Counselling and Psychotherapy Essay

Carl Ransom Rogers (1902 – 1987) was amongst the most influential figures of humanistic psychology, a school of psychotherapy that rejected medical and psychoanalytic models of treatment, and instead put forth a theory of personality and behaviour that presumed the source of psychological health ultimately resides in the individual person rather than in a programme based on the expert knowledge and authority of a psychiatric professional. Rogers’ specific form of humanistic psychology is broadly based on his view of human personality, which he believed naturally tended to develop in what he considered a healthy manner unless it is adversely influenced by life-experiences. From this theoretical basis, Rogers created a form of therapy that he called ‘client-centred’, (or person-centred) as opposed to forms of treatment that are directed by the expertise of the therapist. In the field of Counselling and Psychotherapy there are many differing theories which are used to help those who seek counselling, including client-centred therapy. In many parts of the world client-centred therapy is seen as a family of therapies, including Experiential Psychotherapy and Focusing. Closely associated with client-centred therapy are existential therapy and various integrative approaches. Since Carl Rogers’ death, there has been much debate regarding what can and cannot rightly claim to be called ‘client-centred therapy.’ Proponents of the differing ‘Tribes’ argue for their schools of thought. (Warner 2006). At the heart of all the differing thoughts and modes of delivery are the six conditions for therapeutic change which Rogers described as being needed before a client could move towards the changes that they wanted to make in their lives. Carl Rogers, along with Abraham Maslow, was the founder of the humanist approach to clinical psychology. Maslow was known as the ‘Third Force in Psychology’ but is mainly known for his thoughts on self- actualization. Prior to Maslow it was thought that human behaviour was just a set of behaviours to satiate the drive for deficits. For example the ‘lack of nutrients – feel hungry – seek food – and eat’ model. Maslow proposed a wide range of human needs in a dynamic and changing system, where needs at higher levels would only be addressed when needs at lower levels had been satisfied (see Fig 1): Rogers’ person-centred theory emphasised the concept of ‘self-actualization’ which implies that there is an internal, biological force to develop one’s capacities and talents to the fullest. The human organism’s central motivation is to learn and to grow. Growth occurs when individuals confront problems, strive to master them and, through experience, endeavour to develop new aspects of their skills, capacities, and views about life, and move forward towards the goal of self-actualization. By way of example, Rogers (1980) often illustrated the concept with reference to organisms in the natural world. He wrote about a potato in the root cellar of his boyhood home: â€Å"The actualizing tendency can, of course, be thwarted or warped, but it cannot be destroyed without destroying the organism. I remember that in my boyhood home, the bin in which we stored our winter’s supply of potatoes was in the basement, several feet below a small window. The conditions were unfavourable, but the potatoes would begin to sprout pale white sprouts, so unlike the healthy green shoots they sent up when planted in the soil in the spring. But these sad, spindly sprouts would grow two or three feet in length as they reached toward the distant light of the window. The sprouts were, in their bizarre, futile growth, a sort of desperate expression of the directional tendency I have been describing. They would never become plants, never mature, never fulfill their real potential. But under the most adverse circumstances, they were striving to become. Life would not give up, even if it could not flourish.† So it can be seen that Rogers was saying that this effective and strong constructive tendency is the underlying basis of the client-centred approach. Rogers’ groundbreaking understanding was that for a person to be truly helped, the important healing factor is the relationship itself. His view of human behaviour is that it is â€Å"exquisitely rational† Rogers (1961). Furthermore, in his opinion: â€Å"The core of man’s nature is essentially positive† Rogers (1961), and he is a â€Å"trustworthy organism† Rogers (1977). Rogers focused on ways in which the therapist could promote certain core conditions between him/herself and the client. Central to his theory was that the actualizing tendency was a natural process, yet in order for each human organism to do so it required the nurturing of a caregiver. Rogers understood that inherently people need people, and that we are fundamentally dependent on others for our being. Many critics of the theory have misunderstood Roger’s concepts and commented that this is outmoded today, and, according to Bohart (2007) the critics were saying that it â€Å"glorifies the individual at the expense of others†. Wilkins (2003) argued that Rogers’ concept of self-actualization is culturally biased, reflecting a Western cultural emphasis on the separate, autonomous individualistic self. However, Bohart states that Rogers’ concept of self as culture-specific is compatible with cultures which view the self in relational rather than individualistic terms, even cultures that have no concept of self. Self-actualization means enhancing or actualizing the self as the self is defined for that person and culture. Rogers did believe that the tendency of actualization of a person in therapy was to always go in a positive pro-social direction, but critics state that it may lead to self-centred, narcissistic behaviour (Bozarth and Brodley, 1991). Rogers recognised that environmental and social factors could inhibit or distort the process of actualization so that a negative rather than positive outcome may occur, but also that the fully functioning person is ‘soundly and realistically social’ (Rogers 1961). Rogers postulated that therapeutic movement will only occur if, and only if, the six conditions for therapeutic change were in place between the therapist and the client. 1. The first condition of client-centred therapy is that therapist and client should be in psychological contact. The first condition specifies that a minimum relationship must exist. Rogers (1957) stated: â€Å"I am hypothesizing that significant positive personality change does not occur except in a relationship†. (Sanders 2006) â€Å"The relationship is not seen as a third object in the room with the counsellor and the client, but is the client and the counsellor. They bring themselves into the room, and in doing so a unique and ever-changing relationship is the result.† Research into contact between animals and people who live in social groups has shown that in order to grow and become confident then it must be in a psychologically interactive way. Those who were deprived of such conditions, like the children in the orphanages of Romania and the monkeys in Harlow’s experiments, grew up with permanent behavioural and emotional problems. (Harlow 1959, Carlson 1999, Bowlby, 1953, Warner 2002). Rogers thought that psychological contact was an all-or-nothing, one-off event, but others like Rose Cameron (2003) and Whelton and Greenberg (2002) see psychological contact as a variable and dynamic quality in relationships, and Margaret Warner (2002:79) says that the â€Å"contact can be viewed as a continuum†. In my opinion, despite the differing views of the various ‘Tribes’, the one over-riding view is that psychological contact is essential if the therapeutic process is going to work. It can simply be the mere recognition of the other person in the room, or a deeply-shared experience between the therapist and the client. 2. Client incongruence, a state of being vulnerable and anxious, is presented as the second of the six conditions which Rogers defined as a ‘discrepancy between the actual experience of the organism and the self-picture of the individual’s experience insofar as it represents that experience’ (Rogers 1957), and which he saw as being necessary for therapy to be successful. Pearson (1974) thought that this condition had created some confusion, since the relationship between incongruence and felt anxiety or vulnerability is complex. All people are incongruent to some degree all of the time (since human beings can never fully symbolize their experience), and some sorts of incongruence may actually lower anxiety. Rogers’ concept of incongruence was simply saying that clients sense that they have underlying issues that have distorted their sense of equilibrium and therefore are motivated to seek counselling. I believe that this second condition affects how clients will respond to counselling because the change that needs to happen has to come from within the client and cannot happen against their will. For example, if someone is referred by a doctor, or school, or made to attend counselling with a spouse or parent, then the client will be in a state of incongruence and the first condition will not take place, without which there is no therapeutic relationship. 3. The third core condition is that the second person, the therapist, is congruent in the relationship. By congruent Rogers understood it to be real, genuine and transparent. As early as 1946 he wrote about the fact that the therapist should have a â€Å"genuine interest in the client†. Rogers makes it very clear in a video on the internet where he is talking about what it means to be congruent when he says: â€Å"Can I be real in the relationship; this has come to have an increasing amount of importance to me over the years. I feel that genuineness is another way of describing the quality I would like to have. I like the term congruence, by which I mean that what I am experiencing inside is present in my awareness and comes out though my communication. In a sense when I have this quality I am all in one piece in the relationship. There is another word that describes it for me; I feel that in the relationship I would like to have transparency. I would be quite willing for my client to see all the way through me and that there would be nothing hidden, and when I’m real in this fashion that I’m trying to describe, I know that my own feelings will often bubble up into awareness and will be expressed, but be expressed in ways that won’t impose themselves on my client.† (You Tube 2010). Despite Rogers’ insistence that being congruent with clients is of paramount importance, a number of studies over the years have shown that no significant relationship exists between levels of congruence and outcomes in the therapeutic relationship (Klein et al 2002, Orlinsky et al 2004, Burckell and Goldried 2006, Feifel and Eells, 1963). In contrast Cooper (2008) has suggested that this may be because it is a ‘high frequency’ event in therapy and therefore the correlation between genuineness and outcome are not truly recognised†. Without an empathetic response from the therapist I believe that the client would not feel valued or understood and the therapeutic relationship would break down. 4. In the development of self-concept Rogers also stated that the fourth condition – unconditional positive regard – the complete acceptance and support for a person no matter what they say or do – is necessary for self-actualization. By showing unconditional positive regard, or prizing, clients are said to feel valued and so accepted and take responsibility for themselves (Rogers 1957:98). Conversely, I believe self-actualization is thwarted by conditional positive regard when acceptance is dependent on the positive or negative evaluation of a person’s actions. Those raised in an environment of conditional positive regard, Rogers felt, only feel worthy if they match conditions laid down by others – conditions of worth – which, in turn, can lead to shaping themselves determined not by their organismic valuing or actualizing tendency, but by a society that may or may not truly have their best interests at heart. 5. The fifth core concept states that the counsellor should experience an empathic understanding of the client’s internal frame of reference. Each of us perceives and responds to our environments as a unified and organised whole, and each forms their unique frame of reference. Our understanding of the world is shaped through our experiences, and each time these are interpreted on the basis of our personal value system. In order for a therapist to understand a client’s behaviour it should be from the internal frame of reference of the client. Empathy is not just listening but trying to feel the experiences and feelings that the other person has at that moment in time. It involves stepping into their shoes and laying aside one’s own perceptions, values, perspectives and meanings as far as possible. If the therapist attempts to understand the client on the basis of his/her own personal experiences, this would be an external frame of reference. When the therapist remains within the client’s frame of reference, which is his/her own understanding of the world, it enhances empathy and promotes unconditional positive regard. Holding an external frame of reference might convey to the client that the therapist has their own agenda or is criticising the client. The question is, would the therapeutic process take place if the counsellor did not enter the client’s world so personally? From the large number of studies that have been carried out in an attempt to measure client’s reaction to the therapist’s empathy, the evidence shows it to be a ‘demonstrably effective element of the therapeutic relationship’ (Steering Committee, 2002). 6. The sixth and final condition – client perception – is as important as all the others, and is complementary to the idea that the first condition – psychological contact – is continued. Rogers (1959:213) wrote: ‘that the client perceives, at least to a minimal degree, conditions 4 and 5 – the unconditional positive regard of the therapist for the client – and the empathetic understanding of the therapist’. To some degree client perception has been ignored over the years. Tudor in 2000 referred to it as â€Å"the lost condition†. Sanders (2004) states that â€Å"Carl Rogers made it clear that the client was the centre of the therapeutic process, and furthermore it was the client who had the final say as to whether the ‘therapist-provided conditions’ were actually provided (as opposed to being assumed by the therapist)†. Dagmar Pescitelli (1996) argues that the theory of client-centred therapy may not be effective for severe psychopathologies such as schizophrenia (deemed to have a strong biological component) or other disorders such as phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or even severe depression (currently effectively treated with drugs and cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT). Pescitelli (1996) cites one meta-analysis of psychotherapy effectiveness that looked at 400 studies, and person-centred therapy was found least effective. In fact, it was no more effective than the placebo condition (Glass 1983; cited in Krebs & Blackman, 1988). In contrast, meta-analyses of client-centred therapy as a whole support the theory that it is an efficacious and effective form of therapy, no matter what ‘Tribe’. It is similar to other orientations such as CBT and psychodynamic therapy, with evidence indicating that all schools may be efficacious for clients with depressive, traumatic, schizophrenic and health related problems, but there is less evidence on the impact of anxiety disorders (Elliott, Greenberg et al., 2004).

Resembling peace Essay

In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad the author condemns the colonization of the Europeans on the African islands of Congo, eminently focusing on the barbarous and inhumane treatment of the natives. In this passage though, the central character Marlow narrates to the other men on his ship about his perspective of the experience he had when he went up the river Congo passing through the wild jungle in order to reach the inner station. The tone throughout the passage suggests a negative connotation of the wilderness of Congo because of the choice of words Marlow uses to describe the jungle. Phrases such as â€Å"unrestful† and the â€Å"noisy world of plants† portraits the jungle as being quite sinister instead of peaceful and quiet as the readers would expect it to be. This passage is a composition of similes, allegory, symbolism, dark and light contrast and hyperbole which Marlow uses abundantly to describe his journey. Marlow compares going up the river as being â€Å"like traveling back to the earliest beginning of the world. â€Å"(1) He uses a simile to describe the jungle as being how the world was earlier before the technology and civilization was born, when the world was pure as it was when it was created by nature. But then he continues the remark by saying â€Å"when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. † Marlow paints this picture as the wilderness having the ability to fight against each other and when there was power between the trees. He uses the word â€Å"king† to describe the variation of power between the trees much like how the Europeans were being superior by trying to civilize the natives through brutal means. Marlow adds to the description of the jungle as having â€Å"a great silence. â€Å"(2) The phrase â€Å"silence† is inserted in his description to give a contrast of what’s happening inside the jungle. Inside the jungle, in the inner station, it has been said that Kurtz uses unconventional â€Å"methods† to obtain the ivory he makes. This suggests that Kurtz is probably using violence or manipulations which are contrasts of â€Å"silence. † More ever, as Marlow’s journey proceeds further and further into the jungle and closer to the inner station, Marlow’s streamer gets attacked by the natives. Moments before they are being attacked, Marlow describes to have heard â€Å"voices† crying wildly coming from the jungle. The diction â€Å"silence† not only is a contrast of what is happening inside the jungle, it is also a contrast of a future scene where they are being attacked. Marlow further describes the river as being facile to get lost in â€Å"as you would in a desert. † This phrase shows that Marlow is confused as to his purpose in this voyage, why he wanted to come on this journey and what he was expecting to find. This phrase also indicates that Marlow perceives the river to be mysterious and that is one of the qualities of the river that urge him to continue his journey because of his curiousness. Later in the passage, Marlow indicates that the river as â€Å"this stillness of life which did not in the least resemble peace. â€Å"(9) This description of the river as not â€Å"resembling peace† connects directly to the journey that Marlow has been traveling in. Ever since Marlow decided to come on this voyage, he has been uncertain as to whom he really is and what he wants to do or what need to be done. Marlow has strong opinions about the Europeans as being â€Å"fools,† â€Å"devils,† and â€Å"folly,† for not knowing what they are doing. Not for being racists or discrimination of the natives as they are being tied up and worked to death. Marlow considers him self as being â€Å"not especially tender† towards the Africans which contradicts to what he has been saying all along through out the novel as African’s as not being our â€Å"enemies. † This passage describes the wildness and the sinister appeal of the river and the wilderness which is a comparison to the mind of Marlow. Inside his head, Marlow is confused, â€Å"unrestful,† and â€Å"not in the least resembling peace. † This journey takes Marlow to the places he has never been before in order to find himself inside.

Support or Oppose Hobby Lobby decision Case Study

Support or Oppose Hobby Lobby decision - Case Study Example 3 par. A; Arndt, 2014). Hence the amicus to the court rightly observed that for profit corporations have obligations, power and privileges different from the natural individuals who created it2 3(Amicus, pg. par. A). Brougher thus observed that it is only individuals who could be deemed to have any basis for protection of religious rights4 (2014, pg. pg. 7). Besides, given than corporations are separate from individuals making them, they cannot be regarded as having conscience and feelings necessary for one to form a religious basis such as a belief in a deity5 (Ginsburg, pg. 14, par. 1). An artificial person cannot therefore claim rights attributable to natural persons (Ginsburg, pg. 14, par. 1)6. However, Justice Alito, who ruled in favour of Hobby Lobby, did not see this separation7. He argues that shareholders, employees and other officers of a corporation should not lose their religious rights or other such personal rights on account of their membership to a corporation because in any case, a corporation is no more less than an organization by which these individuals use to achieve their desired goals (Alito, pg. 18 par III, Tushnet, 2013, pg.74)89. Thus, the protection enjoyed by the corporation by virtue of its status extends to benefit members of the corporation as well10. However, in my opinion, this thinking does not take into consideration the intention of the law. For instance, the limited liability clause protects shareholders, employees and officers of a corporation up to a certain extent (Alito, 2014 pg. 17 part III; Ginsburg 2014 pg. 4 part I), meaning that they have to operate within a given confine of the law. The majority judge decisions thus tended to overlook this fat of law. The decision of the judge means that a corporation can now be treated as a partnership or sole proprietorship. The separateness between the corporation and the natural persons making it is what is referred to as the veil of

Analyze a film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analyze a film - Essay Example The education has led to the exclusion of the brothers from the rest of society. Moreover, the community is also shown to be united and caring. The unity is seen in contribution for support of Delbert trial(Berlinger and Sinofsky 1). The community also is seen as caring as one of the neighbors agrees to drive Delbert home to know the sate of his brother (Berlinger and Sinofsky 1). The film creates various perceptions on people. As a result, people are described based on that perception. An example of identity scripts is the depiction of brothers as poor. The brothers are shown living in poor housing conditions (Berlinger and Sinofsky 1). The reflected appraisal is seen as people view the brothers as being dirty and hence unable to have girlfriends. On the other hand, the lack of girlfriends make society views the brothers as practicing incest. Social comparison is seen through lives of the community. The brothers are depicted as less fortunate and hence attract ridicule of the community. On the other hand, the other part of community is depicted as being fortunate in life. The definitions affect identities of individuals involved as perception about them is based on their conditions (Berlinger and Sinofsky 1). In the film, there is a view that lack of relationship in all the brothers is an indication they are gay. As a result, the semen found on William is believed to be because of sexual interaction with the brother (Berlinger and Sinofsky 1). The brothers are affected by this generalization as they go through the rigorous process of trial. On the other hand, the community is affected by trial, as it is perceived to have neglected the brothers. There are variations of the perspectives in the documentary. One of the Views is the local community view that the brothers are wrongly accused (Berlinger and Sinofsky 1). On the other hand, the outsiders see the death as resulting from intimacy. The locals base their

Counter Trade Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Counter Trade - Assignment Example Switch trading as a countertrade assists global financial operations in instances where a company in a given state is short of obligations thereby hindering from making a purchase. Therefore, the company in need of the obligations would do a switch by buying the obligations from another company for it to be able to make a purchase as was observed by Contractor and Lorange (2002). Countertrade is also applied as a global financial operation in the form of a counter purchase. Contractor and Lorange (2002) argue that a counter purchase assists in transferring goods and services from an organization in one country to another in a different country, that promises to make a future purchase of goods from the same company. This form of countertrade enables the company that does not have the products needed to get them from another company that has the same products. This helps the first company to assure its continuity and, therefore, to avoid closure. Countertrade is one way in which techno logy can be exchanged between countries in the form of buybacks according to Contractor and Lorange (2002). A buyback also enables a company to acquire plants, equipments, and receive training easily through countertrade, thereby fostering growth in financial operations. Countertrade is one of the best ways of managing risks. This is because a company that is in need of products and services but is short of hard currency may still manage to acquire products and services through countertrade. This eliminates the dangers that may face the company such as closure. Countertrade is also another way of managing currency risks such as those due to non-convertibility of and fluctuation in currency value. Since countertrade does not involve currency, the business is never affected by the fluctuation in currency or non-convertibility (Trent, 2007). In conclusion, countertrade is one of the

German Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

German Question - Essay Example Though most Germans were not for the idea of democracy as they did not view it as the best option for a government, they were also not proud of their country in general. The first state in German was called The First Reich which declined in the 1300’s into a loose confederation of principalities. Between the year 1618 and 1648, the Protestant and Catholic fought due to the division of local rulers which led to the decline of the political culture but unity was restored when a monarchy came to power. The Kingdom of Prussia and the Prussian aristocracy also known as the Junkers served to unify the political leadership and was known for its organization and military discipline. In 1871, the Second Reich was created under the rule of Wilhelm I, the Prussian King, who then became the emperor and he devised new ways to ensure political stability and economic growth. These included sponsoring the rise of German corporation and industrial class and supporting monopoly arrangements to ensure the increase in investments and profit while on the other side imposing high tariffs on imported grains. It also became a military and economic power globally by the end of the 19th century and Bismarck pushed its social stability further by creating a welfare state and this resulted to growth in Germans’ pride in their country grew to an extent of being called arrogance.1A difference in religious and regional views emerged and the Christian Democrats and Liberal parties started a push for representative democracy and laissez-faire. Even though there was cooptation by the welfare state, the working class was a bitter lot since no unions were allowed and it was excluded from power.2 The newfound sense of superiority saw the country go into an arms race with other countries like Britain, France, and the US thus leading to a seemingly more powerful Germany which led to tension between Europe and the U.S thereby sparking the world war one. Germany’s aspiration to be the normal country is not a smooth process, as in many ways it will hardly be one due to its past. This is because it is not easy for people to forget Holocaust when the Germans did the unforgettable and cruel act to the Jews.3 A sensitive relationship between Europe and U.S and specifically between Germany and the U.S grew after the WW1 and its one of the factors that affect how the two agree on matters such as the war against terrorism. The tactic that the U.S decided to employ to fight against terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan was not accepted by Germany who advocated for more peaceful means than an all waged out war. Although Europe as a whole supports the fight against terrorism and they are in the somewhat good relationship with the U.S, Europeans seemingly with the U.S policies for their own safety. From an outsider’s perspective, it may seem as though they are allies but their ties seemed weak at Munich 2004 when former secretary of defense William Cohen questioned w hy Germany did not refuse to send their troops to Iraq to help in the struggle if they thought that it is important for Iraq to be peaceful so as to ensure the security of the America and Europe. Germany instead took their troops to Bosnia and Kosovo and Afghanistan, where they serve in the NATO-commanded international force and stated that they are making their contribution to the European security elsewhere.

Business Law Patent Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Law Patent Rights - Essay Example An instrument can be protected as utility patent or even a design patent if it has any unique ornamental feature. Primarily patentability of the invention needs to be determined, which cane be dome by conducting a through patent and non patent literature (prior art) search. Once the patentability established a patent application should be drafted and filed at the respective patent office. The inventor can file a National Application in the parent country or an International Patent Application with WIPO. The international patent application is called a PCT application proves to be cheaper if the invention is desired to be protected in a number of countries. Patent application goes through examination at patent office and eventually the patent gets granted. In the present case if the safety tests conducted on the instrument enhance any feature of the instrument it should be protected. The enhanced feature of the instrument can be protected by filing a continuation in part patent application for the same. Once the patent is granted the assignee can commercialize his invention or in other case assign rights. The rights can be granted completely, by assigning the patent to a single individual/ organization, or territory specific licenses can be given out for commercialization of invention to various interested parties. Patent Infringement is said to have occurred when a patented invention is used, sold, manufactured or offered for

Constructivist theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Constructivist theories - Essay Example His main focus has been on the cognitive organization of the knowledge which includes the effect of physical or mental perceptions on individual’s actions. Piagetian theory discusses both the behavioral and cognitive factors that are involved in the child’s development. It states that â€Å"reality is constructed by each individual† (Mohrhoff, 2008, p.17). Ernst von Glasersfeld gave an extension to the constructivism of Jean Piaget and developed the radical constructivism (RC). It focuses on that perception comes through a cognitive self-referential process and is stored in some particular sensory areas in the brain. These perceptions link the experiences with the outside world. The thinking process activates by the experiences that a person goes through, resulting in the formation of knowledge. Thus, events are perceived according to the individual’s interpretation of those events. Hence, RC basically emphasizes upon the fact that â€Å"knowledge is cons tructed from experiences† (Yolles, 2006, p.82-83) rather than by way of senses. Hence, we see that both the theories emphasize upon the fact that â€Å"knowledge is not bestowed upon a passive observer but is constructed by the individual† (Stricker, 1982). This cognitive aspect or the knowledge derived from it is adaptive and makes the individual organize his experiential world (Mohrhoff, 2008, p.18).

Why is the employment relations system in the USA characterised by low Essay

Why is the employment relations system in the USA characterised by low levels of collective bargaining - Essay Example Every country have specific norms and labour policies based on which the framework of the employee relation system is designed. In USA there are three basic laws with regard to the employee relationship. They are: a) National Labour Relation Act, which is also known as the Wagner Act, b) Labour Management Relation Act, also called the Taft-Hartley Act, and c) Disclosure Act, which is called the Landrum Griffin Act. The Federal authorities throughout USA make sure that these three laws are implemented in organizations. The agency responsible for its enforcement is the National Labour Relation Board (NLRB). It is into labour management and relation assessment. The Department of Labour (DOL) is responsible for the enforcement of the other important aspects in labour relationship management laws. The major requirement for doing such activity is to ensure the democracy of the internal union and the financial accountability. Both of these regulatory bodies are responsible for ascertaining that the laws are strictly followed and organizations are working under the assistance of these stated frameworks. The private sector workforce or employees have laws set for them under the federal labour laws of the two regulatory bodies such as DOL and NLRB. It has been stated in the Commerce Clause that these regulatory bodies even have regulatory authority to control the labour or employee relations in the privately owned companies (Cahuc and Zylberberg, 2004, pp. 371–373). Traditionally, the unions were formed by skilled craftsmen to safeguard their interest in the organization. With the advent of scientific management in the organizations and industries, the rationale for collectively acting to bargain for the disbursement and working conditions among the workers increased. However, the capitalists in those times were extremely powerful and they opposed the union movement. The anti-union employment laws were even floated by them so as to dishevel the union movement of t he craftsmen. However, during the Great Depression of 1930s, the factory workers united and started forming unions. It was during this time when these unions were successful in performing many activities such as the Wagner Act of 1935, which gave the employees or workers the right to plan and organize strikes. In 1940–1950, the unions began to grow though the federal legislation controlled and monitored them from time to time. In 1960 and 1970, the unionization in the public sector increased considerably (Harcourt and Wood, 2006, pp. 141–145). The regulatory bodies in US affect the industrial and employee relation system in many ways such as: They provide the terms and conditions of the employment in details and directly. They regulate the way in which the organized labour or employees and the management are related to one another. The regulatory bodies had ascertained the minimum wage rate and the maximum working hours for the workers. The overtime rates were also asc ertained by the federal and state bodies. The concept of â€Å"employment at will† operates in US. This means that the employer would have to show no specific reason for dismissing any employee. In this scenario, the National Labour Relation Act was introduced, which provided a specific structure of policies for employee rights in relation to the collective actions. A few of the regulations also required union certification through secret ballot (OECD, 1997, pp. 86–87). In 2007, the union density in US was about 36 percent. Among this about 7.5 percent was in the private sector and the rest in the public sector. It is said that the US unions have a unique approach because they provide benefits mainly to the existing

Feminism and Kate Chopin's The Storm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Feminism and Kate Chopin's The Storm - Essay Example Louis, Missouri, all of whom were women of determination and intellect. This probably pointed her towards the path of feminism. Chopin lived and wrote her impressive repertoire of short stories in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the still patriarchal society revolved around the firmly rooted tenet that the ultimate goal of a fulfilled woman’s life was to be the ideal wife and mother and to adhere to the glorified virtues of submission and sacrifice. The feminist movement was very much in its’ nascent stages and centered round the demand for equal rights for women in the legal, political and educational spheres. Even before these issues could be resolved, Chopin’s stories delved into the complex threads of a woman’s life, including love, marriage, sex, women’s alcoholism, motherhood and autonomy. She was â€Å"a pioneer in her own time, in her portrayal of women’s desires for independence and control of their own sexualityâ₠¬  (Emily Toth, cited in Kate Chopin, n.d.). The concept of freedom for women, let alone their freedom to explore their own sexuality, was far beyond the comprehension of that age. Chopin wrote ‘The Storm,’ in 1898 but, perhaps anticipating a ‘storm’ of protest and condemnation, the story was published only after her death. In this portrayal of a woman’s extramarital affair, beautifully orchestrated to match the cadences of the storm raging outside, Chopin boldly asserts a woman’s freedom to explore and delight in her own sexuality, to participate in the sexual act as an equal partner and to fearlessly adhere to the same standards of sexual morality as a man. ‘The Storm’ begins its’ depiction of its’ protagonist, Calixta, as a woman who conforms to the mother and wife stereotype of that period. Her life, confined within the four walls of her house, is apparently quite satisfactorily filled with domestic chores like sewing and the laundry. She

Huckleberry Finn Essay Example for Free

Huckleberry Finn Essay In the protagonist Huckleberry Finn as he is depicted by Mark Twain, Emerson’s idea of the American scholar is epitomized. The following essay will present the points of Mark Twain as an American scholar through the character Huckleberry Finn; it is through Huckleberry Finn that Emerson’s ideas of nature, books and action become realized and this essay will bring to the forefront of its argument these facts among many other ideas of Emerson’s American scholar are epitomized in Twain’s character Huck. Huckleberry Finn is a character whose main purpose seems almost like a young tale of the Iliad in which fate seems to simply happen to Huck Finn. The events leading up to his stay with the widow Douglas he accounts are no fault of his own, as the metaphor of the story is found with the great Mississippi River so does Huck Finn’s life simply flow along until he makes a conscious choice. This choice comes into being when Huck decides that ‘sivilised’ life is not for him. In the rejection of civilized life Twain is brining in elements of Emerson’s ideals: Huck Finn is a very simplistic character and his thwarting of Widow Douglas best attempts of making him presentable to society become the correlation of Emerson’s American scholar. The American scholar according to Emerson is best found in nature since it is with nature that man learns how the world works; in the trees, and in the roots. This classification allows a man to simplify his life; life is easier with just nature and without civilization. Thus, it may be surmised that Huck’s doffing off of nature is Twain’s own sentiment on the subject of culture and the evilness of society. In Huckleberry Finn’s disappearance from civilized life, after his father kidnaps him and Huck fakes his own death, the voice of Emerson is best found with Jim the slave. Jim gives advice to Huckleberry Finn about the disappointments found in the world and how a man may be able to handle himself by making conscious choices. In the litany of Emerson, this concept is also found by way of Emerson stating that a scholar must gather for himself the appropriate information from different books in order to find an organized opinion about a subject and to take a side of each books’ opinion in order to find himself. Jim states similarly to Finn that he should experience what life has to offer and decide for himself the difference between right and wrong, morality and immoral nature. Thus, the point of going down the Mississippi is to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible in order to later filter opinion from fact, one’s own thoughts from society’s mores. It is in the creation of man’s own thoughts, of Finn deciding throughout the journey that no man should be a slave that Huckleberry Finn becomes a man, becomes an American scholar since he is finally thinking for himself. He rejects Widow Douglas, his father, society in whole and travels with Jim collecting his own thoughts and deciding what is wrong and what is right in the nature of man. In a subtler note, Emerson states that the American scholar must take action and in this capacity Mark Twain does not falter with his protagonist Huckleberry Finn. Huck’s action consists in the part of the story where the Dauphin capture Jim and subsequently sells him in order to receive the reward. Huck is completely outraged by this betrayal and in the course of the story this signifies the first time that he acts upon his own judgment and he rejects the advice of his conscience which tells him that by helping Jim escape to freedom he is in a way stealing Miss Watson’s property. Huck tells himself, All right, then, Ill go to hell! (Twain), Huck resolves to free Jim. Emerson’s concept of the American scholar persists with this idea of action; Emerson states that the scholar must fill every moment of every day with action. The scholar should accordingly work different jobs in order to become fluent in a myriad of vocations. The scholar must also be a poylglot in order to express himself with different thoughts. In the language of the text Huck Finn speaks a very succinct colloquial language as well as proper grammar at times. Thus, he is fulfilling Emerson’s concepts. Finn’s epiphany while traveling and having conversations with Jim is such that he discovers man is his own master; in discovering that Jim has to hide in order to be free and comparing that with Finn’s own hiding in order not be kidnapped he relates himself to Jim. The discovery upon the river is as Emerson highlights, â€Å"And, finally, is not the true scholar the only true master? But the old oracle said, `All things have two handles: beware of the wrong one. In life, too often, the scholar errs with mankind and forfeits his privilege. Let us see him in his school, and consider him in reference to the main influences he receives† (Emerson). Thus, Finn epitomizes Emerson’s view of the American scholar through not only his thoughts but also his behaviors and his actions.

Exile As Motif In Lenrie Peters English Literature Essay

Exile As Motif In Lenrie Peters English Literature Essay Christopher Babatunde Ogunyemi is a PhD research fellow at the Department of English, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. He was educated at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria. He holds a Master degree in Comparative Literature from Dalarna University and he lectures English and Literature at Joseph Ayo Babalola University Ikeji Arakeji, Osun State in Nigeria. He is the author of Male Autobiographical Narratives and Gender Imperatives, Topical Issues in Literature and Globalization and Narratology and Contemporary Fiction which were all published by VDM-Publisher and Lap-Lambert Academic Publishing in Germany. He has leading papers in international journals of high repute. Dr. Niyi Akingbe teaches Comparative Literature, African Literature and Protest studies at the Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji-Arakeji, Osun State, Nigeria. He has written two critical works: Social Protest and the Literary Imagination in Nigerian Novels and Myth, Orality and Tradition in Ben Okris Literary Landscape. His articles have appeared in leading journals on African Literature. Abosede Adebola Otemuyiwa is a lecturer in the Department of English, Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Ikeji- Arakeji, Osun State, Nigeria. She has published some articles in some scholarly journals. Living Anonymity: Exile as Motif in Lenrie Peters He Walks Alone Christopher Babatunde Ogunyemi Department of English Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Nigeria. [emailprotected] and Niyi Akingbe Department of English Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Nigeria [emailprotected] Abosede Adebola Otemuyiwa Department of English Joseph Ayo Babalola University, Nigeria [emailprotected] Introduction Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place, between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. And while it is true that literature and history contain heroic romantic, glorious, even triumphant episodes in an exiles life, these are no more than efforts meant to overcome the achievements of exile permanently undermined by the loss of something left behind for ever. (Edward Said, 2001:137) Edward Saids submission above best explains the fundamentals about writings on Exile which portends either self-identity or collective identity of a group of people who live in a continuum. This kind of writing either informs, educates or entertains but the major motif here is to criticize and to sarcastically inform the people within the literary ethos about the exigency of exile, its psychological effects, sociological effects and even its political effects on African people. Exile writing visualizes issues that bother on alienation and the quest for freedom. Writers throughout the ages have been using their literary works of arts to show various reactions that bother with exile. Some x-ray physical exile others psychological exile which grossly affects the psyche of the writer or the character in question. Migration and forced migration are panacea to alienation and exile. Writings emanating from such feelings are nostalgic and thought provoking. Many writers have used their works to buttress the feelings of exile in time and space. The experience of exile literature in Lithuania is predicated on the apocalyptic second coming of the soviet armies in Lithuania. This threw away many intellectual and professional away into exile. Poets arose to react critically to these plights. Examples of such poets are Kazys Bradunas (b.1917), Jonas Mekas (b.1922), Algirdas Landsbergs (b.1924) among others from all parts of the world. Our concern in this paper is to examine exile as motif in Lenrie Peters poetry that is entitled He Walks Alone The poem explains various reasons Africans go on exile and their impressions when they feel nostalgic. Feelings for their roots, their families and their cultures give rise to some sensitive impressions in their works of arts. However, the work uses textual analy sis to explain how Lenrie Peters uses irony and metaphor to portray the image of exile politically, psychologically, economically and physically as recurring motifs in his poetry. His wealth of imagery is situated within the axis of literary application in order to explain what informs migration literature in Africa. This paper is visualized in six movements: the first being the introduction throws a searchlight into the concept of migration and its attendant example in Lithuania and Africa. The second probes into what constitutes the textual analysis approach; the third views exile as motif in African poetry; the fourth delves into Lenrie Peters preoccupation of exile; the fifth movement conceptualises the application of the textual analysis to the poem in question and the sixth, being the last movement concludes the work. The paper conceptualises the textual analysis approach to demonstrate the intrinsic value of migration and exile in the body of the text. Daniel Chandler has don e some excellent application of the textual approach to the mass media. This approach allows concrete insight into the understanding of poetry as it moves in time and space. The Textual Analysis Approach There are two main forms of the textual analysis of popular culture artefacts: interpretive and content analysis. This paper shall employ these two variations in its corpus. Interpretive Textual Analyses This include: semiotics, rhetorical analysis, ideological analysis, and psychoanalytic approaches, among many others. These types of analysis seek to get beneath the surface (denotative) meanings and examine more implicit (connotative) social meanings. These textual analysis approaches often view culture as a narrative or story-telling process in which particular texts or cultural artefacts (i.e., a pop song or a TV program) consciously or unconsciously link themselves to larger stories at play in the society. A key here is how texts create subject positions (identities) for those who use them. Content analysis is a more quantitative approach that broadly surveys things like how many instances of violence occur on a typical evening of prime time TV viewing, or how many Asian American women appear in a days worth of TV commercials. This information, especially when linked to more qualitative kinds of analysis, can be very valuable in moving beyond the analysts always somewhat subjective observations (http://culturalpolitics.net/popular_culture/textual_analysis). According to Jan Ifversen in Text, Discourse, Concept: Approaches to Textual Analysis, he explains the textual theory using the Foucauldian discourse analysis and Begriffsgechichte which can be fruitfully combined to develop a textual analysis in any literary work, he takes into cognizance and demonstrates that account both pragmatic and semantic dimensions of language is the task of source criticism to establish this claim. However: Textual analysis, on the other hand is concerned with the linguistic forms of past representations. It must get to grips with the representational chain that links memory to testimony and testimony to writing. Some approaches are applied to textual analysis of historical documents. they touch aspects within textual analysis that particularly concern historical material and literary horizon (KONTUR nr. 7 2003: 60) Meaning-oriented content analysis and interpretive and critical text analysis approaches share a subjective ontological status of human action and behaviour and a methodological commitment to capturing the actual meaning and interpretations of organisational actors involved in corporate narrative reporting. Corporate narrative documents are regarded as a medium for meaning construction for organisational actors. However, text analysis approaches from the interpretive and the critical perspectives acknowledge the researchers subjectivity. Literary works provide overview of the research perspectives and corresponding text analysis approaches which are further in literature. It shows the choice of text analysis approach to be determined by the research paradigm in which the researcher locates him/herself, which, in turn, consists of a specific combination of the researchers epistemological stance and the belief regarding the ontological status of human action and behaviour. (Merkl-Davie s, 2009: 5). We shall apply the textual approach to the poetry of Lenrie Peters in order to understand its evaluative interpretation in migration literature. Exile as Motif in African Poetry Poetry usually employs the use of epigrammatic statements, lyrics, concrete images which graphically delineate incontrovertible truths in life and social justice (Maduka and Eyoh, 2000:14). Based on this, poets such as Williams Wordsworth, John Keats, Shakespeare, Yeats etc use their poetry to explicate various motifs from innocence to experience, nature and love, unbridled quest for social justice and so on. Exile is an example of such subject matter that poetry axiomatically lends its credence on because it deployed terse words and encoded metaphor in the illumination of thematic preoccupation. Poets could successfully communicate their feelings without been harmed or without been intimidated by the societal framework or instrument of power that lacks literary imagination. Similarly, poets easily call the attention of audience to the plight of exile in order to bring about new life and new experiences. It boils down to what is exile. According to Jacqueline Corness in a paper entitled Alienation and Freedom- A study of Dostoevskys Notes From Underground as it relates to the Theme of Exile, she defines exile from the perspective of Said when she opines that: Exile is not, after all, a matter of choice: you are born into it, or it happens to you. For this reason, exile is often thought to be the most psychological difficult state of removal from, for example, ones country. While some people are separated from their homeland because they have freely chosen to live elsewhere, exiles are considered to be at mercy of external forces (2). Exile is a serious human condition that makes many poets to show their concern and also demonstrate how they feel. Wole Soyinkas Telephone Conversation is a capsule presentation of psychological exile experienced in England when he was refused an accommodation simply because he is a black man. Arthur Nortje`s Autopsy is a poem that visualises the evil effects of exile on children who were naturally born into it, they feel isolated and perverted. Buhadur Tejani`s Leaving the Country is a poem in Africa that showcases the evils behind political exile and alienation. The spirit of nothingness, hollow expectations and practical dislocations are the feelings that emanate from people. African poets reflect exile situation as motif in their poetic canon. Lenrie Peters and Exile Preoccupations in Poetry Although, Lenrie Peters is not a victim of political exile, his exile motif in poetry is predicated on the psychological exile and alienation he experiences in Britain. The same feelings Soyinka experiences which makes him to write the Telephone Conversation Before 1965, Peters studies and lives in Cambridge, after the independence of Gambia his country, he came home to help restructure the political and economic situation. His poem He Walks Alone is a typical example of exile and alienation people suffer in foreign land. His biography shows that: Lenrie Peters was born in Bathurst (at the time a British colony), now Banjul, Gambia on September 1, 1932. Poet,narrator, publisher, medical surgeon and opera singer. Author of the poetry books: Katchikali; Satellites; and Collected Poems and the novel The Second Round, 1965. All his works were published by Heinemann, in London, in the collection African writers series. After making his first studies in Bathurst and in Sierra Leone, he travelled to Cambridge to study Natural Sciences at Trinity College. In England, he was the president of the Union of African Students. He also worked as a publisher for one of the earliest Gambian newspapers, The Gambia Echo. As well as Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and other writers, he belongs to the first generation of the Anglophone West African Writers in being recognized as such and being published abroad. He is an enthusiast defender of the panafricanism. A cosmopolitan poet, his densely packed, minimalist stanza structures fit in the broad univ ersal spectrum of human experience: aging and death, the risks of love, the loneliness of exile. In his book Satellites (1967), the poet-doctors detachment is a metaphor for the uprooted individuals painful existential isolation; his scalpel penetrating at the cutting chaotic edge of things an image for the imaginative piercing and spiritual penetration which are the real goals of the poets quest. Although he gets furious with the frustration of the African underdevelopment, he reflects about blind and sickening models of progress that do not show a continuity with the past and destroy more than what they preserve. In his only novel The Second Round, a physicist trained in Great Britain and victim of the so called massacre of the soul brought by westernization, returns to the capital of his homeland filled up with noble ideas about the progress of Africa, but ends accepting a job in a remote jungle hospital and therefore taking roots in the traditional experience (xvii International Poetry Festival of Modelling) He Walks Alone is a poem that shows degree of alienation African students suffer in Europe. As a result of this alienation in their system, they feel exiled and Peters asks them to go home. The poem is a rich experience from the poet who having studied abroad is critical of the hypocritical behaviours which is sometimes found in Europe. An African student is given quality education but refused employment by the system that educates him. The poem is sarcastic because it tries to ridicule the harsh weather and the harsh behaviours Africans face in diaspora. As a result of alienation, some Africans have lost their roots. They want to behave like the Europeans but it is not possible because their physiological traits were not tailored towards the European individualism. Africans are collective in nature, so when they demonstrate Eurocentric feelings, the Europeans could not accept them, the Africans quickly run back home in order to eat in unison, speak in one accord, love themselves and struggle together in African communalism. Textual Analysis of Exile in He Walks Alone The poem is written in seven stanzas of unequal five lines. The poet addresses exile as motif because man is an integral factor in society- Exile has caused many untold pain, isolation and rejection. The first stanza reports: He walks alone head bowed with memories Exiled in the park some playful thing of long ago glues him to a shop window The poet creates an image of an African man in Europe who is looking for an identity. He is not accepted into the system though he is a legal resident. He cannot vote and be voted for; he cannot seek employment in choice places. He walks alone thinking about home, thinking about his family. Most times he goes around with his head bowed to the colour and psychological differences that exist between him and his host community. At the park, he is always given some distance as if he is a mini-human. The situation on the train is the worst, nobody sits beside him. He feels exiled and alienated. The choice of words here shows that Lenrie Peter employs some coded meanings with words like head bowed in memories. The exile is confronted by a denial by the host communitys culture. But also there is a feeling of belonging to a different but alien culture that has no recognition, and which does not accord him any relevance in the colonial metropolis of London. Hence, his head is bowed with memor ies and longing for African warmth usually underscored by: communal gathering, scores of festivals, the warmth of comradeship and shared labour, joy of harvest and a recollection of the sparkling African blue weather of the dry season. An underlining feature of the exiles flirtation with memory is his concern for warmth and tenderness sufficiently present in Africa, a memory which unobtrusively can not be obliterated by a stretch of distance from Africa. In the second stanza, the issue of exile seems more manifest Faded suit sharp lined loosely held by his proud heart shoes scaled with polish cannot comprehend; too much to tell of harsh experiences The African tries to emulate the European but he cannot really fit into the system. The exiles consciousness is sharpened against the backdrop of the drudgery of everyday life in London, reverberated by faded suit, shoes scaled with polish which betrays an instalmental living on the fringes of English society. This is a description placed at the disposal of an exceptional sincerity and a compelling purpose of coping with the debilitating English weather. The choice of being cladded in faded suit and a pair of shoes scaled with polish is bewildering to the exile. But how is the exile in English society expected to cope with isolation, harsh weather and cultural shock? How is he to describe and set his experiences within an historical condition which can only be understood by himself? The exile realises that only memory can be employed as a weapon of liberation to break through the walls of isolation and racial discrimination ineluctably grounded in English social milieu. Memory consti tutes a bastion of recollection of negative experiences for the exile in the poem. The applications of concrete images such as proud heart shoes scaled with polish are contrasting. As an immigrant he is proud to have journeyed to other part of the world, but in the end cannot fit into the new environment. Irony is another instrument the poet uses to make his poem satiric in nature. Maduka sheds more light on this concept: The word irony means so many things to many people that its no longer very useful as a critical idiom. The protean character of its use has resulted in an array of terms associated with it. Thus, one frequently hears of such expressions as Verbal Irony. Irony of Situation, Sophoclean Irony, Irony of Life, Euripi dean Irony, Tragic Irony, Cosmic Irony, Dramatic Irony, Irony of Things, Irony of Circumstances, Irony of Character ( 139, The Intellectual and Power Structure) Peters complicates dominant racial renditions of African exiles life in Europe by challenging oversimplified historical facts. The poem problematizes a disturbing emotional turmoil to produce a poetic effect in which racial narratives are recognised as the stereotypical occurrences, but have been complicated to the point where it can no longer be definitive. Migration breeds alienation, wherein contentious ideological perspectives of the racism are organised into a fluid and recuperative narrative, which urges the reader to apprehend the ways in which ambiguous representations of the exile which yield a more nuanced and complex literary vision of the African racial condition than that rendered by historical documentations. In this poem, many of these ironies are applicable. The most important are: irony of situation, irony of life, dramatic irony, irony of circumstances and irony of character. This is because exile explores all these feelings in the life of the African whose character is very critical in the poem. Stanzas three and four explain more: No coward he respository of rejected talents an ounce of earth silted weightily in his heart. the breaking point is looking back In this stanza, Peters commences a poetic evaluation of the significance of western education to contemporary African students. Inspite of the difficulties generated by the racially stratified England, the persona does not disintegrate with the threats of racism. But has to maintain a stoical fidelity to his pursuit of western education, whose immense reward will translate to the transformation of his African society. And more so, he can not afford to pack his bags and return to Africa, because the breaking point is looking back. But has to cope with the social, psychological and economic stress of England as to acquire western education at all cost. This necessitates that he deplores courage as a tool of postmodernist sensibility, towards surmounting these travails. The treatment of a sensitive socio-political issue of racism in this poem underscores James Reevess observation that, what poetry does to the mass of ordinary experience is to make permanent and memorable whatever in it is vital and significant(88). Peters in this poem ostensibly criticises racial discrimination, and amplifies the plight of African students in their determination to confront this social malaise. Crossed the Rubicon Race, nationality, ideology, religion arrowed from earth to moon founder of a new brotherhood an hero he not of our nation born Here, the character in the poem is undergoing some rejections. He is grossly isolated, crossing the Rubicon is a metaphor for Atlantic Ocean. The poet is calling an attention that this character who flew across the Atlantic is now been exiled physically and psychologically. He battles racism, nationality stratification resulting into modern slavery, religious differences, ideological divergences, post-nationalism and globalization. Language to this poem is very crucial to the understanding of exile and its attendant evils. Peter concurs that African students must embrace alienation as it is transitory yet mandatory for the pursuit of western education. This reverberates Jacques Derridas explanation that reality, and historical representation of events that attempts to document reality must be inscribed in contradiction and ambivalence. Derrida insists: If we have been insisting so much since the beginning on the logic of the ghost, it is because it points toward a thinking of the event that necessarily exceeds a binary or dialectical logic, the logic that distinguishes or opposes effectivity or actuality (either present, empirical,living-or-not) and ideality (regulating or absolute non-presence). (italics original 78) Suffice to say that Derridas logic of the ghost explicates the ways in which He Walks Alone Articulates a similar contradiction that bifurcates binaries of racism to establish a more problematic historical representation of exile. The poet chooses both the connotative and denotative language to portray the colourful images and metaphors which he explores in the handling of exile as motif in the poem He Walks Alone Stanzas five, six and seven substantiate this assertion. Lenrie Peters mastery of the English language allows for an unbiased evaluation of communities imagined through language, which neither obscures specificity nor emphasize notions of fixed identity. Such evaluation succinctly foregrounds the questioning and critical evaluation of the disadvantaged position of the exile. Known no tenderness skin a mosaic of scars heart in fixed deposit safe from ridicule, decomposing Marionette-strings linked with stars Exile go home under your bed a bowl of tears leave back streets nightmares evenings kneeling in pews brassy noises of homely fires Dream and wait coarse cauctus of desert wastes perhaps tomorrow sunflowers fading in the heat will lie insensate at your feet In this poem, the choice of both connotative language and denotative language is to present the motif of exile in its natural state. The poet wants to prevent ambiguity by using everydays language as connotative and implied language as denotative. The image of poverty is too conspicuous in the poem. The character lives in isolated area, some areas are exclusively reserved for immigrants and some jobs are also exclusively reserved for immigrants. Such jobs include cleaning, flushing of toilets, etc. Lenrie Peters is extremely critical about the use of language in the poem. Although he sounds very harsh, maverick and mechanical when he says exile go home. The poet seems to be worried about frustrations, psychological intimidation people in exile go through. Although this is self exile, he admonishes the Africans that they should seriously start thinking about home for the sake of development and posterity. Similarly, the arrays of metaphors which are situational make the motif of exile interesting to study. Though exile is a social factor, the poet is calling attention that instead of constant endurance and travails, affected persons can make it good at home. Although man is powerless in the face of uncontrollable phenomenon, the poet achieves success in his artistic craft and the handling of the theme of exile as motif in He Walks Alone The title of the poem is symbolic because it expresses the exile experience and it emphasises individualism which is not part of African culture and tradition. Above all, it is a contribution to African literature because African literature, indeed the literature of black civilization, in modern times, has moved from the literature of protest to the literature of assertion and emancipation, which also indicates self-examination (Black Aesthetics, ix). Of paramount significance is the musical theatricality which the poem employs in its structure, which gives the poem an aesthetic bravura and imaginative splendour. The significance of this regular patterning is to show that exile is a continuous phenomenon in the life of people. As African people move from one place to the other, other people too may consider relocation from one locale to the other. They would begin to consider balancing with the socio-geographical factor of the environment they find themselves in. In the course of thi s, nostalgia, pain and acceptance problem sails in. The end rhyme employed by Lenrie Peters could be considered original because it neither conforms to Elizabethan nor the English type. The tone of the poem is melancholic. That is the situation exile encourages. The poet is exhibiting a practical manifestation of what it is to be in exile. The expectations are usually very high but the system is not accommodating to satisfy all the yearnings revolving in the mind. The audience would perceive He Walks Alone as a didactic poem. A didactic poem is a poem that teaches and explains the rudiments about human society and predicament. The motif of exile is an over ­- riding factor in this poem. The poem exegetically breaks down and overturns the European jaundiced understanding of African cultural milieu, by resisting a widely accepted, and otiose depiction of the African students sojourn in Europe as blissful, celebratory and quintessential. But Peters through a complex exteriorization of his experience in London, depicts the thorny convolutions of exile. Conclusion The motif of exile is the main preoccupation that Lenrie Peters examines in exhaustive chunk. He uses rich imagery to demonstrate this, bearing in mind that Africans are people of historical evolution in the word of Boyin Svetlana. This poem is very sensitive to the plight of exile and identity. The use of ordinary language is to denote clear image of understanding so that the issue of ambiguity would not arise. To sum up, Lenrie Peters He Walks Alone is an exemplification of exile experience coupled with the question of identity and how these factors have dire consequences on the people. The rich artistic creation is a contribution to African literature.

Distinctiveness of the Prologue: Gospel of John

Distinctiveness of the Prologue: Gospel of John Introduction This paper is going to address the uniqueness of the prologue, and will further explore how it connects with the rest of the Gospel of John. The prologue previews most of the themes that the author will explain throughout the Gospel. There are 8 listed themes; the pre-existence of the word, light of world, light and darkness, witness or testimony, glory, life, world, father and son relationship.[1] However, for the purpose of this essay, only three themes will be covered. Namely; the theme of the pre-existence, father and son relationship and glory. Scholars believes that the Gospel of John was written between 70AD and 90AD.[2] The author is identified as John the son of Zebedee, who was one of Jesus twelve apostles and the beloved one.[3] However, the authorship is debatable among scholars, some suggest that Prologue was originally a poem from some other religious traditions perhaps gnostic.[4] According to the gospel, it is maintained that the author was a Palestinian Jew, familiar with the religion, land and rituals of his people. All throughout the gospel, the author suggests that he was an eyewitness to the scenes that he was unravelling. The Gospel of John however is a unique book among the four Gospels. The true representation of Jesus lies at the heart of all that is unique in this Gospel. The Gospels are recognised as the Synoptics because of their close resemblances to each other. Jesus is revealed in different ways in these four Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew reveals Jesus as the king of the Jews. Mark presents Him as the suffering servant. In Lukes version, Jesus is seen as a perfect man. Whereas in Lukes Gospel, Jesus is humanity whereas Johns emphasizes his deity. The Fourth Gospel, also known as the spiritual gospel,[5] begins by immediately presenting Christ not as the Son of David, nor the Son of man, but begins with a prologue in which Jesus deity is openly declared.[6] Maurice Casey propounds that the Christology of the fourth Gospel is one of its most remarkable features, and one which distinguishes it sharply from the other three Synoptic.[7] Its authenticity is sometimes questionable among scholars because many of the major themes and events of the first three Gospels are missing in the fourth Gospel.[8] While on the one hand it includes many significant episodes not mentioned by Matthew, Mark and Luke.[9] It is further argued that if the Synoptics present a clear picture of Jesus, then Johns portrayal can hardly be accepted.[10] D.A. Carson identifies differences between the fourth Gospel and the Synoptics. He observes that there are no narratives parables, no account of the transfiguration, no record of the institution of the Lords s upper, no report of Jesus casting out a demon and no mention of Jesus temptations.[11] The first eighteen verses from the first chapter one of the Gospel of John are referred to as the prologue.[12] This can be seen as an ancient Christian hymn.[13] The prologue has an important bearing upon a focused interpretation of the rest of the Johannine Gospel. It also prepares the reader for what follows. The Gospel and Prologue work hand in hand, as Richard Bauckham states that the Gospel needs the prologue, the prologue also needs the Gospel, either without the other is incomplete.[14] The relation of the prologue to the rest of the gospel is questionable among scholars. Their critical arguments are mainly based on the source analysis which focuses on identifying the original independent hymn, Christian and non-Christians.[15] They have argued that several theological concepts and terms in the prologue, for example, the incarnation of the word, the tent dwelling of the so, in the contrast with the dwelling in the temple the concepts of, and the unique literary style are scar cely reflected in the rest of the Gospel.[16] They also suggests that prologue it is a wisdom hymn stitched by the author to the front of the Gospel to make it more acceptable to Hellenistic readers and was judged to have little relationship to the rest of the gospel.[17] While those in support of the prologue argues that it was written as an introduction to the body of the Gospel, just like the writing of the Johannine Epistle with similar symbolic terms appearing in 1 John 1:1-2 with the list of the themes which are shared in the prologue and the rest of the gospel.[18] Themes: divinity of the Son The divinity of the Son Jesus is established in the Prologue and developed in the rest of the Gospel. The author begins this Gospel with a splendid declaration to his audience by say, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God (1:1). The writer is expressing that Word logos pre-existent, He was not after or from or created, but He was in the beginning. The fourth Evangelist John reminds his readers of the Old Testament verse, the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1) that Jesus is a timeless figure who existed in the past before creation.[19] The Book of Genesis begins with creation so is the Gospel of John refers to creation. The same words are also found in chapter 17, and now, Father glorify me in your presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed (17:5). The concept of Logos is said to have an extensive background in the Greek religious and philosophical cognition. The Greeks regarded logos as the principle of reason or orde r in the world.[20] Heraclitus logos was understood to be unifying principle of all things.[21] It is suggested that the Heraclitus had no concept of a transcendent God, but saw the logos as a law or reason that underlies the universe because they believed that the logos was common to all men, that it was a universal law which regulated all the events that took place within mankind, and that it had its own independent existence.[22] In Plato writing holds the words of Heraclitus that a person could not step into the same river twice.[23] The Father and Son relationship The Fourth Gospel presents a unique relationship between God the Father and His son Jesus. This unique relationship between the father and son can be seen also in the Synoptic Gospels. Daniel J. Scholz suggested that, the voice from heaven (Mk 1:11) and the clouds at the baptism (Mk 9:7) and the transfiguration speak of Jesus as my beloved Son Lk 9:35, signifies the unity between the father and son[24] Johns Gospel comprehensively develops the Father and Son relationship. It is said that Johns gospel uses the term Father in the mouth of Jesus as the son, 120 times more often than all the other Gospels combined.[25] The author records the close, loving and unified relationship between the Father and the Son. The logos was in face to face relationship with God. No one has seen God; the word has been sent by the father to reveal God the world. The word took on flesh to reveal the glory of God. The unique relationship was described by the author in various ways. For example, firstly, as the father worked, so is the Son worked (5:17-18).[26] Secondly, as the father raises the dead and gives life, so the son gives life (5:21-23,26).[27] The words that the father gives, the son gives to others (7:17-17).[28] The son speaks the things He sees the Father doing (8:28, 38, 12:49-50).[29] As the father knows the Son, so the Son knows the father (10:15).[30] If you have seen the Son you have seen the father (14:9). To not honour the Son is to not honour the Father (15:18-19, 23).[31] All that belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son (16:15, 17:10).[32] Jesus farewell prayer for his disciples said I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one as you are in me Father and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me (Jn 17:21).[33] Johannine sees Jesus forthcoming suffering and death (the cross) on how the father and Son both glorified. Theme of Glory The theme of glory is also reviewed in the prologue and it runs throughout the rest of the gospel. The most obvious way the glory is revealed in Jesuss ministry is in the signs. According to Maurice Casey, the fourth evangelist uses the term signs used to reveals Christ glory.[34] The first sign is recorded in chapter 2:11. Another indication appeared when the evangelist explained that Jesus was speaking about the spirit that had yet been given because Jesus was not yet glorified (7:39).[35] From the resurrection of Lazarus forward the Johannine understanding of glory becomes increasingly clear. In chapter 11 points ahead to the resurrection of Jesus as a revelation of Gods glory. Jesus announces, that the hour has come for the son of Man to be glorified (12:3). Father glorify your name (12:28). John 13:31 says now the Son of man has been glorified and God has glorified in him echoes Jesus prayer father glorify your name in (12:28). However, Herman Ridderbos critical scholars states that in Gospel of John Jesus glory received so much stress, including in the passion story, that the Gospel can hardly be said to be free of a kind of Docetism, that is, that Jesus suffering is not real suffering in John, that the cross is not Jesus humiliation but only his exaltation, and that therefore his going out of this world consisted merely in a triumphal departure to where he was before.[36] As Colver summaries that John also shows in his gospel that the way to the cross is the greatest expression of glory of God.[37] Conclusion In conclusion one could say that it is how the author introduces the divinity of Christ in the prologue to his readers that makes it unique and distinct than Synoptic Gospels writers. It could be observed that the Synoptic Gospel writers traced Christ from a human point of view, while John give the account of Christ from his pre-existence that is before creation. John presented his work in a way that all the themes mentioned in prologue visible throughout the rest of his writing. On the hand one can also state that failing to understand the prologue may result in failing to understand the rest of the Gospel of John. In a nutshell, it evident that the prologue is not a wisdom hymn but deep divine revelation given to the John for a purpose. that is to give a clear explanation and understanding of Word and been Jesus Christ. Bibliography Bauckham, Richard, The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History and Theology in Gospel of John, (Grand Rapids: Published by Academic, 2007) Carson, D. A., The Gospel According to John, (Michigan: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991) Casey, Maurice, Is Johns Gospel True, (New York: Thompson Company, 1996) Colver, Randy, Themes in the Gospel of John, (Michigan: Zondervan, 2016) Edwards, Ruth B., Discovering John, Content, Interpretation, Reception, (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003) Gagne Jr, Armand J., The Testimony of the Fourth Evangelist to the Johannine Community: WE Know His Witness is True, (Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2004) Hale, Thomas, The Applied New Testament Commentary, (Eastbourne: Kingway Publications, 1996) Longman III, Tremper, The Expositors Bible Commentary Revised Edition 10, (Michigan: Zondervan, 2010) Ridderbos, Herman, The Gospel of John, A Theological Commentary, (Cambridge: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1991) Scholz, Daniel J., Jesus in the Gospels and Acts, Introducing the New Testament, (Winona: Saint Marys Press, 2009) Thompson, Marianne Meye, The God of The Gospel of John, (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001) Maurice F. Wiles, Spiritual Gospel, Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel in Early Church, (Cambridge: University Press, 2006) [1] D. A. Carson, The Gospel According to John, (Michigan: Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991) p.111 [2] Thomas Hale, The Applied New Testament Commentary, (Eastbourne: Kingway Publications, 1996) p. 355 [3] Richard Bauckham, The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History and Theology in Gospel of John, (Grand Rapids: Published by Academic, 2007) p.14 [4] Carson, The Gospel According to John, p.112 [5] Maurice F. Wiles, Spiritual Gospel, Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel in Early Church, (Cambridge: University Press, 2006) [6] Maurice Casey, Is Johns Gospel True, (New York: Thompson Company, 1996) p.31 [7] Casey, Is Johns Gospel True, p.30 [8] Tremper Longman III, The Expositors Bible Commentary Revised Edition 10, (Michigan: Zondervan, 2010) p.360 [9] Longman, The Expositors Bible Commentary, p.360 [10] Longman, The Expositors Bible Commentary, p.360 [11] Carson, The gospel According to John, p.21 [12] Longman, The Expositors Bible Commentary, p.367 [13] Gary M, Burge, John The NIV Application Commentary to Contemporary Life, (Michigan: Zondervan, 200) p.52 [14] Bauckham, The gospel of John and Christian Theology, p. 329 [15] Robert H. Gundry, Jesus the word According to John the Sectarian, (Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001) p. 230 [16] Gundry, Jesus the Word to John The Sectarian, p. 230 [17] Jerome H. Neyrey, The Gospel of John, The New Cambridge Bible Commentary, (New York: Cambridge University Pres, 2007) p.41 [18] Gundry, Jesus the Word to John The Sectarian, p. 230 [19] Neyrey, The New Cambridge Bible Commentary, p.60 [20] Longman, The Expositors Bible Commentary, p. 367 [21] Longman, The Expositors Bible Commentary, p. 367 [22] Armand J. Gagne Jr, The Testimony of the Fourth Evangelist to the Johannine Community: We Know His Witness is True, (Victoria: Trafford Publishing, 2004) p. 57 [23] Gagne, The Testimony of the Evangelist to the Johannine Community, p. 57 [24] Daniel J, Scholz, Jesus in the Gospels and Acts, Introducing the New Testament, (Winona: Saint Marys Press, 2009) p. 176 [25] Marianne Meye Thompson, The God of The Gospel of John, (Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001) p.57 [26] Randy Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, (Michigan: Zondervan,2016) p. 21 [27] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.21 [28] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.21 [29] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.21 [30] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.21 [31] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.21 [32] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.22 [33] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p.22 [34] Casey, Is Johns Gospel True, p.57 [35] Ruth B. Edwards, Discovering John, Content, Interpretation, Reception, (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2003) p. 90 [36] Herman Ridderbos, The Gospel of John, A Theological Commentary, (Cambridge: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1991) p. 453 [37] Colver, Themes in the Gospel of John, p. 115

Learning from My Father :: Personal Narrative Essays

Learning from My Father My father has a rare autoimmune neuro-muscular disease which is similar to Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS). He had been having some muscular problems on and off for several years. He began losing strength in his legs and, to a lesser degree, in his arms. My Dad worked in a hospital intensive care unit and was on the go a lot at work. Suddenly, in October 1995, he had to stop working. After seeing several different doctors in different cities and having what seemed to be a zillion different tests, the auto-immune diagnosis was reached. We knew that Dad had some medical problems but we had always been told that they were not debilitating. When he had to stop working, it was a real jolt to all of us. My Mom told us that Dad had worked since he was fifteen years old. He even worked full time while he was in Bible School in 1986. He was stopped in his tracks by the diagnosis when he had just begun taking courses at Syracuse University. My Dad still keeps going and does as much as he can. Sometimes I think he does too much and sometimes I think he gets stubborn when he is told to slow down or to rest. Even though he is classified as "disabled," he tries to keep that label from complicating his life. He views himself as still being able to do things - just in a manner that might be different from how most people might do the same task. When he had to stop working and then received the auto-immune diagnosis, it was pretty hard to accept. My Dad had always been pretty active and now he had to cope with a condition that will one day overcome him. For the first year or so, my Mom and I slept very little because we were afraid that Dad would stop breathing while he was asleep, and die. Whenever he wanted to do something, I thought that he might need help and I was always right there for him. I have since learned that Dad can still do many things by himself. I don't think that Dad has really learned his limitations yet but Mom and I are there to help him. Dad can't be left alone because he has some problems with his balance at times.

Assesment centers :: essays research papers

Assessment Centers An Assessment Center can be defined as "a variety of testing techniques designed to allow candidates to demonstrate, under standardized conditions, the skills and abilities that are most essential for success in a given job" (Coleman, 1987), it consists of a standardized evaluation of behavior based on multiple evaluations including oral exercises, counseling simulations, problem analysis exercises, interview simulations, role play exercises, written report/analysis exercises, and leaderless group exercises. These centers allow the candidates to make proofs of their knowledge through a number of job and special situations (Joiner, 1984). Assessment centers are varying concerning the number and type of exercises which are included. The most common exercises are the in-basket and the oral exercise. In the in-basket exercise, the candidates are given time to review the material and initiate in writing whatever actions they believe to be most appropriate in relation to each in-basket item. When time is called for the exercise, the in-basket materials and any notes, letters, memos, or other correspondence written by the candidate are collected for review by one or more assessors. Often the candidates are then interviewed to ensure that the assessor(s) understand actions taken by the candidate. If an interview is not possible, it is also quite common to have the candidate complete a summary sheet. Recently, the in-basket has become a focus of interest because of it's usefulness in selection across a wide variety of jobs (Schippmann, Prien, & Katz, 1990). A variety of techniques have been used to develop in-baskets. Quite often information on an in-basket's development is not available for review because the reports do not contain the critical information. A recent review indicated that nearly 50% of the studies do not describe how the in-basket was constructed (Schippmann, et al., 1990). There is also a great deal of variation among the ways in which the in-basket is scored. There is a range of objectivity in scoring with some scoring systems utilize almost entirely human judgment, while others utilize a purely objective approach. The in-basket exercise may be thought of as an approach which assesses a candidate's "practical thinking" ability by having a candidate engage in implicit problem solving for a job-relevant task. It is now well recognized that a content valid approach to constructing an in-basket is one which is professionally accepted as a technique which has passed legal examination. However, despite the acceptance by the courts and practitioners, the reporting basis for content validity is often deficient.

J.B. Preistly’s Presentation of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls :: English Literature

Analyse J.B. Preistly’s Presentation of Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls ‘An Inspector Calls’ is a play written by J.B. Preistly in 1945 after WW2. The play was set in 1912 just before WW1, this date was chosen to show the contrasts of the two orders and to help J.B.Preistly’s message of the play become clearer. In the world in1945, as I’ve said, it was the end of WW2 and the Labour Party had been elected for government for the first time. Preistly’s message of the play is that he thinks that the old older was a bad idea because it had already got the world in 2 world wars’ and that every body should respect and care about each other . The Inspector is an important character is important to the play because he is like the spokes person of the play because he shows that the ways of the old order are wrong and that the way of the new order was the right way to go. He is also pointing out Preistly’s message by saying that the old order views from Arthur Birling about how everybody should look after themselves and not care about any other problems in the world accept your own. The way that Preistly does this is by contrasting Inspector Goole and Arthur Birling for example the Inspector is cool, calm and collected, Arthur Birling has to always have his wits about him and always try to be right. My first impressions of the Inspector are that he is an important character to the play and solving the mystery of who killed Daisy Renton, but I didn’t think that he would have any thing to do with the message. Did Preistly want the audience to think this? I think that he did and that adds to the initial impact of the inspector’s character, not knowing what he is all about. In the text Preistly describes the inspector as a big character in his late 40’s makes him seem a convincing inspector; this could help to trick the audience in the later scenes. The Inspectors entrance is important because it is the middle of Birling’s big speech about only looking after yourself and later in the play he contradicts that speech and shows Birling that he is in the wrong and that Eric And Sheila are right for being in the new order. When he enters the room with the lines â€Å" I’d like some information if you don’t mind, Mr. Birling† it makes the audience feel that Birling, who is so convinced the old order is correct and he is

Religious and Racial Discrimination in South Korea Essay

In August 2008, Buddhists from South Korea held a protest against Pro-Christian bias in the government of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Followers of Buddhism showed their discontent against Lee Myung-bak’s favoring Christians. The Chief Executive likewise received criticism for placing Christians in his Cabinet and choice spots (Kwang, 2008). The Buddhist protest began in June when the Ministry of Transportation scrapped Buddhist temples from electronic maps of South Korea’s public transport system. Compounding this hatred is the inspection of the car of Venerable Jikwan, who is chief of South Korea’s top Buddhist sects. Because of this, the approval rating of Lee Myung-bak decreased considerably (Kwang, 2008). Conclusion Imperialism had a major impact in the development of 20th century Korea. With some assistance from the US and Great Britain, Japan conquered Korea in 1910, which ended the latter’s existence as an independent state. Aiming to establish its own Empire, Japan modified Korean economy in order to manufacture its own agricultural products. Korean peasants were forced to leave their lands and by 1930s and 1940s, majority of Koreans were working in the mining or manufacturing sector of Manchuria, Japan, and Korea. South Korea is considered as one of the world’s most ethically homogenous nations. Koreans descended from the Neolithic people who migrated to the Korean Peninsula from the northeastern portion of mainland Asia. Consisting the biggest minority group in South Korea are people with Chinese descendants. Local residents include an increasing number of foreign nationals, including migrant workers from South and southeast Asia, entrepreneurs, diplomats, and other professionals from various parts of the world. Half of South Korea’s population actively practices their religion. Christianity and Buddhism dominate the religion of South Korea. Only 3% consider themselves as Confucians and the remaining 1% practices the traditional religion of Shamanism and Chondogyo. New religions also sprouted in South Korea. Majority of them are syncretic, which means that they have the ability to merge with different religious beliefs. The most prevalent among these beliefs is the Unification Church established by Sun Myung Moon in 1954. Chondogyo blends aspects of Confucianism, Daoism, Shamanism, Christianity, and Buddhism. References Background Note: South Korea (2008 March).Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs- US Department of State. Retrieved October 2 2008 from http://www. state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2800. htm. Hart-Landsberg, M (1989 July). South Korea: Looking At The Left. BNet Business Network. Retrieved October 2 2008 from http://findarticles. com/p/articles/mi_m1132/is_/ai_7768445 Kim, K. T. (2008 August 27). South Korea’s Buddhists March Against President. Las Cruces Sun News. Retrieved October 2 2008 from http://www. lcsun-news. com/ci_10313895 Peterson, M (n. d). South Korea. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 2 2008 from http://www. encarta. msn. com

AltaPointe Health Systems Company Essay

Define a value chain and the significance of the center of gravity. Please also provide an example of a value chain from your place of work or from a company that you have researched. A value chain is a set of activities that are associated together that start with raw materials from suppliers, then goes to a set of activities in which are involved in marketing a certain product, and then ends with providers developing the final properties to the vital purchaser. Value chains can usually be split into two parts: upstream and downstream. The upstream deals where the company begins, how it develops, and what it produces. Then, downstream starts with where the goods, for example, are being transported and how it distributes to suppliers. A company’s center of gravity is the most important part of the company and what the essential proficiencies are. It is usually where the company began, according to Galbraith. It is also where the company stands the strongest. In other words, whatever may be there strongest suit is what the company’s center of gravity is. My company that I work for, AltaPointe Health Systems, can be used as an example of a value chain. AltaPointe Health Systems is a community based company that provides services of mental health to consumers that are struggling mentally and/or patients that are struggling with substance abuse issues. We have two hospital facilities (for adults and children), many residential homes, and also outpatient services. Since the primary focus of a value chain is to study the company of value-creating events, AltaPointe’s surfaces around one primary vision and that is psychiatry. Our value chain starts with having patients who come in (voluntary or involuntary) who are mentally ill or abusing substances. They tell us what is going on and our psychiatrists make an analysis based on their assumption of the patient’s sickness. They decide whether or not our facility is right for them (especially if they come in voluntary). Our doctors and nurses have daily activities with them; whether it is group sessions or one-on-one with the  social worker and doctor, decide what is causing their problems, and make a decision on what is the best way to treat them. The patients then stay for however long it takes to get the patient stable and on the correct medications, and then send them onto our outpatient facilities where they will see a doctor once a month. In this case, our materials that we need to carry on our facilities would be: beds, medications, and supplies for nurses and staff. Activities that are involved in keeping our services are: having mentally ill patients that need psychiatric help and pay to come see us. Without them, we would not be a company. As far as distributors getting the final goods: in our case, it would be our patients getting better and having our name talked about in an extremely good way to the community and other communities near us. If we have happy patients, we will have a successful business that keeps running. Our CEO also works with Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa, which is another psychiatric inpatient facility. Businesses like these, are what helps us to stay open and help one another out. In what ways may a corporation’s structure and culture be internal strengths or weaknesses? Look at your organization, and analyze its structural and cultural strengths and weaknesses. How can the weaknesses be improved? There are three basic types of organizational structures. They are simple structures, functional structures, and divisional structures. Simple structures don’t have any product categories and is designed for small organizations. Functional structures are for medium-sized companies that have several products. Lastly, divisional structures are for large companies that have many product lines in different industries. A corporation’s structure can be a company’s strength and/or their weakness. If the correct structure is developed correctly, then the business can grow and thrive like it should. If the wrong structure is built, then the company could have problems operating correctly. A corporation’s structure has to get its strength from the foundation, because without the foundation you don’t have anything to build on. Based on these three structures is how you want to choose your foundation for the company/business. However, if you do choose the wrong structure, then the business could fall apart because people will not know what their accurate role is within the organization. It is almost  as if everyone would get confused on what they should be doing. Corporate culture is where the beliefs, expectations of a company, and values come together within members of the organization and is passed on from one group of employees to another. A strength of culture could be the organization’s ability to relate with one another and able to get along and be civil with other employees. It is also to have the respect of values that the CEO and other leadership members have for the company. Weaknesses would be the exact opposite. If employees do not understand what the culture is for the company or do not show respect to it, it could make a company fall really fast. Employees are a huge part of a company and without them, you have absolutely nothing. They have to have the ability and want to have respect for others and the management team. For the company I work for, our organizational structure would be a simple structure, because it is a small organization. Our internal strengths would include having the right management. I believe we have top workers that are our chief officers and are able to make excellent decisions. They are always on top of the issues that need to be worked out and help manage the Board of Directors meetings. Our foundation has always been a good one and they keep our company running in good condition at all times. Our biggest structural weakness is our employees not knowing where they stand within the company. Our top managers have difficulty with relating to our other employees whom are not in top management. We have so many employees that work within the hospitals that include: nurses, behavioral aides, security, etc., and our chief officers or hospital administrators do not take the time to try to see if they have any needs or concerns within the company. This is where our company starts making mistakes. This could be an easy fix by making sure our managers take the time to speak with them. They need to start having meetings with other employees and ask what their ideas are and what needs to be improved. As far as cultural strengths, ours is following expectations. Our employees might not like it sometimes, but they know what our CEO expects out of them. They know they cannot call in sick every time something goes wrong and they know their number one priority is the patients’ needs. Our cultural weakness is definitely communication and feedback. If something  goes wrong within one of our hospitals, it is because there was a lack of communication or someone did not speak up when they needed to. This is when the patients start getting ill and irritated. It is completely unnecessary. If our employees would care a little more about what maybe could go wrong, and communicate more than what they are doing, everything would be a lot different.