Category: Family

Introduction

It is most possibly correct to say that since the inception of humanity, there has not yet been an established stable human culture whereby any other institution has been ranked higher and deemed more important by its participants than the family unit. China being one of the civilizations that hold the family system as important is not unique nor the only one falling under this category. This paper will however attempt to introduce, define, expound and provide the principles behind the coordination of the family system in china. The paper will use a past tense in describing the family system even though these traditional concepts are still practiced in present china. The past tense in this paper is used as a way of laying emphasis on traditional China as well as avoiding the influence of urbanization and foreign influences on the family system, (Theodore w.1996).

The family in traditional china was defined as a patrilineal, prescriptively virilocal patriarchal, kinship group that shared one common domestic budget in a normatively extensive form. This definition of a family was quite different from a clan, lineage, or a descent line though they were all present in china. The terms defining a family in the light of the Chinese tradition are defined here below, (Ebrey, Patricia B 1993).

Patrilineal; This term means that descent in the family system was considered about the man or the father and not the woman or the mother. At birth, a child became a descendant of both parents that is the mother and the father; the child in china would adopt the fathers lineage. The China woman on getting married cut of ties entirely from her maternal home and now became fully affiliated to the husbands family.

Patriarchal was a term used to refer to the hierarchical organization of the family. The most powerful person in any family was the most senior male family member. Emphasis was laid on males far much more than females. There was never any one time that any two members in a common family would be the same in terms of authority. For instance, the elder generations were senior to the younger ones, while men were senior to women. Consequently, any family unit would undoubtedly be under the authority of an older man or a man from the most superior generation to all the other men. However, even with that kind of hierarchy, different families were organized differently and the hierarchy norm would be just salient in some families.

Prescriptively Virilocal; this terminology means that it was always a very strong preferred and highly expected that newlyweds should endeavor to live with the family to the groom. The young men on marrying were supposed to take their new wives to the family homestead and settle there, (Zurcher, E. 1995).

Kinship Group: All the persons who were from a common kinship had to be related genealogically. This was by either being married to the family or having common ancestral roots. They were tied up to the group in that no boundaries existed between them. At all times, they collectively used family resources or share activities that they would otherwise not share with strangers.

Sharing of a one common household budget

All the property, processions, expenses, and income of all the people who were members of the same family, had to be pooled to a common point, and decisions on such processions would be subject to discussion by the members of the family in the patriarchal structure discussed above. Normatively extensive in form; It simply implied that a family consisted of a one descent line of husbands and their wives.

Ancestor Veneration

The term ancestor in ancient China is generally used to refer to any of the following persons.

• Relatives from past generations, who are either from the mothers or the fathers side.
• The bodies of both the known and unknown relatives that are departed and part of the past generations
• Relatives who are departed even though they are from past births.

This refers to ancestral worship. The practice of worshiping the ancestors is common and predominant in the rural parts of China. In these parts, the death of an elderly person is never forgotten. The surviving family members always remembered them during ceremonies and such festivals. Food, during the ceremonies and festivals, was offered to the ancestors before the family members could eat. Prayers then follow after giving the offering and the children within the particular family are requested to make known their wishes, (Traylor, Kenneth L. 1988).

Admiration and respect were accorded to the ancestors of the traditional Chinese families. To a man, the ancestor referred to his dead male ancestors alongside their respective wives while to the woman the term ancestors referred to only two of her male ancestors with their respective wives. The only exception was a couple that belonged to a senior generation. In such a case, this bit would as well be extended to all the male ancestors of the husband as well as their wives. This veneration was also known by the term ancestor worship or better yet Ancestorism, (Chen, Kenneth.1983).

This form of respect and worship of the dead was a religious ritual. It was grounded on the popular belief that the deceased members of the family continued to live and exist way after their death. It was also a belief that the dead ancestors were still interested in the affairs of this world which they had long left behind their graves. They had the power and ability to affect and influence the lives of the living family members. The main objective of ancestral worship was to make sure that the ancestors continued living well and that they had a positive influence over the living people. It was also done to obtain assistance and special favors from the ancestors, (Baker, Hugh 1979).

Besides the religious factor in ancestral worship, there was a social aspect of it. The worship was purposively done to cultivate the most treasured kinship values in the living family members. These were important values like the continuity of the family lineage, continuity of the family lineage, and filial piety. Ancestral worship is not a universal form of worship or even a practice commonly practiced in other parts of the world. It is commonly practiced in societies that have over a long time have had a high degree of technological, social, and political complexity. The practice remains ingrained in some societies and it forms a very important element of the several religious practices in the world today.

The societies that practice ancestral veneration do not consider it similar to worshiping other foreign gods. Rather they feel that its a form of consistently providing for the ancestors since there is life after death. It is different from worshiping other gods since it does not involve asking for favors from the ancestors, (Ebrey, Patricia 1993).

Patrilineal Structure

The family system in china was Patrilineal. This statement implies that the structure of a family is not static but rather has a structure. This structure is represented in the process of a familys growth and constant division through natural events like deaths.

Divorce, birth, marriage, and adoption: Under this form of a structure there is never a typical kind of a family but rather a sort of series of the various stages of a family that emanate from the cycle that forms the family structure. This kind of cyclical series is never repeated in two sets of families or even in consecutive generations. This is mainly because of the cyclical events that take place and lead to the divisions in the family structure (Bary, W. 1994).

The process of the family system was directed by several principles which existed within the limitations of the biological framework or reproduction in human beings. The result of a combination of various values was a variation in the developmental cycle of the human family. The cycle of a nuclear family resulted from an early timing in the cycle. A nuclear family could either be monogamous or even polygamous. One single-family group could only be composed of the father, mother, and children. When it grew bigger than or smaller than that, then it ceased to form a family group. In the late timing of this cycle and the estate of the family integral, then according to the Chinese traditions, only one daughter or one son together with the parents could make up a single-family group. This now became a stem family.which could either be polygamous or monogamous. (Twitchett, Denis and Michael, 1986).

If in such a case the estate of the family was partible, all the people involved were allowed to share in both the membership of the family and inheritance. Such a family could also go ahead and develop into a typical joint family. The joint one was composed of the parental generation, great grandchildrens generations, grandchildrens generation, and even the married couples in the childrens generation. This type of system in the Chinese family setup was called a monogamous, patrilineal joint system of family. A joint family in most of the instances could never have grown and developed to form a community. This was mainly because the family splits eventually. The joint family that was recorded as the longest in china had nine legendary generations.

Filial Piety

Familiarity can be defined as the dominance of the child-parent relationship in the inseparable personal, religious as well as a social realm in ones life span. This definition in china was at the same time taken with great and deeper meaning. Familiarity was so much more than simply and merely giving of just material care and support to ones father and mother. The practice and Chinese tradition also involved self-cultivation and deliberation for appropriate respectful and reverent dispositions towards the parents that had to come right from a persons inner conviction.

Filial piety refers to the act of caring for ones parents through their lifetime up to their advanced years of age and even beyond the grave. The children who are descendants of a given parent in china were supposed to show respect and not be rebellious to their parents. In addition, they were meant to support, show love, display courtesy, uphold fraternity among brothers, ensure male heirs, conceal their parents mistakes, wisely advise ones parents, show sorrow for the parents sickness and eventual death add finally perform sacrifices once the parents died, (Eberhard, Wolfram, 1995).

In China, final piety was always regarded as the first virtue culturally. It forms the largest number of stories told about ancient china today. Though China has always had diversified religious beliefs, final piety was a belief common to all religions. More precisely, this honor to ones parents was not a sheer blind loyalty demonstrated towards the parents. It is most important to note that the norms attached to this devotion in traditional china had to be norms of righteousness and benevolence. Filial piety is also known by the term final piety was a practical belief and practice that was at all times and ideally applied in a persons dealings particularly for the younger people when dealing with elder persons. (Dawson, Raymond, 1978).

Due to the importance and seriousness of this Chinese tradition, that filial piety was a general norm that was passed over from one generation to the next. This very significant cultural belief in the family system among the Chinese was not observed generally to all the parents. It was reserved for ones own family. Filial piety was only practiced between a parent and the family including the grandparents and not to outside families.

References

Baker, Hugh D. R (1979): Chinese Family and Kinship. New York: Columbia University Press.

Bary, W. (1994): Sources of Chinese Tradition, New York: Columbia University Press.

Chen, Kenneth. (1983): The Chinese Transformation of Buddhism. Princeton.

Dawson, Raymond, (1978): The Chinese Experience, New York.

Eberhard, Wolfram, (1995): History of China, University of California Press.

Ebrey, Patricia B (1993): Chinese Civilization and Society: A Sourcebook, New York: The Free Press.

Theodore w. (1996): The heritage of china. New York, the Free Press.

Traylor, Kenneth L. (1988): Chinese Filial Piety. Bloomington: Eastern Press.

Twitchett, Denis and Michael, (1986): The Cambridge History of China, Cambridge University Press.

Zurcher, E. (1995): The Buddhist Conquest of China. Leiden: E. J. Brill.

Nowadays, many organizations pay much attention to the role of professional standards for teaching (Tuinamuana, 2011) and improve the quality of education from different aspects. NAEYC is a well-known professional organization that promotes the quality of early childhood education employing the standards developed based on teachers and learners needs, expectations, and goals. In this paper, one of the NAEYC initial standards, building family and community relations, will be discussed to understand how beginners should prepare for their professional practices and find the practical application of the theoretical knowledge gained.

Summary of the Standard

There are seven standards for initial early childhood professional preparation, and each of them has its effects on the educating process. One of them is the necessity to build family and community relations. Teachers should be ready to work in different settings (Feeney, Galper, & Seefeldt, 2008) and develop relations with learners, their families, and communities. Colker (2008) says that one of the main characteristics of a successful teacher is the ability to take a personal interest in every student.

Therefore, the chosen standard seems to be appropriate for teachers to use it in their professional and personal life as well as to become a better advocate. Teachers should know and understand the characteristics of families and communities, support people, and involve them in the development and learning processes of their children (NAEYC, 2010). On the one hand, it teaches how to respect and interrelate with people. On the other hand, it helps to understand human needs and expectations.

Questions with Corresponding Rationales

The following list of questions is based on the standard chosen for the analysis. It should help to enhance personal abilities to cooperate with children and their families.

Why should teachers build family and community relations?

Rationale: The answer to this question helps to comprehend why the building of teacher-family relations is crucial in a particular situation.

How should candidates gather information about families and communities?

Rationale: This question provokes future professionals to think about the methods to be used to build relations.

When is it necessary to build family and community relations?

Rationale: This question helps to realize how to combine the standards, institutional expectations, and personal needs of teachers.

What may happen if candidates fail to develop appropriate relations?

Rationale: This question aims at advocating the need to build relations and comprehend what may happen in the case of failure.

Should teachers combine this standard with other standards mentioned in the list?

Rationale: This question makes the interviewer learn all standards and the ways of how to interrelate the information offered by NAEYC.

Explanation for the Request to Early Childhood Professional

Several teachers in the local community were asked to participate in the study. One of them agreed to participate in the investigation and left the contact information so that I could address him any time I need. The request I chose to invite professionals was as follows: To be a good early childhood professional is not an easy task. Do you want to know what you know about education? You are welcome to spend a few minutes answering my questions and helping me to understand what it means to be a good teacher.

Conclusion

In general, the evaluation of the initial standards and the possibility to use theoretical knowledge in practice should help teachers identify their weak and strong aspects. This project introduces one of the possible ways of how professional preparation may look like.

References

Colker, L.J. (2008). Twelve characteristics of early childhood teachers. Beyond the Journal: Young Children on the Web. Web.

Feeney, S., Galper, A., & Seefeldt, C. (2008). Continuing issues in early childhood education (3^rd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Pearson. Web.

NAEYC. (2010). 2010 Standards for initial early childhood professional preparation. Web.

Tuinamuana, K. (2011). Teacher professional standards, accountability and ideology: Alternative discourses. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 36(12), 72-82. Web.

Early Childhood Education: Introduction

Standard Summary: Building Family and Community Relationships

Promoting diversity and improving the process of cross-cultural communication

In the environment of the 21^st century, where diversity is one of the foundational principles of intercultural communication, it is essential to teach learners to be perceptive of other peoples cultures. Herein lies the significance of making sure that the learner is capable of communicating in the environment that can be characterized as very diverse (Seefeldt & Galper, 1990a).

However, exposing the learner to a variety of external factors, including the necessity to acquire an increasingly large amount of knowledge concerning other cultures and communication processes will put a considerable strain on the student. Therefore, it is imperative to make sure that family members should be able to assist the learner (NAEYC, 2010).

Significance of the Chosen Standard for My Personal and Professional Life

Personal life: receiving the support necessary for continuing personal growth

Understanding how the process of learning works and how it can be improved will help me develop the patterns that will promote further knowledge acquisition. Particularly, I will be able to learn more about teaching techniques and the needs of students.

Professional life: enhancing the students learning process by engaging family members

Emphasizing the importance of family members support for young learners is crucial to their progress as learners as well. Although the impact that the support of family members has on childrens performance is often underrated, it boosts the students confidence as learners and, therefore, creates prerequisites for their further progress, which is essential for me as an educator (Colker, 2008).

Questions About the Aspects of the Standard: What Needs to Be Clarified

Question 1

What tools can be used to enhance the significance of cross-cultural awareness among learners?

Rationale

The standard mentions the issue of diversity yet does not suggest how to address it.

Question 2

How can family members be encouraged to take part in the students learning process?

Rationale

Identification of engagement mechanisms will help improve the learning process and develop the perfect teaching strategies.

Question 3

What tools can be used to support and engage families and communities?

Rationale

The answer to this question will help use the knowledge about families and communities interaction to design efficient teaching strategies.

Question 4

What possible conflicts may emerge in case of a culture clash between community members?

Rationale

Learning about the possible threats will spur the identification of efficient preventing measures.

Question 5

How can diversity be promoted in a community?

Rationale

Locating the tools for diversity promotion will make the teaching process more efficient.

Purpose of the Assignment: Questions That Need Answers

The identification of the essential elements that the process of teaching young children must incorporate to be successful is the primary purpose of the assignment. Unless an educator is aware of the learners needs, the students will not be able to train the necessary skills and acquire the corresponding knowledge (Seefeldt & Galper, 1990b). Therefore, the outcomes of the assignment will lead to identifying the strategies for consistent improvement of the learning environment as well as the regular update of the teaching strategies adopted by the educator.

Reference List

Colker, L. J. (2008). Twelve characteristics of early childhood teachers. Beyond the journal. Young children on the web. Web.

NAEYC. (2010). 2010 Standards for initial early childhood professional preparation. Web.

Seefeldt, A., & Galper, C. (1990a). The early childhood education workforce. In Continuing issues in early childhood education (pp. 134-157). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Web.

Seefeldt, A., & Galper, C. (1990b). The professional development of teachers of young children. Continuing issues in early childhood education (pp. 158-183). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Web.

The primary purpose of the paper is to summarize the selected standard while providing a rationale for the choice in terms of professional, advocate, and personal development. In turn, the questions are designed for the professional of early childhood education to clarify the primary intentions of the standard and offering sufficient reasoning for the necessity of the topic. In the end, the conclusions are drawn.

The selected Standard 2 emphasizes the essentiality of the well-developed partnerships with parents for the childrens growth while valuing the diversity and characteristics of the relationships building and encouraging participation of families in young childrens development and learning (NAEYC, 2011, p. 1).

The primary reason for the choice is the potential career development by focusing on growth while working in diversity due to its vitality to the social development of children (Tarrant, Greenberg, Kagan, & Kauerz, 2008). In turn, it increases the awareness of diversity, as the issues in professionalism tend to be present (Barbour & Lash, 2008). Lastly, it contributes to personal development, as it assists in building trusting relationships within the educators family.

In turn, the questions to ask the professional of early childhood education are designed. Firstly, Should a professional show initiative while communicating with parents? offers a different perspective by planning an individual approach to each student (Colker, 2008). Secondly, How respectful relationships can be defined? is critical as it contributes to the establishment of a friendly atmosphere and boosts professional knowledge (Colker, 2008).

In turn, What diverse characteristics of the community a practitioner should focus on? and How often do the families have to be involved? focus on the improvement of professional knowledge, as they contribute the understanding of the necessity of the particular interactions and clear identification of the features. Lastly, What are the complexities are referred to the families? enhances professional competences and personal knowledge simultaneously, as it helps understand the familys features to be considered while creating trust.

Kate Blaire, who is a practicing early childhood education professional, is willing to provide the answers to the chosen questions via email. Nonetheless, the participant of the interview has to understand the purpose of the assignment to develop sufficient perception about the selected topic. In this case, it has to be stated that the core goal of the task is to clarify the matters of the standards, as they contribute to the development of the knowledge base to become a trusted professional. In turn, it assists in professional and personal growth in terms of relationship building.

In the end, the paper offers the insights of Standard 2 by focusing on the essentiality of the trusting relationships for the educational process and development of the children. It could be said that this standard contributes to the analysis of diversity and consideration of the important aspects of early childhood education. In this instance, the question ns to clarify these matters are designed, and an early childhood education professional is selected to offer insights.

Nonetheless, the next steps have to be determined, as the evaluation and analysis of other standards develop the relevant theoretical basis for actions in the future. Additionally, the specialized literature has to be assessed, and the correlation with the standards has to be highlighted to determine suitable educational approaches. In the end, the practice is a necessity, as it helps in the application of the theoretical stances into relevant and encouraging tactics.

References

Barbour, K., & Lash, K. (2009). Chapter 7: The professional development of teachers of young children. In S. Feeney, A. Galper, & C. Seefeldt (Eds.), Continuing issues in early childhood education (pp. 158-184). New York, NY: Pearson Education. Web.

Colker, L. (2008). Twelve characteristics of early childhood teachers. Web.

NAEYC. (2011). 2010 Standards for initial early childhood professional preparation. Web.

Tarrant, K., Greenberg, E., Kagan, S., & Kauerz, K. (2009). Chapter 6: The early childhood workforce. In S. Feeney, A. Galper, & C. Seefeldt (Eds.), Continuing issues in early childhood education (pp. 134-157). New York, NY: Pearson Education. Web.

The purpose of this paper is to deepen the knowledge about young children employing the second standard to improve early childhood professionals preparation. Even though early childhood professional is considered to develop childrens abilities, the role of family and community cannot be overestimated.

Standard 2: Building Family and Community Relationships

The standard of building family and community was chosen due to its undoubted importance as the family is the first social environment of children (NAEYC, 2010). It develops a childs potentialities and abilities as well as his mental and physical health defining his future in general.

In my point of view, learning the chosen standard would contribute to my professional life. To begin with, the comprehension of young childrens community peculiarities would enhance the understanding of their behavior (Colker, 2008). During the first years of their life, children grow only within the family learning norms of human relations and adopting plenty of characteristics of the family.

What is more, the standard supposes involvement of the family in young childrens development and learning that promote one of the most significant mechanisms of socialization of children  reinforcement (Fults & Harry, 2013). It involves the unity of educational influences and their sequence of all adults both family and professional. If this mechanism is disrupted, children learn the rules of bad behavior cheating or creating bad habits.

Also, support of the family promotes childrens welfare (Feeney, Galper, & Seefeldt, 2008). It also develops the professionals ability to maintain constructive educational efforts of parents and attract families to issues of childrens upbringing.

Questions to an Early Childhood Professional with Corresponding Rationales

1. What methods and techniques would you apply in communication with family? It is important to know a set of ways to use in every particular case to be a better advocate.
2. Identify ethical issues of the interaction between the professional and the family. Ethics plays an integral part of the early childhood teachers profession as it is directly connected to relationships between people.
3. What is the role of the professional in the single-parent family? Sometimes, that type of family might cause difficulties as they differ from others. Professionals should be aware of how to act in complex situations.
4. Why cultural competence is essential for the professional? Every family possesses its own culture and peculiarities; therefore, the issue of cultural competence cannot be omitted.
5. Is using technology is appropriate in the case of the second standard? Nowadays technology plays a significant role in society. At the same time, it is necessary to limit the use of technology to preserve childrens health.

Contact Information

Mrs. Jenkins is an early childhood professional in my community who wants to e-mail replies to the above questions. She is 45 years old, married, and has five children. Mrs. Jenkins told me that she likes her profession very much. I explained to her that the assignment requires the professionals answers that would contribute to the enhancement of my knowledge about the given theme. She was glad to help me.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it should be stressed that the paper reveals the essence of the second standard concerning family and community building. It was stated that communication with the family helps to establish the necessary contact between the family and the professional and attracts family to childrens upbringing. Additionally, the considered standard is rather useful for early childhood professionals as it promotes a better understanding of professional goals. As for prospective steps, it seems appropriate to consider all the other standards in detail to apply them in practice in my future career.

References

Colker, L. J. (2008). Twelve characteristics of early childhood teachers. Beyond the Journal. Web.

Feeney, S., Galper, A., & Seefeldt, C. (2008). Continuing issues in early childhood education. New York, NY: Pearson. Web.

Fults, R. M., & Harry, B. (2011). Combining Family Centeredness and Diversity in Early Childhood Teacher Training Programs. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 35(1), 27-48. Web.

NAEYC. (2016). Standards for initial early childhood professional preparation. Web.

Introduction

Roots are the miniseries based on the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family written by Alex Haley. They describe the history of the United States starting with the colonial times and ending with the Civil War and postwar period. The first two episodes are connected with Kunta Kintes life.

Life in Africa

People who live in Africa are not rich, as they do not pay lots of attention to the material culture. They value the strength of an individual, both corporeal and spiritual. As Binda gave birth to a son, she says that they have a very strong child, underlying his ability to survive. Her husband Omor refers to the sky when he gives a name to the boy asking it to see the one who is greater. The parents beliefs and hopes occur to be true to life, as Kunta Kinte repels a wild animal from its prey being a teen. He shows his courage and perseverance, which can be seen through the episodes. Africans obey elder people as they are wiser and can teach others. It can be understood from the talk between the boy and his father, who shared his experience and the leaders admonition.

African people value their customs and traditions. Kunta Kinte and his peers go through the sacramental and start to be treated like men not boys. They need to have their own huts and get married. The women are to obey men, so when Kunta says his mother that she cannot tell him what to do she apologizes. But his grandmother underlines that she is wiser than him, and he cannot leave his family completely.

Slave Trade

Captain Davies is a trader. He carries tobacco, hardware, spices and other things. This time, he is working on a slave ship and has 250 shackles and neck rings for African people. Davies has no idea what they are like and asks Slater, his assistant. It proves that one does not need to be a professional in the sphere to become a slave trader. There are no strict rules one is to follow. The only thing that is really important in the ability to catch and bring Africans. The slave trade is not focused on a particular gender; men and women are to be caught according to the Slaters words. We can see this further, as Kunta gets acquainted with a girl who was also captured (Fanta).

Moreover, the traders tend to believe that their actions are normal, and slavery is good for black people as it helps them to become Christians and escape from cannibalism.

The blacks from the ship assist white people. They helped to catch Kunta and are gathering people to start the sales. They speak to the potential buyers and recommend them to choose one of the slaves. Except for that, their task is to look after the Africans.

The traders claim that it is convenient to have a black slave as one is ease to find if he/she escapes. Women and men are sold underlying their good physical state. They are put up to the auction. The buyers examine people just like animals. They look at their skin, teeth, hair, etc.

Life on the Ship

The Middle Passage occurs to be long-lasting and tough for the slaves. Being used to freedom, they can hardly stand the confinement. People lie in rows being in chains and having no opportunity to move.

The members of the crew are rude. They beat Africans and drag them by legs, etc. Kunta refuse to eat the swill that is given, but the other slave says that being a warrior he should eat the food of the enemies to become stronger and kill them.

A female slave is taken to Davies. She is afraid of being raped and beaten, as others are likely to act like that. Captain seems to be more human than them, but he also treats Africans as lower sort of people who are not able to understand everything. He feels that there is something wrong in the things they do to the blacks. Davies talks to his co-worker and shares his opinion. He believes they do harm to themselves conducting such actions.

The slaves try to fight and become free again, but the revolt is put down. Some Africans died, and Kuntas friend is one of them. Moreover, many people got ill being in their cell.

My perception of the Slave Trade

Before watching these episodes, my perception of the slave trade was a bit different. I was surprised as I saw that black men helping to catch potential slaves. They seem to be really happy to have such opportunity. I knew that people had to live in terrible conditions, but I hoped that the situation was better, as they were to be sold. I also expected to see that the slaves had to work being on the ship, but that was not so. Now I understand that they would fight with the crew in such situation. I also thought that the captain was the cruelest person on the ship who despised the blacks. In other aspects, the movie fits my perception of the slave trade. I expected the Africans to be caught by force, be locked up and treated poorly until the auction.

The Qualities of the Ruler

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), was one of the outstanding Italian philosophers. Born in Florence in the second half of the fifteenth century, Machiavelli has combined a politician and a writer, and a practitioner and a theorist. Machiavelli collected all his experience in regards to the qualities that an ideal ruler should have in his famous work The Prince

How should the ruler be? Assessing the qualities of the ruler Machiavelli argues that rulers, as well as ordinary people, have vices. The most important thing is to avoid the reproach of those vices which would lose him state (Machiavelli, 1868, p. 85)

Answering the question of whether the ruler should be generous or thrifty, Machiavelli answers that it is good to have the reputation of a generous ruler, however, generosity exercised in a way that does not bring you the reputation for it, injures you (Machiavelli, 1868, p. 85), i.e. if showing generosity reasonable, no one will notice, whereas to be spread the fame of the rulers generosity, the ruler should ravage the states treasury. Thus, it is better to accept the fame of a restrained rule.

Answering the question of being cruel or merciful, Machiavelli states that, the ruler should not mind the reproach of cruelty (Machiavelli, 1868, p. 88), as a way not to misuse mercifulness. It is better to be feared than love, as long as the fear does not bring the hate. As long as you the ruler good to the people they will promise to give everything, but when the need approaches they turn against you. (Machiavelli, 1868, p. 90)

There are other qualities of the ruler stated by Machiavelli, where the mentioned qualities demonstrate the main approach implemented in his reasoning. The qualities are based on understanding human nature, where it implies being practical when it comes to the issues of the state and the nation.

The Significance of the Medici Family

The eminence of the Florentine republic in the seventeenth century is connected with the Medici family, the wealth and influence of which, except for the power, were concentrated on the development of art and ideas. This concentration of the development of art made Florence the center of the Italian Renaissance.

During the life and reign of Cosimo Medici, who had a prominent position in the political life of Florence, his court was a gathering of artists and scholars, whose works were among the most prized possessions of the family and the city  figures of the stature of Donatello, Brunelleschi, Domenico Veneziano and of Poliziano, Vespasiano da Bisticci, Platina, and Pico Della Mirandola. (History of the Medici family, 2009)

Cosimo founded three libraries in Florence, the greatest of which is now known as the Laurentian library, and had a prominent role in recovering the leading role of Plato as a philosopher by commissioning the translation of his works to Marsilio Ficino. (HISTORY OF THE MEDICI, 2009)

Lorenzo Medici, the grandson of Cosimo Medici, and who is also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, could be considered as the most significant member of the Medici family. During his reign Florence witnessed an extraordinary flowering of intellectual activities. (History of the Medici family, 2009) Lorenzo opened his house to young artists such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Filippino, and Luppi whom he aided and protected. The Platonic Academy, a unique phenomenon of the Italian and European culture, which was founded during the time of Cosimo Medici, flourished during the reign of Lorenzo the Magnificent.

The role of the Medici family in Italy and Florence cannot be overestimated; however, it is the cultural influences of their most significant members that contribute to their significance.

References

HISTORY OF THE MEDICI (2009). Web.

History of the Medici family (2009).

Machiavelli, N. (1868). The Prince.

Introduction

Intercultural studies have become increasingly important in the current society. The globe is continuously becoming globalized making it significant for people of different cultures to learn different cultures for the purpose of smooth interaction. This paper will examine the Indian culture in reference to the family, communication and worldview. The will show how the culture affects every day interaction especially in workplaces. It is worth noting that culture is a powerful shaping force and therefore understanding different cultures makes it possible to appreciate other cultures minimising chances instances of misunderstanding.

Family

The family has been described as a core structure for culture. It has been pointed out that though most of the communication problems occur at interpersonal levels they are easily traced to the cultural differences that exist between different people. A family is responsible for bringing up a child and as such they have a great influence on how a person grows up. A family teaches a kid on what he/she should strive to achieve in life (Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel 37). Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel have quoted Huntington claiming that people define themselves in terms of ancestry, religion, language, history, values, customs, and institutions (39). A family has a significant role of ensuring that a child grows up in the accepted ways of a given culture. Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel argued that families, working in tandem with other institutions, are important because they supply you with a large portion of your identity (42). Mead as quoted by Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel has pointed out that:

At birth, babies can grow up to the members of any society&. It depends on how they are trained and taught, loved and punished, whether they turn into one kind of person or another. So, if we make a study of this and find out the steps by which these human babies become one kind of grown up person instead of another, we learn a great deal about them& the details of a bath, or the way the baby is fed, the way its punished or rewarded give us a great many clues about the way character is formed in that society. (43)

In the Indian context a family is basically about sharing and joy. The family culture has a lot to do with love and patience. The Indian culture encourages unity in families. After a girl has been married into a family, it is expected that she will easily get along the norms of the new family. It is a culture of the Indians to follow some particular beliefs which stream down from particular saint or Guru. It is worth noting that Indians have a great respect the elders. They are quite hierarchical and this is often displayed in offices when lower level employees address high level employees. A similar case is witnessed with the Germans and French. The Americans however do use such terms as madam/sir in workplaces. In this respect the use of sir may mean a show of respect from one party but may mean excessive and slavish respect (Monippally 58) to another party.

The Indians are generally very welcoming and like entertaining guests. In the Indian culture unlike the western culture a no does not absolutely mean no. This is witnessed when visitors are being entertained. Indian culture dictates that guests should be treated as if they were gods. An Indian family serves and takes care of guests as if they were family members. A guest is expected to say no when the host offers a second helping in the course of a meal. Such a no is taken as signal of decency and not refusal for more helping thus the host will just insist to which the guest gives in. This is quite different from the western cultures where no means no and not an invitation for one to insist (Gupte 1).

Communication

Communication is a common area of misunderstanding when people of different cultures interact. As Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel argued, culture determines the way a person does things: it is our belief that because most significant values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours are rooted in culture it behoves you to understand how cultural experiences help explain the way people perceive the world and carry out the business of living in the world (1). Communication has generally been described as cultural. Communication entails how we have learnt to pass messages verbally and non-verbally. In order to examine how the Indian culture affects the way communication is carried out the following aspects are worth considering.

Time and Space

Time has been viewed as one the most significant aspects which bring out differences in the way different cultures view different things. In the context of time, the Indian culture views time as having unlimited continuity. Viewing of time as one which is continuous with no definite end as been referred to as polychromous. The view that time is continuous is deep rooted in the Indian culture and many of the cultural events take the same view. A good example to view the polychromous view of time by the Indians is the way they view death. Death among the Indians is not an abrupt end to life. The Indians believe that there is life after death and as such when a person dies he moves on to the next stage of life away from the earth. The same case applies to when a child is born. Birth is not an abrupt start to life but a rather a result of a long process. The Indians view life as a continuous process and hence view time in the same way. It is claimed that in the East time is viewed to move endlessly (LeBaron 1).

The polychromous view of time has been noted to significantly affect the way Indians react to different scenarios. This difference is seen when there is an interaction of people from different cultural backgrounds. It has been observed that the Indians engage in talk overs when in a group. This is in contrast to whites especially the Americans. This view of time has helped to cultivate some desirable aspects in the Indian culture. For instance their hospitality can be attributed partly to the view they have on time. In the American context time is money and everything ought to be done to maximise the utility of time. This will include the time spent with guests. In the Indian context a different view of time is taken.

Research has been carried out to investigate the impact of polychromous viewing of time in workplace environment. This is especially significant when in the context of Multinational Corporations because of the diversity of employees who work for these businesses. A good example is Globalis which is a fortune 500 company. Globalis employs people from various countries including the U.S., UK and India. In a research carried out on its employees it was shown that Indians are highly flexible and easily adapt to workplace conditions. However it was also shown that the Indian culture especially the polychromous view of time has negative effective on work. Multinationals have issues with time because they serve clients from widespread cultural backgrounds with different views on time (Chand et al. 5).

In a research carried out by Chand et al. it was shown that:

American society is very individualistic and Indian society is group oriented; Americans are egalitarian and Indians are very hierarchical; Americans view time as linear whereas time in India is cyclic and event driven; American are monochromic, that is, they prefer to work on one task at a time, and Indians are polychromic and they often in multitasking; etc. (6)

In an interview carried out in the course of the research it was revealed that workers in India, Ireland and the U.S. suffered from communication problems. It was generally felt that cultures had a significant impact on employees behaviours. It was revealed in the research that fresh employees from India did not have a full grasp of the need to meet tough deadlines and following of strict schedules. However, it was observed that when the Indians were transferred to different locations they could easily adapt to different culture especially on the issue of keeping time (Krishna, Sahay, and Walsham 64).

Direct communication

It has been shown that Indians do not communicate directly in the way Americans do. Indians do not like direct confrontations especially during meetings instead they choose different polite ways to pass a message across (Krishna, Sahay, and Walsham 65). This is in contrast to what the Americans do. For instance it has been pointed out that the Indians have a difficulty saying no. This has often created problems with people from other cultures because of difference in interpretation of the same message. This was illustrated as follows:

When my counterpart in the US tells me that Alka I have given my word to the customer that the new system will go live on October 1, are you sure to meet this deadline? Alka feels that even when she knows that I will be hard to meet the deadline, she cannot just say no and instead her response will be Jack, you know it is hard to predict all that can happen when you are doing software development, especially when the technology is new. But you now us, we are committed and will do our utmost to make the deadline. (Chand et al. 7)

It was discovered that Indians engaged more in talking as they worked. It was seen that Indians were more social which made them more engaged in talking even as they worked. Simple calculations have shown that if in the US the time/social divide is estimated at 80% to 20% then the case in India will be 60% to 40%. This habit may have some negative effects on the efficiency of the workplace if not controlled well. This negative impact may be displayed sharply in a situation where time might be running out for a given project (Chand et al. 8).

Pronunciation is another aspect of the Indian culture that has been focussed on when the issue communication is in question. It has been observed that in most cases Indians face some difficulty understanding the pronunciation of the Americans. This makes it hard for Indian staff to work well with American clients. This may also pose a problem in a workplace especially when teamwork is required to complete a given duty on a tight schedule.

Worldview

Worldview has been examined as an internal perception of the way things are the way they are. These perceptions are often determined by the culture of a person. Understanding the worldview of a given culture is significant especially for the purpose of shaping up an organizational culture (Huang, Newell, Galliers, and Pan 202). Worldview has been perceived to be an intrinsic aspect of a person.

Often, worldviews operate as an unconscious level, so that when we are not even aware that other ways of seeing the world are either possible or legitimate. Like the air we breathe, worldviews are a vital part of who we are but not a part we usually think much about. (Samovar, Porter, and McDaniel 73)

It has been observed that Indians are conservative in some issues. For instance Indians do not display love in public places. It has been observed to be quite shocking to the Indians who visit the western world for the first when they encounter couples kissing passionately in the public. Instances of members of same sex walking hand in hand are often quite confusing to Indians. It has been noted that even those Indians who frequently watch western movies are met with shocks upon encountering such scenes for the first time (Monippally 59).

It has been observed that the Indians working in the western world have often been confused by this display of affection. This has especially come out clearly in issues related to sexual harassment. The show of affection makes the West to be view as permissive by Indians. With this view it becomes confusing as to why there are such tough laws on sexual harassment. It has been noted that public display of affection has made it hard for the Indians to differentiate normal expressions from those which should be interpreted as sexual advances. Monippally argued that Indian men who are used to reading very faint signals of romantic interest from women jump to wrong conclusions when American or European women colleagues invite them home for dinner (60). This can often be a big issue in workplace environment as it can lead to misinterpretation of some signals.

The worldview that Indians have towards death has been noted to be quite different from the view of the westerners. When a person dies in the Indian community everything comes to a stop including all businesses of all sorts. This usually happens to give people time to attend funeral as it is usually carried out almost immediately. This is quite different from the Westerners. Unlike the Indians the Westerners attend funerals by invitation. The funeral arrangement is not done immediately as time is given for arrangement to be made for those who have commitments. The Indians do not make arrangements for their commitments in the event of funeral occurring (Parkes 14). This may have a very negative impact when working on a project across a geographical region. The situation may be worsened if the project is tight on deadline.

Conclusion

Having the knowledge of how different issues are carried out in different cultures is quite significant. The knowledge of different cultures is especially significant for workplaces which have employees from diverse cultural backgrounds. The family has been pointed out to be a major influence of the culture of a society. In a family a person is taught the way of life and culture of the community is embedded in him/her. The Indians view a family being all about sharing and joy. This has played a major role in uniting Indians. Indian families are very receptive to guests. The Indians have a lot of respect for the elders and are highly hierarchical. The Indian culture has often been pointed out to affect the quality of communication. The Indians view time as continuous with no definite end. This has been said to impact negatively on Indian employees in workplace situations. It has been claimed that Indians do not communicate directly especially in saying no. Indians do not express their affection publicly. To the Indians a public display of affection is quite shocking. The many signals that people from the western world give can often be misinterpreted to mean different messages. It is also significant to understand the worldviews as presented by different cultures. Worldviews shapes the way people view things around and knowing that can help to reduce cultural shocks and wrong interpretation of messages.

Works Cited

Chand Donald, Gary David, Galliers Robert, & Kumar Senthil. An Investigation of How Culture Impacts Global Work: Unpacking the Layers of Culture 17th European Conference on Information Systems, 2009. Web.

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Krishna Sah, Sahay Sundeep, and Walsham Geoff. Managing cross-cultural issues in global software outsourcing. Communications of the ACM 47.4 (2004): 62-66. Print.

LeBaron, Michelle. Cross-Cultural Communication. Beyond Intractability, 2003. Web.

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Parkes, Colin. Death and Bereavement across cultures. New York: Routledge, 1997. Print.

Samovar Larry, Porter Richard, and McDaniel Edwin. Communication between Cultures. New York: Cengage, 2009. Print.