Miss Representation free essay sample

After viewing Miss Representation I was overwhelmed with emotions: outrage, frustration, and sadness at the unfair portrait of women painted by popular media and culture. I find this topic very interesting and realize that this topic is always going to be highly debated and talked about. Women are often represented in the media in roles traditionally assigned by society, portrayed as passive and lesser beings, mothers or sexual objects. Both films highlight the impact of mass media on the notion of â€Å"Ideal Beauty† for women, through magazines, movies, television shows and video games. The media has greatly influenced the attitudes and opinions, which is seen as the norm by societies where gender equality is far from reality. Miss Representation goes into more of the female roles in politics and leadership. In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader. We will write a custom essay sample on Miss Representation or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The whole notion of Ideal Beauty has so many harmful effects. The film talks about how women have made great strides in leadership over the past few decades. It mentions how the United States is still 90th in the world for women in national legislatures, women hold only 3% of positions in mainstream media, and 65% of women and girls have disordered eating behaviors. The concept of anorexic beauty is problematic, as majority of the female population does not have such an â€Å"ideal† body type, thus resulting in many insecurity issues for women. Here are some quotes from the film that highlight my statement, â€Å"Media portrays negativity, the way of how women should look – conforming to the male ideal, else face scrutiny from society†, and â€Å"My sister cuts herself because she was teased by her friends as she does not have a perfect body. This obsession has put ridiculous amounts of unhealthy pressure on the children, resulting in poor health effects such as depression and eating related disorders. The film only highlights that women are used in advertisement to sell products rather than men. I actually laughed at all the advertisements that were shown. I get that women are subjected to the male gaze. They are used to gather the interest of men in order for them to buy the product. Some of the products that these women advertise for are completely unrelated to their sexiness such as game console and beer. How on earth are these products related to women? It’s degrading that mass media refer to women as objects to sell in advertisements. It was also mentioned that the negative portrayal of women in media has created a climate of increasing violence on women; thus making it seem acceptable. This has a huge impact in shaping how the society thinks and perceives certain behavior such as the use of violence on women. The film Miss Representation exposes how American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. After viewing the film I looked up if anything has been done about this issue. I came across a website made called MissRepresentation. org. The website is a call-to-action campaign that seeks to empower women and girls to challenge limiting media labels in order to realize their potential. I think a way to promote more awareness and put a stop to this behavior is to show films like Killing Us Softly and Miss Representation in schools. They need to use these to educate youth around media literacy and to inspire and activate students to make change. It is only through mass media where we can correct these mistakes by educating the public of the â€Å"actual reality† of beauty. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths.

What the Dubose episode contributes to the novel as a whole Essay Example For Students

What the Dubose episode contributes to the novel as a whole Essay Through out To Kill a Mockingbird, The Mrs Dubose episode, featured in chapter eleven found at the end of part 1 of the novel, plays a huge part. Mrs Dubose is an elderly, Ill-tempered, racist woman who lived two doors up the street from the finches in a house with steep front steps and a dog-trot hall. It seems as if, this chapter was included by Harper lee, to develop the finch family characters, mainly Jem. Throughout this episode, Jems character becomes more rounded and he develops from a little boy into a young man, this is apparent in the way in which he conducts himself and the way he reacts to certain situations, especially in those that concern Mrs Dubose. This section of the book also links and joins various themes that are presented to the reader throughout the novel, again rounding up the first half. During the time Jem had spent with Mrs Dubose it is clear that both, him and Scout, have learnt many valuable lessons. We will write a custom essay on What the Dubose episode contributes to the novel as a whole specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now At the beginning both characters needed to learn several life skills, such as; to learn how to have self control, to have tolerance, respect, courage and courtesy. Harper lee shows this by beginning to round off Jems character. One lesson that he learns early on is how to behave as a gentleman in the face of extreme provocation, in the form of Mrs Dubose. This however, was explained by Atticus by telling Jem, you just hold your head high and be a gentleman. Whatever she says to you, its your job not to let her make you mad. Harper lee seems to use Atticus character, not only as a neutral character but to teach the children lessons that only he could teach. For example, in this chapter he teaches scout and Jem how to be tolerant and to understand situations from another point of view. In this chapter Jem also begins to understand what courage is. Harper lee uses Juxtaposition of the key events in this chapter to the key events in the previous to demonstrate this. In the previous chapter Jem shows that he can be courageous, in the episode of the mad dog incident, again this is where Harper lee starts to develop his character as a whole. This is juxtaposed by the way in which Mrs Dubose has shown such courage, by trying to conquer her morphine addiction, by keeping her self busy with the reading sessions that Jem had part taken in. After Mrs Dubose passes away, Atticus tells the children that they should respect such courage, as it was an admirable act carried out by an old, dying woman. This section also gives further insights in to the characters, for example; Jem, Scout and Atticus, it also shows how they develop in a well structured way. You are able to pick up on Atticus tolerance for the community and those he is surrounded by; Jem gains more self control and matures drastically but also reveals his kindness and generosity towards scout, regardless of growing up. Lee then uses that to demonstrate scouts loyalty and courage when she accompanies, supports Jem. This also increases the amount of sympathy the reader has for the family, considering what they go through, and what they dont deserve. One of the main themes in the book is the black and white divide, which this chapter reveals in a way in which none of the other chapters do. Mrs Dubose is the character that Lee has used to emphasise this key point, as she is so racist and set in her ways. Harper Lee uses Mrs Dubose to show the irony of how black people are looked down on/ frowned upon yet they are strongly depended on in their community, this is shown by Mrs Dubose, a very racist woman, having a black maid , who she highly dependant on. In conclusion, the Mrs Dubose episode, featured in chapter eleven, is a significant part in To Kill a Mocking Bird. This is a very well thought out, suitable climax to the first part of the novel. .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d , .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .postImageUrl , .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d , .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:hover , .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:visited , .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:active { border:0!important; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:active , .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u70f096fd0094410d4e920157a8bfe19d:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis of King Lear EssayLee uses it to prepare the readers for the prejudices against Tom Robinson, a black man, and the Finches during part two of the novel. However, she does it in a more sophisticated and subtle way, teaching you lessons that you arent necessarily noticing. This chapter is used as a way to have rounded off the characters and their situations in time for the following events. Therefore, the Mrs Dubose essay plays a huge part on the rest of the novel; the way in which Harper lee has placed his development is highly skilled and well done. It certainly sets up the reader and makes you want to continue on to part two.

The eNotes Blog Well, Good Luck With That As I Lay Dying Film Coming, Someday, Briefly, to a Theater NearYou

Well, Good Luck With That As I Lay Dying Film Coming, Someday, Briefly, to a Theater NearYou So the other day I was looking up something on IMDB and saw a listing for  As I Lay Dying.   Now, that is shocking enough, if you have ever read the novel. To me, at least, its stream-of-consciousness format is going to make things  mighty  difficult to put on screen. Then add to that the fact that the very-beautiful-to-look at James Franco   is starring as Darl Bundren  and I really scratch my head (Franco is also directing).   I suppose Franco has been trying to branch out beyond his  Pineapple Express  and rom-com roles. In 2010, he took on the rather daunting challenge of portraying Allen Ginsberg in  Howl.   The reviews were mixed.   IMDB offers this description of theplot of  As I Lay Dying:   it is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her familys quest to honor her wish to be buried in the nearby town of Jefferson.   That sounds simple enough! A quest, a burial, a familyBut for those unfamiliar,   heres a sample of some of Faulkners text, which is, if I recall properly, pretty representative of the entire novel: â€Å"In a strange room you must empty yourself for sleep. And before you are emptied for sleep, what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep, what are you. And when you are emptied for sleep you are not. And when you are filled with sleep, you never were. I dont know what I am. I dont know if I am or not. Jewel knows he is, because he does not know that he does not know where he is or not. He cannot empty himself for sleep because he is not what he is and he is what he is not. Beyond the unlamped wall I can hear the rain shaping the wagon that is ours, the load that is no longer theirs that felled and sawed it nor yet theirs that bought it and which is not ours either, lie on our wagon though it does, since only the wind and the rain shape it only to Jewel and me, that are not asleep. And Jewel is, so Addie Bundren must be. And then I must be, or I could not empty myself for sleep in a strange room. And so if I am not emptied yet, I am is.† I really enjoyed the novel but I did not find it an especially accessible or easy read.  Nor was it meant to be, and thats fine. But I truly wonder how it can make the jump to film. So what audience is Franco hoping for? Us? The English Majors of the World? Well, thats cool, I guess.   I hope its   target is not the general movie-going public. And I hope the work doesnt get mangled trying to make the  transition  to film. Just for grins, here are a couple of 1-Star Review comments on the novel from Amazon: First off I am baffled at how many people like this book. You know a book is written poorly when you have to go on [online]   just to figure out who the characters are and what the hell is going on. Clear is something this book is not. What is with the round about ways of saying things? The book was absolutely awful. Not one person had any sensible thoughts. If someone came close to making sense, their thoughts were hard to follow with a different speaker each chapter. All i got out of this book was: dont cross a river with a coffin, and bananas must be really tasty (the characters probably ate over 10 tons of them) How a group of self-absorbed, uncaring nimrods comes to feel such a sense of duty to a dead woman that they would risk crossing a river, that has swelled its banks and swept away the only bridge, in a donkey lead cart is simply beyond me. This book and all of Faulkners works are horrible and would not find a publisher if written in 2008. There is not an editor alive that would read past the first chapter of As I lay dying. It is a dud. There is no reason to read it. None. The story is not interesting. Faulkners stream of consciousness writing style is not interesting. Nothing about this book is worthwhile, except to say that youve read Faulkner. I can say that rereading this book again I did actually feel pain. I felt like crying, it was horrible. The film is still in production. No release date has yet been set.

The Prince and the Discourses on Livy Essays

The Prince and the Discourses on Livy Essays The Prince and the Discourses on Livy Paper The Prince and the Discourses on Livy Paper Essay Topic: The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli was at his time and continues to be now days one of the most influential and revolutionary authors known throughout the centuries. His writings, distinct from other renaissance authors of the epoch, make emphasis on his personal views and his opinions on the political matters taking place in Florence, Italy. Further discussed in the text are two of Machiavelli’s most renowned works, The Prince and the Discourses on Livy. Both books comprehend Machiavelli’s understandings of politics and explicit analysis on the various methods of governments with respect to principalities and republics. Machiavelli had many intentions in mind when he was first writing The Prince, among which where to understand, instruct and influence the minds of rulers at the time. More precisely, Machiavelli meant to influence the mind of one ruler in particular, the ruler of Florence Lorenzo de’ Medici to whom the book is dedicated. Machiavelli’s purpose throughout the book intended to help Lorenzo de’ Medici achieve eminence as a prince and guide him on how to properly rule Florence. The fist chapter of The Prince opens up by describing how many kinds of governments there are, in what manner they are given rise to and how they are later on acquired by states. Curiously, it is indeed, the first sentence of Chapter I which contains, what is perhaps, the most important discovery in Machiavelli’s entire writings from the Prince___ â€Å"ALL states and governments that have had, and have at present, dominion over men, have been and are either republics or principalities. Being introduced the topic on governments, Machiavelli proceeds to make an acquaintance on principalities and restrains himself to talk only about this one type of government___ â€Å"I Will not discuss here the subject of republics, having treated of them at length elsewhere, but will confine myself only to principalities. † Machiavelli argues that principalities can be either hereditary, new or mixed. Hereditary principalities are the kinds of principalities â€Å"where the governmen t has been for a long time in the family of the prince. The prince, in the line to succeed, is the natural heir to a perfect constitution on which to base his rule upon and for which people are accustomed. He explains that in order for the natural prince to continue with the good reign, is it merely enough that he accommodates himself to the order of things previously established by his predecessors and occasionally need to adapt institutions to the current events. Machiavelli argues that ereditary principalities are maintained with much less effort and difficulty than new or mixed principalities in reason that hereditary principalities, having made a fair beginning, have had the time to perfect its constitution and laws to assure security and bring content to all of those who live under its rule. Whereas in mixed and new principalities that rulers, having made a new start, may easily run out of time before having perfected its constitution and thus end up by destroying the state. In addition, Machiavelli argues that the natural prince was also liable of inheriting the affection of the people who had at other periods in time become familiar with he’s family. Thus, to the disadvantage of new coming ruler’s, the natural prince had on his behalf a natural disposition of the subjects in the hereditary state to love the ruling family. Finally, Machiavelli concludes his chapter on hereditary principalities by saying that â€Å"for each change and alteration always prepares the way and facilitates the next. In simple english, that in hereditary states the rule from prince to prince is facilitated by bringing on a change at different times giving people an opportunity to come familiarize at their own pace, while new or mixed principalities are obliged to enforce change in a flash. Machiavelli has overtime become a common adjective to immorality for he deeply believes that the main objective to politics is by all means to remain in power. Machiavelli thi nks of the virtue of the prince as the virtue of courage, strength and most importantly manhood. He argues that it if the natural prince possesses such extreme sagacity, he will always maintain himself in the state unless deprived by a superior force. Nonetheless, if the natural prince has reasons enough to irritate his subjects and causes himself to be hated, people will willingly trade him for another ruler in the hopes that the new ruler will be better than the present one. Machiavelli says that once the prince is replaced, the state is no longer to be considered a hereditary principality but be classified as a mixed principality. As Machiavelli had at first noted, new and mixed principalities are indeed much more difficult to maintain. For it is in new and mixed principalities that difficulties start to present themselves. Machiavelli states that mutations to form mixed principalities, in which men change their rulers gladly in the belief that they will better themselves by the change, arise from a natural difficulty. Unfortunately for the people, problems for Machiavelli do not stop here, for he argues that it is â€Å"an infinite number of other wrongs that follow in the train of new conquests. When the new prince takes over another prince’s domain, he finds himself in a delicate situation with regard to the people who put him in power and with those whom he injured by seizing that principality. He explains that the new prince has â€Å"for enemies all those whom he has injured by seizing that principality; and at the same time he cannot preserve as friends even those who have aided him in obtainin g possession, because he cannot satisfy their expectations, nor can he employ strong measures against them, being under obligations to them. Concluded then that, no matter how strong the new prince may be for he will always need the goodwill of the inhabitants if he wishes to enter into firm possession of the country. So far seen in the Prince, Machiavelli confined himself to talk only about one type of government, principalities. Yet, in the Discourses on Livy, he moves on to put forth what he had set aside in The Prince, republics. It is then, that he’s writings take a new direction leading the way to six forms of government not mentioned before. Whence, giving a whole new purpose to his second book which is to further explain and describe each type of government there are and particularly which will have the more benefits for any republic. It is important to note, beforehand, that the Discourses on Livy are considered to be Machiavelli’s concise commentaries on the history from the Foundation of Rome by Titus Livy. Hence, most of the discussions on governments in the Discourses on Livy will pertain to some extend the form of government in the Roman Republic. Reason for this is that Machiavelli thought of Rome as more than just the capital of the republic but rather pondered it as a source of inspiration and forth more his role model to a perfect government___ â€Å"Having proposed to myself to treat of the kind of government established at Rome, and of the events that led to its perfection. † At first, Machiavelli distinguishes three kinds of governments, the monarchical, the aristocratic, and the democratic. Nevertheless, after having read other authors, he makes account for six kinds of governments, three of which he classified as very bad, and the other three of which he classified as good. From Machiavelli’s conception that the three bad ones result from the degradation of the first three is the emergence of Machiavelli’s cycle of governments in which the monarchy becomes a tyranny, the aristocracy degenerates into oligarchy and finally the popular government or democracy lapses into licentiousness. Machiavelli argues that â€Å"chance has given birth to these different kinds of governments amongst men† for at the beginning of times there were no states nor governments but just free men and women wandering around. As the human race increased, the necessity for uniting themselves made itself felt. This necessity of which Machiavelli speaks is nothing more and nothing less than fear, fear for survival and desire for protection and self-defense. Thence, putting themselves into accordance, men agreed to choose the wisest and most just from amongst themselves and place him at their head with the promise to obey___monarchy. Sovereignty was to be hereditary and non-elective. Yet, short after, children began to naturally degenerate from their fathers giving up to extraordinary vices, libertinage, and violence. Consequently, the prince soon drew upon himself the general hatred of his people. It is then, that Machiavelli alleges that the prince as â€Å"An object of hatred, he naturally felt fear; fear in turn dictated to him precautions and wrongs, and thus tyranny quickly developed itself. † Growing discontent from the prince’s outrages and excesses caused armed masses of powerful leaders to oblige the prince to surrender the throne and further constituted by themselves the new government___aristocracy. The aristocratic rulers indisposed to remain content with the civil equality of fortune surrendered to cupidity and ambition. Once again, experienced the same fate as with the first tyrant, people resolved to place themselves at command___oligarchy. Short after, the generation of people that had at first established it passed on and the government ran again into that kind of license which inflicts injury upon the common public. Having overthrown the oligarchy a popular government was therefore resolved___democracy. Machiavelli concludes that these six types of governments are defective for the good are too short lived and no precautions can prevent either one from degenerating into its opposite kind. Because each individual in power consulted his own passions and thousands of acts of injustice were daily committed, the republic found itself in a position of constant disorders, conspiracies, and plots against its sovereigns. Fortunately, sagacious legislators, knowing the vices of each of these systems of government, decided to captivate something from them all and gave emergence to a type of government in which power was equally dispersed in three categories. The three categories where composed of the king, the nobles, and the people and each one had it’s correspondingly portion of authority and duties. Machiavelli argues that the republic depends solely on these three powers to maintain itself strong, stable and solid. For it is within this system that authority can be successively passed from the kings to the nobles and from nobles to the people. For a fact, he never got to provide a theory that justifies a form of government as the best form of government. However, we can induce from his writings that he thought of this type form as the most appropriate___ â€Å"organized the government of Sparta in such manner that, in giving to the king, the nobles, and the people each their portion of authority and duties, he created a government which maintained itself for over eight hundred years in the most perfect tranquility. Machiavelli reasoned that it is only when these three powers are combined under the same constitution that they are able to watch and keep each other in check. Consequently, with only one of the three elements of which we have spoken been omitted from it charges, the republic will most likely find itself vulnerable to disaster. Nonetheless, if the republic finds itself able to compe nsate for which ever element is missing, it will attain a perfect combination of powers and thus render the creation of the perfect constitution. Machiavelli was born during the times of Italy’s renaissance, during which Florence was at the scene of its most intense political conflicts. Conversely to other scholars at the time, Machiavelli did not obtain his knowledge through any particular education but through many years of experience. As testimony of the repeated rise and fall of various governments, Machiavelli was able to understand the dynamics of politics and power. He sought to describe political life as it really was, in order that politics should be regarded in the views on politics alone. Though Machiavelli wrote 500 years ago, his political world has much in common with the modern political world. Machiavelli was, indeed, far ahead of his time when he said that sharing power is absolutely necessary to the maintenance of the state and thus, governments should strive for the division of authority. In spite of its antiquity, Machiavelli’s first organization of the state is possibly today’s point of departure to many forms of government. In his analysis of the Roman republic, Machiavelli distinguishes three powers, the king, the nobles, and the people. Similarly, our government is also separated into the executive, the legislative, and the judicial power. Machiavelli’s insights on power, control and leadership are steeped in the realism of historical events thus, provide valuable guidance to the present leaders in the field of politics.

Nursing & Medicine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nursing & Medicine - Essay Example The liver is the largest gland in the vertebrate body, composed of a spongy mass of wedge-shaped lobes that has many metabolic and secretory functions. It is a reddish-brown in color and is located in the upper right part of the abdominal cavity extending 3-4 inches to the left of the midline. It weighs about three pounds and is approximately 3-5% fat. It performs over 500 functions. In humans the pancreas weighs approximately 80 grams, has roughly the configuration of an inverted smoker's pipe, and is situated in the upper abdomen. The head of the pancreas (equivalent to the bowl of the pipe) is immediately adjacent to the duodenum, while its body and tail extend across the midline nearly to the spleen. The bulk of pancreatic tissue is devoted to its exocrine function, the elaboration of digestive enzymes that are secreted via the pancreatic ducts into the duodenum. Most oral contraceptives are "combination pills" containing a combination of the hormones estrogen and progesterone to prevent ovulation (the release of an egg during the monthly cycle). A woman cannot concieve if she doesn't ovulate because there is no egg to be fertilized. The Pill also works by thickening the mucus around the cervix, which makes it difficult for sperm to enter the uterus and reach any eggs that may have been released.

How Do Groups React to Unexpected Threats Crisis Management in Research Paper

How Do Groups React to Unexpected Threats Crisis Management in Organizational Teams - Research Paper Example Contextually, when assessing the current scenario of the global business world, particularly due to the continuous globalization effects and the consequent alterations taking place in the socio-economic conditions, managing such obstacle have emerged as one of the most significant concerns of contemporary business organizations. A crisis management is thus essentially required to be devised with the intention of minimizing the impacts of unpredictable occurrences which may seriously hamper the performances of an organization either in its short-run or in its long-run performances2. In this regard, various literature studies have been conducted which emphasized on addressing the various dimensions of crisis management. However, in the article titled as ‘How do Groups React to Unexpected Threats? Crisis Management in Organizational Teams’, the authors Jin Nam Choi, Sun Young Sung, and Myung Un Kim proclaimed that comprehensive researches are available in limited numbers wh ich were focused on learning the behavior of organizational teams when responding to crisis situations and crisis management strategies. Correspondingly, in this article, qualitative as well as quantitative methods have been used with the intention to satisfy the literature gap existing in relation to the study of organizational team responses to crisis management3. The paper will intend to discuss the concepts which can be acquired from the article further describing the applicability of such findings in the organizational level crisis management practices. Moreover, references will also be considered from the book named ‘Organization Theory & Design’ written by Richard L. Daft when assessing the article. The Concepts Acquired from the Article The article depicts that organizational teams are commonly observed to behave as dependent on the persisting ‘interdependent relationships’ within the work culture being subjected to their external activities when im plementing crisis management strategies. The findings of this article also reveal that environment of an organization is complex as well as uncertain which results in many crises situations. It has been fundamentally due to these reasons that crises within organizational teams are observed to be rising immensely since the past few years. In this regard, management of an organization is required to effectively forecast the time as well as the procedure through which the crisis event is most likely to occur. In most instances, organizational teams focus on determining the reasons and likewise sort out the type of crises being witnessed or probable to be witnessed in order to initiate better effective crisis management strategies. The article also stated that irrespective of such practices apparent in the organizational teams of the corporate sector, only insignificant number of studies were conducted in order to sort the various types of crises witnessed by contemporary businesses and the strategies which are devised as well as implemented accordingly3. Furthermore, the article also aims at demonstrating the importance of organizational teams’ performances at times of uncertain situations. In this respect, organizational teams performing in groups are observed to

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Essay Example for Free

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been Essay â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? † is a short story written by Joyce Carol Oates. On the surface the narrative is fairly generic. The plot follows a 15 year old girl named Connie who is a typical teen shallow, and self consumed. She spends her days at the mall, listening to the radio, and boy watching. However, it soon becomes clear that this story has a very dark undertone. Joyce Carol Oates has commented that this short story is a â€Å"realistic allegory† and that she uses characters in the narrative to represent abstract ideas. A common theme in much of Oates’ work is her belief that the 20th century is spiritually empty. That people have no â€Å"spirit† of their own and therefore are easily influenced and harmed. In â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? † Oates’ creates the character of Arnold Friend to be the antagonist (Davis). He is intense and powerful, and as the story continues he is like a dark persistent cloud that weighs heavy on Connie and the reader. Arnold Friend is the physical embodiment of the devil and his omnipotence allows him to know and abuse Connie’s insecurities for his own uses. It is through Arnold that Connie goes from innocence to experienced. Connie is a young girl just beginning to experience adult things. Her interest in boys is limited until she â€Å"sees† Arnold. Arnold Friend does not exist. He appears only to Connie, and Connie is the only person who sees him. At no point in the story is he acknowledged by any character in the story. Even his â€Å"Friend† Ellie makes no response to Arnold comment’s which Arnold excuses away by saying â€Å"he’s shy. † Any conversation they have with each other seems disjointed and incoherent. Connie first sees Arnold one night when Connie and her friend cross the highway to go to the burger joint (Davis). The burger joint is a trendy hangout for a much older crowd. It is only Connie who sees Arnold Connie couldnt help but let her eyes wander over the windshields and faces all around her, her face gleaming with a joy that had nothing to do with Eddie or even this place; it might have been the music†¦, and just at that moment she happened to glance at a face a few feet from hers (2). Oates also describes Arnold’s car as â€Å"a convertible jalopy painted gold (2),† and later in the story Connie easily recognizes the car as it pulls into her driveway. The car is smashed up, and written on. Surely if the car (and Arnold) was real it would have fetched a comment from someone at the hangout. Arnold speaks only to Connie, and foreshadows his intentions in a single comment â€Å" Gonna get you, baby† (2). Many critics believe that Arnold Friend is a daydream, or a fantasy lover conjured up by Connie. However, it is interesting to note that when Arnold comes to Connie’s house he remains in and speaks with her only in the doorway. He promises and states that he has no intention of going in without an invitation. He is unable to cross over the threshold without being invited. This is a characteristic of an evil being. He tries hard for an invitation, romantically wooing at her Yes, Im your lover. You dont know what that is but you will. I know that too. I know all about you. But look: its real nice and you couldnt ask for nobody better than me, or more polite. Ill hold you so tight you wont think you have to try to get away or pretend anything because youll know you cant. And Ill come inside you where its all secret and youll give in to me and youll love me (8). Connie remains unconvinced and contemplates calling the police which she eventually decides not to do. Oates’ also when describing Arnold Friend actions, writes â€Å"he looked out to see Arnold Friend pause and then take a step toward the porch, lurching. He almost fell. But, like a clever drunken man, he managed to catch his balance. He wobbled in his high boots and grabbed hold of one of the porch postsâ€Å" (8). The word lurching is usually used to describe the movement of an animal, and he wobbles because he has hooves instead of feet. Arnold Friend uses Connie’s insecurities to make her come to him. First of all Arnold uses the word â€Å"Dontcha† when asking Connie questions (Hurley). If Connie answers no she seems stupid, so it forces her to constantly agree with what Arnold is saying or asking. Connie is a normal teenage girl and is concerned about her looks. When Arnold first pulls up Connie is described as â€Å"Her heart began to pound and her fingers snatched at her hair, checking it, and she whispered, Christ. Christ, wondering how bad she lookedâ€Å" (X). Soon after Arnold tells her Youre cute† (3), and even later â€Å"I dont like them fat. I like them the way you are, honey† (8). He is trying to boost her ego. He looks and dresses like boys she is attracted too. Connie â€Å"liked the way he was dressed, which was the way all of them dressed: tight faded jeans stuffed into black, scuffed boots, a belt that pulled his waist in and showed how lean he was, and a white pull-over shirt that was a little soiled and showed the hard small muscles of his arms and shoulders. He looked as if he probably did hard work, lifting and carrying things. Even his neck looked muscular† (5). Arnold has all the characteristics and qualities that her parents want for her to resist (Hurley). When Connie questions who Arnold is, he claims they know each other and have the same friends by listing their names â€Å"Listen: Betty Schultz and Tony Fitch and Jimmy Pettinger and Nancy Pettinger, he said in a chant. Raymond Stanley and Bob Hutter— (5). He speaks as if he is singing, â€Å"He spoke in a simple lilting voice, exactly as if he were reciting the words to a song† (5) much like dangerous sirens of Greek mythology. Arnold also makes sure to have music playing that Connie likes, â€Å"Bobby King† (x) and comments â€Å"I listen to him all the time. I think hes great (4). He uses slang that was popular with Connie’s school friends last year on his car â€Å"man the flying saucers. It was an expression kids had used the year before but didnt use this year. She looked at it for a while as if the words meant something to her that she did not yet know† (6). All these things are meant to make Connie feel comfortable and at ease with Arnold. If she is comfortable she will trust him, go for a ride with him, and he can do whatever he wants with her (Slimp). Arnold Friend tries hard to lure Connie away. He romances her like a young lover complimenting how she looks, sharing her taste in music and friends. But she still refuses and he play his last card. He states â€Å"Im the boy for you, and like I said, you come out here nice like a lady and give me your hand, and nobody else gets hurt, I mean, your nice old bald-headed daddy and your mummy and your sister in her high heels. Because listen: why bring them in this? (10). It is at this point that she realizes she has no choice but to go with him. For all the annoyance, resentment, and bitterness she displays toward her family, in the end, she is willing to give up herself for them. She must go with Arnold to save her family and maybe herself. She chooses to go with Arnold because she sees that as her only alternative. Oddly enough if she, at 15, had been as worldly as she would have liked she would have been strong enough and smart enough to realize she did not have to go with Arnold. That she was in control and could easily send him away. Arnold Friend is the embodiment of evil intent and he uses Connies inexperience to manipulate her. He shows himself to Connie in a way that she would feel comfortable with as a young smooth talking boy who wants to court her (Slimp). He represents the internal and external conflict that Connie has inside. She resists his various temptations but surrenders herself in hopes of saving her family from harm. At the end of the story the reader does not know what really happens to Connie. The open ended conclusion let’s the reader reflect on their own conflicts, their own insecurities and weakness. And we, the audience have to wonder, if the evil in the world is going to get us too.