I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay -- Maya Angelou

In the novel I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou goes from a little southern black girl who wishes to be a â€Å"a long and blonde haired, light-blue eyed, white girl†, to a very mature young adult that is proud of her race. Throughout ’s (Maya’s) life she goes through many difficulties and triumphs. Some of which a person could never imagine of going through. Maya goes from being a very shy and strange black girl, to a certain and self-confident young woman. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, has to deal with prejudice, rape, and also the issues of abandonment in her course of becoming a mature woman. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings takes place in the 1930s to the 1940s. During this time period Blacks were discriminated against. Being a child in this period, Maya experiences how difficult life is with prejudice people. For example, with all the discrimination going on, Maya wishes to be a white girl. She says â€Å"Wouldn’t they be surprised when one day I woke out of my black ugly dream, and my real hair, which was long and blond, would take the place of the kinky mass that Momma wouldn’t let me straighten? My light-blue eyes were going to hypnotize them.....Then they would understand why I had never picked up a Southern accent, or spoke the common slang, and why I had to be forced to eat pigs’ tails and snouts. Because I was really white and because a cruel fairy stepmother, who was understandably jealous of my beauty, had turned me into a too-big Negro girl, with nappy black hair, broad feet and a space between her teeth†. She experiences how mean an d harsh white people are to the black people. For example, Maya saw her grandmother â€Å"Momma† be insulted by a bunch of â€Å"powitetrash† kids. They were making fun of how she was standing on the front porch and how she was humming Church songs. After getting bored of mocking her, one of the girls had revealed herself to Momma. Throughout the whole episode Momma stood straight and stiff and kept humming her Hymns. This showed Maya that a black person doesn’t have to always react to what white people say or do towards them. Being strong and showing that a person is not afraid is the best thing to do when being harassed. Momma also contributes to Maya’s maturing by Maya starts to take pride in her race even with all the prejudice. Momma stands up and speaks out to the white dentist, which was... ...a lesbian or not. So, without help from her mother she goes to the first guy she sees and has sex with him. If her mother had not let her alone and guided her through this problem she would never had done this. In doing this she becomes pregnant. This is when Maya really matures and learns that she must grow up. Without any guidance through her life she never knew the difference between right or wrong. All the times that she was abandoned or not guided through her childhood resulted in her getting pregnant. If Maya was never abandoned from her parents and other people then maybe she would have never made these bad choices. During this time period and living in the South, it makes Maya’s life difficult to experience. She grows up very fast and learns about things that a normal child or teenager would not know at this time. She matures quickly by the discriminations, her rape, and being abandoned throughout her childhood. As a teenager, Maya seems to be an older woman becaus e of all the difficulties and the triumphs that she has gone through. Today, kids are growing up very quickly, and they need the help of adults and examples from adults to understand what’s going on around them. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Essay -- Maya Angelou In the novel I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou goes from a little southern black girl who wishes to be a â€Å"a long and blonde haired, light-blue eyed, white girl†, to a very mature young adult that is proud of her race. Throughout ’s (Maya’s) life she goes through many difficulties and triumphs. Some of which a person could never imagine of going through. Maya goes from being a very shy and strange black girl, to a certain and self-confident young woman. In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, has to deal with prejudice, rape, and also the issues of abandonment in her course of becoming a mature woman. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings takes place in the 1930s to the 1940s. During this time period Blacks were discriminated against. Being a child in this period, Maya experiences how difficult life is with prejudice people. For example, with all the discrimination going on, Maya wishes to be a white girl. She says â€Å"Wouldn’t they be surprised when one day I woke out of my black ugly dream, and my real hair, which was long and blond, would take the place of the kinky mass that Momma wouldn’t let me straighten? My light-blue eyes were going to hypnotize them.....Then they would understand why I had never picked up a Southern accent, or spoke the common slang, and why I had to be forced to eat pigs’ tails and snouts. Because I was really white and because a cruel fairy stepmother, who was understandably jealous of my beauty, had turned me into a too-big Negro girl, with nappy black hair, broad feet and a space between her teeth†. She experiences how mean an d harsh white people are to the black people. For example, Maya saw her grandmother â€Å"Momma† be insulted by a bunch of â€Å"powitetrash† kids. They were making fun of how she was standing on the front porch and how she was humming Church songs. After getting bored of mocking her, one of the girls had revealed herself to Momma. Throughout the whole episode Momma stood straight and stiff and kept humming her Hymns. This showed Maya that a black person doesn’t have to always react to what white people say or do towards them. Being strong and showing that a person is not afraid is the best thing to do when being harassed. Momma also contributes to Maya’s maturing by Maya starts to take pride in her race even with all the prejudice. Momma stands up and speaks out to the white dentist, which was... ...a lesbian or not. So, without help from her mother she goes to the first guy she sees and has sex with him. If her mother had not let her alone and guided her through this problem she would never had done this. In doing this she becomes pregnant. This is when Maya really matures and learns that she must grow up. Without any guidance through her life she never knew the difference between right or wrong. All the times that she was abandoned or not guided through her childhood resulted in her getting pregnant. If Maya was never abandoned from her parents and other people then maybe she would have never made these bad choices. During this time period and living in the South, it makes Maya’s life difficult to experience. She grows up very fast and learns about things that a normal child or teenager would not know at this time. She matures quickly by the discriminations, her rape, and being abandoned throughout her childhood. As a teenager, Maya seems to be an older woman becaus e of all the difficulties and the triumphs that she has gone through. Today, kids are growing up very quickly, and they need the help of adults and examples from adults to understand what’s going on around them.

Emerging Adulthood Paper

After leaving the adolescence stage, young adults are not ready mentally to take on adult roles and responsibilities. Therefore the stage called emerging adulthood takes place before adulthood is entered. According to a survey, a large amount of Americans felt they were adult only in their late twenties and early thirties. During the period of emerging adulthood, many common changes take place in educational paths, jobs, love partners, and identity. Also, many people make changes their majors several times, and after graduating enter graduate school which delays settlement into the desired career path.Since young adults are always on the move, they move in and out of homes and resident halls. Due to unsettlement in career and being on the move, results in delay marriage as well. However, not every young adult around the world goes through this typical phase – emerging adulthood. Many young adults in non-western countries have no emerging adulthood. They enter marriage, parenth ood, and lifelong work early. In low-SES families, young people do not finish high school or are unprepared for college, and are less likely to leave home, therefore emerging adulthood is nonexistent.Emerging adults also begin too to build intimacy and trust in relationships that will last a lifetime. However, individuals in emerging adulthood think of intimacy in a different way than in the past. The Sacramento Bee published an article on â€Å"Researchers Find College Students’ Sexual Hookups More Complex than Originally Thought,† by Binghamton University which states that in the U. S. emerging adults have created a new shift during the period of adolescence and young adulthood in which they are more open to and accept uncommitted sexual activity during the college years.Justin R. Garcia, a researcher from The Kinsey Institute said that cultural dating has changed and moved away from dating under parental supervision. Emerging adults view sex in a non-committal way, using it as an experience as opposed to a committed relationship that will last over the years. Researchers got together to conclude a brief look at the cultural circumstance identified as â€Å"hook-ups. † A large percentage of emerging adults’ hookup, however it is not just about the sex, said Garcia. Many seek for love and a romantic relationship.Also, alcohol and drug use play a major role in uncommitted sex. But this research is not just about the negative effects of hookups. The study gives an opportunity to understand this stage of a young person’s development and for parents and those who interact with emerging adults to be educated about sexual behavior in emerging adults. I believe this will continue to be a specific period of time because every person from the age of 18 begins to make long term-goals for the future. The first long term decision that has a large effect on their life is the choice to attend college.I think that by moving away to another state or country for college creates not only changes environmentally, but also in relationships with family, friends, and close ones and new relationships are built as well. On the other hand, in the near future, I believe that this period will continue to change. More and more high school graduates will go on to college to get a rewarding job financially compared in the past. College students will also depend on their parents financially due to high rates of taxes and since jobs are hard to obtain. If this does not change, emerging adults will not move out until they are financially stable.Marriage will be postponed as well. Emerging adults will start getting married after graduating from college to be able to support a family. However, I think that many will restrain from getting married. There will not only be the technology but also more to see and do by traveling to satisfy one’s self. Also, many emerging adults view sex in a non-committal way. Emerging adults may not see the need for marriage when they don’t need to commit to one person. Which is why I believe life will be different in the future for this period of adulthood.

Can Ethics be tought

The notion that ethics is a process of communication that gives way to new understandings and commitments to our social fife has been utilized herein to explore several questions. Should ethics teaching be via standalone modules or embedded in ethics discussion within curricula? Clearly both have merit yet we argue that authentic ethics discussions should pervade curriculum, be conceptualized and multifaceted. This attention to implementation and the notion of a possible ethics framework to structure student experiences was explored.Key Words : Ethics, Teaching, Curriculum, Instruction Introduction Ethics is often presented in classes by well meaning educators as a moral philosophy hat infuses critically assumed beliefs which are used to search for a good† human life. To most this is a classical understanding, however if we were to suggest ethics could be inherent in the duties humans owe to each other we would be touching upon a modern understanding. Educators and students con fronted with these understandings may frequently face a predicament.The educator may discover or currently know that they cannot teach ethics because of religious (spiritual) and cultural disagreements linked to what should be taught (curriculum). Many students draw upon background pre-understandings and are perplexed when confronted with ethical understandings of both peers and professors (Emerson & Convoy, 2004). To choose to not discuss ethics may be a safer path yet avoidance sends messages that this topic is a private matter and not suitable for discussion.It is not a private matter yet avoiding discussion of ethics at all levels of education may only fuel mystification and/or ignorance. Discussing ethics should not be a private matter it should be within educational programs and rightly so, according to the many business school deans who rank ethics among the top five learning goals for their programs (Martial & Cauldron, 2005). Herein, we could consider ethics as, the general study of goodness and the general study of right action †¦ [which] constitute the main business of ethics.Its principal substantive questions are what ends we ought, as fully rational human beings, to choose and pursue and what moral principles should govern our choices and pursuits. (Audio, 1995, p. 3) This study of right action could be viewed as a system of rules or principles rooted in the legal system however ethics can also be understood as a set of skills (acts) yet this understanding has limitations. Ultimately, we can view ethics as a process of life. Our argument is that we should discuss ethics in educational programs order to develop our understandings and enrich our lives.Our present day society is reeling from ethical wrongdoing (crime) and challenges (bad decisions) reported in the media yet these ethically challenged people behind these scandals share a common experience, school. O Centre for Promoting Ideas, USA www. Subsistent. Com Perhaps, each person attend ed school until the law no longer required them to attend or until the person attending deemed they were ready to leave school. Many complete only secondary school and work their way into executive positions; some go Arthur and deeper in post-secondary stepping directly into professional roles.The path we examine is of importance herein since the following words address and illuminate the teaching of ethics at the post-secondary level within the subject area of business over the past thirty years and we ask: Can ethics be taught? Secondly, if it is to be taught, than how should it be taught? 1. 0 Curriculum: Can ethics be taught? Current research and the researchers behind this research were searching to discover the root causes of well reported ethical problems, dilemmas and challenges in all areas of society (Frank, Bookie, & Garnished, 2010).The investigation of unethical activity may lead back to a common experience point for the people within the scandal and that often is schoo l. Herein we launch into a cursory inspection (due to page limitations) of the construction and delivery of curricula within business at the post-secondary level over the past thirty years. We illuminate the issues and discover if there is or was a linkage between what is, or is not taught, and the causes of unethical behavior which has inspired many researchers to take an even closer look at how texts are written and how professors teach within business courses.Stark (1993) indicated that the unethical behavior is not the result of an absence of business ethics curriculum since, â€Å"over 500 business-ethics courses are currently taught on American campuses; fully 90% of the nation†s business schools now provide some kind of training in the area† (p. 38). Perhaps the problem lies not in the sheer number of ethics courses offered, but possibly the ethics courses are not being taken seriously (Emerson & Convoy, 2004; Stephens & Stephens, 2008).Alternatively, it could be that professors, who hold questionable ethical philosophies, inadvertently rejecting this onto their students or it could be a dearth of real life† application in textbook case studies (Wittier, 2004). The reason for our current predicament is puzzling. There exists an argument as to whether or not ethics should be taught in a post-secondary environment (Ritter, 2006). Dodo (1997) explains that, â€Å"†¦ The primary reason for discussing ethical issues in the business classroom is for the students to develop a process which considers the ethical implications of business decisions† (p. 96). Weber (1990) reviewed four studies and found that three of the four indicated a costive shift in ethical reasoning as a result of ethics education. Boyd (1981) indicated an increase in moral reasoning and Stead & Miller (1988) saw an increase to students† awareness and sensitivity towards social issues following ethics coursework. Burton, Johnston and Wilson (1991) also sh owed an increase of ethical awareness when compared to a control group within their research.Even though published research has indicated that ethics education improves ethical attitude, there are others that have shown a negative relationship (Cohen & Bennie, 2006; Stephens & Stephens, 2008). Crag (1997) argued that ethics cannot be taught and a study conducted by Bishop (1992) further supported this assertion. Bishop (1992) concluded, that â€Å"another interesting criticism of ethics is that as long as we have laws that dictate what is permissible; we do not need courses in ethics† (p. 294). Pavement (1991) found that† †¦ There are serious flaws in the very foundation of the business ethics course – [and] ethical theory itself† (p. 92) because most of what is provided in business ethics texts does not involve ethical dilemmas and many instructors place too much emphasis on ethical situations dealing with policy Pavement, 1991). Crag (1997) and Ritte r (2006) unidentified other groups, such as, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (CABS international) who have questioned this dilemma. Ritter (2006) suggested, â€Å"academics concerned about including ethical decommissioning strategies or other content in their classroom are hard pressed to find simple answers in either the theoretical or empirical research† (p. 153).Perhaps this situation arises due to the fact that within Goldberg†s Theoretical Model on Moral Development, â€Å"character development has already occurred by the time an individual reaches college age† (Ritter, 2006, p. 154). McCabe et al. (1994) supported this perspective while researching MBA students utilizing the Research Terminal Values Scale as a means to gauge the ethical predisposition of respondents; similar to what was done in the 1994 study conducted by Skull and Costa. This longitudinal study used the same sample of respondents over a two year period, yielding n o significant changes in their ethical attitude.Areola and Lurch (1983) also conducted a similar study where respondents were contacted years after administration of the original study, indicating a deterioration of ethical attitude. 45 1. 1 Morals and Ethics. Churchill (1992) believed that there was a misconception behind whether or not ethics can be trained because many who attempted to answer this question often confused the terms â€Å"ethics† and â€Å"morals† suggesting they shared a similar meaning. He defined morals as the behaviors of a human and ethics as a â€Å"†¦ Systematic rational reflection upon that behavior† (p. 297).Crag (1997) noted a similar distinction between moral standards and ethics when he stated: I do not want to teach moral standards; I want to teach a method of moral reasoning wrought complex ethical issues so that the students can apply the moral standards they have in his view, the primary function is to teach ethical systems of analysis, not moral standards of behavior. (p. 19) Being able to teach ethics within a program requires instructors to be able to grasp the process of moral reasoning to a point where this can be taught as a necessary route to arrive at ethically sound outcomes.Instructors therefore need to have an understanding of the moral relationship with ethics, something that may take a great deal of experience with the unique curricula o fully grasp. Gunderson, Capitol and Raja (2008) supported the development and implementation of ethics curriculum suggesting â€Å"individuals should become more ethical as they increase their educational accomplishments because of increasing exposure in both receiving and administering ethics curricula† (p. 315). Hence, the ethics course advances along with the instructor†s understanding of the ethics curricula and related instructional theory. . 2 Teaching ethics: Goal establishment. Regardless of the method of instruction utilized to deliv er business ethics; strategic Laos and objectives must be first identified within the curricula. Weber (1990) believed that ethics instruction must achieve some goal or set of goals before integrating it into the curricula. For instance, Belton and Sims (2005) highlighted several goals when teaching business ethics at the undergraduate level, stating, 1 . Assist student in the formation of their personal values and moral ideas, 2. Introduce them to the broad range of moral problems facing their society and world, 3.Provide them contact with important ethical theories and moral traditions and 4. Give them he opportunity to wrestle with problems of applied business ethics, whether personal or professional. (p. 388) Bishop (1992) also reported a set of ethical curriculum objectives created by The College of Business. Similar to the objectives outlined by the Belton and Sims (2005) study, The College of Business wanted to help guide and plan the implementation of ethics curriculum. Belt on and Sims (2005) suggested that it is also vitally important to know the backgrounds of each of the students.Some cohorts of students might have a mixture of backgrounds, while in another cohort students might be composed of tauter students coming directly from industry for retraining. In order to achieve goals or objectives, approaches to curriculum might be based on the backgrounds of the students in the classroom. Belton and Sims (2005) explain: Students, especially those with little exposure to the larger world, often bring to the classroom values that they have adopted from their parents, church affiliations, peer groups, or similar persons or forces of influence.The students in their thinking and actions simply reflect the values of their reference groups without having examined or evaluated them. P. 389) Business ethics education is about helping the student bring to consciousness their own set of values, but also, recognize how their values may conflict with the values of the business world (Belton and Sims, 2005). Ritter (2006) agreed and concluded that ethics education must be relevant to the student in order for it to transfer once they have graduated and are out working. 1. Coursework: The stand-alone ethics course. Offering business ethics as a stand-alone course or integrating it across the curriculum has sparked much debate. Henderson (1988) believed that by offering rouses solely devoted to business ethics † .. Sends a powerful message: A top priority at this school is for all students to know and follow the generally accepted rules of business† (p. 53). Weber (1990) identified, in a national survey of graduate and undergraduate students, that fifty three percent of students prefer to have a separate course in ethics.More recently, the CABS†s Ethics Education Task Force (2004) put forward this position: Business schools must encourage students to develop a deep understanding of the myriad challenges surrounding corporate res ponsibility and corporate governance; revive them with tools for recognizing and responding to ethical issues, both personally and organizationally; and engage them at an individual level through analyses of both positive and negative examples of everyday conduct in business (p. 9).What is certain is that ethical dilemmas occur, and within a context that is not always reproducible in coursework. Understanding and applying rules is but one half of the equation within an ethical dilemma because â€Å"the typical approach to ethical dilemmas is a two-step process: we locate a rule, and then we assume or Judge that it applies to our situation† (Labeled, 1985, p. 5). It is the ability to Judge or evaluate, which is a higher order thinking skill, which challenges us to do the right thing† within a situation. 1. 4 Embedding ethics curriculum.Researchers such as Ritter (2006); Ukuleles (1988) and Dodo (1997) argue that stand- alone courses are disconnected from real-world appli cation and that ethics must be integrated throughout the curriculum. Wynn and Meager (1989) conducted a study only to discover no significant changes in ethical decision making took place as a result of taking a course in ethics. Saul (1981) suggested that in order for business ethics to succeed, ethical considerations must be woven into every aspect of the â€Å"decision making repertoire as economic ones† (p. 273).Belton and Sims (2005) further supports this by stating â€Å"ethics is embedded in all business decision-making. A given decision may be described as marketing, production, or financial decision, but ethical dimensions are intertwined in the decision† (p. 381). Even if ethical decision making is integrated into business curriculum, Sims (2002) argued that the success of this approach would materialize only if the entire faculty and administration were in agreement. Alternatively, Stephens and Stephens, (2008) concluded: Ethics courses may be resulting in b etter ethical decision making.Perhaps alerting students to ethical violations is making them more aware of their decisions in the workplace. The results indicate that requiring an ethics course does make an immediate (albeit perhaps short term) difference in ethical decision making or in assessing potential ethical/unethical behavior. (p. 54) The variety of opinion is easy to find within the last few years hence the problematic nature of our question Should we (can we) teach ethics in classes?If yes, then how must it be done to achieve desired outcomes? 1. 5 Effective implementation. Ritter makes mention in her 2006 study that â€Å"†¦ Most theorists suggest that given the proper implementation, an ethics curriculum can be designed for effective learning† (p. 154). A study conducted by David, Anderson and Lawrence (1990) reported that only 24% of the respondents indicated that ethical issues were emphasized throughout their program.Surprisingly this study concluded, Full y 92% of respondents indicated they never attended a business ethics seminar in college; 80% never had a course in business ethics; 92% never wrote a business ethics term paper; 75% never heard a faculty lecture on ethics; and 56% never participated in a case study with ethics issues. (p. 29) The results of this study can be linked to a current study that concluded â€Å"professors are ill prepared or uncertain about how best to teach accounting ethics† (Frank, Bookie & Garnished, 2010).Alternatively, perhaps, it is not that ethics cannot be taught, but rather, how ethics education is delivered which might be the reason for poor ethical attitude amongst students and recent graduates. Ritter (2006) identified a multitude of perspectives throughout the iterate, and determined three common questions surfaced frequently which asked: â€Å"how [should we] teach ethics in business school, what to teach, and even if [we should] teach it at all† (p. 153). Burton et al. (1991) indicated that students preferred discussing ethical business scenarios instead of a lecture that is philosophical in nature.Researchers Pizzicato and Evil (1996) discovered that only 10% of the students preferred lectures, and yet this approach had been used 68% of the time. Students did, however, express their preference for class discussions when learning about business ethics (Pizzicato & Evil, 1996). More recently, Pettifog, Stay and Opaque (2000) conducted two-day workshops on ethics in psychology and after the workshop, the different teaching approaches used throughout (lectures, questions and answers, group discussions, videotapes, recommended readings, problem-solving, essays and exams) were rated by the participants.Ethical discussions for the workshop were divided into several categories: philosophy and theories of ethics, codes of ethics and guidelines, ethical decision-making, ethical sensitivity, legal issues, disciplinary issues and selfsameness. Preferred teaching ap proaches varied depending on the topic. 7 For example, when discussing philosophy and theories of ethics, respondents preferred lecturing and answering questions, whereas, students preferred discussing vignettes when reviewing codes of ethics, ethical dilemma decision making and sensitivity to ethical issues.When learning about legal aspects of ethics and disciplinary matters, respondents preferred video (visual). Pettifog et al. (2000) identified a unanimous rejection of the traditional approaches to learning: writing essays and studying for exams, but it was noted that essays or exams were not used throughout the workshops. Most intriguing, Pettifog et al. 2000) explained that the most effective teaching approach, not only depends on the student†s learning styles, but also depends on what is being taught (content). Preceding this research, Burton et al. 1991) also supported these findings, indicating a strong preference for in-class discussions of hypothetical scenarios vers us philosophical lectures on ethics. This 1991 study also indicated that gender and teaching method did not produce any results of significance (Burton et al. ). Earlier research conducted by Webber (1990) indicated that 50% percent of participant students felt as though ethics was not tresses enough and 53% felt as though a separate ethics course should be offered. 1. 6 Normative theory: A framework. Bishop (1992) defined a philosophically-oriented approach to ethics as â€Å". Rigorous in terms of theory, logical foundations, and abstract conceptualizations of business ethics problems† (p. 293). Later in the decade Dodo (1997) investigated students at a particular school who were required to complete an undergraduate degree with courses in philosophy and religion. It was these philosophy courses where utilitarian theories, deontological theories, theories of Justice and theories of rights were explored. The ethics content was infused in the curricula and yet the courses lac ked practical application depending predominately on theory.This imperfection within curriculum is commonplace and can be traced back to academic valuing of theory within course content over authentic societal issues, problems and dilemmas. Bringing the daily news and event s into the classroom is a start but threading this authentic content into curricula is a goal however; is this proper way to teach ethics? It may be a popular more with students but professors may not value this approach. Doing what is right and acting within a context calls upon each person†s understanding and perception, it is â€Å"not simply a matter of following rules or calculating consequences.It is a matter of discerning which rule are called into play in a situation † (Labeled, 1985, p. 29). Your values, morals and philosophical orientation among other variables come into play as your very perception filters the events. This fact can change the manner in which we teach a course in ethics as we need to discuss how one can make a distinction from what is important to that which is less so. 1. Issues: Students and Curricula Pavement (1991) contended, â€Å"what may be clear to the trained philosopher is not at all clear to the student.Philosophers have had extensive training in logical analysis and argumentation† (Pavement, 1991, p. 387). In many instances, students who register for an ethics class, are usually at the very introductory stages of learning philosophy and are not able to apply these abstract and sometimes contradicting philosophies to business scenarios (Pavement, 1991; Tuneless,2008). Pavement (1991) goes on to say â€Å"†¦ The texts† lack of specificity of method for applying theory, ND the lack of resolution in dealing with competing theories, is compounded by the professor teaching the course† (p. 387).For instance, even the Normative values framework is quite expansive and based upon several theoretical frameworks, for example: Egoism (hedonistic or otherwise), consequentialness utilitarian and non-, act or rule utilitarianism, moral sense theories, a veritable menagerie of deontological theories of varying stringiness, constitutionalism, natural law theories, etc. , are all in hot contention for the exclusive franchise on the Good and the Right. (Miller, 1991, p. 397) To expect a student entering an ethics course to have a grasp of these theoretical frameworks seems somewhat unfair to the student.It now becomes a challenge to identify a starting point in any ethics course. We need to know from the onset of the course, the level of preparedness of each student. Failing this, the course could literally miss its mark as the content could be too advanced. Historically researchers such as Farman (1990) explained that using a principle- based approach to learning ethics, assumes students are functioning at Goldberg†s autonomous stage, but it was through Farman†s experience she concluded that most de nts have difficulties breaking free from ethical relativism.Interestingly, Pavement (1991) analyzed two hundred syllabi and was able to identify an examination question that created confusion and influenced students to think in a relativistic or subjective way. 48 Pavement (1991) stated, â€Å"this typical question asks the student to analyze and discuss a particular business situation using â€Å"either† utilitarian or deontological theory †¦ The professor thinks that the use of either one is K† (p. 388).Farman (1990) added that poor ethical attitude â€Å"cannot be remedied in the course of a ten-week ethics lass; a reflection of my failure as a teacher; or, more significantly, a measure of the impracticality of teaching ethics in this way? ‘ (p. 32). Dodo (1997) explained that philosophy courses are usually offered in a department separate from the business department. These courses offer very little practical application that usually results in a weak t ransfer of ethical reasoning in a business context (Dodo, 1997).Offering a course from within the business department provides students with an opportunity to consider ethical decision making as it relates to everyday business activities. Business ethics provides a link from what is learnt in a philosophy course to what students are faced with once they get out into the work world. Dodo (1997) explains that there must be cooperation between the philosophy department and the business department to ensure students receive a balance between theoretical reasoning and their application into today†s world.Robertson (1993) defined normative research as † .. The values, norms, or rules of conduct which govern ethical behavior and which are presented as an ideal† and argued that much of the research in business ethics lacked validity because searchers did not incorporate these theories into their studies† (p. 586). Some studies in the area of business ethics are groun ded in normative theory while others are not. For example, Warner (1988) conducted a study on the rights of individuals and responsibilities of shareholders during a merger and acquisition.

How Dreams and Dreaming Affect Individual Characters

Explore how dreams and dreaming affect individual characters in the novel. Remember to consider how the American Dream is represented in your answer. In the novel most of the characters have a dream. Each of the characters seem to have a sense of loneliness in each of their lives and their dreams are the things that keep them hoping for something better than their lives on the ranch. Lennie’s dream for one is based on his childlike personality, he wants to be with George and ‘tend to the rabbits’.At every point in the novel where he believes his dream will be compromised you see him fill with rage and throw a tantrum like a child would. When something goes wrong his brain comes back to the rabbits and how he can’t bear to loose his dream, this drives him to try and cover up or runaway from his wrongful acts. Lennie’s dream is tied to George’s and without George his dream is very unlikely to happen. Moving onto George, at first it seems his dre am is based on leaving Lennie to live his life as he chooses but as the novel progresses it becomes clear that he shares a dream with Lennie.This would be to ‘have a little house’ and ‘live off the fatta the lan’ and in this dream Lennie gets to ‘tend to the rabbits’. Compared to Lennie’s very childlike outlook on their dream George is very practical in his way of thinking for example his dream includes having ‘a cow and some pigs’ and ‘have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens’ so that they can ‘live off the fatta the lan’. A lot of the men in the novel that move from place to place often dream of having their own place, something that can belong to them and being their own boss.George is possibly the only person that gets close to his dream being achieved with a little help from Candy. Another character with a dream is Curley’s wife, who wants to be ‘in the moviesâ₠¬â„¢. Her dream is based upon naivety and how she is very easily led to believe things. On two occasions she has been fooled into this way of thinking once when she ‘was a kid’ and a show came to town and ‘one of the actors. He says I could go with the show’ but her mother wouldn’t allow it. On the second occasion she ‘met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers’ and was told ‘he was gunna put me in the movies.Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gunna write to me about it. ’ She never received a letter and blames it on her mother once again, the way she talks about it is though she knows that it wasn’t going to happen but can’t bear admitting it so she makes her mother the scapegoat. Also she talks about her dream as though it’s in the past and wont progress any further than that. Candy and Crooks both dream of not being alone and a better life away from the ranch which is ul timately the true ‘American Dream’.Most of the conflicts that happen in the novel can be blamed upon the so called ‘American Dream’ when the dream world and reality collide. The American Dream contradicts itself by claiming it will do thing, for example equality when in reality Curley’s wife and Crooks are shown to have next to no presence on the ranch just because she is a woman and he is black. By the end of the novel it become clear to George that bitter Crooks is correct, his dream will never be achieved. Overall the novel highlights the impossibility of the ‘American Dream’ ever being achieved. In the end not one person has achieved their dream.

Criminal law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Criminal law - Coursework Example She also suffers from post-natal depression, as a result of which she has no interest in looking after herself or the baby. Paul does his best to look after both of them, feeding the baby milk formula and warming up soup for Marlene. But she becomes too depressed to eat sufficiently, and after two months she becomes very ill and catches pneumonia in the damp and cold conditions in the house. She begs Paul not to call a doctor. The baby is well since Paul has looked after him to the best of his ability.   Marlene dies of the pneumonia one night, and when Paul reports her death, the police doctor says that Marlene could have been saved if medical help had been called in time.   DISCUSS THE CRIMINAL LIABILITY, IF ANY, OF PAUL FOR THE DEATH OF MARLENE. CITE APPROPRIATE CASES, AUTHORITIES OR EXAMPLES AS NECESSARY.   Marlene and Paul In accordance with English law, murder is an offence. This act of human being always considered a heinous and serious offence to take life of another hu man being. The murder may be intentionally or unintentionally. It may have lawful cause or unlawful cause of action. The murder can be in self-defence wherein no motive of murder or intention of murder can be seen. There are instances where harm was intended to a targeted person but erroneously the weapon killed another person1. Under the mentioned scenario, it is the duty of law enforcing agencies to investigate and determine the motives behind the murder and to submit investigative report along with the statements of independent eye witnesses in the competent court of law to proceed further against the culprit and to seek a fair and transparent judgment to satisfy the heirs of the victim2. Contrary to the above, in England and Wales, the law of homicide or manslaughter is treated a less serious crime or offense than that of intentional murder. The difference between the murder and the homicide is that the murder is done with guilt of mind whereas in the homicide. On proving guilty of manslaughter, the jury has the discretion to award life sentence to the murderer. However, before passing on the punishment of life imprisonment, the court shall examine the circumstances which compelled the murder for homicide3. According to English law, carelessness or failure of a person to protect another person from any harm that claims life may be liable for criminal prosecution. It may invoke civil or criminal jurisdiction against a person who miserably failed to protect precious life of another person due to carelessness. The law of the land applies in terms of harm may differ from manufacturer of kitchen items and the manufacturer of highly explosive items. In both the cases the burden of proof of innocence lies on the shoulders of defendants4. As per English law, wrong death of a person due to negligence of another person, manufacturing unit, business entity and the firm are liable for criminal prosecution. That sort of death can be challenged in a competent court of l aw by heir or heirs of the deceased aims at to book responsible negligent party who is or are responsible for the alleged death. What we have witnessed in such cases is that the suit filed against the defendants by the petitioners are the nearest and close family members comprised of parents, life partner, kids or in few cases another family directly hit with the murder of the

The Restructuring Sony Corporation Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

The Restructuring Sony Corporation - Case Study Example Another reason was to adjust the corporation to market changes. The 2001 restructuring is an example of a restructuring that was done to adjust to new market realities. 3. The restructuring efforts at Sony were realized to make the company more flexible and adaptive. As a conglomerate, the different types of businesses needed their own autonomy. The restructures at Sony decentralized the decision-making process. The unified dispersed management model was very effective at creating greater autonomy. 4. At Sony due to the segmentation of businesses and the decentralized nature of the operation, there was a lot of cultural diversity. Each business unit had its own corporate culture. The managers operated each business unit in an independent manner to a certain degree.  5. I believe that the dominant business culture at Sony is innovation. The reason for innovation and research and development is so important for Sony is because the company has so many different types of products and services.

Assess the importance of Kerensky, Trotsky and Lenin in the outcome of Essay - 1

Assess the importance of Kerensky, Trotsky and Lenin in the outcome of the February and October revolutions of 1917 - Essay Example 12). In 1912, Kerensky was elected to become a member of the Fourth Duma in which he represented the Trudoviks. Kerensky was an active member in both camps of the Petrograd Soviet and the provisional government. It is worth noting that initially he was used as a bridge between the two principal bodies. During his time in the provisional government, he was the minister for justice, war, and became the prime minister later in his career (Acton, Cherniaev, & Rosenberg, 1997, p. 56). On the other hand, Lenin believed that Kerensky was not taking the Russians to the right direction and as a result, he used the Bolshevik party to engage the people in a revolution. The Russians were against the First World War and they thought that the Tsars were not fighting for their rights. When Lenin got the control of the government, he became more tyrannical than any other ruler in the history of Russia. This is despite the fact that the Russians believed that Lenin would fight for the rights of the common citizen (Kennan, 1989, p. 194). Strikes, food riots and the ensuing war made Russia ungovernable. When Lenin arrived by train from Switzerland, he was against the war and could not stomach Kerensky because he thought that he was not for reforms. Lenin mobilized the people and especially the army by promising them economic reforms and ending the war. Leon Trotsky was born by the name of Lev Davidovich Bronshtein and he initially supported Meshevik Internationalists. Prior to October Revolution, which occurred in 1917, he had joined the Bolshevik Party. He went ahead and became a prominent leader of the Bolshevik party. Despite the fact that he supported people and workers, he was later removed from power by the rise of Josef Stalin. By the time the February Revolution erupted during 1917 spring, Kerensky was among the most vocal leaders for the revolution. The fact that he was an