Things They Carried Reactions free essay sample

The Things They Carried Close Reading p. 1-26 Pages 3 and 4: So many items being carried†¦ what is the purpose? Quote(s): â€Å"Kiowa also carried his grandmothers distrust for the white man†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 3) â€Å"†¦The poncho weighed almost 2 pounds, but it was worth every ounce† (pg. 3) Meaningful words/ phrases: pounds, weighed, grunts, Kodacolor, Bonnie and Clyde Overall meaning/ author’s purpose: The soldiers do not only carry material goods, they also carry emotions. Such is Kiowa’s distrust for the white man, as well as fear, anxiety, resentment and hope. The author is trying to show that the men carry more than just material goods. Personal reaction/ insight: I thought the list of items was extensive, like reading an intense shopping list. Carrying all that gear must be overwhelming on long treks into the jungle. -Pages 6 and 7, 11-13 Ted Lavenders death Quote(s): â€Å"It was like watching a big rock fall, or a big sandbag or something- just boom, then down† (pg. We will write a custom essay sample on Things They Carried Reactions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 6) â€Å"Kiowa kept explaining how you had to be there, how fast it was†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Pg. 13) Meaningful words/phrases: superstition, boom-down, moral, thumb, tunnel Overall meaning/ author’s purpose: Kiowa is in shock of Ted’s death, he’s not used to seeing someone dying in real life. He is curious at how it’s so fast and anticlimactic. The author shows here how these kids are alien to a world where their friends drop over dead like sand bags. Personal reaction/ insight: I have a feeling Kiowa is going to be very dramatized later in the story, although appearing fine in this passage. Page 13 and top of 14: conversation between Mitchell Sanders and Henry Dobbins Quote(s): â€Å"You want my opinion, Mitchell Sanders said, there’s a definite moral here. † (Pg. 13) â€Å"I don’t see no moral† (pg. 4) Meaningful words/ phrases: moral, pebble, blood, Paladin, gift, superstition Overall meaning/ author’s purpose: Mitchell Sanders bizarrely tries to teach a lesson in morals by using the example of a dead Vietnamese boy. Henry Dobbins is confused/frustrated at what moral Mitchell Sanders is trying to teach. The authors purpose is to show the bizarreness and frustration of the war. Personal reaction/ insight: I thought the cutting of the boys thumb was a bit gory/ unnecessary. I feel the same way as Henry Dobbins does, I’m confused at what point Mitchell Sanders is trying to make. Pages 19-23 stage presence, odd behavior, etc. Quote(s): â€Å"For the most part they carry themselves with poise, a kind of dignity† (p. 19) â€Å"They would repair the leaks in their eyes† (p. 19) Meaningful words/ phrases: dignity, sobbed, awkwardly, shame, hard vocabulary, zapped while zip-ping. Overall meaning/ author’s purpose: The author shows how the boys in Vietnam were putting on a show for each other. While trying to appear tough on the outside they were really terrified for their lives on the inside. They were not accustomed to such a harsh dangerous environment. So they would use humor, and hard vocabulary to lighten up harsh situations. Personal reaction/ insight: I can relate to this passage a lot. I often use humor to deflect many serious situations. However I find it hard to imagine being put into an environment like Vietnam without losing your cool, and defecating your pants. -Pages 23-26: the new Lt. Jimmy Cross Quote(s): â€Å"Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burned Martha’s letters† (p. 23) â€Å"It was very sad, he thought. The things men carried inside. † (p. 25) Meaningful words/ phrases: letters burn the blame, duties, laxity, daydreams Overall meaning/ author’s purpose: Jimmy feels personally responsible for Lavenders death. He feels like if he wasn’t daydreaming about Martha he could’ve saved his life. He Burns Martha’s photographs, but cannot burn the blame he feels about Lavenders death. The author shows the fish out of water-ness of Jimmy, how he is not meant to be in a war, instead he should be back in NJ doing teenager things instead of playing army guy. Personal reaction/ insight: I feel for Jimmy, however I do not believe that it was his fault at all. I can understand how he feels guilty.

Cristobal Balenciaga essays

Cristobal Balenciaga essays Cristobal Balenciaga was born in 1895, just over the French border, in an ancient fishing village called Guetaria, in Spains Basque country. In 1937, after opening his own tailoring shops in Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Guetaria, he emigrated to Paris due to the Spanish Civil War. His designs instantly met with acclaim and he would remain there for more than 30 years. His clientele included many of the most elegant women of the postwar years and he constantly trained younger men like Givenchy, Andre Courreges and Emanuel Ungaro. By the early 1950s Balenciaga had emerged as the foremost creator among couturiers, and it was to him that everyone looked at to see the future. As a result of his shyness, a mystique grew up around him; as a result of the perfectionism of his work, an aura grew up around the clothes. Balenciaga was able to maintain his ability to always be several steps ahead of other couturiers with his incredible integrity and self-allegiance, a fidelity to art as much as to craft. As a great artist, he understood how to interpret his resources rather than merely copy them. The somber blacks and browns of the Old Spanish masters were among his favorite colors and the influence of early moderns like Monet and Manet were also found in his designs. His clothes were so beautiful and elegant, and so skillfully designed that a woman did not need to have a perfect body to wear them. They moved with the body and were comfortable as well as fashionable. Although his clothes did come with a disclaimer: No woman can make herself chic if she is not chic herself. Only women who could carry them wore his designs. He was noted for his huge evening coats with dolman sleeves; long, full skirts; tunic and chemise dresses; fitted dressmaker suits; pillbox hats; perfumes; scarves; the seven-eighths coat; and for the development of the fabric gazar, a ...

Comparison of Two Religions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison of Two Religions - Research Paper Example Buddhism originated in northeast Asia under the influence of an ancient Buddha known as Gautama Siddhartha who lived in the 5th century B.C. Siddhartha came up with Buddha teachings that enabled an individual to attain high levels of enlightenment. At this level, the individual completely detaches from the body through the process of meditations thereby alleviating worldly sufferings. Buddhism has undergone metamorphosis leading to divisions in the ancient traditions of Buddhism. The divisions include Vajrayana that represents the diamond vehicle, Theravada that symbolizes the doctrines from the elders and Mahayana that represents the great vehicle (Wilke, 2011). Hinduism entails numerous religious practices but the most prevalent practices include Hatha yoga, Ayurveda, and the Kundalini yoga. Hatha yoga is the process of meditating in order to attain self-awareness (Cush & York, 2008). Hatha yoga provides the oldest form of Hinduism that enabled individuals to achieve their objectives in life through the process of profound concentration. Ayurveda constitute the ancient traditions of Hindu whereby individuals received treatment and healing. In the contemporary societies, many individual have incorporated the practice into their religious practices especially in the West. Kundalini yoga enables an individual to unlock the psychic energy that exists at the root of the spine allowing it to diffuse to the upper parts of the spine, hence a heightened level of relaxation (Cush & York, 2008). Having undergone radical changes in its traditions, Buddhism retains specific ancient religious practices that incudes meditations, Mudras, and prayer wheels. Meditation is common in various sub sects of the religion. To achieve ultimate goals through meditations an individual engages in rigorous concentration. This helps the individual to attain detachment thereby developing ones reality.

Final Project For Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Project For Marketing - Essay Example It is of utmost importance to "know" the product that one wishes to sell (Marketing Yourself Assignment, pg 4) so that an effective and clear image of it can be shown easily to the potential employers and buyers. In this case, the product that is up for sale to the market is myself. How to demonstrate that I know myself as a product means that I must carry out an introspective and reflective analysis of my own capabilities and skills, and come to recognize what it is about me as product that will encourage or discourage potential employers to purchase me. The best way to delineate these positives and negatives about myself as a product is to make use of the SWOT analysis. The acronym SWOT stands for strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (Renault & Schultz, n.p); a major use of this tool is to expose the positive aspects of an organization and "potential problems" (Renault & Schultz, n.p). ... In terms of my educational strengths, I have completed my education up to an undergraduate level, and I have excelled in many extracurricular activities. Moving onto my weaknesses as a product, at times I can be inflexible about changing the course of project, I often try to establish myself in the most authoritative position in any business venture, and lastly I do not have a significant amount of work experience. Using the SWOT analysis like this will allow me the opportunity to brainstorm and ponder on what I am as a product and where I can go with my strengths and weaknesses (Renault & Schultz, n.p). Moving onto objectives, it is important to state what my purpose as a product is to achieve. As stated earlier, my aim as a product is to be part of an advertisement agency. Once I have stated my aim, I have to uncover what my target market is. Khan mentions that the target market is that part of the market that a company will provide services to (Khan, pg 60). There are two factors that should be considered when carrying out market targeting; the attractiveness of the market segment, and the "capability" of the company itself (Khan, pg 60). This means that I will have to supply my services to that part of the market that seems most attractive to me in terms of entry barriers, possibility of high growth rate, price sensitivity and size of that part, and so on, and in accordance with my current brand image and technological capabilities (Khan, pg 61). Once I have completed my market targeting, I have to advance to positioning; Khan defines this as the " art of creating the mental shelf space, which your company and its

Landscape, Spirit, and Music Essay Example for Free

Landscape, Spirit, and Music Essay Anne Boyd’s â€Å"Landscape, Spirit, and Music: An Australian Story† is a substantive view on the integration of the landscape of a distinct culture represented by aboriginal beliefs and traditions to Australia’s inimitable non-Indigenous music industry. Boyd said, â€Å"it is possible to see something of the significance of music in constructing an ‘inspirited’ relationship with landscape as part of a possible process of ‘aboriginalization’ which is slowly affecting all of Australia’s non-indigenous inhabitants. † Boyd sought to prove her assumptions by presenting various evidences in the works of famous Australian composers such as Ross Edwards, Peter Sculthorpe, and David Lumsdaine, including the artistry of Tommy Barrtjap as a musician. The landscape that Boyd was referring to with regards to the influences of some non-Indigenous Australian composers encompasses the history of Australia, the culture of its indigenous people, as well as the physical landscape or environment that makes the country matchless in beauty and whereiwthal. The history of Australia serves as the backdrop or milieu from which the composers were able to structure their unique, meaningful, and poignant music. Furthermore, the culture of Australia’s indigenous peoples becomes the inspiration for musicians or composers to create something exclusive and distinctive. Thus, the musicians and composers that Boyd mentioned in her discussions were able to create a kind of music that channels mysticism, spirituality, and the metaphysical, representative of Australia’s indigenous culture. Boyd said that â€Å"All three composers [Ross, Edwards Schulthorpe] have drawn upon birdsong, not literally, but in a mythical and ritual sense; birds thus become spiritual messengers linking human music and landscape. † The great influence of Australia’s history and the indigenous culture of its native inhabitants is expected, as argued by Schultz . Schultz said that the emergence of a unique and distinctive music is most likely, particularly in Australia because â€Å"the existence of diverse immigrant population, a sense of real or imagined isolation, insecurity about the presence of a national character†¦ unique natural features such as climate, geography and flora and fauna, a pre-existing and extant culture with a strong and individual civilization, high standards of education with concomitant levels of artistic self-awareness, and substantial government subsidization of artistic activity† are dynamic and influential factors that would encourage such devotion and revolution in making and producing music for the sake of art. Furthermore, Lim believes that the growing interest of non-Indigenous Australian musicians to the history of Australia and culture of its Indigenous peoples as landscapes to developing music has something to do with the stipulation of these composers to develop a unique kind of music and a pe rsonal identity as a musician or composer. Lim said â€Å"Aboriginal cultures continue to be used by artists as a marker of authenticity in the construction of an Australian identity of sense of nationality. † By and large, Boyd’s discussions as supported by the narratives and arguments presented by Schultz and Lim explicate the great weight or importance of Indigenous culture in Australia as well as its history in helping musicians and composers create music that represents nationalism and establish a unique and inimitable identity. Works Cited Boyd, Anne. 2007. â€Å"Landscape, Spirit and Music,† in The Soundscapes of Australia: Music, Place and Spiritually. Richards, Fiona (Burlington, VT: Ashgate), pp. 11-18. Lim, Liza. â€Å"Crossing Cultural Boundaries and Ecstatic Transformation,† Sounds Australian 26 (2006), 10-11. Schultz, Andrew. â€Å"Other Places, Whose Music? : Some Introductory Comments on Appropriation and Tradition,† Sounds Australian 20 (1991): 8-9.

Is Wuthering heights a love story? :: English Literature

Is Wuthering heights a love story? Is this essay I am going to discuss whether Wuthering heights is a love story or not. There are several reasons for saying that the novel is a love story and there are several reasons that state that Wuthering heights is not a love story. The trational love story has the perfect characters which always somehow no matter what the contions always manage to find there ideal partner. The setting is really simple and there always is a perfect climax despite what the obstacles are. The term love is used too loosely and is not specified if the love they mean is love for the family or sibling love then yes Wuthering heights is a love story. Romantic love is an aspect of the story but in my own personal opinion the romantic love aspect is not the be all and end all of the novel. The novel has many conventions which indicate that it is a love story. For example the setting. The settings very typical of a love story. Two families living in different houses and the houses are separated by the mores and it seems really simple until a complication is introduced, "bring that gipsy brat into the house". This is referring to Heathcliff when he is brought home from Liverpool. Some critics say that Heathcliff is a complication to the family and imperticualy Cathy because if Heathcliff was not around Cathy and Edgar would have been married with no major problems and without the complication of Cathy loving Heathcliff. But there is no evidence to prove this information is true. Another aspect of the setting that makes the novel seem like a typical love story is the way Cathy and Heathcliff grow really close then Cathy has an accident and has to stay with the Linton's and then she falls in "love" with Edgar and decides to marry him. This seems like a perfect romantic set up. The characters also make the novel seem like it is a love story because it again fits in with the way a typical love story is written. The way there is a rich person and a poor person and they are both batterling for the hand of the lovely young lady. Is this case the poor person is Heathcliff the rich person is Edgar and the lovely young lady is Cathy. The problem is Cathy marries Edgar not knowing if she is in love with him or not "I shall marry him: and yet you have not told me whether I'm right" this shows that she is not really sure

Leadership and power

I. INTRODUCTION:Leadership is an important part of every human endeavor- personal, community-based or even in a big or small organization. There has been a volume of research and studies regarding leadership its theory, style and how can we be an effective leader using power and influence.First, let us try to define what leadership is. Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders should have very good influencing powers .To carry out the goal of the group or the organisation. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as belief, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills.Leadership is a process of getting done through and with people. Leaders should always remember that leadership is people oriented. As a good leader, you should know how to deal, communicate, and manage people. Being a leader, we should know how to d evelop teamwork in our organization. To be a leader, we must deal with people, develop good rapport with them, apply appropriate persuasion, inspire them and influence them to in the direction of our goals.There are many reasons why society and organizations need effective leaders. First, leaders are held responsible for the growth and development of the organization. The success and failure of any organizations lies mainly in the hands of a leader. Second, leaders provide a guiding purpose for the group or organization. Third, today’s concern about the integrity of our institutions emphasizes the need for better relationship in government, school business or an organization.Are leaders born or made? Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, seminar and experience. This guide will help you through the process.Effective leaders hip can happen on the dance floor of conversation. Leadership is an interactive conversation that pulls people toward becoming comfortable with the language of personal responsibility and commitment.Leadership is not just for people at the top. Everyone can learn to lead by discovering the power that lies within each one of us to make a difference and practicing the law of reciprocity.In this essay, it would include the presentation of the critical analysis of one effective and ineffective leader, what contributes to their effectiveness and ineffectiveness, what power and influence did the leaders use and what their particular organization could do to augment the effectiveness of their leaders and to develop other effective leader.II. BODY OF THE ESSAY:According to Ralph Lauren â€Å" an effective leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. This is true in a sense that as leaders, we should be visionary and believe that our hopes and goals will be achieved.Go od leaders are not born but they are made. If we have the desire and will power, we can become an effective leader. Good leaders are developing through time and training. Everybody has the capacity to develop and acquire leadership skills.Developing such skills will help us to understand how people feel, what motivates them, and the best way to influence them.Being a leader is not an easy task. There are many things to do and to develop for a leader to become an effective leader? The question is, what are the characteristics of an effective leader?   For one to be considered as an effective leader, first, a leader should have the passion those leaders who love what they do and love what they are doing, give hope and inspiration to his followers. Second, an effective leader makes tough decisions. As a leader, we should be comfortable making sound decisions. We should gather facts, organize information, and apply good judgement in their choice of action.A good leader can accept and take risks for his decisions. Risk takers tend to be achievement-oriented, goal directed, and self-confident. The willingness to try new ideas often reaps reward for the individual and the company. According to studies, risk-takers are tantamount to successful leadership. Next, an effective leader is a good communicator wherein they can express their thoughts and ideas in a very good manner. It includes good oral and written communication skills. They set goals and achieve those goals by communicating to others what they want to gain support and cooperation.An effective leader also knows how to motivate others to influence other people to produce good results. Motivation of employees will lean away from the autocratic methods of the past toward the new style of inspiring and empowering employees. According to Kotter, author of the Leadership Factor that tells that leadership is the process of moving people in some direction mostly through non coercive means. An effective leader reco gnizes that people are a key resource to the success of the organization, project or vision. Also, to be an effective leader, he should be a visionary.   Leaders should have a clear idea of what they want to do and the strength to persist. An effective leader is a person of integrity, gives trust and is trustworthy.The following traits and characteristics stand out as an important for success  Ã‚   an ineffective leader is totally the opposite. First, they create a climate of fear wherein the subordinate follow simply because they are afraid of the leader not because they really give support to the mission and vision of the company. An ineffective leader avoid changes, they don’t want to try new ideas. Also in the list of an ineffective leader is that they avoid making tough decisions. Their unwillingness to take risk is simply because they are afraid to commit mistakes. An ineffective leader exhibits character of being anti-social and does not want to accept responsibili ty.According to Mcshane (2007) one effective leader is CEO of Procter & Gamble (P& G) named Alan George Lafley. As an effective leader, he has knowledge of the business environment in which they operate. For example, he has a thorough knowledge of Procter & Gamble products and market. In this way, he recognizes opportunities and understands the organization’s capacity to capture those opportunities.   He also possesses self-confidence, he believes in his leadership skills and ability to achieve objectives.Effective leaders are usually extrovert outgoing, sociable, and assertive. Importantly, Lafley also walks the talk; his behaviour is aligned with the message he conveys. He restructured the company, pruned costs and rekindled a spirit of innovation through special creativity teams.   As a leader, Alley has a high level of emotional intelligence. He has the ability to perceive and express emotion, assimilate emotion in thought, understand and reason, and regulate emotion in themselves and others.Last, but not the least, he has the drive for achievement. It represents the inner motivation that leaders possess to pursue their goals and encourage others to move forward. Drive inspires an inquisitiveness and need to learn. An ineffective leader is Niccolo Machiavelli. He was one of the history’s most enduring characters. He was a bureaucrat and a diplomat for the city –states of Florence. He was known for his clever frauds, boldness and expert use of cruelty. He advocates the use of machination, ruthlessness and treachery. He also believes that leaders need to be half-beasts, possessing the fox’s guile and the lion’s brutality. As of present, there are leaders who admire Machiavelli. From him, the world produces leaders like Hitler, Mussolini and Lenin. They are ineffective in a sense that they don’t care for other people and create an atmosphere of fear.In leadership, the word influence is a key word. Influence is our ability to change the behaviour attitude of the person. This ability is the result of our power. Leaders vary in their use of their powers. There are many sources of power: reward, coercive, legitimate expert, and referent. Reward power is the ability to give something of material or personal value to others. The rewards maybe in the form of promotions, bonuses, highly desirable job assignments, praise for a job well done or a desired position title.Coercive power is based on fear and punishment. Demotions, dismissals, reprimand, assignment of unpleasant tasks, and public embarrassment is some of the examples of coercive power. This form can direct toward superiors, co-workers or subordinates. Unfortunately, excessive use of coercive power is considered to be unacceptable in the work environment especially for the professionals. It may take sabotage or malicious obedience.Because of its potential for harm, coercive power should be used with great care. With the case of Niccolo Mach iavelli, he used the coercive power . Because he advocated that leaders should be ruthless to his subordinates and he practice treachery among his members. In this kind of power, leaders are power-grabber and power-hungry. They will try to succeed at any cost. Legitimate power is derived from a formal rank or position within an organizational hierarchy. This power is dependent on the formal, established chain of command within the organization and the perceived authority of the individual in that position of power.The fourth   power is the expert power, it develops when an individual possesses specialized skills, knowledge, or expertise. It can be held by individuals ranging from the chief executive officer to the computer technician. Last but not he least is the charisma power. It is a combination of charm and personal magnetism that contributes to a remarkable ability to get other people to endorse your vision.   Referent power is based on respect or admiration for the individ ual that results to personal charisma. Charismatic leaders develop vision, shows conviction and develop self-confidence. In the case of CEO of Procter & Gamble Alan George Lafley, he used the combinations of power like referent power , because he earned the respect and admiration of people in their organization. Expert power because he has the full knowledge regarding the business of P& G. Legitimate power in a sense that he was duly chosen to be the Chief Executive Officer of P& G.Leadership is not totally for executives alone. Anyone in the organization may be a leader in various ways and times. This view is known as shared leadership or the leaderful organization. Successful organizations empower their employees to take leadership role.   They will realize later on that the real essence of leadership is influence, they realize that everybody has leadership qualities and responsibilities.III. CONCLUSIONTruly, we say that leadership is influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which we are members.REFERENCES:Dalton, M., & Hoyle, D.G. Human relations 2nd edition. (2000) Ohio: SouthWestern Educational Publishing Thomson Learning.McShane, S. L. & Glinow, M. V. Organizational behavior.   (2007) New York:Mc Graw Hill International Edition