6 common traits of horrible bosses

6 common traits of horrible bosses While in a perfect world your boss would be a magical combination of friend and mentor, you’re very lucky if you land a gig where that’s the case. For the most part, bosses are just fine. Some are just mediocre and more or less tolerable. Some are good and make work a nice place to be every day. But then, in rare instances, you come across a boss who’s truly  awful. A terrible boss can ruin your life and derail your career. Do you despise your relationship with your boss and wonder if maybe you’re overreacting? Read on for 6 of the most common awful boss behaviors. If you recognize more than 2 of these, it might be time to look elsewhere for work to save your sanity.1. They micromanage every little task.Bosses are supposed to hire people they trust enough- based on their skills and experience- to do the job they’re hired to do. Then, they’re supposed to leave you a bit of room to actually do your job, rather than breathing over your shoulde r and confusing things- or just stressing you out. A good boss eases up and lets you fly. A bad boss attaches himself to your every move, all the time.2. They always take credit for others’ successes.Taking credit for the ideas of others is never a good habit. It’s especially vile in a boss, who is supposed to nurture their employees and help them achieve. If your boss likes to claim the credit for something you had a heavy hand in and bask in the glow of accolades after a success, that means she’s getting in the way of your limelight. It’s not just unfair, it’s detrimental to your career.3. They’re never satisfied with anything.No matter how many expectations you meet or succeed, it’s never enough for your boss. She finds a way to demean your efforts or to belittle them. She’s always wanting more. There never seems to be any room for positive feedback or recognition because the goalposts are always moving. If you stick around too long, your self esteem is going to drop dangerously low.4. They constantly manipulate you, but never enough to cross a line.Often, a terrible boss comes to understand just how much criticism you can handle without snapping, breaking, or quitting.  and sticks to that limit- again and again. He knows if she takes too much from you too fast, you’ll simply quit. But if he beats down your self worth and builds you back up, again and again, you might stay. Don’t.5. They hoard the knowledge and the power.Everything flows through your boss. All things are CC-ed. He has his hand in every project. And, most importantly, he is the only one with enough knowledge to see the big picture, or the whole scope of a project. If you and your team members are laboring in the dark, chances are your boss is keeping you there.6. They’re easily threatened.Anytime your boss’s authority is tested, she flips out. This is not normal behavior for a boss, particularly if that â⠂¬Å"threat† is just someone having an idea, or a conversation that doesn’t include her. Horrible bosses see other people’s successes as their losses. If your boss flies off the handle whenever she’s not #1, you’ll find yourself trying to hide your accomplishments, which is  not a way to build a career. Consider talking to human resources, requesting a transfer, or looking for a new gig if possible.

Toyota. Organizations Mission

Toyota. Organizations Mission Leaders have the role of developing their organization’s operating strategies, mission, vision, and corporate objectives. Management and human resources are guided by their organizations Mission, vision and objectives; their attainment leads to satisfied stakeholders. An effective mission, vision and objectives should be attainable and reflect the needs operation of a company. This paper analyzes Toyota Motor Corporations, United States branch, vision, mission and objectives.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Toyota. Organizations Mission specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mission statement The company has a mission statement in the United States of America as follows, â€Å"To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America†( Toyota Motor Corporation Corporate Website, 2011). The management either in Japan where the head quarters are, or in the United States branch are guided by the mission they want to attain. When one analyzes the mission statement, the company simply illustrates how it wants to add value in Americans life, through its innovative products. The mission has been attained through massive inventive and innovative of models, and involvement in corporate social responsibilities. When the company’s products are not offering quality as expected, the company recalls the products; this is in the efforts of adding more value to the Americans. Vision statement The vision of the company is â€Å"To be the most successful and respected car company in America (Toyota Motor Corporation Corporate Website, 2011). The attainment of the vision will only be realized after the company has set appropriate internal processes that target the American market; the internal processes that the company has implemented are aggressive marketing, innovation, research and development among others. The lea dership role in the country and the world in general was attained in 2008, when the company surpassed General Motors’ to be the world largest motor vehicle company by volume production and sales. The largest market for the company’s products is in North America.Advertising Looking for critical writing on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Objectives The company’s objectives are in five-principle documentation, they are: Kaizen (continuo’s improvement): the company aims at improving its products and internal processes to ensure that they fully satisfy their customers, the recent development is the introduction of electric automobiles. Teamwork: the company has a motivated team, which aims at increasing the efficiency and operations in the company for the benefit of the company. Challenges: the company aims at facing challenges as they come, it is willing to face the situat ion in the world and probably offer solution. The objective is derived through massive research and development programs implemented. Respect: the company aims at preserving high respect for its internal and external customer, it also aims at being in harmony with the environment; to attain this objective, the company has a code of ethics that every employee need to employ the ethical code. The codes define ethics as a set of moral principles or values used by organizations to monitor the conduct of both the employees and the organization it in how they carry out their activities both internally and externally. Genchi Genbutsu (go and see); the company aims at developing internal processes and products through research and development programs. It has an active research team at aims at coming up with better products and processes (Hino, 2006). Conclusion Leaders have the role of developing attainable vision, mission and objectives; after developing the objectives, the next task is t o come-up with policies and strategies to see their attainment. The success of Toyota in the United States has been attributed to effective leadership that respects the company’s mission, Vision and corporate objectives.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Toyota. Organizations Mission specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More References Hino, S. (2006). Inside the mind of Toyota: management principles for enduring growth. Tokyo: Productivity Press. Toyota Motor Corporation Corporate Website. (2011). Toyota Motor Corporation. Retrieved from https://www.toyota.com/

Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cash Flow - Essay Example It (comparison) also identifies the differences in timing between cash payments and expenses. Through the direct method of cash flows, reconciliation of the actual cash flows from operating activities with the accrual-based accounting net income can be done. The company’s stated profitability and its cash holding position is therefore clearly presented to its stakeholders in this manner. The indirect method of cash-flow preparation requires a well-established link between the balance sheet and the income statement. The statement users are therefore, able to systematically and logically view the company’s financial statements. The company’s current assets and liabilities reflected on the balance sheet are easily traced back to its operations summarized in the income statement. The use of indirect method makes it possible to disclose the company’s non-cash transactions. The statement users are therefore, in a better position to understand how non-cash transactions are not sources of cash flows but factors of net income. Direct method is an alternative to the indirect method of cash flows. The company’s cash payments and receipts with detailed categories are disclosed separately when using the direct method. Such a practice can make the financial statement to appear clustered. Auditors also tend to ask for an additional reconciliation schedule on cash flows and income from company’s using direct method. However, accounting rule-setting authorities allows companies to use indirect method by disclosing, in a simpler statement format, changes in current assets and liabilities. As a CFO I would prefer the indirect statement of cash flows method. The indirect method starts by identifying the companys net income or loss. Subsequently, any non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, amortization, loss provision for accounts receivable and any losses on the sale of a

Frankenstein history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Frankenstein history - Essay Example Despite the horrifying elements that the book contains, most people are for the fact that the book is a work of science. As Victor is seen joining the university at Ingolstadt, he creates a monster, a grotesque act committed by him, which removes him far from the victory of committing a scientific triumph. He attempts to go beyond accepted human limits of knowledge in order to create secrets not known to mankind. The story behind Frankenstein thus may be viewed as a lesson about the search for knowledge as well as the dangerousness that accompanies the pursuit. This paper helps to provide an insight into Mary Shelley’s characterisation of Victor and helps to portray his role as an admirable scientist and also delves into the subject of whether or not some lines should be crossed when it comes to understanding human science. Victor Frankenstein grew up in Geneva and moved to the University at Ingolstadt to understand the secrets of human life. He was extremely interested in and inquisitive about the ‘secret’ life of humans and wanted to pursue the discovery of the creation of mankind. The entire novel has been written by Shelley from the perspective of three protagonists as the novel begins with Robert Walton writing letters to his sister, within which he includes the story of the creation of the monster, Frankenstein. It is Victor’s obsession for wisdom that led him to the predicament that he was caught up in when Walton found him at the North Pole, almost dead. The story thus is in the form of a narrative by Victor, which then takes the form of an epistolary as Walton writes it to his sister. Victor gave rise to a grotesque monster which he called Frankenstein. The monster eventually killed his youngest brother, his best friend as well as his wife, and caused a few other deaths which brought great remorse and grief upon the scientist. Despite the ramifications of his weak judgement in creating a source of destruction, Victor was not able to admit the guilt of his creativity as he transforms into a disillusioned man on the path of destroying the fruits of his own career and ambitions. Throughout the story, the author emphasises on the lack of humanness that he possesses. She depicts this throughout various instances, for example, right in the beginning, when Victor refuses to marry Elizabeth despite the marriage being his dying mother’s last wish. He leaves the poor girl and flees to the university. Even after creating a monster which ends up killing his loved ones, he does not stop to think about his emotions and gives no comfort to his feelings. Thus, by these incidents, one may witness that the character of Victor was not very admirable. However, throughout the beginning when Victor had a focus on science and wanted to go about a certain way, his traits with respect to his goals and ambitions were very admirable. As the reader moves further into the story, Victor moves farther away from his emotions an d feelings, giving the reader a sense of feeling putrid for his admirableness. Victor Frankenstein could thus be deemed as a stoic man, incapable of feeling for people around him. He proved the same by giving into his scientific curiosity and letting go of the people he loved sub consciously. Upon creating the monster, he left horrified by what he had done, and this made the monster feel confused and afraid as well. This shows relentless ambiguity on Victor’s character as he is not able to stick to his decisions or make up his mind regarding what he wants. Victor’s narrative has been deemed upon by a number of critics as a reliable source of information because it comes straight from the little emotions that he was able to muster up and talk about. He tells the story to Walton in a very matter of fact manner, stating everything he

Analyze papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyze papers - Essay Example The colleges are cheaper and high school pay an average of $ 2,544 per year. The colleges attain high enrollment despite the harsh economic conditions in the society (Boggs p 3). Thesis: American colleges are democratic, diverse and offer equal opportunities in access of quality education American colleges are democratic since citizens have equal access regardless of age, gender, race or ethnic background. The education is accessible, quality and ensures a learning lifeline for the rural communities. The community colleges offer critical workforce for the nation since a majority of the first responders including firefighters, police officers and paramedics have postsecondary credentials (Boggs p 3). The education provide local economies with required skills such as the Alabama Southern Community College that offers paper technology programs to the pulp industries and Gulf Coast colleges that offer petrochemical technical programs. The colleges are inclusive and diverse in terms of na tionality, ethnicity, social economic status and disability composition of the student population (Boggs 4). All American politicians and educationists agree that education guarantees American competitiveness and productivity (Delbanco p 1). American colleges keep pace with knowledge economy through providing the required skills and expertise in the industries. Although education has existed since Ancient Greece and Rome, American colleges have gone further to formalize the education system by grant of the teaching license and modern colleges with library facilities. American colleges have specialized education and strive to reach many people as possible including women. Inclusion of need-based policies ensures equal access of education among social classes without any regard to social status or birth status of the individual. Interestingly, students from affluent families have chances of gaining admission to nonprofit colleges and gain knowledge on American and international cultur es (Delbanco 3). Unlike other college systems that aim at attaining higher employment rates like Chinese, American college system aim at enabling the multi-cultural student population to learn from each other. Indeed, a landmark case of Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) demonstrated that inter-racial student population enables interchange of ideas and interaction of consciences. American colleges have utilized technology to ensure higher access and reduce costs associated with small classes per faculty. The hybrid model allow for electronic instruction and assessment. However, the standardized testing system of other countries such as China and Belgium is slowly gaining inroads in US decentralized system with the No Child Left behind Program assessment program proposed by President Barrack Obama. The standardized system will undermine liberal education ideologies, but will cater for the cost, use of technology and increase the transition from the school to coll ege. However, some qualities such as creativity, humility and insight in to ethical behaviors are immeasurable using standardized testing. American college system is under revolution due to increase in the use of information technology, globalization, inadequacy of secondary education and high debate on skills needed in the economy. Accordingly, older students are faced with challenges such as family demands,

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay Reading is often seen as a fairly simple process where a person reads text from left to right and from the top to the bottom while making meaning one word at a time. The process of reading is much more complex than this, and many theorists have presented models explaining what skills and knowledge they believe people need to possess in order to read effectively. Three mainstream theories of teaching Reading include the Psycholinguistic model, the Bottom-up model and the Socio-cultural model supported by Luke and Freebody (year 1990?). The Psycholinguistic Model: The Psycholinguistic model of teaching Reading is also called the Top-down model and the Inside-out model. Goodman (1967), a theorist supporting this reading model, proposes that the reader is the major component of reading, as opposed to the Bottom-up model which focuses on the text. The Psycholinguistic model places importance on the reader making meaning from a text by relating it to their background and prior understandings. The more prior knowledge and experiences a reader has, the less dependence they will need to place on word order, language structures, and phonological concepts (week 1 ppt). Unlike the Bottom-up reading model, this theory focuses on the non-visual information that the reader has and suggests that, in order to read, one must have semantic, syntactic and grapho-phonic knowledge. Semantic information involves a readers prior knowledge and understandings of the world and various concepts. Syntactic knowledge is the understanding of word order and language struct ures (week 1 ppt, p.?), and grapho-phonic information involves phonological concepts; an understanding of the alphabet and the sounds that various letters and letter combinations make (week 1 ppt). The idea of relying on the readers experiences and prior knowledge can also be seen as one of the biggest downfalls to this model. When presented with reading topics that are new to the reader, it is very difficult to make meaning of a text based solely on prior knowledge. For example, picture a young boy living in a secluded, poor village in Africa reading a text about Blu-Ray DVDs. The boy would likely have no knowledge or prior experience with this topic and so, according to this model, would not be able to make meaning of the text (slideshare). The Bottom-Up Model: The Bottom-Up Reading theory is also known as the Skills Model and the Outside-in theory. According to this Reading theory, beginner readers obtain a number of sub-skills that build towards understanding and comprehension. This theory suggests that readers passively receive information from a text and that it is their job to reproduce the meaning that already exists in the text. Visual information is the beginning point of the Bottom-Up Reading theory and involves interpreting written symbols into spoken language (McCarthy, 1999 www.teachingenglish) or (Nunan, 1991). Reading, according to this theory, involves recognising letters before recognising sounds, before recognising words, before recognising sentences, before finally making meaning of a text (week 1 ppt). It is essentially a decoding or skills approach based on the relationship between sounds and written symbols (week 1 ppt). One downfall of this theory is that it doesnt take into account the contributions a reader can bring to the process such as prior understandings and knowledge. It fails to recognise the need for the reader to use their previous experiences in order to make predictions and to have expectations whist reading. This process focuses on the text whereas the Psycholinguistic model focuses on the reader; two factors that are not enough by themselves (www.slideshare). The Socio-Cultural Model: The Socio-Cultural model of teaching Reading, supported by Luke Freebody (year), recognises the importance of both the reader and the text in the reading process. In this model, importance is placed equally on both the text and the reader (nadabs). Unlike the psycholinguistic and bottom-up models, the Socio-cultural theory relies on both the visual and non-visual aspects of reading and not just on one of these factors (www.slideshare). An attempt is made to combine the positive aspects of both the Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models, whilst also trying to eliminate the negatives (McCormick, 1988). As a result of this, the Socio-cultural reading model focuses on the importance of prior knowledge while recognising the fact that certain skills are also necessary (www.slideshare). This Reading theory consists of four Roles of the Reader which include the Code Breaker, the Text Participant, the Text User and the Text Analysis. The code breaker involves decoding visual information such as letter-sound understanding. Text participant involves creating meaning from the text by using prior knowledge and experiences. Text user involves knowing the purpose of a text and how to use it, for example, a recipe, comprehension or birthday card, and Text analysis involves working out what the author is trying to do to you, for example, underlying intentions and biases (week 1 ppt). According to this socio-cultural model, a reader is required to successfully perform each of these four roles in order to become effective readers. Most effective model to use in the classroom: The Socio-Cultural model is the most promising teaching Reading theory as it tries to incorporate the positive components and eliminate the negative components of both the psycholinguistic and the Bottom-up Reading theories. This model, therefore, is arguably the most effective theory to be used in the classroom as it recognises the importance of both the Reader and the text. According to Eskey (1988), a good read is someone who is able to decode and interpret readings in an increasingly automatic manner. They attempt to identify the purpose and the form of a text before reading it, continually making predictions about what will happen next based on personal experiences and information learned earlier. Effective readers also try to form a summary of what they have read by using skills such as classifying, sequencing, hypothesising, predicting, inferring, comparing and contrasting (www.teachingenglish). The socio-cultural reading model tries to present a balanced view of the reading process and recognises the importance of teaching children phonics and other necessary skills, while noting that phonics by itself is not enough. Students need to be able to do more than just say a written sentence; they also need to try to make meaning of it. According to this model, students should be given plenty of opportunities to practice each of the following four roles of the reader; Code-breaker, Text-participant, Text-user and Text-analysis (Winch et al., 2001, p.58). They need to learn to say the words, create meaning from these words, know the purpose of each text and how to use it, and finally, learn to recognise how a text is positioning them. According to this Socio-cultural reading model, students are effective readers once they have become proficient at each of these four reading roles (Winch et al, 2001). Classroom practice examples: Effective teaching is necessary in order to nurture students to become effective readers. Reading lessons must be carefully planned, prepared and monitored to ensure that high level learning is occurring in the classroom. The activities a teacher chooses to assist in any Reading lesson must encourage students to learn necessary skills and to perform each of the four roles of the reader. Activities must provide students with frequent opportunities to read, teach them phonological skills, and help them to understand the structure of verbal and written words. Effective teachers will model effective reading to their students in a fun, positive manner by using props, acting, strong expression and variations in speed, pitch and volume to ensure that students see the process as enjoyable. Shared reading or modelled reading is one activity that teachers should incorporate into their Reading teaching program. It is usually a whole-class activity structured to demonstrate effective reading to the students. Teachers will often use a big book that all students can see and will follow a somewhat structured procedure. Before reading the book, an effective Reading teacher will try to build up their students semantic knowledge about the topic of the book so that students are able to relate text to mental pictures. This could be done by taking students on an excursion, drawing/painting pictures, watching a video or through writing activities. When first introducing a big book, the teacher should ensure that it is visible to all students and should encourage children to suggest what they think the book might be about. The teacher then reads through the entire book with limited stops as this first reading is usually for the enjoyment of the children. Following readings are more i nteractive and require students to join in on repetitive parts and answer questions about the storyline, characters, punctuation and structure. They are also followed up with activities to help support learning and encourage understanding. Shared reading helps to build sight word knowledge, increases reading fluency, provides opportunities for struggling readers to enjoy books they otherwise would not, and ensures that all students have a feeling of success as the whole class is supported (WETA http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading). Guided reading is another effective strategy to use in the classroom. This differs to shared reading in that students are placed in groups of similar reading ability and are given their own book to look at.The book should be introduced in a similar manner to shared reading, with attention being paid to the front cover, author and illustrator. Each students should be given the opportunity to read a designated section out loud, however, teachers should be careful not to set a child up for failure by asking a struggling reader to read a large, difficult portion of the book. Techniques should be available for students to use in order to overcome reading difficulties such as with phonics, grammar and meaning. Students should be required to take on the four roles of the reader by answering pre-prepared questions by the teacher. After a guided reading session, students should re-read the book with a partner and then take the book home to read to their parents. Again, follow-up activities ar e to be used in order to reinforce new learning such as sequencing activities or memory where repetitive words are written on pieces of card/paper and students are required to find two matching words (Winch, et al., 2001). Guided reading is effective as it allows children to read and comprehend books at their own level, instead of struggling to read books that are too difficult and where students are unable to make meaning of the text. Another effective activity to use when teaching Reading to students is called The language experience approach which uses events that have occurred in the students life in order to create texts. Students verbally share an experience which is written down either by the student or with the help from the teacher. These stories then become meaningful texts for reading and further activities as they are written at the students level and often reflect common every day experiences. The language experience approach is an effective strategy as it is learner-centred and shows students that their thoughts and experiences are valued. It also creates texts that are readable and predictable as it uses language that is common to the students (McCormick, 1988). Reading is a very complex cognitive process and involves both the text and the semantics of the reader. The Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models both acknowledge some important elements of the reading process, however, the Socio-cultural model is more effective as it attempts to combine the positive and eliminate the negative aspects of each. Effective teaching is of great importance in order to help students to become competent readers. By providing students with valuable reading activities and experiences, and encouraging them to take on the four roles of the reader, teachers are setting students up with the essential skills and understandings to becoming effective readers.

Cloning, Triumph or Tragedy? Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Clone G

Cloning, Triumph or Tragedy? The creation of life through scientific experiments is not a new concept. The idea has been in existence as far back as two hundred years. Mary Shelley was far ahead of her time when she brought the human like creature to life in her writing of "Frankenstein, The Modern Prometheus." The story of "Frankenstein" was written as a myth, yet it continues to leave the world intrigued today. The idea of creating human or animal life is now in the making, except there is a twist to creating this new life. It is known as cloning, bringing an exact replica of cells to life to create an animal or a human that is already in existence. Though human life has not yet been a part of cloning, the cloning of one lamb has recently occurred. The advantages to cloning as well as many ethical dilemmas will be discussed, According to one document, "The technology to clone is simple, though far from perfect." Various views will also be shared from J. Michael Bishop ¹s"Enemies of Promise." Scientists will express their beliefs in the advancement of technology and the use of science in today ¹s world. Many definitions of cloning have been brought to light by groups and organizations. The American Medical Association defines it as "the production of genetically identical organisms via somatic cell nuclear transfer." Cloning is the method of producing a baby gene that has the same gene as its parent. The idea of cloning all began in 1997 with embryologist, Ian Wilmut, from Roslin Institute in Scotland. He and his colleagues were the first to clone a lamb they named "Dolly." Before this experiment was proven successful, cloning was thought to be an impossible endeavor. It is true that the technology to clone does exist, but ... ... it is human failure that causes problems in our society. People need to think harder about the reality and the effects cloning could have on society before cloning itself becomes real. If human cloning ever does become legalized and takes place, I surely hope that science doesn ¹t take the bad  ³rap ² for it, but the failure of humans instead. We saw Victor Frankenstein ¹s failures, we saw other accounts of failures. Maybe we should learn from the various examples, that human life is extremely fragile and to distort it could change the human race forever. Works Cited Bishop, J. Michael.  ³Enemies of Promise. ² 237-242 Farnsworth, Joseph (2000, April) To Clone or not to Clone. http://farnsworth.tripod.com/Humancloning/cloning_m.htm Marty, Martin (1997, May) A Wolf in Sheep ¹s Cloning. http://thelutheran.org/9705/page26.html Shelley, Mary.  ³Frankenstein. ² 231-235

First Impression of Iago Essay

My first impression of Iago is that he’s a manipulative and hypocritical man who tries to make up for the lack of success and happiness in his life by destroying that of others. In Iago’s first appearance in the play, he’s seen manipulating the wealthy but foolish Roderigo into giving him money. He claims to be taking this money to buy extravagant gifts to woo Desdemona on Roderigo’s behalf, but he keeps the money for himself. â€Å"Iago, who hast had [Roderigo’s] purse/ As if the strings were [his]† is clearly taking advantage of the jealous suitor of Desdemona (I. i. -3). As Roderigo is threatening to drown himself, Iago says to him, â€Å"If the/ balance of our lives had not one scale of reason to poise/ another of sensuality, the blood and baseness of our/ natures would conduct us to most prepost’rous/ conclusions† (I. iii. 325-329). This is hypocritical of Iago because he is scolding Roderigo for letting emotions and desires take over his life, but Iago lets rage, jealous, and his thirst for revenge take over his life. As a result of the lack of happiness and success in his own life, Iago feels the need to destroy that of others. When Cassio is promoted to lieutenant, Iago conspires to have him fired by suggesting that he’s having an affair with Desdemona. When Othello marries Desdemona, Iago tries to turn Brabantio against his new son-in-law. Iago is unhappy with his life – he doesn’t have the job he wants, and his marriage isn’t a happy one – so he tries to compensate by making the lives of others miserable as well. Iago appears to be a typical villain whose plots are made in an attempt to get revenge on the protagonists. His manipulative and hypocritical ways help conceal his wicked thoughts from the foolish Roderigo and over-trusting Othello.

German Irish African and Native are all American essays

German Irish African and Native are all American essays Paula Chrystine Poling Poling 1 Myths, Memories and Realities of the War Between the States Dr. Mary Ellen Rowe and Dr. Larry Olpin German, Irish, African and Native are all American For minorities, as for other Americans, the Civil War was an opportunity to prove their valor and loyalty. Among the first mustered into the Union army were a De Kalb regiment of German American Clerks, the Garibaldi Guards made up of Italian Americans, a Polish Legion, and hundreds of Irish American youths from Boston and New York. Many people firmly believed, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that immigrants instinctively supported the union, and given the chance, deserted the South and sought their compatriots in Northern regiments (Burton 201). More than 400,000 European immigrants fought for the Union, including more than 170,000 Germans and more than 150,000 Irish. Many saw their services as a proud sacrifice. William Burton writes in his book Melting Pot Soldiers about John Cochrane, the colonel of a regiment who was of Irish decent. Cochrane recalled the native soldiers in the Union forces as typically a conscript rather than a volunteer, lacking in zeal and fire. Immigrant soldiers, in Cochranes recollection, held flaming partisan views, had dash and spirit, volunteered eagerly, and had real martial ardor (201). If we follow Cochranes description to the letter then all the other Americans were forced to serve their country and not because of their true loyalty and desire. Cochranes view is one of prejudice for his own ethnic group and against other American soldiers. Cynthia H. Enloe, in her pioneering work Ethnic soldiers: State Security in Divided Societies, went astray when she examined the history of immigrants in the North. State Security Planners she argued, treated recent immigrants as though they were outside the nation-state political system in the ...

As the number zero was the start of mathematics and the vacuum the foundation of physics. Essay Example

As the number zero was the start of mathematics and the vacuum the foundation of physics. Essay Example As the number zero was the start of mathematics and the vacuum the foundation of physics. Essay As the number zero was the start of mathematics and the vacuum the foundation of physics. Essay Essay Topic: A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings Hilarious Light in August As the number zero was the start of mathematics and the vacuum the foundation of physics, so silence became the standard measure of civilization. Yet, all three of these scientific standards spring from human imagination and are only applicable by general agreement, but remain in principle fictional.Few compositions have caused such a division of opinion as John Cages 4.33 from 1952, one of his own favourites. A well-dressed pianist entered the stage, sat down behind the grand piano, opened it, turned a page of the score in front of him every now and then and after about four and a half minutes he got up, made a bow and left the stage. Cage got the idea for this composition after a visit to a soundproof room and only wanted to show there is no such thing as absolute silence. This manifests itself on a recording of the piece that still exists. In it, a world of small tiny sounds opens up. Chairs squeak, uncomfortable coughing, the humming of the air-conditioning, some far-away sounds of traffic, the rustling of the pages of a program. Above all one can hear, just like the original audience back in 1952, the rushing of ones own blood in ones ears, ones heartbeat, swallowing and rumbling stomach. Through this, the audience becomes the performing artist of 4.33, and because one goes to a concert to listen, the uproarious silence had never been heard as well as just there. Does silence exist at all, one wonders, or is it like a hole in the ground, only observed because of the earth that surrounds it? After all silence is an arbitrary name for the absence of sound.Each piece of writing can be considered a composition as well; a composition in words and these are in essence silent. This void is filled as soon as the reader starts interacting with the authors words and his imagination attributes numerous voices and sounds to the essential silent text. This is the intention of reading and only natural since Mother Nature hates emptiness horror vacui and fills it promp tly. In music, as shown with the help of John Cage, one may well justify the use of markedly contradictory words, like the oxymoronic title of this paper. Some say that Faulkner likes to force readers to absorb many contradictory feelings all at once. His use of oxymorons helps to create a feeling of unresolved conflict.The author, like a filmmaker, has another trick up his sleeve. They are both able to turn off the sound at will. It is not very hard to picture this (talking about sound) and the effect it has can make a spectacular difference. The watching of a horror movie without sound often results in an audience responding at first uneasily and in the end with laughter, missing the culminating effect of music with image in heightening the tension. Now the author only manages to create a silent mode by either omitting all references directly relating to sound and by emphasizing the visual effect, or by the absence of dialogue when there seems to be every need for coherent speech but speech fails as a means of communication. As Addie Bundren observed in As I Lay Dying, (172) a word is just a shape to fill a lack. Faulkner, wittingly or intuitively, quite often uses a lack to create a new shape, one which is silently able to reverse the expected situation and give it a totally different charge.The old clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ that sometimes silence speaks louder than words still holds true. Silence has gradually become the social distinction between civilization and barbarism since the introduction of book printing. Knowledge and wisdom were gathered from books instead of by orating. One should not ever disturb a reader. The signs in the library demand silence. As in a silent movie, Faulkner manages to weave into his work scenes that seem to be stripped of sound, where nature and human life go into a silent mode, and the only option left is to watch it unfold before your eyes. In these scenes particularly, he succeeds in mixing the tragic and comic tones in such a w ay that contemplation of the view is the result. Whether one should classify Faulkners work as being more tragi-comedy than comi-tragedy is a difficult and debatable matter. The consensus seems to lean towards it being predominantly tragic with varying degrees of comic relief. The outcome of that discussion, however, is less interesting to me than to try to demonstrate the powerful effect that mixing these two tones has. I will pay special attention Faulkners descriptions of motion and sound, in which we seem to be presented with a slide show of consecutive still images, more specifically in scenes from Pantaloon in Black, a story in Go Down, Moses, and from Light In August.Pantaloon in BlackFrom Go Down, MosesWhere romantic comedy says: these aggressions can be transcended, and realistic comedy says: these aggressions will be punished, tragic-comedy says these aggressions can neither be transcended nor brought to heel, they are human nature and they are life (342). Eric Bentley poi nts out, in these few words, the power, the purpose, and the effect of mixing tones in literature. Comedy alone, he argues, creates an unreal world. Tragedy, he continues, excludes most of mens experiences because of its emphasis on Beauty, Heroism, Nobility and Higher Truth(338). Any author writing about the complexities of modern man should consider this, as William Faulkner does in Pantaloon in Black. In this story, the reader is presented with the immense tragedy of Rider, the protagonist, and because of this, most readers miss the storys comic moments.A plot summary most likely will only emphasize the tragic elements. Rider mourns the death of his wife Mannie. He buries her, single-handedly, in an almost violent way. After all, she has caused him to change, to become a better man. After refusing to go home with his aunt and uncle, his surrogate parents, he returns home only to see her ghost and then to the sawmill where he works like a mad man, throwing an enormous log in a dar ing display of physical skill one showing his desire to die for without her he doesnt want to live anymore. After that he desperately tries to drink himself to death with moonshine he fought over and got from a bootlegger. A rush to a dice game follows, after another confrontation with his aunt, where he tangles with Birdsong, a crooked white man, whom he kills with a razor. Captured by the law, Riders story, as seen through his eyes, ends. The deputy sheriff, a myopic prejudiced man, tells the rest of Riders story to his extremely bored wife. Though he did not attempt to escape, Rider tears his cell apart, only to be beaten by members of a black chain gang all for naught for the next day, the deputy tells us, persons unknown take him from the jail and lynch him.However, it hardly captures the essence of the story, for the comic undertones make all the difference. The first hint the reader gets is in the title. Pantaloon (or pantalone) is a stock character in the Italian commedi a del arte1 and here juxtaposes with black, the color of death, tragedy and the deprived race in Go Down, Moses. It is Faulkners first notice of absurdity. Rider represents this absurdity, and faced with it in the end, all he can do is laugh. Life has cheated him of the woman who made all the difference; such a situation seems a cruel joke. In the opening scene he flings dirt on to her coffin, using an implement which resembled the toy shovel a child plays with at the shore, its half cubic foot of flung dirt no more than the light gout of sand the childs shovel would have flung (131). If one thinks of the wasted energy of the mad swings with the little dirt, one cannot help but laugh at this silent scene.When one sees that the grave lies in a barren garbage heap, full of shards of pottery and broken bottles and other objects insignificant to sight (132), one cannot fail to appreciate the irony; a woman, who meant so much to her husband, tragically buried in a trash heap. When Rider arrives at the sawmill, he needs food. One cannot write home about his table manners but humorous mime again underlies the tragedy. When he eats, he is cramming the food into his mouth with his hands, wolfing it pease again, also gelid and cold, a fragment of yesterdays Sunday fried chicken, a few rough chunks of this mornings fried sidemeat, a biscuit the size of a childs cap indiscriminate, tasteless (139). This gentle grief-stricken giant eats what looks like garbage, like an animal. After his display of brutal strength his aunts husband was waiting for him with a peach pie which he immediately starts, holding the pie with both hands, wolfing at He was blinking rapidly as he chewed, the whites of his eyes covered a little more by the creeping red. (140)Again, to the casual observer he, comically, eats like a hungry wolf. Nevertheless, the picture Faulkner paints tragically shows a man whose eyes betray, through the blinking and the red that is creeping in, his sincere sorrow an d depth of feeling. The apparent absurdity of the dice game, in spite of its violent outcome, is highlighted by the fact that throughout this entire scene Rider is smiling like a fool (147-149). The black men participating in the game are losing their money like fools. Though the story does not describe their actions, and they never talk, we are aware of their actions. They are present through the soiled and palm-worn money (148) in front of Birdsong, the cheating white man with the comic name, who is eventually unmasked and killed by a fool. Rider, the traditional character of pantaloon who has ranted and raved throughout the story, true to his role, has adapted to the absurdity of life itself. Life is a crooked crapshoot; the odds are mostly against you.The deputy cannot grasp the contradictory attitude of someone who willingly confesses to murder but does not want to be locked up. Ah done it. Jest dont lock me up, Rider is reported to have said (152). Because of his enormous stre ngth he tears his cell apart and rips the door out of the wall. Like in a cartoon he is then subdued by a road gang of black convicts: a big mass of nigger heads and arms and legs boiling around on the floor and even then Ketcham says every now and then a nigger would come flying out and through the air across the room, spraddled out like a flying Squirrel and with his eyes sticking out like car headlights (154). This fight is one of those silent scenes, the absence of sound emphasizing the ridiculousness of the visual image. When Rider realizes the silliness of mans struggle to survive, he can do nothing else but laugh and cry, the perfect blend of comi-tragedy. Readers feel deeply about him, through his silent laughter and tears, because we see him as an absurd hero, especially compared to the insensitive racist deputy. The end of the story is all the more powerful by its mixture of comic and tragic tones.Light In AugustIn this thematically multi-layered novel by Faulkner, the st ory of Lena Groves is structurally juxtaposed with the stories of Joe Christmas and Gail Hightower. The book starts and ends with Lena Grove, a young pregnant woman looking for the father of her unborn child who he walked out on her. In the end, we learn that she was not so much looking for him as traveling just to travel, living in the present, in touch with nature and confident it would eventually bring her to her purpose and destination. Joes tragic story starts in the third chapter and ends in the third-to-last. Hightowers story begins in the third and ends in the next-to-last. These three stories do not proceed chronologically but are felt, by most readers, to fuse into one unified novel. Some readers have argued that the novels unity comes from other elements than the structure; thematically the main characters embody such themes as racism, the heritage of the past, Christianity, community, male-female relations and personal identity.With the addition of Joanna Burden and Byro n Bunch, the five central characters encompass subsidiary themes as the contrasting attitudes of the different characters to time, the issue of man and nature (as in Go Down, Moses) and fate and martyrdom. Others say that the coincidence of them all being in the same town between the two climactic events of Joanna Burdens murder and Joe Christmass death provides enough unity, though their tales are separate and distinct. Still others argue that Faulkners stream of life presentation would have suffered under a less loose and open construction. By contrast, to Lena, Joe Christmas does not know who he is; his uncertain racial identity affects every aspect of his life. When the uncertain trace of black ancestry, for he is also called the mulatto (Cowley, 51), is known, it provokes very different responses. Yet, his claim that he belongs to the black race is ambivalent since he uses it to rebel against both black and white. He roams the country, like Lena, but without purpose, never sett ling or entering a long-lasting human relationship.His fate seems to inevitably push his lifes story to an inescapable and violent death. The reverend Gail Hightower, the preacher who is punished for not conforming to his congregations idea of practicing religion and because he was unable to keep his wife from behaving sinfully, seems rooted in the past, obsessed with the heroic past of his forebears. His story ends when he realizes that his detachment from life does not prevent him from being concerned with the events of the present. Like him, Joanna Burden compares badly to both her grandfather and father and is a victim of her stern religious upbringing, which Joe suffers from as well. Her abolitionist family moved down from the North and was never fully accepted. She leads a lonely life in an isolated mansion out of town. Joanna becomes involved with Joe, in a destructive and unequal relationship that fatefully foreshadows her demise, and is eventually murdered by him. Byron Bun ch, another solitary character, falls in love with Lena the moment he sees her, pregnant and all. After realizing that there is no alternative, for he worships her, he blindly follows her, wherever it may take him. This insultingly short rendering of such a comprehensive novel merely attempts to illustrate the predominantly tragic tone of the book.Nevertheless, as in Pantaloon in Black, there are numerous instances of mixing tones and what is more the silent mode is elaborated upon by another of Faulkners techniques. Like Keats in his Ode on a Grecian Urn Faulkner compares the wagons Lena has ridden in to figures carved on an urn: backrolling now behind her a long monotonous succession of peaceful and undeviating changes from day to dark and dark to day again, through which she advanced in identical and anonymous and deliberate wagons as though through a succession of crackwheeled and limpeared avatars, like something moving forever and without progress across an urn.(7)A paragraph later, she actually sits waiting by the side of the road for the next one, but this carts progress seems to stop, for it seems to hang suspended in the middle distance forever and forever (8). Yet, Lena thinks of herself as already moving, riding again Faulkner uses frozen motion, the absence of sound combined with the still picture, frequently. It also features in his descriptions of often chaotic and violent events. Readers and scholars argue about the interpretation: some say that, again like Keats, the nature of art is to freeze the captured motion in order to give us the chance to contemplate the scene from different points of view. However, one could also argue fatalistically that the characters destinies are as certain and their goals as unattainable as the urns ancient carvings. I will describe and analyse a scene with each of the five main characters in which frozen motion is used, showing that it does contribute to the greatness of this novel.Apart from showing the absurdi ty of mans existence, the effect of the tragic deaths of Joe and Joanna, and Hightowers new insight means next to nothing to the characters who inhabit the last chapter of Light In August. Contrary to the wife of the deputy in Pantaloon in black, who was not listening and not even interested, the wife of the furniture dealer is listening and intrigued. Her husband tells her of his meeting with Lena and Byron and their seemingly absurd interaction, for he only slowly starts to realize they are not man and wife, which we already know. When he comes to the part, which in every mans eyes must be the ultimate rejection, where Byron tries to lay with Lena in the back of the truck, there is a brief instant of frozen motion which is hilarious when we see and feel through his eyes that lay with can be seen as force upon.Byron is seen through the eyes of the dealer: I watched him climb slow and easy in the truck and disappear and then didnt anything happen for about while you could count mayb e fifteen slow Than motion slows down and comes to a ridiculous and also to him unexpected stop at that moment he comes out the back door of the truck. Not fast, and not climbing down on his own legs at all. For a moment, Byron is suspended there in mid-air, picked up and set outside by the strong Lena. The furniture dealer was half expecting rape, but this silent nonsensical picture evokes the sought after comic relief he needed and provokes a smile from the reader. Byron is then placed on the ground and spoken to with calm assurance: get some sleep. We got another fur piece to go tomorrow'(503 my italics). The dealer is not sure but Lena is, Byron will be there again, wild horses cannot drag him away.When Hightower, in a futile attempt to save Joe Christmas, tries to provide him with an alibi for the murder of Joanna Burden, there is another violent moment of some consecutive stills. Just before that, the raised and armed and manacled hands (463) of Joe had struck him down, caus ing the old man some facial injuries. The pursuers of Joe help him on his feet with his big pale face streaked with blood(464) to learn from him where Joe is hiding. When Hightower delivers his testimony as to Joes innocence, instead of giving the required response, he is literally flung aside. On the one hand, this demonstrates the ruthlessness of the white militia pursuers in finding and killing the now pronounced black Joe and reveals an extra layer of racial tension. On the other hand, it accentuates the insignificance of Hightowers attempt to return to the present, a huge step in the life of a man who has lived in the past for more than 20 years, by being flung aside by the same hands that picked him up. The whole tragic scene shifts to ridicule.Joe provokes people of both races into non-acceptance. He is violent by nature and deeply frustrated. It shouldnt come as a surprise that instances of frozen motion occur a lot around him. After his adoption by the probably Scottish Pre sbyterian McEacherns, the little Joe is about to receive his third consecutive beating with a strap, ten strokes after each hour, for he has failed to learn the catechism:Again on the dot of the hour McEachern looked up from the watch. Have you learned it? he said. The boy did not answer, did not move. When McEachern approached, he saw that the boy was not looking at the page at all, that his eyes were quite fixed and blank. When he put his hand on the book he found that the boy was clinging to it as if it were a rope or a post. When McEachern took the book forcibly from his hands, the boy fell at full length to the floor and did not move again. (151)One is aware that the tension between the two is enormous, the beating is administered without anger (which I find most scary), but both cling to the book, the older man for the content he tries to force onto the boy, the boy rejecting that but using its tangible presence for physical support. The moment that support is taken away from him, one can visualize series of stills in which the body does not yet realize the lack of support that kept it in balance for as long as it did, after which it collapses and the boy falls.There are also moments when Joe is the instigator of violence, for instance against Brown, the man who impregnated Lena, in the beginning of chapter five. These men are condemned to each other in an unequal relationship in which secrecy, dominance and the illegitimate selling of moonshine prevail. Joe is the more dominant of the two. Brown began to sing Shut it, Christmas said. He did not move and his voice was not raised. Yet Brown ceased at once (102). The silent threat is imminent and almost tangible. When Brown after an interval stumbles and falls and begins to laugh because he is drunk, Joe irritatedly hauled him out from beneath the cot and raised Browns head and began to strike him with his flat hand, short, vicious, and hard, until Brown ceased laughing.Christmas then proceeds, when Brown again starts laughing, to curse him in a level voice, all very controlled, and when that does not give the desired effect, Joe put his hand flat upon Browns mouth and nose, shutting his jaw with his left hand while with the right he struck Brown again with those hard, slow, measured blows, as if he were meting them out by count. Brown had stopped laughing (103). This resembles the way in which McEachern administered his beatings to Joe, without heat, pragmatically ensuring the desired effect, showing his upbringing. The sound of slapping must be there but seems to come slow, if at all, and seems to hang suspended over the whole scene. The drunken laughter, the calm silent threats and the ridiculous power one man has over the other makes this scene a whirlwind of conflicting emotions in which bewilderment struggles with the tragicality of the situation which is undermined by the comic.Howe2 says that from a dramatic point of view it is only appropriate that characters break out of th eir obscurity, collide, cause pain and then part. Faulkner once said that the writers he admired most were those who had tried to accomplish so much that they inevitably had to fail. It has been said that his great admiration for grand but doomed efforts shows in his novels too. Maybe Byron Bunchs assault on Brown is one of these doomed yet courageous actions as well as an appropriate dramatic breaking out for one of the two characters involved. It lasted less than two minutes. The small Bunch has the advantage of surprise and of a silent approach over the sitting but much taller Brown.In this soundless scene he wants to punish him for throwing away twice inside nine months what I aint had in thirtyfive years (which is Lena). It does not last long. Faulkner warns us twice and he foreshadows Byrons defeat: Youre bigger than me, Byron thought. Brown reverses the advantage because he cannot believe that any man, catching his enemy sitting, would give him a chance to get on his feet tha t was worse than an insult: it was ridicule (439). No sound in the few instances the man intending to do the beating gets beat and was lying quietly bleeding quietly about the face. (my italics) The complete earnest of Byrons seemingly futile attempt, although it releases him from the past and firmly puts him in the present, is tragic but the person picking a fight and losing it accordingly mostly deserves a wry compassionate smile.AfterthoughtsI think it was Bouwe Postmus3 who once said that one should never write about a work or an author one admires. I now see his point but it can not be avoided when one is just introduced to such a writer in the course of a term. Even by confining myself to what I thought to be a limited subject as comic-relief by means of the audio-visual modes of silence and still, the amount of perspectives is incredible. The shifting point of view and the distance and detachment with which the human enterprise is seen provides a response that transcends the individuals tragic encounter with the reality about him.I think I have shown that the mix of comical and tragical tones gives Faulkners work an extra dimension by which lifes duality is truly represented. Faulkners use of style figures, like an oxymoron, helps to deepen the contradictory human aspects that are present in his characters. One cannot be forced to see the portrayed events in this paper in the same way that I do. It does not prevent them from being seen for what they are: images that give a defeaning sound in the surrounding silence.

Examsmanship and liberal arts, a study in educational epistemology Essay

Examsmanship and liberal arts, a study in educational epistemology - Essay Example 1. ‘After a long evening of reading blue books full of cow, the sudden meeting with a student who at least understands the problems of ones field provides a lift like a drought of refreshing wine, and a strong disposition toward trust.’ (548) The article is hugely pertinent to the acquisition of knowledge by the students and the way it is applied in one’s life. The author argues that knowledge or education must be able to empower students to make rational decisions based on informed choices as result of accrued knowledge over the period. The facts and information are critical elements of understanding the wider ramification of the same. Hence, their application must demonstrate that understanding and interpret its influence or impact to explain new ideas or existing paradigms. Perry, William C., Jr. ‘Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts: A Study in Educational Epistemology.’Â  The Norton Reader. Ed. Peterson, Linda, Brereton, John, and Hartman, Joan. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.

Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 10

Case Study - Essay Example Leaders create visions and goals whereas the managers and administrators work towards achieving them. The fast changing pace of the technology can be observed in the study of the organizations and the changing role of leadership within the organizations. The role of leaders, managers and the administrators of the organizations become more challenging when new technologies are introduced in the organizations. The good leadership ensures effective communication with the employees with shared vision of the new technology, thus promoting better understanding among the employees for easy changeover. The managers and the administrators need to be guided by the group leaders within the organization to implement the changes in a smooth manner. In the contemporary environment of competitive business, the leadership style and leadership initiatives become major propellant of gaining effective leverage against business rivals. Discussion of leadership with reference to large organization is as important as that of small one for the simple reasons that the leaders within the organizations, not only provide an intangible stability among the employees and facilitate integration with the system, but they have been known to promote collective vision of the organization and provide the necessary impetus to the employees to strive towards it. Scholars assert that in the increasingly changing environment of global competitiveness one needs to ‘approach managerial leadership as a relational, ongoing social construction process rather than as a single clear cut phenomenon’ (Sjostrand and Tyrstrup). The emerging new managerial leadership has encompassed a very important aspect of organizations, that of making effort to involve employees in the decision making process. The leadership has recognized the importance of people’s participation in the overall strategy of having collective goals through shared