A Public Presentation Observation-Experience IISP A Choice Essays

A Public Presentation Observation-Experience IISP A Choice Essays A Public Presentation Observation-Experience IISP A Choice One of the best ways Students will engage in communication interactions with significant people in their lives. One of the best ways to learn public speaking other than actually doing it is to observe other speakers in action and analyze what factors contributed to the strengths or weaknesses of their presentations. For this assignment you will observe a public presentation of your choice, identify the strengths and weaknesses, and make recommendations for improvement. Communication observation of conversation, small group, public speakingIISP. This communication observation will include a written outline-report of it just follow the instructions given to critique this event. Start by going to the ToastMasters website to find locations and times of meeting: (toastmasters.org/find/default.asp). For this Toastmasters experience. 1. Write a 2-4 page outline-report of your experience. Be sure to include information on delivery style and your view as a listening audience member: a. What did the speaker(s) do to gain and maintain audience attention? b. What could have been improved upon? 2. Consider the meeting in terms of IISP communication. Address any of the following that you judge appropriate to include: 1. What formal and informal communication structures were in place? 2. What examples did you notice of the two models of IDTC and OPTRC? 3. What principles and skills learned in class could you identify and relate with? 4. What team dynamics were present? Was a strong leadership present (think fire)? 5. What specific roles did you notice, whether assigned or unassigned? 6. Did you note a specific network of communication? Be specific. 7. What role did professionalism play within the group/specific meeting you attended? 8. Were you welcomed? Were you made to feel comfortable? Did you fit? 9. Do you feel you would be comfortable or a fit as a member of this group? Why/why not? 3. You may find the categories in the Speaking Checklist-Evaluation form useful for this assignment to help guide your critical analysis and personal evaluation. Be alert to what you might observe and identify as strengths and weaknesses. What recommendations for improvement would you make? What did you think of the experience? Were you made to feel comfortable? Would you return? Consider joining? Why/why not? As a Team: One outline - PPT: If you choose to do this assignment as a team, you will present one outline-report-paper for the team that will serve as the basis for a 7-10 minute PPT presentation on your visit to ToastMasters. Both will have an introduction, development with transitions, and a conclusion. For example, your first PPT slide could be the introduction and the last slide could be your conclusion with the report-support in between. A Public IISP Presentation Observation of your choice with a written evaluation of it following the instructions to be given to critique this event. What you will be alert to is 1.Intrapersonal Communication within yourselves and others (see wheels turning) 2.Interpersonal Communication one on one with others present, work the room dynamics 3.Small Group Communication informal, around tables 4.Public Speaking Communication formal speeches, short and featured Note: You will engage in communication interactions with significant people now and for the rest of your lives. Since one of the best ways to learn communication skills whether in conversation, small groups, or public speaking other than actually doing it is to observe other speaker-communicators in action and analyze what factors contributed to the strengths or weaknesses of their interactions and presentations, we present to you just such an opportunity. You will: 1. Observe by attending, 2. Experience by participating, and 3. Evaluate by identifying strengths and weaknesses and making recommendations for improvement. The Toastmasters club is an organization known throughout the nation which gives its members the chance to develop and improve their public speaking abilities and leadership skills. Toastmasters members gather in a friendly and comfortable environment where they can learn and practice these skills to try and become better communicators (Toastmasters International, 2011). To get a flavor of how the meeting may go, some positions you will observe in a typical meeting: Toastmaster the facilitator who makes sure the meeting stay on time and follows the agenda. Ah-Counter who counts the filler words such as; Ah, Um, Ya know, etc. Grammarian contributes to improvement of speech and provides examples of eloquence. Timer notifies speaker of the time

Profile of Child Killer Susan Smith

Profile of Child Killer Susan Smith Susan Vaughan Smith of Union, S.C. was convicted on July 22, 1995, and sentenced to life in prison for murdering her two sons, Michael Daniel Smith, 3, and 14-month-old Alexander Tyler Smith. Susan Smith - Her Childhood Years Susan Smith was born on September 26, 1971, in Union, South Carolina, to parents Linda and Harry Vaughan. She was the youngest of three children and the couples only daughter. Her parents divorced when Susan was seven and five weeks later Harry, age 37, committed suicide. Her parents tumultuous marriage and the death of her father left Susan a sad, empty and oddly distant child. Within weeks of the Vaughans divorce, Linda married Beverly (Bev) Russell, a successful local businessman. Linda and the children moved from their small modest home into Bevs house located in an exclusive subdivision of Union. Friendliest Female As a teen, Susan was a good student, well-liked and outgoing. In her junior year, she was voted president of the Junior Civitan Club, a club which focused on volunteering in the community. In her final year of high school, she received the Friendliest Female award and was known for her cheerful and fun disposition. Family Secrets Exposed But during those years of enjoying her popularity and positions of leadership, Susan was harboring a family secret. At the age of 16. her stepfather turned from caretaker to molester. Susan reported the inappropriate behavior to her mother and to the Department of Social Services and Bev moved out from the home temporarily. Nothing of any consequence resulted from Susans report and after a few family counseling sessions, Bev returned home. Susan was chastised by her family for making the sexual abuse a public affair and Linda appeared more concerned that the family would be subjected to public embarrassment than protecting her daughter. Unfortunately for Susan, with Bev back in the house, the sexual molestation continued. In her senior year of high school, Susan turned to a school counselor for help. The Department of Social Service was contacted again, but Susan refused to press charges and the matter was swiftly swept under the proverbial carpet of lawyers agreements and sealed records which protected Bev and the family from the feared public humiliation. Rejection and an Attempted Suicide During the summer of 1988, Susan got a job at the local Winn-Dixie grocery store and moved quickly up the ranks from cashier to bookkeeper. In her senior year at high school, she was sexually active with three men - a married older man who worked at the store, a younger co-worker and with Bev. Susan became pregnant and had an abortion. The married man ended their relationship and her reaction to the breakup was to attempt suicide by taking aspirin and Tylenol. While being treated in the hospital she admitted to having tried a similar suicide attempt when she was 13-years-old. David Smith At work, another relationship was beginning to form with the co-worker and high school friend David Smith. David ended his engagement with another woman and started dating Susan. The two decided to marry when Susan discovered she was pregnant. Susan and David Smith married on March 15, 1991, and moved into Davids great-grandmothers house. Davids parents were suffering the recent loss of another son who died from Crohns disease just 11 days before Susan and David married. By May 1991, the strain of the loss of a son proved to be too much for Davids parents. His father attempted suicide and his mother left and moved to another city. This kind of family drama fit right into what Susan was used to and the young couple, both very needy, spent the early months of their marriage comforting one another. Michael Daniel Smith On October 10, 1991, the Smiths first son, Michael, was born. David and Susan showered the child with love and attention. But having a child could not help the differences in the newlyweds backgrounds which began to put a strain on their relationship. Susan was more materialistic than David and often turned to her mother for financial help. David found Linda to be intrusive and controlling and resented Susan always doing what Linda wanted her to do, especially when it came to raising Michael. First Separation By March 1992, the Smiths were separated and over the next seven months, they tried on and off to mend the marriage. During the breakups, Susan dated a former boyfriend from work which did not help matters. In November 1992, Susan announced she was pregnant again which seemed to bring David and her into clearer focus and the two reunited. The couple borrowed money from Susans mother for a down payment on a house, believing having their own home would fix their troubles. But over the next nine months, Susan became more distant and complained continuously about being pregnant. In June 1993, David felt lonely and isolated in his marriage and began a relationship with a co-worker. After the birth of their second child, Alexander Tyler, on August 5, 1993, David and Susan reunited, but within three weeks David had once again moved out and the two decided the relationship was over. Regardless of their broken marriage, both David and Susan were good, attentive and caring parents who seemed to enjoy the children. Tom Findlay Susan, not wanting to work in the same place as David, took a job as a bookkeeper at the largest employer in the area, Conso Products. She was eventually promoted to the executive secretary position for the president and CEO of Conso, J. Carey Findlay. For Union, S.C. this was a prestigious position which exposed Susan to wealthy people with extravagant lifestyles. It also gave her the opportunity to get closer to one of Unions most eligible bachelors, the son of her boss, Tom Findlay. In January 1994 Susan and Tom Findlay began casually dating, but by spring she and David were back together. The reconciliation only lasted a few months and Susan told David she wanted a divorce. In September she was dating Tom Findlay again and planning their future together in her mind. Tom, in the meantime, was trying to figure out how to end it with Susan. Nice Girls Dont Sleep With Married Men On October 17, 1994, just days before David and Susans divorce papers were filed, Tom Findlay sent a Dear John letter to Susan. His reasons for wanting to end their relationship included the differences in their backgrounds. He was also emphatic about not wanting children or wanting to raise her children. He encouraged Susan to act with more  self-respect and referred to an episode when Susan and a friends husband were kissing each other in a hot tub during a party at Toms fathers estate. Findlay wrote, If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. And you know, nice girls dont sleep with married men. Narcissistic Delusions Susan was devastated when she read the letter, but she was also living out delusional dreams which in reality were a combination of grotesque lies, deceit,  lust, and narcissism. On one  hand, she was deeply depressed that Tom ended their  relationship but unknown to him, she was still sexually involved with David and her stepfather, Bev Russell, and had allegedly had a sexual affair with her boss who was Toms father. In an attempt to get Toms sympathy and attention, Susan confessed to him about her ongoing sexual relationship with Bev. When that didnt work, she told him of her alleged affair with his father and warned him that the details of the relationship might come out during her divorce with David. Toms reaction was one of shock and he reiterated that the two of them would never again have a sexual relationship. Any hopes to maneuver her way back into Toms life had now been permanently severed. Obsessions On October 25, 1994, Susan Smith spent the day  obsessing  over the breakup with Tom Findlay. As the day progressed she became increasingly upset and asked to leave work early. After picking up her children from daycare, she stopped to talk to a friend in a parking lot and expressed her fears over Toms reaction to her sleeping with his father. In a last-ditch effort to sway Toms feelings, she asked her friend to watch the children while she went to Toms office to tell him the story was a lie. According to her friend, Tom did not appear happy to see Susan and quickly got her out of his office. Later that evening she phoned her friend who she knew was having dinner with Tom and friends. Susan wanted to know if Tom had said anything about her, but he had not. The Murder of Michael and Alex Smith At around 8 p.m. Susan put her barefooted sons in the car, strapped them in their car seats and began driving around. In her  confession, she stated that she wanted to die and was headed to her mothers house, but decided against it.  Instead, she drove to John D. Long Lake and drove onto a ramp, got out of the car, put the car in drive, released the brake and watched as her car, with her children sleeping in the back seat, plunged into the lake. The car drifted out  then slowly sank. Nine Days of Deceit Susan Smith ran to a nearby home and hysterically knocked on the door. She told the homeowners, Shirley and Rick McCloud, that a black man had taken her car and her two boys. She described how she had stopped at a red light at Monarch  Mills when a man with a gun jumped into her car and told her to drive. She drove around some, and then he told her to stop and get out of the car. At that point, he told her he wouldnt hurt the kids and then drove off with the boys who she could hear were crying out for her. For nine days Susan Smith stuck the story of  being abducted. Friends and family surrounded her in support and David had returned to his wifes side as the search for their children intensified. The national media showed up in Union as the tragic story of the boys abduction circulated. Susan, with her  face, spotted with tears, and David looking distraught and desperate, made a public plea for the safe return of their sons. In the meantime, Susans story was beginning to unravel. Unraveling the Truth Sheriff Howard Wells, the lead investigator on the case, had David and Susan polygraphed. David passed, but Susans results were inconclusive. Throughout the nine days of the  investigation, Susan was given numerous  polygraphs  and questioned about the inconsistencies in her carjacking story. One of the biggest clues that led the authorities to believe Susan was lying was her story about stopping at a red light on Monarch Mills Road. She stated that she saw no other cars on the road, yet the light turned red. The light on Monarch Mills was always green and only turned red if it was triggered by a car on the cross street. Since she said that there were no other cars on the road, there was no reason for her to come up to a red light. Leaks to the press about discrepancies in Susans story resulted in accusatory questions by reporters. Also, people around her noticed her displaying questionable behavior for a mother whose children were missing. She seemed overly concerned with how she looked in front of the television cameras and at times asked about the whereabouts of Tom Findlay. She also had dramatic moments of deep  sobbing but would be dried eyed and  tearless. Susan Smith Confesses On November 3, 1994, David and Susan appeared on CBS This Morning and David voiced his full support of Susan and her story about the abduction. After the interview, Susan met with Sheriff Wells for another  interrogation. This time, however, Wells was direct and told her that he did not believe her story about the carjacking. He explained to her about the light on Monarch Mills staying green and discrepancies in other adaptations she had made to her story during the past nine days. Exhausted and emotionally badgered, Susan asked Wells to pray with her then  afterward  she began crying and telling how ashamed she felt for what she had done. Her confession to pushing the car into the lake began to spill out. She said she had wanted to kill herself and her children, but in the end, she got out of the car and sent her boys to their deaths. A Small Hand Against the Window Before breaking the news of Susans confession, Wells wanted to locate the bodies of the boys. A previous search of the lake had failed to turn up Susans car, but after her confession, she gave police the exact distance the car had floated out before it sank. Divers found the car turned upside down, with the children dangling from their car seats. One diver described that he saw the small hand of one of the children pressed against a window. Also found in the car was the Dear John letter Ton Findlay had written. An autopsy of the children proved that both  boys were still alive  when their tiny heads were submerged under water. Who is Susan Smith Really? Incredibly, Susan reached out to David in a letter filled with, Im sorry, then complained that her feelings were being overshadowed by everyones grief. Stunned, David questioned who Susan really was and felt a brief moment of sympathy for her confused and demented state of mind. But it did not take long for the sympathy to turn to horror as more  facts about the murders  of his sons surfaced. He had assumed Susan had shown mercy by killing the boys prior to pushing the car into the lake, but after finding out the truth he was haunted by images of his sons last moments, in the dark, scared, alone and drowning to death. When he discovered Susan had supplied the police with the exact location of the car and that the car lights had been on when she lifted the break, he knew she had stayed and watched the car sinking, motivated by her desires to rebuild her relationship with the wealthy Tom Findlay. The Trial During the trial, Susans defense lawyers relied heavily on Susans littered childhood of tragedy and sexual abuse which manifested itself into a lifetime of untreated depression and suicidal thoughts. They explained that her abnormal need to depend on others for happiness led to the multiple sexual relationships she was involved in during her life. The bottom line was that Susan, as outwardly normal as she might have appeared, was in truth hiding a deep-seated mental illness. The prosecution showed the jury a more devious and manipulative side of Susan Smith whose only concern was her own desires. Her children had become a major handicap in Susans ability to get what she wanted. By killing them she would not only get the sympathy of her former lover Tom Findlay but with the children gone, it was one less reason for him to end their relationship. Susan Smith was unresponsive  during her trial  except when her sons were mentioned which sometimes led to her sobbing and shaking her head as if in disbelief that the boys were dead. The Verdict and Sentence It took the jury two-and-a-half hours to return a verdict of guilty of two counts of murder.  Despite Davids protests, Susan Smith was spared the death sentence and  received a sentence  of 30 years to life in prison. She will be eligible for parole in 2025 when she is 53 years old. David has sworn to attend every parole hearing to try to keep Susan Smith in jail for life. Aftermath Since her incarceration at South Carolinas Leath Correctional Institution, two guards have been punished for having sex with Smith. Her sexual activity in prison was discovered after she developed a sexually transmitted disease. Michael and Alex Smith Michael and Alex Smith were buried together in the same casket in the Bogansville United Methodist Church cemetery on November 6, 1994, next to the grave of Davids brother and the childrens uncle, Danny Smith. The Dear John Letter This is the Dear John letter that John Findlay gave to Susan  October. 17, 1994. Many believe it is what motivated Susan Smith to kill her children. (Note: This is how the original letter was written. Corrections have not been made.) Dear Susan, I hope you dont mind, but I think clearer when I am typing, so this letter is being written on my computer. This is a difficult letter for me to write because I know how much you think of me. And I want you to know that I am flattered that you have such a high opinion of me.  Susan, I value our friendship very much. You are one of the few people on this earth that I feel I can tell anything. You are intelligent, beautiful, sensitive, understanding, and possess many other wonderful qualities that I and many other men appreciate. You will, without a doubt, make some lucky man a great wife. But unfortunately, it wont be me. Even though you think we have much in common, we are vastly different. We have been raised in two totally different environments, and therefore, think totally different. Thats not to say that I was raised better than you or vice versa, it just means that we come from two different backgrounds. When I started dating Laura, I knew our backgrounds were going to be a problem. Right before I graduated from Auburn University in 1990, I broke up with a girl (Alison) that I had been dating for over two years. I loved Alison very much and we were very compatible. Unfortunately, we wanted different things out of life. She wanted to get married and have children before the age of 28, and I did not. This conflict spurred our breakup, but we have remained friends through the years. After Alison, I was very hurt. I decided not to fall for anyone again until I was ready to make a long commitment. For my first two years in Union, I dated very little. In fact, I can count the number of dates I had on one hand. But then Laura came along. We met at Conso, and I fell for her like a ton of bricks. Things were great at first and remained good for along  [sic] time, but I knew deep in my heart that she was not the one for me. People tell me that when you find the person that you will want to spend the rest of your life with ... you will know it. Well, even though I fell  enlove  Ã‚  [sic]  with Laura, I had my doubts about a long and lasting commitment, but I never said anything, and I eventually hurt her very, very deeply. I wont do that again. Susan, I could really fall for you. You have so many endearing qualities about you, and I think that you are a terrific person. But like I have told you before, there are some things about you that arent suited for me, and yes, I am speaking about your children. Im sure that your kids are good kids, but it really wouldnt matter how good they may be ... the fact is, I just dont want children. These feelings may change one day, but I doubt it. With all of the crazy, mixed-up things that take place in this world today, I just dont have the desire to bring another life into it. And I dont want to be responsible for anyone  elses  [sic] children, either. But I am very thankful that there are people like you who are not so selfish as I am, and dont mind bearing the responsibility of children. If everyone thought the way that I do, our species would eventually become extinct. But our differences go far beyond the children issue. We are just two totally different people, and eventually, those differences would cause us to break-up. Because I know myself so well, I am sure of this. But dont be discouraged. There is someone out there for you. In fact, its probably someone that you may not know at this time or that you may know, but would never expect. Either way, before you settle down with anyone again, there is something you need to do. Susan, because you got pregnant and married at such an early age, you missed out on much of your youth. I mean, one minute you were a kid, and the next minute  you were having kids. Because I come from a place where everyone had the desire and the money to go to college, having the responsibility of children at such a young age is beyond my comprehension. Anyhow, my advice to you is to wait and be very choosy about your next relationship. I can see this may be a bit difficult for you because you are a bit boy crazy, but as the proverb states good things come to those who wait. I am not saying you shouldnt go out and have a good time. In fact, I think you should do just that ... have a good time and capture some of that youth that you missed out on. But just dont get seriously involved with anyone until you have done the things in life that you want to do, first. Then the rest will fall in place. Susan, I am not mad at you about what happened this weekend. Actually, I am very thankful. As I told you, I was starting to let my heart warm up to the idea of us going out as more than just friends. But seeing you kiss another man put things back into perspective. I remembered how I hurt Laura, and I wont let that happen again; and therefore, I cant let myself get close to you. We will always be friends, but our relationship will never go beyond that of friendship. And as for your relationship with B. Brown, of course you have to make your own decisions in life, but remember ... you have to live with the consequences also. Everyone is held accountable for their actions, and I would hate for people to perceive you as an unreputable person. If you want to catch a nice guy like me one day, you have to act like a nice girl. And you know, nice girls dont sleep with married men. Besides, I want you to feel good about yourself, and I am afraid that if you sleep with B. Brown or any other m arried man for that matter, you will lose your self-respect. I know I did when we were messing around earlier this year. So please, think about your actions before you do anything you will regret. I care for you, but also care for Susan Brown and I would hate to see anyone get hurt. Susan may say that she wouldnt care (copy unintelligible) husband had an affair, but you and I know, that is not true. Anyhow, as I have already told you, you are a very special person. And dont let anyone tell you or make you feel any different. I see so much potential in you, but only you can make it happen. Dont settle for mediocre in life, go for it all and only settle for the best ... I do. I havent told you this, but I am extremely proud of you for going to school. I am a firm believer in higher education, and once you obtain a degree from college, there is not stopping you. And dont let these idiot boys from Union make you feel like you are not capable or slow you down. After you graduate, you will be able to go anywhere you want in this world. And if you ever wanted to get a good job in Charlotte, my father is the right person to know. He and Koni know everyone who is anyone in the business world in Charlotte. And if I can ever help you with anything, dont hesitate to ask. Well, this letter must come to an end. It is 11:50 p.m. and I am getting very sleepy. But I wanted to write you this letter because you are the one who is always making the effort for me, and I wanted to return the friendship. Ive appreciated it when you have dropped me nice little notes, or cards, or the present at Christmas, and it is about time that I start putting a little effort into our friendship. Which reminds me, I thought long and hard about getting you something for your birthday, but I decided not to because I wasnt sure what you might think. Now I am sorry I didnt get you anything, so you can expect something from me at Christmas. But do not buy me anything for Christmas. All I want from you is a nice, sweet card ... Ill cherish that more than any store (copy illegible) present. Again, you will always have my friendship. And your friendship is one that I will always look upon with sincere affection. Tom p.s. Its late, so please dont count off for spelling or grammar. Source: Court Document

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 11

Essay Example Not especially the nature of brands and how consumers perceive them. With the combined efforts of the academe and the corporate world, the art of creating Brand Equity has been greatly helped, almost to the point of evolving a specific science for marketing success, or so it seems. This report will attempt to summarize the points articulated on the Philip Kotler and Kevin Lane Keller’s definitive reference text â€Å"Marketing Management (13th edition)†, specifically on the chapter of Building Strong Brands. This discourse will venture into the basic elements of a brand from the perspective of the brand â€Å"owner or author†; the nature of the benefits which brands are supposed to provide; observations on how marketing outcomes are determined by the consumers perception of the brand (brand equity) and how they are arrived at; how a brand’s value can be assessed and quantified; an analysis of branding strategies through the cases provided in the text, and the role of different brands in an established brand â€Å"architecture† (brand portfolio) and how consumer responses can be similarly assessed so as to provide a measure of confidence that a brand can expect from its prospective patrons (consumer equity). We can do well to use the American Marketing Association’s definition of a brand as a jumping board for analyzing the concept of Brand Equity. AMA stipulates that brands consists of a â€Å"name, term, symbol or design, or a combination of them, intended to identify goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.† (Kotler and Keller 276) Further, this system for identifying products (or services for that matter) maybe designed so as to represent a tangible, functional or rational attribute relating to a product’s performance or any intangible associations such as those that are implied symbolically

Pick on topic from my uploaded resources Assignment

Pick on topic from my uploaded resources - Assignment Example Economists determine recession with the help of some conventional Macroeconomic indicators like Investment Spending, employment, business profits, capacity utilization, household income and inflation. If the general level of all these macroeconomic indicators is falling, then the economy is most likely to encounter recession. It is pertinent to mention here that as the level of these indicators fall, the level of unemployment and bankruptcies rise on the other hand. The two most important factors that have significant importance on levels of recession are Unemployment and Inflation. In the time of 1930s, when our world encountered Great Depression, most economies of the modern world like Germany were facing hyperinflation. Inflation exceeding the boundaries of Galloping Inflation can make the economy go down thousand times faster .Moreover, inflation accompanying unemployment causes the economy to collapse completely. Recession can be controlled by implementing different policies and by triggering different factors. Countries usually try to overcome recession by announcing sound and stringent Fiscal and Monetary policies. Interest Rates are raised and unemployment is eradicated with the help of different schemes and policies. We know that the global oil market is a complete oligopoly being run by a few powerful oil exporting countries and consortiums. The oligopoly of oil Market is very strong because of the fact that the International demand for oil barrels is relatively inelastic. Due to this reason, leading oil exporting countries have taken the market completely and are running the market according to their own terms and conditions. This type of competition in the global oil market has made the prices inflexible. With the fact that the prices of many other things are dependent on the rates of oil which is being obtained from the global oil market, therefore, oil being a complementary good controls the pricing

Maya Angelou as a Caged Bird Essay -- Biography Biographies Essays

Maya Angelou as a Caged Bird    The graduation scene from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings illustrates how, living in the midst of racism and unequal access to opportunity, Maya Angelou was able to surmount the obstacles that stood in her way of intellectual develop and find "higher ground."   One of the largest factors responsible for Angelou's academic success was her dedication to and capacity for hard work, "My work alone has awarded me a top place...No absences, no tardinesses, and my academic work was among the best of the year" (Angelou   13-14).   Angelou worked hard and read a great deal in order to be able to perform on such a level, in spite of the fact that she had much less access (or none) to the quality of teachers, school environment and other resources available to whites because of her color.   Another way Angelou surmounted the disadvantages of being black in a racist white controlled school district was to view her brother as a role model.   She is proud that she can recite the preamble to the Constitution faster than Bailey, she is proud he will see her graduate at the top of her class, and he provides her with literature which fuels her desire to read.   Maya also used other students in her class who were intelligent as role models and a measure stick of her own performance.   She admires the class valedictorian, Henry Reed, because he has been her most challenging academic competition among her peers.   However, another reason Angelou is able to overcome obstacles and reach higher ground is that she is not jealous or mean-spirited about academically competing with others.   Instead, she is happy that others are developing towards higher ground.   As she says about Henry, "I had admired him for years because e... ...race" (Angelou   21).   Angelou knows she would let down all those who have struggled and given her encouragement if she did not rise above the limitations of her own time and place. WORK   CITED Angelou, M.   I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.   In Eastman, A. M.   The Norton Anthology of Expository Prose.   (3rd edit.)   W.W. Norton & Co., NY:   1973. The student may wish to begin the paper with the following quote: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such moving wonder, such a luminous dignity.   I have no words for this achievement, but I know that not since the days of my childhood, when the people in books were more real than the people one saw every day, have I found myself so moved.   Her portrait is a Biblical study of life in the midst of death.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   James Baldwin

Poverty in America Essay

Poverty has always been with us from beggars outside the gates of Jerusalem to the mentally ill homeless woman in the park. America is known for our huge difference in culture and class. This is due partly to the dynamics behind the political decisions of this country. The president himself admits that America is more unequal than it’s been since the great depression and many of his own supporters say he has failed. America now has, by many standards, the lowest social mobility of all of the high-end countries, meaning that a child born into poverty is likely to grow up as a poor adult. This is surprising for a country that not only prides itself as being a middle class society, but as the society where anyone can make it and where social mobility is so high. In some places now, it is hard to believe that America is an economic giant. â€Å"One in four young children lives in poverty in the richest nation on earth.† (Kindle, 2012) This is a fact that goes unnoticed by m ost Americans. Poverty in America has become a circular phenomenon and it has been shown to affect certain communities while it breezes by others. The Poverty Line â€Å"Some 46 million Americans live in poverty. That is the third highest poverty rate among developed nations, ahead only of Turkey and Mexico.† (Kindle, 2012) We might then ask, what is poverty? Where is the poverty line? For 63% of Americans, ages 16 and over, working is a necessity. From working entry level jobs in retail and fast food, jobs in manufacturing and farming, to banking and health care. These similarities, however, end there. This becomes quite apparent especially when it comes to hours worked and their compensation. For example, the average entry level wage in New Mexico is $8.02 an hour or $16,673 a year, before taxes. As opposed to an experienced worker or a college educated one, $22.93 an hour or $47,692 a year. This is lower than the national level of $17,867 annual for an entry level job and $66,248 for the experienced and educated. Unfortunately there are some that work as many hours and are paid less. Since 1938, there has been a federal law requiring employers to pay their employees a minimum wage. It was 25 cents. (Williamson, 1980) In 1938, the gap between nominal wages and real wages was quite wide compared to now where they are fairly close to each  other and it is predicted they will mirror each other in the near future. Currently in California, the state minimum is $8.00, which is not a lot considering the rising cost of food, housing, and energy. According to 2008 Federal Poverty Guidelines, a family of 4 making $21,200 before taxes is considered to be poor. (Iceland, 2012) There are social programs that are set up to help people in this predicament; however, it does not help them get out of the circumstance. â€Å"The average food stamp benefit is $21 per week.† (Kindle, 2012) This is not nearly enough to support your average American. The aid programs are set up to get the poor by on a day to day basis and are not set up to improve their social mobility. There should be money spent on programs that allow those in poverty to improve their education and careers. What makes people poor? Is it lack of opportunities? Is it lack of education and skills training? Is racism and sexism? There are a wide variety of opinions on why people are poor. There is a sense of ignorance when bringing to attention the issue to those unaffected. Those that are unaffected could help but they do not know which way will help not only with th e poor today but to decrease the poverty in the future. What is surprising is that a lack of education opportunities is often mentioned as reasons for poverty. According to the US department of education, 9.3% of the 37 million students ages 16-24 are high school drop outs. This is ironic considering that public high school is available to all. It seems creating jobs is the consensus and it makes sense especially when you look at the unemployment rate. Nationally the unemployment rate is 6.1%. What is the reason for this number? The loss of non government jobs, mainly in the manufacturing sector. This had a domino effect to other businesses like retail and construction. In the past years, we’ve heard how the economy is on the verge of collapse and this is the worst since the great depression of the 1930s. (Ross, 1967) We have a long way before we are in a depression. In 1935 the unemployment rate was the highest at 24.9% in 1959 it was 5.5% the highest since that time was at 1982 at 10.8% We are not close to another depression but we do have extreme poverty amongst us. Poverty in America has been rapidly growing in the past decade because of poor political decisions. There is an extreme divide between the social classes in America. Most people belong to the 99%. The 1% is some of the richest people in the word and has cornered the market. They own 1/3 of US net worth. The  US has over 400 billionaires, which is the most in the world. (GAO, 2007) Lack of money is not the reason for the extreme poverty rates in America, greed is. There is definitely enough money to go around the US multiple times but no one wants to help those in need. There is this sense of survival of the fittest that is an ongoing theme when looking into poverty here. Race and Class Segregation America is deeply divided. We can agree that poverty is more pervasive among minorities, children, female-headed families and people with less education. It has been shown through true statistics that there is a definite inequality between race and class when dealing with poverty in America. But why is American poverty still colored in the twenty-fifth century? Neighborhoods that are organized around work where significant percentage of the adults is working are significantly different from neighborhoods that are jobless, which are neighborhoods that include a significant percentage of people that are not working. Jobless neighborhoods are a lot more dangerous because they create and breed other problems like crime, gang formation, and drug trafficking. (Iceland, 2012) This leads back to the continuing issue with America’s lack of social mobility. It seems that once one person is in poverty, it becomes a vicious cycle and no one is willing to do anything to help. That’s why poverty is passed down to the same races and the same classes because they get stuck in that predicament. There are 50 million Americans without health insurance. (Iceland, 2012) This does not help our problem with poverty. America is a country that deals with problems as they come and never with preventing them. Those that are born into a poor family almost always end up the head of a poor family. This fact has shaped America and has almost made it impossible for those that are born into less fortunate homes. Dealing with Poverty The facts are as stands; if a person was to walk down the streets in any which neighborhood in America, 1 out of every 6 people passed could be living in poverty. This issue is rarely talked about for these outstanding numbers. Each year the number of poverty in America goes up. The new poor  are the former middle class, and the middle class is disintegrating. There are becoming only two classes; a lower class and a higher class. Bottom line; America needs to reverse the cycle. Through education and assistance programs, America will be able to close the gap between the two classes. Recent unemployment rates have dropped slightly and the economy is showing some signs of growth but only some Americans are gaining from it. Almost a million American children sometimes go hungry and tent cities are springing up across the country. The world’s economic power house has a sickness. While both sides blame each other, America cannot fully admit their poverty, and are certainly not dea ling with it. Annotated Bibliography Iceland, JohnPoverty in America: A Handbook, with a 2012 Preface. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press, 2012. This book allowed me to understand better poverty in America. It focuses on early views of poverty in America and where the poverty in America originated. This book also describes the causes and characteristics of poverty as well as why poverty remains high in America. I chose this book so that I would have a timeline of poverty from the beginning as well as poverty now. I would be able to compare and contrast the social and economical times between then and now. I will compare the different ethnicities in America and compare the different ways that they have been affected by poverty over the years. Kindle, Peter A. â€Å"Book Review of So Rich, So Poor: Why It’s So Hard to End Poverty in America by Peter Edelman Edelman, Peter. 2012. So Rich, So Poor: Why It’s So Hard to End Poverty in America. New York: The New Press. $24.95, 208 Pp., Hardcover. ISBN: 978-1-59558-785-5.† Poverty & Public Policy 4.4 (2012): 241-43. Print. This is a journal that gave me facts about poverty in America. I was able to link the problems with true statistics and use them in my paper. I found this journal to be very helpful when deliberating what should be in my paper and not. It was easier to read than the books and really got me interested in the topic. Ross, Arthur M., and Herbert Hill. Employment, Race, and Poverty. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1967. Print. This book talks about the employment,  race, and poverty in America and gives me statistics that are quotable for my paper. It is important to figure out how all these three aspect tie together and it allows me to relate race to poverty in America. This books also paints a picture of what it is like to be unemployed, a minority, and in poverty in America throughout many decades. I will use this source to also explain the unemployment issue and how the unemployed got to where they are and how it affects their families. I will talk about the vicious cycle of the unemployed and how it will almost always be passed down to their children and what other types of issues (jail time, drug dealing, etc) are caused because of the unemployment of certain classes. â€Å"The Other America, 2012: Confronting the Poverty Epidemic | The Nation.† The Other America, 2012: Confronting the Poverty Epidemic | The Nation. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Mar. 2014. This site helped me to form my conclusion. It allowed me to formulate my thoughts and wrap up my ideas. I was able to see how other people looked at poverty and what their stance was on the issue. I also used this site to add some facts to my paper and get more of an emotional effect with my word play. United States. Government Accountability Office. Poverty in America: Economic Research Shows Adverse Impacts on Health Status and Other Social Conditions as Well as the Economic Growth Rate: Report to Congressional Requesters. [Washington, D.C.]: U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2007. Economic research suggests that people living in poverty face an increased risk of adverse outcomes, such as poor health and criminal activity, both of which may lead to reduced participation in the labor market. It also shows that limited access to health care as well as a greater exposure to environmental hazards affects the heath of those living in poverty. I will use this book to examine the effects that poverty has on issues like health, social conditions, and growth rate. The previous book allowed me to examine exactly what poverty is and this book will allow me to see the affects the poverty has had over time. I would like to go over the economic growth rate and see what ethnicities have su ffered the most and which have substantially improved, if any. Williamson, Jeffrey G., and Peter H. Lindert. American Inequality: A Macroeconomic History. New York: Academic, 1980. Print. This book solely focuses on the history of the inequality of class and race in America. The information found in this book will start my paper off with facts about how the poverty came to be what it is today. American inequality  is highlighted in this book and we are able to see where the inequality started and how it is currently affecting America. It is important to explain the macroeconomic history of America for the readers to get an idea of how the inequality in America originally started Revision Plan I. Thesis: I changed the focus of my thesis to relate more to the lack of social mobility in my paper. I felt that it was the basis of my paper and what I was most interested in. My thesis originally was not very powerful but after using Pearson’s writing guide I was able to change my words around and create more of a strong stance. II. Organization: My paper was completely unorganized. It is hard for me to organize my thoughts and to better blend my ideas. I had to make index cards and organize them that way in order to figure out the best order of my ideas. III. Support and Development of Ideas: Adding quotes helped better support my ideas. It added facts to what I already had and also helped with smoothing out my ideas. IV. Style: I changed the style of my paper from MLA to APA. I had never done a paper in APA but it made sense to use this format because we were told to include an abstract and an author’s note which followed the guidelines of an APA style paper. It was different but it turned out to look a lot cleaner than the MLA. V. Mechanics: Using the Pearson writing components really helped develop my paper. I knew what to focus on and what was unimportant in the process. I tried to make the issue clear by painting a picture with my words to help better understand the points I was trying to make.

Equality, Diversity, and Democracy - 1348 Words

Justice and Equality Cannot Coexist, For When One is Achieved the Other is Infringed Upon: Equality, diversity, and democracy are the three components that America claims to revolve around, but unfortunately lacks. America is a nation filled with envy, rage, and such preposterous behaviors and actions. Since the founding of the nation, to the present of America, and according to the predicament of the future, this territorial notion that America abides by is slowly corrupting the nation. Since the establishment of America equality was always an issue, but always an issue of avoidance. In the article Deconstructing America, Buchanan states, â€Å"As for the Africans, they arrived in 1619 in slave ship, and were not freed for 246 years. Then†¦show more content†¦In a little more than fifty years there will be no majority race in the United States. No other nation in history has gone through demographic change of this magnitude in so short a time . . . [These immigrants] are energizing our culture and broadening our vision of the world. They are renewing our most b asic values and reminding us all of what it truly means to be American† (500). Hsu discusses the idea that America will soon become a nation with no majority race, and that the American people take for granted all the new ideas these different ethnicities are bringing into the nation. Instead of learning from them, they seek violence and inequality as their solutions. Democracy is an even bigger issue in America. In The Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Richie states, â€Å"The reality of contemporary religious pluralism may be either one of the greatest threats to democratic freedom, civil or ecclesiastical, or one of its greatest assets† (471). Richie comes across the issue of democracy with religion, which is a big issue in America, along with all the other freedoms the American people are said to have. Every aspect in America is Democratic, America is a â€Å"this or that† nation, you can’t have more than one, and America won’t settle for drastic changes. In the book Democracy in America, by Alexis De Tocqueville he states: â€Å"In the United States the ablest men are rarely placed at the head of affairs --- ReasonShow MoreRelatedDiversity Consciousness Of The Us1059 Words   |  5 PagesDiversity Consciousness of the US After reading the essay, â€Å"Deconstructing America† by Patrick J. Buchanan, he did not want people to understand that the U.S still accepts people from other nations, people in other countries. He thought the diversity, equality and democracy are the three things important for America to develop a great system. His point also lets me rethink that America tries to keep different groups to  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬-build a good community. 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