The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain :: Adventures Huck Finn Twain Essays

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The entire plot of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is rooted on intolerance between different social groups. Without prejudice and intolerance The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would not have any of the antagonism or intercourse that makes the recital interesting. The prejudice and intolerance found in the book are the characteristics that make The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn great.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is Samuel Langhorn Clemens, who is more commonly known by his pen name, Mark Twain. He was born in 1835 with the passing of Haley’s comet, and died in 1910 with the passing of Haley’s comet. Clemens often used prejudice as a building block for the plots of his stories. Clemens even said,† The very ink in which history is written is merely fluid prejudice.† There are many other instances in which Clemens uses prejudice as a foundation for the entertainment of his writings such as this quote he said about foreigners in The Innocents Abroad: â€Å"They spell it Vinci and pronounce it Vinchy; foreigners always spell better than they pronounce.† Even in the opening paragraph of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Clemens states, â€Å"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were many groups that Clemens contrasted in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The interaction of these different social groups is what makes up the main plot of the novel. For the objective of discussion they have been broken down into five main sets of antithetic parties: people with high levels of melanin and people with low levels of melanin, rednecks and scholarly, children and adults, men and women, and finally, the Sheperdson’s and the Grangerford’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Whites and African Americans are the main two groups contrasted in the novel. Throughout the novel Clemens portrays Caucasians as a more educated group that is higher in society compared to the African Americans portrayed in the novel. The cardinal way that Clemens portrays African Americans as obsequious is through the colloquy that he assigns them. Their dialogue is composed of nothing but broken English. One example in the novel is this excerpt from the conversation between Jim the fugitive slave, and Huckleberry about why Jim ran away, where Jim declares, â€Å"Well you see, it ‘uz dis way.

A Different Mirror :: essays research papers

A Different mirror: A History of Multicultural America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ronald Takaki is one of the foremost-recognized scholars of multicultural studies and holds a PhD. in American History from the University of California, Berkeley. As a professor of Ethnic Studies at the same university, he wrote A Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America as a fantastic new telling of our nation’s history. The book narrates the composition of the many different people of the United States of America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a lively account filled that is with personal accounts and the voices of people that were in the past left out of the historical armament, Ronald Takaki proffers us a new perspective of America’s envisioned past. Mr. Takaki confronts and disputes the Anglo-centric historical point of view. This dispute and confrontation is started in the within the seventeenth-century arrival of the colonists from England as witnessed by the Powhatan Indians of Virginia and the Wamapanoag Indians from the Massachusetts area. From there, Mr. Takaki turns our attention to several different cultures and how they had been affected by North America. The English colonists had brought the African people with force to the Atlantic coasts of America. The Irish women that sought to facilitate their need to work in factory settings and maids for our towns. The Chinese who migrated with ideas of a golden mountain and the Japanese who came and labored in the cane fields of Hawaii and on the farms of California. The Jewish people that fled from shtetls of Russia and created new urban communities here. The Latinos who crossed the border had come in search of the mythic and fabulous life El Norte.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ronald Takaki closes his book, a Different Mirror: a History of Multicultural America, with the 1992 Los Angeles racial explosion.

Economy Shipping Company :: Business Management Finances Essays

Economy Shipping Company It is recommended that Economy Shipping Company (ESC) replace the steamboat, Cynthia, with a new diesel powered boat. The analysis assumed no operating cost in 1950. Although ESC was presumably still in service during this analysis, the costs associated with the project evaluation were not accounted for until 1951. It was also implicit in the NPV calculations that any upgrade required subsequent to 1950 could be performed without any interruption to the daily operations and were performed at the beginning of the year. Therefore, the stoker upgrade and the engine replacements were considered on Jan 1st of the intended year and did not require any downtime for the installation. The evaluation considered four different scenarios: 1. Rehabilitation of Cynthia with the stoker conversion occurring in 1950 2. Rehabilitation of Cynthia with the stoker conversion occurring in 1952 3. Purchase of a new diesel-powered boat with 2 shifts, 12-hour working day 4. Purchase of a new diesel-powered boat with 3 shifts, 8-hour working day Since ESC was considering other projects with a rate of return of 10%, each of the above options were considered using the same rate of return. The company?s balance sheet suggests that management was very conservative. The debt-to-equity ratio in 1950 was 0.075, indicating that the company could easily borrow at the going rate of 3% without fear of bankruptcy. Moreover, the company had sufficient funds to purchase four new diesel-powered boats. Overall, ECS was in a very strong position to quickly upgrade their fleet and gain any advantage that may come with the new diesel-powered boats. The influence of the union to change the working hours for the crew members is noteworthy in this analysis. If the union succeeded, the steamboats would not be capable of accommodating the 3-shift requirement and therefore be noncompliant with the new regulation. If the new regulation had fines associated for any vessel not in compliance with the new guidelines, the results for the steamboat scenarios would only get worse. In this case, the diesel-powered boats could accommodate the anticipated ruling and therefore continue to operate without fear of being unlawful. Another disadvantage against rehabilitating Cynthia was its age. At the time of the decision the steamboat had already been in operation for 23 years. Although, the realizable cost to renovate the steamboat was already known, the intangible aspect of this alternative was the status of the boat once refurbished. It should be noted that with any overhaul, there are still aspects to the boat that will remain ?old? and will eventually fail. The maintenance and repairs listed in

Personal Professional Development Essay

In this section of the report I will explain the importance of continual self  development and implement my own personal development plan (PDP) in line with my organisations objectives. To achieve this I will review the requirements of my employer and its clients and review my own personal needs and determine the skills and knowledge I will need to meet them. I will assess the gaps in my current skills and knowledge in line with the organisational objectives. I will identify my personal learning objectives and start filling those gaps and propose the actions for achieving these objectives. My PDP will be SMART and include measures for success, resources required and target dates for review and completion where appropriate. Continuous self-development is a process in which people take responsibility for their own learning. Self-development can be defined as Maintaining and continuing to improve and develop knowledge and competencies which can improve your performance in the workplace. Developing specific qualities and skills Advancing your full potential as a person by been proactive According to Pedlar et al, (2007) they believe that â€Å"Self-development is personal development, with the person taking primary responsibility for their own learning and for choosing the means to achieve this. Ultimately, it is about increasing your capacity and willingness to take control over and be responsible for events†(p30). As demonstrated by Pedlar et al. (2007) self development is about an individual been proactive and developing their learning capacity by empowering themselves to take control of their own learning and be responsible for it. Another important factor linked to self-development is Developing Greater Self-Awareness. Goleman suggests that self-awareness involves: Emotional self awareness: recognising your emotions and the impact they have on your life. Accurate self-assessment: identifying your strengths and limitations. Self-confidence: knowing yourself worth and capabilities. By improving self awareness we can create opportunities for a better work  life balance , become aware of our emotions, and improve our ability to respond to change. These qualities will enhance the performance of a manager and is important to include these elements when developing a PDP. For continual self-development to take place an individual has to determine how and by what means is required to achieve continual self-development in achieving organisational objectives. According to Martin (2005) â€Å"An organisation is a group of individuals and as individuals develop, so do the organisations that employ them† Martin (2005) suggests Organisations give importance to continual self-development because it is effective for organisations in terms of achieving organisational objectives if the employees develop then so does the organisation. It is important that the business plan objectives of the organisation are taken into consideration when building a Personal Development Plan, as any personal development should complement the organisation’s plans. If people don’t continually self-develop and perform to meet organisational objectives the organisation does not develop and perform to met the organisational objectives. The organisation can become stagnant and fail to achieve the overall strategic company outcome to be financially viable and show a profit. It is important to continually self-develop so an individual can succeed in maintaining their position within the organisation but also to progress and achieve organisational objectives. An example of continual self-development in achieving organisational objectives is to maintain organisational legislation for instance the Health and Safety law. If the individual in the organisation who is responsible for the health and safety law does not comply with the health and safety rules, it could increase the chance that individuals may be hurt. It could also increase the chance that the organisation could be fined for health and safety violations, or that the individual responsible for this role could be suspended or fired for putting the organisation and its employees at unnecessary risk. An example of my continual self-development in achieving  organisational objectives is to continually ensure I am current and up to date with my knowledge of funding eligibility, which is governed by the Skills funding Agency (SFA). If I do not develop my understanding of new legislation set by the SFA the company can become at risk of not meeting the set contractual requirements. This can have a detrimental effect on the company which could lead to loss of revenue or loss of contracts which in turn could result in staff becoming unemployed. To summarise, the performance of employees is directly linked to organisational performance hence the achievement of organisational objectives. The performance of employees can be improved through the continuous self-development process which clarifies the importance of continual self development within an organisation. Personal development plans (PDPs) provide a powerful and flexible way to link employee’s professional and personal development with the development of the organisation. My job role within Intertrain is the National contracts & compliance manager intertrain’s organisational chart is presented in appendix 1 to demonstrate my management role within the organisation. To be able to assess and plan for personal professional development a process needs to take place. It is important in learning new skills or developing new competencies that they are planned and structured. I will use Kolb’s learning cycle as the structure for my PDP, this will implemented to assess and reflect on my current experiences and skills. This will then in turn allow me to review and identify the development opportunities and then test them out and reflect what has been learnt in meeting organisational objectives.

Management performance: efficiency and effectivity

Efficiency is the relationship between the means and the end. It simply refers to the amount of resources used to achieve target production and company goals. The main objective of which is to increase productivity by increasing respective efficiency at all levels. Where the concept of process improvement relies on the provision of technology, it integrates links of all key business functions and makes use of integrated structured software to run and manage the company. The philosophy of planning and organizing company’s activities demands proper control and monitoring of its resources. This serves as the basis to making necessary corrections and guidelines. Information technology (IT) therefore plays an important role in the aspects of technology adaptation. Its vital design is accessibility to information or speed of access created to fit total client and business management system. However, the main consideration of the integration with IT is still the people, and the workflow. Teamwork and management leadership are factors that shall still be mutually carried over the entire workflow. Efficiency aims to bring together knowledge, people and materials to achieved optimal results in market positioning. It entirely reflects the methods and the means to try to accomplish the plan. Strong management leadership in line with employee motivations greatly influences the effects of efficiency. To recapitulate: efficiency enables the organization to support the business by leveraging on its integrated workflow management to customer relations management for higher productivity. This ensures virtual service quality in simplified mapping enhancements of the network performance reporting capabilities. The basic key of the process is to align every diverse constituent to critical information asymmetries that allows timing and participation in the cycle. Where the people are highly motivated and is performing at high levels, organization performance always refers to the means and methods used to achieve corporate goals. It focuses on management of human, conceptual and technical skills to enhance flexibility through teamwork in the art of getting things done through people and integration of technology in an efficient manner. The diversity of the corporate culture needs solid management skills and action in creating the conditions and environment to manage and run the company in an efficient manner to sustain its long term existence. The results of which can be measured on its productivity and effectivity. In comparison, effectivity is the means to measure the methods and applications applied to achieve corporate goals. Thus it is the task involve in making an analysis of the result and efficiency of the management tools and skills being utilized by the current organizational system and practices. It utilizes systems thinking to assess cause and effect variables of its applications in the fundamental aspects of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of each unit or department in reference to overall effectivity. Efficiency is the logical integration of people, equipment, and technology resources to promote productivity and achieve end values while effectivity measures the consistency of the means to achieve corporate goals by the measure of man-machine-systems efficiency and calculations of productivity ratios. Working in the efficiency of each individual, machine, and technology performance is what defines the heart and soul of an organization’s systems and procedures which aims to regulate management practices to enhance productivity. Efficiency is the primary indicator of either a successful or failing management performance. It can be improved simultaneously only by making critical analysis of its efficiency by measures of the individual productivity. This measure of efficiency and productivity is the task or the concept of effectivity. (Daft 2004). References Daft, Richard. (2004). Management. South Western College. Â  

Counseling African Americans Essay

Sue and Sue’s Chapter 14 Counseling African Americans spends a great deal of effort exploring cultural particulars and corresponding clinical implications while working with African Americans; factors such as family dynamics, educational orientation, spirituality, and the pressures and stress of racism and marginalization. This offered me perspective through a lens much broader than my own somewhat narrow, predominantly white, and fairly privileged way of relating to the world. Before understanding culturally appropriate interventions, one must have an understanding of the cultural context or the cultural word of an individual. For me, this first means that differences must be noted, either literally in relationship with the African American client or simply as a clinical observation I make on my own. Of course the difference in the two will depend on the client, context, and general relevancy in the moment. In my own experience, noting racial difference aloud with a client has been most helpful in that it gives permission for the potentially â€Å"taboo† topic of race and differences to be considered, brought into the space at a later time, and even into the forefront of consciousness. Apart from the explicit therapeutic relationship, noting difference is a personal reminder that I am no expert on anyone’s experience but my own, I may make mistakes (and probably will), I should steer clear of assumptions, it’s ok to be curious, and to do my homework. Once a general understanding of differences is established, then one can begin to consider appropriate therapeutic interventions. Let’s take the issue of racism and discrimination; the byproduct of these atrocities oftentimes manifests as defense and survival mechanisms in Black Americans. Which can lead to a general mistrust or as it’s stated (by Sue and Sue) a â€Å"healthy cultural paranoia†, as a way of coping. This mistrust can be of individuals, entire races of people, the government, social service providers†¦ With this in mind, it’s important to determine what the client’s feelings and understandings about therapy are. To touch base and explain what kind of therapy I engage in, how it can be helpful to them, and what can be expected of our time together. Hopefully this will help to assuage uneasy feelings of fear of the unknown or mistrust, as well as set up a foundation for a healthy therapeutic alliance. Although Sue and Sue’s Afrocentric perspective can be helpful it can also simultaneously be viewed as reductive. It’s important not to discount individual differences by universalizing traits of African Americans. Self cannot be defined as a unitary concept evolving from a single defining variable, such as race or gender (Williams, 1999). For instance, not all women are nurturing, caring, and relational. Similarly, not all African Americans possess an African ethos of communalism or spirituality. Race, class, sexual orientation, and gender are all complex interactive components that make up the self. To approach a client through the lens of only one of these variables, means potentially silencing a central component of their identity. Additionally, it is also necessary to consider an internal state without regard to the social demands of each variable. Collectively, these considerations can aide to a more holistic view when working with African American clients. Part Two After spending a year in practicum at the SF county jail, I feel as though I’ve had a fairly decent introduction to working with African American females. When I began practicum I had had very little training in diversity or cross-cultural counseling. Turns out that a year in the jail was one large training in diversity and cross-cultural counseling! Now I’m able to pin my personal experience against the readings and gauge my success as a culturally competent therapist. When assessing my strengths, I find that I possess a keen and tremendously empathic understanding of how the stress of racism, sexism, and oppression can manifest in African American women. Oftentimes the byproduct of this stress is what brings the individual to jail. As a clinician, I can confidently say that I am able to enter the therapeutic relationship with a greater capacity for empathy because of this understanding and build a strong alliance as an ally as well as a therapist. I’m not afraid to make mistakes and have no attachment to being â€Å"right†; these qualities will only support me as a clinician. In addition, my upfront demeanor and willingness to self-disclose have had a remarkable impact on the therapeutic relationship. My empathy is strongly with women and their plight of identifying and addressing all the â€Å"isms† that stand between them and equality, wholeness, and health. Frequently, those â€Å"isms† are at the hands of men and I certainly have a bias towards this, and towards men in general. It’s no accident that I spent an entire year of practicum working solely with women; although it wasn’t a conscious choice, I believe on some level I chose not to work with men. I have incredible biases towards men as perpetrators and oppressors and men and their privilege, African American men as well as Caucasian. These biases keep me terrified at the thought of working with male clients. I imagine heaps and heaps of countertransference between male clients and myself; countertransference that is full of pain and rage. I’m not sure that I have much to offer men inside the therapeutic space. I don’t believe this to be my â€Å"final answer†, I just know that I have some work to do around my relationship with men before I make the leap of working with them in such sacred space. Essentially, it all comes down to two core qualities- and they are humility and flexibility; humility in all that I think I know and the flexibility to shift or discard that knowledge. My experience of working with, knowing, and reading about African American culture, difference, and oppression may or may not serve me as a therapist at any given moment. What works for and makes sense in the context of Client A, may not be so for Client B, and vise versa. Although it is crucial to have fundamental knowledge of the legacy of oppression against African American people and to consider factors such as interdependence, collectivism, and emotional vitality as presumed long- standing black personality traits, I must also be able to draw connections between those factors and the individual experience- much like the womanist techniques mentioned in Carmen Braun Williams’ article African American Women, Afrocentrism and Feminism: Implications for Therapy. As a therapist, I am responsible for guiding and supporting the client in making the shift from object to subject; transferring ownership of self from one whose self is externally determined to one who is self- determining (Freire, 1990). And practice practice practice, with an open heart, ears, and mind. References Braun Williams, C. (1999). African American women, afrocentrism and feminism: Implications for therapy. Women & Therapy, Vol. 22(4) 1999. Freire, P. (1990). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York: Continuum. Sue, D. & Sue, D. (2008). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, Chapter 14.

Is Atticus a good father? Essay

However, I think that they were acting somewhat childish. In reverse, Atticus is definitely an excellent role model and a good father for Jem and Scout. Firstly, Atticus raised two children – Jem and Scout on his own and was always there for them. He was affectionate with his children and he was always ready with a big hug when they needed comfort. Also, he was a loving and caring father who cared about their education and tried to use as much time as possible out of his packed work schedule to teach them how to read. Moreover, he spent father-child bonding time with them by reading stories to them at night. Secondly, he taught his children about morals and values patiently. He guided them with everyday lessons in life. He set such a good example for his children, even when it means risking his safety. Obviously there was a case where he defended Tom Robinson though no one else would. This shows that he was showing his children that everyone deserved to be treated equally regardless of their skin colours and that one must do what is right even when that means doing something difficult. Thirdly, he taught his children valuable lessons through trivial incidents. For instance, he accepted payment in any form that his clients were able to give it, e. g. turnip greens, stove wood and hickory nuts, etc. It shows that he was teaching his children that money meant less than helping one’s human beings and that all people regardless of income or status deserved his help and friendship. Fourthly, although he allowed his children to play and explore freely, he was also a firm disciplinarian who always taught his children to think of how their actions will affect others and gave suitable punishments to them. For example, when Jem damages the camellia bushes of Mrs. Dubose, Atticus advised him to say sorry to such an old and sick lady. Mrs Dubose then punished him by asking him to read to her every afternoon for two hours. Atticus used this experience to teach Jem what real â€Å" courage† meant and focus on the principles of life and respects while upholding fairness and justice. To conclude, although Atticus is not a perfect father, he was very responsible and easily gained trust of Jem and Scout, which is something essential in every parent-child relationship.