Models of Reflective Practice for Education

Models of Reflective Practice for Education Reflective practice has particularly grown and expanded its field in different professional disciplines and contexts; each with their own differences and nuances (Thompson and Thompson, 2008). It is widely agreed that the intention of reflective practice is performance improvement, manifested through analyzing on strengths and the development of competence. However, Anderson (1996) highlights the fact that reflection in professional practice returns not what it is but what might be an improvement on the original. This essay examines the understanding of the reflective practice by using theories and models of reflective practitioners. The reflective examples and experiences is illustrated as a learning unit and an assessment tool including the approaches taken to integrate the reflective example as part of the work integrated learning experience. 2) MODELS OF REFLECTIVE PRACTICE There is a clear understanding of what reflective practice that identifies the attributes of a reflective practitioner (Thorpe, 2004). The three main models are highlighted below: 3.1) Jenny Moon (1999) Model of Reflection: Moon (1999) defines a common sense reflection as a form of mental processing with a purpose and/or anticipated outcome that is applied to relatively complex or unstructured ideas for which there is not an obvious solution. Moon (1995, 1999) explains further by outlining the fact that differing views of reflection arises from outcomes of learning and material for further reflection and action. It is widely agreed that the intention of reflective practice is the surface learning that define characteristics which does not involve reflection but points out the condition for reflection (Moon, 2001). Moon (1999) takes a slightly different approach identifying five stages in learning called map of learning (Figure 2). To see that that learning has occurred, it is important to NOTICE. It can be successful by getting to know the material as coherent MAKING SENSE and the meaningness to develop a holistic view MAKING MEANING which can be done by creating relationships of new material with other ideas WORKING WITH MEANING. To ensure that the new learning has been transformed, it is necessary to TRANSFORM LEARNING. 3.2) Gibbs (1988) Model of Reflection John (2004) mentions that Gibbs (1988) in his model clarifies that reflective pratice deals with practitioners to reflect on their normal way to thinking and responding within the given situation towards gaining insights into self and practice. Reflection alone is not sufficient but taking action is the solution. Therefore, one needs to put their learning, knowledge and new understanding into practice; allowing the reflective process to inform the practice (Jasper, 2003). The work of Gibbs (1988, 1998) allows the reflective practitioner to analyze and evaluate the practice and make necessary improvements into their practice. Gibbs (1988) introduces experimential reflective cycle (Fig 3) comprising of six elements of reflection which shows a clear DESCRIPTION of the situation, analysis of the FEELINGS, EVALUATIONof the experience, ANALYSIS to make sense of the experience, CONCLUSION and reflection upon experience to examine what you would do if the situation occurred again ACTION PLAN (Fig 4). 3.3) Kolb (1984) Model of Reflection Kolb (1984) identified and developed a theory of experiential learning that gives a constructive way to develop our practice. This process is called The Kolb Cycle or The Experiential Learning Cycle. Clark (2008) reports that the cycle consists of four different stages of learning from experience that can be penetrated at any stage. All four stages must be followed in sequence for successful learning to take place. The Learning Cycle recommends that it is not only sufficient to have a concrete experience DO in order to learn but also necessary to reflect on the experience OBSERVE to generalise and formulate concepts THINK that can be implemented to new situations. Hence, it makes it necessary for the learner to link between the theory and action by planning PLAN, representing back to the theory (Fig 5). 3) REFLECTIVE EXAMPLES In this first part of the section is the reflection on the situation by using Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle which is a recognized framework for my reflection. 4.1) PART 1 (THE ACCIDENT) During my summer holidays last year , my family and myself were at my brothers apartment enjoying ourselves and having a good time. My brother received a call from Bangalore, India, where his son, Saurav, studied. He disclosed that his son had met with a critical accident. I was shocked and difficult for me to gather my thoughts and comprehend the situation around me. I had never been in a situation where someone close to me was fighting for his life. Never being in a situation like this before I felt the need to follow someone or do something to keep myself occupied. I followed Pratima (sister-in-law) to the kitchen to make a tea for everyone present at the apartment. While in the kitchen I encountered awkward silence between us, feeling pressure of this silence, I intended to break the ice by approaching her to offer my support. Upon approaching her I noticed that she had a worried look on her face. She looked into my eyes and bursted out into tears. This outbreak of her emotions left me feeling even more awkward and I lost all sense of what to do or say. Hearing the sobs of Pratima, my mother came rushing into the kitchen and took control of her. I felt quite sad because of my nephews accident and my own stupidity of not being able to handle my state of mind in an intense pressure situation. Upon analysing this situation I should have known Pratima was feeling tensed and anxious. I should have prepared myself to give Pratima a bit more time alone, as well as I should have had someone with more experience to take control of the situation. But next time my action plan should be to control some of my anxiety and help them reduce their anxiety by showing a bit more empathy to someone who is feeling very emotional. 4.2) PART 2 (PRESENTATION) The second part is the reflection on the situation by using Moon (1999) model of reflection. _______________________________________________________________________ Prior to the beginning of my second academic year at the University I motivated myself to go and travel around England and India. Because of the nature of my travel I reached University ten days late. My inability to reach University on time took away some form of focus away from my action plan of being focused from the beginning. I did not feel like I was in the right frame of mind to undertake my studies seriously. The first assignment was a presentation and a report writing for the first term in Business Strategic Analysis on Stakeholders and Shareholders interrelation. As I was lagging behind I spoke to Mr. Craig, my module leader, about my inability to focus upon the task. Mr. Craig encouraged me and spoke to me about the situation, this pep talk made me feel a lot better. I have difficulty in doing presentations as I cannot seem to organize my ideas and thoughts in words. Most of the tutors have explained and demonstrated to us in the class as to how to present, but for some reason I get butterflies in my stomach , loose confidence and forget what I actually intend to speak when confronted by a large group. I practiced a lot and took help from youtube because the web-site has wonderful examples of tackling with Public Speaking issues. My group helped me to structure my notes and alloted me my part for the presentation. I thought I could speak on the spot by revising a little bit on it. On the final day, my performance was satisfactory but I managed to convey what I intended to. Our group got a B- in it but it was quite worth the experience. The audience understood what I spoke but I do not think I would do anything different next time as now I have the ability and confidence to enable myself to tailor my presentaion and deliver satisfactory results. 4.3) PART 3 (BASKETBALL SKILLS) The third part is the reflection on the situation by using Kolb (1984) model of reflection. _________________________________________________________________________ During my second year, I decided to get myself involved with Sports, so I joined the Universitys Women Basketball Team. Before I got selected, I had to go through a selection session in the Sports Hall, where we were asked to form a team and play and friendly match. Though it was my first time experiencing it, I was not nervous at all because I had been playing basketball since childhood. The game started with a whistle blow. That game was 45 minutes long and it was the worst game I had ever played. According to my observation, I did not perform up to my expectation. There were a lot of violation of rules during the game like fouls, travelling, double dribble, pushing, pulling and out of bounds. There was no team evidence during the match, only individual players playing to prove a point. At the end of the selection, I got selected to my own suprise as I believed I did not play to my maximum potential. One main talent that is required in the game is shooting skills. As basketball can only be won by points, if you cannot shoot, you cannot win. I attempted to shoot 50 times but scored only 12 points. This showed my weakness in shooting skills. I had a word with the coach and the vice coach of the team about improving my shooting skills who provided me insights concerning scoring techniques. The coach demonstrated to me the underlying techniques to shoot properly. It gave me a brief idea as to how to shoot which heped be boost my confidence. I plan to practice and improve my technique using insights from the coach as well as experience from the first match and plan accordingly for the upcoming match. 3) APPROACH TO REFLECTIVE PRACTICE According to my observation and experiences, I noted that reflective practice module has improved my skills of reflection to my practice with the important intention of improving my professional practice. The assessment associated alloted during seminars and workshop has assisted me to prioritize, evaluate and understand the work I already know and have done. Experiencing the critique of a competence based approach while applying for placement jobs, I specifically measured and identified explicit learning outcomes and competencies. Although the company applied in rejected me, my confidence and my advance understanding made more sense when looking back at where I have been, what I did where different patterns begin to emerge. In a session with my module tutors to discuss the feedback from my first term was satisfactory. Reflecting upon my overall performance in my work, I noticed that I require to develop my learning in my next upcoming assignment. Working with more confidence, having a set target and a new direction to work, may help me understand the profound knowledge that underlies. The learning gained enabled me to apply the skills of reflection to the CPD cycle (planning, action, evaluating and reflection) where planning to meet its requirement can improve and enhance other situations like my upcoming work in order to improve practice. In response to the learnings undertaken I sense a need to change or modify my practice like effective time management, recognize my current level of performance, more feedback and support and monitor and review progress. Monitoring the process of working on my academic development plan via reflective practice has brought a vast difference in my study methods. When I look back at my performance during the past few years and assess my learning and development I have gained this year, I reflect situations where I found difficulties in completing my assignments, poor time management, preconception that it is difficult and honesty with self. Furthermore, Personal SWOT Analysis is worth commencing from the scratch in order to know your strengths, weaknesses, opprtunities and threats so that you can act accordingly to improve the outcome of your performance. 4) BECOMING A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER The standards required to meet the effectiveness of the practitioner are to evaluate the current and future requirements of the role, take account of the value and objectives of the organization (Race, 2002; Argyris and Schon, 1974), identify the areas of strength, and monitor the outcome of the work which can be enhanced upon. When I perform tasks,I need to reflect on it and think about WHAT happened, WHY it happened and HOW it happened which would make more sense to the understanding of the subject. It can be said that more explicit understanding and knowledge must be used in the practice. Schon (1987) argues that a practitioners reflection can serve as a remedial to overlearning. Through reflection, I have understood that I could improvise on my the past repetitive experiences, and can add up to the situations which I may confront. Our University provides us a booklet which gives us precise directions about what to include and how to present. As I do not devise my own records and presentation, it seems like an effort to record it would not do any harm and reflect the learning gained from the outcome later on. The development overtime would reflect and can enhance upon it. Many students like myself are expected to take responsibilties for our own perfromance, drawing conclusions on the work on and how can it be improved. To make my reflection more effective, I think developing confidence in my own evaluation and judgement on my work will be more profitable rather than depending on the evaluations provided by tutorswhich results in developing critical and analytical thinking in future. Understanding and using feedback appropriately is a vital achievement to improve practice. For instance, considering the difference between my own evaluation and the tutors feedback assists in better reflection of work which is improvement in performance measurement. 7) CONCLUSION This study shows that reflective practice is a process of analyzing a given scenario and it can be improvised by decision making, based on the strengths and weaknesses that were observed from the evaluation. The introduction of the essay as a tool for reflection, coupled with the development of learning activities and resources should significantly develop skills in reflection in any field unit (Honey, 2000). The recognition that reflective practice has suggested is reinforced than seen as an innate ability (Loughran, 2002). The message trying to be conveyed is that the new found knowledge and learning from the the experiences should be implemented to future situations. It can be criticized that reflective practice does not free us from the need to worry about the mechanisms of professional accountability but also shows concern as how a professional may be transformed within a framework of accountabilty.

Life Leads to Many Different Choices :: Science Teachers Teaching Education Essays

Life Leads to Many Different Choices I’ve always had a love for science. When I was young I wanted to be a scientist. As I got older I wanted to become a doctor, and now I’m pursuing a degree in teaching. Being a scientist would’ve been the best thing in the world. I used to go outside, catch bugs and study them. I’d look at rocks and try to figure out what they were made of. I’d take stuff apart to figure out how it worked or what it was made of. One year I got a microscope kit for Christmas. I’d sit for hours looking at stuff under the microscope. I looked at everything under that microscope from bugs found in the yard to leaves from trees, even just a small plain sheet of paper. I wanted to be a scientist and work at NASA during that period of my life. When entering high school things were changing, but I still loved science. Up until my eleventh grade year I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I had entered a club that gave me a four-year scholarship for college if I went into the science field. My eleventh grade year I took a high school anatomy class and loved it. This made me really want to become a doctor. I wanted to become a Pediatrician because I’ve always loved kids. When I was younger other than science I used to baby-sit. I thought pediatric care would be the most wonderful thing at that period of my life. Up until this summer I wanted to become a Pediatrician. There were many factors that influenced why I wanted to become a teacher. One factor was I’m unsure of myself in being able to get into medical school and being able to do the work. So teaching was next on my list. Another factor is I don’t want to be in college a whole lot longer. I want to get a master’s degree later on but at this point in my life I want to get on with it. Another factor is I don’t have the money to go on to medical school, so teaching is my next option. My last factor is over the summer I worked in the Energy Express program and loved it. During Energy Express I mentored a group of eight students read, write, and do art projects.

Essay --

5 SOFTWARE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS This chapter discusses the software requirement specification about the project followed the functional and non-functional requirement of the â€Å"INTERACTIVE SKETCHED BASED IMAGE SEARCH†. 5.1 Purpose When a sketch is input by a human there will clearly be a degree of accuracy to which the point of reference and scale of the shapes will remembered, and so errors with comparison to the target image or images will be present. The edges of objects and neighborhood within the image define shapes; extraction of these shapes can be used for image similarity. This supports indexing leads to imaginative memory usage since the indexes are always smaller than images themselves. Indexing speeds up the search process lengthily which is very important in the image search application. 5.2 Scope The input plan of this project is the improvement of a system to allow the searching of database of images using the visual data stored within the images. Here the aim is to develop a system which allows query upon the image content of the images, with the user providing a sketch of the image or images that they desire to retrieve. The key aim is the development of a speedy and correct algorithm for the extraction and comparison of the visual data from images. Some important point takes in consideration while development they are as follows: †¢ Identification of the restriction of current content based images retrieval systems so that these areas can be improved upon. †¢ Research into the field of content based image retrieval and rapid algorithm development. †¢ Design and accomplishment of a system to perform content based image retrieval using sketched input. †¢ Expansion of an algorithm for the extraction and sim... ... for that. In Unit testing, is the first level of testing and is performed prior to integration testing. All error handling paths should be tested. Drivers and/or stubs need to be developed to test incomplete software. 7.2.2 Integration Testing In integration testing the individual tested units are grouped as one and the interface between them is tested. There are mainly three approaches to do integration testing, Top-down approach, Bottom-up approach Big bang approach Integration testing is a software testing methodology used to test individual software components or units of code to verify interaction between various software components. Main program used as a test driver and stubs are substitutes for components directly subordinate to it. Subordinate stubs are replaced one at a time with real components (following the depth-first or breadth-first approach).

Unhealthy America

American is supposed to be the strongest nation in the world however we have managed to grasp the largest and most unhealthy nation trophy along with it. Americans care more about how quickly they can grab a meal rather than what that meals consists of and how bad the food is for the body. Americans are becoming increasingly unhealthy with every meal they consume. My aunt went on a trip to Greece recently where she says the food was exquisite and utterly delicious. While she was crashing a Greek wedding she got to experience some of the traditional food. She said the meats were fall off the bone tender with more explosive tastes than her taste buds could handle. She said the salad was a rainbow of green lettuce with mixed with reds of all colors for tomatoes. She produced a tiny bottle that once was full of homemade Greek salad dressing that the mother of the bride had made especially for her daughter’s perfect day. She recalled how immaculate the food was saying specifically she had never seen such amazing foods in America and wished she could bring the cooks back with her. She later told me that when she got back to the states, she realized just how bad she ate before she went on her trip and she sees more clearly now just how unhealthy Americans really are. Her story prompted me to step back and look closer at how we as a nation choses what we are eating. I took my son to the grocery store to get food for the next couple weeks. I made all of his food myself instead of buying processed baby food because I know it is much healthier for him and it makes me think about what I eat. While we were in the fruits and vegetables isle, I noticed we were one of three people shopping in this area while the rest of the market place was packed with people. With the previous conversation stuck in my head, I decided to look around at what others were purchasing around me. I spotted a woman with a shopping cart mounding over with food. The looks of her cart reminded me of a contest I watched on TV where the mom got 5 minutes to get as much stuff as she could and by the end of her 5 minutes her cart was overflowing with stuff. As I watch her carefully choose what she was placing in her cart I realized we were in the frozen foods section. She was staring at a glass door intensely. Behind that glass door sat probably 20 different variations of ice cream. While this stranger and her overweight daughter discussed the options together, I watched her pick up two different one gallon containers of ice cream. One container had chocolate swirls throughout the off white vanilla ice cream and the other had the same chocolate swirls accompanied by pink strawberry swirls. I could hear her daughter asking for one kind and her mother saying she wanted the other kind. So instead of having to choose between the two different gallons of ice cream, she placed both containers in her already overflowing cart. I could sense both of their insulin levels increasing as they began to walk away with their prized frozen treats. While I was standing in the isle with this mother-daughter duo, I was able to get a good look at what they had stuffed in to their cart. I saw several blue boxes of Mac-N-Cheese paired with packages of processed animal intestines otherwise known as hotdogs. I could count six boxes of Hamburger Helper and each one a different variation but all boxes had the detail in bold of being doubly cheesy. I would think that a box of processed food that only needs to have water added to it is not the healthiest meal a mother could make for her child. I also spotted a couple 12 packs of various types of soda. I saw short green soda containers of individual bottles of Mountain Dew placed neatly on the side wall of her cart. Thinking to myself I remembered something I read saying that Mountain Dew has the most sodium per bottle than any other soda drink in the business. I came to the conclusion that my aunt was right. We as a nation are not only eating unhealthy but teaching our children to do the same as well. After leaving the grocery store with our fruit and veggies in hand, I decide to stop at fast food restaurant to grab a salad for lunch. While in line the person ahead of me places his order. The young lady taking his order is a very short woman with a very wide stance. As he gives his order I recount the experience that I had just had, watching this stranger and her daughter purchase mass quantities of food that were processed and extremely unhealthy. The gentleman tells the cashier he would like a Quarter Pounder with cheese. He asks for an extra slice of cheese, extra pickles and no lettuce or tomato. While the young lady quickly punches thing in to her computer screen to detail the order to his specific wants, he also adds that he would like to supersize his meal and requests a fresh batch of French fries. In my head, still reeling from my conversation with my aunt, I thought about how much grease this man is going to eat in just his lunch sitting. The woman waddled over to the fryers that were full of what looked like grease that had not been changed in a week, pulled out a new bag of frozen French fries, filled the container full of them and slid them in to the hot, boiling grease to cook. With his order being made, I couldn’t help but to think of all of the calories in his meal that he was getting ready to devour. He stepped aside waiting on his food and I placed my order for a grilled salmon salad with no dressing. I quickly realized our two orders couldn’t be more on the opposite sides of the nutrition chart as his meal was nothing but fat and grease and mine containing lettuce, fish, cheese and tomatoes. Another stranger opting to eat absolutely nothing good for them. As I sit down to enjoy my salad I look around and see the meals of others in the restaurant. I take out a package of already cut up bite size pieces of peaches for my son to each since he is only 7 months old. Trying to be inconspicuous, I look at the table next to me. A mother and her two young children are sitting, enjoying their lunches. The mother had a cheeseburger with so much ketchup running out of the sides you would think there was more ketchup that meat. Her youngest son had a 10 piece chicken nugget meal. The nuggets were obviously fried but the meat inside was a strange color of grey leading me to believe it was imitation meat. The little boy devoured each nugget only after carefully dipping each one of the nuggets in to a tub of barbeque sauce, making sure to lather each inch of the nugget to his desired amount. The oldest boy had the same fried, strangely grey food but was dipping his nuggets in to ketchup. In my head I couldn’t help but to sum up their lunch as to being fried fat and fried imitation meat, all lathered in a sodium filled dipping sauce. I quickly finished my meal and headed for the door. I had set my mind that I would not be like that mother, teaching her sons that eating unhealthy was acceptable. As I started putting away my groceries, I also started riding my cupboards and refrigerator from anything processed. It was clear to me that the word unhealthy was quickly becoming our nation’s primary adjective. As I reflect on my conversation with my aunt and the experiences I had with the unknowing strangers I watched purposely chose fatty, processed, fried and ultimately the most unhealthy foods possible, I realized obesity is not just a term used to define a plus size individual but a growing epidemic that is quickly spreading across our great nation. Unhealthy Americans are more prominent in society today and the growing trend does not look to be slowing down any time soon.

A Game of Thrones Chapter Six

Catelyn Of all the rooms in Winterfell's Great Keep, Catelyn's bedchambers were the hottest. She seldom had to light a fire. The castle had been built over natural hot springs, and the scalding waters rushed through its walls and chambers like blood through a man's body, driving the chill from the stone halls, filling the glass gardens with a moist warmth, keeping the earth from freezing. Open pools smoked day and night in a dozen small courtyards. That was a little thing, in summer; in winter, it was the difference between life and death. Catelyn's bath was always hot and steaming, and her walls warm to the touch. The warmth reminded her of Riverrun, of days in the sun with Lysa and Edmure, but Ned could never abide the heat. The Starks were made for the cold, he would tell her, and she would laugh and tell him in that case they had certainly built their castle in the wrong place. So when they had finished, Ned rolled off and climbed from her bed, as he had a thousand times before. He crossed the room, pulled back the heavy tapestries, and threw open the high narrow windows one by one, letting the night air into the chamber. The wind swirled around him as he stood facing the dark, naked and empty-handed. Catelyn pulled the furs to her chin and watched him. He looked somehow smaller and more vulnerable, like the youth she had wed in the sept at Riverrun, fifteen long years gone. Her loins still ached from the urgency of his lovemaking. It was a good ache. She could feel his seed within her. She prayed that it might quicken there. It had been three years since Rickon. She was not too old. She could give him another son. â€Å"I will refuse him,† Ned said as he turned back to her. His eyes were haunted, his voice thick with doubt. Catelyn sat up in the bed. â€Å"You cannot. You must not.† â€Å"My duties are here in the north. I have no wish to be Robert's Hand.† â€Å"He will not understand that. He is a king now, and kings are not like other men. If you refuse to serve him, he will wonder why, and sooner or later he will begin to suspect that you oppose him. Can't you see the danger that would put us in?† Ned shook his head, refusing to believe. â€Å"Robert would never harm me or any of mine. We were closer than brothers. He loves me. If I refuse him, he will roar and curse and bluster, and in a week we will laugh about it together. I know the man!† â€Å"You knew the man,† she said. â€Å"The king is a stranger to you.† Catelyn remembered the direwolf dead in the snow, the broken antler lodged deep in her throat. She had to make him see. â€Å"Pride is everything to a king, my lord. Robert came all this way to see you, to bring you these great honors, you cannot throw them back in his face.† â€Å"Honors?† Ned laughed bitterly. â€Å"In his eyes, yes,† she said. â€Å"And in yours?† â€Å"And in mine,† she blazed, angry now. Why couldn't he see? â€Å"He offers his own son in marriage to our daughter, what else would you call that? Sansa might someday be queen. Her sons could rule from the Wall to the mountains of Dorne. What is so wrong with that?† â€Å"Gods, Catelyn, Sansa is only eleven,† Ned said. â€Å"And Joffrey . . . Joffrey is . . . â€Å" She finished for him. † . . . crown prince, and heir to the Iron Throne. And I was only twelve when my father promised me to your brother Brandon.† That brought a bitter twist to Ned's mouth. â€Å"Brandon. Yes. Brandon would know what to do. He always did. It was all meant for Brandon. You, Winterfell, everything. He was born to be a King's Hand and a father to queens. I never asked for this cup to pass to me.† â€Å"Perhaps not,† Catelyn said, â€Å"but Brandon is dead, and the cup has passed, and you must drink from it, like it or not.† Ned turned away from her, back to the night. He stood staring out in the darkness, watching the moon and the stars perhaps, or perhaps the sentries on the wall. Catelyn softened then, to see his pain. Eddard Stark had married her in Brandon's place, as custom decreed, but the shadow of his dead brother still lay between them, as did the other, the shadow of the woman he would not name, the woman who had borne him his bastard son. She was about to go to him when the knock came at the door, loud and unexpected. Ned turned, frowning. â€Å"What is it?† Desmond's voice came through the door. â€Å"My lord, Maester Luwin is without and begs urgent audience.† â€Å"You told him I had left orders not to be disturbed?† â€Å"Yes, my lord. He insists.† â€Å"Very well. Send him in.† Ned crossed to the wardrobe and slipped on a heavy robe. Catelyn realized suddenly how cold it had become. She sat up in bed and pulled the furs to her chin. â€Å"Perhaps we should close the windows,† she suggested. Ned nodded absently. Maester Luwin was shown in. The maester was a small grey man. His eyes were grey, and quick, and saw much. His hair was grey, what little the years had left him. His robe was grey wool, trimmed with white fur, the Stark colors. Its great floppy sleeves had pockets hidden inside. Luwin was always tucking things into those sleeves and producing other things from them: books, messages, strange artifacts, toys for the children. With all he kept hidden in his sleeves, Catelyn was surprised that Maester Luwin could lift his arms at all. The maester waited until the door had closed behind him before he spoke. â€Å"My lord,† he said to Ned, â€Å"pardon for disturbing your rest. I have been left a message.† Ned looked irritated. â€Å"Been left? By whom? Has there been a rider? I was not told.† â€Å"There was no rider, my lord. Only a carved wooden box, left on a table in my observatory while I napped. My servants saw no one, but it must have been brought by someone in the king's party. We have had no other visitors from the south.† â€Å"A wooden box, you say?† Catelyn said. â€Å"Inside was a fine new lens for the observatory, from Myr by the look of it. The lenscrafters of Myr are without equal.† Ned frowned. He had little patience for this sort of thing, Catelyn knew. â€Å"A lens,† he said. â€Å"What has that to do with me?† â€Å"I asked the same question,† Maester Luwin said. â€Å"Clearly there was more to this than the seeming.† Under the heavy weight of her furs, Catelyn shivered. â€Å"A lens is an instrument to help us see.† â€Å"Indeed it is.† He fingered the collar of his order; a heavy chain worn tight around the neck beneath his robe, each link forged from a different metal. Catelyn could feel dread stirring inside her once again. â€Å"What is it that they would have us see more clearly?† â€Å"The very thing I asked myself.† Maester Luwin drew a tightly rolled paper out of his sleeve. â€Å"I found the true message concealed within a false bottom when I dismantled the box the lens had come in, but it is not for my eyes.† Ned held out his hand. â€Å"Let me have it, then.† Luwin did not stir. â€Å"Pardons, my lord. The message is not for you either. It is marked for the eyes of the Lady Catelyn, and her alone. May I approach?† Catelyn nodded, not trusting to speak. The maester placed the paper on the table beside the bed. It was sealed with a small blob of blue wax. Luwin bowed and began to retreat. â€Å"Stay,† Ned commanded him. His voice was grave. He looked at Catelyn. â€Å"What is it? My lady, you're shaking.† â€Å"I'm afraid,† she admitted. She reached out and took the letter in trembling hands. The furs dropped away from her nakedness, forgotten. In the blue wax was the moon-and-falcon seal of House Arryn. â€Å"It's from Lysa.† Catelyn looked at her husband. â€Å"It will not make us glad,† she told him. â€Å"There is grief in this message, Ned. I can feel it.† Ned frowned, his face darkening. â€Å"Open it.† Catelyn broke the seal. Her eyes moved over the words. At first they made no sense to her. Then she remembered. â€Å"Lysa took no chances. When we were girls together, we had a private language, she and I.† â€Å"Can you read it?† â€Å"Yes,† Catelyn admitted. â€Å"Then tell us.† â€Å"Perhaps I should withdraw,† Maester Luwin said. â€Å"No,† Catelyn said. â€Å"We will need your counsel.† She threw back the furs and climbed from the bed. The night air was as cold as the grave on her bare skin as she padded across the room. Maester Luwin averted his eyes. Even Ned looked shocked. â€Å"What are you doing?† he asked. â€Å"Lighting a fire,† Catelyn told him. She found a dressing gown and shrugged into it, then knelt over the cold hearth. â€Å"Maester Luwin—† Ned began. â€Å"Maester Luwin has delivered all my children,† Catelyn said. â€Å"This is no time for false modesty.† She slid the paper in among the kindling and placed the heavier logs on top of it. Ned crossed the room, took her by the arm, and pulled her to her feet. He held her there, his face inches from her. â€Å"My lady, tell me! What was this message?† Catelyn stiffened in his grasp. â€Å"A warning,† she said softly. â€Å"If we have the wits to hear.† His eyes searched her face. â€Å"Go on.† â€Å"Lysa says Jon Arryn was murdered.† His fingers tightened on her arm. â€Å"By whom?† â€Å"The Lannisters,† she told him. â€Å"The queen.† Ned released his hold on her arm. There were deep red marks on her skin. â€Å"Gods,† he whispered. His voice was hoarse. â€Å"Your sister is sick with grief. She cannot know what she is saying.† â€Å"She knows,† Catelyn said. â€Å"Lysa is impulsive, yes, but this message was carefully planned, cleverly hidden. She knew it meant death if her letter fell into the wrong hands. To risk so much, she must have had more than mere suspicion.† Catelyn looked to her husband. â€Å"Now we truly have no choice. You must be Robert's Hand. You must go south with him and learn the truth.† She saw at once that Ned had reached a very different conclusion. â€Å"The only truths I know are here. The south is a nest of adders I would do better to avoid.† Luwin plucked at his chain collar where it had chafed the soft skin of his throat. â€Å"The Hand of the King has great power, my lord. Power to find the truth of Lord Arryn's death, to bring his killers to the king's justice. Power to protect Lady Arryn and her son, if the worst be true.† Ned glanced helplessly around the bedchamber. Catelyn's heart went out to him, but she knew she could not take him in her arms just then. First the victory must be won, for her children's sake. â€Å"You say you love Robert like a brother. Would you leave your brother surrounded by Lannisters?† â€Å"The Others take both of you,† Ned muttered darkly. He turned away from them and went to the window. She did not speak, nor did the maester. They waited, quiet, while Eddard Stark said a silent farewell to the home he loved. When he turned away from the window at last, his voice was tired and full of melancholy, and moisture glittered faintly in the corners of his eyes. â€Å"My father went south once, to answer the summons of a king. He never came home again.† â€Å"A different time,† Maester Luwin said. â€Å"A different king.† â€Å"Yes,† Ned said dully. He seated himself in a chair by the hearth. â€Å"Catelyn, you shall stay here in Winterfell.† His words were like an icy draft through her heart. â€Å"No,† she said, suddenly afraid. Was this to be her punishment? Never to see his face again, nor to feel his arms around her? â€Å"Yes,† Ned said, in words that would brook no argument. â€Å"You must govern the north in my stead, while I run Robert's errands. There must always be a Stark in Winterfell. Robb is fourteen. Soon enough, he will be a man grown. He must learn to rule, and I will not be here for him. Make him part of your councils. He must be ready when his time comes.† â€Å"Gods will, not for many years,† Maester Luwin murmured. â€Å"Maester Luwin, I trust you as I would my own blood. Give my wife your voice in all things great and small. Teach my son the things he needs to know. Winter is coming.† Maester Luwin nodded gravely. Then silence fell, until Catelyn found her courage and asked the question whose answer she most dreaded. â€Å"What of the other children?† Ned stood, and took her in his arms, and held her face close to his. â€Å"Rickon is very young,† he said gently. â€Å"He should stay here with you and Robb. The others I would take with me.† â€Å"I could not bear it,† Catelyn said, trembling. â€Å"You must,† he said. â€Å"Sansa must wed Joffrey, that is clear now, we must give them no grounds to suspect our devotion. And it is past time that Arya learned the ways of a southron court. In a few years she will be of an age to marry too.† Sansa would shine in the south, Catelyn thought to herself, and the gods knew that Arya needed refinement. Reluctantly, she let go of them in her heart. But not Bran. Never Bran. â€Å"Yes,† she said, â€Å"but please, Ned, for the love you bear me, let Bran remain here at Winterfell. He is only seven.† â€Å"I was eight when my father sent me to foster at the Eyrie,† Ned said. â€Å"Ser Rodrik tells me there is bad feeling between Robb and Prince Joffrey. That is not healthy. Bran can bridge that distance. He is a sweet boy, quick to laugh, easy to love. Let him grow up with the young princes, let him become their friend as Robert became mine. Our House will be the safer for it.† He was right; Catelyn knew it. It did not make the pain any easier to bear. She would lose all four of them, then: Ned, and both girls, and her sweet, loving Bran. Only Robb and little Rickon would be left to her. She felt lonely already. Winterfell was such a vast place. â€Å"Keep him off the walls, then,† she said bravely. â€Å"You know how Bran loves to climb.† Ned kissed the tears from her eyes before they could fall. â€Å"Thank you, my lady,† he whispered. â€Å"This is hard, I know.† â€Å"What of Jon Snow, my lord?† Maester Luwin asked. Catelyn tensed at the mention of the name. Ned felt the anger in her, and pulled away. Many men fathered bastards. Catelyn had grown up with that knowledge. It came as no surprise to her, in the first year of her marriage, to learn that Ned had fathered a child on some girl chance met on campaign. He had a man's needs, after all, and they had spent that year apart, Ned off at war in the south while she remained safe in her father's castle at Riverrun. Her thoughts were more of Robb, the infant at her breast, than of the husband she scarcely knew. He was welcome to whatever solace he might find between battles. And if his seed quickened, she expected he would see to the child's needs. He did more than that. The Starks were not like other men. Ned brought his bastard home with him, and called him â€Å"son† for all the north to see. When the wars were over at last, and Catelyn rode to Winterfell, Jon and his wet nurse had already taken up residence. That cut deep. Ned would not speak of the mother, not so much as a word, but a castle has no secrets, and Catelyn heard her maids repeating tales they heard from the lips of her husband's soldiers. They whispered of Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, deadliest of the seven knights of Aerys's Kingsguard, and of how their young lord had slain him in single combat. And they told how afterward Ned had carried Ser Arthur's sword back to the beautiful young sister who awaited him in a castle called Starfall on the shores of the SummerSea. The Lady Ashara Dayne, tall and fair, with haunting violet eyes. It had taken her a fortnight to marshal her courage, but finally, in bed one night, Catelyn had asked her husband the truth of it, asked him to his face. That was the only time in all their years that Ned had ever frightened her. â€Å"Never ask me about Jon,† he said, cold as ice. â€Å"He is my blood, and that is all you need to know. And now I will learn where you heard that name, my lady.† She had pledged to obey; she told him; and from that day on, the whispering had stopped, and Ashara Dayne's name was never heard in Winterfell again. Whoever Jon's mother had been, Ned must have loved her fiercely, for nothing Catelyn said would persuade him to send the boy away. It was the one thing she could never forgive him. She had come to love her husband with all her heart, but she had never found it in her to love Jon. She might have overlooked a dozen bastards for Ned's sake, so long as they were out of sight. Jon was never out of sight, and as he grew, he looked more like Ned than any of the trueborn sons she bore him. Somehow that made it worse. â€Å"Jon must go,† she said now. â€Å"He and Robb are close,† Ned said. â€Å"I had hoped . . . â€Å" â€Å"He cannot stay here,† Catelyn said, cutting him off. â€Å"He is your son, not mine. I will not have him.† It was hard, she knew, but no less the truth. Ned would do the boy no kindness by leaving him here at Winterfell. The look Ned gave her was anguished. â€Å"You know I cannot take him south. There will be no place for him at court. A boy with a bastard's name . . . you know what they will say of him. He will be shunned.† Catelyn armored her heart against the mute appeal in her husband's eyes. â€Å"They say your friend Robert has fathered a dozen bastards himself.† â€Å"And none of them has ever been seen at court!† Ned blazed. â€Å"The Lannister woman has seen to that. How can you be so damnably cruel, Catelyn? He is only a boy. He—† His fury was on him. He might have said more, and worse, but Maester Luwin cut in. â€Å"Another solution presents itself,† he said, his voice quiet. â€Å"Your brother Benjen came to me about Jon a few days ago. It seems the boy aspires to take the black.† Ned looked shocked. â€Å"He asked to join the Night's Watch?† Catelyn said nothing. Let Ned work it out in his own mind; her voice would not be welcome now. Yet gladly would she have kissed the maester just then. His was the perfect solution. Benjen Stark was a Sworn Brother. Jon would be a son to him, the child he would never have. And in time the boy would take the oath as well. He would father no sons who might someday contest with Catelyn's own grandchildren for Winterfell. Maester Luwin said, â€Å"There is great honor in service on the Wall, my lord.† â€Å"And even a bastard may rise high in the Night's Watch,† Ned reflected. Still, his voice was troubled. â€Å"Jon is so young. If he asked this when he was a man grown, that would be one thing, but a boy of fourteen . . . â€Å" â€Å"A hard sacrifice,† Maester Luwin agreed. â€Å"Yet these are hard times, my lord. His road is no crueler than yours or your lady's.† Catelyn thought of the three children she must lose. It was not easy keeping silent then. Ned turned away from them to gaze out the window, his long face silent and thoughtful. Finally he sighed, and turned back. â€Å"Very well,† he said to Maester Luwin. â€Å"I suppose it is for the best. I will speak to Ben.† â€Å"When shall we tell Jon?† the maester asked. â€Å"When I must. Preparations must be made. It will be a fortnight before we are ready to depart. I would sooner let Jon enjoy these last few days. Summer will end soon enough, and childhood as well. When the time comes, I will tell him myself.†

Cromwells contribution was greater off the battlefield than on it Essay

â€Å"Cromwell’s contribution was greater off the battlefield than on it†. How far do you agree with this view of Cromwell’s role in the First Civil War? Many historians have argued that Cromwell’s rise to prominence was through his work during the First Civil War (1642-1646). This work can be split into two sections: on the battlefield and off the battlefield. On the battlefield, his main success came during the Battle of Marston Moor and Battle of Naseby, whilst off the battlefield he was instrumental in passing the Self-Denying Ordinance which created the path to victory for Parliament. Cromwell’s early military engagements in East Anglia had been relatively successful compared to other parliamentary generals during the first two years of the First Civil War. The Eastern Association, Cromwell’s army, were successful in several minor battles, namely Gainsborough, Winceby and Grantham. This prevented the Royalists from controlling Lincolnshire. These victories had provided much-needed propaganda for parliamentary newspapers, during a year in which the Royalists were clearly the stronger side. In addition, Cromwell also stopped the proclamation of the Royalist commission of array in Hertfordshire. However, it should be noted that these triumphs were trivial, and when placed in the context of the entire war its only function was to delay the southward march of the Earl of Newcastle’s army. Nevertheless, Cromwell’s prominence was enhanced significantly since he was the only parliamentary general to have any success in 1643. His other military successes in 1643 include establishing the northern frontier of the Eastern Association at the River Nene. The victory at Crowland Abbey entrenched parliamentary control in East Anglia, indicating that Cromwell was clearly successful in preventing Royalist forces from taking over Lincolnshire. Again, this had provided the Parliament Scout with propaganda. This propaganda gave Cromwell an increased military reputation, which helped him in the political arena during the latter years of the First Civil War. The Battle of Marston Moor, July 1644, changed Cromwell’s career both as a politician and a military general. Cromwell’s unique ability to regroup of his soldiers after attacking Byron’s cavalry in order to attack George Goring from the rear was the main catalyst for the victory. Although this battle did not decide the final fate of the First Civil War, it gave parliament hope and confidence; after the battle parliamentary soldiers were euphoric. This suggests that, just as in 1643, Cromwell’s military leadership not only resulted in victories but also increased the morale and confidence of the parliamentary army in general. Following this victory Cromwell’s political and military reputation were elevated to new heights. Whilst the Battle of Marston Moor was not the turning point in the First Civil War, the Battle of Naseby (June 1645) certainly was. Yet again, Cromwell was instrumental in winning the battle for parliament. Just like at Marston Moor, Cromwell’s horse was able to attack the Royalist from the rear, breaking the initial Royalist momentum. Since royalist infantry were either or slaughtered or surrendered, the King was never able to field a full size army again, implying that at Naseby Cromwell had effectively won the war for parliament. Furthermore, by capturing the King’s baggage train, Parliament were able to publish the details of the Charles’ correspondence with the Irish Catholics and hence giving Parliament more support from the people. Evidently, one can see that Cromwell was at the heart of the victory at Naseby, which ensured that parliament won the First Civil War. It may appear that all Cromwell’s military actions all resulted in victories. This is not the case. Even in 1643, Cromwell had some failures as a soldier. Although he was successful in East Anglia, he completely failed whenever he tried to participate in wider military engagements. By the summer of that year, his military position was as dire as other parliamentary generals, and thus was in no position to provide military support. Meanwhile, Cromwell’s military failures after Marston Moor include the Battle of Newbury and Battle of Donnington Castle. However, these failures were minor and did not have as much an impact as his victories. For instance, the Battle of Marston Moor was not decisive, so the loss at Donnington Castle did not mean that parliament lost the opportunity to win the war. On the other hand, Essex’s loss at Lostwithiel was much more consequential since it negated the advantage gained at Marston Moor. One might wonder whether if Essex had not lost at Lostwithiel, parliament would have won the war much earlier due to the advantage gained at Marston Moor. Therefore, Cromwell’s military failures are cancelled out by his more important successes. These military successes turned Cromwell into a parliamentary hero. As a result, he was able to advance his political influence. In the political arena, Cromwell was able to a more integral part than before the civil war. Cromwell’s main political achievements occurred in the Self-Denying Ordinance, in which he secured a pathway to victory for parliament. The Self-Denying Ordinance forbade any MP to hold an army command. This meant the likes of Manchester and Essex were forced to relieve their military commands. Consequently, the peace party lost control of parliament’s army, leaving the war party, who wanted outright victory first, in control of the army. This meant that the parliamentary army was united in its aims, implying that Cromwell had set the framework for parliament’s future military engagements. The Self-Denying Ordinance also allowed for the creation of the New Model Army, whose excellence was witnessed at the Battle of Naseby, again indicating Cromwell’s ability in the political arena. The Self-Denying Ordinance was not Cromwell’s only political accomplishment. In January 1644, Cromwell is involved in raising monthly assessments by 50%. This helped parliamentary finances which were in short supply. Cromwell also attacked many other parliamentary generals who he felt had played insignificant and incompetent roles in battles. All of these happened because of Cromwell’s increased political status, as seen by his position in the Committee of Both Kingdoms. Therefore, it seems that Cromwell played key roles in political events during the civil war. However, it is important to remember that the Self-Denying Ordinance was not devised by Cromwell but instead by his parliamentary allies, notably Viscount Saye and Sele. Although he was involved in its passage through parliament, Cromwell was merely the most prominent beneficiary. In parliament Cromwell was supported by at least 9 connections. Without these connections it could be argued that Cromwell would not have received such political importance. Furthermore, it was Cromwell’s military success that allowed him to be influential in parliament, thus implying that his political status was dependent upon his military prowess. His military triumphs also helped him when Essex and Denzil Holles debated whether or not to impeach him. They had decided not to proceed because of Cromwell’s military importance to the parliamentary army, suggesting that his military contribution cannot be replaced. In addition, before the First Civil War, Cromwell lacked many essential political skills as seen by many of his mistakes. Cromwell’s paucity of political aptitude is also seen when he attacks Manchester in November 1644. This attack split parliament into rival two factions: peace party and war party, which would have consequences after the war. Although Cromwell did try to unite the factions together, he was responsible for the breakout in the first place, thus implying a negative contribution off the battlefield. Therefore, one finds that Cromwell’s contribution off the battlefield is not as desirable as his military contribution. His political contribution alone could not have won the war for parliament, whereas his military contribution on its own could have won the war for parliament. In conclusion, Cromwell’s role on the battlefield and in the political arena cannot be underestimated; in both areas he was useful and helpful towards parliament’s cause. However, Cromwell’s role main role was on the battlefield where he led many parliamentary armies to victories in full-scale battles as well as minor skirmishes, which eventually ensured triumph for parliament over the king. These victories allowed him to acquire an increased status not only militarily but also politically, which gave him more influences in parliamentary affairs on and off the battlefield. Nevertheless, politically he did not architect any notable event, even the Self-Denying Ordinance wasn’t devised by Cromwell. On the other hand, militarily he guided a parliamentary side from near defeat in 1643 to victory three years later. Thus, this gives the impression that Cromwell’s contribution was greater on the battlefield.

Animal Rights (Tom Regan etc)

Animal rights is a very controversial issue with many different groups of people with differing opinions that want their voices on this issue heard. Many of these groups believe that animals have inherent value and deserve rights, and the majority of people believe this as well, but exactly which rights do they deserve. It is all well and good to say you are an advocate for animal rights, however the real issue here is exactly what rights are they entitled to? I will be evaluating Tom Regans view of animal rights that he sets out in The Case for Animal Rights (1992), in which he calls for an end to the use of animals in scientific experiments and commercial agriculture, and sets out what he believes animals are entitled to. I will also be examining opposing arguments from Carl Cohen (1986), who is very much on the opposite end of the spectrum, and believes that animals deserve no rights whatsoever. In â€Å"The Case for Animal Rights† (1992) Regan argues that all beings of consciousness have what he calls inherent value, which is value to themselves above the value of their usefulness to others. He uses the example of the genius and the retarded child. The value of the usefulness to society differs dramatically in these two individuals, but that does not mean that the life of one is of greater value than the other. You could not morally kill the retarded child in order to save the genius, as this moral theory does not allow for that to happen. All beings of consciousness possess equal inherent value and all have an equal right to be treated with respect and to not be treated in a way that degrades them to simply a thing a resource for others to use. This is what Regan calls the rights view. It denies all tolerability of racial, sexual or social discrimination, and opposes the view that the ends justify the means you cannot justify evil means, that violate an individuals rights, simply by achieving good results. If this moral theory condemns all use of racism, sexism and any other form of discrimination then, of course, it will also condemn speciesism discrimination based on species. Regan does not simply oppose battery hen farming, the conditions of veal farming, the tiny cages used for animals in medical and cosmetic testing and the conservative use of anaesthetics on animals being used for toxicity tests of cosmetics, he opposes the entire doctrine and way we look at animals as a whole. The rights view that Regan holds is abolitionist towards animal testing, for Lab animals are not our tasters; we are not their kings. (Regan 1992) These animals are constantly reduced to their usefulness to others, as they are seen as a renewable resource for us to have our way with and, without the means to object, there is no reason to stop. There is no thought whatsoever to their inherent value and the fact that their living conditions and whether they live or die is important to them. The fact it is important to them means something, according to the rights view. This brings us back to the genius and the retarded child example. If we reduced those two down to their usefulness to others we would have no trouble killing off the retarded child in order to retrieve information that could save the genius life. The problem is not many moral beings would be able to do that. The fact that they can do it to animals is blatant speciesism, which really should be as bad as racism and other forms of discrimination. An animal’s inherent value should be important to us because it is important to them. If we dont respect that then, in the eyes of the rights view, we are as bad as racist mobs lynching an African-American due to the colour of his skin. Regan suggests that the reason animals are perceived to have less value stems from the fact they lack our level of autonomy, reason or intellect. They cant have the same level of inherent value as humans do for those are some of the attributes that make us value human life as a whole. This version of the rights view is even more baseless than saying they have no rights at all, because we arent prepared to make the same call on humans who also lack normal levels of intellect, reason and autonomy. The truth is that those deficient humans, that lack those attributes to a degree, do not hold less value than the rest of us. Their life is still as important to them as our life is to us and we cannot justify saying that this is not the case. All beings who have inherent value have it equally and deserve to be treated as though their inherent value means something for, according to the rights view that I am explaining and evaluating, this is indeed the case. There are, of course, advocates of differing views and philosopher Carl Cohen is one of these advocates. Carl Cohen believes there are two categories that define an organism as a human. These categories pertain to a being’s cogniscience as a legal person and a moral person. There are two types of legal persons: natural and artificial. Natural legal persons refer to you and me any human in the world is a natural legal person. An artificial legal person is a body of men/woman who in the eyes of the law are seen as one e.g. A corporation is seen as one legal entity. Both these types of legal persons have legal responsibilities to uphold the law of the land and are responsible for their own actions. They are also given rights with these responsibilities and come under legal protection. Animals arent seen to have any legal responsibilities and, with no responsibilities, there can be no rights. As such, they cannot come under legal protection, effectively barring them from being classified as a legal person, natural or artificial. A moral person is much the same. They have moral responsibilities to look out for their community, and others around them, and also have the intellect and reason to make autonomous decisions and to object to things they believe are immoral. In agreeing with and putting these responsibilities into practice, they develop moral rights to have their decisions, feelings and value upheld by the communities they are morally responsible for. Animals lack all of these attributes, such as the ability to see right and wrong in their actions, and to be able to recognise their obligations and make a moral decision based on their responsibilities. Cohen himself explicitly states so when he says â€Å"Rights arise, and can be intelligibly defended, only among beings who actually do, or can, make moral claims against one another.† (1986) Humans may be subject to experimentation with their consent a choice they freely made and we, as moral persons, must respect, as they made the choice as a moral person. An animal cannot do this. It is impossible for an animal to give consent or withhold consent and equally as impossible for it to make a moral decision based on moral obligation and sense of right and wrong. It is therefore impossible to call them a moral person. Much like the legal persons classification, they are barred from all moral rights when they cannot comprehend moral obligation, and knowing what is right and wrong. Regan responds to Cohen’s analysis with an accusation of speciesism. Failing to protect the rights of animals due to their lack of moral attributes is exactly like condemning a retarded child for the absence of this same capacity. Using Cohen’s logic, because the retarded child lacks empathy and a sense of moral obligation, they deserve no moral rights at all. In the real world, however, this is quite the opposite. They are, in fact, given more protection as a result. Society provides services and facilities for them to live with fully-functional people, so they may live in a fulfilling manner. It is morally wrong, in modern society’s eyes, to discriminate against them due to their reduced brain function. For this reason, I see Cohens arguments to be, not only antiquated, but not in line with commonly held belief of 21st century society. It was published six years prior to Regans the Case for Animal Rights and, despite the fact that it doesnt seem like a long time, society’s views on animal rights have changed drastically since 1986. The animal rights movement is no longer considered as simply the views of â€Å"hippies† who should not be taken seriously. This movement has garnered a lot of support from the mainstream of society, and many scholars and lawyers have gotten behind it. Regan was one of the key factors in bringing the animal rights issue into the academic limelight, and it has subsequently flourished in the curriculum of many academic institutions, and has the support of senior legal scholars of Harvard Law Alan Dershowitz and Laurence Tribe. 92 out of 180 law schools in the US have now adopted the issue, and even have specific animal rights courses included as compulsory course requirements. The most enthusiastic adopters amongst the academic world are the philosophers, for it brings many deep questions to the surface and causes in us a realization of how cruel society can be, and how hypocritical we can be in our assigning of inherent value. Society has proven to be prone to prejudice and discrimination. As evidenced by the civil rights movement of 1960s America, it can take hundreds of years to achieve a state of equality. Regan’s rights view of â€Å"inherent value†, when viewed in the context of civil rights, has been shown to have immense value to all sectors of society, not only those who are the victims of prejudice. Society selectively applies this rights view to suit themselves. In contrast, Cohen’s rights view of assigning value based on conforming to preset categories of legal and moral personhood, seems to no longer be relevant to 21st century society’s beliefs. Regan himself addresses this view and draws comparisons to how society treats human beings of reduced mental capacity. If society is judged on how it defends those who cannot defend themselves, what justification do we have for failing to protect the welfare and rights of animals. In the time since Cohen published â€Å"The Case for the Use of Animals in Biomedical Research† in 1986, scholarship and academic attention on the subject of animal rights has grown immensely. No doubt, as more academics and philosophers add their own thoughts and research into the subject, we can expect to see our understanding of animals rights continue to change. Jonsson, P. 2001. Tracing an animal-rights philosophy. [online] Available at: http://www.csmonitor.com Encyclopedia Britannica. 2013. animal rights. [online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/25760 Dershowitz, A. 2004. Rights from wrongs. New York: Basic Books Smith, W. 2010. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. New York, NY: Encounter Books. Regan, T. 1983. The case for animal rights. Berkeley: University of California Press. Cohen, C. 2012. The case for the use of animals in biomedical research. Arguing About Bioethics, p. 206.