Bless Me Ultima Research Paper - 1487 Words

1 Roxana Perez AP Literature Composition Period 1 Topic #4 A star’s purpose is to illuminate the sky’s darkness as it serves to be the guide when someone’s lost in the darkness. But as it dies, it explodes with its remains being scattered, leading to one losing direction. In a religious aspect, people follow the â€Å"light† of the star but once it dies, they’re left wondering which path to follow. In the novel â€Å"Bless Me, Ultima† by Rudolfo Anaya, Tony experiences the deaths of Lupito, Narciso, and Florence. His religious ambivalence further increases because as these stars die one by one, he’s left wondering which light he should actually seek. Throughout his life, Tony had been following the â€Å"light† of the star that guided him in the†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Would God listen? Would he hear?† (Anaya 23) The faith he had in God slowly left his heart as it started to be filled with sin. Viewing Lupito’s death left a huge impact because he grew up thinking there’d always be light in his life, but realized the light is just an illusion he’s been made to believe in. When he starts heading home, his body starts hurting from all the running but as soon as he hears Ultima s owl, he realizes it looked over him the whole time. As he arrived home with only Ultima knowing he had escaped, he starts questioning her about what he viewed, why the men killed Lupito and w hy Lupito wasn t saved. Even though she had dismissed his questions, she had assured him that he would start to learn more. As he started to become mature, he started feeling protected by Ultima as the light in his sky slowly disappeared. With Tony walking through his life with no sense of direction, he tried to find answers from God yet that star was nowhere to be found. He noticed that when his uncle had been cursed by one of the Trementino sisters, Ultima was able to heal him, yet God couldn’t. â€Å"In my mind I could not understand how the power of God could fail. But it had.† (Anaya 106) As Ultima fully healed Tony’s uncle it caused said Trementino sister to die, infuriating her father Tenorio. Narciso took note of this asShow MoreRelated Bless Me, Ultima: The Cultural Distress Of A Young Society Essay example3164 Words   |  13 Pages Bless Me, Ultima: The Cultural Distress of a Young Society An answer to the discussion question of whether or not there is a defined border culture would need a great number of years in field research, but we can also observe a few of the characteristics of such border culture just by looking at scholastic essays and books related to the topic. Within the research that I did, I found a number of scholars who, while defining the border, mention all the specific or special characteristics of thisRead MoreRomantic Essay, The Streetcar Named Desire: The Catcher In The Juliet1899 Words   |  8 Pagesdirection and loneliness†. Though I had some scattered ideas present in my thesis, it overall showed my understanding of the ducks and its symbolism. The piece of writing that showcased my ability to write about nonfiction topics and my ability to put research that I found on the internet into my own words is the American Rebel presentation. Along with a powerpoint presentation, I also wrote an essay about Ida B. Wells that in my opinion showed my ability to also be able to write about true life insteadRead MoreFeasibility Study on Eco-Smart Dish Washing Liquid12973 Words   |  52 PagesInvestment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.125 Chapter VI: Socio-Economic Aspect A. Objectives†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦127 B. Social Implication†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦128 Bibliography Appendices Acknowledgement This research study would not have been possible without the persons who extended their support and guidance. With this, the proponents would like to express their sincerest gratitude to the following: To our families, relatives and friends for the moral andRead MoreLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 PagesKnowles (1959) To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (1960)[30] Dune, by Frank Herbert (1965)[33] The Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton (1967)[34] A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le Guin (1968)[35] I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou (1969) Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya (1972) The World According to Garp, by John Irving (1978) The Discovery of Slowness, by Sten Nadolny (1983) Bright Lights, Big City, by Jay McInerney (1984)[36] Ender s Game, by Orson Scott Card (1985)[34] The Cider House Rules

Civil War and Reconstruction Free Essays

The America we know today is a very different place than the America this country once knew during the Reconstruction period. In today’s society everybody has equal rights and opportunities to do as they please. People today have a right to do basically anything there heart desires, but years ago it was a different story. We will write a custom essay sample on Civil War and Reconstruction or any similar topic only for you Order Now African Americans didn’t have many rights at all. The people and groups involved in Reconstruction had many different ideas for freedom and equality. In 1861 the Civil War broke out and became and on going battle for the next four years. At the end of the war 600,000 people were dead and four million slaves were freed. After the war Abraham Lincoln’s plan for Reconstruction began. With this plan Lincoln’s main goal was to bring the North and South together and bring the South back into the Union. The Civil War ended in 1865 and that same year on April 15th Lincoln was assassinated. After Lincoln’s death the 13th amendment was ratified on December 6th 1865. This amendment abolished slavery in the United States, but at the same time it still didn’t make it easy for African Americans to succeed in America. This struggle for African Americans was told in an interview of Felix Haywood a former slave from San Antonio, Texas. The slaves at that time believed that when they became free that they would become wealthier than the white people and all their worries would disappear. â€Å"We thought we was going to be richer than the white folks, ‘cause we was stronger and knowed how to work, and the whites didn’t, and they didn’t have us to work with them anymore. But it didn’t turn out that way. We soon found out that freedom could make folks proud, but it didn’t make ‘em rich. 1 Another interview with Warren McKinney a former slave from Hazen, Arkansas McKinney explains how tough it was for his people to cope with freedom. â€Å"The government gave out rations there. My ma washed and ironed. People died in piles. I don’t know till yet what was the matter. They said it was the change of living. †2 African Americans were now free from slave ry, but in a sense it was even tougher for them to survive because they were on there own. They had no money for food or a house, no education, and there were many restrictions on what African Americans could do. Many White people during Reconstruction had intentions of controlling and restricting African Americans. In many southern states â€Å"black codes† were enforced. These codes did just that. The Louisiana black codes Section 8 â€Å"No freedman shall sell, barter, or exchange any articles of merchandise or traffic within the limits of Opelousas without special permission of his employer, in writing, and approved by the mayor or president of the board. †3 It was almost like Louisiana and several other southern states with black codes treated African American people like children. Another example of a black code, Section 3 â€Å"No negro or freedman shall be permitted to rent or keep a house within the limits of the town under any circumstances, and any one thus offending shall be ejected and compelled to find an employer or leave the town within twenty four hours. †4 Anytime African Americans wanted to do something they always needed permission from the mayor or president of the board. The White people wanted to seclude them from white society, but at the same time still wanted to control there every move. Whether it was the location of where they wanted to buy a house, or the time and reason in which they were in the local town, there were always restrictions and severe punishments. After Lincoln’s assassination Andrew Johnson was appointed president. Johnson was a former democrat turned republican. He was born in the northern part of Tennessee. Growing up he was poor and didn’t get a great education so he could barley read or write. He was a racist tailor who hated rich people. While in office Johnson’s main intention was to keep black people oppressed. His Restoration plan pardons restored property, granted pardons to rich and confederate officials, gave no provisions or protections for freedmen, and the southern whites started voting again and gained control of local governments. Johnson would do anything to keep the blacks down, he vetoed the Civil Rights Act which gave African Americans citizenship and guarantee of equal rights. He then vetoed the Freemen’s Bureau which wanted to provide aid to African Americans who needed medicine, food, housing, and a right to an education. At this time the Radical Republicans had enough and in 1866 became the majority in Congress. The Congress eventually overrides Johnson’s vetos. The Radicals wanted equality for the black people and in 1867 Radical Reconstruction began. Congressman Thaddeus Stevens states â€Å"everyman, no matter what his race or color; every earthly being who has an immortal soul, has an equal right to justice, honesty, and fair play with every other man; and the law should secure him those rights. †1 Stevens is basically saying all men are created equally, but at the same time he also suggests that it is up to the white man to decide for himself whether or not to associate himself with African Americans and it isn’t in the hands of the law. After Steven’s doctrine in 1867 the Radicals had control of Congress and they were soon able to impeach President Johnson. Being that Johnson was impeached and the Radical Republicans were the majority in Congress it still didn’t seem like the future was any brighter for African Americans. Wide spread Anti-Black violence began. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan formed. They began lynching blacks, raping their women, burning down there schools and churches. Elias Hill, an African American man, recounts a nighttime visit from the Ku Klux Klan in 1871. â€Å"He had a horsewhip, and he told me to pull up my shirt, and he hit me. He told me at every lick, â€Å"Hold up your shirt. † I made a moan every time he cut with the horsewhip. I reckon he struck me eight cuts right on the hip bone. †1 For Elias the KKK was always a threat to him and his family, just as they were to all African Americans. The people and groups involved in Reconstruction had many different ideas for freedom and equality. There were presidents like Lincoln who wanted to help African Americans and on the other hand there was Johnson who wanted nothing more then to keep them as slaves and did everything in his power to keep it that way. Then there were political parties like the Radical Republicans who also wanted to see threw with slavery and lend aid to African Americans and then you had organizations like the KKK causing extreme violent acts towards African Americans. There is no question that the Reconstruction period was a chaotic time where people had to struggle with freedom and equality and today in the United States of America people might be free, but I still think that there are some forms of inequality. How to cite Civil War and Reconstruction, Essay examples

The Benefits of Self-Awareness-Free-Samples -Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Benefits of Self-Awareness. Answer: Introduction The following paper focuses on developing a learning journal for the self analysis. It is indeed very useful for the future managers and the leaders to develop certain leadership skills out of their self assessment. This is because the leaders are the faces of an organization and they have to represent themselves on behalf of the company. The leaders in the organizations of the present era needs to develop many skills because they belong to a certain group of persons who have the decision making powers and the leadership skills they choose to run the organization (Northouse, 2015). Their own motives and point of views have a lot of significance in the path the organization will thrive to move. The leadership skills are different for the different leaders and the managers. However, the common motive or purpose behind all of them is to build up a good reputation for the organizations. In order to do this, the leaders have to assess themselves and identify what kinds of skills they are lacking at that moment. Then they have to improve on that and thus develop for themselves a better skilled person to guide the organizations for its success. The benefits of self-awareness There are many critical leadership skills in the present era fitting to different types of leaders (Duval, Silvia Lalwani, 2012). This enhances the fact that the leaders need to upgrade themselves as per the requirements of the organizations. As the business environment in the present time is much volatile in context, the leaders may have to face difficult situations at many times. This will lead to the betterment of their skill improvements. The self-awareness is one of the most important but least focused competencies for leadership (Thorn, 2012). Self-awareness is the process by which the leaders learn in what conditions they are good at managing and which things they have to still learn. It is always better for the future leaders and managers to go through certain self-assessment programs because if they dont, the other people in the workplace will surely be able to see those weaknesses. There are some interpersonal activities that the future leaders must undertake to improve th eir activities. If the leaders do not indulge in such matters, their leadership skills may degrade and it might lead the organization to an utter failure (Mendenhall, 2012).On the contrary, if the organizational leaders undertake the responsibilities to identify their faults and strengthen them, the result will automatically be on the positive side. The organization will get many added benefits for this. The most important and common trait for all the organizations is to learn through the process. This organizational learning is a very useful process for maintaining the core competencies for the organization (Argote, 2012). The organizations have to be pass through constant changing periods that influence them to change and improve incessantly. This also works in case for the leaders as well as they are the drivers for success of the organization. The innovation process in the organizations is one of learning and changing. The hallmark of the high performing organizations is to continuously learn and make amends after they commit some mistakes. There are many leadership traits that can be followed by them in order to be a successful organizational leader (Nahavandi, 2016). The leadership skills for the future managers Some of the important traits or the features that must be present in the future leaders have to be discussed in this segment. These features or the traits are empathy, poise, his outgoing nature, attention to details of any case, ambition and most importantly to be optimistic about the success. Empathy The first feature that is required to be the top leaders in the organizations is the ability to apply the emotional intelligence in the workplace (Goleman, Boyatzis McKee, 2013). This is led by the empathy that the concerned candidate has for the situation. Leadership is considered mostly to be a situational issue so the decisions have to be taken according to the decisions. The future leaders must be able to perceive, understand and manage all the emotional feelings so that they can handle any situation in the workplace. The leaders or the future managers must be able to relate all the circumstances they face in the real time. They should be able to link them for gaining the organizational success. The leaders must develop the emotional intelligence so that they can relate the situation. (Goleman, Boyatzis McKee, 2013). The earlier form of empathy relies on empathy. It is of utmost importance for the managers to care for the employees who are working in their organization. They must develop some emotional bonding with them and relate themselves to their lives. The manager or the future leader must be able to adjust with other co-workers in different difficult situations. If they cannot relate themselves to the workers, the workers will not feel any reason to be on the same page. The approach of the managers has to be seen when difficult situations arise in the personal or familial lives for the employees (De Waal, 2013). They should act to be friendly and caring and motivate them to overcome or sort out those problems. Poise It is very significant that the leaders must have sheer confidence in themselves. This is because confidence is one thing that helps the individuals to stay in the race for supremacy. When the leaders decides to undertake some new things and apply them in their organizations, at the very first point, they should try to convince the employees. It is because the employees will perform the tasks. If the employees do not have the confidence on the leaders or the managers, it means that the managers themselves do not have that much of confidence in the works that they are looking to undertake. This situation may cause some confusion among the employees. This may result in complete ruining of the work (Lorentz Hilmola, 2012). The need for confidence in the future leaders or managers is very important form another aspect. Very often it has been noticed that the employees get indulged in conflicts between themselves. It may be because of some unwanted reasons that have arisen in the workplaces. The leaders or the managers need to consider the different facts and they have to take the employees under their confidence. The leaders must be able to motivate the employees to go in line with the organizational adjectives and command them with full confidence (Lorentz Hilmola, 2012). Ambition Ambition is one very important trait among the leaders because it helps them to move forward with the organization by applying certain development strategies (Block, 2016). The leaders who thrive for development of the organization must be very ambitious. The future leaders must have a great deal of ambition in themselves that will drive them to innovate. The employees should be completely dedicated to the leaders as the leaders will motivate them to chase the organizational success (Kaufman Guerra-Lopez, 2013). The ambition of the leaders will make them try new things in the organizations. These innovation techniques will be applied by the employees. The leaders must be ambitious enough to dream about a sustainable future about his organization (Thomas, Lamm, 2012). Optimism Optimism is another thing that has to be one of the most important factors in determining the success of the organizations in the future (Carver Scheier, 2014). The organizational leaders should be full of optimism because their optimism and confidence in achieving the desired success will lead the organizations towards a grand success. It is the duty of the leaders to generate the optimism skills within their nature and characteristics. If the leaders are not optimist about the operations they indulge in, automatically their leadership will be affected and the employees will feel the impact (Carver Scheier, 2014). A feeling of negativity will be spread in them as well. This will be very problematic for the growth of the organization. Professionally humble and 360-degree thinking power Some of the other traits that the future leaders or managers in an organization must develop are to be professionally humble and helpful and to have possessed a 360-degree thinking capacity (Rue, Byars Ibrahim, 2012). This is to say that the organizational leaders must be soft spoken and humble to his subordinates. However, this does not mean that they will not be strict. They must present themselves in such a manner that the employees and the customers will feel safe and reliable to make business with. This has to be integrated within the nature of the leaders because very often they have to deal with the customers verbally (Arnstrong et al., 2015). If they are rude in their behavior and they always seem to be very annoyed with everything going around them, the customers may not like them at all (Best, 2012). The leaders must be a 360-degree thinker because they have to think about the overall success of the organization from all the angles (Rue, Byars Ibrahim, 2012). The leaders have to understand the purpose and motives of the organization, be versatile and deal with every difficult situation in a calm head and he has to understand and compare his organization with other organizations as well. Self-assessment I have chosen these four criterions for the self-analysis of the leadership skills for the leaders to develop. I think I have to build these traits within myself so as to drive my company towards growth and success. I think I have to be versatile, critically aware of the things that are happening around me, I have to be humble when I meet with my companys customers and other big names in the industry. Besides that, I have to be very much optimistic about everything that are around me and I must face all the challenges bravely and bring out positive things. I should have the confidence so that I can deal with almost any matter presented before me. Learning journal In this part of the paper, I will have to summarize the results that I have assessed about myself in the quest to be a successful organizational leader. I had the good fortune of sharing thoughts with my friend Mr. Wilson about these things I have come through while assessing my own nature and what things I have to develop to become a proper leader. I have found that I lack the feature of motivating my employees as I myself am very introvert. I am prone to be rude sometimes when I am under pressure. I do not like to make mistakes and I get very angry when I see someone making in mistake in their works. I like to face new challenges and solve those challenges. I am always optimistic about any given situation. I only consider the fact that these situations have to be tackled by me in good ways. I like to be 360-degree thinker because I want to utilize every opportunity that is in front of me. My friend Mr. Wilson has been an ardent listener when I consulted and shared these things with him. He listened to what I had assessed about myself and opined his valuable remarks to me. He said that I would have to be extrovert and aggressive if I want to be a successful leader of an organization. He also said that it was quite difficult for me to control the workforce if I was not able to motivate them. My tendency of getting rude sometimes could destroy the purpose of the work as well. These negative points I have to get rid of very soon. He also opined that my liking of facing new challenges is very good because it would help me to grow in confidence and my optimism would drive me to attain success for the organization. The fact that I like to utilize every available opportunity would surely drive me to personal success. Conclusion This paper can be concluded by saying that I have discussed the various factors behind a proper leadership of an organization and the things that drives to a successful leadership. I have assessed my nature in this paper in regards to the fact if I want to be the leader of an organization. I have discussed about some of the traits to be a critically successful leader in the real time organizations. I have assessed myself critically looking at both my pros and cons so that the person I have consulted with can provide and guide me with the best advices. This will help me to prosper in life by growing the best opportunities to utilize my strengths and put more focus on my weaknesses. References Argote, L. (2012).Organizational learning: Creating, retaining and transferring knowledge. Springer Science Business Media. Armstrong, G., Kotler, P., Harker, M., Brennan, R. (2015).Marketing: an introduction. Pearson Education. Best, R. (2012).Market-based management. Pearson Higher Ed. Block, P. (2016).The empowered manager: Positive political skills at work. John Wiley Sons. Carver, C. S., Scheier, M. F. (2014). Dispositional optimism.Trends in cognitive sciences,18(6), 293-299. De Waal, A. (2013).Strategic Performance Management: A managerial and behavioral approach. Palgrave Macmillan. Duval, T. S., Silvia, P. J., Lalwani, N. (2012).Self-awareness causal attribution: A dual systems theory. Springer Science Business Media. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., McKee, A. (2013).Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press. Kaufman, R., Guerra-Lopez, I. (2013).Needs assessment for organizational success. American Society for Training and Development. Lorentz, H., Hilmola, O. P. (2012). Confidence and supply chain disruptions: Insights into managerial decision-making from the perspective of policy.Journal of modelling in management,7(3), 328-356. Mendenhall, M. E. (Ed.). (2012).Global leadership: Research, practice, and development. Routledge. Nahavandi, A. (2016).The Art and Science of Leadership -Global Edition. Pearson. Northouse, P. G. (2015).Leadership: Theory and practice. Sage publications. Rue, L., Byars, L., Ibrahim, N. (2012).Management: Skills Application. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Thomas, T. E., Lamm, E. (2012). Legitimacy and organizational sustainability.Journal of business ethics,110(2), 191-203. Thorn, I. M. (2012). Leadership in international organizations: Global leadership competencies.The Psychologist-Manager Journal,15(3), 158.