Listening Essay Example for Free

Listening Essay The skill of listening is a talent that many people disregard or take for granted. Not many people realize that the way to find the window into the soul of another is not through any of the other senses except the sense of hearing. By listening to another person and allowing that person to bare his or her soul, one can learn so much more about another and arrive at a better, deeper and more complete understanding of who the person really is. The intricacies of the soul are revealed when one actually listens to another. While all of the other senses have their own advantages, it is only the sense of hearing that allows a person to know how another person is feeling. It is the only sense that allows a person to find out what is happening in another part of the world. It can actually see farther than our eyes and allow us to know accurately what goes on in other places. All the senses of the human body are designed to do one thing, receive input that the brain will eventually process. The listening, as a manner of exercising the sense of hearing, is a manner by which a person is able to gain input with regard to his surroundings and more importantly other people. People communicate mainly through speech. While there are some traits, feelings, emotions and thoughts that can be conveyed through other means, the primary mode of communicating still remains to be through speech and the only way of understanding speech is by listening. Communication is the method by which people interact with others. It involves not only an exchange of ideas but also involves a certain degree of trust or confidence. That is the reason why listening is so relevant because it allows people to communicate with each other. Speaking is but one part of the communication process. The other part is listening. There is certainly no doubt that listening is a skill that many people are capable of doing but is sadly something that not everyone does. While most humans are equipped with the sense of hearing, there are still those who can hear but cannot listen. They may be able to hear every single word that has been said to them but they cannot always be considered as listening. The next question that must be asked is how one can actually listen or become a better listener. Listening is not simply nodding one’s head and hearing what another person is saying but requires that a person actually pay careful attention to the words of another. It requires that the listener to do more than just absorb whatever the speaker has to say but in certain instances requires that the listener react in such a way as to encourage the speaker to bring out more. Listening is a way of reassuring the speaker that there is somebody for him to talk to who listens to him. It is a way of communicating various feelings to another person without the use of words. In order to become a good listener or to develop one’s listening skills, it is not important that the person is genuinely interested in the other or what the other has to say since the purpose of communication and listening is indeed to come to a better understanding of another person. The thing that is required in order to develop good listening skills is in being able to know when to simply just â€Å"shut up and listen. There is a certain timing that is needed in listening because listening may often be confused with boredom or disinterest by certain people. One has to know when to simply just nod one’s head or smile instead of opening one’s mouth to say something. This is the most important step at becoming a good listener. It is hard to imagine a world where nobody actually listened or paid any attention to other people. It would probably be a sad world filled with the endless monologue from the unending conversations of people who have nobody to listen to them. The people of the world would arguably be much sadder too since there would be nobody to listen to their problems or help them vent their frustrations. It is not hard to see just how important the skill of listening is. It is also thankfully not hard to become a better listener. The next time somebody says something, try not to respond right away. Think, learn and feel first and by doing do listening to what the other has to say. If man had learned this skill earlier, think of all the wars and bloodshed that mankind could have avoided by simply listening to what the other had to say.

La Vida de un Imigrante :: essays research papers

La Vida de un Imigrante   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  La dificultad de la vida de un imigrante es inmensa. Las razones por la cual migren pueden ser por mejorar su situatcià ³n social, econà ³mica, 'o acadà ©mica. Nunca es fà ¡cil adaptarse a otro sistema cultural. El Lenguaje y la forma de vida son algunas transecciones que es necesario hacer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Alberto es uno de los muchos Dominicanos que deciden migrar a los Estados Unidos. Su situacià ³n en la Repà ºblica Dominicana era muy desgradable, y la paciencia de esperar por sus papeles fueron disminuyendo. Con esto en mente el decide hacer en viaje a Puerto Rico por via del canal de la Mona. Para muchos Dominicanos esto significa la mitad del camino. Al estar en la isla de Puero Rico el esperava movimiento del mercado bajo para papeles 'o matrimonio para la misma razà ³n. Despuà ©s de sietà © mesà ©s Alberto llegà ³ ha los Estados Unidà ³s con papeles ilegales.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Su vida aquà ­ le a salido muy difà ­cil. Su mayor problema ha sido conseguir trabajo. La situacià ³n de empleo en este paà ­s esta en malos momentos, pero para un imigrante es el doble de peor. El no puede conseguir un trabsjo que no seà ¡ en una factoria 'o de limpeza. La razà ³n principal es porque no domina el Inglà ©s al nivel que hay que diminarlo.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Su dominià ³ del Inglà ©s es su segundo problema. No solà ³ lo impidà © en obtener empleo, pero tambien de conozer otras personas en genà ©ral. El me decà ­a que el se desesperaba, pero no se volvà ­a loco. La mayorà ­a del tiempo se la pasaba en the computadora, y viendo la televicià ³n. Con el tiempo encontro refugio en su familia, pero todavà ­a despuà ©s de tanto tiempo sin salir, el se sentà ­a aislado.

How far did the Zollverein play a apart in the Unification of Germany? Essay

While the Zollverein itself was not a unifying force of the time, at least on its own, many things must be taken into account when questioning how far it futhered the road to unification. And to decide this, one must take look at its roots, and the reasons for its founding, before actually looking over its history. After the Napoleonic War, the various Germans states went into an industrial boom (especially after 1850) and some form of trade cohesion was going to be needed, if satsifactory trade were to take place within the states.One could hazard the comment that the need for such a thing was a precursor for unification, but it is a weak argument at best, with only a few supporters among the Historial Community. And although one cannot doubt that the original form of the Zollverein was very much the Kleindeutchland that Germany eventually came to be, it is still clear that the single states within the Zollverein were not neccessarily diplomatically linked, monetarily linked, or any such thing. This was seen clearly in 1866, when the Southern States rallied to aid Austria, despite their membership of the Zollverein. It is also possible to say that, left alone, the Zollverein would have had no major effect. But like with so many areas of German government, Bismarck used it to achieve his ends, along with his predecessors who knew that a Zollverein without Autria’s involvement would give Prussia economic power in the Confederation, to match the political and military sway of Austria. After 1848 (after the many uprisings across the Austrian Empire, which left her cripplied economically) it became even more important to stop Austria from joining, as Prussia’s power within the Confederation continued to increase, and Bismarck did this the most actively, through a series of trade agreements with Belgium, England and Italy, which were based on the French traty of 1862. Bismarck used the Zollverein as one of the many tools in his foreign and domestic policy, to achieve his aims, yet remaining constantly under the spotlight as some National Liberal, who it became harder and harder to doubt or question, as time went on. The battle for the Zollverein, and thus economic control of Germany, was also important when looking at the build-up to the Austro-Prussian War. Bismarck convinced France to agree that any negotiations on the extension of the Franco/Prussian Free-trade agreement, in reference to the smaller states, would have to go through Berlin. This, Bismarck thought, would increase their dependence on Prussia, and thus allow Bismarck to renegotiate terms when the Zollverein was renewed in 1865, getting rid of the smaller states’ veto powers and suchlike. The other German states voted him out on this, making it impossible for him to use the Franco/Prussian treaty against them, and thus he switched tack. Still using the Zollverein, Bismarck threatened to dissolve it in 1865, and only renegotiate with the individual states, on acceptance of the Franco/Prussian treaty. He knew that there was no other choice, and watched in amusement as the Austrian attempt to form some kind of trading union failed, and on 12th October 1864 Bavaria, Wurrtemberg, Hesse-Darmstadt and Nassau all agreed toPrussia’s conditions for renewal of the Zollverein. And once again Austria was excluded, despite unrealistic promises to look into the matter in 1872, allowing Prussia to have a stronger power-base than it had ever had before. It is no chance that within two years, Austria and Prussia were to be at war, the growing economic power of Prussia clearly unsettling Austria’s claim to lead the German states. Yet once again, it must be pointed out that the states of the Zollverein did not stick together miltarily. Many turned against Prussia, deciding to fight alongside Austria, and the Northern states that did (or just didn’t let Prussia in, such as Frankfurt) were annexed or heavily fined at the end of it all. And the Southern states, although allowed to keep their independence, were forced to join the Zollverein, thus increasing Prussia’s overall power within the Confederation – one could even go as far to say that it was the Zollverein that, indirectly, knocked Austria out of the running for leadership of Germany. In conclusion, I don’t think one can over-estimate or under estimate the extent to which the Zollverein unified Germany. It certainly played a part in drawing up the future extents of the German Empire, and allowed for greater intergration within the separate states, but its years of most effectiveness ended in 1865, after the addition of the Southern states, who returned members of the Zollverein Parliament who were ready to rebuff any of Prussia’s plans. It was not only that, but also the fact that Bismarck found other tools to use to his advantage (such as the Ems telegram, to steer Prussia and Germany in the direction he wanted).

Discourse on Method Essay example - 3627 Words

Discourse on Method Heuresis (or invention) comprises, as Richard Lanham notes, the first of the five traditional parts of rhetorical theory, concerned with the finding and elaboration of arguments (1991: 91). In Aristotles Rhetoric the category of heuresis included the kinds of proof available to the rhetorician, lists of valid and invalid topoi, as well as the various commonplaces the rhetorician might touch upon - loci or stereotypical themes and observations (time flies) appropriate to a given occasion (Lanham 1991: 166-170). In a more contemporary sense heuretic is defined by the OED as the branch of logic which treats of the art of discovery or invention. Both senses of this word, along with its more familiar cognate†¦show more content†¦Ulmers book presents itself, in part, as a heuristic device for enabling such new forms of research and text production from the inventio provided by Jacques Derrida. In The Other Heading, reflecting on contemporary Europe, Derrida repeats a fundamental question posed by Paul Valery in 1939 in the wake of fascism: What are you going to do? What are you going to do today? (1992: 18, cited in Ulmer 84). Ulmer sees his work as a response, in 1992, to this call for invention. Ulmers text also presents itself as providing a method for the contemporary paradigm (12) of poststructuralism comparable to the method Descartes provided for an emergent scientific rationalism. He is quick, however, to qualify this project for any attempt at a postmodernist method is contradictory (an impossible possibility) (25). In one of the most suggestive sections of work, the initial chapter contends that all of the manifestos of the avant-garde, belong to the tradition of the discourse on method (8), and provides an analysis of the common elements comprising such discourses. They are representable for mnemonic reference by the acronym CATTt (8). C = Contrast (opposition, inversion, differentiation) A = Analogy (figuration, displacement) T = Theory (repetition, literalization) T = Target (application, purpose) t = Tale (secondary elaboration, representability) (8) Thus Descartes discourse on methodShow MoreRelatedReflection on Discourse on the Method952 Words   |  4 PagesDescartes is one of the most important western philosophers of the past few centuries. His greatest and most famous work is Discourse on the Method. In this book Descartes questions his own existence, and knowledge that he obtained from different sources. Main arguments of the book are well developed by a logical pattern and supported by examples. However, closely investigating this work, readers can come across many controversies and disputations. Being a well educated person, Descartes finds hisRead MoreDescartes Discourse on Method931 Words   |  4 PagesUnderstanding Descartes Method of Doubt Clear your mind, if you will, of everything you have ever seen or known to be true. To begin understanding Rene Descartes method of doubt, you need to suspend all prejudice and prior judgments and start with a clean slate for the purpose of discovering some ultimate truth on which to base all thought. (Kolak, Pg.225). Discouraged with much skepticism from his own beliefs, Descartes was embarrassed of his own ignorance. He set out to try and accomplishRead MoreDescartes Essay example757 Words   |  4 Pagesprominent Renaissance philosopher conquered the world of uncertainty in a work written in the 17th century. Mr. Descartes, Discourse on Method, quelled the skeptics with the assertion, I think, therefore I am. Most important to Descartes, however, was the method for which he was able to arrive at this axiom. The philosopher, Descartes, hoped to establish a universal method, a tremendous goal, if achieved. The Renaissance era cultivated rational thought, science, and mathematics as the eminentRead MoreDiscourse on Descartes Skeptical Method1672 Words   |  7 PagesSebastian Gumina Paper Topic #1 Descartes’ Skeptical Method Descartes’ method offers definitive conclusions on certain topics, (his existence, the existence of God)but his reasoning is not without error. He uses three arguments to prove existence (His and God’s) that attempt to solidify his conclusions. For his method to function seamlessly, Descartes needs to be consistent in his use of the method, that is, he must continue to doubt and challenge thoughts that originate in his ownRead MoreEssay on Descartes Failure4852 Words   |  20 Pagesmeditations in my attempt to show that, in his skepticism of the sources of knowledge, he fails to follow the rules he has set out in the Discourse on Method. First I claim that Descartes fails to draw the distinction between pure sensation and inference, which make up what he calls sensation, and then consider the consequences of this failure to follow his method. Second, I will show that in his treatment of thinking Descartes fails to distinguish between active and passive thinking . AlthoughRead MoreAnalysis Of Rene Descartes s The Descartes 2020 Words   |  9 Pagesotherworldly questions. We ll talk about what happens to his quest for information in no time, yet for the time being, we should investigate the framework he thought of to manage his request of the Cartesian Method Discourse on Method introduces the four statutes that describe the Cartesian Method: ïÆ'Ëœ Never acknowledge anything as genuine anything that can be questioned. Indeed, even a remote uncertainty is adequate to require that a conviction or statement be inspected. ïÆ'Ëœ Separate thoughts/convictionsRead MoreDescartes s Discourse On Method890 Words   |  4 Pages In his Discourse on Method, Rene Descartes asserts that all human beings are equal in their ability to reason and that any differences in opinion are not a result of a difference in ability to reason, but in the application of the reasoning. Descartes begins his argument for this claim by stating that rational thought and reason is what separates humans from animals, and that if all people have this ability to reason, then that must be the distinguishing feature of humanity. He goes on to explainRead MoreDescartes Discourse On Method Summary1337 Words   |  6 PagesThe mythical phoenix is born in the ashes of its mother once she has been consumed in flame, becoming stronger than she ever was. In Discourse on Method, Descartes hopes to destroy the conventional understanding of philosophy that has been followed throughout the ages, and in doing so establish his own philosophy as the new convention in the ashes of the old philosophy. In this paper, I will present Descartes’ fin dings of instability in philosophy and distaste for the way people learn as his motivationRead MoreThe Discourse On Method A Foundationalist One2142 Words   |  9 Pages(1) In what sense is Descartes’ project in the Discourse on Method a foundationalist one? By Serena Lipscomb The 17th Century was a transmute turning point in the West; the scientific revolution would occur, freedom of the individual would become established whilst an old world-view would be rejected to favour a new, very different world-view which would innovate our existence. Foundationalism would be established as an important way of beginning new theories and experiments in rational as wellRead MoreThe Discourse On Method Part V1188 Words   |  5 PagesRene Descartes, in his meditation, â€Å"The discourse on Method Part V†, had argued that although we humans could build a machine, that could successfully imitate a monkey, we could not build one that could imitate a human being. Descartes, believed that machines have organs that they could use to answer questions. What I understood from this point, was that machines could only answer questions that the humans have programmed or prompted them to ask. However, if the machine has not been programmed to