to come to them, would they have won the war, or at least postponedtheir defeat? It all comes down to an idealist and a realist. 1/07/04

Sylvia Plath free essay sample

Sylvia Plath struggled throughout her life. She found a love for writing and exhibited her talent for words early on. She started school early and began writing poems at the age of five. From then on, Plaths passion for words influenced her life greatly. In addition to writing, love was a large aspect of Plaths life. Her rocky relationship with her husband Ted Hughes caused her o go into a deep state of depression. This unhealthy relationship also had a large influence on her poetry. The unconventional poetry of Sylvia Plath reflected her life experiences, her search for love, and her unstable mental state. From early on, Sylvia Plath experienced many things no person should ever wish to experience. At the age of eight her father suddenly died from complications of diabetes (Sylvia Plath). This directly influenced her famous poem, Daddy, where she depicts her strict, authoritarian relationship with her father. We will write a custom essay sample on Sylvia Plath or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because Auto Plath died hen Plath was very young, Syliva was never able to express her true feelings towards her father. She beings to write in the first sentence, l used to pray to recovery you, revealing her desire to have had a strong relationship with her father. Then Plath begins to compare her father to a Nazi and herself to a Jew (Moore). She fears her father and feels persecuted by him. Also, Plaths mother, Aurella Scholber, was forced to work two Jobs to support her family after her husbands death (Lucas). Plath reveals in her diary her hatred towards her mother. She writes, What to do ith her, with the hostility, undying, which I feel for her? I want, as ever, to grab my life from out under her hot itchy hands. My life, my writing, my husband, my conceived baby. Aurella Plath lived for and through her children. She was completely selfless and would do anything for her children. Plath hated this and would continuously trace the boundaries for herself that her mother neglected to impose (Moses). Furthermore, because Plath exhibited signs of success early on, she began school two years early (Sylvia Plath). She was criticized and Judged throughout er years of school because of her intelligence and young age. The only way she knew to escape her harsh reality was through her writing. Her writing is a direct reflection of her life. As Plath grew older her life became a rollercoaster. She went through many ups and downs that shaped her poetry. After high school graduation, Plath moved to Cambridge, England on a scholarship (Sylvia Plath). There, she met English poet Ted Hughes who was six years older than her. At the age of twenty-four, Plath married Hughes (Sylvia Plath) less than a year after they met. This was one of the more Joyous times of her life that influenced her happier poems. A year later, they moved back to Massachusetts, and soon after her life changed forever when she gave birth to their children Frieda in 1960 and Nicholas in 1962 (Syliva Plath). They brought Joy to her life and what she truly needed to inspire her writing. Very rarely was Plath viewed as a happy person or writer. She went through very few highs in her life. One of the happier times in her life was when she was married composed the poem, Morning Song. It is a moving poem that depicts becoming a ew mother. The newborn brings Joy to Plath but also brings extreme anxiety. She feels the baby is part of her life, but feels as if she is a stranger to the child as the very first image of the conception of the baby reveals. The mother claims that love has caused the babys arrival and says, Love set you going like a fat gold watch. This reveals her desire to own the child who belongs to the fathers clan and not to hers (Sharma). What Plath is trying to convey to the readers is that as the baby gets older, it acquires its own individuality and this mother fears this. In the second stanza, the child is being compared to a new statue located in a drafty museum, a place for nonliving things. This suggests the vulnerability of the mother regarding her newborn (Sharma). Furthermore, the title of the poem, Morning Song, is symbolic of the rebirth of the female self as a new mother. This poem reflects Plaths new anxiety of motherhood and her Joyous time of life. The 1930s were a time when women struggled to gain rights. Plath lived in an era that defined a womans role. She felt confined by a male dominated society, which aused her to become very skeptical of love (How Did Sylvia Plath Treat the Theme of Feminism in Her Poetry). At first, she hated men because of how women were treated and strongly believed that women should be treated equally but struggled to gain respect (Plath, Sylvia). This time period caused Plath to isolate herself from society. She rarely left her home and was scared to find love (Sylvia Plath). Her anxiety towards love influenced many of her feminist works. Plath struggled with feelings of inadequacy throughout her life. She felt inferior to men and was insulted by the constraints of society. This led her to compose the novel, The Bell Jar. Here, she speaks for all women with a startling feminist view, criticizing the male dominated society (How Did Sylvia Plath Treat the Theme of Feminism in Her Poetry). In the Bell Jar, the character, Esther, is a product of the patriarchal society in which Plath lives. Esther is a very intelligent woman but is restrained by the time period she lives in. The other character in the novel, Buddy, portrays a typical male during the 1950s. He believes his Job, as a doctor is more important than Esthers work. One night as Esther is returning home from a hotel she egins vomiting. She states, l would feel it rising up in me again, and the glittering while torture chamber tiles under my feet and over my head and on all four sides closed in and squeezed me to pieces. Esther believes she must cleanse herself before she returns home. What she is really doing is cleansing herself from society. Esther wants to rise up against society but is unable to and remains trapped in a Bell Jar (Voight). This entire novel demonstrates Plaths views of men throughout life. It can almost be viewed as an autobiography. Throughout the novel, Esther, represents Plath and her story is a direct reflect of Plaths life. As life went on, Plath continued to feel a sense of hostility towards men. This all had changed when she med Ted Hughes, whom she thought would be the love of her life, in 1956 (Sylvia Plath). This newfound relationship caused her to let her guard down and accept men into her life. Hughes brought a new Joy to Plaths life and changed her perspective of men. At first, Plath wanted to hide the marriage but as time went on she became proud of her love and never wanted it to end (Neurotic The beginning stages of Plath and Hughes marriage exemplified a perfect elationship. They quickly fell in love and they had two beautiful children. As time went on, however, Plath needed to constantly be reassured that she was loved (Sylvia Plath). Hostility formed between the two and their marriage finally came to an end when Hughes left Plath for his mistress, Asia Gutman Wevill (Syliva Plath). This caused Plath to spiral into a state of depression. Plath developed a pattern where, throughout her life, stress would lead to illness, which would cause depression and more stress (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). Beginning in childhood, because she had begun school two years early, Plath was ften teased and lacked social skills. She had few friends, which caused signs of depression early on. As years passed, Plath went off to college, where she experienced periodic bouts of depression (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). One day, when Plath had returned home her mother noticed healing scars on her legs. When her mother asked what those were, Plath said she Just wanted to see if I had the guts and admitted that, l wanted to die! After this, she was immediately taken to see a psychiatrist (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). Plath had several sessions and was finally diagnosed with severe depression. Then, Plath began electroshock therapy, which was thought to be the best treatment at that time. As this therapy continued, Plath developed acute insomnia (Neurotic Poets-Syliva Plath). She went through a period where she did not sleep for three weeks and became immune to sleeping. Plath hated life. She felt trapped and wanted to find a way out. Because of Plaths intense depression, she attempted to commit suicide. On August 24, 1954, Plath broke into the family lock box and stole forty pills. She took these pills and fell into a deep sleep under her porch (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). When her family discovered her missing, a search was launched. Two days later she was found alive. Plaths plan to kill herself was unsuccessful and she was then admitted to a mental hospital. She was released eight months later and had found a new inspiration for writing (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). The newfound inspiration brought Plath great success. She began bleaching her hair platinum blonde to proclaim her new persona (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). That spring, many things went well for her. She won a poetry prize and continued to earn excellent grades throughout school (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). During the summer this all began to change when she began to date an older man whom she claimed had raped her (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). Plath was never fully able to recover from this traumatizing experience and continued to struggle throughout life. When Plath was married to Hughes, she was blissful. This all changed when her marriage rapidly came to an end. Plaths world became too much for her to take and the depression had overcome her. No one was able to stop Plath and on February 1 lth, 1963, one of the coldest English winters, she killed herself in one of the most unconventional ways. Plath locked herself in the kitchen and knelt in front of the open oven and turned the gas on (Neurotic Poets-Sylvia Plath). Finally, Plaths misery came to an end. Sylvia Plaths work often reveals a harsh, demonic, devastating, inner self. Most of her poems dealing with her mental illness were published after her suicide (Sylvia her long, hidden rage over years of doubleness, smiles, and compromise (Sylvia Plath 2). Plath uses extended metaphors as she compares life and crossing over to crossing a black lake. This poem was written at a time in Plaths life where death was continuously on her mind. She believed death was everywhere and it blinded her to see everything else in the world as she indicates by writing, are you not blinded by such expressionless sirens? This poem shows the true effect of Plaths mental illness on her life. Critics regarded Plath as the poet of death (Sylvia Plath 2). Her poetry is labeled as confessional, but is really a combination between fact and fiction, where the reader never really knows which is which (Moore). Her true gift was being able to provide autobiographical info in her poetry without her poetry becoming a biography itself (Moore). Plath was admired and often praised for the passion and formal structure of her poems, where she confronted her tensions and conflicts (Lucas). Although she was sometimes criticized for the intensity and truthfulness of her poems, Plath left an everlasting mark on literature by introducing a new style of writing. Sylvia Plaths poetry was a direct reflection of her hardships, her hostility towards men, and her mental illness. All of these factors led her to be an influential poet. Early on, Plath faced many hardships in her childhood. These hardships continued to follow her throughout her life. Her life experiences were a direct influence on her poetry. Also, Plaths poetry largely focused on feminism. She lived in a male dominated society, which caused her to write about her feelings towards men. She was skeptical of finding love and wanted to be treated equally. All these factors contributed to Plaths mental illness. She is viewed as one of the darkest poets. The only way she knew to escape her dark life was through her writing. Thus, Plath introduced a new confessional style of writing and influenced many literary works. She left a mark on the world of literature and will never be forgotten.

FINAL VERSION OF BEST PRACTICE PAPER

FINAL VERSION OF BEST PRACTICE PAPER FINAL VERSION OF BEST PRACTICE PAPER Best Ways That Preschool Programs Support School Readiness for Children of Immigrants Brescia University Katiana Salinas Research Methodology Nancy Keeton December,2012 I chose as the best practice question, what is the best way that preschool program support school readiness for children of immigrants. The reason why I chose this topic is not only because I think it is relevant information in the Education field but also because I am an immigrant and I have a 3 year old daughter so I would like to contrast what I have witness in practice with some other literature and researchers so It can be useful at the time of working with children of immigrant who is a growing population. Of late it has been realized that child care and early education has been appearing from time to time in the news headlines. This is so since it has dawned on many that with the improvement and easy access to high quality early childhood programs, it would help act as a pillar that would greatly help in improving economy. Moreover, this would go in great lengths to drastically change the results for susceptible children and their families. Calls for increased devotion in earl y childhood plans to make sure that children get to school fully equipped with the implementation that they need to learn has been on the rise. These calls have not only brought with them a wave of excitement in the early childhood field but have also managed to shoot questions about the type of programs that would successfully turn around the lives of susceptible population, not forgetting the children of the immigrants (Barnett, 2005). It has been found out that for every four children in the United States who are under the age of six when put together, one of them is likely to have a parent who was not born in the country. Furthermore, they are usually faced with great dissimilarity in their countries of origin. Introduction The quest of aspiration to live in a society where children considered being of humble backgrounds put substantive effort in their education to be able to rise to the level of middle class status. However, many of those children born under poverty usually have to struggle in order for them to realize their dreams as grown-ups. With this, nevertheless, they still fail to achieve the levels that can make them be considered to have achieved the level of middle class status. It is quite obvious that about two out of three children who are given birth to in the last five level of income distribution always stay in the lowermost two-fifths in the level of income distribution as adults (Becker & Rohling, 2008). Usually, this nonexistence of economic achievement or reality can always be traced back to an individual not being able to complete college or even high school levels. This success seems to come to a halt way back from academic and interactive struggles as one goes thro ugh grade school. As a matter of fact, there is always an existing gap between the less fortunate children and their well of counterparts in terms of health and skills even before they begin attending the schools. Immigrant children are disadvantaged even before they begin attending school. The skills that they acquire as they grow up, their health, and behavior to mention but a few, make them inadequately set for kindergarten as assessed with their counterparts that grow up in good living and better economic environments. Less than half (48 percent) of children from immigrant families are always ready to start going to school at the age of five, scrutinized under factors that incorporate reading abilities and early math, learning related and problem behavior, and the physical health in general as well. It came out clear that those children who are given birth to with parents who earn either moderately or highly are much likely to go to school when they are ready to begin learning. A gap that is about 27 percent is realized between children from moderate

Hong Kong's Hospitality Industry Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hong Kong's Hospitality Industry - Assignment Example In a recent forum of human resource professional bodies of Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, in Malaysia, participants were unanimous in their view that Job hopping had became so rampant in these countries that it had become a culture (Asia-pacific management news, 1997). The hospitality industry in Hong Kong registered strong rebound during the year 2005. Visitors from America and Europe, Africa and Middle East grew 15.1% and 25.6% respectively. Growth rate of visitors from Australia, Newzeland and South Pacific was even higher at 31.8%. Visitors from North Asia, South and South East Asia increased 19.9% and 21.4% respectively (Hong Kong Hotels Association ED review, 2004-05). Based on the data provided by the Hong Kong office of China National Tourism Administration, China outbound Travelers reached 28 million in 2004 in which 12.25 million visited Hong Kong i.e., 43.75%. Hong Kong continues to be the single largest outbound destination for Chinese travelers also. In this way the hospitality industry in Hong Kong is passing through boom period. One of the biggest challenges the hospitality industry of Hong Kong is facing today, the rapidly grow... Based on the data provided by the Hong Kong office of China National Tourism Administration, China outbound Travelers reached 28 million in 2004 in which 12.25 million visited Hong Kong i.e., 43.75%. Hong Kong continues to be the single largest outbound destination for Chinese travelers also. In this way the hospitality industry in Hong Kong is passing through boom period.One of the biggest challenges the hospitality industry of Hong Kong is facing today, the rapidly growing demand for more hotel staff and acute shortage of manpower and talent. Higher staff turnover and the difficulty in retaining staff is primarily affecting the stability of the industry and high service standards. There are paucity of studies and researches regarding employees' turnover and lack of findings in terms of employees' interests and expectations. The economy i.e., the most common reasons given for leaving is the availability of higher paying jobs. In a better economy the availability of alternative jobs plays detrimental role in turnover but this tends to be over stated. The performance of the organization, the organizational culture, the characteristic of a job, unrealistic expectations, demographics and the person himself can be the reasons for higher turnover. It is important to note that the factors, which have been listed above, can be classified as being within or beyond the control of the employing organization. In order to actively participate in reducing costs associated with turnover, organizations need to identify those factors over which they do have some control and initiate necessary changes to reduce turnover attributable to these controllable factors. Therefore, the present study is planned and

Impacts of natural disasters on tourism Research Paper

Impacts of natural disasters on tourism - Research Paper Example This proposal is a combined study that incorporates the aims and objectives that would be the basis for the research studies, discussion of relevant literature review of the concerned topic coupled to the overview of the themes, issues, theories, and/or concepts. The research methodology that comprises of the introduction with rationale for the research design and data collection methods is also an integral part of the proposal that ends with the research philosophy and approaches with ethical considerations as a conclusion. Background The natural disasters are the profound environmental impacts that not only bring huge losses to human lives but also subject to arouse immense financial losses such as property damage. In addition, the aftereffects of the natural disasters emerge the fact that underdeveloped nations are the worst hits of the natural adversities as they have the least resources to cope and recreate their lives back to originality (Mechler, 2004). The natural disasters h ave been one of the most unfavorable and devastating episodes have come under the experiences by the human kind of the globe in numerous instances in time. The statistical data and evidences have proved the fact that the natural disasters have made a strong influence and tragic impact on the civilizations around the world. In addition, plentiful states, territories, nations coupled to populace of the particular areas cause to undergo recurring and overwhelming natural disasters as the world in entering into the level of advancements and innovations. The natural disasters have not only affected the human lives but also made the coral reefs, tropical ecosystem, aquatic... The research describes natural disasters that are the profound environmental impacts that not only bring huge losses to human lives but also subject to arouse immense financial losses such as property damage. In addition, the aftereffects of the natural disasters emerge the fact that underdeveloped nations are the worst hits of the natural adversities as they have the least resources to cope and recreate their lives back to originality. The natural disasters have been one of the most unfavorable and devastating episodes have come under the experiences by the human kind of the globe in numerous instances in time. The statistical data and evidences have proved the fact that the natural disasters have made a strong influence and tragic impact on the civilizations around the world. In addition, plentiful states, territories, nations coupled to populace of the particular areas cause to undergo recurring and overwhelming natural disasters as the world in entering into the level of advancem ents and innovations. The natural disasters have not only affected the human lives but also made the coral reefs, tropical ecosystem, aquatic temperate climate and terrestrial or global ecosystem fragile and weak. Tourism industry is one of the departments of the country that comes under mammoth impact from the natural disasters. Indeed, there is a very close connection between tourism and natural disasters. This is because the occurrence of any natural hazard would lead to disruption and destruction of the tourism industry, which would then require re-development and modifications.

The Role Of The Judicial Branch In A Democracy Essay

The Role Of The Judicial Branch In A Democracy - Essay Example There are three branches making up a democracy and these are the legislature which not only sets out procedures that should be followed by the government but also ensures that the law is performed. The executive is the second branch of democracy and its main job is ensuring that policies are turned into action while the judiciary does the work of applying the law according to the procedures of justice that have been put in place while at the same time resolving any disagreements that might occur in the society. In order to ensure that there is freedom which is a one of the most important parts of democracy, it is necessary for these three powers to operate on their own but also act in a way that balances each other. Having the key values defining the law is what forms the groundwork for democracy since they help to constantly protect the constitution. These values also ensure that equality and civil rights and freedoms are always seen. Democracy is therefore thought to be one of the best types of government as a result of the clear separation that occurs between each of the arms of government. This is the reason why a judiciary that is independent in its actions is often seen as one of the best examples of a democracy that is working as it should be.

madonna Essay -- essays research papers

Have you ever heard a song once and was never able to get the tune out of your head no matter how hard you tried? I know that has happened to me on several occasions. Whether we enjoy the songs or not, there is something about music within popular culture that drives the American public wild. Sadly, for quite sometime the music industry was largely closed off to women. Of course there were obvious exceptions to this, since talented female artists have existed through the ages, but on the whole there were not many female artists that got a lot of airplay and certainly none were considered significantly influential in the music industry. Recently the United States has begun to experience a women’s musical renaissance. Women’s roles in pop music are steadily growing. There have been many outstanding female musicians and vocalists in the past that have aided in making the music industry less of a male opinionated society, from Aretha Franklin, Mo Tucker, and Ella Fitzgerald to pop icons like Courtney Love, Queen Latifa, and Melissa Ethridge. Along side these, there are two women who have conquered most obstacles they’ve faced and, in addition, forced the music industry to become more of a female friendly environment. Those two women are Madonna and Brittany Spears. Madonna is an artist that most Americans are very familiar with. From rudeness to charity, she is always in the public eye. Madonna took women and sex through a quantum leap and her unique style and flair has been imprinted on pop culture forever. Besides creating major trends in music she was responsible for many fashion statements throughout the eighties and nineties (Gandee 307). Up until 1982, female sexuality was largely a suggestion of cleavage and tight-fitting jeans, then Madonna showed up in 1983 wearing her Victoria's Secrets on the outside, and all hell broke loose. Madonna Ciccone was born in 1958 near Motown, to an engineer father and homemaker mother, the eldest of eight children. The one thing baby Madonna wanted more than anything was to become famous. She trained on piano and dance, and signed up for almost any activity that would put her face in public view. By the time she turned twenty, she felt she had waited long enough for fame to find her, and went out looking for it. Throughout her career as one of America’s superstars, Madonna maintained much of her creative control while... ...stry seem obtainable to everyone. Their accomplishments represent many of the recent victories won by women in the music industry; Accomplishments like Lilith Faire and Rock for Choice. Though many doors have been opened there are many that have remained shut. For instance, the way that many labels choose to market female artists like sex symbols instead of relying on their ability to perform. A women musician are becoming more and more visible, and with this visibility comes power. Ani DiFranco and Madonna are just two examples of women who are starting their own record labels and signing their own bands. By doing this they are insuring that female artists get heard. Obviously, not every women musician can have this kind of determination, but the fact that they are on stage playing what they love, music, makes them powerful. O’Dair, Barbara. "Introduction". The Rolling Stone Book of Women In Rock. Ed. Barbara O’Dair. New York: Random House, Inc., 1997. Udovitch, Mim. "Madonna". The Rolling Stone Book of Women in Rock. Ed. Barbara o’Dair. New York:Random House,Inc.,1997. Gandee, Charles. "In The Closet With Madonna". Vogue Oct. 1997: 306-313, 378.

Politics of Backstabbing Essay

Due to the result of such illegitimate political approach, Mr. Rosen was demoted while his colleague was promoted. Shortly after the incident, Mr. Rosen resigned with many questions unanswered (Robbins and Judge, 2007, p. 497). Warning These types of incidents are very common in the workplace as some people would use political games to move ahead. In my opinion Mr. Rosen needs to communicate ith his colleague and solve this issue in a friendly kind of way, to avoid any complication in the future. Be straight forward about his concern and bring up the comments and the abnormal behavior that affecting him. During the conversation Mr. Rosen should offer his assistant if ever needed as a reminder of working as a team. Anyone should feel at peace and concentrate on doing their Job without feeling like being watched or being stabbed in the back. Be sure to keep a written record, dated, time, and every event for future need. Manager or criticize the view. If there was no improvement, Mr. Rosen should take the next step by talking to his manager about his concern and ask for his manager advice to appropriately approach the issue. To avoid the negative repercussions that can come from backstabbing and other illegitimate behavior, manager should research and verify the incident. Never by pass your manager by going straight to the next level, because this can be much more complicated. Present your manager, the fact with any supportive written records you might have and pressing on the fact that this causing your Job’s performance and stress, and would lead to health issues. Backstabbers often claim to be a friend with their victims and act, as if they are hesitant about sharing negative information due to the friendship. Backstabbers aren’t our friend and we should be cautious and prepared of their existent. H. R. Dept. and the Chain of Command The next level can be accelerated to the human resource department if there is no improvement after reporting to the manager. Explain the fact that he had already taken all the necessary actions before proceeding to the H. R. Department. Again, Mr. Rosen will need to press firmly that this dilemma is causing his Job’s performance nd stress that will hurt not only him individually, but this will also impact the company performance as a whole. At this point, human resource should gather any necessary information and take appropriate actions. Hopefully, this is your last stop and be prepared if this doesn’t work, then elevate to the chain of command. There is a reason to every problem, and every problem needs to be resolved. Be sure to keep a written record of all time during this dilemma, since it will be needed to go to the chain of command. Write a complain letter with supportive documents include ritten records and present it to the chain of command and explain that this behavior is causing a hostile work environment. Conclusion One of the most political actions in organizations has consistently found to be promotion decisions. The opportunity for promotions or advancement encourages people to compete for limited resources and positively influence the decision’s outcome. Threatened with the loss of resources people may engage in political actions to safeguard what they have. Certain personality traits, needs, and other factors have been found by some researcher that is likely to be related to political behavior. However, any changes, especially those that imply significant reallocation of resources within the organization are likely to stimulate conflict and increase politicking. Many researches focuses on backstabbing aimed at organizations, but most sabotage is intended to harm a colleague, and generally benefits the perpetrator. It’s not easy to identify back stabber’s motivation. Backstabbers are jealous and generally insecure in themselves. They are very cruel and enjoy hurting others. It is never Justifiable to partake in backstabbing or any other illegitimate political behavior as soon, or later they’ll be caught and suffer the consequences.

The Mayan Conquest of the Kiche

In 1524, a band of ruthless Spanish conquistadores under the command of Pedro de Alvarado moved into present-day Guatemala. The Maya Empire had deteriorated some centuries before but survived as a number of small kingdoms, the strongest of which was the K’iche, whose home was in what is now central Guatemala. The K’iche rallied around leader Tecà ºn Umà ¡n and met Alvarado in battle, but were defeated, ending forever any hope of large-scale native resistance in the area. The Maya The Maya were a proud culture of warriors, scholars, priests, and farmers whose empire peaked around 300 A.D. to 900 A.D. At the height of the Empire, it stretched from southern Mexico into El Salvador and Honduras and the ruins of mighty cities like Tikal, Palenque and Copà ¡n are reminders of the heights they reached. Wars, disease, and famine decimated the Empire, but the region still was home to several independent kingdoms of varying strength and advancement. The greatest of the Kingdoms was the K’iche, at home in their capital of Utatlà ¡n. The Spanish In 1521, Hernà ¡n Cortà ©s and barely 500 conquistadores had pulled off the stunning defeat of the mighty Aztec Empire by making good use of modern weapons and native Indian allies. During the campaign, young Pedro de Alvarado and his brothers rose in the ranks of Cortes’ army by showing themselves to be ruthless, courageous and ambitious. When Aztec records were deciphered, lists of vassal states paying tribute were discovered, and the K’iche were prominently mentioned. Alvarado was given the privilege of conquering them. In 1523, he set out with about 400 Spanish conquistadores and some 10,000 Indian allies. Prelude to War The Spanish had already sent their most fearsome ally ahead of them: disease. New World bodies had no immunity to European diseases like smallpox, plague, chicken pox, mumps and more. These diseases tore through native communities, decimating the population. Some historians believe that more than a third of the Mayan population was killed by disease in the years between 1521 and 1523. Alvarado also had other advantages: horses, guns, fighting dogs, metal armor, steel swords, and crossbows were all devastating unknowns to the hapless Maya. The Kaqchikel Cortà ©s had been successful in Mexico because of his ability to turn long-simmering hatreds between ethnic groups to his benefit, and Alvarado had been a very good student. Knowing that the K’iche was the mightiest kingdom, he first made a treaty with their traditional enemies, the Kaqchikel, another powerful highland kingdom. Foolishly, the Kaqchikels agreed to an alliance and sent thousands of warriors to reinforce Alvarado before his assault on Utatlà ¡n. Tecà ºn Umà ¡n and the K’iche The K’iche had been warned against the Spanish by Aztec Emperor Moctezuma in the waning days of his rule and flatly rejected Spanish offers to surrender and pay tribute, although they were proud and independent and would most likely have fought in any event. They selected young Tecà ºn Umà ¡n as their war chief, and he sent out feelers to neighboring kingdoms, who refused to unite against the Spanish. All in all, he was able to round up about 10,000 warriors to fight the invaders. The Battle of El Pinal The K’iche fought bravely, but the Battle of El Pinal was a rout almost from the start. The Spanish armor defended them from most native weapons, the horses, muskets, and crossbows devastated the ranks of native warriors, and Alvarado’s tactics of chasing down native chieftains resulted in several leaders falling early. One was Tecà ºn Umà ¡n himself: according to tradition, he attacked Alvarado and decapitated his horse, not knowing that horse and man were two different creatures. As his horse fell, Alvarado impaled Tecà ºn Umà ¡n on his spear. According to the K’iche, Tecà ºn Umà ¡n’s spirit then grew eagle wings and flew away. Aftermath The K’iche surrendered but tried to trap the Spanish inside the walls of Utatlà ¡n: the trick did not work on the clever and wary Alvarado. He laid siege to the city and before too long it surrendered. The Spanish sacked Utatlà ¡n but were somewhat disappointed by the spoils, which did not rival the loot taken from the Aztecs in Mexico. Alvarado conscripted many K’iche warriors to help him battle the remaining kingdoms in the area. Once the mighty K’iche had fallen, there was really no hope for any of the remaining smaller kingdoms in Guatemala. Alvarado was able to defeat them all, either coercing them to surrender or by forcing his native allies to fight them. He eventually turned on his Kaqchikel allies, enslaving them even though the defeat of the K’iche would have been impossible without them. By 1532, most of the major kingdoms had fallen. The colonization of Guatemala could begin. Alvarado rewarded his conquistadores with land and villages. Alvarado himself set out on other adventures but frequently returned as Governor of the area until his death in 1541. Some Mayan ethnic groups survived for a while by taking to the hills and fiercely attacking anyone who came near: one such group was located in the region that currently corresponds to north-central Guatemala. Fray Bartolomà © de las Casas was able to convince the crown to allow him to pacify these natives peacefully with missionaries in 1537. The experiment was a success, but unfortunately, once the region had been pacified, conquistadores moved in and enslaved all of the natives. Over the years, the Maya have retained much of their traditional identity, especially in contrast to the areas that once belonged to the Aztecs and the Inca. Over the years, the heroism of the K’iche has become the lasting memory of a bloody time: in modern Guatemala, Tecà ºn Umà ¡n is a national hero, Alvarado a villain.