Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Claude McKays Prominent Position in the Harlem...

Claude McKay real name is Festus Claudius McKay was an important person in the Harlem Renaissance, a prominent literary movement of the 1920s. His poems are traditional in technique and on the sentimental side in subject and tone.1 McKay was born in Sunny Ville, Jamaica, in 1889. McKay was the son of a peasant farmer. He took pride and knew a lot about his African heritage. He was interested in English poetry dealing with literary. McKay’s brother, Uriah Theophilus and an Englishmen Walter Jekyll helped McKay study British masters. McKay studied the British masters including John Milton, Alexander Pope and the later Romantics and European philosophers such as well-known pessimist Arthur Schopenhauer, Jekyll had to translate from†¦show more content†¦He wrote: â€Å"These first two volumes are already marked by a sharpness of vision, an inborn realism, and a freshness which provides a pleasing contrast with the conventionality which, at this time, prevails among the b lack poets of the United States. For Songs of Jamaica McKay received an award and paid from the Jamaican Institute of Arts and Sciences. He used the money to finance a trip to America, and in 1912 he arrived in South Carolina. He then traveled to Alabama and enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute, where he studied for two months before transferring to Kansas State College. In 1914 he left school entirely for New York City and worked various menial jobs. As in Kingston, McKay encountered racism in New York City, and that racism forced him to continue writing poetry. In 1917, under the pseudonym Eli Edwards, McKay published two poems in a journal called the Seven Arts. His poetry was discovered by critic Frank Hattis, who then included some of McKays other poems in Pearsons Magazine. McKays most famous poems from this period was To the White Fiend.† A few years later McKay befriended Max Eastman, editor of the magazine Liberator. McKay published more poems in Eastmans magazine, espe cially the If We Must Die, which defended black rights and threatened revenge for prejudice andShow MoreRelatedHistory5499 Words   |  22 PagesHARLEM RENAISSANCE by William R. Nash ^ The term ‘‘Harlem Renaissance’’ refers to the efï ¬â€šorescence of African-American cultural production that occurred in New York City in the 1920s and early 1930s. One sometimes sees Harlem Renaissance used interchangeably with ‘‘New Negro Renaissance,’’ a term that includes all African Americans, regardless of their location, who participated in this cultural revolution. Followers of the New Negro dicta, which emphasized blacks’ inclusion in and empowerment

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Hobbit Hero’s Journey Free Essays

â€Å"A hero ventures forth from the world of the common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from the mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man† (Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces). Joseph Campbell, an expert on mythology has outlined a standard form for heroic stories. He identifies ten stages in a hero’s journey, noting that all of the stages have to occur in every heroic story. We will write a custom essay sample on The Hobbit Hero’s Journey or any similar topic only for you Order Now In the novel, The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, Bilbo Baggins is described as an unlikely hero. According to Campbell, heroes are often the most unlikely person that anyone would expect to be chosen for an adventure. Bilbo goes through many of the stages identified by Campbell for a hero’s journey such as: being called to an adventure, attempting to reject the opportunity, encouraging Gandalf, a helper whoguides  and protects him, and leaving the safe haven of his hobbit home to cross the threshold venturing into the unknown. Bilbo Baggins is described as a respectable hobbit who comes from a rich family that never did anything unexpected, and never took adventures. His peaceful life was interrupted one day by a visit from a wizard named Gandalf. Gandalf had decided that Bilbo would make an excellent burglar on an adventure he was planning, because he could move quickly and very quietly. To this request Bilbo promptly replied â€Å"We are plain quiet folk and have no use for adventures. Nasty uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner! I can’t see what anybody sees in them†¦Good morning!†¦ we don’t want any adventures here, thank you! (6). Gandalf does not really give the hobbit a choice about going on the adventure. He marks the hobbit’s door with his staff indicating that he is interested in an adventure, and soon after, dwarves start appearing at his doorstep. Bilbo had been called to an adventure by an outside force, attempted to refuse the call, and ended up accept ing the adventure. This is the first stage in a hero’s journey. Another component of a hero’s journey includes a  guide. Gandalf, a wizard capable of performing  magic spells  accompanies Bilbo and the dwarves on part of their quest. Like many supernatural aids, he is called upon at different points in the journey to save the others. Bilbo discovers three trolls sitting around a fire. The trolls catch Bilbo when he tries to steal a purse from William, one of the trolls. The dwarves are also caught. Then, the trolls begin to argue about whether or not they should eat the dwarves and Bilbo. Gandalf returns just in time, and saves Bilbo and the dwarves. According to Campbell, the hero must fulfill the quest using his own strengths alone, so he can learn what his strengths are. Where was Gandalf† (56). After Gandalf and  the company  are saved by the eagles from the Goblins and the Wargs, they are taken to safety to eat and rest. The next  day, Gandalf tells them that he must leave for a while. The guide  often disappears at some point along the journey to allow this to happen, which Gandalf does. With the help of  the guide, Bilbo evolves as a leader and a hero of the group by showing his strengths. Bilbo was very brave when he got was separated from the rest of the group, and had to find his way out of the evil mountain. He also thought of a clever plan to put all of the dwarves in barrels and sail them down the river to escape. These strengths  show  how Bilbo started out extremely cautious, and became a great leader. Bilbo eventually accepts the idea that he is leaving his safe haven in the shire and accepting the call and risks the adventure brings. â€Å"†¦. Bilbo could never remember how he found himself outside, without a  walking  stick or any money†¦running as fast as his feet could carry him down the lane† (28). He was on his way with Gandalf to meet the others at the Inn to begin the journey. He and the others mounted the ponies and headed into the Lone-lands. He even thought to himself early in the trip that adventures were not so bad after all. He had taken a big  step  as he crossed the first threshold leaving his home behind to enter a world unknown. This is a critical stage in a hero’s journey. Bilbo Baggins clearly emerges as a heroic figure as he progresses through the stages of a hero’s journey as outlined by Campbell. He was called to an adventure by an outside force, Gandalf. As with many heroes he attempted to refuse the offer, but was unsuccessful. Gandalf the wizard acts as hisguide  and protector along the journey, while still allowing him to reveal his own strengths. Bilbo takes a critical  step  in the  process  as he crosses the threshold from his safe environment into one  filled with  danger. He was transformed from a cautious, home loving hobbit at the beginning of  the story  into a brave confident hero by the end. According to Thorin, Bilbo had become†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦a good companion on our long road and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (191). How to cite The Hobbit Hero’s Journey, Papers

Monday, May 4, 2020

Developing Coaching Skills in the Workplace free essay sample

Skills’ coaching focuses on the core skills that an individual/team needs to perform in their role. Skills’ coaching provides an adaptable and flexible approach to skills development for business and individual needs. It focuses on what the person is lacking in, in order to get them up to standard. Performance coaching is a tool used for a more one to one session focusing on the individuals needs whether it is within the work place or work-life balance. It is aimed at enhancing the individuals performance needs to increase their effectiveness and productivity. Non-directive coaching is coaching where the coach asks questions to allow people to find their own solutions. A non-directive coach will not offer advice and rarely even give suggestions, although through skillful questioning they will help someone to see their situation from a different perspective, gain clarity, uncover options, challenge inconsistencies and hold them accountable to their actions. Directive coaching is where the coach offers solutions, tools and techniques for moving forward. Sometimes it may be useful to offer solutions, however the danger is that the solution may not be quite appropriate for the situation and consequently people may not feel fully committed to the solution provided. Coaching is not to be confused with other development methods such as mentoring or counselling. Coaching is a teaching, training or development process via which an individual is supported while achieving a specific personal or professional goal. Mentoring is a personal development relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to guide a less experienced or less knowledgeable person. Counselling is a highly skilled intervention focussed on helping individuals address underlying psychological problems. Coaching can be used to help organisational objectives as it can assist performance management, it can help to prepare and support people in leadership roles and also help to support learning and development. The Role of the Coach Initiates the partnering conversation regarding the pace and direction of the sessions, which is based on the coachees desired outcomes from the coaching relationship †¢Encourages the coachees thinking and actions toward forward movement †¢Consciously uses the coachees responses to develop powerful questions and observations that may be relevant to the coachees creation of forward movement †¢Holds coachee accountable for his/her own progress and does not own the actions †¢Links the session by session outcomes to the overall goals of the coachee The Role of the Coachee Commits to and trusts in the coaching process †¢Takes ownership for his/her progress †¢Is open and honest with the coach †¢Shares information with the coach †¢Listens to the coachs observations, determines how to use them, or determines to disregard them †¢Makes commitments to action †¢Follows through on commitments †¢Is accountable for his/her own actions, growth, and progress †¢Is dedicated and committed to taking both small and large steps to achieve the agreed upon outcomes †¢Cooperates fully in the coaching process or discusses why cooperation is not possible The benefits for the individual can be: †¢increased motivation and commitment †¢clearer goals and objectives †¢improved ability to deal with change As far as the organisation is concerned, there are obvious advantages in having motivated employees, committed to achieving clear goals and improving performance. There should be greater productivity and more self – reliance amongst the employees, with less need for regular supervision by management. This can be particularly helpful in organisations where employees are dispersed over a number of offices or site and need to be able to work independently and to be self – motivating. The following options can help establish a corporate coaching culture: External personal coaching Companies intuitively recognize that it is desirable for senior managers to have an external coach but companies don’t extend this consideration to mid and junior level managers, and that is a mistake. Managers at all levels benefit in exactly the same way from discrete, private and confidential coaching that allows the exploration of sensitive personal and professional material Team leadership coaching Team leadership coaching is less expensive than private coaching but can be equally powerful. This involves a group of managers who work collectively with one coach or a limited team of coaches for a combination of group and individual sessions. The use of clinically trained team leadership coaches allows subsequent coaching to become part of a longer-term personal and professional development that is integrated into the larger organizational system and strategic direction. A popular trend in executive coaching is the development of a team of coaches within the organisation. Aside from being less expensive than external coaches, internal coaches have the advantage of already understanding the organisation’s business issues and internal dynamics. Also, if they have leadership experience in the organisation, they may find it easier to gain the respect of the executive and build rapport. On the other hand, internal coaches usually have less coaching and feedback experience than external coaches, with fewer opportunities to practice and maintain their coaching skills. They may lack a cross? organisational perspective that would allow them to put the executive’s behaviour in the context of what is normal and healthy in other organisations (the internal coach may be â€Å"blinded† by their experience in the company).