Staffing Organization free essay sample

A plan will be created to deal with employee shortages and surpluses. This document will also provide a strategy for workforce diversity and produce a job requirement job analysis for the store managers and the coffee servers. Employment Relationship From the point of hire, developing a good working relationship is extremely important for all levels; including the owner/ CEO. QC will establish an employer-employee relationship. An employer-employee relationship is best for QC because the staff will work together to settle on the terms of their relationship. All of the employees will be valued, treated respectfully, and paid fair wages. They will also be exposed to a safe and healthy working environment. QC is a business with high morals and their employees will consistently be treated ethically. All employees will have the right to speak freely about any issues or concerns that they have without fearing retaliation. QC will employ three full-time store managers and ten part-time servers. We will write a custom essay sample on Staffing Organization or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They will provide the employees with directions and training. This will inform them that QC has a particular way in which they conduct business. They will strive to provide their patrons with exceptional beverages and service. There will be some routine rules and specifics in which the workers must follow when preparing for the morning and closing at night. Workers will receive all the necessary information and tools pertinent to them as employees. Avoiding Disparate Treatment To maintain good employment relationships with all of their employees QC will have specific policies and procedures in place that everyone must follow. These policies and procedures will help the company be in compliance with state and federal laws. Part of QC’s policy is to be an equal employment employer. All hiring, promotions, or terminations will be made without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation. To avoid claims of disparate treatment QC will periodically conduct audits on their current policies, practices, and procedures: revising them when applicable. They will analyze their job descriptions, performance appraisal system, and compensation scale to seek out and prevent potential discrimination. QC will train their manager and supervisors on proper interviewing and hiring techniques. Teaching them about the types of questions to ask during an interview and ensuring that they make hiring decisions based off qualifications. QC will conduct a thorough investigation for any claims brought to their attention about discrimination, harassment, and safety. External Influences To be successful and profitable QC must be aware of internal and external changes that will affect their business. They have to be willing to make the necessary adjustments to adapt to the changes. The type of external influence that could possibly hinder staffing for QC is the labor markets; specifically labor demand and supply. Since the customers determines how much labor is needed it is in QC’s best interest to keep the customers satisfied. When customers like QC’s service labor demand will be higher but if they receive poor service than labor demand will be lower. In an effort to keep demands high or steady QC will have customers complete a satisfaction survey in which they will receive a free medium size beverage upon completion; per customer once a month. QC will also conduct training sessions every six months and re-train employees when necessary. When labor supply exceeds labor demand the employees’ hours will need to be reduced. Employee Shortages and Surpluses Dealing with employee shortages and surpluses is a vital part of staffing. It is imperative that QC have enough employees scheduled to avoid delays during peak hours and peak seasons. It is equally important for them to have coverage during holidays and semester breaks. To deal with shortages and surpluses QC will create a quantitative objective that would focus on headcount and operational hours for peak, seasonal, holidays, and semester breaks. QC will form a working relationship with a local staffing agency near the college’s campus. To help with shortages during that time they will leverage from the agency in which they have developed a rapport. Strategy for Workforce Diversity According to Huebsch (n. d. ), â€Å"Workplace diversity strategies aim to increase the number of minorities and people of different cultures and backgrounds who work for a business; this not only helps a business’ public perception but it also proves essential to success in a global society† (Workplace Diversity Strategy). QC will take an active diversity strategy by seeking, appealing to, and recruiting people of various ethnicities. There will be clear communication regarding the business’ diversity strategy and their zero tolerance of discrimination and harassment from anyone; employees, customers, and vendors. The owner of QC will explain and provide training on their equal opportunity employment policy, sexual harassment policy, safety and security policy, and diversity policy for all employees upon hire. They will also conduct refresher training annually or as often as deemed necessary. Job Requirements Job Analysis A job analysis is created with the company’s mission and goals in mind. It is a thorough examination about the requirements, responsibilities, duties, qualifications, and tasks in which the job entails. It is more elaborate than a job description because it can be used for several things such as helping to identify potential candidates, for employment; assisting with the design of the selection tool, and assessing employees’ performance (Heneman, Judge, Kammeyer-Mueller, p. 154). A job requirements job analysis seeks to identify and describe the specific tasks, KSAOs, and job content for a particular job; it is thoroughly developed and the most commonly used† (Heneman, Judge, Kammeyer-Mueller, p. 155). In order to identify the tasks, KSAOs, and context of the type of managers and servers they are looking for QC have taken the initiative to conduct a job requirement job analysis for both positions. Store Managers Overview: This is a key position that will contribute to the successfulness of Queen Caffeine Gourmet Coffee Shop. Discretion and confidentiality is of the upmost importance for managing this store. The majority of time will be spent on supervising and directing the workforce, making decisions, preparing schedules, preparing and depositing the finances, ensuring customer satisfaction, and managing safety and security within the store. Job Title:Store Manager Classification:Full Time Exempt Employee Location:Washington, DC Pay Grade:Level III (Base + Commission) OpeningsThree Job Requirements A. Summary of Position Manage all aspects of the store operations to include hiring, training, disciplining, terminating, cash handling, daily deposits, physical inventory/ supplies, and housekeeping. Develop and set goals for the team. Execute and monitor loss prevention. Resolve customer problems and complaints by providing the most favorable solutions. B. Job Duties †¢Plan, communicate, and delegate responsibilities and practices †¢Provide coaching and direction to the team †¢Review and implement key business initiatives †¢Demonstrate a positive attitude by managing with integrity and honesty †¢Collaboratively work with other managers †¢Prepare team work schedule †¢Order and maintain products and goods needed for successful daily operation †¢Maintain sale records: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually C. Computer Skills and Systems †¢Windows Operations System †¢MS Office: Word and Excel †¢Oracle/ PeopleSoft/ Kronos †¢POS Register D. Reporting Structure †¢Reports to Queen Caffeine †¢Has five to ten direct reports Business Requirements †¢Assist with the strategic development and operational plans †¢Monitor team members in the direction to obtain operational requirements †¢Provide regular, concise, and accurate communication to the team members †¢Ensure adherence to all applicable state and federal laws †¢Request customer feedback to gain a better understand of needs Employee Requirements A. Education and Training †¢High School Diploma Required †¢Bachelor Degree in Business or Finance Required †¢Five or more years of Management Experience B. Skills †¢Strong leadership †¢Effective communicator †¢Must be able to multi-task †¢Ability to effectively lead, train, and develop Physical Requirements †¢Constant standing and walking †¢Constant reaching and wiping †¢Occasional kneeling, pushing, pulling, and lifting †¢Frequent use of arms, hands, and wrists †¢Must be able to carry up to 40 lbs. Success Factors A. Grow Sales a. Develop a plan to increase sales by at least 5% on a monthly b. Research and implement an employee appreciation incentive c. Decrease inventory waste and loss by 20% quarterly B. Develop Team Members a. Recruit and train b. Reward and discipline c. Set standards and encourage Note: Equal Opportunity Employer; Paid holidays; Religious Culture Recognized; Accrued PTO; Benefits available; Earn bonuses Coffee Servers/ Baristas Overview: This is a key position that will contribute to the successfulness of Queen Caffeine Gourmet Coffee Shop by providing excellent customer service, quality products, and by maintaining a clean inside/ outside working/ sitting environment. Job Title:Server/ Barista Classification:Part Time Non-exempt Employee Location:Washington, DC Pay Grade:Hourly + tips OpeningsTen Job Requirements A. Summary of Position: Maintain regular attendance, be punctual, be considerate of others, follow rules, policies, procedures, and be cognizant of surroundings. Handle cash responsibly to avoid shortages and overages. B. Job Duties †¢Acknowledge customers upon entry to the store †¢Prepare beverages and other products †¢Provide friendly, honest, and calm service †¢Effectively communicate with all team members Demonstrate a positive and respectful attitude †¢Collaboratively work with others †¢Assist with training when necessary C. Computer Skills and Systems †¢MS Office: Excel †¢Kronos †¢POS Register/ Calculator D. Reporting Structure †¢Reports to Store Manager Employee Requirements A. Education and Training †¢High School Diploma/ in the process of obtaining †¢At least one year of customer service experience B. Skills †¢Effective communicator and fast learner †¢Must be able to multi-task †¢Be able to add/ subtract without electronic devises †¢Work friendly and cooperatively with others Physical Requirements †¢Constant talking and expressing †¢Prolonged standing and walking †¢Prolonged reaching and wiping †¢Constant kneeling, pushing, pulling, and lifting †¢Frequent use of arms, hands, and wrists †¢Must be able to carry up to 40 lbs. Note: Equal Opportunity Employer; Paid holidays; Religious culture recognized; Accrued PTO, Limited benefits available, Earn education assistances Conclusion Queen Caffeine (QC) Gourmet Coffee Shop is dedicated and determined to provide the best customer service, beverages, and products to everyone that patronize with their establishment. This document outlined and provided reasons why the bank should approve their loan. QC detailed the type of employment relationship they will establish between their employees. They supplied information on how they would prevent disparate treatment claims and created a plan of action to handle shortages and surpluses. QC concluded their document with a job requirements job analysis for their managers and servers. References Employer Employee Relationships: How to Apply the Common Law Control Test (2012). Retrieved April 19, 2013, from http://www. ssa. ov/section218training/advanced_course_10. htm#1 Heneman III, H. G. , Judge, T. A. , Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D. (2011). Staffing Organizations (7th ed. ). Middleton, WI: Mendota House/ McGraw-Hill. Huesbsch, R. (n. d. ). Workplace Diversity Strategy, Retrieved April 24, 2013, from http://smallbusiness. chron. com/workplace-diversity-strategy-4925. html Josephson, M. (2010). Responsibilities in the Employer-Employee Relationships. Retrieve d April 19, 20013, from http://josephsoninstitute. org/business/blog/2010/12/responsibilities-in-the-employer-employee-relationship/

Free Essays on Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries

could describe the gods and heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. They possess incredible strength, they have horses that fly, or are immortal. â€Å"He was wise, he saw mysteries, and knew secret things, . . .† is a description of Gilgamesh. (Sandars 12) According to Sandars â€Å" . . . the gods gave [Gilgamesh] a perfect body . . . endowed him with beauty . . . endow... Free Essays on Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries Free Essays on Why The Concept Of Heroes Survives The Centuries WHY THE CONCEPT OF HEROES SURVIVES THE CENTURIES For centuries, society and literature have revered and idolized extraordinary individuals called ‘heroes.’ The word hero brings to mind several images: strength, bravery, determination. Heroes have been part of human cultures for thousands of years. Gilgamesh is recognized as the original superhero, followed by many others including Hercules and Odysseus, Spiderman and Rambo, George Patton and Todd Beamer. Heroes in â€Å"The Iliad† by Homer such as Agamemnon, Achilles, and Hector, all exhibit courage, strength, and perseverance. Our history books are filled with accounts of heroic actions. Daily newscasts report stories about heroes in all walks of life. Students often question why study ancient works of literature. One reason is that readers of ancient literature are treated to some of the greatest superhero stories ever written. What makes the stories even more fascinating is that the most enduring epic, â€Å"Gilgamesh,† is nearly 4,800 years o ld. (Lawall, â€Å"Gilgamesh† 10). No matter which era, our heroes have these and other certain traits in common. The most unexplained quality is that of being a â€Å"common person† or â€Å"regular guy.† These qualities explain why the concept of cultural heroes survives the centuries. Proving that history repeats itself, some of today’s superheroes pull tendencies from the legendary heroes of mythology. As an example, consider Superman. He is tall and handsome. He is smart. He can also fly, is practically invincible, and is the strongest of men. These words could describe the gods and heroes of Greek and Roman mythology. They possess incredible strength, they have horses that fly, or are immortal. â€Å"He was wise, he saw mysteries, and knew secret things, . . .† is a description of Gilgamesh. (Sandars 12) According to Sandars â€Å" . . . the gods gave [Gilgamesh] a perfect body . . . endowed him with beauty . . . endow...

Definition and Examples of Confirmation Bias

Definition and Examples of Confirmation Bias In argumentation, confirmation bias is the tendency to accept evidence that confirms our beliefs and to reject evidence that contradicts them. Also known as  confirmatory bias. When conducting research, people can make an effort to overcome confirmation bias by deliberately seeking evidence that contradicts their own viewpoints. The concepts of perceptual defense bias and the backfire effect are related to confirmation bias. The term confirmation bias  was coined by English cognitive psychologist Peter Cathcart Wason (1924-2003) in the context of an experiment he reported on in 1960. Examples and Observations The confirmation bias is a consequence of the way perception works. Beliefs shape expectations, which in turn shape perceptions, which then shape conclusions. Thus we see what we expect to see and conclude what we expect to conclude. As Henry David Thoreau put it, We hear and apprehend only what we already half know. The truism, Ill believe it when I see it might be better stated Ill see it when I believe it.The potent effect of expectations on perception was demonstrated in the following experiment. When subjects were given a drink that they thought contained alcohol, but in fact did not they experienced reduced social anxiety. However, other subjects who were told they were being given nonalcoholic beverages when they were, in fact, alcoholic did not experience reduced anxiety in social situations. (David R. Aronson, Evidence-Based Technical Analysis. Wiley, 2007) The Limits of Reason Women are bad drivers, Saddam plotted 9/11, Obama was not born in America, and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction: to believe any of these requires suspending some of our critical-thinking faculties and succumbing instead to the kind of irrationality that drives the logically minded crazy. It helps, for instance, to use confirmation bias (seeing and recalling only evidence that supports your beliefs, so you can recount examples of women driving 40 mph in the fast lane). It also helps not to test your beliefs against empirical data (where, exactly, are the WMD, after seven years of U.S. forces crawling all over Iraq?); not to subject beliefs to the plausibility test (faking Obama’s birth certificate would require how widespread a conspiracy?); and to be guided by emotion (the loss of thousands of American lives in Iraq feels more justified if we are avenging 9/11). (Sharon Begley, The Limits of Reason. Newsweek, August 16, 2010) Information Overload In principle, the availability of a great deal of information could protect us from the confirmation bias; we could use information sources to find alternative positions and objections raised against our own. If we did that and thought hard about the results, we would expose ourselves to a valuable dialectical process of objections and replies. The problem is, though, there is too much information to pay attention to all of it. We must select, and we have a strong tendency to select according to what we believe and like to believe. But if we attend only to confirming data, we deprive ourselves of the opportunity to have well-reasoned, fair, and accurate beliefs. (Trudy Govier, A Practical Study of Argument, 7th ed. Wadsworth, 2010) The  Backfire Effect and Affective Tipping Points The strongest bias in American politics is not a liberal bias or a conservative bias; it is a confirmation bias, or the urge to believe only things that confirm what you already believe to be true. Not only do we tend to seek out and remember information that reaffirms what we already believe, but there is also a backfire effect, which sees people doubling down on their beliefs after being presented with evidence that contradicts them.So, where do we go from here? Theres no simple answer, but the only way people will start rejecting falsehoods being fed to them is by confronting uncomfortable truths.  Fact-checking is like exposure therapy for partisans, and there is some reason to believe in what researchers call an effective tipping point, where motivated reasoners start to accept hard truths after seeing enough claims debunked over and over. (Emma Roller, Your Facts or Mine? The New York Times, October 25, 2016) Perceptual Defense Bias Like other biases, the confirmation bias also has an opposite which traditionally has been termed perceptual defense bias. This process refers to the automatic discounting of disconfirming stimuli that protect the individual against information, ideas or situations that are threatening to an existing perception or attitude. It is a process that encourages the perception of stimuli in terms of the known and familiar. (John Martin and Martin Fellenz, Organizational Behaviour and Management, 4th ed. South Western Educational Publishing, 2010) Confirmation Bias on Facebook [C]onfirmation bias- the psychological tendency for people to embrace new information as affirming their pre-existing beliefs and to ignore evidence that doesn’t- is seeing itself play out in new ways in the social ecosystem of Facebook. Unlike Twitter- or real life- where interaction with those who disagree with you on political matters is an inevitability, Facebook users can block, mute and unfriend any outlet or person that will not further bolster their current worldview.​Even Facebook itself sees the segmentation of users along political lines on its site- and synchronizes it not only with the posts users see but with the advertisements they’re shown. (Scott Bixby, The End of Trump: How Facebook Deepens Millennials, Confirmation Bias. The Guardian [UK], October 1, 2016) Thoreau on Chains of Observations A man receives only what he is ready to receive, whether physically, or intellectually, or morally, as animals conceive their kinds at certain seasons only. We hear and apprehend only what we already half know. If there is something which does not concern me, which is out of my line, which by experience or by genius my attention is not drawn to, however novel and remarkable it may be, if it is spoken, I hear it not, if it is written, I read it not, or if I read it, it does not detain me. Every man thus tracks himself through life, in all his hearing and reading and observation and traveling. His observations make a chain. The phenomenon or fact that cannot in any wise be linked with the rest which he has observed, he does not observe.(Henry David Thoreau, Journals, January 5, 1860)

Literature Review about the franchising in hospitality industry Term Paper

Literature Review about the franchising in hospitality industry - Term Paper Example Hotels’ operating budgets need to select the right markets for growth, the best partners with experience and the ability to handle different clients effectively while also developing partnerships with the franchisee and the local cultures. â€Å"In order to work effectively with local people, we need to examine their values, norms, beliefs, relationships, and many other cultural characteristics† (Shakerin, 2006, p.1). When large hotels desire to expand their businesses overseas to foreign markets, it makes sense to select local investors to operate their establishments so that better connections can be made with foreign clients. If these customer service elements were to be managed by corporate offices, expatriate costs and training costs could be quite large. Franchising allows opportunities to reduce these high costs by inviting investment from overseas and allowing like cultural leaders to run the business units. â€Å"Leaders expecting to be effective in multi-cultural environments have to develop awareness of different cultural dimensions most central to their customers† (Shriberg & Kumari, 2008, p.20). If Marriott Hotels, as one example, decided to expand their presence into India, it would make the most sense to inspire an Indian investor to take on the responsibility of managing a Marriott franchise. This type of local investor maintains the cultural awareness and social skills necessary to satisfy local customers more than an expatriate manager sent overseas to govern the hotel. Geert Hofstede described the elements of culture that drive local tastes and preferences. In individualistic societies, people are self-expressive and put their personal goals and interests ahead of others (Blodgett, Bakir & Rose, 2008). In collectivist countries, such as India, people are more family-oriented and tend to believe in the rights and needs of the group. These are important

General Managemnet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

General Managemnet - Research Paper Example Functions of Management Planning Planning in management is the manner through which a group of people, mainly the directors and other officials get together and make decisions on what should happen in future. Moreover, these officials take up the task of providing a plan for action (Kochan 165). Organizing This is the function of management where the managers and directors implement the plans set up. This involves understanding the relationships that the workers have with each other and trying to maximize the usage of available resources in an effort to attain the objectives set. Staffing Staffing is the process of analyzing job prospects for the incorporation of the best people to complete various tasks in an organization. The incorporation of these people is through recruitment and hiring of personnel. Directing The upper management of an organization looks through the various practices an organization goes through and offers the best ideas on what should be done and assigns the mo st favorable people to do so (Griffin 92). Controlling The authority in a given organization goes through the work carried out by various people in an effort to understand their progress with regard to the set goals. Motivation Motivation is important in an organization as through this, personnel get encouraged on the best way forward and work in an enthusiastic manner with a goal in mind (Lutz 24). The chart below is an illustration of all the functions of management Levels of Management There are different types of managers in a given organization and this depends on the power that each of them bears. Top Level Managers This is the highest group of managers and it consists of the board of directors and the Chief Executive Officer of the organization. This group of people has the task of controlling all the activities that take place in an organization. It is their responsibility to develop strategies for the company and mobilization of outsourced resources (Dale 125). Middle Level Managers Middle level management is the level of management in an organization that consists of department managers and branch managers. Most of the work carried out by these people is the directing of the various processes within an organization. They also serve as the link between the top and lower management. This is from the fact that when the lower management wishes to pass some information to the top management, the middle level managers have the task of going through the information and passing it on (Peter 11). Accordingly, when there is the establishment of new policies in the organization, the middle level managers have the responsibility of passing the information to the lower level managers. First Level Managers This level consists of supervisors mostly whose work is observing the manner in which the lower personnel work with the basic function of coordinating their activities and offering advice on the most appropriate way to carry out functions for the optimal success of an organization. According to Lawrence Kleiman, these managers are imperative to a company as they offer the basis for motivation and performance feedback that are vital for the success of any institution (Kleiman 78). How Management is Relative to my Dream As I was growing up, I always admired the manner in which power ran down from the top position all the way down to the lower leve

William Blake- subject, language and form Essay Example for Free

William Blake- subject, language and form Essay Blakes poems put forward a powerful social message which reflects the time in which he was writing. With reference to at least five of his poems, show how Blake achieves this through his use of subject, language and form In this essay I will be analysing five of Blakes poems which are A Poison Tree, The Chimney-Sweeper (experience), The Chimney-Sweeper (innocence) London and The Human Abstract. Each of Blakes poems has a powerful social message, and my aim is to analyse the message he is trying to portray through these poems. The subject, language and form his poems uphold are some of the main devices that help put forward his opinion at his present time, the 18th century. The powerful social message Blake was trying to convey to his readers was human suffering during his era, he showed this through his poems which marks his sympathy. At this day and age modern readers understand Blake as a writer and see the message he is trying to put forth through his poems. Although in his time, Blake was considered very strange. Born in 1757 into a Christian but non conformist London family, most of his life he spent in London. In 1783 he published his first volume of poems. Many changes were taking place in Blakes society, between 1750 and 1850, late 18th century the industrial revolution was changing the society through huge revolutions in technology in England. England changed from a rural population made from agriculture to a manufacturing society consisting of factories. Oppression of women and children was apparent so they worked for lower wages. Employment laws did not exist yet, some may have had to work up to 14 hour days with low wages. Now a days, these things are seen as wrong, throughout the 18th-19th century employing children and women with low wages and others with ridiculously long hours was seen as normal and no action was taken against it by either the establishment, monarchy or church, this caused Blake to be against all establishments which did not try and help the problems 18th century England was facing. Blake, being the rare few of many in England, became aware of these faults. His views were similar to our contemporary day. Many writers were moved by the industrial revolution. They felt it was important to shine light on the poor conditions of the working class and use of child labour. This change changed the attitudes of those living in England, many rich well off people became ignorant towards the conditions many poor, lower class, people were facing. The attitude of many high class people was apparent as growth and human spirit was not possible under conditions of social oppression. Also the establishment did nothing about the poor working conditions. In the 18th century poetry was used to spread news about life in general. Blake made a lot of reference to the bible in most of the poems he wrote. In his poems his ideas are powerful and convincing. Blake did not agree with political radicalism, he was strongly anti-establishment (government monarchy). He believed everyone should be as a liberating force. The need of individual imagination was important to Blake and the feeling above reason. He had love of nature and the natural, referring to the world before the industrial revolution, especially in reflecting the spirituality of things. He was against the church as it was an establishment and did nothing about the poor conditions many endured but he was for the religion of Christianity as it is strongly portrayed through his poems with the constant reference to biblical terms. The bible was most easily accessible to Blake as he was self taught. Chimney sweeping was not seen as wrong as child labour was not morally wrong. Blake wanted to show his feelings towards this wrong way of labour. In the 18th century the church did nothing about this cruel situation where children were being treated like slaves. The church let this cruelty act go on, the words of the church were being voiced through the chimney sweeping children. The poem called The Chimney-Sweeper innocence is about a young boy being sold, by his father, into the recruiting of young children to clean chimneys. A boy, the narrator, in this poem is so innocent he doesnt know any better and does not see it as wrong. The father is selling the boy for money, as it mustve been scarce for most dealing with the new ways of the revolution. In this poem Blake is trying to emphasise child labour and uses it from a childs perspective to evoke emotion out of the reader as the reader would more likely feel sorry for a child. His innocence is apparent in the first stanza as in the first verse it is written that the boy is not articulate while yet my tongue could scarcely cry. The boy is unable to pronounce sweep and instead pronounces weep yet again showing his innocence and intensifies his youth. The reader is directly address when it says so your chimney I sweep This triggers guilt in the reader, knowing such a young boy, unable to even pronounce sweep, is cleaning your chimney. At the end of stanza one alliteration is present sweep and in soot o sleep the pronunciation of s shows his progress. In stanza 2 the narrator refers to his friend Theres little Tom Dacre, who cried This gives off the persona of a child as children talk about a friend to put across their feelings on that person. That curled like a lambs back a lamb is a symbol of sacrifice in a biblical sense. Tom is sacrificing himself to cleaning the chimneys this is represented by him having his head shaved. A very vivid image is mentioned in stanza three it talks about Tom having a night mare about his many friends locked up in coffins of black the picture being painted in your mind is relating to the black, also meaning fear and dark, chimneys the boys have to climb and clean. It is suggesting that the sweeping of the chimneys will be the death of them. The term locked up could also suggest that they will be cleaning chimneys forever. Coffin is also a sense of claustrophobia, being locked up inside a coffin or chimney would be considered suffocating. Stanza 4 makes reference to the bible where by an angel is mentioned which is usually sent from god. This stanza is specifically child like as it has a nursery rhyme quality describing the horror of the nightmare in a child like tone. The angel sets the boys free into a field of laughter and play, things they should be doing, it shows just how horrible life was for the boys by contrasting it with what they should have been doing at their age. Then naked and white referring to the boys, in stanza 5, which means innocence as nakedness is a state of innocence in terms of Christianity. In the dream all their bags left behind bags represent what the boys would take to work but as it was left behind it symbolizes work being abandoned. Again god and angels are mentioned showing reference to the bible, one of the books which was most resourceful to Blake. In the last stanza of the poem it shows the long hours the young chimney sweepers do as it says we rose in the dark early hours of the morning. The very last line is very effective because it shows that the boys have been taught to think that working will bring them no harm this is ironic because the work of a chimney sweeper is harmful to them. The overall message Blake is trying to get across to his reader is the immoral manner in which these children are being treated. The second poem, The Chimney-Sweeper (experience) has many similarities between the first poem. It is not narrated by the young chimney sweeper but an on-looker which shows difference between the two poems. It also is a powerful poem trying to convey the wrong nature of child chimney sweepers. The first line of the poem is a contrast where Blake puts A little black thing with the purity and white of the snow. Similar to the first poem where soot and the white of the boys hair is also mentioned, both make use of anthisesis. This creates powerful colour imagery in the readers mind because it is such a contrasting image. The use of the word thing makes the child seem non human unable to distinguish whether it is a boy or a girl. Black is a reference usually made with corrupt and dirty. Black would imply the clothes that the boy is wearing and the black soot from the chimney that has stained his clothes, it also could mean his personality is corrupt and innocence stripped. A link is again made to the first poem where the child can not pronounce the word sweep so instead says weep giving off distress and sadness of the young child. The child is described as little to induce sympathy from the reader as it shows the childs youth. The part of the narrator is made in line 3 where he is shown as a considerate adult by asking where the childs father is. In line 4 it mentions the parents have gone to church to pray, irony is conveyed here because while the parents have gone to pray the child is suffering, showing distance. Regular church goers didnt see chimney sweeping as wrong as did many during this era, so many put their kids into this job. Stanza two line one has a great shock over the reader as the line Because I was happy confuses the reader because it says he was happy that his parents sent him to an early death. Blake throws this sentence at the reader to show how totally wrong it is to violate the purity of a child. Clothes of death the phrase represents the clothes the child has to wear when they become a chimney sweeper which quickly becomes dirty because of the soot it also suggest the fate of the boy that being death. And smiled among the winters snow the snow that surrounds the boy could represent his innocence but once it was taken away from him he became A little black thing amongst the pure snow. The last line shows how the boys have to conform taught me to sing the notes of woe it echoes poem one as the narrator also had to conform and say the notes of woe It shows the corrupt nature of society the society at this age. In the last stanza rhyme and rhythm is apparent but echoes that of a nursery rhyme again relating to the innocent poem. Rhyming is used sing and king as well as a para-rhyme with the two words injury and misery the para-rhyme stunts the poem and throws it off a constant rhythm, the effect could convey the boy as troubled and unhappy because of his hardship. Reference to religion and the church priest are made, similar to the first poem, monarchy is also mentioned by the word king the relevance these references have reflects Blakes writing as Blake did not like the way the church and monarchy largely ignored the problem, it concerned him. The three things Blake felt had failed him, was disappointed in and strongly against is shown through the last line where it says who make up a heaven of our misery. The blind uncaring nature of the monarchy and church is shown by the line they think they have done me no injury The message conveyed in this poem is apparent at the end of the poem where monarchy and the church are attacked and blamed for the cruelty act of chimney sweeping children. How both have power over many yet do nothing to stop it, Blake effectively shows it by putting it in the perspective of a youth as it evokes more sympathy. The structure of the poem is similar to the first poem all stanzas are written in lines of four and a similar message is conveyed where nothing is being done about the chimney sweeping children and the problem is accepted and ignored. The poem London gives background to the misery of the poor and the gulf between those in power. The title London is a metaphor since it is not solely on the people of London but about society and mankind in general. The man is dazed, wandering the streets and is hearing the cries of the ones suffering chimney sweeps, sighs of the hapless soldier and feels the society should do something about them, the man represents William Blakes views. Mans lack of freedom is apparent in this poem and is the point trying to be made. Blake believed in an equal society and the only way the human spirit could exist and grow happily, he did not believe in human oppression. Control is constantly mentioned throughout the poem. For example in the first stanza chartered is mentioned which means governed by law. It clearly says in the second line that the Thames is chartered which is impossible because you cant control a river. It shows Londons extreme extent of control at that time. Even the mention of chartered streets suggests an uptight lack of freedom setting for Blakes contemporary people. The most powerful metaphor used in this poem is mind-forged manacles found in stanza two the last line. Manacles associated with restriction unable to have absolute freedom, also a common object associated with prison, imprisonment and portraying deep human truth. Mind-forged means the manacles have been created by peoples mind set trapping everyone in restrictions that must be followed. The image created via this metaphor would be a distinct one for Blakes contemporary day because convicts would be seen on the streets making their way to prison or commonly in London, during that era, off to ships for transportation to Australia. The metaphor strongly demonstrates Blakes belief, that the lack of freedom came from the ideas and outlooks placed on them by external authority, mentally people were controlled. The repetition of the word every is a word commonly used in stanza 2 it is to emphasize that everyone is effected by this state of depression and lack of freedom. It is also written in stanza one although relating to the amount of people that have the mark of weakness and woe. Mark is another word repeated found in the first stanza it is to signify the look of distress that is etched on their faces also to mark the lines that have been created because of their worries and weakness. A reference is made that links to The Chimney-Sweeper innocence and experience; this portrays Blakes obvious strong disagreement with the treatment of child chimney sweepers as he mentions them a lot. The next line in stanza 3 says Every blackning church appalls churches at that time were black because of the pollution present and soot coming from the chimneys. On a deeper meaning it could be said that the churches ignorant behavior towards the chimney sweepers problem has blackened them with shame. The irony is that the church is meant to be helpful place where many seek for help but the church chose to ignore and over look the problem. This is what Blake noticed unlike the people living in his society. The second strong image that is painted to the reader is the hapless soldiers sigh They show weakness and woe because they had fought in the French revolution and Runs in blood down palace walls Blake is trying to show that by oppressing freedom of speech, in England, at that time by the government the unhappiness of the English soldier could, its causes were ignored, lead to similar bloodshed here. Images of darkness are made similar to Blakes poems of the Chimney Sweeper (Experience) and (Innocence) through midnight streets The last image that Blake highlights has a shock factor because it talks about child prostitution. This can be seen as a type of child labour similar to Blakes view of the child chimney-sweepers, however instead they are child prostitutes. Also both youths lose their innocence through what society decides to ignore. Youthful harlots emphasises their youth and harlots gives a biblical tone. Blasts the new-born infants tear shows the birth of the child is not a happy event but a curse for the prostitute as it wasnt born out of love but through commerce. The new-born will only mean having to support the child with money, which these young children didnt have, it just continued the cycle of misery. The marriage hearse an oxymoron, what Blake is trying to convey is that the wedding carriage is basically a hearse leading to a kind of death. Men usually didnt marry out of love so would be unfaithful to their wives, they would usually contract a disease from the young harlot, said as the plague in the poem, and then pass it on to their wives and any babies that the married couple may want to have. This contradicts the idea of marriage which is a time that is meant to symbolise joy the contradiction is apparent through the word hearse Blake makes many of his messages clear in this poem, such as the abuse of child prostitutes by cruel adults and the abuse of chimney sweepers. He does this by stating their sad emotion, chimney sweepers cry the hapless soldiers sigh and youthful harlots curse these descriptions have a strong effect on the reader as they simply explain the hardship different people are going through. Blake makes sure he bases it on a wide range of people to convey to his reader that it is affecting everyone not just a small group of society. The Title of the poem The Human Abstract is a poem about the human spirit; abstract suggests non definite intangible quality found in the human brain. He uses a tree to represent the human brain and how it is easily controlled. Blake uses nature to convey his ideas this is shown in the poem A poison tree as well as this poem. His respect for nature is apparent and makes him a romantic writer. The poem has constant rhythm; the rhythm change helps present subject and tone. This poem is hard to understand and the least easy to depict the social message compared to the evil of anger, which Blake explains in A Poison Tree. The structure of Blakes poem consists of 6 stanzas and simple lines to convey his complicated messages. The rhyme scheme is ABAB although odd Para-rhymes are present for example fly and mystery. Many components of this poem echo the bible such as imagery and words. The first stanza has an arrogant tone one which is strange to Blakes writing. The reason for this verse is to show the attitude of several people in the society Blake was living in. A different tone to the rest of the poem is given where the phrases are stated as facts. Blake through the first stanza states that pity, an act of compassion, would not be possible if someone was not poor. Although Blake chose the word make as if society forces people into poverty so they can receive pity. The same is done with the word Mercy if mercy was not present if everyone was happy. Blake could be describing the way life was and trying to put across his message in an ironic way by placing it in the uncaring tone. The stanza is relevant to contemporary times but would shock many in Blakes time because British society was built on the principles of clear inequality, Blake certainly didnt approve of this inequality. An immediate tone change is made after the first stanza where the rest of the poem argues with stanza 1. Through out this poem Blake uses a lot of antithesis, also done in The Chimney-Sweeper, for example selfish love through these controversy phrases and words Blake might be trying to show everyone has an ulterior motive to anything which is usual an act of good nature. He puts mutual fear and peace in the same line trying to convey that there is only peace because would-be enemies are living in fear of each other. Blake makes good use of personification, Cruelty knits a snare, and the use of the word cruelty adds an uneasy quality. Cruelty in this poem is suggesting that all of us have some of this quality in each of us. The suggestion is that Cruelty makes a knitted snare and spreads his bait with care. The image is a strong one because the word choice is odd, knit and care is often associated with care and to place it with cruelty and bait makes it sinister. It then moves onto cruelty sitting with holy fears and watering the ground, to grow the plant, with tears Again images created are vivid and help explain his ideas, things seen as good acts and kindness have been transformed and linked with pitiless words to make it menacing. The tree that is growing is being made up of unappealing qualities Humility takes its roots. To show the tree is not something of beauty and nature soon spreads the dismal shade The colour image created is darkness and creates mystery, often used in Blakes poetry, darkness and mystery foretells the unknown which scares many because it links with fear. Nature is apparent by the mention of a caterpillar and fly which feed on the mystery, they could represent the idea of corruption and sickness. Biblical reference is often pinpointed by Blake, fruit of deceit this reminds us of the Garden of Eden and the fall from grace. This once more makes the reader see the tree as sinister with the inviting fruit that is actually deceitful. Mentioning of the raven conveys bad things as it is seen as a symbol of death. The raven is creating a nest with the thickest shade suggests mystery and shadows of the Human Abstract described. The word Thickest shows its the worst of death and that it is inevita ble. The last line of the poem obviously states the concept of the whole poem that the mysterious tree that has been growing made up of cruelty; humility etc is simply found in the human mind. Blake conveys that its existence is metaphorical rather than literal but the use of a tree shows the stages of growth and how the things surrounding it affect the way it is. The last line is very simple, conflicting with the rest of the poem, and accepting of this idea it shows the accepting nature of the society that Blake was surrounded by. The abstract way in which Blake described the human mind is far from clear given life isnt clear so the poem represents a humans life. The next poem is A Poison Tree a simple poem able to hold and reveal complicated messages. A Poison tree shares the nature aspect with The Human abstract the idea of a tree growing. Although The human abstract tree represents good and evil being part of every ones spirit and mind. In A Poison Tree the growing tree symbolises the growing of hate when anger is not expressed. The title is a central metaphor; its ironic because trees arent perceived as poisonous. The poem A Poison Tree is about anger and if kept inside could grow and become poisonous to one and others. Reference to the bible, like in The Human Abstract, is constantly made and the reader has to have some amount of knowledge on the bible, many in Blakes time understood his references as the bible was the most common book. All through out this poem the rhyming scheme is AABB. Similar to The Human abstract William Blakes mention of nature is common, linking him to the Romantic Movement. Blake conveys, simply, in the first stanza that when angry with your friend you express to them your anger and it will end. He put it simply by using the two words friend and end. Although it is a different situation when angry with your foe, by not expressing his feelings to his foe the anger grew insinuated through the words foe and grow It has a nursery rhyme like quality with simple choice of language and regular rhythmic words. Child-like ton is present I was angry He indicate that his anger and hatred has taken the form of a tree by the term watered By watering the plant with his tears and fears (metaphorically) it will encourage his hatred. The smiles and deceitful wiles represents the sunshine, simple natural metaphor. It could also represent the false attitude towards the foe. The tree then bears an apple, indication of the bible, the story of Adam and Eve where the couple is forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge the fruit being an apple. The apple, since it is forbidden is tempting. In this poem the apple is suspicious when it is described as shiny; shiny also makes the apple seem tempting. The foe steels the apple because he knew that it was mine. Darkness is again mentioned in Blakes poem when night had veiled, it is also mentioned in London to represent sinister acts. The narrator is cunning because he uses the apple to capture the enemy knowing that he would eat it because it belonged to him. A sense of immediacy is brought to our attention in the last two lines by the use of enjambment and quick change from past to present. The narrator finds his enemy dead after eating the tempting apple. At this point he is pleased Glad I see My foe outstretched beneath the tree This shocks the reader because the extent he has gone to because he did not express his anger, it then becomes apparent that the narrator is no longer feeling anger but wrath. The way he dies is quick and simple and shows anyone can feel hatred to this extent and perform this cunning deed. Simply Blake conveyed the message that if anger is expressed its good and relieving but if held, it turns into resentment, fear and hatred grows. William Blakes poems do not fit the age in which they were written as his ideas and messages he attempted to put forward have a contemporary outlook. The poems reflect the type of society Blake was living in. In each poem he expresses different controversial ideas; In The Chimney-Sweep Innocence and Experience he puts forward the immoral use of child labourers by putting it in the perspective of a child. In London it is stated how people are controlled easily and how he was against inequality. The message in The Human Abstract however complicated, talks about the human mind and how good and evil are two correlating things. Lastly in A Poison Tree Blake makes it clear that hate, to the extent of wrath, can be present in anyone, and that fear can grow into hate if not expressed. Today Blakes views would not be condemned and most would agree with his ideas. William Blakes views were strongly portrayed in his poems through his poetic devices, language, tone and structure.

Hindu Astrology and Free Will :: essays research papers

Friends when we talk about astrology, we mess up in rajyogas, duryogas, auspicious incidents, inauspicious happenings and so on. I don't think we ever proceed to search out 'seriously' beyond that. Then comes out the most controversial and debated subject what we call 'free will'. If everything has been pre-destined, what the hell we are striving for? Is there any devil writing our fates all the time and having fun? A big No, all the saints say that nobody else, but we alone are responsible for our plight. Vivekananda says "Stand upon your feet and take the responsibility of your present prevailing circumstances instead of being a coward escapist passing all the blames upon Almighty." Our Seers were not mere astrologers or fortune tellers, but they were inventors. Without the help of any external aid they located so much just by going deep inside. They located the laws of nature and their influence upon human beings. If we just make a go with different yogas, then astrology seems to be mere fatalism unable to extend any aid to come out of the vicious circle what we term as destiny. In this case astrology seems to have lost its ground. The predestination of fate leaves astrology meaningless. Simply because the past has already passed, the present has been decided and the future has already been written. I started astrology in the year 1998. Till the end of 2003 I was an incurable fatalist. During these 5 years I read almost all the literature of Vivekananda and Yogananda, the famous kriya yogi who left his human body in the year 1950. In those books I read a lot about the so called free will of human beings but with little conviction. Since as an Astrologer I was witnessing almost regularly that destiny couldn’t be altered. But the last two years changed my whole perception. I understood well what those great saints meant to say. When they talked about the free will, they were not concerned merely about the human body made of five tatvas of Nature namely water, air, earth, fire and ether. In all actuality they were talking about the free will of the spirit, which inhabits one and all. The body and mind are bounded in the Nature's laws, and therefore, enjoy very little freedom. When you go by the commands of mind, you gradually nullify yourself by being the slave of senses.