Racism in Toni Morrisons Song of Solmon Essay - 1222 Words

Racism in Toni Morrisons Song of Solmon Milkman is born on the day that Mr. Smith kills himself trying to fly; Milkman as a child wanted to fly until he found out that people could not. When he found, that only birds and airplanes could flyemdash;he lost all interest in himself (9). The novel Song of Solomon is about an African American man nicknamed Milkman. This novel, by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison was first published in 1977, shows a great deal of the African American culture, and the discrimination within their culture at the time Song of Solomon takes place. In part one, the setting is in a North Carolina town in the 30s and 40s. Part one introduces readers to not only Milkman, but also to his family and friends.†¦show more content†¦She shows racism within the characters of her novel. With this, she gives readers a truer understanding of how life was for African Americans even after slavery was over. There are four kinds of racism in the novel Song of Solomon: African Americans against whites, White ag ainst black, Black against black and Native American against African American. Morrison uses the conversation of her characters, the actions of her characters, and the emotions of her characters to show racism. When Milkman visits the woman who delivered both his father and aunt he is shocked when she tells him, Splendid. I dont like those Negroes in town (246). Circe, the old woman, did not appreciate the African Americans in town because Everybody does what he likes nowadays (242). Macon Dead Sr., is a racist man. His daughter tries to explain to a man from the Southside of town, He never wanted us to mix with†¦people (195). Macon himself explains when his son is taken to jail the reason was, you was with that Southside nigger. Thats what did it (203). Macon is prejudice towards African Americans who dont try to be white, and towards anybody who is poorer that he is. He does things that show others this feeling. Guitars opinion of Macon is that he behaves like a white man, th inks like a white man (223). This viewpoint seems to be adamant in Song of Solomon, because Porter comments that, you [Macon] need killin, you really need killin, (26). Macon shows others his

Cultural Progression through Beowulf Essay examples

Beowulf is an Old English poem. It was written sometime between 700 and 1,000 A.D. Over the years it has been edited and rewritten countless times. Some of the more recent versions do their best to stay as close to the original story as possible while others make rather large changes to make it more engaging for today’s audiences Seamus Heaney translated a version of Beowulf in 2001. He tried hard to translate the story in a way that best represents the original. Heaney’s version is bilingual with Anglo Saxon on the left and an English translation on the right. He does make a few changes from the original story. Gor example Beowulf and his company were pagans but Heaney Christianized them in his version. Most of the changes that Heaney†¦show more content†¦She tells Beowulf that if he will do this he will become a king and he will have great rule until the gold horn that was awarded to him for defeating Grendel was returned to him. Assuming that Heaney’s version of Beowulf holds true to the original it is easy to compare it to a current version of Beowulf, like Zemeckis’. When this is done it becomes simple to examine the cultural progression of our society. There are many different aspects of different versions of Beowulf that may show change in culture but Grendel’s mother is the most obvious. There are several possible interpretation that can be taken from how sexualized Grendel’s mother was in Zemeckis’. Simply, it shows how focused our culture has become on sex. Zemeckis likely believed that if there was that sexual aspect in the film it would make for a more interesting story. Was he correct? According to IMDB the movie made a gross $82,161,969 in the first year, so yes. Even more important is the development of Beowulf’s character and how viewers see him after it. Beowulf is no longer seen as a pure and valiant but rather as deceitful, and selfish. So then Zemeckis’ way of telling th e story showed us the ugly truth of Beowulf. Although Zemeckis’s may not be as pretty, it is deeper. This could be used to show how our culture has put an increasing amount of value on knowledge. Ignorance may be bliss but knowledge isShow MoreRelatedEssay A Jungian Reading of Beowulf1622 Words   |  7 PagesA Jungian Reading of Beowulf       This essay will propose an alternative means by which to examine the distinctive fusion of historical, mythological, and poetic elements that make up the whole of Beowulf.   Jeffrey Helterman, in a 1968 essay, â€Å"Beowulf: The Archetype Enters History,† first recognized Grendel as a representation of the Shadow archetype and identified Grendel’s mother as an archetypal Anima image; I wish to extend the scope of the reading by suggesting that the dragon, too, representsRead MoreThe Metrics Of English Literature4721 Words   |  19 Pageslanguage is based on entertainment and that the enjoyment of the text lies in bringing out the beauty of the language and the craftsmanship of the author. And, as for Joseph Johnson, his insight and deconstruction of text and the English language through linguistics is able to magnify the origins of the text and how its historical context would have affected the language and style of writing. With this analysis, text and language bec omes a historical timeline that contains the foundations of Modern

Management Styles in the Workplace Free Essays

Title: Management Styles in the Workplace Purpose Statement: My purpose today is to inform you on four different management styles in the workplace. Thesis Statement: It is important for managers to understand their management style when certain situations arise in the work place, by knowing your management style you will become a better leader. Introduction: Have you ever been told, â€Å"Do it this way or don’t do it at all? † if so do you know what type of leadership or management style this. We will write a custom essay sample on Management Styles in the Workplace or any similar topic only for you Order Now Well today, I’m going to inform you about four different type of management styles; democratic, autocratic, paternalistic, and laissez-faire. Also, I am going to explain the advantages and disadvantages of each management style. Main Point 1: Democratic Management Style A. What is it? a. According to Building a Management Style, Democratic management builds commitment among employees in order to generate new ideas. It is one that seeks input from all employees and allows the staff to use their own work methods, to get the task done in a timely matter. The Democratic Management Style is similar to the participatory leadership style because it produces moderate task efficiency but high satisfaction, according to the textbook. These two types of management style result in a transformational leadership approach according to the publication by Larry Thompson. This approach results in staff empowerment by making the staff or team feel that they are part of the decision making process, which will motivate your team and generate new ideas. B. What are the Advantages and Disadvantages a. Advantages: i. It is people centered ii. Encourages others to share ideas iii. Tolerating alternative views (understanding at there is more than one way of accomplishing the goal) b. Disadvantages: i. The manager could be taken advantage of due to employees not working to their full potential. ii. Moderate task efficiency iii. Slow down decision making process Main Point 2: Autocratic Management Style A. What is it? a. According to Building a Management Style autocratic managers do a complete 180 has far as treating his/Her staff. The book states this type of manager is single-minded about getting long-term results, and help from others. b. Autocratic management style is very similar to high directive leadership style studied in the textbook, such as; productivity is high, with little concern for people and their satisfaction level. The autocratic management style only offers one-way communication, and that is through the leader. This type of management style falls into the transactional theory according to the publication by Larry Thompson. B. What are the Advantages and the Disadvantages? a. Advantages: i. Although this type of management style seems pretty forceful there are many advantages. According to Managementstyle. org a few of the advantages are: 1. Instructions are forceful, 2. can make fast decisions, 3. less unexpected side track situations due to lack of communication. b. Disadvantages: i. With such a Hitler style management approach there will disadvantages to using the autocratic management style, according to Managementstyle. org, such as: 1. The staff may feel useless as they are not consulted 2. Input from the staff is not allowed 3. Staff waiting on instructions (will cause delays) Main Point 3: Paternalistic Management Style A. What is it? a. According to learningmanagement2. com the paternalistic management style is combination of both democratic and autocratic management styles. Paternalistic managers will ask for the staff views and opinions, which allows them to feel involved, but in the end the manager will make the finial decision. b. According to Dr. Daniel Theyagu, who is a corporate trainer and seminar leader, suggest that by using the paternalistic management style approach, the leader will learn to move away from delegation to empowerment. i. Dr. Daniel Theyagu suggests leaders should stay involved with the development of their staff, so that the manager can be aware of his/her staff’s needs. ii. It is important for constant communication, to clear up any uncertainty among the staff and make sure everyone is on the same level for common values and goal of the project or task. iii. Dr. Daniel Theyagu also believes that when people feel involved they are more likely to ‘â€Å"buy in’ the visions and values of the leader. † Main Point 4: Laissez Faire Management Style: A. What is it? a. Laissez Faire Management style is also known as negligent leadership style in the textbook. According to the business dictionary website, laissez-faire management styles is a non-authoritarian approach to management. This type of manager feels that or â€Å"believes that people will excel when they are left alone to respond to their responsibilities and obligations in their own ways. B. What are the advantages and disadvantages? a. Advantages: According to about. com this type of management can be very effect if: i. When leaders are still there for consultation and feedback ii. Members are able to work alone and still be motivated iii. If Members are highly skilled, they do not need to wait on management to tell them how to complete the task. b. Disadvantages: In most cases the disadvantages out way the advantages because i. The lack of guidance may leave the staff feeling neglected. ii. According to the textbook, leader take no part in the decision-making process and offers little advice or direction. Conclusion: We are all managers of your own lives, but one day we will be leaders of others. Democratic management style allows others to take part in the decision-making process. Autocratic management style leaders make decisions without regards to others. Paternalistic allows for others input, but the decision is still up to the leader. Laissez-faire management style is a more hands off approach, and this type of leader style is not recommended for most situations. Knowing what the different types of management styles are, and what they mean, this can be an informative advantage to maybe using certain management styles in certain citations. References Autocratic,Paternalistic, Democratic, Laissez faire and Unorthodox management styles Laissez faire management style  » Tag Archive  » Business tips – BSMR. COM . (2011, October 8). Business tips – BSMR. COM  » Tips and advice about business . Retrieved February 23, 2012, from http://www. smr. com/tag/laissez-faire-management-style/ Matlwa,  M.. (2009,  May). Building a management style. Accountancy SA,18-19. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from Accounting Tax Periodicals. (Document ID:  1748263211). Management Styles. (n. d. ). Welcome to Learn Management 2. com. Learn about management here. Free management lessons and revision notes.. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from http://www. learnmanagement2. com/leadership%20styles. htm Autocratic Management Style. (n. d. ). Management Style. Retrieved February 24, 2012, from http://managementstyle. org/autocratic-management-style. hp/ Dodd, C. H. (2012). Managing business and professional communication (3rd ed. ). Boston: Allyn Bacon. The Democratic Leadership Style. (n. d. ). Leadership Toolbox: Your Source for Leadership Development Resources. Retrieved February 24, 2012, from http://www. leadership-toolbox. com/democratic-leadership-style. html Theyagu, D. (n. d. ). Autocratic vs Consultative Leadership. EzineArticles Submission – Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from http://ezinearticles. com/? Autocratic-vs-Consultative-Leadershipid=1054914 Thompson,  L.. A study of the relationships between leadership style and employee and customer satisfaction in a wireless telecommunications company. Ph. D. dissertation, Our Lady of the Lake University, United States — Texas. Retrieved February 28, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Publication No. AAT 3354209). What is laissez-faire leadership? definition and meaning. (n. d. ). BusinessDictionary. com – Online Business Dictionary. Retrieved February 23, 2012, from http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/laissez-faire-leadership. html How to cite Management Styles in the Workplace, Essay examples

American Beauty vs. The Sound And The Fury Essay Example For Students

American Beauty vs. The Sound And The Fury Essay In todays world, lots of families look like they are happy on the outside, but in reality, on the inside, they are very far from being happy. This occurrence of false impression is not only going on in todays world, but it has been going on for years in the American society and in many other societies. Many families believe that you need to portray an image to the outside world that you are very successful, and deal with your personal problems in the inside of your home. In the novel, The Sound and the Fury this family perfectly portrays an image of happiness, when on the inside, their house is falling apart one day at a time. In addition, in the movie American Beauty, a family tries to have this false image of happiness and perfection so that their neighbors can think high of them and believe that they are successful. Under it all, this family has many issues that are tearing them apart. In American Beauty they try to portray this image of happiness when in reality, they where really falling apart inside. American Beauty is a film about an American family that tries to follow the American dream. The American dream usually can be described as having a family that is living in a good neighborhood, having a successful career, and in general your life is making you happy. In this dream everything is supposed to be perfect you should not have any real worries that will tear you apart. Everything should be easy to get to and every one should be happy. The Burnham family tries to show that they are a happy family by living in a beautiful home, having a teenage daughter, and careers of their own that they are very successful in. The family is actually living in a hell that they have created over the years. In the movie, written by Alan Pall, the father, Lester Burnham Kevin Spacey shows the world that he is a very successful man. He works for a big company and his family seems to love him when they are out in public or if friends and neighbors are present. In reality, the father was a very confused man. He did not know what to do with his life. Over the years, he tried to plant in his head that he had a successful marriage, where in reality it was falling apart. His daughter at her teenage years did not have any type of relationship with her father.