Message Cautious Listening Essay Example for Free

Message Cautious Listening Essay Listening can occur in: 1. One-on-one communication or face-to-face conversations 2. a small group 3. large group Levels of attentiveness 1. Nonlistener. This individual is preoccupied with personal thoughts unrelated to the speaker’s message. 2. Passive listener. This person hears the speaker’s words without really understanding them. This incomplete absorption means the listener lacks a coherent view of the entire message. 3. Semi-active listener. The listener attempts to get what the speaker says but still doesn’t understand the total intent. 4. Active listener. This person is more effective. The listener pays close attention to the words and their context. HEARING VS. LISTENING Hearing is a physical process; listening is a mental one. Listening involves comprehending and retaining what is heard. The listening process The listening process consists of 4 elements: 1. Hearing. It is a physiological process. When we hear, the auditory nerves are stimulated by sound waves. 2. Filtering. It is the elimination of unwanted stimuli. Filtering allows the listener to focus on stimuli that are of special interest. 3. Interpreting. The listener’s mind assigns meaning to the stimuli. 4. Recalling. It involves remembering at a later time the information that was interpreted earlier. Guidelines for effective listening 1. Concentrate on the message 2. Determine the purpose of the message ï‚ · Cautious listening ï‚ · Skimming ï‚ · Scanning 3. Keep an open mind 4. Use feedback 5. Minimize note taking. 6. Analyze the total message 7. Do not talk or interrupt Barriers to listening A listening barrier is anything that interferes with the listening process. 1. Physical distractions 2. Mental distractions 3. Health concerns 4. Nonverbal distractions 5. Inappropriate timing 6. Ineffective speech characteristics

Analysing Homelessness And Potential Causes Social Work Essay

Analysing Homelessness And Potential Causes Social Work Essay Homelessness is not a problem of Irish government housing policy; it is a problem of individuals. In order to discuss this statement both structural and individual causes of homelessness will have to be examined. There are a number of personal issues which contribute to the complex issue of homelessness, and how much these contribute to a individual becoming homeless in Ireland will have to be determined. Both statutory and voluntary agencies involved in the area of service provision for the homeless have different views on the definition of homelessness, and both definitions will need to be explored. Over the years in Ireland the government has attempted to address the homeless issue with various acts and strategies and I feel it would be necessary to review the implementation and impact of such interventions on the homeless problem. Finally the impact of government housing policy on homelessness will have to be examined and discussed. Homelessness and its causes cannot be easily explained. Both structural and individual issues interact to contribute to this complex problem. Personal problems such as psychiatric illnesses, domestic violence, poverty, unemployment, addiction and disability are just some of the problems that are believed to contribute to an individuals pathway to homelessness. Leaving state care such as prisons or psychiatric hospitals, without the proper safeguards being put in place can also be a factor in an individual becoming homeless. With regard to the definition of the term homelessness, it wasnt until the 1988 Housing Act that the first legal definition of homelessness was introduced. 1988 Housing Act Unlike a number of countries throughout the European Union, presently a right to housing does not exist in Ireland. However, there has been policy and legislation enacted to assist those who cannot afford housing in acquiring their own home. The 1988 Housing Act obligates local authorities to carry out assessments every three years, of those who are in need of housing or who are homeless. In regard to homelessness this Act cleared up earlier confusion as to which statutory body was responsible for the homeless, by leaving responsibility at the door of the local authority. Prior to this, under the 1953 Health Act, the Health Authority was responsible for providing assistance to those who were incapable of providing shelter for themselves. Although this Act does not oblige local authorities to provide accommodation, it does how ever permit such authorities to assist the homeless. Also prior to this, under the Vagrancy Act, homeless people were often highly criminalised for such offence s as wandering abroad, not being able to give a good account of ones self and not having any visible means of subsistence. The Act changed this by taking such offences off the statute books. Another provision of the Act authorises local authorities to provide assistance to approved voluntary agencies involved in the area of provision of welfare and housing for the homeless. An important part of this act was the first legal definition of homelessness. Under Section Two of the Act a person is classified as homeless if: there is no accommodation available and which, in the opinion of the authority, he, together with any other person who normally resides with him or who might reasonably be expected to reside with him, can reasonably occupy or remain in occupation of, or (b) he is living in a hospital, county home, night shelter or other such institution, and is so living because he has no accommodation of the kind referred to in paragraph (a), and he is, in the opinion of the authority, unable to provide accommodation from his own resources. While voluntary agencies welcomed this first legal definition of homelessness there were some criticisms of the Act. Focus Ireland, a leading voluntary organisation in the provision of services to the homeless, believed the Act failed to go far enough. One of their main criticisms of the Act was its failure to legally oblige local authorities to provide housing for the homeless. As well as this, they believed the act was too narrow and did not provide for those at risk of homelessness. Focus Ireland divides homelessness into three broad categories; the visible homeless, the hidden homeless and those at risk of homelessness. The visible homeless are those sleeping rough or those residing in emergency accommodation such as bbs or shelters. The hidden homeless are families or individuals involuntarily sharing with friends of family, in insecure, inadequate and often sub-standard accommodation. Finally those at risk of being homeless, these are people who have housing but are likely to b ecome homeless due to economic difficulties such as rent being too high, insecure accommodation or health difficulties (Focus Ireland, 2002). Reviews of the impact of the1988 Housing Act on homelessness Follow up reviews of the implementation of 1988 Housing Act painted a bleak picture in regard to its impact on the problem of homelessness. Kellehers (1990) review stated that the Act had minimal affect on the problem and that greater co-ordination needed to exist between statuary and voluntary agencies involved in the delivery of services to the homeless. He also pointed to the need for the development of a housing forum, consisting of both statutory and voluntary agencies to tackle the problem. Two years after this, in 1992, Lawless and Dillon carried out a survey on local authorities throughout the country and found that only five authorities had staff specifically trained to cater for the needs of the homeless. This led to authorities providing basic shelter, with very little services being developed to cater for the needs of the homeless (OSullivan, 2005). These studies were pointing to the need for co-ordination between services, but it wasnt until almost eight years later that the government acknowledged that such an approach was required. Homeless strategies The 2000 Homelessness: An Integrated Strategy, was the first real acknowledgement by government that an integrated approach to the problem of homelessness was required to tackle the problem. The report found that a wide variety of services existed for the homeless, but very little co-ordination existed between these services. Another part of the report suggested that the majority of services focused primarily on emergency needs such as shelter and food and as a result homeless people became stuck in such accommodation. The report suggested that the focus needed to be more on moving people out of homelessness and, in conjunction with this, putting preventative measures in place that would prevent homelessness. An important part of the strategy was to clear up earlier confusion as to who had responsibility for meeting the different needs of the homeless. The strategy clearly states that local authorities are responsible for meeting the accommodation and housing needs of people who are homeless, while health boards are responsible for meeting their health and care needs (www.homelessagency.ie). In 2004 the Simon Community, a voluntary organisation involved in delivering services to the homeless reviewed the Integrated Strategy. They believed that through focusing on the complexities of homelessness, the strategy takes away from the fact that the foremost need of someone who is homeless is housing (www.simoncommunity.com). As part of the overall homeless strategy, in 2002 the government introduced the Homeless Preventative Strategy. The key element in this strategy was to ensure that no one left state care without measures being taken to ensure they had a place to live upon leaving. This included people leaving prisons, hospitals and juvenile centres. While there have been improvements in this area, there is still much to be achieved. These strategies have had an impact on the homeless problem but the recent freeze in funding for homeless services by the HSE has put the achievements of the last 7 years in jeopardy. A new project ran by the De Paul Trust, which was going to provide 30 new homes to those moving from emergency accommodation, could not go ahead due to lack of funding. A number of other services have also being affected by this lack of funding (The Irish Times, 2008). Housing Policy The term Housing policy is used to describe policy implemented by government in regard to the housing market. Blackwell (1988, p75) defined housing policy as any deliberate course of action which is designed to affect housing conditions. Through policy and legislation, the government intervenes to create a well organized housing market. This can be done through direct interventions such as setting minimum standards for housing conditions as well as directly providing housing (local authority housing) to the public. In addition to this government may provide tax relief and state loans to people purchasing their own homes, as well as providing welfare (rent allowance) to those on low incomes who are renting in the private sector. The state can also act to determine which source of tenure will be predominant within society (Quinn et al, 1999). The three types of tenure that exist within Ireland are owner occupied, social housing and the private sector. In Ireland today the type of tenure promoted by government is that of owner occupied. This is shown in figures produced by euro stat () that 82.3 percent of the Irish population are living in owner occupied housing, compared to an EU average of 63.4 percent. Since the 1970s the Irish government have promoted this type of tenure in a number of ways; through tax relief, the waiving of stamp duty on the purchasing of new homes, etc. In addition, the government has also made it possible for low income households who are renting local authority housing to purchase their houses at a lower than normal prices, shared ownership, affordable housing. Although the promotion of this type of tenure appears ideal in theory it has the undesired effect of excluding those who can not afford such housing (www.cori.ie). Housing need Obliged by the 1988 Housing Act in 1991, local authorities carried out a count on those in need of housing and the figure recorded was 23,242 with - of these being homeless. Two years later a further count reported an increase of over 5000 and the figure stood at 28,624 with homeless people making up. Both these counts took into consideration those who were on the waiting list and those who were not. Voluntary agencies working with the homeless challenged the validity of these counts and were highly critical of methods used to conduct the count. In response to these criticisms, government commissioned the Economic and Social Research Institute to investigate the criticisms of the count, and it was concluded that an undercount had taking place. One of the main concerns of this report was that local authorities lacked the skills and knowledge required to respond effectively to issues that often accompanied homelessness, such as addiction or mental health problems. It recommended greate r co-ordination between voluntary agencies and the health board and highlighted the need for clarification concerning policy in relation to the housing of one-person households by local authorities. Due to the shortage of social housing being provided and the continuing growth in numbers of households on the waiting list, there was very little provision for the housing of one- person households (OSullivan, 2005). Lack of social housing One of the effects of government promoting the tenure of home ownership is the lack of resources being allocated to the tenure of social housing. In 1996 there were 27,427 households on the local authority housing waiting list and by 2002 this had grown to 48,400. The 2005 count saw a slight decrease at 43, 684. At this rate it would take until 2033 to eliminate the current waiting list and this is providing there are no new entrants to the waiting list (www.cori.ie). Naturally families are given priority when it comes to the order of selecting those on the waiting list for local authority housing. Its interesting to note that () % of the homeless are individual households and this very fact means that they are inevitably not a priority for local authority housing. In an article written by McVerry Carrol (2007) they believed one of the main obstacles to addressing the homeless issue was the failure by government in the provision of long term accommodation. An interesting fact in thi s article was expenditure on homeless services in Dublin, the budget which stands at 54 million a year is the equivalent of spending à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬74 a day per homeless person, with the price of a mortgage for 1st time buyers standing at à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬46,22 (assuming an average house price of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬270,000). They felt the key instrument in addressing homelessness was firstly providing suitable long term accommodation and then provide a service which would support the individual or family in maintaining such accommodation. This approach, they believed would greatly diminish the need for the web of services that currently exist to address the homeless issue (www.cfj.ie). Conclusion In conclusion, it can be seen that there are a vast amount of circumstances that contribute to an individual or families becoming homeless. Stating that homelessness is a problem of individuals seems to be too simplistic a view and fails to allow for the failure of Irish government to provide housing for one of the most vulnerable groups in society. Although the government has increased funding in tackling the problem of homelessness, the question has to be asked, has this funding being used wisely? It seems as if the cart has been put before the horse as far as addressing the issue of homelessness is concerned. If theres to be any substantial progress made in addressing the homeless issue, providing housing has to be the primary objective. After addressing this very basic need, services need to be developed to assist people in maintaining such accomodation. http://www.simoncommunity.com/uploads/File/position/Taking%20the%20Integrated%20Strategy%20Forward%20Feb%2004.pdf The Irish times, February, 28, 2008 http://www.homelessagency.ie/about_homelessness/integratedStrategy.html http://www.cfj.ie/content/view/152/96/ 614781157279

The Struggles of the Youngers in A Raisin in the Sun Essay -- Raisin S

The Struggles of the Youngers in A Raisin in the Sun   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun depicts the struggles of three generations of the Youngers family in the 1950's of poorer Chicago.   Act 2, scene 2 of the play displays an understanding of the Youngers and the atmosphere in which they live.   In just a few pages, Lorraine Hansberry reveals the struggles enforced upon the characters individually as well as with their united desires as a family.   Individually, each character must overcome prejudice from his family and associates, while still enduring struggles and hardships that diminish any intended goals.   Together, however, the Younger family must overcome the racial bigotry incurred by society, while still maintaining social pride and integrity.   In contrast, a predominant expression of hope and encouragement is a factor in the lives of such characters, as revealed by the author.   With the use of dramatic elements to interpret the events of this section of the play, in addition to the issues of race and gender, it is obvious that the Youngers represent a black family struggling towards middleclass respectability not only in society, but in their own home as well.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To interpret the significance of this scene, it is necessary to consider the environment, including the way the scene is set up and other devices used to interpret the situation.  Ã‚   Set in the home of the Younger's, the scene represents the Youngers' living conditions.   Objects such as packing crates are thrown into the scene, representing the moving of the family.   All dramatic elements intertwine to offer an o... ...p; Props such as the bed, the phone, the radio and the newspaper had bold meanings associated with them.   The actions of the characters and the struggles they faced with issues of racial discrimination and gender differences symbolize the struggles of society as a whole.   The time, the 1950's, the reference to the Ku Klux Klan, and the place Chicago, represent a period of great trials and tribulations for black people overcoming the slavery of their people in America.   Throughout the entirety of the play, issues of gender and race play a recurring role.   It isn't until Act 2, scene 2 of the novel when hope is sought for these issues.   Through the revelation of this section, it is discovered that the Younger's are a family with a lot of pride who struggle and seek hope to better their position in the corruption around them.   

The KKK versus the Anti-Klan Movement Essay -- Essays Papers

The KKK versus the Anti-Klan Movement The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is the oldest and largest gathering of White Christian men and women. As the oldest White's Right group in the world, members of the Ku Klux Klan face much criticism from the rest of society and are constantly trying to break down the negative stereotypes and connotations that are associated with the KKK. In fact, the Confederate flag is now in question as a device to distinguish the organization as it has been deemed a symbol of bigotry and injustice toward African Americans in the south. In this paper, we will first look at the KKK as an organization and the principles upon which they were founded. Later, we will look at the claims that the KKK is not a "hate" group and the reasons why others feel differently. We will also examine other groups and their feelings for and against racism. There are literally hundreds of organizations world-wide for and against racism. We will look at some of these groups, and how some share the similar beliefs as the Ku Klux Klan and others as they combat the evil the KKK spreads. The Knights of the Ku Klux Klan was founded on Christmas Eve in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee. Following the Civil war, the Klan was formed by the former Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest in order to protect the wives and children of the Confederate dead. The rise of this organization after the Civil War was also due largely to the fact that Jews were profiting from negro's work on cotton plantations. This is why the Confederate men and women had so much hostility toward Jews and negros. Forrest originally named the group "Kuklos Klan," a mixture of Greek and Scottish meaning "family circle." Many branches of the group sprang up all over th... ...97. "Stormfront White Nationalist Resource Page." http://www.stormfront.org/ March 24, 1997. "Aryan Nations/KKK Rally." http://www.coil.com/~ara/rally.html April 1, 1997. "Ku Klux Klan." http://xroads.virginia.ed April 1, 1997. "FAQ of the KKK." http://www.danger.com/kkk March 24, 1997 "Town Continues to Fight Against Klan." http://www.tcac.com/~steveb/pulaski.html April 9, 1997. "On the Scene." http://louisville.com/loumag/june/scene6.htm April 9, 1997. "Klan Launches Ugly Attack on Indiana's Amish." http://www.communinet.org/News_Journal/klan.html April 9, 1997. "KU KLUX KLAN." http://www/media.utah.edu/medsol/UCME/k/kkk.html March 24, 1997. "Anti-Racist Action~Columbus." http://www.infinet.com/~keep/ara.html April 1, 1997. "Other Sites: Anti-Racist Resources." http://www.almanac.bc.ca./othersites/related-anti.html April 1, 1997.

Young Goodman Brown - A Thematic Illustration :: essays research papers

Nathaniel Hawthorne comes from an interesting background. He was born in Salem and later returned to live there. He was a descendant of William Hathorne, a puritan judge who persecuted Quakers, and John Hathorne, a puritan magistrate who participated in the Salem witch trials. Hawthorne's kinship to these two notables of puritan history makes the story "Young Goodman Brown," all the more interesting. Hawthorne alludes to John Hathorne when he writes about Goodman Brown's "fellow traveler" commenting on Brown's grandfather, who "lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem." "Young Goodman Brown" is about one man's journey through the woods with the devil and his encounters that make him doubt his faith in himself, his wife, and the community in which they reside. The theme of this story is that beyond any intangible evil, the evil that men do is ultimately the more damaging. Throughout the story Hawthorne uses setting and characters as symbols representing different aspects of good and evil and he uses the plot to develop the eventual win-over of evil over "Goodman" Brown's "Faith." Not surprisingly "Young Goodman Brown" takes place in Salem during the puritan era. The story begins with Goodman Brown departing from his wife in the village to meet with and take a stroll in the forest with a "fellow-traveler" the devil. The contrast between the forest and the town is symbolic. On the outside, it seems like a normal, religious puritan village, but when one goes in deep, one sees there is a center of darkness. The deep, dark forest in the puritan town represents the internal evil of the villagers. The forest is viewed as mysterious, unknown and inhabited by the devil, while the town is pleasant safe and where his wife, "Faith," is. During Goodman Brown's walk through the "dark forest," he sees and learns that many of his mentors and relatives have chosen the path of evil. The forest is where all the respectable people of the town go to vent their evil while outside of the forest, they seem like they are pure and good. Hawthorne adds to the symbolism by personifying the trees "which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through" as Brown "walks alongside a dreary road." Hawthorne uses the characters of the story also to represent good and evil. The names of the main character and his wife are ironic. Faith, in the literal context of the story, is Goodman Brown's wife.

Ambiguous Adventure

Ambiguous Adventure written by Cheikh Hamidou Kane talks about the life of Samba Diallo and his â€Å"adventure† which brings change to himself as well as his people. Black Skin, White Masks is written by Frantz Fanon and is criticizing the outlook of black people on themselves as well as how they see others. In the paragraphs below my response about the two books will be given. Ambiguous Adventure has education as a key theme.It talks about the sacrifice that the Diallobe people make by allowing their children to enroll in the white man’s school in order to protect the future of their people knowing that there is a possibility that the children would lose all knowledge about their culture and traditions. This novel also has the theme of belonging and acceptance. Samba has been exposed to two cultures and now feels that none of these cultures are his own. His generation has been mixed with two cultures that the only way to move forward would be to make their own culture .In Black Skin, White Masks accepting oneself is what in my opinion Frantz talks about. In connection to Ambiguous Adventure, one has to stop moaning about what has happened to him and start looking towards the future and that’s what Samba does. Black Skin, White Masks adds more understanding into the struggles of the black man which creates an insight into the life of Samba Diallobe and his people. It tells them that they should cut their loses short and move on with lives.

Anti Terrorism: Within India Essay

The Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA) was an anti-terrorism legislation enacted by the Parliament of India in 2002. The act replaced the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) of 2001 and the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) (1985–95), and was supported by the governing National Democratic Alliance. The act was repealed in 2004 by the United Progressive Alliance coalition. The bill was defeated in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house) by a 113-98 vote,[4] but was passed in a joint session, as the Lok Sabha (lower house) has more seats. It was only the third time that a bill was passed by a joint session of both houses of parliament.[5][6][7] Contents [hide] * 1 Purpose * 2 Repeal * 3 Prominent POTA cases * 4 See also * 5 References * 6 External links [edit] Purpose The act provided the legal framework to strengthen administrative rights to fight terrorism within India, and was to be applied against any persons and acts covered by the provisions within the act. It was not meant as a substitute for action under ordinary criminal laws. The act defined what a â€Å"terrorist act† and a â€Å"terrorist† is, and granted special powers to the investigating authorities described under the act. To ensure certain powers were not misused and human rights violations would not take place, specific safeguards were built into the act.[8] Under the new law, a suspect could be detained for up to 180 days without the filing of chargesheet in court. It also allowed law enforcement agencies to withhold the identities of witnesses, and to treat a confession made to the police as an admission of guilt. Under regular Indian law, a person can deny such confessions in court, but not under POTA.[9] [edit] Repeal Once the Act became law, many reports surfaced of the law being grossly abused.[10] Claims emerged that POTA legislation contributed to corruption within the Indian police and judicial system,[11] and human rights and civil liberty groups fought against it. The use of the act became one of the issues during the 2004 general election. The United Progressive Alliance committed to repealing the act as part of their campaign. On October 7, 2004, the Union Cabinet approved the repeal of POTA.[12] NDA and other parties condemned this act of publicity. NDA asked UPA to introduce the Act again, but Congress criticized it and did not pass the Act. In November 2008, after the attacks happened in Mumbai, Narendra Modi and Lal Krishna Advani accused UPA government for not passing the Act, which would have prevented the attacks.[citation needed] Activists supported to BJP government for this. [edit] Prominent POTA cases * Vaiko, a prominent Tamil politician, was controversially arrested under the POTA for his support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.[13][14] * S.A.R. Geelani, a lecturer at Delhi University, was sentenced to death by a special POTA court for his alleged role in the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament. He was later acquitted on appeal by the Delhi Bench of the High Court on a legal technicality.[15] * Syed Ali Shah Geelani, the leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami group, arrested under POTA.[16][17] * Raghuraj Pratap Singh, a.k.a. Raja Bhaiya, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Kunda, India was arrested on the orders of then Chief Minister, Mayawati Kumari. He was sent to jail under POTA.[18][