Describe the ways in which swing music and popular culture Essay

There were many ways in which swing music and popular culture were interrelated during the time known as the swing era. Jazz became the cornerstone of popular culture during the period known as the swing era. The swing era influenced clothing styles, retail marketing, fashion, dance, and even language. Swing fans had their own clothing style and built a social phenomenon around it. With many dances coming and going the swing fans kept on dancing. Name some of the specific innovations Duke Ellington brought to jazz in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Duke Ellington brought some specific innovations to jazz in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Ellington was in time known as the greatest composer in jazz, he wrote roughly 2,000 compositions that had arranged from solo piano pieces, to works for orchestra’s, to highly symphonic concert music, etc. Ellington made a lot of changes to make the perfect sound, he used a variety of mutes on brass instruments to achieve more interesting tonal effects, often gave melodies to instruments that were not typically melodic instruments, and he used cross-sectional voicing. Ellington created an orchestra in the early 1940’s which later became known as his â€Å"Favorite Orchestra†. Describe why Count Basie’s rhythm section is called the first modern rhythm section. Count Basie’s rhythm section is called the first modern rhythm section. Basie made the rhythm section to â€Å"breathe† which helped compliment instead of duplicate, as well as having the drummer Jo Jones who played the high hat cymbal style. With this Basie had created the All-American Rhythm section which was known at the first modern rhythm section because Basie had created such an amazing rhythm section to go with the rest of his band it was solid. Describe some of the reasons why the swing era began and why it came to an end. There were many reasons why the swing era had begun and why it had come to an end. The beginning of the swing era started from a band called the Benny Goodman Orchestra. They traveled around on tour to get a spot and had been denied, until their last stop in Los Angeles, CA. The Palomar Ballroom wanted to hear the music that had been broadcasting and this began the swing era. The swing era decided to collapse with a shocking suddenness, with bands all over closing up their bags and shutting down. The swing era had suddenly ended from changing economics, the war, predictability, the changing audience, and bebop all of this had ended what was known as the swing era. Describe how the styles of Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins were different. The styles from Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins were very different throughout the swing era. Hawkins and Young were two of the best tenor sax players that had emerged during the swing era. Considerably different, Hawkins played a huge dark sound, whereas Young’s was light and breathy. Some of the differences were as follows; Hawkins improvisations were based on his superior knowledge of harmony, Young’s were rooted in the blues, Hawkins played with a rhythmic approach that was always closely tied to the beat, and Young’s rhythmic conception was much looser, and often untied to the beat. Although they had many differences, they inspired sax players for years to come. The arranging styles of Ellington and Basie are quite different when put next to each other to compare and contrast. In the song â€Å"Take the A Train† by Duke Ellington the rhythm section of the band is very on point, and broad it is a stand out section and wants to make their point. They are very loud obnoxious and want to make you want to dance. For the â€Å"One O’clock Jump† by Count Basie the rhythm section is very low key and mellow, although very good and has a good beat, more of a song to have a mellow night to or to hangout and relax to. I prefer the song â€Å"Take the A Train† by Duke Ellington, because I like to dance and it more fits my personality of a loud and obnoxious fun song.

Job Evaluation a Cornerstone to Hrm Practices

| | | | |edith cowan university faculty of business and law | | | | | | | |mba 5712- hr | | | | | | | | | |assignment 1 | |JOB ANALYSIS A ‘CORNERSTONE’ OF | |ALL HRM PRACTICES AND ACTIVITIES | | | | | | | |MUTEMA CHELLA 10157835 | | | | | LECUTRER: MR. D. PHIRI Submission Date: 13th April 2010 | | TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION3 RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION3 SELECTION4 TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT4 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT5 REMUNERATION MANAGEMENT6 PROMOTION OF WORKPLACE SAFTY AND HEALTH6 CONCLUSION7 REFERENCES8 INTRODUCTION To discuss why job analysis is sometimes said to be the ‘cornerstone’ of all the human resource management practices and activities, six Human Resource functions or practices are listed and then showing how job analysis data is utilised in each of these activities. Job analysis is aptly called so because success or failure of the human resource function in an organisation can directly be attributed to the consequences of job analysis (Siddharth, 2009 October). Siddharth (2009) further contends that Job analysis encompasses understanding and closely evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual in performing a particular role. It’s like performing a Personal Profile Analysis of an invisible person. Once performed, job analysis would throw open a plethora of answers to how Recruitment, Performance Management, Training, Compensation benchmarking and several other processes should follow for the incumbent on the said job. Job analysis refers to procedures for systematically understanding the work that gets done in an organisation and the basic goal is to understand what people do, how they do it and what skills they need to do the work well (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). According to Jackson & Schuler, the results of the job analysis are used to write job descriptions. A job description spells out essential job functions, describes the conditions in which the job is performed and states special training or certification requirements for the job. For employees, job description produced through job analysis serves as a guide to work behaviour while for supervisors and managers; a job description serves as a guide to performance evaluation and feedback. This essay therefore focuses on trying to show that job analysis provides the foundation upon which to build virtually all components of HR system identified as follows;. RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified applicants for the organization to consider when filling job openings (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). In the function of recruitment the job analysis would determine recruitment sources and methods. To find the most suitable employees for jobs and thus for the organisation as a whole, those involved in employee recruitment need to be fully aware of the relevant job description and person specification which can only be derived from comprehensive job analysis (Baired etal, 2008). Effective programs for recruitment should attract suitably qualified applicants and discourage those who are unsuitable. One would therefore say that knowing a defined set of competencies allows one to more efficiently target, within a candidates population those competencies for recruitment. SELECTION Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants in order to determine who should be hired for long or short-term position. Jackson & Schuler (2003) contend that it begins with an assessment of the requirements to be met by the new hire, including technical aspects of a job and the more difficult to quantify organizational need (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Applicants are then assessed to determine their competencies, preference, interests and personality. For productivity and retention, companies such as Southwest, Lincoln Electric, Honda GE, and Toyota hire on the basis of whether an individual matches the job requirements and the corporate culture (Jackson & Schuler, 2003) To do a proper selection of the candidate to be employed it is vital to establish the essential features of the job descriptions and person specifications to allow for objective and easier assessment of applicants (Baired etal, 2008). Selection criteria must be demonstrably job relevant and equitably applied, to facilitate comparison between candidates and the matching of candidates with jobs. They are invaluable in the initial short listing of large numbers of applicants, employment testing, interviewing and subsequent referee checking (Baired etal, 2008) Done very well selection practice ensures that employees are capable of high productivity and motivated to stay with the organization for as long as the organization wants to employ them. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT In general, an organisation’s training and development practices are its intentional efforts to improve current and future performance by helping employees acquire the skills, knowledge, and attitude required of competitive work force (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Rapidly changing technology, foreign competition, and changes in organisational strategy and strategic business objectives are putting pressure on organizations to train and develop employees for competitive advantage. This requires careful attention to needs assessment, program development and implementation, and evaluation. Four types of types of needs analysis-organisational, job, person, and demographic-are designed to diagnose systematically the short and long term human resource needs of an organisation (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Any discrepancies between the experience, knowledge, skills and abilities demonstrated by a job holder and the requirement contained in the job description and specification or list of competencies for that job provide clues to development needs (Baired etal, 2008). Training & development is merely the development and assessment of said competencies for both the employee and the employer. However, without job analysis the organisation would have no way to know what to teach; train and develop and when to do it. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT A performance management system is a formal, structured process used to measure, evaluate, and influence an employee’s job related attributes, behaviours, performance results (Arvey & Murphy, 1998). Two components of performance management system are (a) performance measurement and feedback for individuals and team, and (b) the rewards component of total compensation (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). A well designed performance measurement and feedback process directs employees’ attention toward the most important tasks and behaviours. It informs employees about what’s valued and provides information about whether the employees’ behaviour and results meet the expectations of managers, colleagues, and customers (Jackson & Schuler, 2003) To emphasise the importance of performance management, it is said that; ‘It is estimated that if companies could get 3. 7% more work out of each employee, the equivalent of 18 more minutes of work in each 8-hour shift, the gross domestic product in the United States would swell by $355 billion, twice the GDP of Greece (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). The job description and person specification, the result of the job analysis, provide the criteria for evaluating the performance of the holder of the job. Performance Management can therefore be said to be that by knowing the competencies required for each job or job family allows HR (or management) to track employee knowledge, skills and abilities and distribute them accordingly to wherever they may have the most impact within an organization. These competencies may also be tied to other organizational-level criteria for added impact and a validity check. As has been mentioned this is as a result of job analysis REMUNERATION MANAGEMENT Compensation or remuneration typically includes a mix of several elements, monetary and non monetary forms of rewards. Monetary compensation includes direct payments such as salary, wages, and bonuses, and indirect payments such payments to cover the cost of private and public insurance plans. Nonmonetary compensation include many forms of social and psychological rewards-recognition and respect from others, enjoyment from doing the job itself, opportunity for self-development (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Many workplace agreements emphasise the close relationship between job requirements, learning and development programs, career progression and appropriate salary and benefits systems. Baired etal, (2008) further contends that inappropriate remuneration packages may reflect a need for change of job requirements or adjusted pay scales, often in consultation with the relevant unions. It can be said that competencies help guide compensation models to a much more precise degree than more gross measures like â€Å"seniority. For example, a highly sought after software developer with very unique skills may be able to demand on the market a much higher salary than a typical MCSE who has been with the company for X number of years. A competency based compensation model would addres s that. Again, a job analysis done properly will help determine pay scale. PROMOTION OF WORKPLACE SAFTY AND HEALTH Another of the Human Resource function is the promotion of safety and health at the workplace. Job analysis procedures can be used to identify aspects of a job that may contribute to workplace injuries, and ergonomic principals can be applied to redesign the work environment (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). Workplace safety and health refers to the physical and psychological conditions of a workforce that result from work environment provided by the organisation. Physical conditions include occupational diseases and accidents such as actual loss of life or limb; repetitive motion injuries, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, other forms of cancer and other conditions that are known to result from unhealthy work environment include white central nervous system damage. While psychological conditions result from organisational stress and a low quality of working life, these encompass, dissatisfaction, apathy, and withdrawal and so on (Jackson & Schuler, 2003). If an organisation takes effective safety and health measures, fewer employees will have short or long term ill effects as a result of being employed at the organization (Cooper & Neck, 2000). Both the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) of the UK require evidence-based approaches to setting physical and medical employment standards. Proven fitness related strategies include redesigning the most demanding tasks, selecting and training personnel who possess the necessary physical attributes, and assessing and redeploying personnel to jobs within their capability. An essential precursor to pursuing these strategies is to conduct a job analysis to quantify the physical demands of the job (Rayson, 2000) . ). CONCLUSION Job Analysis is quite aptly called the â€Å"corner stone† of all HR activities because the success or failure of the HR function in an organization can directly be attributed to the consequences of Job Analysis. If not carried out or not conducted accurately and comprehensively the other HR processes will be ineffective and the cost to the organisation high in terms of productivity and the ability to retain valuable staff Job analysis encompasses understanding and closely evaluating the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by an individual in performing a particular role. It’s like performing a Personal Profile Analysis of an invisible person. Once performed, job analysis would throw open a plethora of answers to how Recruitment, Performance Management, Training, Compensation benchmarking and several other processes should follow for the incumbent on the said job. Get the job analysis wrong and you'll get the wrong person while recruiting, inefficient and sometimes irrelevant performance management measures, increased training expenditure, improper pay with respect to the market and a whole lot of other issues. . REFERENCES Arvey, R. D, Murphy K. R (1998) Performance Evaluation in Work Settings, Annual Review Psychology 49, 141-168 Baird, M. , Compton, R & Nankervis, A. (2008) Human Resource Management: Strategies (6th ed. ). Cincinnati: South-Western Publishing Co. Cooper, K, Neck C. (May 2000) The Fit Executive; Exercise and Diet Guideline for Enhancing Performance, Academy of Management Executive 14(2), 72-83 Jackson E. S & Schuler, R (2003) Managing Human Resources Through Strategic Partnerships (8th ed. ). Thomson South-Western Publishing Co Rayson, M. P. (2000) Fitness for work: the need for conducting a job analysis, Occup. Med. Vol. 50, No. 6, pp. 434-436, 2000. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://occmed. oxfordjournals. org

Political Typology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Political Typology - Research Paper Example Barack Obama is the 44th president of the United States and a democrat in practice (Gormley, p.205). He is the first African American President in the United States after practicing law and holding a senatorial position early that ushered him into the current political position he holds. Currently, his position represents democrats. The history that he has a civil rights attorney represents his position on promotion of peace and constitutionalism in all aspects of the American people (Michael & Schraufnagel, p.65). The development through the political ranks has had President Obama grow his support from the Democrats that yielded into a political victory that saw him elected president. Looking at the works of President Obama in office, there is a resonance of the democrat’s approach to management that seeks to establish peace rather than employing military approaches to safeguarding the country. The recent utterances on the attack over the terrorism incident in Paris allowing refugees to continue moving to the United States despite the terrorism fear have indicated the approach of Democrats more as peace loving people that do not depend on military approaches in supporting the development of the country’s political arena (Roberts & McCarthy). Foreign policy includes Obama’s approach to the war in Iraq by ending the war and any involvement of the United States in Iraq. Democrats advocate for peace by ensuring that all avenues that indicate to war are approached with a friendly approach.

United States International Childrens Emergency Fund Research Paper

United States International Childrens Emergency Fund - Research Paper Example UNICEF served that purpose adequately. â€Å"For the postwar period 1946 to 1950, the "emergency needs approach" meant swift action to meet the food, clothing, and health needs of children, particularly in Europe† (Nobelprize.org). UNICEF spent $112000000 to provide as many as five million children with different clothing articles in twelve different countries along with vaccinating eight million children to fight tuberculosis. UNICEF also distributed various kinds of facilities among these countries. Children were provided with meals on daily basis. From 1951-1960, UNICEF adopted the approach of long-range benefit along with meeting the emergency needs. Several campaigns were carried out in order to improve the children’s health in general and reduce their susceptibility to yaws, tuberculosis, malaria, and leprosy. In the same decade, UNICEF also formulated several provisions for the improvement of environment, and devised programs for education of mothers. In the 1970 s, UNICEF had been working for children’s well-being for quite some time and was all set to advocate their rights. In the 1980s, UNICEF played an important role in the attempts of UN Commission on Human Rights to formulate the â€Å"Convention on the Rights of the Child† (History.com), which was readily approved as the most effective human rights treaty in the whole history in 1898, after it was introduced to the UN General Assembly. UNICEF had played a decisive role in the enforcement of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Of all 184 member states of UN, United States and Somalia were the only two countries that did not approve the treaty. The two countries had different reasons for non-ratification of the treaty. Somalia’s government was not recognized internationally. Accordingly, it was not in a position to ratify the treaty. On the other hand, although US was an original signatory of this treaty, yet US had reservations on the effect of the treaty on the parent-child relationship and the national sovereignty. UNICEF – Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize: It was on 26 October 1965, when UNICEF received the Nobel Peace Prize (â€Å"UNICEF History†). Nineteen years after its establishment, UNICEF got this Prize for promoting brotherhood and unity among different nations of the world, which is essentially a fundamental condition of the Nobel's will as well as appearing on the stage of the world as â€Å"a peace-factor of great importance† (â€Å"UNICEF History†). Several events led UNICEF to this entitlement that include but are not limited to improved coalition among governments, various non-governmental agencies and private organizations and the people all over the world in general. This provided them with more opportunities that could be availed to upgrade the lifestyle of children everywhere in the world. Henry R. Labouisse, the Executive Director of UNICEF expressed what achieving the Nobel Peace Prize meant to the UNICEF in these words: To all of us in UNICEF the prize will be a wonderful incentive to greater efforts in the name of peace. You have given us new strength. You have reinforced our profound belief that each time UNICEF contributes...to giving today’s children a chance to grow into useful and happier citizens, it contributes to removing some of the seeds of world tension and future

See notes below disscuss the concepts APPROACH, DESIGN and PROCEDURE Essay

See notes below disscuss the concepts APPROACH, DESIGN and PROCEDURE according to Richards and Rodgers (2001) framework - Essay Example It was only after the emergence of psychology as a branch of science that interest on the evolution of methods based on the research findings of how human acquire learning and how they respond to different modes of teaching took a paradigm shift. And as part of a changing world system, the methods have also evolved to become more effective over the years. (Anthony, E.M. 1963). Most of us learn to speak at least two languages. Our first language (L1) is known as our native language, and is acquired from our childhood years. The Second Language (L2), also known as foreign language, is acquired as taught in schools, or by living in a state where another language is spoken. Acquiring the first language in most situations is as effortless as learning normal routines. We learn it because we are exposed to it most of the time. On the other hand, learning a another new language calls for greater effort and dedication, and persistent application of the trial and error methodology. (Sally Morrison). The emphasis on this type of language teaching is on how an individual can successfully grasp a second language over a given period of time. It is suitable for the classroom as well as the individual student, because every student who wants to learn a new language has different learning needs, and the instructor has to choose the right method to be used in teaching the classroom which can be easily understood by everyone and does not alienate any student in the class. (JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall, p.3). The existence of various methods for learning the second language has made the task for instructors simpler albeit more strenuous. On the one hand, they have a fine array of systematic learning to suit different needs and tastes. On the other, they have the unenviable task of studying each method separately, and then they choose the method best suited for the purpose. 3. Approach, Design and Procedure Richards and Rodgers developed a three levels framework to help instructors in choosing the right method. The three levels: Approach, Design, and Procedure, are interrelated to each other as the content of each level directly affects the contents of the other levels. Richards and Rodgers implied that in order to select the best method, we should look at each method as a separate series of theories and applications, and that the methods can be evaluated by comparing and coordinating the three interrelated levels. Now let us define the three levels first. (Richards, J. and T. Rodgers. 1986). Approach Approach refers to a particular theory that supports and serves as a foundation of any methodology. No methods exist alone unsupported by theoretical views, and that is why methods and theories must be viewed together. Design is the creation of

Minnesota Curriculum Integration Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Minnesota Curriculum Integration - Assignment Example The faculty and the advisers are keen in the undergraduate curriculum since they work under the set and existing structures (Thurlow, 50). One of the structures that are emphasized a lot is the academic planning for the student in addition to the issues that face the student when studying. The executive leadership plays a major role in teaching the faculty and advisers on how they can study abroad and still emphasize student to partner with them abroad. Since the institution is interested in long-term impacts through the transformation in the undergraduate curriculum, they work for it through structures that are followed by the advisers, faculty and the learners (Nussbaumer, 40). They still work to ensure that they can get the behaviors concerning the student studying abroad and how the institution will be depicted internationally. The executives of the institution are administrators, vice chancellors, vice provost, vice president, the directors and core curriculum team. They work together to make sure that the goals set are achieved within the stipulated time (Mitton, 45). For the purpose of curriculum integration, the institution follows the principles set in along with discipline that is equipped to the learners. The set structures which exist are part and parcel of the institution model where they are followed to make sure that the student will benefit and study abroad without fear. One of the goals of Minnesota curriculum integration is to make changes in the institution, making sure that innovation is achieved where they are going to partner with others. Additionally, the goal of curriculum integration is to make sure that faculty or the advisers that are in abroad create well-educated learners and global citizens that will contribute positively in the national development (Hallinger, 32). Another goal is to make sure more increased scholarship abroad is achieved.

Short reaction on Casablanca 1942 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Short reaction on Casablanca 1942 - Essay Example me even more popular over the years, lies in the fact that since 1957 many cinemas began to show the movie during summer exams, first in Harvard, and then and in other universities. Twenty years later it was revealed that Casablanca is shown on TV in the USA more often than any other movie in order to attract the new audience (Ebert, 1996). The movie is sensitive, kind, magically romantic and very fascinating, though it is neither thriller, nor the detective story. It is a real American movie, which is loved by all Americans and very informative for foreigners, because it shows the life and history of real Americans. The movie Casablanca will not touch your heart as military drama, but, as the romantic melodrama performed in curious style and played by magnificent actors of the era, it represents a perfect creation. A little outdated, but the one, which did not loose its appeal through

Leadership in nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Leadership in nursing - Essay Example This paper aims to provide a model of leadership in nursing. It also outlines factors that influence leadership styles, discusses approaches to leadership and the impact of the leadership style on nursing care. Besides, impact on nursing education/practice, role of the nurse, problem identification, solution, and nursing implication is discussed at length. Leadership is about knowing how to make visions become reality. This definition remains constant whether it is nursing, medical or healthcare leadership. In general the vision that nurses have is one where patients are treated with dignity and respect at all times; where systems are designed for the benefit of individual needs; and where the work performed by nurses is valued and respected. From a nursing perspective the three key foundation stones that helped nursing achieve the vision of a patient centred health service are development of patient centred care measures as part of performance management and the clinical governance agenda; leadership based on personal growth and development principles and; new clinical career and competency framework for nursing (Kitson, 2001). Achieving these visions will require a paradigm shift in the philosophy, priorities, policies, and power relationships of the health service. While a fall in the number of nursing leaders may be attributed to the current nursing shortage, studies have noted that there is also a significant deficiency in the number of nursing leaders. Even at major research and teaching hospitals, chief financial officers are worried about the scarcity of nursing staff (Singhapattanapong, 2002). Unfortunately an overlooked aspect of this nursing shortage is the dearth of leaders among nurses. In 2002, nurses are in a distinct position to influence healthcare policy and legislation. There is a need for nursing leadership to exert that influence and by nurturing both

Law & Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law & Ethics - Essay Example Before any nurse, whether enrolled or registered can do anything to another person, there are some legal requirements that they need to understand. The first legal issue is consent. Consent refers to permission to do something. Before a nurse does anything to another person or a patient, it is a legal requirement that the other party or patient agrees and gives permission for such an act to be carried out (Larson, 2003). When the nurse does something against the will of the patient, it is considered to be coercion. More often, a dilemma arises when the patient refuses care that the nurse thinks is necessary. However, in such situations, the nursing guidelines indicate that it is still important to get consent from the patient. In other situations where the patient may be mentally incapacitated, the family or the guardians may give the consent on behalf of the patient. Restrain is the other legal requirement and is greatly related to consent (Engberg et al, 2008). Restraint is any action or device that is designed or intended to prevent free movement of body parts. Some patients require restraint in cases where it may be deemed necessary, such as when the patient gets violent. However, there is a relation between restrain and patient consent. Before the patient is restrained by the nurse using any device or technique, due consideration and consent of the patient must be taken into account. In the Case Study, Mrs. Davis verbally objects to being restrained. Despite this, the registered nurse goes ahead to restrain the patient against her will. This is against the nursing and service delivery guidelines. As a result of the act, Mrs. Davis falls and suffers injuries that later lead to her death. This again leads to another legal issue that relates to patient care. This other legal issue is battery. Battery occurs when physical harm results due to negligence or unprofessionalism on the side of the care

How to Properly Inform an Employee Regarding Their Evaluation Performance Essay Example for Free

How to Properly Inform an Employee Regarding Their Evaluation Performance Essay The topic scenario chosen is regarding an employee, Maria of Latino ancestry, who filed a complaint that she was unfairly eliminated for consideration of a promotion because of her distinctive accent. The current employee is a second-generation native-born American citizen, holds a graduate degree, have been employed with the company for 10 years and in her current position for seven years. Another employee, Alex an Anglo, is considered for the promotion instead of his fellow co-worker Maria. He holds a graduate degree, but has less time in the same position. He has been evaluated to show signs of advancement and ambition, as well as have a better job evaluation. Maria indicates that she is the only employee of race, color and sex in her current department. She accuses her supervisor, who is a white male, of being bias and claims that was the reason for her lower evaluation. She stated that her supervisor informed her that she was not considered for promotion due to the fear that their clients would have trouble understanding her accent. She alleges that the company is engaging in discriminatory practices. The company argues that Maria is a good employee but is often loud and aggressive in her approach to co-workers and supervisors and has had some problems with attendance and tardiness. Twice her supervisor has counseled her for tardiness, and once for absence, which each time she gave family problems as reasons. She justified that in each case a family member needed help and it was her duty to be there for the family member. When the issue of accent was introduced, it was acknowledged that it was a major consideration but was not because of discrimination. Maria often spoke very rapidly, and her accent made understanding difficult when she did. The company alleges that the ability to communicate clearly was an essential component of the job in question. This topic scenario was chosen so that managers or supervisors learn how to properly address an employee regarding their evaluation results. This topic is important to the study of cultural diversity because due to globalization, managers and supervisors will eventually come across multiple ethnic groups with different cultural backgrounds and nationalities. It is crucial for managers or supervisors to communicate and successfully solve conflict among diverse ethnic employees within a company. The student will expect to find how a manager or supervisor should determine what course of action is appropriate when conflict has risen about race, gender and accent in a company. Information about the EEOC and the law pertaining about this case will be introduced. Evaluation of the steps taken in this scenario will be explained as well as solutions, if any, will be given to properly execute effective communication. Statistical data will be presented about the increase of Hispanic occupation in the United States as well as gender in the workforce. Solutions on to how improve the company and its managers or supervisors will be given in order to prevent future unintentional discriminatory processes.

English Language And Global Identity English Language Essay

English Language And Global Identity English Language Essay With increasing popularity of English language as a second language it makes it a global language rather than a regional or a national language. The learning and use of English language also brings new identities along with it. This can be seen more comprehensively in the past two decades; as we can relate to global icons more than before, we have more global identities now. We can relate to English music, Hollywood movies, Global Icons, Heroes, Global brands etc. As Crystal (2000) stresses Language as the primary symbol of identity. When two persons of different nationalities or different origins meet; the first thing they bring together in the conversation is the use of a language which connects these two persons. Hence language is used as the bridge between two unknown persons for communication; giving them some type of identity and means to communicate. In recent years, English language has been used as a global language for communication between different nationalities hence increasing the importance and influence of English language. But the question arises if its possible to adopt a new identity without losing your original (or first) identity. A number of studies in the field of social psychology have shown that immigrants can feel emotionally attached to the new country without losing their attachment to their homeland (Harris 1980). In other words, in short term it might be possible to learn a new different language in isolation and without adopting new identity (or identities) related to that language or culture associated with it but in long term using this language with other people to communicate does bring changes in ones perceptions of identity and also brings new identities to an individual. According to a study by Goffman (1963) the personal identity is defined by how others identify us but not how we identify ourselves. Identity, language and second language learning The concept of identity is a rather loose one. This is evidenced by the fact that various dictionaries and articles seem to give different and slightly vague definitions. From the fact of being who or what a person or thing is (www.wordreference.com) to the state or fact of being the same on as described (www.dictionary.com), authors seem to struggle when trying to be precise with what elements constitute an identity. For that reason we particularly like a more open (but less vague) statement that defines an identity as the set of attributes describing (an aspect of) a person ( Koch 2002). This set of attributes tend to diverge depending on the specialized literature, and though is debatable whether or not a particular element constitute part of an identity, there seems to be a general agreement and understanding on the importance that a language has when giving form or description to a particular identity. It remains unclear if it is strictly necessary to be able speak a language (o r how deep is the knowledge of that language) to form an identity. According to (Love Ansaldo 2010) a native speaker is someone born and brought up from birth to speak a given language. A person is a native speaker if he/she is brought up in a family where the parents or other adults had the same experience with the same language during their upbringing. Hence, if you are a native speaker of a language that particular language is referred to as your mother tongue. However, these links between language and identity tend to refer to the mother languages and not so much about newly acquired ones. When it comes to second language learning, the effects of this language on the speakers identity depend on the reasons and level of assimilation of the language. According to the literature on Second Language Learning (SLL) (or Second Language Acquisition (SLA)), second language learners (L2) and foreign language learners have as main reasons for learning a second language family, profession, communication, personal interest and by requirements of an educational system. In addition, the variables age, language and personal engagement play an enormous role on the level of knowledge of a secondary language and to a certain extent to the way that it affects our identity (- Piller, -2002). Accordingly, if an individual is learning a language with motivation, that individual gets engaged in the process and perceives that knowledge as a benefit for the future, the level of assimilation of the language and its cultural background will have a deeper impact on his/her identity. On the contrary, if the reasons to learn a secondary language are imposed and are deemed as useless, that language will have a very limited impact on the personal identity. National Perspectives on learning English language as a second language India India is rich in languages.   There are 18 major languages spoken in India and over 1600 regional languages. Even though Hindi is the official  language. English has been with India since the early 1600s, when the East India Company started trading and English missionaries first began their efforts. A large number of Christian schools imparting an English education were set up by the early 1800s. The process of producing English-knowing bilinguals in India began with the Minute of 1835, which officially endorsed T.B. Macaulays goal of forming a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern a class of persons, Indians in blood and colour, but English in taste, in opinion, in morals and in intellect (quoted in Kachru 1983, p. 22). English became the official and academic language of India by the early twentieth century. The rising of the nationalist movement in the 1920s brought some anti-English sentiment with it even though the movement itself used English as its medium. English is the second major language spoken in India and is used for much of the official business. It is the official language of the judiciary. Many people prefer to use English as a common language. A large percentage of people in India can speak and read English. English is also extensively used in education .The school education in the country is basically divided into two different categories. I.e. primary, secondary. Primary Consists from grade one to five, Secondary consists grade six to tenth. The school education available in three languages formats. One is state language format, another in national language format and English format. Choice depends on students. If choose State or National language format in school education, English start at secondary level. Choose English it starts from primary level. But graduation and after level it must be study in English. English is the most commonly used language of international commerce, politics, science, diplomacy, and the most commonly used language on the Internet. English is such a language having an international status and can provide the best medium to interact with outside world. India is a peace-loving country and wants to spread the same message to all countries of the world. We have to explain and convince friendly nations our point of view. Present Indian deal with export business   Ã‚  worldwide like software, textiles, chemicals, telecommunication hardware, food grains, iron and steel, consumer durables and electronics, Jewelers. To communicate with worldwide clients we require common language. In India is now seen as a major centre for software development. A significant number of international software companies have set up branches in India. English is the main language used in computing and Indian software engineers are proficient in English. My point of view, English is good language for communication to worldwide. A person who knows English is considered better educated. Such a person has a higher social status and may aspire for a better job. At present, most of students   Ã‚  taking English medium at primary level, but they are not studying state language and National language. English has changed Indian languages in many ways mostly through the incorporation of new words.   I would simply love to see all schools become English medium schools that teach the mother tongue as a compulsory second language. Pakistan The British ruled the Indian subcontinent (comprising of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc.) for almost two hundred years from 1756 1947. After the independence, the two newly formed countries inherited quite a few things from British Rule i.e. Army Structure, Train System, Governing Models, English Language, Civil Services etc. Pakistan adopted some of these things and one such thing is English Language. The country has two official languages: Urdu and English. Though Urdu is also the national language of the country; but it is English language which is substantially used in official communication at the Government level (also in Judiciary, the Legislature, and Civil Services etc.) The countrys constitution and its laws are written in English and the Legislature (National Assembly or/and The Senate) uses English language for amending existing laws or introducing any new laws. English is also extensively used in education. The school education in the country is basically divided into three different categories i.e. Primary, Middle, and High. Primary Consists from grade one to five, Middle from grades six to eight and High school consists of Grades nine and ten. The English language is compulsory at all three levels which mean that every student has to take an English language course for at least first ten years of his or her education. The education system especially in big cities is English based and every course is taught in English except Urdu Language course of course. The country also has another education system which runs in parallel to the Public education and often termed as Private Education (or Private Schools). Its education, curriculum and examination are mostly based on Cambridge International Examinations. The percentage of students going through this system is far less than the other system because of several reasons. But the general percep tion in the country about English language and Private education is thought to be Elite. English is also been used in businesses and corporations quite broadly. The private organizations especially multi nationals run their daily business based on English language. The products and services available for a consumer often give offers, ingredients, help in both English and Urdu. The mode of communication in offices at these workplaces is English. The policies, mission, vision, code of conduct etc developed by these organizations is often in English. Most of the times job interviews are conducted in English language and the candidates command over English language is one of the main factors being considered during the hiring process. When we look at the entertainment industry of the country; we find English very common there too. Cinemas show most of the newly released Hollywood movies and there is a big following of these movies; most of these cinema-goers are students, youth, middle class young families, working class in private sectors etc. New generation authors coming up with amazing pieces of art in English language Mohsin Hamid is one fine example with his The Reluctant Fundamentalist winning several awards including Anisfield -Wolf Book Award. The newly promoted English theatre industry has been growing pretty fast especially in the big cities like Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, Multan etc. The cable T.V and internet has also played their part in this whole phenomenon. There are few English based local T.V channels and so many other channels air English programs on regular basis. Most of the youth are addicted to English (could be American, British, Australian By English I mean based on English language) T .V shows, movie channels, music etc. In our view, this growing influence of English language in Pakistani culture and identity has fruitful consequences as it makes the people learn and speak another language, be communicative with the outside world especially to remove wrong perceptions about the country and people of Pakistan and promote the positive aspects of the country. But this phenomenon also brings some tricky issues like diminishing use of Urdu language; perceptions about Urdu being language of poor and working class. We cannot deny the growing importance of English language especially in the last decade or so making it a global language but for Pakistan and its people presence of English language in different facets of life is a very positive sign as long as there is a healthy balance between the two official languages of the country. Bangladesh From the government point of view Bangla is the national- official language of Bangladesh and English is the most important foreign language. But in reality English is the second language of the country and in many places English is more important than Bangla in Bangladesh. Constitution: About the language of the country the Bangladeshi constitution clearly states: The state language of the Republic is [Bangla]. In the constitution nothing is mentioned about the status of English. English is not mentioned as a second language or official language. But many important government documents are written both in Bangla and English. The parliament proceedings are kept into these two languages. When a government body organizes a fair then often the souvenir is published in English. English in Law court in Bangladesh: After Independence the government took the initiative to implement Bangla language in law court. As a result, now the lower courts carry out their activities in Bangla but English is yet very influential in High Court and Supreme Court. If a lawyer wants to practice in Supreme Court then he must have a good command over English language. Many of the judges still give their verdicts in English language. It seems that this trend of using English will remain for the forcible future. English in Education sector in Bangladesh: Formal and institutionalized education system started in Bangladesh during the British rule. At that time Bangladesh was part of British India. There was a debate about the medium of education. Raja Rammohan Roy argued that the medium should be English rather than Sanskrit or Persian. During the British period the medium of education was largely in English. Calcutta University took an initiative in 1935 to introduce Bangla as a medium of education along with English. In Bangladesh the use of Bangla in college level started in the 1960s. Now students can answer in the examinations in Bangla or English. In the college level and university level after 1971 the government tried to patronize Bangla and implement it by replacing English in the education sector. In our general education system English has equal if not more importance than Bangla. In our education system English is really the Second language as all the students have to study it as a compulsory subject for twelve years. English and Administration: During the language movement the people of Bangladesh were afraid that if Urdu was established as the State Language of Pakistan then all the government activities will be carried out in Urdu and our people will suffer. As a result of the language movement, the Pakistani Regime kept on carrying out government activities in English language. After Bangladesh became independent the government of Awami League decided to replace English with Bangla in administrative works but after the death of Sheikh Mujib this process came to a halt and English continued to remain as the dominant language. It was during the rule of Ershad Bangla Procholon Aeen of 1987 was created and implemented. From that time English started to lose its significance in administration. However, it has to be mentioned that all the international communication of Bangladesh government is carried out through English. English in Economic activities: The economy of Bangladesh is dependent on foreign aids and export of some common items like readymade garments, jute, tea, fish etc and also we import a lot of things. Bangladesh is not self sufficient economically. Trading is more popular than production. Trading requires constant communication with foreign companies. Many of the companies who are involved in trading have to use English in dealing with foreigners. So it is clear that English is the dominant language in our economic activities. Comparison of English foreign languages like French, German, and Farsi: French and German have become very popular for economic reasons in our country. Learning these languages help us to increase our possibility to get a UN job. Learning French is also helpful for getting immigration to Canada. Also there are good facilities to learn these languages in Dhaka University, Alliance Francaise, and Goethe Institute. Recently, the English Institute of North South University has introduced French course. On the other hand during the Muslim reign Farsi was the language of the Royal administration and law court in Bangladesh. At present, a student can attend Farsi course for one semester by just paying tk. 250 in Iran Cultural Center but there are not many students who are interested to learn Farsi, French, and German. On the other hand, hundreds of students each year appear for TOEFL and IELTS exams in English language. From the discussion so far there is no doubt that English is the second language of Bangladesh but this reality is not reflected in our constitution. Officially Bangladesh is not known as an ESL country to the outside world. So Bangladesh should be declared as an ESL country by the government without any delay. We learn English not because we like Shakespeare or Dickens. We learn English from out of every day necessity. Ghana The Ghana perspective on language culture and identity. Several reasons account for the Ghanaian attitude towards the English Language and why English is learnt, widely spoken and thought in Schools in Ghana. Paramount among these factors is the multilingual nature of the Ghanaian populace and the vis a vis this has posed to national development. Ghana like many African countries is characterized by people with different ethnic backgrounds and for that matter different language. There are over 60 languages spoken by over 18 million people in Ghana (National Population Census of 2000), which connotes that at least one distinct language is spoken by every 300,000 people on average. The multilingualism nature of the Ghanaian population has come with several challenges with regards to defining a Ghanaian Identity and what makes a person a Ghanaian. Historically, the multilingualism had transpired as a result of various ethnic migrations from different empires on the African continent who settled in Ghana in the early 1200 AD. As a result of the ethnic differences there had been conflict over which ethnic origin dominates and has appropriate ownership to various lands and regions in Ghana. The influence of the multilingualism in Ghana on national development and national identity has created several debates and efforts from a section of Ghanaians at achieving and selecting one local language to be adopted as a national language for official communications in businesses, governmental proceedings, School administration, teaching and learning as well as for inter ethnic trade communications. However these efforts have been gravely thwarted by the Ghanaian perception of local languages and the influence of the English language as inherited from the Colonial masters. The premier constitution of Ghana known as The Gold Coast constitution made specific prerequisites for Elected Members of the legislative assembly to be able to speak and read the English language with a degree of proficiency sufficient to enable them to participate in proceedings of the assembly since such proceedings were totally conducted in English. However the 1992 version of the constitution has dropped this requirement. This clearly demonstrates the extent of prestige and significance that the Ghanaian community placed on the usage of the English language for official proceedings. Formal Education began with the influence of the European merchants and the Christian missionaries who invaded the then gold coast in the early 15th century.   Missionaries started building schools and educational centers   Ã‚  and used them as training grounds for their converts. During such trainings emphasis were laid on the learning of the English language than any local language at the time. As a result by the 1890s English was the sole language used for training in schools in the (McWilliam and Kwamena-Poh 1975) The British colonial rule of over a century (1821-1957), led to the establishment of English as the most prestigious and the only official language of the country, a privileged position that the colonial language has retained after independence as well, till the present day. The English Language is today employed in television and radio broadcasts, news papers, magazines, book publications, legal proceedings and documentation, and all forms of official proceedings. The peculiar prestige enjoyed by the English language is clearly evinced in the words of this Ghanaian journalist, who claims that: English [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] enjoys great prestige in the country as it is seen as a language of power and security. Competence in English gives one the power to exercise authority; t is a key to ones advancement in society. It enhances ones chances of getting a good job. A person who wants to feel secure learns English as it is one of the requirements for employment in many areas. (Saah, 1986: 370)6 Sweden For people growing up in Sweden, English is scheduled from the 4th grade until the second year of high school. This means that Swedes study English from the age of ten until seventeen. It adds up to a total of eight years of schooling in the English language. In addition to this many students also have the option to learn a third language for 5 years, from 7th grade to second year in high school. Learning two languages besides the mother tongue is the normal scenario for Swedish academics. The third language is most often German, French or Spanish although lately Italian has been introduced as a choice of third language as well. While the rigorous English education is mandatory in Swedish schools, it should be stated that the third language is optional. Little reflection is needed in order to understand the importance of a second language among Swedes. There are approximately nine million people living in Sweden and Swedish is not spoken to any greater extent in other countries. Due to this it is easy to see how the people in Sweden could benefit from speaking another language in order to communicate outside their national boundaries. The choice of English as a secondary language in Sweden is linked to the size of the language and its influence on the developing countries in a historical perspective. Even though it is clear that size alone was not a single deciding factor when establishing a second language for Sweden, it is obvious how it has been of importance. The Mandarin language has more than twice the speakers and Spanish is also spoken by more people than English. Further, Hindi and Arabic are just slightly smaller languages than English as it is the native tongue for large populations over the globe. However, even though th ese languages are larger or in the same size as English they have not been that useful to the Swedes. This has to do with the general development level of the societies where these languages are predominant. Take mandarin for instance, as China for a long time has been less developed than Europe and America the opportunities to do business with the country has been insignificant compared to the ones presented by countries within Europe and the US. The historical connection to America is also part of the explanation to why English is widely spoken among Swedes. In the ninetieth and twentieth century there was an extensive emigration from Europe to America. Due to harsh living conditions in the Scandinavian region during the time, more than 1,3 million Swedes packed their belongings on boats in order to sail over the north Atlantic ocean. Stories passed on from emigrants to their relatives left in Sweden led to a common perception of America as the prosperous land in the west among Sw edish inhabitants. This affected the general attitude towards the English language and gave people incentives to learn English in order to pursue happiness on the other side of the sea. This is an important event that laid the foundation for the English language in Sweden. Besides this Great Britain was an early developed nation as it was one of the first to become industrialized during the ninetieth century, an event that had huge impact on English in Sweden. In Sweden, comprehensive education is not the only driving force that has developed the English speaking skills among the population. Different media has also contributed in a great sense. As motion pictures from abroad (read Hollywood) seldom, with the exception of childrens movies, are dubbed, the Swedish audience is confronted with the English language each time they amuse themselves with a good film. Swedish television also shows a large number of English speaking shows and series. In fact most of the popular programs are from America or Great Britain. In Sweden all young people are familiar with Jay Leno, Dr. Phil, Top Gear and the various HBO productions such as Entourage, Sopranos and True Blood. When aired these broadcasts are never dubbed, instead Swedish text is provided in order to facilitate understanding. In addition to television and movies, other media such as music, games and the Internet predominately use the English language. The current development is a self fulfil ling prophecy. As more and more media is produced with English as the main language, users of this media adapt and become comfortable with using the language as a natural way of communicating. This is something that has formed the younger generations growing up in Sweden as they are confronted with the English language to a large extent in their daily lives when watching films, playing video games, browsing the Internet or listening to music. To verify the accuracy of the statements above one only has to go two generations back in time. Most grandparents in Sweden do not speak that good English and parents are not as fluent as the generation currently graduating. Similar it seems reasonable to believe that future kids and their grandchildren will be fluent in English, meaning they will be equipped with two native languages. Spain Spain, on the contrary, has the second language with more native speakers in the world divided into 44 countries. Spanish culture, language and religion, historically and forcefully spread into many countries, ensure that Spanish is not endangered and still allow Spaniards to communicate with a large part of the global population. In addition to that, a simple look into Spains recent history shows that after Spanish Civil war (1936-1939), the country fell into an almost 40-year dictatorship that ruled the country into a complete autocracy. For the first half of the dictatorship, Spain relied only on its own resources and remained closed to most of international relations. In the mid 60s due to a dire situation of Spain economics, the country was forced to open, allowing certain imports while exporting work force to Germany and France. Due to the importance and closeness of France, French started being taught in schools, even though it was usually aught for few years due to the short period of schooling that Spains population were used to. It wasnt until a few years after the restoration of democracy (1978) when the importance of English became obvious and the public school system started adding the teaching of English in public schools. However, the impact of English culture and language was so low, that the efforts to learn the language properly were never high resulting on a rather poor knowledge of the language in the general population. As in most countries that werent colonized by the British, the main sources of American/English culture into Spain were movies and series, however, differently from most countries those popular inputs were dubbed into Spanish, so the language (and especially the phonetics) have kept Englishs impact in the Spanish population to an almost absolute 0. Parents that wanted their kids to develop a better level of English would have to opt for specialized language academies, or participating in exchange programs or trips to native speaking countries. It wasnt until the late 90s, with the massive spreading of the Internet that English finally started made its impact on young Spanish population, however, English still remains as a good asset to find a job and some entertainment, but from apart from that, theres no general appeal for Spaniards to gain a high level in English use. The language is learned because it is a great tool to communicate with international people as they key for global communication, generally detached of the American/British cultural factor that surround the language, concentrating on its usability and potential audience formed by multicultural people. English and the sense of a Global Identity When it comes to specific L2, we find that the English Language has become the most important one by large in terms of geographical distribution of speakers. Though English is only the third language when it comes to native speakers (350 million against Spanish (358 million) and Mandarin (800 million)) (Ethnologue, 2009), if we add second-language speakers and those who learn the language as a foreign language, English, with 900 million speakers, rises to the second position only topped by Mandarin with 1151. However, since only 18% of the Mandarin speakers are non-Chinese speakers and 62% of the English speakers are not native-speakers (L2), and its spoken in more than 123 countries in the world, we can draw the conclusion that English has become the current de facto language of the world. Actually, English has become the current lingua franca of international business, science, technology and aviation (Ding Saunders 2006). A lingua franca, originally Italian for Frankish language, is a language systematically used to communicate between persons not sharing mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both persons mother tongues (Wikipedia   ). Hence, a lingua franca can be thought of as something as a bridge language between different nationalities. However it is not the purpose of this paper to study the historical reasons that have lead to the current situation. Due to the falling power and cultural influence of China in East Asia any aspiring Chinese businessman will learn English as it is already well established as the international business language (Ku Zussman 2010). As such English is incontestably the global lingua franca of the current era of globalization (Ding Saunders 2006). The reasons are various and originate from the colonialism of the British Empire to the standardization and spreading of American entertainment and IT industry. The IT revolution with new means for communication, emerging world markets, outsourcing of production to other countries, and common currencies such as the Euro are all contributing to the globalization of the world (Kilbourne 2002). If the industrialization characterized the 18th and 19th century of the western world, globalization is the trait of today. As such it marks a major turning point in human history as large parts of our daily life are affected to some extent. Activities such as reading the morning news in the wall street journal, taking your Asian ec

Educating Rita by Willy Russell :: Papers

Educating Rita by Willy Russell Educating Rita is a play written by Willy Russell. It is about a woman called Rita who feels her life is not fulfilled so she goes to Frank who works at an Open University to tutor her. Rita has a husband called Denny. He is working class and has never been to university, like Rita before she goes to she Frank. Frank on the other hand is a lecturer of literature but does not have everything. He is unhappy at home and is often drunk at his tutorials. The audience's first impression of Frank is that he likes a drink (or two) because in the first scene he is looking for his hidden bottle of whisky. We know straight away that he is a heavy drunk. We only hear Frank talking on the telephone with his partner, Julie. Frank doesn't treat Julie with any respect. He has no intension of going home for tea, he would much prefer to get drunk at the pub. After putting down the phone Frank says " yes that's it you go and put your head in the oven". This shows frank has no feelings for her. Frank works in a university but also tutors for the Open University. Franks wife has quite a few friends but frank doesn't because he is always out at the pub. Frank uses clever words and talks in an intellectual manner. When Rita looks at the picture and says" that's a nice picture" frank thinks it is a strange thing to notice because he has never really noticed it. "Actually I don't think I've noticed it in about 10 years". Frank feels it is a very strange thing to talk about. He takes his surroundings for granted, For example the window " I don't often consider it actually" and jokes about throwing a student out of it. I think Frank likes and respects Rita because he said, "Would you like to borrow it" meaning the book. He also must have had respect for her to let her come to his dinner party.

The Good Earth :: Essays Papers

The Good Earth I was in a complete daze after reading Pearl S. Buck’s remarkable novel, The Good Earth. It was somewhat hard not to stop what I was doing afterwards and try to put myself in the characters’ shoes and visualize everything that happened in the book. I was so taken by the plot that I remember not wanting to put down the book till I knew what happened next in one of the conflicts in the story. Considering my reaction to it when I first got the book and my reaction to it now, you would really think it’s ironic. First of all I wasn’t quite happy when I found out about the reading we had to do and obviously not looking forward to reading having to squeeze it in my hectic after school schedule. I remember when I was at the bookstore and saw how thick of a book it was I thought to myself, â€Å"Great...here’s another long boring book.† But after reading it I eventually proved myself wrong and found out it was well worth reading it all the way thro ugh the last page. Pearl S. Buck did an outstanding job on the book’s vivid description of the characters, emphasizing the importance of Wang Lung’s land, and its sense of dramatic reality. The way the characters are described in the book you can really picture in your mind who they are. It’s very important to be able to visualize them because it helps you get to know them better as characters and have a better understanding of the book. One vivid description is O-lan’s, Wang Lung’s wife. â€Å"Wang Lung turned to the woman and looked at her for the first time. She had a square, honest face, a short, broad nose with large black nostrils, and her mouth was wide as a gash in her face. Her eyes were small and of a dull black color, and were filled with some sadness that was not clearly expressed. It was a face that seemed habitually silent and unspeaking, as though it could not speak if it would.† (p.19) As I was reading this I got the impression that O-lan would be a faithful wife to Wang Lung and it turned out I was right. The fact that she wasn’t beautiful didn’t matter at all. She served her family well. Another meaningful desc ription is Lotus’, Wang Lung’s first mistress, which has an irony to it if you compare it to O-lan’s.

A Critique of the research article

This report is a summary of findings of the research conducted by Military Family Research Institute and the DOD Quality of Life Office about the issue of adaptation amongst adolescents in military families when a parent is deployed.The aim of research was to find new ways of dealing with the problems adolescents faced because of parent’s deployment – basically, it was done to investigate and probe their feelings about the issue, so that military and civilian program professionals could be more intentional and directed regarding developing support programs for young people (Angela & Jay, 2005, p.12).Parental deployment can have several negative outcomes for adolescents. These include depression or negative behavioral adjustment, poor academic performance, and increased irritability and impulsiveness (cited in Angela & Jay, 2005).The report provided by the authors is detailed and descriptive in nature. It offers a helpful set of conclusions which can be used by professio nals, family members, the parent at home, and society in general, to make them understand the impact of deployment of a parent from a child’s perspective. To emphasize the importance of this research, the authors Angela J. Huebner and Jay A. Mancini, wrote the following:Because there are just a few systematic studies of adolescents in military families, the present study marks what we hope will be the beginning of an important line of inquiry. The findings presented in this report should confirm observations made by professionals who work with military adolescents and provide a context for exploring new ways to support adolescents who have a deployed parent.MethodsAdolescents between the age group of 12-18 years were chosen from camps sponsored by National Military Family Association. This was done to simplify the process of locating and choosing children with a deployed parent. NMFA camps in Washington, Hawaii, Texas, and Georgia were the ones which participated in this stud y. The methods used during the research were, first, evaluated and approved by the Institutional Review Board at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.In all, there were 107 adolescents ranging from 12-18 years of age. These participants were then divided into 14 focus groups comprising of 8-10 participants each. The questions asked during the 90 min sessions were focused on determining adolescents’ experience with the deployment. The answers which they got were audio-taped and transcribed.It is important to know some key questions which were asked to the participants. Also given below is one answer picked randomly.1. What is the worst thing about having a parent deployed? â€Å"The worst time is when the phone rings because you don’t know who is calling. They could be calling, telling you that he got shot or something.†2. Do you see changes in your at-home parent when the other is deployed? â€Å"I’m like always worried about my mom and st uff because, again, she’s always dashing everywhere †¦she’s always so freaking worn out.†3. What is it like when that parent returns? â€Å"Well when my dad left, everything’s going one way when he come back, and he’s starting off right where he left so†¦There’s just a big clash and that starts a lot of problems†¦Like he forgets that he’s been gone for like a year or six months. So he still thinks we’re a lot younger and while he was gone we matured a lot over the year. And he’s still trying to treat us the way we were treated a year ago.†Support to adolescents can come from formal or informal sources. The questions asked in this regards was to determine the real effects both such approaches could have individually.4. Who do you go to when you are stressed?For informal support:â€Å"At first when my dad first got deployed, there was a lot of support as in like people calling, people giving us, you k now, food and stuff. But then as time went one, it just kind of died down and nobody really cared that he was deployed.†

Stereotyping Using Racial Profiling

Kiara Jacobs Dr. Benie Colvin English 1101 M, W, F 4 November 2012 Stereotyping using Racial Profiling As a society, people play into the looks, culture, and beliefs of a person and within minutes people make an assumption of who they are. Society takes one look at a person and based on their race, instantly draw a conclusion upon them without even asking them their name. Stereotyping has been around for centuries; the most commonly used stereotypes involve race.People use racial stereotyping based on what society deems that race to be, without first getting to know that person in order to draw individual valid conclusions about them. When people are using racial stereotypes, they often think that they are better than the other person based on the color of their skin. In the article â€Å"Stereotypes† by Saul McLeod, he uses research on stereotypes by Katz and Braly which states, â€Å"Not surprisingly, racial stereotypes always seem to favor the race of the holder and belitt le other races† (McLeod,Katz,Braly).A person who is set on pre-judging someone is that they are better than someone of another race. Some feel as though no one of another racial background can equal to them or is not even worthy to sit and eat with them, all because they do not have the same skin color. People cannot choose what race they want to be. As people belittle each others races, those that they belittle may be left thinking, together they are really better because they are black, white, Latino, or Indian. The media also plays a significant role in racial stereotyping.It is known to influence the minds of many from children to adults. They set forth an image of different racial backgrounds and portray it to the public. In a hosted article by New York Amsterdam news called â€Å"Media Blamed for Negative Stereotyping of Black Males,† it states, â€Å"This false image not only affects race relations†¦ can be predetermined for them by suggestions in the media †(Media Blamed for Negative Stereotyping of Black Males. ). The media adds to racial stereotyping because it gives people more reason to continue to judge a person from of their skin color.It also gives the motive for judgment because the media reflects how contemporary society is shaped. They categorize African Americans with drugs and crime, Caucasians with living the life of luxury, and all Hispanics with being in the United States illegally. Societies may absorb these opinions in their head by viewing television, and automatically think they know a person. The media puts different racial backgrounds in certain categories and makes it hard to change the perception of that racial background because that is all they portray them to be.However, the images that may be shown on television, in a magazine, or on the news does not define a whole set of people. Regrettably, stereotyping someone seems much easier than actually getting to know them. People look at an individual race a nd quickly identify the characteristics that are forced upon them, when in actuality they are nothing like the label society has associated them with. As a society, people should take the time and opportunity to get to know a person as an individual instead of placing them into a category. Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions,† an article from the Boston College states , â€Å"Just like when people are stereotyping you, you should get to know them better because there is a lot more to a person than first impressions† (Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions. ) Taking time out to get to know person intimately as an individual may be difficult for some in their head they already have drawn a conclusion about them. However, few minutes of conversation can change a person’s perspective.A barrier can be broken and opinions can change allowing realization to set in and determine that all people who have the same racial background are not the same. A pers on may look at all African Americans as rude and illiterate. Their entire perception of African Americans may change after getting to know one who is the opposite of what society claims them to be. Therefore, taking a couple of minutes to get to know someone can break a person’s racial stereotypical barrier. Stereotypes in general are hard to overcome. People who are used to hearing stereotypes repeatedly conform to them. Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions† also states, â€Å"One thing to be careful of is becoming more like the stereotype because another person labeled you† (Stereotyping: Seeing Beyond First impressions). Conformity to stereotypes may occur because individuals may feel that they are destined to be the way society has claimed them to be. Racial stereotyping is very difficult to defeat. Individuals have to stand up and claim that they will not be what society may label them to be. Individuals have to prove that they are their own person and not what someone has labeled them to be.It is a difficult task trying to defy the odds of conforming to a stereotype, especially when it is everywhere. Racial stereotyping has a significant impact on the world. It affects the way individuals may treat one another and how communication and ideas may deteriorate just because two people do not represent the same race. Some individuals miss a good opportunity of getting to know different aspects of good people. They are blind to the fact that learning new things about a different culture or race could broaden their knowledge in the world. No one should be looked at differently because of their skin color.For society to make a change for the better, people have to be smart and strong to form their own opinion. People should not let the media, other people or family members influence their thought on a person just because they do not look like them. Works Cited â€Å"Stereotypes. † Stereotypes. Trustees of Boston College, 29 Ma r. 20010. Web. 05 Nov. 2012. . Media blamed for negative stereotyping of Black males. New York Amsterdam News [serial online]. May 31, 1997:13. Available from: MAS Ultra – School Edition, Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 5, 2012.

Interview people about the economy Essay

The people of the Orange County are an optimistic bunch. Yet, one can see this optimism slowly fading away into the darkness. For a country which is so close to perhaps world’s biggest entertainment hub, this is not a pretty picture. It would be wrong to blame the people. Little has gone right for the county since the economic recession of 2008, the effects of which are still quite visible. For a county which was already suffering from one of the more serious unemployment problems than compared to the average figures of the United States of America, the recession of 2008 has spelt doom, and its repercussions can still be felt. Take the case of the 34-year old Mr. Matthews who had a small shop selling electronic goods. However, with most people who gave him patronage, out of jobs or saving up for the bleak future, there are no takers for his once steadily selling shop of television sets and radios. His only hope is a government bailout, so that his customers have more money in their hands, or in other words greater purchasing power so as to indirectly get him out of this mess. Mr. Matthews situation is in complete contrast with Mrs. Mosby who is a secretary with the local government authority. She has been affected very little by the 2008 economic recession but maintains that she is concerned about a lot of her friends, whose businesses have shut or who have been shown the door in their jobs. The only consequence of this recession on her is that while her pay has not increased, prices of many commodities of even general use have gone by which makes it difficult for her to make the ends of her household meet. She is for the moment thankful that she has a government job, but strongly advocates that it is the state’s responsibility to find her fellow citizens a job which at the very least promises them adequate means of survival. Recession and the deteriorating economic situation is a concern not only to those who are currently affected by it, but also those who may be affected by it in the future. Take the case of 24-year old Mike, who is a final year student at the local university. He agrees that the heat in the air can be felt by all, and even though his university manages to put together a small career fair every year, it seems a difficult proposition this year. Although in the top half of his class, Mike admits that getting a job which helps him repay his educational loans he took for college, at least currently, seems to be a daunting task. He is hopeful that by the time he graduates, the situation would improve. He doesn’t make a case for out and out state intervention, but hopes that the state would help big economic powerhouses by giving them incentives and subsidies. Things have turned sour for those who are self-employed as well. Take the instance of a lawyer who has his own practice, Miss Timberlake. Litigation has become suddenly too expensive, and people seem to prefer to hold up matters for now. Even matters of home foreclosure have got delayed for now. People are looking at otherwise normal litigation procedures as a luxury service, which they are unable to afford at the moment, and are not as big a priority as say medical and health expenditure. Health insurance companies are facing the heat as no other according to Jeff, who works at one of the biggest insurance companies. The health and medical costs have spiraled over the last few years. The fact that people have very little disposal income, and are defaulting on their regular premium payments is making the matters worse for the insurance companies. Their being no solution in sight, people are turning to each other and urging them to perform acts of gratitude. For instance, appeals are being made to doctors and other hospital staff to give up a day’s pay. People are becoming much more cautious and conservative in spending their money. For instance, the younger siblings are getting their older siblings clothes. The insurance companies don’t have enough cash flowing in so as to be able to cope up with the increasing medical costs. This spells a disaster not just for one or two companies, but for two industries which are vital to the US economy – health and insurance. Whether there is a way out of this mess is the million dollar question facing everyone right now. The companies in both sectors, however, are optimistic and hope to see things improving with the Obama administration. Obama’s success in being able to pass the health insurance bill is being seen as a huge positive and people seem to be oddly comforted by his words of promise. Job creation is what people are currently looking forward to. Perhaps, the only sections of the society who have nothing to lose right now are the school going children. However, it is amazing how the economic crisis has made way into their everyday conversations as well. David who is only 14 is angry at the whole situation. He maintains that the whole crisis is the fault of the government, which allowed risky investments to be made. He is also unhappy about the liberal policies which have allowed a bulk of the work to be outsourced to other destinations where labour is much cheaper. Stricter laws are needed, he argues emphatically. Those who are retired have been hit badly as well. Their pension schemes and other insurance amounts are simply not enough for them to be able to make their ends meet. Home foreclosures are likely and in the offing, and this has most of them worried. Take the case of Mr. Andrews, who is 66 years old and survives on a small pension scheme. Recently the prices of even basic consumables have risen so sharply risen that he is finding it difficult to make the ends meet. His old age means that it is much more difficult for him to find a job as compared to other freshers just out of college. He is worried that if the State fails to take some concrete steps soon, many Americans could be tinkering on the verge of starving poverty. Take the case of Mr. Murdoch who is a stock market analyst and broker. In the economic recession of 2008, he lost close to $100,000. He says that he is devastated and doesn’t know if there is any hope remaining for his business, and whether he will be able to revive it in the near future. He is currently torn between the idea of continuing his business, or taking up a small job somewhere. However, he himself laughs at the irony of it all, given that it would be near impossible to find a job anywhere. He also feels responsible to many of his clients, who he was acting for, and have lost a considerable amount of money in the stock market. At the same time, however, he is quick to point out that investment in the market is subject to market risks, and therefore, one is understood to have assumed the same.

The Origins and Implications of Bebop of Dizzy Gillespie

The evolution of jazz represents not just the musical maturity and divergences in African-American music but also a fundamental departure from the stereotypes and socio-cultural issues that have been facing African-Americans. Jazz which is commonly regarded by critics as an African music reeking with sexual innuendos had experienced its most dramatic and most important change in the introduction of Bebop.Bebop therefore represents the departure from classical jazz and ushered the era of young black musicians seeking to establish their own ground in the United States and the world.Pioneered by gifted musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, the Bebop era during the 1940s-1950s is considered to be the end of classical jazz and the start of modern jazz. This paper seeks to explore and evaluate the origins of Bebop and Afro-Cuban Jazz and how it had changed the landscape of jazz music including the social and cultural context by which it is created and performed. Drawing from the life story an d works of Dizzy Gillespie, this paper traces the contributions of Bebop in jazz and in modern society particularly among African-Americans.Dizzy Gillespie and the Origins and Rise of BebopThe principal figure of Bebop music has been John Birks Gillespie or more popularly known as Dizzy Gillespie. Considered as the founder of Bebop music, Dizzy Gillespie was an instrumental figure in the popularity of the transition of jazz to a more difficult and fast rhythms of bebop as emphasized in the 32nd notes and the familiar 2nd and 4th beats popular in Afro-Americans. Born in October 21, 1917 Gillespie's family moved to New York City in 1937 where he began to play the trumpet and worked with different artists through his job in different Orchestras.Even in his early years, Gillespie had been noted to change the chords based on the melodies in his performances. This is to be noted one of the primary deviations of jazz from bebop. Inspired by the earlier styles of Eldridge, Gillespie was alr eady known for his faster speed in playing the trumpet, utilization of chord changes and new rythms including the upper register notes above high C. His musical maturity was further honed when he met and collaborated with another bebop saxophonist player in Charlie Parker (Jazz at Lincoln Center, 9).In the 1940s, the composition of Gillespie which included Groovin' High, Woody ‘n You, Manteca, Salt Peanuts among others was found in mainstream jazz. In the middle of 1940s, bebop was already gaining strength in terms of number of musicians and followers. Bebop music emerged as a subcategory of jazz through the works of several African Americans who developed bebop as a combination of dancing, rhythm, harmony and the phrasing of the song. These were the primary deviation of bebop from jazz. The history of Bebop can be traced as early as the late 1930s through the works of Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker.However, the rise in the popularity of bebop started in the 52nd Street wh en David Gillespie together with Parker, Sarah Vaughan, and others has started to collaborate and develop the music. From there, the signal of the bebop era was welcomed together with the opening of the Onyx Club which has housed bebop musicians (Horricks, 5). Dizzy Gillespie did not only pioneer the popularity of bebop but was also considered to be as one of the more influential musicians of Afro-Cuban jazz which is also called the Spanish Tinge. To a large extent, the Afro-Cuban jazz was a direct descendant of the bebop music of Gillespie.Composed primarily of variety of music, Afro-Cuban jazz including the more popular ones in contemporary times are salsa, cha cha cha and merengue. The collaboration of Gillespie with Bauza during the time of bebop also ushered the era of Afro-Cuban jazz. With the influence of Gillespie, the song Manteca by Pozo was formed in the 52nd St. This development furthered the audience of bebop to include Cubop (Afro-Cuban jazz). Concurrently, the Cubop g ained a wider audience through the popularity of one of its variety- the mambo dance.Proponents and Opponents: Impact of Bebop and Afro-American Music on Jazz First, Bebop was instrumental not only in modernizing jazz but also in portraying the social and cultural modernization of African Americans. To a significant extent, the emergence of bebop music is considered to be the start of modernizing jazz in the context of Afro-American music. This type of music however should not be confined to jazz, music and the arts alone. According to Ramsey, bebop signifies the â€Å"African American responses to their experiences of modernity† (97).Thus, the bulwarks of Dizzy Gillespie's work together with bebop sessions in Harlem according to the author are drenched with counter cultural imagery. Concurrently, bebop is instrumental in the emergence of jazz as a means of social expression full of political and cultural commentaries. Thus, bebop is not just an autonomous art but rather one that is both social and art. Second, bebop became the music not only of black African-Americans but also of young white Americans and Europeans. Before the development of Jazz, many cultures such as those in Europe considers jazz to be overtly sexual and is the music of Black Americans.With the emergence of bebop in the 1940s, the misconception of jazz and African Americans allowed a wider audience base- it is no longer confined to more liberal societies and liberals but were tolerated by conservative societies (Deveaux, 527). Consequently, Gillespie and the rest of the young black performers together with young whites became a representation not just of the departure from the old Jazz but also a revolt and a criticism of the social and cultural beliefs of their ancestors (Ehrenberg, 236).To a significant extent, the changes in the notes, rhythm, chord, phrasing of jazz which ushered the era of bebop made the perception of jazz as sexual and for romantics changed. The popularity and the widening of the audience base therefore was one of the primary impacts of Gillespie and bebop. Third, despite the differences between bebop and jazz, some jazz fans were reluctant to accept the seeming racing and fragmented sound of bebop. However, more jazz fans were fascinated and excited by the new type of jazz being offered to them (Ehrenberg, 237).The niche of bebop was centered on the younger population (younger than the earlier jazz fans); this appeal was also attributed to the improvisation of the free structure in phrasing. Much like free verses that are popular today, bebop's spontaneity became a hit for the younger audience. Moreover, the difficulty in performing bebop from that of jazz elevated the status of bebop musicians. For one, the use of chord substitutions and alteration in chords leading to rapid changing in chord progressions limited the number of musicians who can play.This is because for one to perform a bop piece, the musician must be expert and extreme ly talented particularly with the development of confracts. Fourth, criticisms and opponents of bebop were further silenced upon the introduction of Gillespie and some musicians of a variety of bebop- the Cubop or the Afro-Cuban jazz. The Cubop whose precursor is bebop emerged with the combination of bebop and the music from Cuba and Spain. The advent of this type of music did not occur in Cuba however, as it was popularized in New York due to the influence of its proponents.The popularity and charisma of Gillespie had been largely credited for the success of the Afro-Cuban music who had been trying to carve a niche of their own for years. Jazz from Latin American, it should be remembered had few following because of the lack of mainstream exposure. Similar to bebop, Cubop derives its ingenuity from the rich cultural musical history of Latin America coupled with the free improvisation that was popularized by bebop. Termed as Descarga sessions or jamming in modern society, Cubop beca me popular in the US and other countries in the 1950s and 1960s.Consequently, it is also evident that Afro-Cuban jazz is largely African-American in nature. Both countries have the same history of being colonized and repressed for so long. Thus, similar to bebop, Cubop also talked about social and cultural issues similar to that of bebop. The Afro-Cuban jazz of the 1940s-1950s therefore was largely influenced by Gillespie and African musicians. However, due to the development among Cuban musicians, the 1950s and 1960s Cubop had been increasingly characterized by Cuban music. Conclusion The emergence of Bebop as pioneered by Gillespie was met with differing reactions from jazz followers and musicians.On one hand, critics regarded Bebop as the end of the classical jazz- it was a departure from the elite style and the romantic solemnity that jazz has been known for. Moreover, opponents of bebop argue that significantly, bebop has stripped jazz with the spirituality, romanticism and the blues that its ardent followers have loved before. Essentially, jazz has been viewed as an expression of emotionality and the deepest feelings of musicians and its followers. However, these opponents contend that Bebop dramatically changed jazz to open an era that will never look back.On the other hand, proponents of Bebop argue that it was Bebop who had brought jazz to the mainstream. Before, jazz is confined to the elite class and to African Americans. However, with the introduction of Bebop, even younger Blacks and Whites became followers of Bebop. Consequently, bebop redefined jazz: it is no longer the music of African Americans but rather, a universal music that everyone can enjoy. Moreover, the fast and the changing chords including the free phrasing in Bebop had excited former followers of jazz, reinvigorating their support for the music.Consequently, bebop was also responsible for the new genre in music including Afro-Cuban and the succeeding variations of jazz. Despite the critics of classical jazz lovers, the contribution of Dizzy Gillespie and Bebop in music and jazz history had been enormous. Musically, Bebop and Gillespie inspired young black musicians to create their own music: to come out of the box of their cultural limitations in order to create a venue of expression. Contemporary musicians for instance still experiment on the works of Gillespie and bebop. Gillespie was also responsible for popularizing jazz in mainstream society.For instance, jazz is now considered to be a part of the pop culture- something that cannot be said during the earlier parts of its development. Consequently, Bebop also created a departure of the usual love songs and blues in jazz to include significant social commentaries- thus, widening the base by which African American stages their freedom of expression, cultural values and social stands. Bebop did not only usher a new era in jazz music, its influence both musically and socially is still relevant in modern socie ty.Works CitedRamsey, Guthrie. Race Music: Black Cultures from Bebop to Hip-Hop.Berkeley; University of California Press. 2003.Jazz at Lincoln Center. The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad. 2006.Retrieved 4 December at http://jazzatlincolncenter. org/TheRoad_noFl/pdf/Latin_Guide_English. pdf.Horricks, Raymond, Dizzy Gillespie and the Bebop Revolution, Hippocrene, 1984.DeVeaux, Scott. Constructing the Jazz Tradition: Jazz Historiography. Black American Literature Forum 25. 1991. 525-560.Ehrenberg, Lewis. Things to Come: Swing Bands, Bebop, and the Rise of a Postwar Jazz Scene; in Recasting America, edited by Larry May. University of Chicago Press. 1989.