Personal Application Assignment Essay Example for Free

Personal Application Assignment Essay A variety of texts and articles over the past few years have argued for the use of an alternative approach to teaching organizational behavior, one that emphasizes experiential learning. This approach emphasizes an existential, emergent view for learning organizational behavior (McMullen, 1979), where the role of the instructor is that of learning facilitator, responsible for designing experiences for students to base learning upon, rather than as teacher, responsible for lecturing on theory and concepts. While gaining wide acceptance, this approach has nevertheless created problems in the assessment of students performance. Significant learnings in this model of teaching occur not only from the development of concepts, but also from the experiences themselves. McMullen (as well as others) has proposed the use of a personal application assignment to help solve the problem of performance assessment. This assignment is based upon the experiential learning model formulated by Kolb (1971). This model is discussed in more detail in the text chapter on learning styles. Kolbs model argues that learning occurs through a process which might begin with a concrete experience, which leads to reflective observation about the experience. Abstract conceptualization follows in which models, paradigms, strategies, and metaphors are applied to the results of the experience. Active experimentation concludes the cycle as the concepts are then put into practice, thus generating new concrete experience. Figure 1 shows the model more clearly. In one sense, persons able to learn using all four modes of the model will be better able to take away learning from the variety of contexts in which they interact. We feel that the Personal Application Assignment is a useful tool for both evaluation of a students work in courses taught using an experiential approach; and further, that the Personal Application Assignment can serve as a way to help students learn to learn. The PAA is both an evaluation and a teaching technique. Our past history of teaching using this method has shown that the PAA, in order to be most useful, must include clear guidelines for the student. To that end we have undertaken to set forth the guidelines below to help students to understand the requirements for effective PAAs. Guidelines on Grading, Topic Selection, and Confidentiality First of all, we believe that a 20-point grading system simplifies understanding how each component of the paper is graded and weighted. There are five elements to the paper and each normally is weighted equally. These include the four elements in the learning style model and a fifth element that takes into account the introduction, integration, synthesis and general quality of writing in the PAA. The score given in each element depends upon how effectively the student has met all the criteria listed for that section of the paper. For the instructors part, we believe that instructors need to provide specific feedback as quickly as possible to students on why they were awarded points in each area and, more importantly, what they need to do to improve. To achieve these objectives the same summary sheet that guides the grading is provided to the student as feedback. This sheet is attached at the end of this handout. The above paragraph referred to the weighting as â€Å"normally† being equal for all parts of the paper. In cases where the quality of the student writing is clearly below acceptable standards for college- level courses, this component or the entire paper may be given a significantly lower grade. (Preparing a good quality initial draft to be reviewed by a peer will help eliminate this potential problem. An initial draft is not the same as a first draft or rough draft. It should be a version the student has already revised one or more times. Students should be responsible for seeking out help with their writing skills if necessary. Choosing a good topic is essential. Select an experience that relates to the assigned course topics. It should be an experience that you would like to understand better, (e.g., there was something about it that you do not totally understand, that intrigues you, that made you realize that you lacked certain managerial skills, or that was problematical or significant for you.) When students are excited about learning more about the incident, their papers are lively and interesting. The topic must be meaty enough to take it through the entire learning cycle. The incident does not have to be work related; an incident in any setting (sports, school, family, church, etc.) that relates to the course topics is acceptable. You should select a recent experience (not something that happened back in high school). The more recent the experience, the more likely it is that you could take actions that could improve your current interactions with a supervisor, group member, roommate, or other person with whom you have an ongoing relationship. You also may select an experience which is not ongoing if this is more salient to you. Two additional issues should be considered in choosing your topic. The first is confidentiality. Students sometime wish to write on a topic that is of a personal nature. They may be willing for the instructor to read their paper but not want this to be read by other students in the class. This is a reasonable request and confidentiality will be honored. Students who want their paper to be confidential should inform the instructor ahead of time and should write â€Å"confidential† at the top of the paper. There is one exception to the confidentiality rule. If a student describes conduct related to the University where significant University rules or State/Federal laws have been violated by other students or University staff, the instructor reserves the right to bring this issue to the attention of the appropriate administrator to ensure that the situation is remedied. Elements of the PAA 1. Concrete Experience In this part of the paper, students briefly describe what happens in the experience. A simple description of the events which occurred is not sufficient. The feelings experienced by the student as well as his or her thoughts and perceptions during the experience are relevant to this discussion. Another way of looking at the concrete experience would be to recognize that it possesses an objective and a subjective component. The objective part presents the facts of the experience, like a newspaper account, without an attempt to analyze the content. The subjective part is the here-and-now personal experience of the event. This experience is composed of feelings, perceptions and thoughts. Helpful hints: (1) It often helps students to replay the experience in their mind. After reviewing the experience, students should write a report of what they saw, heard, felt, thought, and heard and saw others doing. (2) Students should avoid presenting the detailed mechanics of the experience unless these are critical to the remainder of the paper. This section of the paper should be no longer than 1.5 pages long. (3) Students should avoid reporting the feelings and thoughts experienced after the experience being described. This retrospection is more appropriate in the reflective observation section. Example: We all sat at the table together. Not a sound came from any of us. Finally, after what felt like an hour to me, I simply had to say something. Why are all of you taking this course? I asked. One person, a small foreign looking man said, I needed this course to complete my MBA. Others laughed. Another person, a nicely dressed woman, said, Id like to get an easy A.' I thought to myself: What a bummer! I didnt want to be in a group with people who didnt take the subject matter seriously. When the meeting ended, my perceptions of the group had somehow changed. Maybe this was a good group to be in after all. Some of the members had similar interests to mine, and most of them were nice people that I could see getting along with. I felt somehow hopeful that this semester wouldnt be so bad after all. 2. Reflective Observation The student should ask him/herself: What did I observe in the experience and what possible meanings could these observations have? The key task here is to gather as many observations as possible by observing the experience from different points of view. The main skill to work on is perspective taking or what some people call re-framing. Try to look at this experience and describe it from different perspectives. For example, how did other participants view the situation and what did it mean to them? What would a neutral (objective) observer have seen and heard? If some time has passed since the experience, do you now see the situation differently? Look beneath the surface and try to explain why the people involved behaved the way they did. Reflect on these observations to discover the personal meaning that the situation had for you. Helpful hints: (1) If possible, discuss the experience with others who were involved to gain their views and clarify your perceptions. (2) Unhook yourself from the experience and meditate about it in a relaxed atmosphere. Mull over your observations until their personal meaning comes clear to you. Try to figure out why people, and you in particular, behaved as they did. What can you learn about yourself, looking back on the experience? If you write about a conflict or interaction, be sure to analyze both sides and put yourself in the shoes of the other people involved. Examples: In thinking back on the meeting, I began to see how the group might have taken my comments. My comments were, after all, somewhat aggressive. Some might even call them belligerent. Had I said these things before this class, or at work, I must confess that I would have surprised even myself. But it seemed there was more going on here than met my eye at the time. Sarah and Bob at first didnt seem to be the kind of people to combine forces on this job, so why was I arguing against them this time? Then it dawned on me: Their departments were about to be combined into the same division! Why hadnt I remembered that during the meeting? Many thoughts raced through my head. Was the cause of last nights high that we won the game? Was it the first time we had worked together as a group? Maybe the fact that member X wasnt there that night helped! But I still had a nagging hunch that my involvement, downplayed as it was from previous meetings, helped. 3. Abstract Conceptualization By relating assigned readings and lectures to what you experienced, you are demonstrating your ability to understand conceptually abstract material through your experiences. This process will help you refine your model of people and organizations. While some assigned readings and lectures will have varying degrees of relevance to your experience, it is important that you make several references and not limit your conceptualizing to just one source. Use at least two major concepts or theories from the course readings and cite them correctly e.g,, (Osland, Kolb Rubin, 2001, p. 31). By reviewing the assigned reading material, you should be able to identify several specific concepts or theories that relate to your experience. First, briefly define the concept or theory as you would for someone who was not familiar with it. What issue or problem does the theory examine? What variables are used to analyze the problem and how does the theory explain the link between causal variables and outcomes. What suggestions does the theory give as to effective management practices? Second, in a separate paragraph, apply the concept thoroughly to your experience. The tie-in should include the specific details of how the theory relates to and provides insight into your experience. Try to develop diagnostic questions based on the theory that help you to analyze your situation. Does the theory explain what causes certain behaviors or outcomes and were these causes present in your situation? Does the theory distinguish between effective and ineffective practices that help you to understand your situation? Does the experience support or refute parts of the theory? You are encouraged to suggest modifications to a theory to make it fit your particular situation better. Helpful hints: (1) It is sometimes useful to identify theoretical concepts that interest you first and then search out and elaborate on a personal experience that relates to these concepts. (2) An alternative approach is to select an experience you wish to understand better and then select concepts that apply to your experience. The example below shows how one concept was defined and applied in a student PAA. Abstract Conceptualization Example There are several organizational behavior concepts that help me understand this experience. One is the Thomas-Kilman theory of conflict (Osland, p. 284-285) which is based upon two axes, either the concern for ones own interests or the concern for the interests of the other party. The five styles reflect a low or high position on these two axes and are labeled competition, compromise, avoidance, accommodation, and collaboration. In the incident I described, my coach began with a collaborative style, high concern for both his own interests and the interests of the other party. He tried to work out a solution that would satisfy both of us but I neither saw nor heard his point of view. I just wanted to get my own way and practice in the same way I had on my previous team. I see now that the conflict style I used was the competitive style, high concern for my own interests and low concern for the interests of the other party. Looking back, this is the style I have used most often throughout my life; I usually got away with it before because I was such a good athlete. However, my experience with the coach supports the textbooks description (p. 285) of the losses that may result from using this style. I lost everything when I was kicked off the team and I certainly alienated the coach and the other players and discouraged them from wanting to work with me. 4. Active Experimentation This section of the paper should begin by summarizing what you learned about yourself as a result of writing the paper. What new personal insights and practical lessons did you learn about how to more effectively deal with these types of experiences. Make sure to focus on what you learned about yourself, rather than what you learned about someone else, general situations such as group behavior, or processes such as negotiation. This should be presented in a separate paragraph and not buried within your discussion of an action step. Next you should present four action steps that you will take to make you more effective in the future in these situations. (Future actions must be based on the experience reported in the Concrete Experience.) These actions can be stated in the form of guidelines as to how you would act differently or resolutions as to steps you could take to develop or practice particular skills. You should elaborate in detail how you see your action ideas being carried out. A given step might include several related activities to complete it. Sometimes students have a tendency to list an action step and then shift to explaining why they would take the action without sufficiently explaining the actual behavior they would modify. For example, the statement â€Å"I would strive to communicate better because people feel I don’t listen very well† does not tell a reader very much about what you would do to communicate better. Saying that â€Å"I will strive to communicate better by using active listening techniques where I will paraphrase the other’s viewpoint before presenting my own opinion† is a better indication of how you will carry out this action step. There should be a clear link between your action steps and the concepts presented in the abstract conceptualization section. If the theories you selected provide recommendations for improving management practices, you are encouraged to incorporate these ideas in formulating your action steps. Dont just repeat tips from the text. Try to include at least one action resolution that is based upon new knowledge that you have gained about yourself. If you were to re-live your experience, what would you do differently? What would you do to improve the situation? In past student PAA’s it is often difficult to sort out where one action step ends and another begins. Please provide a separate paragraph for each action step and number or otherwise demarcate the separate action steps. For example, â€Å"First, I would .. My second action step would be † This will help the reader differentiate between action steps and will ensure that you provide four distinct action steps as part of your plan. Explain why you would take these action steps. Why would the selected behaviors be likely to improve the situation? Helpful hints: (1) Project a future experience in which you envision the implementation of your ideas and then elaborate on that experience as a way of demonstrating how your actions will be carried out. (2) Where does this situation exist in your life (home, work, school)? Do you need a support system to make it happen? How will you obtain the cooperation of others to jointly improve the situation? (3) Try to imagine the final results of your experimentation. What will it be like if you accomplish what you want to do? Example of Action Steps: How then can I best utilize and improve my achievement motivation? First, I must arrange for some accomplishment feedback. This will be done by designing or perceiving tasks so that I succeed bit-by-bit, gaining a reward each time and thus strengthening my desire to achieve more. Second, I should look to models of achievement. If people around me succeed, it will further stimulate me. I will ask them how they go about setting realistic goals for themselves and observe how they get feedback from others regarding their performance. Third, I should modify my self-image to include my desire for personal challenges and responsibilities and my requirement of continual feedback. (As a first step, I imagine myself as a person who requires or must have success, responsibility, challenge and variety.) I will seek out situations that are more likely to provide these challenges in the future. Fourth, I must learn to control my reveries. Just beyond the borderline of awareness, many of us are constantly talking to ourselves. While it is fun to fantasize, I will try to make sure my aspirations are realistic given my current skills and time available to accomplish my various goals. I will spend time prioritizing my goals to ensure that I don’t try to do too much or too little. Finally, although I would never admit so, I agree that salary is a potential dissatisfier for me. Therefore, I must insist on what I perceive as a fair return for my performance. I will discuss my salary expectations with my supervisor to ensure I know what is expected and also to ensure that my boss knows my expectations. Wish me luck! Here is another example of a good action step, written by a student who wanted to stop being a passive follower and become more of a leader. I am going to take a more active role in team meetings. I will volunteer to be the team facilitator in at least one meeting during this semester. In all other meetings, I am going to make at least two process interventions to help the team function more effectively. To prepare myself, I am going to carefully observe other students who are excellent leaders, and I will read two articles on team leadership. I will also design an evaluation form on my team participation and ask my team to use it to evaluate me after the meeting I facilitate. Based on their feedback, I will continue working on possible weak areas during the rest of this course. 5. Integration and Writing The well written PAA has a focal issue and a story line with themes that are carried throughout each of the four sections. The idea of synergy applies here: The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. If integration is present, then the reader can attend to the content without distraction; if integration is absent, barriers prevent the reader from gaining a full appreciation of the content. Are the major themes that you have identified integrated throughout your paper? Make sure that the reflective observation takes into account the viewpoint of all the key people cited in the concrete experience. Do the concepts cited in abstract conceptualization fit well with these observations? Is there a clear link between the concepts or theories that you cite and the subsequent action steps that you formulate? Citing the theories is not just meant to be an academic exercise it should help guide the analysis of the situation and the planning of practical steps for improving future situations. Other barriers that prevent the reader from fully appreciating the papers content are spelling and grammatical errors, as well as the overall appearance of the final document. Since good writing skills are so important in the business world, there should be no errors in your paper. Use the spell check (and grammar check) on your computer before you hand it in. Sometimes reading a paper aloud will indicate where sections of a paper may need revision to simplify awkward or unclear sentences.

Central Symbol In John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums

Central Symbol In John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums In the short story The Chrysanthemums, John Steinbeck uses the chrysanthemums as the central symbol to help the reader understand the storys plot and recognize the emotions and thoughts of the main character. Elisa Allen is an intelligent hard working woman who is unhappy and unfulfilled with her life. Her frustration arises from her husband who does not admire her as a woman and from not having mothered a child. She has a flower garden where she grows and takes care of beautiful chrysanthemums which are the only outlet for her frustration and her emptiness. The chrysanthemums in this story illustrate plenty to the reader about Elisas struggle to finding herself and fulfilling herself as a woman. Steinbeck uses the flower throughout his story to symbolize his main characters thoughts and ideas. Elisa relates herself to these chrysanthemums and her frustration is evident when she is first introduced in this story. She is a lonely, discontented woman. Her husband is always busy working in their farm, he does not pay any attention to her or her needs as a woman. She discovers an outlet for her dissatisfaction in a garden where she cultivates beautiful chrysanthemums. She takes refuge in her chrysanthemums, which symbolize herself. Steinbeck uses these lovely yet hardy flowers as a symbol to represent the soft spirit of Elisa. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa as well as the limitations and restrictions of her life. One can clearly see the hostility in their relationship yet she comes out as an emotionally strong woman. Elisa stiffened and her face grew tight. Henry stopped short and looked at her. Why-why, Elisa .You look so nice! Nice? You think I look nice? What do you mean by nice? Henry blundered on I dont know. I mean you look different strong and happy. I am strong? Yes, strong. (Steinbeck 218). It clearly shows her strength of mind here. Elisa took great care of their flowerbed and like her house, it was neat and carefully ordered. Elisa relates herself to the flowers and as a reader we can see that she becomes one with the plants when she tends to them. She does not feel appreciated and is neglected, but still has enough to give herself to the care of her chrysanthemums. These flowers symbol how beautiful she really is and how she wants to be seen. Steinbeck lets the reader discover that the chrysanthemums are a part of Elisa. Elisas chrysanthemums also represent children that she does not have. Nurturing and taking care of these flowers satisfies her barren maternal instincts. The care she tends her garden with symbolizes her desire to look after children. The reader gets the feeling that they are her children and she looks after them like a mother. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisas desire to be a mother and her children as well. She takes care of her garden and handles the chrysanthemums with a lot of love and attention just as she would tend to her own children. Elisa is very protective of her flowers and yet very proud to show them off like any mother would have been. She spread the leaves and looked down among the close-growing stems. No aphids were there, no sow bugs or snails or cutworms. Her terrier fingers destroyed such pests before they could get started (Steinbeck 212). She feels these insects will harm her flowers so she removes them before they can do any damage. Just as any good mother she does not want to see her children get hurt and she is happy and pleased to nurture these beautiful flowers. Elisas pride to grow such beautiful chrysanthemums show that the flowers in some ways replace for the fact that she has no children. The reader also sees that when the tinker praises her garden she swells with pride, almost feeling like she herself, and her children are being admired. The blossoming of these flowers to Elisa is like her own children shinning. These flowers clearly symbolise her needs as a woman, her need to be a mother and how she feels. In conclusion, we can understand that John Steinbeck uses many symbols in The Chrysanthemums. Elisas garden and the chrysanthemums all symbolize different phases of her life. The use of symbols in this story plays an important role in the readers understanding of the plot. Imagery and symbolism are well placed throughout the story to help explain Elisas feelings, her deepest fears and desires. They also establish the chrysanthemums as a direct extension of herself. After reading this short story one must wonder if Elisa will continue to live this discontented and unhappy lifestyle or will she finally blossom like one of her chrysanthemums?

Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange :: free essay writer

Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting used throughout the novel Wuthering Heights helps to set the mood to describe the characters. We find two households separated by the cold, muddy, and barren moors, one by the name of Wuthering Heights, and the other by the name of Thrushcross Grange. Each house stands alone, in the mist of the dreary land, and the atmosphere creates a mood of isolation. In the novel, Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange are the two places where virtually all of the action takes place. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange, differ greatly from each other in appearance and mood. These differences reflect the universal conflict between the storm and calm, that Emily Bronte develops as the theme in the novel. Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange both represent several opposing properties. The residents of Wuthering Heights were that of the working class, while those of Thrushcross Grange were higher on the social ladder. The people of Wuthering Heights aspired to be on the same level as the Lintons. This is evident when Heathcliff and Catherine peek through their window. In addition, Wuthering Heights is always in a state of storminess and its surroundings depict the cold, dark, and evil side of life, while Thrushcross Grange always seems calm.   Emily Bronte describes Wuthering Heights as having "narrow windows deeply set in the wall, and the corners defended with large jutting stones." This description is adjacent to Heathcliff when he is illustrated having, "black eyes withdrawn so suspiciously under their brow." Thrushcross Grange, in contrast to the bleak exposed farmhouse on the heights, is situated in the valley with none of the grim features of Heathcliff's home.   Opposite of Wuthering Heights, Thrushcross Grange is filled with light and warmth. It is the appropriate home of the children of

Analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay -- Lord of the

Analysis of Lord of the Flies by William Golding William Golding’s Lord of the Flies is a sordid tale about a group of kids who are stranded on a deserted island after their plane crashes. The story is set during the Atomic War and plenty of references are made to the fact. However, the real key to the story lies in the role of Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies. Beelzebub has a central role in the story as he represents the Beast, or evil, that dwells within all humans. The Beast cannot be hunted and since it dwells within all humans, humans are all guilty because mankind is sick. The destruction of mankind is a point that Golding makes apparent often in this novel. He establishes early on that Beelzebub is a force within all humans that drives them to destroy and maim. In the story the central emblem of the story lies in the dead airman. The boys mistake him for Beelzebub and basically begin to worship him. In fact, the most effective portrayal of Beelzebub appears early in the novel in the form of the dead airman. The parachute carries him through the night to the top of the mountain, where his body is entangled in the trees. It is in the way in which he is hung that makes it appear as if he was sitting on a throne of some sort. Sam n Eric first come upon it and are scared to death at the mere sight of it. However, when the whole group returns to the site the horrific monstrosity bewilders them. In this quote from the book it clearly states the group’s actions. â€Å" Behind them the sliver of moon had drawn clear the horizon. Before them something like a great ape was sitting asleep with its head between his knees. Then, the wind roared in the forest, there was confusion in the darkness and the creation lifted its head, holding toward them a ruin of a face. â€Å" The experience alone accelerates the deterioration of the already weak civilization of the group. The experience brings young Jack to committing himself fully to the newfound dark religion. (Johnston, 126) Beelzebub was the cause for accelerating the destruction of the boys. He was not the outright cause. The Atomic War generated the novel; it was the sole reason that brought the boys to live on the island in the first place. It is in this sense that the boys only duplicated the adult society that had been crashing down around them while they were part of the civilized world. Golding uses the dead airman... ...the outside world, all humanity was lost. The boys were sick with power and evil, much like the world outside the island. War had corrupted their very souls and they had become savages in order to appease the devil that dwelled within. As humans we cannot escape evil. Beelzebub dwells within every human soul and it cannot be hunted or driven away. Mankind is sick and guilty for giving into these sins. However, mankind is not lost. Through the use of reason and civilized means we can escape the grasp of Beelzebub and its dark reign of anarchy. Beelzebub served as a means of destruction in the story. He accelerated the boys fall of grace. Although the boys failed that does not condemn mankind. Hope is offered through the story in the form of a young, epileptic name Simon. Simon stood for the weak that fought with the nature of reason rather than with a bloodthirsty rage. Mankind needs only to look at Simon’s example as a guide of how to do it. Reason and virtue will always conquer over rage and violence. Wars are not the answers to every global conflict. Every war we have, we have to pass on to our children. In the end mankind is saved by the nature of reason not the use of war.

English :: English Literature

English A Summer’s Reading Respect is a very dominant and important factor in the story of Bernard Malamud, â€Å"A Summer’s Reading.† The reach for respect from the people around him causes a lot of dilemma within the main character, George Stoyonovic. And those dilemmas led to consequences that George hated. George, a high school drop out, can not get any job during one summer. He decides to read the magazines found at home. But when he met Mr. Cattanzara, he immediately lies about the hundred books he is reading, in order for Mr. Cattanzara to respect him as well as to be proud of him. Respect is a form of acknowledgement of one’s existence. Respect is very important to everybody. Respect also gives a person a sense of confidence that he is not a failure and contradicts the idea that he is not good enough. People want respect because they want others to know how good they are. Though everybody wants it, most people often take it for granted. The irony of it all is that people wants it so much that they would do anything just to get it. In the story, the theme Respect is very important for everybody was shown a couple of times. An example of these scenes is when George was contemplating whether or not he should attend the night classes. â€Å"He has considered registering in a night high school, only he did not like the idea of teachers always telling him what to do. He felt that they had not respected him.† He decides that since he has nothing to do at home, attending night-class would be great and it would help him catch up on the lessons he has missed. But that the idea of teachers telling him what to do causes George to think twice. He thinks that when his teachers tell him what to do or should not do it shows a lack of respect on the teachers’ part. He then feels that he is not good enough and loses confidence in himself. But in reality, when people tell you what to do, it means that they are concerned about you and that they know that you can do better but it does not really mean that you are not good enough as a person. They are actually acknowledging your abilities and your capabilities which also acknowledge your existence. George searches for respect because it is where he gets the confidence that will enable him to move on forward with his life. Another instance in the story where it shows respect is very important is when George tells Mr.

Response to The Higher Circles

Mills' essay entitled The Higher Circles is about the existence and functions of the power elite groups in our society and how they affect, influence, or shape affairs of the society and the world. In a society or a nation, Mills argues that there are people more influential and powerful than the others and every decision or action they make holds significant consequences to ordinary men.â€Å"Within American society, major national power now resides in the economic, the political, and the military domains† and â€Å"they occupy the strategic command posts of the social structure† which include making decisions on how governments and social sectors operate (Mills). The powerful men who hold these elite positions are very different from the ordinary men for all their decisions, even their failure to make some, all have substantial effect and repercussions to other sectors of the society.The argument of Mills in his work is supported by facts and proofs of how significant are the higher circles in the society. He discussed how other institutions like schools, families, and religion become subordinate to these power elite groups. He emphasized that these men â€Å"occupy positions in American society from which they can look down upon, so to speak, and by their decisions mightily affect, the everyday worlds of ordinary men and women† (Mills).These elite groups dominate major decisions in the society and every action they do make up the structure of social conditions. Mills' work is accurate because it laid down facts and comparisons to prove his definition of the role of the power elites. As a whole, C. Wright Mills' article was very informative and insightful as it focuses on enlightening readers on the existence that the powerful men that lead the higher circles and it also highlights their different, significant functions to the society.The article gave substantial evidences how ordinary people perceive and accept these power elites into th eir lives. Adequate information about their effect to the different sectors of society also suffice to prove that these men are indeed on the top of the rule. Everything that these powerful elites do have important consequences on how the society will function for the other people. Work Cited Mills, C. Wright. â€Å"The Higher Circles. † The Power Elite. Oxford Press, 1956. Print.

Medieval Women and Sexuality Essay

Dame Sirith, arguably the earliest fabliau in English, has often been interpreted as a parody on courtly love. Yet a careful analysis of the dialogues between Margery and Wilekin, the two `lovers-to-be’, exposes the alleged pervasiveness of the `courtly’ tone of Wilekin’s wooing as a construct of the critics. The poet’s main concern lies rather with the successful telling of a comic story and he relegates any `courtly’ elements to a secondary position so as not to upset the narrative balance of the tale. As a consequence, they remain subordinated to the main comic event, i.e. the trick played on the young wife by Dame Sirith and Margery’s subsequent change from a woman who would not sell herself at any price in the beginning, but who is in the end willing to pay anything to be `swyved’. The English aristocracy, like the French, laid claim to courtly conduct as a distinctive criteria for the upper class. Likewise, both the romance and the fabliau flourished among the English; the romance serving to instill courtly ideals, and the fabliau serving to show social realities. The fabliau plot frequently focuses upon infidelity, and the sexual relationship between lovers is graphically revealed, thereby devaluing the idealistic notion that courtly love remain a private matter. For example, Marjerie insists that she will not deceive her husband â€Å"on bed ne on flore†. Her direct reference to a physical consummation on â€Å"flore† or â€Å"bed† provides a sharp contrast to the removed, idealized language of courtly genres. Dame Sirith seems to be based on fundamental elements of sexual deception and the inversion of social hierarchies particularly as constructed in marriage, as it targets and highlights weak and foolish women, the title character plays a go-between for a would-be lover named Wilekin and the married lady of his dreams, Margery. Sirith devises an elaborate ruse to convince the reluctantyoung wife, whose husband is away, to accept Wilekin’s indecent proposal, a strategy that calls for a performing dog as well as a convincing  narrative. A mixture of mustard and pepper, ingested by the dog, makes it appear to weep while the accompanying narrative sets up the duping. Sirith presents the weeping dog to Margery telling her that the dog is Sirith’s daughter, who, having refused the amorous advances of a clerk, was magically transformed into the lacrimose creature standing before her: â€Å"Thenne begon the clerc to wiche / And shop mi douter til a biche†(line 353-55). The narrative is convincing and the desired result is achieved – the bawd successfully dupes the gullible Margery into an affair with her client. Margery’s character is a wife who has been left alone by her husband, the young woman’s marital status elides the marital infidelity so integral to Sirith’s trick. They show that despite the fabliaux’ apparent license, in fact they rely on the woman’s â€Å"no† and the man’s forceful masculinity to counter her resistance†¦ So the tension is great. The sexual encounter at the end of the tale is described with polite euphemisms in the analogues; in Aesop’s version, for example, we are told that the young man â€Å"fulfills his will,† and the emphasis upon the moral is highlighted. Wilkin is set to begin with like a courting sort of guy, but the audience is gently pulled towards the fact that he is a social climber indeed. On his way up the social ladder he would do anything, use all kinds of force needed. On the other hand there’s Margery and her puzzling reaction to him, her moral values and purity. He’s idealised her as a person, she’s untouchable because she’s married, it meant more in those days, like she’s forbidden. Dame Sirith shows moralistic attitudes and not fundamental human values that are at stake. To see Margery’s one set of precepts, namely `be faithful to your husband’,being abandoned†¦ in complete favour of another, obviously more fundamental one, namely `keep your human form’, need not raise a moral dilemma or cause emotional anguish to the reader? It makes me think about the power dynamics being excercised on love and desire during the end of that period in history and how the desire to control such emotions, feelings, desires, thoughts crossed with practices of witchcraft. A power witch may have to make a man desire her for unacceptable forbidden sexual activities and makes me wonder really who is blamed for the existenec of such desires? Who should be and is punished for participating in such activites? Who is excused and how? Who is the victim? Are we, as woman  today, accused of similar â€Å"powers† that excuse men of certain actions? The secrecy of the affair is considered shameful and cheap by Marjeri, as it was not in courtly literature. She is ever faithful until she learns it may effect her by witchcraft that’s when her vanity emerges. Furthermore, she claims to love her husband, and married love clearly is not part of the courtly system. Twelfth century work served to codify proper conduct for courtly lovers, specifically states that â€Å"Love cannot acknowledge any rights of his between husband and wife†and in the canonized romance, marriage is seldom an issue between lovers. You see the plot frequently focuses upon infidelity, and the sexual relationship between lovers is graphically revealed, thereby devaluing the idealistic notion that courtly love remain a private matter. Marjeri’s behavior towards Wilkin, which so clearly mimics courtly behavior, may seem especially puzzling to the reader attempting to reduce her language to univocal meaning. Perhaps she is simply too innocent to understand the implications of the language she employs. She may not be aware that her willingness to do or her statement that she is â€Å"ful fre† could be interpreted by Wilkin as a clear indication that she will grant him sexual favors. But really more likely, we should recognise Marjeri fitting the typical fabliau stereotype of a young, lusty, bourgeois wife, well aware of the plays of meaning in the language she employs. If we see her in this light, then her behavior towards Wilkin seems especially flirtatious, even a little cruel. She uses her language with him as a weapon to gain control and in fact her role as victim is minimized as she proves to be as calculating as her attacker. Certainly, a traditional courtly lover, would be more persistent and more patient, suffering over the lady’s rejection and growing pale and sickly in the process. The audience may begin to alter its expectations about the tale, from one that presents courtly ideals to one that mocks those ideals by contrasting them with social realities.Though Wilkin mimics the conventions of courtly conduct, he can never truly embody them. Rather than lamenting his loss in romance fashion, he takes a direct approach, seeking the assistance of the dame. Wilkin confesses that he is lovesick for Marjeri, and the old woman agrees to devise a trick to help him: Though courtly love in the romance may result in a sexual union, sex is always treated discreetly. The focus is upon the process of earning the  affections of a lover; not upon the physical act. However, in this fabliau, the concept of courtly love is reduced to immediate sexual gratification. The story that Dame Sirit concocts about her weeping dog is used as a trick to make Marjeri have sex with Wilkin, and the result is more akin to rape than love. As a result of the yarn, Marjeri succumbs to Wilkin against her will, for she fears being changed into a weeping bitch. It’s odd, and funny in a way, that she thinks if she gives into him and becoming perhaps a metaphorical bitch is better than being changed into a real one†¦ to do the deed instead of being turned. However her earlier flirtatious behavior indicates her awareness of the newly ironic language she employs and keeps her from seeming pitiable. Because she is aware of the slipperiness of devolved courtly language, Marjeri is able to turn the tables on these tricksters, and, ironically, to keep her dignity intact. Though Marjeri is forced to succumb to Wilkin, she is able to manipulate courtly language, asserting that the seduction is her idea and claiming that her concern is for Wilkin’s well-bei ng. Marjeri and Wilkin illustrate that, in order to be accessible to the rising bourgeoisie, the very nature of the system had to change, and its original intent was left ambiguous. As a literary device in the fabliau, courtly language devolves and becomes a source for rich irony.