Wednesday, April 22, 2020

The Well Paid Receptionist free essay sample

I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas of words, whether quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course. Student Signature: Amy Bukovich ******************************************* Instructor’s Grade on Assignment: Instructor’s Comments: A Practical Application of Market-Based and Value Driven Management for Tyco International Amy Bukovich Nova Southeastern University Based upon the principles of economics, every firm’s goal main goal is to create long-term sustainable profitability. In order to attain this goal a firm must understand Value Over Time (VOT) maximization and the relationship both short and long-term goals have in profit maximization. In reviewing the Well Paid Receptionist Case Analysis it is evident that Troupville Business Solutions (TBS) misjudged the time horizon when making critical decisions that would affect their future financial obligations. TBS: Background and Problem Identification Troupville Business Solutions was founded seven years ago by Harvey Finley, an experienced service technician and well networked sales associate for copy machines. We will write a custom essay sample on The Well Paid Receptionist or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At the time Harvey decided to capitalize on his technical competence and sales experience, Troupville was recovering from a severe recession. To many in the small town of 35,000 the business venture was risky but Harvey believed with his comparative advantages in the industry, paired with a competent staff, he could realize his dream. In the beginning, Harvey had a shoestring budget which barely gave him the financial means to higher an employee needed to play both the role of secretary and general assistant. Harvey was looking for someone that not only the held technical skills required to fulfill daily tasks but someone that was just as passionate and in-tune to the vision he had for his company. He found this in Cathy Brannen, an educated administration assistant with seven years experience with two separate companies who both vowed that she was the best employee they have had in any position. Because of Cathy’s exceptional attributes as an employee she earned herself a salary of $15,900, which was higher than both the average salary for the area and Harvey’s budget at $14,000. Harvey was reluctant to guarantee a large salary because of the uncertainty regarding the future of the firm, so to entice Cathy to commit he decided to offer a 2% sales over-ride contingency to her contract that at the time created no substantial financial obligation. In the short-term it provided Harvey with the assets needed to create an opportunity for success; his ideal employee with an incentive based contract that freed up cash for current operations. After seven years and an evolving business plan Harvey had experienced success, unforeseen even to himself. He contributes some of his current success to Cathy, as he recognized she had proven to be a truly indispensable asset. Cathy grew with the company, becoming just as knowledgeable as Harvey in all facets of the company while maintaining her official position as secretary. With the growth Harvey expanded his staff to include 17 employees, including Frank, the company comptroller. Having an increased number of professional salespersons decreased the level of support Cathy was providing to customers and allowed her more time to spend on her expanding secretarial duties. With the seemingly over night success and the expanding business Harvey naturally delegated many functions to his employees, such as financial management to Frank. With this said it was surprise to Harvey to find that Cathy, his secretary, was making twice as much as his other employees earning $127k in the business year, with her salary increasing each year with continued success. Harvey is faced with the dilemma of determining whether the value Cathy has added to his company since its inception warrants her current and future increasing compensation. Troupville Business Solution’s Value Drivers Before we can identify the alternatives to Harvey’s issue we must first examine Troupville Business Solution’s Value Drivers. By examining the values that each party holds we can better understand their current and possible future actions. In the case of the Well Paid Receptionist there are two main Value Drivers: Employee and Owner. Employee’s Values Understanding employee values is extremely important for management as many companies consider employee’s to be their greatest asset. To create value it is important that employees’ values are congruent with organizational values (Pohlman, 1997). Decision makers have to recognize what each employee values and determine ways in which they can be incorporated into the organization to create the most success. Once firms find employees with values congruent to the organization it is a continuous process to ensure employee, customer and the organization’s cultural value remain harmonious. With this continuous harmonization process management will have to make decision but they will have to account for the how they both will impact their employees and VOT (Pohlman, 1997). In the case of the Well Paid Receptionist, the two parties that represent employee values are Cathy Brannen and generalized all other employees in the firm. Throughout the alternative analysis I will examine the affect each option has on these parties and the overall impact it will have on VOT. Owner’s Values Owner’s values have a simpler and more direct focus than those of the employee because they center on one component, the owner. The Owner’s values create the framework for a firm’s success. Based upon basic economic principles every firm’s primary goal is usually to maximize profits, which leads to VOT maximization (Thomas amp; Maurice, 2011). All employees must recognize that they are entrusted with the assets of the organization to reach the owner’s objectives (Pohlman, 1997). In the case of the Well Paid Receptionist, only one party represents the owner’s values, Harvey Finley. Throughout the alternatives analysis I will examine the affect each option has on these parties and the overall impact it will have on VOT. Alternative Analysis with Implementation Plan In order to reach a viable solution to the issue Harvey is faced with he will have to account for all alternatives and analyze the impact they have on the both his companies Value Drivers and on VOT. As stated by Pohlman, â€Å"Most decisions that decision-makers make will not be simple, black-and-white or clear-cut. Instead they will be very complex and will require a great deal of subjective judgment†(p. 9). The alternatives that I think Harvey should examine are taking no action, reducing Cathy’s salary to the market rate, changing the scope of Cathy’s responsibilities to warrant compensation, and change sales based incentive to a profit-sharing incentive. Status Quo When evaluating any alternatives the first that should be examined is taking no action. This would have the greatest impact on owner’s values and a negative impact on VOT. As portrayed in Table 1, over 10 years Harvey would expect to pay Cathy $1. 9 million which would represent a 239% increase in compensation based on current growth rates of 15%. Also, her current salary is XXX% higher than Harvey’s highest paid manager. Based upon Cathy’s current responsibilities that have shifted towards a secretarial focus, the magnitude of compensation does not coincide with the value she adds to the company. Based on the owner’s values, Frank should have recognized that assets were misappropriated and notified Harvey prior. Harvey would still be facing the dilemma he is currently in now but he could have corrected the issue earlier, allowing him the possibility of harmonizing the companies Value Driver’s to maximize VOT creating both short and long-term value. There would also be an effect on employee’s values if there were no change, more so for all other employees. Cathy’s personal VOT would increase based on projected growth and most likely her values would remain congruent with those of the company due to her incentive based compensation. The other employees could be adversely affected if compensation based on merit and responsibility is valued to them. As stated in the case, many employees were aware of Cathy’s compensation and thus could have feelings of resentment towards the company leading to less productivity. Ultimately, this would have a negative impact on the company’s VOT because with less productivity from employees, Harvey should expect a decline in profit. Compensation Based on Market Salary As stated by Pohlman, â€Å"Organizations should not be committed to long-term rigid budgets or strategic plans especially those that are created at the top of the organization†(p. 11). In this case, Harvey misjudged the time horizon for his company’s success which Cathy’s compensation was based upon. With his success it has allowed him the opportunity to hire staff that he could assign to positions in which they have a comparative advantage. Since Cathy spends a majority of her time focused on secretarial tasks Harvey could reduce Cathy’s salary to match the market rate of $25,000. From an owner’s values perspective this would create the most value in both the short and long term time horizons. As portrayed in Table 1, if Harvey would change Cathy’s salary to the Market Rate in the current year he would save $121,756. 34 in the first year alone, which almost matches the amount her salary was in the previous year. In addition, within the table’s time frame it would save Harvey almost $1. 5 million and decrease his average expenditure by 88%. From an employee’s values perspective, Cathy would be impacted the greatest with a possible small effect on all other employees. As portrayed by the Table-1, Cathy would experience an 83% decrease in salary in the first year alone. Based upon Value Based Management principles, it is the employee’s responsibility to maximize their VOT. From a knowledge standpoint Cathy has maximized her VOT by becoming knowledgeable in all facets of the company as it grew which also allowed her to benefit financially due to her incentive based contract up to this point. As stated by Landsburg, â€Å"People respond to incentives† (as cited in Pulman, 1997). If Cathy’s incentive is taken away, her personal VOT is adversely affected, so much so that it could lead to a decrease in productivity if monetary compensation was a personal value. Her decrease in productivity would also have a negative impact on the company’s value since she is the first to greet clients both in the office and over the phone. With a decrease in Cathy’s compensation Harvey now has the option to invest the savings back into his company or invest in his employees in the form of bonuses, including Cathy. This would have a positive impact on employee moral that could possibly lead to higher productivity and thus would have a positive affect on VOT. Change In Responsibilities Cathy has become an indispensable asset to the company as she has gained both tacit and explicit knowledge since she became the company’s first employee. Although Harvey had the vision for the company, Cathy could arguably be equally as responsible for the success and $1 million in equity that Harvey has built in the company. As stated by Pohlman, â€Å"For knowledge to create value is must be properly used† (p. 8). From an Owner’s Values perspective, Harvey is limiting the value added to the company by restricting Cathy to her to a secretarial role and thus misappropriating her as an asset. If Harvey were to create a role in the company that would exploit the knowledge Cathy has accumulated and allow her to utilize it to benefit the company it could warrant the magnitude of her salary. This would create no relative change for the company’s financial obligations as 2% of sales have always been earmarked for Cathy’s salary, but it could increase the company’s long-term VOT based upon Cathy’s knowledge being properly applied. From an Employee’s Values standpoint, changing Cathy’s scope of responsibilities is beneficial to both Cathy and all other employees. Cathy would be empowered with greater responsibilities, as well as, maintaining her incentive based contract that should compel her to maximize her personal VOT, thus increasing the value added to the company. In Cathy’s new role, other employees could have the opportunity to learn from her experiences and apply that knowledge to their tasks to increase their productivity. This will also increase the company’s VOT, both in the short and long term. Profit-Sharing The last alternative presented still keeps Cathy’s salary as incentive based but its applied on profits instead of sales. According to Thomas and Maurice, â€Å"Increasing revenues does not necessarily increase profit and may even lower profit†(p. 19). Although Harvey has experienced success with using a sales based incentive it could have been adversely affecting his net profit. If a profit-sharing incentive plan replaced Cathy’s current compensation plan it would compel her to be more diligent in maximizing the value for all facets of operations and not just sales. This will also harmonize owner and employee’s values, as they would both be focused on maximizing their bottom line, which again is affected by all aspects of operations. With the information provided it is difficult to measure the value that can be added because the COGS was not a figure provided in the case. Without this line item on the financials Cathy’s compensation cannot be calculated, but if the 2% incentive basis is still applied it can be assumed to be much lower than that if compensation was based on sales Implementation Plan As stated earlier, decisions are not clear-cut and require a great deal of subjective judgment. With this said I believe Harvey’s best alternative is a hybrid of the last two options: Change in Responsibilities and Profit-Sharing Incentives. ***Check paper for comparative advantage References Cousins, R. B. (1992). The well-paid receptionist. La Grange College: Case Research Journal, 12(1), 1-5. Pohlman, R. A. (1997). Value Driven Management, Faculty Working Paper 97-01, School of Business and Entrepreneurship, Nova Southeastern University. Thomas, C. amp; Maurice, S. (2011). Managerial economics: Foundations of business analysis and strategy (10th ed. ) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill

Monday, March 16, 2020

Free Essays on Employment Acceptance

Why do I want to be a supervisor at the Pasco CSO. My family moved to Pasco, Washington in March 1967. We moved as seasonal migrant workers to the Green Giant Camp to work cutting asperagus from April to June. My father decided to stay and work as a Mantience supervisor for the Green Giant Trailer Camp. My family continues to live in Pasco for several more years and I worked in the summers in agriculture seasonal employment until I married in 1979. I graduated from Pasco High School and went on to attend several classes at Columbia Basin College until my Husbend was called for work in Ferndale, Washington. While in Ferndale I started volunteering for nonprofit organzation helping with information on housing, employment, and other information needed. I then moved back to Pasco, Washinton and offered Employment with the City of Pasco in the Senior Center as a Case Manager. Since then I have worked with various ethnic groups providing help with information, housing, benefits, and other services as needed. What Skills will I bring to the position: I have worked in human services for 20 years, and have build my skills in case management, coordiating, and worked with various ethnic groups.... Free Essays on Employment Acceptance Free Essays on Employment Acceptance Why do I want to be a supervisor at the Pasco CSO. My family moved to Pasco, Washington in March 1967. We moved as seasonal migrant workers to the Green Giant Camp to work cutting asperagus from April to June. My father decided to stay and work as a Mantience supervisor for the Green Giant Trailer Camp. My family continues to live in Pasco for several more years and I worked in the summers in agriculture seasonal employment until I married in 1979. I graduated from Pasco High School and went on to attend several classes at Columbia Basin College until my Husbend was called for work in Ferndale, Washington. While in Ferndale I started volunteering for nonprofit organzation helping with information on housing, employment, and other information needed. I then moved back to Pasco, Washinton and offered Employment with the City of Pasco in the Senior Center as a Case Manager. Since then I have worked with various ethnic groups providing help with information, housing, benefits, and other services as needed. What Skills will I bring to the position: I have worked in human services for 20 years, and have build my skills in case management, coordiating, and worked with various ethnic groups....

Saturday, February 29, 2020

How to Set a (Realistic) Target SAT Score

When you’re preparing to take the SAT for the first—or maybe second or third—time, it can be difficult to know where to start. Before you even start studying, it’s important to set a goal for your SAT scores—while staying realistic, of course. Not sure where to begin? Here’s your guide to setting a (realistic) target SAT score. While you want to aim as high as possible, it’s important to keep yourself in check . Understand where you’re starting in order to figure out how much you can improve. Take a formative assessment to gauge your starting point. This type of practice test will give you a read on what skills you have now and which ones you still need to learn and practice. Learn more about the importance of this test in What Is a Formative Assessment and Why Should I Use One to Study? . Remember that your initial score is likely to go up as you study and prepare for the SAT. Use the formative assessment to consider which studying strategies are best for you. For instance, if you’re strong in reading but weaker in geometry problems and formulas, you may want to implement a â€Å"formula of the day† to memorize. First and foremost, you should be looking for colleges that are the right fit —not just in terms of rankings, prestige, and difficulty of admission, but those that align with your values and interests. While you’re reviewing colleges , make note of the average test scores at the schools that interest you. You can usually find the middle 50% SAT score range, meaning the range from the 25th percentile and to the 75th percentile of the most recent freshman class. You should aim to fall at least in the middle of this range. If you’re closer to the 25th percentile, it’s not a deal breaker, but it does make the school more of a reach. Our students see an average increase of 250 points on their SAT scores. Many scholarships base awards on SAT scores among other factors. Identify these scholarships early on, so you know what you need to do and what scores you need to earn to achieve them. Winning these scholarships can help you with college costs. Learn more in How Your SAT Scores Can Help You Earn Scholarships and Getting a Head Start on Your Scholarship Search . Use your PSAT score as a starting point, as well as previous SAT scores. While you will improve with studying, as well as simply learning more information in school, your PSAT can give you a rough starting pointing. Learn more about interpreting your PSAT scores in What Does My PSAT Score Mean? . Use information such as practice tests, your PSAT, and the average scores of the colleges on your list to set a realistic target score for the SAT. You should also factor in and consider how much time you’ll have for prepping and studying. Make a plan and stick to it. Then you can start working on achieving your goals. For more advice on preparing for the SAT, read: Looking for some more help for acing the SAT? The SAT Tutoring Program will help you achieve top scores on your test. We’ll pair you with two private tutors, one for English and writing, and one for math and science. All of our tutors have scored in the 99th percentile on the section they are teaching and are chosen based on teaching skills and ability to relate to their students. How to Write the University of Pittsburgh Essays 2018-2019 The University of Pittsburgh (colloquially known as Pitt) is a large research university established in 1787. Located in the industrial city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is home to 17 schools and over 19,000 undergraduate students. With an acceptance rate of 60%, Pitt was ranked 26th out of all public universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report in 2018. The university has a thriving academic community, over 350 student clubs and organizations, and is known for its positive campus atmosphere; in 2010, it was rated as having one of the top 10 happiest student bodies in the country. The University of Pittsburgh strongly encourages applicants to write three short essays, granting potential students a great opportunity to showcase multiple facets of their personality, experiences, and interests. Read on for tips to help you master these essays and boost your chances of acceptance into one of the happiest and highest-ranking public schools in the country! This prompt provides you the space to demonstrate your   passions ,   initiative , and   desire to help others . Whether the impact you have made is large or small, the essay should show how you possess each of these qualities. Some good example topics for this essay: While the first example is on a â€Å"macro† scale, the second, more â€Å"micro† example can be equally as powerful if told well. If you decide to go with a smaller-scale impact, make sure it is written as a   story ; use descriptive details that really make the reader feel as though they were also there. While you should be descriptive and   show instead of tell   no matter what you are writing about (see guide to the prompt below for more details on showing vs. telling), it is especially important when writing about an experience that could seem trivial if it is not well-described. Be sure to also illustrate the impact; for instance, for the second example above, the writer could incorporate dialogue between herself and the student when he expresses his gratitude for her reaching out to him. Submit your essay and we’ll get back to you with helpful edits. As briefly discussed in our guide   How to Write the Common Application Essays 2018-2019 , the best response to this question should demonstrate how the intersection of your personality, interests, skills, and analytical-thinking abilities creates a distinctive combination — one that would allow you to contribute in an idiosyncratic way to the college to which you are applying. Taking it one step farther, UPitt is also looking for your ability to reflect. What evidence do you have of your uniqueness? What experiences can you point to that showcase your individuality? You will likely be doing some storytelling here, so it’s extremely important to   show and not tell. Here’s an example of the difference between the two: Note that the â€Å"showing† example also   avoids using any overused adages or clichà ©s , as such sayings can diminish the strength of the experience or emotion you are trying to convey. For example, when explaining the difficulties that come with growing up, writing â€Å"the inevitable blemishes of adolescence† is more distinct and illustrative than saying something like â€Å"the rollercoaster that is high school.† For some of you, this essay will be easy to start – maybe you’ve got an odd family tradition, an uncommon identity, a niche hobby, or even a peculiar birthmark that you could write about. In that case, be sure to point to specific experiences; you could focus on just one moment and tell the story with rich detail, or skillfully connect a few experiences together into one cohesive narrative. The key is to demonstrate your uniqueness through real-life examples and show how this uniqueness will translate into helping you excel at UPitt. But what if you don’t have some extraordinarily special aspect of life to point to? Don’t worry – most of the world doesn’t. The key is to remember that you are still unique! Your specific life experiences, background, personality, interests, and a million other things form a special combination that really cannot be found in anyone else. Try writing out all of your interests, skills, and passions, and then lift out a few from the list. Next, think about how these things come together and make you special. Are there any experiences that show how you, having your distinctive mixture of these separate identities or interests or abilities, were able to meet a challenge, relate to a stranger, help a peer, or learn something new about yourself? Really dig deeply into what you believe is truly unique about you, weave a story that features an experience or two demonstrating that uniqueness, and then show how this will help you contribute something distinctive to UPitt that nobody else can. With this prompt, UPitt wants to see your creativity and problem-solving skills. In other words, you should show the admissions office how you think . The key is to think small when answering this question: what’s a problem you see, and how would you fix it? We suggest you stay away from big national or global issues like â€Å"zero hunger† or â€Å"world poverty.† However, you may be able to concentrate on smaller, more specific issues within these broad zones, and most likely, the problem you’re interested in solving will be somehow related to family or interests or specific life experiences. (Bonus points if you can combine multiple areas of specialty together, drawing on your skills and experiences from two or more different academic or extracurricular areas!) The key takeaway here is that this prompt does not require a well-tested research project that’s been presented at multiple conferences — just pick any problem you see in your daily life and come up with a creative solution for it! As a word of caution, the only constraint is the word limit. While you have 750 words, the UPitt admissions office likely prefers the 200 to 300 range that they’ve suggested. In your answer, you should aim to have a brief background of what inspired your idea, an explanation of your idea, and the potential impact you’d like to see it cause. If you present something that requires a great deal of highly technical explanations, try your best to simplify it down so that any person walking down the street can understand your proposal. And worse comes to worst, pick something else! Remember: your actual product, process, business, or organization doesn’t matter so much as your inspiration and process – the story of your creativity, problem-solving, and compassion. Want help on your Pitt application or essays? Learn about our   College Apps Program. Want us to quickly edit your college essay? Submit it to our   Rapid Review program , and we’ll get it back to you quickly with comments from our expert team.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Literature Review. ADHD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Literature Review. ADHD - Essay Example The front part of the brain has slightest to do with aptitude, so it is likely to be very intelligent and still have ADHD. The study of ADHD goes back to the early 1900s. However, its name has changed over time. Children who survived the encephalitis epidemics of the 1920s were left with a post-encephalitic syndrome characterized by problems with memory, attention, hyperactivity, and a lack of impulse control. There was also a group of children who, though not post-encephalitic, presented clinically with the same triad of symptoms: hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility. The term minimal brain damage or hyperactive child syndrome was used for this group. However, when it became apparent that there was no frank evidence of brain damage, the designation was changed to minimal brain dysfunction, although hyperactive child syndrome was also in use (Okagaki, Kontos, &, 1998). During the 1970s, it was thought that the focus on hyperactivity was not clinically warranted and did not sufficiently accent problems with attention and impulse control. In view of the latter, the DSM-III revision of 1980 changed the designation to attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, thus highlighting inattention and distractibility. ... ADHD is generally characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity that causes impairment across settings. ADHD is a developmental disorder (symptoms present before age 7) with recognized subtypes: a predominantly impulsive-hyperactive subtype, a predominantly inattentive subtype, and a third subtype combining features of both. Adults with ADHD, while usually not physically hyperactive, often continue to have marked problems in time management, sustained attention, impulse control, social skills, and frustration tolerance. Academic and work-related problems may result from poor organization, planning, and follow-through. Probably as many as four million children and four to five million adults in the United States suffer from Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although ADHD was described by physicians many years ago, its frequency only recently has been recognized. Exact figures are not available, but it seems likely that between 3 to 10 percent of school-age children and 4 to 5 percent of adults have ADHD (Scheinbaum, Newton, Zecker, & Rosenfeld, 1995). . ADHD is frequently accompanied by learning disorders in reading, spelling, or arithmetic, and it may be accompanied by other behavior disorders. ADHD is more common in boys than in girls. Child psychiatrists used to believe that the symptoms of ADHD diminished and disappeared as children grew older, but recent studies have found that ADHD frequently persists into adolescence and adult life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, defines ADHD as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than typically observed in

Saturday, February 1, 2020

Solution of Bottleneck problem Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Solution of Bottleneck problem - Assignment Example However, there are always alternatives that can be embraced to avoid such ups and downs. These actions could even call for an evaluation of the entire process, and once a section that is responsible for the stagnation is established, one can always know what to do to correct it. Such a problem was encountered in one of the buildings, Annex Building entrance, and below is how the irregularity is contained effectively, after close examination of the problem. The doors to Annex building, used on daily basis by different people ranging from workers who have offices in the building, hundreds of teachers and students with classes there, and others wishing to access facilities such as library and food courts. This large number of people flocking into the building further bring into consideration the aspect of convenience which should be paramount for ensuring minimum time loss and for controling excessive crowding at the doors. As expected, the doors to this building should be easy and straightforward to use in order to ensure that there are no inconveniences that arise when anyone wishes to access the building. Though the process sound so simple theoretically (just grasping the handle, pulling/pushing the door open and proceeding through), it is cumbersome when practically done. Numerous factors cause people to halt interactions until they can get someone to ask for assistance. These factors include overcrowding, usability of the arm, people’s baggage loads, and cases when individuals with wheelchairs experience problems at the doors.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Slavery and Freedom in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest Essay

Slavery and Freedom in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tempest† The subtly comedic interactions and juxtapositions between masters and slaves in William Shakespeare’s â€Å"The Tempest† generate a question which has been the source of much controversy throughout history: are the hierarchical classifications â€Å"slave† and â€Å"free† reflections of a person’s fundamental nature, or are they social constructions based on bias and self-interest which have nothing to do with absolute truth? This question is crucial because the way that we answer it has the potential to either justify or condemn the widespread practice of enslaving certain individuals. A close look at Shakespeare’s portrayal of masters and slaves in this play suggests that although those who enslave others would like to believe that slave and free are natural categories, they seem to be socially constructed. In his essay â€Å"The Ancient Comic Tradition†, Bernard Knox states that â€Å"Slave and free were not so much separate classes as separate worlds: Aristotle could go so far as to claim that they were separate natures† (131). While the concept that slave and free are separate worlds is defensible given the vast differences in lifestyle between the two, the idea that they are separate natures is not a logical extension of this fact, but rather a separate idea altogether. Fundamental nature has nothing to do with one’s political or social situation, but rather one’s innate capabilities, motivations, and morality. Our task, then, is to determine the degree of similarity (or lack thereof) in the innate capabilities, motivations, and morality of the masters and slaves in this play. Through close examination of Prospero and Caliban, it becomes apparent that although Caliban ... ...hich those who have insight into the situation may affect change, one of the most powerful of which is through fiction. Skilled writers can convey the flaws in the system through their narrative without explicitly stating them, thus engaging the reader to think through the implications of the narrative on their own. This way, any conclusion arrived at feels like the reader’s own insight, making it more plausible than if the conclusion is thrust upon the reader by an overtly didactic text. In â€Å"The Tempest†, Shakespeare never explicitly states that enslavement is not logically justified, but instead subtly implies it through his narrative. I believe that it is in part because of writers such as Shakespeare who have—whether intentionally or not—used the medium of fiction to expose the problems in their society that our world is gradually moving towards social justice.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Moll Flanders: From Innocence to Maturity Essay

Moll Flanders is the central character of the novel â€Å"Moll Flanders†, who was born in Newgate, England and passed different phases of her life across England and America. The entire novel depicts those phases of her life through five marriages, among which only one was fruitful. Between her marriages and through them, the character of Moll Flanders evolves which shows her ingenuity, energy and determination to survive and do well. Moll is born in a prison in Newgate and soon after her birth, her mother is deported to America alone, to serve her punishment. She is taken over by a group of gypsy, with whom she lived until she was three years old. Then she was raised by a nurse until she was eight. It was tradition that she should now find a job as a servant, like many other orphan children. However, this is when we see the first piece of Moll’s intelligence when she pleads that she could be a ‘gentlewoman’ with whatever little education and work skill she has achieved so far. Soon, she becomes a celebrity and was assisted by many women and finally was taken by one of the prominent families where she grows like the other daughters of the family. So, if we look thoroughly up to this phase of Moll’s life, we see the ingenuity of her character which she keeps growing over time through the rest of the novel. As the elder son of the family becomes physically intimate with Moll, she starts to become emotionally very intimate to him. She starts to believe that she could be a wife someday in that house. However, soon she turns wrong and learns the about the harshness male dominance. Later, she marries the younger brother and gives birth to 2 children. We see Moll starts to become self-sufficient through this phase of life. She understands that if she wants to get herself as a respectable woman in the society, she requires the identity of being married to a gentleman. However, it is also interesting to observe that she still preserves a sense of dignity in her. The thought of lying with the elder brother for financial reason disgusts her. But she grows a perspective which decides her reaction to such events and let her choose the appropriate course of action to survive. She becomes aware of the physical relationship but at the same time she becomes pragmatic and marries the elder brother. Soon after the death of her first husband, she gets married to a draper. But her second marriage does not last long either as the tradesman becomes a fugitive and runs away to France. And the wealth that Moll has achieved over the period of affair with the elder brother, comes down to less than half. And this is when she falls into a strange kind of problem of having no husband despite having one. But she finds a solution by concealing her true identity and becomes a trickster to get married again. It is notable that at this stage of her life, she realizes that being honest and devoted to relationship does not always settle a woman into a society. Her love for the elder brother is real but is not enough to achieve a stable life. Life teaches her to be tricky and she tricks her step-brother to marry her by vowing him that he would still marry her even if she is penniless. After being married for the third time, Moll goes to Virginia with her husband and starts to live a happy and prosperous life. However, that does not last long as the secret is soon revealed that she has married her own half-brother. Moll’s reaction at this stage of her life is quite contrasting to the rest of her reactions previously. So far she has exposed mostly the negative aspects of her character to get a sustainable life. However, despite being happy with her step-brother, she decides to leave her. This time her moral principle wins over other consideration and she expresses her disgust over this incestuous relationship. Even her own mother cannot convince her to forget everything and live the life. So, she returns to England by leaving behind a perfect life in America. As she returns to England, she starts to live in a place called Bath, which is known more to find a mistress than a wife. After three unsuccessful marriages, Moll becomes aware that she has to be very careful about her next relationship. She meets a banker who is ready to marry her but she denies after knowing that he already has a wife who is insane. She says she would only consider marrying him if the banker can obtain a divorce. This shows the sign of her being matured over time. She also meets another man named Jemy, who becomes her fourth husband and perhaps her best match. Jemy is another trickster, like Moll herself. So, this phase of Moll’s life shows her calculated treatment to the male companions and her sensitivity in getting married. However, she and Jemy cross each other in the same game and they fitted each other rightly, and in later life it proves right. So, at this segment of her life, we see the little morals and bits of wisdom which shows the ultimate maturity of Moll Flanders. Going through the life of Moll Flanders through her first four marriages, one might say she is hard to stand. But despite her less than appealing qualities, we see the development of a woman who leads a hard fought life. Interestingly, Daniel Defoe has chosen a character of low moral as the principal protagonist of this novel which is rather uncommon. But her imperfection and the nature of fluidness in her character glorify the fight of a woman from an era when they were seen as an inferior. And through the first four marriages, we see the evolution of an ordinary girl towards sensible maturity to sustain in a society which is vulnerable for women.