Cultural Transformation in Mississippi Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cultural Transformation in Mississippi - Article Example By the turn of the 19th century, the Mississippi was an Indian location. Indians were the most numerous residents. Indian villages also controlled passage down the river. Indian villages were governed by chiefs. Villages such as of those of Choctaw were autonomous and had a common language (Bradley 18). The Chickasaw had a great Chief who was consulted if community issues arose, or there were disciplinary problems that had to be met. The Indians had a unique way of designing their buildings, in addition to the mode of dressing (Bradley 18). Few of them still based their residences on molds, which had been a way of life since medieval times. Of the few white residents residing then, most were of French ancestry. Hence, cultural behavior and daily rules were derived from these two groups. Besides the particulars of French and Indian cultures, it is imperative to note that the Mississippi was a frontier. The culture of the region reflected a locality where people of diverse backgrounds collided. It also reflected a place where the systems of power and governance were uncertain. Colonial Mississippi was characterized by marked cultural differences from each kind of population. The cultural challenge during these times was to make the diverse population into a single nation. As migration mixed the population, and an improvement in communication and transportation technologies decreased the geographical barriers, the Mississippi culture began to homogenize during colonial times (Morris 22). New residents of Mississippi developed a cultural identity that was different from their ancestral lands. Attitudes towards social class, religion, manners, and slavery combined to make a distinct western culture and character (Ownby 38). The energy that drove cultural evolution in the region can be broadly categorized into two sources: local and global (Morris 6). One of the forces radiated from within the locale, where people confronted and continually changed their local enviro nment. The other force was as a resultant of the wide and always changing world. The culture of Mississippi was also a direct result of broader diplomatic and commercial factors (Wyne 4). In spite of everything, culture and commerce worked together to shape how residents negotiated with each other. Meanwhile, particular frontier circumstances were preserved due to the lack of clear resolutions in the struggle between the US, Europeans, and Indians for the control of Mississippi. In the 1820s, soil exhaustion and economic problems in the East forced tens of thousands of white Americans to seek fortune in the West (Wyne 3). The Mississippi region was deemed to offer a promised land of fertile, cheap land, where the river itself assured of speedy connections to the markets. By 1850, the Mississippi river was a thoroughfare through the increasing different cultures of South and North. The culture of lower Mississippi was rested on slavery (Ownby 54).  

P2P File Sharing And Its Influence Essay Example for Free

P2P File Sharing And Its Influence Essay With the advancement of technology we have moved into the digital word, into the days when property transactions are physically tangible. Now property more specifically intellectual property sharing ha s become common and is done easily over the internet using. P2P file sharing software easily available over the internet. In corporate network where this is done by making use of file servers, but on the internet it is done through the peer-to-peer model where files are stored and shared over the personal computers of the person. Most people engaging in such activities both provide and download such files from the internet. In the P2P network uploading the file is not necessary you can easily share the file with a person. P2P allows clients to share files online throughout some unofficial network that can be provided by both the users using the same download software. File sharing gives you access to a wide variety of information. Copyrighted material, pornography or viruses are all just a click away. (Ardenghi, Jorge and Javier Echaiz) On a daily basis numerous users share files with each other online. Be it music, games, software’s, videos etc. Software that can connect people to each other is usually freely available. Although these software are freely available over the internet they come with great risk, for example when sharing files with users, the user can use the same program to access information which you do not mean to share with people over the network. You can also download copyrighted material that could put you into legal problems. Or you may unsuspectingly download pornography when it is named something else. Also sometimes closing the window may not actually close the program and this could actually put you into a greater security risk. These â€Å"always on† connections are an invitation for users and sometimes hackers and preachers to access your private information and use it to their advantage (Sebastian Rupley, pp. 1). Importance of P2P: P2P networking has generated load of interest over the internet in a very short span of time. Daily thousands of people become part of this network. P2pP software systems like Kazaa and Napster are the most highly ranked and most commonly available P2P programs. Several businesses and websites have been promoting â€Å"peer-to-peer† technology to be the future of the Internet’s world of networking Having existed for many years now, P2P technologies promise to radicalize the word of networking. Although P2P file sharing software has created a lot of controversy over the legality issues as well as its fair use (Erik, pp. 1). P2P sharing has become the single most famous internet application over the past 10-15 year. Although people see it as P2P file sharing rather than P2P networking. To access the world of P2P networking a user just has to install a suitable P2P client application. Several P2P software and P2P networks applications subsist. Some P2P functions work only with a single P2P system, while others functions cross-network. Similarly, some P2P networks sustain only one request, while others sustain numerous requests. The importance of P2P can be seen from the fact that daily a lot of people are entering into the world of P2P sharing. P2P allows for quicker file sharing between users and it has become the household name for computer users all around the globe (Erik, pp. 1). Every passing day the importance of P2P is increasing at a rapid speed. Important files are shared over a P2P network. This save a lot of time that is wasted in attempt to first uploading the file over the internet and then allowing for the user to download the files from the link. When the user’s computer acts as an online server there is no need to upload the material over the internet first for the other user to download it. Now the user himself can download or share the data directly from the other user’s computer. This has solved a lot of issues like shortage of space. Plus most P2P software allow for continuation of download in case the software collapses or if the link is broken for some reason. The file does not have to be downloaded over and over again. (Duchechene, Anne and Patrick Waelbroeck, 565-570) Meaning to the Average American: Today to the average American the use of P2P sharing for downloading songs, videos, software, game etc has become part of their household. Research has shown that 60% of the young Americans downloading things of the internet are over the age of 12 and are mostly in their teenage. The young American teenager has been affected the most the P2P sharing around the world as clearly shown by the stats (Scholastic, 10). It means a great deal to the average American for the simple fact that the average American is able to save a lot on the downloading of free music from over the internet, even though there is enough awareness over the internet as this being illegal. But still as long as you don’t get trapped who minds if it’s illegal. The average American downloads at least 20 files at an average on a daily basis using their P2P software. In America the most commonly used software is Napster which is accessible free over the internet. A typical American is involved more in downloading illegal stuff instead of making use of this advancement of technology constructively. This sharing method is being used somewhat constructively in business environments where important data is being shared without having to be uploaded. Also this method saves a lot of space on the computer and also saves a lot of valuable bandwidth and time from being wasted. In case of the average American this is just a way of downloading free music, software, games etc. The average American who makes use of the P2P network mostly belongs to the teenage. These individuals spend most of their time downloading free music which is mostly illegal as it is copyright material and people sharing such music should be punished. But most of the times these individuals who are sharing these files are not from the US but in fact belong to some country where piracy is not that big a crime or is not punishable. These people easily share pirated material over the sharing software and the average American is more than happy to make use of the material as it does not cost them money (Scholastic, 75). Mostly the average American is aware of the intellectual property rights and he also knows that it is an act which is punishable by the US law but still they do not refrain from illegal file sharing as it is cheap and it is hard to detect, and what is hard to detect is hard to punish. Most of the average Americans are also aware that this is theft of intellectual property rights and it is same as stealing from someone. As when the music is transferred using file transfer or P2P software, the singer or the real owner of the music does not get any loyalty for it. Also the average American uses it to download pornography. This is something that the average user of the P2P in America watches. These are young individuals who are still in their teenage (well at least over 60% of them are). These individuals firstly use the internet without supervision which gives them the authority to do whatever they like over the internet and with the advancement of the P2P software they do not have to search much, they just have to make use of their P2P software, search for the required item and there it is, ready for them to download and watch. The P2P software that is being used mostly does not have a restriction clause in them or do not warn viewer about the age limit before they download the files for viewing. The advance broadband internet technology also make it easy and quicker for these young P2P file users to download pornography and watch it, with the new software they can even stream it while it downloads. Influence of P2P on American Pop culture (music, movies, TV shows etc) The birth of pop took place in the downtown sanctions of New York City at the end of the disco era. The new age music caught the attention of those MCs, who were capable of lyrically painting tapestries of anecdotes that were witty and stylized autobiographies. A pop prodigy was accompanied by a DJ who was able to produce a unique sound to go along with the lyrical flow. The beginning of Pop began when the Music composers introduced a DJ and tried to keep the attention of the crowd when introducing the next DJ. Before long this became a common practice where an MC was performing with a particular DJ, one example is Will The Fresh Prince Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff. In 1979, a huge fan following for pop had developed along with entry of new comers, which secured the hold of pop on the music industry. In 1990 gangsta rap a sub-category of pop was developed. A lot of argument was made on the lyrics used as encouraging brutality, promiscuity and the utilization of drugs. The culture of pop is a challenging culture to some extent. It is a way to express the fight in opposition to the ethnic unfairness against the white Americans. So this makes it a way of expression for the African Americans and obviously a defending act for the way to communicate for their racial differences. A P2P computer system utilizes assorted connectivity of users and accumulative bandwidth rather than sharing resources provided by low number of servers. The important thing in understanding a P2P network is that all customers offer equivalent resources. Computer users with the same type of P2P application can remotely access each others hard drives and can share files Such a network is useful in many purposes, mostly known for file sharing containing audio, video or any kind of data available in digital format. One of the oldest and commonly known P2P file sharing software is Kaaza. Its file trading music tool was the number one search engine of 2003 as music and multimedia continues to dominate Americas online mindshare as reported this week by tech news world. Nowadays, it’s clear that Kaaza and other such software’s are most popular mainstream culture for file sharing. The problem with this is that music and all the other industries are worried that why would anyone actually pay for an album or a movie when anyone and everyone can get it online for free. Sharing of movies, music albums and TV shows is becoming very common among amateurs. One influence this has on American culture is that some books or movies which are for specific age are now available to children of all ages as keeping a tap over their downloading activities has become impossible. Now a thirteen year old kid can easily get any rated movie by just giving the wrong information about his age. The culture is tied together by the links. Culture from all around the world have borrowed and also contributed to the jargon of pop and also changed the meaning of some words to fit their own use. Some consider the language of pop to be rude, sexist, violent, focusing on the darker aspects of the society, and also considered as being nothing more than a bunch of babble. But being able to climb the tower of babble; making use of the process of abstraction, will help us understand as to why the language of pop has become so forceful in today’s society. Abstraction is the process whereby we reach a point where we ignore a great amount of stimuli and focus on a limited few; classifying it according to the characteristics and the reality of our experiences through a unique filter system which is influenced by our cultural and personal experiences. Possible P2P copyright violation and security problem: Numerous studies have shown that sharing of file has had an unconstructive blow on record sales. As already discussed Sharing of movies, music albums and TV shows is becoming very common among amateurs. Such distribution hardly brings any income to the producer. One biggest possible copyright violation problem brought in my P2P networks in another such network known as Anonymous P2P network in which users are anonymous by default. This P2P network is specially becoming famous due to many reasons including data retention and lawsuits against bloggers. Such networks may also hold appeal to user who wishes to share copyrighted files like music movies etc. Users who normally use anonymous P2P networks usually require secrecy as to the contents they put on sharing which may my include material which is not only illegal but also incriminating. One of the first P2P system, Napster was shut down in 2001 by some major entertainment firms on the basis that as these file sharing system made it possible to not only share files but also to make illegal copies of copyrighted material while others are still running. According to survey conducted by MPAA, the movie industry lost around 6. 1 billion which is 75% higher than they predicted. In the US alone the movie studio’s lost 1. 3 billion in 2005. Unauthorized services that allow data as free download to other users such as songs, music and movies is blamed for falling sales. Security problems that arise by P2P networks can cause companies to lose millions worth of source code due to disguising files using P2P technologies. P2P covering tools, such as Wrapstar (a freeware service which can cover a . zip file with corporation resource code, as an MP3 of a song hit) as a result an accessory outside the company can use Morpheus to download the disguised file. To the companies security this looks like a common transaction, even if the company has frowned upon employees using P2P in music sharing without a clue that their company has just been robbed, and possibly millions worth of software has been lost. Another security risk involving P2P networking allows your network to be open to various forms of attack, break-in, and espionage. P2P does not carry new virus to the system, just common threats such as virus attacks and worms. One major risk of P2P network is unconsciously allocating files that are confidential. (Banerjee, Anirban, Faloutsos, Michalis, and Laxmi Bhuyan, 1273-1275) Laws kept up with changing technology: Private property is mainly known as the original way to present ideas, may it be the symbols and words. All this is represented as products or services of an individual. Music is also included in such a property. Copyright defines the rules for ones owned property. May it be novels or poems, films or musical works? These all are includes on literary and artistic works. Artist work can include the photography, paintings, illustrations, sculptures or drawings or any kind of architectural designs. Copyrights are compulsory on any kind of trademarks or patents. P2P is the mainly notorious action on the internet these days. The industry now is using latest strategies; including advising ISP’s (internet service providers) to slash off the accounts of customers who are common sharers of files. Gaspary, Luciano Paschoal, 4797) According to the FCC, the federal law is desecrated if vulgar programming is aired at any time. The contents are ought to be obscene, when it succeeds throughout 3 divided checks. Concerning modern principles to a usual individual, it has to be created, as an entire, attractive to the prurient attention; portray or illustrate, i n a deliberately unpleasant technique, sexual behavior particularly classified by appropriate regulation; and deficiency of severe legendary, imaginative, supporting, or methodical importance. The FCC has described transmit offensiveness as language or material that, in context, depicts or describes, in terms patently offensive as measured by contemporary community standards for the broadcast medium, sexual or excretory organs or activities. (M. Fattah, Hassan, pg 44). It does not, however, augment to the echelon of vulgarity. Conclusion: When it comes to downloading software, it is easily done through P2P software. Using the P2P software the average American also downloads software for free, software for which in normal circumstances they have to pay a fee. This too is an illegal activity but something that has not been looked in to as deeply as the issue of the download of illegal music using the P2P software. This is mainly because the download of music over the internet is something that is measurable and not a lot of average American users are interested in downloading software from the internet. Although all good things come with some disadvantages, p2p sharing is one of them. It is very easy to just search up files and download the. But it is an illegal act. Because many files are copyrighted, and since there rights are preserved, it is ethically wrong to go against them. American pop culture is affected in such a way that, many people take the disadvantage of it, but breaking the official rights of the music. Pop music is now a culture in many countries. This culture is effecting the youth in such a way that they are now more in to bad deeds, rather than right ones. â€Å"Intellectual property illustrates nicely that property is a legal right rather than a physical thing. Intellectual property applies to allow owners to exclude others from intangible resources like certain secrets that businesses have, the copying of various creative expressions, and the reproducing of inventions and marks that identify the producers of goods and services. Property is a legal right to exclude, not a physical thing, and the object of a property copyright includes the reproduction of music for commercial profit. The market resource is diminished for the copyright owner when file sharers misappropriate music

Jane Eyre :: essays research papers

In Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre, Jane goes through numerous self-discoveries, herself-realization and discipline leads her to a life she chooses to make her happy. Jane Eyre has a rough life from the start. Forced to stay with people who despise her, Jane can only help herself. Jane must overcome the odds against her, which add to many. Jane is a woman with no voice, until she changes her destiny. The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte consists of continuous journeys through Jane’s life towards her final happiness and freedom. From the beginning, Jane possesses a sense of her self-confidence and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   contentment. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and Jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of her so as to find contentment. There are many ways in which Bronte shows Jane’s tribulations, through irony, honor, and tone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charlotte Bronte includes many different aspects to this novel. â€Å" One of the keys to power of Jane Eyre is Bronte’s deployment of multiple genres† (Clarke 2). Clarke says that there are many levels to the book; the book can have a greater depth than a love story, but as a tale of strength and endurance. 2 Jane Eyre has a rough start to her foundation, to begin she is orphaned at a young age. This sets up many problems for the young girl and her fragile identity. The people around worsen the situation as Jane grows. They challenge her patience, integrity, and intelligence. As a female Jane must deal with the caste system of her time as a threat, and as an orphaned child she must deal with the cast system as an obstacle. The family of Reeds that she lives with reminds her everyday of her low position. â€Å"She suffers precisely because she knows the value of caste; She may be poor, but she does not want to belong to the poor† (Bell 2). This makes Jane want to thrive more because she realizes the odds against her. Originally, Jane comes from a middle-class family but when her father dies she is left to the pity of the Reeds. The Reeds mistreat Jane and she grows to long the outside world. Jane clearly shows her position when she says, â€Å" It is as natural as that I should lov e those who show me affection, as submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved†.

My glimpses of Jane Austen Essay

Inspite of my acquaintance with the works of many great writers, Austen’s novels have fascinated me much more than the others .I feel greatly elated to note that the great Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson placed both the Giant of English Literature, William Shakespeare and Jane Austen on the same pedestal. What Shakespeare achieved through his 37 plays and 154 sonnets, Austen accomplished with her six novels – Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice and some minor works like Lady Susan, The Watsons – which is highly commendable. Less number of novels she wrote but great was her achievement is what one can say about Jane Austen. What is so special about Austen that she topped the list of writers of her age? What makes her different from her contemporaries ? What are the special features of her novels and what makes them remarkable are some of the general queries . This paper will bring forth some of my view s with special emphasis on her masterpiece Pride and Prejudice. Having been groomed in a scholarly family Austen’s success as a writer may not seem phenomenal . Many may label Austen’s achievement as mere luck or good fortune .But there is much that contributes to the prodigious personality of the writer . Unlike her predecessors or contemporaries who tried their hand in various forms of literature it is noteworthy that Austen prospered through the sole literary form – the novel .As one browses through her six novels one will definitely note some striking aspects which are persistent in all of them. Austen might have chosen for her subject the restricted social life she had and thus all the six novels share similar features. Yet never do the novels cause boredom and each one of them is interesting in its own way .In fact she has a tremendous capacity to sustain the interest of the reader from the beginning till the end. Apropos the less number of novels she wrote, it is more of a question of quality vs quantity. SOME ASPECTS OF HER NOVELS * Austen is the exponent of the social life of the sophisticated society of her age. Her novels chiefly depict the social life of the early decades of nineteenth century. * Austen wrote essentially domestic fiction. Hence domestic affairs form the heart and soul of her novels. * Women occupy a very important position in her novels . Austen’s novels are famous for their vivacious heroines who gain more prominence than the heroes .She lays bare before us the feminine psyche with great precision. * The themes of love ,courtship, marriage , elopement, and love for property keep recurring. Ballrooms paved the way for courtship. Matchmaking was the birth right of every mother. Falling in love was considered a gateway to marriage. Attachment was essentially artificial, bound by selfish motives. Only males inherited property and so women had to marry to gain financial security. In a family where there was no male to inherit ,the estate was to be transferred to the lady’s husband . A man was judged only through his social status. Thus a man lacking fortune always preferred to marry a lady with good fortune. These are some of the ideas, which form the backbone for Austen’s novels. * Austen’s style is simple and lucid, but appeals to the intellect. Henry Austen in his Biographical Notice wrote † Everything came finished from her pen : for on all subjects she had ideas as clear as her expressions were well chosen â€Å" * As said earlier Austen dealt with similar subjects in her novels but had individualistic approach towards each of them. She made use of embellishments such as wit, humour and irony which give her novels a brilliant effect. * Austen aimed at perfect finish as far as characterization was concerned . While pointing at the meritorious qualities of her protagonists Austen doesn’t fail to expose the follies of the men and women who posed to belong to the elegant class of the society . She artistically handled the affectation and hypocrisy of the upper class . People faced problems due to their own shortcomings. * Another outstanding aspect of her novels is the opening lines which set the tone of the novel .It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife -The opening line of Pride and Prejudice hints the witty and ironic tone of the novel. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Pride and Prejudice is Austen’s best loved book, as she claimed it to be brilliant and light. The novel is at once satirical , witty , ironical and humorous .It was originally titled â€Å"First Impressions† for the novel centers around the impressions of the people about each other at their first meeting which turn out to be wrong and superficial . However Austen later chose the title Pride and Prejudice, more appropriate, for the novel also deals with the consequence of the character’s impressions, that is their pride or prejudice. Though Austen wrote five other good novels, this particular one is considered her chef d’oeuvre. The novel gained heights because it penetrates deep into the human mind. All the characters in the novel are above ground and their prototypes can even be found in the contemporary society . Austen’s skilful handling of the character sketches alone makes it an extraordinary work of art. MY NOTES ON PRIDE AND PREJUDICE In my opinion Austen’s genius lies in her endeavour to infuse the principles of life in her novels. Her novels overcome the barriers of time, tradition and culture. Subjects relating to real life appeal every one of us, for we identify ourselves with the characters and the happenings in the novel. Pride and Prejudice is primarily based on human motives and the conflicts involved in human life. As I turn the pages of the novel everything appears real to me. There is nothing illusory or melodramatic .The characters of the novel seem to be my acquaintances in life. It is a marvel that Austen at the age of twenty-one mirrored with exactness the philosophy of life, seeking refuge in common themes like love and marriage. This sole novel is an evidence for Austen’s fully developed intellect and her matured personality. Human tendency is such that we initiate trouble and end solving it ourselves. Attitude plays an indispensable role in life. Negative and positive attitudes bring results accordingly. Reversal of wrong attitudes and visualization of things in the correct perspective alone pave way for a happy living. This forms the basis of the novel. Attitudes precede outcomes. Elizabeth dislikes Darcy in their first meeting itself. She is prejudiced against him for his pride. Above all Elizabeth’s aversion is due to a personal rift for she says, † I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine † and this attitude of hers prevents her from comprehending Darcy’s true nature. This is very common in life. We hate people and deny acknowledging their good qualities just because they offend us in one way or the other. Elizabeth’s bad opinion about Darcy creates such circumstances that she is always against him until she reverses her attitude. When Elizabeth changes her mind, Darcy also transforms which does her good. As Elizabeth notes, Darcy is very proud of his wealth, status and everything else .His money made him look good. But his pride swallowed his good qualities. Darcy mingles only with inferior people to proclaim his superiority. That’s why he chooses Elizabeth, who is beneath him as his prospective wife and not the rich, beautiful Miss Bingley. However Darcy loves Elizabeth only for her personality. His snobbish attitude creates trouble for him. The moment he realizes his mistake and stoops to conquer his lover everything turns alright. Mrs. Bennet is another such character whose attitude plays an important role in her life. Mrs. Bennet’s desire to get her five daughters married is nothing wrong. Every mother has the wish to see her daughter well settled in life. But Mrs. Bennet’s approach and attitude turns things wrong for her. She devises cheap plans to procure husbands for her daughters. While machinating to bring Jane and Bingley together, she forces Jane to go on a horse on a rainy day (when the carriage is available) to Mr. Bingley’s house so that she may get wet, fall ill and stay with the Bingleys for a couple of days. Mrs. Bennet thought that she was creating an opportunity for Jane but it results in the Bingley sisters thinking low of her family. Though they like Jane they reject her because of her mother’s uncouth behaviour . Mrs. Bennet foils her own daughter’s prospects of getting married because of her thoughtlessness. Hoping to win the army officers for her daughters, Mrs. Bennet gives Lydia and Kitty too much freedom. This results in Lydia running away with the rogue called Wickham .It is not Lydia’s elopement, which hurts Mrs. Bennet but the consequences. Mrs. Bennet finds Lydia’s running away distressing but her marriage pleasing. She hardly realizes that Lydia is her parallel and she has a share in her daughter’s shameless conduct. Never does she accept her follies unlike her husband. On the other hand she blames others unnecessarily. Finally Mrs. Bennet gets three of her daughters married which may be due to her persistent attempts. Manner and behavior is something purely external of an individual. It is attitude, which counts as far as moulding of one’s character is concerned, is what I feel is the message conveyed by Austen in her novel.

How to Support Bilingualism in Early Childhood Essay

Bilingualism is very important. Although most people speak English in this country, there is not really a national language in the United States of America. However, speaking more than one language will, without a doubt, get you father. Many children that enter early childhood centers have another primary language. Although it is very important that all the children learn English, it is just as important that they do not lose their first language. Besides being able to keep close to your roots and communicate with your family, being bilingual can open doors professionally. This in itself is a great reason to make sure schools support bilingualism. Accepting the child’s first language is a great step to show respect for the child and his culture and family. This acceptance is important in the early years, especially when the child first enters preschool / daycare. In showing tolerance and acknowledgement to the primary language, the child will feel comfortable in the classroom and this will make the transition to go much smoother. This article continues to explain ways in which educators and school staff can support bilingualism. Preschools and daycares play an important role in the lives of the children. The seeds we plant about bilingualism will grow forever in that child. As we accept and learn, so will the children. If we were to treat this in a negative manner, the children will perceive it that way as well. Getting to know the families in our centers is imperative. Knowing what language they speak and where they come from is a sure way to make them feel secure and comfortable. As stated in the article, the attitudes of the staff are essential to supporting bilingualism. Making sure that staff members speak both English and another language (majority at center) is the first step in having a bilingual school/program. It is never â€Å"ok† to simply disregard the native language of the child or the child’s family. Parents should continue to speak in their native language and no one should make that child feel embarrassed or ashamed to speak another language. This article is pro children and pro responsibility. As educators, it is our duty to have our children reach for the highest goal possible. It is our responsibility to take the children far in life. Guiding children and their families towards bilingualism is a great way to give value to immigrant families. Achieving the â€Å"American dream† does not mean leaving your roots behind. Having a strong self-esteem includes being proud of ourselves and where we come from. Teachers need to nurture this.