Slavery Essays (1055 words) - Slavery In The United States, Slavery

Slavery In London in June of 1606, King James I, the reigning monarch of England, issued what would forever change the lives and destiny of the world. The king granted a group of entrepreneurs a charter, allowing them to settle the vastly unknown lands of the newly discovered continent of America. In 1607, a group of ill-suited settlers landed in the Chesapeake region of North America and established the colony of Jamestown. Ravaged by starvation, disease, and natives, the hapless settlers found little success in the early years of the colony. Only through John Smith's leadership and poise did the colony manage to survive the first few grueling years. John Rolfe's contributions ultimately saved the colony, as he was able to tame and cultivate tobacco. The settlement became dependent on farming various products. As England's insatiable appetite grew, Jamestown grew to large-scale farming techniques such as plantation agriculture. It soon became evident that a steady work force would be needed to keep up with the demand of Europe. In 1619, an institution was introduced to the colony that would forever challenge the posterity of the land, altering the scope of future American society for years to come. It is in this year that the first few African slaves arrived in the unknown continent of America. Slavery became firmly established in southern society, relied upon for economic well-being. Through years of degradation, the slaves continued their lives of discrimination and humiliation. Yet these people survived the years of oppression, creating an incredible culture that lasted through their tumultuous existence in America. The evil of slavery reared its ugly face throughout early United States history. The push for freedom grew with the aid of abolitionists who attempted to root out a corruption that appeared to consume their benevolent country. In this sea of trouble, Frederick Douglas arose to fight against this demon seed of slavery. His detailed account of his life as a slave touched the hearts of abolitionists and helped to fan the flame that would destroy this debauched institution. Frederick Douglas' narrative was a weapon that helped many Americans understand slave life and culture and the depravity of their lives through his attempt to invoke sympathy from his readers. The lives and culture of these slaves give testament to the everyday struggle and helped the call for complete abolition. Plantation life was a harsh existence for slaves. Master and slave relationships varied from different plantations. Some masters thought of themselves as having a parental role for the slaves, providing them food and shelter in exchange for a day's work. Yet other masters gave no hint of remorse or feelings towards the slaves and often inflicted great emotional and physical hardships upon them. In either case, the slave system was based on the control of one race over the other based on racial discrimination and moral injustice. Frederick Douglas' autobiography gives a first-hand account as to the life of a slave. Like Douglas, many slaves had more than one master. Often times many smaller masters had small farms all of which was on the property of one master. Each of the smaller masters had what Douglas called overseers (p. 41). The overseer's job was to control the duties and everyday tasks of the slaves. Usually the overseer is the one that delivers the punishment to the slaves. T his person is one of the most despised on the plantation because of their cold-hearted, unwavering hatred towards the slaves. The slaves were valued as property, and their meager existence outlines their struggle of everyday life. In the life of slaves, few things were as important as the family. For a person that is given few possessions, they grappled on to their relationships with their fellow captives. Slaves were not allowed to marry legally, yet they were often permitted to start families and raise children. When they were separated from family members, as was often the case, they experienced grave emotional anguish. The slaves were forced to work in the fields all day under the watchful eyes of the overseer. They served a menial existence, being given the bare necessities of food, water, and some clothing. In their small dwellings, a slave family adopted gender roles similar to

Definition and Examples of Decorum in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Decorum in Rhetoric In classical rhetoric, decorum is the use of a style that is appropriate to a subject, situation, speaker, and audience. According to Ciceros discussion of decorum in De Oratore (see below), the grand and important theme should be treated in a dignified and noble style, the humble or trivial theme in a less exalted manner. Examples and Observations Decorum is not simply found everywhere; it is the quality whereby speech and thought, wisdom and performance, art and morality, assertion and deference, and many other elements of action intersect. The concept underwrites Ciceros alignment of the plain, middle, and elevated oratorical styles with the three main functions of informing, pleasing, and motivating an audience, which in turn extends rhetorical theory across a wide range of human affairs.  (Robert Hariman, Decorum. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press, 2001) Aristotle on Aptness of Language Your language will be appropriate if it expresses emotion and character, and if it corresponds to its subject. Correspondence to subject means that we must neither speak casually about weighty matters, nor solemnly about trivial ones; nor must we add ornamental epithets to commonplace nouns, or the effect will be comic... To express emotion, you will employ the language of anger in speaking of outrage; the language of disgust and discreet reluctance to utter a word when speaking of impiety or foulness; the language of exultation for a tale of glory, and that of humiliation for a tale of pity and so on in all other cases.This aptness of language is one thing that makes people believe in the truth of your story: their minds draw the false conclusion that you are to be trusted from the fact that others behave as you do when things are as you describe them; and therefore they take your story to be true, whether it is so or not.(Aristotle, Rhetoric) Cicero on Decorum For the same style and the same thoughts must not be used in portraying every condition in life, or every rank, position, or age, and in fact a similar distinction must be made in respect to place, time, and audience. The universal rule, in oratory as in life, is to consider propriety. This depends on the subject under discussion and the character of both the speaker and the audience...This, indeed, is the form of wisdom that the orator must especially employto adapt himself to occasions and persons. In my opinion, one must not speak in the same style at all times, nor before all people, nor against all opponents, not in defence of all clients, not in partnership with all advocates. He, therefore, will be eloquent who can adapt his speech to fit all conceivable circumstances.(Cicero, De Oratore) Augustinian Decorum In opposition to Cicero, whose ideal was to discuss commonplace matters simply, lofty subjects impressively, and topics ranging between in a tempered style, Saint Augustine defends the manner of the Christian gospels, which sometimes treat the smallest or most trivial matters in an urgent, demanding high style. Erich Auerbach [in Mimesis, 1946] sees in Augustines emphasis the invention of a new kind of decorum opposed to that of the classical theorists, one oriented by its lofty rhetorical purpose rather than its low or common subject matter. It is only the aim of the Christian speakerto teach, admonish, lamentthat can tell him what sort of style to employ. According to Auerbach, this admission of the most humble aspects of daily life into the precincts of Christian moral instruction has a momentous effect on literary style, generating what we now call realism.  (David Mikics, A New Handbook of Literary Terms. Yale University Press, 2007) Decorum in Elizabethan Prose From Quintilian and his English exponents (plus, it must not be forgotten, their inheritance of normal speech patterns) the Elizabethans at the end of the [16th] century learned one of their major prose styles. [Thomas] Wilson had preached the Renaissance doctrine of ​decorum: the prose must fit the subject and the level at which it is written. Words and sentence pattern must be apt and agreeable. These may vary from the condensed native maxim like Enough is as good as a feast (he recommends Heywoods proverbs which had recently appeared in print) to the elaborate or exonerated sentences adorned with all the colours of rhetoric. Exoneration opened the wayand Wilson provided full examplesfor new sentence structures with egall members (the balanced antithetical sentence), gradation and progression (the paratactic cumulation of short main clauses leading to a climax), contrarietie (antithesis of opposites, as in To his friend he is churlish, to his foe he is gentle), the series of sentences with like endings or with repetition (like opening words), plus the verbal metaphors, the longer similitudes, and the whole gallery of tropes, schemes, and figures of speech of the last few decades of the 16th century.  (Ian A. Gordon, The Movement of English Prose. Indiana University Press, 1966)

Possible Change of Teachers Attitudes throughout their Career Research Paper

Possible Change of Teachers Attitudes throughout their Career - Research Paper Example Freedman & Carver (2007) iterate that personally-held values and beliefs of the teacher have significant influence on in-class teaching practices. Hall (2005) supports this notion, opining that it is the personal beliefs of teachers that â€Å"inform their professional attitudes and conduct in the classroom.† There is, then, an undeniable link between personal value systems and the evolution of teaching style over time which could, theoretically, have significant impact on the decision to, initially, seek a career as a high school teacher. According to Morris & Maisto (2005), the complexities associated with teaching require a self-actualized individual that finds significant psycho-social rewards for promoting higher learning and educational development in students. Under most models of psychology and sociology, self-actualization is the state of emotional being in which an individual actively seeks to pursue their maximum utility and the pinnacle of their abilities gained on ce self-confidence and self-esteem have been developed within the individual. When a high school teacher first lands their position, they often seek to break the proverbial mold of teaching by attempting to create unique and differentiated classroom content and teaching styles. Filled with fresh ideas, the teacher seeks to create a sense of personal belonging with teaching peers and with students which influences initial teaching styles. Teachers will often seek out alliances with other teaching facilitators and administrators in an educational scenario referred to as communities of practice, a collection of skilled individuals that collaborate to promote learning about a specific skill or practice (Wenger, 2005). However, it is not long into career where such activities will often meet with centralized hierarchies of control where bureaucracy and budget issues prevent effective facilitation of these communities of practice. Many teachers will attempt to create more contemporary and innovative curriculum content, using assistive technologies to facilitate modern learning concepts and principles (Bausch & Hasselbring, 2004). Other teachers in an effort to establish a positive name for themselves in the academic environment attempt experiential learning curriculum, a form of hands-on learning to facilitate a genuine and innovative learning experience (Merriam, Caffarella & Baumgartner, 2007). However, what is unclear is whether these preliminary and initial needs and values remain constant throughout the evolution of the teaching career. A Qualitative Study To determine what impacts attitudes of high school teachers early in career and throughout the evolution of practice, it was necessary to conduct a small-scale qualitative study utilizing a small sample of high school teachers as participants. Qualitative research was the most viable and reliable methodology for this study as measuring complex attitudes in a range of psycho-social principles cannot accurately be measured statistically. It was necessary to conduct semi-structured interviews with currently practicing high school

Financial & Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Financial & Management Accounting - Essay Example It is a way for organisations to be accountable to their stakeholders, but is also a management tool to improve the performance of the organisation. This essay focuses on understanding the role accounting, including social and ethical accounting, plays in identifying and maintaining accountability from the viewpoint of a publicly traded business organisation. Adopting social and ethical accounting has helped organisations to achieve improved results in their quest for excellence. This helps in enlightening the stakeholders about the activities of the organisation that meet the need to be accountable to the society, environment and the government. It also has shown to affect the performance on other fronts, viz. The use and extensive deployment of digital technologies and growing concerns about the social and environmental responsibilities of organisations calls for a change in the traditional view of accounting practices. In the new scenario the affect is felt in not just their functioning in economic terms, but also brings broader social, institutional and organisational effects into play. On a purely technical level, mobilisation of Information Technology (IT) influences organisational processes directly. As understanding of its potential is growing, the definition of managerial pursuits and the search for enhanced organisational performance is also changing. Inevitably, IT impacts the form, substance and provenance of internal accounting information. This influences the behaviour and actions of decision-makers. Knowledge about the influence of digital technologies on accounting thinking processes and practices is starting to emerge. Thinking on a variety of issues relating to pricing strategies, cost management and control mechanisms has already changed. However, the implications for the field are far wider. Aspects of trust, organisational power and influence, cultural shifts, and choice of strategy are altering management accounting systems, structures, thinking and practices. 3.0 Financial and Management Accounting 3.1 Financial Accounting Finance is used by governments, businesses and individuals as well as by a wide variety of organisations including schools and non-profit organisations. In general, the goals of each of them are achieved through the use of appropriate financial instruments, with consideration to their institutional setting. Financial Accounting studies and addresses the ways in which individuals, businesses and organisations raise, allocate and use monetary resources over time and reporting the results to all those who participate in the risk associated with the projects undertaken. Financial accounting may thus incorporate the study of money and other assets and the management and control of those assets. In contemporary organisations the finance is usually provided by a set of people or organisations completely different from those who are responsible for the management of the money and assets of these

Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Essay In the book â€Å"Of Mice and Men† by John Steinbeck, the characters felt considerable loneliness, even around other people. They feel left out, ignored, and even invisible with no one to talk concerning his own thoughts. Although a person is surrounded by others, feelings of loneliness can occur. For instance, in â€Å"Of Mice and Men† the characters ignored by other people at the farm felt lonely. One character who expressed her loneliness was Curley’s wife. At one point she said to Lennie, â€Å"I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely†¦ I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. † (Steinbeck 86) She expressed to Lennie how she is ignored and lonely. On the contrary, if a person were surrounded by friends then he would not feel lonely. A good example of this would be George and Lennie. The two men were close friends and were not lonely as they stuck together no matter what might happen. Although there were other characters in â€Å"Of Mice and Men who were lonely, if they reached out to those around them, the profound loneliness felt would disappear. On the other hand, many workers during this time period often go from one job to another to survive. Many people who lived at this time had little chance to have a asting friendship and became lonely as a result. In the book, George lost his friend Lennie would be lonely how without a friend. Another character, Crooks was an lonely person, but his loneliness was due to his race. In the end, many of the characters wanted companionship though sadly most ended up alone. All in all, in â€Å"Of Mice and Men† many characters felt loneliness in their daily lives even with other people around them. In fact a person who can be surrounded by others and have strong feelings of loneliness. In life if someone is lonely and seeking friendship he should reach out to others so as to remove the loneliness one may feel.

Patrick Geddes Revisiting Ideas Behind the Evolution of Sex :: Essays Papers

Synopsis of the Reading and Its Impact in History Patrick Geddes Revisiting Ideas Behind the Evolution of Sex During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, scientists armed with important discoveries and novel techniques began to reevaluate the theories of race and sex. One of the important thinkers of this time was the Scottish biologist Patrick Geddes. Like many other scientists of the time, Geddes applied Darwinian evolutionary theory to other non-scientific contexts. Although Geddes is more commonly associated with social ideologies such as economics, education, and urbanization, this examination will be limited to the impact of his ideologies regarding societal gender roles and sex-determination on society and the scientific community. The book entitled Sex, co-written by Patrick Geddes and J. Arthur Thomson was published in 1914 and concentrated on these issues of sex. The authors extrapolated on initial claims from their first book together, The Evolution of Sex by utilizing more â€Å"current† discoveries. The foundations for the ideas inherent in both books stem from August Weismann’s germ-plasm theory and Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Use of the latter theory is unsurprising since Geddes was the protà ©gà © of T.H. Huxley, often referred to as Darwin’s bulldog because of his infamous advocation of Darwinian theories. Nonetheless, the importance of Geddes work on societal gender roles and sex-determination is evidenced through his descriptions that allude to male superiority, while maintaining the view that women are not defective.. Geddes work described the evolution of sex to argue societal gender roles as naturally caused. The conception of roles as â€Å"naturally caused† implies fixed or invariable innate differences between the sexes which, through evolution, is made more apparent in higher organisms. This is central to the belief behind Geddes basis of gender roles. In the second chapter of his book Sex, Geddes begins by attributing significance to the microbial act of conjugation where two Vorticella connect to partially exchange genetic material before they separate. He describes these unicellular organisms as, â€Å"Analogues of males and females among multi-cellular organisms†¦ they are like ova and spermatozoa which have not formed ‘bodies’† (Geddes, 23). Here, Geddes is correlating the act of conjugation to the act of sexual intercourse by the coming together and the exchange of genetic information.

Inventory Systems Summary Essay

Abstract To be successful in today’s business environment, an organization must be able to perform certain fundamentals accurately and efficiently. One of these elements is having an effective and efficient Inventory System Management (ISM). ISM enables one to have the knowledge of where his or her inventory is at every step of the way. This allows one to better interact with consumer and make sales. Choosing the right ISM can lead and pave the ground work for future business success and profitability. Inventory System Summary The purpose of this group assignment is to collaborate as a team to compare different inventory systems and describe the advantage and disadvantages of each system in comparison to the others. Management of inventory is important to any business that wants to succeed. Companies purchase inventory systems to help manage the inventory of an organization. Team A reviewed the following companies and their inventory management programs: Best Buy, , and . This Inventory System Summary includes a description of the chosen companies and their inventory systems, and a comparison describing the advantages and disadvantages of each system. Best Buy Best Buy is the largest consumer electronics store in the world. Each year it increases its presence in the market share and distances itself from  others in the industry. Best Buy is headquartered in the Twin cities area of Minnesota, where it handles all main business functions and the leadership that manages its 180,000 employees and 4,000 stores across the globe (Best Buy, 2010). During the previous fiscal year, Best Buy accumulated nearly 50 billion in revenues and 2.2 billion in operating revenue. They also reported that they possess 18.3 billion in total assets and 6.3 billion in total equity. Best Buy has a large array of merchandise including: consumer and commercial furniture, small and major appliances, and a wide assortment of consumer electronics. They also offer an increasingly large list of services. These services include Geek Squad computer services, Best Buy for Business commercial services, and many other services designed specifically for the end user. They operate stores in many countries across the world; however they also operate their company online. From their website, Bestbuy.com, many of their products and services can be ordered and set up for delivery. The different types of products and services Best Buy offers in addition to the different options available to purchase and receive their merchandise makes Best Buy a very difficult company to maintain. They are successful because of the time and money put into their inventory systems. To maintain continuity across the board for all of their partner companies and different store brands they operate , Best Buy uses a similar inventory management system that allows them to track inventory, along with a transaction management system that directly adjusts and updates the world wide inventory both in warehouses and within each store. Most products that Best Buy sales are shipped directly from the manufacturer to the many warehouses and distribution centers across the US and the world where the stores and online sales can pull and ship directly from. One change that Best Buy has gone through the past five years is a switch to a partially vendor based management system. With this new system, Best Buy will limit the vendors and distributers that they purchase from, and will relinquish some of their inventory control over to them. The innovation created by this new system allows vendors to monitor inventory levels and to  ship and replenish product as levels get low. Some of the advantages of this system are: the advantage of directly supplying to the customer from vendor, which cuts the delivery time shorter, availability of the product, ability to offer products at a lower price compared to Best Buy’s competitors, and the flexibility to further develop other areas of their business. Some of the disadvantages are: limiting the vendors may limit the variety of products, relinquishing inventory control over to vendors and distributors may negatively impact their customer satisfaction, and the customers may decide to deal with supplier directly which could put Best Buy at risk of loosing their business. Inventory levels over the past 4 years have remained on an increasingly consistent track as their revenue has risen. According to Best Buy (2010), this rise in revenue and assets is partly due to the fact that they enter new markets and open new stores across the world. The latest opportunities that they have come across include new stores in Europe and other areas overseas. This is new territory for Best Buy but has been a successful venture based on their flexibility with their inventory systems that they have in place. The following table presents the last five year financial highlights according to the Financial Statements and Supplementary Data of Annual Report on Form 10-K. (Investor Relations, 2010) Dell Dell is clearly a giant leader in the information technology world. Dell is an American company with headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. The company develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. The company got its birth in 1984, founded by Michael Dell. Dell has become one of the most admired companies in the electronic industry. According to Fortune Magazine, Dell is listed as the 38th largest company in the United States. Based on total revenue, Dell is the 5th largest company in Texas and the 2nd largest non-oil company in Texas (Wikipedia, 2010). So, how does Dell do it? Managing its inventory base is an indication. From its early beginnings, Dell set the bar. Dell uses the just in time (JIT) approach in the manufacturing facilities. By using this technique, Dell can minimize its inventory cost. In an industry that rapidly changes, maintaining low inventory levels is one key factor to survival. According to Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch (2010), the following table provides a  snapshot portion of the financials recorded for Dell from its balance sheet. Annual Financials for Dell, Inc. According to Wikipedia (2010), just-in-time (JIT) is an inventory strategy that is designed aide in improving a business’s return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and any carrying costs associated. JIT production method is also known as the Toyota Production System. JIT works with of use of signals at different points in the manufacturing process. The signals indicate the presence or absence of a part or the need to make another part. If JIT processes are implemented correctly, it can improve an organizations return on investment, quality,  and efficiency. It is quite simple; the philosophy behind JIT is inventory is waste and Dell has tried to capture that philosophy. Wal-Mart The world’s largest and most profitable retailer, Wal-Mart continues to expand its reach in the US and worldwide. To do this, Wal-Mart has to track what is selling, what isn’t, and what products its over 3,740 stores nationwide need – whether it be their discount stores, supercenters, or neighborhood markets. The below excerpt from the 2010 annual report (2010 annual report-walmartstores.com, 2010) shows the level of inventories that Wal-Mart has maintained for the last four years: (Amounts in millions except per share and unit count data) With an average of $34m in inventory, being valued under the LIFO – last in first out- method – keeping track of it is of major importance to the retail giant. To keep track of its inventory, â€Å"Wal-mart and Sam’s Club use electronic product code (EPC) labels to make sure the products you want are available when you need them† (walmartstores.com, 2010). What is an EPC? The EPC is a lot like a bar code that most stores use. Wal-Mart uses the EPC because the information that can be tracked about the product being purchased includes: what the product are, who are the manufacturers, and other specifics like color, size, style, and more. The information provided by the EPC allows Wal-Mart to better manage the inventory on hand, making sure the store provides its customers with what they want, when they want it. How does EPC work? EPC labels consist of a unique number that can be tied back to a specific piece of merchandise. Using special readers, and through the magic of RFID’s, the EPC doesn’t have to be scanned directly for them to be read by the computers. This means that Wal-Mart â€Å"can count thousands of items in seconds and know which products are out of  stock† (walmartstores.com, 2010). The products that Wal-Mart is tracking with the EPC are easy to find. They are identified by an EPC symbol. What does EPC mean to consumers? The ability to track finite inventory information is important as it ensures that the retail giant can keep products in stock that consumers want. Amazingly, with all the information that the EPC tracks, there is no invasion of privacy to the consumer. The EPC does not collect personal information when purchased. Labels are not tracked once the actual merchandise is bought and leaves the store. Comparison The different inventory systems used by each organization share a common goal. The system tracks the inventory for each company allowing them to hopefully save money by knowing where items are and what needs to be purchased. Each organization emphasizes inventory control and recognizes the effects of inventory management on their overall profitability. To this end, many of the companies use a variation of bar coding or Radio-frequency identification (RFID) to track inventory. Each organization also ties inventory management to an awareness of demand; this allows the organization to quickly react to changing market conditions. Conclusion Because inventory is possibly the largest current asset listed on a organizations financial statement, correct inventory management is at the heart of a business’s success or failure. References 2010 Annual Report – Walmartstores.com (2010). Retrieved on January 10, 2011 from http://cdn.walmartstores.com/sites/AnnualReport/2010/PDF/WMT_2010AR_FINAL.pdf Best Buy (2010). Company Reference – Best Buy. Retrieved January 11, 2011 from http://www.answers.com/topic/best-buy-co-inc Dell. (2010). Wall Street Journal: MarketWatch. Retrieved January 12, 2011, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/Stock/DELL/financials/balance-sheet Hoyt, W. (2002). The basics of inventory tracking. Retrieved on January 10, 2011 from http://www.essortment.com/career/smallbusinesst_tuag.htm