Definition of a princess or anything else Essay

Definition of a princess or anything else - Essay Example d person just because you haven’t ever had to earn a living and even if you would have then all you would’ve done is, buy the entire Macy’s clothes collection just because to get an opportunity to look down on everybody else...’’ While it is true that I enjoy manicures, pedicures and saloon hair treatments once every forty days but it doesn’t make me a spoiled spendthrift or even a snob and it is also true that I work at the local Hospital as a certified Nurses Assistant where I’m dedicated to taking care of my patients, my patients regard me as a friendly Nurses Assistant. I am a person that enjoys helping out people in every possible way. I would do almost anything to make the lives of others better. I enjoy working for the betterment of the health care profession and that is the reason, why I have been doing it for the past twenty years and I work hard and put my best foot forward to accomplish the best for my patients. Due to my love and kindness for mankind, I’m sure that I would help anybody regardless of caste, creed and color. Therefore, I’m a kind hearted and a hard working person and not a spoiled snob. I’m from a small North Dakota town, and I made my way to Grand Forks after graduating from high school, and in order to feed my family and to save money for college I had to become a conservative person. I was earning more than any girl my age and was not only supporting my family but also saving money for college. Later I continued my education to pursue a career as a Licensed Practical Nurse. This means that I have the patience and heart to take care of other people other than myself. It also means that I have the will to devote my life for the betterment of others. For me, my patients come first and this is very different from the idea of a snob, therefore I’m hardly a cold hearted person who looks down on others. Another reason, why people usually stereotype me is because of my aristocratic looks and ice blonde hair. My good

Advertising to the other Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Advertising to the other - Essay Example Fleishman –Hilliard Company concentrated on reaching out to potential customers in Canada, North America and globally. The potential customers mainly comprised environmental groups, oil-retailing companies and all-level institutions and companies that use energy. The objectives of an ad should reflect the intention of the marketing of the product. It is imperative for any advertising firm to consider the objectives of an ad before making any piece of advertisement (Williams, 2012). The Fleishman-Hilliard firm ads campaign sought to achieve different objectives. The primary objective of the ads is to promote the oil sands and Canada’s natural resource sector globally. The campaign ads incorporate this objective by using the ads to raise public awareness about the products made by the Canadian oil sands. The ads also aim at ensuring a fact-based dialogue about Canada being a responsible supplier of oil and other resources. The ad campaign aims at exploring online platform where customers can find information about Canadian oil sands. Finally, the ad campaign aims at portraying Canada as a competent and trustworthy neighbor in terms of industrial partnerships and acting responsibly. Advertising techniques are the ways in which advertising agents use to attract and engage minds of the target market and public. When made to be creative and captivating, they serve as very strong communication tools. Importance and relevance of a particular technique rests on its ability to trigger emotion and attract attention (Williams, 2012). Fleishman-Hilliard Company employed different techniques in its advertising Canadian Oil sands. These techniques included claims, repetition, bandwagon, association, and patriotism. An effective advertisement tends to imply or make claims about the unique capabilities of a particular product. The ads achieve this by concentrating on specific aspects of the

About Leadership In Sport And Leisure Sport Essay

About Leadership In Sport And Leisure Sport Essay Do not forget that you are required to keep a copy of all of your submitted work. I certify that this assignment is my own work and that all sources of information have been acknowledged. This report critically analyses the role of leadership to managing people in sport and leisure organisations. It uses critical thinking methods to demonstrate the definition of leadership, the human resource management in sport leisure organisation, the difference between management and leadership and some key theories of leadership. Finally, it analyses to analysis a case studies through one practical sports organisation as example. The purpose is to make logical recommendations for improving the fitness club management ideas to build a strong cohesion and loyalty of staff ranks high. The Definition of Leadership Leadership was defined by Parry (1996: 2) who stated that â€Å"Leadership is the presentation by a person of some identifiable goal or vision or future state that people can desire; and the generation of a willingness within those people to follow the leader along a socially responsible and mutually beneficial course of action, toward thatgoal.† This concept of leadership seemed ambiguous; it did not emphasis the effectiveness of leadership and major characteristics. Leadership probably means having a long term vision and to stimulate the people follow he or she to achieve their common goal for the companys future development. Strange and Munford (2002) believed that the direct leadership comes from the personal charismatic leadership; this could be the best way to influence and motivate people. Therefore, Wunderer and Grunwald (1980: 232) defined â€Å"leadership as a goal-oriented and social impact to fulfill common tasks in a structured work environment.† Because of many kinds of notions about leadership, it always led to confusion between leadership and management. As far as this point is concerned, the following essay will research the role of leadership in an essential position in the management environment. Simultaneously, it will evaluate the process of human resource management. Human Resource Management Human Resource Management system plays a significant role in a company or organization. It directly impacts on this organizations strategic implementation in each step and controls the speed of development with their competitors in the same sphere. Heathfield (2010) proposed that â€Å"Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.† Moreover, in the past in USA, HRM concentrated on the human relations in the enterprise management and employees relations in the working environment; Due to industrial psychology, it applies consolidated systems and strategies commonly, HRM was also considered as personnel management (PM) in the UK (Chadwick and Beech, 2004). According to the above statements, it was obviously seen that a manager was set in a core position in the HRM system. The mangers main responsibility was to deal with issues related to people, such as recruitment, to choose who the most appropriate person for this vacancy is. As Taylor et al (2008) said the HRM system was the first level of administration in people management system, while encouraging more organizational activities. How can we evaluate the organization owns a good HRM system or not? It focuses on the Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) system. Operational effectiveness and strategic positioning were two fundamental methods to support the organization in outperforming their rivals in an industry (Porter, 1979). These two points could stimulate the organization have to perform better activities than other competitors and create some unique advantages in the same industry. However, Taylor et al (2008:128) commented that â€Å"a focused strategy requires a competitive position based on cost leadership or differentiation†. Wright and McMahon (1992: 295) gave a definition of SHRM as, â€Å"the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals†. The purpose of SHRM was to choose the best appropriate candidate take part in their own organization whilst increase the organization marketing segment in the industry. Sport organization was a good example, each sport clubs would like to attract a famous coach or athlete, like in National Basketball Association (NBA). There was no doubt that NBA draft was the best opportunity to provide for each team to choose a potential player in every year. However, in the practice of organization, SHRM system did not only focus on some basic HRM skills, but also extended the range of relevant management techniques, for instance, high-commitment work system, the process of recruitment, leadership philosophy and the development of process of the organization (Taylor et al, 2008). In brief, the present approach of SHRM still in the traditional HRM scope; it lacked practical circumstance for an organization to operate their performance in different situations. Particularly in a sport organization, if it could combine the HRM rational theory and operate the SHRM in a practical process of organization, it would bring more outcomes for the organizations long term development. In addition, managerial leadership was an indispensable part in the SHRM. Hence, the next part of the essay will look at the differences between management and leadership. Differences of Management and Leadership Regarding the issue about relationship and the distinction between management and leadership, different people will have their different perspectives. In the early stage, a professor named John Adair (1988) made use of etymological origins to explain the difference in a magazine interview; Adair revealed that â€Å"leadership† stems from an Anglo-Saxon word; it means that a road, a way, the path of a ship at sea, a common sense of direction, whereas â€Å"management† was from a Latin word â€Å"manus†, it means a hand and it has to do with handling a sword, a ship, a horse. It is easy to remind people what entrepreneurial engineers and accountants were doing when starting and administration businesses and how they gained the currency in the 19th century. Nevertheless, since the leadership development in recent years, more functions have been appeared, such as planning, organizing and controlling work. These functions are similar to the functions of management in my view. Managers always make a plan, organize the activity and administrate the limit resources to realize some common objectives (Gill, 1997). Meanwhile, managers could communicate with his or her employees, but leaders usually influence and inspire his or her employees. Behind each leader there is a support team and followers, however, managers just have their subordinates. In my opinion, management focuses on implementing the whole plan through the managers ability and making the utmost of the managing resources, whereas leadership emphases the individual persons idea and imbues with the main spirit to their employees. In brief, the final goal for good management or leadership is to win the hearts and minds of their people. Leadership Theory Leadership was deemed as a process of a leader to impart unique ideas to other people through his or her individual managing strategy. Popper and Zakkai (1994:3) believed that â€Å"the essence of leadership is to make people do what you want them to with as much will, determination and enthusiasm as if they had decided for themselves.† From the past several years research, leadership literature mainly focuses on: which types of leadership theory is close and more appropriate for present leader to exert their leadership function. Lewin et al (1939) implied that the subordinates performance decides which kind of flavor of leadership theory fits this organization; furthermore, different kinds of training programmes related with leadership have emerged. Notably in the current situation, outward bound development plan is the most popular approach was adopted in most organizations. The rest of this report will review some major theories of leadership and the purpose is to analyses of the real case in the last part then to propose some recommendations for improvement. l Trait Theory Leadership traits theory is the original theory and it concentrate on the leaders characteristics. Cartwright and Zander (1968) stated that an effective leader should possess the following certain qualities: intelligence, reliability, sense of responsibility, greater energy and social activity. Regarding these qualities; it is easy to find that most of them require the leader to keep on cultivating himself in the future not are inborn. The ‘Personality Era of ‘Great Man theories were proposed by Van Sters and Field (1990:29) who said that â€Å"effective leaders at one time were believed to show common characteristics that cause them to behave in certain ways.† However, this theory was challenged in the 2000 World Economic Forum report. The report indicated that many successful companies always change their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to ensure that their business prospers. Whereas most CEOs succeed in their first organization, they often fail when enter for a ne w organization. This point demonstrates that in fact the leaders have not acquired all the leadership traits and that is little connection between CEO style and organizational performance. Also the trait theory was not to judge the leadership situation. l Situational Leadership and Contingency Theory Situational theory is more focused on the situation and the group of followers. This way is more practical and good for the leader to acknowledge their followers and situations. This approach does not consider the whole organization or the current requirements of the individual leaders group. Contingency theory of leadership mainly analyses three factors between leaders and followers. The first one is Fiedler (1968), who proposed the extending definition of the followers and of the work structure of the subordinate. The second one is how the leader uses his or her authority and depends on his or her subordinates. The third one is the existing relationship between the leader and followers. The leaders charisma attracts the followers and the followers reverence for the leader. l Leadership Style Theories Leadership style theories are concerned with the leaders behaviour and do not pay attention to the individual characteristics of the leader. Through these theories, some researchers discovered that the manager who considers the employee as the centre may gain more results and effects than the manager who focuses on tasks. This point is evaluated by the leaders performance value. If the leader views the situation from the perspective of a boss, he or she priorities the tasks above the employees. However, if he takes the employees view into consideration, he or she values both the task and the employee. So the later approach is more encompassing. Of course, as a leader, pay more attentions on the employee behaviour can bring his or her work more benefits than only concern with the task as a centre. l Transactional Leadership This kind of leadership turns out to be more popular in most organizations. Popper and Zakkai (1994:6) accepted that â€Å"transactional leadership contains a basic mechanism of exchange relations which becomes possible when there is no outstanding sense of impending threat or anxiety†. Transactional leaders shall use management-by-exception, actively or with contingent rewards (Gill, 1997). Generally, the management-by-exception includes making objectives and regulations, taking charge of the progress and discovering mistakes and then enhancing the effectiveness of leadership. However, transactional leadership ignores the employees desires and motivation; it focuses on how to achieve the goal through the followers. Many empirical examples prove that transactional leadership might cause performance that meets expectations (Gill, 2003). l Transformational Leadership This pattern of leadership is a good approach in order to stimulate the followers and subordinates interested in accomplishing the goal and enhance their self-development. Alderder (1972) agreed that transformational leadership should pay more attention to the leaders developmental requirement. Furthermore, Bass (1991) revealed that there exist the following four aspects of transformational leadership behaviours. Individualised consideration Intellectual stimulation Inspirational motivation Idealised influence (charm) Analysis of a Practical Sports Organisation Example During a period as a sports trainee in Beijing, an example of a process of leadership change was witnessed by the author. This fitness club was set up in 2003 and it was been open for 5 years. In the early period, the former fitness club managers original plan was run a small business and serve whiter collar workers and students around the university. Hence, his focus point is how to attract more customers and increase sale volume rather than make an integrated management system for his subordinates to enhance the whole level of this fitness club service. He is a typical laissez-faire leader in the hearts of his employee. Popper and Zakkai (1994:3) claimed that â€Å"an effective leader, according to the criteria of this approach, is a sensitive psychological diagnostician who accurately discerns subordinates needs and expectations and responds to them accordingly.† In addition, his behaviour assesses the various theories. When the employee proposes their suggestions or questions during each weekly meeting, the leader always says these opinions were correct but never realizes it. In terms of this point, several senior level coaches began to leave whilst some old cus tomers also followed by their coach left this club. These results led to the club faceing bankrupt and merger by other large fitness corporation. In 2005, this fitness club was taken over by the Bally Total Fitness Corporation. As the new leader was transferred to this club, he brought a totally new management system. He used transformational leadership theory, through exploiting subordinates intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation to improve employee vision. Transformational leadership is more important when the company faces uncertain markets. A new recombination has to be innovated to remain in the competitive environment (Gill, 1997). First of all, he reformulated the current staff while reducing the number of staff. Second, he advised each coach to take ACE (America Certificate Exercise) certificate to make use of their personal time. Third, he added some new reward regulations, such as providing a free nutritional breakfast for early morning shift employees. Furthermore, the company will organize one outside sports event consisting of employees and their family members to join in each year on anniversary da y. Apart from these, to keep more regular customers and attract more potential customers, he adopted some kinds of exercise classes especially arranged different coaches for different ages. Another side is, he is a patient person who can listen to each employees suggestions about the club development and communicate with his employees frequently. For instance, one employee proposed that the club could publish their own health tips each month focus on their current membership. After one month, this was realized and clubs first month health tip flyer was put up in the club information bar. The theory of motivation, Horner (1997) stated that the degree of satisfaction of employees could be thought of as motivators; only one motivation the employee could achieve the goal. Others motivation theories were concerned with what behaviour the leader needs to influence their subordinates. Apart from that, Alderfer (1969:142) proposed that â€Å"there may be only three needs: existence needs, relatedness needs and growth needs in a hierarchy of concreteness, and people may be motivated by multiple needs at any one time.† Since this new manager uses a logical leadership management method, it results in revenue fitness club turn flourishing and the scale began to extend. Of course, the marketing share also rank at the top compared with other competitors. However, the most essential reason is the new manager used a correct leadership theory and rationally applied the realization. Conclusion To sum up the role of leadership in a sport and leisure organizations, the leaders behaviour could influence each subordinates psychology, the leaders management method decides the companys development trend to success or failure. Through the authors experience of two leaders behaviour in a real sport and leisure organization, how to create more motivations for their employees, how to encourage their employees are more important and practical than only depend on some formal traditional leadership theories. The significant value for the leader is to let the subordinate follow your path of company development. Consequently, discovering more new management techniques from experience are the most effective ways to manage modern organizations. Reference: Alderfer,C.P. (1972). Existence, Relatedness and Growth, Human Needs in Organizational Settings, New York, The Free Press. Cartwright,D.C. and Zander, A., (1968). Group Dynamics. The 3rd edition., London, Tavistock. Chadwick, S and Beech, J. (2004). The Business of Sport Management. Harlow, Prentice Hall. Fiedler, F.E., (1968). Group Dynamics. 3rd edition., London, Tavistock. Parry, K. (1996). Transformational Leadership. Melbourne, Pitman Publishing. Taylor et al. (2008). Managing people in sport organizations: A strategic human resource management perspective. Oxford, Butter worth- Heinemann. Wunderer, R. and Grunwald, W. (1980). Fuhrungslehre: Grundlagen der Fuhrung. Berlin, Walter de Gruyter. Alderfer, C.P. (1969). A new theory of human needs. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 4, 142-175. D.A. Van Sters and R.H.G.Field (1990). The evoluation of leadership theory. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 3(3), 29-45. Grill, R. (1997). New Directions in Leadership. Leadership Trust Foundation, 16 March, 1994. Grill, R. (2003). Towards a General Theory of Leadership. Leadership Trust, 31 January, 2003. Horner, M. (1997). Leadership theory: past, present and future. Team Performance Management, 3(4), 270-287. Lewin, K et al. (1939). Patterns of aggressive behaviour in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology, 10, 271-301. Popper, M. and Zakkai, E. (1994). Transactional, Charismatic and Transformational Leadership: Conditions Conducive to their Predominance. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 15 (6), 3-7. Poter, M.E. (1979). How competitive forces shape strategy. Harvard Business Review, 57(2), 137-145. Strange, J.M. and Mumford, M.D. (2002). The origin of vision: charismatic versus ideological leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 13, 343-77. Wright, P.M. and McMahon, G.C. (1992). Theoretical perspective for strategic human resource management. Journal of Management, 18 (2), 295-320. Heathfield, S.M. (2010). [online]. Last accessed 23 March 2010 at: http://human resources.about.com/od/glossary/f/hr_management.htm.

personal statement :: College Admissions Essays

As I watched my mother rush to get the pot to boil some water with tears in her eyes, I found myself at the mercy of one of the many asthma attacks that presided over most of my childhood. Most of the houses around our neighborhood in Juarez, Mexico were composed of one large room with a stove, bed, something to sit on and no restroom, so getting to the steaming pot was only a few feet away. Desperately trying to grasp for air as I lay on the couch, I wanted relief not only for myself, but also for my loving mother. Understanding of what was causing the onset of my respiratory problems became a quest. I did not understand why I had a high temperature, why I had to breathe the mist of the vaporized water, or why I had to use an inhaler. However, I did understand that those things made me feel better, and without them I could not breathe properly. As I grew older, biology became my fascination because it helped me understand my illness and not feel quite so helpless in regards to my asthma. Ignorance was a part of my life, but not by choice. I grew up in an area where education was limited. My role models relied on tradition and rumors instead of facts in order to solve problems. When I was seven, one of the neighbor's children picked up a used, dried-out condom from the park in front of my house. He then proceeded to throw it at me while laughing hysterically as it landed on my shirt, and said, "You have AIDS!" I thought I was going to die. I asked my grandfather if a person could acquire AIDS from a condom landing on their shirt. He simply replied, "Yes." A month went by before I realized I was not dying. The stress and fear that haunted me was a result of ignorance. In effect, I was motivated to go down the path of knowledge, not ignorance. While sixteen and in college, there were times when neither my parents nor I could afford my textbooks, and I had to study for my classes solely from lecture notes. Working two jobs was the solution to my financial problems. I was recommended and hired for a position as an attendant to Gregory, a 22-year- old male with cerebral palsy. After my experience with Gregory I realized that I, too, had a disability by thinking of cerebral palsy as depressing and socially segregating. It takes a while to figure out that Greg is

A Theorist in Management: Henry Mintzberg Essay

Henry Mintzberg can be described as a guru of management and business studies including managerial and national culture, organization and structure, strategy and planning. He was born in 1939 and since 1968 has been teaching in McGill University in Montrà ©al. Henry Mintzberg is the author of thirteen books including â€Å"The Nature of Managerial Work† (1973), â€Å"Structure in 5’s: Designing Effective Organization† (1983), â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning† (1994), â€Å"Strategy Bites Back† (2005), etc. Also, Henry Mintzberg is the author of more than 140 articles and twice winner of the McKinsey Award (Witzel, 2003). Most of his theories, Henry Mintzberg has based on human approach to management. During 1970s, Henry Mintzberg made extensive surveys of existing research and integrated those findings with his own studies of five chief executive officers in his attempts to find how managers spend their time and perform their work. The results were interesting and help the understanding of the nature of the man ­agerial task. In â€Å"The Nature of Managerial Work† Mintzberg singles out three managerial roles: interpersonal, Informational and decisional. A manager’s interpersonal roles include that of a figurehead, performing cere ­monial duties. Mintzberg thought that this was possibly the most important and classified this aspect into three roles – role of â€Å"disseminator†, company representative or â€Å"spokesman† role, and â€Å"monitor† role. A manager’s decisional roles can be of four types: as an entrepreneur – to launch a new idea; as a disturbance handler; as a resource allocator – choosing from among competing demands for money, equipment, personnel and management time; as a negotiator (Witzel, 2003). Also, Mintzberg highlights the changing, uncertain environment in which the manager operates and the importance of organizational structure. According to Henry Mintzberg, the organizations can be based on: simple structure; machine bureaucracy; professional bureaucracy; divisional zed form; adhocracy.  In â€Å"The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning† Mintzberg has proposed new vision of â€Å"strategy† underlining the importance of: processes, data and detachment in planning. Also, Mintzberg criticizes formalization as the main mistake and drawback of modern management. References Witzel, M. (2003) Fifty Key Figures in Management. New York: Routledge.

Three Day Road

Wandering Windigo of the Wemistikoshiw The novel Three Day Road can be viewed as an explicit indicator as to the importance of sustaining cultural identity, and the consequences associated with its absence from any aspect of human life. The tale provides a salient setting through which this spiritual malfeasance is brought about, with much of its content consisting of the supremacy of the wemistikoshiw, or white man, over the Aboriginals in World War 1. The novel’s European setting manifests the primary cause for the spiritual bankruptcy of Elijah Weesacheejak, one of the story’s central figures and the novel’s primary thematic microcosm. Influenced deeply by Western ideals, he is said to be a windigo which, as explained by the aboriginal bushmaster, Niska, is characterized by: â€Å"†¦sadness so pure that it [shrivels] the human heart and [lets] something else grow in its place† (Boyden 261). A polar opposite to Elijah, Niska recognizes the necessity of spirituality rooted in tradition, and is able to identify the Windigo as a logical product of wemistikoshiw influence. Her nephew, Xavier, is defiantly against European conformity in much the same way, sacrificing physical well-being for the sake of the Cree culture which he cherishes and to which he hopes to return in the wake of the war. It is clear that each of these three characters is negatively affected by the widespread influence of the whites, albeit to different degrees. Each character’s amount of exposure to wemistikoshiw culture corresponds proportionately to both their bodily state by the novel’s end, and their specific levels of windigo-ism. Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road illuminates the Windigo’s corruption of identity through the personalities of Xavier, Niska and Elijah via their cultural adherence, contrasting health, and dynamic relationships. Much like two sides of the same coin, Western and Aboriginal societies share a structural essence, but vary wildly in their fundamental ideals and respective emphases. Xavier is aware of this distinction between the two peoples, saying: â€Å"†¦I’m left wondering what connection there might be between their [the European] world and mine† (246), in a manner which would suggest that one must belong to one ‘world’ or another, but never both simultaneously. Xavier chooses to live by Aboriginal tradition, as exemplified through his frequent neglect of wemistikoshiw behaviours. A prevalent literary critic explains the significance of naming in this respect, exclaiming that the: â€Å"†¦various names ssumed by or assigned to Xavier and Elijah signify to what extent their identities are able to transcend or fall victim to [the influence of the West]†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å" (Gordon 7). The only Western name assigned to Xavier is ‘X’ in light of his extraordinary shooting precision (Boyden 109). Despite the name’s positive connotations, Bird discards it, keeping to his original alias, which is bestowed upon him by his cherished Aboriginal friends (360, 363). It is evident, then, that Xavier’s neglect of the wemistikoshiw ways runs deep, and even when facing external, culture-based adversity, becoming an outcast is always a preferable option to abandonment of his tradition. Unlike the other soldiers, Xavier never acquires even the slightest appetite for killing, believing it to be wasteful in the context of war, since there is nothing to be gained but fresh supplies of bloodshed (Bohr). Initially, Xavier is revolted by the sight of death soon after he witnesses it devastate a German, saying, â€Å"The image of the soldier’s head exploding makes may stomach churn† (Boyden 88). In order to remedy this spiritual deficit he associates with letting the lives of other be wasted, Bird turns to prayer, which keeps him centered and stable within the comfort of his cultural roots. Over the entire course of the novel, Xavier never once forgets the importance of his background in regards to his current situation, meaning that he remains metaphysically anchored in spite of his foreign surroundings. Supplementary to Xavier, in terms of spiritual independence, is Niska, whose understanding of the wemistikoshiw transcends that of every other character in the novel, and stems from both her experiential knowledge of Western culture and the windigo. An objectivist to the core, Niska represents an archetype of cultural wisdom, as described by Joseph Boyden: â€Å"I wanted her to be a strong woman who was doing this [being a woman of the bush] despite what everyone says about her and the toughness of her existence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wylie 229). Niska is exposed to the horrors of the world at an early age, witnessing events such as her father’s murder of one of her fellow Cree gone windigo (Boyden 45). This coupled with her being used sexually by the Frenchman, who claimed to have â€Å"†¦fucked ahcahk, [her] spirit† (174), out of lustful capitalism creates a perfect storm of familiarity with the human condition within her. Niska realizes that the man-made society of the whites further pronounces the flaws of the human spirit, thereby differentiating between her culture and that of the emistikoshiw. She explains this difference early on in the novel, by way of her epileptic visions: â€Å"No one is safe in such times, not even the Cree of the Mushkegowuk. War touches everyone, and windigos spring from the earth† (49). In order to prevent the mingling of Aboriginal and European lifestyles, she completely refuses to submit to the will of the wemistikoshiw, even when forced to live in one of their resi dential schools as a young girl. The bushmaster neglects even menial compulsories, such as hair-cutting, saying, â€Å"They were going to remove the black hair that reached my waist as a symbol of wemistikoshiw authority, of our [the Cree’s] defeat† (93). Coming from a long line of Cree chieftains, Niska not only seeks to avoid the company of windigos, but also is obligated to dispose of them in the best interest of her fellow aboriginals (48). Niska’s comprehension of selfishness’ presence in both the wemistikoshiw and the Windigo contribute to her consequent avoidance of the two, and in turn, her unwavering state of impeccable spiritual stagnancy throughout the novel. Contrarily, Elijah succumbs completely to the culture of the white man, becoming immersed in its ideals and pursuits to the point of morphing into a fully fledged windigo. The reason for Weesacheejak’s uprooted spiritual state can be traced back to his upbringing, which consisted of an intensely ambiguous cultural identity. Growing up in residential schools for much of his life, Elijah is brainwashed into thinking of the Aboriginals as a â€Å"†¦backwards people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (56) by the nuns who live with him. The seeds of European identity clash with those of the Aboriginal culture when he is adopted by Niska, and resultantly, a fragile concept of cultural integrity emerges within him. This identity crisis contributes significantly to his inevitable saturation into the violence of the West, as described by the author Vikki Visvis: â€Å"†¦ Elijah’s perverted determination is primarily the product of the wartime environment, which is an inherently Western endeavor† (273). Elijah learns, very much unhealthily, that identity is malleable, and depends entirely on circumstance rather than individual character. This lack of oneness can be examined easily through his acts in The Great War, which consist of both the impulsive murder and the desecration of his victims (Boyden 310). Elijah’s lack of cultural foundation is responsible for each of these atrocities, and he believes that by committing acts such as scalping those he kills, he is somehow able to absorb a portion of their spirit. Xavier describes Elijah’s carnage as a â€Å"†¦spark which fills his belly when it gnaws for food (200),† thereby pronouncing the young man’s profound emotional imbalances. Elijah’s reliance on the mastery he achieves by ‘owning’ the flesh of his victims is hauntingly reminiscent of the definition of the Windigo, and this is no accident made by Boyden. Despite his inferiority to Xavier in regards to his skills in marksmanship (78), it is he, not his Cree companion who yearns for the blood of his enemies. Such a skewed perspective which testifies to the irrelevant nature of morality can be attributed to the boy’s faithless and marred upbringing. Like a true Windigo, it is Elijah’s lack of cultural backbone which provokes the collapse of his soul, as he contains no trace of the fundamental axioms required in the construction of a spiritually healthy human being. Vividly reflecting the spiritual status of Xavier, Niska and Elijah, is their amount of mental and physical trauma, which is minimized when rooted in a fixed, adaptable personality. Xavier is the prime example of an individual whose disposition itself promotes a fragile psyche, which contains a dangerously low capacity for negative emotions. Caught in the thick of the Great War, there are many instances in the novel which expose Bird’s benevolent personality in order to provide a reason for the corporeal turmoil which he endures. Xavier’s forgiving soul is illustrated multitudinously throughout the novel, emerging most prominently in his taking of Elijah’s namesake after his death, despite the dark circumstances surrounding it (375). Not confined to sorrow based solely on human tragedy, Xavier takes pity on even the lesser forms of life, which are senselessly destroyed as a result of the war. This universal respect for entities is present when he refuses to sweep the swallow’s nest from his cabin window. This defiance initiates his explicit description of Elijah’s carrying out of the terrible deed: Two [birds] are lifeless, killed instantly by the fall. The third raises its featherless head, bewildered, its eyes large and round above its small yellow beak. Its tiny wings beat frantically on the floor, then more slowly. The mother bird cries out. The baby swallow’s lids sink and it ceases to move. I turn my head away from all of them. (Boyden 258) Inherently, Xavier is a character who easily becomes sick with depression due to his compassionate nature, hindering him in certain situations, yet proving to be essential to his maintained Aboriginal perspective as his time spent in the war increases. He deems the west to be a â€Å"strange place where the entire world’s trouble explodes† (22), and it is therefore inevitable that his extensive exposure to the war-torn battlefields of Europe instigates his severe mental strain. Discretely physical, alternatively, is his involuntary ingestion of morphine, which only serves to numb his senses into weakness, threatening his life when he enters withdrawal (289). Despite these eminent dangers to Xavier’s mental and physical state, however, it is his spiritual fortitude which enables both his mind and body to be salvaged by Niska via the matatosowin, or purification ceremony which customarily follows the three day voyage by which a Cree returns to his/her people after a long absence. As explained by Neta Gordon, the event marks a certain: â€Å"†¦constructive deconstruction, and a forward-looking inclination towards healing and hope† (2). Xavier’s symbolic journey represents not the death of his physical body, but the annihilation of the last wemistikoshiw remnant clouding his sanity – his addiction to morphine. In spite of the wide variety of factors hindering Xavier’s will to survive, he is able to outlive his anarchic environment by accessing his actively ethical and tempered personality. Niska is very similar to her nephew in this respect, withstanding an onslaught of traumatizing circumstances back in Canada which test her bodily and cranial stature. Unlike Xavier, however, she is adept in her esoteric self-sufficiency (35), being able to distract her corporeal self from pending danger by actualizing her love of anecdotes. The primary medium she accomplishes this through is her participation in speech craft, which she uses to listen to and project tribal stories as a means of satiating her spiritual hunger (Bohr). A consistent theme embedded within the novel is Niska’s own retelling of her life to Xavier, as embodied by a quote: â€Å"Words are all I have now. I’ve lived alone so long that I’m [Niska] starved to talk† (89). Even earlier in her life than Xavier, the Cree woman develops the aptitude for developing a thick skin via the harnessing emotions such as heartbreak for conversion to wisdom. Her exposure to the Frenchman is notable in this regard. It serves Niska as an impetus through which she begins to develop a mature, progressive outlook on life. Reminiscing about this boost to her spiritual immune system, she says, â€Å"I was young, and the emotions of the young are as strong a pull as the arctic tides that suck fishermen’s canoes out into the bay to be lost forever† (165). In this way, she is able to look back on the event of the European’s quick departure after their first sexual encounter, and understand its arrogant, chauvinistic connotations (135). Upon adaptation to her current situation, she achieves a level of spiritual purity mutual to that of Xavier. With this in mind, it is only through the undamaged will of both Niska and Xavier that he is cleansed of the complete collapse of self which foreruns death (379), and partakes in the â€Å"physical necessity† (Gordon 4) which allows him to survive the ordeal. Were it not for the complimentary moral steadfastness of these two characters, each would have been subjected to profound devastation, with one of them perishing, only to leave the other in a state of mourning over the severing of her last, greatest familial connection. Such an anchored identity is devoid in Elijah’s life, however, as exemplified through his deteriorating eupepsia, which reaches its apex at his demise. At the heart of Elijah’s ambiguous, conditional personality is his unending thirst for exhilaration as a form of immediate gratification. Saturated by the empiricism of the residential schools, which deny the existence of all aboriginal deities, Elijah thrives on the seemingly transcendent feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins. When Xavier ponders the spreading of a forest fire into the town they reside in before the war, Elijah responds with: â€Å"Can you imagine anything more glorious? † (Boyden 142), thereby manifesting his twisted disposition towards fear, while also foreshadowing his eventual descent into lunacy. Lieutenant Breech’s evaluation of the aboriginal people finds a portion of truth in Elijah, since metaphorically, his blood really is, â€Å"†¦closer to that of an animal than that of a man,† (101). In order to subconsciously override this perverted perspective in favour of a religious outlook, he turns to the recreational use of morphine, which is present in high amounts amongst his brother in arms, Grey Eyes. When describing its effects, Elijah says: â€Å"It allowed me to leave my body and see what was around me. I see how it could be a very powerful tool in a place like this† (128). By no coincidence, this passage occurs at around the same point where Elijah loses his knowledge of the aboriginal tongue, and thus, becomes linguistically assimilated by his fellow soldiers. The morphine hollows Elijah’s soul and accelerates his acculturation, causing him to pursue pleasure and meaning from killing (283), through which he attains the spontaneous euphoria which he craves. Instead of discovering the spiritual intelligence and purpose of which his life is bankrupt, he loses grasp on the distinction of reality and fantasy, with Xavier exclaiming late in the novel that, â€Å"†¦he [Elijah] walks with one foot in this world, [and] one firmly planted in the other world† (334). Additionally, the morphine ingestion was meant to rid him of his inner demons, such as his previously stated animalistic tendencies. Instead, it only serves to sharpen these instincts, and feed them with a profound apathy that enables Elijah to live without fear of moral consequences (212). This quickly advances into an addiction which exceeds recreational foundations in favour of unbridled dependence, and is the primary reason for Elijah’s eventual metamorphosis into a walking anathema. As stated by the author, Vikki Visvis, â€Å"Elijah’s windigo state is part shell shock, part morphine emotional addiction induced by European contact, and part internalized racism learned at residential schools† (Visvis 223). Therefore, Elijah’s downward spiral into death was not based significantly on his overuse of morphine, but his spiritual surrender to the drug. Over time his relationship with Grey Eyes (Boyden 313) becomes one which is entirely centered on the drug, and is therefore, not a true relationship at all, but an uninvolved, symbiotic connection existing only to satiate dark indulgences of a stereotypical windigo. The notion of relationships present in the lives of Xavier, Niska, and Elijah reveals, through their level of social authenticity, how completely they have become absorbed into the world of the wemistikoshiw. Xavier’s relationship with the Ontario Rifles can be accurately described as precarious and fluctuant. He refuses to socialize with the vast majority of his wartime acquaintances met during the war, with the exception of war veterans Thompson and General McCann (317). Bird reveres the two, figuring that they have each tolerated war for many years without cracking under its sinister pressure. The fact that Bird respects their capacity for bodily toil without the use of morphine indicates an avid understanding of both the war’s potential dangers, and its ability to corrupt those not willing to remain immovably independent from its paradigms. When describing the nature of the Great War, Xavier personifies it as a monster which hungers for the bodies of soldiers (73), thus explaining the prayers he sends to Gitchi Manitou, requesting a safe return home to his aunt in Moose Factory (237). Consequently, Xavier’s seclusion from the vast majority of the Ontario Rifles flourishes, and is only ompounded by his unwillingness to learn English and loss of hearing (227). Bird, however, is dynamic in his relationships on occasion, as with the case of his pseudo-lover, Lisette. Initially, Xavier believes her to be an innocent soul who is untouched by the hedonism and selfishness of the West, swiftly proceeding into what he believes to be a loving relationship with her (159 ). He is overwhelmed with feelings of aching for her not long afterwards, deciding to disobey the orders of his superiors and return to the town where they met. He is unexpected met with animosity from the girl, who turns out to be not as authentic as she first appeared: â€Å"’You can’t stay, Indian boy,’ she whispers. My stomach feels as if it has been punched so hard that all the air has left it. ‘I am with another. He is upstairs’† (252). Crushed by the betrayal he feels upon discovering Lisette to be a prostitute, Xavier’s isolation reaches its all-time peak. Despite being left with only affection for his heritage and aunt, he remains religiously disciplined when continuing his participation in the war. By the end of the novel, Xavier completely comprehends the nature of the West’s cultural imperialism and individualistic ideals. He recognizes these traits in Elijah, causing their friendship to decay at a breakneck pace. With the established practice of Niska in mind, he carries on the legacy of the Windigo-killer, and murdering Elijah for the sake of the sane. As described by Neta Gordon: â€Å"The role of the windigo killer is taken on because it fulfills the community necessity, and, in the case of†¦Xavier, it is taken on rather inadvertently and somewhat reluctantly† (Gordon 11). Xavier’s most endearing attribute, therefore, is his independence, because it facilitates his ability glimpse at his communal surroundings objectively, and make correspondingly righteous decisions. The greatest example of an ethical figure present in the novel, however, is Niska, whose wild life alone in the bush proves to be the perfect setting for producing a terrene, detached shaman. In her epileptic visions, Niska establishes somewhat of a one-sided relationship with the conflict in Europe, which cultivates her interest of the Windigo psychosis scourging the continent. To this end, she ominously states: â€Å"The sickness of the windigo could spread as surely as the invisible sickness of the windigo† (Boyden 262). Like Xavier’s use of Thompson and McCann as moral benchmarks, Niska leans on her family for moral support throughout the novel: namely her father and sister, Rabbit. The salience of these two characters is the radically opposing symbolism which they maintain in their relationship with the bushmaster. While Rabbit teaches the Niska unconditional love through fond memories (34), her father, the late hookimaw, or village elder, instills in her a primitive sense of respect and tradition. It is from these two characters that Niska is able to educate the last of her kin, Xavier, in the ways of the Cree, and ultimately, provide him with the emotional stability necessary to survive the effects of war through what Neta Gordon calls a â€Å"detoxification† process (Gordon 4). Most prevalent and divulging of Niska’s connection with others is her role as a Windigo-killer, which implies an acute responsibility for making difficult choices which often contradict what is deemed to be ‘civilized’ (Boyden 169). Ironically, it is Niska’s solitude and right-judgment which give her the reputation as what Xavier, and undoubtedly many others call a â€Å"†¦ good and crazy woman† (221). In actuality, Niska’s actions exude wisdom, pragmatism, and an authentic desire to obliterate the radiating wreckage of the Windigo. The malfunctioned motivations of a windigo cannot warrant animosity on their own, and rely on the destructive actions of characters like Elijah to animate their nature. As described by Joseph Boyden: â€Å"He [Elijah] isn’t grounded in his place or culture, and this ends up being very damaging to him† (Wyile 230). Incessant boasting is what is most easily evident in his demeanor, with Xavier pointing out a multitude of situations in which Elijah can be found falsely glorifying himself due to his emotional insecurity (Boyden 77). At one point in the novel, Xavier declares: I look around and realize that I know very few men by name any more. So many have come and gone that I’ve lost track. Amazingly, Elijah seems to know all of them, acts as if he’s known them for years. 243) The white-washed Weesacheejak is only capable of establishing superficial relationships with the other soldiers by donning a â€Å"mask† (314) which, in reality, distances him further from his allies than even Xavier does. A will to dominate sprouts from his impersonal approach to friendship, resulting in the fiery approach to human interaction that is demonstrated in Weesacheejak’s relationship with Peggy. When scouting one day with Xavier, he says, quite irrelevantly, â€Å"I am better than Peggy. He cannot take a scalp. He cannot do what I do† (246). Elijah’s attitudes towards superseding others are crystallized in his love for flying, since it entails an elevated level of importance in comparison to civilization, which is largely terrestrial. Ironically, when he does experience flight for the first time in an aero plane, it brings him a great pain, (331) thus foreshadowing the untimely demise of which he experiences by the novel’s close, which is brought about by his greed for contention. Most detrimental to Elijah’s psyche, undoubtedly, is his swift acceptance of western customs and paradigms, which is demonstrated by his conformity to the warmongering attitudes of his colleagues. Elijah’s bloodlust steadily increases throughout the duration of the novel, earning him medals of honour for his â€Å"unmatched bravery† in the face of battle (254). What these medals symbolize is a complete forfeit of his kinship with the Cree, a culture which preaches the sanctity of every form of life. Additionally, the medals indicate the completeness of Elijah’s assimilation into Europe’s wartime effort, and the connotations of selfishness which fester in its nucleus. Deranged and unsatisfied with even this acknowledgement, however, Elijah’s desire for human flesh continues to define him to the point of unsuccessfully assaulting Xavier, and dying in the process. He is the epitome of a non-Aboriginal, having always having what Xavier calls a â€Å"†¦gift for the wemistikoshiw language† (59). Elijah does not discover other people, which soils the seed of a robust relationship, but uses them as devices for augmenting his ego in a fashion typical of both an avaricious European and the Windigo. The purpose of Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden is to introduce the Windigo’s infectious and corrosive potential for spiritual defilement through the personalities of Xavier, Niska and Elijah via their cultural adherence, contrasting health, and dynamic relationships. The degree to which these three protagonists repel or embrace attitudes characteristic of the Windigo determines their physical, mental, and spiritual condition by the end of the anecdote. The novel’s ‘Wandering Windigo,’ Elijah, is portrayed as an individual who can find neither a form of metaphysical shelter, nor a definite identity, resulting in his decline into nothingness. In his downfall however, Elijah destroys the lives of hundreds, highlighting the necessity for Xavier’s donning of the Windigo-killer from Niska. By way of extension, Boyden speaks, via the juxtaposition of Xavier and Niska in comparison to Elijah, of the importance of the righteous, and their responsibility to eradicate evil before it is able to worsen despite the contesting pressures of one’s affiliates. Most importantly, the novel is Boyden’s plea to immerse children in the indigenous dimensions of their ethnicity and nationality in order to construct a strong sense of identity. An Aboriginal himself, Boyden describes Three Day Road as a cautionary tale (393) in which the human person is presented as a feeble, vulnerable entity which can only be sustained when its body, mind, and spirit are in communion with one another. The novel seeks to be food for thought, asking its audience how they would respond to excruciating circumstances such as war – whether they would be able to stay anchored enough to survive it, or experience the downwards spiral of the Windigo. In the course of our lives, will we journey along the road most travelled, losing ourselves to the entropic tides of conformity, or pave our own path in order to live an independent, fruitful existence? Three Day Road Arthur Joseph Boyden represents Carl Jung’s idea that humans often create a persona in order to be perceived by society in a certain way through the journey of the main character in the novel ‘Three Day Road’. Joseph Boyden illustrates the idea that war may impact someone to become something they initially weren’t. That being said, World War I, Aboriginal sniper Elijah Weesageechak becomes mentally and physically corrupted by the war, which results to his inevitable death. Further more, the loss of identity, his desire to become a war hero, and the use of morphine to escape reality caused Elijah Weesageechak to become a motionless killer.Once Elijah joined the Canadian army, he immediately did what ever he could in order to blend in with the other soldiers. Elijah had initially been able to speak English so he could communicate with the white soldiers, for he was raised by nuns in a residential school. To hide that he was an Aboriginal man, Elijah chose to adopt a British accent and speaking style when among the other soldiers. â€Å"Dear Henry, would you be a kind chap and make me a cup of tea? † (144). Elijah’s decision to not speak Cree when around his peers was his attempt to blend in with the rest of his former soldiers.Ditching his original Cree accent and adopting a British one was Elijah first step to creating his new persona. After Elijah became more familiar with the other soldiers, Corporal Thompson had chosen Elijah to be apart of a night raid. During the raid, Elijah and his best friend Xavier threw mill bombs into a German trench, thus killing the people inside. When Elijah returned to the Canadian trench, Corporal Thompson asked him if he enjoyed the night raid. Elijah responded, â€Å"It’s in my blood† (75). By doing so, Elijah had gone against the traditional Cree ways he was taught by Xavier and Niska.Instead he had modified his persona to embrace war and killing, which contradicts his ini tial belief before entering the war. That being said, it is quite evident that Elijah had disregarded his Cree traditions so he could become someone who only cared about killing and to fulfil his desired reputation as a deadly sniper. In order for Elijah to prove his killing abilities as a soldier to his peers, he begins to collect the scalps of his killings as trophies. In the novel, Elijah asks, â€Å"And what will collecting these trophies do for me? † â€Å"They will buy you honour among us† Francis says. â€Å"And we are honourable men† (204).Elijah feels as though he has to prove his killing abilities by gathering scalps so he will be accepted and favoured by his fellow soldiers. During Elijah’s quest on becoming a war hero, Elijah begins to enjoy killing and the fame that he receives from it. Elijah feels he must rise at every opportunity in order to impress his peers. An occurrence where Elijah’s persona was shown was when the Germans were retreating from a battle, and Elijah picked a target far off in the distance and shot him. The Canadian soldiers around him cheered and said that they will never see anything like that again.Elijah arrogantly responded: â€Å"Until the next time you are with me in a similar situation† (243). Elijah was unable to stop killing for he had become addicted to the fame he was rewarded with. This is revealed in the novel when Elijah says, â€Å"I’d go mad in a hospital so far away from it all† (150). Elijah’s desire to become a war hero caused him to partake in countless murders in order to impress others. He was able to do so with no emotion through his frequent use of morphine. Elijah used morphine when he participated in raids in order to get a ‘sense’ of his surroundings.Xavier description of Elijah on morphine is explained as: â€Å"But when the golden liquid is in his veins! Even at night the world is bathed in a soft light†¦He can make himself float from his body at will and look down at the world below him† (212). Elijah’s natural talent for hunting combined with his unhealthy use of morphine made him twice as dangerous. Without the morphine in his veins, Elijah became scared of the worlds, which lead him to use it more frequently. As he abused morphine, the real world became distorted. Without fear and pain, war was a game to Elijah.A game he enjoyed and became good at. Through the use of morphine, Elijah lacked an anchor to reality and because of this, killing became mechanical. An example of this is when Elijah and Xavier are on a sniping mission, they mistake a woman for an enemy and Elijah shoots her. Xavier angrily questions Elijah’s reaction to kill the woman. Elijah defends himself by responding with â€Å"I am trained not to hesitate in situations of danger† (306). Elijah’s response was robotic and emotionless. Eventually, Elijah starts to kill Canadian soldiers who get in his way.Xavier realizes Elijah has been completely broken by the war and has to be put down. Xavier is forced to kill his best friend, for the war changed him into a man he no longer knew. World War I was evidently too much for Elijah to handle. In order to fit in with the rest of the soldiers he had to throw away his Aboriginal Cree identity and adopt a British one which eventually lead to Elijah performing actions that went against the Cree traditions. That being said, he began to embrace war and killing in order to impress his fellow soldiers, as his ultimate conquest was to become a war hero.Further more, Elijah’s conscious was too powerful and filled his heart with guilt, which resulted in his use of morphine to conceal his inner emotions. With the aid of drugs, Elijah had become a mechanical killing robot whose thirst for blood was immeasurable. Unfortunately his uncontrollable actions were beginning to cause harm to his fellow peers, which resulted in the decision t o kill Elijah to protect the safety of the Canadian soldiers. Finally, Joseph Boyden illustrates the idea that the destruction of war may have an impact on one’s inner self and that fame and acceptance is something one is willing to die for. Three Day Road Wandering Windigo of the Wemistikoshiw The novel Three Day Road can be viewed as an explicit indicator as to the importance of sustaining cultural identity, and the consequences associated with its absence from any aspect of human life. The tale provides a salient setting through which this spiritual malfeasance is brought about, with much of its content consisting of the supremacy of the wemistikoshiw, or white man, over the Aboriginals in World War 1. The novel’s European setting manifests the primary cause for the spiritual bankruptcy of Elijah Weesacheejak, one of the story’s central figures and the novel’s primary thematic microcosm. Influenced deeply by Western ideals, he is said to be a windigo which, as explained by the aboriginal bushmaster, Niska, is characterized by: â€Å"†¦sadness so pure that it [shrivels] the human heart and [lets] something else grow in its place† (Boyden 261). A polar opposite to Elijah, Niska recognizes the necessity of spirituality rooted in tradition, and is able to identify the Windigo as a logical product of wemistikoshiw influence. Her nephew, Xavier, is defiantly against European conformity in much the same way, sacrificing physical well-being for the sake of the Cree culture which he cherishes and to which he hopes to return in the wake of the war. It is clear that each of these three characters is negatively affected by the widespread influence of the whites, albeit to different degrees. Each character’s amount of exposure to wemistikoshiw culture corresponds proportionately to both their bodily state by the novel’s end, and their specific levels of windigo-ism. Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road illuminates the Windigo’s corruption of identity through the personalities of Xavier, Niska and Elijah via their cultural adherence, contrasting health, and dynamic relationships. Much like two sides of the same coin, Western and Aboriginal societies share a structural essence, but vary wildly in their fundamental ideals and respective emphases. Xavier is aware of this distinction between the two peoples, saying: â€Å"†¦I’m left wondering what connection there might be between their [the European] world and mine† (246), in a manner which would suggest that one must belong to one ‘world’ or another, but never both simultaneously. Xavier chooses to live by Aboriginal tradition, as exemplified through his frequent neglect of wemistikoshiw behaviours. A prevalent literary critic explains the significance of naming in this respect, exclaiming that the: â€Å"†¦various names ssumed by or assigned to Xavier and Elijah signify to what extent their identities are able to transcend or fall victim to [the influence of the West]†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å" (Gordon 7). The only Western name assigned to Xavier is ‘X’ in light of his extraordinary shooting precision (Boyden 109). Despite the name’s positive connotations, Bird discards it, keeping to his original alias, which is bestowed upon him by his cherished Aboriginal friends (360, 363). It is evident, then, that Xavier’s neglect of the wemistikoshiw ways runs deep, and even when facing external, culture-based adversity, becoming an outcast is always a preferable option to abandonment of his tradition. Unlike the other soldiers, Xavier never acquires even the slightest appetite for killing, believing it to be wasteful in the context of war, since there is nothing to be gained but fresh supplies of bloodshed (Bohr). Initially, Xavier is revolted by the sight of death soon after he witnesses it devastate a German, saying, â€Å"The image of the soldier’s head exploding makes may stomach churn† (Boyden 88). In order to remedy this spiritual deficit he associates with letting the lives of other be wasted, Bird turns to prayer, which keeps him centered and stable within the comfort of his cultural roots. Over the entire course of the novel, Xavier never once forgets the importance of his background in regards to his current situation, meaning that he remains metaphysically anchored in spite of his foreign surroundings. Supplementary to Xavier, in terms of spiritual independence, is Niska, whose understanding of the wemistikoshiw transcends that of every other character in the novel, and stems from both her experiential knowledge of Western culture and the windigo. An objectivist to the core, Niska represents an archetype of cultural wisdom, as described by Joseph Boyden: â€Å"I wanted her to be a strong woman who was doing this [being a woman of the bush] despite what everyone says about her and the toughness of her existence†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Wylie 229). Niska is exposed to the horrors of the world at an early age, witnessing events such as her father’s murder of one of her fellow Cree gone windigo (Boyden 45). This coupled with her being used sexually by the Frenchman, who claimed to have â€Å"†¦fucked ahcahk, [her] spirit† (174), out of lustful capitalism creates a perfect storm of familiarity with the human condition within her. Niska realizes that the man-made society of the whites further pronounces the flaws of the human spirit, thereby differentiating between her culture and that of the emistikoshiw. She explains this difference early on in the novel, by way of her epileptic visions: â€Å"No one is safe in such times, not even the Cree of the Mushkegowuk. War touches everyone, and windigos spring from the earth† (49). In order to prevent the mingling of Aboriginal and European lifestyles, she completely refuses to submit to the will of the wemistikoshiw, even when forced to live in one of their resi dential schools as a young girl. The bushmaster neglects even menial compulsories, such as hair-cutting, saying, â€Å"They were going to remove the black hair that reached my waist as a symbol of wemistikoshiw authority, of our [the Cree’s] defeat† (93). Coming from a long line of Cree chieftains, Niska not only seeks to avoid the company of windigos, but also is obligated to dispose of them in the best interest of her fellow aboriginals (48). Niska’s comprehension of selfishness’ presence in both the wemistikoshiw and the Windigo contribute to her consequent avoidance of the two, and in turn, her unwavering state of impeccable spiritual stagnancy throughout the novel. Contrarily, Elijah succumbs completely to the culture of the white man, becoming immersed in its ideals and pursuits to the point of morphing into a fully fledged windigo. The reason for Weesacheejak’s uprooted spiritual state can be traced back to his upbringing, which consisted of an intensely ambiguous cultural identity. Growing up in residential schools for much of his life, Elijah is brainwashed into thinking of the Aboriginals as a â€Å"†¦backwards people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (56) by the nuns who live with him. The seeds of European identity clash with those of the Aboriginal culture when he is adopted by Niska, and resultantly, a fragile concept of cultural integrity emerges within him. This identity crisis contributes significantly to his inevitable saturation into the violence of the West, as described by the author Vikki Visvis: â€Å"†¦ Elijah’s perverted determination is primarily the product of the wartime environment, which is an inherently Western endeavor† (273). Elijah learns, very much unhealthily, that identity is malleable, and depends entirely on circumstance rather than individual character. This lack of oneness can be examined easily through his acts in The Great War, which consist of both the impulsive murder and the desecration of his victims (Boyden 310). Elijah’s lack of cultural foundation is responsible for each of these atrocities, and he believes that by committing acts such as scalping those he kills, he is somehow able to absorb a portion of their spirit. Xavier describes Elijah’s carnage as a â€Å"†¦spark which fills his belly when it gnaws for food (200),† thereby pronouncing the young man’s profound emotional imbalances. Elijah’s reliance on the mastery he achieves by ‘owning’ the flesh of his victims is hauntingly reminiscent of the definition of the Windigo, and this is no accident made by Boyden. Despite his inferiority to Xavier in regards to his skills in marksmanship (78), it is he, not his Cree companion who yearns for the blood of his enemies. Such a skewed perspective which testifies to the irrelevant nature of morality can be attributed to the boy’s faithless and marred upbringing. Like a true Windigo, it is Elijah’s lack of cultural backbone which provokes the collapse of his soul, as he contains no trace of the fundamental axioms required in the construction of a spiritually healthy human being. Vividly reflecting the spiritual status of Xavier, Niska and Elijah, is their amount of mental and physical trauma, which is minimized when rooted in a fixed, adaptable personality. Xavier is the prime example of an individual whose disposition itself promotes a fragile psyche, which contains a dangerously low capacity for negative emotions. Caught in the thick of the Great War, there are many instances in the novel which expose Bird’s benevolent personality in order to provide a reason for the corporeal turmoil which he endures. Xavier’s forgiving soul is illustrated multitudinously throughout the novel, emerging most prominently in his taking of Elijah’s namesake after his death, despite the dark circumstances surrounding it (375). Not confined to sorrow based solely on human tragedy, Xavier takes pity on even the lesser forms of life, which are senselessly destroyed as a result of the war. This universal respect for entities is present when he refuses to sweep the swallow’s nest from his cabin window. This defiance initiates his explicit description of Elijah’s carrying out of the terrible deed: Two [birds] are lifeless, killed instantly by the fall. The third raises its featherless head, bewildered, its eyes large and round above its small yellow beak. Its tiny wings beat frantically on the floor, then more slowly. The mother bird cries out. The baby swallow’s lids sink and it ceases to move. I turn my head away from all of them. (Boyden 258) Inherently, Xavier is a character who easily becomes sick with depression due to his compassionate nature, hindering him in certain situations, yet proving to be essential to his maintained Aboriginal perspective as his time spent in the war increases. He deems the west to be a â€Å"strange place where the entire world’s trouble explodes† (22), and it is therefore inevitable that his extensive exposure to the war-torn battlefields of Europe instigates his severe mental strain. Discretely physical, alternatively, is his involuntary ingestion of morphine, which only serves to numb his senses into weakness, threatening his life when he enters withdrawal (289). Despite these eminent dangers to Xavier’s mental and physical state, however, it is his spiritual fortitude which enables both his mind and body to be salvaged by Niska via the matatosowin, or purification ceremony which customarily follows the three day voyage by which a Cree returns to his/her people after a long absence. As explained by Neta Gordon, the event marks a certain: â€Å"†¦constructive deconstruction, and a forward-looking inclination towards healing and hope† (2). Xavier’s symbolic journey represents not the death of his physical body, but the annihilation of the last wemistikoshiw remnant clouding his sanity – his addiction to morphine. In spite of the wide variety of factors hindering Xavier’s will to survive, he is able to outlive his anarchic environment by accessing his actively ethical and tempered personality. Niska is very similar to her nephew in this respect, withstanding an onslaught of traumatizing circumstances back in Canada which test her bodily and cranial stature. Unlike Xavier, however, she is adept in her esoteric self-sufficiency (35), being able to distract her corporeal self from pending danger by actualizing her love of anecdotes. The primary medium she accomplishes this through is her participation in speech craft, which she uses to listen to and project tribal stories as a means of satiating her spiritual hunger (Bohr). A consistent theme embedded within the novel is Niska’s own retelling of her life to Xavier, as embodied by a quote: â€Å"Words are all I have now. I’ve lived alone so long that I’m [Niska] starved to talk† (89). Even earlier in her life than Xavier, the Cree woman develops the aptitude for developing a thick skin via the harnessing emotions such as heartbreak for conversion to wisdom. Her exposure to the Frenchman is notable in this regard. It serves Niska as an impetus through which she begins to develop a mature, progressive outlook on life. Reminiscing about this boost to her spiritual immune system, she says, â€Å"I was young, and the emotions of the young are as strong a pull as the arctic tides that suck fishermen’s canoes out into the bay to be lost forever† (165). In this way, she is able to look back on the event of the European’s quick departure after their first sexual encounter, and understand its arrogant, chauvinistic connotations (135). Upon adaptation to her current situation, she achieves a level of spiritual purity mutual to that of Xavier. With this in mind, it is only through the undamaged will of both Niska and Xavier that he is cleansed of the complete collapse of self which foreruns death (379), and partakes in the â€Å"physical necessity† (Gordon 4) which allows him to survive the ordeal. Were it not for the complimentary moral steadfastness of these two characters, each would have been subjected to profound devastation, with one of them perishing, only to leave the other in a state of mourning over the severing of her last, greatest familial connection. Such an anchored identity is devoid in Elijah’s life, however, as exemplified through his deteriorating eupepsia, which reaches its apex at his demise. At the heart of Elijah’s ambiguous, conditional personality is his unending thirst for exhilaration as a form of immediate gratification. Saturated by the empiricism of the residential schools, which deny the existence of all aboriginal deities, Elijah thrives on the seemingly transcendent feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins. When Xavier ponders the spreading of a forest fire into the town they reside in before the war, Elijah responds with: â€Å"Can you imagine anything more glorious? † (Boyden 142), thereby manifesting his twisted disposition towards fear, while also foreshadowing his eventual descent into lunacy. Lieutenant Breech’s evaluation of the aboriginal people finds a portion of truth in Elijah, since metaphorically, his blood really is, â€Å"†¦closer to that of an animal than that of a man,† (101). In order to subconsciously override this perverted perspective in favour of a religious outlook, he turns to the recreational use of morphine, which is present in high amounts amongst his brother in arms, Grey Eyes. When describing its effects, Elijah says: â€Å"It allowed me to leave my body and see what was around me. I see how it could be a very powerful tool in a place like this† (128). By no coincidence, this passage occurs at around the same point where Elijah loses his knowledge of the aboriginal tongue, and thus, becomes linguistically assimilated by his fellow soldiers. The morphine hollows Elijah’s soul and accelerates his acculturation, causing him to pursue pleasure and meaning from killing (283), through which he attains the spontaneous euphoria which he craves. Instead of discovering the spiritual intelligence and purpose of which his life is bankrupt, he loses grasp on the distinction of reality and fantasy, with Xavier exclaiming late in the novel that, â€Å"†¦he [Elijah] walks with one foot in this world, [and] one firmly planted in the other world† (334). Additionally, the morphine ingestion was meant to rid him of his inner demons, such as his previously stated animalistic tendencies. Instead, it only serves to sharpen these instincts, and feed them with a profound apathy that enables Elijah to live without fear of moral consequences (212). This quickly advances into an addiction which exceeds recreational foundations in favour of unbridled dependence, and is the primary reason for Elijah’s eventual metamorphosis into a walking anathema. As stated by the author, Vikki Visvis, â€Å"Elijah’s windigo state is part shell shock, part morphine emotional addiction induced by European contact, and part internalized racism learned at residential schools† (Visvis 223). Therefore, Elijah’s downward spiral into death was not based significantly on his overuse of morphine, but his spiritual surrender to the drug. Over time his relationship with Grey Eyes (Boyden 313) becomes one which is entirely centered on the drug, and is therefore, not a true relationship at all, but an uninvolved, symbiotic connection existing only to satiate dark indulgences of a stereotypical windigo. The notion of relationships present in the lives of Xavier, Niska, and Elijah reveals, through their level of social authenticity, how completely they have become absorbed into the world of the wemistikoshiw. Xavier’s relationship with the Ontario Rifles can be accurately described as precarious and fluctuant. He refuses to socialize with the vast majority of his wartime acquaintances met during the war, with the exception of war veterans Thompson and General McCann (317). Bird reveres the two, figuring that they have each tolerated war for many years without cracking under its sinister pressure. The fact that Bird respects their capacity for bodily toil without the use of morphine indicates an avid understanding of both the war’s potential dangers, and its ability to corrupt those not willing to remain immovably independent from its paradigms. When describing the nature of the Great War, Xavier personifies it as a monster which hungers for the bodies of soldiers (73), thus explaining the prayers he sends to Gitchi Manitou, requesting a safe return home to his aunt in Moose Factory (237). Consequently, Xavier’s seclusion from the vast majority of the Ontario Rifles flourishes, and is only ompounded by his unwillingness to learn English and loss of hearing (227). Bird, however, is dynamic in his relationships on occasion, as with the case of his pseudo-lover, Lisette. Initially, Xavier believes her to be an innocent soul who is untouched by the hedonism and selfishness of the West, swiftly proceeding into what he believes to be a loving relationship with her (159 ). He is overwhelmed with feelings of aching for her not long afterwards, deciding to disobey the orders of his superiors and return to the town where they met. He is unexpected met with animosity from the girl, who turns out to be not as authentic as she first appeared: â€Å"’You can’t stay, Indian boy,’ she whispers. My stomach feels as if it has been punched so hard that all the air has left it. ‘I am with another. He is upstairs’† (252). Crushed by the betrayal he feels upon discovering Lisette to be a prostitute, Xavier’s isolation reaches its all-time peak. Despite being left with only affection for his heritage and aunt, he remains religiously disciplined when continuing his participation in the war. By the end of the novel, Xavier completely comprehends the nature of the West’s cultural imperialism and individualistic ideals. He recognizes these traits in Elijah, causing their friendship to decay at a breakneck pace. With the established practice of Niska in mind, he carries on the legacy of the Windigo-killer, and murdering Elijah for the sake of the sane. As described by Neta Gordon: â€Å"The role of the windigo killer is taken on because it fulfills the community necessity, and, in the case of†¦Xavier, it is taken on rather inadvertently and somewhat reluctantly† (Gordon 11). Xavier’s most endearing attribute, therefore, is his independence, because it facilitates his ability glimpse at his communal surroundings objectively, and make correspondingly righteous decisions. The greatest example of an ethical figure present in the novel, however, is Niska, whose wild life alone in the bush proves to be the perfect setting for producing a terrene, detached shaman. In her epileptic visions, Niska establishes somewhat of a one-sided relationship with the conflict in Europe, which cultivates her interest of the Windigo psychosis scourging the continent. To this end, she ominously states: â€Å"The sickness of the windigo could spread as surely as the invisible sickness of the windigo† (Boyden 262). Like Xavier’s use of Thompson and McCann as moral benchmarks, Niska leans on her family for moral support throughout the novel: namely her father and sister, Rabbit. The salience of these two characters is the radically opposing symbolism which they maintain in their relationship with the bushmaster. While Rabbit teaches the Niska unconditional love through fond memories (34), her father, the late hookimaw, or village elder, instills in her a primitive sense of respect and tradition. It is from these two characters that Niska is able to educate the last of her kin, Xavier, in the ways of the Cree, and ultimately, provide him with the emotional stability necessary to survive the effects of war through what Neta Gordon calls a â€Å"detoxification† process (Gordon 4). Most prevalent and divulging of Niska’s connection with others is her role as a Windigo-killer, which implies an acute responsibility for making difficult choices which often contradict what is deemed to be ‘civilized’ (Boyden 169). Ironically, it is Niska’s solitude and right-judgment which give her the reputation as what Xavier, and undoubtedly many others call a â€Å"†¦ good and crazy woman† (221). In actuality, Niska’s actions exude wisdom, pragmatism, and an authentic desire to obliterate the radiating wreckage of the Windigo. The malfunctioned motivations of a windigo cannot warrant animosity on their own, and rely on the destructive actions of characters like Elijah to animate their nature. As described by Joseph Boyden: â€Å"He [Elijah] isn’t grounded in his place or culture, and this ends up being very damaging to him† (Wyile 230). Incessant boasting is what is most easily evident in his demeanor, with Xavier pointing out a multitude of situations in which Elijah can be found falsely glorifying himself due to his emotional insecurity (Boyden 77). At one point in the novel, Xavier declares: I look around and realize that I know very few men by name any more. So many have come and gone that I’ve lost track. Amazingly, Elijah seems to know all of them, acts as if he’s known them for years. 243) The white-washed Weesacheejak is only capable of establishing superficial relationships with the other soldiers by donning a â€Å"mask† (314) which, in reality, distances him further from his allies than even Xavier does. A will to dominate sprouts from his impersonal approach to friendship, resulting in the fiery approach to human interaction that is demonstrated in Weesacheejak’s relationship with Peggy. When scouting one day with Xavier, he says, quite irrelevantly, â€Å"I am better than Peggy. He cannot take a scalp. He cannot do what I do† (246). Elijah’s attitudes towards superseding others are crystallized in his love for flying, since it entails an elevated level of importance in comparison to civilization, which is largely terrestrial. Ironically, when he does experience flight for the first time in an aero plane, it brings him a great pain, (331) thus foreshadowing the untimely demise of which he experiences by the novel’s close, which is brought about by his greed for contention. Most detrimental to Elijah’s psyche, undoubtedly, is his swift acceptance of western customs and paradigms, which is demonstrated by his conformity to the warmongering attitudes of his colleagues. Elijah’s bloodlust steadily increases throughout the duration of the novel, earning him medals of honour for his â€Å"unmatched bravery† in the face of battle (254). What these medals symbolize is a complete forfeit of his kinship with the Cree, a culture which preaches the sanctity of every form of life. Additionally, the medals indicate the completeness of Elijah’s assimilation into Europe’s wartime effort, and the connotations of selfishness which fester in its nucleus. Deranged and unsatisfied with even this acknowledgement, however, Elijah’s desire for human flesh continues to define him to the point of unsuccessfully assaulting Xavier, and dying in the process. He is the epitome of a non-Aboriginal, having always having what Xavier calls a â€Å"†¦gift for the wemistikoshiw language† (59). Elijah does not discover other people, which soils the seed of a robust relationship, but uses them as devices for augmenting his ego in a fashion typical of both an avaricious European and the Windigo. The purpose of Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden is to introduce the Windigo’s infectious and corrosive potential for spiritual defilement through the personalities of Xavier, Niska and Elijah via their cultural adherence, contrasting health, and dynamic relationships. The degree to which these three protagonists repel or embrace attitudes characteristic of the Windigo determines their physical, mental, and spiritual condition by the end of the anecdote. The novel’s ‘Wandering Windigo,’ Elijah, is portrayed as an individual who can find neither a form of metaphysical shelter, nor a definite identity, resulting in his decline into nothingness. In his downfall however, Elijah destroys the lives of hundreds, highlighting the necessity for Xavier’s donning of the Windigo-killer from Niska. By way of extension, Boyden speaks, via the juxtaposition of Xavier and Niska in comparison to Elijah, of the importance of the righteous, and their responsibility to eradicate evil before it is able to worsen despite the contesting pressures of one’s affiliates. Most importantly, the novel is Boyden’s plea to immerse children in the indigenous dimensions of their ethnicity and nationality in order to construct a strong sense of identity. An Aboriginal himself, Boyden describes Three Day Road as a cautionary tale (393) in which the human person is presented as a feeble, vulnerable entity which can only be sustained when its body, mind, and spirit are in communion with one another. The novel seeks to be food for thought, asking its audience how they would respond to excruciating circumstances such as war – whether they would be able to stay anchored enough to survive it, or experience the downwards spiral of the Windigo. In the course of our lives, will we journey along the road most travelled, losing ourselves to the entropic tides of conformity, or pave our own path in order to live an independent, fruitful existence?

Homework Essays - Electronic Cigarettes, Smoking Cessation, Smoking

Homework Essays - Electronic Cigarettes, Smoking Cessation, Smoking Homework: The following is a list of arguments that lack a they sayany sense of who needs to hear these claims, who might think otherwise. Like the speaker in the cartoon who declares the Sopranos presents complex characters, these one sided arguments fail to explain what view they are responding towhat view, in effect, they are trying to correct, add to, qualify, complicate, and so forth. Your job in this exercise is to provide each argument with such a counterview. Feel free to use any of the templates that were provided to you. a.Our experiments suggest that there are dangerous levels of chemical X in the Ohio groundwater. b.Money and material forces drive history. c.Proponents of e-cigarettes question the smoking ban. d.Male students often dominate class discussions. e.The film is about the problems of romantic relationships. f.Im afraid that templates like the ones in the book will stifle my creativity. Homework: The following is a list of arguments that lack a they sayany sense of who needs to hear these claims, who might think otherwise. Like the speaker in the cartoon who declares the Sopranos presents complex characters, these one sided arguments fail to explain what view they are responding towhat view, in effect, they are trying to correct, add to, qualify, complicate, and so forth. Your job in this exercise is to provide each argument with such a counterview. Feel free to use any of the templates that were provided to you. a.Our experiments suggest that there are dangerous levels of chemical X in the Ohio groundwater. b.Money and material forces drive history. c.Proponents of e-cigarettes question the smoking ban. d.Male students often dominate class discussions. e.The film is about the problems of romantic relationships. f.Im afraid that templates like the ones in the book will stifle my creativity.

Case Study In Human Resource Management Example

Case Study In Human Resource Management Example Case Study In Human Resource Management – Case Study Example Case Study in Human Resource Management Summary Haier has been ranked as the sixth largest global manufacturer of kitchen appliances. The arrival of Zhang as its new CEO has greatly contributed to the company’s success. Under Zhang’s leadership, the company annual revenue increased from RMB 3.4 millions to RMB 104 millions. Haier achieved this progress with 23 operation plants and 240 employees. The company has significant value for its employees and, employee appraisals are paramount for its advancements. In addition, Haier has a systematic training program that aims at creating professionals from its employees. Haier’s employees are also expected to give an account of their performance and their performance improvement strategies. The company also include the value of its employees in its accounting records. Thus, an employee can surpass his/ her value by surpassing their goals and expectations. This has enabled the managers to classify each employee into an ap propriate talent pool.Swot analysisStrengthDedicated employees or human capitalHaier has managers have excellent employee motivational strategiesTracking employee’s profit and loss enhance efficient operationHaier has globalized the manufacture and sales of its productsWeaknessThe company had difficulties in maintaining large number of employee.Considering each employee as a separate entity with individual profit and loss account complicates the company’s accounting system.OpportunitiesThere is a growing demand for the company’s products in the developing countries.Large number of skilled workers in the Chinese populationThreatsThe company stand a chance of loosing its employees to other company.Most employees feel threatened by the intensive human resource monitoring system.The expense of training employees is likely to increase the company’s cost of operation.The footstep model overshadows employee’s progress denying them appraisals and promotion .ReferenceHarzing, A. J. Ruysseveldt, V (2004). International Human Resource Management. London: Sage.

When to Cite a Source in a Paper

When to Cite a Source in a Paper Write an essay and back it up with facts. How many times have you heard a teacher or professor say this? But many students might wonder what exactly counts as a fact, and what doesnt. That means they dont know when it is proper to cite a source, and when its OK not to use a citation. Dictionary.com states that a fact is: Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed. Demonstrated is a hint here. What the teacher means when she/he tells you to use facts is that you need to back up your claims with some evidence that supports your claims (sources). Its one trick that teachers use to make sure you actually use some references when you write a paper, instead of simply offering a list of your opinions. This may sound easy, but its actually tough sometimes to know when you need to back up a statement with evidence and when it is fine to leave a statement unsupported. When to Cite a Source You should use evidence (citations) any time you make a claim that is not based on a well-known fact or common knowledge. Heres a list of situations when your teacher would expect a citation: You make a specific claim that could be challengedlike London is the foggiest city in the world.  You quote somebody.You make a specific claim that is not common knowledge like the Indian Ocean is the youngest of the worlds major oceans.You paraphrase information from a source (give the meaning but change the wording).Offer an authoritative (expert) opinionlike germs cause pneumonia.You got an idea from somebody else, even through email or conversation. Although there may be interesting facts that you have believed or know for many years, you will be expected to provide proof of those facts when youre writing a paper for school. Examples of Claims You Should Support Hot water can freeze faster than cold water.Poodles are friendlier than Dalmatians.American Chestnut trees are nearly extinct.Eating while driving is more dangerous than talking on the cell phone while driving.Thomas Edison invented a vote counter. When You Dont Need to Cite a Source So how do you know when you do not need to cite a source?  Common knowledge is basically a fact that practically everyone knows, like the fact that George Washington was a U.S. president. More  Examples of Common Knowledge or Well-Known Facts Bears hibernate in the winter.Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees F.Many trees shed their leaves in the fall.Some trees do not shed their leaves in the fall.Bears hibernate. A well-known fact is something that many people know, but it is also something that a reader could look up easily if he/she didnt know. Its best to plant flowers in the early spring.Holland is famous for its tulips.Canada has a multilingual population. If youre not really certain about something being common knowledge, you could give it the little sister test. If you have a younger sibling, ask him or her the subject youre pondering. If you get an answer, it could be common knowledge! A Good Rule of Thumb A good rule of thumb for any writer is to go ahead and use a citation when youre not certain whether or not the citation is necessary. The only risk in doing this is littering your paper with unnecessary citations that will drive your teacher crazy. Too many citations will give your teacher the impression that you are attempting to stretch your paper to a certain word count! Simply trust your own best judgment and be honest with yourself. Youll get the hang of it soon!

Rape of the Locke Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rape of the Locke - Essay Example A dire offence is seen in it and a grim situation emerges. The early part of the poem by the revelation of Ariel (1.27-114) gives the philosophical touch to the missing lock. He says, she should be happy that the lock will survive after her death—what a satirical style to highlight her self-importance! The sexuality prevalent in the elite society is subtly tackled by Alexander Pope. He explores the bifacial strategy of the elite to look sober and polished but sexual passion is hidden behind the surface. The act of cutting the hair though a joke, is a form of intimidation and rape. Further, sexuality is also implicit in the following couplet: There is enough stuff in the poem to indicate how the so-called civilized and high class people behave silly like children, and behind the dignified demeanor, violent emotions exist. The basest human motives are intelligently covered so that the world outside does not see it. Pope also pictures the world in which a man worships the woman and the woman worships herself. The poet details and rather defends the compulsions of Belinda as to the necessity for her to behave the way she behaves. The subtle competition and the rat-race to excel, amongst the members of the elite society, create poignant situations for individuals like Belinda. Nowhere the poet condemns her; he sympathizes with her plight. This poem is supposed to be based on the vanities of two families with whom Pope was well-acquainted with. It acts like the soothing balm to cool hot tempers and inculcate the habit to laugh at one’s own folly. Though epic is a serious literary form, Pope derives maximum fun and satire out of this poem. He has a dig at the society in which values have been sacrificed for silly-nothings. A society that gives more importance to the container and not the contents! The society that has been rendered