Benvenuto Cellini and the Importance of Individualism, Masculinity, Family and God Essay

Benvenuto Cellini and the Importance of Individualism, Masculinity, Family and God The Renaissance era, to this day, is thought to be the most influential period in human history as it brought about the rebirth of classical forms, interest in humanisms, and the concern for individualism. Renaissance, over many years, has been known as the idea of rebirth, expansion of culture and art, and individualism. There have been many Renaissance before but the most recognized was that of the Italian Renaissance. It led to the rebirth of art, architecture, Latin, religion, law which are just a few of many more. This era gave birth to the Humanist movement, which advocated the importance of individualism and human values. Most importantly, the Renaissance included some the most magnificent minds, which were polymaths and had immense skill and creativity. Over the years these great minds have come to be known as Renaissance men or women, people who are well educated and or excel in a wide variety of fields. Renaissance men like Michelangelo inspired all of Italy and Europe with his architectural designs and sculptures, the father of Humanism, Petrarch changed the concepts of scholastics, while Leonardo da Vinci left his fellow Italians in awe with his magnificent artistic and engineering skills. All of these men advocate the idea of secular ideas, freedom of thinking and individualism. It was during this substantial growth in the arts, sciences and religion that Benvenuto Cellini, one of the greatest Italian Renaissance Man, was born. Benvenuto Cellini was born in Florence on 3rd November 1500 and was professionally an Italian goldsmith, musician, sculptor, soldier and painter. This background of the Renaissance from the fourteenth and fifteenth century and the intellectual and artistic ideas of the sixteenth century are what shaped Benvenuto Cellini and his life to come, and then ultimately led him to write undoubtedly the most famous autobiography and the most important biography from the Italian Renaissance Era. Cellini started writing his autobiography at the age 58, in the year 1558, as he believed that he had lived a significant portion of his life and that he should write so people could learn of his great battles and achievements throughout his lifetime. Cellini mentions, â€Å"All men of whatsoever quality they be, who have done anything of excellence, or which may properly resemble excellence, ought, if they are persons of truth and honesty, to describe their life with their own hand; but they out not to attempt so fine an enterprise till they have passed the age of forty† (section 2, page 4). Although Benvenuto thinks of himself as an uneducated man, his beautifully written sonnets and carefully orchestrated work, says otherwise. Unlike many works of his time, the â€Å"Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini possesses both a historical and cultural significance. Benvenuto Cellini was the son of Maestro Giovanni Cellini and Madonna Elisabetta, who were both Florentine citizens. This fact, with others, act as a driving force in his love for Florence and why he decided to start writing his autobiography when he came back to Florence after several years traveling around Rome, France and many other cities. The reader can obvious conclude that this document can be of great importance in the study of Italian life during the Renaissance, but the tone with which Cellini wrote, remarkably relates to the movements that took place during the latter years of the Renaissance. Benvenuto unquestionably shows fondness toward individualism, humanism and self-development, two of which movements were common around the sixteen century. The term Autobiography is defined as study of oneself, and is obviously an ideal example of individualism. Cellini’s Autobiography surpasses that of his time, autobiographies during the sixteenth century exhibited a narrative of the works of the author. While Cellini expresses a detailed chronicle of his life, the triumphs he faced, the deepest secrets and his feelings towards his actions. No one from his time was able to document a masterpiece like such. Benvenuto shows the importance of individualism, masculinity, family, and God through this detailed account of his life. This style of writing was rare during the sixteenth century as Benvenuto opened his soul put it on a document, everything that he loved or hated, his legal or illegal actions, his friends and enemies. Benvenuto, like many others during the Renaissance era, was a true believer of God and that whatever good happened to him was due to the gift of God. He talks about the great lineage of his family and that he was born into a family with honorable men and states that God is very pleased that he should be born so that he could sustain this great foundation his ancestors laid down. One can see here that he exhibits everything that is of great importance to him. Family, as he talks about the honorable foundation of his family, individualism and masculinity is shown when he boasts about have great qualities to hold the foundation, and finally God, which he believes that it pleased God that he, was born. Even though Benvenuto believes that he is a true Christian, his actions are a long way from Christian, they prove otherwise. People during the renaissance were seen to have very unclear value and moral during to different renaissance movement. This effect is seen with some of Benvenuto’s decisions and actions throughout his autobiography. More than half of his conflicts and stories were handled immorally, for instance Benvenuto kills a person he dislikes without even thinking of the consequences or him fathering some illegitimate children. One can see from his tone that Benvenuto does not realize that he has committed a sin according to Christianity. He recognizes that there is a God and cherishes the religious ceremonies but does not live by it when it comes to morality. Here we can see that the idea of individualism and masculinity is of more importance to him. On one occasion Benvenuto he had to pay bail for an argument he had with his competitors. So, he reached out to his cousin for bail money, but the cousin refuses. To many people this does not seem like a big reason to be angered but Benvenuto’s anger causes him to kill around half a dozen of his enemies. Clearly, Christian morals were not thought about when Benvenuto decides to murder those men. Another important Renaissance aspect that was exemplified by Benvenuto in his autobiography was individualism. Individualism is defined by Webster’s as a theory maintaining the political and economic independence of the individual while stressing individual initiative, action, and interests. However, in context of Benvenuto’s work, individualism has a much deeper significance. He describes that his father began to breed him in many trades and hobbies especially music. The idea of individualism is greatly displayed here because even though his father wanted him to be interested in music and playing the flute, he followed his own interest and learned to become a skilled goldsmith. Today this type of action is very common, but as historians know, the profession on men in renaissance Italy depended on the profession of their father or family. The fact that Benvenuto thought was becoming a goldsmith shows that some of the renaissance movements had an affect on Benvenuto’s decisions. Although you also see here, the importance of family, Benvenuto decides to play the flute at times just to please his father, even though he hates playing a musical instrument. This family influence plays an important role in making Benvenuto part of the great list of Renaissance men, a good musician, magnificent goldsmith and many others. At a very young age, he mastered the skill of time management and gave up immature activities. This level of discipline was obviously very crucial because it would stick with him for the rest of his life also for the same reason make him one of the most famous figures in the Italian Renaissance Era. Boasting about oneself was not very common among autobiographies during the time of the Renaissance, which is what makes Benvenuto’s autobiography such a unique and important one. As mentioned earlier about his conflicts, Benvenuto loved to show his masculinity when he wrote about his conquests and his time as a soldier. Normally, the first time any person kills another human being, they do not brag about it but Benvenuto seems not affected by it and boast about how masculine it was. He describes in detail, â€Å"I found them at table; and Gherardo, who had been the cause of the quarrel, flung himself upon me. I stabbed him in the breast, piercing doublet and jerkin through and through to the shirt, without however grazing his flesh or doing him the least harm in the world. When I felt my hand go in, and heard the clothes tear, I thought that I had killed him; and seeing him fall terror-struck to earth, I cried: Traitors, this day is the day on which I mean to murder you all. Father, mother and sisters, thinking the last day had come, threw themselves upon their knees, screaming out for mercy with all their might; but I perceiving that they offered no resistance, and that he was stretch for dead upon the ground, thought it too base a thing to touch them†¦ When I got among them, raging like a mad bull, I flung four or five to the earth, and fell down with them myself, continually aiming my dagger now at one and now at another† (Section 17) Obviously, this detailed episode was meant to show the readers that he was the bravest man in Italy and that no one can bring him down. His masculinity was not all bad because it had a major contribution to his goldsmith profession. When he first got into a fight in Florence along side with is brother, he mentions that even though they were throwing stones at him, he never left his brothers side. He also mentions that the soldiers that rescued them praised and wondered how a young boy had such a valor. But this played to his advantage because due to this fight, he was banished to Siena for six months, during which he took up the goldsmith’s business and mastered his skill. Lastly, he mentions that when someone killed his brother, Benvenuto, in response to this, in an act of revenge, murdered his brother’s killer. After which he fled to Rome. This was the purest form of masculinity because it has to do with power, both physical and mental. Benvenuto embodied his masculinity by over powering his brother’s killer and taking revenge, really showing that he was a man. Lastly, importance of family and heritage was very common during the Renaissance Era, which meant family always came first. Benvenuto shows a great attachment to his family and was proud of his heritage as he says that his ancestors were men of valor. All throughout the autobiography he mentions his father and you can see that he always seeks for his fathers approval. As we know Giovanni Cellini was a musician and also made his own instruments, he wanted Benvenuto to follow in his footsteps but Benvenuto had no interest. Nevertheless you see on several occasions that Benvenuto plays the flute just to please his father. Giovanni Cellini’s influence is greatly seen in Benvenuto’s life, as he is partly responsible for why Benvenuto chose to become a goldsmith. He mentions in section seven that Giovanni posses a simple vein of poetry, instilled in him by nature, together with a certain touch of prophecy, through which he wrote these four verses under the arms of the Medici crest: These arms, which have so long from sight been laid Beneath the holy cross, that symbol meek, Now lift their glorious glad face, and seek With Peteris sacred cloak to be arrayed. This beautifully written verse inspired Pope Leo X to the extent that Giovanni was invited to Rome to take his place in the palace. Seeing the great influence this one inscription had on the Pope, Benvenuto commenced goldsmith in Rome. The earning he made from this business were also sent to his father because he was always worried about him. Clearly you can see that family was of great importance to him. Benvenuto Cellini’s life story is only one example of the Italian Renaissance Era. Observing all the events that took place in his life, we can now conclude how the Italian Renaissance affected individuals during that time period. But more importantly, the ramifications of the Italian Renaissance can still be seen in today’s modern world. Freedom and individuality is what American was built on and I conclude that many historical events played a role in world freedom, with specific significance on the Italian Renaissance Era. It is significant because it changed the thought process of people. Going back to Cellini and his self-development in terms of multi-mastery in a variety of tasks, art, music, sculpting, goldsmith, etc; now, imagine that every person during that time was improving himself or herself. When a movement like the Renaissance affects a mass population, the influence of it can be sustained and passed on from generation to generation for years. With his autobiography, Benvenuto shows the mastery of narrative and cleverly recites his life story as if the reader was listening to the great Benvenuto Cellini tell us about the great tales of his life. The successful way of incorporating his personality into his saga makes this autobiography a work of art. BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Source Cellini, Benvenuto. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini. London: Penguin, 1998. Secondary Source Cellini, in Italian Renaissance Reader, 343.

Optimism and Robinson Crusoe

â€Å"A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty† Winston Churchill From the time human were born, they have been facing up with difficulty, every time, everywhere, and never miss anyone. Our races have overcome and will overcome abundant problems, no matter how complex they were or they will be. And, very natural, it is the optimism that leads us from victory to victory, like Churchill had said; make us see the light, even the slightest, in the darkness. We always see the just how optimism has assisted we human, in term of both literature, in the novel Robinson Crusoe, and the history of medical science. Sometimes, being optimistic is the best thing people can do, which is shown clearly in Robinson Crusoe. The protagonist, Robinson, is lost on an island. He himself with manages to survive and even make his life on the island become more comfortable. He has never given up hopes or lost his optimism, always thinks that one day he will come back home. Not once does he succumb to the fate and be depressed like many other would be in that case. His optimism and his indefatigable make his hope finally be fulfilled; he is able get back to his country after 28 years on the island in the sea. If he was not sanguine about his life and just believed hopelessly that he would die in that island, he would not be able to success. This fact strongly substantiates how optimism can change our life even in the most trying circumstance. Provided that we keep being optimistic and try our best, we can overcome any problems in life. Another case when optimism plays an essential role is in medical science, where we day to day struggle with many deadly diseases, one of which is AIDS. AIDS, which has infected million of people and caused a lot of death, is one of our biggest problems in the 21st century. There was once it is believed that this disease is incapable of being cured but the scientist did not lose there will. They had made indefatigable effort to scrutinize AIDS and they are sanguine that one day in the future AIDS will be curable. Time passed by and this notion has been gradually proven. Today, many breakthroughs in science have shed light on AIDS, thought there are not medicine that can cure AIDS, it has been strongly believed that in the near future, when we fully understand AIDS, it will be curable. People, with optimism can overcome any things in our life; which has been proven through the history of our race. It is optimism which is the most important factor of any victories.

Moderator Essay

Learners are the main clients to every educator and therefore it is important that they are always motivated. In the olden days, educators were of the view that learners should somehow be inherently motivated, not aware of the role that they have to play in the motivation of the learners. There are certain factors that an educator needs to take into account in order to ensure that learners are motivated and the most important of it all is creating an environment which is conducive for learning. Motivation What is motivation? Motivation is the driving force that causes the flux from desire to will in life, it is the literal desire to do things. Learners do have the role to achieve set learning outcomes at school, however, as a n educator, I have the role of ensuring that they are motivated enough to achieve those set outcomes. Intrinsic Motivation Intrinsic motivation influences learners to choose a task, get energized about it and persuit until they accomplish it successfully regardless of whether it brings about immediate reward. This type of motivation is seen when learners actively seek out and participate in activities without having to be rewarded by materials or activities outside the learning task. Extrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation is when learners are motivated by an outcome that is external or functionally unrelated to the activity in which they are engaged.  As an educator, I have to act the part by showing just how motivated I am to my learners even by the way I present my lessons or the type of teaching method that I use. Motivated learners are the type of learners who initiate actions, expend effort and persist in that effort. Ways to motivate learners Feedback Feedback motivates learners and encourages them. The feedback should be directed at the student actions and not their character. Feedback also helps learners to believe in themselves and their abilities, even appreciating things such as improved handwriting in a learner. Though feedback encourages learners, I must continue to show that I value effort more than ability. Grouping learners based on ability As an educator I should refrain from grouping that exclusively promotes ability. Grouping learners based on ability sometimes make learners think that an educator values ability exclusive of effort and this may cause learners to become demotivated. They will in turn see no value of the hard work they do. Alucia Mabunda student no 42740495 EDLHODM ASS 1 DUE 12/03/14 Promote co operation over competition Promoting co operation over competition is done by using co operative learning which is assigning learners of varying abilities , ethnicity, gender mix to small groups that pursue common goals together. On this level, I ensure that every member is given a role to play, either as a recorder, researcher, or a summarizer in order to foster the group’s goal. Teaching realistic goal setting Learners should believe that their efforts to learn and mastering new skills will not be in vain. This depends on how realistic their set goals are. Unreached goals may cause learners to doubt their ability and to approach learning tasks with lessened commitment to learning. Communication Communication is the transmission of an idea by someone referred to as the sender and the understanding thereof by another (receiver). Communication is perfect only when both the sender or receiver have the same understanding or interpretation of message. The communication process During this process, a purpose expressed as a message to be sent out is needed. This is the case when as an educator; I convey a message or give a lesson to students. The sent message passes between a source (sender) and a destination (receiver). The message is then encoded (converted to a symbolic form) and is passed by a way of some medium (channel) to the receiver who then translates (decodes) the message initiated by the sender. Effective communication Effective communication helps us better understand a learner’s or situations and it also enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect and create learning environments where creative ideas, problem solving, affection and caring can flourish. These skills can better connect an educator with learners. An educator needs to understand that communication should be spontaneous rather than formulaic. When presenting a lesson as an educator, it should not appear or be presented as a speech that is read as it will have no impact. Effective listening Effective listening is the most important communication aspect. When an educator listens to learners, they can ; ï‚ · Feel heard and understood which can build a stronger and a deeper connection with educator ï‚ · Create an environment where every learner feels safe to express their ideas, opinions and feelings. ï‚ · Save time as learners will know that as a lecture I understand them ï‚ · Relieve negative emotion. The learners will be at ease knowing that they have been heard. In order to reach all objectives, an educator must focus on the learners when they speak, avoid interrupting them or being judgmental and lastly show interest when the learners are speaking. Alucia Mabunda student no 42740495 EDLHODM ASS 1 DUE 12/03/14 Nonverbal communication The way you look as an educator, move, react or listen to your learners tells them more about how you feel without saying so many words. As an educator I can also use facial expressions, postures and gestures in order to ensure that my message to learners goes across quite well. As an educator I can enhance nonverbal communication by using open body language, arms uncrossed, standing with an open stance and maintaining eye contact with the learners. An educator can use nonverbal signals that match up with their words, adjust nonverbal signals according to context. Interpersonal relations between learners and the educator Teaching is about relationships between the educator and the learner. An educator should be consistent in their behavior, be open and approachable to ensure a healthy relationship. Using humour, friendly greetings and non verbal supportive behavior may help improve such relations. A plan that emphasizes the prevention of misbehavior in human relations should be implemented. Teachers should work together with learners from a position of social equality. Authority is very important in the classroom though an educator should not plan rules without consulting the learners. Authority is essential but an educator should establish a less authoritarian working relationship with learners without losing control in the classroom. The best ways to promote good relations The teacher learner relationship in the classroom should be based on mutual respect and trust. This is achieved by educators being in close relationships with learners when making decisions that affect the class. Teachers and learners should work as a team to achieve predetermined goals and objectives of the lesson. When there’s a teamwork environment relationship between educator and learner, there is less hindrance and learners work harmoniously with others. This according to Deiro (2005, 10) is an example of influential relationship. Influential relationships are formed to create a challenge in one or both parties in the relationship. The teacher constantly modifies learner’s behaviours. The maintenance of discipline In order to have an environment that is conducive to learning, there should be a plan that enforces rules and regulations that are followed whereby learners are aware of what are expected behaviours from learners. Discipline is the practice of care and respect for others and the individual learner. It safeguards the rights of people who are exposed to uncooperative, aggressive or blocking responses by others. Discipline should not be constued as solely a clamp down of unruly, mischivious and disruptive  behavior but as a means of entering into a loving, caring and guiding relationship with learners. Discipline should be corrective and nurturing according to South African Schools Act , 84 of 1996 Section 11(2). Educators should not impose any form of punishment which is harmful to learners self esteem. ,physical punishment as well as emotional castigation should not be used. As an educator I can promote the development of self discipline. I can model true discipline ship for learners to emulate. My learners Alucia Mabunda student no 42740495 EDLHODM ASS 1 DUE 12/03/14 should be made to feel emotionally comfortable and physically safe so that the learners can develop self discipline which is referred to as intrinsic discipline and accountability in their actions. Educators have to create an environment which each learner is guided towards an attitude of caring and respect for other learners. As an educator I must work collaborately with the learners, this means recognizing learners as partners in education though by not allowing them to take control of the learning situation. My classroom discipline policy A classroom discipline policy is a system that allows an educator to express the behavior expected from learners as well as what they can expect from me as an educator. Why is it important to have a classroom policy ? A classroom needs a set of procedures to manage the array of activity that students create. As an educator, from time to time my expect actions and the learners action will conflict. It is important to review such expectations during the first days of school especially those that relate to discipline. A classroom code of conduct should be the first subject and learning outcome in a lesson plan. It will remain as the point of reference for both the educator and learner throughout the year. Steps to developing a classroom discipline policy. Establish expectations The expectations should be written down and shared in the classroom. It should include acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. Learners should also take part in discussing the listed behaviours. The list should be kept minimal to ensure effectiveness. Establish incentives or consequences Consequences should be positive, frequent and varied. Negative consequences should be logical and progressive. Furthermore I may add a system of how the learners can dig themselves out of a hole and lastly make it clear that certain behaviours will require special and immediate action which may even be suspension or sanction. Establish a method for giving students a constant stream of affirming and corrective feedback As an educator is should be able to show appreciation when learners are doing well and behaving as expected. Every positive behavior is an opportunity for feedback. Corrective feedback should be quick, clear and focused on the future. Conclusion Motivation is something that educators needs to instill in learner’s minds. When learners are motivated especially by their educator they feel confident that they will reach the set goals and objectives. A classroom is a place where learners spend atleast up to 7 hours in on a daily basis hence it should in all aspects feel like home though without learners forgetting the main reason for being there which is to learn. Learners prefer to an have an approachable educator with whom they can relate with. By maintaining a good learner educator relationship, they will without force be able to behave in the manner that they are expected to behave. This will save both the learner and the educator from conflict and time Alucia Mabunda student no 42740495 EDLHODM ASS 1 DUE 12/03/14 wastage. Communication is vital as all lessons resemble a message, being decoded either to the learner or educator. It’s important that both parties communicate effectively to create a sustainable positive atmosphere. Bibliography www.helpguide.org/effective communication EDLHODM Unisa Study guide SWGC school booklet Wws.edb.utexas.edu Alucia Mabunda student no 42740495 EDLHODM ASS 1 DUE 12/03/14 Question 2 2.1 Delictual liability – The scenario is that a player from Team Rebone has injured himself during a warm up session in an open field at JD Secondary School. The two parties which is the coach and the school are partly responsible for the incident. Conduct This refers to whether there was a conduct (something that was done or not done). On the case of the injured learner, the school made an omission whereby the school should have informed all the teams that they should only do their warm up on the designated soccer field areas and nowhere else. According to the scenario, we don’t see any coach of any of the present teams also trying to find out what arrangements should be made to accommodate the 6 teams present. Both the Coach for Team Rebone and the school are liable for the damage as they did not secure or check the area where the learners are rehearsing. Wrongfulness This refers to a conduct that is legal wrongful and not just something that is morally wrong. There is no proof of violation on any learners’ legal right . Although the school did not issue out any instruction not to use any other areas for training. The school never intended for anyone to get hurt. Fault The act that occurred or the accident should be the result of fault either intentionally or negligently. The coach and the school were however negligent since they failed to take steps that a reasonable person would have taken to guard against the possibility of harm or accident. The school did not foresee the harm. Causation This refers to the casual connection between the conduct of the school and the coach and the damage suffered. The injury did result from the actions of the school and the coach. They caused the damage due to their negligence. Damage/harm This refers to legal recognized damage and a learner has been injured so it is a serious damage. The negligent act on both parties are connected to the injury as had they informed the learners to use a safe place for practice, no one could have hit a rock. There is a real injury as we have learnt that the learner is bleeding. 2.2 Contributory fault. This is a doctrine of common law that if a person was injured in part due to their own negligence, the injured part will not be entitled to collect any damages from the other party who supposedly caused the accident. The learner in this case did not contribute to the accident in any way as all learners have someone who is their coach in whom they put their trust in. They also are required to take instructions from their appointed coach who is the one who initiated that the learners warm up in the back yard field therefore the learners obliged and unfortunately things did not go well. The responsible party here is the Coach of the team who omitted to check the safety of the field as an adult before the warm up session begun.

Zimmer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zimmer - Essay Example This allowed orthopedic companies to lower costs due to greater technology. Zimmer pioneered minimally invasive surgeries (MIS), which lowered surgical times, lessened pain, and improved recovery. The industry was forecasted to grow at 23 percent annually, but much of this growth was to occur in the spinal product segment. Zimmer did not cater to this market at all and instead focused on the knee and hip segments. Zimmer Holdings was founded in 1926 after Justin Zimmer, the original founder, could not convince his employer to sell aluminum splints. Zimmer left his job and created his own company. Over the next few years, Zimmer expanded and became a major domestic player in the orthopedic industry. In 1972 Zimmer was bought out by Bristol-Myers, which had designs on Zimmer reaching a global market. In 1989 Bristol-Myers merged with Squibb to form Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS). In 2001, with the company already a major global pharmaceutical company, a decision was made to turn Zimmer into an independent publicly traded company. BMS appointed several individuals in management positions so as to smooth the transition to the NYSE. By the following year, Zimmer was second in the knee market worldwide, third in the hip market, and fourth in the trauma market. The president of Zimmer Incorporated, J. Raymond Elliott, quickly assessed where the company was at and decided to expand the company into Europ e. Also, Elliott wanted to do something about the spine market, where Zimmer had no presence at all. Sulzer Corporation was founded in 1834 as a Swiss manufacturing cast-iron company. Throughout the years Sulzer expanded and acquired many medical technologies. By the new millennium, Sulzer Medica (SM), as it was known by then, was a global player in the biomedical implant business. After going through some legal troubles, the company was rebranded as Centerpulse Orthopedics. Zimmer was

We are Seven(Lyrical Ballads) Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

We are Seven(Lyrical Ballads) - Term Paper Example Wordsworth wrote the poem ‘we are seven’ at the age of 18 when he was going on a journey with his best companion Coleridge. ‘Wordsworth’s most deeply held conviction is his belief that the scope for poetry was often best provided by memory.’ As we also observe in this particular poem that the little girl that he talks about is actually someone he had met on his journey in a similar setting. As stated, ‘We Are Seven was inspired by a little girl he met in the area of Goodrich Castle.’ The poem comprises of sixteen four lined stanzas with the exception of the last stanza that consists of five lines. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ABAB. The poem is in the form of a conversation between a stranger and a little girl. The technique of writing the poem in a dialogue form enhances the beauty of the poem as it helps in retaining the interest of the reader, as he is curious about the end result of the conversation. The title of the poem hints about a sense of security that is related to the knowledge of having strong family bonding as observed from the word ‘We’. It has a tone of finality to it. The two letter word hold a lot of meaning as it also indicates the element of stubbornness and conviction of belief that nothing can change the reality i.e. we are seven. Number ‘seven’ can in itself be a reference to ‘Shakespeare’s seven stages’ of a man’s life as the readers later observes that this poem also draws a contrast between the perspective of life from the eyes of a child and an adult and shows the manner in which a person loses his idealism in order to grow up. The poem is basically about a conversation between a man and a little girl about her family and loved ones. The stranger inquires about her brothers and sisters and the girl replies that we are seven. This reply leads to the formation of the whole conversation that takes place in the poem.

Environmental Auditing Strategy Proposal for Household Waste Recycling Assignment

Environmental Auditing Strategy Proposal for Household Waste Recycling Centres - Assignment Example This incorporates employing various strategies, which embraces recycling of the available used resources. The strategies employed are more effective when they are cost cutting and conservative. Introduction Household waste recycling involves recovering useful materials, such as metals, glass, plastic and paper from trash and used to make new products thus reducing the amount of raw materials required. This helps in waste prevention; that is designing products to reduce the level of waste that is thrown away later hence making the resulting waste less toxic. Therefore, an environmental auditing strategy enables the client to adopt a cost effective and proportional to environment management. The environment audit process provides a substantial reduction in risk and improves compliance records. It is also used by the audit company in provision of data so that corporate headquarters and client’s company respond to environmental targets and pressures its resources appropriately (Be nita, 2008). Proper management of environmental issues is significant to the success of the client’s company. Therefore, if household waste is properly, a project can derive substantial benefits through enhanced corporate reputation, improved efficiency and risk reduction. If there is ignorance, or ineffective management of environmental issues brings about adverse publicity, wasted money and also prosecution by the authority, as a result of abuse of opportunities. Environment audit includes mitigating your organization’s reputation and legal risks, reducing operational inefficiencies, achieving the certification required and improving the environmental performance of your organization. It also incorporates risk mitigation. Audits carried out in the environment act as an appropriate risk management tool in assessing compliance with legislating the environment hence, assisting your organization in avoiding risk of prosecution by the authority, and fines arising from pot ential environmental breaches. This is normally true in those circumstances where there exist hazardous polluting industries in the surrounding. Conducting an environmental audit will help in reassuring the client’s company and ensure that it is living up to the environmental standards. Environmental issues are both complex and varied and hence, for effective management it will need a combination of an effective, practical, understanding and an environmental technical expertise of the processes, practices and plans relates with the environment, economic and social factors. Therefore, environmental auditing is a form of environmental assessment and is a vital tool in determining and benchmarking environmental performances and risks. It is necessarily undertaken as part of risk management process, hence able to help the client in examining their current operations associated with environmental aspects, as well as taking note of the future trends so that they exploit them effect ively. The overall aim of the study was to provide a clear view of how a city can meet the requirements of the waste option of its plan and hence, there should be a development of waste management plan. Research question/solution The proposal examines whether the audit company has a segregation procedure, employee awareness of the procedure used, and analysis of records regarding the

Focus on Music and Drama in Carl Weathersby Blues Band Essay

Focus on Music and Drama in Carl Weathersby Blues Band - Essay Example All the songs, which Carl Weathersby performed, were had a mixture of classic blues elements, funk and R & B. Most of their songs were romantic in style and in performance (DuNoyer, 2003). The two songs that I remember the band played as I recorded are the â€Å"Hold On† (2005) and â€Å"I'm Still Standing Here† (Weathersby, 2009) both of which are the titles of his two most celebrated albums. When the band performed the song â€Å"Hold On†, one could tell by observation that the audience was moved. As a music student, I could note that the songs melody focused on the first, fourth and fifth chords in combination. In this case, the music started in the A chord and could predict the subsequent chord D and E. This predictability on my side made the song appealing and interesting to me. The melody of the song emphasized on the 3rd, 5th and 7th major scales flattened. This produced a harmonious blues piece that appealed to me and moved the audience. Moreover, in the song â€Å"Hold On†, the band was careful on the rhythm because the song consisted of the repetitive 12-bar and 48-beats pattern. The other interesting part of this song is that it was characteristic of lyric in the form of a question in the first lines and answers in the subsequent line. For example, â€Å"I have been down for a while, But I'm on my way back† (Weathersby, 2005). This way, the song â€Å"Hold On† is a satisfying song for the audience and its ensembles are what a music lover can long to experience. On the other hand, the song â€Å"I'm Still Standing Here† (2009) was not well as I expected. The song has a better musical text compared to the song â€Å"Hold On†, but the musical support was lacking.  Ã‚  

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Statistics - Essay Example That may make them more satisfied with their "work" in the short run, but their performance certainly didnt improve. Each and every organization is faced with people challenges. How do you get public moving in the right direction? Start where they are. The first step is to provide feedback to employees from their current point of view. That is where Inscape Publishing comes in. For nearly 30 years Inscape guides have been first choice for research-based self-assessments. Theyve helped over 30 million people worldwide progress performance, increase job satisfaction and value differences (Hines, 1990). All analysis are conducting by using SPSS for Windows (SPSS, 13.0) were utilized to conduct statistical analyses. Descriptive statistics were calculated for the employment background and the job satisfaction variables. Now we apply the hypothesis on overall job satisfaction level and ANOVA for intrinsic and extrinsic satisfactions. Since the computed value of z falls within the rejection region, so we reject the null hypothesis (at ï  ¡ = 0.05). So there is sufficient evidence that the average overall job satisfaction is not equals to 4.5 The significance value of the F test in the ANOVA table is 0.000 and 0.002 for intrinsic and extrinsic cases respectively. Thus, we must reject the hypothesis that average satisfaction assessment scores are equal across both intrinsic and extrinsic groups. Now that we know the groups differ in some way, we need to learn more about the structure of the differences. Taking overall job satisfaction as a factor - Obviously when a job is routine, these elements would be routine. What is routine is ordinary, and what is ordinary cannot be perfect. In order to have a perfect job, one has to break through these formal walls that are built to enclose a so-called professional world. Employee expectations of certain standards for working conditions at the beginning of employment may be

CW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

CW - Essay Example ased on the study and research, a through conclusion has been made to give a clear insight into whether the job insecurities in UK are a myth or a fact. The next section will provide a brief overview of the UK employment scene. As seen on the National Statistics website, the country’s unemployment rate for the quarter leading up to June 2010 was reported to be 7.8% which was noted to be down by 0.2% (National Statistics, 2010). The number of unemployed people also fell to 2.46 million during this period. The reports show that there was a fall in the number of people unemployed up to twelve months had fallen by 82000 and this reached a level of 1.66 million. However considering the number of people who were unemployed for a period of twelve months or more, it is clear that the number of people who were unemployed was much higher and this increased by almost 33,000 to reach 796,000. This has been recorded to be the highest figure since March 1997 (National Statistics, 2010). The graph below provides a clear insight into the current trend of the unemployment rate in the country. Over the last two years it has been noticed that the government along with the help of the Bank of England have been able to improve the growth of UK. It is to be noted that the Government has continued to take a lot of efforts to build different programs which would help the country sustain its economic performance and ensure growth of employment within the country. The results have varied. The next section will deal with the job security and insecurity that is faced in the country. With the current recession that has been faced by the country, there has been a major impact on the employment of people across the country. Unemployment rate plays a very important role in the macro economics of a country. The unemployment rate of a country helps macroeconomists analyse the number of people who are a part of the pool of labour however are unable to find work. It has been noted from previous

Prepare a report for the board of directors of Summer Bodysuit Ltd Coursework

Prepare a report for the board of directors of Summer Bodysuit Ltd that analyses the problems faced by the company and that sets - Coursework Example 2. To study whether bank’s request for a significant reduction in the overdraft facility granted to Summer Bodysuit Limited is reasonable. Structure of the organization The financial problems in a company arise mainly due to weakness in the structure of the organization. Jill Dempsey and Mike Greaves have good experience in the company’s business. The business model, designing and manufacturing of casual and leisure clothes aiming particularly at the younger and higher-income market, is in line with their experience. However, the weakness in the organization structure lies in lack of proper system for financial management. Financial management is a specialized area which needs expertise for efficiency in business operations. Keeble brothers’ involvement in the day to day business activities has been very limited. The business has grown well over the period of time and the order recently received from Arena, a chain of casual and sportswear stores is seen particul arly important. The draft accounts from the Auditors confirm the company’s success. But, lack of suitable system for working capital management and planning in capital investment has landed the company in the current financial difficulties. Relationship with the bank and planning for the future The bank wants the company to reduce the overdraft by half over the next six months. The company had breached its overdraft limit on several occasions over the past few years. The management is aware of the fact that the patience of the bank has been wearing thin. The largest shareholder of the business is Keeble Estates Ltd, owned by David and John Keeble. Neither they are in a position to make further investments nor willing to accept investments from new investors, fearing loss of influence over the company. It is in this backdrop the analysis is done to make suitable recommendations for taking necessary actions to overcome the current financial difficulties. Business operations Dec how et al (2010) state, â€Å"the quality of a ?rm’s earnings depends on both the ?rm’s ?nancial performance and on the accounting system that measures it.† Prima facie the company has not accorded the deserved attention to accounting in the organization. The management has embarked on investment spree without making necessary arrangements for the additional working capital needed for its operations. David et al (2007) states that â€Å"overcon?dent managers underestimate risk and therefore take actions with excessive risk†. Evaluation of the business prospects involves analysis of several factors relating to the business. Schrand and Zechman (2009) state that â€Å"the overconfident managers make optimistic forecasts and in order to meet these forecasts, exhibit higher levels of fraud and earnings management.† Though the results do not in any way suggest fraud its management of finance calls for critical analysis. Gross profit margin during the la st two years has been at 14.99% and 20.61% respectively which reflects the soundness of the business proposals of Jill Dempsey and Mike Greaves. The increase in capital investment and consequently working capital required additional investments which are met primarily through bank overdraft. â€Å"An overdraft facility enables businesses to obtain short-term funding - although in theory the amount loaned is repayable on demand by the bank† (Riley, 2012). The bankers are now asking the company to reduce the

Destiny of a Hero Essay Example for Free

Destiny of a Hero Essay Upon reading or watching the epic tales of heroes, it is easy to overlook the connection they all share. From his writings in, A Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell brings to light the journey of a hero in â€Å"the rights of passage: separation – initiation – return: which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth.† (Campbell, 30) The epic tale of a hero follows the universal pattern of Campbell’s monomyth beginning with the separation, or call to adventure leaving one’s family, friends, or tribe. Followed by the initiation of the crossing the threshold into the world unknown where he encounters trials and is victorious. S/he can then return home with a â€Å"boon† to aid and/or restore his/her world. According to Campbell, â€Å"[o]ther [monomyths] string a number of independent cycles into a single series (as in the Odyssey).† (Campbell, 246) In Beowulf, the poet has sent Beowulf on his journey of the monomyth. However, like Csmpbell has written, Beowulf’s journey consist of three miniature monomyths that can be connected into one hero’s journey that take several decades of his life to complete. In the first cycle, consider Beowulf’s initial call to adventure. King Hrothgar was in desperate need of a hero to rid of is curse, Grendel, that terrorizes his people in the Mead Hall. Capbell writes, â€Å"[w]ith the personifications of his destiny to guide him, the hero goes forward until he comes to the ‘threshold guardian.’† (Campbell, 77) He claims â€Å"that there is a benign power supporting him in his superhuman passage.† (Campbell, 97) Recall the incredibly fierce storm in the sea Beowulf and the Geats had to endure on their journey that should swallowed them whole. Campbell claims that there are forces beyond the hero that guide him to his destiny. Upon arrival, Beowulf and his thanes are confronted at Heorot by the first threshold guardian. Here, according to Campbell, the hero must â€Å"defeat or conciliate† the guardian in order for the true adventure to begin. Beowulf conciliates the watchman to take him and his thanes to the Mead Hall. From  there, Beowulf falls into the next step of the monomyth, entering â€Å"the kingdom of the dark.† (245) Beowulf’s fight with Grendel, which takes place in the darkness in the Mead Hall, wins him the boon, the arm of Grendel. â€Å"The final work is that of the return. . . the common day.† (Campbell, 216, 246) Upon winning the boon, the curse of King Hrothgar had been lifted and the community had been restored. In return, Beowulf undergoes apotheosis from the community and is rewarded with the royal dragon horn. The next two cycles follow much of the same pattern of Campbell’s monomyth. His next call to adventure comes in the form of murders. Beowulf wakes in the morning after the celebration only to see his men killed and hung from the ceiling of the Mead Hall. Once again, the hero had to travel to the cave where Grendel’s mother resided – into the unknown. There, he had entered the cave, crossing the threshold, where â€Å"[t]he hero . . . is swallowed into the unknown.† (Campbell, 90) and is confronted by its guardian, which happened to be Grendel’s mother. However, Beowulf does not defeat her, but is rather seduced by her as well as her promises to make him all-powerful, and â€Å"through the graces of some male or female . . . the [hero] still must return with his life-transmuting trophy.† (Campbell, 193) Beowulf returns to the world familiar with his boon, the â€Å"head of Grendel’s mother.† King Hrothgar immediately knows that Beowulf is lying, however he and the community appraise him to an even higher apotheosis and Hrothgar declares Beowulf his heir after his soo n-to-be death. Beowulf’s final call to adventure comes in the form of a dragon burning Unferth’s home and family. Leaving Unferth alive to deliver the message to King Beowulf: â€Å"[t]he sins of the fathers.’† For one final time, Beowulf crosses the threshold (that being the cave) into the unknown and is confronted by its guardian, Grendel’s mother. Failing to conciliate with her, Beowulf enters the threshold of adventure, literally taking the form of a dragon battle. However, in this battle, Beowulf struggled in his magic flight in trying to defeat the dragon and had to descend into his own death in order to slay the creature. Beowulf had brought the boon to his people in the form of freedom from the dragon and received the ultimate apotheosis in that his name will be remembered forever as the â€Å"prince of all warriors†. Viewing Beowulf’s entire life as one hero’s journey on a grand scale, it follows Campbell’s paradigm. In Beowulf’s separation, his call to adventure was when he heard that Hrothgar was in need of a hero to kill Grendel. Beowulf sets sail along with his fellow Geats to the world unknown and must endure the trials and ordeals along the way. Beowulf, being aided by some force of supernatural power on his travels out in the powerful sea storm, no match for ordinary man. Upon his arrival, Beowulf enters the first threshold into the Dark World, that being the Mead Hall, and then battling the threshold guardian, Grendel. After the defeat of Grendel, Beowulf is given his first apotheosis, as the people of Heorot praise him and he was rewarded the royal dragon horn. However, the trials are not over for Beowulf, as after his men are murdered, his next task is to kill Grendel’s mother. Here, he crosses the threshold into the unknown once again and into the â€Å"belly of the whale† (the cave) and meeting the â€Å"queen† (Grendel’s mother). Beowulf enters the initiation element of Campbell’s monomyth. Although there was no battle, Beowulf had been defeated. Not physically, but Grendel’s mother had been successful in seducing Beowulf with her promises in exchange for the dragon horn, thus binding them in a â€Å"sacred marriage†. Beowulf then travels back to the community and is raised to an even grander apotheosis as he is made their king. It takes Beowulf some decades later to reach the final stage of Campbell’s outline, the hero’s return. After years of being an almighty king, Beowulf once again receives the special item, the dragon horn, and then the village is literally attacked by a dragon. This bring Beowulf to the crossing of the return threshold (the cave). Immediately on his arrival, he goes on the magic flight in his battle with the dragon. These set of events lead him into the final stages of the hero’s journey. Beowulf slayed the beast at the cost of his own life as well. He achieves the ultimate apotheosis and his name will always be remembered and the people will sing of it. Beowulf has won a temporary boon (peace from the dragon and Grendel’s mother’s wrath) for the people of Heorot. Temporary because Wiglaf (new king) receives that special item (dragon horn) and it is unknown what actions he will take with Grendel’s mother. â€Å"The adventure of the hero normally follows the pattern of the nuclear unit . . . a separation from the world, a penetration to some source of power, and a life enhancing return.† (Campbell, 35) There is no doubt that the story of Beowulf follows Campbell’s monomyth cycle of a hero’s journey. Beowulf’s entire journey actually consists of three miniature journeys embedded into one grand journey that is Beowulf’s monomyth.

Six Habits of Highly Effective Teams Essay Example for Free

Six Habits of Highly Effective Teams Essay From this class, we have learned a lot about how to build up a team; the benefit and disadvantages of teamwork; communication between team members and training to improve teamwork, and so on. From Kohn’s book â€Å"Six Habits of Highly Effective Teams† I have learned six rules that make the team work effectively. The concepts are â€Å"strengthening emotional capacity to improve team relationship, expanding team self-awareness, practicing empathy and respectfulness, establishing and regulating team norms, thinking laterally, entrusting team members with appropriate roles. † (Kohn 2007) Next, I will combine with my team experiences to talk about the six rules. First of all, the concept â€Å"strengthening emotional capacity to improve team relationship† demonstrated the relationship between team menbers and team leader is important. A good relationship in a team is a sense of trust between the team members and keeping team identity and team efficacy. These three conditions require the teams ability to create a good emotional atmosphere and management to create emotional norms, and develop team emotional intelligence. Under this good emotional atmosphere, team members can understand each other, adapt to each other and respect each other. When the team members come up with different ideas, they can also consult, find out a way that everyone agrees with, and they can trust each other. This is exactly the right atmosphere in my family team. When we have some different ideas about travel, my uncle will give everyone a paper to write down their thought, and then I will read those thoughts in front of everyone. Our family member will discuss the advantages and disadvantages for every plan and finally decide where to go, which way is the best one for us. So, we understand the personal feelings of the team members and we should establish the norms of mutual understanding to encourage members, in considering the problem and using the empathy approach. The team leader is an important part to build up a good atmosphere. When members disagree with the team decision, the leader should not always think the worst, and should try to find out why the members have different ideas and listen to them carefully. Facing the problem behavior, the team leader should point out the problem immediately, resolve contradictions with a sense of humor. When one or two people disagree with the team decision-making, we usually use the simple way; the  minority is subordinate to the majority. But sometimes, if we choose to stop and listen to opposing views, we may gain an unexpected, new and good idea. The most important points are respecting individuality and different points of view, not disparaging others, recognizing the members contribution, let them know that the team consider their ideas. One of the advantages in my family team is our team does not ignore the views of anyone, that we can exchange different ideas in an equal environment. Team members can feel the team focus on them; there is a sense of belonging. Second, â€Å"expanding team self-awareness†. Kohn in his book mentions, â€Å"The essence of interpersonal empathy and effective empathetic behavior in organizations. The skill’s essential characteristics include: seeking first to understand. Being other-oriented. Feeling â€Å"with† the other person or other people. Listening actively† (PP 109). He also mentions, â€Å"a team needs a name†. I am agreeing with this. A company’s goal or slogan often presents the spirit of their team. If a company can create the value of innovation, the employees of the enterprise can feel proud as an member of the company. such as Apple company which leading electronic technology trends, Apple’s employees that they work for change the society. And if a company needs a staff, then the staff will feel very proud, has a great sense of belonging. Also, employees that are interested in their own work and achieved excellent results, the completion of the work will bring him a sense of pride. In my family team, we also have a slogan, which is â€Å"I love my family†. We build up a group in social network, everyone can post their mood, thoughts and photos on it. Even though I am in the United States, they c an know my recent life. Third, â€Å"practicing empathy and respectfulness†. Empathy is a very important communication skill. In an enterprise, the employees may come from all over the world, and they have different backgrounds, experiences, hobbies, positions and capacity. Encountering problems, human’s nature will always proceed from their positions, and thus conflicts may arise. If the team members could be mutual understanding, standing on each others position envisage the problem, the contradictions may easily be mitigated. In my family team, we also meet some problems too. Sometimes during our vacation, the schedule will change occasionally, but we may didn’t come up with a backup before. Argue will begin. But luckly, the communication between my family members are patient and moderate. We are know each other a lot and we  understand our common goal is a good vacation, let everybody enjoy the vacation. And we all love our family, sometimes we are even willing to compromise our views for the harmonious atmosphere of the family. Fourth, â€Å"establishing and regulating team norms†. If a team does not have a system, then the team members do not have rules that can be followed. This is a terrible thing. Such as a game, if not the rules of the game, we do not know who are the losers who are the winner. When a project get a good harvest because of staff’s efforts, the leader should be know how to share the benefits with team members. Because to judge the leadership achievements is not focus on how much work the leader take, but what kind of performance he lead a team to be success. Therefore, the higher the teams achievements, the values of leadership are more obvious. When the leadership share this honor and achievement back to his staffs, the staffs will be grateful for a team and thank for they have such a leader. Fifth, â€Å"thinking laterally†, as Kohn mentions â€Å"even though task oriented project have performed in the past, and with a little thinking, they will be done the same way in the immediate future†¦ solutions that work tend to be and should be repeated. However, clients or organizations themselves have a need for innovation. They are looking for far more than simple bodies with requisite skills to handle tasks that keep the operation running smoothly† (PP 142). I really appreciate this point of view; this is my favorite part in this book. Because of I am very interested in creativity and novelty. I even think that human development and invention cannot be separated from the creativity and innovation. Lateral thinking is to b ring vitality and creativity. Employees’ lateral thinking lead the company can often produce surprising. Sixth, â€Å"entrusting team members with appropriate roles†. It is very important for an effective team to put a right person in a right position. A team leader should know how to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the team members, and to arrange them in the most appropriate position, so that they can stimulate their fullest potential. An employee is a non-essential role; the employee is not the role of positioning. Role of career planning is a basic, workers must consciously and autonomy in accordance with the role planning to develop themselves, had better establish a roles incentives. According to this mechanism, perhaps their subordinates jobs cannot go beyond the manager, but as a good role, work independently, the remuneration  may surpass manager; according to the managers role responsibilities analysis the subordinates are more competent, there must be a mechanism to enhance the subordinates. Above all of six habits, I have a clearer understanding of efficient team. Efficient team has a development goals to complete the task, the mutual trust of the team members under a effective leadership, good communication, work together positively. The building of an efficient team can be carried out from the following aspects. Through systematic analyzes, help the team member understand themselves in depth, explicit team members have advantages and disadvantages, work preferences, their different way to solve problems, the basic values ​​of differences; final get formed share the same beliefs and consistent view of the purpose of the team between the team members, in order to establish the rules of the game to running a team. The team also needs to provide education opportunities for employees and listen to the employees’ views, encourage employees creativity. An effective team needs division of labor and cooperation. Enhanced the leadership. First, leaders must be a good example, to cohesion a team fully. Also, team cohesion is invisible spiritual strength, the cohesion of the team from the inner dynamics of the team members, from the consensus values. If we can use the value to lead the team, the team will be more effectively. Reference Kohn S, OConnell V. 6 Habits Of Highly Effective Teams [e-book]. Career Press; 2007. Available from: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), Ipswich, MA. Accessed November 27, 2012.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Analysis

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Analysis I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is an autobiography written by Maya Angelou. She describes about her hard life caged growing up as a black girl from the South. Maya Angelou starts the novel about her life in the age of three with her four-year-old brother Bailey. They are turned over the care of their paternal grandmother in Stamps. She describes how the two children were sent away after they parents divorce, traveling by train across the Southwestern and cling to their tag To whom It May Concern, c/o Mrs Henderson. Both kids are looking this like rejection and loss of self-worth. Im being sent away because Im no lovable. Angelou generalizes the children situations as follows: Years later I discovered that the United States had been crossed thousands of times by frightened Black children traveling alone to their newly affluent parents in Northern cities, or black to grandmothers in Southern towns when the urban North reneged on its economic promises. (Caged Bird, 4). Smith states tha t Maya opens with a primal childhood scene that brings into focus the nature of the imprisoning environment from which the self will seek escape. The black girl child is trapped within the cage of her own diminished self-image around which interlock the bars of natural and social forces. (Interpretation, 6) Her grandmothers store is the center of life in the Negro community of the town, being the pick-up and drop-off point for cotton pickers in picking season. Her grandmother Henderson is presented not only as the main role in center of her family, but as the leader of the black community in Stamps, strong and religious. McMurry argues that from Mayas eyes the customers in her grandmothers store were trapped in cotton fields, no amount of hope and work to get them out. Her uncle Willie is caged must have been tired of being crippled, as prisoners tire of penitentiary bars and the guilty tire of blame. Her grandmother rises each morning with consciousness of a caged animal (Interpretation, 27). Maya and her brother Baily were very close during their childhood and most of their adolescence. Maya in her story writes, During these years in Stamps, I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare. He was my first white love (Caged Bird, 11). Maya writes that But it was Shakespeare who said, `When in disgrace with fortune and mens eyes. It was a state with which I felt myself most familiar. I pacified myself about his whiteness by saying that after all he had been dead so long that it couldnt matter to anyone any more. She also enjoys the works of many prominent black authors, which her Momma, or grandmother, approves more of. Although young Maya likes Shakespeare, and is fine with the fact that he is white, her Momma wouldnt want to know that Maya enjoys a white mans work. Maya feels that she again is caged and cant express her thoughts and feeling about Shakespeare with grandmother. Angelou recalls how Momma used to make them bathe and wash constantly, even in cold water in wintertime. She used to insist on them being respectful and clean, which most people were, except for the powhitetrash children that came into the town. Those that came to the store were often very rude, but young Maya and her family are not allowed to say anything, because they are black. Angelou describes her Momma; she is tall, big, and strong, and leads in the hymns at church every Sunday. She is old-fashioned, though, as she teaches the children to behave as she was to behave as a child, and teaches them to act according to outdated racial codes of behavior. Carol Neubauer comments in Angelous relationship with her grandmother states that Momma becomes a sort of superwoman of enormous proportions with ten feet tall with eight-foot arms and comes to the helpless childs rescue. In this alternate vision, Angelou switches to fantasy to suggest the depth of the childs humiliation and the resi due of pain even after her two bad teeth have been pulled. Fantasy, finally, is used to demonstrate the undiminÂÂÂ ­ished strength of the character of Momma. The recession hit the community and the big difference between the white and black communities of Stamps is noted; white people have plenty of clothes and can afford to be charitable and spend too much, and still they have enough for themselves. In the black community, people can hardly afford to give anything away, so when they do, it is much appreciated. Even though Momma has land and money, even she doesnt spend money like the white people do, budgeting carefully and never wasting anything. Even Momma makes all of the clothes for herself and the children, and only buys Uncle Willie expensive, ready-made clothes and shoes. The depression hits Stamps, and leads to wages being cut and difficulty making ends meet. That also means that they cant afford to shop at the store, and Momma has to figure out how to keep the store running and still make money. She allows the townspeople to trade the relief food that they get for credit at the store, and is able to keep things going there. The entire black community of Stamps Smith argues, itself caged in the social reality of racial subordination and impotence (Modern Critics, 133) Christmas comes, and Maya and Bailey get presents from their parents, who they hadnt heard of since they were shipped off to Stamps. Maya and Baileys father comes to Stamps the next year, to see his children; neither of them were warned that he was coming, and it is hard for them to face their father in the flesh and give up the fantasies they had about their absent father. He is tall and handsome, and more proper and wealthy than the people in Stamps. Maya is happy that he is there, but then thinks that if people see her and her father together, their dissimilarity in looks will make people think she is not his daughter. When they finally do meet their mother, she is very beautiful and charming, and Maya and Bailey are no longer nervous or sad at being taken away from Stamps. Saint Louis is the important turning point in Mayas life. She received the mothers love and care that she missed all the years in Stamps. Maya doesnt have friends and only Bailey is the only one she can share h er secret. Maya writes Saint Louis was a foreign country. In my mind I only stayed in St. Louis a few weeks and I carried the same shield that I used in Stamps: I didnt come to stay. (Caged Bird, 58). In Saint Louis, mothers boyfriend, Mr. Friedman raped Maya at age of eight and she hospitalized. Maya describes that she looked at Mr. Freeman as a father figure. He was the only real man that was a part of her life. Being at a young age she thought that Mr. Freeman just loved and cared for her, just like any little girl would. But it went farther Mr. Freeman eventually forces her to have sex, and threatens her not to tell anybody. Ultimately, Maya was convinced that by her telling everyone about Mr. Freeman raping her, however condemning him and lying about the other times he molested her, she caused his death. Thinking that now every time she lies, someone will die, Maya decides to shield others by not speaking to anyone except Bailey. I had discovered that to achieve perfect personal silence al l I had to do was to attach myself leechlike to sound. I began to listen to everything. I probably hoped that after I heard all the sounds the world would be quiet around me (Caged Bird , 87). The lack of sound in Mayas life due to the rape and lies she said under oath had become the most important thing to her. Her life now became the sound of everyone else, burying the sound she believes can kill; her own voice. Mayas writing is simple and she is very honest. Bertolino states that Angelous description of her molestation and rape is probably the most valuable part of her remarkable book. Angelou tells the story honestly, without sensationalism, yet with enough palpable detail and enough insight so we, the readers, might to understand. (Blooms Note, 56) After these difficulties, Maya and her brother went at Stamps. Smith argues that Mayas psychological and emotional devastation find a mirror in Stamps social devastation. Stamps gives her back the familiarity and security of well-known cage. She climbs back in happily, losing herself in her silent world, surrendering herself to her own worthlessness. (Modern Critical Views, 9). Mrs Bertha Flowers played an important role in her life. Mrs. Flowers allowed Maya to come out of her depression and learned about many different things. Mrs. Flower helped Maya to come out of depression, she says to her Now no one is going to make you talk-possibly no one can. But bear in mind, language is a mans way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone which separates him from the lower animal (Caged Bird, #). Mrs. Flowers, also introduces Maya to reading books, she learns that she must be biased of ignorance, but understanding of the illiteracy, and also Mrs. Flowers offered her to cookies and tea. Smith argues Mrs Flower opens the door to the caged birds silence with the key of acceptance. For the first time Maya is accepted as an individual rather than as a relation to someone else: I was liked, and what a difference it made. I was respected not as Mrs. Andersons grandchild or Baileys sister but just being Marguerite Johnson (Caged bird, 98). Such unqualified acceptance allows her to experience the incipient power of her own self-worth. (Modern Critical Views, 9). Angelou describes again the inequality between whites and blacks and looked them in cage. Equal education opportunities are also lacking, and the intellectual capacities of blacks are assumed severely limited; the schools provide an academic curriculum for whites and an athletic one for blacks. The white kids were going to have a chance to become Galileo and Edisonand the (black) boys (the girls werent even in on it) would try to be Jesse Owenses and Joe Louises, writes Angelou (Caged Bird, 151). Using both irony and straightforward description, Angelou confronts racism and gender bias, and tries to sensitize readers to these issues. Her voice come stronger and emotional It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. It was brutal to be young and already trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense. We should all be dead. (Caged Bird, 153) At the graduation ceremony, during which the exciting expectation of the young graduates and their families and friends are exploded casually by the words of an oblivious and insensitive white speaker, the young girl comes to know already the desperation of impotence (Modern Critical, 10): It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. It was brutal to be young and already trained to it quietly and listens to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense. We should all be dead. I thought I should like to see us all dead, one on top of the other. (Caged bird, 153) Angelou using her memories to show how hard was the life of black society she was caged in black community. During a Gradation Party Maya gets a toothache and goes to see a white doctor. The doctor refuses to put his hands in a black girls mouth saying: My policy is Id rather stick my hand in a dogs mouth than in a niggers (Caged Bird, 160). .. Maya continues her story in 1941 where her mother, Vivian marries Clidell and they move to San Francisco. Maya and Baily again went to live with Vivian Baxter. Maya attended to George Washington High School and the age fourteen received scholarship to attend to California Labor School, where she took evening classes in a drama and dance. In 1943 when Maya was 15 years old she spent a summer with her father at a trailer park in Los Angeles. Maya accompanies her father to a small Mexican town where he proceeds to get obviously drunk, leaving her with responsibility of getting them back to Los Angeles. For the first time, Maya finds herself totally in control for her fate. She never had driven a car but her courage she did. And although the drive culminates in accidents, she triumphs. Unable to get along with her father and his live-in girlfriend she ran away and lived for 6 weeks in junkyard that was the residence of a community of homeless children. Angelou was impressed by this nonjudgmental and self-sufficient group of young transients and she felt that her experience with them served as a kind of initiation into the human race. Recalling this group in Caged Bird Angelou wrote: After hunting down unbroken bottles and selling them with a white girl from Missouri, a Mexican girl from Los Angeles, and a Black girl from Oklahoma, I was never again to sense myself so solidly outside the pale of the human race. The lack of criticism evidenced by our ad hoc community influenced me, and set a tone of tolerance for my life (215). This moment succeeded by a month spend wrecked car provide her with knowledge of self-determination and a confirmation of her self-worth. With this affirmative knowledge and power, while is she was in high school she decide to work and applied for a position as a conductor in streetcars. Stamps acquiescence and cage is left far behind in Arkansas Maya assumes control over her own social destiny and engaged in the struggle with lifes forces. Braxton argues that another positive identity experience occurs in the world of work Marguerite is determine to become a conductor on the San Francisco streetcars, even though no black have been hired previously. She visits the Market Street Railway Office with the frequency of a person on salary until she is hired, breaking the color barrier previously imposed against blacks and achieving a degree of independence (Modern Critical, 228. ) In her story, Maya concludes, The black female is assaulted in her tender year by those common forces of nature at the same time that she is caught in the tripartite crossfire of masculine prejudice, white illogical hate and Black lack of power. (Caged Bird, 231) She has broken out the rusted bars of her social cage. (page 11) Maya become increasingly concerned about her body, which to her seemed unfeminine and underdeveloped. Though her mother tried to informed her otherwise, Angelou feared that she was physically abnormal and began to wonder if she could be lesbian. Wanting to assure herself of her sexual identity, Angelou invited a male classmate to have sex with her one time. The incident resulted in a pregnancy and have a baby boy. It is the born of the baby the main turn point in Mayas life and her triumph. Smith states Maya Angelous autobiography comes to a sense of an ending: the black American girl child has succeed in freeing herself from the natural and social bars imprisoning her in the cage of her diminished self-image by assuming control of her life and fully acceptation her black womanhood. (Modern critic, 12)

Pricing Websites For Sale :: Sell Websites Buy Websites

Pricing Websites For Sale Reprinted with permission of VotanWeb.com As a market leader in existing website sales, VontanWeb receives many questions about valuing websites. It always amazes me how some website owners come up with the value of a website being sold. No wonder many websites never sell. In many instances no consideration is given to the total picture. Will the available cash flow of the website be able to pay the debt of a loan to purchase the website? Will the website as priced be attractive to financing sources? I have seen many â€Å"professional website valuations† where the price just doesn’t make sense – and sellers wonder why buyers are not standing in line to purchase their website. Market Approach There is a solution that is grounded in the fundamentals of economics, and time tested in the marketplace, where the influences of supply and demand ultimately determine where a website belongs on the price scale. One economist explains this market approach by comparing a business to a machine which has the purpose of making money: The more money it makes, the more it is worth. This is why there is greater demand for very small and profitable websites with few hard assets, than there is for large, popular and high maintenance websites that generate a huge cash flow, but can’t make a living for its owner. Adjusted Net Income The first category of information needed is called adjusted net income, and is the total amount of cash produced by the â€Å"money machine.† Of course, this figure includes the website profits and the owner’s salary. It’s important to remember that the adjusted net income should also include all of the many cash-related benefits which are enjoyed by the website owners. Those benefits may include the use of a car owned by the website, the website-paid premiums for health, life and auto insurance, website paid memberships to country clubs and spas, travel and entertainment expenses that are actually vacation and taking the wife out to eat expenses. Don’t forget expenses for high speed internet and cable TV that are needed for the website but also provide entertainment for the whole family. There are many, many other hidden personal expenditures in any typical website business, subscriptions to magazines, gifts for your wife and girlfriend and similar †Å"business expense† categories. Interest expense should also be added to adjusted net income, along with accounting entries—such as depreciation and amortization—that can divert money to the owner’s pocket so that it never appears on the bottom line of the P & L.

Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot Essay

Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot The core standards of America are founded, in principle, on the basis of its diversity and equality among citizens. Begin- ning with its Declaration of Independence, the United States distinguished itself from other modern nation-states by establishing a country of men who were different but equal. Yet, despite the unifying images America projects within and beyond its borders, the idea behind E Pluribus Unum does not resound as one might assume it would. E Pluribus Unum was originally intended to be both a representation of the union of the thirteen colonies and an expression of the United States as a country formed by immigrants of many different backgrounds. Today, just the literal size of America would suggest the existence of a largely varied social atmosphere, even before one considers its influx of immigration from countries all over the world. In a way E Pluribus Unum-"out of many, one-is a contradiction. Many different cultures are represented within American citizenry and within the country's physical borders, and they remain distinctive. The outmoded idea of America as the "melting pot" has been replaced precisely because people are not going to disregard their first cultural traditions to adopt "American" ones. Rather, their differences tend to perpetuate separatist notions and delineate cultural groups as clearly as borders delineate the end of one country from the beginning of another. I believe that there are many advantages to embracing the diversity America has within its borders. Members of different cultures within the borders of one nation can benefit from each other, for example, by learning more about themselves through their varieg... ... I, too, have traveled outside of the United States and have discovered the advantages of being open to cultural differences. My experiences have allowed me to accept people on their own terms more easily than I would have were I not able to break out of my culture, even though only for a short period of time. I wish others could realize that cultural differences run only so deep-Middle Eastern Americans have as much pride for this nation as do Americans of non-Middle Eastern descent. Nevertheless, I remain confident that time will ameliorate problems associated with cultural difference. Notes 1. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 2. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 3. Elizabeth Fernea. Guests of the Sheik (New York: Anchor Books, 1969). 4. Ibid., 6. Bibliography Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik. New York: Anchor Books, 1969. Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot Essay Cultural Diversity and the Impossibility of a True Melting Pot The core standards of America are founded, in principle, on the basis of its diversity and equality among citizens. Begin- ning with its Declaration of Independence, the United States distinguished itself from other modern nation-states by establishing a country of men who were different but equal. Yet, despite the unifying images America projects within and beyond its borders, the idea behind E Pluribus Unum does not resound as one might assume it would. E Pluribus Unum was originally intended to be both a representation of the union of the thirteen colonies and an expression of the United States as a country formed by immigrants of many different backgrounds. Today, just the literal size of America would suggest the existence of a largely varied social atmosphere, even before one considers its influx of immigration from countries all over the world. In a way E Pluribus Unum-"out of many, one-is a contradiction. Many different cultures are represented within American citizenry and within the country's physical borders, and they remain distinctive. The outmoded idea of America as the "melting pot" has been replaced precisely because people are not going to disregard their first cultural traditions to adopt "American" ones. Rather, their differences tend to perpetuate separatist notions and delineate cultural groups as clearly as borders delineate the end of one country from the beginning of another. I believe that there are many advantages to embracing the diversity America has within its borders. Members of different cultures within the borders of one nation can benefit from each other, for example, by learning more about themselves through their varieg... ... I, too, have traveled outside of the United States and have discovered the advantages of being open to cultural differences. My experiences have allowed me to accept people on their own terms more easily than I would have were I not able to break out of my culture, even though only for a short period of time. I wish others could realize that cultural differences run only so deep-Middle Eastern Americans have as much pride for this nation as do Americans of non-Middle Eastern descent. Nevertheless, I remain confident that time will ameliorate problems associated with cultural difference. Notes 1. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 2. Name changed to ensure anonymity. 3. Elizabeth Fernea. Guests of the Sheik (New York: Anchor Books, 1969). 4. Ibid., 6. Bibliography Fernea, Elizabeth. Guests of the Sheik. New York: Anchor Books, 1969.

The Writings of J.D. Salinger Essay example -- J.D. Salinger Essays

The Writings of J.D. Salinger Jerome David Salinger, known as J.D., is an American short story writer and novelist. He was born on January 1, 1919 and is still alive at the age of 81. J.D. Salinger was born and raised in Manhattan. He went to prep school at Valley Forge Military Academy from 1934-1936. He spent 5 months in Europe when he was 18 or 19 years old. Then, in 1937 and 1938 he studied at Ursinus College and New York University. From 1939 to 1942, he went to Columbia University where he decided to become a writer. Salinger published short story collections and one novel. His best known work, The Catcher in the Rye, was published in 1951. The short stories he wrote were "Nine Stories" in 1953, "Franny and Zooey" in 1961, "Raise High the Roofbeams, Carpenters and Seymour: An Introduction" in 1963, "Young Folk" in 1940 and "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" in 1948. Many critics have considered J.D. Salinger a very controversial writer because of the subject matters he wrote about. For example Salinger wrote ab out religion, intellectuals, emotional struggles of adolescents, loneliness and symbolism (Jones). Some critics feel his writing was inappropriate because of the topics he wrote about. The main characters were considered misfits of society. The characters generally did not fit in with traditional American culture. They could not adjust to the real world. However, Salinger's most successful stories are the ones about people who could not adjust. The super-intelligent humans who had to choose between the American culture at that time and the moral world, or choose between the "phony" real world and the morally "pure" world. Salinger creates these misfits, as heroes who do not fit into society. They struggle between t... ...up. He went against society to show how wrong he thought it was. He has made the reader see what was wrong during this time period in a very different and controversial way (Hamilton 32). Works Cited "Buddhism" Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia (1986 ed.), 4, 432-433. Foskett, S. Bananafish - Characters - FAQ. Concentric Network. 6 February 2000. French, Warren. J.D. Salinger. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc, 1963. Green, Becky S. Biographical Sketch. Pennsylvania University. 7 February 2000. www.pen.eiu.edu/~covgi/biograph.htm Hamilton, Ian. In Search of J.D. Salinger. New York: Random House Inc, 1988. Jones, Bonsey. Biographical Notes: J.D. Salinger. FringeWare, Inc. 7 February 2000. www.fringware.com/subcolt/J_D_Salinger.html "Zen" Funk & Wagnall's New Encyclopedia (1986 ed.), 28, 146

General accepted accounting principles Essay

This is a set of rules that guide accountants and auditors in preparation and audit of financial statements. GAAPs guide financial reporting in public organizations under SEC requirements as well as in private companies and government organizations. These rules are not rigid and therefore allow the accountants and auditors applying them some room to make own judgments. GAAPs ensure that financial statements prepared under its standards are comparable, consistent, reliable and relevant. Such financial statement aid users in decision-making on such issues as investing decisions, credit worthiness and tax computation. They help accountants make decisions when encountered by a difficult situation. Financial statements prepared under GAAPs also reflect a true picture of the entity’s financial position. (Stickney, C. and R. Weil, 2005) Historical cost It is a generally accepted accounting principle that applies to preparation of the balance sheet. This principle dictates that an item in the financial statement should be recorded at the amount that it was paid for rather than at market value. This is because the market value fluctuates a lot and those preparing financial statements may apply subjective measures of the market value. Recording assets at their actual cost does not affect a business entity much since assets are held to facilitate the entity’s operations and not for resale. It is criticized for ignoring the time value of money and market values of the various balance sheet items. However it is preferred as it leaves the management no room to manipulate the values as they would with market values. Financial statements prepared under this principles on therefore more reliable. (Stickney, C. and R. Weil, 2005) Accrual basis vs. cash basis accounting Accrual basis accounting recognizes revenue in the accounting period it is realized or earned and not necessarily when they are paid up. Revenue is considered realizable if the entity has enough ground to expect cash in future. It is considered earned when the entity has done enough to warrant compensation. The accrual basis also dictates that expenses be charged from revenue they were incurred to produce. Cash basis accounting on the other hand, requires that revenues is recognized in the accounting period that cash is received and expenses in the period they are paid for. Revenues and expenses involves in credit transactions are therefore not recognized until payment is done. It is usually applied in small organizations with a short credit periods. It is simple and inexpensive since one does not have to maintain several ledger accounts such as accounts payable accounts receivable, prepaid and accrued expenses. It also allows the entities to defer tax payments until it receives the cash. However accrual basis is more widely used since it gives a fairer view of the financial performance of an entity. It also complies with the accrual and matching concepts under US GAAP. The difference between the two methods is on timing of recording transactions. Cash basis traces all cash flows but fails to match revenues with expenses incurred. Accrual basis matches revenues with expenses incurred but fails to trace cash flows. (Stickney, C. and R. Weil, 2005) To overcome this deficiency, the entity has to prepare a cash flow statement. Current assets and liabilities vs. non-current items Current assets are cash and assets that can be converted in to cash within a short period probably within a year. They include accounts receivable, inventory and prepaid expenses. Non –current assets are not convertible to cash in a short period and if convertible, there are still non-current as they are used in the entity’s operation. Non-current assets are either tangible or intangible. Tangible assets include property and plant and machinery while intangibles include goodwill’s and patents. Current liabilities are those liabilities that fall due and are paid up within a year include accounts payable accruals, and tax liability. Non-current liabilities fall due in the long term and include such items long-term debt and deferred income tax. This classification is useful in determining the financial position of an entity. A business entity should pay its current liabilities with current assets and non-current liabilities with non-current assets and equity. A firm financing its current liabilities with non-current assets is not in a healthy financial position. Part 2 Wal-Mart stores Inc The consolidated balance sheet is arranged in the order of liquidity while the cash flow is prepared under the indirect methods.  Ã‚   All the statements are prepared in compliance with the US GAAP. Accrual basis accounting is applied and revenues are matched with the expenses incurred to generate them. Assets are recorded at the actual cost of acquisition and not at the market value. The balance sheet items are classified as current and non- current items. (Wal-Mart, 2008)   Wal-Mart Stores cash flow from operating activities is higher than the net income. The company is in a position to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The cash flow from operating activities is more useful to Wal-Mart since it is harder to manipulate than net income. This is especially so for a retailer where the management can engage in sales boosting activities such as channel stuffing. (Williams J. and J. Carcello, 2006). Google Inc The corporation’s income statement is prepared under the common sized format is thus easier to analyze. The balance sheet and cash flow statement have been combined in to a single statement devoid of much detail. The corporation’s cash flow from operating activities is higher than the net income, which is an indication of enough liquidity to meet obligations as they become due. The net income for Google is however more useful than the net cash flow from operating as more details of its calculation is provided in the company’s annual report while the cash flow is given as a final figure. (Google, 2008) Honda worldwide The financial statements are prepared using the accrual basis accounting and historical cost concept. The revenues and expenses are matched and balance sheet items recorded at the actual cost rather than in fair market value. The balance sheet items are classified as current and non-current and are in order of liquidity. The statements are in compliance with the Japanese financial accounting standards, and are in conformity with the US GAAP. The positive net cash flow from operations indicates that company has enough liquidity to meet its financial obligations. The operating cash flow is more useful since net income does not reflect the firms true financial performance. The cash dividends are paid out cash from operating activities and it was therefore prudent to issue them. (Honda, 2006) Predictions Wal-Mart Stores The company is likely to be more profitable and have higher cash flows in 2007. This is because its investment budget both domestically and internationally has grown consistently over time. From the annual report it is clear that while the firm will expand its operations internationally, the growth in revenues and cash flow may be hampered by interest rate fluctuations and exchange rate fluctuations. The effect of these fluctuations is however mitigated through hedges. (Wal-Mart, 2008) Google The company future financial out look is healthy and income and cash flow from operating activities are likely to grow in 2007. Constant growth in both measures of performance has been also increased absolutely and also relative to reverse. It has also achieved greater efficiency as the proportion of net income in revenue has growth consistently. The trend is likely to continue in 2007. (Google, 2008) Honda worldwide While the net income has been growing over time the net cash flow from operating activities have declined in 2006. This is an indication that the company may experience cash flow problems in 2007. This company projects that revenues will grow in 2007 in spite of risks posed by interest rate and foreign exchange fluctuations. It however projects the growth to be moderate. (Honda, 2006)

Debut Albums and Champion

That's right, and you need to remember that all through this game I will conquer what has not been conquered Defeat will not be in my creed I will believe what others have doubted I will always endeavor to pull esteem, honor, and respect out of my team I have rained my mind and my body will follow I will acknowledge the fact that my opponent does not expect me to win But I will never surrender Weakness will not be in my heart I will look to my comrades and to those who are a part of me in this world and those who have trained me And I will draw strength from them I will gladly go out into the field of battleAnd I will move in everything I can do And I will reach my field of battle by any means at my disposal And when I get there, I will arrive violently I will rip the heart from my enemy, and leave it bleeding on the ground Because he annot stop me To my side I have comrades, comrades that have been with me through thick and thin Who have sacrificed their blood, sweat and tears Never will I let them fall, never will I let them down, and I will never leave an enemy behind Because our opponent does not know my heart No one will deny me, no one will define me And no one will tell me who and what I am and can be Belief will change my world It has moved continents, it has moved countries, it has put men on the moon And it will carry me through this battle I don't understand those definitions I don't understand when things go wrong I don't understand mistakes But I do understand this: I understand victory, And I understand never surrendering No matter how bad things go my heart and my mind will carry my body through limits and weakness Who am l? IToday will be that day Not tomorrow, not next week, but right now, right here In your house and in your homes History will remember me I will not let worrying affect my cause I will define myself I will write my own pages And no one will tell me what I cannot be I will never give up Not until IVe given everything I got Becau se who am l? I AM A CHAMPION! The speech â€Å"I Am a Champion† by coach Flowers is an example of a strong voice. When he is attempting to pump up his players, his voice is extremely firm. He uses good diction like the word â€Å"bestowed† because he wants to be clear to his players so they know what his point is and what he is trying to portray. Also, he doesn't stutter or use the word â€Å"like† at all during his speech.He wouldn't use this voice to his elders or co-workers because they would think he is yelling at them or being rude. He only uses this to his players because he is encouraging them to play their hardest and go out there and win the championship. He also knows that they will listen to him because he is the one that taught them everything and he determines how good they will play. Coach Flowers also does not stutter or use â€Å"like† one time in his speech. This shows that he is prepared and he knows what he is talking about. A Strong vo ice is determined by all of those factors that I described and I believe that coach Flowers does have a strong voice.