Never Let Me Go Plot Essay Example for Free

Never Let Me Go Plot Essay In a small school called Hailsham placed in England in the 1990’s, Kathy, a student from years back is looking in search of Hailsham after a few years of it being shut down. Kathy has reminisce of Tommy; a strong-willed boy who was the best football player at the time, threw tantrums and wore a special polo shirt as good luck. She also had reminisce of her times at Hailsham and the events that had taken place there. When Kathy was a student, everyone who attended was examined weekly in Room 18 by a nurse who everyone nicknamed Crow Face. Kathy and the other students learned about â€Å"exchanges† which took place four times a year; once in the spring, summer, autumn, and winter. How you were regarded at Hailsham was based on how well you were at creating. These creations that students made were part of the exchange and students would buy work done by other students in your own year. When students bought your creations, this would get you tokens and you could buy other creations from class mates. Tommy is a shy child who is not very creative. In Miss Geraldine’s class is where most of the students make their creations. Tommy made a kid-like creation of an elephant painting and Miss Geraldine praised Tommy for his uniqueness. After Tommy stopped throwing his tantrums during school he stopped getting made fun of. The woman, who ran Hailsham, went by the name of Madame. She was a tall, French, narrow, short haired and distant from the children. Miss Emily was one of the students’ favorite teachers. She was older, stood straight, had silvery hair that she wore back; quiet, deliberate voice, and made fair decisions. In Miss Emily’s and Miss Lucy’s class, the students talked about the token controversy over Madame taking work and paying the students with tokens. Eventually the issue got resolved and tokens were given to the students. Polly, a student from the same year as Kathy and Tommy, asked Miss Lucy why Madame took their creations. Miss Lucy replied, â€Å"All I can tell you today is that it’s for a good reason. A very important reason. But if I tried to explain it to you now, I don’t think you’d understand. One day, I hope, it’ll be explained to you† (Ishiguro 40). Once a month there would be â€Å"Sales†. A large van would bring toys and outdated items from the outside of the Hailsham gates and students could use their tokens to buy items of their preference. Every morning there was an assembly before school, except on the days that there were Sales because there would be announcements. Junior year, Kathy became acquainted with Ruth. Kathy and Ruth played in the sandbox together and eventually Ruth began to let Kathy play with her horses. Ruth questioned Kathy about if she liked Miss Geraldine and Kathy said that she did. Ruth then said, â€Å"All right. In that case, I’ll let you be one of her secret guards† (Ishiguro 48). Ruth tells Kathy that there are 6-10 secret guards and they make presents for Miss Geraldine and guard her from being kidnapped. Ruth said Miss Geraldine gave her the pencil case that she has now. Kathy looks back into the files of the sales to see if Ruth is lying. In art class another student had asked about Ruth’s pencil case and Kathy backed her up. In Miss Emily’s classroom she talked about England and a place called Norfolk which was known as a â€Å"lost corner.† Kathy lost her beloved tape of ‘Songs after Dark’ by Judy Bridgewater at which she found at a Sale. The cover of the cassette tape was not appropriate for Hailsham because the guardians were very strict on smoking. On the tape, track number three was Kathy’s favorite song; â€Å"Never Let Me Go.† One day Kathy was listening to her favorite track on the cassette and was dancing around like she was holding a baby, Madame walked by her room and saw the door open and Kathy dancing. Madame began to weep and the tape went missing a few months after this incident. All school attendees cannot have babies. Ruth hunted for the lost tape, but was incapable of finding it and instead bought a tape with ballroom music on it to make Kathy feel better. On a gloomy day, Miss Lucy talked to the students about how they are at Hailsham to eventually donate their vital organs. In school the students are taught to look after other students and not after the guardians. Sex becomes the new â€Å"creativeness† and Tommy and Ruth break up after 6 months. Kathy later finds Miss Lucy a wreck in Room 22. Miss Lucy explains to Tommy that she should have never told him that he didn’t need to be creative because their creations would later be used as evidence. Miss Lucy eventually leaves Hailsham and Ruth and Tommy become and couple again. After the students graduate from Hailsham, they are moved to cottages and are now known as veterans. At the cottages the students are free to do what they want and reading books is the proper thing to do and watching television is frowned upon. Keffer keeps up with the cottages and hates a boy named, Steve, because of his magazines. Kathy looks through Steve’s magazines looking for her â€Å"possible†. A possible is the other person that you were copied from. It is said that if you see your â€Å"possible,† you will see your future life. Chrissie and Rodney, two veterans from the cottage s, say they saw Ruth’s â€Å"possible† in Norfolk. Chrissie, Rodney, Ruth, Tommy, and Kathy head to Norfolk to find Ruth’s â€Å"possible.† One the way to Norfolk, Ruth mainly talked to the veterans about a rumor how if you really loved someone that you may be able to talk the guardians into letting you stay together for a few more years longer. The group goes into a small homey store called Woolworth’s and Chrissie and Ruth talk more about the known rumor. Ruth finally sees her possible â€Å"possible† and follows her into â€Å"The Portway Studios† which is an art gallery. The â€Å"possible† seems less and less like Ruth and when the â€Å"possible† leaves, the group stays and listens to the silver haired woman about all of the art. Ruth complains about how â€Å"possibles† are poor people. Later that day, Chrissie, Rodney, and Ruth go to visit an older veteran by the name of Martain to try and cheer up Ruth. Kathy and Tommy stay behind and do not go with them, but instead go in search of Kathy’s old cassette tape that had disappeared so long ago. Tommy tells Kathy that he draws imaginary animals and that he actually does have creativeness and it just has not came out until now. Once back at the cottages, no one talked about the trip to Norfolk and Ruth finds an old church that is no longer in use and sometimes goes there to read peacefully. The essay to leave the cottages and start training no longer seemed important to anyone. Tommy and Ruth slowly started drifting apart and Ruth politely tells Kathy that Tommy does not like being with woman who have been with this and that person. Not too much later, Kathy decides to tell Keffer’s that she would like to start training. Kathy later starts as a carer. As a carer they learn to live on the go constant and deal with pain and isolation in their own ways. Kathy runs into students and long ago friends once in a great while. Kathy walked home one day behind a clown with a bunch of balloons and a case. She waited for a balloon to fly away but none of them ever did. Kathy then later went to see Ruth at the Recovery Centre in Dover. They talked about a boat that had been found not too far away and about Tommy. Kathy made a plan to go and see this boat and invite Tommy with them. Kathy and Ruth traveled to Kingsfield to pick up Tommy where they had seen old pictures with a family and a big pool and where the pool had been before there was cement. They all went and seen the boat and it reminded Kathy of what Hailsham might look like now that its doors were closed for good. One the way back to Kingsfield to drop off Tommy and say goodbyes for now, they talked about Chrissie passing and the billboards flying by on the side of the road. Ruth randomly decides to give Tommy Madame’s address because Kathy will not take it. Ruth gave Tommy and Kathy Madame’s address in case Kathy and Tommy want to get a deferral. Kathy visits Ruth in the hospital and tells Ruth that she and Tommy are going to go to Madame’s hose to try and get a deferral. Ruth eventually passes. Kathy moved into a suite at Kingsfield with Tommy and became his carer. Tommy is slowly healing from his last donation and he draws animals to fill in his time while Kathy sits on their bed and reads. Kathy and Tommy pick out drawings and go to talk to Madame. Madame was not home but they saw her down the street so Kathy and Tommy started to follow Madame home. Madame pauses but tells Kathy and Tommy to come inside. They talked to Madame about getting a deferral and adding creations to Madame’s gallery. A person in a wheelchair was behind a big curtain and Madame tells whoever to come out. To Kathy and Tommy’s surprise the person in the wheelchair is Miss Emily. Miss Emily explains to the two that there is no such thing as a deferral and the gallery at Hailsham was to prove to outsiders that the children raised at Hailsham had souls. Tommy threw a tantrum on the way home. Tommy’s theory was right; Hailsham was just a place to experiment on people to create perfect people. Later, Tommy believes that it would be best if things ended between him and Kathy so things are not so hard in the end. Tommy describes to Kathy about the imaginary puddle that he would jump in when he scored a touchdown. Tommy dies after he â€Å"completes† and Kathy visits Norfolk for the last time before she â€Å"completes.† A major theme in the novel Never Let Me go is conformity. All of the students at Hailsham are born into this world as perfect people because they are clones and are meant to save others’ lives, not themselves. Most of the students at Hailsham accept the requirements throughout the process of being a clone. Tommy is the only student that throws tantrums and works his way against the system, but eventually forms to the way of life that he was given. All of the students see the future that awaits them but the guardians reassure them that it is okay and everyone forms to society in their own ways. The students do not fight against what they have been given, instead praise the life they have been given; but at the same time have thoughts about why their creations had been taken and why they had to live their lives like this. Many did not ask questions about their lives for the simple reason that they were too scared to find out the answer. A second major theme presented in the novel was obligation to society. The founders of Hailsham prided themselves on producing the most accurate clone in the world. Creating copies of humans in order for them to owe their lives to society, many of these clones were unhappy and fell into depression. The founders believed that many of the Hailsham students should be prepared to take their lives to save others and be happy in the process of achieving it. Madame tries to explain this to Kathy and Tommy when they question her about the deferral. Madame tells them that they should be happy because even though their lives are going to end early and they will spend countless days in pain, they at least had a wonderful life to live unlike many of the clones before them that didn’t get to explore the many wonders of life. The founders of Hailsham raised all of the clones to respect their elders and do as they are told. This is the same way they go through life and by doing so they live a bearable worthwhile life. A literary device that is used in this book a few times is a simile. A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid. An example in Never Let Me Go is, â€Å"In fact, it took a moment to see they were animals at all. The first impression was like one you’d get if you took the back off a radio set: tiny canals, weaving tendons, miniature screws and wheels were all drawn with obsessive precision, and only when you held the page away you could see it was some kind of armadillo, say, or a bird† (Ishiguro 187). Ishiguro uses this phrase to show how much hard work Tommy put into his drawings. Tommy thinks that if he works hard and really puts himself to work on creating a unique piece maybe he will prove that he deserves to live longer. Tommy wants to prove to the guardians and all of the outside world that he is not just a clone and he actually does have feelings and has a true soul. Another simile found in this novel is â€Å"I thought about Hailsham closing, and how it was like someone coming along with a pair of shears and snipping the balloon strings just where they entwined above the man’s fist† (Ishiguro 213). Kathy thought this because now that Hailsham has closed, her past life has been cut away and taken from her. Even though her memories have not been taken from her, she can no longer return to Hailsham if she wanted to visit. A second literary device used throughout this novel was an anaphora. A couple examples of an anaphora is, â€Å"You’ve been told about it. You’re students. You’re . . . special. So keeping yourselves well, keeping yourselves very healthy inside, that’s much more important for each of you than it is for me† (Ishiguro 68-69). Ishiguro put an emphasis on this quote using the word or structure of â€Å"you† a lot because he wants the reader to clearly see that the students are the ones that need to stay healthy, be looked after, and take pride in them. Another anaphora found in Never Let Me Go is, â€Å"Because however sympathetic they were, I could see that deep down they were relieved. They were relieved things had turned out the way they had; that they were in a position to comfort Ruth, instead of being left behind in the wake of a dizzying boost to her hopes. They were relieved they wouldn’t have to face, more starkly than ever, the notion which fascinated and nagged and scared them: this notion of theirs that there were all kinds of possibilities open to us Hailsham students that weren’t open to them† (Ishiguro 165). This quote really shows the relief that Chrissie and Rodney have in this part of the book. Chrissie and Rodney are so relieved because there has never been a student at Hailsham that has ever met or even seen there â€Å"possible† and if they were to, everyone would have no idea how to react to such a thing. The book Never Let Me Go was very enjoyable although in some parts I would have to say the book was kind of boring. For the most part I liked this book, but I felt like I kept reading and reading and even when I finished the book, I felt like I wasn’t done reading. To this day, I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Either way I enjoyed reading the book, it teaches the reader to appreciate the things that we take for granted every day in our lives and to take time and notice the little things that are around you. Overall, I am glad that I chose this book to read over the summer and hope to share this book with others.

The Concept of Entrepreneurship

The Concept of Entrepreneurship INTRODUCTION CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP The importance of the development of entrepreneurial skills by every graduate cannot be over-emphasized because gone are the days when jobs were available everywhere both in the private and public sector of the economy and employers go about looking for potential employees to employ. Indeed, in the past, it is the employers that go round universities in this country to hunt for potential employees. Then there were fewer universities and low university enrolment. But today, things have changed and very drastically too such that many graduates are now sellers of recharge cards and some work as bus conductors. What an economic tragedy and waste! The question of choice of job or employer is gradually being eroded each year. Many graduates are desperate to get any job to keep body and soul going. Indeed there is a paradigm shift in the labour market now. Even the professional disciplines are now fast getting into that problem of unemployment. Employment prospects for the youths are changing with a lot of increasing competition; the openings are equally limited. Also, employment in the public sector is also decreasing and job prospects are diminishing by the day. Added to this ugly situation are the increasing trend of job outsourcing, casualization of labour in the oil and gas industry and the increasing phenomenon of rightsizing of labour among big firms and corporations in the country. As a side effect, the figure of tertiary graduates who have not been able to secure the first employment since graduation for upward of five years is on the increase and even those with professional qualifications like MBA, ICAN, COREN, Medicine and Pharmacy are not spared from the ugly phenomenon. Others are paid peanuts if they are lucky to secure paid job. Some now fall back on their lower qualifications like WASC and OND to secure menial jobs. The recent economic meltdown also has made matters worse. Some companies are as a result operating below expected capacity. The current troubles in the financial sector, particularly the money and the capital markets and their subsequent effects on the economy, particularly on the real sector as well as the remedial efforts of the CBN are very visibly glaring, instructive and challenging. Nevertheless, entrepreneurship and indeed the need for developing the requisite entrepreneurial skills have been suggested to help redress the aforementioned problems by making people not only to be job creators but wealth creators (Midea, 2004 ; Izedonmi, 2009). According to Small Business Service (2005), the possession of entrepreneurial skills to create new knowledge based social enterprises is vital to addressing social and environmental issues effectively. Our nation cannot afford to toy with it. Our tertiary institutions must respond fast and positively towards entrepreneurship education. However, general business skills and general knowledge are considered insufficient to turn graduates into entrepreneurs (Kisby, 2004). Hence, the need to develop specific entrepreneurship skills cannot be overemphasized .This is because entrepreneurship has been vital to creating employment and therefore a special form of employability (Moreland, 2004). Both the government and the academia hav e been attracted to it. In particular, universities are re-designing their curricula and the ways they operate to create opportunities for the training of their students in practical entrepreneurial skills. Due to the way entrepreneurial programmes have assumed a global proliferation and dimension, it was suggested by Volkmann (2004) that it has become the major academic discipline for business education in the 21st century. I totally agree with him. Economic Growth And Entrepreneurship Recent Survey Report in 2008 by the Kauffman Foundation in connection with the relationship between economic growth and entrepreneurship found that all nations with high level of employment activities had above average rate of economic growth. What this translates into is that entrepreneurial deficient economy will have low growth while entrepreneurially good economy tends to enjoy good growth. Hence, Government has come to recognize the importance of entrepreneurship in economic development that entrepreneurial ventures have in-built capacity to promote employment and economic growth. Literature Review One of the first courses specifically addressing entrepreneurship was established at the Harvard Business School in 1947.In the U.K, the first courses in entrepreneurship were launched in the 1980s together with the UKs first initiative for enterprise in higher education (Elton, 1991, Kirby, 1989 2005, Volkmann, 2004). Along this line, Fry (1992) remarks that entrepreneurship has been one of the fastest growing disciplines in the U.S.A in the 1990s.By the turn of the 21st century, as many as 1600 universities in the North-America were offering courses in entrepreneurship compared to merely two dozens in the 1970s (Inegbenebor, 2005). The growth of entrepreneurship education and the subsequent inclusion into the curricula of universities in the United Kingdom has been attributed to the sheer need to serve the innovation need of businesses and to produce graduates with transferable skills for businesses.  [i]   ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN NIGERIA According to Ekanem (2005), the history and development of entrepreneurship in Nigeria started in the 1960s as supported also by some of the earlier studies such as Schatz and Edokpayi (1962), Harris (1969), Olakanpo (1968) and Akeredolu-Ale (1972). Therefore, the concept of entrepreneurship development in Nigeria is not new. Since the 1970s, several government agencies and institutions in the country have been engaged in different aspects of fostering entrepreneurship in Nigeria, though with short-lived and varied successes. For instance, the Centre for Management Development (CMD), National Directorate of Employment (NDE), former Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB), Nigerian Bank for Commerce and Industry (NBCI), Nigeria Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others had programmes for entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. Other entrepreneurial development agencies include government sponsored Entrepreneurial Development Programme (EDP). NGOs, Nigerian Employers Consultative As sociation (NECA).The vigor with which it was pursued then is a different issue for our assessment. If the proofs are available even the blind and deaf can feel it. Only fools dont proof. What Does Entrepreneurship Really Entail? Basically, what entrepreneurship entails includes: The building of skills in negotiation Building leadership skill New product development Creative and innovative thinking and Exposure to technological innovation, (Kuratko, 2003). It shows students and graduates how to believe and behave entrepreneurially. It encourages them to get involved in networking, create and manage businesses of their own and facilitate progress and success in entrepreneurial career. Entrepreneurship could satisfy status and social needs and leads to self-satisfaction and actualization. It can also meet the financial needs for the entrepreneurs and their families. In fact, entrepreneurship is a satisfying process even though it can be risky and may even lead to loss of wealth at times (Fry, 1992). Society-wise, entrepreneurship has made substantial impacts throughout history because of numerous inventions, massive job creations made through small and medium scale enterprises (SMES) in both developed and developing countries. DEFINITIONS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Various definitions have been given for entrepreneurship. For instance Inegbenebor and Igbinomwanhia (2008) say that: Entrepreneurship is the process of performing the roles of an entrepreneur. It has been defined as the process of planning, operating and assuming the risk of a business venture. It may also be defined as the process of creating a clique value of pulling together a unique package of resources to exploit an opportunity. Entrepreneurship encompasses various activities which are carried out to ensure the survival and growth of the business Inegbenebor (2006) defines it as: it is about bearing the skills needed to assume the risk of establishing a business. It is about developing the winning strategies and executing them with all vigour, persistence and passion needed to win any game Ekanem (2005): Entrepreneurship is the process of or capacity for organizing, operating and assuming risk for a business venture. It is dynamic risk-taking, creative and growth oriented behavior which involves the use of various resources to create wealth Ekwe (1992): observes that, Entrepreneurship involves the: 1. ability to perceive profitable business opportunities. 2. willingness to act on what is perceived and 3. necessary organizing skills associated with a projects Fry (1992) says that Entrepreneurship involves action rather than static events. It involves taking action necessary to analyze opportunities to launch and/or grow business, to finance the venture and possibly even to invest the venture. Izedonmi (2009) placed entrepreneurship in a continuum form with economic entrepreneurship at the end of the continuum and social entrepreneurship at the other end. In between these you will find some varying characteristics of combinations. The process is also dynamic. In summary, the central issues in entrepreneurship involve uncertainty and risk-taking, innovation, perception and change. For instance, Drucker (1985) posits that innovation is the specification instrument of entrepreneurship. He argued further that the entrepreneurs must always change to respond to it, and exploit it as an opportunity. CHARACTERISTICS OF A DWINDLING ECONOMY The characteristics include: High unemployment rate High inflation rate Low average real income Low saving ratio or high consumption ratio Low levels of technology Low levels of productivity Low per capita income and downward trend of living High poverty rate of a large proportion of the population Low economic growth rate Poorly developed financial and stock markets High level corruption and instability and insecurity of lives and property Although the above factors and many others can be observed in a dwindling economy, they also provide good basis for entrepreneurial development. In fact, of these factors listed above, some can act as either pull or push entrepreneurial factors. Very often they provide good windows of opportunities for entrepreneurial-minded individuals. ROLES OF ENTRENEURSHIP IN REVIVING A DWINDLING SOCIETY Some of the roles include: Generating employment Increases productivity through innovation Facilitates the transfer/ adoption of technology Ensures increase resource utilization Stimulates growth in the supply market Renovates large scale enterprises and public enterprises Encourages and sustains economic dynamism that enables an economy to adjust successfully in a rapidly changing global economy. Linkage effects of various sections of the economy is facilitated Generate income and wealth occur faster Encourages training and development Ensures rapid development Develops indigenous entrepreneurship Provides a training ground for indigenous managers and semi-skilled workers Reduces rural-urban migration Constitutes a vital engine for economic growth development of a nation- increase GDP Skyrocketing of the emergence of SMES and Promotion of self-reliance and economic sustainability ELEMENTS OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Entrepreneurship may involve the following elements IDEA GENERATION AND SCREENING This is actually the starting point of many new entrepreneurial ventures. Sources of ideas are many and varied. The sources notwithstanding, the would-be entrepreneur must cultivate the habit of documenting those ideas. It should be packaged in form of feasibility report, no matter what. STARTING A BUSINESS This could involve: a. Buying an existing business b. Starting from the scratch or start-up business c. Through Franchise d. By Inheritance CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION Innovation is the development and introduction of a new product, a new process, or a new service to a market. Creativity is the link between pure imagination and the introduction of an innovative product, process or service. Both are necessary ingredients for entrepreneurship. However, creativity is behind innovation. Creativity alone, does not define entrepreneurship. Creativity without innovation does not produce results. And innovation without effective management does not produce marketable products, processes or services. Although creativity and innovation are necessary ingredients, they are not sufficient of themselves to establish successful entrepreneurship (Fry, 1992, Izedonmi, 2009). There must be effective and efficient administrative structure on the ground and a healthy dose of management as well. 3. SEEKING FINANCING Financing could either be debt or equity financing, traditional or venture, internal or external capital. The would-be venture must consider financing the venture. Availability, cost and timeliness must be balanced. Starting small attracts small capital input. However, not all entrepreneurial ventures require start-up capital or equal amount either Creative financing is a basic tenet of entrepreneurship. A growth-oriented venture uses multiple sources of financing. You must be prepared to make your personal sacrifice in this respect. Too often, the banks will request to see your personal inputs in terms of financial commitment. Finance institutions only lend to ventures that have proven records, and history, and those ventures that are also promising economically. 4. ASSUMING RISK Every entrepreneur must assume one risk or the other. However, entrepreneurship is not necessarily risk-taking but risk-assuming. Corporate management deals in risk minimization, entrepreneurship deals in risk management. Corporate management too often generally tends to be risk-averse. They want to reduce risk to a minimum during production so as to be profitable. Entrepreneurship manages risk since it cannot be reduced significantly in entrepreneurial situations whether new or existing ventures. However, entrepreneurs are calculated risk-takers. Risk management involves the acknowledgement that risk exists and the actions that are taken to shift as much risk as possible to others and then control the remainder. Some risk Management ventures include Renting rather than owning equipment and facilities Using multiple sources of financing. Building an entrepreneurial team with distinctive skills. Undertaking multiple ventures simultaneously with varied degrees of risk. Committing a portion of the total resources to any one project. Assigning a team member the responsibility of monitoring short-term performance with the anticipation of cutting losses of early performance indicates unfavorable results. THE PULL AND PUSH ENTREPRENEURSHIP FACTORS There are various factors (negative or positive) which tend to provide the needed motivation in getting into entrepreneurship or becoming an entrepreneur. While the negative factors are called push factors; the positive factors are pull factors. Both factors provide the fundamental attraction either by necessity or by desire and opportunity into the entrepreneurial world. The push factors are: Unemployment / loss of job. Dissatisfaction with pay and job situation. Discrimination and victimization by boss in work place. Middle-age crises. Divorce / widowhood. Relocation. The positive pull factors are: Desire for independence. Desire for increase in wealth. Increased social status and prestige. Spouse support and motivation. Provision of market opportunity. Franchise. Provision of licenses by parent company. Favorable government policies etc. THE ENTREPRENEURSHIP DECISION The entrepreneurial motivation to launch a venture has been grouped into three variables (Fry, 1992) as: Antecedent variables. Triggering variables. Enabling variables. The antecedent factors They cause the individual to begin to consider the possibilities of entrepreneurship either consciously or unconsciously. This could take into consideration the variables listed below Creativity. Background. Personality. Past experience. Education. Current job. Triggering factors: These are the events or situations that specifically trigger the entrepreneurial act. They are salient life events may be quite personal , professional or for instance, financial changes in an entrepreneurs life that are perceived as very important to entrepreneurial decision may set off the alarm to take step. They involve: Loss of Job Invention or Idea Offer from partner Entrepreneurial motivation or willingness to start a venture (M) = Antecedent Variables (A) X Triggering Variables (T). The enabling factors These factors make the actual launching of the venture possible. They include opportunity and resources which are very critical to the successful launch of the venture. The likelihood of a venture launch is made up of these three factors combined. Our youths look outside instead of looking inward. Those who look inward first tend to travel faster on the outside. Several entrepreneurial opportunities exist in the environment. They need to look well to discover some opportunities. Our youths must be ready to start small, learn the ropes and grow up. Hard work, patience and deep commitment are necessary. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Entrepreneurship tends to be opportunity-driven rather than resource-driven. This is because that once opportunities are identified and properly evaluated resources are deployed to capture them. Opportunity creates or generates its kind of resources. There are thousands of opportunities available to would-be entrepreneurs who present high potential for wealth, growth, self-employment, independence, social status, and prestige. The would-be entrepreneur must conduct a thorough scanning and survey of the environment strategically. But if you do not have any readily available opportunity, you can creatively and innovatively come up with one. However, some of the sources of these opportunities could include: Self-discovery Improvement in the quality of existing product/ service. Use of an existing product/service in an untapped market Invention Consultancy Trade magazines, Journal and Business Newspapers Societal needs Survey of natural resources Government Agencies Research Institutes, Universities, e.t.c Spin-off Work experience Hobby and Vocation ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS REQUIRED TO TRANSFORM CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES GENERAL BUSINESS SKILLS Entrepreneurial skills of successful entrepreneurs include: Sales and Marketing skills Financial Know-how skills Self-motivation skill Time management skill Administrative skill Sales and marketing skills To get the right customers and subsequently make target revenues and profits Include communication skills Financial know-how skills To know how to handle money well. After all, not everybody can effectively manage money. Source and manage funds and cash flows Self-motivation skills Internal locus of control Self-starter with a clear desired goal in mind Confidence in yourself and in your ideas Diligent and hardworking Extra drive and commitment to set goals Time management skills Time is money Time is life Entrepreneurship opportunity has time-limit Time management is very important for business success Self-management is very critical for effective time management TYPES OF BUSINESSES AND TIME MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES Have a time table, schedule of activities to be done Employ delegation freely without fear Determine priorities into urgent and important activities as: Urgent activities demand immediate attention Urgent but not important activities Not urgent but important activities Not urgent; not important Give priority to (i) and (iii) because by performing them, time is reduced for activities (ii) and (iii) Manage meetings and relationship with others Administrative skills Organizing, coordinating, directing, planning and general management, etc. B). TECHNICAL, ANALYTICAL AND HUMAN RELATION SKILLS Entrepreneurs are expected ordinarily to be sound by training normally technically skilled. They must also develop and possess conceptual, analytical and human relation skills to be successful. Others are business planning, idea creation, negotiation, risk analysis and management skills etc. C). ICT SKILLS They must also have computer and information Technology (CIT) skills because of the era we are and the environment they will have to operate. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY AND SKILLS S/N ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY SKILLS AND ATTITUDES 1. Business/consultancy in area of professional specialization or working as a contractor General Business skills such as marketing, time management e.t.c Confidence enthusiasm, hardworking 2. Sonet Entrepreneurship Idea development, leadership, negotiation, planning, organizing, self belief, confidence General business skill 3. Intrapreneurship Idea development recognizing opportunities for improvements Alliance building, confidence, leadership 4. Non-traditional specialist business General Business Idea development, creativity, confidence Willingness to work hard 5. General Business Ventures Ideas development, creativity, confidence, willingness to work hard General Business skill Source: Andrea: Developing Entrepreneurship skills in the context of higher education. http://cfiweb.cf.uk/news/past.events/bee/files/Andea. on 16/3/2010 DEVELOPMENT OF ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS These could be through: Attending Entrepreneurial training classes, development programme, seminars, workshops, etc. Universities Job rotation Special (intensive) training Article ship or apprenticeship Organizational learning R D Institution Consultants National and international agencies and bodies NGOs Professional bodies ENTREPRENEURIAL SUCCESS FACTORS Successful entrepreneuring depends on four (4) major factors namely: Knowledge Hard work Skills Attitude(character/ integrity) Lifematics Question Created by (Izedonmi, 2010) Now let us work out this lifematics question together. There are basically four (4) attributes or factors that can enhance our success in life viz: Skills, Knowledge, Hard work and character (Attitude). They are all essential to ingredients of entrepreneurial success. How much does each contribute? Which of these is superior and why? For easy understanding, let us replace character with attitude. Solution Our current roman alphabets are made up of A B C D E F G H I J K L M 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 The alphabets together with their numerical values are stated above. Let us take each attribute one after the other and link up the corresponding numerical value. Start with skill, then knowledge follow this with hard work and finally character but remember to substitute attitude for character. Let us replace numeric value to each alphabet and see their results as indicated below: (i) S K I L L S 19 + 11 + 9 + 12 + 12 + 19 = 82% (ii) K N O W L E D G E 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96 % (iii) H A R D W O R K 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98 % (iv) A T T I T U D E 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100 % Solution Skills secure only 82 %, Knowledge 96 %, hard work 98 % and Attitude 100 % in that order. Only Attitude which I equate to character for this purpose secures 100 % success in the race of high profile entrepreneurship. Conclusion I must admit that professional certification is good but character is a lot better. Character is the true collateral security of our values, learning and entrepreneurial success. It keeps the society and system going. It prevents a nation from decaying and checkmates unnecessary crisis and even civil war. Therefore in all our entrepreneurial pursuit, character development should be given a prominent place. When character breaks down everything breaks down. True certification in life is only evidenced by character and not papers called certificates or entrepreneurial success alone or quantity of wealth.

Recruitment and Selection Process

Recruitment and Selection Process Introduction Employees are one of the most important resources of any business, and so it is important for organisations to have a thorough recruitment and selection process. This is to ensure that the best possible candidate is recruited to the post. There are many different aspects to consider during the recruitment and selection process, and this essay considers the issues that an organisation should consider as they search for candidates to recruit. The responsibility for recruitment and selection lies predominantly with a Human Resources (HR) department (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014, p.248), although in many organisations it is common for functional department heads to be involved in the process to ensure that technical considerations are assessed during recruitment and selection. Organisations also face the decision as to whether it is preferable to recruit internally or externally, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. There are also legal considerations associated with recruitment and selection which it is imperative that an organisation adheres to (Aylott, 2014 p.11). Accordingly, this essay presents a logical assessment of best practice in recruitment and selection on a life-cycle basis, beginning with job skills analysis and concluding with the final selection process. Best Practice in Recruitment and Selection Torrington et al., (2011, p.157) explain that the first steps in recruitment should be pragmatic and straightforward. It is important for the HR department to know how many people they need to recruit, and the skills and capabilities that they must possess. The easiest way to address this problem is to conduct a job skills analysis, carefully considering the content and requirement of job functions including an assessment of technical skills and also intangible or softer skills such as communication, innovation or sales ability. Ideally job skills analysis should be incorporated with a strategic assessment of HR requirements so that the organisation can be confident that they have the necessary skills contained within the human capital of the business to achieve long-term organisational objectives (Rivera, 2012b, p.75). Lievens and Sackett (2012, p.463) also recommend a job skills matrix to assess the future potential capability of job functions and to link this to future employee development opportunities. This is a matrix which lists the skills of employees against the skills the organisation requires or would like in the long term. Having assessed the functions of job roles it is then necessary to create a job description and also a person specification. These are two distinct documents although they are often prepared together (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014, p.250). The job description describes the technical functionality of the role, being as precise and detailed as possible. The person specification addresses the intangible aspects of job functionality to ensure that any potential recruit will fit comfortably within the organisation and has the skills and attributes which the organisation requires. Wilton (2013, p.158) emphasises that it is important for there to be a good fit between an employee and the organisation, so that the employee feels comfortable in their job role and performs to the best of their ability. Once the job description and person specification have been developed it is then possible to advertise the job role as the first stage in actual recruitment. At this point the organisation must decide whether they should recruit internally or externally. Phillips and Gully, (2009, p.18) explain that internal recruitment can be beneficial for a number of reasons. These include offering current employees opportunities for promotion or personal development, which is proven to motivate employees by demonstrating that there is an opportunity for career progression. Also, recruiting internally can be considered as a lower risk because the organisation is already familiar with the skills and capabilities of the employee. From a pragmatic perspective internal recruitment is also more cost-effective and quicker, so it is easier to fill the job role with less risk to the business. However, disadvantages to internal recruitment can include resentment on the part of employees who are not selected for the role (Phillips and Gully, 2009, p.20). Also, it may be the case that the organisation is looking for specific skills in order to expand the business, and no employees already in the firm have this necessary experience or skill. In these instances it is therefore necessary to recruit externally. External recruitment can be more challenging. In the first instance it is necessary to determine whether the organisation will use in-house procedures for external recruitment, or alternatively make use of external sources such as recruitment agencies or headhunters (CIPD, 2013, p.1). This decision is often based on a combination of financial considerations and organisational discretion. For example, if an organisation needs to recruit a large number of relatively junior roles then a recruitment agency may be the most appropriate approach. Recruitment agencies are likely to have a large number of potential candidates on their books, and they can undertake much of the necessary background checks and initial skills assessments. This can be a highly resource intensive process which organisations may not be able to manage effectively, hence paying recruitment agencies becomes preferable. Rivera (2012a, p.1000) notes that over time organisations can often establish relationships with preferred recruitment agencies so that the recruitment agencies become familiar with the job descriptions and person specifications, and this accelerates the process. Increasingly, organisations are also making use of online recruitment opportunities, and this is another way of reaching a wide group of potential candidates in a cost-effective manner (Girard and Fallery, cited in Boudarouk and Ruel, 2009, p.39). Alternatively, if it is a particularly high profile or specialist role organisations may wish to make use of headhunters. These are considerably more costly but can be appropriate if the role is senior or it is a new role which requires a particular skill set. Rivera (2012a, p.1001) explains that headhunters are more commonly used when there is a long lead time for more senior appointees and it is more important that they are a good cultural fit for the business. Furthermore, the more senior the role, the greater the potential risk to the business in terms of financial expenditure. Therefore it can be preferable to use external sources to find the most appropriate candidates. As noted previously there are also legal considerations as part of the recruitment process. These commence with the advertising of the job role, which under UK and EU legislation must be entirely non-discriminatory (Aylott, 2014, p.66). This includes wording of the advert for the role, and also the actual process of recruitment which must be entirely fair and transparent. This is another reason why headhunters and recruitment agencies can be beneficial, as they can help to ensure adherence to legislation and regulation in this area. It is also worth noting that there are changes in progress within the regulation in this area meaning that candidates shortlisted for more senior roles must demonstrate gender parity (Aylott, 2014, p.67). Hence, headhunters can be helpful for drawing up shortlists prior to the next stage of recruitment. Having drawn up a shortlist of potential candidates, either internally or externally, the next step in the process is to narrow down this shortlist. There are a number of possible means of doing this which can include interviews, psychometric testing and assessment centres (Breaugh, 2013, p.395). As might be imagined, each of these approaches has advantages and disadvantages, and it is also not uncommon to utilise these techniques in combination. The decision as to which type of recruitment method to adopt depends on the nature of the job role and the potential risks associated with the job function (Hall et al., 2013, p.358). In any event, it is absolutely imperative to ensure that there is complete fairness and transparency in the recruitment and selection process, not only because of the need to adhere to legislation and regulation, but also to ensure that each candidate has a fair experience. This is because this has implications for long-term recruitment and selection of high calibre candidates (CIPD, 2013, p.1). Guion (2011, p.9) explains that interviews remain as one of the most common forms of assessment when determining whether a candidate would be suitable for a job function. The length and intensity of the interview depends on the nature of the job function. As alluded to above, it is commonly the case that recruitment and selection is the responsibility of the HR department, although it is often the case that functional department heads are involved in the process to assess the technical competence and capability of the candidate. In any event the potential candidates should be assessed against the job description and person specification (as described above) and during the course of the interview it is sensible to take notes so that at a later stage the shortlisted candidates can be compared to one another (Chapman and Webster, 2003, p.117). For some more senior roles it may be the case that more than one interview is conducted with different members of the organisation. Kline (2013, p.25) acknowledges that although interviews are very popular, there can be concerns with unintended preference, a concept known as the golden halo effect. This occurs when the interviewers subconsciously prefer candidates who they considered would be a good cultural fit. This is why it is important to have complete transparency in the interview process. Psychometric testing and aptitude testing are also extremely popular techniques for assessing potential candidates during the selection process. Suff (2012, p.9) explains that aptitude testing is an assessment of the numerical, verbal, and general logical reasoning capability of an individual. Psychometric testing is more intensive and includes an assessment of personality traits. Psychometric testing is not an exact science, but over time a large body of empirical data has been gathered which helps to increase the reliability of such testing. Generally speaking psychometric tests are a useful indicator of underlying personality traits, and can be a good means of an organisation assessing whether an individual candidate would be a good fit for the business. Cushway (2014, p.26) explains that psychometric tests can be useful if an organisation is looking to recruit an individual with particular personality traits in order to help generate a cross functional team. In contrast, Suff (2012, p.10) suggests that psychometric testing is more valuable as a supporting indicator, along with other selection techniques such as interviews and assessment centres. Assessment centres are the most intensive form of employee selection. They typically comprise a number of small tests and presentations to simulate the likely working conditions and to assess how an individual performs under pressure and how they work in teams (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014, p.232). During the course of an assessment centre it is likely that the candidate will have to give a presentation, solve a problem with imperfect information (to simulate real-life), and also work in a team environment. Assessment centres are highly resource intensive but are considered to give the most accurate picture of how a candidate would be likely to perform if they were recruited to the organisation. The costs of running an assessment centre are high, so in the main they are reserved for more senior job functions, or for graduate recruitment schemes. They are also more commonly used by larger organisations that have the resources to maintain a talent management pipeline (McClean and Collins, 2011, p352). Stahl et al., (2012, p.35) believe that assessment centres can be somewhat artificial as all the candidates are aware that they are in competition for a defined number of job roles, and this may encourage them to distort their behaviour. Stahl et al., (2012, p.35) also believe that there is a greater risk of the golden halo effect during assessment centres as the assessors get to know candidates throughout the duration of the assessment centre. It is necessary to mention that references from previous employers or other respected individuals can play a small part in the recruitment and selection process. However, such is the nature of legislation relating to references, many organisations simply use them to verify that a candidate has been previously employed and that they do not have a tendency to high levels of sickness absence or any other obvious undesirable tendency, for example an extensive disciplinary record (Torrington et al., 2011, p.182). As references must be entirely factual, personal observations of the previous employers are generally not found in references in the UK. Some organisations may also wish for shortlisted candidates to undertake medical checks. This is likely to be more common in job functions where there is either a particular medical need for high levels of health and fitness because the job is particularly strenuous, or because the organisation has a long-term commitment to employee health and well-being. In either event organisations are only likely to take up references and ask for medical checks for candidates whom they believe they will offer the job post (Torrington et al., 2011, p.183). Once the organisation has decided who they will recruit, it is necessary to draw up a contract of employment, and to send a formal offer letter to the preferred candidate, setting out the terms and conditions of employment. Aylott (2014 p.112) observes that it is surprising how many organisations do not maintain good record-keeping in this regard, and it is imperative that if the candidate accepts the role they return a signed copy of the contract and terms and conditions. It is also good practice for an organisation to formally write to the unsuccessful candidates and briefly explain why they were not recruited for the post (CIPD, 2013, p.1). This helps to improve the overall candidate experience thus supporting the reputation of the organisation and wider marketplace. If job requirements change in the future, maintaining a good relationship with potential candidates makes it is much easier to offer them a job role in the future (Klotz et al, 2013, p.110). Finally, Aylott (2014, p.32) explains that under UK legislation, unsuccessful candidates may exercise the right to challenge why they were not recruited for the role. This is why it is important to maintain scrupulous records throughout the recruitment and selection process and demonstrate complete fairness and transparency. As it may be some time between acceptance of the job post and the candidate starting in the role, then this is a good opportunity for the organisation to prepare the new employees induction in advance. It is also best practice for an organisation to allow access to the employee handbook when recruiting an employee. A good induction is one where the new employees has the opportunity to meet their colleagues and receive basic training in aspects such as health and safety and organisational systems (Covert, 2011, p.9). This is entirely pragmatic as it is an opportunity for existing employees to meet their new colleague, and also to ensure that the new employee has a thorough grounding in the organisation so that they become rapidly embedded and are able to make a difference as soon as possible. This is often an issue for organisations as it can take time for new employees to become familiar with organisational culture. Therefore an induction is a good way of starting this process. Finally, the majority of new employees are likely to be operating under a probationary period in the first few months of employment. There are legal implications to this, meaning that it is important for an organisation to clearly set out their expectations for the new employee, and also to offer the employee as much help and support as possible in the early days of their employment (Cushway, 2014, p.34). It is in no partys interest for there to be a high turnover of staff. Not only because the recruitment and selection process is extremely costly and resource intensive, but also because it is also disruptive to an organisation and long-standing employees. Hence, it is preferable to invest the necessary level of resource, time and effort in recruiting the right employee in the first instance. Recommendations To summarise, the first steps in effective recruitment and selection are to establish the requirements of the job role, and also the preferred attributes of the individual who will eventually fulfil this role. It is important at this early stage to be as precise and as comprehensive as possible, and also to be aware of the need for transparency in the process. This is because the description and person specification not only form the foundation of the job advert, but also they become the benchmark against which potential candidates are assessed, and successful employees are measured (Guion, 2011, p.240). Although resource intensive, it is worthwhile to spend time and effort refining the job description and person specification. Once the shortlist of candidates has been prepared, either from internal or external sources, it is necessary to assess all potential candidates to determine their suitability for the role (Phillips and Gully, 2009, p.17). There are several alternative means of achieving this including interviews, testing and assessment centres. As elucidated above, there are advantages and disadvantages to all of these methods, and this is why it is often the case that more than one technique is used. It is important to reiterate the importance of transparency and fairness throughout the entire selection process. Having selected a suitable candidate the organisation should then formally write to the employee enclosing the employment contract and terms and conditions of employment (Aylott, 2014, p112). An organisation may also wish to take up references and ask the candidate to have a medical assessment. It is best practice to formally communicate non-selection to unsuccessful candidates, as this is not only helpful for maintaining organisational reputation, it may have future practical benefit. Throughout the entire process of recruitment and selection scrupulous record-keeping is strongly recommended. Once a candidate has accepted a position of employment, it is then good practice to offer an induction period. This helps the new employee to settle in, and helps to increase productivity and reduce employee turnover. Conclusions This essay has set out the current recommended best practice in respect of recruitment and selection. It has illustrated the complexity and resource intensive nature of the process, and also emphasised the importance of prior planning and preparation to ensure that the most suitable candidates are shortlisted for the role, and that they have the necessary skills and attributes. As has been discussed throughout the essay, there are a number of alternative methods for actually selecting a candidate for the job role, and the determination of which of these methods is used relies on the specifics of the job itself and also the long-term HR and human capital requirements of the organisation. In an ideal scenario, the recruitment and selection process is cross-functional in nature, involving both HR and department heads, and is also linked to the long-term strategic requirements of the business. Throughout the entire process it is imperative to maintain fairness and transparency, and to focus on recruiting the best possible candidate in order to reduce the possibility of subsequent employee turnover. References Armstrong, M., and Taylor, S., (2014) Armstrongs handbook of human resource management practice. (13th Ed) London: Kogan Page Publishers. Aylott, E., (2014) Employment law: HR fundamentals. London: Kogan page. Breaugh, J. A., (2013) Employee recruitment. Annual review of psychology, 64(4), 389-416. Chapman, D. S., and Webster, J., (2003) The use of technologies in the recruiting, screening, and selection processes for job candidates, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 11(2/3), 113-120. CIPD (2013) Recruitment factsheet [online] available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/recruitment-overview.aspx retrieved 3rd Oct 2014. Covert, S. P., (2011) Creating a Web-Based Employee Orientation and Induction Program. School Business Affairs, 77(1), 8-10. Cushway, B., (2014) The employers handbook 2014-15: An essential guide to employment law, personnel policies and procedures. London: Kogan Page Publishers. Girard, A., and Fallery, B., (2009) E-recruitment: new practices, new issues. An exploratory study. In Boudarouk, T., and Ruel, H., (Ed.) Human resource information systems. London: Emerald Group Publishing. Guion, R. M., (2011) Assessment, measurement, and prediction for personnel decisions. London: Taylor and Francis. Hall, D., Pilbeam, S., and Corbridge, M., (2013) Contemporary themes in strategic people management: a case-based approach. London: Palgrave Macmillan. Kline, R., (2013) The bias that lives on: Discrimination in recruitment persists in the NHS, and it is long past time to tackle it, says Roger Kline. Nursing Standard, 27(41), 24-25. Klotz, A. C., Motta Veiga, S. P., Buckley, M. R., and Gavin, M. B., (2013) The role of trustworthiness in recruitment and selection: A review and guide for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 34(S1), 104-119. Lievens, F., and Sackett, P. R., (2012) The validity of interpersonal skills assessment via situational judgment tests for predicting academic success and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97(2), 460-468. McClean, E., and Collins, C. J., (2011) Highcommitment HR practices, employee effort, and firm performance: Investigating the effects of HR practices across employee groups within professional services firms. Human Resource Management, 50(3), 341-363. Phillips, S., and Gully, C., (2009) Strategic staffing New Jersey: Pearson Education. Rivera, L. A., (2012a) Hiring as cultural matching the case of elite professional service firms. American Sociological Review, 77(6), 999-1022. Rivera, L. A., (2012b) Diversity within Reach Recruitment versus Hiring in Elite Firms. The Annals of American Academy of Political and Social Science, 639(1), 71-90. Stahl, G., Bjrkman, I., Farndale, E., Morris, S. S., Paauwe, J., Stiles, P., and Wright, P., (2012) Six principles of effective global talent management. Sloan Management Review, 53(2), 25-42. Suff, R., (2012) Employers use of psychometric testing in selection: 2012 XpertHR survey. IRS Employment Review. (Sep), 9-10. Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S., and Atkinson, C., (2011) Human resource management. (8th Ed) London: FT/Prentice Hall. Wilton, N., (2013) An introduction to human resource management (2nd Ed) London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Strategies of Influence: Uncle Toms Cabin and the Feminine Ego :: Uncle Toms Cabin Stowe Essays

Strategies of Influence: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Feminine Ego Works Cited Missing ... despite the influence of the women's movement, despite the explosion of work in nineteenth century American social history, and despite the new historicism that is infiltrating literary studies, the women, like Stowe, whose names were household words in the nineteenth century ... remain excluded from the literary canon. And while it has recently become fashionable to study their works as examples of cultural deformation, even critics who declare themselves feminists still refer to their novels as trash. (Tompkins 123) In a chapter of her book Sensational Designs: The Cultural Work of American Fiction 1790-1860 dedicated exclusively to Harriet Beecher Stowe's best-selling sentimental novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Jane Tompkins argues against the prevailing critical opinion that Stowe's novel is an unsophisticated, abortive attempt to write meaningfully about the "peculiar institution" which divided American culture in the mid-nineteenth century. Tompkins suggests that the novel's popularity, long considered a reason for "suspicion bordering on disgust, is [actually] a reason for paying close attention" to it (Tompkins 124). Tompkins makes a good point; perhaps Uncle Tom's Cabin makes sense outside of the bounds of the conventional critical approaches which can only view Stowe's novel as an example of "cultural deformation." In this essay, I want to discuss the ways in which Stowe's protagonist Tom manipulates and exemplifies the theory of feminine "influence" (as discussed in Ann Douglas' analysis of ni neteenth century women's writings) which moderate white women advocated as means for reforming (and eventually subverting) the prevailing patriarchal social system in response to the Industrial Revolution; far from deforming its culture, Uncle Tom's Cabin actually reflects the rhetoric which the women of the nineteenth century used to redefine their position in a new, industrialist economy. In her short story "Woman's Rights," published in the April 1850 issue of the popular Godey's Lady's Book, Haddie Lane explores and defines the concept of women's rights through the example of her Aunt Debbie. Aunt Debbie, exasperated by Haddie's sauciness and its rationalization as "woman's rights," takes Haddie on a tour of her daily rounds to teach her the true meaning of womanhood. As we accompany them along their charitable visits to the sick, the impoverished, and other unfortunates, Aunt Debbie's definition of women's rights is explicitly articulated as Haddie "realizes" the moral meaning of each successive stop. After visiting a once-gay schoolmate who now staggers under the weight of her infirm (and abusive) elderly father, Haddie voices her revelation:

The Blood Lust :: Personal Narrative Vegetarians Papers

The Blood Lust My parents met at a party in September, 1975. A month later they left Rhode Island and drove cross-country together in the Volkswagen bus that my mom had bought for the trip. They brought along my mom's dog Sagebrush and two of her friends. Actually, the two friends, the dog, and my mom brought my dad. He wanted a ride out to his friend's place in Ohio, but ended up staying with them all the way to California. My mom's two friends left in California, and my mom and dad ended up driving home together. They didn't have much money. By the time they got to Santa Barbara, they were so poor that they stood wearing sandwich boards advertising a soup and sandwich special at the Bluebird Cafà © in exchange for a free lunch, which they split. They also worked as telemarketers and house cleaners. They ate very cheaply. Lots of cheese, my dad says, and crackers. For two weeks, my mom didn't eat; she drank only apple juice -not because they were starving poor, but because she wanted to cleanse her body. Mostly they slept in the bus, but they had friends to visit across the country, and for a while, they stayed in Virginia with my mom's father's cousin, whom they barely knew. The only times they ever ate meat were when it was served to them at people's houses, for it was far too expensive for them to buy on their own. They began to find, as they made their way across the country, that it felt heavy and unhealthy, especially red meat and pork. When they got back east three months later, they moved into a small house in Narragansett, Rhode Island, with rotting kitchen walls so soft that you could stick a finger through. One day, my mom thought back and realized, slightly revolted, that the last piece of meat she had eaten was a hotdog with sauerkraut and mustard at the Oak Hill Tavern, months ago. Right then and there, she decided that if she couldn't kill something herself, she wouldn't eat it. I was born five years later, and my mom and dad began their parental journey with the inten tion of raising a family of vegetarians. I was five years old, and pale. My parents were concerned. At about the same time they noticed I was paler than my fellow kindergarteners, my dad came down with pneumonia, from working with the insulation in our unfinished attic.

Personal Skills Inventory Essay

The most important skill in life is learning how to communicate effectively. Working in the business industry communication is important factor in the success of the business and daily tasks such as giving employees’ feedback, writing reports, giving presentations, conducting interviews and sending emails. How we communicate varies among each individual as well as how we perceive our own personal communication skills. While we may think that we are communicating effectively others around us my find that we communicate poorly. Based on my experiences on an off the job, my communicative skills have always been mediocre at best. In order to validate this, I will participate in an online test courtesy of mindtools.com. My decision to choose this communication quiz was based on the depth of details it provided me upon completion of the quiz. The quiz had 15 questions which addresses each stage of the communication process. A score interpretation was provided and also a detailed interpretation for improving my skills in each area. Based on my score interpretation, I am a capable communicator, but I sometimes experience communication problems. I need to take more time to think about my approach to communication, and focus on receiving messages effectively as much as sending them. The encoding part of the communication process was my weakest area. This showed that I have difficulty creating a clear and well-crafted message which often leads to a communication gap. Communication gaps are frequently caused by misdirected, one-way, poorly time, or badly worded communications. In addition, some gaps result from misunderstanding, misinterpretations, and miscommunications. This part of the test really struck home because often during face-to-face communication with my teams I am unaware of how my communication is breaking up which can result in lack of interest in my teams attention and possibly communicating a message that’s unclear and misunderstood. However the test indicated that my online Communication was clearer and effectively delivered. I often use online communication as a secondary tool because way to often text messages and emails are taken out of context but it seems that this type of communication is more effective. To ensure that I communicate in the clearest, most effective way possible for work and future courses such as business communication and psychology I intend to seek additional training with my least proficient communication skills using the many services that Walden has provided such as The writing center, grammarly and the Walden Student Library. To aid me in my journey of better communication I plan to use the directions and opinions of my professors, classmates and employees. Writing Skills: Writing is a process; as in all processes, there is a beginning, middle, and an end. The attitude in which we take toward writing creatively may cause problems in terms of how other writers’ perceive one’s writing skills. Not knowing what to write or how to write effectively is the start of the writer’s breakdown. In this section of my essay I will explain my need for strengthening the writing skills that I already possess and how I plan to use them to my advantage. Whenever I’m faced with a writing project I become tense and stressed, ever since high school I have always suffered from writers’ block which is the inability to remember or think of something you normally can do. In order to get pass this stumbling block I first have to clear my head of any thoughts that could clutter my writing. It’s very hard to be expected to write clearly without having a clear mind. As my high school English would always say â€Å"Don’t blame the reader if he can’t follow your writing†. It is the writer’s job to convey his meaning to the reader, not the reader’s job to figure out what the writer is trying to express. While I have many strong points to my writing I possess weak areas as well, these areas of improve include introductions and conclusions, my introductions are not supportive enough and sometimes weak for my topics, my conclusions in my opinion are always weak, I think because after writing for so long I run out thing to say or support my topics. My goals for my future courses are to submit the perfect papers and earn all points possible, I plan to take advantage of all the resources that Walden has to offer in aiding my success as a student and professional. Time Management Skills: Time management is very important to academic and overall life success. Learning to manage your time effectively can be a headache for people that are trying to juggle work, school, and family life. For me it seems that there is just not enough time in the day to complete all of my tasks successfully. When it comes to effective time management it is important to possess skills and tools that will fit your personal lifestyle. I find it important to try every angle of time management until you determine which one will be most beneficial to you. In my experience with being a Wife, Mother, and working two fulltime jobs time management is a must have, it will aid in deleting some of the stress brought on by a crazy schedule. Some improvements that I would like to make immediately include goal setting, creating a to-do list and organizing. I am the Queen of procrastination and it is my ultimate down fall even though I am fully aware that for an individual to achieve his or her goals it is important that I develop a plan to carry out that goal, which in turn requires effective time management skills. Effective time management is something that will make or break an individual, not only in the academic setting, but also in life as well. According to an online tool â€Å"Keys to Success† Identifying personal time-related needs and preferences is the first step in developing an individualized time management plan. The best way to achieve this is to make up a schedule that incorporates all necessary aspects of your life. This includes school, family, and work. Prioritizing and time saving methods are also recommended. I plan to utilize the practices provided by Keys to Success and my weekly assignment timelines for success in my future courses, home and work life. References http://www.carterkeys.com http://www.mindtools.com Communication in a Changing World 2006 Edition

Maiden Voyage by Denton Welch Essay

This passage from Maiden Voyage by Denton Welch is an account of an adventurous European boy in China who wishes to explore the different cultures and experience the extraordinary. Yet he is overwhelmed by the barbarity of the new culture and this reveals to the reader the unexpectedness of life from the boys perspective. Through the first person narrative and detailed descriptions of the events, various themes such as teenage rebelliousness, gap between different cultures and our limited knowledge is highlighted through different literary features such as contrast, colour imagery and metaphor. From the very beginning, the juxtaposition between the inside and the outside of the European villa accentuates the differences between two cultures. Inside the villa, where the foreigners live, seems to be more secure and settled as reflected by the reference to the stable doors. The boys observation of the signs of cultivation also hints the civilised European culture inside the walls. This perhaps links to Mr Butlers comment that foreigners are not very popular and people outside and foreigners have separate communities. The main character using moth eaten balls and the old tennis racket shows that young people like himself used to stay at the villa, but not for long periods of time it is where people dont appreciate the thoughts of the young. As the plot develops, the change in the setting is emphasized by imagery. Words such as a black speck and a dark boulder are colour imageries used to foreshadow the unfavourable and unexpected event. Outside of the European villa, the human head that the boy has found implies that the culture outside is in a way, barbaric. This is supported by cruel images such as odd white teeth stood up like ninepins in its dark, gaping mouth, its cheeks and shrivelled lips were plastered black with dried blood. These images not only highlight the unfortunate and unexpected events, but also give emphasis on difference between the two cultures. The boys fear and realisation of the hostility between cultures are conveyed from the head is described through imagery. Tall rank grass grew was dry and sharp as knives. Also the second mention of the insects reminds the boy of the head, causing the boy to feel more fearful. Through the main character, the author explores various themes of maturity  and our awareness of different cultures. Readers are able to observe that the main character seems to be a boy, from him playing tennis. It is shown that he is an adventurous person as he is [longing to explore]. He [hates] to be dependent on other people and says they would never want to do what I want to do- highlighting the theme of teenage rebelliousness and his desire to be independent. His unhappiness and dissatisfaction with his quiet lifestyle is suggested when [He hits] the balls fiercely against the stable doors. The boy feels imprisoned in a European villa and a line of poplars; the orderly line of poplar implies the structured and formal environment of the villa. For the boy, even the straight line of poplars is a sign of restriction and [imprisonment]. . As an act of rebellion, he does not want to listen to the elders, but carries out what he believes to be right, without rational thinking about the consequences. . From the action of the main character, the author highlights the themes of teenage rebelliousness, difference between two cultures and acceptance of a different culture. In the line, [he] let [himself] quickly out of the back gate, the back gate has an implication that it was done in secret. This once again reinforces the theme of teenage rebelliousness as this action was disapproved by Mr Butler and Mr Roote the adults. Despite his rebellious nature, however, his immaturity and lack of knowledge are evident in his initial response to finding the head. The rather naà ¯ve observation of the head, I saw that the object was not black but pink shows that he was not able to identify what he was seeing highlighting the boys unawareness of other cultures. This colour imagery used to describe the head, helps the reader picture the situation, and senses the shock that the boy feels. The line [he] stared at it stupidly until [his] numbed sensescan be interpreted as him being stupid and numb in the understanding of other cultures. When he finally finds out that it was a human head, [he jumps back]with [horror] and [terror]. Such shock from the discovery of a new culture highlights the unexpectedness of some events in life. The boys panic is emphasized through metaphors and diction in the passage. The first cur barked as a sound imagery, contributes to the fast-flowing and panicking situation where the boy is running away from the head. Also, the  wall is a metaphor for the separation between the two cultures. The tall rank grass that is dry and sharp as knives, shows that one culture is almost trying to repel the people from another. Also, knives are an image that conveys cruelty and hostility between the two cultures. The boys horrified action and shock contributes not only to the differences of two cultures but also the lack of endeavour to tolerate these differences. In the passage from Maiden Voyage, various themes such as expectations from different cultures, teenage rebelliousness and our limited knowledge are explored though a European boys horrifying experience. These themes are supported by a variety of literary features such as colour imagery, metaphor and contrast. The authors message that people should try to accept and understand other cultures is conveyed in the passage through highlighting these main themes. Text -Foreigners are not very popular here, Mr Butler told me at breakfast. So I dont think you ought to go out alone.My heart sank. I hated to be dependent on other people. They would never want to do what I wanted to do. I began to feel imprisoned. I took up the moth-eaten balls and the old tennis racket which were lying in the hall, and went into the garden. I hit the balls fiercely against the stable doors until I was too hot and unhappy to go on. I sat brooding on the steps. I might have been in Sydenham for all I could see a European villa and a line of poplars; yet outside lay a Chinese city which I was longing to explore. After lunch I decided that I could stand it no longer. Mr Butler and Mr Roote were still deep in their mornings discussion, so I let myself quickly out of the back gate and walked along the sandy lane which led into the country. Mr Butler could not mind my walking in the country, I thought. Everything was still and silent, in an early-afternoon torpor. The only sound came from the stunted bushes which squeaked and grated linguistically as the wind passed through them. Pillars and scarves of dust and sand rose up from the ground, eddying and swirling themselves into flat sheets which hovered  in the air. Harsh spears of grass stuck up through the sand. The soles of my shoes began to burn and I looked round vainly for some shady place. I enjoyed the dreamlike stillness and wanted to stay out for as long as possible. I thought that if I walked on I might find a place. The road led towards the hills. Across the sandy plain the city walls stood up like cliffs. Turrets and bastions were ruined cottages, crumbling into the sea. I walked on, fixing my eyes on a black speck some way in front of me. I wondered if it could be a cat crouching in the middle of the road; or perhaps it was a dark boulder. As I drew nearer, a haze of flies suddenly lifted, and I saw that the object was not black but pink. The loathsome flies hovered angrily above it, buzzing like dynamos. I bent my head down to see what it was. I stared at it stupidly until my numbed senses suddenly awoke again. Then I jumped back, my throat quite dry and my stomach churning. The thing was a human head. The nose and eyes had been eaten away and the black hair was caked and grey with dust. Odd white teeth stood up like ninepins in its dark, gaping mouth. Its cheeks and shrivelled lips were plastered black with dried blood, and I saw long coarse hairs growing out of its ears. Because it was so terrible, my eyes had to return to it whenever I looked away. I stared into its raw eye-sockets until waves of sickness spread over me. Then I ran. The whole plain and the bare hills had suddenly become tinged with horror. I found myself between high banks. I would soon be coming to a village. There were signs of cultivation. When the first cur barked, I turned and ran back the way I had come. I did not know what to do. I would have to pass the head again. I tried to avoid it by making for the city walls across the pathless sand. My feet sank in, and my shoes became full and heavy. My only idea was to get  back to the house. Tall rank grass grew in the shadow of the wall. It was dry and sharp as knives. I pushed through it, looking up at the towering cliff for a gate or steps to climb. Nothing else seemed to be alive except the insects. I could only hear their buzzing and the slap of them when they hit the wall. There was no gate. I began to feel desperate. I ran towards a bastion, wondering if I could climb up to it in any way. I knew that I could not. Denton Welch, Maiden Voyage (1943)