Position Paper (Education) on Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Position Paper (Education) on Philosophy Essay The word education is defined as the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life, it is also an art of teaching; pedagogics. Education signify the activity, process, or enterprise of educating or being educated and sometimes to signify the discipline or field of study taught in different schools of education that concerns itself with this activity, process and training. Education has many roots, and since the beginning of man, it has been started and knowledge developed and had been passed from one generation to another. Every generation, it is somehow passed on its stock of values, traditions, methods and skill. The passing on of culture is also known as enculturation and the learning of social values and behaviors is socialization. The history of the curricula of such education reflects history itself, the history of knowledge, beliefs, skills and cultures of man. It is somehow complex because it started with survival and then man paints his own ideas as he travels in life and explore what could be done. He then finds himself being curious and begins finding answers to his questions. One example are the findings of archaeologist who studied the past and came to know different kinds of human activities and cultures, in the caves, based on artifacts, they come to know that people start to draw, write symbols which later was translated and was believed that somehow, man came to learn by himself and knowledge is passed on, their practices somehow gave contribution in our life today, in reading, writing, speaking which is related to education. In pre-literate societies, education was carried out orally and through observation. The young first learned informally from their parents, extended family and grandparents as simple as first steps in reading and writing. At later stages they received instruction of a more structured and formal nature, like the school, imparted by people not necessarily related, in the context of initiation, religion or ritual. There are many forms of education, and it has only one goal: to develop knowledge. Let’s take Philosophical education; it is the process of education or the philosophy of the discipline of education. It is part of the discipline in the sense of being concerned with the articulation, desideratum, arrangement, or results of the process of educating or being educated; or it may be metadisciplinary in the sense of being concerned with the concepts of the discipline, it also aims to investigate the educational significance of philosophy. It all started with the birth of philosophy, in the place of Greece and was spread worldwide. All cultures in all forms; prehistoric, medieval, or modern; Eastern, Western, religious or secular have their own unique schools of philosophy, arrived through both inheritance and through independent discovery. Such theories have flourished from different premises and approaches, examples of which include rationalism (any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification), empiricism (theory of knowledge that asserts that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience.) and even through leaps of faith, hope and inheritance. There may be different kinds of philosophical school, but the goal is to understand the development of philosophical ideas through time. Philosophy of education as such does not describe, compare, or explain any enterprises to systems of education, past or present; except it is concerned with the tracing of its own history, it leaves such delving to the history and sociology of education. Analytical philosophy of education is the logical positivist principle that there are no any specifically philosophical truths and that the basis of philosophy is the logical resolution of thoughts. This may be contrasted with the traditional foundationalism, which considers philosophy as a special, elite science that investigates the fundamental reasons and principles of everything. As an outcome, many analytic philosophers have considered their exploration as continuous with, or subordinate to, those of the natural sciences. It is meta to the discipline of education–to all the inquiries and thinking about education. It comprehends of its task as that of analysis: the definition of educational concepts like teaching, indoctri nation, trait, and ability, and including the concept of education itself. * BODY Philosophical education was traditionally developed by philosophers for example, Aristotle, Augustine, and John Locke Jean Jacques Rousseau, as part of their philosophical systems, in the context of their ethical theories. * Plato Plato’s allegory of the cave in his most important work, the Republic wherein he conceives the following vision: prisoners are chained in such a way that they face the dark and back part of the cave. They have been there for a long time and are like doomed and had nothing to do and has no perception in life. They can see nothing but themselves. They see only shadows of some certain stuff cast by a fire that burnt in a ledge above and behind them which they had no care about, between the fire and the prisoners is a wall line path alon g which people walk carrying vases alongside, they hear echoes of voices. Socrates then supposes that a prisoner is freed and permitted to stand up and explore the cave. Now, he is forced up the â€Å"steep and rugged ascent† (Plato’s allegory of education) and brought outside the sunlit exterior world. But the light blinds him. He must first look at the shadows of the trees, then at the mountains. Finally, he is able to see the sun itself. We are like the prisoners in the cave, still in the darkness not educated and are not yet philosophers. It’s like the cave is our confined world and we are still on our own selves and not merely had explored the outside bright world for our development, and inside the cave we see shadows, hear voices like there is a chaos going on we only implement fear, fear of exploring our own world and its vast approach to us. We are like prisoners in our own life which has no particular benefit to us, we can never attain real knowledge if we do not explore. The journey out the cave is said to be the philosophical education and the prisoner who was unchained is the kind of person who ought to be educated because he explored and find out what is behind the light, he has attained warmth and truth. Through this, one can conclude that most of the human beings would rather live a comfortable, happy and familiar life, than a life full of obstacles and pain, which would ultimately lead them to the larger truths of life. Man is contended with the consensus reality, i.e. the reality agreed by all, even if it is as imaginary and as unreal as the shadows on the walls of the cave man is also contended that they have the security of a family, of a society, of religion around them. However, according to Plato, there will come one questioner, one philosopher, from time to time, who will critically look at himself and the world around him, who will wonder why things are the way they are and then will make his own decisions regarding how things should be and that is being open-minded and being curious. * Jean Jacques Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau’s view on education differ to those with Plato, The focus of Émile is upon the individual tuition of a boy/young man in line with the principles of natural education. This focus tends to be what is taken up by later commentators, yet Rousseaus concern with the in dividual is balanced in some of his other writing with the need for public or national education. Rousseau believed it was possible to preserve the original nature of the child by careful control of his education and environment based on an analysis of the different physical and psychological stages through which he passed from birth to maturity. He also believed we can make good citizens out of training. From the first moment of life, men ought to begin learning to deserve to live; he finds himself reasons why he is living. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) Émile (1911 edn.), London: Dent, pp.6. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) Émile (1911 edn.), London: Dent, pp.6. Now each of these factors in education is wholly beyond our control, things are only partly in our power; the education of men is the only one controlled by us; and even here our power is largely illusory, for who can hope to direct every word and deed of all with whom the child has to do. Viewed as an art, the success of education is almost impossible since the essential conditions of success are beyond our control. Our efforts may bring us within sight of the goal, but fortune must favor us if we are to reach it. What is this goal? As we have just shown, it is the goal of nature. Since all three modes of education must work together, the two that we can control must follow the lead of that which is beyond our control. * CONCLUSION Education is really vast. I can say that I agree with both philosophers, all of us should be educated for education is the grounds for gaining knowledge and wisdom. It is an important tool that can be used for the success of your future. The more you are educated while you are young, the better chance youll have at gaining a successful career. Being educated is being well-informed. Once you have made the decision to attain an education, certain virtues must be possessed. You must be motivated by something, whether it is money, power, or just the desire to learn. It is motivation that drives you to learn new things and to expand your horizons. You must prepare for an education. For everything that you want to know, there is something else you need to know first. It’s like before you can be proficient on a piano you must know music, and before you can be proficient on a computer you must learn to use a keyboard and a mouse before you can dance you should have training grounds. Education is the key to success. * BIBLIOGRAPHY * Phaedo, 82c; and The Republic, book VII, 518d, both in Plato, Complete Works, ed. JohnM.Cooper * Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1762) Émile (1911 edn.), London: Dent, pp.6.

Originality in Postmodern Art

Originality in Postmodern Art A number of postmodern theorists and artists have questioned whether there is such thing as originality in art. Discuss this issue with reference to examples of the work of one or more recent artists who have questioned the notion of originality in their work. Postmodernism rejects the modern idea of originality as the new, and substitutes it with a combination of elements from the past. One of the main characteristics of Postmodernism was its tearing down of borders between styles and various cultural elements and the advance towards seeking something new and original was discarded and substituted with an amalgamation of elements from past and existing cultures. (Perina 2006) Postmodernism distances the subject, to declare the death of individualism. It leads to the reprocessing of objects and images from the past to create a more real and personal experience. There is too much information for us to process and make sense of and we are trapped in a world of second-hand experiences, dependent upon media representation of the world rather than our first-hand experience.(Crouch 1999) Originality as observed by contemporary artists, borrows heavily from postmodernist discourse. This essay will look at the works of several postmodern artists who participate in a critique and deconstruction of the myth of traditional originality whilst simultaneously seeking new ways to take their art in new and unexpected directions. It further inquires into the views of well known art writers and critics who acknowledge the way in which the placement of an artwork in a different context, or the re-working of an original image or images from the past can bestow it an entire new understanding, therefore granting an element of originality. Sherrie Levine, Andy Warhol and their many followers questioned and re-positioned issues around authorship and the original in artistic practice. This legacy is important to explore as the appropriated image and the pastiched image is so central in todays art and commercial practice especially since the growth of digital imaging. (Hammerstingl 1998 ) Sherrie Levine (b. 1947) is a primary example of a postmodern artist who confronts the issues surrounding postmodernist appropriation. Her critique of authorship and aura are central to Sherrie Levines audacious and influential deconstruction of the modernist myths of originality in many of her re-appropriations of eminent works by male artists. (Delacour 2009) Since the early 1980s, Levine has made a career out of re-using or appropriating renowned works of art, often by making new versions of them and placing them in different contexts. (Walker Art Center 2007) Her works have been understood as a commentary on the death of Modernism and its ideals, notions of artistic originality, the authenticity and autonomy of the art object and its status as a commodity. (Museum of Modern Art 2010) Levines Fountain (After Marcel Duchamp: A.P.) (1991), (Fig. 1) is an unmistakeable reference to Marcel Duchamps famous 1917 piece Fountain (Fig. 2). Cast in bronze to a highly polished finish, it transforms an everyday object into a beautiful and ostentatious piece which is presented on a narrow pedestal that closely resembles the display of Duchamps Fountain. Levine strove for total historical accuracy by locating a urinal from the identical manufacturer and year that Duchamp used, although she was unable to find the exact model. (Buskirk 2003) When compared to Duchamps sculpture, it is evident that Levines Fountain is not an exact replica. Most notably, Duchamps piece was an actual urinal which was turned upside-down and remained unchanged apart from his signature. In contrast, Levines urinal is more contemporary and has been cast in bronze, the traditional metal of sculptors. (Walker Art Center 2007) This use of bronze in such a way makes reference to another artist, Constantine Brancusi, who was notorious for producing sculptures in highly polished bronze (Buskirk 2003). When polished to a brilliant shine Levines urinal no longer remains a common, store-bought item. Instead it has been transformed by the artist into a unique object. (walkerart) Author and critic Martha Buskirk comments that despite the blatantly obvious reference to Duchamps readymade, Levines urinal has been transformed into a distinctive piece as a result of this choice to have it cast from highly polished bronze. (Buskirk 2003) Due to the recasting of the fountain in bronze, she raises the question of is the sculpture any longer a readymade? Due to the material characteristics of it being altered. By recasting the urinal, Levine challenges the function of the readymade as coming straight from the modes of production of society. Her object is no longer inextricably tied to its presence in everyday society. (Buskirk 2003) Buskirk states that in one sense, Levines Fountain is not a copy at all because she did not require the original Duchamp fountain to create a replica. Instead she attended the same source as Duchamp, which was the realm of mass production. Her piece triggers a history of references to past readymades and replicas of the everyday object. (Buskirk 2003) Sherrie Levines most blatant assault on originality came with her 1981 series After Walker Evans (Fig. 4), a series of twenty-two images which she directly photographed from an exhibition catalogue of famous photographer Walker Evans (b. 1903) work. (Fig. 3) Each one of these black and white photographs represents Depression-era documentation of either a figure, a group of figures, architecture or a barren landscape in a rural, economically-distressed area. (Mandiberg 2010) In writer and artist Linda Weintraubs essay Unoriginality, in Art on the Edge and Over (1996), Weintraub states that Levine makes no attempt to recompose or reinterpret, dismissing any creative or original act with the intention that the images remain true to their reproductive sources. (Weintraub 1996) These works articulate Levines fascination with the photographic process and its reproduction, while raising post-structuralist discourses on authorship, originality and history, from which they partly originate. (Museum of Modern Art 2010) Her appropriation of these fine art images deals with between photography, which is an unlimitedly reproducible medium, and fine art, which is regard as an inimitable object. Often art photographers limit the size of their editions to give their pieces the aura or a unique object. This aura is then diminished when the works are reproduced in magazines and books. Although the photographs Levine takes originate from the media, she restores them to the arena of fine art in her framing and presenting them as singular works which is where and how the original photographer, Walker Evans, aimed them to be seen. (Weintraub 1996) Linda Weintraub affirms that regardless of the association between the originals and her copies, Sherrie Levines photographs assume originality because they embody a new and possibly more profound artistic concept, which has never been so boldly explored. (Weintraub 1996) In the perceived wake of Modernism, the heroic potential of autonomous artists or autonomous works of art was challenged as artists such as Levine sought to demonstrate the importance of these ideas in the wake of the massive increase in social image consumption due to technological reproduction. (Mandiberg 2010) She writes, The world is filled to suffocating.ÂÂ   Man has placed his token on every stone.ÂÂ   Every word, every image, is leased and mortgaged.ÂÂ   We know that a picture is but a space in which a variety of images, none of them original, bend and clash. (Levine 1981) It is impossible to remove the art historical aspect to Sherrie Levines art. She works within the space of art historical discourse and dialogue, in attempts to add new perspectives on art by actually appropriating and reproducing them in novel ways. So much of the importance of her works derives from the fact that these works are recognizable within the general American public, but more importantly in the art historical canon. (Zimmerman 2008) (reword) It is perhaps Andy Warhols (b. 1928) use of photo silkscreens that offered the most rigorous challenge to traditional definitions of originality. Warhol explored intrinsic multiplicity in the repetitive use of screens in his silkscreen paintings that he began to produce in 1962. He produced a series of works containing ongoing repetition of an image within single works. Often his technique of blotting would result in the ink lines in his drawings appearing as though they were a personal touch. The method he used also lent itself to replicating deviations of the image via a process of repeated tracing that he would often get his assistants to accomplish. Warhol frequently employed his mother to replicate his signature for him. Consequently, Warhols fame as a fine artist rests on the manner in which he expunged any trace of his hand from his work and any evidence of what would be considered individuality. (Buskirk 2003) (need this?) This brief time in which Warhol began to develop his silkscreen paintings, was a phase in which Warhol was producing amazing output. It was during this time that he produced his infamous celebrity and name-brand product images. One of his most renowned examples is his Marilyn Diptych (1962) (Fig. 5) which was based on a publicity photograph from the 1953 film Niagra. The paintings of this time are excellent examples of multiple copies without an original. His method allowed for variations within the prints so that no two works were identical. Although Warhol employed assistants to produce works created by mechanical means to transfer images that he often didnt even select himself, his works are nonetheless recognised as Warhols due to his certain form of authorship. It can be argued that his original contribution included the regular removal of evident participation. (Buskirk 2003) One of Warhols most renowned works was Brillo Soap Pads Boxes (1964) (Fig. 6). To make his replicas he used wooden boxed and silkscreened over them to directly resemble the cartons that they were reproducing. This work is an example of one form of mechanical reproduction being employed to duplicate another form of printed surface, although the change of materials added a slight change to the more dramatic transformation that resulted from their recontextualisation. (Buskirk 2003) It could be argued that Brillo Soap Pads Boxes, and much of Andy Warhols work, is absent of any kind of originality due to its almost undistinguishable resemblance to the original product in which he had no participation in the creation of, however he makes a striking contribution via his insightful critique of the enticing nature of commodity in a culture driven by mass media. He achieves this through his use of repetition. The anonymous author who designed or photographed the products adopted by Warhol for use within his work becomes replaced by the artist who comments on the products cultural familiarity, an act of recontextualizing. (Buskirk 2003) In Warhols Flowers (1965) (Fig. 7), he appropriated an image of flowers that he found in a 1964 issue of Modern Photography magazine. When the photographer of the photo, Patricia Caufield discovered that Warhol had appropriated her image she filed a lawsuit against him for infringing on copyright as she was able to claim legal authorship. The case was settled out of court, with Warhol offering to give Caufield two of his Flower paintings. When analysed, it is evident that there exists several differences between Caufields image and Warhols appropriation. First of all he cropped the photograph so that it focussed on four flowers; the image has been flattened by the removal of detail and the adding of solid blocks of colour within the flowers. His changes in medium, scale and colour helped to transform the image considerably. (Buskirk 2003) Although the original photographs that Warhol sourced to base many of his artworks on were neither taken by or owned by him, his works become original by the manner in which he re-works them and exhibits them. It is very hard to confuse authorship as Warhol upholds a style that is distinctively his own. He takes ordinary images and through his alterations of them makes them extraordinary. (Buskirk 2003) In each of the cases presented, the artists have exercised an act of recontextualisation by taking a recognisable object or image and transforming it by altering how it is made or where it is found. Through this process each of the artists has achieved the act of both recognising and acknowledging the original author whilst claiming authorship for themselves via the process of this recontextualisation?. (Buskirk 2003) The diverse ways that artists have adopted and transformed these familiar images and objects furthermore articulate a complex layering of quotation and reference that exemplifies contemporary art. (Buskirk 2003) In addition, the artistic product desires a measure of creativity on the audiences part. The viewer contributes to the creation of works via their interpretations and evaluations of them. (Leddy 1994) French literary theorist and critic Roland Barthes attributes authorship to the reader who shapes meaning and understanding. Barthes created writings that directly suggested the idea of Death of the Author as a central post-modern concept. (Hammerstingl 1998) He states To give a text an Author and assign a single, corresponding interpretation to it is to impose a limit on that text. Roland Barthes asserts that each piece of writing or artwork contains multiple layers and meanings. In a well-known quotation, Barthes draws an analogy between text and textiles, declaring that a text is a tissue [or fabric] of quotations, drawn from innumerable centers of culture, rather than from one, individual experience. The essential meaning of a work depends on the impressions of the reader, rather th an the passions or tastes of the writer; a texts unity lies not in its origins, or its creator, but in its destination, or its audience. (New World Encyclopedia 2008) To summarise, Barthes attributes authorship to the reader who forms meaning and understanding. To reiterate, it is not the value and function that an object relies on to communicate with its audience, but its veiled references and codes from the past that permit a more individual perception. The originality and authenticity of the primary source ceases to be imperative in postmodernist art. Instead it is the recycled message which is constructed upon the unconscious memories and perceptions from the past that gives command to new perceptions and new perspectives of originality. The amalgamation of non-referring styles united together helps to create a new original, assembled from well identified originals of the past. Equally the postmodernist concept of deconstruction utilises the intercommunication amid the influence and continual process of referring. (Perina 2006)

Tool Of The Trade :: essays research papers

Tool of the Trade In any game, the equipment players use determines the way the game unfolds. Try to imagine a soccer game played with an American football! Or try playing tennis with the wooden racquets of thirty years ago. Change the equipment, and you discover a very different game. As part of my look at baseball, I decided to examine the tool of the baseball trade: Bats. Perhaps the most crucial and visible tool in baseball is the bat. A bat is the offensive weapon, the tool with which runs are scored. To understand the history and science of bats, I read a magazine published by Louisville Slugger, in Louisville, Kentucky home of the Hillerich & Bradsby Company, Inc. (also known as H&B), the manufacturers of perhaps America's most famous bat, the Louisville Slugger. Through the reading I learned how the modern bat came to be, and what it might become. In 1884, John Andrew "Bud" Hillerich played hooky from his father's woodworking shop and went to a baseball game. There he watched a star player, Pete "The Old Gladiator" Browning, struggling in a batting slump. After the game, Hillerich invited Browning back to the shop, where they picked out a piece of white ash, and Hillerich began making a bat. They worked late into the night, with Browning giving advice and taking practice swings from time to time. What happened next is legend. The next day, Browning went three-for-three, and soon the new bat was in demand across the league. H&B flourished from there. First called the Falls City Slugger, the new bat was called the Louisville Slugger by 1894. Though Hillerich's father thought bats were an insignificant item, and preferred to continue making more dependable items like bedposts and bowling pins, bats became a rapidly growing part of the family business. Just as it was back then, the classic Louisville Slugger bat used by today's professional players is made from white ash. The wood is specially selected from forests in Pennsylvania and New York. The trees they use must be at least fifty years old before they are harvested. After harvest, the wood is dried for six to eight months to a precise moisture level. The best quality wood is selected for pro bats; the other 90 percent is used for consumer market bats. White ash is used for its combination of hardness, strength, weight, "feel," and durability. In past years, H&B have made some bats out of hickory.

Vocational Education Vs. Standardized Testing Essay -- Vocational Cour

Plenty of schools focus on the scores that come from standardized testing. Though standardized testing is not going to help a student get to where they need to be in order to gain their career. In fact, standardized tests are mainly being used to measure a teacher’s ability to teach (Manalo 1). Why are schools basing their curriculum on standardized test scores rather than teaching vocational education courses that will help students later on in their lives? There are many different vocational courses which include; nursing, food ethics, computer solving, office management, and even cosmetology. Give high school students vocational classes or let the school system crumble. Vocational courses better prepare students for the years to come. Vocational courses prepare and teach and create leaders and are well rounded. Every student deserves to have an opportunity at success and vocational classes will organize them in the manner they need to be prepared. These classes narrow oneâ €™s focus so they are able to discover what they want to pursue for a living. (Ziliak 1). Vocational classes open up â€Å"doors of opportunity.† Cannot use the excuse that teaching vocational education in schools would lower the chances of getting into college because college credits can be earned through these courses. In 2012 students engaging in the Kokomo career center earned 834 credits from Ivy Tech Community College (Ziliak 2). Apparently vocational classes prepare students for real life situations and put them on the right track towards their dream career. As many schools use standardized testing to measure their student’s growth they do not realize that standardized tests do not reflect the character of children which will definitely not encourage succe... ...re a type of authentic learning. Vocational education adds: variety, relevance, and purpose. â€Æ' Works Cited James, Howlett. "Industrial Arts: Call It What You Want, the Need Still Exists." Industrial Arts: Call It What You Want, the Need Still Exists. N.p., Mar. 2008. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Manalo, Taylor. "Civic Issues." Civic Issues Site Wide Activity RSS. Civic Issues, 1 Apr. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Watkins, Bill. "Do Standardized Tests Raise Dropout Rates?" Newgeography.com. New Geography, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2014. Jorgenson, Olaf. â€Å"What We Lose In Winning The Test Score Race.† Principal 91.5 (2012): 12-15. Education Research Complete. Web. 7 Feb. 2014. Ziliak, Lindsey. â€Å"In Vocational Courses, Ind. Students Get Early Glimpse Of Careers.† Community College Week 25.14 (2013): 11. Education Research Complete. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.

Child Abuse and Neglect :: Violence Against Children

Child Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Help me!† This is the plea of many children in America. As you read this, one little girl is crying out in pain, one little boy is begging not to be touched anymore. Many children live through everyday being abused sexually, physically, and emotionally. â€Å"More than two million cases of neglect and physical abuse are reported annually. Studies have shown that most parents who abuse their children were once abused as a child† (Funk & Wagnall’s 121). According to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, 185 children died from child abuse in 1996. There are a lot of ways to put an end to this; it just takes some work and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all there are the children who are emotionally abused. The question is what is emotional abuse? Emotional abuse is when the child is hurt emotionally causing changes in behavior and low self-esteem. â€Å"For example, the parents may use extreme or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement of a child in a dark closet, and less severe acts, such as habitual scapegoating, belittling, or rejecting treatment† (NCCANCH). Children who suffer from this type of abuse grow up being called bad things and never really knowing what love is, take 10-year old Carla for example. She was both physically and emotionally abused. She was neglected; the only attention she got was bad attention. Her mother called her worthless and some of her mother’s boyfriends hit her. Childabuse.org was there for her and now Carla is doing much better (Bob Cooper). Emotional abuse, in my opinion, is a terrible type of abuse that a child could go through. Although it ma y not seem too harsh, it causes many social problems for the child. These social problems include, fear of meeting people, shyness, withdrawing from classmates, and an introverted personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly, there is physical abuse. Physical abuse is when the child has â€Å"physical injury as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, shaking or otherwise harming a child.

Hrm Hotel

As described by Schuler, Randall S ; Personnel and Human Resource Management, Third Etalon 1 987, recruitment Is referring to the set of activates and recess used to legally obtain a sufficient number of qualified people at the right time and place so that people and organization can select each other in their own best short and long term interests. By implementing the recruitment process, its provide organization with the qualified group of potential candidates to fill up the vacancies.However, the recruitment process must be done properly to ensure unwanted higher turnover result, wasted recruiting and training costs can be controlled at lowest level and minimized. As for Hilton case, the higher turnover rates record over the past years has rigged the HER department to begin to ponder, what went wrong with their excellent recruitment process. Another question was why their staffs disciplines such as absenteeism, conflict, and stress amongst staff are turning up gradually?Were these problems/ deficiencies happened because of poor HER recruitment planning? Trying to relate the above problems with the current recruitment process implemented by Hilton, I shall go further by analyzing the data provided as shown in Fig 1 . However, evaluations are made only to those critical recruitment sources which I believe necessary action to be taken immediately to fill the vacant and improve the current executives' workload.Therefore sustainability is a factor which Hilton should include in deciding which method of recruitment they should practice. Details of the analysis taken from the yield ratio table as follow: I Recruitment Source II year Survival I 175% Sustainability by Recruitment Source from 1996 – 1999 Quality – Recruitment is about identifying and selection process of potential candidates for the human resource requirement of the organization therefore it is also important to identify which recruitment method can pool the best quality candidate.

Hubris in Time of the Hero and Thing Fall Apart Essay

In the novels The Time Of The Hero (TTOTH) by Mario Vargas Llosa and Things Fall Apart (TFA) by Chinua Achebe, both writers focus on the idea of hubris and the excessive pride of powerful characters. In fact both the Jaguar (TTOTH) and Okonkwo (TFA) are characters, which represents this idea of Hubris, as they’ve been shaped by their social environment and the notion of manliness and hierarchy. In TFA, Okonkwo respond to the Igbo society through his obsession of being hyper-masculine. In TTOTH, the Jaguar adapts himself to the violent environment of the academy and the struggle to survive, and even raises himself above the other cadets. In both cases, the writer shows to the reader that the characters’ manliness leads him to the idea of â€Å"hubris†, by creating the illusion of an extreme power base around the Jaguar and Okonkwo. However in both novels, the writer also use the idea of femininity as an obstacle for both character’s pride. Furthermore, hubris is also linked to the idea of determinism, as the extreme pride of each character leads him to his own downfall. In TFA and TTOTH, The idea of Hubris seems to be linked to the pressure of society. In both cases, characters are born into a hierarchical society in which the glorification of manliness and the passion of survival, leads some male characters to excessive pride. In TFA, Chinua Achebe shows the hierarchical spirit between genders in Igbo society. This idea of hierarchy between genders is shown with the distinction between crops, as the â€Å"yam†, which is exclusively grown by men, symbolising the tribe’s respect for men’s physical strength. This same idea of separation of genders is also shown with the difference between men and women crimes, which shows the distinction between powerful men and â€Å"weak† women. This clearly shows a hierarchical society in which women are seen as weaker, and men are defined by their physical prowess. Therefore Okonkwo’s obsession for masculinity shows the inescapable force of society in shaping a human character. Okonkwo then seems to be linked to the idea of hubris, as his perception of manliness is far more extreme than the clans’, as he links masculinity with aggression, and devalues everything feminine. This shows that through his excessive perception of manliness, Okonkwo’s expectations of himself as a masculine power, far exceeds the scope of one being. In TTOTH, the violent environment of the academy is also linked to the glorification of manliness. Like in TFA, there is the idea that one man is respected for his physical prowess, and his will to survive in this vicious hierarchal system, which is foreshadowed by the metaphor of the â€Å"Circle†; One â€Å"dog† as to survive the ill-treatment of older generations, to finally express his own frustration over the next generations. In fact the metaphor of young generations to â€Å"dogs† is itself relevant of the need that one has to show and to prove his power. This hierarchical system seems to be related to the idea of survival of the fittest, as the Slave’s lack of manpower results in his death. However, the example of the Jaguar in TTOTH is quite similar to Okonkwo’s in TFA, as the Jaguars’ needs to hold power over the other cadets is more extreme than it is for his â€Å"comrades†. In fact the Jaguar is clearly linked to hubris through his need to expand his power in the whole academy; over the â€Å"dogs†, the older generations or his own comrades. The notion of pride also seems to be fairly influenced by the paternal relation that characters have with fathers. In TFA, Okonkwo’s relationship with his father surely shapes his violent and ambitious spirit. Okonkwo’s fear of becoming as weak and effeminate as his father, clearly influences the character to become the complete antithesis of all that his father was, making him the extreme hyper-masculine figure. In TTOTH, the writer uses a different image of the â€Å"father†, which is more the symbol of authority, and of the pressure that society has over male characters, to make them grow as men. However the fact that the Jaguar is the son of a poor widow, shows how his relation with Skinny Higueras, is used as a substitute for the paternal relation he didn’t had. This shows how his relation with Skinny and his criminal past, has an influence on his rather violent temperament, and his need to feel superior. It seems that both writers attempt to show the Jaguar and Okonkwo’s extreme pride, to the reader by putting in place an illusion of supreme power. In TFA, the writer seems to show the idea of hubris by putting the reader into an illusion in witch Okonkwo is seen as superhuman, or above other human characters. This is shown through the association of Okonkwo to â€Å"burning fire†, and â€Å"flame† throughout the novel. This creates an illusion as the reader then associates Okonkwo to the idea of extreme power, and dissociates him to other human characters. In fact the â€Å"fire† clearly symbolizes Okonkwo’s destructive and animalistic personality, as he destroys everything he consumes. In TOOTH, the metaphor of the â€Å"jaguar† is used as an illusion to the reader who no longer sees the character as purely human. This dehumanisation of the character is at some point like Okonkwo in TFA, as the reader sees the character as an emotionless, powerful, destructive figure. Furthermore, the writer’s use of the first person singular, and the fact that it is the jaguar who â€Å"named himself† that way, highlights to the idea of hubris, as on some level, its seems like the illusion of extreme power is in fact the perception that the character has of himself. In both novels, the writer demonstrates at some point that each man has something feminine inside him, which in the case of a hyper masculine figure, acts as a threat to his extreme pride. In TFA, Okonkwo’s exile to his motherland, in response to his â€Å"women crime†, clearly represents an obstacle to the character’s pride. This is not only an issue for Okonkwo’s image as a virile warrior; this is even more a threat to the characters’ personality, as it is the opportunity to get in touch with his feminine side. In fact Okonkwo’s pride in his masculinity, seems to be challenged throughout the novel, by his hidden femininity. In fact his son Nwoye, is used by the writer as a constant reminder of Okonkwo’s feminine part that he cannot get rid of. In TTOTH, the Jaguar’s weakness also seems to be symbolised by the feminine figure of Teresa. In fact the scene on the beach is relevant to the Jaguar’s true personality, as he is no longer seen as an emotionless character, but rather as a more human character, through the jealousy he feels toward Teresa. Therefore the writer uses the female figure as a rupture between the image of the powerful â€Å"Jaguar† of the academy, and the sensible teenager. However when the Jaguar insults Teresa after he sees her with some other boys, this also shows how the jealousy he feels is in fact seen as an enormous threat to his pride. Therefore both writers use the idea of femininity as a constant reminder of the hidden weakness that the character tries to reject. Finally, in both novels there is the idea that hubris is linked to determinism, as both characters seems to lead themselves to their own downfall. In TFA, Okonkwo’s choice of a life of anger, dominated by his obsession of being a hyper-masculine figure, is what makes him a character, which is quite unbalanced. In fact in chapter 17and 24 the writer shows that Okonkwo is not blind but rather conscientious as he acknowledge that the fire inside him destroys everything it consumes, including him. Furthermore, by destroying himself physically at the end of the novel, it can be argued that on some level he has also destroyed most of his pride, as the act of suicide shows the emasculation of the character on some level. In TTOTH the Jaguars’ tyrannical behaviour over the other members of the academy, is finally reflected on himself at the end of the novel, as he is beaten by a group of cadets. Therefore there is an idea of a reverse situation in each case; on one hand, Okonkwo’s act of suicide is quite surprising and deceiving for such a character who kept showing himself as the extreme figure of manliness. On the other hand, there is the imagery of the tyrant being overthrown. However, even though that both characters seems to end up revealing their secret and truer nature (in comparison to the image that they have of themselves), they still keep most of their pride. In TFA, Okonkwo’s suicide can be seen on one side as an act of emasculation, however on the other hand Okonkwo still keeps most of his pride by refusing to submit himself to the Christians until the end of his life. In TTOTH, the Jaguar never submits himself to the other cadets, even when everyone is against him. In fact when the other cadets falsely accuse the Jaguar, he still keep his pride, and still sees himself as better than them, even know that he no longer has power over the others. Furthermore, it can be argued that the final act of both characters has a heroic dimension, which still makes them proud character until the end. In conclusion, in both novels the writer focuses on the idea of hubris by showing characters whose expectations of themselves far exceeds the scope of one being. In fact both, Okonkwo and the Jaguar are characters shaped and extremely well adapted to their social environment, which is surely a main cause of their excessive pride. However, both writers also seems to link the notion of hubris to determinism as the choice of both characters to live in hubris, leads them to their own social downfall, and in the case of Okonkwo; to his own destruction. Nevertheless, both characters still hold to their pride, as they remain faithful to their own opinion, even during their downfall.