Herman Melville's Billy Budd and Bartleby; Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Essay

Herman Melville's Billy Budd and Bartleby; Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins - Essay Example It’s name means the Atheist and it is the French ship that engages the â€Å"Bellipotent† after Billy’s death. It’s shot leads to the death of Captain Vere, removing the guiding spirit of the â€Å"Bellipotent† which has been corrupted by adherence to tradition. These lines are spoken by Claggart after Billy’s soup spills and leaks across the master-at-arms’ path. They reveal Claggart’s singular attention on Billy, if not his animosity toward him, and indicate the reason why Claggart hates Billy as much as he does. The Dansker says this to Billy after the incident with the gold guineas, warning him that the after-guardsman is working for Claggart to try to implicate Billy in a mutiny scheme. If Billy were smart, he would have gone directly to the authorities about the incident, but, in keeping with his personality and understanding, he keeps quiet. Billy Budd says these words just before he is hoisted up into the rigging as his execution. The phrase is echoed by all the men on the ship and demonstrates Billy’s continued loyalty to the Captain as well as his respect for the rule of law that the Captain upheld in executing Billy. The significance of the brick wall is its ability to personify the character of Bartleby. Like a brick wall, he is described as having very little personality of his own, which makes him ideal for his role as a scrivener. However, he also proves to be equally as unmovable, as uncommunicative and progressively less useful as a brick wall. This was a friend of Judge Driscoll who died at about the same time as Percy Driscoll. Toward the end of the story, Roxy reveals that he was the father of her son, the man most people have known as ‘Tom’ through most of his life. This is Roxy’s real son who is switched with the baby Thomas a Becket Driscoll, the son of Roxy’s owner to be raised as a white man. He is the spoiled and rotten main character who abuses his ‘slave’, the true heir. They are both involved in the case

Reflective journal (topic ) improve communication in organization Essay

Reflective journal (topic ) improve communication in organization - Essay Example I will analyze the topic in context to its contribution to my present professional profile while in second part, I will prepare as guideline to improve my communication skill in order to become manager and/or leader that I desired to be. During the degree program and professional life, I have faced a critical situation in the workplace due to failure of communication system. Although, we overcame the situation but the circumstances has proved the importance of intra-level communication within organization. During the classroom program, our teachers gave significant importance on role of interactive communication while during my professional life; I witnessed the importance of communication in stating the organizational mission, vision to stakeholders and combining them altogether to improve performance. Such incidents and lesson of our professors have influenced me to select communication style as key agenda in this essay. Theoretical Aspects Careful consideration of the research wor ks of McShane & Travaglione (2007) and Reece, Brandt & Howie (2011) reveals the fact that it is very important to manage relationship with internal or external stakeholders within organizational hemisphere. ... While doing research on knowledge sharing, Makela & Brewster (2009) found that there can be three types of communication flow, such as 1- horizontal communication between members in the similar organizational level, 2- vertical communication between top level employee and subordinates and 3- diagonal communication between cross functional groups. All three of these communication channels are needed to be embedded in order to ensure transparent sharing of information, understanding of organizational objectives and knowledge sharing. Chow & Liu (2007) argued that a particular organization or individual can use multiple communication styles in order to communicate the business objectives or influence the behavior of subordinates. For example, organizational leaders might use the combination of communication style, personality and interpersonal skills in order to influence behavior of subordinates. Chow & Liu (2007) gave examples of organizations that are struggling due to mainly three i ssues such as, 1- absence of leadership skill, 2- absence of formal or informal communication channel and 3- lack of knowledge sharing between team members or organizational members. In such circumstances, doubt may arise whether there is any link exists between leadership and communication style or not. In the next section, I will describe one particular incident that has improved my understanding about importance of communication style in the workplace. Real Life Circumstances I have worked in a service firm and to be honest, I enjoyed the organic structure and flexible work culture of the organization. However, I found that there is lack of transparency exist in the communication style of the management. I was handling the responsibility of customer relationship

The Systematic Teaching of Grammar: A Critique :: Essays Papers

The Systematic Teaching of Grammar: A Critique From the writer: "The Systematic Teaching of Grammar: A Critique" is a piece that was written for my Peer Writing Consultant class, WRT 331. The assignment was rather open, we were to relate our experiences as a writing consultant to an area interest. I was inspired to choose grammar as my subject area because I found that many students came to me asking directly for help with their grammar. This piece was more of an exploratory piece than anything else. From the teacher: Cat's interest in the subject of this paper was sparked by her consulting clients repeated requests to have her "just go over the grammar" in their papers. She wondered what they meant by that. Why were they so concerned about grammar? As a result, she decided to investigate how students are instructed in grammar. This paper, her final presentation for the Peer Writing Consultant course, grew out of her research. From the editors: Through a series of questions and answers, Ayoob simply yet thoroughly examines the subject of grammar. Taking a trip back to early childhood education and the origins of many misunderstandings of the mere definition of grammar, Ayoob's style offers concrete understandings of the life span of grammar. Writing from a point of view of a writing consultant lends her paper further credibilty. Grammar this, grammar that. So much is heard about grammar, most of it negative. If you are a writing consultant, you will hear that word just about everyday: "Can you help me with my grammar?" " I hate grammar." "My grammar sucks." Where does this obsession and loathing of grammar come from? This question would probably take a whole dissertation to answer, and I do not have the knowledge to write that sort of paper. So, this essay will be more narrowly focused. In most cases this misunderstanding of grammar takes place early on in ones educational career. Most students have made their position with grammar clear before they enter high school. Many of these students who detest grammar were taught grammar systematically. It is this systematic teaching of grammar that creates such fear and hatred of grammar. In this short piece, systematically taught grammar will be analyzed and discussed. It is the intention of the author to provide a critique of this method of teaching and propose alternative teaching styles. Grammar taught systematically is ineffective and should be discarded.

Business and Management

Blyton, P. , Noon, M. (2007), The Realities of Work. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. This Chapter explores the key concepts of survival in the workforce. The aim is to explore how employees survive the alienating tendencies at work by developing different coping strategies in different circumstances. According to Karl Marx employees develop four types of estrangement; self-estrangement, estrangement from the product of their labour, their species being and from others which leads to alienation. Under capitalism)all the means for developing production are transformed into means of power over and exploitation of the producer; that they mutilate the worker into a fragment of a human being, degrade him to become a mere appurtenance, make his work such a torment that its essential meaning is destroyed(Marx, 1930: 713, quoted in Fox, 1974: 224) Blauner suggests that greater automation will free workers hard work of assembly lines and machine minding, it will result in decreasing alienatio n for employees (Blauner, 1964:182-3) We have acknowledged the authors and the investigators opinions to alienation.According to the writers there are five main strategies that help to survive alienation tendencies such as fiddling, making out, joking, sabotage and escaping. Michael Burawoy (1979) suggests employees should use the term making out. Making out in Burawoy’s theory suggests employees are allowed to miss behave and control their working day if they are still working within the rules, management’s instructions and tasks are completed. (Burawoy, 1985: 126) Management Today (2000) state fiddling is a rule breaker but managers turn a blind eye.It can be seen in any job from supermarkets to call centres. In call centres employees manipulate the call monitoring system in order to gain extra rest breaks. (Townsend,2005:56) Radcliffe-Brown (1952) is an anthropologist who acknowledged the survival strategy joking. Joking maintains social order, releases tension, cha llenges authority and forges group identities. However occasional joking can challenge the power of hierarchy. Identified by Linstead (1985a) sabotage can be a result of rational behaviour.It can purposely be a spiteful attempt to ruin or disturb the process or the product. This is where whistle blowing comes in to determine the result of behaviour. Escaping is expressed in two different ways. Physical escape is to temporarily take time off or to permanently quit the job to escape alienation. Mental escape is taking their mind somewhere else so that they can express their own thoughts in their own head. Overall employees should interoperate the five survival strategies’ which will help them to survive the alienation.However employees should interoperate them as a form of consent and not a form of resistance. McHugh, D. , Thompson, P. (2002) Work Organisations: A Critical Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. In This Chapter the author explores how scientific manageme nt and bureaucratisation helped transform the workplace. Fredrick Taylor is known for inventing the term scientific management. Some management and work organisations were already in place ‘the less skilled worker’.It was down to Taylor who acknowledged the influences of other systematic management inventions such as inspection systems, and employment departments. (Urwick and Breech, 1949:33) Nyland, (1988:56) believed that â€Å"The Systematisers† were a diverse group of engineers , accountants, and work managers who argued that US firms had grown to a size where the internal functioning of the enterprise was becoming increasingly chaotic and waist full. This suggests not all work was available to everyone so therefore used his system which he believed was the best to manage the workforce.Bringing a new approach to managerial skills needed a new set of rules to help the labour process that Taylor was most concerned about. New rules meant stricter working environ ments. Taylor used idea’s to help shape the work place conflicting beaurocratic management. Braverman (1974:120) objects that it sanctions the mistaken view that such work arrangements belongs to large scale organisations rather than a product of capitalist social relations. This suggests not everyone agreed with the theory, some writers said the idea of bureaucrasation and systematic management was problematic.To understand the beucratic rules it needs to be clear through different modes of production and business systems. Clawson (1980; 248) believed Taylorism is in contrast with Weber Stress on the remote and impersonal qualities of beuocrasy. This suggests Taylor and Weber worked in contrast with each other because weber believed in Taylor theory of systematic management. Therefore Webers theory of rationalisation worked with Taylor’s theory. To summarise beaurocratic management has risen in the ervice industry. Recent studies state that evidence is showed in Ritzl er’s (1993) ‘The Mcdonaldisation of society’. The authors state the key point of this chapter is that Taylorism and other management theories are distinct elements not packages. People are diverse and uneven when it comes to the legacy of Taylorism. Traditions have in fact shaped the industry aiding managers to use different approaches.Word Count: 796 References Deakins, D & Freel, M. (2009) ‘Entrepreneurship and Small Firms’. 5th ed. Midenhead: McGraw Hill. O’Doherty, D. (2007) ‘Introducing Organisational Behaviour and Management’. London: Thompson. Weardon, G. (2012) ‘Eurozone crisis live: Monti to lobby Merkel over bond-buying plan’ The Guardian. 29th August, 2012. Cramer, R. M. (2006) ‘The Great Intimidators’ Havard Business Review. V84 pp. 88-96. ‘ Most companies struggling to be paperless’ Institute of Leadership and Management. 14th August, 2012. http://www. i-l-m. com/ [accessed 29th August 2012].

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - 817 Words

On the surface, The Great Gatsby is a story of failed love between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. The main theme of the novel, however, is comprised of a much larger, less romantic scope. Fitzgerald portrays the roaring twenties as a time of corroded social and moral values. This is shown by the empty pursuit of pleasure, gluttony, and pure shallowness of the rich. Some of these materialistic views of the societal decay of today can be seen by the rich and famous in everyday life. One example of the moral decay of the upper class in the novel is when Tom Buchanan repeatedly cheats on his wife Daisy with multiple women, with his main mistress being Myrtle Wilson. Not only does Tom cheat on her, but he doesn’t even try to hide it. He enjoys showing Myrtle off to people as some sort of prize he is excited about winning. â€Å"The fact that he had [a mistress] was insisted upon wherever he was known. His acquaintances resented the fact that he turned up in popular restaurants wit h her and, leaving her at a table, sauntered about, chatting with whomsoever he knew† (Fitzgerald 24). Tom is a hypocritical controlling racist, who has no moral qualms about his affair with Myrtle. However, when Tom catches wind of Daisy and Gatsby having an affair he freaks out and confronts Gatsby. Tom demands the highest respect from those around him, but at the end of the day he is a careless man that only worries about himself and his money. Tiger Woods is the most famous name in golf today, but notShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1393 Words   |  6 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald was the model of the American image in the nineteen twenties. He had wealth, fame, a beautiful wife, and an adorable daughter; all seemed perfect. Beneath the gilded faà §ade, however, was an author who struggled with domestic and physical difficulties that plagued his personal life and career throughout its short span. This author helped to launch the theme that is so preval ent in his work; the human instinct to yearn for more, into the forefront of American literature, where itRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1343 Words   |  6 PagesHonors English 10 Shugart 18 Decemeber 2014 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald s 1925 novel The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life. The Great Gatsby is about the lives of four wealthy characters observed by the narrator, Nick Carroway. Throughout the novel a mysterious man named Jay Gatsby throws immaculate parties every Saturday night in hope to impress his lost lover, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby lives in a mansion on West Egg across from DaisyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1155 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby The Jazz Age was an era where everything and anything seemed possible. It started with the beginning of a new age with America coming out of World War I as the most powerful nation in the world (Novel reflections on, 2007). As a result, the nation soon faced a culture-shock of material prosperity during the 1920’s. Also known as the â€Å"roaring twenties†, it was a time where life consisted of prodigality and extravagant parties. Writing based on his personal experiences, author F. ScottRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1166 Words   |  5 Pagesin the Haze F. Scott Fitzgerald lived in a time that was characterized by an unbelievable lack of substance. After the tragedy and horrors of WWI, people were focused on anything that they could that would distract from the emptiness that had swallowed them. Tangible greed tied with extreme materialism left many, by the end of this time period, disenchanted. The usage of the literary theories of both Biographical and Historical lenses provide a unique interpretation of the Great Gatsby centered aroundRead MoreThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald845 Words   |  3 PagesIn F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, colors represent a variety of symbols that relate back to the American Dream. The dream of being pure, innocent and perfect is frequently associated with the reality of corruption, violence, and affairs. Gatsby’s desire for achieving the American Dream is sought for through corruption (Schneider). The American Dream in the 1920s was perceived as a desire of w ealth and social standings. Social class is represented through the East Egg, the WestRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald Essay970 Words   |  4 Pagesrespecting and valuing Fitzgerald work in the twenty-first century? Fitzgerald had a hard time to profiting from his writing, but he was not successful after his first novel. There are three major point of this essay are: the background history of Fitzgerald life, the comparisons between Fitzgerald and the Gatsby from his number one book in America The Great Gatsby, and the Fitzgerald got influences of behind the writing and being a writer. From childhood to adulthood, Fitzgerald faced many good andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald2099 Words   |  9 Pagesauthor to mirror his life in his book. In his previous novels F. Scott Fitzgerald drew from his life experiences. He said that his next novel, The Great Gatsby, would be different. He said, â€Å"In my new novel I’m thrown directly on purely creative work† (F. Scott Fitzgerald). He did not realize or did not want it to appear that he was taking his own story and intertwining it within his new novel. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he imitates his lifestyle through the Buchanan family to demonstrateRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1607 Words   |  7 Pages The Great Gatsby is an American novel written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. One of the themes of the book is the American Dream. The American Dream is an idea in which Americans believe through hard work they can achieve success and prosperity in the free world. In F. Scott Fitzgerald s novel, The Great Gatsby, the American Dream leads to popularity, extreme jealousy and false happiness. Jay Gatsby’s recent fortune and wealthiness helped him earn a high social position and become one of the mostRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1592 Words   |  7 PagesMcGowan English 11A, Period 4 9 January 2014 The Great Gatsby Individuals who approach life with an optimistic mindset generally have their goals established as their main priority. Driven by ambition, they are determined to fulfill their desires; without reluctance. These strong-minded individuals refuse to be influenced by negative reinforcements, and rely on hope in order to achieve their dreams. As a man of persistence, the wealthy Jay Gatsby continuously strives to reclaim the love of hisRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1646 Words   |  7 PagesThe 1920s witnessed the death of the American Dream, a message immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Initially, the American Dream represented the outcome of American ideals, that everyone has the freedom and opportunity to achieve their dreams provided they perform honest hard work. During the 1920s, the United States experienced massive economic prosperity making the American Dream seem alive and strong. However, in Fitzgerald’s eyes, the new Am erican culture build around that

A Dismiss Affirmative Action - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2103 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/10/30 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Affirmative Action Essay Did you like this example?   Race relations, including that of affirmative action, have arguably been the most divisive and hotly contested issue in contemporary American politics. Many people feel that affirmative action is necessary to either counteract injustices or ensure the advancement of certain minorities. Affirmative action proponents generally point to four justifications; namely, these are racism, poverty, diversity, and underrepresentation in higher office positions. However, there is evidence to show that affirmative action has become a form of discrimination in and of itself through college acceptance rates and workplace quotas. Affirmative Action is an archaic government program that caters to those that are longer in need of help based on evidence that is no longer accurate or relevant. The process of adjusting the playing field through affirmative action might do more harm than good and muddy, instead of fix, the racial picture. One of the best articulations of this point comes from a story told by Clarence Thomas, which is related to us in an essay by Juan Williams in his essay A Question of Fairness: Thomas told me a story from his boyhood to illustrate what fairness means to him. He was on the back porch, playing blackjack for pennies with some other boys. As the game went on, one boy kept winning. Thomas finally saw how: the cards were marked. The game was stopped. There were angry words. Cards were thrown. From all sides, fast fists snatched back lost money. There could be no equitable redistribution of the pot. The strongest, fastest hands, including those of the boy who had been cheating, got most of the pile of pennies. Some of the boys didnt get their money back. The cheater was threatened. The boys who snatched pennies that they had not lost were also threatened. But no one really wanted to fight they wanted to keep playing cards. So a different deck was brought out and shuffled, and the game resumed with a simple promise of no more cheating.(Williams 5) Williams explains how Thomas felt that story is like race relations in America. The end of the cheating, according to Thomas, was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "A Dismiss Affirmative Action" essay for you Create order The dispute now is how and whether the government should return the pennies to their rightful owners, generally seen as minorities including blacks, Hispanics, Women, and Native Americans (Williams 5) If whites, the majority, living today were the equivalent of the boy who had the marked deck or the older boys who had stolen the pennies, then the answer to this dilemma would be easier. However, the vast majority if not all whites living today received little to no benefit from either slavery or segregation. In fact, most Americans and their ancestors immigrated to America many years after the end of slavery, themselves both uneducated and poor. These other immigrant groups didnt use or need government programs in order for them to get along economically. While not denying that minorities have been cheated, one must acknowledge that, as previously established, whites in America today bear little resemblance to the hooligans at the card game. This is especially true since many white im migrants were far more likely to be discriminated against themselves by those who benefited from segregation and slavery than to be among those sharing in the wealth. Another argument against affirmative action is that race is a poor indicator of hardships. While the average white person has a higher income and more net worth than the average black or Hispanic, there are plenty of poor white people and wealthy black people.   To assume that blacks are poor and whites are rich solely on the basis of race, which may be statistically accurate, ignores differences between individuals within groups. Since differences within groups are always larger than differences between the average members of differing groups, this type of grouping is unfair. Most applications for jobs and colleges require information about an applicants finances anyway, there is no more reason for them to assume poverty on the basis of race. Even if classifying economic disadvantage by race was justified in the 1960s during the Civil Rights movement, many argue that this is no longer the case. Blacks have vastly improved their position over the past several decades. Blacks earning over $50,000 a year have become the fastest growing income group in America. The result of this is that since the 1960s, the percentage of affluent black Americans has doubled. In some cases, blacks are even doing better than whites. In two-parent households where both parents are college educated and both parents work, black families on average make more money than white families. Given this, it seems that problems peculiar to this minority group may be becoming obsolete. Lino Graglia says Not all blacks, and not only blackshave been disadvantaged (Grapes, 48). Since statistics indicate that blacks are getting closer and closer to the average income, many believe that it now makes more sense to base preferences on socioeconomic status. This way, whites who are as disadvantaged as the blacks that affirmative action is intended to help would be benefited while ensuring that middle and upper-class blacks with no right to preferential treatment are not swept up in the diversity frenzy. This would provide a true adjustment while reducing the racial tensions caused by preferences. This would also ensure reasonable numbers of minority students while providing opportunity to students of all races, which is really the point (Grapes 59). The case for socioeconomic affirmative action is especially compelling because according to Lino A. Graglia, very few children of the underclass, white or black, end up applying to the competitive institutions where affirmative action is used (Grapes, 48). This leaves us in the position of giving preference to middle-class blacks over middle-class whites. If we really want to help persons who are disadvantaged, we might do well to use socioeconomic status, which might have a better predictive value of disadvantage. Many who acknowledge inequities in America and acknowledge the need for corrective measures question the wisdom of giving preferences to members of the emerging black middle and upper classes. If race doesnt necessarily correlate with a disadvantage, then maybe there is another index to use to determine disadvantage when considering job or college applications. Plous states that because racial minorities are at a disadvantage that there is a need for a correction. However, he concludes his point by stating that unless pre-existing inequities are corrected or otherwise taken into account, color-blind policies do not eliminate racial injustice-they reinforce it. (Plous, 2) Plous, however, gives no reason why these inequities could not be otherwise taken into account by looking at other factors, such as socioeconomic status. While some might argue that there are disadvantages independent of socioeconomic status that disproportionately affect minorities, it should be noted that almost all college applications already request information about the applicants family structure. Likewise, it should also be noted that the vast majority of college applicants (and virtually anybody who has any claim of being disadvantaged) provide detailed reports of their financial status to the colleges that they apply to in the form of financial aid applications such as The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Thus, all the information that is needed to make an intelligent assessment of an applicants disadvantage is already provided in college applications and could be used to make an intelligent assessment of an applicants disadvantage without resorting to race. Since race is sometimes a poor indicator of disadvantage, there is no reason to give automatic advantages to a minority applicant just for checking a box corresponding to their skin color. Despite the fact that SAT scores correlate well with grades in college, some minority advocates and affirmative action supporters claim that they are biased against certain groups. While it is undeniable that different groups perform differently, racial bias is unlikely to be the cause. Statistics from the College Board indicate that the SAT actually predicts college performance for minorities more accurately than it predicts performance for whites (DSouza 44). Even if the standardized tests really did have terms that were less familiar to stude nts of certain races, its still not clear that the tests are at fault. According to College Board President Donald Steward, who is black, standardized tests are preparation for words and terms and ideas that students are likely to encounter, whatever their cultural background. (DSouza 44) In other words, even if they arent familiar with test materials, maybe they should be. According to these findings, SAT scores really do predict performance in college, especially for minorities. An examination of the disparities in SAT scores might shed some light on why socioeconomic status might be a good index. An examination of SAT scores by gender, race, and school types shows that Asians are a good example of how the SAT is not racially biased. In 1998, the average Asian score on the math portion of the SAT was 562, 50 points higher than the national average, and 34 points higher than the average white score. While some groups did score lower than others, these differences were not significantly larger than the differences between males and females on the math portion, or the differences between students at public, parochial, and independent schools. This suggests that disparities in SAT scores are just as related to the types of schools that students go to (dictated mostly by socioeconomic status) as they are by race. It is indeed very possible that the disparities between the races are caused mostly by the disproportionate numbers of certain races that go to public schools for economic, not racial reasons. Keeping this in mind, it might be better to give preferences based on socioeconomic status or even the type of school that a student attends rather than race. Affirmative action distributes educational resources in a way contrary to what is scientifically proven to provide the greatest return on the investment of resources. Grades and test scores have been shown to correlate strongly with performance in college (Study: SAT .). The SAT has been reworked over decades in an attempt to predict performance in college. Statistical studies have shown that there is no better predictor of performance in college than SAT scores. While some compromise between the efficiency of using SAT scores to distribute resources, and addressing class differences in America might be necessary, I believe that a fair result could be achieved through socioeconomic preferences. The only way that the loss of efficiency that results from going against scientifically proven methods of determining who would perform the best in a job or school could be justified is if there was proof that including persons under an affirmative action plan somehow results in an increase in efficiency greater than the decrease due to improper utilization of the resources. While there are anecdotal claims that diversity benefits everybody, nobody has been able to provide a large body of research proving that there is a substantive benefit. By contrast, there is much evidence that shows that those admitted with inferior credentials under affirmative action have a higher rate of dropout and delinquency than the general student population. Therefore, from a utilitarian perspective, affirmative action causes inefficient use of educational recourses. In addition to hurting white and Asian students, there is evidence that affirmative action may also have an adverse effect on the minorities that supposedly benefit from it. There are some who believe that affirmative action policies discourage minority achievement. Edward Blum, Chairman of the Campaign for a Color-Blind America Legal Defense and Educational Foundation says that while he admits that poor performance of minorities on standardized tests is due to poor education in minority neighborhoods, that he believes the solution is harder work and commitment on the part of those same minority students. He points to the fact that there have been countless studies and they all say the same thing- tests like the SAT are a highly reliable predictor of academic success. According to his article, no other variable grades, essays, leadership qualities or overcoming hardships so closely correlates to the likelihood of graduation from a particular college as does the SAT (Blum, 1999).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The fact is that affirmative action has outlived its usefulness and does more damage than good. It has been shown to make unfair placements in both colleges and the workforce in order to increase a diversity that provides no pragmatic boon. Not only that, but there is far less socioeconomic need for the program as well, with minorities gaining economically as well as socially. This leads to those of the majority paying for the mistakes of a minority within their own group, which is just as discriminatory and unfair.

The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 1749 Words

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. The action around the play is based on a historical event, the Salem Witch Trials, which takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. Most of the people living in Salem, Massachusetts were Puritans and they were expected to attend church and were restricted to work during the Sabbath. People believed in the existence of Satan and that he chooses the weakest individual to carry on his work and the people who follow Satan were considered as witches. They believed that witchcraft is one of the greatest crimes a person can commit and the punishment for practicing witchcraft is death. The fear of witchcraft increased among the people, so when a person act or think in a different way the people considered the person as a witch. 20 people were killed during the Salem witch trials, many of them were really innocent and extremely religious. The play is centered around three main characters, John Proctor, Abigail Williams and John Proctorâ€℠¢s wife Elizabeth Proctor. The relationship between Abigail and John Proctor is the crux of all that goes wrong in Salem during the trials. In Arthur Miller’s Crucible John Proctor has sinned and committed adultery, but he has a lot of courage and confesses the truth in order to save others even if it could spoil his own good reputation. In the beginning of the play, the town minister Reverend Parris catch a group of girls including his niece, Abigail Williams and his daughter, Betty Parris are dancingShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1269 Words   |  6 PagesAt first glance, the playwright Arthur Miller in The Crucible highlights the historical significance of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but in fact it is an allegorical expression of his perception of McCarthyism. If the reader has some background information on Arthur Miller’s victimization as a communist, it is evident that the play is a didactic vessel illustrating the flaws of the court system in the 1950’s. The communist allegations were launched at government employees, entertainers and writersRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1681 Words   |  7 Pagesof their way to the last dying breath to make sure they leave with a good or bad reputation. In one of the recent literature study in class â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller, Miller uses characterization to illustrate reputation throughout the play. â€Å"The Crucible† takes place in Salem, Massachusetts. It is based upon the Salem witch trails. In â€Å"The Crucible†, we journey through the life of three characters who reputations plays a major role in the play. The three characters are John Proctor, AbigailRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller998 Words   |  4 Pagesmotivated by jealousy and spite. The Crucible is a four-act dramatic play production that was first performed on January 22, 1953. Arthur Miller used dialogue within the characters to cover the multiple themes; conflicts and resolutions, plus the few directions for the different actions of the play. The Salem Witch Trials were intended to be performed as the play however, when read, it can be more carefully examined and broken down to analyze the techniques. Miller, the playwright, uses literaryRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1333 Words   |  6 PagesAs the various characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller interact, the dominant theme of the consequences of women’s nonconformity begins to slide out from behind the curtains of the play. Such a theme reveals the gripping fear that inundated the Puritans during the seventeenth century. This fear led to the famous witch-hunts that primarily terrorized women who deviated from the Puritan vision of absolute obedience and orthodoxy. Arthur Miller presents his interpretation of the suffering by subtlyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1145 Words   |  5 PagesUnbalance Through The Centuries In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the author reflects the persecution of communists in America in the 1950’s through a recount of the Salem witch trials. It is often presumed that Miller based his drama directly off of events that were particularly prevalent in the years surrounding the publication of The Crucible- which was released in the year 1953, towards the conclusion of the Korean War. Although there was not a literal witch hunt occurring during this timeRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1063 Words   |  5 PagesIn the English dictionary, there are three definitions of the word crucible. One is a metal container in which metals are mixed and melted. Another is a severe test. But the third definition, and the one that I think fits the best for this book, is a place or situation in which different elements interact to create something new. In my mind, this fits because all of the characters had their little grudges and dirty secrets. But when all th ose seemingly little things interact, they formed somethingRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1285 Words   |  6 Pages Rationale, Morality, Stereotypes, Pressure, Self-Censorship, Unanimity, and Mindguards. Groupthink has also taken place in our history a a country. The play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about a the real-life Salem Witch Trials that happened in 1692 - 1693, in Salem, Massachusetts. Some symptoms of Groupthink found in the Crucible are Rationale, Pressure, and Self-Censorship. The Groupthink symptom, Rationale, is described as when victims of Groupthink ignore warnings: they also collectivelyRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller841 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible is a chaotic play, throughout this American classic Arthur Miller takes the reader through multiple events of terror and insanity. While creating a great on-stage play, Arthur Miller portrays his life through the events, the characters, and plot of The Crucible. Using vivid imagery and comprehensible symbolism, Miller manipulates the real personalities of the characters and events in 1600 Salem, Massachusetts to create a symbolic autobiography. Throughout this play, the reader experiencesRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller811 Words   |  4 Pages While The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is only a four act play, it still resembles the format of a five act play. The five-act structure evolved from a three-act structure, which was made famous by Roman Aelius Donatus. Donatus came up with thre e types of plays: Protasis, Epitasis, and Catastrophe. The five-act structure helped to expand the three act structure, mainly made famous by Shakespeare through his many tragedies. Even though The Crucible contains only four acts, it still has the commonRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1052 Words   |  5 PagesBuddy Al-Aydi Ms.Healy English 9 CP 14th October 2014 The Crucible Essay The Crucible was a novel written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s. It was written in a format of the play, portraying an allegory of the Salem Witch-Hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The book is known to have a inexplicable plot. This plot is advanced by multiple characters in the book in order to ensure that the reader maintains interest with the material that is being read. The farmer, John Proctor, would be the