Alan Bennett on Education in History Boys

In the first half of the play, Bennett is asking the audience to consider what â€Å"education† is. How does his presentation of the characters Hector and Irwin assist with this? It is clear to the audience that, from the start, the play is concerned with education and schooling. There are â€Å"eight boys of seventeen or eighteen† disrobing a man of â€Å"studied eccentricity†; prior to this intimate scene that introduces you to the characters, Irwin is speaking to numerous MPs regarding a political matter and finishes his speech with, â€Å"Back to school.† Hectors thoughts towards education are clearly negative; on page four of the play, he says that A-level are the â€Å"longed for emblems of your conformity†: this quote can be taken as a cynical thing. He believes that the examinations themselves are useless – they do not allow you to have your own mind. You follow what everyone else does, with no substance to the style that you provide in an exam. Irwin, however, believes that â€Å"examinations are a fact of life† and, although he believes that â€Å"[exams] are for now,† he accepts that Hectors knowledge, although presented in an unorthodox manner, is good. He tells the boys to apply Hectors â€Å"gobbets† to help them in an examination. He was hired to add style to their Oxbridge applications, not particularly substance that could affect their being. He teaches them for the now, not for when â€Å"youre old and grey†. Hector insists that â€Å"there is a world elsewhere† of examinations and education for the sake of passing exams: he teaches the boys â€Å"culture† and their shared moments are a â€Å"pact – bread eaten in secret†. Akthar, when they boys are interrogating Irwin, insists that Hectors shared knowledge is â€Å"just the knowledge† Timms follows this up with, â€Å"the pursuit of it for its own sake†. Irwin, on the other end of the spectrum, believes that truth and, consequently, education, â€Å"Whats [that] got to do with it? Whats that got to do with anything?† The boys need flair over the others applying, as they will have done things that the history boys havent. If they can find a way to apply Hectors â€Å"gobbets† to spice up their exam, it should be done. If they truly want a prestigious place at their particular university, then they need to use whatever they have at their disposal in order to achieve it  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ he deems that Hectors knowledge is good for flair. Not for having substance. â€Å"Poetry is good up to a point.† Hector, again, is shown to have a negative opinion of Thatchers educational reform â€Å"Not to say that I dont regard education to be the enemy of education†. He believes that your knowledge, what you learn by heart, will stay with you forever – and that application of this lifelong knowledge in real life should be done in order to acquire more knowledge or share knowledge for the sake of knowledge. By doing this, he partially jeopardises their examinations as he allows his personal feelings to cloud his teaching. However, he believes that his view is the best way; his approach encourages the boys to think outside of the box and, instead of regurgitating facts at a rapid-fire rate, they instead can regurgitate quotes that they understand and can apply to situations, unlike what you have to learn for exams; despite Timms declaration of, â€Å"I dont understand poetry!†, when you truly understand what youre saying, its â€Å"as if a hand has come out, and taken yours†. Hector believes that education is the â€Å"pursuit of knowledge for its own sake†; he doesnt disagree with teaching, he just wants to make the boys â€Å"more rounded human beings† his â€Å"codes, runes† are not to help the boys with their high ambitions, â€Å"forget Oxford and Cambridge†, but to give the boys something personal and that will stay with them no matter what they do or where they go. He believes that his quotations and words are â€Å"making your deathbeds here, boys†. Hector also likes to split his lessons up to be memorable; one lesson he is teaching the subjunctive in French (set in a brothel) and another moment he declares, â€Å"Now for some silly time†. He is playful and breaks the rules. He likes locking the door to his lessons, which is unquestioned by the Headmaster as Hector shows â€Å"commitment†, and Akthar remarks that its â€Å"locked against the future†. Hector is the embodiment of education for the sake of knowledge, while Irwin is the idol of do it now and youll never have to do it again Regardless, both men are happy with themselves to some degree. Despite Hectors molestation of the boys and Irwins lying  about where he got his degree, they are happy – but is it better to be happy when you have so much knowledge bustling in your head, or is it better to be dull for your exams and achieve happiness later on life?

Body Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Body Image - Essay Example Teenage girls tend to view their bodies critically and may hold negative self-perceptions about their physical appearance. Teenage girls are much more likely than teenage boys to question their attractiveness. This negative self-concept is especially likely to be manifest as dissatisfaction with body shape. Girls in their early teens, or even among those who are younger if they achieve puberty early, frequently express dissatisfaction with their body size and appearance (Williams & Currie, 2000). The emergence of body image concerns is important because it may be associated with the appearance of disordered eating patterns. This is especially worrying when it occurs in early teen years that are in crucial period for physical growth. The more dissatisfied young girls are with their bodies, the more likely they are to undereat, with implications for their health and well-being. Males, in contrast, usually take a different view of their bodies. That is not to say that boys and young men are unconcerned about their body image, but rather than wanting to be thinner and more attractive, many males want to be more muscular with greater bulk. For males, this represents greater power. Whereas girls' self-concepts of attractiveness stem primarily from physical attractiveness, boys' self-concepts are linked to perceptions of physical effectiveness. Analyses of advertising content in

Concepts and Ideas of Buddhas Teachings Article

Concepts and Ideas of Buddhas Teachings - Article Example Concepts and Ideas of Buddha’s Teachings Buddhism also has several schools and versions that may confuse a non-Buddhist such as Yogacara, Madyamika, Zen and Ch’an. All these have common teachings that is, the non-conceptual, non-dual and non-existent nature of reality. Buddhism is quite unique from other religions and this distinct nature lies in its search for â€Å"Ultimate Truth†, as well as the manner in which this â€Å"Ultimate truth† is found. For Buddhism, Truth is relative, such that, unlike most of world’s thoughts, there is no single, absolute, unchanging ground of being. Most religions from the traditional ones to the most recent ones view the universe as a contingent on a transcendent, ultimate essence of reality and absolute level of being. Moreover, the most skeptical and great philosophers such as Pyrrho and Zenoo, did not refute an ultimate ground of being, but rather stated that it was inconceivable. Other regions also acknowledge that there is an ultimate essence in being and things, but some philosophers declare it to be beyond existence. Nevertheless, they all agree that an â€Å"Ultimate† exists. This uniqueness of Buddhism makes it more confusing and complex to understand, especially for people from other religions. However, several authors present a background introduction into the concepts and ideas of Buddhism that are helpful in understanding Buddhism. The books, What Buddha Though by Walpola Rahula and Buddhism: Its Essence and Development by Edward Conze explicitly lays a foundation for understanding Buddhism. Therefore, this essay compares how the two authors present their themes, ideas and concepts on Buddhism with focus on the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths The two authors, Conze and Rahula explore in their respective books the Four Noble Truths that arte the foundation of Buddhism. They are of the same idea that understanding Buddhism starts with l earning and understand the Four Noble of Truths. However, Rahula presents the Four Noble of Truth plainly as taught by Buddha, while Conze present the Four Noble of Truths and attempts to describe how the different schools of though express these ideas of the Four Noble Truths. The Four noble of Truths are Dukkha, Samudaya, cessation of dukkha and Megga. According to Rahula, accurate account of essential Buddha’s teachings can only be gotten from the study of the Four Noble Truths (Rahula, 1974). The First noble truth is Dukkha also known as â€Å"The Truth of Suffering†. Translated simply, this means that life of human beings is nothing, but suffering, which portrays the idea of Buddhism as pessimistic. However, as Rahula clarifies, this is not true as Buddhism takes a realistic view of the world and that of life by looking at things objectively. The message we get from the First Noble of Truth is that regardless of how we live, human existence and experiences is char acterized by suffering, but as humans we have the capacity and opportunity to function with this suffering. Buddha teaches people not to deny suffering, but to acknowledge and recognize it as the first step of bringing it into the path. This is because denial of suffering does not alleviate it; instead, it hinders human being from seeking liberation. Everything that existence has a character of impermanence and is subject to death, as well as birth, and so suffering is inbuilt in samsaric existence. Rahula (1959) illustrates that Buddha was objective and realistic in his teaching about the truth of