Ambiguities Explored in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essays

Ambiguities Explored in Heart of Darkness   Ã‚  Ã‚   Literature is never interpreted in exactly the same way by two different readers. A prime example of a work of literature that is very ambiguous is Joseph Conrad's, "Heart of Darkness". The Ambiguities that exist in this book are Marlow's relationship to colonialism, Marlow's changing feelings toward Kurtz, and Marlow's lie to the Intended at the end of the story.    One interpretation of Marlow's relationship to colonialism is that he does not support it. Conrad writes, "They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now,-nothing but black shadows of disease and starvation, lying confusedly in the greenish gloom" (p. 27-28). Marlow says this and is stressing that the so-called "savages", or Africans, are being treated and punished like they are criminals or enemies when in fact they never did anything. He observes the slow torture of these people and is disgusted with it. Marlow feels sympathy for the black people being slaved around by the Europeans but doesn't do anything to change it because that is the way things are. One can see the sympathy by the way that he gives a starving black man one of his biscuits. "To tear treasure out of the bowels of the land was their desire, with no moral purpose at the back of it than there is in burglars breaking into a safe" (p. 54). This statement by Marlow conveys th at he doesn't believe that the Europeans have a right to be stripping Africa of its riches. He views the Jungles of Africa as almost it's own living, breathing monster.    It is evident that Marlow is one of the few white men on the journey that questions the belief at the time that the natives of Africa are "inhu... ...ch open up the readers mind. Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness", raises many questions about society and the human potential for evil.    Works Cited and Consulted:       Conrad, Joseph.   Heart of Darkness 3rd Ed.   Ed. Robert Kimbrough. New York:   Norton Critical, 1988.    Edward W. Said, The World, the Text, and the Critic. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1983) 13.    Hillman, James. "Notes on White Supremacy: Essaying an Archetypal Account of Historical Events," Spring (1986): 29-57.    McLynn, Frank. Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa. New York: Carol & Gey, 1992.    Meyers, Jeffrey.   Joseph Conrad.   New York:   Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991.    Patrick Brantlinger, "Heart of Darkness: Anti-Imperialism, Racism, or Impressionism?" Criticism (Fall, 1985) 364.     

A Letter from Holden from Catcher in the Rye :: Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger Essays

A Letter from Holden from Catcher in the Rye Dear Holden, Hi mate, what’s gone wrong with you? I can’t believe this has happened to you. You were fine when I left, after Allie dying and all. You know when I last saw you I was with Rachel (The English Actress). Well I proposed to her and she said yes. I am organising our honeymoon and the wedding so I am a bit tied up at the moment. So that is why I am writing a letter and not coming down to see you in person. In your previous letter, on a few occasions, you seemed to talk as if you were a different person. I wanna give you some advice. It will be easier if I tell you how I would have acted, or how you should have acted, just to help you. I remember you told me about that guy, Stradlater, and he was going on a date with Jane. He asked you to do an essay for him. I wouldn’t have done it for him; you have got your own life, try living it brother. Why didn’t you tell him you didn’t want to do it for him? If he was an alright guy he would have stayed at the school and written it himself. He was walking all over you and he only did it because you did not have anything better to do, because you were getting kicked out of Pencey in a few days. The thing with you is that you just can’t help yourself. Stradlater started talking for ages about Jane Gallagher and his date with her and you were stunned by this information. So when you stopped talking he just asked you. â€Å"Will you do it for me then?† and you gave in to him. It didn’t take any persuasion. Nothing. Later on in your letter, you talked about meeting this pimp, Maurice, in a lift. He asked you if you wanted to have some fun that night. Why? Why did you say yes? You don’t have to have a prostitute to have a good time. They are for sick, old perverts, not a sixteen-year-old, Holden. When the girl turned up, you should have just given her the money and made her leave. You didn’t even have to talk to her. She had her own life and she either wanted to have sex or go back to sleep. When that pimp came back because you didn’t give the girl enough money you should have just given the money to him. In your description he sounded huge, so I would have given him it.

Criminal Justice Workplace Observation Paper

In any workplace the goal of the company is to perform all job duties so that work functions may be carried out accordingly. Jobs that are centered around the criminal justice system have an even more important task of getting things done because just like any other job, criminal justice ones have laws to uphold. This paper will discuss the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) and its workplace observations. The leadership consists of three levels: upper management, middle management and lower level management. Upper management involves the judge of each case that passes through DHR. The judge is responsible for overseeing the case and making final decisions overall about the case. Middle management consists of the attorneys that are assigned to each case. Attorneys are responsible for making sure the legal aspects of the case in regards to the child are being followed. Lower management consists of the DHR workers. The DHR workers are responsible for making sure the welfare of the child is in their best interest. Culture is one of the most important factors in successfully managing a criminal justice workforce. It is extremely important for each of the above named participants to be able to understand the differing diversities that the courts may encounter. It is not uncommon for a DHR worker to have a caseload with different ethnicities and cultural differences. You can read also  Justice System Position Paper Sometimes, those cultural differences may cause an individual to speak a different language than the worker, judge, or attorney is familiar with. Language barriers can often cause problems with relaying actual problems that are going on with a case. If either of the above participants can fluently speak different languages then that helps not only the court participants, but the people that are involved in the case personally. This will cut down on the legal issues that could arise in cases. Speaking of legal issues, the law is an extremely serious matter in DHR. DHR workers have the ever daunting task of making sure they report behavior to the courts about the welfare of any child. The judges have to make sure they are upholding the law and interpreting it to the best of their ability, and attorneys are built to practice and exercise the good will of the law all according to their states’ statutes.

Politics, Presidents and War Essay

War is inevitably an exercise in politics. In the best case the political process provides checks and balances that can contain or even prevent war. In other cases the political process itself is the primary driving force towards war. These two realities are not mutually exclusive. The Persian Gulf War of 1991 provided evidence of both political realities. Politics influenced the nature and the course of the war, and vice versa. In the context of what has happened since 1991 the Persian Gulf War, also known as â€Å"Desert Shield† and â€Å"Desert Storm†, is a fading memory. The political importance of this war cannot be underestimated, however. The socio-political impact of this war would come to fruition within a decade. This impact is part of a continual process of reflexivity between war and politics, particularly in the United States. For better or worse, the Presidency itself was altered by this war and the associated political processes. Storm Clouds The Persian Gulf War of 1991 had immediate causes. When Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi military invaded oil-rich Kuwait a crisis was created. The United States and a coalition of mostly Western nations were compelled to respond. Kuwait was a strategically important ally in the Middle East. If the invasion was allowed to stand, Saddam Hussein would be in position to launch an attack against Saudi Arabia, another important ally. After working several months for a resolution within the United Nations, the coalition prepared to launch an attack. The agreed upon mission was limited to ousting Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Going any further would require much more discussion. For Iraq, the invasion of Kuwait came on the heels of a failed war with Iran in which millions were killed. War debt was draining Iraq’s coffers. There was also a political angle for Iraq. Saddam sensed that he could not appear to be weak in any way. Using revisionist history, Saddam claimed that the Iran war had somehow been a success. That message was driven home as Saddam erected even more palaces and monuments dedicated to himself. The invasion of Kuwait was a calculated political gamble. The United States and other nations had backed him in the war with Iran. He believed, at worst, that those nations would be ambivalent to his takeover of tiny Kuwait. Meanwhile he peppered the Iraqi media with trumped up charges against Kuwait. Even if he was eventually forced out, Saddam believed that he could plunder the wealth of Kuwait before retreating. With a demoralized military after the Iran war, Saddam also felt he had to keep his army occupied so they could not conspire against him. He tried to put them in a easily winnable situation in an effort to solidify his own power. Knowing how Saddam operated, the United States made certain not to underestimate him. Senator William V. Roth, Jr. (R. -Del. ) Said that â€Å"He is as unpredictable as a desert storm and as deceptive as a mirage† (Mitchell, 1991). When Saddam failed to comply with repeated United Nations resolutions, the coalition mobilized itself for war. As in any war, the crisis that caused the start of the war was simply the culmination of many prior socio-political movements and actions. With that in mind the American administration started a concerted political effort to build internal support for the war. The threat was maximized for public consumption. â€Å"President Bush declared that what is at stake is a New World Order† (Abdulla, 1994). Having successfully swayed public opinion, the administration now had to successfully fight the war in both military and political terms. Politics and Policy In Washington politics the terms â€Å"Vietnam War† and â€Å"quagmire† are toxic. Any association with them can mean the quick death of a policy or military initiative. In the lead-up to the war politicians capitalized upon the Vietnam syndrome from a number of angles. Opponents of any military intervention used the phrase â€Å"potential quagmire† numerous times in their arguments. Once it was apparent that a war was going to take place, even supporters used this term in an attempt to shape the type of war it would be. In other words the political situation required that the coalition go in with overwhelming force, but minimize civilian casualties at the same time. The administration knew it could not allow an extended guerilla conflict to emerge. The powerful triangle of war, television and politics had defeated the Johnson administration during Vietnam. This time, the administration was prepared to take extreme measures to prevent such a situation from happening again. Meanwhile, coalition leaders toed a tricky political line in maintaining world support for the action. Since before the war had even begun the issue of oil had prompted loud voices of disapproval about the impending war. Opponents claimed that the U. S. led coalition was not so concerned with Saddam’s violation of International Law or with the freedom of a formerly sovereign nation. Instead, they claimed that the primary reason for the upcoming attack was to secure fuel for the oil-thirsty Western nations. Oil was a vital strategic concern. Access to cheap oil was a pillar underneath the American economy. Two of the most reliable pre-war suppliers were Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In defending these nations, the U. S. hoped not only to secure its oil supply but also force a split between the nations in the OPEC oil cartel. In the political arena, though, this by itself was not a justifiable reason to fight a war. This sentiment was particularly true among the European nations in the coalition. Holding this coalition together was critical to the overall effort. From the perspective of the administration, the war could not be seen as â€Å"trading lives for oil†. That would reinforce world perceptions of the United States as a greedy empire. Eventually the eroding effect of public opinion would have weakened the tenuous coalition. In fact, this had been part of Saddam’s political strategy from the outset. â€Å"Saddam Hussein apparently counted on American public pressure to prevent a committment of troops to defend either Kuwait or Saudi Arabia† (Carlisle, 2003). Vietnam might be thought of as a constrained war, not in terms of casualties but in terms of the lengths the U. S. was willing to go to ensure victory. The Gulf War, in contrast, was a â€Å"careful† war. Every attempt was made to minimize both coalition casualties and the public reporting on those casualties. The military also went out of its way to project the image that Iraqi civilians were not targets. Reports began to surface about large numbers of Iraqi casualties, but they were largely squelched by the constant presentation of surgical strikes on the enemy. For his part Saddam tried to play up images of apparently innocent Iraqi casualties. American officials admit, in hindsight, that Saddam played the political game well. After all â€Å"Saddam is a politician not a soldier† (Dunnigan, 1992). The Outcomes Militarily, the Gulf War at first appeared to be as close to flawless as is possible. The Iraqi military was swept out of Kuwait in a matter of weeks. The military had taken reporters into their ranks while still tightly controlling the flow of information. Images of deadly accurate smart bomb deployments and successful interception of Iraqi SCUD’s by American Patriot missiles permeated the nightly news. President Bush’s approval ratings skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. Politically the effort was less successful. According to U. S. News & World Report: â€Å"But inasmuch as victory suggests the decisive defeat of an opponent, there was none. This triumph without victory was perhaps the most striking irony of the entire conflict† (1993). The U. S. had hoped that Saddam would be overthrown in the process, but was unable to make the case that it should be done by the coalition. When parts of the country revolted against Saddam, the lack of coalition help allowed Saddam to crush them brutally. At the time, the outcome seemed acceptable. According to R. W. Apple, Jr. : â€Å"they appear to have done just enough to make it unlikely that a second Persian Gulf war will erupt any time soon† (1991). In hindsight it is apparent that this set the stage for another Gulf War. Ten years later, the U. S. and a smaller coalition of nations launched an attack with the expressed purpose of overthrowing Saddam. The Presidency The Gulf War of 1991 was a watershed moment in the history of the Presidency of the United States. The War Powers Act theoretically reserved the right to make war to the U. S. Congress. An increasingly long line of Presidents have resisted this notion, finding loopholes in order to â€Å"defend American interests†. The Gulf War was unique in that the President undertook a sustained effort to marshal international support before even gaining domestic support. Critics charge that Bush was trying to â€Å"circumvent Congress by seeking United Nations approval† (U. S. News & World Report, 1993). There was dissent in the Congress to the asserting of political power by the President. Many felt that the issue was not thoroughly debated. George Mitchell (D. -ME) wrote that: In effect the President, overnight, with no consultation and no public debate, changed American policy from being part of a collective effort to enforce diplomatic sanctions into a predominantly American effort, relying upon the use of American military force. (Mitchell, 1991) Nevertheless, this would become the template for future Presidents wishing to undertake military action. A formal declaration of war, as they saw it, was unnecessary. As the Commander-in Chief the President is charged with defending American interests. A further asserting of Presidential power was the perceived â€Å"shackling of the press† (U. S. News & World Report, 1993). For the first time, a full-scale effort to control the modern, multimedia press was undertaken. The â€Å"in the National interest† argument was used to full effect. From this perspective the administration could paint uncooperative media as unpatriotic or untrustworthy. Conclusion In Vietnam, television had shown Americans the realities of modern warfare. Political ramifications soon followed. In the Gulf War of 1991, the conflict was, in fact, planned from a political and media perspective. The war marked an increase in the assertion of Presidential power. It also marked an increase in the ability of that branch to use the media, public opinion and internationalism to increase that power. It was a political evolution that has now become commonplace. Was the Persian Gulf War of 1991 a success? Militarily, it was. The military carried out its proscribed mission with remarkable efficiency and media savvy. In terms of international politics, it merely preserved the status quo while not resolving any underlying problems. In terms of domestic politics it allowed for an increase in Presidential power while setting the template for future military conflicts in successive administrations. The template worked efficiently for a while, but by the end of the second Bush’s administration the political pendulum was swinging back toward Congress and more hesitancy in carrying out large-scale military actions. Works Cited Abdulla, Abdulkhaleq. â€Å"Gulf War: the socio-political background. † Arab Studies Quarterly. 16. 3 (1994). Apple, R. W. Jr. â€Å"After the War: Politics: Another Gulf War? † The New York Times. 10 Mar. 1991: B01. Carlisle, Rodney P. Persian Gulf War. New York: Facts on File, 2003. Dunnigan, James E. & Bay, Austin. From Shield to Storm. New York: Morrow & Co. , 1992. Mitchell, George. â€Å"Confrontation in the Gulf: War and Peace: A sampling from the debate on Capitol Hill. † The New York Times. 11 Jan. 1991: A03. U. S. News and World Report. Triumph Without Victory: the unreported history of the Persian Gulf War. New York: Random House, 1993.

John Proctor Is a Good Man Essay

Many actions dignify the traits of a tragic hero, but only few stand out. In the tragedy The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a tragic hero dies a good man when brought to trial over nothing more than child’s play and dishonesty. John Proctor is an honest, upright, and blunt-spoken man because he fought for what is right and found forgiveness in his fatal flaw. Although he exhibits these traits throughout the story, John dies a dynamic character. Throughout the story, John expresses qualities of an honest man by defending his wife Elizabeth when she is accused of hurting Abigail. John defends Elizabeth† Herrick! Herrick don’t chain her† (page 177: Proctor) in many ways despite the hardship they have been going through with their marriage. With tension between the two because of John’s affair with Abigail, Elizabeth and John have been falling apart. However, in some divine way, John forfeits his good name when he tells the court of his affair. In doing so, John has lost what makes him honorable, but Elizabeth seeing this has brought new perspective upon her relationship with her husband. She forgave him. John doing the unimaginable to seek his wife’s forgiveness is a true example of a dynamic change throughout the story. Although John changed with his honesty, he also was an upright, blunt-spoken man. With this quote, â€Å"How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore! † (Page 192: Proctor) John exhibits his personality and thought very bluntly towards Abigail because he knows what is right in this court case. In doing so, John brings the attention of this case to new and questioning points for Judge Danforth. However, these points soon became turned around with the compendious lies Abigail and the girls conspired about. Although John spoke his mind when it came to honesty about Elizabeth, he came to a point where he neede d something big to make Danforth see the truth. John revealed his sin to the courts of Salem. By him releasing his secret, Judge Danforth opened light to John’s objections. His actions may have brought him down in a way, but he still rose up to catch Abigail in her lies. John Proctor used his blunt-spoken mind to convey the truth to the courts and showed how he did change with how he saw other people such as Abigail. John Proctor expresses his honesty and blunt personality throughout the story, however when time did come to the end of the tragedy, he exposed another trait until his last breath of air. There is such thing of honor and it can be argued that John Proctor died without it. Or that he wasted his breath fighting for his and Elizabeth’s life. But, John Proctor expressed himself as an upright man. He proved many things with the case and even was awarded a second chance to live before he be hanged. Such a thing would not come of any honor but come of disgrace and embarrassment. He chose to die a man of his name with honor and pride because he knew what was right and knew he would not win† I say- I say- God is Dead!† (Page: 198: John Proctor). This quote means John has changed and come to conclusion of things in the story. Although he is portraying things as if Abigail was not lying, he knew he could not fight a losing war. As to him, it was better to die the man he knew himself for and a man of his own name. Even to the moment of impact, John felt peace and change with himself before he was hanged because he died and honest, upright, and blunt-spoken man.

Training Evaluation

Employee training programs in an organization are very important, they provide a focused training to employees who are either one time basis or a recurring basis. Training programs in an organization can either be developed in-house or the organization can opt to attend programs which are more generic such as colleges, universities or attend training centers, (Sims, 2002). Ryan door should come up with a training program which is whole and looks to all the details of the company. The first step that Ryan should take is to ensure that training provides employees with skills and knowledge necessary for succeeding in their jobs. This should entail provision of training manuals which show all the requirements for the position that the person is about to take and the manuals are up to date with current required knowledge for the position since they keep on changing from time to time. According (Lawson, 2002), new employees should receive a formal training method which is either in-house or from external sources where they an attend seminars because they are more professional and informed. The person leaving the position should not train the new employee because the same mistakes which the person was committing will probably be passed on. Also read: Training and Development of KFC Employees who had help the position before do not have enough knowledge about the position therefore they should also not be used. Second step is to improvise a well structured plan which starts by reviewing company's objectives and evaluating whether the existing training program covers the objectives and if not, decide on the additional training needed to match company needs and employee needs and close the gap. In this case therefore, it is clear that the employees of Ryan door lack enough skills in their jobs and additional training should be provided to employees in the door-design department. This can be done by taking them on step by step door production process, encouraging them to work with the architects and clearly be taught on the specifications and proportions which they need to used so that wastage of resources can be minimized and losses avoided. Ryan should also come up with a simpler way of preparing customers orders, this can be done by ensuring that the orders are clear and the employees knows the different customers available as well what should be filled in the form. New employees on the job should be provided with good training from a formal source which either in built or external. According to (Sims, 2002), the training should not only be based on the position which the person is taking in the organization but rather, they should be diverged to a variety of topics which are associated to the entire work environment. These diverse topics should address cases such as communication. This is where the employees are trained on how well they can communicate either with their co-workers, immediate supervisors or the upper management about issues affecting them. Ryan door should therefore provide efficient and effective communication systems so that instead of employees doing their work contrary to what the president wants, they can communicate their problems and therefore ease the arguments which occur between the president, supervisors and employees. Another topic to be trained on is on quality initiatives and customer service initiative. Ryan employees should be trained on how to come up with quality products for the customers so that they can get quality service for their money. Other topics should include safety, sexual harassment and computer skills among others, (Noe, 1998). Third is to ensure that employees should be trained differently depending on the position and the work which he/she is going to do. Ryan should come up with a training procedure which focuses on independent persons and requirements for their posts. For example, persons working with the machines should be given training which is practical and shows them how to run the machines, for secretaries, they should be shown how to attend to the president and the visitors and does not necessarily need to be practical. This therefore shows that the employees need to be trained differently because the job requirements are different. After all this is provided in the training, Ryan should develop a training rollout plan for the organization. This is meant to ensure that the training program is effective and efficient and can be used in future training of employees. The rollout plan should include project planning, project commencement, implementation and its control. It is clear from the training program in Ryan that the training does not meet the needs for the position that is given to them. Ryan therefore should evaluate their training program to check whether it has been effective, this can be done by giving the trainees some chores related to the training which they have undertaken and check whether they are able to carry them out. If yes, the training program will be good and should be adopted otherwise any problem should be looked into and the style changed to ensure good results. The trainees should then be provided with a certificate of participation which is meant to recognize their efforts they have applied during training. In conclusion, Ryan needs to evaluate their training program timely and severally and the employees should also be evaluated by comparing the newly acquired skills with the skills defined in the objectives. Any discrepancies noted should be adjusted so that the program can meet the organization's goals. The president of Ryan should know that any training program fails to accomplish expectations due to failure of evaluating the process. Timely evaluation prevents training from straying from the organizations objectives and goals.

Short written assingment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short written assingment - Assignment Example Convened on November 20, 2013, the meeting was developed to touch on issues related to the use of intellectual property. The meeting took place between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm at the Offices of Greenberg Traurig, 4 Embarcadero Center, Suite 3000 in Francisco. The meeting was under the sponsorship of Greenberg Traurig. The main issue under discussion was â€Å"The latest in E-music issues.† The speaker during the meeting was the Intellectual property litigator, William Coats. He is an accomplished professional in matters related to trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, and patents. He is quite conversant with dispute issues related to intellectual property especially relating to the movie, electronic as well as computer industries. Bill discussed a number of issues with the participants that gave them insight on various issues related to E-commerce. He focused more on the limitations and the provisions of intellectual property laws but never missed points related to the usability of e-commerce. Firstly, he talked about the utilization of advertising in the internet using the classical songs that were developed before 1972. Secondly, he talked about the legislations that were underway that could have an impact on e-commerce. Thirdly, he gave an insight on the use of small music clips without necessarily seeking for a license. Fourthly, he put into perspective the issue of using electronic signature when giving the rights to use the music, while considering the underlying the effects on e-commerce. Fifthly, he talked about the intellectual property rights that are likely to affect the use and sale of E-music. Finally, he talked about the fight against e-commerce by labels that have fought to have sale of music t hrough the internet disallowed. The meeting was geared towards sensitizing the committee on the possibilities and limitations of e-commerce as it relates to music. Intellectual priority was given the top priority while the laws that govern trade and