ORGANISATIONAL POLITICS, CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT Essay

ORGANISATIONAL POLITICS, CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT - Essay Example shing selected aims.† For Henry Fayol â€Å"To Manage is to forecast, to plan, to organize, to command, to co-ordinate and to control† (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg & Coulter 2012). These are the major functions performed by any manager in any organization although the functions differ depending on the size of the organization. To perform these functions, managers do need to have power and authority in order to elicit compliance and commitment from the employees. However, with all the resources in the world, an organization cannot achieve its goals if it is not accompanied by effective management especially in modern times when management has become so complex and demanding owing to globalization. Effective management in this case, depends on how well the managers exercise their power and authority over subordinates. In this essay, I will argue that management is both an art and a science which requires effective exercise of power to elicit compliance and commitment. I will argue that it is an art in the sense that it has its own creative skills, tools and techniques. It also requires intelligence, innovation, an individual approach, discipline and dedication as well as practicability. It is a science in that it utilizes empirically tested principles and draws heavily from social sciences such as economics, sociology and psychology. To be successful in the management field, management cannot be reduced to either an art or science but should be taken as both an art and a science. Managers in the organization exercise various types of power in an effort to influence the followers so that they can be committed and engaged to their work hence improved performance and success for the organization. Koontz and Weihrich define power as â€Å"the ability of individuals or groups to induce or influence the beliefs or actions of other persons or groups (2008: 179). Influence in this case according to Silos (2003) is the ability to make the followers strive towards a common

Children Are Our Future

Children Are Our Future Our greatest glory consist in not ever failing, but in rising every time we fall. (Oliver Godsmith) The children of todays society will never know the true meaning of this quote or what its like to fall and get right back up to try again. Many say if you dont award your children for participating, theyll choose not to participate and wont get anything done. As a parent its hard to see your child fail considering you want nothing less than the best and to see them happy, but they should not be entitled to a trophy just for showing up and going through the motions. The millennials have been called everything from coddled to just downright spoiled. Their overal attitude is horrible, always thinking they know whats best and whatever they do will be accepted and rewarded. This, however, is through no fault of the child but of the parents and caregivers that raised them. A writer from the Amrican Academy of Pediatrics states, From Californias soccer fields to the basketball courts of New York, sports-league organizers are beginning to question the practice of congratulating every kid on every team just for putting on a uniform. This just shows that people can see what participation trophies do to children. By giving them an award for participating and going through the motions will kill their entire motivation and want to do better. With these participation trophies they will fail and not kow how to handle it. With participation trophins theyll never learn to fail, without failure theyll nver learn to succeed. Just as eveyone says, the children are our future. If we continue to hand out awards for participatinon, theyll never learn and give up as soon as they are unable to complete a task. Technology doent make anything better as they get frustrated if something doesnt pop up as fast as they would like. The millennial generation is electroniclly sophisticated as Julie A. Ray from the Association for Childhood Education International states. With as many technological advancements as ther are in the world today, very few people have patience and its getting worse as time goes on. Having no patience is also a factor in weather anyone will continue to fail and succeed or just fail and never try again and expect a reward for onece again, going through the motions. You will never learn to do things to the best of your ability if you dont ever fail. Part of being human is learning to accept the fact that you will fail, weather it be one, three, ten, or even a hundred times before you succeed, you will fail. Michael Jordan, a retired professional basketball player and well reapected rolemodel, says, Ive missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. Ive lost almost 300 games. 26 times, Ive been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. Ive failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Jordan was not handed a trophy for missing 26 game winning shots, he was awarded a trophy for working hard and failing. Even though he failed he never gave up. He pushed and pushed and worked everyday until he was succesful, until he was able to make those game winning shots that everyone was depending on him for. When were not feeling overwhelmed, one highly sensitive person (HSP) told a reporter for a California newspaper, we can experience joy and love much more deeply than the nonHSP. (Christine Rosen) Raising children on paticipatin trophies will give them a higher risk of becoming a HSP. They wont know how to handle the conditions of life as it can be fast paced. In the real world, there is no one to hold your hand or tell you what to do and how to do it. You have to learn from your mistakes as well as everyone elses. If you are awarded a trophy for showing up and just being there and participating, you wont learn how to make a mistake and if we continue to hand out trophies like its candy, no one else will learn to make mistakes either. Once you are an adult and youre out on your own and you make a mistake and you fail, youll think that its all going to be okay, someone will come and fix it, once you realize no one is there to fix it and no one is going to be there to tell you its okay, youre going to feel like a failure, something that youve never felt before because for your entire life, everything has been handed to you. Handing out trophies like its going out of style is a big mistake. Children are our future, raising them on participation trophies will improve nothing, do nothing but destroy children and their future. As soon as they fail and realize that its not okay, they will no longer be confident in themselves or in anything that they do. Part of success is confidence in failure, knowing that you will succeed if you just try again , even if you fail more than youd like to admit. You will never get anywhere if you never try.

Five-Finger Discount Essay -- Shoplifting Stealing Security Retail Ess

Five-Finger Discount Every day, prices of products that we need continue to go up and up. Simple things like bread and tea go up for reasons that at first seem unknown. These High prices make it hard for many families to make ends meet. At the root of this problem there are many factors like inflation, over priced mark-up, and quantity of the product. But the one thing that should not lead to higher prices is shoplifting. Shoplifting is a plague that is sweeping this nation. Because shoplifting has become such a problem, stores are forced to raise prices to make up for lost sales. This is not their fault, however, few people put the blame where it belongs. The thieves that plague our economy are to blame and the stores have every right to try to stop these people at all costs. Many stores have gone to great lengths to stop shoplifters. Many install cameras to watch the store. That is what the black bubbles are on the ceiling in some of your favorite stores like Wal- mart and Biggs. They are continuously monitoring you and everything that you do. This is an attempt to watch people as they shop, in hopes that someone will be stupid enough to shoplift in front of a camera. There are many problems with cameras. For one thing there is always a blind spot in the system. A blind spot is an area in the security system that is not constantly being observed. This term usually refers to an area where the security camera can’t see. Big stores like Meijer and Wal-mart don’t ev...

Personality psychology Essay

Abstract Carl Gustav Jung has influenced many facets of modern psychology and counseling with his unique spiritual approach to personality theory. Herein lies a biographical address of Jung’s life, a comprehensive overview of the principle tenets of his personality theories, and a Christian evaluation of his work. Specific attention is given to comparing and contrasting Jung’s theory of a collective unconscious with a Christian’s understanding of the spiritual world. In addition, a guide is provided to Christians looking to mine Jung’s work for techniques that might help their clients, while at the same time avoiding others that cannot coincide with orthodox Christian beliefs. EVALUATING JUNG FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE Evaluating Jung From A Christian Perspective Carl Jung lived a very interesting life, and has provided the fields of psychology and counseling with valuable perspective and insight. A modern Christian psychologist or counselor would do well to mine Jung’s theories for useful application today. The difficulty is found in moving past Jung’s cloud of mysticism and properly applying orthodox Christian beliefs to Jung’s work. The Life Story of Jung Boyhood Carl Gustav Jung was born in 1875 in Kessnil, Switzerland (Jung, 1989). It is quite telling that very early in Jung’s autobiography he describes how he came to his understanding of Jesus as a boy. Jung (1989) described how the natural dangers around his home led to untimely deaths, how his father presided over these funerals, and how Jung lost trust in Jesus because Jesus allowed or caused these people to die. He admits, â€Å"In later years and until my confirmation, I made every effort to force myself to take the required positive attitude to Christ. But I could never succeed in overcoming my secret distrust† (Jung, 1989, pp. 13-14). Jung wrote his autobiography while he was in his eighties and only a few years before he died. Either Jung was a little boy particularly sensitive to his faith, or as an old man he superimposed some of his mature hostility to Christianity onto his memories of early life. Either way, it seems Jung would admit that he was never a Christian. Another strange phenomenon in Jung’s early life was a strange experience he described as occurring while he was around eight or nine years old and playing on a favorite rock he had: Often, when I was along, I saw down on this stone, and then began an imaginary game that went something like this: â€Å"I am sitting on top of this stone and it is underneath. † But the stone also could say â€Å"I† and think: â€Å"I am lying here on this slope and he is sitting on top of me. † The question then arose: â€Å"Am I the one who is sitting on the stone, or am I the stone on which he is sitting? † (Jung, 1989, p. 20) It is possible to dismiss this event as a child’s whimsy and miss the significant dissociative quality that affected Jung. As if Jung anticipated this, he follows this memory with another even more emphatic. He carved a two-inch long manikin out of his school ruler, dressed it, made a stone for it, and secretly hid it in his attic (Jung, 1989). His thoughts show how divided and anxious his personality had become. â€Å"No one could discover my secret and destroy it. I felt safe, and the tormenting sense of being at odds with myself was gone† (Jung, 1989, p.21). This introspective dialogue confirms Jung struggled with a personality disorder himself. Young Adulthood and Parents Not surprisingly, these two themes of distrust toward Christianity and an increasingly manifest disorder continued into Jung’s formative years. â€Å"As a school boy, Jung began to experience himself and be convinced that he was both the child he objectively seemed to be and also an authoritative wise old man who had lived in the eighteenth century† (Sollod, Wilson, & Monte, 2009, p. 157). According to Sollod et al. (2009) while trying to understand himself, Jung also struggled with understanding his parents and his home life. Jung’s father was a pastor of the Swiss Reformed Church who struggled with his own faith, and his mother seemed to possess two personalities. Sometimes she was a sweet mother and wife, and at other times she was a â€Å"witch, prophetess, and seeress who communicated with spirits† (Sollod et al. , 2009, p. 157). The two themes most obvious in young Jung are the same two themes that dominated the lives of his parents. EVALUATING JUNG FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE Adulthood. Later, Jung (1989) proved to be a good student and was considering a career as a medical man when he was strongly influenced by paranormal events in his house. Curious, he began to attend seances with his family and included these events in his doctoral thesis. After finishing that, Jung (1989) says, â€Å"On December 10, 1900, I took up my post as assistant at Burgholzi Mental Hospital, Zurich† (p. 111). It was there Jung became interested in the mentally ill and Freud’s work. Freud and Jung became close, and Jung learned much from Freud. However, a bitterness developed between them and they began to break apart. Sollod et al. explains: By 1913, the break with Freud and the Freudians had become permanent. As we have seen, this period also signaled Jung’s development of the most distinctive aspects of his own theorizing and his own personal voyage into the depths of what he termed the â€Å"collective unconscious. † (2009, p. 159) From this association and then public break with Freud, Jung and his ideas began to gain in popularity. He began to develop many independent theories in addition to the collective unconscious, but the basis of his personality theories remain rooted in Freudian thought. Still, most of Jung’s theories were inspired from his own personal, spiritual experiences (Boa, 2004, p. 97). Jung’s Theories The Collective Unconscious It is good to begin discussing Jung’s theories in relation to his break with Freud. We can draw from our understanding of Freud the concepts of psycho-sexual unconscious drives, repression, and the id, ego, and superego to gain an understanding of where Jung began. Jung looked deeper into the concept of the unconscious and found a collective element there: If we analyze the persona we remove the mask and discover that what appeared to be an individual is at bottom collective. We thus trace â€Å"the Little God of the World† back to his origin, that is, to a personification of the collective psyche. Finally, to our astonishment, we realize that the persona was only the mask of the collective psyche. Whether we follow Freud and reduce the primary impulse to sexuality, or Adler and reduce it to the elementary desire for power, or reduce it to the general principle of the collective psyche which contains the principles of both Freud and Adler, we arrive at the same result: namely, the dissolution of the personal into the collective. (Jung, 2008, p.38) Jung believed this collective unconscious was a natural result of the evolutionary process in humans, and therefore â€Å"is morally and aesthetically neutral and should not be regarded as an enemy to be avoided† (Boa, 2004, p. 97). Christian Response To The Collective Unconscious Jung’s collective unconscious might excite the Christian who is thinking of the biblical descriptions of angels, demons, heaven, hell, and the entire spiritual world. Is Jung tapping into a part of all of us that comprehends these spiritual things? Both the Christian’s understanding of the spiritual world and Jung’s collective unconscious are unseen. And both views believe all humanity participates or will participate in their unseen world. However, Jung’s view is specifically amoral, whereas Scripture describes God’s revealed morality for humans in the material world and angels and demons in the spirit world (2 Pet 2:410 NASB). For the collective unconscious to encompass all the Christian understands about the spiritual world, it would have to be under God’s authority and therefore moral. A Christian understands God as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent, and thus God would have sovereignty over the collective unconscious if it did exist. In addition, a Christian’s understanding of the spirit world is that it exists as a real space even though it cannot be seen. A Christian believes this spirit world cannot be entered by a human voluntarily. These two beliefs are antithetical to Jung’s understanding of the collective unconscious. Not only does Jung claim to have voluntarily entered the collective unconscious, but much of his later work is based on his return from this place including a mysterious little red book. His writings in that red book were very different from most of his professional work: Instead, the book was a kind of phantasmagoric morality play, driven by Jung’s own wish not just to chart a course out of the mangrove swamp of his inner world but also to take some of its riches with him. It was this last part – the idea that a person might move beneficially between the poles of the rational and irrational, the light and the dark, the conscious and the unconscious – that provided the germ for his later work and for what analytical psychology would become. (Corbett, 2009,  ¶ 16). The orthodox Christian is forced to conclude that Jung’s theory of a collective unconscious has no bearing on the reality of the spiritual world. Archetypes Jung, however, believed in the reality of the collective unconscious and devoted much of his life to its experience and study. From this work came his understanding of archetypes. He defined archetypes loosely as primal images and experiences shared in humanity’s unconscious world (Sollod et al. , 2009, pp. 161-162). These archetypes include names such as the Mother, the Trickster, the Shadow, the Hero, the Anima, and the Animus. Freud believed archetypes on the unconscious side and instincts on the conscious side combined to drive a human (Boa, 2004, p. 159). Or, put another way, Daryl Sharp (2001) explains an archetype is â€Å"†¦ a universal tendency to form certain ideas and images and to behave in certain ways. Instincts are the physiological counterparts of archetypes† (p. 14). The general and inclusive nature of the collective unconscious and archetypes made Jung popular among secular and religious spiritualists. Here was a theory they could united behind and put its tenets to work in a practical psychology. Christian Response To The Archetypes Jung easily used the idea of archetypes to interact with Christianity. All of the major historical figures and many icons associated with Christianity can all be explained through archetypes. However at its core Jung’s creation of archetypes is not compatible with Christianity as Boa (2004) explains: Disagreement exists among theologians as to whether Jung’s system repudiates or is compatible with Christianity, some arguing that it undermines biblical authority, and others claiming that it illuminates and enhances the Christian message. However, the psychological interpretation of Christianity in works like Symbols of Transformation and Answer to Job denounces the scriptural portrait of Yahweh and Christ and rejects traditional Christianity as inadequate for modern culture. (p. 101) The orthodox Christian must not reduce God to the status of one archetype among many, and is encouraged to view the historical figures mentioned in the Bible as literal. One may also study Jung further to read of his aversion to orthodox Christianity more clearly. Word Association Test. Whereas Freud relied on hypnosis and forcing a subject to concentrate to draw out unconscious tangles in a person, Jung developed a word association test. Jung would provide the subject with a card with a stimulus word written on it, would ask the subject to respond to the word, and would record reaction times. This method was very successful in identifying unconscious problems. Jung would later improve on this technique to measure more physical responses from the subject (Sollod et al. , 2009, p. 148). Christian Response To The Word Association Test. Jung’s word association test would be improved on and expanded to the many different versions of psychological tests we see today. This method, and methods like it, are useful in determining where a client might need to focus or might be hurting and not realize it. This test would be particularly useful with children or with clients who are unaware of the nature of their psychological baggage. Unlike the incompatable differences associated with the collective unconscious and archetypes theories, the word association test is a useful tool that any Christian should consider. The Introvert and the Extrovert. Jung also developed a model for understanding personality types by observing the differences between Freud and Adler. Jung believed there was a continuum between introversion and extroversion and that everyone fell on a different place on that continuum. Jung also broke those two general types into more specific types, and used this model to fit personalities into categories (Sollod et al. , 2009, pp. 166-171). Later Hans Eysenck, influenced by behaviorist and cognitive schools of thought regarding personality theory, expanded on Jung’s ideas of introversion and extroversion. He performed tests that partially confirmed the basis of Jung’s descriptions, and then described how the ideas Jung postulated had been around since the times of ancient Greece. Nevertheless, Eysenck’s evaluation and expansion of Jung’s work has led to an understanding of personality types that is useful today Sollod et al. , 2009, pp. 501-506). In addition, â€Å"Web sites based on the dimensions Jung outlined have proliferated, and one can find a number of well-researched tests of Jungian types. Foremost among these are the Myers-Briggs test and the Kiersey temperament survey† (Sollod et al. , 2009, p. 170). Christian Response To The Introvert and Extrovert Types Similar to the word association test, Jung’s formulation and the subsequent development of personalty type theories based on introversion and extroversion are helpful diagnostic tools. While observing the view that a human does not completely fit into a single personality type, and humans’ personalities change, these tools should be utilized in a modern psychology or counseling setting in addition to usual methods. A Christian can counsel another Christian with scripture in truth and love while better understanding that client in terms of their general personality bent. Summary There is no doubt that Carl Gustav Jung lived a troubled life and regularly interacted with the occult. Were he alive today, it’s likely the fields of psychology and counseling would treat him more as a patient than a contributor. Nevertheless, his ideas and views help shape each of those fields and influenced many others who also helped shape those fields. A Christian would do well to mine Jung’s life and work through a filer of orthodox belief. Even though Jung was a nonbeliever, a troubled man, and was hostile to orthodox Christianity, his unique insights are still useful in doing God’s will in today’s world. After studying Jung, a counselor is better equipped to help people. References Boa, K. (2004). Augustine to Freud: What theologians & psychologists tell us about human nature and why it matters. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group. Corbett, S. (2009, September 16). The Holy Grail of the Unconscious. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com Jung, C. (2008). The Conception of the Unconscious. In M. W. Schustack & H. S. Friedman (Eds. ), The Personality Reader, (2nd ed. , pp. 36-40). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Jung, C. (1989). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York: Vintage Books. Sharp, D. (2001). Digesting Jung: Food for the journey. Toronto, ON: Inner City Books. Sollod, R. N. , Wilson J. P. , & Monte C. F. (2009). Beneath The Mask? : An introduction to theories of personality (8th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry

Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry The influence of Christianity came to England from Ireland with the arrival of St. Augustine’mission. The ancient vernacular poetry unredeemed in its worldliness and paganism was sanctified by the Christianization of England. In consequence there was a marked change in the content and emotion of English poetry while leaving it form and general technique unaltered. Instead of seeking themes common to old-Germanic the Christianized Anglo-Saxons adopted a new world of Latin Christianity along with themes and attitudes common to entire Christian world.This enabled the Anglo-Saxon poets to work on Biblical stories, associating them with Hebrew imagination. The special class of poetry which is called Christian poetry and this religious poetry flourished in about the 8th century in North England. Alliterative verse came to the aid of clerkly Latin to give expression of the faith of the Laity and make it popular. The subject of the poet’s song is no w the story of Christ and the deeds of saintly heroes. Caedmon The English poet who took the first attempt to write poems on Christian themes was Caedmon.What scholars know of Caedmon's life comes from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. He is known best during the time fl. 658-680 AD. , and Bede tells us that he was an illiterate herdsman to a monastery of Whitby who one night in a dream learned how to sing beautiful Christian verses praising God's name. Following his dream, Caedmon became the foremost Christian poets. Earlier he had so little gift of song that he used to leave the feast when he found the harp approaching him he used to leave the feast.One night as he lay asleep in the stable a mysterious being appeared to him in his dreams and commanded him to sing. At his bidding Caedmon at once sang in praise of the Lord, the Creator, verses which he had never heard before. When he awoke he remembered these verses and made others like them. Thus the unlettered C aedmon was miraculously transformed into the first religious poet of England. Caedmon is remembered today for his poetic paraphrases of The Bible.He paraphrased in verse the book of Geneis, Exodus, Daniel and Judith. He is supposed to have sung about  creation of the world, the origin of man, his reign, of exodus, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Christ, the ascension of Christ into heaven, the advent of the Holy Ghost and the teaching of the apostles. He also sang of future judgement, the horrors of hell and the joys of heaven. Research and scholarship however, no longer admit all the poems attributed to Caedmon by Bede to be directly his work excepting the nine-lined poem quoted by Bede in his account of Caedmon’s first inspiration. Genesis A and B The most interesting of the poems in the Junius Manuscript is Genesis.Genesis A of 3000 lines is an account of Satan’s rebellion against God and his fall with the angels into Hell, narrating the subs tance of the first 22 chapters of the Biblical book of Genesis. The poem contains an interpolated passage of 600 lines strikingly different in language and style from the main body of the poem. This has been named Genesis B, a rudimentary Paradise Lost, describing the temptation of Adam and Eve, their Fall and Satan’s rebellion Exodus It relates to the escape of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea.It is boldly and vigorously written and has an older Epic note. It is written more in the convention of heroic poetry rather than scriptural lore. Exodus brings a traditional â€Å"heroic style† to its biblical subject-matter. Moses is treated as a general, and military imagery pervades the battle scenes. The destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea is narrated in much the same way as a formulaic battle scene from other Old English poems Daniel Daniel, as it is preserved, is 764 lines long. There have been numerous arguments that there was or iginally more to this poem than survives today.It is a paraphrase of the first five chapters of the Biblical book of Daniel. The poet uses his materials for homiletic purposes and tries to inculcate such Christian virtue. The primary focus of the Old English author was that of The Three Youths, Daniel and their encounters with the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II. Prosaic in tone, it also bears an interpolatory passage relating to the poem of Azariah. Judith The finest of the poem attributed to Caedmon is Judith of which a fragment of 350 lines, survive. It is a perfect poem full of action and passion.The Old English poem â€Å"Judith† describes the beheading of Assyrian general Holofernes by Israelite Judith of Bethulia. It is found in the same manuscript as the heroic poem Beowulf, the Nowell Codex, dated ca. 975-1025. The Old English poem is one of many retellings of the Holofernes-Judith tale as it was found in the Book of Judith, still present in the Catholic and Orthod ox Christian Bibles. What is certain about the origin of the poem is that it stems from the Book of Judith. After the Reformation, the Book of Judith was removed from the Protestant Bible.However, it is still present in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles. Similar to Beowulf, Judith conveys a moral tale of heroic triumph over monstrous beings. Both moral and political, the poem tells of a brave woman’s efforts to save and protect her people. Judith is depicted as an exemplar woman, grounded by ideal morale, probity, courage, and religious conviction. Judith's character is rendered blameless and virtuous, and her beauty is praised persistently throughout the poem.Cynaewulf Beside Caedmon, the other most important Old-English religious poet is Cynaewulf. Cynewulf lived roughly c.770-840 AD, yet very little is known about his life. The only information scholars have on Cynewulf's life is what they can discover from his poetry. Two of Cynewulf's signed poems were disco vered in the Vercelli Book, which includes Cynewulf's holy cross poem â€Å"Elene† as well as Dream of the Rood. Where many scholars will argue that all of the poems in the Vercelli are in fact Cynewulf's, the noted German scholar Franz Dietrich demonstrates that the similarities between Cynewulf's â€Å"Elene† and The Dream of the Rood reveals that the two must have been authored by the same individual.The four poems attributed to him trough his runic signatures are Christ. Juliana, Elene and The Fate of the Apostles. Unsigned poems attributed to him or his school are Andreas, St. Guthlac, The Phoenix, The Dream of the Rood. The four poems, like a substantial portion of Anglo-Saxon poetry, are sculpted in alliterative verse. All four poems draw upon Latin sources such as homilies and hagiographies (the lives of saints) for their content, and this is to be particularly contrasted to other Old English poems, e. g.Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel, which are drawn directly fro m the Bible as opposed to secondary accounts. Christ Of all his works the most important and popular poem is Christ, a fragmentary didactic poem in three parts – the first celebrating the Nativity, the second Ascension and the third Doomsday, narrating the torments of the wicked and the joys of the redeemed. Andreas and Guthlac These are poems related to lives of Saints. The first narrates the story of the adventures and sufferings and success of St. Andreas in his travels related to missionary work. Juliana and EleneThese are legendary stories of St. Juliana and the discovery of the True Cross by the mother of Emperor Constantine, St. Helena. They are poems with little artistic merit except for their adventurous element and the rareness in Anglo-Saxon poetry of being dedicated to women. In terms of length, Elene is by far the longest poem of Cynewulf’s corpus at 1,321 lines. It is followed by Juliana, at 731 lines, Christ II, at 427 lines, and The Fates of the Apostle s, at a brisk 122 lines. Three of the poems are â€Å"martyrolical,† in that the central character(s) in each die/suffer for their religious values.In Elene, Saint Helena endures her quest to find the Holy Cross and spread Christianity; in Juliana, the title character dies after she refuses to marry a pagan man, thus retaining her Christian integrity; in Fates of the Apostles, the speaker creates a song that meditates on the deaths of the apostles which they â€Å"joyously faced. † Elene and Juliana fit in the category of poems that depict the lives of saints. These two poems along with Andreas and Guthlac (parts A and B) constitute the only versified saints' legends in the Old English vernacular.The Ascension (Christ II) is outside the umbrella of the other three works, and is a vehement description of a devotional subject. The exact chronology of the poems is not known. One argument asserts that Elene is likely the last of the poems because the â€Å"autobiographica l† epilogue implies that Cynewulf is old at the time of composition, but this view has been doubted. Nevertheless, it seems that Christ II and Elene represent the cusp of Cynewulf’s career, while Juliana and Fates of the Apostles seem to be created by a less inspired, and perhaps less mature, poet.The Fates of the Apostles It deals with the various Christian Gospels in an Elegiac manner. It is the shortest of Cynewulf’s known canon at 122 lines long. It is a brief martyrology of the Twelve Apostles written in the standard alliterative verse. The Fates recites the key events that subsequently befell each apostle after the Ascension. It is possible that The Fates was composed as a learning aid to the monasteries. Cynewulf speaks in the first-person throughout the poem, and besides explaining the fate of each disciple, he provides â€Å"advice† and â€Å"consolation† to the reader.Cynewulf’s runic signature is scrambled in this poem so that the meaning of the runes become a riddle with no unequivocal meaning. Runic signature All four of Cynewulf's poems contain passages where the letters of the poet’s name are woven into the text using runic symbols that also double as meaningful ideas pertinent to the text. In Juliana and Elene, the interwoven name is spelled in the more recognizable form as Cynewulf, while in Fates and Christ II it is observed without the medial e so the runic acrostic says Cynwulf.The practice of claiming authorship over one’s poems was a break from the tradition of the anonymous poet, where no composition was viewed as being owned by its creator. Cynewulf devised a tradition where authorship would connote ownership of the piece and an originality that would be respected by future generations. Furthermore, by integrating his name, Cynewulf was attempting to retain the structure and form of his poetry that would â€Å"undergo mutations† otherwise. From a different perspective, Cynewu lf’s intent may not have been to claim authorship, but to â€Å"seek the prayers of others for the safety of his soul.†It is contended that Cynewulf wished to be remembered in the prayers of his audience in return for the pleasure they would derive from his poems. In a sense his expectation of a spiritual reward can be contrasted with the material reward that other poets of his time would have expected for their craft. The Phoenix The poem is about a mythical bird which burnt itself to be reborn from its own ashes, symbolic of Christian soul. The Dream of the Rood The poem is set up with the narrator having a dream. In this dream or vision he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified.The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections. In section one, the narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how wretched he is compared to how glorious the tree is. However, he comes to see that amidst the beautiful stones it is stained with blood In section two, the Cross shares its account of Jesus’ death. The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away.The tree learns that it is to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead the Christ comes to be crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind. It is not just Christ, but the Cross as well that is pierced with nails. The Rood and Christ are one in the portrayal of the Passion—they are both pierced with nails, mocked and tortured. Then, just like with Christ, the Cross is resurrected, and adorned with gold and silver. It is honored above all trees just as Jesus is honored above all men.The Cross then charges the visionary to share all that he has seen with others. In section three, the author give s his reflections about this vision. The vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross. It is the finest of religious poems in OE, the finest narrative of the Passion in medieval verse (late 7th century, later modified; preserved in the Vercelli Book). The tree of which the Cross was made relates the story the first English dream-poem Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry The influence of Christianity came to England from Ireland with the arrival of St. Augustine’mission. The ancient vernacular poetry unredeemed in its worldliness and paganism was sanctified by the Christianization of England. In consequence there was a marked change in the content and emotion of English poetry while leaving it form and general technique unaltered.Instead of seeking themes common to old-Germanic the Christianized Anglo-Saxons adopted a new world of Latin Christianity along with themes and attitudes common to entire Christian world. This enabled the Anglo-Saxon poets to work on Biblical stories, associating them with Hebrew imagination. The special class of poetry which is called Christian poetry and this religious poetry flourished in about the 8th century in North England. Alliterative verse came to the aid of clerkly Latin to give expression of the faith of the Laity and make it popular. The subject of the poet’s song is now the story of Christ and the deeds of saintly heroes.CaedmonThe English poet who took the first attempt to write poems on Christian themes was Caedmon. What scholars know of Caedmon's life comes from Bede's Ecclesiastical History of the English People. He is known best during the time fl. 658-680 AD., and Bede tells us that he was an illiterate herdsman to a monastery of Whitby who one night in a dream learned how to sing beautiful Christian verses praising God's name. Following his dream, Caedmon became the foremost Christian poets. Earlier he had so little gift of song that he used to leave the feast when he found the harp approaching him he used to leave the feast. One night as he lay asleep in the stable a mysterious being appeared to him in his dreams and commanded him to sing.At his bidding Caedmon at once sang in praise of the Lord, the Creator, verses which he had never heard before. When he awoke he remembered these verses and made others like them. Thus the unlettered Caedmon was miraculously transfo rmed into the first religious poet of England. Caedmon is remembered today for his poetic paraphrases of The Bible. He paraphrased in verse the book of Geneis, Exodus, Daniel and Judith. He is supposed to have sung about  creation of the world, the origin of man, his reign, of exodus, the incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection of Christ, the ascension of Christ into heaven, the advent of the Holy Ghost and the teaching of the apostles.He also sang of future judgement, the horrors of hell and the joys of heaven. Research and scholarship however, no longer admit all the poems attributed to Caedmon by Bede to be directly his work excepting the nine-lined poem quoted by Bede in his account of Caedmon’s first inspiration.Genesis A and BThe most interesting of the poems in the Junius Manuscript is Genesis. Genesis A of 3000 lines is an account of Satan’s rebellion against God and his fall with the angels into Hell, narrating the substance of the first 22 chapters o f the Biblical book of Genesis. The poem contains an interpolated passage of 600 lines strikingly different in language and style from the main body of the poem. This has been named Genesis B, a rudimentary Paradise Lost, describing the temptation of Adam and Eve, their Fall and Satan’s rebellionExodusIt relates to the escape of the Israelites and the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea. It is boldly and vigorously written and has an older Epic note. It is written more in the convention of heroic poetry rather than scriptural lore. Exodus brings a traditional â€Å"heroic style† to its biblical subject-matter. Moses is treated as a general, and military imagery pervades the battle scenes. The destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea is narrated in much the same way as a formulaic battle scene from other Old English poemsDanielDaniel, as it is preserved, is 764 lines long. There have been numerous arguments that there was originally more to this poem than sur vives today.It is a paraphrase of the first five chapters of the Biblical book of Daniel. The poet uses his materials for homiletic purposes and tries to inculcate such Christian virtue. The primary focus of the Old English author was that of The Three Youths, Daniel and their encounters with the Babylonian king  Nebuchadnezzar II. Prosaic in tone, it also bears an interpolatory passage relating to the poem of Azariah.JudithThe finest of the poem attributed to Caedmon is Judith of which a fragment of 350 lines, survive. It is a perfect poem full of action and passion. The Old English poem â€Å"Judith† describes the beheading of Assyrian general Holofernes by Israelite Judith of Bethulia. It is found in the same manuscript as the heroic poem Beowulf, the Nowell Codex, dated ca. 975-1025. The Old English poem is one of many retellings of the Holofernes-Judith tale as it was found in the Book of Judith, still present in the Catholic and Orthodox Christian Bibles.What is certa in about the origin of the poem is that it stems from the Book of Judith. After the Reformation, the Book of Judith was removed from the Protestant Bible. However, it is still present in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Bibles.Similar to Beowulf, Judith conveys a moral tale of heroic triumph over monstrous beings. Both moral and political, the poem tells of a brave woman’s efforts to save and protect her people. Judith is depicted as an exemplar woman, grounded by ideal morale, probity, courage, and religious conviction. Judith's character is rendered blameless and virtuous, and her beauty is praised persistently throughout the poem.CynaewulfBeside Caedmon, the other most important Old-English religious poet is Cynaewulf. Cynewulf lived roughly c. 770-840 AD, yet very little is known about his life.The only information scholars have on Cynewulf's life is what they can discover from his poetry. Two of Cynewulf's signed poems were discovered in the Vercelli Book, which i ncludes Cynewulf's holy cross poem â€Å"Elene† as well as Dream of the Rood.Where many scholars will argue that all of the poems in the Vercelli are in fact Cynewulf's, the noted German scholar Franz Dietrich demonstrates that the similarities between Cynewulf's â€Å"Elene† and The Dream of the Rood reveals that the two must have been authored by the same individual. The four poems attributed to him trough his runic signatures are Christ. Juliana, Elene and The Fate of the Apostles.Unsigned poems attributed to him or his school are Andreas, St. Guthlac, The Phoenix, The Dream of the Rood. The four poems, like a substantial portion of Anglo-Saxon poetry, are sculpted in alliterative verse. All four poems draw upon Latin sources such as homilies and hagiographies (the lives of saints) for their content, and this is to be particularly contrasted to other Old English poems, e.g. Genesis, Exodus, and Daniel, which are drawn directly from the Bible as opposed to secondary accounts.ChristOf all his works the most important and popular poem is Christ, a fragmentary didactic poem in three parts – the first celebrating the Nativity, the second Ascension and the third Doomsday, narrating the torments of the wicked and the joys of the redeemed.Andreas and GuthlacThese are poems related to lives of Saints. The first narrates the story of the adventures and sufferings and success of St. Andreas in his travels related to missionary work.Juliana and EleneThese are legendary stories of St. Juliana and the discovery of the True Cross by the mother of Emperor Constantine, St. Helena. They are poems with little artistic merit except for their adventurous element and the rareness in Anglo-Saxon poetry of being dedicated to women. In terms of length, Elene is by far the longest poem of Cynewulf’s corpus at 1,321 lines. It is followed by Juliana, at 731 lines, Christ II, at 427 lines, and The Fates of the Apostles, at a brisk 122 lines. Three of the poe ms are â€Å"martyrolical,† in that the central character(s) in each die/suffer for their religious values.In Elene, Saint Helena endures her quest to find the Holy Cross and spread Christianity; in Juliana, the title character dies after she refuses to marry a pagan man, thus retaining her Christian integrity; in Fates of the Apostles, the speaker creates a song that meditates on the deaths of the apostles which they â€Å"joyously faced.† Elene and Juliana fit in the category of poems that depict the lives of saints. These two poems along with Andreas  and Guthlac (parts A and B) constitute the only versified saints' legends in the Old English vernacular.The Ascension (Christ II) is outside the umbrella of the other three works, and is a vehement description of a devotional subject. The exact chronology of the poems is not known. One argument asserts that Elene is likely the last of the poems because the â€Å"autobiographical† epilogue implies that Cynewulf is old at the time of composition, but this view has been doubted. Nevertheless, it seems that Christ II and Elene represent the cusp of Cynewulf’s career, while Juliana and Fates of the Apostles seem to be created by a less inspired, and perhaps less mature, poet. The Fates of the ApostlesIt deals with the various Christian Gospels in an Elegiac manner. It is the shortest of Cynewulf’s known canon at 122 lines long. It is a brief martyrology of the Twelve Apostles written in the standard alliterative verse. The Fates recites the key events that subsequently befell each apostle after the Ascension. It is possible that The Fates was composed as a learning aid to the monasteries. Cynewulf speaks in the first-person throughout the poem, and besides explaining the fate of each disciple, he provides â€Å"advice† and â€Å"consolation† to the reader. Cynewulf’s runic signature is scrambled in this poem so that the meaning of the runes become a riddle w ith no unequivocal meaning.Runic signatureAll four of Cynewulf's poems contain passages where the letters of the poet’s name are woven into the text using runic symbols that also double as meaningful ideas pertinent to the text. In Juliana and Elene, the interwoven name is spelled in the more recognizable form as Cynewulf, while in Fates and Christ II it is observed without the medial e so the runic acrostic says Cynwulf. The practice of claiming authorship over one’s poems was a break from the tradition of the anonymous poet, where no composition was viewed as being owned by its creator. Cynewulf devised a tradition where authorship would connote ownership of the piece and an originality that would be respected by future generations.Furthermore, by integrating his name, Cynewulf was attempting to retain the structure and form of his poetry that would â€Å"undergo mutations† otherwise. From a different perspective, Cynewulf’s intent may not have been to claim authorship, but to â€Å"seek the  prayers of others for the safety of his soul.† It is contended that Cynewulf wished to be remembered in the prayers of his audience in return for the pleasure they would derive from his poems. In a sense his expectation of a spiritual reward can be contrasted with the material reward that other poets of his time would have expected for their craft.The PhoenixThe poem is about a mythical bird which burnt itself to be reborn from its own ashes, symbolic of Christian soul.The Dream of the RoodThe poem is set up with the narrator having a dream. In this dream or vision he is speaking to the Cross on which Jesus was crucified. The poem itself is divided up into three separate sections. In section one, the narrator has a vision of the Cross. Initially when the dreamer sees the Cross, he notes how it is covered with gems. He is aware of how wretched he is compared to how glorious the tree is. However, he comes to see that amidst the beautif ul stones it is stained with blood In section two, the Cross shares its account of Jesus’ death.The Crucifixion story is told from the perspective of the Cross. It begins with the enemy coming to cut the tree down and carrying it away. The tree learns that it is to be the bearer of a criminal, but instead the Christ comes to be crucified. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, refusing to fall, taking on insurmountable pain for the sake of mankind. It is not just Christ, but the Cross as well that is pierced with nails. The Rood and Christ are one in the portrayal of the Passion—they are both pierced with nails, mocked and tortured. Then, just like with Christ, the Cross is resurrected, and adorned with gold and silver. It is honored above all trees just as Jesus is honored above all men.The Cross then charges the visionary to share all that he has seen with others. In section three, the author gives his reflections about this vision. Th e vision ends, and the man is left with his thoughts. He gives praise to God for what he has seen and is filled with hope for eternal life and his desire to once again be near the glorious Cross. It is the finest of religious poems in OE, the finest narrative of the Passion in medieval verse (late 7th century, later modified; preserved in the Vercelli Book). The tree of which the Cross was made relates the story the first English dream-poem  Christ is portrayed as a young Germanic hero:Long years ago (well yet I remember)   They hewed me down on the edge of the holt, Severed my trunk; strong foemen took me, For a spectacle wrought me, a gallows for rogues. High on their shoulders they bore me to hilltop, Fastened me firmly, an army of foes!   ‘Then I saw the King of all mankind In brave mood hastening to mount upon me. Refuse I dared not, nor bow nor break, Though I felt earth's confines shudder in fear; All foes I might fell, yet still I stood fast.   ‘T hen the young Warrior, God, the All-Wielder, Put off his raiment, steadfast and strong; With lordly mood in the sight of many He mounted the Cross to redeem mankind. When the hero clasped me I trembled in terror,   But I dared not bow me nor bend to earth; I must need stand fast. Upraised as the Rood I held the High King, the Lord of Heaven. I dared not bow! with black nails driven Those sinners pierced me; the prints are clear,   The open wounds. I dared injure none. They mocked us both. I was wet with blood From the Hero's side when He sent forth His spirit. ‘Many a bale I bore on that hill-side Seeing the Lord in agony outstretched.   Black darkness covered with clouds God's body, That radiant splendor. Shadow went forth Wan under heaven; all creation wept Bewailing the King's death. Christ was on the Cross.It appears from a survey of Old English Christian poetry that the poets chiefly aimed at popularizing the holy writ and only occasionally added pious commentaries to the original.

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Essay Example

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Essay Example Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Essay Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare Essay I am ever directed by you – Mariana I am directed by you – Isabella. Both these lines are addressed to the Duke. What do they propose about adult females position in this drama? What other grounds can you happen to back up your position? Measure for Measure is a drama written by William Shakespeare in the 17th century which crucially presents the function of adult females. Womans were viewed as pure and were non expected to be promiscuous. but dependent on work forces with few options or picks.Shakespeare’s reading of adult females in Measure for Measure really much reflects society’s sentiment of adult females at the clip. where work forces had more freedom and should be given more respect than adult females. The society at that clip was a patriarchal 1. where a male was a considered a God like figure and finally the leader. and below him was the male monarch and so the Lords. However. although the society gave work forces more rights than adult females. Measure for Measure demonstrates that work forces besides had more duties.This is shown through the state of affairs with Claudio and Juliet. as although they are both every bit to fault for Juliet’s gestation. it is Claudio confronting the decease punishment. The adult females of Measure for Measure are by and large rather low in the ranks of importance and regard ; they are non spoken of with any importance. Juliet is the object of Claudio’s sexual release and Mariana is the long doomed forgotten bride-to-be of Angelo. who was abandoned by him when she lost her dowery in a shipwreck.The lone adult female who sort of interruptions the tendency of the humble adult females is Isabella. who has the bravery to stand up to Angelo for her celibacy. In the first half she is pushed between Angelo and Claudio while she decides what to make and decline to react Angelo’s progresss. so in the 2nd half. she takes her orders from the Duke which shows that on the other manus she is still obedient toward the Duke. following all of his instructions. In Act V. Scene 1. the Duke shows his sentiment of adult females when speaking to Mariana. he says: Why. you are nil so: neither amah. widow nor wife .Harmonizing to the Duke’s point of position. the other adult female who truly is free is Mistress Overdone as she earns her ain money and is able to acquire some freedom ; at least she doesn’t have to remain at place cookery. The chief female character in Measure for Measure is Isabella ; she represents a really pure female character. This is first seen at the start of the drama by the fact that she is developing to go a nun and by the strong Christian values she appears to hold. This is so emphasized subsequently when she is told her brother’s life will be saved if he agrees to kip with Angelo.She refuses this offer. puting her celibacy and her Christian values above her ain life. This illustrates that a woman’s pureness is extremely valued. while a adult female being promiscuous is non accepted. Mariana is another female character in the drama and she is rather different to Isabella. None of these three work forces. Angelo. Claudio or the Duke. seem to believe that her Choice matters- her organic structure is to be bargained for whether for lecherousness. life or love.When the duke asks Mariana to let him a private treatment with Isabella. she replies. I am ever bound to you . as if she is talking to an old friend. And once more. when the duke tells her he respects her. she answers that she knows it and has found it to be true. proposing a long-run relationship. This statement besides shows that she is his capable. The adjectival bound’ means that she is obliged to make as he wishes and besides compelled to make so. She uses the adverb always’ to him which shows that she will ever follow his illustration and will make his will in any status.Her absolute trust is manifested when she agrees to intrust her celibacy as the Friar asks. In the Jacobean society Shakespeare lived in. adult females would hold ever done as they were bid by order of work forces. but particularly if the order was given by a adult male of faith. These words show the absolute conformity that the Duke is able to derive through going a camouflage ( pseudo- ) mendicant. The Duke abuses this spiritual power to derive insight into people’s psyches for his ain terminals.He knows that Angelo wishes Isabella to give up the treasures’ of her organic structure and uses the two adult females to derive more power over Angelo. The same applies to when Isabella says to the Duke. I am directed by you . this statement besides shows how adult females respected work forces and how work forces were above in authorization. As mentioned above. there are no independent adult females in Measure for Measure. this is non unusual. sing the scene and Shakespeare’s ain epoch ; there are cocottes and nuns who are given no opportunity to command their ain lives most of all they seem to hold no pick in any affair.

Rapper Chuck D

Rapper Chuck D of the politically charged group Public Enemy once proclaimed that the Black Man did not land on Plymouth Rock as the white pilgrims are believed to have done, but instead Plymouth Rock landed on the Black Man. It had taken nearly four hundred years for the Black Man to climb from beneath this proverbial rock. Leading the climb during the civil rights movement was the Nation of Islam, the most influential and directional group in the history of Black America. The history of the Black American begins not in America, but in the Black Mans native continent; Africa. Some four hundred years ago the first Black Man was kidnapped from his home and forced onto a ship taking him to the unknown wilderness of North America. The first Black and the many that followed were to serve one purpose; the white mans slave. Here in North America the Black Man was to pick the white mans cotton, and tend to his every need. Slavery continued up until January 1st, 1863 with the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. The end of slavery was not the end of oppression, for another one hundred years the Black Man was forbidden to drink from the same fountain or even be educated in the same building as his white counterpart. These implications were due to Americas vicious segregation laws. Any Black man who chose not to comply with the rules of the South could expect harsh consequences, the worst of all being lynching. Elijah Muhammad often recalled hi! s experience with lynching to crowds. Young Elijah had come upon a group of white men trailing a Black man at the end of a rope ... they kicked and insulted him unceasingly ... when they reached a sturdy tree, one of the men untied the rope from the Black mans wrists and threw it over a branch. He formed the other end into a noose and slipped it around the Black mans neck ... the group then hoisted the victim ... from the ground. After the lynchers were sure the man was dead...