Alienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay

Alienation and Moral Dilemma as Portrayed by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorn was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804 during Puritan times. He created many stories that reflect his life experiences growing up as a Puritan. He writes stories that end with a moral that was learned through the struggles of the characters. These characters are almost always faced with a dilemma where they must choose what is right versus what is wrong. Another common theme in his writing is alienation. These concepts can be found in the stories â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† and â€Å"The Birth Mark.† They are all about a life altering decision one must face and the consequences of that decision. In â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† the dilemma faced by the main character is about the strength of his faith in God and the trust he losses for his wife and community. In â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil,† a minister is struggling with his own sins and his fear of them being revealed to his congregation. Finally, in â€Å"The Birth Mark,† the main character becomes obsessed with a slight physical flaw on wife’s face; an obsession that ultimately leads to the destruction the thing he cherished most dearly. The story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† is about a man named Goodman Brown who must leave his wife Faith to go on a fateful journey – a journey whose reason is left to speculation. He must go into the local forest, refuse the temptations of the devil, and return to the village before sunrise. He embarks on this journey and returns a changed man for the evils he encountered made him lose his faith in the community around him. The decision or struggle that Brown is faced with in the story is between the evil temptations that lurk in the fore... ...l E., â€Å"The Consequences of Puritan Depravity and Distrust as Historical Context for Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown,’† www.itech.fgcu.edu, http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/Hawthorne.htm Mota, Joshua, â€Å"The Minister's Black Veil,† www.ri.net, http://www.ri.net/schools/Pawtucket/Tolman/ODonnell/MOTAWEB/veil.html Reuban, Paul P, â€Å"PAL: Perspectives in American Literature: A Research and Reference Guide† An Ongoing Online Project, www.csustan.edu, http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap3/hawthorne.html Sharpe, Lynda, â€Å"The Birth-mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne,† www.vcu.edu, http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng491/bm-base.htm Shoemaker ,Jacqueline, â€Å"Hawthorne's Realm of Morality: Biographical Contexts for ‘Young Goodman Brown,’† www.itech.fgcu.edu, http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/Hawthorne.htm http://ipl.org/ http://www.wwnorton.com

Usefulness of Mathematics Education Essay -- Math Mathematical Jobs Es

Usefulness of Mathematics Education There has been much discussion over the years about the usefulness of mathematical studies. Everyone seems to have a different viewpoint on the issue. Some believe that mathematics has little use in the working world and so is not a subject that should be taught at higher levels in secondary school. Others argue that mathematics does serve a profound purpose, albeit one that is subtle and not obvious in the vocational world. G. H. Hardy and Underwood Dudley, two great mathematicians of the twentieth century, have differing views, and our current Secretary of Education Richard Riley has his thoughts as well. So who is right? Who has a stronger argument? Here we will take a closer look at what is the main objective of all mathematics instruction. Hardy once wrote, "Very little of mathematics is useful practically, and that little is comparatively dull" [2]. However, in the next sentence, Hardy states that the power, the importance, the usefulness of a mathematical idea is not in its practical application, but rather in the power of the thought. Dudley agrees with this statement; his main premise is that mathematics, from the world’s viewpoint, is a way of thinking as opposed to the thought. Dudley argues that mathematics is not taught so students can someday go out on the job with confidence of knowing the derivative of sin(x), but that the subject exists in the classroom to teach students how to think [1]. Mathematics is a method of thinking, a powerful way of looking at the world, but it is not a way of making use of oneself in practical living. In 1996 Robin Ria II and David Burghes conducted an investigation of the need for math skills of young, perspective employees in business, in... ...ambridge: The University Press, 1941. [3] Lacampagne, Carole B. State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning Mathematics. July 1993. <http://www.ed.gov/pubs/StateArt/Math> (10/16/99). [4] Quirk, William G. The Anti-Content Mindset: The Root Cause of the "Math Wars". <http://www.wquirk.com/content.html> (10/16/99). [5] Ria II, Robin, and David Burghes. Mathematical Needs of Young Employees. <http://www.ex.ac.uk/cimt> (10/16/99). [6] Riley, Richard W. "The State of Mathematics Education: Building a Strong Foundation for the 21st Century." Conference of American Mathematical Society and Mathematical Association of America. 8 Jan. 1998. <http://www.ed.gov/Speeches/01-1998/980108.html>. (10/16/99). [7] Wood, Michael. The Case for Crunchy Numbers in Practical Mathematics. <http://www.soton.ac.uk/~gary/Wood98.htm> (10/16/99).

How Stevenson Depicts the Relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

How Stevenson Depicts the Relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Robert Louis Stevenson wanted to gradually show the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde in his story. It does not state until the end of the story that they are in fact the same person, he instead leaves it for people to work out for themselves, with a brief explanation at the end of the book. For most of the story, nobody can explain their relationship, as they are never seen together. People are confused as to how they know each other and became such good friends. Clues are given throughout the story that they are the same person; not enough to guess on your own, but so that it all makes sense in the end. These clues include the fact that Hyde once goes into Jekyll's home and takes out Jekyll's chequebook to pay out of Jekyll's bank account. People found this very strange, 'a man does not, in real life, walk into a cellar door at four o'clock in the morning and come out of it with another man's cheque'. This gives the idea that they must be very close friends to share a bank account, or that Jekyll would give Hyde entry to his account. Their relationship is depicted as business-like, and as if they have known each other for a long time. The latter part of this is true in a way. The have an interesting relationship, they need each other to live. Hyde uses Jekyll as a body to carry out his evil and Jekyll uses Hyde to get rid of his burning desires and stress, I think that Robert Louis Stevenson intended to use this in a way to show that they rely on each other and because one has begun to depend on the other, they could not live without each other even though they have so much hatred towards one another. At one point their relations... ... good idea from Robert Louis Stevenson as it gives a clearer impression to the readers about Jekyll and Hyde's relationship with each other and shows their personalities and how they differ. Another interesting way the existence of Hyde can be perceived is that he is the meaning of evil, 'that child of Hell' sent to destroy lives. One character saw himself as the person to hunt down evil, though in the end he was unsuccessful, 'If he be Mr Hyde, I shall be Mr Seek', a clever play on words suggesting evil against good. Black is often linked with evil, Hyde is only used during the night time when it is dark and he has dark hair, as opposed to Jekyll only being himself in the light and having fair hair; another difference between them. His general appearance also looks evil to those who see it; Hyde's visage is described as 'Satan's signature on a face'.

Case Analysis of IKEA Invades America

IKEA is a private home products retailer, which deals internationally in flat pack furniture, accessories, and bathroom and kitchen items. IKEA is the company which is being regarded as the pioneer in flat-pack designed furniture; this firm is now the largest furniture manufacturer of the world, with 120,000 employees around the globe.The revenues of IKEA have been growing at a rapid pace in the past few years, in the fiscal year of 2008-2009 these amounts soared up to $28.8 billion USD; this indicates a growth of 7 percent in comparison of the last year. The reason behind this rapid growth of IKEA is that it has been focusing on providing the market with affordable home furnishing products (Grant, 2005,p.120) that it is why it has been a major success all across the world especially in Europe where middle class earners have become citizens of the IKEA world.Delivering value priced home furnishing products has been the intention of IKEA since its formation way back in 1943. IKEA has been on the verge of a major success in the American market as its stakes are rising in the US since every passing day; no doubt that the managers at IKEA have devised some ingenious strategies which have earned this multinational giant a strong position in the North-American market as well.The American market is majorly divided into two prime segments and the basis of this division is price. The low and the middle class customers tend to buy from different local outlets or marts (like Wal-Mart, Target etc) due to the expensive nature of the products offered by the stylish and the renowned brands. Whilst the upper class opts for the luxurious and classy outlets where the goods are overpriced, these sellers regard their products as â€Å"onetime buy†.If we analyze IKEA’s strategy on the other hand; it caters to the low and the middle classes primarily by providing them the right value of   their money, not only this the missing feature of style is also added by IKEA, and hence the Americans are getting influenced by the IKEA magic. The share of the premium priced sellers is not much in the American market (merely 14-15 percent), so the strategy of IKEA is gaining it the market share and thus it is being translated in the revenue account.

Recasting the Role of the Ceo Essay

In the case study, â€Å"Recasting the Role of the CEO†, Vineet Nayar, Nayar used messaging to communicate to his employees while focusing the organization’s efforts on creativity and innovation, that address change and the adaptive challenge. He was responsible for preparing the firm, its members, and stakeholders for the future by fostering innovation and creativity through effective messaging. He was able to accomplish this by implementing a portal for the employees called â€Å"MyBlueprint†, and also my merging with a company called AXON. Different Ways Messaging Was Used  Instead of holding a live Blueprint meeting, HCL decided to have all three hundred of their managers record their business plans, which would then be posted on the MyBlueprint portal. Once all of the business plans were posted, they’d be open for review by another eight thousand HCL managers. The idea was to transform the planning process into a peer-to-peer review rather than a top-down judgment. (Nayar, 2010). After reviewing a few recordings, Nayar noticed the plans improved and were more efficient because the managers knew they would be reviewed by a larger number of people than in previous years. The managers were more honest in their assessment of current challenges and opportunities, and they talked more about the actions they would take to accomplish certain goals, as opposed to, what they hoped to accomplish. (Nayar, 2010). This internal messaging of the MyBlueprint portal had a huge impact on the future and innovation of HCL, because it allowed for employees to help each other and point their colleagues toward a recording that might be useful to them. Many of the employees within departments were able to discuss their futures with a better understanding of what’s required of them, and it allowed for the managers to make new connections with one another. Comments were posted about strategies being used, and that provided the managers with new perspectives and ideas. When new employees were hired, they had a place they could go to learn what the team was trying to accomplish and why. (Nayar, 2010). Everyone at HCL felt they were a part of the thinking and planning process. When HCL merged with Axon, Nayar used the concept of sharing responsibilities with the employees and business units in this merger. Nayar understood that acquiring AXON was going to strengthen HCL and help them to grow faster, because they were the largest and most successful independent SAP consulting company. Nayar didn’t force AXON to integrate into HCL’s organization, because he was well aware of HCL’s weaknesses so he only merged HCL’s SAP organization into AXON. (Nayar, 2010). By doing so, this allowed for HCL AXON to become extremely successful and the company experienced a great deal of growth in nine months. After seeing the positive results and advantages of the merger, the HCL AXON leadership team ended up running many other parts of HCL. Also, since Nayar continued to use the â€Å"Employees First, Customer’s Second† approach with this merger, they were able to acquire four more successful acquisitions in that year alone. (Nayar, 2010). External messaging was used by proposing this acquisition deal with AXON to plan for a better future for both companies. This allowed for AXON to leverage HCLT’s brand, customers, solutions, and innovations amongst other things. Effectiveness of Internal and External Communication When the company decided to have the managers record their business plans, it enhanced innovation and creativity on all levels. It gave the managers an opportunity to really analyze the challenges they faced on their teams, and to come up with realistic solutions as to how they’re going to solve them. It also gave them the opportunity to come up with realistic goals and solutions for their teams. The flood gates of creativity opened due to the recorded plans, because everyone had the opportunity to view them, so it llowed for different insights on strategies that were currently being used, and opinions on new strategies that could possibly be beneficial to the teams. â€Å"By involving the employees and giving them more power, choice, and information, they begin to believe that they can influence different situations and their outcomes. † (Hickman, 2010). The messaging was also very affective with the HCL AXON merger because HCL was successful before they acquired AXON, but once they merged, that made HCL’s brand stronger and allowed for innovation. The HCL AXON leadership team was so effective; they took charge of running many other parts of HCLT businesses after nine months of the acquisition. The merger generated such powerful results that four more successful acquisitions were completed in that same year. Effectiveness in Using Messaging to Prepare the Firm, its Members, and Stakeholders for the future Nayar was very effective in using messaging to prepare the firm, its members, and stakeholders for the future. The internal and external messaging was very affective for HCL in both cases. It proved that when a CEO focuses less on governing and more on enabling, the executive can accomplish much that might otherwise have been too risky to undertake. (Nayar, 2010). When the managers at HCL were required to post their business plans on the MyBlueprint portal, this was a form of workshop that allowed for all of HCL’s employees to be involved in, and discuss challenges and solutions that can be put into action. This also created a deeper understanding of each teams projects/tasks and how they fit into the overall objective of the organization. The managers now feel as though they have a sense of direction and they have the support of management as well as their peers. By using this form of messaging, it encourages the employees to communicate with their team members. Nayar was also effective with external messaging in reference to acquiring AXON. By acquiring the largest, most successful independent SAP consulting company in the world, this strengthened HCL and it allowed for them to grow. This acquisition prepared their employees, customers and stakeholders for the growth opportunities that were about to take place, whether it was internally or externally. Conclusion: Nayar had a responsibility to prepare his firm, its members, and stakeholders for the future. He was successful at this by fostering innovation and creativity through effective internal and external messaging. He found a way to communicate to the employees through a portal called â€Å"MyBlueprint†, which promoted innovation and creativity through an abundance of feedback from the organization. And he acquired a company called AXON which propelled HCL’s brand to new heights, and allowed for lots a growth and new business.

Fleur Adcock: Analysis of Instead of an Interview Essay

‘Instead of an Interview’ by Fleur Adcock, is a poem essentially about the divided sense of identity she has inherited: from both family (or historical) emigrant experience and personal deportation. In the poem, the issue is complicated, as Adcock explores the loss and alienation that emerges from the choice of long-term separation from family. It begins with descriptive visual imagery, where Adcock attempts to familiarise herself with the childhood images of â€Å"The hills†, â€Å"water, the clean air†, and â€Å"a river or two†, â€Å"certain bays†, and â€Å"those various and incredible hills†. The description almost seems like a ramble, which evokes a fresh and exciting experience. Although we learn later on in this poem that she addresses England as her â€Å"home†, this stanza largely bears feelings of nostalgia. The â€Å"ah† in the last line of the stanza re-emphasises her expression of relief, relaxation and comfort, after her first visit back to New Zealand after 13 years. Through this poem, Adcock offers â€Å"snapshots† of her family’s past, and the struggles of family, marriage, and life. In the second stanza, we see Fleur warming up to the familiarity of New Zealand – the â€Å"streets I could follow blind†, and other â€Å"familiar settings†. There seems to be a sense of distress, as Fleur is engaging in parts of her past that she has tried to forget about. Coming back to her birthplace appears to be more overwhelming, than comforting. It seems like she had gone away because she hadn’t like it enough to stay. Whether good or bad, â€Å"the dreams (she’d) not bothered to remember† kept creeping back automatically as she passed â€Å"familiar settings†. She further relates this attachment with the atmosphere of the country: â€Å"ingrained; ingrown; incestuous: like the country. The elaborated vowel sounds enhance the warmth of the stanza, drawing the reader closer to Adock’s personal feelings. The semicolons serve as caesuras, creating dramatic pauses for emphasis. The slightly grotesque terms – â€Å"ingrained†, â€Å"ingrown†, â€Å"incestuous† – are used to emphasise the vividness of her hometown memories, as if they were carved into her thoughts. The three adjectives and the caesuras have a rapid flow, which then shifts to a lingering rhythm with â€Å"like the country†, composed of three words. This sudden change in rhythm brings about a grand atmosphere or aura, especially ue to the end-stopped line, since this breaks the flow and changes to a new stanza. The use of â€Å"country† enhances this importance – her memories and country complement one another, emphasising the size and enormity of these â€Å"ingrained†, â€Å"ingrown†, and â€Å"incestuous† memories. Another significant and extremely personal connection mentioned in this stanza is, â€Å"my Thorndon† – Thorndon being the capital city of New Zealand. The personal pronoun â€Å"my† emphasises a sense of belonging and possession, as though she wants to point out that this country is a significant part of her childhood. In the third stanza, Fleur is genuine to mention all the wonderful things ‘another city’ in New Zealand offered to her: â€Å"a lover†, â€Å"quite enough friends†, in terms of relationships. Her use of caesuras is evident once again in the third line: â€Å"bookshops; galleries; fish in the sea†. She is heightening the reader’s interest with her clever use of punctuation, once again emphasising the different and essential memories of her country. The reader is able to identify from this line Fleur’s many areas of interest. She seems to enjoy the company of nature – natural imagery is abundant in this particular stanza. The â€Å"gardens†, â€Å"fish in the sea†, â€Å"lemons and passionfruit† signify her love for nature. It is evident that these authentic memories are destroyed due to urbanisation; as she mentions in the earlier stanza – â€Å"half my Thorndon smashed for the motorway†. The trees and gardens were ruined over the years and replaced by synthetic and unnatural materials. Hence, her sense of possession has strengthened, with whatever piece of nature and memory that remains. ‘Instead of an Interview’ exposes Adcock’s sense of an identity split between New Zealand and Britain. This alternating change in culture evidently created confusion with Adcock identifying herself. Adcock explained to her niece, â€Å"home is London; and England, Ireland, Europe. â€Å"Perhaps she is entirely attached (maybe temporarily) to the British culture, since she has practically lived there her whole adult and professional life. After visiting her birth town, all the childhood memories came flooding in; perhaps she resisted them because she is still so confused about where she really belongs. The idea of ‘home’ being a â€Å"loaded word† re-emphasises her befuddled state of being. Adding to that, the poem ends with a question ark: â€Å"have I made myself for the first time an exile? † This use of punctuation leaves the reader puzzled, with plenty of questions, because the speaker herself is unsure about her identity. For the first time, Fleur feels she has made herself an â€Å"exile†, which is the state of being expelled from one’s native country. This is a serious dilemma and seems as though she wrote this poem in a slightly sentimental hangover from having visited New Zealand after 13 years. What is misleading is that the poem comes across as Adcock’s way of saying she does not like to talk or be interviewed but rather to show her emotions through her poems.

Educational Purpose Essay

Since childhood, I have always wanted to be an educator. This is because I have always considered education as an essential need. It is certainly because education makes one civilized. It is also through education that the potential of one person is maximized. Significantly, it is the way by which one gains knowledge which is very useful in everyday life. Education is also the means which will make it possible for individuals to achieve his or her dreams. In addition, education is necessary in order to mould one to discern what is right from wrong. Hence, education is one of the most important factors for people to exist in a peaceful and civilized society. Additionally, as widely recognized, being a teacher is the noblest profession. It is not only because teachers educate but also because they are considered as the second parent of the students. Hence, it is not only the intellectual aspect that teacher develops but also the emotional and psychological aspect of the student. Teachers are necessary in forming better persons in the society. Notably, in all these endeavors, the teacher does not merely exert effort and time but also extends care, concern, and love to his or her students. It is for these zealous purposes that I longed to be an educator. In the educational system today, many problems can be observed. The most common and old probably is diversity or socio-cultural differences. Even in the older times, diversity has always been a barrier for most of students. I had my own share of difficulty when it comes to the issue of socio-cultural differences. I have experienced being avoided in debates whenever I attempted to join. Being a person having a different skin color and language makes it difficult to be accepted by the majority. However, being different among the majority has challenged me to break the barriers that impede me from achieving my goals. I know that there are thousands who had experienced and is experiencing what I have been through. As such, I am inspired to make ways on eliminating diversity that hinders other students from pursuing their dreams. Meanwhile, school is considered as the second home of students. Hence, schools should be made as a place for freedom regardless of race, culture, gender, age, and socio-economic status. Another problem that is plaguing the education system is commercialization. Education has been said to be a right of every individual. However, as educational fees continue to increase, the burden to the poor is becoming heavier because the value is making it difficult for the poor to afford. Hence, education is becoming a privilege for the rich. Furthermore, the continued commercialization of education is affecting the quality of education because of competition among schools. At the same time, commercialization deviate the labor market and creates labor shifting. This happens especially when schools offer short courses when the employment demands for graduate courses. Education, as such, is one of the necessities for us to be able to achieve our dreams. A student goes to school to be educated so that someday he will have the employment he has desired for. However, the real situation would merely disappoint the student. It is of no doubt that the technological innovation has affected the drastic change in labor demand. In addition, the nation is also highly industrialized. Hence, the labor offered are those related to technology and industry. This fact puts the students of social sciences in a disadvantaged position because they have a narrower chance of employment in a highly technical and industrialized society. It has been said that education is the window to a student’s dream. Thus, the curriculum should correspond to the need of the society and at the same time aid in the fulfillment of the student’s dream.