Saturday, September 7, 2019
Reading Books Essay Example for Free
Reading Books Essay Reading a book is one of the best forms of entertainment a person can have. Books can take you places to a time and lifestyle that you will never visit or experience. I remember the old show called ââ¬Å"Reading Rainbowâ⬠and it lyrics were gave a very interesting take on books they went like this: ââ¬Å"I can twice as high take a look, itââ¬â¢s in a book A Reading Rainbow, I can go anywhere, Friends to know and ways to grow, Reading Rainbow, I can be anything take a look itââ¬â¢s in a book. â⬠Those lyrics are so true. Reading a book you can read about how life was in the 1700ââ¬â¢s up until our generation today. I could be a detective who solves a famous mystery or I could be the killer trying to get away. I can learn to speak another language. There are so many things and topics in reading a book that can change your appearance, your political viewpoints, and change your attitude. Some say that books might become obsolete because movies are made from these books and you can watch the movies in two hours. Watching the movies a person feels that you can get the plot and conclusion of the book in two hours. This is true but for example if it is true life story the movie are going to change some parts of the books to make it more enjoyable, whereas the book is going to give you every detail the author wants you to have. Books gives people a conversation piece just like a movie but the only difference is books can join the world. Movies canââ¬â¢t be seen in some countries but a book can be read. So like the Reading Rainbow says ââ¬Å"take a look itââ¬â¢s in a bookâ⬠. So in conclusion reading a book is the best form of entertainment. Stephanie C. Williams November 20, 2010
Friday, September 6, 2019
The Invisible Poor Essay Example for Free
The Invisible Poor Essay There have been many writers, columnists, politicians, sociologists and economists who have written about the concept of poverty in the United States. Though their views often differ as to the causes, and solutions, the underlying commonality between all of those who have written about this issue remains that the current state of the American public is poorer than it has been in decades. The comparison of the following writers enables a reader to gain perspective on issues such as this. The ways in which different writers address, define, and respond to issues such as poverty, can allow for a reader to find their own understanding of the issue ââ¬â as well as its possible cure. à The following paper will seek to examine the lives of the invisible poor, the sociology behind such a society and at the end of the paper give a suggestion as to how poverty can be cured. à à à à à à à à à à à Margaret Andersen, Eugene Lewit, and James Fallows address the issue in differing ways ââ¬â however with much the same message. There is a problem with poverty in the United States. The concepts of the ââ¬Å"working poorâ⬠the ââ¬Å"disenfranchisedâ⬠as well as the general ââ¬Å"impoverishedâ⬠peoples of the United States are growing. à à à à à à à à à à à According to Andersen, the main problem is rooted in the residual effects of the pre-Civil Rights era. The accumulation of wealth over time, through inheritance and long term investment is lost on the groups which have been discriminated against since the dawn of the Untied States. Andersen states that ââ¬Å"racial exclusion in lending, housing segregation, and historical patterns of discrimination have created significant differences in the contemporary class standing of blacks and whitesâ⬠. (Andersen 184) This racial disparity was not limited to black and poor whites; it also included Hispanics and Asian-Americans. (Anderson 185) In the inequality involved in poor women in the workforce there is a sociological view of how this inequality is categorized:à Kinglsey Davis and Wilbert Moore gave sociology the theory of functionalism.à This theory states that every society separates its products, its money, and its services on the grounds of job difficulty and relevance to a society, or on the function that a specific job provides more for a society.à Due to a job and what gender performs that job function being more important to society or more functional, then society is willing to play the stratification game.à Since these functional jobs and the difference between the assumed capabilities of men or women performing them there is also stratification in monetary reward. à Society has a top echelon of jobs which they consider able to be filled only by a man or only by a women: The lower rung of this system includes mostly the feminine persuasion.à Functionalism fully believes in the rat race of society and exemplifies it through the power elite system and through gender inequality.à Functionalism states that there are critical jobs, ones so important to society (like saving a life) that the measurement of that personââ¬â¢s importance has to be reflected monetarily.à Functionalist expresses inequality through the bases of the nature of the occupational system.à As Davis and Moore state, ââ¬Å"Social inequality is thus an unconsciously evolved device by which societies insure that the most important positions are conscientiously filled by the more qualified personsâ⬠(Baldridge, 158). à à à à à à à à à à à With this reality it becomes increasingly clear that women are being discriminated against in the workforce, but more so if they are mothers.à Just because families, or single mothers are moving from welfare to work does not mean that they are above the poverty line.à Although earnings are seemingly increasing mothers who try to live on minimum wage cannot support a family of even one child. In the late 1990s, the study shows, families headed by working single mothers experienced rising earnings due to the strong economy, work supports like the Earned Income Tax Credit and child care, and a reformed welfare system. Yet these increased earnings were fully offset by a decline in the benefits that government safety net programs provide, leaving these families no better off as a group and pushing those who remained poor deeper into poverty (CBPP 2001). The rise in crime, increased rates of teenage pregnancy, drug use and the increased numbers of children and adults on government assistance are all attributed to the decline of the American family ââ¬â according to Popenoe. However, his assertions lacked any empirical support. This issue was taken up by Sharon Houseknecht and Jaya Sastry in 1996. The study conducted by the research team looked at the state of the family unit, and sought to find whether the ââ¬Å"declineâ⬠that Popenoe described was evident or not (Houseknecht 1996). The model that the research team used was based on Popenoeââ¬â¢s assertions that those family unites that are furthest away from the ââ¬Å"traditionalâ⬠view of family are ââ¬Å"more in declineâ⬠. The group took samples from four countries, Sweden, the United Stated, former West Germany, and Italy. Looking at non-marital birthrates, divorce rates, crime rates and child-wellbeing, the group found that, according to Popenoeââ¬â¢s model, Sweden had the greatest decline in the family unit ââ¬â followed by the United States in second. The problem that Andersen addresses is further exacerbated by the decline in ââ¬Å"real wages over the period from the 1970s to the late 1990sâ⬠. (Anderson 185) The fall in the value of the American dollar, coupled with the increased inflation meant that a worker making the median wage in 1989 made $13.22 an hour; however by 1997 that same level wage was only worth $12.63. (Anderson 185) The lower 80% of wage earners suffered more with a loss of 6.7% of their total wage power. à à à à à à à à à à à Eugene Lewit addresses the issue of poverty by writing about the number of children living in poverty. Lewit begins his appeal against the growing problem by noting that in 1991 there were 13.7 million children living in poverty in the Untied States ââ¬â a number that included an increase of nearly one million from the previous year. (Lewit 176) Lewit also noted that the total number of Americans living in poverty in 1991 was over 35 million people ââ¬â more than 10% of the total population. à à à à à à à à à à à The next issue that Lewit addresses is the number of problems faced by the impoverished children in comparison to their affluent counterparts. According to Lewit, ââ¬Å"poor children face increased risk of death, infectious and chronic illness, and injury from accidents and violenceâ⬠. (Lewit 176) These children also tend to live in conditions which are filled with violence, deteriorating housing, and disrupted living conditions ââ¬â which increase the likelihood of depression, low self-confidence, and conflict with peers and authority figures. (Lewit 176) à à à à à à à à à à à Lewit also bring attention to the problems in the definition of poverty. The federal thresholds which define poverty according to income, family size and location, suffer from, according to Lewit, ââ¬Å"inadequate adjustments for changing consumption patterns, inflation, and differing family sizes and structuresâ⬠. (Lewit 177) Lewit also states that the poverty guidelines fail to ââ¬Å"account for the substantial geographic variation in the cost of livingâ⬠. (Lewit 177) à à à à à à à à à à à Like Andersen, Lewit addresses the ââ¬Å"poverty gapâ⬠. According to Lewit, the amount by which the total poverty gap resided upon in 1991 was $37.2 billion. This meant that the lowest portions of the population of the United States were making nearly forty billion dollars less than the federal poverty level. This gap has long reaching repercussions, as these members of society also, as Lewit stated before, are more likely to become ill, injured or involved in violence ââ¬â which amounts to a further burden on the overall economy and social standing of any given area. à à à à à à à à à à à Fallows describes the technology boom of the early 1990s as ââ¬Å"the same disproportionate, commanding-heights effect on todays culture as Wall Streets takeover-and-junk-bond complex had 15 years ago, and as the biotech-financial complex presumably will 15 years from nowâ⬠ââ¬â and it grants large fortunes to small groups of people, many of whom began in lower or middle class families. The boom took people who were living as, or at least identifying with the impoverished members of American society and catapulted them into the ultra-elite ââ¬â amassing fortunes which often topped 100 million dollars. à à à à à à à à à à à Between these three writers, there is a common thread of though ââ¬â the poor are getting poorer. This fact is made worse by the disconnection of the wealthy and the poor. This disconnection is caused by the growing gap between the haves, and the have-nots. This gap increases the burden on the poor, mentally, as well as increases the difficulty in finding ways to remedy the causes of the vast amounts of poverty in the Untied States. à à à à à à à à à à à Fallows ended his article with the realization that problems, like poverty, ââ¬Å"are one thing when considered abstractly ââ¬â ââ¬Å"poverty, inequality, racism, problems stated as if they were debate topics. They can be altogether different when connected with human beings real or fictionalâ⬠. This is true in the fact that all too often the only time poverty is truly addressed in a forum which can eliminate it is during election campaigns ââ¬â and then only until that election is won. Experiment à à à à à à à à à à à In order to better provide housing, jobs, healthcare, etc. to the invisible poor the following experiment should be considered.à Take two groups of poor families; one as control, the other as a variable.à The control family will continue working the system for government aid, or living according to how they have always been living.à The second family, the variable family, will be given three items: a new housing unit (in a different part of the city or in the suburb), $2,500 for beginning expenses and getting out of debt expenses (with a one time meeting with a financial advisor), and a job interview for a qualifying job for each capable working member of the family. à à à à à à à à à à à The experiment will take place over a two year period, with updates on the family the first month, the third month, the sixth month, one year, one year and six months, and two years.à The elements of the experiment which will arise are amount of debt, if any family member has gone to college, where family members are in their schooling (i.e. grades, extra curricular activities, etc), how the jobs are going, if theyââ¬â¢ve advanced, if theyââ¬â¢ve maintained their job or gotten hired at a different place for a higher payer job, and finally their finances will be looked at. à à à à à à à à à à à The differences between these two families will be the backdrop to how, with a little bit of help, a family can overcome poverty.à The control group will give a recognition to how a family will continue to struggle without any help, or with the same maintenance from the government which they are already receiving.à The contrast of these two families, will hopefully, allow for a way in which other government programs can better assist getting rid of the invisible poor, and to strike a balance of wealth and financial freedom for families. à à à à à à à à à à à This experiment will seek to prove that the invisible poor is a great problem that needs to have an immediate solution.à The poor across the world is only increasing and it is with this experiment that a way in which to curtail poverty and give families and individuals hope to an economically fruitful future is found. WORKS CITED Andersen, Margaret. ââ¬Å"Restructuring for Whom? Race, Class, Gender, and the Ideologyà ofà à à à à à à à Invisibilityâ⬠. Sociologicalà Forum. Vol. 16, No. 2. June 2001. p. 181-201. Baldridge, J. Victor.à ââ¬Å"Sociology: A Critical Approach to Power, Conflict, and Change.â⬠à à à à à à à à à à Johnà à à Wiley Sons, Inc. 1975. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).à ââ¬Å"Poverty Rate Among Working Single Mother à à à à à à à à à à à Families Remained Stagnant in Late 1990ââ¬â¢s Despite Strong Economyâ⬠.à (Online). à à à à à à à à à à à Available: http://www.cbpp.org/8-16-01wel-pr.htm. Fallows, James. ââ¬Å"The Invisible Poorâ⬠. The New York Times à à à à à à à à à Magazine. March 20, 2000. Date ofà à à à à à à à à à à Access: March 3, 2008. à à à à à à à URL: à http://www.courses.psu.edu/hd_fs/hd_fs597_rxj9/invisible_poà à à à à à à à à à à or.htm Houseknecht, Sharon; Sastry, Jaya. ââ¬Å"Family ââ¬Å"Declineâ⬠and Child Well-Being: A Comparativeà à Assessment. Journal of Marriage and the Family. 58 (3) (1996). Pp.726ââ¬â739. Lewit, Eugene M. ââ¬Å"Children in Povertyâ⬠. The Future of Children. à à à à à à à à à à à Vol. 3, No. 1.à Spring 1993.à à p. 176-182.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Differences Between Personnel Management And Human Resource Management Essay
Differences Between Personnel Management And Human Resource Management Essay Nowadays, we can see some changes that we all have experienced in social, political, economic and technological aspects in depth especially to the style and management regime of their goals that a company must make to achieve maximum impact of the rapid changes in the industry. In our research paper we are concentrating on researching about the comparison between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management, it is related to the phrase the same wine, only different bottles. In this topic, we will try to clearly explain what is meant by the term Human Resource Management (HRM) and Personnel Management (PM), and clarify the differences and similarities between the both of them. Our research begins with some differences and similarities of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management according to some references from the internet and books to apply to the phrase the same wine, only different bottles . Besides that, we will give our argument in favor to one of the approach to managing employees. In our argument we believe that Human Resource Management will be preferred to managing employees and we will give some our idea of Human Resource Management to help us in the future . We also have some examples to prove and demonstrate own opinions regarding our topic. Finally, we will have a conclusion summarize our research. Differences Personnel Management and Human Resource Management As we all know nowadays, management is very important in hospitality industry as well as the other industries. According to our research, we can find some differences between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management. We highlighted some of the differences for example, Human Resource Management create a more flexible condition whilst Personnel Management establishes rules and regulations. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) First of all, Personnel Management is a combination of a traditional routine, and it can also include reporting to administrative job as well as it is applied to support managers, while Human Resource Management does not only focus in the importance of employees, but also about the importance of obtaining continuous benefits for organizations management team. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) According to the theory of Human Resource Management in planning perspective, it was also said that Personnel Management can be described as a reactive and it provides response to demands and concerns in a management, another way is a psychological contract which needs compliance from managers. For Personnel Management however, it includes procedures, consistency and audit, which mean that Personnel Management will usually need to take a look and let the employees know their responsibilities of the team or department, and they will also need to think about the emotions of their employees for example, how can they do or what are they thinking about their job. With Human Resource Management actions include to set up and organize needs, flexibilities and commitments, which are related to the strategies for managers and the development organizations of their team, it is proactive and long, and it is related to continuous development policies with purposes of improving to manpower. (Blurt it, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) Now we move to control system of both of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management. In theory, Personnel Management has external control which they usually find some help from other function instead of dealing with it by themselves. By contrast, Human Resource Management is self control, which means for example, when a company has a problem they will be able to solve it by themselves and they do not need any support from the other departments or other teams. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) The relationship between management and employees under Personnel Management rather than monitoring and control, because Personnel Management are like pluralist so they need to do a lot of different functions and normally Personnel Management have some difference in space amongst their employees for example, Personnel Management have some divide class with employee, sometime they think that their employees are not good enough to solve problems so they will contact the management instead of their employees and that is why there will be low trust from their employees. With Human Resource Management, they normally care about the benefits of an establishment so they tend to always to listen their employees and they also care about improving the problem of employee satisfaction, interest in working groups and effective for employee job, active participation, evaluation and reward policies and training cost for example, how can the employees control the work, so this is why we think that H uman Resource Management is individual and has high trust from their employees. (Storey, 1995), (Blurtit, 2007-2010) Personnel Management prefers a structure that is bureaucratic, which means that it always follows any decisions and they normally think they are always true so they are said to be a defined role in their job and Human Resource Management is a more organic and flexible role because Human Resource Management creates a good team work and they can help employees feel comfortable in their work, as we mentioned before Human Resource Management is a very flexible role because if their employees are not good for working, they can help send their employees for training to elevate their talent, for example. Human Resource Management is more individualistic. (Blurtit, 2007-2010), (Storey, 1995) These are some major differences between Personnel Management and Human Resource Management as we have researched and explained before. Here is a summary of some main points according to what we have researched from Guest (1987) identifies the differences as: Long-term rather than short term Psychological commitment rather than compliance Self control rather than external control Unitarian rather than pluralist Organic rather than bureaucratic Integration rather than specialist The Similarities of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management Human Resource Management is defined as an administrative activity that relates with human resources planning, recruitment, selection, orientation, training, appraisal, motivation, providing benefits and incentives, etc. Human Resource Management aims at developing people through work. (Businessdictionary.com, 2010) Although so, there have been many attempts to define what exactly Human Resource Management might be and as stated by Heery and Noon (2001): It has been recognized that Human Resource Management is a subject of considerable academic analysis and that, ultimately, there is no common agreement on what Human Resource Management actually means. (Heery Noon, 2001, p.161) According to Heery and Noon, there are a few definitions which they feel capture the complication and dynamism of Human Resource Management: It is seen as simply being another name for personnel management and there is nothing different or special about it. A convenient shorthand term that allows for the assemblage of a whole series of sub-disciplines that are mostly concerned with people management: such as employee relations, labour relations, personnel management and organizational behavior. Used as a map to help guide to understand the concept and ideas associated with the management of people. Set of professional practices suggests that there are a range of personnel practices that can be integrated to ensure a professional approach to managing people. A method of ensuring internal fit again sees the need to co-ordinate approaches to people management, also with other areas of the organization. A method of ensuring external fit where the activities have to be fully integrated with the demands of the external environment. A competitive advantage where by an organization can gain competitive advantage, a view best captured by the clichà © of our people are our greatest asset. A market-driven approach is that decisions will often be market driven and the needs of the business determine the manner in which employees are treated. Manipulative device sees it as inherently exploitative and manipulative. (Heery Noon, 2001) However, Personnel Management is defined as an administrative discipline of hiring and developing employees so that they become more valuable to the organization. Personnel management includes conducting job analysis, planning personnel needs, recruitment, selection, orienting, training, managing wages and salaries, providing benefits and incentives, appraising performances, resolving disputes and communicating with all employees at all levels. (businessdictionary.com, 2010) There is not much of a difference between the two as it was said that the newer alternative term Human Resource Management has been used rather than Personnel Management, reflecting the increased importance of this function in labor-intensive, service-sector industries. Here are the similarities between Human Resource Management and Personnel Management: Planning employees needs In charge of the recruitment and the selection of staff In charge of the orientation and training of staff Manage employees wages and salaries Assess employees (appraisal) Motivate and have constantly communication with employees Provide benefits and incentives for employees In addition, according to Armstrong (1992) there are similarities between the Human Resource Management and Personnel Management that has been summarized below: Both of their strategies result from the business strategy Both need line managers in order to manage people One of their basic process is to put the right people into the right jobs Both they use almost the same techniques such as rewarding, training, appraisal, etc. Personnel Management prefers the soft version of Human Resource Management which stresses the significance of constant communication with the employees as well as respect for the individual. (Armstrong, 2000) The same wine, only different bottles In this case, we agree that both Human Resource Management and Personnel Management are the same wine, only different bottles. This means that it is just the names that are different, but the job descriptions and objectives are the practically the same. It is just stated that the Human Resource Management has a broader scope compared to Personnel Management yet what they do are basically the same, managing people. As stated above, both of their strategies result from the business strategy, both need line managers in order to manage their people in their organization, put the right people into the right jobs, manage their employees wages and salaries, they use almost the same techniques such as motivating, orienting, training, appraisal, etc. of their staff, as well as providing benefits and incentives for employees. (N. Madison, 2003-2010) Human Resource Management is Preferred for Managing Employees From the differences and similarities stated above, we strongly believe that Human Resource Management is the first-rate choice and that it should also be the favourable management for managing employees in every organization. Reasons are as follows: Human Resource Management is the most effective way of managing people Human Resource Management is ideal in hiring the right people for the right positions in the organization Any problems or complications that occur in an organization, the Human Resource Management are the ones to turn to, to simplify them Humanà Resource Management involves ongoing strategies to manage and develop an organizations workforce Human Resource Management is proactive as constant improvement of functions and policies is important for the development of employees Employees of an organizations managers of all levels often involve themselves and their main goal is to have managers from a range of departments to develop the essential skills to handleà every staff-related task Havingà Humanà Resource Management in an organization, primary motivators like work groups, strategies for meeting challenges and job creativity are perceived Human resource management does not only focus in the importance of employees, but also about the importance of obtaining continuous benefits for organizations management team Finally we have summarized a few points of Human Resource Management to help us in the future. They are as follows: People are the most important assets that a business has. The success of the enterprise depends on the effectiveness of the people management of you-including the management of myself, managing employees, customers, suppliers and lenders as how? Supply management, work environment you provide for your employees and how to communicate the values and goals will determine your success and the success of the business. To achieve the objectives and implementation of strategic plans you need to link closely the personnel policies and procedures with business objectives. For example, you need to know when and why to recruit staff, what you expect from them, you will be rewarded and / or discipline employees can do to achieve their strategic business goals. Conclusion For the conclusion of our research, we believe that Human Resource Management it the best choice for managing employees. In addition, we also believe that if all the organizations in every industry use Human Resource Management, it is definitely better than Personnel Management in ways of their functions. For example, it can make their department harmonious and they can recruit the best people for the right positions. Also, the trouble of your organization can easily be fixed through the Human Resource Management department. This is because Human Resource Management are meant to and always there to manage their employees that they have as well as for their future employees, in every way possible. From our research, we found that with the ways of Human Resource Management, the employees find it easier to realize their values towards an organization. However, we also found that the Personnel Management and the Human Resource Management have their own way of management even though they have the same objectives. Last but not least, we strongly agree that Human Resource Management is more effective than compared to Personnel Management based on the examples and the history that we have mentioned above. This project gave us the opportunity to understand more about the Human Resource Management and Personnel Management, and its effects on an organization. This is also very important for us to acquire the knowledge which we will definitely need for our future undertakings in the working industry.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Essay --
Ghana is a country located on the west coast of Africa, the Gold Coast. Known for having the best oil reserves in the world, Ghanaââ¬â¢s other exports such as timber, diamond, manganese, cocoa, gold, and bauxite are what feed the countryââ¬â¢s economy. The main source of aluminum comes from the aluminum ore, Bauxite. Bauxite was first discovered by Sir Albert Kitson in the year 1914. Although found in 1914, it took 14 years for the mining of Bauxite was allowed by the British Aluminum Company, this mining took place at Awaso. The British original source of bauxite was France until theyââ¬â¢re supply was caught off during World War II. Once again, after being given the ââ¬Å"okâ⬠to begin mining, it took until the 1940s, when a railroad was built connecting Awaso with a port in Takowardi, for Ghana to actually begin the mining of Bauxite.in 1974, Ghana received 55% of the British Aluminum Companies shares and in the same year, the International Bauxite Association accepted Ghana as member. The purpose of the International Bauxite Association association was to logically maintain and promote the trade and development of the bauxite industry. In 1941 the Ghana Bauxite Company began working on the mining site in Awaso and has been ever since. It is said that the site in Awaso, after all these years of mining, has reserves of Bauxite to last over 3 more decades. In other areas of Ghana including regions of Ejuanema, Nyinahin, and Kibi,, there are some reserves that are said to be capable of lasting over a century. These reserves are capable of lasting for such long periods of time due to the majority of mining that occurs at Awaso. Ghanaââ¬â¢s first president, Kwame Nikrumah, had dreams of industrializing the country in order make forward strides toward a m... ... to the local levels? These regions suffered severely due to the degradation of air, water and the environment due to mining activities. These areas gain nothing from the mining of bauxite. Living conditions in these areas have nearly deteriorated. With all of the pollution from the mining there have been many health impacts on the societies that surround these mining areas such as skin diseases and malaria. With all of the production it would be expected that there would be many job opportunities but all of the mining generated no employment. Between 1992 and 1998 over 1,000 jobs were lost in the Tarkwa mining region. Next to farming, Mining is the most important aspect of Ghanaââ¬â¢s foundation. Bauxite mining had huge economic and social impacts on Ghana. Although some were more negative than others, it is apparent how important the mining had been to the nation.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. :: essays research papers
The Effects of One Person Upon The World From an apprehensive child growing up in a small town in Arkansas, Maya Angelou has evolved into an influential, wise, and respected woman. She has overcome obstacles and has grown into one of the à ©lite intellectual people of this country, and perhaps the world. Along her numerous struggles, various people have given her positive guidance and passed down their knowledge to her. Among these people was Mrs. Bertha Flowers, a person in which Maya respected greatly. She was a dignified person that Maya could strive to achieve the gratitude that Mrs. Flowers gave to the people around her, a sense of appreciation. In her life story, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou attributes her characteristics she has acquired today, being influential, wise, and respected, to Mrs. Flowers, who shows her the power of a voice, the knowledge of literature, and pride in her race, and turns a self-conscious girl, into one of the most profound writers of our time. Mrs. Flowers enlightened Maya on the importance, and dominant effect, of expression through an individual voice. Earlier in her life, Maya was sexually molested and raped, and as a result, became dormant towards society. This was such a traumatizing event in her life that struck her obviously, in a physical sense, but moreover, mentally. Where she was once a brilliant outgoing child, she became a quiet, somber adult. As a result of this, Mrs. Flowers stepped in and told Maya to, “…bear in mind, language is man’s way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animals.'; The intellect and beauty of Mrs. Flowers was shown through this quote which she educated Maya. If that was the only thing she ever mentioned to Maya, the beauty of the words alone could have changed her from a cocoon sleeping in the darkness, into a butterfly fluttering alongside the sun. Without Mrs. Flowers introduction and reasoning to speech, M aya would never have realized the power of the voice and would have been dormant from society the rest of her life. In addition to the importance of voice, Mrs. Flowers opened Maya’s to literature, and the knowledge it brings. Earlier in Angelou’s life, she was interested in comics and some poetry, but now a new outlook was imposed upon her, the power literature.
Monday, September 2, 2019
Slavery in the American South Essay examples -- History African Americ
Slavery in the South Slavery was a big part of life in the South. Many plantation owners relied on slaves and their work to help get the money and crops they needed. There were two types of slaves in the South at this time. There were house slaves and there were field slaves. House slaves consisted of servants, maids, and butlers. They were normally treated better than the field slaves (Biel 14). They got to be inside most of the time. Owners of house slaves would usually not beat them because they wanted the slaves to look presentable for whatever guests arrived or stopped by. With house slaves, the ownerââ¬â¢s family enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle (Biel 14). These houses were normally extremely elegant. Some house slaves had the luxury of being taught basic education. Just enough to understand what was going on and what to do. à à à à à Field slave life was much different than that of a house slave. There was no education taught to a field slave. Literacy for enslaved blacks was clearly viewed as a potential weapon against the slave system (ââ¬Å"Voices of Triumphâ⬠167). Educated slaves were thought not only more likely to rebel but also to pose a greater threat if they did (ââ¬Å"Voices of Triumphâ⬠167). Forty to fifty slaves lived on a typical plantation (Biel 14). These field slaves were very important and was a heavy contributor to the plantation ownerââ¬â¢s income. Slavery was a way to use man, woman, and child power to raise crops for sale (Boorstin and Kelly 273). The largest of these crops was cotton, which the Southerners thought was the ââ¬Å"Kingâ⬠of all crops, but also important were tabacco, rice, hemp, and sugar (Boorstin and Kelly 273). From age 12, slaves were expected to get up at sunrise and work until it was to dark to see (Biel 14). It was the black slave, working from dusk to dawn, who planted, tended, and harvested these crops, as well as built fences, cut wood, and fed farm animals (Boorstin and Kelly 273). à à à à à The institution of slavery was operated by the planters and through custom. The owner of the plantation was the head guy who ran the plantation. A small planter would go ahead and supervise the plantation by himself if he could. If he was a medium or major planter, he hired an overseer and perhaps an assistant overseer to represent him (Williams, Current, and Friedel 494). An overseer was a position that had the responsibility of watchi... ...they wouldnââ¬â¢t get caught. Some would go as far as turning their own house into a place where slaves could go and hide out for awhile. The people in the north made a big contribution to runaway slaves also. Some Northern states passed ââ¬Å"personal liberty lawsâ⬠which made it difficult if not impossible to catch fugitives and banned state officers from assisting in their captures (Williams, Current, and Friedel 448). Works Cited African Americans Voices of Triumph. Virginia: Time-Life à à à à à Books, 1993. Biel, Timothy Levi. The Civil War. California: Lucent Books, à à à à à 1991. Boorstin, Daniel, and Brooks Mather Kelly. A History of the à à à à à United States. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992. Goldston, Robert. The Coming of the Civil War. New York: à à à à à The Macmillan Company, 1972. Pentry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground à à à à à Railroad. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1955. Stewert, Jeffrey C. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History. New York: Main Street Books, 1996. Williams, T. Harry, Richard N. Current, and Frank Freidel. à à à à à A History of the United States to 1877. New York: à à à à à Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1969 Slavery in the American South Essay examples -- History African Americ Slavery in the South Slavery was a big part of life in the South. Many plantation owners relied on slaves and their work to help get the money and crops they needed. There were two types of slaves in the South at this time. There were house slaves and there were field slaves. House slaves consisted of servants, maids, and butlers. They were normally treated better than the field slaves (Biel 14). They got to be inside most of the time. Owners of house slaves would usually not beat them because they wanted the slaves to look presentable for whatever guests arrived or stopped by. With house slaves, the ownerââ¬â¢s family enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle (Biel 14). These houses were normally extremely elegant. Some house slaves had the luxury of being taught basic education. Just enough to understand what was going on and what to do. à à à à à Field slave life was much different than that of a house slave. There was no education taught to a field slave. Literacy for enslaved blacks was clearly viewed as a potential weapon against the slave system (ââ¬Å"Voices of Triumphâ⬠167). Educated slaves were thought not only more likely to rebel but also to pose a greater threat if they did (ââ¬Å"Voices of Triumphâ⬠167). Forty to fifty slaves lived on a typical plantation (Biel 14). These field slaves were very important and was a heavy contributor to the plantation ownerââ¬â¢s income. Slavery was a way to use man, woman, and child power to raise crops for sale (Boorstin and Kelly 273). The largest of these crops was cotton, which the Southerners thought was the ââ¬Å"Kingâ⬠of all crops, but also important were tabacco, rice, hemp, and sugar (Boorstin and Kelly 273). From age 12, slaves were expected to get up at sunrise and work until it was to dark to see (Biel 14). It was the black slave, working from dusk to dawn, who planted, tended, and harvested these crops, as well as built fences, cut wood, and fed farm animals (Boorstin and Kelly 273). à à à à à The institution of slavery was operated by the planters and through custom. The owner of the plantation was the head guy who ran the plantation. A small planter would go ahead and supervise the plantation by himself if he could. If he was a medium or major planter, he hired an overseer and perhaps an assistant overseer to represent him (Williams, Current, and Friedel 494). An overseer was a position that had the responsibility of watchi... ...they wouldnââ¬â¢t get caught. Some would go as far as turning their own house into a place where slaves could go and hide out for awhile. The people in the north made a big contribution to runaway slaves also. Some Northern states passed ââ¬Å"personal liberty lawsâ⬠which made it difficult if not impossible to catch fugitives and banned state officers from assisting in their captures (Williams, Current, and Friedel 448). Works Cited African Americans Voices of Triumph. Virginia: Time-Life à à à à à Books, 1993. Biel, Timothy Levi. The Civil War. California: Lucent Books, à à à à à 1991. Boorstin, Daniel, and Brooks Mather Kelly. A History of the à à à à à United States. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992. Goldston, Robert. The Coming of the Civil War. New York: à à à à à The Macmillan Company, 1972. Pentry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground à à à à à Railroad. New York: Thomas Crowell Company, 1955. Stewert, Jeffrey C. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History. New York: Main Street Books, 1996. Williams, T. Harry, Richard N. Current, and Frank Freidel. à à à à à A History of the United States to 1877. New York: à à à à à Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1969
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Biographical Reflection of John the Baptist
Biographical Reflection of a Saint- John the Baptist Though such an accomplished man, not much is known of John the Baptistââ¬â¢s childhood. John, what a basic name right? Wrong, even the name of John was holy, for his name in Hebrew means, ââ¬Å"Jehovah is gracious. â⬠But moving on to his adult life, he pursued the life of a priest without ever being officially recognized as such. The greatest thing that occurred in his adult life was the Baptism of Christ Jesus, our Lord. However, very few people know that Jesus and John were relatives, cousins in fact. John did not know that Christ was the Messiah until the miracle at the Jordan River. When Jesus approached John and asked that he may be baptized in the way of the Lord, John said, ââ¬Å"Should it not be you master, who cleanses me. â⬠And Jesus replied, ââ¬Å"I am but a servant to you, not master. â⬠And with that, John agreed to baptize Christ, but as the water was poured out upon Christââ¬â¢s head, the Holy Spirit was revealed. Known as the first disciple of the completed Christ, now unified with the Holy Spirit, John continued the mission of baptism. As for when he earned the nickname ââ¬Å"Son of Thunder,â⬠Christ gave the name to him, under rather adverse conditions. They were traveling together through Judea, and Christ was under ridicule. John felt they were being so unjust, so far from the best humanity could be, he asked the lord to wipe them out. At this point Christ prayed that God would forgive them, while telling John, no matter how unjust the Judeans were the Lord will never take life for his name. He was in some senses so close to divinity others asked whether he was the Messiah, however, he always replied, ââ¬Å"Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friends of the bridegroom, which stand and hear him, rejoice greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: thus my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. â⬠This showed his humble appreciation of Christ, by saying he must be known less, and Christ more. However shortly after the Miracle at the Jordan, king Herod for the spreading of as he put it, ââ¬Å"an unorthodox faith,â⬠arrested John. He spent two years in prison until he was released because of the new, changing Roman Empire. John eventually went back to baptizing at the Jordan. This career was once again short lived however, for Salome, child of Herodias, demanded his death. And thus his fate was set in stone; he was to be beheaded in A. D. 31. Once beheaded, his head was to be given to Salome on a silver platter, as a sign of disrespect. As for what I think, I feel the act of baptizing Jesus was the highest honor humanly possible. For this he was very lucky to be the one to perform so noble an act. As the first saint I had ever known, John had a substantial impact on my life. As soon as I knew what Confirmation was, I knew I had to pick the first I had known, he with the greatest impact on me, John. I remember always feeling a sense of divinity whenever I saw an illustration of him baptizing Christ. As a child, I always wanted to obtain knowledge; because of this I became increasingly familiar with him, even at an early age. The thing I liked about him the most as a child was how I shared his name. And so, this biographical reflection begins and ends with a name, John.
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