Practicality over Aestheticism In Alice Walkers Everyday Use Essay

Practicality over Aestheticism In Alice Walkers Everyday Use - Essay Example This is due not only because Maggie has remained at home with her mother, but because Maggie has learned the skills necessary to their normal existence, skills passed down from preceding generations. Dee shows an interest in family heritage as well, but her exposure to academic and social movements has shifted her priorities to the African connection rather than the African-American roots of her immediate family. This paper will examine how Walker displays a partiality for practical applications of heritage rather than abstract academic curiosity. Dee's degree of distance from her family becomes apparent as soon as she arrives at the house. Her first action is to take a series of photographs to document her family and the domicile, and " never takes a shot without making sure that the house is included." Dee then explains to her family that her name is now Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, citing that her old name was decreed by her 'oppressors' presumably she and her companion are recent members of the Muslim movement, given that the man greets the mother with the phrase "Asalamalakim." Dee claims the churn top and dasher from the dairy churn - not noticing that they are still needed - to incorporate into some type of artistic table. Dee then wants to claim hand-stitched patchwork quilts semn together by several generations of the family, with the intent to display them at her house by hanging them behind glass. The mother, as narrator, not only shows a knowledge of the family heritage, but still lives in accordance with it. In the very first scene, she expresses an appreciation for her swept yard, saying "It is like an extended living room. When the hard clay is swept clean" The churn top that Dee wants is described as having "the milk in it clabber by now," implying that the churn is an appliance that still gets frequent use in the household. Her slight favoritism for Maggie is revealed in her defending Maggie's claim on the quilts. In the past, Dee was offered a quilt and disdained to take it; the future of the quilts has since been assigned as a sort of dowry for Maggie's eventual marriage to a boy named John Thomas. When Dee left to go to college in Augusta, Maggie remained at home and has become saturated with family culture. She has encyclopedic knowledge of family history: when Maggie recalls Aunt Dee's first husband Henry, called stash, whittled the churn dash, Dee observes that "Maggie's brain is like an elephant's." Maggie herself is a walking connection to the family history, for her burn scars came from the destruction of the girls' childhood house. Most importantly, Maggie remained with her family and learned the skills of her preceding matriarchs. Not only has Maggie communed with both her grandmother and her aunt in the actual making of these quilts, she has acquired the skill of sewing them and is now able to pass the knowledge down to following generations. Opponents of this interpretation would argue that the narrator's perceptions are not only slanted, but hypocritical. They perhaps would argue that the mother's fantasy about meeting her daughter on television indicates a merging of history and progress, with a secret yearning for progress. Another argument could be made that the

Financial Markets - Raising Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial Markets - Raising Capital - Essay Example In fact the financing decisions form an integral part of a firm’s policy decisions. Usually, the financial managers prefer debt over equity on account of interest tax deductibility and low cost associated with debt. Mr Exposito plans to raise funds for the purpose of expanding his winery business. A careful analysis of the various sources of funding has been done to suggest the best available alternative based on the size of the winery business and the prevailing conditions in the market. Analysis of capital instruments There are two forms of financing - long term and short term. The long term financing instruments include debentures, bonds, term loans & shares and the short term debt instruments include bank overdraft & trade credit. Bonds- A bond is a long-dated financial instrument used by the companies to raise funds from the public. The bondholders are entitled to regular interest in the form of coupon payments. Normally, the bond is listed in the stock exchange. It has a fixed date of maturity which is the date at which the company agrees to pay back the principal amount to the holder of the instrument. The issue of a bond creates a legal binding on the company. Even in the event of a loss the company cannot dishonour the interest payments as this can have legal repercussions. The companies mostly issue fixed coupons bonds offering semi-annual payments until the date of maturity. There may be other types of bonds like fluctuating coupon bonds or bonds with an annual or quarterly payment feature. Besides there are zero coupon bonds that do not require any interest payments. The bonds can further be classified on the basis of the collateral as mortgage bonds, collateral trust bonds and equipment trust certificates. The real property is used as collateral in the case of mortgage bonds. The securities owned by the corporate act as a security for the collateral trust bonds whereas the inventories and company equipments act as security for equipment trus t certificates. The price of the bond is inversely proportional to the interest rate. A rise in the interest rate can lower the price of the bonds and vice versa. Considering the interest rate sensitivity the bonds can be of two types- callable and non callable bonds. If after a bond issue the interest rates fall in the market then the corporate can call back the bonds issued at a higher interest rate and issue new bonds at a lower rate of interest (Rini, 2002, p.57). Debentures- The features of debentures are more or less similar to that of bonds except that unlike bonds the debentures carry a pre-determined rate of interest. Depending on ‘security’ the debentures can be classified as secured and unsecured. Secured debentures carry a charge on the company assets. The company cannot dispose-off these assets without the approval of the debenture holders. The unsecured debentures do not carry any such charge on the asset which makes it risky from the point of view of the investors. Again the debentures can be classified as per ‘convertibility’ into convertible and non-convertible debentures. The former gets converted into equity after a specified time period. Therefore in the future the debenture holders get an option to acquire a stake in the company. The non-convertible debentures are repaid at the end of the maturity and cannot be converted into equity. Depending on the ‘payment pattern’ the debentures c

Confrontation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Confrontation - Essay Example Be it the pure arts or humanities, criticism has always been there to point put any deviations from and contradictions to the ideologies and moralities, and the sets of rules, established by the actions of the people. This effort can be traced back to Aristotle, when he, in his Poetics, put forward the theory of literature that offered positive criticism to the literary works. Or the ideology of Karl Marx, called Marxism, for instance, objected to the sociopolitical conditions and offered an alternative method of approach that not only affected the social sciences, but even artists and literates grabbed on to the philosophies proposed by him. Flash forward to the recent exhibition, Art of Confrontation, and it is apparent that the struggle is far from over. In the humanities, the critical social theory, or the critical theory for short, has had an evolution, from two distinct origins and fields_ namely the literary theory, that proposes criticism purely in the arts and literature, and the social theory of criticism, that examines and analyses sociopolitical practices_ to the recent more overlapping critical social theory that combines the two fields and tries to provide a better and deeper understanding of society by incorporating all branches of humanities. Ultimately, the goal is to mold society according to the principles of Enlightenment, and to pursue it. Similarly, artists have for long seen it as their role as social scientists, and have produced work that has criticism and progression as its basis. Culture is by the people, for the people, and this medium, when tapped, can have amazing affects on the lives of the people. Sculptures, paintings and other form of art, even literature, can forever capture the thinking, feelings, and issues of the people of their time for future generations to study and learn from. As is said, it bears testimony. It stands as a reminder of the struggles of the people and their aspirations, and can send strong waves of renaissance and reform. Sometimes it has political shades to it and sometimes it provides a parallel medium to view issues, with a new light, leading, however, to the same goal_ Enlightenment. This form of art has come about to be known as critical art, and together, critical social theory and critical art, both high culture and mass culture, aim to propagate the acquisition of critical k nowledge to instill in individuals a sense of psychoanalysis and self-reflection so that society as a whole can emancipate itself from all forms of oppression, vice and domination. The underlying agenda of all activist movement has always been human rights, and the dignity and freedom that is associated with every individual. War,

Am I a Constructivist Teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Am I a Constructivist Teacher - Essay Example I also have group activities once a day. Reading to each other, playing math games, and other activities are encouraged. Every lesson also has an open discussion. I allow all students to participate with answers, questions, and even stories. I am at the middle of the constructivist spectrum due to my views on individual teaching. I feel that children can play around or distract when grouped together too often. Interspersing constructivist activities with traditional assignments seem to keep the children focused better. A child does not automatically understand self-control, autonomous behavior, and self-reliance without doing traditional assignments by themselves. On the other hand, after doing a traditional assignment constructivist activities about the traditional assignment are handy. This helps the children do the assignment on their own merits while learning from their and others’ mistakes and successes. My current teaching habits do reflect my constructivist-based views. I like to mix both traditional and constructivist views. Children cannot be programmed like computers. It is essential to use constructivist-based activities to help the child learn. Upon learning a skill a student can then reproduce the skill alone. For example, creative writing is a test given in the 5th grade. All year descriptive writing is examined by the students. Papers are written and shared by the entire 5th grade. Students bounce ideas off of each other in groups and through open discussion, however when taking the writing test the student must perform on their own. This is why I prefer both methods. Discipline is another reason I am in the middle on constructivist views. Some students cannot handle group interaction. Often these children have rough backgrounds. These children need a more traditional approach. This is especially true when speaking about emotionally disturbed (ED) children. Every child is different. If a

Globalization and HRM Strategies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Globalization and HRM Strategies - Assignment Example Technology is a critical tool in competition as it is essential in ensuring quality of goods and services. Though it means increase in production costs of the company, technology as a tool ensures increase in sales and product quality to meet the ever increasing/ growing consumer expectations and taste. Additionally, globalization has seen that a company like Sony improves greatly on its information and knowledge transfer which, much like technology is important in helping the company stay connected and informed of emerging customer preferences. Information therefore enables adaptation to trends and its quick and effective transmission has become vital in customer retention and growth hence. Different cultures of the world have very little effect and impact on Sony and unlike most other multinational corporations, Sony has managed to break the barriers of culture across the globe by producing a wide range of high quality, sophisticated and culturally acceptable goods and services. In addition, Sony’s policy of recruiting from any culture, age, gender and other such barriers puts it in a favorable position for worldwide appeal and acceptance. However, the financial and credit services offered by Sony, for example, may receive negative and little acceptance in other parts of the world. Islam, for instance, strictly forbids the use of usury. In such areas, the company may be viewed in bad light and rejected altogether. This is highly unlikely however as Sony offers a wide range of services and products and if one of them is found to be unpalatable in a certain culture, other products eventually override this ‘dislike’ altogether and firmly establishes Sony in the area. Just like cultures, labor markets are of very... This paper approves that different cultures of the world have very little effect and impact on Sony and unlike most other multinational corporations, Sony has managed to break the barriers of culture across the globe by producing a wide range of high quality, sophisticated and culturally acceptable goods and services. In addition, Sony’s policy of recruiting from any culture, age, gender and other such barriers puts it in a favorable position for worldwide appeal and acceptance. According to the paper the human resource department spends much time with the new recruits in bid to get them fully on board with the objectives and strategies of the company and is focused on universal standard employment offering superior working conditions and paying employees their locally relevant wages. Sony also offers management training to promising recruits. IHRM plays an important role in ensuring productivity of Sony. There are a series of undertakings that the IHRM could pursue to ensure improved productivity and competitiveness of Sony globally. Seminars that serve to enlighten employees further on consumer needs and improve service delivery could be brought on board. The paper comes to the conclusion that Problem solving groups are essential and swift solution of arising issues or any quarrels act to minimize employee infighting and the distractive and destructive office gossip thus creating the much needed and indispensable harmonious, smooth working environment.

Am I a Constructivist Teacher Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Am I a Constructivist Teacher - Essay Example I also have group activities once a day. Reading to each other, playing math games, and other activities are encouraged. Every lesson also has an open discussion. I allow all students to participate with answers, questions, and even stories. I am at the middle of the constructivist spectrum due to my views on individual teaching. I feel that children can play around or distract when grouped together too often. Interspersing constructivist activities with traditional assignments seem to keep the children focused better. A child does not automatically understand self-control, autonomous behavior, and self-reliance without doing traditional assignments by themselves. On the other hand, after doing a traditional assignment constructivist activities about the traditional assignment are handy. This helps the children do the assignment on their own merits while learning from their and others’ mistakes and successes. My current teaching habits do reflect my constructivist-based views. I like to mix both traditional and constructivist views. Children cannot be programmed like computers. It is essential to use constructivist-based activities to help the child learn. Upon learning a skill a student can then reproduce the skill alone. For example, creative writing is a test given in the 5th grade. All year descriptive writing is examined by the students. Papers are written and shared by the entire 5th grade. Students bounce ideas off of each other in groups and through open discussion, however when taking the writing test the student must perform on their own. This is why I prefer both methods. Discipline is another reason I am in the middle on constructivist views. Some students cannot handle group interaction. Often these children have rough backgrounds. These children need a more traditional approach. This is especially true when speaking about emotionally disturbed (ED) children. Every child is different. If a

Unemployment Halts Globalisation (Pros and Cons) Essay

Unemployment Halts Globalisation (Pros and Cons) - Essay Example Unemployment Halts Globalisation (Pros and Cons) The fourth section before the conclusion will discuss the pros and cons of the fact that unemployment halts globalization. Unemployment With reference to the writings by Stringham and Workman (2004), they wrote that unemployment is a situation whereby people who are willing and able to work are not able to work since they do not have employment opportunities. The causes of unemployment are classified into two categories that include transitional unemployment causes and structural unemployment causes (Stone and McCraw, 2009). Under transitional causes, it is stated that unemployment is caused by temporary reasons such as; Turnover of unemployment whereby people leave their jobs to take up other jobs Casual unemployment which occurs on employees who are engaged as casual workers Seasonal unemployment, which is experienced in an industry that faces seasonal demand for its goods and services. Under structural causes, Layard et al. stated that unemployment is caused by structural changes in the economy such as: †¢ Economic depression, which normally results in low demands of goods and services meaning that employment opportunities diminishes †¢ Technological changes causes unemployment to a group of employees who are not fully conversant with the operational use of the newly introduced technology †¢ Rural to urban migration, which results in urban unemployment Other causes of unemployment include: †¢ Overpopulation †¢ Lack of capital †¢ Lack of proper training and education †¢ Lack of occupational specialisation ... s, local governments, and citizens of different countries, with investments and international trade acting as the driving force and is catapulted by information technology is known as globalization. Greenaway et al. (2008) further added that the integration and interaction of different economies and people of different economy has a very huge impact on the political system of these countries that integrate and interact as their cultures, environment, economic success and development are also greatly affected by globalization Godinot (2012) wrote in his book that the main distinctive characteristic of globalization is capitalism as it promotes self-sufficiency and reliance on individuals in order to enable them to become masters of their own destiny. Jagdish (2004) on his part stated that globalization is mainly concerned with making people and the market free. In addition, it is a system that allows economy to grow without any interference and with the assumption that there is no pov erty and the main pillars or building blocks of globalization constitute of technology, economy, market, and capital. The relationship between unemployment and globalisation From the causes of unemployment that were listed above it can be stated that the impact of globalization also contribute to unemployment, in the sense that Dreher et al. (2005) stated globalization is facilitated by high advanced technology and relocation of people from rural areas to urban areas, which has been touted as one of the causes of unemployment. On the other hand, Nadeem (2009) stated that increased levels of unemployment result in lower demands of goods and services, which means that both local and foreign goods and services will not experience high demand thereby, mostly limiting foreign companies from