Essay --

Language and Masculinity The art of communication was always dominated by the innovations happened in the art of language. The human race has always been communicating among itself and formed various societies, developed relationships, brought new ideas etc. Language was utilized to define the sexuality, the culture, the social aspect and it all happened in terms of gender. The dominance of the masculine gender through the utilization of the language was always known to the mankind. The male population receives power by dictating certain social norms. The masculinity is a part of the male gender and in terms of linguistics it conveys masculinity with great power and force. According to some philosophers the males unjustly and deliberately construct such a society which is male-centered and it caters to the supremacy of the masculinity described above. It will be interesting to find the relation among language, masculinity and gender. If we discuss it any further we will find out tha t throughout the history it was the human race which has brought innovation to the language. Language was used to gain power with the use of male power. As a result the language was also used to dictate social norms. They also became successful in gaining the women’s cooperation by using the power of masculine language. Some of the scholars assume that language is visible and it exists in this form without any doubt. They also further assume that language can be compared with other forms of visual phenomenon. In this regard the linguistic analysis is in fact a kind of perception of visual way. In other way one can see the language and in particular in its treatment of grammar. â€Å"In "Language and Masculinity," Victor Seidler writes, "Oppressed peopl... ...on which you will appear has been asked to discuss Victor Seidler's "Language and Masculinity" and Maxine Hong Kingston's "No Name Woman." You are to present and defend the ideas and observations of one writer against the ideas and observations of the other writer. You may choose to argue that your writer's ideas prove or disprove the ideas of the other writer, but in either case you will be expected to defend your own claim with quotes and examples from your writer's text. In building your case, you should consider how your opponents will respond with specific quotes or examples that might contradict your argument. You should then build a counter-defense into your own conclusions about how gender, language, and power are related in your writer's essay and about how that relationship stands with or against the basic concepts of the other writer's essay.† References

IBM Corporation: Competing Globally Essay

1.Do you agree with IBM’s employment response to competition from software development contractors in India like Wipro that are expanding into IT consulting services? Why or why not? In order for IBM to continue its growth it will have to expand into areas like India. They need consulting groups who can personalize their product and keep the costs low in markets like Mexico which not only makes their product more readily available and affordable it create a type of familiarity among customers that keeps them buying the same products from the same marketers. 2.Will IBM’s plan to give away some of its IT assets and intellectual property and increase its support of open-source software products like Linux be a successful growth strategy in the â€Å"brutally competitive marketplace† in which it operates? Why or why not? To keep up with the growing demand for new software and product solutions it is imperative that IBM embrace and support open solution software products like Linux. As the saying goes, â€Å"If you can’t beat them, join them.† Linux is growing by leaps and bound and is quickly surpassing the software maker like Microsoft who at this point does not specialize in open source software. If they do not adapt to the new way that software is being used they will be just another software company that has been left behind. 3.Do you agree with IBM researchers’ assumption that IT will remain â€Å"hard to use, expensive, and labor-intensive, and with customers continuing to need help solving business problems† for a long time to come? Should IBM bet its business on that assumption? Defend your answers to both questions. IT will absolutely remain labor intensive hard to use and expensive because technology changes by the nano-second. As soon as one form of technology is mastered it is what I call â€Å"current history† meaning that it may be the technology this is used currently but there is a newer, more efficient, responsive and interactive solution already available.

Senator Robert Byrd and the Ku Klux Klan

Senator Robert Byrd and the Ku Klux Klan During the early 1940s, Robert Byrd of West Virginia was a high-ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1952 to 2010, the same Robert Byrd of West Virginia served in the United States Congress and eventually won the praises of civil rights advocates. How did he do that? The Robert Byrd of Congress Born in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Nov. 20, 1917, Robert Carlyle Byrd was orphaned at age 1 after the death of his mother. Raised by his aunt and uncle in a rural West Virginia coal mining town, Byrd credited his experiences growing up in a coal-mining family with shaping his amazing political career. The legendary congressional career of Robert â€Å"Bob† Byrd began on November 4, 1952, when the people of West Virginia elected him to his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives. A New Deal Democrat, Byrd served six years in the House before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1958. He would continue to serve in the Senate for the next 51 years, until his death at age 92 on June 28, 2010. With a total 57 years on Capitol Hill, Byrd was the longest-serving Senator in United States history and, at the time of his death, the longest-serving member in the history of the U.S. Congress. Byrd was the last member of the Senate to have served during the Dwight Eisenhower presidency and the last member of Congress to have served during the presidency of Harry Truman. He also held the distinction of being the only West Virginian to have served in both houses of the state’s legislature and in both chambers of the U.S. Congress. As one of the Senate’s most powerful members, Byrd served as secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus from 1967 to 1971 and as Senate Majority Whip from 1971 to 1977. Over the next 33 years, he would hold leadership positions including Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, and President pro tempore of the Senate. In four separate terms as President pro tempore, Byrd stood third in the line of presidential succession, after the Vice President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Along with his lengthy tenure, Byrd was known for his vast array of political skills, his often fierce advocacy for the supremacy of the legislative branch, and his ability to secure federal funds for the State of West Virginia. Byrd Joins then Leaves the Ku Klux Klan Working as a butcher in the early 1940s, a young Robert Byrd formed a new chapter of the Ku Klux Klan in Sophia, West Virginia. In his 2005 book, Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields, Byrd recalled how his ability to quickly recruit 150 of his friends to the group impressed a top Klan official who told him, â€Å"You have a talent for leadership, Bob ... The country needs young men like you in the leadership of the nation.† Byrd later recalled, Suddenly lights flashed in my mind! Someone important had recognized my abilities!† Byrd led the growing chapter and was eventually elected Exalted Cyclops of the local Klan unit. In a 1944 letter to segregationist Mississippi Senator Theodore G. Bilbo, Byrd wrote, â€Å"I shall never fight in the armed forces with a Negro by my side. Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in the dirt never to rise again than to see this beloved land of ours become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest specimen from the wilds.† As late as 1946, Byrd wrote to the Klan’s Grand Wizard stating, â€Å"The Klan is needed today as never before, and I am anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia and in every state in the nation.† However, Byrd would soon see fit to put the Klan far behind him. Running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1952, Byrd said of the Klan, â€Å"After about a year, I became disinterested, quit paying my dues, and dropped my membership in the organization. During the nine years that have followed, I have never been interested in the Klan.† Byrd said he had initially joined the Klan for the â€Å"excitement† and because the organization was opposed to communism. In interviews with The Wall Street Journal and Slate magazine held in 2002 and 2008, Byrd called joining the Klan â€Å"the greatest mistake I ever made.† To young people interested in becoming involved in politics, Byrd warned, â€Å"Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Dont get that albatross around your neck. Once youve made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena.† In his autobiography, Byrd wrote that he had become a KKK member because he â€Å"was sorely afflicted with tunnel vision a jejune and immature outlook seeing only what I wanted to see because I thought the Klan could provide an outlet for my talents and ambitions,† adding, â€Å"I know now I was wrong. Intolerance had no place in America. I apologized a thousand times ... and I dont mind apologizing over and over again. I cant erase what happened †¦ it has emerged throughout my life to haunt and embarrass me and has taught me in a very graphic way what one major mistake can do to one’s life, career, and reputation.† Byrd on Racial Integration: A Change of Mind In 1964, Senator Robert Byrd led a filibuster against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He also opposed the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as well as most of the anti-poverty programs of President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society initiative. In the debate against anti-poverty legislation, Byrd stated, â€Å"we can take the people out of the slums, but we cannot take the slums out of the people.† But time and politics can change minds. While he first voted against civil rights legislation, Byrd would later hire one of the first black congressional aides on Capitol Hill in 1959 and initiate the racial integration of the United States Capitol Police for the first time since Reconstruction. The 1970’s saw a complete reversal in Sen. Byrd’s former stance against racial integration. In 1993, Byrd told CNN that he had regretted his filibuster and vote against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and would take them back if he could. In 2006, Byrd told CSPAN that the death of his teenage grandson in a 1982 traffic accident had radically changed his views. â€Å"The death of my grandson caused me to stop and think,† he said, explaining that event made him realize that African-Americans loved their children as much as he loved his own. While some of his fellow conservative Democrats opposed the 1983 bill creating the Martin Luther King Jr. Day national holiday, Byrd recognized the importance of the day to his legacy, telling his staff, â€Å"I am the only one in the Senate who must vote for this bill.† However, Byrd was the lone Senator to  vote against the confirmations of Thurgood Marshall and Clarence Thomas, the only two African-Americans nominated to the United States Supreme Court. In opposing the 1967 confirmation of Marshall, Byrd cited his suspicion that Marshall had ties to communists or the communist party. In the case of Clarence Thomas in 1991, Byrd stated that he had been â€Å"offended by the injection of racism† into the hearings when Thomas called opposition to his confirmation a form of â€Å"high-tech lynching of uppity blacks.† Byrd called Marshall’s comment a â€Å"diversionary tactic,† adding â€Å"I thought we were past that stage.† Byrd also supported Anita Hill in her accusations of sexual harassment by Thomas and was joined by 45 other Democrats in voting against Thomas’ confirmation. When interviewed by Tony Snow of FOX News on March 4, 2001, Byrd said of racial relations, â€Å"Theyre much, much better than theyve ever been in my lifetime †¦ I think we talk about race too much. I think those problems are largely behind us ... I just think we talk so much about it that we help to create somewhat of an illusion. I think we try to have good will. My old mom told me, Robert, you cant go to heaven if you hate anybody. We practice that.† NAACP Praises Byrd In the end, the political legacy of Robert Byrd went from admitting his former membership in the Ku Klux Klan to winning the accolades of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). For the 2003–2004 session of Congress, Byrd was one of only 16 Senators rated by the NAACP as being 100% in line with the group’s position on critical legislation. In June 2005, Byrd sponsored a successful bill dedicating an additional $10,000,000 in federal funding for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial in Washington, D.C., remarking that â€Å"With the passage of time, we have come to learn that his Dream was the American Dream, and few ever expressed it more eloquently.† When Byrd died at age 92 on June 28, 2010, the NAACP released a statement saying that over the course of his life he â€Å"became a champion for civil rights and liberties† and â€Å"came to consistently support the NAACP civil rights agenda.†Ã‚   Robert C. Byrd Biographical Fast Facts Full Name: Robert Carlyle Byrd (born Cornelius Calvin Sale Jr.)Known for: - American politician - Longest serving member of U.S. Senate in American history (over 51 years)Born:   November 20, 1917, in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina,Died: June 28, 2010 (at age 92), in Merrifield, VirginiaParents: Cornelius Calvin Sale Sr. and Ada Mae (Kirby)Education:- Beckley College- Concord University- University of Charleston- Marshall University (BA)- George Washington University - American University (Juris Doctor)Major Published Writings - 2004. â€Å"Losing America: Confronting A Reckless and Arrogant Presidency.† ISBN 0-393-05942-1.- 2004. â€Å"We Stand Passively Mute: Senator Robert C. Byrds Iraq Speeches.† ISBN 0-9755749-0-6.- 2005. â€Å"Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields.† ISBN 1-933202-00-9.- 2008. â€Å"Letter to a New President: Commonsense Lessons for Our Next Leader.† ISBN 0-312-38302-9.Wife: Erma JamesChildren: Daughters Mona Byrd Fa temi and Marjorie Byrd MooreNotable Quotation: â€Å"Ones family is the most important thing in life. I look at it this way: One of these days Ill be over in a hospital somewhere with four walls around me. And the only people wholl be with me will be my family.† References Byrd, Robert C. (2005). Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University Press. Pianin, Eric. A Senators Shame: Byrd, in His New Book, Again Confronts Early Ties to KKK. The Washington Post, June 18, 2005 King, Colbert I.: Sen. Byrd: The view from Darrells barbershop. The Washington Post, March 2, 2002 What About Byrd?. Slate. December 18, 2002 The Democrats Lott. The Wall Street Journal. December 12, 2008. Draper, Robert (July 31, 2008). Old as the Hill. GQ. New York, NY. â€Å"Sen. Robert Byrd Discusses His Past and Present†, Inside Politics, CNN, December 20, 1993 Johnson, Scott. Saying Goodbye to a Great One, Weekly Standard, June 1, 2005 Byrd, Robert. Robert Byrd Speaks Out Against the Appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court. American Voices, October 14, 1991. NAACP Mourns the Passing of U.S. Senator Robert Byrd. â€Å"Press Room. www.naacp.org., July 7, 2010

Why I Choose This Profession. essays

Why I Choose This Profession. essays Everyone has a dream of something they would like to be or do when they grow up. I remember in elementary school, when my first grade teacher asked me what I wanted to do when I grew I up, I told her I wanted to work with computers. Every since I was young, computers have always fascinated me. When I was five years old my mother brought me a V-Tech computer. It wasnt really a computer, but to me it was the next best thing. Everywhere I went my V-Tech went. I not only played games on my V-Tech, but it also helped me to work on my Math and Reading Skills. One day my V-Tech didnt work anymore, so I decided to take it apart to see if I could fix it. Out of curiosity I also wanted to see how it looked inside. Even though I didnt fix it, my curiosity continued to grow, because I wanted to learn more about how computers works. One summer my mother enrolled me in a summer keyboarding class, this made me so happy, that I told my mother I would clean out the bathroom for the rest of the summer. I didnt get my first real computer until I was fifteen years old, because my parents could not afford one until then. When I entered high school, I took classes that involved computers. I took Keyboarding, Computer Technology 1 and 2. My computer is an essential part of my education. I have come to rely on my computer to help me do most of my assignments. My goal in life is to work with computers. The field of computers technology is constantly expanding and challenging. I feel that a career in computer technology will be a very promising and rewarding ...

Right to life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness Essay

Right to life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness - Essay Example 1. Introduction. This paper highlights the various groups whose rights to life, pursuit of happiness, and liberty are breached. It describes these groups and provides a solution on how to ensure their rights are not breached. Theses Statement: In United States of America who still do not enjoy the right to liberty, life and pursuit to happiness, and they are gays and lesbians, death row convicts, and immigrants (Hispanics/ Latinos/ and African Americans). 11. Gay and Lesbians. Gays and Lesbians are discriminated upon in terms of their right to liberty and pursuit of happiness. This section looks at the defense marriage act of 1996, and how it affected the rights of the gay people. This section also looks at the efforts of the civil rights groups in protecting the interests of this vulnerable group. 111. Death Row Convicts. Death Row conflicts are denied the right to live. This section looks at the case laws that established the penalty, and the constitutional requirements. It depicts the ways of ensuring that this sentence is abolished in the member states of the Federation. IV. Hispanics/ Latinos/ African Americans These groups of people are discriminated upon in terms of employment and access to social facilities such as decent housing and education. This denies them the right to pursue happiness. It identifies the various ways of solving their problems, and ensuring that they are accepted within the society. V. Opposing View Points. It identifies the viewpoints of other researchers in relation to the groups of people whose rights to life, pursuit of happiness and liberty are breached. It identifies and explains the roles of the civil rights act of 1968, and the fair housing act in protecting the rights of these vulnerable people. VI. Counter Arguments. This section highlights my opinion concerning the observations of this group of people. VII. Conclusion. This part contains a summary of the main points addressed in the essay. Introduction The declaration of independence gives out the reasons as to why the people of North America sought independence from the British. The document was written by Thomas Jefferson, and it denotes that there are certain human rights which are not negotiable, and they include the right to liberty, pursuit of happiness, and the right to life (Jefferson and Sam, 31). The document further states that it is the duty of government to protect these rights, and failure to do so, people must overthrow the same government. In defending this assertion, the thirteen states of North America formed a constitution in 1787 that guaranteed these rights to its citizens. Despite advances in this area, there are other people in United States of America who still do not enjoy the right to liberty, life and pursuit to happiness, and they are gays and lesbians, death row convicts, and immigrants (Hispanics/ Latinos/ and African Americans). Gay and Lesbians Same sex marriages has experienced a lot of debate in United States of Ame rica, with some States enacting laws in recognition to the marriage, while others do not recognize such kind of a marriage. The American constitution under article IV, section 1, denotes that the Federal government has to respect the judicial proceedings and laws of the member states of the federation. Because of this clause, the United States Federal government recognizes various marriage practices conducted by the State governments, however in 1996, the United States Congress passed the defense of marriage act (Jefferson and Sam, 35). It gave the Federal government authority not to recognize same sex marriages, even if the marriage occurred in a State whose laws permit it. On this basis therefore, this law prevents people from enjoying their rights to liberty and pursuit to

How a Leader Should Be Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How a Leader Should Be - Essay Example I’d expect my leader to lead in a democratic manner, which encourages everyone’s participation, rather than in an authoritative manner, in which only the leader would have a say. (Ivancevich et al. 2011) In the provided article, the focus is placed on inculcating such leadership qualities that encourage group work, rather than individual efforts. I believe that this is in line with my expectations from a good leader. As the article states, a good leader will recognize talent and guide it effectively. Moreover, they’d be willing to take risks and think out of the box. The article further states that these leaders would encourage creativity, which is also in line with how I believe a good leader should be. They’d also encourage participation from other group members, rather than taking all the authority in their hands completely. They would recognize that involving everyone would result in more balanced and effective decision-making. As the article states, a leader would facilitate the members through tasks rather than give them orders. 2 (Bennis and Biederman 1996) One very popular theory on leadership is that of Transformational Leadership by James MacGregor Burns. This theory states that the leader and the followers work together in the process of ‘raising one another to higher levels of morality and motivation’. ... Both theories focus on the relationship between the leader and the followers. In other words, focus is placed on the functioning of the group as a whole. The followers of leader under transformational leadership feel trust, admiration, and respect for the leader and under such leadership, they would feel to be one with the group which would encourage them to work hard towards their goal. Further similarities between the two theories include: the leader acts as a mentor and gives attention to the needs of the followers; there is open communication among the group; any individual contribution to the group is given due attention and respect. The leader solicits the ideas of the followers in order to encourage creativity and power of thinking. The leader encourages the group to challenge and push themselves towards achieving the impossible; he/she provides a vision and purpose to the group which encourages them to work towards their goals. 4 I personally had a chance to witness a situati on of a weak leadership at a youth conference, where the focus was entirely on the demands of the leader and group participation was minimal. A group of ten people had to work together to make a model bridge in very limited time. The chosen leader had an authoritative style of leading where, instead of delegating and assigning tasks, the leader took everything in her hands. There was very little motivation among the members to contribute to the project. The project was carried out in quite a haphazard manner where no one was quite sure of what they were supposed to do. This experience further strengthened my belief that a leader alone cannot achieve a task which requires more than one hand. He/she has to keep

The Perception of Character and the Dangers of Trust Research Paper

The Perception of Character and the Dangers of Trust - Research Paper Example There are many instances in history where acts that might seem immoral were committed by moral individuals, thus redefining them as moral obligations to a higher cause. These incidents are specifically defined by the person who committed them over the nature of the actions themselves. Darwall suggests that is possible that there are a universally accepted set of moral laws through which a person is then obligated to respond (1). However, the problem with the simplicity of this assertion is that the morals and ethics of a culture will change the defining characteristics of a person. One who lived in ancient Rome, for instance, will have different point of view on the value of all human life than will someone who lives in contemporary society. Morality and ethics are relative to place and time, despite the idea that they are defined by a general human experience. As an example, Thomas Jefferson owned 200 slaves at one point thinking they were a valuable investment (Douglas 61). In our current time period it is considered morally reprehensible to consider owning another human being. However, despite this fact, Thomas Jefferson is seen in history as a moral man. This in no way negates the validity of the theory. It does, however, change the way in which the theory can be approached when examining the considerations that are relevant to the theory. In the example of Thomas Jefferson, he once declared in court while representing a young African American man who was seeking his freedom that â€Å"Under the law of nature, all men are born free, and every one comes into the world with the right to his own person, which includes the liberty moving it and using it as his own will† (Douglas 61). Despite his beliefs, he owned slaves. According to Douglas many of the young revolutionaries of the time both believed in the innate freedom of all men and participated in owning slaves (61).