Diversity in the World Essay Example for Free

Diversity in the World Essay One of the most profound factors in the universe is diversity. However the most evident diversity which affects peoples’ lives is racial and ethnic diversity. Although theories of origin of universe show a common source of all human races in the world, environmental factors in the area certain people live in can be held accountable for the diversity that is observed in human race. Undoubtedly, racial diversity is important in the world as it creates variety and taste in life; on the other hand, it is evident that diversity has also been a source of conflicts in the world. A world of diversity Personal experience with diverse cultures is very important in understanding the diversity in the world. An example could be the visit to the Eunoto ceremony from the Maasai community, which is one of the foreign traditional ceremonies in Kenya. Usually, tourist are informed about it during their stay in East Africa. The Maasai community which lives in the East African region is one of the conservative traditional communities which have refused to let go their practices. The Eunoto ceremony is used to mark the end of one age set’s period in service of worrier hood for the community and their consequent promotion to the junior elders. This marks their initiation to adult life where they can be allowed to marry and have children. Eunoto is a four day ceremony which takes place in an enclosed hut which is specified for that ceremony. Every warrior has his head shaved by his mother sitting on the same cowhide where he was circumcised. The head is then decorated and the shaving of the head means that they have lost the most valuable stage of their life which is full of freedom. After the ceremony, the now crowned junior elder may select a girl of his choice for a wife. At the same time some restriction like drinking milk and eating meat which are restricted in their warrior years are also lifted. (Finke, 2003) How can the one describe his/her racial and ethnic diversity? It is difficult to define the word race owing to the varied application of the word in different circumstance. The word race defines a particular group of people who can be identified through a common factor. This means that it is a group of people that share common characteristics (Kim, 2001). These characteristics can vary from factors like religious, skin color, and others. However, in everyday usage, the word race has been used predominantly based on the color of the skin thereby giving the black race and the light skinned race. This is just a construction of the society and the meaning many not be referring to provable differences. In defining ones personal racial and ethnic identity, it is natural to use of all these characteristics that have been used to differentiate one race from the other. In that case, based on the skin color, the person could say that he/she, for instance, is black American since his/her great grand parents were presumably, slaves who had been shipped from West African to work in Caribbean plantations. This kind of characteristic can be evidenced in ones physical character; even if the one doesn’t have a black complexion, he/she may have a chocolate complexion which may lead to the African origin. The heritage and cultural practices that have been inherited from grand parents may be passed down the line of generation and may be evident today. A race can also be defined in terms of other characteristics like language and religion. In terms of language, it may be hard to exactly foot ones ancestry since nowdays Americans usually know only American English language. At the same time, the ancestral language may not even be reflected in ones names. The name of a person can tell the origin of a person even without assessing other characteristic. For example the name Patel will assure that there is a high probability that the person is an Indian. Most people surrounding us every day have both names in English which can explain the level of assimilation of the African slaves in the American society. In terms of religion, a large percent of Americans families are Catholic. Catholic was a predominant religion in the tradition American plantations. However, sometimes, a little enquiry from ancestors how a certain family ended up being Catholics shows that many slaves and in deed Americans were converted to catholic during the independence era as they opposed the Anglican religion perpetuated by the British. Family customs are important practices that have been passed on from one generation to the other. In some families, there are practices which father insists on like the position of the first born in the family. The first born is supposed to provide example to the rest of the siblings. In an era where family divorces are on the rise, some fathers insist that once their children are married they would like to see them have a happy marriage like they have had. These are some of the customs among other that some parents have tried to pass on to their children in certain cultures. There are practice like dressing, music, and other practices that are preserved in our family. In term of dressing, some believe in dressing like a gentle lady or gentleman. This means dressing smart. In some families, every time the one enters in the house there will be a rock music playing as the onweners like no other. Taking children to see â€Å"the land of origin† is also very popular. How can the American culture be described? Evidently, American culture is the most diverse in the world, being a multilayered culture with huge cocktail of cultures blending together to produced the Americana culture. American culture is also the most influential in the world and different aspects like clothing (notably hip star), music (pop music), business, and others have defined the standard world culture. There are different evident factors that set the American culture from the rest. The Hollywood culture that defines entertainment is the most evident. Other clear aspects of American culture is the culture of consumption, racism based on three dominant groups including African American, white American and Hispanic, and fundamental religious culture of Christians, Jews, Islam, and Atheists. American culture is very rich in diversity. (Levenstein, 2003) What would happen if a resident of the United States of America changes sex? If the one wakes up next day and finds that he/she had changed sex, life would not change much in the modern American society. American society has moved toward gender homogeneity and anyone can perform any duty. There are no cultural restriction and those existing in different races have been overtaken the constitutional legislations. Ones life would, therefore, differ in terms of the biological gender roles and in no other aspect. Also, it can be said that throughout time some aspects like dressing and the general social life has been greatly changed by the wave of globalization but this is common to all the middle class. Conclusion Diversity in the world may be the source of variety and taste of life. There are diverse races of in the world with each defined by a set of culture practices. The one could consider being an African American but his/her racial and ethnic identity may be polarized by the mix up of cultures in the diverse American culture. Today, it might prove very difficult to point out culture practices that may identify individual racial background except for the color of their skin. Reference: Finke, J. (2003): Maasai – The Eunoto Ceremony. Retrieved on 22nd November 2008 http://www. bluegecko. org/kenya/tribes/maasai/eunoto. htmfrom Kim, U. (2001): Culture, science and indigenous psychologies: An integrated analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press Levenstein, H. (2003): Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American culture, Berkeley: University of California Press,

Ratio Analysis for Building Company

Ratio Analysis for Building Company Title: Ratio analysis for Bellway Company About Bellway plc The Bellway Group is one of the largest housebuilders in the U.K. It was established in 1946 by John T.Bells and his two sons[1].The Group’s operations are spread throughout the country. The key activities of the Group include: land acquisition, finance, planning, architecture, design, build management, marketing and customer service. Bellway builds low-cost homes and apartment blocks on disused or abandoned sites. Position and Strategy Bellway sells around 6,000 houses every year and has till date provided more than 100,000 homes. The houses are designed, built and marketed by local teams operating from regional offices. These offices are managed and staffed by local people. The company employs about 2,000 people with varying expertise. Corporate Social Responsibility The Group has adopted five principles in their day-to-day operations to minimise the environmental effects of the building process and create sustainable communities: â€Å"Protection of the environment Prudent use of natural resources Creating environments that have the potential to add to economic growth and employment opportunities Social considerations that recognise the needs for a changing and advancing population The creation of communities that will endure and where people will aspire to live† Source: Bellway p.l.c. Annual Report Accounts 2007 The Group reports on these five principles in its Annual Report. Performance Overview of Bellway Group The housing industry has been facing challenging market conditions since the last few months. However the Chairman of the Group has made the following statement in the Annual Report of the Group for the year ended 31 July 2007. â€Å"Bellway has, yet again, produced a very good set of results for the year ended 31 July. The Group continues to deliver organic growth in volumes and earnings despite the challenging market conditions experienced by the housing industry over the last twelve months.† The present paper attempts to examine the reality of the statement by doing a ratio analysis to assess the financial health of the Group based on its Annual Reports for the year ended 31 July 2007. Performance Overview The key highlights of performance in the year ended July 2007 over the previous year are given in the table[2] below: In the next section a detailed analysis of the financial performance and health of the Group has been examined on the basis of: Performance Ratios Working Capital Efficiency Ratios Investment Ratios Financial Status Ratios PERFORMANCE RATIOS Return on capital employed (ROCE) Profit before Tax and Interest Payable = x 100 Total Assets less Current Liabilities * This is taken as equal to operating profit plus interest income The ROCE of the Group is around 22% in the year ended 2007. Despite a 6.5% increase in the Profit before Tax and Interest Payable in 2007, the ROCE stands at the same figure as in 2006. This only indicates that the net assets have also increased in the same proportion as profits. However, there has been no improvement in the efficiency in employing theses net assets to generate profits. Moreover, ROCE for the Group is lower than five year average ROCE achieved by builders over UK which stands at 25–30%[3]. Thus, the efficiency in employing net assets to generate profits for the Group is lower than the Industry average. Asset turnover Sales Turnover = Total Assets less Current Liabilities The asset turnover ratio of 1.165 indicates that a sale of  £1.165 is generated from each  £ invested in assets by the Group. This ratio has increased by around 3.6% in 2007 over 2006 which is a good sign. The increase is primarily due to an increase in total assets and also a corresponding increase in the sales turnover. Net profit margin Profit before Tax and Interest Payable = x 100 Sales turnover *This is taken as equal to operating profit plus interest income Despite the increase in profit before interest and taxes and also sales turnover, there is a slight decline in the net profit margin from 19.5% in the year ended 2006 to 19.1% in the year ended 2007. The decline indicates that proportionate increase in cost of operations has been higher than the increase in sales. Thus, there has been a decline in the efficiency of sales to generate profits. Gross profit margin Gross Profit = x 100 Sales turnover There has been a decrease in the gross profit margin of the Group by 0.6% despite the increase in sales revenue. The decline in the gross profit margin has been due to a larger increase in cost of sales as compared to corresponding increase in sales. Sales revenue has increased by 9.2% over 2006. The corresponding increase in cost of sales has been 9.9%. The decline in the gross profit margin also explains to certain extent the decline in net profit margin. WORKING CAPITAL EFFICIENCY RATIOS Inventories (or stock) turnover Stocks and Work in Progress = x 365 Purchases (or Cost of Sales) The housebuilding industry by its very nature has slow moving stock / inventory. In 2007, as compared to 2006, there has been a decline in the number of days the stock takes to be converted into sales. The stock is getting converted into sales in 538.65 days in 2007 as compared to 552.16 days. This is an improvement of around 2.4% over 2006. Trade receivables (or trade debtors) turnover Trade Debtors = x 365 Sales Turnover * All sales are assumed to be on credit Though it takes less than 1 week to collect receivables, the increase in the time taken to receive payments from customers must be examined carefully before it gets out of hands. An increasing ratio also indicates that the company is taking more time for collecting its payments. Thus, each  £1 of its sales revenue stays tied up in trade receivables for a longer period. Trade payables (or trade creditors) turnover Trade Creditors = x 365 Cost of Sales ** All purchases are assumed to be on credit There has been a decline in the average settlement period for trade creditors by almost 17%. This is not a good sign as trade credit is a type of free finance available to a company. A declining ratio indicates that suppliers in the year ended 2007 gave a lower credit period to the Group as compared to the previous year. This becomes a bigger cause of concern as the Stock Turnover ratio for the Group stands at a high figure. It may also have adverse implications for the Group’s liquidity position. INVESTMENT RATIOS Earnings per share (EPS) Profit before Ordinary Dividend = No. of Ordinary Shares in issue EPS reflects upon share performance. Thus EPS trend of the Group highlights the investment potential of its shares. It also highlights the possibility that the company will pay a dividend[8]. There has been a 6.2% growth in the diluted EPS of the Group in the year ended 2007 as compared to 2006. This indicates that the potential of the shares of the Group is growing. This increase in EPS is primarily due to an increase in the profits with no corresponding increase in tax rates. Price earnings ratio(PE) Market Value per Share = Earning per share In general, if the PE ratio of a company is high it implies that investors are optimistic about the company’s future and are expectinghigher earningsgrowthin the future compared to companies with alower PE. However, the ratio can only be interpreted appropriately when compared to historical PE ratio or industry benchmarks. Group’s historical PE ratio The PE ratio for the Group has been constant over the previous two years. The ratio needs to be examined in light of the deteriorating industry scenario over the last two months. The PE ratio calculated above may not hold true today and would have declined substantially. This is because housebuilding is a cyclical business where earnings fall exponentially as sales prices decline. Recent times have seen a substantial decline in sale prices. If the PE is calculated at the share price of 713.5p[9] as on 25 April 2008, assuming earnings to be constant at 31 July 2007 level, it will be only 4.9. Thus, actual PE will be lower. Industry average The following diagram[10] highlights the PE ratios of 8 leading housebuilders in UK as on 21 July 2007. The diagram clearly indicates that Bellway is towards the lower end of the selected companies in the industry UK with regard to its PE ratio Dividend yield Latest Annual Dividends = x 100 Current market share price The dividend yield at the current price as on 25 April 2008 = (43.125 / 713.5) % = 6% However, the market price of shares for the Group is much lower than it was a year ago. Historically, the dividend yield has been as indicated in the table below: Dividend cover Profit on ordinary activities after taxation = Ordinary Dividend The dividend cover has fallen despite the fact that the profits have increased. A declining trend makes dividend less secure. However it is not a cause of concern for the Group as the dividend cover is much better than many other companies in the industry. For example, housebuilder Persimmon has cover of 2.69[11]. Thus, if the Group has a cover of more than 3, it could maintain its payout more than thrice over. Return on equity (ROE) Profit on ordinary activities after taxation = x 100 Equity shareholders’ funds The Group shows a decline in this ratio in 2007 over 2006. The decline may be primarily due to increase in equity shareholders’ funds. FINANCIAL STATUS RATIOS Working capital ratio (WCR) Current Assets = Current liabilities The accepted norm for the WCR ratio is that current assets should be double the current liabilities. However, the norm varies with industry. In the case of the Group the ratio has declined but it is higher than the accepted norm. However, a closer analysis indicates that the Group faces a liquidity crisis. A close examination of the current assets indicates that inventories constitute more than 95% of the current assets. This, added to a high stock turnover ratio, will not let the Group meet its current obligations. A clearer picture of the liquidity is provided by the Quick Asset ratio. Quick assets ratio (QAR) Current Assets Stocks = Current liabilities The norm for this ratio is 1: 1. However, it again varies from business to business. The ratio is far below the norm. In other words, the Group has no way of covering up its current obligations. This is a cause of concern and can lead to survival problems also if the condition persists. Gearing Long-term Debt + Preference Shares = Total Assets less Current Liabilities *These include preference shares of  £20,000,000 in both the years The gearing or dependence on debt has decreased by about 7% for the Group. Thus, there has been a decline in the Group’s risk as lesser amount is committed for periodic interest and repayment commitments. This is especially welcome in the time of deteriorating housing market conditions. Interest cover Profit before Tax and Interest Payable = Interest payable Despite the decline in gearing, the Group’s interest cover for the year ended 31 July 2007 also shows a slight decline. The decrease in interest cover from last year is due to a higher increase in net interest payable than increase in profit before tax and interest. Conclusion: To conclude it can be said that Bellway has performed well in the year ended July 2007 over 2006 in terms of profitability as well as increased sales. However, it faces a major short-term liquidity crisis. This is a cause of concern as the UKs housebuilding industry, in general, is expected to be facing more difficult times ahead due to credit crunch and declining consumer demand. References: Atrill Peter McLaney Eddie, Financial Accounting for Decision Makers, 5th ed. 2008 , FT Prentice Hall Barker Review Interim Report, The Housebuilding Industry, accessed from http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/2/9/barkerreview_interim_chapters4to6.pdf Bellway p.l.c. Annual Report Accounts 2007 Elliott B. and J. Elliott, Financial Accounting and Reporting, 11th ed. 2007, FT Prentice Hall HIFIC Barnard Report, Future Trends in Timber Construction and Implications for HIE Region, accessed from www.forestryscotland.com/pages/download2.asp?file=attachments/HIFIC_Forres%2007_Barnard.pdf Steed, Alison, Five ‘safe’ shares for hard times, The Sunday Times 20 April, 2008 Team Limited, The Cartel- Like Industry, accessed from http://www.teamlimited.co.uk/Assets/pdf/Building-Barriers.pdf Yahoo finance, accessed from http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=BWY.L Hemscott website accessed from www.hemscott.com Brief: 209439Page 1 of 13 [1] Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=BWY.L [2] Source: Bellway p.l.c. Annual Report Accounts 2007 [3] HIFIC Barnard Report, Future Trends in Timber Construction and Implications for HIE Region, accessed from www.forestryscotland.com/pages/download2.asp?file=attachments/HIFIC_Forres 07_Barnard.pdf [4] Ideally average stock and work in progress figures should be taken for calculating the ratio as they give more accurate ratios as average inventory accounts for any seasonality effects on the ratio. However, in the case of house building industry seasonality effect is not there. Moreover due to non-availability of 2005 figures, end of the year figures are used. . [5] Ideally average trade debtors figures should be taken for calculating the ratio as they give more accurate ratios. However, due to non-availability of 2005 figures, end of the year figures are used.. Trade receivables do not include other receivables not arising from sales (Refer Note 13 of Bellway Annual Report pp 68) [6] Ideally average trade creditors’ figures should be taken for calculating the ratio as they give more accurate ratios. However, due to non-availability of 2005 figures, end of the year figures are used. Trade payables do not include other payables not arising from purchases (Refer Note 15 of Bellway Annual Report pp 69) [7] Diluted EPS is based on the total outstanding shares after all Options and awards have been exercised. [8] EPS only indicates the possibility of a dividend. However, dividend decision is a corporate decision and there is no rule of thumb regarding its size and frequency. [9] http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=BWY.L [10] Based on PE ratios published on 21 July 2007 by www.hemscott.com [11] Steed, Alison, The Sunday Times, 20 April 2008

Voltaires Candide Character Analysis Essay -- Voltaire Candide Essays

Voltaire's Candide Character Analysis Voltaire's Candide seems to display a world of horror, one filled with floggings, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, natural disasters, betrayals and cannibalism. Pangloss, the philosopher, has a constant optimistic view throughout the entire novel even despite all of the cruelty in the world. While looking back on the book I couldn't think of many characters that displayed admirable qualities. Even though Pangloss stuck to his views that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds, which is admirable, he is stupid and naive to still believe this after everything he and his family goes through. It was quite hard for me to find admirable characters within Voltaire's Candide, all of the characters seemed to do harm to one another in some way. Although as soon as James or Jacques, the Anabaptist, is introduced to us he seems different then any other character so far. Most of the people Candide meet throughout his journey are mean and cause him harm but Jacques is kind right from the beginning. In Chapter three Jacques carries Candide, someone who he had never met, into his home, washed him, gave him food and employs him in his rug factory. Jacque?s kindness revives Candide?s faith in Pangloss?s theory that everything is for the best in this world. Candide was so moved by Jacques he threw himself to his feet and cried, ?Now I am convinced that my master Pangloss told me truth when he said that everything was for the best in this world; for I am infinitely more touched by your extraordinary generosity... ? (Ch. 3 Pg. 19).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jacques seems to be the only good-natured character in the whole book. His actions are kind and most admirable. Jacques finds a doctor to cure Pangloss, who loses an eye and an ear to syphilis. He even hires Pangloss as his bookkeeper and takes Candide and Pangloss on a business trip to Lisbon. Jacques disagrees with Pangloss?s belief that this is the best of worlds and claims that ?men have somehow corrupted Nature.? He said God never gave men weapons, but men created them ?in order to destroy themselves.? Mankind, must in some things have deviated from their original innocence; for they were not born wolves, and yet they worry one another like those beasts of prey. God never gave then twenty-four pounders nor bayonets, and yet they have made cannon and ba... ...sery (Ch. 12 Pg. 50). Out of all of the characters Candide came across only Jacques and the Old Woman had truly admirable qualities. The Old Woman only really seems admirable because she has endured and survived so much cruelty in her life. She is strong and still decided to live life even though it has been so horrible. She is wise and has learned from her awful experiences. If it wasn?t for this I don?t think she would be seen as admirable. Jacques, the Anabaptist, helped anyone that needed it, whether he knew them or not. Even in a world full of betrayal and evil he wants to take the chance and reach out to those who need help. He cares for Candide, without even knowing him, he gives employment to both Candide and Pangloss, and he even saves a sailors life that he never met before. His death shows how good does not win out in the end and despite his kindness to the sailor he in turn does not reach out and give Jacques the same courtesy. Unfortunately, the only true admirable person in the book dies so soon into it. He was the only hope we saw that Candide?s world had. Works Cited Voltaire. Candide. 1759. Ed. Henry Morley. New York, New York: Fine Creative Media, 2003. Voltaire's Candide Character Analysis Essay -- Voltaire Candide Essays Voltaire's Candide Character Analysis Voltaire's Candide seems to display a world of horror, one filled with floggings, rapes, robberies, unjust executions, disease, natural disasters, betrayals and cannibalism. Pangloss, the philosopher, has a constant optimistic view throughout the entire novel even despite all of the cruelty in the world. While looking back on the book I couldn't think of many characters that displayed admirable qualities. Even though Pangloss stuck to his views that everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds, which is admirable, he is stupid and naive to still believe this after everything he and his family goes through. It was quite hard for me to find admirable characters within Voltaire's Candide, all of the characters seemed to do harm to one another in some way. Although as soon as James or Jacques, the Anabaptist, is introduced to us he seems different then any other character so far. Most of the people Candide meet throughout his journey are mean and cause him harm but Jacques is kind right from the beginning. In Chapter three Jacques carries Candide, someone who he had never met, into his home, washed him, gave him food and employs him in his rug factory. Jacque?s kindness revives Candide?s faith in Pangloss?s theory that everything is for the best in this world. Candide was so moved by Jacques he threw himself to his feet and cried, ?Now I am convinced that my master Pangloss told me truth when he said that everything was for the best in this world; for I am infinitely more touched by your extraordinary generosity... ? (Ch. 3 Pg. 19).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jacques seems to be the only good-natured character in the whole book. His actions are kind and most admirable. Jacques finds a doctor to cure Pangloss, who loses an eye and an ear to syphilis. He even hires Pangloss as his bookkeeper and takes Candide and Pangloss on a business trip to Lisbon. Jacques disagrees with Pangloss?s belief that this is the best of worlds and claims that ?men have somehow corrupted Nature.? He said God never gave men weapons, but men created them ?in order to destroy themselves.? Mankind, must in some things have deviated from their original innocence; for they were not born wolves, and yet they worry one another like those beasts of prey. God never gave then twenty-four pounders nor bayonets, and yet they have made cannon and ba... ...sery (Ch. 12 Pg. 50). Out of all of the characters Candide came across only Jacques and the Old Woman had truly admirable qualities. The Old Woman only really seems admirable because she has endured and survived so much cruelty in her life. She is strong and still decided to live life even though it has been so horrible. She is wise and has learned from her awful experiences. If it wasn?t for this I don?t think she would be seen as admirable. Jacques, the Anabaptist, helped anyone that needed it, whether he knew them or not. Even in a world full of betrayal and evil he wants to take the chance and reach out to those who need help. He cares for Candide, without even knowing him, he gives employment to both Candide and Pangloss, and he even saves a sailors life that he never met before. His death shows how good does not win out in the end and despite his kindness to the sailor he in turn does not reach out and give Jacques the same courtesy. Unfortunately, the only true admirable person in the book dies so soon into it. He was the only hope we saw that Candide?s world had. Works Cited Voltaire. Candide. 1759. Ed. Henry Morley. New York, New York: Fine Creative Media, 2003.

A Working Party :: essays research papers

This poem is about a 'normal', 'average' man who came to the trenches only 3 hours before, and then is killed as he is doing his job of piling sandbags along the parapet.Throughout this poem, Sassoon appeals to the emotions of the reader by trying to create an emotional attachment between the reader and the young man. He explains that "He was a young man, with a meagre wifeAnd two small children in a Midland town;He showed their photographs to all his mates,And they considered him a decent chapWho did his work and hadn't much to say,And always laughed at other people's jokesBecause he hadn't any of his own."Sassoon deliberately describes the man clearly and significant detail, which makes the reader realise that this man was just a normal man, probably not unlike the reader, and makes the reader see the pure tragedy when the man dies. "He was just a simple man, who never did anything to hurt anyone" is the response Sassoon wants the reader to have, and feel the i njustice of the man's death.Sassoon specifically starts the poem off slowly, describing the men slowly making their way down the trenches, slipping into the mud and squeezing past other soldiers returning from the front line. Then, he ironically rushes the man's death in the last two lines, after the man is thinking how slow time passes. The man's sudden death shocks the reader and shows them how suddenly life can be taken away."And as he dropped his head the instant splitHis startled life with lead, and all went out."Throughout the poem, Sassoon uses excellent descriptions to involve the reader in the 'action' of the poem, and with the man. He clearly describes the men making their way down the trench towards the front line - "Sliding and poising, groping with his boots", "...splashing wretchedly where the sludge was ankle deep". Language like this almost takes the reader there, and again makes the reader identify with the character. Sassoon also uses the same strong descriptions of the area to make the reader feel like they are in the trenches along with the man - "Sandbags bleached with rain", "... pawed sodden sandbags of chalk", "White faces peered, puffing a point of red", "... the gloom swallowed...". He uses references to colour, texture and sound to give the reader an understanding of what it felt like to be there.

William Shakespeare :: English Literature

William Shakespeare The Globe William Shakespeare was one of the most famous play writers of all time. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in England more than four hundred years ago. At the young age of eighteen Shakespeare wedd a woman by the name of Anne Hathaway whom was eight years older than him. Together they had a daughter called Susanna and twins Hamnet and Judith. Shakespeare decided to start travelling and to go to London. Luckily for Shakespeare just before he went to London, theatres had been opened for travelling actors for they weren’t respected and a man by the name of James Burbage wanted to change that. He did this so that actors could gain more dignity. This led to the first public playhouse being built in England. This playhouse was a great success and was very popular so gradually more and more were built. In a playhouse there were three tiers of galleries which looked down to the yard where most of the audience stood. For it was only a penny to stand in the yard whereas in the gallery benches it was two pence. To sit on cushions in the gentlemen’s rooms it was three pence and for six pence the well-off would sit in the Lords room. The stage came out into the yard and was open to the sky. Over the back of the stage ran an upper stage and beneath the upper stage was what was known as the tiring house. The tiring house was concealed from the audience by a curtain which would be drawn back to reveal an inner stage. There weren’t any large curtains to conceal the whole stage so all scenes on the main stage began with an entrance and ended with an exit so in tragedies the dead must be carried away. The fact that there was no scenery meant that there were no limits to the number of scenes as when a scene came to an end then the characters would just simply leave the scene. The audiences loved Shakespeare’s plays. Hundreds of people would squeeze into the theatre with their food and drink to watch. Sadly a deadly plague interrupted the theatres success and meant that for two years all playhouses were closed. During this time Shakespeare wrote several plays and two long poems. In 1597 the theatre was forced to close after twenty one years for it was on rented land and the agreement with the landowner had ended. The landowner wanted to keep the playhouse to himself and to reuse its valuable oak timber but that wasn’t the plan of the two brothers who

Extracurricular Activities

Contents 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 2. Literature Review†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 3. Survey Findings†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 4. Analysis of Data†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 5. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 17 6. References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 18 Effect of Extracurricular Activities on Academic Performance at NSU Introduction Music, volunteer work, community service, sports, debating, etc—all of these have an influence on how university students perform academically.The way students choose to spend their free time can affect their academic performance; it is not simply traditional in-class instruction that impacts academic achievement. â€Å"A study by the U. S. Department of Education revealed that students who participate in co-curricular activities are three times more likely to have a grade point average of 3. 0 or better† than students who do not participate in co-curricular activities (Stephens & Schaben, 2002, para. ). In addition to co-curricular or extracurricular activities, â€Å"analyses revealed that regardless of students’ background and prior achievement, various parenting, volunteering, and home learning activities positively influenced student grades† (Simon, 2001, para. 1). Numerous studies have examined the factors influencing students’ academic achievement, and many activities were found to have a significant influence.According to BUGS (Bringing Up Girls in Science), a program for young girls and their parents at the University of North Texas, â€Å"the home environment is among the most important influences on academic performance† (Bringing Up Girls in Science, 2003, para. 2). A correlation appears to exist between the activities that students choose outside of the classroom and their academic performance. One of the main controversies is the effect that television viewing of students has on their academic achievement. â€Å"The relationship between cognitive development and television viewing has been the one most widely studied.Investigators disagree about the effects of this relationship† (Shin, 2004, para. 2). The amount and quality of television viewing and family involvement are not the only influences of academic performance. The effects of music and sports are also controversial in their relation to academic performance. University Deans are interested in the relationship between academic achievement and participation in interscholastic sports at university level these days implying that sports do have some sort of influence on how students perform academically.All of these activities appear to have some sort of effect on students’ academic performance; however, the issue of whether they benefit or hinder is unknown. The research would be described as a descriptive study because it observes behaviors â€Å"as they occur naturally, describes behav ior, explores a phenomenon, and tests hypotheses about behavior† (Brown, Cozby, Kee, & Worden, 1999, p. 75). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the club activities that students of North South University (where I study currently) take part in have an effect on their academic performance.I believe that extracurricular activities (club activities) have a positive effect on a student’s academic performance at NSU. | | | | Literature Review The History of Extracurricular Activities The development of extracurricular activities was slow in the beginning, with many seeing it simply as a fad that would pass and quickly fade out of style (Millard, 1930, p. 11). One of the early philosophies behind extracurricular activities was that they should, wherever at all possible, â€Å"grow out of curricular activities and return to curricular activities to enrich them† (Millard, 1930, p. 2). Eventually people, including educators, began to see th e benefits of extracurricular activities, but it took a while to inure themselves to them. In fact, before 1900, educators were skeptical of participation in extracurricular activities, believing that â€Å"school should focus solely on narrowly defined academic outcomes. Non-academic activities were viewed as being primarily recreational and therefore were detrimental to academic achievement, and consequently were discouraged† (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002, para. 5).Deam and Bear, early experts on extracurricular activities, said, â€Å"Extracurricular activities supplement and extend those contacts and experiences found in the more formal part of the program of the school day† (Millard, 1930, p. 16). It was not until recently that â€Å"educational practitioners and researchers have taken a more positive perspective, arguing that extracurricular activities may have positive effects on life skills and may also benefit academic accomplishments† (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002 , para. 5). It is obvious that extracurricular activities have an impact on academic performance and education ever since their inception.The question is, how are extracurricular activities affecting academic performance today? Extracurricular Activities and Academic Performance Numerous studies have been conducted concerning the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance. Total extracurricular activity participation (TEAP), or participation in extracurricular activities in general, is associated with an improved grade point average, higher educational aspirations, increased college attendance, and reduced absenteeism† (Broh, 2002, para. 8).Guest and Schneider (2003), in looking at the previous research on this subject said, â€Å"Researchers have found positive associations between extracurricular participation and academic achievement† (para. 2). Although researchers agree that extracurricular activities do, in fact, influence academic pe rformance, the specific effect that various activities produce is debated. One study, conducted by the National Educational Longitudinal Study, found that â€Å"participation in some activities improves achievement, while participation in others diminishes achievement† (Broh, 2002, para. ). Many extracurricular activities have proven to be beneficial in building and strengthening academic achievement, even if the activities are not obviously related to academic subjects (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002, para. 9). â€Å"A number of studies revealed that students participating in extracurricular activities did better academically than students who did not participate† (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002, para. 7). Researchers have particularly studied the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance in adolescents.One study found that â€Å"adolescents who participated in extracurricular activities reported higher grades, more positive attitudes toward school, an d higher academic aspirations† (Darling, Caldwell, & Smith, 2005, para. 1). Darling, Caldwell, and Smith (2005) conducted a longitudinal study concerning extracurricular activities and their effect on various aspects of development, including academic performance. A survey containing a list of twenty different extracurricular activities was distributed to students; they were asked to check which extracurricular activities they participated in that year.Demographic questions, such as their favorite activity, gender, and ethnicity were asked in order to take the social factors and influences into account when calculating the results. The students were also asked what their academic goals were and their grade point average. The results showed that the students who participated in school-based extracurricular activities had higher grades, higher academic aspirations, and better academic attitudes than those who were not involved in extracurricular activities at all (Para. 3-35). S ocial Influences of Extracurricular Activities and Academic Performance Numerous studies indicate that extracurricular activities do, in fact, promote academic performance in students. However, are the extracurricular activities themselves, regardless of outside or social influences, responsible for this impact on academic performance? Guest and Schneider (2003) conducted research on what influence various social factors had on the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance.They found that most of the studies previously conducted on the relationship between these two factors had not taken into account the meaning that participation in extracurricular activities â€Å"[held] for individual participants within distinct social contexts† (Para. 3). They believed that every school and community assigned certain values to the various activities, putting more importance on some over others. The value that is placed on each activity affects the relations hip between that specific activity and academic performance (Guest & Schneider, 2003, para. ). Guest and Schneider (2003) concluded that there are three factors which influence this relationship. These factors are the â€Å"what,† the â€Å"where,† and the â€Å"when† (Para. 7). The â€Å"what† suggests that â€Å"the type of participation or activity undertaken influences developmental outcomes† (Guest & Schneider, 2003, para. 8). The â€Å"where† suggests â€Å"that the school and community context in which extracurricular activity takes place matters† (Guest & Schneider, 2003, para. 9).Finally, the â€Å"when† suggests â€Å"that the developmental and historical context in which extracurricular participation takes place influences both how it is valued and its effects on subsequent development† (Guest & Schneider, 2003, para. 10). All three of these factors work together to influence the relationship between participa tion in extracurricular activities and academic performance, because each one places a different value both on activities and academics. Formal Versus Informal Extracurricular Activities Some researchers have divided extracurricular activities into informal and formal activities.The formal activities include activities which are relatively structured, such as participating in athletics or learning to play a musical instrument. Informal activities, on the other hand, also known as leisure activities, include less structured activities, such as watching television. Some literature on leisure studies has â€Å"suggested that formal and informal activity settings have different influences on motivation and feelings of competence,† two factors which influence academic performance (Guest & Schneider, 2003, para. 8).One study found â€Å"that more time in leisure activities was related to poorer academic grades, poorer work habits, and poorer emotional adjustments,† while mor e time in â€Å"structured groups and less time watching TV were associated with higher test scores and school grades† (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002, para. 15). Guest and Schneider (2003), in their study, found that â€Å"the type of participation or activity undertaken influences developmental outcomes (Para. 8). This involves the â€Å"what† factor and is the concern of this research project.There have been many studies conducted on the influence that extracurricular activities have on academic performance. Their effects have â€Å"differed substantially for different activities. There were a total of seventy-six statistically significant effects, fifty-eight positive and eighteen negative† (Marsh & Kleitman, 2002, para. 11). The Relationship Between Volunteer Work and Academic Performance A dearth of literature on the relationship between volunteering and academic achievement exists; nevertheless, it is becoming more popular in academic settings as a way of improv ing academics, as well as society.Many schools now require their students to complete a mandatory number of hours of volunteer work per year or semester. Schools have implemented â€Å"service learning,† which incorporates community service and volunteer work into the curriculum, because it has been proven to have a positive effect on academic performance (Hinck & Brandell, 1999). Service learning â€Å"can and does have a positive impact on the psychological, social, and intellectual development of adolescents who participate† (Hinck & Brandell, 1999, para. 11).Usually the services performed are related, in some way, to some academic subject, but most forms of volunteer work and community service can be tied to academics in one way or another. As a result, â€Å"more and more studies are finding that increased academic growth is the result when service is combined with intellectual content† (Hinck & Brandell, 1999, para. 17). One study, conducted on over 2,000 students enrolled in kindergarten through twelfth grade, found that student performance improved as a result of service learning (Hinck & Brandell, 1999, para. 17).The Texas Council of Chief State School Officers reported that â€Å"involvement in service learning affects students’ higher level thinking skills, motivation to learn, application of learning, insight, and basic academic skills† (Hinck & Brandell, 1999, para. 18). One study performed to determine the relationship between academic performance and community partnerships found that â€Å"regardless of students’ background and prior achievement, volunteering activities positively influenced student grades, course credits completed, attendance, behavior, and school preparedness† (Simon, 2001, para. 1).All of the literature concerning the relationship between academic performance and volunteering presented a positive relationship. (Citied in Fujita, 2005) Survey Findings Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Figure 11 Analysis of Data When asked whether their CGPA improves when they are actively involved with club activities and events, eighty percent members of North South University Social Services Club, sixty percent members of North South University Sports Club and eighty percent members of North South University Shangskritik Shanghatan responded with ‘no’.They also answered ‘negative’ when asked what kind of effect their chosen extracurricular activity has on their academic performance in the same percentages. This clearly shows that the majority of the members of these three clubs feel that they perform poor in their academics when they are involved with club works. The activities of the club, although it may provide satisfaction to the active members, it does not help them with their studies. The courses they take at NSU have no relation with the activities of the club.Therefore, they get ex hausted after doing the activities of the club and do not get time to concentrate on their studies. And also, since the activities of these three clubs have no relation with the courses offered at NSU, it does not help them with their academics in any way. However, a totally different picture can be seen when the responses of the active members of Young Economists’ Forum (YEF) and North South University English Club are analyzed. Here, it should be mentioned that all the members who filled up the questionnaires from these two clubs were from the Economics and English departments respectively.Although it is not mandatory for the members of YEF to be from the economics department and for the members of English club to be from the English department, my sample included all YEF members from the Economics department and all English Club members from the English department. So, this is one of the major reasons for eighty percent of YEF members and sixty percent of English Club memb ers to respond with ‘yes’ when asked whether their CGPA improves when they are actively involved with club activities.Respectively, they also answered ‘positive’ with the same percentage when asked what kind of influence their chosen ECA has on their academic performance. This shows that since the extracurricular activities chosen by the members of YEF and English Club from the selected sample are related to their field of study at NSU, they feel their CGPA improves and that the activities have a positive effect on their academic performance. Finally, when the CGPA of the total sample is analyzed, it can be seen that sixty percent of the total sample have a bad CGPA between 1. 05 and 3. 00.The rest forty percent have a very good CGPA between 3. 01 and 3. 97. The students with good CGPA belong to clubs which organize activities related to the student’s academics. This further strengthens the argument that students who are involved in club activities w hich complements their studies perform well in their studies than those students whose club activities are unrelated to their academics. Conclusion From the conducted survey, it can be concluded that my hypothesis is partially proved correct. Extracurricular activities in the form of club activities do have a positive effect on a student’s academic performance at NSU.However, the club activity must be related to the courses taken by the students or their field of study. It helps the students perform better in their academics and score better grades if the club activities they are involved in helps broaden the students’ knowledge about his chosen field of study at NSU. If students’ choose to become a member of a club whose activities have no relation with their academics, although they may become very skilled at those activities but this will hamper their study, and their academic performance will go down in the form of a low CGPA.All being said and done, student s should not base their decision of getting involved in club activities or participating in any other extracurricular activity from the findings of this study. This research is only a small attempt to find out the relationship between extracurricular activities and academic performance at NSU. Students should set their priorities themselves and choose their extracurricular activity accordingly or choose them according to their interests. They have the liberty to do so as they are mature adults.However, it would be wise if students chose their extracurricular activities carefully. At the end of the day, academic performance matters the most. NSU’s reputation depends on the quality of the students who study here. If NSU is filled with active ‘clubbers’ who are very good at their club activities but poor in studies then NSU’s reputation will go down in the eyes of all who see NSU as a place of quality higher education. References Bringing Up Girls in Science. (2003). Bugs—parents (University of North Texas). Retrieved February 26, 2005, from http://www. oe. unt. edu/bugs/parents. index. html Broh, B. A. (2002, January). Linking extracurricular programming to academic achievement: Who benefits and why? [Electronic version]. Sociology of Education, 75, 69-96. Brown, K. W. , Cozby, P. C. , Kee, D. W. , & Worden, P. E. (1999). Research methods in human development. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publications. Darling, N. , Caldwell, L. L. , & Smith, R. (2005). Participation in school-based extracurricular activities and adolescent adjustment [Electronic version].Journal of Leisure Research, 37, 51-77. Fujita, K. (2005). The Effects of Extracurricular Activities on the Academic Performance of Junior High Students [Electronic version]. Undergraduate Research Community. Available at http://kon. org/urc/v5/fujita. html Guest, A. , & Schneider, B. (2003, April). Adolescents’ extracurricular participation in context: The mediating effe cts of schools, communities, and identity [Electronic version]. Sociology of Education, 76, 89-105. Hinck, S. S. , & Brandell, M.E. (1999, October). Service learning: Facilitating academic learning and character development [Electronic version]. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 83, 16-25. Marsh, H. W. , & Kleitman, S. (2002). Extracurricular activities: The good, the bad, and the nonlinear [Electronic version]. Harvard Educational Review, 72, 464-512. Millard, C. V. (1930). The organization and administration of extra curricular activities. New York: A. S. Barnes and Co. Shin, N. (2004, December).Exploring pathways from television viewing to academic achievement in school age children [Electronic version]. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 165, 367-382. Simon, B. S. (2001, October). Family involvement in high school: Predictors and effects [Electronic version]. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 85, 8-20. Stephens, L. J. , & S chaben, L. A. (2002, March). The effect of interscholastic sports participation on academic achievement of middle level school activities [Electronic version]. National Association of Secondary School Principals Bulletin, 86, 34-42.

Alcohol in Colonial America

The front-year settlers arrived to the the Statess and staked their claim on this innovative disc everyplacey. Something else was waiting for the settlers, a imbibition of intoxication. round as quickly as they began to get up and sub-divide the land, the immigrants, and true natives to North America shargon their beloved crisp intoxicantic beverage. Cultures of varied races arrived and dual-lane in this most cherished drink. at that place were aims for intoxicantic drink in the ear stayst colonial times that went beyond a beverage to drink in lively gatherings. there are varied beliefs border the intent of intoxicant utilisation and its effects on British Colonies. Some are true, others are false. I will construct an investigating surrounding the history of intoxicantic beverage in Colonial America with persuasive secern to support my findings. intoxicantic drink, in addition commonly referred to as spirits in Colonial America had m any(prenominal) uses. Alcohol, of course, was used in festive times, only it was also used in religious ceremonies as well and providing medicinal properties to aid in curing ailments.The sign impact of alcohol on the settlers conduct them to accept it for its varied uses. Although moderate use of alcohol was accepted, society, from its inception into the Americas, frowned upon individuals becoming too intoxicated. In other words, intoxication was viewed negatively. Since alcohol was rateed a gift from the gods to the natives, the settlers, too, accepted its psychotropic properties as whateverthing almost divine. The growing communities valued it, just as the natives did. Time and annoyance were two components that led to problems for alcohol consumption. receiv equal to(p) to its success in the minds of settlers, they partook in alcohol consumption for tout ensemble three meals of the twenty-four hour period beer with breakfast, disenfranchised cider with lunch, beer with supper. In fact, beer and surd cider were the most popular drinks for colonists. As the drinking continued, they wanted to learn how to brew beer. One of the initial problems divagation from change magnitude abuse of alcoholic boozingwas the insufficiency of sufficient ingredients. Barley, grains, hops, and yeast were the main ingredients in a create from raw material beer. The colonies did non confine an ample selection of hops and grains. harvest home of barley and hops was non a common crop among farawaymers of this era. Many colonists seek dissimilar ingredients, but nothing well-to-do the perfect blend of hops, barley, yeast, and grain. By the posthumous 1600s, cider became a top filling among colonists, mainly collectible the apple crops that were familiar in colonial times. Mass outturn through efficient farming and produce by colonists was seen. Thanks again to England for the apples. Farmers change magnitude their work load mainly due to the reward of the final product cider matured into rough cider (which include alcohol).With the incr temperance popularity of beer and cider, the settlers discovered a carry to increase their selection. The settlers started to import inexpensive yields of breadstuff cane and molasses to brew other popular drink rum. Rum quickly gained in popularity for the following reasons it was cheap to produce and tasted good. By 1700, in Boston, the first commercial stillness was opened. The increase in rum consumption was the first ch everyenge to the beer market. Religion and alcohol found a common link. In fact, many taverns were undeniable to be build near churches or the local town meeting put forward.The religious zealots accepted alcohol consumptionstrictly in moderation, though. Drunkenness, of course, was viewed as sinful. Alcohol soon became a problem in the eyes of the church and legalitys were be surrounding alcohol. In 1697, in raw York, they enacted a law that required all taverns to be closed on S unday. They required that the Sabbath be set aside as a day solely for balancing with the Lord and prayer. In conjunction with the point of taverns on Sundays, the church required gain regulations against alcohol consumption on Saturday nights as well.The main concern for the church was that taverns were gaining much popularity than the Sunday services. The Reverend Charles Woodmason went one rate pass on and cautioned parishioners with the thought that there was a competition between the church and tavern for souls. Reverend Charles was quoted was saying the following, the taverns had more(prenominal) phoner of a Saturday, than in the church on Sunday. As colonists went into the early part of the nineteenth century, religion encouraged moderation in any and all alcoholic drinks. Alcohol, aside from the churches persistent concern over drunkenness and a loss of parishioner appeal, had other uses.Alcohol was also widely used in the field of medicine. Many doctors and medical practitioners believed that some of the stronger spirits could prevent disease, cure some common infections, and offer relief to little aches and pains such as headaches, painful joints and muscles. In these instances, doctors would place rum, hard cider, or whiskey. Doctors also encouraged patients to increase alcohol consumption to relieve emotional or stressful problems in their casual life. In fact, doctors went so far as to prescribe families to drink alcohol in lie of water.They thought that water brought from Europe was contaminated, and, thus, could star topology to serious illness. Alcohol consumption was also prescribed to children suffering from viral infections as well as aiding in their phylogenesis into a stronger, more physically pair individual. A little whiskey and love went a long way for a sick child. The unusual, or even outlandish, practices went further still doctors prescribed hard spirits to women who were in labor, a means of numb some of the intense pain suffered during labor. Midwives would brew what was coined groaning ale. This groaning ale contained extremely high contents of alcohol and special spices, all in hopes of easing the child bearing pains. A interpretation to groaning ale was used by some doctors. This was a little less toxin on the make and baby. Doctors concocted spirits that were used as an anaesthetic agent. This anesthetic was less expensive and more quick available from household to household than the hard spirits used in the groaning ale. Alcohol, as with many new products brought to civilized society, began as an innocent and purely beneficial product.beyond the stress-reducing capacity for hard cider or beer, the early nutritionists thought alcohol had wide nutritional value and needed to be added to a persons health-conscious daily diet regime. Due to this initial nutritious appeal, politicians did not, initially, write legislation limiting alcohol consumption. It was not until 1619, in the state of Virginia, that the first law was passed to control alcohol use. form _or_ system of government maker main objective was to conquer drunkenness, not prohibit the use of alcohol.This first law enacted a penalty against drunkenness which stated that if you were arrested for being drunk and disorderly, consequently the fine would be up to 5 shillings or imprisonment. In time, however, politician modified the law to only include a monetary infraction. The reasoning behind this law was because the lower-classes tended to be the ones caught in public, and politicians felt a fine would be viewed as more distressing to the lower-class and curtail drunkenness. The near state to enact legislation surrounding alcohol consumption was Maryland. In Maryland, in 1639, they attempted to limit the derive a person drank.According to law, it was illegal to be drunk in public drunkenness was defined as drinking with unembellished to the notable perturbation of any harmonium or sense of motio n. The penalty was the analogous as in Virginia 5 shillings. In 1645, Massachusetts jumped on the alcohol bandwagon, transition a law that restricted the amount an individual could consume at any period of time. The law stated the following, The courts consider it illegal to drink more than a pint of wine at a time. Anything over a pint represent inebriation. On top of this, Massachusetts instituted another statute for ale houses and tavern owners.This statute make it illegal for owners to serve a node beyond the legal limit, a operose law to follow. With this statute, however, both the proprietor and node could be fined for disobeying this law (Austin, Gregory p. 230). The Plymouth colonies chose a different slant in enacting their alcohol legislation. contrary the Virginian definition for drunkenness, in the Plymouth colony the center was on motor skills. Plymouth went so far as to define the term which constituted a universal view end-to-end almost every colonythat alco hol is not healthy, nor should it be considered beneficial to a persons health.The Plymouth definition was as follows they viewed being drunknot by loss of mobility or amount consumedbut instead by the persons ability speak clearly A person that lisps or faulters in his actors line by reason of drink, or that vomits, or cannot follow his calling. (Austin, Gregory, p. 240) When we look at gender, women were not considered part of the drinking culture. Most often, women drank in private (Salinger, Sharon p 223). According to diachronic record, women seldom drank in public in colonial times. It was viewed as unacceptable for a woman.Policy makers enacted different conditions and consequences for each gender. Women were rarely seen in bars and taverns in this period. The brew of beer, up until the late 1700s, was an art left over(p) for the women to complete. Men would be off at work during the day and women kept the house in order, which included beer and liquor. Home-brewing was v ery common. In fact, most households that drank brewed their own ale. The Spaniards arrived in the 1700s and brought wine to the colonies. At the time, vineyards were unheard of thus, without grapes they could not cultivate, ferment, and produce wine in the colonies.It was brought over on ship. The French soon followed and were able to cultivate the grapes on colony soil. wine-colored consumption gained in popularity, yet the hard cider was still the preferred drink among the middle class. Germans, too, became part of the alcohol dynamic. The Germans brought go against techniques to brewing fine ales and were the first to spiel lagers to the Americas. All of these countries brought new ideas and new brewing methods to the colonies. In conclusion, it is apparent that the initial husking of alcohol for the colonies was viewed as a sacred drink.The colonists took the vision of the natives and brought it into their lives as a daily staple. The harms and potential for dangerous situat ions soon became uncontrolled with all the drunken colonists. Laws were passed and changes were made in various colonies in hopes of curtailing the problems associated with drunken behavior. even the churches got involved. As new cultures landed from various countries, they discovered new varieties on crafting a very popular beverage. Regardless of all the dangers associated with alcohol consumption, I believe its going to continue to be a drink enjoyed throughout the world.