Where Have You Gone, Joshua Chamberlain? :: Free Essays Online

Where Have You Gone, Joshua Chamberlain? To some, it may be considered a minor inconvenience. To others, a drawn-out ordeal with annoying aspects, but one they realize will be completed shortly. Yet to some, to a select, elite group of young, paranoid, and, let’s face it, broke, lot of people known as college students, it’s a travesty. An impossibility. An object traveling deep into the Void, never to be seen again. This trip into the parallel universe to which some objects traverse without return is known as: The Loss of a Package Sent by your Parents. It wasn’t a package of cookies -- oh no, it couldn’t be something sweet, simple, and purely meant as a tasty surprise. Nor was it a warm, knit blanket, something to keep me toasty warm during long, cold nights of studying in my fairly-heated dorm room. Mail accidentally sent to my home address instead of my brand-new, thoroughly unfamiliar college address it was not. It was a package of books, hand-picked by my dad, for my first college presentation, discussing the life of a Civil War general, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. My father is somewhat of a self-taught expert on the subject. A man who has been that annoying voice in the back of a group tour, constantly asking questions and making comments (this â€Å"he-usually-makes-fun-of-this-person† day took place at the Joshua Chamberlain Museum in Brunswick, Maine). A man who has scoured every remote bookstore location in Maine, searching, praying, for another addition to his collection of scores of books concerning the late, great Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine. This past summer, he hit the jackpot. While walking in Freeport, Maine, land of the wondrous L.L. Bean store, my father stumbled upon a small shanty of a store with a meager painted sign which read: â€Å"BOOKS: 20TH MAINE.† With bated breath, my dad entered the store. And there, among rows of Civil War memorabilia, regiment flags and extremely overpriced bronze replicas of battles such as Little Round Top, Dan Beaulieu found heaven. To this day, I wonder if he breathed once in that store, for fear that a puff of air might blow away his Holy Grail of bookstores. After a very exciting hour of buying T-shirts with inspiring quotes

Identity struggle †The narrow and broad path in James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain Essay

James Baldwin’s life was deeply marked by an identity struggle. A struggle to find out what it meant to be an American and foremost what it meant to be an Afro American. Like in other works he also deals with this topic in his first novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, where John Grimes confronts this problem on his fourteenth birthday. The following paper will therefore take a look at the possibilities offered to the Afro American characters in the story, especially to John, and what role the church plays in this context. Moreover it will outline John Grimes situation between a religious up-bringing in poverty and the longing for a better financial life by adopting white ways. Finally it will try to elaborate on the basis of two key scenes whether John’s decision is based on faith or hopelessness. II. Imposed roles – Afro Americans in a dominantly white society From the very beginning of the novel the possibilities of Afro Americans in American society are depicted as very remote, especially in John Grimes’ case: â€Å"Everyone had always said that John would be a preacher when he grew up, just like his father.† . His entire life and all the people in it are set in a religious environment, blocking out any kind of secular influence. As a matter of fact no other future option for him is ever mentioned in the novel. At some point though his teachers notice that he is very intelligent: â€Å"You’re a very bright boy, John Grimes [†¦] Keep up the good work.† .His parents don’t seem to be aware of this or don’t consider this to be of importance for his future perspectives. This hopelessness can be traced throughout each character’s life in the novel. Those who do not accept their role imposed to them by society tend to fail in life. For example Aunt Florence who sets out North in order to achieve a higher living standard, but ends up alone after driving her husband away from her due to her ambition to gain a higher social standard. Further, John’s real father Richard is crushed by the injustice against black men in a dominantly white society and consequently commits suicide. Hence, John and the following generations are taught to accept the circumstances and their status in American society. In order to cope with this they are advised to lead a highly religious life and to shut out all secular elements. It is this aspect that Baldwin criticizes mostly. He blames the black people for accepting the myth of being inferior to white people without a struggle . Moreover he accuses them of copying white ways and replacing their own African traditions . Aunt Florence even takes a step further in the novel by trying to bleach her skin with beauty products, hereby rejecting her black skin and thus her heritage. At the same time he blames the Anglo-American society for depriving black people of all freedom and power to direct their own lives . This identity struggle is clearly visible in John’s case and will be discussed in detail in chapter three. 2.1. Black church as a helpful companion or a mere distraction from reality? Since the current story evolving around John primarily takes place in a church and deals with his conversion it is important to take a closer look at the role of Black Christianity and the Black Church. The Temple of the Fire Baptized, family Grimes’ church, is presented to the reader as a place of redemption and as a shelter from all the sin in the world. John is confronted with this supposedly sin on his way to church every Sunday in the form of men and women coming home from bars and cat houses . The constant threats of damnation and hell itself, which Macebuh states as being part of the Black Christianity, also appear throughout the entire novel. Due to the permanent warnings of temptations and sin by his parents and the church community, John lives in abiding fear of God’s wrath, even in harmless places such as the movies: He waited for the darkness to be shattered by the light of the second coming, for the ceiling to crack upward, revealing, for every eye to see, the chariots of fire on which descended a wrathful God and all the host of Heaven. In return for refuge and brotherhood, the members are curtailed freedom and have to renounce all worldly pleasures. Especially this aspect of religion is irreproducible for John and even more for Roy, who openly criticizes his father for forcing them to obey: Yeah [†¦] we don’t know how lucky we is to have a father what don’t want you to go to movies, and don’t want you to play in the streets, and don’t want you to have no friends, and he don’t want this and he don’t want that, and he don’t want you to do nothing. We so lucky to have a father who just wants us to go to church and read the Bible [†¦]. In the novel the church primarily seems to be a place of comfort for those in sorrow, such as Aunt Florence. She remembers having gone to church only once since she moved to the North and her visit to the Temple of the Fire Baptized now is due to her cancer and fear of death. So it seems that people rather turn to God out of despair than out of strong belief. This assumption is also enforced by an ironic observation the narrator makes concerning the character’s habits of church going: Tarry service officially began at eight, but it could begin at any time, whenever the Lord moved one of the saints to enter the church and pray. It was seldom, however, that anyone arrived before eight thirty, the Spirit of the Lord being sufficiently tolerant to allow the saints time to do their Saturday-night shopping, clean their houses, and put their children to bed. Especially the younger people do not seem to go to church voluntarily to help out, leaving John usually alone to clean up the Temple, unless Elisha shows up to give him a hand: â€Å"Lord, Sister McCandless,† he said, â€Å"look like it ain’t never but us two. I don’t know what the other young folks does on Saturday nights, but they don’t come nowhere near here.† . Ironically, while Elisha says this, John thinks to himself that not even Elisha shows up frequently on Saturdays. All these passages show that the so called â€Å"saints† in the novel do not go to church out of religious reasons but because they are desperate and consider the church as a â€Å"rallying point around which they sought to lessen their pain by sharing in one another’s joys and suffering† as Macebuh puts it . Peter Bruck interprets this similarly. He sees the Negro Church as the only available social space for the black society in history. But still this social field of activity does not help to change the inhuman conditions each character suffers and the prayers also do not improve their psychological and social circumstance . In this context, particularly in chapter two, â€Å"The Prayers of the Saints†, the reader gets an idea of what the prayer of each member consists. During mass all of them reflect on their past and recall their sins, but they do not pray out of their love for God but out of fear that He might make them suffer his wrath, since He is not the â€Å"compassionate God of the New Testament† . Colin MacInnes goes even further in his essay by referring to religion as â€Å"a fierce and constant compulsion that never abandons them [the characters] a second† . Bone states that religion means refuge from the terrors of everyday life and God therefore represents safety: â€Å"God and safety became synonymous, and the church, a part of his survival strategy†. However, the price for this safety is renouncement of personal power of one’s sex and social power of one’s people . Overall Bone reckons that the church offers either the path of self-hatred or the path of self-acceptance, with Christ as a kind of spiritual bleaching cream. In this structure the Negro masses function as a ritual enactment of their dai ly pain . Edward Margolies depicts the Negro Church as a â€Å"kind of community newspaper† which links the new immigrants to their Southern past and functions as an output for their rage, terror and frustrations . In addition to all the authors here mentioned, Margolies expands the church’s functions upon the field of masculine identity. The church exemplifies by means of the wrathful Old Testament God a masculine role model many Negro adolescences lack in their family environment . This can also be applied to John’s case. Rejected by his father, or as the reader knows, his stepfather, he feels unloved and ugly. On the one hand he despises God, since he sees his father as God’s minister . On the other hand though, he longs to be saved and become God’s son, who would then protect him: Then he would no longer be the son of his father, but the son of his Heavenly Father, the King. Then he need no longer fear his father, for he could take, as it were, their quarrel over his father’s head to Heaven – to the Father who loved him, who had come down in the flesh to die for him. This passage clearly shows that the church provides John with some kind of psychic compensation for the love his father deprives him of and that he sees in God an ally against his father. This would become redundant if he were to find out that Gabriel is not his real father and that he has also sinned in his past life, namely in the form of his unclaimed firstborn son with Esther . As for Elisha, who also tries to bring him closer to God, John sees in him a brotherly and fatherly figure he looks up to, but he also feels attracted to him in sexual ways. Elisha somehow represents the earthly protection and guidance John needs in order to find his identity. He is also the one who shows him another side of God and religion. Instead of the wrathful God his father preaches him, Elisha speaks of a caring and blessing one who protects and saves . In general, the church is depicted as a kind of sanctuary for the characters, just as it was for James Baldwin himself. The black Church offered him in a similar way shelter and refuge from the terrors of the streets . Overall, true belief is disregarded in contrast to safety which now stands for Christianity. III. In search of identity: Between secularization and clericalization Given the background so far John Grimes is trapped between the clerical life his parents force unto him and the secular life that awaits him outside his home on the streets. The title of the novel, the first line of a Negro spiritual, refers to the good news of Jesus Christ’s existence. Additionally, the first chapter that introduces the reader to the characters is called â€Å"The seventh day†, a clear reference to the creation story of Genesis . Both function as allusions to biblical constructions. In a figurative sense, John’s fourteenth birthday can therefore be seen as a creative process, which marks his finding of self-identity, as well in religious terms as in worldly or sexual terms. The following chapters will take a closer look at two passages where John faces different paths concerning his identity, one characterized by a more material and white world and another leading to a strictly religious life. 3.1. John’s getaway to Manhattan – Denial of his black heritage? On his fourteenth birthday John uses the money his mother gives him to buy a metro card and drive down to Manhattan. As mentioned before John feels attracted to the shining and sparkling world of white men and is not so â€Å"much interested in his people† . He cares more about what the white people think of him and feels very proud when they notice his intelligence in school . This intelligence symbolizes for him a special power the others do not possess and which he hopes will bring him the love he lacks: â€Å"Perhaps, with this power he might one day win that love which he so longed for.† . For John the white world represents power and success . Thus, once he arrives at Central Park and reaches the top of the hill, he feels as if he could counter the entire city: He did not know why, but there arose in him an exultation and a sense of power, and he ran up the hill like an engine, or a madman, willing to throw himself headlong into the city that glowed before him [†¦] Then he, John, felt like a giant who might crumble this city with his anger; he felt like a tyrant who might crush this city beneath his heel; he felt like a long-awaited conqueror at whose feet flowers would be strewn [†¦] He would be, of all, the mightiest, the most beloved, the Lord’s anointed, and he would live in this shining city which his ancestors had seen with longing from far away. There alone on the top of the hill he dreams of being part of the city and belonging to the upper white class, which would accept him unconditionally. But as soon as he recalls the people’s reactions to him he is pulled back into reality: â€Å"He remembered the people he had seen in the city, whose eyes held no love for him [†¦] and how when they passed they did not see him, or, if they saw him, they smirked.† . Despite these incidents John still feels as part of the white social stratum due to his intelligence, but reality looks quite different and resembles more his parents’, especially his father’s warnings of the city and white men in general. As he walks along Central Park he keeps imagining what it would be like living in such an environment and being wealthy. The absence of God in this society is not a drawback for John, since he sees that the way of life according to the Lord has not really helped his parents with their everyday struggles: In the narrow way, the way of the cross, there awaited him only humiliation forever; there awaited him, one day, a house like his father’s house, and a church like his father’s, and a job like his father’s, where he would grow old and black with hunger and toil. The way of the cross had given him a belly filled with wind and had bent his mother’s back; they had never worn fine clothes, but here, where the buildings contested God’s power and where the men and women did not fear God, here he might eat and drink to his heart’s content and clothe his body with wondrous fabrics [†¦]. Despite the fact that he knows that â€Å"their thoughts were not of God, and their way was not God’s way† , he cannot believe how the white society, being so beautiful and gracious, could end up in hell. He himself had been witness of their capacity to do good when he was sick and one of his teachers had brought him medicine. Although John does not really know yet who he is and where he belongs, at this point he does know that he never wants to end up like his father. Due to his young age and inexperience it is more likely that he feels attracted to the white society on the grounds of a wealthier future it seems to offer and not because he tries to deny his black heritage. His aversion to black people derives basically from the fact that his entire Negro environment characterizes itself by poverty and does not offer him a successful, strong or caring male role model. On the contrary, John’s self-hatred and accusation are a result of his father’s treatment. Hence, he tries to find an explanation for his father’s rejection in his own shortcomings, such as his desire to leave the ghetto or his intelligence which singles him out . Gabriel’s ongoing criticism of John’s outward appearance leads to insecurity and self-doubt: His father had always said that his face was the face of Satan – and was there not something – in the lift of the eyebrow, in the way his rough hair formed a V on his brow – that bore witness to his father’s words? In the eye there was a light that was not the light of Heaven, and the mouth trembled, lustful and lewd, to drink deep of the wines of Hell [†¦] two great eyes, and a broad, low forehead, and the triangle of his nose, and his enormous mouth, and the barely perceptible cleft in his chin, which was, his father said, the mark of the devil’s little finger [†¦] he most passionately desired to know: whether his face was ugly or not. By contrast, the white society stands for success and seems to offer him all the possibilities his father deprives him of. Most of all John associates access to knowledge with white people. Next to the incident at school, which was mentioned earlier on page three, John feels both attracted and frightened by the Public Library on 42nd Street. He believes books to be part of high culture and thus a white privilege. Scared he stands in front of the building not knowing how people would react to him if he dared to go inside: He loved this street, not for the people or the shops but for the stone lions that guarded the great main building of the Public Library, a building filled with books and unimaginably vast, and which he had never yet dared to enter [†¦] But he had never gone in because the building was so big that it must be full of corridors and marble steps, in the maze of which he would be lost and never find the book he wanted. And then everyone, all the white people inside, would know that he was not used to great buildings, or to many books, and they would look at him with pity. This passage also shows that even though the big city fascinates John, it also seems to him as a kind of maze that terrifies him and brings back his father’s words of warning. Despite all these admonitions and the fact that John is aware of the Negro treatment and history in the United States , he believes that his knowledge is the key to white acceptance. His getaway to Manhattan also leads him to Broadway, which he automatically associates with the broad path to Hell and damnation: â€Å"Broadway: the way that led to death was broad, and many could be found thereon [†¦]† . Still he immediately dismisses this image and decides to see a movie on Sixth Avenue, where once again he is plagued by thoughts of God punishing him for this supposedly sin . Inspired by the main character of the movie, whom he admires for her strength and independency, John tries to figure out whether there is a third path in life: â€Å"John thought of Hell, of his soul’s redemption, and the struggle to find a compromise between the way that led to life everlasting and the way that ended in the pit. But there was none [†¦]† .   This trip to Manhattan signifies for John an escape from his father’s religious world and one step closer to the life he wishes to lead, one that is characterized by financial security and social status independent of his skin color. As mentioned before, this tendency in John can be ascribed to a longing for a better life and not to an intended denial of his blackness. Still his desire to be part of the white society leads automatically to a negation of his ancestor’s past and hence to alienation from his own people. Therefore John’s desired white identity is only a mock identity which would never work. The only way of finding his real identity is by accepting his own heritage and history and consequently his own father . Moreover, by attending the movies he does not only carry out an act of social participation but also an act of defiance both against morality and religion, since he identifies with the white heroine’s attitude, who â€Å"tells the world to kiss her ass† . Ironically, in the end John remains in his secular thinking as much a victim of his fears of God as those who are willing to accept God’s power . 3.2. John’s conversion – True belief or a mere survival gimmick? The other path, the narrow one which is available for John, is the religious one his parents and his community offer him. Here the third chapter â€Å"The Treshing Floor† or rather the conversion scene in this chapter can be taken as a good example. Even though John mentioned before that â€Å"he did not long for the narrow way, where all his people walked† , in chapter three he engages in an ecstatic conversion. Therefore this experience is questionable and rather seems to be a flight from the quest for identity into the ostensible safety the black church offers . During his spiritual experience he encounters various obstacles, his father being the most difficult one. While John is lying in front of the altar he sees his father looking down on him without pity or love, but instead he keeps hearing him say: â€Å"I’m going to beat sin out of him. I’m going to beat it out!† . As mentioned before the only way to God is through his father and by admitting his sin. Like the son of Noah, he too had made fun of his father’s bareness and was now cursed for it to the present just like Ham. By accepting this, namely that â€Å"all niggers had come from this most undutiful of Noah’s sons† and that â€Å"a curse was renewed from moment to moment, from father to son† , he embraces his black heritage. Some critics, e.g. Csaba Csapà ³, go even further by assuming that by doing so he also embraces his homosexuality, which comes to show in his relationship with Elisha . But this is altogether a different topic of the novel, which does not contribute to this essays matter and will therefore not be discussed at this point. His ongoing journey takes him into a grave, which symbolizes the past, isolation, death but also resurrection, where the collective singing and praying further strengthens his realization of his own history : In this murmur that filled the grave [†¦] he recognized a sound that he had always heard [†¦] This sound had filled John’s life, so it now seemed, from the moment he had first drawn breath. He had heard it everywhere [†¦] It was in his father’s anger, in his mother’s calm insistence, and in the vehement mockery of his aunt [†¦] Yes, he had heard it all his life, but it was only now that his ears were opened to this sound that came from darkness, that yet bore such sure witness to the glory of the light. And now in his moaning, and so far from any help, he heard it in himself. This experience creates an identity in John which no longer separates him from his black environment but rather strengthens the feeling of solidarity. Nevertheless, this identity-shaping does not change John’s relationship to his father: â€Å"[†¦] the living word that could conquer the great division between his father and himself. But it did not come [†¦]† . Peter Bruck explains this situation with the fact that John’s experience does not signify relief from his damnation, but merely constitutes a momentary ease from the existing situation, similar to the Noah and Ham network . This assumption is also supported by Gabriel’s comment after John’s conversion: â€Å"It comes from your mouth [†¦] I want to see you live it. It’s more than a notion.† . He reminds John of the fact that his conversion is merely the first step and that he is still to be tested by the long, complex journey of life. This is also emphasized by the unchanged picture the saints face the morning after John’s conversion, which stands in contrast to the development he has undergone: Yet the houses were there, as they had been; the windows, like a thousand, blinded eyes, stared outward at the morning – at the morning that was the same for them as the mornings of John’s innocence, and the mornings before his birth. The water ran in the gutters with a small, discontented sound; on the water traveled paper, burnt matches, sodden cigarette-ends; gobs of spittle, green-yellow, brown, and pearly; the leavings of a dog, the vomit of a drunken man, the dead sperm, trapped in rubber, of one abandoned to his lust. This passage clearly shows the constant burdens of life and the unimproved reality awaiting John. The picture is characterized by decay and waste and thus depicts John’s hopeless situation in spite of his new found identity. As his father mentioned to him he is still endangered by his environment and his relationship to yonder has not improved at all. The people will still confront him with the same pity and hostility as before, calling him â€Å"Frog-eyes† and other names . Hence the church only offers a temporary place of refuge without really creating better options for the future. It only partially illuminates things and merely hides or damns others . But in the midst of all this pessimism there also exists a spark of hope for John. He has now found a new ally in Elisha who already helped him through his conversion and will keep on doing so in the future. Further, he has introduced John to the love of God, instead of the theological terror of the false God his father preaches . As Robert Bone also hints at, the church can function as a â€Å"path of self-hatred† or as a â€Å"path of self-acceptance† . The following lines point to a new start and ongoing journey lying ahead of Jo hn: The sun had come full awake. It was waking the streets, and the houses, and crying at the windows. It fell over Elisha like a golden robe, and struck John’s forehead, where Elisha had kissed him, like a seal ineffaceable forever. Again, this kiss and the rising sun can be interpreted as John’s awakening homosexuality, which in the following works of Baldwin is also seen as a source of hope . The closing lines of the novel â€Å"I’m ready [†¦] I’m coming. I’m on my way.† impart an open ending to the story, leaving out which path John is going to take after all. IV. Conclusion The ending of the novel leaves the reader wondering whether John has definitely chosen the â€Å"narrow path† he so long avoided, even despised. Only several hours before, he still dreamed of a wealthy life midst the white society, far away from his own people and poverty. The moment he realizes that â€Å"this world was not for him† and that â€Å"they would never let him enter† , as his father always kept preaching him, he turns to his only other option, the black church. Thus, it seems to be more a last desperate act to survive in the brutal streets of Harlem, than an act of religious belief. This step can also be found in James Baldwin’s own biography. After having served as a preacher for several years, he left the black church unsatisfied and misunderstood, still searching for his own identity as an American, better as an Afro American. In exchange for sanctuary he had to give up his sexuality and entirely isolate himself from the outer world, which might get him into conflict with the white power. This meant exchanging the personal power of one’s sex and the social power of one’s people in exchange for the power of the Word, in Baldwin’s eyes the historical betrayal of the Negro Church . A similar pattern of behavior can be observed in John, who sees in religion also a survival gimmick. Although during John’s religious ecstasy the reader might get the impression that he is acting according to belief, his final words to Elisha on the way home evoke insecurity in this decision: â€Å"[†¦] no matter what happens to me, where I go, what folks say about me, no matter what anybody says, you remember [†¦] I was saved. I was there.† . It seems as though he knows that his conversion is not the finish line and yet another journey awaits him that may lead him away from the church, as it did James Baldwin. V. Bibliography Primà ¤rliteratur †¢Baldwin, James: Go Tell It on the Mountain. New York: Bantam Dell 1980. Sekundà ¤rliteratur †¢Bone, Robert A.: â€Å"James Baldwin† in: Keneth Kinnamon: James Baldwin. A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1974, p. 28-38. †¢Bruck, Peter: Von der „store front churchâ€Å" zum „American Dreamâ€Å". James Baldwin und der amerikanische Rassenkonflikt. Amsterdam: B. R. Grà ¼ner 1975, p.24-36. †¢Csapà ³, Csaba: „Race, Religion and Sexuality in Go Tell It on the Mountain† in: Carol E. Henderson: James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountain. Historical and Critical Essays. New York: Peter Lang 2006, p.57-74. †¢Fabre, Michel: „Fathers and Sons in James Baldwin’s Go Tell It on the Mountainâ€Å" in: Keneth Kinnamon: James Baldwin. A Collection of Critical Essays. New Jersey: Prentice Hall 1974, p.120-138. †¢Jones, Beau Fly: „The Struggle for Identity† in: The British Journal of Sociology, Vol. 17, No.2 (June 1966), p.107-121. †¢Kent, George E.: „Baldwin and the Problem of Being† in: Therman B. O’Daniel: James Baldwin. A Critical Evaluation. London: AD. Donker 1977, p.19-29. †¢Macebuh, Stanley: James Baldwin: A critical Study. New York: The Third Press Joseph Okpaku Publishing Company 1973, p.49-68. †¢MacInnes, Colin: „Dark Angel: The Writings of James Baldwin† in: Gibson, Donald B.: Five Black Writers. New York: New York University Press 1970, p.119-126. †¢Margolies, Edward: „The Negro Church: James Baldwin and the Christian Vision† in: Harold Bloom: James Baldwin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers 1986, p.59-76. †¢Rosenblatt, Roger: â€Å"Out of Control: Go Tell It on the Mountain and Another Country† in: Harold Bloom: James Baldwin. New York: Chelsea House Publishers 1986, p.77-90. †¢Sylvander, Carolyn Wedin: James Baldwin. New York: Frederick Ungar Publishing Co. 1980, p.27-44. View as multi-pages

Summary Of Anne Bradstreet And Phillis Wheatley - 951 Words

Finally, literature can create a platform for those who typically are unable to influence society publicly or on a public platform. For example, women in the 17th and 18th centuries possessed very little societal influence and there for had to find a means to still leave their mark on the world and impact it for the better. Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley are two such women who sought out a way to impact the world. These two women, although from extremely different circumstances, both wrote about what life was like for women in these two centuries and both are considered courageous according to the standards of may despite being in the submissive female role that society had categorized and placed them in. For example, Anne Bradstreet†¦show more content†¦Wheatley wrote the first book of verses by an African American and paved the way for ethnic writers to follow and do the same. Despite her enslavement at the age of 7, she continued to be a powerful voice for her race and for women all throughout the 18th century. One of her most famous poems has been retitled, â€Å"And Still I Rise† by many, and its speaks of her courageous spirit and grateful heart as she was taken from the only home she had ever known to be shipped to America and serve those she did not know, and yet – she did so with courage,â€Å"Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land, Taught my benighted soul to understand That theres a God, that theres a Saviour too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew. Some view our sable race with scornful eye, Their colour is a diabolic die. Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain, May be refind, and join th angelic train,† (Wheatley). Despite being taken from her home and horribly mistreated, Wheatley chose to be courageous. Although she was only a slave, she chose to use writing as a platform, she chose to be proud of her race as shown in line 5, when she states that some â€Å"view our sable race with a scornful eye,† and yet she chooses to look past all of that and seeks to see the very best in people. Wheatley chose courage. Wheatley

The Rank Structure For Leadership In The United States

The rank structure for leadership in the United States Army is broken down between Commissioned Officers and Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs), and they both have very different roles. Officers are in charge of planning for operations and taking responsibility of the unit and the mission (those who set the standards for public education), while NCOs, who are considered the backbone of the Army, are in charge of teaching and leading the junior soldiers and accomplishing operations (like the teachers in the classrooms with students every day). According to the NCO Creed â€Å"My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind—accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my Soldiers.† (â€Å"The NCO Creed.† 1974). Education of students†¦show more content†¦Teachers should be trained and proficient in the different methods of learning. It is important that teachers implement different tactics to address the diverse learning needs of their st udents. It is common knowledge that the early schools in America were extremely biased in favor of wealthy, white, males and heavily based in the Christian religion, and while schools have come a long way in inclusion, equality, and regulation of its education it is still modeled after those schools that were operated in the past. That is because the original structure of the public school system works, the concept of one specialized and professional teacher educating one or multiple pupils with knowledge that aims to help them to become successful contributing members of society and the very best versions of themselves. The purpose of school should be to provide a safe place for students to spend their time expanding their knowledge in the traditional subjects, learning social skills by interacting with peers, coping mechanisms, resiliency skills, and problem solving skills. These are skills that will teach them to be responsible contributing members in society. Additionally, empha sizing culture is important in the classroom, educators and administrators should encourage a strong sense of identity in students while also providing adequate multiculturalShow MoreRelatedOrganizational Behavior Of The United States Marine Corps1602 Words   |  7 Pagesof how dynamic it can be than the United States Marine Corps. Rich in its tradition and history, the United States Marine Corps has a robust structure, very unique culture, and a fervent passion that is almost indescribable as words will only fail to articulate what it means to be a Marine. This inevitable failure of an attempt will begin anyways, but in the hopes that some learning will occur, as we study what is the organizational behavior of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps isRead MoreRespect and Why the Marine Corps Has a Rank Structure. Essay1050 Words   |  5 PagesRespect and why the Marine Corps has a rank structure. 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All operations of the organization follow in accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ allowing for a more spiritually driven structure rather than a profit driven organization. Peter Drucker, who many consider to be the father of modern management theory, said the Salvation Army is the â€Å"most effective organization in the United States†. After all, of the companies listed on the Dow Jones in 1896 only one, General Electric, withstood the test of time and exists today alongside theRead MoreDoes The Current Army Promotion Board Structure Create Bad Leaders?1392 Words   |  6 PagesDoes the Current Army Promotion Board Structure Create Bad Leaders? For more than three decades, Army Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) were part of an era of fast promotions through the NCO ranks, with some Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) seeing Soldiers make the rank of Sergeant First Class (SFC) with six to seven years time in service (TIS). 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INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FINANCE Example

Essays on INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS FINANCE Essay Financial Risk Management at British Petroleum Financial Risk Management at British Petroleum Financial risks material to this paper are of two natures. The first one is known to be stemming from the probability of currency exchange rates’ fluctuations that may render the investment of the company in tangible assets to depreciate or appreciate over the passage of time. However, the multinationals have adopted to transfer this particular risk upon investors who buy their derivatives. The derivative is a contract in simple terms and it is called that because it derives value from organization’s real assets (Hull, 2008). The companies take risk of losing derivative’s value as its corresponding asset’s worth lowers in the open market. The profit and loss on derivates are duly adjusted in profit and loss statement of the companies. The second peril is known as price risk which stems from the possibility of companies’ salable items to lose value in the market (Salameh, 1995). There are various techniques used for managing this risk but the most favored ones are statistical tools such multiple regression analysis that is particularly deployed in order to determine the affects of several variables on the value of an outcome value. In this case, the outcome value is none other than price of a particular product. The estimates are usually made with the help of using historical mean values of the independent constructs. Additionally, it is very important to know that estimates can be wrong and erroneous and an entirely new set of realities can also emerge in the market that may defy all estimates and speculations and therefore, the management of an organization must remain open to experiencing the unexpected in the real world scenario. The value of human error must also be incorporated in the estimation process. However, the reality does not differ from what had already happened in the past in major number of cases. Based on the above argument, it can be believed that the statistical predictions about future prices of a particular product remain accurate most of the times. The industries of the world also vary on the basis of their risk potential such as trading businesses have higher risk of growing competition than technological companies whereas, the technological companies have to continue to innovate than hotel chains. Finally, the companies operating in the field of oil production have to keep a close eye on their transportation, investment and personnel costs because they are facing hefty difficulties in terms of acquiring raw oil as it is getting scarcer as time moves forwards. The processing costs are also on rise and the pressure on infrastructure is also mounting because it is required to process growing volumes of oil and therefore, it experiences wear and tear on a growing level as well. The oil processing companies are supposed to check market prices of their assets every now and then in order to remain sure about their actual value in the open market. British Petroleum is a company that is using derivatives as means of hedging against the price fluctuations regarding international currencies. The company invites investors to invest in its assets that are reevaluated so that their reasonable market prices can be determined and income and trouncing in this regard are duly recorded in the profit and loss statement of the company (British Petrolium, 2012). The company is no doubt using conventional method of managing currency exchange risk. The British Petroleum’s product demand is fluctuating for the past number of years and that is why it has been forced to use extremely sophisticated methodology for predicting futuristic prices of its offerings in the open market. The company generates value at risk tables and determines the level of danger of losing worth of its products in the market in different scenarios. The scenarios are formally known as simulations and then contingency plans are made in order to deal with each possible outcome (British Petrolium, 2012). The current market situation of the oil market is pointing out the presence of nearing singularity where companies will run out of contingency plans and risks will simply become unmanageable. The industry of alternative power sources will eventually emerge and the oil empire will have to fall sooner or later (Salameh, 1995). The companies like British Petroleum have to find new oil resources in order to keep their product costs in check but the afore-stated goal is not an easy one to achieve. The exploration for new oil reserves is getting increasingly difficult because the governments are getting more and more concerned about controlling environmental costs of oil extraction processes. Additionally, they are also looking to manage the drainage of money from local economies. Furthermore, the governmental offices throughout the world are currently getting engaged in finding ways to fuel their systems with power generating sources other than the fossil oil. The present times have been witnessing the rapid development of mechanical, hydro, solar and wind energy (Salameh, 1995). And now the process that will cause oil to become an outdated way of powering mechanics is entering into final stages where even the most sophisticated statistical models are not going to help the oil companies to determine and manage risks. Conclusively, it can be argued that BP is using methods of issuing derivatives in order to manage possibility of losing assets’ value and things are going adequately well in this area as well. However, the real trouble exists in finding ways to minimize the costs and that cannot be done without finding new oil sites. The lucrative oil sites are presently in control of nations which are more than committed to make a fortune out of them. The industry of alternative energy sources is on the rise as well and people are significantly getting attached with the notion of saving the planet and therefore, it is only the matter of time before BP’s degree of risk exposure will become unmanageable. References British Petrolium. 2012. Financial Statesments of BP plc. British Petrolium, London. Hull, J. C. 2008. Options, Futures and Other Derivatives 7th ed. Pearson Prentice-Hall, London. Salameh, M. G. 1995. China, oil and the risk of regional conflict. Survival: Global Politics and Strategy, 37 No. 4, 133-146.

Strategic Business Analysis and Social Responsibilities

Question: Discuss about the Strategic Business Analysis and Social Responsibilities. Answer: Introduction: Social responsibilities from the business environment are united with the business model. Corporate social responsibilities or CSR policy works with the mechanism of the self-regulatory mechanism of the corporations. A business monitors safeguard their compliances with the law, ethical standards, and national or international averages. CSR strategies reassure the business for making positive effects into the environments and society (Caprotti, 2012). This article focuses on the corporate social responsibilities as well as the exact changes that support in creating the social responsibilities through their communication activities of marketing. According to the Angelidis and Ibrahim (1993), the corporate social responsibilities are the actions which are to the satisfaction of the social requirements. The CSR needed investment and its outcomes towards the society. This is how we all know that the change in the companies from CRM deals to a great prospect on how customers respond positi vely to the CSR as different to customers with a low level of cynicism. In the book Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management, it is described by Carrol and Bucholtz that the corporate social responsibility as the legal, economical, ethical flexible prospects which that society has of business at given point in time. The meaning of corporate social responsibilities is the business of organization has their morality, ethics, and responsibilities towards the society. Carrol and Buchholtz explanation of CSR makes the several faceted environments of social responsibilities. The anticipation of society from the companies or businesses that the business will make goods and services which are needed and anticipated by the customers and also selling those products and services at a reasonable price for all type of customers. Businesses are expected to be profitable, efficient and to keep shareholders interests into mind (Michaels and Grning, 2016). Wilhelm Autischer who is a CSR project manager for an Austrian business, described the social responsibilities as the social dimension as this does not mean creating a better society through specific initiatives by the organizations. He refers to more internal changes. Every company should integrate CSR practices into a proper structure. The way a company treats their employees will have to be changed. The singular interests should be preserve more admiration from the companies (Giammalvo, 2015). Many of the people think that every business should do CSR besides their target and achievements. With the charity or donate a little money can bring positive responses to their businesses. The companies can sell local products by the retailers can also gain loyalty. After that, marketing their local products can also gain the trust of their customers. The organizations can implement new human resources, public relations departments through the direct reporting to the CEO or board of directors also will affect the society defiantly. The companies have to generate new jobs for the people which will effect into the society directly. Companies have to offer their products and services and also have to pay taxes properly so that, the government can use those tax amounts into the social activities. Besides this the company can help the society by support their employees, empowering their customers and investors regarding their needs and demand, nationally and internationally (Carrero and Valor, 2012). The changes which should be made into the business are many. Any business or organizations should give little money as a charity which can help the society in many ways. The organizations have to look that any of their activity should not be harmful to the social environment (Chauvin, 2013). Companies should stop child labor in their small shops like sweet shops, grocery shops, and factories or any other places. Every company or business should change their strategies and plans which can effect into the society and its environment. The companies have to try how they can achieve business goals with improvement into the society and environment (Mielcarek et al., 2015). Companies can donate little money from their profits to many NGOs and other social places which will be great for the social environments. According to the Harvard Business Review, business strategy is about choosing a unique position and does things inversely from the competitors. This strategy can apply to a social rel ationship with the company as to its customers and rivals. Thereafter, the social business environment can be more than a cost, a constant, or a charitable deed. The CSR can be a very good source of opportunity, innovation, and competitive advantages for any business or organization. According to the research based in the New York, around 47000 consumers crosswise 15 markets we have found that 42% of person thinks that a organization is based on their observations to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Bve, 2014). In the list of top most companies with best CSR reputations are Microsoft, Google, BMW, Disney etc. we will talk about Microsoft in this paper. The policy of Microsoft and their business practices is a commitment to make the planet a better place. That's why many of their employees come to work every day and its make and serious effect of the products and services that they develop. The company takes serious responsibilities in the help of the world can achieve more. Microsoft has committed to meet their social responsibilities in this world today. At Microsoft, their mission is to vest every person and every organization in this planet for achieves more. The CEO of Microsoft told that the technology can play a vital role into the social, environmental and economic opportunity around the world. The aim of this company is to empower their own employees to the millions of their users into the whole world. Microsoft believes that technology can authorize all of us in achieving better su stainability towards the future for this planet. This company works by holding their selves in their own operations for help the society, environment and other challenges also (Silnov, 2013). Microsoft has dreamed the world which technology will accelerate in innovate of clean energy for achieving more sustain social and economic growth and this will help in the use of fewer resources. Microsoft has committed to change the business practices for taking responsibility into mitigates our effects on society and to the environment. Critically evaluate the view that an ethical approach is the key to a successful business strategy There are two types of business ethics which are professional ethics and applied ethics. These describe the ethical problems and ethical principles those have arisen in the business environment. Business ethics identifies all aspects of professional conduct, and it is related to the conduct of individuals and total organizations. Business ethics can be described as the infrastructure of business. The objective is to control the essential purpose of a company (Duska, 2013). If the objective of any company is to make larger the shareholder returns, it has to sacrifice the profit to any other organization. Ethics mean the rule or standards what oversee their decision on a daily basis. On the other hand, the others say that ethics identify the internal code to improve the individual's conduct, faith, community, tradition, and mores. There is a written code of ethics in the professional organization and especially in licensing boards for governing the standards of professional conduct ant icipated in all field. It is fundamental to observe that law and ethics are not same, nor are the legal and ethical sequences of action in a given state automatically same (Baye, 2014). There are so many ethical approaches in the business such as justice approach, emotional approach, teleological approach, deontologist approach. Justice approach The justice observation of ethical behavior depends on the trust and confident. According to established standards and rules, the ethical decision does not distinguish the people by kinds of preferences, but treat every person equitably, fairly and independently (Schwartz, 2015). All human being is made distinct and equal against gender, nationality, gender or any principles will be described unethical. Emotional approach Ayer has described this approach. He recommends that ethics and moral are the personal perspectives. Right decisions are meaningless expressions of emotions. The idea of ethics is personal in nature, and that reflects a person's emotion. It means that if the people feel good regarding the act then according to their opinion, this is a moral act (Dewani and Sinha, 2012). Teleological approach The teleological approach is also known as consequence approach; it also defines the ethics conduct regarding the base of the consequences of an action. Either an activity is wrong or right, it is totally based on the judgment regarding the consequences of activity. The knowledge and idea are to judge the moral activity if it provides, better than harm to society (Fraedrich, Ferrell, and Ferrell, 2013). For instance with the help of the teleological approach, lying to save everyone's life will be morally acceptable. The act will be described ethical if it provides much more gratification than dis-gratification for society. That should be considered that this gratification or happiness must be for the society in common people and not for the people obligating the act and everyone who are totally included in the act. Deontologist approach When teleologist gives importance to do that will improve social welfare and, a "deontologist" gives importance to do that is right depended on the ethical principles. According to this, few actions will be described wrong even if the significances of those actions were good. This approach is made on the evidence that duty is the moral category and this duty is independent of significances (Brooks, Jr., 2016). Now, the importance of ethical approach in business is described. In organizations, ethics concern a moral judgment of an individual or an employee. The ethical approach is necessary for business. It is the ethics of the firm to attract the customers to the organization emotionally. Human beings are very emotional in nature, and the companies utilize various methods and techniques to appeal to consumer emotions. Moreover, advertising is also an ethical approach to business, and it is important to make profits for future purpose in business (The Importance of Ethical Marketing Practices, 2015). Advertisers take the time to prudently choose every element which includes color scheme, lighting, tone and mood of the commercial sets. Additionally, business ethics are important for the long-term growth of the organization. Sustainability comes from an ethical long-term vision which takes into interpretation all shareholders. On the other hand, these ethics are significant for cost along wit h risk reduction. The corporations which identify the significance of business ethics will need to expend less protecting themselves from the external as well as internal behavioral risk. It may be argued that an owner can run a business in whichever way the person wishes. The businesses with high ethical and reliability standards establish long lasting connections with the customers they deal with. The ethical approaches improve the performance of the employees if the organization implements good ethical policies. It also prevents unethical behavior such as bad reputation. Consequently, scandals about a particular organization are avoided. The companies can get legal and financial incentives if the implements proper ethical policies. Aside from, corporate social responsibility can be achieved by following ethics in business. A company can also get benefits by implementing business ethics. The business leaders make significant ethical decisions every day. They need to develop some ethical theories to accomplish it. An implementation of proper business ethics can lead to competitive improvement. The customers acquire to trust ethical brands and continue to remain loyal to them. The society gets to make profits from the firm ethics because the ethical organization identifies their accountabilities in the community. If the company does not follow business ethics, then they can maximize their profit as much as they want. A business ethics reduces freedom of the company to increase their profit level. The enterprises that are engaged in developing the infrastructure of the country, then their profit level is minimized (Snoeyenbos, Almeder and Humber, 2016). It means that the particular business is following business ethics. Virtue ethics which is an approach in business ethics deals with the attributes of the person and how the person utilize them in making the lives of other people better. Therefore, the company gets benefits from the virtue ethics in the sense that the customers are satisfied. According to Sam Harris, who was once a speaker in TEDX, science can answer the ethical question. The organization increasingly recognize the need to commit to ethics in business. The companies also measure their success by more than just profitability. However, another approach known as a communitarian method to ethics has much to acclaim itself. Aside that, the modern communitarian movement may or may not be conscientiously motivated. References Bve, A. (2014). Charity and Error-Theoretic Nominalism.Ratio, 28(3), pp.256-270. Caprotti, F. (2012). Environment, Business and the Firm.Geography Compass, 6(3), pp.163-174. Carrero, I., and Valor, C. (2012). CSR?labelled products in retailers' assortment.International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, 40(8), pp.629-652. Chauvin, P. (2013). La Sociologie des rputations.Communications, 93(1), pp.131-145. Giammalvo, P. (2015). Sviluppare project manager competent at traverse il "project based learning".PROJECT MANAGER (IL), (24), pp.5-7. Michaels, A. and Grning, M. (2016). Glaubwrdigkeit von CSR-Konzepten Die Einflsse von CSR-Publizitt und Corporate Identity auf CSR-Reputation.uwf UmweltWirtschaftsForum. Mielcarek, M., Zielonka, D., Carnemolla, A., Marcinkowski, J. and Guidez, F. (2015). HDAC4 as a potential therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases: a summary of recent achievements.Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 9. Silnov, D. (2013). Features of Virus Detection Mechanism in Microsoft Security Essentials (Microsoft Forefront Endpoint Protection).Journal of Information Security, 04(02), pp.124-127. Baye, M. (2014).Managerial economics business strategy. 1st ed. Boston: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Brooks, Jr., R. (2016). A Neglected Approach to Ethical Business Behavior.The Journal of Business, 37(2), p.192. Dewani, P. and Sinha, P. (2012). Gratitude: An Emotional Approach in Business Relationship.Research Journal of Business Management, 6(1), pp.1-11. Duska, R. (2013). Business Ethics: Oxymoron or Good Business?.Business Ethics Quarterly, 10(1), p.111. Fraedrich, J., Ferrell, L. and Ferrell, O. (2013).Ethical decision making in business. 1st ed. Mason, OH: South-Western. Schwartz, M. (2015). Ethical Decision-Making Theory: An Integrated Approach.J Bus Ethics. The Importance of Ethical Marketing Practices. (2015).Journal of Business Management Economics. Snoeyenbos, M., Almeder, R. and Humber, J. (2016).Business ethics. 1st ed. Amherst, N.Y.: Prometheus Books.

Summary on Waiting for Superman free essay sample

As an American we have taken pride in our steady advancement and progression yet this generation have allowed technology to take the place of our desired expectations in life. In this socialization people tend to slack off into a world of illusion. This era of time from 2001 to the present time we should be named Generation Anti- Social Slacker. This generation is notorious for having no sense of direction we are easily distracted by unnecessary events and issues. Generation Anti- social Slackers lives in a fictitious world where we are allowed to create goals. As a member of the Anti- Social Slacker Generation our goals of achieving the American dream of fame and fortune are to idealistic and since we value superficiality and immediate gratification and tend to be narcissistic, poor communicators and underachievers our goals are often not met. A significant social trend in our generation’s youth was the explosion of the social networking sites. We will write a custom essay sample on Summary on Waiting for Superman or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From the first social networking site started back in 1995 social networking was introduced by AOL (America Online). Shortly after it was followed by Classmates. com in 1997; moreover, social networking had began its peak with Blackplanet. om bring in 3 million users then Friendster was born in 2002, not long after Linkedin was created in 2003 bring in 30 million members. Meanwhile MySpace. com hit the networking in 2003 tripling Linkedins users. Finally Facebook. com was created in 2004 but only for Harvard college students then two years later Facebook was launched to the public and today Facebook has 150 million members. Facebooks model is to promote honesty and openness. Christopher Nickson inaaccurately states in his article that â€Å"It seems people really enjoy beings themselves, and throwing that openness out there for all to see† (Nickson1). Nickson does not see that online people are allowed to put whatever they want other to see and think about their life. Such sites allow people to be something they are not creating a false image. Although our generation sets high expectations in life we are easily influenced by a world of advertisements hindering a young mind and distracting us from what is real. Because we seek our goal of living to America dream and fail we allow these sites to make up for our down falls. Since we have become so unsuccessful in our own lives we try to make up for it by living a lie using networking to pursue a modeling , acting or music areer online. It is impossible to become famous by just sitting behind your computers. However for those that were unable to become famous they still live in their superficial world by making up a fictitious life, exaggerating the truth to gain social attention. In the article â€Å"Grow up? Not So Fast†, the author states â€Å"I feel theres too information out there at all times. There are too many doors, too many people, too much competition† (Lev et al5). In result this generation has become disconnected giving up on their goals of living the American dream fearing that there is no hope. This generation understands where we came from and knows what we are capable of achieving but because our American egos we value being narcissistic. In addition because of the economy status it is harder to get ahead so the anti-social slacker model is to fake our dreams by upholding a superficial appearance. This generation values what we see on reality television and what the music influence is saying we should have; however, we believe education gets us nothing but if you look like a super model you can have anything. The authors accurately states that â€Å"This is the one time of their lives when they’re not responsible for anyone else or to anyone else† (Lev et al 8). For that reason we can only find the time to think of ourselves therefore at this point being narcissistic is all we have to hold on to and since we our blinded by this sociality values technology will continue to be abused. In addition social networking has affected our generation’s behavior by influencing under – developed and ineffective social skills as while as poor grammar. Social networking was created to help us make new friends and stay in touch with old friends. Unfortunately people have misused the site for numerous inappropriate needs but more importantly people practice bad grammar and slang. With these careless behaviors this generation and beyond will be underachievers. The author asked and important question he said, â€Å"are we really networking in a social sense, or are we just hiding behind our keyboards, and building list of virtual friends rather than getting out there in the real world†? Nickson1). We have become mesmerized by technology and disconnected for reality. However if we keep up this behavior socially we will never get ahead and we only have ourselves to blame. In conclusion as a member of generation anti-social slackers our goals of living the American dream is inane but not impossible and our superficial values are promising although we value our narcissistic attitudes it may sometimes get in the way of our goals. We have become so disconnected from reality and allowed technology to effect our growth. What could we do to snap out of these narcissistic, anti- social unsuccessful trends? How can this generation transform from slacker to overachievers. No matter how hard it gets there is always hope. We must stop living in our on fictitious world and frittering away our time with social networking site and get out in the real world live our dreams.