Strategic Human Resource Practices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic Human Resource Practices - Essay Example The company encourages team working, building trust, sharing knowledge and expertise to achieve optimal employee satisfaction (Bowman 2012). Tesco is regarded as a market leader in the retail sector and it has acquired this by conducting little deeds that really mean a lot to customers and employees. Tesco also believes in treating its employees with respect and providing equal opportunity to all. The company’s core beliefs revolve around the concepts of the significance of its people which help the company to create value for the customers and earning loyalty for a long time (Bowman 2012). 2.0 SHRM Practice 1 : HR Planning Human Resource planning is one of the highly important and potent practices an organization adopts. If the employees of an organization are not good enough to carry out objectives, there will be no chance for the organization to succeed or flourish. Recruiting talented people for the right jobs is the core concept of HR planning. It is a unique approach tow ards employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic use of highly dedicated and talented workforce, using a range of cultural, organizational and personnel procedures. It also refers to the strategic perspective in managing people and regarding people precious assets rather than only a variable cost (Brook 2013, pp. 10 - 15). Human Resource planning is crucial for any business in a number of ways. It provides quality workforce, cut down labor costs, provides opportunities to raise the skills of employees, boost motivation, and ensures health safety (Collings 2013, p. 227–328). Human Resource planning makes certain that the workforce is motivated to present constant and smooth functions of an organization. This means, human resource... Strategic Human resource Management (SHRM) has expanded significantly in managing important resources. Nowadays, SHRM has become more crucial for service organizations, like Tesco. The Strategic Human Resource Management is the earnest solution of the human resource board and policy matters so as to boost the effectiveness of an organization. Business strategy for service or retail organizations like Tesco has to understand a range of stakeholders’ interest and appease these within a framework of strategy agreeable to them all. SHRM is thus an important element of a broader reticulation of business administration and strategy. SHRM will enhance the productivity and success of Tesco through continuous and stable progress it would undergo within next five years. In a nutshell, it is vital that SHRM practices are core elements in proceeding proper procedures intact to ascertain that the Tesco’s long term goals are met.

Admissions Essay Essay Example for Free

Admissions Essay Essay Even since high school, I feel that I may have grown used to thinking that I will become a successful nurse someday. I envision myself, being like my two elder sisters who are nurses, being one of the best in this line of work. However, I do not regard this profession as a mere line of work. It is not a mere responsibility foster and nurture people, even unfamiliar ones. I honestly believe that there is a thin line between harboring life, and putting it in disrepair. I acquired my zeal for nursing since I was still in early high school. My two elder sisters, as mentioned, are also nurses. Sometimes being able to see them work, most of the time seeing them looking after patients’ health, as if it was their own, observing them obtain the satisfaction from helping other people†¦these are just some of the reasons that make me admire the people in that field of work. Moreover, my life experiences thrust me to practice Nursing and really put my life into it someday. My younger brother, who is indeed very dear to me, almost died when he was 8 months old. As what I was capable of understanding at that time, his temperature reached 107. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay 5 degrees, triggered by an ear and throat infection, which almost took his life. Throughout his illness, he was not able to do a lot of daily activities without someone to assist him. So, as his sister, I was there to look after him. I was there to nurse him, to assist in his needs, and make sure he was doing fine, at least that was what I can do. It is not that I am singing my own praises. It is just that, somehow, I feel that without someone to help or assist a sick person, he may not have been able to overcome such an illness. I am pleased and fulfilled to say I have taken care of my brother and helped him get through his ailment. I may have served as a support system for him, as well as my own family, in making things better, making him better, and keeping that thin line between life and death from becoming thinner for my dear brother. Sometimes when I look back to this experience, I tend to tell myself how possible I would have lost to death someone who is very close to me. I knew I did something for him, for him to get better. And somehow, that made me feel fulfilled. Thus, that gave me the inspiration to really push through a career in the future, such as Nursing. Inspired by my two elder sisters, enthused by my younger brother, I said to myself, I want to become a Nurse someday. Pursuing this field of interest is not just for and as my college course, but as a lifetime craft and vocation. It is not a mere money-earning job for me. Rather, as what I see from my siblings, I picture it as a self-fulfilling, people-caring job. I have lived my whole life in the small town of ____________. And in this small town, within the twenty years of my life, I have also been exposed to doing community work. I do volunteer works once a month at the nursery in my church at ______________. There, I teach three and four-year old children. Throughout doing this, I developed in myself the love for little children. That is why, when I become a nurse someday, I would really want to experience working specifically in relation to Pediatrics. Taking care of babies and innocent children feels like serving the satisfaction of being well appreciated. As far as what I have experienced, when children are well taken care of by adults, they give them high regards for making them feel well, especially when they are sick. Still, even if other soon-to-be nurses think that pursuing this career is a fast way to earn money by either staying in this country or going abroad, I still would prefer working at my little town where I grew up. When I finish my college degree as a Nurse, I would want to start working where I developed by passion for taking care of other people. It is because ___(Name of town)__ is where I will owe my success, hopefully. Besides, I also believe it is always a good deed to start helping your family and neighbors first, before you get on with the big world. At least, it would be a very good and fulfilling experience if I would be able to help my small town, in my small ways, at the start of my career. Since I am going to college soon, hopefully being able to pursue Nursing in ____Name of University___, I would be able to fully enhance and invigorate my passion for taking care of other people, and particularly their health. Because of my life experiences, especially with regards to my brother, I realized how important life is. And people need people who will take care of them when they are sick, people who scientifically know about health and who emotionally values life. And I believe I possess the qualities that it takes to become one good and successful nurse. One day, I told myself, I will be like my sisters. Dressed in clean white uniforms, taking care of my kin. As far as I know, nurses are indeed in demand here in the United States and in other continents like Europe. But I would prefer to stay here and serve my family and the rural town where I grew up. By the time I graduate, the need for nurses may have probably risen and I will be there to practice my profession, nurture and take care of people and live up to the care I have done for my brother and the inspiration I got from my sisters. And pursuing this as my college degree would be a step closer to my dream.

The Moral Decline Essay -- pornography, morality, economy, family, divo

Is our society in a state of moral decline? To answer this question we have to define the word â€Å"moral† first. In Merriam-Webster dictionary the definition of the word moral is â€Å"Concerning or relating to what is right and wrong in human behavior.† From this definition we can understand that a moral decline is a decline in knowing the different between right or wrong. In another word our moral is like a guide for every choice we make in our life. Therefore anything could affect our moral reasoning would affect our life. So is our society is a state of a moral decline? I think yes our society in a state of a moral decline because of the raise of pornography, the increasing divorce rate, and the economy. First of all, the rise of pornography is one of the reasons that our society is in a state of moral decline. According to the IFR, a new pornographic video is created in the United States every 39 minute. Pornography rapes people from their identity and deliver them as a body part. For example, looking to the women as a sex object. â€Å" A 2009 study at Princeton that used MRI scans to document how pornography encourages men to perceive women â€Å"more as objects than as humans.†(Desmond) This will cause a sexually aggressive behavior toward women because a sex object is they only thing that the man see the women as. On the other hand we don’t see any objecting to the male in the pornographic industry because they are not cheap enough. This double stander will address a male are superiors, which will affect our equal society. Pornography is sending massage to the women that your body is what you are. An example of that are the magazine covers of nude women in a perfect shape. When a 17 year old over weight girl looks at that picture, firs... ... K. Crowder and J. Teachman. 2004. â€Å"Do Residential Conditions Explain the Relationship Between Living Arrangements and Adolescent Behavior?† Journal of Marriage and Family 66:721-738. Manning J., Senate Testimony 2004, referencing: Dedmon, J."Is the Internet bad for your marriage? Online affairs, pornographic sites playing greater role in divorces." CDC/NCHS National Vital Statistics System. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/marriage_divorce_tables.htm Kelly, J. B. and Emery, R. E. (2003), Children's Adjustment Following Divorce: Risk and Resilience Perspectives. Family Relations, 52: 352–362. doi: 10.1111/j.1741-3729.2003.00352.x E. Mark Cummings, a professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. With USA News June 15, 2012 http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/06/15/parents-fighting-may-have-long-lasting-effect-on-kids

Ted Bundy & terror

Ted Bundy was a terror for girls and women in 1970’s. He was a serial killer and a rapist who is believed to have ruthlessly murdered more than 20 girls from 1974-1979. Theodore Robert Cowell was born on November 24, 1946 to Eleanor Louise Cowell in a Vermont residential home for unwed mothers.His grandparents were introduced to him as his parents and his mother as his elder sister since she was unmarried. â€Å"Some, perhaps searching for some cause to Bundy's future actions, feel that Bundy's grandfather, Sam, may actually have fathered Ted out of an incestious relationship with Eleanor.The resulting confusion was the only known possbile truama in the young boy's life† (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† BEGINNINGS). Eleanor married Johnnie Bundy on May 19, 1951 and Theodore Robert Cowell adopted Bundy as his last name. Bundy did not have any unpleasant experience in his childhood (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† BEGINNINGS). By the time of his graduation Bundy had b ecome a stealer. He met his love Stephanie Brooks during his studies at the University of Washington. Even though love blossomed in their relationship it was not long that the couple broke off.â€Å"Bundy's lack of confidence and tendency toward manipulation had ruined the relationship† (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† BEGINNINGS). Many of his victims are said to resemble Brooks who had a major impact on him. Bundy returned to his birthplace in 1969 and discovered the facts about his mother. He returned to the University of Washington. Another woman Liz Kendall entered his life and filled it with love. He had everything in his life by 1973- a degree in psychology, a loving partner and an impressive job with the Washington State Republican Party (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† BEGINNINGS).Bundy became a brutal murderer by the end of 1973. He killed a number of girls in Washington. His first victim was 15 year old Kathy Devine. He abducted her on November 25, 1973 in a gre en pick-up and her body was recovered on December 6. Joni Lenz, his next victim, however was not killed though she suffered from brain damage and internal organ injuries. Lynda Ann Healy was abducted from her home on February 1, 1974 and never seen again. His next victims were Donna Manson, Susan Rancourt, Kathy Parks, Brenda Ball, Georgean Hawkins, Brenda Baker.All girls aged 15-19 years and Bundy followed a similar course of events in killing them- abduction and killing. Bundy carried on his inhuman routine and killed Janice Ott and Denise Naslund on July 14 at Lake Sammamish State Park. This time police could figure out a sketch and name Ted (though suspected to be unreal at first) of the criminal with the help of the people around (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† SERIAL KILLER IN WASHINGTON). Bundy went to Utah after killing about 11 young girls in Washington. He carried on his fury in Utah and claimed his first victim 16 year old Nancy Wilcox on October 2, 1974.Bundy raped, h it and murdered Melissa Smith and Laurie Aimee both 17 year old teenagers later in the month. He then tried to kidnap Carol DeRonch but she was lucky to escape. He was however successful in abducting another girl, Debbie Kent, later in the day who was not lucky like DeRonch. His next victims were Caryn Campbell, Julie Cunningham, Denise Oliverson, Melanie Cooley, Lynette Culver, Susan Curtis, Shelley Robertson, Nancy Baird and Debbie Smith. Most of the girls’ bodies were not recovered and those recovered were mostly nude and severely injured (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† BUNDY GOES TO UTAH).Bob Haywood, Utah Highway Patrol Officer, suspected a VW in Granger, Utah and tried to have a look into it. The driver drove the vehicle away but was caught soon by Haywood. Driver was identified as Ted Bundy and officer found several doubtful things in his car like burglary tools, a mask made of panty hose, an icepick, and handcuffs. Bundy had come under police scanner and they tried to figure out his link with the abduction of DeRonch. DeRonch could not identify Bundy but a teacher at school from where Kent disappeared identified him. He was held in relation to DeRonch attack.Deronch later identified him and he was sent to jail for 1-15 years. He was then tried for the murder of Caryn Campbell. Police found her hair in Bundy’s VW. Bundy was defending himself in the case and while on the visit to the courthouse law library on June 7, 1977 escaped jumping from a two storey window. He was arrested again after 6 days of freedom. â€Å"On December 30, 1977, he hacked his way through an old welded light fixture in his cell ceiling and crawled through to a deputies living quarters, put on some civilian clothes and walked out.He made his way to Vail, Colorado, took a bus to Denver, and boarded a plane to Chicago. † He finally fled to Florida (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† ARREST†¦ AND ESCAPE). Bundy could not resist his killer temptation for lon g and attacked 4 girls on the night of January 14, 1978- Lisa Levy, Margaret Bowman, Karen Chandler, and Kathy Kleiner. Two of them were killed and other two survived. He also claimed the life of Cheryl Thomas the same night. All of the girls were ruthlessly beaten, raped and strangled. He abducted and killed another girl Kimberly Ann Leach on February 9 Feb 2008.He stole VW again to escape but was soon arrested after some struggle and attempted fleeing (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† ON THE RUN IN FLORIDA). Bundy was tried for the murders in Florida and convicted on July 23. â€Å"the bite marks on Levy's buttock and Nita Neary's eyewitness identification were too much to be overcome. Five days late the penalty phase began. Character witnesses were called by both sides including Mary Louise Bundy for the defense† (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† LAST DAYS). On July 31 the verdict of death sentence came Bundy’s way.The state of Florida tried Bundy for Leachâ€℠¢s murder and he was again convicted and sentenced to death. Bundy married Carol Ann Boone in the court who later gave birth to his daughter in October 1982. Bundy never admitted defeat and tried till end to escape his death sentence. Bundy’s death sentence was executed on January 24, 1989. He was electrocuted and declared dead at 7:16 am (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† LAST DAYS). Fig. 1 (â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy† LAST DAYS). Works Cited â€Å"Predator; Ted Bundy. † tedbundy. 150m. com. 22 July, 2008

The Power of One Character Analysis

The close of the school year returns our hero to his beloved Nanny who listens to his tale of torture and who introduces the first flavor of Africa to the western reader; she summons the great Inkosi-Inkosikazi, a medicine man who will cure the boy of the â€Å"night water. † Nanny tells the boy's story with all the eloquence of the great storytellers while Inkosi-Inkosikazi and the others listen. Even our hero is in awe: â€Å"I can tell you one thing, I was mighty impressed that any person, most of all me, could go through such a harrowing experience. 6 All is set for the night; the chickens have been put through their magic, our hero has had his sweet potato, and it is time for him to meet Inkosi-Inkosikazi in his dreams. When this happens, our hero is shown a quiet place to which he can return in times of trouble. He does this later in the book when he feels a crisis. In the morning, the night water problem has been solved and Inkosi-Inkosikazi presents the boy with the s crawniest of the chickens. He is named Granpa Chook. This chapter is significant for several reasons. As an introduction to the bildungsroman style, our hero is situated in a time and a place.His early tribulations are addressed and he is given weapons to deal with them. His ability to think things over is revealed, and the chapter ends with one hurdle overcome and the boy set to begin another year at boarding school. This time, though, he has the magic of Inkosi-Inkosikazi and Granpa Chook, â€Å"the first living creature over which I had held power. † 7 He is learning that there are ways to cope with injustice. Just as he had decided to remain invisible, our hero learns that there is strength inside of him and that he can summon that strength when needed.He is able to find ways to survive the Judge and other oppressors. This gives hope to any reader who has felt himself the underdog. As the novel progresses, our hero's ability to rise to the surface despite how different he is to his companions tells the reader that we are all unique and that the power of each one can overcome daunting odds. The above material should serve as the basis for one class discussion. For each chapter, the teacher should examine what is essential to fuel the discussion. This next portion of the narrative will concentrate on the ransitional points in Peekay's development and the instances in which politics affect his life and environment. The remainder of the first section of Book 1, which will be evaluated through a written assessment (see Appendix C) takes Peekay on a journey to his new home in Barberton. Peekay finishes his time at boarding school where he learns to adapt to the Judge and his â€Å"storm troopers† by doing the Judge's homework in hopes that the older boy will graduate and be out of his life. The Judge has carved a crude swastika on his arm.He agrees to allow Pisskop and Granpa Chook live until he passes math and then says Hitler will surely deal wit h them and they will be dead meat. This plan is altered when Pisskop refuses to eat the turds the Judge forces into his hands and Granpa Chook defecates in the howling Judge's mouth. He and the storm troopers beat the bird to death, leaving our hero to bury and mourn his only companion. The school term ends, the Judge departs, and Mevrou, who, interestingly, also addresses our hero as Pisskop, prepares him for the journey to his new home by brusquely informing him that he will take the train alone.Free from the Judge, yet mourning the loss of Granpa Chook, they set out. When they meet Harry Crown, the Jew who sells them tackies, the man is appalled at the boy's name and suggests â€Å"Peekay† which our hero gratefully accepts. Thus far, Peekay has been loved by his Zulu nanny, despised by his Afrikaner schoolmates and subjected to the cruelties of budding Nazis, and treated kindly by a Jewish storekeeper. The next step involves Mevrou's emotionless parting from the boy when s he consigns him to the care of the railway.Then Peekay meets Hoppie Groenewald with whom he travels and who treats him as an individual and a friend. â€Å"Hoppie Groenewald was to prove to be a passing mentor who would set the next seventeen years of my life on an irrevocable course. He would do so in little more than a day and a night. † 8 He introduces Peekay to boxing and brings him to his match where the boy is put under the care of Big Hettie, an aging, overweight Irish women who literally kills herself with food. She is the subject of her own drama which unfolds in the following chapter. Peekay learns from Hoppie that he is a worthwhile person.He learns that there is a goal in each life and to reach that goal one must focus. The most important piece of information he learns, though, is that the power of one can conquer. The child's mind takes in this crucial information along with his heart's response to the genuine kindness of the first person who seems to care about him since Nanny. To his dismay, he awakens the morning after the fight to find a note from Hoppie who has left the train. It contains the advice, â€Å"first with the head, then with the heart,† 9 which Peekay follows in all his future endeavors.This section of Peekay's journey allows characters from several different backgrounds to make their impressions on the boy. The threat of Hitler is somewhat removed, but the marked inequality in the way different groups of people are treated unfolds. From Peekay's embarrassment at Hoppie Groenewald seeing his circumcised penis and fearing that he will despise him because he is English, to hearing the beautiful Indian lady with the diamond in her tooth referred to as a â€Å"coolie,† Peekay is constantly made aware that people in this society are unrelenting in their notion of social hierarchy.This baffles the boy who sees everyone as the same. But how did he become the egalitarian child who grew into the freedom fighter? His be ginnings show him with a bland and ineffectual mother who has a nervous breakdown and is essentially removed from his life. His nanny is the most important person in his small world. Granpa is kindly but vague. These conditions could account for the boy's acceptance of the blacks in his world, but how does it come about that he also accepts the other disdained groups? While he fears the Judge and his henchmen, he does not profess to despise all other Afrikaners.He takes to Harry Crown and is fascinated by the Indian woman. The key to this acceptance is in his nature as a person and his early experiences. At school he is made into the outcast. For no reason other than his heritage, the boy is punished, humiliated, and threatened with death. He is bewildered, not understanding why he has been singled out this way, yet he does not see his treatment as an injustice in the beginning. His reaction is to try to blend in and remain impervious to the tortures with which he lives.The result o f forcing this under the surface is that he becomes a bed wetter. The interesting point here is the cure; Nanny sets out to cure the boy in the only way she knows how. The acceptance into her culture without question or prejudice enlarges the boy's capacity to understand that all humans are part of the same whole. He communes with Inkosi-Inkosikazi in his dream and is linked to the older man's culture. This early understanding of the interconnection between all people is what allows the boy to incorporate anyone he meets into his world, his space, and his family.The people who do not fit well are individuals who have strayed from the whole, those such as the Judge and Lt. Borman. These people must be dealt with but they are not representative of their entire race and do not engender hatred from Peekay as such; he can discern them as blotches on the whole of humanity and deal with them appropriately. This maturity is what all intelligent people strive for, hoping to assess an individ ual and his actions and not mistake the work of one person as representative of an entire race or ethnic group.Peekay seems to exude the feeling of common brotherhood without consciously striving to communicate it, unlike Pastor Mulvery, who is portrayed as being as sincere as he is intellectually able, yet projecting all of his acquired ideals and dogma in a sickeningly conscious manner. Peekay reflects the world around him. He is everyman and everyman is his brother. Through his actions, Peekay speaks to the world around him and those who inhabit it answer him in kind. Throughout the book there are subtle distinctions between the competing Afrikaners and the English, referred to by the Judge as the â€Å"verdomde rooineks,† or â€Å"damned rednecks. Characters toss off ethnic references and racial epithets as a matter of everyday speech, such as, â€Å"I will tell Hoppie Groenewald you behaved like a proper Boer, a real white man,† 10 and â€Å". . . my mother was always getting splitting headaches because she was a white woman and like Nanny said, it was a very hard thing to be. † 11 Peekay is essentially colorblind. To him, his Nanny is the most important person in the world. His mother is simply the woman who gave birth to him. Without a father, his grandfather is an bsent-minded, distant personage who has little influence on the boy's life. All the figures in Peekay's life at this point, save the Judge, are adults, and it matters little whether they are Zulu, Shangaan, Afrikaner, Jewish, Indian, or â€Å"verdomde rooinek. † To Peekay they are all people, each one an entity to examine and understand; sometimes to fear and sometimes to love. The combination of a child's point of view with the adult narrator's reflection on these memories frames the picture for the reader, creating a universal point of view for global readers of all ages.After the disappointment of finding his mother under the religious spell of Pastor Mulvery, Peekay discovers that Nanny has been sent back to Zululand because she would not forsake her beliefs for the Christian religion. Peekay's life would have been unbearably bleak if he hadn't met Doc. Chapter Nine brings a breath of hope, both intellectual and aesthetic, into Peekay's life. Instead of remaining in the stifling company of his mother and Pastor Mulvery with the â€Å"escaping teeth,† Peekay has found a mind and heart to nurture his own.His loneliness birds are at bay, and he realizes, at age six, that one can be alone but not lonely. In this part of the book, organized Christianity is portrayed as something to be avoided. None of the characters who embrace the Apostolic Faith Mission seems to be very bright. The whole question of what happens in heaven is almost funny, except that the only response to the little white girl's query about whether the blacks will still work for the whites is for Pastor Mulvery to tell her that nobody works in heaven.He sidesteps the entire issue of equality and leans toward the â€Å"separate but equal† stance held in the United States. Doc, in contrast, who is a German citizen and therefore perceived as a threat to society, is the most spiritual character in the book; it is he who unwraps the beauty of the natural world for Peekay. In Courtenay's world, those interested in war and politics are definitely less valuable than those who embrace nature. In the second half of Book 1, Peekay grows from age 6 to 12. His relationship with Doc is the longest and most fruitful of any of his mentors.World War II begins and Doc is imprisoned for being an unregistered German. The injustice spreads as Peekay tries to intervene and is kicked in the jaw and touted as a hero who brought down a suspected traitor. When he comes to in the hospital, his broken jaw wired shut, Peekay is appalled at the report and relies on Mrs. Boxall, his friend and the town librarian, to sort it out and vindicate him. Peekay's observation o f the treatment of the prisoners and the racial prejudice of the prison officials only strengthens his feelings of the necessity for equal rights and education for everyone.He does not think of himself as English; he is South African. Doc accepts his internment graciously, as he is allowed full freedom of movement in the prison and is allowed to have a cactus garden. There is a hierarchy among the prisoners as well. In every collection of humans who must coexist at close quarters there will be some order that emerges or that is imposed. Think of Lord of the Flies or The Admirable Crichton. Power struggles exist among any group of people. Seeing the power that Peekay attains without his seeking it points to the power inside him; the power of one person to make a change.This reinforces the notion that the one who should be held as an example is the one who does not seek power. This is more clearly illustrated in later chapters. The character of Geel Piet could fill an entire book. His relevance to the theme of Peekay's story lies in his role as a symbol of the downtrodden, poor bastard. He has lived a life of crime, but he is not all bad. He has learned to function within the system to accept what he cannot change. His legacy is: Peekay's success, the eight-punch combination, and the music that Doc dedicated to him.Peekay's boxing progresses, his musical abilities, although not masterful, proceed, and his academic career flourishes, due largely to his tutoring by Doc, Mrs. Boxall, and extra help from his teacher, Miss Bornstein, on whom he develops a crush. By the end of Book 1, Peekay has realized the enormity of the inequality of his country. His comprehension has grown from his early fear of Hitler coming to kill him and Granpa Chook to a resolve to continue to fight racial hatred and promote equality for all. The Power of One Character Analysis The close of the school year returns our hero to his beloved Nanny who listens to his tale of torture and who introduces the first flavor of Africa to the western reader; she summons the great Inkosi-Inkosikazi, a medicine man who will cure the boy of the â€Å"night water. † Nanny tells the boy's story with all the eloquence of the great storytellers while Inkosi-Inkosikazi and the others listen. Even our hero is in awe: â€Å"I can tell you one thing, I was mighty impressed that any person, most of all me, could go through such a harrowing experience. 6 All is set for the night; the chickens have been put through their magic, our hero has had his sweet potato, and it is time for him to meet Inkosi-Inkosikazi in his dreams. When this happens, our hero is shown a quiet place to which he can return in times of trouble. He does this later in the book when he feels a crisis. In the morning, the night water problem has been solved and Inkosi-Inkosikazi presents the boy with the s crawniest of the chickens. He is named Granpa Chook. This chapter is significant for several reasons. As an introduction to the bildungsroman style, our hero is situated in a time and a place.His early tribulations are addressed and he is given weapons to deal with them. His ability to think things over is revealed, and the chapter ends with one hurdle overcome and the boy set to begin another year at boarding school. This time, though, he has the magic of Inkosi-Inkosikazi and Granpa Chook, â€Å"the first living creature over which I had held power. † 7 He is learning that there are ways to cope with injustice. Just as he had decided to remain invisible, our hero learns that there is strength inside of him and that he can summon that strength when needed.He is able to find ways to survive the Judge and other oppressors. This gives hope to any reader who has felt himself the underdog. As the novel progresses, our hero's ability to rise to the surface despite how different he is to his companions tells the reader that we are all unique and that the power of each one can overcome daunting odds. The above material should serve as the basis for one class discussion. For each chapter, the teacher should examine what is essential to fuel the discussion. This next portion of the narrative will concentrate on the ransitional points in Peekay's development and the instances in which politics affect his life and environment. The remainder of the first section of Book 1, which will be evaluated through a written assessment (see Appendix C) takes Peekay on a journey to his new home in Barberton. Peekay finishes his time at boarding school where he learns to adapt to the Judge and his â€Å"storm troopers† by doing the Judge's homework in hopes that the older boy will graduate and be out of his life. The Judge has carved a crude swastika on his arm.He agrees to allow Pisskop and Granpa Chook live until he passes math and then says Hitler will surely deal wit h them and they will be dead meat. This plan is altered when Pisskop refuses to eat the turds the Judge forces into his hands and Granpa Chook defecates in the howling Judge's mouth. He and the storm troopers beat the bird to death, leaving our hero to bury and mourn his only companion. The school term ends, the Judge departs, and Mevrou, who, interestingly, also addresses our hero as Pisskop, prepares him for the journey to his new home by brusquely informing him that he will take the train alone.Free from the Judge, yet mourning the loss of Granpa Chook, they set out. When they meet Harry Crown, the Jew who sells them tackies, the man is appalled at the boy's name and suggests â€Å"Peekay† which our hero gratefully accepts. Thus far, Peekay has been loved by his Zulu nanny, despised by his Afrikaner schoolmates and subjected to the cruelties of budding Nazis, and treated kindly by a Jewish storekeeper. The next step involves Mevrou's emotionless parting from the boy when s he consigns him to the care of the railway.Then Peekay meets Hoppie Groenewald with whom he travels and who treats him as an individual and a friend. â€Å"Hoppie Groenewald was to prove to be a passing mentor who would set the next seventeen years of my life on an irrevocable course. He would do so in little more than a day and a night. † 8 He introduces Peekay to boxing and brings him to his match where the boy is put under the care of Big Hettie, an aging, overweight Irish women who literally kills herself with food. She is the subject of her own drama which unfolds in the following chapter. Peekay learns from Hoppie that he is a worthwhile person.He learns that there is a goal in each life and to reach that goal one must focus. The most important piece of information he learns, though, is that the power of one can conquer. The child's mind takes in this crucial information along with his heart's response to the genuine kindness of the first person who seems to care about him since Nanny. To his dismay, he awakens the morning after the fight to find a note from Hoppie who has left the train. It contains the advice, â€Å"first with the head, then with the heart,† 9 which Peekay follows in all his future endeavors.This section of Peekay's journey allows characters from several different backgrounds to make their impressions on the boy. The threat of Hitler is somewhat removed, but the marked inequality in the way different groups of people are treated unfolds. From Peekay's embarrassment at Hoppie Groenewald seeing his circumcised penis and fearing that he will despise him because he is English, to hearing the beautiful Indian lady with the diamond in her tooth referred to as a â€Å"coolie,† Peekay is constantly made aware that people in this society are unrelenting in their notion of social hierarchy.This baffles the boy who sees everyone as the same. But how did he become the egalitarian child who grew into the freedom fighter? His be ginnings show him with a bland and ineffectual mother who has a nervous breakdown and is essentially removed from his life. His nanny is the most important person in his small world. Granpa is kindly but vague. These conditions could account for the boy's acceptance of the blacks in his world, but how does it come about that he also accepts the other disdained groups? While he fears the Judge and his henchmen, he does not profess to despise all other Afrikaners.He takes to Harry Crown and is fascinated by the Indian woman. The key to this acceptance is in his nature as a person and his early experiences. At school he is made into the outcast. For no reason other than his heritage, the boy is punished, humiliated, and threatened with death. He is bewildered, not understanding why he has been singled out this way, yet he does not see his treatment as an injustice in the beginning. His reaction is to try to blend in and remain impervious to the tortures with which he lives.The result o f forcing this under the surface is that he becomes a bed wetter. The interesting point here is the cure; Nanny sets out to cure the boy in the only way she knows how. The acceptance into her culture without question or prejudice enlarges the boy's capacity to understand that all humans are part of the same whole. He communes with Inkosi-Inkosikazi in his dream and is linked to the older man's culture. This early understanding of the interconnection between all people is what allows the boy to incorporate anyone he meets into his world, his space, and his family.The people who do not fit well are individuals who have strayed from the whole, those such as the Judge and Lt. Borman. These people must be dealt with but they are not representative of their entire race and do not engender hatred from Peekay as such; he can discern them as blotches on the whole of humanity and deal with them appropriately. This maturity is what all intelligent people strive for, hoping to assess an individ ual and his actions and not mistake the work of one person as representative of an entire race or ethnic group.Peekay seems to exude the feeling of common brotherhood without consciously striving to communicate it, unlike Pastor Mulvery, who is portrayed as being as sincere as he is intellectually able, yet projecting all of his acquired ideals and dogma in a sickeningly conscious manner. Peekay reflects the world around him. He is everyman and everyman is his brother. Through his actions, Peekay speaks to the world around him and those who inhabit it answer him in kind. Throughout the book there are subtle distinctions between the competing Afrikaners and the English, referred to by the Judge as the â€Å"verdomde rooineks,† or â€Å"damned rednecks. Characters toss off ethnic references and racial epithets as a matter of everyday speech, such as, â€Å"I will tell Hoppie Groenewald you behaved like a proper Boer, a real white man,† 10 and â€Å". . . my mother was always getting splitting headaches because she was a white woman and like Nanny said, it was a very hard thing to be. † 11 Peekay is essentially colorblind. To him, his Nanny is the most important person in the world. His mother is simply the woman who gave birth to him. Without a father, his grandfather is an bsent-minded, distant personage who has little influence on the boy's life. All the figures in Peekay's life at this point, save the Judge, are adults, and it matters little whether they are Zulu, Shangaan, Afrikaner, Jewish, Indian, or â€Å"verdomde rooinek. † To Peekay they are all people, each one an entity to examine and understand; sometimes to fear and sometimes to love. The combination of a child's point of view with the adult narrator's reflection on these memories frames the picture for the reader, creating a universal point of view for global readers of all ages.After the disappointment of finding his mother under the religious spell of Pastor Mulvery, Peekay discovers that Nanny has been sent back to Zululand because she would not forsake her beliefs for the Christian religion. Peekay's life would have been unbearably bleak if he hadn't met Doc. Chapter Nine brings a breath of hope, both intellectual and aesthetic, into Peekay's life. Instead of remaining in the stifling company of his mother and Pastor Mulvery with the â€Å"escaping teeth,† Peekay has found a mind and heart to nurture his own.His loneliness birds are at bay, and he realizes, at age six, that one can be alone but not lonely. In this part of the book, organized Christianity is portrayed as something to be avoided. None of the characters who embrace the Apostolic Faith Mission seems to be very bright. The whole question of what happens in heaven is almost funny, except that the only response to the little white girl's query about whether the blacks will still work for the whites is for Pastor Mulvery to tell her that nobody works in heaven.He sidesteps the entire issue of equality and leans toward the â€Å"separate but equal† stance held in the United States. Doc, in contrast, who is a German citizen and therefore perceived as a threat to society, is the most spiritual character in the book; it is he who unwraps the beauty of the natural world for Peekay. In Courtenay's world, those interested in war and politics are definitely less valuable than those who embrace nature. In the second half of Book 1, Peekay grows from age 6 to 12. His relationship with Doc is the longest and most fruitful of any of his mentors.World War II begins and Doc is imprisoned for being an unregistered German. The injustice spreads as Peekay tries to intervene and is kicked in the jaw and touted as a hero who brought down a suspected traitor. When he comes to in the hospital, his broken jaw wired shut, Peekay is appalled at the report and relies on Mrs. Boxall, his friend and the town librarian, to sort it out and vindicate him. Peekay's observation o f the treatment of the prisoners and the racial prejudice of the prison officials only strengthens his feelings of the necessity for equal rights and education for everyone.He does not think of himself as English; he is South African. Doc accepts his internment graciously, as he is allowed full freedom of movement in the prison and is allowed to have a cactus garden. There is a hierarchy among the prisoners as well. In every collection of humans who must coexist at close quarters there will be some order that emerges or that is imposed. Think of Lord of the Flies or The Admirable Crichton. Power struggles exist among any group of people. Seeing the power that Peekay attains without his seeking it points to the power inside him; the power of one person to make a change.This reinforces the notion that the one who should be held as an example is the one who does not seek power. This is more clearly illustrated in later chapters. The character of Geel Piet could fill an entire book. His relevance to the theme of Peekay's story lies in his role as a symbol of the downtrodden, poor bastard. He has lived a life of crime, but he is not all bad. He has learned to function within the system to accept what he cannot change. His legacy is: Peekay's success, the eight-punch combination, and the music that Doc dedicated to him.Peekay's boxing progresses, his musical abilities, although not masterful, proceed, and his academic career flourishes, due largely to his tutoring by Doc, Mrs. Boxall, and extra help from his teacher, Miss Bornstein, on whom he develops a crush. By the end of Book 1, Peekay has realized the enormity of the inequality of his country. His comprehension has grown from his early fear of Hitler coming to kill him and Granpa Chook to a resolve to continue to fight racial hatred and promote equality for all.

The New, Delightful Use of Because

The New, Delightful Use of Because The New, Delightful Use of Because The New, Delightful Use of Because By Maeve Maddox The headline over a recent article (Nov. 19, 2013) by Megan Garber in The Atlantic announces, â€Å"English Has a New Preposition.† The subhead expresses implied approval: Linguists are recognizing the delightful evolution of the word â€Å"because.† Linguists may be recognizing the jocular elliptical use of because as a â€Å"delightful evolution,† but I have my suspicions that grammarians are less than enthusiastic. The word because is used to introduce reasons. As a subordinating conjunction, its job is to join a subordinate adverbial clause to a main clause: Mr. Wilson will not be at the awards ceremony because he has broken his leg. Because the weather is frightful, the annual homecoming parade has been cancelled. The phrase â€Å"because of† introduces a noun phrase or a gerund: Because of the lateness of the hour, we decided not to stop for coffee. Because of running late, we skipped our usual stop at the coffee shop. A previously existing elliptical use of because is often heard in conversation, as in this example from the OED entry: Why didnt you leave the bottle?’ ‘Because!’ I said shortly. I wasnt going to explain my feelings on the matter. Linguists have dubbed the â€Å"new† use of because the â€Å"because noun† or the because+noun.† The most popular speculation about its origin is that it began as a recurring joke on Saturday Night Live. Neal Whitman gives this example from SNL in an article called ‘Because as a Preposition†: If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you’ll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy. SNL fans adopted the joke with such variations as â€Å"If life gives you lemons, keep them, because, hey, free lemons.† Whitman explains the evolution from the â€Å"hey† construction to the â€Å"because noun† construction: Before the â€Å"hey,† we have a regular English sentence. After the â€Å"hey,† we have an extremely condensed and abbreviated thought, represented by just a noun phrase. The humor in the â€Å"free dummy† and â€Å"free lemons† sentences comes from the speaker’s assumption that all he or she needs to say is â€Å"free dummy† or â€Å"free lemons,† and naturally you, the listener can fill in all the rest. A free dummy? Heck, yeah, who wouldn’t want a free dummy? Doesn’t everybody want one?   He points out that in the 2000s, the â€Å"because-hey† construction became popular in Internet memes. Eventually the hey dropped out, leaving only the because. I think that long before the internet intruded into our lives, the â€Å"preposition+noun† construction could be overheard in millions of homes: Child: Can I stay up a little longer? Mother: No. Child: Why? Mother: Because. Child: Because why? Mother: Because, Bedtime! Whatever its origin, the â€Å"because+noun† is in wide use in the speech of young speakers. It certainly suits the spirit of the times, with its laconic, sarcastic, and irreverent tone. And, in these grammar-challenged times, it’s extremely useful, relieving one of the labor of completing a thought. The because+noun may become a feature of the language, but for the present, it is a nonstandard elliptical construction that doesn’t belong in formal writing. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Creative Writing 101Is There a Reason â€Å"the Reason Why† Is Considered Wrong?Using "May" in a Question

Media culture Essays - Hip Hop, BET, African-American Culture

Media culture Essays - Hip Hop, BET, African-American Culture Byron Williams Jillian Weber 19 April 2013 ENGL 102 Essay 3 Media culture heavily influences those who consume it. It is how we get our news, entertainment, and other information. Media sources often portray accurate images and reflections of citizens who want their 15 minutes of fame or just want their opinion heard. However, the more modern depiction of Black people in America doesnt sit well with Black people in America. As an African American male, I witness the misconstrued images of black men and women tarnish the reality of our everyday lives. Those seen on TV are glorified more often than criticized, and can be humorous to other viewing races. This allows members of other ethnicities to quickly generalize that he/she must be like the people I see on television. Sadly, this opens the door for more racial assumptions and the perpetuation of common stereotypes. Before extensively detailing how the inaccurate portrayal of African Americans has been a tool for racism, let me commend those who have done their part in displaying excellence and high standards for being an African American. Professional Black actors and entertainers are among the most monitored and scrutinized within black media culture. Music and television almost controls our opinions and as it changes, sure enough so do we. These people are seen as role-models young children who absorb even the slightest things they do. Positive black mentors arent tough to find in the media, but those identified will be placed under a more sensitive microscope. This is because African American citizens realize the dire need for positive influences; our present and our future are greatly dependent upon it. Oprah Winfrey is the ideal African American woman in todays society. She is completely independent, has a warm personality, brings humorous energy, and quietly-kept sexual desires. Since her rise to power, she has feminized the public sphere and put emphasis on emotions and how they tie into corporal matters. Her following is cult-like and she is seen as the most powerful woman outside of the White House. As much as America adores Ms. Winfrey, black women are the most misperceived demographic in our country. Black women were once thought of as strong, nurturing females who could stretch a penny. For example, the 70s family sitcom Good Times was about a black Chicago family faced with poverty and racism; yet they manage to pull through and stay together. They show expresses humility in African Americans, reminding us either of how bad things can get or to appreciate lifes free gifts (family, love, freedom). The mother of the show was named Florida Evans. She is hard-working and persis tent enough to keep the family satisfied and sane. To viewing American , Florida, but more importantly, black women were seen as mammythe big-bosomed, cheerful laughing caretaker to whom young white children could go to and have their problems wiped away by a few words and a hug. It was during this time when Black women were treasures in American society and they were the biggest contributors to love that the country had ever seen. Even with Oprah sitting on her throne as queen of the media and Florida Evans history as the backbone of a family, there still resides detest for our women. From advertisements that make darker skin seem ugly, to psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa, claiming that black women are ugly due to high testosterone levels, this country hates black women. Once perceived as optimal maternal figures, black women are known as ratchets, tricks, and (the big one) bitches. How the change in perception occurred is vaguely known but the consequences of this change are crippling African American women of all ages. This shift in thinking has forced Black women out of the conversation about how they should be shown and how they should act. Despite Oprah claiming that every womans destiny is in her own hands, black women no longer control who they are. The VH1 reality show Love and Hip Hop: Atlanta has been a favorite for Black people across America and continues into its second season this week. Clearly the series is tailored to African American requests by involving hip hop, Atlanta luxury, and beautiful black women. Cameras follow the lives of different individuals