Vesta, The Roman Goddess of Heart and Fire Essay Example for Free

Vesta, The Roman Goddess of Heart and Fire Essay Vesta is the Goddess of Heart and Fire. Being one of the most popular gods/goddesses of Ancient Rome, she symbolizes â€Å"the continuity of the life of the State† (Johnston, par. 488). Being a people of deep religious feeling (Hamilton 45), the ancient Romans embraced gods and goddesses like Vesta into their everyday lives, as they gained in statute and dignity before the eyes of gods and men. Every ancient Roman family has the personification of Vesta in their home, as she is one of the family’s own gods and goddesses. Vesta is among the gods/goddesses who were â€Å"never worshipped in temples, but only in the home, where some of the food at each meal was offered to them† (Hamilton 45). For this reason, Vesta appears to be one of the most lived gods and goddesses of Rome, protecting the heart of the family in order to gain stability, prestige, and dignity. This paper revolves around Vesta, the Roman Goddess of Heart and Fire, and how the Vestal Virgins appear and relate to the ancient Roman state. After examining the dense issue of how Vesta and the Vestal Virgins appear and relate to the people, it shall be proposed that the appointing of Vestal Virgins do not indicate Ancient Rome’s affinity or high respect with the females in general. Instead, it proposes that females can have an opportunity of having the highest honor within the community if she is true to her duties and her chastity. This proposition is supported by the idea that: first, Vestal Virgins carry one of the heaviest responsibilities associated with their social position, and if they are true to it, then they get one of the highest honors; second, Vestal Virgins carry one of the heaviest sacrifices associated with their social position, and if they are true to it, then they get one of the highest honors; third, Vestal Virgins carry one of the heaviest punishments associated with their social position, but if they are true to it, then they get one of the highest honors. Main Text Vestal Virgins Carry One of the Heaviest Responsibilities Vestal Virgins were associated to possess strong spirits and powers in the ancient state of Rome. As priestess of the goddess Vesta, they carry one of the heaviest responsibilities, as they keep the ‘sacred fire’ in the altar aflame and lingering. As stated in the recent page, this act symbolizes â€Å"the continuity of life of the State† (Johnston, par. 488), and this makes it very necessary for the state and the village. Having to protect the ‘home fires’ of the people, Vestal Virgins keep homes stable and flourishing as well, as daughters of the households assist them in tending fires, and then gain stability and permanence. In the process, the virgins would have to be of noble origin. The College of the Vestal Virgins is composed of 18 members, with 6 members working at a time (Fowler, par. 3). Originally, only the upper class blood were traditionally allowed to be included in the college, but later on, it was approved that daughters of patriarchs and freedman were allowed to join the college (Fowler, par. 3). Handpicking physically ideal girls who were 6-10 years of age and had two living parents (Fowler, par. 3), they were sworn to celibacy to serve the first ten years of their Vestal life learning priesthood, the next ten years applying what they learned of priesthood, and the last ten years of priesthood teaching to the new Vestal Virgins what they have learned. Vesta and her Vestal Virgins carry the crucial role of keeping the family and state intact and thriving, though in a metaphorical way. Vestal Virgins Carry One of the Heaviest Sacrifices Vestal Virgins carry one of the heaviest sacrifices in the ancient state of Rome, as they lived their whole lives in total celibacy, chastity and purity. At the end of their term—which is exactly 30 years—these women were allowed to get married. However, as stated by Fowler (2006), â€Å"[m]any retired Vestals decided against marriage† (par. 4). This is because, according to the Roman tradition, wives were supposed to be under the dominion of their husbands. Having to live almost all of their lives getting prime seats in Roman theaters, attending luxurious dinners and parties, or having the permission to vote†¦ being under the power of a man would be very difficult; thus, they spend the rest of their lives being single. Another significant responsibility of Vestal Virgins appears during the celebration of Vesta—the feast called ‘Vestalia’, which is an â€Å"annual ritual in honor of their patron goddess, Vesta† (Fowler, par. 6). As stated by Fowler (2006), every June 7-15 of the year†¦ â€Å"[T]he doors of the Temple of Vesta opened to the mothers of the families of Rome who brought offerings of food to the goddess. The Virgins also prepared special food offerings at this time. This occasion was the only time of year that the doors of the temple were opened to the public. † (par. 6) In vowing for a powerful position for women in the Ancient Rome, such as being a Vestal Virgin, the religious and political rank carried with it heavy sacrifices and forfeits. Vestal Virgins Carry One of the Heaviest Punishments Lastly, Vestal Virgins carry one of the heaviest punishments in Ancient Rome. Aside from the forfeit and sacrifices that were mentioned above, the virgins carry a chastisement if they failed to comply with their responsibilities in keeping the fire of the family and state aflame. This spells death and disaster when the member breaks the vow of celibacy, with the execution being given by means of the following strategies: first, by being buried alive; second, by being thrown into the Tibet River; third, by being publicly whipped (Fowler, par. 5). Aside from her failure to keep her celibacy and chastity, another grave destruction for a Vestal Virgin is when she fails to keep the ceremonial fire inside the Temple of Vesta. It is, indeed, an appealing way of life, as dictated by Fowler (2006, par. 4)†¦ but the responsibilities are grave and the punishments are nothing but life threatening. Conclusion Vesta and her Vestal Virgins relates and serves to the families and state of Rome by doing the following: first, by keeping the sacred fire aflame and burning; second, by keeping the home fires stable and flourishing; third, by sacrificing to a life of chastity and celibacy; fourth and final, by keeping the feast of Vestalia alive within the state. However, as the life of Vestal Virgins reflect one that is full of responsibilities, sacrifices, and punishments†¦ it is evident that the appointing of Vestal Virgins does not indicate Ancient Rome’s affinity or high respect with the females in general. Instead, it proposes that females were given the chance to live a life that only the males were given privilege in the ancient world. If she remains true to her word, her chastity, and her responsibility, then she gains all the respect, dignity and power that only a few citizens were able to obtain. It is true that ancient women of Rome were more privileged in 700 B. C. , but still, life and existence are always at stake. It was 37 years after the founding of Rome that Romulus—one of its founders—was said to have disappeared in a thunderstorm (Bingley, par. 1). Having no king, Numa Pompilius was elected as king of the state, who then appointed priests, pontifices, flamines, the Salii†¦ and the Vestal Virgins who, since then, took charge of fire and water (Dio 3). Bibliography: Bingley. â€Å"Numa Pompilius. † 4 March 2004.Suite101. com. 13 May 2007 http://www. suite101. com/article. cfm/ancient_biographies/106541. Brelich, Angelo. â€Å"Vesta. † The Journal of Roman Studies 40. 12 (1992): 150-151. Burriss, Eli Edward. Taboo, Magic, Spirits: A Study of Primitive Elements in Roman Religion. New York, NY: Macmillan, 1931. Dio, Cassius. â€Å"Fragments of Book I. † Roman History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Loeb Classical Library, 1914. Exovedate. com. â€Å"Timeline: Ancient Rome. † N. d. 13 May 2007 http://www. exovedate. com/ancient_timeline_one. html. Fowler, Robin. â€Å"Vestal Virgins of Rome: Privileged Keepers of Rome’s Home Fires. † Ancient History. 7 May 2006. Suit101. com. 13 May 2007 http://ancienthistory. suite101. com/article. cfm/vestalvirginsrome. Hamilton, Edith. â€Å"Part 1: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes. † Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. Boston, New York: Warner Books, 1942. Johnston, Harold Whetstone. â€Å"Chapter 15: The Roman Religion. † The Private Life of the Romans. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1932.

What is churn? An overview

What is churn? An overview Churn is the phenomenon where a customer switches from one service to a competitors service (Tsai Chen, 2009:2). There are two main types of churn, namely voluntary churn and involuntary churn. Voluntary churn is when the customer initiated the service termination. Involuntary churn means the company suspended the customers service and this is usually because of non-payment or service abuse. Companies, in various industries, have recently started to realise that their client set is their most valuable asset. Retaining the existing clients is the best marketing strategy. Numerous studies have confirmed this by showing that it is more profitable to keep your existing clients satisfied than to constantly attract new clients (Van Den Poel Larivià ¨re, 2004:197; Coussement Van Den Poel, 2008:313). According to Van Den Poel and Larivià ¨re (2004:197) successful customer retention has more than just financial benefits: Successful customer retention programs free the organisation to focus on existing customers needs and the building of relationships. It lowers the need to find new customers with uncertain levels of risk. Long term customers tend to buy more and provide positive advertising through word-of-mouth. The company has better knowledge of long term customers and they are less expensive with lower uncertainty and risk. Customers with longer tenures are less likely to be influenced by competitive marketing strategies. Sales may decrease if customers churn, due to lost opportunities. These customers also need to be replaced, which can cost five to six times more than simply retaining the customer. 1.1.Growth in Fixed-line Markets According to Agrawal (2009) the high growth phase in the telecommunications market is over. In the future, wealth in the industry will be split between the companies. Revenues (of telecommunication companies) are declining around the world. Figure 2 shows Telkoms fixed-line customer base and customer growth rate for the previous seven years. The number of lines is used as an estimate for the number of fixed-line customers. Figure 2-Telkoms fixed-line annual customer base (Idea adopted from Ahn, Han Lee (2006:554)) With the lower customer growth worldwide, it is becoming vital to prevent customers from churning. 1.2.Preventing Customer Churn The two basic approaches to churn management are divided into untargeted and targeted approaches. Untargeted approaches rely on superior products and mass advertising to decrease churn (Neslin, Gupta, Kamakura, Lu Mason, 2004:3). Targeted approaches rely on identifying customers who are likely to churn and then customising a service plan or incentive to prevent it from happening. Targeted approaches can be further divided into proactive and reactive approaches. With a proactive approach the company identifies customers who are likely to churn at a future date. These customers are then targeted with incentives or special programs to attempt to retain them. In a reactive targeted approach the company waits until the customer cancels the account and then offers the customer an incentive (Neslin et al., 2004:4). A proactive targeted approach has the advantage of lower incentive costs (because the customer is not â€Å"bribed† at the last minute to stay with the company). It also prevents a culture where customers threaten to churn in order to negotiate a better deal with the company (Neslin et al., 2004:4). The proactive, targeted approach is dependent on a predictive statistical technique to predict churners with a high accuracy. Otherwise the companys funds may be wasted on unnecessary programs that incorrectly identified customers. 1.3.Main Churn Predictors According to Chu, Tsai and Ho (2007:704) the main contributors to churn in the telecommunications industry are; price, coverage, quality and customer service. Their contributions to churn can be seen from Figure 3. Figure 3 indicates that the primary reason for churn is price related (47% of the sample). The customer churns because a cheaper service or product is available, through no fault of the company. This means that a perfect retention strategy, based on customer satisfaction, can only prevent 53% of the churners (Chu et al., 2007:704). 1.4.Churn Management Framework Datta, Masand, Mani and Li (2001:486) proposed a five stage framework for customer churn management (Figure 4). The first stage is to identify suitable data for the modelling process. The quality of this data is extremely important. Poor data quality can cause large losses in money, time and opportunities (Olson, 2003:1). It is also important to determine if all the available historical data, or only the most recent data, is going to be used. The second stage consists of the data semantics problem. It has a direct link with the first stage. In order to complete the first stage successfully, a complete understanding of the data and the variables information are required. Data quality issues are linked to data semantics because it often influences data interpretation directly. It frequently leads to data misinterpretation (Dasu Johnson, 2003:100). Stage three handles feature selection. Cios, Pedrycz, Swiniarski and Kurgan (2007:207) define feature selection as â€Å"a process of finding a subset of features, from the original set of features forming patterns in a given data set†. It is important to select a sufficient number of diverse features for the modelling phase. Section 5.5.3 discusses some of the most important features found in the literature. Stage four is the predictive model development stage. There are many alternative methods available. Figure 5 shows the number of times a statistical technique was mentioned in the papers the author read. These methods are discussed in detail in Section 6. The final stage is the model validation process. The goal of this stage is to ensure that the model delivers accurate predictions. 5.5.1Stage one Identify data Usually a churn indicator flag must be derived in order to define churners. Currently, there exists no standard accepted definition for churn (Attaa, 2009). One of the popular definitions state that a customer is considered churned if the customer had no active products for three consecutive months (Attaa, 2009; Virgin Media, 2009; Orascom Telecom, 2008). Once a target variable is derived, the set of best features (variables) can be determined. 5.5.2Stage two Data semantics Data semantics is the process of understanding the context of the data. Certain variables are difficult to interpret and must be carefully studied. It is also important to use consistent data definitions in the database. Datta, et al. (2001) claims that this phase is extremely important. 5.5.3Stage three Feature selection Feature selection is another important stage. The variables selected here are used in the modelling stage. It consists of two phases. Firstly, an initial feature subset is determined. Secondly, the subset is evaluated based on a certain criterion. Ahn et al. (2006:554) describe four main types of determinants in churn. These determinants should be included in the initial feature subset. Customer dissatisfaction is the first determinant of churn mentioned. It is driven by network and call quality. Service failures have also been identified as â€Å"triggers† that accelerate churn. Customers who are unhappy can have an extended negative influence on a company. They can spread negative word-of-month and also appeal to third-party consumer affair bodies (Ahn et al., 2006:555). Cost of switching is the second main determinant. Customers maintain their relationships with a company based on one of two reasons: they â€Å"have to† stay (constraint) or they â€Å"want to† stay (loyalty). Companies can use loyalty programs or membership cards to encourage their customers to â€Å"want to† stay (Ahn et al., 2006:556). Service usage is the third main determinant. A customers service usage can broadly be described with minutes of use, frequency of use and total number of distinct numbers used. Service usage is one of the most popular predictors in churn models. It is still unclear if the correlation between churn and service usage is positive or negative (Ahn et al., 2006:556). The final main determinant is customer status. According to Ahn et al. (2006:556), customers seldom churn suddenly from a service provider. Customers are usually suspended for a while due to payment issues, or they decide not to use the service for a while, before they churn. Wei and Chiu (2002:105) use length of service and payment method as further possible predictors of churn. Customers with a longer service history are less likely to churn. Customers who authorise direct payment from their bank accounts are also expected to be less likely to churn. Qi, Zhang, Shu, Li and Ge (2004?:2) derived different growth rates and number of abnormal fluctuation variables to model churn. Customers with growing usage are less likely to churn and customers with a high abnormal fluctuation are more likely to churn. 5.5.4Stage four Model development It is clear from Figure 5 that decision tree models are the most frequently used models. The second most popular technique is logistic regression, followed closely by neural networks and survival analysis. The technique that featured in the least number of papers is discriminant analysis. Discriminant analysis is a multivariate technique that classifies observations into existing categories. A mathematical function is derived from a set of continuous variables that best discriminates among the set of categories (Meilgaard, Civille Carr, 1999:323). According to Cohen and Cohen (2002:485) discriminant analysis makes stronger modelling assumptions than logistic regression. These include that the predictor variables must be multivariate normally distributed and the within-group covariance matrix must be homogeneous. These assumptions are rarely met in practice. According to Harrell (2001:217) even if these assumptions are met, the results obtained from logistic regression are still as accurate as those obtained from discrimination analysis. Discriminant analysis will, therefore, not be considered. A neural network is a parallel data processing structure that possesses the ability to learn. The concept is roughly based on the human brain (Hadden, Tiwari, Roy Ruta, 2006:2). Most neural networks are based on the perceptron architecture where a weighted linear combination of inputs is sent through a nonlinear function. According to de Waal and du Toit (2006:1) neural networks have been known to offer accurate predictions with difficult interpretations. Understanding the drivers of churn is one of the main goals of churn modelling and, unfortunately, traditional neural networks provide limited understanding of the model. Yang and Chiu (2007:319) confirm this by stating that neural networks use an internal weight scheme that doesnt provide any insight into why the solution is valid. It is often called a black-box methodology and neural networks are, therefore, also not considered in this study. The statistical methodologies used in this study are decision trees, logistic regression and survival analysis. Decision tree modelling is discussed in Section 6.1, logistic regression in Sections 6.2 and 6.3 and survival analysis is discussed in Section 6.4. 5.5.5Stage five Validation of results Each modelling technique has its own, specific validation method. To compare the models, accuracy will be used. However, a high accuracy on the training and validation data sets does not automatically result in accurate predictions on the population dataset. It is important to take the impact of oversampling into account. Section 5.6 discusses oversampling and the adjustments that need to be made. 1.5.Adjustments for Target Level Imbalances From Telkoms data it is clear that churn is a rare event of great interest and great value (Gupta, Hanssens, Hardie, Kahn, Kumar, Lin Sriram, 2006:152). If the event is rare, using a sample with the same proportion of events and non-events as the population is not ideal. Assume a decision tree is developed from such a sample and the event rate (x%) is very low. A prediction model could obtain a high accuracy (1-x%) by simply assigning all the cases to the majority level (e.g. predict all customers are non-churners) (Wei Chiu, 2002:106). A sample with more balanced levels of the target is required. Basic sampling methods to decrease the level of class imbalances include under-sampling and over-sampling. Under-sampling eliminates some of the majority-class cases by randomly selecting a lower percentage of them for the sample. Over-sampling duplicates minority-class cases by including a randomly selected case more than once (Burez Van Den Poel, 2009:4630). Under-sampling has the drawback that potentially useful information is unused. Over-sampling has the drawback that it might lead to over-fitting because cases are duplicated. Studies have shown that over-sampling is ineffective at improving the recognition of the minority class (Drummond Holte, 2003:8). According to Chen, Liaw Breiman, (2004:2) under-sampling has an edge over over-sampling. However, if the probability of an event (target variable equals one) in the population differs from the probability of an event in the sample, it is necessary to make adjustments for the prior probabilities. Otherwise the probability of the event will be overestimated. This will lead to score graphs and statistics that are inaccurate or misleading (Georges, 2007:456). Therefore, decision-based statistics based on accuracy (or misclassification) misrepresent the model performance on the population. A model developed on this sample will identify more churners than there actually are (high false alarm rate). Without an adjustment for prior probabilities, the estimates for the event will be overestimated. According to Potts (2001:72) the accuracy can be adjusted with equation 1. It takes prior probabilities into account. With: : the population proportion of non-churners : the population proportion of churners : the sample proportion of non-churners : the sample proportion of churners : the number of true negatives (number of correctly predicted non- churners) : the number of true positives (number of correctly predicted churners) : the number of instances in the sample However, accuracy as a model efficiency measure trained on an under-sampled dataset is dependent on the threshold. This threshold is influenced by the class imbalance between the sample and the population (Burez Van Den Poel, 2009:4626).

I Have A Dream Speech Outline Theology Religion Essay

I Have A Dream Speech Outline Theology Religion Essay 2 Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves, who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. 3 But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a cast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so weve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. Tie To Audience/ Relevancy Statement/ Reveal Your Topic : Author linked freedom to checks, signifying that every American has this check but African Americans are unable to claim it. 4 In a sense weve come to our nations capitol to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men yes, black men as well as white men would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 5 It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note to insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.   Credibility Material : Speaker self is an African American speaking on the common issue faced by all. 6 But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so weve come to cash this check a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. Thesis Preview: Thesis: Emphasized on a brief summary of now and its importance. 7 We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of Gods children. Preview: Why now . 8 It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negros legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. Transition: Moving into main points elaborating why now . 9 But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. Body Main Point 1 : 10 We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. Subpoint 1: 11 The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people. For many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone. Sub-sub point/elaboration: 12 As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, When will you be satisfied? Sub-sub point/elaboration: We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negros basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating For Whites Only. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. Subpoint 2: 13 I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. S Sub-sub point/elaboration: Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. Sub-sub point/elaboration: You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Transition: 14 Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. Main Point 2 : 15 I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. 1. Subpoint 1 : 16 I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Sub-sub point/elaboration: 17 I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. 18 I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. Sub-sub point/elaboration: 19 I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. 20 I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. 21 I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plane and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. 2. Subpoint 2: 22 This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. S Sub-sub point/elaboration: 23 This will be the day this will be the day when all of Gods children will be able to sing with new meaning, My country tis of thee, sweetland of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrims pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring. And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. Sub-sub point/elaboration: 24 So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! 3. Subpoint 3: 25 Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California! S Sub-sub point/elaboration: 26 But not only that. Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! 27 Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! 28 Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.   III. Conclusion Brakelight: 29 And when this happens, Summary: when we allow freedom ring when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city Tie Back to Audience: we will be able to speed up that day when all of Gods children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, Concluding Memorable Remarks: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl Essay -- concentration ca

The concentration camps that were run by the Nazis during World War II can easily be labeled as one of the most grotesque examples of cruelty in the entire world. The people that were sent to these concentration camps were treated as less than human by the power hungry leaders of the camp. As we have all learned in history classes throughout our lives, the conditions of these camps were blatantly abhorrent, and it is a surprise that people made it out of these camps alive. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl uses his experiences in a concentration camp as an example to his readers that life holds a potential meaning no matter what condition a person is in. In the two parts of his book he analyzes his experiences and the experiences of his comrades in the concentration camps, and then he discusses his personal psychological theory of logotherepy. Together these two sections make up a novel that gives insight to the idea that â€Å"man can preserve a vestige of spiritual freedom, of independence of mind, even in such terrible conditions of psychic and physical stress† (65). In the first section of his book, he describes his experiences in the concentration camps by breaking up the incident into three separate stages that deal with the inmates’ mental reactions to the concentration camps. The first stage inevitably describes the mental reactions that occur immediately after being admitted to the camp. When a first person entered they were either immediately killed by a gas chamber or incinerator, or they were stripped of their every possession, besides their body, and forced into appalling living conditions. According to Frankl, all of the people in the camp felt two initial emotions while entering the camps- humor a... ...t impetus. He proves this idea by saying "a man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears [†¦] will never be able to throw away his life† (127). This statement emphasizes the idea that as long as a person has a will to meaning in their life, something to live for, that they will never be so hopeless that they will give up on life. Finally, Frankl’s last main point of logotherapy is that every person has the freedom to find a meaning for their life and then change their life according to this will to meaning. Frankl makes it known that a person can find their meaning by performing an endeavor, being subjected to a value, or by suffering. Overall, Frankl’s theory of logotherapy can be used to help a person overcome the anxiety associated with finding a meaning to their life. Works Cited Frankl, Viktor. Man’s Search for Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006.

F. Scott Fitzgerald :: essays research papers

F. Scott Fitzgerald Welcome to the roaring 1920's! The Jazz Age. A period within time which the passive behaviors, beliefs, and purity of the past generations, were tossed aside to create room for the changes America was about to experience! The birth of independent voting rights for women, lavishing parties, and where excitement was to be found in every corner. This was the era in which the people were considered the "Lost Generation," and from this environment emerged a eminent writer of those times. Francis Scott Fitzgerald. Born to the calm and submissive atmosphere of St. Paul Minnesota, he came from a line of highly regarded men and women from his family's past. His most famous relative by far was Francis Scott Key. The writer of our national anthem. Though he was certainly the most famous Fitzgerald, his mother was the most eccentric. Often dressed in miss-matched shoes and had a peculiar behavior, she at one time stared at a woman whose husband was dying and said: "I'm trying to decide how you'll look in the mourning." "I helped him by encouraging his urge to write adventures. It was also his best work. He did not shine in his other subjects. It was the pride in his literary work that put him in his real bent." Recalls his St. Paul Academy teacher. From that prestigious school he then traveled and began attendance in Princeton University. Not a promising student he was often late to his classes. His excuse was once "Sir-it's absurd to expect me to be on time. I'm a genius!!!" Though the "Princeton years" we not his most memorable, it provided an outlet for his writing, and talent. During his junior year he left Princeton and entered the army in 1917. Though he was never sent to battle for his country, there he began work on the short story, The Romantic Egoist, which was published as This Side of Paradise. Though rejected it later returns as a imitated nationwide sensation. When time and America began evolving, then was his work beginning to receive its time awaited praise. The Jazz Age had arrived! By this period Fitzgerald had already found his love and married the enchanting Zelda Syre. She was an accomplished writer, ballet dancer, and painter. Though every one of these qualities were contributions to her vivid personality, her flaws were seen by many! "Her rudeness, selfishness and lack of self restraint! She abuses men terribly then cuts and breaks dates with them, yawns in their faces, and they come back for more!" recalls Fitzgerald. As the jaded, rebellious "flaming youth" of the new

Is Rationalisation A Desireable Strategy For Junction Hotel

This essay will be discussing the affects that Junction Hotel would sustain if they were to implement rationalisation as a strategy. Julien Freund (1968) defines rationalisation as â€Å"the organization of life through a division and coordination of activities on the basis of exact study of men's relations with each other, with their tools and their environment, for the purpose of achieving greater efficiency and productivity. † Junction Hotel has recently suffered a fall in customer demand due to the current economic recession; with a new owner and uncertain hierarchical roles within the hotel, their revenue is decreasing rapidly.Through the use of rationalisation, the hotel overall may become more efficient and reduce costs. However, this strategy may have a negative effect on the staff, causing some staff members to become demotivated and inefficient. After various ownership changes the hotel is now owned by second chance consortium, run by business entrepreneur Simon Chan ce. The entrepreneur has analysed the current hotels condition, including all staff members and has highlighted the high amount of stress levels and confusion in management within departments.This creates a negative effect as staff members take situations into their own control. Further evaluating Junction Hotels poor hierarchy structure has caused unnecessary amounts of pressure around the organisation and confusion within the staff as to who their boss actually is. The implications of an unorganised structure of the Junction Hotel have occurred overtime allowing Simon Chance to come to a conclusion that a new change and strategy needs to be applied; thus throughout the essay the strategy of rationalisation will be analysed in terms of its reflected  efficiency within the business.Rationalisation towards the Junction Hotel organisation as a method itself can provide a positive outlook for a strategy as it links to bureaucracy which provides more of a hierarchical structure, a key fundamental element in which the organisation is lacking. This is easily noticeable in junction hotel by such things as, the current general manager Meg never applying an organisational chart towards the business as she sees it unnecessary by having a social leadership style.Rationalisation has been a desirable strategy to an extent for many organisations. An example is Henry Ford (1950) who created the assembly line approach, where products were able to be sent down an assembly line in smaller parts in order to break down a larger process, this allowed production speeds to increase through a more efficient manner. Ford’s theory implied that using rationalisation would reduce overall cost through lean production. Lean production is a process that’s aim is to eliminate any waste, Petterson (2009).The idea is that experienced and trained employees perform repetitive tasks through perfected techniques within their job roles meaning waste would be minimal therefore reduci ng costs spent on materials. This method can be applied to Junction Hotel too, for example in the kitchen the repetition of cooking and preparing food in an assembly line approach will help increase efficiency and speed up the process without having a negative effect on quality, thus through the use of lean production the hotel can reduce cost per customer and reduce waste.Another excellent example of this is the worldwide organisation ‘McDonald’s’ where Rationalisation has a more sociological term as ‘Mcdonaldization’ which was first introduced towards food restaurants by Ray Kroc (1950) this gives us an insight to how McDonalds has similarities towards Henry Ford’s production methods. Although analysing rationalisation as a concept shows clear advantages, there can be potential drawbacks that some theorists may argue. Morgan (2006) also evaluated rationalisation in his articles thinking of organisations more as machines in a semiautonomous m anner making employees ‘behave as if they were parts of machines’.Analysing a more humanist approach he argued how treating people as a machine is degrading towards the human spirit. Furthermore Elton mayo (1984) investigated against rationalisation approach using the ‘Hawthorne experiments’ concluding how managers or observers aswell as colleagues can affect how well people work. Morgan (2006) also looked into human minds and behaviour and argued that even though machines have an everyday use in society negative effects can occur such as affecting the ‘human spirit’ in routinized activities.Rationalisation as an approach towards Junction Hotel can show its advantages in efficiency levels however; even efficiency is not always affected in a positive way as Ritzer (2011) explains using the organisation McDonald’s as his focus, constructing social theories in the organisation about how people’s creativity can be restrained in the re petitive workforce. Ritzer (2011) explains his theory upon how individuals in the workplace are affected by a more psychological perspective.Thinking about the rationalisation approach towards the Junction Hotel may not only limit staff member’s creativity, but make the current workplace more repetitive and therefore dull. Increasing managing customers in an efficient time may also create a negative affect by increasing the workload per person present. Further negative effects from this may also demotivate staff members and cause higher stress levels, already currently indicated from Junction Hotel by the deputy manager Linda Wilkinson.A rationalisation approach towards Junction Hotel as its own concept can show many negative implications however to analyse and overcome the potential disadvantages, linking motivation and personality theories can help manage an overall more efficient approach. Rationalisation can create a dull and repetitive workforce. To help overcome this, f inancial motivational techniques can be applied such as ‘piece pay’ addressed by Cheung (1982), as a fixed amount of workers motivated by the level of output they produce per employee. However this is only an effective approach if money is the element of motivation.Further examples of motivation by financial factors can be bonuses or commission which apply mainly towards sales roles, also motivation can be used with allowances which can include travel as a reward or even medical, to also help show the organisation cares about the well-being of their employees. The examples just discussed show motivational techniques and delegate more time into applying effort towards the Junction Hotels employee job satisfaction; however they can also be ineffective if they are not applied efficiently.An example can be simply advertising a reward appropriately to employees as the reward scheme could not seem as encouraging, initially just decreasing the business profits. However adverti sing the bonus to show the appreciation, rewards individuals instead of groups so each member provides full contribution. Some further disadvantages to consider towards motivational techniques are employees may compare their pay with others creating a demotivating effect.However as the hotel is financially unstable it may not be wise to constantly use financial methods in order to save costs. There are also non-financial methods of motivation. Looking into methods from Kohn (1998) for motivational factors he has evaluated as a ‘longer lasting’ effect. Further examples are; job enlargement to broaden tasks, this helps to reduce repetitive behaviour, job rotation to increase employee’s interest by moving employees through a range of jobs and job enrichment to create greater responsibility and trust.Another example of a non-financial method is team working and empowerment, which will help communication within staff members therefore they can plan their work with pro blems that may occur in the working environment. Relating the non-financial motivational techniques towards Junction Hotel can create job satisfaction and a positive outlook from employees towards the company. However there can be limitations from different individual point of views as Edward and Ryan (1972) discuss how human motivation requires consideration upon psychological needs to the approach; therefore personality also links to motivational techniques.Various types of theories analyse motivational strategies including the famous Abraham Maslow (1964) hierarchy of needs. Maslow’s eight step model is a clear example of analysing motivation with personality by relating it to individual development. Being a humanist psychologist he relates the hierarchy example to realities of personal experiences. Another interesting theory is Frederick Herzberg (1959) looking at views of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.Herzberg has a completely different theory compared to Maslow decid ing to separate his theory into two which are hygiene factors that are more basic fundamental needs for motivation but are not long term and motivational factors for positive employee satisfaction and superior performance. Another theory to illustrate separating two fundamental theories are called the ‘X’ and ‘Y’ theory. The differences between the two theories are one management style applicable for individuals as an authoritarian management style also known as the ‘X’ theory.This analyses a type of person that may need more force or punishment and needs to be directed. The second type of management style is participative management style known as the ‘Y’ theory, which looks more into individuals that are naturally committed to the organisation and have their own self direction. Maslow, Herzberg and Douglas all have similar theories, finding the link between personality and motivation is an important factor to overall help increas e efficiency from employees in the workplace aswell as creating job satisfaction from individuals.There are some criticisms to each theorist for example how Maslow theory is rather broad using his pyramid technique with assumptions that may not necessarily apply to everyone. Herzberg has initially provided a theory which has limitations. This is because although the theory will work a strategy it will vary upon individuals or external factors such as the environment or simply the mood that particular individual is feeling that day . This means individuals can vary and become satisfied or dissatisfied at various days throughout the year because of emotions.At the same time criticisms of Douglas McGregory’s theory (2006) were by his assumptions towards individuals that do not like to work or avoid work and the assumption individuals do not want responsibility. Although evaluating these criticisms about how Maslow, Herzberg and McGregory are fairly broad, they don’t cover all aspects of individual perspectives in a workplace. However, it still provides a beneficial insight into trying to effectively manage employees, which can also be applied to benefit Junction Hotel.Furthermore there many types of theories which link towards motivation. A further theory is ‘Process Theory’ and ‘Content Theory’. Process theory analysing a process that occurs within the individual, discussed by John Stacey Adams (1964) who proposed a theory based on individuals and their relationships with others, aswell as stress levels affecting work negatively. Content theory however defines motivation in terms of the individuals needs for satisfaction.This theory of motivation links more towards the previous theory of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs with job satisfaction and individual development. This can be applied to Junction Hotel to help the business acknowledge what motivates their employees to increase efficiency. From assessing various motiv ational theories individual differences have indicated personality is also an important factor within trying to improve job satisfaction for employees within the junction hotel. A further set of approaches when looking into personalities can be Nomothetic, ideographic, and  social–radical.The approach known as nomothetic is a psychologists study upon what we share with others and what makes the specific individual person unique. The nomothetic approach to personality discussed by Whitcomb and Merrell (2013), identifies personality traits and uses group data for its findings to help predict human behaviour and emotional variances, for example questionnaires. Idiographic however by analysing uniqueness in individuals which were affected by past experiences, thus affecting the present behaviour in different situations.Idiographic is much more difficult to measure as there is so many various effects that can effect an individual’s response. The social approach to persona lity is also an important factor as Kohn (1999) discusses individuals to be ‘self- directed in their own orientation’ . This is an excellent example of a link towards Douglas and his ‘Y’ theory, analysing naturally committed self-direction from individuals. Applying nomothetic idiographic or social radical theories towards Junction Hotel can improve the social relationship between staff members.The approaches to observing the unique individual differences in the working environment can create a positive and comfortable atmosphere for employees, therefore improving motivation and efficiency within the working environment. Personality can be complex because of individual opinions between employees within the Junction Hotel, but it can also be affected by the situation. For example Kohlberg used his six stages of development to cover the personality changes, where when questioned and challenged he found it can provide more motivation.His stages reflect the bro ader viewpoints analysing each person in his study that is ‘free to pursue his or her individual interests’ Crain (1985). The Junction Hotel can measure personality by various strategies such as observations, interviews, group activities and questionnaires; however the two main types of collecting information when measuring personality can be quantitative and qualitative data. Qualitative data measures personality based on opinions and views, whereas quantitative data uses an analysis of statistical information.Quantitative data is a more measurable type of strategy because numbers can be easily calculated to provide an effective conclusion such as in a questionnaire, compared to qualitative data because people do not always respond in the same way in opinions. However both types of strategies can be criticised as false results can be produced because of personal and individual reasons. An example for this is false data from feedback that can be a result from embarrassm ent, creating an ineffective strategy.This show’s because of individual complexity Junction hotel should use various methods as techniques to help measure personality traits. By relating personality changes to situations in the Junction Hotel it shows its importance by indicating the deputy manager’s stressful situation of becoming overworked. This can affect the hotel negatively by allowing her to make poor decisions when in leadership of departments within the organisation. From an overall perspective using the strategy rationalisation as a concept can provide both advantages and disadvantages.The use of rationalisation would help increase consistency to Junction Hotel by creating a better hierarchy flow within the organisation to ensure any issues are dealt with more directly to managers, allowing staff to delegate their efficiency in the workplace. However, although the hotel will have an improved organisational structure it is important to maximise efficiency by l ooking at employee’s perspectives to help eliminate the dehumanizing effect from rationalisation.This is improved by using motivational techniques for job satisfaction aswell using judgement on personality techniques, which is a key element in helping the managers improve their leadership styles aswell as providing a positive environment; thus giving the hotel its prestigious and inviting image that Simon Chance has begun to develop, to which he has named as ‘Golden Standard Service’ providing the hotel to thrive and become competitive. However by implementing rationalisation as a strategy judging by the location within a competitive city, Junction Hotel may become more of a routinized, predictable common franchise.To help increase long term efficiency the hotel must apply a better unique selling point; therefore the use of rationalisation as a strategy can only be applied to an extent. Junction Hotel, located in London is the capital of the United Kingdom and th erefore generates a broader wealthy sector of customers. Applying a unique selling point towards a wealthy target market can therefore help increase the Junction Hotel customer base, by adapting to the main customers behavioural characteristics that attract them to business.An example to help target this specific sector of customers is providing low cost luxury benefits and appearances within the hotel, for a more comforting stay. This increases the organisations opportunity to target upper class customer’s aswell as their unique selling point providing a competitive edge however, this contradicts rationalisation by altering customer needs in forms of luxury in order to maximise customer satisfaction.To conclude although personality and motivational factors can help increase efficiency from the routinized strategy of rationalisation, the strategy can only partially be used, as long term efficiency also determines external factors for a more effective approach. For long term e fficiency and longevity for Junction Hotel as an organisation, the hotel would need to adapt to the individual personalities of employees within the organisation in order to drive motivation aswell as implementing a unique selling point for a target market such as businessmen or women.

500 Word Commentary on West London

Matthew Arnold critical commentary West London raises multiple literary observations. These include the type of language used, the structure of the poem and the use of poetic techniques, such as imagery. The first striking feature is the rhyming structure that follows the criteria of an Italian sonnet, with a slight variant in the last tercet. This can be seen as Arnold attempting to tweak the model to emphasise the final three lines. This ending can be interpreted as the heightened and emotionally charged culmination of feelings of the central characters.The Italian sonnet commonly produces a statement followed by a counter statement, by means of an octave, which consists of two quatrains, followed by a setstet which is displayed by two tercets. This poem conforms as the first two quatrains provide negatively charged language, such as â€Å"ill,† (â€Å"West London† 2) and, â€Å"their feet were bare. † (West London† 4) The mood of the poem shifts dramatic ally after the turn and the language changes, suggesting that Arnold is deliberately showing the reader opposite attitudes.This is evident by, â€Å"this spirit towers,† (â€Å"West London† 9) and â€Å"she will not ask of aliens, but of friends. † (â€Å"West London† 10) The use of the turn can be seen as an attempt to show the readers the complexity of the situation on the streets of London, during this era of industrialisation. This is further explained by the two quatrains, which display a common view of the homeless, while the sestet provides a romantic and humble image of gratitude, evidenced by how the girl, â€Å"begg'd and came back satisfied,† (â€Å"West London† 7) from the passing labour workers.The poem finishes with the image of the unfortunate girl that, â€Å"points us to a better time than ours,† (â€Å"West London† 14) which can indicate the level of ignorance of passers by. It also suggests a sense of untold experiences, due to social neglect. Various prominent images run throughout the poem. One example can be seen on lines six and seven with the girl begging the workers, which can be used in conjunction with, â€Å"of sharers in a common human fate. (â€Å"West London† 11) These images indicate a type of alienation the lower classes feel, when compared to wealthier members of society. This image is used aptly with the image on line eight, â€Å"the rich she had let pass with frozen stare. † (â€Å"West London† 8) This can be seen as Arnold deliberately exposing the ignorance of the wealthy. This sentence is the shortest of all in the poem, which indicates a definitive response. Another notable image can be seen on line nine, â€Å"above her state this spirit towers. † (â€Å"West London† 9) This is the most powerful image of the entire poem.Arnold deliberately uses such emphatic language to conjure this image, on the pivotal first line of the turn, to demonstrate the strength of the human spirit. This image also alludes to the idea of the towering human spirit contesting the new skyscraper buildings that claimed the landscape of London during the nineteenth century. West London is full of unique imagery, and carefully selected language, for its time period. Arnold uses an Italian sonnet structure to speak about controversial issues, in a style readers would have been familiar with.