Friday, September 4, 2020

Ideologies Aimed at Understanding the External World and Essay

Belief systems Aimed at Understanding the External World and Commercialization of Culture and Emergence of Cults in Popular Culture - Essay Example As per the exploration the translation of the outer world depends on the away from of the real world and recognition. From a philosophical stance, information begins with the experience of the outside world through the sensesâ€from the possessing a scent like an organic product or the knowing about a child’s chuckling. It is through the sense-information acquired (the fragrance of the organic product or the giggling of the youngster) that man can know the things around him. Information, in this sense, is shaped when man intellectually makes decisions about his encounters (the smell of the organic product is sweet or the chuckling of the youngster is boisterous). The issue among the real world and recognition originated from basic yet fundamental inquiries: (1) is the information gotten through sense-experience valid? By what method can man guarantee himself that what he sees to be genuine is lined up with what is in reality genuine? As per a savant named Bertrand Russell, r eality existsâ€an target space where every single target object are methodical arranged. Man can get information about these articles, right off the bat, through the experience gave by his detects; and furthermore, through the judgment made by his brain on such understanding. The psychological idea that is developed is in this manner called observation. In this light, Russell esteemed that man can't actually get a handle on reality since his faculties don't have the aspects that would take into account him to catch these items totally and simply. Basically, be that as it may, man’s request toward the outside world fortifies a fascinating understanding about his natureâ€the want to know. ... Two General Worldviews about the External World As referenced already, man’s extreme objective is to comprehend the idea of the outer world by procuring certainties about it, yet additionally by assessing the psychological and physical procedures he utilizes. In this sense, we start by looking at the two differentiating practices of information creation that are intended for clarifying the idea of the outer world: target experimentation and hermeneutic observation. Both perspectives give philosophical and logical examinations about the outside world. A. Target Empiricism Objective experimentation expect that different wonders in the outer world are normally designed to be perceptually open yet self-ruling of impression of man. Since the target qualities of these wonders are autonomous of mental decisions, the truth is in this way conveyed totally and absolutely to the seeing man. Experimentation of this sort is regularly respected to be grounded on materialismâ€that which p rogresses the valuation for physical items as the head model of the genuine, as Anderson (1996) states. As set by target induction, as man moves the focal point of his requests from the idea of physical items and into the subjective development of importance, he loses the capacity to exactly approve the decisions he made since the physical articles are missing from his investigation. Beside being straightforwardly connected to realism, target induction is additionally connected with reductionism, which further separates the idea of physical articles into one single field of information. Through this, Anderson (1996) accepts that reductionism turns into the reason for the solidarity of-science speculation. This theory

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Film journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Film diary - Essay Example After a period Miranda starts to feel a level of injustice in her life; as a reaction she acts in mutilated manners. She drinks bourbon and induces a significant contention with Jessica. At long last, Miranda gets a call about being employed for work. All things considered, she can’t reestablish her messed up relationship with Jessica. Filling in as an executive of photography: My job in this movie was as chief of photography (DOP). Going into the undertaking I knew that the chief of photography, or the cinematographer, is to a great extent liable for the creative photography inside the film. Which means ‘writing with motion’, â€Å"...cinematography is more than the negligible demonstration of photography. It is the way toward taking thoughts, activities, enthusiastic subtext, tone and every single other type of non-verbal correspondence and rendering them in visual terms† (Brown, 2002, p. ix). Inside this setting of seeing, much can be gained from the spe culations and practices utilized by original executives of photography. One such thought is the strategies utilized by cinematographers operating at a profit and white time. Studio lighting from this time has as a rule been actualized to make a real or naturalistic impact in contemporary artistic creation. In my own exploration I altogether investigated messages on lighting, just as took an interest in observational assessment of crafted by explicit cinematographers. In examining cinematography in this particular work I dissected disposition, and the characters and subtext that the executive needed to make. The chief showed that he needed to make a naturalistic environment. At last, we chose to utilize lighting as a methods for narrating and elucidating inner character passionate states. After a broad discussion with the executive, we set up that the essential capacity of the lighting ought to be as a methods for showing the primary character’s sensational changes. As Miranda battles to get a new line of work and her relationship with her girl falls apart the film lighting dynamically becomes darker. The story happens over a time of four days; we perceived that the days ought to show contrasts in lighting, with the second and third logically darker, however the splendid forward day of expectation. This style of lighting was set up in the principal scene and foreshadowed later story improvements. The primary scene comprises of three shots. In the primary show, Miranda is appeared by the window; in the second shot she is a degree farther away from the window; in the third shot she is even dad away. The expectation was to make her face splendid in the primary shot as she is near the window, so the light all over was over-uncovered. In the subsequent shot, as she moves from window, which was a wellspring of light, the light all over get darker. At long last, in the third shot, as she is sitting alone behind the table and her face is somewhat dim, I made the light all over under-uncovered. Another noticeable thought was daytime lighting. The executive and I consented to utilize delicate light for the daytime, as it very well may be utilized as cloudy climate. Eminently, the executive didn’t need to utilize any pragmatic lighting during the day. I likewise chose to utilize delicate and solid encompassing lighting for the entire room. As a methods for executing this methodology I partitioned the characteristic lighting originating from the window, just as the counterfeit light that was professing to originate from the window. In

Saturday, August 22, 2020

The role of the management in organizational Behavior Essay

The job of the administration in authoritative Behavior - Essay Example A rearrangement of work-jobs and conduct of representative groups, to adapt to new difficulties, is the initial step to starting changes in authoritative culture. It is this initial step that converts into new perspectives. In this manner, conduct changes mentalities, and not the converse; switch occurs from base up, and not top down. Furthermore, for this to happen adequately, the CEO ought to be happy to change as well, in view of the signs got by her from the groups at the grassroots. Moreover she has the errand of urging these groups to 'lead' the organization toward the path required, without herself being mandate. Her job is that of an equipped specialist helping labor. On the off chance that the procedure is going easily, the specialist pauses and supports the mother, and gives her all the help required. Clinical mediation ought to happen just in a crisis! What is the procedure that groups experience while settling business issues Beer et al (p160) express that examination has demonstrated that interfunctional coordination, dynamic, work association and worry for individuals are the four markers of execution over the long haul and not budgetary parameters, which temporarily, can spike or retreat in light of different elements. These four variables are legitimately associated with group working. Aside from this, they discuss six unmistakable advances (pp161-164) taken by effective directors to inspire task-related reactions for example a reaction undeniably fit to manage the main job. What are these six stages In the first place, assembling responsibility to change through a joint analysis of business issues. Here, the usable word is 'joint'. The cooperation in this procedure guarantees a promise to the procedure of progress required to handle this issue. Second comes the way toward drafting a 'mutual vision' to sort out to adapt effectively to the circumstance. Note, it isn't the CEO illuminating the means to be taken, it is the group ('shared') doing this. In this procedure, new jobs and duties are taken on, yet since it doesn't include change in titles or compensation there is less protection from the means. Here, cross-useful groups work groups from across various offices and at various degrees of the chain of importance the main basis for the structure of groups being that it is the most helpful for task accomplishment. At that point (third) comes a genius dynamic encouraging of accord for the better approach for working, and building ability and attachment to accomplish it. The better approach for working would require new aptitudes, and representatives try to pick up these abilities. This procedure is helped by the administration. Aside from this, if the administration conveys a message that group working is what is required, at that point the structure of fitness and union happens rapidly and easily. (Fourth) Once group working has prevailing in one office, it needs to spread to different divisions. Notwithstanding, it is probably going to come up short on the off chance that it is a top-down exertion. Different divisions, which would be at different degrees of availability to revamp themselves into new practical groups, need to work out their own particular manner of accomplishing this. The administration needs to hold on and cheer, in a manner of speaking, without pushing. (Fifth) Once the procedure of progress has pretty much spread through most offices, the new jobs and group connections must be organized, with the goal that the organization doesn't accidentally slip back to the

The Niagara Movement free essay sample

The association got its name for the â€Å"mighty current† impact they would have on dark persecution and social bad form to all races. These energetic learned people looked to propel and teach individuals all things considered and to battle the shades of malice of racial oppression, Jim Crow, and dark persecution. Being a significant speaker, Du Bois alongside the individuals from the Niagara Movement would contradict Booker T. Washington and look to convince the majority that not settlement, however training was the way to dark flourishing. In July of 1905, irritated by Washington’s kept obliging approaches towards whites and his impact operating at a profit network, W. E. B. Du Bois sent archives to other â€Å"like-minded† men which educated them regarding a gathering to be held to examine the race issue in the United States. â€Å"Drafted and flowed by Du Bois toward the beginning of June, the call expressed two candid purposes: â€Å"organized assurance and forceful activity with respect to men who trust in Negro opportunity and growth†; and resistance to â€Å"present techniques for choking legitimate analysis (Lewis. We will compose a custom exposition test on The Niagara Movement or then again any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page 16). † More than forty men were welcomed. A significant number of whom were his associates. Twenty-nine men met in Ontario, Canada under the understanding that something must be done about the race issue, just as Booker T. Washington. The gathering was held to talk about elective answers for closure racial separation, disappointment of blacks, and the advancement of dark instruction. Being contrary to Washington, who was the (hand-picked) representative for the dark race, the development looked for increasingly activist methods of avoiding focal mentalities towards prejudice. This association would before long plant their feet in the dirt of American legislative issues, and they would not be moved without a change. The following year on August 15, 1906 the development would assemble once more, however this time on American turf. The site of the truly well known John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia would turn into the subsequent gathering spot of the development. Du Bois expressed that this gathering was â€Å"one of the best gatherings American Negroes ever held. † Du Bois would in the end give a discourse with respect to the reasons for the subsequent show. The men of the Niagara Movement originating from the drudge of the year’s difficult work and stopping a second from the procuring of their day by day bread move in the direction of the country and again solicit in the name from ten million the benefit of a conference. In the previous year crafted by the Negro hater has prospered in the land. Bit by bit the protectors of the privileges of American residents have withdrawn. Crafted by taking the dark man’s polling form has advanced and the fifty and more agents of taken votes despite everything sit in the nation’s capital. Separation in movement and open convenience has so spread that a portion of our more fragile brethren are really reluctant to roar against shading segregation in that capacity and are basically murmuring for common conventionalities (Du Bois). † As the following two years drudged on, and dark mistreatment rose all through the nation, individuals from the Niagara Movement would meet again in Oberlin, Ohio. Du Bois, who was the general secretary of the development, was incredibly energetic of the movements’ achievements up to this period. The show would gather from August 31 until September 2 with a few gatherings held every day. The development spent their meetings composing and re-composing goals, making regular locations, deciding on the section of articles and choosing new board of trustees individuals. Artisan Hawkins of Baltimore, Maryland would be chosen as the approaching treasurer and Du Bois would remain the general secretary. The show was available to the general population and regarded dark scholarly people from the whole nation were available to partake in this recorded move of dark readiness. The Niagara Movement would distribute the â€Å"Declaration of Principles† in 1905. On the whole composed by William Du Bois, the ocument expressed: â€Å"Progress: The individuals from the gathering, known as the Niagara Movement, collected in yearly gathering at Buffalo, July eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth, 1905, praise the Negro-Americans on certain undoubted confirmations of progress in the most recent decade, especially the expansion of knowledge, the purchasing of property, the checking of wrongdoing, the elevate in home life, the development in writing and craftsmanship, and the showing of valuable and official capacity in the lead of incredible strict, financial and instructive organizations . Testimonial: simultaneously, we accept that this class of American residents should dissent unequivocally and persistently against the shortening of their political rights. We have confidence in masculinity testimonial; we accept that no man is so acceptable, shrewd or rich as to be depended entirely with the government assistance of his neighbor. Common Liberty: We accept additionally in challenge the reduction of our social liberties. Every single American resident reserve the privilege to rise to treatment in spots of open diversion as indicated by their conduct and desert. Monetary Opportunity: We particularly gripe against the disavowal of equivalent chances to us in financial life; in the provincial locale of the South this adds up to peonage and virtual bondage; everywhere throughout the South it will in general smash work and private company endeavors; and wherever American bias, helped frequently by unfair laws, is making it increasingly hard for Negro-Americans to gain an OK living. Instruction: Common school training ought to be allowed to every American kid and necessary. Secondary school preparing ought to be satisfactorily accommodated all, and school preparing ought to be the syndication of no class or race in any segment of our normal nation. We accept that, with regards to our own organizations, the United States should help normal school training, especially in the South, and we particularly prescribe purposeful unsettling to this end. We ask an expansion in open secondary school offices in the South, where the Negro-Americans are completely without such arrangements. We favor well-prepared exchange and specialized schools for the preparation of craftsmans, and the need of sufficient and liberal gift for a couple of establishments of advanced education must be patent to true well-wishers of the race. Courts: We request upstanding appointed authorities in courts, juries chose without separation by virtue of shading and a similar proportion of discipline and indistinguishable endeavors at reconstruction for dark from for white guilty parties. We need halfway houses and ranch schools for subordinate youngsters, adolescent reformatories fox delinquents, and the nullification of the dehumanizing convict-rent framework. General Opinion: We note with alert the apparent retrogression in this place where there is sound popular feeling regarding the matter of masculinity rights, republican government and human fellowship, bone-dry we supplicate God that this country won't deteriorate into a horde of blowhards and oppressors, but instead will come back to the confidence of the dads, that all men were made free and equivalent, with certain unalienable rights. Concealment and remorseful before affronts. Through vulnerability we may submit, however the voice of dissent of ten million Americans†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (The Niagara Movement, 1905). By the advancement of these standards, the Niagara Movement made it evident that separation as well as isolation of any sort is unsatisfactory and would not go on without serious consequences. The report considered social, political and racial treachery was judiciously wrong whether it be from the administration or even the congregation. The life of William Du Bois was the direct inverse of his companion and rival, Booker T. Washington. Du Bois was destined to a free dark family in Great Barrington, Massachusetts in 1868. Albeit, both of Du Bois’ guardians were dominatingly dark, he distinguished himself as a mulatto. The African American populace in his old neighborhood was unbendingly little; from this time forward his instruction was altogether better than that of the normal dark kid. Du Bois was empowered by numerous individuals of his white educators to seek after an advanced degree. With assistance from the network, Du Bois selected and later moved on from the Historically Black College known as Fisk University. William Du Bois exceptionally exceeded expectations in his scholarly profession. In the wake of beginning from Fisk, he would head out to Ohio to accomplish graduate work at Oberlin University. Once showing up back in the United States, Du Bois applied and was acknowledged to the Ivy-League Harvard University where he later turned into the primary African-American to get a Ph. D. Du Bois worked with a portion of the world’s most conspicuous social researcher and he himself turned into a global creator, humanist and race pioneer. Being a delineated humanist, W. E. B. Du Bois built up a few speculations with respect to race issue. For the Niagara Movement, the way to race issue was just training. They accepted that there was power in information and astuteness. The development received Du Bois’ hypothesis of the â€Å"educated first class. † This hypothesis occurred in two stages that balanced his total position on social examination. â€Å"The first stage incorporates the long periods of 1897 to1904. During this stage, Du Bois started to characterize the shapes of the issues of the Black populace; he likewise starts to evaluate the requirement for a scholarly framework that would fill in as an operator of cultural direction. The subsequent stage (1906-1952) is set apart by Du Bois’ push to blend his hypothetical presumptions on administration with viable prospects in regards to explicit associations and master grams. This stage, which covers most of his life, sees Du Bois officially and in part spurns his prior announced pledge to a logical humanism so as to enter the open aren

Friday, August 21, 2020

Options for implementing a leadership change Essay Example for Free

Alternatives for actualizing an initiative change Essay Quality One is a biotech organization that has seen consistent development since entering the biotech business in 1996. It was established by the late Don Ruiz and four different chiefs. During the most recent eight years, Gene One has developed to turn into a $400 million dollar organization. Quality One needs to proceed with this development, and has chosen to increase extra development and assets by giving an Initial Public Offering (IPO). This is so as to stay serious in the market, since it needs increasingly capital for new turn of events, promotion, and showcasing in the event that it is to stay effective.  In request for the IPO to be fruitful, Gene One needs a strong establishment to expand upon. Quality One can take an inside and out gander at key ideas, for example, viable collaboration through participation, trust, and cohesiveness, wellsprings of contention in associations, information the executives, components of hierarchical structure, and evaluate the impact of authoritative structure on force and governmental issues (Scenario, 2006). Quality One is a developing organization with numerous open doors for additional development later on. With this change, Gene One needs to revaluate all territories of the organization and discover answers for issues inside the association. The organization has numerous open doors for changes, which will empower them to arrive at the objectives required. The key undertaking is to locate the best arrangement that will empower Gene One to arrive at their objectives, and become superior to its rivals. It should audit the arrangements that they have thought of, and the extra elective arrangements that have not been explored (Holmstrom, 1994). Group investigation After the passing of Don Ruiz, there is a major administration hole left in the administration of Gene One. The group is hence inadequate without him, which is bothersome for viable administration. Group building is both testing and fulfilling. Viable groups accomplish results a long ways past what people could achieve all alone. Be that as it may, group building is substantially more than putting a gathering of individuals together and seeking after the best. Teambuilding is a craftsmanship that beats contrasts in style, character, and other potential territories of contention, yet in any event, when a group capacities in complete concordance, it may not accomplish its objectives (Brickley, 1987). As Don’s kin, we have wound up partaking in administration at Gene One. Every relative was alloted one individual from the staying four individuals from the official. So as to evaluate the remaining team’s probability of progress, I accumulated data around one colleague and did an examination on it. During my examination, I discovered my subject to have the accompanying attractive traits:  He can assume responsibility, is decisive and can assume responsibility for a circumstance. He isâ friendly, individuals situated and outgoing He is worried about precision, subtleties and precision He is serious, wants to win and is forceful He isâ nice and easygoing, and  takes astonishingly He enjoys recognizing and breaking down issues He is worried about convenient outcomes and rushes to make a move He is acceptable cooperative person who cooperates with other people he is worried about measures and excellent work Properties not all around spoke to Regardless of all the great traits, I discovered my subject with a couple of negative properties. They include: he has a pessimistic mentality in regards to individuals and results He is exceptionally passionate and effectively loses his temper He gets fretful with the subordinate staff Proposal With a couple of changes to the initiative structure of Gene One, I suggest my subject for a further job in the executives of Gene One. His qualities are noteworthy and can control the organization to extraordinary statures. In any case, he should help take the organization through a progress to introduce a structure that isolates proprietorship from the executives. Authority style Quality One needs to build up an initiative style that includes the pioneer remembering at least one representatives for the dynamic process.â However, the pioneer keeps up an official choice creation authority. Utilizing this style is definitely not an indication of shortcoming; rather it is an indication of solidarity that your workers will regard. This is typically utilized when you have some portion of the data, and your workers have different parts. Note that a pioneer isn't required to know everything-this is the reason you utilize educated and capable workers. Utilizing this style is of shared advantage it permits them to turn out to be a piece of the group and permits you to settle on better choices (Tannenbaum Schmidt, 1958). Initiative structure The initiative structure at Gene One should change with the end goal that the titles of CEO and executive of the board are discrete substances. This will help separate administration from leadership.â This is the best authority structure for enormous partnerships or others planning to enter that group. Most enormous companies are not overseen by their proprietors or investors. Rather, they are overseen by a pioneer CEO or President-and a group of officials. The CEO or president is typically an expert prepared in a specific field with the fundamental experience. The CEO is responsible to the investors through their chosen agent, the governing body. Quality One ought not have a double CEO where the CEO capacities at the same time as the seat of the load up. A non-double CEO would be the best choice for Gene One. Research has demonstrated that CEO duality compromises Board freedom, and can disintegrate the basic oversight obligations of the Board (Daily and Dalton, 1994). Negative authority ought to be dodged no matter what. Adverse pioneers act tyrannical and unrivaled with individuals. They accept the best way to complete things is through punishments, for example, loss of occupation, days off without pay, censure workers before others, and so forth. They accept their power is expanded by startling everybody into higher switch of efficiency. However what consistently happens when this methodology is utilized wrongly is that spirit falls; which obviously prompts lower efficiency.

Monday, August 3, 2020

25 Little-Known Presidential Money Facts

25 Little-Known Presidential Money Facts 25 Little-Known Presidential Money Facts 25 Little-Known Presidential Money FactsTurns out that a number of famous U.S. Presidents werent so great at managing their personal finances.Have you heard the one about the ex-president who was so broke upon leaving office that he had to move in with his mother-in-law? If you had to guess, which president do you think got a speeding ticket while in office? Did you know that Thomas Jefferson’s poor financial decisions are the reason we have the Library of Congress?Youd think that all U.S. presidents would have a history expert financial management, right? Well, youd be wrong. When it comes to handling their personal finances, our presidents are kind of a mixed bag.We reached out to financial expert Harrine Freeman (@harrine)  and she provided us with a whole trove of presidential money facts. Enjoy!George Washington1. When George Washington was elected as the first president of the United States, he refused to accept the office’s $25,000 salary. He was later convinced to take th e paychecks in order to set a good precedent for future office-holders. It is now against the law for a US president not to take a salary.2. That $25,000 salary was two percent of the U.S. budget. If a modern president’s salary was two percent of the budget, it would be around $80 billion!3. When Washington married his wife, Martha, she was by far the wealthier of the pair. Her money came from her first husband, Daniel Parke Custis, who was almost twenty years older than her and died after only seven years of marriage.4. Its against the law for a living president’s likeness to be printed on U.S. currency. This dates back to Washington’s refusal to have his portrait printed on the U.S. dollar. In 1866, this tradition was made law by an act of Congress.5. Even though George Washington was one of the wealthiest people in the whole country, the nature of farming meant that he had very little free cash on hand. That’s why Washington had to borrow $600 from a neighbor in order to attend his own inauguration.Thomas Jefferson6. Thomas Jefferson was in debt for pretty much his entire life. In 1815, he was forced to sell his library to the government in order to pay his creditors. Those books formed the basis for the Library of Congress.James Monroe7. President James Monroe was buried in New York City because there was no money to send his remains back to his home state of Virginia.Abraham Lincoln8. Abraham Lincoln was the first president to be featured on a U.S. coin. It was (you guessed it) the penny! Minted in 1909, “Lincoln Pennies” were only meant to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. However, the coins proved so popular that they just never stopped minting them!9. As a young man, Lincoln owned a grocery store with a business partner, William F. Berry. After Berry died, Lincoln was left owing so much money that the future president started referring to it as “The National Debt.”Ulysses S. Grant10. Early in his presidency, Ulysse s S. Grant was pulled over by the police in Washington D.C. and given a $5 speeding ticket for driving his horse and buggy too fast.11. After he left the presidency, Grant lost almost all his money when he invested it in a business that turned out to be a swindle. Grant was forced to sell his old Civil War mementos for money. However, in light of his situation, Grant also had a $150,000 debt forgiven by William H. Vanderbilt.12. Eventually, Grant wrote and sold his memoirs in order to pay off his outstanding debts.William McKinley13. While he was governor of Ohio, McKinley co-signed a loan to support a friend’s business venture. The business failed, and McKinley was forced to declare bankruptcy. Three years later he was elected president.William Howard Taft14. When adjusted for inflation. Taft was the highest paid president in history. His $75,000 salary in 1909 would be the equivalent of almost 1.9 million in today’s dollars.Warren G. Harding15. President Warren G. Harding love d to play poker. He loved it so much, in fact, that he once lost an entire set of priceless White House china in a game.Herbert Hoover16. President Herbert Hoover’s first job ever was picking bugs off of potato plants. He was paid one dollar per hundred bugs. Hoover would later study geology at Stanford University and go on to make a fortune in the mining business.17. Hoover was worth $75 million (over a billion dollars today) and donated his presidential salary to charity.Franklin D. Roosevelt18. Do you know why President Franklin D. Roosevelt is on the dime? Congress voted in 1945 to place his profile on the ten-cent coin to commemorate the March of Dimes, a charity that FDR founded to combat childhood polio.Harry S. Truman19. Harry Truman declared bankruptcy in 1922 when his hat shop failed. It took him 12 years to get out of debt.20. Truman was so poor when he left the White House that he was forced to move into his mother-in-law’s home. His only source of income was his Arm y pension, which paid  $112 per month.  In 1958, Congress passed the Former Presidents Act, which gave him a yearly pension.21. In 1968, Truman and his wife, Bess, received the first two Medicare cards.George W. Bush22. In 1989, Bush paid $600,000 to become a co-owner of Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers. Just before being elected president, he sold his stake in the team for $14.9 million.General Trivia23. Mount Rushmore cost $990,000 to build, which is around $15 million dollars in today’s dollars. Considering the fact that it took 14 years for 400 men to literally carve four giant faces into the side of a mountain, $15 million actually doesn’t seem like too much.24. Modern-day presidents receive an annual salary of $400,000, a $50,000 expense account, and a $100,000 nontaxable travel account. They also get $19,000 for entertainment. Ex-presidents usually earn $125,000 per speech.25. Did you know that Presidents William McKinley, Grover Cleveland, and James Madison all ha ve their faces on US currency? It’s true! McKinley’s face is on the $500 bill, Cleveland’s is on the $1,000 bill, and Madison’s is on the $5,000 bill. Those bills are no longer being printed, but they are all still accepted as legal U.S. tender.Thems the facts! The  next time you’re worried about your finances, just remember good ol’ Harry Truman needing a literal Act of Congress to get his financial ship afloat.To learn more about financial history, check out these related posts and articles from OppLoans:Is Valentine’s Day a Fake Holiday?The 12 Worst Financial Scandals In HistoryGive Me Some Credit: The History of Modern Credit CardsWhats your favorite Presidents Day fact? Let us know!  You can  email us  or you can find us on  Facebook  and  Twitter.ContributorsAbout The Contributor:  Harrine Freeman is a financial expert, speaker, counselor, writer, CEO and owner of H.E. Freeman Enterprises, a financial services company that provides personal finance consulting ser vices such as credit repair, debt reduction, budgeting, saving, planning for retirement and financial literacy education. Harrine is also the best-selling author of  â€œHow to Get out of Debt: Get An “A” Credit Rating for Free.”  She has made over 150 media appearances as a featured financial expert.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

The Danger of Passiveness in Booker T. Washington’s “Up from Slavery” - Literature Essay Samples

The latter years of the 19th century brought with them a time of vast change in race relations in the United States. The end of the Civil War and the period of Reconstruction that followed brought a slew of rights to the newly freed Southern slaves. The Freedmen’s Bureau offered educational opportunities to African Americans and the 14th and 15th amendments had granted them equal rights of citizens and the right to vote (Lemke-Santangelo). Undoubtedly, the decade following the end of the war served as a time of hope and promise for the almost 4 million slaves freed by the 13th amendment (â€Å"American†). However, by the turn of the century, major tensions regarding the status of African Americans had already begun to arise. Supreme Court rulings showed time and again that those in power were unwilling to recognize black citizens as truly equal. Southern states had already begun to devise methods such as poll taxes and the Grandfather Clause to circumvent the 15th amend ment and prevent blacks from voting (Lemke-Santangelo). Thus, the early 20th century was a time of heated tension between races, and out of this grew much literature that existed as a response to this. During the early 20th century, many African Americans turned to writing to address the hardships that plagued them. Much of this literature expressed discontent with the widespread inequality facing African Americans in the years following the abolition of slavery, and attempted to push for better conditions and rights. In spite of the hardship and inequality however, one former slave managed to present a view of race relations that was distinctly less negative than nearly all of his contemporaries; Booker T. Washington, who was still a child at the time of slavery’s abolition (â€Å"Booker†), writes in â€Å"Up from Slavery† about his journey toward success from the toils of plantation life—a journey wrought with both hardship and the demand of hard work. Despite the trials he faced, however, Washington presents a view of his life and of racial issues that not only fails to call for action, but that absolves white Southerners of any guilt in the applicati on of slavery. Washington’s uniquely positive perspective on the issue of slavery and equal rights, although admirable in its optimism, is ultimately problematic in furthering justice for African Americans. Washington’s piece, â€Å"Up from Slavery,† is initially striking in the positive spin that it attempts to put on the issue of slavery. Although Washington is by no means an advocate for the institution of slavery, he pauses to note that, â€Å"the ten million Negroes inhabiting this country, who themselves or whose ancestors went through the school of American slavery, are in a stronger and more hopeful condition†¦ than is true of an equal number of black people in any other portion of the globe† (Washington 1350). Here, Washington is suggesting that there is a benefit, however small or unintentional, of the enslavement of African Americans, an assertion that would today be met with fierce criticism and opposition by the general public. Washington also describes himself as having a connection to his masters, and remarks that he felt sorrow at one of their deaths. Despite the fact that Washington does not praise slavery outright, he certainly adopts a more p ositive stance than any other former slaves. By painting slavery in anything less than a horrible light, Washington essentially weakens the plight of African Americans during this time, and thus makes less pressing the need for justice. Beyond attempting to put a less negative, if not explicitly positive spin on the issue of slavery, Washington goes as far as to deflect guilt from white slave owners. About his father, a white plantation owner who presumably raped his mother, Washington says, â€Å"I do not find especial fault with him. He was simply another unfortunate victim of the institution which the Nation unhappily had engrafted upon it at that time† (Washington 1345). This statement is jarring, not only because of Washington’s position as a former slave, but because holds a fundamental implication that white plantation owners were not responsible for the atrocities they committed against other human beings. In using the word â€Å"victim,† Washington argues not only a lack of guilt, but an oppression against white slaveholders. Such an assertion, though perhaps honorable to some on Washington’s part, is highly problematic in that it absolves white Southerners of any guilt in the ma tter of slavery, and allows those in power to ignore responsibility for their own actions. In doing this, Washington’s argument makes very difficult the fight for justice. This is not to say that Washington was not an advocate for a reversal of this social injustice. He makes clear that, despite his oddly positive view on his life as a slave, he is in no way a supporter of the institution of slavery, and that finding any African American who was would be virtually impossible. Washington asserts, â€Å"I have never seen one who did not want to be free, or one who would return to slavery,† and goes on to say that he â€Å"pit[ies] from the bottom of [his] heart any nation or body of people that is so unfortunate as to get entangled in the net of slavery† (Washington 1350). Clearly, Washington has a decidedly negative view on slavery as a whole, and he exhibits throughout this piece that he is an avid supporter of upward mobility for African Americans through education. However, Washington’s envisioned mode of achieving equality is passive to the point of inactivity; he urges his fellow African Americans to simply wait until the time for equality reaches them. Such an approach is incredibly telling of Washington’s beliefs about society and human nature. Expressed throughout the piece is a sense of positivity and thankfulness toward the people around him. For example, he repeatedly uses the word â€Å"privilege† in regards to his experience with General Armstrong, a man who worked at the Hampton Institute during Washington’s time there, and he later asserts that â€Å"the part that the Yankee teachers played in the education of the Negroes immediately after the war will make one of the most thrilling parts of the history of this country† (Washington 1359). Remarks such as this illustrate Washington’s inherent tendency toward gratefulness and appreciation of the people with whom he interacts. It is made clear throughout the piece that Washington views his fellow human beings, regardless of race, in a distinctly positive light. This ability to see and believe the best in people is, in itself, an admirable one; however, the way in which it informs his idea of race relations is deeply misguided. Out of his deep sense of positivity stems Washington’s belief that people are fundamentally good, and that—beyond this—they possess an innate ability to recognize the good in others. Not only does Washington believe that people â€Å"lift themselves up in proportion as they help to lift others† (Washington 1362), he believes firmly that the people around him—specifically, white people in power—will eventually come to this realization without any external pressure to do so. Believing the good in people is of course, in itself, not a flaw, but when applied to the issue of racial oppression, it poses an enormous problem to the advancement for equality. His belief in people’s inherent goodness informs Washington’s passive approach to racism, which he expresses in his Atlanta Exposition Address and which essentially states that African American people ought to wait patiently until justice becomes a reality. â€Å"Say what we will,† Washington says, â€Å"there is something in human nature which we cannot blot out, which makes one man, in the end, recognize and reward the merit in another, regardless of color or race† (Washington 1371). This statement is both powerful and deeply persuasive. Yet in arguing this, Washington is inadvertently working to slow the advancement of the people of his own race. His assertion that people need wait found support primarily with whites; even peaceful African American activists found his view hugely problematic. Dr. Martin Luther King, in his â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail,† argues precisely the opposite, exclaiming, that â€Å"when you are haunted day and night by the fact that you are a Negro†¦ plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you are forever fighting a degenerating sense of ‘nobodiness’—then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait† (King 97). Despite the fact that Martin Luther King’s statement is aimed at white clergymen, it seems his argument applies just as clearly to Washington’s assertion. â€Å"This ‘wait’† Martin Luther King says, â€Å"has almost always meant â⠂¬Ëœnever’† (King 97). Thus, by King’s logic, Washington instructing his fellow citizens to wait for justice was effectively a request to ask them to ignore the need for justice. Washington’s decidedly passivity was also criticized heavily by African American writer W.E.B. Du Bois, who, in The Souls of Black Folk, accuses Booker T. Washington of serving as a catalyst in the disenfranchisement and institutional inferiority of blacks in the U.S. through his â€Å"old attitude of adjustment and submission,† and his desire to serve as â€Å"a compromiser between the South, the North, and the Negro† (Du Bois 1385). These assertions are far from inaccurate; Washington’s passive approach appealed largely to white audiences and helped to bridge the gap between justice-seeking African Americans and white citizens who were reluctant at best to extend rights of citizenship to blacks. His position as a former slave who had worked his way up in society led many other members of his race to follow in his example, and thus worked to quiet the collective voice that called out for justice. Washington’s piece as a whole advocates for the submission of African Americans to the injustices of society on the grounds that, in time, white men will come to recognize the innate value in their fellow citizens regardless of race. He also works to absolve white citizens of their guilt, for he does not simply refer to them as without fault, but as victims—likening their suffering to his as a slave and proposing the belief that slavery is not a product of individual wrongs, but a wrong institution that has forced itself on the Nation as a whole. Overall, his optimistic yet wholly unrealistic perception of society, coupled with his attempts to present white plantation owners as victims of the institution of slavery, ultimately serves to undermine the plight of African Americans during the early 20th century, and serves as an excuse for white citizens to ignore the pressing need for justice in America. Works Cited American Civil War Census Data. American Civil War Census Data. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. †Booker T. Washington. Bio.com. AE Networks Television. Web. 30 Mar. 2016. King, Martin Luther, Jr. â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail.† Critical Strategies and Great Questions. Saint Mary’s College of California, 2013. 97. Print. Lemke-Santangelo, G. (2015, November 30). Radical or Congressional Reconstruction 1867-77. Lecture presented at Saint Marys College of California, Moraga. Washington, Booker T. Up From Slavery Health Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. D. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2014. 1344-372. Print. Du Bois, W.E.B. â€Å"The Souls of Black Folk Health Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. D. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2014. 1374-397. Print.