Saturday, October 5, 2019
Poetry explication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Poetry explication - Essay Example War will not be without death or defeat. And the poem describes how sorrowful it is, that even if there is victory in war, there is no victory over death. For in war, there is violence and in violence there is death. The tone of the poem expresses sorrow and regret. Although the drums beat in victory, the drums also beats sorrow for the passing of the honorable men who sacrificed their very lives in order to gain victory in war. It is but sad for their families and comrades. Although everyone knows how difficult war can be in the end, there are still people willing to sacrifice themselves for the victory of their party. And with this, although there is victory, the family and friends of the passing comrades will always be a shadow of defeat. Yes, they are honored. Yes, the party thanks them for their sacrifice and their hand in victory. But never can they be brought back by the honor that is being given to them. The speaker of the poem tells the sad story of how he witnessed the fune ral procession of the war veterans. He is particularly struck by the fall of the father and son. With this, he begins to question the war, its purpose and its victory. He begins to lose his will to fight and his thirst for victory. He does not feel the passion soldiers feel when they begin fighting, but he feels the burden of guilt that he is still alive when there are a lot of his friends and comrades that have fallen. He feels the sorrow of the families who lost brothers, fathers and sons. And with this, he creates a picture of unfulfillment is disillusion from the war. Although they have gained the victory that they have fought hard for some time, he only felt the pain of being left while so many of his comrades are dead. Although there are drumbeats indicating victory, the drumbeats for him represent the loss that he has seen, felt and encountered during the period of war. He cannot move on so easily, and he cannot rejoice over their victory because all he sees is death all arou nd him. The picture created in the poem, where the moon shines over the procession indicates a sorrowful event despite a victorious winning. It shows that despite the victory, behind the pounding of drums indicating expressions of honor for the dead, there is still a darkness that covers the entire army. Yes, after darkness, there is light, but in this scenario, the speaker cannot find the hope of coming day but he wallows in the darkness of the bright yet ghastly moon. The moon represents how things may seem bright but it is only illuminated by the sun, when one cannot see the sun. In war, the death of the soldiers may be shown as honorable deaths, but it is a dark event, only illuminated by the thoughts of the entire army celebrating success. With the moon shining, the speaker begins to really that even if it is only illuminated by the absent sun, it is still steadfast and strong. With this, he begins to realize what he can for the dead and dying. He begins to let them go, and off er them the only gift he can give them with their deaths, that is his love and the thoughts of being able to gain victory. This indicates how soldiers can still move on while they see comrades die beside them. They gain strength with their deaths, pushing for victory, pushing for the win. Their comradesââ¬â¢ death is like the moon, it gives them the strength as the moon gives the nighttime some illumination. War will never be without sorrow. It is the twin sister of war. Death is always part of the war, and the only way the soldiers will be able to
Friday, October 4, 2019
Decision analysis ( Supply Chain management class ) Research Paper
Decision analysis ( Supply Chain management class ) - Research Paper Example The literature review conducted for a research study assists the researcher to develop a theoretical knowledge regarding the subject matter with the help of the research works of eminent authors and scholars. The literature review of the current paper has been framed on the basis of books, journals and other scholarly publications. The purpose behind using such materials is to create appropriate academic basis for accomplishing the research. Through the literature review, the researcher is able to attain clarity of ideas. It also assists in the development of suitable grounds for studying the subject of the study. It has been ensured by the researcher that the literature review lays its focus on the primary objectives of the paper which is to critically evaluate the role of decision analysis in supply chain management. At the end, a conclusion has been formulated on the basis of the study. In the recent age, the concept of decision analysis has gained popularity in the business strategic management. The fast increasing impact which this field of decision making has created on organizations, both private and public is noticeable. The business units are always engaged in making strategic and critical decisions in order to gain over their competitors and to succeed in the long run. Major progress in theory, computational techniques and modeling tools are attributed to the leaps in computer science which has made the decision making process an integral division of business (Cooper & Schindler, 2003). Anderson, et al. (2015) defines Decision analyses as a systematic, visual and quantitative approach utilized by the companies in order to evaluate and address vital choices that the businesses deal with. Decision analysis implements different tools to extract all relevant data that are required to find an optimal solution in the process of decision making. The term decision analysis was first coined by Ronald A. Howard in 1964 (Hatten, 2015).
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Rate of cooling Essay Example for Free
Rate of cooling Essay The problem for this experiment is to investigate the rate of cooling in three different types of cups. They will be used as typical coffee cups for commercial purposes. The cups a polystyrene cup, a paper cup and a plastic cup. Water has a high specific heat capacity. This makes it a very useful material for storing and carrying heat energy. Its heat capacity is 4200 joules per kilogram per i C (4200J/kg i C). Heat tends to flow away from a hotter object to a cooler surroundings. Heat is mainly lost I conduction, convection, radiation and evaporation. For this experiment I will be only using convection, radiation, evaporation because conduction is mainly in solids. Convection Convection mainly occurs in gasses and liquids gases and liquids are very poor conductors so convection is usually dominant process. When convection cant occur, the heat transfer by conduction is very slow. Convection only occurs when the more energetic particles move from hotter region to a cooler region and take their heat energy with them. Convection doesnt happen in solids because there are no particles movement. Radiation Radiation travels through anything transparent. Heat radiation is given out by anything warm or hot. The amount of it that is absorbed or released depends on the colour and texture of the material. Heat radiation is also called infra-red radiation. It consists purely of electromagnetic waves of a certain frequency. All objects continually absorb and release heat radiation. The hotter the object the more heat radiation it release. Dark surfaces absorb more heat radiation than bright surfaces. Silver surfaces reflect nearly all heat radiation falling on them. Evaporation Evaporation is when water vanishes without boiling it to change into gas. This is because some liquid molecules move faster than others and the ones close to the surface may escape and form a gas. Variables These are things that may change during an experiment The independent variable: These are things that I will decide to change e. g. the material of the cup, replacing equipment. The dependent variable: This is the measurement that is effected by the independent variable e. g. the rate of cooling. The control variable: These are the things that I will try to keep the same so I can make sure that its a fair test e. g. volume of water, room temperature, size of the cups etc. Hypothesis I predict that the polystyrene cup would cool down the slowest because it has thick walls and when you go to restaurants and ask for a hot drink they give it in polystyrene cup. I think the paper cup will cool down the quickest because its made out of paper and paper has thin walls and it absorbs water.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Effective Budget Control
Advantages and Disadvantages of Effective Budget Control This paper will look at what is required of an effective budgetary control mechanism and try to assess the advantages and disadvantages of using a system imposed from above, or externally, over a decentralized system controlled by lower level management as task level. Using an empirical case study from the international banking sector, it will be shown that too much managerial autonomy can lead to disaster not just for the manager concerned but also for the whole organization. In contrast the role of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in imposing nation-state loan budgets will be critiqued to highlight the potential flaws of centralizing and dominating budget control management. Effective budgetary controlHenderson (2003) notes that regardless of the situation or workplace, in order to be effective it is crucial that budgetary control systems: Account for money received and spent Make sure that the organizations financial policies are adhered to Ensure that money is not wasted Assist managers to run, and develop, services or departments These controls have developed from the need to account for large sums of money but are equally applicable to any budgetary situation. However, from a managerial perspective they have often been criticised for being insensitive and restrictive at the lower levels of management. As the number of stakeholders increases so does the need to be fully accountable and therefore more controls are also needed. This is particularly noticeable in the public sector National Health Service. Here lower level management are extremely subservient to imposed and tight budgeting restrictions from a distantly senior level. This is arguably a result of the need to satisfy a multitude of stakeholder interests and a concern that empowering lower management with the autonomy to control their own budgets would fail to include the number of interested parties from politicians to doctors and patients. With organisations as complex as the NHS whether public or private sector ââ¬â It is safer and easier to p lan and control from above using imposed budget control methods. Politically imposed budgeting is preferably because senior managers, directors, or institutions who set the budgets are arguably best placed to recognise the wider implications of budgeting decisions but, according to Marginson (1999), financially imposed budget controls make sense too. Financial losses, which can occur for such damaging reasons as incompetence, error, negligence or fraud, are most likely to be minimised, or avoided altogether, by well constructed control systems. Imposed budgets benefit from the experience, acquired knowledge and full backing of senior management. They arguably encourage a sense of confidence in lower level management to do their job whilst reducing the massive levels of stress that come with having to create and manage your own budget. Another advantage of imposed budgeting is that it encourages regular monitoring, reporting, progress reports and ultimately improvements in the budgetary system. This enables problems to be uncovered and dealt with quickly and efficiently. Henderson (2003) states that it is advantageous to review arrangements occasionally. Even if procedures within your work area operate well, you should ensure that the budgetary responsibilities of staff at all levels are clear and understood by everyone. It would be unfortunate if problems arise because people do not know the extent or limit of their responsibilities (p33). Autonomous managers are arguably less likely to self-review their processes if they are deemed to be working well. Whereas senior management may be able to employ the use of an external or dedicated process-auditing team, lower level management are unlikely to have the resources or inclination to do the same especially if a process is deemed to be largely successful and given that any negative results will reflect directly and negatively on their managerial budgeting ability. There are further problems with lower level management dictating their own budget. As a budget manager, you are in charge of producing an annual cash flow forecast detailing accurately all of your income and expenditures. Budget managers are also expected to collect a range of information throughout each year, both financial and non-financial, to supplement their cash flow predictions and help better manage their finances. Finally they are then expected to critically compare the planned figures and the actual revenues and expenditures that occurred and act to ensure that the inflows and outflows of cash are within budget limits. In short, managers who are given control over their own budgets are required to be financially adept. Often, even if the manager is financially confident, proof of budgetary ability will only be learned from success or failure by which time it may be too late to rectify any problems. Marginson (1999) suggests that the concept of self-managing a budget at all levels through an organization is essentially flawed. If a manager has responsibility for a budget they he argues should not be expected to regulate and monitor is on their own. Ideally a system would be in place to bring any relevant or potentially important information to the managers attention. The flaw of any budgeting system that encourages managerial autonomy is that, eventually, in the case of poor performance a reporting system will eventually alert senior management to the crisis. Inevitably, senior manage will then try to rectify the situation costing time, resources and money. This often lengthy process would almost certainly be entirely avoided if senior management imposed budgetary control measures tightly from the top. A potential hazard in using imposed budgetary controls Imposing financial authority from the top-down may be one method of ensuring that the commands of senior management (or external bodies such a the Government) are carried out but this strict system of financial control is not necessarily the most productive method of financial management. The most commonly cited problem with a top-down method of strict budgetary control is the message that it permeates down the hierarchy. This invariably is translated as a lack of trust in the ability of lower-level and middle-management from those above them. As Benston (1963) explains: Decentralization contributes to effective motivation. The firmââ¬â¢s accounting system that facilitates decentralization hence has an indirect but important impact on motivation. The direct use of accounting reports, such as budgets, for motivation can result in reduced performance, if the budget is imposed on the department manager. (p347) The financial advantages of imposing budgetary control ââ¬â such as less risk of money being wasted, tighter adherence to company financial polity etc are potentially offset by the negative effects on motivation (and therefore productivity and profitability) such a gesture could make.According to Petrova (2004), autonomy and motivation are commonly considered to be extremely closely associated to one another. Given the value of a motivated workforce, the use of imposed budgets could be limiting the success of the business as well as its employees. Case Study:Ãâà Too much managerial autonomy ââ¬â Nick Leeson and banking crises Over the last two decades crises the banking worldwide and the subsequent global financial instability they have invariably caused have occurred with alarming regularity and always at a huge, often crippling, cost. According to estimates by the International Monetary Fund, more than a dozen banking crises in the past 15 years have cost the countries afflicted 10% or more of their gross domestic product (Economist, 2003). Although the majority of banking collapses seem to occur in the less developed and therefore poorer nations of the world, rich countries are also susceptible, as Japan demonstrated before the world in the 1990s. The blame is frequently ââ¬â and correctly ââ¬â laid on macroeconomic policy: an unsustainable exchange rate has no doubt often exacerbated problems but it is poor budgetary control that has been at the root of the majority of banking crises in recent times.. It is not just the banks who are to blame for this. Imposed budgets do not necessarily have to come from within the organisation. Bank regulators, too, should have done, and should do, more to help avoid these crises. The Basel Accord is the main external control that is used to protect the financial safety of banks. The Accord established a set of international rules that limit banks exposure to risk by requiring that their capital must at least equal a minimum proportion of their assets (Economist, 2003). This proportion is weighted by a calculated risk based on the circumstances of each individual bank. The Basel Accord is effectively the banking industries version of imposed budgeting. The external regulator oversees the business of the banks to ensure that they do not assume too much autonomy. (Economist, 2003) The case of Nick Leeson and the collapse of Barings Banks provides a hugely unlikely yet extremely note-worthy case to act as a warning of what can happen to companies that do not impose strict financial controls on their management. As Van der Stede (2000) warns, this is especially pertinent for companies concerned with achieving tangible results as they are more likely to have managers with a stronger focus on business matters that affect the short-term results (p609) and are therefore more likely to take poorly calculated risks with company money. In the Leeson case the bank were found to be guilty of allowing an unprecedented degree of managerial influence in the trading budget. This eventually allowed just a single employee Leeson to accumulate debts of over à £1.3 billion and bankrupt one of the worlds oldest banks. In a fatal mistake, the bank allowed Leeson to remain Chief Trader while being responsible for settling his trades, a job that is usually split. This had made it much simpler for him to hide his losses. (BBC, 2002). If any case highlights the dangers of allowing managers unbridled participation in budgetary control, the Lesson case is it. Problems with imposed budgets a global political perspective. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund control the flow of finances and effectively national budgets in every country across the globe. Their role is to promote stable growth in a bid to increase the wealth of citizens across the globe. However, as recently as April 2005, hundreds of members of parliaments around the world are calling on these two institutions lenders of billions of dollars every year, ââ¬â to renege many of the numerous conditions they impose on borrowing countries in order to secure their loans. These conditions, they say, are eroding national sovereignty and impeding long-term economic planning necessary to achieve positive and sustained growth. Instead, global politicians, most vocally from the less developing countries who are the primary victims of the current restrictive loan scheme, are calling for the World Bank and IMF to let local legislators have the final say in domestic economic policies. Typical IMF conditions imposed on lending nations include devaluation of local currencies, deregulation of state-owned industry, tight public spending caps, liberalisation of trade and exchange controls, withdrawal of subsidies, and more protections for the private sector and multinational companies (Mekay, 2005). Beyond this critics argue that both institutions have been guilty of providing inaccurate and detrimental economic advice that has only helped to compound the economic rigidities created by the loans causing delayed debt relief, increased poverty and undermined democracy, prompting demonstrations and street protests in many countries (Mekay, 2005). According to the petition, in 2003, the former Soviet state of Georgiaââ¬â¢s budget deficit exceeded its IMF-set limit. The Fund then asked Georgia to revise its budget for that year, but the parliament refused to pass it. Rather than accepting this decision, the IMF allowed its lending programme with Georgia to expire in retaliation. This led to threats from the World Bank that it, too, would pull the plug on existing projects. (Mekay, 2005) The IMF and World Bank reflect a system of imposed budgeting that is arguably more detrimental than it is effective. Imposed budgets must be careful to provide some degree of flexibility and maneuverability if they are not to cause resentment and productivity problems. This is particularly the case if budgets are being set and imposed from external sources. On a local or company scale there are further problems with the use of imposed budgeting in trying to link financial failures with those responsible for them. It is important to be able to link levels of activity, the consumption of resources and the achievement of targets with the managers primarily responsible for making decisions about these issues (Henderson, p33). If budgets are imposed from above, it is potentially difficult to identify the source of budgetary failure. If managers are autonomous, any budgetary failure is attributed directly to them. This arguably generates stricter budgetary discipline, responsibility and better management. Unless you have the authority to control financial resources, you cannot effectively manage the services for which you are responsible (Henderson, p23). Conclusion Henderson (2003) argued that successful budgetary control resulted in; being able to account for money received and spent, making sure that the organisations financial policies are adhered to, ensuring that money is not wasted, and assisted managers to run, and develop, services or departments. There is no single correct way of managing budgets but from the evidence presented above it is arguable that imposing a set of budget controls is a more effective method of safeguarding company finances. Certainly this method guarantees that company polices are adhered to and money is accounted and, if employees and managers are motivated, imposed budgets do not necessarily detract from department development or cause money to be wasted. It is the assumption that motivation is sapped by reducing autonomy that is the major criticism of imposed budgeting but this is little proof that this is the case. Petrova (2004) writes in her article on motivation and autonomy that motivated employees may gain more from autonomy but autonomy in itself is not a guaranteed method of increasing employee motivation. In addition, Petrova concludes that the likely benefits for increasing autonomy for already motivated employees are unlikely to be returned in financial gains but rather in changes in leadership styles and organizational structure. Given that the foremost concern of budgeting is to secure the financial future of the company, rejecting imposed budgeting on account of its effect on organizational structure and leadership style arguably inappropriate. Bibliography Mekey, E (2005); MPs demand more budgetary control from IMF and World Bank; Finance Customwire, Public Agenda/All Africa Global Media Economist (2003); Guiding the pack; Vol 368, Issue 8334 Henderson, Prof. E (2003); Budgeting Part Two; Nurse Management Vol 10, Issue 2, p32-37 Van der Stede, W (2000); The relationship between two consequences of budgetary controls: budgetary slack creation and managerial short-term orientation; Accounting, Organisation Society; Vol 25, Issue 8, p609-623 Marginson, D.E.W (1999); Beyond the budgetary control system: towards a two-tiered process of management control; Management Accounting Research; Vol 10, Issue 3, p203-231 Benston, G.J (1963); Accounting Review; Vol 38, Issue 2; p347-354 Petrova, K (2004); Does Motivation trigger Autonomy, or Vice-Versa?; Econometrics of Labour Demand; VXXXVIII International Conference Applied Econometrics Association; www.aea.fed-eco.org 10/05/05 BBC News Website (2002); Nick Leeson and Barings Bank; Crimewatch Case Closed; www.bbe.co.uk/crime ââ¬â 10/05/05
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
A Rose For Emily Essay -- essays research papers
William Faulker's " A Rose for Emily" tells the story of a young woman who is violated by her father's strict mentality. After being the only man in her life Emily's father dies and she finds it hard to let go. Emily was raised in the ante-bellum period before the Civil War. This story takes place in the Reconstruction Era after the war when the North takes control of the South. Like her father, Miss Emily possesses a stubborn outlook towards life and refuses to change. This short story explains Emily, her mystified ways and the townsfolk's sympathetic curiosity. The plot of the story is mainly about Miss Emily's attitude about change. "On the first of the year they mailed her a tax notice. February came and there was no reply. They wrote her a formal letter asking her to call the sheriff's office at her convenience. A week later the mayor wrote her herself, offering to call or to send his car for her, and received in reply a note on paper of an archaic shape, in a thin, flowing calligraphy in faded ink, to the effect that's he no longer went out at all. The tax notice was enclosed, without comment." (189). Miss Emily was convinced that she had no taxes in Jefferson because before the Civil War the South didn't have to pay taxes and since her father had made a contribution to the town of a generous amount, Colonel Sartoris, mayor at that time had remitted her taxes, she felt that that promise or rather gift still stood good. "After her father's death she went out very little; after her sweetheart went away, people hardly saw her at all."(190). Miss Emily might have stayed out the public eye after those two deaths because she was finally alone, something she in her life was not used to. Emily's father never let her alone and when he died Homer Baron was a treat she was never allowed to have. Miss Emily's stubborn attitude definitely came from her father's strict teachings. The characters of this story are very briefly mentioned, Miss Emily and Mr. Homer Barron are the two main characters described. Miss Emily was described as a short, fat, aged and mysterious women during her later years. Miss Emily had been through much and had seen many generations grow before and around her. This brings to reason her strong Confederate beliefs. Homer Barron; on the other hand was quite the opposite, "A Yankee... ..., and leaning forward, that faint and invisible dust dry and acrid in the nostrils, we saw a ling strand of iron gray hair."(195). This excerpt leaves the reader shocked and disgusted. Faulkner's style is quite difficult to read because it isn't written in chronological order. It begins by telling about Emily's past and her family history. This information explains her future behavior and opinions. The ending seems rather abrupt and sudden, but very chilling and non-expectant. The diction and sentence structures are fairly advanced, but soon lead to a greater understanding of the passage because it sets the mood of that specific time. "And now Miss Emily had gone to join the representatives of those august names where they lay in the cedar-bemused cemetery among the ranked and anonymous graves of the Union and Confederate soldiers who fell at battle of Jefferson". (194). Terms like this were used throughout to aid in setting the Reconstruction Era mood. In conclusion, "A Rose for Emily" is a shocking tale about Emily Grierson, her love, and her inability to accept change. Emily is a prime example of the Old South and it's changing hardships.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Essay on The Awakening -- Chopin Awakening Essays
Critical Views of The Awakening à à à à The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, is full of ideas and understanding about human nature. In Chopin's time, writing a story with such great attention to sensual details in both men and women caused skepticism among readers and critics. However, many critics have different views with deeper thought given to The Awakening. Symbolism, the interpretation of Edna's suicide, and awakenings play important roles in the analysis of all critics. à Symbolism in The Awakening is interpreted in many ways. It is important to understand the meaning of each explanation of symbolism given by every critic to fully appreciate the novel. Art, for example, becomes a symbol of both freedom and failure(Wyatt). It is through the process of trying to become an artist that Edna reaches the highest point of her awakening(Wyatt). Clothes are also significant in discovering symbolism. When Edna is first introduced she is fully dressed. Gradually, she disrobes until finally she goes into the water to die, completely naked. Her undressing symbolizes the shedding of societal rules in her life, her growing awakening, and it stresses her physical and external self(Wyatt). Two modern critics, Neal Wyatt and Harold Bloom, agree that Edna is symbolized for her "quest for self-discovery or self-hood." Edna feels caged, which makes her quest very difficult. The use of birds in the story helps the reader understand Edna's feeling of entrapment and the inab ility to communicate(Wyatt). Much like the shedding of clothes, birds symbolize freedom and escape from being caged. The ability to spread your wings and fly is a symbolic theme that occurs often in the novel(Wyatt). à Many readers do not like the ending... ...r that many people of her time found unladylike or even perverted. However, as time has passed and readers as well as critics find it easier to talk about sensual emotions, Chopin is now known as one of the most respected and brilliant writers that ever lived. Women had the feelings she wrote about and life was as discriminating as she described it, but only Kate Chopin had the courage to tell about it. Critics have given deep thought to The Awakening and with each analysis one reads, comes a new and unique awakening. à Works Cited Gilbert, Sandra J.à "The Novel of the Awakening."à Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: The Awakening, Kate Chopin Rosowski, Sandra M. "The Second Coming of Aphrodite."à Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views:à Kate Chopin; Chelsea House :à New York,à 1987. Wyatt, Neal. "Suicide". http.//www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384
Is Atticus Fitch a good Father? Essay
Fathers are important role models who raise and nurture their children with much love. A good father is a man who protects and provides for his children, who disciplines his children, and who tries to bring them up to know the difference between good and bad. Fathers should be there for their children in all times of need, to help and comfort them.1 According to Nicky Marone, the author of How To Father A Successful Daughter, there are four types of fathers. They are: The authoritarian, The softie, The protector, and The pal. The authoritarian father is usually a disciplinarian and very controlling. This person is uncompromising and whatever he says goes. The father who is a softie is greatly loved by his daughter, but is extremely easy to manipulate. He is controlled by his children and somewhat spoils them by letting them do whatever they wish and getting them whatever they want. This type of father does not know how to say, No. The father who is a protector tries to keep his children safe from all harm. But by holding them back, this type of father does not allow his children to reach their full potential. The last type of father is The pal. This type of father tries to establish a friendship between him and his children. By being more of a pal than a father, this person shows his children that they are equal and valuable individuals. This type of father is the closest to being right on track.2____________________1 Abby, Scott. What Makes a Man a Good Father? [Internet] June 19, 2005. December 1, 2006 2 Nicky Marone, How To Father a Successful Daughter. (New York: Ballantine Books, 1982), 22 ââ¬â 24. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is portrayed as an excellent father because he acts as an educator, treats people equally and allows hischildren to develop their own personalities by giving them more freedom. Atticus is considered to be a pal parent, who shows his children lots of love. Besides being a lawyer, Atticus also acts as and educator to Jem and Scout. One of the ways he educates them, is by passing on the lessons that he has learned in his life. But Atticus does not just pass on these lessons; he puts them into terms that Jem and Scout can understand. An example of this is when Atticus teaches Scout a very important moral lesson and puts it in language that is easy for Scout to get. You never really understand a personà until you consider things from their point of view, until you climb in their shoes and walk around in them.2 This is a crucial piece of advice which influences Scouts development for the rest of the novel. Scout struggles to put Atticuss advice into practice but at the end of the novel she finally succeeds in seeing things from Boo Radleys perspective, which allows her to fulfill Atticuss advice and ensures that she will not become jaded as she looses her innocence. Another way in which Atticus educates Scout is by teaching her to read at an early age. By teaching her to read early on, Scout becomes a very good reader. In fact, she is so good that, Miss Caroline Fisher, Scouts first grade teacher, tells Scout to stop reading with Atticus because she is too________________________3 Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. (New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1982), 30. advanced for her age. Scout becomes annoyed with Miss Caroline and tells Atticus that she doesnt want to go back to school. But Atticus urges her to go back to school and get an education because he loves her enough to see that getting an education would be important to her in the future. As you can see Atticus cares very much about his childrens futures and by educating them he shows the reader that he loves his children a lot. Atticus is a good father because he educates his children, but he is also a good father because he is committed to equality. Unlike most of the parents in the Maycombian Society, Atticus is committed to equality in all forms. All throughout the book, Atticus treats Jem and Scout as equals. He acts as if he is no better than them and by doing this, he builds a stronger relationship between him and his children, allowing them to relate on better terms. This is apparent when Atticus lets Jem and Scout call him by his first name, instead of father or dad. By doing this he demonstrates that he would like things to be equal and fair. If he let them call him father, it would imply that he is better than them, and that is not what Atticus wants. In fact it is the total opposite of what he wants. But at the same time, Atticus also realizes that he is supposed to be the father figure and tries to set an example for Jem and Scout. Before Jem looks at anyone else, he looks at me and Ive tried to live so that I can look squarely back at him. 4 Atticus is saying that Jem looks to him for adviceà and sees him as a role model and Atticus takes that into account every day, with every action that______________________4 Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird. (New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1982), 273. he makes. This is because he knows that if he makes a bad mistake, Jem and Scout will be watching and they may get bad ideas and make the same mistake as well. So Atticus tries to live his life and treat people as fairly and as equally as possible. Furthermore, Atticus is also committed to racial equality. A few ways in which he demonstrates this is when he lets his children go to Calpurnias church and he also lets Calpurnia (a black woman) raise his children. By doing this, Atticus is sending the reader a message that he believes in racial equality and that he doesnt judge people just by their skin colour or à ¬Ã ¬culture. He also defends Tom Robinson (a black male) and his rights while trying to getthe court to give him a fair trial. By doing this Atticus shows that he is not prejudice and treats every person, no matter what color, race, or culture they are, as his own. As you can see, Atticus treats everybody in Maycomb County equally and by doing this, sets a good example for his children. Along with educating his children and treating people equally, Atticus is also a good father because he gives his children freedom. Every parent tries to maintain a certain degree of control over their children, they just vary in the degree of control.5 Atticus gives his children plenty of freedom. By doing this, he demonstrates that he loves them a lot because he is allowing them to develop their own personalities and choose their own path in life. One of the ways Atticus gives__________________________à ¬5 Nicky Marone, How To Father a Successful Daughter. (New York: Ballantine Books, 1982), 218. them freedom, is by letting them pick their own friends. Atticus does not limit them to only playing with white people or with people that have a good family background, he gives them the freedom to establish their own relationships with whoever they want. Inaddition to letting them pick their own friends, Atticus gives Scout the freedom to dress how she wants. He does not tell her to dress more lady like, even with the pressures from Auntà Alexandra and the rest of Maycomb. By giving them freedom, Atticus recognizes that they will make mistakes, but the important thing is to learn from those mistakes and use them to help you to develop into a mature adult. Atticus gives his children the ability to live how they want and make their own decisions. He shows a lot of compassion for his children by giving them freedom, which in turn will make them into mature adults. à ¬Atticus is a normal person with a unique parenting style. He does not abide by the basic principle of the Maycombian lifestyle in which other parents use while raising their children. He believes that children should make their own decisions and develop their own personalities. He gives them freedom because he trusts them enough to do so, but as soon as they take advantage of that freedom, he is quick to set them back on track. In conclusion, Atticuss parenting methods and ways of showing affection, have positively affected his childrens personalities. Works Cited 1. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York : Warner Books, Inc., 19822. Marone, Nick. How To Father a Successful Daughter. New York: Ballantine Books,1982. 3. Scott, Abby. What Makes a Man a Good Father? June 19, 2005. December 1, 2006
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