Thursday, September 5, 2019

Doctrinal and philosophical dimension of Buddhism

Doctrinal and philosophical dimension of Buddhism Buddhism has over three million followers world-wide, is the state religion in Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos, and maintains a tremendous influence in other countries such as Ceylon, Tibet, China, and Japan. The Oxford Dictionary defines religion as a belief in the existence of a superhuman controlling power, especially of God or gods or, as a particular system of faith and worship. (Hawkins, 2002). The dictionarys short descriptive passage does not take into account the spiritual well being, security, and comfort, a religion gives to its followers, and therefore may be seen to be inadequate and superficial. The doctrinal and philosophical dimension of Buddhism emerged at a time of political and economic instability. The Buddha was born in the 6th century Before The Christian Era (Robinson, 2009). Large, powerful tribes began to invade the Ganges Basin, and society became more complex as the populous moved towards the newly instituted metropolitan centres. During this time a strict and rigid caste system was in place, which did not allow for movement within its structure. The Buddha, as a member of the warrior elite, would have had considerable wealth and standing within the tribe, but he became disenchanted with this way of life, and ultimately rejected it to become a wanderer (Robinson, 2009). The wanderers believed that anybody, regardless of caste, could be wise and good. These qualities could be achieved by rejecting or renouncing life at home, which was dirty and cramped and instead, going out into the wider world which was . completelyperfect and pure (Robinson, 2009). Such renounces believed in the re-incarnation of the spirit, but what or whom you returned as in the next life, depended on how you had conducted yourself in the previous one. By leading a life of purity and devotion one could escape the agony of re-birth and thereby obtain Nirvana or liberation (Robinson, 2009). Such a pure and devoted lifestyle could be achieved by accepting the Four Noble Truths. The first truth was that of suffering; birth, ageing, death, sorrow and defilement (Buddahnet.net, 2010). The second truth was that the causes of suffering were human traits such as greed, and sexual desire. The third Noble Truth stated that suffering can be eliminated if the way of the fourth truth, or Nobe l Eight Fold Path, was followed. This would result in salvation by releasing the follower from perpetual re-birth. This last truth was a guideline to redemption which could only be obtained by correct behaviour, such as correct attitude and correct speech. The method of obtaining Nirvana in conjunction with correct behaviour is by meditation; by having the correct mental attitude one can only think good thoughts and therefore the intentions or deeds are pure also. This is known as Karma or mental work (Hawkins, 2002). Once Nirvana has been achieved, the follower becomes designated as a Buddha or enlightened one and these saints reside on a higher plane. Since the time of Buddha two main proponents of Buddhism have developed, namely Therevada, predominant in South Asia and Mahayana, followed in North Asia. The former believes that the only way to obtain Nirvana is by being a monk or a nun, and may therefore be considered as an elitist form of Buddhism, while the latter shows more liberal qualities and is sympathetic to others (Robinson, 2009). The narratives of Buddhism, the Pali Scriptures and Jakata tales, are important in the historical sense as they give an insight into the words and meanings of the Buddha, and may be construed as being inspirational to his followers (Buddahnet.net, 2010). The oral nature of these stories could possibly lead to them being misinterpreted and lost in translation and therefore their actual meaning may become muted and distorted. Although some of these tales may be deemed to be of a mythical nature, such as the Buddha being conceived by his mothers union with a white elephant they, as in parables from other religions, cannot be taken as literal, historical facts, but could quite possibly contain a hidden meaning (Buddahnet.net, 2010). Therefore because Buddhism uses such stories to accentuate its teachings, it is similar to other faiths and does not detract from its perceived status as a religion. The practical and ritualistic dimension, especially in Mahayana Buddhism, is extremely important. This dimension contains the preaching, prayers and worship element of a religion. By travelling the Ganges Basin in its entirety the Buddha and his followers went to great lengths to make Buddhism accessible to all and encouraged others into believing that salvation was at hand if the proper codes of conduct were adhered to. Buddhists offer prayers to the Buddha as much in the same way that Christians offer prayers to Jesus Christ, they are both a vehicle unto God or Nirvana., which has been thought by some writers to be a Buddhists substitute for God (Buddahnet.net, 2010). The Christian word worship, the worship of a God, constitutes the major problem in the definition of Buddhism as a religion. The Buddha stated that he was neither a messenger from God nor his emissary and denounced the notion that there was a God (Buddahnet.net, 2010). This has led to Buddhists being considered as Ath eists, but Buddhism is a cosmopolitan religion which embraces other beliefs and cultures and ultimately their gods. Therevada Buddhists acknowledge other gods but they maintain that it is the Buddha who is supreme and it is these other, lesser gods who defer to him (Bullitt, 2005). The Buddha is revered by his devotees and may be seen as the object of worship, as prayers are chanted praising him and asking for salvation, and gifts placed at his shrines and temples (Bullitt, 2005). At the New Year festival, the water festival, Buddhas name is used to ward away evil spirits The ethical dimension of a religion is its moral code. The laws and rules that a particular religion abides by are usually, in a mono-religious state those that govern society, as in Islam and Christianity. A religion must be able to teach a moral code and give guidance to a society as to what would be morally abhorrent and that which is deemed as acceptable behaviour. As much in the same way that Christianity has the Ten Commandments, The Buddhists rules or virtues are called Dhammapada, the way of virtue (Jung, 2010). These rules give guidance and a set of guidelines on the proper behaviour of a Buddhist, such as compassion and denounce improper thoughts and actions such as greed, vice, hatred and envy (Jung, 2010). The experiential and emotional dimension is the feeling of perhaps exultation or sense of peace that the follower of a particular religion can get from for example, reciting a prayer, liturgy, or chant (Buddahnet.net, 2010). These feelings can also be shown in many other ways such as a Buddhist attaining enlightenment, or by using meditation as a way of clearing the mind from the mundane aspects of life. A Christian may achieve an emotional experience by seeing a sign from God, chanting a prayer of contemplation, or just from a general sense of well being and contentment. The social and institutional dimension is the self containment of the organisation for its own protection. The Buddhists, like many new groups were persecuted for their beliefs and radical outlook from their foundation (Buddahnet.net, 2010). Buddhism has its own structure, although not hierarchical as in other religions, the monks are seen as the closest to obtaining the goal of Nirvana. It was, and still is the foundation within the lives of its followers, especially those living in remote areas where the rules passed to them from the Buddha and his followers, is followed without deviation. A religion can be interpreted by its followers in many different ways. It can be seen as providing, a comforting belief in the hereafter, and spiritual well-being, while also supplying a code of behaviour and a sense of belonging. Buddhism certainly follows these pre-requisites and although some commentators view Buddhism as atheistic, its followers worship the Buddha as a god, and Buddhism shows numerous similarities to many other widely accepted religions. Regardless of criticism Buddhism is considered a religion by its millions of followers, which today include the peoples of both Eastern and Western civilisations.

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Every child has the right to a mainstream education

Every child has the right to a mainstream education Every child has the right to a mainstream education. This is an entitlement for the parents of special needs children, for them to be able to access this, if they believe it to be the correct decision for their child. Many things need to be considered when doing this such as whether the individual child will be able to cope in this type of school environment and whether their ability will allow them to progress along with their peers. This is something which I believe is not the correct decision for every child as I have witnessed pupils who struggle day in day out with issues such as the playground environment, forging relationships with peers and some who are unable to cope with the unpredictability of what can be the normal school day. Inclusion is important, though it is not necessarily the right choice for every pupil. Inclusion is regarded as successful education of all students (whether with or without disabilities, disadvantages) in the same schools and classrooms, celebrating the resulting diversity, including various abilities and cultures (DFES). The era of mixed ability groupings means teachers need to include every child regardless of need and ability through differentiated work, extra support and with a range of activities to suit all needs. The Governments aim is for every child, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being. Every child matters and they do within the classroom and school environment. (Every Child matters). Education needs to be personalised so every child can learn to the best of their ability and access resources and materials in lessons, and for most cases this happens. There are many occasions in which I have witnessed, however, where special needs pupils fall short of being included all of the time and are given activities which neither stimulate nor challenge them. These are the pupils which perhaps need the most help to progress. They need to be suitably challenged so they may progress in some way, however big or small. Ofsted (2004) suggested that schools should make sure that pupils with SEN in mainstream schools are able to play a full part in school life, and receive a curriculum and teaching relevant to their needs (p.9). Pupils can often get lost in large mixed ability groupings and this is where a child may feel excluded as the teaching is not always relevant to their needs. This paper shall focus upon inclusion and the experiences of pupils on the autistic spectrum in mainstream schools. Significance for my Practice Every school I have been in has at least one child on the autistic spectrum. This is inevitable now in mainstream schools due to inclusion. Each child I have seen has Aspergers syndrome, high functioning autism. These children are clever and generally are placed in good sets. Educationally these pupils can advance and do well. Socially, however, these pupils struggle and they face difficulties on a daily basis. I am involved with some of these pupils at my present school so the significance for my practice will be vast. Understanding the research in this area and carrying out my own research will allow me to draw conclusions which I can then apply in school, to help these pupils and to in turn make other teachers aware, to allow benefit for these pupils across the school as a whole. Historical Background The Education Act (1944) established the grounding that a childs ability should be measured on age, aptitude and what they are capable of. SEN children were categorised by their disabilities. Although the act was groundbreaking for the whole education system, it was the 1970s that the focus of the individuals own need began to be addressed (Parsons, 1999). Research into special educational needs occurred more frequently in the 1970s after the Warnock Report (1978) which found that 20% of children could have SEN but 2% may need support above what mainstream schooling could offer them. Since then a great deal of research and investigation has been done in all areas of special needs. The government has made a number of acts over the years to ensure this happens, the most recent one being the Special Needs and Disabilities Act (2001) which protects students against discrimination. In 2005 however, Baroness Warnock criticised SEN in the UK and has suggested that small specialist provision is needed and that the bullying of SEN children in mainstream schools is inevitable. The claim fails to include that small specialist provision is still available should parents seek this. Specialist provision is now also within some mainstream schools which have specialist units within to cater for more complex needs. Further literature, which is discussed later backs up this claim to some extent. Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are a range of related developmental disorders that begin in childhood and persist throughout adult life (NHS, 2010). It causes problems and difficulties with social interaction, impaired language and communication skills and unusual patterns of thought and physical behaviour. There are three main types of ASD; autistic disorder, aspergers syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder. The National Autistic Society (NAS) claim that 1 in 100 pupils have ASD and that all schools should be autism friendly with fully trained teachers. This I believe should be the case but with numerous policies and an extensive range of needs within SEN alone, it is difficult to ensure all teachers are trained in everything. This is perhaps where there should be a number of specialist teachers, rather than have all teachers specialise in everything. This however, suggests that in a typical secondary school there could be more than ten children with this disposition. Aspe rgers (high-functioning autism) is common in most secondary schools and the experiences of some pupils are difficult ones. ASD was first identified by Kanner (1943) as a specific pattern of abnormal behaviour. He identified this as being rare but made no attempt to define the amount of people who may have had this. Though the study is very dated, it is still highly influential today and has been a steeping stone for all future research. It is still also relevant to society today as people show the same symptoms as identified and therefore is still of huge importance. Other studies have shown differing prevalence rates of this, including Lotter (1966) who identified a frequency of 4.5 per 10,000 children with autism in an empirical study that was carried out which was epidemiological in nature. This developed the findings from Kanners research, nevertheless further research by Wing and Gould (1979) identified a rate of 15 per 10,000 of children who had social interaction, communication and imagination difficulties. This was the triad of impairments. Patterns of a repetitive nature were also identified whi ch is common today in most children was ASD. The children in the study were not that of the autism Kanner had described. Wing and Gould identified these being part of a broader spectrum of needs. These needs together were identified in 20 per 10,000 children. The prevalence rate is difficult to trust as many people portray elements of ASD yet are not defined as such. Experience has shown this. With prevalence rates, not all of the population can be tested and therefore the rate should be taken as an estimate. Asperger (1944) focused on a group of children who had similar behaviours to what Kanner (1943) had described as autism, but whom had enhanced abilities.   Asperger presented four case studies of children.   In these children he identified some patterns of behaviour and abilities and consequently named these autistic psychopathy.   These behaviours resulted in a lack of empathy, little ability to form friendships, one-sided conversation, intense absorption in a special interest and clumsy movements.   Asperger went on further to explain how these children displayed a great understanding and depth of knowledge on their favourite subject.   These claims are great and wholly unjustified on merely a study on only four boys.   Further research is hinted at within the text but as the paper only identified four case studies it should be regarded as a small scale study. It is common now also for girls also to be associated with being diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, which is a s ignificant point that Asperger missed. The behaviours identified are some which I have witnessed and which are consistent with my experience. Children with Aspergers syndrome can talk in depth on their favourite topic and can completely change the course of a conversation they are in to talk about this. They can often have one sided conversations on this and are not necessarily talking to anyone in particular on their specialist subject. The limitations of this research lie with the time, these were studies that were done during World War II and therefore behaviour due to trauma from the war could have indeed impended the true behaviour that matched the child.   It could be argued though that there were indeed many other children who presented with these behaviours and abilities, but an in-depth study of just four ensured significant detail and strengths in assessing a range of behaviours over a period of time, which consequently could be later relayed onto other children with a similar disposition.   The considerable delay in the translation of this paper led to Western understanding decades later; his finding are now regarded and accepted worldwide.   Aspergers syndrome is indeed a social construction and the paper should be taken as such but noteworthy research which will be discussed later now backs up the claims made in this paper. What could be regarded as another influential study is done by Wollf (1995). Having studied Asperger syndrome for over 30 years the findings are most definitely worthy to a great degree. The studied children were of average or high ability who were impaired in their social interaction but who do not have the full picture of the triad of impairments. However, these children represent the most subtle and most able end of the autism spectrum; are higher functioning. The majority become independent as adults, many marry and some display exceptional gifts, though retaining the unusual quality of their social interactions. There is great debate on why to even include these children in the autistic spectrum. Wolff suggests that these children often have a difficult time at school and they need acknowledgment, understanding and acceptance from school staff as well as parents. Is this the best option for these children though? To identify them as different and therefore facilitate them to a l ife of indifference as they live with this brand upon them. This makes the research lose some credibility as there should be more justification than they have a difficult time at school. Other children have difficult times at school, for many other reasons. Research Theories and Findings A good proportion of studies have been completed on including pupils in a mainstream school with autistic spectrum disorders. These studies differ in terms of their methodologies and findings. With a huge proportion of pupils in the UK facing difficulties with communication, social interaction and imagination, studies for mainstream schools focus upon high functioning autism in the form of Aspergers syndrome. It is more common to find pupils with Aspergers syndrome in mainstream schools as their intellectual level is greater than those with pure autism. Inclusion and Autism; Pupil Experience Humphrey and Lewis (2008) looked into the views and experiences of a pupil with ASD in a mainstream school. Through a small scale study it found that the inclusion of pupils with Aspergers syndrome in mainstream schools presents challenges and opportunities for the various stakeholders (e.g. teachers, pupils, parents and peers) in this process. The study was purely the views of pupils and their experiences though it is often witnessed by teachers that issues at home equate to problems at school. As a result, it may have been appropriate to include teachers views to ensure the participants were portraying behaviour that was usual. Inclusion is fraught with difficulties, with the whole range of needs that exist in mainstream schools at present. A report shows 1000 examples of inclusion in education from members of NAS, Barnard et al (2000). The findings claim that parents with a child in an autism specific provision were twice more likely to be very satisfied than those who had a child in a mainstream school. It shows that views decline through the later school years, the older the child becomes. The survey was completed by over eight hundred respondents, with half of the children being in a mainstream setting. A majority proportion of these children had statements. Findings are primarily based on opinions of parents but the views could be contested as they do not attend school with their child. The parental opinion on what they think their child should have may exceed the needs that their child actually holds. In a mainstream school I am working in children with ASD are supported in a variety of ways and are making good progress. There are issues that these children struggle with but they are guided through these with help from staff in school and through external agencies support. Humphrey is a leading researcher in the field, with a number of studies looking into the effects of inclusion for pupils. Humphrey (2008) identifies that the number of students with ASD being educated in mainstream schools is growing, though educational experiences of these students are unfounded. Whats more, the article found that pupils with ASD are more than twenty times more likely to be excluded from school than those without special educational needs. This implies that pupils are unable to cope suitably in this setting yet reasons for the exclusions are not explored. The paper identifies strong strategies for behaviour and such, yet without the reasons of why these people are excluded the suggestions on improving behaviour are speculative. Literature also draws upon the debate of whether inclusion in mainstream education is the best route for all special needs children. Wang (2009) identified through a critical analysis that certain difficulties may occur by allowing ASD childr en into mainstream education. It also notes on how inclusion is worth striving for and how disadvantages can be resolved by training educators appropriately. Much research in this area pertains that it is teachers who need to understand more and in turn need to implement different strategies. This shall be discussed further later. Tobias (2009) found that by providing students with a mentor figure and by meeting the needs of the individual rather than applying blanket policies to groups of students with ASD, that these were strategies to support and aid in inclusion which worked well and were consequently perceived as such. This on the other hand, is one isolated example and was a small scale study of just fifteen participants and research in this respect is limited. Most studies seem to take the view that experiences could be improved; bullying was found to be a major issue within literature. Peer Understanding and Bullying A significant number of researchers have identified the need to ensure peer understanding to allow ASD students to be included in the activities associated with school life. Many reports account for many students with ASD being bullied by peers, either because they know they are different and have ASD or because they are seen as different and cannot handle social situations as well as others may. Humphrey and Lewis (2008) identified the fact that much research had suggested these pupils make easy targets for bullies. The symptoms associated with ASD make these pupils stand out from their other peers so this statement could be suggested from observations, the research needs to identify why this is as it found almost all pupils reported being bullied at different levels of severity and frequency. This also seemed to occur regularly. Research on this suggests that it is boys in particular who suffer in school settings. Granzio et al (2006) confirm that the oddness of pupils with Asperge rs syndrome led to verbal abuse and social exclusion on a daily basis from peers. From this it may be reasonable to suggest that social exclusion could lead to other problems in a child such as the child becoming depressed due to social rejection as around one-third of school time is spent outside the classroom (Nelson, 2004). This therefore is an area where more research needs to be done; in particular in that of social integration. Norwich and Kelly (2004) recognise that those with special educational needs are more likely to be bullied than other pupils. When thinking of the difficulties faced by children with ASD; particularly that of social and communication difficulties it is not surprising the rate and frequency that bullying occurs. The World Health Organisation (2007) suggests that social difficulties are exacerbated if dyspraxia or developmental clumsiness is present, which is often the case. Students therefore need to develop an understanding of ASD pupils to allow them to develop some compassion to how they must feel on a day to day basis. Humphrey (2008) established from previous research that students need to understand a little about why students with Asperger syndrome have such quirky behaviours. A little understanding and knowledge can go a long way to show other students how to assist easily, rather than ignore or taunt this student. Most research in this area suggests that more knowledge is nee ded, whether it is for the pupils or school staff. A further study looks into the relationships with peers and the use of the school environment. Wainscoat et al (2008) found through a case control study that Aspergers pupils, in comparison with controls engaged in fewer social interactions, spent breaks and lunch times in adult supervised areas of the school, reported having fewer friends and therefore likely to be the targets of bullying. This once more shows recognition in the fact that experiences of these pupils within mainstream education are not all good. This is one of the few quantitative studies yet provides little understanding into reasons behind the findings compared with the qualitative studies. It provides strong evidence to support these claims through statistics but the structured interview could have included some open questions to allow participants to elaborate. The literature discussed shows pupils are isolated, often bullied and somewhat unhappy. This suggests mainstream education is perhaps not the best place f or all students. There also seems to be a social stigma attached to these pupils as research suggests quirky or odd behaviour. With up to 1 in 270 students at secondary mainstream schools having SEN related to an ASD, Barnard et al (2002) this accounts for a huge proportion of pupils who may be having the same difficulties. This calls out for a greater need for more research in this field to ensure ASD pupils are getting the support they need to deal with these issues and how these issues are dealt with in mainstream schools. Teachers Perceptions Ashburner et al (2010) compare teachers perceptions of students with ASD to their perceptions of typically developing students with regard to their capacity to perform academically and to regulate emotions and behaviour in mainstream classrooms. This was a case control research design and participant bias, in respects to the participating teachers is highly prominent in this research. It was based on teachers ratings from teachers whom already possessed views and opinions on the childrens aptitudes, abilities and more importantly temperament. This, on the other hand, means they had a truer perception of the child that a researcher would not have had and therefore results are plausible. Ashburner et al propose the research findings were concurrent with prior research which suggests that students with ASD exhibit significantly higher levels of behavioural and emotional difficulties at school than their typically developing peers. Jordan (2008) claims that teaching pupils with ASD is hard. It is hard for just the same reason that students with ASD find it difficult to learn in our current school system. Just as these children have no natural intuitive ways to understand their teachers, teachers, in turn, have no natural intuitive ways of understanding students with ASD. Teaching is made more difficult by the fact that no child with ASD is the same and strategies that work on occasions, may not do on every occasion. This is what I have found in my practice. This is where Every Child Matters comes into play and is particularly important, where each child needs support to enjoy and achieve. Jones et al (2007) conducted a review of needs and services for young people with Aspergers syndrome. It identified that within education many children, parents and carers will meet people in their school lives whom have no knowledge of Aspergers syndrome, teachers included. Thirty five children took part in the review and the majority (68%) would have liked their school to be different. Although this is based on ASD children, it goes without saying that most children would like school to be different and therefore more specifics need to be recognised. Within the survey bullying was also identified, yet this was something which school staff failed to mention. Research in regards to teacher understanding comes across not only in research that is based solely on the teacher, but also from research on peers and pupils themselves with ASD. This shows there is a greater need for teachers to be more aware of the whole range of need associated with ASD, not just Aspergers syndrome which is commonly found in mainstream setting. Conclusions from the research The general consensus from the research identified is that inclusion and autism is improving, but improvements still need to be made. There is limited research into social integration of pupils into mainstream schools, which considering the estimated prevalence rate is quite alarming. A significant number of researchers have also identified the need to ensure peer understanding, as well as a greater awareness of ASD for teachers. The majority of the research identified bullying as an experience within school. The percentages of this are soaring and it is something which I believe schools needs to research promptly. Bullying is identified in the research from accounts by the pupils, yet teachers perceptions on this seem somewhat different. Research falls short of statistical evidence and a lot of it is qualitative, but this provides in depth explanations and good quality accounts of experiences within mainstream schools. Part B In analysing the different research studies it seems appropriate to start from near the beginning and look at where new and relevant research stems from. In this respect there will be a focus on Aspergers syndrome (Asperger, 1944). The paper by Asperger (1944) is highly pertinent in understanding a range of autism that may occur in a person. It continues on from the work done by Kanner (1943). A great deal of evidence is collected, including that of family history. The research methods, however, are somewhat lacking. The testing that Asperger conducted on these children often failed in providing any useful analysis and was therefore disregarded. Intelligence tests were conducted where these included construction tests where the child would copy from memory, rhythm imitation, memory for digits (repetition for six digits was expected at the age of ten, one boy who was six thus proved to be above average), memory for sentences (this could not be evaluated) and similarities between different things were tested. Analysis focused on memory for digits, along with observation and parental examples of abilities. The latter is a difficult one to reprehend as parents often believe their child to be above average of other children of a similar age and this for that reason is only their opinion. It is essentially qualitative data in the respect that most of the research is carried out through observations and opinions. The data is essentially more rich with lots of detail and therefore of good quality. The justifications for the intelligence tests were on the basis that the child carrying out these tests were observed and therefore judged on communication and ability. This fundamentally enhances the reliability of the tests as there was a plausible reason behind carrying them out, rather than just purely to measure intelligence. The tests however were adapted to the personality of the child so conclusions from these as a whole need to be somewhat justified more. This was essential in terms of ethical issues to put the child at ease but each of the data sets collected are detached from each other, as each case study had a different method. The research is highly subjective and researcher bias is great due to the nature of the observations. The case studies, however, provide enough detail through comprehensive descriptions to justify the claims made. Overall, this paper has provided a good grounding for all research conducted today in this field and is highly important. The research methods conducted are limited but further research and advancements in technology since 1944 have allowed a greater picture of Aspergers syndrome to be developed over time. In contrast, a recent paper on the views and experiences of Aspergers children in a mainstream school moves away from looking at how these children behave to focusing on how they feel and what their experiences are like. This links to the last paper discussed on what Aspergers is but looks at their perceptions of what Aspergers is, so is not purely from the side of the researcher. Humphrey and Lewis (2010) provide an in-depth analytical paper on how these children cope in school. This is a small scale qualitative study on twenty pupils in North West England. It looks at four mainstream high schools. The research is phenomenological where interpretive phenomenological analysis was used to explore how pupils made sense of their educational experiences. The research was qualitative in its methods; the study incorporated semi-structured interviews and pupil diaries. The diaries were used for a month which made possible vast amounts and quantities of detail from each participant in the st udy. This is difficult to analyse and researcher bias will occur to decide which points are valid and are worth mentioning above others. The diaries were also conceived via different methods; either written, orally or electronically. This could yield different results. The participants had a choice but this may not have necessarily been the correct method to enable them to explain in the greatest amount of detail. All participants did not fill in the diary for a whole month period but a number of participants stopped at differing intervals. This led to varying amounts and different quantities of data sets from each participant. The research should have perhaps been carried out on a smaller time scale to allow for full participation. The diaries, on the other hand do provide good detailed responses as opposed to purely using interviews. For example, a participant proceeded to draw images and diagrams depicting his school life which gave a more rounded picture on his feelings and emot ions. This level of detail allows for greater understanding of their experiences and therefore enables the research to be reliable due to the high quality that it portrays. The semi-structured interviews then back up thoughts and feelings from the participant which also enables prompts from the researcher, to allow greater explanation on why they think or feel this particular way. The paper is high in terms of validity and there is a small chance the participant may be lying as issues were recorded in the diary and discussed further via this route. The study also adds to input from its participants by allowing them to provide commentary on the findings, which were then incorporated into the paper. This ensures the theme on their views is completely adhered to, again adding to the consistency of the methodology. The visual representation of results both allowed for the pupil understanding when they were providing commentary on the paper but it also identifies strong categories and th emes in an area where research is wholly limited. Furthermore, this will provide a strong grounding for further and future research in this particular area. Another study, Wainscot et al (2008), looks at experiences in a mainstream school of participants with Aspergers syndrome, but this focuses more specifically on the relationship with peers and the use of the school environment. Research methods included a case control design where pupils undertook a structured interview on their social interactions that day, at the end of school. This method was justified entirely by suggesting the alternative approach of using a cohort study could result in an unbalanced sample based on the kind of prevalence observed. By justifying the method the paper gains credibility and warrants why the method it chose was to all intents and purposes best for this particular research. Structured interviews provide limited scope for the participant to respond and as a result there was a lack in the depth and quality of answers. For example, a question posed was did you have a good day at school today? This is a yes or no question and reasons behind this answer c ould be vast. A pupil may not have slept well or simply was not in a good mood, but in terms of the research conducted it could be interpreted as the participant not liking school or anything the researcher interprets it as. This is a quantitative study and as such responses were entered into SPSS database and analysed. A snowball sampling strategy was used which was again justified as the characteristics required of participants are rare. The control participants were chosen with dyslexia to further investigate SEN as a risk factor for social isolation. The overall number of dyslexic pupils in the study however, turned out to be just three. The research therefore focused primarily on those with Aspergers syndrome and those without. The case-control dyad matched a whole range of variables; age, gender, academic ability, physical size, lessons attended, socio-economic background and ethnicity. The variables were matched where they could be but not all of the case control dyads were. This implies the amount of variables was perhaps too complex to allow for all true matches. The data was collected at different times, in different years to be specific. This implies a lack of reliability as data was collected over a year apart and therefore the researcher did not allow the research to be consistent; this may well have influenced the second data collection period more notably than the first. The study provides a number of limitations but in essence provides good substantial evidence, with a clear comparison between two groups. The researcher could have had more control over the study as opposed to allowing case-control matches by the schools. Again, as with the previous study discussed a need for more research in this field has been acknowledged and suggestions of peer bullying are further recommended. Barnard et al (2000) carried out a large scale study focusing on examples of inclusion in education from the National Autistic Societys members. Although this is slightly dated, it is one of a few large scale studies on inclusion and autism that has been conduc

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

The Jonestown Massacre :: Papers

The Jonestown Massacre The Jonestown massacre was a horrible tragedy, which took the lives of over 900 innocent people and could possibly be the most corrupt and horrific experiment the American government has ever done. To get to know about the massacre, you have to know a little about the man behind it all, Reverend Jim Jones. Jim Jones was the son of a Klansman and considered himself to be a reincarnation of both Jesus and Lenin. (Lenin was a Russian revolutionist who helped bring about socialism in Russia.) They say he was paranoid of the American government, but later, it was found that he worked for it. He was a well-known person in San Francisco because he was the leader of the People's Temple and also because of the fact that he was the Chairman of the Housing Department and he and his church won many humanitarian awards. He was called "Father" by members of the People's Temple. The People's Temple was the so-called "church" that Jones established. People joined the People's Temple for different reasons; a political statement, structure, discipline, or a way to escape from violence, alcohol and drugs. Whatever the reason they joined for, when they got in something kept them there. Jim Jones was a mastermind at brainwashing, and that's just what he did to all of his followers. He had many tactics; he was an excellent speaker and was amazingly convincing, he staged fake healings, and used narcotics on his followers, so they would believe almost anything. As he was doing all this brainwashing he was stealing money from the people, raping the young women and girls of his church, and on top of it all, murdering those who seemed a threat to his church or attempted to leave. Eventually, The People's Temple was being investigated by the police, so Jim Jones moved it to the jungle of Guyana, he called this place Jonestown. Jonestown was his idea of the perfect community. It was based on the ideals of socialism and communism, and everyone worked

Philosophy Of Literacy Instruction Essay -- Teaching Education School

Literacy Defined Literacy embraces reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Integrating all of these into a literacy program is key. Teachers must provide endless and ongoing opportunities for their student to read, write, listen, and speak. There are many components that make up literacy. In order to effectively teach students these components the teacher must model the concept for the students. As teachers, we can't expect or assume that the student already knows what we expect of them. Modeling gives students a basis of what to go by. Modeling is the first and most important step in order for the students to gain mastery of a concept. A teacher must also undergo guided practice with the students. A teacher should always provide as much guided practice that is needed. Students should never move on to independent practice until it is evident that they are ready. For example, I was teaching a guided reading lesson in my EDU 218 classroom, in which my peers were posing as students. The lesson involved the students to complete a story map on a book that they read. Although I knew that the students would be slightly familiar with a story map I still modeled the use of it for them. I modeled the use of the story map based on a book that I knew the students were familiar with. So when the students set out to complete the story map on their own they could recall and look back to the story map that I had modeled for them. It is also important to note that not all students grasp the material at the same time. One student could be ready for independent practice, as another may still need a vast amount of guided practice. There is no need to caution if students are not at the same level, unless of course if there is a real developmental delay. Literature is a key component when speaking of literacy. Teachers need to provide students with endless amounts of practice experiences in reading to build their fluency rate. This should be done with different genres of texts and different levels. Reading a wide variety of literature help children develop rich vocabularies. Phonemic Awareness is very important part of literacy. Phonemic awareness includes sounds of a word, the breakdown of words into sounds. It includes rhyming and alliteration, isolation, counting words in sentences, syllables and phonemes, blending words, segmenting, and manipulating. Pho... ...on my students work so that they know how they are progressing. I will always be sure to hit my instructional focus on the children?s strengths before working on an area of development with the children. I will teach to the objectives and I will teach to the standards. I will make sure that my lessons are hitting on as many standards as possible. Working With Children with Special Needs In my classroom I will make sure that the children with special needs are benefiting from instruction. I will pair this student up with someone who is capable of helping. The student will be getting my instruction as well as help from one of their peers. I will be aware that this student is a learner with special needs and I will teach this student at a level in which he/she is comfortable. I will make sure I am aware of everything that I can about this student?s special needs. I will be in a tight contact with the student and his/her parent/guardian so I can be aware that they are working with him/her at home. If this isn?t the case then I will pair this student up with another student after school, with myself, or with someone else that would be willing to give this student extra time.

Monday, September 2, 2019

Habeas Corpus

In this essay the subject of Habeas Corpus and what events that take place to have Habeas Corpus to he suspended by executive orders from the President’s of the United States. The circumstances, that transpired that empower certain presidents to have such authority gave down by Congress, to implement the extreme acts to protect our Nation. The two most important issues for our country are to keep National Security and Public Safety.But in the time war or an act of aggression on United State soil, Presidents have to use his commander and chief obligations without a lot diplomatic procedures. The objective of this essay is to give three of the most historical suspension of the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 handed down from England, and to give what action were taken and how the writ of Habeas Corpus was re-instated by congress. On the final explanation, how right of Habeas Corpus and why inmates use this as the final resources to petition for re-investigate cases and the courts do n ot wrongfully imprison innocent people.Habeas Corpus and Why It Can Be Suspended From Detainees Habeas Corpus is a writ that was formed as Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 and is used to keep and individual from being unlawfully imprisoned. It is not to established guilt or innocence. In the history of Habeas Corpus, in the United States, Presidents had used their war-time executive order power to suspend Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 and/or declared martial law in some of the cases researched. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George W. Bush are the most prominent names in concerning suspension of Habeas Corpus.In civilian courts, the U. S. Supreme overseer’s petitions for Habeas Corpus, but most cases are for prisoner’s death role or prisoners that are serving life sentence for murder, rare, or three-strike offenders. In all of this, suspension of Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, decisions were made carried out, and supported by legislative and judiciary branches of government to keep threat of National Security or public Safety, those said right to Habeas Corpus, should be suspended for those being detained. President Abraham Lincoln, in his first hours of his Presidency, was already responding with the start of the U.S. Civil War. Maryland was leading towards siding with the confederacy. Since Washington D. C. is encircled in the States, it was most important to have the state of Maryland, to be loyal to the union. Without this, Union troop movement, in Maryland, to defend the White House, would be impossible. The war would have gone in a Confederate victory. With all that, President Lincoln was facing to protect National Security; He issued an order to military commanders suspending Habeas corpus during the Civil War, which allowed the military to arrest and detain persons without trail for an indefinite time.Congress later passes a law suspending Habeas Corpus, (2005). After the Civil War was over, one detainee named Lambdin P. Milligan , who was charged with conspiracy, and sentenced to be hung. He appealed his case and the U. S. Supreme condemned President Lincoln’s order having military jurisdiction over civilian outside the war zone (1999). President Franklin D. Roosevelt, after Japans’ surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the Declaration of War on Japan, exercised his executive authority. In the beginning of the U. S. ngagement in World War II, President Roosevelt was concerned with Japanese people residing in the United States. Because of the way Japan orchestrated the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and then a U. S. Territory, the threat of National Security was everywhere (1999). President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued orders authorizing the establishment of â€Å"military areas† from which dangerous persons could be expelled or excluded. This order was issued to designate the West Coast, a military area and to remove and imprison one hundred-twenty-thousand Japanese Americans in â€Å"relocati on location centers† for the duration.With the seriousness, then of national Security, of danger the U. S. Supreme Court upheld the order of relocation, during the war. In more modern times, on September 11, 2001, terrorists’ attacked the United States at New York City (World Trade Center) and Washington D. C. (Pentagon). Upon those attacks, congress authorized President George W. Bush authority to use force to fight a war on terrorism. President Bush issued orders, in October and November 2001, to mobilize National Guard and Army Reserve Units and ordered the detention Enemy Combat Personnel.President Bush held military trials for suspected terrorists. Many of these prisoners would be detained for an indefinite time. Even after President Bush presidency was over, most of his anti-terror policies are still being enforced, â€Å"because, well, they seem to have prevented further attacks. † In closing, Habeas Corpus Act of 1679 is essential to the due process of a trial, at a certain date, certain place, and certain time, for a court to examine the charges or release of custody from a detention center.In cases of extreme circumstances of a felony charges, which is a threat National Security and Public Safety the writ of Habeas Corpus should be suspended. When the authority of such punitive action is exercised, dangerous persons are out of harm’s way of the innocent by-stander. But for the wrongfully accused, it is their last chance to petition to the U. S. Supreme Court to review their case and possibly re-trial to prove detainees innocence. Habeas Corpus Habeas Corpus. The name of this play is quite strange, it made me think of death (corpse), maybe a hideous corpse. My first impressions when I heard that we were going to see the play were very confused. Written by Alan Bennett, Habeas Corpus was a play written by a playwright I had never heard of before, so I had no real expectations. The impressions I did have were completely different from the play I was presented with at the Theatre by the Lake. The theatre is in an idealistic setting in the heart of the Lake District, which is a main tourist area in the U.K., so this means that the majority of audiences will be mainly tourists on holiday and so will be from a wide range of backgrounds and a lot of different age groups. The venue was useful in the setting of the play. The set used a holiday theme and this was very effective and fitted in well with the plot of the play too. I didn't know anything about the director, so I couldn't think what sort of drama forms he might use. The performance spanned April to November, so I don't think that the time of year it was presented in is important, as it would be for example a pantomime at Christmas, but it just so happened to be on in the busiest time of the tourist season, so the holiday theme was appropriate here too. The play was performed on an end-on stage, of average size with a proscenium arch and a large apron, which was used effectively throughout the performance to help the actors communicate directly to the audience. The set was arranged around an acting area painted in white upon the stage, this was so the entire audience could see the whole play without missing any action on the extremities of the stage. However this meant that when an actor made his/her entrance they had to reach the area before they could deliver their line and move on and off with speed. In the middle of the area, there was the main piece of furniture, a white psychiatrists' chair that doubled up as a bench, bed, sofa and part of the pier. This was achieved by painting the bottom with a wood planking design, same as the stage to create an easily adaptable but bland stage not to detract from the actors' performance. The backcloth was a board surrounded with different colored lights, the purpose of which I will explain later. The main reason was to make a postcard/cartoon effect in the middle was a picture of the sea with stuffed seagulls mounted on the front, to add to the surrealist feel. To portray the doctors house, there were three cartoon pictures came down from the ceiling one a skeleton, to remind the characters that death is always looming, a typical old man to remind them that we are all getting older and closer to death and a busty young woman with an hourglass figure to remind them to seize the moment. The plot was very complicated and I feel the best way to explain it briefly is to name the main characters and their role in ‘life'. Dennis- a confused, sexually deprived, geeky young man who is a typical hypochondriac and thinks he is going to die, but is desperate for love (mainly sex) before he does. He falls in love with the voluptuously beautiful Felicity a rich young woman whom wants to use Dennis by marriage before he dies to annoy her mother, also sex mad. Dr Wicksteed is Dennis' father and a perverted doctor who likes nothing more than slyly touching up young rich paying patients, namely Felicity and is desperate for love before he dies. His wife Mrs. Wicksteed is in love with the head doctor Sir Percy Shorter, who doesn't love her any more but finds lust in Felicity who turns out to be his daughter. There are also extra characters like Connie Dennis's Aunt who is very pathetic (until she gets her wonderbra). She is engaged to The Perverted Vicar who preferred her when she looked like a boy. He also stared up the skirt of Felicity's Mother on the train, she had a war time affair with Sir Percy. Connie fal ls in love with the Wonderbra salesperson that is chased by Mrs. Wicksteed. Finally, there is the Suicide fanatic, a non-paying patient who is always trying to end his life via hanging throughout the play but finds no sympathy. The narrator is the Wicksteeds' family cleaner Mrs. Swabb, who guides us through this otherwise confusing play with humour. Not surprisingly, the main theme in this play was sex and relationships. There were also: – marriage – love – death – promiscuity as main themes. The play was set in the early 1970's when the promiscuous society was just becoming accepted. It was also very obviously a farce and a comedy even though it touched upon serious themes. The costumes reflected the characters that wore them. For example Dennis wore orange checked flares and a jumper too small for him, this symbolizes his inexperience and how he is still very much a youth, underneath he wore a dull red flowery shirt that went well with a purple jacket he used for the wedding. His make up was just spots all over his face and gel in his hair to make him appear greasy and unclean. All the characters wore colorful clothes, which stood out against the bland background apart from Connie who in the beginning wore brown unexciting clothes. This made her appear the same age as Dennis even though she was meant to be his Aunt. In the end though, she appeared in a spangled mini dress with fur and high heels, this showed that since she found love with the salesperson she had ‘come out of her shell'. Lighting was a main feature of the performance. For most of the time, there was just a main spotlight focusing on the acting area. . For special effects the lights I mentioned earlier, surrounding the backdrop were very important. In love scenes (e.g.-Where Connie and Sir Percy dance the Tango) the lights illuminated the stage in a soft red glow and when there was a game show section in the performance where they flashed on and off in different colors like a fairground. I found this very effective and it added variety to the performance. Sound was used very little in the production. One very effective use of sound and motion was when Connie opened her Wonderbra. Because it was made from the same material as the Apollo space crafts the music came on as the Apollo Mission Theme Tune and the actors ‘swooped' down to see the content of the box in very slow motion. This was both comical and made it interesting. The only other music was to dance to and a heartbeat in the quiz. Also there were bombing sounds to resemble the blitz when Felicity's mother was telling the story of how her and Sir Percy met. It gave the impression that you were there in the action as it was happening like when you were a child watching a good film. The rest of the actors were very still so they did not detract any attention from the story. Some of the drama forms used were subtle but worked well. Here is my favorite: -Still imaging- they made photographic poses around the centre of attention to focus our attention to the person and so we could see everyone in a way that was pleasing to the eye, colorful and interesting also this is related to the postcard theme of the set design. All the actors were very believable but not in a normal way. You know that they were too stereotypical to be true and that it was a farce but they still came through as real people. All the characters stood out to me in their own special way, and you could relate to all of them in some way so this made them interesting to watch. If you think about it, the farce comes out of laughing at your own faults and how stereotypical we are as much as we want to think we aren't. This was the most important thing in the play, the way they looked at society was original. I really enjoyed Habeas Corpus, it was thought provoking and made you look at yourself in a different light. It made me laugh and delivered a serious message at the same time- don't waste your life and seize every opportunity you get. Habeas Corpus Habeas Corpus. The name of this play is quite strange, it made me think of death (corpse), maybe a hideous corpse. My first impressions when I heard that we were going to see the play were very confused. Written by Alan Bennett, Habeas Corpus was a play written by a playwright I had never heard of before, so I had no real expectations. The impressions I did have were completely different from the play I was presented with at the Theatre by the Lake. The theatre is in an idealistic setting in the heart of the Lake District, which is a main tourist area in the U.K., so this means that the majority of audiences will be mainly tourists on holiday and so will be from a wide range of backgrounds and a lot of different age groups. The venue was useful in the setting of the play. The set used a holiday theme and this was very effective and fitted in well with the plot of the play too. I didn't know anything about the director, so I couldn't think what sort of drama forms he might use. The performance spanned April to November, so I don't think that the time of year it was presented in is important, as it would be for example a pantomime at Christmas, but it just so happened to be on in the busiest time of the tourist season, so the holiday theme was appropriate here too. The play was performed on an end-on stage, of average size with a proscenium arch and a large apron, which was used effectively throughout the performance to help the actors communicate directly to the audience. The set was arranged around an acting area painted in white upon the stage, this was so the entire audience could see the whole play without missing any action on the extremities of the stage. However this meant that when an actor made his/her entrance they had to reach the area before they could deliver their line and move on and off with speed. In the middle of the area, there was the main piece of furniture, a white psychiatrists' chair that doubled up as a bench, bed, sofa and part of the pier. This was achieved by painting the bottom with a wood planking design, same as the stage to create an easily adaptable but bland stage not to detract from the actors' performance. The backcloth was a board surrounded with different colored lights, the purpose of which I will explain later. The main reason was to make a postcard/cartoon effect in the middle was a picture of the sea with stuffed seagulls mounted on the front, to add to the surrealist feel. To portray the doctors house, there were three cartoon pictures came down from the ceiling one a skeleton, to remind the characters that death is always looming, a typical old man to remind them that we are all getting older and closer to death and a busty young woman with an hourglass figure to remind them to seize the moment. The plot was very complicated and I feel the best way to explain it briefly is to name the main characters and their role in ‘life'. Dennis- a confused, sexually deprived, geeky young man who is a typical hypochondriac and thinks he is going to die, but is desperate for love (mainly sex) before he does. He falls in love with the voluptuously beautiful Felicity a rich young woman whom wants to use Dennis by marriage before he dies to annoy her mother, also sex mad. Dr Wicksteed is Dennis' father and a perverted doctor who likes nothing more than slyly touching up young rich paying patients, namely Felicity and is desperate for love before he dies. His wife Mrs. Wicksteed is in love with the head doctor Sir Percy Shorter, who doesn't love her any more but finds lust in Felicity who turns out to be his daughter. There are also extra characters like Connie Dennis's Aunt who is very pathetic (until she gets her wonderbra). She is engaged to The Perverted Vicar who preferred her when she looked like a boy. He also stared up the skirt of Felicity's Mother on the train, she had a war time affair with Sir Percy. Connie fal ls in love with the Wonderbra salesperson that is chased by Mrs. Wicksteed. Finally, there is the Suicide fanatic, a non-paying patient who is always trying to end his life via hanging throughout the play but finds no sympathy. The narrator is the Wicksteeds' family cleaner Mrs. Swabb, who guides us through this otherwise confusing play with humour. Not surprisingly, the main theme in this play was sex and relationships. There were also: – marriage – love – death – promiscuity as main themes. The play was set in the early 1970's when the promiscuous society was just becoming accepted. It was also very obviously a farce and a comedy even though it touched upon serious themes. The costumes reflected the characters that wore them. For example Dennis wore orange checked flares and a jumper too small for him, this symbolizes his inexperience and how he is still very much a youth, underneath he wore a dull red flowery shirt that went well with a purple jacket he used for the wedding. His make up was just spots all over his face and gel in his hair to make him appear greasy and unclean. All the characters wore colorful clothes, which stood out against the bland background apart from Connie who in the beginning wore brown unexciting clothes. This made her appear the same age as Dennis even though she was meant to be his Aunt. In the end though, she appeared in a spangled mini dress with fur and high heels, this showed that since she found love with the salesperson she had ‘come out of her shell'. Lighting was a main feature of the performance. For most of the time, there was just a main spotlight focusing on the acting area. . For special effects the lights I mentioned earlier, surrounding the backdrop were very important. In love scenes (e.g.-Where Connie and Sir Percy dance the Tango) the lights illuminated the stage in a soft red glow and when there was a game show section in the performance where they flashed on and off in different colors like a fairground. I found this very effective and it added variety to the performance. Sound was used very little in the production. One very effective use of sound and motion was when Connie opened her Wonderbra. Because it was made from the same material as the Apollo space crafts the music came on as the Apollo Mission Theme Tune and the actors ‘swooped' down to see the content of the box in very slow motion. This was both comical and made it interesting. The only other music was to dance to and a heartbeat in the quiz. Also there were bombing sounds to resemble the blitz when Felicity's mother was telling the story of how her and Sir Percy met. It gave the impression that you were there in the action as it was happening like when you were a child watching a good film. The rest of the actors were very still so they did not detract any attention from the story. Some of the drama forms used were subtle but worked well. Here is my favorite: -Still imaging- they made photographic poses around the centre of attention to focus our attention to the person and so we could see everyone in a way that was pleasing to the eye, colorful and interesting also this is related to the postcard theme of the set design. All the actors were very believable but not in a normal way. You know that they were too stereotypical to be true and that it was a farce but they still came through as real people. All the characters stood out to me in their own special way, and you could relate to all of them in some way so this made them interesting to watch. If you think about it, the farce comes out of laughing at your own faults and how stereotypical we are as much as we want to think we aren't. This was the most important thing in the play, the way they looked at society was original. I really enjoyed Habeas Corpus, it was thought provoking and made you look at yourself in a different light. It made me laugh and delivered a serious message at the same time- don't waste your life and seize every opportunity you get.

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Literary Devices Employed By Shakespeare In The Play Macbeth

Literary devices employed by Shakespeare in Macbeth’s words in Act 4 Scene 1 of the play Macbeth Symbolism: the apparitions’ appearances each symbolise something, the first, a bloody head in a helmet, symbolises Macbeth and his inevitable death. The second, a bloody child, symbolises Macduff, who had been â€Å"untimely ripp’d† (born of a C-section), and the third, a child with a crown and a tree. The crowned child symbolises Banquo’s progeny that will come to rule after Banquo.Metaphor: metaphors are used throughout the apparitions’ speeches, the apparitions themselves are metaphors. They symbolise things that tie in with each prophecy.Parallel: there are parallels between the witches’ speech and Macbeth’s, Shakespeare uses this to show how Macbeth is becoming more and more evil, he is becoming like the witches.Irony: Shakespeare uses dramatic irony in what the apparitions symbolise and prophesise; where Macbeth accepts what th e apparitions tell him literally, the audience knows that what is said has deeper meaning. Another instance of irony is when Macbeth says â€Å"and damn’d all those that trust them (the witches)† (line 138). Macbeth is cursing the people who trust witches, yet he trusts them.Imagery (lines 49 – 60): Shakespeare uses Macbeth’s lines to describe the usual risks and effects of witchcraft in exact detail, allowing the audience to build an impressive image of destruction and confusion. He does this to emphasise the effects of dealing with witches and what happens when the great chain is disrupted.Paradox: the apparitions tell Macbeth to not fear any man born of a woman, which Macbeth takes to mean as that he cannot be killed because every man must be born of a woman. He didn’t think that Macduff could harm him because he was born of a woman, but Macduff was not â€Å"born†, he was â€Å"untimely ripp’d† (born of a C-section).