Motivation Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation - Outline Example This is mainly influenced by individual needs that have to be satisfied. These motivation strategies needs vary from individual to another individual. The hard work one tries to do on a particular task is created by the kind of motivation provided; thus, increasing the output. A person’s motivation characteristics can affect the business outputs and is mainly concerned of quality and quantity, in that, a company depends so much on production activities to increase production. If these employees lack motivation the production rate will decline leading to very precarious consequences in business (Berlyne, 2006). Due to the changes that are taking place in the engineering firm the workers might feel demotivated to work in the long run. As indicated earlier, motivation can be achieved using different factors within an organization. Increase in motivation can be achieved by financial rewards. This method is widespread in almost all business (Baumeister, 2006). For the labour force within the engineering firm to produce effective results, they have to be motivated by increasing their salaries and if this is achieved, the business profits will increase (Blinitton, 2009). Introduction of benefits within an organization can also be considered as a form of motivation. This can be achieved by giving organizational carriages, health facilities, providing loans to its workers and offering company shares to its workers. Quality related bonuses can also be used to motivate the workers. Non financial incentives can be used to motivate workers within an organization. These forms of motivation include aspects such as giving staff members more work than their job description; this makes them feel more significant (Khaliq, 2001). The managers can also perform job rotation between staff members. The staff members can be provided with job enlargement where they perform more work than what is expected of them. Lastly, the manager can

Prove how a more Community feel to college and more social events can Research Paper

Prove how a more Community feel to college and more social events can lead to higher grades - Research Paper Example These influences may not be exactly related to academics but drift towards an individual’s more personal realm involving their lifestyle and mind-frame while attending these academic institutions. One of these influences is the general feel of the academic institute/college that a person is attending (Brick 23). The ability of the college to provide a more comfortable environment for their students through initiating a â€Å"community feel† around the college is one way that a tertiary institution may be able to assist their students in improving their grades. Problem Definition Tertiary education can be said to be the trickiest part of the academic system as in most cases it is usually meted out in different circumstances than those that individuals had become accustomed to in their past academic experiences (Hanushek 74). This is largely due to the fact that this can be referred to as the final stage of traditional education and thus the environment the student is sub jected is more in tune with the post academic structure they will find after they graduate (Brick 15). This is to say that in college, students are treated more like the adults they will be when released to the world. However this change in scenery may affect individuals negatively as they may find it difficult to cope with the switch leading to a drop in their grades. The drop may be significant or barely noticeable depending on the individual but nonetheless the problem has to be faced in a bid to come up with ways that students are able to improve their grades in college. The more traditional solutions may not work at this time as the environment may not be suitable to cultivate success and thus more conventional methods may be needed. For instance increased study may not work as well as there is no one present to monitor whether an individual has actually increased their level of studying (Pashler 56). Whereas in previous situations such as high school and below there is usually an authoritative figure observing the studying habits of an individual be it a teacher or a parent and thus one is felt compelled to read when they know they are being monitored. However, college brings about a different atmosphere where there is usually no authoritative figure to monitor ones actions (this is usually due to the freedom that comes with moving out of the house.) and thus another source of motivation may have to be found if one wishes for improved grades. This can be seen by the drop in grades of an individual after they have cleared high school and have moved on to college. This is especially true in what can be referred to as the â€Å"non –elite† institutions and mainly consists of community colleges and various institutions on a similar level. The elite institutions (in this case would include schools such as Harvard, Yale, and Brown) may fall out of this category of a drop in grades as the pressure is still there for those who join such institution s to perform (Hanushek 83). The various individuals attending college can be seen as a community and thus a role should be taken up by a member of this particular community to attempt to improve the academic results of the institution in general through finding out ways in which colleges can bring about a more â€Å"

Motivation Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivation - Outline Example This is mainly influenced by individual needs that have to be satisfied. These motivation strategies needs vary from individual to another individual. The hard work one tries to do on a particular task is created by the kind of motivation provided; thus, increasing the output. A person’s motivation characteristics can affect the business outputs and is mainly concerned of quality and quantity, in that, a company depends so much on production activities to increase production. If these employees lack motivation the production rate will decline leading to very precarious consequences in business (Berlyne, 2006). Due to the changes that are taking place in the engineering firm the workers might feel demotivated to work in the long run. As indicated earlier, motivation can be achieved using different factors within an organization. Increase in motivation can be achieved by financial rewards. This method is widespread in almost all business (Baumeister, 2006). For the labour force within the engineering firm to produce effective results, they have to be motivated by increasing their salaries and if this is achieved, the business profits will increase (Blinitton, 2009). Introduction of benefits within an organization can also be considered as a form of motivation. This can be achieved by giving organizational carriages, health facilities, providing loans to its workers and offering company shares to its workers. Quality related bonuses can also be used to motivate the workers. Non financial incentives can be used to motivate workers within an organization. These forms of motivation include aspects such as giving staff members more work than their job description; this makes them feel more significant (Khaliq, 2001). The managers can also perform job rotation between staff members. The staff members can be provided with job enlargement where they perform more work than what is expected of them. Lastly, the manager can

Art Blog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Art Blog - Assignment Example Galleries open here and there, and museums feature exhibits that are not to be missed. Yet that visit to a community garden opened me to a whole new world of the art scene. Of course the Museum of Contemporary Art, the L.A. County Art Museum, and the Getty Center house several of the best pieces of art in the world. But ever since a community garden opened my eye to something new about art, I have been keener to observe those Chinatown galleries that feature up-and-coming artists that houses a more â€Å"homely† type of art. I have been more appreciative of the unpretentious airs in several of these galleries like Kathryn Brennans, Tom Solomans, and China Art Objects. What that little community garden did to my art perspective was huge. Since then, I never have to look far to see art in my surroundings. I can see it in simple places and things. In the community garden, I never thought the day would come where I would be looking at garden plots as works of art. Yes, they may no t be technically pieces of art, but works of art they are. There is no such thing as being too radical or being too conventional in art. Now I know there are no rules. Art is when it moves you even when you do not know why. Aside from being appreciative of art, I also love books. What moved me the most in the Getty Center is its collection of books within the Getty Research Institute and the vast collection of pictures of different architectures. Additionally, I also find it fascinating to stare at the illuminated manuscripts and glimmering decorative arts and furniture. I agree with Natalie that the museums programs and activities for kids and families are a joy to behold. I visited the place a few times, and I must state that for adults who do not have any kids in tow, it is worthwhile to catch the nighttime view of the place. I am all for self-expression. Sadly, the street art scene in Los Angeles is something

Transcendentalism Through The Political Thought Of Emerson Thoreau And Fuller Essay Example for Free

Transcendentalism Through The Political Thought Of Emerson Thoreau And Fuller Essay During the early to middle years of the nineteenth century, American transcendentalism was born. The term transcendental came from German philosopher Immanuel Kant. He criticizes John Locke, who claimed that knowledge comes through our sensual impressions of the world. Kant feels as though the mind has intuitions of itself that he called transcendental forms. He said that all intuitive thought is transcendental. (The Transcendentalist, 1842) Transcendentalism has a lot of meanings but over time it has essentially remained the same. A 1913 Webster’s Dictionary described transcendentalism as claiming â€Å"to have a true knowledge of all things, material and immaterial, human and divine, so far as the mind is capable of knowing them. It is also sometimes used for that which is vague and illusive in philosophy. † (Webster Dictionary, 1913) Today transcendentalism has furthered its meaning to â€Å"a philosophy which says that thought and spiritual things are more real than ordinary human experience and material things. † (Merriam-Webster, n. d. ) Cliffnotes describes it as: â€Å"A religious, literary, and philosophical movement in New England between 1836, when Emerson published Nature, and 1844, when The Dial — the publishing entity of the transcendental movement — ceased publication. Influenced by Unitarianism, transcendentalists denied the existence of miracles, preferring a Christianity that rested on the teachings of Christ and not on his deeds. They experimented with communal living and supported educational innovation, the abolitionist and feminist movements, and the reform of the church and society, generally. New England transcendentalists were committed to intuition as a way of knowing, to individualism, and to a belief in the divinity of humans and nature. † (Charles Mignon H. Rose, Glossary, n. d. ) Transcendentalism is so much more than these simple definitions. Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the leaders of the movement, developed a whole essay on explaining the movement and even further discussed it in many of his other writings. In The Transcendentalist, Emerson first describes transcendentalism as idealism, the idealism of 1842. He considers people as either materialists or idealists. â€Å"Materialism is the philosophical belief that all human events and conditions depend upon material objects and their interrelationships; sensory perception is the key to learning. † (Charles Mignon H. Rose, Glossary, n. d. ) Materialists see things as they are and except them for that. Materialist can become Idealists but Idealists can never become materialists. â€Å"Idealism is the philosophical assumption that material objects do not exist independently of human perception. † (Charles Mignon H. Rose, Glossary, n. d. ) Idealists are founded on consciousness. They believe that things go beyond the senses, the senses represent things but they can’t tell you what these things are. They insist on the power of thought, will, inspiration, miracles and individual culture. They believe their way of thinking is in higher nature. They see events as spirits. (The Transcendentalist, 1842) They can see a chair and look beyond it being just a chair. They see the spiritual aspect of it. Once they do recognize the many possibilities of a spiritual life, they continue to seek after this transcending state. â€Å"The Transcendentalist adopts the whole connection of spiritual doctrine. He believes in miracle, in the perpetual openness of the human mind to new influx of light and power; he believes in inspiration, and in ecstasy. He wishes that the spiritual principle should be suffered to demonstrate itself to the end, in all possible applications to the state of man, without the admission of anything unspiritual; that is, anything positive, dogmatic, personal. Thus, the spiritual measure of inspiration is the depth of the thought, and never, who said it? And so he resists all attempts to palm other rules and measures on the spirit than its own. † (The Transcendentalist, 1842) Idealists see the how the mind process our senses as more important than the senses themselves. They see our existence as subjective. They judge only according to their values and measure according to their values. Their main focus is the individual. They feel as though individuals should focus on fixing their moral character rather than focusing on the world as a whole. It makes more sense for everyone to fix themselves because if each individual changes him or herself then the world as a whole will eventually change. Transcendentalism proposes that human nature is good and the individual will seek good but society is to blame for corruption. Therefore the individual should focus on themselves. (Campbell, 1997) Emerson believes the idealists or transcendentalist should be self-dependent. He feels as though â€Å"it is simpler to be self-dependent. The height, the deity of man is, to be self-sustained, to need no gift, no foreign force. † (The Transcendentalist, 1842) The transcendentalists should be self-absorbed. Transcendentalists have an antisocial character. â€Å"They are lonely; the spirit of their writing and conversation is lonely; they repel influences; they shun general society; they incline to shut themselves in their chamber in the house, to live in the country rather than in the town, and to find their tasks and amusements in solitude. † (The Transcendentalist, 1842) They withdraw from society because they have difficulty relating to people who aren’t as spiritual, intelligent and idealistic as themselves. They are perfectionists who believe human life is flawed so they prefer to be in solitary with nature or a book rather than common people. Emerson criticizes this solitary nature. If they don’t use their gifts to benefit society then society won’t be able to reach the idealist mindset and way of life. They also waste their gift when they don’t allow society to learn from them. (The Transcendentalist, 1842) This paper will take into account each definition and characteristic of the Transcendentalist and Transcendentalism through the works of some of the major leaders during the movement. This paper will explore the religious aspect of the movement through the works of the former Unitarian minister, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The political aspect of the movement will be explored through the works of the naturalist, Henry David Thoreau. The paper will conclude with the feminist and social reform aspect of the movement through the works of Margaret Fuller. Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, poet and Unitarian minister who became one of the first American authors to influence European thought. He was born in Boston, MA on May 25, 1803. Seven of his ancestors were ministers and his father was also a minister. By the age of eighteen, Emerson was graduating from Harvard and taught school in Boston for three years. He then went on to Harvard Divinity School and a year later was approbated to preach by the Middlesex Association of Ministers. In a matter of four years he had become the minister of the Second Church of Boston and married Ellen Tucker, who unfortunately died seventeen months later. In 1832, Emerson resigned as a pastor because he felt as though the Lord’s Supper should not be a permanent sacrament. He then went on to England and stayed for some time. He returned to Massachusetts in 1833 and became an active lecturer. (Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2014, 1p. ) By 1836, Emerson had published his most detailed statement of belief in his first published book, Nature. He starts the book discussing the currents of the Universal Being that circulate through him making him part God or a piece of God. This is what transcendentalism is mostly about, the belief in the divinity of the human and nature. Through the universal being everything in nature is linked, including humans. Nature’s spirit expresses itself through us and creates a unity between God, spirit and humanity. Nature rewards the noble and those who perform good deeds. Therefore a person would have to be righteous in order to enjoy the beauty nature beholds. In chapter four he discusses how nature and language relate. Words are signs of natural facts and history that helps us understand supernatural history. The language people use to communicate is supplied by nature. A river represents the passage of time. The change of seasons represents the stages of growth. He then goes on to discuss how nature and human law have merged together, yet we still try to distinguish them. You can even see this today with the separation of church and state. In chapter five he discusses reason. Nature is a moral teacher and reason helps to offer ethical and spiritual insights to nature. Reason is linked to intuition, which as previously stated is transcendental. Though according to idealism, nature is something experienced and distinct from us. (Nature, 124-157, 1836) A couple years later in 1838, Emerson further discusses his views on religion in his Divinity School Address. He first discusses the intimate relationship between God and man; the unity of God, humans, and nature. Religion can only truly be achieved when man recognizes their direct access with God and realize that religion and virtue can only be understood from within. There is no mediator between man and God. Man can go directly to God. Since God is perfect man can also become perfect because of that access they have to him. Many denominations of the Christian religion teach the human to aim to be like Jesus, in doing so the person is just like Jesus and develops that perfection identified with Jesus. The moment you stray from this virtue that God and nature gives you, you’re instantly aware of it. It’s like what modern Christianity would call conviction. You feel convicted and suffer the consequences but you strive to be so much like Jesus that you correct the wrong and get back on track. Jesus was the only example of someone who understood the divine nature of mankind because he was sent being used by God as an example for men. (The Divinity School Address, 230-245, 1836) Throughout the Divinity School Address, Emerson criticizes second hand religion. He believes it makes the church stationary. There’s no room for reform when you offer people a religion with a fixed body of beliefs, principles, scriptures and rites. As many of his writings tell you, he is a strong advocate for the individual. Personal religion, the understanding of religion through the individual and intuitive insight is what he calls for. The individual needs to understand the religion for himself and apply his own intuitive interpretation but be careful not to change the traditions of the old church. (The Divinity School Address, 230-245, 1836) â€Å"I confess, all attempts to project and establish a Cultus with new rites and forms, seem to me vain. Faith makes us, and not we it, and faith makes its own forms. All attempts to contrive a system are as cold as the new worship introduced by the French to the goddess of Reason, — to-day, pasteboard and fillagree, and ending to-morrow in madness and murder. Rather let the breath of new life be breathed by you through the forms already existing. For, if once you are alive, you shall find they shall become plastic and new. The remedy to their deformity is, first, soul, and second, soul, and evermore, soul. † (The Divinity School Address, 244, 1836) Rather use the Sabbath and preaching to keep the religion alive and fresh. The preacher has to have intuitive perception to teach and give life to religion. â€Å"The spirit only can teach†¦only he can give, who has; he only can create, who is. The man on whom the soul descends, through whom the soul speaks, alone can teach. Courage, piety, love, wisdom, can teach. † (The Divinity School Address, 238, 1836) It is the preacher’s job to restore the soul of his congregation by helping them realize that direct access they have to God. He must also be living proof of the word he proclaims. The people should know the life he lives so that they can know how individual spirituality can coexist with experience. â€Å"The true preacher can be known by this, that he deals out to the people his life, — life passed through the fire of thought. † (The Divinity School Address, 239, 1836) For Emerson and all transcendentalists, religion is vastly important. This movement is known for its religious aspects. Quite a few of the followers of this movement were ministers. For them religion should be sacred between the human, God and nature. They should take advantage of their direct relationship with God and use it to keep their Christianity fresh and alive. Through the righteousness one receives from this direct relationship, will come blessings from nature and they will be able to behold the beauty of nature. Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts to a socially conscious Scottish mother and a French pioneer manufacturer father. Thoreau eventually went to Harvard College and graduated in 1837. A year later he set up a school with his brother John where he taught Latin, Greek and science until 1841 when his brother got sick. A year after his brother’s death in 1842, Thoreau moved to Staten Island to be a tutor for Emerson’s brother, William. He would also do handy work around the house. Eventually he met Emerson and lived with him and his wife doing handy work. Emerson used that time to influence him to be a part of the transcendentalist movement. In 1849, Thoreau publishes Civil Disobedience. In this writing he criticizes American politics. He wrote this during the time of slavery and the Mexican-American war. Thoreau â€Å"heartily accepts the motto, ‘That government is best which governs least;’ and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe, ‘That government is best which governs not at all’. † (Civil Disobedience, 357, 1849) He feels as though an unjust government that allows for slavery and aggressive war is useless. He is also critical of democracy. Democracy puts forth a government that is given power from the majority to make laws beneficial to the majority. They don’t necessarily have the most legitimate viewpoint but they do have the most power. Therefore citizens are obligated to not follow the law because it is morally wrong. They must do what is right and distance themselves from government. Thoreau isn’t advocating for government to go away, he just wants a better government. Democracy was brought about to ensure individual freedom but yet it has intervened in the lives of many individuals and taken away the exact freedom it was meant to protect. â€Å"But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it. † (Civil Disobedience, 358, 1849) Majority rule isn’t based on justice. He proposes the ruling of individual conscience. Rulers should be moral. Since they are not, he advocates for rebellion. Thoreau in his own action refused to pay taxes and spent a night in jail. He refused to participate in government. He believed that the individual should not comply with unjust laws. They must break the law, if necessary. Expressing your opposition to slavery is not enough you must act on this objection. He calls for a peaceful revolution by nonpayment of taxes and not being afraid to take the prison time. â€Å"Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison. † (Civil Disobedience, 370, 1849) He feels as though prison is the only place a just man can â€Å"abide with honor. † (Civil Disobedience, 370, 1849) Throughout his essay, like many of Emerson’s works, he is an advocate for the individual. The individual has a responsibility to live his own life according to his morals and regard society as secondary. â€Å"There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly. † He feels as though the government should only touch or put a law on what the individual allows it to. He praises the progress of America from an absolute monarchy to a limited monarchy and now a democracy but feels as though it shouldn’t stop there. He feels as though there needs to be a government where the individual is valued more and have a say in what affects them personally. Not a government where the majority rules and the minority is left to fend for themselves. Over time Thoreau becomes fed up with the law. In 1854, he delivers a more radical and violent speech, Slavery in Massachusetts. He is calling for people to fight and murder the state. â€Å"Who can be serene in a country where both the rulers and the ruled are without principle? The remembrance of my country spoils my walk. My thoughts are murder to the State, and involuntarily go plotting against her. † (Slavery in Massachusetts, Line 49, 1854) In a Plea for Captain Brown he speaks on revenge of him and the slave. He is now calling for the individual to not only resist but have its revenge on the state. Thoreau is not a big fan of government. He is appreciative of the government for changing from an absolute monarchy to a limited government and then a democracy but he is waiting for the day where the government that governs least or not at all, unless the individual requests it, will come. A government in which the majority rules is unjust because it only benefits the majority and enslaves the minority. Therefore the individual must resist no fight, no take revenge. As matters got worse, Thoreau became more violent and radical. Emerson was also an abolitionist who criticized the government for not recognizing the divine nature of the individual. He argued for lesser government and a minimization of the power they have. He didn’t approve of the government not allowing equal rights for all individuals, including women. (Politics, 1849) Sarah Margaret Fuller Sarah Margaret Fuller was born on May 23, 1810 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was educated by her American lawyer father. At an early age she displayed noticeably intellectual powers and became a member of the group of distinguished writers and philosophers who believed in transcendentalism. From 1835 to 1837 she taught languages in Boston and later became principal of a school in Rhode Island. In 1840 she founded The Dial, a periodical on transcendentalism, with Emerson and later met Thoreau who became an editor. In 1839, she washeavily involved in a women’s movement for intellectual and s ocial development, where she received her material for Women in the Nineteenth Century/ The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women. (Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 2014, 1p) In this work Fuller is advocating for the equal rights of women and abolition of slavery. Both movements were essentially the same they were both looking to have the same rights as the majority. Though Fuller went about it a different way. She didn’t just want the right to vote, equal pay and etc. She wanted the same self-reliance that a man was able to have. For she felt as though her soul was no different from a man’s soul. Everyone has a soul. If men gave women more intellectual and spiritual freedom, both genders could benefit as a whole. She is bringing forth a lawsuit on the behalf of women. Essentially suing the government for not allowing women to have the rights they are due. This piece allowed her room to bring forth a case to prove transcendentalism as an indeterminate sex and spiritually aware democracy. She also wanted to show them that they wrong in not offering women education. A woman can write a lawsuit. She was asserting Emerson’s self-reliance spiritual regeneration, the soul being genderless and a different conception of women. She did this in the form of a lawsuit to prove that she could do anything society deemed as only for men. She didn’t see either sex as greater than the other. She felt that one could not develop without the help of the other. (The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women. , 384-423, 1843) Fuller argued that for a Woman to correct natural law she needs to be educated and have access to employment and politics. Women’s rights were vital to America. She argued that â€Å"all men are created equal. † (Declaration of Independence, 1776) The problem with this argument is that when the founders created the Declaration of Independence it was evident that they didn’t consider all men, women, or minorities as considered equal. They were advocating for the minority. Thus she does say that if it’s a law for the nation then it should be a law for all that inhabits the nation. â€Å"Though the national independence be blurred by the servility of individuals; though freedom and equality have been proclaimed only to leave room for a monstrous display of slave dealing and slave keeping; though the free American so often feels himself free†¦still it is not in vain, that the verbal statement has been made, All men are born free and equal. There it stands, a golden certainty, wherewith to encourage the good, to shame the bad. The new world may be called clearly to perceive that it incurs the utmost penalty, if it rejects the sorrowful brother†¦It is inevitable that an external freedom, such as has been achieved for the nation, should be so also for every member of it It has become a law, irrevocable†¦ Men will privately sin against it, but the law so clearly expressed by a leading mind of the age, All made in the likeness of the One, All children of one ransom, In whatever hour, in whatever part of the soil We draw this vital air, We are brothers, we must be bound by one compact, Accursed he who infringes it, Who raises himself upon the weak who weep, Who saddens an immortal spirit cannot fail of universal recognition. † (The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women. ,389-390, 1843) Fuller calls for a refreshing of the American political culture through the transcendentalists concept of self-reliance. Emerson’s transcendentalist view on self- reliance calls for the individual to apply their own conscience view on everything they see. She also calls the government out for violating natural law by hindering Americans from the liberty and equality they were promised. She says they need a moral law instead. Through transcendentalism they get this moral law when the individual is worried about the individual and does what is best for himself according to his values. (Self-Reliance, 318-339, 1841) Her way of going about getting the revolution that she wanted, was through a peaceful revolution advocating for equality through a spiritually aware, sexless democracy. She hoped it would lead to equality among genders and change the status quo of American Politics. If she could make the government see the wrong in gender discrimination then she could open their eyes to the evil of slavery. This could only be accomplished through divine law. Sarah Margaret Fuller was a woman denied the right of education yet she was surrounded by men that she was able to learn from. Her male counterparts not only taught her but learned from her. She used the ideas of both Emerson and Thoreau to fight against both feminism and slavery. The movements were very much so alike and many of the arguments she made applied to both. The one thing about her is that she not only was an advocate for transcendentalism but also a sexless society. She felt as though no gender, race or being was better than the other. Conclusion Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Sarah Margaret Fuller were the main leaders of the transcendentalist movement. Together and apart they raised issues and were a voice for the unheard. They all advocated for the individual to change themselves and worry about society second. If every individual changed himself then they wouldn’t have to worry about society because eventually society would change as a result of everyone becoming idealists. Ralph Waldo Emerson took a European movement and made it American. Transcendentalism started in Europe but Emerson made it an American response to romanticism. (The Role of Transcendentalism in Shaping American Cultural Ideology, 248, 2013) Emerson is a strong believer in the divinity of human, nature and God. Through God everything is linked. Nature supplies language and reason gives us the knowledge to understand the spirituality and beauty of nature. Humans also have direct access to God and should use it. Even when they stray from the virtue that they are given by God and nature they can come back because they are directly connected to God. Even the modern Bible says, â€Å"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. † (Holy Bible, Romans 3:23) Emerson is also a former minister of the Unitarian church. Unitarians believe in seven basic principles: (1) The inherent worth and dignity of every person; (2) Justice, equity and compassion in human relations; (3)Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations; (4) A free and responsible search for truth and meaning; (5) The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large; (6) The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all; (7) Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. (http://www. uua. org/beliefs/what- we-believe/principles) While you can see this evident in many of Emerson’s works, he is a critic of second hand religion that passes down a fixed body of beliefs, principles, scriptures and rites. This makes religion stationary to him. He feels as though the individual should interpret the religion in a righteous way without rewriting the religion. He also advocates for the Sabbath and preaching to remain fresh so the religion does as well. Henry David Thoreau seems to be the most radical of the three. His earlier works suggest a nonviolent man being imprisoned for standing up to what he believes his wrong. Overtime he becomes an advocate for a slave rebellion. Thoreau feels as though as the times change and are getting worse, the slave should strike back. His works have inspired people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Just like Thoreau, MLK Jr went from nonviolent protests to making claims such as: â€Å"I will continue to condemn riots, and continue to say to my brothers and sisters that this is not the way. And continue to affirm that there is another way. But at the same time, it is as necessary for me to be as vigorous in condemning the conditions which cause persons to feel that they must engage in riotous activities as it is for me to condemn riots. I think America must see that riots do not develop out of thin air. Certain conditions continue to exist in our society which must be condemned as vigorously as we condemn riots. But in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard. † (The Other America, 1968) A nonviolent person tends to get more radical when they see that matters are getting worse instead of better. Over time they get fed up and grow weary. It’s hard to accept all that violent people are throwing at you and still remain nonviolent. It’s hard to watch people be treated less than what the law allows because they’re not the skin color of the majority that is making the rules. Thoreau is a harsh critic of the American government. Sarah Margaret Fuller takes on this criticism as well when she criticizes government for oppressing the people who are beneficial to the future of America. One of these transcendentalists even go as far as saying that America will become the laughing stock of nations across the world because it supposedly has a government run by the people yet enslaves its people. If you look at the contributions women and minorities have made to the American society, you can see just how crucial we all are to the American Dream. Fuller is saying that all men can’t be created equal and yet be treated less than the white man. We are all equal. There is no such thing as men being superior to men or white men being superior to all. Women can do just as much as men can do. If the government were to create its laws based on morals then we can have a just society. If they also allow for women to be educated and involved in the political realm they would see just how important women are. Through this research transcendentalism has proved itself to be a religious, literary, philosophical movement advocating for the individual. The individual has all the power it needs through the divine relationship it has with its God. The individual has to change themselves before they can even worry about society. The individual has the intellect and moral obligation to go against the evils of society, not to conform and be self-sufficient. Through transcendentalism Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller inspired people around the world in the abolition movement, politics, religions, feminist movement and even many of their counterparts in the transcendentalist movement. It also helped to open the eyes of many during the nineteenth century and pave the way for the coming generation. Bibliography Charles Mignon H. Rose. N. d. Summary and Analysis of The Transcendentalist Glossary. (Cliffnotes) http://www. cliffsnotes. com/literature/e/emersons-essays/summary-and-analysis-of- the-transcendentalist/glossary. (Accessed May 4, 2015) Terminology N. d. Defining Transcendentalism. http://www. transcendentalists. com/terminology. html. (Accessed May 4, 2015) Emerson, Ralph Waldo. 1838. â€Å"The Divinity School Address† Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 230-245. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. 1836. â€Å"Nature. † Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 124-157. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. 18. â€Å"Politics. † Ralph Waldo Emerson Texts. http://www. emersoncentral. com/politics. htm. (Accessed May 4, 2015) Emerson, Ralph Waldo. 1841. â€Å"Self-Reliance† Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 318-339. Emerson, Ralph Waldo. 1841. â€Å"The Transcendentalist† Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 366-380. Fuller, Sarah Margaret. 1843. â€Å"The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus women. † Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 383-422. Fuller, Sarah Margaret. 1845. â€Å"Woman in the Nineteenth Century. † American Transcendentalism Web. http://transcendentalism-legacy. tamu. edu/authors/fuller/woman1. html (Accessed May 4, 2015) Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. 2014. â€Å"Emerson, Ralph Waldo† Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (World Book, Inc. , Chicago): 1. Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. 2014. â€Å"Fuller, (Sarah) Margaret† Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (World Book, Inc., Chicago): 1. Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. 2014. â€Å"Transcendentalism† Funk Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (World Book, Inc. , Chicago): 1. Henry David Thoreau. (2015). The Biography. com website. http://www. biography. com/people/henry-david-thoreau-9506784. (Accessed May 05, 2015) Kellman, Steven G. 2014. â€Å"Henry David Thoreau† Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia. King Jr. , Martin Luther. 1968. â€Å"The Other America. † http://www. crmvet. org/docs/otheram. htm. (Accessed May 6, 2015). Paul. N. d. â€Å"Romans 3:23† The Holy Bible (NIV) Rus, Dana. 2013. The Role of Transcendentalism in Shaping American Cultural Ideology. (Communication Mass Media Complete, EBSCOhost) Thoreau, Henry David. 1849. â€Å"Civil Disobedience. † Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 546-564. Thoreau, Henry David. 1859. â€Å"A Plea for Captain Brown. † Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 628-646. Thoreau, Henry David. 1854. â€Å"Slavery in Massachusetts. † Transcendentalism: A Reader (Oxford University Press, December 2000): 602-614. Unitarian Universalist Association. N. d. â€Å"Our Unitarian Universalist Principles† http://www. uua. org/beliefs/what-we-believe/principles. (Accessed May 6, 2015).

The Essence Of Blues Music

The Essence Of Blues Music Blues music at its inception is the music of the downtrodden and poor. Having its roots in the plantations of the South, blues music gave expression to the trials and sufferings of African-Americans who had suffered slavery, injustice, and poverty. According to Scaruffi (2003), Music remained the main vehicle to vent the frustration of a people, but the end of slavery introduced the individual: instead of being defined by a group (the faithful or the workers), the black singer was now free to and capable of defining himself as an individual. His words and mood still echoed the condition of an entire people, but solo singers represented a new take on that condition, the view of a man finally enabled to travel, and no longer a prisoner of his community, although, sometimes, more lonely. The songs of a negro were the diary of his life (road, train, prison, saloon, sex), often an itinerant life, as opposed to the diary of a community (plantation, church) (1) The blues is a song of lamentation of self pity. The songs often deal with themes that deal with an individuals pain and are often told in a tongue-in-cheek manner. It is a highly personalized account of what an individual is going through, and is reflective of the harsh realities of life of the American Negro faces in the deep South. Oftentimes the lyrics of blues deal with unhappy situations brought about by being jobless, poor, lonely, hungry, or being betrayed and deserted by an unfaithful lover. The whole essence of blues music was pain, but while the songs seems to be a paean to an individuals plight it does not wallow in tragedy but rather it celebrates it and recognizes the inevitability of the situation. And in the song Folsom Prison Blues Johnny Cash has managed to capture all of these elements and succeeds in telling a story about a prison in-mate who landed in prison because he killed a man so that he could see how he would die. (2) There are two physical elements in the song that is consistent to the tradition of blues music. The first is the prison and the other is the train. These two elements can be seen as metaphors for two themes that were important to the downtrodden and dispossessed negro the reality of being a slave, both literal and figurative, and on the other hand the longing for freedom and redemption which due to his place in society he can never have. For the prison in-mate in the song his prison cell is a reality he cant escape from. It is a reality brought about by his own actions and to some extent it is a reality that he accepts and concedes to. While the train that he sees from his prison cell represents all the things in life that he would want to have but can never have due to his social status in life. In fact the train with all its rich folks is actually taunting him making him feel bitter about his situation. Scaruffi makes mention of this stating that, Theoretically, the civil war that ended in 1863 freed the African slaves (slavery was officially abolished in 1865), and, in fact, the first collection of negro songs was published shortly afterwards, Slave Songs of the United States (1867). In practice, it did little to improve the condition of the black man: same job, same discrimination. Even for the blacks who left the Southern states, the cities of the North promised freedom, but mostly delivered a different kind of slavery(1) This discrimination and the inability of African-Americans to escape the imposed state of things can be clearly reflected on Johnny Cashs song albeit with a prisoner taking the place of the black man with the train representing white society. The social condition that has spawned blues music is still in existence today in the black ghettoes of America and is seen in the implied racism that most of the poor working class African-Americans are still suffering from. It is for this reason that blues music and the themes that it deals with are still relevant today as it was then. But like any form of popular culture that gets assimilated in the mainstream blues music today has lost its socio-political power and is now viewed more of a musical genre and is celebrated more for its contributions to the world of music. Today most people with equate blues music with such bands as the Rolling Stones and other white musicians who were influenced by such blues legends such as Muddy Waters and BB King. But if you define blues broadly as the music of the downtrodden and the dispossessed then one can say that the blues music has influenced every form of music that has embraced the themes and issues that blues musicians sang about. During the 1950s blues music gave birth to rock and roll a musical style that took blues guitar chords and riffs and brought about a whole new form of expression that went against conservative values. Blues themes also found expression in the late 80s in the musical rebellion called punk music. Like the blues punk music was born out of the suffering and despair of a marginalized social stratum this time instead of black plantation workers you have the disillusioned working class youth singing about their plight. Rap music can also be seen as the direct descendant of blues music. Like the blues, rap music is a vocal expression of the African-American youth of today to illustrate the problems that he is facing in a society that has constantly denied him redemption and has marginalized him. According to Parker (1999), For todays Black youth, rap music is this medium. It is a musical voice and expression of the unjust and violent society in which they live. Is rap music a trend that has never been witnessed in America before? No, rap music is a continuing line of Negro expressions including; Spirituals, Blues, and Soul, all of which were inspired in trying times in our society, even more so than that of today(3). While blues music can never be separated from and will always be integral to African-American history and struggles, the themes the blues sang about has a universal appeal which speaks directly to all of those who has had to endure a life of struggle against social inequality, personal trials, and injustices. The challenge of an individual to rise above his social conditions and the limitations that society has imposed upon him is a situation that anyone can understand, empathize and relate to. Psychologically the blues is an outlet for the frustrations that a Black man has to face in American society. A blues musician Tampa Red sang a song called Depression Blues. The song lyrics tell of how if only he could tell all his troubles then his heart would be at ease. This shows that for blues musicians the blues is a cathartic activity which helps them deal with the troubles they are facing. Singing and music has been shown to influence the mood of people. An organization called the American Music Therapy Association even claims music helps individuals with mental health conditions to address depression by making them conscious about their feelings and be more in touch with their emotions and moods (4.). It is therefore clear that singing the blues does help us deal with personal issues by bringing out this issues out in the open in the form of song and music. It gives find us a safe form of expression wherein we could channel emotions and emotional release.

The Physics of Cross-Country Skiing :: physics sport sports cross country ski

Missing Figures Cross-country skiing is as much of a competitive sport, as it is a back country one. Cross-country skiing is enjoyed by people of all ages, and can be relatively inexpensive. There is no need for lift tickets and with a little maintenance equipment can last for decades. As a result of its broad audience, many people don't realize that physics plays a large role in cross-country skiing. This web page was designed to briefly describe some of the concepts behind the physics of skiing, and give a basic understanding of both the sport and the science. Friction is obviously an important factor of cross country skiing. On one hand, friction is necessary because without it a skier wouldn't be able to ski up hill or even move on flat surfaces. However, when racing, skiers prefer to have the smallest friction force working on them possible. In order to reduce the frictional forces which would slow them down, skiers wax the bottom of their skis. The types of wax which they apply to their skis have different functions. The hot wax which is applied to the entire ski reduces the friction between the ski and the snow. This allows the ski to glide on the snow and gives the skier more distance for each stride. Another type of wax is applied to the "kicker". The kicker is the area under the bindings. In other words the kicker is the area where most of the gravitational force of the skier is applied. Skiers apply a type of wax to the kicker that will cause the friction coefficient to increase. This allows skiers to be able to push off and ski uphill. In order to begin their outdoor adventure, a skier must first face the forces of static friction. Static friction is the force that keeps the skier at rest. As the skier overcomes the static friction there is a point where the coefficient of friction is greater than that of the kinetic friction that resists the skiers motion. It is clear to see this concept in the figure below. From the figure above, it is also easy to see that the kinetic friction remains almost constant for a range of speeds. This kinetic friction is the force which slows the skiers down after they start moving.