The Inability To Provide For His Family, And Why It Drove Mr. Shimerda

The Inability to Provide for His Family, and Why it Drove Mr. Shimerda to Suicide My Antonia, by Willa Cather, is a novel about Jim Burden and his relationship and experiences growing up with Antonia Shimerda in Nebraska. Throughout the book Jim reflects on his memories of Nebraska and the Shimerda family, often times in a sad and depressing tone. One of the main ways Cather is able to provoke these sad emotions within the reader is through the suicide of Antonia's father, Mr. Shimerda. His death was unexpected by everyone and it is thought that homesickness is what drove him to take his own life. Homesickness was surely felt by Mr. Shimerda, as it was by many, but it was the failure to adequately find a way to provide for his family that sent Mr. Shimerda into a depressing downward spiral that left him no foreseeable alternative but to take his own life. The first descriptions of Mr. Shimerda are that of a successful businessman that had always provided well for his family. I noticed how white and well-shaped his own hands were. They looked calm, somehow, and skilled. His eyes were melancholy, and were set back deep under his brow. His face was ruggedly formed, but it looked like ashes - like something from which all the warmth and light had dried out. Everything about this old man was in keeping with his dignified manner (24) Mr. Shimerda was indeed a prosperous man in Bohemia, but had made his living in the business world, not by running a farm to provide for his family's needs. His hands show that he rarely performed hard manual labor, but that he did work hard with his hands to weave. His face however shows signs that he was already having doubts about the welfare of his family and their survival. The apparent glow that he must have once had was now replaced by the look of heavy thoughts. This came from the burden of providing for his family by way of very unfamiliar and difficult means. He had already lost a great deal of money in the family's traveling expenses and overpaid for their property. They paid way too much for the land and for the oxen, horses and cookstove (22). Mr. Shimerda must not have thought that he would have to support his family by means of plowing fields for food and actually building a home from materials gathered from the earth. He was a businessman and made a life for his famil y in Bohemia by working. He was a weaver by trade; had been a skilled work man on tapestries and upholstery materials (22). There was no work for him in this new country and he did not have the money to relocate his family. Certainly before he left Bohemia he believed that they had more than enough money to get by. The reality of his family's circumstances was just beginning to show their impact. Antonia points out to Jim that Mr. Shimerda looks ill My papa sick all the time Tony panted as we flew. He not look good, Jim (36). It is obvious that Mr. Shimerda was terribly stressed and was staring to show it physically. Most likely he looked ill due to not sleeping and eating. Nevertheless, Mr. Shimerda wanted desperately do the best that he could for his family. He moved his family with the hopes of finding good husbands for his daughters and wealth and land for his son. He calls onto Jim to teach Antonia to read. He does so in a very pleading, helpless way which leaves an unforgettab le memory in Jim's mind. Jim takes on the task, but unfortunately Mr. Shimerda gets little help from anyone else in the town for anything. Mr. Shimerda never really understands why he receives virtually little help from neighbors getting the farm going. He knows nothing about running the farm, and didn't even have the appropriate tools necessary. He and his family on the other hand are very trusting and would give the shirts off their backs to anyone who needed anything from them. There never were such a people as the Shimerdas for wanting to give away everything they had

Pronoun Agreement on SAT Writing Tips and Practice

Pronoun Agreement on SAT Writing Tips and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Pronoun agreement errors are some of the most common on the SAT Writing section, and they can be confusing because peopleoften misuse pronouns, especially when we speak. In fact, I just made a pronoun mistake: can you spot it? Take a closer look at the second half of my first sentence: "people often misuse pronouns, especially when we speak." Who is "we" referring to here: "people." However, the correct pronoun for the third person plural is they. The correct version is "people often misuse pronouns, especially when they speak." On SAT Writing, you'll be expected to spot many such errors. We'll be covering both the basic SAT writing rules regarding pronouns you need to know and the common mistakes you'll see on the test: Pronouns and Antecedents Disagreement in Number Disagreement in Person Unclear Antecedents Spotting Pronoun Errors on the SAT A Pronoun Must Always Match its Antecedent That titlemight seem confusing. What's an antecedent? And what does it mean to "match"? The truth is you probably already have an intuitive grasp of how this works, but let's break it down one piece at a time. What's a Pronoun? A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun- that's it! Usually we think of pronouns as words like I, him, they, or its, all of which are definitely pronouns. But so are words like everyone, which, and each. Any word that can fill in for a noun is a pronoun. For more detailed information on pronouns, take a look at our guide to parts of speech. What's an Antecedent? An antecedent is the noun a pronoun replaces. (You may also have heard these called referents.) Let's look at an example- the pronoun is in boldand the antecedent is underlined: Julie almost forgot her backpack this morning. Simple enough, right? "Her" is standing in for "Julie's." Let's try a more complicated one: Running out the door to meet Jimmy, Julie almost forgot to grab his bag, which he'd left at her house the night before. There's a lot more going onin this sentence, so I've color coded the pronouns and their nouns. The trick here is figuring out who's doing what. Jimmy forgothis bag at Julie's house; now she's bringing it back to him. When looking for pronoun agreement errors, keep an eye out for any sentences that don't track clearly in this way. What Does It Mean for a Pronoun and Antecedent to Match? Again, though this concept may sound confusing, it's actually pretty intuitive. Let's revisit our example from above, with a slight tweak: Julie almost forgot theirbackpack this morning. This sentence clearly isn't correct. That's because the pronoun "their" and the antecedent "Julie" don't agree: Julie is singular and their is plural. They disagree in number. It's also possiblefor a pronoun and antecedent to disagree in person: Julie almost forgot mybackpack this morning. Julie is a proper noun and should take a 3rd person pronoun, not a 1st person pronoun like "my." As a review, the most common pronounsand their correct uses are listed below: I/me/my - first person singular, i.e. the person speaking We/us/ours - first person plural, i.e. the person speaking and others You/your - second person (singular and plural), i.e. the person (or people) being spoken to He/him/his - third person masculine, i.e. a male person or animal who isn't present She/her - third person feminine, i.e. a femaleperson or animal who isn't present It/its - third person neuter, i.e. inanimate objects They/them/their - third person plural, i.e. multiple people or things Moral of the story: pronouns must alwayshave a clear antecedent and agree with the noun that they replace. Now that we've established what that means, let's look at the errors you're likely to see on the SAT. Make sure your pronouns aren't like this llama.(Â © Valdrec) Disagreement in Number I mentioned above that plural nouns require plural pronouns and singular nouns requiresingular pronouns. Usually, that rule feels pretty obvious: it doesn't make much sense to refer to Tomas "them" or the Muppets as "it." However, this is the SAT we're talking about, so the errors are going to be a little harder to spot. Let's go over some of the trickiest cases. Extra Words In a simple sentence, it's easy to spot number agreement errors: Incorrect: The kidswant her own TV. Correct: The kids want their own TV. Catching these errors gets much trickier when we add in more words, however: Because Susie and her brother begged their dadfor a TV, he agreed to get one for her. At first glance, this may seem fine- Susie's getting a TV! But let's look at each pronoun and its antecedent: her = Susie their = Susie and her brother he = their dad her = Susieandher brother The TV isn't just for Susie, it's for both siblings. As such, the sentence should read: Because Susie and her brother begged their dadfor a TV, he agreed to get one for them. When you're dealing with pronouns on the SAT, the first step is always to determinewhat itsantecedent is. This will make it much easier to figure out the correct pronoun to use. The Case of the Non-Gendered Singular Pronoun Even once you determine a pronoun'santecedent, there's still room for confusion. Especially tricky are singular non-gendered nouns. Please remind your friend to bring their speakers to the party tomorrow. Sounds fine, right? But take acloser look. "Their" is taking the place of "your friend's" in this sentence- see the problem? "Their" is a plural pronoun, but "your friend" is only one person. Using "their" seems right because we don't know the gender of thefriend and there is no singular non-gendered pronoun for people in English. However, you can't use 3rd person plural pronouns (they, their, theirs, or them) to refer to singular people of unclear gender. Instead, you need to use "he," "she," or "he or she," as in the example below: Incorrect: According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing they steal. Correct:According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing shesteals. Correct:According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing hesteals. Correct:According to the news, the mysterious thiefleaves a single rose in place of each thing he or shesteals. On the SAT in particular, watch for questions with references to occupations like doctor, lawyer, and scientist- these words often signal a pronoun agreement error. Collective Nouns Collective nouns are similarly confusing, because they refer to more than one thing or person as a singular entity. Take, for example, "the class." The classmay include multiple students, but there is still only one class. It's a singular noun and therefore takes a singular pronoun. Incorrect: For their final assignment, the class had to build a dancing robot. Correct:For itsfinal assignment, the class had to build a dancing robot. Correct:For their final assignment, the students in the class had to build a dancing robot. "They" may seem like the proper pronoun to use for acollectivenoun like "class" because it ismade up of multiple individuals, but the nounitself is singular, so "it" is correct. Collective nouns can be tricky to spot,so be on the lookout for nouns that refer to groups of people. The team, the band, the company, and the town are all examples of collective nouns. SAT Examples Let's take a look at how to spot this type of error in an Identifying Sentence Errors question from a real SAT. Reading over this sentence, you might not notice anything wrong since it sounds fine.The next step is to checkeach underlined section for errors. In this case, C includes a pronoun, so you must check agreement. And what's the first step to check agreement? Find the antecedent! For "they," the antecedent is"a Shakespearean character," which is singular. As such, "they have" is incorrect and C is the answer. You don't even have to think about how to fix the error, just spot it! (But in case you're wondering, the correct version would be "he has" or "she has.") Agreement in number also pops up on the Identifying Sentence Errors, albeit in a different form. Here we have the pronoun "we" standing in for the noun "a buyer." This may seem fine, because it makes sense that we can be buyers, but there's a disagreement in number: "we" is plural and "a buyer" is singular. The obvious fix is "as buyers we are responsible," but that isn't a choice. Answer B has a similar disagreement issue to A with the plural "their" standing in for the singular "buyer. C and E add extra words that make the sentence more confusing. As such, D, which cuts the pronoun altogether, is the correct choice. Disagreement in Person Pronoun agreement in person is a slightly weirder concept than agreement in number, but it's usually pretty easy to spot. The basic concept is that a pronoun must reflect the typeof thing it's replacing. So you use "it" to replace "the garden" but"he" to replace "Abraham Lincoln." Like with agreement in number, the first stepis making sure that you know what a pronoun's antecedent is. Beyond that it's mostly just a question of consistency- if you start a sentence in the first person, you shouldn't suddenly switch to the third without a clear reason. I was on my way home when hesaw a butterfly. This series of events is entirely possible, but it doesn't make much sense as a sentence. Another incorrect sentence: Right after the bombbeeped, he exploded. Again, it's theoretically possible that there's some guy who exploded, but from the context it seems pretty clear that it was the bomb, and inanimate objects can't be referred to as "he." These examples are pretty simple, but once again the test writers are likely to throw you somecurveballs. Let's take a look at some of the harder-to-spot types of errors. This is a disagreement between genders, not a disagreement in gender. You vs. One When explaining how to do something (like I'm doing right now), you can use either "you," in the non-specific sense, or "one," as in "an individual." Both are equally correct: "you" is simplyless formal than "one." However, you must be consistent and stick with whichever pronoun you pick; it would sound pretty weird if I suddenly switched to saying "one needs to find the antecedent." Let's look at how that works in a sentence: Incorrect: If one wants to succeed on the SAT, you must study effectively. Correct: If one wants to succeed on the SAT, onemust study effectively. Correct: If youwant to succeed on the SAT, you must study effectively. The incorrect sentence uses two different pronouns, while the corrected versions stick to one or the other. Errors with you and one are very common on the SAT Writing, so watch out for sentences where either word is underlined. Relative Pronouns The other tricky case with disagreement in person is relative pronouns like who and which. Each of these words is used to refer to a specific type of thing: Who and whom - a person (on the SAT you will notbe tested on difference between the two) When - a point in time Where - a place (use "in which" formedia) Which and that - anythingelse Even though you don't necessarily think of these types of pronouns as having antecedents, they still do, and that means they have to agree with those nouns. Here's an example of an incorrect sentence: I found thegummi bears who I'd lost under my sister's bed. Who or what is "that"? Well, it's "the gummi bears." Gummi bears aren't a person, so it's incorrect to use "who" to refer them. The correct version is: I found thegummi bears thatI'd lost under my sister's bed. Let's look at a slightly trickier case. I finally got to the chapter where the hero sneaks into the castle and rescues the dragon. This sentence sounds fine, but what is "where" referringto? "The chapter" isn't actually a place, so we need to use "in which" instead: I finally got to the chapter in whichthe hero sneaks into the castle and rescues the dragon. When you see a relativepronoun on the SAT, make sure that it is the correct one for describing the type of thing that it is referring to. SAT Writing Example Questions For the Identifying Sentence Errors questions, you can look forproblems with agreement in person in the same way you look for issues with agreement in number: determine the antecedent for any underlined pronouns and ensure that they match. Choices A and C both involve pronouns. In C, "one" is fine, since it's referring to Doris Lessing, who is a singular person. A is a bit trickier. At first glance, "it" seems fine- it's standing in for "The Golden Notebook." But if we fit that antecedent back into the sentence we get, "The Golden Notebookinstantly established herself as one of the most important literary voices of her generation," which clearly doesn't make sense. It's Lessing, not her novel, who established herself, so the correct pronoun would be "she." A includes the error, so it's the correct answer. Remember to watch out for you vs. one and relative pronouns, as well. Let's look at an example of a question involving these topics: As written, the underlined portion of this sentence uses twodifferent possessivepronouns, "your" and "one's," neither of which agree with the antecedent, "a person." Choice D has a similar mistake- it uses both "your" and "one's," when any given sentence can either use "you" or "one." B has a mistake with agreement in number: "their" is plural and can't be used with "a person." C cuts out the antecedent all together, creating a sentence that doesn't make sense. Eliminating these choice leaves only E, which is the correct answer, since the 3rd person plural pronoun "their" is used appropriately with the 3rd person plural antecedent "people." Unclear Antecedents We've covered the basic rules for ensuring that pronouns agree with their antecedents, but a lot of the pronoun questions on the SAT Writingare designed to confuse you by not having a clear antecedent. It's important to remember that a pronoun's antecedent must be a noun and you must be able to circle it in the text. In other words, it's not enough for you to know what the pronoun is referring to, the antecedent alsohas to be obvious in the text. Your vision may be unclear, but make sure your antecedents aren't. (Â © xWoliex) No Antecedent I know I've said this a couple of times already, but it's the most important thing to remember about pronouns on the SAT Writing: every pronoun must have an antecedent.I'm emphasizing this because sometimes you'll see a pronoun that doesn't have one: In order to get the spelunking permitsfrom the office, I need them to call me back. Who does"them" refer to? Presumably, the people who work in the spelunking permit office, but there's nothing in the sentence to specifically indicate that. A correct version might read: In order to get the spelunking permits, I need someone from the officeto call me back. Now it's clear who I need to call me back.Similarly,you'll sometimes see a verb or adjective used as an antecedent- this is incorrect. People who crawl through caves do it because they love adventure. This sentence seems fine; "it" is clearly "crawl through caves." However, "crawl" is a verb, not a noun, and thus cannot serve as an antecedent. People who crawl through caves do sobecause they love adventure. This kind of error can be especially confusing because gerunds, the "ing" forms of verbs, are technically nouns andcanbe used as antecedents for pronouns. Incorrect: I explore underwater caves often; it is fun. Correct: I love exploringunderwater caves; it is fun. "Exploring" is a correct antecedent; "explore" is not. Always make sure that a pronoun'santecedent is a noun you can point to in the sentence. Too Many Antecedents Another common antecedent issue occurs when a sentence has more than onenoun that could be the antecedent. For example: When Nel and Katie got back from the movie, they took her dog for a walk. It's unclear whether "her" refers to Nel or Katie. The possessive either needs to be replaced with something more specific or removed: When Nel and Katie got back from the movie, they took Nel'sdog for a walk. When Nel and Katie got back from the movie, they took theirdog for a walk. When Neland Katie got back from the movie, they took thedog for a walk. On the SAT Writing, watch out for sentences that involve two or more names of the same gender, since that construction often indicates this type of error. This, Which, and That In casual English, we often use the pronouns this, which, and that without clear antecedents. Liz: My mom told me I have to stay home and clean my room. Wayne: That's annoying. This construction may be fine in spoken English, but it would beabsolutely incorrect on the SAT. This, that, and which must have clear noun antecedents, just like any other pronoun.Let's look at an example: It took me 24 hours to travel from Los Angeles to Mumbai; this meant that I was very tired when I reached my destination. What is "this"? It's somewhat unclear, but there are a few ways we can improve this sentence. It took me 24 hours to travel from Los Angeles to Mumbai; thisfact meant that I was very tired when I reached my destination. It took me 24 hours to travel from Los Angeles to Mumbai, soI was very tired when I reached my destination. Both are perfectly clear; however, on the SAT, the second option would be preferable because it is more concise. SAT Writing Example Questions Missing or unclear antecedents pop up fairly frequently on the SAT and they can be hard to spot. Let's look at some examples, starting with Identifying SentenceErrors: Neither Mr. Weasley nor(A) Mr. Potter thinks(B) that eating as much candy as his(C) daughter Jen does will result(D)in anything good. No error (E) The underlined pronoun in C, "his," seems fine- it matches the antecedent in person (3rd person masculine) and number (neither takes singular pronouns and verbs). But it's actually unclear who "his" is referring to: is Jen Mr. Weasley's daughter or Mr. Potter's? It's impossible to tell, so this construction is incorrect. Let's move on to an Improving Sentences question: Again, at first glance, this sentence looks correct. However, "that" requires an identifiable noun antecedent, which it doesn't have. "That" is referring to the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, but that phrase doesn't appear in the sentence, nor does any equivalent noun phrase. Choices B and D also feature pronouns without antecedents. E is not idiomatic, which leaves C, the correct answer. You have to watch for errors as vigilantly as this meerkat is watching for predators. How to Spot a Pronoun Agreement Error on the SAT Writing As you've seen in the SAT Writing examples, pronoun agreement errors appear in both the Identifying Sentence Errors questionsand the Improving Sentences questions. There are slight differences in how these errors are tested in the two sections, however. Identifying Sentence Errors Pronoun errors are among the most common on the ISE section, so any time you see a pronoun underlined, you must alwayscheck for an antecedent and make sure that the pronoun and antecedent agree. Underlined nouns can also indicate pronoun agreement errors, although they usually mean that there's anoun agreement issue, which isslightly different (for more information on those, see our post here (coming soon)). On the Identifying Sentence Errors, these constructionsoftenindicate a pronoun agreement error: More than one name of the same gender "One" or "you" underlined "It" or "they" underlined Collective nouns Names of professions Though sentences with these clues are especially likely to have a pronoun agreement, you should still make sure to check that any underlined pronoun matches its antecedent. For more details on how to systematically check sentences for errors, see our post on how to approach Identifying Sentence Errors questions. Improving Sentences Pronoun agreement errors are alsorelatively common on the Improving Sentences, and you should expect to see somequestions dealing with them. However, you likely don't want to check every underlined pronoun, as on the ISE, since they are often part of more complicated constructions with whichthere are many other possible problems. (For example, pronouns are often used as fillerin wordiness questions.) Certain sentence structures pop up again and again, though, so there are some clues you can watch out for. The following signs- some of which also appear on the ISE section- often warn of a pronoun agreement issue: That, which, or who underlined A pronoun, especially it, near the beginning of a sentence The presence of "you" or "one" Collective nouns For a more complete rundown of best practices for the Improving Sentences questions, check out our post on strategies for the IS section. Test Your Knowledge! Now that we've covered the ins and outs of pronoun agreement on the SAT, why don't you take a crack at some realistic SAT writing practice questions? 1. The herd of black-and-white cattle bellowed(A) loudly as(B) the cowboys herded them(C) into the expansive(D) pen. (E) No error 2. My sister loves books where(A) the villains win, but(B) my brother prefers those(C) in which good triumphs over(D) evil. (E) No error 3. The more time one spends onthe bakingof cookies, the lessyou'll want to eat them. A. one spends onthe baking of cookies B. you spend baking cookies C. he spends to make cookies D. that is spent on the baking of cookies E. one bakes cookies 4. When the ninja finally tried skiing, he didn't have fun, which confused his friends. A.which confused his friends B. that confused his friends C. which his friends found confusing D. by which his friends were confused E. a fact that confused his friends Answers: 1. C, 2. A, 3. B, 4. E What's Next? The only topic the SAT Writing tests more than pronouns is verbs. Make sure to study subject-verb agreement as well! Maybe you're more concerned about the essay? In that case, take a look atour guides onhow to score a perfect 12, how to plan your examples in advance, and 15 ways to improve your score. For more big picture strategies, try these 8key tips or check out our guide to reaching an 800 on the SAT Writing. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Electric Commerce and Applications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Electric Commerce and Applications - Essay Example In relation to this aspect four organizations i.e. DBS Bank Ltd, United Overseas Bank Limited, Lloyds TSB and Barclays Bank have been selected from the banking sector to recognize and to compare their privacy policies in comparison to certain recognized privacy protection features. The features of privacy protection in the websites help the organizations to keep their consumers’ and members’ information safe from any kind of threat. This aspect can largely ensure that consumer confidence towards a company’ website remains intact. A few of the recognised privacy protection features include proper maintenance of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), prevention of information from being disclosed to the third party, ensuring information security, upholding accountability of collected information, ensuring accuracy of the collected information and making use of the method disabling the cookies (Locke, n.d.). The privacy protection related features are described below that are quite crucial for a website to maintain. By ensuring compliance with these features a website can largely ensure that it is able to build a strong relationship with its consumer as well as its members. Personally Identifiable Information (PII): While dealing with the online trader, the organizations generally collect the personal information of the consumers before trading. The Personally Identifiable Information (PII) includes information regarding name, contract number, address and email id (Business Link, n.d.; Real Media, 2007). Disclosure of Information to Third Party: The collected consumer information is not shared with any third person. However, it is shared only at the time when the information is required by the law for inspection.

Comparative Evaluation of Classical Realism and Classical Liberalism Essay

Comparative Evaluation of Classical Realism and Classical Liberalism - Essay Example As Morgenthau had tried to focus on through his studies and analysis, the power that a state government generally reflects on the state activities are consequences of the interests that the nation holds as a whole (Pashakhanlou, 2009). The classical liberalism on the other hand throws light on the promotion of government power that needs to be limited to highlight the power of the human beings inhabitant in the state. The primary focus of this belief is thus on individuals being able to be liberal in their activities and yet decide their democratic views on their own. The concept is also not associated with any socialism on the part of the individuals. Rather, their freedom and independence in expression of their political views as well as getting involved in political activities are considered significant in the classical liberalism concept (Koeller, 2003). The Reflections and Impacts of Classical Realism and Classical Liberalism on the international politics: Although the concept o f classical realism tried to link between the human behavior and their activities and thus the conflicts and power struggles occurring in the world of politics, yet the concept could not keep up with its implications till the current times. Considering its implications, it has been observed that the concept has been unable to act on some standard while focusing on the international politics as a whole. If it pointed to some facts of the human behavior leading to conflicts, the theory has not been able to relate that fact to the world politics as a whole. Rather, it has been associated to some parts of the world politics or some sections or groups of people. Moreover, the concept has been proved to be inconsistent since it could not explain the different terms in relation... The classical realism is focused on the conflicts, powers and wars prevailing in the political world on an international level and determines how repeatedly such political conflicts occur in the world. The classical realism concept tries to stress on the causes created by human beings that result in the initiation of political conflicts (Pashakhanlou, 2009). On the other hand liberalism is more concerned about the freedom that human beings deserve. This concept brings into focus the need to understand the requirements of the human beings more than the needs of a state (Koeller, 2003). Thus the two concepts are different in their study of the world politics. However, although having different concepts the beliefs are concerned with the humans and the impacts of the international politics on the lives of the common people. The primary difference in the two concepts lies in the fact that realism focuses on what is happening in actual in the international political world. Considering a comparative study on both classical realism and classical liberalism, it can be understood that both the concepts have been different in their views and thoughts. While realism remained concerned with the reality that occurs as a result of the human activities not considering the structural negligence, the liberalism concept focused on the needful measures that human beings required and deserved as against the importance provided to the political parties or the government authorities.

Western Civilization Movie Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Western Civilization Movie - Term Paper Example Secondly, because of the first issue, there were not many written works in wide circulation and therefore not many people who were fully educated enough to both enjoy reading as a past-time or to serve as scribes to create more manuscripts. Within the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the story opens at a point where Gawain is a young knight in the service of the legendary King Arthur and thus addresses the historical existence of this figure. However, the narrative story is not considered a reliable source of information because there are few existent facts to support it and there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the Gawain author borrowed from older legends, such as the legend of Cuchulain (Brewer, 1992), to create his story. Despite this, the story still has numerous merits that help us understand more about life in medieval times such as the important elements of being a knight and the latent criticism of the male-ordered ‘civility’ represented by King Arthur and his knights as they turned their backs on nature and the natural element in man. At the beginning of the story, Gawain comes to the realization that he is the only knight capable of accepting the challenge of the Green Knight who has come bursting into Arthur’s court issuing a New Year’s Day challenge. This is because he feels he is the least valuable knight in the court and therefore the one most expendable should he fail to win the challenge. â€Å"I am the weakest, the most wanting in wisdom, I know, and my life, if lost, would be least missed, truly† (I.16.354-355). This reveals the context of defining the true knight in which humility is seen to be prized over bravery regardless if it is true. According to Garbis, the concept of the reluctant hero is an important element of the Arthurian tradition. â€Å"Some kind of shock occurs that makes one aware of the self† (Garbis, 2002). However, it often goes unnoticed that the Green Knight is clearly a supernatural figure that

Performance Management At Emaar

Performance Management At Emaar The report features altogether are in six major sections. Section one is about Performance management and performance appraisal at Emaar. Section two is about Reward Management that Emaar uses. Section three is about Addressing Underperformnce. Section four is about measures of staff satisfaction. Section five is about methods to improvements. Section six which the last one is the conclusion. More over, there are some appendixes I have attached in my report, Appendix 1 is the Aprriasal form and appendix 2 the exit interview. Finally, Most of the information in the report was from my own experience at Emaar and some particulars from Emaar website and interviewing employees as well. Performance Management at Emaar At Emaar, Performance Management is considered as a cyclical process encompassing many aspects. Their model begins with the process of hiring, continues with daily performance management, and extends to yearly performance appraisals specially when making hiring decisions, managers, individuals and committees are involved in the process should consider the seven core competencies established by Emaar which are: Adaptability Motivation Professional and Self Development Work Quality and Job knowledge Teamwork Service Orientation Communication From there, Emaar supervisors should manage employees daily performance through an efficient and effective performance management system. As a result of a efficient and effective and useful performance management system, supervisors should be able to provide accurate and relevant performance assessments that helps further growth and improvement among employees at Emaar. By institute a successful performance management based upon the seven core competencies, Emaar is able to hire, lead and evaluate individuals based on the same set of the competencies which offers consistency and continued growth. Appraisal Performance Appraisal performance is considered one of the powerful tools and an important process at all levels of the organization starting from the top management and ending with employees. It helps supervisors to meet the objectives and goals of the department and the firm as well. In addition, companies must keep pace with process to accommodate the changes of the business level contents and performance methods, and the change of the staff skills and knowledge. Appraisal helps to create confidence between employees and raise their loyalty to the firm.(See Appendix 1) Appraisal performance from some authors view performance appraisal as any procedure that involves setting work standards, assessing the employees actual performance relative to these standards, and providing feedback to the employees with the aim of motivating that person to eliminate performance deficiencies or to continue to perform above par Dessler Another definition for performance appraisal is the evaluation, often in writing an employees work and job performance according to specific criteria. Performance appraisal can also be defined as a system of periodic review and evaluation of an individuals or teams job performance Schuller Appraisal performance at Emaar Emaar conduct appraisal quarterly and annually to evaluate employees performance, promote communication and their personality to examine their strengths and weakness. Besides, Emaar ensures all the employees who conducted the evaluation that their information are confidential and secured for making right decisions for them. Appraisal performance is important for such a company because it provides them with employees feedback of employees performance and progress. Performance appraisal aims at facilitate employees development and it has the major purposes. These major purposes is to provide feedback and guidance, to set performance goals, to identify training needs, and to provide inputs for management of pay administration, rewards, and promotion. Also there are some steps which are involved in effective performance appraisal are: Identification of key performance areas and setting yearly objectives. Identification of critical attributes for effective performance Periodic review of performance Discussion of performance with employees, Identification of training and developmental needs. Emaar uses many methods for performance evaluation of their employees, some of them are traditional and some are modern methods. Incident Indicator Method It is done by collecting the largest possible number of incidents that causes the success or the failure of the work. Supervisors monitor their group and decide if any of those collected incidents happened to them in their work. Their performance will be evaluated based on the incidents that happened in their workplace and how they behaved during those incidents and how serious they are in terms of success or failure of the job. 360 degree Performance The 360 process almost always includes a survey that has questions related to leadership and organizational success, along with a corresponding scale rate each item for example, Agree, Slightly Agree, Neutral, Slightly Disagree, and Disagree. Self-ratings and ratings from employees manager, direct reports, peers and customers are typically compiled into a report. The results are combined and presented by rater category, which allows for insightful comparisons while ensuring that individual direct report, peer and customer raters remain anonymous. Ratings by the employees manager are also presented for comparison but not anonymous. The 360 process may also include a gaol setting or development planning component, which requires that managers translate there results into a meaningful plan for future development. Some 360s are linked to administrative processes such as performance appraisal, promotion, compensation and succession planning 360 Feedback offers many potential benefits to both staff and the organization. Because the technique is capitalizes on multiple perspectives. The results are considered highly credible and useful performance feedback. For employees, the 360 experience can help to confirm hunches about strengths and identify areas that need improvement. Being able to compare feedback from multiple sources helps participants contrast their self-perceptions with others perceptions of them. But the benefit from this kind of reality check comes with a challenge: As from Fortune article 360 Feedback Can Change Your Life. Receiving the results of the feedback can be surprising, powerful and uncomfortable. To help managers appreciate their strengths and not just concentrate on negative results, Emaar provides in one-on-one or group settings with trained coaches, facilitator or psychologists. Such sessions can also help managers link 360 results to previous performance feedback discover performance themes and issues and understand how to use results to be more successful. For Emaar, a successful 360 implementation can improve communication among employees and help disseminate the organizations expectations with regard to managers. The benefits can begin even before the 360 is implemented. A decision to implement the process signals that the organization desires and is committed on some level to improve its feedback mechanisms. Even the wording of the survey itself is instructive. 360 surveys are typically group behaviours into bread success factors such as strategic direction, analytical skills, interpersonal effectiveness and developing others. The very act of identifying these categories and then defining them by their associated behaviours, for instance, consider future implications when making decisions gives Emaar a common language with which to discuss performance. Forced Distribution In this method, employees are evaluates on the basis of their overall performance of the work. Paired comparison approach That this method is derived from the ranking method, the fundamental difference between them is that the ingredient rather than an individual compares with the rest of the individuals at once, as under the method of comparison by comparing the individual double with every one of them This method is characterized by the following: Easily explained to others. Facilitate the task of who conduct the appraisal, as it is easy for him to compare between two employees and choose only the best of them. Can be used this way by the heads of divisions and departments in the organizations when asked to nominate some of the subordinates for the purpose of promotion or bonuses and so on. The criticism of this method are as follows: That individuals are being compared with each other as if they were one unit, so it lacks behavioural specialization and taking focuses on personal aspects rather than behaviour. The evaluation might be susceptible to bias and favouritism. Individuals are evaluated by descending order (I, II, III, IV, .) does not indicate the relative degree of difference among them. Does not show the weaknesses in the performance of individuals to act and find solutions them. As Emaar got a large number of employees its hard for them to conduct this evaluation but this method is often used at small organizations where there are small number of employees such as small properties companies like Al Shams. Reward Management Reward Management is concerned with the formulation and implementation of strategies and policies that aim to reward employees fairly, equitably and consistently in accordance with their value to the organisation (Armstrong, 2003). Emaar has set a reward strategy to support their business goals, to recruit and retrain employees with his performance and to reward high performance employees. They have fincial rewards and non-financial rewards. Financial rewards Definition Employees get a fixed rate in monthly basis which is called base pay. Emaar determine the base pay according to the experience, degree and interview. Another, kind of financial rewards is the contingent pay, which is related the employees performance, competence or service. Moreover, employees benefits such as pension holidays and sick pay. Non-financial rewards It is not direct payments and usually occur from the work it self like achievements, recognition, training, opportunities to develop career and high quality leadership. Al-Noor Islamic bank has an attractive reward system which is for the part time employees who have worked at least twenty hours a week for two years, receive AED 3,500 scholarship to college of their choice. Four year scholarships for AED 35,000 are also given. The company has awarded more than AED 8 million since the program begins. Unlike Emaar that doesnt have flexible time for students who are welling to complete their higher education besides they are not encouraging students to join them. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Addressing underperformance It is one of the elements of the performance management framework of Emaars Performance Management policy. It illustrates the need to take action to identify and resolve situations where the performance level is not achieving the identified outcome of performance of a specified position. Emaar follows some procedures to address underperformance Intensive Performance Support Solving a problem and supporting the process, generally developed between employees and the executive manager, to elucidate performance concerns and take early steps towards their resolution the process is begin when a patterns of performance concerns has been identified and considerable efforts should be made to resolve the concerns during this phase. Where employees are able to demonstrate that they are able to achieve Emaars identified performance outcomes during Intensive Performance Support, ongoing performance management can be resumed. Nevertheless, if employees underperforming consistently and the performance outcomes achieved through the IPS period are not improved sufficiently the Formal Underperformance procedure should be originated. This can be done only after IPS completion which is a pre-requisite to undertake the Formal Underperformance procedure. Formal Underperformance procedure Managers start this procedure for employees whose performance did not meet the identified performance outcome for Emaar and whose performance has not improved satisfactorily through IPS. Emaar makes sure that the used procedure is appropriate to employees employment conditions. Formal Underperformance is undertaken in consultation with departmental performance management consultant and involves supporting and assessing the performance of the employees. When outcomes of performance are achieved during the Formal Underperformance procedure are still unsatisfactory, another procedure is conducted which is called Evaluation Procedure to appraise and verify the procedure and how it is been implemented. The Evolution Procedure considers whether all reasonable options for support have been exhausted and ensures that principles of natural justice and procedural fairness have been observed. Based on the Evaluation Procedure report, recommendations are made for further action for approval of the departmental executive with the appropriate delegated authority. This may include Ongoing performance management return. Continuing with an identified stage of Managing Underperformance procedures. Sanctions imposition, including dismissal possibility when evident shows that an employee is not able to demonstrate the identified competence level and efficiency. ANOC is one of the biggest companies for producing oils so it is important for them to hire and retain the best employees to keep the company reputation safe so they use the same procedures as Emaar if they addressed any underperformance among employees specially the best employees. http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/docs/documents/1/ManagingUnderperformanc-4.pdf Measures of staff satisfaction Turnover Rates Emaar calculates the annual staff turnover rate by using a mathematical formula (Total number of leavers over periodÂÂ  / Average total number employed over period) x 100 Exit interviews Emaar conduct an internal interview which is the exit interview to establish the reasons why an employee wishes to leave the organization. Exit interviews are not intended to dissuade the employee from leaving. Rather, they are intended to establish resignation causes, and whether there is an underlying problem need to be addressed or is there a particular manager or a colleague who contributed towards this resignation and so on. When Emaar decides to conduct exit interviews they follow some points: The interview should be conducted by a personnel or a human resources expert. The interview should not be conducted by the employees line manager under any circumstances. The interview is often productive if they are held away from employees workplace. The best time to held exit interview is as soon after the employee resigns as possible. Emaar always treat their employees with good grace and wished them luck and thank them for the work they have done for the organization. (See Appendix 2) Absenteeism It is very vital to measure absenteeism, to identify and trace the patterns of employees attendance. High rate of absenteeism can be a symptom of stress in the work place which can contribute to higher rates of turnover. There are two methods to calculate absenteeism: lost time rate and individual frequency Lost Time Rate = (Number of Working Days Lost/Total Number of Working Days)*100ÂÂ   Individual Frequency = (Number of Absent Employees/Average Number of Employees)*100 Emaar has designed a comprehensive leave policy that is in alignment with the organizations values and objectives. Besides. there is a communication in the workplace, while dealing with sensitive issues such as absenteeism should be transparent and clear. Employees must be aware of the unpleasant effects of unauthorized time off. Moreover, Emaar introduces employee engagement programs to make employees involve and participate actively in the organization welfare. Also, they introduces counseling sessions that could prove beneficial in limiting absenteeism due to stress. Likewise, Emaar always keep their staff motivated by creating a favorable environment for them. There are also another methods to measure the staff satisfaction such as competitor comparison and benchmarking. Methods of improvements Emaar always try to make working more challenging and rewarding for their employees which will make it easier to keep them. In other words they use job enrichment which means they add additions to job tasks that increases the amount of employees and make them more motivated and increases their responsibility. Job enrichment helps employees to have more planning control their jobs and decide the way that they should achieve it. http://www.citehr.com/28657-job-enrichment.html http://www.enotes.com/business-finance-encyclopedia/job-enrichment

Mt. Ashland Ski Area Expansion Essay -- Environmental Issues

It’s a sunny October afternoon and I’m listening to the breeze gently rustle the tree tops above me. I look down into the creek as I sit here munching on some cashews, and I see trout gliding effortlessly through the crystal-clear water. I revel in how incredibly lush the area is†¦although it’s been a dry summer the ground is still moist, plants are bright and colorful, and wildlife is abound. After I finish my snack and tuck my trash away into my backpack, I continue my hike up this parcel of land that may soon become barren with towers of steel and wire draping the landscape†¦that’s if the Mt. Ashland Association (MAA), a non-profit organization that operates the Mt. Ashland ski area, gets their way. The MAA is looking to start a planned expansion of the area in late 2012. They plan to clear cut 70+ acres of old growth to pave way for more advanced slopes and a sparkly-new lodge. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ski area expansions are the most ecological damaging task that an area can undertake. In a plan revision for the White River National Forest in Colorado, regarding the Copper Mountain Ski Resort expansion, the EPA hammers that point home when they say that â€Å"†¦no other land management prescription on the Forest directly results in more stream-water depletion, wetland impacts, air pollution, permanent vegetation change, or permanent habitat loss†¦ more wetland impacts and stream depletions resulted from ski area expansion and improvement than from all other Forest management activities combined, including many direct and indirect impacts that are permanent (irreversible and irretrievable).† Meanwhile, skier numbers nationally have only increased just two percent since 1978 says, (source). Whic... ...'D' On Environmental Scorecard." Ashland Daily Tidings [Ashland, OR], 26 Nov. 2008, n. pag. Web. 23 Feb. 2012. "Saving the Pacific Fisher." Center for Biological Diversity. Center for Biological Diversity., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. United States. Dept. of Agriculture. Tenmile Recreation Path Environmental Assessment. [Summit County, Colorado.:] U.S. Forest Service, Dillion Ranger District [2011] Web. 24 Feb. 2012. Wright, Bruce. "A Question of Balance." Ashland Resource Center [Ashland, OR], 7 Sept. 2011, n. pag. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.