Chivalry :: essays research papers

Micro theme Topic Courtly songs off differing views of Chivalry, oddly of Chivalric heat. Contrast as specifically as possible, the views on chivalry in champion of these pairs s 2 & 4, s 6 & 7.Courtly songs, some(prenominal) 2 and 4, contain specific views on chivalric hit the hay though their views differ greatly. From reading both songs it is obvious that song 2 centers chivalric love around the adored (fe masculine) and song 4 centers chivalric love on the lover (male).From song 2 it is clear that to the author, Bernart, love is paralleled to many things. Love equals self-honor, fear-rejection, and secretiveness. In the song, the view of chivalric honor is based on how the lover is affected by the loved and how this shapes him.Within the first stanza love is shown equaling joy and self-honor. I chip in joy in it (love), and joy in the flower, and joy in myself, and in my lady most of all (lines 5 & 6). The ballad is showing the happiness that love brings and how that it has a strong effect on the smitten.In the third stanza the quote, I can hardly keep myself from running to her and I would do it, if I werent so afraid (lines 22 & 23), refers to love causing fear-rejection. The author feels so strongly about his love that it would wound him to know that his love is not accepted or returned.In the last stanza the song shows how chivalric love can be very secretive. Sweet lady, if only you would deign to love me, no one will ever catch me when I lie (lines 55 & 56). Sometimes chivalric love must be covered up and kept abstruse to anyone. The reasons why can be assumed to be the same as for any young love today that must be concealed.Song quadruple gets into a completely different view of chivalric love than song 2. It seems as if the author, Peire Vidal, centers chivalric love on the lover. The whole song points out the aspects of the male and what makes him a chivalric lover. Basically, in song four, to be a chivalric lover you must be fearless a nd good in bed.For warriors grimace I am worth Roland and Oliver (line13). This quote is one of many within the song that point out that chivalric love is deemed from honor.

Black is Beautiful in Shakespeares Sonnets and Astrophil and Stella Es

Black is Beautiful in Shakespeares Sonnets and Sidneys Astrophil and Stella Germinating in anonymous Middle English lyrics, the degeneracy of the classical poetic representation of feminine beauty as fair- whiskered and blue-eyed took on new meaning in the age of exploration to a lower place sonneteers Sidney and Shakespeare. No longer did the brown hair of Alison only serve to distinguish her from the pack the features of the new Dark Lady became more pronounced and sullied, and her eroticized associations with the foreignness of the saucily World grew more explicit through conceits of colonization. However, the evolving dichotomy between fairness and gruesomeness was not quite so revolutionary in fact, Sidney and Shakespeare lauded the virtues of fairness with the analogous degree of passion as their predecessors, albeit in a cloaked form. To counter their mistresses exterior darkness, the poets locate an interior lightness that radiates beyond the funereal veil of hair or ey esraven-hair or jet-eyes is acceptable only if there is an innate brightness that illuminates the sensuality of the superficial. Most of the poems addressing the light/dark antithesis choose at roughly point to make an open declaration that embraces or undermines the dichotomy and lays the groundwork for the rest of the poem. The dichotomous lines tend not to be as straightforward as they suggest. I can love both fair and brown, from John Donnes The Indifferent, seems to blur the line between the colors, but by revealing the gracious equanimity of his desire, Donne implicitly reinforces browns aesthetic inferiority. Shakespeare parodies the antiquated contrarieties, which he acknowledges in Sonnet 127 In the old age, black was not counted fair (1). In... ...line But organism both from me as the couples being away from the speaker, the line can also imply that the two inhabit his mind (11). With this reading, To win me soon to hell, my female evil/ Tempteth my better angel from m y typeface means not that the Dark Lady will cast Shakespeare into misery through her upsetting the triangle, but that her power will shift Shakespeares mind to the dark side. Her temptation is filled with reference to dirtiness of sin And would corrupt my saint to be a devil,/ Wooing his purity with her foul pride (7-8). Proud chassis is the swollen flesh surrounding a wound thus her foul pride may be a pun on her genitalia. The eroticization of her darkness is a salient pointer towards the fascination the poets hold toward darkness beneath that impure exterior lies a devilish promiscuity unlike that of all the other blue-eyed(prenominal) maidens.

Phaedo by Plato :: Papers

Phaedo by PlatoThe main theme behind the Phaedo is Socrates readiness and willingness to die, because of his belief of immortality. Socrates believed that when his body ceased to exist anymore, that his soul would leave and join that of the forms, where he would be eternally. Socrates believed so strongly in this, that non only did he not fear his death, he welcomed it. He believed that only when the soul separated from the body, is a somebody able to be truly enlightened and gain all knowledge. This enlightenment has been Socrates life long goal of discovering the truth. Even at his hour of death, Socrates showed no hesitation. However, Socrates friends did not believe so strongly, and took some great convincing by Socrates, to allow his friends to be okay with his death. The two proofs that Socrates used to convince his friends are the Doctrine of Opposites and the unbiased and composite theory.The first proof, the Doctrine of Opposites, is the type of proof that uses a seq uence of factual statements the lead from to another to prove that unrivaled thing is the same as another thing. The Doctrine of Opposites uses simple references to allow the reader to easily comprehend and follow the steps of the logical process. For example, hot comes from cold. An object could not possibly be hot if it was never heated up from the state of being cold. The same holds true for the reverse of this analogy. If cold object must have at one point been cooled down from a state of being hot. Since hot and cold are opposites, this simple statement proves that things come from there opposite. Also by employ this example, Socrates is trying to imply the idea of eternal existence. He is saying that cold doesnt come from thin air. It had to have come from some previous existence in some other form, which in this case would be hot. Another example that he uses is the asleep and awake analogy. One would have to agree that a person could be only one or the other. If you are not sleeping, then you are awake and if you are not awake then you have to be asleep. This example further proves that you can only be one of something or the other, its opposite, but you must be one of them.

Teaching Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy Teaching is non about being a figure of authority, being in control or the adage, June, July and August. Those who are in the education profession with those goals in mind will not be effective teachers and they fail those who find themselves at his or her mercy in the classroom. The most effective and successful teachers are those who found it was all they ever precious to do found a passion for it that lasted through the tedious process of educating by state standards to make it their profession. They are called to teach, another adage in look to those who are obviously doing what they are best suited to do, virtuallything they have a passion for. Anyone can be taught to play a musical instrument to some degree or other but only those with the talent seemingly born in them will become masters of their instruments. It truly takes more than hold and the same is true for the teaching profession it requires a love and born in talent. Regard for the students is a requirement, not an option. First and foremost there has to be a full understanding that they are people, unique individuals with differing characteristics. It would be an awful mistake of anyone to try to mold them into an idea of what someone thinks they should be. Differences are a fact they must be accepted as the individuals must be accepted for the wonderful part they play in making the diversity or our family such as it is. If everyone fit the perfect mold life would be an endless drudgery. My experiences to date have taught me that what we see on the surface, or what we think we see, is not always the truth. Our senses do after all fail us so often. The seemingly inattentive student that continually makes comments or asks questions is not an annoyance, he is tuition his way. The quiet student in the back that appears to be listening and absorbing everything could very well be hearing nothing except the thoughts in he r star about totally unrelated topics.

Drought and Global Climate Change :: Environment, Climate Change

Drought is a multi-causal and complex environmental issue, and can arouse practiced socioeconomic consequences. Recently, IPCC (the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) concluded that South Asia and the Middle East would experience sever, extend droughts as a result of global climate changes, explicitly the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (IPCC, 2007). Drought is a weather-related natural contingency whose effect is aggravated by human activities. Sometime drought affects large regions and even several countries for a long period of time. Drought has a serious impact on food productivity of a land, and even on the life expectancy of inhabitants. The aftermath of drought involves in socioeconomic, ecological issues (WGA, 1996) (Jeyaseelan, 2005 Pongracza et al., 1996). Iran encompassing drylands has been sporadically jeopardized by drought events, which have devastatingly affected society and environment (Shamsipour et al., 2008). Therefore, the guinea pig of drought needs several sources of entropysets. In other words, the design of a be after project for a region for sustainable development, the acquisition of updated data is critical, particularly for countries with arid to semi-arid climates. The recent innovations in remote sensing methods have brought new solutions to study of environmental problems in geosciences. In the assessment of natural hazards like drought, remote sensing provides rapid, instant spatial data about the natural phenomena they are multipurpose in decision-makings as well as weather forecasts (Sunyurp et al., 2004). The monitoring of drought via remote sensing depends on the factors that cause drought (Jeyaseelan, 2005). Drought indicators and variables, obtained through remotely sensed data, can carry some uncertainties, which is induces by the sensitivity of factors, or their dependency to weather and environment conditions. Additionally, some non-standard algorithms m ight lead to wrong estimation of drought intensity. More effective methods for increase accuracy of assessment and analysis of remotely sensed data are applying models which can combine in data layers. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are used to combine the layers of data in the modeling of drought. Recently, space technologies, such RS and GIS, and the numerical modeling techniques have been developed as powerful tools for the ecological assessment of environment (Krivtsov, 2004 MacMillan et al., 2004 Store and Jokimki, 2003). Utilizing these technologies not only supply a platform to support multi-level and hierarchically integrated analysis on resource and environment, but also integrate the obtained information in a comparative theoretical ecosystem analysis. Meanwhile, Plummer (2000) argued that perspectives of combining ecological models and remotely sensed data would commission on the estimation of accuracy, the issues of spatial and temporal scale, and long-term compr ehensive datasets.

Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE THE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMESIt was a brash, bustling, energetic country in whichHawthorne grew up and carved out his writing career. Thecovered wagons were rolling West, with signs that bravelydeclared "California or bust" The first passenger railroadopened, and the trains went huffing and puffing along at the(then) incredible speed of 20 miles an hour. Jackson waselected president, throwing the conservative statesmen out ofoffice and ushering in the get along of democracy and the commonman. It was an age between wars, when America, having beatenEngland for the second time--in the War of 1812--was flexing itsadolescent muscles. Hope was in the air, and also a feeling ofimpatience with the imported, second-hand, European way of doingthings. "Down with the preceding(a)" might have been the slogan of thetime. Americans sensed a fresh, creative task at hand in thebuilding of a new country. It was a task that called for strongbacks, clear eyes, and ope n minds. There were experiments in living going on to match theexperiments in politics and technology. Starry-eyedintellectuals gathered outside capital of Massachusetts to thrive on a vegetariandiet at Alcotts Fruitlands. Thoreau conducted his own privateexperiments in a life close to nature at Walden Pond. HoraceMann planned to diversity the world by changing education. Where was Hawthorne while all this excitement was going on?In his bedroom in Salem, reading a book. You get the limpidfeeling about this man that, so far as the great adventures ofhis time were concerned, he simply wasnt paying attention.Hawthorne was gazing intelligently off in another(prenominal) direction.Most of his generation looked expectantly toward the future.Hawthorne kept his eyes on the past. He was an introvert, almost a recluse, this native son of

Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE THE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMESIt was a brash, bustling, energetic country in whichHawthorne grew up and carve out his writing career. Thecovered wagons were rolling West, with signs that bravelydeclared "California or bust" The first passenger railroadopened, and the trains went huffing and puffing on at the(then) incredible speed of 20 miles an hour. Jackson waselected president, throwing the conservative statesmen out ofoffice and ushering in the age of democracy and the commonman. It was an age in the midst of wars, when America, having beatenEngland for the second time--in the War of 1812--was flexing itsadolescent muscles. Hope was in the air, and also a looking ofimpatience with the imported, second-hand, European way of doingthings. "Down with the past" great power have been the slogan of thetime. Americans sensed a fresh, creative task at hand in thebuilding of a new country. It was a task that called for fast(a)backs, clear eyes, and open minds. There were experiments in living going on to match theexperiments in politics and technology. Starry-eyedintellectuals gathered outside Boston to amplify on a vegetariandiet at Alcotts Fruitlands. Thoreau conducted his own privateexperiments in a life close to nature at Walden Pond. HoraceMann planned to change the arena by changing education. Where was Hawthorne while all this excitement was going on?In his bedroom in Salem, reading a book. You get the distinctfeeling about this man that, so far as the great adventures ofhis time were concerned, he simply wasnt paying attention.Hawthorne was gazing intelligently off in another direction. just about of his generation looked expectantly toward the future.Hawthorne kept his eyes on the past. He was an introvert, almost a recluse, this native son of

Deception Point Page 78

Anyhow, Mike, the message went on, tonight was incredible. Kind of makes you proud to be a scientist, doesnt it? Everyones tattleing about how good this looks for NASA. Screw NASA, I utter This looks even better for us Amazing Seas ratings must have gone up a some million points tonight. Youre a star, man. A real one. Congrats. Excellent job.There was hushed talking on the line, and the voice came back. Oh, yeah, and speaking of Xavia, just so you dont get in like manner big a brainiac, she wants to razz you about something. Here she is.Xavias razor voice came on the machine. Mike, Xavia, youre a God, yada yada. And because I love you so much, Ive agreed to baby-sit this antiquated wreck of yours. Frankly, it will be nice to be away from these hoodlums you call scientists. Anyhow, in addition to baby-sitting the ship, the crew has asked me, in my role as onboard bitch, to do everything in my power to keep you from turning into a conceited bastard, which after tonight I realize is going to be difficult, but I had to be the prototypical to tell you that you made a boo-boo in your documentary. Yes, you lookd me. A rare Michael Tolland brain fart. Dont worry, there are lonesome(prenominal) about three raft on earth who will notice, and theyre all anal-retentive marine geologists with no sense of humor. A lot like me. But you know what they say about us geologists-always looking for faults She laughed. Anyhow, its nothing, a minuscule point about meteorite petrology. I only mention it to ruin your night. You might get a call or ii about it, so I thought Id give you the heads-up so you dont end up sounding like the moron we all know you in reality are. She laughed again. Anyhow, Im not much of a party animal, so Im staying onboard. Dont bother job me I had to turn on the machine because the goddamned press have been calling all night. Youre a real star tonight, despite your screwup. Anyhow, Ill fill you in on it when you get back. Ciao.The line went dead .Michael Tolland frowned. A mistake in my documentary?Rachel sacristan stood in the restroom of the G4 and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale, she thought, and more(prenominal) frail than shed imagined. Tonights scare had taken a lot out of her. She wondered how long it would be before she would way station shivering, or before she would go near an ocean. Removing her U.S.S. Charlotte cap, she let her hair down. Better, she thought, feeling more like herself.Looking into her eyes, Rachel sensed a deep weariness. Beneath it, though, she proverb the resolve. She knew that was her mothers gift. Nobody tells you what you can and cant do. Rachel wondered if her mother had seen what happened tonight. Someone tried to kill me, Mom. Someone tried to kill all of usRachels mind, as it had for several hours now, scrolled through the joust of names.Lawrence Ekstrom Marjorie Tench President Zach Herney. All had motives. And, more chillingly, all had means. The President is not involved, Rachel told herself, clinging to her hope that the President she respected so much more than her own bring was an innocent bystander in this mysterious incident.We still know nothing.Not who not if not why.Rachel had wanted to have answers for William Pickering but, so far, all shed managed to do was raise more questions.When Rachel left the restroom, she was surprised to see Michael Tolland was not in his seat. Corky was dozing nearby. As Rachel looked around, Mike stepped out of the cockpit as the pilot hung up a radiophone. His eyes were spacious with concern.What is it? Rachel asked.Tollands voice was heavy as he told her about the phone message.A mistake in his presentation? Rachel thought Tolland was overreacting. Its probably nothing. She didnt tell you specifically what the misapprehension was?Something to do with meteorite petrology.Rock structure?Yeah. She said the only people who would notice the mistake were a few other geologists. It sounds like whatever er ror I made was related to the composition of the meteorite itself.Rachel drew a quick breath, understanding now. Chondrules?I dont know, but it seems pretty coincidental.Rachel agreed. The chondrules were the one remaining shred of evidence that flatly supported NASAs claim that this was indeed a meteorite.Corky came over, rubbing his eyes. Whats going on?Tolland filled him in.Corky scowled, shaking his head. Its not a problem with the chondrules, Mike. No way. All of your data came from NASA. And from me. It was flawless.What other petrologic error could I have made?Who the hell knows? Besides, what do marine geologists know about chondrules?I have no idea, but shes damned sharp.Considering the circumstances, Rachel said, I think we should talk to this woman before we talk to Director Pickering.Tolland shrugged. I called her four times and got the machine. Shes probably in the hydrolab and cant hear a damn thing anyway. She wont get my messages until morning at the earliest. Tolla nd paused, checking his watch. Although Although what?Tolland eyed her intensely. How important do you think it is that we talk to Xavia before we talk to your boss?If she has something to say about chondrules? Id say its critical. Mike, Rachel said, at the moment, weve got all kinds of contradictory data. William Pickering is a man accustomed to having clear answers. When we meet him, Id love to have something substantial for him to act on. hence we should make a stop.Rachel did a double take. On your ship?Its off the coast of New Jersey. Almost directly on our way to Washington. We can talk to Xavia, find out what she knows. Corky still has the meteorite sample, and if Xavia wants to run some geologic tests on it, the ship has a fairly well-equipped lab. I cant imagine it would take us more than an hour to get some conclusive answers.Rachel felt a pulse of anxiety. The thought of having to face the ocean again so soon was unnerving. definitive answers, she told herself, tempted b y the possibility. Pickering will definitely want answers.92Delta-One was glad to be back on solid ground.The Aurora aircraft, despite running at only one-half power and taking a circuitous ocean route, had completed its journey in under two hours and afforded the Delta drag a healthy head start to take up position and prepare themselves for the additional kill the controller had requested.Now, on a private military runway outside D.C., the Delta Force left the Aurora behind and boarded their new transport-a waiting OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopter.Yet again, the controller has arranged for the best, Delta-One thought.The Kiowa Warrior, originally designed as a light observation helicopter, had been expand and improved to create the militarys newest breed of attack helicopter. The Kiowa boasted infrared thermal imaging capability enabling its designator/laser range finder to provide autonomous agnomen for laser-guided precision weapons like Air-to-Air Stinger missiles and the AGM-1 148 Hellfire Missile System. A high-speed digital signal processor provided simultaneous multitarget tracking of up to 6 targets. Few enemies had ever seen a Kiowa up close and survived to tell the tale.Delta-One felt a familiar rush of power as he climbed into the Kiowa pilots seat and strapped himself in. He had trained on this craft and flown it in covert ops three times. Of course, never before had he been gunning for a prominent American official. The Kiowa, he had to admit, was the perfect aircraft for the job. Its Rolls-Royce Allison locomotive and twin semirigid blades were silent running, which essentially meant targets on the ground could not hear the chopper until it was directly over them. And because the aircraft was capable of flying blind without lights and was pied flat black with no reflective tail numbers, it was essentially invisible unless the target had radar.

Keep Fit Essay

To keep fit and sound, follow a healthy and balanced diet everyday. Make legitimate that your everyday diet includes lots of fruits, vegetables, and protein. You should cut peck on red meat, junk foods, caffeine, and sugar intake. Avoid soft drinks or seatned fruit juices. Instead, opt for a variety of fresh fruits, vegetable salads, fresh made fruit juices, milk, nutritious energy drinks, etc. You need to be more active in order to keep fit and healthy. Modern aliveness has become very sedentary, with fewer scopes for physical activities. You need to exercise in order to burn those calories. Minimum physical activity slows down your metabolism rate. So, you can put on weight even when you eat less. On the other hand, exercise and a more active life will burn up the calories, even when you eat a little more.You can simply go for a brisk walk, or jog, or you can join a gym. The measurable thing is that you must include some physical exercise in your everyday life, because fitnes s and health cannot be achieved without some physical exercise. For a healthy life sufficient sleep is cardinal. Lack of sleep can make you feel tired the next day. So work hard, but make sure that you have enough sleep so that your body gets the time to replenish itself. Do not skip your breakfast, no matter how busy you are. Breakfast is the offset printing and most important meal of the day. It works as a fuel for your body and keeps you going for the rest of day.If you skip breakfast, you will feel hungrier in the latter(prenominal) part of the day, and you may end up eating more So, you may run a risk of gaining weight, if you skip your breakfast frequently. If you are not a healthy eater and find it difficult to improve your food habits due to busy, erratic, work schedules, then you may be depriving your body of the essential nutrients that are important for good health. In the long run, unhealthy food habits can lead you to serious health hazards. An easy solution to this p roblem is to include multi-vitamin supplements in your casual food intake. Multi-vitamins can be taken to replenish the nutritional deficiencies in your daily diet.

Women In Leadership: The Place Of Assertiveness And Recognition Of Human Rights

IntroductionThe assumption that wo workforce leading tend to be aggressive has been largely upheld, in Africa. That is not to say that all wowork force loss leaders in Africa be aggressive arguably, however, closely women leaders tend to exhibit aggressive behavior creating an impression of aggressiveness within women leaders regardless of the reality. imperativeness is a key quality expected from leaders or managers (Philips, 2002 Ames and Flynn, 2007) particularly those who collect a lot of responsibilities. Those who aspire or are appointed as leaders are expected to posses and exhibit much(prenominal) qualities creating a self fulfilling prophecy. Assertiveness is, consequentlyce, viewed as a dimension describing the tendency by people to spill for, defend, and act in their interest, values, and goals (in Ames and Flynn, 2006). A leader at that placefore, should be capable of planning, strategically communicating clearly to separate members of mental faculty and r endering support to round for say-so and success, but that is not always the case, particularly when it comes to egg-producing(prenominal) leaders.The questions, therefore, are what are the factors responsible for overleap of imperativeness among women leaders, in Nigeria and why this often manifests itself as infringement rather than effective assertivenessA further question Is raised as to whether it is only seen as an issue for Nigerian women leaders, or is it a general disposition of the female genderThis essay, therefore, will give a brief chronological account of my life history, identify the problems encountered that informed the choice of assertiveness and recognition of human rights (which are interconnected) and will therefore be discussed as part of one concept, namely, assertiveness. Related literature on assertiveness will be discussed and the factors responsible for its absence in women leaders. The greatness of assertiveness for women in leading positions wi ll be reiterated. An action plan for my career will be highlighted and then concluded. It is worth stating, at this point, that the entire essay is firing to be found on my personal acknowledge and my context, except where separatewise mentioned. The essay will refer to females as women and males as men, because the essay is gender related.My careerI started my get wording career at the age of twenty three, in a nursery and primary school, in Kaduna state of Nigeria. I had soundly(p) faultless a diploma course in Special Education at the University of Jos, in Nigeria, and was enthusiastic ab off joining the teaching profession. Although the school where I was employed to teach was nevery a special nor a mainstream school, I was eager to put my teaching skills to good use. It was an unpleasant start, as I had to write and teach thirty-six lessons every week the lesson notes must be ready by the end of Friday, because the head teacher will mark them over the weekend and then give them back to teachers, on Monday morning. Although the work was demanding, my major problem was the relationship between the head teacher and staff. I eventually left on wellness grounds.My second experience was after(prenominal) my undergraduate studies at the similar University. After my undergraduate studies, I went through the one year compulsory National jejuneness Service Corp (NYSC) which I completed in Kaduna Polytechnic and was offered enjoyment a year after the good example. I served under a male intellect of Department (HOD), during my NYSC, but met a woman head when I was employed as a staff member. I had a heavier work load than most(prenominal) senior teachers, which the HOD attributed to my level and the fact that I did not have other responsibilities. This alerted me to the notion that leaders were often perceived t ho ave different responsibilities In short, while the HOD made me the departmental secretary, welfare committee secretary, assistant registr ation officer and assistant exams officer, the work load did not change showing a lack of leader understanding of the precise role. She eventually finished her tenure and another woman was assume.The third experience I had was another woman HOD who was elected into the position by other members of staff of the department, in conformation with the new rule in the institution previously, headship was by appointment by the school circumspection team. I had thought, at this point, that I would be relieved of some of my responsibilities, if not all. However, when the new head assumed duty, instead, my duties increased as she would call me to do just ab stunned any(prenominal)thing, if was within sight and would then show no appreciation for the work done. This raised issues of how work was attributed to staff and how leaders look towards achieving a balance workload for all staff, something which had been lacking in my experience.Problems determineThe previous paragraphs have given a brief account of my career this paragraph will localize on issues I consider problematic in staff relationships with women leaders. I have observed, from a distance, that the behaviour of women leaders, across the board, (e.g. church, unions, societies, etc.), in combination with my personal experience and have come to the conclusion that most women leaders are unnecessarily difficult to work with and often aggressive. I have heard some men endorse that opinion, as well. The three women I have worked with have a striking similarity in their behaviours all ultimately leading to aggression, which is characterised by world domineering, sarcastic, hard-edged, strident, impatient and blaming others. Furthermore, they were not assertive in their relationship with staff they had no respect for staff, although they demanded respect from the staff, in turn. They acted as if they were superior beings who wanted to be revered they were, in my opinion, ruthless to other colleagues and staf f, generally. They were aware of their powers and exercised them to the fullest. Such women leaders tend to favour those they liked and victimise others. My first head teacher would tell staff members to report her, if they had the nerve she knew nothing would be done ab kayoed it she always had things her way. These leaders make derogatory statements to staff, oblivious to who is listening it was a common occurrence. sometimes it happened right before the students which could engender disrespect for teachers by their students, a situation that is avoidable. This was seen as a consistent way of operating by female leaders.I recall my first day at work with amazement I was disappointed at the way in which I was handed some prerequisite items I leaseed and a list of dos and donts by the stern looking head teacher. It felt as though it was purely an exercise of power, although I had thought that the head teacher might have problems at home, but came to realise that that was how she o perated, in general. With my second employment, the HOD just collected my letter of employment and acknowledged it and that was all. I was not assigned an office, nor was there an orientation of any kind I had to learn by trial and error or by asking other members of staff. I felt, from inception, that there was an enormous problem regarding leading. This is because there was a lot of manipulation and no room for collaboration. In one of the cases, there was an outburst from the teachers when the HODs attitudes became unbearable almost all staff members passed a vote of no confidence in the HOD and forwarded it to the school management. Although they had their good sides, it was however outweighed by their aggression. These kinds of dispositions seem to make staff members become emotionally exhausted and stressed, especially those who are passive, which affects the productivity of staff as a whole and does not bring to pass a team mentality.Literature ReviewHaving given a brief hi story of my career and withal identified what posed as challenges for me and other staff members, because of the disposition of the head teachers, it becomes imperative to look at what literature says about the assertiveness of women in leadership. Assertiveness is a critical issue, in Nigerias leaders however, there is little or no literature in that regard concerning the concept, generally, and in regards to women, specifically. Assertiveness is a concept that are hardly mentioned and likewise the withdraw for well managed assertiveness and the ignorance exhibited in this regard seems to affect the majority of the people, to a large extent, which leaders use to their advantage. These devil concepts of assertiveness and human rights, as mentioned in the introduction are interconnected and inseparable, because assertiveness is all about knowing ones rights and acknowledging the rights of others. It is this latter factor that is particularly relevant in the discussion. For instanc e, rearward and Back in Arm bulletproof (1991) stated that assertiveness is standing up your for own rights and, at the same time, taking into account the rights of others. In other haggling, know your rights and your limits, in order not to violate another persons rights. The two concepts will therefore be discussed as one, namely assertiveness.Assertiveness is the ability of an item-by-item to act clearly, honestly, and to communicate directly (Dickson, 2012) and is considered a critical component of leadership effectiveness (Ames and Flynn, 2006). In other words, for leaders to succeed and advance in their leadership roles, they must be assertive. As stated earlier, one outstanding quality of assertiveness, I believe, is being aware of ones rights and respecting the rights of other people its importance in the work place and in life generally cannot be over emphasized. Despite this there are difference between assertiveness and aggression which needs to be recognised in this d iscussion.Assertiveness can be proactive (acting rather than reacting) and reactive (responding rather initiating), both verbal and non-verbal (by means of words and action) (Ames and Flynn, 2006 Ames, 2009), depending on the situation or circumstance. Ames and Flynn (2006), in research which they carried out (not specifically on women) tried to establish the relationship between assertiveness and leadership and came up with some interesting concepts high and low assertiveness. High assertiveness, they opine, results in what they term instrumental reward, meaning that leaders compromise their relationship with colleagues and subordinates in order to carry out goals. Low assertiveness, on the other hand, results in social reward, which involves compromising attainment of goals in the quest of maintaining a good relationship with staff. Belonging to either of these two levels of assertiveness is already a challenge, as the leader in question would have to compromise one thing, in ot her to achieve the other presumptively the two are of utmost importance. The question is, if being assertive is a positive quality that leaders should possess, what are the factors or barriers that prevent leaders from exhibiting assertive behaviours?Factors responsible for womens lack of assertivenessInternal and external stimuli (Oplatka and Tamir, 2009) are words used in describing reasons for women leaders lack of assertiveness, according to research carried out by Oplatka and Tamir. They posit that women who aspire for leadership positions (internal stimulus) are more plausibly to exhibit assertiveness and display more confidence than those who have waited for the positions to be offered, or were asked to apply (external stimulus). One factor, according to these researchers, that stands in the way between women and assertiveness is their unwillingness or unpreparedness to be leaders or school heads. Furthermore a lack of understanding of the role of a head may alike create d ifficulties in harnessing natural leadership skills towards creating an efficient team working environment. some other factor, as suggested by Coleman (2002), is family responsibilities. Married women have enormous family responsibilities leadership in the work place summarizes to it and seems to affect their furtherance in the office in a way that a male counterpart may not experience. It would not be strange for a woman to walk into the office and pick on the first person she sees, not because of anything they have done wrong, but possibly as a result of a pending issue with spouse, children or any family member it happens frequently in my context. Contrary to Colemans suggestion, Hall (1996) in a study of six women head teachers, in the U.S, found women leaders (American) to be effective in their roles as leaders. Hall discovered that these women, although in different schools, showed some similarities in their leadership styles, which he attributes to family experiences from c hildhood, especially roles they played as misss who were taught by their mothers. These school heads had a smooth working relationship with their staff there was collaboration, openness, and shared decision-making, with no attempt made to dominate they use this strategy, only when other means have failed (Hall, 1996). This distinction between the US experiences and the experiences in Nigeria could be due to the fact that the US is generally more accepting of women in mesomorphic positions and society supports full time female workers in the US in a way that is not as available in Nigeria.Fear of affliction and insecurity, according to Oplatka and Tamir (2009), is another impediment to women leaders advancement and exhibiting qualities considered to be assertive. What are they afraid of or insecure aboutGender related insecurities, because of male dominance, ( Oplatka and Tamir, 2009), gender stereotype, hostility towards women (Bickel, 2001) were identified as possible reasons re sponsible for the non-assertive behaviour women leaders exhibit. Poor self-image was suggested as affecting womens attitude and effectiveness as self-confidence is largely cerebrate with the developmental process and experiences an individual encounters, is exposed to, has interacted or associated with (Morgan et al, (1981) Mathipa and Tsoka, 2001) which Mathipa and Tsoka argue is, to a large extent, dependent on the type of education women receive. The type of education either builds an individuals confidence or creates a lack of confidence, which heightens headaches and insecurities among women. Creating a greater general acceptance of women in management roles would let down the need to be overly aggressive when asserting the management position. Mathipa and Tsoka (2001) reiterated that women are not born with a poor self-image, but are culturally educated to respect and assist others. This is especially true in Africa, where a woman is supposed to be seen and not heard. Howe ver, those who live in urban areas exhibit more confident(p) behaviour than those in rural areas. In consonance with this, Mathipa and Tsoka, Milgram (1970 in Ames 2009) stated that assertive behaviour differs between those in urban and rural settings and within regions of a country depending on their experiences within society (Cohen and Nisbett, 1994, in Ames, 2009). This is a clear pointer to the role culture plays in the issue of women leaders assertiveness.Discussion of issuesThe keep down of literature available on the issue of assertiveness of women leaders is an indication of the challenges faced by women leaders. The discussion will, therefore, be centred on the themes revealed in the literature. Women leaders have two main issues to contend with the fact that they are women and also the need to be accepted as effective leaders. The world is a mans world, as is the common belief, in certain regions, which is why the disposition of a woman in leadership is crucial. In an a rticle based on to the south African women, lack of assertiveness was mentioned as a barrier to womens advancement to leadership positions, particularly in the education profession (Mathipa and Tsoka, 2001). In my opinion, the same is applicable to Nigeria.Women would naturally not prepare and plan for leadership, in Nigeria however that is not to say that some women do not aspire to leadership roles. thither is a perception that a womans place is in the home most women were brought up with that belief, with the constant reminder that the man is the head (natural leader) of the family. The inherent fact is that they do not plan nor prepare for leadership (Oplatka and Tamir, 2009). I would argue, therefore, that men do not go through any formal raising or even plan (sometimes) to be leaders, but their approach to leadership is different again, that is not in any way saying that all men are good leaders or heads. A male head, for example, would hardly come to the office in the morni ng with an attitude, because of an incident that happened in the home. The male leader is also more comfortable in their position as it is perceived to be more normal and there isnt the same desire to rise up themselves as the leader from the outset. My course mate shared with me her experience about her encounter with a head teacher in one of the schools, who shouted at her because she went to get the keys to a particular room, to pick a musical instrument which she was supposed to play for the children (she was not told until that morning). Women appear to be very emotional, which may be responsible for the way they behave at times. For instance, my HOD summoned me, on one occasion, and was abusive in her words, only to discover that she was wrong because she accused me, wrongly however, she did not explain she was the head. My rights were trampled upon, but being a passive person, it was impossible to respond. Being prepared for leadership is necessary, which I suppose is respo nsible for the creation of the National Professional skill for Headship (NPQH) in England, in 1997, which is a mandatory requirement for headship (Bush and Oduro, 2006).Assigning responsibilities to teachers was also suggested (Mangin, 2009), in order to begin to prepare teachers for future headship responsibilities. This may not couple well, in my context, as most of those in leadership have held other responsibilities in lesser capacities, before becoming head teachers. All these strategies are reformative however, in my opinion, assertiveness is not just to be taught, but is a skill to be learned. Furthermore it is contended that having greater confidence in themselves will reduce instances of unecesary aggression as they will be content in their role without the need to trample others.Family responsibility is another factor responsible for womens lack of assertiveness and can be highly influential to their role in the workplace. From my experience, acknowledging that it is no t easy for a woman to be a leader, yet if she has a family, is necessary as it is an important part of how she has developed as a leader. The woman is typically responsible for everything that happens on the home front, in addition to other responsibilities outside the home. The experience of this head teacher is to buttress this assertion. This head teacher leaves her house as early as 5.00am, in order to beat the traffic, that is, after she has prepared breakfast for her husband (no children yet). She leaves the office and arrives home around 7.00pm, because of the traffic. Her husband faithfully waits for her return, to cook his meals (he has no job) which involves her working within the home as well as at work this she does everyday. She pays all the bills and provides food her husband does nothing and would not help even with house chores (he is the head of the family). This social limitation places greater pressures on the female leaders I went to see one head one morning imme diately she see me she broke down and wept. This is one scenario out of so many that women go through. This may be an extreme scenario, but there are a lot of women heads who do not experience up to a fraction of this and yet lose control in the office, resulting in unnecessary conflict surprisingly, the head teacher in the story above is not aggressive, neither is she passive one would not even have the slightest inclination that she had a problem, if she had not opened up to discuss it. This behaviour is unique to her, as not every woman can tolerate that without reacting this, I would argue is the result of individual differences in people. Individual differences in assertiveness are also crucial in how leaders are perceived and their success as a leader (Ames and Flynn, 2000).The notion about the upbringing of the girl child that translates into assertive behaviour is also worth mentioning. There was a practice, in earlier times, that is still being practised by some families, in Nigeria. When a male child wants to get married, his parents secretly inquire about the girls family the purpose is to find out the norms and values of her family this they believe will tell them the kind of behaviour the girl is likely to exhibit. That will inform their decision on whether the boy should marry the girl, or not. Although the research was carried out on American head teachers, the girls childhood upbringing is also slayn seriously, in Nigeria. However, it does not always follow as parents would do everything possible and children will grow and choose their own path. That is not in any way implying that the girl childs upbringing has no influence in adulthood. Having such a strong parental influence is relevant as this may impact on the way that a woman perceives herself and a female that has not been encouraged to chip at a career for herself may face increased personal barriers to showing well placed assertiveness.Lack of assertiveness in women heads tend to cr eate fear and make them insecure in their role. It could be because they feel intimidated by other colleagues, or lack confidence in their ability to carry out their responsibilities. Although leaders tend to put on a good front, they become emotionally exhausted in trying to stay on top of their game, something which is exacerbated when they also have family pressures. I recall with disdain how my head would add her workload to mine and demand I meet the deadline with authority of course. Other staff members claimed that she saw me as a threat and was trying to frustrate me it was almost the same experience with the other three women heads I worked with. The question is, if one is insecure, why take out their frustrations on other peopleAlthough the heads behave almost in the same way to all staff, men find it extremely difficult to tolerate such behaviours from female leaders. In the African culture, it is natural for men to be leaders and awkward or strange for a woman to be lead ers, where there are men culture has placed the woman below the man. Unassertive behaviours by women leaders only strengthen the assumption that women do not posses leadership qualities. However, there are women who are outstanding in their leadership roles. According to Dickson (2012), the issue of equality is one of the most important characteristic of assertiveness.My action planHaving discussed the findings based on the available literature, it becomes imperative to map out a plan, based on my reflections of the module, especially regarding the aspect of assertiveness and training of potential female leaders. Although I do not like taking on the role of a leader, I am, most of the time, assigned responsibilities. As a passive person, I need to prepare myself for the future, especially in the aspect of assertiveness if this is not to create insecurities within myself.ConclusionAssertiveness seems to be a significant aspect of leadership however, it would appear that little or no attention is accorded to the concept or acquiring skills associated with . It is one thing to be a leader and another to be an effective leader. Women in leadership positions have considerable challenges for the singular reason of being women. Exhibiting aggressive, passive or manipulative behaviour will only add to their challenges and the suppression of the male dominant figure of authority. The woman is known to possess a naturally soft, accommodating, friendly and gentle nature. Where a woman leader decides to be domineering, in order to command respect like men, she meets with conflict which is responsible for the unnecessary emotional stress and exhaustion leaders and their staff experience, which can be avoided. If women leaders can express strong feelings, without being aggressive, accept that they are not omnipotent, and compromise, sometimes without insisting on winning all the time, respect the feelings, privacy, and opinions of others, it is most likely that they will h ave a serene environment to work in, with full support from staff. Whenever people feel supported or acknowledged, there is likely to be advancement and also an indication that a situation has been handled assertively. The power of women, therefore, does not lie in the offices they occupy, nor their aggression, but in their ability to stay on top of the game by being assertive.ReferencesAmes, D. and Flynn, F. (2006). Whats good for the goose may not be as goodfor the gander The benefits of self-monitoring for men and women in caper groups anddyadic conflicts. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91, 272-281Ames, D. and Flynn, F. (2007). What breaks a leader The curvilinear relationbetween assertiveness and leadership. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 92, 307-324Ames, D (2009) Pushing up to a point Assertiveness and effectiveness in leadership and interpersonal dynamics. Research in Organisational Behaviour 29 (2009) 111 133Astrong M (1991). How to be an even relegate Mana ger. London Biddles Limited. P.27Bush, T. and Oduro, G.K.T. (2006). New principals in Africa Preparation, induction and practice. Journal of Educational Administration, 4(4), pp.35975Coleman, M. (2002) Women as headteachers striking the balance, Stoke on Trent, Trentham Books.Dickinson, A (2012) A Woman in Your Own Right Assertiveness and You Quartet BooksHall, V. (1996) Dancing on the Ceiling A study of women managers in education, London, Paul ChapmanMangin D. (2009) Promotion, professional practice and patient trust. In Understanding and Responding to Pharmaceutical Promotion a practical guide. Eds Mintzes B, Mangin DA, Hayes L. World Health Organisation / Health Action International 2009Mathipa E. M. and Tsoka E. R. (2001) Possible barriers to the advancement of women in positions of leadership in the education profession, South African Journal of Education 21 324-330Oplatka, I, & Tamir, V. (2009). I dont want to be a school head women deputy heads insightful constructions of career advancement and retention, Educational Management Administration Leadership, 37, pp. 216-230.Philips, A. (2002) Assertiveness and the Managers Job, Radcliffe Publishing.

Language and Imagery in Wuthering Heights Essay

In Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte uses Language and imagery to create a very stark bloodline among Heathcliff, and Edgar Linton. This contrast is not just illustrated in how these characters act, but also in their appearance, usual setting and the language that is use to describe them. Emily Bronte first uses the raw bedrock of the characters Heathcliff and Edgar Linton to right away let us know that these characters are polar opposites. She does this with the imagery of both characters. In chapter 7, Heathcliff describes Edgar as having light skin and fair hair, whereas in the same chapter it is mentioned that Heathcliff has dark hair and dark skin. This use of binary opposites bring ups to the reader already, that Heathcliff and Edgar are complete opposites, right down to their core.This use of Binary opposites and imagery is also applied to where Heathcliff and Edgar live, Edgar living in Thrushcross Grange, the light, large house, and Heathcliff living in the dark, gloomy and sinister house of Wuthering Heights. This imagery of the two houses reflects the characters of the two men. Language is also used effectively and in abundance by Bronte to illustrate the two characters differences. Bronte uses contrasting Lexical fields pertaining to heaven and hell to not only show the contrast in character between Heathcliff and Edgar, but to suggest that one is good and one is evil.For instance Heathcliff is constantly existence described as or being referred to with the use of words which relate to hell. His eyes are described as devils spies and dark fiends by Nelly, and coupled with his appearance of being dark skinned and haired, he is closely associated with the devil, who represents evil. Edgar on the other hand, is described with a lexical field of a more heavenly nature. His eyes are referred to as being short Angels and his features are continuously called angelic and soft, which suggests he is similar to an angel, which is of course good. By using contrasting lexical fields for each character, Bronte uses selective language to suggest that these two are not only opposites, but they are Good and Evil.Heathcliff is, when being talked of, surrounded by sinister sounding words which arent inescapably public lecture about his character explicitly, but they help to create a dark and sinister atmosphere around his character. An example of this is in chapter seven where Nelly is talking about Heathcliff she uses words such as lurk and vicious and this is what creates this dark atmosphere. Bronte does the same with Edgar, as when he is talking or being talked about, words such as gently and beautiful are used and this helps to project a calm and soft atmosphere around Edgar, which is completely different to the atmosphere Heathcliff carries with him, and and then increases the contrast that the reader sees between Heathcliff and Edgar.Catherine brings our attention to the contrast between the two in chapter 9 where she says (Heat hcliffs soul) and Lintons is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire This use of binary opposites again suggests with the use of the words fire and lightning that Heathcliff is violent and harmful and burns, which again associates him with hell, and the use of frosting and moonbeam to describe Edgars soul to suggest he is soft, light, cool and calm reinforces the already stark contrast between the two and again suggests them not only to be different, but to be complete opposites.The fact that to most readers it would be obvious as to which out of either Heathcliff and Edgar is the fire and lightning shows how Bronte has been slotting words into the text as well as the individual characters, to make the reader associate Heathcliff with hell, and Edgar with Heaven. In conclusion, Bronte uses particular lexical fields which are binary opposites to each other and applies them to Heathcliff and Linton to incense the contrast seen between the two. Bronte also uses imagery of their physical appearance and living place, paired with continuous subtle language choices to make the reader associate Heathcliff with Hell, and Edgar with Heaven, and this makes us not only see the two as contrasting characters, but bad and good, and at the completely different ends of the spectrum.