Charles Dickens’s life Essay

How does Dickens create an atmosphere of mystery and fear in chapters 1 and 39 of â€Å"Great Expectations†? Great Expectations is a book written in 1861, by Charles Dickens. But the book is narrated by a boy called Pip; a main character in the novel, who grows up as the story goes on. The novel is about Pip growing up and moving to London to become a gentleman. But there are many twists in the story such as the convict that he meets in the first chapter, is actually paying his expenses to become a gentleman. Great Expectations is written as a semi autobiographical style novel. Dickens wrote it as he felt troubled at this certain time of his life, and needed some kind of physical and emotional support. In the first chapter, we don’t know much about Pip’s life. We know that Pip is alone in the churchyard. â€Å"This bleak place, overgrown with nettles, was the churchyard. † This shows that Dickens is describing the churchyard as a dark and sinister place, therefore creating a sense of mystery and fear. Pip then surprisingly meets the convict. â€Å"†Hold your noise! † cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves† This shows that Dickens is creating fear by the abruptness of the order. Dickens uses comedy in beginning of this chapter with, â€Å"I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets, and had never taken them out in this state of existence. † This shows that Dickens has got some humour as these boys would never have had a chance to do this, because they died very early on. Dickens also uses pathetic fallacy with, â€Å"angry, red lines and dense black lines intermixed. † This shows that he uses pathetic fallacy to emphasise the violence of the convict’s actions. To do this he also uses slightly emotive language; â€Å"angry. † Between the end of this chapter and chapter 39, Pip experiences a series of events. He finds food for the convict, and he is extremely grateful for it, but word gets out that he is around and everyone finds him, so he is sent away. Pip gets invited to Miss Havisham’s house to â€Å"play† where he meets Estella, which at first sight, falls in love with her. Later on, he meets Herbert Pocket a lively young chap that challenges Pip to a fight and loses without a doubt. A few years later he is an apprentice of Joe, when suddenly Mr. Jaggers walks in and proposes an opportunity for Pip to travel to London, and learn to become a gentleman. Inevitably he takes the opportunity and leaves for London. But when he arrives he sees Mr. Pocket and he is pleasantly surprised. As time passes he becomes a little snobby and when Mr. Joe visits, he feels very unwelcome so decides to leave. In chapter 39 we find Pip is alone because Herbert was on a business trip to Marseilles. So pip wasn’t feeling too happy, as he didn’t particularly like being alone. â€Å"I†¦ had a dull sense of being alone. Dispirited and anxious, long hoping that to-morrow or next week would clear my way†¦ I sadly missed the cheerful face of my friend. † This quotation shows that Dickens is using emotive language, in order for the reader to feel the sadness of Pip. The weather is also reflecting Pip’s feelings. â€Å"Day after day, a heavy veil had been driving over London from the East, and it drove still. † This quotation shows that Dickens is creating a sense of mystery by using pathetic fallacy and emotive language. He also uses a metaphor â€Å"a vast heavy veil†. A veil covers up something which also emphasises the sense of mystery and fear. When Pip meets the convict, his reaction is slow to realise. But when he does; he is surprised, but still queer. â€Å"†Keep off! If you are grateful to me for what I did when I was a little child, I hope you have shown your gratitude by mending your way of life. If you have come here to thank me, it was not necessary. Still, however, you have found me out† This shows that Dickens is creating mystery by making it so that Pip is surprised and half pleased, but still to be fully satisfied. The mystery is solved in this chapter. â€Å"Great Expectations† is influenced by the events occurring in Charles Dickens’s life. I think that his work is still read and valued today, because he has used his own experiences to reflect onto his work. When you put this together with dickens’s style, including his use of emotive language, pathetic fallacy etc. , it creates a unique and amazing style of writing that everyone seems to be able to get into. I think that people are able to do this really easily because his work is mostly based on things that you can’t experience in today’s world. Dickens creates a sense of mystery and fear with many different techniques such as; pathetic fallacy, emotive language and metaphors.

Veterans and Ptsd

Veterans and PTSD Toni L. Enemy Hunter Psychiatric Rehabilitation/REHA 425 Professor McDermott October 29, 2011 Abstract The United States is seeing an increasing number of Veterans coming back from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) being diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is affecting the lives of men and women, their family and those closest to them. The goal of this paper is to give some general information for women and their families experiencing PTSD. It will give symptoms and treatment options available to women veterans.Women Vets and PTSD According to the 2009 and 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), nearly 600,000 veterans aged 18 or older experienced a co-occurring substance use disorder and mental illness in the past 12 months. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is now becoming more prevalent with men and women in the military. How can th e families of the veteran better understand what to expect and how to deal with their loved ones suffering from PTSD? DefinitionAccording to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR; APA, 2000) the diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptom clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms (Appendix 2). Challenges The British Medical Journal reported that veterans do not experience trauma or disabling symptoms until they return from the war (Gabriel & Neal, 2002).Friedman said PTSD symptoms appear when they return home trying to readjust to civilian life. When a person is on active duty in the military, if one does not have a physical injury then psychological symptoms are seen as a weakness and being a coward (Friedman, 2004). Those that did seek help found it difficult to be diagnosed bec ause they were not exposed to direct combat (i. e. hostile fire, returning fire, or seeing others injured). The veterans that do have PTSD from military trauma are from non-combative events such as sexual trauma.They may feel alone and worry about their families. PTDS is comorbid with traumatic brain injuries and other psychiatric disorders such as depression, social phobia, panic disorder, substance abuse, and mood and anxiety disorders (Feczer, 2009). [W]e deny that war changes its participants forever- †¦America claims innocence and goodness as fundamental traits. We believe that our young men and women should be able to go to war, get the job done, and return home blameless and well. (Tick, 2005) InterventionThe Readjustment Counseling Service is available for veterans who served in war zones, Vietnam Era Veterans, veterans that experienced sexual trauma while in the military, and for family members that have lost loved ones while on duty. At a Veteran Center, the services that are provided are: individual counseling, group counseling, marital and family counseling, addiction counseling, benefits assistance and referral, employment referral and counseling, community education, liaison with VA facilities, referral to community agencies, contracts with area counselors and Mobile Vet Center Outreach.The client first has to go through assessments to figure out the best therapeutic approach. They need to be screened for victimization, suicidal potential, addictive behaviors, differential diagnosis, comorbidity, and family assessment (Meichenbaum, 1995). Medications, along with therapy, have been the most helpful types of treatment for PTSD. The medications used are antidepressant medications, anti-anxiety medications, mood stabilizing medications, and other medications to ease nightmares, irritability, sleeplessness, depression, and anxiety (Feczer, 2009). It is important when interviewing the client to find out their childhood history.Many times trauma du ring childhood will not come out until later in life and it can be the underlying issue to their problems (Feczer, 2009). Therapy Modalities PET After a traumatic event, many individuals experience distress and signs of PTSD. The veteran may experience suffering when dealing with the recollections related to the trauma. This type of therapy helps by approaching those thoughts, feelings, and events that the client has been avoiding because of the stress they cause. By repeated exposure to the emotions it helps the veteran reduce the power thoughts have over the client.However, during the assessment, it is important to discuss with the veteran the main event(s) that causes the stress. By doing this at a comfortable pace, the exposure to that trauma can be dealt with accordingly (Creamer & Forbes, 2004). The first part of the therapy is education. The counselor will explain the treatment, the common trauma reactions and symptoms of PTSD. PET helps the veteran understand what the go als are for the treatment and what to expect for the duration of the upcoming sessions. Teaching methods of breathing techniques will help the veteran to relax.Breathing changes when a person becomes anxious or fearful. This is a short-term technique to assist in managing sudden distress. The third aspect of PET is in vivo exposure where the client has exposure to real world situations or events that may be anxiety-producing. This is safely done by approaching the situation that has been avoided because of the stress it causes. PET uses imaginal exposure where the veteran talks through the trauma(s) with the counselor. By talking, it helps the client to gain control over the traumatic events and realize that he or she does not have to be afraid of his or her memories.The overall goal is to work through the events from least to most traumatic events and what is comfortable for the client. This type of therapy is usually eight to fifteen sessions that last about ninety minutes (Resick , Nishith, Weaver, Astin,& Feuer, 2002). CPT Many times those with PTSD have problems dealing with their thoughts and memories of the trauma they have been though. They may get â€Å"stuck† in their thoughts and have a hard time making sense of what has happened or is happening to them. CPT helps in giving clients a new way of dealing with their thoughts and to gain an understanding of the events that haunt them.There are four parts to CPT: learning about PTSD symptoms, becoming aware of thoughts and feelings, learning skills and understanding changes in beliefs. CPT requires educating the client about PTSD and what to expect from the disorder. The veterans can ask questions and find out how the skills are going to help them. In this modality, the client needs to become aware of their thoughts and feelings. When bad things happen we want to know why they happen. Clients can get stuck in their thought process and not be able to let it go.However, with CPT a person learns t o pay attention to these thoughts that the trauma has caused and discuss how they make one feel. Then he or she can take a step back and see how it affects the person now. This will hopefully help the veteran think of the trauma in a different way. This can be done by writing about it or talking to the counselor. Next, the veterans need to begin learning the skills to help challenge their thoughts and question them as well. This is done by doing worksheets (appendix 1). These worksheets will help veterans decide the way they want to think and feel about their traumatic situations.These skills will eventually help in dealing with every day issues. Finally, there is trying to understand the changes in beliefs. There are common changes that happen after going through a trauma. There are going to be changes in the way a person thinks about safety, trust, control, self-esteem, other people and relationships. By talking about these beliefs, hopefully they can find a balance with the belie fs before and after the trauma. The approximate time for this type of therapy is twelve sessions. EMDR The final type of therapy is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing or EMDR.Clients that are involved in EMDR use imaginal exposure of their trauma and at the same time the counselor uses their index finger for them to follow back and forth. EMDR therapy seems to directly affect the brain by unlocking the traumatic memories, allowing clients to resolve them. Veterans work through the upsetting memory, beliefs, feelings, sensations until they are able to think about the event without reliving it. The memory is still there, but not as upsetting. It is like detaching oneself and watching a movie but relieving the trauma at the same time (Barton, Smith, Corcoran, 2011).Case Management, Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation According to the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Program that Congress prepared, case managers work closely with Vocational Rehabilitation Counsel ors (VRC) to create a rehabilitation plan. This plan consists of evaluation and planning for the future goals of the veteran. The veteran is evaluated to see if he or she is capable of independent living or will need rehabilitation services. The VRC is responsible to see that referrals for medical, eye care and dental are taken care of for the client.The vocational-education counselor will be able to assist the veteran in acquiring education, training, equipment, and financial aid if the client needs to develop new skills for employment. The President of the United States is also giving great tax breaks to employees for hiring veterans. The Counselor and Support Systems The downfall to helping veterans with PTSD is that there are not many counselors have the experience with this type of client. Counselors in this field are few, especially in the rural and underserved geographic areas.The VA resources are overwhelmed with clients so there is a backlog, which creates frustration with veterans. There are many that have contemplated or have committed suicide because they did not receive the help they needed. According to the National Center for PTSD, some may have had past mental health issues and may not have good support systems in addition to what was mentioned earlier. So that is why it is important to have a good support system and education is essential for the families when the veteran returns home. They will more than likely not be the same person as they were before they were deployed.Conclusion Veterans do so much for the United States citizens and we need to be thankful for the job they do for our freedom. The veterans put their lives in danger so we can live the life as Americans. Veterans deserve the respect and assistance when they return home to us. So it is my opinion that we do our best to ensure they can become productive citizens once again. I would like to be part of that team to assist in helping veterans adjust back into civilian life. I woul d like to see more citizens do the same by helping the veterans any way possible.Where would the United States be if we did not have such a great military team? References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Revised 4th ed. ). Washington, DC: Author. Feczer, D. A. (2009). Forever changed: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in female military veterans, A Case Report. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care. Friedman, M. (2004). Acknowledging the psychiatric cost of war. New England Journal of Medicine, pp 351, 75-77. Gabriel, R. A. (2002). Post-traumatic stress disorder or somatic dysfunction after military conflict may hide posttraumatic disorder.British Medical Journal, pp 324, 340-342. Tick, E. (2005). War and the soul: Healing our nation's veterans from post-traumatic stress disorder. Wheaton, IL: Quest Books. Masson, N. (2010). Mindful Cognitive Processing Worksheet. Retrieved from http://drnataliemasson. com/images/Mindful%20Cogn itive%20Processing%20Worksheet. pdf Creamer, M. , Forbes D. (2004). Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military and Veteran Populations, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, (Vol. 41, pp. 388-398). Resick, P. , Nishith, P. , Weaver, T. , Astin, M. , Feuer, C. 2002). A comparison of cognitive-processing therapy with prolonged exposure and a waiting condition for the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder in female rape victims. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, (Vol. 70, pp. 867-879). Bartson, S. , Smith. , M. , Corcoran, C. (2011). Help Guide. EMDR Therapy. Retrieved from http://www. helpguide. org/mental/pdf/emdr. pdf Meichenbaum, D. (1995). A clinical handbook/practical therapist manual for assessing and treating adults with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) book. Florida: Institute Press. Appendix 1Mindful Cognitive Processing Worksheet 1. Describe situation briefly 2. List emotions (single words) and rate the intensity (0-1 00%) 3. List automatic thoughts. Circle â€Å"hot thought†. (For deeper work, identify the â€Å"core belief. †) 4. Observe breathing and body sensations. Describe these briefly. 5. Practice acceptance and validation. List thoughts that promote acceptance, non-judgment, validation. Take a few moments to practice breathing in an attitude of allowing things to be as they are without judging or trying to change/fix things. 6. List objective evidence that supports your automatic thoughts. . List objective evidence that counters your automatic thoughts. 8. Identify any distortions involved in your automatic thoughts. 9. Consider a more balanced thought. 10. Describe the outcome. List emotions, rate intensity. List any other reactions, observations. Bonus†¦ 11. Identify any core beliefs that could use revising†¦. and a more adaptive belief. 12. Consider behavioral experiments to disprove the core beliefs and support a new belief. Summary of some common cognitive di stortions: 1. Probability overestimations – overestimating the likelihood of a negative event 2.Mind reading – assuming what others will think about you Appendix 1 Cont. 3. Personalization – taking too much responsibility for a negative situation 4. Should statements – incorrect/exaggerated statements about how things should be 5. Catastrophic thinking – assuming that a negative event would be catastrophic 6. All-or-nothing thinking (Black ; White Thinking) 7. Selective attention and memory –attend to negative information, discount positive 8. Overgeneralization – a single event is taken as a sign of a global pattern 9. Fortune telling – predicting the future with absolute certainty 10.Negative core beliefs – negative assumptions about oneself. Taking an event and turning it into a core characteristic. (â€Å"I made a mistake† vs. â€Å"I am a loser†) 11. Emotional reasoning – believing that if you f eel as if something is true, that makes it true (Masson, 2010) Appendix 2 DSM-IV-TR criteria for PTSD In 2000, the American Psychiatric Association revised the PTSD diagnostic criteria in the fourth edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) (1). The diagnostic criteria (A-F) are specified below.Diagnostic criteria for PTSD include a history of exposure to a traumatic event meeting two criteria and symptoms from each of three symptom clusters: intrusive recollections, avoidant/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms. A fifth criterion concerns duration of symptoms and a sixth assesses functioning. Criterion A: stressor The person has been exposed to a traumatic event in which both of the following have been present: 1. The person has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with an event or events that involve actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others. . The person's response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror. Note: in children, it may be expressed instead by disorganized or agitated behavior. Criterion B: intrusive recollection The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced in at least one of the following ways: 1. Recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions. Note: in young children, repetitive play may occur in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed. 2. Recurrent distressing dreams of the event.Note: in children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content 3. Acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). Note: in children, trauma-specific reenactment may occur. 4. Intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event. 5.Physiologic reactivity upon exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the traumatic event Criterion C: avoidant/numbing Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by at least three of the following: 1. Efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with the trauma 2. Efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that arouse recollections of the trauma 3. Inability to recall an important aspect of the trauma 4.Markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities 5. Feeling of detachment or estrangement from others 6. Restricted range of affect (e. g. , unable to have loving feelings) 7. Sense of foreshortened future (e. g. , does not expect to have a career, marriage, children, or a normal life span) Criterion D: hyper-arousal Persistent symptoms of increasing arousal (not pre sent before the trauma), indicated by at least two of the following: 1. Difficulty falling or staying asleep 2. Irritability or outbursts of anger 3. Difficulty concentrating 4.Hyper-vigilance 5. Exaggerated startle response Criterion E: duration Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in B, C, and D) is more than one month. Criterion F: functional significance The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning. Specify if: Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than three months Chronic: if duration of symptoms is three months or more Specify if: With or without delay onset: Onset of symptoms at least six months after the stressor (American Psychiatric Association, 2000)

How Can We Become a Good Citizens? & Ways to Be a Good Citizens

A good citizen is one who properly fulfills his or her role as a citizen. There are many opinions as to what constitutes a good citizen. Theodore Roosevelt said, â€Å"The first requisite of a good citizen in this Republic of ours is that he shall be able and willing to pull his weight. † Education is sometimes viewed as a prerequisite to good citizenship, in that it helps citizens make good decisions and deal with demagogues who would delude them. Roger Soder writes that in a democracy, where the demands of good citizenship are placed upon all, â€Å"only the common schools can provide to all the education that all need. † Science literacy is also frequently touted as a key to good citizenship. Good citizenship is sometimes viewed as requiring both intellectual skills (such ascritical thinking) and participatory skills (such as deliberating civilly, monitoring the government, building coalitions, managing conflict peacefully and fairly, and petitioning, speaking or testifying before public bodies). Henry David Thoreau wrote that men who serve the state making â€Å"no free exercise whatever of the judgment or of the moral sense†¦ are commonly esteemed good citizens. † Orit Ichilov notes that children â€Å"tend to perceive the government in the image of an ideal father that is benevolent and protective. At this stage, the good citizen is characterized as one who, through his behavior, proves himself one worthy of the love and protection of the government rather than one possessing certain political obligations and rights. Through their early school years, children usually continue to think in apolitical terms of their citizenship, expressing loyalty by their desire to remain in their country due to an attachment to its beauty, wildlife, and good people. By age twelve or thirteen, they begin referring more to political qualities, such as the nature and values of the regime. High school seniors define the good citizen primarily in political terms. Some students defin e good citizenship in terms of standing up for what one believes in. Joel Westheimer identifies the personally responsible citizen (who acts responsibly in his community, e. g. by donating blood), the participatory citizen (who is an active member of community organizations and/or improvement efforts) and the justice-oriented citizen (who critically assesses social, political, and economic structures to see beyond surface causes) as three different types of â€Å"good citizen. † Sometimes incentives prevail over desires to be a good citizen. For example, many people will avoid coming forth as witnesses in court cases because they do not want to deal with the inconvenience and red tape. Aristotle makes a distinction between the good citizen and the good man, writing, â€Å"†¦ there cannot be a single absolute excellence of the good citizen. But the good man is so called in virtue of a single absolute excellence. It is thus clear that it is possible to be a good citizen without possessing the excellence which is the quality of a good man. † Specifically, in his view, the good citizen is measured in relation to ruling and being ruled, the good man only in ruling. Some of the ambiguity is likely due to more than one Greek word being translated â€Å"good. Many organizations attempt to promote â€Å"good citizenship. † For example, the Boy Scouts of America published Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship, and theOntario Medal for Good Citizenship is given to those who are deemed to have made outstanding contributions to the well being of their communities without expectation of remuneration or reward. Another non profit or ganization, Good Citizen, has a mission to teach Americans how to be effective citizens and focuses on 100 citizen actions. Ways to be a good citizens. We can probably be a good citizen if we follow the given instructions 1. We must obey rules and regulations. 2. We must respect all nationalities. 3. Stand for the right of others. 4. We must be helpful and considerate, willing to put others first. 5. We must listens to the views of others and thinks about what they have to say. 6. We should helps people who are not in a position to help themselves. 7. A responsible citizen always respects the environment and does not damage it in anyway. 8. We must work hard as well as willing to learn new things. 9. We must be well mannered and pleasant.

ENGL WEEK 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ENGL WEEK 1 - Assignment Example The similarities of these two types of writings is that they both are effective when it comes to communicating something clear enough to the audience it is meant for (Ellis, et al, 45). The main similarity that they also tend to share is that they all require the competence in grammar for proper written communication. Due to official setting that both academic work and business work require, it is then necessary to deduce that there is requirement for the written communication to be competent in order to avoid issues that may arise regarding misinformation. There are also differences that can be pointed out as far as these two types of writings are concerned. The first is that students write with the purpose of learning whereby in business, writers has the intention to get work done. In scholarly material, the writing is done to demonstrate to which level learning has been accomplished whereby in business setting the writing is to prompt some sort of action to be undertaken by the relevant bodies concerned. The instructor prompts scholarly work whereas business writing is for the complex groups or people that correlate with the company in the likeness of the stakeholders. The content of business writing is based on the thesis of the work provided by the student instructor whereas the in business scenario only what is intended for the audience is included in writing and everything else is added in the

How health psychology research might contribute to solving health Essay

How health psychology research might contribute to solving health problems associated with socioeconomic disadvantage - Essay Example These health problems could be understood from a much narrowed down perspective – one that is significant to the whole related discussion. The patients who have socioeconomic disadvantages are the ones who suffer the most because they have lack of resources available at their disposal and this means that they seem to miss out on a number of health benefits which the state (the public sector) or the private sector has brought forward for them. Socioeconomic disparities could play havoc with the mental and physical self of the patients in a very drastic manner. It hampers the manner under which patients could manifest their health basis with the money that they have to take care of their lingering health related problems. They usually measure up their ailments in the light of the money that they could muster in order to bring a remedy for the same. (Stecklov, 2001) The state has a huge role to play in changing the way people think. This could be done if proper facilities could be made available and if there are adequate arrangements to take care of the potential health threats that the deprived individuals can face with the passage of time. Research in the health psychology domains would reap rich dividends. The reason for the same is that it will pinpoint the grey areas as well as find out the exact problems that owe a hand or two towards the declining regimes of health basis within the people who are at a socioeconomic disadvantage and loss within any society. It will examine the exact basis of growth within these problems and look to solve the same in the light of the present day case studies. (Repper, 1998) It will seek help from researchers in the same field and understand the rationales behind socioeconomic disparities and how the two work hand in hand (in a negative connotation) towards the deterioration of health standards within a society to say the

Cultural immersion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cultural immersion - Essay Example The contrasts were deliberately sharp and well-defined: I was an international student mingling with American citizens; I was Muslim whereas I chose to attend a Baptist church; I was white whereas much of the congregation was black; and, I was an "outsider" in nearly each and every respect. From a cultural point of view, this was stretching the differences rather tightly. As an initial matter, I must admit that I was very nervous and a bit uncertain. As I was driving to the church, a million different things went through my mind. I was often hesitant and excited at the same time. I was hesitant because I felt quite awkward attending a religious service so different than my own. I have heard many things about Christianity and I have had many Christian friends; despite this superficial familiarity, I didn't know whether I would be welcome at the church. I wondered whether people might ask me personal questions, such as whether I had been baptized a Christian, and I wondered whether I ought to answer truthfully that I was a Muslim or whether I ought to simply lie and try to be accepted. More confusing was the fact that I didn't really understand the different nuances of the Christian religion. I knew that there were many different branches, such as Protestants, Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians, and Baptists, but I didn't know how these different rel igious branches differed in terms of doctrine or behavior. More, these were black Baptists, and I wondered why blacks went to a different church than other Baptists. I wondered whether I would be the only Muslim or the only light-skinned person. Despite these fears, I imagined that the people would not be hostile. This is because I had telephoned in advance, and I was told that I would be more than welcome to attend. The church employee had given me directions and suggested that I attend the morning service rather than a workshop. In short, I approached the experience with a cautious optimism. The actual experience was both illuminating and a bit humbling. It was illuminating because I witnessed a true community of people, brought together by a common set of beliefs, and a people whom appeared extraordinarily conservative and possessed of pride and self-esteem. Three things, I think, struck me most about the people that I observed and met. First, everyone was well-groomed and the worship service seemed as much a fashion show as a religious event. Whether it was the young children or the older adults, everyone was dressed in fine clothes. Darker colors prevailed, though there were brighter accessories. There seemed to have been an unspoken dress code, and although I had dressed politely, I felt that my clothing was slightly out of place. This was something I had not anticipated; I had been worried about being a Muslim and a foreign citizen, but I hadn't even considered how to dress beyond being polite. I felt, as I entered the church, that my clothing identified me as an outsider. Second, everyone was quite friendly and everyone seemed to know everyone. I was struck by the hugs and the handshakes. People smiled and greeted their fellow worshipers with big smiles. Their interaction was both formal and informal at the same time; more particularly, they spoke very

Assignment 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Assignment 4 - Essay Example The alternative remedies or solutions must be solicited from the present employees of the company; and each suggestion/opinion must be fully considered in terms of its advantages and disadvantages for the financial upkeep of Sunbelt Video. If an alternate plan, aside from cutting hours and laying-off has been considered – then a significant period of time must be given to make the aforementioned alternate plan work. It is vital in any company operation for employees to actively partake in decision-makings with regards to the longevity of the company. After all, it is their bread and butter on the line. Relatively speaking, persons in authority must discern that leadership is mainly creating a goal and paving the way for others to follow. However, this means that those following the pre-set objective do not have any idea on how to accomplish the goal. Thus, it would be quite difficult for others to carry on where somebody has left off should any difficulties arise during the course of achieving the objective (Team Technology, n.d.). On the other hand, management that lacks leadership usually just handle things according to set principles and traditions, making sure that everything should conform within a pre-set guideline (Team Technology, n.d.) hence innovations are often dismissed and are rarely considered. professional manner where she must have a one-on-one conversation with him. During the course of the exchange, Bob must be made to understand the financial plight of the company and must be told that if he has any kind of grievances to air regarding management’s decision or otherwise, then he must approach the proper authority and discuss them accordingly. In true to life situations or circumstances, it is essential to consider all the factors so that the risk which will be undertaken or any unforeseeable risk as a result or consequence of a decision or action is minimized. In addition, real situations must be analyzed