IT Enters a New Learning Environment Essay

It is most helpful to see useful models of school learning that is ideal to achieving instructional goals through preferred application of educational technology. These are the models of Meaningful Learning, Discovery learning, Generative Learning and Constructivism. Meaningful Learning If the traditional learning environment gives stress focus to rote learning and simple memorization, meaningful learning gives focus to new experience departs from that is related to what the learners already knows. New experience departs from the learning of a sequence of words but attention to meaning. It assumes that: ââ€"  Students already have some knowledge that is relevant to new learning. ââ€"  Students are wiling to perform class work to find connections between what they already know and what they can learn. In the learning process, the learner is encouraged to recognize relevant personal experiences. A reward structure is set so that the learner will have both interest and confidence, and this incentive system sets a positive environment to learning. Facts that are subsequently assimilated are subjected to the learner’s understanding and application. In the classroom, hands-on activities are introduced so as to simulate learning in everyday living. Discovery Learning Discovery learning is differentiated from reception learning in which ideas are presented directly to student in a well-organized way, such as through a detailed set of instructions to complete an experiment task. To make a contrast, in discovery learning student from tasks to uncover what is to be learned. New ideas and new decision are generated in the learning process, regardless of the need to move on and depart from organized setoff activities previously set. In discovery learning, it is important that the student become personally engaged and not subjected by the teacher to procedures he/she is not allowed to depart from. In applying technology, the computer can present a tutorial process by which the learner is presented key concept and the rules of learning in a direct manner for receptive learning. But the computer has other uses rather than delivering tutorials. In a computer simulation process, for example, the learner himself is made to identify key concept by interacting with a responsive virtual environment. Generative Learning In generative learning, we have active learners who attend to learning events and generate meaning from this experience and draw inferences thereby creating a personal model or explanation to the new experience in the context of existing knowledge. Generative learning is viewed as different from the simple process of storing information. Motivation and responsibility are seen to be crucial to this domain of learning. The area of language comprehension offers examples of this type of generative learning activities, such as in writing paragraph summaries, developing answers and questions, drawing pictures, creating paragraph titles, organizing ideas/concepts, and others. In sum, generative learning gives emphasis to what can be done with pieces of information, not only on access to them. Constructivism In constructivism, the learner builds a personal understanding through appropriate learning activities and a good learning environment. The most accepted principles constructivism’s are: ââ€"  Learning consists in what a person can actively assemble for himself and not what he can receive passively. ââ€"  the role of learning is to help the individual live/adapt to his personal world. These two principles in turn lead to three practical implications: ââ€"  the learner is directly responsible for learning. He creates personal understanding and transforms information into knowledge. The teacher plays an indirect role by modeling effective learning, assisting, facilitating and encouraging learners. ââ€"  the context of meaningful learning consists in the learner â€Å"connecting† his school activity with real life. ââ€"  the purpose of education is the acquisition of practical and personal knowledge, not abstract or universal truths. To review, there are common t hemes to these four learning domains. They are given below: Learners ââ€"  are active, purposeful learners. ââ€"  set personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals. ââ€"  make their learning experience meaningful and relevant to their lives. ââ€"  seek to build an understanding of their personal worlds so they can work/live productively. ââ€"  build on what they already know in order to interpret and respond to new experiences. LB#6: IT Enters a New Learning Environment. Effective teachers best interact with students in innovative learning activities, while integrating technology to the teaching-learning process. In Meaningful learning * Students already have some knowledge that is relevant to new learning * Students are willing to perform class work to find connections between what they already know and what they can learn. In Discovery learning Ideas are presented directly to students in a well-organized way, such as through a detailed set of instructions to complete an experiment or task. In applying technology, the computer can preset a tutorial process by which the learner is presented key concepts and the rules of learning in a direct manner for receptive learning. In Generative Learning Active learners who attend to learning events and generate meaning from this experience and draw inferences thereby creating a personal model or explanation to the new experience in the context of existing knowledge.Motivation and responsibility are seen to be crucial to this domain of learning. In Constructivism The learner builders a personal understanding through appropriate learning activities and a good learning environment. Learners: are active, purposeful learners. Set personal goals and strategies to achieve these goals. Make their learning experience meaningful and relevant to their lives. Seek to build an understanding of their personal worlds so they can work/live productively. Build on what they already know in order to interpret and respond to new experiences.

Personal Development Paper Essay

I have a lot of scope for improvement. I have a lot of potential both professionally and in the personal space – I need to tap it. My asthetic sense, candor and imagination help me stand out in a crowd and I need to fine tune these skills. Given my high sensitivity to stress, I tend to get very irritable and frustrated during high pressure scenarios. I am exteremly disorganized and this has really harmed me all my life. I really need to work on my organization skills.Goals To be more organized, and disciplined. I need to have a stronger work eithc, and develop strong analytical and quant skills. I would also like to invest alot of time in reading, and wasting less time doing meaningless stuff. Reading and getting exposed to the opportunities everywhere gets me excited, and once I am excited – I am driven.Perception of others In all honesty, others view me as exteremly modest but that is because I am good at hiding my weaknesses. They respect my candor and people skills, and appreciate my input once in a while.Standards organization expects you to meet Disciplined, focused, very strong finance background, strong work ethic, working in high pressure scenarios, and having a strong sense of responsibility. DEVELOPMENTAL PLANNING WORKSHEET Professor Randall S. Peterson DEVELOPMENT ISSUE (from GAPS analysis): The issue is that I am easily intimidated, and not focused. I tend to get distracted with my surroundings and tend to loose interest in my own ambition and agenda. I tend to get bored easily, and leave things in the middle – very impatient.EXPECTED OUTCOMES: What will be different? What could someone else observe that will change? For starters I will be more diligent, focused and orderly. This can be seen through my group participation, my in class assignments, my club involvement and my career hunt activities. Juggling so many aspects at once will require all of the above. My quant and financial skills can really develop if I invest time, and effort in reading and understanding the material. This can also be a visible change.What will I gain by achieving the goal? What is in it for you? Happiness. Job. Personal satisfaction. Personal growth and development.WHO ELSE NEEDS TO BE COMMITED TO THIS: What will you need to do as soon as you get back to the office to get started? Who do I need to get committed to helping me? And what is in it for them? Me, myself and I.LEARNING STRATEGIES FOR DEVELOPMENT (use at least three of the six to make your development goal SMART) 1) Seek New Challenges/Projects Challenge PE CASE CHALLANGE Specific Action/Time/Deadline working with people in a field I have very little experience in. Taken a challenge. Have to work hard. This will improve my quant and tech skills.2) Take Courses and Workshops Course/Workshop Specific Action/Time/Deadline 3) Develop Ongoing Feedback Name(s)/Strategy for Identifying People Study Group Specific Action/Time/Deadline Montly feedback on progress – personally and professionally. Team contract also helps keep us in check. 4) Identify Role Models and Coaches Name(s)/Strategy for Identifying People Raluca – Class mate Specific Action/Time/Deadline She helps me stay focused and organized everyday. We plan the everyday in advance, and luckily always manage to achieve the target.5) Development Reading Books/Papers Specific Action/Time/Deadline 6) Other Learning Tactics Strategy Specific Action/Time/Deadline OBSTACLES What will I give up? I will give up making excuses. I will talk less listen more. I will give up wasting time, and reading more. I will give up being disorganized. What are the major obstacles and how will I manage them? Obstacle is just me and my mind – I need to be focused, and do proper time management. Not get distracted with the noise around me. Work at my pace, and be patient.How to work with me I am pretty flexible, and easy going. Only thing is I lack commitment, and have poor work ethics. I tend to get distracted easily and hence get frustrated when the pressure builds up. Please be a little strcit with me when it comes to academics. I need to get more responsibility so I am actually forced to put in effort, instead of depending on others. This will help me build my quant and analytical skills, and that will increase my confidence 10 folds. Since I tend to get distracted easliy, please always bring me back on track. I am very dependable, approachable, and I love interacting with people and learning through people. Hence, if I don’t understand something, and if someone explains it to me politely I will always listen. I tend to disagree alot, and sometimes unnecessairly. I am also very open to people criticizing me. I love negative feedback so I have room to develop. Please motivate me, and cultivate in me discipline.

Unix Multiprogramming

The computer allocated in UNIX to every process, whether a system task or user task. The choice of task to be executed when the CPU becomes free is based on a formula that penalizes tasks that have used most CPU cycles in the recent past. The process priority which can be set by super user (root) is an important part of this formula. The CPU scheduling algorithm is simple but allows users some measure of control over their workstation performance. The CPU speed defines the capacity of a mainframe for a given release of the operating system. All other hardware components are usually configured so that when the system is fully loaded, the CPU which is by far the most expensive resource becomes the bottleneck. In order to give the user the impression of simultaneous execution, the CPU must be allocated alternatively among the individuals processors. This task is managed by scheduler, a special processor that maintains a list of normal processes and sees to it that the processor handles the next process at certain time intervals. There are various strategies that a scheduler can use to determine which process to handle next, one of these strategies is (round robin) selects the next respective process in the list at regular intervals and puts it at the end of the list after the allocated time if the process is not yet finished. Another strategy assigns each process a priority, whereby processes with higher priority are allocated more CPU time. UNIX employs nice levels, which allow the user to influence the internal priorities of processes. This allows the user to reduce significantly the encumbering of the system by programs running in the background. Likewise the administrator can also raise the priority of important process to ensure faster execution. UNIX does timesharing as well as multiprogramming. Timesharing creates the illusion that several processes execute simultaneously, even though there maybe only one physical CPU.

UCCS personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

UCCS - Personal Statement Example Moreover, it will be a dream comes true if my choice of carrier can be fulfilled. Apparently, since childhood, I have always had this urge to pursue nutrition since I believe good health depends on what a person consumes within the body. Evidently, biologist believes with the proper diet and workout, one’s health will never go wrong and medicines will be a mystery never to be uncovered. Furthermore, I am a person with a good heart to help others. In addition, I believe with the right training in a good institution I can impact other people positively and hence add some few days to other people’s lives. Moreover, I am deeply concerned that However, I already well informed on what a balanced diet entails. Actually, proteins, vitamins and carbohydrates constitute the basic components to a healthy diet. On the contrary, it’s not diet only that contributes to one’s good health. Another pertinent regiment towards perfect health is regular physical exercise. Furthermore, my inspiration towards studying nutrition is to intricately comprehend what good health means emotionally and spiritually towards the holistic wellbeing of an individual, A perfect example is the health advice pertaining to water therapy where one has to take like eight glasses a day. Evidently, this amount of water is proven to cure illnesses like headaches, flu and tiredness and prevent many more diseases. Therefore, in my endeavor to become a nutritionist I will be able understand the rationale behind such health therapies. In conclusion, I would like to humbly appeal for you to consider my request to join your institution of higher learning so that I can achieve my lifetime goal of engaging in the nutrition field. Clearly, I have a passion to in this field and will really appreciate if the fruits of my hard labour in education finally pay off. It is my utmost

The Future Gulf Currency Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Future Gulf Currency Union - Essay Example However, one has to be concerned about the factors that led to the success of monetary unions for the US and Euro-zone. The economy of the Gulf States is homogenous in nature, which relies heavily on oil. In contrast, the economy of the Euro-zone and US is heterogeneous with each state relying on diversified economic sectors. The economics of the currency unification are clearly spelt out by Mundell (1961) in his theory of optimum currency areas. According to Mundell R. A. (1961), for a successful currency union there should be factor mobility within the region of currency union, while there should be factor immobility between other regions in the world. So what are these factor mobility and factor immobility for the case of the Gulf States? These are factors of production within the region of currency union. The mobility of factors of production helps to compensate for asymmetrical economic shocks in the region of currency union. The asymmetrical economic shocks are normally adjusted for by the flexibility of the currency exchange rates. Without these adjustments or the mobility of the factors of production, unemployment and inflation would result. In line with the premise advocated by Mundell R. A., (1961), there should be little movement of factors of production outside the region of currency union. This paper will examine the case of the Gulf States in order to form an opinion on whether a monetary union is feasible based on the theory of optimum currency areas advocated by Mundell R. A. (1961). The situations leading to the formation of United States and Euro-zone currency union will be examined in order to determine how well they compare with the impending Gulf Monetary Union. The paper will further examine the economies of the six member countries, namely; Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates (UAE), and see the impacts, which the use of a common currency can have on them. The factors that can

Quality Improvement Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality Improvement Plan - Term Paper Example Quality improvement of a clinician should be present at every stage of his performance. Quality improvement strategy would contribute much to responsibility development among clinicians and their confidence. Goals/Objectives Quality improvement is very popular in America. It has been often claimed that professional improvement of clinicians and nurses is beneficial for the clients and hospital’s performance. Leadership, individual’s responsibility, activities engagement and many other facts are supported in American hospitals. Working in the direction of quality is a common strategy for American clinicians. Payers demand from hospitals improvements on internal and external levels and starting from 2003, when the voluntary Hospital Quality Initiative (HQI) was launched, hospitals inform their clients and stakeholders online about quality improvements. The main goals of quality improvement in American hospitals concern improvement of facilities reputation, excellent servi ce delivery of nurses and physicians and many other aspects. Scope/Description/QI Activities In order to report about quality improvements in hospitals, American hospitals discuss the results of educational programs involvement with their stake holders, clients. Florida Hospital located in Orlando, FL share its quality improvement activities and developments with the public in order to assess and measure reached goals. The improvement of quality patient care is one of crucial concerns for the American hospitals. Basing on mandatory and secondary data collection, the results of quality improvement processes can be considered by the public. In such a way, clients can self-manage their healthcare treatment, identify and indicate gaps in quality improvement process. Moreover, performance measure indicates quality improvements and specific data and criteria may be reached. This type of data is useful for further quality improvement process in any hospital. Another important indicator of quality is stakeholders’ feedback. It is helpful for current patient service improvement and future emergence of new services. Data Collection Tools Currently, a scope of data about quality improvements is presented online for the convenience of clients and stakeholders. There are secondary and mandatory data presented by hospitals. Stakeholders’ feedback is usually presented in a form of alternative suggestions concerning hospital activities improvement. A public response is also important for current and future improvement of client’s healthcare service. Written responses, comments, letters from clients can reflect a real situation concerning the necessity of quality improvement. It is more relevant to clients to express their opinion about changes they would like to introduce in the healthcare system. QI Processes and Methodology Currently, in accordance with quality management processes there are many options to perform quality improvement process. These are : control charts, lot sampling, process capability, and value analysis (Florida Hospital). Still, it is important to consider quality processes data collection in detail. Clients’ histories with medical information about them, details on their illnesses, family and personal background and other variety of data may indicate existent problems in the process of healthcare treatment. This approach shows quality improvem

Career Management Skill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Career Management Skill - Essay Example To assist in the achievement of the financial control of the set budgets as agreed annually with the Manager. Job Requirements Relevant understanding and/or experience of 3/4 Star hotel Food & Beverage management. Hold or be willing to gain an Advance Food Hygiene certificate Hold or be willing to gain relevant First Aid qualifications. Computer literate Numerate and experience of menu costing. Good communication skills, both verbal and written. Experience of training others and creating/using simple training aids. Assist the Manager with the planning and implementation of ‘guest entertainment’ (recourse from https://atsv7.wcn.co.uk/search_engine/jobs.cgi?SID=amNvZGU9MTMwMjE5NSZ2dF90ZW1wbGF0ZT03ODMmb3duZXI9NTAzMjY5MCZvd25lcnR5cGU9ZmFpciZicmFuZF9pZD0wJnZhY3R5cGU9ODU4JnZhY194dHJhNTAzMjY5MC4xMV81MDMyNjkwPUZ1bGwgVGltZSZwb3N0aW5nX2NvZGU9MTI1JnJlcXNpZz0xMzU2NjM2MzczLTRjMzA1MGM1YmJjZTA0NmY1ZmVkZjUzMDQwYmMxZGJiYjEzMTBmYTQ=) Reasons Being a business management graduate, I am well aware of supply chain processes, interpreting financial reports and negotiating with suppliers to a make a viable decision. My secondary interest is in human resources and during my studies I learned both management and development functions of the field. I have intermediate knowledge of financial management with clear understanding of financial reports. My interest in this career is backed by the experience I had of a similar role at my partner’s restaurant, understanding of processes involved and admiration for the environment. CV Zong luo 32 Conduit Road, Sheffield, S10 1EW Mobile: 07420 668333. Email: nameistoolongtoplay@gmail.com Profile An intelligent and articulate management graduate who has a keen interest in analytical management with satisfactory knowledge of finance. Possesses a natural aptitude for building rapport with key stakeholders and a keen eye for attention to detail, coupled with the perseverance to seek effective solutions under challenging deadlines. Education 2011-2014 University of Sheffield BA (Hons) Business Management (2:1 expected) Main subjects: Accounting and Finance, Economics, Organization Behaviour, Marketing Management, Analysis for design making, Business Strategy 2010-2011 University of Sheffield, the International College Accounting (89%), Economics (85%), Social science (63%), Mathematics (91%) and Academic study (65%) Work Experience 3rd July 09 to 10th Jan 2010 Green Tea (Classical Theme Restaurant) Position: sales manager Responsibilities: increasing business results and customer satisfaction market analysis and forecasting, understand and grasp peer business status and collect business information responsible for developing new and existing clients managing marketing and promotional activities. 20th Feb 09 to 5th June 2009 Green Tea (Classical Theme Restaurant) Position: Purchasing Category Manager Responsibilities: institute supply strategy negotiations with the vendors implementing the Supply Chain strategy establish new vendors for components checking all contracts with the vendors creating the savings plan and working on execution establish budget for supplying components and controlling it. 30th Sept 08 to 10th Feb 2009 Financial Services Bureau (Local Government, China) Position: Temporary Clerk Responsibilities: Collaborate with team in providing tax and accounting information

Financial Analysis BMW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Analysis BMW - Essay Example For example the 2011 and 2012 financial reports shows that the company had a toatl of â‚ ¬27,038 million and â‚ ¬30,295 million respectively for the equity attributed to shareholders of BMW. In the year 2011, 28.9% of the shareholders equity contributede to the company toatal capiatl while in the year 2012 , 30.4% of the shareholders equity contributed to the company total capital contribution. The debt of the company is managed through a fixed debt ratio of capital . Therefore, the company debt ratios for the year 2011 and 2012 are maintaind at a fixed rate of a bout 70% or 0.70 The BMW debt ratios are effective since they are bellow 100% which is the maximum limit the ratio , the company debt ratio further fall bellow 80% that is set by many companies hence this is a positive figure for the BMW company. the debt ratio is relative lower compared to TVS motors company that has debt –equity ratios of 0.79 for the year 2011. This is shows that the BMW company ismore competive in the market and cannot under go recervership or liquadation. BMW company uses both operating and financial lease.the lease arrangement policy enables the customers of the company to iether have an option of buying the vehicle or lease it for a fixed pertiod of time as stated in the company leasing policy. Customers are given the oportunities under lease programe to drive a BMW vehicle of his or her choice for a fixed period of time in return for a pre-determined lease rental where the customers have the oportunities to iether retain the vehicle at a pre-determine price or return it to the BMW company. Under finance lease; the customer has a flexible chance of choosing a new BMW that best suits their driving interest and lifestyle needs. The contract tenure can range from 12 months to 48 months with an option to buy at the end of the lease or return thec vehicle. During the finance leasing period, the payment can be

Adapting to a new enviroment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adapting to a new enviroment - Essay Example Being in the prosperous middle east of Asia, Kuwait is not a poor country. In cities there is good infrastructure and facilities and living there is not living like nomads in some backward desert. But when I moved to Irvine, I came to know that although I was not living like a nomad in a desert but still it was a very different place. I was used to that place and it seemed very natural and comfortable and I never had to do anything special to adjust in my peers. I just moved along naturally. Moving to America was another thing. I had to adjust in a new environment, the weather was alien, and the people were not the people that I had been living with. The first thing that I felt badly in a need of when I moved to America was friends. And making friends in a different country with people who have a different culture is not easy. And the greatest barrier in that is language. It is very difficult to be friends with people who do not talk like you. But slowly I started overcoming my shyness and found out that the only way to do it is to break ice and put a step forward. Practically adjusting in a very new environment and routine was a challenging task. Studying here was not like studying back in Kuwait. I had to adjust a lot while managing my studies with the new methods and schemes of studies. Also belonging to a different culture we used to have different pastimes and interests but here I had to slightly adjust my taste in various things to live with the new people and my new friends. I had to adjust with new places, routes and markets that were unfamiliar and it took time to completely settle here comfortably. Apart from the practical aspects mentioned above, what helped me most in adapting to this new place and environment was my flexibility. Adjustment in a new culture also requires a lot of compromise and flexibility. You

Internet Firewall Security Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Internet Firewall Security - Term Paper Example Considering all these cons, one must ensure that a good firewall is in place to keep the hackers at an arm’s length, keeping them at bay is an arduous task. This paper will shed light upon internet firewall security and how a good firewall can protect a person from malware, Trojan horses and other undesirable viruses. Firewall Basics: â€Å"The term "fire wall" originally meant, and still means, a fireproof wall intended to prevent the spread of fire from one room or area of a building to another. The Internet is a volatile and unsafe environment when viewed from a computer-security perspective, therefore "firewall" is an excellent metaphor for network security.† (What is a firewall?) Firewall is not something general, it means several specific things and it is supposed to do several important things to ensure that a user is safeguarded against attacks. Packet filtering is perhaps the most important job of a regular firewall. All the internet activities like downloads, chats and so on are done in packets, and these packets contain information. Firewall must ensure that these packets are either allowed or disallowed based on the source of the internet protocol address known as the IP address. The destination port of these packets is also very important, the firewall is supposed to allow or disallow these packets purely on the basis of their destination port. Firewall must follow a protocol and allow or disallow packets or information based on the set protocol. This method of packet filtering is highly effective against malware and other dangerous attacks but this is not a foolproof plan. All traffic can be blocked by a firewall which does not make much sense; it should allow certain packets which are safe for the user to receive. It has its weaknesses like it becomes very difficult for a basic firewall to detect spoofing which means the information contained in the packets is falsified. Allowed packets may contain a bug which can retrieve a passwor d and cause unwanted actions, a basic firewall is vulnerable to these dangers. Circuit relay is another type of firewall which provides enhanced security, application level gateway is perhaps the most advanced of all and provides even better security. Static Packet Filtering: â€Å"Static packet filtering is a firewall and routing capability that provides network packet filtering based only on packet information in the current packet and administrator rules.† (Statistic Packet Filtering) Static packet filtering is based on the following important things: The administrator defines rules. The allowed ports and IP addresses are set by the administrator and only the allowed ports are allowed to send and receive packets. The transport layer contents, the network and the packet contents are all determined by the administrator. Better level of security is provided by the dynamic packet filtering. Static packet filtering does not look at the contents closely, on the contrary dynamic packet filtering screens contents very closely, previous connection states are also considered by dynamic packet filtering which static packet filtering fails to do. The packet headers are very important under static packet filtering, the information stored in the headers determines whether packets should be allowed or dropped. These headers are compared against the control policy which is set by the administrator. Below is an illustration which presents the same concept very comprehensively. (Static Packet

Reaction to Everyday Use Essay Example for Free

Reaction to Everyday Use Essay Everyday Use is a short story written by Alice Walker about a family of three, Mama, the narrator, Maggie her youngest daughter, and Dee, her eldest daughter. Both daughters are completely different, Maggie is a simpler person and Dee is high maintenance. Dee has always the home she was brought up in and everything to do with her childhood. She always wanted more and Mama gave her the best she could. One day, years after Dee has gone off to college, she returns to visit Mama and Maggie’s new home (the other had been burnt down when Dee was still living with them), and she brings along a man, possibly her husband. When Dee returns she has changed her name and has come hoping to retrieve certain family heirlooms. Walker uses different literary tools to tell this story in a way that makes the audience think about what she is trying to tell the audience. Strategy The main literary strategy Walker uses in the writing of Everyday Use are irony and symbolism. Mama and Maggie value the quilts discussed in the story, not as folk art, instead for what they are intended to be used for, a source of warmth. Mama would rather give Maggie the quilts and let her put these quilts to use even though they may end up ruined because she knows that she is the one that will appreciate and love the quilts the most. Dee wants to in a sense save the quilts from the harm that she is sure that her sister, whom she seems to think is intelligently inferior will ruin but she does not understand the true value and worth of these quilts. Dee’s sudden interest in her heritage and want to embrace different objects from her family’s past is obviously seen by her mother as empty. In Mama’s eyes the best way to keep the quilts and the love and care that comes with them in the family is to hand them over to Maggie, even if it means them possibly being damaged or worse yet, destroyed. This is the irony in the story. Many would think that preserving the quilts is the only respectful way of keeping the spirit of their family alive, but instead Mama sees deeper than that, she sees in actuality the best way to keep the spirit of their family alive is to put them to use so that more memories can be connected to them. Using them in daily life is a way to keep the family history and spirit alive, and to even add onto it. Theme The consistent theme of Alice Walker’s â€Å"Everyday Use† is appreciating the past, and one’s family. This theme was one that I found I could identify with greatly along with certain aspects of the story. The author skillfully tells us the story of two sisters, Dee, and Maggie, to prove her point. Dee comes home with a new contemporary identity tied to her African heritage, which she believes white men and women have tried to take away from her. She now embraces this African heritage and sees it as an important part of her. She scornfully asks Mama (the narrator) to not address her by the name her mother gave her, Dee, but to instead call her Wangero, assumed to be a name from her African herritage: What happened to Dee? I wanted to know. Shes dead, Wangero (Dee) said. I couldnt bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me. Wangero (Dee) assumes and argues with her mother that she has been named \ after a white man or woman. Mama attempts to convince her that her name was not given to her by a white man or woman but that she was named after her grandmother. Dee resists what her mother has told her and insists that if she were to follow the line that it would go back to a white man or woman. Maggie, is unashamed of her past, she actually embraces it. She has always loved the quilts that her mother and aunt made from clothing that her grandmother had pieced. This section of the story is the prime difference between the sisters is revealed: Dee would like to use the quilts as pieces of artwork for her own home because it is something that would be stylish and argues with her mother that Maggie would be backward enough to put them to everyday use. Dee says this as if it were a bad thing to use the quilts as they were intended to be used but Mama believes that the everyday use, is the best way to value the past, to keep the spirit of the family going and not putting the items up for display as if they were in a museum or separating oneself from his or her family. This is something that I can identify with. When I was younger my great-grandmother had always crocheted afghans for each of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My cousins had when we were little looked down at these beautiful afghans and wanted instead store bought blankets. I treasured the afghan that my great grandmother had made me and used it often. When we were older, and she had passed away, my one cousin was going through a phase similar to Dee’s, she was suddenly very interested in our family history, and she now wanted the last afghan that my great grandmother made. She ended up being the one to receive the afghan because I did not feel like fighting over it. I did not want to receive it with a fight because I knew that it would tarnish the meaning for me but I always found it interesting how she changed her mind once became, for lack of a better word, â€Å"cool† to embrace family history and to like handmade items. Active and Responsive Reading While reading Everyday Use one inference that I made was that the story was set in the early 1970s. I made this inference from the way Mamma, the narrator, described Dee in the present day. I thought that the dress, accessories, and hair style Dee was described to have seemed to match up to fashion from the early 1970s. Dee is a vain, hypocritical, and condescending individual, this was my impression from my first reading of the story and after reading it twice more, I found that my impression of Dee did not change from my first reading. Mamma did the best she could for Dee as she grew up. Dee always despised the house they lived in and never saw the house that was built after the fire until she visited. Mamma and their church raised money so that Dee could get a higher education and go off to college. Dee uses her education as a way to look down on her mother and sister. She does not understand why they will not better themselves as she has. In this visit she begins asking her mother for things that she had never wanted before and looked down at. She now wants these items not as reminders of her family but more as pieces of art. Two of these items were quilts made by Grandma Dee. In the past when offered these, she had told her mother that the quilts were â€Å"too old-fashioned, out of style†. Now she thinks that they would make beautiful pieces Alice Walker writes this story I think for every family and every person in a family. In a world where people are consumed with art, fashion, and style, I think she is reminding us that there is more to some items than art, fashion, and style. Many times we think the only way to appreciate something is to frame it or put it up for display and not put it to everyday use in fear of ruining it but Walker uses this story to show us that there is more to appreciating something than just displaying it. Sometimes to best appreciate a piece of ones heritage through an heirloom you should use it for its intended purpose. In conclusion Walker teaches us a lesson about family and keeping the spirit and story of our family alive by not merely displaying our heirlooms but putting them to use. She uses irony to help tell her story and support her theme. Walker chooses a story that people can relate to and learn from.

Empowerment on Girl Child Essay Example for Free

Empowerment on Girl Child Essay With sacrificing family resources to educate a girl child and a potential future leader still a big societal challenge, any effort to see the education of a girl is a huge boon. So when millions of dollars are poured into the effort, the impact cannot be overemphasised. The Campaign for Female Education (Camfed), introduced some few years back, has seen remarkable change of fortunes to many a rural folk. Now, a US$19 million bursary programme has been launched to benefit 24 000 girls from disadvantaged families in rural Guruve, Mashonaland Central. The launch was conducted at colourful ceremony at Chifamba Secondary School in the area recently. With testimonies of previous beneficiaries of the programme giving the clear picture of changed lives, more girls are set to change for the better. Already, lives have changed and tales are being told. More are coming, definitely. Twenty-five-year-old Bridget Moyo was born in the dusty village of Wedza in a polygamous family. Her mother sired six children and the other children under the genealogy of her father are incalculable. She needs to sit down and count them from her father’s first wife until the last. Being a girl on a polygamous family, she was not spared from challenges women as a whole face. From birth she was automatically rendered a future beggar. Her education was considered optional and it was the first thing to be sacrificed in a crisis. Her brothers, uncles and male cousins’ needs had to come first for the family. The family’s future was seen to be in their hands and blood, so it was to them that the family’s resources should be spent primarily. As if that was not enough, the family was so much immersed in poverty. School fees and levies were a luxury they could only dream of and there wasn’t enough for the family to eat. â€Å"I lost count of how many other people’s fields we worked in to make ends meet with my mother. It was not unusual for people to approach my mother and offer me a job as their housemaid,† Bridget said. She said it was very tragic in that some people had the audacity to exchange her labour services with a bucket of maize a month. â€Å"I am a proud member of the Johane Marange Apostolic Sect and my growing up in the church came with benefits and challenges. â€Å"I feel at home hen at church where I am accepted with expectations like other girls who have to get married at a tender age. † â€Å"In my teenage years, I was only supposed to dream about the kind of husband I was going to marry. Even if it meant dropping out of school, I did not drop out until I attained my university degree,† Bridget went on to narrate her ordeal. The turning point in Bridget’s life came after she got a bursary before attending secondary education. â€Å"In primary school I vividly remember being nominated a prefect before the school authorities reversed the decision because I did not have a school uniform. I never had a worry about the strategy to use to sneak back into classroom after being sent home on numerous occasions to collect the fees . Currently I am a holder of Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Business Management and Entrepreneurship,† she said. This is not the only sad tale about girls who rise from invisibility to visibility after attaining education. Another is Talent Tokoda, who grew up as an orphan and single child. Talent was born and bred in Chivhu, where her mother took care of all the family needs. â€Å"It was a nightmare getting shoes or having a proper uniform. I struggled through primary school to completion but fortunately I passed with five units which are a sharp contrast to the struggles I went through. † â€Å"Time to enrol for secondary education came and my hope was like a dim light at the far end of a tunnel which could turn off anytime. A week before I was supposed to go to secondary school, I neither had school fees nor secured a place at any school. † â€Å"I could spend the whole day in the garden with my mother. I got the surprise of my life when I was told that my fees were going to be paid for until I complete Advanced Level,† Talent said in front of the dumbfounded crowd. She passed Advanced Level and was enrolled at the University of Zimbabwe where she is doing her final year studying for a Bachelor in Medicine and Surgery. â€Å"I am proud that I proved to doomsayers that I can achieve any goal men can achieve. In August next year I will be a qualified medical doctor,† Talent said in front of the cheering crowd. This mirrors how the personality can be moulded to greatness. Guruve District’s pass rate is pegged at 25 percent with the national pass rate sitting at 21 percent. Assisting the girl child with resources will help improve the pass rate at rural schools. For example, at Chifamba Secondary School the pass rate for girls is pegged at 10 percent. Research revealed that in Sub-Saharan Africa, 24 million girls cannot afford to go to school and as a result a girl may marry as young as 13. Camfed executive director for Zimbabwe and Malawi, Ms Angeline Murimirwa said it is vital to improve educational access, progression and completion for marginalised secondary school girls. â€Å"The coverage of bursaries will span for four years in 28 rural districts including resettlement areas. The other money will provide a package of support to schools, training of school development committees and support for parents to enable children currently out of school to enrol,† she said. Ms Murimirwa said it is imperative to enhance participation of women in national activities from district level. â€Å"Most secondary school girls drop out of school opting to get married or as a result of lacking financial support. â€Å"Organisations need to cherish marginalised communities and the idea that women constitute a greater percentage to the national population,† she said.

Leaders In Family Businesses Business Essay

Leaders In Family Businesses Business Essay It is very difficult to identify the comparison between family and non-family business; it lies within the fact that there is not even a single accepted definition of family business to form the basis of research (Westhead and Cowling, 1998). This essay explores in isolation, the skills required in leaders in family and non-family businesses. Then, the skills required in these two categories of leaders are compared and contrasted. Various theories and concepts on family business are used to facilitate the process. Family business is a business in which familys involvement is a must, making the business different from others. Many researchers interpret the involvement of family as ownership management. (Chua et al.,1999) In a family business, managing the profits and losses are not the only thing that matters. Its all about understanding the family tradition, values and beliefs also to do succession planning. It is also important to make sure that there should not be any conflict between family members regarding the ownership and management. Indalecio(2012) said that there are some conflicts which typically happen due to the inability to separate personal and professional lives and also because of interest which varied from one member to other. Family businesses are mostly made up of strong relationship of trust, loyalty and communication and they have a shared vision. In a non family business, they mainly focus on the smooth functioning of the organization to make profits and also to expand the business. They dont need to worry about family values or tradition. As compared to family business employees are much more motivated in non family business. In Family business, they hire promote employees after considering relatives or any other family member which makes the non family employees lose motivation towards the work. This will lead to a limited growth and opportunities for the firm. (Indalecio,2012) Well discuss in detail that how the leaders require different skills to work in these two totally different types of businesses. As we know that Leader play the main role in running the business either it is emotion based or simply profit based. Well discuss about different theories of leadership in family business to differentiate the leadership style from non-family business. LEADERS IN FAMILY BUSINESS Leadership is not magnetic personality that can just as well be a glib tongue. It is not making friends and influencing people, that is flattery. Leadership is lifting a persons vision to higher sights, the raising of a persons performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations (Peter F Drucker) The environment in a family business is very different from non family business for leaders and employees in the organization. Heuristic Model, defines leadership as the person, process, position, result where leader is an individual, a centered person who they are. The style adopted by them or sense-making or the way they get things done. They keep into consideration what those in authorities do and where they do it. As a result they achieve the purpose through mobilization like a leader achieve. (Grint,2010) Tagiuri and Davis (1996) stated the existence of shared vision, values and beliefs, as well as a long term orientation with loyalty and trust which is based on relationships as one of the important or strong advantage of family business as compared to a non family business. Which allows a family business to have a unique or clear identity and also a strong sense of success in their mission, they wish to undertake and concentrate on the efforts for what they can do best, which helps them to gain a competitive advantage (Ibrahim Ellis, 1994). Dyer (1986) and Sorensen, (2000) describes five description of the leadership that is exercised in family firms: participative, autocratic, laissez-faire, expert and referent. This author said that the head involves member in decision making and they guide through adapting, also have the capacity to motivate personal regards in others. Which allow these type of firms to achieve the goal expected by both the family and the business at the same time, and that leads to higher level of satisfaction commitment among the non-family employees. (Vallejo, 2009) (Figure 1) [Source: Vallejo, M.C. (2010), Pg. 6] A leader in a family firm should take care of some points which are very important for the success of the organization in a market place: family disputes, favoritism, running business emotionally, and limited growth, also a succession plan. Family disputes takes place mostly due to the varied interest of each family member towards business, their personal egos, and rivalries among them which spill into the business environment. Managing family and the business at same time is very delicate matter and it is also important that if a leader in a family firm wants someone from the family to join the business then he needs to create a company culture based on favoritism. In most of the cases everyone wants to help family but its totally wrong to hire, promote or pay someone just because of familial relationship, rather than hiring someone based on their actual merits and abilities. It is very difficult in a family firm to keep personal professional life in a separate way, and also not an easy task to separate your emotions from your business. Especially, giving a critical feedback or receiving it from someone you love is also a big problem. Mostly in family firms all leadership positions are always occupied by some family members which limits the growth of the company opportunities for non-family employees. Many talented and ambitious employees will lose their motivation and they will move on to another job. There should always be succession plan for family firms otherwise it will lead to failure. (Indalecio, 2012) LEADERS IN NON FAMILY BUSINESS A simple definition of leadership is that leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. (Ward, 2012) A leader in non-family business requires many types of skill for the better functioning of an organization. When it comes to the leadership quality in a leader for a non-family firm, we consider a leader who is ambitious, creative, self-reliable, inspiring, and innovative, also in addition to commitment determination, opportunity obsession, adaptability, self-motivated. (Timmons and spinelli, 2003) In a non-family business, mostly these are transformational leaders who motivate their followers to achieve a long term objectives rather than selfish short term goal. They have the ability to convince their followers to work hard for the achievement of the goal which leaders have in mind. This helps to motivate the followers that turns out to be self compensatory. (Bass, 1985, 1999) Leaders in a non-family firm dont worry about feuding, nepotism, emotions, values and beliefs of family, succession plans. They dont have a shared vision for the organization; everything is cleared about the goal they want to achieve for the expansion or growth of their organization. They have high growth opportunities for their employees because they never hire, promote, and criticize individuals on the basis of familial relationship. They only concentrate on the profits, motivation of employees, monitoring the performance, to gain competitive advantage for the benefit of the firm or to be successful in the market. (Indalecio, 2012) The Leader should be able to introduce a sense of value, respect, and to express a clear vision for the employees so that they can work accordingly. He should also pay attention to the need of the followers assign them particular projects for their personal growth, also teach followers to find a sensible path to examine a situation and also encourage them to be creative. (Bass, 1985) CONCLUSION In a firm, whether it is a family or non-family firm leaders are require running them. Mainly, for a non-family firm leader it is easy to run the organization as compare to a family firm leader. Because he has no tensions about the family values, beliefs, succession planning, family member interests or any other way to run a business in a manner so that it should survive for their upcoming generations. But for a family firm leader these all points matters a lot for their success in the market. The trust, loyalty, and relationship they make with their customers to gain sustainability. Family affect the business in each aspect if the firm doesnt have a Leader with all the leadership quality require operating a family business. In a family firm, leaders require a skill which helps the business to overcome the threats they get in running a family business. He should define the goal of the organization very clearly make sure that there is no partiality in hiring, promoting the employees, and it should be based on the individuals merits abilities. Outline the responsibilities role of each family member and hold them accountable. There should not be any communication gap and also run the business in a non emotional manner. For the advancement of your business everyone working for the organization should be on the same line either for promotion or criticism, also to have a succession plan for the survival of the business after he is gone. (Indalecio, 2012) There are different theories that explain these differences of skills required for a leader in a family a non-family firm. But the main thing is to understand the way a leader should work to keep the employees motivated and also provide them proper opportunities for their personal growth because a successful business is a mixture of different people with different skills. If a leader will follow these in a firms culture then this in turn will lead the organization to achieve their goal in a given time either it is a family business or a non-family business. Referencing: Bass, B. (1985). Leadership performance beyond expectations. New York: Academic Press. Bass, B. (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology. 8, pp. 9-32. Chua, J. H., Chrisman, J. J., and Sharma, P. (1999). Defining the family business by behavior. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 23(4), pp. 19-39. Dyer, W.G. (1986). Cultural Change in Family Firms: Anticipating and managing Business and Family Transitions. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Grint, K. (2010). Leadership, a very short introduction. Oxford University Press, London. Indalecio, T. (2012). 5 Common threats to a family business. About.Com : http://familybusiness.about.com/od/managementandoperations/a/commonthreats.htm [Accessed: 18 January 2012] Ibrahim, A. Ellis, W. (1994). Family business management: concepts and practice. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Sorensen, R.L. (2000).The Contribution of Leadership Style and Practices to Family and Business Success. Family Business Review. Vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 183-200. Tagiuri, R. and Davis, J.A. (1996). Bivalent attributes of the family firm. Family Business Review, Vol .9, pp. 199-208. Timmons, J. Spinelli, S. (2003). New venture creation: entrepreneurship for the 21st century (6th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Vallejo Martos, M. (2005). Cuando definir es una necesidad. Una propuesta integradora y operativa del concepto de empresa familiar. Investigaciones Europeas de Direccià ³n y Economà ­a de la Empresa. [The Need to Define: Towards an Integrative and Operational Definition of the Family Firm], 11, pp.151-171. Vallejo, M.C. (2009). Analytical Model of Leadership in Family Firms Under Transformational Theoretical Approach: An exploratory study. Family Business Review. pp. 6. Ward, S. (2012). Leadership. About.com: http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/leadership/g/leadership.htm [Accessed: 18 January 2012] Westhead, P., Howorth, C. and Cowling, M. (2002). Ownership and management issues in first generation and multi generation family firms. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 14(3), pp. 247-269.

Dialogue Essay - Ron was Unhappy :: Dialogue Essays

Dialogue Essay - Ron was Unhappy Ron was unhappy with the way his life had turned out. He had always expected to be a celebrity; a wealthy celebrity. He had not realized that this would probably require a lot of hard work and discipline. He had depended on luck. Luck had let him down. As he looked back on his short life, he could see how often he had had the opportunity to take luck by the throat. But those opportunities were past now. His life no longer had the prospect of wealth or celebrity. He had been born to a couple of teenagers. They had never really grown up the whole time he’d known them. He was the mature one of the family, and he resented this. He had no brothers or sisters. His parents, though alive, were no longer together, and he felt as if he was all alone in the world. Holidays divided between different households was difficult for him to come to terms with. It robbed the holidays of the joy he so much wanted them to hold. He had long ago decided to forgo holidays altogether, not because they no longer had any meaning for him, but because they meant so much. He refused to see them turned into tugs-of-war. Ron had joined the service as soon as he got out of high school, not because he wanted to, but because he didn’t really have anything better to do, and no place better to do it. He was not a model soldier. He was in and out of trouble, but somehow managed to get out with an honorable discharge. He still had nothing better to do. He finally found himself a job in a factory. Nothing too demanding, and perhaps a little demeaning to his intelligence. But it kept him fed. He didn’t hate his job, but he had no loyalty to it. He smoked a little too much. He loved his cigarettes. He didn’t think he was addicted, and would quit from time to time, sometimes for weeks, sometimes for months, and twice for a couple of years. But he loved tobacco. He knew it might kill him someday, but this did not cause his affection to waver. He also loved women. They seemed to love him as well. At least those who could get close to him. But there was something about him that they could not penetrate, no matter how much or how often they tried.

The American Dream in the Works of John Steinbeck and Hunter S. Thompso

Two writers who come quickly to my mind whenever I hear or see images of American patriotism are John Steinbeck and Hunter S. Thompson. As different as these two men are, their writing is similar in that the American Dream constantly fails their characters. Both seek to define America and the American Dream, however, it remains seemingly elusive, and both writers fail to find it. I choose Steinbeck and Thompson because, to me, their writing styles are the same. They have the same lust for language and powerful writing. Their subjects are contemporary; they are not necessarily moral or upright, but are average people. Both view the world in the same sad way, that people are as easily led to beauty as deceit, joy to sorrow and life to death. There are certain truths in their writing that is not expressed elsewhere; consequences that we might not always like to believe exist. I also choose Steinbeck and Thompson in that they are representative of the twentieth century. Steinbeck neatly covers the first half more or less, and Thompson from the sixties to present. Both authors have also experienced a number of failures. Steinbeck has been called sentimental, overdrawn, boring and grossly contrived. While this may be true, for example, the killing of Candy's dog as a metaphor for the killing of Lenny in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck received attention after Tortilla Flats was published. Since then, he has become one of the most popular authors of the twentieth century and won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. Thompson, who has been called names less polite, continues to be a dynamic force in modern American writing, because he broke conventional rules of writing and journalism. Thompson, who flunked out of Columbia, also worked hard before gaining fame for Hell's Angels. His popularity continues today with his cult following of fans. Rather interesting is that both men are alcoholics. One of Steinbeck's last books is Travels With Charley in which the old man and his poodle take a road trip in a custom built truck named Rosinante. This book is my least favorite; here, sentimental, overdrawn, boring and grossly contrived apply greatly. Steinbeck records faithfully how he procured his truck, meets with his sons one last time before setting off, then hurtles across the country, interviewing cowboys and common people. He makes brief comments on current events suc... ...Fear, the characters are even accused of being un-American. Once in California, the Joads and their friend Casey (the preacher) hear strange talk of "reds". The reds, are of course, communists, and those who are not communists but want to offer people a better standard of living. It is talk of unionizing that ultimately leads to the death of Casey and why young Tom Joad must leave his family. He swears to live out Casey's dream. Thompson, while sitting in a bar in Aspen, finds a former astronaut (whose name was deleted at the insistence of publisher's lawyers), hassling a band that plays songs with some un-American sentiments. Thompson, as Raoul Duke, admonishes the bullish spaceman - "Hey, I'm an American and I agree with every word he says,† When the astronaut is asked by a young boy for an autograph, the spaceman is aghast when the boy rips the slip of paper up, proving just how worthless the spaceman's "heroism" is. So where do we go from here? Is the American Dream all meaningless imagery and puffery symbolism? Or is it something attainable, like money and power? Does it actually exist? If so, why does it elude so many writers and everyday people? The American Dream in the Works of John Steinbeck and Hunter S. Thompso Two writers who come quickly to my mind whenever I hear or see images of American patriotism are John Steinbeck and Hunter S. Thompson. As different as these two men are, their writing is similar in that the American Dream constantly fails their characters. Both seek to define America and the American Dream, however, it remains seemingly elusive, and both writers fail to find it. I choose Steinbeck and Thompson because, to me, their writing styles are the same. They have the same lust for language and powerful writing. Their subjects are contemporary; they are not necessarily moral or upright, but are average people. Both view the world in the same sad way, that people are as easily led to beauty as deceit, joy to sorrow and life to death. There are certain truths in their writing that is not expressed elsewhere; consequences that we might not always like to believe exist. I also choose Steinbeck and Thompson in that they are representative of the twentieth century. Steinbeck neatly covers the first half more or less, and Thompson from the sixties to present. Both authors have also experienced a number of failures. Steinbeck has been called sentimental, overdrawn, boring and grossly contrived. While this may be true, for example, the killing of Candy's dog as a metaphor for the killing of Lenny in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck received attention after Tortilla Flats was published. Since then, he has become one of the most popular authors of the twentieth century and won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. Thompson, who has been called names less polite, continues to be a dynamic force in modern American writing, because he broke conventional rules of writing and journalism. Thompson, who flunked out of Columbia, also worked hard before gaining fame for Hell's Angels. His popularity continues today with his cult following of fans. Rather interesting is that both men are alcoholics. One of Steinbeck's last books is Travels With Charley in which the old man and his poodle take a road trip in a custom built truck named Rosinante. This book is my least favorite; here, sentimental, overdrawn, boring and grossly contrived apply greatly. Steinbeck records faithfully how he procured his truck, meets with his sons one last time before setting off, then hurtles across the country, interviewing cowboys and common people. He makes brief comments on current events suc... ...Fear, the characters are even accused of being un-American. Once in California, the Joads and their friend Casey (the preacher) hear strange talk of "reds". The reds, are of course, communists, and those who are not communists but want to offer people a better standard of living. It is talk of unionizing that ultimately leads to the death of Casey and why young Tom Joad must leave his family. He swears to live out Casey's dream. Thompson, while sitting in a bar in Aspen, finds a former astronaut (whose name was deleted at the insistence of publisher's lawyers), hassling a band that plays songs with some un-American sentiments. Thompson, as Raoul Duke, admonishes the bullish spaceman - "Hey, I'm an American and I agree with every word he says,† When the astronaut is asked by a young boy for an autograph, the spaceman is aghast when the boy rips the slip of paper up, proving just how worthless the spaceman's "heroism" is. So where do we go from here? Is the American Dream all meaningless imagery and puffery symbolism? Or is it something attainable, like money and power? Does it actually exist? If so, why does it elude so many writers and everyday people?

Is Abortion Murder? Essay examples -- essays research papers

Many people believe that morals or ethics should not have any persuasion at all in our laws. Do you believe that slavery is immoral? Is the issue of slavery a moral position? Is the legislation on that moral position appropriate? Then what you have most likely said is that it is appropriate to legislate moral issues that you are in favor of. Should slavery be enforced purely as a moral issue? This is an important point because many people say that we should not force a particular morality on the issue of abortion. Slavery was brought up because it involves human rights, as abortion does also. The question is whether an unborn child is a human being that has the same inalienable rights that a black human being has. This stems the question, â€Å"Is abortion murder?† If so then there has been a legal genocide going on in the United States since 1973 with over 40 million victims. â€Å"Life, biologically speaking, begins at fertilization. We all begin with the same raw materials: an egg and a sperm. We are fully human when these gametes unite at fertilization, as nothing else is added to us- only nourishment and time to grow.† (Earll, 2003) According to Carrie that means that we are human at the moment of conception. At this controversial point is where Carrie with the pro-lifers and the pro-abortionists butt heads. Pro-abortionists like Henry Morgentaler say that, â€Å"I believe that an early embryo may be called a potential human being. But remember that every woman has the potential to create twenty-five human beings in her lifetime. The idea that any woman who becomes pregnant as a result of non-procreative sexual intercourse must continue with her pregnancy does not take into consideration the fact that there is a tremendous discrepancy between the enormous potential of human fertility and the real-life ability of women and couples to provide al l that is necessary to bring up children properly.† (Morgentaler, 1996) This summarizes most pro-abortionists views that abortion is not about the child but about the mother and what she wants. Others do not see an unborn child as being a human being. Stephen Currie agrees with this when he wrote â€Å"It is a mistake, however, to see this as evidence that the smallest fertilized egg is somehow already a person. Perhaps "life" does begin at conception in some way, but fully human life does not.† (Currie, 2000) This shows t... ...torials that promoted abortion were unimpressive and seemed written out of anger and never mentioned what most girls who have had an abortion felt like after the fact. I found the pro-life editorials very hopeful and full with a sense of love for the innocent children. Unlike the pro-abortion editorials they took slanderous stab at those who oppose them which helped me to respect what they were saying more. People like Hank Hanegraaff are showing others who are not educated about unborn children that, â€Å"They deserve protection, not capital punishment.† We now have a president that also believes in the sanctity of life and has shown it by proclaiming Sunday, January 18, 2004, as National Sanctity of Human Life Day. References Earll, C. (2003) The Sanctity of Human Life. Retrieved February 10, 2005 from http://www.family.org/cforum/pdfs/fosi/bioethics/sanctity_of_human_life.pdf Morgentaler, H. The Moral Case for Abortion. Free Inquiry, Free Inquiry, Summer 1996 Currie, S. Abortion. Opposing Viewpoints Digests ® Series. Greenhaven Press, 2000 Hanegraaff, H. Practical Apologetics, Annihilating, Abortion Arguments. Retrieved February 11, 2005 from http://www.equip.org/free/DA375.pdf

Race and Ethnicity Essay

The ongoing struggle to fight the skin color prejudice in the contemporary American society is portrayed in Michael Jackson’s song â€Å"Black or White. † Whereas the racism is defined as a superior behavior against other race-thus making it inferior, the singer refers to this term as â€Å"See, it’s not about races, just places, faces, where your blood comes from is where your space is. † Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists in the music industry, calls for equality in how people view and behave towards each other. The question, which this master thesis investigates, does it matter if you’re black or white, is clearly answered by the singer: â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white. † Jackson was trying to influence his society to act in a similar way and he calls for them to live their lives by Dr. Luther’s dream â€Å"†¦. judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. † However, almost thirty years later, it still seemed only as a dream because he sang: â€Å"I’m tired of this Devil†, where the bad is being represented by the prejudice. At the same time, he clearly states: â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color† – this is where he makes his conclusion. This can imply that even though he doesn’t discriminate and would like to see color prejudice gone, he is still being discriminated against. While being the most prominent artist in the music industry, he still calls himself â€Å"a color† and he rebuts against it and wants to be seen for the person he is and not the pigmentation of his skin. It is widely known that Michael Jackson had many facial plastic surgeries and it is controversial whether or not he altered his skin color by chemical peels or was it the disease called vitiligio that changed his face color to white. Therefore, it can be speculated that he modified skin to appear white, which ultimately is his vision. It can be further questioned – since Michael Jackon can’t win his struggle for racial equality, did he give up and go white – just to end his inner battle? Will all his suffering come to closure since now he looks white? Is this the true answer? It may be deemed as so since the skin color is the guide of one’s position in the society where being white claims supremacy-control and power. It should be noted that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians of all times, having sold over 750 million records worldwide. He has accomplished so much in his life, yet still feels inferior and calls for racial equality in the world. His vision for a better world to live in, free of racism, ends on a sad note: â€Å"It’s black, it’s white†. To summarize, through decades, the blacks have fought to be equal, as the American nation shall guarantee those rights, yet, the society is still divided into the superior, the whites, and inferior- the blacks (and other people of color). Blacks have always been portrayed as the dirty, the poor, the lesser-of-a human type whereas the whites are seen as the dominant, the good type. Again, Jackson does not agree with this stereotype in saying: â€Å"I ain’t second to none. † Moreover, he claims that he will no longer be scared and mentions historical symbol of a KKK group: â€Å"I ain’t scared of your brother, I ain’t scared of no sheets. † With his passing in 2009, many of his inner struggles come to the end, but will the next generation start working on being color-free as the king of pop envisioned? America has always struggled with racial issues, especially those of black and white. Some them included racial segregation, education, workforce, banking and even seating on the bus. Black people continuously tried to â€Å"break thru† into community, but were always pushed aside as dirty, poor and unwelcome. We, in modern times, see the United States of America as a country that treats everyone equal. Americans should all be all equal, no matter what race, color, religion or any other characteristics they have. After all, we all remember year 2009, which is when Americans elected their first African American President. Question that comes to mind – why â€Å"first African American President,† not just simply their 44th President? So – the race and color of your skin does matter in modern times. My analyses of selected books, academic journals, films and music video will concentrate and argue if Americans indeed discriminate against race or if it is history and no longer exists in American life. First, I would like to take into consideration the iconic Michael Jackson, one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest singer and performer of the 21st century. Not only his songs deserve a closer look, but also his lifestyle – ideas, fears and the public opinion. â€Å"Black or White† by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell is a one of the greatest singles in Michael’s career. It was released on November 11, 1991. What inspired Michael to particularly select these two topics? Black or white – as implied in the song, he sings about skin color. Songs starts in Africa, possibly showing Jackson’s â€Å"beginning† – he is black. In one of the scenes, Michael sings â€Å"I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody† – while he is walking through fire images – which is being compared to KKK and its torch ceremonies. Here, he is portraying his painful vision of KKK and its vision. Later, the performers sing â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color. † What a great statement. Michael, throughout his whole life and his career, shows us his inner and constant fight for a non-racial America. Being black himself, he had struggled and finally came to the top, but still did not achieve the level of happiness – which is â€Å"no color† in his country. Later, Jackson sings on Statue of Liberty’s torch, again possibly reminding us about the KKK, and at the same time – the Statue symbolizes liberty, which for him will be color-free, no discrimination America. We shouldn’t forget about Michael’s actions in this video. In the original version, he is smashing the car, windows and the inn exploded. However, later he had to edit this version to minimize his violent behavior, however. He altered it by adding four racial graffiti messages onto the windows that he was smashing. As I suggested earlier, Michael Jackson is portrayed as an angry black man who simply hates the discrimination against black people and shows his feelings by destroyed his surroundings, as he was being destroyed himself –just for being of black color. In is interesting to observe, the Jackson, when asked to change his destructive aggressive music video, he indeed did change it, but didn’t forget about this hostility towards discrimination. He had just portrayed it differently (graffiti). First message reads: â€Å"Hitler Lives,† then â€Å"Nigger Go Home,† â€Å"No More Wetbacks,† and finally â€Å"KKK Rules. † It can be argued if Michael Jackson is simply smashing windows with those painful ideas – is destroying them – to make a better world? Finally, the song comes from the album â€Å"Dangerous. † What did the author have in mind? Are all of those issues, painful experiences and the fight for non-colored America dangerous? It can be argued that yes. Jackson showed us the dangerous side of being black, where he was always forced to fight and that causes different sorts of trouble. In â€Å"Black or White,† Michael brilliantly portrayed two core problems people were facing daily: black or white. As we look at his lifestyle and constant metamorphoses, Michael Jackson had numerous surgeries that altered the color of his skin and make him â€Å"white. † It is very controversial as many sources quote that Jackson had a condition where one looses a pigment of his skin, called vitiligo. However, Michael Jackson public image is seen as a person who constantly tried to be white, therefore, sought surgeries to help him attain this goal. Michael Jackson shows us that it could have probably been easier to make himself white and not struggle for color-free America, where everyone is equal, no matter of who there are or what they look like. It would also be important to analyze some of the lyrics from Jackson’s music video. He sings: â€Å"I had to tell them I ain’t second to none. † It can be understood that he no longer is accepting the fact that black is â€Å"second,† which is worse, just because of the color. He continues: â€Å"And I told about equality† – he tells us he wants to be considered equal, despite his skin color. Next verse, he has really had enough of being pushed around because he is black â€Å"I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of this business. † Finally, he talks about racism in: â€Å"See, it’s not about races, Just places, Faces, Where your blood, Comes from, Is where your space is, I’ve seen the bright, Get duller, I’m not going to spend, My life being a color. † Here Michael Jackson compares himself to simply being a â€Å"color. † He is less than a human being only because he is not white. He is â€Å"black. † Again, he accents his refusal of living his life being black. He wants to be equal, equal to white. It should be also noted that throughout video, Michael Jackson is wearing black and white clothing (white shirt, black blazer, white accents on his right arm and nails, black shoes, white socks). He seems to be a person caught in a black-and-white world and struggles to change it, showing his pain. However, at the very end, he turns into a black panther. This transformation may symbolize him as a black man who will fight for his rights, yet, still remain black. In book â€Å"The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-Lending Enforcement† Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger present racial issues and argue the importance of skin color in banking. It should be noted that this book was published in 2002, year where we all think that American people are equal, especially on racial basis. Therefore, why and how does the skin color come into play in banking? First, the American lenders take many factors into consideration when disbursing the mortgage. Such factors include many details such as the creditor’s ability to repay the loan – where the lender accesses the potential risk of losing the loan. There are many different lenders and they base their information on statistics, demographics and make final decision based on the risk factors. Research showed that mainly blacks would seek loans, which are not favorable to all lenders. Therefore such bank does take race into consideration when reviewing for application for credit. It is also shown that blacks will most likely work with subprime lenders (44%) with comparison to whites (only 4%). Blacks generally cannot use the prime mortgage market due to their poor qualifications, thus creating the black to white ratio of getting the mortgage – with figures of 2. 28 denial for prime market and 1. 27 for subprime. At the same time, limited research shows that blacks-even though have some qualifications as white – would remain in the subprime market and thus be charged higher fees. Equal Credit Opportunity Act says: It shall be unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction—on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract). (U. S. Code Title 15, Chapter 41, Section 1691) This would mean that all people should be treated equally in banks, when doing business in banks, no discrimination in credit transaction. However, authors argue that the bank may take a different look at the person and who they are in â€Å"business necessity† can be proved. Therefore, even while it is regulated by law, certain discriminatory practices can and do exist. Later, it would be rather hard to prove that the lender discriminated based for example on race. All regulations are not very clear and courts find it hard to find such a connection of discrimination. It is implied that blacks, with poorer ability to repay, living in lower income communities, must face subprime, expensive mortgages – to possibly make as much money as possible in the shortest time-so if the black borrower defaults on his payments, the lender wouldn’t lose its investment. This is to compare with the white borrower who lives in the richer-type setting, is more likely to meet his payments, therefore, he is offered a prime mortgage rate, without the necessity to further secure the loan. It can be argued if blacks and whites are treated equally, despite many regulations. On one hand, the lender must adhere to all necessary regulations, but on the other hand, such institution can make necessary decisions to make that mortgage profitable – thus, taking all factors into consideration in the application process. We can further analyze that race and color of skin does matter when one is being evaluated for such an application. It is believed that whites pose a lower risk to a financial institution than blacks. This also means, as authors point out, that black are less likely to be approved for a higher-priced home than a white person, which causes the real estate agents to discriminate and not show the more expensive houses to blacks. Maybe they don’t discriminate, they just know that lender is not likely to approve a black person in comparison to the same application of a white person? It is particularly important to note that authors point out that ‘‘on average, black mortgage applications have higher loan-to value and debt-to-income ratios than do white applications. ’’ In closing, it should be noted that while many regulations exist, there is no proof that racial discrimination has gone away and some research suggests that blacks still have lower approval rate in comparison to the whites. It is said that race does play a key role when the lender looks at your mortgage application.

Presidental Debate

October 22, 2012, was the 2012 final presidential debate. President Obama and Governor Mitt Rooney spoke about the issues in the middle East and how Iran is in the process of creating a nuclear bomb in the next four Years and how would they protect our national security . The gentleman asking the Questions is Bob Schaefer (an old time news anchor for CNN) In the meanwhile, President Obama is stating his facts about he middle east and is trying to pursue The American people that if he stays in office that he will try to make changes And make sure America stays safe.And Rooney is trying to debate against what The president is saying. The republican and democratic party are both strongly Supporting their candidates in this Presidential race by constantly reminding The American people to vote and to listen to the debate and for non-deciding Voters to listen also so they can know who they are going to vote for. The debate Was held at Lynn University in Abstractor, Florida.I believe that i t was held here To show the students that their voice and vote is very important in this race Because it is our future. And to make more people aware of the debate. The debate Took place because the middle Is such a huge Issue in America' media and since The voting for the new president Is coming up very shortly, they must bring Attention to the problems America Is facing with other countries, and this may Help people to make a smart choice on who to vote on the run our country.

Value Proposition of Gym/Spa Business

A business endeavor like a gym and spa is a rewarding one, due to the fact that you are not only doing business but you are doing people a favor as well. What is nice about a proposed gym/spa business that it complements each other, a spa will always complement to a spa, because it provides the clients a chance to relax after a rigorous workout. Aside from that, the owner of such business can have lots of opportunities the bodybuilding and fitness industry has its complementary products as well. Among these are food supplements that people place a premium nowadays. This can fuel the revenues of the business as well. On the other hand, the spa will draw ladies and metrosexuals who are put a premium on wellness services. The spa will complement the gym and it is evident among prominent gyms with their own spa services. Pricing and Advertising The gym/spa will get athletes and sports celebrities as their endorsers. This will enable the gym/spa to draw clients which will be motivated to enroll in the gym/spa. The payment will be on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis. This will give potential clients the option to enroll at the gym/spa based on their income. Market Niche of a Gym/Spa Business A slogan that can be used with this business is â€Å"Health is Wellness, The Rest Would be for The Best!† The gym/spa business will hold a firm position on its market niche because it will draw people from all walks of life that makes this business worthwhile and lucrative.   Mostly the people who are stressed-out from work will draw your attention. It is evident among gyms like Fitness First and Gold’s Gym who have their own spa amenities inside the gym. Another thing is that, you can engage into this business with some of your friends, so as to draw a variety of crowd that will eventually be your regular clients. SWOT Analysis Strengths  § The gym/spa showcases a wide variety of state of the art amenities and equipment that will promote fitness.  § It has other amenities aside from the usual gym/spa that will augment the gym/spa itself. Weaknesses  § The gym/spa will have a hard time enticing blue collar workers because of its massive advertising using celebrities.  § It is a hindrance that there would be a possibility that the gym/spa can only accommodate a certain number of clients inside the vicinity. Opportunities  § The gym/spa will have potential consignments with other business establishments, such as nutritional supplement shops that will augment the advertising of the gym spa.  § The gym/spa can make their service 24 hours a day because there are people’s work shifts vary. Threats  § The gym/spa is deemed to get a demand for the increase in payments if ever client enrolment will be at a low. Nearby gyms like those within the neighborhood will be a petty yet potential com

Logistics and Project Planning Essay

The mission of elc was to provide consumers with access to the Internet at the lowest cost. Despite the excellent support and recognition from the public, elc was experiencing adversity of keeping their business profitable after the Internet Investment bubble burst. The original concept of owning many of the large stand-alone cafes with 250-500 PC terminals at each cafe was not working well. elc undertook a dramatic restructuring of the company by downsizing the cafes. Many of the large, original stand-alone elc stores will be run by franchisees. These franchised stores will become smaller stores which have 20 to 30 PCs terminals at each cafe and with no staff required except for regular maintenance. Less involvement with store operations allows elc to concentrate on activities of their core competence and outsource all the non-core activities. Their core competence was to continue building their ‘easy’ brand and applying the yield management model to the Internet cafe business. Their business goal was to open 4 new franchises per week over the next 3 years. In order to achieve the goal of growing their franchised Internet cafes business, an efficient, flexible and cost-effective logistics system is what they need for the provision of equipment to the franchisee. Since logistics is one of the non-core activities that is perceived as a bottleneck for scalability, the present logistics system of elc will be reviewed and findings of whether to outsource the logistics system will be presented to the management team. Background of easyGroup Stelios Haji-loannou, the founder of easyGroup, is the renowned Greek entrepreneur who utilized his family money to launch a serial of ventures. His first venture, Stelmar Tankers was found in 1992. The company very soon went into the public sector and was listed on New York Stock Exchange. In 1995, he found easyJet. easyJet was a no-frills, low cost airline company and later grew to become the largest no-frill airline in Europe and was listed on the London stock exchange in 2000. Building on the success of easyJet and to extend the ‘easy’ brand further, he formed the holding company easyGroup in 1998. easyInternetcafe was his first venture under the umbrella of the easyGroup. Other companies in the group included easyJet, easyCar, easyCinema, easy. com, easyMoney and easyValue, easyBus, easyPizza, easyCruise, and easyDorm. Low price and no-frill is the key elements of the ‘easy’ brand. Yield Management Model Stelios is an enthusiast of Yield Management Model and he applies the model to his business. According to Wikipedia, yield management is the process of understanding, anticipating and influencing consumer behavior in order to maximize revenue or profits from a fixed, perishable resource (such as airline seats or hotel room reservations). Stelios believes that lowering the price will increase the demands of the customers significantly. By locating all the large internet cafes in high traffic areas, elc aimed to capture the maximum revenue by providing internet services with a variety of price points at different points in time (peak hours or off peak hours). The price for Internet access varies based on demand, raising the price in dollar per hour in mid-afternoon, when stores are nearly full. That gives bargain hunters an incentive to visit in the non-peak hours, when price is dropping. The model is well suited for business with high fixed cost and perishable supply. The large numbers of computer equipments inside the Internet cafes are capital intensive for elc. The empty seats inside the cafe in a certain time period cannot generate any revenue and thus can be said to have perished. elc uses one of their capital proprietary products, CVM, to monitor how seats are occupied and react accordingly, for example by adjusting the price to offer discounts when it appears that large amount of seats are remaining empty. However, this model is not working for elc as it does for airline and hotel industries. The customers’ willingness to pay for using the internet access at theses internet cafe is impulsive and their demands are not easy to predict. The yield management model works well for airlines and hotels mainly because their customers usually plan ahead of time on their journey. Therefore, airlines and hotels are more likely to predict their customer demands and adjust the prices accordingly. They still have time to attract customers by offering last minute deals. But for internet cafes, customers do not make reservation for their usage of Internet in advance. Customer demands are thus very hard to predict. Even though the CVM can adjust the pricing based on the vacancy of the cafe, it is difficult to attract enough customers in a short period of time to fill up the empty usage of the internet access. Since Internet was still a new technology at that time, Internet access was not yet considered to be an essential product. Customers were likely to learn when to visit the cafes so that they can pay less compared to other time period.

Adolescent Alcohol Abuse

Adolescent Alcohol Abuse Essay Adolescent Alcohol Abuse:What Factors are Present?Over the years, many researchers have dedicated their time and energy to study adolescent alcohol abuse. They have found that there are many factors that contribute to adolescent alcohol abuse. These factors are psychological, environmental, social, and cultural. Not all of these factors play a part in every adolescent who abuses alcohol, but one of these factors is usually present. Psychological disorders have been found in both American, and Taiwan adolescents who abuse alcohol. The health risks of adolescent alcohol abuse are great. Alcohol affects the physiology of a young person. It disrupts the genetics and hormonal balances that are critical in the early development of youngsters.Treatment of alcohol abuse is a great state of change and development. Many therapists, doctors and counselors are trying to incorporate new treatment ideas and methods into the traditional techniques that have been used for years now.It is important t o research the factors that contribute to adolescent alcohol abuse because if these factors are detected early, and an adolescent is put into a prevention program the likelihood that they will abuse alcohol will greatly decrease.Psychological Factors According to the research, there have been many psychological problems found in adolescents who abuse alcohol. The majority of the research has been done in order to solve the question of whether or not these psychological factors are present before an adolescent abuses alcohol, or after the alcohol abuse has occurred. In the research done by Rhode, Lewinsohn, and Seeley (1996), they used a community sample of 1,507 adolescents between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. The adolescents were classified into the categories of abstainers, experimenters, social drinkers, problem drinkers, and abuse and/or dependent groups. In this study, 373 subjects met the criteria for depression, 15 were bipolar, 93 suffered from manic core symptoms, and 124 had an anxiety disorder (Rhode et al., 1996). Furthermore, anxiety disorder and depression were psychological disorders that were more prevalent in female adolescents with alcohol abuse than their male counterparts.Males who abused alcohol tended to suffer from antisocial personality disorder. It is believed that females who suffer from anxiety disorder or depression use alcohol as a self-medication to make them feel better. According to Clark, and Bukstein (1998), one form of antisocial disorder known as conduct disorder lead adolescents to act out and seek out new experiences. This is probably the reason why adolescent males with an antisocial disorder turn to alcohol abuse. According to Rhode (et al., 1996), More than 80% of adolescents with an alcohol use disorder had another psychiatric disorder. (p. 106). In his study, the alcohol abuse tended to follow rather than proceed the psychiatric disorder. From this, it can be concluded that certain psychological disorders such as antisocial disorder, and depression are a factor in adolescent alcohol abuse. Environmental FactorsMany studies have focused on the environmental factors that adolescents are exposed to, and how these factors lead to alcohol abuse. The aim of a study performed by Clark, Lesnick, and Hegedus (1997), Was to examine trauma history and other adverse life events in adolescents with alcohol dependence or abuse and to compare them with a sample of community-dwelling adolescents without alcohol use disorder (p.1746). This study included 256 adolescents between the ages of fourteen and eighteen (Clark et al., 1997). Adolescents who abused, or were dependent on alcohol reported more traumas then those in the control group. The types of abuse experienced by males and females tended to differ. Females experienced more sexual abuse, and males tended to be victims of violent acts. Both sexual abuse victims, and victims of violent acts showed increased amounts of alcohol use than those adolescents who were not abused in any way. If subjects experienced a number of traumas, t hey tended to abuse alcohol more than those that experienced only one trauma or no trauma at all. From this study, it can be concluded that trauma and abuse leads to adolescent alcohol abuse. Social Factors A study done on Hispanic and Black adolescents in the New York inner cities concluded that there were indeed social factors that contributed to adolescent alcohol abuse. The study used a sample of 4,874 Hispanic and African

Incorporating criticism into your arguements Essay

Incorporating criticism into your arguements - Essay Example Melville’s story is about the dehumanizing effects of the new social order. It is situated in the business center of New York, at Wall Street. Melville’s Narrator has no name, thus symbolically he has lost his personhood, his humanity. He is a lawyer; however, the Narrator is quick to point out that he is not a champion of justice or defender of right. Instead, he describes himself a â€Å"one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men’s bonds and mortgages and title-deeds.† In short, the Narrator is a man whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of wealth and leisure. In a time when commerce and industrialization is on the rise, his job is to aid the newly rich in securing their property, their titles and bonds. On the other hand, Bartleby is the only character in the story with a real name – not a nickname like Turkey, Nipper or Ginger Nut. Bartleby is a man who is entirely disconnected with the world of the wealthy. Sad, quiet and miserable, he writes from morning to night, lives in the office, is surrounded by blank walls with little light, does not eat dinners, and does not have any friends. However, when asked by the Narrator to perform some simple tasks, he flatly, though politely, refuses, without any excuse except that he does not prefer to. Here is depicted the conflict of the regimen of the workplace and personal will. Bartleby is insistent that he abide by his own free will and not be dictated upon by those with the money. It appears, then, that the Narrator, who is schooled, titled and honoured, could be bought, but Bartleby, poor, simple and unknown, could not. Even when the Narrator gives him twenty dollars’ premium over his wages, he quietly shows his refusal. In the story, one cannot help but attach