Heroic essay Essay Example for Free

Heroic essay Essay â€Å"A mother’s happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the  past in the guise of fond memories.† The most important and beautiful person in everyone’s  world is our moms. They are the one who carry us for about 10 months without any sighs or  complaints. Most moms do their best to be a great role model for their children, or even others;  however, some of them can give up so easily that they leave their family scarred for life. My  mom also belongs to one of these strong, compassionate and understanding moms. She is a  inspiring hero in my life because she is supportive for other family members, and is determined  for our family to become the best mother.  My mother illustrated her protection as a best assistance through her life to family  members. Especially for me, I was first-born child for her so that she abetted me anytime and  anywhere I went. For example, when I was in the kindergarten, she left a post-it note on the back  seat of my bicycle every day. She always used to say that â€Å"No matter what bad things happen to  you, I always believe that you can handle it because you are my son. I love you.† My mom wrote  this kind of letter differently every day. It was so shameful at first that I hid it as soon as I  noticed that there is a tiny yellow paper on the seat. I did not understand why she wrote this  especially only for me. After she left our family, I started to realize that how important these  post-it notes were. Although she was not always there for me, and sometimes scolded me, she  supported, encouraged and took cafà © of me anywhere I went, and anything I did. According to  her last post-it which was 26 days before she left, â€Å"I know you have become much mature now,  but I am not really sure about your inside. Don’t you have to run diligently for the future as there  have been some delays in your life? You should know that finding out your goal is always first. I  believe you, and hope you can think and behave more independently.†Ã‚  My mother was the only person I know who did not give up anything she started or  decided, and sacrificed her life for other family members. My mom used to keep doing  something secretly as the way how my grandma did although there was an obstacle ahead. For  instance, she did not tell anyone that she became more illness because she was concerned that  anyone who knew about this would waste of his time worrying about her; she wished that she  did not want to be others’ obstacles. While my mom was staying at Korea to cure her illness, she  once said, â€Å"Do never waste your time tearing because of me. This is my life I chose, and have to  bear. Even though something worse occurs to me, you just have to ignore it and keep moving for  your future.† I could not give up for her as my mom did not give up receiving treatments for  cancer in Korean, although it caused losing her weight a lot, and made her worse, This was a  huge hindrance for my family because if my mom was not able to come to Canada again, we  would not receive our PR, and live here anymore. However, ignoring what her doctor’s saying,  she came back for us to maintain our life in Canada. We all knew that she would not live longer  than at least a year. However, her life was not that long. My mom was determined after she had  morphine in the hospice. She fell asleep so deeply that she could not move and talk. About a few  minutes before she died, my mother tried as hard as she could to open her eyes; at last, she did  not open them, but what only she could at that time was crying. Only my family recognized her  tear and perseverance which probably she desired to show us even until the end. We had to say,  although she was determined, and did not want leave us, â€Å"You can go now. We will not bother  you anymore; we have seen that you do not want to give up even now. You just have to rest in  peace. Thank you for everything you have done so far. You were determined enough to become  the best mother in the world.† After we said this, she started to give up her life as she did not  want to be an obstacle for our family.  . Can all mothers overcome this circumstance and assist others as what my mother did?  Most moms probably are able to be supportive to their family members and perseverance on  what they have to face. My mom was not only a mother to our family but she also became the  best mother as she showed us her encouragement, support to others and determination what she  wished to be done. My mother illustrated how much she could help and believe in me no matter  what happens between us; moreover, my mom did not give up what she started although any  hindrances, which seemed painful, challenging and complicated, occurred to her. Therefore, my  mom is my hero who inspired me as she was abetting and determined.

A Kingdom In Waiting :: essays research papers

The thunder shook the land like the footsteps of the giant Mitocas. The water crashed against the jagged cliffs of Lithany. Lithany was the greatest city in the land, the lush gardens smelled of juniper and lilacs, the white buildings flowed throughout the city. This was indeed the grandest city of Malik. The ruler of Lithany, Romero the Pharaoh, became distressed when the giant Mitocas decided to block the flow of the Fandi River. The Fandi’s were simple water farmers whom collected vital goods from the river and controlled the water animal’s population, so without the river they’re doomed. Romero the Pharaoh unsure of a solution called upon Virous a young man filled with courage to test into manhood by saving the Fandi clan. â€Å"Romero the Pharaoh, I came to prove myself, and to earn my manhood,† said young Virous. â€Å"I am pleased with your courage young Virous. This task I ask of you is not a simple task, many have tried and failed already, do yo u still live up to the challenge?† asked Romero the Pharaoh with a grim look across her face. â€Å"Yes!† shouted young Virous. â€Å"I am up to your challenge and I will not fail like the others, your river will be restored.† With a pleased looked on Romero the Pharaohs face, and a flip of the wrist young Virous was off for the Fandi’s River.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After riding two days across the lands of Lithany young Virous arrived at the base of the village. To his surprise the village looked as if the serpent from the North Mountains had whipped its long, slimy, cold body throughout the village destroying everything but a small structure at the far end of the village. Virous hopped off his horse and opened the small door to the structure. Within was the entire Fandi Clan, from the chief to the children of the clan. After Virous introduced himself and showed the chief his scroll from the Pharaoh, the Fandi clan told Virous where to find the giant. Due to their fear of Mitocas the Fandi’s remained in the tiny hut. Virous then traveled alone to the Fandi River where he met Mitocas, the largest and most bitter of all giants. â€Å"Why are you hurting the Fandi’s and taking over their river?† asked young Virous. â€Å"It’s rather simple, they denied me of my request,† said the giant Mitocas . â€Å"And what was your request,† asked young Virous.

Power And Powerlessness Essay

When I hear the word power many thoughts come to mind, but I feel power has many different forms. We could assume that power means more money, a bigger title, a corner office, a more generous budget, or â€Å"a seat at the table†. But that may not be true for everyone. For some, power may mean having the ability to control one’s career destiny in keeping with personal values and interests. Or power could mean having the opportunity to be creative as a project lead without too much interference from others. Or power could mean making decisions with trust and autonomy, such that no one can easily override your decisions. To me, power is control and the capacity to bring about change. For example, the United States government, they control everything and also other countries. Our government has the power to create and print money, regulate interstate and international trade, make treaties and conduct foreign policies, declare war, provide an army and navy, establish post o ffices, and make laws necessary to carry out these powers. In addition to their elusive powers, both the national government and state governments share the power of being able to; collect taxes, build roads, borrow money, establish court’s, make and enforce laws, charter banks and corporations, spend money for general welfare, and take private property for public purposes. Power is also acquired through possession or acquisition of the following resources: authority, money, status, knowledge, professional degrees, goods, services, votes, public support, information, ability to influence the media, and relationships with powerful people. Power can be derived from one’s authority to make decisions in organization s or by virtue of one’s gender, ethnicity, social class, or personal attributes, such as appearance and charisma. People often acquire power by establishing alliances and coalitions with others to support or oppose various policies or decision-making options. Workers in social service organizations also acquire power because they often decide whether individual clients receive services, resources, or referrals. But how would it feel to not have power, a sensation of being out of control with no apparent solution to help you to regain control, powerlessness. When the lack of capability to affect the realities of life that you can’t control such as; how others act towards you, if you will get a job you want, what the weather will be like, or if an accident will occur. Powerlessness can be simply defined as the absences of power resources. However, the â€Å"Mother† of empowerment practice, Barbara Solomon (1976), defines powerlessness as a product of the interaction between individuals and the social structures that limit life opportunities for them: Powerlessness is defined here as the inability to manage emotions, skills, knowledge, and/or material resources in a way that effective performance of valued social roles will lea d to personal gratification. The power deficiency so often seen among minority individuals and communities stems from a complex and dynamic interrelationship between the person and his relatively hostile social environment. When you feel powerless, you feel afraid to express your needs because you fear that what little you have will be taken from you. You may have learned powerlessness if you were kept in powerless positions repeatedly and/or over long periods of time, possibly during childhood, by those who used external forces (money, physical strength, legal status, and/or military force) to control you. You may have been abused as a child, a partner or spouse, an employee, a soldier, or you may have been the victim of racial or ethnic attacks. Such prolonged abuse can cause you to become afraid to feel even your own needs, to admit to yourself that you need something, you become immobilized and in certain critical ways you stop growing, you cease to thrive. When powerlessness is â€Å"learned†, it becomes self-perpetuating, even if the external forces are no longer there. An abused child may grow up to feel permanently powerless as an adult, even though his or her parents no longer have physical or economic power over him or her. One may then enter into a situation that repeats childhood experiences such as; living with or marrying an abusive partner, and therefore keeping oneself in externally imposed danger. Or one may keep oneself down through self-abuse, compulsive behaviors, and depression because the powerlessness has become internalized. The first step to overcoming learned powerlessness is to learn to feel entitled to your personal rights. You have the right to live a life free from physical, emotional, sexual, and financial mistreatment. You have the right to be treated with respect, to earn a livable income, to be informed of matters that affect you, and to express yourself freely, without harming others. Most importantly, you have the right to ask for what you need, even though you may be turned down, and to fight for what you need and want, even if you are turned down. Most people who have learned powerlessness barely feel entitled to speak, let alone to speak freely. Often professional therapy is necessary to overcome the ingrained patterns. Never the less, to overcome learned powerlessness, you must gradually, but persistently lay claim to each and every human right, one after the other. The purpose of the empowerment approach is to help people overcome feelings powerlessness by acquiring power. Mondros and Wilson (1994) differentiate power from â€Å"empowerment† by arguing that this second concept is actually a psychological state that â€Å"allows one to pursue concrete activities aimed at becoming powerful.† The literature on empowerment in organizations focuses on two distinct categories of organizations actors: program beneficiaries and staff members. Rapp, She ra, and Kisthardt (1993) define empowerment in individual clients as; confidence, control, decision authority, influence, autonomy, and self-trust.† According to Shera and Page (1995), empowerment of employees in organizations can be defined as, â€Å"a process of enhancing self-efficacy among organizational members through the identification of conditions that foster powerlessness and through their removal by both formal organizational practices and informal techniques that provide efficacy information.† Empowerment in the social services can take place within the context of relationships between workers and clients, within the organization’s formal decision-making structure, and within the contact between the organization and institutions or groups in its external environment. It should be noted that empowerment in organizations involves the redistribution of resources such as decision-making authority or goods and services. Therefore, in addition to producing specific outcomes, empowerment is a political process. Staff members may feel they will lose power and authority to make service decisions if clients are treated as equal partners in the decision-making process. Because one of the primary assumptions of empowerment in direct social work practice is to reduce feelings of powerlessness by increasing personal self-perceptions of one’s own power, the model focuses on facilitating the acquisition of leadership skills and actual political power among agency clientele. Staff members also acquire power through participation in organizational decision-making and by advocating for improvements in organizational policies and services. The organization gains political power as constituents become empowered to advocate for changes in government policies and campaign for meaningful social change. In conclusion, power, powerlessness, and empowerment all have a different meaning and serve a different purpose but each one has a powerful meaning in its own way.

Learning traditional Chinese with the MoE dictionary

With access to the internet, students of Chinese have no lack of resources and tools to use, but sometimes it can be hard to find good resources for specifically for traditional characters. (Not sure about the difference between simplified and traditional Chinese? Read this!) While most resources provide both character sets, its obvious that many offer traditional characters as an after-thought or at least at lower priority than simplified characters. This means that the information about traditional characters less reliable and harder to access. Taiwans Ministry of Education Dictionaries to the rescue Fortunately, help is now available. Taiwans Ministry of Education has long provided various online dictionaries, but until recently, they were very hard to access and not well-adapted for the internet, making them less useful for foreign students. The current interface, however, is well-designed and easy to use. In this article, Im going to introduce some of all the available feature that are truly essential for students learning traditional characters. First though, heres a link to the main website: https://www.moedict.tw/ Note that theres also an app for Windows, Mac OSX, Linux, Android and iOS, which is very impressive. Its free, too, just, click the download links in the top-right corner! The main dictionary Searches on the front page will give you: Other search terms containing the query (left sidebar)Character with animated stroke order (click the character)Historical variants with animated stroke order (click æ ­ ·Ã¤ » £Ã¦â€º ¸Ã© «â€)Mark as favourite (click the star)Pronunciation (both Pinyin, Zhuyin and audio)Radical information (top right)Main reading with definitions sorted by word class (noun, verb, etc.)Additional readings with definitionsOther languages (usually Taiwanese, English, French and German) This is already very good for any dictionary, some functions are unique as far as I know (such as the historical animated stroke order). The only two problems for learners are that you need to have already reached a decent level to benefit from the Chinese-Chinese definitions and that the example sentences sometimes are historical and thus dont reflect modern usage. You dont want to uncritically add these to your spaced repetition program. Additional features The additional features are located in the navigation bar at the top of the page where it says Ã¥Å"‹è ªÅ¾Ã¨ ¾ ­Ã¥â€¦ ¸. For starters, you can access various kinds of idioms: æˆ Ã¨ ªÅ¾ (chà ©ngyÇ”), è « ºÃ¨ ªÅ¾ (yà  nyÇ”) and æ ­â€¡Ã¥ ¾Å'è ªÅ¾ (xiÄ“hà ²uyÇ”) by clicking 分é ¡Å¾Ã§ ´ ¢Ã¥ ¼â€¢ (fÄ“nlà ¨i suÇ’yÇ n) category index. The definitons are in Chinese, so this is again not suitable for beginners. There are also categories for loan-words (further divided into which kind of loanwords, which is hard to find elsewhere online). Further down, there are similar resources for Taiwanese and Hakka, but since this site is about learning Mandarin, they arent relevant right now. The last few menu entries are important, though, because they are some of the best resources available for Mainland and Taiwan differences in pronunciation, meaning and so on. Go down to å… ©Ã¥ ² ¸Ã¨ ©Å¾Ã¥â€¦ ¸ (liÇŽngà  n cà ­diÇŽn) two/both coasts (referring to Taiwan and Mainland China) dictionary and again use the category index. You now have: Ã¥ Å'Ã¥ ¯ ¦Ã§â€¢ °Ã¥   (tà ³ngshà ­ yà ¬mà ­ng) same thing, different names, listing words or phrases that mean the same thing, but are called different things on both sides of the Strait.  For example, internet (or network) is ç ¶ ²Ã¨ · ¯ (wÇŽnglà ¹) in Taiwan, but  Ã§ ¶ ²Ã§ µ ¡ (wÇŽngluà ²) on the Mainland.Ã¥ Å'Ã¥  Ã§â€¢ °Ã¥ ¯ ¦ (tà ³ngmà ­ng yà ¬shà ­) same name, different things, listing words or phrases that look the same, but actually mean different things. For  instance, Ã¥Å"Ÿè ±â€  (tÇ”dà ²u) means potato on the Mainland, but peanut in Taiwan.è‡ ºÃ§  £Ã§â€ ¨Ã¨ ªÅ¾ (tà ¡iwÄ n yà ²ngyÇ”) Taiwanese usage lists words and phrases that are typically used in Taiwan, but not on the Mainland.Ã¥ ¤ §Ã©â„¢ ¸Ã§â€ ¨Ã¨ ªÅ¾ (dà  là ¹ yà ²ngyÇ”) Mainland usage lists the opposite, i.e. language that is common on the Mainland but not in Taiwan. If you want to go back to check what you have looked-up before, just click the icon between Ã¥Å"‹è ªÅ¾Ã¨ ¾ ­Ã¥â€¦ ¸ and the cogwheels. Conclusion Overall, this dictionary easily beats any alternative when it comes to online information about traditional characters. The only drawback is that it isnt beginner friendly, but as a beginner, you can still find pronunciation and stroke order here. These are manually recorded, which means they are more reliable than any other online source. The example sentences arent perfect, but then again, there are no perfect dictionaries!