Prison and Asylum Reform in the 19th Century Essay

In early American society, criminals that were held by our government we executed, whipped, and held in a dark cell for a short amount of time. The insane wandered around as a danger to themselves and people around them; and the churches caer took the poor. In the 1820s and 1830s there was a growing number of criminals, lunatics, and the poor people. Reformers wanted to establish an official institute for them. The reformers believed that reform and rehabilitation was possible in a controlled environment. The reformers had a few goals that they wanted to establish. They wanted more separation; the mentally ill children should not be held together with the convicts. They also wanted better prison grounds with better conditions. They wanted the abuse to be reduced; no more whipping and other forms of torture. They wanted change. Dorothea Dix was a Sunday school teacher at the East Cambridge jail. There, she was exposed to the horrible conditions these people had to live with such as no heat, no separation between the criminals, the children and the mentally ill. Dorothea was horrified by this and secured a court order to make improvements. She wondered about other jails in Massachusetts; so she traveled and the conditions were worse. She was so disturbed by what she saw she set out to reform prisons and asylums everywhere. Dorothea was a major factor in the reform. She helped cause awareness to the serious matter and she was responsible for the building of hospitals for the insane. In 1835 The United States had two of the best prisons in Pennsylvania. The two prisons were a product of the on going reform and were both a success. New York and Pennsylvania had the best prisons because they experimented with solitary confinement, where the criminal could reflect on their sins and not be infl uenced by other inmates. Dorothea Dix, in March of 1841, taught a Sunday class for woman at the East Cambridge Jail. This shows that she thinks that even if people are in jail or prison, that they are still people but just need to be world with. The question we are looking for is if prisons were meant for punishment or to help make these people better people for the future; future was a big question at that time. All in all, most of these reformers’ goals were met. They wanted change and they got it. They believed in something so much with such passion that they actually changed American history; and that is why  American justice system is one of the best.

Are AP Classes Worth It Should You Take Them

Are AP Classes Worth It Should You Take Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you're in high school, you've probably heard about AP classes. You might have even taken some already. But is all the hard work that goes into an AP class actually worth it? We think AP classes can be a great choice for students, as long as you’re well prepared, get a lot out of the class, and align your schedule to work with your college goals. However, AP classes might not always be the best choice. Keep reading to learn when AP classes are a good idea and when they're wasting your time- as well as what steps you must take to build an optimal schedule. How AP Classes Can Be Worthwhile: 4 Benefits There are several compelling reasons to take AP classes in high school. We'll discuss the different ways taking AP classes can help you discover new interests and make you a competitive applicant for college. #1: You Can Get a Challenging, Rigorous Academic Experience AP classes exist to expose high school students to college-level courses. Even though you’re taking the class at your high school, AP classes tend to have harder, more detailed curriculums than your typical high school classes do. So if you’re looking to take more difficult classes or want to impress college admissions offices with a rigorous schedule, AP classes can be a great way to up the rigor of your schedule. (As we’ve discussed in the past, AP classes are just one way to signal to colleges that you're taking the most challenging schedule available to you as a high school student.) AP classes are also useful for showing off a particular academic strength. For example, if you’re strong in math, taking AP Calculus BC and getting a 5 on the test is a concrete way to demonstrate your skills to admissions committees. #2: You Can Earn College Credit If you pass the AP test at the end of the school year (meaningyou get a score of 3 or higher), you will be eligible to receive college credit for that test. This processcan vary at different colleges. While some will grant you actual course credit, allowing you to graduate faster and therefore save time and money, others will use the AP credit to put you in harder classes as a freshman. Either way, AP credit can be very helpful! We recommend looking up the AP credit policies of schools you’re interested in to get a better idea of how the AP classes you want to take could save you time and/or money in college. #3: You Can Learn Time Management and Self-Study Skills Maybe this isn’t the most exciting reason, but taking AP classes can really improve your studying skills. Since AP classes culminate in a cumulative test at the end of the school year, you can’t just go from unit to unit as you can in other high school classes.Rather, you need to ensure you're retaining information the whole year and have a foolproof study plan for the AP test! While any good AP teacher will include review sessions in their curriculum, since there is limited classroom time, students will inevitably have to do some studying on their own. Speaking from experience, I learned a lot of my time-management and study skills by taking AP classes in high school. Every year, I made my own study schedules in the spring to make sure I was prepared for each AP test. Making study schedules and sticking to them ultimately helped me develop more effective time-management skills, which were invaluable in college! #4: You Can Explore New Interests Although some AP classes build off a typical high school schedule (particularly the math, English, history, and science classes), many others are more specialized. Taking these AP classes can allow you to explore specific fields of study as a high school student. Here are some examples of specialized AP classes: AP Micro and Macroeconomics Computer Science Psychology Art History Human Geography Statistics While you can definitely take these courses in college, taking the AP version in high school gives you early exposure and can help you discover a unique academic interest. A specialized AP class can also add a fun, interesting twist to your typical routine of math, English, science, and social studies. How AP Classes Can Waste Your Time: 5 Scenarios Taking AP classes can be helpful for a variety of reasons. But if you slack off, don't get much out of the material, or (worst of all) fail the exam, the AP program loses a lot of its benefits. In this section, we give you some reasons why the AP program might not be the best choice, and offer tips for making the most of your schedule. Scenario 1: You Fail the AP Test While an AP class isn’t a total waste if you fail the test- you still get the academic experience of a harder class, after all- it’ll be much less beneficial. As we discussed, you need a passing score in order to get college credit for an AP class.Without a passing test score, your AP class will be a lot less useful. What's more, colleges will look to see whether you passed the AP test. If you didn't pass, the AP class loses a lot of its admissions benefit. Even (or especially!) if you get an A in the class, that would just mean your class was too easy compared with those in the rest of the country. In short, how good an AP class will be for you hinges on whether you pass the exam or not. Scenario 2: AP Classes Ruin Your GPA Even if you pass your AP tests, if AP classes dramatically drag down your GPA, they won't be worth taking. Colleges want to see that you’re taking the hardest classes available to you, but they also want to see that you’re mostly succeeding and that you know your limits! This doesn’t mean that getting an A- in Calculus BC is a bad thing, though. (In fact, an A- in Calculus BC is more impressive than an A in regular Calculus.) What this does mean isthat taking four AP classes and getting Cs in all of them will not look good. As a general rule, don’t worry about an AP class knocking your usual grades down one half step- that is, an A to an A-, or an A- to a B+. But if you see a full grade drop, even in one class (A to B, B to C, etc.) that’s cause for concern. You should either make serious changes to your study schedule or, if you continue to struggle, consider dropping down to the regular course. This is why not overloading and knowing your strengths is important when signing up for classes! Scenario 3: You Don't Get Much Out Of the Class Even if you pass an AP class and the test, if you personally feel like you didn’t learn much or if the class didn’t improve your study skills, it might not have been worth it. Even if you get college credit for a particular class, it won't be worth it if you decide to take the same version of that class in college. It’s also not worth it if the class doesn’t significantly improve your studying or academic skills. Since all AP classes have a pretty big cost in terms of time, if they’re not serving to develop your academic interests or improve your skills, they’re likely not worth taking. This effect is more dramatic if you’re overloading on AP classes: the fourth AP class you take in a year might not add as much to your skills as it’s taking away from your time. For example, if you’re heading toward a humanities major in college (English, Economics, Political Science, etc.), trying to cram in AP Statistics and AP Calculus your senior year might not be helpful. You’re not likely to do a lot of deep learning in either math class if you’re also busy with college applications and other commitments. And if you don’t do well in these math classes, you might have to retake one in college anyway. Or, let's say you’re a future computer science major going out of your way to fit in an AP Human Geography class, just so you can have another AP class. This, however, likely won’t add much to your schedule, and if it’s not a personal interest, you probably won’t get much out of it. To sum up, if you're taking an AP class just because it's AP, you should reconsider taking it. You don't want to be this guy. Scenario 4: AP Classes Become Your Main Extracurricular While AP classes can be great- academically rigorous, cost effective, interesting- if they’re taking away from the rest of your schedule, those benefits begin to shrink. For example, if you neglect studying for the SAT/ACT because you’re so busy with AP classes, this can really hurt your college admission chances. We strongly recommend taking adequate time to study for the SAT/ACT, since having a high score can greatly boost your college admission and scholarship chances. Furthermore, if you stop getting involved in extracurriculars because you’re too busy studying, that doesn’t help your college applications, either. We’re not saying you need to be a perfectly well-rounded student who's in 10 clubs. But we do think it’s important to a have a few strongly developed interests- and overloading on AP classes can take away from that. In short, AP classes should enhance your schedule and indicate your academic interests- they shouldn't be your chief extracurricular. Scenario 5: You Burn Out in High School Even if you do really well in all your AP classes, you need to have the big picture in mind. If you graduate senior year completely exhausted and struggle your freshman year of college, you’re setting yourself up for a substandard college experience. Remember that the goal of AP classes- and high school in general!- is to be prepared to do well in college. Taking one less AP class but staying more sane and balanced might actually help you more in college than overloading your schedule with APs. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your AP schedule, don’t feel bad about dropping an AP class. If dropping that class allows you to do better in your other classes and stick to your commitments, it will be better for you in the long run. You don't want to be running on empty during your freshman year of college! Next Steps: Should You Take AP Classes? As you know, AP classes can give a huge boost to your college applications, but they can also hurt your college chances if you're not careful. So how do you make sure you're getting the most out of your AP classes? Follow the steps below to make sure your AP schedule is challenging but not overwhelming. Step 1: Learn the Reputation of AP Classes at Your School Learning the reputation of AP classes at your high school can help you decide if taking certain AP classes is worth your time. There is a huge amount of variation in how AP classes are taught at different high schools. You'll struggle if an AP class is poorly taught or overly difficult. On the flipside, a well-taught class might not only help you pass the AP test, but also help you discover a new academic interest. Talk to your guidance counselor, older students, and other teachers at your school to get a sense of which AP classes have positive buzz- and which ones have a reputation of being overly hard or poorly taught. Don’t necessarily avoid a hard class, especially if it’s in an area of interest for you. Also, don’t sign up for multiple AP classes with especially tough reputations the same school year. But if an AP class has rave reviews at your school, strongly consider adding it to your schedule! Step 2: Consider Your College Goals Knowing your college goals can help you decide between AP classes or how many AP classes to take. For example, if you’re aiming for your local state school and want to complete as many general education requirements as possible during high school, you should focus on core subject AP classes, such as Calculus, Literature, Biology/Chemistry/Physics, and US History. However, if you’re trying to get into top colleges, you'll want to use AP classes to demonstrate your academic strengths. In this case, your AP classes might be more concentrated in either math/science or the social sciences/humanities, depending on your interests. Check out our in-depth guideto learn moreabout choosing the right number of AP classes based on your college goals. Step 3: Talk to Your Guidance Counselor Your counselor will be able to help you come up with a challenging but manageable schedule. She'll also have a sense of your school’s context, including how many AP classes students take on average, which teachers get the best AP test results, and how to build a challenging schedule that doesn’t overload on AP. Even if you don’t have a close relationship with your counselor, it’s her job to know about school context, and she has lots of important information.So don’t be afraid to make an appointment and talk through your AP plans with your counselor! Step 4: Remember the Big Picture Your goal in high school is to learn as much as possible and be prepared for college. Taking one extra AP class is not going to dramatically affect your future, but cultivating a strong academic or extracurricular interest will. Try to create a course load that is both challenging but reasonable, and definitely don’t hesitate to drop something from your schedule- e.g., an AP class, a sport, volunteering- if you’re feeling like you’re reaching your breaking point! What’s Next? Need more help picking AP classes? Learn about the hardest and easiest AP classes you can take. AP classes are great, but they’re not going to guarantee admission to college. Learn why a high SAT/ACT score is the best single way to improve your chance of admission to a competitive school. Studying for the SAT or ACT?Check out our in-depth study guides to the SAT and ACTfor expert tips and the best study materials available online! Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Archidamus and Pericles during the Greek Wars essays

Archidamus and Pericles during the Greek Wars essays Pericles of Athens and Archidamus of Sparta devised net assessments that both believed would provide strategies that would bring victory and peace for their respective states. This essay will show that Archidamus did a better job of net assessment prior to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War. A clear definition and understanding of net assessment is necessary. Prof Thomas Mahnken of the Naval War College, provided the following definition: "Net assessment is a process that helps you understand the nature of the war upon which you are embarking, identify your comparative advantage, and devise a strategy to capitalize upon your strength and exploit your enemy's weakness" (Mahnken, Student Handout, p. 1). This definition can be broken down into three elements, 1) understanding the nature of the war, 2) identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy to identify a comparative advantage, and 3) devise a strategy to achieve victory. I will touch on these elements, other key p rinciples, and the history of the war itself as the foundation to support my argument. Before examining the main issue, it is important to note the goals in which the two leaders in question are attempting to achieve with their respective speeches and the impact these goals may have had on their assessments. Archidamus goal was to convince the Spartans that the time was not right for war, and if the Spartans were to go to war unprepared, they would certainly meet with disaster. The assessment in his speech focused primarily on the opponent's strengths and excludes any potential weaknesses of the enemy. Archidamus was fighting an up hill battle in an attempt to buy time, which would favor, in his assessment, a better long-term strategy for victory. Pericles, in quite the contrast, was advocating that the Athenians go to war, for it was impossible for them to be defeated. Therefore, Pericles highlighted all the strengths of the Athenian empire that...

Is the Concept of Race Biologically Valid Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is the Concept of Race Biologically Valid - Essay Example Thesis Statement There is less scientific backing and more political leanings in the claim that race is no longer a biologically valid concept. Argument It must be accepted that in the article â€Å"Is ‘Race’ and outdated† concept C. Loring Brace does sound very convincing in his arguments that the concept of race is biologically outdated. The main props for this argument lie in color variations arising from the sun light and climates in regions, where harsher the sunlight the darker the skin in response to the human body’s response to higher doses of ultraviolet rays; sickle cell anaemia developing as a protection response against Malaria in Italy in Europe and the Middle East before being passed on to the Africans once interaction between the continents occurred and the closer blood patterns between the white Europeans and the black Africans than the yellow easy Asians; and blood factor analysis demonstrating traits transcending racial divides. (1). All t hese arguments get summed up into arguments that are based on the cline, which is a gradient of change. (2). These are merely observations that have no scientific basis. Were we to validate all our concepts merely on the basis of observations, without giving credence to other possibilities, we would merely be enacting the story of the blind men and the elephant.

Egyptian Style Rendering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Egyptian Style Rendering - Assignment Example The creativity aspect of Egyptian art is evident in the variety of art created with some seemingly contradicting one another. However, with in art symbolism always plays a major role and it depends on how a particular piece of art is interpreted and the contradictions may be a way of concealing the deeper meanings. Figure 1 shows an example of an ancient Egyptian drawing of a god. An analysis of the drawing will bring out some key characteristics of Egyptian art. Figure 1 Essence of the Drawing An important aspect of ancient Egyptian art was to bridge the gap between mortals and the gods and to improve the understanding of the mortals of the gods. The drawing in figure 1 shows an Egyptian god depicted by the fact that it has the head of an animal. According to Aloi, the use of animal heads did not essentially refer to physical animals but depicted spiritual animals that were considered to have godly statures (2012). For instance, the Egyptian god Anubis is always depicted as having t he head of a jackal. The drawing in figure 1 was meant to educate Egyptians on religious belief and to instill in them a feeling of awe towards the gods. Despite the fact that the drawing has a human body, it is evident that the head is that one of a spiritual animal. The use of animal heads was also important in drawing to create a distinction between mortals and gods. According to Aloi, the use of animal heads in ancient art had roots in the perception of human beings with regard to certain animals. Aloi continues to outline that different animals aroused different perceptions in different cultures and this is evident in how different cultures use animals differently in their respective works of art. However, one common aspect in the use of animals in art was that there was a deeper meaning of a feeling that the work of art intended to portray and arouse. Therefore, the drawing was created to show all Egyptians that it was of a god and to consolidate the powers of the kings of Egy pt especially immediately after the introduction of the kingship. According to Frankfort (1978), in the Egyptian Heirarchical system the Kings closely followed the gods and were even sometimes accorded godly statuses. Frankfort outlines that before the kingship period in Egypt the depiction of gods in works of art was not very common. However, after the introduction of the kingship Egyptians artists began showing interest in the depiction of gods. The fact that the gods were supposed to be held in high esteem and awe also meant that the kings were to be given an almost similar position. The work of art was meant to ensure that kings immediately after the introduction of kingship were able to consolidate power against foreign and domestic opposition. This is depicted by the fact that Egyptians worshipped their kings and other neighboring communities were afraid of the Egyptian kings. The Value of the Drawing The depiction of a god in any drawing was always aimed at bringing out some important aspect of life after death in the Egyptian culture. The gods assured Egyptians that there was in deed life after death and that they were not to be afraid of dying but rather look forward to it (Frankfort, 1978). Man has always been disturbed by what happens after one dies bringing into perspectives aspects such as religion, gods and reincarnation. The Egyptians were not exceptions considering that calamities

Rewrite lecture review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rewrite lecture review - Assignment Example The suggestion that were made to contact people and groups were really amazing because they would rarely cross one’s mind. The suggestions included the social media group page for Star Trek fan conference or rare car owners club. Twitter is the main social media site that is being used by the police to instantly communicate with the public. However, a few of police officers make use of other social media platforms such as Google+ to ensure efficient and service to the neighbourhoods they are offering security. Other than using social media as a tool for communication, police are also monitoring it for criminal of offensive activity. In my view, social media can be a very effective tool in law enforcement if not misused by the police workers. The administrators of law enforcement must establish proper controls over the use of social media to increase the benefits and reduce incidents of misuse by their staff. In doing so, the potential of social media in police force may fully be realized. Toin Pijnenburg works as a manager for change also coaches a number social media sites such as Prezi. Mr. Pijnenburg is the owner of Toin XXL. He is always startled by change and constantly seeks it mainly through putting himself in situations that are inconvenient and assisting others in overcoming change. He made an introduction on the media in the past few decades and its shift to the internet in class. According to him, the present day objectives are changing in their aims. In the past they had to be relevant and achievable, but today, these qualities have been taken for granted. While lecturing, he suggested that the pace of modern society can be reflected better by ambitious and revolutionary. He used Wikipedia as an example on how the audience can assist in creating and developing a web site. Wikipedia unlike other mediums or emails that may require extra services

Harry Lavender Essay Essay Example for Free

Harry Lavender Essay Essay The Life and Crimes of Harry Lavender undermines many of the stereotypes within the genre of crime ? c? on. Marlene Days’ prominent themes are introduced in the extract. Power is characterised par? cularly through the antagonist, Sydney underworld ? gure Harry Lavender. Day also portrays the idea of decep? on and facade through her rendering of the duality of the city of Sydney and the characters within it. Days’ se%ng of the late 1980s conveys an era where new technology is seen and an ominent threat and a useful tool. These themes are represented in the extract and a novel as a whole. Claudia valen? ne is represented as a powerful individual within the ? rst few pages of the novel. Day establishes her independence and control as a woman with the quote â€Å"no one gets into my room, let alone my bed, without one. † It evokes a sense power and control and challenges the expecta? ons of women, as women are seen weaker in the world. Day also expresses the idea of power exceedingly through the antagonist Harry Lavender. Giving his status in the underworld of Sydney, Lavender is considered a man of power. â€Å"I am a famous legend in my ? me† The use of ? rst person narra? on gives the audience a sense of personal connec? on with the inner feelings of Lavender, as well as showing what Lavender sees towards himself. Decep? on is an integral element conveyed in The Life and crimes of Harry Lavender. The idea of decep? on and facades is par? cularly shown though both protagonist and antagonist, as well as Sydney’s duality of light and dark.