Crisis of Conscience Essays -- Literary Analysis, Joseph Heller

In Catch-22, Joseph Heller creates a surreal world of irrationality to illuminate madness and corruption. Through the satirical characterizations of the novel's leaders, Heller criticizes not just the institution of war but all forms of bureaucratic establishment. The authority figures in the novel are portrayed as selfish and deranged maniacs without any sense of morality, driven purely by their desires to expand their power and reputations. These leaders are able to skew reason to their benefits through their followers’ acceptance of conformity and conventions. The novel's protagonist, Yossarian, however, rejects the pressures of conformity and is unwilling to accept his leaders' illogical projections of truth and duty. By running away to rescue Nately's whore's sister, Yossarian is able to overcome the oppression of authority and find his own sense of purpose by deciding for himself what is right and pursuing it. This victory advances Heller’s commendation of standi ng up against the conventions of society and refusing to accept truth blindly. Joseph Heller’s novel makes use of humorous surrealism to illuminate corruption in society. Heller admits that in his novels, â€Å"the texture, the approach,† as opposed to the â€Å"basic story line, the sequence of action,† is what â€Å"makes them distinctive† (Rielly). Indeed, at its most basic level, the plot of Catch-22 is hardly surrealistic or unconventional at all; it is a reasonably historically accurate portrait of the end of the Second World War. The missions Yossarian flies, the deaths he witnesses, and the poverty he observes are all true to the setting. Many events in the book, such as the mission where Yossarian and his comrades are ordered to bomb a civilian city to create a roadbloc... ...on to be part of an "American traditions" of literary rebels who "escap[e]... in order to save [themselves] from absurdity, compromise, or dispair" (McDonald). Though Heller intended the moral ambiguity of escaping military service "to raise a question rather than answer one," Yossarian's final action ultimately represents a triumph of nonconformity (Rielly). He is able to see the fraudulence of the war and decides that a 'disobedient' life helping a lost girl is more worthy than a 'dutiful' one serving a corrupt general. Through this decision, Yossarian is able to find purpose and moral satisfaction in his own life. This personal victory celebrates the power of nonconformity. In boldly rejecting societal expectations to pursue the life one believes in, goodness can be pursued, evil can be challenged, and the truth strength and value of an individual can be found.

“The Scarlet Letter” Chapters 1-3 Review Essay

1. As the story opens a throng is gathered. Who are these people? Where and why are they gathered? Men with beards in sad-colored garments and crowned hats, there are also a few women. They are citizens and they are gathered outside, around the marketplace, to view Hester Prynne on a platform, with her scarlet letter. 2. The description in Chapter One of the people’s dress, the prison, and the surrounding vegetation serves to establish certain important impressions of Puritan society at the time of the story. What impressions of this society do you get from the opening chapter? It can be inferred that the timeline is in the seventeenth century due to the description of the area and the way it is referenced, such as the â€Å"market place.† I feel that the community is very strict Puritan. As it was mentioned in the Hawthorne biography lecture, his writing was influenced by a strict Puritan background. Puritans took sin very seriously, which included being very strict with punishments. In the first chapter, the details of Hester’s punishment are not in vivid detail; however, her sin is not just taken with a â€Å"grain of salt,† so to say, because she is put on display in front of the entire community. 3. The story itself begins with the punishment of Hester Prynne. a. What early hints do you get in Chapter Two about the nature of her crime? A group of women are discussing Hester at the market-place and the women agreed that the women who are mature and good church members should be allowed to deal with such â€Å"malefactresses as this Hester Prynne.† The women also refer to Hester as a â€Å"hussy.† It is also mentioned that Dimmesdale is upset about such a scandal. One woman suggests that Hester should be branded upon her forehead and another woman declares that Hester has â€Å"brought shame upon us all, and ought to die.† The women’s remarks suggest that â€Å"Mistress Prynne† has committed a woman’s crime, one that brings them all shame. So,  from the language of the group of women and the terms â€Å"mistress† and â€Å"scandal,† it can best be inferred that she committed a crime that looks bad amongst women and her being referred to as a mistress (one who partakes in sexual acts without relationship bounds) gives hints to her crime. b. What more definite information about her crime do you get in Chapter Three? While standing on the platform, Hester recognizes a man in the crowd who is accompanied by an Indian. This man inquires about her and why she is there. This is where we learn that she has committed adultery (the scarlet letter â€Å"A† is for adultery). 4. What two punishments have been assigned to Hester Prynne? One is that her sin ousts her from society. The other is that she must wear an â€Å"A,† the scarlet letter, especially for public humiliation, which marks that she committed adultery. 5. Standing on the scaffold, Hester envisions her earlier life. What facts do you learn about her previous life? What was her relationship with the man â€Å"well stricken in years†? We learn that she grew up in England, and her house, which was a decayed, poverty-stricken house of gray stone. Her mother had passed away and it was inferred that she also left her home to go to a city because she imagines a continental city with narrow streets, huge cathedrals; and ancient public buildings. While mentioning the city, the book also mentions the man â€Å"well stricken in his years.† It is said that she imagines a man whose years had worn on him, his right shoulder a bit deformed because the left shoulder is higher, the weary face and bleary eyes of a scholar who had read many books. In the third chapter, Hester sees a man in the crowd that matches the description of her imagination and he immediately catches her gaze. It is later revealed in the chapter that the man is her husband. 6. One man in the surrounding crowd is singled out. He is described as â€Å"clad in a strange disarray of civilized and savage costume.† a. What effect does his presence have on Hester?   Her intensive awareness of the public’s attention was relieved when she saw an Indian with a white man in the crowd. It is said that when Hester saw the man, she clutched her baby to her chest so hard that it cried; however, she did not even realize or hear her baby cry. She could not stop staring at him. b. What is the significance of his laying his finger on his lips when Hester fastens her eyes on him? He had noticed that she was watching him and she must’ve been confused by his presence. When he caught her gaze, he pressed his finger to his lips to signal to her to not say a word. c. What clues are there to his identity? When Hester was on the scaffold imagining her past, she imagined a man with deformed shoulders, his left shoulder higher than his right, she imagined a weary face and bleary ices with a penetrating power. The first clue is when Hester first sees the man and she notices his â€Å"intelligence† features, she also notices his shoulders and more into the details, it is revealed through the expressive descriptions of his eyes and his gaze that the man she sees in the crowd is the man she imagined. 7. While on the scaffold, Hester is subjected to a kind of interrogation. a. What important question related to her crime remains unanswered? Who the father of Hester’s baby is/who tempted Hester. b. What plea do the two ministers make in regard to this question? To reveal the man who is the baby’s father/tempted Hester into adultery. c. Who else besides the 2 clergymen questions her in this matter? It was Governor Bellingham. d. What is Hester’s response? That her child must seek a heavenly father, for her child will never have an earthly one. 8. Based on the reading you have done in these chapters, do you have a theory about the answer to the question which the ministers have put to Hester? If you do, explain what you have noticed in your reading that might support  your theory. During the questioning, Dimmesdale has a much stronger plea than Mr. Wilson, but prior to his questioning, he takes a moment to say a silent prayer, which Mr. Wilson did not, which gives a bit of a suspicion. Dimmesdale’s voice trembles and is quite broken when he speaks to Hester; he even mentions that even if the man who tempted her had to step down from his position of high power/authority, that it would be better than living a life of sin. When Mr. Wilson asked Hester to speak, her gaze never broke Dimmesdale, especially with she said that she would never tell. â€Å"She will not speak!,† murmured Dimmesdale, as he was leaning over the balcony with his hand over his heart as he had waited to see how Hester would respond. From Dimmesdale’s strong plea, his emotions and actions during the plea, and the way he reacts when Hester is asked to speak gives off hints that there may be a connection between Hester and Dimmesdale.

Ricardo Semler Semco the Self-Managed Entreprise

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY The Good: SEMCO International Management – MSc Organization A.Y. 2009 – 2010 Ettore Penazzato TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. SEMCO in brief 3 2. Reorganization of the company: context, actions impacts 4 2.1 Changing the organizational structure 5 2.2 Profit-sharing program 7 2.3 Participatory decision-making 7 3. Evaluation based on the course material 7 3.1 HRM Practices 7 3.2 Empowerment of the employees 8 3.3 Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation solved by profit-sharing program 8 3.4 Self-determined Salaries: Equity theory 10 4. Considerations based on 7 S model 12 5. Conclusions Recommendations 13 6. Bibliography 14 7. Appendix 15†¦show more content†¦These people have a fundamental role inside the organization, as they allow this structure to work even with the reduction of management levels (Semler, 1989). This change neutralized the problem of hierarchy. [pic] Figure 1. SEMCO’s organization structure Semler also put a ceiling on the maximum level of capacity for each plant, to 150 employees, in order to make the production units more efficient. Despite increased overhead costs it led to a higher degree of collaboration between smaller groups of employees inside each individual part of the facility (Semler, 1989). Thus, the obstacle of size was removed. As a result, the new structure improved the ability of the organization in terms of resource and time efficiency, in fact since its implementation inventory turnover fell greatly (Semler, 1989). Surely the responsiveness and the adaptability have also improved, which represents an important advantage for a company that works in such a fast changing technological environment. In fact, this structure is particularly suitable with a strategy focused on rapid innovation and that has to face a volatile environment (Semler, 1989). SEMCO also developed an innovation structure which was initially a solution based on a cost cutting strategy, but consequently it was implemented at a company level. In the mid 80’s three SEMCO Engineers propositioned a new work unit. These three engineers planned to venture out on their own, as a type of Corporate

Personal Finance Using Accounting Principles Of Paying...

According to our class text (Siegel and Yacht (2009)), we know that â€Å"personal finance is the process of paying for or financing a life and a way of living.† That said, we also know that using accounting principles to manage our personal finances will likely yield great success in one’s tracking and planning, financially, in the long run. Understanding the sources (incomes) and uses (expenses) of funds, and the budget deficit/surplus that results, are core accounting measures to consider in short and long term personal financial planning. Also, grasping key concepts like how your salary/wages are earned and segmented/taxed is important in determining your net incomes. How to approach deficits and surpluses and their associated action plans come from sound accounting understanding. Accounting develops controls on how to deal with budget deficits like increasing income, reducing expenses and borrowing. Understanding how sunk costs and opportunity costs factor into alternative choices and borrowing come to us from sound accounting knowledge and play a role in personal planning. Lastly, through various standard reporting approaches, we, though accounting, can develop the ability to look at current and future personal finance decisions and health via income statements, balance sheets, ratios and other common size book keeping measures. Three products of accounting and bookkeeping procedures that are most useful in personal financial planning would be (1) understanding andShow MoreRelatedHigher National Diploma6446 Words   |  26 PagesINTRODUCTION As we are aware, finance is the lifeblood of business or it can be said as the most important part of all the business enterprises. To understand finance, you need to know the entire business indeed. 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We Want More Guitars a Critical Analysis of a Global Problem

Every company has their own theory and goals behind what they overall want to see or become. This paper is written with intent to help better understand a real life situation that took place at Guitarras Dominquez. When a company first opens their doors for business, they use high end material to show the essence of quality in their product which will allow for growth in their customer base. Do you ever wonder how a company gets far in doing so? Intention from the start of a business does not include cutting corners and saving money, but eventually with budget cuts and business plans they tend to become necessary. When we take a look at the case study about Guitarras Dominquez, we take a close look at what can possibly happen to a†¦show more content†¦Some businesses in America transfer into bi-cultured after starting out as monoculture. This typically happens when one company buys out the other or they join each other and sub-merge. Every now and then this happens globa lly. Companies face changes when a merger takes place such as how the business will operate, wages, and or if there will be interference from the government. Once the merger has begun the rules are changed to better serve the company whether people are with it or against it. Company success stories are sent over to a list which is created called the Globe Project list. This list gives pointers and advice for globalized managers to practice based on several key items and characteristics required during a successful merger. Daft states, â€Å"Some of the characteristics are assertiveness, performance, and human orientation† (Daft, 2013 ). Problem In my conclusion of reading the Guitarras Dominquez case study, the first problem that stood out was the quality of their product not the quantity. A company’s management team must be on the same page otherwise they will have issues going forward. 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Assumptions Made In Surveys - Free Sample Assignment Solution

Question: One of the major problems facing the designer of a survey instrument concerns the assumptions made. Research and discuss what are the major "problem assumptions"? How can a designer avoid them? Should he avoid them? Answer: Introduction While designing a survey, more often than note, surveyors end up making assumptions. Usually, assumptions vary according to the type of assumption made. However, the basic types of assumptions include: Unwanted assumptions A good assumption to make is one that has the following characteristics: Either known to be true Reasonable enough to guarantee no further arguments to support it. Misleading assumptions Misleading assumptions include those assumptions which postulate details that are unstated. A good epitome of a misleading survey item includes questions that provide only two answers to a question (Simon, 2011).The problem is that the question limits the outcomes of the survey to only two responses are obtained from such a survey though there may exist cases of more solutions to queries put forward by the questions. There also exist valid reasons that support the existence of more than one solutions to one problem. The provisions of only Unsupported assumptions These category of assumptions are those that presume the existence of a certain given conditions while in real sense, there exist no valid reasons to support their existence (Leedy, Ormrod (2010).A good example of such assumptions include those that involve surveying a given particular group of respondents on the belief that they are the best suitable candidates of the survey. Such biases is based on believes that the group of respondents interviewed possess valuable information related to the survey intentions. Making assumptions may lead to the collection of wrongful data information. It is hence important to collect the actual data in order to get the facts in hand (Mentzer, John Carol, 1997). In order to reduce assumptions, the following should be done: Listening carefully. Taking notes if necessary. Asking questions openly and explaining into details the questions asked. Summarizing what is generally agreed in order to confirm understanding. References Leedy, P.D. Ormrod, J. E. (2010).Practical Research: Planning and Design, Ninth Edition. NYC: Merril. Mentzer, John T., Carol C. B. (1997). Sales Forecasting Management. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications. Simon, M. K. (2011). Dissertation and scholarly research: Recipes for success (2011 Ed.). Seattle, WA, Dissertation Success, LLC

The most exciting time to live in Vermont is mid-F Essays - Music

The most exciting time to live in Vermont is mid-February. This is the time when one is given the privilege of a 30-minute walk to school in sub-zero temperatures, with a 30-minute trudge home in the dark after a long day. It's been four months since winter began, and it'll be two more until it's over. The firewood is being rationed to keep the house at a barely livable temperature, a steamy 50 degrees, and colds are so rampant that people lose half their body weight in phlegm each day. Yet, however dull Vermont may seem to students and teachers as they wrap themselves in layer after layer of flannel, make no mistake, today is the beginning of an era. Today is the day when Isaac (that's me) starts his job of putting smiles on grim faces as the reader of the morning announcements. "But Isaac, that job is super boring! You just read what's written on a piece of paper," is what an uninformed person might say, someone who obviously doesn't know about my passion for annoying the tired and melancholic with smiling positivity. While expression and humor has not historically been a part of this process, and while ad-libbing has been strictly advised against, I go for it anyway. And why not? The worst possible outcome involves only a stern lecture and an expulsion from the job. Fortunately, there is not much going on this week, which means I have some wiggle room with what I can say. The loud buzz of the intercom whines throughout the school, and the silent apprehension of the day is met, somewhat unexpectedly, with a greeting of 20 "yo's" and a long, breathy pause. I artfully maneuver someone else's writing into my own words, keeping the original intent but supplementing the significant lack of humor with a few one-liners. I conclude by reminding everyone that just because the weather is miserable today does not mean that we have to be as well. Luckily, the principal loves it. And despite the fact that I urge everyone to interrupt my history teacher's classes to wish him a happy birthday, I get to keep my job for another day. I have people coming up to me left and right, telling me that I made them smile. When I hear that, I smile back. For the rest of the month, I work to make sure that people hear my message: even though we are at the time when school and winter are beginning to seem endless, there are still reasons to grin. I urge people to attend basketball games or sign up for spring sports. I announce birthdays and other special events. Before every day, I make sure I have a message that will make people think, "you know, today might not be so bad after all." After my month ends, the announcements have been changed. The next readers tell jokes or riddles, or sing songs and invite others to sing with them. I watch the announcements evolve from an unfortunate but necessary part of the day to a positive and inspiring event. It is now more than just a monotonous script; it becomes a time to make sure that everyone has at least one thing to smile about. Life shouldn't have to be a dreary winter day; it should be the satisfaction of a good saxophone solo or the joy of seeing one's friends every day at school. It is the enthusiasm of a biology teacher, the joy of a sports victory, and even the warm messages of a disembodied voice on the intercom. I use that message to help freshman feel less nervous at their first race or to encourage my friend to continue taking solos in jazz band. And in the most dismal time of year, I use that message in the daily announcements.