Black Book movie 2006 (European film CRITIQUE) Review

Black Book 2006 (European film CRITIQUE) - Movie Review Example Betrayal is one of the things that makes the movie interesting. Also, the soundtrack blends well with change well with the environment to reflect the mood of the film. In addition to that, techniques used in finding out people secrets in the movie gives one the desire to keep watching (Pamuk, Orhan, and Maureen, 2006). For instance, the hidden microphone that was planted by Ellis on Franken’s office which enabled them know that it was Gein who betrayed Rachel’s parent. Finally, the tactics the character use to gain advantage over others allow one keep watching, seduction of Commander Ludwig by Ellis after she disguised herself. The major conflict in the movie is the warfare between the Germans and Holland. It is resolved when Holland gets victory though The Hague resistance. Other sub-major conflicts are race conflict these shall be settled by people accepting to live with one another even though love centers everything. Another conflict is greed people are seen to love money. This conflict is resolved when the greedy people are killed. Finally, there is a conflict of love. Ellis has a natural tendency to fall in love with people who had significant positions the resistance. She resolved this internal conflict by sleeping with them in return for information. The main protagonist of the movie, Rachael meets the antagonist leader Van Gein whom later she realizes was a betrayer of her family. In the event of escaping, the protagonist meets Rob, a tertiary character which enables her escape and connect her to another tertiary character Smaal, who assist her financially. The film has won several award having nominated for four Golden calves for the best actress, best director, and the best film. Though the movie was positively received by the Dutch press, it had some question. For instance, some said that the movie director, Verhoeven, failed to put emphasis on the moral dissertation and focused only

Justice or Free

Justice or Freedom of Speech Essay 1. When do the concerns of national security cross the line to infringing on personal freedoms in regards to activities such as data mining? 2. Are people prepared to give up certain civil rights in order to assure safety in the new age of terrorism? 3. Is the government being completely open about the various programs that are  being used under the â€Å"drift net?† 4. What is actual definition of the â€Å"targeted† part of society that is being observed  and tracked? 5. Should the government be able to â€Å"mine† personal data such as financial,  phone and related records? 6. Does the Patriot Act give too much power to the FBI and related government  agencies without judicial oversight? 7. Who is providing checks and balances to the agencies that have been given this  extra power under the Patriot Act? 8. What is the margin for error in defining who is a suspect and who is not? 9. Is there appropriate due process for those targeted by National Security letters  whose records have been requested? 10. Is racially profiling considered a violation of people’s civil rights, and does  the government have a right to use this as a basis for targeting civilians as  possible terrorists?

Employee satisfaction and Employee retention

Employee satisfaction and Employee retention Introduction Human resource is a key component of organisation as people are the heart of the organisation and play a critical role in determining the performance of the organisation. Companies that are careful and meticulous in recruiting the appropriate people with the required skills and knowledge that will be useful in the organisation are likely to fare significantly better than organisations that are lax in their process of staff recruitment. Human capital is an important source of competitive advantage and provides the organisation with a competitive edge over their competitors (insert reference abt human capital being a competitive advantage). Careful selection and recruitment of people is hence an important process of human resourcing. Once an organisation has successfully recruited suitable and competent people into the organisation, the next step will be retaining this group of competent staff in the organisation as they, with their knowledge and skills are very much an invaluable asse t to the organisation. 2.2 Business Reasons Employee retention is very much a challenge faced by organisations today (insert references), especially the retention of highly capable employees, who are essential in the organisation in this dynamic 21st century business environment where organisations that wish to survive and be successful have to be highly versatile with the ability to respond swiftly and effectively and thus adapt well to the ever-changing business environment. Therefore, it is crucial for organisations to ensure that they are able to retain the best of their people, who are likely to contribute much to the survival and the success of the company. Organisations have long tried to tackle the problem of employee retention and limit turnover of skilled employees (insert references), however it is almost impossible to eradicate such incidences. It is a widely known fact that employee satisfaction is closely related to employee retention and numerous studies have been conducted to support the above statement (insert references). However, it is also likely that there are reasons other than employee satisfaction that might play a crucial role in employee retention (insert references). Organisations will need to look into other areas that impacts employee retention to have a better understanding of it and hence be better equipped in the management of retaining skilled employees. Personal reasons With reference to my prior work experience, where employee turnover was very high in the organisation I worked in, even though employers try to compromise with those employees (planning to leave) and retain them by increasing their salary and offering them more benefits (increasing their job satisfaction), it is not enough to keep them from leaving the organisation. As such, I am highly interested as to what other factors that could lead to peoples intention to leave an organisation even though there is an increase in job satisfaction. It would be certainly be very helpful to gain some insights about peoples intention to leave an organisation and what should be done to prevent them from doing so, should I acquire a managerial career after entering the workforce. Preliminary Review of the Literature Lambert, Hogan Barton (2001) measures the impact on turnover intent based on five factors. They are demographic characteristics (eg. age, gender, education), work environment measures (eg. role conflict, autonomy, co-worker relations), job satisfaction, turnover intent, and alternative employment opportunities. Turnover intent is largely affected by availability of alternative job opportunities, job satisfaction, work environment (financial rewards) and demographic characteristics (age and tenure) with job satisfaction having the greatest effect. Work environment and demographic characteristics generally have an indirect effect on turnover intent as both factors affects job satisfaction. Nonetheless, work environment was found to have a greater effect on job satisfaction than demographic characteristics. Meanwhile, job satisfaction had the greatest effect on turnover intent. Lambert, Hogan Barton (2001) suggested that managers emphasise on creating a favourable work environment to increase job satisfaction, which in turn lowers turnover intent. Besides job satisfaction, an individuals social identification with ones organisation (Moura et. al. 2009) also plays a role in predicting his/her intention to stay or leave the organisation. When employees identify with their organisations, they are prone to be more supportive and loyal to the organisation and desire to be part of a member of the organisation (Ashforth and Mael 1989, cited in Moura et. al. 2009). Results of a study done by Moura and colleagues (Moura et. al. 2009) found that social Identity has proven to be an important aspect people take into consideration when deciding to stay or leave the organisation. As organizational identification (ie. social organisation) largely impacts on employees intentions to turnover, organisations should concentrate on improving employees identification with the organisation. Nonetheless, job satisfaction should not be ignored as is still undoubtedly one of the most vital factors that affect turnover intent. However, as characteristics of each individual varies, it is thus necessary to take into consideration the different factors and levels of job satisfaction as perceived by an individual when analysing job satisfaction (Franek and Vecera 2008 cited from Lee and Way 2010). The impact of individual characteristics on job satisfaction and turnover intention should not be ignored. Factors of job satisfaction can be categorized into, Work Environment factor and Work Itself factor. Both factors, though mutually exclusive, were found to have a large impact on job satisfaction. The Work Itself factor not only evaluates job satisfaction but turnover intentions as well. Although job satisfaction increases motivation and productivity of employees, it does not mean that level of employee retention is at its most efficient. Job satisfaction factors are not necessarily the same as employee retention factors because not all job satisfaction factors will affect employee retention (Lee and Way 2010). Udechukwu and Mujtaba (2007) states that the reasons for employees to stay or leave an organisation can be divided into three main categories, that is, social affiliates, employee and employer, contrary to previous studies that only took employer and social affiliation factors into consideration. Social affiliation (eg. family, social club, religious group) affects employee voluntary turnover as it is something that an employee identifies with or is associated to, that has no connections to the organisation. The needs of an individual and their social affiliations are often in line with each other. Therefore, it is highly likely that an individuals social affiliation will affect his/her decision to stay or leave the organisation. Employers are now providing their staff with more benefits, such as flexi-work hours, to ensure that their needs are met, hence increasing job satisfaction and lowering probability of employee turnover (Udechukwu and Mujtaba 2007). Meanwhile, for employees, it is crucial to them that their needs can be satisfied as the inability to do so will have a negative impact on their performance and productivity (Senguder 2000 cited in Udechukwu and Mujtaba 2007), which could then lead to higher probability of turnover. Deery (2008) examined the reasons for employee turnover by dividing them under three categories as well. The first category is job attitudes (eg. job satisfaction, organisational commitment). The second category is the employees personal attributes of job burnout and exhaustion. The third category addresses employees work-life balance. Previous research emphasised on the role played by job satisfaction and organisational commitment on employee retention but focused less on job burnout, stress and exhaustion A recent contribution to the research on employee retention is the effect caused by work-life balance on employees decision to stay or leave the organisation. A poor balance between work and life (eg. family time) could lead to family conflicts and lower job satisfaction, hence increasing the possibility of employee turnover. Thus, to improve employee retention, it is recommended that employees be given the opportunity to find a balance between work and life. Deerys (2008) emphasis on the importance of a balanced work-life is supported by Griffeth and Homs (2001) (cited in Udechukwu and Mujtaba 2007) research findings that employees who face family-life conflicts have a higher probability of quitting their jobs than those who do not. Previous researchers have also assumed that determinants of employee turnover and employee retention are the same, that is, employee turnover and employee retention are two sides of the same coin (Johnston 1995 cited in Cho, Johanson and Guchait 2009) and when a factor negatively affects employee turnover, it will have a positive effect on employee retention. Cho, Johanson and Guchait (2009) decide to test the assumptions by researching on employee turnover intentions focusing on whether the determinants of measuring the possibility of an individual leaving the organisation are just as useful in measuring the possibility of an individual remaining in the organisation. Three main factors that have been repeatedly found to have a considerably large effect on employee turnover will be used in this study to find if they have the same level of effect on employee retention. The three factors used will be Perceived Organisational Support (POS), Perceived Supervisor Support (PSS), and Organisational Commitment (OC). Findings of the study have proven that the assumption is not necessarily right. POS does have an effect on both employee turnover and employee retention. However, the degree of effect varies, with POS having a larger impact on employee retention than employee turnover. Although PSS was found not to have any effect on employee retention, it does have an effect on employee turnover. OC reduces employee turnover, but does not necessarily have a positive impact on employee retention. As organisations today seek to retain their skilled staff, Cho, Johanson and Guchait (2009) suggested there should be more focused research on factors that lead to employee retention than on employee turnover. A research by Harris, Wheeler and Kacmar (2009) based on the LMX (leader-member exchange) theory which studies the quality of the leader-member (ie. supervisor-subordinate) relationship and assesses the effect that empowerment has on employees in terms of their job satisfaction, turnover intentions. Importance of LMX relationship is relative to the subordinates perceived level of empowerment. When a subordinates perceived level of empowerment is high, the work itself becomes a form of motivator and it is not necessary for them to have a high quality LMX relationship as a motivator. Hence, importance of LMX relationship is relatively low for highly empowered subordinates. However, when subordinates perceived level of empowerment is low, a high quality LMX relationship (eg. providing support and encouragement) will be crucial in making up for the loss of work motivation which could lead to high turnover intent. Therefore it is recommended that supervisors should give more attention on increasing subordinates level of empowerment. If the nature of the job or work environment does not permit high levels of job empowerment, supervisors should then build a high quality LMX relationship with those subordinates to make up for their low level of job empowerment. There appears to be limited business literature regarding job satisfaction and its effects on employee retention, specifically in the public and private sectors in the UK. As work environment and conditions vary between UK public and private organizations, factors and level of job satisfaction likely differs, so does its impact on employee retention. Apart from that, other possible factors that might possibly contribute to employee retention particularly in UK public and private organizations will also need to be explored. The findings from this research will give UK public and private sectors an idea on what would make their staff stay in the organisation. There is also little attention on recommendations that UK public and private organisations can undertake to retain their skilled staff. This is also essential as it gives UK firms, be it public or private, an idea of what they can do to best retain their skilled employees. Research Questions and Objectives 4.1 Research Questions Taking into consideration individual characteristics and differences in background and culture, what are the various perceptions on job satisfaction? What are the factors that could influence job satisfaction? How do these factors lead to employee retention? Do they have a direct or indirect impact on employee retention? How does job satisfaction differ between employees in public and private sectors in the UK? What is the consequent effect on employee retention between public and private sectors in the UK? What are the other possible factors that could lead to employee retention in the UK public and private sectors? What can be done to increase rate of employee retention in both public and private sectors in the UK? 4.2 Research Objectives To critically appraise the significance of employee satisfaction on employee retention To compare and contrast the impact of employee satisfaction on employee retention between the public and private sectors in the UK To critically evaluate other factors contributing to employee retention in UKs public and private sectors To recommend possible course of action to enhance rate of employee retention in both public and private sectors in the UK Research Plan 5.1 Research Perspective The research will be done taking into consideration the realistic working environment in UK organizations today. Most of the information required for the research will be obtained from secondary data (slightly more qualitative than quantitative data), primarily from theoretical and empirical journal articles. As such, both deductive and inductive reasoning will be required for the research. 5.2 Research Design This research uses a comparative design as my area of focus is on two broad categories and a comparative designed research will clearly highlight the differences between the two categories. However, one possible limitation of this is that there might be more similarities than differences between the two categories, hence defeating the purpose of using the comparative research design. 5.3 Data Collection Methods Secondary Data: The sources of secondary data for the research will mostly be textbooks, journal articles, Databases such as EBSCO, Emerald and Science Direct. Textbooks on Human Resource Management (HRM) which can be sourced from Coventry Universitys Lanchester Library will be used to gain some theoretical knowledge about the main subject of research, employee satisfaction and employee retention. Textbooks written in the UK will be particularly useful as the subject and areas of research will be written within the context of the UK, and may even include case studies based in the UK. This will help in answering Research Objectives 1 and 4. Some of the textbooks that may be used are People Planning and Talent Planning: HRM in Practice by Stephen Pilbeam Marjorie Corbridge AND Human Resource Management at Work: People Management and Development by Mick Marchington and Adrian Wilkinson. Journal Articles relative to the area of research will be the primary source of secondary data for this research. They can be sourced either from print journals available from Coventry Universitys Lanchester Library or from journals available through Web Databases such as EBSCO, Emerald and Science Direct. Both theoretical and empirical journal articles will be used as they will be very useful in providing insights as well as the latest and up-to-date findings regarding my area of interest in my research. Journal articles written in the UK context will be particularly useful, especially empirical journal articles that include data collected from surveys conducted in the UK. Moreover, there seem to be a lot of journal articles available via the databases on the topic of my research. I may probably get the bulk of my information needed for the research from journal articles. Therefore, Journal Articles and Web Databases will be used to answer all my Research Objectives, especially for Research Objectives 2 and 3. I will source the journal articles from journals such as the European Journal of Social Psychology, Human Resource Development Review, and Personnel Review. Websites may also be used, such as the UK Government Website which contains some statistics which may be used in the research. One such website would be the Office for National Statistics (ONS) at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/default.asp . Government Websites Peer-reviewed Valid-as I can get up-to-date articles regarding my area of research.

Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin In The Sun - Money :: Raisin Sun essays

A Raisin in the Sun - Money Where money is but an illusion and all it brings are nothing but dreams, one family struggles to discover that wealth can be found in other forms. In the play "A Raisin in the Sun," Lorraine Hansberry uses the indirect characterization of the Younger family through their acquaintances to reveal that money and materialism alone are worthless. Living in a society where the fulfillment of dreams is based upon material wealth, the Younger family strives to overcome their hardships as they search for happiness. As money has never been a way of life for the family, the insurance check's arrival brings each person to see the chance that their own dreams can become reality. Whether in taking a risk through buying a "little liquor store" as Walter wishes to do or in -"[wanting] to cure" as Beneatha dreams, the desires of the family depend upon the fate of Mama's check. In the mind of Walter Lee Younger, the check is the pinnacle of all, dominating his thoughts, as he does not wait a second before "asking about money "without" a Christian greeting." He cannot see beyond the fact that he "[wants] so many things" and that only their recently acquired money can bring them about. The idea of money and being able to hold it "in [his] hands" blinds him from the evils of society, as he cannot see that the Willy Harris's of th e world will steal a person's "life" without a word to anyone. When money becomes nothing but an illusion, Walter is forced to rethink his values and his family's future, realizing that there is more to living that possessing material riches. When Walter loses his "sister's school money," the consequences are widespread and Beneatha sees that dream diminish before her eyes. She sees her slipping through Walter's fingers and finds her lifelong goals changing. From the days of her childhood, she has longed "to be a doctor" and "fix up the sick." While her family and friends do not understand Beneatha's dream, she continues longing for the education she needs to create a successful life she desires rather than one where she is waiting "to get married.

A Long Walk to Freedom – Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela in his book, Long Walk to Freedom argues through the first five parts that a black individual must deal, coop, and grow through a society that is hindering their lives† with apartheid and suppression of their rightful land. Rolihlanla Mphakanyiswa or clan name, Madiba was born on July 18, 1918 in a simple village of Mvezo, which was not accustomed to the happenings of South Africa as a whole. His father was an respected man who led a good life, but lost it because of a dispute with the magistrate. While, his mother was a hard-working woman full of daily choirs. His childhood was full of playing games with fellow children and having fun. In school, Mandela was given his English name of Nelson. After his father†s death, he moved to love with a regent, who was a well-off individual and owed Nelson†s father for a previous favor. The next several years were full of schooling for Nelson. These schools opened Nelson†s eyes to many things, which we will discuss later. He and the regent†s son, Justice decided to travel to Johannesburg and see what work they could find. They left on their journey without the regent†s permission, but eventually escaped his power and settled down in the town. In Johannesburg, Nelson settled down in a law firm as an assistant and went to University of South Africa and Witwatersrand University to further his law education. Witswatersrand University brought many new ideas to Nelson and awakened a spirit inside of him. The next several years, Nelson met many new political friends and began his involvement in the ANC. Also during this time, he met Evelyn and they became married. Gradually Nelson†s political involvement grew and his family life declined. Nelson and his good friend, Oliver Tambo opened a law firm, which took up most of Nelson†s time. Evelyn mothered two of Nelson†s children, but the gradually grew apart. Now, Nelson was an influential political individual and bans and jailing began to follow him around. One day, a young woman came into his life by the name of Winnie and they got married. Winnie gave birth to two more of Nelson†s children. As time passed, Nelson†s spirit for freedom grew more and more each day. Though his life was full of bannings and jailings, he never gave up his fight, but he knew that the south African government was becoming agitated with him and the ANC. The South African government became ruthless and strict and this forced Nelson to leave his family. After he left his family, he went underground. Nelson†s life has been full of hardships and decisions, but his heart for the struggle has never faltered. Now let us examine Nelson in closer detail. Nelson is an individual who fought through many hardships, but was also faced with decisions that affected his future, his family, and his livelihood. As we look at Nelson deeper, we can see many interesting points. He was opened to new ideas and beliefs through his experiences in the schools of Heraldtown and Fort Hare, but knew there was something better. He decided to travel to Johannesburg to find new and greater opportunities. While, in Johannesburg, he believed education would be a key asset. While working for a small firm, he took classes at University of South Africa and eventually Wits University. Here is where his mind and social life flourished. He interacted with great minds and influential political individuals. He talked to many Africans without proper education, who contained more knowledge and better social skills than many Africans with education. But, he still persisted in acquiring his B. A. Wits University brought his life to new extents. He was also talking to Indians, Coloureds, and whites for the first time in his life and Becoming friends with many more prominent African individuals. Nelson soon joined the ANC and became very prominent in the fight for freedom. Nelson was always open to listening to new ideas, but when his was just starting his fight. He believed that just Africans should fight the struggle and that the Indians, Coloureds, and communists would hinder their fight. As the ANC grew, Nelson also became well known. He was part of the Youth League, another beneficial part of the ANC. Nelson was not president yet, but was powerful enough to voice is opinions, which many people listened to and believed in. As Nelson†s political involvement grew, the police became more aware of him. Nelson received ban after ban, which ranged from months to years. He also experienced jail time constantly. Eventually, the police†s pursuit of him forced him to go underground. Nelson was also becoming more open-minded. He now believed that the fight should involve the Indians and the Coloureds. He also believed that Communism did have some good points, but he would never accept the whole communism aspect. There were many freedom fighters in South Africa. One that stood out was Dr. Xuma. Dr. Xuma was friend of Nelson and the president of the ANC, but the struggle forces many hardships on one†s life. Nelson gave everything up to pursue his fight for freedom. He left his family, his prospering law firm, and his past for the struggle. Dr. Xuma believed in the same ideas as Nelson, but would not give up his prominence with the whites and his wealthy occupation for the struggle. This decision had to be made by many freedom fighters. Nelson gave his life for the fight. While, Dr. Xuma thought his career was more important. Now let us look closer at some issues seen through Mandela†s book. Through this paragraph, I will compare foreign influence seen in Long Walk to Freedom to foreign influence seen in Mexico through Professor Hornibrook†s lectures and notes. As I have seen through your lectures, South Africa was affected by foreign influence from the British and the Dutch. Mandela†s autobiography helps give more detailed accounts of the European influence seen in South Africa. Ever since Mandela was born, the European†s power affected his people. European influence could be seen through every aspect of life. In Mandela†s school, he was given an English name and this was because â€Å"this was the custom among Africans in those days and was undoubtedly due to the British bias of our education. â€Å"(14) Also, â€Å"the education I received was a British education, in which British ideas, British culture, British institutions were automatically assumed to be superior. There was no such thing as African culture. â€Å"(14) This shows that it was difficult to get away from the British influence even for children in school. The British and the Dutch governments passed several acts that were instituted to fight against the Africans freedom struggle. The Africans struggle for independence was slowly growing and this scared the government. A new term was being seen and it was called â€Å"apartheid. † The government enacted laws and acts that prohibited Africans from doing Many things that were vital to their fight and survival. The Group Areas Act was one example. This act called for each racial group to be separated into separate areas. Another act was the Population Registration Act, which showed that race had become the most important and influential aspect of South African law and society. Another act was the Suppression of Communism Act. This act called for all communists to be brought to trial. The police could arrest anyone they believed were trying to overthrow the government by violence and communist ways. Lastly, the government put bans on individuals who were becoming to involved in the struggle and finally the government banned the ANC and all other liberation groups. This ban now made freedom fighting was illegal in South Africa. The effect of foreign influence was drastic. Africans lost sense of African culture in schools. While, the foreign government tried everything to break down the Africans chance for liberty. The foreign influence seen in South Africa crushed the African†s hope and survival. While this was occurring in South Africa, Mexico was also seeing the effect of foreign influence. Americans and Europeans came into Mexico and gained much power. Haciendas helped their rise and foreign investment in many minerals and oil. But, Mexico did not approve of this and changed it. In 1917, Mexico created a new constitution, which limited foreign investment and promised land reform. This showed that Mexico did not want an overpopulation of foreigners and would not allow it. While, in oil, the foreigners controlled much of the oil, which Mexico had an abundance of. In 1938, oil workers went on strike and the companies would not give in, but instead of allowing foreign influence to become too powerful. The Mexican leader, Cardenas sent in arbitrators. The arbitrators called for the one/third pay increase, but the companies refused. Therefore, Cardenas nationalized oil and limited the power of foreign influence in Mexico. Now, Mexican oil was controlled by PEMEX, which is controlled only by Mexico. Mexico become a large influence in the oil market during the oil crisis, but also went though hyperinflation and eventually needed some foreign help. But, the Mexicans would not allow foreign influences to dominate the Mexican state as foreigners have affected South Africa. Now I will examine another issue seen in the book. In this paragraph, I will examine the movement seen in Long Walk to Freedom to the movement seen in China during the 1900†³s. In South Africa, the movement I saw was the Africans fighting for freedom. In their time of struggle, they had little help from those with power. The liberation movement involved peasants, educated, and well-off Africans. But, the government did what ever they could to put down this struggle. They set up organizations, such as the ANC, Youth League, and others, but as seen in other places the wealthy and powerful would not help the struggle. Many people were blind to the struggle. â€Å"Most of these wardresses had no idea why we were in prison, and gradually began to discover what we were fighting for and why we were willing to risk jail in the first place. (249) Many individuals did not realize what the Africans were really fighting for and why the government was harassing them, but slowly they were learning. â€Å"Seeing prominent and educated white women discussing serious matters with a black man on the basis of perfect equality could only lead to the weakening of the wardresses† apartheid assumptions. â€Å"(249) The government tried to separ ate whites from blacks so whites would not turn sympathetic towards the Africans fight. This scared feeling made the government acts and laws stricter and harsher towards the African struggle. Therefore, in South Africa, the movement received little help from the people who had influence in the country and the help they truly needed. While, in China, their movement involved their peasants and they had help, which truly helped their struggle. Mao stated that â€Å"In a very short time,†¦ several hundred million peasants will rise like a mighty storm†¦ They will sweep all the imperialists, warlords, corrupt officials, local tyrants and evil gentry into their graves†¦ â€Å"(Mao, 24) Here Mao stated that the peasants would destroy the landlords and corrupt individuals. He helped the peasants by making some reforms. He gave peasants land and made marriages a free choice. He also instituted the 100 Flowers Campaign. This campaign allowed peasants to speak out and have freedom of speech. We see here that the peasants had help in their struggle, while the Africans had very little. This assistance helped the peasants to get the things they were fighting for. Mandela†s Long Walk to Freedom, helped show the rise of an incredible individual, who fought with many of his countrymen against the oppression and apartheid of white supremacy in South Africa. Throughout the book, I have seen Nelson†s open-mindedness. Nelson always listened to communist ideas and Indian goals, eventhough he did not agree with them. Nelson faced many hardships through his struggle and this had to cause some resentment against his oppressors. But if anyone would not be bias in his writing, I would say it would be Nelson Mandela. He has showed in his book that he is great individual and that he will not let his past feeling cloud his writing. You can see his feelings in his book and that is what makes it so good, but I believe he does not hide anything from us on both sides of the stories. In conclusion, Mandela†s autobiography is a brilliant book written by an incredible individual. I wish I could of read the whole book for this essay, but that was not possible. It is hard to write an essay on the first 5 parts when I know some things that happened further in the book. I did not know if I should include that information in the essay, but I did not involve it. This book helped to show the other side of the story. We always hear the victor†s story and in this class we got to hear the other side of the story.

Daddy by Sylvia Plath Essay Example

Daddy by Sylvia Plath Essay Example Daddy by Sylvia Plath Paper Daddy by Sylvia Plath Paper Task speak In present tense but talk about father In past In her 1962 poem Daddy Sylvia Plate uses an array of simple language, passionate emotions and personal experiences to create work that helps us observe the resolution of her fathers death and the ensuing freedom she obtained from finding this closure. This specific poem was written only 4 months before her impending suicide and Is highly autobiographical In nature. The discussion of her fathers death, her failed marriage and her suicide attempts are all very compelling. The use of imagery, along with the rhythm and rhyme of the poem make it a great study. In the first stanza, Plate uses the phrase You do not do, you do not do which suggests she has had enough and is not taking anymore aggravation. This tells me she feels someone Is treating her poorly and the tone Is very demanding, so evidently she feels a lot of anger towards this person. She continues by saying Any more, black shoe/ In which I have lived like a foot/For thirty years, poor and white/ Barely daring to breathe or Cacao. By making a comparison between herself and the shoe she is sing a simile, which suggests she has low self-esteem. Also, a foot in a shoe is very tight so she may be inferring that she feels very claustrophobic. Another way of interpreting this is by saying she Is the foot and her Daddy Is the shoe, and she has received no support from the shoe, and therefore no support from Daddy, whom at this point we assume is her father. Furthermore, the line Barely daring to breathe or Cacao gives the impression of fear. Its as if she is too scared to voice her feelings and speak out. In my opinion, there Is some mystery surrounding this poem. Daddy, I have had to kill you. You died before I had tile This Is very thought-provoking because I find myself asking the question, Time to what? The dash lines cause some sort of vagueness. Is it possible she is talking about the lack of time she had to form a relationship? Or perhaps she is suggesting there was no time to state her feelings? We are left to make up our own mind. Plate uses a selection of metaphors, for example, she refers to her father as Hitler. This Is a clever use of irony because Plate was American and the Americans hated the Germans, therefore I believe she Is announcing her hatred for her father. In Dalton, she uses some German; her fathers native language. This is most likely to mock him and make him feel foolish and insignificant. ICC, ICC, ICC, ICC. In German this means so it tells the reader her father was very narcissistic and made everything about himself; he didnt care about anyone else, including his daughter. Plate continues to use a variety of metaphors and similes by comparing her father her father and feels some sort of persecution experienced by a Jew. Moreover, she clearly feels a lot of revulsion for him and really despises his character. Continuing with the Nazi theme, Sylvia Plate compares her father to Hitler, And your neat moustache/ And your Aryan eye, bright blue. This is very strong language because she is implying her father brought devastation to her life, and had no compassion whatsoever. This idea is supported when she compares Daddy to Drachma, The vampire who said he was you/And drank my blood for a year/Seven years, if you want to know/Daddy, you can lie back now. By using this comparison she is claiming her father would wreak havoc on peoples lives, alleging the villagers never liked you, ND so she was not the only one with such strong feelings for him. Another metaphor is used later on in the poem and it follows on in to the next stanza. Any less the black man who/Bit my pretty red heart in two. This coveys heartbreak and Plate uses some very strong imagery, which continues when she reveals details of her suicide attempt. At twenty I tried to die/ And get back, back, back to you/ I thought even the bones would do. She is obviously very unhappy and the phrase back, back, back to you is evidence of repetition. There is a very powerful image of trying to get back, but not quite being able to. It is clear to me as a reader that the poet feels weak and frail. And t hey stuck me together with glue. Glue isnt very strong and an object can easily be broken, therefore she is insinuating that she is fragile. However, she does have some strength still within, The black telephones off at the root/The voices Just cant worm through. This tells us she is no longer going to allow the voices of the past to hurt her. To conclude, it is clear Plate felt a lot of hatred for the subject of this poem. She sees some strong imagery and language techniques which help to explain the true extent of anger and fury felt towards this person. However, it is unclear as to who the focus of this poem is. At first glance I would assume she is talking about her father, but as we read deeper in to the poem several other possibilities arise. For example, Daddy could be referring to Ted Hughes, once her husband. I understand they had a very heated relationship which is understandable with two very accomplished poets living under the same roof, with so much desire to constantly produce works of excellence. If this theory is correct, it would mean she may be writing from her childs perspective, hence the title Daddy. Alternatively, another possibility is that God is the focus. God is seen as a father figure and so this is also a rational explanation. Plate claims, l could never talk to you, so perhaps she felt there was no connection between them and she found it difficult to communicate. Additionally, she hoped that one day her belief would return, tried to die/And get back, back, back to you. This gives us the impression that she is trying to get to heaven and reconnect with God.