The Unification of China Essay Example for Free

The Unification of China Essay When I first read the entire Sima Qian document, I immediately thought that I was entering top secret files or records or something like a diary from Qian himself. Then I realized that this was his job, to document the activities of the Emperor, and I got a little less excited about the drama within the reading but focused on the material. The unification of China had its good and bad results. I personally think that the results could have been obtained a different and less cruel way than what the Emperor did, but regardless of the process, a totalitarian government was formed as a result of the events unifying China. When the Emperor ordered the history and free speech to be destroyed, in his mind at the time it made sense. He was trying to rule a nation and eventually graduate to the world in the eyes of the way that one person, himself, shall see it and run it. That makes perfect sense to erase, or order everyone, to burn all remains of education, knowledge, and information from the society he wished to overtake. He was a very smart man because he was intelligent enough to try to get everyone to see that it was his way or death, and everyone feared death so they obeyed his orders and ridded all documents and books among other paraphernalia. This man reminded me of Hitler almost except Hitler used more psychological tactics and convinced a whole nation that they were superior to the Jews. The Emperor here just threatened everyone to side with him or they were to be executed, so logically these citizens just did what he said to avoid dying. I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same exact thing they did. Most people were probably scared of this man and the amount of power he obtained and how he was using his power was threatening within itself. The Emperor really was in his own little world psychologically and he tried to make that fake world a reality almost and forced others to do what he wanted to make his fantasy a reality. Apparently there was some kind of myth involving immortality herbs and plants or something of that nature and of course the Emperor’s greedy ass  wanted it and had people searching for this substance; then he ordered people to start building walls and roads, which is where the Great Wall of China came from, and hiding him out in places because he didn’t want anyone to know of his whereabouts as he gets this sacred plant of immortality. At some point in what I call his personal solitary confinement, he goes crazy thinking that just because the carriages and outriders a re outside that they all know that he is located there in the mountains and even when they leave, he is still paranoid and blamed the eunuchs for leaking his hide out spot. He approaches the eunuchs, gathers them all and asked them who exposed of his get-a-way place and of course none of them confessed (probably because none of them did it) and he arrested them all and executed them. At this point, I’m thinking this man is either crazy or on a super power struggle and it might be a mixture of both. Master Hou and Master Lu prove exactly everything that I said was true with this quote, â€Å"The First Emperor is by nature obstinate, cruel, and self-willed. He rose up from among the feudal rulers to unite the entire empire, and now that he has achieved his ends and fulfilled his desires, he believes that there has never been anyone like him since remote antiquity†¦the emperor delights in showing his authority by punishing and killing, and everyone throughout the empire dreads punishment and tries merely to maintain his position, none daring to exert true loyalty. The emperor never learns of his mistakes and hence grows daily more arrogant, wh ile his underlings, prostrate with fear, flatter and deceive him in order to curry favor. This moved me in the sense that I cannot image this crazy man being my president or having any type of power because he obviously doesn’t know how to use it properly for humanity. This man killed people without thinking twice but simply because he had the power to do it, he did. That kind of mentality is shocking and then to know he had no remorse for killing 460 scholars for no reason is even more shocking. He got each scholar to sell each other out and they still got killed anyway. It’s just depressing that a human being would do that much damage and kill all those people with the simple title of â€Å"Emperor.† I don’t think that him unifying China was supposed to happen honestly. He wanted to unify the world into little Martians of what he wanted it to be which is why he took the approach of invading all of those cities and taking everything that the â€Å"black-headed people† had so they would have nothing else to live for than  what he emplo yed them to do because they almost had no other choice if they wanted to survive. The only other option, given the Emperor’s history, is most likely death so they just accepted his invasion and turned into little robots for him. This was probably the Emperor’s plan for how he was going to take over the entire world, but of course we know it didn’t get quite that far. The first Emperor’s impact was quite beneficial for the people. They realized that after having only one person running a country that it turns to chaos with a major power struggle and the only way to have a good civilization is for all of the little cities to come together and rule as a whole. This emperor’s craziness was all the motivation for the people to unite and become as one nation instead of many little ones that will only fight for power and resources. They collected all weapons and put the materials to good use in casting bells, bell stands, and statues. The remainder was used in the palace and the people created one standard writing system for the future.

Psychodynamic Theory and Trait Theory of Personality

Psychodynamic Theory and Trait Theory of Personality The purpose of this paper is to understand the behaviour exhibited in a specific case study using Freud’s psychodynamic theory and Allport’s trait theory of personality. Personality is defined as the thoughts, feelings and behaviour of an individual that perseveres over time and different situations (Perelberg Ebooks, 2008). Following a summary of the case study the paper will provide a brief overview of each theory and go into detail about how each theory explains the behaviour and personality of Judy, a mother who is the focus of the case study. Judy loves cleaning her house. She desires receiving compliments regarding her cleanliness. Judy spends every weekend cleaning. Whenever guests were invited over Judy would spend a lot of time and effort making sure her house was spotless. She would instruct the kids on acceptable conversation and organise frequent family meetings. Judy did not understand why other family members wouldn’t take cleaning seriously. A neighbour once accidently left grass clippings on her front lawn which resulted in Judy ignoring that neighbour for two years. Even though the family were not in any financial troubles Judy would force everyone to take extreme measures to save money. Judy would get mad when her friends didn’t invite her to dinner parties. She frequently criticises her friends and does not understand why someone would not want to be her friend. The first theory that will be discussed is Freud’s psychodynamic theory. Psychodynamic theory explains personality by focusing on the conscious and unconscious motivation behind human behaviour, feeling and emotion (Shelder, 2010). Freud stressed that the mind is not a single construct, but is in fact made up of separate components. These mental processes are fuelled by sexual and aggressive urges. These urges stem from instinctual and biological drives (Perelberg Ebooks, 2008). Some of these urges may be unacceptable on a conscious level and are repressed into the unconscious where they build up over time until they influence thoughts, feelings or behaviour. The mind is divided into three components that house these urges. The id is an unconscious component that seeks pleasure. The superego is constructed from internalised rules and expectations. The ego mediates between the unconscious urges of the id and the firm rules of the superego. The interactions between these components determine human personality and behaviour. This model on human behaviour is called Freud’s Structural Model (Freud, 1961). Freud proposed that adult human behaviour is influenced by childhood experiences (Freud Hall, 2014). Specifically he proposed a model where childhood sexual development would influence adulthood personality and behaviour. Inadequate development in a psychosexual stage would result in a fixation that would negatively influence behaviour and personality later on in life. In order to deal with these issues the mind can employ a range of defence mechanisms. Defence mechanisms are unconscious processes that distort reality to reduce unpleasant feelings and thoughts such as anxiety (Freud, 1992). These processes arise from the ego. Anxiety and other unpleasant feelings are a result of the id or superego becoming too demanding and causing distress. The second perspective that will be used is Allport’s Trait Theory. Allport’s theory suggests that human behaviour and personality is influenced by emotional, cognitive and behavioural tendencies called traits (Allport Allport, 1921). A trait can either be a predisposition to behave in a certain manner or it could be a personality characteristic. These traits can be used to obtain an understanding of a subject’s overall personality. Allport organised these traits into a hierarchical structure with three levels. Cardinal traits lie at the top of the hierarchy and are traits that govern an individual’s whole behaviour or personality (Allport, 1966). Most people don’t have cardinal traits but if they do they generally only have a singular trait that dictates their behaviour and personality. The next level of traits is called central traits. These consist of general characteristics of personality present in most individuals. These traits affect behaviour the most (Allport, 1937b). The last level of traits is secondary traits which are characteristics that are only apparent when in contact with specific external stimuli. These secondary traits can conflict with central traits when activated and account for uncommon displays of behaviour which may contradict overall personality. A major theme of Allport’s theory is that of functional autonomy, which states that adult behaviour and personality is not related to earlier experiences but behaviour first started as a drive for a separate motive which over time the desire for the drive outgrows the motive resulting in the drive being separate, or autonomous from the original drive (Allport, 1937a). Since the original motive for the behaviour is lost it is difficult to find the source or reasoning behind behavioural traits. Freud will be the first theorist that will be used to discuss Judy’s behaviours and personality. Freud explains Judy’s excessive cleanliness due to an inadequate development of the anal stage of psychosexual development in childhood (Freud Hall, 2014). In the anal stage, which lasts from 18 months to three years of age the child is learning to become toilet trained which is the first step in autonomy from parents. Properly developing this skill leads to a sense of accomplishment and independence. The outcome of this stage is dependent on the methods employed by the parents to teach bowl control (Freud Hall, 2014). If parents are too strict then the child may develop an anal-retentive personality which results in the child being orderly, rigid and obsessive. In this case study Judy is showing signs of an anal-retentive personality by her obsession on having a clean house and her strict rules on where items go in the kitchen. This behaviour is maintained by her superego which dominates her thoughts, feelings and behaviour (Freud, 1961). Judy’s strict rules on cleanliness and order may be the reason why she is so controlling in the family’s financial situation, due to her strict nature on cleanliness carrying over to other aspects of her life such as finance. Judy maintains order by frequently organising family meetings which are an outlet for her unconscious desires of order to manifest. Her feelings regarding her relationships with other people are repressed into her unconscious where they build up and come out via criticism to Sarah, her daughter or to the recipients face. Judy seeks approval from her guests. This approval is a major part of her id. Judy pursues approval for her id by using strict rules from her superego to gather compliments regarding her home. Judy’s quest for approval results in anxiety from keeping a clean house and frustration from guests not inviting her to dinner. Anxiety is a threat to the ego from impulses generated by the id (Freud, 1992). She uses defence mechanisms to reduce anxiety. Defence mechanisms are an unconscious process that distorts reality so that the threat impulses to the ego do not become conscious (Freud, 1992). Whenever someone does not want her friendship Judy uses denial to ignore any criticisms she may have said which resulted in her loss of friendship. She may repress any memories where she acted in a way that is not friendly. To gain more information a psychodynamic psychologist would use performance based measures such as a projective test or free association (MacCann, Matthews, Zeidner, Roberts, 2003). Performance based measures reveal underlying attitudes and implicit motivations due to their indirect nature. These tests do not provide information about what the subject is thinking or feeling. A specific measure that would be used to gather more information is free association (Oxburgh Dando, 2011). Free association is a psychoanalytic technique where the individual is allowed to talk about whatever thoughts come to mind. This is an indirect measure that can provide information on an individual’s thoughts and feelings. The therapist would listen and take notes to try and find any underlying unconscious motivation to gain a better understanding of the individual’s personality and behaviour. This method can reveal dispositions about personality and behaviour that an individual is not consciously aware of possessing. The second theorist that will be used is Allport. Judy is obsessive to the point that it is classed as a cardinal trait. Her obsessive trait affects nearly every other aspect of her personality and behaviour. Her main high central traits are authoritative, economical, cleanly and sociable, which are all affected by her cardinal trait. These trait names are from Allport’s list of trait names that best define personality (Allport Odbert, 1936). Judy’s authoritative trait is evident in the way she informs her children on proper conversation topics and when organising family meetings to discuss the proper procedure and location of items. Her economical trait is shown through her strict rules governing her family’s finances. This is a clear example of how her cardinal trait has affected a central trait to the extreme. The trait of cleanliness is clearly shown to be an important trait of her personality as evident by her passionate cleaning ritual. Her sociability has a secondary trait where she gets angry when someone disrupts her clean home, shown by the neighbour who she ignored for two years. Judy also gets frustrated when other family members don’t see the value in keeping the home organised and clean, further supporting her secondary trait. One method to gain more information on Judy’s personality and behaviour can be to administer a self-report inventory such as the California Personality Inventory (CPI). The CPI is an inventory that measures personality traits (Groth-Marnat Mullard, 2010). The questions on the CPI relate to normal behaviours, feelings and attitudes regarding family and social matters. Self-report inventories directly measure how a person thinks and feels (MacCann, et al., 2003). Due to this explicit method the inventory is a good way to identify personality states and other behavioural traits that they can recognize about themselves. The two different perspectives share many similarities in their assessment of Judy’s behaviour and personality. Both perspectives conclude that her obsessive reliance on strict rules is a major factor in her philosophy on financial matters. Both perspectives believe that a certain characteristic (obsessiveness/cleanliness), dominates her whole personality and its effect carries over into other aspects of her personality and behaviour. Lastly both perspectives agree that her frustration at not being invited out to dinner parties by her friends is social in nature. Although the two perspectives seem to come to similar conclusions regarding Judy’s behaviour there are a couple of major differences. Freud’s perspective believes that her obsession towards cleanliness is due to a childhood experience concerning toilet training while Allport believes that cardinal traits such as this are developed later on in life and due to functional autonomy it is not possible to find out the cause of this trait. Freud’s theory has many positive benefits. It is a theory that is based on experimental psychology and it explains characteristics of personality (Freud Hall, 2014). Unfortunately the theory has an overemphasis on the unconsciousness and relies too heavily on childhood experiences (Perelberg Ebooks, 2008). The theory is mainly backed by data gathered via case studies and clinical observations which are not reliable as data gathered from a wide range of sources. Allport’s theory is based on objective and statistical data (Allport, 1966). There are no biases compared to Freud whose relationship with his mother is said to have greatly influenced his work (Allport Allport, 1921). The theory can account for any behavioural or personality aspect with traits. The theory itself is easy to understand and can be used with many different assessment measures. There are a few negative connotations with Allport’s perspective. The theory is a poor predictor of future personality and behaviour since the theory does not explain how traits are maintained (Bertocci, 1940). The theory does not discuss how the traits themselves have developed nor does the theory explain how personality works due to functional autonomy. There is also some discrepancy on the consistency of traits although that is partially explained via secondary traits. Allport’s theory does not take into account ecological, social or situational factors that may affect behaviour or personality. The definition of trait is broad and includes attitudes, habit and other tendencies such as need under one classification which may decrease the validity of traits. Freud’s perspective states that Judy’s major behavioural and personality attributes are due to an inadequate development in her childhood anal psychosexual development stage which has caused Judy to exhibit an anal-retentive personality that affects her behaviour negatively. Her behaviour results in the production of anxiety and Judy uses ego defence mechanisms to reduce anxiety. More information about Judy’s personality and behaviour can be gathered via free association. Allport’s perspective suggests that Judy’s behaviour and personality is due to a cardinal trait of obsessiveness which affects every other aspect of her personality from keeping her house clean and organised to managing her family’s finances. More information about Judy’s personality can be gained by conducting a self-report inventory on personality. Both perspectives focused on different aspects of Judy’s personality. Freud’s theory focused on the unconscious motivation behind Judy’s actions while Allport looked at the actions in detail. They both came to similar conclusions in that Judy is obsessive and that this is negatively affecting her relationships. References Allport, F. H., Allport, G. W. (1921). Personality Traits: Their Classification and Measurement. The Journal of Abnormal Psychology and Social Psychology, 16(1), 6-40. Allport, G. W. (1937a). The Functional Autonomy of Motives. The American Journal of Psychology, 50(1/4), 141-156. Allport, G. W. (1937b). Personality: A psychological interpretation. Allport, G. W. (1966). Traits revisited. American psychologist, 21(1), 1. Allport, G. W., Odbert, H. S. (1936). Trait-names: A psycho-lexical study. Psychological Monographs, 47(1), i-171. Bertocci, P. A. (1940). A critique of G. W. Allports theory of motivation. Psychological Review, 47(6), 501-532. Freud, A. (1992). The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence: Karnac Books. Freud, S. (1961). THE EGO AND THE ID. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 5(1), 656. doi:10.1097/00000441-196111000-00027 Freud, S., Hall, G. S. (2014). A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis. Auckland: The Floating Press. Groth-Marnat, G., Mullard, M. J. (2010). California Psychological Inventory. In The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology: John Wiley Sons, Inc. MacCann, C., Matthews, G., Zeidner, M., Roberts, R. D. (2003). PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE: A REVIEW OF SELF-REPORT AND PERFORMANCE-BASED TESTING. [Article]. International Journal of Organizational Analysis (2003), 11(3), 247-274. Oxburgh, G. E., Dando, C. J. (2011). Psychology and interviewing: what direction now in our quest for reliable information? The British Journal of Forensic Practice, 13(2), 135-144. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14636641111134378 Perelberg, R. J., Ebooks, C. (2008). Freud: A Modern Reader. Hoboken: Wiley [Imprint]. Shelder, J. (2010). The Efficacy of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy. Psychotherapy in Australia, 16(3), 38-51.

The Guilt of Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Guilt of Macbeth  Ã‚   There is guilt throughout the play that motivates Macbeth. This guilt drives Lady Macbeth to insanity, which in the end causes the death of Lady Macbeth. Throughout the play Macbeth's deeds do no good his for conscious and his inheritance of the throne. There have been several occasions that Macbeth had experienced his guilt of the crimes he committed and the feeling of the fact that he was to be overthrown. After Macbeth kills King Duncan he feels guilty after committing this crime. Throughout the play there are several times where Macbeth is fallen guilty of his crimes, as well as his lady. after killing Duncan. Macbeth says, Methought I heard a voice cry, Sleep no more! Macbeth does murder sleep...(act2, scene2) to Lady Macbeth after he killed Duncan. As he hears this you tell that Macbeth is starting to feel guilty of the horrible deed he has done. I'll go no more. I am afraid to think what I have done. Look on't again I dare not.(act2, scene2) Macbeth says this during the conversation between him and Lady Macbeth after Macbeth killed Duncan. At this point in the play Lady Macbeth still hasn't had any guilt to the crimes she's been apart of. The second appearance that Macbeth becomes guilt stricken is in act three scene one. The scene starts off with Macbeth talking with Banquo. Macbeth is planning on killing Banquo because he fears that Banquo is becoming quite suspicious. So Macbeth plans on killing Banquo, while Banquo goes out for his night ride with his son Fleance. Due to this Macbeth starts to regain the guilt of him killing Duncan. For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered, put rancors in the vessel of my peace...(act3,scene1) Macbeth states this before he commands Banquo's death. At this point Macbeth seems to be as if he is in quick sand; the more he tries to get out the deeper he falls. Lady Macbeth has finally reached the end of her sanity, she starts to do some really odd things during the night. I have seen her rise from her bed, throw her nightgown upon her, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon't, read it, afterwards seal it, and again return to bed; yet all this while in a most fast

Thomas Hardy :: History

Thomas Hardy About Thomas Hardy and his Wessex Thomas hardy was born in 1840 and died 1928. During his 88-years old life he wrote fifteen novels and one he never published. He also wrote over 900 poems. He wrote and published four volumes of short stories. He was born, and lived the best part of his life, near Dorchester, the county town of Dorset and Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxford. To the section of south-west England he gave the fictional name Wessex, called his first book of poetry ‘Wessex poetry’ and his first collection of short stories he called ‘Wessex tails’. He even called his dog ‘Wessex’. Thomas hardy was born in a cottage which had been built for his grandfather and was brought up buy his Mum, Dad and Nan. The cottage was an isolated building on the edge of a wild heath-land, for which Thomas hardy, in one of his novels, invented the name ‘Egdon heath’. The family Hardy was made up of a Mum, Dad, a gifted boy Thomas, two sisters and a brother. The children had to make their own fun and entertainment. So they would usually listen to their father’s tales. They would involve danger, excitement, interesting characters and a dramatic ending. Thomas hardy based some novels on his relative’s storeys. The telling of such tales was a regular pastime for the small family, and as he grew up, he learned to shape them for a wider audience. For instance, when Thomas was still a boy, he knew he wanted to be a writer. As a child, the lady of the manor at the local mansion particularly favoured Thomas. She was childless, and showed special interest in Thomas, treating him almost like a child of her own, and inviting him to her grand house. Thomas’s mother resented this and according to Thomas hardy, she openly defied the lady. No one knows what exactly happened, but it is certainly true that Thomas’s mother took young Thomas away from the village school, which the lady had founded, and sent him to a school in Dorchester. Thomas Hardy’s mother had a strong will of her own, unlike the heroine of ‘the son’s veto’ who all allows her life to be ruled by the middle- class people. Her marriage has put her among, and, in the end, to be fatally frustrated by the snobbery of her own son. Thomas Hardy :: History Thomas Hardy About Thomas Hardy and his Wessex Thomas hardy was born in 1840 and died 1928. During his 88-years old life he wrote fifteen novels and one he never published. He also wrote over 900 poems. He wrote and published four volumes of short stories. He was born, and lived the best part of his life, near Dorchester, the county town of Dorset and Devon, Somerset, Cornwall, Hampshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and Oxford. To the section of south-west England he gave the fictional name Wessex, called his first book of poetry ‘Wessex poetry’ and his first collection of short stories he called ‘Wessex tails’. He even called his dog ‘Wessex’. Thomas hardy was born in a cottage which had been built for his grandfather and was brought up buy his Mum, Dad and Nan. The cottage was an isolated building on the edge of a wild heath-land, for which Thomas hardy, in one of his novels, invented the name ‘Egdon heath’. The family Hardy was made up of a Mum, Dad, a gifted boy Thomas, two sisters and a brother. The children had to make their own fun and entertainment. So they would usually listen to their father’s tales. They would involve danger, excitement, interesting characters and a dramatic ending. Thomas hardy based some novels on his relative’s storeys. The telling of such tales was a regular pastime for the small family, and as he grew up, he learned to shape them for a wider audience. For instance, when Thomas was still a boy, he knew he wanted to be a writer. As a child, the lady of the manor at the local mansion particularly favoured Thomas. She was childless, and showed special interest in Thomas, treating him almost like a child of her own, and inviting him to her grand house. Thomas’s mother resented this and according to Thomas hardy, she openly defied the lady. No one knows what exactly happened, but it is certainly true that Thomas’s mother took young Thomas away from the village school, which the lady had founded, and sent him to a school in Dorchester. Thomas Hardy’s mother had a strong will of her own, unlike the heroine of ‘the son’s veto’ who all allows her life to be ruled by the middle- class people. Her marriage has put her among, and, in the end, to be fatally frustrated by the snobbery of her own son.

Emily Dickinsons Fascicle 17 Essay -- Emily Dickinson Fascicle 17 Poe

Emily Dickinson's Fascicle 17 Approaching Emily Dickinson’s poetry as one large body of work can be an intimidating and overwhelming task. There are obvious themes and images that recur throughout, but with such variation that seeking out any sense of intention or order can feel impossible. When the poems are viewed in the groupings Dickinson gave many of them, however, possible structures are easier to find. In Fascicle 17, for instance, Dickinson embarks upon a journey toward confidence in her own little world. She begins the fascicle writing about her fear of the natural universe, but invokes the unknowable and religious as a means of overcoming that fear throughout her life and ends with a contextualization of herself within both nature and eternity. The first poem in the fascicle, â€Å"I dreaded that first Robin so†, shows us a Dickinson who is intimidated by even the most harmless creatures in the world around her. Despite the title she gives herself, â€Å"The Queen of Calvary†, her fears seem to hinge on a feeling of inferiority to these small harbingers of spring (24). The first chirp of the robin holds some awful power, while the daffodils become fashionable critics of Dickinson’s simplicity. These comparisons set Dickinson up as someone very small and â€Å"childish†Ã¢â‚¬â€she cannot even stand up to birds and flowers without fear of being exposed to them and found lacking (26). The next poem, â€Å"I would not paint—a picture—† continues this idea, but with a slightly more pleasant spin. While somewhat paradoxically rejecting the idea of making art herself (even devoting a stanza to why she should not write poetry), she gives a sense of the exhilaration she find s in being the audience for any kind of art. Ultimately,... ...Dickinson has for the most part conquered her fears. As the second poem gave us the unsettling idea that the author of the poem we were reading was afraid to compose poetry, this poem shows us her coming to terms with that. Her list of creatures blessed with wonders they had not dared to hope for extends quite naturally to include her. She has come to her â€Å"Heaven† through poetry—â€Å"unexpected†, but eventually with confidence brought about by the trials dealt with throughout the fascicle. The poems are very closely linked, each one showing us some new aspect of Dickinson’s personality that leads toward her confidence. Finally, Dickinson has found her voice and in this final poem proclaims that she has found a peace to which she had not dared aspire at the beginning. Now she has both nature and poetry within her grasp—this is â€Å"Heaven† and â€Å"Old Home† all at once.

The wonderful food

I must confess that there is much of Japan that I do not know about.   What I do know of Japan comes from my childhood and from my brief stay in Japan in the past.   As a child I was always fascinated by the magic of Japanese television; shows such as Godzilla (Gojira) and Space Giants (Ambassador Magma) would fill up my afternoon television slots.In class, I would often share the beauty of Japan with my class by creating posters on Japan in the hope that others could enjoy the magic and beauty that Japan possesses.   Needless to say, the time I spent in Okinawa not only altered my preconceived notions of what Japan really is but the experience also exposed me to a beauty unlike any that I have ever seen in my life.My Okinawa experience is an experience that I will never forget.   There is something for all the senses:   The wonderful food (the sushi, the sashimi, the colorful and scrumptious bento meals); the warmth and friendliness of the people around; the colorful sight s from billboards and store signs; the chorus that one hears from the people on the street yakking on their cellular phones and of course the overwhelming love that felt for Japan.There is no other place in the world that seamlessly and effortlessly incorporates such high tech innovations and gadgetry with the quiet yet powerful beauty of ancient Japan all in one place.While all of the sights, sounds and delicacies were indeed quite an experience, it was not until I came to a brief understanding of the history of Okinawa that I was able to truly enjoy the experience that I had there.Okinawa is historically a separate nation, possessing a distinct culture and language unlike that on the mainland.   Okinawa has a different language from that of Japan, using what is called Ryukyuan, though its use has been slowly declining over the years.Aside from the difference in language, the difference in culture can be seen in the different architecture that one encounters while exploring Okina wa.   There are a number of Gusuku’s or castles that still abound in the area.   The houses are also different because quite a number of them feature a shisa on the roof which closely resembles a dragon.   This is due to the Chinese influence which has also found its way into the local culture.Okinawa is not known to be a tourist haven for foreigners and has been primarily developed to cater to the local tourists. As such, one is expected to know a little of the local language and dialects in order to travel around.Once one is able to overcome the language barrier there are virtually no limits to the number of tourist sights that one can come across.   As mentioned earlier, the unique architecture in the area can be seen in the Shureimon Gate, which built in the 16th century, is a traditional symbol of Okinawa.   The Shurijo castle is also a sight to behold as its imposing faà §ade greets the visitors who drop by.The local tour guide gives a wonderful tale of how t his used to be the center of all Okinawan culture.   Aside from the castles, there is also the Tama Udun Royal Mausoleum, which was built in 1501 to house the remains of King Sho En.On the whole, my Okinawa experience was quite a revelation.   I never expected to see much of other cultures infused into the local culture given the history of Japan.   It was refreshing to see bits and pieces of Chinese and Thai culture in not only the sights but in most of the foods and music as well.The magnificent buildings and the general cleanliness of the city of Naha is also amazing given the tourist traffic that it serves every year.   Despite the influx of a number of tourists, Okinawa has still managed to maintain its own unique culture and combined with the beautiful scenery that abounds around every corner it is truly a wonderful experience for anyone, local or foreign.

Boston Red Sox Management Report Essay

The Boston Red Sox are a privately owned organization located in the Kenmore Square part of the city. The team plays at Fenway Park, located at 4 Yawkey Way in Boston. The Red Sox Front Offices are also located at Fenway Park. The park is currently celebrating its one-hundredth year, and is the oldest park in Major League Baseball The organization is tall in structure but is also departmentalized by function within this structure. At the top of this structure are the three owners, John Henry, Larry Lucchino, and Tom Werner. This ownership group purchased the Boston Red Sox for $380 million in 2002 (Ozanian, 2012). John Henry is the Red Sox’ principal owner, while Larry Lucchino serves as the President and CEO, and Tom Werner serves as Chairman. This departmentalization can be seen one level down in the hierarchy of the Boston Red Sox. Under the owners, there are sixteen different departments. These sixteen departments consist of the typical organizational departments such as Marketing, Legal, Human Resources and Information Technology departments, but there are also several environmentally specific departments. These environmentally specific departments include Ticketing, Baseball Operations, Fan services and Entertainment, and Ballpark Operations. The heads of these sixteen departments report directly to the President and CEO, Larry Lucchino. The Boston Red Sox are privately owned and operated, meaning that they are not sold and traded on the stock market and that all funding comes directly from the owners themselves. The Boston Red Sox gain most of their revenue through ticket sales, as they are known for constantly having a full ballpark while having expesive ticket prices. In terms of sport, market, stadium, and brand management, they are valued at $912 million, the second highest valuation of the thirty teams in Major League Baseball (Ozanian, 2012). I spoke with Stephanie Maneikis, the Senior Manager for Fan Services and Entertainment with the Boston Red Sox. She is in charge of a plethora of different activities and people throughout the organization. These include managing Fenway Ambassadors, Yawkey Way Hosts, and Family Room staff, being he main liaison for the players’ wives and families, executing the pre-game ceremonies that take place prior to each game at Fenway Park, and overseeing the Yawkey Way and concourse entertainment. Stephanie told me that she began working for the Red Sox in 2006 as a Fenway Ambassador. She graduated from college in 2007 and after that, spent the next year working in a part-time capacity. During that year, she proved herself worthy of more and more responsibility. During the off-season of 2008, her manager at the time left the team and she was promoted to a full-time position as Coordinator of Fan Services & Entertainment. After a year as coordinator, she was named Manager, and was recently promoted to Senior Manager. Stephanie graduated from college with a Bachelor’s of Arts and her major was history. She told me that everything just sort of happened and fell into place for her. She likes to say she was in the right place at the right time, but she told me that she knows that she has worked extremely hard to get to where she is today. I asked Stephanie about the working atmosphere within the Boston Red Sox organization. She told me that working for the Boston Red Sox is a lesson in what it means to multi-task. There is never a dull moment and at any given time Stephanie could be working on 5 different projects, all of the utmost importance. It can be stressful, but at the end of the day she feels that it’s all worth it. Her co-workers make all the difference in the world and everyone within the organization feels like they are part of one big family. I also spoke with Kellie Holden, an Elon graduate who currently lives in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Kellie told me that she is a 6th grade special education teacher and she is responsible for teaching students who have reading and language based disabilities. We discussed how she got started with this type of work, and Kellie told me that she has always enjoyed working with children and during her senior year of high school she had an experience volunteering in an inclusion classroom with regular and special education students. Ever since that opportunity she knew that she wanted to be a special education teacher. I asked Kellie how she got her job and what jobs and experiences have led her to her present position. She told me that all of the practicum and student teaching experiences that she had at Elon were great on her resume, but they didn’t help her too much with connections back in Massachusetts. She had a few family friends who knew a few people in the town she currently works in. They were able to pass along her resume and get her an interview. Clearly, having connections is important in all fields, not just business. Finally, we discussed whether she finds her job exciting or boring. She informed that everyday at her job is different. She is always teaching new things which keeps it exciting, but her students make her job the most exciting. Working with special education students, nothing is ever simple but they make her smile every day. Lastly, I spoke with Patty Vattes, the Senior Manager of Human Resources with the Boston Red Sox. I asked Patty what makes a successful hire for the Boston Red Sox. She told me that the Red Sox view a successful hire as someone who is hard working, dedicated, innovative and willing to go the extra mile. Next we discussed the Red Sox’ approach to hiring and whether promoting from within is an important approach for the organization. She informed me that the Red Sox strive on the success from promoting from within. With almost all positions, the Red Sox look at internal candidates first and Patty told me that they are working on methods to improve that process. Lastly, I asked Patty what mistakes she has observed of unsuccessful candidates seeking to work with the Boston Red Sox. Patty said that an unsuccessful candidate with the Boston Red Sox is one who wants to work for the Boston Red Sox in any capacity and does not have a specific skill set or knowledge of the type of job they’d like to have. She told me that there have been many occasions when someone says they’ll do anything just to work for the Red Sox, and that is never a good statement to make. Clearly, like any business, the Red Sox want people with various skill sets and a not someone who just wants the glamour of working for a Major League Baseball team.