Saturday, January 25, 2020

Play in Early Childhood | Theories

Play in Early Childhood | Theories Nature and role of play in early childhood. Not only play therapists, early interventionists, social workers or sociocultural researchers like for example Gà ¶ncà ¼ (1999) have focused in the last four decades on child play but also all major developmental theorists like Piaget, (1962), Vygotksy, (1976), Bruner (1972) or Erikson, (1977). Today, therefore the essential role that play possesses in the development of an infant during childhood has been acknowledged by most theorists and developmental psychologists strive to help mentally ill children with different play therapy techniques. Despite the fact that there is neither a satisfactory definition of play nor consent about its purpose, as maintained by Bundy (2001), one can describe and define children’s play behaviour as pleasurable, personally directed, intrinsically motivated and voluntary activities which are conducted in a safe, spontaneous, goalless context (Hughes, 2001) and which involve â€Å"much repetition and variation as the child explores the range of possibilities of behaviour† (Butterworth Harris, 1998, p.140) in contents and intents where the child possess a sense of control. Child play is both performed in solitary or in social groups and it is always more intrinsically then extrinsically motivated even when children are eagerly and seriously engaged in play activities which are rule governed. It also may to serve to explore inanimate objects or to explore human relationships and social roles (see Butterworth Harris, 1998). Thus, child play is not only a straightforward term for simple actions but includes manifold activities with manifold purposes. It also has many diverse facets as it for, instance, represents reality in as-if or what-if term (symbolic nature of play) while at the same time connecting or linking different experiences (meaningful nature of play). As it includes so many diverse aspects many definitions have arose in the past with each definition providing a different understanding and interpretation of children’s play. In general, the play theories are divided into classical theories of play (e.g. Hall’s Recapitulation Theory, 1920; Groos’ Pre-Exercise Theory, 1984) and modern theories of play (Mellou, 1994). Classical theories of play originated in the nineteenth century and tried to explain the existence and purpose of play (Mellou, 1994). However, this brief paper intends to investigate and discuss the nature and role of play in early childhood with reference to theories of development and will focus on contemporary theories (e.g. Psychoanalytic theory, Cognitive theories) which were mainly devised after the 1920s and which try to explain the role of play in child development (Saracho and Spodek, 1995). Psychoanalytic Theory Freud (1938) and colleagues developed the Psychoanalytic theory of play which arose through therapies which examined repressed memories of patients. In this sense, Freud concluded that child play is a way of replacing negative feelings and emotions in a cathartic way with positive emotions. Thus, accordingly, children who do not play sufficiently will remain traumatized and possess destructively negative feelings throughout the rest of their lives. Freud (1938) believed that playing represents not only a catalyst of negative feelings but serves also as a facilitator for grasping and comprehending unpleasant and agonizing experiences and represents, additionally, a tool for children to express their feelings and emotions (Wehman and Abramson, 1976). Psychotherapists like Takhvar (1988) or Erikson (1963) have modified and altered Freud’s initial theory by relating ego processes, fear, anxiety, and wish fulfillment to play activities in children. Conflict solving and the dramatisation of both past, present and future were, additionally, identified by Erikson (1950) as the main characteristics of play and he, consequently, transformed Freud’s psychosexual development stages into psychosocially relevant stages. Peller (1952) concluded that adult roles are imitated in children’s fantasy play which, in turn, provides children with a sense of mastery that empowers them to deal with difficult real life situations an d experiences. It was Murphy (1962) who concluded that in addition to all the mentioned benefits of child play, the acting out elements of play enable children not only to understand negative experiences from the past but allow for processing of positive or everyday experiences (see Saracho Spodek, 1995). Play Therapy Acting out is one of the pivotal elements of play therapy which can be regarded as an offspring of these psychoanalytic ideas (Axline, 1974). Play therapy has been predominantly employed in children with emotional difficulties and distortions and intends to minimise and diminish children’s mainly destructive emotions (e.g. anxiety, fear, insecurity) through acting out these emotions. Observation of a child during guided play situations provides the therapists with insights about the emotional problems and difficulties faced by the child and enables the therapists to explore ways for reestablishing the child’s security and mastery of self, situation and sentiments. Cognitive Theories From Piaget to Vygotski The most influential figures for cognitive theories are Piaget (1962) and Vygotsky (1978) who both attempted to comprehend the precise relationship between cognitive developments and play behaviour in a child. In order to understand Piaget’s ideas on child play one has to be first acquainted with his cognitive development theory in which assimilation and accommodation are the two most important and prevailing factors. Assimilation involves the process of a child assimilating and integrating external information from the outside world into pre-existent mental structures while the ultimate goal is to obtain a state of equilibrium where the cognitive balance is maintained. This is reached by children continuously adapting and accommodating their imperfect and imbalanced mental structures in order to improve their reception of real world information. This explains partly why children enjoy playing as they do not need to adapt their cognitive schemes to the world anymore when they play but rather the world has to accommodate to the universe which they have created according to their own simple rules. Playing can be consequently seen as opposed by imitating where in contrast assimilation predominates over accommodation.   Piaget (1962) has, in total, identified three stages of play and has described the sensorimotor stage as the first followed by the symbolic and games with rules stages. A child experiences the different stages in a sequential order while every single stage includes different types of play (see Stagnitti, 2004). According to Piaget (1964) children indulge more in physical activities (e.g. play fighting) in the sensorimotor stage which often involve objects but since playing with objects is too practical as to be concerned for the symbolic stage it solely occurs in the first stage of play development. The second stage evolves when children are approximately two years old and involves symbolic or making-believe play. One object representing another is a characteristic of symbolic play and represents a qualitatively new form of behaviour which is a pivotal evidence for the transition from early childhood to a new stage. Symbolic processes also enter into the playful exploration of social roles, as when children play at being bus drivers, nurses, teachers, or mothers and fathers. Unlike the simple practice of physical skills, symbolic play therefore involves imaginary reality. According to Baldwin (1905; in Butterworth and Harris, 1998), imagination is the general power of having mental images. Baldwin distinguished reconstructive imagination (as when one imagines a man on a horse from previous experience) from compounded imagination (as when one imagines a centaur from the previously separate memories of a man and a horse). Children enter the â€Å"games with rules† stage when they are about seven years old and this end stage of child play is complementary to Piaget’s concrete operational stage of development.   In this stage, children become more and more interested in having social interactions while playing (e.g. chess, cards), according to Piaget (1968), and choose writing down fictional stories instead of dramatic play. Physical or symbolic games are still played throughout one’s life although one chooses predominantly to play games which have tangible rules and which also satisfy the need in everyone to socialise and which come as close as possible to reality (see Goldman, 1998). Nevertheless, referring to Lloyd and Howe (2003) one of today’s principal and chief theoretical debates in the study of play is whether solitary play represents either an advanced or immature type of play. As a matter of fact, Piaget’s (1968) view that the frequency of solitary play does significantly decline with age is not supported anymore. Moore and colleagues (1974) have rather discovered that solitary play persists throughout different stages and becomes even more mentally mature with age In a similar vein, Rubin and collaborators (1983) reported that children below 5 years of age were yet not able to engage themselves in sophisticated solitary games as much as 5-year-olds were and while children going to kindergarten were found to prefer solitary-constructive play, preschoolers play observably more functional solitary games. Consequently, in contrast to what has been assumed by Piaget (1968) one can impossible one’s social maturity by purely looking at the amount of social interaction and neglecting relevant cognitive aspects (Lloyd and Howe, 2003, Stagnitti and Unsworth, 2000). In sum, Piaget (1968) believed that changes in cognitive development underlie changes in forms of play with only mirroring the achieved cognitive developmental stage but without play helping to lead to more mature cognitive developmental stages. He was recently criticised by Elkonin (2005) as he did not offer any details about the essential child-adult interactions during his experiements but completely omitted them. Piaget’s (1968) viewpoint stands in stark contrast to Vygotsky (1976) who strongly believed that play facilitates and accelerates cognitive development in children. Vygotski’s approach was not only dissimilar to that of Piaget but also to those of Freud as he focused on normal problems in children’s development whereas Freud took more the extreme cases of traumatised children into consideration. His ideas were, nevertheless, in accordance with many other well-known theorists like for instance Bruner (1972, 1999) or Russ (1995) who like him saw sociodramatic play which is discovered by 2-year-oldsas essential for emotional, cognitive and emotional development. In his eyes, sociodramatic play serves as a tool to imitate the adults and thus enabled children to experience situations and activities for which they were actually too immature in order to experience them in real life situations. â€Å"In play the child functions above his average age, above his usual eve ryday behaviour, in play he is head high above himself† (Vygotsky, 1976, p.552). Similarly, in sociodramatically play situations objects can be better defined by children and social norms are more successfully internalised and behaviour can be steadily accommodated according to these norms. An existing imaginary situation and rules are the two factors that distinguish this self-regulatory play from other early childhood behaviour (see Elias and Berk, 2001). The imaginary situation includes children acquiring the skill to make a distinction between cognitive mind and physical action from external stimuli. As a consequence, children control external stimuli and objects in play situations as they voluntarily determine the significance and identity of the situations and stimuli. The child, for example, decides independently whether a stick represents a telephone, a sparrow, a snake or anything else which he or she uses in make-believe situations. This independent power to select and create one’s own universe above the existing reality transforms impulsive actions of a child into self-regulation (Vygotsky, 1978). According to Elias and Berk (2002) with increased age the children’s imagination becomes stronger and stronger and the more they grow up the less they need an object to be as similar as possible to the real world in play situations and thus they can correspond in more self-regulatory ways with both the real and fantasy world. The obeying of rules during play is congruent with the child’s desire to adapt to the social environment which demands acting alongside socially accepted and internalised norms and values. Hence, Vygotsky (1978) concluded that the adherence to rules during play is a central catalyst of satisfaction which children gain from playing. In sum, one conclude that sociodramatic play provides children with the â€Å"greatest self-control† possible (Vygotski, 1978, p. 99) as it demands from children to steadily fight against prompt and incarnated impulses while stressing â€Å"social rules and coordination of goals and behaviour with those of others† (Elias and Berk, 2002, p. 218). Many researchers have attempted to test Vygotsky’s (1978) sociadramatic play theory. The results of Elias and Berk’s (2001) study, for instance, in which they investigated complex sociodramatic play (CSD), solitary dramatic play, and dramatic play in preschool children, demonstrated that those infants are benefiting significantly from CSD play who are most in need of improving their self-regulatory abilities. This finding was congruent to Vygotsky’s claim that self-restraint is very strongly related to sociodramatic play and that playing children constantly resist present impulses in order to adhere social norms that exists in the make-believe context. Kraft and Berk (1998) offered more support for this theory in revealing that infants try to control their behaviour to act according to their thoughts and mental images as CSD was positively correlated to the utilisation of self-guiding private speech. In sum, one can say that today Vygotsky’s notions about play in early childhood have received significantly more support than Piaget’s ideas. However these are by far not the only influential figures in developmental psychology and many theorists hypothesis about child play had to be left out due to the brief nature of this paper (Gà ¶ncà ¼, 1999). Another major idea of Vygotski (1978) which had great influence on child play research concerns the so-called zone of proximal development (ZND) which can be described as the difference between what a child can achieve with and without the help of parents (adults or peer groups). Vygotski viewed the adults as facilitating and potentialising opportunites for the child to learn quicker and more effective in play situations as infants’ knowledge evolves much better through experience of parents leading and directing the child towards more ideal and mature solutions to problems (see Butterworth and Harris, 1998). However cognitive development is limited to a limited time span in one’s life which falls precisely into the ZND. This theory has been very influential in the language acquisition research. As children interact and play with peers particular models of expression, explanation and communication are developed. This generated language use is regarded by many (e.g. Good man and Goodman, 1990, Tharp and Gallimore, 1988) as the foundation for literacy. Jerome Bruner (1973, 1999) basically agrees with this notion that cognitive development is highly related to the systematic social interaction between a child and a parent, peer or teacher. Nevertheless, Bruners theory of cognitive development can be more linked to Piaget’s theory. Bruners postulated the idea that children evolve through different modes of represention in their intellectual development. He introduced three modes of representing understanding, namely, enactive, iconic and symbolic. The iconic representation stage involves using images, pictures or photos that encapsulate or outline action to represent knowledge while the more primitive enactive mode involves representing knowledge solely through physical actions and thus is very compatible to Piaget’s sensorimotor stage. The symbolic mode, however, includes using, for example, symbolic or pretend play for representing cognitive advancement. Bruner’s theories have been very influential in child pla y and music instructing sessions and represent a conclusive bridge between Piaget and Vygotski’s theories (Atterbury and Richardson, 1995). References Atterbury, B. W., Richardson, C. P. (1995). The experience of teaching general music. New York: McGraw-Hill. Axline, V.M. (1947). Play Therapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Baldwin, J.M. (1905). Dictionary of philosophy and psychology. London: Macmillan. Bruner, J.S. (1972). Nature and Uses of Immaturity. American Psychologist, 8, 687–708. Bruner, J. S. (1973). The growth of representation processes in childhood. In J. Anlin (Ed.), Beyond the information given: Studies in the psychology of knowing (pp. 313-324). New York: Norton. Bruner, J. (1999) Folk Pedagogies. In J. Leach and B. Moon (eds) Learners and Pedagogy. London: Paul Chapman. Bundy, A. (2001). Measuring play performance. In: M. Law, D. Baum W. Dunn (eds) Measuring occupational performance supporting best practice in occupational therapy. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Inc. p. 89–102 Butterworth, George and Harris, Margareth (1998). Principles of developmental psychology. Hove: Psychology Press. Elias, Cynthia L. and Berk, Laura (2002). Self-regulation in young children: Is there a role for sociodramatic play? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17, 216-238. Elkonin, D.B. (2005). Theories of play. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 43(2), 3–89. Erikson, E. H. (1985). Play and actuality. In: J. S. Bruner et al.   (eds) Play: its role in development and evolution. New York, NY: Penguin Books. p.668-704 Freud, S. (1938). The basic writings of Sigmund Freud, New York: Modern Library. Freud, S. (1961). Beyond the pleasure principle. New York, NY: Norton. Goldman, L. (1998). Child’s play: myth, mimesis, and make-believe. Oxford: Berg. Gà ¶ncà ¼, A. (1999). Children’s engagement in the world: sociocultural perspectives. New York: Cambridge University Press. Goodman, Y.M. and Goodman, K.S. (1990) Vygotsky in a whole language perspective.In L. Moll (Ed.) Vygotsky and Education: instructional implications and applications ofsociohistorical psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Groos, K. (1916), The Play of Animals. Zeitschrift Psychologie, 133. Groos, K. (1985). The play of animals: Play and instinct. In: J. S. Brunner, A. Jolly K. Sylva (eds) Play: its role in development and evolution. New York, NY: Penguin Books. p.68–83 Hall, G. S. (1920). Youth. New York, NY: A. Appleton. Hughes, B. (2001) Evolutionary Playwork and reflective analytic practice. London: Routledge. Lloyd, Bronwen and Howe, Nina (2003) Solitary play and convergent and divergent thinking skills in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 18, 22–41 Mellou, E. (1994). Play theories: A contemporary review. EarlyChild Development and Care, 102, 91–100. Moore, N. V. et al.. (1974). Solitary play: some functional reconsiderations. Developmental Psychology, 10, 830–834. Murphy, L.B. (1962). The widening world of childhood. New York: Basic Books Peller, L.E. (1952). Models of children’s play. Mental Hygiene, 36, 66-83. Piaget, J. (1962). Play dreams and imitation in childhood. New York, NY: W. W. Norton. Rubin, K.H., et al. (1983). Play. In: E.M. Hetherington (ed.) Mussen’s Handbook of child psychology. New York: Wiley. P.693-741 Russ, S. W. (1995). Play psychotherapy research: State of the science. In T. H. Ollendick and R. J. Prinz (eds.) Advances in clinical psychology, 17. New York: Plenum. P.365–391 Saracho, Olivia N., Spodek (1995). Children’s play and early childhood education: insights from history and theory. Journal of Education, 177(3), 129-148 Stagnitti, K. (2004). Understanding play: the implications for play Assessment. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 51, 3–12 Stagnitti, K. Unsworth, C. (2000). The importance of pretend play in child development. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63, 121–127. Takhvar, M. (1988). Play and theories of play: a review of the literature. Early Child Development and Care, 39, p.221-244. Tharp, R. and Gallimore, R. (1988) Rousing minds to life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1966). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Voprosy Psikhologii, 12, 62–76. Vygotsky, L. S. 1976 ‘ Play and its role in the mental development of the child’ in J. Bruner,A. Jolly, K. Sylva (eds), Play: its role in development and evolution, New York: BasicBooks. p6-18 Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: the development of higher mental processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Wehman. P. and Abramson, M. (1976). Three theoretical approaches to play. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 30(9), 551-559

Friday, January 17, 2020

Rhetoric

Scott started a seminal debate within the rhetoric community with his essay, â€Å"On Viewing Rhetoric as Epistemic. † His argument – rhetoric is epistemic – has been analyzed and/or criticized by many scholars. Scott himself followed up in 1976 with an article titled, â€Å"On Viewing Rhetoric as Epistemic: Ten Years Later† in order to address some of these concerns, and add to his original thoughts. Despite this follow-up, authors still continue criticize and defend his work.This essay will focus on three responses in particular, each focusing on a different aspect of Coot's argument, in order to prove that rhetoric is in fact epistemic. First, Brunette's, Three Meanings of Epistemic Rhetoric (1979) will examine three possible meanings and implications of Coot's claim. Second, Harping's What Do You Mean, Rhetoric is Epistemic? (2004) will hone in on the debate between Scott and Cheerier and Haskins, defining the positions of each.Finally, Banshee's The C artesian Anxiety in Epistemic Rhetoric: An Assessment of the Literature (1990) will address four key positions within the debate, and bring them together with his Bernstein term, â€Å"Cartesian Anxiety. From these responses it will become clear that while many scholars agree that rhetoric is epistemic, their definitions and viewpoints still vary. Before Jumping into the responses of other scholars, it is probably worth examining Coot's own response, especially since it predates the essays soon to be examined.In this essay, Scott attempts to address three questions: â€Å"Is there one way of knowing or many? What sort of knowing does rhetoric strive to achieve? Is rhetorical relativism vicious? † (1976, 259). He states that there are many ways of knowing, emphasizing the lyricist nature of Ways of knowing. ‘ He believes that rhetoric should strive to achieve an actuality, or an agreed social construction (later it will become apparent that this facet of his argument is the one sparking the most debate).Finally, he attempts to dispel the positivist argument against him, that rhetorical relativism is vicious. This leads to some deeper discussion on the nature of subjective knowledge, of which his defining argument seems to be: â€Å"Relativism, supposedly, means a standard-less society, or at least a maze of differing standards, and thus a cacophony f disparate, and likely selfish interests.Rather than a standard-less society, which is the same as saying no society at all, relativism indicates circumstances in which standards have to be established cooperatively and renewed repeatedly' (1976, 264) Brume seeks to offer up what he deems to be the three prevailing philosophies on epistemology. The first is what is considered the positivist view, which is essentially that there is a truth out there, and that people are either right or wrong about what they think is true. He emphasizes that rhetoric is the path to reaching that truth.The second is the classic interpretive approach, that different groups have different realities, and there knowledge within them. This means that within a group, someone can be wrong, although that doesn't necessarily mean they're wrong in all groups. Finally, he addresses the view that the world is much too complicated for humans to understand, which is evidenced by our need to define and label everything. Harping focus on defining terms, as he sees this as the most critical step in defining hitherto as epistemic.Specially, he examines the nature of â€Å"certainty' and the implications of various definitions and views. Next he examines the term â€Å"rhetoric,† whose definitions has implications not Just in this debate, but for all rhetorical theory. Here he addresses the pros and cons of defining rhetoric in a broad or specific sense. Finally, Harping examines Justification, and how various scholar use justification within the realm of epistemology. Bingham compares four positions within à ¢â‚¬Ëœrhetoric as epistemic' literature.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Essay on Censorship in Television and Radio - 3028 Words

Censorship in Television and Radio For our group project we, group 6, decided to focus our attention on censorship in television and on the radio. We showed most of the attention to the Janet Jackson incident in Super Bowl 38 when looking at television, and for radio, focused on the FCC and disc jockeys like Howard Stern. Here are the television articles as done by three of our group members. If there is a single most important event that happened in television that caused major ramifications, it would be the Janet Jackson’s â€Å"wardrobe malfunction† during the halftime show at Super Bowl 38. In this incident Janet Jackson exposed her right breast. Worst of all the Super Bowl was broadcast on CBS, a non-cable free channel, where†¦show more content†¦The white house supports these ideas saying â€Å"This legislation will make broadcast television and radio more suitable for family viewing by giving the FCC the authority to impose meaningful penalties on broadcasters tat air obscene or indecent material over the public airwaves†. The television has responded to the scrutiny that they have been put under, not by rebelling, but complying with these new rules and censoring themselves. For starters Victoria’s Secret cancelled its annual fashion show, on television, this year. Fox is trying to clean up its act by employing people to monitor its star reality show, â€Å"American Idol†, as well as other reality shows. Comcast Corporation told Congress that it will increase its efforts to assist parents in choosing the right programming for their children. In an interview with Survivor host Jeff Probst said that the producers were told to enlarge the digital blur over Richard Hatch, who spent part of his time on the show naked. NBC planned to show a woman’s exposed breasts on ER, but from pressure from their affiliates the scene was edited. ABC also planed on showing a racy sex scene on their show NYPD Blue, but because the show was played before 10:00 in Central and Mountain Time the scene was darkened to show less. Stemming from the Janet Jackson incident many â€Å"live† shows were put on a delay. MTV will used a delayShow MoreRelatedThe Censorship Of Radio Censorship1208 Words   |  5 Pagesbecomes threatened through censorship which infringes and hinders artistic expression. Radio stations use censorship to edit explicit music in hopes of preserving adolescent innocence, however; there in no value in radio censorship. The significance of radio censorship is diminished because editing music for radio play is ineffective in blocking the nature of a song, radio stations kill the authenticity of music, and songs lose their integrity. For example, radio censorship is pointless due to itsRead More Media Censorship Essay examples662 Words   |  3 PagesMedia Censorship Today there is much controversy over whether there should or shouldn’t be censorship of the media. Censorship should not be imposed on citizens by the government or other agencies; adults have a right to view or listen to what they choose. Additionally, if children’s media is censored, parents are the ones who should monitor and regulate it. Parents should be the ones to monitor children’s viewing of television and also what they hear on the radio, CD’s, and tapes. CensorshipRead MoreCensorship of Music is the Responsibility of the Parent Essay731 Words   |  3 PagesCensorship of Music is the Responsibility of the Parent Censorship in music is a topic that has brought about much controversy over the past two decades. There have been many different arguments on the topic, however the question still lingers is should censorship still remain. Before you can form an opinion on this, you must hear both sides of the argument on this much-debated topic. Some people believe that music should be censored so all audiences can hear it without it containing any offensiveRead MoreCensorship of Electronic Communication Systems1158 Words   |  5 PagesCENSORSHIP OF ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION SYSTEM Introduction. Communication system of society is changing rapidly with the time. In ancient ages people use to communicate with shouting. If people are much more apart from one another the letter writing was the only means of communication just before 500 years. Due to rapid development of science, now a days a message can be passed to millions of people who all are scattered in whole world by a simple electronic communication system. Due to electronicRead MoreEssay about Television Censorship1601 Words   |  7 Pages Television Censorship WHAT IS CENSORSHIP? quot;Censorship is the supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. The objectionable material may be considered immoral or obscene, hereticalRead MoreVenezuelan Media Censorship Essay1375 Words   |  6 PagesMedia censorship destroys the necessary objective journalism of a country and disturbs the freedom of expression of all citizens as well as the democracy of the country itself. There are many countries in the world whose governments impose such censorship in order to prevent information contrary to their beliefs to be known. The question is: how far would a government go to silence so many voices? Venezuela should be a democratic country with freedom of expression as its constitution states. TheRead MoreCensorship Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesCensorship â€Å"Congress shall make no law†¦prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press, or the right to petition the government for a redress of government.†(Ravitch, 118) As stated in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, the people of this nation have the right to exercise their beliefs out loud, or in writing. With this in mind, does the government have the right to undermine the foundation of our nation, and censor what we readRead MoreStudies in Contemporary Literature: Free Speech1622 Words   |  7 Pages Censorship is the suppression of speech or other public communication which may be considered objectable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined as determined by the government, media outlet, or other controlling bodies (Wikipedia, 1). This can be done by governments and private organizations or by individuals who engage in self-censorship which is the act of censoring or cl assifying one’s own work like blog, books, films, or other means of expression, out of theRead MoreFor The Second Paper Topic, I Will Touch Upon The Media1132 Words   |  5 PagesFor the second paper topic, I will touch upon the media issue of censorship and how the effects of censorship on the public and how its history has changed the way the world is ran as well as the current state of censorship. Censorship; something that has been prevalent in society since the beginning of news, media, and all other forms of mass communication. When I say censorship, I am referring to the suppression of free speech, public communication or any other information that could be perceivedRead MoreThe Taliban has Implemented Censorship in Afghanistan1606 Words   |  7 PagesAfghanistan began a period of regulation which can be considered the most restricted in the world. Censorship is the act of a government or powerful group filtering information, news, and media to fit approved topics and categories. Under censorship, the people now have to be cautious of what they write, say, or do because if it’s deemed offensive or â€Å"illegal†, they can be penalized. (Definitions of Censorship) The Taliban, an Islamic fundamentalist group, proved to be no different. Whether it was news

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Religion And The American Colonies - 2143 Words

It is a fairly well known fact that the colonization of the New World in general, and more specifically, what would become eventually become the United States of America, was heavily based upon commercial endeavors. However, it was also heavily influenced by the desire of people to possess and preserve religious independence. Placing the potential for commercial success aside and focusing on the religious aspects of colonization, the proliferation of various religions over the course of colonial history is quite extensive and, by proxy, its’ influence upon developing colonial societies was far-reaching. Because of the historical significance of many different religions throughout the colonies, it would also suggest that religious diversity was likely equally impactful in eliciting change. All of this leads this author to speculate about how much influence religion had upon colonial upheaval over time and whether or not the ensuing dissent was a major factor in the lead up to The French and Indian War and eventual revolution of the American colonies. To uncover the significance and role religion played in the American colonies, a number of different articles were reviewed, each representing different perspectives, points of view, and empirical evidence about religion in colonial America. Religion throughout Colonial America To begin with, religious worship in Colonial America was as diverse as the various colonies themselves; different geographical landscapes and aShow MoreRelatedEconomics vs Religion American Colonies1043 Words   |  5 PagesEconomics over Religion Throughout history there have been two leading factors that lead a colony to success. These two factors are religion and economics or money. Which factor is more important? In my opinion, economics is more important because the colonists had many issues getting necessities, and if they had enough money for all that, their problems would all basically be gone. Economic stability and the success of the mercantile system made the establishment of the colonies in North AmericaRead MoreThe Great Awakening and its Impact on the Religion of the American Colonies623 Words   |  3 PagesReligion has been around since the discovery of America. Many European immigrants came to America to escape the traditions of the Church of England. The people wanted religious freedom. Most, however, tried to force their religious beliefs on the people who came to settle in their colonies creating a divide. It wasn’t until The Great Awakening, which started in the New England colonies, occurred t hat people rose up and revolted against the norms of religion and began to worship the way they wantedRead MoreDifferences Between New England And Spanish Colonies951 Words   |  4 PagesThe New England and Spanish Colonies In a time when numerous countries were beginning to explore the new and exciting land of North America during the Age of Exploration, and groups of people from England and Spain were fleeing their home countries either for religious freedom or wealth, vast and civilized colonies began to form all throughout the New World. It is in this context that the colonies founded by the English and the Spanish began to develop and grow. There was a significant differenceRead MoreThe American Of The United States1484 Words   |  6 PagesThe American colonies were established for an abundance of reasons, including important English themes. Of these themes, religion, economics, and government are the most essential. People wanted to seek refuge, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. These three themes established the American Dream. Not only did the colonists want this life, they also wanted to have a stable, progressive government, unlike that under the King of England. Many of the colonies, such as MassachusettsRead MoreAPUSH Essay 1 British North America Religous Tolerance896 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Evaluate the extent to which religious toleration in the British North American colonies maintained continuity as well as fostered changed from 1607-1700. Prior to the founding of the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630 religion had not played a large part in the politics and development of the British North American colonies. The first settlers who established Jamestown in 1607 were looking for riches similar to those found by the Spanish in Central America. After finding no treasure and on the brinkRead MoreThe English Colonization And Settlement Essay1113 Words   |  5 PagesWorld (North America) that would eventually end up with thirteen colonies for the English. How did the English colonization and settlement in the Chesapeake and southern colonies differ from that in New England? What factors motivated people to settle in the different regions? What effect did the English Protestant Reformation in the mid-1500s have on the desire of Englishmen to migrate to the New World? [Hint: the New England colonies.] How did the desire for freedom of worship (religious freedom)Read MoreNative Americans And The United States991 Words   |   4 PagesThe United States as we know it, since its beginning has been based on immigration. Native Americans traveled during the Ice Age through the Bering Strait and English settlers sailed the Atlantic. Due to unknown reasons, most of the Native societies except for the Aztecs collapse before the arrival of the Europeans, which gives shine to the English settlements since their attainment set the roots of our society today. More importantly, it should be recognized the diverse cultures of English settlersRead MoreReligion Has Been A Major Force In The History Of The United1104 Words   |  5 PagesReligion has been a major force in the history of the United States and in settling the colonies of America in many ways. Religion was definitely one of the major reasons for the founding of the colonies. The early colonists wanted the freedom to worship God as they had seen as proper, and they were promised this freedom of worship. Most of these colonies were deeply rooted in their r eligious beliefs. Religion was a powerful influence on the social and political life of the colonial times inRead MoreReligion Has Played An Important Role In The History Of1108 Words   |  5 Pages Religion has played an important role in the history of the United States and in creating the colonies of the New World in many ways. Religion was definitely one of the major reasons for the establishment of the colonies. The early colonists wanted the freedom to worship God as they seen as proper, and they were promised this freedom of worship. Most of these colonies were deeply rooted in their religious beliefs. Religion strongly influenced the social and political life of the colonial timesRead MoreSociety of Colonial America Essay1247 Words   |  5 Pageshas been slowly incorporating in their society with the European settlers who have migrated to the country and governments claiming colonies in each part of the continent. Due to the variety of cultures that have now mixed i n the country, there have been many particular elements or legacies which have left a mark in the country and are continuously seen today in American culture. The time period is also considered America’s development period as it is slowly grasping its own heritage and discovering