Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong Essay Example for Free

Mainland Chinese in Hong Kong Essay Everyone in Hong Kong should have heard of the mainland parallel-goods traders who discriminated by the local citizens. The MTR Corporation’s new policy setting limit to the weight of the luggage and the demonstration against the traders held by the local citizens are some of the evidences showing the discrimination against the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong (Lee Lo, 2012). Actually, the mainland Chinese settling in Hong Kong faces lots of barriers in different aspects. According to the United Nation, the living standard of a people will be degraded by the social, political, environmental, cultural and economic barriers (The United Nation, 1976). This essay will discuss the barriers occurred, the response by different stakeholders and the Hong Kong government’s role in this issue. The reason why the mainland Chinese migrates to Hong Kong may help understand the issue. In 1962, the Hong Kong government adopted the Touch Base Policy, which allowed the mainland Chinese arriving the city area to settle in Hong Kong. Since there was starvation in China at that time, thousands of people who were strong and young migrated to Hong Kong by swimming and climbing the hill. They devoted themselves to work for the factories and increased the productivity of light industry (The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding, 2001). Due to the booming economy of Hong Kong and the introduction of the Basic Law in 1997, many mainland Chinese came and gave birth to their children to enjoy the right of abode in Hong Kong (Ming Pao, 2011). Therefore, the two main purposes for the mainland Chinese to settle in Hong Kong are working and enjoying the welfare. The social barriers faced by people are defined by the lack of help from the society, the exclusion from the welfare and the disconnection from the social network (The United Nation, 1976). As mentioned above, the mainland Chinese settle in Hong Kong to enjoy the benefit provided by the government. However, the one who does not have the right of abode cannot enjoy the welfare. The most familiar case is the difference in the fee of medical service. The charge of the service of accident and emergency for the local citizen is $100 per attendance while that of people with no right of abode charges $570 per attendance which is five times to the local one (Hospital Authority, 2007). This shows that the mainland Chinese staying in Hong Kong less than 7 years cannot enjoy the medical services at the lowest cost. Even the mainland Chinese with the right of abode cannot fully enjoy the welfare of the society. Consider the free education provided to the children with the right of abode, it is obvious that the mainland children in Hong Kong may have difficulties in learning using English and Cantonese which are not their mother tongue (Caritas Hong Kong- Tsuen Wan Community Centre, 1998). There is no extra resource to help the migrated children to adapt to the learning environment which is different from that of mainland China. Beyond the social barriers are the economic barriers, which are known as the lack of participation in production, trading and consumption (The United Nation, 1976). Another purpose of settling in Hong Kong is to get the employment opportunity as stated above. However, it is difficult for the mainland Chinese to find a job in Hong Kong. According to the report conducted by the Hong Kong government, the employment rate of the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong was 45.7%, lower than the overall employment rate in Hong Kong (60.3%) in 2006 (Hong Kong Government, 2007). This can be caused by their small social network and low education level of the migrated mainland Chinese. Moreover, there are not many types of work they can choose. 82% of the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong was having works with low-technique in 2006 (Hong Kong Government, 2007). As the mainland Chinese are of low education level with few techniques for work, most of them work as sales assistants but not technician. This implies that the mainland Chinese has a relative low chance to earn high profit in Hong Kong. Actually, the income rate of the mainland Chinese are much lower than that of the local citizens. The median of income of the mainland Chinese is around $6000 while that of the local citizens is $10000 (Hong Kong Government, 2007). Having a low income set them into living problem as they may have difficulty in buying necessity, paying utilities expense and paying for the meal. Getting low income not only leads to the difficulty in buy food and stuff, but also leads to the residential problem. The environmental barriers mean the poor living condition of the residents and the negative atmosphere of the environment (The United Nation, 1976). According to the report of Society for Community Organization in 2009, the median of monthly rent of bed space apartment is $1265 and that of suite is $2300 (Society for Community Organization, 2009). If the mainland Chinese chooses to rent a bed space apartment or a suite, they will spend a large part of their income to live in an area with poor condition. They can also choose to rent the public housing or purchase their private house, but this will cost them more which they may not afford. Moreover, the characteristic of the district they lived may create negative emotion to the mainland Chinese. If you are living in a city that was degraded by many people, you will probably become sad all days. Actually, when the mainland Chinese rent the public housing in Hong Kong, they may often be allocated to the Western part of New Territory, as it is the new developed town with more space. The problem faced by the mainland Chinese when they are settling will create sad emotion which will be accumulated. This leads to the high rate of unemployment, suicide and family violence and also leads to the name of ‘city of sadness’ for Tin Shui Wai (Chang, 2007). Fung is an example described in the program of the New Magazine. She is a mainland woman settled in Hong Kong for 10 years with no husband and she find it hard to live in Tin Shui Wai as there are many cases similar to hers (New Magazine, 2007). It is obvious that the mainland Chinese may face both physical and mental barriers raised by the environment. In concord with the environmental barriers, the mainland Chinese may face cultural barriers. It is about the loss of the acceptance of their cultures and behaviors from the society (The United Nation, 1976). While you are walking on the street, you may have the experience that the Chinese near you are not saying the same language compared to yours or do not familiar with Cantonese. Actually, many migrated mainland Chinese has their only accent or dialect. From the data of the Population Census 2011, 5.3% of the resident in Hong Kong spoke Putonghua or other Chinese dialect (Hong Kong Government, 2012). This leads to the obstruction for them to communicate with the local citizens. Moreover, the habits of the mainland Chinese are different from that of the local people. For example, there are many cases of corruption in the mainland and the residents there usually bribe the government officers or the manager of the company to enjoy services earlier than others or obtain other benefits. When the mainland Chinese settles in Hong Kong, they cannot change this practice which is not accepted here immediately. Therefore, they will be discriminated by the local citizens when they want to jump the queue by giving extra money (Ming Pao, 2012). Obviously, such behaviors may create discrimination against the mainland Chinese and they may find it hard to communicate with the local citizens. Above the previous four kinds of barriers is the political barrier. Political barriers occur when people are excluded in the procedure of establishing policies as no one can represent them to fight for their right (The United Nation, 1976). In the case of migrated Chinese, they only have the permanent right of abode and so the voting right in Legislative Council and District Council when they live in Hong Kong for more than 7 years (Hong Kong Government, 1997). Therefore, if they only live for less than 7 years, they cannot exercise their voting right to vote for the councilor who is willing to strive for their interests. Some may argue that there are still some councilors, who consider the right of mainland Chinese in Hong Kong, however; as there are too few councilors representing them, it is likely that the councilors cannot align the decision making in the council to the rights of the mainland Chinese. From the above, we find different barriers faced by the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong with different nature. Whether they should be included in the Hong Kong society has come to a controversial issue between the groups that advocate and the groups that oppose. ‘Citizens should tolerate the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong as they are only of different values with us.’ the former chief executive Donald Tsang said (RTHK, 2012). This is one of the points that support their inclusion in Hong Kong. As the mainland Chinese was adapted to their habits in China, they cannot change their mind step right after they settled in Hong Kong. It is rude to repel them just because their behaviors are different from us. Moreover, Hong Kong is an international city consisted of people come from different cities or countries. It is the common practice for the Hong Kong citizens to treat people with different race in the same way to encourage cultural diversification. If we only give respect to the white but detest the mainland Chinese, an image that Hong Kong is not a city that can include all kinds of groups may be created. This may probably damage the reputation and discredit the name of travellers’ paradise of Hong Kong. One of the possible outcomes is the decrease in amount of travellers and investment in Hong Kong and this will lead to the decrease in social benefits as well. Furthermore, exclusion of them in Hong Kong will create negative emotions to the society. When there are people blaming the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong, it will usually create ‘war’ between local Chinese and mainland Chinese. We can easily find posters and articles posted by them to insult each other on the Internet. People supporting each side will also organize campaigns that dishonor another side and this will aggravate conflict in the society (Ming Pao, 2011). Another negative impact raised by the exclusion is the deadly tragedy of mainland Chinese. When the mainland Chinese cannot settle down properly and are scorned by the Hong Kong people, sadness will accumulate. As there are not enough resources for the assistance or counseling to the mainland Chinese, they may try to solve the problem by themselves. The solutions usually include improper behaviors like committing suicide. This kind of negative news does cast a shadow on the society. On the other hand, there are groups that oppose the inclusion of mainland Chinese in Hong Kong. Firstly, they state that the mainland Chinese should respect the unique culture of Hong Kong. For example, some of the citizens think that the main language used by Hong Kong people should be Cantonese. Also, they may think that there are some hidden rules which are sometimes broken by the mainland should be kept up, such as queuing, talking softly in public area, and no eating on the train. If many mainland Chinese enters or settles in Hong Kong, they may influence the original culture of Hong Kong and make the society worse as they image. Secondly, Hong Kong is already very crowded that there should not be more people settle down. According to the world record, Mongkok is the most crowded place in the world and its average population density is 130 thousands. The public transports and facilities in Hong Kong are also fully used by the local citizens. If more mainland Chinese settle down here, a lot of place in Hong Kong will become more packed and this will create extra demand of the provision of public transportation. Thirdly, the mainland Chinese will use up the limited resources which originally belong to the local citizens. For instance, the medical services provided for the pregnant woman are limited, as there are limited doctors and bed in the public hospitals. Although the charges of the public medical services for the mainland Chinese are much higher, the mainland Chinese is still willing to give birth in order to enjoy higher service quality and evade the punishment under the one-child policy. Under this circumstance, the doctors will become more stressful and not enough public medical services will be provided to the local women. Some says that, the foreign migrants settled in Hong Kong may also use up the limited resources; however, the population of the China is very large compared to other countries (Li Lok, 2012). If we advocate the inclusion of mainland Chinese in Hong Kong, large amount of the mainland will rush to Hong Kong for varied reasons and the situation will be completely different compared to the case of the foreign migrants. We could find different points of view in the society which have already listed above and it is the government responsibility to balance between the opinions of the citizens for or against the inclusion of mainland Chinese. The most important thing needed to redeem the reputation of Hong Kong is to help the mainland Chinese overcomes their barriers faced in Hong Kong. To deal with the economic barriers, the government should help the mainland Chinese to find jobs with higher income by promoting their competitiveness. To begin with, the government can allocate more resources to the community centers for them to organize language and practical skill workshops which can enrich the abilities of the mainland Chinese so that they can attract the local employers. In addition, the government can take the initiative opening up more positions for the mainland Chinese to apply so that the private firms will follow and this will create job opportunity for them. To solve the social barriers, the government can appoint the school to create a better learning environment for the mainland children by adopting small class teaching of the English lesson or making tutorial class for them. This relies on the extra resources given by the government to help the children enjoy the education more effectively. To deal with the cultural barriers the mainland Chinese faced, the government should force them to abolish their bad customs. Specifically, the government should produce more advertisements about the moral standard of Hong Kong citizens which can be broadcast on TV and radio so that the migrated mainland Chinese will be influenced and follow our practices. Not only the mainland Chinese should be educated, but also the local residents should be inculcated about the equality of people with different cultures. As the economist said, good institutions always align self-interest with the social interest (Cowen Tabarrok, 2011). It is known that globalization encourages the movement of people from their countries of origin to another places. It will become more common that the mainland Chinese settles in Hong Kong as the relationship between Hong Kong and Chinese become closer. Therefore, it is for the social interest that local citizens should accept the existence of mainland Chinese in Hong Kong so that the conflicts in the society will be alleviated. To fulfill this social interest, institutions to the public should be introduced. The government should first strengthen the citizenship education about inclusion of mainland Chinese for the primary and secondary school students as they are the pillar of the society. Then, the government should produce more TV programs and large campaigns to change the whole atmosphere of the society. Actually, there are some programs on the TV promoting equally treatment to the mainland Chinese like ‘Southern and northern’, one of the episode of the program in RTHK talking about the difficulties faced by the migrated Chinese woman in Hong Kong (RTHK, 2011). As citizens in Hong Kong, we must be aware of the existence of mainland Chinese. There are increasing potential that the China will overtake Hong Kong to become a city with high CGDP. There is also globalization encouraging the inflow of mainland Chinese. Inclusion of mainland Chinese is a must in the 21st century and we should confront to the problem existed to alleviate the conflicts in the society. It is found that there are economic, political, social, cultural and environmental barriers faced by the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong. There are also increasing discussion on whether we should advocate the inclusion of them. When it comes to the benefits of the public, the government should act as the lubricant between groups with different opinions and create a harmonious atmosphere. In the coming future, it is possible that there is no discrimination against the mainland Chinese and they may become part of the Hong Kong. Reference: Caritas Hong Kong- Tsuen Wan Community Centre. (1998). The research on the view of the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong by the local citizens. Hong Kong: Tsuen Wan Community Centre. Chang, D. (2007, 12 14). Tin Shui Wai: City of Sadness. Asia Sentinel. Cowen,T., Tabarrok, A. (2011). Modern principle of Economics. Worth Publishers. Hong Kong Government. (1997). The Basic Law. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government. Hong Kong Government. (2007). The recent employment state of the mainland Chinese in Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Government. Hong Kong Government. (2012, 9 7). Usual Residents Aged 5 and Over by Duration of Residence in Hong Kong, Sex, Nationality and Usual Language, 2011. Retrieved from Population Census 2011: http://www.census2011.gov.hk/en/main-table/F118.html Hospital Authority. (2007). Fees and Charges. Retrieved from Hospital Authority website: http://www.ha.org.hk/visitor/ha_visitor_index.asp?Content_ID=10045Lang=ENGDimension=100Parent_ID=10044Ver=HTML Lee,A., Lo, C. (20 12, 10 6). MTRs new weight limit aimed at mainland traders. South China Morning Post. Li,C., Lok, A. (2012, 2 3). Hong Kong demonstration against mainland Chinese. Epoch Times. Ming Pao. (2011, 5 5). Little cost but large benefit for the mainland woman to give birth in Hong Kong. Ming Pao. Ming Pao. (2011, 10 23). Pregnant women demonstrate against the mainland children born in Hong Kong. Ming Pao. Ming Pao. (2012, 1 19). the local citiznes and mainland Chinese argue in the public hospital. Ming Pao. New Magazine. (2007). Home in Tin Shui Wai. RTHK. (2011). Southern and Northern. RTHK. (2012, 2 9). The confidence to the Hong Kong citizens of the tolerance to the mainland Chinese. RTHK. Society for Community Organization. (2009). Research on rental problem of bedspace apartment and suite. Hong Kong: Society for Community Organization. The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding. (2001). History of Hong Kong Special Autonomous Region. Retrieved from The Society for Anglo-Chinese Understanding website: http://www.sacu.org/hongkong.html The United Nation. (1976, 5-6). United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). Retrieved 11 2012, from the United Nations website: http://www.un.org/Conferences/habitat/

Evaluation of the Tourist View on Museum

Evaluation of the Tourist View on Museum Critical Evaluation from the visitor/tourist point of view. The NMI: Arts and History Collins Barracks This discursive essay is based on a field trip under took by myself as part of the Heritage Studies Year 3 class at GMIT. This field trip consisted of travelling to Dublin to visit two of Irelands museum attractions the Chester Beatty Library and the National Museum of Ireland: Decorative Arts and History Museum at Collins Barracks. The Decorative Arts and History Museum is the museum that I chose to write the essay on. The essay is intended to be a critical evaluation of the heritage product provided at this museum and also assess its performance at doing this task. The essay shall also examine a number of issues for this museum like best international practice for museums of this type, its Management Philosophy and analyse the visitor experience offered at this site. The essay will begin by looking briefly at some of the heritage of the building and the site that is Collins Barracks, the former barracks that now houses the Decorative Arts and History museum. Collins Barracks itself presents its own unique history and heritage. Collins Barracks is one of the oldest inhabited barracks in Europe and was once one of the largest. It was built originally as an Army barracks for the British armed forces and it was called The Royal Barracks. The building was erected in 1702 and designed by architect Col. Thomas Burgh (1670 1730) in an early Neo-classical style. The building itself appears to be well maintained by the OPW and it is in a good state of repair. A visitor here cannot ignore the magnificence of this structure and the surrounding site and they will hopefully experience the years of history that this place offers. The central square at Collins Barracks, which at one time would have held six entire regiments, is surrounded by arcaded colonnades and blocks linked by walking bridges. In 1922 the barracks was taken over by the Irish Free State and later renamed Collins Barracks after the former leader of the first Irish Provincial Governme nt Michael Collins. In 1988 it was decided to close the barracks and in 1997 it was opened as part of the National Museum of Ireland, specialising in Decorative Arts History exhibits. The original structure was redeveloped to house this museum and in keeping with its previous military history it houses, in addition to its Decorative Arts History exhibits, galleries dedicated to Irelands military history. Nature of the heritage product available at Collins Barracks. Our visit to the Decorative Arts and History museum was much too short. Due to the extensive nature of the building and the time constraints we were under, it was difficult to spend enough time examining all the exhibits that were on display. There are nearly 30 different exhibition galleries spread between four floors and a building beside Collins Barracks houses the Asgard and its exhibition. The many different displays within the galleries ranged from fine examples of silver, ceramics, glassware, furniture, clothing, jewellery, folklife, coins, metals and weaponry. This museum endeavours to offer an overview of Irelands social, economic and military history over the last millennium. I began my visit to the museum by viewing the Asgard and its exhibition. It is a great achievement to have had this iconic yacht restored to its former glory. As one walks around the Asgard one is forced to reflect on those who would have sailed her and the part she and her navigators played in Irelands history. As well as informative information boards on the Asgard and Irelands struggle for Home Rule, there are also a number of interesting artefacts from this period including a number of the Mauser rifles that were part of the 1914 Howth gunrunning. It is quite fitting to have these rifles here as they complement the story of the Asgard. Unfortunately there are no audiovisual displays here and the information blurbs are only written in Irish and English. From the Asgrad exhibition it is a short walk across a paved path to the well signposted reception area of the museum. Here a visitor can pick up a museum floor plan, which is in a number of languages, and this gives a brief description of the different exhibition galleries on the four floors while also showing the services available within the museum. The receptionist here was pleasant and helpful. he military section it is well documented and some of the displays are artistically presented. The history linking the Irish to the wars in Europe, and the rest of the World like the Boar War and US Civil War is very intriguing. The displays and information boards here are easy to follow for even the casual visitor. A downside is the placingto this excellent condition was that information boards and present in the narrow corridors. as was that dealing specifically with Irelands struggle for Home Rule and Independence. The various clothes, weapons of war and even the poor soldier eating his dry bread while on patrol in the hills add to this bringing alive of the past and of course the somewhat startling skeleton of Dickie Bird, a horse that fought in the Crimean War in 1854 with the 5th Dragoon Guards. One doesnt expect to be faced with a standing live skeleton from 1854 whose bones were found by archaeologists in 2008 at Clancy Barracks in Dublin. The Understanding 1916 exhibition, which chronicles Irelands 1916 Easter Rising, is helpful in trying to understand the background to the 1916   Rising. It is clearly presented but perhaps some audio/visual presentation would reduce the tedium of standing and reading all the details. Visceral memorabilia, such as first-hand accounts of the violence of the Black Tans and post-Rising hunger strikes, the handwritten death certificates of the republican prisoners and their postcards from Holloway prison, bring to life this poignant period of Irish history. On the ground floor is a chain of thematically interconnected galleries, Soldiers and Chiefs, devoted to almost five hundred years of Irish military history. Apart from an array of helmets and weaponry, theres the impressive Stokes tapestry which was created by a British soldier who devoted his spare time to the depiction of contemporary garrison life. Disappointingly the interactive panel that went into detail about the tapestry was blurred and not working. Other exhibits trace the Irish involvement in the US Civil War and one of personal fascination was the information board that listed all the names of the Irish that fought and died with General Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876. World War I with later examples of tanks and a de Havilland Vampire fighter plane while, contrastingly, theres the 200-year-old Bantry Boat, captured from the French frigate La Rà ©solue during the abortive invasion of 1796. Decorative arts is a tough thing to get right, especially if you want to offer a broad appeal, but the well-designed displays, interactive multimedia and a dizzying array of disparate artefacts make for an interesting and valiant effort. On the 1st floor is the museums Irish silver collection, one of the largest collections of silver in the world; on the 2nd floor youll find Irish period furniture and scientific instruments, while the 3rd floor has simple and sturdy Irish country furniture. Modern-furniture-and-design lovers will enjoy the exhibition on iconic Irish designer Eileen Gray (1878-1976), one of the museums highlights. One of the most influential designers of the 20th century, Grays life and work are documented in the exhibit, which shows examples of her most famous pieces. The fascinating Way We Wore exhibit displays Irish clothing and jewellery from the past 250 years. An intriguing socio-cultural study, it highlights the symbolism jewellery and clothing had in bestowing messages of mourning, love and identity. Some of the best pieces are gathered in the Curators Choice exhibition, which is a collection of 25 objects hand-picked by different curators, and displayed alongside an account of why they were chosen. The various exhibition galleries are absolutely amazing. There is a very rich collection in each of the categories. One could easily spend a whole morning on any one of them. Coming from one of these, Harry Clarkes The Unhappy Judas provided a startling contrast. The majority of exhibits have clearly written explanations, written in both English and Irish, but some are difficult to read due to the surrounding low light. Unfortunately there did not appear to be any translated into other languages which must make it difficult for some foreign non-English-speaking visitors to understand. It would have been more helpful had they had audio explanations, particularly for those who are visually impaired. I found this most interesting but for the person who wants to linger, browse and read the numerous pieces, it would have been helpful to have sitting down benches, as in the foyer. Speaking to a member of staff afterwards, he explained that the exhibition areas are narrow so that when there are large groups, benches could be an unsafe obstruction. Best international practice for institutions of this type: Edinburgh Museum NMS. Edinburgh is an amalgamation of Royal Scottish Museum and the National Museum of antiquities. It has exhibitions of various types which are similar to Collins Barracks.: see www.nms.ac.uk/national-museum -of-scotland. Collins Barracks website gives very informative overview of its exhibits, so that a visit can be planned in advance. This is also true of Edinburgh Museum. Management Philosophy Refer to Mission Statement on the website Quoting from website..Our philosophy is to uphold the values of : Authenticity: Working in partnership with staff. Excellence in all our activities. Investing in people. In achieving this philosophy, it is dependent on ongoing commitment of all stakeholders, including, in particular, staff of the museum, Dept. of Arts, Sports Tourism, and the O.P.W. if Phase 2 of the development of Collins Barracks is to be completed. The development of the Central storage area requires a lot of money and commitment. Cf. Strategic Plan.   Cf statement of chairman J. OMahony July 2008. Heritage Product, Visitor Facilities and Marketing. Visitor facilities: Restaurant, good and reasonable in price. Toilets, clean and bright. Shop, ok. There is a need for more seating in all areas, to make it a more relaxing as well as an educational   experience. There is a need to be more aware of people with specific needs, eg. Website said thatthere were objects that could be touched, for visually impaired people. On enquiring, the staff member did not know anything about this. As previously mentioned, the need for audio aids for visually impaired people. Marketing: Collins Barracks is a wonderful place with so much to see, but I have passed it so many times in the Luas as well as walking past but never knew that there were so many treasures there. Is this due to poor marketing? Visitor experience: Cf. Trip Advisor, Facebook Twitter Great museum, so many interesting exhibitions. Asgard, great. I would be very happy to go there again. Entrance from Luas stop, with all the ascending steps could be a problem for older people. There is a need for clearer marking of alternative entrance via car park. Heritage product: My favourite was the Eileen Gray furniture exhibition but I would have been happy spending more time on any of the other exhibitions, had time permitted. I intend going there soon again. Visitor profile; Speaking to a staff member, he told me that during the summer they have many foreign visitors and visitors with Irish ancestry. They see people of all age groups. Approx.. 60,000 a month during the summer holiday months. In October 2013, they had 20,164 visitors. They get many families when they have special events on. It is also popular for school groups. There are often book launches etc held at the museum. Listen to interview with Pat Wallace on Marian Finucane on RTE radio 1 on Sunday November 2nd. Well worth listening to, on the lack of funding to the museums. Overall impression? The site is being well run and cared for with helpful friendly staff on every level. The cafà © could be improved on. Fewer and better meals on offer and better ventilation in the kitchen to prevent the pervasive smell of cooking oil wafting through to the dining area. The shop offered a wide range of souvenirs and goods produced in Ireland. Service was again friendly and helpful. As an observer the visitor profile varied from school groups, to guests from the U.S. Africa and China to one day city trippers. A place well worth a return visit and one to watch for exhibitions, events as shown on their website. West of Smithfield on Benburb Street is the National Museums Decorative Arts Collection,. Unquestionably, the best of these is Curators Choice, on the first floor of the west block, which is selected by museum curators from all over Ireland. Among its draws are a medieval oak carving of St Molaise; the extravagant cabinet presented by Oliver Cromwell to his daughter Bridget in 1652; and the remarkable fourteenth-century Chinese porcelain Fonthill Vase. The Out of Storage section is another highlight, bringing together everything from decorative glassware to a seventeenth-century suit of Samurai armour, while others focus on Celtic art, coinage, silverware, period furniture, costumes and scientific instruments, and there are usually plenty of temporary exhibits. Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/europe/ireland/dublin/collins-barracks/#ixzz3KJp4qIAX All of these displayed with imagination in innovative and contemporary galleries, which entice you to go further, look harder and examine more closely. In the Curators Choice exhibition there is amongst other treasures, an ancient Japanese ceremonial bell, which dates back over 2000 years. Explore the histories of soldiers and their families in Soldiers Chiefs: The Irish at War at Home and Abroad since 1550. Examine the decade of disturbance between 1913 and 1923, from the Dublin Lockout, through the Easter Rising to the end of the Civil War in The Easter Rising: Understanding 1916. Included are artefacts such as Etruscan vases, gauntlets worn by King William at Battle of the Boyne, a life belt and oar salvaged from the wreck of the RMS Lusitania and a pocket book carried by Wolfe Tone whilst imprisoned in the Barracks. Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ireland/dublin/sights/museums-galleries/national-museum-ireland-decorative-arts-history#ixzz3KJfM23cI Museums and galleries are vital to the educational and cultural health of society. This, however, is not always either seen or understood, and as long as this is the case, the continued existence of museums will be tenuous. Lang, Caroline, Reeve, John, and Woollard, Vicky, eds. Responsive Museum : Working with Audiences in the Twenty-First Century. Abingdon, Oxon, GBR: Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 2006. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 24 November 2014.

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay

Amartya Sen The Idea Of Justice Review Philosophy Essay Justice is the quality of being just or fair. Justice can also be looked upon as the judgment involved in the determination of rights and the assignment of rewards and punishments. Justice can also be the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity (Princeton Web 2010). Individuals may look at justice many different ways, but what factors play into deciding what truly is justice? Must you look at fairness in order to be just, must you look at rationality, or even equality and liberty? There will always be debates about how to achieve justice. But due to so many factors being involved, we may never understand what justice truly is. I believe that in order for one to be just, or even to make a just decision on a matter that factors such as rationality, fairness, human rights, and the well being of all parties involved must be taken into account. But this is just my opinion many of todays philosophers often argue what it mean s to be just or even to achieve a completely just state in our society, along with the decisions we make on a daily basis. To call attention to a specific philosopher, Amartya Sen undoubtedly makes a solid stance on what justice truly means. The Idea of Justice is Amartya Sens assessment of political philosophy. He explores what justice really means and has come up with alternatives to the existing model. Sens philosophic arguments are shown by an exceptional set of stories drawn from literature, history, and current events occurring in our society today. There are not many main thoughts of the book, but the thoughts presented are revisited throughout each chapter, to help the reader see the bigger picture. You must be able to examine each idea Sen presents in his text, as they all come together, when being able to achieve complete justice. Although justice may never fully be reached entirely in any society, Sen does an amazing job giving examples and putting each of his arguments in basic text, so that it is easy for the reader to understand what he is talking about. The specific philosophic arguments of the book are highly important when it comes to the ideas of justice. The Idea of Justice is divided into four main pa rts. Part one contains several of Sens most important thoughts throughout the book. They include, reason objectivity, institutions persons, voice social choice, impartiality objectivity, and closed open impartiality. In part two, forms of Reasoning, Sen discusses a number of themes including rationality, plurality of impartial reasons, and rationality other people. Part three contains information on the capabilities approach, lives, freedoms capabilities, and equality liberty. The final part of Sens text speaks to public reasoning democracy, including sections on justice the world, human rights global imperatives, the practice of democracy, and democracy as public reason. Throughout each of these main sections Sens argues very strong points, I will try to give you a summary of the main points throughout each chapter of Sens book along with where he stands on certain topics and how I can relate and feel about what he believes. To call your attention to the preface/introduction, Sen specifically states that what he is presenting here, is a theory of justice which aims to clarify how we can proceed to address questions of enhancing justice and removing injustice, rather than to offer resolutions of questions about the nature of perfect justice (Sen IX). The Introduction elaborates on two approaches to justice, which include the comparativist framework the social contract framework. The comparativist framework is presented using the realization comparison approach. The realization approach prioritizes the social understanding of advancing justice and removing injustice in real societies with their existing institutions. The social contract framework is presented using the transcendental institutionalism approach which was led by the works of Thomas Hobbes. The transcendental institutionalism approach concentrates on perfect justice and the institutions that would be recognized in such a perfectly just societ y. There are two distinct problems indentified here which Sen engages. First it concentrates its attention on what it identifies as perfect justice, rather than on relative comparisons of justice injustice (Sen 6). Sen goes on to explain that this approach tries to only identify social characteristics that cannot be transcended in terms of justice, and its focus is thus not on comparing feasible societies, all of which may fall short of the ideals of perfection. Also it is intended to identify the nature of the just, rather than finding an alternative being less unjust than another. The second major issue with this approach is described by Sen Saying that in searching for perfection, transcendental institutionalism concentrates primarily on getting the institutions right, and it is not directly focused on the actual societies that would ultimately emerge. We need to focus on how change within the actual society is going to be completed, not by getting institutions perfect to the point that they are just institutions. This would do nothing for emerging societies we need to look at society as whole in order to achieve perfect justice by not having only perfectly just institutions. People are sti ll going to act how they choose as well as behave how they choose, so we must focus on society as whole. The nature of the society that would result from any given set of institutions must, of course, depend also on non-institutional features, such as actual behaviors of people and their social interactions (Sen 6). I do agree with Sen in this theory of justice, it should first and foremost, serve as a basis for practical reasoning. Chapter one is to defend a notion of objectivity in our average thoughts of justice.   Sen argues for the idea that we should understand reason as the final judge of our ethical beliefs. One must be able to justify and understand his reasoning by critically evaluating reasoning for ethical beliefs. The necessity of relying heavily on reason is important as Sen describes in his work. Sen says, the case for reasoned scrutiny lies not in any sure-fire way of getting things exactly right (no such way may exist), but on being objective as we reasonably can (Sen 40). Sen believes that one must be able to rely on reason in order to fully justify and decide on our ethical beliefs. I must agree with Sen on this point, when he argues that this approach is not going to be one that will allow and individual to get things exactly right, but allow us to be as objective as we possibly can. By scrutinizing your own reasoning, it is highly probable that you will arrive at the best possible ethical decision. We should not get caught up in being overconfident in the decisions of our own reasoning, as this could add flaws to our decisions. The remedy for bad reasoning lies in better reasoning, and it is indeed the job of reasoned scrutiny to move from the former to the latter (Sen 49). This quote explains it all, it is imperative that one must critically scrutinize his/her own reasoning for a decision, and that without this scrutiny theres great chance for bad reasoning. To avoid this, one must critically scrutinize his/her reasoning of choice or decision. Moving to another argument from Sen, I share the following quote. Justice is rooted in fairness and fairness can be broadly be seen as a demand for impartiality (Sen 54). In order for one to be completely just, the decision must be rational and fair, if a decision is not looked upon as being fair for all parties, you arrive at issues of impartiality. Sens gives his example of three children and a flute, all children having a rational reason as to why they deserve the flute. But if there is not a common vested interest on one solid set of principals between all parties, we run into an issue of what the true just decision is. Institutionally, we cannot address such issues as these. Individuals still have their own morals and values and going to make their own decisions regardless of what is taught. One of the most difficult things is to change an individuals moral values and beliefs, institutionally this cannot be done. Values as these are usually learned at the home-base from parents and guardians and are instilled in us from a very young age. It i s imperative that we do not look at what truly is a just society in order to achieve a just society. As actions such as these will get our society nowhere Sen looks at the social choice theory as an approach to justice as well. Social choice theory is concerned with the relationships between people, their preferences social choice. For example a group of individuals such as a committee making a decision in a voting process, individuals in the group may have different preferences over options that are available to them. This approach deals with the principles of aggregations of preference. Aggregation of social choice may be impossible if the process of choice is to satisfy a set of reasonable conditions. With such reasonable conditions, this could alter the general consensus of a social choice being made by such a committee or group. Even some very mild conditions of reasonable sensitivity of social decision to what the members of society want cannot be simultaneously satisfied by any social choice procedure that can be described as rational and democratic (Sen 93). We can however, become more informally sensitive, if we choose to jus t try and do better rather than to meet the criteria of being fully rational or just. One may use social choice theory as a framework for reasoning, rather than to try and use it completely to achieve justice. Position of observation and knowledge is another important approach Sen discusses in his work. What we observe depends on our position by means of the things that we observe. What individuals decide to believe is based on what we view. How one decides to act relates to his/her beliefs on a particular subject. Observations, beliefs, and actions are vital to understanding and arriving at sensible reasoning. To Sen, Objectivity is a position-dependent phenomenon (Sen 157). This issue [positionality] is quite important for the formulation of a theory of justice and, more specifically, for exploring a theory that gives a special role to public reasoning in the understanding of the demands of justice (Sen 167). It is important here to understand that there is no single way to master a way of making sense of the world or our experience in it. No decision made could ever be rationalized in every single persons mind, something such as this is physically not possible. There are just too many d ifferent people in our society today for that to be able to happen. There will always be a flaw in certain reasoning in some persons view. There is just no way, that every single person in the world would be satisfied with a decision, because we all observe, understand, and put reason into different perspectives. Some placing more weight on rational choice, critical scrutiny, positional objectivity, reasonable behaviors sustainable reason when it comes to making a decision. There are just too many approaches for everyone to be able to agree. So we must take into account all perspectives of others when it comes to justice and just decision making, as Sen states, we must be sensitive to others (206). Respect of others views is exceedingly important here. To move forward, the capabilities approach is also a major theme within the work. The capabilities approach focuses on human lives, and not just on the resources people have, in the form of owning or having use of objects of convenience that a person may possess (Sen 253). The approach emphasizes purposeful capabilities substantive freedoms, such as the ability to engage in economic transactions, or participate in political activities. Poverty is understood as capability deficiency in Sens view. The emphasis is not only on how human beings actually operate but also on their having the capability to do so, which is a practical choice, to operate in important ways if thats what they choose to do. Someone could be stripped of such capabilities in many ways. Ignorance, government oppression, lack of financial resources, and false comprehension, are ways in which one may be stripped of such capabilities. Possession of capabilities strongly implies a responsibility for making use of the m to help others when possible, especially when it comes to the less fortunate. If someone has the power to make a difference that he or she can see will reduce injustice in the world, then there is a strong and reasoned argument for doing just that (Sen 271). If you can see that your capabilities go beyond that of the less fortunate by any means, and that they can be used in any positive manner weather be financial or emotional, I believe that there is no doubt that one should be obligated to reduce injustice in some way shape or form if at all possible. Again this only being an approach, this is not the end all-be all in deciding justice, but undoubtedly can make a difference, and I would have to agree. In basic terms, if you are capable, than you should do something to reduce injustice. I dont feel that you are obligated to do so, but any reduce in injustice, is a step in the right direction. Sen goes on to support the idea that democracy is a universal value, he differentiates between the institutional structure of the contemporary practice of democracy, which is largely the product of European and American experience over the last few centuries (Sen 322-323). In my opinion, one should not assume that because a particular type of institutional structure is up and running, such as elections, voting being counted properly, and etc, that a satisfactory level of democracy has been achieved. Sen believes that having too much institutional focus on democracy has caused particular trouble at the global level. Sen believes that, an uncont rolled media is important to the operation of democratic societies. Sen explains in the text that this contributes to human security by giving a voice to the defenseless and deprived by subjecting the government to criticism from such individuals. I believe this power is key I giving people courage, power, and the ability to express feelings towards actions that are being taken. We sort of put power in the hands of individuals who are not as capable as other, which I do agree with also, because this is a simple way in which we can empower individuals to voice opinions in a manner which may not fall on death ears as usual. We can place emphasis on individuals human rights here, which an important factor concerning human rights is to protect individuals freedoms, thus freedom of speech freedom of press being highly important. Sen says that human rights are moral rights, strong ethical pronouncements as to what should be done (357). According to Sen, reasoning concerning justice should not be restricted to one state or population, but rather be global. If the importance of public reasoning has been one of the major concerns of this book, so has been the need to accept the plurality of reasons that may be sensibly accommodated in an exercise of evaluation (Sen 394). We must look at every possible angle that the book discusses in order to find an answer to the idea of what justice truly is. If you cannot effectively rationalize all aspects of the idea of what justice is, it will be difficult for you to be able to ever understand what justice is. As Sen states the reasons may sometimes compete with each ot her in persuading us in one direction or another in a particular assessment, and when they yield conflicting judgments, there is an important challenge in determining what credible conclusions can be derived, after considering all argument (Sen 394). Which I most certainly agree with, it would in fact be a difficult task to determine a credible solution, but it is imperative that you must consider all of the arguments at hand.

Canterbury Tales Interpretive Essay -- essays research papers

The Evil Side of Human Nature Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales became one of the first ever works that began to approach the standards of modern literature. It was probably one of the first books to offer the readers entertainment, and not just another set of boring morals. However, the morals, cleverly disguised, are present in almost every story. Besides, the book offers the descriptions of the most common aspects of the human nature. The books points out both the good and the bad qualities of the people, however, the most obvious descriptions are those of the sinful flaws of humans, such as greed and lust. One of the people’s traits affected by human nature in many stories is greed. As shown throughout, greed is an evil sin. This is especially obvious in the Pardoner’s Tale, where the Pardoner, a church-appointed official who collects gold for absolving people their sins, tells about the evils of money. In the story, three friends, who wanted to make the world better by killing death, find gold, and unwilling to share, start planning to kill each other. Two friends sent the third to bring them food and wanted to kill him after he came back. The victim, however, also wanted the money, and poisoned their drinks. As a result, all three friends die. â€Å"Thus were these two homicides finished,/ and the false poisoner too.† (Chaucer 365). Even though Chaucer’s conclusions are not expressed and actually are very different from what the Pardoner says, Chaucer manages to convey h...

Comparing Mentoring and Coaching Essays -- Business Management Studies

Comparing Mentoring and Coaching There are some key differences between mentoring and coaching. Mentoring- is known as the transfer of wisdom and has a protà ©gà © or mentee that takes an interest in their career path. The protà ©gà © is guided and advised by the mentor who has worn the same shoes and traveled the same path, usually someone older and wiser. The mentor guides, persuades, and encourages a person to reach their full potential in life, in a position in an organization or in a career. Mentors who may be immediate superiors are helpful in career developments of the individual, and in some cases guidance is provided by executives or managers higher up in the organization. The higher level superiors guide, advise, and encourage employees of a lesser rank in these situations. On the other hand coaching is more specific for teaching of skills to the coachee or trainee. It is a transfer of skills and a one on one development of the trainee's own knowledge and thought process. It also emphasizes the development of individual and team skills, and creates a supportive environment which encourages and motivates the coachee. Coaching is on a personal level and illustrates persistently until success is achieved. The personal qualities of the coachee are developed and facilitated. GOOD MENTOR 1) A mentor needs a level of experience to reach or achieve the individual/team’s goal and need to know what the mentee is experiencing to have a level of mutual understanding between each other. This allows a better level of measurement of the mentee as they can comprehend the ‘experience’ of the mentor which will build confidence performance levels for the mentee. For example, if a mentee needs a mentor’s help in a crisis the mentee will know that they have someone there to help and not feel uncomfortable or intimidated to ask for guidance or advice. 2) Generally, a mentor is older and wiser than the mentee, and to be a good mentor means that they have the experience and knowledge to help develop the individual/team’s skills. This represents the mentor’s status or position in the organization. If the mentor seems too young, the mentee may feel intimidated and feel unsuited to the whole mentoring situation. 3) A good mentor must be supportive to the individual/team through ‘thick and thin’ situations. A mentor that doesn’t... ...o they can listen, understand and respond to each other’s input. - To be committed to the goal both the coach and coachee must remain devoted to the goal so that success will be the result. Motivation is needed in this situation to stay committed and focused on the task at hand. The coach would stay committed to their teachings of the individual or team, and the individual or team would stay committed to learn from the coaches teachings. - Mutual respect is integral to the success of a coach as both parties need to respect each other to be successful in performance. If there’s no respect, the coach will be negative towards the coachee, and the coachee will not want to listen to the coach so both parties will be worse off. This will create a negative organizational culture and may even result in employee dissatisfaction. - Empathy when working with groups or teams is important to ensure success in coaching. People need to be able to relate to each other and work closer together to build a strong and close relationship in the organization. Knowing how the other person feels about an issue will result in a positive outcome and can resolve issues effectively.

Proposed Computerized Examination

Computerized Examination is an application that establishes a connection between the university and the users specifically the teachers and students. This application covers only two features of course management system mainly the examination and course monitoring. Teachers use the application to prepare and deploy the examinations. The students, on the other hand, can take the test at their most convenient time and know their results instantly. Course Monitoring System is defined as an application for the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting and delivery of courses or training programs. This application covers the courses that the students take when they take an entrance test.This system will help the teachers determine the number of students taking the course they want. The system can also monitor the student applicants’ courses, population and other pertinent information concerning their examinations. Details such as the total number of test takers, the total number of students applying for a particular course and also the number of students who passed and failed are included in the proposed system. The organization of the Guidance and Counseling Services of Filamer Christian College in June, 1973 was prompted by two administrative concerns: 1) arising conflicts in some of the academic units, and; 2) in order to prepare for accreditation in 1980.The advent of the professionalization of the guidance and counseling known as â€Å"Guidance and Counseling Act of 2004† (RA 9258) strengthened the programs and services through upgrading the qualification and proficiency of the guidance workers. The Guidance and Counseling Center is trying to make unnecessary improvements and innovations every now and then to respond to the guidance needs of the university. Their vision is to have a professionalized guidance services for the development and enrichment of individual and group lives; Mission is to provide a proactive, functional guidance se rvices for the development of holistic, well-functioning individuals, and; Goals is to provide stable, proactive function programs in the basic areas of Guidance Services. Guidance and Counseling offers the following services like: individual inventory services, testing service, individual and group counseling, information service, research and evaluation, placement and  follow up, and orientation.The Career Guidance and School Promotion activities bring the school closer to the elementary high school graduates of the province within reach. Seminar-workshops are conducted annually to help the graduating students learn the basics of jobs hunting and facilitate an understanding of career development. An information center is established and maintained for educational, social and occupational information to guide clients in decision making. Scholarships, job opening and job requirements are posted for public notice. Provide educational, social and occupational counseling to guide ind ividual’s choice and decisions through homeroom guidance, classroom guidance, and guidance hours during departmental convocations.To enhance program, the Guidance and Counseling Center organized the Peer Counseling Program which actively involves volunteer students trained for the work. Their system is capable to produce result but they need more in improving for the better and faster release for the entrance examination and for the monitoring of course. In five years, Filamer Christian University will have efficient and faster method of obtaining a computerized examinations and in monitoring the courses.Problem StatementTraditional examination method spans thousands of years in our country, and frequent exams today brings a lot of problems as well.1. The Guidance Office is using complicated forms.2. The test checkers are having a hard time checking the papers and separating the courses that the students take. 3. The current manual system is inefficient.Problem Objectives Gen eral Objective To analyze and develop an online entrance examination and course monitoring system for the Guidance office of Filamer Christian University.Specific Objectives 1. To design the proposed system that features user friendly electronic tests and accessible online. 2. To design the proposed system that automatically checks test papers and monitors the specific courses chosen by student applicants. 3. To design the proposed system that can prevent the common  errors experienced through manual test checking thus achieving accuracy in automatic test checking results.Scope of the ProjectThe guidance counseling department is directly involved in the development and implementation of the proposed system since the department is directly in charge of giving examinations to student applicants in the institution. It includes the examinations, monitoring of courses in every department of the freshmen students in the university and scholarships that the Guidance and Counseling Office offers.Computerized Examination and Course Monitoring System handles all the operations and generates reports as soon as the test is completed which saves the precious time of faculties spent on reviewing answer sheets. The proposed system includes course monitoring. It excludes the services of the Guidance Office like the Individual Inventory Services, Individual Group and Counseling, Information Service, Research and Evaluation, Placement and Follow Up and Orientation. The institution that will be directly involved and integrate the proposed system is in Filamer Christian University.Significance of the ProjectThe University will benefit from it because the proposed system can be a featured innovation in relation with student services specifically in introducing online entrance examination and course monitoring.The Guidance counseling department will benefit from it because the proposed system introduces an efficient alternative to manual examination. Faster turnout of the examina tion results will help the different colleges in the processing of the student applicants’ which will also yield in higher enrollment. The student applicants can instantly get their test results through computerized examination which will help them to conserve their time and effort in waiting for the results.Definition of TermsTerms here are conceptually and operationally defined for better understanding of the readers.

Dark Child Essay

Ideology-Countries whose history is strongly marked by western European immigration or settlement, such as the Americans, and the Australians, and is not restricted to Western Europe (Wikidpedia. org). Many countries around the world have been influenced by the western ideology. Western Ideology includes components such as literary, education, political and philosophical views, and most of all, religion. In the autobiography, â€Å"The Dark Child†, Camara Laye, is a person who faces these types of challenges. He becomes stuck between his own traditional and the western ideologies. In the Dark Child, Camara Laye’s youth and development of his cultural and personal values as a young man is explained. He is part of the Malinke tribe in the village of Koroussa in Upper Guinea and is eldest out of many brothers and sisters. In the beginning, he learns about many of the traditions and customs his people. He is told about Totemism-the fact that everybody has a spiritual animal that is chosen by the person’s character. While learning about his people, he has attends a Koran school and then a French school in another part of town. Later in the book, he learns about Konden Diara- a ceremony that is a ritual used to conquer a boy’s fear before the initiation of circumcision. He undergoes the ritual and circumcision-represents a rite of passage –a boy is now a man. After graduating from his school, Laye leaves at 15 years of age to attend a technical college in Guinea’s capital city of Conakry. Like any mother, Laye’s warns him to â€Å"be careful with strangers† and sends him off on a train to live with his Uncles Sekou and Mamadou in Conakry where he comes across many cultural changes. In the school, in a new city for the first time in his experience, Laye encounters difficult language barriers and a hot, humid climate more taxing and oppressive than that in his Koroussa home. He also seeks changes during the day where people at their work are dressed in a Western style, but in boubou’s when they come home from work. Laye lives the life of a typical college school student, studying at the school’s campus and returning home to Koroussa during the holidays. When he returns, he sees the transformation within his family and friends. Later, he finishes his studies in Conakry and is offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to study in France. His mother greatly disapproves, but Laye and his father convinces his mother. At the end of the book, Laye leaves for France, and promises to himself that he will return to his people. As I was reading the book, it made realize the position of Africa and where it stood as a country. I felt distinctly as I was reading throughout the book, western values and traditions were overrunning the traditions of not only Africa but Laye’s life as well. Since the beginning of the book, he not an ordinary child in the village peoples eyes. He was one of the many who was sent out to attend school and be educated. His father knew what was to come of Africa, modernization. In my opinion, I think his father placed Laye in school for the purpose to contribute to his people, as oppose to being a goldsmith like himself. As he moved to Conakry, he moved in with his uncle Mamadou. His uncle lived in a European-style house. Was it unfamiliarity, or the humid heat of the town, or the fatigue of two days in the train that kept me from sleeping? Yet it was a very comfortable house: the room I slept in was large, and the bed soft, softer than any I had previously slept on† (147). Laye was astonished about his living headquarters. He was not used to this style and roominess. As I earlier stated, people in Conakry dressed differently during the day than at home. It took him a little while to get used to this as well. Later in the book, he woul d return home during the holidays. As he came back, he noticed that his mother had been plastered with white clay. â€Å"Originally it had been like the other huts, but gradually it began to acquire a European look† (169). His was trying to adapt to the style of the west through her son’s experience in Conakry. She was expressing not only her love for Laye, but also her feelings toward the western tradition. While he was in his village, one of his friends’ Chet was seriously ill. The medicine men gave him remedies and charms to help her but there was no significant change at all. Laye and his other friend knew that he had to see a white doctor at the hospital. Chet passed away after a week. Because of Laye’s education from the west, he knew that the medicine men were insufficient. From experiences and education of the west, he has become a man with wisdom of both cultures. â€Å"The Dark Child† is a wonderful journey through Camara Laye’s personal experiences. It shares many of his experiences and challenges through his life as a youth and young man. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was really educating.