Odysseus story Essay Example for Free

Odysseus story Essay SOME ARE monsters, some are slaves, some are beautiful and cunning women and some are powerful kings. In Homeric literature, a character is either good or bad depending on their xenia or shape (e.g. Charybdis). However, from reading The Odyssey, one can see the admirable characters and the not so admirable characters. Such characters have either good or bad xenia, old or young, male or female, some can be a menial as a slave (such as Eumaeus) and some can be as great as a Troy hero and king (such as Nestor). This is an exploration of whether or not Eumaeus is the most admirable character in The Odyssey or not. We first meet Odysseus swineherd in Book Fourteen in the porch of his hut. He had been caring for Odysseus property during his absence. Odysseus appears to him as a beggar and despite the status that such person has, Eumaeus being but a servant understands xenia and entertains Odysseus by preparing a feast for him.  In Book Fourteen, Eumaeus grieves not only for the loss of Odysseus but also for Telemachus who had gone to find his father. It is clear from Book Sixteen, that Eumaeus loves Telemachus like a father loves a son as when he returns he drops everything and kisses Telemachus and cries with pleasure of his safe return to Ithaca. He shows respect for his masters in Book Fourteen, another admirable trait, when he says to the disguised Odysseus that servants cant give admirable gifts when they work in fear of their overpowering masters. This shows that Eumaeus understands his place an Odysseus and Telemachus both recognise this and treat Eumaeus with great respect. One could argue that Homer created Eumaeus as the most admirable character as there is a not in Book Fourteen that claims that Homer loved his created character and sometimes the literature speaks directly to Eumaeus.  After Eumaeus prayer that Odysseus may return, Odysseus feels that it is right that he should reveal his scar and prove that he is with them. The text says that Eumaeus is overwhelmed to see his master again and is weeping and kissing him so much, that if Odysseus hadnt stopped them, it would have gone on all day and all night! This shows a great and respecting love for the King of Ithaca. Eumaeus speaks out, bravely (or foolishly some could argue) against the Suitors. This shows bravery in his character as well as loyalty and love. He is truly characterised as a noble and respectable person. He also helps in the execution of the maidservants and the mutilation of Melanthius.  All of the above describe how admirable Eumaeus is and there is not a point in the text when he is not admirable, loving, kind or brave. However, there are other admirable characters in The Odyssey. I would argue that King Nestor of Pylos, a hero against Troy with Odysseus, is an admirable character in The Odyssey. He is a very generous host and actually is so generous and so loyal to xenia that in Book Fifteen, Telemachus pleads with Nestors son, Peisistratus (Telemachus Patroclus type character) to not let him see Telemachus, as he will keep him against his will with his passion for hospitality! Some could argue that this in its self is an abuse of xenia. Nestor also stops Telemachus from sleeping on his hollowed ship and says that he should sleep in the palace. This shows true loyalty to xenia. Before this however, Nestor believes that Telemachus even looks like Odysseus and tells Telemachus of his faith in him. This shows a caring for his friends family. Nestor is even kind enough to let his son act as a friend and guardian to Telemachus on his journeys.  Nestors character is one of great caring and compassion and he looks out for Telemachus as a father would look out for a son and I think that this is a truly admirable trait of King Nestor. Another admirable character is Antinous and Aretes daughter, Nausicaa, princess of Phaeacia. She meets Odysseus when he has been washed up on the shore of the island and is wearing no more than a fig leaf over his genitalia. Anyone would have thought him mad or overly promiscuous, however, despite her first impressions, the young woman hears of Odysseus story and shows pity on the great man in his miserable state. She orders her ladies to bathe him and even tells him how to get into the city and speak with her father, Antinous through his wife Arete). With all this guidance she shows mercy on a man in a state where others would have either ran or jeered at him. This shows a merciful character in Nausicaa and for such a young girl she has an understanding of xenia. She falls in love with Odysseus and she is even offered by Antinous as a wife for Odysseus, but Odysseus is having none of it and just wants his presents and one of their good ships to go home in.  Nausicaa demonstrates mercy on Odysseus in the only time we see him as being so disparate and needy for help. The only time when he loses face and the only time really when all he has are his articulate words to help him out of situation. This shows that Nausicaa probably knew that Odysseus was a great man and that his state would have de-motivated him so the very fact that she shows such compassion towards him shows that she sympathises with his situation. This I believe is a very admirable thing to do and shows great intelligence for someone so young. Therefore, Eumaeus is one of the most admirable but not the most. Nestor and Nausicaa, both explored above are equally as admirable but in slightly different ways. Eumaeus admiralty comes from his loyalty to Odysseus and his want to defend his right to be loyal. Nestor is admirable for his hospitality and the way he speaks of Odysseus and the help that he gives to Telemachus on his journey to track down his father. Lastly, Nausicaa is admirable as she is able to trust a man that others would have thought bonkers. He appears to her naked and she accepts his honesty and mercifully helps him due to his articulate speech. Homer has truly created some of the greatest characters in the world of literature and these good and admirable persons are part of the huge enjoyment one has when one reads his Odyssey.

Improving Health and Wellness in Students Essay Example for Free

Improving Health and Wellness in Students Essay Rising consumerism is a problem that has a profound effect on children today.   Children and adults watch television and are inundated with commercials that urge viewers to buy the latest technological gadgets that replace outdoor activities and exercise.   As well, the latest candy, ice cream, and other unhealthy products are cast in between cartoons that capture children’s attentions and their parents are pressured to please their children and buy them material objects to satisfy them rather than engaging them in healthy activities and studying much of the time. Many parents are working and have little time to spend with their kids, sitting in front of the television together or encouraging kids to quietly play with their gadgets (play stations, computers, and others), so parents can relax may become the norm.   To make up for this lack of involvement many parents guiltily give in to children’s whims and buy them candy and unhealthy food, to save time â€Å"fast-food† replaces a healthy dinner and that much needed time at the dinner table to interact and be involved in their childrens lives. An efficient school program would not only target the youth, but their parents, as well then.   â€Å"Operation Pause the PlayStation† will be aimed at educating parents and children separately on issues involving obesity and other unhealthy behaviors.   It is probable that parents of children, who are not obese, will be less receptive and unlikely to come to these after-school classes. But, it is postulated this involvement program will be less receptive if it were labeled as a program for troubled kids.   Therefore this program will have the contingency that children will not be able to pass to the next grade level unless parents attend (this is fitting as the program should be implemented at the end of the school year before children have summer break and may be more sedentary and involved in unhealthy activities without the benefit of healthy school lunches and physical education). Therefore, parents and children should attend at least three classes that tackle these problems.   Class one should tackle the â€Å"McDonaldization of Society† and demonstrate that busy working families do not mean to do their children harm when settling for fast food, but that fast food is unhealthy and can lead to obesity and/or unhealthy learned behaviors that will follow children into adulthood. â€Å"Giving in† to children and buying them unhealthy food to fill the void that is left from lack of quality time, should also be addressed.   Most importantly, the lack of parental involvement in school activities due to rushed lifestyles should be addressed.   This class will be a sort of forum, as well, not meant to single out any parent, but an opportunity for parents facing the same kinds of strain to network with one another and see that they can be part of a healthy solution. Class two should encompass the overuse of technical gadgets (including television) that interfere with healthy activity.   Teachers of these classes that can be taken from high school level health classes and may choose films or other forms of media that deal with these issues to show that, in a sense, these parents and their families are â€Å"victims† of consumerism. Outside of class, more and more children are watching more and more TV, to the point that they are watching approximately 40,000 TV commercials annually. (The CEO of Prism Communication notes, â€Å"They aren’t children as much as what I like to call ‘evolving consumers’† (Heiner, 2006). Deconstructing these facts that lead to sedentary and possibly unhealthy behaviors in children from a larger, systemic base will, also, help parents to realize that they are not being singled out, but instead part of a consumer culture that demands this type of behavior. While the parents are involved in the first two classes, high school level physical education and health teachers should teach the children about food pyramid and what different foods do to help the body grow and be strong.   They should, also, focus on different exercise techniques that are fun and help to keep children in shape.   The two courses should help children to begin to think beyond McDonald’s and PlayStation and the children will take what they learn and teach their parents. This is what class three should be revolving around, a fun and light-hearted end to the requirement.   Here students will tech their parents what they have learned as far as healthy eating and a better overall lifestyle.   The parents will, most likely, appreciate that their children are making an effort to improve their lifestyles and will continue where the classes left off.   Additionally, there should be representatives from various summer camps and programs that are inexpensive , so that even children in poverty could attend.   The YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, and other organizations should promote what they have to offer at this time and, hopefully the summer will serve as a break from studies, but a beginning to more healthy behavior. In conclusion, problems with obesity and unhealthy behavior are systemic.   We live in a consumer culture that causes both the old and young to sometimes believe that having â€Å"things† is essential.   Hurried lifestyles, as well, from long work hours, and especially in single-parent households may lead to turning to â€Å"fast food† and a lesser interest in school activities.   Competing with friends to have the most up-to-date technology may lead to parents having pressure put on them to provide these unnecessary gadgets and relaxing may start to take the form of television watching or other technological time.   These problems are not unique to any one group, but all parents and all children are at risk.   â€Å"Operation Pause the Playstation†, should help change attitudes on this. References Heiner, R. (2006).   Social Problems: An Introduction to Critical Constructionism.   New York: Oxford University Press. Insidehighered.com.   Advanced Placement Still Ascending.   (2007). Retrieved February 18, 2007 from       http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/02/07/ap.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Leone, Peter Drakeford, William.   Alternative Education: From a Last Chance to a Proactive Mode. (1999).   Reprinted with permission of The Clearing House: Volume 3, Number 2, November/December 1999: The Helen Dwight Reid Educational Foundation. Published by Heldref Publications, 1319 18th St. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-1802. Copyright 19.   Retrieved February 18, 2007 from http://www.edjj.org/Publications/pub_06_13_00_1.html. Payne, R.   (1996).   A Framework for Understanding Poverty.   p. 59.   Highlands: aha! Process, Inc.

Theories of Authority and Obedience

Theories of Authority and Obedience Ioannis Sakarellos Obedience has always been ubiquitous while while at the same time was easily overlooked. According to Milgram, obedience can be defined as â€Å"the psychological mechanism that links individual action to political purpose. It is the dispositional cement that binds men to systems of authority† (1). This paper claims that ordinary people who have a strong personal moral code tend to blindly follow orders given by an authoritarian figure when they become part of a structured organization governed by authority. This action of blindly following orders to do things that they personally know are wrong and can cause horrible results is referred by Zimbardo as â€Å"turning evil† (The Lucifer effect). What is meant by blindly following orders is that people fail to think of the consequences of the actions that they have been ordered to undertake. Many researchers have come to the conclusion that it is not the mentally ill or the ones with behavior problems who end up doing the most harmful things but rather the normal people. The key concept of the paper is that ordinary people by â€Å"simply doing their job† with a sense of obligation towards an authoritarian figure can cause immoral and unethical circumstances to arise (Milgram 6). The main source to be analyzed will be Milgram’s book Obedience to Authority, which examines his teachers and learners experiment. The end result of the experiment is that average people did â€Å"become agents in a terrible destructive process† (6). However, the process by which people become evil is of equal importance. Moreover, the second source of the paper is Zimbardo’s book, The Lucifer Effect, which further examines the main concept of the research through real-life examples. It mainly focuses on how good people can turn evil by obeying someone’s orders under certain situations. Directly connected with this outcome is the term â€Å"Banality of evil†, which comes from Arendt’s book Eichmann in Jerusalem (xiv). This term means that evil things occur when ordinary people follow orders and feel that the evil things they are doing are normal. In this paper, both experimental and real life situations are examined in order to illustrate the power that authority has on individuals who have normal codes of morality and behavior, and how they will perform ruthless acts they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Milgram states that our own nature is the root of being obedient since â€Å"we are born with the potential for obedience.† This inborn structure, along with the influences each person has from society, â€Å"produce the obedient man† (125). He states, the reason ordinary people blindly follow orders given from an authoritarian figure lies in the changes that occur in people’s behavior when from acting individually they enter a hierarchically coordinated organization. He concludes that the conscience an individual has about moral and ethical standards, and what that person thinks is right or wrong, is not further followed with the orders given from an authoritarian figure. Individuals will act blindly without thinking whether the actions they have to undertake conform with their personal values. When ordinary people enter a hierarchical structure system, they lose their personal judgment of each order given from someone who is higher in the hierarchical ladder. T herefore, the nature of the action ordered is not filtered by the person’s own belief, and as a result, heinous consequences might occur. Milgram’s teachers and learners experiment is one characteristic situation of blind obedience that occurs due to the change in people’s behavior when moving from the individual function to the organization function. â€Å"The main question is how far the participant will comply with the experimenter’s instructions before refusing to carry out the actions required of him† (Milgram 3). Before mentioning the results of the experiment and how the participants who had ordinary behavior managed to turn evil by obeying the experimenter and conducting immoral and unethical actions, I want to highlight one of the keystones in this research; Milgram’s agentic state. The agentic state, or state of agency, is â€Å"the condition a person is in when he sees himself as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes† (Milgram 133). As individuals enter an authoritarian system which is hierarchically organized and moves away from being autonomous, they fail to follow their own beliefs and perceptions and they turn into an agent who follows blindly and uncritically the orders given from above. Most importantly, when the person is in the agentic state he â€Å"no longer views himself as responsible for his own actions but defines himself as an instrument for carrying out the wishes of others† (Milgram 134). People, by being in the agentic state, are becoming blindly obedient to the authority figure. Especially, if the actions ordered are unethical and immoral, as it is in the teachers and learners experiment, people can become evil and cause severe pain for example, by giving electric shocks to the learners. In order to examine the consequences of the agentic state on participants, the most vital factors that lead the subjects in this state and transform them into blind obedient servants, need to be mentioned first. One of the factors is the perception of authority. According to Milgram, authority can be defined as â€Å"the person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a given situation† (138). Milgram declares that what matters is how the individual perceives authority in a social structure. Specifically, the experimenter and the set-up of the situation, which seems like a scientific laboratory, create authority’s appearance, which is what influences the participants. Two other main factors he suggests are the entry into the Authority System and the Overarching Ideology. In order for a person to fully become an agent who only follows orders, he or she has to become part of the authority system. The entry into the laboratory serves the role of enteri ng into the authority system. It is very important that the participants enter voluntarily since in that way, a sense of commitment and obligation towards authority is created. Regarding the overarching ideology, â€Å"science and its acceptance as a legitimate social enterprise provides the overarching ideological justification for the experiment† (Milgram 142). The ideological justification of the experiment’s purpose is what drives participants to obtain willing obedience, perceiving their behavior as helping a desirable end to occur. The three factors (perception of authority, entry into the Authority System, the Overarching Ideology) are necessary in shifting into the agentic state. Once the participants are in this state of altered personality, two main consequences arise which cause the former ordinary people to transform into evil servants. One of the consequences is the process of tuning, when the subject has â€Å"maximal receptivity to the emissions of the authority, whereas the learner’s signals are muted and psychologically remote† (Milgram 144). Milgram states that learners are viewed as simple obstacles rather than human beings that need to be overcome in order for the authoritarian relationship of experimenter-learner to be satisfied. In addition, authority is perceived as an impersonal force and the experimenter as a suprahuman character, having powers above and beyond a normal person. Orders given exclusively by the authoritarian figure will be followed whether they promote immoral and unethical actions and severe negative results ensue. The other main consequence is the loss of responsibility and is characterized as the most far-reaching one in the agentic state. â€Å"A man feels responsible to the authority directing him but feels no responsibility for the content of the actions that the authority prescribes† (Milgram 145). The people believe they have an obligation towards the authoritarian figure and their accountability depends on how well they have performed the actions called for by the authority. The heinous nature of the actions ordered are not taken into consideration simply because â€Å"they see them as originating in the motives of some other person† (Milgram 146). Also, because they are not in the autonomous state, the superego cannot control their actions and the inhibitory forces are not capable of examining whether the orders given compromise their moral values and principles. Hence, the people end up being blindly obedient and they adopt a different personality which forces them to do terrible actions with even more harsh results. According to Zimbardo, the experts predicted that most subjects would not give strong electric shocks when orders to do so. They forecasted that on average â€Å"less than 1 percent would go all the way to the end, that only sadists would engage in such sadistic behavior, and that most people would drop out at the tenth level of 150 volts† (271). However, the shocking truth was that â€Å"two of every three (65 percent) of the participants went all the way up to the maximum shock level of 450 volts† (271). The key factor that made the participants obey and continue even after the point where the victim-learner was not responding was the experimenter’s reassurance that he will take the responsibility of their action. A characteristic example is a teacher’s report which states the initial refusal: â€Å"I didn’t know what the hell was going on †¦ I was not taking responsibility for going further. That’s it.† (271). Although, the los s of personal responsibility is one reason for continuing, Zimbardo suggests another reason. He highlights that the participants did not know how to exit the experiment. â€Å"It is a simple matter of up and then out.† (272). The results of the experiment reveal exactly what the purpose of the paper was; to prove that it is not the sadists or the psychopaths who conduct the most unethical, immoral and cruel actions but the ordinary people. The normal people are the ones who, under specific situations and by the influence of an authoritarian figure, will blindly follow orders. A real-life example of every-day men becoming evil and being indoctrinated into extraordinary killing occurred during the 2nd world war. It was the actions of Reserve Battalion 101, a unit of the German Order Police, consisting of approximately 500 men from Hamburg, which played a crucial role in the extermination of Jews in Poland and the implementation of Hitler’s Final Solution. According to Browning, the members of the Unit were middle-aged ordinary men, neither sadists nor Nazi fanatics. However, despite the option they were given from their commander not to participate in the Unit’s actions, 90 percent of the men didn’t refuse and took part in the shootings. The Unit’s inhumane and unethical achievement was the death of at least 83,000 Jews (142). Browning’s conclusion is similar to the one given by Milgram in the teachers and learners experiment. The members of the Battalion were as normal as the participants in Milgram’s experiment, a nd the reason for the unrealistic killing lies in their blind obedience to the authoritarian figure. Browning suggests that ordinary people will tend to obey and follow orders given from above, even though the orders might come into conflict with their personal judgment and values. The explanation for this statement was given by Milgram: specifically, in both cases the people were placed in a hierarchically organized structure; therefore, people’s ethical boundaries didn’t apply to the orders given from authority. People lost their personal identity related to the orders given: their inhibitory forces were no longer able to inspect whether the orders were within their ethical limits. As a result, both participants of the experiment and members of the Battalion ended in conducting actions they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Last but not least, one of the most vital historical examples that clearly illustrates that the ones who tend to blindly follow orders given from authority are ordinary people, is the case of Adolf Eichmann. Despite Eichmann’s cruel actions of arranging the execution of millions of Jews, he was completely normal without any trace of abnormal behavior: â€Å"Half a dozen psychiatrists had certified him as â€Å"normal† –â€Å"More normal at any rate †¦ â€Å"not only normal but most desirable† (Arendt 25–26). Arendt’s concluded that â€Å"the trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were †¦ terribly and terrifyingly normal.† She states that this â€Å"new type of criminal †¦ commits his crimes under the circumstances that make it well-nigh impossible for him to know or feel that he is doing wrong† (276). â€Å"It was as though in those last minutes [of Eichman’s life] he was summing up the lesson that this long course in human wickedness had taught us–the lesson of the fearsome, word-and-thought defying banality of evil† (252) . Hannah Arendt, through her detailed analysis of the war crimes trial of Eichmann, was the first to present the fundamental phrase â€Å"Banality of evil.† She showed that â€Å"social forces can prompt normal people to perform horrific acts† (Zimbardo 289). The experimental and real-life examples that were examined in the paper suggest that the key factor for ordinary people to blindly obey an authoritarian figure is their entry into a hierarchically organized structure, and the loss of their individuality. By entering in such well-structured system, people turn evil and they conclude horrible actions they wouldn’t have done if they weren’t part of it. Therefore, it may be possible that the conclusion drawn from these examples could be applied in today’s highly coordinated world. The modern militaries, the business, political and governmental organizations are also hierarchically structured. This may indicate that nowadays people within these organizations can still be transformed into modern evil servants who will serve and obey the interests of the most powerful people. However, it might also be plausible that due to the more liberalized world we live in, people instead of obeying they could actively resist the or ders given from above or they may even act in an aggressive and violent way against authority. Obedience to authority will always be a theme available for further research and with more than one possible explanations of why people obey and follow orders.

The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer Essay -- Neuromancer Es

The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer When William Gibson's futuristic novel Neuromancer   was first published, it seemed farfetched that technology could reach the level of sophistication he described. Science fiction movies have since repeated and expanded upon this theme, portraying corporate anxieties and paranoid fears of people to be controlled by aliens, man-made machines and artificial intelligence. Neuromancer takes us into the subculture of cyberpunk, a dystopia of an amoral society ruled by abstract powers. Gibson creates a world of fear and terror where technology permeates this futuristic world into its smallest detail and instead of serving humanity, rises to become its ruler and God. The futuristic historical context, into which Neuromancer is embedded, suggests syntactically a World War III between the presence and the time of the novel.The reader is introduced to the new world power Japan throughout the novel, while a remnant of european/western power and culture resides in the space colony Freeside as well as in the scattered pieces of artwork in the office of a criminal Chiba boss, Julius Deane. The novel plays on the audience's fear of an asian take-over of the world and the destruction of Europe. The American reader, rooted in western cultural values, will therefore sympathize with the expatriates in the Chatsubo bar in Chiba, attracked and repelled at the same time by this frightening environment. The novel takes the reader into "Night City" (pg. 4), the decayed inner part of Chiba, which lives at night and is "shuttered and featureless" (pg. 6) during the day," waiting, under the poisoned silver sky" (pg. 7). The author uses techno images to describe the natural environment, "the sky... ...ty of the human brain utilized as a computer modem to operate multi- national capitalistic corporations shows frightening possibilities for the future of everyday human life. The main issues of this dystopia, exaggerated and distorted as they are in the novel, originate from existing problems in our society. Discussions about cloning and genetic engineering, as well as robotics places our society at a crossroad, how to develop future strategies for an appropriate technology. The other concept imbedded in Neuromancer dates back to Plato's idea of dualism, prioritizing mind over body, men over women and logic over emotions. Gibson shows us a possibility of a future, certainly not one we want, but the dangers of which we have to consider in order to create a better world and not to destroy it. Works Cited: Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984. The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer Essay -- Neuromancer Es The Horror of Dystopia Revealed by Neuromancer When William Gibson's futuristic novel Neuromancer   was first published, it seemed farfetched that technology could reach the level of sophistication he described. Science fiction movies have since repeated and expanded upon this theme, portraying corporate anxieties and paranoid fears of people to be controlled by aliens, man-made machines and artificial intelligence. Neuromancer takes us into the subculture of cyberpunk, a dystopia of an amoral society ruled by abstract powers. Gibson creates a world of fear and terror where technology permeates this futuristic world into its smallest detail and instead of serving humanity, rises to become its ruler and God. The futuristic historical context, into which Neuromancer is embedded, suggests syntactically a World War III between the presence and the time of the novel.The reader is introduced to the new world power Japan throughout the novel, while a remnant of european/western power and culture resides in the space colony Freeside as well as in the scattered pieces of artwork in the office of a criminal Chiba boss, Julius Deane. The novel plays on the audience's fear of an asian take-over of the world and the destruction of Europe. The American reader, rooted in western cultural values, will therefore sympathize with the expatriates in the Chatsubo bar in Chiba, attracked and repelled at the same time by this frightening environment. The novel takes the reader into "Night City" (pg. 4), the decayed inner part of Chiba, which lives at night and is "shuttered and featureless" (pg. 6) during the day," waiting, under the poisoned silver sky" (pg. 7). The author uses techno images to describe the natural environment, "the sky... ...ty of the human brain utilized as a computer modem to operate multi- national capitalistic corporations shows frightening possibilities for the future of everyday human life. The main issues of this dystopia, exaggerated and distorted as they are in the novel, originate from existing problems in our society. Discussions about cloning and genetic engineering, as well as robotics places our society at a crossroad, how to develop future strategies for an appropriate technology. The other concept imbedded in Neuromancer dates back to Plato's idea of dualism, prioritizing mind over body, men over women and logic over emotions. Gibson shows us a possibility of a future, certainly not one we want, but the dangers of which we have to consider in order to create a better world and not to destroy it. Works Cited: Gibson, William. Neuromancer. New York: Ace Books, 1984.

Free Capital Punishment Essays: Mandatory Death Penalty for Nitwits :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

Mandatory Death Penalty for Nitwits    When I was in high school, my friend Mike and I earned extra money working after school and on weekends at a drugstore located at the north end of our town. Before we started working in the retail business, we both had a fairly high opinion of humanity. That is to say, we thought that the average person wouldn't try to cheat us, would be at least marginally polite, and would be smart enough to avoid walking in front of a bus.    As it turned out, we were wrong.    When we stepped behind the counter of that drugstore, we had to remove the rose-colored glasses and reexamine our cherished ideas about humanity. We found that there were many, many rude people out there and that quite a few would cheat us if they were given half a chance. We also found the average person was much less intelligent than we had thought. On Labor Day, 1995, I started a list of all the irritating and stupid things that people did while we were at work. After a while, other employees began to contribute to the list, although I compiled about 75% of the complaints. By the time I left at the end of May 1996, the list had 567 items on it, and we were referring to some of the customers by number.    In particular, I remember 337, an older lady who came in early every Saturday morning to buy a candy bar. Sadly, 337 never had the requisite fifty cents, and as she was rummaging through her purse looking for spare change (which sometimes took as long as ten minutes), impatient customers would line up behind her. Finally, she would storm off in a huff.    Incredibly, 337 would return several times over the course of the day and attempt to purchase the candy bar again. Once more would come the agonizing search through her purse, but (surprisingly enough) the change at the bottom had not bred over the course of the day, and over and over she was forced to leave in defeat and shame.    Number 337 was hardly unique, or even unusual. Every shift that I worked, I was forced to deal with people nearly as clueless as she was. Mike and I were inevitably led to the conclusion that stupidity should be painful; we thought that if stupidity were painful, people would go to great lengths to educate themselves.

Maturity and Self-Identity in Munro’s Boys and Girls by Alice Munro Ess

Maturity and Self-Identity in Munro’s Boys and Girls  Ã‚        Ã‚   In Alice Munro’s story "Boys and Girls" the main character/narrator disobeys her father without her father knowing. She does this because she is starting to become her own person. Her maturity and capability to make her own decisions are pointed out distinctively as the story develops. Therefore she continued to do little things against the beliefs of her family, because as she said, "I kept myself free" (1008). You can tell that she was an outcast from the rest of her family, due to the fact that she did not act like a girl as her grandmother continued to try and point out to her. Her grandmother kept nagging her continually saying, "Girls don’t slam doors like that. Girls keep their knees together when they sit down" (1008). Day by day she kept on getting hassled. It seemed to me as if she was constantly getting picked on by the rest of her family. There is a keyword in this story, and the word is "girl." That word is brought up all the time in front of her, as though her family thought she did not act enoug...

Business Management Monica Ashley

Implementing Strategic Change: Monica Ashley’s Experience â€Å"The Monica Ashley Case† illustrates a very conclusive example of how the correct use of power and influence in management is as important as, and sometimes even more important than, having all the right answers and being able to back them up with data. Power struggle, influence, politics, and resistance are all issues within this case study. It also prozides an example that witin project management it is essential to determine the key players, figure out what is important to them and utilize strategic management skills to influence the project. Monica Ashley, a highly driven and ambitious woman was the project manager of â€Å"Project Hippocrates† at HEAL-INC. She had individual power to use the company’s resources and people to accomplish job related tasks and duties. She initially had concerns about taking on the position however, with the personal encouragement and backing by the president of the company, Gary Dorr, she accepted. As the project manager, Monica had access and control over information such as reporting and data supporting the idea of purchasing a digital signal processor from an outside vendor. She also had information about the changes of customer needs and the competitor’s reactions to the changes. Therefore, her colleagues needed to depend on her to solve some of the problems they faced. This gave Monica information power. Although Monica had information power there were several types of power she was missing. Monica lacked reward power and coercive power. She couldn’t give monetary bonuses, promotions or any other form of rewards to colleagues who had done well in the project. More importantly, Monica didn’t have the power to punish anyone who hurt team morale and obstructed the progress of the project by engaging in organizational politics, such as Ralph Parker and Ed Kane. Monica had several years experience in important staff positions, which helped her in transferring her knowledge to this project however she lacked expert power. She didn’t have the expertise in designing and manufacturing of signal processors before taking up the project. She was relatively inexperienced when compared with Parker and she had neither made major contribution to the company nor built close relationship with her olleagues. Her colleagues also less respected her than Parker who had high informal individual power including expert power because of his expertise in analog signal processors. Parker was the vice president of signal processor design, and he believed that he was the only person that could specify the type of processor (analog or digital) to be used in the project. On occasion he discredited Monicas research and stated that it â€Å"wasn’t competant†. Monica chose not to align with Parker and rather continue on her track to comlete the project the best way she saw fit. Monica had legitimate power on the project with her team however she lacked with senior management. Dorr valued a â€Å"peaceful and productive environment† with no â€Å"hot competitors†. Based on her prior converstaion with Dorr it seemed he valued the teamwork aspect more than the expert power. Dorr was frustrated with her thinking that she had legitimate power and described her as â€Å"an Imperial Chinese Emperor. † Parker questioned her legitimate power when he shouted: â€Å"Who the hell do you think you are, going to an outside vendor. † Parker throughout the case used coercive power to intimidate Monica. He taunted her by calling her a â€Å"traitor and a renegade. † The power used by Parker to influence Dorr was not discussed in the case since most of their interaction happened behind closed doors. Though, whatever power used, it surely was more effective than that of Monica. Parker knew how to play the political game, while Monica thought that her numbers and data are going to be enough to get her targets’ buy in. Monica’s influence tactics relied heavily on rational persuasion. Before the Hippocrates project she used this rational persuasion successfully to influence Dorr. She backed up â€Å"her views with data when he (Dorr) asked why she disagreed. † Monica’s attempt to use rational persuasion during project Hippocrates did not yield the same positive results. On the other hand, Parker and Kane knew how to â€Å"play the game† at HEAL-INC. While Monica stuck to one tactic using data and information, Parker and Kane used several tactics in an attempt to influence their targets. This included pressure and time spent forming a coalition. Pressure was exerted on Monica, and she â€Å"ate the bait† and appeared to fight back. Monicas appearance to fight back worked against her since managers are expected to exert self-control. Behind closed doors, Parker and Kane brought Dorr to their side of the argument and used this coalition to marginalize Monica’s proposal. Eventually near the conclusion of the project Monica was removed from her position. Monica realized that she was too caught up in the technical and marketing challenges and she did not focus on assessing the interests of other key players. She had data and content for the project but lacked a foundation because she did not align with others. Her manager, Dan Stella, tried to coach Monica to be more influential but he couldn’t get her to listen to his advice. This proved to be an obstacle for her because when challenged by others Stella did not publically back her up. Stella had a lot at stake for his position in the company and therefore had to look out for himself. Monica also never addressed issues with Parker. She took her coworkers views of Parker as facts and did not bother to talk to him directly. Monica should have taken the opportunity to talk to Parker out of the context of presentations and possibly even work and learn more about him. The goal of meeting with Parker would have enabled her to build trust and rapport with him. She should have also worked actively on finding ways to include Parker in the decision making process. By including others in the project should would have encouraged positive input and perhaps eliminated behind-the-scenes maneuvering. In regards to Stella, rather than viewing his concerns as negative she needed to step back and reassess why he was coaching her. Stella was an invaluable alliance that she should have fostered and recognized. She should have given him the promise of more controlled behavior and listening to his advice, in turn he may have been more willing to publically support her. Monica also made mistakes with Dorr. She went head on with Parker even though Dorr specifically told her not to do so. Her intensity rather than patience and teamwork concerned Dorr. She didn’t do enough talking with Dorr about the project rather provided information in a public setting. The project required Dorr’s support and she did not align with him to build a strong foundation. This misjudgement proved to be a major weakness for Monica. She harmed an opportunity that provided her direct contact with the President of the company, a contact that senior managers should embrace. In order to be more infulential in the future, Monica needs to avoid heavily relying on just the merit of her work and viewing politics with distaste. The â€Å"numbers† are not the only focus for senior management. Effective managers need to also have self-control and show a perception of being team players. Monica needs to work on her relationship with her peers and superiors at HEAL-INC. This includes reaching out to the President Gary Dorr, her boss Dan Stella and last but not least Parker and Kane. In addition to that Monica needs to adapt her influence style. Going forward, she needs to recognize the influence of others and build trusting relationships with the key players involved. References: Porter, M. E. 1985, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, New York: Free Press. Hoskission, Hitt, Ireland, Harrison 2008, Competing for Advantage, Ohio: South Western. Influence without Authority website, www. influencewithoutauthority. com Edersheim, E, The Definitive Drucker Cohen and Bradford, 2005, Implementing Strategic Change: Monica Ashley’s Experience Case Study