A character analysis of john irving’s novel ‘a prayer for owen meany Essay

Applying to the theme of religious faith and personal fate in his famous novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving discusses this crucial issue through the narrator John Wheelwright whose unusual understanding of God and extreme political views uncover inner doubts of people in relation to Christianity. In this regard, John Wheelwright is portrayed as a person who is lost in his wrong worship and who is destroyed by his obsession of his closest friend Owen Meany, failing to find the true meaning of his life. In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany John Wheelwright, the offspring of the noble family, uncovers the story of his upbringing, religious faith and his relations with Owen Meany who is usually treated by the narrator as a symbol of Christianity. In fact, John’s belief in God is based not on his faith, but on his belief in Owen Meany. As the narrator claims at the beginning of the novel, â€Å"I am a Christian because of Owen Meany. I make no claims to have a life in Christ, or with Christ – and certainly not for Christ, which I’ve heard some zealots claim† (Irving 1). John acknowledges that he has no profound knowledge of the Bible, although he regularly visits the Church and is used to repeat some passages from this Holy book. Such a contradictory attitude towards Christian religion reveals inner doubts of John, his inability to accept all religious dogmas created by the Church and his attempts to form his own belief. This is especially obvious from the following words of John Wheelwright: â€Å"†¦ but every study of the gods, of everyone’s gods, is a revelation of vengeance toward the innocent (This is a part of my particular faith that meets with opposition from my Congregationalist and Episcopalian and Anglican friends)† (Irving 7). Thus, the narrator eliminates some wrong assumptions of Christianity, substituting them with his own concepts and demonstrating his ironical attitude towards the existing images of gods. Applying to such a portrayal of the principal character, Irving makes an attempt to show that a person’s fate depends on his/her actions and his/her ability to critically evaluate social and religious systems of the modern world. But despite his acquired wisdom, John is unable to accept reality; instead he constantly returns to the past, failing to accept the changes that occur in the present. As John Wheelwright rightfully states, â€Å"Your memory is a monster; you forget – it doesn’t. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you – and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory; but it has you! † (Irving 35). As a result, in his middle age John appears to occupy a neutral position in life, while his friend Owen Meany is overwhelmed with powerful emotions and energy in his religious activity. Despite the fact that John claims to believe in God, he also expresses anger towards his religious faith and opposes Regan ruling. John is greatly influenced by Owen, but deep inside he is not able to decide whether there is God or not; it is this doubt that makes John claim at the end of the novel: â€Å"watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean – make sure they know what they mean† (Irving 572). The writer intentionally repeats the phrase two times to intensify the meaning of the whole narration and to reveal the importance of a personal choice; John is so influenced by Owen’s faith that he is not able to overcome the limitations of Christian dogmas and seek his own understanding of some crucial issues of existence. On the other hand, inner doubts of the narrator contribute to the formation of such negative traits as self loss and indecisiveness in him. As John Wheelwright points out in the letter to Owen, â€Å"You’re always telling me I don’t have any faith†¦ Well – don’t you see – that’s a part of what makes me so indecisive. I wait to see what will happen next – because I don’t believe that anything I might decide to do would matter† (Irving 504). Perhaps, John’s childhood experience results in his self loss and his unusual worship of Owen; the narrator constantly wants to find out the truth about his father, but mother’s death deprives John of this opportunity. Simultaneously, John losses both his parents and long-expected truth, hoping that somehow God in the face of Owen will give him the clue to his birth. However, as John becomes older, he finds it impossible to blindly follow everything that he believed in youth; for instance, when at the end of the narration Mr. Meany tells that Owen appeared as a result of a virgin birth and, thus, was similar to Christ, John expresses doubts as to this news. In fact, throughout the novel the narrator makes an attempt to overcome his doubts and understand the essence of religion, but he fails to find an appropriate balance between his doubts and his religious belief. The death of Owen relieves John of the necessity to differentiate between two excesses. However, John Wheelwright still has to decide whether to believe in the existence of God or not, but the novel ends without this answer. The narrator’s ambiguity intensifies the narration, revealing that John is psychologically destroyed by certain events of his life. Although John tells the story of another person, he implicitly expresses his views on some religious and political issues, demonstrating his inability to overcome the events that occurred with him in the past. Searching for his identity, John tries to explain his profound relations with Owen and his unusual religious faith, but his explanation is rather complicated. John makes an attempt to understand Owen and his belief in God, but everything that the narrator manages to achieve is intricacy. As John claims at the end of the novel, â€Å"How could Owen Meany have known what he ‘knew’? It’s no answer, of course, to believe in accidents, or in coincidences; but is God really a better answer? † (Irving 571). Thus, on the one hand, the narrator challenges the necessity to believe in God, but, on the other hand, John Wheelwright continues to pray for Owen Meany’s resurrection. To some extent, John explains this ambiguity at the beginning of the narration: â€Å"I was baptized in the Congregational Church, and after some years of fraternity with the Episcopalian†¦ I became rather weak in my religion: in my teens I attended a non-denomination church. Then I became an Anglican† (Irving 1). The variety of churches that John attended contributed to John’s inability to choose; this inability concerns not only his religious views, but also his political and social concepts. John believes in God only in view of Owen’s religious belief, he criticizes political leaders and their actions through Owen’s understanding of political events. As John remembers, â€Å"The only way you can get Americans to notice anything is to tax them or draft them or kill them, Owen said† (Irving 431). John’s life appears to be closely connected with Owen’s life and ideas, and after Owen’s death, Johns finds it difficult to live. Although John builds new life in Canada, finds an interesting job and constantly visits church, he feels that he lacks something important, the sense of life that he had while Owen was alive. In his middle age the narrator has no family and no sexual relations with women; he criticizes Iran scandal and the Vietnam War. His worship of Owen destroys John’s personality, depriving him of the possibility to create a personal life; as John admits, â€Å"I make no claims to be especially pious; I have a church-rummage faith – the kind that needs patching up every weekend. What faith I have I owe to Owen Meany, a boy I grew up with. It is Owen who made me a believer† (Irving 2). Throughout the narration Irving implicitly shows that such worship may be dangerous for a person, especially if it is formed in early childhood and youth; this childhood worship may destroy a person in adulthood. As John narrates of his early years and of his present life, he simultaneously reveals various psychological problems; he is a person who is unable to adjust to the existing political and social life in Canada, rejecting his status as an American citizen. The narrator is not able to find his true self, because he chooses wrong paths and wrong ways, although, contrary to Owen, he belongs to a well-known family that lives in New Hampshire. According to John, â€Å"I was a Wheelwright – that was the family name that counted in our town: the Wheelwrights† (Irving 6). However, growing up in a rather unconventional family, John follows the faith chosen by his best friend Owen, but his belief in God is different from Owen’s belief. John believes in a person who embodies God, but not in God, and this personification deprives John of the possibility to find true faith that will help him to overcome his inner problems. John’s criticism of Regan ruling is based on the fact of Owen’s death rather than on any specific political ideology. He does not want to accept Owen’s death and he implicitly accuses American government in his friend’s death. This oddness of the narrator is exposed to harsh satire by Irving who reveals the impact of worship on the behavior and thinking of John Wheelwright. Other characters of the novel explain John’s psychological problems as a result of his complex childhood: â€Å"You keep doing that and you’ll make yourself sterile’, said my cousin Hester, to whom every event of our shared childhood was either sexually exhilarating or sexually damaging† (Irving 54). Thus, Irving applies to some aspects of psychoanalysis in his portrayal of John, trying to find several explanations of his unusual behavior. John’s childhood experience and especially his ambiguous religious faith transform the narrator into a cripple. As John moves to Canada, he leads a secluded life there, working as a teacher of English, but being obsessed with his thoughts and recollections. John’s criticism of social and political life conceals his anger as to Owen’s death; although he accuses American government and God in this tragedy, he hurts himself for this death. Being a virgin in his middle age, the narrator reveals powerful emotions only when he reads some facts about crimes in the United States, as if seeking relief in the news that manage to suppress his pain. However, nothing can give John a hope after Owen’s death; his friendship with Owen was so prolonged and so strong that John continued to feel the presence of Owen. Even after death Owen influences John and controls all his actions, although only on a spiritual level. John Wheelwright believes in Owen’s support as if Owen is God; in fact, the narrator identifies Owen with an image of God, hoping that one day they will meet again. When Owen implicitly helps him to find his father and his identity, John is convinced of Owen’s divine origin, feeling that â€Å"Owen Meany was very near† (Irving 542). The mystery of his birth troubles the narrator, he is in search of various ways to find out the truth, because he feels that he is not able to lead a normal life without recognizing his origin. John’s faith in Owen is so powerful that he believes that Owen saves his life several times throughout the narration. Owen is John’s closest friend, despite the fact that Owen is the reason of the death of John’s mother. Creating a new life in Canada, John constantly thinks how Owen would act in various circumstances. In this regard, Irving demonstrates that John’s faith in Owen is intensified after Owen’s death; John is unable to forget a person who accompanied and supported him for many years. Through Owen, John tries to find answers to some crucial issues of existence. In his early years John makes constant attempts to repeat everything after his friend; however, he feels that he is not able to be like Owen, although he admires him. In his adulthood John also follows Owen’s advice, moving to Canada and finding a place in the Bishop Strachan High School. Thus, it is Owen who controls John’s fate, considering that he has such a right. Applying to a rather prosaic speech, the narrator contrasts himself to Owen and his inner power. The narrator even emphasizes Owen’s words throughout the novel, trying to prove Owen’s greatness and his impact on John’s personality. Owen’s authority is explicitly vivid, as the novel progresses, but Owen dies, failing to realize that, to some extent, his influence on John possesses some negative features. The fact is that faith inspired by Owen in the heart of John destroys the narrator, because this faith is a label that is not able to provide the character with real belief and understanding of the world around him. John appears to depend much on Owen, being unable to lead an independent life and experiencing considerable insecurity. When John has to take a decision, he applies to Owen for advice or simply evaluates something from Owen’s point of view. After Owen’s death John starts to believe that there are no coincidences in this world, everything is predestined; the similar words are expressed by Owen when he was alive: â€Å"Owen Meany believed that ‘coincidence’ was a stupid, shallow refuge sought by stupid, shallow people who were unable to accept the fact that their lives were shaped by a terrifying and awesome design† (Irving 186). However, following Owen’s thoughts, John Wheelwright ignores the profound understanding of the occurred events; although he accepts the fact of his mother’s death from the hands of Owen, he does not want to think why God punishes him in such a way. John seems to be the only person who has such a strong belief in Owen and in miracles that are connected with him. In this regard, the narrator evokes sympathy, because his wrong worship saved him only in early years. In adulthood he experiences discomfort over many things; although John claims to believe in God, he does not really understand the essence of Christian religion. Although he criticizes some political events, he does nothing to change the situation; for instance, he prefers to injure himself to avoid taking part in Vietnam War. The narrator is afraid of being destroyed by this War, but in reality he is destroyed by Owen. Throughout the narration John expresses contradictory viewpoints as to certain aspects of life; in particular, at the beginning of the novel he tells that faith should not be based on any miracles, but finally he accepts these miracles as an integral part of his own faith. Despite the fact that John constantly cites some passages from the Bible, he admits that he does not really know this Holy book; he simply wants to support the ideas of Owen with these passages. Thus, the narrator does not sincerely believe in God and he does not take part in any social or political activity. John Wheelwright lives in his own secluded world, keeping other people out of this world and believing only in Owen. John’s faith is intertwined with inner doubts, and faith can not survive if these doubts are not suppressed. True faith is based on trust, but Owen expresses the contrary idea that evokes doubts in the narrator. According to Owen, â€Å"That isn’t exactly what faith is†¦ I don’t believe everything that pops into my head – faith is a little more selective than that† (Irving 472). In fact, John does not realize his dependence on Owen until Owen’s death, he does not realize his weakness, and he has to face the consequences of his ignorance. As the narrator writes to Owen, â€Å"What good does it do to make whatever decision you’re talking about? What good does courage do – when what happens next is up for grabs? † (Irving 504). As a result of his dependence on Owen, John is afraid of life, he is afraid of any changes that may destroy his little world. Growing up with Owen in New Hampshire, John feels that this friendship is the only thing that supports him throughout his life. The narrator is not able to broaden his horizons and find other interesting things; his strange worship prevents him from finding the true meaning of life. John’s life is reflected in Owen’s life, thus, despite the fact that Owen and John share the similar life principles, their ways of life are different, as John has no personal life, he simply makes an attempt to resemble Owen. Contrary to Owen who manages to find the goal in life, John is unable to understand his own predestination. The narrator lives in the light of Owen, failing to find his own light; as a result, his life is spiritually destroyed after Owen’s death. Although John brings up some life issues, he is not able to understand what is crucial in his own life. Thus, at the end of the narration John turns to prayers, as if hoping to find solace in them, to find the meaning of his further life, but he is still full of doubts that prevent him from accepting reality. Although John Wheelwright is already an adult, to some extent, he remains a little boy who is in search of comfort and understanding and who needs another person to guide him through life. With Owen’s death, John collides with inner conflicts, concerning his faith. Perhaps, these conflicts can be explained by the fact that absolute faith created by Owen Meany is impossible for such persons as John; he is not Owen, although he tries to resemble him. John’s upbringing and life experience are different from that of Owen’s, thus John fails to fully believe in the things believed by Owen. Due to John’s inner doubts and inability to create a personal life, John usually turns to sarcasm in his evaluation of certain events. Instead of analyzing political or religious issues, the narrator treats them through his personal experience. Thus, John’s insight is restricted by his infirm intellect; the faith that he seems to have does not shed light on the narrator’s life; instead it transforms him into a person who experiences constant pain and obvious displeasure. Unlike Owen who finds power and inspiration in his belief, John is unable to experience the similar inspiration. He appears to be a tool in the hands of Owen who utilizes the narrator to his own liking, persuading John that he is a God’s instrument. It is Owen who performs home tasks for John, it is Owen who makes him receive a major degree in English, it is Owen who saves him from Vietnam and who persuades him to move to Canada. John is so used to this guidance and dependence that he does not realize that Owen manipulates him, depriving John of the possibility to become a mature adult in his middle age. Influenced by Owen, John Wheelwright prefers to keep in the background of Owen’s life, implicitly challenging the issues of true faith. Works Cited Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany. New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1990.

Spring Syllabus

[pic] [pic] Florida A&M University Department of Chemistry CHM 1045 Lab Syllabus COURSE SYLLABUS | |Course Number: CHM 1045L |Course Title: General Chemistry I Laboratory | |Prerequisite(s): | | |Co-requisite: CHM 1045 Lecture | | |Course Credit: 1 |Course Hours: 3 per week | |College: Science and Technology |Required Text(s): The laboratory manual, Experiments In General Chemistry, 6th | | |Edition by Peter Cottrell, Jesse Edwards, & Richard A. Ford, Jr. | |Department: Chemistry | | |Faculty Name: Arian White-Baker |Term and Year: Spring 2013 | | |Place and Time: 401/413 Jones Hall | |Office Location: |Telephone: ( 850 )599-8424 | |219-A Jones Hall |e-mail: arian1. [email  protected] edu or arian1. [email  protected] com | |Office Hours |Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |Saturday | | |4:00-5:00 pm | 9:00-11:00 am | |12:00-2:00pm | | Curriculum Status: Required for Chemistry, Biology, Pre-Pharmacy and Pre-Engineering majors. INTRODUCTION General Chemistry I L aboratory (CHM 1045L) is the first course of a sequence of two laboratory courses primarily for students who are in science or science-related majors. In this laboratory course, students will have an opportunity to observe some of the phenomena of matter and obtain practical skills in using various items of laboratory equipment. Upon completion of this course students should have a deeper and more concrete understanding of the experimental science of chemistry.There are 10 different laboratory exercises scheduled to be done during the weeks specified in the SCHEDULE section of this outline. Because of the large number of laboratory sections and the full use of time available during the semester, there will be no opportunity to make individual laboratory exercises. Only in cases of emergency, you must notify your instructor before the class session. In such case, the laboratory experiment should be made up during the week that it was assigned. In order to make up the experiment, thes e procedures should be followed: *Notify your instructor and get a note from them stating their approval and awareness of your absence. *Obtain an official excuse from your dean. Bring the excuse and the note to laboratory coordinators office in JONES HALL room 405. *At this time, you will receive a form with the time that you can make your experiment up. Appointments for office visits other than during scheduled office hours may be made on an individual basis for the mutual convenience of the students and instructor. LABORATORY OBJECTIVES There are several objectives of the laboratory course. Among these are to: a. Train students to observe and follow the standard safety practices while doing experiments. b. Provide a means for students to examine, analyze, and verify chemical principles by carrying out simple exercises in the laboratory. c.Provide an opportunity for students to practice making careful observations and measurements, and to perform critical analyses of the observati ons made and data obtained. d. Train students to carry out laboratory exercises using standard techniques, while keeping a record of the observations made and data obtained. Academic Learning Compact As a result of your experience at FAMU chemistry students should be able to communicate chemical concepts in oral and written laboratory reports. Your reports should discern what you think happened from what indeed did occur based on sound chemical reasoning. You are to interpret laboratory data, measurements, procedures and results. Eventually, you should solve chemical problems and design and evaluate experiments.After taking this class you will be able to recognize potentially hazardous substances and reactions. You should be able to make effective use of information resources and use a computer to gain information about chemical compounds and reactions. LABORATORY MATERIALS The following materials will be required for the laboratory: a. Laboratory safety glasses b. The laboratory ma nual, Experiments In General Chemistry, 6th Edition by Peter Cottrell, Jesse Edwards, & Richard A. Ford, Jr. , which is available at the University Bookstore. c. Laboratory coat d. Expt In General Chemistry Lab Safety & Techniques DVD Safety Students must always wear eye protection and laboratory coats when they are doing the laboratory exercises.There are no exceptions to this requirement. Students not having eye protection and laboratory coat cannot remain in the laboratory. a. Wear approved eye protection at all times. b. Never eat, drink or smoke in a chemical laboratory c. If any glassware is broken, it should be cleaned up by the student. d. Never perform an unauthorized experiment. e. Never work in a chemical laboratory without proper supervision f. Never pipette by mouth or inhale gases or vapors g. Exercise proper care in heating or mixing chemicals h. Be careful with glass equipment PROCEUDURE Each laboratory experiment must be read and carefully studied before coming to t he laboratory.This must be done to ensure that each student is thoroughly familiar with the principles, procedures, calculations, and anything else with the exercises may be involved. Unless otherwise directed to do so, students should work alone in doing in the laboratory exercises. Take extreme care when using the analytical balances, thermometers, and other items of equipment that are expensive and/or may be easily broken. When the laboratory exercise is completed, all equipment should be cleaned and put in its proper place or in the locker in an orderly way. The bench top and common work areas should also be cleaned. LABORATORY REPORTS The pre-laboratory assignments of each laboratory experiment must be turned in to the instructor before the beginning of the laboratory.Laboratory Reports are to be completed and turned in as directed by the instructor. The laboratory report will usually consist of the Pre-Lab, Post-Lab, Lab Write-up, Data Sheet from the laboratory experiment and calculations sheet. Laboratory Report Organization: All sections should be typed except calculations, pre/post lab and your data/report sheet †¢ Title Page: Your name, Group members names, Date, Lab section Title of the Experiment †¢ Introduction- 5-6 sentences at most †¢ Materials and Procedure- Past Tense, Bullet format †¢ Pre-Lab, Report Sheet and Post Lab –please complete all calculations and questions in the spaces provided. If the space is too small, please complete on a separate sheet of paper. Calculation sheet – SHOW ALL WORK! †¢ Conclusion – Discuss what you learned and any possible sources of error that occurred in the experiment. Please use complete sentences. Students who do not actively participate in the laboratory experiment will be subject to point reduction. there are no make up labs, so do not miss a lab date. Late lab reports will not be graded. No exceptions will be granted and no excuses are acceptable. PUBLIC HOLID AYS AND LABS IF YOUR LAB FALLS ON ANY PUBLIC HOLIDAY (EXCEPT THANKSGIVING WEEK) OR UNIVERSITY CONVOCATION, PLEASE ENDEVOR TO ATTEND ANY OTHER SECTION OF THE LAB WITHIN THE SAME WEEK. THE MISSED LAB WILL NOT BE REPEATED THE FOLLOWING WEEK.PLEASE ENSURE THAT THE LAB INSTRUCTOR OF THE LAB YOU ATTENDED FOR MAKEUP SIGNS YOUR WORK AS EVIDENCE OF ATTENDANCE. THEN SUBMIT YOUR LAB REPORT TO YOUR LAB INSTRUCTOR AS USUAL. The total score for the course will be based on laboratory reports, write up, and exam. Each laboratory report will have equal value but not necessarily the same number of points. The laboratory reports will count between 80-90% of the total score. The final laboratory examination will count between 10-20% of the total score. Additionally, you may be given quizzes that will count toward your overall grad. The various parts of the lab exercises and reports will contribute towards the final grade as follows: Lab Reports Report Sheet and Data 50Pre-Lab 10 Post Lab 10 Write up 30 Total 100 There will be a total of Ten Labs and Two Exams worth 100 pts each. At the end of the semester, an overall fractional score will be calculated. It is anticipated that the grade will be based on the following scale for fractional scores: A- (90% or above)(990-1110) B-(80-90%)(880-989) C-(70-80%)(770-879) D-(60-70%)(660-769) F- (Below 60%)(659 & Below) Some general items to be considered in grading the reports will be the neatness and legibility of the report, the correct use of English, and the proper use of significant figures and units.Other items that may be considered, depending on the specific exercise, will be the closeness of a result obtained to what the result should be the correctness of any calculations, and the completeness of any observations that may be expected. A subjective evaluation will also be included of the student’s attitude toward the laboratory exercised and the correct use of the laboratory equipment. Academic Calendar: Fall 2013 January 7 Classes begin (Full-Time Studies) January 21 Martin Luther King (Holiday) March 11-15 Spring Break March 29 Last day to withdraw April 26 Last day to submit I change of grade Aptil 26 Last day of classes April 29-May 3, 2013 Final examinations Week CHM 1045 Labs Spring 2013Lab # Date Title Page # 1/7-12/12 Laboratory Orientation and Safety Video/ MSDS 1. 1//14-18/12 Basic Laboratory Technique 1 No Labs 1/21-25/12 Martin Luther King – No Class This Week 2. 1/28 – 2/1/12 Identification of Substances by physical properties 13 3. 2/4-8/12 Separation of the Components of a mixture 23 4. 2/11-15/12 Chemical reactions of copper and percent yield 31 5. /18-22/12 The stoichiometry of a reaction 39 2/25-3/1/12 Exam #1 6. 3/4 – 8/12 Reactions in Aqueous Solutions 49 No Labs 3/11-15/12 Spring Break- No Class This week 7. 3/18-22/12 Qualitative-Analysis Scheme 61 8. 3/25-29/12 Colorimetric determination of iron 69 9. 4/1-5/12 Behavior of gases: Molar mass 93 10. 4/8-12/12 Where are electrons? : VSEPR 245 4/15-19/12 Exam 2 SAMPLE LAB WRITE UP: Cover Page EXPERIMENT 1BASIC LABORATORY TECHNIQUES John Doe Group Members: Andrew Luck Reggie Wayne Dwight Freeney SAMPLE LAB WRITE UP INTRODUCTION Chemistry is an experimental science that relies heavily upon meticulous observations and precise measurements. When recording the measurements made, the accuracy of the devise used has to be reflected. Although the metric system used here in America is the most common, scientists prefer the use the International System of Units or SI system. The objective of this lab is to perfect the use of the laboratory balance, graduate cylinder, thermometer and pipets in order to learn how to obtain accurate measurements in experimental procedures.This lab will also allow familiarization with the SI units used in scientific work. APPARATUS/MATERIALS Balance150-mL Beaker 250-mL Beaker Bunsen Burner Hose clampFlask 125-mL 50-mL Erlenmeyer Grad. Cylinder Rubber BulbIron ringRing S tand 10-mL Pipet ThermometerWing TipIce Barometer PROCEDURE A. The Bunsen Burner †¢ The Bunsen burner was examined for valves and all gas/air outlets †¢ Both valves were closed and rubber tubing was attached from the gas outlet on the burner to the lab bench spout. †¢ A striker was used to light the gas below the top of the barrel while the gas valve on the burner was gradually opened to obtain a flame roughly 3-4 inches high. The air was adjusted to allow a pale blue flame to form on the inner cone. B. The GraduatedCylinder †¢ The 100-mL graduated cylinder was examined and the markings in milliliters was noted †¢ The cylinder was then filled approximately half full with water and the meniscus(curved surface) was observed. †¢ Reading the lowest point of the meniscus at eye level with the cylinder a volume measurement was obtained to the nearest 0. 1mL and recorded †¢ A 125-mL Erlenmeyer flask was then filled to the top with water and the graduate c ylinder was used to aid in recording the total volume in the flask. C. The Thermometer and Its Calibration To test the accuracy of the thermometer, it was calibrated using known measurements †¢ 50mL of ice was placed in a 250mL beaker and covered with distilled water. †¢ The ice-water mixture was allowed to set and come to equilibrium and measurements were taken and recorded. †¢ To test the boiling point, a 250-mL beaker ws set on a wire gause and iron ring half full with distilled water. †¢ The water was heated and measurements were periodically taken to determine the temperature of the water . †¢ The boiling point of water was recorded and a bp correction calculation was performed to determine the true boiling point at the observed pressure. D. Using the Balance to Calibrate the 10-mL Pipet †¢ A penny was weighed and the mass recorded About 40mL of distilled water was put in a 50-mL beaker †¢ The weight of an empty, dry 50 mL Erlenmeyer flask was weighted to the nearest 0. 1 mL †¢ The temperature of the water in the beaker was measured and recorded. †¢ Exactly 10 mL of water was pipet into the empty flask and the flask was weighed with the water. †¢ The weight of the water was determined by subtraction the mass of the empty flask from the mass obtained after the 10 mL of water was added. †¢ The density was calculated, and based on the temperature obtained previously, the accuracy of the pipet was determined. †¢ This procedure was repeated three more times CALCULATIONS: WRITE ALL CALCULATIONS IN THIS SECTION. NO NEED TO TYPE THEM OUT.CONCLUSION: The objective of this lab was to learn the use of simple lab equipment. In this experiment our group was able to learn basic laboratory protocols and become familiar with common equipment operation. We were able to successfully calibrate and standardize the equipment for future measurements to be taken. Overall there were minor errors that could have occurred including the following: not reading the bottom of the meniscus on the graduated cylinder procedure and dropping some water while transferring to flasks in procedure D. We completed all procedures proficiently otherwise and look forward to a semester of future experimentation.

Case Study

Case Analysis # 4Elaine Decides to Try Her Hand at Investing Elaine Tolbert is a 28-year-old management trainee at a large chemical company. She is single and has no plans for marriage. Her annual salary is $34,000 (placing her in the 15 percent tax bracket), and her monthly expenditures come to approximately $1,500. During the past year or so, Elaine has managed to save around $8,000, and she expects to continue saving at least that amount each year for the foreseeable future. Her company pays the premium on her $35,000 life insurance policy. Because Elaine’s entire education was financed by scholarships, she was able to save money from the summer and part-time jobs she held as a student. Altogether, she has a nest egg of nearly $18,000, out of which she’d like to invest about $15,000. She’ll keep the remaining $3,000 in a bank CD that pays 3 percent interest and will use this money only in an emergency. Elaine can afford to take more risks than someone with family obligations can, but she doesn’t wish to be a speculator; she simply wants to earn an attractive rate of return on her investments. Critical Thinking Questions 1. What investment options are open to Elaine? 2. What chance does she have of earning a satisfactory return if she invests her $15,000 in (a) blue-chip stocks, (b) growth stocks, (c) speculative stocks, (d) corporate bonds, or (e) municipal bonds? 3. Discuss the factors you would consider when analyzing these alternate investment vehicles. 4. What recommendation would you make to Elaine regarding her available investment alternatives? Explain.

Industrialization After the Civil War Final Paper Research

Industrialization After the Civil War Final - Research Paper Example According to the standard classification there are two main sectors of economy. The first one is responsible for the production of goods (agriculture, sand mining and so forth). The second one deals with the manufactured products from the first sector. The process of industrialization takes place when the second sector dominates the first one leading to the reorganization of the whole process. In this work the process of industrialization is shown on the basis of history of the USA and its rapid growth after the Civil War. â€Å"At the stage of history, however, there are major differences in the way industrializing societies are organized; and these differences add both variety and conflict to the world scene. Many of these differences can be explained by the character of the industrializing elite who are in charge from one country to another – who they are, what goals they seek, what strategies they follow and how they approach labor – management – state relations† (1960) written by Clark Kerr. The Civil War in the USA (1861-1865) started on the basis of strong contradictions between the North and the South. Its main aim was fighting against slave-owning system. In the first half of the XIX century agricultural South and industrial North existed as two separate economic regions. The enterprises of machinery and consumer industry were situated in the northern part of the country. The immigrants came there from different countries in order to hire a job at the factories, pl ants or other places. As a result this part of the USA was characterized by high level of life. In the South the situation was absolutely different. As a benefit the USA got a great territory after the American-Mexican War. The territory had a good climate, consequently the lands were productive and fruitful. The South became the main agricultural region which lands were occupied by rich planters. The problem was that there were not enough labor resources

Educational policy reform Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Educational policy reform - Assignment Example This education policies undermined women contrary to their belief of upholding respect for women. Reforms made on the education sector has seen women education being overseen by the ministry of education and the educational policies support educational equality in opportunities for both women and men. The ministry is also sending women to further their education abroad which has resulted in increased number of Saudi women in leadership. This article explores the transition of women education form traditional to current reforms which promote education for women and the significant achievements this has had on the society in general (Amani, 2005). This issue contrast and compares to the educational situation in New Jersey which is my immediate environment. New Jersey has not experienced the extreme cases of discrimination against the education of women. The educational reform policies maintain that all the students should have equal access to educational facilities and resources and also provide suitable services and instruction to English Language Learners. This is provided for by the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA). To be EEOA compliance, educational institutions are required to provide adequate and timely evaluation of the learning outcomes of all English Language Learners, provide quality instruction and services and observing and recording of their academic improvement. However, a review was done on a section of the Bound Brook New Jersey School District which indicated that there were several concerns regarding integration of the English Language Learners into the schools mainstream as thus they were discriminated on the compliance issue above. While there are cases of racial segregation, there has not been any reported cases of gender segregation. In the US, the education policy had been distributive at their inception where the teachers and educational institutions were

Unisys Credit Problems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unisys Credit Problems - Essay Example ch Unisys has invested will contribute to a greater loss if the company were to use them to remain liquid and be able to fund its operations with the ultimate consequence being a rights issue to finance the deficit. This situation has forced the company to rethink its position on the revolving credit facility which it operates with various funding institutions to the tune of $275 million. The idea is not to renew it and avoid the escalating interests due to such. This presents the company with the challenge of how it will be able to finance its operations and come out of the financial crisis. The management theory available for use by the firm is that what has to be done for the business to remain a float must be done. The company’s management will therefore review the available options and make crucial decisions on which ones are relevant so as to implement the most effective ones. The alternatives available at the disposal of Unisys are numerous but not with serious economic consequences. It seemingly must repay the debt of $300 million by the time of expiry of the revolving credit facility. Unisys can seek funding through issuing additional shares in the market (Malz, 2011). This might not be popular with investors since the market is already volatile and most people, especially companies in the debt market such as Bloomberg realize that Unisys has the most expensive borrowing costs compared to other IT companies such as Affiliated Computer and IBM. The other possibility for Unisys is to cut down on employment expenses by laying-off employees so as to reduce operating expenses (Harvard business review on crisis management, 2000). This will only aggravate the problem as most firms would be interested to know what the situation is like to warrant such a decision. It might also result into low productivity due to reduced manpower. The uncertainty that will be accompanied by such a move would cause distrust amongst many clients, possible clients and financers

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Human Resource Management - Essay Example There is a whole list of factors that affect a further process of employees’ recruitment. (Ali 12) Current research indicates that the process of recruitment cannot be controlled by an organization. According to the recent research, the major factors that improve the performance of an organization include the following: The availability of manpower can affect the performance of an organization. If the company has a low supply of external sources, then it has to take time to prepare its own workforce. â€Å"This availability is present both within and outside the organization. Current research indicates that availability of the resources often serves to be an important factor of a successful recruitment process† (Rush 4). Labor Market often influences the recruiting work of the company. It means that if an excess of manpower exists, then an organization has the right to recruit additional notice boards. These boards are able to recruit additional applicants. There are frequent cases when the image of an employee can badly affect the performance of an organization. An employee’s bad image can also serve as a possible restriction for recruitment. It means that a company with a good representation has a greater chance to get and keep more workers than a company with a negative representation (Rush 23). Current research indicates that there is a whole list of various government regulations that prohibits discrimination. All these prohibitions have a direct impact on recruitment practices. Unions have an important role in the recruitment process. They often restrict management freedom of employees, thus affecting their performance within an organization. One of the aspects that matter is the accessibility of resources. This availability often influences the development of the economy. When the organization does not create new jobs, then it means that it has many

Supervision Platform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Supervision Platform - Essay Example Thus, as a supervisor I intend on ensuring that via collaborative efforts between the teachers and other academic staff, each student gets the maximum level of emotional satisfaction possible. The aim is not to produce money making machines in the long-run, in fact to create a lot of highly motivated individuals with the potential to change the world for the better tomorrow. Thus, the supervisory practices which I aim at adopting constitute a collaborative paradigm where every contributor will also be decision maker adding value to the educational practices being employed. Mission Statement as a Supervisor As a supervisor I aim at empowering the teachers as they are directly involved in the personal as well as the professional development of a child. According to a research published in the New York Times by Fretty, Friedman and Jonah (2012), the educational practices adopted by the primary school teachers directly impacts the professional development of the child, i.e. if the qualit y of a primary school education is enhanced by 1%, the earning rate of the resultant student also increases by 1%. This implies that the quality of teachers needs to be enhanced by persistent training and evaluation, also by transforming the way strategies are designed. When the teachers will directly be involved in the decision-making process, an innate capacity for moral responsibility will follow, thus I aim at developing a collaborative working environment giving way to creativity and innovation. My Role as a Supervisor As a supervisor, I am bound to take multiple roles which are even subject to be extended in the long run. I consider my professional as well as my moral responsibility to understand the needs and desires of the teachers as well as the students, and to sync these needs with the modern day practices to impart quality education. Considering this scenario, it is my sole responsibility to transform the teaching patterns by adding new and updated courses to the curricu lum to ensure the progression of the students to the most advanced levels possible. In addition, I intend on taking up this role to add value to the skills and creativity of the students by introducing additional courses relevant to arts. The video illustration; â€Å"connecting with the arts: A workshop for Middle-Grades Students† stresses on the significance of combining arts subjects with sciences to create a sense of innovation in the minds of the students (Education Next). Also, the addition of new courses to the curriculum would naturally demand skills development for the teachers to cope up with the transformation, thus skill development would also become an important role in the process. By initiating discussions with the teachers, it will be my responsibility to create opportunities for the teachers to acquire new skills to equip them with the necessary teaching tools and techniques. In this context, as a supervisor my role won`t be limited to the evaluation and moni toring of the current practices, but also initiating new ones whenever the need arise. Evaluations and collaborative practices go hand in hand, being an important role as the supervisor under the systematic procedures. Leadership Orientation The most traditional leadership styles have been the

Institutional Realities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Institutional Realities - Research Paper Example Specific Problem in the Acute Long Term Organization. This will look at research and theories that look at the acute long term organization. This will form a basis of the problems which need to be solved with the current strategic project. Specific Problems Defined. This section describes the specific problem in RHC as well as how this relates to various aspects that need to change within the organization. Strategic Planning Issue. This will look at the one issue that will be examined in terms of RHC and how this will be formulated for continuous planning and change within the organization. Theory of Constraint. Looks at the main problem associated with RHC in terms of the theory of constraint. Process Analysis Theory. This is the second theory which applies to the problems of RHC. Application of Strategic Planning. Looks at the mission, vision, plan and implementation of the strategy while defining ways to approach the main issues. Strategy of Continuous Organizational Improvement. Examines the ways to continuously approve with the implementation of the new strategy and expectations. References. List of resources used for this project. Annotated Bibliography Bryson, John. (2004). Strategic Planning for Public and Nonprofit Organizations UK: John Wiley and Sons. This book describes the strategic change cycle as well as how this is incorporated into non –profits and care systems. Not following this cycle is the main problem of the health care system, specifically because there is the need to respond to trends and to look at the situations that are a part of the culture and the community. Carr, Deborah, Dmitry Khodyakov. (2007). â€Å"End – of – Life Health Care Planning Among Young Old Adults: An Assessment of Psychosocial Influences.† Journals of Gerontology 62 (2). This article is used to examine the different approaches which are looked at in the long term acute care system. It can be seen that psychosocial influences create a spec ific impression about the care which is offered and creates gaps with the market and the desire to be a part of the main care system. This is one of the concepts which RHC needs to look at with the re-engineering of their program, specifically to change the quality care offered. Coleman, EA, C Parry, S Chalmers. (2006). â€Å"The Care Transitions Intervention.† Archives of Internal Care 57 (1). This article is used to describe the way in which care systems need to look at staff and employment training. It shows that a main gap that is associated with the care system is based on the misunderstandings that are a part of the care transition that occurs. Employees are expected to begin understanding the need to intervene and change the approach which is taken toward the long term care. Eskildesen, Manuel. (2007). â€Å"Long – Term Acute Care: A Review of the Literature.† Journal of American Geriatrics Society 55 (5). The article that is reviewed looks at the general issues of long – term acute care and how many are influenced by the specific needs that are in the facilities. Looking at the review of literature helps to define the issues ranging from cost control to the associations that are a part of the acute care. Ford, JD, AD Amelio. (2008). â€Å"Resistance to Change: The Rest of the Story.† Journal of Management 72 (3). This article is used to explain the difficulties with change and change management. The article will be used to

Is it morally permissible to kill one innocent person as a means to Essay

Is it morally permissible to kill one innocent person as a means to saving some larger number of innocent people's lives Why - Essay Example However, according to Kantian principle, our duty is to do certain things irrespective of the motive, at least not from a sense of duty. Sometimes one may do something he or she thinks is the right thing to do but in the end the act is wrong. For example, killing one person to save more others may seem right but killing is a crime and as such it is wrong no matter what reason it was intended. So what makes right acts right? Is morality relative or absolute? These are questions that we need to ask ourselves in order to standard ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ actions. The specific ethical issue to be tackled by this paper is whether it is permissible to kill one innocent person as a means to saving some larger number of innocent people’s lives. I will argue that it is morally permissible to kill one innocent person as it leads to the greatest good of all at least based on Professor Moore’s moral theory. There is no question that society aims at ensuring the happiness of all and this would be achieved if many lives are saved. The argument in this case, is the means to achieve this goal. Is it by sacrificing an innocent person or allowing others to die? In order to answer this question, we need to understand what it means to be morally permissible. ... In this paper thus it will be taken for granted that morality is relative. As such, it depends on the circumstances at the time of the event. It may not be the act one ‘ought to’ has done thus a duty to do as expressed by Kant but the right action given the circumstances. For example, if one man threatens the life of others it is only right to kill that person to preserve the rights of those others. However, everyone has a duty to protect life and as such killing is wrong. One ought not to take another person’s life irrespective of the situation. The subject of morality is thus very confusing and always leads to ethical dilemmas. According to normative ethical theory such as utilitarianism it is assumed that the right act is always the one that results to greatest possible happiness (PHL 275 Week Six p.1) or according to Professor Moore’s ideal utilitarianism â€Å"actions productive of more good than could have been produced by any other action open to th e agent† (Ross 16). This means that we often do not know what is right or wrong because we cannot tell what the outcomes of doing a certain action will be. Every member of society has an inalienable right to liberty, property and pursuit of happiness and as such, promoting the good of the community is the ultimate aim. Now consider killing an innocent person for the sake of other innocent people. For example, a driver may opt to knock down a pedestrian to avoid colliding with an oncoming vehicle thus saving the lives of many innocent people. Is this morally permissible? According to consequentialist utilitarianism, the act is right only if it leads to producing more good or happiness. I would like to assume that many people would

Mongol Movie Essay Example for Free

Mongol Movie Essay Genghis Khan who was a slave before going on to conquer half the world including Russia in 1206. Mongol begins as Tem?Jin (Genghis) is a young boy, searching for his future bride with his father, a khan. Throughout the film, the audience is shown all of the trials and tribulations that Tem?Jin had to go through in order to rise from slavery into the position of khan. As the film begins, the audience is shown the rough face of a prisoner being mocked in his cell in the Chinese kingdom Tangut. This prisoner is Tem?Jin. From this point onward, the movie is somewhat told in flashback by years. Leaving on an expedition as a young boy, Tem?Jin travels along with his father Yes?gei to select a girl as his future wife. Tem?Jin meets and chooses BÂ ¶rte although his father wishes him to choose a mate from the Merkit tribe. Tem?Jin convinces his father to allow him to choose BÂ ¶rte. He promises to return after five years to marry her. After leaving, Yes?gei is poisoned by a rival tribe and dies. Upon returning to their camp, Tem?Jin and his mother find one of his fathers warriors looting their possessions. The warrior tries to kill Tem?Jin, as he is a threat to his path to khan, but is reminded that it is against Mongol law to kill a child. He promises to return in the winter and kill the boy as a teen. Tem?Jin is shown throughout his teen years running from the warrior and his men in order to survive. Throughout the movie, Tem?Jin is seen praying to the Mongol god of the sky during hard times. One day he is found in the snow by a boy his age named Jamukha. They certify their friendship by becoming blood brothers. Tem?Jin is then captured by the warrior twice, and is able to escape both times, the second time finding BÂ ¶rte and returning to his mother with her. The warrior manages to find and pursue the reunited couple. While an injured Tem?Jin is able to escape by BÂ ¶rte surrendering herself to the khan and his men, she is captured and taken to their tribe. Tem?Jin locates his blood brother, who is now a khan, and asks him to help him find his wife and get her back. After a successful attle and recovering a pregnant BÂ ¶rte, the couple and a few warriors head out, including 2 of Jamukhas. He warns Tem?Jin that this action will cost him. This is proven when Jamukhas birth brother is killed by one of Tem?Jin soldiers. Jamukha and Tem?Jin go to war. Outnumbered, Tem?Jins army is quickly defeated. Jamukha declares victory and decides to make Tem?Jin a slave rather than execute him. Tem?Jin is sold into slavery in the Tangut kingdom and is put on display as The Mongol who threatened to take down the Tangut kingdom which can be considered ajor foreshadowing. Tem?Jin promises to a monk to spare mercy upon a monastery in the kingdom after he takes over as khan, as long as the monk finds Tem?Jins wife and son. While the monk dies on the Journey

Gorbachev and the Fall of Soviet Communism Essay Example for Free

Gorbachev and the Fall of Soviet Communism Essay From the failure of Khrushchev’s Virgin Lands program, to Brezhnev’s economic stagnation, to the final dissolution of the Soviet system, the organisation of central planning went though a slow death agony. When the former Minister of Agriculture, Mikhail Gorbachev, took over in 1985, the system seemed to have a certain spark left in it, though this was to prove to be illusory. Gorbachev announced that the Soviet state will not bail out failing enterprises, some limited market reform will be instituted and that limited press freedoms will be countenanced. Gorbachev did not satisfy anyone, including US policymakers. Liberals such as Boris Yeltsin thought reforms needed to go farther, while hardliners like Boris Pugo thought Gorbachev was selling out the Great Experiment. While Gorbachev cannot be held responsible for the dissolution of the USSR, he did unleash forces that eventually led to its demise. First, admitting defeat in Afghanistan, he shook the confidence in Soviet military might, unleashing a storm of protest from the â€Å"mothers movement,† embarrassing the USSR worldwide. Second, by letting up on police pressure, the huge black marketeers came to the surface, with money and local influence. Third, after Chernobyl, Ukrainian nationalism found new life in the RUKH movement, supported by a strong and large Ukrainian diaspora in America and Canada. Fourth, with the USSR clearly weakening, Islamic powers began to proselytize in the southern part of the USSR, such as in Azerbaijan and throughout the Caucuses. Fifth, the Baltics, sensing a weakening USSR, began to agitate for independence with substantial western–notably Swedish–help. Sixth, by retaining a hard line with Ronald Regan at the Iceland conference, the US began construction of a missile shield that forced the USSR to eventually backpedal on previous bellicose statements. Seventh, Gorbachev made it clear, just as he was not going to bail out failing enterprises, he also was not going to bail out failed regimes in Europe, starting with Ernst Honecker’s East Germany . Eighth, by proclaiming some sort of limited market, foreign goods rushed into the country, and new local elites began to form. Ninth, the reign of glasnost’, or openness, permitted activists more and more access to Soviet files, proving corruption and mismanagement. The fall of the USSR, based on the above events (and much more), had substantial implications for European politics. Firstly, the Swedes sought, successfully, to make economic colonies out of the Baltic states, especially Estonia. Their independence meant cheap and educated labor, and a new market for Swedish goods. Secondly, Germany was to be unified peacefully and without substantial protest. Again, this meant for Germany another economic colony of both cheap and educated labor, with a strong technical labor force. German investment eastward irritated France, seeing Germany ideally placed to take advantage of new Slavic investments in Poland, Russia and the newly formed Czech Republic (Czechia in Europe). France, as a result, sought to enlarge both NATO and the European Community (at the time) by bringing in new eastern states, including Turkey so as to counterbalance German expansion. The American response was typical. George Bush waffled on major issues, providing statements both for and against the independence of the Baltics and Ukraine. War flared up between newly independent Armena and Azerbaijan, as Islamic fundamentalists and drugs from Central Asia flooded the Caucuses on their way to markets in Europe and America,. Yugoslavia, a short time, later broke up along the same lines as the USSR under the incompetent leadership of Slobodan Milosevic, whose inability to control inflation led to the final destruction of that experimental state. US policymakers realized that they needed to move fast, while the USSR was prostrate, to begin monopolizing oil and gas resources throughout the country. The CIA began to step up its efforts in the Caucuses, making sure pro-American government were installed and properly trained. George Soros was a strong supporter of this move, and became a major political player in the region. In the mind of the US elites of both major parties, the fall of the USSR meant a green light for unlimited intervention in the affairs of former Soviet clients such as Iraq and Syria, and the Soviet backed regimes of Angola and Ethiopia were themselves were soon to fall to pro-US forces. Because of this, the latter nation fell apart into, like Yugoslavia, its original component parts. The New Left in the US, France and England scrambled to find another raison d’etre, and found it in diversity and multiculturalism. Great fear developed in the west when it became clear that Soviet (nuclear) scientists were not being paid, and were leasing out their considerable abilities to regimes opposed to US global rule such as Iran and Algeria. While all of this was happening, the US, and Harvard University, working with the World Bank, began implementing â€Å"shock therapy† to the liberated nations of eastern Europe. The rapid privatization in nearly all former Soviet satellites (except Belarus, who has maintained a high standard of living precisely by ignoring such moves ), led to mass impoverishment, rigged auctions, the rise of a nearly all-powerful mafia (with strong ties to Israel, and hence, to the US), who then assisted in the development of Russian â€Å"political parties. † Billions of dollars left the former USSR and its satellites, finding its was to Swiss banks and elsewhere, as wealthy organized crimes figures such as Symon Mogilevic began buying heavily into western economic life. There seems to be two distinct forms of former satellites. Those with direct and motivated patrons had an easy time of adjustment, as they became a part of western economic life quickly. The Baltics (Sweden), Slovenia (Germany, from Yugoslavia) and, clearly, East Germany, fall into this category. With a stable and wealthy patron, substantial investment and currency support came quickly and easily by comparison with the remainder, such as Ukraine, Uzbekistan or Armenia, that struggled with poverty and disinvestment. Bulgaria fell under Mafia rule, while labor unrest struck Romania. The influence of the fall of the USSR on Europe is incalculable. All the old rules of the game changed. What had once unified Europe now divided it, and old rivalries began to develop. While Russia has begin to function again on the global stage, the world will never quite recover from the end oft he cold war. Bibliography: â€Å"Man in the News: Skillful Party Climber Boris Pugo. † New York Times. August 8, 1991. â€Å"Erich Honecker, ruler of East Germany for 18 of its Last Years, Dies at 81. † New York Times. May 30, 1994. Bohdan Nahaylo. The Ukrainian Resurgence. University of Toronto Press, 1999 â€Å"Moscow Looks with Concern at NATO, Eu Enlargement. † Voice of America News. February, 17 2004. Matthew Raphael Johnson â€Å"A Look at the Judeo-Russian Mafia: From the GULAG to Brooklyn. † The Barnes Review. (May, 2006. ) Ariel Cohen. â€Å"Schevardnadze’s Journey. † Policy Review. No. 124. (April/May 2004). Stewart Parker. The Last Soviet Republic: Alexander Lukashenko’s Belarus. Trafford Publishing, 2007 US Department of State. â€Å"Romania. † Country Reports on Human rights Practices,Washington D. C. 2/25/2004

Motivation theories used to explain turnover intention

Motivation theories used to explain turnover intention This chapter discussed the used of motivation theory to explain the turnover intention or behavior amongst the auditors in Sabah. Besides, turnover intention the dependent variable, job satisfaction and organizational commitment the independent variables are being defined and conceptualized in line with this study. The relevant literature or past research done on this area of study is also being reviewed. Lastly, the findings on the relationships between the variables are being discussed. 2.1 Theory 2.1.1 Theory of Reasoned Action Turnover process models draw heavily from rational decision making models such as Fishbein and Ajzens (1980) theory of reasoned action, which stresses the importance of behavioral intentions in predicting and understanding turnover. However, there is research on the manner on which attitudes and intentions get translated into behavior that can inform turnover theory and research. Examples include research on perceptions of behavior control, behavior consistency, and the role of emotional arousal. For the purpose of this study, Perceived Behavioral Control is usedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 2.1.1.1 Perceived Behavioral Control Many prominent models of the turnover process implicitly or explicitly use elements of Fishbein and Ajzens (1980) Theory of Reasoned Action. This theory and its evolution into the Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen, 1991) suggest that intentions to perform a behavior are the more immediate precursors to actual behavior. Intentions are a function of attitudes toward performing the behavior, which are in turn a function of beliefs concerning the consequences and desirability of such consequences of performing the behavior, and subjective norms concerning the behavior, which are a function of beliefs concerning what important referents think about the behavior and ones motivation to comply with those referents. A good deal of empirical research has supported this model, especially the critical role of intentions (Kim and Hunter, 1998). Individuals that having the behavior intention not necessary execute the intention in reality, which introduce the importance of the role of behavioral control. Ajzen (1991) defined control beliefs as the presence or absence of factors that may facilitate or impede the performance of a behavior. Perceived behavioral control is an individuals perceptions of their ability to perform a behavior based on control beliefs. Behavioral control is expected to reinforce behavioral intentions through increased perseverance and consideration of potential obstacles (Hom and Griffeth, 1995). In fact, Ajzen (1991) argues that behavior is a function of compatible intentions and perceptions of behavioral control. Perceived behavioral control should moderate the effect of intentions on behavioral control is positive. Thus, in a turnover context, turnover intentions may only lead to turnover when individuals perceive that they have control over the decision to quit. There are a number of reasons that individuals might perceive less control over this decision. Family or financial constraints could restrict mobility. Over time, individuals become increasingly invested in an organization, making it more difficult to leave (Becker, 1960). Perceptions of the availability and quality of alternatives may affect perceived control. There is some evidence perceptions of alternatives interact with job satisfaction in leading to withdrawal (Jacofsky et al, 1986). Steel et al recently suggested that barriers to mobility are critical components of labor market cognitions. However, turnover researches do not typically directly measure perceived behavioral control over turnover decisions and have not assessed control as a potential moderator of the relationship between turnover intentions and turnover. Behavioral control should moderate the intentions-turnover relationship such that the relationship is stronger when control is higher, and weaker when control is lowest. 2.1.2 Role Theory For the purpose of study, role theory is used to explain the role stress experienced by the auditors. Role theory assumes that individuals lives are spent acting out an assortment of roles both within and outside the organizational context (Fisher, 2001). As cited by Fisher (2001), Katz and Kahn explained that each of these roles is assumed to be more a function of social setting rather than of the individuals own personality characteristics. Therefore, Fisher (2001) suggested that every position within an organization can be thought of as a specific role into which an individual is socialized. Under the role episode model, the process of socialization happens when a role senders directly or indirectly communicating to the role incumbent (focal person) their expectations of the incumbents responsibilities. Role ambiguity exits when goals of ones job or methods of performing it are unclear (Johns et al, 2007). Scholars Johns et al (2007) further explained that there are three elements that can lead to ambiguity, which are (1) the organizational factors, for example the middle management might fail to provide the big picture as they are not in the upper management level; (2) the role sender, for example role senders have unclear expectations of a focal person, or the message is not effectively communicate between a role sender and a focal person; (3) the focal person, as a new staff need time to fully digest the work expectation communicated to him. On the other hand, role conflict occurs when compliance with one sent role would compliance with another difficult (Cited by Fisher (2001) from Kahn et al, 1964). Kahn et al (1964) identify five major types of role conflict as below:- 1) Intra-sender conflict conflicting prescriptions/proscriptions from the same sender 2) Inter-sender conflict conflicting prescriptions/proscriptions from different sender 3) Inter-role conflict conflict between roles in situations where an individual holds more than one role 4) Person-role conflict where an individuals role requirements are incompatible with hus/her own beliefs, values and norms 5) Role-overload reasonable expectations may have been received from role senders, but he/she may not have enough time to address them all (Cited from Fisher (2001) review on Kahn et al (1964) research work) Scholars Van Sell at al (1981), Jackson and Schuler (1985) observed that both role ambiguity and role conflict are linked to negative outcomes, such as lower job satisfaction, increase on perceived job tension, lower job performance and greater turnover intention. 2.2 Conceptualization of Dependent Variable Turnover refers to resignation from an organization (Lee and Liu, 2006; Johns et al, 2007). Turnover can be classified as internal and external, voluntary or involuntary (Wiley, 1993). By internal turnover, it means that an employee is transferred to another department within the same company or group of companies. On the other hand, external turnover refers to the resignation of an employee permanently and henceforth represents the cost outflow to an organization. Wiley (1993) further explained that involuntary turnover happens when an employee is terminated for just caused, for example: sickness, death, retirement due to old age; and voluntary turnover is a situation whereby the employee join another organization on his/her accord, or participate in the voluntary separation scheme. Employee is the human capital of an organization (Quote). Employees have become the important tangible asset in an organization in this new k-knowledge world, especially within the service industry. Successful and established companies such as Virgin Airline and Honda have invested substantial amount on their employees in term of training and development cost, aiming to shape their employees to maintain the competitive edge. Henceforth, an employee departure is considered a nightmare to an organization especially with the highly skilled employees such as the IT specialist and audit managers. Not only the organization is unable to recover the training cost (Quote), they also lose their competitive advantage when the highly experienced and skilled employees join another competitor firm. High turnover also experienced in the unskilled position such as in the manufacturing plant and hotel line due to the low replacement cost for unskilled employees. The ease of replacing employees for th e lower rank staff no doubt will not cause substantial loss to an organization, but will affect the service or product quality as the new employees are unfamiliar with the organizations culture and work procedures. As a result of the significance of these costs, employees turnover has been widely studied since the 1900s with the various publications of qualitative and quantitative researchers of exceeding 1500 (Munchinsy and Morrow, 1980). Given the significance of the study, the determinants of turnover intention is widely studied in various industries, such as the hotelier (Atang, 2010), manufacturing (Udo et al, 1007), teachers (Currivan, 2000) information system (IT) (Rahman, 2008; Muliawan et al, 2009) and among public accountants or auditors (Lander et al, 1993; Perryer et al, 2010; Reed et al, 1994; Viator, 2001; Law, 2005; Lui et al, 2001; Hsieh et al, 2009; Hasin and Omar, 2007). The reasons for voluntary turnover are numerous and the list of determinants is still expanding. The most common reasons given by leavers are due to job dissatisfaction, lacking of career growth opportunities, poor relationship between supervisor and subordinate, to name a few. Khatri et al (2001) studied high turnover in Asian countries with sample size of 422 taken from food and beverage industry, shipping and marine industry and retailing industry suggested that the main reasons for high turnover were procedural justice and low org anizational commitment. The researchers also reported that managers had more turnover intention than non-managers and procedural justice was considered more important than the distributive justice, while organizational commitment was found to be very critical in turnover intention. Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and intention to leave are among the most commonly proposed antecedents to turnover (Tett and Meyer, 1993). The reasons of having turnover intention might vary based on individualistic (Atang, 2010). The recent research noted that researchers used other new variables sust as employees personality (Dole and Schroeder, 2001; Hsieh et al, 2009), hardiness (Law, 2005), gender (Reed et al, 1994) and organizational tenure (Udo et al, 1997) to determine the moderating effect on the turnover intention. It is observed that there are not many research done in the local setting and hence it is doubtful that if those results obtained from the Western countries can be generalized in Asia, in particular, Malaysia. Henceforth, the primary focus of this study is to examine the relationship between role stress and job satisfaction towards turnover intention amongst the auditors in Sabah, using organizational commitment as mediating variable. In the academic writing, most of the research that focus on employee turnover used direct determinant of turnover, intent to stay (Iverson, 1992; Price 1997) or turnover intention (Perryer et al, 2010; Hsieh et al, 2009; Rahman et al, 2008) to predict turnover as the data of actual turnover is typically hard to collect. Intent to stay (or leave) is defined as employees behavioral intention that has been found to have a strong negative influence on actual turnover (Iverson, 1992). A link between behavioural intentions and behavior has been well documented in the social psychological literature (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980), as has a link between turnover intentions and turnover (Irvine and Evans, 1995; Richer et al, 2002; Tett and Meyer, 1993). Richer at al (2002) further commented that most employees having the intention to leave their job would most likely to quit if they have the choice. Other researchers agreed that behavioral intention is the most determinant of actual behaviour (Aj zen and Fishbein, 1980; Steel and Ovalle, 1984) and Rasch and Harrell (1990) further commented that there is positive relationships exist between intention to leave and turnover behaviour. The finding that turnover intention is the strongest predictor of turnover is similarly consistent (Meyer at at., 2002; Tett and Meyer, 1993). The turnover intention for this present study will be conceptualized as the having the intention or behavior to leave the organization voluntary (Atang, 2010). Based on the above discussion, turnover intention would be used interchangeable with Intent to stay (or leave). 2.3 Independent variables For the purpose of this study, role stress and job satisfaction are chosen as the independent variables that are most representing determinants in influencing the turnover intention amongst auditors in Sabah. 2.3.1 Role Stress Role stress is identified as stressors at individual level (Ivancevich et al, 2008) and has now becomes the focus point of the Organizational Behavior and Management study due to the importance of having a quality work-life balance. Under role theory (as explained in Section 2.1), stress can arise from a particular role episode when sent roles conflict with each other, or when information required to effectively carry out a sent role is lacking (Fisher, 2001). These situations are known as role ambiguity and role conflict. A role is a set of expectations on individual behavior due to his/her position in an organization (Lee, 1996). Role ambiguity and role conflict are typically viewed as a consequence of audit structure practice (Wittayapoom and Mahasarakham, 2007). The definition of role ambiguity and role conflict are thoroughly examined as below:- 2.3.1.1 Role Ambiguity Role ambiguity happens when an individual is unclear about the expectations or requirements of his/her job (Hitt et al, 2006). This includes ambiguity on the methods to be used, how performance is evaluated, an individuals responsibility and also the limits of ones authority (Johns et al, 2007). Black (1988) stated that role ambiguity happens when there is a lack of the necessary information available to a given organizational position. Smith (1990) in his review on Senatras (1988) study noted that 70 percent and 47 percent of reported role ambiguity in men and women respectively was attributed to organizational factors, such as adequacy of authority to make decisions and formalization of firm policies. Ambiguity on the audit work creates tension and anxiety, and hence leads to emotional stress, as employees are unclear of the expectations. Many of audit juniors experience role ambiguity, as they are unfamiliar with the work procedures and companys culture. Besides, different audit e nvironment warrants different attention from the audit staff, for example, the audit of a financial institute is different from auditing a non-profit organization. Henceforth, a new comer would easily feel lost and frustrated if there is no proper guidance and this might affect his/her work commitment or trigger the turnover intention. Vaitor (2001) in his research finding on public accounting organizations in United States concluded that informal mentors do indeed help to reduce role ambiguity among the audit staff. Ambiguity tends to decrease as length of time in the job role increases (Jackson and Schuler, 1985, as cited by Johns et al, 2007). 2.3.1.2 Role Conflict Role conflict is termed as the degree of incongruity or incompatibility of expectations associated with the role (House and Rizzo, 1972; Johns et al, 2007). Atang (2010) stated that employees perceive a role conflict when there is incompatibility between expectations and demands from various workgroups and conflicting role to be carried out by individual employee. Katz and Kahn (1978) explained in detail that conflict is the simultaneous occurrence of two or more role sending such that agreement with one party would make more difficult for the agreement of another (see details on Section 2.1 on role theory). For example, auditor A is assigned to work on an outstation assignment by his direct supervisor, but is requested to attend a training course as requested by the human resource manager for the same working week. Hence, auditor A is said having a role conflict. Viator (2001) suggested two types of role conflict that is relevant in the accounting practice, namely the inter-sender, which occur when the expectations of one role sender are in conflict with another role senders; and the person-role conflict, which happen when the role requirements violate the needs, capacities or beliefs of the individual (Viator, 2001). Sorenson and Sorenson (1974) operationalized role conflict as conflict between an auditors professional and bureaucratic orientations. Role conflict is arguably more severe experienced with female due to the society perception that woman is the primary care-givers (Law, 2010). For example, married women with first-born children are expected to stay in-house to nurse the baby, while her career may become less priority. This perception would cause stress to career women today who valued their job above all. The significance of role conflict is discussed in Smith (1990) studies in his review on Senatras (1988) research work, which stated that organizational stressors accounted for 64 percent of the reported role conflict among males, 79 percent among females. The factors that resulted in role conflict for both man and female that identified in the study are excessive job and time pressures, conflicting objectives, and suppression of relevant information (Senatra(1988) as cited by Smith (1990) studies). 2.3.1.3 Empirical Evidence of Role Stress in the Accounting Profession As cited by Fisher (2001), Senatra (1980) was the first study in the accounting literature to examine the sources of role stress with public accounting firms. Senatra identified ten specific elements of the organizational climate of the public accounting firms in which he hypothesized would affect perceptions of role ambiguity and role conflict, which were(1) violations in the chain of command; (2) formalization of firm rules and procedures; (3) emphasis on subordinate personnel development; (4) tolerance of error; (5) top-management receptiveness to ideas and suggestions; (6) adequacy of work coordination; (7) timeliness of superiors responses to problems; (8) information suppression by superiors and subordinates; (9) adequacy of authority; (10) adequacy of professional autonomy. Using a survey of 88 senior accountants, Senatra (1980) concluded that violations in the chain of command tends to increase both role ambiguity and role conflict. For the purpose of this study, role ambiguity is defined as the lack of clear and precise information regarding what is expected of the role incumbent (Muliawan et al, 2009), which is important to perform the job (Rizzo et al, 1970). Role conflict refers to occasions when an individual receives conflicting information or requests (Muliawan et al, 2009) when there is incompatibility between expectations and demands from various workgroups (Harris et al, 2006).

Essay --

The institution of marriage has traditionally been defined as between a man and a woman. In the Oct. 15, 1971 decision Baker v. Nelson, the Supreme Court of Minnesota found that "The institution of marriage as a union of man and woman, uniquely involving the procreation(reproduction) and rearing(raising) of children within a family, is as old as the book of Genesis.† The idea that same-sex marriage is a civil rights issue is very misleading to many because technically it is far from it. The unifying characteristics of the protected classes within the Civil Rights Act of 1964 include (1) a history of longstanding, widespread discrimination, (2) economic disadvantage, and (3) unchangeable characteristics... 'Sexual orientation' does not meet any of the three objective criteria shared by the historically protected civil rights categories although the opinion that homosexuality is choice rather than a born trait is heavily debated. In recent decades, marriage has been weakened by a liberal view that is more about adults’ desires than children’s needs. Allowing gay marriage would only further shift the purpose of marriage from producing and raising children to adult gratification. Traditional marriage is already threatened with high divorce rates (between 40% and 50%) and with 40.6% of babies being born to unmarried mothers in 2008 according to National Statistics and the preliminary data for births in 2008. Allowing same-sex couples to marry would further weaken the institution. Sweden began offering same-sex couples benefits in 1987, followed by Denmark in 1989 and Norway in 1993. According to a Feb. 29, 2004 report by Stanley Kurtz, PhD, from 1990 to 2000, Norway's out-of-wedlock birthrate rose from 39% to 50% and Sweden's rose fro... ...havior. It is a natural occurrence that girls who are raised apart from their fathers are reportedly at higher risk for early sexual activity and teenage pregnancy. Children without a mother are deprived of the emotional security and unique nurturing that mothers find it almost natural to provide. Our society can choose to support certain types of sexual arrangements, such as gay relationships, and give support in the form of benefits to these arrangements, close or equal to those given to people in a traditional marriage. I believe in equality of opportunity and this would give both gay and traditional marriages equal support, treatment, and benefits from our government. However the term marriage, to those who still remain loyal to the teachings of religion, has an unchangeable definition, which is the union of man and women in matrimony to become husband and wife.

The Truman Doctrine :: American America History

The Truman Doctrine "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure." (Harry Truman mach 1947). This is part of the speech Harry S. Truman gave to congress on the behalf of small countries falling to the pressures of communism. The Truman Doctrine was a anti-communist foreign policy that would change of the world. Turkey and Greece were under a great threat by the Soviet-supported rebels seeking to topple the government and install communist power. This made the United States and especially Truman very nervous. This is why the Marshall Plan which is one of the direct influence to the Doctrine was thought up. This plan was designed to give aid to any european country damaged during WW2. It tremendously helped ravaged European nations such as Italy and France. By helping these countries the United States was economically forcing away communism. This was the way the United States had it all planned out. We weren't making the Communist very mad cause it was very indirect but later on this wouldn't be the case. The process by which the Truman Doctrine came about was a long and tedious one. After WW2 the US and Soviet Union were at the top of all world powers. Everything was pretty much equal such as military, economics, and nuclear power. The one thing that scared the US the most was the fact that the Soviets were greedy and wanted more and more land. This is where we began to see a huge threat to Greece, Turkey, and Iran. Because of all this on March 12, 1947 President Harry S. Truman gave a speech to congress that would later be call the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine would ask for a total of 400 million dollars for both Greece and Turkey (Freeland pg. 87). The money for Greece would be split between economic and military aid and for Turkey the aid was entirely for military purposes. The President had turned debate on two modest proposals into a vote of confidence on his administration's foreign policy and a test of American willingness to resist a threat defined to endanger the basic security and values of the American society (Pemberton pg. 92). By Truman doing this it almost put congress at a no win situation. Congress couldn't go against Truman cause this speech was nationally broadcast which would mean the people would be scared. The Truman Doctrine :: American America History The Truman Doctrine "I believe that it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressure." (Harry Truman mach 1947). This is part of the speech Harry S. Truman gave to congress on the behalf of small countries falling to the pressures of communism. The Truman Doctrine was a anti-communist foreign policy that would change of the world. Turkey and Greece were under a great threat by the Soviet-supported rebels seeking to topple the government and install communist power. This made the United States and especially Truman very nervous. This is why the Marshall Plan which is one of the direct influence to the Doctrine was thought up. This plan was designed to give aid to any european country damaged during WW2. It tremendously helped ravaged European nations such as Italy and France. By helping these countries the United States was economically forcing away communism. This was the way the United States had it all planned out. We weren't making the Communist very mad cause it was very indirect but later on this wouldn't be the case. The process by which the Truman Doctrine came about was a long and tedious one. After WW2 the US and Soviet Union were at the top of all world powers. Everything was pretty much equal such as military, economics, and nuclear power. The one thing that scared the US the most was the fact that the Soviets were greedy and wanted more and more land. This is where we began to see a huge threat to Greece, Turkey, and Iran. Because of all this on March 12, 1947 President Harry S. Truman gave a speech to congress that would later be call the Truman Doctrine. The Truman Doctrine would ask for a total of 400 million dollars for both Greece and Turkey (Freeland pg. 87). The money for Greece would be split between economic and military aid and for Turkey the aid was entirely for military purposes. The President had turned debate on two modest proposals into a vote of confidence on his administration's foreign policy and a test of American willingness to resist a threat defined to endanger the basic security and values of the American society (Pemberton pg. 92). By Truman doing this it almost put congress at a no win situation. Congress couldn't go against Truman cause this speech was nationally broadcast which would mean the people would be scared.

Science Vs Religion :: essays research papers

Science and religion cannot co-exist. What are your views on this? In the begining there was darkness. Then there was light. Then there was consciousness. Then there were questions and then there was religion. Why are we? Where do we come from? Why does the world and nature act as it does? What happens when we die. Religion tended to the answer to all these questions with the stories of gods and godesses and other supernatural forces that were beyond the understanding of humans. Where as science seems able to explain everything with prof and evidence right before your eyes. Science deals with subject matter and account for civilizations while religion is concered with the civilization, but looks at its spiritulisation and faith. As the scientists looks at the building, materials and whereas religion is not focusing on these physical components. This also gives birth to the question that whether science is able to explain all or whether religion is able to explain all aspects of life?science does seem to explain all. It is because of the fact that science has enabled humans to fly, explore the depths of the oceans,walk on the moon. It makes the life of humans easier than before with lots of facilities. Howerver, strong and almost perfect the view of science is in today's society it cannot cover the entire spectrum of the human experiences. Nor does it explain some of the striking similarities present in the various religions of the earth. There have been many clashes between religion and science in history. Some past leaders were used to imprisoned scientists. Now much has changed. People asks for the facts and figures, but spiritualisation, your character building is not the things provided by science. So, science and religion are different in the sense of facts and faith. These both are important for our lives, because you cannot write on walls without pens and brains.

There are many indications within the poetry of Tony Harrison that he considers his work within the context of the canon

‘Whether one thinks of the canon as objectionable because formed at random or to serve some interests at the expense of others, or whether one supposes that the contents of canons are providentially chosen, there can be no doubt that we have not found ways of ordering our thoughts about the history of literature and art without recourse to them. ‘ (Kermode, p. 20). In what ways do you believe Tony Harrison to be affected by the canon. Use analyses of the poem to illustrate your answer. There are many indications within the poetry of Tony Harrison that he considers his work within the context of the canon. The repeated referencing of other poets1 and conscious emulation of the form of other poems (‘v. ‘ is an adaptation of Gray's ‘Elegy on a Country Churchyard' ) suggest that Harrison's work is heavily influenced by other poets, despite his seemingly original style. The way that he uses his referencing is not straightforward, however; it could be suggested that the more traditional references are ironic, as Harrison contrasts his brash modern style with the more ‘genteel' feel of the poets in the canon. The continual allusions to the opposition his poetry has faced, and his subsequent under confidence, can have said to have led to a need for the reassurance of the canon: using the models of other poets to validate the worth of his own poetry. Alternatively, Harrison may feel that the only way to express the voice he wishes to project, that of a working class northern man with authority is by using the â€Å"enemy's weapons†2, and establishing a scholastic side to his work, in order to be taken seriously by the ‘cultural elite'. It has been argued that Harrison uses other people's words and forms to justify his own work; that his feeling of social inferiority reveals itself as an insecurity in his poetry3. Whereas in Gray's ‘Elegy' the last stanza is a contemplation upon the life of the poet, filled with a sense of repose, Harrison ends his epic poem ‘v. ‘ still striving to justify his choice to become a poet. By placing it as a viable occupation alongside other more manual lifestyles, such as the production of â€Å"the beef, the beer, the bread†,4 and anticipating possible reactions: â€Å"How poems can grow from (beat you to it! ) SHIT†5, Harrison tries to protect himself from derision. Critics relate the closing stanzas of â€Å"Elegy on a Country Churchyard† to Gray's fears about his poetic destiny. Damien Grant states â€Å"The poet writes conscious of his own possible doom, to be ‘preserved beneath deep permaverse' like any other victim of evolution†6, but he is considering Harrison's ‘epitaph'. By using a recognised canonical poet such as Gray, Harrison has a model to explore his feelings about his own destiny, investigating his own experiences regarding death: â€Å"taking a short cut home through the graves here/ they reassert the glory of their team/ by spraying words on tombstones, pissed on beer†7, within a controlled and set form. The way that Harrison himself views the canon determines his reaction, and therefore his poetry. The canon could be construed as an enabling, useful force, giving Harrison ideas and structures to work with8, and Harrison himself admits to the influence of classical authors, such as Milton9. Altieri notes that â€Å"contemporary writers†¦ need to address specific canonical works and engage the same degree of emotional and intellectual energy that canonical works provide†10, and Harrison seems to have taken up this mantle, engaging it with his desire to keep poetry relevant to his experience and therefore, to him, alive. Harrison is not trying to be one of the classical authors; he is trying to respond to them in a way that is different but not necessarily inferior11. Indeed, Kermode agrees that â€Å"the best commentary on any verse is another verse, possibly placed very far away from it†. Harrison accepts that he writes from a different world perspective than many of the ‘canonical' authors, but to illustrate the similarities he uses similar forms and quotes them, either to show his awareness of their work or his reaction to it. â€Å"Mute ingloriousness†13, for instance, explores the theme of the difficulties of articulation, and is a direct quote from Gray. Harrison uses it to illustrate the difficulties he has found in developing his own poetic voice. Damien Grant draws comparisons between the symbolism in â€Å"v† and erotic images drawn by other, more traditionally ‘established' poets. The skinhead's addition of a â€Å"middle slit to one daubed v†14 is not an obscenity, it can be argued, but merely Harrison joining a long line of established authors invoking â€Å"the erotic image†¦ to serve public purposes†. 15 Another way of viewing the canon is that of â€Å"codified by a cultural elite, with power to influence the way the country thinks across a broad range of issues†. 16If the canon reflects simply a cultural emphasis, then Harrison should be considered part of that canon, as he is widely taught and studied, to a high level. If, however, the canon is set by the ‘cultural elite', then Harrison's use of some of the more standard forms and obscure classical references may be an attempt to be accepted by this elite, in order to propagate his own cultural emphasis and make his own stance widely known and acceptable. â€Å"Harrison is provoked by the persecution of an RP English teacher to fight back with the enemy's weapons, on the enemy's own ground†18; â€Å"So right, ye buggers, then! We'll occupy/ your lousy leasehold Poetry†. 19 Harrison wishes for his voice to be heard, and is not afraid of using techniques supposedly alien to his class to achieve this. Harrison takes canonical influences and makes them seemingly more accessible to a wider cross section of society, introducing more modern themes such as the problems of the Thatcher era. This is in part to make poetry more relevant and acceptable to those he seeks the approval of the most: the uneducated and the cynical, such as his parents. Catherine Packham suggests that the canon may seem oppressive and intimidating to Harrison; his feeling of insecurity may have led him to feel that all of the timeless themes that he wishes to cover have been explored extensively, by people who are better educated and suitable to be ‘poets'20. Harrison's poetry is full of the issue of self doubt and self worth: â€Å"Poetry's the speech of kings. You're one of those/ Shakespeare gives the comic bits to: prose! â€Å"21 , and seems at times to want to distance his writing from the recognisable canon to show a progression of attitudes and innovation, and perhaps attempting to demonstrate that he is not competing with the established canon. This can be seen in the fact that of the many â€Å"versus† couplings in ‘v. , a major one is that of Harrison's version versus Gray's. The very title of another poem, â€Å"On Not Being Milton†, shows that Harrison is aware of the canon and embraces his differences to it, but the poem itself, with its lyricism and innovative use of language in fact recalls the epic poetry of Milton himself; this is an irony that the poet seems to enjoy. Harrison obviously appreciates the fine crafting of established authors, and wishes to learn from them, whilst staying true to his e arthy subject matter. The touch of some of the word handling may hint at Miltonesque heights, but the subject matter of a man returning to his roots (â€Å"my growing black enough to fit my boots†22) and the outsider becoming a hero (Tidd the Cato Street Conspirator), with his â€Å"Sir, I Ham a Very Bad Hand at Righting†23 indicates that Harrison believes that education is not everything; this, in a poem littered with reference to historical figures and epic literature, hints at play. The theme of articulation is prevalent24: Harrison is concerned with the way things are said, and who they are said by, as he is aware of the impact that other works have had upon him. It would be impossible to ascertain exactly what sway the canon has had upon Harrison's poetry: nevertheless, if we are to judge his work within the context of the canon, then we must consider his literary intentions. We must ask whether his intentions are to be considered within the same school of those that he references and quotes so copiously, or if in fact these references were designed to show the vast differences between their worlds. I believe Harrison to be stuck in between the two worlds, but supremely in command. He is aware that to gain a recognition as a poet, certain rules must be followed; and he adapts these rules to suit his own purposes. Harrison incorporates enough traditional ideas and forms not his work to stay credible, but he fills his poetry with subjects and contexts unfamiliar to the ‘cultural elite'. These are the subjects and contexts that he wishes to bring into the public domain and make issues of, and by taking on the timeless element of the canonical works, Harrison ensures that he pushes poetry forward: into unfamiliar territory, and to unfamiliar readers.