Battle of Midway

The Battle of Midway, which took place in the Pacific from June 4-7, 1942, is considered to be the most decisive battle between the American and the Japanese naval forces during the Second World War. The stunning defeat suffered by the Japanese Navy resulted to the loss of four of its large carriers and effectively loosened Japan’s stranglehold over the Pacific region. This development enabled the Allied Forces to seize the initiative in the region (Naval Historical Center 2005).The decision to attack and capture Midway was part of the Japanese campaign in the region which started in December 1941 with the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, the purpose of which was to seize American, British, and Dutch territories located in Southeast Asia and the Pacific (Naval Historical Center 2005). Japan first surprised the American Fleet which was stationed at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Then on December 10, the Japanese forces occupied Guam. Wake was the next to fall, on December 23, 1941. On February 15, 1942, Singapore also fell to Japanese hands (Geocities.com). Then the Japanese also seized Malaysia, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, and other groups of islands located in the western and central Pacific. It was only the first phase of the Japanese campaign in Asia and the Pacific and it was easily completed without much opposition from the surprised Allies by March 1942 (Naval Historical Center 2005). On January 23, 1942, the second phase of the Japanese campaign was planned by order of the Japanese Imperial Headquarters. Its objective was to effectively isolate India and Australia from the war.For this phase to be completed, the Japanese forces planned to launch offensives aimed at capturing vital bases located in the Solomon Islands and Papua-New Guinea. Their intention was to utilize these bases to support their planned campaign against Samoa, Fiji, and New Caledonia. During the first half of March, after successfully occupying the northern coa st of Papua-New Guinea, the next objective of the Japanese forces was to seize Port Moresby which was nearer Australia, being situated in the southern coast.Their plan was to launch an amphibious assault in order to capture the Port (Naval Historical Center 2005). At the outset, however, phase two of the plan of the Japanese Imperial Headquarters which was to occupy the islands of Fiji and Samoa was opposed by the Commander-in-Chief of Japan’s Combined Fleet, Admiral Yamamoto Isoruku, who believed that the two islands were not strategic enough to merit Japan’s attention and resources. Instead of Samoa and Fiji, Admiral Yamamoto Isoruku wanted to seize the island of Midway located in the Central Pacific.Although the General Staff of the Japanese Armed Forces was inclined to decide in his favor, the plan of attack which was presented by his staff did not prove plausible enough for the General Staff, thereby eliciting objections from some of its members. Because of these objections, Admiral Yamamoto threatened to resign his commission if his plan was not approved (Microworks. net). However, Yamamoto’s plan suddenly became acceptable to the General Staff after the Imperial Japanese Navy, whose primary task was to protect the Home Islands, suffered what was considered to be its most humiliating defeat of the war.The date was April 18, 1942 and the occasion was the attack on several Japanese cities and towns, including Tokyo and Yokosuka, which was carried out by â€Å"eighteen B-25 Mitchell medium bombers† which took off from the U. S. carrier Hornet. Although the bombers, which were commanded by Lt. -Col. James H. Doolittle, were not able to inflict considerable damage, the attack left the Japanese in fear of similar occurrences in the future which might result to the Emperor’s palace being hit.The attack also demoralized the members of the Japanese Armed Forces. Because of this, Admiral Yamamoto’s threat of resignation wa s treated seriously and his plan of attacking Midway was accepted in full by the General Staff (Microworks. net). Admiral Yamamoto’s plan, as presented and approved by the Naval General Staff for implementation on May 5, would involve the whole Combined Fleet. It consisted of â€Å"seven battleships, ten carriers, some two dozen cruisers, and more than seventy destroyers† which, at the time, were distributed among six fleets.According to Yamamoto’s plan, he would lead the â€Å"main body† of the force which would consist of three of Japan’s most powerful battleships: the Nagato, Yamato, and Mutsu. Hosho, a light carrier with eight attack planes on board for anti-submarine duties, would be supporting the three battleships. Several destroyers would serve as a screening force for the â€Å"main body† (Microworks. net). The second element would be the â€Å"Aleutians Strike Force† under Vice-Admiral Hosogaya Moshiro. It was composed of th e light carrier Ryujo and Junyo, a cruise liner which was converted into a carrier.This force, which also included the battleships Hyuga, Yamashiro, Fuso, and Ise, would be protected by a number of destroyers and cruisers. Another element of the Combined Fleet, the Second Fleet, was commanded by Admiral Kondo Nobutake. Aside from the battleships Haruna and Kongo, Admiral Kondo Nobutake, whose primary responsibility was to provide protection for Rear-Admiral Tanaka Raizo’s â€Å"Invasion Force,† also had at his disposal the light carrier Zuiho and a big complement of cruisers and destroyers (Microworks. net).The pride of the Combined Fleet was, however, Vice-Admiral Nagumo Chuichi’s â€Å"First Air Fleet. † According to historians, this fleet was already known to sow fear among the enemy ranks because of its role in the attack of Pearl Harbor and in every major operation since conducted by the Japanese Navy. This imposing force consisted of two heavy cruis ers, two battleships, and a squadron of destroyers (Microworks. net). However, what really made this fleet a force to reckon with were the Japanese Navy’s six heavy carriers, namely: Akagi, Soryu, Kaga, Hiryu, Zuikaku, and Shokaku.For this particular mission, however, the carriers Zuikaky and Shokaku could not participate in the action because of the heavy damage which they suffered during the earlier â€Å"Battle of the Coral Sea† (Geocities. com). The plan called for a diversionary attack against the Dutch Harbor facilities of the United States Navy in the Aleutian Islands so that the American forces, especially their carriers, would be forced to leave the vicinity of Midway in order to defend Alaska.This diversionary attack would be conducted by the â€Å"Aleutians Strike Force† under Vice-Admiral Hosogaya Moshiro. After luring the Americans away, the planes from the carriers of the Combined Fleet would conduct an air strike against the American defenses in M idway. At the same time, the forces of the Combined Fleet would prepare to ambush the American ships once they go back to defend Midway. After sinking the American ships, the Japanese, using their seaplanes, would immediately occupy some parts of Aleutian Islands such as Kiska and Attu, including Kure Island, and Midway itself.Admiral Yamamoto also wanted to decimate the American naval forces by putting in place a submarine cordon near the islands of Hawaii so that a weaker American fleet would make contact with his â€Å"main body. † This plan was approved by the Naval General Staff under the leadership of Admiral Nagano (Microworks. net). Historical observers, however, noted two significant defects in Admiral Yamamoto’s plan. The first defect was his failure to appreciate the true worth of the aircraft carrier in the conduct of naval operations.He did not realize that his carriers could be devastating without getting dangerously near the enemy ships by simply dispatc hing their aircraft complement. Since he was not convinced of the carrier’s importance, Yamamoto considered his battleships to be more valuable than the carriers relegating the latter to a supporting status. In addition, because of the slowness of his big battleships, the other ships which composed the Combined Fleet were forced to keep pace, effectively affecting their maneuverability (History Learning Site 2009).The other, more significant and consequently more fatal, defect of Yamamoto’s plan was the fact that his diversionary attack against the American facilities in the Aleutian islands was bound to fail because the Americans were already aware of it and in fact, knew that his real objective was Midway. Because of this knowledge, American ships were not lured to the defense of Alaska and instead waited to ambush Admiral Yamamoto’s fleet (History Learning Site 2009).The Americans knew of Yamamoto’s plan to attack Midway through two naval intelligence stations. One was operating out of Melbourne, Australia while the other was based at Pearl Harbor. These intelligence facilities were able to intercept radio communications which helped them not only to pinpoint the locations of the major fleets of the Japanese navy but also to study their operational patterns. Based on these, the Americans were able to predict the future operations of the Japanese forces (Naval Historical Center 2005).As early as May 25, the Americans were already aware of Yamamoto’s intentions and prepared accordingly. Their three carriers which were at sea at the time were immediately ordered to return to Pearl Harbor. The carriers USS Hornet and USS Enterprise which comprised Task Force 16 (TF 16) arrived on May 26. USS Enterprise of Task Force 17, on the other hand, came back on May 27. However, since it suffered major damage during the â€Å"Battle of the Coral Sea,† USS Yorktown had to undergo urgent repair to prepare it for another battle.The r epair that was supposed to be completed in three months was rushed in only three days to enable the carrier to participate in the â€Å"Battle of Midway† (Geocities. com). Meanwhile, over in Midway, the Americans scrambled to strengthen their defenses. Six brand-new â€Å"Avenger† torpedo planes which missed their mother carrier (USS Hornet) were deployed to Midway. Then seven F4F-3 and another twenty F2A-3 Marine fighter planes were also added to Midway defense, in addition to 27 dive-bombers, 23 army bomber planes, and 32 reconnaissance planes (Geocities.com). On May 29, TF 16 under the overall command of Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance sailed out of Pearl Harbor to prepare for the battle. It was composed of the carriers Enterprise and Hornet, with a screening force composed of four heavy cruisers (Minneapolis, Pensacola, New Orleans, and Northampton), two light cruisers (Vincennes and Atlanta), and a total of nine destroyers. On the other hand, TF 17, which was under the command of Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, was not able to sail until after the completion of the repair of USS Yorktown on May 30.The screening force of TF 17 was composed of Portland, which was a heavy cruiser, a light cruiser (Astoria), and six destroyers. The mission of TFs 16 and 17 was to lie in wait for the Japanese naval fleet (Geocities. com). The diversionary attack on Dutch Harbor was launched by the â€Å"Aleutians Strike Force† under Vice-Admiral Hosogaya Moshiro at 0243 hours on June 3. The attacking force consisted of a total of 35 planes: twelve dive-bombers and six Zero fighter planes from the light carrier Junyo and eleven torpedo bombers and six Zero fighters from the light carrier Ryujo.Although the Americans defended with heavy anti-aircraft fire, the Japanese attackers were able to kill more than twenty American sailors and soldiers in the course of shooting up their army barracks, a radio station, and a tank farm. The â€Å"Aleutians Strike Force,â₠¬  however, did not succeed in its actual mission which was to lure the American naval forces present in the area away from Midway. What happened was that one Zero fighter plane which made an emergency landing was later recovered by Americans who later discovered the one weakness of the plane: â€Å"a very light armor protection.† This weakness was later exploited by the Americans to defeat the Zeros which earlier terrorized the skies over the Pacific (Geocities. com). Meanwhile, the attack on Midway took place early morning of June 4 – the first day of the Battle of Midway. A total of 108 planes took part in the first attack. Thirty-six were fighter planes (nine each from the four carriers) while the remaining 72 were bombers. The other Japanese bombers were kept in reserve in the four carriers just in case a second attack would be needed or if American ships showed up.While the attack on Midway was ongoing, the Japanese fleet also dispatched three reconnaissance pla nes to search around in case American naval fleets showed up to intervene. At almost the same time, the American defenders in Midway launched six â€Å"Wildcat† fighters to patrol the skies and 11 reconnaissance planes to search for the Japanese fleet. Two of the reconnaissance planes of the Americans spotted the Japanese fleet at around 0530 hours and 0552 hours, respectively. By 0600 hours, Midway dispatched all of its bombers to launch an attack against the Japanese carriers.The Americans, however, were almost annihilated by the anti-aircraft guns of the carriers and the more superior Zero fighters of the Japanese (Geocities. com). In the end, the Americans were aided by their more superior intelligence. While the Japanese reconnaissance planes finally spotted the American fleet, they were not able to identify the kinds of ships composing the American fleet. In other words, the Japanese commanders did not know whether carriers were part of them. In contrast, the Americans knew with certainty that the four heavy carriers of the Imperial Japanese Navy were in the Japanese fleet.In the final analysis, the defeat of the Japanese came as a result of their indecision whether to arm their planes with bombs for the Midway attack or torpedoes needed to attack the American ships, especially their carriers (Geocities. com). In the absence of an intelligence regarding the composition of the American fleet, Vice-Admiral Nagumo Chuichi, the commander of the â€Å"First Air Fleet,† decided to load his planes with bombs so that the second attack on Midway could be launched. He thought that if the American fleet did not have any carrier with it, the attack on Midway should take precedence.When the report from their reconnaissance planes came in at 0820 hour stating that the American fleet included a carrier, Vice-Admiral Nagumo Chuichi changed his decision and ordered that the bombs be replaced with torpedoes so that an attack against the American fleet could be launched. Unfortunately, he could not immediately dispatch his planes because he still had to wait for the planes from the Midway attack to return safely to the carriers, otherwise all the returning planes would have to ditch because they could not land on the carriers.This moment of confusion left the Japanese fleet without any aerial defense and allowed the Americans to attack the Japanese carriers. In the end, all four heavy carriers of the Japanese were sunk, while the Americans lost only USS Yorktown. The Japanese never recovered from their loss in the Battle of Midway after which, they lost the supremacy that they were enjoying in the Pacific and ultimately lost the Pacific War (Geocities. com). Bibliography Geocities. com. â€Å"The Battle of Midway. † http://www.geocities. com/Athens/Rhodes/8384/midway. html (accessed April 15, 2009). Microworks. net. â€Å"Stopping the Tide: The Battle of Midway, 4-6 June 1942. † http://www. microworks. net/PACIFIC/battles/ midway. htm (accessed April 15, 2009). Naval Historical Center. 2005. â€Å"Battle of Midway: 4-7 June 1942. † http://www. history. navy. mil/faqs/faq81-1. htm (accessed April 15, 2009). Trueman, Chris. 2009. â€Å"Battle of Midway. † http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/battle_of_midway. htm (accessed April 15, 2009).

Beowulf Paper

This old Chinese Proverb has stood the test of time and is true today as it was in the 1 100's. Like the rest of us, Beowulf endured a Journey. Although filled with much more peril and hardships than the average adult, Beowulf ultimately reached his destination. This begs the question, which is more important†¦ the Journey, or the destination? Having a healthy focus on both the Journey and the destination allows one to reach the desired goal ith the same enthusiasm as you started.Lines 690-693 illustrates how Beowulf focused on the Journey of acquiring riches and essentially wasted his life when he, while grasping for his last breath, told Wiglaf â€Å"l sold my life for this treasure, and I sold it well. Take what I leave, Wiglaf, lead my people, help them; my time is gone† (47). During his heroic life, Beowulf was, by todays standards, ‘The Man. ‘ Every individual with a fear looked up to this great leader, as he traveled from kingdom to kingdom destroying e vil. As inspiring as this as, he lacked the one key factor to being truly successful-a goal.Having a goal, or destination, is as important as the Journey itself. Giving yourself closure to the whole purpose of your actions will leave you with a feeling of success and a reason for your hard work. Beowulf lacked this, and led a life of blind deeds. Although helpful to his followers, he died a truly unhappy man, as inferred from the previous quote. Beowulf needed to have a set goal; a life he envisioned living after he was done kicking butt. This gives purpose and a drive behind everything he did. Instead, he lived an awe- inspiring Journey, but never set a destination to make him truly happy.There is a plus side to his mistake, though. We can take what has been learned the hard way by our friend Beowulf and apply this to our own lives. Nothing can beat the feeling of success. It doesn't matter if the scale dropped a couple numbers, or that pesky center dot is finally demolished in the shooting range. The feeling of accomplishing the set goals cannot be overlooked. Now, that may seem easy, but the amount of effort and practice required to reach that success is as mportant as the feeling itself.This is the Journey versus destination taken out of context. In order for the scale to drop (the destination), one must put in lasting effort to get where they want to go (the Journey). More than often, one loses focus on either one of these aspects. This is the cause of failed goals. The importance of balancing focus is difficult, but required for true success. Beowulf stresses the importance of both in lines 365-368: â€Å"He leaped into the lake, would not wait for anyone's answer; the heaving water covered him over.For hours he sank through the waves; At last he saw the mud of the bottom† (38). Now, say Beowulf Jumped into the lake, and halfway through he became so focused on swimming at his best he gets to the destination, and forgets why he is there. Hrothgar a nd the Danes would not be pleased! Alternatively, what if he focused too much on destroying Grendel and his mother that he swims in the wrong direction? Again, it would not end well for the poor Danes. The importance of one's healthy focus is not to be taken lightly. urney, there are many dangers that wait; lurking, ready to destroy all hopes of success. If one was to focus completely on the Journey, they start to lose a sense of who they are. Losing sight of the goal and the purpose behind the goal becomes all too evident. Friends may be lost, because all attention is on the here and now. Likewise, focusing on the destination is Just as dangerous. One loses sight of what is necessary to accomplish the goal; too caught up in what awaits them in the future.Many fall unsuspected to these traps, and are forced to restart and replan. This is most clearly seen in lines 12-18 when Hrothgar thinks he has reached his destination. Then Hrothgar, taking the throne, led the Danes to such glory that comrades and kinsmen swore by his word, and young men swelled his armies, and he thought of greatness and resolved to build a hall that would hold his mighty band and reach higher toward heaven than anything that had ever been known to the sons of man. † (27) Hrothgar thinks he has finished his Journey and reached his destination.Little does he know, Grendel is about to demolish everything he has worked for and ause him to replan everything; including his destination. Finding a healthy balance between the destination and the Journey is crucial to being truly successful in any area of life. It takes great experience to find this, and many have failed. Once this balance is acquired, though, it is more rewarding than anything else, because unity and closure is provided to years of hard work and dedication. The next time New Year's comes around, think of what is needed to finally win against the seemingly unbeatable resolution. Beowulf Paper In the poem Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is the ultimate hero who places himself at great risks to perform multiple acts of courage. Beowulf is the typical heroic story of good verse evil. He has great amounts of physical strength in which he uses to put his life on the line for the entire kingdom. Beowulf’s pursuit moves him from Geatland to Denmark on a quest to help Hrothgar’s kingdom that had been plagued of attacks by an evil monster named Grendel. He also goes on to defeat Grendel’s mother and battles a fire-breathing dragon. Eradicating Grendel and Grendel’s mother bring Justice and peace to the Scandinavian society, while Beowulf receives much fame. The story goes on to define his pursuit of fame through his three main battles, moving from a warrior perspective, to one of a king. Beowulf’s quest brings him to change his responsibilities. The ideals of a once young warrior develop into a more experienced man that comes to rule the community of Geatland. A warrior trying to establish himself in the world ultimately has a goal striving for fame. One seeks fame through bravery in the face of danger, having much strength, despising death, and boasting about their accomplishments (SparkNotes Editors). Beowulf searched for individual fame and glory for his entire life. His pursuit to become a hero was strong enough to take on the evils of the world. He was able to achieve individual fame upon hearing of Hrothgar’s troubles with Grendel. He set sail to gain personal fame and to help the community of Heorot. The people of Hrothgar’s land found Beowulf to be a hero for he was about to rid them of their enemy. But Unferth thinks differently and challenges Beowulf’s stating â€Å"no matter therefore, how you may have fared in every bout and battle until now, this time you’ll be worsted; no one has ever outlasted an entire night against Grendel† (37). Unferth challenges Beowulf’s heroic character. Unferth bitterly attacks Beowulf, which clearly reveals Unferth’s jealously towards him. Unferth feels below Beowulf. He cannot protect his own land because he is afraid of Grendel. Unferth will not be a warrior who obtains fame nor will he be a heroic warrior. No one will remember Unferth as a great legend; rather he falls into a category of one who is bitter (SparkNotes Editors). This goes to show that the quest for fame can lead to harm. In Unferth’s case, the quest for fame led to pride, which involved a desire to be great no matter what. Beowulf desired to be great but his desire for fame was associated with the desire to bring strength and power to one’s people. Beowulf connected fame with generosity and community while Unferth mixed pride up with greed and selfishness, for he wanted to succeed. Beowulf ultimately succeeds in killing Grendel and Grendel’s mother in two heroic battles in which he used his bare hand strength to defeat the two monsters. Beowulf is ultimately a great example of what a hero is. A hero will always fight to win a battle, but does so in a fair manner. Beowulf, for example does not use a sword in the midst of the battle between Grendel and he. â€Å"He began to remove his iron breast-mail, took off the helmet and handed his attendant the patterned sword, a smith’s masterpiece, ordering him to keep the equipment guarded. And before he bedded down, Beowulf, the prince of goodness, proudly asserted: ‘when it comes to fighting, I count myself as dangerous any day as Grendel. So it won’t be a cutting edge I’ll wield. He has no idea of the arts of war, of shield or sword-play, although he does possess a wild strength. No weapons, therefore for either night; unarmed he shall face me if face me he dares’† (47). Instead he uses his very own strength, courage, and ability to kill the enemy. Beowulf is so strong, courageous, faithful and loyal that it can be questioned whether he is truly man or myth. He posse’s hero like strength that is superior to the normal human man. He truly did do whatever he needed to save and protect the people (Beowulf Papers). Death was not a fear that crossed his mind for he was not afraid of it! A hero is one who is not seen very often and there are only a few great heroes that come about in time (Beowulf Papers). They are a step above the average. A hero brought peace to situations that were before seen as impossible and bring joy to many people. A task such as defeating Grendel’s mom’s grip in battle, is one that only a hero could perform for it was impossible for others (SparkNotes Editors). What others deem impossible, a hero makes possible (Beowulf Papers)! Beowulf can ultimately be defined as a hero. Can the reward of fame for being a brave warrior only be achieved through worldly success? It seems that this is true but Hrothgar tries to advice Beowulf of eternal rewards. â€Å"O flower of warriors, beware of the trap. Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part, eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride. For a brief while your strength is in bloom but I fades quickly; and soon there will follow illness or the sword to lay you low, or a sudden fire or surge of water or jabbing blade or javelin from the air or repellent age. Your piercing eye will dim and darken; and death will arrive, dear warrior, to sweep you away†(121). Hrothgar become a father figure to the young Beowulf. He does not want to see Beowulf give way to pride. This piece of advice is jarring with the culture of boasts and reputation that other parts of the poem emphasize (SparkNotes Editors). Life is also brief and he should look towards those rewards that may be eternal rather than the reward of fame. This passage portrays a fragile outlook on Beowulf’s delicate life that can be taken away at any time and the fact that his youth will indeed fade quickly (SparkNotes Editors). He may not only be stabbed which will wound, but he will also lose his youth as time goes on. Beowulf needs to focus on honor, nobility, and leadership, not just on his physical skill and strength (SparkNotes Editors). Beowulf had no fear, and desired personal praise, while Hrothgar had much to lose and valued protecting his people. Each of these two roles filled two different sets of shoes, and each character acted as society expected. With that said, over the course of the poem Beowulf does grow from a courageous warrior to a wise leader. Hrothgar’s speeches emphasized stability and security for his people and this was shown through him building the mead hall for the people to gather. He also demonstrates loyal service to his warriors by giving them lavish gifts and much praise. Beowulf transitions from a young warrior into the King of the Geats and he does exemplify much of the characteristics and values of Hrothgar. At the end of the story though, after fifty years of serving his people, Beowulf encounters a battle with a dragon and this battle conflicts with his warrior and king duties for he was a king and the state needed him. Beowulf, old and tired, defeats the dragon that was frightening all the people, but he does lose his life, leaving the Geats open for attack. Was this the wrong act? It is hard to decipher between the two roles for they were conflicting and the tension between the two was inevitable. Even near death, Beowulf did wish for a lighthouse that be built so people could find there way back from sea showing his never ending concern for the Geats. Beowulf was not afraid of death and before any battle he made a wish that his assets be given to the people. In life or death, Beowulf will be glorified. Epic battles, terrifying monsters, extraordinary strength, and great leadership; these characteristics and encounters are what make up the epic hero that is Beowulf (Definition Of Hero On The Web). The heroism exemplified by Beowulf is defined by many different qualities. A hero is again defined by his willing to put himself at great risk for the greater good. The monsters that invaded the Heorot land were all outsiders that existed beyond the boundaries of human realms. Beowulf was forced to kill the two beasts in order to restore order because Grendel and his mother had infringed upon human society. Fame was a theme touched based on throughout the poem. Fame was part of Beowulf’s quest, but Hrothgar left an impression on Beowulf’s values. He reminded him that his fame and strength are not always going to be available to him. His life is fragile and he could not only be killed, but his youth clock is ticking. Beowulf is painted as a perfect hero in the form of the protagonist in the poem. The poem consists of three central conflicts, which include Grendel’s rage of Heorot Hal, Grendel’s mother becoming vengeful because of her sons death, and the dragon’s rage over Geatland. The difference between a good warrior and a good king was also a theme in which was observed through the poem. What others deem impossible, Beowulf made possible! References Heaney, Seamus. Beowulf: a New Verse Translation. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000. Print. SparkNotes Editors. â€Å"SparkNote on Beowulf. † SparkNotes. com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web 22 Apr. 2010. Definition Of Hero On The Web. Google Search. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. Paradine, Gerald. â€Å"Hero Paper. † Beowulf Papers. Web. 19 Apr.

Human Resources Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Human Resources Questions - Essay Example Instead of a bell curve, individual performance takes on a â€Å"power-law† – also known as the Paretian distribution wherein there are only few of the best performers can carry out most of the production output and business success (Aguinis; Miller). According to O'Boyle and Aguinis, individual performance should follow a ski jump-shaped Paretian distribution. Since only few employees are responsible for the success of the business, O'Boyle and Aguinis strongly suggest the idea that the modern HR managers should take time to re-evaluate the old strategy used in measuring employee performance (Miller; O'Boyle and Aguinis). In most cases, this can be done by carefully identifying responsible people and compensate them well for their outstanding work performances. A power-law or Paretian distribution is characterized by an â€Å"unstable mean, infinite variance, and a greater number of extreme events† (West and Deering). ... Given that a business organization is very much oriented with regards to each employee’s production output, the company should consider the importance of implementing a pay-for-performance system (McPhie and Sapin). In line with this, the HR manager should be able to tailor its pay-for-performance system based on the company’s desired level of individual work performances. For example, the individual work performance of employee A is represented by â€Å"point A†, therefore, her pay level should be at â€Å"pay A†. Assuming that most employees’ individual work performance is at â€Å"point B†, then, their individual pay level should be at â€Å"pay B†. In case an employee’s individual work performance is at â€Å"point C†, then, her individual pay level should be at â€Å"pay C†, and so on. 2. After a lot of thinking, you decide to take a risk. You quit your job in human resources management after gaining experienc e in life and career planning. You open up your own advisory and coaching practice. Your very first client, Rashid, is a 35 year old engineer who has worked for a construction firm since graduating from college but has discovered, â€Å"I really hate being an engineer now but I am not sure what I want to do. And I know I want more than a job†¦I want a calling and something that really interests me yet I don’t want to waste my skills.†What assessment instruments do you recommend for your very first client, Rashid? Be sure to fully explain why you selected the recommended instruments. The case of Rashid is a good example of a person who does not know what he wants in life. To be able to suggest the type of job suitable for Rashid, the HR manager should be able to assess

Q3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Q3 - Essay Example It is important in improving the organization’s competitiveness through ensuring that the customers are loyal to it as well as the optimization of innovative products and services from the organization (Day et al 2000). More over, management as well as employees use this technology to put together and evaluate data obtained regarding customers for the purpose of developing a strong relationship between them and the customers. This strengthens the basis for new product development as well establishing market for the organization’s products. It is clear that customer relationship management is the core technology for the organization due to the fact that without it, banks may not be able to obtain essential information concerning customers, which affects the banking system in one way or another. Any organization is usually concerned with enhancing its competitiveness in the market. CRM technology helps in solving issues regarding competitiveness, thereby making it possible for an organization to accomplish its goals. This technology has encouraged innovativeness in the organization (Percival 2006). The availability of information and the use of the customer oriented approach, which is enhanced by the CRM technology, have made product differentiation in the organization possible through innovativeness. This has increased the organization’s competitive advantage, which is a major factor that contributes to profitability. Technology that is core or enabling to an organization is identified through critically evaluating whether it is capable of assisting in the realization of organizational goals. It is also important to assess whether communication regarding the organization’s strategy is acquired in order to ensure that the organization has a basis for establishing the technology that is regarded as the core to the organization’s success. Such technology is usually understood by every employee in the organization who understands

Discuss the main components that you need to write a wireless LAN Essay

Discuss the main components that you need to write a wireless LAN security policy. How such a policy would be different from a - Essay Example A sample Wireless information security policy can be found in this link http://www.sans.org/security-resources/policies/Wireless_Communication_Policy.pdf . II. Essential Components of a Wireless Security Policy Essential components of the Wireless Security Policy are the mandatory change of password for the Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA). The Wireless Security Policy also includes a list of standard devices allowed to connect to the wireless local area network. Since it would be easier to diagnose a problem including the implementation of solutions when there are less variables to consider. Wired local area network IP addresses in some instances can be dynamic for each of the devices connected to the local area network. However, in the wireless local area network static IP are assigned to MAC address to ensure that only authorized devices connects to the local area network. Since the possibility of security breaches or infiltration are higher using the wireless local area network the s ecurity policy normally do not allow devices intending to connect to the wireless local area network to access beyond a finite area. Most often this area is not accessible to normal human traffic from outside the perimeter of the organization’s property. ... This is to ensure that no rider or malicious codes accompany the authentication process of the wireless device as it connects to the wireless local area network. In some instances the organization’s wireless security policy only allows the devices supplied by the organization to connect to its wireless local area network. The security policy also mandates that the local virus protection system of the wireless devices is up to date. III. The Difference of Wireless and Wired LAN Security Policy The policy governing wireless communication in a local area network is different in the sense that. Wireless devices that can attach to a network are mobile or can be taken out of the premises of the organization while devices that are wired to the Local Area Network of the organization cannot be taken out of the office without arousing any suspicion. Wired connection can easily be inventoried and accounted for using network management software. Devices that are connected to the wireless devices of the local area network are dynamic connections that can move around and be at certain locations that are within the range of the wireless router. The possibility of infiltration and data theft is not only probable but very likely since the shortest effective range of a wireless router can include areas that are beyond the visual range of security forces of the organization. While the devices connected to the wired local area network are secure and static within the company premises. The manners in which devices connect to the wired local area network are managed and administered are entirely different with the way devices connect to the wireless

Wembley Stadium Project Management Strategic Issues Essay

Wembley Stadium Project Management Strategic Issues - Essay Example It increased the projected costs to more than double the earlier projections. Especial about the Wembley Stadium is its innovative steel arch that adds to the beauty of the Stadium. The steel arc also endures weight and reduces the need for internal support that could have come in the way of viewers sitting in the stadium. The load bearing feature of the arc adds decorum to the seating arrangement. The design of the Wembley Stadium unlike the Sydney Opera House or Guggenheim Bilbao was not new but nevertheless included a design element in the arch that was innovative, leaving no scope to adhere to best practice techniques such as reference class forecasting as there are no past figures to depend upon, being the novel concept. This absence of historical example is many-a-times a red flag in perfect project planning (Strategicppm, 2011). The Wembley Stadium project was contracted to the lowest bidding company, which developed a situation similar to winner’s curse in measuring the cost of the project belligerently. Project cost hiked 36% in between the time of the bid acceptance and signing of contract (Strategicppm, 2011). The Wembley Stadium occupies a distinct place in the event and entertainment industry worldwide and particularly in the history of the UK. The Wembley Stadium has been a host to a number of global events in the 20th century, which included a chain of leading park, theatre and funfair events the like of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, the 1934 Empire Games, the 1948 Summer Olympics, the 1996 World Cup Finals, the 1978 Eurovision Song Contest, the 1996 European Championships and many other events organised in between (Quintain, 2004). The stadium was razed in 2002 to be reconstructed in 2006 to a 90,000-seating capacity stadium. The new ?757 million Wembley Stadium (NAO, 2003) is now about thrice as big to its earlier size with its arch positioning 140 metres extended from its concourse, which is huge enough to be looked over by the whole of London (Quintain, 2004). The major difference visible is of the arc that replaced the twin towers, the symbol of the stadium. The new Wembley National Stadium equally justifies the fame of the icon it used to be like the old Wembley Stadium (SPG, 2008a). Though a hot debate followed with the razing of the historic twin towers, but it is highly commendable that the final settlement for constructing an arc was welcomed with uproar. The project got initiated in 1996, by raising a hue and cry for a new English national stadium. Soon after holding the national competitions, Sport England decided with a majority Wembley as the most desired location (House of Commons, 2004). The mission of the Sport England was to back the creation of an iconic stadium for three leading sports namely, football, rugby league and athletics (NAO, 2003). The major use of the Wembley national stadium was planned for football and rugby league (NAO, 2003). It was earmarked that after five years of the stadium's functioning, 1% of its yearly turnover would be donated by WNSL for the provision of sports education and other projects (NAO, 2003). 2. Analys is of the Reasons of Delays or Cost Increase during the Project The

Children taking on the parental role in their family how it effects Coursework

Children taking on the parental role in their family how it effects school - Coursework Example This has left children stepping into the boots of their parents and playing their role. This paper seeks to examine the effect of children assuming parental roles in their families and its effect on school. In several countries of the world; it is commonplace to meet with children who are assisting parents in their roles or worse still fending for themselves. Studies carried out in Brazil for instance indicate that there is a considerable number of children who are forced to divide their time between schooling and working at home (Hindman, 2011). This not only affects the children’s growth, it also interferes with their achievement in school. Nevertheless it should be noted that estimating the association between assumption of parental roles and schooling could be complicated since children who help out at home may perform poorly in school. Such poor performance in school could discourage the children and give their families a good reason to even neglect their schoolwork more and instead concentrate on parental roles (Ray, 1999).Deliberate parental practices can assist in teaching and inculcating responsibility to children. Research has shown that children who are taught to take care of themselves or their siblings at an early age tend to be more organized and responsible(Stamps,2014).Every child requires opportunities so as to show that they can be responsible not only for their chores, actions, relationships but also schoolwork (Stamps, 2014). Responsibility requires one to be trusted in making appropriate decisions as well as responding for one’s behaviour. This is why it is important that parents start teaching their children lessons regarding responsibility early enough and must be continued throughout the child’s childhood as well as puberty hood (Damon, 2006). An excellent way of teaching and instilling responsibility is by assignment of parental roles to children. Such tasks should be viewed as opportunities and not

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Case study - Essay Example Even though he was registering a good recovery following his multi-organ surgery in the lungs, kidneys, liver and splenectomy in the high-dependency unit, from the sixth postoperative day, he began to deteriorate, and this called for investigations about the possible aetiology of his sudden deterioration despite initial evidence of recovery. The potential risk factors for his deterioration are multiple bony traumas; multi-organ injuries and surgeries including lungs, liver, kidneys, and spleen; multiple blood transfusions; and hospital-acquired infection in the high-dependency unit. The provisional diagnosis could be one of acquired coagulopathy that may have resulted due to the above risk factors. The provisional diagnosis could be DIC or disseminated intravascular coagulation since the most common signs of this disorder are petechiae, ecchymosis, and oozing from venipuncture sites and catheter sites, as well as bleeding from surgical incisions (Attar et al., 1969, p. 939-965). In some situations, DIC becomes only evident after laboratory analysis with mild or no clinical symptoms at all. As in this case, these patients become symptomatic after stress situations, such as, surgery, or severe infections. The common denominator of DIC is the pathological generation of thrombin, which leads to widespread intravascular depo sition of fibrin and to the consumption of coagulation factors and platelets. DIC is as such not a disease entity, but the consequence of a variety of disorders that diffusely lead to the activation of coagulation mechanisms within the bloodstream (Carey and Rodgers, 1998, 65-73). The formation of thrombi in the microcirculation activates the fibrinolytic process as a compensatory mechanism to lyse the clots. This mechanism generates circulating fibrin degradation products, which in concert with the coagulation deficiencies and thrombocytopenia results in bleeding. DIC occurs in a wide spectrum of diseases.

I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

I - Essay Example This may result to inefficient allocation of resources and consumers to change their behaviors towards the market and so there is a need for the government to intervene. What more could happen if two large companies will merge? And these companies happen to cater services that are of importance to our fast moving lives- the telecommunications services? On November 24, 2011, an article entitled â€Å"AT&T Merger with T-Mobile Faces Setbacks† was published on nytimes.com by Edward Wyatt and Jenna Wortham. They talked about the problems that the two mobile companies, AT &T and T-Mobile, are facing with their planned merging. AT&T is one of the largest telecommunications services provider in the United States and even worldwide. Its services include wireless communications, local exchange services, long-distance services, data/broadband and Internet services, video services, managed networking, wholesale services and directory advertising and publishing. In March of 2011, it announced its plan to merge with T-Mobile which is owned by Deutsche Telekom. The former agreed to buy T-Mobile from Deutsche Telekom for $39 billion. But of course, the merger was subject to F.C.C. approval because the joining of the two companies would have required transfer of licenses to use public airwaves for cellular phone signals and wireless Intern et access (Wyatt & Wortham, 2011). Being a monopoly or even just a big player in an industry yields many advantages and if not properly monitored will affect the consuming individuals negatively. In the case of these telecommunications merger, different sectors from the society are paying close attentions. The Justice Department for example has said that the merger would severely restrict competition, Federal Communications Commission officials have added that AT&T’s confidential filings indicate the merger would eliminate jobs and consumer groups who closely monitored the actions of the authorities said that their combined actions indicated

Mary Barton Essay Example for Free

Mary Barton Essay Elizabeth Gaskell’s â€Å"Mary Barton† is a novel of social reform that explores injustice, abuse and inequality. The novel is especially concerned with the societal condition of England at the time. In her â€Å"Preface† Mrs. Gaskell asserted, â€Å"I know nothing of Political Economy, or the theories of the trade. I have tried to write truthfully†. The â€Å"truth† of â€Å"Mary Barton† is not political or economic but the truth of the human heart. The novel is not about industrial conditions but about people living in those conditions. Mrs. Gaskell’s social aim in writing is to inform rather than to reform. Her aim in writing is to give â€Å"utterance to the agony† and to explicate the consequences of â€Å"the seeming injustice of the inequalities of fortune†. In â€Å"Mary Barton†, the protagonist John Barton asks with bitter vehemence about the injustice of the massive gulf between the upper and lower classes: â€Å"Why are they so separate, so distinct, when God has made them all? [ ] We are their slaves as long as we can work; we pile up fortunes with the sweat of our brows; and yet we are to live as separate as Dives and Lazarus, with a great gulf betwixt us†. John Barton is ultimately driven to the act of murder by his outrage at the gulf fixed between the rich and the poor. John Barton is ultimately a victim of society and an example of how a man full of human kindness is hardened into hatred and violence. As the author tells the reader his wife’s death meant that â€Å"one of the ties which bound him down to the gentle humanities of earth was loosened†. The string of events that followed – the strike, the Davenports’ starvation and fever, the employees’ arrogant isolation and the failure of the petition, seem to purposely show that the world reckons the poor folk no account. And as John Barton lies on his deathbed his enemy Mr. Carson sits in his library quite unable to hate his son’s murderer. At the end Mr. Carson forgives John Barton and the murderer dies in the arms of the man whose son he has murdered and this image explicates the novel’s pivotal theme in the hope of human heartedness. In her novel Mrs. Gaskell presents men and women at the extreme of suffering at which point only the most radical of human actions remain be they despair and hatred or alternatively human compassion and forgiveness.

Users of HR services and their needs

Users of HR services and their needs One of the HR users for an organization is line manager. The line manager basically observed the activities that are associated with services and products. The duties of line managers are staffing, ensuring health and safety of employees and supervision of manufacturing plants. The need of line manager is the timely services of the manufacturing plants. Their monitoring work will reduced. They are also responsible in hiring staff. Another need of line manager is that the company will organize certain training session for the employees. These sessions will increase the efficiency of employees and line managers can easily supervise them. The employees are main asset for an organization. An employee needs good working environment where there is no discrimination between the employees and where they feel secure. Another need of employees is that they will be awarded with some rewards like praise, bonuses and promotion. These methods will motivate them to work more efficiently. Another HR user is potential employees. The success of any organization is depends on the potential employees. The potential employees demand flexibility at work. Employees should be allowed to choose their working hours according to their efficiency. The other demand of potential employees is that they are allowed to work from home if there presence at the company is not necessary. (user of HR services and their needs) Identify and prioritized conflicting needs The needs of the employees and managers with the organization are different. It is not possible for an organization to fulfill each and every demand and needs of the employees. This will leads to the degradation in the performance of the employees. Now it become necessary for an organization to identify and prioritized the conflicting needs according to the performance of employee and welfare of the company. The employees need such an environment at organization where there is no discrimination on the basis of religion, caste and region and where they can communicate comfortably. This need of employees should be prioritized first and make such rules and regulations to create such environment so that there performance level will increase. The priority should be given to those needs which help the organization to achieve its goal and the needs which are beneficial for most of the employees. It should not be done on individual basis whether he is a manager or an employee. The employees also need that they should be awarded with some bonuses and incentives according to their work. This demand of employees is beneficial for all the workers and because of this their performance level will increase. This need should be prioritized first because it helps in gaining companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s goal. The employees also demand that company should apply flexibility at work. According to the flexibility at work, the employees and managers are allowed to choose their working hours according to their stamina. This demand will increase the efficiency of the employees and give benefit to the organization. The organization should conduct the performance review. It is an in depth and more formal way to identify job related needs of an employee. According to the review the company is able to design such policies which will fulfill the needs of the maximum employees. An organization can also use the motivation inventory which will be used to identify needs of employees. They should also arrange various training session and meeting where the employees can discuss their needs and demands with the human resource managers. These sessions helps the managers to identify common needs and which need should be prioritized first. At the time of job interview, the manager should ask certain question which will uncover their needs at the workplace. These questions will help the organization to indentify those employees who can work at vigorous condition and with limited resources at the time of emergency. Another to indentify the customer need is effective communication. The effective communication between employees and managers are important because most of the problems and needs can be resolved just by communication. The employees also demand the better health facility at the organization. The priority should be given to this need also because the employee who has good health can work more efficiently and quickly. This will save the time of both workers and organization . (identify conflicting needs) Methods of communication The effective communication between employees and managers plays a vital role in the progress of an organization. Communication at workplace should be organized in the systematic manner like other activity. Top management is responsible for the successful communication at workplace. The main link in any method of communication is line supervisors and managers. Ineffective communication by line managers causes poor performance. The method of communication used for line managers is direct communication. The advantage for this method is that the line managers become more aware about the needs and problems of their employees. According to the needs of employees, they can easily plan the working schedule. Various training session and meeting should be organized by an organization so that the employees can easily communicate with their managers directly on different issues. The communication must be concise, easily understood and clear. Sometime, the employees force their line managers to accept their needs even they are not useful for an organization. In direct communication, there is no written proof for any communication and because of this a person can not claim anyone at the time of any problem. Team briefing is another method of communication. The mentor of the group provides their employees with new information so that they the employees can ask any queries and discuss any problem. In this method the employees can easily cover all the important area. It is very time consuming and these session should be organized at regular interval. Another method of communication is electronic media. Electronic media helps in delivering important information cheaply and quickly. The employees can search any information on the website of their respective organization. The information through this method can be delivered at fast speed without any face to face contact with each employees and at one time information can reach too many employees. This method will save the time of both employees and management. The disadvantage of this method is that the information can not be delivered at the time of any technical problem or system crash problem. The employees also send their problems or any suggestion through email. Another method of communication is written document. Every organization has its own employee handbook which has information related to job. The employees are provided with this handbook so that they can aware of rule and regulation of an organization. The performance report of an employee is prepared in written document. This report will help the employee to analyze his performance and try to improve it. Newsletter and journals are another method of written document. These provide information to the employees on the regular basis about the company. It contains large amount of personal and social information. The aim of notices is to bring the attention of the employees, matter of specific interest and general information. Individual letter is a method of communication which ensures that the specific information is reached to the specific employees and targeted group. The advantage of the written document method is that the company has legal documents of information and because of this nobody will claim for any damage. It is also beneficial for those employees who has a part time job and who work from home. The disadvantage of this method is that it is very time consuming and sometime document get misplaced due to some human mistake. (method of communication)

Tennessee Williams Essay -- essays research papers

Tennessee Williams   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams on March 26, 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi. As a child, he lived with his mother and grandfather. When he was fourteen, Williams too first place in an essay contest sponsored by a national magazine, The Smart Set. At the age of seventeen, his first published story appeared in the August 1928 issue of Weird Tales. A year later Williams entered the University of Missouri but in 1932 he withdrew and took a job at the shoe factory where his father held a job as a sales manager. In 1935 Williams returned to college and graduated from the University of Iowa in 1938. Williams had begun writing plays while attending the University of Missouri and after his graduation he had supported himself doing a variety of small jobs. In 1939 he won a national drama award for a group of plays called American Blues. Williams achieved his first great stage success with The Glass Menagerie, which was produced in New York City in 1945. This play won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Prize as the years best play. Williams averaged two plays a year since that time. On February 4, 1983, Tennessee Williams died in New York City. Throughout Williams' lifetime he has put forth more than twenty- five full-length plays, more than forty short plays, a dozen produced (and unproduced) screenplays and an opera libretto. These have been translated into at least twenty-seven languages, including Tamil, Welsh, Ma...

Macbeth :: essays research papers

Macbeth: An Overview   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth is presented as a mature man enjoying an enviable reputation. throughout this Shakespearean play, however, Macbeth's emotions change drastically. His abilities in battle are stupendous, yet his abilities as a husband and King are on the contrary. His overvaulting ambitions overcome his morality, and lead him to do â€Å"the evil deeds† that he commits during his reign.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Macbeth's prophecies begin with his encounter with the three evil women, the witches. They put the thought into his mind that if he were to kill Duncan, he himself may become king. When Lady Macbeth found out about this, she liked the idea of becoming a queen. She uses many techniques throughout the first act to convince him to execute the King, including questioning his manhood. He appears to be a very strong individual before all of this occurred, being very stable mentally and being a hero in the eyes of his countrymen on the battlefield. All of this changes as the play progresses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"angel† on one of his shoulders is telling him how kind this male ruler has been to him and the country of Scotland. The little â€Å"greedy devil† on his other shoulder that wants to be King finally overcomes the â€Å"angel.† His mind finally warrants him the justification to kill King Duncan. He has deep regret for what he has done shortly thereafter. The murder of the King is the first to slowly break down his now fragile emotional state. He feels that after murdering the King, he has given his mind and soul to those evil and demonic forces which are the enemy of mankind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It seems as though he is addicted to a drug; he must kill those who oppose him or those who (he feels) will do him harm in the future, yet he does not enjoy this. He is â€Å"hooked† on this drug and he knows it; however, he cannot stop until he is happy. He gains no satisfying peace because his conscience still obliges him to recognize the negative qualities of evil and the negative results of evil action. The individual who once prized mutable goods in the form of respect and admiration from those about him has now lost his sensitivity towards good and evil. His conscience is numbed, and he has almost reached a â€Å"peace† with himself, being morally obsolescent from what is really going on. The environment that he is subject to is continually being intensified, until his final encounter with Macduff ends everything.

Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved - Character Naming :: Toni Morrison Beloved Essays

Character Naming in Beloved "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And, for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself." hakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, II.ii Shakespeare's Juliet tells us that names are unimportant - inconsequential, in fact. A name is merely a convenient string of sounds that denotes an individual, but it has no meaning. But this is clearly not true. Would Romeo and Juliet be the same play if its star-crossed lovers were called Robert and Jennifer? Of course not. The names of characters serve to identify them as members of a certain culture and help to cement their identities. A name may be an arbitrary string of sounds, but it carries much more weight than that. In Beloved, Toni Morrison demonstrates a clear understanding of this fact. Her choices of character names assist in firmly establishing the world of the book. Toni Morrison was born with the name Chloe Anthony Wofford. She changed her first name to Toni upon entering college - traditionally, a time looked upon as one of great significance in a young person's life. From this, we can infer that Morrison appreciates the power of a changed name to confer a new identity. There are two characters whose names change during the novel: Jenny Whitlow becomes Baby Suggs, and Joshua becomes Stamp Paid. In both of these cases, the character is abandoning the name under which they lived as a slave for a new, free name. Whitlow is the last name of Jenny's original master (142), and we learn that she takes the name Baby Suggs because her husband called her Baby. What she is known as by the people closest to her is more important than what the white community wishes to call her. The name Sethe is also interesting. This name could be interpreted as a feminine version of the Jewish name Seth, used in the fourth and fifth chapters of Genesis as the name of the third son of Adam and Eve, after Cain and Abel.

Rehabilitation Of Adolescent Sexual Offenders

Juvenile delinquency is increasingly becoming a major concern in society. The involvement of the youth in criminal activities has taken its toll as they get more exposure to violence through the media and peer influence. An emerging trend in this category is adolescent sexual offences among teenagers (Hardill, et al, 2001, 59). However, addressing this issue calls for a comprehensive approach that takes into account the various forms of sexual offences and the wide range of contributing factors.The paper explores the application of the Cycle of Abuse Theory in working with adolescent sexual offenders. The Cycle of Abuse is a social theory formulated by Lenore Walker in 1970 to explain the inherent patterns observed in an abusive relationship (Walker, 2000, 204). The theory of The Cycle of Abuse stipulates that abusive relationships are often cyclic, i. e. they take place in a recurring pattern. The theory identifies three stages or phases of abuse. While these phases do not necessari ly follow a linear and definite predictable pattern, they more or less exhibit the following phenomenology:Phase one- normalcy. At first, everything seems to be fine. This is normally during the initial stages of a relationship, when both parties show genuine commitment to the relationship. In fact, the stage is also referred to as ‘the honeymoon period. ’ However, as time goes by, one partner, especially the abuser, adopts a negative attitude. In some cases, an undesirable character trait previously restrained, such being short tempered or a predilection to violence begins to emerge. Phase two- Tension building.The atmosphere in the relationship tends to be strained, making mutual interaction between both parties characteristically cold, constrained and generally ineffective. Signs of tension include poor communication, verbal abuse and shifting blames for minor mistakes. The situation is so delicate such that it requires only a slight provocation for the abuserâ€℠¢s emotions to snap. Phase three- explosion. This is the point at which the actual abuse takes place. The abuser’s violent flares are triggered by flimsy excuses, such as the victim being late in preparing dinner (in cases of spouse abuse).However, one limitation of Lenor’s theory is its emphasis on physical abuse. While physical violence is the common form of abuse, recent studies have indicated that psychological and emotional torture could affect victims even more than the bruises they suffer in physical confrontations. Phase four- reconciliation. After the climax of actual abuse, the abuser takes a reconciliatory stance and apologizes for his/her actions. It is characterized by promises that it will not be repeated, and they might go an extra mile to please the victim- buying them gifts or taking them out.As the last phase of the cyclic phenomenon, the apologetic and the friendly mood displayed by the abuser persuades the victim to forget the abuse and consequently , the relationship returns to a state of normalcy. An adolescent sexual offender is defined as â€Å"a youth, from puberty to the legal age of majority, who commits any sexual act with a person of any age, against the victims will, without consent, or in an aggressive, exploitive or threatening manner† (Tolan and Cohler, 1993, 115). However, dealing with cases of juvenile offenders is complicated due to popular ideologies that make young offenders victims of circumstances.For instance, rape in some cases is rationalized on the precipice that â€Å"‘boys-will-be-boys’ and punished by a slap on the hand and admonitions to ‘behave,’ while cases of teens sexually molesting children are euphemized as â€Å"‘curiosity’ or ‘experimentation,’ and many sexual offenses termed as ‘adolescent adjustment reactions’† (Ryan et al, 1987). Consequently, the failure to clearly identify a juvenile as a sex offender has led to a tendency to ignore early warning symptoms and the â€Å"deviant nature of sexual assaults by teenagers† (Ryan, et al, 1987).Nonetheless, adolescent sexual offences continue to rise and its effects are plainly as far-reaching as those perpetrated by adults are. This has led to increasing concerns on teenage behaviors in relation to sexual crimes. What is not lost to both sides of the argument, however, is the fact that behavioral tendencies exhibited in childhood will continue into adulthood if no intervention measures are taken to change these habits. In working with adolescent sexual offenders towards their rehabilitation, intervention measures aims to achieve behavioral change and minimizing situations that could lead to abuse.At the same time, rehabilitation attempts to cut the cyclic pattern to avoid repetition of the same offences. In this regard, the Abuse Cycle Theory’s relevance is in its recognition of the recurrent nature of abuse. Research studies have shown that â€Å"for the victims of abuse, the abuse may produce either a learned helplessness or a repetitive aggressiveness† (Ryan et al, 1987). In addition, the theory identifies the various factors that promote abuse such as attitude, as well as the various forms the abuse could take.In the case of sexual offenses, abuse is not limited to actual acts of forced sex alone, but includes other forms such as fondling of the victim’s private parts. APPLICATION OF THE ABUSE CYCLE THEORY Adolescent sexual offences assume a cyclic pattern. It begins in early childhood among boys â€Å"with voyeuristic behaviors from ages five to seven, including attempts to their grandmother and mother using the bathroom or taking showers† (Sandy, 1987). The unusualness of this behavior is because the minors’ interest in nudity underlies sexual motives or desires.The report in The International Journal on adolescent sexual offenders says that it could be only normal if they i nvolve â€Å"the curiosity of an 18 to 30-month-old who is interested in learning how adults do everything from baking cookies to driving the car, and including use of the bathroom† (Ryan et al 1987). However, the habits should subside at age five, for by then the child has learned bathroom manners. The gravitation toward sexual violence among young boys begins at this stage, when their consciousness could direct their behaviors with some ulterior motives.In the context of the Cycle of Abuse Theory, this could be a calm stage, but there is a building up of tension- the sexual desires exhibited by the minor’s obsession to see nude females. In a case study on juvenile sexual offences, one respondent, a minor on a rehabilitation program, confessed that it started with â€Å"observing the babysitter having sex with her boyfriend, and it was followed with a habit of assaulting girls in the school grounds, with a motivation to actually frighten, control, and degrade themâ⠂¬  (Huttenlocker, 2007). The next phase in a minor’s progression towards sexual violence sets in even as early as nine years.Very conscious that what they are doing is inappropriate, they make their acts to look like accidental incidences. A teenage boy under a juvenile program said that his first intrusive behaviors began with a desire to touch female private parts when playing in crowds, and secretly watching out for girls. It marked the beginning of his conscious motives to stalk girls, leading to his cyclic sexual violence. It soon developed into an aggressive form of harassment, at age 11, which involved â€Å"grabbing the chests and butts of female classmates, threatening them with sexual acts† (Ryan, et al, 1987).By the time he was 12, he had identified four girls whom he would continually harass by touching their genitalia. The Cycle of Abuse Theory’s explanation of the different forms that an abuse could take reflects the minor’s habit to send obscene messages and making calls to his victims. In this regard, a comprehensive treatment therapy for young sexual offenders should take an approach that addresses the various stages of the abuse cycle. Since the abuse itself takes different forms, the treatment therapy should be multifaceted in its approach, addressing the following issues.Sex Education: The initial stages of sexually offensive behaviors are characterized with an aspect of ignorance. In this light, it is vital to equip minors with information about sexual behaviors, which could ‘slip off’ into violent, abusive habits. A research study by the National Clearinghouse on Sexual Violence reports that lack of knowledge and appropriate information regarding sexual behaviors contributes greatly to sexual offenses. Accordingly, there is need to â€Å"provide education courses in school with a focus on positive sexuality, addressing the issues of consent, equality and coercion† (Kaplan et al, 1988, 190) .It should also include teaching sexual assault victims ways of resolving their feelings concerning the abuse, in order to minimize their chances of becoming future offenders. The motive for revenge is identified in the Cycle of Abuse Theory as one factor that compels abusers to mistreat their victims. Likewise, sexually assaulted children are likely to find an emotional outlet by violating others. Abuse of Trust and Power: As noted before, sexually abused children could avenge their experiences on others.To avoid such occurrences, it calls for exemplary behaviors on the part of adults who relate and interact with young children. When adults, especially pedophiles, abuse their power and the trust of children to exploit them sexually, they sow seeds of hatred, rejection and a desire to ‘hit out’ at others. Such perpetrators often try to â€Å"escape accountability for exploiting their relationship of trust with a child or adolescent on flimsy excuses such as ‘I wa s drunk when I did it’ or ‘It is normal for children to be sexual- I was teaching her about sex’† (Duncan, 14).Abuse of children by adults could also shape their mentality as a way of expressing their dominance. This poses the danger of conditioning their notions about sex as a way to â€Å"accomplish masculinity and overcome experiences of powerlessness† (Ritcher, et al, 2004, 104). Joint work and Relapse Prevention: This is the most crucial part as it involves helping the ex-abusers to be assimilated into a normal social life as well as preventing them from slipping back to their offensive behaviors.It includes various therapies such as â€Å"young mentoring, in-home family therapy, human sexuality education, parent support groups and ‘safe-out of home’ placement in the community† (Marsh and Fristad, 330). It helps the recovering patients to develop coping skills and relapse-prevention mechanisms to enable them assume normal liv es. Previous research studies which sought to find out the motivational drive of sexually aggressive behaviors in men, have established a tendency of being compelled by the urge to meet sexual desires (Lenn, 1994).Snell et al (1992) reported sexual compulsivity, similar to a research by Exner et al (1992), which noted lack of sexual control as the major cause of uncontrolled sexual activity. In this regard, it is therefore imperative to educate ex-offenders on ways to overcome their sexual drives, which nearly always culminates in rape and other sexual offences (Erooga and Masson, 1999, 27). In Understanding and Diagnosing Sex Addiction, John Schneider identifies compulsive sexual behaviors as addictive disorders like those of drug abuse (Schneider 2004 198).This insight helps in singling out incidences of juvenile sexual offences that result as the abuser’s inability to resist psychological and physical sex drives. It is important to distinguish victims of circumstances and situation from out-right perpetrators, to design appropriate treatment therapies. Nonetheless, a very crucial aspect of rehabilitating juvenile sexual offenders is widening the scope of treatment to include other factors, which could be directly related to sexual violence. Some studies have shown that there is a correlation between drug use and juvenile sexual offences (O’Reilly, 2004, 81).In fact, Schneider considers the path to sexual addiction to be similar to that of a drug addict: habit developing into a behavior and finally addiction. In light of the tenets of the Cycle of Abuse Theory, this suggests that sometimes individuals could not control their behaviors. Circumstances and the environment could trigger impulsive behaviors that are sexually offensive. For instance, playing in crowded grounds offers an opportunity for budding offenders to touch their victims’ private parts.This is similar to abuses in relationships, where the abuser’s temper gets trigg ered by minor incidences such as disagreements. In working with adolescent sexual offenders, it therefore calls for placement programs that remove the abuser from environments that encourage his sexual behaviors. In conclusion, the significance of the Cycle of Abuse in relation to working with adolescent sexual offenders lies in its emphasis on the gradual progression towards violent actions, its cyclic nature as well as its varied forms.First, it highlights the importance of identifying juvenile sexual offences in their budding stages to avoid their development into ‘high tension’ stages where the offender is vulnerable to acting out their sexual desires. It also avoids further offensive behaviors and helps to ‘bring them back’ into the community. The theory’s reference to the recurrent nature of abuse indicates that juvenile offenders are likely to ‘re-offend,’ hence the need for relapse-prevention measures. The socio-cultural environm ent within which adolescent sexual offenders operate could also encourage their behaviors.This observation stems from the theory’s tension and explosion stages, which indicate that an external triggering factor is necessary to push the abuser towards actual confrontation. In this light, it is necessary to evaluate sexual offenses in the context of family environment and the impact it could have had in the formative aspects of the offender’s personal development (Marshall, 1998, 360). Behavior alone should not be the standard of labeling a person, but it should as well include factors that influence character development.Equally, cultures that promote male sexual aggressiveness as a desirable quality for men should be discouraged. Secondly, sexual offenses are not limited to actual cases of rape or molestation, but could take various forms such as verbal harassment, voyeurism and exposure of one’s private parts. Nonetheless, as in physical and psychological abuse witnessed in relationships, all forms of sexual offenses are significantly harmful to the victim. This is because they have far-reaching effects on the victim, such as fearing the opposite sex even in adulthood, low self-esteem and negative attitude towards relationships.Lastly, relapse-prevention measures should be designed to achieve long-term goals of permanently changing the offender’s sexual behavior. Since sexual offenses by adolescent could be an overt manifestation of character traits, rehabilitation measures ought to extend beyond short-term therapies designed to treat immediate symptoms. To this end, then, working with adolescent sexual offenders is not only a correction of behavior, but a re-creation of character as well. Reference List Crinson, I. 2009. Health Policy: A Critical. SAGE Publications Ltd, New York. Duncan, K. A.2004. Healing from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse: the journey for women. Greenwood Publishing Group, New York. Erooga M. , Masson, H. C. 1999. Children and young people who sexually abuse others: challenges and responses. Routledge, New York Hardill I. , et al. 2001. Human geography of the UK: An introduction. Routledge, New York Huttenlocker, M. 29 July 2007. â€Å"Adolescent Sex Offenders. † Adolescent Sex Offenders. † EzineArticles. com. 6 May. 2010 Kaplan, M. S. , Becker, J. V. , Cunningham-Rathner J.1988. â€Å"Characteristics of Parents of Adolescent Incest Perpetrators: Preliminary Findings,† Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 189-90. Marsh D. T. , Fristad, M. A. 2002. Handbook of serious emotional disturbance in children and adolescents. John Wiley and Sons, New York Marshall, W. L. 1998. Sourcebook of treatment programs for sexual offenders. Springer, New York O’Reilly, G. 2004. The handbook of clinical intervention with young people who sexually abuse Psychology Press, New York. Ritcher, L. , et al. 2004. Sexual abuse of young children in southern Africa.HSRC Pres s, London. Ryan G. , Lane S. , Davis, J. , et al. (1987). S. â€Å"Juvenile sex offenders: Development and correction. † The International Journal, 11: (3), Pages 385-395. . Schneider, J. , P. 2004. Understanding and diagnosing sex addiction: Handbook of addictive disorders: a practical guide to diagnosis and treatment. John Wiley and Sons, New York’ Tolan P. H. , Cohler, P. J. 1993. Handbook of clinical research and practice with adolescents. ohn Wiley and Sons, New York. Walker, L. 2001. The battered woman syndrome. Springer Publishing Company, New York. .

Black Hole

Black hole in astronomy is a theoretical region in space with such intense gravitational forces that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. Calculations based on Einstein’s general theory of relativity published in 1915 indicate that a very high concentration of matter can form a black hole, but the existence of black holes has not been proven. For the sun to form a black hole, it would have to be compressed into a sphere less than 4 miles (6. 4 km) in diameter.Scientists believe such concentrations of matter can occur under certain conditions, as when a massive star (one with a mass three or more times that of the sun) runs out of fuel for thermonuclear reactions and collapses in one itself. In the constellation Cygnus, a star has been discovered that appears be in a binary (two-star) system with a small, invisible object that may be a black hole formed from a star (Abell, 34-36). The area around the object is a strong source of X-rays, possibly produced by gases heated to very high temperatures as they are drawn into the black hole.Very massive black holes may form at the centre of a galaxy, where there is a high concentration of stars and other matter. Astronomers have found evidence for the existence of massive black holes at the centre of several galaxies, including the Milky Way. Black holes ranging down to microscopic size may have formed when the universe was very dense, shortly after its creation. According to a theory by the English physicist Stephen Hawking, black holes of very small size lose a significant amount of mass through subatomic processes at their boundaries.According to this theory, once a black hole become extremely small, it emits all its remaining mass in an explosion of high-energy particles. However, evidence for such explosions has not been found. Moreover, the term â€Å"black hole† was coined to describe such an object more than 50 years ago, long before there was any evidence that such object existed. Today, t here is ample evidence that black hole exist (Snow, 111). If the core contains more than 3 solar masses, its collapse leads to the formation of a black hole. In this case, the degenerate neutron gas pressure cannot halt the collapse.There may or may not be a supernova explosion, depending on whether a neutron star forms temporarily (causing a rebound of the infalling outer layers of the star) before collapsing further. A black hole never stops collapsing; mathematically, it can be described as a single point containing all the mass of the collapsed stellar core, but physically it is difficult to describe. In other words, if a star more than 2 or 3 solar masses in its core collapses, it will exceed the mass limit for formation of a neutron star.When a star collapses beyond the point where neutron gas pressure degenerate can support it, the collapse never stops as mentioned earlier. Thus, a black hole is not in hydrostatic equilibrium because there is no known force that can counterac t the inward force of gravity and it is said that the mass of the star forms a singularity, described mathematically as a single point having infinite density. As the collapse proceeds, the surface gravity of the star becomes stronger (Chaisson, 16-17).The gravitational force of the star remains the same at distance outside of the original surface of the star; the immense increase in gravity occurs only at closer distances. As the surface gravity increases, it has an increasingly significant effect on photons of light. Eventually a point is reached where the surface gravity is so great that light cannot escape. At this point, the star is said to have passed through the event horizon because it is impossible to observe anything that happens to it after this.The radius of the star at this point is called the Schwarzschild radius and the Schwarzschild radius is proportional to the mass of the star; for a star of 1 solar mass, it is 3 km. A black hole cannot be directly observed, but it s presence may be detected through its gravitational effects. If a binary system is found to have an unseen member whose mass is too great to be neutron star, then it must be a black hole. Such binary systems are most easily recognized if mass transfer takes place from the companion star to the black hole. In this case, the matter that is transferred forms an accretion disk so hot that it emits X-rays (Abell, 34-36).Thus, X-ray binaries are likely places to look for black holes. Several X-ray binaries have been observed in which the analysis of the orbit of the visible star indicates that the unseen companion has too much mass to be a neutron star and must therefore be a black hole. Reference: 1. Abell, G. D. Exploration of the Universe (96h edition), pp. 34-36. Philadelphia: W. B. Suanders Co. , 2001. 2. Chaisson, E. Astronomy Today. Pp. 16-17. Englewood Cliffs, N. J. : Prentice Hall, 2002. 3. Snow, T. P. The Dynamic Universe: An Introduction to Astronomy (6th edition), p. 111. St. Paul: West Publishing Co. , 2001.

Mcdonalds Case Study

McDonald’s case study For at least 30 years McDonald’s had the lead consumer base in the fast food market. They seemed to have the market monopolized, however in time it’s consumer base drifted away. It would appear that Mcdonalds had become comfortable in the position it was in and put little to no emphases on product variety or quality and simply focused on the speed and convinience as the customer draw. Mcdonalds was suffering from low growth and market base as well as decreasing profits. The factors which affected this low growth and lack of profit was not only its competitors but also public opinion of the quality and variety of the food not being up to the same standards of the competition such as Wendy’s or Burger king. Public opinion on Mcdonalds was that the food it sold was of poor quality with little to no variety and people would sacrifice the convinience and speed of their order for taste and variety. To solve this problem Mcdonalds needs to bring back the once reliable customers that it lost to the competition. This can be done a few different ways. – Introduce new aspects to the existing menu, maybe different choices for existing products, possible rebrand and remarket some of these products with a possible price break. – Possibly improve the flavour of its beef as to improve the taste in all its burgers. -Introduce new items on the menu similar to products of the competition ie. Burger King and Wendy’s. – New slogan, new product apperance on the cups and containers. This is to represent the â€Å"new† Mcdonalds. The previous list of ideas can be implemented the easiest by a complete marketing blitz of the new product line and image for the company. The size of the company allows it to have the resources to do this type of campaign with very little financial risk, basically the company has nothing to loose but more customers. Mcdonalds Case Study McDonald’s case study For at least 30 years McDonald’s had the lead consumer base in the fast food market. They seemed to have the market monopolized, however in time it’s consumer base drifted away. It would appear that Mcdonalds had become comfortable in the position it was in and put little to no emphases on product variety or quality and simply focused on the speed and convinience as the customer draw. Mcdonalds was suffering from low growth and market base as well as decreasing profits. The factors which affected this low growth and lack of profit was not only its competitors but also public opinion of the quality and variety of the food not being up to the same standards of the competition such as Wendy’s or Burger king. Public opinion on Mcdonalds was that the food it sold was of poor quality with little to no variety and people would sacrifice the convinience and speed of their order for taste and variety. To solve this problem Mcdonalds needs to bring back the once reliable customers that it lost to the competition. This can be done a few different ways. – Introduce new aspects to the existing menu, maybe different choices for existing products, possible rebrand and remarket some of these products with a possible price break. – Possibly improve the flavour of its beef as to improve the taste in all its burgers. -Introduce new items on the menu similar to products of the competition ie. Burger King and Wendy’s. – New slogan, new product apperance on the cups and containers. This is to represent the â€Å"new† Mcdonalds. The previous list of ideas can be implemented the easiest by a complete marketing blitz of the new product line and image for the company. The size of the company allows it to have the resources to do this type of campaign with very little financial risk, basically the company has nothing to loose but more customers.

Popular Opinion of Under a Cruel Star

Popular Opinion of a Cruel Star Heda Margolius Kovaly was a woman who during her time in Czechoslovakia lived through many harsh periods for not only the country, but people of Jewish heritage as well. Her memoir Under a Cruel Star tells her story of hardship from 1941 to 1968. In this memoir she explains her time in Auschwitz, her escape, as well as life in Communist Czechoslovakia, concentrating more on the hardships of Czechoslovakia after World War II.While Kovaly’s memoir depicts the suffering of the Czechoslovakian people as well as the Slansky trials, which her first husband was a victim of, she never really touches upon the fact that many of the people tried, convicted, and killed were of Jewish decent. However, an article entitled â€Å"A ‘Polyphony of Voices’? Czech Popular Opinion and the Slansky Affair,† by Kevin McDermott depicts the suffering of the Czech people as well as the trials in a completely different manner, addressing the anti-Semiti c actions of the Czechoslovakian government under the rule of Joseph Stalin and the influence that followed his death.Both the memoir and the article explain the Slansky Trial, each with a different view. In Kovaly’s memoir her husband was one of the Jewish KSC leaders which were tried during that time. It is explained in text that her husband had no connection to Richard Slansky, but it left him questioning the years of devotion he made to the communist government. While the Kovaly perspective shows an outsiders view of what was happening to Slansky McDermott’s article explains why and how Slansky was brought to trial.The article explains how Slansky was a very powerful leader in the KSC party, â€Å"he was effectively second in command to Gottwald, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party machine and co-responsible for formulating policy and strategic direction†¦ He was a member of the party’s top decision-making- bodies. † Stalin sent a letter to Gottwald stating that he had â€Å"committed a number of errors† in promoting leading personnel which has caused a threat to the party and the people and advised him to remove Slansky. This could have been caused through a change in geopolitical support In the Middle East.This could infer that Stalin’s increasing anti-Semitic tendencies impacted Czechoslovakia. Other than the fact that both Kovaly and Slansky were Jewish another reason for their demise was their different view on the communist ideal. When Heda tries to beg her husband to leave his government position he responds by saying â€Å"if all the decent people leave now, things will get worse. † Leaders like Slansky and Kovaly believed in the communist party actually as one for the people, they did not take huge bribes or look out for only themselves.They worked to do good for the party and the people. However, the Czech economy was failing, there was widespread social discontent and with tha t brought demonstrations and strikes. â€Å"Workers universally cursed the fact that everything is dear and wages are low†¦ A year ago salami cost 8 crowns and today it’s 28 crowns. † The government needed a scapegoat and Slansky (mainly him) as well as many Jewish officials were the perfect people to blame. Vzpominky Goldstucker actually spoke about Slansky saying â€Å"†¦He was cleverer than all the others so they had to get rid of him. †When the arrest of Kovaly’s husband took place and her friends and family found out, people purposefully avoided her and severed all contact with her. The government had effectively influenced people to fear going against them by staging arrests and trials such as Kovaly’s husband. A lot of what Kovaly writes in her memoir shows her being ostracized by society. Her husband’s arrest was one of those times. She wrote that people would spit at her and other people who were like her were stoned. At t his point in her memoir she doesn’t mention any anti-Semitic acts, only the ostracized effect that came with her â€Å"traitorous† husband’s arrest.When the trials began Heda was hospitalized due to her being sick of sleep deprivation, malnutrition, and stress, while she was in the hospital she heard her husband present a statement on the radio. Hearing his â€Å"flat and halting† voice leads her to believe that he is repeating a written statement which he was forced to memorize. Both Kovaly and McDermott touch on this subject of torture and forced statements. McDermott writes that the conduct of the court hearings came under criticism among citizens. Some people are saying that they have the impression that the trial is a show rehearsed in advance†¦ because the accused reply so fluently as if they are reading their statement. † Slansky was forced to do the same thing. He originally apologized for allowing some wrong people to make it through t he government ladder, but denied ever being traitorous, that was until the secret police began to interrogate him. They used a series of â€Å"physical and psychological pressures bordering on torture† which finally influence him to confess his â€Å"guilt†.While both Kovaly and McDermott addressed the torture that some of the prisoners received to influence their confession, Heda addressed a personal experience focusing only on her husband while McDermott’s article addresses several sources as well as explained deeper detail why the torture was used. With the regime change it was written that â€Å"The Death of Stalin Means Death to Communists. † The regime changed in 1956 and Kovaly writes that Nikita Kruschev gains power and criticizes Stalin’s reign. Quickly satellite nations begin releasing prisoners and declare them to be rehabilitated.The party even admitted that confessions were forced through torture, drugs, and psychological manipulation. The article does defend these points which Kovaly is making as well as takes it one step further by explaining some of the signs citizens were apparently posting in the towns. Even though Stalin was dead his anti-Semitic influence was not. An example would be an inscription found on the ground floor of a residential block which read â€Å"DEATH TO THE JEWISH TRAITORS-TO JEWS, GOTWALD AND THE JOINT- WE WANT A NATIONAL GOVERNMENT. † Although not mentioned by Heda Kovaly, hatred towards Jewish people was still present after Stalin’s death.People were influenced to believe that it was Jewish leaders fault for the hurt economy which is why many jokes, comments, and almost fighting broke out. Although the extreme hatred towards Jewish people was un-intentionally publicly created it grew to something that the government could almost not control. While Kovaly’s memoir depicts the suffering of the Czechoslovakian people as well as the Slansky trials, which her first hus band was a victim of, she never really touches upon the fact that many of the people tried, convicted, and killed were of Jewish decent.However, Kevin McDermott depicts the suffering of the Czech people as well as the trials in a completely different manner, addressing the anti-Semitic actions of the Czechoslovakian government under the rule of Joseph Stalin and the influence that followed his death. This difference in historical focus during the same time period happens because Kovaly is writing on personal experience while McDermott is not. His research however does allow weight to be brought to the experiences which Kovaly is writing by showing detail which she is missing.Still, Kovaly’s work does lack the reference of anti-Semitic acts which were extremely present during that time and continuously present in the article. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. McDermott, Kevin. â€Å" , â€Å"A ‘Polyphony of Voices’? Czech Popular Opinion and the Slansky Affair,†. †Ã‚  Slavic Review. 67. no. 4 (2008): 840-865. (846) [ 2 ]. McDermott 847 [ 3 ]. McDermott 847 [ 4 ]. Kovaly, Heda. Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968. Cambridge, MA: Plunkett Lake, 1986. Print. (101) [ 5 ]. McDermott, Kevin. , â€Å"A ‘Polyphony of Voices’? Czech Popular Opinion and the Slansky Affair,†. †Ã‚  Slavic Review. 67. no. 4 (2008): 840-865. [ 6 ]. McDermott 859 [ 7 ]. Kovaly 150 [ 8 ]. Kovaly, Heda. Under a Cruel Star: A Life in Prague 1941-1968. Cambridge, MA: Plunkett Lake, 1986. Print. 170 [ 9 ]. McDermott 852 [ 10 ]. McDermott 856/857 [ 11 ]. McDermott, Kevin. â€Å", â€Å"A ‘Polyphony of Voices’? Czech Popular Opinion and the Slansky Affair,†. †Ã‚  Slavic Review. 67. no. 4 (2008): 840-865. 849 [ 12 ]. McDermott 859 [ 13 ]. McDermott 859