Friday, August 16, 2019

Counselor Essay Essay

Michael is a Case Manager within Spectrum Health hospitals and has been for four years. Michael is twenty-eight years old and enjoys doing his job although he has stated that it can be difficult at times. Michael stated that sometimes there is over time when other employees call in and case load can be heavy at times. Michael stated that every so often he has to wear a pager so employees within the hospital can get ahold of them when emergent issues arise. On call is every third weekend and four days out of each month where Michael is on call 24/7. As Michael punches in for the day, he meets with patients that are either just admitted or ready for discharge. Michael will help patients gain what they expect within the hospital so they will be pleased with the kind of care they received while in the hospital. Michael will also help patients that are ready to be discharged gain everything needed for their home after they are discharged. Things such as canes, walkers, commodes, home care , Dr. Visit’s, etc. As I asked if Michael has every experience burnout he stated that he has felt burned out before and even a little overwhelmed when he is placed on call for a few days. Michael has never thought about quitting his job but he has felt the need to take a few days off before just to gain a clear mind and get back to work. One stage of burn out Michael has experienced would be stage three in which that is frustration. Frustration comes within Michael when he is unable to complete every task that is expected of him. Michael has felt frustrated before when he is given too much and not enough time to complete every task. Michael strives to do his best within his position and sometimes that is not enough because as he gains too much work, he cannot spend the time needed with the patients to ensure proper  care is being achieved while the patient is in the hospital. Michael often sets up agendas for his work and how to get the work done in a timely manner so he does not get frustrated when things don’t get done or issues arise. Michael relieves frustration this way because he is able to visualize what he needs to do and what things to do first. Michael often takes times off from work in order to not get frustrated within his position. Michael will spend time with his family and while at home he will not speak of work so that he can enjoy family time and not think of work while relaxing. Burnout is defined as an internal psychological experience that involves feelings, attitudes, motives and expectations. Burnout means the energy of an individual has been consumed by helping others. Energy crisis occurs when the psychic demand exceeds the supply. Burnout is often experienced with a state of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion caused by a long-term involvement within an emotionally demanding situation. Burnout is often accompanied by physical depletion, feelings of helplessness, disillusionment, negative self-concept and negative attitudes toward employment, people and life in itself. Burnout represents a breaking point where it’s hard for an individual to cope with the environment surrounding them. Compassion fatigue is often caused by a work related stress and it is also an increase of loss in compassion over a period of time. Compassion fatigue can share similar symptoms of burnout but just not in an as severe way. There are many ways burnout can occur; Burnout often comes in blocks that include Role ambiguity or the lack of clarity concerning rights, responsibilities, methods, goals, status and accountability toward themselves. Role conflict is the significance of a  demand placed on the individual that are incompatible, inappropriate and inconsistent within the values or ethics. Role overload is the quantity and quality of demands placed on the individual that are too great. Inconsequentiality is the feeling of helplessness, the individual may feel that no matter what they do they are not good enough they gain little  recognition, accomplishment, appreciation or success. Isolation means that individual may lacking in support or has minimal support and the last one is Autonomy, where the ability to make decision on what they will do and how they will deal with their patients may be affected by their place of employment. Signs of burnout may include tardiness, dreading work, turning to drug s or alcohol, withdrawing from friends or family, clockwatching, depression, sudden change in weight, suicide or homicide thoughts or attempts just to name a few. Burnout also comes in stages, there are four main stages of burnout that can occur as an employee tries there absolute best within the position they have accepted within any organization. Stage one is enthusiasm, where the employee enters the job with high hopes and unrealistic expectations. If the employee is not tempered by orientations, training and realistic expectations the Human Service work may lead to the second stage which is stagnation. Stage two is stagnation, where the employee starts to feel that personal, financial, and career needs are not met. This may happen as the employee visualizes other employees moving on faster than themselves, an increase in pressure at home, financial obligations increasing and lack of employee reinforcement from doing the job well. As these are not met or taken care of, burnout can lead to the next stage of frustration. Stage three is frustration, where the employee may doubt their Caretaker Interview 5 effectiveness, values or impact of their efforts within the organization. One employee’s frustration may hold a domino effect toward others because the effect of burnout are contagious within an environment. Frustration can be dealt with by arranging workshops and support groups to increase awareness and generate problem solving as a group effort. If frustration is not taken care of within a positive manner, frustration can turn into Apathy. Stage four is Apathy, where the employee meets the feeling of actually being burned out. The employee may become immobile, in denial and may be in stage of crisis. As an employee meets this stage of burnout, psychotherapy may be needed to reverse the actions of burnout and to get the employee at a positive state of mind.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Three Cups of Tea: Story of Courage, Empathy, and the Will to Make a Change

Three Cups of Tea presents a remarkable story of courage, empathy and most importantly the will to help out and make a change. It takes us through the journey of a lifetime that Greg Mortenson experienced while embarking through Pakistan and Afghanistan. His incredible character and motivation helped change the lives of thousands of Pakistani citizens, but mostly those women and children. He accomplished this through building 141 schools across Pakistan, as in his mind an education is the most important thing a person can receive. Mortenson put all his own needs and wants behind himself in order to fulfill those of others. The road to all his success was not an easy one though. He had to overcome many barriers in his final goal of educating a developing world like that of Pakistan. The author believes that the barriers to educating the poor are social issues, financial issues and cultural differences, this paper will prove that to be correct as I will highlight some of the major events and problems he had to work though on his pathway to success. The Will to Make a Change In our world of today many people want to help out those in need and really make a difference before they leave this world. It’s really nice to say that, and many people do but only a select few actually take action and do it. In my opinion a lot of people just don’t know how to get started. How can they, just one person, start something big enough to impact the lives of so many people? So to get some insight lets go back to the very start of Greg Mortenson’s journey to improving the world in his own way. Mortenson came from a family that loved to travel and also had a great passion for helping others. His upbringing was what really helped shape his character and personality. He was born in America, but when he was very young his family moved to Tanzania, Africa. His father, along with others helped to build a teaching medical centre in Kilimanjaro, and his mother helped to build a school in Moshi. His parent’s great acts to help out others really influenced the way he looked at the world. Mortenson was a very active and adventurous person and had a passion for mountaineering. In 1993 he planned out a trek to climb the world’s second high peak, K2 in Kenya, along with 4 others. He planned this trip as a memorial to his sister who he had lost a few years earlier. After spending 70 days on the mountain they had to make a dramatic 72 hour life saving rescue for one of the other climbers. This took a lot out of Mortenson, physically and mentally which prevented him from making it to the top. So he began his descent, but took a wrong turn along the way, getting lost from the group. He ended up in a small and very poor village called Korphe. He was suffering from fatigue, dehydration, altitude sickness and vertigo. The village people took him in and did everything they could to care for him and ensure his well being. As he recovered he was blown away at their amazing hospitality and loving nature towards him. The village had no school and the kids tried to learn by writing in the dirt with sticks. Mortenson was shocked that these people had no resources to learn and improve their quality of life, a thing that so many people take for granted back in America. While he regained strength he wanted to help out those who had so greatly helped him recover. Mortenson had lots of medical training and so he used what little supplies he had to treat as many people as he could. He left the village leaving anything that could be helpful to these people such as pens, flashlights, small containers and even any clothes he wasn’t wearing. Before he departed to return home he made a promise, one that would forever change his life. He promised the Balti people of Korphe that he would build them a school. In his eyes education is the biggest factor in being able to be successful. Education is the stepping stone to improving your quality of life and being able to prosper. While doing research for the country comparison assignment I noticed that the developed countries such as Canada, who had very high education rates for both genders, had less high percentages in categories such as infant mortality, population, poverty level and literacy rate. I think that a big link between these things is educating women. Women are just as capable in any position as men, they just need the same resources. So he to give these people the same opportunities that everyone was getting back in America. So off he set home, with inspiration in his mind and hope in his heart. His main goal was to educate and empower women. I think that this is so important because throughout this course we have learned many reasons why educating women is so crucial for solving many of the world’s big issues. For example we learned that educating women can be a big factor in reducing the problem of overpopulation. There have been studies shown that if women in third world countries are educated they are less likely to have as many children and they will be more successful in the long run. Mortenson wanted to give them a chance to learn and prosper in such a male dominated part of the world. Upon arriving home to California, Mortenson was brought to reality where he really realised what he had done. While on the plane home he felt empowered and ready for such a challenge but back in America he felt stuck. This is usually the part that most people get to. They have some inspiration and great ideas to help but they don’t know how to take action. Or they realise how much work and money will be involved in the process of making a change. All that he owned to his name was a small storage locker with some possessions in it. He looked around at fancy business people walking down the streets, only concerned with when their next Starbucks break would be. He was going through culture shock, jet lag and just plain confusion. How can these people think their problems are so important when people halfway across the world are struggling just to get a basic education? Mortenson suddenly felt lost in his previous home. He didn’t fit in with these people. He wanted to be back in Afghanistan with, what was in his eyes, his real family. So to get there he had to tackle one of his biggest obstacles, money. He knew that he could get a job at the local hospital, as he had healthcare degrees from university, but he knew that this would not be enough. Before he had left he roughly estimated how much it the whole thing would cost. His estimate came to about $12,000. How on earth was he supposed to come up with this money? So Mortenson came up with an idea, he would get sponsors. So first he needed to get his message out and get eople aware and interested. Being not very technologically advanced, even in the year 1993, he rented a typewriter to write out letters to several famous people explaining his situation and asking for any donations. The only problem with typewriters is that if you make any mistakes you have to start over. After 5 hours of work he had only completed 4 successful letters. Since the letters would take him a lot longer tha t he had predicted he was saving in every aspect that he could. He lived out of his car and worked as many shifts as he could as a registered nurse at the local hospital ER. Whenever he wasn’t working he painstakingly typed out more letters and mailed them off to every important person he could think of. One day one of his problems was dramatically solved though, as he was introduced to a computer for the first time. He got a tutorial from a friend and was now was able to print out as many letters as he could think of people to send them to. Slowly things were looking up for him. His first donation came from students from his mom’s class who had organised a penny fundraiser, bringing in $623. 45. Out of all 580 letters he had sent out he only got one reply, along with a cheque for $100 and a wish good luck. Although he had received a couple donations, Mortenson felt like he was making little to no progress. Other famous climbers had foundations that had people knocking on their doors to give them thousands of dollars. Things also got rocky as his current girlfriend was getting annoyed at all the nights spent in the car and the tightness of cash. His situation dramatically changed one day as a friend of his suggested he visit a man named Dr. Jean Hoerni, a successful physicist who had made quite the fortune in his work. Hoerni was a no nonsense man, who greatly intimidated Mortenson. After a short phone call with Hoerni, Mortenson walked away $12,000 richer towards his school. So he sold the rest of his possessions to get extra cash for any miscalculations or emergencies. Finally he painfully drove his car to the dealership and sold his home for the past year to buy a plane ticket. So far he had completed phase one of his plan, raising enough funds. So as he boarded the plane he embarked on a journey that would forever change the course of his life. Never an Easy Route Greg arrived back in Afghanistan, fully determined and ready to start building his school. He had exactly $12,800 dollars, $12,000 for the school and $800 to get him through while building the school. He was on a strict budget, every rupee counted and anything wasted, in his mind, was just taking away books or pencils that he could buy for the students. Greg had some friends to help him was ready to jump right into it, but the way people operate there is much more relaxed than the fast paced American society. So after a couple days he was finally able to get started and gather materials. Mortenson wanted only the best materials for his school; he didn’t want it to crumble to the ground after a long hard winter. Although this became the first of many problems for him, this one being more of a social issue more than anything. People who be bought from didn’t know him or what he was doing. They just looked at him by his appearance, an American. To them he came from far away and did not know their culture and ways of life. So they could rip him off. Charge him high prices for cheaply made materials. Another problem with this part of the world is that everyone wants their share. If you’re paying me to transport the wood for you I get to keep some. This frustrated Mortenson as he had worked so hard and was on a very tight budget. He needed to remind himself though that this way just the way their world worked. Mortenson really wanted to connect with these people and was eager to learn about their culture and religious beliefs. Religion plays a huge role in the everyday lives of Muslims. They have several prayer times throughout the day where the whole city stops, no matter where they are, to pray. Mortenson knew this could be a touchy subject, but he finally asked one of his friends to show him how to pray. He struggled through it, not fully understanding the process but hoped to improve and really immerse into their culture. He wanted to be respected and wanted to be able to understand these people. Finally about a week after arriving, Mortenson was finally ready with all his materials to make the 3 day trek to the small, isolated village of Korphe to build his school. After purchasing all his materials his financial situation was even lower than he had expected, which posed as a possible big problem, leaving small room for error. The journey to Korphe was in itself a whole story. Upon arriving in Korphe he was very kindly greeted by hundreds of village people. They were surprised yet happy to see him. Many climbers come through their villages and make promises to them that rarely get fulfilled. Here before them was Greg, who was ready to build them a school, to give them the gift of education. As he discussed plans with the village leaders, he was presented with what would be the biggest problem to date. They wanted the school to be built inside the village of Korphe. Mortenson had planned for it to be built just outside the village as the only way into the village was across a small rickety pulley system that went over a large ravine with the Braldu River running through it at the bottom. The village leaders thought it would be most beneficial for them to be able to be connected with the outside world if they were to build a bridge, and that way they would also be able to transport all the materials across the bridge into the village. This would cause Mortenson a lot more work and a lot more funding. He also agreed that it would be a good idea to connect them with the outside world a bit more though, as they were very isolated. Almost a full year later Mortenson had finally succeeded in building a school, and a bridge for the village of Korphe. He felt amazing. He really knew how much this would help their people and how much it would impact their lives. Mortenson didn’t want to stop here though. So with the financial help of his close friend Jean Hoerni he was able to start a foundation called Central Asia Institute or CAI. Hoerni gave him a large donation to start off, but that wouldn’t last forever. So whenever Mortenson was back in America he would travel around to give presentations in hopes of getting some donations. This was another barrier for him, as it was difficult to get people interested and he has quite the fear of public speaking. Sometimes he would be in a venue with 500 chairs set up and he would be presenting to only 3 people. It became even more difficult to get people interested after 9/11 happened. No one wanted to help him. Everyone questioned why he wanted to help these people. Mortenson received hate letters and even death threats constantly. This greatly frustrated him as they didn’t know the individual hardworking and kind people that he knew. They were judging a whole population off one extremist group. It was unfair to these people who did nothing wrong. He lost a lot of the support that he previously had from his own country. This was a huge social issue for him as now his own people didn’t understand what he was doing. Even today in 2013, 12 years after the 9/11 attacks people still judge Islamic people and look down upon them. I think when most people hear the term terrorist the associate it with an Islamic person, which is extremely racist and unfair towards these people. What Mortenson was able to realize was that at the end of the day, they are just the same as us. They want the best for their kids. They want to enjoy life, family and friends. Yes, there are cultural differences but when it comes down to it we are all humans on the same Earth. There are extremist groups in any culture, and it is unjust to blame a whole society of people for a small groups actions. Regardless of this Mortenson was still able to keep going with his projects in Pakistan and was building schools at a very fast rate. People were contacting him from all over wanting him to build schools in their villages. Along with building schools he also built community centers for people to go, with resources like sports and libraries. He gave special donations to certain people who contacted him personally who wanted money for further studies. In one particular case he funded a young woman who went on to do a 4 month medical course. With this she was able to return to her village and help out so many people. People there no longer had to worry of death from something as small as a cold. The women even said that there is not a single person in the area that believes that women should not be educated. People were starting to realize the importance and great benefits of educating women. She couldn’t believe the progress and improvement it had made for her own life and the lives of so many people she was able to save because of it. She wants to pass on her training and education to other women in hope that it can benefit them as well. There were a couple personal stories like this throughout the story which gave a great perspective on the actual effect of Mortenson’s work and how it really helped. His project to educate the poor was really working, and had successful examples of people that it helped out significantly. In the long run I think that what Mortenson is doing can greatly help out their economy. He has set them on a pathway for a more bright and prosperous future by giving them so many resources to succeed. Impact for the Future Greg Mortenson had so far successfully built 141 schools across Pakistan. He started as a small organization of one person typing out letters in hopes to get donations and build one school. That has turned into so much more. The impact that he has made is just incredible. Without him so many kids would grow up with no bright future and living in extreme levels of poverty. He gave them purpose and reason to keep going. His motivation and great attitude can serve as an inspiration everyone. He encountered so many barriers, whether it be social, financial, political or religious. Mortenson did so much more than just build schools. He really changed the opinions of so many Pakistani people. Before he came, they had a preconceived idea of Americans. In a country so corrupt like Pakistan the people have little opportunities to learn. Most people, especially in rural areas don`t have access to the internet or incoming media. All their beliefs come from word of mouth, and higher powers within their government. The Taliban gave a horrible impression of Americans. They painted a picture of evil people who were someone that they should hate. The people believed them, having no other sources for information. When Mortenson first came in, there were many social and political barriers he had to overcome. He was even captured at one point and held hostage for several days before being released. People saw him and immediately didn`t like him. They judged him on the sole fact of what he looked like, an American. After a while, when word got around of what he was doing, this slowly started to change. People got wind of the fact than an American was here, in their own country to help them out. This confused them. Weren`t Americans bad? Slowly their opinions were changed. The Taliban wasn’t building schools for them and educating their people. All they were doing was causing more conflict and stress to their lives. The American was here helping them and improving their lives. People gained more respect for Americans and less for the corrupt power that was doing nothing for them. He changed the lives of many, changed their impressions and gave people hope. He managed his whole foundation with very little help. He didn’t have a secretary for the longest time, and he made all arrangements himself. He has almost single handily created a movement for educating and inspiring people in such a corrupt, developing nation. He is a true hero of our century. Conclusion Reading the novel Three Cups of Tea has really given me a better perspective on different types of culture and ways of life. I feel more educated and enlightened on many topics now. I feel as though I have a much better understand on many of the conflicts occurring in the Middle East. It really gave an unbiased view rather than what we hear from the media daily. I feel as though I really know both sides of the story now when I hear different stories published in the news. Greg Mortenson was brave to publish his story, but I’m glad that he did as it is an incredible one that should be praised. I would even go so far as to say that I think he would be a deserving candidate of a Nobel Peace Prize. Throughout reading the novel and writing the report I was able to connect it to many stories we read about in class and different discussions that we had. I could compare it to many different social, political, economic and environmental issues that occurred throughout the novel. It was interesting to get an insider view on their ways of life and how they live their daily lives.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Learning Styles and Theories Essay

There are multiple learning styles and theories that apply to individuals in multiple ways. The VARK learning style that my analysis revealed is read/write according to the questionnaire by Fleming (2001-2014). This categorization of my learning style compliments me well and I definitely agree that actually seeing the information spelled out in front of me allows me to better understand the information. The two learning theories that relate to my VARK learning style are behaviorism and constructivism. Behaviorism focusing on a clear goal with an automatic response and constructivism affording me the ability to problem solve. Being an andragogical learner I’m able to apply what I’ve learned during my pedagogical phase to my educational experiences. Let’s take a closer look at what behaviorism entails. Behaviorism focuses on the observable changes in behavior. Moreover, it’s the act of doing something new several times until it’s second nature. A prime example is while completing schoolwork the instructor provides continuous positive reinforcement; depending upon the grade the student will constantly modify their behavior until they receive positive reinforcement. According to Watson (n.d.) behaviorism’s goal is to explain relationships between precedent conditions (stimuli), behavior (responses), and consequences (reward, punishment, or neutral effect). Without the positive reinforcement the learned responses that the student exhibits will diminish. My VARK learning style relates to behaviorism by me receiving positive reinforcement through written praise; additionally, with good grades I will continue performing at the same level. Once I’ve developed an understanding of how a task needs to be accomplished I will tailor my actions towards that behavior to continue to receive that positive reinforcement and it becomes second nature. Along with observable changes in behavior, one-step further looks into constructivism and it’s aim on brain-based learning. Constructivism relies on what the learner already knows and the understanding of the subject at hand. Moreover, building new ideas or concepts are based upon current knowledge and past experiences and amplifies when actively engaged. According to Brunner (n.d.) the three stages of  intellectual development are enactive, iconic, and symbolic. Enactive is learning through actions on physical objects and the outcomes, iconic learning is through models and pictures, and lastly symbolic learning is the ability to think in abstract terms (Brunner, n.d.). Constructivism relates to my VARK learning style in the aspect that learning is ongoing and by reading and writing I’m constantly improving my skills and perception. There can be multiple interpretations of an excerpt of literature, therefore by having someone facilitate the learning process with the knowledge of my baseline understanding of the topic at hand that person can build upon it. Thus, my VARK learning style suggests I write out words repeatedly or read them to myself, which goes along with reviewing information multiple times, and learning takes time according to the principles of constructivism. As an adult learner my identified VARK learning style affects my educational pursuit positively. Falling into andragogical learning realm I have more experiences and therefore I can apply those experiences while learning. Adult learners take on the responsibility to be self-directed, and have a wealth of experience that enables them to transform information into meaningful cognitive and reality-based applications (Minter, 2011, p. 9). In retrospect the pedagogical concept requires the instructor to be more directive, placing students in a more passive role, and that students don’t have the motivation or maturity to be self-directed learners (Minter, 2011, p. 9). Applying active learning concepts such as reading and writing allows me to actively be categorized under the andragogical concept. Moreover, by writing and speaking the words to myself and reflecting to solve problems I’m practicing the concept of self-directed and problem-centered aspects of andragogical learni ng. Therefore, I will be able to apply my VARK learning style to complete my educational endeavors and continue on my path of success. The three learning theories of Behaviorism, Cognitivism, and Constructivism can be applied to any of the four learning styles (visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic). I feel that we cannot generalize that a student will be classified solely under one learning style, they will adapt and apply what is more appropriate given the information or circumstances.  The learning theory used depends upon the learning situation. Being identified as an andragogical learner I’m able to apply life experiences, need to know, relevance of the subject matter and how it applies to me, and use my motivation to further my educational goals with the guidance of instructors that are more like facilitators. Malcolm Knowles paved the path for educators and students alike that entail specific learning principles to enable learners to thrive educationally and without his significant contribution who knows where we would be today. References Bruner, J. (n.d.). Constructivism & Discovery Learning. Retrieved from http://www.lifecircles- inc.com/Learningtheories/constructivism/bruner.html Fleming, N. D. (2001-2014). Retrieved from http://www.vark-learn.com/english/index.asp Minter, R. (2011). The Learning Theory Jungle. Journal of College Teaching and Learning, 8(6), 9. Watson, J. B. (n.d.). Behaviorism. Retrieved from http://www.lifecircles-inc.com/Learningtheories/behaviorism/Watson.html

Analyzing Romanticism in Pushkins The Shot

Analyzing Romanticism in Pushkin's "The Shot" A theme that is immediately apparent in Pushkin’s The Shot is â€Å"the noble man with a romanticized view of life†. This theme was common during the Romantic Era, the period in which Pushkin wrote, but is important for more than historical reasons; in many ways, such romanticization guides the entire experience of reading Pushkins storyline. As it often did, this theme takes place in an emotionally charged, descriptive narrative. Yet the true importance of Pushkins romanticism, here, is the manner in which romantic ideals guide the life of the Silvio, the character central to The Shot. From the onset of the story, Pushkin makes his protagonotist an outsider. While he lives in a military outpost surrounded by Russian men, his name is â€Å"Silvio†, which is clearly not of Russian origin. He is older than the rest of the men and has mysterious qualities to him. His personality traits are paradoxical; he is inviting and keeps the door to his home open for all, yet mentally he is aloof from the rest. This aloofness makes the other men simultaneously respect and fear him. Pushkin wrote that â€Å"nobody knew what his circumstances were, or what his income was, and nobody dared to inquire about them† (23). While Silvio keeps his life separate from everybody else’s, the other men all scramble to understand what makes him seem so powerful. Pushkin makes the reader curious about this aloof character when he writes that Silvio’s walls â€Å"were riddled with bullet holes, and were like a honeycomb in appearance† (23). The idea of a noble ou tsider is already romantic and embodies the greater romantic theme of the isolated, heroic man. The reader knows from the start that there is something heroic about Silvio. Even his name sounds subjectively heroic. Pushkin writes that â€Å"nobody knew the reasons that had prompted him to resign his commission and settle down in a wretched little town† (22), making it clear that Silvio’s life was once much more important. Silvio also rejects material wealth; his â€Å"rich collection of pistols was the only luxury in the wretched mud-walled cottage in which he lived† (23). Even before the Romantic Period, going back to religious philosophy in Buddhism and Christianity, people who rejected their material wealth were historically viewed as heroic. Heroism stemming from individuality was an important theme in literature during The Romantic Era because it paralleled the surrounding environment that Romantic Era authors lived in. Many authors writing during the Romantic Era, such as Pushkin, experienced oppression from their government and expressed their free will through writing. Writers would often brighten their otherwise bleak reality by writing imaginative stories where an outsider, just like them, stood up against a formal, oppressive lifestyle to live passionately. The setting of this novel parallels Pushkin’s own struggle to do that; a group of men are entrapped in a monotonous military outpost where â€Å"there was nothing to look at but each other’s uniforms† (22) and they create a more arousing life for themselves by regarding Silvio as â€Å"the hero of some strange tale† (24). Silvio is a hero to them because he practices individuality in an otherwise conformist setting. Pushkin continues to slowly reveal more details about Silvio’s life to the reader. The reader finds out that Silvio had once entered a duel that ended in an unusual way. Pushkin romanticizes this duel in its entirety. At the beginning of the duel, Silvio offers the first shot to his opponent, who would not agree to take it (27). A duel in which one’s life is at stake is not the time to try to be heroic, or, I guess in the case of a Russian Romanticist novel, it’s the perfect time. Next, Pushkin focuses on psychology and introspection, giving the reader a glance into the thoughts of a man that is about to shoot another man. When telling his story to the narrator, Silvio says: â€Å"He stood in range of my pistol, selecting ripe cherries from his cap and spitting out the stones so that they almost fell at my feet. His indifference infuriated me. ‘What’s the use’, I thought, ‘of depriving him of his life when he sets no value upon itâ€⠄¢Ã¢â‚¬  (27)? While duels are considered barbaric in the present day, Pushkin presents the duel as a showcase of pride and sentiment that is valued above a victory. The reader ultimately finds out that Silvio was waiting to finish the duel when his opponent began to value his life. Silvio waited five years for his opponent to become a happily married man, and every day during those five years he practiced his shooting skills. When Silvio continues the duel, he ends it by forcing his opponent to shoot at him, and then tells his opponent, â€Å"I am satisfied. I have seen your alarm, your confusion; I forced you to shoot at me, and that is enough. You will remember me. I commit you to your conscience† (32). Silvio waited to not even take this man’s life, but to make this man remember him indefinitely. Silvio then took a shot, marking a bullet hole above the one his opponent made, showing that his opponent’s life may well have been his. Knowing that Silvio had trained five years to become a perfect shot just to nobly let his opponent keep his life makes the ending emotionally charged and romanticizes the ideals of honor and pri de. Works Cited Gibian, George. The Shot. The Portable Nineteenth-century Russian Reader. New York, NY, U.S.A.: Penguin, 1993. 22-33. Print.

Tuesday, August 13, 2019

Fix Them or Fire Them Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fix Them or Fire Them - Case Study Example In this case, based on the fact that employee training and development programs are expensive to sustain especially if the business has a short employee turnover rate. To the company, regular expenses aimed at training employees make it a problem for employers to fire their employees rather than fix them. Fixing an employee involves the provision of counselling and motivation to do their work. During counselling, the author describes a situation where an employer meets with an employee to discuss the employee’s performance. Based on the employee’s input and output, the employer can compare the performance of that particular employee against the standard acceptable levels (11). The employee is then asked to provide a detailed self-analysis regarding the poor performance. If a clear set of reasons is established, the employer is able to make an informed decision to manage the employee such that he/she is able to deal with the factors influencing poor performance to ensure that the employee retains his work and the training and development costs of hiring new employees are managed. In the counselling of employees, employers or managers are required to remember various things among them the nature of the job, the performance record of the employee, the current and desired employee motivation, role of management in influencing good or bad performance, and the general welfare of the employee. With reference to employee motivation, managers or employers are required to remember that poor performance may not be caused by the employee. As a matter of fact, employees may lack job satisfaction at the current workplace based on their capabilities and how much they utilize their potential. Additionally, when the company thrives at ensuring that employees meet specific business goals. However, to ensure that the goals are achieved, and development is sustained, employers or managers must ensure that their employees have access to information and resources that

Monday, August 12, 2019

Anthopologist Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Anthopologist - Term Paper Example Migration is the movement of people from one country to another for causes that are either for greener pasture or opportunities; desire to enjoy democratic freedom from conflict situations or for education, retirement or pleasure for new climate; and for a taste of better political hegemony. In United States, the pattern of migration developed anent with geopolitical expansion of United States of America in other major regions of the world. This is reflected to the kind of nationals US have these days who came from different poles of the world with distinct cultural structures, historical roots, political affiliations, economic characters and social contexts. A typology of immigrants showed that they came from Europe, Asia, Latin America and other areas of the world. They all leave their families, properties and the culture which molded them to wander into larger communities that require major adjustments in lifestyles despite uncertainties, of new laws, norms and social structures t hat could either assimilate them or marginalize them. Immigration therefore poses a challenge on how social relationship and interactions are accommodated in the mainstream of American society with comforting sense of belongingness. Many stories depict sad and great tales about issues on racial and identity that may relate to white’s colonial expansion and economic exploitation or to racial discrimination of African blacks which took a Hegelian success toward tribal unification and struggle for independence. This proved that migrants passed historic prejudicial processes which segregated them from the white in an ideation that their skin and identities are stamped with inferiority. This prejudice is a position made by dominant race with an imposing feeling and thought of disliking another person due too their native social characters. If such is actually manifested in behaviors by disqualifying or mistreating other people on the basis of membership, this becomes discriminatio n. The latter evolves into an institutional discrimination if prejudice and marginalization are done systematically as a state policy. A classic example of this case is the ironclad separation of black and white due to Apartheid policy—a law that socially segregate people by custom and laws and from black and white. This created problems on integration, organizational affiliation, access to the use of social facilities, and therefor cause disparities, inequalities or inequities in economy, politics or decision-makings, stature of very lives, distrust in social relations and, ergo, causing ethnocentrism and interracial conflicts in various forms. The situation inspired on US administrators to dialogue about migration, race and ethnicity in search for common ground and to recognize common values such as freedom, rights, fairness, security and justice in response to growing demands of immigrants for the state to look seriously into. The series of national dialogues also situate perspectives whether race is a significant issue in America and about the deep impact of ethnicity in the process of integrating and mainstreaming new people into American fold. Such meant a discursive discussion about accessing and providing equal opportunity and equal protection, education, jobs, health care and in availing for justice under the law. It also motivated America to enhance their understanding of migrant’s history by highlighting in dialogues the experiences of Natives, Afro-Americans, Latinos,

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Unit V AAssessment#3 Oxidative Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Unit V AAssessment#3 Oxidative Stress - Essay Example In order to eavaluate thr ability of particulate air pollution to promote oxidative stress, six adult pathogen free Sprague-Dawley rats were obtained from Taconic Farms in New York,USA, and fed with conventional laboratory diet and water ad libium.Three of the rats were exposed to filtered air (control group) and the other three were exposed to concentrated ambient particles (CAPs). Throughout the study, all rats were awake and unrestricted. At 1, 3 and 5 hours, two rats: 1 from filtered air and 1 from CAPs , were removed and analysed. The rats that were exposed to CAPs aerosols for 5 hours showed significant oxidative stress. The rats showed significant increase in lung and heart water content (about 5% , p According to Gurgueira, et al., (2002 p.260), the generation of ROS can induce cellular oxidative stress and biological effects,including DNA damage.In most aerobic cells, electron –transport chains are located in mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum . The electron –transport chains are the major source of ROS produced in vivo (Gurjar, et al., 2010: p.190). Gurgueira, S. A., Lawrence, J., Coull, B., Murthy, K. G. G., & Gonzà ¡lez-Flecha, B. ( 2002). Rapid increases in the steady-state concentration of reactive oxygen species in the lungs and heart after particulate air pollution inhalation. Environmental Health Perspectives, 110(8),