Adult Influence in the Development of Self-awareness in Children Essay Example for Free

Adult Influence in the Development of Self-awareness in Children Essay An individual who has an awareness of who he/she is as a person are said to be happier than those who don’t. Having a strong sense of self enables us to make decisions about how we want to live our lives and pursue our dreams and ambitions. But how does one achieve self-awareness? Self-awareness is a life-long process, it is essentially being able to discover our individuality and come to terms with who we really are. The development of self-awareness is not a one-man show; rather our parents, teachers, peers and the media, constantly influence us. It is my belief that parents and teachers more than any other factor has the greatest influence in the development of our awareness. Thus, parents and teachers help and hinder the development of a child’s self-awareness. Parents and teachers provide the guidance and nurturing that children need to develop their sense of self. On the other hand they can also hinder the child’s quest for awareness if they insist that their child become what they could not be and to expect them to adopt their own worldviews. Read more:  Influences that affect childrens development essay An equal amount of guidance and rootedness will prove to be the best formula for a child to realize who they are as persons. Guiding children in their lives and nurturing their well-being can help children develop their sense of self. When parents and teachers guide children in the decisions they make in their lives it teaches children that they are persons of worth who can make their own decisions. Franeck said that if his parents did not push him to look for a job and live on his own, he might sill be living with his parents and would have become a failure. This shows us that young adults need to be prodded and to be challenged to take that step to live their own lives. Without this gentle prodding they might just stay in the dug-out indefinitely like the so called Importance of adults to a child’s growth to awareness Page#2 â€Å"boomerang kids† who are well-educated young adults and are living at home because they are broke and underemployed (Franeck, ). Teachers also guide children in their own way. They can help children realize who they want to be in the future. Success and achievement contributes to the child’s perception of who he/she is. When teachers tell their students that they are good at what they do, it builds their self-esteem and leads to increased awareness. Malcom X in his autobiography said that his teacher Mr. Ostrowski made him think about his future and what society had to offer him, which led to his awareness of his station in life and the desire to do something about it (The first major, ). Why do parents and teachers’ guidance and nurturance matter? Parents and teachers are the significant adults in every children’s lives thus, children see them as authority figures and what they say or do can leave lasting impressions in a child’s psyche and therefore affects the way he/she thinks of himself/herself. In contrast, when parents become too controlling and expect their children to espouse their own way of life and views without considering their child’s individuality they hinder the development of self-awareness. Likewise, when teachers become judgmental and do not treat his/her students the same way, then he/she hampers self-awareness. Controlling parents are those who impose their own value systems to their children and expect them to behave accordingly. This hampers the development of self-awareness because children are not able to think for themselves, they are not allowed to explore and deal with their individuality. Children become a reflection or a puppet of their parents and they cannot be expected to become mentally healthy and fully functioning individuals. Caroline Hwang (1998) had battled with the anguish of Importance of adults to a child’s growth to awareness Page#3 pleasing her parents and pursuing her dreams because she knew that her parents had sacrificed a lot for her and she was undoubtedly indebted to them, she knew she owed them the fulfillment of her parent’s dreams for her. As an adult, she still has not been able to establish her own identity, is not sure of her future and has not had a real intimate relationship. In the same way, Emilyn Lat’s (1991) experience also portrays how parents can impede a child’s growth of awareness. Lat had parents who did not want her to be Americanized, they dictated what she should and should not do with her social life. She grew alienated from her parents and looked to the government for help, but sadly was frustrated. Her parents threw her out because she refused to be turned into someone she did not want to be. Emilyn realized that society views children as an extension of their parents and not a separate person, thus her growing awareness of her self was painful and traumatic instead of having a healthy sense of awareness of who she is as a person. Teachers who are judgmental also encumber a child’s awareness of himself/herself. Teachers who do not treat their students equally especially if based on prejudice, perpetuate the culture of racial discrimination. To be able to have a sense of self, children should be able to believe in their selves their talents and abilities, when teachers tell them otherwise, it destroys them. Children come to think that they are not good enough, not smart enough to dream and aspire for something in the future. Consequently, when they grow up they become failures because they come to believe what their teachers told them. Then what are the best conditions for a child’s healthy sense of self-awareness? I believe that an equal amount of nurturing, guidance and cultural awareness would be the best provisions Importance of adults to a child’s growth to awareness Page#4 for self-awareness. Children who are guided by their parents, who are acknowledged and given the opportunity to explore their individuality, will grow to have a healthy sense of who they are. In the same way, when children know their roots and their cultural heritage they are more able to become who they want to be. If Emilyn had the same parents like Caroline’s and she had the same tenacity and courage of Emilyn, then both of them would have become the best of what they can be. It is without a doubt that significant adults play a major role in our lives and in developing our sense of self. Parents who are supportive and nurturing communicate the idea that the child is valuable and worthy of such treatment. Parents should be able to raise children by giving them love, the kind of love that helps them develop a positive self-concept and a sense of their worth. Teachers who are responsive to their students also tell children that they are persons who have the capability to achieve their dreams. It is important for each one of us to be able to develop a positive sense of self-awareness for it will help us better understand why we feel what we feel and behave as we behave. This understanding then gives us the opportunity and freedom to change and create the lives that we want. If we do not have the awareness or clarity of our being we will continue to get caught up in our internal dramas, irrational beliefs and negative perceptions of ourselves undermine the way we live our lives. The great Tao Tzu has this to say about self-awareness â€Å"Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment†. References Franek, Mark. Parent’s of twixters are at fault (publication details) Hwang, Caroline. The good daughter. Newsweek September 21, 1998 p16 Lat, Emelyn. Emancipated in American Families: Images and Issues (publication details) pp 244- 246 (year) Malcom X. The first major turning point in Emerging Voices: Readings in the American Experience (Publication details) pp 150-152 (year)

Movie Review of The Patriot Essay -- The Patriot Movies Film Revolutio

Movie Review of The Patriot I. Title- The Patriot Production Date- June 28th 2000 Major Characters- Benjamin Martin: Mel Gibson Gabriel Martin: Heath Ledger Charlotte Selton: Joely Richardson Johnny Issacs: William Tavington Lisa Brenner: Anne Howard Charles Cornwallis: Tom Wilkinson II. Movie Summary: â€Å"The Patriot† takes place during the Revolutionary War. It’s 1776 and intense fighting is going on in the north, while in the south the people are scrambling to recruit anyone who was willing to fight against the British. The main character, Benjamin Martin, is a veteran of the French and Indian war who wants independence from Britain, but is not willing to risk the safety of his already motherless children by going to war. His son Gabriel however, has a different view of the war, and enlists in the Continental Army without the consent of his father. Soon Benjamin is forced into action whether he wanted to be or not. When helping out hurt and wounded soldiers from both sides at his home he is viewed as a traitor, and Gabriel is ordered to be hanged. Benjamin’s son Thomas tries to help Gabriel, but is shot and killed by the brutal and nasty Colonel William Tavington, who also orders the Martin’s house to be burned to the ground. This understandably pushes Benjamin over the edge. He and his two younger sons then by themselves gun down over 20 redcoats and rescue Gabriel. Benjamin’s quick shooting and stealthful movements earn him the nickname of â€Å"The Ghost.† He then leaves his children with their aunt Charlotte, and forms a small militia group full of locals to help in the fight against the British and for personal revenge. Martin’s militia accounts for many redcoat deaths and cause a lot of trouble for the British. Col. Tavington however, results to his brutal tactics against the families and loved ones of the soldiers in Martin’s militia. Tavington is responsible for the deaths of Gabriel’s, wife, most of the citizens of their SC town, and later Gabriel himself as well. Martin’s army however overcomes much adversity, and plays a large part in the Continental effort. They later join up with the main Continental Army, and along with the long awaited arrival of the F rench, force Cornwallis and the British to surrender at Yorktown. Benjamin also gets his revenge by killing Tavington in the battle. This spells victory for the Americans and p... ...eeing this it gave us a look at what it might have been like if we lived during the war. I also disliked some things in the movie. I didn’t like how they put the British in a bad light regarding their involvement in the killing of innocent civilians. The brutal acts that were carried out in the movie by the redcoats could not be proven true. The movie also could have included information about other militia groups and the Continental Army as a whole. I also think that this movie was very one-sided. It was definitely pro-American, and against the British. This makes sense because it is an American movie, but I think it serves an injustice to some of the innocent British soldiers. Mainly Hollywood didn’t really care much about the historical accuracy, but they wanted to make an exciting movie that would sell tickets, and they did that in â€Å"The Patriot.† VI Bibliography Danzer, Gerald A., et al. The Americans. Boston: McDougal Littell, 1998. 108-117. Nash, Bruce. The Numbers. 1997. 13 Feb. 2005 . The American Revoulution Home Page. 1998. 14 Feb. 2005 . The Patriot. Dir. Roland Emmerich. Perf. Mel Gibson,Heath Ledger,and Johnny Issacs. DVD. Columbia Tristar , 2000.

Dr Martin Luther King Essay

We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating â€Å"For Whites Only†. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. † This part within Dr. King’s speech was very powerful as it gives you images of the mistreatment towards blacks, and their emotions, how it makes them feel. He uses figuritive language in the last sentence as he says â€Å"we will not be satisified until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream†, that is a similie. He was protesting against what rights the blacks did not have. â€Å"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I can see blacks and whites setting down at the table eating dinner and telling each other how their days went. That particular sentence warmed my heart with what Dr. King believed could and should be. â€Å"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and rothers. † Little black boys and girls joining hands with little white boys and girls is what imagine he provided with that phrase. His whole speech was filled with love and kindness. Multiple emotions were put off towards the audience to feel the pain of the mistreated black men and women and then the happiness and peace between blacks and whites if their wasn’t a racial issue.

Arthur Miller And His Influence On History - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 790 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/05/31 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Death Of A Salesman Essay Did you like this example? Arthur Miller was born in New York City on October 17, 1915. His career as a playwright began while he was a student at the University of Michigan. Several of his early works won prizes, and during his senior year, the Federal Theatre Project in Detroit performed one of his works. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Arthur Miller And His Influence On History" essay for you Create order He produced his first great success called All My Sons in 1947. Two years later, Miller wrote Death of a Salesman, which won the Pulitzer Prize and transformed Miller into a national sensation. This play is known as the first great American tragedy, and Miller achieved greatness as a man who understood the deep aspect of the United States. He published The Crucible in 1953, a searing statement of the anti-communist hysteria that infused 1950s America. He has won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award twice, and his Broken Glass in 1993 won the Olivier Award for best play of the London Season. The basis for the dramatic conflict in Death of a Salesman lies in Arthur Millerrs conflicted relationship with his uncle, Manny Newman who is also a salesman. Newman imagined a continuous competition between his son and Miller. Newman refused to accept failure and demanded the appearance of utmost confidence in his household. In his youth, Miller had written a short story about an unsuccessful salesman. His relationship with Manny revived his interest in the rejected manuscript. He transformed the story into one of the most successful dramas in the history of the American stage. In expressing the emotions that Manny Newman inspired through the fictional character of Willy Loman, Miller managed to touch deep chords within the civil mind. Death of a Salesman addresses the painful conflicts within one family, but it also tackles larger issues regarding to American national values. The play examines the cost of blind faith in the typical American dream. In this respect, it offers a postwar American reading of a personal tragedy. Death of a Salesman is a powerful drama, its indictment of fundamental American values of material success may seem somewhat harmless in todayrs age of consent national and individual self-analysis and criticism, but its challenge was quite radical for its time. After World War II ended in 1945, the United States faced serious and unforgiving tensions and conflicts. However, the economic situation was not improved for the poorest Americans during this time. The economic boom in the late 1940s brought high inflation, which kept poorer citizens from saving any money, and small farmers faced hard times because of government policies that benefited larger, corporate farmers. The lowest-paid workers in the country were the migrant farm workers, with sales clerks and unskilled laborers not far above them. Happy as a sales clerk and Biff being a farm worker, each of them struggling to maintain their honor. Because Americans felt so secure in their newfound inflation, they began using credit cards to purchase the products and services they needed. Willy Loman suffers from the effects of relying too much on credit, struggling to keep up his payments while trying to provide the necessities for his family. Although the war had seemingly lead to an unusual sense of American confidence, success and security, the United States became involved in a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. Americans felt obligated to achieve financial success, both as a way of defeating the Soviets and as a way to show their thanks for the freedom they were honored to possess by faith of living in a democratic society. The propagation of myths of a peaceful and consistent American golden age was weakened by constant anxiety about communism, harsh national conflict, and largely ignored economic and social stratification. Many Americans could not sign up to the extent of social conformity and the subjective cultural belief that a rich, thriving, timid rural middle-class upholded. Willyrs preoccupation with his financial status and his position in society reflect this Cold War attitude. The Great Depression and World War II led to major changes in the quality of the American government, beginning with President Franklin D. Rooseveltrs New Deal. The government became larger and more influential in the daily lives of American citizens. Instead of being a nation of rugged individuals, the United States became a nation of people who wished greatly for acceptance by their peers, which meant that they needed to appear successful in the eyes of society. Willy displays this wish for acceptance in his preoccupation with being well liked, which he views as the ultimate measure of success. Willy Loman, have no traditional sense of character because they look to other people to determine their self-image. This idea is reflected in Biffrs comment at the end of the play when he says that Willy didnt know who he really was.