Professional Development Plan Essay

Professional Development Plan Essay Professional Development Plan A Personal Development Plan (PDP) is one of the most important tools for student and at times for professionals. Eth PDP is at most times instrumental in providing knowledgeable tools and techniques to students who want to plan and reflect on their performance. This harnesses continuous improvement on performance, especially for students in higher institutions of education (Hartley Woods 2005 p. 131). Moreover, PDP is a necessity in making decision making even to working professions (Sinha Labi 2007 p. 12). Below is an example of a PDP for a student who wants to improve academically in business management. Final Reflection Form What are the Professional Development Plan (PDP) goals you enlisted in the initial PDP To enhance learned managerial skills and be able to transform skills in both personal and professional contexts. To take part in all the curriculum activities during the semester. To score a minimum of grade B+ in all the management units for the semester. Evaluation of the activities participated in and the performance based on, benefits achieved during the semester as indicated in the initial PDP. Activities that I proposed to work on during the semester included; Thorough re-examination and review of the course unit â€Å"the principles and practice of management† and the book principles of scientific management. Strict observation of the class timetable, rules and regulation and establishment of a personal timetable. Be active in the class-based activities and non-class based activities. Establish good managerial skills and behaviours and practice them in class and at work. Attend all group work based discussions and activities. For example, the workshops and group assignments. To balance co-curricular activities with professional work and class work by having a plan. Have a personal reward system after dully completing all planned activities. Plan a meeting with at-least two renowned management scholars in the profession of business management before the end of the semester. Conduct a research on the impact of technology in modern business management in an international business enterprise within the region. Evaluating the initial PDP performance and its benefits. During the semester, my PDP followed a timetable that involved all my plans. The timetable also ensured that all activities followed a strict time line with both time and date limits. With the time table, I was able to re-examine the course unit â€Å"the principles and practice of management† and the book â€Å"the principles of scientific management†. From the book and course unit analysis, I have been able to apply both management knowledge and skills in all situations. For example, I have been able to lead various group-based activities without any problem. Above all, I was able to attend 99% of all the class-based and group activities during the semester. However, I was only able to meet one renowned management scholar in the region. The scholar is one of the leading Chief Executive Officers of a management consultancy company. Moreover, I conducted a research on one of the McDonalds franchise outlets in the region, and was able to apply my management and research skills in understanding how technology has impacted on business and management. My performance on balancing work, class work and co-curricular activities have not in any way inconvenienced my performance in any of my activities, and therefore, I have been able to follow all the planned activities as per the timetable. As a result of the initial PDP, I have experienced incredible benefits. Among these benefits are that I have been able to assimilate managerial skill and expertise and learned to modify my managerial behaviours. In this aspect, I have learned a variety of management techniques to apply in specific contexts. The initial PDP has furthered my development in managing time, and other resources such as finance. Various managerial techniques have also harnessed my ability to resolve conflicts among people and solve variety of problems by applying principles of scientific management in a technological world. To sum it all, the PDP of the semester has been instrumental in my improved grades, since in all course units done, I was able to score a mean grade of A. Reflecting on PDP activities and how they have benefitted my development as a business management student and/or profession The activity of reading thoroughly and critically managerial materials have improved and added my knowledge and skills as a management student. Moreover, my school and academic performance has improved as result of the same. Observation of timetable and strict observance on rule and regulations has aided my ability of following orders at work and understanding the importance of working under pressure and with limited resources. Working in group work has harnessed my interpersonal relationship skills. This has been instrumental in solving work related problems at work. Meeting a management scholar and a professional and even conducting a research has positively impacted my interest in business management. Basically, all the PDP activities that I undertook during the semester have positively contributed to my academic position as a business management student and as a professional at work. A PDP based on the current performance Step 1. Skills audit- Based on the current performance, a personal SWOT analysis indicates that I have strengths in strong research skills, good learning abilities, good interpersonal relationship skills and string leadership skills. Some of the weaknesses that inhibit my performance are lack of a wide professional exposure and inexperienced leadership skills. However, there are few opportunities that I can use to harness my performance. Such opportunities include using my experience at the current work place to apply management principles. A good access of information also offers a good opportunity to improve my academic and professional performance. In addition, threats to my performance in academics and profession cannot be ruled out. These threats include lack of a plan, lack of cooperation from fellow students, workers and instructors. Inexperience in modern technology and research techniques. Step 2. Writing an action plan- From the current performance, I need to make some few changes as will be indicated below. These changes will be my new action plan for the next PDP. The objective of making these changes and improvement strategies as my PDP action plan is that, I need to improve my performance in the next four semesters. Moreover, the course units are deemed to become more demanding and difficult with time, hence a need to have an effective action plan. However, the new action plan will follow a rule of thumb. This means that the plan will be specific, will entail goals that are measurable, viable, and realistic and will be realized within a specific period of time. Step 3. Monitoring- Strict monitoring of the action plan should be initiated to ensure control of the same. Step 4. Record keeping- Each PDP for every semester should be recorded for the purpose of an effective and informed evaluation and performance assessment. Therefore, good record keeping method I required. For example, electronic documentation can be of great help. What are the developmental aspects that need to be changed and/or improved during the next four semesters of the course? After the above evaluation and reflection of the initial PDP performance during the current semester, the following areas of interest need to be changed or improved in the future. Change PDP goals for each semester for the next four semesters of the course period. Improve on group behaviour management. Change time allocation on co-curricular activities against class work and occupational work. Improve on leadership skills at school and at work. Improve on research skills. Change group leadership strategies for the next PDP period. What are the changes to initiate in the next fours semesters in order to realize the academic goals within the remaining academic duration? The initial PDP goals will be changed and replaced by new learning goals. The PDP goals will be changed each semester. For example, in the next four semesters, the PDP goals will be focused on understanding the role of technology in business management, new managerial techniques, problem solving, acquisition and improvement of research techniques, applying problem solving techniques in various contexts and understanding the role of management in project management. The PDP goals in this perspective will be focused on personal development through a personal and group approach. Changes and improvement on group behavioural management will entail learning new methods of managing groups. This means that previous group learning and involvement strategies will change. This will entail enlisting in new groups with new settings and different characters. This will be instrumental in learning different behaviours and how to manage and modify behavioural management techniques. In changing time a llocation, more time will be allocated on class-based activities and work than in co-curricular activities. This time allocation strategy will be based on the fact that the need to achieve academic goals becomes more profound than those that do not necessarily add value to academics. Therefore, the change in time allocation will constitute making new timetables, schedules and activity plans. Improvement on leadership skills will be harnessed by attendance to leadership workshops and intensive studying. Moreover, leadership skills will also be furthered by academic tours, surveys and interviews with renowned corporate leaders in the country or in the region. Advancement in researching skills will also be initiated by changing the mode of researching. This will require learning new quantitative and qualitative research techniques and skills.

Favoritism in the Workplace - 1140 Words

Does it fluster you when you’re working exceptionally hard at work yet at the same time you notice a co-worker who does absolutely nothing but arrive to work late, take frequent breaks during the work day or prance around the office chatting with other co-workers including the manager and not ever get in trouble for it? Or do you have a manager who treats an employee better than the rest of the department because they are liked? I believe everyone has experienced some form of favoritism that took place in their workplace at one point or another. What is favoritism? The Oxford dictionary defines favor as an attitude of approval for liking. Favoritism is defined as the practice of giving unfair preferential treatment to one person or group at the expense of another. How would this world run when people uses favoritism in the workplace? What does that say about their character? How would this world be if that’s the only way people can get ahead in the workplace, not by their knowledge or hard work but how well liked they are by upper management. I believe this will create an unfair advantage. The workplace will not thrive and businesses will not run properly because the people in charge might not necessarily have the skills to perform their job as they were picked because they were favorites. What’s the point of working hard in school or in the workplace when what matters is how well you can be an apple-polisher? I am passionate about my work and feel that I am aShow MoreRelatedHow Bad Is Favoritism in the Workplace?1809 Words   |  7 PagesHow bad is Favoritism in the Workplace? Do you have a co-worker who is subject to special treatment while everyone else gets pushed aside? Are you the one praised incessantly by the manager, or the go-to person for all the great projects? It’s no secret that the playing field among workers isn’t level in most workplaces and chances are you’ve been on one end of blatant favoritism at some point in your career. Favoritism in workplaces constitutes to unequal treatment of employees. It occurs whenRead MoreWorkplace Deviance972 Words   |  4 PagesWorkplace Deviance Workplace deviance is a voluntary unethical behavior that disobeys organizational norms about wrong and right, and in doing so, threatens the wellbeing of the organization, and/or its members(Robinson and Bennett 555-572). According to Robinson and Bennett, â€Å"workplace deviances behavior varies along two dimensions: minor versus serious, and interpersonal (deviant behavior directed at other individuals in the organization) versus organizational (deviant behavior directed at theRead MoreThe Use of Consensual Relationship Agreements1344 Words   |  5 PagesArgue for the use of Consensual Relationship Agreements (CRAs) in your current (or future) workplace. 2. Create a counter argument against the use of CRAs in your current (or future) workplace. 3. Discuss the ethical principles involved in the use of CRAs. 4. Create at least one (1) other option besides CRAs that would address workplace romances. Workplace romances happen all the time. *Love is in the air reports that between 6 million to 8 million Americans enter into such relationships everyRead MoreThe Effects Of Interest Situation On Other Salespeople, The Organizational Culture, And Other Stakeholders814 Words   |  4 Pagesthe organizational culture, and other stakeholders. It is stated in an online article titled. â€Å"How Does Favoritism in the Workplace Affect Other Employees?† that, â€Å"Jealousy, anger, fear, sullenness and worry can occur in business environments at any time but these negative emotions are exacerbated when favoritism takes place.† (Rush, 2015). 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Some businesses and organizations strictly prohibit them in any form or fashion, while others prohibit them when the participants are in certain roles within the organization.Read MoreCorrelation Between Productive And Negative Favoritism3895 Words   |  16 PagesThere is always someone in the workplace that seems like they have it easy. It might be the walk, the talk, or maybe favoritism is on their side. The relationships with the manager personally and in the workplace seems to be becoming obvious that it’s the boss favorite. With all the issues favoritism can have in a workplace like, age, race, disability, etc. There is a purpose to having favoritism since can be a good strategy to motivate workers to do their best. It can also show that the person workedRead MoreMotivation Problems in the Workplace Essays110 1 Words   |  5 PagesMotivational Problems in the Workplace In order for an organization to be successful they must find creative ways to keep employees motivated. This also means that the organization should clearly understand how and what motivates the employees and how to go about achieving the task to keep the employees motivated. Managers have many forms motivational theories that they can use. An option I feel is appropriate for my current working environment is the Adams Equity TheoryRead MoreCritique of Ada and Affirmative Action Paper751 Words   |  4 Pagescompanies from showing favoritism to employees on account of their sex, age, race, and disability. Various employers continue to demonstrate this style of performance through the hiring procedure. American Disabilities Act also known as ADA was another organization put into effect after Affirmative Action. ADA is designed to defend and protect those individuals with disabilities. Both Affirmative Action and ADA were designed to create and uphold equality within the workplace. In this paper I will

The Harmful Side Effects of Cancer Treatments - 917 Words

Cancer treatments helpful or harmful When a person gets a diagnosis of cancer their first thought is of dying. The second is the extreme debilitating treatments they must endure to hopefully extend their lives. When they are faced with this decision they know it is a battle between two evils. My mother-in-law is battling thyroid and breast cancer, and having endured two surgeries says the treatments are the worst part of the battle. â€Å"So while oncology physicians may tout cancer treatments as the only hope for recovery, there is a possibility that these treatments do more harm than good.† There are several treatment options in the fight against cancer (surgery, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, stem cell transplant and bone marrow and cord blood transplants etc.) The two most commonly used treatments are chemotherapy that uses drugs to destroy cancer cells, and radiation therapy that uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Aside from killing cancer cells treatment’s cause many more problems for the patient, including treatment induced diseases and death. Cancer treatments can cause physical, emotional and financial problems for the patient. â€Å"In a telephone interview study done and posted in the Journal of clinical oncology (Mazor KM, et.al; 2012) (p.1784-90) 416 patients were interviewed out of those ninety-three believed something had gone wrong in their care. Things that they believe were preventable and caused or could haveShow MoreRelatedCauses And Risk Of Breast Cancer1026 Words   |  5 PagesCauses risk of breast cancer Breast cancer is a disorder that mostly happens to women, as for men it is very rare. BRCA1 and BRCA2 work as DNA but when they are not replaced correctly it can lead to cancer. When BRCA1 and BRCA2 is mutated, or altered , such that its protein produced either is not made or doesn’t function correctly, DNA damage might no be repaired properly. 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Millions of people are diagnosed every year and they put their full trust into their doctors to make the best decisions and offer the most effective treatment. However people tend to be more frightened of the treatment itself because traditional cancer therapies produce scary symptoms such as vomiting, pain, and hair loss. The treatments leave patients feeling extremely weak and fatigued. Most patients believe thatRead MoreApplying Chemistry to Fighting Cancer Essay912 Words   |  4 Pageswas said to have an estimated 1.6 million cancer patients. The majority of cancer patients turn to chemotherapy in hope to kill off all the spreading cancer cells so they can have a chance to live again. Chemotherapy is defined as the use of any d rug to treat any disease, however people most commonly associate chemotherapy with drugs used to treat cancer. Although chemotherapy could be very effective, the rate of success solely depends on the type of cancer the patient has and could potentially beRead MoreTaking the High Road to Legalize Marijuana1302 Words   |  5 Pagessubstances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis, marijuana can be safely used within the supervised routine of medical care.† Francis Young, DEA Administrative Law Judge, stated. Marijuana was thought of as a drug that was enormously harmful to the user’s health and well-being, but the truth about it is that if used correctly, marijuana has the ability to alleviate a variety of medical conditions, some that were thought to be â€Å"untreatable.† An immense amount of research and evidence hasRead MoreThe Death Of Breast Cancer1386 Words   |  6 PagesBreast cancer isn’t a death sentence as it was before. Women used to fear being diagnosed with this disease because there was no cure for it. Breast cancer has been around for centuries, but the advancement of medicine has increased the chances of survival, and in the future the improvements will be even greater. The first mention of breast cancer was documented in Egypt in 1600 B.C. It was considered a mysterious disease with no cure to it. In The Edwin Smith Papyrus, there are eight cases of tumorsRead MoreChanges In Change In Treatments : A Historical Perspective1213 Words   |  5 Pages Changes in Treatments: A Historical Perspective Word Count Introduction Health is a field of science that is constantly changing, whether it’s referring to what we believe to be healthy or what we do to improve our own health. The way we treat illnesses is a good example to show how health has changed throughout history. Traditional medical practices did not rely on the advanced technology that our practices rely on today. Traditional medicinal practices relied on herbalism,Read MoreTaking a Look at Cancer1508 Words   |  6 PagesCANCER Cancer is the transformation of normal cells into malignant (harmful) cells. This transformation is the consequence of a genetic mutation of the DNA in normal cells due to an overexposure to carcinogens, chemicals, radiation, trauma, viral infections or chronic inflammations. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, â€Å"in 2013 over 500 Canadians were to be diagnosed with cancer everyday, and over 200 Canadians were to die from it everyday† (http://www.cancer.ca/en/cancer-information/cancer-101/cancer-statistics-at-a-glance/Read MoreSupport Marijuana Legalization Now! Essay1676 Words   |  7 Pagesagainst the wall causing bruising. However, since after treatment with marijuana (also called cannabis), Alexs illness was significantly improved. His parents curb his seizures by giving him a liquid form of marijuana by mouth 3 times a week. For Alexs family, the benefits of marijuana are greater than the risks. For us, the long-term side effects that are unknown for somet hing that cant kill him are a lot better than the long-term side effects of him beating himself bloody, his dad said (MosbergenRead MoreResearch Techniques For Better Engineer Medicines Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pagesmedicine more personalized and tailoring them to a patient’s body chemistry can greatly reduce the risk of side effects and can make treatment more efficient. This can be done by using information about the patient’s genetic makeup and where the disease is localized in order to target the infected cells specifically. We have decided to narrow down our research on cancer, specifically leukemia. Cancer can result from any number of genetic mutations and these malfunctions can lead to an unmanageable division

Gregor Samsa Essay - 1280 Words

Franz Kafka writes Gregor Samsa in his novel The Metamorphosis to portray specific details of his childhood life. In the early 1900’s the Great Depression occurred which changed the romantic time period into the modernism that focused on grotesque imagery. The Great Depression caused people to appreciate their beautiful world, before it turned into the dark and gloomy atmosphere it was for ten years. Kafka and Gregor’s lives share the similarity that both of their fathers were aggressive, alienating and powerful in their son s lives. In the novel The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, Kafka reflects his life using his main character Gregor Samsa as a representation to display how disconnected his father and his relationship was as a child. In†¦show more content†¦This dark unemployment time portrayed the grotesque imagery, which modernism consists of (Great Depression). The realistic details of how families were separated and how many households have been dissolved highlights how this time period is transformed into modernism. Modernism portrays the idea of â€Å"The world is what we say it is†, and there is no absolute truth. This movement is based on alienation, loss, and despair that also focuses on self-consciousness and irony. Modernism displays realistic details with grotesque imagery (Quema). The elements of the gothic in romanticism are switched into horrid writing, which includes the stream of consciousness writing. Franz Kafka uses modernism in his writing when his main character Gregor Samsa transforms into a human size beetle, but uses irony so that when he wakes up his only concern is getting to work on time and not worrying about what he has transformed into overnight. Gregor Samsa is also alienated from his family and even beat into his room at times, which shows the grotesque imagery that modernism focuses on. Franz Kafka grew up in a situation similar to Gregor Samsa. Franz Kafka has three sisters and was born into a Je wish family. His father was born poor and his mother was born with money. Their family was self assertive and their fathers are both powerful, aggressive, and alienative. Franz Kafka was weak and wanted to be away from his fatherShow MoreRelatedEssay The Sins of Gregor Samsa of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis2749 Words   |  11 PagesThe Sins of Gregor Samsa of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis Gregor Samsa’s crimes originate from his intense devotion to his family, and thus in his intense devotion to his work, which in turn makes him intently devout to the conformist society that creates his world. Gregor’s crimes are not of the scope that contains what one may consider normal or standard crimes, and his motivations come from a separate set of values than those that society would consider to be the median. As a result ofRead MoreThe Unselfish Gregor Samsa in The Metamorphosis Essay example1406 Words   |  6 PagesThe Unselfish Gregor Samsa In Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis, some might argue that Gregor was a terrible person and his metamorphosis was not real, but only an illustration of the terrible person he had become. However, it can much more strongly be argued that he was an extremely unselfish person and his actions were largely taken for granted by his family. Kafka was emphasizing the common practice of selfless actions being unappreciated through his story of Gregor and his family. One wayRead MoreThe Dehumanizing Effect of Alienation and the Restoration of Self Identity in Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis788 Words   |  3 Pagesthe main character Gregor Samsa, who inevitably transforms into a giant cockroach. The alienation by family relations affects him to the extent that he prioritizes his extensive need to be the family’s provider before his own well-being. This overwhelming need to provide inevitably diminishes Gregor’s ability to be humanlike. Kafka also enforces the idea of the ability to resurrect one’s self identity following psychologically demanding events. In this essay, I conceptualize Gregor Samsa’s â€Å"metamorphosis†Read MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka2028 Words   |  9 Pagesadequate interpretation for such an unobstructed inquiry. Kafka will use Gregor Samsa to demonstrate the many morals through this character’s life and death while also displaying his Jewish hardships and life throu gh the intimacy of writing. I believe that the most important concept in the story is the realization of what you have become and the manifestation of how others influence you with their own thoughts. In this essay, I hope to defend my point of view and my selected moral from the aspectsRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka864 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent ways. In the course of this essay two works of literature will be analyzed having regard to the issue of betrayal revealed therein. The work of art to be analyzed first will be The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. The Metamorphosis is a surreal story by Franz Kafka surrounding the tale of Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one day, reborn into a large insect. He wants to live a normal life, unfortunately, this is impossible because he cannot even get out of bed. Gregor transformation into an insect isRead MoreThe Metamorphosis By Franz Kafka1205 Words   |  5 PagesManolya Osman CLAS 170 7 December 2016 Essay 12 In the novel The Metamorphosis, author Franz Kafka transforms Gregor Samsa, an average citizen working as a commercial retailer, into a vermin. This transformation and the effects of such transformation on both his family and himself directly correlate to the messages Ovid portrays in Metamorphoses. While both works convey the ideas that a human s situation in life is always temporary, lust leads to unfavorable circumstances, and that the stubbornRead MoreAnalysis Of On Dumpster Diving Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesEnglish 101 Final Essay Q1: Discuss the contemporary issues in every essay A) A contemporary problem raised in â€Å"On Dumpster Diving† by Lars Eighner Is the amount of wealth spent by consumers, and the effect of that. Consumers spend too much money and waste even more when they throw food and clothing away. In the essay he explains the way of life as an scavenger and how to demonstrate how people are able to live by the minimal resources although most consumers continue to buy things they do not needRead MoreThe Kafka s About Gregor And His Metamorphosis997 Words   |  4 PagesThe novella about Gregor and his metamorphosis is story of intolerance, and isolation. 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Through Honig’s and Webster’s critical essays, this transformation, as well as many more, and sacrifice made by all involved are explored in a thorough and definitive way. In â€Å"The Making of an AllegoryRead MoreEssay about The Outsider and The Metamorphosis1430 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish World Literature Essay: The Outsider and The Metamorphosis Comparisons between the relationships that the protagonists had with their parents and how these defined their characters. In the novels, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka and The Outsider by Albert Camus, there are many important relationships that help define the protagonists. The protagonist in The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, and the protagonist from The Outsider, Meursault, both had significant relationships with people

War on Coal Free Essays

War on Coal â€Å"President Obama is responsible entirely for the closure of that mine and the loses of these jobs†, Robert Murray CEO of Murray Energy Corporation told CNN after 239 men were laid off because an Ohio mine had closed. The current war on coal is not one of just and fair reasons. Coal has several positive benefits that greatly outweigh the negative environmental effects that some say it causes. We will write a custom essay sample on War on Coal or any similar topic only for you Order Now The main benefit of coal is the hundreds of thousands it employs annually. However, with the strict regulations being put on coal mines these days the tradition of coal mining may be one our children will never know. It is our responsibility as Americans to beat the Obama Administration and win the war on coal. Coal was first found in America in 1742 in what is now Boone County, West Virginia. Since then mining it has been a job that employs thousands and those thousands don’t get near the praise they deserve. Every time the man-trip goes under, the people on it risk their lives to provide us with the main source for energy and heat. The Merle Travis lyricâ€Å"Where the dangers are double and the troubles are few† completely captures the atmosphere of a coal mine. Slag falls, explosions, fires, and above all cave –ins and roof falls are just a few of the dangers miners face every day, yet people still feel the need to condemn these men for the job they do. The Obama administration could care less about the many jobs they are doing away with from the coal industry. â€Å"The many regulations the he (President Obama), and his radical appointees and the U. S. EPA haves put on the use of coal have closed 175 power plants† (Murray 2). Assume those 175 power plants employed 100 men that is 17,500 people who are out of work. How can Obama say he is for the working class when he is taking the working class’s jobs? Josh Mandel, Ohio state treasurer told Congress â€Å" I think the Obama administration should be ashamed for putting middle class coal miners out of work across the country. Coal miners and their families live in some of the poorest areas of the country and the Obama war on coal is killing jobs in the parts of America that can least afford it. †. Mandel is right. Obama and his administration are killing jobs and small mining towns all across the country and it must be stopped before they are gone. While running in his 2008 campaign, Obama told the San Francisco Chronicle that the â€Å"notion of no coal†¦is an illusion†, but he added that he favored the Cap and Trade system. He then went on to say â€Å"so if someone wants to build a coal powered plant, it’s just that it will bankrupt them because they are going to be charged a huge sum for all the greenhouse gas that is being emitted†(Trinko 3) This statement sounds like someone who wasn’t in the slightest bit worried about the 385,105 miners who were directly employed by coal at the time. Trinko 2) this number didn’t include truck drivers, mine inspectors, power plant workers, railroad workers, or and other jobs that are affected by the coal industry. The Obama Administration has done everything it can possibly do to destroy the American coal industry. We have gone from producing 1. 2 billion tons of coal a year to producing somewhere in the neighborhood of 800 million tons (Trinko 3). It is disingenuous at best for Obama to say he supports the coal industry when we have lost about one third of our production. Joe Biden told gist. com that he didn’t see much of a role for clean energy in America, but then added that he wanted to help China clean their coal plants (Trinko 3). For the past 4 years, Obama and his administration have tried to end coal in America and it is time we take it back. Ryan Williams, Mitt Romany’s spokesman said â€Å"Obama has waged a war on coal that has devastated the middle class and American Workers† This is completely true. No, coal is not the way of life in Washington, D. C, but if the Obama Administration would look at the big picture, they would see that in America as a whole country, coal is a way of life in many states. Some of these states are Colorado, Wyoming, and every state in Appalachia. As election time draws near, the Romney Campaign is looking for ways to appeal to the coal miners, coal truck drivers, railroad workers, and others affected by the coal industry. â€Å"it is a narrow group of voters you’re looking at, but in those areas it is a big deal because it affects entire communities. It really is their whole livelihood. People who work in the coal industry and their family and friends will become single-issue voters this year†, says Kristen Kukowski, secretary for the Republican National Committee. She is right. The coal industry is a livelihood, and had been bringing people together for centuries. Coal towns stick together, so if Romney gets in good with one small coal town, other towns are sure to follow. His approach to attract miners has had a positive effect and will continue to do so as long as Obama pushes his strict regulations. Jason Hayes, communications director for the American Coal Council says â€Å"the industry over the past few decades had invested over $100 billion in cleaning up emissions and it’s already been effective. All of the important noxious pollutants have decreased markedly over the last 30 to 40 years. We’ve been doing all of this on top of dealing with everything else. † Coal may not be green, but it is a source of energy American needs. It is cheap and efficient. Without coal, America wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is today. The coal mined here isn’t just used for energy. America’s coal makes steel. Steel is used for thousands of things. If coal is gone, not only will our electric and heat bills increase, but the price of steel with be outrageous. â€Å"The environmental benefits that we’re hearing about are questionable, but the job losses are real and they are happening to thousands right now† Hayes adds. It is up to us to change the way things in America are going. This is our country, Not Washington’s. So in the 2012 Presidential Election, vote for the working class, vote for coal, vote for Romney! You could be the one vote it takes to make coal win. How to cite War on Coal, Essay examples

All Things Go by Nicki Minaj Essay Example For Students

All Things Go by Nicki Minaj Essay â€Å"All Things Go† (2015) by Nicki Minaj is one of the most emotional songs on her album â€Å"The Pink Print. † In this song she talks major events that took place in her life. Things she talked about were her abortion, family, drugs and relationship with Safaree Lloyd Samuels. Even though this song has the same style as some of her other song such as: â€Å"Autobiography† (2008), â€Å"I’m the Best† (2010), and â€Å"Champion† (2012), â€Å"All Things Go† digs much deeper into Nicki’s family connections. In the first verse she uses the word vent a lot. This shows she had to rediscover herself so that she can deal with her current life. She has to cool things down, before things started to heat up so she doesn’t overreact. She had to recreate her style and who she was before becoming famous and popular. When she says â€Å"I put the V in vent† this carries a feminist suggestion which gave the idea for this album Pink Print because it is feminine take on Blue Print by Jay-Z. Nicki Minaj always seems to look into what people are saying to determine whether they’re out to mislead and control her, or if their intentions are honest and real. As she is interpreting what people are saying, we as listeners are trying to interpret what Nicki is saying. She compares her life to a movie. Just like a movie, life has plot twists and climaxes, but only difference is that you only live once. In this line I look at it like Life is a beautiful thing so you shouldn’t take it for granted because you never know when it all will end. Everybody dies, but not everyone lives. She reminisces about when Safaree Samuels proposed to her and she accepted the proposal out of desperation because she really wasn’t as successful and confident as she is now. Her hook which is the title of the song â€Å"All Things Go† Nicki is interpreting not only does everything die, nothing really lasts forever. Not even memories or thoughts that we would love to hold onto forever. This indicates that Nicki is deeply thoughtful and wants every moment that she has to survive. By this strong hook she is indicating she wants to achieve all of her goals and live a successful happy life. Even if everything will eventually be gone, that doesn’t stop Nicki from pursuing happiness, whether it’s fame or family. Even though she had to disconnect from her family a little so she can reach her success, she can now help make her family lives easier. Everything that she has done to this point was for her family. Nicki lost her cousin Nicholas Telemaque in 2011 when he was shot and killed in East Flatbush, Brooklyn. Nicki feels that she could have prevented her cousin from getting shot if she wasn’t famous. The day before Nicki’s cousin die he wanted to stay with her in her house. But no one had enough courage to ask her things since she has become famous. Nicki has mentioned before in one of her songs â€Å"pills and potions† that she has been using drugs. Minaj felt she would forget about the memories that are causing her all of her pain. But her cousin killing was so painful that no amount of drug could stop her from seeing his face of the last time she saw him. In her last verse she talks about her looks into relationships. She has a relationship with music and a relationship outside of music. When it comes to her relationship in music Nicki plays has no attention in wasting her time on the fake side of the music business, she’s all about making sure she is doing what is needed to perfect her music. She states â€Å"rock with people for how they make me feel, not what they give me. .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 , .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .postImageUrl , .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 , .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:hover , .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:visited , .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:active { border:0!important; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:active , .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18 .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0a6ee8a8ee492572c9d0d5912cc0ac18:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Music dates back EssayEven the ones that hurt me the most, I still show forgiveness. I think she is trying to say she doesn’t build relationships only for the sake of it; she’s after the good feelings and what the person has to offer her. I believe she is letting us know she doesn’t hold grudges even if she was hurt bad she is willing to forgive and forget for the sake of the relationship. She talks about her mom a lot in her songs but no one hardly ever see them together because Nicki Minaj would rather protect her from the media. She talks about how she wants her younger brother to go to college and succeed in life so that they both can say they did it. Nicki reveals in this song that she was 16 when she had her abortion. So she feels her younger brother is both of them. She feels that he is the angel looking over her younger brother. My reasoning for picking this song is because this is how I look at my life and how I see things. I know I may not be famous like Nicki Minaj but I feel based off of this song it relates to my life well. When I am going through things I think about how she feels and think of how she does things to take her life away from the pain and that is by being with her family. She is a very big family oriented person just as I am.

Gods Grandeur Essay Example For Students

Gods Grandeur Essay As a Jesuit priest who had converted to Catholicism in the summer of 1866, Gerard Manley Hopkinss mind was no doubt saturated with the Bible (Bergonzi 34). Although in Gods Grandeur Hopkins does not use any specific quotations from the Bible, he does employ images that evoke a variety of biblical verses and scenes, all of which lend meaning to his poem. Hopkins creates a powerful form of typological allusion by abstracting the essencethe defining conceit, idea, or structurefrom individual scriptural types (Landow, Typological 1). Through its biblical imagery, the poem manages to conjure up, at various points, images of the Creation, the Fall, Christs Agony and Crucifixion, mans continuing sinfulness and rebellion, and the continuing presence and quiet work of the Holy Spirit. These images combine to assure the reader that although the world may look bleak, man may yet hope, because God, through the sacrifice of Christ and the descent of His Holy Spirit, has overcome the world. The op ening line of Gods Grandeur is reminiscent both of the Creation story and of some verses from the Book of Wisdom. The word charged leads one to think of a spark or light, and so thoughts of the Creation, which began with a spark of light, are not far off: And God said, Let there be light: and there was light (Gen. 1.3). Yet this charge was not a one time occurrence; the world is charged with the grandeur of God (Hopkins 1). Or, in the words of Wisdom 1:7, The spirit of the Lord fills the world (Boyle 25). This line of the poem also sounds like Wisdom 17:20: For the whole world shone with brilliant light . . . Nor does the similarity end with the first part of this biblical verse. The author of Wisdom proceeds to tell us that the light continued its works without interruption; Over the Egyptians alone was spread oppressive night . . . yet they were to themselves more burdensome than the darkness (Wisd. 17.20-21). Here lies the essence of Hopkinss poem. In lines five through eight, he will show us the oppressive night that men bring upon themselves in their disregard for God and His creation. But he will also show us, in the final sestet of his poem, that the light will nonetheless continue to shine without interruption. God will not cease working in the world. Indeed, His grandeur will flame out, like shining from shook foil (Hopkins 2). The word flame is often associated with Gods grandeur. In Daniel 7:9, the prophet describes Gods throne as being like the fiery flame. In Revelation, the Son of God . . . hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire (Rev. 2.18). In Exodus, God appears unto Moses in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush (Exod. 3.2; Boyle 31). After promising Samsons parents a son, the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar (Judges 13.20). It is possible, too, that this flame is meant to recall the cloven tongues like as of fire that appeared above men on the day of Pentecost, when Gods grandeur was shown through the descent of His Holy Spirit and in the speaking of tongues (Acts 2.1-4; Boyle 27-28). The second half of this image is primarily a scientific one. It refers to gold leaf foil as used to measure electrical charges in Faradays famous experiment (Boyle 26). But there is also a biblical significance. Proverbs 4:18 tells us that the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. Just as light is reflected from gold foil, flashing out in multiplying rays, so too does the Light of God, which leads men, continue to increase. This image in one way ties into lines three and four of Hopkinss poem, in which Gods grandeur gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil / Crushed. Both images demonstrate a process of increase in Gods grandeur. Gethsemane means the place of the olive-press' (Landow, Typological 6; Boyle 32). It was there that Gods grandeur gathered to a greatness, for it was there that Christ wrestled with doubt and fear and, gathering His strength, finall y made an irrevocable choice to glorify His Father: not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22.42). The olive, in itself, is not particularly valuable. It can be eaten, but until it is pressed, it has no further use. Once pressed into oil, however, it was used in biblical times for cooking (1 Kings 17.12-13), lighting lamps (Exod. 27.20), anointing (Ps. 23.5), binding wounds (Luke 10.34), and in perfume (Luke 8.46). It was very valuable, and the promised land was referred to as, among other things, a land of oil olive (Deut. 8.8). This, then, is an apt metaphor for Gods grandeur as revealed through Jesus Christ. Had Christ chosen, at that point of agony in the garden, not to submit to the crucifixion, His entire life up to that point would have been (like the uncrushed olive) of little value. His teachings and His miracles would probably have been forgotten in time, and man would still have no adequate atonement for sin. But just as the olive is crushed to reveal something costly and useful, so too did Christ chose to be crushed to bring forth His priceless blood, which saves men (Landow, Typological 6). Accepting this role was no easy matter for Christ. Robert Boyle sees the main point of the olive oil image as being that something hidden, beautiful, and wonderfully powerful is revealed (31). But an at least equally important point is how that hidden something is revealed. Boyle believes the olive oil image refers not to the gathering of ooze from the cracks of a press but rather to gentle kneading with a hand: the beauty and power is hidden within the olive and can be brought out without a press at all, e.g., by the pressure of the fingers or palms (32). This seems unlikely, however, given that at Gethsemane, Christ was not lightly pressed as if in a palm, but was rather weighed down and crushed with great agony, sweating as it were great drops of blood and begging that, if at all possible, His cup be taken from Him (Luke 22.42-44; Boyle 32). Furthermore, it w as at the oil-press that Christ, in order to purchase beauty and life, chose to submit to an even greater crushing: the beams of the bark that would grind Him down as He bore His cross up the hill of Calvary, the pain that would come from being nailed through His hands and feet, and the slow suffocation that would precede His death (Landow, Typological 6). George P. Landow acknowledges the significance of Christs suffering. He describes one of Hopkinss basic and generating conceit:. . . higher beauty and higher victory can come forth only when something . . . is subject to greater pressure and crushed or bruised . . . true beauty, true life, true victory can only be achieved, as Christ has shown, by being bruised and crushed. (Allusion 1). This conceit, Landow explains, is based upon the type of Genesis 3:15, which says: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel. Christ is the one who bruises Satans head, defeating the adversary through His own bruising, His crucifixion. To the casual reader, this image of the ooze of oil / Crushed may seem unnecessarily crude. It contrasts sharply with the brilliant metaphor of flame and shining. As Virginia Ellis writes, the image of shaken goldfoil, once properly understood, vividly suggests both the breadth and the sudden flashing depth of Gods power (129-30). The word ooze, on the other hand, generally possesses a disagreeable connotation. Yet this contrast must be deliberate. For the Incarnation is, after all, a very crude thing. An omnipotent, omniscient God chose to come down from the heavenly realm and take on the form of a mere man, subjecting Himself to the limitations of humanity, in order that He might die a cruel death to save men who were yet sinners (Rom. 5.8). The brilliance of lines one and two of Hopkinss poem contrast with the crudeness of lines three and four to reveal Gods amazing condescension, which is part of His grandeur. Given this awesome condescension, and given the emotional and physical pain to which Christ subjected Himself, Hopkins cries plaintively, Why do men then now not reck his rod? (4). Most likely, this reference to rod will evoke in the readers mind the image from Revelation in which Christ rules men with a rod of iron (Rev. 19.15). But a mo re appropriate allusion may be found in Isaiah: And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him (11.1-2; emphasis added). The his of this line of the poem must grammatically refer to the God of line one. Gods rod, then, is Christ Himself. God gave up his rod, His only Son, as a sacrifice for the very men who (we will soon see) fail both to perceive and to honor Him in His creation. And the very blame which Hopkins heaps on man in lines five through eight of the poem is witness to his vivid realization that man does not need to be behaving as he does, that the Fall has been undone by the Second Adam (Boyle 37). Indeed, the rod of iron that awaits these men could become for them a rod of comfort. If they would but trust in Gods Rod, they too, like the psalmist, might say, Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me (Ps. 23.4). Juvenile Delinquency EssayOnly seemingly, writes Ellis, is Gods energy fallen, crushed, debased in this world (128). For, even though the last lights off the black West went / Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward springs (Hopkins 11-12). Or, as 2 Samuel 23:4 prophesies, he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain. Again, the vehicle of the metaphor is nature, and its rejuvenation symbolizes Christs coming into the world. This image of morning springing from darkness also draws our attention to the words of Isaiah: Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily (58.8). And again:I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. (Isaiah 42.16; emphasis added)The continuing presence of the Holy Spirit is proof of this promise. God continues to work through the Holy Ghost, who over the bent / World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings (Hopkins 13-14). The bent (crooked) world has not been abandoned by God; it will be made straight, for it has been conquered by Him, and it is still being protected by Him. The bird imagery of line fourteen is drawn from the baptism of Jesus, when he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him (Matt. 3.17; Boyle 38). This dove imagery, in turn, is meant to recall Genesis, in which the Holy Spirit apparently broods over the world: And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters (1.2; Boyle 38). The wing imagery possess a variety of positive connotations. Wings are associated in the Bible with Gods healing (Mal. 4.2), with His protection (Ruth 2.12; Ps. 17.8, 26.7, 57.1, 61.4, 63.7, 91.4; Matt. 23.37), with the strength that He imparts to man (Isa. 40.31; Exod. 19.4), and with His conquest. This last association, though not the most obvious, is perhaps the most crucial. When God is said to spread His wings over a city, it means He has conquered it (Jer. 48.40). At the end of Gods Grandeur, God, in the person of the Holy Spirit, has spread His bright wings over the bent world, implying that He is not only protecting, healing, and strengthening it, but that, despite the seeming triumph of darkness, He has already conquered the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was crushed like an olive for this very purpose. The world remains charged with the grandeur of God, in spite of all mankind has done and is doing to pollute and pervert and tread out its radiance (Ellis 129). God, through the constant presence of His Holy Spirit, continues to rejuvenate physical nature as well as the human spirit; both are being made over anew (Wisd. 19.6). So, however dark and dreary this world may appear (and does appea r in lines five through eight of the poem), we must not surrender hope. For as Christ exhorted, In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16.33).