One Second of Reading a Model by Philip Gough Essay Example

One Second of Reading: a Model by Philip Gough Paper I. AN INTRODUCTION Suppose the eye of a moderately skilled adult reader (henceforth, THE READER) were to fall on this sentence, and that he were to read it aloud. One second after his initial fixation, only the first word will have been uttered. But during that second, a number of events will have transpired in the mind of the Reader. If we knew the train of events, we would know about the different reading processes. If we knew these processes, we would know what the child must learn to become a READER. II. PURPOSE OF THE PAPER First, it tries to describe the sequence of events that transpire in one second of reading, in order to suggest the nature of the processes that link them. Second, it attempts to relate this description to some facts about the acquisition of reading. The description of chain of events is intended to be exhaustive in conviction that the complexity of the reading process cannot be fully appreciated. Thus, it is detailed by choice, speculative by necessity, and almost certainly flawed. III. THE READING PROCESS The Reading process begins with an eye fixation. The Reader’s eyes focus on a point slightly indented from the beginning of the line. They remain on the fixation for some 250msec. They will sweep 1-4 degrees of visual angle, around 10-12 letter spaces to the right, consuming 10-23msec, and a new fixation will begin. When the initial fixation is achieved, a visual pattern is reflected onto the retina. This sets in motion a complicated sequence of activity in the visual system, finishing in the formation of an ICON. We will write a custom essay sample on One Second of Reading: a Model by Philip Gough specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on One Second of Reading: a Model by Philip Gough specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on One Second of Reading: a Model by Philip Gough specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer IV. ICONIC REPRESENTATION Reading begins through cognitive and visual processes. The icon is a entral event, presumably corresponding to neural activity in the striate cortex and it is an â€Å"unidentified† or â€Å"pre-categorical† visual image, a set of bars, slits, edges, curves, angles, and breaks. Even though the icon contains any form of content, iconic buffer has a substantial capacity. The decay of the icon persists for several seconds if the stimulus is followed by darkness or it can be erased. V. LETTER IDENTIFICATION Data suggest a comparable rate: MASKED RECOGNITION THRESHOLD for familiar five letter words to be roughly 90 msec. (Scharf, Zamansky, et al. 1966) VISUAL RECOGNITION LATENCY increases steadily from 615 msec for three-letter words to 693 msec for ten-letter words. (Stewart, James, et al. , 1969) Four-letter words are acknowledged some 35 msec faster than six-letter words. (Gough and Stewart, 1970) VI. THE MAPPING PROBLEM Two possibilities: The lexicon ID directly accessible from the character register that the reader goes â€Å"directly† from print to meaning. We go directly from print to meaning in the way of speech. A Third Hypothesis: Getting the advantages of both and the disadvantages of neither VII. LEXICAL SEARCH Prevalence of Ambiguity Words are understood one at a time : seems like frequently misunderstood. Prior context would determine the course of lexical search: procedure not incorporated in the present model Explanation of first prevalence: Presence of lexical ambiguity in a sentence increases difficulty in processing the sentence. For example, a phoneme is given in monitoring a sentence and the reaction time to the target is increased if it is followed by an ambiguous item. Explanation to second prevalence: Several experiments have failed to find evidence that the disruptive effect of ambiguity can be eliminated by prior context. Foss has found the same increase in phoneme monitor latency after an ambiguous word even when that word is preceded by a context that completely disambiguates it. VIII. PRIMARY MEMORY Where contents of lexical entries, including phonological, syntactic, and semantic information are deposited. The PM and the comprehension device interact in some way. Three Evidences: More words may be retained in sentences than out of them. Sentences are remembered better than lists. When words are processed into sentences, the resulting structure is allocated to a further storage system with a much greater capacity. The Place Where Sentences Go When They Are Understood (TPWSGWTAU) When the contents of the PM are integrated, the PM can now be cleared and new items entered. If the sentence arrives first than a list of unrelated words, there is greater memory. Any sentence whose initial words exceed the capacity of PM before they can be understood (i. e. before their grammatical relations can be discovered) will prove incomprehensible. E. g. That’s too big a bag. The PM provides a buffer memory for the comprehension device. MERLIN- some wondrous mechanism operating on the information in the PM tries to discover the deep structure of the fragment, the grammatical relations among its parts. If Merlin succeeds, a semantic interpretation of the fragment is achieved and placed in the ultimate registry, the TPWSGWTAU. If Merlin fails, the fixation will be maintained to provide further processing time. IX. INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL OF GOUGH X. THE ACQUISITION OF READING There are several necessary components: VISUAL SYSTEM- produces an icon LEXICON- prior ideas PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM- speech presentation COMPREHENSION DEVICE- grammar Character Recognition Character recognition poses a problem for child. Children can be discriminated but this is a far cry from the absolute identification demanded by the reading process. And they are capable of simultaneous discrimination like they find the same distinction inordinately difficult in a successive discrimination task. As they teach about these distinctions, there has been a symptom of reading disability. But the discrimination our orthography demands of the child runs directly counter to virtually all of his perceptual experience. Character recognition was the chief impediment to learning to read, for it can be taught. Samuels reported that teaching the alphabet doesn’t facilitate learning to read. Decoding Look and Say Method This method uses the paired-associate (PA) learning, where in the child is confronted with a certain word (the look) to be associated with a response which is (the say). Linguistic Method This method is said to be optimal because it offers a sequence of message pairs in which only an element is varied at a time. This signifies that a child can manage to learn to read under any method as long as they are provided with the appropriate data.

Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard to Find

A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND The setting of the story, †A Good Man is Hard to Find,† shows us how much tragedy can change a person. The Grandmother thinks of herself as a very upright lady, yet she is a racist and snotty woman who changes completely during the last minutes of her life. The reader can sense that transition at the end of the story. In the beginning of the story, the Grandmother tries to change her son’s mind about going to Florida because she wants to go to Tennessee, and that gives us a sign of how persuasive she can be. She compares herself to her daughter-in-law, insinuating that the daughter-in-law is not a lady like her. She judges â€Å"the children’s mother’s† clothes and judges many others who are socially challenged or less fortunate than she is. Note that when she mentions the Misfit criminal who escaped from prison, the â€Å"pickaninny,† and when she mentions the two cents in Red Sammy’s cash register with a tone of irony on her voice. Her attitude changes compl! etely when the family’s car flips over on the way to the house with the six white columns. First, she is afraid to tell her son that she was mistaken because of her fear of his anger, and later, because they are under the mercy of the Misfit who finds them. The Grandmother’s soul fills with fear when she finds out who the Misfit really is, and that their situation is worsening by the minute. She is now worried about her family. All of the racist comments, all comparisons, and the idea of being better than the less fortunate become fear of death. I agree that any human being would do and say the same things she did to try and save her family, but in her case the change significant. As the Misfit orders his friend to kill her family, the Grandmother realizes how powerless and insignificant she is. but the most intresting part comes with the scens contaning just the misfit and the grand mother. the grand mother is tring ti use every card in ... Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard to Find Free Essays on A Good Man Is Hard to Find A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND The setting of the story, †A Good Man is Hard to Find,† shows us how much tragedy can change a person. The Grandmother thinks of herself as a very upright lady, yet she is a racist and snotty woman who changes completely during the last minutes of her life. The reader can sense that transition at the end of the story. In the beginning of the story, the Grandmother tries to change her son’s mind about going to Florida because she wants to go to Tennessee, and that gives us a sign of how persuasive she can be. She compares herself to her daughter-in-law, insinuating that the daughter-in-law is not a lady like her. She judges â€Å"the children’s mother’s† clothes and judges many others who are socially challenged or less fortunate than she is. Note that when she mentions the Misfit criminal who escaped from prison, the â€Å"pickaninny,† and when she mentions the two cents in Red Sammy’s cash register with a tone of irony on her voice. Her attitude changes compl! etely when the family’s car flips over on the way to the house with the six white columns. First, she is afraid to tell her son that she was mistaken because of her fear of his anger, and later, because they are under the mercy of the Misfit who finds them. The Grandmother’s soul fills with fear when she finds out who the Misfit really is, and that their situation is worsening by the minute. She is now worried about her family. All of the racist comments, all comparisons, and the idea of being better than the less fortunate become fear of death. I agree that any human being would do and say the same things she did to try and save her family, but in her case the change significant. As the Misfit orders his friend to kill her family, the Grandmother realizes how powerless and insignificant she is. but the most intresting part comes with the scens contaning just the misfit and the grand mother. the grand mother is tring ti use every card in ...

Review of Reading Eggs for Children Ages 4 to 8

Review of Reading Eggs for Children Ages 4 to 8 Reading Eggs is an interactive online program intended for children ages 4-8 and designed to teach children how to read or to build on existing reading skills. The program was originally developed in Australia by Blake Publishing but brought to schools in the United States by the same company that developed Study Island, Archipelago Learning. The premise behind Reading Eggs is to engage students in a fun, interactive program that initially builds a foundation for learning to read and eventually guides them towards reading to learn. The lessons found in Reading Eggs are designed to tie into the five pillars of reading instruction. The five pillars of reading instruction include phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Each of these components is necessary for children to master if they are going to be expert readers. Reading Eggs provides an alternative avenue for students to master these concepts. This program is not intended to replace traditional classroom instruction, instead, it is a supplemental tool in which students can hone and build the skills which they are being taught at school. There are 120 total lessons found in the Reading Eggs program. Each lesson builds on a concept taught in the previous lesson. Each lesson has between six and ten activities that students will complete to master the overall lesson. Lessons 1 through 40 are designed for students who have very little reading skills. Children will learn their first reading skills at this level including sounds and names of the alphabet letters, reading sight words, and learning essential phonics skills. Lessons 41 through 80 will build on those skills previously learned. Children will learn more high-frequency sight words, build word families, and read both fiction and nonfiction books designed to build their vocabulary. Lessons 81 through 120 continue to build on previous skills and will provide activities for children to read for meaning, comprehension, and to continue to increase vocabulary. Here are some key components of Reading Eggs. Its Teacher/Parent-Friendly Reading Eggs is easy to add a single student or a whole class.Reading Eggs has terrific reporting that makes it easy to monitor individual student or whole class progress.Reading Eggs provides teachers with a downloadable letter to send home to parents. The letter explains what Reading Eggs is and provides login information for students to work on the program at home at no additional cost. It also provides parents with the opportunity to have an account to track their child’s progress at no additional cost.Reading Eggs provides teachers with a comprehensive user guide as well as toolkit loaded with books, lesson plans, resources, and activities. The teacher toolkit has several books and activities that they can use in conjunction with their Smart Board to interactively teach lessons to the whole class. Its Instructional With Diagnostic Components Reading Eggs provides teachers and parents with the opportunity to assign specific lessons to students. For example, if a kindergarten teacher is teaching the letter â€Å"K†, the teacher can go in and assign the lesson over the letter â€Å"K† to all of the students to reinforce that concept.Reading Eggs also provides teachers and parents with the option of giving each child a diagnostic placement test. This test consists of forty questions. When the child misses three questions, then the program assigns them to the appropriate lesson that corresponds to how they did on the placement test. This allows students to skip past concepts which they have already mastered and places them at the level in the program where they should be.Reading Eggs allows teachers and parents to reset a student’s progress at any time in the program. Its Fun and Interactive Reading Eggs has kid friendly themes, animations, and songs.Reading Eggs allows users to create and personalize their own unique avatar.Reading Eggs provides users with motivation by providing incentives and rewards. Each time they complete an activity, they are rewarded with golden eggs. Their eggs are kept in their â€Å"eggy bank† which they can use to buy reward games, clothes for their avatar, or accessories for their house. In addition, when a user completes a lesson they earn an animated â€Å"critter†, which they collect as they go through the program.Reading Egg lessons are set up similar to a board game where you move from stepping stone to another by completing an activity. Once you have completed each activity, then you have completed that lesson and get to move on to the next lesson. Reading Eggs Is Comprehensive Reading Eggs has hundreds of extra learning activities and games aside from those in the standard 120 reading lessons.The Playroom is loaded with over 120 learning activities covering a wide range of topics ranging from letter reinforcement to art.My World allows students to visit eight destinations loaded with fun, interactive activities.Story Factory allows students to write and build their own stories and then enter them into a weekly story writing competition.Puzzle Park gives students a chance to earn some more Golden Eggs by completing word puzzles and practicing sight word recognition.The Arcade is a place where students can use their earned Golden Eggs to play much fun, interactive reading games.Driving Tests contains assessments covering sights words, phonics skills, and content area vocabulary. If a student satisfactorily completes a test, they are rewarded a racing car game which they can play to earn more golden eggs.Skills Bank is designed to build a student’s ski lls in spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation. Music Cafà © allows students to access and play their favorite songs that hear within a lesson. Its Structured Reading Eggs provides students with a comprehensive dashboard located on the left of their screen. This dashboard keeps track of which lesson they are on, how many golden eggs they have earned, and allows them access to their stuff and all the other places they can go to the program.Reading Eggs forces students into order by padlocking activities. You must complete activity one to open activity two.Reading Eggs also locks components such as My World, Puzzle Park, the Arcade, Driving Tests, Skills Bank until a user has mastered the appropriate number of lessons to have developed the skills necessary to use those components. Research on Reading Eggs Reading Eggs has been proven to be an effective tool for children to learn how to read. A study was conducted in 2010 that paralleled the features and components of the Reading Eggs program to essential elements that students must comprehend and possess to be able to read. Reading Eggs uses a variety of effective, research-based learning activities that motivate students to successfully complete the program. The web-based design features those components that have been proven to be highly effective in getting children to be high functioning readers. Overall Impression Reading Eggs is an exceptional early literacy program for parents of young children as well as schools and classroom teachers. Children love using technology and they love to get rewards and this program combines both of them effectively. In addition, the research-based program successfully incorporates the five pillars of reading. You may feel concerned if you think young children may be overwhelmed by the program, but the tutorial in the help section was terrific. Overall, Reading Eggs deserves five out of five stars, because it is a wonderful teaching tool that children will want to spend hours using.

Geological hazards in the area Aci Castello in sicily in Italy Essay

Geological hazards in the area Aci Castello in sicily in Italy - Essay Example The first of this was a field research, which required the researcher to report at the location, interact with residents and experts, gather field evidence and analyse findings from the site. There was another form of data collection, which was secondary data collection. The secondary data collection actually took the larger part of the data collection process. This is because the researcher was interested in comparing the findings made by different researchers and geologists about volcanoes at Mount Etna. At the end of the data collection process, it was found that Mount Etna is an active volcano located at Aci Castello, which is the focus and centre of the current research. Mount Etna was selected as part of efforts to focus specifically on volcanoes as part of the geological hazards of Aci Castello. Aci Castello is also famous for its agricultural successes, which serve as the major economic output of the area (Azzaro, 2011). Out of the rocks stands the famous ancient Norman Castle, which was constructed in 1081. Upon the outward beauty of the place, there lie some critical geological concerns, which form the problem for the current research. The problem has to do with the geographic hazards in the area of Aci Castello, particularly the volcanology of the place. This research problem is interesting for a number of reasons. In the first place, it serves an academic significance for students of geography who would need to come up with real life activities of active and dormant volcanoes. There study is also significant in having practical interventions and approaches to dealing with what has become infamous recent volcano eruption activity at Mount Etna. The report therefore aims to critically analyse volcanoes at Aci Castello, particularly the infamous Mount Etna with the purpos e of identifying the trend of activities of these volcanoes so that necessary geological precautions could be taken at these. This will be achieved by undertaking both

Contemporary issues in marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Contemporary issues in marketing - Essay Example Organizational knowledge is enhanced through effective use of the information collected. Knowledge management hence rests on two foundations - utilizing and exploiting the organization’s information and application of people’s skills, talents, thoughts, and imagination (Broadbent, 1998). Human expertise is utilized for business advantage. Customer relationship management (CRM) focuses on the needs of the customer and integrates technologies and business processes (Bose, 2002). The process is the same as KM where knowledge about the customers is captured, analyzed and utilized to enhance the product or services to the customer. CRM thus revolves around marketing and deep analysis of customer behaviour. The knowledge acquired about the customer can be a powerful tool in not only acquiring new customers but even for the retention of the existing customers. It can help segment the customers based on their lifestyle and purchasing habits (McKim & Hughes, 2001). Thus, KM enha nces customer relationship and hence to serve the customers better, knowledge of the customers is vital. Therefore, an integration of Km and CRM has led to the development of the customer knowledge management (CKM) model (Gebert, Geib, Kolbe & Brenner, 2003). 1b. ICT is very vital for the successful implementation of CRM. ICT ca help extract huge amount of information on the customer and it enables measuring the relationship value at each stage of the relationship. For effective implementation, there must be a customer database, a communication channel and an application of relationship management (Park & Kim, 2003). This can convert one-time buyers into loyal customers. In the digital economy, ICT has changed the way businesses function. There is increased transparency of information even though this has also led to new competitors and new products in every field of business (Koerner & Zimmermann, 2000). With the help of ICT, new industry structure and business models

Gender Issues in Sri Lanka Essay Example for Free

Gender Issues in Sri Lanka Essay Gender issues In general, when considering third world countries, most would say that they have some very similar characteristics. Third world countries are often thought of as places that are impoverished, have significantly high birthrates, are economically dependent on advanced countries, and have not evolved socially in regards to equal rights issues. Although many of these characteristics do apply to Sri Lanka, the latter has definitely evoked some discussion on the topic of gender issues in underdeveloped countries. Issues such as decision making in the household, educated women and their role in society, and attitudes towards women in employment will be discussed. As stated earlier, most would agree that from a distant perspective Sri Lanka would seem to be socially underdeveloped in regards to equal rights. One way that this misconception is debunked is by looking at the roles of male and female in the household. There are many variables to take into consideration when looking at roles of family members and who has the balance of power; for instance, if the wife is working or not could be considered at both ends of the scale. If she is working than her husband may feel that because she is making a financial contribution she has more of a right to make important economic decisions that may effect the family. On the other hand he may feel as though her being away from the children is a detriment to their upbringing, and in turn is placing a burden upon the family leaving the wife with few domestic decisions. Another variable that has to be considered is if the residence is with the husbands family or if it is with the wifes family. In this case one would assume that whichever house was being resided in would have the balance of the say towards family decisions. The last variable that will be considered is that of marital duration. Does a longer marriage necessarily mean that the financial and domestic decisions of the household will become split evenly between the husband and wife? The answers to these questions were the focus of a study conducted by Anju Malhotra and Mark Mather in 1992. The study showed that when the wives were working, regardless of whether or not they shared their wages or kept them, they had an increase say on financial matters. However, the domestic decisions were not nearly as great, especially if the wages earned by the wife were kept for herself (Malhotra et al. 1997: 620). When looking at the balance of power in regards to household arrangement, the study found that the wife had almost no say on financial matters when living at the husbands parents house but did have some say on domestic issues. The opposite it true for when the family resided at the wifes parents house. The wife typically had a significant say on financial and domestic matters with the latter outweighing the two (Malhotra et al. 1997: 620). As far as marital duration is concerned, it seems as though as the family grows together there is somewhat of a role reversal. The husband becomes more concerned with domestic matters and the wife takes some responsibility for the financial decisions (Malhotra et al. 1997:620). These findings led my research group to believe that the people of Sri Lanka are generally very similar to those of western societies in regards to household decisions. Education is not something we think about when speaking about developing countries, many assume that it is just not an option for underprivileged people. Although that is the unfortunate truth that effects many third world countries, it does seem that Sri Lanka is on its way to recovering itself. For many years the gender gap between male and female scholars needed to be decreased. In the early 1980s the percentage of the total amount of people with university degrees that were women was barely above 40%. A more alarming fact might be that the percentage with post-graduate degrees was barely above 25% (Ahooja-Patel K. 1979: 217). The majority of women pursuing a degree usually did so in the fine arts category or the education and teacher training fields, many staying away from disciplines such as business or engineering. Although these numbers may seem staggering Sri Lanka has shown some promise in terms of social welfare. Programs are now in place to encourage female education and to decrease the inequalities women face today. In the early 1990s the gender gap between literate males and females was only a 5% difference (Malhotra et al. 1997: 602). Many believe that the more westernized Sri Lanka becomes the more independent the thoughts and wills of women will expand, creating a country of little inequality. Women in the work force today in western society face many barriers; this is after years of trying to refine the social economic status of women. In Sri Lanka, because of its poor economy, employers may have actual complaints that may affect the profitability of their business. In general in Sri Lanka, men are usually preferred over women as employees. Some employers complain that because of the possibility of the need for time off to bear children that it may disrupt the flow of the work force. Many men could feel as though women were being treated with undeserved favoritism, which could cause conflict. Others feel that the financial burden of having to install proper facilities to accommodate women could create too much of a loss that they would not be able to overcome it. The topic of most discussions seems to revolve around the Maternity Amendment Act of 1978, which states that women workers are entitled to six weeks maternity leave with pay. It also states that they are allowed two nursing breaks of one hour each or two breaks of one half hour each when a day care center is available (Ahooja-Patel K. 1979: 219). Women cannot, under the law, be fired for any reason that stems from them being pregnant. An unfortunate fact that is slowly being eradicated is that many women are just not qualified for the jobs that are available in Sri Lanka. Because of the gender gap in education and training that has plagued Sri Lanka for years this trend will surely continue until the inequality has subsided. In many ways Sri Lanka has come very far in terms of gender equality when discussing kinship and education. However, womens economic situation has shown to be less favourable. The people of Sri Lanka acknowledge that women have a place in the work force but financially cannot accommodate them. Until the economic growth of Sri Lanka can develop further, people will continue to have the survival of the fittest kind of attitude, which will continue to alienate and repress the women or Sri Lanka.

tempcolon Essay on European Colonization in The Tempest

The Theme of European Colonization in The Tempest  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries were distinguished times, in which new thoughts and great legends were being born and Europe was changing. People were seeing their world in a new, dazzling light. Humanity's greatest writers, scientists, and composers were beginning to share their gifts. However, underneath these artistic overtones were the political changes, too. There was a New World out there, and its potential was undefined and many countries overlooked its capabilities. England, on the other hand, had placed its foot firmly into the foundation of the New World, and the footprint left behind influenced both the countries' possibilities, and the artists' works.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One classic example of this is Shakespeare's plays. Many of them had analogies relating to the future of the European colonies, but one work exposed Shakespeare's true thoughts so well that it has been the basis for many studies. This work is titled The Tempest, and it has been scrutinized and analyzed all through its enduring 387-year life. Throughout its existence, it has inspired and enlightened its readers. Contemporary insight now offers new possibilities to understand its inner workings. English colonization and other settlements in the Americas, along with critical analyses, can reveal the underlying clues within The Tempest that will help us understand Shakespeare's conceptualization of the events and characters in his play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   English colonization in North America, what would eventually establish our beloved United States of America, has been thought to have influenced England's greatest writers, especially Shakespeare. Evidence is provided through a well-kn... ... but a necessary one. This is a sign of hope for our universal endeavor to obtain a greater, more intelligent mankind.    Works Cited and Consulted: Alan Durband. (Ed.) (1984). The Tempest. Hauppauge, New York: Barron's Educational Series Inc. Deborah Willis, 'Shakespeare's Tempest and the Discourse of Colonialism', Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, 29, no.2, (1989) Eric Cheyfitz, The Poetics of Imperialism: Translation and Colonization from The Tempest to Tarzan, (Oxford University Press, 1991) Ritchie, D. and Broussar, A. (1997). American History: The Early Years to 1877. New York: Glencoe Kanoff, Acott. (1998). Your Study Guide to William Shakespeare: The Tempest. Cleveland: The Cleveland Play House Education Department William Shakespeare, The Tempest, ed. Frank Kermode, with an introduction by Frank Kermode, (Arden, 1964) tempcolon Essay on European Colonization in The Tempest The Theme of European Colonization in The Tempest  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries were distinguished times, in which new thoughts and great legends were being born and Europe was changing. People were seeing their world in a new, dazzling light. Humanity's greatest writers, scientists, and composers were beginning to share their gifts. However, underneath these artistic overtones were the political changes, too. There was a New World out there, and its potential was undefined and many countries overlooked its capabilities. England, on the other hand, had placed its foot firmly into the foundation of the New World, and the footprint left behind influenced both the countries' possibilities, and the artists' works.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One classic example of this is Shakespeare's plays. Many of them had analogies relating to the future of the European colonies, but one work exposed Shakespeare's true thoughts so well that it has been the basis for many studies. This work is titled The Tempest, and it has been scrutinized and analyzed all through its enduring 387-year life. Throughout its existence, it has inspired and enlightened its readers. Contemporary insight now offers new possibilities to understand its inner workings. English colonization and other settlements in the Americas, along with critical analyses, can reveal the underlying clues within The Tempest that will help us understand Shakespeare's conceptualization of the events and characters in his play.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   English colonization in North America, what would eventually establish our beloved United States of America, has been thought to have influenced England's greatest writers, especially Shakespeare. Evidence is provided through a well-kn... ... but a necessary one. This is a sign of hope for our universal endeavor to obtain a greater, more intelligent mankind.    Works Cited and Consulted: Alan Durband. (Ed.) (1984). The Tempest. Hauppauge, New York: Barron's Educational Series Inc. Deborah Willis, 'Shakespeare's Tempest and the Discourse of Colonialism', Studies in English Literature 1500-1900, 29, no.2, (1989) Eric Cheyfitz, The Poetics of Imperialism: Translation and Colonization from The Tempest to Tarzan, (Oxford University Press, 1991) Ritchie, D. and Broussar, A. (1997). American History: The Early Years to 1877. New York: Glencoe Kanoff, Acott. (1998). Your Study Guide to William Shakespeare: The Tempest. Cleveland: The Cleveland Play House Education Department William Shakespeare, The Tempest, ed. Frank Kermode, with an introduction by Frank Kermode, (Arden, 1964)