Equal Employment Opportunity in the US

Introduction The struggle against discriminative practices in employment has been one of the defining characteristics of American life for years. Starting in earnest in the 1940’s, this struggle has been at the heart of various organized groups in the US such as political parties, civil rights movements, contemporaly women’s movements and other interest groups (Burstein, 1994, p. 18).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Equal Employment Opportunity in the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More On September 24, 1965, President Lyndon B, Johnson bowed to sustained pressure against employment discrimination and signed Executive Order 11246, allowing the establishment of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). The EEO was established to disallow federal employment contractors from discriminating against workers on the basis of race, creed, social status, sex, religious orientation, colour or nationality. The Executive Order also sought to compel employers to implement affirmative action strategies to enhance the participation of minority communities and women in the labour force (Collins Yeskel, 2005, p. 36). While EEO was modelled around fundamental concepts needed to level the playing field in regards to employment opportunities, it is the purpose of this paper to show how the key objectives of EEO remain largely unattained in the American workforce. Most Americans are of the opinion that the labour market usually operates justly, that individuals are promoted by the virtue of their hard work and qualifications, and that they can generally expect to receive rewards that are commensurate to their input in their places of employment (Burstein, 1994, p. 1). Indeed, many Americans have an indistinct sense that some communities and racial groups continues to be discriminated against in the 21st century but know little about the reality and tend to think that discrimination in employme nt is a thing of the past. According to Burstein (1994), â€Å"†¦virtually all groups except white protestants of northwest European ancestry have suffered from intense discrimination at one time or another† (P. 1). However, even members and communities that have suffered massively from employment discrimination, predominantly women and blacks, continue to have vague ideas about how it has influenced their lives and how it has transformed itself over time. As such, it is only imperative to evaluate the basic tenets of EEO to be able to clearly outline the disjoint between the ideals of EEO and the realities on the groundAdvertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The Basic Tenets of EEO Laws In the US, various EEO standards such as merit selection and fair pay have been designed to assist the public sector in attracting and retaining the best employees from diverse com munities (Collins Yeskel, 2005, p. 48). All public sector agencies have a deep-seated responsibility to be all-inclusive in the provision of workplace environments where all employees are valued. Pundits are of the opinion that a skilled and diverse workforce offers the public sector the skills and knowledge needed to provide quality services to all communities. In the US, monitoring and enforcement of EEO laws is done by the Civil Rights Centre and The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, under the Department of Labour (USDOL, 2009, para. 2). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is an autonomous federal agency charged with the responsibility of encouraging equal opportunity in employment through education and technical support, as well as through administrative and judicial enforcement According to Buckley (2004, p. 12), EEO basically entails making sure that the workplace environment is free from any forms of employee intolerance, discrimination and haras sment. EEO also deals with the provision of programs and strategies aimed at assisting individuals and groups overcome past or current employment disadvantages. In essence, EEO is about introducing workplace rules, strategies, practices, attitudes, behaviours and values that are consistent, fair, and do not in anyway disadvantage individuals for the reason that they belong to particular groups. In an EEO environment, all employees must be valued, respected, and offered the opportunity to develop their full potential including pursuing a career path that is commensurate to their calling and choice. Consequently, EEO is designed to achieve a variety of outcomes, including the maintenance of a diverse and skilled workforce, enhancement of employment access and involvement by EEO groups, and the creation of a workplace culture that displays fair workplace practices, attitudes and behaviours (Gillin, 1996, p. 77). To achieve the desired workforce especially in the public sector, EEO dema nds that recruitment, selection, training and promotion practices must be open, competitive and founded on merit. In essence, merit evaluated by objectively defined, job-related standards ensures that the best candidate is selected for the job.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Equal Employment Opportunity in the US specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All employees must have an equal access to career training and development, and must be offered with flexible working engagements that meet the requirements of all in the creation of a productive workforce. Grievance handling procedures and techniques must be made accessible to all employees, and must be prompt, confidential and fair in dealing with a multiplicity of grievances, complaints and suggestions in the workplace (Burstein, 1994, p. 14). Effective EEOs’ must also establish a platform that enables all employees to have equal access to information while at the same time allowing their views and perceptions to be fairly heard. The decisions made by management must be without bias or favour, and illegitimate discrimination and harassment should not be tolerated in the workplace. According to the EEO principles, employers must respect their employees’ social and cultural backgrounds. However, the effectiveness and integrity of EEO in ensuring equal rights for American workers has often being called into question. Effectiveness of EEO in the US Labour Market Assiduous and conscientious analysts both in the public and private sectors believe that the US is still miles away from creating a work environment that upholds the basic tenets of EEO laws as described above (Collins Yeskel, 2005 p. 49). Although the federal government together with the agencies charged with the responsibility of implementing and enforcing EEO have claimed victory in ensuring a level playing field, all indications points to the contrary. According to Burstein (1994, p. 2), the nature and magnitude of workplace violations has been drastically reduced through concerted efforts by interest groups and stakeholders, but millions of workers still undergo various forms of discrimination in their places of work. While the US can be applauded for its capacity and ability to integrate the diverse ethnic components of its inhabitants (Rose, 1994, p. 39), various forms of workplace discrimination still persist in both public and private sectors. In most occasions, discrimination in the workplace is perpetuated in relation to age, race, social group, religion, colour, nationality, and marital status. Workplace discrimination also arises from other physical and social factors such as disability, career responsibility, sexual orientation and pregnancy.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The US has largely succeeded in guaranteeing political freedom, social independence and economic opportunity to a majority of the population (Rose, 1994, p. 39). However, it is evident that the colour problem has for many decades prohibited political, social and economic integration. The 2008 US presidential election which pitted Barrack Obama and John McCain is a vivid example of how the colour issue continues to be used in the US to prevent individuals from achieving their highest potential. In this case, president Barrack Obama’s nationality and religious orientation were put into question by some critics even after all documents revealed that Obama was indeed American and a practicing Christian. The Obama saga points to the fact that race and colour is still widely used in the US to discriminate against certain individuals or groups of individuals from achieving their highest potential in employment. This goes against the basic tenets of EEO. According to Rose (1994), â⠂¬Å"†¦the question of whether equality of opportunity [in the US] can be translated from an ideal into more nearly a reality is for the future† (p. 40). EEO denotes a form of employment obligation between the employer and the workers that guarantees social justice, freedom and legal responsibility (Buckley, 2004, p. 21). EEO also recognizes that disallowing discriminatory policies and practices is an effective management procedure. Under EEO, employees must have the right to fair practices, fair allocation of workloads, merit-based selection and recruitment processes, and equal access to benefits in their places of work. However, available evidence reveals that the above indicators are practiced more in the abstract than in reality. One of the challenges facing the application of EEO comes from the fact that the policy is implemented and administered by managers and supervisors in the context of diverse work environments (Collins Yeskel, 2005, p. 56). It therefore follow s that the fundamental role of interpreting the meanings and applications of EEO principles is left to the discretion of managers and supervisors of individual organizations. It is true that these managers and supervisors are prone to various levels of biases and various forms of discriminative practices against their subordinates. This scenario is further complicated by the fact that the same managers and supervisors who are supposed to implement and administer EEO principles are also charged with the responsibility of identifying and resolving the challenges occasioned by EEO. In this perspective, the managers and supervisors execute and police the principles and policies that are fundamental to EEO. This arrangement permits a lot of openings for abuse since the managers are left with a huge leeway to cover for their misdeeds and misconceptions of the EEO laws especially in situations dealing with minorities and blacks. Hiring managers shares the same rights and responsibilities w ith employees under EEO. However, the managers have additional responsibilities that, if not well implemented and interpreted, may lead to an increase of workplace abuses. For example, it is the responsibility of managers to take adequate and unprecedented steps to ensure that all work practices, strategies, values and behaviours are fair in the organization (Buckley, 2004, p. 102). In addition, it is the responsibility of managers to ensure that the work environment is free from any forms of unlawful persecution, discrimination, prejudice, and bullying. The hiring managers should also ensure that the recruitment and selection procedures are transparent and inline with the EEO laws. The procedures used in recruitment and selection must be consistent to all the candidates. However, experts are in agreement that the above is easily said than done. In other words, the above arguments about recruitment and selection of personnel as suggested by the EEO laws largely remain a conjecture i n the minds of the hiring managers rather than a reality on the ground. While the main objective of recruitment process is to identify and hire the best talents, hiring professionals often fail in this pursuit through engaging in activities that are against the EEO guidelines (Rose, 1994, p. 48). In the US, such activities are concealed to pass as genuine recruitment processes, and are fuelled by simple influences such as family relations, acquaintances and friends to more complicated issues touching on racial, religious and sex discrimination in the workplace. Whichever way, the above influences on hiring decisions made by managers automatically leads to a complete disregard of EEO policies in the workplace. Under the EEO framework, it is the duty of managers, especially the human resources professionals, to identify and plan for the special training and development needs of the employees under their command (Buckley, 2004, p. 32). In addition, the managers should also assist the e mployees to gain admittance to the training and development opportunities. Although objectivity is regarded by many public institutions while offering employees a chance to train and develop their careers to the fullest potential, some streaks of discrimination relating to race and sex have been observed in recommending employees to various positions in organizations. For instance, some managers shun recommending female employees to train for top positions in the organization, preferring to offer such opportunities of training and career development to male employees. This is done in total disregard of educational achievements and level of expertise held by the female employees over their male counterparts. According to Hunter (1992, p. 52), this form of discrimination is experienced more in the private sector than in public sector since women are thought to be affected by a wide allay of factors, including pregnancies, family obligations, and other biological factors. However, this line of thinking hampers the principles and policies propagated by EEO by showing favouritism to male employees in career training and development at the expense of their female counterparts. In this perspective, EEO fails to be effective in the US labour market. However, the above discussion does not insinuate that hiring procedures are never objective. When organizations and hiring managers follow the demands and requirements of EEO to the letter, objective recruitment and selection is very much possible. According to EEO laws, the capabilities of the candidates selected to the available positions must be commensurate to the competencies and requirements needed in the respective positions. This is the starting point of any HR process (Radelat, 1999, p. 10). It therefore follows that EEO can greatly assist HR professionals in maintaining objectivity in the recruitment and selection processes. If hiring managers follow the rules and regulations of EEO to the letter, the subjective influences discussed above can be curtailed. Every organization is in constant competition for the most fundamental resource: qualified and well-informed employees (Hunter, 1992, p. 8). To achieve this objective, HR professionals must harness the principles of EEO to ensure that the recruitment and selection processes remain free from any subjective interference. Again, this is more said than done. HR professionals and recruitment agencies often falls into the trap of relying on subjective influences in the recruitment process such as discrimination based on age, race, sex, religion, family relations, and other prejudicial biases. Experts believe that racial discrimination in employment is still a widespread phenomenon in the US even after the introduction of EEO laws and the establishment of various government agencies charged with the responsibility of stamping out the vice in both public and private establishments (ASA, 2002, para. 2). Indeed, some experts argue that EEO laws hav e only served to complicate matters for vulnerable groups since racial discrimination is now practiced in a secretive and sophisticated manner. In 2002, the Fair Employment Practices Commission (FEPC) sitting in Washington DC revealed that prospective employees of black origin face discrimination in 20 percent of the job interviews attended (ASA, 2002, para. 3). Some American organizations are known to spend millions of dollars to conceal racial discrimination. Such organizations are always at the forefront in explaining the strategies and procedures put in place to curtail the vice yet they go ahead to create sophisticated channels that enable the organizations to successfully manoeuvre and disregard the EEO laws without blowing their covers. For instance, Instead of recruiting employees through Job training programs, HR professionals in such organizations use sophisticated hiring processes such as recruiting workers from principally white schools to discriminate against minority g roups in the US. Such a recruitment process makes it possible for the organizations to discriminate against minorities without employing deliberate racist practices reminiscent of earlier days. In this perspective, EEO laws remain largely ineffective. Government agencies and managers continue to claim that they have achieved success in terms of implementing EEO in organizations operating in the US. While this may be the case, the success is not in anyway commensurate to a decline in wage gap between employees of various racial orientations. Consecutive studies reveal that workplace discrimination negatively impacts victims in terms of lower salaries and lack of upward mobility. Studies have also revealed that the white-black salary gap â€Å"†¦has continued to be more than 10 percent, about the same as in the 1970s† (ASA, 2002, para. 6). This is despite all the efforts that have been done by federal agencies and other stakeholders in ensuring the implementation and enfor cement of EEO principles. One of the basic tenets of EEO is that employees should be accorded equal access to benefits and resources, including pay (Gillin, 1996, p. 77). However, the wide salary gap that exists between whites and minorities with equal skills and expertise is a vivid pointer to the fact the EEO laws and principles are still practiced in the abstract. In the US, research have also revealed that the earning gap between whites and minorities becomes greater as employees advance in age, guaranteeing the white workers a handsome retirement package while leaving the minorities exposed to harsh economic conditions in retirement. This goes against the basic tenet of EEO which suggests that all employees, regardless of their age, race and creed, should be offered an equal opportunity to realize their fullest potentials. Discrimination against women in employment have continued to persist despite sustained pressure from the National Organization for Women (NOW) and other inte rest groups to push for equality in educational opportunities, employment openings, and other civil rights (Radelat, 1999, p. 10). According to Cosby Stockdale (2007), â€Å"†¦sex discrimination occurs when a person is or people are treated unfairly in the work context because of gender† (p. 3). Although many Americans legitimately disapprove the act of putting female employees at a disadvantage relative to their male counterparts, the practice is still widespread in terms of unfair treatment in compensation, opportunities and on-the-job treatment. According to the EEO laws, workplace environment should be free from any form of discrimination based on sex. However, sophisticated cases of sexual favouritism and exploitation are still found in the US. On June 22, 2004, Wal-mart supermarket was accused by over 1.6 million women who cited sexual discrimination in their dealings with the supermarket chain (Cosby Stockdale, 2007, p. 3). Although this particular case is yet t o be determined, it reveals a trend that reinforces the proposition that EEO laws and principles are largely practiced within the realms of abstractions and conceptions. On the ground, managers and other stakeholders completely disregard the laws or come up with strategies that enable them to hide their real meanings and intentions regarding EEO. Conclusion This paper has discussed the most basic fundamentals of the EEO laws and how they continue to be disregarded in the US especially in the recruitment and selection of employees to various positions within organizations. Although EEO has immense potential in ensuring the objective recruitment and selection of employees, its concepts and aspirations largely remain in the abstract. According to the paper, various forms of abuses still persists in the workplace environment although violations are conducted in a more concealed and sophisticated manner. As such, it can be vehemently concluded that EEO have failed to achieve its intended objective of guaranteeing a work environment that is free from any forms of discrimination. In this perspective, policies designed to curtail discrimination, especially in relation to the EEO laws, should be strengthened and prolonged to deal with the various abuses that still persist in the workplace (ASA, 2002, para. 8). To level the playing ground, HR professionals and organizations must intensify their affirmative action efforts so as to identify, recruit, promote, train and retain the most qualified employees from both mainstream and minority communities. Reference List American Sociological Association (ASA). (2002). Illegal job discrimination persists in the US workplace as affirmative action weakens. Web. Buckley, J.F. (2004). Equal employment opportunity compliance guide 2004. New York: Aspen Publishers, Inc, Burstein, P. (1994). Discriminating against minorities and women: some historical background. In: P. Burstein (Eds) Equal employment opportunity: labour market discri mination and public policy. Hawthorne, New York: Aldine Transaction. ISBN: 9780202304762 Collins, C., Yeskel, F. (2005). Economic apartheid in America: a primer on economic  inequality and Insecurity. New York: New Press Cosby, F.J., Stockdale, M.S. (2007). Introduction: Understanding sex discrimination: In F.J. Cosby, M.S. Stockdale, S.A. Ropp (Eds) Sex discrimination in the workplace. Garsington Road, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Gillin, C.T. (1996). Political elites and regulatory bureaucrats: A case study concerning aging discrimination. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, Vol. 1, Issue 2, p. 77 Hunter, R. (1992). Indirect discrimination in the workplace. Federation Press. ISBN: 9781862870870895 Radelat, A. (1999). EEOC fights sexual harassment of migrants. Hispanic, Vol. 12, Issue 6, p. 10 Rose, D.L. (1994), Twenty-five years later: Where do we stand on equal employment opportunity law enforcement? In: P. Burstein (Eds) Equal employment opportunity: labour market disc rimination and public policy. Hawthorne, New York: Aldine Transaction. ISBN: 9780202304762 United States Department of Labour (USDOL). (2009). Equal Employment Opportunity. Retrieved from https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/discrimination This research paper on Equal Employment Opportunity in the US was written and submitted by user Sullivan Reed to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Comparison of Novel and Film Adaption and Philip K. Dicks Criticisms Essay Example

Comparison of Novel and Film Adaption and Philip K. Dicks Criticisms Essay Example Comparison of Novel and Film Adaption and Philip K. Dicks Criticisms Essay Comparison of Novel and Film Adaption and Philip K. Dicks Criticisms Essay Philip K. dick’s criticisms about the film adaption ‘Blade runner’ have been justified by the differences that have been shown. The theme of empathy throughout both texts has been shown through two different characters causing the effect to change. Rick Deckard has the hero sort of sign through human’s eyes throughout the novel whereas Roy Batty has the hero symbol in a replicants eyes throughout the film. The motivation for Deckard in the novel is to buy a real animal, playing on his want and needs, which is also a sign of empathy. Having this motive shows the selfish side of people and questions whether or not someone actually needs an animal to be happy. The idea is put across that killing for an animal (even if it is just killing an android) to be alright. Throughout the novel we watch Deckard’s development. Having only a glimpse of this development in the film adaption shown, the viewer won’t really understand that Deckard goes through a change. Ridley Scott has used a different way to put across the empathy by using a different character that was only a small part in the novel. Batty has been given the motive to find a way to live longer and be able to become more human. Batty became the super human figure with more intelligence and strength. However Dick wrote that androids died way before they could even begin to comprehend emotions, making sure they were as robotic as possible. Electric animals were just a little way from the bottom of the social ladder and having a real one puts you higher. Being able to take care of an animal shows the empathy that a human is able to have and not an android. The film adaption doesn’t revolve empathy around the animals like the novel does. A glimpse is seen through the wolf howls that Baty cries at the point when he feels so much pain and loss, again showing empathy through a replicant. Dick had that androids shut down at the moment they feel threatened towards their lives. Scott turns that around in the film adaption and has them fight back as shown with Pris as well as Baty. The minor characters in the novel have been taken out for the film adaption so this does change parts of the story. The novels characters contrasted with each other. Deckard had Iran to contrast with himself; he wanted to have an animal to keep his life meaningful whereas she had already given up. Irmgard shows the more gentle side of an android in contrast to Pris who is curious about how life works is still more violent to figuring it out â€Å"Restraining the spider with the edge of her hand. She was smiling. † This insinuates that she feeling some sort of emotion whether it be that it’s just that she trying to fake an emotion or she’s being sadistic. Having some of these contrasts cut out for the film adaption it’s hard to see what the character’s main intention is until later on in the film. Dick’s criticisms are justified in the way that the main parts of his story have been cut out. Some of the scenes make or break certain characters and not having them in the film adaption slows the story down in how it has been told. Characters even if they are minor are still relevant to the story and are used to put the point across. The film adaption does give a different point and is less straight forward than what Dick wrote ‘Do androids dream of electric sheep? ’

PERSONNEL PLANNING AND RECRUITMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

PERSONNEL PLANNING AND RECRUITMENT - Essay Example They are a source of motivation and encouragement to the workers. However, they may lead to conflict among the employees seeking for promotion to the vacancies available. External sources on the other hand have to be acquired from outside the organization. One example is placement agencies which are private firms conducting recruitment activities on behalf of organizations at a fee, the advantage of this is it assists organizations to acquire necessary competencies. They however increase the cost of recruitment. Another is press advertisement of vacancies in journals and newspapers. The main advantage of this method is its wide reach. It is however time consuming as well as costly. The jobs ads evaluated were posted on the internet. They all follow the principal of AIDA (Attention, interest, desire, action). The first ads for the position of an AM Restaurant Supervisor start with the question: â€Å"What will it be like to work for this Hilton Worldwide Brand?† This grabs attention from suitable job seekers. The second job ad for the position of a Management Assistant appeals to applicable interest by indicating that the job is available for both new and experienced applicants. The third job add reviewed for the position of an Open Territory Sales Representative produces desire to go after what seems like a good opportunity by stating that the company assists its employees in attaining their goals. This ad also leads to action by offering clear instruction that interested applicant should not apply for the job without waiting. An email address and the company’s website is provided in order to make contact. The job ads evaluated do not appear to be appealing to the minority groups. There is no gendered wording present in most of these ads. The most probable reason for this is that the targeted job applicant would not be better off in the position if came from either gender or a certain group. It is important for companies to use of language

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Psychology - Essay Example During the development of the personality the primary caregiver must connect with positive regard to the child in order for his or her personality to develop correctly. This becomes the basis for congruence and the personality is more directly connected between the real self and the perceived self. This Rogers perceives as a required psychological adjustment, â€Å"...which is characterized by an openness to experience without defensiveness, congruence between self and experience, and living by an internal locus of evaluation rather than by externally determined conditions of worth." (Demorest 144) His methods puts the clients back in control and Rogerian Therapy is basically a client centered non-directive approach whereby the therapist acts as a conduit for the client so that he can view him or herself more clearly. As human beings we have an "idea" or concept of who we are and what we really should be, hence we create an Ideal Self that we constantly strive for, often in vain. If the perceived self, our own self-image, is not aligned with the actual self, how we really are, there will always be personality problems and dysfunction as one relates to one's self and the rest of the world. (Kail & Wicks).

Devising Safety Plans Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Devising Safety Plans - Assignment Example Last week, he punched her in the ribs a couple of times, resulting in bruising, which she revealed to you.She fears for her safety, though she is not yet ready to move out or leave him. The situation presented in the case is slightly complex and tricky to any counselor. Refusal or unwillingness by Jeannine to leave Robert despite series of abuse creates a serious uphill in the designing of an effective safety plan. However, it is still the responsibility of a counselor to design a workable safety plan to protect the abused client (APA). In that line, safety plan for Jeannine can begin with assessment of the situation and concerns of the client, that have to covering the extent and magnitude of the past abuses and resolutions. The next step is to persuade Jeannine to leave home with counselor providing the alternative home while assuring the client about returning to Robert after some times of treatment (Joiner et al., 2009). The reason for devising the above safety plan relates to the fact that the client’s life is in danger and must be away from the abuser. Assuring the client about returning home is to create a give-take situation to address the unwillingness to leave Robert and still achieve safety. An alternative safety plan would involve reporting to police to initiate arrest and lead to incarceration of the abuser (Jaffe & Diamond, 2011). This cannot work well in the situation considering the seemingly close attachment of the abused to the abuser that can escalate or worsen crisis experienced by the client. Scenario 2: Maria states she met Justin at a party a couple months ago. They have gone out a few times. Justin has never been to Marias house but she has been to his apartment; client states she usually meets him at a restaurant or club. Their relationship had advanced somewhat physically, but never to a sexual culmination. Imagine

Philip IIs Contribution Alexander the Greats Achievements

Philip IIs Contribution Alexander the Greats Achievements What was Philip IIs contribution to the later achievements of Alexander the Great? The lives of Philip II and Alexander the Great were intertwined in numerous ways. Philip II centralised ancient Macedonia. Philip II also built an army of unprecedented ability and resilience, which conquered the Greek peninsula and prepared the conquest of the Persian Empire that amalgamated with a Greco-Macedonia army. Alexander in point of fact led the invading forces, when he conquered the great Persian Empire. Alexander then took his army to the borders of modern India. Which is where Alexander created a monarchy and empire that, despite its fragmentation, shaped the political cultural, and religious world of the Hellenistic period. Alexander drove the engine his father had built, if Alexander had not done so, Philips II achievements might have been short lived as plenty of previous Macedonian rulers. Although it might be true some scholars believed that Alexander played a role in his fathers murder, may be directly and indirectly, in Order to lead the voyage to Asia that Philip II had organised (Carney and Ogden, 2010). The aim of this essay is to examine Philips II contribution to the later achievements of Alexander the Great. The most crucial point is Philip had bequeathed to Alexander three significant things (Ashley, 2004, p: 7).The first part of the essay will examine, Alexander’s nature and education including Aristotle, the second part will examine the army that Philip created in which later Alexander inherited (Curtis Hansen, 2013, p: 156). The third part and final analysis consists of the established homeland (Ashley, 2004, p: 8). Alexander III of Macedon was better known as Alexander the Great, who was known to mankind for his famous persona and great accomplishments (Thomas, 2007, p: 1). Alexander was the son of Philip II and Olympia. Philip II was the king of Macedonia and Olympias was the princess of Epirus (Stewart, 1993, p18). Alexander achieved the impossible. It is worth noting that uniquely in 13 years Alexander managed to conquer the whole known world. Alexander moulded the greatest Greek empire in history. Despite all of Alexanders great accomplishments, Alexander still lived in his fathers shadow. Due to the vigilant preparation and courage actions of Philip II of Macedon, Alexander would have little or no place in history. The supremacy of Philip on Alexanders actions and life can be seen throughout every aspect of his behaviour. Alexander owes his fate and place in history to his fathers actions and brilliant forethought (Joyer, 2012). This is clear due to Philips II military reforms, for example the sarissa, including infantry tactics, and a formidable Macedonian army and not forgetting an excellent education and tutoring of his day. Alexander as he entered the greater wider world in his young adulthood commenced his education. Alexanders main tutor Aristotle educated Alexander in philosophy, government, politics, poetry, drama and the sciences (Gunther, 2007, p: 28). Aristotle was appointed by Philip, but was educated away from court at Mieza and influenced Alexanders religious education (Blackwell, 2009, p: 193). Aristotle in his Hymn to Excellence (arà ªte) 1 used Alexander ancestors, Heracles, Achilles, as heroic ethos as a way of reinforcing the influence of his other mentors (Gunther, 2007, p: 28). The focal point of Alexanders studies was the title Iliad as a handbook of martial valour. It is worth noting that Alexander is said to have learned it by heart (Worthington, 2012, p: 336) and the admiration of Achilles lasted during course of his life, because of these ancient influences and his individual character, Alexander became the most charismatic, successful, complicated, challenging and contentious con queror of an ancient champion in Macedonia even in the 4th century. Before turning to the question of the Macedonian army to which the foundations could only be constructed upon as a consequence of Philip, is the question of coinage, as this was an important contribution to later achievements of Alexander who was immensely effective tactician and propagandist. Coining was rapidly taken up in the thriving Greek city governments, just over the Aegean Sea, though it was mainly silver until Philip II of Macedon ( 359-336 BC) acquired the gold and silver mines in Thrace (New Bulgaria) (Whibley, 1916, p: 546). Philips son Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) conglomerated the Greek Empire with the defeat of the Persian empire, and acquiring its immerse gold treasure built up by the Persians from gold sources on the river Oxus. It is proclaimed that Alexander the Great took over 22 metric tonnes (7000,000 troy ounces) of gold coin in loot the Persians (Sutherland, 1959). For both Philip II and Alexander the Great, gold became essential way of paying their armies and meeting other military expenses (Blackwell, 2011, p:465). Under the Greek empire, the coins were stamped with the head of the king, instead of lions, bulls, rams, that had previously decorated gold coin elsewhere (Sutherland, 1959). In 357 Philip captured Amphipolis (Roisman, 2011, p: 38.3.B). This colony was Athens. Philips authority of the strategic control became the disputation between Athens and Macedonia. Philip conceivably asseverated to reconstruct Athens, which Philip never did. Athens in turn stated war, which was never pursued (Roisman, 2011, p: 38.3.B). In 356 Philip captured the city of Crenides in the Thrace and after adding to it territory and settlers, Philip rename it Philippi (Roisman, 2011, pg. 38.3.B). The proprietorship of Philippi and Amphipolis permitted Philip to mine silver and gold ore. This made Philip wealthy, in fact one of the wealthiest men in Greece. Philips silver and gold coins in time replaced Athenian coins. Another relevant point is that, Philip was a extravagant spender, when Philip was murdered Alexander found he inherited Philips debt. Philip learnt a lot from Epaminondas, by living in close approximately to a great man, by observing the consequence of his character. Philip learned a lesson in the power of individual will, of which his later life was a consistent exposition. Epaminondas was a brilliant and forceful political idealist than Pericles, Epaminondas far transcends the Athenian in the ruder filed of action. 2 Epaminondas won their obedience by sheer dominance of will and their awestruck respect by consistent subordination of self to their common good (Hogarth, 1897, pg. 39). Empinondas also stands alone in intellectual eminence. 3 Empinondas was an ardent pupil of philosophy, and a first class lecturer. Philip created a formidable army. Philip also introduced military service as a paid and permanent job. This way the soldiers where better trained as they were not disrupted by harvests and farming work this meant the army was able to trained constantly. The army was also kept in one place to be ready at al l times (Ashley, 2004, p: 14). A pure military army is what Philip created, esprit de corps. Philip registered his citizens according their local and tribal divisions, which in turn were allocated to standing territorial regiments. For the infantry, the facts can only be deduced, from, 3 where the recruits (foot) from Macedonia are distributed. It has been found that the names of certain squadrons of the Calvary are actually recorded, instance à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ¡ ΑÎ ½ÃŽ ¸ÃŽ µÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ¿ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  and ΛÎ µÃŽ ½ÃŽ ³ÃŽ ±Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ °ÃŽ ±, and so are the homes of others, the horseman from upper Macedonia, or Bottiaea and Amphipolis. These standing regiments are known each by its colonels name, and quoted thus by Arrian, who reflects the military usage of his authorities. A Ï„ÃŽÂ ¬ÃŽ ¾ÃŽ ¹Ãâ€š of foot, whose colonel is absent, is still referred to as his, though lead by another even after death, for instance Cleitus cavalry command bears his name after his death, as stated in (Id. iii. 11; vi. 6). 5 Phil ip conceived different ranks on a scale of honour rising towards the person of the king. The heavy cavalry was ranked above the service in the foot, for the former were more especially the à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃâ€žÃŽ ±Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿-Ï ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ ¹, or companions of the king; their generals have the most important commands in Alexanders army, and their troopers enjoy treble share of prize money as stated in (curt, vii. 5. 23). 6 Philip promoted whom pleased to this service. The à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ËœÃâ€žÃŽ ±Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¿-Ï ÃŽ ¹ were Royals. The squadron of greatest honour Royals, or kings own, were called à ¡Ã‚ ¿Ã… ¸ÃŽâ€˜ÃŽ ½ÃŽ ³ÃŽ ·ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ± (Hogarth, 1897, p 55). The most honoured amount the foot corps of Guards (ÃŽ ½Ãâ‚¬ÃŽ ±ÃÆ'πΠ¹ÃÆ'Ï„Î ±Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚ ±), specially attached to the person of the king. They became famous in Alexanders wars and later became known as the silver shields (ΑÏ ÃŽ ³ÃŽ ½Ã Ãƒ ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃÆ'πΠ¹ÃŽ ´ÃŽ µÃâ€š). Like the cavalry they were all Royals, but amo ng them a special corps d elite (Ï„Ã ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¸ à ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ÃŽ ³ÃŽ ·ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ± Ï„Ã ¡Ã‚ ½Ã‚  ÃŽ ²ÃŽ ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ »ÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ºÃƒ ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â€š ¬ÃŽ ½) as stated in the journal of philology, xvii., No.33, p: 14. Army of Alexander. 7 Relying on its training and discipline, Philip could introduce his army to new fighting methods. Philip thought his army charge, not in a line but in a wedge shaped formations (Tact 16: cited by Lendon, 2006, p: 96-100). 8 A device destined to be resorted to by Alexander at Arbela. For the infantry, Philip perfected the famous phalanx, although in conception this phalanx was not different from the existing Greek fighting attire. Philip was regarded as its inventor, as Philip developed and regulated it. Philip had two main ideas, first to render bodies of pike man more mobile and pliable than the Theban or Spartan (Hogarth, 1897, pg. 60). Philips second idea was the sarissa or long pike, which would enable his phalanx to strike the first blow. For such a weapon as this, training and discipline were essential. The Macedonian armies of the third and second centuries plied a sarissa even twenty-four feet long. 9 No reference is made by any historian of Alexander to such a uncharacterist ic weapon as the sarissa. The secret to the success of Philips and Alexanders battles lies in their horsemanship, Macedonian and allied light guards and archers. The guards are often reckoned into the phalanx for example in (iii.11), 10 in Arrians catalogue of the array at Arbela, but they are also distinguished clearly from the heavy phalangites. This accomplished military system was the work of many years. Largely mercenaries supplemented Philips national army. 11 This method of assistants was not abandoned entirely by his son Alexander his son. A most crucial point we know as fact is that Alexander inherited forty thousand seasoned men, and a well-established system. Ancient warfare played a major role in Philips eleven sieges. Many of Philips military reforms did not happen overnight, but continued throughout his reign and even after his death with Alexander. In 350 headed by Polyeidos (Polyidus) of Thessaly Philip II established an engineering corps to design and build new siege machinery including the Mechanical Bow and Torsion Catapult (figure 11, Worthington, 2014. P: 37). Philip used the first early prototypes of the torsion catapult was in 340 at the siege of Byzantium (Ashley, 2004, p: 74). Philips chief engineer went on to develop a prototype of a more powerful torsion catapult that could shoot larger stones and arrows over greater distances. It is worth noting that the surviving documents refer to this new type of catapult as katapellai makedonikoi (Macedonian catapults) (Gabriel, 2010, p: 92). Polyeidos trained two of his students Diades, and Charias to continue his work. In 334 BCE Diades succeeded Polyeidos as Alexanders chief engineer, together Diades and Charias complete the development of the torsion catapult, by producing a machine capable of throwing stone shot large enough destroy walls (Ashley, 2004, p: 74). Under Alexander the Great the development of artillery continued, in 330s B.C. The torsion catapult was further developed to throw one-talent (57 pound stones) (Ashley, 2004, p: 74). It was under Alexander the Great siege warfare reached its height. This would never have possible if hadnt of been Alexander inheriting the ability to subdue cites quickly b ecause of the work Polyeidos (Philips engineer) created, as Alexanders Persian campaign would not been possible (Gabriel, 2010, p: 92). This was a difficult essay to write, as sources dealing with Philip are limited (Ashley, 2004, p: 74). Depending on the way you approach as it’s easy to focus too narrowly on the achievements of Alexander, without having analysed the contribution of Philip. Briefly it can be said that in many of the books I have read about this topic, many of the chapters were occupied with details of opinions about Alexander the Great, and in that progress his father King Philip of Macedonia was forgot. What a shortcoming! Personally, I am inclined to believe that world had not known Alexander the Great as Alexander ranked his self above ordinary mortals (Rostovtzeff, 1926, p: 352) then Philip would not have been talked about. On the other hand if it had not been for Philip, who laid most of the ground work in which Alexander inherited, Alexander then he would not have become Alexander the Great. Alexander reaped the benefit of his fathers work not just military (the army he had been trained to use), but through shrewd economic and diplomatic policy. Macedonia was a poor territory. The people lived in constant war with everyone and each other. Philip took things into his own hands, as he had great political acuteness and subtlety. Philip did this by creating a professional army, consolidating boarders with armed cities. Philip achieved this by bribing with coinage and cunning his enemies. Philip turned silver and gold mining to a profitable business. Philip also built roads and canals. The merger of Macedonia was a very difficult and prolonged project. Which paid off very well in the end. To return to an earlier point it is worth noting that it was Philip who created the first land state in history (Gabriel, 2010, p: 2), Greece, by replacing the obsolete city state system. Philips most formidable achievement was the peace of Corinth where Philip finally united all his previous adversaries, not forgetting Athens into one entity. The contributions that lead to the later achievements of Alexander were the education of Aristotle, the army Philip created including coinage and an established homeland. Unfortunately for Alexander, he felt held back by his father and always seem to live in the shadow of his father which seem to haunted by this as his achievements insignificant to those of his father. Alexander and Philip competed with each in many ways emulation and resentment as stated in Fredricksmeyer 1990. Even though I do not agree with every argument in journal of Alexander and Philip by Fredricksmeyer 1990. Its a fascinating portrayal of their relationship and gives excellent sources of references and occurrences in their relationship. Alexander and Philip were both great in their own right. If Philip had not created the army he did, Alexander could not have achieved what he did, yet Philip on the other hand could not have achieved what Alexander did had he survived. Alexander was Philips true son and heir. It was Philips contributions that laid the foundations for Alexander to become the man he was, for ins tance, education, the army and siege warfare that Alexander inherited and an established homeland. Notes 1 Hymn to Arà ªte: Athen. 15.696 B-D. Study of lliad: Plut: Alex 8.2; 26.1-2; Plin. NH 7. 108; Strabo 13.1. 27. Memorising lliad: Dio Ghrysostom 4.39. 2. Nepos, Epam. 4. 3. Id., Epam. 3; Diod., l.c., and 88. 4 From Arr., iii. 16, where the recruits (foot) from Macedonia are distributed into, Ï„Ã ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â€š ¬ÃŽ ¾ÃŽ µÃŽ ¹Ãâ€š. Cf. Curt., v. 2. 6, where we are told that Alexanders main innovation at Susa were the abolition of all local and national divisions throughout the army. 6 Cf. Diod., xvii. 63, 74; Curt., vii. 5. 23 7 Army of Alexander in journal. Of philology, xvii, No. 33, p: 14. 8 Tact.16 cited in Lendon 9 The coincidence of Polybius (xvii. 12) with Polyaenus (ii. 29. 2) and the second recension of the Tactica (15) puts this beyond doubt. Cf. also Livys remarks on its unwieldy length (xliv. 41). The first recension of the Tactica reads πà ¡Ã‚ ½Ã¢â€š ¬ÃŽ ´ÃŽ ±Ãâ€š for πà ¡Ã‚ ¼Ã‚  Ãâ€¡ÃŽ µÃŽ ¹Ãâ€š, reducing the length to fourteen or sixteen feet: but either this is a manuscript error or correction, or it is a reminiscence of the earlier sarissa. 10 ld. iii. 11; vi. 6. 11 Diod., xvi. 8. Bibliography Ashley. J. 2004, The Macedonia Empire: The Era of Warfare Under Philip II and Alexander Great, 359-323 B.C. Blackwell. W. 2009, ALEXANDER THE GREAT: A NEW HISTORY. Blackwell. W. 2011, The Companion to Ancient Macedonia: Edited by JOSEPH ROISMAN AND IAN WORTHINGTON. Carney. E and Ogden. D. 2010, Philip II and Alexander the Great: Father and Son, Lives and Afterlives (Oxford university press). Curtis. K. Hansen. V. 2013, Voyages in World History Curt. 4.6.29; 9.3.19; Arr.5.28.3;7.14.4; Plut. Alex. 15.8-9; 62.5; 72.3; Diod.17.97.3; Ael. VH 7.8 Ameling 1988. Edmunds 1971: 363-91; King 1987: 1-45; Fredricksmeyer 1990: 304-6; Ameling 1988: 658-60; Stewart 1993:81; Huttner 1997: passim. Fredricksmeyer, E. A. 1990. Alexander and Philip: Emulation and Resentment. CJ 85: 300-15. Gabriel. R. 2010, Philip II of Macedonia: Greater Than Alexander. Gunther. J. 2007, ALEXANDER THE GREAT. Joyer. B. 2012, Alexander: Living inside the shadow. Available at [emailprotected] posted in Bens Den (accessed March 2015). Lendon. J. E, 2006, Soldiers Ghosts: A History of Battle in Classical Antiquity. Rostovtzeff. M. 1926, A History of the Ancient world: The Orient and Greece. Roisman. J. 2011, Ancient Greece from Homer to Alexander: The Evidence. Roisman. J. Worthington. I. 2011, A companion to Ancient Macedonia. Stewart. A. 1993, Faces of Power: Alexanders image and Hellenistic politics. Sutherland. C.H.V. 1959, Gold its Beauty and Power and Allure Board portrait of appeal of gold over last 5000 years, Thames and Hudson London. Available at: info.goldavenue.com Accessed March 2015. Thomas. G. 2007, Alexander The Great in His World. Whibley. L. 2016, A companion to Greek studies, Cambridge university press. Worthington. I. 2012, ALEXANDER THE GREAT ( A READER). Worthington. I. 2014, By The Spear: Alexander the Great, and the rise and fall of the Macedonian Empire.

The Contribution of Patient Case Studies on our Understanding of Cognit

Although it shares cognitive neuroscience’s roots, cognitive neuropsychology has developed into a discrete discipline. While cognitive neuroscience studies neural organisation of the brain, cognitive neuropsychology concerns itself with the brain’s functional architecture; Coltheart (2010) describes this as a distinction between brain and mind. According to, among others, Coltheart (2002, cited Coltheart, 2010) this makes cognitive neuropsychology a branch of cognitive psychology rather than neuroscience. Patient case studies have played a critical role in developing cognitive neuropsychology into a separate discipline, although data from case studies can support and even progress cognitive neuroscientific findings about neural architecture. Cognitive neuroscientific research has identified dorsal and ventral visual pathways (e.g. Shapley, 1995, cited Pike and Edgar, 2010) in the brain, known respectively as the ‘where’ and the ‘what’ pathways. A case study of patient DF by Milner and Goodale (1995, cited Pike and Edgar, 2010) found impairment in face and object recognition and visual discrimination, suggesting damage to the ventral pathway. When asked to pick up a small disc, the width of which she could not judge, the distance between DF’s index finger and thumb correlated highly with the actual disc width, suggesting that she was able to guide action using size information unavailable to conscious report. Milner and Goodale went on to develop the ve ntral/dorsal dissociation theory by suggesting that the ventral ‘what’ pathway processes object recognition while the dorsal ‘where’ system drives action in relation to an object (Goodale and Milner, 1992; Milner and Goodale, 1995, both cited Pike and Edgar, 2010). Thus a patie... ...In Kaye, H. (Ed,), Methods Companion (2nd ed., pp. 59-102). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Patterson, K. And Plaut, D.C. (2009). ‘†Shallow Draughts Intoxicate the Brain†: Lessons from Cognitive Science for Cognitive Neuropsychology’, Topics in Cognitive Science, vol. 1 (1), pp.39-58. Pike, G. and Edgar, G. (2010). ‘Perception’. In Kaye, H. (Ed,), Cognitive Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 63-104). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Rutherford, A. (2010). ‘Long-term memory: encoding to retrieval’. In Kaye, H. (Ed,), Cognitive Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 63-104). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Wierenga, C.E., Maher, L.M., Moore, A., White, K.D., McGregor, K., Soltysik, D.A. and Crosson, B. (2006). ‘Neural substrates of syntactic mapping treatment: An fMRI study of two cases’, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, vol. 12(1), pp.132-146. The Contribution of Patient Case Studies on our Understanding of Cognit Although it shares cognitive neuroscience’s roots, cognitive neuropsychology has developed into a discrete discipline. While cognitive neuroscience studies neural organisation of the brain, cognitive neuropsychology concerns itself with the brain’s functional architecture; Coltheart (2010) describes this as a distinction between brain and mind. According to, among others, Coltheart (2002, cited Coltheart, 2010) this makes cognitive neuropsychology a branch of cognitive psychology rather than neuroscience. Patient case studies have played a critical role in developing cognitive neuropsychology into a separate discipline, although data from case studies can support and even progress cognitive neuroscientific findings about neural architecture. Cognitive neuroscientific research has identified dorsal and ventral visual pathways (e.g. Shapley, 1995, cited Pike and Edgar, 2010) in the brain, known respectively as the ‘where’ and the ‘what’ pathways. A case study of patient DF by Milner and Goodale (1995, cited Pike and Edgar, 2010) found impairment in face and object recognition and visual discrimination, suggesting damage to the ventral pathway. When asked to pick up a small disc, the width of which she could not judge, the distance between DF’s index finger and thumb correlated highly with the actual disc width, suggesting that she was able to guide action using size information unavailable to conscious report. Milner and Goodale went on to develop the ve ntral/dorsal dissociation theory by suggesting that the ventral ‘what’ pathway processes object recognition while the dorsal ‘where’ system drives action in relation to an object (Goodale and Milner, 1992; Milner and Goodale, 1995, both cited Pike and Edgar, 2010). Thus a patie... ...In Kaye, H. (Ed,), Methods Companion (2nd ed., pp. 59-102). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Patterson, K. And Plaut, D.C. (2009). ‘†Shallow Draughts Intoxicate the Brain†: Lessons from Cognitive Science for Cognitive Neuropsychology’, Topics in Cognitive Science, vol. 1 (1), pp.39-58. Pike, G. and Edgar, G. (2010). ‘Perception’. In Kaye, H. (Ed,), Cognitive Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 63-104). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Rutherford, A. (2010). ‘Long-term memory: encoding to retrieval’. In Kaye, H. (Ed,), Cognitive Psychology (2nd ed., pp. 63-104). Milton Keynes: The Open University. Wierenga, C.E., Maher, L.M., Moore, A., White, K.D., McGregor, K., Soltysik, D.A. and Crosson, B. (2006). ‘Neural substrates of syntactic mapping treatment: An fMRI study of two cases’, Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, vol. 12(1), pp.132-146.

Kindertransport †Identity Essay

Do you ever think about what you represent in this world? Do you ever think about how people, as a whole, perceive your personality, your background, your style, your language, and your opinion? I’ve been thinking a lot about how my individuality is recognized by others and how I can change it within one moment’s decision. The definition of identity is truly vague to my knowledge but I think it has to do with everything in your existence that relates to your physical, psychological, and cultural persona. The people that surround my life label me as they see me yet I label myself through experience. My brain cannot obtain a sample of your history and digest through to create a perfect overlook yet it can take in the information that I witness and an idea of who you truly are can start to grow. When I think of Michael Marcel, the words, â€Å"funny†, â€Å"strong-minded†, and â€Å"caring† illuminate. When your father thinks about Michael Marcel, variation among traits will occur. When you think about your way of living, how do you relate yourself to the rest of the world? Usually, the nationality of a person is a red flag for certain stereotypes and pre-judgmental observations. To one’s own self, this might represent a certain uniqueness and pride yet it can, also, provoke a sense of shame and anger. I know that you, as a Dominican/Italian, take great pleasure in voicing your quirked cultural way of living. Kobenhavn and Roskilde will forever morph my character. These two cities within the tiny country of Denmark are home to my relatives, my genetics, and the roots of my place in society. I can remember many instances of being reminded about the pleasant haven. The death of my Mormor (Grandma) sucked all of the energy from my limbs and left me for dead. I realized that her passing shouldn’t be brought downward with sorrow but rather glazed over with past feelings of happiness. She went through hours of pain to produce Diana Rasmussen and in turn, Diana gave her a little baby girl named, â€Å"Freja†. A wave of change rose over my body and I understood that I would always be Diana’s daughter. I am confident within my fair, Danish skin. I can remember how effected I was throughout my time in America concerning my cultural background and my cultural interests. People would widen their eyes as I spoke about my past in Denmark; to them, I was like an alien from a strange planet. In the now, I am criticized for my newly found triple life. I say triple because one part of me is Danish and I have an entire past within my motherland, one part of me is Italian but I don’t have a big affiliation with the country, and one part of me is very tied into the Hispanic lifestyle. I am ridiculed on a daily basis for the last part and I am identified differently because of it. By the Caucasian community, I am insulted on (almost) a daily basis. By the Hispanic community in our school, I am subjected to the label of â€Å"Latina Wannabe†. By the Hispanic community outside of school, I am seen as a very good person and willing to accept and try anything new within their country’s ways. By my parents, I am given odd looks as I sing along to â€Å"Mariposa Tracionera† and they wonder why their little girl suddenly turned Hispanic. Recently, I have been subjected to an act of immaturity and ignorance. There is a guy in my grade that hates my lifestyle more than his own selfish loneliness; when I chat with the so-called â€Å"skin head†, I can hear him saying that my hands are grimy from touching the hands of Mexicans. It hurts my entire body to hear something so harsh come out of a human being’s mouth; he takes the media’s image of crossing the border, the drug cartel wars, and the unpaid taxes, and spits them back into my face. The other night, I was talking with David and he posted on my wall, â€Å"stop being so sad†. That was an inside joke between him and I; it had no concern with â€Å"skin-head†. The ignorant â€Å"skin-head† commented on the post and said, â€Å"Go back to Mexico†. I called you, crying a river upon the keypad, and complained about the words that had left a mark in my mind. Lack of knowledge can drive the process of identity onto a cruel p ath. Every single piece of matter that inhabits the personal world around you has an effect on your identity. The tiny room in which your soul takes life form has an effect. The soil that sticks to the bottom of your feet as you take your first steps has an effect. The way you represent yourself is a lifelong process; you begin to mold your life as soon as your lungs fill with newly found oxygen. The cries that are let out during your first hours on the outside of the womb might travel through time and find themselves spewing out of your mouth thirteen years later because of ridicule over your skin color, musical taste, family situation, etc. Identity is everything and everything is identity. Is it really that simple? Yes, I think so.

Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet Essay

Among Shakespeare’s tragedies Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth, the decision about which is best written ultimately needs to be decided according to the virtues of the plot, characterization, and the language. The three plays have very strong points. While Macbeth is extraordinary in Shakespeare’s use of language, its plot is also intricate and interesting. Othello stands out in the area of characterization, while Hamlet stands out in its language. However, when all areas of assessment are considered, Macbeth does appear to dominate as the best written of the three plays. Othello does possess a very strong and deeply intricate character in the villain Iago. Shakespeare displays his highly refined skill in the manner in which he infuses Iago with evil. Iago is the definitive two-faced traitor, as he feigns the most iron-clad friendship with his lord Othello, while harboring the most potent resentment against him. Shakespeare creates a masterpiece in this character because he achieves an effect in which Iago almost becomes evil incarnate. The poignant hatred represented in all his speeches and actions highlights the play as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. However, the play does have a weakness that is fatal to its position. Its plot, though given strong impetus by the avenging cruelty and hatred of Iago, gains its momentum from what seems to be an impotent plan. Othello implicates his wife Desdemona of adultery merely because her handkerchief is â€Å"found† in Cassio’s room—evidence that amounts almost to nothing. The weakness of this link from Iago’s hatred to his ruin of Othello is too great for the play to be considered the best of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The tragedy of Hamlet excels in the language that Shakespeare uses to express the inner thoughts and confusions of the characters. Hamlet’s speeches represent a masterpiece of insight into the human soul as it processes pain and loss. The famous â€Å"to be or not to be† speech is so highly regarded because it probes the mind of a man who is so deeply affected by his father’s murder and mother’s betrayal that he mentally wrestles with death: â€Å"To die to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream; ay, there’s the rub. For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause† (III. i. 73-77). The metaphorical mingling of sleep and death is a figurative achievement, and the expression of indecision as Hamlet lingers at the horizon of death gives the play a literary and lyrical edge. Still, this play has plot problems as well. It seems to drag on with Hamlet’s constant indecision and his antic disposition. His relationship with Ophelia is nebulous, yet its complications are not well expressed, but muddled and almost incoherent. The end in which Ophelia and all the family die leaving Fortinbras to assume the throne is unsatisfying at the very least. These problems cause Hamlet also to be prevented in the final analysis from being considered Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Macbeth, like Hamlet, boasts very well written and poetic lines. The expression of the guilt that Macbeth feels after committing his murderous act is expressed in all its detail and rondure. In addition, it also possesses depth and expression of character that is unexcelled in any of Shakespeare’s other works. Lady Macbeth rivals Iago in her capacity for evil—yet hers stems from nothing as petty as revenge. She seeks to exalt her husband’s position in an almost self-sacrificial effort to promote him. She shows clarity and decisiveness in a way that Hamlet does not, as she carries out her intention with no alloy of fear or hesitancy. In addition to the beauty of the language and the depth of characterization, Macbeth’s plot (though in some ways fantastical) carries itself naturally toward the end that it is given. Nothing appears contrived. The hubris that Macbeth assumes at the behest of the witches and Lady Macbeth propels him gradually and naturally toward his murder of King Duncan and eventually toward his death at the hand of Macduff. The combination of excellences in the three areas of plot, characterization, and language tips the scale in favour of Macbeth as the greatest tragedy written by William Shakespeare.

Tips for Learning Students Names and Remembering Them

Tips for Learning Students' Names and Remembering Them Learning your students names is essential if you want to create a good rapport and establish a comfortable atmosphere in the classroom. Teachers who learn students names quickly, help reduce feelings of anxiety and nervousness that most students experience during the first few weeks back to school. Here are a variety of tips and tricks to help you remember names and ease those first week jitters. Seating Chart Use a seating chart for the first few weeks of school until you can put names and faces together. Greet Students by Name Everyday greet your students by name. When they enter the classroom make sure to use their name in a short comment. Pair Students in Groups Create a quick questionnaire about what the likes and dislikes of your students are. Then group them together according to their choices. The point of this activity is to help you remember students by associating them with their preferences. Wear Name Tags For the first week or so have students wear name tags. For the younger children, place the name tag on their back so they wont feel the urge to rip it off. Name Cards Place a name card at each students desk. This is not only a great way for you to remember their names, but it will help the classmates remember as well. Memorize by Number Beginning the first day of school, strive to memorize a set number of students each day. You can memorize by number, color, name etc. Use a Mnemonic Device Associate each student with something physical. Relate the students name, such as George, with the Gorge. (Quinn with a pin) Associate Related Names A great memory trick is to associate a name with a person you know that has the same name. For example, if you have a student named Jimmy who has short brown hair, then imagine your brother Jimmys long hair on little Jimmys head. This visual link will help you remember little Jimmys name in no time. Create a Rhyme Create a silly rhyme to help you remember students names. Jim is slim, Kim likes to swim, Jake likes snakes, Jill can juggle, etc. Rhymes are a fun way to help you learn and remember quickly. Use Photographs Have students bring in a photo of their-self on the first day, or take a picture of each student yourself. Place their photo next to their name on your attendance or seating chart. This will help you correlate and remember names with faces. Create Photo Flashcards To help you remember students names quickly, take photos of each child and create photo flashcards. Photo Memory Game Take photos of each student and then create a photo memory game with them. This is a great activity for the students to learn their classmates faces, as well as give you a chance to learn them too! Play Im Going on a Trip Game Have students sit in a circle on the carpet and play the Im going on a trip game. The game begins like this, My name is Janelle, and I am taking sunglasses with me. The next student says, Her name is Janelle, and she is taking sunglasses with her and my name is Brady and I am taking a toothbrush with me. Go around the circle until all students have gone and you are the last to go. With you being the last person to recite all the students names, you will be surprised how many you remember. Being able to identify a student by name make a take a few weeks but with these tips and tricks you will learn them in no time. Just like all the other back to school procedures and routines, it takes time and patience, but it will come.

Individual Case Study Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Individual Case Study Analysis - Essay Example The case study reflects the impact of the cultural difference between the employees of JET. The report has been prepared for understanding the key issues of the organization and focus on analysing the reasons behind these issues. It will highlight the impact of linguistic barrier and cultural differences within the organization. The different situations where the difference in the nature of thinking and the social values resulted in creation of distance between the employees of different nationality have been discussed in this study. Finally, recommendations to the organizations for solving the recent issues and improving its performance have been concluded in the report. 2. Introduction In this case study, the difference in the values of the Japanese and the Americans has been clearly shown The Japanese were formal and reserved. On the other hand, the American were informal and self assertive in nature. In case of accepting assignments in the foreign countries (as expatriates), it i s very important to consider the personality, psychology and cultural differences. ... This case study reflected the clashes which took place as a result of differences in the personality, values, psychology, culture and also lack in the orientation and training programs. It highlighted the factors which should have been considered by Kelly before planning to accept the offer. 3. Analysis and Issues Kelly found that the Japanese were too much devoted towards their work and were satisfied in working for extra time during the weekends and coming to office during the weekends. According to Kelly, the employees should make proper use of the vacation time provided to them in the job contract. Kelly noticed that none of the Japanese women have been promoted to a senior level in the Board of Education. The only women found to be working there were the young secretaries or office ladies. Mr. Higashi, who was the supervisor of the foreign participants of JET, had a tendency of arranging projects as well as other conferences and cancelling them without informing to the Assistant Language Trainers about the cancellation of such projects and conferences. In a similar manner, he arranged for special assignment during the holiday without providing prior information to the ALT’s. These were the key issues where the foreigners had to suffer because of the cultural differences. Moreover, as these foreigners could not speak the Japanese language properly, communication with them was very difficult. Moreover, the Japanese considered these foreign employees to be less committed towards their work as they never stayed in the office after the completion of the working hour at 5.00 p.m. on the weekdays and never worked during the weekends. The ALT’s had stated it clearly that there were vacation days mentioned in the job contract and they will utilise these

Corn farmers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corn farmers - Essay Example As per the law of demand and supply of economics, lesser demand of corn will push the price of corn down ward to an extent so that equilibrium in demand and supply reaches. Individual corn farmers will thus face the state of lesser demands then previously what they had catered to. The market of corn can be assumed as perfectly competitive for the following reasons. 1. There are large producers and suppliers of corn in the market. It means that each producer is too small compared to the entire market to influence price by its own supply. 2. Corn Market has bountiful suppliers with standardized products. Buyers perceive them all identical. 3. Buyers have perfect information available about the prices of corn producers. 4. There are no entry or exit barriers for the firms in the long run; market is always open for competition for new suppliers. 5. The market is said to have reached in long run equilibrium by 2014 and in a perfectly competitive state as the marginal firm makes a normal p rofit in the long run. Since market of corn is nearly perfectly competitive, any reduction in demand or increase in its supply will push the price down ward so as to find a new equilibrium of demand and supply during 2016 and beyond. (Kindly refer Appendix I) Above happening is bounded by certain assumptions, which are enumerated as per the following. a.