Literature Is An Instrument By Which Human Beings Are...

Literature is an instrument by which human beings are informed of their growth processes as it highlights the struggles of a character and how they overcome them. Such settings motivate individuals to take on their life situations and to emerge from them, better and stronger. Novels of formation or coming of age especially emphasize that lessons are drawn from every circumstance despite the fact that the outcome of every journey is never clear, to begin with. For many, battling with societal expectations to stand for what we believe in is what defines one’s mettle. There are specific turning points that force individuals to confront their values and the essence of the same as Sir Gawain did. In this essay, we shall reference his life from†¦show more content†¦The first challenge pits him against the Green Knight on the court. At first, nobody had stood up to the impostor except King Arthur himself, and this was only because he otherwise would have been mocked. True t o his knightly responsibilities, Sir Gawain chooses to face the Knight in place of the king. This exhibit of bravery and loyalty is the first step in his growth process. It was the foundation of the entire journey since it created a mission that he would prepare and follow up for the next year. He had gone in without a clue of what lie ahead, but he cultivated a dedication to the task and did not back down. Being a Knight is already a respected position within the community and was only taken up by those who were morally and physically fit to serve the King. However, being elevated to the status of hero requires consistent acts of courage that set one apart from the rest. Sir Gawain established these by taking every circumstance in stride and doing his best with respect to the same. Even though he faced beasts, harsh weather and hunger on his way to finding the Green Knight, he was persistent in his mission. He had the option to turn back but instead sort strength within himself and his spirituality with the belief that he was capable of achieving the goals which he already had set for himself. These traits that were nurtured in the journey, including self-discipline andShow MoreRelatedPeople Meet Nature By Knut Rasmussen1663 Words   |  7 PagesIn the book People Meet Nature, Knut Rasmussen, a Danish explorer, tells the story of his meeting with an Eskimo named Sealdog. Throughout th e time they spent together Sealdog told Knut multiple stories, all of which contained morals. However, one of the stories stood out to Knut, due to its lack of a larger lesson. When he asked Sealdog for the meaning behind the story, Sealdog mentioned that not all stories needed to have morals to be meaningful. 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Defining Diversity the Evolution of Diversity Free Essays

DEFINING DIVERSITY: THE EVOLUTION OF DIVERSITY by Camille Kapoor 1. INTRODUCTION: WHAT IS DIVERSITY? The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. We will write a custom essay sample on Defining Diversity: the Evolution of Diversity or any similar topic only for you Order Now These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical ability, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It is about understanding each other and moving beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of diversity within each individual (cited from http://gladstone. uoregon. edu/~asuomca/diversityinit/definition. html). 2. PURPOSE OF THE PAPER This research paper was conducted to see the evolution of diversity definition across the industry, specifically in hospitality industry. This qualitative research use Diversity Task Force study which conducted in 2001 to confirm the definition of diversity, whereby diversity can be concluded as â€Å"all characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals† (Kapoor, 2011). On top of that, the purpose of this study is: †¢ to illustrate the emergence of diversity concept into management discussions, †¢ to discuss how the definition of diversity has broadened over time to become more inclusive, †¢ to present current concerns with a broad-based diversity definition, †¢ to put forth researcher’s own definition of diversity (Kapoor, 2011) . DISCUSSION ON FINDINGS 3. 1 The Emergence of Diversity Concept into Management Discussions Based on the researcher’s findings, the entrance of diversity concept into management discussions was traced as early as 1978 based on Supreme Court Case of Regents of Universiy of California v. Bakke. In 1987, report by Hudson Institute kno wn as Workforce 2000 stated that women, blacks, Hispanics and immigrants would make up 85 percent of new job seekers by the year 2000. In addition, this study also pointed out, â€Å"more and more individuals are likely to work with people who are demographically different from them in terms of age, gender, race and ethnicity†. The formulation of 1964 Civil Rights Acts, Executive Order 11246 and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1965 made it illegal for companies to discriminate in the hiring or managing employees on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin. It is also requires organization to take affirmative action to overcome past patterns of discrimination. In the following year, the protected classes expanded to include white women, veterans, people over the age of 40 and people with physical or mental disabilities. In 1990’s, researchers began promoting the â€Å"business case† for diversity; as part of the reaction of observation that more diverse workforce can enhance the overall business. Then, managing diversity become one of the economic interest and companies were warned that a failure to effectively manage their diverse workforce would lead to poor performance or even place the company’s image at risk. In late 1990s, the recognition that diversity is a reality can be seen and that a company’s successes rely on their ability to effectively manage their workforce diversity. Managing diversity focuses on understanding people as individuals, rather than making assumptions about the needs and potential of individuals based on whether that person is of a specific gender or ethnic group. Managing diversity could also be understood as an equality strategy because it claimed to be able to recognize employee’s differences, while ensuring â€Å"that policies and procedures did not treat them inequitably†. The above emergence on diversity concept further confirmed by Hanappi-Egger and Ukur (2011) in below summary table of National forms of diversity management. This research summarizes the evolution or evolvement of diversity management cross the world. Table 1: National Forms of Diversity Management |Mobility of diversity management across borders | |Concept |Affirmative action |Equal Employment |Diversity management |Business case for diversity | | | |Opportunities | |management | |Year of Inception Mid 1960s and early 1980s |Mid 1970s to early 1990s |1983 to 1990s |1990 | |Countries that adopted |USA 1961 |USA, Canada, UK, Australia, |1983-1990 in the US |1990-USA | | |South Africa 1998 |South Africa |1997 in the UK |2004-Australia | | |Kenya 2007 | |1998 in the South Africa | | | | | |1999 in Australia | | | | | |2000 in Europe | | | | | |2003 in Asia | | |Intended beneficiaries |Blacks, women, Hispanics, |Women, racial minorities, |White able-bodied males, |Corporate organizations | | |native Americans, Asians |persons with disabilities, |also non-traditional | | | | |aboriginal people |employees | | |Focus |Numerical representation, |Barrier elimination, |Learning about others i. |Business and strategic | | |hiring compliance |numerical representation, |those who are different |advantage | | | |reporting | | | |Cultural value |Remedy past wrongs |Egalitarianism, meritocracy |Inclusiveness, respect for |Business advantage | | | | |difference | | |Intended value |Representative workforce at |Fair employment policies and|Awareness of difference; |Business profits | | |all levels; access to |practices; improved |improved interpersonal and | | | |employment for disadvantaged|representation; supportive |intergroup communication; | | | |groups |climate |human relations, skills; | | | | | |attitude change | | Source: Adopted from Hanappi-Egger and Ukur (2011); data obtained partly from Kelly/Dobbin (1998) and Agocs/Burr (1996) 3. 2 How the Definition of Diversity Broadened Over Time According to this research, there were two general approaches to understand workforce diversity being developed in mid-2000s as below: †¢ Narrow View – define diversity only as it related to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action; focusing on recruiting and hiring a group of people of particular races, genders or cultures. †¢ Broad View – define diversity as a concept which includes every way in which people can differ; attempts to maximizing the potential of all employees in direct benefit to the organization. However, the above definition of diversity further expanded when Diversity Task Force conducted a study in 2001 which emphasize on: †¢ The importance of including secondary dimensions of an individual into the diversity definition such as communication style, work style, organizational role/level, economic status, and geographic origin; besides only focusing on primary dimensions such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability and sexual orientation. †¢ The focus on people with non-visible differences such as sexual orientation. However, the focus is more on how their thinking styles, problem solving approaches, experiences, competencies, work habits, and management style can contribute to diversity evolution. †¢ The importance to include diversity dimensions which relevant to workplace such as educational background, work experience, job status, tenure, learning style, and personality type. †¢ The differences even within the particular group. All the above evolution in diversity definition further supported and expanded in The Four Layers of Diversity dimensions by Gardenswartz and Rowe (2003). Compared to Narrow View and Board View approached established in mid-2000s to define diversity, The Four Layers of Diversity explained below dimensions in defining diversity: †¢ Personality – deals with the stable set of characteristics that establishes ones identity †¢ Internal Dimension – represents characteristics that strongly influence people’s attitude, perception and expectations of others. These include factors such as age, gender, race, sexual orientation, or ethnicity †¢ External Dimension – represents personal traits that we can exert control or influence over. They include factors such as income, personal and recreational habits, religion, education, work experience, appearance, marital status and geographical location †¢ Organizational Dimension – represents factors pertaining to the organization itself and includes work field, division or unit, seniority, union affiliation, management status and functional level. (Hanappi-Egger and Ukur, 2011) 3. 3 Current Concerns With a Broad-based Diversity Definition This research also highlights some concerns pertaining to broad-based diversity definition in current environment: †¢ Difficulty to implement diversity initiatives lead to dissatisfaction among employees in the organization. Broad definitions of diversity can â€Å"obscure issues of intergroup inequality† because the management put more focus on â€Å"managing individual differences that might contaminate intergroup relations. †¢ Promotions on diversity programs is yet to prove its effectiveness; especially in diversity training. The result of the research conducted before were still ambiguous in its conclusions. †¢ Initial intention of the management to adopt a more broadly defined approach to diversity management become a problem when employee perceive it as management is dealing with individual differences rather than equity. †¢ The â€Å"upbeat naivety† of the diversity paradigm may fail to acknowledge past discrimination and therefore may prevent organizations from preventing future discrimination and racism stated that the organization should acknowledge the cultural and social diversity of where the organization exists; so that the management able to develop proper and suitable diversity initiatives. 4. Researcher’s Own Definition of Diversity as Conclusion Based on the study conducted, the researcher concludes that the finding is able to confirm the definition of diversity as per The Diversity Task Force’s definition that is â€Å"all characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals†. However, the researcher has highlighted some concerns with broad definition of diversity; that discrimination might appear unintentionally as a result of primary and secondary dimensions of diversity. Further, it is also emphasized the importance of recognizing that individuals with similar primary dimensions may have very different secondary dimensions. How to cite Defining Diversity: the Evolution of Diversity, Papers

Essay on Child Labour in West Africa Essay Example For Students

Essay on Child Labour in West Africa Essay Children are the future of this world, as adults we do everything in our power to provide our children with the opportunity to lead a better life than the one we had. However, in West Africa there are an estimated â€Å"1.8 million children† who are stripped of their basic right of attending school, and put to work instead so they can help their families afford basic needs. Many times these children work up to sixty hours a week in hazardous or slave like conditions. Violating many of these children’s fundamental human right. Article 5 of the Universal declaration of Human rights, states â€Å"No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment† (UDHR,Article 5). The International Labour Organization has many projects that focus on eliminating Child labour in West Africa. Even though many people believe it is impossible, we should continue the fight to eliminate child labour, because it is â€Å"mentally, physically, socially and morally dangerous and harmful to children†, and every child deserves the opportunity to overcome all obstacles and lead a better life (Child Labour, 16).Child labour has been a part of our history for hundreds of years. Child labor is best described as work that Is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; by obliging them to leave school prematurely; or by requiring them to attempt to combine scho ol attendance with excessively long and heavy work (Child Labour,16).Many people are unaware of how common child labour truly is, and although child labour continues to decrease around the world, it is still prevalent in developing countries, with high . .Works CitedBuchanan, Jane. Hellish Work. Kazakhstan: Migrant Tobacco Workers Cheated, Exploited | Human Rights Watch. N.p. , 14 July 2010. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.Child labour: a textbook for university students (pdf). Geneva: International Labour Organization. 2004. p. 16. Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse. UNICEF. N. p., 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 06 Dec. 2013. â€Å"Facts on child labor 2010† (pdf). Geneva: International Labour Orginzation. 2010.Kale, Sailee. Causes and Effects of Child Labor. Buzzle. com. Buzzle.com, 25 Dec. 2011. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.Lorimer, Judy. Build a School in Africa. Build a School in Africa. Word Press, n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2013.The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights. UN News Center. UN, n. d. Web. 06 Dec. 2013