Strategic Human Resource Management Essay Example for Free

Strategic Human Resource Management Essay To simply define Human Resource Management (HRM), it is a management function that helps managers recruit, select, train and develop members for an organization. Obviously, HRM is concerned with the people’s dimension in organizations. When we say HRM of the organization, it is concerned with all the departments of it. In the marketing department, people consult products or services that lead to the sale. In the sales department, people sell products or give services to the customers. And also in finance, people manage and forecast the flow of money in the organization. All these functions cannot be accomplished without the help of the human resources and people are the ones that can make the organization achieve its objectives. And when the strategies come together with HRM, there comes Strategic Human Resource Management (strategic HRM or SHRM). It may be regarded as an approach to the management of human resources that provides a strategic framework to support long-term business goals and outcomes. The approach is concerned with longer-term people issues and macro-concerns about structure, quality, culture, values, commitment and matching resources to future need. First, according to Strategic Marketing Management by Wilson, Gilligan and Pearson, I would like to express the different levels within the organization that strategies must be developed. They are: * Corporate strategy, which deals with the allocation of resources among the various businesses or divisions of an organization. * Business strategy, which exists at the level of the individual business or division, dealing primarily with the question of competitive position. * Functional level strategy, that is limited to the actions of specific functions within specific businesses. The above strategies are set at the different levels to achieve a major or overall aim of the organization. The strategic approach addresses issues and needs relating to changes in structure and culture, organizational effectiveness and performance — matching human resources to future requirements, the development of distinctive capabilities and intellectual capital and the management of change. There are five functional areas identified by Bratton and Gold in forming the core of human resource management activities. Staffing: Obtaining people with appropriate skills, abilities, knowledge and experience to fill jobs in the work organization. This role encompasses human resource planning, job analysis, recruitment and selection. * Rewards: The design and administration of reward systems. This role includes job evaluation, performance appraisal and benefits. * Employee development: Analyzing training requirements to ensure that employees possess the knowledge and skills to perfo rm satisfactory in their jobs or to advance in the organization. Employee maintenance: The administration and monitoring of workplace safety, health and welfare policies to retain a competent workforce and comply with statutory standards and regulations. * Employee relations: Under this heading may be a range of employee involvement/ participation schemes in union or non-union workplaces. In a union environment, it also includes negotiations between management and union representatives over decisions affecting the employment contract. With the best HRM policies and practices, HRM strategy does more than drawing boundaries; it also recognizes and addresses peoples needs. The best HRM practices contribute the four outcomes as follow: * Competence: Employees are versatile in their skills and can take on new roles and jobs as needed and are better able to respond to changes in environmental demands. * Commitment: Enhance mutual trust and better communication between employees and managers. * Congruence: All stakeholders share a common purpose and collaborate in solving problems brought about by changes in environmental demands. * Cost effectiveness: HRM policies are cost-effective in terms of wages, benefits, turnover, absenteeism, strikes, and similar factors. Here is the example of â€Å"Starbucks† which is one of the best known and fastest growing companies in the world that invest a lot in human resources. Starbucks believed that the companys success and rapid growth could be attributed largely to its committed and motivated workforce. Consequently, the companys human resource policies reflected its commitment to its employees. Starbucks cared about its employees and was one of the few companies in the retail sector to provide generous benefits to both full time workers as well as part timers. This ensured that employees remained motivated, and Starbucks had a relatively low employee turnover. However, in the early 2000s, the company faced the challenge of finding and retaining the right number and kind of employees to man its future growth. Despite the fact that employees, especially those on the frontline, are critical to the success of retail businesses, most companies do not have a strong relationship with their employees, and consequently suffer from a high rate of employee turnover (In the early 2000s, employee turnover in the retail industry was around 200 percent). In this scenario, Starbucks stood out for its employee-friendly policies and supportive work culture. The company was especially noted for the extension of its benefits program to part-time workers something that not many other companies offered. They are offered health and dental coverage, vision care, life and disability insurance, paid time off, a retirement savings plan, stock options and a discounted stock purchase plan, adoption assistance, domestic partner benefits, emergency financial aid and a free pound of coffee every week. As a result, Starbucks employees were among the most productive in the industry and the company had a relatively low employee turnover. The above example proves that HRM is the crucial source of competitive advantage to be a successful organization in the business environment. Thus, as I have discussed so far, you may have some ideas about Human Resource Management and notice how much it is important for an organization. Reference 1. Aswathappa, K. Human Resource and Personnel Management (Fourth Edition ed. ), (pg. 5) 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Starbucks. (2013, January 17 Thursday). Retrieved from en. wikipedia. org. 3. http://www. hrtutorials. com/cs-model-evaluating-human-resources/. (2013, January 17 Thursday). Retrieved from www. hrtutorials. com. 4. http://www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/HROB068. htm. (2013, January 15 Tuesday). Retrieved from www. icmrindia. org. 5. http://www. mainstreet. com/article/career/employment/4-employers-great-part-time-benefits. (2013, January 17 Thursday). Retrieved from www. mainstreet. com. 6. Manual, ABE Study, Strategic Human Resource Management, (pg. 4,5)

Psychology And Its Branches Sociology Essay

Psychology And Its Branches Sociology Essay First of all psychology is the study of human behaviour. The sole purpose of psychology is to unravel the mystery of why and individual acts a certain way. Psychology examines an individuals specific actions, responses and factors that dictate how an individual reacts under set conditions and the environment. The behaviour of an individual has an impact on the greater society that surrounds the individual. Psychological theories cover many branches including organizational psychology, environmental psychology, development psychology, forensic psychology and sports psychology. The talk about psychology and its branches bring up an individual in particular, Robert William Pickton. This former pig farmer and serial killer convicted of the second degree murders of six Canadian women in 2007. He was also charged with the murder of twenty additional women. The Canadian man born in British Columbia is considered a psychopath and is very easily determined as one because of his childhood. The branch of psychology that specifically affected Picktons mentality was his development as a child and the environment he grew up in, in other words development psychology. Robert Pickton grew up in a childhood filled with denial from his mother. Due to Roberts mother heavy work regime he would never have fun, spend time with friends or time to play. If Robert was not in school, he would be found in the slaughterhouse where his environment affected his mentality. In such an environment it is easy to see the development psychology theory that has had a major effect on Picktons psychopath killing spree up to a total of forty-nine victims. Erik Erikson believes that human behaviour can be understood through the experiences an individual encounters during their development. This directly relates to Robert Pickton because of the violent and gruesome environment Pickton grew up in, it is easy to analyze why his psychological behaviour has become what it is today. Erikson suggests that a person may pass a stage of psychological development or they get stuck. For example, an infant either trusts his/her caregivers or s/he doesnt. This failure of trust gain can affect the persons trusting relationship later on in life. This same ideology goes for Pickton; he grew up in an environment where killing was occurring periodically in a day. This harsh and violent environment has caused Pickton to have a violent and gruesome psychological personality. He believes that killing has no evil or wrong in it, this is because of the psychological development theory. Pickton has been stuck in this psychological environment since his childho od and has been prominent in his life. Sociology Perspective: Sociology is a social science perspective that states one area of society will always have an effect; it can be either direct or indirect. This is due to society being a complex structure where there will always be modifications and changes in it due to society itself. The ideology of society influences decisions made on marriage, economics, love, freedom, politics etc. However, recognizing these facets of life does not assist with the explanation of their existence. In other words, sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society this can include social problems within society. Robert William Pickton had a criminal mind set because of his childhood as explained through psychological development. Through his childhood and Picktons brutal treatment as a child from his mother, Pickton grew intolerance for the opposite sex. He felt that males are dominant over females and thus the feminist theory of female oppression. Through the sociological feminist perspective Pickton neglected the female figure. His behaviour as a serial killer towards women was triggered through his childhood and ever since he has developed a feminist social view where he believes males are the dominant gender over females. Hostile affection from Picktons mother led to an angrier individual later on towards the opposite sex and thus the criminal acts released against women in Picktons elder years. The sociological analysis of Marxist Feminism Theory also plays a role in the behaviour of Robert William Pickton. This implies the lack of balance in society in terms of gender classes in the economic perspective of sociology. Stereotypes within society influenced Pickton as he believed women have a lesser role in society than males. This is why Pickton would go for vulnerable areas for kidnapping and base his attacks on lower class levels. For example, Robert Pickton would target women that were prostitutes or drug addicts because there class level in society was lower than his. Picktons targeting specific groups of women instead of the women gender as a whole illustrated sociological perspective of feminism. Pickton tried to achieve structural functionalism in society where there is a balance, equilibrium in society by maintaining its interdependent social structures. Talcott Parsons stated, as much as things change they stay the same. Structural Functionalism deals with the maintenance within a society; it defines changes within a system and will always seek a way to return to its normal functioning state. As Parsons stated, Pickton followed this social theory as he thought he was bringing balance to society by eliminating the lower class of females. Parsons also mentioned, When part of the system breaks down, it is necessary for the other components of the society to take over the function of the missing social structure or to assist with the recreation of the malfunctioning social structure. This supports Picktons choice in achieving structural functionalism by the removal of the lower class which consisted of females. Anthropology Perspective: Anthropology is the social science perspective of studying people and their culture. Anthropology exists to explore a variety of social phenomena. A benefit associated with anthropology is that its research lies in the huge perspective on the development and sustainability of human culture. This social science perspective poses questions concerning the continuation of poverty, racism, violence and social inequality in the world. There are four main types of anthropology; including linguistic anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology, and biological or physical anthropology. Each type studies different aspects of people and their respective cultures including questions such as; why do humans have such different ways of thinking, living and acting? This is the social science perspective of anthropology. Robert Picktons social interactions and relationships were not fully established. Pickton lived his life in rejection; he was rejected of all social interactions which later led to his rage and intolerance against women. Picktons childhood was lived in neglect and the omitting of social interactions with other kids his age. The entire cause for this rejection was because of his mother, a female figure who was very brutal and hostile to the young Robert Pickton. This inevitably led to anger being stored throughout Picktons life towards women and thus the targeted attacking of women by Pickton. Pickton thought of his values and morals over others, specifically prostitutes (again targeting women). Pickton already thought of women as poor and inferior to males, now including prostitution he believed that those women did not deserve to live amongst society and him. Robert believed that to earn a living an individual should go through pain and hardship but prostitution in his perspective c learly did not show that. He believed prostitution made an earning with pleasure in life and not pain; he believed that individuals should earn a living from physical labour and pain. Robert would never feel any sympathy for women especially prostitutes, thus his guilt-free attitude in killing these specified group of women. Robert King Merton bases his interpretation of society using the functionalist perspective. Functionalism is a method for understanding how social institutions fill social needs.  Every custom or practice in society provides a form of stability for the entire system. This seems like a grand theory but social institutions provide for the physical and psychological needs for its society members.  Sex is a practice of functionalism as it is a physical and psychological need for humans. Pickton was a very shy and quiet individual but he acquired sex because it stored up inside of him. Pickton would host wild parties and orgies to release his chaotic thoughts. This also explains why Pickton would have sex with the women he would kidnap and then kill her, it is a practice of Picktons functionalism and this describes the social science perspective of anthropology. Hypothesis: Psychoanalysis, Functionalism and Feminism Psychoanalysis is a psychological theory founded in the late 19th century and early 20th century by Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. In involves the inherited constitution of personality which is an individuals development determined by events in their childhood. Cognition, human behaviour and experience are largely determined by irrational drives. Mental disturbances from psychology occur when there are conflicts between conscious and unconscious material. Functionalisms core idea is that mental states are constituted solely by their functional role. It is a theoretical level between physical implementation and behavioural output. Functionalism is a method for understanding how social institutions fill social needs. Every custom or practice in society provides a form of stability for the entire system. This seems like a grand theory but social institutions provide for the physical and psychological needs for its society members. Feminism examines the perspective of women and their rights within a society, specifically a male dominated society. To understand and comprehend a serial killer as to what his/her motives are it is important to instigate an investigation. Through this investigation it is important to determine the unconscious and conscious mind of the serial killer by taking a look at their ego. This investigation will determine the drive of the serial killer as to what they wish to achieve, what pleasure they wish to achieve etc. Functionalists regard crime as a necessary guideline in society because it sets moral guidelines and rules through legal punishment. An increase in criminal behaviour loses the societys trust whereas a decrease in criminal behaviour illustrates that individuals have no freedom or individuality. When determining a serial killer it is important to gain information of the insights of the psychoanalytic, feminist and functionalist perspectives. These three perspectives combined can determine and give a thorough understanding of a serial killers ambition, pleasure and the ego of the criminal.

Carl Rogers Person Centred Theory Psychology Essay

Carl Rogers Person Centred Theory Psychology Essay This essay will contain information on the role and function of a counsellor and will explain and evaluate the key concepts, phenomenology, existentialism, the seven stages of process and the six necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change and show how these are important for a trainee counsellor. As well as looking at locus of evaluation, the organismic valuing process, a fully functioning person and the core conditions being in place in a counselling setting. All these in mind influencing the counselling practice of a person training in person centred counselling. All factors to be discussed are in all ways important for a trainee counsellor to study as they are all highly beneficial toward the knowledge and understanding needed before practising in person-centred counselling. Person-centred counselling is a humanistic approach, founded by Carl Rogers to promote human psychological growth. The aim was to help people achieve a more satisfying and creative life for themselves. This approach was to help in a one-to-one relationship that of a client and of a counsellor and in some cases a group session. The role of the counsellor is to be understanding, and without the six necessary and sufficient conditions, mainly the three core conditions of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard, a counsellor cannot be as understanding as they would like to think, towards a client. As without dealing with things in their own life, in personal development or learning how to not judge someone for things that they have done or how they live their lives, how can they deal with the personal thoughts and feelings of a person that will be brought to a counselling session? Lietaer (1984) as cited in Tursi and Cochrans (2006:388) article, said: The more I accept myself and am able to be present in a comfortable way with everything that bubbles up in me, without fear or defence, the more I can be receptive to everything that lives in my client If such training has not been given then this could be more detrimental toward a client and possibly the counsellor. A problem may arise with a client that may well be very close to home for the counsellor and if this has not in the past been dealt with, may become very hard for the counsellor to attempt to deal with. In such circumstances there should of course be someone who could supervise or be there for advice. However, the effect this may have on the counsellor if not dealt with in the correct manner could be detrimental. Judgements are easy to make, whether they are right or not is not relevant, as a counsellor should not judge. As a training counsellor, the journey is to help and guide the trainee to be non-judgemental, to have congruence and to be empathic. These may prove difficult if the client brings something to the session that goes against everything the counsellor believes in but the unconditional positive regard and congruence mainly, should be in place. If the couns ellor finds this too difficult, referral is an option as long as the counsellor stays professional throughout. As a counsellor, being self-aware enables the counsellor to be open to the clients own experience, one foot in one foot out. Embracing the clients experiencing but making sure not to be taken in whole as this is the journey of the client not of the counsellor as such. This assists the client in moving on as they are feeling listened to as the counsellor is empathic toward them and experiencing in one way, what it is that the client has experienced or is experiencing, in turn, providing the necessary conditions to assist the client on their journey. Knowing that they as a client are being heard goes a long way, as Frankland et al (1995) states that listening to a persons thoughts is entirely different to listening to that of a persons feelings. As part of the British culture, back in the past, people have been taught that for example big boys do not cry or children are seen not heard and that there is a time and a place for emotions of any kind to be expressed, therefore not publicly. This can cause difficulty for a person to listen to anothers feelings genuinely and respecting the feelings of another or on the other hand it can be very hard to express these thoughts and feelings after being told during childhood etc. that this was the wrong way of dealing with the emotions. The role and function of a counsellor is to reassure the client, assuring them that they are in a quiet and safe place. Where a client is able to speak without feeling judged and is able to feel safe enough, to talk about their thoughts and feelings and the things that are going on in their life. Although this is a process, and the first few sessions are mainly about the building of trust between counsellor and client. Therefore it is very important that the client does not feel over-powered by the counsellor or that the counsellor does not abuse this power. Although it should be apparent at some point to the client that both client and counsellor are equal. As a counsellor in person-centred counselling the abuse of power can occur, however as Merry (2002) states, a non-directive approach is important. When following the BACPs guidelines and the training given as a trainee, the misuse of power should not occur. Once the trust is in place, the counsellor can facilitate the correct environment for the client; they now have a better understanding of. A counsellor also helps a client develop an internal locus of evaluation, dissolving any conditions of worth placed upon the client and the client becomes more congruent with themselves. Building trust with a client that does not want to be there can be greatly difficult and this is where the seven stages of process will come in. The seven stages of process was hypothesised by Rogers as more of a guide for himself and other counsellors to see whether the client was progressing or stuck at a set stage and to assist bringing a therapeutic change for the client. However, for this process to achieve full potential, the six necessary and sufficient conditions must be in place, along-side keeping the clients trust. The process of change can begin from any of the stages and the client does not necessarily start from the first stage. For example a client may begin at stage four but at some point go into stage two, because this is no linear process and every client is different. However, once the client is in a set stage they will build on experiences before moving onto the next. Fiedler in the 50s asked a variety of counsellors what they had considered the best parts for a therapeutic relationship. Carl Rogers in 1957, developed from Fiedlers research and Rogers created the six necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change. The three most important factors of the six are that of unconditional positive regard, congruence and empathy. Wilkins (2003), states that it has never been asserted that these are the core conditions but there have been many studies around these conditions separately and together to see how effective they are. As Sharf (2011) states, research has shown that if the core conditions are in place this can bring therapeutic change. However, these as Wilkins (2003) explains, have never been tested, therefore the results are inconclusive. How can the amount of unconditional positive regard from a counsellor to a client be measured or even tested? Therapeutic change is openness to experience as McLeod (2003) explains from a client generalising the world to accepting it in time as personal experience. To benefit from the therapeutic change the client must be ready to start the journey of self-exploration, as if a client were to come in at stage one it would be less likely that they would be ready or benefit from the process. This is a process of assisting the client to experience and understand their own value as a person and with this the client becoming stronger with their self, slowly becoming closer to a more internal locus of evaluation. Reaching this point is along the right path for the client to aim to reach the self-actualisation. Self-actualisation revolves around incongruence which in turn is inconsistent with the experiencing process. Person-centred therapy can assist a client to reconnect with their self-actualising tendency which had been thwarted in the past by conditions of worth or placing their own locus of evaluation outside of themselves therefore losing their internal valuing process. The actualising tendency, being related to the organismic valuing process, which was said by Rogers (1951) that there was one thing that aided the development of a person, which he called the actualising tendency. He goes on to state that, if a person was to have had all the love and support during childhood, then they would have been given the right components to help that person to achieve the actualising tendency. Where-as a person who was not given the love and support that was needed to help nourish for the actualising tendency, would suffer from conditions of worth. Conditions of worth are what we acquire as children as there is a strong need to be loved, then being told the appropriate ways to behave and think and sometimes feel which causes people to place conditions that later in life we tend to look for in others or in experiences and if the conditions do not fit that to which are believed to be acceptable, they can be denied all together. These conditions of worth would then go on to become the need for positive regard, trying to please others through what they believe to be the right way or right thing, rather than following what the self wants or needs. This need for positive regard can affect the decision making and confidence of a person due to the need to be loved or valued. If a person has had a critical and judgemental upbringing or has been surrounded by critical and judgmental people, this may cause a person to search for approval and positive regard, this takes a person away from their organismic valuing process too, which creates a self-concept. This it-self can create a need for external authorities for guidance or a need to please others, which then in turn becomes incongruent to self. This has been described as locus of evaluation. Locus of evaluation is what Merry (2002: 26) says is a development of positive self-regardà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦vulnerable to the evaluations of others and with this in mind a person can become to not trust their own inner experiencing, therefore becoming external. To start to become a fully functioning person, the locus of evaluation needs to be found and exercised and this can be achieved through person centred counselling. However, a client can choose to stay as functioning without feeling forced to become a fully functio ning person. The key concepts in person centred counselling are the self and unconditional Positive regard. The importance of self is a drive inside everybody to achieve full potential, attempting to better themselves i.e. self-actualisation. Maslows hierarchy of needs is the best way to describe a persons needs going from the basic survival needs of food and water all the way to the top of self-actualisation. The hierarchy fits quite nicely into Rogers person-centred theory, which is all about the self. A person who has been brought back down to the basic survival needs through depression etc., and without realising will go up through this chart and possibly at some point come back down through the stages as there is no limit in life to how many times a person will continue up or down the chart. Now, a client, being aware of their own feelings and personal experiences due to starting counselling, can slowly start building themselves back up to achieving the self-actualisation. The actualising tendency was described by Carl Rogers (1959), as summarised by Vincent (2005: 25) as the inherent tendency of the organism to develop all its capacities in ways which serve to maintain or enhance the organism. In the counselling journey of a person, self-discovery and self-awareness become apparent, by owning their own feelings when using the I statement, and understanding their own needs and feelings, this is called the self-concept. If a person has not reached the point where they state that I feel or I am then this is a state of incongruence to the self as in place of the I statement will be generalisations. As stated by Nevid (2008:500) Rogers believed that the self is the centre of the human experience. McLeod, (2009) stated that the person centred approach begins and ends with experience and it is this that builds on the phenomenological approaches knowledge. Phenomenology is a persons personal experience and this is central to person centred counselling. McLeod (2009), also states that the aim of phenomenology is to pick out the nature and quality of personal experience whilst bracketing off assumptions, meaning that the counsellor does not apply their own assumptions or experiences into that of a clients. Phenomenology is used in some therapies to explore the clients experience of a bad time that they had or have, working alongside existential philosophy, exploring areas of crisis in the here and now, giving the client the basic understanding that they control their own lives. Tudor et al (2006) states that Rogers was not teaching phenomenology or existentialism but the person-centred approach shares some of the same values and assumptions of both of the approaches/ philosophies. Carl Rogers believed that if the right conditions were in place in a counselling setting, that a person could achieve self-actualisation. Although the core conditions cannot be proved due to the argument of whether or not it can be measured of how much unconditional positive regard etc. a person has been given, the theory over the years seems to have proven itself with the popularity of people studying the theory or becoming counsellors and people seeking out to be counselled or even sent to see a counsellor. Therefore the role and function of a counsellor in person-centred counselling has been discussed throughout, mentioning key factors such as the seven stages of process, the six necessary and sufficient conditions for therapeutic change and actualising tendency and how these assist a person on their own personal counselling journey. As all factors mentioned, are in some way or other linked to the person-centred theory they are all vital for a trainee counsellor to be learning abo ut them and how to use the skills such as empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard, amongst others. The organismic self is of upmost importance in the humanistic approach due to it being the core self and when this is jolted the locus of evaluation is placed outside of the self, causing incongruence to the self and the longer this goes on for can it can become more damaging toward the client psychologically. This is where a client would then search for a counsellor or be sent to see a counsellor, then beginning the journey to becoming a happier person, on the ladder to achieving self-actualisation. References Burnard, P. (2005). Counselling Skills for Health Professionals: Fourth Edition. Nelson Thornes LTD: Cheltenham. Lietaer, G. (1984). Unconditional positive regard: A controversial basic attitude in client-centred therapy. In Tursi, M. and Cochran, J. (2006). Journal of Counselling Development. Fall2006, Vol. 84 Issue 4, p388. McLeod, J. (2009). An introduction to counselling: Fourth Edition. McGraw-Hill: England. Merry, T. (2002). Learning and being in person-centred counselling. Second ed. PCCS Books: Manchester. Nevid, J. (2008). Psychology: Concepts and applications. Cengage learning: USA. Sharf, R. (2011). Theories of Psychotherapy Counseling: Concepts and Cases. Fifth ed. Cengage Learning: Belmont. Tudor, K. and Worrall, M. (2006). Person-Centred Therapy: A Clinical Philosophy. Routledge: Hove. Tursi, M. and Cochran, J. (2006). Journal of Counselling Development. Fall2006, Vol. 84 Issue 4, p387-396. Vincent, S. (2005). Being Empathic: A Companion For Counsellors And Therapists. Radcliffe publishing: Oxon. Wilkins, P. (2003). Person-Centred Therapy in Focus. Sage: London.

Tennessee Williams: One of the Greatest and Most Controversial Playwrig

Tennessee Williams was known as one of the greatest and most controversial playwrights in American history. He once said â€Å"I believe that writing or any form of creative work was never meant by nature to be a man’s way of making a living, that when it becomes one it almost certainly loses a measure of purity† (Lewis 54). This statement shows that Williams was a genuine writer who wrote with finesse. He used his plays and poems to express his own thoughts and did not stifle an idea because the public would not agree with it. Williams was known for his Southern Gothic writing style. This is â€Å"a style of writing practiced by many writers of the American South whose stories set in that region are characterized by grotesque, macabre, or fantastic incidents† (â€Å"Southern gothic†). Some critics believe that Williams had sacrificed his talent to prosper in wealth; however, other critics believe his writings were original works of art. When Williamsâ₠¬â„¢ lover Frank Merlo died, he became very despondent and his writing began to languish. His plays were becoming less and less desirable and the amount of time each was on Broadway was decreasing little by little. Williams’ beginning writings were works of art, but they became predictable as time went on. Although he did use a lot of recurring themes and symbols, each individual piece had a life and moral value of its’ own. Williams was born March 26, 1911. His mother and father were Edwina and Cornelius Williams respectively. His mother was the divine essence of a southern belle whose main focus was being of high social standards. His father was a besotted shoe salesman who would later be claimed as the reason for Williams’ homosexuality. Williams’ siblings include Rose and Dakin Williams. It is ... ...odreads Inc, 2007. Web. 31 Mar. 2012. . Shmoop Editorial Team. "Tennessee Williams Awards" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2012. Smith, Nicole. "The Tragic Figure of Laura in The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams." Article Myriad. Article Myriad, 6 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . "Southern gothic." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 01 Apr. 2012. . Print. "Tennessee Williams." - Quotes, Biography, Quote, Works, Festival, Poetry, Poems, Bio, Writing Style, Autobiography, Bibliography. N. p. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .

The Ancient Mayans Essay -- History Historical Essays

The Ancient Mayans "The Maya" in Across the Centuries gives a good overview of the Maya. However, the text fails to expand and several key issues such as the influence of the Olmecs, social structure, the relevance of sacrifices, Spain's influence on the history of the Maya, and how the Mayan civilization fell. By leaving out the aforementioned issues the Maya are given less recognition than they deserve. By glossing over the Maya the authors of Across the Centuries essentially teach children that the Maya ar not of crucial importance. Across the Centuries' inadequate "The Maya" not only teaches students to not care about other cultures, it denies them the knowledge of an ancient culture more than worthy of recognition. "The Maya" begins with a quote from John Lloyd Stephens, one of the first Europeans to come across the remnants of the Mayan civilization. The chapter then explains where the Maya lived and the conditions of their environment. The agricultural methods are then elaborated on, followed by a section devoted to priests and kings. Finally "the Maya" ends with Mayan achievements. The whole chapter consists of only six pages, a rather small amount of information for a culture of such importance. According to The Maya "whether or not one thinks of the Olmecs as the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica, the fact is that many other civilizations, including the Maya, were ultimately dependent on the Olmec achievement"(Coe 50). It is believed that the Olmec, a civilization that inhabited the Yucatan Peninsula before the Maya, is responsible for many of the Mayan achievements in mathematics, architecture, and astrology. Unfortunately, Across the Centuries only mentions the Olmecs in "the Maya" when referring to the... ...tory pertaining to dominant versus minority cultural history, a sad fact especially in this day and age. Unequal proportioning is clearly scene in Across the Centuries' "The Maya", which is only six pages long. Hopefully one day our children will have textbooks with the latest objective information, until then teachers will continue to modify their lessons to prevent this unequal historical proportioning. Works Cited Armento, Beverly and Nash, Gary and Salter, Chistopher and Wixon, Karen. Across the Centuries. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1991. Bently, Jerry and Ziegler, Herber. Traditions and Encounters: A Global Perspective on the Past.Boston: McGrawHill, 2000. Coe, Michael. The Maya. 6th edition. London: Thames and Hudson, 1999. Culbert, T. Patrick. The Lost Civilization: The Story of the Classic Maya. New York: Harper and Row, 1974.

The Hidden Life Of Dogs: Book Review :: essays research papers

The Hidden Life of Dogs: Book Review The Hidden Life Of Dogs was written by Elizabeth Thomas who is currently well know and highly re-spected for her books. Elizabeth Thomas was born in America and currently lives in New Hampshire. This is a book that is unlike any book ever written as it takes the perspective from a different angle. It was first published in the United States in 1993 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Elizabeth has written five books, all bestsellers. It is evident that her success is due to her intense research as she has travelled the world while writing her books. With international success, Elizabeth plans to continue her career that currently seems to be skyrocketing. "The Hidden Life Of Dogs" was not just any book. Clearly there was much more effort involved. Beginning with an introductory character, Misha who was a Husky, began the book well. This book tried to get the idea across that humans knew only very little about dogs and their patterns. After intense observations on Misha, some ideas were brought up. How did the dog know how to cross a highway on its own? How did its navigational skills work? How was it that this dog knew exactly where it was and could travel through different cities without becoming lost and other dogs couldn't? Continuing on to bringing in other dogs Elizabeth was studying, she pointed out that some had skills that others did not. Misha was clearly able to navigate himself but when with another dog, he would become lost. After careful observation it was seen that the other dog could easily loose track of where she was and mislead Misha. Another interesting topic covered is how dogs behave with each other. How they achieve their social status, why some dogs don't become accepted and how they react to each other. By comparing the dogs with the wolves and dingoes some of the dogs' actions become clearer, but there is one thing a dog really wants and that is to be with others, and to love their owner. It was explained how a dog defended a bird and mouse in a cage from another excited dog in the same house. Likely explanations for this could be because the older dog felt that the peace was not being maintained or perhaps he knew that the mouse and bird were his master's belongings and he should protect them. The book goes on to explaining what occurs between the dogs when they mate, why some dogs kill their litter and many other topics.

Discuss the use of literary technigues Essay

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is a very accomplished book because of Austen’s clever and successful use of literary techniques. Literary techniques refer to the deliberate construction of language to further the story whether that be to develop character, plot, suspense or to create an enjoyable humorous novel. Jane Austen applies many literary techniques such as point of view, dialogue, letters and irony to tell the story of Pride and Prejudice. Pride and Prejudice is told in third person limited omnipresent point of view but mainly told through Elizabeth’s consciousness. This point of view is a successful narrative technique because it gives an insight into the characters, mainly Elizabeth’s thoughts, and also helps to create suspense. This technique also arouses the reader’s sympathy for Elizabeth because we can see that she is being honest to herself, which is essential if we are to desire her reform. â€Å"The officers of the-shire were in general a very creditable, gentlemanlike set. And the best of them were of the present party; but Mr Wickham was as far beyond them all in prison, countenance, air, and walk. † (pg65) This is Elizabeth’s opinion of Mr Wickham that is later found out to be completely wrong but the reader can see her sincerity. By using this technique Austen can also control how much the reader knows about event and emotions which helps to create suspense. In the first section of the novel Austen occasionally reports form Darcy’s consciousness so that the reader is made aware of his growing feeling for Elizabeth and to highlight that Elizabeth was prejudice when she made a wrong judgment against Darcy. â€Å"Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her†. In Pride and Prejudice she does not report from Darcy’s point of view during the period between her two proposals, so that the reader, like Elizabeth, is uncertain whether he is ‘lost forever’. The dialogue in Pride and Prejudice is very successful in developing characters and advancing the plot. Austen brings her characters to life by having them reveal themselves or other characters reveal them to the reader through their dialogue, rather than through detailed narrative descriptions. â€Å"Oh! you are a great deal apt you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in any body. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of a human being in my life. † This dialogue reveals Jane as being amiable, good-natured, and always assumes that others are as good-natured as she. In chapter three Darcy’s dialogue reveals his character to Elizabeth as being too proud. He thinks himself socially inferior to Elizabeth so declines from asking her to dance. This is one instance were the dialogue helps to create Elizabeth’s wrong judgement of Darcy and thus advancing her prejudice. â€Å"She is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me; and I am in no humour at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You had better return to your partner and enjoy her smiles, for you are wasting your time with me. † (pg13) Darcy’s sense of social superiority later proves his chief difficulty in admitting his love for Elizabeth. This dialogue also helps to advance the plot as his rudeness creates a negative impression of him in her mind, one that will linger for nearly half of the novel, until the underlying nobility of his character is gradually revealed to her. The dialogue within Pride and Prejudice is a very significant part of the novel as it is a way revealing to the reader the characters and the plot progression. In addition to using dialogue, Austen also successfully uses letters to reveal character and to further the plot. The use of letters also allows Austen to introduce a character before they arrive such as Mr Collins in the letter of chapter 15. The letter is a popular literary convention that Austen weaves very cleverly into her novel. The letter in Chapter 7 from Jane to Elizabeth is an example of how Austen uses this technique successfully. â€Å"I find myself very unwell this morning, which, I suppose, is to be imputed to my getting wet through yesterday. † This reveals Jane to be good hearted and none judgmental of her mother even though it was Mrs. Bennet who intentionally sent her out into the rain. Jane did not once say it was Mrs. Bennet’s fault. The way Jane describes the Bingley sisters as ‘my kind friends’ also reinforces her warm heart. â€Å"therefore do not be alarmed if you should hear of his having been to me. † Even though Jane is the one that is unwell she is always looking out for others so she sends the letter to reassure Elizabeth and make sure she does not worry. The letter also demonstrates character relation as Jane sent it to Elizabeth showing that they have a close relationship. This letter also furthers the plot because as a result of this letter Elizabeth decides to visit Jane at Netherfield, which put Darcy and Elizabeth in more frequent and honest contact with each other. Just this one letter proves that the letter convention is a very successful narrative technique. Irony is the tension between literal meaning and implied meaning. Austen is able to present the main themes, criticise some characters and add humour through the use of irony within Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austin establishes her ironic tone in the opening sentence of Pride and Prejudice. â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. † However the opposite is the case. The truth is well fixed into the district, that he is already considered the rightful property of one of their daughters. It now becomes a competition for which mother has the daughter who gets him. Jane Austen treats the characters in Pride and Prejudice with irony. Mr Bennet is a prime example as he himself is a very sarcastic and ironic character. â€Å"What say you Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection I know, and read great books, and make extracts. † (pg9) Mr Bennet is being ironic because he knows that all Mary does is repeat what she reads and doesn’t actually understand it so he is really poking fun at Mary. This is also dramatic irony because the reader knows that Mr Bennet is not serious, but Mary takes him seriously. Austen uses irony as the basis for the plot. The whole story is based around an ironic situation. Elizabeth prides herself on her observation of character but dislikes Darcy because she is under the mistaken impression that he disapproves of her. She is also mistaken by liking Wickham because he flatters her pride. In both cases she has judged incorrectly and begins her reform when she is given the truth in Darcy second proposal letter. The humour in Pride and Prejudice comes from this irony and from Austen’s gentle Satire. She laughs at human folly and social structure. Austin satirises Lady Catherine de Bourgh unmercifully as a member of the autocracy. Jane Austin laughs at how Lady Catherine believes so strongly in the distinction between classes. Lady Catherine believes because she is in a higher class that she can influence whoever she wants but Austen is saying that the superiority in social class does not necessarily mean superiority in ethics, morals and intellect. Verbal and dramatic irony are a very successful literary technique in Pride and Prejudice as they create humour and criticise and develop characters. Jane Austin constructs Pride and Prejudice through the use of four main narrative techniques. Third Person omnipresent point of view mainly through Elizabeth’s consciousness has the advantages of allowing the reader to sympathise with Elizabeth while being able to give the reader the narrative objectively. Austen’s use of dialogue allows her to reveal the character without giving a long narrative description. The use of a letter is proved very vital in Pride and Prejudice because plot and character development can be created in a couple of lines. Irony is also an important technique as it is the basic plot and creates the humour of the novel which is a great attraction to the reader.