Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals

Improving personal and professional skills to meet goals To achieve the personal goals and organisational goals each individual needs a set of certain skills to carry out his / her duties and responsibilities. The improved level of skills the organisation employees have, the more the chances of getting goals and objectives achieved. So for both individual and organisation the personal and professional skills advancement always remains of high importance. The requirement from this assignment is to produce a Personal Development Plan for medium term and demonstrate the steps taken within the plan. Explain methods to improve personal and professional skills to meet organisational and own goals and objectives. Personal and professional skills are those skills which are owned by individuals, personal skills are commonly by nature, but can be developed through certain processes and activities, when an individual use his personal skills for his organisational or professional goals / objectives, then it is referred as professional skill. The most common personal and professional skills are communication skills, management skills, interpersonal relations, innovative skills, analytical problem solving, decision making, social skills, pro activity and much more. Skills development method Skills development methods and techniques are the activities or actions taken by an individual or an organisation to explore the hidden potential of their employees and make their capacity more for performing certain task and activities to achieve the organisational goals and objectives. Through skills development methods and techniques increase the knowledge and skills through a consistent process of learning and education. A professional development program boosts the individuals career, through travel, research, workshops and seminars and by working with professionals who are experienced. People take up a professional development course to build their expertise in business, teaching and nursing and contribute to organizational development. Following are the details of various personal and professional skills development methods use in different organizations to achieve the organizational and individual career goals. Class room Courses / Certificates this method widely used now days at almost all good organisations, to provide their employees the opportunity to enhance their skills and learn the latest knowledge through formal class room courses and they are awarded certificate which may help them in getting better positions in future. Crew Development Program is use by the different multi-national organisations, in which they train their current employees working at operational level in order to take some management position at tactic level or strategic level. For example Mc Donalds, has a very structured program in which they train their crew member for future leadership and management of the company, and is also a very successful one because 40 % of the top 50 mangers of Mc Donalds worldwide join this organisation as crew member. Training and Development is a key method to improve skills of employees, to improve the employees basic skills initially the pre job training is provided and to enhance the capabilities of employees on job training is provided also a series of skill development activities is carried out. Leadership Development Program is an important program in practice in good and well structured organisations. In this program they select the potential employees for taking over the future management positions and then provide them training, and educate them on how to carry out management activities. Social Gatherings is also an important activity through which these companies try to socialise their employees, and provide them opportunity to attend these gatherings alongside with their families to give them insight on how to socialise with different people and for their company they value the most. College / University Placement is the method of skills development in which different organisation arrange different courses for their employees in collaboration with good universities or other degree awarding institutes to cope them with latest knowledge and skills of their field. Award Winning: To have a healthy competitive environment among their employees which may result in the personal and professional skill development, the method of award winning strategy in which the employees producing good results are awarded benefits (both financial and vertical movement in the management hierarchy) is very helpful. For example Mc Donalds have award winning scheme, employees producing better results are awarded benefits as financial, promotions etc. while to provide their employees an opportunity for distance learning they also have e-learning strategy and online resources. Personal Skill Audit Skills audit is a process that can be used to identify the skill gaps for an individual. The outcome is a training and development needs analysis that identifies where training and development programs are needed. Skills audit results in An understanding of the skills required and the gaps the organization currently has. A targeted analysis of development needs. A listing of skills which need development. Information that can be used for dynamic succession planning. Skills Audit Form I have developed the following skills audit form, after completion of this form this provides me clear understanding of my current skills level, my strengths and weaknesses and will definitely help in identification of the Skills Audit Form 1 = wide experience 3 = a little experience 5 = dont know 2 = some experience 4 = no experience Name: Date: Work as part of a team 1 2 3 4 build and develop working relationships with academic staff, peers and colleagues work effectively with others to complete tasks and achieve results empower others to work together as part of a team or group recognise and understand when compromise and accommodating others is necessary interact well with others and work co-operatively as a team member understand how to gain the attention of others in a team or group when required understand how to contribute effectively and co-operatively with others even if they do not share the same ideas and ways of working express self effectively in a group and in one-to-one situations have an understanding of team roles Use your problem solving abilities 1 2 3 4 use an appropriate approach to questioning in order to gain information from which to draw conclusions use an objective approach to relate to others in order to achieve goals make good use of verbal reasoning skills, able to handle complex data and make selective use of information explore more than one solution in order to solve a problem consider the ideas of others to help solve problems manage the process of problem solving over a period of time demonstrate resilience and lateral thinking abilities when applied to problem solving Apply your communication skills, both orally and written, and use ICT 1 2 3 4 5 understand the differences in presenting types of documents, e.g. reports, essays, dissertations, summaries check written work for errors before submission use a range of ICT packages to support work express and convey ideas appropriately and accurately in writing successfully give a presentation or demonstration demonstrate that information being received is understood by using a range of verbal and non-verbal signals understand when people have taken account of your views and you of theirs Reflect upon and review your own personal and career development 1 2 3 4 5 recognise and develop skills and competencies required for learning and future employment develop opportunities for learning activities through current and future roles recognise the importance and value of activities outside the curriculum, e.g. work experience, sports, clubs identify when extra support and help may be useful understand the importance of actively reviewing and maintaining your own development plan in order to set appropriate learning targets maintain positive attitudes to work and understand when a task has not been completed well and identify changes for the future understand how to gain feedback on work or performance Work autonomously and set your own goals 1 2 3 4 5 aspire to and maintain a results-driven approach where appropriate focus on results and performance indicators and use different strategies to achieve targets apply suitable approaches and put in extra effort if required in order to meet tight deadlines work without close supervision and use own initiative identify resources required to complete a set task harness motivation and hard work to assist in the completion of work objectives Plan, monitor and evaluate in order to influence change 1 2 3 4 5 make use of effective planning and preparation in order to anticipate and overcome problems maintain effectiveness in changing environments make appropriate adjustments when undertaking tasks set own goals and review these systematically adjust to meet different work styles work alongside colleagues in different environments Develop time management and organisational skills 1 2 3 4 5 establish a course of action for self and others to achieve goals plan and prepare effectively for assignments, including use of appropriate resources plan day in order to manage time more effectively prioritise own and others work meet set deadlines and understand the process required to meet project outcomes keep track of work schedules and deadlines by applying multi-tasking abilities Creatively apply your academic knowledge in work and non-work related settings 1 2 3 4 5 generate and recognize best practice and apply imaginative ideas to different situations work out a preferred course of action think laterally and encourage others to do so and consider how they approach an unconventional task present complex and unusual ideas to friends and colleagues Understand business environments and other organizations 1 2 3 4 5 understand what is entailed in working in an organization understand the perspectives and expectations of employers, customers, suppliers and employees appreciate business activities such as selling and marketing, budgeting and finance and how these interrelate with one another have an understanding of business issues, such as profit, revenue, productivity, company image have an understanding of own personal budget and awareness of financial trends, e.g. interest rates understand how the significance and impact of an organizations internal politics and business strategy can affect everyday work keep up to date with current affairs affecting businesses

Contributions of Ancient Greece and Rome to the Western World Essay

While both Roman and Greek cultures greatly influenced Western Civilization, Greeks contributed more to the western world than the Romans. The Greeks used their own ideas and thought of new ways to add to their culture, while the Romans mostly mixed and matched ideas from other civilizations and cultures to make their own. The Romans took up the inheritance of the Greeks adapted it to their own language and national traditions. (Grant 2)The Greeks introduced many new ideas and traditions, the most important being democracy – Athenian democracy in particular. After the Dark Age, the population in Greece grew so quickly that soon, there were way too many free peasants. These peasants realized that nobody could stop them if they tried to make some changes because there was so many of them, so they insisted on having their voices heard by the government. Their wish was granted, and democracy in its simplest form became known. Now that the peasants had more freedom, some of them started to earn higher wages, and soon were rich enough to purchase hoplite armor. (Hoplites made up the majority of the army and fought on foot.) The peasants were also placing strong demands on the elite class, also known as the oligarchy. The system of citizenship in Greece was established as a result, during the late 7th century BCE (Martin 82), and enabled the peasants to have more influence on their leaders and protection under the law. There were three kinds of citizens the rich, the hoplites, and the poor. Only males were citizens. All citizens could attend open meetings in the Assembly, elect archons (leaders) each year, and were protected under the law. The peace of Greece had been slowly deteriorating, and in 621 BCE, it only got worse. The rich, elite class had been accumulating farmland from the poor farmers, who had to pack up and leave once a rich person took their land. A poor farmer had a hard time gaining wealth because any wealth they did gain would be in the form of surplus grain. Extra grain was not permanent, and could not be converted into money since coins were not invented yet. Then in 621 BCE, Draco was appointed to establish a code of laws to help bring stability by changing the situation. But his laws were so harsh that they only destabilized the people more. Civil war threatened to break out until 594 BCE when the Athenians gave Solon power to revise Dracos  laws and deal with the crisis. His new laws steered a middle course (Martin 84) between the demands of the rich and the demands of the poor. He introduced the right of appeal to the Assembly, forbade the selling of Athenians into slavery, and sorted male cit izens into four classes based on income. Overall, Solon helped to make democracy more peaceful. After a short period of tyranny, the democratic system was reinstalled and new rules were made yet again. Cleisthenes organized villages in Athens into trittyes according to location, and each of the trittyes was divided into phylai, or tribes. He also started to keep track of which males were old enough to vote and join the Assembly, with the voting age at eighteen. The Assembly would choose fifty representatives by lot from each tribe. Each representative would get to serve for one year on a council of five hundred men. Also, ten men were selected by officials with the highest military authority to serve as strategoi, or generals, in the army. (Martin 88)Another reform was made after an earthquake near Sparta in 465 BCE created tension between Sparta and Athens, and a crisis in formal affairs took place. Athens sent military help to Sparta that was rejected in a complicated series of events. As a result, in 461 BCE, Ephialetes convinced the Assembly to limit the influence of Areopagus the highest judicial and legislative council of ancient Athens that met on a hill west of the Acropolis. (Martin 110) A new judicial system was created with juries of males over thirty years old chosen by lot to serve for one year. Ostracism was also established. If the general public submitted over six thousand ballots, the man who had his name on the most ballots was exiled for ten years. In general, democracy rested on the belief that the cumulative political wisdom of the majority of the voters would outweigh the eccentricity and irresponsibility of the few. (Martin 113)In addition to democracy, the Greeks most important contribution to Western civilization, many elements of modern culture are rooted in ancient Greece. Philosophers, especially Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates impacted the way people thought about the world around them. Greek architecture is still commonly used today, as evidenced by our use of pillars and columns. The ancient Greeks also excelled in sculpting. They figured out how to make graceful, emotional, and realistic statues which needed no additional support. Poetry,  theatre, and drama also made up an important part of Greek culture. Some Greeks studied science, math, history, and their studies form the basis of many of todays theories. Science helped others understand a little more of these subjects. In Greece, as in todays world, science was based on observation, not myth, even though myths were considered an important part of life to every Greek. The Greeks are also considered to be the first people who recorded history only after consulting witnesses, forming the base of modern history. One exceptionally significant custom of the Greeks still observed today is the Olympics. These ancient games incorporated a concept of free athletic competition without bloodshed. If the Greeks were engaged in war at the time the Olympics were to take place, they would pause for three days and compete in many different events. At first, there were only a few competitions, but as the Olympics became more popular, additional sports were included. The four main contests of the ancient Olympics were the long jump, the javelin throw, the discus throw, and wrestling. At one time, the Olympics were for male Greek citizens only, but today people of various nationalities, men and women, can take part in this unique Greek custom. The Olympics were also very different from the Roman sport games, such as gladiator fighting or the Roman form of wrestling, where humans and animals were killed. Even though Romans did use many ideas and designs from Greeks and other cultures, they also thought of their own. A considerable contribution of the Romans to the Western World is their system of government a Republic. Republic comes from the word respublica, which means a matter for the people. (Corbishley 15) Officers in the Republic included consuls, praetors, censors, quaestors, adiles, and the senate. Consuls had the same powers as a king, but unlike a king, they were elected each year by the citizens and had to serve in pairs. The praetors were the chief judges, the censors kept track of who could vote, the quaestors looked after the state finances, and the adiles were in charge of public works. The senate was a body made up of ex-officials that formed a parliament to discuss matters and advise the other officials. As in the Athenian democracy, only male citizens could vote, but the people of ancient Rome were glad they had a republic, and they  hated the word rex, or king. The Romans excelled in literature, poetry, law, engineering, state organization, military training and organization, painting, sculpture, and architecture. They also had games in the amphitheater sports like chariot races, gladiator fights, fake battles in ships, and fights with wild animals. The Romans had a complex law system that was the foundation for Italian, German, French, and Spanish law. The Roman techniques of interpreting the law and their legal system of lawyers and judges were also incorporated into many other cultures. There were three kinds of laws. Civil law was for Roman citizens only, and there were laws for those people who were not citizens, but lived in Roman provinces or on the outskirts of Roman towns. The third type of law was natural law, deciding between right and wrong. Civil law and the other laws could be created by the Assembly, praetors, senate, emperors, and jurists. They created many different laws. They made sure there was a variety of laws, to deal with every situation, and these multiple laws helped the kingdom of Rome run smoothly. The Romans were also great engineers. They paved roads wide enough for the whole army, built walls around their cities for protection, and even had apartment buildings. They also had aqueducts, built high above the ground to carry water to the cities. Arches, a very important Roman invention, helped the aqueducts to stand strong without collapsing. Arches were also used in buildings like the Coliseum, the Forum, and basilicas. Many early churches were built using the plans of the Roman basilicas. Other buildings had vast domes. Roman engineers did not want these magnificent domes to collapse, either, so they thought of coffering as a solution. Coffering is also known as placing decorative, sunken panels in a ceiling to make it lighter. Romans added other things to buildings to make them more attractive, like fountains, pillars, and sculptures. The Roman civilization made many of their buildings out of brick and mortar, and even concrete. Engineering is, indeed, the most noticeable Roman influence on Western civilization, seen in many public buildings and even houses. Beyond arches and coffers, Roman people did not focus so much on the structure of their buildings as the facades and interiors. They combined Greek columns with fancy arches to make majestic entrances, and painted splendid pictures on walls of mythical characters and nature scenes. Roman sculptors copied Greek masterpieces, adding to the collection of Greek works in existence. They learned how to sculpt faces more realistically and how to make better portraits, and as a result made some pretty remarkable portrait busts of famous people. In addition, the Romans developed a continuous sculpture relief, something like a comic strip that wound around pillars, the most famous of which is known as Trajans column. Many great rulers governed Rome, including Trajan, and over time helped develop an extremely organized empire. At one time, the Roman administration was split into four levels. Two emperors ruled over four prefectures, who in turn governed three or four vicars each. Each vicar presided over one diocese, and each diocese was split up into many provinces. Early Christians saw how organized this system of government was, that it was one of the reasons Rome was so powerful, and based their own leadership system on this Roman model. The Greeks and the Romans both contributed much to Western Civilization, but the Greeks seem to have contributed more. The Romans took many ideas from the Greeks and even copied sculptures and other artwork for their own houses and public places, so that much of what they had was Greek. Thus, without the Greeks, the Romans would not have been as impressive of a civilization. This quote best describes the influence of the Greeks and Romans on the world today: we ourselves, whether we like it or not, are the heirs of the Greeks and Romans. In a thousand different ways, they are permanently and indestructibly woven into the fabric of our own existences. The Romans intertwined Greek culture with other cultures and added their ideas to make what they called their own culture. They then showed it to the rest of Europe through conquering the people, who adopted it and blended it into their civilizations. These civilizations developed into strong European societies, and eventually the ideas and traditions became known as Western civilization. So, really, it all started with the Greeks. Bibliography Corbishley, Mike. Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Rome. New York: Facts on File, 1989. De Fabianis, Valeria Manferto, ed. Ancient Rome: History of a Civilization that Ruled the World. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996Grant, Michael. The Founders of the Western World: A History of Greece and Rome. New York: Charles Scribners Sons, Maxwell Macmillan Int., 1991Martin, Thomas R. Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times. New Haven, Eng.: Yale University Press, 1996. Pomeroy, Sarah B., Stanley M. Burnstein, Walter Donlan, and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts. Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. Powell, Anton. Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Greece. New York: Facts on File, 1989.

Topics for Rogerian Essay Reviews & Guide

Topics for Rogerian Essay Reviews & Guide The topic has to be based on a great evidence base. When you are requested to decide on a great topic for your argument, start with something you're familiarized with. Argumentative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's important to at all times be critically considering the world around us. The key to select a very good topic for an argumentative essay is to choose a subject where there's a lot of debates on topics or stances. China is a genuine financial superpower. The world wouldn't gain from disappearance of religions. It is crucial to begin with demonstrating the major idea of the entire piece so you and your readers are going to be on the exact page. Even if you think in a specific argument very strongly, if you lack the evidence to show your point, then your argument might just be as great as lost. In this kind of situation, it's more convenient to discover ready-made essays and use them as an example. In a Rogerian argument, you need to take a look at an issue from several viewpoints, showing empathy for the several perspectives. Argumentative writings is a particular sort of a paper. What Topics for Rogerian Essay Is - and What it Is Not Life is much better than it was 50 decades ago. Man isn't a thing but a creature that may only be understood in the very long procedure of development. School should occur in the evenings. Year round school isn't a good idea. Understanding how to compose a strong argumentative paper will help you advance your very own argumentative thinking. Young writers may try simple on-line citation generators which are normally at no cost. Your readers will need to observe the entire picture, and that's what you should concentrate on. The very first step is where a significant number of students become stuck. Topics for Rogerian Essay - the Story Therefore, the topic needs to be debatable! It's important to select debatable argumentative essay topics since you need opposing points that you could counter to your own points. There are several argumentative essay topics. Recent argumentative essay topics that are related to society is going to do. Moral argumentative essay topics are a few of the simplest to get carried away with. Although you may know what format, style guide, and whether the essay ought to be double spaced, you might be confused on what actually produces a great essay topic. An argumentative essay is a certain kind of academic writing. It requires you to decide on a topic and take a position on it. Do not merely paraphrase the thesis which you've stated in your introduction. The thesis gives you a guideline about how to go about with writing the essay. When writing an important composition, it's a good idea to pick contradictive topics. You don't wish to lose grades as a result of incorrect essay format. Finding the most suitable arguments will allow you to prove your point and win. Exams ought to be abolished. Whispered Topics for Rogerian Essay Secrets You don't need to acquire super technical with legal argumentative essays, but be certain to do your homework on what the recent laws about your favorite topic actually say. The introduction should offer general information which will be included in the short article. Figure out which of the topics, you presently have a fairly good background on which will make it possible for you to have a relative edge. You should back up your viewpoint with well-researched facts and data also. In terms of the subject area, it's best fits Social Sciences subject location. Shopping online isn't secure or secure. You may use many examples on the net free of charge. There's a remarkable remedy to your issue!

Aphids, Family Aphididae

Plant-sucking aphids are the bane of a gardeners existence. Come spring, aphids appear as if by magic and begin draining the life out of tender plants. Their ability to reproduce, both sexually and asexually, is prolific. Description Aphid bodies are soft and pear-shaped. Though most often green or yellow, aphids come in a variety of colors, from red to black. Few aphids measure more than a couple of millimeters. An individual aphid would be difficult to spot, but since aphids feed in groups, their presence is usually noticeable. Up close, aphids resemble little muscle cars with a pair of tailpipes. Entomologists believe these abdominal appendages, called cornicles, secrete waxy lipids or alarm pheromones when the aphid senses a threat. The presence of cornicles is a common characteristic of all aphids. Antennae may have five or six segments, with the final segment ending in a thin flagellum. At their other end, aphids possess a cauda, a short, tail-like appendage centered between the cornicles. Aphids usually lack wings, though certain environmental conditions may cause winged forms to develop. Classification Kingdom - AnimaliaPhylum - ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – HemipteraFamily - Aphididae Diet Aphids feed on plant phloem tissues, sucking the sugary liquids from the host plants vascular system. Reaching the phloem is no easy task. Aphids feed using a straw-like proboscis that contains thin, delicate stylets for piercing plant tissues. In order to protect the stylets from damage, the aphid secretes a special fluid from them, which hardens into a protective sheath. Only then can the aphid begin feeding. Aphids need nitrogen, but phloem juices contain mostly sugars. To get adequate nutrition, aphids must consume an enormous quantity of phloem liquids. They excrete the excess sugars in the form of honeydew, a sweet residue left behind on plant surfaces. Other insects, such as ants and wasps, follow behind the aphids, licking up the honeydew. Life Cycle The aphid life cycle is somewhat complex. Aphids usually reproduce asexually, with aphid mothers giving live birth to their young. Sexual reproduction occurs just once per year, if at all. Just before winter, sexual females mate with males and then lay eggs on a perennial plant. The eggs overwinter. In warm climates or in greenhouses, sexual reproduction rarely occurs. Special Adaptations and Defenses Aphids are tiny, slow-moving, and soft-bodied – in other words, easy targets. Theyre far from defenseless, however. Aphids use both fight and flight, and everything in between, to protect themselves. If a predator or parasitoid approaches an aphid, it can react in a number of ways. Aphids will literally kick their attackers, with some serious aggression. In other cases, the aphid may just walk away, hoping to elude the trouble. Sometimes, the aphid does a stop, drop, and roll, and simply falls to the ground. Some aphid species employ soldier aphids to stand guard. Aphids also arm themselves with defensive weaponry. When a pursuing predator attempts to take a bite from behind, they can excrete a waxy lipid from their cornicles to fill the attackers mouth. Alarm pheromones broadcast the threat to other aphids or may summon protection from bodyguards of other species. If a lady beetle attempts to feed on it, a cabbage aphid will mix toxic chemicals within its abdomen to bomb the offender. Aphids also use bodyguard ants, which they pay with sweet honeydew excretions. Range and Distribution Both abundant and diverse, aphids mainly inhabit temperate zones. Aphid species number over 4,000 worldwide, with about 1,350 species in North America alone.

Lehman Brothers Financial Crisis Essay - 1024 Words

The Multimillionaire Men of Lehman Brothers On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. With $639 billion in assets and $619 billion in debt, Lehman s bankruptcy filing was the largest in history, as its assets far surpassed those of previous bankrupt giants such as WorldCom and Enron. Lehman was the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank at the time of its collapse, with 25,000 employees worldwide. The consequences for the world economy were extreme. Lehman’s fall contributed to a loss of confidence in other banks, a worldwide financial crisis and a deep recession in many countries. Lehman s collapse roiled global financial markets for weeks, given the size of the company and its status as a major player in the U.S. and internationally. Many questioned the U.S. government s decision to let Lehman fail, as compared to its tacit support for Bear Stearns, which was acquired by JPMorgan Chase Co. (JPM) in March 2008. Lehman s bankruptcy led to more than $46 billion of its market value being wiped out. Its collapse also served as the catalyst for the purchase of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America in an emergency deal that was also announced on September 15. At the height of the 2008 financial crisis, Mr. Lawrence G. McDonald wrote a book on the fall of Lehman Brothers, entitled A Colossal Failure of Common Sense. This book is a risk manager s guide to the right and wrong moves on Wall St., and explains why investors must stay ahead of policies coming outShow MoreRelatedLehman Brothers : Financial Crisis900 Words   |  4 PagesMany financial entities experienced financial trouble as the housing bubble burst and mortgage-backed securities lost significant value, specifically the investment bank Lehman Brothers. The Lehman Brothers filed for Bankruptcy in September 2008. 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Shoeless Joe Jackson and His Tragedy Free Essays

In the short story â€Å"Shoeless Joe Jackson comes to Iowa†, Kinsella provides insight about a man who loves Iowa, his wife (Annie), his daughter (Karin), and lastly baseball. The setting of the story takes place on a rural farm in Iowa where Ray made a baseball field because he was told by a voice of a baseball announcer â€Å"If you build it, they will come†. (Pickering pg 740) Ray and Annie had bought this farm, years ago, to plant and cultivate corn and to raise their daughter in a safe environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Shoeless Joe Jackson and His Tragedy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Ray, who was a baseball enthusiast, was told to build this field for â€Å"Shoeless† Joe Jackson and his teammates to play baseball. He had no idea on how or why he might even begin to build this great field. So he started small with the field, he built a magnificent left field first for Joe. All the townspeople had heard what Ray was building and they thought he must have been crazy. Because he was taking a big section of his corn field and was turning it into a baseball diamond, he was going to be losing a huge profit in the harvest season for years to come. His remarkable wife went along with these plans and said,†Oh love, if it makes you happy, you should do it. †(Pickering pg 741) So Ray began on this project which took him several months just to build the eft field for Mr. Jackson, whom he had never even met. So when Ray hears the baseball announcers voice â€Å"If you build it they will come†,(Pickering pg. 740) he ,of course, was Shoeless Joe Jackson. Joe was born in Brandon Mills, South Carolina in July of 1887 and died in Greenville, South Carolina in December of 1951. Joe Jackson was the best left fielder that Ty Cobb had ever seen. Joe’s glove is the â€Å"place where triples go to die. †(Pickering pg. 741) Shoeless Joe Jackson was an American baseball player who played Major League Baseball in the early 20th century. He will always be remembered by his performance on the field and for is association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. The Black Sox Scandal took place during the 1919 World Series. The conspiracy was the result of the White Sox first baseman Arnold â€Å"Chick† Gandil, whose long lasting ties to the underworld, persuaded a friend who was a gambler that a fix could be pulled off. A New York gangster, Arnold Rothstein, provided the money for the fix. Gandil enlisted several of his teammates, motivated by the dislike of the clubs owner Charles Comisky, whom they perceived as a tightwad, to implement the fix. The owner of the Sox had a reputation for underpaying his players for years. Since some of the guys on the team had ties to the mob, it was easy for them to start to resent other players who were straight-laced and followed the rules. There were a total of 8 players involved in the fix of the World Series. Starting pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude â€Å"Lefty† Williams, outfielder Oscar â€Å"Happy† Felsch and shortstop Charles â€Å"Swede† Risberg were all principally involved with Gandil. Although he hardly played in the series, utility infielder Fred McMillan got word of the fix and he threatened that he would go public unless e was in the payoff. â€Å"Sleepy† Bill Burns and â€Å"Shoeless† Joe Jackson, both played for the Los Angeles Angels after the fix of the series, were mentioned in the fix though their involvement has been disputed. I think he was not involved at all but got caught up in some nasty mob dealings. In the infamous World Seri es, â€Å"Shoeless† Joe Jackson had 12 hits (a World Series record) and a . 375 batting average to lead both teams in the individual statistics. He, also, committed no errors and threw out a base runner at home plate. â€Å"Ultimately, eight Chicago players and various small-time gamblers were indicated in the candal. At a 1921 criminal trial, a strong case was presented to establish that some â€Å"Black Sox† players-as they became known- had in fact thrown games, but all the defendants were found not guilty when prosecutors failed to prove that they had violated any criminal statutes in doing so. †(Morrow pg 1) I, also, found out that there is significant evidence that owner of the Chicago White Sox, Charles Comisky, may have known about the fix and tried to cover it up in order to avoid a scandal. No formal charges have ever been brought up against him or any other officials. In the ook â€Å"Shoeless The Life and Times of Joe Jackson,† there were seve ral letters written back and forth between Jackson and Comisky. Joe Jackson was asking for the loser’s share of the 1919 World Series which amounted to $3,154. 27 per man. Comisky had asked Jackson to return to Chicago to receive the payment but Jackson had prior obligations in Savannah, Ga. These letters continued for several months but to no avail. Jackson, also, wanted a new contract worth $10,000 per year. Comisky was only willing to pay him $7,000 per year but had already signed Eddie Collins and Buck Weaver to ontracts that was well above his asking price. Mr. Jackson had started his own business in Ga. which was a Billiard business. He explained, in his letters, that the contract that Comisky had offered was not up to par with the other great players of his era. He explained in one of those letters to Comisky that after taxes and having to live in the city where he played, there would not be enough money to keep the Billiard business on its feet. In the letter, Jackson explains that he has played for less money than any other player of his caliber. He, also, writes that if he cannot pay his asking price that Comisky needs to trade or sell him to another team that would pay him his asking price. Comisky shopped his name around to other organizations and teams but none of them wanted to sign him. In the last letters that they wrote to each other, Comisky explained that he did not receive any other offer from any other team to sign him. Jackson went on to write him back explaining that he would play for anything less than $10,000 per year but he, also, explained that he had heard that Comisky had given a raise of $2,300 to â€Å"Happy† Flesch who had only hit . 192 in the World Series. Finally, Comisky took matters into his own hands and sent Harry Grabiner to Savannah to obtain Jackson’s signature for the new contract. Mr. Grabiner informed Jackson that his new contract with the team would be increased by $2,000 per year and he was pleased with that contract. â€Å"This is where the stories diverge. Grabiner later insisted that Jackson knew that the ten day clause was included in the contract and that Jackson signed it in the house in Katie’s (Jackson’s wife) presence. Jackson claimed that his wife was not home at the time and that he signed it on the hood of the car only after Grabiner ssured him that the ten-day clause was not included. That evening, Harry Grabiner, headed back to Chicago with Jackson’s signed contract. The ten day clause appeared in Article 10 on the third of the contracts four pages. †(Fleitz pg 205) In summary Ray was building this field for these 8 players who were banned for life to come play and finish out their c areers with nothing hanging over their heads. This field, on Ray’s land, would be famous and all the townspeople could come and watch some of the greatest baseball players to ever play the game. Works Cited Fleitz, David L. Shoeless The Life and Times of Joe Jackson. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Co. Inc. 2001 Morrow, David. Black Sox Scandal. In Campbell, Ballard C. , PH. D. , gen. ed. 2008 Pickering, James H. Fiction 100. Pearson Education. Inc. 2012 Shoeless Joe Jackson and his Tragedy Jason Ebeling English Composition 2 Professor Moeller Nov. 15 2012 How to cite Shoeless Joe Jackson and His Tragedy, Essay examples

Bartleby And Civil Disobedience Essay Example For Students

Bartleby And Civil Disobedience Essay The extremely simplified definition of civil disobedience given by Websters Dictionary is nonviolent opposition to a law through refusal to comply with it, on grounds of conscience.; Thoreau in Civil Disobedience; and Martin Luther King in Letter from Birmingham Jail; both argue that laws thought of as unjust in ones mind should not be adhered to. In Herman Melvilles Bartleby,; a man named Bartleby is thought of by many to be practicing civil disobedience. His actions are nonviolent, and he refuses to comply with anything his boss says. But his behavior has nothing to do with morals. Bartleby is merely a lonely guy who does not wish to work and has nothing to do with civil disobedience. Thoreau says that if injustice is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say break the law; (Jacobus 134). He is personally giving permission for an individual to ignore anything he or she finds morally unacceptable. However, in Bartleby,; Bartlebys boss places no unjust laws and assigns no unjust work. He simply asks Bartleby to do easy tasks such as, when those papers are all copied, I will compare them with you;, or, just step around the Post Office, wont you? And see if there is anything for me; (Melville 116). The boss, who is also the narrator, never requests Bartleby to perform any difficult chores. Martin Luther King, Jr.s interpretation of an unjust law is, a code that a numerical or power majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself; (Jacobus 159). The injustice described here by King also does not match the characterization of Bartlebys boss. Bartleby needs no civil disobedience since nothing could be considered unjust in the bosss management. Even if an unjust act were placed against Bartleby, he would not have had any cares about the injustice. He was a man who needed a place to live and chose to be a law-copyist. He has no desire to do any work and no desire to interact with other humans. Anytime an order was given, the same response would reply from Bartlebys mouth: I would prefer not to (Melville). Bartleby did not weigh the issues of morality and immorality in his assignments. He just does not want to deal with others. When asked to look over some work with Turkey and Nipping, he refuses. His boss offers him a home, and he refuses this as well. The ending footnote to Bartleby states that Bartlebys previous profession was a subordinate clerk in the Dead Letters Office in Washington. The dead letters he handled had no association to any living person. Bartleby was accustomed to working at a place where dealing with man is unnecessary. As Thoreau says, Dead letters! Does it not sound like dead men? (Melville 140). Bartleby has no connection with civil disobedience. King and Thoreaus ideas of what civil disobedience is do not match up with the actions of Bartleby. Bartleby was not trying to make a statement against unjust laws by not abiding by them. He was just a loner. All his refusals to do what was ordered stemmed from his need to be separated from humanity. Bartleby only wanted to live by himself with nothing but his own thoughts to deal with. .