Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day Essay Example

Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day Essay Valentines Day and February equivalent love and sentiment. In Ancient Rome, this season had comparative meanings, yet they were commended in an unexpected way. In current occasions, the long stretch of February and St. Valentines Day has come to represent love and sentiment, and has been praised in this gentile route since the times of romance and charming of the Middle Ages. In any case, the starting point of February can be associated with adoration and fruitfulness by track back to the underlying foundations of old Roman celebration of Lupercalia, a ripeness festivity celebrated on February 15. The Lupercalia celebration was celebrate to respect Lupercus, a divine force of ripeness and cultivating, and it was praised with yearly forfeits and eats. One of the points of the celebration was to sanitize the land and the young ladies of kid bearing age. During the Lupercalia, two clerics, called lupercis, yielded two male goats and a pooch at the sacrosanct cavern where Romulus and Remus were as far as anyone knows breast fed by the she-wolf. After a blowout, the youngsters wearing only a belt with goats skins, going through the city avenues, whipping individuals (for the most part little youngsters and ladies) with straps cut from the conciliatory goat skins. We will compose a custom exposition test on Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day explicitly for you for just $16.38 $13.9/page Request now We will compose a custom article test on Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer We will compose a custom article test on Lupercalia the Ancient Origin of Valentines Day explicitly for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Recruit Writer This demonstration was thought to refine the young ladies, guarantee their richness, and diminish the agony of labor. Names were likewise attracted from a urn to combine up youngsters and ladies as a major aspect of the celebrations. This was expected to prompt relationships and kids. February happened later in the old Roman schedule than it does today so Lupercalia was held in the spring and viewed as a celebration of cleansing and richness. It is suggested that sanitization is the way the long stretch of February gets its name (February originates from the latin Februare importance to refine). The Lupercalia event was cheerful and bubbly. Another one of a kind custom of Feast of Lupercalia was the matching of little fellows and young ladies who in any case carried on a carefully isolated lives. During the night, all the youthful eligible young ladies used to put a chit of their name in a major urn. Every youngster used to draw out a name of a young lady from the urn and got matched with that young lady for the remainder of the year. Regularly, the combined couple would experience passionate feelings for and wed. As Christianity started to gradually assume control over the agnostic pantheons, it as often as possible supplanted the celebrations of the agnostic divine beings with greater Christianity festivities. It was simpler to change over the nearby populace in the event that they could keep on celebrating on that days, the main distinction was they would simply be told to celebrate various individuals and philosophies. Lupercalia, with its darling lottery, had no put in the new Christian request. In the year 496 AD, Pope Gelasius got rid of the celebration of Lupercalia, refering to that it was agnostic and indecent. He picked Valentine as the benefactor holy person of darlings, who might be respected at the new celebration on the fourteenth of each February. The congregation chose to concoct its own lottery thus the blowout of St. Valentine included a lottery of Saints. In the wake of learning the genuine birthplace of Valentine’s day, I started to see that a significant number of the gentile ways we show love and sentiment likewise returns to Ancient Rome. Each February 14 since 496 A. D individuals over the United States and in different places the world over, chocolate, roses and endowments are traded between friends and family, all for the sake of St. Valentine. Nonetheless, in the wake of finding out about the Lupercalia celebration of Ancient Rome, I can perceive how everything affected to our present day Valentine’s Day. Much of the time on Valentine’s Day, the male is the one that picks a Valentine and approaches her with an endowment of blossoms or chocolate, similarly as in the Lupercalia celebration the male methodologies the female with a whipping of goat skin. To current society the whipping of goat skin is viewed as a bad behavior. However,women would readily got the whipping, as they accepted that the dash of the goatskin would render them productive and bring simple labor. Understand that every religion and culture has its own specific manners of â€Å"seeing† things. Love is one of the primary worries that every religion sees in an unexpected way. Antiquated Romans saw love through their celebration of Lupercalia that added to mating, preparing, and joining a man and a lady. Our present day, Christianized society sees love through festivals of Valentine’s day and the friendly methods of purchasing blessings, for example, blossoms and chocolate. I don't accept that either religion is correct or amiss with their festivals and celebrations. As I would see it, every religion ought to have its own one of a kind festival of affection and sentiment.

Night World : Dark Angel Chapter 15

Melusine was watching her. â€Å"You're solid. I figure you can do it, girl of Hellewise.† â€Å"I'm not solid. I'm scared.† â€Å"I believe it might be conceivable to be both,† Melusine said wryly. â€Å"But, Gillian? On the off chance that you do overcome it, if you don't mind return. I need to converse with you about certain things. About the Night World-and about something many refer to as Circle Daybreak.† The manner in which she said it frightened Gillian. â€Å"Is it important?† â€Å"It could be imperative to you, a witch with human predecessors and encompassed by humans.† â€Å"Okay. I'll return if.† Gillian looked once around the shop. Perhaps there was a type of charm or then again something she ought to take†¦ In any case, she realized she was simply slowing down. In the event that there were anything useful, Melusine would have just offered it to her. There was nothing left to do presently except for go. â€Å"Good luck,† Melusine stated, and Gillian walked to the entryway. Not that she had a specific thought where she was going. She was nearly at the creaky front entryway of the Five and Ten when she heard Melusine calling. â€Å"I neglected to make reference to a certain something. Whoever your ‘Angel' was, he was presumably from this general region. Terrestrial spirits for the most part stay nearby the spot they passed on. In spite of the fact that that is most likely very little help.† Gillian stopped, squinting. â€Å"No †¦ no, it w accommodating. It's incredible. It's given me an idea.† She turned and experienced the entryway without truly observing it, ventured out into the square without truly hearing the channeled in Christmas music. In any event I have a spot to go now, she thought. She drove south, back toward Somerset, at that point took a winding street eastbound into the slopes. As she adjusted a delicate bend she saw the burial ground spread out underneath her. It was an old burial ground, yet at the same time famous. Saturated with custom, yet with a lot of room. Grandpa Trevor was covered in the more up to date area, however there were old gravestones on the lush slope. In the event that she got an opportunity of discovering Angel, it may be here. The best way to the more established area was up a wooden flight of stairs held set up by railroad ties. Gillian climbed it carefully, holding the handrail. At that point she remained at the top and glanced around, making an effort not to shudder. She was among tall sycamores and oaks which appeared to extend dark hard fingers toward each path. The sun was falling lower in the sky and long shadows tinged with lavender were connecting from the trees. Gillian prepared herself. And afterward, as uproariously as could be expected under the circumstances, she shouted. â€Å"Come on, you! You recognize what I want!† Quietness. Gillian wouldn't feel silly. Gloved hands tucked under her arms, she yelled into the tranquility. â€Å"I realize you can hear me! I realize you're out there! The inquiry is, are you in here?† She kicked a foot toward a snow-shrouded sandstone marker. On account obviously there was nothing she could do here all alone. The best way to get the data she required, about who Angel had been in his natural life and what he'd done or left fixed, was from Holy messenger himself. No one else could advise her. â€Å"Is this you?† Gillian scratched snow from a stone tombstone and read the words. † ‘Thomas Ewing, 1775, Who drained and Dyed for Liberty.' Were you Thomas Ewing?† The ice-covered twigs of the tree over her conflicted together in the rising breeze. It made a sound like a precious stone light fixture. â€Å"No, he sounds excessively valiant. Furthermore, you're clearly only a coward.† She scratched some different stones. â€Å"Hey, possibly you were William Case. ‘Cut down in the bloom of Youth by tumbling from the Stagecoach.' That sounds progressively like you. Were you William Case?† (It is safe to say that you are completely got done with singing?) Gillian solidified. (Since I have one for you.) The voice in her mind started to sing boisterously. Shockingly. (The Pha-an antom of the Opera is here, inside your mind†¦) â€Å"Oh, please, Angel. You can show improvement over that. What's more, for what reason would you say you aren't letting me see you? Excessively terrified to meet me face to face?† A light gleamed over the snow-a delightful pale brilliant light that undulated like silk. It developed, it took on a shape. And afterward Angel was remaining there. Not coasting. His feet really appeared to contact the day off. He looked-astounding. Eerie and delightful in the social occasion sundown. In any case, his magnificence was just terrifying presently. Gillian comprehended what was underneath it. â€Å"Hi there,† she nearly murmured. â€Å"I surmise you recognize what I'm here to talk about.† â€Å"Don't know and couldn't care less. Would it be advisable for you to be over here alone, in any case? Does anyone know where you are?† Gillian situated herself before him. She looked straightforwardly into eyes that were as violet and obscurely brilliant as the sky. â€Å"I recognize what you are,† she stated, holding those eyes, giving each word equivalent weight. â€Å"Not a holy messenger. Not a villain. You're only an individual. Much the same as me.† â€Å"Wrong.† €Å"you have indistinguishable emotions from some other individual. What's more, you can't be glad being the place you are. No one could. You can't have any desire to be stuck there. In the event that I were dead, I'd abhor it.† The final words came out with a power that amazed even Gillian. Holy messenger turned away. A preferred position. Gillian jumped in. â€Å"Hate it,† she rehashed. â€Å"Just sticking around, getting stale, observing others living their lives. Being nothing, doing nothing-except if it's to raise a little hell for individuals on earth. What sort of a life is tha-† She severed, understanding her misstep. He was smiling perniciously, recuperating. â€Å"No life!† â€Å"All right, what sort of presence, then,† Gillian said icily. â€Å"You realize what I mean. It smells. Holy messenger. It's foul. It's disgusting.† A fit crossed Angel's face. He spun away from her. What's more, just because since Gillian had seen him, she saw fomentation in him. He was really pacing, moving like a confined creature. What's more, his hair-it appeared to be unsettled by some concealed breeze. Gillian squeezed her preferred position. â€Å"It's about tantamount to being under there.† She kicked at the dead weeds over a grave. He spun back, and his eyes were unnaturally brilliant. â€Å"But I am under there, Gillian.† For a second, her skin prickled so she was unable to talk. She needed to drive herself to state consistently, â€Å"Under that one?† â€Å"No. Be that as it may, I'll give you where. Would you like that?† He made a fabulous signal, welcoming her down the steps. Gillian dithered, at that point went, realizing he was behind her. Her heart was siphoning fiercely. This was practically similar to a physical challenge between them-a challenge to find out who could agitate the other more. However, she needed to do it. She needed to make an association with him. To venture into his indignation and dissatisfaction and despair and by one way or another drag answers out of it. What's more, it was a challenge. A challenge of wills. Who could yell stronger, who could be progressively barbarous. Who could hang on. The prize was Angel's spirit. She almost stumbled at the base of the steps. It was too dim to even think about seeing her balance. She saw, nearly absently, that it was getting freezing. Something like a frosty breeze went past her-and there was light before her. Holy messenger was strolling there, not leaving any impressions in the day off. Gillian lurched after him. They were setting out toward the more up to date area of the burial ground. Past it. Into the exceptionally new area. â€Å"Here.† Angel said. He turned. His eyes were sparkling. He was remaining behind a tombstone and his own light lit up it. Chills washed over Gillian. This was what she had requested, it was actually what she had requested. However, it despite everything made the hair on her neck remain on end. He was under here. Directly here. Underneath the ground. The body of the individual she'd cherished and trusted†¦ whose voice had been the exact opposite thing she'd heard around evening time and the primary thing every morning. He was under here in a container, except if possibly that had spoiled. Also, he wasn't grinning and brilliant haired and attractive. Also, she was going to discover his name from a stone. â€Å"I'm here, Gillian,† Angel said ghoulishly, hanging over the stone marker, laying his elbows on it. â€Å"Come up and state hello.† He was grinning, yet his eyes looked as though he detested her. Wild and crazy and unpleasant. Fit for anything. Also, some way or another, the debilitated frightfulness that had been moving through Gillian vanished. Her eyes were full, overflowing. The tears solidified on her cheeks. She brushed at them absently and bowed next to the grave, not on it. She didn't take a gander at Angel. She set up her hands for one minute and twisted her head. It was a silent supplication to whatever Force may be out there. At that point she removed her glove and delicately scratched snow away from the marker with her exposed hand. It was a basic rock gravestone with a looked over top. It read â€Å"In adoring memory. Our child. Gary Fargeon.† â€Å"Gary Fargeon,† Gillian said delicately. She gazed toward the figure hanging over the stone. â€Å"Gary.† He gave a deriding snicker, yet it sounded constrained. â€Å"Nice to meet you. I was from Sterback; we were for all intents and purposes neighbors.† Gillian thought down. The date of birth was eighteen years prior. What's more, the date of death was the earlier year. â€Å"You kicked the bucket a year ago. What's more, you were just seventeen.† â€Å"I had a little vehicle crash,† he said. â€Å"I was very drunk.† He snickered once more, fiercely. Gillian sat out of sorts. â€Å"Oh, truly. All things considered, that was brilliant,† she murmured. â€Å"What's life?† He exposed his teeth. † ‘Out, out, brief light'- or something like that.† Gillian would not be diverted. â€Å"Is that what you did?† she asked unobtrusively. â€Å"Got yourself executed? Is that incomplete business somehow?† â€Å"Wouldn't you like to know?† he said. Alright, retreat. He wasn't prepared at this point. Perhaps attempt some ladylike wiles. â€Å"I

Pottermania hits MIT

Pottermania hits MIT The campus and, indeed, the world is abuzz with excitement for the release of the seventh and final book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. I dont know what will happen this time around, but on the morning of July 16, 2005 when the sixth book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was released MIT hackers put Harrys lightning bolt scar on the Great Dome. On Confessions of an Aca/Fan, Professor Henry Jenkins of MITs Comparative Media Studies program blogged Mays Harry Potter conference, where he spoke on his thoughts on the ways fandom in general and Harry Potter in particular have shaped contemporary culture. Here are some of his thoughts from his blog entry: Shortly after I arrived in New Orleans, I was interviewed on camera by a producer for Dateline. Among the many questions he asked me was whether we would ever see something like the Harry Potter phenomenon again in our lifetime. The question was relatively banal but for some reason, it caught me off guard, as I realized that according to many theories, we shouldnt be seeing anything like the Harry Potter phenomenon now. Harry Potter is a massive mass market success at a time when all of our conversations are focusing on the fragmentation of the media marketplace and the nichification of media production. There has been so much talk about the loss of common culture, about the ways that we are all moving towards specialized media, about the end of event based consumption, and so forth. Yet very little of it has reflected on the ways that Harry Potter has bucked all of these trends. I got into my taxi from the airport and had the usual conversation you have with a taxi driver in a convention city. He asked where I came from and why I was in town as if following a script and then asked me what kind of conference I was attending. But when I told him I was going to a Harry Potter conference, his eyes brightened up, his voice grew more intense, and he told me how very very much he was waiting for the final novel to come out this summer. I checked into the hotel and went across the street for some late lunch and played out more or less the same conversation with the waitress. When she saw I had a conference program, she brought several of her friends around including some from the kitchen who wanted to flip through the program, who wanted to sneak across the street and attend a session or two, who wondered aloud who I thought might be killed in the final installment and whether or not Snape was an evil person. Some of them had stories of the lengths they had gone to celebrate their affection for and affiliation with these books. These folks werent simply the readers of a best-selling book series; they had all of the passion and at least some of the expertise one associates with the most hardcore fans of any other media property, only they had no direct affiliation with any kind of fan culture or community. I tried explaining this to the television producer, worried that the final documentary, when it airs later this summer, will fall prey to the usual stereotypes of crazed and obsessive fans, totally outside of the cultural mainstream. But statistically speaking, the people who are not fans of Harry Potter are outside of the mainstream. According to Wikipedia, the six books have so far sold 377 Million copies and been translated into more than 63 different languages. Harry Potter will be widely recognized by people all over the world, including many who have not read the books but watched the movies or simply read a newspaper over the past decade. Prof. Jenkins isnt the only MIT expert being asked about Harry potter these days. The Boston Globe published an article this week about one point of anxiety about the release of the new book: some people, especially parents, are worried about the psychological effects on children should a beloved character like Harry be killed in the book. Psychiatrist David Jones of MIT advises parents to read the book as quickly as their children do. If a child says, Why did he/she have to die? saying, I dont know, I havent read the book, is a bad answer, he says. Fan websites offer plot summaries of all the books, and he expects the new one will be up by midday Sunday. You need to be informed so you can help your child find meaning in whosever death it is, Jones says. It is, of course, just a book, and thats a fine thing to remind your reader. But sadness for a fictional character is very real to children, and they need help processing it. What will be most troublesome to explain is if the character dies in a random act of violence rather than in some meaningful way, Jones says. Recently, a student team in an MIT design class designed a Harry Potter-themed product. In SP.778: Toy Product Design, every group of 5-6 students, working with local elementary schools and Hasbro, creates a new toy. Some of the toys have included Eggman Friends, Flosszilla, and Roli Boli. One team designed a very neat dental toy called Harry Potters Magical Toothbrush. The basic pitch: Harry Potters Magical Toothbrush levitates before your eyes when placed inside its holder. The base illuminates when the toothbrush is near. At this point, you may be wondering, so where will MIT students be partying on Friday night? Here in Boston, there are several exciting options. One is Hogwarts Square. One of this events highlights is Wizardstock, a big concert featuring world renowned wizard rock bands including Harry the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys, the Hungarian Horntails, and the Harry Potter Alliance. Other highlights include magic classes, wand making, fortune telling, a screening of Harry Potter The Sorcerers Stone, the Potter Puppet Pals (video), and a fan fiction contest. An alternative (closer to where Bryan O. lives) is Potterpalooza, an indoor/outdoor street festival. This includes the Wizards Ball dance, a costume competition, temporary tattoos, and more. For the visually impaired, the Perkins School for the Blind will host the Harry Potter extravaganza. It will feature readings from the new book by basketball players from the Boston Celtics. There will also be a raffle for a 18 inch tall, 10-volume stack of the Braille version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Regardless of where you go for the book release, its sure to be a very exciting night for Harry Potter fans everywhere. What are you doing? Previous Harry Potter coverage on the MIT blogs: Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans + Peanuts + Crackerjacks (Bryan O.) Boston becomes Pottersville (Me) Wangoballwime? (Laura) He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Returns (Bryan O.) A quick one, while hes away (Sam) At right: Bryan dresses up for the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. [Please, no spoilers in the comments!]

Gender Gap - 2092 Words

English 1200 31 October 2013 The Gender Gap in the Business World Throughout history, gender inequality has shown to be an issue across the globe, especially in the workplace. Men have always had a greater and more powerful presence in careers of all kinds. Today, in the sports marketing industry, this proves to be true as women constantly battle to make advances within their companies and outshine their male colleagues. The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of the â€Å"gender gap† in the business world, specifically sports marketing for the National Football League and how this issue may be solved: by presenting a sense of self-confidence in professional women. Employers constantly hold women to different standards than†¦show more content†¦Although it is not expected that women be marketed to in the exact fashion that men are, it is understandable that a woman would like to be treated as more of an equal. When asked about her opinion on marketing to different genders, Shelley Rider stated, â€Å"although a talented professional should be capable of successfully marketing to both sexes, it is vital to a company that both sexes are represented in a board room where decisions are made. From my experience in marketing athletic apparel for Champion, I have found that the most successful and effective marketing strategies come from groups with both men and women present.† For women hoping to enter a career like sports marketing, it can be a very intimidating process. From childhood, women learn that men are leaders and women stay at home to care for their families. Every female student will experience gender inequality at some point in her academic career as well, especially during undergraduate studies. First, men are much more likely to choose business as a major during college which means more men than women are enrolled in undergraduate business programs (Ball). Being a minority of any kind in the classroom can be discouraging for students, thus leaving them with less motivation and confidence. â€Å"The gender stereotypes introduced in childhood are reinforced throughout our lives and become self-fulfilling prophecies. Most leadership positions are held by men, so women don t expect toShow MoreRelatedGender Gap1785 Words   |  8 PagesGender Wage Gap Awareness Tell a story here for context and interest We have all heard about the gender wage gap on the news or in the current debates, but why is it any concern to you? I understand that this issue might not apply to a college student; however, you need to be aware of this issue since it could affect your major and future profession. Surprisingly, this issue even applies to males. Some argue that women are facing a wage gap because they choose more flexible professions, lackRead MoreThe Gap Of Gender Income Gap886 Words   |  4 Pagesmany people are now bringing up a pay gap between genders, there is something being over looked that proves there isn’t a pay gap, but something else. The Gender Income Gap is a supposed payment gap between men and women, stating that to every man’s dollar a woman only gets payed seventy cents. Statements like theses can grab people’s attention and get them to believe this without much proof of it actually existing. Most people get there information about the gap from surveys over all women and menRead MoreGender And Gender Pay Gap1173 Words   |  5 Pages Gender pay gaps have been a hot topic over the last several years. In my findings, I found three articles that stood out the most to me, as well as some statistical information. Gender pay gap is an interesting subject because it happens all across the United States, as well as in other countries worldwide. This pay gap can affect women of all ages, race, religion and educational levels. What is gender pay gap? The gender pay gap is defined as the difference between women and men’s full time averageRead MoreGender And Gender Leadership Gap1798 Words   |  8 PagesGender Leadership Gap Catalyst (2012) indicated that corporate world data showed that women represented only 4% of chief executive officer positions within Fortune 500 companies; similarly, DeFrank-Cole et al. (2013) advised that the lack of progress for women is dumbfounding considering that for the last 25 years; women’s entrance into professional and managerial careers has been on par with their male colleagues. Relatedly, Barsh (2012) identified a disparity of gender representation in seniorRead MoreGender Gap In Pay1574 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Gender Pay Gap also referred to as Gender wage gap, gender income difference or male-female income difference refers to the difference between the earning of men and women (Victoria, 2006). The European Union defines the Gender Pay gap as the difference between men and women’s hourly earnings (OECD, 2012). The difference may be measured on hourly, weekly, monthly, or yearly earning. The difference is expressed as a percentage of the men’s earning. However, the difference varies fromRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality Essay912 Words   |  4 Pagespay† by Lanier Isom is about the gender wage gap. The gender wage gap is the difference between male and female earnings. Isom basically states in this article that the wage gap exists because of gender, however many experts state that the wage gap simple does exists do to a factor such as gender, but of multiple factors. These factors being that the statistics presented in favor of a Wage gap are incorrect an d manipulated to seem correct. That the so called wage gap may be in fact do to the choiceRead MoreGender Wage Gap And Gender Inequality855 Words   |  4 Pages In general, the wage gap has narrowed at a slow, and uneven, pace over last three decades. Recent data shows that women in the American workforce earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns (Trevino). The existence of this â€Å"gender wage gap† has been an issue since women entered the workforce. The ongoing issue of the past has now become an apparent problem in our modern-day, progressive society. Women nowadays have opportunities that were not obtainable in past decades but must overcome, or ignoreRead MoreGender Income Gap2396 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿ Gender Income Gap Diane Smith ENG 122 English Composition II Instructor Stephanie Derisi August 30, 2014 Gender Income Gap In American society today there is an imbalance in the gender income gap between men and women in the work force. Many factors such as discrimination, productivity, educational background and disproportional hours worked contribute to this ongoing challenge. While many are skeptical, others remain to have strong beliefs that women and men are treated equallyRead MoreGender Inequality And Gender Pay Gap1543 Words   |  7 Pagesthe gender pay gap in the UK. These theories are taste discrimination, statistical discrimination, human capital and occupational segregation. Other research and data are included in this essay as evidence to support the different theories. The four theories covered in this essay all provide some explanation for the gender pay gap in the UK, some more than others – statistical discrimination theory having the highest explanatory power for the magnitude of this pay gap. The gender pay gap can beRead MoreIs The Gender Pay Gap?1880 Words   |  8 Pagesthe gender pay gap. Most people who use this phrase in casual conversation do not really know what this entails. It is much more than men earning more than women. The significance of this pay discrepancy becomes much more apparent when looking at the bigger picture. Over an entire lifetime of working, a woman making only 77 cents to the male dollar loses a total of $1.2 million dollars over the course of her working life (Murphy Graff, 2005). A risk of poverty for women living with a pay gap is

Hidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil...

American history has a long, winding path that is what shapes American today. For example: segregation. Segregation was the discrimination of colored people and being separated from the white community. This time period, the 1960’s, was shown in both Hidden Figures and The Help. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly represents segregation/Civil Rights Movement as a nonfictional story about three black women who strive to be engineers at the Langley lab in Virginia and their efforts to get there. However, The Help by Kathryn Stockett represents segregation/Civil Rights Movement as the backdrop for the plot, two black woman and one white woman who struggle in Jackson, Mississippi and go on to write a book with other black maids†¦show more content†¦But they do not know what a pathetic mess I turn into when Leroy’s beating on me. I’m afraid to hit back...How can I love a man who beats me raw?† (485). Towards the end of the book here, Minny e xplains how weak and controlled she feels when she is being abused by her husband, Leroy. This is another dramatic story that portrays the intense emotion in this book. Both Aibileen and Minny experience difficult times and this fact further worsened the presence of segregation in their town. For example, the book described many examples of discrimination including Hilly’s bathroom initiative (every white family with a black maid required an outhouse for the maid, so they would not â€Å"catch diseases†), a police officer killing an innocent black man in front of his children, and not allowing colored people to use the public library among other facilities. These examples of segregation clearly depicted the conditions during that time, and the emotionally charged stories allow the readers to more easily connect with the characters, which leads them to better understand the movement and topic than with Hidden Figures. Not only was The Help more relatable through emotion , but also listed some very important figures in history. Second, The Help did a much better job of portraying the difficulties of segregation because it included more on the Civil Rights Movement, which was happening during the time of segregation. For example, the book explicitlyShow MoreRelatedHidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil Rights Movement1347 Words   |  6 Pagesexample: segregation. Segregation was the discrimination of colored people and being separated from the white community. This time period, the 1960’s, was shown in both Hidden Figures and The Help. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly represents segregation/Civil Rights Movement as a nonfictional story about three black woman who strive to be engineers at the Langley lab in Virginia and their efforts to get there. However, The Help by Kathryn Stockett represents segregation/Civil Rights MovementRead MoreHidden Figures By Margot Lee Shetterly Segregation / Civil Rights Move ment1402 Words   |  6 Pagesexample: segregation. Segregation was the discrimination of colored people and being separated from the white community. It occurred from 1619-1954. During this time, all facilities were segregated and colored (Black, latina, Indian, etc.) people were given poorer treatment than white people, and everything was segregated, from buses to schools to water fountains/bathrooms. Segregation was portrayed in two books. The book Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly represents segregation/Civil Rights MovementRead MoreHidden Figures : The American Dream And The Untold Story Of The Black Women Mathematicians1233 Words   |  5 PagesThe film Hidden Figures is based on a true story and adapted from the book ‘Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race’ by Margot Lee Shetterly. The movie is centered around a trio of African-American women who worked for the National Aerona utics and Space Administration (NASA) and played an essential role in sending John Glenn to space amidst a burgeoning Space Race between the United States of America and Russia. Based

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 29~31 Free Essays

string(44) " her as if noticing her for the first time\." 29 Safe in the Hands of Medicine â€Å"How are you feeling today?† Sebastian Curtis pulled the sheet down to Tuck’s knees and lifted the pilot’s hospital gown. Tucker flinched when the doctor touched the catheter. â€Å"Better,† Tuck said. We will write a custom essay sample on Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 29~31 or any similar topic only for you Order Now â€Å"That thing is itching, though.† â€Å"It’s healing.† The doctor palpated the lymph nodes in Tucker’s crotch. His hands were cold and Tuck shivered at the touch. â€Å"The infection is subsiding. This happened to you in the plane crash?† â€Å"I fell back on some levers while I was trying to get a passenger out of the plane.† â€Å"The hooker?† The doctor didn’t look up from his work. Tuck wanted to throw the sheets over his head and hide. Instead, he said, â€Å"I don’t suppose it would make a difference if I said I didn’t know she was a hooker.† Sebastian Curtis looked up and smiled; his eyes were light gray flecked with orange. With his gray hair and tropical tan, he could have been a re-tired general, Rommel maybe. â€Å"I’m not really concerned with what the woman was doing there. What does concern me is that you had been drinking. We can’t have that here, Mr. Case. You may have to fly on a moment’s notice, so you won’t be able to drink or indulge in any other chemical diversions. I assume that won’t pose a problem.† â€Å"No. None,† Tuck said, but he felt like he’d been hit with a bag of sand. He’d been craving a drink since he’d regained consciousness. â€Å"By the way, Doc, since we’re going to be doing business together, maybe you should call me Tucker.† â€Å"Tucker it is,† Curtis said. â€Å"And you can call me Dr. Curtis.† He smiled again. â€Å"Swell. And your wife’s name is?† â€Å"Mrs. Curtis.† â€Å"Of course.† The doctor finished his examination and pulled the sheet back up to Tuck’s waist. â€Å"You should be on your feet in a few days. We’ll move you to your bungalow this afternoon. I think you’ll find everything you need there, but if you do need anything, please let us know.† A gin and tonic, Tuck thought. â€Å"I’d like to find out what happened to the guy who was piloting my boat.† â€Å"As I told you, the islanders found you and a few pieces of your boat.† There was a finality in his voice that made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about Kimi or the boat. Tuck pressed on. Respect for authority had never been his long suit. â€Å"I guess I’ll ask around when I get out of here. Maybe he washed up on a different part of the island. I remember being hung in a tree with him by an old cannibal.† Tuck saw a frown cross the doctor’s face like a fleeting shadow, then the professional smile was back. â€Å"Mr. Case, there haven’t been any cannibals in these islands for a hundred years. Besides, I will have to ask you to stay inside the compound while you are here. You’ll have access to beaches and there’s plenty of room to roam, but you won’t be having any contact with the islanders.† â€Å"Why, I mean if they saved me?† â€Å"The Shark People have a very closed society. We try not to intrude on that any more than is necessary for us to do our work.† â€Å"The Shark People? Why the Shark People?† â€Å"I’ll explain it all to you when you are feeling better. Right now you need to rest.† The doctor took a syringe from a metal drawer by the wall and filled it from a vial of clear fluid, then injected it into Tuck’s IV. â€Å"When do you think you’ll be ready to fly?† Tuck felt as if a veil of gauze had been thrown over his mind. Everything in the room went soft and fuzzy. â€Å"Not real soon if you keep giving me that stuff. Wow, what was that? Hey, you’re a doctor. Do you think we taste like Spam?† He was going to ask another question, but somehow it didn’t seem to matter anymore. The Sorcerer stormed into the Sky Priestess’s bungalow, stripped off his lab coat, and threw it into the corner. He went to the open kitchen, ripped open the freezer, pulled out a frosty fifth of Absolut, and poured a triple shot into a water glass that froze and steamed like dry ice in the humidity. â€Å"Malink lied,† he said. Then he tossed back half the glass and grabbed his temples when the cold hit his brain. The Sky Priestess looked up from her magazine. â€Å"A little stressed, darling?† She was lying out on the lanai, naked except for a wide-brimmed straw hat, her white skin shining in the sun like pearl. The Sorcerer joined her and fell onto a chaise lounge, a hand still clamped on his temples. â€Å"Case says there was another man with him on the island. He said an old cannibal hung them in a tree.† â€Å"I heard him,† the Sky Priestess said. â€Å"He’s delirious?† â€Å"I don’t think so. I think Malink lied. That they found the boat pilot and didn’t tell us.† She moved next to him on the chaise lounge and pried the glass of vodka out of his hand. â€Å"So send the ninjas on a search mission. You’re paying them. They might as well do something.† â€Å"That’s not an option and you know it.† â€Å"Well, then go yourself. Or call Malink on it. Tell him that you know there was another man and you want him brought here chop-chop.† â€Å"I think we’re losing them, Beth. Malink wouldn’t have dared lie to me a month ago. It’s that dream. He dreams that Vincent is sending them a pilot, then you tell him it’s not true, then a pilot washes up on the reef.† The Sky Priestess drained the glass of vodka and handed it back to him empty. â€Å"Yeah, nothing fucks up a good religion like the intervention of a real god.† â€Å"I wish you wouldn’t talk that way.† â€Å"So what are you going to do, after you get a refill, I mean?† The Sorcerer looked up at her as if noticing her for the first time. You read "Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 29~31" in category "Essay examples" â€Å"Beth, what are you doing out here? The Priestess of the Sky does not have a tan.† She reached under the chaise lounge and came up with a plastic bottle of lotion. â€Å"SPF 90. Relax, ‘Bastian, this stuff would keep me creamy white in a nuclear flare. You want to rub some on me?† She pushed her hat back on her head so he could see the predator seriousness in her eyes. â€Å"Beth, please. I’m on the cusp of a crisis here.† â€Å"It’s not a crisis. It’s obvious why the Shark People are getting restless.† â€Å"It is?† â€Å"No one has been chosen in over two months, ‘Bastian.† He shook his head. â€Å"Case isn’t ready to fly.† â€Å"Well, get him ready.† 30 Fashion Statements Kimi sat under a coconut palm outside of the bachelors’ house sulking. His flowered dress was gone and he wore a blue thu, the long saronglike loin-cloth worn by the Shark men. Gone too was his blond wig, his high heels, and his best friend, Roberto, who he had not seen since the cannibal tree. Now it looked as if he had no place to sleep. Sepie had thrown him out. Sepie came out of the bachelors’ house wearing Kimi’s floral dress and glared at him. She paused on the coral pathway. â€Å"I am not a monkey,† she said. Then she picked up a stone from the path and hurled it at him, barely missing his head. Kimi scuffled to the leeward side of the tree and peeked around. â€Å"I didn’t say you were a monkey. I said that if you didn’t shave your legs, you would soon look like a monkey.† A rock whizzed by his face so close he could feel the wind of it. She was getting more accurate with each throw. â€Å"You know nothing,† she said. â€Å"You are just a girl-man.† Kimi dug a stone from the sand at his feet and hurled it at her, but his heart wasn’t in it and it missed her by five feet. In English he said, â€Å"You just a poxy oar with a big mouth.† He hoped this verbal missile hit closer to home. They were the last words of Malcolme, Kimi’s pimp back in Ma-nila. In retrospect, Malcolme’s mistake had been one of memory. He had forgotten that the overly made-up little girl standing in front of him with a machete was, in fact, a wiry young man with the anger of hundreds of beatings burning in his memory. â€Å"I no have the pox,† Kimi said to Malcolme, whose look of surprise remained fixed even as his head rolled into the corner of the hotel room, where a rat darted out and gently licked his shortened neck. â€Å"I no have the pox,† Sepie said in English, punctuating her statement with a thrown lump of coral. â€Å"I know,† Kimi said. â€Å"I’m sorry I say that.† He skulked off down the beach. Sepie stood outside the bachelors’ house watching him, totally disarmed. No man had ever apologized to her before. Kimi hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings. Sometimes it takes a thick skin to trade beauty tips with a girlfriend. Sepie was naturally pretty, but she didn’t understand fashion. Why bother to put on a pretty dress if you’re going to have monkey legs and tufts of hair hanging out from under your arms making it look like bats hanging there? Bats. Kimi missed Roberto. The Shark men wouldn’t talk to him, the women ignored him, except for Sepie, who was angry at him now, and even Tucker had been taken away to the other side of the island. Kimi was lonely. And as he walked down the beach, past the children playing with a trained frigate bird, past the men lounging in the shade of an empty boathouse, his loneliness turned to anger. He turned up the beach and took a path into the village to look for a weapon. It was time to go see the old cannibal. Outside each of the houses, near the cook sheds, stood an iron spike – a pick head that was driven into the ground and used to husk coconuts. Kimi stopped at one house and yanked on the spike, but it wouldn’t budge. He moved between the houses, vacant now in the early morning, the women working in the taro field, the men lounging in various patches of shade. He peeked into a cook shed, and there, by the pot that held the crust of this morning’s rice, he found a long chef’s knife. He looked around to make sure that no one was watching, then bolted into the shed and snatched the knife, fitting it into his thu so that only the handle protruded at the small of his back. Ten minutes later he was hiding in a patch of giant ferns, watching the old cannibal roll coconut husk fibers into rope on his leathery old thighs. He sat with his back against a palm tree, his legs straight out in front of him, pulling the fibers that had been soaked and separated out of a basket and measuring by feel the right amount to add to the coil of cord that was building on the ground beside him. From time to time he stopped and took a drink from a jar of milky liquid that Kimi was sure was alcoholic tuba. Good, he was drunk. Kimi moved slowly around the house, staying in the undergrowth of ferns and elephant ears, careful not to kick up any of the coral gravel that rang like broken glass if you didn’t place your feet carefully. Once he was behind the old man, he drew the knife from the small of his back and moved forward to kill that man who had eaten his friend. From the window of his new quarters Tucker Case watched the Japanese guards move through the compound carrying palm fronds and broken branches, detritus of the typhoon, which they piled in an open space at the side of the hangar to dry in the sun. They were dressed like a police SWAT team, in black coveralls with baseball caps and paratrooper boots, and if he squinted, they looked like giant worker ants cleaning out the nest. From time to time one of the guards would look toward his bungalow, then quickly turn away when he saw Tucker standing in the window in his pajamas. He had given up waving to them after the first hour of being ignored. He’d been in the one-room bungalow for four days now, but this was the first time he’d felt well enough to get up and move around, other than to use the bathroom, which to his surprise, had hot and cold running water, a flush toilet, and a shower stall made of galvanized metal. The walls were tightly woven grass between a sturdy frame of teak and mahogany logs; the floor was unfinished teak, sanded smooth and pink; and the furniture was wicker with brightly colored cushions. A ceiling fan spun languidly above a double bed that was draped with a canopy of mosquito netting. The windows looked out on the compound and hangar on one side and through a grove of palm trees to the ocean on the other. He could see sev-eral bungalows perched near the beach, a small dock, and the cinderblock hospital building, its tin roof arrayed with antennae, solar electric panels, and a massive satellite dish. Tuck backed away from the window and sat down on the wicker couch. A few minutes on his feet and he felt exhausted. He was twenty pounds lighter than when he had left Houston and there wasn’t a six-inch patch of skin on his body that didn’t have some kind of bandage on it. The doc had said that between the cuts on his arms, knees, and scalp, he had taken a hundred sutures. The first time he looked in the little mirror in his bathroom, he thought he was looking at a human version of the mangy feral dog he’d seen on Truk. His blue eyes lay like dull ice in sunken brown craters and his cheeks were drawn into his face like a mummified bog man’s. His hair had been bleached white by the sun and stuck out in straw-dry tufts between pink patches where the doctor had shaved his scalp to stitch him up. He took small comfort in the fact that there were no women around to see him. No real women, anyway. The doctor’s wife, who came several times a day to bring him food or to change his bandages, seemed robotic, like some Stepford/Barbie hybrid with the smooth sexless carriage of a mannequin and a personality pulled out of an Eisenhower-era soap commercial. She made the straight-laced cosmetic reps from his past seem like a tribe of pillbox nympho hose hunters. There was a tap on the door and Beth Curtis breezed in carrying a wooden serving tray with plates of pancakes and fresh fruit. â€Å"Mr. Case, you’re up. Feeling better today?† She set the tray down on the coffee table in front of him and stepped back. Today she was in pleated khaki pants and a white blouse with puffed shoulders. Her hair was tied back with a big white bow at the back of her neck. She might have just walked out of a Stewart Granger safari movie. â€Å"Yes, better,† Tuck said, â€Å"But I wore myself out just walking to the window.† â€Å"Your body is still fighting off the infection. The doctor will be by soon to give you some antibiotics. For now you need to eat.† She sat on the chair across from him. Tuck cut a divot out of the stack of pancakes with a fork and speared it through a piece of papaya. After the first bite, he realized how hungry he really was and began wolfing down the pancakes. Beth Curtis smiled. â€Å"Have you had a chance to look over the manuals for the airplane?† Tuck nodded, his mouth still full. She’d left the operations manuals on his bed two days ago. He’d leafed through them enough to know that he could fly the thing. He swallowed and said, â€Å"I used to fly a Lear 25 for Mary Jean. This one is a little faster and has longer range, but basically it’s the same. Shouldn’t be a problem.† â€Å"Oh, good,† she said, sporting one of her plastic smiles. â€Å"When will you be able to fly?† Tucker put down his fork. â€Å"Mrs. Curtis, I don’t mean to be rude, but what in the hell is going on around here?† â€Å"Regarding what, Mr. Case?† â€Å"Well, first, regarding the man I came to this island with. I was sick, but I wasn’t hallucinating. We were strung up in a tree by an old native guy and cut down by a bunch of others. What happened to my friend?† She shifted in her chair, and the wicker crackled like snapping rat bones. â€Å"My husband told you what the islanders told us, Mr. Case. The natives live on the other side of the island. They have their own society, their own chief, their own laws. We try to take care of their medical needs and bring a few souls into the fold, but they are a private people. I’ll ask them about your friend. If I find out anything, I’ll let you know.† She stood and straightened the front of her slacks. â€Å"I’d appreciate that,† Tuck said. â€Å"I promised him I’d get him back to Yap and I owe him some money. The natives didn’t find my backpack, did they? My money was in it.† She shook her head. â€Å"Just the clothes you had on. We burned them. Fortunately, you and Sebastian are about the same size. Now, if you’ll ex-cuse me, Mr. Case, I have some work to do. Sebastian will be along in a bit with your medicine. I’m glad you’re feeling better.† She turned and walked out the door into the blinding sunlight. Tucker stood and watched her walk across the compound. The Japanese guards stopped their work and leered at her. She spun on them and waited, her hands on her hips, until one by one they lost their courage and returned to their work, not embarrassed but afraid, as if meeting her direct gaze might turn them to frost. Tuck sat down to his half-eaten pancakes and shivered, thinking it must be the fever. A half hour later the doctor entered the bungalow. Tucker was spread out on the couch descending into a nap. They’d been doing this since they’d moved him to the bungalow, tag-teaming him, one showing up at least every hour to check on him, bring him food or medicine, change the sheets, take his temperature, help him to the bathroom, wipe his forehead. It looked like concerned care, but it felt like surveillance. Sebastian Curtis took a capped syringe from his coat pocket as he crossed the room. Tuck sighed. â€Å"Another one?† â€Å"You must be feeling like a pin cushion by now, Mr. Case. I need you to roll over.† Tuck rolled over and the doctor gave him the injection. â€Å"It’s either this or the IV. We’ve got this infection on the run, but we don’t want it to get a foothold again.† Tuck rubbed his bottom and sat up. Before he could say anything, the doctor stuck a digital thermometer in his mouth. â€Å"Beth tells me that you’re worried about your friend, the one you say came to the island with you?† Tuck nodded. â€Å"I’ll check into it, I promise you. In the meantime, if you’re feeling up to it, Beth and I would like you to join us for dinner. Get to know each other a little. Let you know what’s expected of you.† He pulled the thermometer out of Tuck’s mouth and checked it but made no comment. â€Å"You up for dinner tonight?† â€Å"Sure,† Tuck said. â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Good. We’ll eat at seven. I’ll have Beth bring you down some clothes. I’m sorry about the hand-me-downs, but it’s the best we can do for now.† He started to leave. â€Å"Doc?† Sebastian turned. â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"You’ve been out here, what, thirty years?† The doctor stiffened. â€Å"Twenty-eight. Why?† â€Å"Well, Mrs. Curtis doesn’t look†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yes, Beth is quite a bit younger than I am. But we can talk about all that at dinner. You should probably rest now and let those antibiotics do their work. I need you healthy, Mr. Case. We have a round of golf to play.† â€Å"Golf?† â€Å"You do play, don’t you?† Tuck took a second to catch up with the abrupt change of subject, then said, â€Å"You play golf here?† â€Å"I am a physician, Mr. Case. Even in the Pacific we have Wednesdays.† Then he smiled and left the bungalow. 31 Revenge: Sweet and Low in Calories Sarapul twisted the last of the fibers into his rope and drew his knife to trim the ragged end. It was a good knife, made in Germany, with a thin flexible blade that was perfect for filleting fish or cutting microthin slices from coconut stems to keep the tuba running. He’d had the knife for ten years and he kept it honed and polished on a piece of tanned pig hide. The blade flashed blue as he picked it up and he saw the face of vengeance re-flected in the metal. Without turning, he said, â€Å"The young ones are going to kill you.† Kimi stopped, his knife held ready to strike the old man in the neck. â€Å"You ate my friend.† Sarapul gripped his knife blade down so he might turn and slash at the same time. There was no quickness in his bones, though. The Filipino would kill him before he got halfway around. â€Å"Your friend is with the white Sorcerer and Vincent’s bitch. Malink took him away.† â€Å"Not that one. Roberto. The bat.† â€Å"Bats are taboo. We don’t eat bats on Alualu.† Kimi lowered his knife an inch. â€Å"You are not supposed to eat people either, but you do.† â€Å"Not people I know. Come over here where I can see you. I am old and my neck won’t turn that far around.† Kimi walked a crescent around the tree and crouched at ready in front of the old man. Sarapul said, â€Å"You were going to kill me.† â€Å"If you ate Roberto.† â€Å"I like that. Nobody kills anybody anymore. Oh, the young ones are talking about killing you, but I think Malink will talk them out of it.† Kimi cleared his throat. â€Å"Were you going to eat me when they killed me?† â€Å"Someone brought that up at the drinking circle. I don’t remember who.† â€Å"Then how do I know you did not eat Roberto?† â€Å"Look at me, little one. I am a hundred years old maybe. Sometimes I go to the beach to pee and the tides change before my water comes. How would I catch a bat?† Kimi sat down on the ground across from the old man and dropped his knife in the gravel. â€Å"Something happened to Roberto. He flew off.† â€Å"Maybe he found a girl bat,† Sarapul said. â€Å"Maybe he will come back. You want a drink?† The old cannibal offered his jar of tuba to Kimi, who leaned forward and snatched it before retreating out of knife range. Kimi took a sip and grimaced. â€Å"Why are they going to kill me?† â€Å"They say you are a girl-man and that you make Sepie forget her duties as mispel. And they don’t like you. Don’t worry, no one kills anyone anymore. It is just drunk talk.† Kimi hung his head. â€Å"Sepie sent me away from the bachelors’ house. She is mad at me. I have nowhere to go.† Sarapul nodded in sympathy, but said nothing. He’d been exiled for so long that he’d gotten used to the alienation, but he remembered how he had felt when Malink had first banished him. â€Å"You speak our language pretty good,† Sarapul said. â€Å"My father was from Satawan. He was a great navigator. He taught me.† â€Å"You’re a navigator?† In the old days the navigators stood above even the chiefs – and just below the gods. As a boy, Sarapul idolized the two navigators of Alualu. The long-dead dream of his boyhood surfaced and he remembered learning from them, watching them draw star charts in the sand and stand at the beach lecturing on tides and currents and winds. He had wanted to be a navigator, had begun the training, for in the rigid caste system of the Yapese islands it was the one way for a man to distin-guish himself. But one of the navigators had died of a fever and the other was killed in a fight before he could pass on his knowledge. The navigators and warriors were ghosts of the past. If this girl-man was a navigator, then the bachelors were piss ants to talk of killing him. Sarpul felt infused with an energy he hadn’t felt in years. â€Å"I can show you something,† Sarapul said. He tried to climb to his feet and fell back into a crouch. Kimi took him by a bony arm and helped him up. â€Å"Come,† Sarapul said. The old man led Kimi down the path to the beach and stopped at the water’s edge. He began to sing, his voice like dried palm leaves rattling in the wind. He waved his arms in arcs, then threw them wide to the sky so that his chest looked as if it might crack open like a rotten breadfruit. And the wind came up. He took handfuls of sand and cast them into the wind, then clapped his hands and resumed singing until the palms above them were waving in the wind. Then he stopped. â€Å"Now we wait,† he said. He pointed out to sea. â€Å"Watch there.† A column of fog rose off the ocean at the horizon and boiled black and silver into a huge thunderhead. Sarapul clapped his hands again and a lightning bolt ripped out of the cloud and across the sky like a jagged white fissure in blue glass. The thunderclap was instant, deafening, and crackled for a full ten seconds. Sarapul turned to Kimi, who was staring at the thunderhead with his mouth open. â€Å"Can you do that?† Kimi shook off his astonishment with a shiver. â€Å"No, I never learned that. My father said he could send the thunder, but I didn’t see him do it.† Sarapul grinned. â€Å"Ever eat a guy?† Kimi shook his head. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Tastes like Spam,† Sarapul said. â€Å"I heard that.† â€Å"I can teach you to send the thunder. I don’t know the stars, though.† â€Å"I know the stars,† Kimi said. â€Å"Go get your things,† Sarapul said. How to cite Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 29~31, Essay examples

People and Skills in Risk Management

Abstract Risk management failures are common in organizations that fail to plan effectively. Risk management is defined by several theorists as the assessment and quantification of the various risks that an organization runs and also the prescription of measures to reduce or avoid the risk in question (Alexander Sheedy, 2005; Lam, 2003; Roehrig, 2006; (SAA, 2009).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on People and Skills in Risk Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This paper looks at a scenario where an organization failed to manage its risks effectively leading to a huge loss. The case study seeks to link theories of risk management to actual field experience. Throughout the paper, I shall seek to identify the particular causes of the loss and the measures which the organization would have taken to mitigate the loss. Introduction Hubbard (2009) describes risk management as the â€Å"identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities.† Risk is defined as the result of an uncertainty in an organization which could be financial, legal, natural or a deliberate act of a competitor or adversary (Crockford 1986; Gorrod 2004). Many organizations that practice risk management are mostly concerned with those risks that are well within their control and those which can be quantified and assessed. The criterion in risk management is similar in all organizations due to the standardization of the process. The ISO standard requires that risk management is done in five steps (SAA 2009; Institute of Risk Management 2002). First, the risk manager identifies and characterizes the threats that the organization is faced with. Next, he or she assesses the vulnerability of the organization’s critic al assets to the identified threats. The third step involves determining risk which involves establishing the expected consequences of a threat materializing. The next step involves identification of ways to reduce the risk established. Finally, the manager prioritizes strategically all risk reduction measures. The identification of risks plays an important role in risk management. Once the risk that is likely to cause problems is identified, the risk manager should work from the source of the problem or the problem itself (Alberts et al. 2008; Charles 2004). Therefore, there are two ways of analysis risk; source analysis and problem analysis.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Source analysis involves investigation of the internal and external elements of the system that are vulnerable to risk such as employees, project stakeholders e.t.c that can be considered risk sources (V an Deventer et al. 2004). Problem analysis looks at identifiable threats e.g. threat of accidents, loss of money, stealing of private information e.t.c. These threats are extrinsic to the company and involve customers, shareholders and government entities all of which are outside the organization’s control (Moteff 2005). The method of identifying risks generally depends on the industry practice (Hutto 2009) and thus various industries use any of the following methods; objective-based risk identification which is based on the organization’s objectives (Dorfman 2007). Scenario-based identification that looks at market scenarios (Hopkin 2010), taxonomy-based identification which analyzes risk sources through taxonomy and best-practices approach (Borodzicz 2005), common risk checking where the particular industry provides a list of known risks (Stulz 2009) and finally, risk charting which combines all the approaches above with an aim of identifying resources which are at r isk (Charles 2004). Risk assessment is the natural successor to risk identification. An identified risk has to be assessed for the two factors of probability and severity (Stulz, 2009). Probability is the likelihood of occurrence while severity is the magnitude of loss that would ensue upon the attaching of risk. Risk assessment helps in prioritization of risks and the drafting of a risk management plan. Since it is difficult to evaluate rates of occurrence of all risks and also determining the severity of losses for immaterial risks, risk assessment heavily relies on best educated opinions and statistical information (Lam 2003). In quantification of risks, risk managers rely on several formulae that have been adopted as part of risk management practice (Stulz 2009). Risk determination is often considered a part of assessment but the two are different in their aims. While assessment looks at severity and probability, determination seeks to ascertain the particular consequences that come with the attaching of a particular risk (Charles 2004).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on People and Skills in Risk Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Once the risk manager finds out the magnitude of the loss and severity of the risk, he or she now determines whether the organization should consider ways of risk reduction or ignore it altogether. Risk determination is therefore an integral part in prescribing risk reduction measures.  After all the above steps, the organization then decides what method to use to reduce risk. Stulz (2009) states the several ways an organization can reduce risk such as; risk avoidance where the organization ceases to engage totally in a particular activity that has been deemed risky, risk reduction where measures are put in place to reduce losses that may occur if the risk were to attach, risk sharing through outsourcing and/or insurance and risk retention where the organization accepts the risk and budgets for it. Finally, the risk manager has to prioritize all the risk reduction measures for all the risks identified so as to ensure sufficient allocation of enough resources for serious risks. Implementation of the risk management plan is another important part of risk management since without it the whole process would be defeated. Risk management failure therefore occurs from the failures in one of the above steps (Alexander Sheedy 2005). It can be concluded that a failure to properly identify, assess, determine, prescribe appropriate risk reduction measures and prioritize amounts to risk management failure. A failure in risk management could prove to be a nightmare for any organization and thus should be avoided at all costs. This paper shall look into such a failure and establish which part of risk management was faulty. Case study: The Toyota Recall Debacle The Toyota recall case popularly known as ‘pedalgate’ in the US occur red between November 2009 and February 2010. It involved three recalls of several vehicle models made the Toyota Motor Corporation. The reason for the recalls was a reported unintended acceleration in some Toyota models. The first of the three recalls was made on 2nd November, 2009 and was intended to correct an incorrectly placed floor mat which could lead to an entrapment of the accelerator model leading to accidental acceleration.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The second was made on 21st January, 2010 after it was established that accidental acceleration was also caused by the mechanical sticking of the vehicle’s accelerator pedal. The third recall was made in February, 2010 and was intended to correct the anti-lock brake software for three of Toyota’s hybrid models. In total, Toyota recalled around 9 million vehicles from the US, Europe and China. The spate of recalls was triggered by 50 fatalities reported in the US which the National Highway Transport and Safety Authority (NHTSA) attributed to manufacturer errors in vehicle design. However, Toyota had already identified these errors in its October Defect Information Report (DIR). Due to the media attention given to the debacle, there were numerous other reported incidents of accidental acceleration though further investigations revealed that driver error was the most common fault. The Toyota models recalled first included the Camry, Avalon, Corolla, Matrix, RAV4,Sequoia, Tundra and Highlander. The second recall expanded the list to include the Venza and Highlander and also extended the recall to Europe and China. In Europe, recalls were made for the Yaris, iQ, Auris, Aygo, Verso, Corolla, RAV4 and Avensis. The third recall was for the hybrid vehicles which are the Prius, Sai and Lexus HS 250h. All in all, Toyota suffered massive losses from these recalls. Multiple law suits were filed against it and the sale of its multiple-recalled vehicles was suspended in various markets. The company estimated that the entire debacle would cost them over $ 2.47 billion dollars in actual losses. However, the greatest loss was the denting of customer confidence in Toyota vehicles which saw reduced sales. The value of Toyota shares also slumped by over 15% during the entire period. Causes of the recall: A case of failure in risk management The massive recall of 9 million units of Toyota vehicles was caused by serious design flaws made in Toyota’s assembly pla nts. While the vehicles were of different designs, they shared common features such as an accelerator pedal and braking system. This should have been adequately foreseen by the company’s management as a substantial risk. Additionally, the company failed to provide an override system in the recalled products leading to multiple recalls for the same products which further increased the company’s losses. The problems of unintended acceleration and inefficient braking system could have been solved through providing an alternative system but the company insisted on ‘cosmetic’ repairs rather than well-researched mechanical changes in design. The managerial problems that led to Toyota’s huge loss and dented image are thus threefold. First, the company did not have a risk management plan to foresee this kind of situation. Secondly, the top managers went for cost cutting as the company’s priority instead of safety and quality and finally, the manageme nt failed to look for stopgap measures to end the problem immediately leading to frustrated customers and further losses. Theories of organizational risk management failure According to Stulz (2009), the occurrence of a huge loss in a company does not necessary indicate a failure in risk management or that a mistake was made. However, such a loss can be used as evidence of a failure in risk management in almost all circumstances. While effective risk management is not a guarantee against failure, a good risk manager does his or her best to ensure that the people who determine the organization’s risk appetite, the top management, understand the risks, the probability of their occurrence and the magnitude of loss (Scott 2007). According to Mullins (2007), the ultimate decision as to whether to take risk or avoid it lies with the senior management of the organization. It is not part of the risk manager’s mandate to decide which risks to ignore but he/she is tasked with es tablishing all the risks (Tompkins 2005) and presenting all the information gathered to the management to decide on the next course of action. The failure of risk management therefore lies mostly on the decisions of the top management (Yukl 2006). Therefore, decentralization of decision making through a ‘middle’ organizational structure as compared to a top-down decentralized system is a viable way to reduce risk. French et al (2008) state that among the leadership skills required of managers, the manager’s directorship role plays a vital part in an organization’s strategy development. The directorship role includes decision making and formulation of strategy. Decision making skills of the manager are very vital for risk management. This involves; working with all the available information, avoiding ‘jumping’ into conclusions, knowing their risk preferences, considering all points of view and optimizing the limited resources (Herbert 1997). Wh en there is a failure in decision making, then the management of risk is put into jeopardy. Since risk involves assets and resources of the organization including its employees, good leadership skills are also needed to manage them effectively. A poor leader is likely to have a significant part of his workforce being a risk to the organization rather than an asset (Yukl 2006). Disgruntled employees pose the risk of financial loss through underperformance or malicious activities that stem out of their dissatisfaction with their managers (Weick 1979). Stacey (2007) states that proper strategic management can also be an effective way to avoid risk. Poor strategic management is thus a risk management failure in the sense that the organization lacks direction and is thus vulnerable to risks that come from uncoordinated leadership and lack of goal-oriented strategies. Stulz (2009) categorizes risk management failures into five groups; failure by use of inappropriate risk metrics, poor mea surement of known risks, overlooking risks, poor communication to top managers and poor management of risk. The first four failures can be attributed to the risk manager while the last part is the fault of the top management. Appropriate risk management involves using the right risk metric. Risk metrics inform the risk manager what kind of risk he or she should assess that is relevant to the organization. Measurement of a wrong metric whether accurate or not will definitely result into a failure in risk management since it will not relate to the organization’s dynamics. Poor measurement of a known risk on the other part places the organization in a precarious situation since the organization’s management will not get accurate information to make the right decision regarding the risk. Just like poor measurement of known risks, miscommunication results in the top management making the wrong decision due to the provision of inaccurate data by the risk manager. Relating th eory to the Toyota case Using Stulz’s (2009) theory on risk management failure, there is a failure in risk management in as far as measuring appropriate metrics is concerned. The company did not construe that their ‘lean’ manufacturing system that was designed to cut costs would be a risk in the long run. Using similar parts for all its models and centralizing the supply chain was a foreseeable risk that any risk manager would have identified and quantified. However, due to the lack of a risk management plan in the first place, the organization was already exposed to the risk without an adequate remedy. Huczynski Buchanan (2007) state that an organization’s top management should embrace leadership and management styles that are strategically sound for the organization. Through this, the organization should attempt to decentralize its decision making since it is economically sound that those close to the subject matter are in the best position to make a de cision about it e.g. owners of dealerships in the US are more likely to make correct sales decisions that the company’s executives in Japan. However, Toyota’s top-down organizational structure vested all decision making to the top management in Japan thus centralizing the system which increases risk. Another theory by French et al (2008) and Montana Charnov (2008) states that an organization is naturally dependent on the leadership skills of its top management. Therefore any organization that is run by leaders who have not honed their directorship, supervisory, communication, negotiation, coordinating and motivation skills runs a risk. These leaders are a risk in themselves (Yukl 2006). In Toyota’s case, the top management failed to provide leadership in the sense that it did not recommend a thorough research into the causes of the accidental acceleration but instead it preferred easier ‘quick fix’ measures such as replacing floor mats instead of a holistic inquiry into the mechanical systems of the vehicles. Measures to avoid risk management failure at the organizational level An organization needs to be dynamic (Fincha Rhodes 2005). It must at all times move with the changing times. To do so, its top-level management needs to possess sufficient leadership skills (Argyris 1976; McGrath 1962; Mumford1986; Hackman Walton 1986). The first step to avoid risk at an organizational level should be an enterprise wide risk management plan (Olson 2003). Most organizations have annual plans but these are usually insufficient in meeting the demands of the time (Borman Brush 1993). With the current financial crisis, managing risk should be on the minds of organizational leaders since it would be difficult to absorb losses while all players in the industry are struggling. In Toyota’s case, the company should have put in place a risk management plan which would have enabled it to put in place measures that would counter the effec ts of their lean manufacturing system that requires uniform supply and design. A thorough risk assessment would have assisted the company to establish that its policy would eventually lead to loss. Alternatively, the company should have decentralized its operations such that only few vehicles or models would have been affected by the design flaws. Its top managers should also have had the foresight to see that the uniform supply and distribution system would run a risk in the event of manufacturer error. The poor leadership provided by the company’s top executives was thus the main cause of the risk management failure. Conclusion Toyota’s loss is a good example of a failure to properly manage risk. Organizations should embrace the risk management measures of avoidance, transfer, retention and/or reduction depending on the nature of the risk so as to avoid suffering similar losses. Reducing risk should always start as an initiative of the organization’s leadershi p and thus proper risk management is a product of good leadership (Hatch 2006; Robbins 2004). References Alberts, C.; Audrey, D., Lisa. M. 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