House Parties with Under Age Drinking Research Paper

House Parties with Under Age Drinking - Research Paper Example Decreasing the prevalence of this would involve tightening current laws and policies as well as increasing monitoring, so that it is known more often when underage youth are being provided with alcohol. Introduction One important issue affecting the youth of today is drinking behavior, in particular underage drinking behavior. Currently the legal age for drinking in the United States is 21 years of age. However, there are a wide range of contexts in which individuals below the drinking age obtain alcohol, often through adults or individuals that are above the legal drinking age. There is a large amount of concern that the amount of underage youths that are drinking, and the amount of alcohol that they are consuming. On average young people appear to be drinking alcohol more frequently and are drinking more each time they do drink . One circumstance that this occurs in are house parties. The term house party covers a large range of situations, but can generally be considered a social gathering that occurs at someone’s place of residence. This can range from a couple of friends, through to more than 100 people. Often house parties are held by and for young adults, with college and high school students attending. The Prevalence of Underage Drinking Underage drinking is extremely prevalent even by the time that children reach the senior years of high school. Around 30% of seniors at high school report heavy drinking at least once per month, and 40% of full-time college students aged between 18 and 22 report heavy drinking. These statistics are alarming, as almost all of those children and young adults are below the minimum age for drinking. In addition, there are many harmful consequences of drinking and these are often amplified in younger drinkers, in part due to lower tolerances of alcohol and also less life experience . In 1984 an act was passed that encouraged each state to set their minimum drinking age to 21. By 1988, the minimum drinking age for all states was 21 . Alcohol is a significant factor in the deaths and unintentional injuries for many youth aged 15- to 20-, with the rate of drunk drivers under 21 twice that of adult drivers. As well as injury, there are many other costs of underage drinking, including problems at school, pregnancies and sexual diseases as a consequence of unsafe sexual practices and severe alcohol addiction . Why is Underage Drinking so Prevalent? Alcohol is widely available and easily obtainable for adults over the age of 21 through a number of different types of locations, including many that allow off premises consumption. There are little limitations in the quantity of alcohol that an adult can by, and no way of knowing what an adult intends to do with the alcohol that they buy. Despite the age restriction, alcohol is easy to obtain for those underage. Between 30 and 70 percent of outlets may sell to underage buyers, depending on the particular outlet and the location. Another common source of al cohol for underage drinkers is at parties where alcohol has been provided and the youths at the party have been left unsupervised . Drinking of alcohol is heavily advertised as beneficial, a method of socialization and of relaxing, and these advertisements affect youth as much or more than they do their target audience. In addition to this the enforcement of the minimum

Renewable Energy in India

Renewable Energy in India As a developing country with the worlds second highest population, India is facing nationwide shortage in power supply. It is very essential to make optimum use of all available resources of power inside the nation and thus found that the New and Renewable Sources of Energy (NRSE) can contribute significantly towards power generation in forthcoming years. Development of new technology and advancement in this sector has lead to commercialization of numerous NRSE technologies. This sector has also got an advantage of reducing pollution and creating awareness of the necessity to reduce carbon emissions to protect the environment. Recognizing the importance of renewable energy sources, the Government of India set up a fully fledged independent department named Department of Non-conventional Energy Sources in 1982 and later on the name converted into the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in the year 1992. MNRE acts as the nodal agency of the Government of India for all matters r elating renewable energy. It undertakes policy making, planning, promotion and co-ordination functions relating to all aspects of renewable energy. New reports states that India is the fourth largest nation in installed power generation capacity in the field of renewable energy sources with a total capacity of 17,594 MW. Wind, Solar, Hydro, Biomass and Geothermal are main renewable energy sources and India has high potential of these resources to exploit. Power generation from wind and solar energy resources has posted enormous growth in recent years. India became favorite destination for renewable energy technology developers, equipment manufacturers and service providers. Certain measures are adopted by the Government of India for the eradication of power poverty, commercial exploitation of renewable energy resources by ensuring affordability and availability as well. The estimated potential of renewable energy in the country is around 85,000 MW from commercially exploitable sources. Whereas wind resources accounts to 45,000 MW, small hydro projects dominates 15,000 MW and 25,000 MW from biomass/bio energy sources. It is calculated that India has the potential to generate 35 MW/Km2 with the use of solar photovoltaic and solar thermal energy. The main resources of renewable energy in India are as follows: Wind Energy Solar Energy Hydro Power Bio-mass Geothermal Energy Tidal energy Wind Energy. With reference to the world wind energy report-2009, India has the 5th largest installed wind power capacity in the world following USA, China, Germany and Spain. India is the second largest wind energy market in Asia, with a growth rate of 14% reaching a capacity of 11 GW. India became a global player in wind energy sector in the past few years and expected to expand modest growth in the future with the strong domestic market. The idea of wind power in India developed in 1990s, and has achieved significant and tremendous growth within the last two decades. The performance and reliability of wind related power increased the installation of more wind turbines across the country and now it became a capacity addition of energy in Indian subcontinent. Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Andaman Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are the Indian states/union territories with high potential of wind energy utilization. At the end of March 2010, Tamil Nadu is having the most wind generating capacity of 4889.765 MW and Muppandal wind farm of Tamil Nadu is the largest in India. Suzlon holds 52% of domestic market share, is the largest wind power company in India. In addition to this Suzlon has risen to worlds 5th largest with 12.3% of the global market share. The Indian wind market achieved quality growth with the government incentives and new policy of GBI (Generation Based Incentive) scheme that helped foreign and domestic private power producers and investors to establish large-scale, commercial wind plants across the country. Turbine technology is improving, that may contribute to higher capacity utilization of wind in future. The modern wind turbines produced in India with foreign collaboration have capacities more than 1 MW and they are highly efficient for a tropical country like India. The country has an advantage in the installation of offshore wind plants with 7,600 km of coast. The concept of wind farm became popular with the higher efficiencies and availability due to the development of wind turbine technology over the last decade. Recent studies shows that wind energy can be combined with solar for the generation of self- sustainable renewable energy projects. The relative immaturity of this sector may not be sustainable with the strong economics of wind energy. India is renowned as wind superpower with an installed potential of 4500MW from thirteen states. Solar Energy India is blessed with rich solar energy resource due to its geographical location. It is calculated that the average intensity of solar radiation obtained on Indian subcontinent is 200 MW/km2 and this amounts to 657.4 Million Mega Watts of energy for the whole 3,287 million square kilometer. By considering these characteristics India can generate enormous amount of energy from this resource and it would be likely thousand times greater than the electricity demand in 2015 even with the theoretical assumption of 10% efficiency for photo voltaic modules. Considering these potentials the country is emerging as a strong hub for solar energy production. The amount of solar energy produced in India is very less when compared to other resources of energy and this accounts to merely 0.4%. As of October 2010 the grid-interactive solar power was about 114.74 MW. Report says that India is currently ranked number one along with the United States in terms of installed solar power generation capacity. The applications of solar energy is active in the fields of telecommunications, lighting, water heating, battery charging, cooking and other small power requirements. Today there is some14-15 lakhs of solar photo voltaic systems in operation and around 6 lakhs solar cookers in use and an area of around 200,000M2 has been developed for solar water heating applications. The present scenario of installed capacity is around 33-35 grid interactive solar photovoltaic power plants with an aggregate capacity of around 2-2.5 MW, that generate around 2.5 million units of electricity per annum, in sharp contrast to the estimated potential of 50,000 MW Solar energy is a perfect alternative for conventional energy in the case of domestic and industrial applications, with an advantage of minimum maintenance and maximum viability. Government of India promoting the installation of new solar and other renewable energy projects by giving tax incentives and rebates. The government of India proposed some large projects in solar energy sector, in cooperation with some private investors. Thar Desert in the state of Rajasthan has been set aside for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 Giga watts and it would be the next generation powerhouse of India. The ministry for new and renewable energy aims to bolster the annual photovoltaic production to at least 1,000 megawatts a year by 2017, as part of the National Solar Mission. It is estimated that the power generation capacity in India would have to increase to 306 GW in the next ten years in order to sustain an average growth rate around 10%. India unveiled a $19 billion plan, to produce 20 GW of solar power by 2020.Under the plan, solar-powered equipment and applications would be mandatory in all government buildings including hospitals and hotels. On November 18, 2009, it was reported that India was ready to launch its National Solar Mission under the national action plan on climate change, with plans to generate 1,000 MW of power by 2013. Recent developments in technology made solar power as a clean renewable; zero emission resource harvested using a variety of modern devices. Developed countries like USA Australia are switching over to solar energy as their main source of energ y production. 3.3. Hydropower India was one of the pioneers in the establishment of hydro based electric power plants. Presently India ranks 5th worldwide in terms of exploitable hydro-potential and is also enriched with a large potential of hydro power, of which only around 20% has been utilized so far. It is the most abundant and widely used form of renewable energy in the Indian subcontinent. Electricity is generated in hydro power plants through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. The hydro electricity is considered as a clean and renewable source of energy but it also have some bad effects in environment clearance due to the large pondage area. About 21% of the electric power consumed in India is generated by hydro electric plants. As of November 2010, the installed hydro power capacity was around 37,400 MW. The public sector has a major share of 97% in this sector. It is clear from the information given by NHPC (National Hydro electric Power Cooperation) that Economically exploitable and viable hydro potential assessed to be about 84,000 MW at 60% load factor (1, 48,701 MW installed capacity). In addition, 6780 MW in terms of installed capacity from Small, Mini, and Micro Hydel schemes have been assessed. Also, 56 sites for pumped storage schemes with an aggregate installed capacity of 94,000 MW have been identified. Thus, in totality India is enriched with hydro-potential of about 2 50 000 MW. The hydro power project t in Darjeeling and Shivanasamudra was established in 1898 and 1902 respectively and was one of the first of that kind in Asia. The Nathpa Jhakri Hydro Power Station (NJHPS) of Himachal Pradesh is the largest hydro power plant in India, with an installed capacity of 1,530MW. It has been estimated that the potential for small hydropower schemes up to 25 MW are under Ministry of Non-Conventional Sources of energy capable of generating 15000 MW per annum. 3.4. Biomass Biomass is defined as A renewable energy resource derived from the carbonaceous waste of various human and natural activities. This can be derived from a number of sources like; agricultural/crops, raw material from the forest, household waste and even with the by-products from the timber industry. There is a sort of high potential of biomass energy available in the country at about 540 million tonnes/year covering resources such as agro residues, firewood, and other organic wastes. These kinds of resources are mainly utilized by the people of villages and rural areas of the country. The potential to install 19500 MW capacities through biomass conservation technologies like combustion, gasification, incineration and also bagasse has been rectified. This sector is in lack of technological advancement and proper utilization so that India could only tap around 380 MW capacities so far. There is a wide scope for the utilization of these resources for the benefit of rural population in the remote areas of India. India ranks 2nd in the utilization of biomass based power generation with an ideal environment of water based vegetation as well as organic wastes. Today bio energy has became an essential add up to Indias energy mix with the favorable climatic conditions. As on October 2010, the cumulative installed capacity of grid-interactive biomass and bagasse cogeneration power was 2313.33 MW. Bio mass sector attracted an investment worth USD 120 million providing vast employment opportunities to village men and also generating an amount of 5,000 million units of electricity in every year. As per the notification in 11th plan period the Government of India plans to add as much as 1700 MW through biomass and bagasse cogeneration in various states. Various promotional policies in the form of incentives, financial assistance, concessions and duty exemption are available for biomass power projects. In addition to these, SERC (State Electricity Regulatory Commission) IREDA (Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency) provides capital subsidies and loans for the setting up of biomass based units. In present day scenario, biomass utilization for generation of energy has gained momentum due to the scarcity of the conventional energy resources as well as to prevent environment from GHG emissions. The development of efficient biomass handling technology, improvement and establishment of small and large-scale biomass-based power plants can play a major role in rural development. The orientation on green power marketing will leads to tremendous growth of the bio energy industry in the future. 3.5. Geothermal energy According to the geological, geochemical, shallow geophysical and shallow drilling data, it is predicted that India has a great potential of geothermal power about 10600 MW. This can be economically harnessed for various purposes including industrial and domestic applications. India holds 15th rank in the utilization and applications of geothermal power when comparing to other leading countries. India will need to depend more on renewable and eco-friendly energy sources in coming days due to the increasing environmental problems and cost with fossil fuel as well as nuclear based projects. Geothermal energy is the natural heat available inside the core of earth. This energy is accessed by drilling water or steam wells in a process similar to drilling for oil. Geothermal energy is an enormous, underused heat and power resource that is clean and reliable. Rocks covered on the surface of India ranging in age from more than 4500 million years to the present day and distributed in different geographical units. Geological survey of India has been identified more than 300 hot spring locations suited for geothermal utilization. Geothermal power projects in India have not been exploited at all due to the abundant supply of coal at comparatively cheap rates. Some of the potential sites for geo thermal in India are listed below Puga Valley-Jammu Kashmir Tatapani-Chhattisgarh Godavari Basin Manikaran-Himachal Pradesh Bakreshwar-West Bengal Tuwa-Gujarat Jalgaon-Maharashtra Unai-Maharashtra India will further strengthen its clean energy portfolio with geothermal energy and open the gates for more investments in the future. The MNRE (Ministry of New and Renewable Energy) of India is moving forward with geothermal and other renewable energy sources by the implementation of research, development and demonstration program. Tidal energy The geographical location of India is most favorable for harnessing tidal energy as the country is surrounded by sea on three sides. Government of India took some initiative for the tidal power development and certain places with potentials have also been located. The most favorable locations are the Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kachchh on the coastal area of Gujarat state. The maximum tidal range in these proposed sites are 11 m and 8 m with average tidal range of 6.77 m and 5.23 m respectively. The Ganges Delta in the Sunderbans in West Bengal also has a very good potential for small scale power projects. As per the surveys and data available, the economic tidal power potential in India is of the order of 8000-9000 MW with about 7000 MW in the Gulf of Cambay about 1200 MW in the Gulf of Kachchh and less than 100 MW in Sundarbans. The proposed project of Kachchh with an installed capacity of about 900 MW is able to generate electricity at about Rs. 0.9/unit. With reference to the recent data available, the first tidal project of India is coming up in Durgaduani Creek of the Sundarbans. The project is aimed on technology demonstration with a capacity of 3.75MW, span over an area of 4.5 KM. Structure of Indian Power Industry Indian power industry comprises of various governmental bodies in charge of installation, generation and supply of electricity. Public owned State Electricity Boards (SEB) is the controlling agency for planning and implementing the power development programmes in their respective states, with major input from resources inside the state. These state level electricity boards are controlled and co-ordinate by the central ministry of power. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) along with its subsidiaries is in charge of managing all renewable energy projects in India. Ministry of Power: The whole public and private power producers of conventional energy in the country is monitored and managed by this central ministry, previously known as Ministry of Energy. This central agency comprised of separate departments for power, coal and nuclear sources of energy. Ministry of Power is an independent government body with the functions of planning and strategizing the Indian power policies projects. Monitoring power companies, power production plants, power generation and solving the issues of shortfall etc are the responsibilities of this department. The funds are generated by the ministry of government for the public enterprises with the aid of public issues, global funds and international agencies like World Bank, Asian Development Bank etc. The Power Finance Corporation of India provides funds to major projects in power production, transmission and supply of electricity. The Ministry of Power, India is coordinated by the subsidiary organizations in all economic and technical aspects. The subsidiary organizations are as follows: Central Electricity Authority (CEA) National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) National Hydro Electric Corporation (NHEC) Power Finance Corporation of India (PFCI) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPC) Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (Power Grid India) Power Trading Corporation (PTC) Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) The generation of electricity in India is based on various sources include thermal power, hydropower, solar power, biogas energy, wind power etc. The distribution of the generated power is committed by Rural Electrification Corporation for electricity power supply to the rural areas, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation for electricity supply to the North East India regions and the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited for an all India supply of electrical power in India. Thermal Power: Generated through the burning of fossil fuels, coal forms a majority share of the source of electricity generation in Indian subcontinent. The generated power from various thermal power stations situated across the country linked through power grids for the distribution. National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is responsible for the countrywide operations of thermal power. Hydroelectricity: National Hydro Electric Power Corporation (NHPC) operates hydro electric power plants and power generation companies. Generation of electricity through the kinetic energy of flowing water has been utilizing in Indian land for many years till date. Wind Power: The high potential of wind energy in India encouraged the government to utilize this natural source of energy. Huge wind farms for the tapping of wind energy have been set up by the government to meet the future energy requirement Solar Power: Installation of massive solar panels is being very common in the country, for the utilization of large scale solar energy. Small industrial and domestic applications can be meet with this form of energy. This sector is achieving a high growth with the new government initiatives. Nuclear Power: The energy generated from huge nuclear plants and power stations are making the path for industrial development in India. Nuclear fuels are the source of energy production in these plants. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCL) manages all nuclear power plants and distributing generated power under the nuclear project scheme.

The Effects of Poverty on the Lives of Children Essay -- Papers Britai

The Effects of Poverty on the Lives of Children Child poverty is common in the United Kingdom, 21% of all children were classified as poor in 1995. One child in three spends at least one year in poverty over his or her lifetime, and for more than 5% of children, poverty lasts 10 years or more. Most poor children are subject to a number of risk factors in addition to low family income; nonetheless, research shows that poverty has selective, but in some cases quite substantial, effects on child and adolescent well-being. Poor children not only experience material deprivation but also are more likely than non poor children to experience a number of undesirable outcomes including poor health and death, failure in school, out of wedlock births, and violent crime. Child poverty can be reduced by a combination of policies, versions of which are currently in place in the United Kingdom, to help families earn more and supplement earned income with other sources of cash (such as Child Tax Credits and Working Tax Credits). In addition, the effects of poverty can be reduced by programs that provide benefits in the form of goods and services (such as food, housing, and health care) which are vital to children's well-being. Despite the frequently voiced sentiment that few programs work, the United Kingdom has a number of effective programs in place that address the needs of poor children and reduce their numbers, although more can be done. To gather public support, however, interventions to improve conditions for poor children should be consistent with public values that hold society responsible for (a) meeting basic human needs for thos... ...n. Food, shelter, health care, and other necessities are crucial for children's well-being, and extra income can make life more enjoyable. The important question about which there is debate is whether the things that extra money, above a subsistence level of income, would buy make a big difference in child outcomes. The answer to this question is a qualified ?yes.? The qualification reflects the facts that income seems to have a larger, more consistent independent effect on some outcomes (such as school achievement in the early grades) than others (such as teenage childbearing) and that the timing and persistence of poverty are important factors in the size of its impact. These issues are explored further in the ensuing discussion of policies for poor children, which includes recommendations for specific interventions.

Brave New World Analysis on Characters

Brave New World Analysis on Characters â€Å"The world’s stable now. People are happy; they get what they want, and they never want what they can’t get†¦ they are so conditioned that they practically can’t help behaving as they ought to behave† (Huxley 198). Many people speak and dream about a perfect world, for the problems which we face in the present world to simply just go away. Brave New World is a novel which shows an example of what life would be like in a utopian society. Read also Analysis of Characters in Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"The Life You Save May Be Your Own†It shows the differences that civilization has against the savage world, which is how we live in present day. The characters in Brave New World all experience the controversy between nature vs nurture ultimately leading to their unhappiness. An individual can be given everything they need but yet still live unhappy. This especially can be seen with one of the main characters in Brave New World, Bernard. He was an Alpha Plus, the highest class in civilization, but unfortunately didn’t look like most Alphas (69). Despite his class, he was an outcast and spent most of his time alone.The narrator in the novel explains, â€Å"The mockery made him feel an outsider; and feeling an outsider he behaved like one, which increased the prejudice against him and aroused hostility about his physical defects†¦ which increased the sense of being alien and alone† (68) . Although he had a high title it didn’t make him feel happy. He felt like there was more to life than a set routine they were all given in civilization. Bernard felt himself different; he wanted to feel emotions and not just live day by day on fake happiness.Bernard expresses his frustration to be feel different when he states, â€Å" But wouldn’t you like to be free to be happy in some other way, Lenina? In your own way, for example, not in everybody else’s way† (90). Bernard was tired of being enslaved by his conditioning. The people of the New World were all taught to think, act, and see things a certain way. No individuality. Living in a controlled world doesn’t cause happiness, it just numbs people of actual feelings. Lenina is a â€Å"pneumatic girl†, very popular, and has spent a night with almost all of the men in civilization. Pleasure was key in the controlled world.She found herself wanted by men, and like most women enjoyed havi ng sex with men. When Lenina began talking to Bernard, she didn’t agree with him on wanting more to life. She’d rather be on soma, a drug that would numb them from any true emotions, whenever she felt a little uneasy, just like everyone else. Lenina’s unhappiness comes when Bernard takes her into the Savage world and she sees how John and Linda and everyone else is living. Her immediate reaction was to find some soma. She couldn’t believe how people grew old, suffered, and had to deal with everyday problems.Lenina began falling for John and quickly realized that she wanted something specifically with him that most men couldn’t satisfy. Lenina states to her friend Fanny, â€Å"And what about a man– one man. Hes the one i want†¦ and in intervals I still like him. I shall always like him† (171). Lenina had never felt like this before, therefore she didn’t know how to handle it. The only thing she knew of about men was to have sex with them. When John rejected sleeping with her, she was completely taken by surprise. The narrator explains, â€Å" Drying her eyes†¦ she pulled out her soma bottle†¦ hers had been more than a one-gramme affliction† (157).Never being in the position, she immediately turned to soma to help her cope with what she was feeling. She has been living numb to emotion and for the first time she was forced to feel unwanted and ached for an escape. Linda was a Delta in a civilized world who went on a trip with the Director to the Savage world. Unfortunately for her she had fell and bumped her head, causing her to get lost and be taken in by Native Americans (112). The Director searched for her but was never able to find her. To her dismay she was pregnant and had a baby named John. Linda only knew how to act like a civilized person.She was very promiscuous and like the controlled world, began to sleep around with different men. This was strange to the Savage World and th ey then began to call her names and make her an outcast. Linda stated, â€Å"I was so ashamed. Just to think of it; me a Beta– having a baby† (114). Having John was very difficult for her. Linda had no idea how to be a mother, how to nurture, or even how to be a good role model for the child. Linda thought of how perfect her life would be if she were to return to the civilized world, returning to soma. She was willing to do whatever just to be back in the New World, â€Å"†¦ here was her appearance†¦ so the best people were quite determined not to see Linda. And Linda, had no desire to see them. The return to civilization was for her the return to soma† (142). Linda thought all her problems would be solved by going back to the controlled world, but in fact they made her even more depressed and unwanted. She had nobody except for John and she would rather be numb and not feel anything than deal with civilization. Where would she find true happiness if i n the Savage World she is discriminated for her ways, and in civilization she no longer fits in.Living in the Savage world, one can only imagine how perfect the civilized world could be. Unfortunately, having came from the savage world John had something to compare the controlled world to. Being the son to a women in the civilized world, he had heard nothing but wonders about it. On the other hand, having been raised in the Savage World allowed John to learn morals and want to find a purpose in life. When John reached the civilized world he was completely disappointed on how fake everything and everyone was. â€Å" How much I love you, Lenina†¦ or always†¦ to make a promise to live together for always† (174). John had seen his mother sleep with so many men and get teased by it that he did not want to just sleep with the women he liked. He wanted to marry and be with just that one. For Lenina this was just nonsense, and that just made John not want anything to do wit h her. He wanted to feel a special connection with Lenina that she had never had before. By the end John decides to be isolated because he would rather deal with his emotions than live in a â€Å"perfect† world numb and unhappy.Ultimately, the utopian society didn’t mean solving all problems and people forever living happy. If a civilization is all an individual knows, how is it that they still manage to be unhappy? There is no happiness when people are living numb from what is really going on. When it comes to the topic of a utopian society vs the kind of society in which we currently live in, I think there is really no solution. We are human and as much as they can try to condition human beings, there is still going to be some kind of downfall.

Literature as a Medium Which Conveys the Culture of the Target Language Essay

The purpose of this paper is to familiarize foreign language instructors with the effectiveness of using literature as a mean of bridging the cultural gap between students and the target language. It will also discuss how teaching literature can help students become more effective communicators in the target language and at the same time making them appreciate other cultures different from their own. This may lead to say that, one of the major functions of teaching literature in a foreign language classroom is to serve as a medium to transmit the culture of the target language of the people who speak the language in which it is written. Therefore, literary texts can offer to the students a colorful world that reflects the culture of the language community. As readers; students get engaged within these texts, they come to understand how the characters in such literary works experience life and how they speak and behave in different settings. However , the study of literature can be considered as a method in which students can dive into the cultural experience of the language throughout the imagery and metaphors mentioned in a given text, as Gray points out: â€Å" Students learn to see a world through another’s eye,observing human values , different kind of living and discovering that others live very different societies. they will understand and become broadly aware of the social,political,historical,cultural events happening in a given society. . The role of literature in language teaching Literature, when defined as a subject of study, is an activity that involves and uses language (O’Sullivan, 1991). Ganakumaran et al (2003) stated that it is also referred to as the big â€Å"L† that focuses on the literariness of a text. It is an example of language in use and a context for language use. Literature is seen as a medium in which students’ appreciation of different system language organizat ion can be developed. Therfore, studying literature, on the whole, may not be considered as a reaction but rather as an interaction between the reader , the writer and their cultures. From an other parameter ,the teaching of literature in foreign language classrooms is essential and can be used as a perfect instrument to stimulate and speed up the teaching and learning process Carter and Long (1991). In other words, literature contributes in helping the students to explore knowledge ,promote their literacy development and fosters their language proficiency. Also, literature may provide effective, attitudinal and experiential factors which will motivate students to read McKay (1982). As a matter of fact, Obeidat (1997) said that literature has much to offer than language would normally do, since it has greater freedom and since it acknowledges no linguistic barriers which could refrain our ability to use language. Therefore, it is undeniable that literature helps to improve students’ command of language and the ability to use it freely, not solely as a linguistic, but as a cultural, intellectual, social and psychological medium of expression. In terms of using literature to teach language, Brumfit and Carter (1986) asserted that literary texts not only can grip the reader’s imagination more strongly but they can also be promoted for the examination of language at work. Littlewood (2005) also observed that although such texts were predominantly valuable for developing reading skills, it could be exploited for purposes such as explaining grammar teaching and indicating various types of language usage. Since literary texts contain language intended for native speakers, literature stands as a model for language learners to become familiar with different forms and conventions (Collie and Slater, 1991). Containing real examples of grammatical structures and vocabulary items, the literary texts raise learners’ awareness of the range of the target language and advance their competence in all language skills (Povey, 1967). Second, using literature in language teaching has the advantage of providing cultural information about the target language. Literary texts increase foreign language learners’ insight into the country and the people whose language is being learnt (Collie and Slater, 1991), which fosters learners’ ability to interpret discourse in different social and cultural target language contexts (Savvidou, 2004). . Literature as an instruments that stimulates the knowledge of the culture Teaching literature stimulates the imagination of the students and develops their critical abilities by getting them involved in interpreting the different symbols and meanings found in the text. They become more productive and adventurous when they perceive the richness and diversity of the language. Therefore, it is vital if educators create a harmonious literary atmosphere ,they may enable their students to immerse themselves in the story by turning the classroom into a cultural island where students interact with the text, share different viewpoints about the settings, the style, the language. Researchers have recognized that the benefits of using literature in three core areas: First , literature is beneficial to language development( John and Louis, 1987; Morgan, 1998; Myonghee, 2004;Sage,1987); second, literature enhances the knowledge of ulture and society which is too complicated to be captured by any single piece of expository writing; Third, literature fosters critical thinking by offering readers multiple perspectives especially in books with issues such as immigration, cultural differences, social upheavals (Edmondson 1995/6). John Lye (2003) believed that literature captures the complexities of the human situation, illustrating (dramatically, imaginatively, compellin gly) the grounds and the meanings of values, and the nuances of our experiences. It also allows us imaginatively to inhabit the lives, the experiences, the meanings of others. Lye(2003) added that literature challenges the sentimentalization of values, and those distortions of values which serve the ends of the powerful, the opportunistic, and those who want only to serve their own desires ,from an other parameter, literature explores and reflects conflicts in the culture itself, conflicts in the values and ideas of the culture, the conflict of social groups (ethnic, racial, class, gender, religious and so forth), in addition to that ,it offers a sense of identity and community, by establishing and founding narratives which capture the ‘essence’ of what typifies the culture or community, or by dramatizing those particular stories and images which give the culture a sense of common meaning and purpose. 4.  Applying literature and culture in language teaching classroom When it comes to learning a new language there can be no substitute for actually living in a country where this language is spoken. Besides, teaching literature does not mean ,limit students to take a passive role but to stimulate students to be engaged proactively within the target language. However, foreign language teachers can provide literary texts best by turning their literature classes into a community where students can engage themselves actively with the culture and the language they are studying and where the emphasis in class could be on ‘cultural experience rather than cultural awareness. As Duff and Maley point out, â€Å"literature offers universal themes which are relevant to students’ own experience,it is also a mirror that reflects and heightens each learner’s perception of the social world. Thus, literary texts are opened to multiple interpretations and interactions†. Students cannot remain passive if they are to interpret and understand what they are reading. They are placed â€Å"in an active interactional role in working with and making sense of the target language guided by the teacher, they have to actively participate and interact with each other. Literature and culture in foreign language teaching can provide linguistic and artistic elements and perspectives to students.  Through literature as well as culture, students could have the opportunity to establish a connection with the target language and realize that their own personal, social,cultural and historical contexts have been influenced by a foreign language and a foreign culture and how, in a symbiotic process, this other culture has been nourished. Culture, on the other hand, offers an interdisciplinary field that includes artistic discourses, social conventions, and reflexive impacts. It opens the door for students to increase their knowledge of the target culture as they can contemplate and critically comment on people’s way of life, values, attitudes, and beliefs, and regard how these elements can have an impact in linguistic categories and forms. Indeed,language found a soulmate in literature, and they are inserted in culture.