Surviving on a desert island

Surviving on a deserted tropical island Being stranded on a deserted tropical island is not ideal for most people, especially if you are alone. Although many people who end up in these situations get rescued, it is still important to know five essential tips to survive. Giving purpose to items often ignored and utilizing all available resources is vital. Water is an extremely important essential to surviving, water makes up more than two-thirds of our body weight and works in many different ways to maintain our bodys health, stabilize our metabolism, nd keeping digestion in order.A reason why the island you are stranded on is deserted might be because of the lack of fresh water. If you cannot find a stream nearby then look for coconuts, the milk inside is high in potassium and a variety of minerals. Although you cannot survive off of coconut milk, it will last you until the next rainfall. Collect as much rainwater as you can, because you never know when the next one will occur. Assum ing you cannot contact anyone from your cellphone because there is not a signal on the island, getting noticed is also extremely important. Building a fire that creates lots of smoke is recommended.Using dead and dry palm leaves creates a thicker more noticeable smoke. Collecting dry tinder from trees is helpful, especially hibiscus tree's, which are common on most Pacific islands. A fire is also important for cooking food, staying warm and keeping the insects away. As for food, fishing is an obvious go to. But remain cautious of the types of fish you eat. Stay away from fish with spikes or abnormal structures. Fish are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, they reduce blood pressure; they are rich in protein, vitamin D, alcium and many minerals.If you have hunting skills you could also go hunting, there is likely to be boars on the island and a variety of other meaty animals. Building a shelter is vital; it needs to be done before dark. That way you do not have to go snooping throu gh a forest in the middle of the night in which you have no idea what lies ahead. Find a spot that provides protection from the wind, sunlight, and animals. Use shaped sticks for the frame and dead palm tree leaves for the roof. Search for a vine to tie together everything so it stays put.Put leaves in the inside of your hut to create a floor to rest on. Waiting patiently is very important. Keep yourself busy so you do not feel like you are going crazy. Go for a swim, work on building a safer shelter and explore the forest. You have plenty of time on your hands, so do as much as you can to make the time pass until you are rescued. References http://www. survivalskillstoday. com/Hot-Tip-How-to-Survive-on-a-Deserted-Island. html http://purpleslinky. com/humor/life/castaway-five-top-tips-to-survive-on-a-deserted- island/ surviving on a desert island By heavyflow

Working with and Leading People

Cool Sounds is an established music retailer throughout the UK and it has around 280 stores and 15000 employees, both full time as well as part-time. The products sold by Cool Sounds range from CDs and DVDs to software for computer consoles. The organization has a tall structure and most of the decisions are made from the Head Offices although leading people is usually the specific remit to store management team. Cool Sounds has planned to open a new flagship store in Coventry and hire 80 more employees. I being the general manager of the store have prepared this paper to address some of the issues related to recruitment, selection and retention, leadership, performance appraisal, etc. (Anthony, Kacmar & Perrwe 2005). RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND RETENTION What does Cool Sounds look for in its employees? Cool Sounds looks for a strong academic record when assessing the application of employees. Past experience shows that academic skills are seldom sufficient to be a successful professional within a company as challenging, dynamic and diverse as Cool sounds. Therefore, Cool Sounds has identified four skills and qualities as being essential to performing to the high standards that they expect from their employees. Capacity, achievement, relationships and technicality are these skills identified by Cool Sounds. Capacity is the diagnostic ability to put problems in an extensive but in a relevant view. Achievement is the ability to get things done. Relationships refer to the ability to work efficiently with others in a team and technicality is the ability to understand and approach technical issues coupled with an enthusiasm for technical challenge. The HR management refers to these qualities throughout their assessment and selection process, looking for candidates who can show them to a greater degree than their contemporaries. (Benefiel 2008). Applications and resumes Cool Sounds offers an amazing range of recruitment in many different fields and also requires people from diverse backgrounds. Every year Cool Sounds examine its business requirements and accordingly they conduct external recruiting and for this, they should advertise in the leading newspapers and shortlist the candidates suitable by interviewing them after which they must select candidates on the basis of their degree, although work experience really counts but they should also recruit candidates on the basis of their answers and intelligence. All applications should be assessed and candidates based on the above mentioned qualities and both internal and external selections should be done. Cool Sounds should recruit employees both internally and externally. (Butteriss 1998). The Interview Process Once the recruiters have reviewed the candidates’ application forms and CVs/Resumes, they must conduct telephonic or face-to-face interview and many other interview techniques and questions must be asked to determine the personality of the candidate. Cool Sounds must conduct competency based interviews in order to evaluate the competence in a candidate. (Barker 2008). Situational interviews are conducted by asking questions like e. g. ‘A person in your team is disrupting information, how would you handle the situation? ’ Behavioral interviews should also be conducted in which Cool Sounds should inquire about the candidates’ achievements and any challenges they have faced e. g. ‘Please tell us about a time when you were under great pressure? How did you cope? What was the outcome? The content of the responses to the questions asked should then assessed by Cool sounds. Offer and Onboarding Once the candidates have been successfully selected to work in the organization, they should be called in for a management trainee program. (Clawson & Corner 2004). Offer To give their candidates the best value they can get, Cool Sounds should make sure that it provides the job that the person wants, for instance, if the employee is more flexible about their preferred job and location, the more likely should Cool Sounds should be able to give what the employee want. After finding a suitable vacancy, the employee should be invited to a ‘Get to Know You’ session so that the employee meets the business managers they’ll be working with, as well as some of their team, and find out more about the position. This would also give the employees as well as the company itself to double check whether the candidate is suitable or not and if a suitable match is lacking at this point, Cool Sounds must continue to explore for more candidates. Gravett 2003). Onboarding This is when the employees’ career begins with Cool Sounds and the onboarding programs should be carried out so that employees can get to know the organization better. Moreover, the company should always be ready to guide its employees in the best possible way, so that the employees can have a feel of what their job role is in the organization, what they are supposed to do, and find out how Cool Sounds operates itself. Retention Rewards and Benefits Rewards and benefits are major set of HRM activities and so Cool Sound should provide their employees rewards and benefits and the most common rewards they can give to the employees are worker’s compensation, social security and unemployment insurance. Reward System Reward system serves as a strategic purpose of attracting, motivating and retaining people, therefore Cool Sounds should provide bonus to their employees in order improve the performances of the employees. By taking a look to the performance of the employee or his sincerity with the organization, the employees should be given rewards to keep them motivated. (John 2001). Pay Structure Pay structure is the difference of pays of employees within the organization and it is vital to give the same pays to the employees having same designation so that no sort of conflict arises between them; however the pay must only be different for employees on the basis of their performance. Individual Pay Decisions To promote the employees, individual pay decisions should be made as well and Cool Sounds must ensure that employee’s individual contribution is recognized and rewarded through performance-related pay and bonuses, moreover, facilities must be provided to their hardworking employees and they should also work on the enhancement of the technical knowledge of the employees. Other factors of retention Health and medical benefits should be provided to the employees, every employee should be fairly treated and job security should be provided to them. (Kay 2000). Legal and ethical issues When staff is to be recurited, some legal and ethical issues need to be considered. Code of ethics These include age and gender, race and religion discrimination and sexual harassment and it is mandatory for the HR Department of Cool Sounds to make sure a fair treatment of employees. Employees know that they are safe and they can approach someone in case they are unfairly treated by anyone. Legal issues The HR Department should act as a negotiator and works to establish cooperation between the legal entities, regulatory agencies, supervisors and employees to properly address and determine the issue prevailing. BUILDING WINNING TEAMS. The culture followed by an organization highlights its personality. Culture basically comprises of the assumptions, the values and norms of an organization, the financial position of the organization and about its members and their behaviors. Whenever a new member is added to an organization, they don’t take much time to study and learn about the type of culture being followed by an organization. However, every organization has its different culture and although new employees may take time to adjust but they soon get to know about it and work accordingly and the culture of an organization makes an organization different from others. The culture an organization adopts should be such that it should be accepted by all the employees and it basically helps to understand the human system in an organization and there are basically two types of challenges a culture has to overcome. Once an employee joins an organization, he has to get accustomed to its culture effectively and only those who can adopt it well can survive. After the employees adopt the culture, it leads to a collective learning process creating shared assumption and beliefs. Team learning This refers to the learning that develops the ability in a team to create the results expected and desired by the other members. It further builds personal mastery and shared vision. Team learning leads to good results and growth becomes more rapid. Team learning is dependent on the type of members a team consists of and the way they think and take the other members. (Kline & SaCool Soundsders 1997). Problematic areas One of the major problems being faced by the HR department is because of the diversified workforce at an organization. Many people feel uncomfortable to working with people of a different age, sex, or culture. Despite the fact that employing people from different groups is good but it can lead to a clot of conflicts. The management has to manage a diversified workforce effectively or it can effect employee satisfaction and productivity negatively and the employees who recognize themselves as valued members of their organization are more diligent, concerned, and innovative and this tends them to work harder. Another problem can be the economic unrest prevailing. People from diversified groups would be having different definition of ambition. The outcome of ambition is mostly unpredictable, some ambitions begun in selflessness end in rancor; others begun in selfishness end in large-heartedness. It can at times be uncontrollable as well and some people may not be able handle ambition serving it as a grief to others. It also leads to jealousy. Other than that, people might opt any way to achieve their goals and these might be unlawful as well. Team Charter †¢ Policy formulation – It is essential for the employees to obey the set of rules and policies set by Cool Sounds as this is essential so that proper regulation can be maintained at the work place. (Christensen & Irwin 1976) Knowledge Management – It relates to the programs such as the objectives of the organizations, creating ways to improve the performance of the employees, developing a competitive advantage and creating innovation. (Evans 2003). †¢ Ethics – this is the most important area of philosophy is about right conduct and good lif e and is considerably broader than the common idea of analyzing right and wrong. †¢ Customer Satisfaction – Serving the customers well. Team roles identified by Belbin These roles are identified on the basis of the behaviour of the people when they work in teams and these have a great impact on their performance as well. The roles that Beblin identified are mentioned below. Action Oriented Role †¢ Implementer – the role of the implementer is to translate the ideas and the decisions of the team into actions that can be managed. †¢ Shaper – his role is rather goal directed and more challenging as he has to overcome obstacles and work under great pressure. †¢ Completer/Finisher – the basic task of the completer is to meet deadlines. People Skills Oriented Role †¢ Co-ordinator – facilitates interaction as well as decision making. †¢ Teamworker – it is vital for the teammaker to listen attentively to his team members, to be collaborative and to cooperate with them. Resource Investigator – developing contacts, have excellent communications skills and exploring new ideas are the basic roles played by a resource investigator. Cerebral/Intellectual Role †¢ Planter – his basic goal is to solve problems. †¢ Monitor/Evaluator â⠂¬â€œ having good judgemental and thinking skills are essential for an evaluator. †¢ Specialist – constant learning and building knowledge. The ideas that are proposed by the team members should be implemented in the store if they are feasible. For instance, in the case of Cool Sounds, both the shaper as well as the completer is important so that the store can do its best. To make the store operate in a better way, it would be good to discuss ideas with the team members so that new things can be implemented and this would give a competitive edge to the store. Moreover, it is also vital for the planter to solve problems and negotiate with the team members in order to keep things going in an orderly manner and to avoid conflicts. LEADERSHIP Leadership is basically the process of social influence in which one particular person is able to help and support the others in order to accomplish a common task. It is also about creating something that could help out the people achieve something that is extraordinary. There are a lot of leadership theories proposed by many theorists. Leadership style is the manner or approach of providing direction; implementing plans and motivating people and according to Kurt Lewin, the 19th Century German psychologist suggested three different styles of leadership. All three styles of leadership can be used by Cool Sounds depending on the type of the employees they have hired. (Kouzes & Posner 2008) Styles of Leadership 1. Authoritarian /autocratic – Such leaders have full authority to take decisions and are preferred by such employees who need close supervision in order to complete the tasks assigned to them. Northhouse 2006). 2. Participative or democratic – Such leadership involves including the employees in decision making, however the final decision is taken by the leader. 3. Delegate of Free reign – The leader permits the employees to make decisions for them. However, in any event leaders are the ones who are actually responsible for all their decisions. This style is usually used where employees are few and have greater awareness. (Lee 1991). Skills in leaders The leaders are the ones who should encourage their juniors to suggest ideas that could lead to creativity and innovation. The employees should be rewarded, supported and proper amalgamation should be provided for the processes. Fund learning should be encouraged. This can be done by prioritizing it into budgets and work plans and to make it accessible to the employees or it would be of no use. Trust and respect should be placed on all the levels of the organization. Free communication and personalization should be allowed. Constant training or at least monthly or yearly training programs should be held for all the staff to keep on learning new things. The return on investment should be taken care of. The employees should know how much they are contributing to the company. These are some more factors that could help UN to retain their current employees. (Leat 2001). In order to manage conflicts, the leaders should use conflict management i. e. an amalgamation of different processes that aids in eliminating the sources of conflict and these processes includes negotiation, mediation and diplomacy and dispute resolution or alternative dispute resolution are other terms for conflict resolution. Motivational techniques Empowerment It facilitates the process of making choices and translating these choices into decisions by enhancing the choice making abilities of involved individuals and groups. As a result of this empowerment, individual and collective assets are created which are crucial to the efficiency of organizational and institutional development which controls the utilization of these assets. (Schein 1993) Equity theory This is all about how satisfied an employee is regarding the distribution of resources. The theory was proposed by John Stacy Adams in 1962 and he said that employees seek to maintain equity between the inputs and the outcomes. Everyone expects to be fairly treated and this keeps them motivated to stay in an organization. This theory is basically based on the ratio of inputs (contribution made by employees) to the outcomes (behaviors and contribution of the employees). This theory would be useful for Cool Sounds because it describes the relationship between the level of motivation that an employee has and the way he receives equitable or inequitable treatment. This relationship is basically between the employee and the employer. With this, the issue to comparison arises as what the employees do is that they compare their input and outcome with that of the others. The inputs mainly are the time the employee gives to accomplish a task, his expertise experience and skills, etc. however, the outcomes are the monetary compensation such as the benefits the employees receive and likewise. Therefore, it can affect the morale, efficiency, productivity, and turnover of the employees at the organization. Furthermore, there are certain assumptions of this theory when it is being applied to a business. For instance, if an employee expects a fair return for her contribution and by comparing her input and outcomes or is not being fairly treated. This comparison is called social comparison and this discourages the employees badly and if the management does not work on it and the result of this would be that the employees will start distorting their inputs as well as the outputs. Therefore, the organization must ensure that they take care of all this in future. Expectancy theory This is basically about choice and the way in which people make choices. It is a motivation theory and was proposed by Victor Vroom. In this theory, the level of motivation of the employees is expected to rise when they put more efforts to do the tasks they are assigned to do and this makes them do better work and this leads to organizational rewards that are valued by the employees. Two things that the expectancy theory emphasizes is the self-interest of the rewards that the employees want and how the employees behave with reference to it. According to this theory, the behaviour of the employees is a result from conscious choices among alternatives. The sole purpose of this theory is to maximize pleasure and reduce the pain involved in completing a task. This theory is based on three concepts that results in motivation. 1. Valence – this is what an employee prefers for a particular outcome and the employee must be motivated to prefer to attain an outcome than the idea of not attaining it. 2. Instrumentality – the extent to which a first level outcome leads to the second level. . Expectancy – Probability that an action will lead to the first level outcome. Therefore, Cool Sounds must use proper reward systems making sure that the performance of the employees is measured properly. WORK AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS As the store would be divided into various sections that must function effectively, some work activities need to be analyzed. For this, it is important for the leaders to plan out things for each department efficiently and motivate the employees of the respective department to perform well. The development needs of an employee can be identified by doing performance appraisal and it would also help to identify the effectiveness of the activities. Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal is done for the purpose of promotions. It is the assessments of an employee’s performance. It serves for administrative and developmental purposes. Administrative purpose provides information for making salary, promotion, lay-off decisions and documentation. Developmental purpose can be used to diagnose training needs and career planning. Cool Sounds appraises its employees because feedback and coaching based on appraisal information provide the basis for improving day-to-day performance. (Perlmutter, Bailey & Netting 2000). Results Appraisal Cool Sounds should appraise its employees’ performance. Results appraisals tend to be more objective and can focus on production data such as sales volumes or profits. Management by Objectives A process in which objective set by subordinate and supervisor must be reached within a given time period. This is another name given to â€Å"Results appraisal. † Aim of MBO. Cool Sounds must use MBO to achieve a set of goals that is clear, specific and reachable, and when managers want to empower employees to adapt their behavior as they deem necessary in order to achieve desired results. The standard of performance at Cool Sounds should be based on job analysis after which performance standards should be notified to its employees. (Morgan 1997). Managers and Supervisors Cool Sounds should also use its managers and supervisors as a source of appraisal information because they are often in a best position to observe an employees performance. Internal and External Customers Cool Sounds should use its internal and external customers as sources of performance appraisal information and it is a good idea for employees to evaluate their own performance. 360-Degree Appraisal Cool Sounds should also use multiple sources of appraisal to gain a comprehensive perspective of one’s performance because each source of performance appraisal information has some limitations, and different people may see different aspects of performance. 60-degree appraisal is beneficial and would be accepted by employee if not linked with increments. (Frappaolo 2006). Performance Appraisal Interview Employees want to know how they are doing, but typically they are comfortable about getting feedback. Cool Sounds should conduct performance appraisal interviews thoughtfully and must summarize the employees’ specific performance, and then supports the employees who are not performing well and appreciates those whose performances are good. Conclusion. Therefore, it is essential for Cool Sounds to take care of the employees they select and recruit because the employees serve as an asset of an organization and so it is a must for them to retain them as well. Moreover, they must also manage the teams well and good leadership skills are essential to make the employees work well. Conducting performance appraisal is also necessary as it can help Cool Sounds find out the level of performance of the employees and how they can further improve their performance. (Lewis 2003).

Detecting Plagiarism

The results of the paper, Lab Courses Go Virtual, came back with 98% similarity of plagiarism. This result defiantly exceeds the maximum amount allowed in regards to plagiarism. If I were the student, I couldn’t look my instructor in the eye or in this case respond to any correspondence with a clear honest and complete reason as to why I would have done something so deceitful as to copy some else’s work. My course of action toward the student would the following: I would like for you to understand that plagiarism reduces your self-confidence as a student. Clearly the paper that has been submitted was not your original work. Using some else’s work is not only fraudulent, but it promotes a lack of writing skills that is necessary in the workplace. Please review the universities guidelines on plagiarism. The guidelines are located: * Under the Library Tab * click Center of Writing Excellence located on the left hand side under * Writing Tools click Tutorials and Guides. * Under Plagiarism Tutorial click Plagiarism Guide. Keep in mind that I am here to assist you succeed in your journey. I encourage you to resubmit the assignment, within the four day time period from which it the assignment is due. At which time if you have not resubmitted the assignment in the time allotted, I will then assume that you have read the Plagiarism Guide and understand you will have failed the assignment and this course. There is also a possibility that you could be suspended from the university. I look forward to you resubmission of the assignment and if you have a questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me at [email  protected] phoenix. edu or call (509) 710-3537 anytime I will be happy to help.

Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategy - Essay Example This is a great distance from the view of Chandler (1962), who views strategy as being connected to how an organisation is administered outside of functional responsibilities. His definition of strategy is â€Å"the determination of the basic long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals† (Chandler, 1962, p.13). Porter (1996, p.75) finally reaches a definition of â€Å"creating fit among a company’s activities†, which does bear some relation to Chandler’s view, although Chandler deals with the long term survival of the organisation, where Porter acknowledges that achieving fit determines strategy success and if there is no fit, then nothing to sustain (ibid). Teece (1993 p.199) recounts Chandler’s view that competitiveness depends upon organisational and financial capabilities, and supporting institutions. Porter would disagree with the ide a of resources and capabilities being important to strategy, which not only puts him at odds with Chandler but also with Penrose. Penrose’s view of strategy was that it was â€Å"to increase total long-term profits† (Penrose and Petelis, 1999, p.12) again, emphasising the long term view. She also viewed administration as important, identifying that â€Å"administrative co-ordination and ‘authoritative communication’ define the boundaries of the firm† (Penrose and Petelis, 1999, p.9). She saw firms as resource bundles that could be combined in specific ways to generate products and services â€Å"for sale in the market for a profit† (ibid), a view with which Porter disagrees, and which causes her to be portrayed as the founder of the resource-based view of strategy (Foss, 1999, p.87), although Foss argues that what is now seen as the resource-based view is not what Penrose was describing in her work. Standard strategy textbooks provide definit ions of strategy, based on the views of the authors. Johnson et al (2008, p.857) say that strategy â€Å"is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long term, which achieves advantage in a changing environment through its configuration of resources and competences with the aim of fulfilling stakeholder expectations†, a broad definition that would find both favour and disagreement with the earlier writers mentioned above. But what is interesting is the difference between definitions of strategy in 1959 (Penrose – the year her book was published), 1962 (Chandler), 1996 (Porter) and Johnson et al (2008). There is no direct linear progression, yet Johnson et al’s definition includes all of the ideas of the earlier theorists. It would seem that all of the ideas have merit, and affect strategy, but their discovery was due to something else that caused different things to be discovered at different times. Categories of Strategy Different writers have differ ent ideas of strategy, but only one has attempted to bring all of these together to create a coherent whole. Richard Whittington (2001) considered the different theorists’ views on strategy and tried to make sense of them by constructing a model that produced four different types of strategy. He provides a summary of these in the form of a table, reproduced here: Classic Processual Evolutionary Systemic Strategy Formal Crafted

World Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

World Slavery - Essay Example Today, the most potent instrument of slavery is economic power as opposed to physical power. With most countries in the world joining the neo-liberal bandwagon, the power of money has established itself as the most potent instrument of perpetrating slavery. Previously, slaves would obey their masters for fear of the whip. But today, they do so for fear of starvation. Financial glottalization, euphemistically called neo-liberal reforms by most right-wing politicians, has contributed greatly to economic disparities across the world. In the thirty odd years since the initiation of the globalisation process, the income gap between the rich and the poor has only widened. It might be true that the Gross Domestic Products of several countries (especially those in Asia) might have improved during this period. But internally, the standard living for a majority of the population has stagnated or worsened. This kind of imbalance serves the interests of the rich perfectly, as they now have access to a desperate labour market that is ripe for further exploitation. It should be remembered that poverty is at its most severe in regions with high concentrations of wealth. This is why, prostitution has burst like an epidemic in Eastern European and South East Asian countries that have embraced neo-liberalism in recent decades. Since conventional notions of bonded slavery are not applicable in contemporary times, the parameters for evaluating its existence have to be modified as well. In this new understanding, slavery is closely associated with poverty. So if an individual is not able to eat two full meals everyday, or is unable to get access to basic healthcare, or does not have protection against natural elements, he/she can be said to be a slave. In this condition of acute deprivation, the individual will have no option but to take any work he/she is given at rock-bottom wages. In other words, the

Is the management of culture an ethically acceptable use of power Essay

Is the management of culture an ethically acceptable use of power - Essay Example ly, exercising given powers in a way that recognizes important issues to deal with, establishes priority areas in addition to sorting out competing values while the third aspect calls for moral evaluation where analytical skills are used in evaluating available options. These are a few aspects to consider when making value judge on whether management of culture is an ethically acceptable use of power or not. Therefore, ethical behaviour from those in authority is an important component of organizational culture given the need to be fair and just when handling different groups that interact during the operation of organizational activities (Johnson 2011). Ethical discussions about management of culture should be based on the reasons and importance of having a strong organizational culture. Strong organizational culture is an essential component that creates the necessary environment for achievement of organizational objectives, motivation of employees to be more productive in addition to enhancing management’s decision making process. Consequently, the use of power by any official should be directed towards achieving these goals (O’Donnell and Boyle 2008). Managers should not use the need for an established culture to target those who are perceived to have contradicting views on how to run the organization. Ethical decision-making should ensure that all with divergent views are accommodated into the organization. Trevino and Brown (2004) note the importance of making moral judgement by focusing on what is right and not necessarily doing what is right when making decisions that affect the organization. The authors assert that principled individuals have a high disposition to stick to their moral judgments even under pressure where they are more likely to resist pressure to behave unethically. Resistance emerging from the individuals who oppose new measures aimed at transforming existing culture or changing it completely most often frustrates managers (Secord

Obama and His Decisions on Deportations of Illegal Inmigrants Essay

Obama and His Decisions on Deportations of Illegal Inmigrants - Essay Example Both parties wrote this legislation in 2011. While the Democrats passed the Dream Act, the Republicans never approved of it. The republicans shunned the bill after it got 55 votes in the Senate (Bray, 2006). The bill did not change in any way only politics changed. Obama’s decision would have both a positive and negative effect to the undocumented immigrants in the US. It would make no sense expel the â€Å"dreamers† who might be talented and be of enormous benefit to the economic development of the Nation. This is because they were raised as citizens of the US and they understand themselves as a part of it. Expelling such young talent would be a loss and unjust because they would serve the military or contribute in the economy as businesspersons. The fact that they were born of undocumented parents is not their fault. It is better focusing the immigration enforcement in the rightful places. It is better prioritizing border security (Gerber, 2011). The Department of hom eland security should focus on lifting the shadow of deportation from these â€Å"dreamers†. Individuals who are not a threat to US security are free to apply for work authorization. The congress should act rightfully. This year there is time for the Dream Act to be passage, because this would give these kids time to plan their lives in more than 2-year increments. The passage of the comprehensive immigration reform that will address the 21st century security and economic needs is crucial. This reform will give the ranchers and farmers certainty about their works. This reform should give technology and science sectors confidence the young immigrants who come Earn Ph.D.s. They, therefore, will not be forced to migrate and start their businesses in other countries. These reforms should improve the US border security and maintain their heritage of immigrants and law. This is the same reform that Ted Kennedy, John Mc Cain championed (Lopez, 2005). I believe that president Obama d id the right thing because personally I have been with such groups of young people. These people are dedicated to hard work and talk about what is best for the US. I know that some of them have live under the fear of deportation. Some of them have taken great risks and to their futures to contribute to the status of America. There have been stories of Americans in churches and schools and societies across the country that have supported them and rallied behind them. The have all guide them for better futures and careers and from fear, because this nation is more than just deporting innocent children. This is the right thing to do because if given a chance to live in America, the children will be extraordinary contributions to the economy. I have a relative who is working in the military, doing his best to protect this country. There is, therefore, no reason to treat them as expendables. This move has come in an election year. It will boost votes from Hispanics in a critical state li ke Florida, Nevada and Colorado. However, Latinos have been tempered by the slow economic recovery and Obama’s inability to win support for overhaul of immigration laws and the aggression of the administrations deportation policy ((Lopez, 2005). Activists against this policy went on a hunger strike at his campaign office in Denver. Congressional Republicans are likely to be against this move and would perceive Obama’

Translation arabic -english Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Translation arabic -english - Dissertation Example Since children are the most innocent stratum of society, and are considered to be the future builders of their nation as well, special care is given while producing literature for them for the adequate socialisation and brought up of the innocent minds. Although hundreds of thousands of books, journals and novelettes are available in the market, material of which is generally based upon local tales, fiction and moral stories, yet the parents and teachers look for inclusion of foreign literature in the studies meant for children, so that the young minds can obtain familiarity with the literature has been being produced at global scale. It is important for children to be exposed to different cultures from a young age and to have their world knowledge broadened by stories and characters from all over the world. (Sas, 2010:2) Translated children’s literature is able to break down barriers of geography, language and race and that learning about other cultures is an enriching experi ence that opens up new horizons and stimulates new ideas†. (Hallford, 2005: 4) Since children are not in a position to study themselves the material written in a foreign language, the services of proficient and professional translators are hired to translate the foreign study material in simple and comprehensible native language.

Business functions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business functions - Essay Example They become partners for running the business efficiently. For starting a partnership business all the partners needs to sign different legal agreements. By this the partners contributes money, divides profit and design different business operation or activities which will be under their control. Partnership business can be of medium size or big. The owners of this business are not personally liable for any business losses or credit. Private limited company or business is a voluntary organization. This type of business can have more than one owner but not more than fifty. This business has proper legal existences. For starting a private limited company the owners have to undergo through different legal formalities. The business has to be registered under company act. Shareholders of these companies are its owners. For performing its business activities private limited company has to follow different legal rules and regulation of the country where it is operating its business. The company whose shares are sold and purchased in stock market is known as public limited company. Any people can purchase and sell share of public limited company. This type of company strictly follows legal rules and regulations of business. The company needs to disclose its financial position to its investors for determining the value of its shares. Public limited company can or cannot be listed in stock exchange. Many people are the owners of this type of company. In unlimited liability business, the owner of company has unlimited liability of all debts and credits of business. Another name of unlimited liability company is private unlimited company. It is hybrid type of business which can be run with or without share capital. The shareholders of unlimited liability company have too many non limited obligations for meeting business requirements. The partners or shareholders of this company accept all these unlimited liabilities to avoid double taxation

American Gov1 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American Gov1 - Research Paper Example set out to prove this point and to have schools become integrated under the protection of the fourteenth amendment of the United States Constitution. The ruling of Brown v. Board of Education was the integration of public schools. This decision was important because it redefined what was or was not equal in the eyes of the law. The case and the final outcome brought to light the ill-interpretation of the Constitution. The thirteenth amendment had originally been construed to mean that equality from the view of the law could still be met through equal but segregated facilities (Patterson 2001). However, Brown was quick to point out the inaccuracy of the interpretation. They did this by making use of the fourteenth amendment, which speaks of complete and equal protection under the law. This meant that segregated educational facilities went against this law. The thirteenth amendment had been interpreted specifically to meet the needs of one group, yet the fourteenth amendment helped to show how the interpretation was inaccurate. Brown v. Board of Education impacted Americans as it meant that schools would no longer be segregated. America was slowly but surely becoming an equal and accepting country toward its own people, and the result of this case increased their efforts. Also, African-American children would be allowed to receive their education with students from other ethnic backgrounds. These students would get the exact same treatment and experience as their white counterparts. They were finally being treated with the equality that America had been boasting about for

Caribbean Political Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Caribbean Political Philosophy Essay Western Political Philosophy in the opinion of this essay is a concerted attempt to project and impose on a hapless people a foundation for immediate, continued domination and exploitation, we, therefore as a united Caribbean people, cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that created them. This paper identifies and discusses the central themes (thinking) of Gordon Lewis’ Main Currents in Caribbean Thought, Paget Henrys’ Calibans Reason, Rex Nettlefords’ â€Å"The Battle for Space† and Charles W. Mills’ Blackness Visible. This identification and discussion (generally) is achieved by tracing the evolution of Caribbean Political thought through an examination of race/class, explanations of underdevelopment, perspectives on dependency and the anti colonial movement inter alia. The paper goes on to explain (specifically) the manner in which these works assist in understanding the characteristic features, concerns and content of Caribbean political thought. The final section briefly examines where the Caribbean is at currently by isolating the present set of circumstances engaging the islands. In doing so the paper hopes to make a contribution to the understanding and progress of Caribbean political thought. INTRODUCTION The Caribbean has been described as an area of European colonisation and exploitation through slavery and the plantation system according to Dennis Benn (1987), it has also been described in terms of the product of these conjoined variables, the product of a racial mixture of African, European and Asian referred to as Creole. Nigel Bolland (2004) describes Creole as locally born persons of non-native origin, which, in the Americas, generally means people of either African or European ancestry. This essay goes further and defines this groups’ contribution to this space, diverse in cultural, ethnic and religious inputs, in terms of the new demands to be made on the state from the product of the aforementioned conjoining. Contribution is achieved by way of a clearly articulated political philosophy moderating the competing interest. It is this articulation that is the purview of this essay. To this end an effort will be made to identify and critically discuss the central themes of Gordon Lewis’ â€Å"Main Currents in Caribbean Thought†, Paget Henrys’ â€Å"Caliban’s Reason†, Rex Nettlefords’ â€Å"The Battle for Space† and Charles W. Mills’ â€Å"Blackness Visible†. To achieve the necessary coverage of the issues the essay will proceed as follows: an analysis of the characteristic features, concerns and content of Caribbean political thought. Comparisons will be made to typically distinctive aspects of African and European political philosophy (characteristic features), democracy, representation, institutional arrangement and authority (concerns), equality, social justice, welfare (content). It is by this comparison to the assumed standard that a location of Caribbean political thought could be made and understanding of its existence assessed. Finally the understanding sought will be put to use in locating the Caribbean in this global milieu. It is hoped that a contribution however small will contribute to the ongoing development of Caribbean Political Thought. CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES The assumption that philosophy is held as a European monopoly is grounded in an intellectual tradition whose history consists of the evolution of men’s thoughts about political problems over time according to Sabine and Thorson (1973). Thankfully, there is balance to the discussion accorded by nuanced analysis describing the aforementioned assertion as a false assumption given that these phenomena as known to the Greek were but artefacts of thought George Belle (1996). The question must, therefore, be asked to what extent the character of Caribbean political philosophy shown a level of independence from western political philosophy and by extention an enlightened path that reflects its African/European/Asian origin and coalescence of its peoples (Creole). This coalescence is described, to a large extent, by C W Mills (1998) as â€Å"the coexistence of parallel but incompatible institutional arrangements within a recognised political state† speaks clearly to the many complex issues engaging the multitude of interest acting within this Caribbean. Significantly and more importantly, is the anti-colonial struggle that is fought at the level of the psyche through cultural and spiritual expressions Paget Henry (1997). This essay will examine both examples and place them into context. Henry argues that religion has undergone systematic alienation within the Caribbean theatre by way of a â€Å"lowering of its register or importance to thought. † His observations show an embrace of Eurocentric Christianity used by the former colonials as a tool of control and subordination culminating in a radical disenfranchising of traditional African religions pertaining to inherited Afro-Caribbean Christianity (voodoo and shango). He explained: â€Å"A deployment of binaries (negative assertions) led to European/Christian denials of the existence of an African religious philosophy, significantly and more importantly, is the anti-colonial struggle that is fought at the level of the psyche through cultural and spiritual expressions. † What is noted by Henry is the idea that stagnation has been allowed to take root in the philosophy allowing gaps for re-colonisation. These gaps are identified by Mills (1998) as he draws on the efforts of David T Wellman (1993) who made clear: â€Å"It has been argued that the historic source of white racism lies in a combination of religious intolerance and cultural predispositions to see non-whites as alien. The medieval battles against Islam are then the precursors of the racism that was to accompany European expansionism into the world. African religions were seen as devil worship, black culture and customs viewed as mumbo jumbo, paradigmatically bizarre. † Henry and Mills collectively recognised the Eurocentric imposition that has come to be known as Christianity and its use as a tool to negatively impact race relations dividing and colonising a people. The expectation would be a Caribbean response in defense and ownership of that cosmology which was African. Instead, according to Belle (1996), an intellectual stasis was the result complementing the concept of negative binaries. Belle went on to intimate: â€Å"Haitian political actors culturally trivialised and ridiculed voodum. The role of voodum, a spiritual expression, in the Haitian experience was central for them in their supernatural and cultural expressions within an anti colonial context. † Recall Mills (1998) â€Å"incompatible institutional arrangement† alluded to earlier; consider that Henry was able to capture the Haitian dynamic beautifully, this also in the context that Haiti holds the distinction of being the first independent black state of the new world. He expressed it as â€Å"A series of extended debates between the major competing racial groups of the: Euro-Caribbean, Amerindians, Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean over projects of colonial domination. The philosophical productions of the Euro-Caribbean were aimed at effecting European political and social hegemony (recall Belle (1996)). While, in contrast, the philosophical undertakings of the Indo-Caribbean and Afro-Caribbean were aimed at destroying European hegemony by destroying the legitimacy of their colonial projects. † It is clear from these attempts to define the character of Caribbean political philosophy emphasis has been placed on its utility as an anti colonial tool for overcoming and overturning projects of European hegemony according to Henry (1995). At the heart of these projects are attempts to minimise the effort to develop an alternative to Christianity, reconnection to an African cosmology that bore witness to the imposition of European dogma and through the condemnation of Islam. This essay accepts that any attempt to build out a project must at the same time have a level of self assessment attempted by Mills and Henry in this instance. What are of concern to this essay are efforts from within to compromise the character of the project. It is left to be determined if concerns (to be discussed) will suffer the same fate. CONCERNS The classic argument in favour of western political thought is found in social-contract theories, first proposed by seventeenth-century philosophers Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. Social-contract theory, in fact, constitutes the basis for concerns in modern political thought according to Andrew Heywood (2004). The argument is referenced to society without government, a so-called ‘state of nature’. Hobbes poignantly describes this state of nature as being ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’ reinforcing that without government to restrain selfish impulses, order and stability would be impossible. To what extent has this argument been a part of the contribution concerning Caribbean political philosophers or has there been a redefining of Hobbes’ position? Paget Henry (2000) identifies a situation of what came natural to the African and the colonial intrusion of a self appointed hegemonic force. In an attempt to locate the discussion within the confines of the state Henry draws on Kwameh Nkrumah (1965) to establish a modern ideology unlike the European articulation of Hobbes state of nature. The African assessment is one of diametric opposition, Nkrumah explains: â€Å"The traditional face of Africa includes an attitude toward man which can only be described, in its social manifestation, as being socialist. This arises from the fact that man is regarded in Africa as primarily a spiritual being, a being endowed originally with certain inward dignity, integrity and value. † This rationality of the African locates him apart from his European counterpart. Henry showed the widespread existence of one-party states in Africa was not due to one particular outlook he opined it pointed to the persistence of a traditional political culture that included a â€Å"grammar† of chiefly or kingly political behaviour. The argument is not without reason given the application by Plato to the philosopher kings and much later the Divine Right of Kings show a use of African political structure in an attempt to order a European society. The Caribbean, however, has shown no such inclination having been to a large extent â€Å"trapped in and shaped by social rivalries, ethnic animosities, weak personal/social identity and political fragmentation caused by the twin epiphenomena of slavery and colonialism† according to Gordon Lewis (1983). This is not by accident Lewis argued that the inability of Caribbean people to come to grips with this reality, that was not imagined but was real, left them open to continued exploitation. He went on to explain quite accurately that: â€Å"Slavery was also a powerful ideological deterrent, for it generated a scale of values in the top, dominant groups of the colonies, in which fear of the black masses stifled aspiration for national independence. At every turn in the story, these groups opted for selfish treason rather than for popular revolt. † Lewis contribution established the consequence of the native bourgeoisies economic dependence upon the colonial bourgeoisie. It has never been the intent of the former coloniser to give more for less on the contrary the intent was one of taking more for less. Observe how the power struggle ostensibly between colonised and coloniser gets displaced by power relations within the colonised body politic itself. Remember the argument is one of government structure based on self interest (Hobbes and Locke) against one based on consensus (Paget Henry). Seemingly self-serving political and economic ambitions knows no boundary and does not seek to serve the interests of the newly independent proletariat. Frantz Fanon (1963) suggests the ways in which intellectual leaders often betray the national working-class: â€Å"Before independence, the leader generally embodies the aspirations of the people for independence, political liberty, and national dignity. But as soon as independence is declared, far from embodying in concrete form the needs of the people in what touches bread, land, and the restoration of the country to the sacred hands of the people, the leader will reveal his inner purpose: to become the general president of that company of profiteers impatient for their returns which constitutes the national bourgeoisie. † Fanons assessment is encapsulated by a more specific argument against the existence of a Caribbean Philosophy, it is the perception of the absence of an intellectual tradition, and the belief the Caribbean is a cultural desert. The widely held view of the Caribbean as a region of the three S’s: sea, sand and sex. – A notion upon which the tourism industry has been constructed by and to this day exploited by a select few (national bourgeoisie). The writers, to a large extent, have highlighted the threats to democracy, representation, institutional arrangement and authority by way of concerns. A social contract theory promulgated by the former colonial has been answered by an African option structured on consensus. A timely observation of the constraints to growth based on petty rivalries is a reminder of the island state vulnerability to external influence. This essay suggests that betrayal of the political elite fairly represents the intellectual dilemma the Caribbean is now facing if Fanon (1963) is accepted. This essay argues that if these concerns were addressed maybe the stability of the natural African heritage would have offered up a leader and a type of governance sensitive to the masses and diversification needed. This essay understands the contribution of Henry and Lewis in attempting to show there was an intellectual tradition drawing attention to democracy, institutional arrangement and authority to address the myriad of concerns. CONTENT Issues that, historically and today, have most concerned political philosophers begin with a set of questions about equality, justice and welfare. These could be thought of as an enquiry into the best form of state according to David Miller (1998). It is a fact that for most of our history human beings have not been governed by states hence the free roaming tribes of Africa, Taino and Kalilingo of the Caribbean and not to be left out the marauding barbarians of Europe. From the inception this essay has identified a specific group as central to the continued existence of the Caribbean. Rex Nettleford (1993) and Charles Mills (2007) confirm that centrality by, in the first instance, identifying the group as one of three broad elements shaping the society in the second instance, through a specific schema that embodies a racial polity both starting at diverging points but eventually reaching a mutually understood location. Nettleford has been innovative using the concept of space to draw attention to social injustice; he describes maronnage or â€Å"the retreat into safe psychic sanctums calling on inner reserves beyond the reach of external violators. † This retreat came about with the use of language to communicate, plan and execute rebellion in a tongue foreign to the invaders bringing some equality to a struggle that was always almost dictated by the colonial. He explained â€Å".. Creole, in the proper sense of native-born, native-bred and not in the sense of an aberration of a dialect to the norm of a standard tongue. The very code switching , so normal to Caribbean people in the liberal use of Creole for appropriate circumstances transformed to the lingua franca as the occasion demands (sometimes in one sentence), is a sign of the capacity to master the flow between inner and outer space on one level. † The code switching to which he refers is an attempt to push back an institution not sympathetic to the Creole. To organise and communicate meant the mastery of a tongue foreign to the colonial because the institutions to which he had a monopoly were unequal, lacked social justice and had no welfare. This was identified by an economic relationship that marginalised tray merchants placing the Caribbean person on the periphery of existence according to Nettleford (1993). The exclusion from the vicinity of â€Å"formal commercial enterprises† driving the trader underground to the informal economy away from the formal economy clearly establishes a prima facie case for the judicial, executive and legislative institutions to answer with regard to the adopted precepts of western political thought. Mills wasted no time highlighting the fact that race has been essentially reduced to a minimal debate, glossed over, and otherwise left out of the majority of the multiculturalism literature Mills (1998). His evaluation was logical and nuanced, he argued that: â€Å"Tracing the evolution of the concepts of race and ethnicity race began as a biological and therefore immutable aspect of the human condition, while ethnicity was and is seen as a consequence of culture. Racism and ethnocentrism were differentiated by their essential characterisations: Race is a consequence of biology and therefore racism presumes a biological hierarchy; ethnicity is a consequence of culture and therefore ethnocentrism requires a surrender of cultural distinction and assimilation. † Given the consensus within the scientific community that biological race and thus biological hierarchy do not exist, what pertains in the Caribbean, therefore, in the form of Creole ethnicity and ethnocentrism are seen as relatively more logical and reasoned according to Mills (2007). There is confirmation of this assessment by Lewis (1983). He articulated a position that the Caribbean’s single greatest contribution to political thought is its open exploration of the question concerning race. This exploration, as Lewis puts it, possibly offers a counter to a Eurocentric fetish with its misplaced presumption of superiority on the subject, a sober Caribbean response. The content of Caribbean thought being characterised as overly concerned with the use of race converges to the concept of Creole recall the alignment sought earlier by Nettleford (1993) and Mills (2007) it is no wonder, therefore, that ethnicity as articulated by Mills (2007) is seen as a more politically palatable category to discuss and philosophically legitimate engaging the polity at all levels. As a people are we therefore satisfied with the aforementioned argument in its attempt to reconcile what is a contentiously debated topic? This essay suggest that the attempt at convergence is likely due to the challenge of the (particularism) of Caribbean Political thought essentially a question of authenticity which can be defined as of undisputed origin, genuine, reliable and trustworthy. It is a question of who constitutes the Caribbean person, in this case the African or Asian or European or is it the Creole or maybe none of the previously mentioned. Since it is suggested by some that the attempt at convergence is unlikely must the debate be reduced to one or the other in an attempt to secure an answer? This essay further suggests a complexity that cannot be determined by way of who has the right to speak on behalf of the Caribbean and a claim of superiority. To attempt this would in the opinion of this essay reduce the debate to that which western political thought is insecure in its biological existence. This is where maturity and understanding is paramount in the construction of a worthwhile paradigm independent of western political dogma. UNDERSTANDING CARIBBEAN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY The term political philosophy often refers to a view, specific political belief or attitude about politics that does not necessarily belong to the technical discipline of philosophy. In short, political philosophy is the activity, as with all philosophy, whereby the conceptual apparatus behind such concepts as aforementioned are analysed, in their history, intent, evolution and the like according to Jean Hampton (1997). Tim Hector questioned, Where is our philosophy? as if to imply that the aforementioned concepts are yet to be found or worst not understood and overlooked. His ask is reasonable given the time our people have occupied this space with the accompanying accoutrements of independence and must be answered against a background of accepted criteria as to what a political philosophy is Hampton (1997). Right or wrong the confluence, convergence, divergence, lack of application that has become synonymous with these islands gives what they have to say a genuine uniqueness. Since independence, for all the limitations, they have not found the need to go on crusades slaughtering millions in the name of God, use an intellectually convenient ideology to foist on the rest of the world a self serving expansionist ideology under developing Africa and the Caribbean in the name of capitalism, murder its own in two world wars and as this essay concludes present globalisation as the new destabilising force. It is the position of this essay that the writers have been able to establish a prima facie case toward a political philosophy; there is history, intent and evolution however more needs to be done if only to say Caribbean political philosophy is not what western political philosophy is. As long as the peoples resist the urge to lean toward their own understanding Caribbean Political Philosophy has a chance to become a global solution to its Western Political nemesis. CONCLUSION It is clear that an understanding of Caribbean political philosophy is an understanding of the post colonial project and the need for the Caribbean to extricate itself from the political dogma that is Eurocentric in construction and delivery. In summary this characterisation of Caribbean thought places a high value on overturning projects of European hegemony Nettleford (1995). So important is this aspect of the project that an epistemology, ontology perspective was developed to give structure and ground the thinking given the purported monopoly expressed by the European. Henry (2000) highlights the key thematic lines along which Caribbean political thought has thus far been expressed. This, however, has not been without controversy the claim that the Caribbean’s single greatest contribution to global thought is its exploration of the question of race Lewis (1983) has triggered the characterisation as overly concerned with the utilisation of race as an analytical category. Mills (2007) answers the characterisation with a nuanced alternative articulating that biological race and thus biological hierarchy do not exist, what pertains in the Caribbean in a form of Creole ethnicity and ethnocentrism. If exclusively defined by the Western Political standards the Caribbean would be hard pressed to identify a political philosophy, the debate is thus confined to what is important to the people occupying the space. The fundamental difference is with application of what needs to be done given that the Caribbean is young relative to its European counterpart then there is more to be accomplished. This essay understands the confluence, convergence, divergence, dialectic that has become synonymous to these balkanised geographical dispersed islands. This essay accepts that understanding of a situation comes not with a presumption of right or wrong but openness to arguments, that, if placed on a balance of probabilities could become the reality of the reader. BIBLIOGRAPHY Belle, George. 1996 Against Colonialism: Political Theory and Re-Colonisation in the Caribbean. Paper presented at the Conference on Caribbean Culture: Mona Jamaica UWI. Benn, Dennis. 1987 Ideology and Political Development: the Growth and Development of Political Ideas in the Caribbean 1774-1983. Jamaica: ISER, Mona. Bolland, Nigel. 2004 The Birth of Caribbean civilization: A century of ideas about culture and identity, nation and society Kingston: Ian Randle Fanon, Frantz. 1963 The Wretched of the Earth. New York: Grove Press. Hampton, Jean. 1997. Political Philosophies and Political Ideologies, Montreal: Westview Press. Heywood, Andrew. 2004 Political Ideologies, 3rd Edition: An Introduction, USA: Palgrave McMillan Henry, Paget. 2000. Calibans Reason: Introducing Afro Caribbean Philosophy, London: Routledge, Lewis, Gordon. 1983. Main Currents in Caribbean Thought: The Historical Evolution of Caribbean Society in Its Ideological Aspects, 1492-1900, Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Miller, David. 1998. Political philosophy in E. Craig (Ed. ), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, London: Routledge. Mills, Charles. 1998 Blackness Visible: Essays on Philosophy and Race, Ithaca: Cornell University Press. Mills, Charles. 2007 â€Å"Multiculturalism as/and/or Anti-Racism?† in Multiculturalism and Political Theory Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Nkrumah, Kwameh. 1965 Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism London: Thomas Nelson Sons, Ltd. Nettleford, Rex. 1993 Inward Stretch, Outward Reach: A voice from the Caribbean Basingstoke: MacMillan. Sabine, George Holland, Thomas Landon Thorson. 1973. A history of political theory. Hinsdale, Ill: Dryden Press. Wellman, David T. 1977 Portraits of White Racism, 2d ed, New York: Cambridge University Press.

Morality and Sacrifice Essay Example for Free

Morality and Sacrifice Essay â€Å"Sacrifice† is the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one or of a non value. Thus, altruism gauges a man’s virtue by the degree to which he surrenders, renounces or betrays his values (since help to a stranger or an enemy is regarded as more virtuous, less â€Å"selfish,† than help to those one loves). The rational principle of conduct is the exact opposite: always act in accordance with the hierarchy of your values, and never sacrifice a greater value to a lesser one. â€Å"Sacrifice† does not mean the rejection of the worthless, but of the precious. â€Å"Sacrifice† does not mean the rejection of the evil for the sake of the good, but of the good for the sake of the evil. â€Å"Sacrifice† is the surrender of that which you value in favor of that which you don’t. If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is. If you achieve the career you wanted, after years of struggle, it is not a sacrifice; if you then renounce it for the sake of a rival, it is. A sacrifice is the surrender of a value. Full sacrifice is full surrender of all values. If you wish to achieve full virtue, you must seek no gratitude in return for your sacrifice, no praise, no love, no admiration, no self-esteem, not even the pride of being virtuous; the faintest trace of any gain dilutes your virtue. If you pursue a course of action that does not taint your life by any joy, that brings you no value in matter, no value in spirit, no gain, no profit, no reward—if you achieve this state of total zero, you have achieved the ideal of moral perfection. If you wish to save the last of your dignity, do not call your best actions a â€Å"sacrifice†: that term brands you as immoral. If a mother buys food for her hungry child rather than a hat for herself, it is not a sacrifice: she values the child higher than the hat; but it is a sacrifice to the kind of mother whose higher value is the hat, who would prefer her child to starve and feeds him only from a sense of duty. If a man dies fighting for his own freedom, it is not a sacrifice: he is not willing to live as a slave; but it is a sacrifice to the kind of man who’s willing. If a man refuses to sell his convictions, it is not a sacrifice, unless he is the sort of man who has no convictions. Sacrifice could be proper only for those who have nothing to sacrifice—no values, no standards, no judgment—those whose desires are irrational whims, blindly conceived and lightly surrendered. For a man of moral stature, whose desires are born of rational values, sacrifice is the surrender of the right to the wrong, of the good to the evil. The creed of sacrifice is a morality for the immoral—a morality that declares its own bankruptcy by confessing that it can’t impart to men any personal stake in virtues or values, and that their souls are sewers of depravity, which they must be taught to sacrifice. By its own confession, it is impotent to teach men to be good and can only subject them to constant punishment.

Levels of Leadership

Levels of Leadership Leadership synthesis Pioneers today are overwhelmed with data all day, every day. The unpredictability can overpower. However, pioneers should rally partners with savvy examinations of issues and plans for how to succeed. Equity Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. talked about the significance of getting to the effortlessness on the opposite side of intricacy. Such straightforwardness quickens speed and drives change. By what means can pioneers today get to that effortlessness? This test is one of the combination. Union inventively combines numerous components, regularly from various zones, into something new and important. The combination is not a rundown. Blend takes A + B + C and afterward determines D, where D envelops the embodiment of A, B, and C additionally includes something new that resounds profoundly with individuals. O.J Simpsons lawyer, Johnny Cochran, integrated an unpredictable trial with the notorious words to the jury, If it doesnt fit, you should indicate. Combination streamlines and clarifies. The individuals who incorporate can touch individuals profoundly. Amalgamation is a capable and fundamental authority expertise. At Gettysburg amid the Civil War, government official and teacher Edward Everett represented more than two hours amid his indulgent address. People were confounded by the savage war, so clarifying the need and setting was essential, however, hours of pontificating were not what the general population required. President Abraham Lincoln then nailed it in around two minutes in his Gettysburg Address with expressions like, we here exceptionally settle that these dead should not have kicked the bucket futile, and legislature of the general population, by the general population, for the general population, might not die from the earth. In a February 2006 Harvard Business Review article, clinician Howard Gardner stated, The capacity to choose what data to notice, what to disregard, and how to sort out and convey what we judge to be critical is turning into a center competency for those living in the created world. The blend is not something intrinsic in a skilled few. The blend is an educated attitude that you can race, yet there are a couple of bits of knowledge into how pioneers can orchestrate. Here we list seven stages you can figure out how to have the capacity to combine adequately as a pioneer: Immersion. To integrate, you should jump into all that muddled intricacy, listening and perusing unquenchable to see profoundly. Sorting. At that point youll need to sort data, figuring out what is significant, disposing of non-tenable information, and burrowing under manifestations to get the chance to underlying drivers. Patterns. You can then be gathering the pertinent data into examples. Stepping Back. Next, you venture back and take a gander at the examples. Is there a legitimate or convincing topic that appears to rule? Drafting. At that point, you draft an unmistakable, basic, capable message that catches the eminent topic. A rundown sound chomp or slogan is helpful. Winston Churchill combined the respectable fearlessness of the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain, constraining Germany to cross out its arranged attack, with, Never in the field of the human clash was such a great amount of owed by such many to so few. Feedback. Presently attempt your draft out on proficient and trusted associates who have the mettle to let you know reality. You may need to circle back a few circumstances between these means to get the last form. Present. At long last, you show the union to more extensive gatherings of people, modifying as you listen and learn. An ideal approach to figure out how to combine is to hone these means. Take main problems from your work, or in the news, and take the means above. Start with issues that are not very intricate and work your way up from that point. Core Concept: Synthesis is an effective administration attitude that anybody can learn with practice. APPLICATION OF LEADERSHIP: The initiative has been viewed as a standout amongst essential segments in the achievement of associations. Maccabee (1979) closed from his perceptions that the need of firms to survive and succeed in a universe of expanding rivalry, of innovative advances, of changing legislative directions, of changing laborer dispositions, requires a more elevated amount of initiative than at any other time (p. 313). At the point when associations encounter transform, it is basic that their authoritative administration is sufficient to meet the test. Authority application bit by bit developed all through history. In the United States amid the twentieth century, various examinations helped with the assessment of the significance of initiative in associations. In the vicinity of 1971 and 1981, Katz cell and Gusto (1983) presumed that supervisory strategies appeared to be especially compelling in expanding yield (Bass, 1990, p.8). In 1974, Hansen remarked that Ford Motor Company could close a plant w ithout irritating or migrating staff. The accomplishment of that move was ascribed to the use of successful authority. Military triumphs likewise have been credited to the exceptional initiative application. Administration has been viewed as a basic figure military victories since records have been kept; that is better-driven powers more than once have been successful over inadequately driven strengths (Bass, 1990, p.9). A pioneers solitary occupation is to get comes about. Be that as it may, even with all the administration preparing projects and master counsel accessible, viable initiative still escapes many individuals and associations. One reason, says Daniel Goleman, is that such specialists offer exhortation in view of deduction, experience, and intuition, not on quantitative information. Presently, drawing on the research of more than 3,000 officials, Goleman investigates which exact administration practices yield positive outcomes. He plots six particular administration styles, everyone springing from various segments of enthusiastic knowledge. Every style distinctly affects the working climate of an organization, division, or group, and, thusly, on its money related execution. The styles, by name and brief portrayal alone, will impact any individual leads identity, driven, or, just like the case with the vast majority of us, does both. Coercive pioneers request quick consistency. Legitimate pioneers assemble individuals toward a dream. Affiliative pioneers make passionate bonds and agreement. Fair pioneers manufacture accord through investment. Pacesetting pioneers expect incredibleness and self-course. Furthermore, drilling pioneers create individuals for whats to come. The examination shows that pioneers who get the best outcomes dont depend on only one authority style; they utilize the greater part of the styles in any given week. Goleman points of interest the sorts of business circumstances every style is most appropriate for, and he clarifies how pioneers who need at least one styles can extend their repertories. He keeps up what rehearse pioneers can switch among administration styles to create intense outcomes, accordingly transforming the specialty of authority into a science. 5 level of Leadership: Level 1: Highly Capable Individual: At this level, you make great commitments with your work. You have valuable levels of information, and you have the ability and aptitudes expected to make a decent showing with regards to. Level 2: Contributing team member: At Level 2, you utilize your insight and attitudes to help your group succeed. You work viable, beneficially and effectively with other individuals in your gathering. Level 3: Competent Manager Here, youre ready to compose a gathering adequately to accomplish objectives and targets. Level 4: Effective Leader Level 4 is the classification that most top pioneers fall into. Here, youre ready to excite an office or association to meet execution goals and accomplish a dream. Level 5: Great Leader At Level 5, you have most the capacities required for the other four levels, in addition to you have the extraordinary mix of quietude and will that is required for genuine significance. How to become a level 5 leader: It requires investment and pushes to wind up distinctly a Level 5 Leader. In any case, the uplifting news is that it should be possible, particularly on the off chance that you have the energy to attempt. Once more, understand that you dont need to advance through every level thusly keeping in mind the end goal to get the opportunity to Level 5. In any case, you do require the abilities found in every level with a specific end goal to accomplish Level 5 status. Here are a few methodologies that will help you develop candidly and professionally, with the goal that you can build up the characteristics of a Level 5 Leader. References http://triplecrownleadership.com/synthesis-a-critical-leadership-skill/ https://hbr.org/2005/07/level-5-leadership-the-triumph-of-humility-and-fierce-resolve

Marquex, one of these days Essay -- essays research papers

Research Paper Marquez, â€Å"One of These Days†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gabriel Garica Marquez wrote â€Å"One of These Days† directly about the relationship between middle class and politicians. Marquez wrote this short story to try to tell his readers the reality of power and revenge among people. â€Å"One of These Days† would inspire those who are interested to learn more about politicians and how they handle their power, whether they take advantage of their power or not. The story relates to disadvantages and advantages between middle class and politicians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story â€Å"One of These Days†, Marquez begins with a poor town dentist who is polishing false teeth when the mayor calls him threatening to shoot him if he does not fix his sore tooth. The mayor had been suffering from a five day severely sore tooth ache. So, the mayor finally wins by getting the dentist to fix his tooth. The Mayor arrives to the dentist’s office with his left cheek clean-shaved and a five day old beard on the other cheek with a swollen tooth. The dentist examines the mayor’s tooth without anesthesia and makes the mayor suffer even more. The dentist had made the mayor suffer for almost a week and suffer even more when he examines him without anesthesia. The dentist finally got his revenge by making the mayor suffer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The dentist states his reason for making the mayor suffer by saying, â€Å"Now you will pay for our twenty dead men.† The mayor got up after the dentist removed his tooth and failed to understand his torture of the five previous nights and the examination without anesthesia from the dentist. The mayor told the dentist to send the bill, and the dentist asked â€Å"to you or to the town?† The mayor told the dentist, â€Å"It’s the same damn thing.† In the end of the story, the mayor wins by using his political power. The mayor refers him and the town as the â€Å"same thing† that his power extends beyond himself. The mayor sees no wrong in what he has done to the past to the dentist or what the dentist is trying to tell him. The mayor only sees himself as winning as the better man in the end.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The title â€Å"One of These Days† refers to the dentist learning something new about his own power. The dentist tells himself that hurting the mayor will affirm his own power for revenge or political resistance. His trea... ...s about war and soldiers. His grandfather, the Colonel, had pounded Civil war stories onto Gabriel’s mind when he was a little boy. His grandparents was such an great influence Gabriel’s success. â€Å"One of these Days† is a battle between forces and power. It’s good for readers to understand the disadvantages and advantages of political power used today in the United States. Work Cited: Collected Stories: Volume 124 pp. 68(1); Copyright Time Inc. 1984. Reviewed by Paul Gray. The New Yorker:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Volume 61 Issue 13 pp. 118-125; reviewed by John Updike. Latin American Writers: George R. McMurray Volume 3 pp 1329-1346; Copyright 1989 Charles Scribner’s Sons; The Scribner Writers Series Contemporary Literary Criticism: Gale Literature Resource Database   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dictionary of Literary Biography: Volume 113: Modern Latin American Fiction Writers, First Series. A Bruccoli Clark Layman Book. Edit by Williams Luis, Vanderbilt University. The Gale Group, 1992 pp. 168-182. The Modern World: Gabriel Garica Marquez Homepage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Michael Meyer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

religious policies of England and France from 1603 to 1715 :: essays research papers

Describe the religious policies of England and France from 1603 to 1715. Why do you think rulers feared religious toleration so much? When discussing why the rulers feared religious toleration and how their fears affected what religious policies were enforced, one must first look at what events transpired through the years to get a full understanding of the word â€Å"stubbornness.† During the early years, the English church was dividing into a conservative camp that wanted to retain the religious ceremonies and the hierarchy of the church and a radical, Calvinist camp called Puritans who wanted to "purify" the church of everything not contained in the Old and New Testaments. The Puritans demanded that the English church abandon the elaborate ceremonies and flatten the hierarchy of the church into something more closely resembling the voluntary associations of the Calvinist church. King James, however, would have none of the Puritan argument and declared, in 1604, that he was fully in the camp of the religious conservatives. This division between the monarch and the Puritans, which would be continu ed by his son, Charles I, lit the fire that ignited the English Civil War. Charles sided with the religious conservatives against the more radical Puritans. The archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, was particularly hostile to the Puritans' complaints and Charles allowed him to freely take any measures to stifle their dissent. In 1633, Charles forbade Puritans from publishing or preaching, and in 1637, they tried to bring Scotland under the fold of the English church. The Scots had, for a long time, a Calvinist church based on a flattened hierarchy and the purification of the religion of all non-Biblical practices. The imposition of the English church--which included the English prayerbook, church hierarchy, and rituals and sacraments that were derived from Catholic ceremony--was too much for the Scots to take. So they rebelled. The English Civil War started as a conflict between Parliament and Charles over constitutional issues; it fired its way to its conclusion through the growing religious division in England. The monarch was supported by the aristocracy, landowners, and by the adherents of the Anglican "high church," which retained the ceremonies and hierarchy so despised by the Puritans. The Parliamentary cause was supported by the middle class, the Puritans, and the radical Protestants. The king's forces roundly beat the Parliamentary forces for almost two years and the Parliamentary cause seemed all but lost. In 1642, however, Parliament reorganized its army under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, who was a landowner and, in religious matters, an Independent. religious policies of England and France from 1603 to 1715 :: essays research papers Describe the religious policies of England and France from 1603 to 1715. Why do you think rulers feared religious toleration so much? When discussing why the rulers feared religious toleration and how their fears affected what religious policies were enforced, one must first look at what events transpired through the years to get a full understanding of the word â€Å"stubbornness.† During the early years, the English church was dividing into a conservative camp that wanted to retain the religious ceremonies and the hierarchy of the church and a radical, Calvinist camp called Puritans who wanted to "purify" the church of everything not contained in the Old and New Testaments. The Puritans demanded that the English church abandon the elaborate ceremonies and flatten the hierarchy of the church into something more closely resembling the voluntary associations of the Calvinist church. King James, however, would have none of the Puritan argument and declared, in 1604, that he was fully in the camp of the religious conservatives. This division between the monarch and the Puritans, which would be continu ed by his son, Charles I, lit the fire that ignited the English Civil War. Charles sided with the religious conservatives against the more radical Puritans. The archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud, was particularly hostile to the Puritans' complaints and Charles allowed him to freely take any measures to stifle their dissent. In 1633, Charles forbade Puritans from publishing or preaching, and in 1637, they tried to bring Scotland under the fold of the English church. The Scots had, for a long time, a Calvinist church based on a flattened hierarchy and the purification of the religion of all non-Biblical practices. The imposition of the English church--which included the English prayerbook, church hierarchy, and rituals and sacraments that were derived from Catholic ceremony--was too much for the Scots to take. So they rebelled. The English Civil War started as a conflict between Parliament and Charles over constitutional issues; it fired its way to its conclusion through the growing religious division in England. The monarch was supported by the aristocracy, landowners, and by the adherents of the Anglican "high church," which retained the ceremonies and hierarchy so despised by the Puritans. The Parliamentary cause was supported by the middle class, the Puritans, and the radical Protestants. The king's forces roundly beat the Parliamentary forces for almost two years and the Parliamentary cause seemed all but lost. In 1642, however, Parliament reorganized its army under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell, who was a landowner and, in religious matters, an Independent.

Dogmatism Character of Religion Essay -- Religion

â€Å"Plato’s Dream† is a short story written in 1756 by the French philosopher and satirist Franà §ois-Marie Arouet who published under the name of Voltaire. In this story, He explained the doctrine taught by Plato to his disciples. The scene is about Demiurgos, the creator of the infinite space, who wanted to test the geniuses of his supreme creatures. He gave each one a planet to organize. One of his creatures, Demogorgon, received the earth. He worked on it and arranged it as well as we have it today. Because of the magnificent job he did, he believed he would receive the utmost praise from his brothers; instead, he was ridiculed and criticized because of his imperfections that they noted supposedly. The brothers not only criticized Demogorgons’ work, but also seem to have a critique towards each other’s work. Since they were not able to agree with each other’s work, they kept going back and forth in their disputes. To put an end to it, the cre ator Demiurgos called for peace amongst his supreme creatures and decided to be the ultimate judge. Through his examination of their work he found both great discoveries as well as flaws, which was not a surprise to him since his creatures had a lot of knowledge and imperfections as well. Demiurgos concluded and stated that he is the only one who could create perfection and had the power to give immortality. This fable written by Voltaire is a sharp philosophical criticism of religious doctrine. He is known as a deist, which is a belief or doctrine that declares the existence of a god and its influence in the creation of the universe without relying on sacred scripts or being a member of a formal religion. â€Å"Plato’s Dream† portrays the dogmatic character of religion, and argues for principles ba... ...not sponsor a blind belief in God in the darkness of its mysteries. Works Cited Englander, Alex. â€Å"Kant’s Aesthetic Theology: Revelation as Symbolisation in the Critical Philosophy.† NeueZeitschriftfà ¼rSystematischeTheologie und Religionsphilosophie.53.3 (2011). 304. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 April 2012. Rist, John.† Morality and Religion: Some Questions about First Principles.† Philosophical Investigations.34.2. (2011). 215. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 April 2012. Voltaire. â€Å"Plato’s Dream.† Trans. Literature a World of Writing: Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays. Ed. David L. Pike and Ana M. Acosta. Boston: Pearson 2011. 429-430. Print. Wittgenstein, Ludwig Josef Johann. â€Å"Wittgenstein and religiousdogma.†International Journal for Philosophy of Religion. Ed. Hoyt, Christopher.61.1 (2007). 42. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 April 2012.

Beowulf Literary Analysis

Nick Paine 3/11/13 Beowulf Literary Analysis In the poem Beowulf, the issue of whether or not this particular period is more barbaric or is more civilized. The author of Beowulf is trying to present a certain message in the poem. The message that can be pulled from Beowulf is that even within a society of thought to be malicious and barbaric, there is still room for it to be civilized. When you think of Vikings you don’t necessarily think of a civilized society.In Beowulf, the society of that particular era and people is thought to be fighting, dangerous and overall barbaric. This assumption is not completely because in the poem, the are big into fighting and most importantly there are monstrous creatures running amok, reeking havoc. With the monsters of Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the dragon existing, it makes the society seem that much more horrid and barbaric. In the poem it describes Grendel by saying â€Å"He was spawned in that slime of Cain, murderous creatu res banished by God, punished forever for the crime of Abel’s death. (35 l. 105-108 ). This just goes to show how elements like this can cause someone to believe this time period is more barbaric. However, after a closer evaluation of the poem you are able to see that this society is not as barbaric as it originally seems. Two examples of something that shows how this society can be considered civilized are the mead hall, and the armor worn by the people. In the poem it refers to the mead hall as the â€Å"Gold shining hall† (40, l. 239), this quote emphasizes the importance and pride they take in the mead hall.The mead hall is decorated with vast quantities of gold and it represents the respect it gets from the society. The armor is also regarded in the text when it says â€Å"Helmeted, the silvery metal of his mail shirt gleaming with a smith’s high art†(37, l. 139-140). This quote shows, once again, shows the pride of these people, this time in their a rmor. So, what you can conclude from this is that they can’t be so barbaric if they are taking the time and putting in the effort into these things.Their pride symbolizes how civilized the society actually was. Before analyzing the poem one may look at this society as being barbaric simply because of the monsters and what they know about Viking warriors. Yet, after further evaluation of the text you are able to find the messages the author has left, giving the idea that maybe the society is not so barbaric after all. Altogether, in the end it is safe to say the author has left a lesson saying not all things that are barbaric can’t be civilized.

Assessment of Grandmother’s Character in ” a Good Man Is Hard to Find”

An Assessment of the Grandmother from â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† by Flannery O’Connor The grandmother who remains unnamed all throughout in the story is the protagonist and the central character of Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Good Man is hard to Find, a tragic story of a family who decided to go on vacation but got killed randomly on the road by a criminal on the loose named â€Å"The Misfit†. She is endowed with a joyful spirit, a passion in life in spite of her age. She is a non-stereotypical woman whose old fashion clothing and beliefs contradict her strong, manipulative mind, an opposite trait of a passive and complacent woman in her time. The Grandmother is a smart woman who knows how to assert herself by trying to use all the available resources around her and manipulating them by appealing to their morality. From this information we say that the grandmother is a round and dynamic character as her character changes from being a manipulative mother to her son Bailey, to a quirky, playful grandmother who ignite her grandchildren’s imagination by her stories, and finally, to a humble human being who experiences â€Å"awakening† and acceptance of defeat in her moral battle and failed manipulation scheme with The Misfit. Right from the beginning of the story, we are introduced to a powerful trait of the grandmother—her strong and manipulative character. She did not want to go to Florida, as her son Bailey has planned for the family. Instead she wanted to go to Tennessee to visit her old friends and â€Å"she was seizing at every chance to change Bailey’s mind† (356). She would use everything around her to complete her scheme and set things her way. She picks up a newspaper and shows him the news about a criminal on the loose from the Federal Penitentiary who is headed towards Florida, and attacks his conscience and morals by saying, †I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that a loose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscience if I did† (356). When her first attempt gets no response, she uses her grandchildren and hopes to convince Bailey’s mind this time by saying that the â€Å"children need to see the other parts of the world and be broad† (356). Finally, when she realizes defeat, the grandmother is the first one all set to go the next morning, an indication of the dynamism and flexibility of her character. This same manipulative character is so important in the development of the plot that it will set fire and conflict of the story. The grandmother persuades her son Bailey to make a detour and let the family see an old house off road. When Bailey says no, she again uses her grandchildren by telling them lies about the secret panel in the house where the old family that used to stay in that house hid their silver. The grandmother knows she ignites the children’s imagination and senses winning this time. This sends the children to a frantic tantrum and ultimately changes Bailey’s mind. The detour causes them an accident and their encounter with The Misfit. In her encounter with The Misfit, still high with power over her ability to changer her son’s mind, she does the same tactic to The Misfit, and hopes not to get killed by persuading The Misfit to change his ways. She evangelizes on his morality and flatters him by constantly telling him he is a good man and that he comes from a nice people (364). Her desperation is overwhelming as she desperately tries to reach out with The Misfit by calling him â€Å"one of her children† and touching him on his shoulders. This desperate action brings her to her death in the hands of The Misfit. Apparently, her manipulative scheme does not work with The Misfit, instead gets him more irritated and angry as he states, â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (368). Another indication of the grandmother’s unique personality is her clothing and style. The author presents her to us as being a prim and proper lady dressed in a navy blue suit with a matching navy blue sailor hat and white cotton gloves. What makes her clothing and style peculiar and interesting is its inappropriateness to the humid condition of her surroundings. The grandmother seems unmindful about it instead she focuses on her aristocratic and old-fashion views in life. She states, â€Å"In case of accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady† (357). Instead of viewing the grandmother as hypocrite and superficial, we could look at her as a lost spirit in a lost time frame and space. Her old-fashioned clothing, ways and thinking indicate her imprisonment and nostalgia for the old days. This is shown through her constant recalling of the past, her yearning to reconnect with her old friends in Tennessee, and her nostalgia with the old house in the hill. These are important indications of a suppressed spirit trapped in the pain and joys of unresolved past. Tragically, this constant yearning of the past will take her and her family to doom and death. Compared to the other characters in the story, the grandmother’s character is the most dynamic and vibrant just like how her choice of clothing stands out. Her son, Bailey, is a cold-hearted and self-absorbed individual whose character is just as boring as his yellow parrot shirt. He consciously defies his mother’s control and hates her sunny disposition,† The children’s mother put a dime in the machine and played ‘The Tennessee Waltz’, and the grandmother said that tune always made her want to dance. She asked Bailey if he would like to dance but he only glared at her†. Bailey’s wife on the other hand, is a passive character whose only obsession is to hold her baby day and night. To illustrate it more graphically, â€Å"the grandmother is a giant red rose in the midst of weathered weeds in a field†. It becomes more vibrant in her encounter with the antagonist of the story, The Misfit. The grandmother’s and The Misfit’s characters are both strong and contrast with each other and it is reflected in their opposing choice of clothing and differing views on morality. Reading between them is like watching the Battle of Endor in Star Wars-Return of the Jedi where the â€Å"good†Ã¢â‚¬â€Luke Skywalker battles with the â€Å"evil†Ã¢â‚¬â€Darth Vader. The encounter brings us to a hopeful anticipation whether the good will prevail evil and hopes that the grandmother will persuade The Misfit to spare her life and change his ways. But to no avail. The grandmother will be shot three times on her chest. The death of the grandmother in the hands of The Misfit will evoke us differing reactions. At first instance, we may feel vindictive for the grandmother, and that she only got what she deserved as payback for her selfishness and manipulative character. At the same time, we are also saddened of the evil’s triumph over goodness, a brush of reality that at times or most of the time, â€Å"guns are still mightier than words or even religion†. The story concludes with a life lesson that a man’s character and morality are so embedded in the individual that it cannot be changed overnight nor by the mere mention of God or religion. It has to be noted though that when the grandmother dies, the author describes her as â€Å"half sat and half lay in a puddle of blood with her legs crossed under her like a child’s and her face smiling up at the cloudless sky (368), as if full of peace and divine grace. This demonstrates O’Connor’s conviction on salvation through religion that everyone has the chance to be saved no matter how deceitful the individual’s actions may have been in the past. All throughout the story, our relationship with the grandmother fluctuates from hatred to love, anger to sadness. We love her for her playfulness, her sunny disposition, and nostalgia for the past, yet we hate her for resembling with our own grandmothers or mothers who never shut up at our homes and who seem to know everything in the world constantly asserting their power and dominance over us. This ability to evoke an ambivalent feeling and familiarity with reality is what makes this story worth reading all over again. References: O’ Connor, F. (1955). A Good Man Is Hard to Find. In G. Giola, & J. Kennedy (Ed. ), Backpack Literature (pp. 355-368). USA: Pearson