Maya Angelou Stories Essay Essay

Maya Angelou, within amazing stories has revealed the importance of perseverance, staying strong in moments of struggle, having the will to overcome difficulties, as well as having dreams that sometimes seem unreachable and yet believing that it is a gift to survive. In many of her motivating quotes, she expresses, â€Å"I’m always inspired by men and women who rise†¦That ability to rise is nobleness of the human spirit. This clearly displays how her optimism in life has made her rise when fallen and has helped her make life teaching contributions by writing stories and poems that become valuable for all humans to endure life’s rough path also helping readers see life with a different perspective. In the stories, â€Å"I know why the Caged Bird Sings†, â€Å"New Directions†, and in the poems â€Å"Caged Bird† and â€Å"Woman Work†, Angelou has written about many of her own experiences and taught us what humans will encounter, â€Å"fail at, dream, and still survive. † Even the ones who have suffered the most have a lot to teach. The story, â€Å"I know why the Caged Bird sings† and poem, â€Å"Caged bird† are important comparison regarding Angelou’s lesson. These contents are both similar since in the story, Angelou observes how all the cotton pickers long freedom making it a metaphor to caged birds in a way that all they want is to be free and able to fly. Most commonly, they both share the same feeling of being lost and trapped and lack the same rights as the ones that are free. The caged bird represents the cotton pickers and the African Americans meaning that they cannot have freedom and are ensnared in a world of no rest and hard work, regarding their colored skin. This shows how the cotton pickers and caged birds have dreams that sometimes even seem unreachable and impossible to defeat since they never even had the chance to think that someday, freedom would form part in their lives. Angelou reveals throughout these selections, how people faced hardships growing up in the segregated south. This story also shows Angelou’s true account of growing up as the poem connects to the way she probably felt as she experienced difficulties. She recites, â€Å"The sounds of the new morning had been replaced with grumbles bout cheating houses, weighted scales, snakes, skimpy cotton and dusty rows. In later years I was to confront the stereotyped picture of gay song-singing cotton pickers with such inordinate rage that I was told even by fellow Blacks that my paranoia was embarrassing. But I had seen the fingers cut by the mean little cotton bolls, and I had witnessed the backs and shoulders and arms and legs resisting any further demands. † This clearly illustrates how hard everything became and how the only thing she could do to bring her hopes up and release her anger, was sing, just like the caged bird. Angelou says in her poem, â€Å"the caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom. † Indeed, as Angelou? s feelings relate to the caged birds’ feelings, all they could ask for was freedom. In the selection, â€Å"New Directions,† Angelou as the speaker is very motivational in what life may teach to people and how they should deal with certain outcomes of failure. She is a persevering woman that always looks forward for what good is to come and is very conscious about difficulties she may encounter in the way. This story shows how life has many courses from which people can choose and sometimes there are possibilities of getting lost or going the wrong way but what she tries to display and let people interpret is that no matter how many ways one turns, or how many times one gets lost, it is never too late to change direction and strive for success. Clearly, failure is an important step that leads to success; it all depends on one? s attitude towards achieving it. Angelou really shows the value of perseverance and how humans should encounter problems. She says, â€Å"She had indeed stepped from the road which seemed to have been chosen for her and cut herself a brand-new path. In years that stall became a store where customers could buy cheese, meal, syrup, cookies, candy, writing tablets, pickles, canned goods, fresh fruit, soft drinks, coal, oil, and leather soles for worn-out shoes. † This displays a great example on how she failed in many jobs, took different paths, but with will and tenacity ended up with her own perfect stall that finally succeeded and made her feel proud. To achieve goals, humans have to turn many ways which sometimes will be full of rocks and others full of flowers until they find their own piece of land and make up their garden. This is what Angelou reveals with this great selection. A good mother does not only care for her child, guide him all way through, pay for his education but keeps on working until sometimes rest is not even part of their lives due to all the duties and responsibilities that are far more important than rest. This next poem, â€Å"Woman Work† expresses in detail how even though some people work the entire day with almost no hours of sleep and rest, still survive. Angelou illustrates how the only thing some humans desire is to rest while others complain about working for a few times a day or even a few times a week or month. This deeply reveals how hard life can be for some people that do not even ask for luxurious gifts but for the gift of rest only. In this poem, Angelou tries to convey how the woman feels by listing various activities making it seem never ending by the use of rhythm. She states, â€Å"Storm, blow me from here with your fiercest wind let me float across the sky ‘Til I can rest again. † This shows how the woman even sees the serenity in life as an unreachable goal. It is deeply a strong theme of how the ones who have freedom and have the necessary money to live have to be grateful while others, who do not, are entirely grateful for few hours of rest. To conclude, Angelou was not only a woman who went through many hard times as a child and further on learned life lessons, but is a woman to venerate and thank for great contributions that she has made by her amazing written selections; both poems and stories that help readers build their own perspective of life in general. To display these contents, within her stories and poems, she used many metaphors, rich language, rhythm and descriptive actions that bring the audience into the readings and make them feel as if they were living it themselves. They once said anonymously, â€Å"Sometimes you have to get knocked down lower than you’ve ever been, to stand up taller than you ever were. † This quote defines the rule of life. To rise, everyone has to have fallen. Every time life brings people down, life itself teaches them to come back up with perseverance and handling problems properly. All themes that Angelou reveals are lessons that will only make humans fly freely, sing higher and rise into better persons granting them the choice of what direction to go and what path to build.

Food Production and Poverty Essay

Worldwide a huge number of people go hungry every day. They go hungry as a result of the lack of food production and poverty. Some related causes to these issues include but are not limited to: land rights and ownership, increasing emphasis on export oriented agriculture, inefficient agricultural practices, and the introduction of Bio fuels. We always hear that people would like to end world hunger or be able to feed the world and at least help alleviate the suffering associated with said world hunger problems. Unfortunately alleviation of hunger in the long run is a long way from being achieved 100% because hunger is another problem caused by poverty so if efforts are only directed at providing food or improving food production or distribution the structural root causes that create hunger, poverty and dependency will always remain. Consequentialy the relationship between food production and poverty in the world are defined by economic, political and social relationships. Two inter-related factors influencing hunger and that are often ignored are land ownership and who controls land. The hunger in underdeveloped countries today is tragic because their European colonizers understood well that ownership of land give the owner of control over what society produced. So the most powerful redistributed land titles to themselves doing away with the old traditions of common use. As for export-oriented agriculture’s where food is grown mainly for exports leaves people to go hungry because they are growing the food to export for the money that is to be earned so in short wealthier nations benefit while while poor countries lose out. Now lastly inefficient agricultural practices and the increasing use of Bio fuels go hand in hand in which that simply put the use of Bio fuels diverts land away from food production to growing crops for fuels such as ethanol, and for a long time it was thought and believed that bio fuels would have an impact on agriculture and hunger but the rich countries interfered once again and played down there impact. Bibliography Global Issues Social, Political, Economic and Environmental Issues That Affect Us All

Otzi the Iceman

Otzi the Iceman is one of the greatest discoveries known to date. His discovery has a major significance throughout the world, for his age and excellent preservation, the equipment found with him and the contents of his stomach. Other factors which contribute to his significance are the number of different human blood samples found on his clothing and equipment. Carbon dating indicates that Iceman is over 5300 years old with nature preserving him to unprecedented levels. He was found high in the Alps where freezing temperatures and strong cold winds occur allowing him and his equipment to be preserved. The winds dried more than 90% of the liquid in his body which got rid of the parasites in his blood allowing him to freeze without decaying. His massive blood loss through his wound also helped the preservation process. Thanks to these conditions we can study Iceman’s life in the early Stone Age. Initially it was thought that Ozti died due to hypothermia. Later it was speculated that it was part of a sacrificial ceremony. These theories were put to rest after x-rays and CT scans revealed a flint arrow lodged in his left shoulder. Otzi died from a fatal shot approximately 30m away at a 25 degree angle from below. The x-rays and the CT scan also revealed deep cuts on both hands implying a struggle occurred before the final blow which was proved by multiple blood samples found on his equipment. This information concludes that the Stone Age was a violent Era. The Iceman’s equipment is a significant discovery as it tells us the story of his death. Multiple blood samples were found on his clothes and equipment strengthening the theory of murder. But this is not the main reason for its importance. A copper axe was found as part of his equipment with its handle still intact, the only one ever discovered. Not only it is unique but also sets the history of copper making back 500 years in Europe. These artefacts and pieces of evidence are major factor of the Iceman’s discovery. The contents of Otzi’s stomach lead the scientist along the path he has taken over 5300 years ago. Pollen analysis was used on the food found within his intestines to accurately point his route which he travelled up the mountains and the season he died in. It also concluded what tribe Otzi most likely came from. Other food found within his stomach determined what people ate during that period and the last meal of the Iceman. The discovery of Iceman is one of the greatest mankind’s treasures. Otzi’s preservation level allowed the world to have an insight into the lives of humans over 5300 years ago. He rewrote history with his age and equipment setting new records and helping us to understand our ancestry. Thus these factors make Otzi the Iceman a significant discovery.

Germany and the germans class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Germany and the germans class - Essay Example Prussia came out of the war stronger than it was before because of his military skills. He gave the press the freedom to express themselves and he also established common religious toleration. He managed to protect the people from the law by having a quick judicial process, torture was abolished and the capital sentence was made at his discretion. He developed infrastructure and agriculture. That is how he built his legacy in his time (Woloch, 54). Joseph II lived between 1741 and 1790. He was the Roman emperor and ruler and during his tenure he managed to finish what his mother had started. His reforms were political, economic, judicial and social oriented. He changed the education system by separating it from the monarch and finding the best scholars. The executive and judiciary were separated at the strategic level and he did this to the lower levels of this arms. He managed to make the General hospital a top hospital in Europe. He gave the press their freedom and established an equality of religion. He also transferred ownership of the theaters to the actors to enhance their performance. He also managed to emancipate the Jews which gave the culture a boost. His war tactics also gave his kingdom a competitive edge and position (Woloch, 67). His reforms were well rounded as he touched each and every aspect of the

Alienation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Alienation - Essay Example Most significantly, the novel depicts the unexpected entrance of Peter Walsh who was an old friend and former suitor of Clarissa. Their meeting reflects a mixture of happiness and tension as Clarissa wonders why she married Richard Dalloway instead of Peter Walsh who was her suitor. The novel also revolves around the story of Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked World War I veteran who suffered from the war and later committed suicide. The novel presents the topic of alienation in many dimensions. Alienation depicts a sense of emotional isolation between individuals or groups within a given community. Indeed, we can sense a feeling of emotional isolation as Peter Walsh feels desperate over his unfulfilling life. This results from the fact that his friends and former suitors have moved on with their lives. Indeed, Peter Walsh was Clarissa’s suitor but Clarissa chose to marry Richard because of his social class. This shows that Peter Walsh suffers from social alienation. As a result, Peter Walsh cries as he regrets losing Clarissa and desperately asks her if she really loves Richard. More so, Peter Walsh’s social alienation manifests where he fails to establish and maintain any stable romantic relationship (Woolf 42-44). Indeed, despite the social world requiring one to make concrete decisions, Peter alienates himself from the social world by lacking the capacity to decide what he feels. As such, he results to talking to himself, which depicts social isolation. On the other hand, we can identify social alienation from the story of Septimus Warren Smith, a shell-shocked World War I veteran. Indeed, Septimus alienated himself from the physical world by constantly residing in the internal world where he talks with his friend Evans who died in the war. He is emotionally numb and encounters deep madness and crazy hallucinations where he sees and hears unreal things that a normal person cannot witness. This is a deviation from the norms and reflects soc ial alienation. In fact, in the social world, people communicate in the real world and not in the internal world as Septimus does. Furthermore, Septimus' presence in the novel is alienation, as he does not relate with any of the other main characters. Ultimately, Septimus suffers the consequences of alienation as he commits suicides after a light moment of joy with his wife. Indeed, Septimus decided in his internal world that he will not go with the doctors to a mental institution and opts to die (Woolf 36-42). This depicts social alienation as people do not commit suicide in the social world but wait for their natural death. More so, we experience Lucrezia’s emotional alienation, as she miserably misses Italy and is tired of taking her husband to various soulless doctors. This depicts social isolation, as the other characters are seemingly comfortable in this place. More so, the novel depicts Clarissa’s alienation from the social world. Indeed, Clarissa’s urge to pay attention to every guest  alienates her from enjoying her evening party. We can see her wishing that she could get some time to talk to Sally and Peter but she is too busy with the other guests. Indeed, Clarissa sought to enjoy her evening party but the events happening during the party hinders her form such enjoyment. This is despite the fact that other people attending the party derive full enjoyment from the party.

Advertising as Social Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Advertising as Social Communication - Essay Example Nowadays there are different communities are there in the society and some of the most important communities are the Homosexual communities or transsexual communities, lesbians etc. and most of the advertisers are targeting the erotic effects in their advertising for the lingering effects in the viewers mind. This particular paper would take an attempt to specify the effects of socials classes in the advertising models. There are many factors are involved in a technical advertising. Whether it is below the line advertising strategy or the above the line strategy, the feminism, envy, beautifications and gender specifications are very much important for an effective advertising. The feminism has a great impact over the advertising. Many people think feminism in advertising are basically the technique to attract opposite gender. Most of the advertisers have tried to use the feminism as one of the basic target for the society. The advertisers have tried to harness the ideological currency of the feminism in the advertisements (Goldman 108). There are many advertisements where female are used as the attractive options for the lingering effects. Advertising images towards the gender specifications have changed a lot. The bold advertisings are the main attraction in the advertising industry. One of the main criteria of a good advertisement is the lingering effect of the advertisements. And as the social s tructures have changed a lot so the advertising industry also has changed a lot. Nowadays advertisers don’t think more before putting an ad which is gender specific and erotic in nature. For a example the ad of ford fusion has a lingering effect on feminism where the groom is looking at another female instead of his bride in the marriage ceremony. This advertisement is having a lingering effect of fun and feminism in a greater extent. (genderads.com). it is very ironical to hear but, sex has become a great tinkling effect in the advertising industry.

Roles played by Canadian Women in World War II Research Paper

Roles played by Canadian Women in World War II - Research Paper Example During World War II the first stand of the Canadian women was at the home front. Canada went to war in September of 1939. Canadian women mobilized immediately and within a matter of months they set up dozens of unofficial women’s corps all over the country. These groups were organized affairs with members numbering in the thousands. Patriotic Canadian women from across Canada joined these organizations, such as â€Å"Women’s Volunteer Reserve Corps†, â€Å"Canadian Auxiliary Territorial Service†, â€Å"Women’s Voluntary Services Division† and â€Å"National War Services†. Women worked on their own time and expense, enrolling in military related courses such as map reading and Morse-code signaling (Dundas & Durflinger n.d.). The female organizations also organized the drive for recyclable material. Women were responsible for collecting fats, paper, glass, metals, rubber, rags and bone. These materials proved to be invaluable while makin g war supplies. Women also helped by saving old tubes of toothpaste, unusable socks, and other things that may seem useless but were very precious for the war effort. During the Second World War it became common for women and children to frequently visit the junk yards in search for disposed metal and batteries. Those days, Canadian women prided themselves on being able to redo old clothes to make new ones, a second cup of coffee was a luxury and women were working with whatever they had (Sharp 1965). Canadian women were not only â€Å"making it† at home. Despite there being a restriction on women fighting at the frontline, Canadian women found and excelled in jobs that did not involve fighting but were equally important. These women contributed to the war effort by partaking in a wide variety of occupations. Men were being sent off to war and this created severe labor shortages in all areas. To fulfill the vacancies, women aged between 20 years to 24 years were initially acc epted into â€Å"Selective Service† in 1942. These women worked in the service providing and manufacturing sectors. Also, many of these women took on the traditionally masculine jobs in shipyards and munitions industries. Up to 30% of the workforce in Canada’s aircraft industry in the Second World War era comprised of women (CBC News 2006). Many of these industrious Canadian women tell the story of workplace discrimination especially when it came to the remuneration package. Women were paid less than men and sometimes even the subordinate males earned more than their female bosses. The management of these facilities usually denied any request for an increase in pay by saying â€Å"that this was a woman's burden!" (Bruce 1985). Perhaps it was the collective effort of Canadian women at home combined with a severe dearth of manpower that encouraged the government to recruit women volunteers for full-time military service. The first call for women to sign up was very succ essful as more than 45000 women volunteered for many sections of the military nursing. Other than nursing, these women served as mechanics, parachute riggers and heavy mobile equipment drivers. During the Second World War, seventy-one women died working in the Canadian military (CBC News 2006). Canadian women did not let any adversity overcome their drive to fight for the right. Women who wanted to fly in the air force were politely turned down as it was not

Civil Rights for Murderers with Intellectual Disability Essay

Civil Rights for Murderers with Intellectual Disability - Essay Example Intellectually disabled people start to have this problem at the age of around eighteen years and usually have an IQ of below 65. Therefore, it becomes challenging to determine the motive of the murder for such cases (Perske 470). Capital punishment can be exercised through various forms. For example in United States of America, a criminal can be killed by lethal injection, firing squad, hanging, gas or electrocution. There are several reasons for and against capital punishment. Some reasons for capital punishment are listed below. Firstly, it is the only punishment that can makes sure that justice is met for the person murdered. Since murder entails taking away the life of a person, then to have justice equally served for a murdered person is to have the guilt person sentenced to death (Blume, Johnson and Seeds 89) . Another purpose of capital punishment is that it offers relieve and closure for the family, relatives and close friends. It is always a human behavior to get satisfied when a murderer is killed too. This is most evidenced by angry mob that severally either beat the murderers to death or burn them alive. However if murderers are taken to court, people especially those close to the murdered person can only feel contented if the murderer is handed a death warrant. On top of that, another purpose of death warrant in our criminal justice system is to issue a warning to those people committing murder but most important to those who want to start it. Considering that everyone fears death, criminals will fear committing murder. The would-be criminals even when they want to rob, will try as much as possible not to kill anyone because of fear of capital punishment Therefore, death warrant serves as the best cautionary not only to murder cases but also all other crimes that can be committed (Strescino 57). Before execution of death penalty, the criminals spent many years in prison where they are secluded not only from

Inclusion and the Inclusive Learning Environment Essay

Inclusion and the Inclusive Learning Environment - Essay Example In differentiation, a trainer tailors the instructions as per the needs of the learners. â€Å"Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction† (Tomlinson, 2013). An inclusive learning environment is created to ensure equal access to all tools, aids, and opportunities for all students. There are a number of ways in which this can be achieved in a health and beauty salon. The first and the foremost aspect of an inclusive learning environment is to ensure that all learners are physically capable of experiencing the same quality of training. In a health and beauty salon, like any other class, this can be achieved by making learners with spectacles occupy the front seats and those with the stronger eye-sights occupy the middle and the rear seats. Taller learners should be seated at the rear so that there is no hindrance in the way of vision fr om the learner to the white board. After carefully designing the seating plan considering the physical traits of the learners, the teacher needs to design the teaching strategies that promise maximal inclusion on the part of the learners. For example, group projects containing members with different levels of capabilities and different skills is a way of promoting inclusive learning. When a certain number of students work upon the same project, each occupying a specific role and using a specific skill, the learning is not merely limited to the very skill, but every learner also develops a comprehensive understanding of the skills of other members of the group. When the project is complete, a significant development in the skills of the learners in different areas is achieved. Another aspect of inclusive learning is discipline. In the contemporary age, classrooms have become increasingly multicultural with respect to learners. People from different countries join the health and beaut y salons and take classes to enhance their skills. To provide the learners with a safe environment in which their potential to maximize their learning is optimized, it is imperative that the teacher establishes rules, principles, or compiles a code of ethics in which objectionable behaviors are clearly depicted and learners are strictly instructed to deter from displaying them in the class. In case of lack of compliance, disciplinary action can be executed. Such objectionable behaviors include but are not limited to use of racist remarks, discriminatory remarks or practices on the basis of gender, race, or culture, and bullying. Resources to meet the need of learners in inclusive learning should be utilized from within the classroom or with due consultation with the concerned authorities. There are numerous ways in which learners can be engaged and motivated in an inclusive environment. For example, when formulating the seating plan to ensure that all learners have full vision of th e whiteboard and the stage, the trainer asks the learners to provide them with information about their individualistic physical traits like eye-sight and height. Students find such activities interesting and realize that these activities are meant to develop such a seating plan where everybody would be able to see clearly. Providing students with constructive feedback is another

Defeat of the Red Army Essay Example for Free

Defeat of the Red Army Essay By looking at what the areas where the Soviets failed during their in Afghanistan, we can further develop our counterinsurgency tactics and doctrine and shape our forces. Mujahideen Defeats of the Red Army An important and remarkable event in history was the Soviet-Afghan War. The Afghans, like their ancestors, battled a hostile, invading force that wanted to dominate their homeland. â€Å"For the first time, Afghanistan would become the center of a modern pan-Arab Jihad (Holy War)† (Hill, 2008). The Afghans were fighting a war of attrition just as their ancestors did during the Anglo-Afghan Wars. The Afghans would find themselves using modern weapons that had the potential of causing a high number casualties and emigration of greater proportions. The difference between the Afghans in the Soviet-Afghan War and the Afghans who fought in the Anglo-Afghan war would be the help and support from outside superpowers. By the end of the Soviet-Afghan War, the Soviet Union was at the point of falling; the Afghans and those who were assisting them were looking at a victory. How could such a powerful country like the Soviet Union be defeated by the Afghans? The Soviet Union lost the Soviet-Afghan War as a result of mistakes and failures that they made. The Soviets failure to seal the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, failure to stand up and effective Afghan Army and failure to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people contributed to the defeat of the Red Army. Failure to Disrupt Supply Lines During the initial five years of occupation, the Soviets never mounted a sustained effort to cut off the Mujahideen supply lines that ran from Pakistan’s tribal areas, across the Hindu Kush Mountains, and into Afghanistan (Roy, 1991). Instead, the focus of the Soviets from 1980 to 1982 was to conduct large-scale armored operations in locations that were considered hotbeds of rebel activity. After 1982, the Soviets used aerial assaults to assist in their combat operations to eliminate the support base of the Mujahideen. It was not until 1985 that the Red Army starting making an effort to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines. The Red Army began using Spetsnaz units, which were the Red army Special Forces units, behind Mujahideen frontlines, to organized surprise attacks against the rebel supply caravans. Once the Spetsnaz had the location of the Mujahideen, they would load into Mi-24 helicopter gunships, sneak behind the Mujahideen positions, and launch attacks. The effectiveness of the raids the Spetsnaz used became apparent in 1986 where there was a decrease in the number of Mujahideen attacks against the Soviets. The attacks against the Soviets decreased because the Mujahideen was not able to get men and equipment that they needed to mount an effective guerrilla campaign. The Soviets leadership was aware of the amount of men and a large amount of equipment that the Mujahideen was moving from Pakistan across into Afghanistan on regular bases, so it’s interesting why they did not make an effort earlier in the war to disrupt the supply lines. The Soviet leadership feared that if they conducted operations that might extend into Pakistan they would draw the United States into a large-scale war that the Soviets did not want. So, conducting operations on the Afghan side of the border against the rebels was an activity that the Soviets could justify without drawing the United States into the war. According to Oliver Roy, the Soviet failure to seal the border with Pakistan was the most significant military mistake in the war against the Mujahideen (Roy, 1991). With an unsealed border, the United States with the help of the help of the Inter-Service Intelligence, ISI, began funneling in weapons to the Mujahideen in the 1980. At the start of 1980, the Central Intelligence Agency began to purchase weapons from several countries to include China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and other Arab nations. Once these weapons had been purchased they were shipped to the ISI headquarters located in Peshawar Pakistan. The United States funded some $30 million dollars in 1982, but in 1984, the CIA spent some $250 million purchasing pistols, AK-47s, ammunition, surface to air missiles, and other supplies for the Mujahideen. By 1985, the CIA was spending $500 million dollars on the resistance in Afghanistan. 1985 was the same year the President Ronald Reagan signed the National Security Decision Directive 166. This directive stated that the CIA was to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan †by all means available† (Crile, 2003, p 363). In 1986, the CIA approved the purchase of heat-seeking missiles and almost 1000 per purchased. The heat-seeking missiles were very effective in downing the Soviets helicopters, but the Mujahideen did not put these missions into use until 1987. Pakistan who was driven by Islamic identity had a vested interest in the outcome of the Soviet-Afghan War and made a great effort to ensure that the Mujahideen was victorious. To ensure victory for the Mujahideen, Pakistan established a network that would transport all of the weapons that had been purchased to the Mujahideen. Once all of the weapons that had been purchased and arrived to the ISI headquarters the ISI would distribute the weapons to the Mujahideen, who would get the weapons and supplies to the soldier in the field. The Mujahideen would use tractors, trucks, camel, mules, and horses that could blend in with the rest of the cross border traffic or they would move on dirt roads that were only accessible by foot over the border into Afghanistan. It is evident that without the help of the Pakistanis, the Mujahideen would not have been able to fight because they could have not been able to supply their soldiers. Throughout the war, the Soviets and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, DRA attempted to pressure Pakistan’s President Zia to seal the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan with troops, but this came to no avail. President Zia responds to the request to seal the border was that Pakistan would not do it but that the Red Army and the DRA were more than welcome to do it. Regardless of who would attempt to seal the border it would be an impossible task when you consider the length and mountainous terrain that would have to be covered. In 1985, the Red Army started to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines by putting thousands of troops on the border with Pakistan. At the same time, The Red Army began a bombing campaign hitting border towns that were sympathetic to the rebels and placing Spetsnaz units along the borders to conduct search and destroy missions from behind Mujahideen front lines. The Red Army began using their gunships to move up and down the border looking for destroying Mujahideen supply caravans. The bombardment used by the Red Army turned a large portion of the border etween Afghanistan and Pakistan to land that no longer could be inhabited. This depopulation effort started to become effective as it made it almost impossible for the Mujahideen supply caravans to move freely. In 1986, the Mujahideen countered the Red Army by using the Stringer missiles to bring down the Red Army Helicopters. To avoid being hit by a Stringer missile the Red Army Pilots had to fly at a higher altitude but the higher alt itude made it difficult for the Red Army to effectively attack the Mujahideen supply lines. Although the terrain along the Afghan and Pakistan border made it difficult to totally seal the border, it would have been possible to disrupt the flow of men and supplies coming into Afghanistan. This was evident by the Red Army between 1985 and 1986. Had the Red Army been willing to take a higher loss of life before 1985, it would have been possible to slow down the Mujahideen’s ability to get weapons into Afghanistan. The inability by the Red Army to establish an effective way to disrupt the Mujahideen supply lines was not the only reason that the PDPA could not survive without the support of the Red Army. The Red Army also failed to build an Afghan National Army that could protect the PDPA against the Mujahideen. Part of the reason why the Red Army could not stand up the Afghan Army was because there were Mujahideen sympathizers in the ranks. This is also part of the reason why the Soviets could not win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan, they left the country without the means to protect its self. Failure to build an Afghan Army As early as 1980, Soviet leadership knew that it was going to be difficult to build up the Afghan Army. This was partially due to the fact that the PDPA regime was unpopular with many Afghan people, and there was also a deep hatred for the Red Army troops. The unwillingness to fight for the Soviet Union and the DRA was reflected by the decrease in the Afghan Army’s ranks. The Afghan Army decreased from 90,000 to 30,000 men from 1980 to 1983 (Schofield, 2003). During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, it was common for Afghan soldiers to leave their units with their weapons and ammunition and join the Mujahideen. There is an account in July 1987 where an entire 2,000-man unit defected to the Mujahideen in Kandahar (McMichael, 1991). In addition to the defecting that was happening there were reports of Afghan officers frequently sabotaging Soviet equipment and vehicles. For the Afghans who remained many only fought because of the Soviet troops presences on the frontlines who would not allow them to runaway. As a result of the Afghans people unwillingness to fight for the Soviets and the DRA, the PDPA could only build a small military force, the total that numbers 120,000 to 150,000 fighting men. With its small size and the challenges they had recruiting the Afghans to fight for the PDPA regime, the Afghan Army was ineffective. The Afghan government was also only able to draft sixty-five percent of the personnel it needed to fight the insurgency they faced. Although the Afghan Army did have their share of success, these successes were limited. Mostly because the Mujahideen had sympathizers in the ranks that would provide the rebels with intelligence about upcoming operations that were planned. Since Mujahideen supporters had infiltrated the Afghan Army, Red Army soldier do not care to work closely on operations or share the intelligence they had because of fear that the details on upcoming operations would be shared with the rebels. To make matter worse for both sides, commanding officers of Afghan units would only be informed of upcoming operations one day in advance. On 9 January 1981, a conscription law designed to increase the strength of the DRA Army, was adopted by the Supreme Military Council of Afghanistan. The Afghan Army was given tanks, aircraft, armored personnel carriers, and small arms by the Soviets. Regardless of what had been given to the Afghan Army they were not going to be able to defend the PDPA regime from the rebels by the time the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan. This is based on the fact that it was going to be hard to recruit soldiers to fight for a socialist an also because many of the soldiers that had been recruited were informant for the Mujahideen. â€Å"The ineffectiveness of the DRA Army was illustrated by two Soviet deserters when they said, â€Å"The Kabul army was not an army, just a mess, with half of the soldiers running away and the other half joining the rebels† (Amstutz, 1986, p. 80). The inability of the Soviets to win over the Afghan population showed to be a tremendous obstacle as the attempt was being made to stand up an effective Afghan military. Had the Soviets convince the Afghan population that the PDPA was worth fighting for; the Soviet’s counterinsurgency plan could have been more effective in getting rid of the Mujahideen. The Soviets inability to win over the hearts and minds of the Afghan people ended up being a big obstacle that led to the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan. Failure to win the Hearts and Minds â€Å"The Soviets needed to convince the Afghan population that it had a stake in the survival of the socialist regime if they were to have a chance of preserving the PDPA government† (Delgado, 2006, p. 27). This would show to be impossible since the Afghan mullahs had declared jihad against the occupying Red Army. Knowing the jihad had been declared against the Red Army, they still launched a program with the intent on winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. The Soviets attempt to Sovietize the Afghan people used measures that included revamping the education system and teaching the population a pro-Soviet ideology. Adults and children were taught Marxist terms by Soviet institutions that had been imported into Afghanistan. The Soviets reformed the education system, reinterpreting Afghan history, taking control of the media in order to reeducate adults, and sending children to the Soviet Union in order to be educated. The Soviets goal in all of this was to create a version of Islam that the new Afghanistan would be based off. Building a strong Communist party was part of the Sovietization program. A strong Communist party would be the center of all legitimate political activity for the country. In order to monitor social organizations in Afghanistan, Soviet style government institution were established. A diligent effort had been made by the PDPA to indoctrinate its member, a majority of which joined the party so that they could obtain a job in the state. The task of trying to indoctrinate the member was difficult and many felt that it was irresponsible and corrupt. The DRA was unpopular throughout a large portion of Afghanistan. With this unpopular view of the DRA, there was a need to rewrite history in order to paint the Soviet Union in a more favorable light. This change to history was going to be done in two parts, first was to depict Russia as the essential supporters of Afghan independence, and the second was to minimize the cultural ties the Afghan people had with India, Pakistan, and Iran while emphasizing the ties with the citizens of the Soviet Union. The Soviets strategy in winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people was not to turn all Afghan into Marxist, but to teach the Afghans that they identified more with the Soviet way of life than with traditional Afghan society and customs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets took total control of the Afghan media and bombarded it with pro-Soviet propaganda. The Soviets desired in all of this was to have the Afghans forget what their history was and replace it with the identity that the Soviets were giving them. The Soviets not only rewrote the history books and took over the media; the Soviets took control of the education system with the goal of molding a new generation of Afghans that would support the PDPA. To accomplish this, teachers who refused to do what was asked were arrested or exiled. â€Å"Fatherland Training Centers† were created around Afghanistan, where Afghan orphans were trained to be Soviet special agents, political organizations for children and teenagers in order to teach them to become faithful Soviet citizens. The Soviets made Russian the official language of all students attending middle school up to college. The Russians were committed to indoctrinating Afghan children. Statics reflects that by 1989, 000 Afghan students were being educated in the Soviets, and another 15,000 students annual would travel to the Soviet Union see the Russian way of life and to take part in short courses and training programs (Roy, 1989). The Soviets used psychological operation to undermine not only the Mujahideen but also the civilian population to resist the Soviet occupation and the PDPA regime. Some of the bigger programs used included massive leaflet drops, propagandistic radio programs, starting conflict between rival tribes that would undermine Mujahideen unity and bribing teachers to use their classroom in order to spread Soviet propaganda. KHAD Intelligence would insert special agents into Mujahideen units and prisons where Mujahideen members were held with the goal of getting information on operations that were being planned and to find out whom the leaders in the resistance were. Regardless of what the Soviets attempted to do in order to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people they failed. The Afghans remained true to their Islamic identity, culture, and family traditions so it made it impossible for the Soviet Union to convince the Afghans that they were acting in the best interest of the country of Afghanistan by occupying and supporting the PDPA. With a call of jihad being declared against the occupying Red Army, it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds. The Afghans viewed the Soviets as an occupying force that were hostile to Islam so no program introduced by the Soviets to win the hearts and minds would be successful. The Soviets made an admirable effort to win over the Afghan people but due to the fact that they were viewed as a foreign occupier took away any possibility that they could convince the Afghan people to support the PDPA government. Winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people were impossible from the beginning since the Afghan people had such a strong Islamic heritage and tribal culture and that the Soviets were viewed as a foreign occupier, but the Soviets also did not help themselves with their brutal campaign to drive Mujahideen supporters out of Afghanistan as refugees. The effort to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supporters left one million Afghan civilians dead and five million displaced (Roy, 1989). The strategy used by the Red Army to rid Afghanistan of Mujahideen supported included artillery strike against Pashtun villages, bombing raids and, the burning of agricultural fields, the killing of livestock through the use mines and artillery, and the contamination of water and food supplies through the use of chemical weapons (McMichael, 1991). The efforts made by the Red Army to deprive the Mujahideen from a portion of its civilian support network was successful, but with the brutal methods that the Soviets used in order to get the objectives done did very little for the chances of winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Conclusion The Soviets lost the Soviet-Afghan War to the Mujahideen do to their own failures and any country could stand to earn a few lessons from the Soviets after their experience in Afghanistan. The first lesson would be the importance of disrupting the Mujahideen supply lines. Although totally securing the border may have been impossible, the Red Army could have focus more of an effort prior to 1985 to slow down the amount of men and supplies that were moving into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Had the Soviets been willing to take more of rest with their Soldiers, the Mujahideen would have never been able to get the supplies they needed into Afghanistan. The second lesson that could be taken from this is that before the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan they needed to ensure that the Afghan Army was ready to defeat the Mujahideen on their own. Since the Afghan Army was not able to defeat the Mujahideen on their own, everything that the Soviets attempted to achieve in Afghanistan was lost once the Red Army withdrew. The weak Army allowed Afghanistan to fall into a civil war where the Taliban came out victorious. The Soviets should have taken into consideration what they thought the status Afghan Army would be once they withdrew before invading Afghanistan. The third and final lesson is that it was going to be impossible for the Soviets to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Many Afghans viewed the Soviets as invaders, and a jihad had been declared against them. Along with the hatred that the Afghans had for the Soviets the Soviets also countered themselves with brutal military operations against Afghans that were thought to be loyal to the Mujahideen. The Afghan population will refuse to support a regime that is viewed as a foreign occupier, regardless of the sophistication of the occupying country’s effort to win the native hearts and minds†(Delgado, 2006, p. 35). References Crile, G. (2003). Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History. New York, NY: Delgado, J. A. (2006). Troubling Parallels: An analysis of America ’s Inability to overcome the obstacles that led to the defeat of the Red Army in the Soviet-Afghan War. Athens, OH: The University of Ohio. Hills, C. R. (2006). Beyond Charlie Wilson: The Soviet Afghan War. Atlanta, GA: Atlanta International School. McMichael, S. (1991). Stumbling Bear: Soviet Military Performance in Afghanistan. London, England: Brasseys. Roy, O. (1989). The Sovietization of Afghanistan. Afghanistan and the Soviet Union. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Roy, O. (1991). The Lessons of the Soviet-Afghan War. London, England: Brasseys. Schofield, V. (2003). Afghan Frontier. New York, NY: Tauris Parke Paperback.

First Language Acquisition Theories

First Language Acquisition Theories Imagine a blank template, a white sheet of paper, thats how human being starts off. From a crying baby in a cradle, to babbling, to simple single words, slowly progressing into two-words, then finally a complete sentence, ever wonder how one acquires the ability to produce the language? Linguists throughout the ages have tried to find out how does one ACQUIRE a language, is it a deep structure as claimed by Kimball? Or is it an innate ability, a build-in human capacity propagated by Chomsky? Various theories have arose since language studies came to fore, and the ability to acquire language has interested various parties since the dawn of man. From the dunes of Egypt,  Psammeticus, the Pharaoh during the 7th  century BC, believed language was inborn and that children isolated from birth from any linguistic influence would develop the language they had been born with. Fast forward to the 15th century,  King James V  of Scotland performed a similar experiment; the children were reported to have spoken good Hebrew. Akbar, a 16th century Mogul emperor of India, desired to learn whether language was innate or acquired through exposure to the speech of adults.   He believed that language was learned by people listening to each other and therefore a child could not develop language alone.   So he ordered a house built for two infants and stationed a mute nurse to care for them.   The children did not acquire speech, which seemed to prove Akbars hypothesis that language is acquired and does not simply emerge spontaneously in the absence of exposure to speech.   Henceforth, modern linguists have been trying hard to crack the codes which govern the acquisition and learning of a language. Theories ranging from Jean Piagets Cognitive Theory(1929), Skinners Behaviorist Theory (1957), to Chomskys The Innateness Hypothesis, and Lamberts Critical Period Hypothesis(1967) for first language acquisition, and finally Krashens 5 hypothesis of second language learning have paved a way for an insight, a way to unravel the way the mind works in acquiring and learning a language -which happen to be distinct from one another-, and here, we will be looking at the theories that have been the workhorse of language acquisition and learning. Definition First Language Acquisition is touted by linguist as the process of acquiring a language via exposure whilst young. First language is defined as the primary language -not necessarily mother tongue- which the speaker first acquires and use on a constant basis. According to Lennenberg (1967) the language that one picks up during the critical period will generally be the persons first language. The Canadian census agrees that the first language that one acquires during childhood is the first language. A second language, however, can be a related language or a totally different one from the first language. Language acquisition is a cognitive process cognitive process (reasoning, perception, judgment and memory) of acquiring a language. It is usually done subconsciously, with the mind slowly structuring the template to mold the language into shape. Language learning however, means a person is trying to learn the language consciously through practice, training, or experience. Amongst the most prominent theories of language acquisition that has been put forward by linguists is the: Cognitive Development Theory According to Jean Piagets cognitive theory (1970s), language is a subordinate part of cognitive development. Language is mapped onto an individuals set of prior cognitive structures. The principles of language are no different from other cognitive principles. A person becomes capable of abstraction, of formal thinking which excels concrete experience and direct perception (Freeservers.com, 2012). Firstly, the child becomes aware of a concept, they acquire the words and patterns to convey the concept. Simple ideas are expressed earlier than more complex ideas even if they are grammatically more complicated. Piaget described four distinct stages of childhood cognitive development which include sensorimotor stage, pre-operational stage, concrete operational stage and formal operational stage and relates them to a persons ability to understand and assimilate new information (Springhouse Corporation, 1990). First language learners are thought to creatively use their skills of cognition in order to figure out the second language of their own. For adult learners, they have the ability to abstract, classify and generalize gives them an advantage to systematically solve problems. Adult language learners rely on their cognitive activities of general information processing because their Language Acquisition Device gradually becomes unavailable for them (Hadley, 2002). Piaget claims that the human mind has a template known as the schema: The representation in the mind of a set of perceptions, ideas and /or actions which go together (Atherton , 2011). The schema helps individuals understand the various happenings around them, an understanding of oneself (self-schemata), other people (people schemata), events/situations (event schemata) and roles/occupations (role schemata). According to psychologists, cognitive development starts at adaptation, followed by assimilation and accommodation close after. Assimilation is the process of incorporating new information into pre-existing schema, more often than not leading to overgeneralization. For example, the child refers to a whale as a fish, due to the fact the whales and fish, have fins and lives in the ocean. After assimilation, comes accommodation, whereby the mind is able to differentiate concepts made during the prior phase. Piaget contends there are four stages of cognitive development which are sensorimotor stage (birth-2years), pre-operational stage (2-7 years), concrete operational stage (7-11years) and formal operational stage (11 years and up). The first stage or the sensorimotor stage is the stage where a child learns about himself and his environment through motor and reflex movements. The childs thoughts are derived from movement and sensation (Springhouse Corporation, 1990). They learn and progress by doing simple motor movements such as looking, grasping, crying, listening, touching and sucking. Further down the road, they will also gain a basic understanding of the relationships of cause and effect. Object permanence appears around 9 months and further physical development allows the children to begin developing new intellectual abilities. Piaget contends that some basic language abilities are developed at the end of this stage. Pre-operational stage follows after the child reaches at the age of 2. During that stage, a childs intelligence is demonstrated through the use of symbols, and his language use matures, advancing to basic sentences. The childs memory and imagination are developed to a certain extend but thinking is done in non-logical and non-reversible manner. The following stage is the concrete operational stage -where the child reaches the age of 7-11-: Children then develops seven types of conservation, namely number, length, liquid, mass, weight, area and volume. The childs intelligence is further demonstrated through logical and systematic manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects, and his operational thinking develops exponentially, however, his thinking at this stage is still concrete. The final stage in the cognitive development is the formal operational stage, where the childs developed intelligence is demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts. This is reflected in his/her speech as in choice of words, and capability of metaphorical usage. Humanistic Approach (Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers) Abraham Maslow proposed the humanistic approach as a method of language acquisition and learning. The theory takes into considerations of the feelings, motivation levels and confidence of a person According to Carl Rogers however, the persons consciousness of their own identity is about behavior central to oneself. Rogers believed that people could only fulfill their potential for growth if they had basically positive self-regard. On the contrary Abraham Maslows believed that those who satisfied all their needs might become self-actualizers (Sammons, n.d.). Humanistic approach differs it tries to encourage positive emotions that help language acquisition such as self-esteem, motivation, empathy and risk taking. It also tries to dampen negative emotions such as low self-confidence, nervousness and mental inhibition (Villatoro, n.d.) and in a sense, it coincides with Skinners Behaviorist Theory. Behaviorist Theory B.F. Skinner described learning as a behavior produced by learners response to stimuli which can be reinforced with positive or negative feedback to environmental stimuli. Skinner added that learning can be observed, explained, and predicted through observing antecedents and consequences. Both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement increase the probability that the antecedent behavior will happen again. In contrast,  punishment  (both positive and negative) decreases the likelihood that the antecedent behavior will happen again. Positive indicates the application of a stimulus; Negative indicates the withholding of a stimulus. Learning is therefore defined as a change in behavior in the learner. Punishment is sometimes used in eliminating or reducing incorrect actions, followed by clarifying desired actions. Educational effects of behaviorism are important in developing basic skills and foundations of understanding in all subject areas and in classroom manage ment.   Skinners Behaviorist approach contends that children learn language through imitation, repetition and the reinforcement of the successful linguistics attempts. Mistakes are considered to be the result of imperfect learning or insufficient opportunities for practice. In such, that a child having a pleasant learning experience (such as rewards or praise) is positive reinforced. Through that positively reinforcing stimulus, a childs learning capacity is triggered. However, unpleasant experiences (such as punishment) serve as negative reinforcements, and cause learners to avoid undesirable responses to stimuli. As such, continuous reinforcement increases the rate of learning, be it positive or negative; a child will respond to different triggers and with experience, remember what is to do and to avoid. Hence, intermittent reinforcement helps a child to a longer retention of what is learned. Skinner contends that both positive and negative reinforcement can shape behavior, and this in turn affects their language acquisition capability, as such, a lack of any reinforcement can also shape behavior. If people receive no acknowledgement of their behavior, they will likely change that behavior until they receive some kind of reinforcement. Behaviorism gave birth to a stimulus-response (S-R) theory which sees language as a set of structures and acquisition as a matter of habit formation. Ignoring any internal mechanisms, it takes into account the linguistic environment and the stimuli it produces. Learning is an observable behavior which is automatically acquired by means of stimulus and response in the form of mechanical repetition. Thus, to acquire a language is to acquire automatic linguistic habits. According to Johnson (2004:18), Behaviorism undermined the role of mental processes and viewed learning as the ability to inductively discover patterns of rule-governed behavior from the examples provided to the learner by his or her environment. Larsen-Freeman and Long (1991:266) consider that S-R models offer little promises as explanations of SLA, except for perhaps pronunciation and the rote-memorization of formulae (Menezes, V. n.d.). This view of language learning gave birth to research on contrastive analysis, especially error analysis, the main focus of which is the interference of ones first language in the target language. An important reaction to behaviorism was the interlanguage studies, as the simple comparison between first and second language neither explained nor described the language produced by SL learners. Interlanguage studies will be present in other SLA perspectives, as the concern of the area has been mainly with the acquisition of grammatical morphemes or specific language structures. Behaviorist Theory for Second Language Learning Under this theory, it is believed that the second language learning learner tries to imitate what he hears and practices the second language regularly to develop habits in the language. This theory also believes that learners try to relate their knowledge of the native language to the second language and this could lead to positive as well as negative results. However the imitation of one language with the other is not recommended as this does not help in real life situations. The behaviorists believe that First language learners (FLL) consists of learners imitating what they hear and develop habits in the first language (FL) by routine practice. In this view, the learners are thought to relate what they know of their first language to what they recognize in the second language. Positive transfer is a result of similarities between the first language and the second language, because habits used in the first language easily transfer to the second language. On the other hand, negative transfer is caused by differences between the first language and the second language, because errors result from using habits from the first language in the second language. Problems with this view of FLL include the fact that imitation does not help the learner in real-life situations. Learners are continually required to form sentences they have never previously seen. A finite number of pre-practiced sentences is not enough to carry on conversation, not even with an instructor. Another problem with this view is that many of the errors made by FL learners are not based on the first language. Instead, the problems most often encountered by learners resemble errors made by children during the period of first language acquisition. The Innateness Hypothesis Noam Chomsky believes that children are born with a language acquisition device (LAD) which encodes the major principles of a language and its grammatical structure into the childs brain and thus possesses an inherited ability to learn any human language. He claims that certain linguistic structures which children use so accurately must be already imprinted on the childs mind.  Children have then only to learn new vocabulary and apply the syntactic structures from the LAD to form sentences.  Chomsky points out that a child could not possibly learn a language through imitation alone because the language spoken around them is highly irregular adults speech is often broken up and even sometimes ungrammatical.  Chomskys theory applies to all languages as they all contain nouns, verbs, consonants and vowels and children appear to be hard-wired to acquire the grammar.   Chomsky defends the innate hypothesis in terms of an elaborated linguistic theory which postulates not only a general ability in humans to acquire language, but also the ability that comes from a specific language acquisition device in the brain, equipped already at birth with specific grammatical rules and principles. The main arguments in favour of the innateness hypothesis are first, language acquisition would be dià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã†â€™cult or even impossible without an innate grammar: How do we come to have such rich and specià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ c knowledge, or such intricate systems of belief and understanding, when the evidence available to us is so meager? (Cook, 1985). Chomsky claims that the mere existence of language universals supports the hypothesis that these are innate, and most essentially all humans acquire language, and no other animals do. The LAD is a hypothetical brain mechanism that Chomsky suggested to explain human acquisition of the syntactic structure of language. This mechanism endows children with the capacity to derive the syntactic structure and rules of their native language rapidly and accurately from the impoverished input provided by adult language users. The device is comprised of a finite set of variables which languages vary, which are set at different levels for different languages on the basis of language exposure. The LAD reflects Chomskys underlying assumption that many aspects of language are universal (common to all languages and cultures) and constrained by innate core knowledge about language called Universal Grammar.   Universal grammar is defined by Chomsky as the system of principles, conditions and rules that are elements or properties of all human languages (Cook, 1985). The language properties inherent in the human mind make up Universal Grammar, which consists, not of particular rules or of a particular grammar, but of a set of general principles that apply to all grammars and that leave certain parameters open; Universal Grammar sets the limits within which human languages can vary. Universal Grammar present in the childs mind grows into the adults knowledge of the language so long as certain environmental triggers are provided; it is not learnt in the same way that, say, riding a bicycle or playing the guitar are learnt: a central part of what we call learning is actually better understood as the growth of cognitive structures along an internally directed course under the triggering and potentially shaping effect of the environment (Cook, 1985). Language acquisition is the growth of the mental organ of language triggered by certain language experiences. Hence the theory of Universal Grammar is frequently referred to as part of biology. Indeed the theory is not dissimilar from ideas current in biology on other issues, for instance the view that Embryogenesis may then be seen as the progressive, orderly manifestation of the knowledge which is latent in the egg (Cook, 1985). So, to acquire language, the child needs not only Universal Grammar but also evidence about a particular language; he needs to hear sentences of English to know how to fix the parameter for the order of Verb, Subject, and Object. The evidence he encounters can be positive or negative (Cook, 1985).   By using the same language principles, a French child constructs a grammar of French, an English child a grammar of English. The two grammars represent different choices within the guidelines set by Universal Grammar, different applications of the same linguistic principles in response to different environments; Experience is necessary to fix the parameters of core grammar (Cook, V, 1985). But the children also have to learn aspects of language that are peripheral, that do not conform to Universal Grammar. The childs mind prefers to adopt rules based on the handy set of principles with which it is equipped; they are in a sense the easy way out, and need only triggering experience to be learnt. By listening to the language around him, he can decide how to fix the parameter of sentence order as SVO or SOV, for instance. His mind prefers not to adopt peripheral solutions, as they fall outside his pre-programmed instructions; they are more demanding. This may be interpreted through the c oncept of markedness: the child prefers to learn unmarked knowledge that conforms to Universal Grammar, rather than marked knowledge that is less compatible with it.   Chomskys work has been highly controversial, rekindling the age-old debate over whether language exists in the mind before experience. Despite its few limitations, The Innateness Hypothesis is rich enough to provide a substantial idea of how a child acquires his/her first language. The Critical Period Hypothesis According to Eric Lennebergs Cirtical Period Hypothesis in 1967, the hypothesis theorized that the acquisition of language is an innate process that determined biologically. The notion of critical period was connected only in the first language acquisition (freeservers.com, 2012). Lenneberg assumed that the structural reorganizations within the brain were developed only from roughly the age of two to puberty which was around thirteen or fourteen. Language skills which were neither learned nor being taught during this age would remain permanently undeveloped (Schouten, 2011). Lennebergs hypothesis claimed that the absence of language was very limited in the first language acquisition during the early childhood exposure (citizendium.org, 2009). He believed that the brain would lose the plasticity after two sides of the brain has developed specialized functions. The Critical Period Hypothesis is Lennebergs response to the long-standing debate in language acquisition  over the extent to which the acquire  language  is  biologically  linked to age (citizendium.org, 2009) Lenneberg proposed that the ability of brain to acquire a language is stopped at puberty with the onset of brain lateralization. He refers that brain lateralization, which is a process which the both sides of brain develop specialized function, in which after the process, the brain would lose its plasticity as the function of the brain is set. Lenneberg stated that if the child did not learn the language before the puberty, the language could never be learned in a full and functional way. He proves his theory by referring to cases of feral children, such as Genie. Discovered in the age of thirteen and a half in 1970 in an isolated and neglected living condition, Genie did not had any form of communication, and she was neither able to speak nor write. After being saved from her ordeal, she began to learn language slowly, but she never regained full language capabilities. According to Lenneberg, first language learners should receive exposure on their first language prior to puberty for the best acquisition results. He contends that the critical period for learning a first language would same apply to acquiring a second language Studies have shown that before the brain is fully developed a second language can be learned more easily. However, while many people have been able to master the syntax and vocabulary of a second language after puberty, not many achieve native-speaker fluency, compared to first language learners, or bilinguals who start off at a young age. A notable trait for FLL is that their phonological is the most obvious evidence for the critical period hypothesis, as their learning a second language would be impacted by their first language accent. Lennebergs works is still highly regarded as one of the most well regarded psycholinguistic argument of language acquisition. Krashens Theory of Second Language Acquisition Stephen Krashens theory of second language acquisition has been of much debate in the psycholinguistic circles. His theories are well regarded, and provide a different insight into how the mind works in learning a second language. The first of the five of Krashens theories is the Natural Order Hypothesis. Based on a powerful analysis of research results, Krashens natural order hypothesis suggests that the acquisition of language, especially the rules of language, follows a predictable natural order. For any given language, some grammatical structures tend to be acquired earlier than others. This idea reflects Noam Chomskys revolutionary notion that have a built-in Language Acquisition Device (LAD), which within the first year of the children lives begins to enable them to understand and acquire language. Because of the nature of the LAD, children tend to learn different structures at different levels as young children. Researchers have found that the same pattern occurs for older learners not a surprise to seasoned language teachers! This is the predictable natural order of this hypothesis. Secondly, is the Acquisition or Learning Hypothesis. The distinction between acquisition and learning is the most fundamental of all the hypotheses in Krashens theory, since it suggests that language comes to children in two rather different ways. Acquisition is one. Language can be acquired by using it for real communication while learning, which he describes as knowing about language, is quite a different thing. Acquisition is the product of a subconscious process very similar to the process children undergo when they acquire their first language. It requires meaningful interaction in the target language-natural communication, in which speakers concentrate not on the form of their utterances, but in the communicative act. Learning, on the other hand, provides conscious knowledge about the target language. It is therefore less important than acquisition for basic communication, but it still plays an important role in language learning. In short, learning is likely to occur in the study segment of an English lesson, while acquisition takes place during language activation. Thirdly, is the Monitor Hypothesis. The fundamental distinction between acquisition and learning leads directly to the next hypothesis. The monitor hypothesis relegates language learning (that is, a students responses to what the teacher teaches) to a secondary place in the scheme of language learning.   The monitor hypothesis is the idea that conscious learning that is, the outcome of grammar instruction and other activities that were the traditional stock in trade of the language teacher serve only as a monitor or an editor for the language student. Real acquisition takes place as meaningful interaction in the target language natural communication in which speakers is concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding.   Following that is the  Input Hypothesis. The input hypothesis suggests that people acquire language in only one way: by understanding messages, or by receiving comprehensible input. According to the input hypothesis, learners progress by receiving second language input that is one step beyond their current stage of linguistic competence. Acquisition for learners with language knowledge i can only take place if they are exposed to comprehensible input at a slightly higher level, which Krashen describes as level i + 1.   And last but not least, the Affective Filter Hypothesis. Finally, the Affective Filter Hypothesis proposes that a mental block caused by affective or emotional factors can prevent input from reaching the students language acquisition device. The affective filter hypothesis says that affective variables like self-confidence and anxiety play a role in language acquisition. When the filter is up, that is, when negative emotional factors are in play, language acquisition suffers while when the filter is down, language acquisition benefits. Similarities between First Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning There have been many arguments about language acquisition, some claims that acquisition and learning is the same process, whilst some beg to differ. Here are some similarities between first language acquisition and second language learning that have been argued before. Physical process wise, the learners of both first language and second language hear the spoken language and begin to understand how it sounds, the mind works to grasp the basic sounds, which in turn, facilitates learning. The learners pick up words and phrases in the language and begin to build up a vocabulary, this is then followed up by grasping the grammatical structure and learning how to form simple and complex sentences in the language. Subsequently the learners are eventually able to understand new words by context and they are able to express complex ideas and thoughts in the language, and finally, learn to pick up writing and reading skills in the language (Panse, 2010). Universal grammar may  influence learning  either independently or through the first language in second language learning. For both first language acquisition and second language learning there are  predictable stages, and particular structures, are acquired in a set order.   Individuals may move more slowly or quickly through these stages, but they cannot skip ahead. Making errors is a part of learning.   Learners need to make and test hypotheses about language to build an internal representation of the language.   In the initial stages of learning, learners may use chunks of language without breaking them down or processing them as independent units.   In later stages, they may make new errors as they begin to process the parts of each chunk according to the rules of their language system.   For example, a learner may start out using the correct form of an irregular verb as part of a language chunk, but later overgeneralize and place a regular affix on that same verb. Differences between First Language Acquisition and Second Language Learning Many studies addressed the distinction between first language acquisition and second language learning. The first distinction is the natural process in which first language learners acquire their knowledge naturally and the conscious process in which second language learners learn their second language. First language acquisition is a natural process which is genetically triggered at the most crucial stage of the childs cognitive development in which children subconsciously process and develop the linguistic knowledge of the setting they live in and are unaware of grammatical rules. In contrast, second language learning takes place where the target language is the language spoken in the language spoken in the language community that differs from the first language. Second language is not genetically triggered in any way unless the child grows up bilingually in which case, it is not considered second language learning at all. First  language acquisition  is mostly passive. Children usually listen to the people around them, their speech melody, their sounds, their words, and their sentence structures. Before the child can even read or write a single word in his first language, he is already using an impressive vocabulary and many important grammar structures. Some people never learn how to read or write but can still speak their first language fluently. Most babies learn rules while listening to the people around them. They are able to distinguish sentence structures at the early age of seven months as experiments have shown. They also pick up new words from their surrounding people. At the age of six, most children have acquired their native language(s) without any effort. Second language learning, on the other hand, is an active process. Second language learners need to learn vocabulary and grammar in order to achieve their goals. Most people will need an instructor, either a teacher at school or the instructions of a course book or audio course. For those learners to achieve fluency or near fluency in a second language, it requires years of studying and likely a long stay in another country. Many people will never reach anywhere near fluency with any second language. Most experts see the ages between three to four years as the  critical age  when first language acquisition ends and second language learning begins. Another area of difference between first language acquisition and second language learning is input specifically the quality and quantity of input. Language learning process depends on the input frequency and regularity. The quantity of exposure to a target language a child gets is immense compared to the amount an adult receives. A child hears the language all day every day, whereas an adult learner may only hear the target language in the classroom which could be as little as three hours a week. Even if one looks at an adult in a total submersion situation the quan

The Evolution Of Basic Flight Instruments History Essay

The Evolution Of Basic Flight Instruments History Essay In the pioneering days of aviation, flight was restricted to times of good visibility and good weather. In early flight operations, the pilot maintained visual contact with the ground below him at all times and used it as a reference point for executing all maneuvers. The design of most early aircraft positioned the pilot in the front of the aircraft affording him a high degree of visibility. Currently, there was little thought regarding cockpit design, and the pilot was just seated on the aircraft in a completely open fashion. This open design allowed the pilot to receive full sensory input from the chill of the blowing wind, the exhaust of the turning engine, and even the vibration through the seat of his pants (Siberry, 1974). He was in an ideal position to make use of his only flight instrumenthis body. These perceived sensory inputs superimposed on the visual backdrop of the earth combined to form the early pilots mental model of reality. Two broad cognitive principles that nega tively affected the pilots mental model require definition at this point. Spatial disorientation (SD) and Loss of Situational Awareness (LSA) are both difficult concepts to define. Both involve a degraded awareness of reality resulting from the mismatch between the pilots mental model and the visual backdrop used to create his perception of the environment. Unfortunately for the pilot SD and a LSA can result in the generation of misinterpretation and faulty prediction about his current situation often resulting in disastrous flight control inputs (Boers, 1996/97). SD is the faulty perception of position, direction of travel, or speed relative to the ground. LSA is closely related to SD, but deals with the pilots more specific confusion over his actual geographic location at a specific point in time (Mortimer, 1995). Now that the cognitive principles of SD and LSA have been defined, let me return to the discussion of the pilots use of his body as an exclusive sensor for environmental inputs, and the inherent limitations of this practice. Under visual flight rules (VFR) conditions, the early aviator was able to extract enough input from his senses to adequately pilot the aircraft. However, during continued experimentation with flight, poor visibility and poor weather conditions often were encountered. Pilots were robbed of their conventional sensory inputs under these conditions and many aircraft accidents resulted. Reliance on visual, vestibular, and seat of the pants acuity to control the aircraft was a major weakness and it prompted flight instrument development. Equipment designed to display aircraft heading, speed, and altitude information quickly evolved to counter mans sensory vulnerabilities. INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR EFFECTS Heading The compass was one of the first flight instruments used by early aviators (Allstar, 1995/00). Aviators quickly took advantage of the magnetic compass to overcome their past reliance on visual cues for establishing a heading. Compasses in use today are of two basic types, magnet, and gyro-magnetic (USCGA, 00). Both types can trace their ancestry back two thousands year to Chinese magicians. By accident, these magicians had discovered the properties of magnetism while playing a board game similar to chess. Unknowingly they had constructed their game pieces from metal containing lodestone, a natural magnetic ore. When they started their game by dropping the pieces on to the board, they noticed that they would spin and align themselves in the same direction every time. Quickly realizing the potential of their discovery, the magicians employed the magnetic properties of the lodestone to develop a liquid filled compass similar to the ones in use today (A History of the Compass). Advanceme nts in steel casting methods a thousand years later made permanent magnets possible by enabling compass needles to stay magnetized making the compass more practical and reliable. Early pilots simply made use of borrowed land and sea navigational compasses in their cockpits. However, liquid filled compasses were not perfect instruments. Steep turning and diving maneuvers caused the compass to present inaccurate heading information. In addition, metallic objects in the aircraft created magnetic interference that could corrupt the compass heading display. Some pilots made use of small magnets of opposite polarity positioned near the compass to counteract this harmful interference. Another solution for overcoming the interference was provided by the compass correction card, and it is still in use today (Gum and Walters, 1982). The card displayed magnetic headings from zero to 330 degrees, at 30-degree intervals. Underneath the magnetic heading readings were the appropriate corrected ste ering headings that compensated for the magnetic interference. Although the compensations were only minor, the pilot needed to ensure they were made as they could result in a LSA, as the magnitude of error would increase with the distance traveled. In addition, pilots occasionally failed to compensate for geographic differences in magnetic variation and this caused further cases of LSA. Fortunately, compass accuracy and stability took a leap forward on September 24, 1929, when Lt. James Doolittle performed a successful test flight of a directional gyro manufactured by the Sperry Company (Allensworth, 2000). Gyrocompasses combined the gyroscopic phenomenon that keeps a rapidly spinning wheel stable in space, and the property of magnetic polar attraction to overcome the limitations of the purely magnetic compass. Pilot alignment and compensation input requirements, that could be subject to human error, were required less often for the gyrocompass and this positively impacted flight safety. Today, the development of laser and other technologies have led to refinements in the basic gyrocompass enhancing its performance. Despite these advancements, a heading instrument of any type is a valuable tool for preventing pilot LSA. However for it to be effective its limitations must be known and observed. More importantly, to be effective it must be used. The collision between a Korean Air Line (KAL) DC-10, and a Piper PA-31 on a foggy runway in Alaska highlights this point. Lacking SA the KAL pilot continued to taxi to what he believed was runway 32, and began his takeoff roll. Sadly, the DC-10 pi lot had been fooled by his sense of direction, and struck a Piper aircraft holding for take off on runway 6L/24R. If the KAL pilot had only compensated for his lack of visual perception by confirming his runway heading with a compass (NTSB 1983) the accident could have been avoided. Obviously the compass has proven to be a vital resource for pilots and the development of speed measuring instruments would prove to be just as significant. Speed Knowing exactly how fast you are traveling is important for many reasons. Most importantly, the passage of air over the wings of the aircraft generates lift, and to remain airborne the pilot needed to maintain a minimum speed, or the aircraft would stall, ceasing to create lift. Additionally, you need the ability to measure speed, to make use of the navigational technique known as dead reckoning (DR). DR could greatly increase pilot SA by providing him a reliable indication of his location based on his rate of travel in conjunction with the passage of time and heading information. Unfortunately, the human body is poorly equipped for this task. Using his vestibular sense, the pilot had a rough feel for changes in speed due to acceleration and deceleration. Visual acuity also afforded him a limited sense of speed based on his perceived rate of closure with distant objects. However, poor weather, darkness, and visual illusion further degraded both these senses. A speed-indicating instru ment immune to all these factors was required to improve pilot SA and make DR navigation a reality. Early airspeed indicators were of two types mechanical and differential. Some mechanical devices were very simple producing only limited information, much like the mechanical stall warning indicators in use today on small private aircraft. Other mechanical airspeed indicators grew to be quite elaborate and their evolution started on a beach in North Carolina. Orville Wright held in his hand a mechanical anemometer on the first heavier than air flight. As Orville flew, Wilbur recorded his flight time with a stopwatch (Hunt and Stearns, 1923). Using the distance measurement from the anemometer, and the elapsed time from the stopwatch, they were able to calculate their speed. Strapping the anemometer to the wing of the aircraft further refined this speed measurement technique. Rubber tubing was then used to connect the anemometer to an indicator in the cockpit known as an air log. Variable suction was produced based on the anemometers speed of rotation. The resulting suction deflected the needle inside the air log to produce a reading. Unfortunately, the reading it produced was not airspeed. Separate elapsed time measurements still had to taken and combined with the air log reading to calculate air speed. Airspeed would not be readily calculated until new equipment using a commutator-condenser was devised. The new equipment employed a commutator-condenser unit that worked similar to an electrical motor, only in reverse. By connecting it to a spinning anemometer, varying levels of current were produced that could be displayed on an ammeter. Improvements to this technology was made by incorporating a timing signal with the electrical output to produce a true measurement of air speed (Beij, 1933). In fact, this measurement was still not a true measure of air speed but a measure of indicated airspeed. To measure true air speed, accurate compensations for altitude and temperature needed to be made, and differential speed measurement instruments would be better suited to this task. Worldwide experimentation with measurement instruments that collected air pressure to determine airspeed had begun. The most common system designs used funnel like collectors known as pitot tubes positioned facing forward on the aircrafts wing to collect the maximum amount of air possible. Care was taken to ensure the pitot tubes were placed away from any propeller generated air stream disturbances that might corrupt their air collection. An additional air collection device named a venturi was positioned perpendicular to the forward flow of air to capture the ambient or static air pressure (Hunt and Stearns, 1923). Both of the separate pressure inputs were routed via metal tubing to an indicator gauge that subtracted the static pressure from the pitot pressure to produce a dynamic pressure (Siberry, pg. 49). The resultant dynamic pressure inside the gauge actuated levers, and wheels to drive an indicator needle. A measurement scale was drawn on the face of the indicator and the speed of travel could be found by reading the needles position against the scale. These systems were known as differential for their subtraction of the static and dynamic pressures. Furthermore, they proved to be a great improvement over early anemometer based measurement instruments because of their flexibility. Eventually, scales were devised that allowed the pilot to calculate appropriate altitude and temperature offsets to produce true airspeed readings (TAS) (Hunt and Stearns, 1923). Once the offset was found it could be dialed in to airspeed indicator to display TAS. Certainly the airspeed indicator has greatly improved the pilots ability to navigate at night and during periods of poor visibility by making use of DR. Nonetheless; one should not become complacent to the measurements they provide. Today with the advent of integrated systems that arbitrarily use airspeed data provided to them to calculate flight control inputs, it is even more important for the pilot to challenge instrument readings that fall outside expected limits. Undoubtedly the airspeed indicator provides vital information to pilots about the aircrafts ability to maintain lift and has had a dramatic impact on flight safety. Moreover, the airspeed indicator has proven to be a valuable tool in the prevention of pilot SD. Its ability to detect increases in airspeed is far superior to that of any pilot relying on perception alone. Today, precision flight instruments are a reality, and yet pilots still suffer from SD, primarily from their inability to use them. Being without flight instruments and being unable to use them are one in the same. Therefore, the importance of past instrument development can be inferred from a recent study. The study involved accidents from 1987-1996 that implicated spatial disorientation as their cause, and it revealed that 90 percent of them resulted in fatalities. As a rule, these accidents involved non instrument-rated pilots caught in instrument meteorological conditions that became disorientated and lost control of their aircraft. This loss of control resulted from their inability to use their flight instruments and over come their LSA (Air Safety Foundation, 1999). Without doubt, heading and airspeed instruments combined with adequate training to use them are critical to pilot safety and the prevention of LSA. To further safeguard pilots from LSA, instruments that could accurately indicate altitude were required. Altitude The early pilots only tools for estimating his height above the ground was his eyes. He made use of the eyes ability to detect changes in the size of objects as he flew to estimate his altitude (Hawkins, 1987). In addition, the eyes capability for detecting subtle changes in the texture of the landscape below provided him with altitude clues, also the eyes inherent binocular nature afforded him a certain degree of depth perception. Unfortunately, for these techniques to be remotely accurate perfect weather conditions and daylight were needed. Flying in the darkness and relying on bonfires, and beacons for navigational cues was a difficult task. Subsequently, focusing on the distant flickering lights against a black background could result in vertigo and cause LSA (Haines, 1992). An altitude indicator, resistant to mans sensory flaws was required to further combat pilot LSA. Like the compass, altitude-measuring equipment were also used in a variety of fields before the first heavier-t han-air flight. Subsequently, the first altitude-measuring instruments used by aviators were adaptations of the aneroid barometer used by meteorologists. These early altitude indicators were of two types barograph, and altimeter (Hersey, 1923). The barograph was a precise instrument that contained a gradually rotating cylinder with paper on it. Changes in atmospheric pressure would force a pen attached to the aneroid to move up and down in relation to the pressure changes. The changes in pressure would then be recorded by the pen throughout the flight (Williams, 1999). It is no surprise that the barograph did not catch on as a permanent flight instrument and was primarily used to test and calibrate more practical altitude indicators like the altimeter. Early altimeter were nothing more than a modified aneroid barometer, displaying altitude rather than air pressure. Following in the footsteps of pioneering balloonists aviators simply changed the scale on the barometer from a measure of pressure to a measure of height above the ground, subsequently giving birth to the first aviation altimeters in the process. Bimetallic strips were incorporated inside the sealed unit of the altimeter to compensate for changes in temperature that could cause inaccurate readings. Later the simple dial and needle style altimeters grew more complex. Some made use of movable dials to compensate for daily variations in atmospheric pressure, and others allowed the pilot to input a pressure compensation factor (Mears, 1923). However, the overall indicator design changed very little-a simple rotating needle from zero to the maximum operating altitude of the aircraft, or the current theoretical safe maximum altitude. The pilot now had a tool that could be used in any weather and at any time of day accurately to indicate his altitude. For example, the altimeter in conjunction with navigational charts dramatically improved the pilots SA by making him ware of potential collision hazards. As aircraft engines became more powerful, and airframe construction materials improved, high altitude flights became more frequent. The single needle display of the altimeter evolved to one that used three pointers to better cope with the range of higher altitudes. The longest of three pointers indicated hundreds of feet, the medium one indicated thousands of feet, and the smallest one indicated tens of thousands of feet (Siberry, pg. 60). The new device was intended to improve pilot SA by making it easier for him to read a broader range of altitudes and readily identify possible hypoxic environments. Despite the good intentions of its designers, the three-pointer altimeter became a liability. The mingled hands of the indicator was difficult to decipher, and in environments that would not allow the pilots eye to linger over any one instrument for too long, mistakes were made. A P-47 pilots testimony from a combat mission dramatically emphasizes this point. I was flying at 25,000 feet on my first combat mission, but had mistakenly read the hands on my altimeter and was under the impression that I was at 35,000 feet. I called in some unidentified aircraft which were level with our formation and, consequentially, actually at 25,000 feet. Since I mistakenly reported them at 35,000 feet, they were believed to be enemy aircraft à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a good deal of confusion resulted. I believe some improvements could be made in our present altimeter (Sinaiko, 1961). His words proved to be very profound. However, the three-pointer and other altimeters relying on multiple pointers were in use for over 50 years before safer ones that incorporated drums or digital displays numerically to represent the altitude replaced them. Altitude indicators have proven to be a useful addition to the pilots arsenal in his battle with SD and LSA. Nonetheless, the altimeter was not a cure-all for overcoming mans sensory deficiencies. Just like the early compass, and airspeed indicators the re sulting benefits of the altimeter must be contemplated. CONCLUSION Without doubt, the evolution of basic heading, speed, and altitude indicating instruments has had a positive impact on pilot SD and LSA. Even today, this group of three instruments is of great importance for conducting safe flight operations under VFR conditions, and subsequently is the legal minimum requirement established by the Federal Aviation Administrations for private aircraft. At times, pilots have become complacent by placing total faith in their instruments, and have flagrantly refused to believe their own sensory inputs telling them that their equipment has failed. In addition, poor design has hindered the pilots ability to maximize their benefits. Although these occurrences are rare, grounds for concern exists when safety is at stake. However, these concerns should not overshadow the rewards brought by the evolution of cockpit instrumentation, and the rewards have been numerous. For example, aviation reaped the rewards of instrumentation and became a competitive mode of t ransportation with the advent of around-the-clock all weather flight capability. Additionally, the process of refining the integration between the pilot and these early instruments in the fledgling airborne environment served as catalyst for subsequent Human Factors research and development. Not only has this research positively impacted aviation safety, it has also contributed significantly to technological advancements gained refining SHEL model interfaces in other fields tackling man-machine integration dilemmas (Edwards, 1972). Today, problems still exist in mans ongoing marriage with machine but fortunately, they can, and will be reconciled with further application of human factors engineering intervention.is