Parody Through Counter Examples Essay

Counter examples are used throughout this play, and is a key role in the parody of the play. On both male and female sides of the dynamics in the play the first one is right from the start. â€Å"the streets are absolutely clogged with frantic females banging on tambourines. No urging for an orgy!† (727) In the â€Å"Classical Age† of Athens upperclass women assumed the role of a housewife, where their duties were to either clean up the house or organize the slaves of the house to do it for them. It was unheard of for women to be out in the streets like this period much less at night. The women of Athens formed together to plot against the men to bring them home from the war. As the women were gathering to plan against the men, Lysistrata said, â€Å"I’m on fire right down to the bone. I’m positively ashamed to be a woman—a member of a sex which can’t even live up to male slanders! To hear our husbands talk, we’re sly: deceitful, alwa ys plotting, monsters of intrigue†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (728) this quote makes me laugh, because while she is saying this her and multiple women are plotting a way to get back at the men. This quote plays off the stereotype that a woman is always out to make a mans life miserable in everything they do, but this is exactly the thing they are trying to do. While the women are out in the streets they continue to show how ridiculous they are when they are complaining on how much they do for their men. This quote by Kleonike is a prime example, â€Å"They’ll be here. You know a woman’s way is hard mainly the way out of the house: fuss over hubby, wake the maid up, put the baby down, bathe him, feed him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (728) Kleonike goes on and on about how much work they have to do, but she mentions that she gets up the maid, which does the work for her. This quote plays of the stereotype that women do a lot of house work, but in the play they have maids so obviously they are not doing too much. Counter examples are a huge part of the parody that is within the play, all of my previous quotes had stereotypes in them, but they all counter themselves. Parody’s are still very popular today, for example the movie Space Balls which is a parody of Star Wars. Space Balls makes fun of everything that is taken very seriously in Star Wars, which gives the movie that comedy feel a parody comes with. Throughout the play, parody is seen in both the men and the women. The stereotype that men are strong and tough is presented towards the beginning of the play at the gates of the treasury. â€Å"Never been confronted with such backtalk. Can’t allow it. Somebody pick up a log and pulverize that brass.† (740) Immediately following this the men are easily silence by nothing more than a bunch of women carrying water. These rough and tough men seen in the previous quote were defeated by nothing more than water. â€Å"[Shivering, the CHORUS OF MEN retreats in utter defeat†¦]† (742) After the men’s defeat they run away to the Commissioner, and he is sent home packing after several attempts to â€Å"out man† Lysistrata. â€Å"Gross ineptitude. A sorry day for the Force.†(745) This also relates to a parody in our modern day times with our own military. I here people complain about so many things our military does and stands for, yet the majority of the people criticizing are too afraid to join the military to begin with. So this â€Å"manly† stereotype applies to modern times as well, men are quick to jump up to fight someone, but do they go through with it most of time, no. This quick battle also shows how brutal these Athenian women are, when women of the classical age were to only be seen not heard. Women were used as trophies most of the time, to be seen only and never heard. In this quote you get a typical stereotype of the women of this time, â€Å"Glamor is our only talent. All we can do is sit, primped and painted made up and dressed up,† (729). Women were never known to be violent, but in this quick battle with the men and the commissioner we see how brutal these women are, â€Å"INTO THE FRAY! Show them no mercy! Push! Jostle! Shove! Call them nasty names! Don’t be lady like!†(745) In no way, form, or fashion are these ladies being lady like in this scene, which is another perfect example of parody runs wild throughout this play making it out to be the comedy it was made to be. All of these counter examples play favor to my leading argument which is the fact that the women in this play use parody the most through abstinence by withholding sex. This is the biggest parody of them all. This play revolves around sex, but the whole goal of the women’s tactics is to refrain from it. It’s easy to see with my following examples that this play uses parody around every turn. The parody in this play does not come without a type of counter example of a stereotype that is either assumed or given throughout the play. In this time frame, women would have never been allowed to do this. If you can put your mindset in the classical age of Athens it’s easy to see how funny and how much parody is actually used.

Industrial Relations Essay

Introduction †¢ relations which are the outcome of the employment relationship in an industrial enterprise †¢ every industrial relations system creates a complex of rules and regulations to govern the work place and work community †¢ main purpose: to maintain harmonious relations between labour and management by solving their problems through collective  bargaining †¢ the government/state shapes industrial relations with the help of law, rules, agreements, awards of the courts Historic Facts †¢ The concept of industrial relations was developed with the industrial revolution †¢ Prior to this it was considered master and servant relationship †¢ The workers were considered and treated like any other  commodity which could be easily purchased and replaced †¢ Wages and conditions of services were poor and this situation was not only in India but also in England and other European countries †¢ The term Industrial Relations comprise Industry and relations. Objectives †¢to improve economic conditions of workers in the present scenario of industrial management and political government †¢to avoid Industrial Conflicts and develop harmonious relations †¢to raise productivity to a higher level †¢to reduce strikes, lockouts and gheros by providing better wages and improved living conditions and fringe benefits to the workers †¢encouraging the sense of ownership among workers for Industries †¢to enhance government control over units and plants that are running under losses or  where production has to be regulated in public interest †¢improved Industrial Relation will protect the interest of labour and well as management. Three partners †¢ Trade Union: Trade unions try to protect interest of workers, they insist upon the development of cultural and educational qualities of there members. †¢ Employers & their organizations: They try to protect the interest of employers, to create healthy industrial atmosphere, so that the objectives of the organization may be achieved. They try to get full co-operation of workers for achieving this objective. †¢ Government: The government plays an important role in establishing better industrial relations. Government passes various laws to protect the interest of both employers and employees. Causes of poor Industrial Relations †¢ An attitude of contempt towards the workers on the part of the management †¢ Inadequate fixation of wages or improper wage structure †¢ Indiscipline †¢ Unhealthy working conditions at the workplace †¢ Lack of human relations skills on the part of supervisors and managers †¢ Desire of workers for higher bonus, wages or daily allowances †¢ Desire of employers to pay as little as possible to its workers Cont.. †¢ Inadequate welfare facilities †¢ Dispute on sharing the gains of productivity †¢ Retrenchment, dismissal and lockouts by the management †¢ Strikes by the workers †¢ Inter-union rivals †¢ Mental inertia on the part of the management. Industrial Disputes Introduction ââ€" « conflicts, disorder or unrest arising between workers and employers on any ground ââ€" « Such disputes finally result in strikes, lockouts and mass refusal of employees to work, until resolved ââ€" « harm both parties employees and employers ââ€" « always against the interest of both employees and the  employers Principles assigned by courts for  judging the nature of disputes †¢ The dispute must affect large number of workmen †¢ The dispute should be taken up by the Industry Union †¢ The parties involved in dispute must have direct interest †¢ The consulted demand must become grievance †¢ Workmen can raise Industrial Dispute himself under Section 2A of Industrial Disputes Act -1947 Forms of Industrial Disputes †¢ The Industrial Dispute can arise in any of the  following form given below: ââ€" « Strike ââ€" « Lockout ââ€" « Gherao Strike †¢termination of work †¢refusal to work of any number of persons will result to a strike †¢if workers are going on mass casual leave under common  understanding this will also result in strike †¢the workmen on strike must be employed in an ‘industry’ which has not been closed down †¢the relationship of employers and employees continues even though in a state of suspension Lockout †¢ Section 2(1) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 defines â€Å"lockout† to mean the temporary closing of a place of employment or the suspension of work, †¢ Or, the refusal by an employers to continue to employ any number of persons employed by him, †¢ lockout, thus, is the counterpart of strike – the corresponding weapon the hands of employer to resist the collective demands of workmen or to enforce his terms †¢ the suspension of work as a disciplinary measure does not amount to lockout †¢ temporary suspension of work called lay-off is not lock-out Gherao †¢ Gherao means encirclement of the managers to  criminally intimidate him to accept the demands of  the workers. †¢ As per the oxford English Dictionary: ââ€" « Gherao means a protest in which workers prevent  employers leaving a place of work until demands are  met.

Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Economic Development - Essay Example Therefore, in most developing countries, a wide gap can be seen between the rich and the poor unlike that in the developed nations. This gap widens more as long as rural development is ignored by economists and politicians. But there is a sudden change being experienced in the approach of economists and intellectuals. Those who have merely ignored the rural development in the past are now propagating for its development. Next sections of the essay will analyze the reasons behind ignoring rural development and the sudden change of approach. Reasons for Change of Approach Rural development mainly refers to the role of agriculture for the development of the nation. â€Å"Agriculture constitutes the main source of employment of the majority of the world’s poor. In total, the share of agriculture in total employment in developing countries constitutes 53% of the total workforce in 2004. In Sub-Saharan Africa 60% of the economically active population works in the agricultural secto r.† (Meijerink & Roza, 2007). This shows that agriculture or rural sector is the back bone of many developing economies. But the increased importance given to the industrialization opened up many industries and reduced the share of agriculture to the overall economic growth. Agriculture gradually became less attractive for the economies. This made the economists and intellectuals to reduce the focus on rural areas. But now economists and governments are seemed to be increasing their focus on rural development especially in developing countries. Some of the disadvantage of urbanization and industrialization helped them for this late realization. The main factors that lead to the change of approach are as follows: 1. Poverty 2. Unbalanced growth 3. Food Security 4. Lack of Infrastructure 5. Rural Marketing Poverty: Increased poverty in the rural area is the main reasons for this change of approach. Poverty is seen as a drawback for the development of a nation. Overall developmen t of an economy is not possible if there is a considerable percentage of poor among the population. Eradicating poverty became the major agenda of many countries. While looking back to the 19th century, economists realized that irrespective of the size of the nation, the sole factor that drove the economy was agriculture. But somewhere with the advent of technologies, countries reduced the focus on agriculture. This is one of the reasons that helped the economists to change their mind. Unbalanced Growth: In most developing countries, there is a wide gap between rich and the poor. Though such countries are recording tremendous economic progress, it could not be categorized as a developed nation when there is an unbalanced growth in the economy. Majority of the population should experience more or less similar growth and living conditions for a balanced growth in the economy. Food Security: Another major reason for the change of approach of the economists is food security. â€Å"At i ts June 2003 summit, the G8 group of countries recognized the need to increase investment in rural and agricultural development to achieve lasting food security. It pledged to reverse the decline in ODA for agriculture and to increase trade opportunities for developing countries.† (Bage, 2004) Food security is now a cause of concern for many countries. As a result of this, countries are increasing their respective funding to the agriculture sector in order to

Superfoods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Superfoods - Essay Example One of the world healthiest food? Yes we are talking about almonds. Almonds definitely are listed as superfood too. These are full of vitamin E, copper, fiber, magnesium and phosphorus. Almonds act as a catalyst to boost up the functioning of brain. It provides double protection against diabetes and their healthy fats are very useful to lose weight also ensuring the lower risk of weight gain. Pistachio nuts are regarded as superfoods as they help you in losing the weigh due to their low cholesterol level and effective fibers. Talking about figures thirty pistachio nuts cause you only 100 calories. Most importantly they are tasty and addictive. Once you start eating pistachio nuts you can barely keep your hands off unless and until all you got on plate is their shells.Talking about superfoods how we can forget carrots? Carrots are the ultimate source of Vitamin A. This beautiful, crunch red vegetable comes with numerous advantages. â€Å"Carrots are good for eyes†, we’ve been listening this statement from our childhood and it is true. Carrots are perfect for good vision as Vitamin A is transported to retina thus providing instant pigmentation for good vision. Also carrots prevent from cancer and reduce the risk of other fatal disease by increasing the immune system. Even some components of carrots are being used to produce anticancer medicines. Carrots are also useful for anti-aging purposes. So all the above mentioned foods are superfoods which intake can ensure you a sound body with sound mind.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 20

English - Essay Example The event was also held to thank the Wampanoag Indian tribe because they were the ones who taught the pilgrims of Plymouth survival and hunting skills. Luckily for the pilgrims, it was the Wampanoag’s’ tradition to offer whatever food they have to their visitors that is why the event became sort of a feast. This custom then spread throughout the colonies (â€Å"Thanksgiving Day†). Before the formal date for Thanksgiving was established, each region chose their date for the celebration. It was in 1789 when first President George Washington officially declared November 26 as a day of Thanksgiving. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed that the fourth Thursday of November be the day for thanksgiving. Since then, every American president made a proclamation on the celebration of Thanksgiving Day (â€Å"Thanksgiving Day†). People in America celebrate Thanksgiving Day with their families. The event is usually accompanied with sumptuous meals that include cranberry juice, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin or apple pie. Of course, the day would not be complete without turkey. However, some people would rather serve roast prime rib than turkey. Before the family shared the meal, a special thank you prayer will be said. Also, most of the families ask their family members to say anything that they are thankful for (â€Å"Thanksgiving

Civil education research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Civil education research - Essay Example However, in case of young people from ethnic and racial minorities and from economically weaker communities and families, levels of civic knowledge and political socialization are low. UK declared citizenship education a statutory requirement in schools in 2002. This provision happens to be flexible in its approach as each individual school can decide as to the way and manner in which this civic education is provided. The surprising thing is that the outcomes of civic education have been found to be more positive in such methods that encourage active engagement and identification with political issues (Hahn, 2010, p. 10). Young people actively involved in community activities and issues tend to be politically more vocal and communicative. Again, civic knowledge and engagement in political discourse and activism is very low in young people from economically weaker families. Traditionally speaking there were no formal programs for citizenship education in Australia (Hahn, 2010, p. 13). It has been found that the Australian youth does evince a low interest and faith in political parties and political issues (Hahn, 2010). Besides, their attitude towards political socialization and discourse is also that of unconcern. Yet, surprising thing is that young people do show more insight and interest in such issues, in which they registered a direct social participation and

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

History - Essay Example The civil rights movement can be considered to have been created by Martin Luther King Jr. due to his influence. After his death, there was a lack of similar leadership, though the inception of the civil rights movement meant that the minority races could stand for their own rights. This was illustrated by the Asian and Mexican communities who joined hands with the black community to fight for their freedom. Martin Luther King’s message of equality did not change. However, without his influence; there was nobody to carry on his push for equality in the United States. This led to the white community oppressing the minority communities and asserting their dominance. (Lansford 65) The only individual who ever came close to carry on Martin’s message and vision was civil rights activist Reverend Jesse Jackson. His attempt was based on establishing change in the United States, and he wanted to do that from the top, by becoming the president. He attempted to become president i n 1988, as he perceived being president would be the best way of being able to implement the vision embraced and conceptualized by Martin Luther King. A major barrier affected the mentality of minority groups, as there had never been a non-white US president. The Civil Rights movement had grown into an important factor due to the influence of Martin Luther King. ... Therefore, the Civil Rights movement has had a major influence in the development of the United States. Essay 2 Under the presidency of Richard Nixon in the 1960s, there was uproar in the ideologies that Nixon condoned in the American society. The most disputable factor was the abortion movement that resulted in abortion becoming legal in California in the 1960s. Another factor was America becoming part of the war in Vietnam, even when it was not necessary. These two factors created a counter-culture that was a rejection of the factors, represented or condoned by Nixon at the time. Counter-culture was the ideology in which individuals in the United States had developed distaste for the mannerisms and methodologies that Nixon implemented in the 1960s. It was the cause of the backlash at the time (Lansford 135). The domestic policies that Nixon used were deemed unacceptable; the major highlight being the legalization of abortion. In a society that was majority Christians and a good num ber catholic, the legalization of abortion in California was a factor that was simply unacceptable, because abortion is not acceptable in Christianity. Nixon based his decision as a measure of birth control and regulation of the American population. This was deemed unacceptable to the Christian fraternity as they considered it ‘Un-Godly’ for an individual to take the life of another individual. It created a huge uproar and dissatisfaction in the presidency of Nixon, and as a result, they were eager to remove him from office as he had decided to go against the wishes of the majority of the American population. In truth, Nixon needed to consider weighing up the options, the implications of creating and

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Business law - Essay Example gal act and quiet unethical as it manipulates the inventory so as to attract potential investors by adding the credit worthiness as well as increasing chances of being advanced a facility by a financial institution. It could also imply that increased inventory statements will equally reduce the cost of goods thus reduce the expense and subsequent reflection in high gross profit. Furthermore, overstatement of inventory statements leads to business overpaying tax since it increases the pre-tax net income. Basing on this, ABC Investments can therefore seek legal action for damages which can make them recover whatever they have lost which in this case amounts to $500,000 and any other damages. However, Zulu Computer Corporation can argue it as an innocent misrepresentation that leads to a rescission remedy which means that they assume the original status as though they had not signed the contract and will depend on the court whether the damages will be awarded depending on the nature of innocent misrepresentation and losses suffered. ABC Investments can use copies of the financial statements to file a petition of which individual responsibility or company responsibility will

Power and Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Power and Organization - Essay Example â€Å"A has power over B to the extent that he can get B to do something that B would not otherwise do† (Dahl 1961 p. 202-203). Dahl chose to analyze decision-making on key issues only, and, furthermore, did not state objective criteria for the selection of such â€Å"key issues† (Dahl 1961). He held that he was able to identify subjective interests in the form of dominant policy preferences made visible by patterns of political participation in concrete key issue decision-making. Peter Bachrach & Morton S. Baratz (1962; 1963; 1970) fervently criticized this one-dimensional approach, asking whether a sound concept of power could be predicated on the assumption that it was totally embodied and fully reflected in â€Å"concrete decisions†.  Power is a term, which is defined in different ways by different theorist because power can be used as a means of influence in different ways. Way back, Max Weber has defined power as â€Å"Power is the probability that one a ctor within the relationship will be in the position to carry out his own will despite resistance (Weber, 1947, P.152). Nord has defined power in the context of mobilization of energy and resources to achieve one set of goals as against other sets of Goals. He defines power as follows. â€Å" Power is the ability to influence flows of the available resources towards certain goals as opposed to other goals. Power is assumed to be exercised only when these goals are at least partially in conflict with each other (Nord, 1978, P.675). Robbins has defined power in the more elaborate way when he says† Power refers to a capacity that A has to influence the behavior of B so that B does something he or she would not otherwise do. This definition implies 1) A potential that need not be actualized to be effective 2) A dependence relationship, and 3) That B has some discretion over his or her behavior†.

American Me - Poem Essay Example for Free

American Me Poem Essay The poem American Me, written by Ninfa Miranda-Maloney, tells the story of a Mexican immigrant who comes to the United States to live the American dream. The author incorporates ethnic aspects with her use of Spanish words sprinkled in amongst the poem. With his â€Å"spit shine shoes† (Miranda-Maloney, n. d, line 10) and â€Å"brillantina-slick back hair† (Miranda-Maloney, n. d. , line 11), a picture is painted of a young man’s pride in himself as he begins the journey of a lifetime. This is a young man ready for his new life in America. The tone quickly changes, however, as he probably soon realizes that the dream is not what he had in mind. In San Eli, where he â€Å"lived on thank yous and maybes† (Miranda-Maloney, n. d. , line 23), the reader gets the sense that the man was taken advantage of and worked hard for little compensation. The most powerful lines in the poem are â€Å"kissed your white land, broke my back, sweat a few tears for a piece of the dream† (Miranda-Maloney, n. d. , lines 27, 28, 29). The author has incorporated a racial aspect in the poem by showing referring to the white land. This is not his land, this is the â€Å"white land†. He is doing back breaking labor for â€Å"whites†, probably not what he expected as the young man full of hope chasing the American dream. The author also includes social class aspects in this poem. The poem ends with the man, now here in the United States for fifty years, still smelling the onions on his fingertips. (Miranda-Maloney, n. d. ) This leads me to believe the man is still working in the onion fields fifty years after arriving in the United States. A generalization can be made that a person from a lower social class would need to continue to work past retirement age to make ends meet. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in California. My community included many immigrants here in the United States both illegally and legally. The immigrants I have known throughout my life are generally proud Americans, though there are the few that grow bitter because their American ideals and dreams have not been met. They work hard doing difficult work for little money and not much appreciation. While I don’t personally identify with the poem, I am able to sympathize with the character as he could represent a number of people I know. My grandmother emigrated to California before my mother was born. She came to the States with the dream of giving her children a better life than the one they’d likely have in El Salvador. Throughout my life, she’s told me the stories of moving here and settling the family in the area. It was difficult for her, working many hours as a maid, but she did it for the benefit of her children. Many times throughout her first few years in the states, she considering going back home. The dream she envisioned was hardly her reality at first. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to go to a different country where you don’t speak the language or know the culture but it happens regularly in this country. At the end of the day, the United States is a country made up of immigrants, most of which are just chasing the dream as well.

Thought Paper

Thought Paper The purpose of this thought paper is to synthesize theoretical discussions and provide critical analysis of selected reading assignments of the preceding weeks. The paper will specifically provide the authors reading and understanding of Stephanie Coontzs publication of the way we never were, Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever publication of Woman dont Ask, and Deborah Tannens work on the power of talk: who gets heard and why. The paper will also provide a synopsis of the movie â€Å"North Country†, and provide the writers personal assessment of the movie. The way we never were In Stephanie Coontzs publication of the way we never were, she outlined several stereotypes about American families. She counter acted perceptions of the past and provided different conceptions of the changes in the structures of American families overtime. She provided an examination of family life in American from 1900 to 1990 in which she dispelled the perceptions of the past which have predisposed the present state of affairs of American families. In chapter one, three, and seven of her publication of the way we never were, Coontz provided elaborate arguments which she termed as myths of the 1950s that tend to perpetuate the perception of how American families ought to be. Coontz in chapter one defined the crisis within American families which emanate from the perception that American families craves for the family value system of the early and middle 1900s. She argued that people are of the opinion problems in American families in present days emanates from the active determination and participation of women in changing the family structure. She continued to state that some believe families are in crisis as women work outside home at the cost of their families and children, thus putting the relationship and marriage in jeopardy. She further revealed that people reminiscing family values of the 1950s argued that the rate of domestic violence was lower than what it is today due to past traditional family values. She furthered, many are of the opinion that â€Å"parents spend less time with their children today than in 1965† (Coontz, 1992, p. 20). In addition, she continued that many believe the rise in teenage pregnancy and abortion rate has been attributed to the gender equality and role reversal in families overtime. In countering the perceptions of American families of the past, Coontz argued that families in America have been dominated by male for centuries. She maintained men were considered breadwinners, while the role of women was limited to the home (Coontz, 1992, p. 10). She asserted there was a notion that only men had the aptitude to handle the burden of the family by providing bacon and direction to the family, while women stay home and manage the affairs of the home and children. Coontz further argued that the perception about America 1950s are fallacies and â€Å"false optimisms about renewing family values† Carlson and Edgar (2010). She claimed the perceptions of American families of the 1950s are delusional in that people illusion themselves about the irreversible transformation family trend has taken. She disagreed with those harboring the misconception that if American families only recommitted themselves to marriage and children, American families could circumvent all of t he new impasses posed by the revolution in gender and economic role of the family. Women Dont Ask In Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever publication of women doesnt ask they provided empirical evidence to establish why women lack the aptitude to ask for what they want. Before establishing the hypothesis for why women dont ask, Linda observed a disparity among her male and female students in asking for whatever they needed. Linda â€Å"realized that her male graduate students asked for all sorts of things—travel money to go to conferences, exemptions from course requirements, opportunities to teach courses of their own—that the female students rarely asked for† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). In Lindas quest to investigate why her female students didnt ask and her male students were more proactive in asking for what they wanted, she embarked upon a collaborative research project with Sara Laschever who surveyed 100 participants, both men and women from around the U.S. At the close of their research, Linda and Sara discovered their studies produced similar findings. Linda and Sara respective studies gathered that â€Å"women are much less likely than men to ask for what they want and to use negotiation as a tool to promote their own ambitions or desires, and men use negotiation to get ahead and get what they want between two and nine times as often as women do† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). In their research, Linda and Sara outlined salient statistical findings. Considering selected results from their findings, Linda and Sara disclosed that â€Å"women dont like to negotiate† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). They argued that 2.5 times more women than men said they feel a great deal of apprehension about negotiating, men initiate negotiations about four times as often as women, and 20% of adult women (22 million people) say they never negotiate at all, even though they often recognize negotiation as appropriate and even necessary. They further argued that â€Å"women have lower expectations and lack knowledge of their worth† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). They claimed women are often not aware of their market value, as they report salary expectations between 3% and 32% lower than those of men for the same jobs. They also claimed in their findings that men expect to earn 13% more than women during their first year of full-time work and 32% more at their career peaks. In providing an explanation to the causes emanating from why women dont ask, Linda and Sara attributes their work to the wealth of psychological research that explains the diverse ways in which boys and girls interact. They argued by the kinds of toys that are considered boys and girls, the diverse types of chores typically assigned to girls and boys, and the un similar types of games that adults guide them toward playing, they can â€Å"show what these chores and toys teach girls about their appropriate role in society and what the games they play teach them about compliance versus independence† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). They also claimed from their research, â€Å"society has a strong expectation that women will abide by their assigned roles and reacts very negatively when they dont† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). Linda and Sara further argued behaviors exhibited by men that portrays them as a straight shooter or a no-nonsense guy can lead a woman to be seen as t oo â€Å"pushy and aggressive† (Babcock and Laschever, 2010). The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why In this segment of this thought paper, a review of Deborah Tannens publication entitled The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why was made. In her publication, she outlined several points affecting gender behaviors and role in the corporate world. In her work, she mentioned her effort in researching the power of linguistic style on human conversation and relationships. In her quest, she claimed to have extended her research to the workplace where she discovered that our â€Å"ways of speaking learned in childhood affect judgments of competence and confidence, as well as who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done† (Tannen, 1995, p. 323). She categorized linguistic styles into two cardinal factors: language communicates ideas which she claimed we all are familiar with and language also negotiate relationships which she claimed is mostly invisible, but plays an important role in communication. From the ideology of language also negotiates communications, Tannen asserts that during the early stages of live when a child plays he/she learn certain rituals that enhances their communicating and negotiating skills. She differentiates by stating â€Å"girls tend to learn conversational rituals that focus on the rapport dimension of relationships whereas boys tend to learn rituals that focus on the status dimension† (Tannen, 1995, p. 325). She argues it is those tendencies that boys and girls learn from childhood plays and interactions that we bring into our adult and professional lives. She continued by giving examples of how men and women use languages and how the use of those languages affects the way we hear one another with different interpretations. She gives an example by stating men and women use different pronouns to personify themselves. She claimed men uses the pronoun â€Å"I† and women are inclined to drift towards the pronoun â€Å"we†. She furth er continued her conversational rituals by arguing women tend to downplay their certainty in situations, whereas men in similar situations will avow his lack of accountability in case of fault, or claim accomplishments in situation where there is success. Tannen also provided several arguments on women and self confidence. She argued that unlike men, women lack self-confidence. They tend to avoid face-losing, not making known their opposition, and avoids asking questions. Tannen further argued that women do not attempt to be heard. They fail to be direct in telling subordinates what is expected of them and fail to draw attention to their ideas and accomplishments. She asserted that women prefer not to ask for what they need and deserve, rather they wait for someone to notice their needs. In closing arguments on the variances between men and women linguistic styles, Tannen provides some solutions in closing the communication gap between the genders and levels of communications. Even though she acknowledges there is no one best way, Tannen however declared that instead of managers using one mode of communication (meetings), managers must be â€Å"aware of the workings and power of linguistic styles, to make sure that people with something valuable to contribute get heard† (Tannen, 1995, p. 336). North Country In week five of the first phase of this course (CNR 630) a dramatized video entitled â€Å"North Country was viewed. The film is an emotionally charged Hollywood drama performed by Charlize Theron in which she starred as Josey Aimes. Synopsis of the Movie The movie is about a single mother who separated from her abusive husband and moved back to her hometown of Minnesota. In her quest to sustain herself and two kids Josey ventured into acquiring a job at a local mine to the displeasure of her father and male coworkers. Josey came to realize her male coworkers did not appreciate their jobs being occupied by women, and the men would do anything to keep them away. Stereotypically, the men felt that mining was a mans job and the women rather stay at home to perform domestic work, but Josey contended all she needed was to make her own money, feed her kids, and work like everyone else. However, after suffering numerous harassments and humiliations Josey decides to form partnership with the other women at the mine to expose the indignities minted out against the women. In frustration from the lack of cooperation from her family and female coworkers due to fear of reprisal or possible termination, Josey sought to singlehandedly pursue a class action suit against the mining company which even subjected her to more humiliating moments, as her past life involving a rape incident was unearthed. Assessment of North Country After viewing the film â€Å"North Country†, it was compelling to develop a personal opinion of the movie. One thing that came to my mind is the fascinating way in which Hollywood stars sought to depict social ills within our society, most especially the purported sexual harassment case at Eveleth Mines. Irrespective of timeline or how people felt about sexual harassment back in the days and now, I ‘m of the opinion that the movie had several short comings, despite its attempts to dramatize a class action suite saturated with gender intricacies. In identifying some of the shortcomings of the movie, it is important to draw on the perception driven by the movie that all the men at the mine were villains, and the women were victims of heinous indignities committed by their male coworkers. The movie duration of 126 minutes cannot in anyway depict the full length of what actually transpired at the mine. Despite claims of the film being inspired by a true story, it is feasible to argue that the actual length of the movie (126 minutes) of manufactured dramatization was presumably characterized by exaggeration, omission of facts, or choosing of selected events for commercialization by the film producer and actors. The film leaves one to wonder if the true intent of Josey taking the mining company to task was to champion the cause of bridging the gender divide, making sure the indignities perpetrated against the women at the mine was ceased, or if her antipathies with the mine operations were intended to dish out financial reparation . Despite all of the intricacies and skepticisms surrounding the movie, it is worth noting the importance of being sensitive to those issues that tend to raise eyebrows along gender lines. In particular, sexual harassment has sprung out to be one of the serious workplace issues that have led to many organizations formulating and instituting policies to guide the conduct of people in the workplace. However, a mere presence of a sexual harassment policy does not mean that a workplace will automatically be free of all potential sexual violations. Hence, whatever an employers responsibility may be cannot close its eyes when confronted with incidents of sexual harassment, like depicted in the movie North Country. Employers have the obligation to determine the scope of the problem and take necessary steps to curtail or alleviate it. After providing a review and synopsis of the gender issues contributed by Coontz, Babcock and Laschever, Tannen, and Theron, it is compelling to conclude that whatever the circumstances, the issues outlined by the authors on gender roles, behaviors, perceptions, and indignities will continued to be thought provoking in the quest for gender equality, economic empowerment, and tolerance. References Babcock, L. Laschever, S. (2010). Women Dont Ask- Negotiation and the gender Divide-Interesting Statistics. Retrieved from online on February 23, 2010- http://www.womendontask.com/stats.html Babcock, L. Laschever, S. (2010). Women Dont Ask- Negotiation and the gender Divide- A Conversation with Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. Retrieved from online on February 23, 2010- http://www.womendontask.com/questions.html Carlson, J., Englar, A. J. (2010). A Conversation with Stephanie Coontz. The Family Journal. Retrieved from the UNCG database on February 23, 2010- http://libproxy.uncg.edu:3243/cgi/reprint/7/1/77 Tannen, D. (1995). The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why. Individual Differences: Negotiation- Reading, Exercises, and Cases 323-336). Retrieved from the UNCG e-Reserve database on February 22, 2010- https://blackboard.uncg.edu/bbcswebdav/library/eReserves/CNR-630-01DCMB-Spring2010/The_power_of_talk_who_gets_heard_and_why.pdf

Shallow Persecutions :: essays research papers

In April of 1999, two students shot 15 fellow students and a teacher in Columbine High School. A few years before that, a teenage boy committed suicide in his bedroom. What do these two have in common? In both instances, their choice of music was to blame. Alternative music has been the center of a lot of controversy as well as a scapegoat for many adolescent tragedies. This type of music is meant to be different and it is being persecuted because artists do not fall into the categories of R&B and pop rock. Music is the artist’s livelihood and religion. Condemning the music is breaching both an artist’s freedom of expression and religion. Millions of teenagers listen to alternative rock groups such as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails every day. These same teenagers walk into their schools every morning and don’t blow their classmates’ heads off. These same teenagers don’t go home and blow their own brains off. However when these things do happen, parents all over the country start protesting against the entire genre of alternative rock. Alternative rock has become a national scapegoat for adolescent violence. But is it really to blame? The parents that protest are probably the same ones that deny that the teens lashed out because of bad parenting. Of course it can’t be that because parents such as themselves are all perfect. This sort of attitude is precisely why teenagers respond to their environment so violently. Parents refuse to get help because they’re afraid of how they as parents would be perceived. Some parents even refuse to admit that there is a problem in the first place. With this view, parents often search for something else that might have caused such violent behavior. That is where alternative rock comes in. Parents say that it breaches hate, violence, and anti-Christianity. However, are they really protesting these issues or the way the artists look? Ricky Martin’s Livin’ La Vida Loca glorifies a prostitute but there wasn’t a huge uprising over it. He even makes a music video that is near pornographic. Ricky Martin is off the hook because he has a pretty face. He can do anything and sing anything he wants as long as it is legal. On the other hand, if Marilyn Manson calls their CD â€Å"Anti-Christ Superstar,† the whole country erupts in disbelief. This shallow hypocrisy is enough to make anyone sick.

Womens Education in Mansfield Park Essays -- Mansfield Park Essays

Women's Education in Mansfield Park      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Mansfield Park, Jane Austen presents three different kinds of formal education for women. Two of these have the ultimate goal of marriage, while the third is, possibly, as close to a gentleman's education as a woman's could be. Although there is some overlapping of these three types, each one is, basically, embodied in one of the major female characters -- Maria Bertram, Mary Crawford, and Fanny Price -- to show the follies and the triumphs of each. Unlucky Maria's education teaches her next to nothing, and Mary's has no true substance below the bright surface. The timid, mousy Fanny Price, however, may be partly in debt to her progressive education for the happiness that she earns at the end of the novel.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Austen's world, a girl's education was almost inseparable from her home life. What she learned and, consequently, her conduct, was often a reflection of what her household was like, and this is certainly true of Maria and Mary.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maria, brought up by a distant father, an indolent mother, and an indulgent aunt, doesn't learn until too late that selfish actions can bring disastrous consequences. (What is said for Maria in the subject of education is, of course, also true for Julia -- however, for the sake of brevity, and as Maria is the more prominent character of the two, she is the model of comparison in this essay.) Sir Thomas regrets his neglect of his daughters' moral education after Maria's character is exposed:    He had meant them to be good, but his cares had been directed to the understanding and manners,... ...  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fanny fares the best of the three characters discussed, by being true to herself, and by being considerate of others. She receives what is due to her, as a classical hero does -- she is torn away from her rightful place as eldest sister, to be thrust into a lowly position where she must prove herself worthy before returning to her first home. There, she finds things have changed for the worst, but helps set things right before riding away to a new life of domestic felicity. The way Fanny was brought up, her moral and formal education, are akin to tools and amulets carried by mythical heroes -- they may not always be obvious, but they are a source of strength and comfort in the hero's times of need.    Works Cited Austen, Jane.   MansfieldPark. 1814. London: Oxford University Press, 1966.

Cost and Value of Providing Domestic Partner Benefits Essay

Employers worldwide are beginning to embrace the idea of a domestic partner employee by reorganizing their benefit packages to include coverage for domestic partners in order to stay competitive and retain current employees. Most often these benefits are an extension of the same ones offered to married employees. The only difference being that a marriage is not a requirement. Many are confused by what exactly a domestic partner is and readily assume it refers to an individual that is part of a same-sex relationship. When, in fact, it can refer to a variety of situations in which two people commit to and build a life together. Just as married couples do, they usually share bank accounts, financial obligations, home, meals, and a host of other things with one another. A domestic partner is defined as, â€Å"a person you live with and have sexual relations with, but are not married to† (Merriam-Webster.com, 2014). It was in 1986 that the living arrangements of a domestic partner were first described as two persons sharing a family household but are not joined in a traditional marriage, common-law marriage, or civil union. The rising cost of seeking medical attention is making it nearly impossible these days to live without insurance coverage. Not recognizing our employees that are in unmarried opposite and same sex relationships is creating unnecessary financial hardships and stress. Changing the current benefit plan to include domestic partners will create a happier more committed employee for the business. Happy employees are more productive and aid the bottom line. It is important to note, that if something should happen to an employee or their significant other that medical attention is easily and readily available; allowing the employee to return to work sooner. As an employer, we have a moral obligation to respond to the needs of our employees. We can start by allowing them to define in their own terms what a family is to them. Background MCJAR, Inc. has suffered due to the loss of three of their high ranking positions resigning. The reasoning behind their resignation was due to lack of benefits being offered to their domestic partners. As in all positions  the human resources person, Keri Miller, has posted the open position with much success. She had found three successful candidates to fill the positions with high qualifications, but all three had turned down the job once they learned about the lack of benefits being offered to those in domestic partnerships. Once finding out the candidates had turned down the positions, Ms. Miller had created a survey to give out to all employees to complete and turn in. The survey asked about how they felt about the current benefit package being offered to all employees at MCJAR, Inc. The results of the survey showed that those that were in a domestic relationship were unhappy of the benefits. That those in domestic partnerships are currently looking for work elsewhere because they feel they are not being treated fairly. Ms. Miller is understanding of the restriction on the benefits being offered due to the budget concerns. Ms. Miller also understands that the cost of the benefits may be minimal, just need to research the cost of adding domestic partnership benefits to the existing plan. Ms. Miller is also concerned to how the public will perceive the company unless the concerns of benefits being offered to those in a domestic partnership are resolved. Key Problems Primarily, the budget is already strained due to the comprehensive benefits package we currently offer our employees. We must carefully weigh the cost of providing benefits to those in a domestic partnership, not only for our current employees, but potential new hires as well. If we are to make room, where can we make these adjustments? Will they be from a specific department, from employees’ pay, or perhaps we need to scale down our benefits package to make room for additional benefactors. Each option we look at has many different consequences, we may lose employees or productivity due to our lack of foresight. In addition, we must consult and potentially alter our corporate policies and if possible those of Federal and State as well. Federal law will be the most simple to circumnavigate if there is any rebuttal, but having the proper documentation will be the key to success. State law will also require the same attention. Correct wording is crucial for ensuring equal authority and proper application of power of attorney. Lastly, we need to adjust the new benefits package to match the modified policies and procedures. This includes everything from  new hire training, corporate office signage, and our own interweb support. Finally, and most complicated is the reworking our benefits package with our health service providers, and insurance companies. We need to make sure that each person is covered with the same benefits. We also need to make sure that we can lower or maintain our current deductible with the increase in the number of patients being seen, and consequent incidents being filed. This process can take be lengthy at times and will be battled on two fronts. First is the unhappy employees without benefits, and the other is insurance companies fighting to make themselves greater profits. Solutions Providing domestic partner benefits will give the company a competitive edge, improve employee morale, and create an equal business environment, with minimal additional cost to the company’s already strained budget. According to the Fickewirth Benefits Advisors (2012), website the majority of the nation’s largest companies provide benefits to the domestic partners of their employees. This trend is increasing in order to retain and attract talented employees. A domestic partner benefit plan can yield to employee’s satisfaction and, therefore, produce a greater willingness to stay and recommend the company to others. This can be of great advantage because it can improve employee productivity. Employees will also feel that they have a safety net for their families thereby allowing them to better focus on work. Employers have raised the arguments about high cost, but despite such perception the overall cost of adding these benefits is quite low. In the end, implementing the new domestic partner plan will help this corporation to thrive. Solutions are listed as follows: Implementing a new domestic partner benefits plan for all employees Current employees are looking elsewhere since they have no access to domestic benefits. The way to rectify this problem is to implement domestic partner benefits plan. Before implementing this plan, Human Resource Director Keri Miller needs to have a private meeting with all managers involved in this matter along with a financial advisor. With everyone present, these topics can be thoroughly discussed and changed as needed, such as federal, state, and corporate policies or the application of a reasonable savings plan. Some existing benefits can be cut, but in the end the financial advisor will try to use the proper solutions to make sure the company is not affected in a negative  manner that can hurt the morale of employees, the company’s profit or production. An expert on the health benefits package needs to be also present in order to obtain the right guidance on how to rework the benefits plan with all health service providers and insurance companies. Executing things in this manner will ensure that the business can safely implement the new plan and be sure that it can afford to extend benefits to domestic partners. Once all issues are addressed and the plan is given approval, a meeting should be held to inform all employees. The companywide meeting will be arranged to discuss this issue with employees who have domestic partners and are interested in the plan. The Human Resources Director should direct the meeting along with other assistant managers that can assist employees after the meeting has ended. During this meeting, the new plan can be addressed and encouraging words used to assure employees that the company cares about them and their needs. It demonstrates that the company values equality among their employees. After the discussion, the manager can have a space of time for questions and answers. This encourages good communication between employees and managers. The assistant managers can have a few tables set up at the back of the room so that when the meeting has concluded employees that have more in depth questions or issues they can discuss them privately. Employees can obtain further guidance in the subject if needed and also have the opportunity to update and complete paperwork needed for enrollment in the new domestic partner benefits plan. As employees are exiting managers can hand out new surveys regarding the new benefits and turn them in the following day. This survey will ensure that the company has proper feedback from employees that state how satisfied they are with the changes being made to the benefits package. Modifications can then be made accordingly if needed, to ensure that employees are fully satisfied in this matter and all other areas as well. Having good communicatio n and treating everyone well will make certain that there is a positive work environment in the business and thus improving it greatly. Send letters to former employees informing them of new plan Following the implementation of the new domestic partner benefits plan, past employees who resigned due to this subject should also be informed and properly contacted. Letters can be sent to former employees notifying them  of the newly offered domestic partner benefits and extend an invitation for them to return to the company. Promote the recently implemented Domestic Partners Benefits Plan Publicize to all outside sources that a domestic partner benefit plan has been implemented. This includes updating the company’s website and other sources that promote employment for MCJAR Inc. The quick and timely release of this exciting information regarding the renovation of our company offered benefits may inspire many potential new hires to apply for employment opportunities and decrease the amount of current vacancies. As a result from all these changes, the company’s productivity and success will increase as a whole. Recommendations As a condition of employment, most employers require their employees to register for company provided benefits. It is recommended that MCJAR, Inc. develop a list of set criteria that would define an eligible domestic partnership. Common criteria used by many employers today are that the couple must live and maintain a home together for a minimum of six months and can provide proof. Next, financial interdependency must also be proved. They both must be at least 18 years of age and not legally married to anyone. MCJAR, Inc. has the leisure of choosing their own criteria and should do so as soon as possible. Offering domestic partner benefits will help MCJAR, Inc. reflect diversity as a company. It will also help recruit and retain employees, and boost employee satisfaction with very little additional cost. References Advisors, F. B. (2014). Fickewirth Benefits Advisors. Retrieved from Fickewirth Benefits Advisors: http://www.fickewirth.com/ask-an-expert.php?ask Astray-Caneda, E. E. (2011, Volume 40, No. 2). Offering Same-Sex Domestic Partner Benefits to Government Employees: Reasons, Examples, and Methods. Public Personnel Management, 89-97. Bevins, F. &. (2013, January). Making time management the organization’s priority. McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved from Insights and Publications: http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/organization/making_time_management_the_organizations_priority hrc.org. (2014, May 12). Human Rights Campaign. Retrieved from hrc.org: http://www.hrc.org/ James Schaefer, M. (2009, Volume 12, Issue

Mary Shelley’s Essay

Here we see how Victor’s changed. He used to be able to strive for his ambitious dreams and what he aimed to achieve and look forward to his unrealistic dreams in his sleep that in reality would never happen. Now, he has to rely on his dreams at night to get any sort of self-satisfaction. In chapter five there are themes that are again evident throughout the novel. As I mentioned previously, we see in chapter five that Victor creates the Monster to obtain glory. This glory disappears as Victor realises what he’s done. Here we see the danger of what a thirst for ambition can lead to. Similarly, in Walton’s first letter we see that Walton too will risk everything for glory-he says, â€Å"I preferred glory to every enticement that wealth placed in my path†. He the goes on to say that he’s prepared to risk everything for success. Walton later had to turn back his ship, because he knew where to stop and didn’t want to put other peoples’ lives in danger. Victor, however, didn’t know where to stop, and his original ambition led to the deaths of many people. The theme of responsibility is seen in chapter five and later throughout the novel. We see Victor’s complete lack of responsibility for the first time in chapter five. Victor abandons the Monster, and says that he â€Å"did not dare return to the apartment which I inhabited†-he’s running away. When Clerval arrives, Victor tells him that he’s better now that he’s, â€Å"length free†. He’s trying to forget about it, and therefore can’t face up to it, move on or even begin to take responsibility. We see this again in chapter eight. Here, Victor talks about his feelings of guilt when Justine is sent to prison, but does nothing about it. In chapter twenty Victor begins to take responsibility when he describes the Monster’s creation as â€Å"selfish†. After Elizabeth’s death, however, Victor continues to blame anyone for himself for her death, and talks about how the events had been a â€Å"take of horrors†. What he doesn’t seem to realise that he’s brought all of these horrors on himself-after all, it was him who made the Monster. I think that this theme running through the novel is Mary Shelley’s way of saying that until you accept your mistakes and take responsibility for them, you can’t move on. Therefore, not taking responsibility can have disastrous consequences, which is seen in this novel. Mary Shelley also shows us the importance of friends and family in chapter five. When the Monster first comes to life, Victor is obviously quite unstable and depressed. When Henry Clerval arrives, Victor says that, â€Å"Nothing could equal my delight on seeing Clerval†. He then goes on to say that Clerval brought back thoughts of his home and family, and that he now felt, â€Å"calm and serene joy†. As Victor recovers, he says that his father, â€Å"knew that I could not have a more kind and attentive nurse than himself† regarding Clerval. I think that this shows that it was Henry who helped Victor recover, and without him Victor would probably have remained ill and mentally unstable. This was Mary Shelley’s way of showing what the effect of a good friend can be. We also see the themes of family and friendship throughout the novel. In chapter one, Victor talks about how his first recollections were his father’s smile and benevolent pleasure. In chapter two, Victor talks about friendship with Henry Clerval, and goes on to say that, â€Å"No human being could have passed a happier childhood† that himself. His friends and family were the reason for this. Victor’s friends and family were always there for him when he needed it most; when Victor is held in Ireland, his father travels to see him. Victor says that, â€Å"Nothing could have given me greater pleasure† than his arrival. However, when the Monster needed Victor the most, Victor abandoned him completely. This has devastating effects. When the Monster sees the De Laceys smiling with, â€Å"such kindness and affection† at each other, he’s unable to cope. He withdraws to the window, â€Å"unable to bear these emotions†. The Monster goes on to commit atrocious crimes as a result of this abandonment. I think that this is Mary Shelley’s way of saying how important friends and family really are. In chapter fifteen, De Lacey says that, â€Å"to be friendless is indeed to be unfortunate†. I think that Mary Shelley is trying to put this across throughout the novel. Without friends and family, a person won’t be able to get through the hard times in their life with sanity. This is what happened when the Monster took away Victor’s family and friends. Victor had nothing left. Finally, the theme of knowledge is evident in chapter five and then throughout â€Å"Frankenstein†. In chapter five, Henry Clerval talks about his father’s view on knowledge. Henry viewed knowledge as good, but he talks about how his father had a â€Å"dislike† of learning. Henry goes on to say that his father believed learning stopped at bookkeeping, and therefore university and excessive knowledge was unnecessary. Henry and Victor, however, view knowledge as a good thing. Henry describes the quest for knowledge as a, â€Å"voyage of discovery† and Victor often talks about his thirst for knowledge. Victor also talks often about his desire to learn the, â€Å"physical secrets of the world† and, â€Å"the secrets of heaven†. Similarly, the Monster also has a desire to learn. When talking in chapter twelve, he says that he, â€Å"ardently desired to become acquainted with† the ways that people communicated with each other-especially when it came to talking. This shows how similar he was to Victor himself. I think that Mary Shelley had similar views on knowledge to Henry Clerval’s father, and that she tries to get them across to readers in chapter five and then throughout the rest of the novel. After all, it was ultimately Frankenstein’s thirst for knowledge that led to him creating the Monster, and as a result of his lack of responsibility that the Monster killed so many people. Therefore, I think Mary Shelley is trying to say that knowing everything is anything but good and that we need to be aware of that. I think that there were many hidden meanings in the novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, and that many of these seem to be apparent in chapter five. â€Å"Frankenstein† was very innovative for its time; it’s viewed by many as the first piece of science fiction. It shocked people when it was published because at the time very few people spoke out about society in the way that Mary Shelley did. There were many scientific advances at the time the novel was written. People had begun to realise the potential of electricity. In 1802, scientist Galvani ran a current through a frog’s leg and made it move, and in 1803 scientist Aldani attached a battery to a corpse and claimed that it had moved. This caused some scientists to believe that eventually, with the power of electricity, man could be able to live forever. I think that Mary Shelley is trying to get this point across in†Frankenstein†. She was trying to say that humans should not attempt to â€Å"play God†-who is, after all, the only thing that has the right to give or take life. I think that she is trying to say that as soon as man begins to give or take life, there could be disastrous consequences and it therefore should not be experimented with. Mary Shelley is also considered one of the first feminists. By putting across the point that only God can create life, she may also be trying to say that only women can give life. Men don’t have that ability, and should not try to change that. Whilst she was writing â€Å"Frankenstein†, Mary Shelley was reading a book called Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He argued that when they were born, all men are harmless but it is in fact society that makes them evil. It was as a result of Victor’s initial rejection of the Monster in chapter five and other peoples’ rejection of him throughout the rest of the novel that the Monster turned evil-and that was all because of his appearance. I think that Mary Shelley was trying to say how wrong this was. Victor himself was extremely prejudiced towards the Monster in his narrative. Right from after his creation, Victor referred to the Monster as â€Å"the Monster† and â€Å"daemon† as opposed to even just giving it a name. He rejected it because of the way it looked, and the rest of society went on to do the same. It was this prejudice that began in chapter five that Mary Shelley was trying to say was wrong throughout the rest of the novel.

Origins of Psychology Essay

This theory was developed by Sigmund Freud in the early 1900’s and paved the way for modern psychology in the early 1900’s. This theory deals with the deep, inner and mysterious core of the human psyche, in search of understanding the psychology of the human being. It is also closely connected with evolutionary perspectives on personality. Behaviorist : The primary focus of the behavioral perspective is on behavior and the influence of the external environment in shaping of the individual’s behavior. Teaching, therefore, refers to the environmental conditions that are arranged and presented to students. Some of the key behaviorist theorists in the field of psychology are viz. , John Watson, B. F. Skinner, and E. L. Thorndike. Teachers who draw from behaviorist theory tend towards active learning (or â€Å"learning by doing†). The teacher determines all of the skills needed to achieve the desired behavior and students learn them in a step-by-step manner. Humanist : The focus of the humanistic perspective is on the self, which translates into â€Å"YOU†, and â€Å"your† perception of â€Å"your† experiences. This veiw argues that you are free to choose your own behavior, rather than reacting to environmental stimuli and reinforcers. Issues dealing with self-esteem, self-fulfillment, and needs are paramount. The major focus is to facilitate personal development. Two major theorists associated with this view are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. Cognitive : The school of psychology that examines internal mental processes, such as creativity, perception, thinking, problem solving, memory, and language. Cognitive psychologists are interested in how a person understands, diagnoses, and solves a problem, concerning themselves with the mental processes that mediate between stimulus and response (Garvey,1999) Neuro-scientific / Bio-psychological : The neuro-scientific framework seeks to relate behavior and mind to the brain. The important overall point of a neuro-scientific perspective is that analyses of normal or abnormal function need to be informed by an understanding of the brain structures and processes that implement the function. Psychiatrists need to monitor emerging work that highlights the need for both a neuro-scientific and medical perspective in the management of complex disorders. Evolutionary : Evolutionary psychology is the science that seeks to explain through universal mechanisms of behavior why humans act the way they do. Evolutionary psychology seeks to reconstruct problems that our ancestors faced in their primitive environments, and the problem-solving mechanisms they created to meet those particular challenges. From these reconstructed problem-solving adaptations, the science then attempts to establish the common roots of our ancestral behavior, and how those common behavioral roots are manifested today in the widely scattered cultures of the planet. The goal is to understand human behavior that is universally aimed at the passing of one’s genes into the next generation. Socio-cultural : The social-cultural perspective concentrates on the culture of a group of individuals or society as a whole rather than the individual. To understand why people tend to show certain behavior traits, mental health clinicians look at what affects the community as a group of individuals might have on their own thought processes. Some of the questions pondered are if a person behaves a certain way to be accepted or commits an act because it is accepted amongst their society.

The Sony Playstation 2

Game is one of the biggest markets in the world; most of people like to play game for relaxing, or at the spare time with friends. People of all ages are players. Report has pointed out the global spending on video games-games console hardware and associated games-exceeds that spent at cinema box offices and is double the video rental market. Many firm such like Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony seize this opportunity and plan to enter this biggest market. The competition has been intensified among the game market, who will be the winner? The market leader for hand-held, portable consoles is Nintendo-its Game Boy, launched in 1990, has sold well and consistently. Games console which are coupled up to a domestic television screen comprise a larger section of the market , and this is where Sony has become dominate. In 1994, Sony was a ‘non-entity' in the video games market, however by 1996, it was the world leader of its fast growth market. At the end of 2003 Sony's accumulated sales of 12 million games consoles was well in excess of rivals Sega and Nintendo. The stronger financial support is definitely the reason of successful for Sony. However, those just one small part of reason for the success of the Playstation, the mainly reasons for the success of the Playstation are below: * Adequate knowledge form technology, which had been developed over many years. It was able to derive synergy from its competencies in both hardware and software. * Suitable timing to entered the market, to avoid some unnecessary competition with rivals. Sony timed the launch carefully and entered the market just one month after Sega launched its new Saturn console, the first 32-bit machine. This suggested that the real competition in this sector of the industry lay between Sony and Sega, rather than with Nintendo as well, although in 1997 Nintendo launched its 64-bit N64. * Its pricing strategy for consoles. Sony knew the real profits came from subsequent software sales and happy to cross-subsidize a relatively low-priced console. They also enjoying cost saving through the experience curve effect and happy to pass these on to consumers. * A number of attractive licensing deals, which helped it, build up a strong portfolio of games from the outset. A number of key games software companies were persuaded to switch their allegiance to Sony.†1 * Sony's advertising campaign was very specifically planned. Sony worked out exactly what they wanted the adverts to achieve. They also aimed to make people think of the Playstation as powerful and destructive, using the line, â€Å"Do not under-estimate the power of Playstation† in many of its adverts. Those intelligence ideas help Sony become a winner through this competition. So they are the strengths of Sony Playstation, which made Sony's market share grows in creditable rate. And helped Sony corporation build up a good reputation among the consumers that will become advantage for Sony's further competition. Late in 2000 Sony was unable to satisfy the early demand in both the US and Europe for its new Playstation 2. The problem has come. It was experiencing internal supply problems of critical components. This is a real fault for Sony in Christmas – the peak sales period. This could affect the profits of Sony Corporation. When Sony was struggling with the launch of Playstation 2, Microsoft and Nintendo realized this is a good opportunity to launch their new game console into the video games market. They believe there was a real chance that some customers would switch to the game console of Microsoft and Nintendo, if their intended first choice Playstation were no available. This is a real threat for Playstation's position in the video game market. As Nintendo and Microsoft launch their new game console into the video game market, something has been changed. Reports said that sales of Sony's PlayStation 2 console are down but sales of Nintendo's GameCube console seem to be on the rise. The holiday sales of Nintendo's GameCube rose over 70% from a year ago, while Sony's PlayStation 2 sales did not fall as sharply as expected. Nintendo also said that it would easily achieve a global sales target of six million GameCubes for the full business year. Its sales are directly being attributed to GameCube price cuts in Japan, Europe and North America in September and October of 20032. However, Sony Corporation is keeping finding many opportunities for them to keep their opposition in the video game market. They noticed that entered an established market have to offer some value, something clearly different. So they tried to add the new function, new technology into PlayStation 2. For example: the graphics on Playstation 2 are of ‘cinematic quality' and the console has a DVD reader, which can run movies. PlayStation's hard drive would later be able to accommodate and Internet connection and allow users to buy games over the Internet and download them directly on to their machine, they also could play game online. In addition, PlayStation 2 is a 128-bit machine now, but it was not the first 128-bit machine on the market. Another mainly opportunity for Playstation 2 is their software (games). They categorized their games into 5 main types: adventure/strategy games, driving/motoring games and simulations, sports, fighting game and platform games. By Sony's good reputation there are more and more software companies available for the Sony Playstation than are available for any of its rivals. In 1999 Sony had 90 companies developing games for Playstation 2 and was determined that 50 news games would be available for the launch. Playstation 2 also creating a unique opportunity for content providers and third party publishers from their biggest online community. In 2003, the massive Playstation community proved yet again the enviable advantage of strength-in-numbers as games for the number one selling platforms flew off the shelves in record amounts. Playstation 2 software led the industry with close to 3 billion in total video game sales for the year, nearly three times as much as its closest competitor. This is first online console community is also the most popular, with the Playstation 2 online base growing nearly three times as fast as that of Microsoft's Xbox live. Sony wants to hang on its leadership in the computer games industry. That appears to be Sony's thinking as the electronics giant moves ahead with development of the next version of its PlayStation video game console, which is well known as Playstation 3. Japanese media reported on May 6th that the PS3 console is in development. The goal is to make new processor technology, called â€Å"grid† about 200x faster than current console technology. This is almost achieving their original goal of making the PS3 1000 times faster than the PS2. This goal was publicly set by Mr Okamoto, the Senior VP and Chief Technical Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment, at the 2002 Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California. Playstation 3 may become a major threat to the other company in the game industry. So when Sony look for the future, one of the rivals review recent past, Pete Isensee, lead developer for Microsoft's Xbox Advanced Technology Group, used his GDC talk to deliver a mostly positive critique of the Xbox's journey to the market, lauding a product launch that happened on time and without major bugs, a departure from Microsoft history. â€Å"Microsoft has this stigma about not getting it right until version three,† he said. â€Å"We didn't have a choice with Xbox. If we didn't get it right with version one, Sony and Nintendo would eat us alive.†3 Nowadays, Playstation 2 will be outsold by rivals, but who knows what will be happen in the next. When the new game console-Playstation 3 launch to the market in Christmas 2004, maybe everything will have a big change.

Interview with Entrepreneur Essay

1. Why did you start your own business? Curt has always had a passion for engineering. When he was younger he work as a mechanical engineer through AMP. Then changed to metal engineering but decided he was tired of working for corporate office after 7 years and pursed his hobby into a career. Curt has always enjoyed boating and good seafood. For years before his founded business, he would enjoy being on the boat and catching good seafood which is when he wanted to bring fresh seafood to central Pennsylvania. 2. Is running your own business as hard as everyone says that it is? Yes and no. He’s states that there are pro’s and con’s to any situation especially in the business world. He views his pro’s would be to be able to set your own schedule and to him, he sees his â€Å"work† not so much as work but something that he enjoys and looks forward to waking up every day to. Some of the con’s he listed were that it’s hard to have leave time away from his business. He solely owns 2 local businesses; one located on Eisenhower Blvd., Harrisburg and the other on the Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg, and an online business. The online shop (www.ilovecrabs.com) is ran out of his Carlisle pike location where fed ex comes daily to deliver next day shipment to anyone within the 50 states. His business has been very successful. 3. Do you believe the efforts and rewards for owning your own business are worth the sacrifices? Yes, Curt believes that he is very happy with the outcome of where his business is today. He says that he might change a few things looking back but nothing too serious. He says the business world is about risk and sometimes things work very well and sometimes they fail but it’s always good to know when to back out and when to leap towards something. 4. Did you always see yourself as an entrepreneur, or that you would in time, owning your own business? To a certain extent he has always wanted more. Between 16-17 years old, he seemed to be great at buying and selling different things. Even working as an engineer for 7 years, he would buy and sell anything really that he could make a profit on. 5. How did you finance your initial startup costs for your small business? He saved some money working but he also went to the bank for  part of it. His mother, Sharon Engle, helps with organizing his finances every Tuesday. 6. How do you market or advertise? What seems to have the most positive effect in bringing in profitable customers? Curt used to do the advertising himself but he has hired someone to do that for him to help take some load off. Most advertising is through their internet retail website (www.ilovecrabs.com), but their two local retail shops work with clipper magazine, or you could sign up with their crabsavers newsletter and save $10 off your first order and receive either text messages and or emails with coupons and special deals weekly. They used to advertise with the newspaper and yellow pages but he claims it’s becoming a dying trade. He uses organic advertising online with google now too. He also states the radio is a way to have local customers aware that he is bringing this fresh seafood in daily but not so much for sales and promotions, he sticks to his coupons and surplus sales.Teaming up with Obrycki’s from Maryland, Harbour house crabs now provides the Obryck’s famous seasoning along with their personal blends of seasonings. 7. What’s your greatest entrepreneurial achievement? That the business is still thriving after 15 years since being founded. His first retail shop boomed to the online business after about his first 2-3 years of opening. It became such a hit that in 2009 he opened his second retail shop and moved his online shop to process through the second shop due to size and area. 8. How do you identify business opportunities and what measures do you take to decide whether to invest into this opportunity? He says usually he will stick with his gut feeling but sometimes it’s a little more in depth then that he explains. After successfully launching his second store for 1  ½ years, he decided to partner up with Captain Bob’s restaurant. Unfortunately, it became a little too much to handle with the ordering of their products vs. what his small retail shop has to offer. So after 1 year, he gave back his part of the company to the owner of Captain Bob’s and still sells fresh crabs to the restaurant as they have always done before. 9. What’s the toughest feedback you’ve ever received and how did you learn or improve from it? â€Å"There will always be customers that you won’t be able to satisfy no matter how much you try to do for them in fixing the situation.† He said the first few negative comments he received was through his online  website and was taken personally. Curt had taken this hard because he wasn’t able to satisfy the customers, which is his company’s main goal when providing this fresh food. 10. What makes your business stand out from your competitors? â€Å"We stand out in quality and customer service.† He says, â€Å"We can’t control mother nature and there are certain variables that cause things to be difficult at times but when something happens, our team is encouraged to kill the customer with kindness but also with that have a strong backbone for the company, don’t let someone step all over you but be kind.† 11. How many hours do you work daily? How has this effected your personal or family life? Do you take time out to have fun? Well because Curt doesn’t have a partner, his phone is on him 24/7 and will answer from the time he wakes up until 10pm. He does have a home office and bases all his finances, strategies, and more at his home so it’s difficult sometimes to have to separate the two. He enjoys it to be near his family more but then again he walks away from a lot to take a business call. 12. What kind of culture exists in your organization? The culture that goes with my products are anyone who enjoys fresh seafood, someone or even a group wanting to get together to crack open some crabs and enjoy quality food with quality time given. Bringing friends and families together. 13. In one word, characterize your life as an entrepreneur. Challenging. 14. Who has been your greatest inspiration and why? His grandfather because in 1934 during the great depression era, his grandfather opened up a small business selling Engle equipment, originally type-writers. The business took off so well that Curt’s father and uncle took it over when his grandfather passed. Eventually Toshiba bought the company out and still sells equipment today! 15. Describe how you built a successful profitable customer base? Curt believes finding a service or product that the customers want or demand is the first step he took, then backing that up with customer service has what made this so successful. 16. What’s the best advice you’ve been given? â€Å"Never give up?† Curt explains to me that he tells his kids for example that  when they say something like â€Å"I can’t†, he will in return respond â€Å"Never say I can’t, that’s giving up before even trying, and you should at least always try whether you win or lose.† 17. Excluding yours, what company or business do you admire most and why? Is it a product or service that draws you in? Amazon. He loves not only the products that are so easily obtained but he loves their fast and reliable service provided. 18. Knowing what you know now, is there anything that you would do differently? â€Å"I would†. There were a few investments Curt had but they weren’t worth the trouble. â€Å"It’s still an experience†, he says but it’s good to know when to leave. 19. If I were to want to open up a small business tomorrow, what would be the top priority on my to-do list? He suggests to write a business plan and take it to the business administration building so they can review it and approve your idea. It takes a lot of research to find all that you need but it’s the foundation of the whole project. He also says that looking back at his first business plan, it’s accurate but at the same time off from what it really was from his planning. 20. Do you have an exit strategy? Currently Mr. Engle is looking for an exit strategy because he didn’t really have one at the time of presenting his plan. He did but not what he is really planning now. Ironically as I asked Curt this question, he asked me about taking over the business but I also did work for him from 2005-2013 so I do know a lot about running the stores. I denied though because I have other plans.

Analyzing Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing Case Study - Research Paper Example The analysis will take into consideration the actions and decisions of the energy industry regulators to promote competition in the industry. United Kingdom Energy Markets As demonstrated by the actions of British Gas and the Scottish and Southern Energy, the energy market in U.K is characterized by collusion and cartels. These oligopolistic market structures enable the six larger firms in this industry to regulate the market by determining the prices and supply of energy products. An oligopoly is a market structure, which is controlled by few producers, and each of the producers has control over the market. The extent to which an industry or a market is dominated by a few leading firms is determined by the concentration ratio. It is an industry where the level of market concentration is high. In most circumstances, an oligopoly exists when there are five large firms, and the demand or sales of their products account for 60 percent of the total market. There is no specified theory th at explains how firms determine the output and price under the conditions of oligopoly. If there are price wars in the industry the oligopolistic firms will produce and price their products as perfect competitive industry, at other times they will behave like a pure monopoly. The following are the characteristics of oligopoly market structure; these characteristics are also displayed by the UK energy market. First, product branding; this feature is seen when every firm in the market is selling differentiated (branded) products. For example, British Gas, EDF, E.ON, Scottish Power, Npower, and SSE firms among other small firms in the energy industry sell differentiated products in the UK energy markets. Second, entry barriers; considerable entry barriers into the industry market prevents other firms to enter the market thus enabling dominant firms to maintain supernormal profits. Various small firms may operate on the edge of an oligopolistic market, but these firms are not large enou gh to have a considerable effect on the market output and prices. In July 2011, the British Gas announced an increase in electricity and gas prices by 16 percent and 18 percent respectively just eight months after it increased its prices. British Gas managing director defended the increase in prices saying that the market rates for energy has increased in the global energy market, which increased the wholesale costs of the firm by 30 percent for the last one year (King 2011). While reacting to this increase in energy prices energy minister, Chris Huhne demanded change in the UK electricity market. Energy secretary Chris Huhne, held a meeting with small energy suppliers, with an objective of finding ways of breaking the dominance of the large six electricity and gas companies and help in keeping energy prices down. The plan of the minister was to abolish the entry barriers in the energy market to allow competition between small and large firms in the energy industry (King 2011). The actions of Chris clearly show that there are entry barriers in the UK energy market. Third, interdependent decision making; in oligopolistic market firms take into consideration the possible responses of their competitors to any change in output, price or forms of non-price competition. Increase of gas and electricity prices by British Gas came one month after

Brave mother Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Brave mother - Essay Example of the modern world, the role of the mother in the lives of her children has come to diminish, especially with the empowerment of women and their taking up of roles, which were previously reserved for men. The modern world has brought about plenty of challenges to motherhood, and some of these challenges tend to revolve around the fact that mothers are either working fulltime, or that they are going to college to further their education. While in previous generations the chances of couples divorcing were extremely slim, in the contemporary one, it has become commonplace, with many marriages falling apart in very short times. When this happens, it has become the norm for mothers to be given full custody of their children, which has led to the burden of the raising of children to become solely the domain of the mother. This situation has become extremely difficult especially when one considers that many mothers have to balance either work or school with the raising of their children; s omething which is becoming extremely difficult to achieve especially for those families that need an income. Today, mothers are faced with the task of not only raising their children, but also their fulfilling their obligations to their employers in order to earn an income. This raises the need for mothers to balance their work and family life. In order to achieve this, many mothers have looked for alternatives, which will not only enable them to work effectively, but also be able to spend time with their children. One of the ways that many mothers seem to be adopting is that of working from home. Many mothers have chosen to telecommute and this has ensured that they are able to spend more time at home working during the time when they would have been commuting to work. This has enabled them to get rid of work faster so that when their children come home from school, they find their mothers free to spend valuable time with them. Working mothers have also taken to using one calendar for

Comparison of Music Genres Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Comparison of Music Genres - Essay Example There are a number of disparities between jazz music and classical music. However, there are also some similarities that exist in the two music genres. One common aspect of jazz and classical music is the use of musical beat and regular rhythm. In jazz, music drums play a constant a rhythmic groove which is usually 4/4 and stresses on the backbeat of 2 and 4. In classical music, there is also a steady rhythm which highlights the musical motions. The rhythm emphasizes the downbeat of one rhythmic count (Livingston). Another similarity that exists between the two music genre is the instrumentation. Jazz and classical music at times use common instruments. For instance, classical used saxophone from the 19th century and has modernized to a symphony orchestra. The saxophone is an implement that is mostly used in jazz music by the most famous jazz artists such as Sidney Bechet. Another significant similarity is the improvisation. Improvisation is one of the ways in which classical and jazz music has remained discrete in their respective approaches and attitudes. Improvisation is an essential part of jazz, in cases of small additions and variations to a melody or the entire improvised free solo. Similarly, in classic, there is some use of improvisation or aleatoric elements (Livingston). The differences between jazz and classical music are seen in the choice of the instrument, how the music is played and the style of the music. As much improvisation is in jazz and classical music, it also helps in distinguishing the two types of music.  Ã‚  

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Critical Thinking - Essay Example As shown below these three sources are of greatest threat to our well-being. Motor vehicles have been pointed out as a major source of environmental pollution for a long time; they produce CO2 among other poisonous gases, which are responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer as well as CO, which is a non-detectable poisonous gas. Coal, which is also burned in several industries as a source of energy, has been flagged by environmentalists as a major contributor to carbon dioxide too. Other sources of pollutants include fossil fuels which act as a source of Sulfur Dioxide when burnt and Nitrogen Oxide which is produced when the fuels in vehicles are combusted (Sukhraj 18). Air pollutants have been shown to have several detrimental effects to the environment. The gases interact with the water in the atmosphere to produce acidic rain, which is corrosive and therefore erodes the paint of buildings and kills life in plants and rivers due to its poisonous nature. These fumes have also been identified as carcinogenic and over time, residents living in places with high pollution rates will have a higher prevalence rate of eyes nose and throat infections as well as the development of cancer. There reduction of air pollution is very important and several steps have been taken to do this. Vehicles have been given several standards of performance, which all companies must maintain failure to which their vehicles will not be allowed in certain countries. Catalytic converters have also been installed in vehicles and in factories where sulfur is a by-product so as to reduce the sulfur compounds released into the environment (Sukhraj 23). The introduction of harmful substances to soil and water is another problem that is being faced in many places. Most water pollutants are manmade and are a result of industrial activity too close to agricultural land and water sources. However, natural sources of water pollution include water

Poetry Research Paper on Langston Hughes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Poetry Research Paper on Langston Hughes - Essay Example His was to make, living forever, the pride found in the African-American identity and culture. Through writings and action, he boldly campaigned against racial stereotypes and social injustices against the Blacks. He tirelessly worked to bring the idea of African-American beauty into reality as in one of his poems, My People: The Night is Beautiful, So the faces of my people. The Stars are beautiful, So the eyes of my people. Beautiful, also, in the sun. Beautiful, also, are the souls of my people (Leach, 7). Langston Hughes and his contemporaries tried, in their literary works, to describe the real life of their people, who belonged to the lower economic classes, and with miserable life. They strongly opposed discrimination against Blacks by Whites, based on skin color. These were people who were not ashamed of being black during a time when being black was considered a curse. Hughes emphasized the idea of â€Å"black is beautiful† and therefore took it upon his life to explo re this beauty largely (Leach 5). Hughes promoted a nationalism characterized by not only racial consciousness but also one, which had a cultural inclination, free of self-hate, a characteristic of Blacks in Africa. He encouraged them to be proud of their cultural identity. His technical experience was seen in his emphasis on the use of folk and jazz rhythms as a corner stone for his poems. He first published his poem, â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† in The Crisis in 1921. Many considered this poem as his signature poem. He proceeded to publish his first collection of poetry, The Weary Blues, a collection in which he included the â€Å"signature poem† (Leach 5). â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers† is a poem, which has attracted both critics and fans alike. Its allusions of dusky rivers, the setting sun, sleep, and the soul provides with both the idea of death and immortality. The poet bounces back to life from desperate grief, an action he does by resorting to his belief in his people and his sense of identity with them. He portrays his weak self as a child as well as that of his father. He uses the imagery of a muddy river for his race. This is where he gets his source of life, from the â€Å"muddy bosom† (black mother). Hughes also equates his vision to the angle at which the sun shines above the muddy water, which has the power to turn mud into gold (Rampersad qtd. in On â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers†). As Owuchekwa Jemie puts it, Hughes accounts in this poem go back to a period before human existence. The rivers can be traced back to the time of creation, and with that is part of God’s eternity since they are everything from deep, mysterious and even continuous. Hughes has named them in chronological pattern, similar to that of the Black man’s history. Their waters have given the black man an immortal life. He has actually become part of the river. Hughes also captures Abraham Lincoln’s freeing of black slaves in the writer’s unprecedented turning of the muddy Mississippi into gold. Just like the river, the black man’s soul becomes deep with time. The waters in these rivers also flow incessantly, a declaration that the human soul will endure all the difficulties. In addition, since the blacks have seen civilizations come and go, they will certainly emerge victorious at the end. According to Jean Wagner, the Black’s long history endows them with a rare form of wisdom; wisdom better than that of the great civilizations in man’