Fragmentation of Society free essay sample

In â€Å"The Fragmentation of Social Life† by D. Stanley Eitzen, he explains how at this moment many people are at their prime. Everything is going well for them but what they don’t realize is the problem the society is facing as a whole; that problem being the fragmentation of social life. He categorizes the way society is fragmented, into four parts. First, being the excessive individualism, followed by heightened personal isolation, widening income and wealth gap and the deepening racial/ethnic/religious/sexuality divide. Although his argument toward society is very true, what he does is he generalizes the society as the whole. He especially doesn’t consider the alternative factors for someone who is has excessive individualism and heightened personal isolation.; but his argument towards the widening gap between poverty and wealth and the divide is very true and fragmented because it is at times inevitable. The first factor that contributes to fragmentation is excessive individualism. We will write a custom essay sample on Fragmentation of Society or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Individualism is considered to independent and at times self-fish; only thinking about what can benefit us and not considering how others would be affected. Eitzen states how as Americans, it is in our economic system to be individualistic, â€Å"we are self-reliant and responsible for our actions† (564) and concludes how being individualistic promotes inequality towards the disadvantage. Excessive individualism doesn’t necessarily completely promote inequality; I agree that with individualism the advantages only think of themselves and now how those below them are affected. Eitzen argues how Republicans wanted to lower the rates of taxes so more individuals would benefit and the government would receive less; but in doing so he states how if that happens the disadvantages end of receiving less benefits. From my understanding, I concluded that he states how the advantages would receive more when the disadvantages are actually the one who needs the benefits. He doesn’t necessarily argue and include the benefits that the poor do have. I agree with how he states how schools are finance, how wealthier districts have better schools and the poor do not, but he needs to consider that the wealthy people that are in those districts and areas and commonly the ones who pay for the better education. For example, private schools are known to  have better education than a regular public school, but those people that go to private are paying an average of twenty thousand a year. I do agree with how selfish the wealthy could be but consider some of the things the wealthy do to receive their benefits. The second factor toward fragmentation is how commonly people isolate themselves, whether it be from their neighbors, co workers or even family members. He argues how those who work at home are disconnected from social networks and their colleagues (564). It is understandable that interacting with colleague is suitable, but many people work at home not to isolate themselves from their co workers but it may be relevant to watching their kids or dealing with a family issue. I am not arguing and saying working at home is the best, but at times its more convenient to work at home then to actually work in an office. He addressed the issue between gated communities and how many people don’t want to shop at local shops. Majority of the people that live in gated communities is for safety. They might have experienced living in a bad community earlier and decide to move to safer gated neighborhood. He also addresses how technology encourages isolation. His argument towards technology is very accurate, families don’t spend enough time together and always rely on phones, tablets and computers to keep them entertained and isolated. In a way, he generalizes all families, â€Å"such homes may be full of people but they are really empty† (564). Not all people that adapt to the enhancements of technology depend and isolate themselves into it. Different people isolates themselves for various reasons, some even do it without any intention of doing it. The last two factors towards fragmentation include: the widening inequality gap and the deepening divide according to race, ethnic, religion and sexuality. He addresses the wide gap between those in poverty and those who are billionaires. His argument is something one can’t counter because the gap between the two has been increasing for years. The wealthy isolate themselves from the poor because they see themselves as being so much higher. The poor isolate themselves from the wealthy because of the criticism of how they aren’t helping those who are poor. In addition, people segregates themselves from those who are different, according to race/ethnic/religion/sex, because they at times see themselves of having authority over someone. It is a form of ignorance that some don’t notice; they express hatred towards someone. For example, some Caucasian people show  dislike towards African Americans because they feel as though they have authority over them. This goes for not only race but for religion, sex and ethnic. People isolate themselves from one another because they feel as though they are better. â€Å"The Fragmentation of Social Life† by D. Stanley Eitzen reveals to readers why so any people today separate themselves from society. He addresses four factors that contribute to fragmentation but in his argument he doesn’t include why people isolate themselves. He also doesn’t include alternative factors that can result to someone separate themselves. Some people detach themselves from society intentionally and some do it without even realizing. Isolating yourself from society can be as little as avoiding a friend in the hallway or as big as being a multimillionaire.

Essay on Reunification of Korea

Essay on Reunification of Korea Essay on Reunification of Korea Essay on Reunification of KoreaThe unification of Korea is one of the major priorities for South Korea at the moment. This is why South Korea should accept the offer of China to support the reunification of Korea in exchange for the withdrawal of the US army from Korean peninsula.At the moment, North Korea is the real threat to South Korea that requires the presence of American troops on Korean peninsula. The elimination of this threat would naturally make the presence of the US army unnecessary in Korea. At any rate, the US army will not be crucial for the safety of Korea after the reunification of two countries.In addition, China is rather a hypothetical threat to reunified Korea than the real one. In such a situation, the presence of the US army on Korean peninsula would rather maintain the tension in the region that ease it because China will view the peninsula as a potential threat to its national interests and safety because China views the US as the potential rival in the regi on. The withdrawal of the US army from Korea will ease the tension because China will not view the peninsula as a source of potential threat for its national interests.Furthermore, unified Korea may not view China as the rival or enemy because current economic interests of the two countries stimulate the economic and, therefore, political cooperation rather than confrontation and persisting tension between China and Korea. The regional economic cooperation will be more beneficial for both countries in economic terms than their confrontation.In addition, China will still keep in mind Japan and the presence of the US army in Japan. In fact, if Korea feels insecure, it can develop closer cooperation with Japan and maintain close relations with the US as is the case of Israel in the Middle East. In such a way, Korea will have a strong US-Japanese back-up in case of the confrontation with China.Moreover, technically, the occupation of Korea by China is possible but the US as well as othe r countries of the region, especially Japan, can supply Korea with extensive military aid, including their direct military deployment, if necessary.At this point, it is also worth mentioning the fact that the modern weapon and technology do not need the physical location of the US army on Korean peninsula. Instead, the US may deploy its navy to cover Korea. For example, in case of the military aggression from the part of China, the US may deploy its navy forces to support Korea and provide the military back up. The deployment of the military force may not be necessary in the contemporary war. At this point, it is possible to refer to recent military conflicts the US was involved in, where the use of the aviation, missiles and high tech weapons allowed minimizing the use of the infantry and land force, while in case of Libya, the use of land forces by the US and its allies was unnecessary. Instead, the allies deployed the aviation mainly, while local military forces conducted the lan d operation. Similarly, in case of the large scale conflict, the US may supply the tactical support, such as aviation and missile attacks, while the land force of Korea can conduct the on land defense.Finally, the main reason for the reunification of Korea on the condition of the US withdrawal from the peninsula is the ease of tension in the region (Glaser Snyder, 2010). China and reunified Korea will be more interested in their cooperation rather than confrontation. China will not have the reason to view Korean peninsula as a threat to its national interests, if the US withdraws its army from the peninsula. Instead, this move will open the way for the closer cooperation between Korea and China, who are interested in the stability in the region rather than in the confrontation.On the other hand, the withdrawal of the US army from Korean peninsula will enhance consistently the position of China in the region. This is the major argument against the reunification of Korea on the condi tion of the withdrawal of the US army. At this point, it is important to place emphasis on the fact that the US military presence is a restricting factor that prevents China from extending its influence in the region (Cumings, 1997). At this point, it is possible to presuppose that China may expand the sphere of its impact on Korea since there would be no rivals in the region but Russia, which though can hardly challenge the position of China in the region as strongly as the US.In addition, the withdrawal of the US from Korea will enhance the role of Japan in the region that will put Korea in the position of a mere puppet in hands of the major powers, including China, the US, Japan and Russia, in a way (Nikitin, 2013). The presence of the US army on Korean peninsula makes Korea an important player in the international politics in the East Asian region. Being deprived of the direct military support and presence of the US, Korea becomes more dependent on policies and position of neigh boring states.In a long-run perspective, the withdrawal of the US army from Korean peninsula may result in the enhancement of the position of China and steady pushing the US out of the region. In such a situation, Japan may also use the weakening of the position of the US since Japan will actually remain the only ally that can grant its territory of the US military bases. However, Japan may try to take the lead in the region and pushing the US out of the region (Cumings, 1996). In this regard, the current attempt to grant more power to Japan making it the major ally in the region, which can operate with minimal American support like Israel in the Middle East, which has its own military forces and relies on the political support of the US as its strategic partner.Thus, the reunification of Korea is rather a positive solution to the current problem of Korean conflict. At the same time, the reunification of Korea on the condition of withdrawal of American army is quite controversial si nce it weakens the position of the US and opens the way for the emergence of China and Japan as the major powers in the region. Nevertheless, such reunification is rather positive than negative because it finally eases the tension on the peninsula and the region and allows closer economic cooperation between countries of the region that is likely to become prior to political ambitions of these countries.

Capital Markets and Investment Banking Process Essay

Capital Markets and Investment Banking Process - Essay Example The different types of capital instruments that constitute an investment portfolio have also been described. Lastly, recommendations have been provided regarding the selection of assets for the construction of an effective and efficient portfolio. Investment Banking Process for an IPO Initial Public Offering (IPO) refers to the process of issuing shares by a company to the public for the first time in its history. It is mainly done to raise capital or funds in the form of share capital to be utilized by the company in its business processes. An IPO process typically consists of three key steps. They are: a) Preparation; b) Market approaching strategies; and c) Going public. Investment bankers are selected by the company for the purpose of coordinating the whole process of IPO. Hence, investment bankers form an important part of the IPO process and perform various functions during the whole process. The investment bankers give valuable advice to the company regarding how to go about t he whole process of IPO. The underwriting functions related to the IPO are also performed by the investment bankers. ... The investment bankers are mainly selected by the companies because of their expertise in the field of obtaining the best selling price of the shares to be issued by the companies (O'Rourke, 2007, p. 209). Hence, investment bankers are found to have three tasks to be performed by then in case of IPOs. They are: a) Given the existing conditions in the market, the investment bankers help the companies to design the securities of the companies to be offered by them in a way that are most attractive to the public; b) The investment bankers buy those securities from the companies; and c) They resell those securities to the investors or the public (Besley & Brigham, 2008, p. 83). Asset Class Selection for an Investment Portfolio Portfolio of an investor consists of combination of assets or asset classes. An asset class can be defined as a combination of different types of securities such as shares, bonds, mutual funds, etc. which, taken together, serve the purpose of providing specific con tribution to the portfolio of the investors. Such contributions are in the form of risks associated with the securities chosen, the return generated from the assets and covariance of return that exists between other classes of assets. The diversification of assets included in a portfolio can be achieved at two levels. One is while choosing a large number of assets and the other one is while choosing different types of asset classes to form the portfolio. Various factors are needed to be considered while selecting asset classes to form an investment portfolio. They are: a) Expected return of the portfolio; b) Diversification benefits; c) Required scale of investment; and d) Liquidity. The returns that are expected from the asset

Microeconomics Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Microeconomics - Research Proposal Example Microeconomics covers a rather broad area: demand and supply, indifference curve analysis, elasticity of supply and demand, production and cost, marginal analysis, market structure, pricing, and so on. This study will attempt to deal with the area of market structure which is very interesting because of its pervasiveness in our lives: Perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, and oligopoly. An understanding of market structure is essential not only for economists but also for individual businessmen and corporations, for it will help them greatly in dealing with numerous problems encountered in the competitive arena of business. The four major market structures often discussed by economists are perfect competition, which is production by numerous firms with identical/homogeneous products as well as the presence of conditions of free entry and exit; monopoly, which is production by a single firm; monopolistic competition, which is production by many firms with somewhat different or differentiated products; and oligopoly, which is production by several firms. Perfect competition is the ideal market condition envisioned by the great economist Adam Smith, and is often studied first because it is the easiest to understand and it can serve as starting point as well as a gauge by which to measure the performance of the other market structures. The demand curve of a perfectly competitive firm is horizontal because its output is but a small part of total production and it cannot affect the price. The conditions for perfect competition are: a) a large number of small firms and customers, b) homogeneity of product, c) freedom of entry and exit, and d) perfect information about available products and their prices. Many farming and fishing industries closely approximate perfect competition. At the other end of the spectrum is the

Competitive analysis of a business firm Assignment

Competitive analysis of a business firm - Assignment Example Introduction The company selected for the project is Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. It is a brewing company of America and operates in 13 breweries in the country. The company is based in St. Louis, Missouri. Apart from packaging and brewing operations, the company also engages itself in agricultural operations, recycling operations as well as manages subsidiary owned property. The company supplies its products through a network that involves 500 independent wholesalers as well as 13 wholly state owned enterprises (Anheuser-Busch, 2012). The successful business organizations understand the purpose of value creation for the existing employees, customers and the investors. They are also aware that the interests of the groups are inter-related. Sustainable value should be created for all the three groups simultaneously. From the point of view of the customers, value creation means availability of products and services that are useful to them. From the perspective of the employees, value creation means treating all employees in a respectful fashion and involves themselves in the decision makings while value creation for the investors means obtaining high returns on their investments (Holland, 2001, p. 3). The mission of a certain company should be defined in terms of the primary value adding activities. Therefore, it is of utmost interests for the managers to devote time to analyze the dynamics of value creation. But managers tend to take decisions that systematically reduce the long term possibility of the firm to create value. They tend to define the interests of the organizations narrowly and this view was reinforced by the financial accounting systems (O'Malley, 1998). It is possible for business to create value in the following ways: reducing the transaction costs (for consumers / producers) reducing the costs of producers changing the perceptions of perceived benefits The firms offer some advantages where the transaction costs are lower. Market transactions i nvolve the use of real resources such as time and search costs as well as drawing up and enforcing contracts. Economies of scale can also crop us if the market transactions involve the use of real resources. The common ownership of the resources of production are sometimes less costly than a series of arrangements with independent contractors when there are specialized assets and expertise involved (Forbes, 2012). The factors driving value creation The history of the selected company is one of success as well as innovation. There has not been any real growth in the product market of the company in the time period under consideration in the graph above but the company faired particularly well in the stock market. In the last decade the domestic demand for beer went flat. The year 1996 marked the year where the company was able to create substantial value. In that year only 55 of the total produced in the company were sold outside United States. In the two year period of 1996 to 1998, the invested capital of the company grew by about 1.9 billion dollars. The enterpris3 value of the company grew by around 13.4 billion dollars (Arnold and Shockley, 2002, pp. 1-6). The estimated enterprise value of the company is shown in the graph below. The value of the company’s assets in place grew only slightly over the excess of capital invested. This indicates low growth of the existing market. The real value creation can be observed in the generation of 10 billion dollars worth of growth options for the company. In

HRM: An essential element of business

HRM: An essential element of business Human resource management is an essential element of every business. Employee relation is a very vast and complex topic. There have been numerous theories that have been developed in regards to employee relation. These theories have been a part of our daily lives and it is seen that even though people tend to be following the processes it is quite rare that the focus falls on the theories themselves. As explained by Adam and Meitz (1993): By choosing a theory one organises reality. There has been a wide and vast range of theories that have been developed over the years. There are a number of different roles that people tend to undertake within the organisations and each one of the roles are equally important for the success of the business. One of the most important however is that by leaders. Leaders play a crucial role in the organisations including several elements like training and mentoring as well (Adam and Meitz, 1993). Training and mentoring are two essential elements for eve ry business. In the case of new employees to a job, it is seen that there is a need for new training and mentoring to be introduced within the organizations. These training and mentoring is based on the employee profiles and the levels based on which the employees can learn and develop. Hence for every company recruiting newer employees this is a very essential aspect. Mostly in the case of new employees these form the basic understanding of the organization and the job (Beer, Lawrence, Quinn Mills, and Walton, 1985). This paper will discuss two very essential aspects of the business, i.e. the concept of individual differences and the organizational roles and situations. The main aim of the paper is to discuss how people take up their roles in the organizations and how well the group situations are managed within the organization. Individual Differences: Murray and Kluckholm have divided the psychology studies of people into three main sections. They explain, Every man is in certain respects (a) like all other men, (b) like some other men, (c) like no other man. Considering the term Individual differences psychology, the main focus of this theory is based on the second level of study. The study of individual differences psychology is one where the theorist and experts study the differences in the individual behavior. The concept of individual differences is very important as it helps creating an average of the variations in the differences of individuals. This is an essential concept in organizations and employee behavior as with the various personalities of people within the industry, there is also a chance that the expected reactions might not be the same from all employees. Hence when a leader works towards managing a group, it is essential that the leader is able to understand and associate with each employee. This will help the leader understand the most effective form of leadership that can be implemented within the teams and the organization as a whole (Gazendam, 1993). Motivation is the most important aspect of any organization. It is essential for competitiveness, cost effectiveness that in simpler words is staying alive. Practice what you preach. For effective understanding of the employees and their individual differences, a few underlying principles can be used (Goleman, 2006). These include using: Surveys- Changing behaviour, and hence, attitudes, is difficult unless you can identify as a start point. In all companies there are a number of employees who resist change and are unwilling to accept any change of any kind. Use of Good Practice: Being a manager does not require training for leadership skills, or having a set number of principles for a job or set systems. It is important to understand that theories that have been developed over the years are only meant for references and not to be used as a bible for every move. Policies and Procedures: In every company, or even a group of companies, nothing ever happens unless theres a simple policy or procedure for making the thing happen. These policies and procedures should be set out and should include, what should happen, who needs to manage it, how it should take place, how it is monitored, etc. need to be encompassed in these policies (Grint, 2001). Organisational Roles and Situations: The term Organizational Roles refers to the technical positions that are occupied by both the leaders as well as the employees in an organization and the processes and procedures that occur in the day to day business. Leaders act as change agents within organizations. They motivate as well as build the trust and confidence of the people within the organization. There have been a number of different theories and approaches that have been developed in the past by various authors and experts in the field (Goleman, 2006). Daniel Golemans approach consists of six major styles of leadership. In his book Primal Leadership, he has highlighted that good leaders are effective because they create resonance. Based on this he explained resonance can be done in six ways, which in turn lead to the leadership styles. These styles included visionary leadership, coaching leadership, affiliative leadership, democratic leadership, pacesetting leadership and commanding leadership (Goleman, 2006). Leaders require to be very careful with the decisions they make because every decision they made has an effect on the lives of the employees. Thus Goleman argues that true leaders are a product of the decisions that they take and thus a true leader is one who thinks through all the factors before taking a decision and after considering every possibility. Mintzbergs argument that the decisions of leaders are diluted by the half truths is a very positive and right argument. Another aspect that needs to be considered in any organization includes the training of employees. Training a group involves a lot more efforts as well as costs than training a single employee. The main similarity of training the employees and a group is that the content always remains the same (Buchanan and Huczynski 2004). However when training an individual, it is possible to help them out on improving the process and finding ways to overcome issues. This cannot be done in the group training (House Shamir, 1993) . Training an individual can be done while working on the job which allows the employees to also get a feel of the systems and ask questions which they would have otherwise been reluctant to ask in a group. Organisational Behaviour and its Impact: Being able to take up new roles and styles of management is one of the biggest challenges in an organisation. Management theories are in a number if ways the first and most essential elements of business which every manager will require to know and understand to be able to successfully lead a team. It is essential to realise the importance of these theories for every manager (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2004). The fair and employment laws that have been implemented by the government have a lot of relevance to the everyday work. It is essential for managers to have a strong knowledge of these laws to ensure that all employees are treated in a fair and ethical manner (Koestenbaum, 2002). One of the best ways to create a supportive environment in the work place is to communicate to the employee and bring out ways and modes to help one another achieve the fair employment within the work place. A communication strategy which involves meeting initially by the manager to discuss the same with t he employees, after which the employees can initiate a meeting anytime they feel something within the office is not fair. This is more of an open communication and should be for the entire team rather than just the employee and managers. The impact of the leaders performance and behaviour within an organisation has a high impact on the overall performance of the business. Mintzberg has argues that leadership and management required to be aligned to the organizational development. Mintzberg also argued that it is up to the internals of the organization to make the right choice of the leaders rather than externals, who do not have complete knowledge of the organization and its people (Locke, Edwin 1975). Mintzberg has discussed some very important aspects of leadership and has emphasized on important aspects like the half truths. The half truth that has been used by managers in a number of ways is that people are human resources (Locke, Edwin, 1975). Mintzberg argues and highlights th at it is incorrect to refer to human beings as human resources. He argues that half truths are dangerous mainly because of the fact that they can affect the actions of the leaders to be not well thought out and planned (Grint, 2001). Also the half truths are not reasonable and require to have been taken as a huge threat to the managers and leaders of organizations. Considering the various examples that he has enlisted in the argument, it is clear that the half truths cause a the leaders to make ineffective decisions and also in some terms can be the underlying factors for the organizations moving into the wrong path and moving towards failure to some extent (MICA, 2004). It is clear that basing the leadership decisions on half truths can be very damaging not only to the company but also to the lives of the employees that are involved. Thus Mintzbergs argument is very appropriate and it is important to understand and differentiate among the half truths and the other half truths (MICA , 2004). Effectiveness of Organisational Behaviour: As has been mentioned earlier, the ability to change the behaviour of a leader based on the employees and the needs of the team. Of all the different leadership modes that are present in various organisations, one which has proved to be very effective and efficient is that of a charismatic leader. In a situation where decisions need to be taken very fast and with accuracy, the most effective leader would be the charismatic leader (House Shamir, 1993). Charismatic leaders mainly refer to people with an elusive and also an indefinable personality trait which in a number of terms seems unnatural and is considered to be supernatural. These traits have been expressed to be traits like ability to lead, charm, persuade, influence and inspire others (Beer, Lawrence, Quinn Mills and Walton, 1985). According to Weber: charisma is ‘a certain quality of an individual personality, by virtue of which s/he is set apart from ordinary people and treated as endowed with supernatural, superhuman , or at least specifically exceptional powers or qualities. These are such as are not accessible to the ordinary person, but are regarded as of divine origin or as exemplary, and on the basis of them the individual concerned is treated as a leader’. He also says, resting on devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him. Every leader irrespective of whether a charismatic, authoritative or even a transformational requires to have a team and followers to be able to lead them. Hence it is clear that a leader only leads the way and helps the others to follow him and meet the goals of the organization. In situations where the leaders require having complete support of the followers, the most effective form of leadership again is the charismatic leadership (House Shamir 1993). A few of the best examples include Fidel Castro, Winston Churchill, Bill Clinton, Mahatma Gandhi, Adolf Hitler, Sathya Sai Baba, Joseph Smith and Werner Erhard. All of these leaders have been able to contribute in their own way to their organizations. As has been understood from the above discussion, Charismatic leaders are known for their approach to every big and small problem. The actions of the leaders have a cumulative effect on the changes that they tend to bring about in the people. There are several similarities between the charismatic leaders and transformational leaders. The most essential and basic difference is their focus. The transformational leaders focus on transforming the organisation and in some cases the followers as well, while the charismatic leaders prefer to let things remain the same and do not want to change things. In the case of charismatic leaders it is quite easy for the followers to get carried away while talking to the person because of the strong aura that they have. The charismatic leaders are a combination of both people as well as organisation oriented. Hence the charismatic leaders to a great extent are great leaders and provide a lot of results to the organisation as a whole. Conclusions: As seen from the above discussion, the leaders play a major role in the over organizational behavior and the overall effectiveness of the organizations. The ability to understand the needs of each individual and to work towards providing all employees with the right treatment to be motivated is the main job and role of the leader. As seen in the above discussion the role of human resource management is very high in every company. The success of a company is directly dependent on the performance of the employees and the right choice of employees can take the company a long way and can provide the company with excellent results. For an individual to be a successful leader it is essential that they have a clear vision and aim for the team. The behavior of the managers and leaders has a strong and direct impact on the employee productivity (Koestenbaum, 2002). This is majorly because employees tend to follow their leaders. If a leader needs to be successful it is essential that the leade rs have the ability to be open to feedback, ready to accept their flaws and willingness to give in their best to the team. All leaders challenge the process (Kouzes, J., Posner, B., 2002). It is essential that leaders view the status quo and ask themselves why. Only by asking why and challenging the assumptions that instituted the status quo can a leader be effective. Hence to be able to fulfill their role in the organization, it is important that the leaders are aware of their surroundings and are able to work in sync with all the other roles within the organization. This will not only increase the level of team work but will also increase the overall success of the organization as well.

To Kill a Mocking Bird Critique :: essays research papers fc

To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel that has received great acclaim, largely due to setting, themes, and accuracy. The setting, themes, and accuracy of the novel seem to fall into place in a great order, which makes this novel receive great acclaim. To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a small town in â€Å"fictional† Maycomb County, Alabama 1933-35. â€Å"It was more of collection of short stories than a true novel†¦yet, there was also life† (Commire, 18). The Characters of To Kill a Mockingbird we also created from people in Lee’s life. For example, she used here father, Frances â€Å"Finch† Lee, as a model for Atticus Finch. â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird, Is a novel of strong contemporary national significance†¦Miss Lee considers the novel a love story† (Commire, 155). The novel could be considered a love story because it shows the love of a father toward his two children. Apparently, Lee chose the mockingbird to represent the â€Å"purity of heart, and selflessness of characters like Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson, and Boo Radley (Moss and Wilson, 395). To Kill a Mockingbird underscores many themes and represents a universal story from a regional perspective (Stabler). The overall argument involves the obvious plea for justice while mocking the civilization of Southern society. To Kill a Mockingbird is considered a â€Å"classic†, it was a bestseller, and it is required reading for many High School’s in the U.S. (Stabler). Even today in bookstores, like Barnes & Noble, it is easy to find a copy of the book on the shelves. It is even showcased on the bags of Barnes & Noble. It is felt that To Kill a Mockingbird gives â€Å"an accurate reflection† of life in the south during the 1930s (Stabler). There was much racism in the south during the 1930s. Edgar Shuster states, â€Å" In the course of their growing up, the children do a great deal of learning, but little of that learning takes place in school,† (Bernard). It goes to show, that not all life lessons can be learned in school. Shuster also states, â€Å"The achievement of Harper Lee is not that she has written another novel about race prejudice, but rather that she has placed race prejudice in a perspective which allows ups to see it as an aspect of a larger thing (Bernard). Like something that comes from fear and lack of knowledge. Keith Waterhouse believes that â€Å"Miss Lee does well what so many American writers do appallingly: she paints a true and lively picture of life in and an American small town, and she gives freshness to a stock solution† (Kinsman, 481).

Preceding any War Essay

As the antebellum period began, America was approaching its golden anniversary as an independent political state, but it was not yet a nation. There was considerable disagreement among the residents of its many geographical sections concerning the exact limits of the relationship between the Federal government, the older states, and the individual citizen. In this regard, many factions invoked concepts of state sovereignty, centralized banking, nullification, popular sovereignty, secession, all-Americanism, or manifest destiny. However, the majority deemed republicanism, social pluralism, and constitutionalism the primary characteristics of antebellum America. Slavery, abolition, and the possibility of future disunion were considered secondary issues. The history and sociopolitical influence of the African-American church documents an interminable struggle for liberation against the exploitative forces of European domination. Although Black religion is predominantly Judeo-Christian, its essence is not simply white religion with a cosmetic face lift. Rather the quintessence of African-American spiritual mindedness is grounded in the social and political experience of Black people, and, although some over the years have acquiesced to the dominant order, many have voiced a passionate demand for â€Å"freedom now. † The history of the African-American church demonstrates that the institution has contributed four indispensable elements to the Black struggle for ideological emancipation, which include a self-sustaining culture, a structured community, a prophetic tradition, and a persuasive leadership. The church of slavery, which began in the mid-eighteenth century, started as an underground organization and developed to become a pulpit for radicals like Richard Allen, (discussed in detail) and the platform for revolutionaries like David Walker. For over one hundred ears, African slaves created their own unique and authentic religious culture that was parallel to, but not reflective of the slave-owner’s Christianity from which they borrowed. Meeting on the quiet as the â€Å"invisible church,† they created a self-preserving belief system by Africanizing European religion. Commenting on this experience, Alice Sewell, a former slave of Montgomery, Alabama, states, â€Å"We used to slip off in de woods in de old slave days on Sunday evening way down in de swamps to sing and pray to our own liking† (Simms, 1970, p. 263). During the late 1700s, when slavery was being dismantled in the North, free Black Methodists courageously separated from the patronizing control of the white denomination and established their own independent assemblies. This marked the genesis of African-American resistance as a nationally structured, mass-based movement. In 1787, Richard Allen, after suffering racist humiliation at Philadelphia’s St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, separated from the white congregation and led other Blacks, who had been similarly disgraced, to form the African Methodist Episcopal Church (A. M. E. ) in 1816. The new group flowered. By 1820 it numbered 4,000 in Philadelphia alone, while another 2,000 claimed membership in Baltimore. The church immediately spread as far west as Pittsburgh and as far south as Charleston as African-Americans organized to resist domination. Through community groups, they contributed political consciousness, economic direction, and moral discipline to the struggle for freedom in their local districts. Moreover, Black Methodists sponsored aid societies that provided loans, business advice, insurance, and a host of social services to their fellow-believers and the community at large. In sum the A. M. E. Churches functioned in concert to organize African-Americans throughout the country to protect them selves from exploitation and to ready them for political emancipation.

Moving to New Schools Essay Example

Moving to New Schools Essay Example Moving to New Schools Essay Moving to New Schools Essay ?Growing up, the fact that I moved frequently perpetuated the way in which I was relegated to a certain niche in my new schools that made me an easy target for harassment. I had always toed the line between outcast and peripheral popularity, I was often easily accepted but it was hard to form bonds with others whose vacancies for new friendships were sadly lacking. This being said, as I grew older I was bullied less, for my confidence grew as well as my body making me less and less of a target for blatant harassment, which would instead turn to duplicity and snide comments hidden behind falsesmiles and turned heads. However, it was during this transitory period that I faced possibly the most serious bullying I was ever to experience.I had recently moved back from my mother’s to live with my father and was enrolled in a new school. There were cliques that stood out; one in particular was infamous in that they gave new female students a rough go of it, before losing interest. I was confronted by the lead instigators in the group and knew that I had few choices allotted to me in reacting to their challenges. I decided to brush it off; informing them I didn’t particularly care what they thought of me. I was later informed that I was to be jumped by the group, fortunately this did not occur, but I did receive some rattling threatening notes. I had never been hated to such an extent by people whom I didn’t even know and was honestly baffled and scared. I employed the help of the only resource I felt was reliable, my parents. After reading the notes, they contacted the school’s administration to inform them of the situation, which had unsurprisingly not been the first time these girls had instigated something like this. I had tried ignoring them; I had even rebuked them when these girls had tried to insult me in confrontation. It was a last resort to me to bring in the schools administration into a situation I had hoped would resol

Free Essays on Ken Kesey And One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

Ken Kesey had written many books after the classic novel â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,† but is best known for this work. (www.emptymirrorbooks.com) Ken Kesey was born in 1935, a time of racial turmoil and sexual discrimination. This affected the tone of â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†. There is racism in the ward where McMurphy’s is held. The character in control of the psychiatric ward is Nurse Ratched, who oversees everything and everyone. She is not viewed as a woman sexually by the male patients and, therefore, she holds power over them as a male in charge would. The white male patients, although they cannot live in society, hold power over the Black Boys because they are white. The Black Boys must clean after and take care of the patients, including giving them showers. Down at the bottom of the control is Chief. The Black Boys take their hatred of society and personal frustrations out on Chief Bromden, as he is half Native Am erican and considered beneath them. We see this numerous times in the book, including how Americans could not understand Native American culture, â€Å"Can you imagine people wanting to live this way.† (p. 199) Power struggle, due to race and gender, coincides with the culture of Ken Kesey’s time. During the 1930’s, white Americans held power, African Americans were considered lower and Native Americans held the bottom of the totem pole position. Harmonizing with the time of sexual discrimination, Ken Kesey’s gender played a role on the theme of the book which was the war of the sexes. Women in power, is thus the castration to men and an end to there rule, â€Å"If she can’t cut below the belt, she’ll do it above the eyes.† (p. 180) Evidence to this also supported that with Chief’s mother because she was white and â€Å"Much Bigger† then his father, which destroyed him. Also, Billy Bibbit’s controlling mother led to his suicide at just the thought of her disappointment. ... Free Essays on Ken Kesey And One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Free Essays on Ken Kesey And One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Ken Kesey had written many books after the classic novel â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,† but is best known for this work. (www.emptymirrorbooks.com) Ken Kesey was born in 1935, a time of racial turmoil and sexual discrimination. This affected the tone of â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†. There is racism in the ward where McMurphy’s is held. The character in control of the psychiatric ward is Nurse Ratched, who oversees everything and everyone. She is not viewed as a woman sexually by the male patients and, therefore, she holds power over them as a male in charge would. The white male patients, although they cannot live in society, hold power over the Black Boys because they are white. The Black Boys must clean after and take care of the patients, including giving them showers. Down at the bottom of the control is Chief. The Black Boys take their hatred of society and personal frustrations out on Chief Bromden, as he is half Native Am erican and considered beneath them. We see this numerous times in the book, including how Americans could not understand Native American culture, â€Å"Can you imagine people wanting to live this way.† (p. 199) Power struggle, due to race and gender, coincides with the culture of Ken Kesey’s time. During the 1930’s, white Americans held power, African Americans were considered lower and Native Americans held the bottom of the totem pole position. Harmonizing with the time of sexual discrimination, Ken Kesey’s gender played a role on the theme of the book which was the war of the sexes. Women in power, is thus the castration to men and an end to there rule, â€Å"If she can’t cut below the belt, she’ll do it above the eyes.† (p. 180) Evidence to this also supported that with Chief’s mother because she was white and â€Å"Much Bigger† then his father, which destroyed him. Also, Billy Bibbit’s controlling mother led to his suicide at just the thought of her disappointment. ...

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 1 Individual Project 2 Essay

MGM465-0801A-05 Business Strategy - Phase 1 Individual Project 2 - Essay Example t question to consider is how to reconcile Ables need for building market share (long-term strategic business objective) with Waldens drive for year-to year quarterly increases in sales and pretax profit (short-term, corporate objective). Both of these are important to have, and they are not mutually exclusive. The company can hold both objectives in high priority provided that they all agree with each other to do so. However, Walden is demonstrating a lack of strategic management. Walden needs to consider strategic management as they move forward. According to Coulter, it is beneficial because â€Å"it gives a role to everyone in an organization to manage strategically, it helps the organization perform well, it helps the organization to effectively cope with the uncertainties in the external and internal environment, and it helps to coordinate various functions and activities† (2005). Strategic management is vital for the long-term success of any organization, and through implementing it, it is believed that the two blending organizations can come to a compromise and each get a great deal of what they are used to and what they want. The second challenge to consider is that Waldens success metrics of head count control, inventory management, inventory turnover, and day’s sales outstanding can be inhibitors to growth vitally needed by Able. It is possible to moderate these functional objectives and make them work for Able. This simply involves removing or raising the ceiling which currently inhibits this growth. For example, head count can still be controlled in larger numbers, inventory can still be managed when there is a lot more inventory to account for, and outstanding daily sales can still be recorded when the dollar figures are higher. Controlling objectives does not necessarily mean containing them. Able can still grow using the same basic framework of Walden’s success metrics, so long as Walden does not squash the growth being sought by Able

Emphysema Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Emphysema - Research Paper Example Trapped pockets of the air block airways leading to a difficulty in breathing. Emphysema is similar to another condition called the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that leads to a reduced airflow into the lungs. COPD is characterized by running out of breath, chronic cough, phlegm, and reduced ability to exhale. Emphysema gets worse with time, with the alveoli becoming larger while decreasing in number (Turino, 2006). As a result, the air sacs are destroyed as they change in structure. The condition greatly reduces the amount of air absorbed by the blood in the lungs. The major predisposing factor to the state includes smoking especially from the age of 35 years, air pollution, and exposure to allergens, genetics and other respiratory diseases such as asthma among other suspected causes. The expiratory flow limitation is chronic and permanent. The limitation results from the airway inflammation and parenchymal cells damage. Progressive airways obstruction which leads to more breathing difficulties. The condition worsens with the inflammation of the airway characterized by the mucosal airway edema and mucous impaction. Emphysema results in the destruction of elastin impairing the ability of the lung to recoil after inhalation. As a result causing the lungs defective expiratory pressure. The airways become weak and narrow and thus there is an increased resistance to airflow. Expiratory flow limitation occurs when the expiratory airflow during spontaneous tidal breathing represents the maximum possible flow rate at operating lung volume. The expiratory flow rate does not rely on the muscle effort but on the ability of the lung to produce enough pressure for adequate exhalation during the recoil tide. In the case of expiratory flow limitation, the lung does not generate enough pressure for sufficient additional due to the reduced surface area and high volume of the alveoli, and the damaged elastin. The