Teaching The Drug Abuse Resistance Education - 912 Words

Communication and interpersonal skills was obviously crucial to this position. To illustrate, I was instrumental in defusing an escalating gang dispute within one of our housing development areas. I observed an increase in activity in the area and the children were constantly saying they were afraid. The neighboring school contacted me directly and I arranged for an assembly of the children from the neighborhood and actively listened to their concerns. After compiling information gathered from the neighbors, children, and business owners, I advised the commander of the district and presented a possible solution. Consequently, a positive outcome was attained, these individuals were removed from the community and encouraged to move from the city. Who would have known one incident would open up a flood of opportunities? One by one the doors were opening. I was approached about teaching the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program in the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) district. I recognized, right away, this is what I was meant to do. When the previously mentioned school contacted me, it made me feel good to know the adults of the school trusted me enough to call and ask for my help. It further touched me to know the children wouldn’t talk to anyone else but me. So, when I was asked to teach this program, to me, it was a perfect fit. Soon after completing the necessary training, which was the hardest training course I had ever taken, I was enrolled inShow MoreRelatedSchool Based Drug Use Prevention Programs1333 Words   |  6 PagesSchool-based drug use prevention programs have been an important part of the United State’s anti drug campaign since the late 70’s. Although there have been many different programs of all shapes and sizes, none have been bigger or more iconic than the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. D.A.R.E. was created in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District. D.A.R.E. uses specially trained law enforcement officers to teach drug use preventionRead MoreTeenage Drug And Alcohol Abuse978 Words   |  4 PagesTeenage drug and alcohol abuse is becoming a major problem in the United States. Abuse of illicit substances eventually leads to an addiction. Drug and alcohol addiction is a disease, and it is contagious. It does not spread through germs; it spreads through families, schools, and communities. There are two youth prevention programs that try to exceed at decreasing the drug and alcohol abuse in teenagers. They are the D.A.R.E. program and the Serenity House based out of Texas. The D.A.R.E. programRead MoreSubstance Abuse And Mental Health Administration3352 Words   |  14 PagesIntroduction According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, tobacco use in America starts during youth and young adulthood. 88% of adults who smoke tobacco said that they began smoking or using tobacco products before the age of 18. The use of tobacco products causes many deathly body affects such as lung cancer and heart diseases. Another substance that is popular among youth is the drug called marijuana. In America, over 10% of people ages twelve to seventeen smoke marijuanaRead MoreFinal Paper Juvenile Justice956 Words   |  4 Pagesresponsible citizens (1). The second program I am going to talk about is the Henderson County D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program. The D.A.R.E. program started in 1983 in Los Angeles, California as a partnership between parents, schools and law enforcement to educate children on the consequences of drug abuse and teaching good decision making skills to enable them to live productive drug and violence-free lives (2). The Henderson County branch started in 1985 in several schools in HendersonRead MoreSubstance Abuse Prevention On Adolescents1451 Words   |  6 PagesSubstance Abuse Prevention in Adolescents Adolescence is the most common period of life in which both recreational and therapeutic drug use is introduced. Coincidentally, brain development and maturity is also at an all time high during this stage of life (2). When initiating the use of a therapeutic drug, the health care provider compares the risk to the benefit. If the benefit outweighs the risk, the drug is generally prescribed effectively. This process allows for the safe and applicable useRead MoreBenefits And Limitations When Prevention Providers Are Looking For Successful Programs Essay1722 Words   |  7 PagesThere are many benefits and limitations when prevention providers are looking for successful programs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, or NIDA, provides a large research-based guide of the most effective prevention programs. This research should be the number one tool when looking into different types of programs, although it does not include every single program. A common problem in the prevention fiel d consists of registries missing important strategies, including environmental approachesRead MoreThe Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program1097 Words   |  5 PagesThe Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program also known, as the D.A.R.E program is a worldwide school-based program that helps reach out to children (elementary, middle, and high school) to prevent drug and violence abuse. This program does not discriminate in any case, therefore it consists of children all different colors, shapes, and sizes. Since drug and violence abuse was rising at incredible increments in the 1970’s and early 80’s, a Los Angeles Police Chief and the Los Angeles School DistrictRead MorePreventing Substance Abuse Among Schoolchildren And Help Them Develop Effective Gang And Violence Resistance Techniques1445 Words   |  6 Pages(1994) are to prevent substance abuse among schoolchildren and help them develop effective gang and violence resistance techniques. Although this is a relati vely daunting task to complete, research has been conducted indicating that application of the D.A.R.E components does reduce drug use in youths. The secondary objectives of D.A.R.E are as follows: acquiring the knowledge and skills to recognize and resist peer pressure to experiment with tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; enhancing self-esteem; learningRead MoreDrug Abuse And Its Effects On The United States Essay879 Words   |  4 PagesDrug abuse is worldwide problem and one that has plagued the United States for decades. Drug abuse negatively impacts not only the individual user, but also our society as a whole. The fight to prevent the manufacturing and trafficking of illegal drugs into the country has made very little impact on its accessibility to those that wish to partake. According to the National Drug Control Budget Report for 2015, the President of the United States request $25.4 Billion in Fiscal Year 2015 in orderRead MoreDrug Abuse Is A Worldwide Problem Essay976 Words   |  4 PagesDrug abuse is a worldwide problem and one that has plagued the United States for decades. Drug abuse negatively impacts not only the individual user, but also our society as a whole. The fight to prevent the manufacturing and trafficking of illegal drugs into the country has made very little impact on its accessibility to those that wish to partake. According to the National Drug Control Budget Report for 2015, the President of the United States request $25.4 Billion in Fiscal Year 2015 in order

Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare - 1174 Words

In Shakespeare’s book Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who holds a grudge with a Christian merchant Antonio. The resentment becomes open when Antonio asks Shylock to lend him money, and Shylock asks for his flesh in case he does not return the loan in time. Here, Shylock acts as a negative stereotype Jew, but he is only acting in manner due to forced circumstances. The persecution and discrimination of Jews have forced Shylock to be vengeful and cold hearted. In the Christian values, these actions are not tolerated, and thus he is marked as a bloodthirsty creature, who is mean and thus seen as an enemy of the Venetian citizens. The Venetians uniformly express hatred and intolerance towards Shylock and other Jews in Venice. In fact, that exclusion of â€Å"others† is what makes the Venetian Christian have a strong bond. Shylock, in Shakespeare’s book Merchant of Venice, is a victim of circumstances. The play revealed him as a vicious monster, a Jewish stereotype or a disastrous character whose sense of decency has been altered by the persecution he suffers. It is portrayed from his frequent mentions of the cruelty he has undergone in the hands of the Christians. The Christians in this play are viewed as superior creatures and have legal protection from the state, unlike the Jews who face discrimination. In this play, Merchant of Venice, the dominant class was not rule by wealth, but it was rather ruled by faith. Many of the Jews are wealthier than Christians,Show MoreRelatedThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1445 Words   |  6 PagesTalia Warshawsky Ms. Rembert CGI English 11 HH 12 November 2014 Crashing Thru Venice William Shakespeare, possibly the most esteemed writer of all time, wrote a play titled The Merchant of Venice, near the end of the 1500 s. The play takes place in Venice, and while it can be described as what we now call a romantic comedy, it also draws attention to the harsh divides in the Venetian society brought on by conflicting beliefs and religions. Centuries later, in the early 2000 s, Paul Haggis wroteRead MoreMerchant of Venice by William Shakespeare830 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice is a story about man seeking justice for the forfeiture of his bond. Shylock the Jew created a bond loaning three thousand ducats to his rival Antonio. In the event that the loan could not be paid back, Shylock was entitled to a â€Å"pound of flesh from the breast† of Antonio. Antonio’s invested the money in his merchant ships hoping to gain profit. Unfortunately he loses his ships at sea, losing everything Shylock had loaned him. Shylock h appily takes AntonioRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1102 Words   |  5 Pagespassed, but even today, women are being treated unfairly in certain situations. However, in The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare challenges the concept of women being unequal to men. He conveys this message through the actions of Jessica, Portia, and Nerissa. The female characters empower themselves, accomplishing various tasks in order to gain control over the men in their lives. The Merchant of Venice is a highly effective feminist play, which is demonstrated through the assertive and cleverRead More`` The Merchant Of Venice `` By William Shakespeare1147 Words   |  5 Pagesjeopardy. It is an inescapable labyrinth that plagues the lives of all ever since humanity’s first existence. Yet it,s double-edged sword like characteristics of also providing opportunities and gains keeps many enthralled in it. In William Shakespeare s’ The Merchant of Venice, Antonio, a protagonist, gives himself over to a life-threatening contract with the villain, Shylock the Jew, in order to provide the means for one of Antonio’s friend the opportunity to woo a lady. Over the course of the playRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1036 Words   |  5 Pagesauthentic and respectable character. The Merchant of Venice by renowned playwright William Shakespeare is in itself a story about religion and religious tensions; however, one’s religion is not what defines them. One’s character does, and in the Merchant of Venice we encounter two characters, Antonio and Shylock, who share similarities throughout the play, but are overall different people with different morals. On one hand there is Antonio, a sad, christian merchant and a dear friend, while on the otherRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1153 Words   |  5 Pagesprogressed as time has passed, but even today, women are treated unfairly. However, in The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare challenges the concept of women being unequal to men. He conveys this message through the actions of Jessica, Portia, and Nerissa. The female characters empower themselves, accomplishing various tasks in order to gain control over the men in their lives. The Merchant of Venice is a highly effective feminist play, which is demonstrated through the assertive and cleverRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare1685 Words   |  7 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The play The Merchant of Venice  by William Shakespeare is anti-semetic because anti semetic thoughts and actions are incorporated in a majority of his charcters. The actions of these Christian charcters go against Shylock, and other Jews presented in the play; as a result, establishing a clear seperation between the two ethnic groups. The constant hatred and mistreatment towards Shylock only enhances the division since it develops the idea that Christianity is the sup erior religion. AlthoughRead MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare2046 Words   |  9 PagesEssay Abbesath.K Throughout the education system, there seems to be an unofficial consensus that pieces of literature that are deemed â€Å"controversial† should not be taught in school. The Merchant of Venice falls into this category due to the Anti-Semitism which exists within the play making it â€Å"controversial† therefore, banned. On the contrary, this play should not be considered controversial and it should not be banned due to the learning experiences and knowledge that can be gained by readingRead MoreThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare2080 Words   |  9 PagesThe Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare The play revolves around one main plot and three sub-plots. The main plot centres on the question of mercy and forgiveness as seen in the relationship between Antonio, the kind Christian, and Shylock, the unrelenting Jew. The three subplots revolve around the romances of Portia and Bassanio (the most important couple in the play), of Lorenzo and Jessica, and of Gratiano and Nerissa (the least important couple of the play)Read MoreThe Merchant Of Venice By William Shakespeare Essay2233 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"The Merchant of Venice† by William Shakespeare, explains the differences of religion and greed. There was a guy who needed a loan so he could go across the country to marry the girl of his dreams. He didn t have the money so he asked a Jew name Shylock. Shylock lends the guy money but he told him â€Å"If you don’t pay me back, I get to take a pound of your flesh† (pg. 143). We all know if someone needs money and you have it you would give it to them and you’ll have power over that person. Therefore

On Civil Liberties and the Redefinition of Freedom Free Essays

An appreciation of the civil liberties and basic freedoms enjoyed by the American individual, according to Eric Foner, would be impossible without a knowledge of how the American people—generation after generation—struggled to define and demarcate the boundaries of freedom and liberty. In â€Å"The Story of American Freedom,† Foner (2002) successfully applies a mà ©lange of analytical framework ranging from structural analysis, marxist dialectical and historical materialism; to feminist and postmodern criticism to prove that â€Å"freedom has always been a terrain of conflict, subject to multiple and competing interpretations.† By analyzing freedom from a historical narrative, he aims to show â€Å"how at different periods of American history different ideas of freedom have been conceived and implemented, and how the clash between dominant and dissenting views has constantly reshaped the idea’s meaning. We will write a custom essay sample on On Civil Liberties and the Redefinition of Freedom or any similar topic only for you Order Now ’’ And because of this, the discourse of American civil liberties—borne from the American people’s love affair with the idea of freedom—will only gain relevance by identifying the â€Å"the meanings of freedom; the social conditions that make it possible; and the boundaries of freedom — the definition, that is, of who is entitled to enjoy it (Foner, 2002).† â€Å"The Birth of Civil Liberties† Indeed, the notions of civil liberties in a given society are necessarily intertwined with its cherished concept of freedom. In the book’s eight chapter, entitled â€Å"The Birth of Civil Liberties,† Foner shows that the inception of the idea of civil liberties was the outcome of the tumultuous events and crisis prior and after the World War I: the United States’ participation in the war, the   paranoia produced by the emergence of Socialist Russia, and the Great Depression following shortly after the war ended. It was at this period, with the widespread poverty amidst the growth of the United States as a major Capitalist economy; and Progressivists’ disenchantment with the illusions of state benevolence after the whole scale arrest of left-wing intellectuals, that the paradigm shift from the dominant â€Å"freedom from† into â€Å"freedom to† occurred. The ideas of social scientists as Herbert Croly, John Dewey, and William Willoughby, for med the basis of the new definition of freedom as one that does not only protect the individual from aggression, but one that actually permitted him to do things. Foner (2002) narrates the ensuing contradiction between the dominant progressivism and the emerging modern liberalism: â€Å"Effective freedom,’ wrote John Dewey, who pondered the question from the 1890s until his death in 1952, was far different from the ‘highly formal and limited concept of liberty’ as a preexisting possession of autonomous individuals that needed to be protected from outside restraint.† For effective freedom to crystallize, it was realized,   certain conditions first had to be met. Human beings (at this stage meaning White Men), for instance, though â€Å"by nature† imbued with the freedom to live comfortably, could not do so if they were impoverished. Freedom therefore required that a human being be economically secure, which meant that unemployment and starvation were seen as infringements to freedom. â€Å"The New Deal and the Redefinition of Freedom† By the 1930’s, the belief that economic security was a critical condition for exercising individual freedoms had gained significant acceptance. This is reflected in the way that the state, led by then Pres. Roosevelt,   implemented the New Deal from 1933-37, the pre-cursor of the establishment of welfare in the United States which implemented â€Å"relief,† â€Å"reform,† and â€Å"recovery† by intervening in the market and granting the demands of groups from a variety of the political spectrum. Seeking to cushion the impact of the Great Depression on the starving and unemployed majority of the American people, as well as pacify the restless from succumbing to socialist ideology, the New Deal showed the transformation of progressivism into modern liberalism, which espoused Keynesian economic models and personal freedom based on the four Rs: freedom of speech, freedom to worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Fighting for Freedom And so it is with the rhetoric of freedom that the United States would camouflage its interests in going to the Second World War and in declaring the cold war against the socialist bloc of the USSR. Noting the irony when Pres. Roosevelt promises the world a Global New Deal based on the four freedoms while declaring its participation in the war,   Foner echoes   Dewey’s lament when he wrote in â€Å"The Meaning of Freedom in the Age of Emancipation† that:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"in our own time, we have witnessed the putative division of the planet into free and non-free worlds (with the former including many nations that might be seen as lacking in freedom) invoked to justify violations of individual liberties at home and interference with the right to self determination (Foner, 1994)† This startling realization, that â€Å"American freedom has been both a reality and a mythical ideal — a living truth for millions of Americans; a cruel mockery for others,†Ã‚  influenced the formation of racial, gender, ethnicity, and class-based reform and radical abolitionist movements whose basic slogan was that of equality and the recognition of marginalized groups, such as those for the citizenship of the Blacks, women’s suffrage in the 1960s, and the people’s right to state-sponsored provision of social services in the 1930s. Foner describes the development of emergent concepts of freedom in   the 20th century which tested and challenged the status quo:  Ã¢â‚¬Å"feminists sought to recast gender relations in order to afford women the same freedom as men, and Americans divided over whether poverty and lack of economic security should be seen as deprivations of freedom that the government had an obligation to alleviate.† The women’s vocal demands for their right to vote   and the Black and immigrant movement for civil recognition, were therefore significant efforts to redefine the inclusive and exclusive meanings of freedom since â€Å"categories of freedom defines the categories of unfreedom.†Ã‚   Foner affirms the relevance of such movements by stating that,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"those who adopt a purely ‘negative’ view of freedom as the absence of external coercion, rather than, for example, economic autonomy or political empowerment, must identify what constitutes illegitimate coercion.† It is with this contention, that â€Å"freedom has not simply been a linear progress toward a pre-ordained goal,† but rather a complex and conflicted—and sometimes even violent— struggle between the contradicting interests of groups; tainted by class, race, ethnicity, gender, and even religion, that Foner   challenges and dares his reader to attempt to redefine the confined, claustrophobic spaces of America’s state-sponsored concepts of freedom. References: Foner, Eric. The Story of American Freedom. New York: Norton, 1998. pp. 163-236 Foner, Eric, â€Å"The Meaning of Freedom in the Age of Emancipation.† The Journal of American History 81, no. 2 (Sept. 1994) p. 4. How to cite On Civil Liberties and the Redefinition of Freedom, Essay examples

BLOOD AND BELONGING Essay Example For Students

BLOOD AND BELONGING Essay This is a critique of the book, Blood and Belonging, by Michael Ignatieff. This paper will explain the subject of the book and its relevance, discuss Michael Ignatieffs methods and conclusions on the subject and finally include a personal critique of the book by the author of this paper. The author of the book travels on what he terms the six journeys. On these journeys he encounters different cultures, as he travels to six different coinciding areas of the world. He examines the unique expression of nationalism that each populace displays by interviewing various members of that particular society. The six areas that he travels to are specifically chosen for the clarity which nationalism is expressed in society. Nationalism is a factor contributing toward both present possible future instability in these areas. These areas are former Yugoslavia (specifically Croatia and Serbia), Germany, Ukraine, Quebec, Kurdistan and Northern Ireland. According to Ignatieff, in Croatia and Serbia there is a desire for a separate identity between the two nations. The fear of losing ones national identity has caused ethnic hatred. A terror so strong and historically persistent, it has driven people to a desperate state to do anything. This is a large contributor to the reasons for the extreme violence present there today. The author states, A Croat, thus, is someone who is not a Serb. A Serb is someone who is not a Croat.This quotation profoundly expresses the short-sighted mentality present in their conflict. In his travels in Germany, the author points out an important question. Does the nation make the state, or the state the nation? This question by far does not stop here, especially when Germany is the subject. The essence of the German people is seen by some as aggressive and offensive, thus the existence of the German problem. If the nation makes the state then Germany will always be a threat. If the state makes the nation, then the aggressive nature of the German nation, which lead the world into two global wars, can be harnessed and redirected. The question has its roots and answers in the recent reunification of Germany. The Ukraine is concerned with not being Russian. It is here Ignatieff receives a complete vision of what nationalism is. He states, I understand what nationalism really is: the dream that a whole nation could be like a congregation; singing the same hymns, listening to the same gospel, sharing the same emotions, linked not only to each other but to the dead buried beneath their feet.Quebec is a model that presents a possible future of the state system. Ignatieff uses the example of Quebec to illustrate the relationship between nationalism and federalism. He implies that if federalism fails in Canada it can fail anywhere. If the balance between ethnic and civil principles is not maintained in Canada, who is not an impoverished country and has a large, successful economy; then perhaps the modern world has not transcended the grasps of nationalism. The Kurds represent a nation without a state, who find themselves surrounded by other nations who are more aggressive nationalists. The term Kurdistan is a definition of the areas used by Ignatieff to explain the area of major Kurdish populace concentration. There is no real borders, no flag, no government and Kurds must acknowledge the state in which they reside (i.e., Syria, Turkey, Iran and Iraq), of which, is not Kurdistan. Finally, the sixth journey ends in Northern Ireland. He makes the observation that this is the ideal place to conclude his project. Northern Ireland contains a recurrence of the themes that seemed so prevalent in the other journeys. In Ireland ethnicity, religion and politics are all bound into one expression or identity. These are also evident in the five previous studies. Parcelforce EssayReligion and its role in society are important concerning nationalism. It is in this authors opinion that religions not be viewed as a secondary facet to nationalism. The Islamic uprisings in France and the peace talks in southwest Asia between Israel and Syria are two different perspectives to the argument. Claude Barreau, advisor to the minister of interior in France says, Foreigners arriving in France . . . now have a new fatherland. Islam has a place in France, provided it is willing to stay discreet as the other religions. But Islamist are coming as colonisers. This illustrates an underlying principal that splits Europe down the middle. France is a representation of Europe according to the late Charles De Gaulle. France has adopted internal policies to control the growth of Islam by limiting both social expressions of that faith and by specific immigration procedures. Are not the three million plus population of Moslems in France entitled to nationalistic expr ession of their identity as French Muslims?Where does that leave the Bosnian Muslims, the Turks or any other non Christian state located near or inside Europe?The second point deals with Israel and Syria. The two countries have been at odds with each other since 1947 when Israel was recognized as a state. The main reason for the clash is the difference of religion, not national identity. However, both countries have evolved since their beginnings and have strong nationalistic tendencies. Both countries are now leaning toward compromise rather than a holy war. As the talks continue for the return of the Golan Heights to Lebanon the Moslem Jew factor still remains tense. Of the recent peace talks is the strip of land called the Golan Heights in north of Israel. Avoiding an attempt to explain an extremely complex situation or to oversimplify the matter, it is a fact that many heads of state in the region are choosing political solutions to old religious problems. However, the foundatio ns of their society are religions, to be specific Islam and Judism. This religious factor will never cease and always cause instability in the region because of fundmentalism present on both sides. In conclusion, the subject of the book, Blood and Belonging, has been discussed. The relevance of the books theme was examined along with the authors methods and style of writing. This critique also addressed the conclusions drawn by Michael Ignatieff concerning nationalism and its expressions in the world. Perhaps the world will allways have to deal with the dichotomy dicussed in this paper, however one can only hope that a long lasting solution will be found. BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Ignatieff, Michael Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New Nationalism. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993. 2. It Depends on Rabin. The Economist, 24th-30th September, 1994, pp. 42-43. 3.Secularity Defied. The Economist, 8th-14th October, 1994, p.53. Words/ Pages : 1,886 / 24

Joy Luck Club By Any Ten Essays - Chinatown, San Francisco

Joy Luck Club By Any Ten In the novel, The Joy Luck Club, by Amy Tan, it tells of four Chinese women drawn together in San Francisco to play mah jong, and tell stories of the past. These four women and their families all lived in Chinatown and belong to the First Chinese Baptist Church. They were not necessarily religious, but found they could improve their home China. This is how the woo's, the Hsu's, the Jong's and the St Clair's met in 1949. The first member of the Joy Luck Club to die was Suyuan Woo. Her daughter, Jing-mei "June" Woo, is asked to sit in and take her mother's place at playing mah jong. Memories of the past are shared by the three women left, An-mei Hsu, Lindo Jong and Ying-ying St Clair. June Woo learns of the real secret her mother carried to her grave from her mother's friends. The twin baby girls, her half sisters, Suyuan pushed in a Wheelbarrow as she escaped from the Japanese. Due to sickness, Suyuan can no longer carry her babies, and is forced to leave them on the side of the road. She lives her whole life not knowing if they are alive or dead. In the book, the Woo's left for America to build a better life for themselves. Suyuan Woo wanted to have a daughter like herself, and no one would look down on her. It was important that she speak perfect English and hopefully not share in the same tragedies and sorrows she had known. The movie brought this concept out very vividly. You were able to imagine the time and place and the emotions of the characters. Their anger in the early years, how women and children were treated as possessions. The book spoke of Rose Hsu Jordan, daughter of An-mei Hsu, who had seven brothers and sisters. A very tragic time in her life when her brother Bing drowns at age 1 while she was in charge of watching him. The movie does not touch upon this tragic event and brings out the rich family Rose marries into, and the instant rejection from her boyfriends mother. Rose unhappiness in her marriage with Tod, is similar to the unhappiness her mother had throughout her life. Lindo Jong was a special character in the book , referring to promises she made to her mother as a young girl, and keeping them throughout her life. She was actually abandoned by her family and Lindo was sent to live with her future husband's family. She never complained because she would never dishonor her mother. The movie did an excellent job of showing us the culture during that time in China and how the matchmaker arranged the marriages at an early age. She is a very smart girl and figures out how she could get out of this marriage and still keep her promise to her mother. She puts the blame on the matchmaker and is released from the marriage. When speaking of strong characters in the book, one would have to include Waverly Jong, daughter of Lindo Jong. She was a bright child who became a famous chess player, which made her mother very proud. The movie brought out her unhappiness in her life and the unhappy relationship with her mother. The two shared similar lives even though they lived in different countries and different times. Ying-ying St Clair, according to the book, was married at an early age and referred to her husband as a "bad" man. In fact she tried so hard to forget him she forgets his name. She tells of taking her baby before it was born because of the hate she has for her husband. The movie tells the story a little different in reference to her baby. After her husband comes home with his mistress and causes her shame, she drowns her tiny infant while bathing him. A tragic and emotional part in the movie. Lena St Clair, daughter of Lindo St Clair, may not have had such a tragic relationship with her husband as did her mother; but she was unable to find happiness in her marriage. The book and movie were similar in showing us the relationship she had with Harold. They were business partners also, but he made more money than she. They shared everything right down the middle and kept a running journal. They also decided not to have children which goes along with their relationship. In the final conclusion, the twin baby

Groups essays

Groups essays Vad r en grupp? Tv olika uppfattningar i denna frga har uppsttt, Den individualistiska synen som har sin utgngspunkt i individen och individuella utvecklingar fr att frklara ett beteende och den grupporienterade synen, som ser individen som en del av ett strre system. Det kan vara en grupp, en organisation eller ett samhlle. Det finns mnga definitioner p vad en grupp r, men frenklat kan man sga att det r en samling individer som umgs och har relationer med varandra, oftast fr att n ett ml eller att utfra en uppgift. Det finns ven mnga indelningar p hur en grupp r uppbyggd, vilket jag tycker att jag har mrkt under min tid i det militra. Nedan fljer ngra exempel p indelningar: En indelning bygger p frestllningen att varje samhlle och organisation r sammansatt av grupper som uppkommer spontant i ett samhlle, som familjer, slkter, kamrat- och umgngesgrupper Dessa kallades fr primrgrupper. Ãâ€"vriga gruppbildningar kom ur denna synpunkt att betraktas som sekundra fenomen och kallades drfr sekundrgrupper. . Jag har tex. ftt en stor kamratgrupp frn de ursprungliga arbetsgrupperna p SSS. Vissa grupper har man som referensgrupper. En referensgrupp fungerar som en mttstock i vrderingen av egen och andras status. Den positiva referensgruppen representerar mycket av det efterstrvansvrda i livet. Man kan ven skilja mellan Dom-grupp och Vi-grupp, dr vi-gruppen r en grupp som man knner sig tillhra och som man kan identifiera sig med och dom-gruppen en grupp som man knner sig frmmande infr och medlemmarna kanske uppfattas som avvikande. En annan grupp som frmst r uppbyggd fr att ta tillvara organisationers intressen r en formell grupp, de har e...

Human resources management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Human resources management - Essay Example It would be a mistake to assume that human resources alone can provide a source of competitive advantage, this theory only holds true when the following four conditions are met: Human Resource must add value to the firms production process Skills sought by the firm must be rare, A firm’s combined human resource investments cannot be imitated A firm’s human capital should not be replaceable by technology The need for effective Human Resource Management is evident in the case of Uni-Bank, which suffers from a multitude of Personnel related problems. The bank’s personnel problems can be solved by devising a carefully thought out Human Resource Strategy and implementing effective employee motivation, development and retention techniques. Human Resource Strategy It is of primary importance for firms to develop effective Human Resource Strategies as it will guide the way the firm develops and deploys deploy human, social, and organizational capital to enhance its compe titiveness. The goal of an effective Human Resource Strategy is to develop a workforce which is motivated, trained, adequately rewarded and performs towards pursuing a firm's objectives Past theorists (Snell, Youndt and Wright 1996) noted that in the past executives tried to â€Å"take human resources out of the strategy equation by substituting capital for labor where possible, and by developing organizational structures where there is a dividing line between those who think from those who do the work. As (Quinn ,1992) noted, â€Å"with rareexceptions, the economic and producing power of the firm lies more in its intellectual and service capabilities than in its hard assets; land, plant and equipment†. However, there is no one theory that fits all, every organization’s need differs and so does their required strategy. It is quite difficult to achieve a correct balance between motivating and employee, developing and rewarding them, as there is always a fear of employe e turnover. Firms should be careful not to over-invest in their employees, similarly, they should avoid under-investing in their employees as well, as this leads to poor motivational levels and in turn affects performance. UniBank, needs to reassess its human resource strategy, as it seems the current one is not effective. The Company suffers from low employee morale, (which is their primary problem), skill-gap, low employee involvement and performance. The Company seems to be unable to meet its human resource needs with the needs of the changing environment; as a result, it cannot satisfy either. An effective strategy can be devised through 3 key steps: Diagnosis: Conducting a comprehensive and systematic evaluation of the current practice and performance to identify where improvement is required and where policies are working well. In the case of UniBank, the diagnosis stage will identify the following improvement areas: Employee job security Employee Development Employee Motivati on Employee Remuneration Employee Recruitment Employee involvement and decision making ability Aspiration: A vision of effective Human Resource practices, producing outcomes that contribute to achieving the firm’s strategic objectives. For UniBank, an aspiration outcome will be where its employees are motivated, adequately trained and positively contribute to the change to Online Banking. Developmental: A plan to progress and bring about change in the future. Uni Bank should focus on long term

Developmental psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Developmental psychology - Essay Example As children enter into an era of experiences, every experience is new for their memory according to which the structures in the brain or schema are reshaped, impacting the linguistic, cognitive, social, and emotional development of children. This notion proves that knowledge cannot be transferred directly from the teacher to the learner. In other words, in order to make children learn, knowledge must be constructed or reconstructed in such a manner so that ‘information’ is easily accessible to the children (Ryan & Cooper, 2000, p. 346). Piaget and Vygotsky emphasised upon the significance of social perspectives in developmental psychology but in different directions. Piaget was formally involved in discovering the social interest of child development. In contrast, Vygotsky emphasised the influence of the specific content of external structuring resources (Miller & Carpendale, 2004, p. 3) and theorised that social interaction shapes intellectual development. Vygotsky believe in language development and thought through social interaction. While conducting various developmental experiments his view for social interaction revolves around egocentric speech. According to the ‘Socio-cognitive theory’ it is already proven that children seek new understandings only with the help of social interaction (Johnson, 2003). This new understanding is what today perceived as ‘new technology’ helpful in providing new learning methods not only to children, but to us so that we can equip ourselves with new tec hnological advances that makes learning easier and interesting for our children. One such tool which has influenced our perception and methodology in context with children social development is the use of computers. Researchers reveal that since computers are introduced in the classroom and at homes, educators and parents have debated over

Anemia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Anemia - Research Paper Example This condition affects the amount of oxygen that is delivered to the body’s organs as hemoglobin is responsible for the aforementioned process and thus it is essential that individuals suffering from this disease attain medical care as soon as possible to avoid the onset of hypoxia. Anemia is one of the most common blood disorders found in individuals (WHO 2008). There are three main ways that an individual can end suffering from anemia as a result. They include excessive blood loss which can be caused by a hemorrhage (acute blood loss) or low volume loss (which occurs chronically). This will result in an individual not having enough red blood cells in their system and thus cause the onset of anemia. The second process through which the disease can manifest is via hemolysis (Kumar et. al 2007). This refers to the excessive destruction of the blood cells. This includes the red blood cells and therefore can cause anemia as a result (WHO 2008). The third process involves the lack of adequate production of red blood cells in the body also known as inadequate hematopoiesis. The body may not be able to produce enough red blood cells which could well lead to anemia as a result if this deficiency is not fixed (Aapro & Link, 2008). ... al 2007). As a result, the disease has gone undetected by many individuals who do not recognize the signs until their conditions worsen and the resulting symptoms get worse. Some of the symptoms that can be seen in an individual suffering from anemia include: Fatigue – This can be said to be one of the most common symptoms in individuals suffering from anemia and individuals may find themselves feeling weak on a regular basis despite the amount of rest they have had (WHO 2008). This feeling of malaise can be ignored by many as simple tiredness and can be referred to as one of the minor signs. Shortness of breath – An individual suffering from anemia may also find that they are always short of breath after brief moments of physical exertion that may not warrant such a reaction by the body (WHO 2008). This is as a result of the body not being able to carry sufficient amounts of oxygen to organs such as the lungs. Increased cardiac output – In the more severe cases of anemia the body may try to counteract the effects of reduced amounts of oxygen being transported through out the body through increasing its cardiac output. This means that the heart may work harder to deliver the required amounts of oxygen and as a result an individual may experience related symptoms as a result such as palpitations (WHO 2008). Medical Interventions There are a number of interventions that an individual can turn to in order to deal with this condition, some of these include: Iron supplementation – Those who may be suffering from anemia as a result of an iron deficiency can solve the condition through supplementing the iron lacking in

Modernismo in Spanish-american Poetry of the 20th Century

Modernismo in Spanish-american Poetry of the 20th Century Abstract This research analyses Spanish modernismo in Spanish-American poetry. The paper investigates in depth the impact of Ruben Dario and Leopoldo Lugones, the most influential modernista poets of the twentieth century, on the development and spread of modernismo in Spain. The received results demonstrate that Spanish modernismo was new for Latin America and differed much from European Modernism. Due to the spread of nationalism, modernista poets experienced rejection and criticism from the members of Spanish society that regarded their literary works as the imitation of European poetry. However, Lugones and Dario opposed the existing restrictions and implemented new forms of poetic expression. In this regard, some findings of this research are consistent with the previous studies, while other results provide new valid data to the issue of Spanish modernismo in the twentieth century.   Ã‚  Ã‚   1 Statement of the problem Spanish modernismo is considered by some researchers and critics to represent a real revolution in Spanish-American literature of the twentieth century. The fact is that by the end of the nineteenth century the poetry of Latin America began to decease, thus innovations had to be implemented to revive it. Modernismo was new for Latin America, and the poets who greatly affected the formation of this movement were Leopoldo Lugones and Ruben Dario, as they were the first persons who implemented European poetic traditions into their writings, transforming the linguistic basis of poetry. However, this viewpoint is sometimes challenged by literary scholars who make attempts to eliminate the impact of modernismo on Spanish-American poetry. Gwen Kirkpatrick suggests that such a biased vision is explained by the fact that â€Å"many discussions of modernismo are stereotypically describing a ‘rubenismo’, the hackneyed copies of Ruben Dario’s style , while forgetting the movement’s audacity and its sweeping display of subject matter and styles†1. The conducted researches aggravate the issue by drawing a parallel between Spanish modernismo and European modernism. As a result, they provide ambiguous and invalid findings in regard to modernismo in Spanish-American poetry, instead of clarifying various aspects of the twentieth-century Hispanic literature. 2 Introduction Spanish modernismo as a crucial literary trend of twentieth century Hispanic poetry was initiated by Leopoldo Lugones and Ruben Dario and achieved its peak in the years of 1888-1915. It had the major impact on Spanish poetry, but also affected other literary genres, such as short stories and novels. Modernismo appeared as a successful combination of the Symbolist and the French Parnassian literary movements and was especially widespread in Argentina, Mexico and Cuba2. Modernismo in Spain reflects various social and economic changes of the late nineteenth – early twentieth centuries. It is mainly characterized by the substitution of the former structural and thematic components for new elements that include experiments with meter and rhyme and the utilization of such themes as landscape and eroticism. Thus, modernismo possesses three principal features: 1) novelty in rhyme and meter; 2) new appreciation of poetry’s role and 3) increase in subject themes. Social changes influenced the poets’ understanding of their roles and made them adhere to the literary traditions of such European poets and writers as Edgar Allan Poe, Baudelaire and Whitman. Latin America differed from other European countries because of the fact that it made constant attempts to maintain the principles of national identity. As a result, Spanish literature used to adhere to conventional values, and any withdrawal from these particular traditions was regarded as a real danger to the issues of nationality. Modernist poets such as Dario and Lugones were usually considered as escapist s and Spanish-American poetry – as the imitation of foreign ways of expression. In view of these complex social and cultural restrictions, the rise of modernismo in Spain signified the elimination of the older stereotypes and the establishment of new models for poetry. The beginning of the twentieth century was also characterized by the spread of sciences and industries that contributed much to the formation of a rationalistic vision on life and universe. However, due to the existing restrictions, modernista poets of that period could only unite European values with traditional ideals in their literary works. In this regard, modernismo in Spain collided with more complexities than Modernism in other countries. These complexities resulted in the fact that Spanish poetry of the earlier twentieth century revealed much ambiguity and inconsistency. Various attempts of Spanish poets to utilise modernista elements in their works were regarded as the imitation of European literary sources, and modernismo in whole – as the trend of dependence. However, recent criticism on Hispanic poetry of the twentieth century challenged this viewpoint, providing valid data to prove the uniqueness and importance of Spanish modernismo. The themes and innovations of modernismo gave rise to many aesthetic and cultural tendencies of Spanish-American poetry of the twentieth century. The aim of the research is two-fold: 1) to analyse how modernismo represented a revolution in Spanish-American poetry in the 20th century; 2) to evaluate the importance of Ruben Dario and Leopoldo Lugones in the formation of modernismo. The paper is divided into sections. Chapter 1 provides a statement of the problem that uncovers the principal thesis of the dissertation. Chapter 2 conducts a general overview of modernismo through social and historical contexts. Chapter 3 observes the critical works that are written on the issue of Spanish modernismo. Chapter 4 discusses the theoretical tools that are applied for the analysis. Chapter 5 evaluates in detail the impact of Ruben Dario and Leopoldo Lugones on modernismo and the way they changed Spanish-American poetry. Chapter 6 provides a summarization of the received results, while Chapter 7 demonstrates the limitations of the research and gives the suggestions for further analysis of Spanish modernismo. 3 Review of the literature Various critical works are written on the issue of modernismo in Spain, providing rather contradictory findings. Cathy Jrade considers that modernista poets regarded the world as â€Å"a system of correspondences†3. Thus, they were in search of the ways to uncover the concealed truth about Latin America and the universe in whole. Some critical works on Spanish modernismo are aimed at analyzing modernista poetry through social contexts, including Noà © Jitriks Contradicciones del modernismo, Franà §oise Perus Literatura y sociedad en Amà ©rica Latina and Angel Ramas Rubà ©n Darà ­o y el modernismo4. According to Ricardo Gullon, â€Å"What is called modernismo is not thing of school nor of form, but of attitude†¦ That is the modernismo: a great movement of enthusiasm and freedom towards the beauty†5. Discussing Spanish modernismo and the poets who contributed to the formation of this movement, Gwen Kirpatrick points at Leopoldo Lugones as â€Å"a true precursor of what might be called the dissonant trend in Spanish American poetry†6. The researcher considers that Lugones greatly influenced other poets of the subsequent generations by rejecting the traditional poetic norms and implementing new modernista elements. Lugones’ legacy is especially obvious in the works of Cà ©sar Vallejo, Alfonsina Storni and Ramà ³n Là ³pez Velarde. Octavio Paz points at the fact that Lugones’ and Dario’s poetry is the beginning of â€Å"all experiences and experiments of modern poetry in the Spanish language†7. However, Paz also differentiates between Lugones and Dario; although he regards Dario as the initiator of modernismo, it is â€Å"Leopoldo Lugones who really initiates the second modernista revolution†8. On the other hand, some researchers criticize Lugones’ poetry and his impact on Spanish-American literature. For instance, Roberto F. Giusti claims, â€Å"What is Lugones’ literary personality? It is a difficult question to answer due to the simple fact that he lacks one†9. Amado Nervo contradicts this viewpoint by pointing at powerful aspect of Lugones’ poetry, especially Las montaà ±as del oro. Although Nervo acknowledges the impact of fo reign thinking on the works of Lugones, he nevertheless identifies many individualistic features of this modernista poet. As Nervo puts it, â€Å"Lugones’ personality is powerful, the most powerful in our America†¦ The outside influences, the variety of reminiscences, the trivial and intimate suggestions of sages, poets, anti artists clash in his soul with his own and diverse ideas†10. However, Ezequiel Martà ­nez Estrada suggests that Lugones’ poetry lacks real sincerity, he considers that â€Å"We see him [Lugones] change and contradict himself, but we never see him express himself with absolute sincerity†11. The different perception of Lugones’ poetry can be explained by the changes within Spanish society that shaped people’s understanding of poetry throughout the twentieth century. According to Manuel Pedro Gonzalez, those poets who directly succeeded Leopoldo Lugones greatly admired the poet’s excessive language and powerfu l verse12, but later generations of Spanish poets failed to rightfully perceive Lugones’ innovations, although they also borrowed some elements of his poetry. In view of such contradictory criticism on the issue of Spanish modernismo, the following analysis makes an attempt to solve this controversy and demonstrate a considerable impact of Ruben Dario and Leopoldo Lugones on Spanish-American poetry of the twentieth century.   Ã‚   4 Research methodology The research utilises two theoretical research methods – a qualitative method and a discourse analytical approach. These methods provide an opportunity to investigate the issue of Spanish modernismo through various perspectives. The qualitative method is applied to the research to observe different views on the discussed issue, while the discourse analytical approach is aimed at analyzing cultural and social contexts that contributed much to the formation of modernismo in Latin-America. The discourse analytical approach explains the reasons for regarding Spanish modernismo as a revolution in Spanish-American poetry and the qualitative method interprets literary works of modernista poets. According to Ricoeur, â€Å"interpretation†¦ is the work of thought which consists in deciphering the hidden meaning in the apparent meaning, in unfolding the levels of meaning implied in the literal meaning†13. As appropriate methods for investigation, the q ualitative method and the discourse analytical approach demonstrate Spanish poetic traditions and the ways modernismo implemented new poetic forms.     Ã‚   5 Discussion 5.1. Background In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries Spanish-American poetry experienced its prosperity due to the occurred historical and political events. However, gradually the poetry of Latin America exhausted its potentialities and reflected only illusionary visions of reality. At the end of the nineteenth century Spanish-American poetry almost completely rejected the poetic traditions of Romanticism, because it was impossible to adhere to these traditions in view of quick changes in values and modernization of life in many places of Latin America. As Octavio Paz rightfully points out, â€Å"Modernity is our style for a century. It’s the universal style. To want to be modern seems crazy: we are condemned to be modern, since we are prohibited from the past and the future†14. It was in that period when some Latin American cities began to inherit European ideals on culture, science and art. As Kirkpatrick puts it, â€Å"New immigration, varying degrees of industrialization, and labor-oriented social movements changed the maps of Spanish American cities in the early twentieth century†15. Thus, Spanish-American poets began to gradually reject the romantic representation of reality, instead revealing their interest in certain objects such as the female body and machines. Leopoldo Lugones was one of the first poets that applied to these themes in some of his poetic works, like Las montaà ±as del oro. Overall, modernista poets demonstrated great obsession with the principles of modernity and made constant attempts to increase the role of a poet in Spanish society. They withdrew from their participation in political affairs, instead transforming writing into a profession. In view of various innovations modernismo was aimed at creating a novel reality and styles of expression. According to Gordon Brotherston, the modernista poets, such as Ruben Dario, Manuel Machado, L eopoldo Lugones, rejected the material obsession that emerged as a result of industrial and scientific achievements, instead revealing true moral and cultural values16. As Paz puts it, â€Å"it has been said that modernismo was an evasion of the American reality. It would be truer to say that it was a flight from the local present reality†¦ in search of a universal reality, the only true reality†17. Spanish modernista poets reveal an idealistic treatment of poetry, paying a particular attention to the innovations of poetic forms and themes. The values of these poets appeared in contrast with the existing social norms and were reflected in their poetry. Modernismo represented a real revolution in Spanish-American poetry, because it was aimed at destroying the isolation of Latin America and at creating a novel discourse that could uncover the concealed truth about social and political situation of the country. However, the spread of modernismo was different in various part of Latin America. In particular, in Buenos Aires and Santiago of Chile, the South regions, modernismo was developed in a fast way, while in the area of Hispanic Carribean the process was considerably slow. In general, modernista poets were in search of the ways to create a language that would reflect social and spiritual discourse, making them closer to European poets. In this regard, the language of modernista poets is ambiguous. Applying to the qualitative approach it is possible to reveal this ambiguity, because this method provides an opportunity to rightfully interpret the controversial literary texts. According to Taylor, â€Å"Interpretation†¦ is an attempt to make clear, to make sense of an object of study. It aims to bring to light an underlying coherence or sense†18. Thus, on the one hand, the language of modernista poets appears as a visionary tool that uncovers reality changed as a result of various scientific innovations, while, on the other hand, it shapes national identity. Due to the fact that these two aspects are closely connected with each other, modernismo manages not only to reveal reality, but also to change the political and social courses established in Latin America. As Gonzalez puts it, modernismo introduces various aspects of modernity and alters Spanish poetry in whole19. According to Ricardo Gullon, â€Å"t he modernist writer is in first term modern man, and as so he becomes aware of himself as a citizen and believes in the possibility of the political and social reform†20. Ruben Dario and Leopoldo Lugones were the first poets to reflect social modernity and the negative consequences of scientific innovations in their literary works. In their modernista poems they made attempts to combine national identity with foreign features. The following sections provide a more detailed discussion of Lugones’ and Dario’s impact on the formation of Spanish modernismo.   5.2. Ruben Dario as the initiator of Spanish modernismo At the end of the nineteenth century Ruben Dario (1867-1916) implemented the concept of modernismo to reflect a new period in Spanish-American poetry. Dario identified modernismo as the trend that corresponded with the essence of his time, when modernity began to influence various aspects of reality. Although Dario is regarded as a nationalistic poet, he is individual in his poetry, bringing up both social and national issues. Ruben Dario rejects the traditional elements of poetry by changing the conventional norms of verse and by introducing smooth rhythms into his poetic works. Simultaneously, Dario challenges and criticizes the reality that is presented in many literary works of Spanish-American literature of the nineteenth century. Through his poetry Dario rises against the materialization of Spanish life and against the wrong scientific ideals that prevailed in Latin America in that period of time. He also maintains individualism and independence, eternity and dream world; Dario is especially obsessed with beauty, demonstrating that beauty can be found in many displays. He moves beyond traditional portrayal of beauty, paying a particular attention to females’ sexuality as one of the principal images of beauty. For instance, in his poem Rhymes Dario claims, â€Å"Out on the sea a swift boat rowing, / rowing: the lover with his beloved, / flying to the land of dreams. / In the sunset light and the million glints / that flashed on the sea, those streaming oars / seemed made of burnished gold†21. This simple verse reveals the beauty of nature and the beauty of a loving couple; nature seems to correspond with their feelings – it is bright and clear, tender and light. However, by the end of the poem nature is changed, as Dario expresses uncertainty as to the future of these lovers: â€Å"Their fate? I do not know. I remember / that after a pallid twilight, the sky / darkened and the sea grew rough†22. Thus, nature conveys despair of Dario and the inability of lovers to change anything. Similar to nature that is exposed to constant changes, love also has the beginning and the end. This modernista poet pays much attention to language and he is in constant search of perfecting it. Musicality of Dario’s poetry and his exotic images inspire other Spanish poets, despite the fact that Dario is more interested in words than in the expressed meaning. Dario’s poetic language acquires power and symbolism; he gives new meaning to simple words and forms his unique rhetorical lexicon that reflects the spirit of Hellenism and Versailles. Applying to various poetic experiments, Dario increases the amount of metrical forms, either transforming classical forms or creating new ones. Dario’s first literary work Azul (1888) reveals musicality and sensuality of his sonnets. It was a real break in Spanish-American poetry due to the fact that Dario managed to substitute a complicated poetic verse of Spanish poets for a simplified and expressive form. In this collection Ruben Dario masterfully combines the symbols taken from ancient literary sources with his own symbols. Some of Dario’s symbols are the swan that symbolizes eroticism and chastity or centaur that embodies both human and animal features. In this regard, modernismo depends on various influences and literary trends; it manages to combine vulgarity and delicacy, reality and illusion, beauty and violence, extremes and simplicity. Ruben Dario’s modernista poetry introduces many elements into Spanish-American poetry of the twentieth century. In particular, in many poems of Blue Dario applies to the theme of escapism, that is, he escapes reality and involves his readers into the dream world. Dario’s escapism is refined and full of classical illusions. In response to various scientific inventions and reason, Dario creates poems that are closely connected with nature and passions. Although the poet usually depicts such negative feelings as sadness, disappointment, ennui and despondency, they are so expressive that they evoke powerful emotions. In the poem Melancholy Ruben Da rio states, â€Å"Brother, you that have light, please give me light / I am like a blind man. I grope about in the dark. / I am lost among the tempests, lost among torments, blinded / by fantasies, and driven mad my music. / That is my curse. To dream†23. Another element of Dario’s poetry that is widely adopted by all modernista poets is the tension between love and sexuality. In his later collection of poetry Songs of Life and Hope (1905), Dario brings up more profound issues of a man and universe, life and death, utilizing irony and bitterness. This is especially obvious in such poems as The Fatal Thing and Youth, Divine Treasure. In this regard, Dario and other modernista poets are often accused of inspiring anarchy in the country, but in reality Dario contributes to the creation of a certain ideological structure in Spanish-American poetry that is closely connected with culture. Applying to classical allusions and cultural images, Dario implicitly demonstrates his cultural tastes. Thus, Jean Franco suggests that â€Å"modernismo comes to imply not only a literary renewal under the influence of France but a certain exaltation of taste†24. In some of his poetic collections, including Songs of Life and Hope, Ruben Dario demonstrates his obsession with classical symbols and the images created by Dante in his epic poem. Dario is in constant search of combining these images with the aesthetic values of modernismo, the poetry with the whole universe. In other poems Dario, similar to Lugones, draws a parallel between natural phenomena and humans’ emotions; for instance, in the poem Nightfall in the Tropics Dario portrays nature through emotions: â€Å"Bitter and sonorous rises / The complaint from out the deeps, / And the wave the wind surprises / Weeps. / Viols there amid the gloaming / Hail the sun that dies, / And the white spray in its foaming / ‘Misere’ sighs†25. This verse reveals Dario’s experiments with language and form; and, according to Kirkpatrick, it is in these â€Å"experiments, ironies, discordance, and ambiguities, later poets will find the legacy from which they will construct new poetic languages†26. In this regard, Leopoldo Lugones borrows some modernista elements from the poetry of Dario, but he also implements many new elements of modernism o.  Ã‚      5.3. The influence of Leopoldo Lugones on Spanish-American poetry Although Leopoldo Lugones’ earlier poetic works are characterized by the adherence to romantic ideals, he gradually rejects these elements, bringing up the issues and values that are closely connected with modernismo. Despite the fact that Lugones’ patriotic tunes and concise rhyme are not the explicit features of modernismo, his changes in themes and the depiction of certain ideologies through poetry demonstrate the poet’s important role in the transformation of Spanish-American poetry of the twentieth century27. According to Kirkpatrick, simultaneously combining some genres and moving from one extreme to another in his poetic works, â€Å"Lugones dramatizes the conflict between modernismo’s formalism and the shift into the twentieth century’s more private sense of poetic language†28. Similar to Dario, Lugones maintains the idea of language perfection, but he regards language as a tool that should be refined. Lugones considers that poetic language should be as much expressive as possible, but â€Å"by directing attention to language as a technical instrument, Lugones initiates a dissonant trend in modern Spanish-American poetry†29. With the help of expressive language Lugones manages to combine various elements in his poems, such as ironical eroticism and the portrayal of landscape, colloquial speech and unromantic scenes. Lugones takes his images from outward things, depicting the changed urban and rural scenery of Spain. Simultaneously, Lugones’ modernista elements reflect his obsession with French literary poetic traditions; however, â€Å"Lugones discounts the American setting as being too primitive to allow for the development of a complex and refined expression†30. Although in his early poems Lugones only implicitly reveals modernista elements, he intensifies them in his later poetry. This especially regards Las montaà ±as del oro (1898), where Lugones makes an attempt to combine rather contradictory elements through an allegorical form. It is in this poetic collection that Lugones introduces such innovations as enormous excesses, undisguised exaggeration and bizarre humour that are utilise d in his later poems. Introducing various thematic opposites in Las montaà ±as del oro, Lugones manages to achieve integrity of expression. The structure of the book resembles Dante’s poems, revealing that Lugones applies to some classical allusions in his poetry. This is especially obvious in the following words: â€Å"I was alone / between my thoughts and eternity. I was / crossing with Dantesque steps the night†31. In the poem Metempsicosis Leopoldo Lugones combines the powerful images of landscape and animal features to reveal the opposites between two elements: â€Å"An evil moon was loosing itself – with its yellow skeleton face / in distances of dream and problem; / and there was a sea, but it was an eternal sea, / asleep in a suffocating silence / like a sick, fantastic animal†32. Metempsicosis is followed by other poems, such as A Histeria, Rosas del Calvario, Oda a la Desnudez, Antifonas, Nebulosa Thule and others that are full of erotic images and the theme of darkness. In his female images Leopoldo Lugones combines both calm beauty of a woman and fierce portrayal of femme fatale. Applying to such conventional symbols of female images as moon, apples, flowers, breast and others, Lugones demonstrates that these images are beautiful, but they embody darkness and destruction. As a result, Lugones’ female images reflect the desire for possession and desecration: â€Å"I want a golden crown to encircle / your heart†¦ and I want you to triumph, naked like a host, in the ideal Easter ceremony of my pleasures†33. Similar to Dario, Lugones’ sexual images are usually connected with various religious images and Greek mythology, the feature that is characteristic to modernismo. However, Lugones’ images are more turbulent and definite, like in the poem A Histeria: â€Å"And so your embrace was like the knot of a noose, / and like glacial floes were your lips, / and bitter wires were my tendons, / and so the enormous stallion was a black wind†34. Thus, Lugones draws a parallel between violence and females’ sexuality; this connection is evident in Los Celos del Sacerdote: â€Å"desired crucifix of the weddings / and the triumphant grace of your waist. / like an amphora filled with magnolias, / and the impenetrable iris of your sex, / iris fool of blood and anguish†35. In another poem Oceanida Lugones applies to specific sexual images of Vista that symbolize eroticism and beauty. Some poems of Lugones’ poetic collection Las montaà ±as del oro reflect the sadomasochistic components that constitute one of the most important themes of Lugones’ poetry. In particular, the poet combines the images of violence and punishment with the images of females’ sensuality: â€Å"I shall praise the affection of your embrace, / just as the lecherous ascetic in his battles pulls tight the hairshirt around his kidneys†36. The images of sexuality and violence are repeated several tines throughout the poems, thus repetition is one of the most crucial poetic tools of Lugones. These repetitions, mainly taken from Poe’s literary style, provide Lugones with an opportunity to move from one extreme to another, maintaining the necessary integrity of expression. For instance, in the poem Oda a la Desnudez Lugones constantly repeats the word ‘nakedness’: â€Å"Look at the nakedness of the stars; / the noble nakedness of the savage panthers of Nepal, the pure flesh / of the newborn; your divine nakedness which shines like a lamp†37. Leopoldo Lugones implicitly brings up the tensions between nature and scientific discoveries, between reason and myths, between people and environment. In this regard, Lugones is similar to Ruben Dario who criticizes science and material obsession of his era in his modernista poems. Lugones combines ancient elements with new discoveries of the nineteenth century, evaluating both positive and negative sides of the present. Thus, according to the discourse analytical approach, Lugones’ and Dario’s poetic language is closely connected with the components of social and political contexts38. The poem Hymn to the Moon from Lugones’ Sentimental Lunario reflects French adoptions and is characterized by irony and new metric form. The poem The Cicadas from The Book of the Landscapes is belonged to one of the most modernista poems of Leopoldo Lugones; applying to daily images, the poet portrays them through ironical vision. However, one of the best modernista poetic collections of Leopoldo Lugones is certainly Los crepà ºsculos del jardà ­n (1905), where the poet intensifies sexual and erotic elements. In this collection Lugones not only utilises many modernista structures and symbols, but he also implicitly criticizes modernismo’s technicality. As Lugones constantly experiments with his poetry, he implements new elements taken from different literary movements and classical literary sources; thus he manages to observe both strong and weak sides of modernismo. Exaggeration appears the principal tool of expression in Los crepà ºsculos del jardà ­n; as Kirkpatrick puts it, Lugones â€Å"exaggerates certain themes by extending their development too far, or points out certain techniques by explicitly commenting on their use within the poems themselves†39. Thus, the poet creates not one swan in his poems, but several swans; portraying the image of a woman, he does not restrict himself to some features, instead he describes every aspect of her appearance, even the colour of her clothes. Although Leopoldo Lugones initiates the second wave of modernismo in Latin America, he moves away from it in his later poetic works, because he feels that he has already researched this new area and continues to experiment with other literary trends40. Utilising all modernista elements in his Los crepà ºculos del jardà ­n, he begins to study the archetypal elements of Jules’ Laforgue’s poems. However, Lugones’ later withdrawal from modernismo does not minimize his crucial role in the formation of modernismo. As Kirkpatrick rightfully claims, â€Å"Although Ruben Dario is the undisputed master of the movement, many later poets have found the complex, sometimes troubling, poetic experiments of Leopoldo Lugones to signal openings for a renewed poetic practice†41. The fact is that Lugones’ constant changes of forms and styles, turbulent eroticism and the portrayal of common life attracted attention of many Spanish-American poets. Tensions and ambiguity that are slightly seen in the works of other modernista poets are considerably intensified in Lugones’ poetry42. 5.4. The Legacy of Modernismo Ruben Dario and Leopoldo Lugones as the major contributors to the formation of Spanish modernismo left a considerable legacy to other poets who began to utilise modernista elements of Lugones and Dario in their poetic works. Some of these poets are Ramà ³n Là ³pez Velarde, Cà ©sar Vallejo, Jorge Luis Borges, Octavio Paz, Alfonsina Storni, Julio Herrera y Reissig, Federico Garcis Lorca, Pablo Neruda and Vicente Huidobro. Their poetry is characterized by expressiveness and freedom, perfection of language and search of new forms, classic allusions and new themes, simplicity of syntax and musicality of words, free verse and powerful visual images. For instance, in his poetic works Ramà ³n Là ³pez Velarde follows Leopoldo Lugones, combining the elements of eroticism with various prosaic elements. Other modernista poets also utilise prosaic components in their poetry, including Baldomero Fernà ¡ndez Moreno and Enrique Banchs. These poets implicitly appl y to Lugones’ method to create opposites; however, they differ from Lugones, using simple colloquial language. Besides, the tone of their poems is quiet in contrast to excessive and exaggerated tone of Lugones. Julio Herrera y Reissig, another modernista poet, greatly resembles Lugones in his representation of sexuality and

Essay --

Animal protection and conservation acts began to appear in the 1900's following the near extinction of the bison and the passenger pigeon. Ignorance regarding the idea of extinction combined with the popularity of hunting, severely hurt these species. Hunters and naturalists killed wildlife for game and study without much thought for the species’ survival. In addition the rapid industrialization threatened the natural habitats of thousands of species. The first major piece of animal legislation was the Lacey Act of 1900 which prohibited interstate commerce of animals killed in violation of state gaming laws. Other laws of the era included the Migratory Bird Conservation Act of 1929 and the Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940 (Klyza). In the 1960's legislation moved from regulation to preservation. The Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966 was the first real attempt at preservation. When designating 78 animals to the 1996 list, Secretary of the Interior Mark Udall said th at â€Å"an informed public will act to help reduce the dangers threatening these rare animals† (AP). The goal was to inform the public that certain species were in danger and to protect the species before major damage could occur. Although there was legislation prior to 1973, the Endangered Species Act of 1973 was the most wide reaching and important pieces of environmental legislation that passed in the 1970's. Following a string of environmental disasters, citizens became more aware and started to demand environmental legislation. From Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in 1962, to the inaugural Earth day in 1970 with about 20 million attendees, environmental issues started to receive â€Å"massive exposure. This exposure helped consolidate a growing public awarene... ...roduct of the 1970’s and the environmental movement, is not the best law possible but it does do a fine job as the only real animal protection law. The ESA’s goal of preserving species â€Å" like others included in environmental legislation at the time, was unrealistic† (Klyza). The ESA could never do as much as its creators would have liked, but to repeal the law would leave hundreds of species unprotected. The country needs to protect the fragile ecosystems that it houses and the ESA has helped with that. The ESA is essential because it protects the ecosystems that once destroyed, cannot be rebuilt. The protection of ecosystems has truly become the ESA’s largest and most important contribution. The ESA or any similar legislation could not pass today with the intensely partisan Congress and thus it needs to stay as the only true protection for North American species.

Financial Management – Risk Analysis

There are also reputation threats such as damage to the company's reputation in the market or from employee loyalty. You also have procedural risk, project, and financial, technical risk. Natural and political risk as well. Company decision makers must think through the systems, organizations or structures they operate, and analyze risks to any part of them. Once the threats have been acknowledged, the next step is to work out the probability of the threat being carried out and to evaluate its impact.A company must workout the value of risks It faces, so that the company can start to look at ways of dealing with them. When a company does this, It Is critical to choose cost effective methods. Risk analysis allows an organization to examine the risks that it faces. It Is based on a well thought out plan of attack In thinking through threats, followed by an evaluation of the probability and cost of Incidents occurring. Risk analysis forms the basis for risk management and crisis prevent ion. Five Interview Questions- Week SIX 1 . How would you Identify threats facing your company? . After Identifying the threats facing your company, how would you go about In assessing Its Impact? 3. How would you go about managing risk to your company? 4. After carrying out a risk analysis would you continue with regular reviews? 5. Why Is risk analysis so Important for a company? Financial Management – Risk Analysis By Judicial threats such as damage to the company's reputation in the market or from employee A company must workout the value of risks it faces, so that the company can start to kook at ways of dealing with them.When a company does this, it is critical to choose it faces. It is based on a well thought out plan of attack in thinking through threats, followed by an evaluation of the probability and cost of incidents occurring. Risk Five Interview Questions- Week Six 1 . How would you identify threats facing your company? 2. After identifying the threats facing yo ur company, how would you go about in assessing its impact? 5. Why is risk analysis so important for a company?

Practice Restaurant Dialogue for Ordering Food

Practice Restaurant Dialogue for Ordering Food Ordering food in a restaurant is one of the most basic tasks for English learners- after all, eating is essential and so is talking about eating- but it can also be one of the most daunting. This simple lesson is aimed at beginners who are practicing ordering for the very first time. Use this lesson, dialogue, and sample menu to help ESL students learn how to order  food in a restaurant using basic vocabulary Preparing for the Dialogues Simple dialogues will help students to order food and speak in a socially acceptable way in a restaurant while  challenging listening-comprehension exercises will help boost their passive-understanding skills. Before having students perform the dialogue below, ask them to name different types of food they might find in a restaurant. Write the vocabulary on the board and make sure students also take notes. After they do so: Give students the dialogue and menu, and ask them to read through it carefully. Point out the use of would like for asking for and making requests. You may also want to make sure they notice the use of here you are instead of please when handing someone something.Pair students and ask them to role-play ordering food in a restaurant using the menu below (or a more interesting menu you may have on hand). Both students should switch roles a number of times.If you have access to a computer, improve passive understanding by doing a  listening- comprehension  exercise, like the one found in this practice script.   Finally, ask students what are some ways  (dialogues, thematic texts, and narrative stories)  they can use to help them improve their listening-comprehension skills in English. Dialogue: Ordering Food in a Restaurant Have students pair up to practice the following dialogue, then have them switch roles. Waiter: Hello, Can I help you?.Kim: Yes, Id like to have some lunch.Waiter: Would you like a starter?Kim: Yes, Id like a bowl of chicken soup, please.Waiter: And what would you like for your main course?Kim: Id like a grilled cheese sandwich.Waiter: Would you like anything to drink?Kim: Yes, Id like a glass of Coke, please.Waiter: Would Pepsi be OK? We dont have Coke.Kim: That would be fine.Waiter:  (After Kim has her lunch.) Can I bring you anything else?Kim: No thank you. Just the bill.Waiter: Certainly.Kim: I dont have my glasses. How much is the lunch?Waiter: Thats $6.75.Kim: Here you are. Thank you very much.Waiter: Youre welcome. Have a good day.Kim: Thank you. Same to you. Sample Menu Use this menu to practice ordering food in a restaurant. Have students swap out different food and drink items to modify the above dialogue, or let them create their own dialogues. Joes Restaurant Starters Chicken Soup $2.50 Salad $3.25 Sandwiches - Main Course Ham and cheese $3.50 Tuna $3.00 Vegetarian $4.00 Grilled Cheese $2.50 Slice of Pizza $2.50 Cheeseburger $4.50 Hamburger $5.00 Spaghetti $5.50 Drinks Coffee $1.25 Tea $1.25 Soft Drinks - Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, Ice Tea $1.75

Germany 1924-1929 essays

Germany 1924-1929 essays Since the end of the war Germany has not been doing to well but for the last 5 years many things have improved especially foreign policy. Even though these have succeeded, our economy is not doing well and our government is not stable and needs to be fixed. Here are the situations involving foreign policy, politics, and the economy. The first issue on our list is our foreign policy. In 1924 we were not trying to achieve anything with other countries were merely trying to get revenge for the Treaty of Versailles. Since then we have done very well in many things including our membership in the League of Nations and the sighing of the Locarno Treaties. We will start with the League of Nations. This membership has made us look and be respected as a great power by being treated as equals with Britain and France. We are part of the League's council and have a permanent seat just like France and Britain. Secondly the signing of the Locarno Treaties have earned us respect since we are now concerned about peace in Europe. On the other hand Stresemann did very well in assuring Germany's western borders but not guarantying anything on the eastern border. Finally the Young Plan was a huge success for Germany since it reduced our reparations by two thirds and gives us till 1988 to pay them. Even with this there is still mu ch mistrust between Germany and France. Overall our foreign policy from 1924 to 1929 has been a great success mainly due to Stresemann's work. Even with the great successes in foreign policy our political issues in the country are not well. No one government has really taken control of the country. Our government is very unstable. We have had 25 governments in the last 14 years and probably the worst thing has been the election of President Hindenburg due the fact that he has been a prominent critic of the Weimar Republic. Also with the Nazi and communist parties not being crushed t ...

Capstone Project Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Capstone Project - Research Paper Example However while eBay is a consumer-to-consumer trade platform, Amazon.com relies mainly on the producer-to-consumer trade model and also offers many own products and services. The other two main competitors for Amazon.com from the books/publications field and the multimedia provision field are Barnes & Noble and Netflix respectively. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and employs more than a hundred thousand people. The company was founded by Jeff Bezos who remains its chairman, president and chief executive officer. Vision and Mission The self-stated mission of the company is to â€Å"be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavour to offer its customers the lowest possible prices.† And while there is no articulate vision, given by the shareholders or founder of the company, to be followed by the staff, there are several references in the official publically available d ocuments of the company to the drive towards technological innovation. There is no doubt that of all the businesses aiming or claiming to provide customers a wide variety of choice of products or services, Amazon.com, the world’s largest online retailer, is the truest to its mission statement. While it started off as an online bookstore, Amazon.com soon started offering multimedia products such as videos, films and music and later on got into the markets of various consumer products such as software, video games, electrical appliances, garments, cutlery, decoration items, sports goods and eatables etc. In the present day, Amazon.com offers many products and services of its own such as the market leading e-book reader (Kindle) and cloud networking services. The focus on customary offerings of Amazon.com can also be realized by the fact that the company operates specialized websites in Japan, Canada, United States, India, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Mexico, France, Australi a, Brazil, China and Spain and has plans for such websites in Sweden, Holland and Poland as well. E-commerce is a an extension of physical trade over the internet and e-commerce companies such as Amazon.com do not reflect the kind of technological innovation that is generally appreciated of a web-based enterprise such as an internet social network. That is because the focus is still on trading of tangible goods and hence the trading represents the area of business rather than technology or the internet which is just a conduit for the trade. Neither Amazon.com’s strategies nor its staff are known to be technologically advanced or innovative in the contemporary sense. Similarly while the focus on low pricing is highlighted by the mission statement of Amazon.com, just as it is in the written objectives of innumerable businesses, there is no special initiative that offers a cost advantage to customers or targets the lower classes of consumers other than the need-based policy of c ompetitive pricing. There is however a recently launched program that incorporates the ideas of both innovation and financial advantage for the customers called the â€Å"Subscribe & Save† program. The subscription offered by the program is open to consumers in most of Amazon.com’s operating regions and includes all household and other bulk-purchasable goods. Through this program consumers are offered up to a fifteen percent discount and free

Information Systems Design and sociotechnical systems Essay

Information Systems Design and sociotechnical systems - Essay Example The authors appreciate the need for proper systems to model and analyze the interaction and composition of software and hardware components with organizational and human actors. The authors evaluate and select the right trade-off between social and technical dimensions. They propose tool-supported procedures of requirement analysis for technical-social systems that adopt planning schemes for exploring the range of requirement alternatives in addition to a number of social criteria for their assessment. The authors illustrate the proposed approach using a case study. The publication proposes a systematic, tool-supported procedure that aims at supporting the designer in evaluating and exploring alternative configurations and frameworks of socio-technical system delegations. It supposes that the accomplishment of such processes be done through Artificial Intelligence planning techniques in constructing design alternatives. It also gives a set of assessment criteria for evaluating and comparing the available options (Volha, Paolo, & Mylopoulos, 2012, p. 7). The paper has presented the presented schemed process that supports the proposed approach. It also gives the outline of the planning, discussion and formalization of the concrete set of evaluation criteria. The white paper has reported on the assessment of the proposal through a number of case studies in addition to a series of scalable experiments. Bert, P. (2011, June 3). Sicio-Technocal Design of Knowledge Work & IT; A Case Study. Retrieved Feb 12, 2014, from Independent Consulting Social Scientist: http://moderntimesworkplace.com/good_reading/GRNewTech/STS.Design.of.KnowledgeWork_IT.v2.pdf The author uses a case study of E-File introduction into the system of an insurance company as an imperfect, but powerful example of the challenges and the potentials of designing technical and social elements of knowledge work interactively and concurrently. Bert explores a case study of a public insurance

Communicating with a Diverse Audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Communicating with a Diverse Audience - Essay Example By diversity we are not only referring to ethnic differences but also other demographic factors such as age, gender, social class and religious beliefs. Therefore in our firm, we never use language that seems to target any particular group nor do we allow jokes that might accidentally offend someone's religious or cultural beliefs. Communicating with our employees and other stakeholders is however extremely important and critical to company's success. Over the years, we have learned that the more the communication, the better the understanding people have and the less confusion and conflict we face. Communication is regular done in form of both internal and external messages. We have an intranet that allows horizontal as well as vertical communication. The company website has a bulletin board where important messages are placed and there is a forum that allows for comments on new happenings. Change is the essence of business success today but it is change that generates most resistance. In our organization, we know that whenever any change is being introduced, people refuse to accept it readily at first if they fail to understand its significance. Thus, we have developed a culture of communicating about change before it is brought into the organization. To communicate after change has been introduced can often backfire. It is important to prepare the employees and others for change when it is being anticipated. This helps in reducing resistance, which can make the change process easier. We realize that whenever change is to be introduced, people must be taken into confidence not only so they can be informed but also to tell me how they can benefit from this change. Audience benefits are very critical to success of communication and thus we keep that in mind every time our organization is planning change. One key example of our organization's commitment to its employees is the time when we were planning to introduce robotic technology in our production unit. Organization understood that this was a big change and could result in serious resistance. But it also meant improving productivity by 65%, which could lead to lower costs in the long run. The firm however refused to let this change affect employees in a negative manner. We were more concerned about our employees' welfare than anything else. We knew that we had to improve productivity and our plan for introduction of robots could bring in serious improvements but we didn't want this to affect our employees. The organization first identified the way in which this change could affect our people. We realize that some people in the production department will have to be moved. We also knew that many people might not know how to adopt the new technology so training had to be arranged. Third, we had to find way to convince the audience of the benefits of adopting this new technology. But these benefits had to be audience benefits not organizational benefits. This was a critical task and failure to communicate properly could produce negative consequences. The first important step we took was identifying the ways in which we could accommodate the surplus staff. We didn't want them to leave but some of them had to be moved to other departments. We looked at the strengths and weaknesses of our staff and then decided what would the next most suitable position for them.

Work-life balance Essay Example for Free

Work-life balance Essay Changes in relationships do not necessarily mean turbulence- even the most stable relationships go through constant changes. These changes are manifest in the smallest of gestures and interactions amongst people. The reactions, pro-actions or interactions may be between couples, parents, siblings, extended family, generations of grandparents, in-laws, cousins, on the family side, and boss, colleagues and subordinates, business partners, other stakeholders on the official or work side. Each action impacts a relationship either negatively or positively- each action process allows us to link our lives to one another. In short, this is the crux of the paragraphs that follow. Broadly, there are five everyday processes that can be instrumental in linking our lives to one another. These include routines for contact, common involvements, and pattern of interactions, everyday talk and reflection. Each of these requires day to day communication which provides the vital link to create and sustain the fragile fabric of personal relationships. Enduring personal relationships are formed when these vital everyday links are positive and in good health- it does not take an extraordinary circumstance or event to change relationships- at best it may be a spark to the build up that has happened as a result of everyday interactions. The essay titled, â€Å"The Everyday Accomplishment of Work and Family: Exploring Practical Actions in Daily Routines† by Caryn E. Medved, Communications Scholar, Ohio University, which is a part of the suggested reading focuses on the challenges of work and family in our daily lives; and studies women in minute detail through a survey which researches the micro practices of navigating and negotiating daily work and family life. The responses to the survey questionnaire help us examine how the women play their taken for granted roles of managing work and family. Responses highlight startling facts in relationship maintenance and repair amongst the dual career couples. Whether they engage in interaction communication patterns involving variables such as gender and emotions, or workplace interaction, which may even include efforts or signals for social change ( â€Å"frame bending†, as the author calls it), brought about by family routine needs, each respondent evidently looks at restructuring actions like negotiating, deliberating, seeking alternatives. This is done in order to prevent interruption in daily family routine, or to handle changes on the home which may hamper the process of keeping up the routine at work. During workplace interaction, the same actions or tactics may be used to balance out the relationship imperatives while at work. It is observed that in families, children feature topmost in the consideration set of some or all of the above actions. Routinizing actions like connecting, alternating, prepping and reciprocating, which are designated and carried out as per need and aptitude of the doer, or improvising actions like requesting assistance, trading off or even evading in order to maintain routine action and interaction at the required level whether at home or at work, all work on common sense assumptions which indicate the way forward. There are times when women decide to use â€Å"strategic ambiguity† (Eisenberg. 1984. Pages 227-242) to get out of tricky situations- ‘I don’t know’ is the safest answer to manage expectations and keep the relationship going, when one is not sure. Between workers on a lateral level, as well as spouses, this is very common- a bit of ambiguity and expression of helplessness helps to tide over a demanding query or situation. In my opinion, ambiguity is the culprit, not the solution- a near definite answer helps people to understand each other better and there are no grey areas, which are the starting point of dissent in relationships. What is surprising to note from the interpreted data is the fact that mundane chores which are seemingly innocuous, are so important to ensure proper navigation of everyday achievements of work and family lives. Prepping, for example, which means preparing for the next morning, can be a spoke in the wheel of smooth communication and relationship if not handled well- women seem to do most of the prepping for reasons including their love for meticulously coordinated activity, organized morning chores, less confusion, more time for spouse and children, among others. Reasons why men are not so fond of prepping include their indifference for neatness and coordination, their habit of relaxing after office and non involvement with the backend chores for children. They are good fathers nonetheless in that they indulge in outdoor activities with their offspring, buy them gifts and drive them to school. An element of emotion runs through the entire response analysis, both positive and negative, therefore each interpretation needs to be evaluated against scientific benchmarks which rely on biological differences, socio-economic conditions, work culture, even religion at times. It is not to be presupposed that all the interactions proposed and described above ensure smooth daily work and family life. An element of conflict exists, for the resolution of which, the study states communication as action embedded in the process of managing work and family responsibilities. Effective two way communication is the key to successfully managing work- family life balance. Balance and conflict are dynamic- and they both co-exist. The study has not been able to bring out this aspect of human relationships succinctly. The study while addressing inputs from women, chooses to completely ignore the male viewpoints. The biological difference certainly has a bearing on each gender’s role in maintaining work life balance; the study appears skewed towards feminine interpretations. There is also a need to study how single parents, gays, lesbians, the working poor manage their work – family relationships. In the study by Medved, family is taken as a nuclear unit- there is no mention of the extended family, which includes grandparents, uncles and aunts, cousins, brothers, sisters, friends. We understand that no one lives in isolation, therefore, the work- family balance is certainly impacted by all the relationships mentioned above at some point in time. A purely feminist interpretation angle would play havoc with the data gathered in the study- it would champion the women by and large, and make men the villains of the piece! In conclusion, the study has certainly highlighted very critical aspects of human relationships- in current times, with professionalism equating men and women and gender parity being the new mantra, the study establishes the basic foundation of a successful work- life balance which helps improve performance, leading to efficiencies and creates opportunities to grow as successful professionals as well as human beings. References Eisenberg, E. M. Ambiguity as Strategy in Organizational Communication. Communication Monographs Published in 1984. Medved, Caryn E. The Everyday Accomplishment of Work and Family: Exploring Practical Actions in Daily Routines Published in 2002.