Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy Essay -- Dystopia Utopia

Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy As a child, one of my favorite cartoon shows was The Jetsons. This was a show about an average American family who lived out in space, with a dog, and a robot named Rosie as the household maid. I recall that in one episode Rosie, the robot, overheard the family holding a conversation pertaining to how the family could get by just fine without her. The point of this episode is that the robot's feelings were hurt and she decided to run away. After Rosie's departure, the family learned that she was in fact a valuable member of the family, and they searched all over space to find Rosie the robot. Could it be, a robot with feelings? In The Jetsons technology was an important aspect in life in space. Each family owned a space ship, instead of an automobile. And traffic existed in the sky, instead of the highways that we have today. I believe that Marge Piercy, the writer of Woman on the Edge of Time may have had similar expectations of the future. Piercy's novel depicts the life of a diagn osed schizophrenic patient by the name of Connie that lives in a mental institution. Connie is able to time travel into two different futures, in order to escape the fearful reality of her world. This novel was published in 1976, and yet the writer's interpretation of a dystopian future is not too far off from what we might watch on television today. I will be exploring the life of Connie, the main character, as Piercy portrays her throughout the story, as well as supporting characters that play a role in Connie's utopian and dystopian futuristic societies. The reader is able to clearly discern which society Connie recognizes to be her Utopia. Consuelo Camacho Ramos, who will be referred to as Connie, is... ... Piecy published her novel. Perhaps, Piercy would rather that we focus our energy to making the world where we currently live in a better place, and value the small things that we take for granted, like in the village Mattapoisett. Instead of placing more value on technology and focusing on how what we can come up with next. Oppositely, I think technology is not to be feared, and has not dehumanized us, at least not yet. The fact that our mind can take us into places so much further advanced than we are actually able to achieve at the present time proves just how extraordinary the mind is. It must be this sense of "living on the edge" creativity that drives humans to develop such astronomical technological mechanisms. Works Cited Barbera, Hanna. The Jetsons. Cartoon Network. 1998 Piercy, Marge. Woman on the Edge of Time. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1976.

Communication Problems in the Philippines Essay

Introduction English has been one of the main languages used here in the Philippines for a long time now, since the American Regime. Although Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Biko and Waray are the main local languages, while Filipino is the indigenous national language, English remains an important official language (Platt, Weber, Lian 20). It is mainly used in education and â€Å"reigns supreme in the econo-technical area (Platt, Weber, Lian 21).† This is the reason why we Filipinos are very familiar with the language. But we also have our own problems with it due to that fact that everyone learns the language at a different rate and environment. Thus, we mainly have mistakes when speaking it. This study strives to recognize the common problems we encounter when speaking in English or hearing someone else speak in English, the different attitudes towards the variety of the said language, our consciousness of the language errors we make, and what we do to improve our education of the language. A. Statement of the Problem The researcher aims to identify the common problems of Filipinos with the English language, and what actions the people involved can take to correct these faults. B. Significance of the Study It is well known that many Filipinos are fluent in English. But  unfortunately, our knowledge in English is depreciating, due to different ways of acquiring the language. As a result, our English, even though it is still widespread, is not of a high quality than it used to be. Majority of fluent English speakers come from the upper to middle classes, but still not all of them learn it the right way. The lower classes on the other hand, very seldom encounter English. Because of these varying acquisitions of the language, language problems arise, affecting essential everyday conversations in school, business, etc. C. Scope and Delimitation The study focuses on the youth from an age bracket of 16-21 years old, preferably college students studying within the vicinity of Metro Manila. Aside from giving out survey questionnaires, the researcher has made participative observations of her friends. Language attitudes and problems have been researched to set the pace of the study. CHAPTER II Theoretical Framework A. Review of Related Literature i. A Summary of Common Language Problems We Filipinos often come across diverse versions of English. These distinctions may be considered as the downside of our versions of English. Hence we deem these as a communication problem that has to be solved somehow. In the book, The New Englishes, Platt, Weber and Lian summarize the trends new varieties of English may have: a. Accents The typical Filipino displays a certain accent when speaking in English, which tells us something about the person. An accent may indicate the  speaker’s social class, what region he or she came from, or what country he or she came from (Platt, Weber, Lian 30). Here are the common tendencies regarding accent: (1) a tendency to shorten vowel sounds; (2) a lack of distinction between long and short vowel sounds; (3) a tendency to replace central vowels by either front or back vowels; (4) a tendency to shorten diphthongs and to leave out the second sound element in a diphthong;(37) (5) replacement of the fricatives [ ] and [] by other sounds, usually [d] and [t] on their own or followed by sight friction; (6) a tendency to make no distinction between certain voiced and voiceless consonants; (7) a tendency to reduce the aspiration of consonants at the beginning of words; (8) a tendency not to release consonants at the end of words. (43) In all language varieties, speakers vary considerably in their pronunciation. But not only are these differences confined to their being in different groups, but to the individual himself. Thus, we sometimes have difficulty understanding each other whenever we encounter pronunciations of words that are unlike the standardized way. b. Nouns Problems with nouns are very common. They may be very simple to understand and learn but still, a lot of people are having a hard time following English grammar rules. The following are tendencies concerning nouns: (1) a tendency not to mark nouns for plural; (2) a tendency to use a specific/non-specific system for nouns rather than a definite/indefinite system, or to use the two systems side by side; (3) a tendency to change the form of quantifiers; (4) a tendency not to make a distinction between the third person pronouns he and she; (5) a tendency to change the word order within the noun phrase. (65) c. Actions, states and perceptions In relation to the use of tenses, the authors went over the following tendencies: (1) a tendency not to mark the verb for third person singular in its present tense form; (2) a tendency not to mark verbs for the past tense. This tendency is stronger when verbs are used non-punctually; (3) a tendency to use an aspect system rather than a tense system or to use both systems side by side; (4) a tendency to extend the use of be + verb + ing constructions to stative verbs; (5) the formation of different phrasal and prepositional verb constructions. d. New ways of stating ideas A language’s progress involves creation new words or new meanings for existing words (Platt, Weber, Lian 87). The certain tendencies that the authors enumerated are as follows: (1) a tendency to imply rather than explicitly state subject and object pronouns which can be understood from the context; (2) a tendency to use pronoun copying; (3) a tendency to use adverbs such as ‘already,’ ‘only,’ ‘even’ in sentence final positions; (4) a tendency not to invert in WH-questions and YES/NO questions; (5) a tendency to use invariant question tags. (130-31) These common English language problems can often be noticed here in the Philippines. But another language problem or variation that we have is the use of â€Å"Taglish,† a mixture of our local official language and English. This is frequently used during informal conversations but getting accustomed to this style is becoming common, which may cause complications in certain situations. ii. Attitude Towards the English Language The main attitude towards English here in the Philippines is that fluent speakers of it are considered elite or at least well educated. Mastery of the English language is important because it is generally â€Å"required for access to better jobs and opportunities (Goodman and Graddol 200).† But it is rarely equally available, thus social inequality arises. â€Å"Language is one of the primary defining qualities of man, both individual and collectively. It surrounds us, molding our ways of thinking and feeling, from the infant’s cry to the obituary notice. People deprived of language in some way, be they deaf, dumb, illiterate, or inarticulate, are essentially handicapped (Hughes 1).† The dominant groups of citizens in a society whose patterns of language are marketed, usually advance in the social race (Ryan and Giles 1). Thus  learning the language is believed as a very important part of our education due to the idea of globalization. B. Hypothesis The youth today is submissive to the English language’s degeneration here in the Philippines. All around us, speakers of the English language can be observed. The youth, as much as possible, tries to avoid using the language unless they are required to do so in school functions. The ones who use the language frequently are influenced into not using it to adapt to the common environment that they are in. C. Definition of Terms The following is a list of terms that will be used in this study: Attitude – A way of regarding life and events. English – The main language that is spoken in Britain, the USA, and other countries. Language – A communication system to express thoughts and emotions by symbols, sounds, etc. Mistake – An error identified through the standard set of rules of the English language. Problem – Anything that is difficult to deal with or understand. Variety – Different forms. Youth – A group of individuals within the age group of 16-21 years old. CHAPTER III Methodology The researcher wanted to find out if the youth today is submissive to the English language’s degeneration here in the Philippines. In line with this, the researcher conducted a sample survey of thirty people, wherein questions about the respondents’ backgrounds of and attitudes toward the English language were inquired about. The results were then brought together, tabulated, and analyzed. The researcher also observed her friends, who had different social backgrounds, as to how they perceive English as an effective communication tool. These observations were taken down and thus, have influenced one way or another, the outcome of the study. A. Research Design This study focused on the use of the Descriptive Method of research. The descriptive method is a general procedure employed in studies that have their chief purpose of description of phenomena. The description and survey of the youth’s consciousness of English communication problems were therefore the primary task of this study. B. Sample Questionnaire Sample Questionnaire Dear Respondent, I am conducting a research entitled, â€Å"English Communication Problems in the Philippines and the Consciousness of Today’s Youth† as a partial requirement for the course, English 100. It is in this connection that I seek your assistance in answering the  following questions as completely and honestly as possible. Your answers will be kept strictly confidential and its use will only be intended for this particular study. From the researcher’s experiences hanging out with friends her age, she was able to examine her friends’ actions and reactions when their mistakes were corrected. If the people were really close to each other, grammar errors are often taken notice of and corrected in the process. But if the friends are not as close, or have a shallow relationship, they tend to overlook each other’s mistakes. The researcher herself was hesitant to correct her org-mates whenever she encountered common grammar and pronunciation mistakes, for they might be embarrassed. But when speaking with a friend of more than five years, the two help each other out to improve their English. Other people, when informally asked if they tried to correct others’ mistakes, say that it depends on their relationship with the person/s involved. Next, they were asked how often they used English and in what environments do they use it. D. Statistical Analysis 1. Educational Background Government-funded Schools Private Schools 47% 53% 2. Frequency of use of English 1 2 3 4 10% 57% 27% 7% 3. Environments where they are most obliged to speak English At home In  school At the mall With friends In English classes 10% 33% 3% 17% 37% 4. Respondents’ awareness of their mistakes Yes Most of the time Sometimes No 23% 10% 30% 37 5. Frequency of mistakes 1 2 3 4 3% 33% 50% 13% 6. Do the people around them correct them? Yes Most of the time Sometimes No 13% 17% 47% 23% 7. Personal reaction to the correction Embarrassed Insulted Accept it Ignore it 67% 7% 23% 3% 8. Awareness of other people’s mistakes 1 2 3 4 10% 10% 33% 47% 9. Do they correct other people? Yes Most of the time Sometimes No 10% 27% 50% 13% 10. The people’s reaction to the correction Embarrassed Insulted Accept it Ignore it 63% 3% 33% 0% 11. Actions taken to improve their English 33% use it as much as possible 7% take classes in English 3% read grammar books 23% read literary books 33% nothing E. Analysis The respondents were asked about their educational background, whether they came from public or private schools, because the trend today is that private schools offer better education, especially in English due to the fact that they have bigger budgets, and thus, better teachers. Also, the students who go to private schools are usually from the middle to upper classes. These social groups are often more exposed to the English language, because of their family’s good education background. In the sample survey, more than half of the respondents answered that they came from private schools. This gives rise to the assumption that most of the respondents have a satisfactory learning of the English language. 57% answered â€Å"2† for frequency of use on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest. 37% said they normally use English only in English classes. This shows that English is not mainly used anymore, unless people are obliged to do so. 30% of the respondents said that they are sometimes aware of their mistakes and 37% answered â€Å"3† for frequency of mistakes on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest. When asked if they were corrected, 47% answered â€Å"sometimes† and 67% were embarrassed when the corrections were made. People are hesitant in correcting other people mainly because they are afraid that they may embarrass the people involved. Then they were asked how often were they aware of other people’s mistakes. A majority of 47% answered â€Å"4† on a scale of 1 to 4, 4 being the highest. But a majority of 50% answered â€Å"sometimes† to the question of whether they correct others or not. Even if people rarely correct each other, they still listen for mistakes. Their only objective here is to see if others make mistakes, but not to improve others’ English. They only use the information they get to label the person or to somehow just describe and create an impression of the person. The reason for this is shown by the next question about other people’s reactions. 63% were embarrassed and only 33% accept their mistakes. People give more importance to the feelings of others, rather than helping others enhance their knowledge of the English language. Finally, the respondents were asked about what actions do they take to improve their English. 33% said that they use it as much as possible, but another 33% said that they do nothing about it. This shows how passive the youth to day is when it comes to English development. They take it for granted and leave everything else to the school that they go to, refusing to expand their learning environment. CHAPTER IV Conclusion Young people today are submissive to the deterioration of the quality of the English language here in the Philippines. They depend on educational institutions to fix the problem, and are passive when constructive criticisms are raised. This problem mainly starts at home. If Filipinos don’t use it at home, they don’t use it in school either, unless the teachers tell them to do so. And when the teachers are not fully proficient, all else fails. Thus, as people grow older, the chance for improvement becomes smaller, and the kind of English that they have known all their lives is what they take to the professional world. English should be used as early as possible because it is very important especially in career building. Most jobs today require applicants to be fluent in English. Globalization is really the root of this need for English, which some people say, is a bad thing. But no one can fight globalization, so we Filipinos might as well compete in it. We have an advantage, having been colonized by English speakers who taught us the language, making it a permanent part of our educational system. But the deterioration of our fluency in English should be solved immediately so that the long-term effects of it won’t be as significant. Through constant use of the language, better educational programs, and increased awareness and activity in improving one’s own English, our nation’s future with the language may just live on. BIBLIOGRAPHY Goodman, Sharon and David Graddol, ed. Redesigning English. London and New York: Routledge, 1996. Hughes, Geoffrey. Words in Time: A Social History of the English Vocabulary. Oxford, UK and Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell Ltd., 1988. Keany, Bryan and Bill Lucas. Looking at Language. Great Britain: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1994. Platt, John, Heidi Weber and Ho Mian Lian. The New Englishes. London, Boston, Melbourne and Henley: Routledge and Kegan Paul plc, 1984. Ryan, Ellen Bouchard and Howard Giles. Attitudes Towards Language Variation. London: Edward Arnold Publishers Ltd., 1982.

Strategic Information Systems Planning (Literature Review)

Literature Review on Strategic Information Systems Planning Contents 1. Introduction 2. Evolution of SISP 3. Stages of SISP 3.1 Inverted U- curve: Law of diminishing returns 3.2 Optimization of planning process 4. Factors influencing decision-making 4.1 Environmental factors 4.1.1 SISP Performance in an uncertain environment 4.1.2 Environmental assessment in strategic information systems planning 4.1.2.1 Hypotheses Testing 4.1.3 Uncertainty in SISP Due To Environmental Factors 4.2 SIS and Its Interface with the CEO 4.3 Alignment of SISP with Corporate Strategy 4.4 Flexibility in SISP v/s Returns For the Firm 5. Frameworks/Models for SISP 5.1 Web†¦show more content†¦This process works towards managing a highly pervasive and diffused IT as a resource that can improve organizational effectiveness in a highly uncertain environment. 3.1 Inverted-U: Law of Diminishing Returns A study [5] suggests that too little SISP would result in insufficient understanding of the external and internal environment producing ill-conceived strategic alternatives and poor selections from them. Similarly too much SISP would require too much time causing opportunities to run by. Through the study it was established that the inverted -U exists for strategy implementation phase as shown in Figure2. Figure 1: Inverted U curve 3.2 Optimization of Planning Process #61607; Through the use of Linear Goal Programming (LGP) mathematical approach to analyze IS investment projects a balance between strategic benefit (long term) and cost-benefit(short term) can be achieved[8]. 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