Existentialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Existentialism - Essay Example If the tragic hero Oedipus could assert in his conscious pain that "all is well", Camus's concept of 'Sisyphus Happy' must be accurate because, it is true that "there is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn" (121). Camus enumerates the passions that define Sisyphus-"his scorn of the gods, his hatred of death and his passion for life." These have gained him the most unspeakable of penalties in which he has to strive with all his heart and might to accomplish nothing. But exerting oneself to accomplish nothing is a classic example of negation, and Sisyphus must have seen that adding the emotion of joy to his labors would be the best way of negating the gods-admittedly, one of his prime interests. Therefore, when Camus says that Sisyphus, the 'proletarian of the gods' is Sisyphus Happy-the statement is irrefutable. For Sisyphus was said to have been the wisest of mortals. Camus reminds us that the fate of modern man in the modern workplace, working every day at the same tasks, is no less absurd than that of Sisyphus. Modern man then lives and works in true absurd fashion, but the birth of the tragic, the opportunity for heroism, the potential for authentic existence only becomes possible in those rare moments when he becomes aware of the absurdity. Sisyphus's strength, as well as his joy, rises out of his consciousness of his condition. Out of consciousness, out of awareness, out of lucidity springs Sisyphus's victory over the rock, over the gods, over the oppression of his situation. The films of Charlie Chaplin depict beautifully the absurdity at the heart of much of human endeavor in 'modern times.' Chaplin shows that the modern absurd hero is the man who is aware of the absurdity of his condition. Such a man can overcome the oppressiveness of his life and work by means of the weapon of scorn. He does not hope to achieve happiness because of his work, or as a consequence of it. However, the weapon of scorn gives him the feeling of joy while engaged in the work. That joy is his way of achieving mastery over the work as well as over any who may have hoped that the work would frustrate his soul. On the other hand, unmixed joy would not be the absurd hero's chosen cup of tea or bowl of vinegar. The emotion of joy cannot be divorced from the experience of pain and sorrow. Sisyphus's descent is therefore, sometimes done in sorrow. Camus believes that the sorrow was in the beginning, when memories of the earth plagued his soul. At times like these, the rock triumphs. But Sisyphus rarely allows himself such lugubriousness or such agonizing. Most of his effort is undertaken, in Camus's vision, in silent joy. This is because Sisyphus knows that "His fate belongs to him. His rock is his thing" (123). It is his rock-not the rock of the gods, not the instrument devised by the gods to punish him-but something that defines him, that expresses the essence of his spirit, his existence, and his supreme scorn for pompous authority. The Last Castle is a movie starring Robert Redford in the role of former general who has been sent to a prison under the control of an officious Chief Warden. The film highlights a penalty inflicted by the Warden on the imprisoned general for a minor offense. The punishment involved the single-handed lifting and transportation of a large heap

Kilbrandon: Punitive approach to justice in Scotland.

Kilbrandon: Punitive approach to justice in Scotland. This essay will critically evaluate the Kilbrandon ethos and will examine the proposed integrative, welfare-orientated approach in the decision making concerning children and their welfare. It will also take into account the recent moves towards a more punitive approach and the response concerning this modification. The Kilbrandon Report was established in 1964 by Lord Kilbrandon. Kilbrandon reviewed the existing juvenile justice system and felt the need to implement a new innovative radical approach to help deal with the existing juvenile delinquency and school truanting in Scotland. By analysing the courts records of child offenders the aforementioned highlighted that the majority of those individuals came from unfortunate backgrounds and may possibly have experienced various situations within their young lives. (Lockyer, A. Stone, F.H. 1998) It is necessary to look at where the child centred approach arose from and what this meant for the criminal justice system as a whole. The 1908 Childrens Act (UK) was known as the first Childrens Charter in Scotland due to the impact it had and the concern it showed for childrens individual rights. As a result of this act the death sentence was abolished for children and imprisonment for children dealt with in a more acceptable manner. The separation of juvenile and adults courts was looked upon as the way forward by means of looking at childrens needs in a more specific manner, thus forming the basis of child protection. The idea behind child protection was to protect them from harm, neglect or cruelty however; this sometimes meant having to remove the child from the family home. Over the next few years there were various areas of progress which led to the evolvement of the Children and Young Persons (S) Act 1937. This act defined a child as being under the age of 14 and the crimina l responsibility age rose from seven years to eight years of age. The criminal age in Scotland has risen to 12 years of age 10 for the rest of the UK. A child aged between 14 and 17 was then known as a young person. The 1937 act saw the separation of children and young people and implemented different ways in dealing with various behaviours or offending. (Hothersall, S. 2005) The post war years saw a number of issues surface and prompted the government to take action in regards to their stance on dealing with the welfare of children and young people within society. In 1961 Lord Kilbrandon proposed to implement a new welfare based system which was produced in 1964 and which was included into legislation by 1968, this approach would take a holistic approach to those matters which caused the greatest concern of that of children and young people within society. The primary aim was to focus on children who were in need of help or care, persistent truants or beyond the control of their parents. His approach would examine how offending issues and how the lack of social education had played a vital role in juvenile offending and deviant behaviour. As a result of this the recommendation by the committee it was put forward which would form the basis of the Social Work Act 1968. Their main aim was to recognise and take responsibility for community welfare; in conjunction with this the childrens hearing system would take societys failures into consideration. (Action for children 2009) Kilbrandon based his approach upon needs not deeds and believed that those children who were brought before the justice system or who were in need of care warranted intervention and the prevention of criminalisation to avoid stigmatisation. His beliefs and principles were child centred and seen to be in the childs best interest. (Mcara, L. 2005) The main principle on which the ethos structure was based upon was by taking into regards any decision made in respects to the childrens welfare as it should be primarily based upon the best interests of the child and their overall needs. The system should not take into account what the child has done, past or present. The change to the system helped to define who was in need of compulsory measures of care regardless of whether they had been abused or had committed offences. (Muncie, J. Goldson, B. 2006) The welfare approach has the option to modify the approach in cases of serious offences. Each remedy is not always going to be the same as it is not possible due to the similar influences and demises in a childs life. The Kilbrandon philosophy unfortunately attracts high expectations and sometimes these expectations can be thwarted. Kilbrandons ethos is based on taking the childs needs into consideration and trying to work with families and agencies to give the child the care and support they need and to try and keep families together as much as possible, sometimes this option is not possible. By using the forward thinking approach in regards to preventative measures it allows the childs needs to be examined. So would introducing a more punitive system be the answer? Do children have to separate from their families to be rehabilitated and cared for? Helping with educational and behavioural problems would certainly be a challenge but would definitely help to build confidences and aid the principle of rehabilitation. Early intervention strategies could certainly prove useful in the prevention of further offending. (As cited in Croall, H. et al 2010) By introducing the new innovative system Scotland was fast becoming a country with a unique childrens hearing system in place. The childrens hearing system was put together from three carefully selected volunteer lay members and trained volunteers from all walks of life and with varying life experiences from the local community. (SCRA) The system furthermore involved the guidance of a trained individual, the Reporter who was required to give advice on procedures and legal issues concerning the hearing and oversee the overall hearing process. An important aspect when considering what decision has to be made comes from the understanding and the investigation of contributing factors leading to the childs or families problems. The panel has to consider each aspect just as important as the next and by listening to the viewpoints of others involved can help make the decision process marginally easier. As the members of the lay party are from the local community it allows their input on the decision to be taken into consideration in conjunction with the involvement of detached professionals, the childs family and the childs own rights. (SCRA) Although, Scotland has long been admired for its approach towards youth offending by working in conjunction with multi-agencies on a child centred approach its unique child welfare approach has at no time had its system reviewed. (Action for children, 2004). Times have changed and so has the challenges that children and young people face within society. Society has also seen a change in family circumstances which include divorce, single parent families, and alcohol and drug abuse problems. There are also the underlying factors to consider which may include child abuse, neglect, delinquency, truancy and poverty. As a consequence of this questions are arising as to whether the system Scotland has in place to deal with young offenders is still viable. In 2002 NCH Scotland carried out its own inquiry into Scotlands hearing system and the results were made available in 2004 for evaluation. The inquiry did however highlight the fact that the system itself was solid nevertheless; there were a number of recommendations put forward to help with certain weaknesses within the system. (Action for children, 2004). According to SACRO the childrens hearing system is not failing but they suggest however, due to the lack of resources available this is having an adverse effect on the effectiveness of the overall system. SACRO also believe that there should be a single system in place to take on a holistic overview of the issues involved instead on focusing primarily on a welfarist approach. By introducing a more effective element of restorative justice this may well assist in allowing the youth justice system to achieve this aspect of concern. (SACRO ) The perceived strengths of the Kilbrandon report includes various aspects which most individuals today would consider as expected however, there are those who may feel that the system is too soft and could be more punitive. The strengths of the report include: needs and deeds, a holistic approach, child centred and welfare focused, an informal hearing system, protection of children and young people, multi-agency working including the family where possible and dealing with care and protection issues of the children and young people. (Phillips, S. 2008) However, the report does highlight various weaknesses which include: the lack of resources available, the families lack of knowledge in relation to the system and the lack of the panels understanding of the families. Poorly trained panel members, some families not being included in the decision making, lack of social workers and also the formality of the system can be intimidating for the children and young people involved. One major concern is the fact that the system does not work successfully when it is dealing with school related issues including truanting and school refusal. An important issue that has an impact on the justice system is the financial backing as this has been said to have an adverse effect on the youth justice system. (Muncie, J. 2004) So what exactly is Justice? Justice is regarded as what has the best consequences. Created by the public and authorities it is enforceable rules and legislations, it is there to protect society by showing what is fair and what is wrong and the latter resulting in punishment. Justice itself is there to be enforced upon when groups or individuals need it to be. However, Justice for children can be looked upon as providing the opportunity of equality to help the child or young person improve their prospects in prospective safe and caring surroundings. (Goldson, B. 2008) An important issue that has become apparent over the years is the large increase of referrals in relation to care and protection cases compared to that of offending within the childrens hearing system. The NCH enquiry 2002 highlighted the need for the mainstream and preventative services to improve efficiencies and address the number of cases being sent to the childrens hearing system. (Action for children, 2004) When examining the alternative systems of dealing with young offenders in Scotland the NCH 2002 enquiry compared Scotlands system to that of England and Wales. Both of these countries are seen to have a more punitive approach when dealing with youth justice. The results indicated a higher number of young offenders detained within prison establishments, and a higher number of deterrents and confinement orders in place in relation to working towards rehabilitation in comparison with Scotland. The figures gathered indicated an overall increase of 800% of twelve to fourteen years over a ten year period due to the increase of sentences and imposition prison placed on these young people in England and Wales. However, the adverse effect of these figures is the fact that many of these young people may find themselves segregated from others, bullied or may be more likely to self-harm. The NCH looked at these figures not as a success towards offending behaviour as the recidivism rate in England and Wales was between 72/90%, but alternatively as unsuitable and an ineffective form of punitive punishment for children and young people. They believe that the more a child is punished by the justice system the more likely the chance of the child becoming further involved within the justice system itself and only adding to the likely hood of reoffending in the future. (Action for children, 2004) Implementing a more punitive approach within Scotlands youth justice system would also prove to be costly as the figures indicated that in 2002 England and Wales spent in the region of  £207 million on custodial sentences compared to that of their community based community rehabilitation programmes which cost  £76 million. The cost itself made the copying of their punitive approach an undesirable option for Scotland. (Action for children, 2004) The NCHs report in 2002 recommended that the Childrens hearing system continue to reach its full potential and by continuing to use its holistic and understanding approach when dealing with children and young people it would no doubt be more effective than introducing a more punitive approach. (Action for children, 2004) What has become clearer over the years is the matter of dealing with young people aged between 16 and 17 years of age. In 2004 Scotland introduced two pilot youth courts one in Hamilton and one in Airdrie. Their main aim was to tackle youth crime in a more effective and severe manner. The objectives included social inclusion, reduction of the offending frequency of 16 and 17 year olds and the seriousness of their crimes. A fast track procedure was put in place for those individuals appearing before the youth court. By testing the existing legislation the courts would be able to demonstrate their effectiveness and whether deemed appropriate when dealing with young offenders. Overall the prospect of youth courts looked at enhancing safety within the community and dealing with those involved in persistent offending within high crime areas. (The Scottish Government, 2006) An evaluation between June 2003 and December 2004 of Hamilton youth court recorded a total of 611 cases 402 of those cases involved young people. Airdrie youth court was evaluated between June 2004 and December 2005 and a total of 543 cases were recorded of which 341 involved young people. Those involved were aged between 16 and 17 years of age and were primarily male who were prosecuted on single occasions. (The Scottish Government, 2006) Most of those who appeared before the youth courts had low attainment levels and many admitted to drink or drug misuse. Cases brought before the youth courts included assault, possession of drugs, carrying of offensive weapons or most commonly breach of the peace. Most of the young people who appeared before the youth court were granted bail or ordained to appear before the court. Sentencing of young people included the use of electronic monitoring (tagging) as a condition of their bail release or they may have incurred a police monitored curfew. (The Scottish Government, 2006) The overall analysis of the youth court pilot scheme in Airdrie indicated that the use of community based social work disposals dropped and the execution of prison sentences rose. However, in Hamilton there was not a noticeable difference in the use of disposals highlighting the fact that community service and detention issues were better served within the youth court rather than the Sherriff court. Through the introduction of these youth courts they have proved a success when dealing with young people and they are receiving a wider range of resources and services. Nevertheless, the report has suggested that there is a need for further clarity to determine who exactly the youth courts are for. (The Scottish Government, 2006) According to Barnett 1977 the main objective in dealing with offenders should not be to punish, not even to re-educate but to repair or to compensate for the harm caused by the offence (as cited in Lockyer, A Stone, F.H 1998, p248) Believers in restorative justice consider this type of scheme useful when dealing with young offenders. By focusing on the damage the crime has caused an individual or a community it could work towards resolving and restoring the damage caused. The main aim of restorative justice is to primarily concentrate on the victim and not the offender although measures will be incorporated to aid the integration the offender back into the community. However, merging the Kilbrandon philosophy and restorative justice measures for some may raise concerns. (Lockyer, A Stone, F.H 1998) The Kilbrandon Ethos is humane and provides a caring and understanding system for those children and young people involved in it. The fact that the system helps to support the child and rehabilitate when necessary enforces the child centred approach and by comparing the system to that of the one in England and Wales can only highlight the differences in relation to recidivism. The system needs to have the funding in place to help improve the service it offers at present. By providing the family with a proper understanding of the hearing system would allow the involvement with decision making. Overall the Kilbrandon approach deems to be more effective than imposing punitive measures. By further educating and improving communication within the various agencies would help improve the decisions made and the number of cases put before the system. What also has to be addressed is the vulnerable age group of those aged 16 and 17 years. They are not seen as children or adults and so the syst em needs to take into consideration the needs of this age group and deal with the young people in an effective and efficient manner.

Mangy Parrot Essay -- Analysis, Fernández de Lizardi

Parrots are beautiful intelligent birds. Mange is a festering disease caused by parasitic mites that dig into the body and results in unsightly sores and unremitting irritation. Who or what does The Mangy Parrot refer to? Is Mangy Parrot simply Periquillo’s nickname or is it intended to be a metaphor for New Spain? If the parrot is symbolic of the lands and people of New Spain: the colonial caste system and government is the disease infesting the land. Unable to publish his views directly due to censorship, de Lizardi wrote his apparently humorous, entertaining tale as a cover for his ideas. Throughout the story Fernà ¡ndez de Lizardi cleverly interweaves his true objective which is to increase opposition to the colonial societal and governmental practices and encourage support for the coming revolution. Lizardi begins his tale with the story of binding babies’ hands. The old women bind infants’ hands simply because it had been done to them and therefore this made it the best policy and the old ways should be followed even when there is no evidence to support them. (de Lizardi, p. 2) When Lizardi began his serialized novel the Spanish had been exercising colonial control for three hundred years. During that time the Enlightenment and both the American and French Revolutions had taken place. The rights of man philosophies that fostered those revolutions made many of the aspects of Spanish colonial rule outdated and corrupt. The author is informing the reader from the outset that he is done with the old ways and that they no longer deserve to be supported. As the novel progresses, de Lizardi’s use of satire grow until his characters make such outlandish or unqualified statements that they cannot be taken for anything othe... ...bers and Indians to achieve parity in the system is to overthrow the system and demand equal treatment and opportunities. The use of humor and satire is only effective when the reader identifies with the kernel of truth at the core of the joke. The entertaining story of Periquillo’s misadventures was not just a funny story but also contained a bitter commentary on the state of colonial rule. Serialized publication in the native language allowed for the story to reach the masses and kept the issues in the public eye by spoon feeding weekly accounts that built up public awareness and increased discontent with the status quo. De Lizardi’s unapologetic fictionalized first person account of life in New Spain exposed the corruption, injustice, prejudice and inequities in society caused by the colonial caste system and encouraged public support for a revolution.

Aifs Case Havard Business School Essay

1. What gives rise to the currency exposure at AIFS? 2. What would happen if Archer-Lock and Tabaczynski did not hedge at all? 3. What would happen with a 100% hedge with forwards? A 100% hedge with options? Use the forecast final sales volume of 25,000 and analyze the possible outcomes relative to the ‘zero impact’ scenario described in the case. complete the spreadsheet.. 4. What happens if sales volumes are lower or higher than expected as outlined at the end of the case? 5. What hedging decision would you advocate? ANS 1: American Institute for foreign Study (AIFS) had two divisions. 1. The College division, 2. High School travel division. From the college division the students are sent to different parts of the world for semester long courses. From the second division the high school students as well as their teachers are sent for 1-4 week trips worldwide. More than 50000 students are sent out of the country each year on academic as well as cultural exchange programmes. For these two events AIFS requires different currencies other than American dollars. When AIFS got major percentage of its revenue in American Dollars it has to expend most in Euros and British Pounds. If there will be any exchange rate volatility, there will be currency mismatch. This gives currency exposure at AIFS. Ans-2 If Archer-Lock and Tabaczynski would not hedge at all, they had to face the below three risks. i) Bottom line risk: When there will be an adverse move of the exchange rate, there may be an increase in the cost base. If dollar depreciates, they have to pay more for unit dollar of Euro. ii) Volume Risk: They have to buy foreign currency six months before keeping some predicted value of future sales in mind. If the actual value differs from the predicted one, there may be a chance of loss. iii) Competitive pricing risk: They fix their price through the catalog and once price is fixed it difficult to change the price even if there may be a depreciation of dollars. This may result in a huge loss to their business. Ans-3: Refer excel-sheet :QUES-3† Ans-4: Refer excel sheet: â€Å"4-Sales Volume 30000† and â€Å"4-Sales Volume 10000† Ans-5 According to Tabaczynski, the probability of the times that one gains from how the hedging is done, is same as one may losing by doing so in the long run. Hedging by options is a better way to do so as in adverse situations you will only lose the premium amount you have paid. At the same time the company has not to pay any premium and may be benefitted by using futures, but there is a fear of huge loss that can be avoided by using options. So we will advice AIFS to hedge 50% with options and 50% with futures. In this hedging, the loss from the one type of hedging will be compensated by the other to some extent.

Explain the Sequence and Rate of Each Aspect of Development Essay

Holistic development: The first month Physical development The gross motor skills that the baby of 0-1 month old will develop is that the baby lies supine (on his or her back) and the fine motor skills will be the baby turns his or her head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Communication and language development Babies need to respond to sounds, especially familiar voices. And babies need to share language experiences and cooperate with others from birth onwards. From the start babies need other people. Intellectual development Babies explore through their senses and through their own activity and movement. Touch From the beginning babies feel pain. Sound Even a new born baby will turn to a sound. The baby might become still and listen to a low sound, or quicken his or her movements when he or she hears a high sound. Taste The baby likes sweet tastes, e. g. breast milk. Smell The baby turns to the smell of the breast. Sight The baby can focus on objects 20cm away. Emotional and social development A baby’s first smile in definite response to carer is usually around 3-6 weeks. Also the baby often imitates certain facial expressions. This is showing that the baby is starting to develop being able to respond to different things. Holistic development: from one to four months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are: the baby can now turn from side to back, and can also lift its head briefly from the prone position. Some of the fine motor skills that the babies develop from four to eight weeks are; the baby turns its head towards the light and stares at bright or shiny objects. Some of the gross motor skills the baby develops form eight to twelve weeks are; when lying supine, the baby’s head is in a central position and it can also lift its head and chest off a bed in prone position, supported on forearms. Some of the fine motor skills the baby develops from eight to twelve weeks are; the baby moves his or her head to follow adult movements and the baby watches his or her hands and plays with his or her fingers. Communication and language development From four to eight weeks the baby recognises the carer and familiar objects, makes non-crying noises such as cooing and gargling and then moves on to often sucking or licking its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. From eight to twelve weeks the baby is still distressed by sudden loud noises and often sucks or licks its lips when he or she hears the sound of food in preparation. Intellectual development The baby recognises differing speech sounds and by three months the baby can even imitate low or high pitched sounds. Emotional and social development The baby will smile in response to an adult and the baby enjoys sucking. Then the baby shows enjoyment at caring routines such as bath time. Holistic development from four to six months Physical development Some of the gross motor skills; the baby is beginning to use a palmar grasp and can transfer objects from hand to hand. It is very interested in all activity and everything is taken to the mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby now has good head control and is beginning to sit with support. It can roll over from back to side and is beginning to reach for objects. And when supine the baby plays with his or her own feet. Communication and language development The baby becomes more aware of others so he or she communicates more and more. As the baby listens, he or she imitates sounds he or she can her and reacts to the tone of someone’s voice. For example, the baby might become upset by an angry tone, or cheered by a happy tone. Intellectual development By four months the baby reaches for objects, which suggest they recognise and judge the distance in relation to the size of the object. The baby prefers complicated things to look at from five to six months and enjoys bright colours. The baby also knows that he or she has one mother. The baby is disturbed if he or she is shown several images of his or her mother at the same time. The baby realises that people are permanent before they realise that objects are. Emotional and social development The baby shows trust and security and has recognisable sleep patterns. Holistic development from six to nine months Some of the gross motor skills; the baby can roll from front to back. He or she may attempt to crawl but will often end up sliding backwards. Also the baby may grasp their feet and place them in his or her mouth. Some of the fine motor skills; the baby is very alert to people and objects. The baby is beginning to use a pincer grasp with thumb and finger, and can transfer toys from one hand to the other and looks for fallen objects. Communication and language development Babble becomes tuneful, like the lilt of the language the baby can hear. They become to understand words like ‘up’ and ‘down’, raising their arms to be lifted up and using appropriate gestures. The baby may also be able to repeat sounds. Intellectual development The baby understands signs, e. g. the bib means that food is coming. From eight to nine months the baby shows that he or she knows objects exist when they have gone out of sight, even under test conditions. This is called the concept of object constancy, or the object permanence test (Piaget). The baby is also fascinated by the way objects move. Emotional and social development The baby can manage to feed him- or herself using his or her fingers. They are now more wary of strangers, sometimes showing stranger fear. For example if a stranger comes close to the baby and it moves away towards another person, this shows that the baby is fearful of strangers and gains security from the person it moves to. Also the baby might show distress when his or her mother leaves. For example if the mother leaves the room and the baby starts crying, then this shows that the baby feels insecure when the mother is out of sight. Holistic development from nine to twelve months Physical development Gross motor skills; the baby will now be mobile- may be crawling, bear-walking, bottom shuffling or even walking. The baby can sit up on his or her own and lean forward to pick things up. Also the baby may crawl upstairs and onto low items of furniture and may even bounce in rhythm to music. Fine motor skills; the baby’s pincer grasp is now well developed and he or she can pick things up and pull them towards him or her. The baby can poke with one finger and will point to desired objects. They can also clasp hands and imitate adults’ actions. Communication and language development The baby can follow simple instructions e. g. kiss teddy. Word approximations appear e. g. ‘hee haw’ to indicate a donkey, or more typically ‘mumma’, ‘dadda’ and ‘bye-bye’ in English speaking contexts. Also the tuneful babble develops into ‘jargon’ and the baby makes his or her voice go up and down just as people do when they talk to each other. Intellectual development The baby is beginning to develop images. Memory develops and the baby and remember the past. The baby can anticipate the future. This give it some understanding of routine daily sequences, e. g. after a feed, changing, and a sleep with teddy. Also the baby imitates actions, sounds, gestures and moods after an event is finished, e. g. imitate a temper tantrum he or she saw a friend have the previous day, wave bye-bye remembering Grandma has gone to the shops. Emotional and social development The baby enjoys songs and action rhymes, still likes to be near to a familiar adult but will also play alone for long periods of time. Spiritual aspects of a baby’s development Even a tiny baby experiences a sense of self, and values people who are loved by them. Spiritually is about the developing sense of relationship with self, relating to others ethically, morally and humanly and a relationship with the universe. The baby can drink from a cup with help, and shows definite likes and dislikes at mealtimes and bedtimes. Also the baby will start to cooperate when being dressed and likes to look at him- or herself in a mirror (plastic safety mirror). Holistic development from one to two years Physical development Gross motor skills (15 months); the baby probably walks alone now, with feet wide apart and arms raised to maintain balance. He or she is likely to fall over and often sit down suddenly. The baby can also probably manage stairs and steps, but will need supervision. Gross motor skills (18 months); the child walks confidently and is able to stop without falling. The child can also kneel, squat, climb and carry things around with him or her. Fine motor skills (15months); the baby can build with a few bricks and arrange toys on the floor, can hold a crayon in palmar grasp and turns several pages of a book at once, and can also point to a desired object. Fine motor skills (18 months); the child can thread large beads, build a tower of several cubes and uses a pincer grasp to pick up small objects. Communication and language development The child begins to talk with words or sign language, and by 18 months, the child enjoys trying to sing as well as to listen to songs and rhymes. Action songs (e. g. ‘pat-a-cake’) are much loved. Intellectual development The child understands the names of objects and can follow simple instructions, the child also learns about other things through trial and error. Emotional and social development The child begins to have a longer memory and develops a sense of identity (I am me). Also the child expresses his or her needs in words and gestures and enjoys being able to walk, and is eager to try to get dressed – ‘Me do it! ’ Holistic development from two to three years Physical development Gross motor skills; the child is very mobile, can run safely and can climb up onto furniture. The child can walk up and downstairs, usually two feet to a step. The child then moves on to being able to jump from a low step, walk backwards and sideways and can stand and walk on his or her tiptoes and stand on one foot. In my workplace all of the children this age are able to do all of these things. But the girls are all more developed than the boys. For example, with have a boy that is three years of age, and a girl that’s the same. The girl is able to write her name, speak fluently, help other children who aren’t as well developed as her and she even tells me when someone is doing something wrong. Whereas the boy can hardly speak yet, and when he does no one can understand what he’s saying. Michael Gurian, a noted educator and author, has shown through research that â€Å"hard-wiring and socialized gender differences affect how boys and girls learn. † Simply put, male and female brains are equal but different. â€Å"Boys use the right hemisphere more, and girls the left,† (Gurian, M. 2007) Fine motor skills; the child can draw circles, lines and dots using preferred hand. The child can pick up tiny objects using a fine pincer grasp. The child then moves on to being able to build tall towers of bricks or blocks and can control a pencil using thumb and first two fingers (a dynamic tripod grasp).