Impact of Festivals

Impact of Festivals Robyn Ormond Introduction: South Africans love festivals, it is a chance to ‘let loose’ and enjoy a time of fun, family and by the end, usually no funds. Festivals can be described in many ways, namely â€Å"events of limited duration developed primarily to enhance the awareness, appeal and profitability of a tourist destination† (Ritchie, 1984: 2). Festivals have become a vital component of tourism in small towns (Visser, 2005). The importance of annual festivals in two South African towns, being Sedgefield (the Sedgefield Slow-Festival) and Knysna ( Knysna Oyster Festival) as well as the economic importance of these festivals will be explored to show how festivals can prevent the decline of these iconic towns. Decline def The Importance of Festivals Festivals are more than just a way of making money, there is a deeper impact of festivals upon the communities who host them, these festivals can then rather be referred to as â€Å"a public, themed celebration† (Jackson et al, 2005). Festivals which occur in smaller town like the two that will be analysed normally have a strong sense of community and by holding a festival, ideals such as leadership and accountability of the locals are promoted, members of the community are encouraged to get involved and to take responsibility with regards to the planning and running of the festival (Visser, 2005). This act of holding a festival strengthens the community and allows for bonds of friendship to form between the town members as community goals are achieved through the management of the festival (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The festival also allows for the natural beauty of the towns to be appreciated and act as a platform for conservation and environmental protection (especially in Sedgefield and Knysna, both of which occur along South Africa’s prestigious Garden Route) (Visser, 2005). Festivals not only create links within the community but strengthens ties with that of the world around them (people from much larger cities- Cape Town and Johannesburg are willing to travel to come and participate in the festivals held in Knysna and Sedgefield.) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The strong community bond a festival creates can help prevent the town from going into decline by becoming an attractive place to live and especially to retire to. The Economic Importance of Festivals: Not only are festivals important for growing a town’s identity but these celebrations are known to bring a healthy influx of money into the town. Festivals can boost a towns economy by either extending the current seasonal income (money made during peak tourism times in the town- usually correlating with holidays) or by creating an entirely new tourism season (Visser, 2005). The economic impact of a festival on a small town is simple; people come from outside the town and by participating in the festival, spend money which goes directly towards the local economy of the town (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). Tourism is the driving force behind a festival and the more a town can offer in terms of tourism, the more attractive the festival will be. Festivals are a way of a town advertising itself to the outside world in the hopes of attracting people willing to settle there or foreign investors to take an interest in the town (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). The money generated from a festival is used in a small town to help ensure sustainability of the town and to help the town regenerate (if it had previously gone through a period of decline) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). A tourist spending money in the town during a festival has an impact on a variety of sectors due to the interlinked nature of the tourism industry (a tourist will need to purchase food and drink during the festival, have access to accommodation as well as pay to participate in the events of the festival, this will benefit a large number of businesses in the town) (Saayman A, Saayman, M, 2006). For the two festivals bei ng explored, a large portion of the proceeding is donated to charity, as the community of Sedgefield and Knysna are more people-orientated and less money-driven. The Sedgefield Slow Festival: The Sedgefield slow festival is a celebration of life in a small town only 7.85 km ² in size with a population of 8286 (Firth, 2011) along the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The town advertises itself as South Africa’s self-proclaimed â€Å"Slow Town† (as nothing will happen at a speed faster than a tortoise’s walk- the icon of Sedgefield). The local residents volunteer to be part of a committee who are dedicated to creating a festival which promotes â€Å"Wholesome goodness, Family, Friends, Fun, the Outdoors and Great food† (Dixon, 2014). The festival is young in comparison to other South African festivals with its birth in 2010. The objective of the festival is to show off the natural beauty of the area in a way that will get the entire town involved while creating local economic opportunities at the same time (Dixon, 2014). The town hosts several events during the festival including the infamous â€Å"Anything-That-Floats Race† (a water race where participants must build crafts constructed entirely out of recycled materials). Other events include a Beer-Pong competition held at one of the local bars as well as the Town Hall Arts Exhibition. In total there are about twenty five events held over the three days surrounding the Easter weekend (18-20 April in 2014) (Dixon, 2014). In 2013 the proceeds from a variety of events, market sales (in the local farmers’ and craft market) and donations, the Slow-festival was able to support four different charities (Sedgefield Hospice, Sedge Mobile Meals, KAWS and Masithandane) with R12000 over the three day festival (Dixon, 2014). The Knysna Oyster Festival: Only 25km away from Sedgefield is the town of Knysna. Every year around the first week of July the Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival is held over a ten day period (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). This festival is much older than the Sedgefield Slow-Festival with its debut in 1983. The purpose of the festival was originally to bring people to the area during the off-peak winter period; subsequently the festival has experienced a large amount of success and has grown significantly since its origin (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). The festival places a great emphasis on supporting charities, and due to the large nature of the festival, a sizeable amount of money can be donated. In 2013 the festival was able to generate R1 million which would benefit the community and have a significant impact on the local charities (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). Before an event can be registered as an official event of the Oyster Festival it must first state which charity or non-governmental organisation it will be supporting with a portion of its proceeds (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). Out of the many events held over the ten days, the three most iconic are the Momentum Weekend Argus Rotary Knysna Cycle Tour (which is one of the largest road and mountain bike races in South Africa), the Momentum Cape Times Knysna Forest Marathon and Half Marathon and of course the oysters which are eaten over the duration of the festival (which can reach up to 20000 oysters consumed) (Knysna Oyster Festival, 2014). Conclusion: Festivals in small towns (especially in South Africa) are events in which the entire community can be involved in the planning, managing and running of the festival. These festivals are able to boost the local economy and generate a flow of capital in times which would otherwise be regarded as off-peak quiet periods characterised by little tourism and lower income for the community members. These festivals such as the Sedgefield Slow-Festival and the Knysna Oyster Festival create an identity for the town whilst forming community bonds between the residents. The large charity component of both the Sedgefield Slow-Festival and the Knysna Oyster Festival allows for all in the community to benefit from the proceeds. Overall festivals are a time to celebrate life, family, food and of course to have some fun. Reference List: Dixon, A. (2014). Sedgefield’s Slow Festival. Available from: http://www.slowfestival.co.za/ Firth,A. (2011). Sedgefield Main Place 180007 from Census 2011. Available from: http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/180007 Knysna Oyster Festival. (2014). Pick n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival. Available from: http://www.oysterfestival.co.za Jackson, J., Houghton, M., Russel, R., Triandos,P. (2005). Innovations in Measuring Economic Impacts of Regional Festivals: A Do-It-Yourself Kit. Journal of Travel Research, 43:360-367. DOI: 10.1177/0047287505274649 Ritchie, J.R.(1984) Assessing the impact of hallmark events: conceptual and research issues. Journal of Travel Research, 23(1), 2-11. Saayman, A., Saayman, M. (2006). Does the location of arts festivals matter for the economic impact? Papers in Regional Science, 85 Visser, G. (2005). Lets Be Festive: Exploratory Notes on Festival Tourism in South Africa. Urban Forum, 16:2-3.

First Language and Learning English Essay

Language is the most dynamic form of symbolism that cultures possesses. Language is the medium in which people interact and communicate for the exchange of ideas, knowledge and feelings. Language acquisition has been one of the most intriguing aspects of human nature and had been the focus of different disciplines. For the most part, language acquisition had been theorized and conceptualized in different ways all of which was to determine where language came from and how it developed. On the other hand, the multicultural aspect and globalization of our society have made it almost a necessity to learn English as the most favored international language. Most educational curriculums in the world integrate the learning of English as a second language especially in areas where the first or native language is structurally different from English (Gitsaki, 1998). According to Krashen’s (1981) model of second language acquisition â€Å"acquired and learned languages are different†. Language acquisition is a subconscious process brought about by the meaningful interaction of the individual with the target language while learning a language is a conscious process which results in conscious knowledge about the language (Krashen, 1981, p. 103). Learning a second language is a complex process that can be affected by different factors, one of the most leading issue is that of how first language affects the teaching of English as a foreign language in the classroom. Several researches have reported that first language proficiency strongly predicts English language learning (Clay, 1993; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998), moreover, a strong correlation between first language fluency and learning English was also reported (Hiebert, Pearson, Taylor, Richardson, and Paris, 1998). Children who have to learn a second language generally have to use first language in comprehension and analysis of the information exchanged in the second language. Therefore the impact of first language to learning a second language can be facilitative while it can also interfere with learning a second language such as English (Bialystok, 2002). This literature review would present what has been known about the role of the first language in learning English as a second language in the context of classroom learning as well as how teachers can effectively use the first language to the teaching of English. This exercise would also discuss the theoretical framework, the research methods and the strengths and weaknesses of the presented literature. Appendix Auerbach, E. (1993). Reexamining English only in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 27(1). Bialystok, E. (2002). Cognitive processes of L2 users. In V. Cook (Ed. ), Portrait of the L2 user (pp. 147-165). New York: Multilingual Matters. Burden, P. (2000). The use of the students mother tongue in monolingual English ‘conversation’ classes at Japanese universities. TLT Online Editor. Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www. jalt-publications. org/tlt/articles/2000/06/burden Clay, M. (1993). Reading Recovery in English and other Languages. Keynote address presented at the West Coast Literacy Conference, Palm Springs, CA Cummins, J. (2000). Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters. Cummins, J. (2001). Bilingual children’s mother tongue: Why is it important for education? Retrieved May 12, 2008, from http://www. oise. utoronto. ca/MLC/MotherTongueDK. pdf Garcia, G. E. (2000). Bilingual children’s reading. In M. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds. ), Handbook of reading research Volume III (pp. 163-179). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Giacobbe, J. (1992). A cognitive view of the role of L1 in the L2 acquisition process. Second Language Research, 8; 3, 232-250. Gitsaki, C. (1998) Second Language Acquisition Theories: Overview and Evaluation. Journal of Communication and International Studies 4; 2:89-98. Hamers, J. & Blanc, M. (2000). Bilinguality and bilingualism 2nd ed. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

A Soldier’s Conviction

You people must know that the life of army personnel is not an easy job. Our fingers bleed with the thorns of the branches that give us roses. We pay the penalties for the benefits that we accrue as army personals. The foremost reason for which I joined the army is the gift of honor and dignity that this job gives to the soldiers.From time immemorial nations distribute these gifts to the men who lay their lives for the sake of the glory of their country and for the safety and protection of the lives and wealth of their countrymen. I desired that gift and so I joined the army. I got it.My family has to bear the pangs of separation from me. Though they don’t work for the army but they suffer because I work for the army. The nature of my work takes me away from them for days on end.My son is just five years old, he loves me and feels proud of me for being an army personnel, but he wants to spend a great deal of time with her mother that she cannot afford for being an army personn el. He hates bad guys because he thinks that they are the reasons for which armies are given birth in this world.In army, people are not allowed to choose their dating partners of their will and liking. The routine of their job forbids them from doing so. My job doesn’t allow me to date with a civilian as he is not able to understand the hardships, problems and tight schedules of army life.We don’t have a big deal of spare time to spend in understanding our intended life-partners or friends. We are required to be ever ready to move at any time to any place.In this job we see people dying, wounded, brutally massacred and killed. These horrible scenes strongly affect our sensibilities and we suffer spiritually and mentally because of them. This job provokes us to mistrust the people and be ready for the worst. I have to follow so much rules and regulations in this life that I feel like a robot. I am so trained that I cannot mix and talk freely with the civilians.Yes, if you want job security and stability you can have it in army. It is a fact that now a days, in civilian jobs; people are sacked from the jobs on petty issues and small mistakes. In army we enjoy the stability of the job, as government stands guarantee, and we don’t fear that we might be kicked out on trifles.No doubt we, the soldiers, are made strong physically and mentally. I can dare to challenge anything in life because I am a soldier. We feel proud that we can be part of history by serving in operations. Take my example; I am a part of the history as serving in the operations against the Iraqi freedom AOR.My job made me eligible for many benefits such as low or zero markups on many different kinds of loans, many discounts and very attractive insurance policies. I get many traveling, dining and hoteling benefits. I enjoy many holidays here. My health is well taken care of for being army personnel. It is not just that they send you out in the field to die a dog’s deat h. They care you very well in the field as well as out of the field.No doubt army serves you well but disturbs you as well. Â  

The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman - 1789 Words

The Yellow Wallpaper â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a thrilling story written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman back in the 1860. The setting is the Victorian era when women had no place in the society because the society was dominated by men. Therefore, the women character Jennie try to rise and discover their place in the society, but different obstacles prevented them from realizing their dreams. In this regard, the paper will discuss how Jennie, the narrator needed to have the opportunity to work, to grow and to make connections outside of the home. Jennie is treated like a child of being a house wife by her husband. He wouldn’t allow her to communicate with others outside of home. Jane her sister-in-law also housekeeper to help Jennie with her chores. An article by Dr. AÅŸkÄ ±n Haluk said â€Å"a married women was legally the slave to her husband (Haluk 47) Relating to Jennie husband slaving her to take care of her chores. Before discussing the argument on whether Jennie needed to have the opportunity to work, to grow and to make connections outside of the home or not. The issue has raised various debates because the narrator has no name throughout the story. Thus, it is argued that the narrator could be Jane because at the end of the play she asserts that â€Å"I ve got out at last, said I, in spite of you and Jane. And I ve pulled off most of the paper, so you can t put me back!†(Gilman 17). Another contradiction is that Jennie was the narrator’s sister-in-law, who helped her withShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman885 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen a stigma around mental illness and feminism. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the 1900’s. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† has many hidden truths within the story. The story was an embellished version her own struggle with what was most likely post-partum depressio n. As the story progresses, one can see that she is not receiving proper treatment for her depression and thus it is getting worse. Gilman uses the wallpaper and what she sees in it to symbolize her desire to escapeRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman846 Words   |  4 PagesHumans are flawed individuals. Although flaws can be bad, people learn and grow from the mistakes made. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, gives one a true look at using flaws to help one grow. Gilman gives her reader’s a glimpse into what her life would have consisted of for a period of time in her life. Women were of little importance other than to clean the house and to reproduce. This story intertwines the reality of what the lives of woman who were considered toRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1362 Words   |  6 Pagesas freaks. In the short story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gil man, both of these elements are present. Gilman did a wonderful job portraying how women are not taken seriously and how lightly mental illnesses are taken. Gilman had, too, had firsthand experience with the physician in the story. Charlotte Perkins Gilman s believes that there really was no difference in means of way of thinking between men or women is strongly. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a short story about a woman whoRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1547 Words   |  7 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman s career as a leading feminists and social activist translated into her writing as did her personal life. Gilman s treatment for her severe depression and feelings of confinement in her marriage were paralleled by the narrator in her shorty story, The Yellow Wallpaper. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in 1860 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her parents, Mary Fitch Perkins and Fredrick Beecher Perkins, divorced in 1869. Her dad, a distinguished librarian and magazine editorRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman2032 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a poem about women facing unequal marriages, and women not being able to express themselves the way they want too. Charlotte Perkins Gilman was born in 1860, and died in 1935. This poem was written in 1892. When writing this poem, women really had no rights, they were like men’s property. So writing â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† during this time era, was quite shocking and altered society at the time. (Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Feminization ofRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman904 Words   |  4 Pagescom/us/definiton/americaneglish/rest-cure?q=rest+cure). Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote The Yellow Wallpaper as a reflection of series of events that happened in her own life. 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In the â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper†, Charlotte Perkins Gilman uses the wallpaperRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman Essay1208 Words   |  5 Pagesthat wallpaper as I did?† the woman behind the pattern was an image of herself. She has been the one â€Å"stooping and creeping.† The Yellow Wallpaper was written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. In the story, three characters are introduced, Jane (the narrator), John, and Jennie. The Yellow Wallpaper is an ironic story that takes us inside the mind and emotions of a woma n suffering a slow mental breakdown. The narrator begins to think that another woman is creeping around the room behind the wallpaper, attemptingRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman846 Words   |  4 PagesThe dignified journey of the admirable story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† created by Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s, gave the thought whether or not the outcome was influenced by female oppression and feminism. Female oppression and feminist encouraged a series of women to have the freedom to oppose for their equal rights. Signified events in the story â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† resulted of inequality justice for women. Charlotte Perkins Gilman gave the reader different literary analysis to join the unjustifiableRead MoreThe Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman1704 Words   |  7 PagesEscaping The Yellow Wallpaper Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) whom is most acclaimed for her short story The Yellow Wallpaper (1891) was a women’s author that was relatively revolutionary. Gilman makes an appalling picture of captivity and confinement in the short story, outlining a semi-personal photo of a young lady experiencing the rest cure treatment by her spouse, whom in addition to being her husband was also her therapist. Gilman misused the rest cure in The Yellow Wallpaper to alarm other