Life through the Holocaust in Night by Elie Wiesel

Every major occurrence in history displays a new characteristic in human beings that future generations can interpret as positive or negative. The Holocaust demonstrates to future generations a trait that exists in humans. The discovery that came with the Holocaust is the idea that humans’ main concern is themselves when they are in challenging situations. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor, presents this quality in his novel, Night. Wiesel establishes through Night that the people’s primary concern is over their own protection and wellness to prove that, in times of chaos, humans protect themselves first through instinct. When individuals find themselves in difficult circumstances they avoid intervening with others’ problems as well as their own difficulties to avert harming their own interests. During the Holocaust, the outside world does not seem to be interfering for an extensive period. Wiesel is puzzled by how the Nazis could â€Å"burn people, children, an d for the world to keep silent† (Wiesel 30). The outer world avoids interfering with the Nazis because meddling would mean a danger to their own wellbeing and security. Countries and people that the Holocaust was not affecting sought only their own protection. In multiple circumstances, while the guard was beating Wiesel’s father, Wiesel does nothing to stop the guard. Intuitively, Wiesel does not jump to aid his father because he does not wish for the guard to harm him. He would rather be protected from the guardsShow MoreRelatedRoad Rage1653 Words   |  7 PagesMarch 2012 Life during the Holocaust: Life in the ghettos, Dr. Mengele’s medical care, and food in the camps Genocide during WWII was unbelievably cruel and awful. The Holocaust was sure to be remembered from this time period and have permanently engraved horrible memories into those who survived. During the Holocaust many victims suffered while living in the ghettos, soon to reach the camps they also suffered there as well. The encounters with Dr. Mengele were unbearable too. Elie Wiesel’s memoirRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Night And The Movie 1564 Words   |  7 PagesStruggles Through Time In the book Night and the movie, Schindler’s List, the protagonists go through major changes due to their experiences of the Holocaust, a period in history no man would want to envision. Schindler’s List is created to convey a different side for the tragic time in history, an ordinary businessman. This businessman, Oskar Schindler, wants to prove that there will be hope in this desperate time. However, the motive behind Night is different. In Night, the author Elie Wiesel aimsRead MoreThe Holocaust By Elie Wiesel1107 Words   |  5 PagesThesis Statement: The hardships that Elie Wiesel faced in the concentration camps lead him to lose faith, until after when realizing it was crucial to keep faith in God despite the horrendous events of the Holocaust. What God would let his people be burned, suffocated to death, separated from their families, and starved toRead MoreNight by Ellie Wiesel: The Experience of a Young Boy Trapped in the Holocaust843 Words   |  4 PagesThe book â€Å"Night† by Elie Wiesel is non-fiction, which is based on Elie’s experience throughout the Holocaust as a young boy. Evidently the protagonist of this book is Elie, and he explains in detail everything that happens as he was a young â€Å"normal† child, to when he escapes from the concentration camp years later. His life before the Holocaust was very different from his life during the Holocaust. This experience led him to grow quickly and have a different perspective of life and society. EverythingRead MoreThe Holocaust: Night by Elie Wiesel1635 Words   |  7 Pagesmillion Jews were killed during the Holocaust. The Jews were persecuted, tortured and slaughtered in concentration camps (â€Å"The Holocaust† 1). Night by Elie Wiesel is the powerful memoir of his experiences during the Holocaust. Night shows the tragedy of the Holocaust through the use literary devices, including the themes of loss of faith and cruelty toward other human beings, night as a symbol of suffering and fear, and the use of first person narrative. Night allows the reader to emotionally connectRead MoreNight And Dawn : The Revolutionizing Story Of Tragedy1663 Words   |  7 PagesNight and Dawn: The Revolutionizing Story of Tragedy Throughout the course of history, time has been kind to some, and evil to others. To Elie Wiesel, time has been a ruthless machine that only caused hardship and sorrow. Elie Wiesel had to encounter arguably the most tragic event in history, the Holocaust, which took the life of his mother, father, and siblings, in addition to 6 million other Jews. Essentially, the Holocaust stemmed from Adolf Hitler gaining power of Germany in World War II, whichRead MoreThe Holocaust : The World, And The Jews Essay1622 Words   |  7 Pagesabout the Holocaust, my Professor, Gordon Dueck, has used Elie Wiesel’s memoir, Night, Laurent Binet’s novel, HHhH, and Norman Goda’s historical overview, The Holocaust: Europe, the World, and the Jews, 1918 – 1945, to teach us about the Holocaust. This paper will discuss the different forms of Holocaust representation that I have learned about and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of memoirs, novels, and historical overviews while learning about the Holocaust. The first type of Holocaust representationRead MoreElie Wiesel Night Reflection794 Words   |  4 PagesElie Wiesel was born in the Romanian town of Sighet. His parents came from Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish families. Both of hi parents died in the Nazi concentration camps, as did his younger sister; his two elder sister survived. After the war, Wiesel went an Orphanage in France, studies at the Sorbonne, and became a journalist. The name of the book is call the Night. It were written in the 1955-1958. It also were written from South America, France. The book was published in Argentina, France. TheRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Night In Night By Elie Wiesel920 Words   |  4 Pagesachieve a higher purpose and attain greater happiness and fulfillment in life† - Omoakhuana Anthonia. Sometimes, bad things have to happen to people for them to realize their true potential and purpose in life. This proves true for the survivors of the holocaust, they now have the power to stop thing s like this from happening ever again. For Elie Wiesel, this is especially true, after he survived he went on to write the book â€Å"Night†, this book has really helped people to understand what truly happenedRead MoreEliezer Wiesels Relationships1270 Words   |  6 Pages Elie Wiesel was a young boy, when his life changed drastically. He was born in Sighet, Transylvania, which is now Romania. He was born to Shlomo and Sarah, which they had four children, Hilda, Bea, Tsiporah, and Eliezer. Wiesel and his family practiced the Jewish religion, before he was forced into the concentration camps. In the novel Night, Elie Wiesel had a strong belief in God. When Elie and his family were sent off to the concentration camps, he tested his belief in God. In the novel Night

Communicating value Example

Essays on Communicating value Article Running Head: Communicating Value Communicating Value Inserts His/her Communicating Value The dynamics of marketing have changed greatly after the introduction of internet and other high tech communication technologies. Conventional marketing techniques are being replaced by a personalized approach as companies try to speak to consumers personally. The plethora of information available to consumers is making them more aware of the products and services offered by different companies. Internet has made consumers stronger and this is why companies have to develop a personalized approach in their marketing. Online forums and Facebook groups have already allowed consumers to voice their opinions (or concerns). Also study suggests that a significantly large number of broadband users had their purchase decision influenced by an online source (Riegner, 2007). This means a lot for marketers as now they have to use more resources to cater to the individualized needs of the people. Individual marketing mix is now based on information that previous didn’t existed. A person can go read a review and that review may influence his or her purchase decision. Now for marketers this is something new and they have to adapt to this going trend. Companies have to start internet campaigns and should attempt to establish a relationship with the consumers. Imagine product managers or brand manager of a brand answering queries of consumers personally†¦ This is the approach that is required in today’s world of interactive media called the internet. Product development will also change forever because consumer insight is so easy to access. This gives an added advantage to managers as now they can develop products that are better suited for consumers. It is easy and quick to know what consumers want and change the product accordingly. This has changed the product development process. Mass advertisement, on a large scale, is not needed in today’s era because different consumers have different needs. Companies cannot rely on mass advertisements now a day because they are too general. Specificity is required because of vast difference in individual marketing mix variables. Commercial implications of this new marketing strategy are costly because internet advertisement is not cheap. Also interactive forums should be established and managed and this will take time as well as resources. Companies cannot just end its mass advertisement marketing strategy because not all consumers are using internet today. Firms will have to carefully allocate resources to both mass advertisements and interactive marketing in order to gain maximum advantage. Mass advertisement is still needed because one on one marketing strategies are expensive to a great extent. People are also getting bored of conventional advertisement like emails and telemarketing (Nunes Merrihue, 2007).There exist a market that is not responding to such advertisement appeals and for them mass advertisement is required. One technique is to use places that people visit often and cannot avoid at all. Mass advertisements should be used to communicate to ‘busy’ consumers. Word of mouth information should be used to market alongside with mass advertisement in order to achieve the best results. Broadband is being used by many consumers but not all of them can be targeted using personalized approach. For different consumers different marketing techniques will be required. References Nunes Merrihue. (2007). Continuing Power of Mass Advertising. MIT Sloan Management Review   Riegner, Cate. (2007). Word of Mouth on the Web: The Impact of Web 2.0 on Consumer Purchase Decisions. Journal of Advertising Research, 47, 436-447

“Analyzing Political Discourses” Theory and Practice Free Essays

The use of metaphors, repetition of words and biblical references in Obama’s speech of inauguration based on â€Å"Analyzing Political Discourses† Theory and Practice by Paul Chilton Number of Words: 2589 Introduction: Political discourses are made to impress, persuade and to underline ideas to change a country. Politicians use specialized writers to write for them their discourses or use a lot of time to write one, as political discourses are important for the future outcome. For example: To be voted by the people or explain bad situation on an adequate way so that the people don’t offended. We will write a custom essay sample on â€Å"Analyzing Political Discourses† Theory and Practice or any similar topic only for you Order Now To achieve this goal, several methods are used. But in this essay I will focus on metaphors, the repetition of specified words and the use of Biblical references, using methods given by Paul Chilton in his book â€Å"Analyzing Political Discourse, Theory and Practice†. As experimental territory I used the inaugural speech of Barrack Obama, which he used for his first candidature to become the president of the United States of America. The Speech by Barrack Obama can be found in the Appendix. My goal is not only to see what and how he used the methods but also what goal he tried to achieve. It is important to have some background information and what the people thought of him. As for America and other parts in the world, Obama stands for a new ideology, he promises America better healthcare, the end of the War and solutions to many problems, always emphasizing that this goal can only achieved as a team/nation but does he succeed to give us this image? What tricks did he use? What is a metaphor? Metaphors are used in political discourses to replace words that the audience doesn’t want to hear or could react badly. But what is a metaphor? In literary use, a metaphor (from the Greek: metapherin rhetorical trope)[1] is defined as an indirect comparison between two or more subjects that are typically linked by a â€Å"is a† to join the two subjects. As an example we can take following sentence: † This Man is a beast â€Å". This is an elliptical form to emphasize the sentence that the Man is like a beast. Paul Chilton is the opinion that, Metaphors, qua models of political realities, as he calls them, are part of political discourses of today and used as vehicles to bring an opinion to a target. [2] We realize now that all of us speak in metaphors whether we realize it or not. For example Mark Johnson, a philosopher, suggests that metaphors not only make our thoughts more vivid and interesting but that they actually structure and individualize our perceptions and understanding such that each person has a different understanding and thoughts about a common subject. [3] Metaphor is for many people a device of poetic and rhetorical imagination and development rather than the ordinary language, which is wrong as proven above. Metaphor analysis in Barrack Obama’s Speech: In the following points I will reveal several metaphors Obama used and will try to reveal why he used them. But also the Biblical references used as a metaphor, or as a bridge to transfer his Ideas. 1. CHANGE IS A MOVEMENT Citation out of the Speech: 1) â€Å"Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. â€Å" 2) â€Å"The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. † In the first citation â€Å"rising tides† and â€Å"still waters† are used as source domains, whereas the target domain is the word â€Å"prosperity† and â€Å"peace†. As it can be seen in the phrases: â€Å"rising tides of prosperity† and â€Å"the still waters of peace† here, the movement is a change of location (rising) or a stationary moment (still). If it involves a movement as change of location, it can be associated with the words: forward, backward, upward, downward, etc†¦ so different directions and movements. The â€Å"rising tide of prosperity† can be seen as a state of prosperity that has moved and is changing, while peace has still not changed. This movement of which Obama is talking about can also be seen as a: flow of natural force (â€Å"the rising tides†) and substance (â€Å"still waters†). In the metaphorical expression in citation 2) the part which acts as source is the phrase â€Å"We intend to move forward† and â€Å"programs will end† where Obama is talking about the ideas of the US-government to provide jobs and a better social warranty. [4] In both metaphorical expressions, I think Obama wants to tell us that all presidents of America had taken the presidential oath to develop America. All of their effort had the aim of raising economic development and prosperity and that all of these can only be achieved as a nation with a strong political support from the people. So, the â€Å"WE† as a nation, which he uses a lot in his speeches. 2. POLITIC IS A JOURNEY 1) This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. 2) Our journey has never been one of short cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure to work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, which have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. In the metaphorical expression of the first citation the part which acts as a source domain is the phrase: â€Å"This is the journey we continue today† whereas the focus of the citation is the American Political life. By saying the sentence â€Å"This is the journey we continue today† gave me the impression that the American people are compared to travelers having a journey to a certain destination. Even though we know that politics is no journey as such but can be seen as such in a metaphorical way. In the metaphorical expression of the second citation the part that interacts as source is the phrase â€Å"Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted† whereas the target is also the American political life, like in the first citation with another connotation but keeping the idea of a journey in mind. We can see that in both citations have the same idea of a journey which is given to the audience. The idea behind is that the audiences who are involved in political life are like travelers on a journey, with their common need in life seen as the goal of this journey. The political activities and relation is their vehicle used to reach the goal of common interest. [5] 3. BIBLICAL REFERANCES AS A LIFESTYLE The citations I used here are taken again in a separate chapter using the theoretical rapprochement given by Paul Chilton in part III chapter 10. 1)â€Å"We remain a young nation, but, in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. † 2) â€Å"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. Love never fails. † In the 1st citation the source domain given is the phrase â€Å"time has come to set aside childish things† where he targets the lifestyle of the Americans. It gives the impression that the fights they had about political problems are childish and that they should focus to strive a common goal. In the second citation he uses the same idea, again using a citation out of a religious text using as source domain â€Å"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking† like before the target is the lifestyle of the Americans which Obama criticizes. It is clear that through these citations Obama tries to reason the population quoting biblical references. Comparing America with childhood and telling them that through love only, again the idea of working together, all goals can be achieved. I wont go deeper into this comparison as I will come back to it later on in the text. Frequency of words: To see what words Obama used in his speech frequently and how many times we had to know how many words are in his whole speech, which lies around 2403 words. As such I was able to give the percentage of the most used words. The word Obama laid the most emphasizes is â€Å"WE† which he used 62 times, which can be understood as his speech is about working together as a nation and is also a word used in his slogan: â€Å"Yes WE can†. Other words he used frequently are:[6] KeywordRepeatsDensity Nation 12 0,50 New 11 0,46 America 9 0,37 Today 7 0,29 People 7 0,29 The repetition of these words sticks with the listeners as such the listener will always remember this words and will combine them with the discourse of Obama. As for mind manipulation it is the repetition that stays in our mind. [7]When we are learning or looking at advertisements or when we are learning a song, we always repeat them until we know them by heart. In the case of marketing the advertisements are kept easy and shown more than one so that they stick in our minds and when we have to choose between two product we will chose the one we â€Å"know† or that we can remember of. The same is in political discourses. The more often it is repeated the more we will remember them and believe them. In Obama’s case using the words Nation, New etc†¦ he tries to underline the idea of freshness in the United States and that it can only work as a NATION. As all presidents the repetition of AMERICA, motivates the American listeners and they feel directly talked to, strengthening also the bond between the people and the nation. Paul Chilton underlines in his book that discourses often use a container concept, which is created by the words used. This container ideology is divided in three structures: in interior and a exterior which are defined by a boundary which are formed in political discourses to a container- nation with political borders given by the speech. As such it is able for politicians to give the fault to others, outside of the container while securing the interior of the container. Analysis of Biblical references Apparently it is customary in American political discourse to employ biblical language[8], which is an inherent part of the old American public way of speaking. However, given that Obama is a non-traditional and liberal candidate for president,[9] it is even more interesting to analyze the biblical references he used and give possible explanations why used following citations for his speech. â€Å"We remain a young nation, but, in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. † Obama quoted here, the New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13:11, dealing with St. Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. The goal he tried to achieve of this particular example is to also aims at the Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and non-believing Americans, to include them too into the speech, for it is a text that is usually read at wedding ceremonies and is not specified to one religion specifically, as it speaks about true love in the following manner: â€Å"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes an always perseveres. Love never fails. † (1 Corinthians, 13:4) â€Å"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. † (1 Corinthians, 13:11) These Letters were written by St. Paul to the church in Corinth in the times of internal struggles and divisions in the church, and when the church was hreatened by immoral influences surrounding the community. St. Paul’s letter was a letter of criticism and implorement to the Corinthians to stop the arguing and fighting around different problems and embrace, what he called, the most important virtue: love. [10] The choice of this particular biblical reference could be perceived as Obama’s attempt to spread the ideology of love â€Å"loving thy neighbor† so that the American people can embrace a notion of racial inclusiveness and ideological diversity, necessary in the time of economic and international crises. Again we can find the idea of a â€Å"WE†. Conclusion: It is now obvious that Paul Chilton theory can be applied. We can see that it is the play together of the different methods and many more make a discourse unique and manipulative. But it is important to know in which context the discourse has been written as the context can change the words, emotions and message in a political discourse. In Obama’s speech we can find the concept of pragmatism, liberalism, inclusiveness, acceptance of religious and ethnic diversity and unity. As such the result of keywords of his run for presidency. This is shown by the prominent words employed by Obama: nation, new and America, and a overall dominance of the personal pronoun We understood as necessary in the time of national peril†¦ The results of the biblical references, which Paul Chilton explains as â€Å"only† way to motivate and capture America’s population, have shown that Obama’s choice of citations (quoting the Corinthians) was to strengthen the notion of unity and brotherly love among the various members of the American diverse society. As such we can see that his methods were well used and can be found by the methods of Paul Chilton. Obama stands for his candidature through his speech and ideology, world wide as a new wind for America that will rebuild and strengthen the country. And we have to remember that Obama is the first president that has been accepted as young and black person as president. Sources Primary source: Analyzing Political Discourse, Theory and Practice, Paul Chilton, Routledge, 2004 Bibliography: – Article Discourse Society January 1993 vol. 4 no. 1 7-31 : Metaphor in Political Discourse: The Case of the `Common European House’ by Paul Chilton and Mikhail Ilyin Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Science for Ethics, University of Chicago, 1993. Secondary Sources: – University of Louisville, Article by Judith D. Fischer: http://www. law. louisville. edu/node/2720 – Online Document, Critical Discourse Analysis by Juraj Harvath: https://docs. google. com/viewer? a=v=cache:j-4vhWbO6a8J:www. pulib. sk/elpub2/FF/Ferencik2/pdf_doc/6. pdf+=de=lu=bl=ADGEESgDn7GSv6cJ cZ6acGq5vk-rpp0mNE_qyGy5vUUCMEdg4d1M9efiWLiSgl3CRzYChNf3gQkZQ-saUZib0C5oBU-XVpDkee3pDul94RL3VlIR6nWc4j-OIJTNBkD9oZuSmxh4ybhM=AHIEtbRfcX_PIha4KZfnvwVFTzxPnRNSDA – Obama, the Lion in Winter: ttp://www. exec-comms. com/blog/2009/01/20/obama-the-lion-in-winter/ -5 Speechwriting Lessons from Obama’s Inaugural Speech by Andrew Dlugan: http://sixminutes. dlugan. com/inauguration-speech-analysis-barack-obama-inaugural/ – Online Document: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Barack Obama’s Speeches By Junling Wang: https://docs. google. com/viewer? a=v=cache:HzMPBXpzbW8J:ojs. academypublisher. com/index. php/jltr/article/download/0103254261/1807+=de=lu=bl=ADGEEShaYaCyse11UxuFQk1KY0Zb0oOh15Ng1vgnuIdLSpdkL4Ia5nqoDh1DV-aO46J-bKQV9Fyfc3mz1MrZ5VTIrAnm85bmHXzt4cJZgNLYXFeuExE4wl1-SjUvUuEWd78WR0ji I5aV=AHIEtbT3Yd_sOMwtzg1_LtcSsaQh2FbYGw – Wikipedia article about metaphors: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Metaphor visited on 21 November 2012 – St Paul’s Letters: http://biblescripture. net/1Corinthians. html Apendix: The whole speech of Obama can be found on BBC: http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/americas/obama_inauguration/7840646. stm ———————– [1] http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Metaphor, visited on 21 November 2012 [2] Paul Chilton, Analyzing political discourses, Page 49 [3] Moral Imagination: Implications of Cognitive Science for Ethics, University of Chicago, 1993. 4] Obama, the Lion in Winter: http://www. exec-comms. com/blog/2009/01/20/obama-the-lion-in-winter/ [5] Paul Chilton, Analyzing political discourses, Page 51 [6] Statistics taken out of: Critical discourse analysis by Juraj Harvath (controlled by myself again) [7] A Critical Discourse Analysis of Barack Obama’s Speeches By Junling Wang [8] Paul Chilton, Analyzing political discourses, Page 174 [9] Obama, the Lion in Winter: http://www. exec-comms. com/blog/2009/01/20/obama-the-lion-in-winter/ [10] St Paul’s Letters: http://biblescripture. net/1Corinthians. html How to cite â€Å"Analyzing Political Discourses† Theory and Practice, Essay examples

Circle Wars Reshaping The Typical Autism Essay Citation Example For Students

Circle Wars: Reshaping The Typical Autism Essay Citation AUTISM Autism is a rare developmental disorder that affects approximately four in every ten thousand children (Baron-Cohen, Leslie Frith, 1985). Employing a clinical perspective, Kanner (1943) (as cited in Sachs, 1995) was the first to provide a description on the disorder of autism. However, in the 1970s, Wing (1970) (as cited in Sachs, 1995) applied a cognitive perspective in describing the mental structure of autism. This essay will therefore argue that autism is characterised by the lack of theory of mind (Premack Woodruff, 1978, as cited in Baron-Cohen et al., 1985), which is a cognitive mechanism. It will further outline empirical evidence derived from the review of two studies, collectively known as false belief tasks. The Sally-Anne task and the Smarties task, in particular, will be discussed and interpreted in support with the arguing thesis. There is no true causal definition of autism at a biological level, however, autism has been recognised to be a developmental disabi lity affecting cognitive processing (Frith, 1997). The key behavioural deficits that characterises autism are, the inability to interact in social situations, impairments with comprehending verbal and non-verbal communication and the lack of understanding pretend and imaginative play (Wing, 1970, as cited in Sachs, 1995). Other behavioural characteristics contributing to the diagnosis of autism are, engagement in repetitive automatic movements and activities, preference to be alone, displays of self-destruction and aggressive behaviour, sensitivity to external stimuli, attacks of anxiety, and some display savant abilities (Sachs, 1995; Frith, 1997). Baron-Cohen et al. (1985) applied Wimmer and Perners (1983) puppet play paradigm to test the hypothesis that autistic children are unable to attribute beliefs to others and are incapable of representing mental states. The participants comprised of 20 autistic children, 14 children with Down syndrome, and 27 normal preschool children. The procedure for this false belief task included setting up two doll protagonists, Sally and Anne. Initially, a naming question was asked to ensure participants could distinguish between the dolls. Sally then placed a marble in her basket. Sally exited the scene, and Anne takes the marble from Sallys basket and placed it in her box. Sally later returned, and the test question asked by the experimenter was Where will Sally look for her marble? (Baron-Cohen et al., 1985, p.41). The subjects also had to answer two control questions: a reality control question and a memory control question. Another trial was preformed, where conditions were changed, and included an additional location (experimenters pocket) to where the participants could point. The outcome for this study indicated that all subjects passed the naming, reality and memory questions. For the belief question, 85% of normal preschool and 86% of Down syndrome subjects passed both trials. However, only 20% of the autistic group passed the tested question (Baron-Cohen et al. 1985). Interpretation of these results indicates the vast majority of normal preschool and Down syndrome children could contrast between what they see to be true and what the doll sees to be false. However, the 15% of preschool and 14% of Down syndrome children who failed the belief question need to be taken into account. It may be concluded that at the time of testing, the proportion of preschool children had not yet developed the complete theory of mind, which is a mechanism required to succeed in this study. Also, it can be assumed that the proportion of Down syndrome subjects who failed, simply did not fully understand the question being asked as they have a below average IQ range. Other possible reasons for the two control groups to fail on the belief question may be that they comprehended the question as ambiguous. For example, when asked the belief question, the proportion of the control groups who failed, could have registered the question as, If Sally looks in her basket and the ma rble is not there, where will she look?. In this case the correct answer would be the box. Instead, if the experimenter asked, Where will Sally look first, for her marble?, then that proportion of the control group may have passed. Another inconsistency is that 20% of autistic subjects passed the test. This may be that they were incorrectly diagnosed with the disorder, or they have experienced through rote learning that others have different beliefs to them, and therefore can apply this concept without understanding it. However, the fact that the majority of autistic subjects failed the task indicates they lack the ability to distinguish between their belief and the dolls belief. Therefore, this supports the thesis that autistic children lack a theory of mind. .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc , .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .postImageUrl , .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc , .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:hover , .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:visited , .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:active { border:0!important; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:active , .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u7c7ccca3644920b7429fd50fc3f0a1fc:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Causes Of The American Revolution EssayPerner et al. (1989) Smarties task (as cited in Happe, 1994) is another representation of a false belief task. This study involved a number of autistic and normal four-year-old children. The method involved the experimenter questioning the child to predict what was inside a closed Smartie box. The subjects would give the obvious answer, being sweets or Smarties. The box is then opened to reveal a pencil. The experimenter then closes the container, and poses the question, When the other child comes in, he will be shown this closed up Smarties box, like shown to you. What do you think he will say when I ask him what is inside? The conse quence of this study showed that normal four-year-olds succeeded by answering sweets or Smarties. However, autistic subjects failed this task by answering pencil (Pern et al., 1989, as cited in Happe, 1994). In analysing the results, it is shown that four-year-old normal children understood the concept that if a person like them, has not been exposed to the situation yet, they will give the obvious answer like them. However, autistic children, based on the fact that they lack the ability to represent mental states of others, and therefore not pose a theory of mind (Premack Woodruff, 1978, as cited in Baron-Cohen et al., 1985) would assume that everyone else knows what they now know. The result of this study hence supports the thesis argued in this essay. Possessing a theory of mind is fundamental for social interaction with others. For those who do not have this cognitive mechanism, it is merely impossible for them to understand other peoples beliefs, wants and desires. It has been shown that autism is characterised by the lack of this cognitive mechanism, theory of mind. In addition, research studies have supported this theory, that individuals with autism lack ability to comprehend ot hers beliefs from their own. Future research should aim at applying a clinical perspective to help autistic individuals overcome this lack of theory of mind in order for social interaction to be less complex.