Learning Coaching Supporting Young people Essay Example for Free

Learning Coaching Supporting Young people Essay 1. Understand and implement the mentoring process My experience as a Learning Coach has led my sessions to move on from one to one with each student and can now include Group sessions. Group sessions involving a small group can be as effective when compared to one to one interaction. Before the group is brought together I can decide on which students might interact better with each other, for example a group I have worked with included 2 boys and 2 girls who didn’t know each other well in the school but were all studying the same subject, I considered if any prejudgement would prevent the group from bonding so chose this setup. The first session involved planning the steps that would be involved and purpose for having them in a group environment. I set goal deadline to meet within the group so they were aware of how long the time period would be, in this case 4 sessions over 4 weeks. The goal I had set was to discuss revision techniques and different Learning styles with, by the fourth week I hoped to have achieved an understanding for how they can motivate each other while learning from each other. As a group they had all been properly introduced to one another and indentified key areas they were struggling in with the particular subject they had in common. I used a group exercise where they created two spider diagrams labelling the parts they like and didn’t like in the subject, they were quick to indentify similar areas they were either stronger or weaker in as a group. Following the previous session I had each member of the group complete a VAK (Visual Auditory Kinesthetic) Questionnaire to indentify their own Learning Style. They all came out stronger in the Visual/Auditory side of learning and I showed them techniques such as using diagrams and bright colours, discussing topics as a group and making short notes that can be revisited. Each member of the group seemed keen to get involved and contribute their own ideas as we went along. To keep motivation high I always used positive comments as they worked, having the understanding and deadline established at the beginning helped them reach the goal and work together As the group reached the final session we reviewed the work involved and how they had achieved the understanding of what was set out. I asked them to explain by each of them writing 3 key points they had learned that could involve either what they had learnt about Learning styles or about the subject they had applied them in. Although each member had remembered a different point they realised the potential in working as a group. 2. Be able to organise and initiate mentoring support in group settings For a group to come together efficiently you have to consider how they will function as a whole. Will the members of the group bond immediately or will it take some time to reach a normality. You can help this process come together by developing techniques such as creating a Poster or Spider Diagram together about something in common. This will help ease any tension and allow you to see the more dominant members in the group and who might sit back during the process. Bruce Tuckman developed a model that looks at the stages of group development (Web Ref 1) 1. Forming: The group comes together and gets to initially know one other and form as a group. Can be a very important stage as it allows the group to see who is more dominant and how they will work together. 2. Storming: A chaotic Vying for leadership and trialling of group processes This can lead to confrontation in the group if somebody is seen not to get along with the others. Problems in this area would arise from individuals giving a different opinion or idea on how to do the task set before them. 3. Norming: Eventually agreement is reached on how the group operates (norming) Possibly a leader in the group is set out who takes charge. The group might have specific tasks that each of them are focusing on. 4. Performing: The group practices its craft and becomes effective in meeting its objectives. Now that the group can work together they focus on the tasks and perform what they grouped together to achieve. 5. Adjourning: The process of â€Å"unforming† the group, that is, letting go of the group structure and moving on. As it was important for each of them to get together and understand it’s important to leave the process effectively. They each need to recognise what they have done and hopefully be proud of their achievements. Coming away from a group badly can affect future group processes. (Web Ref 1) This model of how a group evolves with each other briefly describes how they operate from the beginning to the end of the group process. Being the Learning Coach allows you to have a unique position in the group allowing you to take on any position you see suitable. It’s advisable to set ground rules for them to follow, these could be to be open and honest, keeping confidentiality within the group, not letting each other down or just respecting each other. With these sort of ground rules in place you can take a position of just watching the group or be a member of the group, if you feel they need some guidance raise the issue they are concerned with and put them on the right path. It is important to consider what differences might be there for the group, so with the ground rules and having them focus on themselves as a whole and trust and respect each other can be a main focus. With some students coming from different backgrounds and diversity’s or having issues they might not want to talk about in a group environment can put a block on the groups progress. Don’t pressure them into these kind of topics and let the group flow naturally. 3. Analyse the mentoring skills, experience and qualities you used in this group setting. When I deal with any students I always try to be friendly and make them feel comfortable to talk in front of me while being professional. I understand that the students will often look to me for guidance so I make sure not to be judgemental towards any of the group members and give everyone a fair chance. Hopefully this will promote them in doing the same to each other. While my role in the group was more observational I did question them from time to time, making sure they were on the right path and understood what they had said. While talking with them I did try and avoid using questions that lead to a yes or no answer, asking them to explain, once they explained it to me I would try and relate to them personally. My observation in the group kept them disciplined and focused more on the task. I didn’t have to be talking for them to know I was there. I didn’t want to be intimidating them either, I would occasionally agree and give my opinion on something they said to see if I was following correctly and more importantly they knew I wasn’t ignoring them. At the beginning of the time together we set out a goal that they all had in common. Something they all felt they could benefit from. I picked them all for this group originally because of that reason. The goal deadline was set out from the start for them to know when it would definitely be coming to an end. I hoped that from the sessions they would have learned everything they needed to and not need to come back to me. I have always said I keep an open door policy and if they needed to see me individually I would open it up as a new session time and new goal, this way they can understand that it’s not being dragged on from the previous time. 4. Be able to review the outcomes of the mentoring process With my Learning Coach group sessions what went well was discussing the matters with them and being a guide to keep them on the right track. The discipline was always fair and I never had to take any real precautions just focus them on the goal in sight. With future groups I will try to focus more on achieving a greater goal. I possibly set the goal to easily for them to achieve but this is hard to see when you don’t know how the group will work with each other. I would also try and give some kind of reward incentive to give them more of a morale boost throughout the sessions. I didn’t present them with anything that could give them real pride in what they did other than knowing themselves what they achieved. I will consider giving them achievement points on the school system to acknowledge how well they have done. My overall support I felt was just the right amount. I didn’t want to take total control of the group so I focused more on guidance to push them in the right direction. I may possibly in the future take more control of a group if I feel they are not going to achieve their goal within the deadline or not focusing on the task in hand. I would like to involve a different group activity for them to start with. The activity I have given them may not appeal to everyone. I would like to arrange a few activity’s they could pick from. I asked the group afterwards how they felt the process went. They were generally happy with the result but were not sure if they would bother to use it when not in these group sessions. One individual was not happy with not being listened to and felt she would have directed her time in a different area to what the group decided on. I might consider making the groups smaller so that others get a chance to say something rather then just listening to others.

The Last Judgment Essay Example for Free

The Last Judgment Essay The painting of â€Å"The Last Judgment† by Michelangelo was a fresco which was executed between 1537 and 1541 at the behest of Pope Julius II who commissioned Michelangelo to perform the task. This scene is based on the passage in the Bible on what would happen when Christ would come again. Both the living and the dead, who would be raised then, will be judged by Christ and their fates would be determined if they are going to heaven or hell. The artwork was done on freshly spread lime plaster that was still moist with water-based pigments. Michelangelo’s palette developed highly embellished monochromatic work and the symmetry of his figures made it appear broader and more threatening, if not intimidating to the uninitiated, intended to evoke a sense of awe to anyone who would view it. This large, solid and heavy wall painting can be viewed behind the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City and it took Michelangelo more than four years to complete this masterpiece which was a break from the usual sculptures he used to do where he had made outstanding works such as â€Å"David,† â€Å"Pieta† and â€Å"Moses† as he dabbled with the concept of mural painting which was probably the largest masterpiece he had ever done in his life as â€Å"The Last Judgment† formed part of the vast murals that adorn the walls of the chapel which is the Pope’s private chapel and at present, a place with significance as this is where Popes are chosen during conclaves and â€Å"The Last Judgment† is considered an appropriate artwork to adorn the altar of this historic chapel for such an occasion. The ideas and sense of appreciation from the painting itself depicts the individuality of every personality on the artwork. They each have varied deep explanations of every detail in the painting. Explanation is on the basis of their own experiences in relation to the painting and to themselves. Each dimension of this painting has its own perspective to present making it open to various interpretations. One’s eyes have to move from the center going up then look down after in analyzing overall the images then breaking it down to individual parts. The meticulous ones would be made to zoom in to see the every little detail, thinking whether it has connection or relevance with other images. The painting itself provides varied insights and explanations allowing for varied ways to comprehend the painting. For instance, the angels in the middle of the paintings are depicted blowing their trumpets to raise the dead, shown on the lower left-hand side of the painting, from their long deep slumber to prepare them for their appointment with God. Two of them, apparently the archangels Michael and Gabriel are seen holding the two books in which all has been written down about the individuals where Jesus will base his judgment. The smaller book contains the names of the ones to be saved while the larger one contains the names of the damned (Michelangelo; Ruehling). This is consistent to what is stated in the Gospel according to Matthew. A similar passage would be also stated in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 20:11-15): â€Å"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels in heaven, he will sit upon his royal throne, and all nations will be assembled before him. Then he will separate them into two groups, as a shepherd separates sheep from goats. The sheep he will place on his right hand, the goats on his left (Matt. 25:31-33). † On the left panel, the chosen ones situated on the right side of Christ, those who had been judged worthy are escorted to heaven by the angels where they would live eternal bliss with the Almighty. The right panel, on the left of Christ shows the damned, the ones deemed unworthy and proven to now have repented their sins, are being led to hell where they would suffer eternal damnation (Michelangelo). Besides the Bible, Michelangelo got his inspiration for making his artwork from Dante Alighieri’s â€Å"Inferno† as it provided him with graphic detail or has enabled him to â€Å"flesh out† the scenes he would be depicting. In addition, he added personalities and characters from Greek and Roman mythology as part of his â€Å"fleshing out† of the scenes (Barnes 1). One would be able to recognize Charon (holding an oar), the ferryman of Hades of the Greek mythology as he and his minions are seen leading the damned to be judged before Minos found at the extreme lower right-hand corner with a snake wrapped around his body. Minos is another figure in Greek mythology where he was the king of Crete but in this case and using artistic license, Michelangelo depicts the Cretan king as the ruler of hell instead of using Hades or Satan. Jesus is situated in the middle, befitting his stature as the King of Kings with his mother Mary at His side. The two large figures flanking Christ are the disciples Saints John the Baptist on the left and Peter on the right, depicted with keys of heaven in his hand. The figure underneath and further right of Jesus is another disciple Saint Bartholomew, whose image is a self-portrait by Michelangelo himself. Also included are most of the saints who were martyred. They are seen in the painting holding the instruments of their martyrdom such as Saint Sebastian holding arrows used to kill him; Saint Blaise, holding iron combs used to torture him to death and Saint Bartholomew holding his skin, underscoring how he was flayed (skinned alive) to death by his tormentors (Michelangelo). Above the lunettes are symbols of the Passion of Christ which are the cross, the crown of thorns, the pillar where Jesus was bound and scourged, the spear that was used by Longinus to stab his side, and the sponge dipped in vinegar and hyssop used to sate Christ’s thirst while hanging on the cross. In terms of scale, technique and drama â€Å"The Last Judgment† is an absolute highlight of Renaissance painting as one can see the humanist approach taken by Michelangelo that showed a return to the classical style of Greco-Roman influence and a complete departure from the medieval style which was formless and lacking depth. Originally, most of the images were depicted in the nude but owing to the sanctity of the place, a certain degree of modesty and decency was exercised and it fell upon Michelangelo’s assistant, Daniele de Volterra to â€Å"edit† the painting by covering the private parts in such a way that it did not compromise the intention of his mentor to depict the well-proportioned bodies of his subjects (Barnes 88). Jesus Christ: Physically, Michelangelo depicted Christ with broad, powerful proportions, appearing in a radiant glow of divine light befitting His place as the Son of God and King of Kings. Michelangelo further accentuated this radiance by painting the figure in a section that is best illuminated by the chapels window for â€Å"special effect. † Christ is portrayed barely clothed and bare-legged instead of being majestic as one would expect in his Second Coming, wearing only a long strip of cloth across his loins in a manner in order to reveal the wounds of his crucifixion – the puncture wounds on his hands and feet where the nails were driven and the wound on his side where the spear was thrust. These not only emphasize his passion as well but also resonates images of his resurrection, proving once and for all that he had conquered death and has redeemed mankind from the wages of sin and thereby emphasizing his undisputed position as the ultimate judge of mankind (Ruehring). Despite the rather â€Å"modest† image of Christ, Michelangelo still managed to evoke a powerful image of Jesus as final judgment is being carried out without fear or reservation in order to justly and ultimately determine who deserves to be punished and committed to hell. Michelangelo depicted Christ in such a way to express the righteous anger of promptness and firmness in passing judgment towards the individual, further reminding one of the fate that awaits when that time really comes. The painting also depicts the Blessed Virgin Mary seated beside Christ. Mary is regarded by Catholics as a great intercessor for anyone seeking solace or succor in times of trouble. In this particular case, she appears to be downcast as her head appears to turn away as a sign of resignation which implies that she could no longer intercede for anyone at this point in time and can only be a spectator witnessing the judgment of mankind (Michelangelo; Ruehring). Minos: At the lower right-hand corner of The Last Judgment is Minos, whom Michelangelo depicts as the king of hell instead of Satan. It can be inferred here that Michelangelo employed artistic license in using a different character to be the ruler of hell and he drew his inspiration from Dante’s work â€Å"Inferno† where Minos is depicted as the king of hell (Alighieri 23,75). He is shown with a serpent wound tightly around him, symbolizing the circle of hell. Michelangelo’s physical depiction of Minos also served for him as a stinging caricature against his enemy Biagio da Cesena, then the Pope’s chamberlain, as a way of getting back at him for saying his painting was not worthy to adorn the walls of the Vatican despite the commission from the Pope. Michelangelo’s spite was very evident as he tried to depict Minos in the most hideous way possible complete with asss ears and a serpent striking his genitalia as a form of â€Å"revenge† against his nemesis whom he could not physically harm owing to his stature in the Vatican (Ruehring). Charon: Michelangelo borrowed another character from Dante’s work and Greek mythology in Charon, the boatman who ferries the souls of the dead across the River Styx leading to Hades though in this case, it is hell. Physically, Charon is depicted hideously with dark skin, thick dark hair, pointed ears, bulging and glowing eyes, giving him a devil-like appearance, short of depicting him as an actual demon. He is depicted herding the darkly gaunt and tortured souls as they spill upon the shores of hell. Michelangelo has truly captured Charon as an agent of hell in this painting and seamlessly combining classical (Greek) mythology with Christianity to come up with a very strong image (Barnes 108, 113). All in all, â€Å"The Last Judgment† can be truly be called a masterpiece by Michelangelo. He had done justice to the work and in a way, rendered great service to the Church by blending horrors and beauty; of condemnation and redemption, all these wonderfully captured in his painting. Works Cited Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. London: Smith, Elder and Company, 1865. Barnes, Bernadine. Michelangelos Last Judgment: The Renaissance Response. Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1998. Michelangelo. The Last Judgment. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. Ruehring, Lauren Mitchell. Michelangelos Last Judgment. 2010. How Stuff Works. 12 May 2010 http://entertainment. howstuffworks. com/arts/artwork/michelangelos-last-judgment6. htm. The New American Bible. Camden, New Jersey: Catholic Publishers, Inc. , 1970.

Analyse The Poem The Suicide From Duffys English Literature Essay

Analyse The Poem The Suicide From Duffys English Literature Essay The poem The Suicide is a dramatic monologue; this type of poem is a continuing theme in Mean Time. Another of her poems, The Captain of the 1964 Top of the form team for example, was also written in this form. The title of The Suicide is quite ambiguous in itself- it could be referring to the act of suicide or indeed to the persona her -or his-self. It is as if the speaker is absorbed by the act of suicide everything that the persona has said in the poem is related to the taking of ones life, and anything unrelated to the act is completely disregarded. The setting of The Suicide is acknowledged easily on in the poem. The line small dark hours with a bitter moon buffed by the smudgy clouds/ till it gleams with resentment, allows the reader to clearly envisage the time at which the suicide will take place. It is important that it takes place in the small dark hours because generally, this is the time at which most suicide attempts transpire time itself is suppressive, but cannot be suppressed. This links to the poem Mean Time, within the phrase darkening sky and in particular in the conclusive stanza of the poem, But we will be dead, as we know, beyond all light/These are shortened days and endless nights. These lines allow for the emotive, darkened mood of the persona to be expressed, and relate somewhat to the feelings enunciated in The Suicide. The fact that the moon is described as bitter presents the mood of the persona themselves, immediately clarifying that something desperate Despair laced with a little glee is going to oc cur. The phrase I lie back under the lightbulb allows for the understanding of the loneliness of the situation; she is taking her life in a place of isolation, away from other beings. The lightbulb and the light that it emits emphasise the extreme nature of the act she is going to execute, as well as referring to the metaphorical light that you can see when nearing death. The use of the personification of the moon, till it gleams with resentment, contrasts with the girls desire to be recognised the moon does not want to be noticed it is resentful of this- but the subject does and is using suicide as a means of getting this attention. The single word Famous is used as a means of expressing the thoughts of the persona- if she was to commit suicide, then she would be remembered for it, and would get the recognition that she craves; just as the popularity of Kurt Cobain, and Marilyn Monroe, for example, increased after their suicides. Despite all of this, the persona is most certainly in control of the situation leave it to me. In the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth, upon planning a murder herself, comments Leave all the rest to me. In stanza five, Duffy again relates her poem to Lady Macbeths use of interrogative in the line give me the daggers. The persona states I get out the knives; knives being plural, almost representing ritualistic behaviour, preparing for death in a specific manner. The persons desire for control extends to the metaphor, My body is a blank page I will write on, implying that the death will be both physical and visual. The persona is frequently referred to as being unusual Duffy writes Nobody drinks with their whole face, implying that nobody is altogether one being- but the persona is- I do. This links to the poem Stealing and the final line, You dont understand a word I am saying, do you? It links in the sense that despite everything she has said, the reasoning behind her desire to end her life is still a blur to the audience. We do not understand; nobody does Nobodys ears are confessionals. It enunciates the complexity of the emotions that the speaker endures. Duffy uses a paradox in describing eyes in the glass, like squids as being sexy it is as if the persona is speaking in reverse. In the fifth stanza, Duffy Duffy uses caesura in the poem frequently to emphasise particular words and phrases- in stanza two, the use of the minor sentence Lies. Blood. is an example of syntax lies are presented before blood, with the intended implication that lies lead to blood. Throughout the poem, Duffy presents the speaker as being vindictive, using the interrogative get out the knives, and who wants a bloody valentine. The latter is quite ambiguous; a literal reference to a blood covered valentine, or figuratively meant in a colloquial, dismissive sense. The use of language and bitterness contrasts with the soft, optimistic attitudes of characters from numerous other poems from Duffys Mean Time collection, and also links closely with the romanticized, unique representation of love in Valentine where an onion, representing love, clings to your knife, but meant in an entirely different concept to The Suicide, where the only thing clinging to her knives would be blood. In the penultimate stanza, two different, contrasting extremes of emotion are presented; a dismissive nature, and one typically self-regarding. The use of the curse Fuck off is aggressive and vindictive, and clearly expresses the emotions that the persona is experiencing. In contrast to this, Worship allows for the feelings that the speaker wishes to experience to be recognised; she wants to be worshipped, she wants to at least gain some recognition. She states that This will kill my folks, which, linking back to stanza five, contrasts with her saying Utterly selfless. She sees the act as being unselfish, however recognises the pain that it is going to cause her parents. It also represents the irony of the situation; her blunt statement shows that she knows that her parents will be broken by her suicide, but regardless of this, she appears to proceed with the act; she has no will to live, and sees suicide as the easy way out, conveying the damage that the persona feels. The act will literally kill her, and figuratively kill her parents. In stanza two, Duffy uses repetition of the words Never never never never enough, a phrase that is somewhat echoing of the mood- it shows the hysteria behind the situation, and how, no matter what happens, she will never be satisfied with her life the way things are going. In conclusion, Duffy uses the poem The Suicide as a means of

Marion Pritchard :: essays research papers

MARION PRITCHARD Marion Pritchard was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1920. Her father was a judge who treated her with love, respect and caring. Her mother lived in Britain. Marion would visit her mother who resided there. Marion watched the German invasion on May 10, 1940, and as anti-Semitic laws were passed, she told her Jewish friends to escape or to hide. Her father was not Jewish; however, he was disappointed that the Dutch government did not do more to help Jewish refugees. As Hitler rose to power she watched many children being thrown into trucks which encouraged her assist in the rescue effort. Marion remembered two soldiers joking about picking up small children by the arms, legs, and hair, and tossing them around. In 1942 she took in the Polak family and hid them in a tiny space under her living room. Her friends would give her milk and other healthy foods to feed the Jews. One night a Dutch police officer acting for the Nazi regime knocked on her door very early in the morning. A neighbor had reported that she was hiding a Jewish family. She knew she would be sent to a concentration camp along with the Polak family if they were found. Marion believed that it was either the officer or the children, and so she shot the officer. Afterwards, a gay Jew ballet teacher took the dead body out of Marion’s house at night and took it in a cart to the undertaker. The undertaker put the officer’s body in a coffin which was soon to be buried. Marion was lucky that the police officer was not missed. She hid over 150 people from the Nazis but some Jews were found and killed. The Nazi army murdered about 110,000 of the Netherlands’ 140,000 Jewish citizens. After the war was over the Polaks came out of hiding. The mother who had been separated from the Polak family was reunited with them. Marion decided to work for the United Nations relief and Rehabilitation Administration’s Displaced Persons camps to find her Jewish friends.

Essay --

TUQUITA CHECK OUT THE PROPER TEMPLATE FOR AN APA PAPER. IT IS AVAILABLE ON LINE. THIS IS NOT CORRECT Introduction to Psychology Week 4 Assignment Tuquita Clark 2/11/2014 â€Æ' When a person is in control of their emotions they can deal with difficult tasks better than otherpeople.s, but Eemotions will also tell you a lot about a person’s emotional health. Michael Akers and Grover Porter of PyschCentral (p. 9) noted that the intelligence test was designed to learn how smart a person was by testing their cognitive abilities. The IQ test mostly consisted of memory and problem solving, but soon researchers realized that emotional intelligence was just as important. Emotional intelligence is when a person understands their own emotions and the emotions of others. In order to study emotion you have to understand the five concepts of emotional intelligence. The first concept, self- awareness is the ability to recognizeing emotions as they happen and dealing with them immediately. Emotional awareness and self-confidence are major factors in self-awareness. When you’re co...

Fear and Redemption in Cry the Beloved Country :: Cry the Beloved Country Essays

Fear and Redemption in Cry the Beloved Country Fear grips all black societies and is widespread not only for black people but also white people. An unborn child will inherit this fear and will be deprived of loving and relishing his country because the greater he loves his country the greater will be his pain. Paton shows us this throughout this book but at the same time he also offers deliverance from this pain. This, I believe is the greater purpose of this book. When Stephen goes to Johannesburg he has a childlike fear for "the great city" Johannesburg. Khumalo's fears of his family are exactly the same as every other black person in South Africa. In the train he is afraid of living in a world not made for him. He opens his bible and starts reading it, this is one of Khumalo's great sources of alleviation. Gertrude is frightened that her life will now be exposed to her brother who is a priest. She is redeemed from this fear when she prays with Stephen. Stephen experiences great pain and fear during his search for Absalom, Msimangu comforts him, he gains comfort when plays with Gertrude's son, when he thinks of Ndotsheni, his wife and of rebuilding his home it consoles him. We also learn of white people's fear of native crime in the city. Absalom's girlfriend is afraid that he has deserted her. She gains comfort from Stephen. In his own pain and suffering he has the ability to comfort her, this is one of Stephen's admirable qualities. When Stephen realises that the police are searching for Absalom, he starts trembling and turns cold with fear. Msimangu and his bible comfort him. Msimangu takes him to Ezenzeleni where he is spiritually uplifted. When Absalom is asked why did he shoot Arthur he says that he was afraid. Msimangu, Mrs Lithebe, Mr Carmicheal and Father Vincent ease Stephens fear of Absalom's case and expenses in Johannesburg. This is very comforting for Stephen, we remember Mrs Lithebe's words "for what else are we born" and there are some white men who do care. We also learn of James Jarvis's (he was a British white) suffering and fear, he is comforted by an Afrikaner policeman who went out of his way to help him, he is also comforted when he reads Arthur's manuscripts.

A Short Analytical Paper of Abraham Lincoln’s “a House Divided” Essay

The House Divided Speech was addressed by Abraham Lincoln on June 1958. He delivered the speech upon his acceptance of Illinois Republican Party’s nomination as the senator of the state. Thus the speech became a very important launching campaign for his success in politics thus giving him a national limelight that saw him in the elections to the presidency in 1860.The speech primarily addressed on the issue of slavery in America. Abraham Lincoln delivered his speech aimed at establishing his strong beliefs towards the acts of slavery. The speech was also meant to point out a differentiating factor of beliefs from Stephen Douglas and the rest of the top governmental officials who seemed to practice corruption in their transactions. According to Abraham Lincoln, â€Å"A House divided against itself cannot stand†. This was the major crucial theme of Abraham Lincoln’s speech. From this important statement,Licoln meant that the American nation could not in whatever terms or state face a positive survival phase when it was composed of a state of half-slavery and half-free. He meant that only one of those two states could only exist. Thus his bold statement was that he expected that the division that existed had to cease so as to embrace success and good governance. Lincoln’s speech helped rouse to the people of America the recognition of the extent to which slavery had gone. Lincoln’s speech is still relevant in this 21st century in that even today, each nation should embrace unity in all its undertakings whether political, social and economic. He believed that the ideals of a nation with freedom for all could not have a chance of coexistence whether socially, morally or in legal terms under one nation. Thus slavery should either be accepted among all people or be universally denied. A universal truth is clearly bears a clear significance from Lincoln’s statement to the extent that such a statement even pervades a lot of importance to the modern society and even the governments in power today. Such relevance can be clearly seen in the experiences in Sudan. Continued irreconcilable differences in culture and religion against the people of Sudan saw Southern Sudan seceding to become the republic of South Sudan. Such success for secession bears credit from the prophetic work of Abraham Lincoln. A division had always existed between the people from Northern Sudan who were associated with Muslim religion and the people from the Southern Sudan who were associated with Christianity. This scenario bred a situation of ethnic and cultural differences between the two states to the extent where secession could be avoided. Even today, the American nation is still faced with challenging political divisions and differences especially between the parties of the Republicans and the Democrats. The unwillingness of the two parties to arise to compromised solutions has always been evident in most of the major recent crises facing the nation. Clear evidence is the recent crisis on the debt ceiling where the Republicans were on the favor of maintaining cuts on spending as opposed to the Democrats who were advocating for an increase in taxes so as to increase revenue collection in the country. Further differences saw a compromised situation of debt ceiling being arrived at as the solution. This led to the country facing an economic disaster as a result of the oppositions from the two strong political parties. In the recent world, the institution of marriage can be compared to the speech of Abraham Lincoln. Marriage is a union of two people who are bound to each other by law. Division is prone to occur in a marriage situation in case of a divorce. For the married partners to embrace endured togetherness and unity in their marriage, they must appreciate common interests of concerns in their practices. In case one of the partners dissent from the unity and togetherness set up, the marriage is susceptible to division brought about by breaking of the legal bonds that hold the marriage partnership in unison. Continued lack of an amicable compromised solution between the two conflicting partners will thus lead to separation. Continued separation will see the two partners seek a divorce in a court of law and the marriage will fail completely. Most marriages nowadays are failing as a result of continued disagreements of interests between the married couple. As per words of Lincoln that a divide house cannot stand, thus the divided marriage partnership cannot even endure survival thus it breaks up. Even today, divisions in groups have been as a result of continued differences among the uniting groups. Humans have a tendency to incline towards the protection of their interest’s aid favors of their perceived groups. Such favourism makes them advocate fully for their interests posing a challenging opposing side to the interests of their unperceived groups. Many nations today are faced with such opposing groups having differing interests and ideals. People advocating for similar ideals tend to create strong ties of loyalty and even alliances creating a boundary to the opposing group or alliance. The existence of the two opposing groups as a whole sees each group maintain conflicting interests. Continued disagreement leads to one group conquer the other resulting to a failing side and a winning side. Ultimately such results create division in the nations. Thus, Abraham Lincoln’s works from the speech â€Å"A House Divided† bears a lot of significance and relevance in our modern world.