Just Business Report Essay Example for Free

Just Business Report Essay Reading the book â€Å"Just Business† by Alexander Hill, it was very interesting to go through the topic of Christian ethics for business. Looking at different scenarios that managers have to confront and it shows how nerve-wracking, heart wrenching and also guilt producing that it could be. The definition of ethics is the study of â€Å"should† and of doing the â€Å"right thing.† The three main characteristics that were presented and emphasized in the Bible: God is holy. God is just. God is love. Hill also talked about integrity, fairness and compassion that mirror holiness, justice and love. I loved how Hill supports his points by having Bible verses. For example he writes the â€Å"salt and light† of the world (Matthew 5:13-16) is the third force for good. I agree with many of the points Hill says such as â€Å"we cannot serve two masters at the same time† (Matthew 6:24) and it specifies that we cannot serve both God and money. They were also talking about justice procedural rights that focus on fair processes in decision-making. Substantive rights are what procedural rights seek to protect. Merit links the concepts of cause and effect. Contractual justice is limited to three duties; we must not violate a negative injunction by causing harm to others, we must respect procedural justice and we must fulfill our contractual promises (Hill 46). Love is a universal word and many would consider it to be â€Å"the centerpiece of Christian ethics† (Hill 53). Love includes empathy, mercy and self-sacrifice. Empathizing with others would include by celebrating with their triumphs and shouldering their pain. Mercy is quite hard to do because it takes action on their behalf and takes initiative in forgiving. In my experience, there are times when I do have trouble forgiving people, yet God gave me the strength to forgive the person. This will probably come up more often while taking care of business. He also shows visuals such as the tables and drawings that make it easier to get the gist of what he was talking about. Part Two – False Exits This addresses â€Å"Dual Morality†, â€Å"Law†, and â€Å"Agency† which they are known as false exits â€Å"because they deposit ultimate ethical authority in human instrumentalities – business culture, government and corporate government – rather than in God’s character† (Hill 67). Dual morality â€Å"rejects the notion that universal principles of right and wrong exist† (Hill 69). It also helps me have a visual when he shows examples of CEOs and what kind of decisions they have to make and what would be the ethical thing to do. Law is another false exits, when one presumes that if an action is legal, it is still morally acceptable as well. There are times when there are many people just follow the law and assume that the law is right and the ethical way. There are flaws in the system and Hill shows a diagram in page 98, figure 6.1 illustrates the tension. Acts that are both ethical and legal Ethics - Acts that are unethical but legal Law - Acts that are both illegal and unethical Agency is the third false exit that talks about the problems that arises when the values of the employee diverge from those of the employer. It was intriguing to learn about the legalistic purist, the accommodating purist. These few chapters opened my eyes to see what kind of false exits that people use in the business world. Now I am aware of what people could use as false exits. Part Three – Topics Honesty and Deception is more common in the business environment but it is quite difficult concepts to apply. Honesty â€Å"builds trust, establishes community and protects the dignity of the audience† (Hill 125), which allows partners to rely on each other and fosters community and respects each one’s dignity. He also talks about deception and how justice condemns deception and it could lead to disaster and consequences. No right to hear the truth, exaggeration, and ambiguity are more deceptions that people use in the business environment. The other topics that were discussed were: Concealment and disclosure; Employer-Employee Relations; Employee Rights; Discrimination and Affirmative Action; the Environment and Property. The topic that stood out to me was the Environment because I have learned about different ethical views such as the anthropocentric view and the biocentric view 1 and 2. Hill also explains what the Role of Business is that even â€Å"scripture makes it clear that our task is to responsibly steward God’s creation in the hear and now† (228) and there are times that one would have to make difficult decisions. These topics have given me a new perspective towards business. Overall, â€Å"Just Business,† by Alexander Hill, was an outstanding book to read especially when one is planning to go into the field of business. It was interesting to see how business runs with the combination of Christian ethics. I would highly recommend for other students to read this especially if they are looking into business. It was a great opportunity to read what it is like to be ethical in the business world, in comparison, to what it is like to be not ethical in the business world. References Hill, Alexander (2008). Just Business: Christian Ethics for the Marketplace. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Teaching and Learning in Clinical Practice

Teaching and Learning in Clinical Practice The purpose of this essay is to outline the episode of teaching and learning in clinical practice that I have been involved. It will describe the significance of under penning theory of teaching, It will demonstrate knowledge and understanding teaching and learning methods relate with learning outcomes/objectives, assessment, and evaluation and quality assurance. It will also going to looking at the reflection that has been required to the teaching session based on the evaluation. I am going to use Gibbs (1988) Reflective Cycle. This model is a recognized framework for my reflection. Gibbs (1988) consists of six stages to complete one cycle which is able to improve my teaching practice continuously and learning from the experience for better practice in the future. Learning is the act or process by which behavioural change, knowledge, skills and attitudes are acquired Boyd, et al. (1980) therefore learning is not just attending a class or reading books it is all about changing behaviours and attitudes, reflecting what has been taught by practicing. There are three sets of learning theory generally used in educational circles these are behaviourist, humanistic, and cognitive. For my teaching session I have used Cognitive approach because the cognitive method is student-centred. In other words, as an adult learner, the students find out for themselves in a self-directed way Pritchard, A. (2008). According to Knowles, M.S. (2005) and Quinn, F.M Hughes, S (2007) cognitive learning is a great method that provides the means of knowledge, and goes well beyond simple imitation of others. Conditioning can never explain what you are learning from reading our web-site. This learning illustrates the importance of cognitive learning Conner, M. L. (2005).. Cognitive learning defined as the gaining of knowledge and skill by mental or cognitive processes. The procedures we have for manipulating information in our heads Cognitive processes include creating mental representations of physical objects and events, and other forms of information processing Thorners.L (2009). In cognitive learning, the individual learns by listening, watching, touching, reading, or experiencing and then processing and remembering the information. Cognitive learning might seem to be passive learning, because there is no motor movement. However, the learner is quite active, in a cognitive way, in processing and r emembering newly incoming information. One of the most useful descriptive models available of the adult learning process provided by Kolb (1984) suggesting that there are four stages in learning which follow from each other: Concrete Experience is followed by Reflection on that experience on a personal basis. This may then be followed by the derivation of general rules describing the experience, or the application of known theories to it Abstract Conceptualisation, and thus to the construction of ways of modifying the next occurrence of the experience Active Experimentation, leading in turn to the next Concrete Experience. All this may happen in a flash, or over days, weeks or months, depending on the topic, and there may be wheels within wheels process at the same time Muijs.D And Reynolds.D (2006),à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. According to Pritchard, A. (2008) the best way for a person to learn depends on the person, of course. It is well know that people have different leaning styles that work best for them. The best approach for a teacher to take is to address a variety of learning styles with their teaching plan. It is also helpful to encourage students to understand their preferred leaning style. Teachers should make students aware of the various learning styles and encourage them to consider their preferred style as they complete their studies. Wragg.E.C (2004) recommended that teachers should create an environment with lots of tools for developing an understanding of the topic. I have provided PowerPoint slide and image from the web so that the students can learn in both way from the slide and image. I have applied them by allowing the students to be active participants discussing on the topic, monitoring students progress and ask lots questions and answer. Teachers should provide use of visual and v erbal teaching methods as well as speak out loud student using technique. Student should think deeply and answer questions about the topic to further develop their understanding. Incorrect answer can be a good thing as it helps the student recognise that they need learn more to achieve purpose of the topic Conner, M. L. (2005). Cognitive learning strategies include case studies, research, discussions, self-assessment and presentations. As an adult learner, I used PowerPoint presentation with good font size and good background light as well as topic related image which can attracts the audience and grape their tension. The topic of the lesson I have prepared was based on the audience level and relevant for their future nursing career. According to NMC (2008) we have a duty to facilitate students of nursing, midwifery and specialist community public health nursing and others to develop their competence. I have a responsibility to teach based on current evidence, best practice and, where acceptable, validated research when it is available. According to Malcolm (2005) the Andragogical Model in adult learners has a self-concept of being responsible for their own decisions, for their own lives. Ones they arrived at that self-concept, they develop a deep psychological need to be seen by others and treated by other s as being capable of self-direction. This includes letting learners know how the topic is important to learn, showing learners how to direct themselves through information and relating the topic to their experiences. In addition, people will not learn until they are ready and motivated to learn. Often this requires helping them overcome inhibitions, behaviours, and beliefs about learning Conner, M. L. (2005). Lesson plan is one of the most important principles of good teaching so that the teacher can check that he/she keeping to time and actually what the content of her/his lesson is, as well as a framework for reflection and evaluation Pritchard, A. (2008) Thorners.L (2009) I have structured my lesson plan by asking myself about the title for the session, the type of expected learning, about teaching and learning methods, length of time available, location of teaching session, access computer, internet resources, etc. I also think about the audience the number of learners and their study level or stage in training, and how will I know if the students understand? This is by assessing student Informal and formal way, questioning techniques, feedback from learners Knowles, M.S. (2005), Muijs.D And Reynolds.D (2006) and Surgenor.P (2010) I have also set out the aim and objectives for my teaching session, that way the students know what to expect and also what they are expected to know by the end of the session. Surgenor.P (2010), Muijs.D And Reynolds.D (2006) explained that the goal of creating learning objectives is to provide a means of clarifying the purpose of teaching to ensure the lesson is successful and the objectives are achieved. Clearly identifying learning objectives improves the communication between the teacher and the learner. When the objectives of a teaching have been clearly identified and presented in an orderly progression, the desired learning outcomes will be attained. In this paragraph, I am going to reflect on the situation that taken place during my teaching session using Gibbs module which consist six stages. The cycle starts with a description of the situation, next is to analysis of the feelings, third is an evaluation of the experience, fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience, fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done and final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again NHS, (2006). Dunn.L, (2002) and Wragg.E.C (2004) gave some reasons why reflection is require in the reflective practice. They state that a reflect is to generate the practice knowledge, assist an ability to adapt new situations, develop self-esteem and satisfaction as well as to value, develop and professionalizing practice. However, Jasper M (2003) explain that reflection is about gaining self-confidence, identify when to improve, learning from own mistakes and behaviour, looking at other people perspectives, being se lf-aware and improving the future by learning the past. Description, I had a clinical teaching session PowerPoint presentation for my fellow students at London South Bank University in January 2011. It was a 20 minutes teaching session based on nursing related topic I left home early as I wanted to print my note. Unfortunately it was just a shame that I forgot my student card and couldnt print my work for this result I was panicking but I managed to teach using the PowerPoint slides. I thought the students will come up with lots questions which would challenge me. Feelings, I was feeling nervous just before I begin to talk and during the first  five minutes, and then things get much easier. Before I started to teach, I introduced myself and approached the students to build a good connection with them as I do not want them to feel bored as well as I myself was blank due to anxiety. My first approached was to ask them how much they know about the topic. The students were interested in the topic and they were quite knowledge about the topic. In this situation, I showed up my emphatic listening. According to Wold (2004) the emphatic listening is about the motivation to understand the other person not just judging the persons fact. Then, I start going through slides in detail each point and I ensured if the students could hear me as I was quite quickly spoken and coughing during talk due to mouth dryness. In the meantime I used non-verbal communication skills with them including using my body gesturers and facial expression. Body gesturers and fa cial expressions are referred as a non-verbal communication Surgenor.P (2010) and Jasper M (2003). As a result, the students gave a good collaboration and enjoyed the session until finished. Evaluating, I was pleased to see that the students did not disappoint with the session. I feel I make the right decision to accompany and assess student if they could hear me in order to get my point. Furthermore, I could develop my confident to teach/communicate more effectively. Although Pollard.A, (2008), would describe it as a task-centre communication as one of the element caused the lack communication among teachers. My worry was that during my preparation it was not considered how I could handle my anxieties and nerves which affect my communication by talking quick or may not clear enough. In my analysis, generally the session went well because I used cognitive approach correctly and used appropriate teaching method. Point out that Pritchard, A. (2008) cognitive theory is a great theory to follow when teaching. I was suffering with mouth dryness and talked quickly, it seemed because I was nerves, otherwise enjoyed good teaching. During my presentation it might have helped to have a print out note of my presentation so that I dont get blank and also I might have helped if it was considered how I will handle my own anxieties and nerves for example to have a bottle of water would have help to hydrate me. Study suggested that to practice my talk and keep a note of timings and any helpful stage direction as well as considering how to react under pressure. Study also shows that it is common to speak more quickly when nervous and therefore, it is useful to think of ways of slowing down at the beginning of your talk NHS (2006), Pollard.A, (2008), Skinner.D (2010). The students were satisfied to learn new thing from the topic that has no previously done and learnt the important point of the session. I was satisfied with engaging students by asking questions and answering, student discussion and that they appeared to be knowledgeable. According to West, Clark and Jasper (2007) provide students with best opportunity for success during the assessment process it is essential to ensure they have a feasible workload for their stage of education that can enable them to learn as well as to work therefore I was giving them every opportunities to ask question and to discuses on the topic by assessing what they learnt and by asking questions which help students to build up their confidence. Conclusion, after analysed the situation, I could conclude that I was able to know how important a good practice is valuing student respect them and treat them as an individual to deliver a good teaching. I also gain knowledge the skills for effective communication with the student weather I am nerves or anxious, I could communicate effectively with student such as approach the student, asking questions, be an active listening, show my understanding and support the encourage for further reading. There wasnt a lot I could have done in this situation; I did ask students as much as I could and I was able to answer their question as well which makes me feel good. However, I could have challenged the students by kept a little bit more if I had print out my note. The Gibbs reflective method has helped me to learn from experience and has given me an insight on what I would do differently if the situation happened again. In the future I believe that I will be able to demonstrate and work closely with both service users to support them, by assessing their needs, reviewing risks, policies and procedures that apply to them. Action plan, for the future I will be able to give the best teaching practice because now I have gain more knowledge about how to prepare teaching session and how to teach. I am also aware that by assisting patients in many ways for example, help patients to contain uncomfortable feelings, by assessing what my symptoms are, I need to learn how to hide these symptoms and pretend to be more confident. For example, if my hands were shaking I wouldnt hold my notes in my hands. If my mouth does dry, then I would keep a bottle of water along. According to Pollard.A, (2008), often by finding ways of controlling the symptoms, you will find that you are no longer feeling quite so anxious. During this essay I learnt the role of teaching and learning theory and I have developed skills and professional knowledge to work effectively with others. Also this essay helped me to develop my knowledge in teaching and learning and understand how the laws and policies are set up to give a better quality practice for teaching so I will use this for my future teaching in practice. I also learnt about individual needs in teaching and the important of approach to teach with student that promotes diversity and valuing differences, Self-esteem and positive group identity, fulfilment of individual potential, and, the full participation of all groups in society.

Relationship Between Buddhism and Politics

Relationship Between Buddhism and Politics Hale, Hunter Power, Politics, and Buddhism Religion and politics are considered by some, like the founders of the United States, items that should remain separate. But try as anyone might as long as people believe in religions their personal beliefs in these religions will always help shape their decision making processes. Buddhism is no different and specifically in Southeast Asia many political policies and views have been shaped by the Buddhas teachings. Buddhism has a model in which the relationship of Buddhism practices, values, and institutions manage to influence the negotiation of power and politics and there are also different relationships between Buddhism, kingdoms and modern states dotted during different historical times in Southeast Asia. To begin, the discussion of a model that dictates all relationships between Buddhism and politics seems quite hard to believe in. This is because once the Buddha passed onto parinirvana and time took its toll, Buddhism branched out into different sects which have different ways of interpreting the dhamma. Although this is not to say that Buddhism did not have influences with politics and power while the Buddha was still alive. It can be safely assumed that Buddhism was supported by the social, economic, and political elites for social, political, and also religious reasons. (Swearer 2010: 71) Siddhartha was brought up within the ruling khattiya class and therefore as the legends of the past might infer, monarchs such as his own father were giant supporters of Buddhism when it was first beginning to bloom and it is noteworthy to mention this. Royal and religious institutions supported each other in South and Southeast Asia on mutual terms; for the royal patronage of the order found in Buddhist monasteries was â€Å"reciprocated by institutional loyalty, and the construction of religious cosmologies and mythologies that valorized the king as the propagator of the Buddhas religion (sansa) were regarded as essential to the peaceful harmony and well-being of the state.† (Swearer 2010: 72). Now if there was a model to speak of that would help bring a strong example for how to rule for future Buddhist monarch it would be Asoka, The Exemplary Buddhist Ruler. Buddhism traditionally uses Asoka as the archetype of the cakkavattin, which is mythic Buddhist ruler who would personify the dhamma and rule by it, Asoka personified the dasarajadhamma or what is also known as the ten royal virtues. These royal virtues are, â€Å"generosity, moral virtue, self-sacrifice, kindness, self-control, non-anger, nonviolence, patience, and adherence to the norm of righteousness.† (Swearer 2010: 73) Asoka, was the grandson of Candragupta (the founder of the Mauryan dynasty which lasted from 317 189 B.C.E), and he took on the approaches of expansion shown by his forefathers and soon amassed the farest stretching political unity India knew before the coming of the colonial period. He ruled this immense empire starting from 270 B.C.E. until 232 B.C.E. and most of our understanding of Aso ka comes from pillars of that commemorated Asoka. The pillars were not the only things that show us into the history of Asoka but The Story of King Asoka, written in Sanskrit and three different Pali works named The Island Chronicle, The Great Chronicle, and commentary by Buddhaghosa on the Vinaya. (Swearer 2010: 73) When Asoka converted to Buddhism he changed history in a meaningful way which included the forming of Theravada Buddhism. King Kyanzittha of Pagan) and King Tilokaraja of Chiang Mai were two rules whom followed the ways of Asoka. They themselves became part of the history of Buddhism for, â€Å"The religion they support literally has its roots in the person of the Buddha, whose physical presence magically resides in his relics, and their political rule is grounded in the mythologized career of Asoka who, in turn, is represented as the historical embodiment of the first world ruler.† (Swearer 2010: 73) Narratives of Asoka, although somewhat a problem in historical terms with the different texts not always supporting each other, is something other rulers (like the previous mentioned ones) let them be guided by. Asoka in his ninth year of reign had a war break out within Magadha, which was the heartland of the Mauryan, and the Kalinga which the kingdom with the most power in India that still was not under Asokas rule. Asoka was moved by the horrors he inflicted upon the Kalingans which included the forced disruption of noncombatants, including priests and monk. Events such as these paved a way for his conversion and he transformed his beliefs into believing that true conquest could not be won over by arms but instead be won by the dhamma. Although some legends say that Asoka became extremely religious and even was a monk in his old age, the pillars provide us with a less figure much less religious and someone who promoted more by idealistic, humanitarian philosophy as opposed to Budd hist doctrinal interests. Rock edict number seven said that Asoka urged fidelity, purity of heart, self-mastery, and gratitude. Buddhas life story is mirrored by the story of Asokas conversion to Buddhism where one method (nibbana) replaced the other (samsara) and the prior then presupposes the rearmost. Asoka went from one who promoted things such as disorder and wickedness to someone who promoted positived things like order and righteousness. (Swearer 2010: 74-75) Asoka was the center point of the founding of the Theravada Buddhism and according to chronicles by the Theravada in Southeast Asia successful rulers, according to those who created the chronicles were the ones who emulated King Asoka. Those who did emulate Asoka built edifices especially stupas which were the centers for Buddhism in Southeast Asia, as well as purified the dhamma and the sangha. (Swearer 2010: 82) Buddhist monarchs in Southeast Asia emulated Asoka frequently. Especially in Asoka’s frequent building of the stupas. One such example is King Anirruddha who made Pagan become the dominant kingdom in Burma. Although the monuments in Pagan cannot match Angkor Wat or Borobudur, the sizes and extents are wondrous. Anniruddha brought to Pagan a relic from a stupa called the Baw-baw-kyi that was within the Pyu center of Thaton. Anniruddha’s successors also helped complete the stupas that he began and were even given more wondrous titles than him. (Swearer 2010: 94) Another king, called King Ramkhamhaeng helped foresee the Manansilapatra which was a stepped pyramid with which the king granted assemblies and then the monks were there to preach the dhamma. (Swearer 2010: 98) Buddhism has continued to influence political leaders and power even in recent times for example U Nu of Burma in January 1948 was elected the first prime minister of the freshly independent Union of Burma. He preached an dogma that mixed socialism and Buddhism basically stating that a community on a national level could only be built only if each person within the nation could overcome their selfish interests. He also argued against material goods saying that they were not meant to be saved or used for personal comfort but only for the necessities of life in the journey to nibbana. (Swearer 2010: 110) U Nu’s own lifestyle used elements of the traditional ideal of the righteous Buddhist monarch for example six months after he had taken up office the government was nearly toppled by an insurrection in which he responded with a vow of sexual abstinence. Another example of Buddhism effecting modern politics is S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike who was became the prime minister of Ceylon in the year 1956. Similar to U Nu he used the institutional power of Buddhism and symbols to gain office, however things such as a call by a monastic political party to make Sinhala the national language le d animosities which ended Bandaranaikes life in assassination. (Swearer 2010: 116-117) Bandaranaike also like U Nu promoted Buddhism rooted within socialism and although his lifestyle did not follow the righteous Buddhist monarch ideal the same as U Nu he used the Buddhist Middle Way to appeal to the masses in international as a well as national party; to many he is considered a national hero. In conclusion, Buddhism is deeply rooted within the political kingdoms and modern societies of Southeast Asia. Using the model Asoka set as a righteous ruler many rulers within Southeast Asia have emulated him. There has been a chain reaction of relationships between Buddhism and politics starting from the Buddha and his early monarch supporters, to King Anirruddha and in recent times U Nu and Bandaranaike. Bibliography Swearer, Donald K.The Buddhist World of Southeast Asia. Albany: State U of New York, 1995. Print.

The Powerful Settings of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay

The Powerful Settings of Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown Setting can be a powerful literary device, and Nathaniel Hawthorne wields it to great effect. There are four major settings in Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† and they all take place in Salem. This essay is an examination of those settings and their effects. The tale opens in a doorway as the reader is presented with two lovers saying goodbye. The two lovers are Goodman Brown, who is eager to leave for his adventure; and his wife Faith Brown, who is desperately trying to dissuade him from leaving the house tonight. In this setting, the main elements induce feelings that are positive, bright, and hopeful – a sunset, a familiar street and home, and the pink ribbons in Faith’s cap. Goodman’s positive setting doesn’t last very long, however. As he walks down the street past the meeting house, his surroundings undergo a drastic change. Goodman’s path takes him onto a "dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest, which barely stood aside to let the narrow path creep through, and closed immediately behind."†His new se... ...ne Review 19 (Spring 1993): 18-21. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Complete Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Doubleday and Co., Inc.,1959. The Holy Bible, King James Version-Old and New Testaments, with the Apocrypha   http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html James, Henry. Hawthorne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997. Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965. Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

Three Women Writers: A Study in Virtue and Christianity of the 18th and

Three Women Writers: A Study in Virtue and Christianity of the 18th and 19th centuries The popularity of Toni Morrison's Beloved has recently awakened a mainstream interest in African-American literature. Writers, such as Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes, have also facilitated the infiltration of African American voices into popular culture. This website is devoted to three women who, like Morrison and Angelou, have aided in the formation and development of the African American literary tradition, but often remain unremembered in today's society. Phillis Wheatley, Harriet Jacobs, and Harriet Wilson have all made valuable contributions in the forms of poetry, narrative, and fiction to the early stages of a growing literary tradition. Although these women portrayed different viewpoints, utilized different writing styles, and wrote within different contexts many comparisons can be made amongst their work. Specifically this site focuses on the common themes of virtue and Christianity represented in the authors' work and in their lives. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Phillis Wheatley Wheatley was born in Africa in the early 1750's and was brought to Boston in 1761 as a slave. The Wheatley family, who was a prominent family in the Boston community, purchased her. The Wheatley's encouraged and taught her, and within sixteen months Phillis was reading and writing fluent English. At the age of fourteen she was writing poetry and hailed as a prodigy of her race. In 1773, Wheatley's first and only published volume, entitled Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral was released. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Wheatley, Phillis was left to support herself as a poet and sea... ...n she is free. But, in Our Nig, Frado is treated like a slave and feels confined by the Bellmonts, yet she is a free person. In this way, Wilson seems to complicate and combine these binaries. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bibliography Bennett, Jr. Lerone. Before the Mayflower: A history of Black America. New York: Penguin, 1988. Jacobs, Harriet. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl. New York: Penguin, 1987. Shields, John, ed. The Collected works of Phillis Wheatley. New York: Oxford, 1988. Wilson, Harriet E. Our Nig; or, Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. New York: Vintage, 1983. Voices from the Gaps: Harriet E. Adams Wilson http://www.~engl.cla.umn.edu/Lkd/vfg/Authors/HarrietE.AdamsWilson Voices from the Gaps: Phillis Wheatley http://www.~engl.cla.umn.edu/Lkd/vgf/Authors/PhillisWheatley

Rhetorical Analysis of Obama’s Victory Speech Essay

On November 6th, 2012, Barack Obama was re-elected as president of the U.S. The following day, Barack Obama held his victory speech. This paper will analyze and comment on an excerpt of that particular victory speech and the key focus of the analysis will be on the rhetorical effects of the speech. By using many forms of rhetorical tools like Anaphora or Tautology, President Barack Obama manages to give a speech that is full of American ideas of life, like the American Promise, the American Dream and the future. The speech is very similar to the one he did in 2008 at the Democratic Convention, and contains many form of repetition and â€Å"between the lines† political views. In the first couple of paragraphs, Barack Obama deliberately begins his sentences with the same couple of words, e.g. â€Å"You’ll hear†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"We want†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"That’s†¦Ã¢â‚¬  followed by positive ideas about the USA, Americans or what the future will bring . This is when the first rhetorical tool is used, and Barack Obama uses Anaphora by starting his sentences with the same lines over and over again. This is a great way to make his statements stand out both greater than they are and easier to remember. Moving on from here, Barack Obama talks about the American Spirit, and gives several examples on how the U.S. will have ended the economic crisis and war in a very near future. The future itself is a huge topic in the speech and when talking about it, Barack Obama gently uses as many rhetorical tools as possible to ensure that the message goes through. One of these rhetorical tools is the Apostrophe, for example when he says: â€Å"It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path.† But also when he is talking about the union straight from the beginning: â€Å"It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He talks about the union and the future like they were capable of understanding what was said about them, or if they were alive, and once again, Anaphora is used so all these optimistic ideas will stick. All in all, this entire speech is made up, using Tautology at its best: When reading the speech, you get the sense that Barack Obama is just repeating himself of how well he and his country have been doing lately and how bright the future is for everything and everyone. As previous mentioned this speech is very similar to the one he gave in 2008 at the Democratic Convention. One of the paragraphs from the 2008 speech is almost identical to the victory speech four years later. In both of the speeches,  Barack Obama talks about how great, wealthy and powerful the U.S. is, but says that it is because of the American Spirit and not the military or the universities. Overall the speeches are very alike. Both of the speeches mention the American Dream and how every American should follow up to their promise and how the U.S. has made it to a point of no return where moving forward is the only option. If one was to look at the speech and occasion, they’d probably think, that given it is a victory speech to the entire nation, the speech would automatically become neutral. I say this mainly because he, in the speech, addresses everyone: â€Å"And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He is talking to every American, Democratic, Republican – even third parties. Even after considering that, Barack Obama still doesn’t keep the speech neutral as I for one thinks that he should. He manages to put some of his polit ical work into it. This quote is taken directly from the speech, when Barack Obama is talking about a girl, who was about to die from leukemia: â€Å"[†¦] had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.† This is a very sensitive area for everybody, and Barack Obama uses that to his advantage by using pathos which makes most of the listeners feel pity for the little poor girl, and at the same time happiness because of what Barack Obama has done for the U.S. This actually leads the Americans to ask themselves a rhetorical question: If it wasn’t for Barack Obama’s health care, would this little girl have died then? Unfortunately, the answer would with most certainty be yes. There are similar points in the speech, not as obvious though, as when he addresses every American, including the homosexual, or gay as they are referred to, which is very much against most of the Republican Americans. The speech itself is just what you’d expect from any reasonable leader in the U.S It is a speech where the American Dream is the biggest topic, when being optimistic about the future and then work a little harder is all there is to save the nation. It is a speech that will promise a greater country, and contains a lot of empty promises, just like in the campaigns. Personally, I believe that if Mitt Romney had won the election, the speech he would have given would have been almost identical to this. Of course, there’re some parts where their political views would be different, but all in all I think the essence and rhetorical layout of a victory speech would be pretty much the same. Just like it were back in 1776 when all of this began.

Greatest Ambition Summary Essay

Morris Lurie was born in Melbourne in 1938. He is better known for his short stories though he has written some novels too. He has won several awards in Australia for fiction. The years spent away from Australia in voluntary exile form the subject matter of much of his writing. Background/Setting The main character is a school boy whose â€Å"greatest ambition† is to be a comic strip artist. The story explores the uncertainties and trials of being an adolescent with unsupportive parents. In the short story ‘My Greatest Ambition’ by Morris Lurie, we experience the disillusionment of a thirteen-year-old boy as he tries to live a dream that he initially thought would set him apart from all others. Nu’s illusion is set up when his father calls him a â€Å"prince† right before Nu’s meeting. It was the first time that his father had complimented him throughout the duration of the memoir. Even though his father was not directly trying to give Nu false hope, the effect of this praise on Nu seemed to point him to that direction. The reference to a â€Å"prince† relates to success and fortune, which would subconsciously give Nu the impression that he would prosper and become a successful comic strip artist at ‘Boy’ magazine. The disillusionment begins when he approaches the office. Nu expects the building itself to be grand and imposing but instead he sees a very mediocre building that â€Å"looked like a factory†. He outlines his disappointment when he says: â€Å"No neon, no massive areas of plate glass, no exotic plants growing in white gravel†. Each time he repeated the word â€Å"no†, it added to his growing sense of disappointment. He also uses repetition with the word â€Å"ordinary† as he describes the details of the building, which emphasises his realisation of disillusionment. When Nu is being toured around the factory he says, â€Å"†¦I was eating an ice-cream†, which indirectly makes Nu seem more immature and out of place. This contrasts from the illusion that Nu had earlier of himself â€Å"walking to work every morning†¦with a pipe in my (his) mouth.† Since his fantasy of being a grown man smoking his pipe and going to work had turned into being a 13 year old in a ridiculous suit eating ice-cream, the disillusionment becomes a more prominent factor in the story.