Dialogue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dialogue - Assignment Example In essence, the term described the groundbreaking cultural shift from uniqueness to seriality, from authenticity to replication, and from the original artwork to its inherent soulless mechanical copy. Me: As far as the communication and journalism is concerned, the concept has come under serious criticism, especially the lack of clear-cut and stable categorization from your writings (Benjamin 23). Indeed, a portion of the critics suggests that your writings provoke multivalent and ambiguous, rather than offering neat shorthand for transition from the traditional to modern culture. Your take please? Benjamin: Well, I think their basis for criticism is rather vague. In my essay The Work and Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility, I specifically emphasize on the concept of aura and the decline of photography, similar to other technological innovations. Further, I challenge the uniqueness and originality of photography due to the unprecedented replications. Benjamin: A programmatic analysis of the essay that I previously mentioned will show that I present the relationship between photography and aura as a clear-cut opposition. Thus, photography, as a medium of mechanical reproduction, is among the driving forces behind the decline, and thus destruction, of aura. I clearly assert that the element that withers in the era of technological reproducibility of artwork is its aura. In essence, the process is symptomatic, and perhaps extends beyond the boundaries of art. This is because photographic reproduction of original works of art endows them with accessibility and mobility, thus altering their fundamental mode of reception (Benjamin 24). In this regard therefore, the contemplation characteristic of the traditional spaces of museum and gallery submits to an eagerness for control and possession. Me: That is a very sensational explanation.

Wearable and performance technology is surging to fashion industry Essay

Wearable and performance technology is surging to fashion industry - Essay Example Products that are both wearable and smart gadgets are used to monitor the emotions and the activity of the user (Gaimster, 2012, 170). The second is the medical and health care category. In this category, the devices require the approval of the FDA or an equivalent body, relative to the country in which the products are on sale. These devices assist in monitoring the user’s vital signs as well as the augmentation of the wearer’s senses (Editorialist, n.d., n.p.). The third is the military and industrial category. In this category, the performance and wearable technology has the ability to transmit and receive real-time data in both industrial and military environments. The fourth category is infotainment. Products under this category have the ability to transmit and receive real-time information for purposes of entertainment as well as espouse the enhancement of the wearer’s lifestyle (SportTechie, n.d., n.p.). To find out more on the employment of technology in fashion, the researcher shall undertake a primary research through use of questionnaires. These questionnaires will contain structured questions that will enable the respondent to provide their opinion on the effects of performance and wearable technology on different sectors in the economy, including the fashion industry. The respondents will be selected from the fashion industry to enable the researcher to acquire relevant information concerning the effects of technology in fashion. The questionnaire to be used for the primary research is attached to this document. Performance and wearable technology has contributed considerably to the development of fitness and wellness, especially through the devices that assist in monitoring an individual’s physical development (Scaturro, 2008, 471). The demand for Performance and wearable technology products in this category comes from professional athletes, managers of corporate wellness programs as well as consumers of recreational fitness.

The Importance Of Education In Malaysia Education Essay

The Importance Of Education In Malaysia Education Essay Education in Malaysia has gone through extensive changes throughout the years. These constant changes or reforms are carried out with perhaps only one vision in mind, and that is to improve the current existing teaching and learning procedures in schools and higher institutions of learning. Such action highlights the governments endless efforts in trying to improve the quality of education for its people. After a decade into the New Millennium, the education scenario is more pressed to undertake even more improvements in trying to cope with the demands and expectations of education in the 21st century. We can no longer be satisfied with what we have, but instead there is a need to constantly compare ourselves to that of more developed nations, and this is especially true with the field of education. This is to ensure that our people will be able to compete internationally in this borderless world. This is very much in-line with the vision of our longest-serving Prime Minister Tun Mahathir Mohammad. Tun, back in the 90s shared his vision and dreams for this nation through Wawasan 2020 or Vision 2020. According to his article Malaysia on Track Vision 2020, as a doctor he is attracted to the optometrist measurement of Vision 2020 which indicates 100 percent perfect vision. He further explains that Vision 2020 in relation to the future of this country would be the quest for Malaysia to have clear vision of our future as in where we want heading and what we want to be in the New Millennium. As Malaysia plans to transform into fully-developed nation, education becomes the priority of the government since it is one of the most powerful entities that would determine the success or failure of the nation. The future of any country depends on its people. It is therefore important to ensure that everyone is equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills and values to survive in this highly competitive and globalised world which is impacted by rapid development in science, technology and information. The importance of education has become more paramount especially in our Nations process of moving from an economy-based on labor-intensive and lower-end manufactured products to k-economy or knowledge economy. The Ministry of Education (MOE) and The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) are two bodies which are responsible in ensuring that nation is moving towards the specified target. This is clearly outlined in the 2 key thrusts under the National mission (Mid-term Review of Ninth, 2008); Thrust 2: to raise capacity for knowledge and innovation and nurture first class mentality. Thrust 3: to address persistent socio-economic inequalities constructively and productively. In line with the drive towards developing the nations K-Economy, the current economical trend is to focus on the advancement and rise in emphasis on the area of science and technology. As a measure to achieve this vision, the government has adopted a holistic approach in Malaysian education system by emphasizing on mastery knowledge, intellectual capital and developing technology and entrepreneurial skills. Since science and technology play a major role in contributing to a more developed nation, the government seems to give more emphasis on teaching and learning process of science in the primary, secondary and higher education. It is coherent with Malaysias aim which to produce more experts in science or in general to produce a future generation of intellectuals. Therefore, as science educators, it is important to be aware of the demand of the nation. There is a need to ensure that the teaching and learning process is focused in producing individuals who fulfill the governments aspiration. Hence, it requires teachers to have passion, creativity, intelligence and determination to make sure that the delivery of knowledge is truly effective. Among other things, methods in teaching, teachers knowledge and performances are frequently being observed to ensure that teachers remain excellent in their teaching. This is because; teachers play a major role in ensuring the effectiveness and the success of the actual delivery and implementation of the Malaysian curriculum. Therefore, when planning a lesson, teachers need to be aware of the objectives of the curriculum by incorporating good content values into the lesson, implement the curriculum designed by the ministry and at the end of it all, assess the outcomes of the curriculum. But it is not enough to focus only on the teacher without looking at the relevancy of the Malaysian science curriculum, which actually contributes to the success or failure of science education. In fact, it is actually a major issue that is constantly discussed among science educators and academicians in Malaysia. Is the Malaysian science curriculum measurable to that of the standards of other countries? This is pertinent question that needs to be answered. Therefore it would be useful to compare Malaysian science curriculum with other developed countries in order to determine the standard of Malaysian curriculum. 1.1 Background of Study This comparative study between the Malaysian science curriculum and the Steiner Waldorf in science curriculum was conducted primarily to gain insights on the much-researched and discussed about Steiner curriculum. Having experienced the Malaysian science curriculum and after pursuing an honors degree in science education, the researcher is very familiar with the countrys science education curriculum, especially issues pertaining to its content and pedagogical approach. However, the researcher is with the opinion that new knowledge of new educational curriculum can be useful in ensuring better quality of science education. This is important in view of providing the best in science in the context of Malaysian schools. In view of trying to improve the existing curriculum it would be interesting to find out the standard of Malaysian science curriculum in comparison to other developed countries. This is important to ensure that our students will be able to compete globally. Comparative study of curriculum across countries provides background information about how to understand existing strengths and weaknesses of the present curriculum (Moosa Che Azura Che An, n.d). Therefore, this research can suggest ways to help students to perform in the subject of science and also help science teachers in their teaching. This is crucial as over the past few years, there have been a lot of problems discussed about the Malaysian science curriculum and the major part of the discussion revolves around the teaching and learning process. As a result, it raised the researchers interest to look into the matter so that the researcher could discover ways to improve the Malaysian science curriculum in order to create effective lessons yet in enjoyable environment for the students to learn science. In Malaysia, the idea associated with science education is intended to be in-line with existing policies which is specifically to prepare students for examination. There are a few officially recommended practices for science teaching such as constructivist teaching, mastery learning, science process skills, thinking skills, and metacognition, self-directed, self-paced and self-assessed learning and others that, if carried out properly can ensure the successful and effective lessons. Current thinking in science is looking towards a paradigm that is more inclusive of the diversity that exists in our life-worlds (Revathi, R et al, 2003). Science is also perceived as a process of meaning-making and countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia and South Africa (Aikenhead, 2000) are implementing science teaching approaches that incorporate learners cultural and linguistic bearings. For example the science classroom needs to be one that is interesting and multi-discursive which pe rmits the teacher and students to work together in creating knowledge. However, such an approach or a feature is not common in the Malaysian science curriculum. The idea to produce a generation that is ideally competent in science seems difficult and this seems to suggest that there is need for Malaysian science curriculum to be reviewed. From the objectives of the curriculum to the issues of assessment, everything becomes crucial and needs thorough reevaluation. The features and function of science discourse include formulating hypotheses, designing investigations, collecting data, drawing conclusions and communicating results (Chamot OMalley, 1994) and these are the skills which are basically being emphasized by the teacher in the classroom. Sadly, the application is not obvious in the students daily life especially in the context of Malaysia. By conducting this research, the researcher hopes to be able to get some insights into the Steiner Waldorf curriculum and the Malaysian science curriculum. Having done this, it is hoped that the research suggestions may highlight existing gaps in curricular, pedagogical or other aspects through comparison between Malaysian science curriculum with Steiner Waldorf education. From the suggestions made, hopefully the teaching and learning of science will be more effective and more enjoyable for the students. By having a good time in learning science through effective methods employed by the teacher, the researcher believes that it will help students to perform better in all the science subjects and at the same time acquire scientific knowledge in a wider perspective. Apart from that, it will also help to produce all rounded students as outlined in the National Education Philosophy. 1.2 Statement of the Problem The Integrated Curriculum for Secondary School (Kurrikulum Bersepadu Sekolah Menengah, KBSM) is the continuation of the New Primary School Curriculum (Kurikulum Baru Sekolah Rendah, KBSR). This change in the curriculum structure is the governments strategy to shift the emphasis of education that existed in 1970s to a more contemporary holistic concept of learning that encompasses moral, religious, social, physical, and intellectual development of a person (Rosnani.H, 2004). In science education, holistic education aims to produce students who are able to relate the content that they learned in the classroom to their daily life. It refers to their ability to use scientific thinking and processes in a wider context so that it will highlight the effectiveness of the KBSM which subscribes to the principles of lifelong learning. After having informal interviews with a few seniors teachers and lectures with science education background, the researcher found out that Malaysian science curri culum somehow does not support the holistic education as being mentioned and fails to achieve the intended outcomes. The following is the opinion given by the senior lecturer who was interviewed by the researcher; My hunch is the general population of the students does not relate what they learn to everyday situation because many studies have shown that students do not like science and they find science isolated or do not associate with them. So we can infer from that the students do not related what they learned nor practice their scientific attitudes. (personal communication) This is further supported by the results of Trends in International Math Science, TIMMS assessment in science taken by Malaysian students in 2003. The TIMMS assessment is designed to help to improve students learning in math and science where the assessment generally focuses on the students mathematics and science skills. In the assessment, our students scored an average of 504 which exceeds the international average of 474 (Martin et al, 2004) and placed Malaysia to be at 19th out of 44 participating countries. The performance actually is not truly impressive if compared to the performance of students from other developing countries in Asia pacific such as Singapore Chinese-Taipei and Republic of Korea. The line of argument is what are the aspects that lacking in Malaysian students since those nations secured the top 3 placing and therefore have clearly performed better than our students. Another interesting insight which the researcher gathered through informal interviews with the senior teachers and lectures, as well as his personal experience as a science student and in-service teacher is the fact that Malaysian education system gives too much focus on examination. In order to survive in the Malaysian education system, students need to excel in public examinations (UPSR, PMR, SPM). Somehow the situation affects teaching and learning process which is a part of the curriculum. Teachers admitted that the focus is only to finish the syllabus within the time allocated by the school administration. Through informal interviews with the students, the researcher also discovered that students think it is easier for them to focus and prepare themselves for the examination instead of engaging in meaningful learning. The researcher also found out that because of the need to finish up the syllabus, the lessons were not conducted properly by teachers. Teachers rarely make reflections on their teaching. Even though the accomplishment of the objective and learning outcomes are the measurement to a successful lesson in Malaysian education system; most of the time, teachers do not have attempt to find out whether their students have actually acquired the specified learning outcomes. An effective science classroom should be able to make students think and process the knowledge received in the classroom. Ironically, the scenario does not happen in most Malaysian classrooms. Because of the examination matter, the researcher believes that teachers tend to neglect their method in teaching science. In true fact, a science class should be filled with interesting and varying activities so that students will enjoy the class. However, in reality most science lessons, more often than not, are not only plain and d ull but also could kill students excitement in learning the subject. This is another concern of the researcher since there is a tendency that the situation mentioned above could cause the students to lose interest in learning science. The Steiner Waldorf education is similar to the Malaysian education system in terms of its emphasis on the development of human beings and in the provision of holistic education. What is different is in terms of the implementation and the effectiveness of the curriculum. Scieffer and Busse (2001) in their research discovered that the students from Steiner school did better than students in state school in United States. Other research (Easton, 1997; Oberman, 1997; Uhrmacher, 1993b) also suggested a positive relationship between Steiner school education, learning and students achievement. Moreover, research on Steiner education also mentioned about consistency of Steiner students performance in National test from 2000 to 2004. Ogletree (2000) in investigating the creative ability among the students in England, Scotland and Germany through the use of Torrance Test of Creative Thinking Ability; found that generally Steiner school students obtained significantly higher creativity scores than their state school peers. It actually reflects the effectiveness of the emphasis on creativity in Steiner curriculum. Jalinek and Sun (2003) in research that they conducted which aimed to compare the education in Steiner and mainstream schools revealed that, the Steiner children who tested in logical reasoning and science activity which developed by TIMMS international comparative study performed better than students from other schools. The scientific reasoning of Steiner school students was found to be outstanding. The research suggested that the result of the test is actually influenced by the culture of the Steiner education which taught less content to the students and the Steiner education itself creates less examination pressure to the students. Indeed, the Steiner Waldorf science curriculum has its own unique approach and method which proved to encourage effective learning. Such a situation ceases to exist in the Malaysian science curriculum. It is with this problem in mind that the researcher has decided to embark on this comparative research study with the hope to draw on some of the best practices to be incorporated into Malaysian classroom. 1.3 Research Objectives The main objective of the research is to compare the Malaysian education and Steiner Waldorf education in science curriculum with respect to objective, content, implementation or instruction and the assessment. In comparing both curriculums, the researcher wish to find out the characteristics of Steiner education science classroom and wish to look at their strengths and uniqueness which is present and try to see how this is different from the Malaysian science curriculum. From the data gathered, a thorough analysis will be made by the researcher, and the findings of the research could be the basis for the researcher to give suggestions for the betterment of Malaysian science curriculum as well as to bridge the gap between these two curriculums. Research Questions Two research questions are as follows: What are the characteristics of Steiner Waldorf science class? How does the Steiner Waldorf science curriculum differ from the Malaysian Secondary Science Curriculum with respect to their objectives, content, implementation/instruction, and evaluation/assessment? 1.4 Significance of the Study This research aims to look at the Malaysian science curriculum. By doing this, it will help us to have a clear picture of how a curriculum functions and at the same time, it allows us to measure the success of the curriculum. Many teachers have expressed their discontentment over current problems faced by the teachers and students in science education, and the blame is usually on the ineffectiveness of the curriculum. This is an alarming problem as it could affect the number of students who are interested in science subjects and if this happens, Malaysia will actually sway from its efforts to achieve Vision 2020. This comparative study of the Malaysian science curriculum and the Steiner science curriculum is crucial in realizing our dreams of producing human beings who know their ability and self-potential. This is the core value stressed in the Steiner Waldorfs curriculum which aims to provide learners with meaningful learning and turn them into deep learner. Steiner Waldorf students are encouraged to generate creative ideas and this indirectly nurtures the students to be critical thinkers. Therefore it is very crucial for the researcher to find out in what aspects that the Malaysian science curriculum can be improved by adapting the Steiner Waldorf education. Hopefully, the findings of the comparative research will help to improve science education in Malaysian schools. 1.5 Research Limitations Time constraint is the major limitations of this research. The researcher believes it is ideal to have longer time for the researcher to collect data regarding Steiner Waldorf education in United Kingdom, UK. Longer period of study will able the researcher to do observations in greater depth and visit more schools to be included in study. Instead of time constraint, monetary is also one of the limitations in this research. Since the research was funded by the university, the researcher has to complete the process of data collection within the stipulated time. However, what is done by the researcher is sufficient to have a general picture of the difference between the two curriculums. 1.6 Scope of Study The focus of the research is only to compare the Malaysian education and Steiner Waldorf science curriculum. This study involved data collected from one school in Plymouth and a Steiner Waldorf Department in University of Plymouth. Since this is a preliminary comparative study of these two curriculums, focus will briefly highlight the four parts of the curriculum which is the objectives, contents, implementation and the assessment of both curriculums. However, extra emphasis will be given on the implementation and assessment procedure as compared to the first two parts in the curriculum. Though it would have been ideal to be able to carry out observation and interviews in more schools across the UK, these two chose are sufficient to give a clear preliminary picture of what Steiner Waldorf education involves. 1.7 Operational Definition Malaysian science curriculum Malaysian science curriculum refers to science curriculum which developed and implemented in Malaysia for secondary level. However, in order to show the continuation and the development or progression of this curriculum the researcher wills sometime highlights the science curriculum at the primary level. Steiner Waldorf Education Steiner Waldorf Education refers to the education that founded by the Rudolf Steiner in 1919. This education is worldwide and does not refers or belong to a specific country. The part of this education that being discuss in this research is its science curriculum. Science Education Science can be defined as knowledge attained through study or practice, or knowledge covering general truths of the operation of general laws, especially as obtained and tested through scientific method and concerned with the physical world. It may also refer as a system of acquiring knowledge where the system uses observation and experimentation to describe and explain about natural phenomena. Science also term which can refer to the organized body of knowledge people has gained using that system. Therefore, the term science education that been using in this research refers to the process of educating science to the students or may refers to the field of science itself. Which the field of science in education that being discussed in this research covers the major branches in science such as biology, physics, chemistry, general science and natural science. Source: Websters New Collegiate Dictionary cited in http://www.sciencemadesimple.com 1.8 Conclusion As a conclusion, review and reform in Malaysian science curriculum is necessary or perhaps a need as we refer to the current educations condition in Malaysia. It has been 53 years that Malaysia achieved its independence, and throughout the 53 years, Malaysia had gone through lots of transformation and changes. However, the researcher believes that, in order for Malaysia to reach to the level of developed country, education should be the foundation of the aspiration. Education in Malaysia requires more changes as well as ideal and realistic policies and implementation, so that it will be able to produce human capitals that are scientific, knowledgeable and competent.

Pollution and Environment Essay - Overpopulation and Personal Responsib

Overpopulation and Personal Responsibility Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of having a large family when I was older. I envied friends with three or four siblings. I’d proudly tell anyone I was going to have six children when I grew up. Now, I’m a little older, and still far away from making that decision, my conscious will still face a looming dilemma. With my knowledge negative impacts caused by overpopulation, how can I deliberately have a large family, while upholding my environmentalist values? Over the past few years I’ve found myself paying particular attention to articles about overpopulation, foreign adoption, and infertility caused by environmental factors. The older I get, the more stories I hear of friends and family members having infertility problems. Their only two options are heavy fertility drugs or waiting on long lists for adoption. I have read many articles and books relating infertility to environmental factors. I often wonder if nature is just trying to balance itself out. At one time, a large family was needed for security or free labor. Now, with the rise of social security, child labor laws, and overall quality of life, children are not a necessity in this country. Some Americans do not realize overpopulation is even a problem. According to the Population Resource Bureau, American population grew by 10% from 1990 to 1999. In addition to the strain on government spending in some cases (through welfare and other support) large families may also have a significant impact on urban sprawl and other environmental issues. The article Facts, Not Fear, contained a section about China’s strict one child policy. Although arguably necessary in China, as an American I cannot even imagine th... ...f overpopulation. In our lives, and the lives of our children we have seen and will continue to see the harsh effects of population growth. The projected numbers are scary. Projections show a doubling rate of 51 years for world population at current growth rates. At this pace, our children will see twice as many people who need support from our planet. We each do our own part, however small it may seem, the huge issue may become smaller and smaller. Eventually, either we will stabilize our growth, or nature will do it for us. References Cutter, Fenwick and Fenwick. (1991). Exploitatoin, conservation, and preservation, 2nd edition. John White & Sons. Population Reference Bureau. www.prb.org. 28 March. 2001 Sanera, M. & Shaw, J. (1996). Facts, not fear: a parentà ¢s guide to teaching children about the environment. Washington DC: Regency Publishing, Inc.

Therefore in dealing with knowledge the question of process

In the educational context programs are designed to enhance proper knowledge acquisition by the learner. In this connection the curriculum design should be enabling to meet the designed objectives. Therefore education can be referred to as acquisition of knowledge and skill that is passed from one generation to another.Therefore in dealing with knowledge the question of process of knowledge transmission precedes the question of knowledge acquisition[1]. This is because learning is a gradual process and therefore it must be guided well to yield desired goals and objectives. However after designing the curriculum that is used to pass knowledge, there is a need to find out if the designed curriculum is achieving the purpose designed for.The main reason for evaluating an educational instruction is because of the accountability purposes to the public, investors and the government to assure these stakeholders that there investment is worthy their investment.But in order to attain that exce llence in education sector, the instructors need to be given special education that enhances their competencies in administering the educational institutions in the country. Therefore the in –servicing programs continue to vary due to varied academic discipline each requiring special attention from the other.Therefore this enhances the head of institutions to be up dated with the new skills since knowledge is never static but dynamic. But the outstanding issue is not about diverse programmes that are offered and their usefulness but their effectiveness in meeting the designed purpose. In order to establish their resultant effect on the education, there is need to evaluate them.Therefore to evaluate in-service training programme for headassistances there is a specific design that ought to be employed [2]so that the result obtained can be valid and trustworthy data to the program funders, decision makers and policy maker, so that they can establish programme results, impacts an d socio-economical consequences. Therefore in the following section it shall develop a formulated plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the in-service training programme for headassistances in the country.Evaluation planThe evaluation plan shall cover all relevant areas that test the instruction if it has aspects that enable education leaders to possess the necessary skills and experiences to conduct and manage education based activities. The plan should involve evaluation framework, Procedures for managing and monitoring the evaluation, Evaluating participant outcome objectives—procedures and methods and Evaluating implementation objectives — procedures and methods components as detailed below.1.0Â   Evaluation frameworkThe evaluation frame work shall address what shall be evaluated in the programme set up[3]. The components shall have a dimension of what is going to be evaluated, main question to be addressed in the evaluation process and the time frame of the evalu ation.1.1Â   What to be evaluatedThis shall focus on the programme of instruction design. Mostly it will cover programme model for the in-service training programme of the education leaders. The evaluation questions shall be designed to unveil the assumption about the target population, the interventions used and the immediate, intermediate and final outcomes of the programme.Secondly, the programme implementation objectives shall be examined. This shall be attained by a statement of objectives in general and measurable terms which highlights what, how and who shall do what in evaluation process. In addition to that the participating population and recruitment strategy shall be inclusive.For instance the possible evaluation objective can be to establish effectiveness of the education leaders in-servicing. The third component shall include the participant outcome objectives that must be in definite and measurable terms. The fourth aspect to incorporated at this level shall be the co ntext of evaluation[1] Charles Hakim, (2003), Research design, London; Blackwell, pp.34 [2] Remsen Barrick, Robert Powell, (1996), Assessing needs and planning in-service education for vocational education teachers, London; Routledge, pp.82[3] Charles Hakim, (2003), Research design, London; Blackwell, pp. 131

How Ian Mcmillan Conveys His Attitudes Towards the Death of His Mother Essay

McMillan uses harsh words throughout the poem to show his grief and remorse at his mothers death. Words like â€Å"shatters† link with how he is feeling, like everything is broken and cannot be repaired. This word makes us imagine something broken into lots of tiny pieces which can’t be put back together again, and it helps us to understand how broken and jumbled up he is feeling. The word â€Å"slap† when talking about â€Å"the tears (that) slap my torn face† insinuates the idea that he is in physical pain, that the emotional pain he feels is is so strong that he physically hurts. In the first stanza, we find out about his mothers death. Enjambment is used to speed up the pace of the poem, and show how quickly someone’s whole live can change, like in the phraseâ€Å"In the moment it takes a life to pass/ from waking to sleeping† The phrase â€Å"from waking to sleeping† highlights the opposites in what he and his mother are doing, as she passes from life to death. The word ‘sleeping’ creates quiet a gentle image, and suggests that her death was not unexpected, and perhaps was drawn out and painful. Sleep is a very relaxed and calm time, the only time when the human mind can escape from problems in the day, so perhaps the idea of his mother falling asleep is comforting, like she has now stopped suffering and can rest happy. The second stanza uses a lot of words relating to the senses, to help us understand how McMillan is feeling. The sentence â€Å"outside a milk float chinks and shines† shows that the world is carrying on as normal, despite the fact that McMillan’s world has personally just stopped. The rhyming pattern throughout this poem is abab, but in this stanza the words â€Å"mine† and â€Å"shines† are meant to rhyme, but the fact that they don;t fully rhyme represents the disorientation he is feeling upon finding out about his mothers death, and perhaps also shows how nothing is quite right any more. Also, the word ‘drones’ when describing a plane has been used to represent the deep grief he is feeling, and makes us feel like he has completely given up. In the third stanza McMillan seems to be describing a state of shock that he has fallen in to, which is quite a normal reaction when a loved one dies. McMillan describes his tears to ‘slap’ his ‘torn face’; as well as ‘slap’ being a raw and aggressive word, the way he describes his face as ‘torn’ perhaps suggests that it was his mother who held him together, and now, without her, he is broken. This helps us to realise how important his mother was to him, which makes us sympathise for him a lot and evokes a feeling of empathy when we put ourselves in his position. McMillan says he feels ‘trapped’, like he is trapped by his own emotion and although it’s up to him to find a way out of this dark place, he can’t see an escape. This shows how alone and scared he is feeling knowing his motherr is no longer around and also makes us think how panicked he must be feeling, as we would be if we were trapped somewhere. The word ‘float’ makes us think that McMillan is no longer in control of his emotions, that what he is feeling is unstoppable, but also it instigates the sense that nothing seems quite normal around him, and that he is detached from reality. The final stanza is a rhyming couplet that summarises the grief and emptiness and the lack of will to go on without his mother. â€Å"Feeling that the story ends just here† conveys the idea that there isn’t a story to continue without his mother, showing how depressed McMillan is feeling, like he has reached a dead end in his life.