Written Assignment free essay sample

The novel, The Assault, is told against the backdrop of shifting Dutch post-war society, centered around significant points in that history. Mulisch paints a canvas of the difficulties of Dutch society in coming to terms with the events of the war. Mulisch faces significant questions of guilt and innocence when writing the novel thus leading to the hand of fate lurking strongly in the novel. The Assault becomes a morality play with much difficulty in determining and judging what right and wrong is, and guilty from innocence becomes a central theme throughout the novel in the lives of Anton Steenwijk, Fake Ploeg’s son, Cor Take and Karin Korteweg and Mr. Korteweg. Anton Steenwijk is the central protagonist in the novel and has been plagued with the murdering of his family at a very young age. Anton struggles to understand and comprehend the events that happened that very night which ultimately leads to his apathy for the subject. We will write a custom essay sample on Written Assignment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Anton’s apathy and attempts of forgetfulness toward the killings makes him guilty in the novel; however, the fact that Anton’s only mechanism for coping with the tragedy is detachment and forgetting gives him the characteristic of innocence thus raising important questions of guilt and innocence in his character. Anton’s apathetic characteristic can be seen when he gains the â€Å"awareness that his house no longer existed [, coming] briefly but vanish[ing] at once (43). Here Anton gains this awareness of a tragic event and quickly decides not to impose any guilt upon himself thus making him guilty, but because of the dreadful events that have happened to him, this can be seen as simple innocence of a teenage boy. Next, â€Å"[Anton] had felt upset at first, yet now, with shouting and screaming everywhere, people bleeding and trying to reach safety, he was pervaded by a strange indifference. This quote uses an extreme situation of madness and despair followed by a quick, short understatement of Anton’s indifference to portray the extent to which Anton has no feeling toward the event making him guilty to the situation; whereas, it also gives insight to how Anton deals with sadness and despair making him innocent to the situation (84). Later in the novel, Mulisch describes Anton’s character conflict though the juxtaposition of light and dark imagery when â€Å"the two adults perspiring in their dark clothes, while Sandra, dressed in white, didn’t mind the sun. Mulish uses the dark clothes in to represent Anton’s perceived guilt and uses Sandra to represent the childish innocence in Anton thus the white dress. Anton’s character is debated whether his unemotional character is guilt in itself or whether since this is his coping mechanism makes him truly innocent. Fake Ploeg’s guiltiness as a Nazi collaborator is questioned and defended to be rather innocence through his son, Fake. Anton claims that his â€Å"family was senselessly slaughtered by Fascist, of whom [Fake’s] father was one. Isn’t that right? (90)†, through the use of the rhetorical question Mulisch makes the guilt of Fake Ploeg an evident fact. Whereas, Fake tells Anton how his fathers death devastated his family and claims â€Å"[Fake Ploeg] was ignorant of [the Jews] and [Anton] can’t blame him for it. He was with the police and simple did his duty, what he was told (91). † Fake’s philosophical view on the situation is seen by pleading ignorance for his father. Mulisch uses Fake character as an arbitrator for the situation and as the events change, Fake’s character changes; for example, â€Å"[Fake] began to sob. The sob rose out of him as if they belonged to someone else who was inhabiting his body† Fake character, here, changes emotionally to portray the seriousness of Fake in his argument (92). Anton’s claims conflict with Fake’s claims of his father’s guiltiness that ultimately lead to a blurred line of innocence versus guilt. Another guilt versus innocence conflict in the novel is the murder of Fake Ploeg. Cor Take, the murderer, claims innocence through several philosophical views on morality. When Take speaks to Anton about Fake Ploeg, Mulish uses harsh and rough words such as â€Å"barbered wire†, â€Å"ripped†, â€Å"blazing†, â€Å"vomited† to portray the evil character that Fake Ploeg was and to justify himself as well as using a rhetorical question â€Å"[Fake] killed God knows how many people†¦ So he had to be gotten rid of Do you agree? Yes or yes? † to persuade Anton to eventually agreeing with him (111). Then Mulisch describes the setting with â€Å"a small cloud [creeping] over the sun, making flowers on the new grave look bleached, as if they were repenting, while the gray of the gravestones [became] dominant,† this juxtaposition of light and dark symbolizes Take’s innocent character being overshadowed with the corruptness of the murder, further adding to the question of innocence or guiltiness (111). Take furthers his innocence by stating â€Å"if you believe we shouldn’t have done it, then you also believe that, in the light of history, the human race shouldn’t have existed;† Fake adds a more philosophical question here to support his earlier claims of innocence (113). Ultimately, the reader is left with an ambiguous question of guilt or innocence. The final encounter of guilt and innocence, in The Assault, is with Karin Korteweg. Anton describes Mr.Korteweg through callous diction as â€Å"cold† and â€Å"bitter† who moved Ploegs body to his home to save his own, thus forcing the accusation of guiltiness upon him (173). The chilly and ominous mood is quickly set when â€Å"a group of boys†¦ all [having] black leather jackets, black pants, and black boots with metal heels† walks past them; Mulisch uses the ridged diction and imagery of dark colors to portray this mood and rapidly put guilty undertones on the Kortewegs (176).

A Definite Difference Of Opinions Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

A Definite Difference Of Opinions Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers A Definite Difference of Opinions During the development of the young country of the United States of America, everyone had the ability to include their opinions on any subject. But many times, only a few voices were actually listened to. In this case Thomas Jefferson, a Republican, and Alexander Hamilton, a Federalist, were two of the most prominent people in the production of this government. Although disagreement was very common with these two, their contradictions definitely attributed to the development of America. During the first term of presidency Alexander Hamilton had the advantage over Jefferson since he was a great ally with the president George Washington. At this time Hamilton was chosen as the Secretary of Treasury, which was an important job. Hamilton created financial plans that would supposedly clear the debt of the United States. During one situation, Hamilton produced a deal with Jefferson and his Republican friends that moved the nation?s capitol to Philadelphia. But that was one of the very few agreements between the two. One very popular debate occurred soon after the nation?s capitol moved. It is referred to as the debate between a "broad" and a "strict" construction of the new Constitution. Hamilton came up with a bank proposal that would produce banks around the country. Hamilton?s idea was to keep the current of commerce flowing, and to keep business leaders happy by building a bank capitol. Thomas Jefferson was in great opposition to this idea. He and his friends explained that they did not want a country fill with cities, mills, mines, and factories; they would much rather see the farming production prosper in this country. Jefferson and his colleagues had bent their ideas with the national and state debts, but in no way would they receive the bank proposal lying down. They complained that the Constitution did not give Congress power to build banks; therefore, they should not be permitted. Hamilton, on the hand, explained that the Constitution stated that the government would pr! oduce a proper way of managing money, which the bank was for. George Washington believed arguments by both Hamilton and Jefferson, but he decided to sign the bill. As a result, economy was greatly affected in America?s development. Another great disagreement between the two was the whole idea of foreign affairs. The Federalists, led by Hamilton, supposedly believed that they should have never broken from the great empire. In times of war they repeatedly showed favoritism to Great Britain, the supposed enemies. The Republicans, led by Jefferson and Madison, favored the country of France and the common citizens of the country. They influenced the common people of France to overthrow the French Nobility. A third difference of opinion centered around life styles of the American people. Basically Jefferson despised the idea of a New York City kind of country, he believed it would bring crime and other consequences. Jefferson wanted a more of a Wisconsin type of country, where everyone owned their own land and had their own type of freedom. Hamilton and the Federalists had totally different beliefs, wanting cities and factories in the country. After the election of John Adams in 1796 differences between the ideas of Jefferson and Hamilton grew larger. The acts produced by the Federalist party deeply troubled Jefferson and the Republicans. Although a little harsh, the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, produced a way for the Federalists to revolt against Republican opposition and to increase power for themselves. These acts did not permit anyone to criticize the government at all, through writing, or any other way. It also extended the time to become an American citizen, since the Federalists believed that most of the foreigners would become Republicans. This deeply troubled Jefferson and Madison, but they had to find a way to fight back for the Republicans. Jefferson reacted with the production of the Kentucky Resolutions, which permitted states the power to judge a bill or law, unconstitutional, or invalid. This allowed the states to control the laws that would circulate their area. This, and other reactions ! by the Republicans contradicted the acts produced by the Federalists and almost equalized power on both sides. As you can see, Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson argued about many subjects to

How to Achieve Cultural Diversity in the School System

How to Achieve Cultural Diversity in the School System Cultural diversity as an issue wasnt even on the radar of most private school communities until the 1990s. To be sure, there were exceptions, but for the most part, diversity was not at the top of the list of priorities back then. Now you can see genuine progress in this area. The best evidence that progress has been made is that diversity in all its forms is now on the list of other issues and challenges facing most private schools. In other words, it is no longer a detached issue requiring resolution by itself. Schools seem to be making well-thought-out efforts to attract and retain faculty and students from a wide variety of societal backgrounds and economic sectors. The resources under The Diversity Practitioner on the National Association of Independent Schools site show the kind of proactive approach which NAIS members are taking. If you read the mission statements and welcome messages on most schools websites, the words diversity and diverse appear frequently. Set an Example and They Will Follow The thoughtful head and board members know that they must encourage diversity. Perhaps that has already been done at your school. If so, then a review of where you have been and where you are going should be part of your annual review activities. If you have not addressed the diversity issue, then you need to get started. Why? Your school cannot afford to turn out students who have not learned the lessons of tolerance. We live in a multicultural, pluralistic, global community. Understanding diversity begins the process of living in harmony with others. Communication enables diversity. Example fosters diversity. Every sector of the school community from head and trustees on down through the ranks must be proactive in listening, accepting and welcoming people and ideas which are different from their own. This breeds tolerance and transforms a school into a warm, welcoming, sharing academic community. Three Ways to Communicate Diversity 1. Hold Workshops for Faculty and StaffBring in a skilled professional to run workshops for your faculty and staff. The experienced clinician will open up sensitive issues for discussion. She will be a confidential resource which your community will feel comfortable turning to for advice and help. Make attendance mandatory. 2. Teach DiversityEmbracing the principles of diversity taught in a workshop requires everybody to put diversity into practice. That means reworking lesson plans, encouraging new, more diverse student activities, hiring different teachers and much more. Communication imparts knowledge which can breed understanding. As administrators and faculty, we send dozens of subtle messages to students not only by what we discuss and teach but, more importantly, by what we do NOT discuss or teach. We cannot embrace diversity by remaining set in our ways, beliefs and thoughts. Teaching tolerance is something all of us have to do. In many cases, it means shedding old practices and altering traditions and modifying points of view. Simply increasing a schools intake of non-Caucasian students will not make a school diverse. Statistically, it will. Spiritually it will not. Creating a climate of diversity means radically altering the way your school does things. 3. Encourage diversityOne of the ways you as an administrator can encourage diversity is to require compliance with school policies and procedures. The same kind of strict adherence to policy and procedure which makes cheating, hazing and sexual misconduct taboo should apply to diversity. Your staff must become proactive when it comes to encouraging diversity. Your staff must know that you will hold them just as accountable for your diversity goals as you will for teaching outcomes. Respond to Problems Are you going to have problems with diversity and tolerance issues? Of course. How you handle and resolve problems as they arise is the acid test of your commitment to diversity and tolerance. Everybody from your assistant to the grounds keeper will be watching too. Thats why you and your board must do three things to promote diversity in your school: Decide on policyImplement policyEnforce compliance with policy Is It Worth It? That nagging question does cross your mind, doesnt it? The answer is a simple and resounding Yes! Why? Simply because you and I are stewards of all that we have been given. The responsibility for shaping young minds and inculcating eternal values has to be a major part of that stewardship. Our abrogation of selfish motives and embracing of ideals and goals which will make a difference is really what teaching is all about. An inclusive school community is a rich one. It is rich in warmth and respect for all its members. Private schools say they want to attract more teachers of different cultures in order to achieve diversity. One of the leading authorities on this subject is Dr. Pearl Rock Kane, director of the Klingenstein Center at Columbia Universitys Teachers College and professor in the Department of Organization and Leadership. Dr. Kane admits that the percentage of black teachers in American private schools has risen, to 9% today from 4% in 1987. While this is commendable, shouldnt we go beyond 25% in order for our faculty lounges to begin to mirror the society in which we live? There are three things schools can do to attract black teachers. Look outside the box Private schools must go outside the traditional recruitment channels to attract  teachers of color. You must go to colleges and universities where these students are being trained and educated. Contact the deans and career services directors at all of Historically Black Colleges, as well as other colleges that focus on specific cultures and ethnicities. Develop a network of contacts at those schools, and take advantage of LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, which make networking efficient and relatively easy. Be prepared to attract faculty who do not fit the traditional teacher profile Teachers of color have often spent years discovering their roots, developing a keen pride in their heritage, and accepting who they are. So dont expect them to fit into your traditional teacher profile. Diversity by definition implies that the status quo will change. Create a nurturing and welcoming atmosphere. The job is always an adventure for a new teacher. Starting in a school as a minority can be really daunting. So create an effective mentoring program before you actively recruit teachers. They must know there is somebody in whom they can confide or to whom they can turn for guidance. Then monitor your fledgling teachers even more carefully than you usually do to make sure that they settle in. The result will be a mutually rewarding experience. The school gets a happy, productive faculty member, and he or she feels confident in the career choice. The true make-or-break issue of hiring teachers of color may be the human factor. Independent school leaders may need to re-evaluate the climate and atmosphere of their schools. Is the school truly a welcoming place where diversity is tangibly honored? The human connection that is offered or not offered when a new person enters the school may be the single most important moment in efforts to recruit teachers of color. - Attracting and Retaining Teachers of Color, Pearl Rock Kane and Alfonso J. Orsini Read carefully what Dr. Kane and her researchers have to say on this subject. Then begin your schools journey down the road to true diversity.

Poverty Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Poverty Economics - Research Paper Example The model of trickle-down effect of growth is found to be prevalent in practice in the real world. Under this model, the benefits of growth are mostly savored by the upper and middle classes of the society. The lower middle class and the grass root level receive very little benefits of this economic growth. This is due to the fact that there is serious problem of income inequality in most of the economies in the globe, particularly in the developing countries (Altmann et al., 2013). All the sectors in the developing economies are not equally developed and there is huge inequality in income in the countries. In the concerned article, the Chief economist of World Bank has mentioned that the Bank has placed two new objectives that it would strive to achieve. These two goals are â€Å"ending extreme and chronic poverty in the world by 2030, and promoting shared prosperity, defined in terms of progress of the poorest 40% of the population in each society† (Basu, 2013). ... factors that affect this growth rate are rapid technological development, improvement in productivity and the lowering in the number of people living below poverty across the world. During the 19th century and also in the first few decades of the 20th century, over 1.2 billion people in the world used to live below the poverty level (the poverty line is set at $1 per day). Currently, this percentage of population has fallen marginally. According to the theory of poverty line, the people living below poverty line have the purchasing power of less than $1 dollar per day. Additionally, it must be noted in this context that more than half of the population of the world lives below $2 dollars per day. The variables that measure poverty are under nutrition, poor health condition, poor level or absolutely no literacy, environmentally degraded and unhygienic living condition, low or no access to essential things in life (such as clean water) and lack of protection of fundamental freedoms or rights. Poor people all over the globe are characterized by the living condition in slum areas and under nourishment. Scholars and economists have univocally agreed that poverty is integrally linked with inequality in income distribution (Naranpanawa, Selvanathan & Bandara, 2013). One commonly used method of measuring the personal income statistics is the Lorenz curve. The Lorenz curve helps to analyze the percentage of income against the percentage of income recipients. The further the line is from the diagonal, the greater is the degree of inequality. The following diagram illustrates the workings of the Lorenz curve. Figure 1: Lorenz curve (Source: Anonymous, n.d.) The further the curve bends from the diagonal, the greater is the inequality in income level. The area between the two

Operations Management in Manchester Airport Essay - 1

Operations Management in Manchester Airport - Essay Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that the prices for durations of parking are advertised on a large bulletin board and thus, no delays due to bill problems for passengers. The parking time at Manchester airport takes approximately 20. There is a large parking area and thus it is uncommon to miss parking space. Security inspection- with the 9/11 attacks, security in airports have been beefed up. Manchester airport is no different and it security operations through. The security procedures take about 3minutes. The delay however is worthwhile. The procedures involve a pat down and screening by X-ray machines for dangerous equipments. Those with dangerous weapons are arrested by the standby police and taken to the nearby Manchester Airport police station. The above security check is for entrance to the airport and not for boarding flights. Queuing- queuing is a security procedure as well as a measure to maintain order. Those in the queue are closely monitored by CCTV cameras whi le they line up to go and purchase or confirm tickets. This is a fundamental operation activity as it helps maintain order in the airport. The time taken in the queue depends on the number of passengers in the airport. But approximately staying in the Queue cannot take more than 10 minutes. The number of teller stations to which passengers buy or confirm tickets are many and thus efficient operation. Ticket buying and confirmation- The airport has a self check-in ticket kiosk which allows one to insert an id and credit card for validation. The boarding pass then prints itself automatically; this reduces the queues at the counters. They also allow one to view the itinerary and select seats. The process takes approximately 5 minutes. According to McGregor theory of operation management, time is an essential factor, all operations are supposed to be time inclusive. The introduction of self-check-in tickets in the airport is thus in line with the McGregor theory. Document Verification- In an international airport such as Manchester, the human traffic is unimaginable. The logistics therefore in of ensuring that everyone is he/she claims to be is thus a nightmare. This operation is both complex and time consuming. It should thus be handled carefully because if handled wrongly could increase the occurrence of a security breach. The counters in Manchester airport are up to the task. The airport has 30 counters for verifying travel documents and thus reduce the delays at this operational stage. Because of the many counters this process takes approximately two minutes. Waiting bay- The passengers then have to wait for approximately 20 minutes in the waiting bay, this is where the non passengers are left. The ticket is used to ensure only those travelling enter into the next section. The time taken here is because of saying goodbyes. The passengers enter into the center of the airport or the terminuses, while those coming to wave the goodbye go out through another sectio n. Those going out get out through n exit door to avoid confusion. This is operation is helpful as it enables security to monitor movements. Eating/feeding- Tax free hotels inside the hotels ensure that those travelling eat what they want. The hotels offer all types of food. The area is a wireless networking gateway. The food is necessary for long distance travelers who do not want to take food in the plane.

Wireless Industry Essay -- essays research papers

Over the past decade the wireless telecommunications industry has undergone a multitude of changes and experienced rapid growth. Developments in technology and consumer demand have fueled this growth and research shows that this growth will continue in the years to come. This paper will analyze the basis for these trends in consumption patterns, to include the utility derived from the products, changes in demand, market prices and the elasticity of demand of wireless services. Utility is defined as the â€Å"satisfaction one get from consuming a good or service† (Colander, 2004, p.179). The utility derived from the use of wireless communications devices includes freedom from being tied to one place, the hope of increased productivity, and cost savings from free long distance. Another aspect of utility is the way wireless devices are used today. In the marketplace â€Å"the cell phone is not just a communication device but a device that enables the exchange of ideas and also, increasingly, goods and services† (Key, 2005, p.52). This tells us that consumers envision cellular phones as not only a means to keep in touch, but as a way to collaborate with others, shop for products, and entertain themselves. As wireless communication companies recognize the utility derived from their products and services they can develop more services and further increase the demand for their offerings. The demand for wireless communications devices has increased in recent years due in large part to price d...

Overcoming the Improvement Paradox Essay

Quality improvement programs are designed based on research, a company’s needs and the promise of improving the functioning of a business, both from a management standpoint and in the eyes of the employee. Research proves that they are not only productive, but necessary. In fact it is suggested that without a quality improvement program, businesses may fail. The reality is that most programs end in failure. The European Management Journal has termed this the â€Å"Improvement Paradox.† They have identified an inability of management to implement an improvement program as a dynamic process is the main reason for that failure. The term dynamic is used to identify a process that is ever changing, ongoing, and responsive to the needs of the company and to the needs of the employee. The process must identify issues and concerns and then be implement changes based on those issues and concerns. This is where the process falls short. Failure to monitor the feedback of employees and make necessary changes can lead to â€Å"unanticipated and even harmful side effects.† (2) The internal dynamics of an organization will impact the success or failure of an improvement program. Management needs to recognize three issues prior to implementation of a quality improvement program; what will the trade off be between current performance levels and future performance levels, managers need to ensure that their level of commitment is passed on to employees, and finally, as the program improves, managers will need to shift their focus and adapt for further gains. As stated previously, any improvement effort may have unanticipated events. The first effect noted may be a decrease in production or the time that employees have to focus on output. To overcome this problem, it is recommended that employees not focus on a numerical production quota, but rather devote a certain percentage of each day to working on quality improvement. Without allowing for the change in production, processes will be overlooked and may create a crisis. Managers need to allocate a portion of employee time to improvement efforts, separate of what they need for production. The second challenge is in initiating and sustaining employee commitment to the improvement process. There are two sources of commitment for improvement programs; managerial push and employee pull. Managerial push is the effort to promote improvement efforts of mandate employees to participate. Employee pull refers to an employee’s understanding of the need for improvement and commitment to the process. Employee pull will have the greatest impact on the success of the improvement process. The tendency is for managers to be very enthusiastic initially, but sustaining the enthusiasm becomes difficult. If employees are located in an area that is separate from management or one that is difficult to supervise, the challenge becomes even greater. Self-reinforcing feedback will have the greatest impact on sustaining the improvement process. Employees need to perceive that improvement efforts will be beneficial. In determining the success or benefit of a program, employees measure their expectations with the progress that is made. If expectations are set too high, the improvement process is likely to fail. The improvement goals need to be defined in measurable terms as well as defining a completion date. It is common to underestimate the amount of time needed to complete the improvement goals. If the goals and the timeline are not realistic, it is likely to result in a lack of funds and time available to meet the goals.   Any improvement process requires that the employees be trained for the process and that communication exist between management and employees to allow for a thorough exchange of communication. In addition, an infrastructure needs to be created that will support the process. Seldom will one improvement process cover the entire organization, resulting in a multitude of changes taking place concurrently. Because these processes are taking place in one organization, they must share resources, as in time and money. The benefit is that often the process that helps improve one department can be carried over to another department and implemented, provided there are adequate personnel and resources. Once an improvement process is successful, increased productivity can lead to layoffs. This can create fear in employees and not provide motivation for them to be successful. One way of guaranteeing their success is to provide them with job security if they participate in the program. Successful improvement may also create more demand than an organization is able to meet. This can cause more problems within the organization. Organizations often go into an improvement process without being fully prepared, which ultimately ends in disaster and perhaps with even more challenges than were present previously. Management fails to recognize the organizational and economic challenges that will take place and ultimately stand in their way without adequate planning. Further, organizations fail to plan for the unanticipated effects of improvement training. The overall process is straightforward, but may take more planning than most companies plan for. To improve quality overall is not simply developing a plan and putting into action. It requires assessing where you are and identifying where you would like to be. In the midst of that process, organizations and managers will need to evaluate and reevaluate to determine if they are meeting their goals, and if not, what changes need to be made. Research has proven that total quality management has the ability to improve work settings and improve employee satisfaction, and therefore ultimately improve customer satisfaction and the bottom line. Organizations want quality improvement, however the â€Å"improvement paradox† creates a situation that may not be affordable. If improvement is desired, to what extent are companies willing to accept the unanticipated results? What â€Å"extra† resources are available to deal with changes as they arise? This plan, created to deal with the crises that occur during a â€Å"quality improvement process,† provide an excellent plan for organizations to deal with the changes as they occur. Further, they provide warning for those issues that were not anticipated. Pushing people harder generates immediate, visible returns, but subtle, long-range problems. Changing the organizational processes to help people work smarter, however, can actually cause productivity to fall in the short term. So managers take the safe route and focus on people, usually pressuring for more results and less cost. Unfortunately, most organizations cannot get past that initial boost in productivity in the work harder scenario and the initial sag in the work harder approach. But if you want permanent improvement for your sales organization, it will take an investment in process. There are ways to minimize the sag in productivity, but they may require a corresponding increase in resources assigned at the start. But it can be worth it†¦the vicious cycle of the work harder approach becomes a virtuous cycle where productivity continues at a high level, and profitability climbs dramatically. References Keating, E., Oliva, R., Nelson, P., Rockart, S., Sterman, J. 1999. Overcoming the Improvement Paradox. European Management Journal. As found http://www.isixsigma.com/offsite.asp?A=Fr&Url=http://web.mit.edu/jsterman/www/EMJPaper.pdf