Motifs in Bless Me, Ultima Essay Example for Free

Motifs in Bless Me, Ultima Essay The novel Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya describes the maturation of a boy named Antonio, who witnesses more than his fair share of deaths at a young age. He struggles with the injustices of these deaths and thus begins to question his once-solid religious beliefs. During the conflict Antonio experiences many vivid dreams, which are considered motifs in the work. The dream motif is a catalyst for the theme of the importance of independent thinking to maturation, because through his subconscious Antonio finds the understanding he craves by facing his fears and questioning his future. In many of Tony’s dreams he encounters his fears. One of these fears is that his three older brothers will go to hell, because they gamble and spend their time at Rosie’s, which is considered the whore house. In his dreams, Tony tries to protect their innocence: â€Å"Do not enter [Rosie’s], I cried. It is written on the waters of the river that you shall lose your souls to hell if you enter† (70). He is terrified that they will go to hell and be punished for eternity. Tony’s begging is to no avail; his brothers enter anyway. His troubled thoughts then turn to his own innocence: â€Å"Oh, where is the innocence I must never lose† (71). He struggles with the concept of maturing and losing the innocence he feels he needs to become a priest. As the novel progresses, however, Tony loses his innocence because of the many deaths he sees. He realizes that this is a given part of maturation, and that he can still hold integrity without innocence. Another struggle of Tony’s is the fact that he is caught in the middle of his parents’ dreams. His mother wants him to become a farmer-priest, and his father wants him to become a vaquero. In his sleep he struggles with which dream he will follow, and often see his parents arguing about it: â€Å"Oh please tell me which is the water that runs through my veins, I moaned my mother crooned softly, it is the water the Church chooses to make holy and place in its front. It is the water of your baptism Lies, lies, my father laughed, through your body runs the salt water of the oceans. It is that water which makes you Marez and not Luna† (120). Tony cannot understand which parent’s blood runs in his veins, and becomes more confused when they argue over it. However, in his dreams Tony most often sees himself as a priest: â€Å"I swung the dark robe of the priest over my shoulders then lifted my hands in the air† (26). It seems like this is the profession he will most likely choose. Throughout the novel Antonio yearns for understanding. He wants to know why God allows evil o triumph over good, and why the innocent sometimes die. In waking he cannot find the answers, but in dreams they come to him. When he questions in his sleep where his innocence is, Ultima appears in the dream and tells him, â€Å"There in the land of the dancing plains and rolling hills, there in the land which is the eagle’s by day and the owl’s by night is innocence. There where the lonely wind of the llano sang to the lovers’ feat of your birth, there in those hills is your innocence† (71). This shows Tony that he can always find innocence in nature. When Tony cannot decide which parent’s water runs in his veins, Ultima tells him, â€Å"The waters are one, Antonio† (121). He realizes that Luna blood and Marez blood mix in his veins. The answers in his dreams allow Tony to lessen his questioning in his waking world. Antonio’s dreams allow him to face his fears and think them through, which helps to eventually resolve them. Letting go of certain problems, such as his loss of innocence, helps him to mature. He discovers through his dreams that he does not have the blood of a Luna or a Marez; he has the blood of both. He also realizes that it is more likely that he will become a priest than a vaquero. With this understanding he settles on his future and makes his own decisions rather than being torn between those of his mother and father. When he learns to make his own decisions he matures into a man. Tony’s dreams guide him towards the theme of the importance of independent thinking to maturation.

The Causes of the Industrial Revolution Essay -- Industrial Revolution

The Causes of the Industrial Revolution The causes of the Industrial Revolution were complex and remain a topic for debate, with some historians seeing the Revolution as an outgrowth of social and institutional changes wrought by the end of feudalism in Great Britain after the English Civil War in the 17th century. The Enclosure movement and the British Agricultural Revolution made food production more efficient and less labor-intensive, forcing the surplus population who could no longer find employment in agriculture into the cities to seek work in the newly developed factories. The colonial expansion of the 17th century with the accompanying development of international trade, creation of financial markets and accumulation of capital are also cited as factors, as is the scientific revolution of the 17th century. The presence of a large domestic market should also be considered an important catalyst of the Industrial Revolution, particularly explaining why it occurred in Britain. In other nations, such as France, markets were split up by local regions, which often imposed tolls and tariffs on goods traded among them. Why Europe? One question of active interest to historians is why the Industrial Revolution occurred in Europe and not other parts of the world, particularly China. Numerous factors have been suggested, including ecology, government, and culture. Benjamin Elman argues that China was in a high level equilibrium trap in which the nonindustrial methods were efficient enough to prevent use of industrial methods with high costs of capital. Kenneth Pommeranz, in the Great Divergence, argues that Europe and China were remarkably similar in 1700, and that the crucial differences which created the Industrial Revolution in Europe were: sources of coal near manufacturing centres and raw materials such as food and wood from the New World, which allowed Europe to expand economically in a way that China could not. Indeed, a combination of all of these factors is possible. Why did it start in Great Britain? The debate around the concept of the initial startup of the Industrial Revolution also concerns the lead of 30 to 100 years that the British had over the continental European countries and America. Some have stressed the importance of natural or financial resources that the United Kingdom received from its many overseas colonies or that profits from... ...ailroads for more durable rail led to the development of the means to cheaply mass-produce steel. Steel is often cited as the first of several new areas for industrial mass-production, which are said to characterize a "Second Industrial Revolution," beginning around 1870. This "second" Industrial Revolution gradually grew to include the chemical industries, petroleum refining and distribution, electrical industries, and, in the twentieth century, the automotive industries, and was marked by a transition of technological leadership from Great Britain to the United States and Germany. The introduction of hydroelectric power generation in the Alps enabled the rapid industrialization of coal-starved northern Italy, beginning in the 1890s. The increasing availability of economic petroleum products also reduced the relation of coal to the potential for industrialization. By the 1890s, industrialization in these areas had created the first giant industrial corporations with often nearly global international operations and interests, as companies like U.S. Steel, General Electric, and Bayer AG joined the railroads on the world's stock markets and among huge, bureaucratic organizations.

Shakespeare’s Othello

Iago’s character is manipulative and treacherous as can be read in the famous quote, â€Å"Iago is most honest† (Shakespeare II. iii. 7). He is fond of implanting malice in even the most mundane, casual encounters. For instance, Iago plans to make a mountain out of the molehill that Cassio was able to briefly, hold hands with Desdemona while on board the ship. Iago is also chauvinistic for the most part of the play and appears to have a dislike for women in general as revealed by his frequent barrages of insults towards Emilia and Desdemona. Iago’s general detest for women may come from the fact that he suspects Othello of having an affair with his wife. His thoughts are revealed in the play and there is constant revelation that he wants his revenge â€Å"wife for wife†. This reveals a concealed lust for Desdemona born out of his baseless jealousy. Iago continues his pursuit to ruin the relationship of Othello and Desdemona, as is witnessed in Iago’s speeches to Othello,Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see: She has deceived her father, and may thee†¦Ã¢â‚¬â€œMy life upon her faith! Honest Iago† (Shakespeare I, iii 333-5). He also has a plan to lure Cassio into performing actions that would dishonor him and possibly cause Othello to rethink his promotion of Cassio, as Iago states of himself in this matter, â€Å"Were I the Moor, I would not be Iago: In following him, I follow but myself†¦ But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at: I am not what I am† (Shakespeare I, I 63-71). Iago succeeds in this endeavor by subtly causing a commotion which causes Cassio to lose his composure and accidentally stab Montano, the governor. This costs Cassio his position as lieutenant. While alone with Othello, Iago implies the possibility that Desdemona is having an affair with Cassio. Iago manages to persuade Othello to doubt Desdemona’s loyalty and love for him. He tells Othello to closely examine his wife’s actions when she is with Cassio. These are just among the many webs of lies and deceit that he manages weave in his attempts to settle scores with Othello and Cassio. Othello’s first gift to Desdemona was a handkerchief. This supposedly trivial object later becomes the piece of evidence that Iago uses to destroy Othello’s marriage. One evening, as Desdemona and Emilia inform Othello that dinner is ready, Othello complains of a headache. Desdemona promptly offers her handkerchief to bind his head to relieve the pain. Othello comments that the handkerchief is too small and pushes it away. Desdemona unknowingly loses grip of the handkerchief as she and Othello walk out of the room. Emilia picks up the handkerchief, remembering that Iago had asked her a number of times to steal it, she is delighted at the prospect of surprising her husband. At the same time as Iago was to plant Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room, Othello who discovers his plot is infuriated and exclaims that he’d rather witness deception first hand than assume infidelity without conclusive evidence. At this point, Iago, ever the manipulator, manages to get his way again by fabricating another story that Cassio once called out Desdemona’s name in his sleep and that Cassio acted as if he were kissing Desdemona. Iago reinforced his claim by claiming to have seen Cassio wipe his beard with the handkerchief. This enrages Othello and he vows to seek revenge on Cassio and Desdemona for the alleged infidelity. Once again, Iago succeeds and even manages to get promoted to lieutenant. In the play, Desdemona’s handkerchief is the symbol of faithfulness and later in the play the symbol of truth. All the speculations around Desdemona’s alleged relationship with Cassio has created a lot of trouble for Othello and Desdemona. Othello has become very unhappy and has begun mistreating Desdemona. One evening after dinner, Othello goes on a walk with Lodovico and sends Desdemona to bed. As Desdemona gets ready, she and Emilia contemplate on how different her life would be like if she had not met Othello. Desdemona sings the â€Å"Willow† song, a song that she learned from her mother’s maid who sang the same song when the man she love left her. The â€Å"Willow† song is the symbol of acceptance of her fate that the man whom she loved had left her. Before telling Emilia about the story behind the â€Å" Willow† song, she had remarked on the attractiveness of Lodovico. She also This suggests that after the bad things that have happened between Desdemona and her husband, committing adultery had somehow entered her mind. She saw adultery as an option to distract her from the pain that her husband is neglecting and mistreating her. Iago has persuaded Roderigo to go after Cassio with the web of lies that he had weaved about Cassio and Desdemona’s alleged affair. Iago had once again managed to convince Roderigo with his lies to the point that Roderigo longed to kill Cassio. Roderigo stabbed Cassio in a brothel. When Othello hears Cassio’s cries of murder, Othello thinks that it is Iago who stabbed Cassio. Othello is still unaware of Iago’s deception and he believed that Iago stabbed Cassio to carry out his revenge. This tragedy wrongly convinces Othello of the validity of Desdemona’s alleged unfaithfulness. He returns to the bedroom to kill her. Othello returns to the bedroom where Desdemona is sleeping soundly. He leans to give her one last kiss before he kills her. Desdemona awakens from the kiss and is frightened when Othello tells her to prepare to be killed. Othello tells her that he had discovered her affair with Cassio who had just been killed by Iago. Before she could explain her side of the story, she breaks down in tears to weep for Cassio. This angers Othello all the more and begins to smother his wife. Emilia rushes to inform Othello that Cassio has killed Roderigo. When Othello admits that he has killed his wife and that Emilia keep silent about it. Emilia, afraid and confused calls for help. Montano, Graziano and Iago arrive at the scene. Little by little, Emilia uncovers her husband’s deceitfulness. Iago sensing the impending exposure of his evil deeds makes an attempt to silence Emilia with his sword. Iago succeeds at stabbing his wife. Othello disbelievingly realizes his terrible mistake of not trusting his wife and killing her out of blind rage. Realizing that his life is now worthless without Desdemona, he takes his own life. Othello and Desdemona are the unfortunate victims of Iago’s irrational jealousy and treachery. Even Iago’s wife Emilia was not spared of the tragedy. Before Iago becomes conscious of the gravity of his actions, lives have been lost, too much harm has been done to the point that it is beyond repair.

Importance of Time in Chinese Culture Essay

The importance of time is always dependent on the different perspectives of people’s origin, particularly culture. â€Å"Time is one of the most important bases by which culture rests and all other activities revolve† (Riggs et al 31). Different cultures handle time differently. In the past, time was measured in daylight, darkness, or in seasons; however, nowadays, time has become more important and more complicated. Yet, no matter how complicated it has become, it always boils down to the influence of culture, just like China, one of the countries with a very rich culture. The impact of modernization in China on the changes of Chinese’ behavior is significant. However, these changes in their behavior have had a more significant impact on their values. Indeed, Chinese seem to have never given up one of their most important cultural characteristics, Guanxi, which up until now, remains as an important Chinese business element. In the advent of globalization, Chinese has kept and reinforced this unique characteristic even in the most important socio-cultural changes. Yes, China has indeed undergone substantial cultural changes; nonetheless, with regards to the thinking and dealing process, modern China remains rooted to its traditional Yin Yang approach, and this is reflected on their shrewd use of time to keep their relationship intact. Because Chinese people value relationship more than anything else, as they believe that this could lead them to success, it is logical to expect that the Chinese society concentrates on fluid/multi-focus time value. Chinese people are both famous and infamous in different negotiations for their wise use of time as their bargaining tool. Chinese are known to have adept ability to run down the clock because they prioritize their relationships with their associates or business partners first. This way, they know that the value of relationship or guanxi continues. Moreover, Chinese can afford or stand to play the waiting game, provided that there is always someone left to invest and spend for them. Cultures around the world have developed their own way of responding to time. The dimension for time orientation is based on two aspects; the relative significance the culture gives to its past, present, and future, and its way of approaching the time. China has indeed embraced globalization since the last three decades. Despite this, its stronghold to its culture is still very evident. This is because China is considered as a past-oriented culture country. Countries that fall under this category have a culture that is largely leaned towards the past; they see their future as a repetition of their past experiences. Moreover, they have high respect and regard for their collective historical experiences and their ancestors. As per David Thomas’ description of the country, China embraces its tradition and culture of ancestor worship and has strong pride of its customary and cultural persistence for over thousands of years (73). The Chinese society holds the perspective that their past is their guide on how to live their lives in the present. According to an old Chinese proverb, â€Å"Consider the past and you will know the present† (Quotations). Work Cited Riggs, James, et al. Industrial Organization and Management. Manila, Philippines: McGraw-Hill, Inc. , 1980. Lo, Vincent. Chinese Business Culture: Guanxi, An Important Chinese Business Element. 17 March 2005. 01 May 2009 Thomas, David. Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts Second Ed. California: Sage Publications. 2008. Quotations. 14 February 2008. 01 May 2009.

Free Essays on Shock Program

In our era of high criminal activity something had to be done to eliminate the vast over crowding of today’s prisons. A military type â€Å"boot camp† was created to alter offenders’ behavior and deter them from any future criminal activity. This program is said to provide a therapeutic environment and meet the needs of offenders that can still become law-abiding citizens. The Shock Incarceration Program meets those needs and at the same time meets its goals which are â€Å"reducing the demand for bed space in the Department of Correctional Services and treat and release selected state prisoners earlier than court-mandated minimum sentences without compromising community safety†(Nieto). The paper will discuss the program’s origination, guidelines, eligibility, screening process, and daily activities. An interview with a shock graduate will give a first hand view on the realities of the program. The New York State Shock Incarceration program was established on July 13, 1987. It was designed for young inmates who could benefit from an intense six month program of incarceration. The legislative bill states â€Å"the program would be provided to certain inmates institutionalized to the State Department of Correctional Services who are in need of substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation. The program is an alternative form of incarceration that highly stresses discipline, considerable physical work, exercise, and drug rehabilitation therapy. It would build character, gradually implant a sense of maturity and responsibility and promote a positive self image, so they can return to society as law-abiding citizens.† Four facilities were established. The first Monterey Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility (SICF) received their first inmates on September 10, 1987. Summit SICF received their first inmates on April 12, 1988, and their female component began in De cember of 1988. Moriah SICF received its first platoon on Mar... Free Essays on Shock Program Free Essays on Shock Program In our era of high criminal activity something had to be done to eliminate the vast over crowding of today’s prisons. A military type â€Å"boot camp† was created to alter offenders’ behavior and deter them from any future criminal activity. This program is said to provide a therapeutic environment and meet the needs of offenders that can still become law-abiding citizens. The Shock Incarceration Program meets those needs and at the same time meets its goals which are â€Å"reducing the demand for bed space in the Department of Correctional Services and treat and release selected state prisoners earlier than court-mandated minimum sentences without compromising community safety†(Nieto). The paper will discuss the program’s origination, guidelines, eligibility, screening process, and daily activities. An interview with a shock graduate will give a first hand view on the realities of the program. The New York State Shock Incarceration program was established on July 13, 1987. It was designed for young inmates who could benefit from an intense six month program of incarceration. The legislative bill states â€Å"the program would be provided to certain inmates institutionalized to the State Department of Correctional Services who are in need of substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation. The program is an alternative form of incarceration that highly stresses discipline, considerable physical work, exercise, and drug rehabilitation therapy. It would build character, gradually implant a sense of maturity and responsibility and promote a positive self image, so they can return to society as law-abiding citizens.† Four facilities were established. The first Monterey Shock Incarceration Correctional Facility (SICF) received their first inmates on September 10, 1987. Summit SICF received their first inmates on April 12, 1988, and their female component began in De cember of 1988. Moriah SICF received its first platoon on Mar...

Action Learning In Leadership Development Education Essay

Action Learning In Leadership Development Education Essay From recent study leadership is personal trait (Stogdill, 1948; Goleman, 1998) to a focus on the process and relationship between leaders and followers (Bass, 1985; Burns, 1978) leadership is a function of the entire collective process of all the personality traits. Leadership is developed by continuous steps of learning that is it cannot be developed at a time. It is developed through processes of learning. (Barker, 2001; Drath, 2001) Leonard, S. and Lang, F (2010) says that action learning for leadership development. He describes action learning is being used increasingly now days as a main method to build leadership skills and improving leadership behavior. He also describes different skills of leadership like cognitive skills, relationship skills, and self management skills are developed through action learning As described by the Reeve, S. (1999) described the importance of working in group in action learning. He describes that successful action learning creates good adult/adul t relationship, respect, control of the learning experience, encouragement of cooperative and cohesive attitudes within the set, trust, confidence over ones own self and the cycle of learning towards its reflection. In groups people begin to value others opinions, suggestions are made about processes, methodologies and sources. Serrat, O.   [ 1 ]   (2008) explains the process of action learning generates discipline to work within action learning steps which helps the individual to develop its personality traits. In action learning process he describes individual’s personal development, challenges, self confidence, help people to communicate more effectively, build leadership competences and organizations really feel the benefits of the outcomes of action learning. Henderson, I. (1993) describes action learning as a link in management development He describes action learning as a main link in management, that without it effective development of the management cannot be pos sible. He described the phenomena that every job required specific demand, and these demands are fulfilled only when the person know the essential features of management work. This can be done through parasitizing in action learning. Esons, S. and Kramer, R. (2007) describes the process that how the knowledge gained by action learning is used to develop leaders.He describes the processes through which action learners learn the abilities of a leadership behavior. He further describes the problems of transferring the knowledge in action learning which a major hindrance in leadership development. That includes the process of unlearning person’s previous norms and believes etc Roberts, C. (2009) defines the leadership levels as an action learning approach. Author explained that leadership is developed through mutual respect, trust, social awareness, and personal skills that are well gained by action learning. Like these all are traits of personality which a person learns through the process of action learning which makes him a leader. Rapid I   [ 2 ]   (2010) describe the importance of action learning in leadership development. He emphasizes that for leadership development it is important for the individual to have the capability to put learning into action. Jay a conger and Ginka Toegel (2001) also describe action learning as a pathway to leadership development. According to the authors action learning develops those skills in a person which develops a pathway to the leadership behavior.

IMAX CASE STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

IMAX CASE STUDY - Essay Example Large screen formats are a relatively new concept and it offers a wide range of exciting opportunities. There are very few players in this segment and it is primarily dominated by IMAX which is in this business for a long time now. PESTEL analysis is done to understand the current situation. It has been established from PESTEL Analysis that technology is the most crucial factor for large screen formats. US is a tech savvy nation and hence this was the first market which was targeted by this industry. IMAX has developed superior technology in due course of time which provides a competitive advantage to it. With the growing popularity of movies like Avatar and Alice In Wonderland new players are lining up to take advantage of the opportunity. Vertical Integration is a prime charecterstic of this industry and IMAX’s biggest buyers Regal and APC are coming up with their own large screen formats. Next the report tries to identify the internal factors which affect IMAX. IMAX’s strength and weakness is established in this part. It is followed by understanding the opportunities and threats that IMAX has. Political: The Federal Communications Commission has plans to implement a National Broadband Plan ensuring internet for all (Hanchard, 2010).This would mean that pay per views would increase which might affect box office sales. Economical: America has been through the worst financial crisis. However it is on a recovery path with things getting back to normal. The per capita income of US in 2009 was $39,138$ (Bureau of Business & Economic Research, n.d.). US has the highest number of movie audience per capita of population which stands at 5.3 films each year. Out of this if people who didn’t watch atleast a movie in one year, then the figure goes to 8.6 films. Legal: Piracy is a major problem in US. Motion Picture Association of America estimated an annual loss of more than $3 billion because of piracy. The