Night Hoops Essay Example for Free

Night Hoops Essay Fellow Word Shakers, When I started reading the book, Night Hoops by Carl Deuker, I was very bored. I felt like I wasn’t relating to the characters and the plot was moving too slowly. I questioned whether I should start a new book; however, I persevered just like Nick, and I am very grateful that I stuck with it. After reading Night Hoops, I have developed a new mindset on how I should pursue my goals no matter what impediments obstruct my ability to reach them. Nick, the protagonist, always dreamt of earning his spot on his high school’s varsity basketball team, but his road to the team was filled with family troubles; being overshadowed by his older brother, Scott; and run-ins with Trent, the local bully. However, Nick persevered through it all and accomplished his goal of making the varsity basketball team. Over the past few years, I have been extremely dedicated to becoming the best golfer I can be. However recently, I have lost my enthusiasm for the game. Because of this, I feel like I can relate to Nick and although he is a fictional character, use him as inspiration to rededicate myself to the game of golf. Aside from my fascination with Nick’s perseverance and dedication, I was intrigued by the friendship that developed between Nick and Trent, the local bully. At first, Trent and Nick didn’t get along. In fact, Trent beat Nick up. However, as Deuker took us through their relationship we saw how they soon became good friends who were connected through the game of basketball. From this, I realized that some of the people best fit for you could be right under your nose, but they put up a facade to support their tough guy image so you don’t get a chance to get to know who they truly are. Another aspect of the book that really captured my attention was how Nick’s father applied pressure on him to succeed in basketball. At first, this pressure really inhibited Nick’s ability to play good basketball. However, as he became used to the pressure and used it as motivation, Nick became the player both he and his dad always wanted him to be. This brings up the dilemma that a lot of parents struggle with today. Should they push their kids to succeed or should they let their kids succeed on their own? There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but I think it is fascinating that Deuker poses this question in a book written for teens. More than just my experience with the different characters, I loved Deuker’s very tangible description of the basketball games: â€Å"He caught it in stride, soared upward in the same fluid motion, and gently laid the ball against the backboard. It dropped through the net just as the horn sounded. A tenth of a second later we were jumping all over him† (167). I felt like I was at the game, sitting on the edge of my seat praying that the ball falls through the net, and jumping into the air screaming in joy when it does. Although I loved his poetic descriptions of the basketball games, I felt like too often he used very basic, simple language. Every book has its flaws, but if you are into basketball, like a story about perseverance, or want to be taken through a great friendship then this book is definitely for you. I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I did. Yours Truly,

Ballad Of Birmingham :: essays research papers

Dudley Randall's Ballad of Birmingham Dudley Randall's Ballad of Birmingham gives a poetic account of the bombing of a Birmingham church in 1963. The poem was written in ballad form to convey the mood of the mother to her daughter. The author also gives a graphic account of what the 1960's were like. Irony played a part also in the ballad showing the church as the warzone and the freedom march as the safer place to be. Writing the poem in ballad form gave a sense of mood to each paragraph. The poem starts out with an eager little girl wanting to march for freedom. The mother explains how treacherous the march could become showing her fear for her daughters life. The mood swings back and forth until finally the mother's fear overcomes the child's desire and the child is sent to church where it will be safe. The tempo seems to pick up in the last couple of paragraphs to emphasize the mothers distraught on hearing the explosion and finding her child's shoe. The poem also focuses on what life was like in the sixties. It tells of black freedom marches in the South how they effected one family. It told of how our peace officers reacted to marches with clubs, hoses, guns, and jail. They were fierce and wild and a black child would be no match for them. The mother refused to let her child march in the wild streets of Birmingham and sent her to the safest place that no harm would become of her daughter. Going to church in the ghetto in Birmingham was probably the safest place a mother could send her child. But this is where the irony takes place. The irony makes the church the warzone and place of destruction while the march was the safest place to be. The child was depicted as combed hair, freshly bathed, with white gloves, and white shoes, which is also ironic. The mother had sent an angel dressed in white to a firestorm from hell called church. The mother was completely sure that her daughter was safe until she

Parental Presence: A Research on its Effect on Child Development Essay

Parents are considered a blessing to man from God as they are responsible for who one grows up to be. It is a common belief that one’s behavior and demeanor is a reflection of their parent. In recent times, there has been an increase in number of cases relating to juvenile delinquency among youths. The society is said to be degenerate and morality is just a theoretical principle. The society has gone wild and there is an increase in nearly all forms of vices known to man: Prostitution, rape, violence, divorces, under age drinking and risky sexual behavior are at all time high. see more:paragraph on environment for asl Could it be that at some point parents just failed to note the magnitude of their role thus the development of a society where parents are themselves guided by immorality and therefore children have nothing positive to emulate or learn from their parents? If this is the case then the society is bound in a vicious cycle of immorality. Understanding the role played by the parents in a child life is of importance in determining the role played by parents in the problems and challenges that the society is faced with. This research paper analyses existing literature to try and develop an understanding of the role played by parents in the development of a child to aid the development of a virtuous society. Research Findings One of the main reasons as to why parents have to ensure they are stable before having children is the obligations that come with parenting. Though physical maturity is of importance in child bearing, psychological readiness and financial stability have a bearing on the levels of efficiency that will be attained by a parent in rising up a child. Parenting is a continuous process that starts from conception until the development of a child into early adolescence (Omer, & London-Sapir, 2004). Children who come from troubled families are said to be at risk of having traumatic lives due to the effects of poor parenting (Lyster, 2007). Parenting though a continuous process plays a considerable role in shaping ones conception of what life is and what the society expects. Parents who neglect their duties in parenting have themselves to blame when their children develop into delinquents and social outcasts. The objectives and the role played by parents in the development of a child has a great bearing on the effect they will have on their children which affect the people they will grow up to be. One of the most important roles that a parents play in the development of a child is ensuring they are well taken care of. Humans like any other animal forms take care of their children to protect them from negativities that may be presented by the environment like harsh weather and disease. It is a parental obligation to ensure that a child is well breastfed and taken care of by providing clothing, ensuring immunization and housing (McGowan, 2007). Doctors and medical specialists have advocated for breastfeeding for what they state as its relevance to the physical and mental development of a child. Levels of IQ have a close correlation to breastfeeding and so is proneness of a child to diseases (Berman, & Corwin, 2007). Research further shows that diseases that arise from malnutrition affect one not only at the point of occurrence but some conditions like rickets have an effect that may psychologically traumatize a child as he develops and relate to his peers in later stages of childhood. Exposing a child to poor conditions in times of harsh weather and not immunizing them may affect not only the physical development of a child by making then prone to diseases but may also affect their natural development and therefore have an effect on the levels of interaction and creativity that a child will exhibit. Introducing children to their parents and ensuring a child interest with peers is another role that a parent plays in the development of a child (Pantley, 2005). Every parent’s dream is to ensure that their children get along with their peers and are well behaved among their peers. It is worth noting that the behavior one displays at childhood is the basis upon which other environmental factors will impact on to develop a personality or demeanor. Basically the attitude and approach to life that one adopts in their childhood affects who they will grow up to be. When children grow up, they are in constant company of their parents due to the need to develop closeness with the parents and due to the role played by the parents in ensuring a child develops necessary social skills (Okagaki, & Luster, 2006). The presence of parents in the initial stages of child development is important in the development of a child into a human person and determines their ability to relate feelings. Mothers who are absent from their children have themselves to blame when such children develop more close contacts to house helps and baby sitters which deny them of the joy of child upbringing (Boyd, 2003). Absent parents deny themselves of the chance to develop close contact with their children whom may develop into adolescence and childhood. The development of a strong initial bond between parents and their children is central to the development of an understanding between parents and their children. Communication implements a media which in the case of parent-child communication are define by the bond that brings them together. Parents who complain that their children have a listening problem have themselves to blame for either implementing wrong approaches or poor development of a bond between them and their children which affect the levels of understanding that can be attained in their communication. Wrong approaches may arise from poor or lack of knowledge on how to communicate with children or could be a manifestation of the poor understanding of either the parent or child on the other both of which may be developed by absentee parenting. Though the presence of the parents is of importance and is widely accepted as being central to the development of a child, there are differences in the approaches used in parenting which have a bearing on the effects they have on the child. Some specialists are of the view that parents should be present and show their love and affection to their children by considering their feelings, desire and respect for their child’s viewpoints. The same high nurturance approach advocate for parental pride in accomplishments made by a child and encouraging them in times of stress. High nurturance approaches are associated with increased presence of parents in a child’s life and many children under this approach grow up knowing they are loved by their parents (Smith, 2005). Studies in children have confirmed that there are a number of advantages that come with a high nurturance relationship that may affect their development even in their childhood. Alderian approaches in psychological analysis are based on the premise that individuals are affected by their experiences childhood which affect their perception of events. High nurturance approaches are associated with the development of a more positively assured child which increase the likelihood that the child will spend more time with her parents and therefore the transmission of values from the parents to the child. The key assumption is that there are no negative values being transmitted; this is not often the case for negative morals may be transmitted to children if they are closely attached (Hybels, Harney, & Harney, 2005). It’s often said that the high contact approaches are also characterized by increased strife by children so as to continuously please their parents and gain their affection. Some are however of the view that though this may be true it manifest itself negatively where there are other sibling competing for the same affection and is therefore central to sibling rivalry which may be negative. Critics of increased presence of a parent in the activities and lives of their children are of the view that parents who adopt this approach have a propensity for being lax in challenging their children to adopt standards of behaviour that measure up to what is expected by the society. The child becomes more inclined to gaining attention of their parents that there is little transmission of values expected of the child by the society. Supporters to authoritative parenting to so due to the levels of nurture it permits (Hildebrand, 2006). However, the army like approach to dealing with children is not friendly and is often associated with the development of poor relationship between parents and their children. Authoritative parenting characterized by minimal contact between parents and their children is generally aimed at ensuring children gain knowledge on socially accepted ways. Contact only exist when a child is being admonished or punished which effectively develops a negative image of a parent while ensuring positive transmission of social values (Long,& Hoghughi, 2004). Permissive parenting is on the other hand characterized by the philosophy of freeness where the children are free to explore her options. Parents are loved under this approach though they are rarely present and the child develops values depending on who they interact with. Experts are of the view that permissive parenting is central to development of brats and social delinquents and should never be allowed in the modern vicious society. Opinions An analysis of research in parenting leaves one wondering what is expected of parents. The effects and characteristics of the different levels of proximity that can be attained by the parent on a child have been analyzed by specialists of all calibers. The material role played by the parent in the development of a child is not in question, differential views however arise in the role played by the parent and his presence in the moral and social development of a child. All approaches have failures and pros and there are few researchers who develop a clear understanding of the levels of proximity that is good for the development of a child. Psychological and developmental theories are founded on the basis of the role played by the environment in molding ones perception and therefore its effect on an individual. The parent and the society are both part of the environment that a child has to interact with to be aware of what is expected of him by the society and parents. It should be noted that a parent is a member of the society and therefore what she expects of her child should be a depiction of what the society expects. Moreover, most people in the current generation were raised up without references to written parenting guides and rules. The art aspect has been forgotten in trying to quantify the levels of closeness and contact those parents and their children should exhibit. Personal perception irrespective of the levels of development is affected by individual traits. Some children just want to be close while others were born independent; this quantification puts no consideration on individual characteristics, the art aspect of parenting and what parents gain from continued parenting. Conclusion There is no doubt that the parent plays a considerable role in the material development of a child. Provision of basic needs and other requirement that are central to child development must be ensured by parents. Though there is no guide of how present or close a parent should be it has a bearing on the social development of a child. Sparing the rod is a definite child spoiling recipe and being a dictators may lead to a situation that any parent dreads; being subject to hate by the child. Creation of a balance that ensures love between a parent and a child and transmission of social values which must also put into consideration the nature of the environment and the child should define the levels of proximity. References Berman, J. , & Corwin, D. (2007). The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy, Confident Kids. Boston, MA: New World Library. Boyd, B. (2003). Parenting a Child with Asperger Syndrome: 200 Tips and Strategies. Boston, MA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Hildebrand, V. (2006). Parenting: Rewards & Responsibilities. New York, NY: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. Hybels, B. , Harney, S. , & Harney, K. (2005). Parenting: How to Raise Spiritually Healthy Kids. London: Zondervan. Long, N. , & Hoghughi, M. (2004). Handbook of Parenting: Theory and Research for Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2004 Lyster, M. E. (2007). Building a Parenting Agreement That Works: How to Put Your Kids First When Your Marriage Doesn’t Last. New York, NY: Nolo. McGowan, D. (2007). Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion. New York, NY: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Okagaki, L. , & Luster, T. (2006). Parenting: An Ecological Perspective. San Diego, CA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Incorporated. Omer, H. , & London-Sapir, H. (2004). Nonviolent Resistance: A New Approach to Violent and Self-destructive Children. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning - 789 Words

Emotions in â€Å"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways† by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Robert Frost said: â€Å"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.† (Robert Frost) Emotions is the basis of poetry, which describe the main message of it and the authors purpose. In â€Å"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways†, by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, the author expresses her tremulous feelings to her husband Robert Browning by using strong emotions that allows her to produce a surprisingly passionate poem. Starting with the title â€Å"How Do I Love Thee,† the reader can already guess that a poem is about a big love. (Barret Browning 509) The title also shows that an author loves a significant person in many different†¦show more content†¦She has this feeling by her own free will, by decision of her heart: â€Å"I love thee freely, as men strive for right. I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.† (Barret Browning 509) The simile makes this poetry more interesting and lyrical. As a strong emotional instrument, the simile emphasizes the power of author’s love without a benefit or advantage. Comparison her feelings shows to the audience her uncompromising devoting herself to her lovely husband no matter what happens. Elizabeth Barrett Browning gained a love that instinctively felt long before the meeting with her future husband. The ninth and tenth lines described the author as a passionate flower blossoming in marriage with her husband: â€Å"I love thee with the passion put to use, In my old griefs, and with my childhood’s faith.† (Barret Browning 509) She did not know about such a deep and strong love before she met Mr. Browning. The connection between the spouses is so reliable, that a wife fully trusts him herself and her life. With the childhood faith, she is ready to open her soul for him. The author is confessing her greatest love as her mission. The line â€Å"I love thee with a love I seemed to lose with my lost saints† providing her emotional condition. (Barret Browning 509) She will live as long as she loves him and she is ready to sacrifice herself for their holy love. In the last two lines, Mrs. Barrett Browning exhibits a verdict that she wants to get from God: â€Å"Smiles, tears, of all my life; and,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Browning And Elizabeth Barrett Browning Essay1197 Words   |  5 Pagesliterary works usually describe the condition of their period directly or indirectly. The two authors, Roberts Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, also expose the culture and the condition of the society of the Victorian era through their works. The authors are married couple authors of the Victorian era. Roberts Browning’s a typical literary work is My Last Duchess. Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s one of the most famous work is Aurora Leigh. In the two poems, the authors mainly focus on the differentRead MoreEssay On Elizabeth Barrett Browning955 Words   |  4 PagesElizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning was an English poet of the Victorian Era. She was born on March 6, 1806 at Coxhoe Hall, Durham, England. Barrett had a big family, she was the oldest out of 12 children. Her parents, Mary Graham Clarke and Edward Barrett, educated their children at home. The family made their money off of Jamaican sugar plantations and depended on slave labor. Barrett began her love for reading and writing poetry at a very young age. She began reading the classicRead More Elizabeth Barrett Browning Essay1367 Words   |  6 PagesElizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in 1806 in County Durham, England. She was the eldest of twelve children born to Edward Barrett Moulin Barrett and Mary Graham Clarke. Elizabeth Barrett Browning, or Ba, grew up in her family’s estate Hope End, Henfordshire. They were part of the upper-middle class, owning a successful sugar trade. Elizabeth began writing at a very early age. When she was twelve her father had her first epic poem The Battle of Marathon privatelyRead MoreElizabeth Barrett Browning Essay1059 Words   |  5 PagesElizabeth Barrett Browning was born on March 6, 1806, in Coxhoe Hall, Durham, England. She was the eldest of eleven children born of Edward and Mary Moulton-Barrett (DISCovering Authors). Her father was a â€Å"possessive and autocratic man loved by his children even though he rigidly controlled their lives† (Encyclopedia of World Biography). Although he forbid his daughters to marry, he always managed to encourage their scholarly pursuits (DISCovering Authors). Her mother, Mary Graham-Clarke, was a prosperousRead MoreThe Life of Elizabeth Barrett Browning Essay1304 Words   |  6 Pages Elizabeth Barrett Moulton-Barrett was born March 6, 1806 in Durham, England to Edward Barrett Moulton-Barrett and Mary Graham Clarke. She was the eldest of twelve. Her father made the family fortune from a sugar plantation. In 1809, the Barretts moved to an estate called Hope End in England. Elizabeth Barrett’s childhood was spent happily at the family’s home in England. She had no formal education, learning solely from her brother’s tutor and from her continuous reading. She managed over the yearsRead MoreSpeech And Writing Of Elizabeth Barrett Browning1002 Words   |  5 Pageslived enough to know,† -Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Aurora Leigh v. 187). In the Victorian Age, a woman s greatest duty was that of being a wife and a mother. Women were told that they must be graceful, quiet, dependent, passive and to love with an absence of passion. They were of little individual worth apart from their husbands. A woman s enthusiastic interest in a higher, more a dvanced education was most definitely frowned upon by society. Elizabeth Barrett Browning outrightly questioned andRead MoreThe Cry Of The Children By Elizabeth Barrett Browning1368 Words   |  6 PagesElizabeth Barrett Browning’s â€Å"The Cry of the Children† is a poignant look into the horrid practice of child labor that took place in the mines and factories of 1840’s industrial England. Browning paints such a vivid, disturbing picture that she aroused the conscience of the entire nation. A new historicist perspective into this poem will help understand why Browning decided to take a stand and speak up for these children through her work. The poem opens with,† Do ye hear the children weeping,Read MoreSonnet 21 By Elizabeth Barrett Browning965 Words   |  4 PagesSonnet 21 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning is a poem where the speaker is questioning her partner s love for her. Barrett Browing uses a Petrarchan line scheme and iambic pentameter. The tone of the poem is riddled with raw emotion, uncertainty, and vulnerability. Throughout Sonnet 21, Barrett Browning demonstrates that the bloom of love, like spring flowers, is fleeting. The poem opens with, Say over again, and yet once over again,/ That thou dost love me (Barrett Browning 1-2). The opening lineRead MoreElizabeth Barrett Browning s The Cry Of The Children1067 Words   |  5 PagesElizabeth Barrett Browning’s â€Å"The Cry of the Children† Like many writers in the Victorian Age, Elizabeth Barrett Browning used her poetry as a platform to reach a larger audience to bring awareness to contemporary social issues (Greenblatt, â€Å"Elizabeth Barrett Browning† pp. 1,123). Common issues that were written about during the Victorian Age included inequality between men and women, child labor and the American abolitionist movement (1,123). According to the first footnote referenced in her poemRead MoreElizabeth Barrett Browning s The Battle Of Marathon1008 Words   |  5 PagesElizabeth Barrett Browning was born on March 6, 1806 in England. She was the first of twelve children. Her family were wealthy sugar plantation owners on the British held island of Jamaica Elizabeth was encouraged by her mother to learn several different languages and by the time she was six she knew French, Latin and Greek. In 1816, at age 10, Elizabeth was so proficient in French, she composed a classical French tragedy, Regulus. By the time she was twelve she was writing short novels and