Writing the Writer’s Problem Essay Example for Free

Writing the Writer’s Problem Essay Writing is a passion. Everyone can write but only few people can write well enough for other people to understand. Writing has never been an easy task, job or hobby; it requires attention and broad understanding of the things around you. Language is the first to be considered in writing, how a person will be able to talk to his or her readers and what shall the writer to use. Whatever the reason for writing is, culture and the environment of the writer affect any output he or she produces. In this case, differences in language and in rearing make them different and sometimes, people were unable to understand them. There are certain things that are considered first in writing and when you are in an American school or any English Speaking School, the language used could affect you as a writer especially if your were never a native English speaker. However, writing in English or being fluent in English depends on the nature of the person. Thus, those who came from a different place, foreign student as we call them, and took a chance to enter a world different from theirs, commonly experience language barriers in the sense that they may have used a different language since birth or they have a different tone. Hence, they experience problems in communicating with the people around them in English language, may it be in papers submitted in school or outside school, in conversing with other people, their peers and their classmates. Reflections Using the guides given by the instructor it seems to be so easy at first to analyze one’s self regarding writing concerns. However, this task is a big thing and involves severe reflection and analysis of the real issue. Hence, the following entries are reflections over the guidelines and question given the instructor which would most probably help in knowing one’s self. There are three exercises to be answered and they are in the form of an essay. Exercise 5B: Reflecting on Your Own Writing Concerns Criticizing personal works is not bad at all. It only allows us to have rooms for improvement and a better writing skill. Perhaps it is better to do such reflection over personal works more often than to be too sensitive of the critics. Considering my performance over the past years, it seems that I had been dealing with a better writing skills compared to others. The upbringing I had and the way I use the language allows me to write a better paper and how I was able to communicate with others, may it be through the web or in person. Personally, there are no problems since I can observe no rules in writing but when it comes to professional and academic concerns, it seems that I have to be more careful since there are rules to be followed. However, as a writer, I believe I do not have many problems except of having errors in grammar and thoughts but aside from those, nothing else follows. Moreover, as a writer, my problems in writing allowed me to become emotional sometimes and when it comes to critics over my professional and academic writings, I somehow lose confidence but reflecting upon it at this time, it seems that it is better not to take it personally because critics were made for your own development. On the other hand, it is not hard for me also to relate with those writers who uses English as second language. Like them, I have criticism also and that people, instructors and peers say different things about my writings which I believed were also experienced by writers who use English as second language. However, when it comes to writing anxieties, I believe I do not share the same frustrations since English is not my second language and I had been fluent for a long time already. But regarding struggles in starting an assignment seems to be a common problem among students because that is a common though and it is hard to make a or write a paper without an issue in mind but this one I think I was able to conquer already along with the problem in language. Exercise 5A: Reflecting on Writers’ Concerns Regarding the mock requests, I believe there is nothing personal and so meeting the students face to face would be better. In this case, there will be enough attention and the focus of both the student and me will be at one point, sharing the same point of view and focal point. Hence, it will be easy for the two of us to exchange ideas and opinion which will be very helpful not only to the students but also with me. If we happen to see face to face, perhaps the students will confess about their problems in writing and the language which prohibits them to continuous write down their thoughts and opinions. It is a common problem and though they are frustrated already, they will and eagerness to learn more and to work on with they writing skills allows them to deal with their frustration. In this case, the students were benefiting in such tutorials because they are given the chance to be heard and then to learn also. In some point, there are no reasons why language used in writing will not be tackled over mock requests. It seems that it is one of the main reasons why such things happen and it is focused mainly on improving the students and not into insulting them. Addressing such problems are common already that it will be helpful for the students if they will take constructively and not focusing on the emotional torture it may give them. The advises I gave seems to be helpful to them due to the fact that they really have improvements and that they do understand the importance of knowing English and learning how to fluently write in English since they are presently in an English Country wherein there is a Standard Academic English. Exercise 5c: Reflecting on Tutoring Techniques Considering the revision of the advices I gave to the students, it seems that it still have to revise other things and that the once I shared must be given in full detail and not in a short talk only. First and foremost, I have to be sure that the students understand what I was trying to say and have an idea of what is really happening which means that full attention must be give. Also the student must be oriented with culture and the differences since it is one part of the cultivation of the writer’s thoughts and skills. Furthermore, clearing issues about culture will allow them to have ideas in the world of writing such as plagiarism and to give them ideas about the proper style to be used when writing for academic papers under the Standard American English. Hence, with all of these things cleared to the student, he or she will be able to write better and soon learn more about and learn to adapt with the changes. Works Cited Module 4: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in the Writing Center

Resistance to Change in an Organisation

Resistance to Change in an Organisation Introduction Change is not an easy factor to go through. Taking in to account that it does not matter if it is a change of rules, space or simple habits. The concept of change involves many other functions. Where the resistance to it, sometimes is hard to adapt or maybe just simple depending the management and organization between one and more individuals, which makes part of an organization structure and affect a whole organization. Organizational change in inevitable Just like anything in life, in addition to this the evolution of the world markets and cultures. Makes the change something that requires constant attention and preparation. In order to be successful in any market, an organization has to be able to transform an evaluate different kind of statements that show the importance of organizational change in the develop of a company. We live in a world in which the nature of organization and the practice, most of people believe that we are in a Constance change. When the difference between theory and practice is completely relevant and plays an important role in management and helps to understand that is a vital in any organization process, which helps to analyze and create structures that help to understand the value of change. The theory of change The theory of change is a strategy or project for achieving large-scale, long-term goals. It identifies the preconditions, pathways and interventions necessary for an initiatives success in different model, where change makes a huge impact in the evolution of a system organization. Theories of change and logic models are vital to evaluate success for a number of reasons. According to Burke, Warner and his book (Organization change, theory and practice). Organizations change all the time, each and every day. The change that happens in organizations commonly is unplanned and gradual, affecting or attributing different aspects where planning is a very important tool to apply and makes this much more easy to understand and shows the importance of change and its crucial participation in the evolution of a company. For a better understanding of change, organizations are created and developed, to continue and during the last. But external factors as environment, plays a very important role in the evolution, because those are discontinuous and can cause destruction but can cause creativity as well. To affront this many others levels in managing as a planning and controlling for example, makes change a Constance factor, which decide the future or develop of any kind of system. However change sometimes could be an internal factor. For example, the change of management that brings new rules, methods and a new different path to assume new emerging markets, makes this theory unpredictable for the good of a system. The paradox of planned organization change. Sometimes when plan is the right way to follow in an organization not always is the option to assume as crucial for the right entrance of change. However this paradox can be implemented as a one of the most analytics methods to follow for a better and capable knowledge of this. According to Michael Powel and referring to the new digital technology, was quoted and saying: it will be messing and it will be confusing and we will get a lot of it wrong and well have to start over. But thats the creative process, thats the evolutionary process. (Naples daily news, 2001, p. 6A.) Mr Powell described change as a very realistic method, where the process is more linear and could be divided by phases, periods or steps and so on. The implementation process is difficult because change the system and of course the way, how the process it was made for, the things dont work well and people do they own way and in some cases the retaliation and revenge is one of the most common things to affront with many others negative aspects that make more difficult to implement a series of changes. Types of organizations change To define organizational change as the process to evaluate and reach the desired goals the first thing to have in mind in change is the concept between evolution versus revolution. The process of resistance is very common and shows the variety of circumstances to affront in management; this contrast might be is actually a very important way to think about the different forms that an organizational system can take and the correct evaluation to it. Organizational change occurs when an organization restructures resources to increase the ability to perform and create effectiveness as the principal method to arrive, similarly, to this the creation of new system of evaluation of a company for the right performance of it. Targets of changes Human resources are for an organizations most important asset, because include investment in training and modification of manage that motivates the personal for a better understanding and approach of it. In addition to it .Human resources plays a very huge impact in companies develop, because involves moral principles and workforce as a combination for the right develop of any system created to evaluate process in a safe work environment. Functional resource can be use to maximize the use of present value. Organizations can change the environment, structure and sometimes the culture of creation but technology is the most important thing to preserve. For example technologies that uses self manage work increased productivity and quality for a better develop in terms of time and production, helping to increased the creation of different products Reducing the use of time and decreasing the value in terms of production. As a result of the right use of change in a company. A technology capability, that helps to provide new products and changing the existing ones, improving the reliability and quality of goods and services of a company. Organizations might be need the restructuration of technology for a correct develop and achieve the results of a new and developing technology. Forces for and Resistance to Organizational Change Organizations and the process of change requires to face two and very important factors for the correct developed of it, one of those is change and the other is the resistance to change. Resistance to change can occur at the organizational level, group level and individual level. For example, managers should be motivated to initiate change because they are concern with improving their organization effectiveness. However, change can be threat to managers and no managerial personal as well. Almost every change requires the cooperation, collaboration, and co-ownership of others, even if that change might be beneficial some people just refused because is a natural way to response and affront. the change as fear of the unknown also to lose something of valuable, believing that change is not good for the organization and provide a different kind of elements damaging the right develop of a company in many levels and misunderstand the process of evolution. Why do people resist changing? An individual is likely to resist change for three reasons principally: uncertainty, concern over personal loss, and they believe that the change is not in the organizations best interest. In adtion to this a common example of resistance for change is giving in a normal college. Where the student are suggested and have the obligation to attend because are the rules and when they leave the college they will have to trade the known for the unknown. Some examples of resistance in organizations is when the introduction of a new analysing system means that employees will have these new methods. Some employees who are accustomed to their work routines or who have inadequate math and statistics backgrounds may fear that they will be unable to meet the system demands. They may therefore, develop a negative attitude because dont know how to use it, and prefer to judge before accept any kind of change just for fear and inclusion of different process that makes changes crucial in the develop of a company. In some case the resistance is fear for the unknown but what happens when change comes with a new structure of elements that become inconvenience for the personal? What do we should do to minimize the impact of resistance? And keep the tolerance and the right balance between employees and employers. How to break that huge wall that separates fear and commitment in the companies?. Some techniques for reducing resistance to organizational change. When management sees resistance to change as a dysfunctional, what action as a manager should I take? Several strategies have been suggested for use by managers, but in some cases the change is so extreme that brings a lot of resistance and is not enough to divide and propose steps to come in with new ideas. Is better if including tactics that helps to understand the process of change and find mediation between managers and employees. According to Barbara Senior and Steve Wailes, the resistance of change evaluate the process how the company has been created and proves the management as vital tool for the right develop and creation of strategies that helps to affiance the resistance of change and mediate between many different elements. One important step to follow in management is the implementation of education and communication, facilitation and support, negotiation and manipulation, co-optation and coercion, these tactics help to summarized and helps us to have a better look of management and understanding in how this tactics help for mediation and confront of a such a wide open variable. That involves techniques and strategies, which help to have a better understanding in the managerial concept. Tactics and strategies to reduce the resistance in organizational change Education and Communication Can help to mediate the resistance of change by helping the employees to see the logic process of change. This technique of course helps to minimize the impact of misinformation or poor communication and give the chance to aport new ideas to the system for a better compression and implementation of this. For example the correct use of communication Between agent of change and personal showing elements to improve and the importance for the good of the company but demonstrating the right benefits for the process which normally interact in the productivity and effectiveness of a company. Participation This tactic involves those individuals directly affected by the purpose of change into the decision making process. This kind of method allows expressing their feelings, increasing the quality of the process and increase employee commitment for final decision. For example, create tools for the evaluation of the process that help to understand better the inclusion of strategies showing the important of evaluation for both sides of views. Facilitation and support Involve helping employees deal with the fear and anxiety, associated with the change effort, this help could be include employee counselling and new skills training for a better use of tactics and facilitation trough the process of change. Negotiation Involves a bargain between something value for an agreement to lessen this hard process of change that sometimes can be stressful by both sides. This resistance method can be very useful, when the confrontation comes from a powerful source and shows the importance of negotiation in the process. Additionally, there is the risk that, once a change agent negotiates with one party to avoid resistance, he or she is open to the possibility of being blackmailed by other individuals in positions of power. When misunderstanding and lack of communication, makes part of the process that commonly happens in different types of organization. Manipulation Refers to cover attempts to influence others about the process of change. Sometimes involves twisting and distortion of facts to make the change appear more attractive and comprehensive. One of the common tactics to use is this particular case is creating false rumours is an example of manipulation. According to the international journal of managements reviews the use of manipulation in a change process could be illegal and immoral, because use the misunderstanding as a tool for manipulate and distort the right compression of different factors that helps to use the correct develop of tactics. Minimizing the resistance of change. Co-optation In this kind of method it is form by both manipulation and cooptation and it seeks to buy the leaders of the resistance, giving them a key role in the change decision. The last two methods are relatively inexpensive for the organization and are the easy ways to gain the support of adversaries. In addition to this sometimes this method can demonstrate that if they note this, can be sing of tricked or used. Once discovered the agent creditability may drop to cero and in the future might be a sign of confrontation and retaliation. Coercion The coercion tactic can be used to deal with the resistance fact, involves the use of different threats or force against the resisters. According to Stephen Robbins,ÂÂ  Organizational Behaviour, different organizational methods as coercion sometimes involves the use of bad recommendations and negative perform evaluation. This method should only be used when speed is of the essence or when the other person themselves has taken to public and damaging actions. Those methods listed above show the importance of management and the correct use of it. In addition to this tactics, the resistance of change in organization has different approaches that show the incursion of several strategies can be completely illegal and may undetermined change agents credibility. Being this stops the improvements in the organization. Conclusions Organizations operate in multiple environments, as a temporal, external and internal. They key task for organizations is work through a series of process or steps for mediate the impact of different factor to evaluate. Achieving External adaptation and internal integration. In addition to this, they need to anticipate and give opportunities to eliminate any possible problem or unpredictable surprises. In conclusion to this change is a very important factor to keep in mind, because if the organization doesnt have the knowledge to achieving o good process. The company can be affected and damaging the develop of a company. For that reason the implementation of strategies that allow risk evaluation and possible changes must be planned before the execution of any kind of process. Finally the use of tactics to prevent the resistance of company, while is in changing process is vital for the correct use and future develop. Because, demonstrate that organizational changes are crucial factors that involve the moral as a key to be fair with the others and the correct use of managing for good of an organization. Resistance to Change in an Organisation Resistance to Change in an Organisation Develop a plan to address below the surface resistance to change. With the research you have done so far in the course, how would you, as a manager, facilitate and manage a major change in your organization? Our company has established procedures and policies created from both a technological perspective (how to do the task) to mutual agreements with the staff leading to policies on expected behaviour etc. For changes and improvements to be successfully implemented, there needs to be not only compliance, but buy-in from staff. In order to implement a major change, a project team would be created. In the NHS, it is often standard to employ the Prince2 project management framework and depending on the nature of the project, this approach would be the probable method. Assembling the optimum project team with the correct skill mix is paramount to the successful execution and implementation of the project. Bareil (2013), defined resistance to change as a change-specific behavioural response towards a change initiative normally identified by a leader and identified it as the primary reason for change failures. Maurer (1996) described resistance as an inevitable response to change as individuals felt compelled to maintain the status quo especially if they fail to understand the rationale behind the changes in question. Maurer focussed on the poor presentation of changes as being a more significant catalyst for resistance outlining that the assumption of the manager that their change is the only possible direction and the concept that the workforce must be forced to comply would promote resistance among organisation members. According to Kruger, (xxxx), the principle issue is the established personnel change barriers which require recognition in order to be dealt with effectively. These may be company wide i.e. endemic across the workforce especially in climates with strong culture. In order to demonstrate the issue, Kruger developed a pictorial representation-the Change Management Iceberg which displays the evident and more importantly, the unseen barriers to changes within a company. Kruger lists three management issues that must be addressed in order to achieve successful implementation- Issue Management, Management of Perceptions and Beliefs and Power and Politics Management. Issue Management: This represents the top of the iceberg. Key factors are time, cost and quality. Management of Perceptions and Beliefs: It is essential to have an empathy for both the evident and covert perceptions of the workforce. Power and Politics Management: These can play a pivotal role in the change process and can influence the perceptions and beliefs significantly. According to McPheat (2014), the optimum approach is to recognise that the change will impact on all personnel at every level within the company and that they will inevitably align into one of four types: Promoters-employees who will support the changes and buy-in. Potential promoters-probable recruits to the cause however may require further convincing. Opponents-those who visibly oppose the change Hidden opponents-those who verbally support the changes however secretly oppose it. This suggests that one of the primary focuses is to develop trust and promote an honest transparency by which to increase buy-in. Middaugh and Robertson (2005) wrote that in order to succeed politically, it is imperative to use expertise wisely, in order to persuade others to buy-in. To empathize with other individuals perceptions of the managers expertise. A manager may consider something to be obvious however understanding that others may not see it as so, facilitates dialogue and change. Involving staff in the implementation of change is paramount to success. Trust cannot be assumed and is developed over a period of time. Showing integrity, treating people fairly and keeping promises over a period of time will build a healthy culture based on trust. Half (2016) suggested that it was imperative to focus on the benefits of the team in the workplace in order to persuade the employees to buy in and outlined the key points to emphasize. There are tangible benefits that are unique to each team that can be bought to the table. If the goal of the team is clearly stated along with the means by which the individual members can contribute, buy-in is more probable. The assignment requires clarity and transparency. The importance and significance of the change needs to be emphasized along with the level of prioritisation against the existing workload. Exception reporting needs to be explained so if help is required, it can be sought. Prioritisation aside, knee-jerk reactions and decisions are to be avoided and reflection advised as there may be a cosmopolitan make-up in the teams construct and empathy and understanding must be the norm to avoid conflict within the team. References: Bareil, C., (2013). Two Paradigms about resistance to change. Organization Development Journal.31.3 (Fall 2013): 59-71. Half, R., (2016, April 29). How (and why) to get employee buy-in. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from https://www.roberthalf.com/employers/hiring-advice/employee-retention/teamwork/team-buy-in Maurer, R., (1996). Using resistance to build support for change. The Journal for Quality and Participation.19.3 (Jun 1996): 56. McPheat, S., (2014, July 03). The change management iceberg. Retrieved March 04, 2017, from http://www.mtdtraining.com/blog/change-management-iceberg.htm Middaugh, D., Robertson, R. (2005). Politics in the workplace. Medsurg Nursing.14.6 (Dec 2005): 393-4.

Analysis of Norman Rockwell’s Painting The Catch Essay -- Norman Rockw

What does one need to be happy? Is it a nice car? Maybe it's a new pair of shoes? What about success? What defines success and what does one need to be successful? The truth is, it depends on one's definition. Success can be defined in different ways. Success could be defined as being financially stable, or it could be something as simple as feeling accomplished with achieved goals. Norman Rockwell’s painting â€Å"The Catch† offers refreshing ideas on what it means to be happy and what one needs to be successful. At first glance, Rockwell’s painting illustrates a successful day of fishing for three young friends, all of whom have their catch for the day strung in one hand and their fishing gear in the other. Out of the three boys in the picture, there is a well-dressed boy in the center, and two boys standing on either side of him. The two boys standing on either side are dressed in rags, and are only using measly twigs for fishing poles. The boy who is positioned in the center of the frame is well-dressed and fitted in elegant clothing, but stands with his shoulders shrugged and with a sullen look on his face. Surprisingly, the two boys in tattered clothes appear ecstatic with bubbly expressions painted ear to ear. The details of the boys’ emotions in Rockwell’s painting raise questions about the relationship between money and happiness. Theories regarding the ties between money and happiness have been thought about for centuries. Shakespeare expressed his theory on the matter when he wrote â€Å"Poor and content is rich, and rich enough† (Shakespeare, 3.3.177). Shakespeare’s words can be translated to the idea that even if a person does not have a lot of money, if that person is content, they are rich enough by means other than mon... ...to be happy and what it means to be successful. Being happy is not the same as being rich, and money is not a necessity for being happy or successful. Money can be facilitative in accomplishing tasks, but money cannot buy success. Works Cited Mihaly Csikszentmihaly. â€Å"Flow, the Secret to Happiness.† TED. February 2004. Guest lecture. Rand, Ayn. Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights. Web. 11 June 2015. http://www.aynrand.org/ Rockwell, Norman. The Catch. 1919. Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge. Norman Rockwell Museum. Oil on canvas. November 12, 2013. Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Othello: The Moor of Venice. Ed. Tucker Brooke and Lawrence Mason. New Haven: Yale UP, 1947. Print. Venzia, Mike. Norman Rockwell. Danbury: Grolier, 2000. Print. Wattles, Wallace D. The Science of Getting Rich. Blacksburg: Thrifty Books, 2009. Print.

Themes in The Old Man and the Sea :: Old Man and the Sea Essays

Themes in The Old Man and the Sea    The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of man’s strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the â€Å"Old Man and the Sea† strives to teach important life lessons to the reader. The relationship between the old man and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago’s feelings. He even offers to go against his parent’s wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore â€Å"unlucky†. Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend. Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for their whole lives. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and Santiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio is injured with a heel spur. In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith. In the story Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the â€Å"great fish† that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his â€Å"luckiness† and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself. Themes in The Old Man and the Sea :: Old Man and the Sea Essays Themes in The Old Man and the Sea    The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of man’s strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the â€Å"Old Man and the Sea† strives to teach important life lessons to the reader. The relationship between the old man and the boy is introduced early in the story. They are unlikely companions; one is old and the other young, yet they share an insuperable amount of respect and loyalty for each other. Santiago does not treat Manolin as a young boy but rather as an equal. Age is not a factor in their relationship. Manolin does not even act as a young boy; he is mature and sensitive to Santiago’s feelings. He even offers to go against his parent’s wishes and accompany Santiago on his fishing trips. Santiago is viewed as an outcast in his village because he has not caught any fish for more than eighty-four days and is therefore â€Å"unlucky†. Nonetheless Manolin is loyal to Santiago and even when his parents forbid him he wants to help his friend. Their conversations are comfortable, like that of two friends who have known each other for their whole lives. When they speak it is usually about baseball or fishing, the two things they have most in common. Their favorite team is the Yankees and Santiago never loses faith in them even when the star player, Joe DiMaggio is injured with a heel spur. In this way Santiago not only teaches Manolin about fishing but also about important characteristics such as faith. In the story Santiago’s bravery is unsurpassed but it is not until he hooks the â€Å"great fish† that we truly see his valor and perseverance. Through Santiago’s actions Hemingway teaches the reader about bravery and perseverance in the face of adversity. He demonstrates that even when all is lost and seems hopeless a willful heart and faith will overcome anything. Santiago had lost his â€Å"luckiness† and therefore the respect of his village. Through the description of his cabin we also suspect that Santiago is a widower. Although Santiago has had many troubles he perseveres. He has faith in Manolin, in the Yankees, in Joe DiMaggio, and most importantly in himself.

Essay on Achilles as the Hero of Homer’s Iliad -- Iliad essays

Achilles as the Hero of Homer’s Iliad      Ã‚  Ã‚   When Homer lived, the stature of a hero was measured by the yardstick of fighting ability. In Homer's Iliad, the character of Achilles represents the epitome of the Greek 'heroic code'. Only Achilles fights for pure heroics, while the characters of Diomedes and Hector provide good contrasts. "Prowess on the battlefield was ranked supreme, high above any considerations of morality"(Martin 26). Nestor, for example, tells Agamemnon and Achilles that he has known much "better men than them" meaning men who are better at fighting. Achilles refuses Lycaon clemency because Patroclus. who is dead. was a much better man than he is by far i.e. a much better fighter. Achilles urges Hector to show his "worth" and fight like a man: "worth" means simply ability to fight. By this criterion Achilles ranks second to none. He is an immensely talented fighter and he considers himself a "prince among men". It is a reflection of his ability that the action speeds up rapidly on his return to the battle after Book 16 and Patroclus' death. Two thirds of the epic arc slow and tedious: on Achilles' return the last third is fast and moves most speedily. Achilles' unstoppable battle madness surpasses without doubt that of the other heroes in the lliad. He is brave, vicious and powerful. He splits the Trojans and drives them back without difficulty at all. Moreover, his bravery is not restricted to humans. He is angry with Apollo for deceiving him and his battle with the river god Xanthus ends in more success than Diomedes' attempts against the gods in Book 5 (although he admittedly has much divine support). The heroic code was recognised as a desire to excel. For the heroes 'excellent' was ... ... Finkelberg, Margalit. "Odysseus and the genus 'hero' ." Greece and Rome v. 42 (Apr. '95) p. 1-14. Goodrich, Norma. Myths of the hero. New York: Orion Press, 1962. Homer: Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. Martin, Richard. The Language of Heroes: Speech and Performance in the Iliad. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1989. Parry, Adam M. The Language of Achilles and Other Papers. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989. Schein, Seth L. The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984. Shive, David M. Naming Achilles. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987. Van Nortwick, Thomas. Somewhere I have travelled: the hero's journey. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996. Whitman, Cedric H. Homer and the Heroic Tradition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1958.

Jesus Christ Superstar Original Show Research

Smash Hit Musicals of the Past Century: Jesus Christ Superstar Jesus Christ Superstar was a hit long before it became a musical. The musical was a rock opera concept recording produced as an album before it was staged on Broadway. It is based loosely on the Gospels’ story on the last week of Jesus Christ’s life showing the struggles between Judas and Jesus. The story follows Judas who is not please with Jesus’ rise in popularity because Judas believes Jesus is just a man, not a God and that Jesus being a threat to the Roman Empire will bring trouble to Jesus, his followers and to Judas.Judas eventually ends up giving away the location of Jesus on a specific day helping the Roman soldiers find him and go forth to crucify him. The original production of the Broadway show was back in 1971. It was composed by the ever famous Andrew Lloyd Webber and the lyricist was Tim Rice. The show was directed by Tim O’Horgan and choreographed by Tom Stovall. The producer w as Robert Stigwood. The original city for the performance was New York City at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The original set designer is Robin Wagner and the original costume designer is Randy Barcelo.The four main characters were Mary Magdalene played by Yvonne Elliman, Jesus Christ played by Jeff Fenholt, Judas played by Ben Vereen and King Herod/Merchant/Leper played by Paul Ainsley. The four most well known songs from this musical include â€Å"Superstar†, â€Å"Simon Zealot Poor Jerusalem†, â€Å"Gethsemane† and â€Å"Everything’s Alright†. The show first opened on October 12th, 1971 and closed on July 1, 1973 with a total of 711 performances within that time. The length of the show was approximately an hour and fifty five minutes.The setting of the musical is Jerusalem, house of herod, garden of Gethsemane and many other places during the time Christ was thought to have lived and was preaching the message of God. There were mixed reponses from critics but the loudest were those that though the show went against religious morals and ideas. â€Å"We’ve had some people that feel like it’s in some way sacrilegious because it’s not a traditional robes-and-sandals telling,† was a quote from an executive producer. South Africa went as far as banning the entire show from performing in their country when it first debuted on Broadway.Despite some negative responses, the show went on to be nominated for numerous awards such as the Tony award, the Drama Desk award and the Theatre world award. It won the awards for Most Promising Composer for the Drama Desk award and won the Theatre world award. For the Tony awards it was nominated for best performance by a featured actior in a musical, best original score, best scenic design, best costume design and best lighting design. The film was overall received very well by the public.Perhaps the most interesting thing about the show was the way it was portrayed, th e hippie movement and the Jesus movement being put together in one show. Numerous sections of the musical have Judas in groovy outfits with dancing hippie show girls backing him up in choreography and vocals. The original vocalists and actors for the show are seen as the best so far for Broadway versions. The musical also had a hit movie produced with stunning cinematography, wonderful choreography just as seen in the musical and riveting vocal qualities for each song.The film adaption was released in 1973 and was the eighth highest grossing film of that year. It was shot in Israel and other Middle Eastern locations. Ted Neely (playing Jesus) and Carl Anderson (playing Judas) both were nominated for Golden Globe Awards for their acting in the movie. It is obvious why they were nominated when one watches the film and sees their perfect ability to play their fragile characters in a way that show their musical talent, their power and yet the slight comedy behind each scene.They were tr uly able to show the rising â€Å"celebrity† status of Jesus in a way that somehow still manages to fit in historical information about the betrayal of Judas to Jesus. One may have been worried that the movie might be a slight bit boring in some parts but when I watched it I was not bored at all, in fact I found myself quite captivated by the choreography and the songs. Neely and Anderson kept me very focussed as well because I found their acting quite extraordinary. It is not hard to find yourself singing along to â€Å"Superstar† or â€Å"Poor Jerusalem† or being awestruck by the dance moves done by the mobs.A third film adaption is expected to be released in 2014 set to be directed by Marc Webb. In conclusion, it is quite obvious what made this show such a hit. The elements of small comedy, dance and the storyline made this a musical that was impossible to miss. Whether you loved it or hated it, you had to go see it and tell others about it. The show was able to tell a historical event and turn it into multiple dance and song numbers and even made it fun to watch which the key thing was.It was not the type of musical that would get you on your feet dancing but singing along and being captivated by the characters and their human elements. The relationship between the characters was a big part that played into the success of this show. Not to mention the costume design, that played a huge role as well in setting the stage and idea for the show. It was not a typical show of what Jerusalem looked like but rather a more â€Å"hippie, fun natured† version of it which is what made the audience enjoy it so much.It was not telling biblical stories, it was just a show which made the audience feel like they did not have to have any religious ties or issues with it (even though some chose to anyways) and they could just go and watch it. Perhaps it was the idea that no matter what anyone thought of Jesus, an underlying concept this musical sh owed was Jesus’ celebrity-like identity and what being a celebrity can do to the celebrity themselves and to their lovers and followers (betrayal, confusion, glory, death) and that just might be the real reason why nobody could seem to get this musical out of their mind.

Corn Research Essay Essay

Throughout my life I always had an idea that corn played a pretty large roll in our diets, but never gave the topic very much interest or investigation until this assignment. I found myself shocked by a lot of the information that I came across in the assigned reading, supermarkets, internet, and my own home. I immediately learned that I had many different misconceptions of both raw corn, and the foods that it is an ingredient of. This assignment had questions running through my mind regarding the healthiness of corn, the versatility of corn, and whether or not corn is even a vegetable. My investigation included a small notebook of mine, my kitchen and bathroom, two very well known supermarkets in Foods Co. and Smart & Final, and the world wide web. Searching through my own home, I found plenty of items that I never would have guessed to have corn in them. I was not too surprised with anything that I found in my kitchen or inside my refrigerator, but in my restroom were things that definitely caught me off guard. Both my toothpaste and tooth brush contain some type of corn product. My toothpaste bottle/tube stressed that the sorbitol in their product was sourced through the hydrogenation of corn oil, and that if the user has any sensitivity to corn he or she should see a doctor before using. The bristles of my sister’s tooth brush is filled with corn starch, for the purpose of creating a soft brushing experience for sensitive gums. Although both of those products surprised me greatly with their being made with corn, that was not my biggest shock. I found that even my deodorant was produced with corn-derived ingredients. I went on to read an article that says all natural deodorants are made with corn starch. The fact that corn is something that we use to both help restrain perspiration, and to generally keep a nice odor to ourselves really had me scratching my head. After explaining to my mother why I was wandering around the house gazing at random things and their ingredient labels, she pointed me in the direction of a few more corn involved products in her room. I soon discovered a few unexpected items such as hairspray, perfume, and nail polish remover. Never did I expect to see so many things that we use in our every day lives, outside of food products, to be created from, or influenced by corn-derived ingredients. The next area of my corn investigation was Supermarkets; specifically Foods Co. and Smart & Final. There were a few things that shocked me greatly in these places, but not quite as much as the search through my own home. Walking through the isles of Foods Co. and Smart & Final, I found quite an unpredictable corn filled product in both Wonder Bread and Pepperidge Farm Bread. Turns out that both of these brands run high in fructose corn syrup, being each of their fourth ingredient. As well as most breads, probably the most well known brand of ketchup, Heinz, is high in both corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup. Apparently I grew up pretty naive in believing that ketchup was made purely of tomatoes and possibly a little bit of salt. One thing that I found to be strange is that high fructose corn syrup is an ingredient in both protein/nutrition bars and candy bars. I was scratching my head for a good while trying to figure out if corn syrup was actually a healthy ingredient or an unhealthy one. Power Bars might have misunderstood the word â€Å"nutrition†, because the very famous Hershey Chocolate brand and Life Savers gummy candy are both very high on their amounts of corn syrup. The contrast of Power Bars claiming to be a healthy alternative to sugary snacks left me a bit confused. Overall I wasn’t completely blown away by most items found in supermarkets that use different forms of corn in their production, but there were a few that definitely made me scratch my head and think for a second. My investigation concluded after my venture to the supermarkets. Once I was home and reflected on my entire page of notes on what I discovered, my eyes were opened to the importance of corn in today’s culture. I began to realize that corn is much more than a bunch of kernels that feed our stomach and help create other basic foods. I always knew that corn played a large role in the production of common foods such as tortillas, chips, candy, and believe it or not I also knew that it was used in some brands of yogurt. Never did I expect to find it in condiments such as ketchup, or nutrition bars like the popular brand â€Å"Power Bars†; and I don’t think anybody would have guessed that corn is used in the production of in-home items like some hairsprays, toothpaste, and deodorants. I still think it is strange that corn is something that takes part in cleansing our bodies of odor and cleaning our teeth. The exploration throughout local supermarkets and my home helped me gain proper knowledge of corn’s versatility. I discovered that corn is not purely an edible product, but that it is something that can be used as an ingredient for cleansing tools such as toothpaste, and odor removers such as deodorants. Also, I learned of the different ways that corn can be altered to be a proper ingredient for certain products. When we say that corn is all around us, we certainly do not mean that there are yellow kernels in our soda cans, or that solid corn has been mixed into our toothpastes. There are different subdivisions of corn, or derivatives. When we say corn is all around us, we could mean corn starch, sweet corn, corn syrup, or others. As my in-home and supermarket exploration reached an end, my online investigation was about to begin. I decided to first answer the question that had me most intrigued: How healthy is corn for your body? I quickly found a very informative and factual blog website that provided exactly the information that I was hoping to learn. Eatingwell. com contained two articles written by separate authors, in two different years. The first article answered my question with two strong points, while the other brought to light five different myths about sweet corn. The first article, â€Å"What’s Fresh: Is Corn Healthy Or Not? † explained that corn is indeed a healthy ingredient. The author, Carolyn Malcoun, made it known that corn is a starchy vegetable. Like most other starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and peas, it contains a solid amount of fiber. Specifically speaking, corn contains four grams of fiber per one cup of kernels. Fiber, like most of us probably realize, is an indigestible portion of plant foods that is extremely healthy for us. Fiber is known for lowering blood sugar, reducing cholesterol, and very well could help prevent colon cancer. As well as containing fiber, corn is also filled with a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, like most yellow or green colored vegetables are. Lutein and zeaxanthin are both well known for reducing risk of chronic eye diseases such as cataracts, especially as you begin to age. So ultimately, this article was written to prove the fact that corn can very well be a part of a healthy diet. One note that was made very clear was that the corn this author was writing of was corn that is to be bought on the cob, not corn that makes enthol and high-fructose corn syrup, which is definitely not the same. Unfortunately, that is the type of corn that is found most common in the American diet. In fact, of the ninety-four million acres of corn that was grown in the United States in the year 2007, about one percent of it was sweet corn. It was a high recommendation to support your local farmers and receive your corn and other plant and ground-grown vegetables fresh. The next article that I examined was written by Matthew Thompson, in July of last year. Thompson is the associate food editor for EatingWell Magazine that brought to light five different but common myths about sweet corn, the corn that is found most commonly used in the American diet. The first myth that he tackled was the myth that most sweet corn is genetically modified. In the year of 2011, only three to four percent of the sweet corn grown on United State’s soil was genetically modified, which is planned to be a much different number in the summer of 2013. Monsanto, a giant sustainable agricultural company, is approving new genetically modified performance sweet-corn seeds. Although there has not been much word on how many of the new seeds will be planted throughout the summer, USDA (United States Department Of Agriculture) organic corn has been proved to be the way to go. The second myth was that corn is both fattening and sugary. The truth is that one ear of corn contains the same number of calories and even less than a quarter of the amount of sugar. Although that might mean that corn is one of the healthier choices at your family get together doesn’t mean that we should decide to scarf down a corn on the cob that is smothered in butter and other condiments of that nature. The third myth was that corn is made less nutritious when cooked. Although you might be thinking to yourself how much that makes sense (much like I id), cooking the corn actually increases antioxidant activity; which helps protect the body from diseases such as cancer and heart disease. The fourth myth is that corn has zero healthy benefits, which was quickly verified as an invalid assumption when I learned that one mid-sized ear of sweet corn offers a three-gram dose of dietary fiber which we earlier discovered to be extremely nutritious for our bodies. The fifth and last myth that was brought to light was that the best way to choose corn is by color. Turns out that the variety of the corn is far less important than the freshness of the cob. The color of the kernels actually doesn’t matter. Preferences will vary, just like choosing your flavor of ice cream. Curious as to how to choose the corn that would be considered most fresh? Simple. Don’t purchase corn that has been out of the field for over twenty-four hours. A quick Google search answered my last question: Is corn a vegetable? I had assumed that since corn is something that grows from the ground that it must be a vegetable, which I now know as not to be true. I learned that corn is actually considered to be a grain. Corn indeed grows from the ground, but is not attached to a stem, leaf, or root. However, this is a highly debated topic throughout America, ask the US State Senators of New York. They had the liberty of deciding the state vegetable. Despite the fact that the state of New York is the second largest onion producer in the United States, the popular vote went to corn. How can corn be the official vegetable of a state when it is actually considered a grain rather than a vegetable? I never found the answer to that one. Once my study of corn had completely reached an end, I finally realized how much I actually did not know about corn. A large number of different facts were brought to light, and the air was cleared referring to the different misconceptions and assumptions that I too have made about corn, as well as many of the people around my every day life. This is an assignment that I am happy I tackled on full force, because it had to do with my every day life. I am glad that I was able to have an assignment that was so relevant to the American lifestyle.