Patrol Officers

Patrol Officers are not assigned a case to try and solve. In most major cities police departments have enough personal to cover every aspect of a crime, however, the role of the patrol officer during investigations has increased. On page 23, in the book, under the patrol officer as an investigator, it mentions that the role of the patrol officer has been limited, however, as time continues that same role seem to increase. The role of the patrol officer has taken over some of the same responsibilities as the investigators have.Such as providing immediate assistance to victims, locates witness, and interviews both victims and witnesses. Also, the patrol officer has the authority to initiate and complete investigations of certain classifications of crime. With all of the changes to the role of the patrol officer, there have been numerous benefits that have been noticed, such as, the cases are handled expeditiously, relations within the department have improved, morale problems have decr eased, and an increase in the investigator productivity because they have more time to focus on high profile cases.The benefit that really stands out to me is the fact that the investigator can really focus on his case loads, because he is not overwhelmed, which results in a benefit to the community as well as the entire department. The last thing a police department wants to do is give enough time for the same crime to happen again, causing the community to really question if the police can protect them. With crimes being solved a quick basis, it sends a message, if you want to do the crime, you will get caught and put in jail. The job of a patrol officer is to patrol an assigned area to protect the members of that area from any crimes that may occur.I was reading through the book and searching online, it seems to me that the patrol officer do most of the leg work in solving the crime. Let me explain, what I mean is that the patrol officers are the muscle, and the detectives are th e brains of the operation, which in many ways it make sense. I am not trying to say that patrol officers would not be able to solve the crime, but the standard patrol officer does not have the time to run down potential suspects or witnesses, they are to busy patrolling there assigned area and protecting those citizens from future crimes.In fact, I went online to the following website, http://law. jrank. org/pages/1655/Police-Criminal-Investigations-structure-criminal-investigations. html, and on the end of the second paragraph, they had mentioned that the patrol officer will go and make the arrest, but they are not the one solving the crime. How can they? They come to work every day and patrol a assigned area, if there is a murder that happens or crime of any sort, there job is to fill out a report and turn it over to someone that qualified or trained to handle those type of crimes.As I was reading the article online, it was very informative in the role of the patrol officer. The p atrol officer really doesn’t come into play until the second stage of an investigation. The second stage consists of gathering evidence, arresting the culprit and gathering witness for the crime. In many smaller communities the role of the patrol officer is much greater mainly because they may not have a detective on the payroll, or a whole team of detectives that can come and solve the crime, so, the patrol officer is responsible for gathering enough information to try and solve the crime.The role of the patrol officer stops at gathering evidence, and speaking to witnesses. It is not the responsibility of the patrol officer to work with the prosecution; normally any detectives that have been assigned to the case will work with the prosecution to solve the crime. The goal of a patrol officer is to come to the scene, ask if anyone saw anything, speak to all the potential witnesses and go through the crime scene for any evidence that they may come across, and then they don†™t get involved again until there needs to be a arrest made.Overall, I think that patrol officers being given more responsibility is a benefit not just to the people of the community but to the department. It sends a message to the people that they live in a safe place. Which for many people that little bit of reassurance is all they need to be happy. Nobody wants to live in a bad place, or a place they feel is dangerous. Also, with expanding the role of the patrol officer, this is very beneficial with today’s economy. I never think you can put a price on protecting the people, but, the sad reality is that in today’s economic times, we have to.To hire a new recruit comes a price, it is just easier for the community of the patrol officers to be expected to do more. In most cases these officers want to do more to solve the crimes to put that faith back into the community that crimes will be resolved right away. Right when a crime happens, most people instantly become f earful that it will happen again, so, they become on edge, and question that the police will be able to catch the people that hurt them or robbed them. With crimes being solved right away, that puts the fear at ease and lets them know they are safe and it will not continue to happen.I was reading ahead a tad bit and came across theft that happens in banks,, and how those people are caught the same day. For me, that instantly puts my mind at ease. Years ago, one of the buildings I was working in, there was a theft that happened in the bank downstairs, and every got really nervous that the criminal may still be in the building. They caught him within hours and he was in the building. The thing I always try to remember, is that crime is going to happen, no matter were or when, but, it is how quickly we can solve it and restore that faith in the police within the community.

Analysis of the Play Equus Essay

With its minimalistic set design, small cast, and a stage with nearly no lighting, Peter Shaffer’s play Equus relies heavily on a masterfully written script to spread its message with the audience. The play is â€Å"neither great theatre nor bad psychology, but it has elements of both† (Witham). With the assistance of the character Martin Dysart, a child psychologist, the play analyzes the parental, religious, and sexual reasoning behind the heinous act of a sick boy (Alan Strang) and calls for Dysart (along with the audience) to question and reevaluate their ideas of passion and freedom. While the discoveries occur slowly throughout the entirety of the play the largest impact comes from interaction with Alan’s parents, Dysart’s monologues, and the climactic scene of Act II. There is no denying that the interactions with and between a child’s parents have a large impact on shaping the child’s mind and morals and who that child will ultimately become (Shumaker & Heckel, 39). Sex and religion were crucial factors in Alan’s childhood development due in no small part to the incompatibility between his parents. His mother, a Christian from an upper class â€Å"horsey† family who married beneath her, shared religion and fanciful horse stories with her son. His openly atheistic father refuses to allow his son’s religious worship explaining his own views of Christianity as â€Å"just bad sex (Equus, Location 530)†. He further implies connections between religion and sexual desire when he reports to Dysart his observations of Alan: â€Å"A boy spends night after night having this stuff read into him: an innocent man tortured to death- thorns driven into his head-nails into his hands-a spear jammed through his ribs. It can mark anyone for life, that kind of thing. I’m not joking. The boy was absolutely fascinated by all that. He was always mooning over religious pictures. I mean real kinky ones, if you receive my meaning. (Equus, Location 530)†. When his religious â€Å"fixation† was blocked, it forced Alan to transfer his â€Å"’normal’ social views of sex and worship onto his pagan, equine religion (Busiel)† . His having been denied the freedom of religion by his father and having his image of the crucifixion of Christ replaced with that of a horse’s head, is the most probably catalyst that began Alan’s strange pagan-like worship of the Horse-God Equus. As strange and twisted as Alan’s worship of horses may have seemed, Dysart could not deny the raw passion behind it-a passion he both greatly lacked and envied. In the process of understanding Alan, Dysart is forced to make a painful discovery of his self. He is stuck in a lifeless, childless marriage of â€Å"antiseptic proficiency†, â€Å"sustained only by his fascination with Ancient Greek mythology (Rooney)†. He is made aware of his hunger to be someone instinctive, passionate, and capable of being transported by worship the way Alan is (Rooney). Dysart tells the audience of a dream he had where he was a chief priest in Homeric Greece sacrificing hundreds of children as a ritual to bring good fortune to the land, with every child he begins to feel more nauseous and worried that he may be discovered. He saw Alan’s face on every victim (Equus, Location 290). One could simply deem this a nightmare and be done with it but in truth it brings to light Dysart’s fear that by curing Alan he will also be hurting him. One of the final, and arguably most powerful, scenes of the play unfolds as Dysart is finally able to draw from Alan what happened the night he blinded the horses. After a failed attempt to see a pornographic movie together Alan and Jill (one of the stable hands) returned to the stable for a â€Å"roll in the hay† at Jill’s request. Feeling the eyes of Equus upon him, Alan is unable to perform. He can see and feel nothing but Equus: â€Å"When I touched her, I felt Him†¦ When I shut my eyes, I saw Him at once†¦I couldn’t feel her flesh at all! (Equus, Location 2300)†. The ultimately unsuccessful attempt at a normal relationship with a girl causes Alan to feel not only the shame of having failed as a man but also shame from having desecrated his temple of horses. The horses’ staring eyes become unbearable. Alan and Dysart both become the voice of Equus, mocking and berating Alan both for his failure and for even attempting to escape from Equus’ eyes: â€Å"I see you. Always! Everywhere! Forever! Kiss anyone and I will see. Lie with anyone and I will see. And you will fail! (Equus, Location 2346)†. Unable to stand it anymore, Alan takes the hoof pick and stabs out the horses’ eyes with a final cry of â€Å"Thou-God-Seest-nothing  ! (Equus, Location 2364†). In his final speech, Dysart tells that he will â€Å"cure† the boy and erase all traces of Equus from his mind. He will remove Alan’s pain and give him a â€Å"normal† life. In his farewell to Alan he shows at just how high a cost normalcy comes: â€Å"You won’t gallop any more, Alan. Horses will be quite safe. You’ll save your pennies every week, till you can change that scooter for a car, and put the odd 50p on the gee-gees, quite forgetting that they were ever anything more to you than bearers of little profits and little losses. You will, however, be without pain. More or less completely without pain. (Equus, Location 2433)†. Despite the consequences, Dysart finally accepts his assigned role as a healer because all of the alternatives are unacceptable (Witham). In the end Equus leaves the audience with the question of whether satisfying the demands of those around us is worth losing important pieces of ourselves such as our passion and freedom in all its forms (religious, sexual, etc. ). True, Alan will be better once he is cured and Dysart may come to terms with his life and learn to appreciate what he has but the entire situation could have been avoided had Alan’s parents allowed him to decide rather than forcing their contrasting views on him. We can make do one way or we can thrive another.

Blood Promise Chapter TwentyFour

I’d never seen it coming. Hell, no one had. Avery had made a good show of being an air user. Each Moroi had a very low level of control in each element. She’d just barely done enough with air to make it seem like that was her specialization. No one had questioned her further because honestly, who would have ever expected another spirit user around? And since she was out of school, she had no reason to be tested anymore or forced to demonstrate her ability. No one was there to call her on it. The more I thought about it, the more the little signs were there. The charming personality, the way she could talk people into anything. How many of her interactions were spirit controlled? And was it possible†¦ was it possible that Adrian’s attraction had been compulsion on her part? I had no reason to feel happy about that, but†¦ well, I did. More to the point, what did Avery want with Lissa? Avery compelling Adrian into liking her wasn’t too out there. He was good-looking and came from an important family. He was the queen’s great-nephew, and although family members of the current monarch could never inherit the throne immediately afterward, he’d have a good future, one that would always keep him in the highest circles of society. But Lissa? What was Avery’s game there? What did she have to gain? Lissa’s behavior all made sense now-the uncharacteristic partying, weird moods, jealousy, fights with Christian†¦ Avery was pushing Lissa over the edge, causing her to make horrible choices. Avery was using some sort of compulsion to spin Lissa out of control, alienating her and putting her life in danger. Why? What did Avery want? It didn’t matter. The why wasn’t important. The how was, as in how I was going to get out of here and back to my best friend. I looked down at myself, at the delicate silk dress I wore. Suddenly, I hated it. It was a sign of how I’d been, weak and useless. I hastily took it off and ransacked my closet. They’d taken away my jeans and T-shirt, but I’d at least been allowed to keep my hoodie. I put on the green sweater dress, seeing as it was the sturdiest thing I had, feeling moderately more capable. I slipped the hoodie on over it. It hardly made me feel like a badass warrior, but I did feel more competent. Sufficiently dressed for action, I returned to the living room and started that pacing that tended to help me think better-not that I had any reason to believe I was going to come up with new ideas. I’d been trying to for days and days with no luck. Nothing was going to change. â€Å"Damn it!† I yelled, feeling better with the outburst. Angry, I flounced into the desk chair, amazed that I hadn’t simply thrown it against the wall in my frustration. The chair wobbled, ever so slightly. Frowning, I stood up and looked at it. Everything else in this place was state-of-the-art. Odd that I’d have a faulty chair. I knelt down and examined it more closely. There, on one of the legs, was a crack near where the leg joined with the seat. I stared. All of the furniture here was industrial strength, with no obvious joints. I should know, seeing how long I’d beat this chair against the wall when I first arrived. I hadn’t even dented it. Where had this crack come from? Slamming it over and over had done nothing. But I hadn’t been the only one to hit it. That very first day, I’d fought with Dimitri and come after him with the chair. He’d taken it from me and thrown it against the wall. I’d never paid attention to it again, having given up on breaking it. When I’d later tried cracking the window, I’d used an end table because it was heavier. My strength hadn’t been able to damage the chair-but his had. I picked up the chair and immediately slammed it into that diamond-hard window, half-hoping I might kill two birds with one stone. Nope. Both remained intact. So I did it again. And again. I lost track of how many times I slammed that chair into the glass. My hands hurt, and I knew despite my recovery, I still wasn’t at full strength. It was infuriating. Finally, on what felt like my gazillionth try, I looked at the chair and saw the crack had grown bigger. The progress renewed my will and strength. I hit and hit, ignoring the pain as the wood bit into my hands. At long last, I heard a crack, and the leg broke off. I picked it up and stared in amazement. The break hadn’t been clean. It was splintered and sharp. Sharp enough to be a stake? I wasn’t sure. But I knew for a fact that wood was hard, and if I used enough force, I might be able to hit a Strigoi’s heart. It wouldn’t kill one, but the blow would stun. I didn’t know if it’d be enough to get me out of here, but it was all I had now. And it was a hell of a lot more than I’d had one hour ago. I sat back on the bed, recovering from my battle with the chair and tossing the makeshift stake back and forth. Okay. I had a weapon now. But what could I do with it? Dimitri’s face flashed in my mind’s eye. Damn it. There was no question about it. He was the obvious target, the one I’d have to deal with first. The door suddenly clicked open, and I looked up with alarm. Quickly, I shoved the chair into a dark corner as panic raced through me. No, no. I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t fully convinced myself to stake him. It was Inna. She carried a tray but didn’t wear her usual subservient expression. The brief look she gave me was filled with hate. I didn’t know what she had to be pissed off about. It wasn’t like I’d caused her any damage. Yet. I strode over like I was going to examine the tray. Lifting the lid, I saw a ham sandwich and french fries. It looked good-I hadn’t eaten in a while -but the adrenaline running through me had shoved any appetite I might have to the background. I glanced back up at her, smiling sweetly. She shot me daggers. Don’t hesitate, Dimitri had always said. I didn’t. I jumped at Inna, throwing her so hard against the floor that her head slammed back. She looked dazed, but quickly recovered and tried to fight back. I wasn’t drugged up this time-well, not much-and my years of training and natural strength finally showed themselves again. I pressed my body against her, keeping her firmly in place. Then, I produced the stake I’d had concealed and pressed those sharp points against her neck. It was like being back in the days of pinning Strigoi in alleys. She couldn’t see that my weapon was a chair leg, but the sharp points got her attention as I dug them into her throat. â€Å"The code,† I said. â€Å"What is the code?† Her only response was a string of obscenities in Russian. Okay, not a surprise, considering she probably didn’t understand me. I flipped through the meager Russian-English dictionary in my head. I’d been in the country long enough to pick up some vocabulary. Admittedly, it was equivalent to a two-year-old’s, but even they could communicate. â€Å"Numbers,† I said in Russian. â€Å"Door.† At least, that’s what I hoped I said. She said more impolite things to me, her expression defiant. It really was the Strigoi interrogation all over. My stake bit harder, drawing blood, and I forcibly restrained myself. I might question whether I had the strength to pierce a Strigoi heart with this, but severing a human’s vein? Cake. She faltered a little, apparently realizing the same thing. Again, I attempted my broken Russian. â€Å"Kill you. No Nathan. Never†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What was the word? The church service came back to me, and I hoped I had it right. â€Å"Never eternal life.† It got her attention. Nathan and eternal life. The things most important to her. She bit her lip, still angry, but her tirade had stopped. â€Å"Numbers. Door,† I repeated. I pushed the stake in harder, and she cried out in pain. At last she spoke, rattling off a series of digits. Russian numbers were something I had memorized pretty solidly, at least. They were essential for addresses and phone numbers. She cited seven numbers. â€Å"Again,† I said. I made her say it three times and hoped I had it. But there was more. I was pretty sure the outer door had a different code. â€Å"Numbers. Door. Two.† I felt like a caveman. Inna stared, not quite getting it. â€Å"Door. Two.† Understanding glinted in her eyes, and she looked mad. I think she’d hoped I wouldn’t realize the other door had its own code. More cutting with the stake made her scream seven more numbers. Again, I made her repeat them, realizing I had no way to know if she was telling me the truth at least until I tried the numbers. For that reason, I decided to keep her around. I felt guilty about what I did next, but these were desperate times. In guardian training, I’d been taught both to kill and to incapacitate. I did the latter this time, slamming her head back against the floor and rendering her unconscious. Her expression went slack, her eyelids drooping. Damn. I was reduced to hurting teenage humans. Standing up, I moved to the door and punched in the first set of numbers, hoping I had them right. To my complete and utter astonishment, I did. The electronic lock clicked, but before I could open the door, I just barely made out another click. Someone had unlocked the outer door. â€Å"Shit,† I muttered. I pulled away from the door immediately, picked up Inna’s unconscious body, and hurried to the bathroom. I set her in the tub as gently as possible and had just shut the bathroom door when I heard the main door open. I felt the telltale nausea that signaled a Strigoi was nearby. I knew one of the Strigoi could smell a human, and I hoped shutting her away would be enough to mute Inna’s scent. I emerged from the hall and found Dimitri in the living room. I grinned at him and ran into his arms. â€Å"You’re back,† I said happily. He held me briefly and then stepped back. â€Å"Yes.† He seemed slightly pleased at the greeting, but soon his face was all business. â€Å"Have you made your decision?† No hello. No how are you feeling? My heart sank. This wasn’t Dimitri. â€Å"I have more questions.† I went over to the bed and lay down in a casual way, just like we always did. He followed a few moments later and sat on the edge, looking down at me. â€Å"How long will it take?† I asked. â€Å"When you awaken me? Is it instantaneous?† Once more, I launched into an interrogation session. Honestly, I was running out of questions, and at this point, I didn’t really want to know the intricacies of becoming Strigoi. I was becoming more and more agitated with each passing moment. I had to act. I had to make use of my fleeting opportunity here. And yet†¦ before I could act, I had to reassure myself that this really wasn’t Dimitri. It was stupid. I should know by now. I could see the physical changes. I’d seen his coldness, the brutality. I’d seen him come fresh from a kill. This wasn’t the man I’d loved. And yet†¦ for that one fleeting moment earlier†¦ With a sigh, Dimitri stretched out beside me. â€Å"Rose,† he interrupted, â€Å"if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were stalling for time.† Yeah, even as a Strigoi, Dimitri knew how I thought and schemed. I realized if I was going to be convincing, I had to stop playing dumb and remember to be Rose Hathaway. I put on a look of outrage. â€Å"Of course I am! This is a big deal. I came here to kill you, and now you’re asking me to join you. You think this is easy for me to do?† â€Å"Do you think it’s been easy for me to wait this long?† he asked. â€Å"The only ones who get choices are Moroi who willingly kill, like the Ozeras. No one else gets a choice. I didn’t get a choice.† â€Å"And don’t you regret that?† â€Å"No, not now. Now that I’m who I was meant to be.† He frowned. â€Å"The only thing hurt is my pride-that Nathan forced me and that he acts as though I’m indebted to him. Which is why I’m being kind enough to give you the choice now, for the sake of your pride.† Kind, huh? I looked at him and felt my heart breaking all over again. It was like hearing the news of his death once more. I suddenly grew afraid I might cry. No. No tears. Dimitri always talked about prey and predators. I had to be the predator. â€Å"You’re sweating,† he said suddenly. â€Å"Why?† Damn, damn, damn. Of course I was sweating. I was contemplating staking the man I loved-or thought I’d loved. And along with sweat, I was sure I was giving off pheromones of my agitation. Strigoi could smell all of those things, too. â€Å"Because I’m scared,† I whispered. I propped myself up and stroked the edge of his face, trying to memorize all of his features. The eyes. The hair. The shape of his cheekbones. In my imagination, I overlaid the things I remembered. Dark eyes. Tanned skin. Sweet smile. â€Å"I†¦ I think I’m ready, but it’s†¦ I don’t know. It’s such a big thing.† â€Å"It’ll be the best decision of your life, Roza.† My breathing was growing rapid, and I prayed he’d think it was because of my fear of being turned. â€Å"Tell me again. One more time. Why do you want to awaken me so badly?† A slightly weary look crossed his face. â€Å"Because I want you. I’ve always wanted you.† And that’s when I knew. I finally realized the problem. He’d given that same answer over and over, and each time, something about it had bothered me. I’d never been able to pinpoint it, though. Now I could. He wanted me. Wanted me in the way people wanted possessions or collectibles. The Dimitri I’d known†¦ the one I’d fallen for and slept with†¦ that Dimitri would have said he wanted us to be together because he loved me. There was no love here. I smiled at him. Leaning down, I kissed him gently. He probably thought I was doing it for the reasons I always did, out of attraction and desire. In truth, it was a goodbye kiss. His mouth answered mine, his lips warm and eager. I held out the kiss a little longer, both to fight back the tears leaking out of my eyes and to lull him into an unsuspecting state. My hand closed around the chair leg, which I’d hidden in my hoodie pocket. I would never forget Dimitri, not for the rest of my life. And this time, I wouldn’t forget his lessons. With a speed he wasn’t ready for, I struck out and plunged the stake through his chest. My strength was there-sliding the stake past the ribs and straight into his heart. And as I did it, it was like piercing my own heart at the same time. Blood Promise Chapter TwentyFour I’d never seen it coming. Hell, no one had. Avery had made a good show of being an air user. Each Moroi had a very low level of control in each element. She’d just barely done enough with air to make it seem like that was her specialization. No one had questioned her further because honestly, who would have ever expected another spirit user around? And since she was out of school, she had no reason to be tested anymore or forced to demonstrate her ability. No one was there to call her on it. The more I thought about it, the more the little signs were there. The charming personality, the way she could talk people into anything. How many of her interactions were spirit controlled? And was it possible†¦ was it possible that Adrian’s attraction had been compulsion on her part? I had no reason to feel happy about that, but†¦ well, I did. More to the point, what did Avery want with Lissa? Avery compelling Adrian into liking her wasn’t too out there. He was good-looking and came from an important family. He was the queen’s great-nephew, and although family members of the current monarch could never inherit the throne immediately afterward, he’d have a good future, one that would always keep him in the highest circles of society. But Lissa? What was Avery’s game there? What did she have to gain? Lissa’s behavior all made sense now-the uncharacteristic partying, weird moods, jealousy, fights with Christian†¦ Avery was pushing Lissa over the edge, causing her to make horrible choices. Avery was using some sort of compulsion to spin Lissa out of control, alienating her and putting her life in danger. Why? What did Avery want? It didn’t matter. The why wasn’t important. The how was, as in how I was going to get out of here and back to my best friend. I looked down at myself, at the delicate silk dress I wore. Suddenly, I hated it. It was a sign of how I’d been, weak and useless. I hastily took it off and ransacked my closet. They’d taken away my jeans and T-shirt, but I’d at least been allowed to keep my hoodie. I put on the green sweater dress, seeing as it was the sturdiest thing I had, feeling moderately more capable. I slipped the hoodie on over it. It hardly made me feel like a badass warrior, but I did feel more competent. Sufficiently dressed for action, I returned to the living room and started that pacing that tended to help me think better-not that I had any reason to believe I was going to come up with new ideas. I’d been trying to for days and days with no luck. Nothing was going to change. â€Å"Damn it!† I yelled, feeling better with the outburst. Angry, I flounced into the desk chair, amazed that I hadn’t simply thrown it against the wall in my frustration. The chair wobbled, ever so slightly. Frowning, I stood up and looked at it. Everything else in this place was state-of-the-art. Odd that I’d have a faulty chair. I knelt down and examined it more closely. There, on one of the legs, was a crack near where the leg joined with the seat. I stared. All of the furniture here was industrial strength, with no obvious joints. I should know, seeing how long I’d beat this chair against the wall when I first arrived. I hadn’t even dented it. Where had this crack come from? Slamming it over and over had done nothing. But I hadn’t been the only one to hit it. That very first day, I’d fought with Dimitri and come after him with the chair. He’d taken it from me and thrown it against the wall. I’d never paid attention to it again, having given up on breaking it. When I’d later tried cracking the window, I’d used an end table because it was heavier. My strength hadn’t been able to damage the chair-but his had. I picked up the chair and immediately slammed it into that diamond-hard window, half-hoping I might kill two birds with one stone. Nope. Both remained intact. So I did it again. And again. I lost track of how many times I slammed that chair into the glass. My hands hurt, and I knew despite my recovery, I still wasn’t at full strength. It was infuriating. Finally, on what felt like my gazillionth try, I looked at the chair and saw the crack had grown bigger. The progress renewed my will and strength. I hit and hit, ignoring the pain as the wood bit into my hands. At long last, I heard a crack, and the leg broke off. I picked it up and stared in amazement. The break hadn’t been clean. It was splintered and sharp. Sharp enough to be a stake? I wasn’t sure. But I knew for a fact that wood was hard, and if I used enough force, I might be able to hit a Strigoi’s heart. It wouldn’t kill one, but the blow would stun. I didn’t know if it’d be enough to get me out of here, but it was all I had now. And it was a hell of a lot more than I’d had one hour ago. I sat back on the bed, recovering from my battle with the chair and tossing the makeshift stake back and forth. Okay. I had a weapon now. But what could I do with it? Dimitri’s face flashed in my mind’s eye. Damn it. There was no question about it. He was the obvious target, the one I’d have to deal with first. The door suddenly clicked open, and I looked up with alarm. Quickly, I shoved the chair into a dark corner as panic raced through me. No, no. I wasn’t ready. I hadn’t fully convinced myself to stake him. It was Inna. She carried a tray but didn’t wear her usual subservient expression. The brief look she gave me was filled with hate. I didn’t know what she had to be pissed off about. It wasn’t like I’d caused her any damage. Yet. I strode over like I was going to examine the tray. Lifting the lid, I saw a ham sandwich and french fries. It looked good-I hadn’t eaten in a while -but the adrenaline running through me had shoved any appetite I might have to the background. I glanced back up at her, smiling sweetly. She shot me daggers. Don’t hesitate, Dimitri had always said. I didn’t. I jumped at Inna, throwing her so hard against the floor that her head slammed back. She looked dazed, but quickly recovered and tried to fight back. I wasn’t drugged up this time-well, not much-and my years of training and natural strength finally showed themselves again. I pressed my body against her, keeping her firmly in place. Then, I produced the stake I’d had concealed and pressed those sharp points against her neck. It was like being back in the days of pinning Strigoi in alleys. She couldn’t see that my weapon was a chair leg, but the sharp points got her attention as I dug them into her throat. â€Å"The code,† I said. â€Å"What is the code?† Her only response was a string of obscenities in Russian. Okay, not a surprise, considering she probably didn’t understand me. I flipped through the meager Russian-English dictionary in my head. I’d been in the country long enough to pick up some vocabulary. Admittedly, it was equivalent to a two-year-old’s, but even they could communicate. â€Å"Numbers,† I said in Russian. â€Å"Door.† At least, that’s what I hoped I said. She said more impolite things to me, her expression defiant. It really was the Strigoi interrogation all over. My stake bit harder, drawing blood, and I forcibly restrained myself. I might question whether I had the strength to pierce a Strigoi heart with this, but severing a human’s vein? Cake. She faltered a little, apparently realizing the same thing. Again, I attempted my broken Russian. â€Å"Kill you. No Nathan. Never†¦Ã¢â‚¬  What was the word? The church service came back to me, and I hoped I had it right. â€Å"Never eternal life.† It got her attention. Nathan and eternal life. The things most important to her. She bit her lip, still angry, but her tirade had stopped. â€Å"Numbers. Door,† I repeated. I pushed the stake in harder, and she cried out in pain. At last she spoke, rattling off a series of digits. Russian numbers were something I had memorized pretty solidly, at least. They were essential for addresses and phone numbers. She cited seven numbers. â€Å"Again,† I said. I made her say it three times and hoped I had it. But there was more. I was pretty sure the outer door had a different code. â€Å"Numbers. Door. Two.† I felt like a caveman. Inna stared, not quite getting it. â€Å"Door. Two.† Understanding glinted in her eyes, and she looked mad. I think she’d hoped I wouldn’t realize the other door had its own code. More cutting with the stake made her scream seven more numbers. Again, I made her repeat them, realizing I had no way to know if she was telling me the truth at least until I tried the numbers. For that reason, I decided to keep her around. I felt guilty about what I did next, but these were desperate times. In guardian training, I’d been taught both to kill and to incapacitate. I did the latter this time, slamming her head back against the floor and rendering her unconscious. Her expression went slack, her eyelids drooping. Damn. I was reduced to hurting teenage humans. Standing up, I moved to the door and punched in the first set of numbers, hoping I had them right. To my complete and utter astonishment, I did. The electronic lock clicked, but before I could open the door, I just barely made out another click. Someone had unlocked the outer door. â€Å"Shit,† I muttered. I pulled away from the door immediately, picked up Inna’s unconscious body, and hurried to the bathroom. I set her in the tub as gently as possible and had just shut the bathroom door when I heard the main door open. I felt the telltale nausea that signaled a Strigoi was nearby. I knew one of the Strigoi could smell a human, and I hoped shutting her away would be enough to mute Inna’s scent. I emerged from the hall and found Dimitri in the living room. I grinned at him and ran into his arms. â€Å"You’re back,† I said happily. He held me briefly and then stepped back. â€Å"Yes.† He seemed slightly pleased at the greeting, but soon his face was all business. â€Å"Have you made your decision?† No hello. No how are you feeling? My heart sank. This wasn’t Dimitri. â€Å"I have more questions.† I went over to the bed and lay down in a casual way, just like we always did. He followed a few moments later and sat on the edge, looking down at me. â€Å"How long will it take?† I asked. â€Å"When you awaken me? Is it instantaneous?† Once more, I launched into an interrogation session. Honestly, I was running out of questions, and at this point, I didn’t really want to know the intricacies of becoming Strigoi. I was becoming more and more agitated with each passing moment. I had to act. I had to make use of my fleeting opportunity here. And yet†¦ before I could act, I had to reassure myself that this really wasn’t Dimitri. It was stupid. I should know by now. I could see the physical changes. I’d seen his coldness, the brutality. I’d seen him come fresh from a kill. This wasn’t the man I’d loved. And yet†¦ for that one fleeting moment earlier†¦ With a sigh, Dimitri stretched out beside me. â€Å"Rose,† he interrupted, â€Å"if I didn’t know better, I’d say you were stalling for time.† Yeah, even as a Strigoi, Dimitri knew how I thought and schemed. I realized if I was going to be convincing, I had to stop playing dumb and remember to be Rose Hathaway. I put on a look of outrage. â€Å"Of course I am! This is a big deal. I came here to kill you, and now you’re asking me to join you. You think this is easy for me to do?† â€Å"Do you think it’s been easy for me to wait this long?† he asked. â€Å"The only ones who get choices are Moroi who willingly kill, like the Ozeras. No one else gets a choice. I didn’t get a choice.† â€Å"And don’t you regret that?† â€Å"No, not now. Now that I’m who I was meant to be.† He frowned. â€Å"The only thing hurt is my pride-that Nathan forced me and that he acts as though I’m indebted to him. Which is why I’m being kind enough to give you the choice now, for the sake of your pride.† Kind, huh? I looked at him and felt my heart breaking all over again. It was like hearing the news of his death once more. I suddenly grew afraid I might cry. No. No tears. Dimitri always talked about prey and predators. I had to be the predator. â€Å"You’re sweating,† he said suddenly. â€Å"Why?† Damn, damn, damn. Of course I was sweating. I was contemplating staking the man I loved-or thought I’d loved. And along with sweat, I was sure I was giving off pheromones of my agitation. Strigoi could smell all of those things, too. â€Å"Because I’m scared,† I whispered. I propped myself up and stroked the edge of his face, trying to memorize all of his features. The eyes. The hair. The shape of his cheekbones. In my imagination, I overlaid the things I remembered. Dark eyes. Tanned skin. Sweet smile. â€Å"I†¦ I think I’m ready, but it’s†¦ I don’t know. It’s such a big thing.† â€Å"It’ll be the best decision of your life, Roza.† My breathing was growing rapid, and I prayed he’d think it was because of my fear of being turned. â€Å"Tell me again. One more time. Why do you want to awaken me so badly?† A slightly weary look crossed his face. â€Å"Because I want you. I’ve always wanted you.† And that’s when I knew. I finally realized the problem. He’d given that same answer over and over, and each time, something about it had bothered me. I’d never been able to pinpoint it, though. Now I could. He wanted me. Wanted me in the way people wanted possessions or collectibles. The Dimitri I’d known†¦ the one I’d fallen for and slept with†¦ that Dimitri would have said he wanted us to be together because he loved me. There was no love here. I smiled at him. Leaning down, I kissed him gently. He probably thought I was doing it for the reasons I always did, out of attraction and desire. In truth, it was a goodbye kiss. His mouth answered mine, his lips warm and eager. I held out the kiss a little longer, both to fight back the tears leaking out of my eyes and to lull him into an unsuspecting state. My hand closed around the chair leg, which I’d hidden in my hoodie pocket. I would never forget Dimitri, not for the rest of my life. And this time, I wouldn’t forget his lessons. With a speed he wasn’t ready for, I struck out and plunged the stake through his chest. My strength was there-sliding the stake past the ribs and straight into his heart. And as I did it, it was like piercing my own heart at the same time.

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Construct and analyze a Financial plan based on management's strategic Term Paper

Construct and analyze a Financial plan based on management's strategic intent - Term Paper Example Thus, one purpose of strategic intent is to forecast a firm's financial statements under some specific conditions.   Since total assets must equal the sum of total liabilities and owner's equity, any imbalance will require management action. Having forecasted the amount and timing of the imbalance, a financial manager can arrange for financing (such as bank loans or stock offerings) or investment (such as marketable securities) long before the need becomes critical. Strategic intent statements help general managers in overall planning (employment and inventory levels, for example) and problem solving. As forecasts are developed, a manager can analyze the results to identify potential trouble spots and plan accordingly. Finding problems and trying out solutions on paper, months in advance, is much preferred to learning about the problem first hand in real time. Similarly, by â€Å"seeing† into the future with strategic intent statements, a manager can anticipate opportunities and prepare to exploit them long before the window of opportunity begins to close. In addition to being a planning tool, strategic intent statements, in tandem with actual results, can be used to evaluate performance and make midstream corrections. Variance analysis, a comparison of the plan with actual performance, helps a manager analyze firm performance during the budget period, gauge strengths and weaknesses, and make interim adjustments to the plan. The accuracy of strategic intent statements is limited by the validity of the assumptions used in creating them. Often a series of statements is developed by making different assumptions about sales and about the relationship between sales and the balance sheet accounts. This is called a sensitivity analysis. The resulting set of statements suggests the most likely outcomes for the firm and a range of financing needs. After building a balance sheet statement based on expected sales, a manager can then use sensitivity analyses to an swer questions such as how the company's financial needs will change if sales are 10 percent below their expected level, etc. Since the hotel industry is a fairly competitive one, the hotel managers need to be excellent. With the income and financial statements at their disposal, the managers will make strategic decisions that will be founded on fact since Proforma balance sheets are created by forecasting the individual account balances at a future date and then aggregating them into a financial statement format. Account balances are forecasted by identifying the forces that influence them and projecting how the accounts will be influenced in the future by such forces. Sales, company policy, and restrictive debt covenants are often significant forces. An annual data has been provided which has to be focused for 36 months and monthly income statements and balance sheets and a strategic intent provided as well. With such information at their disposal, the managers will make a firm st rategic decision on their new acquisition. 2.0 ANNUAL BUDGETED INCOME STATEMENT INCOME STATEMENT Total revenues $ Annual room revenues 209,523 Annual food and beverages 113668 Other revenue 328433 Total 14792023 Variable cost annual 8,531,040 Fixed cost annual 8,728,500 Total 9,582,604 Operating

The stages of the selection process Essay Example for Free

The stages of the selection process Essay Shortlisting: Shortlisting applicants is like a minefield, if the JCC doesnt short list an applicant that feels they should have been, they could take the company to court over discrimination, and this could cost the JCC money. It is the HR department that take out the shortlisting, and the JCC make sure that all of their staff are adequately trained in this process because they dont want to get involved in any discrimination court case. It can be very difficult when shortlisting application forms so the HR staff judge each application form on the applicants own merits, they wont compare two applicants with each other. The applicants are classified into three categories; these categories are DEFINITE, MARGINAL, and UNSUITABLE. The staff decides which category the applicant goes into, the definite pile are people who are definitely going to be interviewed, the marginal are boarder line and if there arent enough people in the definite category a few marginal applicants will get an interview, and the unsuitable applicants just get a letter saying thanks for their time but they have been unsuccessful this time. When the HR department are making the interviews they attach a form on the front of the application form saying why applicants got an interview and why some applicants never got an interview. When making the shortlist the HR apartment must be politically correct in the reason the applicant did or didnt get an interview with the JCC. Those people who were in the marginal and unsuccessful pile will be on file with the JCC for six months so the applicant can query why they didnt get the interview, or in case they want to make a claim against the JCC, so the JCC have proof as to why they didnt get the interview, and they also keep them on file for reference for if someone leaves there job, people in the definite pile get kept on file for twelve months and those who were successful with their application form and got the job get kept on file for life. Application packs: A job description and a person specification are sent out with an application form. The reason these are sent out with the application form is so the applicant has the best chance of getting the job and so they know what qualities they will need to get the job, and on the application form it also says when the deadline is for the job. Information for candidates: They should know the overview of position, overall responsibilities, requirements, responsibilities References: in the recruitment process is requesting for references. Once the applicants have been short-listed the recruiter will contact the nominees and ask them to provide a reference. Some references ask for detail about the applicants skills. Others just ask for more general comments. Interview: The interviews are conducted by the HR staff and on the interview panel they have three or five interviewers depending on how big the position is. Normally the panel consists of the team leader of the department the job is for, the HR manager there is a set very specific process that is followed for each candidate and every applicant has to go through the process so everyone gets a fair chance. All of the people on the panel need to be very aware of who is asking what question, they also need to be aware of the process so they look professional, there will also be a chairperson on the panel for the interview who keeps control of everything, he makes sure everyone is prepared and dressed properly, the chairperson will have devised a timetable and every one will have the same amount of time in the interview. The chairperson also makes sure that everyone on the panel has a copy of the job description, the person specification and each applicants application form. The interview panel prepare by reading through each applicants application form just before they review it. The chairperson introduces each applicant to the panel and explains what is going to happen during an interview and explains that the applicant can ask questions at the end. The JCC are very aware that applicants perform best in interviews when they are relaxed, and comfortable in the environment that they are in so the JCC try to put all of their applicants under ease rather than under pressure. The JCC aim to do this by holding the interviews at on of the hotels, they ensure that all the applicants have access to hot and cold drinks and they are put in a comfortable and relaxed room. They are led into the interview room and are introduced to the panel, and the panel must ensure that they give verbal and non-verbal encouragement by smiling, shaking peoples hands and by having eye contact, these techniques should make the applicant feel at ease or relaxed. The chairperson will also explain that the panel will be taking notes throughout the interview. During the interview the applicant will be asked a range of questions that will have been selected before the interview was held. The first type of question is an open ended question, the JCC use open ended questions as a means of gaining the most information about the candidate as possible, these types of questions encourage the candidate to talk about themselves, describe events, express opinions, and provide facts, can you give me an example of a time when you have dealt with a difficult customer? , and can you give me an example of a time when you have lead a team? Are two examples of these types of questions. The next type of question are probing questions, these are used to provide a more clear focus on questions that are too short, an example of a probing question is how did you handle that? a probing question allows the interviewer to get more information and they can also be used when the applicant goes off point to bring the applicant back to the point. The JCC interview panel try to avoid asking closed questions which have one word answers, they dont like to ask these questions because they dont get much information form these questions, they also try to avoid leading questions; they want the candidate to offer information freely. They also try to avoid multiple headed questions, they try too avoid these because they can confuse the applicant and can raise stress levels when they are trying to keep the applicant calm and at ease. Although the hotel would be very interested in the answers of this question they will probably ask it as three separate questions, were another business might ask them together. An example of a multiple headed question is what is it that interests you about this position, why o you want to leave your current position, and what are you future career expectations? the JCC also refer back to the applicants application form for one of the questions. If a candidate doesnt give a very good answer the interviewer cant let that show in their facial expressions. It is vital that the JCC has a timetable to ensure that the interview is fair on every applicant, so every applicant has the same amount of time in the interview. Interview: In an interview assessment form the areas for evaluation are usually 1. Physical appearance and deportment Does the candidate have the right image suited to the advertised post? 2. Attainments What experience and qualifications that they have meet the needs of the post. 3. General Intelligence 4. Special Aptitudes What skills does the candidate have which relates to the job for example foreign languages or knowledge in the latest software package. 5. Personality/disposition Questions: If I was a human resource manager and was holding an interview for a job six questions that I would likely ask the applicant would be: 1) Tell me about yourself 2) Why do you want this job? 3) What are your long-term aims? 4) What are your strengths/weaknesses? 5) What do you think you can bring to this job/company? 6) Why should we give you this job? Interview checklist: This is a document which shows the documents and things to be done in the recruitment process which allows the recruiter not to forget or miss anything. Decision documentation: This is the document which allows to make decision in the recruitment process. The whole reason that they go though the recruitment procedure is to ensure that they select the best candidate for the job the recruitment process is very expensive for the JCC and they dont want to do it over and over for the same job. Once the interview panel have interviewed everyone and assessed everyone at the assessment centre they than come together and have a meeting and discuss the benefits and downfalls of hiring each candidate and they analyse each candidate. Instead of having lots of notes they have an interview report form each on each candidate. They will mark each candidate and will put them in order of say 1 15. If certain people have different candidates at number one the panel have a debate to try to find a solution on who should get the position, they need to come up with a unanimous decision on who is best for the job. If this process is going to be worthwhile for the JCC it has got to be valid, free from interviewer bias and prejudice, and the interviewers need to be open and listen to other interviewers take on candidates and look at the candidate from a different point of view. All of the interviewers need to be satisfied with the overall decision. When the JCC interview panel have decided who is the best for the job they then select who is the second choice and who is the third choice for the job. The reason the JCC has three choices for the job is because if the candidate who gets the job has applied for a job somewhere else at another hotel and decides to take that job because they feel it has better pay or prospects for their future career such as more chance of getting a promotion, and they decide to turn down the JCCs offer of a job, then the job will be offered to the candidate who is their second choice, and if they turn it down it gets offered to the third choice candidate. If the JCC didnt have a successful assessment centre it could cause them a lot of problems because they could hire the wrong employee and this would waste their valuable time trying to find the right employee, so the good thing about having an assessment centre is they can watch each candidate in action and make sure that they hire the right employee saving them a lot of time. It is important that the JCC have a second choice and third choice for the job because once again it saves them a lot of time and money, because they dont have to go through the whole process of the assessment centre again because they have the two choices who have already been assessed Informing candidates of decisions: This is the sending of the letters to notify the candidates weather they are successful or unsuccessful.

Athena in the Odyssey vs. Virgil in the Inferno Essay Example for Free

Athena in the Odyssey vs. Virgil in the Inferno Essay Two of the greatest works ever written, The Odyssey by Homer and The Inferno by Dante, are detailed, multi-sectioned poems about the journey’s of two men. In each story, the main character is given some sort of guidance by another character in order to aid them in their travels. In The Odyssey, Athena is portrayed as the protector to Odysseus on his journey back home from the Trojan War to his family in Ithaca. In The Inferno, Virgil is requested to lead Dante through the depths of Hell in order to save his soul. Many similarities can be seen between the two characters as they both served as advice givers, protectors, and guides for the main character. While the two guides seem very alike in the way’s they help, it turns out that many differences can be observed between their ways. Athena and Virgil can both be perceived as escorts in the main characters’ journey, but they both are leading their pupils towards different endings and these endings can be representative of a much larger purpose that describes the two authors’ views on life at the time each poem was written. In Greek mythology, Athena is regarded as the goddess of Wisdom. She uses her wisdom to aid Odysseus on his journey back home to his family, through various trials and tribulations. Athena’s guidance can be seen when Odysseus is finally being allowed to leave Calypso’s island, which outraged Poseidon. Poseidon sends a great wave to wreck Odysseus’s ship and possibly drown him in the vast ocean but instead Athena helps him survive. â€Å"But Zeus’s daughter Athena countered him at once./ The rest of the winds she stopped right in their tracks,/commanding them all to hush now, go to sleep./ All but the boisterous North-she whipped him up/ and the goddess beat the breakers flat before Odysseus,/ dear to Zeus, so he could reach the Phaeacians,/ mingle with men who love their long oars/ and escape his death at last.† (Ody. 5. 421-427). Another example of Athena protecting Odysseus is during the great battle in the hall when Odysseus finally confronts his wife’s suitors. Athena appears to Odysseus in the form of Mentor and tries to motivate Odysseus to kill all the suitors off with threats and accusations. She even commands the suitors to through their spears at Odysseus all at once. â€Å"At his command,/ concentrating their shots, all six hurled as one/ but Athena sent to whole salvo wide of the mark†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Ody. 22. 267-269). Odysseus sees that all of his men are untouched by the suitor’s spears, and this action propels him to take charge and lead an attack on the suitors. Each time Athena guides or protects Odysseus, it’s in order to save his life. She desperately wants Odysseus to get home because Odysseus is a war hero and a King, very much deserving of a safe return home. Athena thinks very highly of Odysseus because he is such a great warrior and she feels he exemplifies the virtue of excellence. It’s easy to see how the ideals of society on life and death in Homer’s 7th Century BC times are portrayed through Athena’s help. The people of this time were most concerned on how you lived your life during the time you had. For them there was no glorious afterlife, so there was no need to try and save your soul to reap the prize of a great time after death. Homer uses Athena as Odysseus’s guide to get back home and live out the rest of his life the way he pleases. He’s spent his time as a warrior and won his most important battles before the beginning of the poem, so now he deserves to live out the rest of his l ife in peace with those he loves the most. Once he arrives home and fights off his wife’s suitors (with the help of Athena of course) he will finally be free in a sense to enjoy his life. In Dante’s The Inferno, Virgil serves as a guide for Dante through the depths of Hell. Virgil is widely considered an allegory for human reason. Reason is needed in a Christian worldview in order to control emotion and desire from taking control allowing for acts of sin. Reason is God’s gift to mankind, a way of staying on the right path and avoiding the dark side of life, if it is used properly. Virgil was requested to help a lost Dante save his soul by Dante’s departed love, Beatrice, who represents God’s grace. Virgil leads Dante through Hell in order for him to learn the descriptions of sins and their consequences. Virgil is with Dante through out his entire journey, unlike Athena who only appears to Odysseus in The Odyssey every once in a while. One example of how Virgil is always there to lead Dante is when Dante faints before entering the First Circle of Hell. Dante faints at the shine of a bright light and awakens already in the next circle. â€Å"With rested eyes, I stood/ and looked about me, then fixed my gaze/ to make out where I was./ I found myself upon the brink/ of an abyss of suffering/ filled with the roar of endless woe.† (Inf. 4. 4-9). This type of situation occurs many times throughout the poem, as Dante proves many times too weak to carry on, and Virgil takes care of him, protects him, and moves them along on their journey. Another situation is when Dante and Virgil arrive at the center of Circle 9 of Hell. They come to the great body of Lucifer, and Virgil throws Dante on his back to continue their upward climb out of Hell. â€Å"At his request I clasped him round the neck./ When the wings had opened wide enough/ he chose the proper time and place/ and took a handhold on those hairy flanks./ Then from hank to hank he clambered down between the thick pelt and the crusted ice.† (Inf. 34. 70-75). While Virgil leads Dante physically in many ways, he also serves as a voice of reason and leads through his words. An example of this is back as they are entering the First Circle. Dante says, â€Å"My master (Virgil) began: ‘You do not ask about/ the souls you see? I want you to know,/ before you venture farther,/ ‘they did not sin. Though they have merit,/ that is not enough, for they were unbaptized,/ denied the gateway to the faith that you profess./ ‘And if they lived before the Christians lived,/ they did not worship God aright./ And among these I am one.† (Inf. 4. 31-39). In this situation, Virgil not only instructs Dante on what he needs to do, but also reveals a little more information about himself as well. Although Virgil seems to guide Dante in almost the exact same way Athena guides Odysseus, Virgil is working towards an all-together different purpose. In Dante’s 14th century AD Christian society, it was imperative to ensure that you lived a good life on earth and repented for all your sins so that you would be in God’s presence in the after-life. Dante uses Virgil as a way for his audience to see that the most important thing is to save one’s soul, even if a little guidance is required to do so. Dante needed to travel through the depths of Hell to be able to wake up and realize how reason should control emotions and desires so that life can be lived in God’s name allowing for a magnificent afterlife. By showing Dante the different circles of Hell, Dante learns the nature of sin and it’s consequences. Virgil teaches Dante a most important lesson; when reason is not in control, it is more likely to commit harsh sins, sins worthy of an afterlife in Hell and not in God’s good grace. Virgil steers Dante toward the light of God once again, saving him from his impending doom, had he not been able to save his wandering soul. Athena and Virgil are considered to be a form of guidance to their poem’s main characters. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Athena helps to ensure Odysseus’s safe return home, but also allows him to live out the rest of his wonderful life on earth by saving him from various dangers including Poseidon and his wife’s suitors. In Dante’s The Inferno, Virgil serves as Dante’s escort through the circles of Hell, but also pilots Dante back into God’s grace by saving his soul. Each can be seen as not only a physical chaperon but also a spiritual one that illustrates society’s point of view on life or afterlife at the time each poem was written. Works Cited Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. Trans. Robert Hollander and Jean Hollander. New York: Anchor, 2002. Print. Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1997. Print.

Black Power Movement Essay

Black Power Movement Essay ZAHRAA JAINODIEN INTRODUCTION The failures of the Civil Rights Movement resulted in the Black Power Movement. Members of the party felt that passive resistance was unrealistic and that for real change to occur, violent direct action would need to happen. Leaders like Malcolm X felt that passive resistance was not effective. Not only did Black Power promote black beauty is also unified African Americans. Why did the BPM come into existence? The Civil Rights Movement achieved many great things, their powerful protests created an immense amount of awareness for the oppression of black people in America. Protests like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, The sit-ins in 1960, the March on Lincoln Memorial, the Birmingham Campaign in 1963, Freedom summer of 1964, and the Selma-Montgomery marches, attained: the passing of the Civil Rights Act by the American Congress in 1964. This outlawed discrimination based on racial, ethnic, national, religious and gender identity, and the passing of the Voting Rights Act by the American Congress in 1965. In addition to these acts being passed black people gained a new self-confidence as the result of The CRM. Black people also gained a new sympathy for the things that they had lost during the CRM from their fellow white citizens of America. Despite the achievements of the CRM by 1965 the general economic conditions of African Americans were poor. They lived in ghettos which were crowded and diseases would often arise due to the lack of facilities, the ghettos were often in bad conditions and most of the time unkempt[1]. Apart from the living conditions, most of these people were unemployed or paid very low wages as job opportunities were lacking. This resulted in poverty and crime and to many the achievements of the CRM were in vain, they had lost all hope. Although they had achieved civil rights they were still subject to copious amounts of discrimination often racial abuse and violent attacks with this the police provided little protection and sometimes were guilty of these brutal attacks. The African Americans had no solution to this problem as they were taught by previous leaders like Martin Luther King that passive resistance and civil disobedience were commendable ways of disapproving authority but many felt that this ideology was inadequate and so they turned to more forceful ways of resistance[2]. Black power promoted black interests and this appealed to many frustrated African Americans. Black power grew out of black dissatisfaction of the CRM. Although the achievements of the CRM were praiseworthy it was not good enough. A Ghetto during the 1960s What Influence did Malcolm X have on the development of the BPM? Malcolm X was an African American Muslim minister and a human rights activist. Malcom X joined the Nation of Islam, which believed that blacks were superior to whites. They also believed in black self-reliance and that African Americans should return to where they originated from, Africa, as they believed that they would never be abundantly accepted in American society. Malcolm X became one of their best outspoken speakers. After his time as part of the Nation of Islam his relationship with the leader of the movement Elijah Muhammad grew hostile [3] and he decided to leave the movement. Malcolm X believed that blacks had the right to defend themselves violently in the face of a violent attack if necessary to achieve their freedom and equality. He did not believe in integration between blacks and whites making him an early proponent of Black Nationalism. Thus he didn’t believe in Martin Luther King’s ideology of passive resistance, their lack of power was the foundation of Malcolm X’s duty to encourage that protests be more assertive.[4] Although he was a firm believer of the promotion of black interests, black self-esteem, black self-pride and black self-defence against racial oppression his views began to change after his pilgrimage to mecca. He discovered that Muslims preach equality of the races. After returning to America he remained convinced that racism ruined the spirit of America and that only black people could free themselves. Malcom X What were the main beliefs and aims of the BPM? The Black Power Movement was interpreted in various ways and had many beliefs but ultimately a common objective, Black Nationalism. Black power promoted black interests, self-sufficient black economy, Black self-pride and self-esteem. They believed that black people and white people should not be integrated therefore they fostered a distinctive black culture. [5] These ideas caused friction with leaders of the Civil Rights Movement as the CRM worked towards social equality whereas Black Power believed in black separation. Not all parties were in favour of Black Nationalism, The Black Panther party believed in Self-defence against racial oppression. They also believed that the structure of power in America was imbalanced [6] and that majority of the people in power in America were white thus making it unfair, they believed that people of colour were economically exploited and that it needed to be rectified. Black power believed in black control of their communities, they didn’t believe in nonviolent protests as they believed that direct action was more effective. Supporters of the Black Power Movement began adopting distinctive ways of dressing, especially women who then decided that their wardrobe would be more uniformed inspired than European. They coined a term â€Å"Black is Beautiful†[7] and this became their mantra, men and women were asked to stop straightening their hair and bleaching their skin, as in American culture it was believed that certain black characteristics were undesirable, thus men and women donned an afro hairstyle to display their new found confidence in being black. They believed that time was not to be wasted on proving to the white people that they were equal but rather that, that time to be spent on educating the black community of black power , building institutions and providing protection to fellow black citizens. What methods did the BPM employ? There were various methods that were employed by the members of the BPM. During the Civil Rights Movement, an organisation called the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was a non-violent committee that would participate in sit-ins and freedom rides, protesting against the inequality between white and black people. It started out non-violently but later on in the 60s it fell under the leadership of a passionate Stokely Carmichael and this organisation became a predecessor of the BPM. The Black Panther Party carried out most of the procedures when it came to educating the black people of black power. The Black Panther Party was initially formed to protect black people from police brutality but under the leadership of Stokely Carmichael the Black Panther Party adopted Black Nationalism. Many of the members of the party carried firearms with them; this was thought to protect the black people from the police but also made them look very intimidating displaying their clear contrary to the Civil Rights Movement. Majority of the black people were illiterate and this created a problem for the party as leaflets could not be made therefore it was pointless if no one could read them, so the leaders made decisions to incorporate awareness in less literal way. â€Å"They could have leafleted the community and they could have written books, but the people would not respond. They had to act and the people could see and hear about it and therefore become educated on how to respond to oppression.†[8] They decided that crime and poverty in the ghettos could be decreased if they employed people who were interested in conveying radical change. Apart from being responsible for various criminal activities the BBP formed armed groups for self-defence against the police, this was their strategy to protect themselves and idea of Black Nationalism. Under this party the main focus was that black people would be free from white people completely, and that they only relied on themselves and other people falling under the black nation. Members of the BBP How successful was the BPM? It is suggested that Black Power made positive, lasting contributions to the African American lifestyle.[9] It created greater racial pride amongst the black people in America. Black people became more accepting of their American heritage, they noted that they would be stronger as country than as segregated races. African Americans were now taken care of, ghettos decreased as well as crime and poverty. Black voters were endowed to support their black candidates[10]. The Black Power Movement also formed a path; black students were now given the opportunity to study at university without any racial oppression or discrimination. Although we like to believe that racial discrimination no longer existed in America, it did and it still does. The Black Power Movement also created a strong black culture for African Americans, this was something that they could relate to, and this culture consisted of soulful music, eccentric fashion and heartfelt literature. The BPM also formed a platform for cultural tolerance in America, as different cultures were now accepted amongst people of the country. What is the legacy of the BPM today? The Black Power Movement set down a fundamental platform for the advancement of African Americans. Black Power was not the only contributing factor, but the Civil Rights Movement also played a big role in achieving equality for African Americans. Under the Civil Rights Movement, Civil Rights Acts were passed, race discrimination became illegal and this gave African Americans a new kind of self-esteem and self-confidence in who they were as Americans. Although the Black Power Movement â€Å"ended† the spirit today still does exist, not only in America but in all parts of the world. If we look at America today, there are many successful African Americans in the country. The dream of many African Americans was achieved in 2008 when Barack Obama was elected as America’s first black president. This could not be made possible if black power did not exist. It was the strength and power of the many activists in the 1960s and 1970s that fashioned an important part in history today. â€Å"Black powers impact thus remains powerfully resonant — however fraught and contentious — as a generation of black politicians, artists, and intellectuals have channelled the new black identity it first articulated in diverse and varied ways†[11] with this said the writer makes a very crucial point, that Black Power was the basis of the accomplishments of African Americans today and that it should remain as a token that A frican Americans should remember of the struggle. Conclusion It is suggested that the failures of the Civil Rights Movement subsequently lead to the rise of Black Power. The methods used during the Civil Rights Movement like passive resistance and civil disobedience felt inadequate to the black people therefore it appeared that was a need for alternative methods to achieve equality. Timeline of the BP 1952 Malcolm X joins The Nation of Islam 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott 1960 The first Sit-in occurred in Greensboro, North Carolina 1963 The March on Washington (Lincoln Memorial) 1963 Birmingham Campaign 1964 Freedom Summer Campaign 1964 Civil Rights Act was signed 1964 Malcolm X breaks with the Nation Of Islam 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed 1966 The Black Panther Party was founded by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale 1966 Stokeley Carmichael becomes ‘Honorary Prime Minister’ of the BBP 1967 Stokeley Carmichael is removed From BBP 1972 National Black Political Convention was held 1980 BBP started to dissipate 1983 Martin Luther King Jr Day was created Illustrations A protest of Asians showing their support of Black Power, they’re protesting for the release of Huey Newton who was imprisoned for murdering a policeman in 1967. A Black panthers poster with their mantra â€Å"Move on over or we’ll move on over you† which basically meant that they were not afraid for fighting for their rights. Bibliography Revolutionaries to Race Leaders: Black Power and the Making of African American Politics written by Cederic Johnson Black theology and black power written by James H. Cone http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080312215601AA8bRSr http://prasadokurian.blogspot.com/2011/10/paradox-of-passive-resistance.html http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/malcolmx/peopleevents/e_noi.html http://marnielangeroodiblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/malcom-x-black-power/ http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/N/bo3633780.html http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/fhamptonspeech.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_is_beautiful http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/fhamptonspeech.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_is_beautiful [1] http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080312215601AA8bRSr [2] http://prasadokurian.blogspot.com/2011/10/paradox-of-passive-resistance.html [3] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/malcolmx/peopleevents/e_noi.html [4] Adapted from http://marnielangeroodiblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/03/malcom-x-black-power/ [5] http://www.press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/N/bo3633780.html and adapted from New day in Babylon the BPM movement and American culture written by William l. van Deburg, ISBN: 9780226847153 Published November 1993 [6] http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/fhamptonspeech.html [7] Adapted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_is_beautiful [8] Quote by Black Panther leader, Huey Newton 1968 [9] adapted from New Day in Babylon: The Black Power Movement and American Culture, 1965-1975By William L. Van Deburg [10] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965 [11] Quote from an article http://www.penielejoseph.com/legacy.html

The Concept of Self-Efficacy Essay -- Self Efficacy Essays

The Concept of Self-Efficacy Self-efficacy, for the purpose of this study, may be defined as a person’s optimistic self-belief. This is the belief that a person can develop the skills to perform new or difficult tasks to cope with changes in health and functioning. When a person perceives self-efficacy, it will facilitate goal-setting, effort, investment, persistence, overcoming obstacles and recovery from disappointments and failures. It can be regarded as a positive outlook or proactive way to handle stress factors. It is the ability to successfully cope with health changes, and implies an internal and stable acceptance of changes and ability to successfully adapt to those changes. Perceived self-efficacy is functional in relationship to behavioral change, and health care maintenance or improvement. In health care, the concept of self-efficacy is important in developing effective strategies for health education and interventions. Self-efficacy emerged from theories related to motivation, competence and a feeling of control. Rodgers’ (1993) stated that the â€Å"evolutionary† method of concept analysis is used in clarifying the concept of interest. By following this approach, abstract characteristics of a concept can be identified and grouped for the purpose of developing a clear and useful definition of the concept. Once the concept is defined, a model case can be described to demonstrate the concepts attributes, antecedents, and consequence. A literary search and a grouping of characteristics will be used to process a constant comparative analysis and to refine the data into a clear and concise definition appropriate for our use. The term effectance is used to describe the motivational aspect of competence. The theory of motivation is not solely based on the basic animal instinct of drive. People are motivated to behave in certain ways because they perceive themselves as being able to effect a desired change. As a persons behavior is repeated and actually effects the desired change a person is providing reinforcement of their confidence in their competence at effect the desired change. The person is energized by the concept of self-efficacy and it’s feeling of empowerment. (White, 1959). Empowerment and control are essential to elements to self-efficacy. According to Bandura, early social learning theory of behavioral change... ...s all treatment and continues on the road of self-destruction. These examples show how self-efficacy in the health care field can be a valuable an necessary tool for improving health care, but like most concepts, self-efficacy is only as good as the person willing to practice it. It is not experienced by everyone and is impacted by self-esteem, self-confidence and many other variables. References Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change. Psychological Review, 84, pp191-215. Gecas, V. (1989). The Social Psychology of Self-Efficacy. Annual Review of Sociology. 15, pp. 291-316. Maibach, E. & Murphy, D.A. (1995). Self-efficacy in Health Promotion Research and Practice: Conceptualization and Measurement. Health Education Research, 10 (1), pp. 37-50. O’Leary, A. (1985). Self-efficacy and Health. Behavioral Research & Therapy, 23, 437-451. Rodgers, L. & Knafl, K.A. (1993). Concept Development in Nursing: Foundations, Techniques, and Applications. (pp.73-92). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders. White, R.W. (1959). Motivation Reconsidered: The Concept of Competence. Psychological Review, 66 (5), pp. 297-331

Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: Dorian as Tragic Hero -- The Picture

The Picture of Dorian Gray:   Dorian as Tragic Hero      Ã‚   In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, we see a beautiful young man who makes tremendous efforts to transform the actual world into the idealistic world of art, dreams and sensations.   Dorian's quest, however, culminates in his ultimate tragic destruction. Given that Dorian lives a corrupt life, one is likely to focus on the negative aspects of his character.   In spite of his significant character flaws, Dorian Gray may still be considered a hero.   This essay will examine Dorian's degradation from the innocent world to the vicious, sensation-oriented world.   The elements contributing to Dorian’s status of tragic hero will then be discussed.    At the beginning, the general mood looks like pure and innocent expressed by the descriptions as follows: "the rich odours of roses...the light summer wind...the heavy scent of lilac"(Wilde 5).   This opening scene precisely symbolizes the world in which Dorian is situated at present.   Just like the beautiful setting, Dorian is a "beautiful creature"(7) and the portrait Basil draws shows Dorian's "extraordinary personal beauty"(5).   In other words, Dorian is in front of the mysterious gate of life that has immense possibilities.   At this point, Dorian is ignorant about both the world of idealistic art and the world of mundane, earthly values.   Dorian merely possesses "all youth's passionate purity"(17).    With the fateful encounter with Lord Henry, Dorian is ushered into a world of idealistic art and beauty.   Lord Henry plays a key role in introducing a new world in which beauty, youth and sensations dominate.   First, Lord Henry employs a powerful strategy of developing Dorian's self-consciousness of his ow... ...t in order to â€Å"kill the past† and â€Å"monstrous soul-life†(192).    Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Oscar Wilde. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. Cohen, Ed.   Talk on the Wilde Side.   Great Britain: Routledge, 1993. Ellman, Richard. Oscar Wilde. New york: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1987. Eriksen, Donald. Oscar Wilde. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977. Freidman, Jonathan (edited).   Oscar Wilde: A Collection of Critical Essays.   New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1996. Hart-Davis, Rupert. The Letters of Oscar Wilde. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1962. Juan, Efifanio. The Art of Oscar Wilde. New Jersey: Princetown University Press, 1991. Weintraub, Stanley (edited).   Literary Criticism of Oscar Wilde.   Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1968. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Random House, Inc., 1992.    Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: Dorian as Tragic Hero -- The Picture The Picture of Dorian Gray:   Dorian as Tragic Hero      Ã‚   In "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde, we see a beautiful young man who makes tremendous efforts to transform the actual world into the idealistic world of art, dreams and sensations.   Dorian's quest, however, culminates in his ultimate tragic destruction. Given that Dorian lives a corrupt life, one is likely to focus on the negative aspects of his character.   In spite of his significant character flaws, Dorian Gray may still be considered a hero.   This essay will examine Dorian's degradation from the innocent world to the vicious, sensation-oriented world.   The elements contributing to Dorian’s status of tragic hero will then be discussed.    At the beginning, the general mood looks like pure and innocent expressed by the descriptions as follows: "the rich odours of roses...the light summer wind...the heavy scent of lilac"(Wilde 5).   This opening scene precisely symbolizes the world in which Dorian is situated at present.   Just like the beautiful setting, Dorian is a "beautiful creature"(7) and the portrait Basil draws shows Dorian's "extraordinary personal beauty"(5).   In other words, Dorian is in front of the mysterious gate of life that has immense possibilities.   At this point, Dorian is ignorant about both the world of idealistic art and the world of mundane, earthly values.   Dorian merely possesses "all youth's passionate purity"(17).    With the fateful encounter with Lord Henry, Dorian is ushered into a world of idealistic art and beauty.   Lord Henry plays a key role in introducing a new world in which beauty, youth and sensations dominate.   First, Lord Henry employs a powerful strategy of developing Dorian's self-consciousness of his ow... ...t in order to â€Å"kill the past† and â€Å"monstrous soul-life†(192).    Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Oscar Wilde. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1985. Cohen, Ed.   Talk on the Wilde Side.   Great Britain: Routledge, 1993. Ellman, Richard. Oscar Wilde. New york: Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1987. Eriksen, Donald. Oscar Wilde. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977. Freidman, Jonathan (edited).   Oscar Wilde: A Collection of Critical Essays.   New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1996. Hart-Davis, Rupert. The Letters of Oscar Wilde. New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1962. Juan, Efifanio. The Art of Oscar Wilde. New Jersey: Princetown University Press, 1991. Weintraub, Stanley (edited).   Literary Criticism of Oscar Wilde.   Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1968. Wilde, Oscar. The Picture of Dorian Gray. New York: Random House, Inc., 1992.