Get Organized for Graduate School

Get Organized for Graduate School Graduate students- and faculty- often find themselves overwhelmed with tasks. Good time management skills are essential, but succeeding in graduate school requires the ability to organize more than your time. Being unorganized- not knowing where your stuff is- is a time waster. The unorganized student spends precious time searching for papers, files, notes, wondering which pile to check first. She forgets and misses meetings or arrives late, repeatedly. He finds it hard to focus on the task at hand because his mind is swimming what the details of what must be done next or what should have been done yesterday. An unorganized office or home is a sign of a cluttered mind. Cluttered minds are inefficient for scholarly productivity. So how do you get organized? 1.  Set up a Filing System Go digital when you can, but dont forget to organize your paper files, too. Dont skimp on file folders or youll find yourself doubling up on files and lose track of your most important papers. Whenever possible, go digital (with a good backup system!). Maintain files for: Research/thesis ideas.Thesis references (probably divided up into additional files for each topic).Exam materials. As you prepare for comps, will have copies of old exams, study materialsProfessional credentials - vita,   sample cover letter,   research statement etc.Reprints and professional articles, organized by topic.Life (bills,   taxes, etc.).Teaching materials (organized by topic). 3.   Acquire and Use Office Supplies Though supplies can be expensive, its easier to get organized when youve got the right tools. Purchase a quality stapler, paper clips, binder clips, stick on notes in several sizes, sticky flags for marking important pages in texts, etc. Go to a supply store and purchase office supplies in bulk to maximize savings and to be sure that you dont unexpectedly run out of supplies. 4.   Organize Class Materials Some students use binders to organize class notes, with dividers to separate your notes from assigned readings, handouts, and other materials. Other students keep all of their class materials on their laptop and use software such as OneNote or Evernote to save and index their notes. 5.   Remove Clutter at Home and Organize Your Study Space Sure youre desk and study area should be neat. Its also helpful to keep track of the rest of your home too. Why? School is overwhelming enough without worrying about whether you have clean clothes, differentiating between the cat and dust bunnies, or losing unpaid bills. Set up a command center near the entrance to your home. Have a bowl or spot for you to put your keys and empty your pockets of important materials. Have another spot for your bills. Each day as you open your mail sort it into stuff to throw out and bills and other materials that require action. Additionally, make sure you have a dedicated space to work in your home. It should be free of distractions, well lit, and have all supplies and files nearby. Even if your living space is small or shared, be sure to designate a portion to your graduate studies. 6.   Create a Schedule for Household Tasks Set up a schedule for accomplishing household tasks like laundry and cleaning. Break cleaning up into smaller tasks, by room. So you might clean the bathroom on Tuesday and Saturday, clean the bedroom on Wednesday and Sunday, and the living room on Thursday and Monday. Clean the kitchen weekly then spend a few minutes each day on it. Use the timer trick to keep on task while youre cleaning and show you how much you can do in just a little time. For example, Im amazed that I can clear out the dishwasher and wipe down the countertops in 4 minutes! 7.   Dont Forget the To-Do List Your  to-do list is your friend. These simple tips can make a difference in your life. From my own experience as an academic, I can attest that these simple habits, though challenging to set, make it much easier to make it through the semester and maintain efficiency and productivity.

Art of the Civil Rights Movement

Art of the Civil Rights Movement The Civil Rights Era of the 1950s and 1960s was a time in Americas history of ferment, change, and sacrifice as many people fought, and died, for racial equality. As the nation celebrates and honors the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (Jan. 15, 1929) on the third Monday of January each year, it is a good time to recognize the artists of different races and ethnicities who responded to what was happening during the years of the 50s and 60s with work that still powerfully expresses the turmoil and injustice of that period. These artists created works of beauty and meaning in their chosen medium and genre that continue to speak compellingly to us today as  the struggle for racial equality continues. Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the  Sixties at the Brooklyn Museum of Art In 2014, 50 years after the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, the Brooklyn Museum of Art hosted an exhibit  called Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties.  The political  artworks in the exhibit helped promote the Civil Rights Movement. The exhibit included work by 66 artists, some well-known, such as Faith Ringgold, Norman Rockwell, Sam Gilliam, Philip Guston, and others, and included painting, graphics, drawing, assemblage, photography, and sculpture, along with written reflections by the artists. The work can be seen  here  and here. According to Dawn Levesque in the article, Artists of the Civil Rights Movement: A Retrospective, The Brooklyn Museum curator, Dr. Teresa Carbone, was surprised at how much of the exhibits work has been overlooked from well-known studies about the 1960s. When writers chronicle the Civil Rights Movement, they often neglect the political artwork of that period. She says, its the intersection of art and activism.   As stated on the Brooklyn Museum website  about the exhibit: â€Å"The 1960s was a period of dramatic social and cultural upheaval, when artists aligned themselves with the massive campaign to end discrimination and bridged racial borders through creative work and acts of protest. Bringing activism to bear in gestural and geometric abstraction, assemblage, Minimalism, Pop imagery, and photography, these artists produced powerful works informed by the experience of inequality, conflict, and empowerment. In the process, they tested the political viability of their art, and originated subjects that spoke to resistance, self-definition, and blackness.† Faith Ringgold and the American People, Black Light Series Faith Ringgold  (b. 1930), included in the exhibit,  is a particularly inspirational American artist, author, and teacher who was pivotal to the Civil Rights Movement and is known primarily for her narrative quilts of the late 1970s. However, before that, in the 1960s, she did a series of important but less well-known paintings exploring race, gender, and class in her American People series (1962-1967) and Black Light series (1967-1969). The  National Museum of Women in the Arts  exhibited 49 of Ringgolds Civil Rights paintings in 2013 in a show called  America People, Black Light: Faith Ringgolds Paintings of the 1960s. These works can be seen  here. Throughout her career Faith Ringgold has used her art to express her opinions on racism and gender inequality, creating powerful works that have helped bring awareness of racial and gender inequality to many, both young and old. She has written a number of childrens books, including the award-winning beautifully illustrated  Tar Beach. You can see more of Ringgolds childrens books  here. See videos of Faith Ringgold on MAKERS, the largest video collection of womens stories, speaking about her art and activism. Norman Rockwell and Civil Rights Even Norman Rockwell,  the well-known painter of idyllic American scenes, painted a series of Civil Rights Paintings and was included in the Brooklyn exhibit. As Angelo Lopez writes in her article,  Norman Rockwell and  the Civil Rights Paintings, Rockwell was influenced by close friends and family to paint some of the problems of American society rather than merely the wholesome sweet scenes he had been doing for the Saturday Evening Post.   When Rockwell began working for Look Magazine he was able to do scenes expressing his views on social justice. One of the most famous was The Problem We All Live With, which shows the drama of school integration.   Arts of the Civil Rights Movement at the Smithsonian Institution Other artists and visual voices for the Civil Rights Movement can be seen through a collection of art from the Smithsonian Institution. The program, Oh Freedom!  Teaching African American Civil Rights Through American Art at the Smithsonian, teaches the history of the Civil Rights movement and  the struggles for racial equality beyond the 1960s through the powerful images that artists created. The website is an excellent resource for teachers, with descriptions of the artwork along with its meaning and historical context, and a variety of lesson  plans to use in the classroom.  Ã‚   Teaching students about the Civil Rights Movement is as important today as ever, and expressing political views through art remains a powerful tool in the struggle for equality and social justice.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 43

Case Study Example The current trends in the dog food category show that continued expansion of the industry is anticipated in the future, There are various ways in which dog food category can be segmented. For instance, it can be segmented into low price segment, mainstream segment, and the premium segment. The low price segment feature brands such private label, the mainstream segment feature brands such as Pedigree and Alpo while the premium feature brands such as Purina One and Iams. Of the three segments, the premium segment is believed to be of the highest quality followed by the mainstream segment and finally the low price segment. The price charged on a brand is largely dependent on the segment in which it belongs. Dog food brands from the premium segment are the most expensive among the three segments. Brand marketing has proven to be among the best business tactics in the dog food industry.  In  essence.  Brand marketing gives a company competitive advantage over the competitors. The influencers of brand purchasing of dog food are the dog owners. Some dog owners favor certain dog food brands and, therefore, they cannot buy other brands. In addition, the purchasing power of the dog owners influences brand purchasing decisions. In essence, sometimes dog owners are obliged to purchase a particular brand by their financial status. However, the trend is changing since with time the dogs eating habit have proven to influence brand purchasing decision. Some people enjoy watching their dogs eat. In this regard, they would by a brand that the dog favors. In other words, dog owners  would buy the brand the dog enjoys to eat. Some dog owners have attested that their dogs only eat certain food brand. A recent study has shown that the levels of brand loyalty have grown high due to various factors. For instance, research has shown that quality affects consumers’ loyalty to a particular brand. Brand designing and

A long Way Traveled Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A long Way Traveled - Research Paper Example As the saying goes ‘you won’t know where you are going until you know where you are coming from’. However, when we understand history- in this case; Native American History it would mean that we understand and accept each other. Native Americans in general are known to be earthy people who are one with mother earth and they believe that every living thing on earth should be respected. Their history depicts, a vibrant culture and history and is also responsible for the early development of the Americas. The Navajo Nation Reviewed literature declares the Navajo tribe one of the largest reservation in America with an area covering an estimated 27 000 square miles. The area covers portions of Arizona and New Mexico, and a small part of southeastern Utah. Presently the capital of the Navajo nation is found at Window Rock in Arizona. The Navajos populous is said to be over 200 000 people, landing them the title of the largest Native American tribe in the United States. Furthermore, they are noted to be bilingual as they speak both their challenging and native Navajo language and also English. This noble Indian tribe lived in the South Western part of the United States. This definitive set of people refers to themselves as ‘Dineh’ which means â€Å"the people†. ... gnition as warriors from the Spanish and other surrounding Indian tribes because the Navajos raided the Spanish settlers often to get their horses for hunting and fighting. The Navajos grew corn, beans and squash in fields that the Spanish term as ‘Nabaju’, which when translated means â€Å"great planted fields†. According to the said source; by the year 1750, the Navajos were living in valleys and mountains around the canyon de chelly in north eastern Arizona.1 They adopted a new life style being sheep herders and gave up hunting. Today Navajo tribes can be found in scattered locations in Arizona and New Mexico in houses called Hogans which are very easy to assemble. Before, their Hogans were made with supporting poles that were covered with mush and brush. Then they transformed to more stable Hogans made from logs chinked in mud in a circular shape.2 Culture of the Navajo Nation The culture of the Navajo people is quite exciting. They hold fascinating beliefs an d engage in colorful ceremonies. They believe that the spiritual and the physical world blend together as one. The ‘Yei’ (holy ones) as they are known live in the four sacred mountains in each of the four directions that marks the boundaries of the Navajo land. The navajopeople.org website argues that the Navajos are highly ceremonial second to some of the Pueblo groups. Almost every act of their life; example, building a Hogan, planting crops and so on is ceremonial in nature, each being carried out with songs and prayers. The said source also declared that â€Å"the Navajo dead are buried by others than immediate relatives in unmarked graves. No ceremonies are held, for the dead are considered evil and are feared. The hogan in which death occurs is forever abandoned, often burned. Sometimes a hogan is

Main Street Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Main Street Program - Essay Example enerally, it will be expected that the Main Street in question will satisfy and fall within the general notion and rationale behind the creation of the Main Street program. The National Main Street Centre (2014) noted that the Main Street concept is in place to revitalize and strengthen traditional commercial districts of communities through such approaches such as â€Å"existing economic development, historic preservation, city management, or urban and community planning programs.† Based on this description, it can be said on authority that the Historic Dupont Circle Main Street (HDCMS) is part of the Main Street program’s success stories. Walking through the Dupont Circle, one sees an old city circle that has been transformed into a modern tourist destination where visitors and residents are met with the best of historic landmarks, institutions, transportation system, and best of all, an array of commercially active business environment where several restaurants, hotels, bars and rest stops can be found. HDCMS is over a decade old as it was started in May 2003 through the use of the mayor’s grant. Over the years, there have been records of economic success and transformation, including a swift transition from a place that used to be the hub for illegal and illicit trade and activities. As a local resident, there are a number of factors that can be seen that make Dupont Circle of Washington DC and the HDCMS deserve commendation. In the first place, the community and its leaders can be said to have done well as the HDCMS has been carried out in a very well planned manner. This is because back in May 2003, leader s of the community, led by the major drafted a development plan for the area that spelt out very clear targets and goals that needed to be achieved. Because of this, development agenda has been pursued in a manner that falls according to plan. Consequently, the haphazard progression of events at the Dupont Circle has not happened. Again, the community

Impact of the Enron Scandal on Accounting Standards

Impact of the Enron Scandal on Accounting Standards Abstract Every firm and its managers are expected to maximize investor returns while complying with regulatory standards, avoiding principal-agent conflicts of interest, and enhancing the reputational capital of their firms. However, in practices, being ethically is not just about giving large sum of charitys money but recognizing and acting on potential ethical issues before they become legal problems are more important aspects to taking care of. Enron collapsed as the result of unethical management practices such as the equivocation of taxes and fraudulent accounting practices. The Enron scandal is the most significant corporate collapse in the United States since the failure of many savings and loan banks during the 1980s. This scandal demonstrates the need for a close look at the ethical quality of the culture of business generally and of business corporations in the United States. Organization need to infuse ethics and integrity throughout their corporate cultures as well as into their d efinition of success. Unethical and illegal business practices at Enron led to the creation of Serbanes Oxley Act of 2002. This report will discuss and find out illegal and unethical activities, impacts on stakeholders and lessons from the Enron case. The Enron Scandal and Ethical Issues Enron Corporation is an energy trading, natural gas, and electric utilities company located in Houston, Texas that had around 21,000 employees by mid-2001, before it went bankrupt. Its revenue in the year 2000 was more than $100 billion and named as Americas most innovative companies for six consecutive years by Fortune. Enron was a company that was able to profit by providing the delivery of gas to utility companies and businesses at the fair value market price. Enron was listed as the seventh largest company in the United States and had the domination in the trading of communications, power, and weather securities (Corporate Narc, nd). At first sight, Enron looks like an excellent corporate citizen, with all the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and business ethics tools in community (Sims Brinkmann, 2003). However, the scandal of Enron has been the largest corporate scandal in history, and has become emblematic of institutionalized and well-planned corporate fraud; the Enron scandal involves both illegal and unethical activities. According to Carroll and Buchholtz (2008), the CFO Jeffrey Skilling and the CEO Ken Lay played major roles in the Enron scandal. Both of them committed securities fraud and conspiracy to inflate profit. In disguise debts of Enron, Lay and Skilling used off-the-books partnerships, after that they lied to investors and employees about the companys disastrous financial situation while selling their own companys shares (Carroll Buchholtz, 2008, p. 256). Enrons top level management has violated several accounting laws, SPE laws, and bent the accounting rules to satisfy their own desires of profit in the short term but ignoring long term repercussions for investors, stockholders, employees and the business itself. The close relationships that were formed among top leading executives and the board of directors grew arrogant, thinking they were invincible and causing them to act in an unethical manner. Enron allowed Andrew Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer to control two SPEs (special pur pose entities) that were knowingly connected to Enron, and gave him an opportunity to abuse his power. Enron also parked some of its debt on the balance sheet of its SPVs and kept it hidden from analysts and investors. When the extent of its debt burden came to light, Enrons credit rating fell and lenders demanded immediate payment in the sum of hundreds of millions of dollars in debt (Sims Brinkmann, 2003). It means that Enrons decision makers saw the shuffling of debt rather as a timing issue and not as an ethical one. They maintained that the company was financially stable and that many of their emerging problems really were not too serious, even though they knew the truth and were making financial decisions to protect their personal gains. No discussion of the Enron scandal would be complete without a discussion of the involvement of Enrons accountants, the firm Arthur Andersen. Arthur Andersen was one of many causes of the Enron collapse when they were the conflict of interest between the two roles played for Enron, as auditor but also as consultant. Andrew Fastow, the Chief Financial Officer of Enron pushed many deals across where he had a vested interested on both sides of the deal. By creating and knowingly participating in these deals, he put his financial greed above the responsibility to his position for the company. According to Paul and Palepu (2003) in 2000, Arthur Andersen earned $25 million in audit fees and $27 million in consulting fees, this amount accounted for roughly 27% of the audit fees of public clients for Arthur Andersens Houston office. The auditors methods were questioned as either being completed solely to receive its annual fees or for their lack of expertise in properly reviewing Enrons reve nue recognition, special entities, derivatives, and other accounting practices. Due to these relationships that Enron had with Arthur Andersen, it was just too easy for both Enron and the accounting firm to work together in covering up financial losses and debt. Andersen was also responsible for some of Enrons internal bookkeeping, with some of Andersens employees eventually leaving to work for Enron. The result of the accounting scandal was that many of the losses that Enron encountered were not reported in its financial statements. In November, 2001, Enron revises financial statements for the previous five years to account for $586 million in losses (Corporate Narc, nd). After a series of scandals involving irregular accounting procedures bordering on fraud involving Enron and its accounting firm Arthur Andersen, it stood at the verge of undergoing the largest bankruptcy in history by mid-November 2001. As Enron was considered a blue chip stock, this was an unprecedented and disastrous event in the financial world. Enrons plunge occurred after it was revealed that many of its profits and revenue were the result of deals with special purpose entities (Corporate Narc, nd). Enrons leaders also ignored, then denied serious problems with their business transactions and were more concerned about their personal financial rewards than those of the company. When the companys stock price began to drop as the problems were becoming public, the company was transitioning from one investment program to another. Impacts on Stakeholders Every business has a moral obligation to serve its stakeholders, whether they are business partners, customers, stockholders, or employees. Enrons bankruptcy has injured several parties including banks, stockholders, former employees, customers, suppliers, communities, and also the United States. Impacts on Employees The first thing, and most important thing the Enron scandal had an effect was the job situation. Carroll and Buchholtz (2008) argued that when Enron went bankrupt and then the Arthur Andersen accounting firm went out of business in 2002, employees were displaced and significantly affected (p. 47). Enrons financial implosion has cost thousands of employees their jobs, left thousands of people still employed by the bankrupt trader and left 5,600 employees jobless and facing retirements with no nest eggs (Carroll Buchholtz, 2008, p. 256). Many employees had their entire pensions vested in Enron stock, Kenneth Lay advised employees keep their Enron stock when the firm was crashing, and he was selling his own. While the employees were unable to sell their stock, Lay and other executives were quickly selling off many of their shares. The lives and savings of thousands employees were destroyed. They also were deprived of the freedom to diversify their retirement portfolios; and they had to stand by helplessly while their retirement savings evaporated at the same time that top managers cashed in on their lucrative stock options. Impacts on Investors and Stockholders As the result of Enron scandal, individual and institutional investors lost millions of dollars because they were misinformed about the firms financial performance reality through questionable accounting practices, and all of the shareholders lost the money that they had invested in the corporation after it went bankrupt. Shareholders lost nearly $11 billion when Enrons stock price, which hit a high of US$90 per share in mid-2000, plummeted to less than $1 by the end of November 2001 (Answers.com, 2010). Investors those who were hurt can never be made totally whole once again after the terrible experiences of Enron. Impacts on the United States and Communities Political parties, such as the Bush administration, who accepted contributions from Enron, were finding themselves in positions where returning the funds to Enron or donating them to a charitable. Enron also affected the United States in several important ways. If anything positive can be said about the Enron scandal, it is that the scandal itself heightened awareness of the importance of integrity in Accounting and business in general, and led to the creation of new safeguards to make sure that something like this would not happen again, or at least not to the full extent of the Enron damage. Enron cynically and knowingly created the phony California electricity crisis of 2000 and 2001. Between 30 percent and 50 percent of Californias energy industry was shut down by Enron a great deal of the time, and up to 76 percent at one point, as the company drove the price of electricity higher by nine times (Corporate Narc, nd). Impacts on Other Stakeholders The Enron scandal also harmed other stakeholders. For example, Enron top managers pressured Arthur Andersen to certify maximum-risk; questionable accounting practices in part to retain their consulting business and, by acceding to this pressure, Arthur Andersen won huge contracts in the short run however ultimately lost their professional credibility and client base. Some investment banks such as Citigroup, J.P. Morgan, and Merrill Lynch made over $200 million in fees from deals that helped Enron and other energy firms boost cash flow and hide debt, and, by failing to exercise their own adequate due diligence, they multiplied the harm done to other stakeholders. Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase in particular appeared to have significant amounts to lose with Enrons fall. Punishment Thousands of aggrieved employees, investors, and other stakeholders were waiting to find out what punishment will be meted out to those who covered up Enrons true financial position so successfully for so long. Three individuals that participated in the various frauds that were committed by Enron included the former president and CEO of Enron, Jeffrey Skilling; former chief financial officer in charge of LJM, Andrew Fastow; founder, former chairman, and CEO, Kenneth Lay. At first, in 2002, Enrons former chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow, and three other current and former Enron executives exercise their Fifth Amendment right not to testify at a congressional hearing. He was charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. It is alleged that Fastow and others devised a scheme to defraud Enron and its shareholders (Cbsnews.com, 2006). Fastow, his wife Lea Fastow and nine other former executives faced 31 more charges and 98 counts of fraud an d they were also indicted on a host of fraud, insider trading, and other counts (Associated Press, 2006). Andrew Fastow pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy. The plea called for a 10-year sentence and his aid in targeting former top Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. Lea Fastow pleaded guilty to filing false tax forms. Finally, in March 2006, Fastow had already pleaded guilty and faced up to 10 years in prison on two counts of conspiracy. Lay and Skilling went on trial for their part in the Enron scandal in January 2006 in Houston. Skilling faced 31 counts ranging from fraud to lying to auditors for allegedly lying about Enrons financial state. Lay faced seven counts of fraud and conspiracy for allegedly perpetuating the scheme. After six days of deliberations, on May 25, 2006 a verdict was reached in the Houston trial of former Enron chiefs Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. Skilling was convicted of 19 of 28 counts of securities fraud and wire fraud and acquitted on the remaining nine, including charges of insider trading, making him the highest ranking former executive charged in the collapse of Enron. He was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in prison for his role in one of the biggest corporate scandals in U.S. history (Cbsnews.com, 2006). Lay was convicted of all six counts against him, including conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud and he faced a total sentence of up to 45 years in prison. However, be fore sentencing was scheduled, Lay died on July 5, 2006 due to a heart attack (Answers.com, 2010). Lessons from the Enron Case In the new economic, the Enron scandal has been being the morality lesson. The case will teach executives and the American public the most important ethics lessons. The first lesson it that both individuals and organizations or firms should only earn money by providing goods or services that have real value in the new economic. Moreover, executives who are paid too much can think they are above the rules and can be tempted to cut ethical corners to retain their wealth and perquisites. Every firms need to demonstrate that they have eliminated all off-books accounts which distort the publics understanding of the financial health of the organization and they should to pledge that they will not suspend the companys code of conduct, or at least report to the public when they do. In order for companies to prevent an Enron-like scandal, there needs to be supervision over managers and executives as they exercise their own business judgments about what is in the best interest for an organizat ion. Kirk Hanson (2002), executive director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, explained that the Enron scandal demonstrates the need for significant reforms in accounting and corporate governance in the United States, as well as for a close look at the ethical quality of the culture of business generally and of business corporations in the United States. Due to the accounting frauds that occurred in the Enron scandal, several accounting firms should reorganize their employees towards remaining loyal to the ethical standards demanded by the SEC. In order for companies to prevent an Enron-like scandal, there needs to be supervision over managers and executives as they exercise their own business judgments about what is in the best interest for an organization. On the other hand, when accounting firms have been moving to sever in both auditing and consulting services for their consulting businesses, the SEC should probably adopt additional disclosure requirements. Government regulat ions and rules need to be updated for the new economy, not relaxed and eliminated. Conclusion Looking at the Enron scandal from the retrospective viewpoint of history, essentially most of the problems faced by Enron derive from the immoral and unethical actions taken on by the board of directors in their attempt to achieve personal profits. The Enron scandal changed the lives of everyone in America and perhaps just as importantly, it forced everyone to look at themselves and fully realize the consequences of reckless greed and the breakage of laws on a whim. Most of individuals and organizations had been receiving proper punishment and lessons for their relevance.

Black And White Essay -- essays research papers

Black and White   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Following the Civil War, just prior to the turn of the century, many American novelist were writing more freely of the previous slave culture. Two of these writers being Mark Twain and Charles Chesnutt. Mark Twain was a popular â€Å"white† author by this time. Charles Chesnutt, the son of free blacks, decided to pursue a dream of becoming an author in order to remove the spirit of racism. By studying these authors in particular, the views of a white raised in the slave holding south are juxtaposed with the views of free black. Both Twain and Chesnutt satirize whites in different ways through their literature. Twain also displays some unfavorable preconceptions of blacks. This can be attributed to his own upbringing in the slave holding south.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character of the Chesnutt stories is an old Negro man, previously a slave, who engages his new white employers in many tales about life on the plantation. Uncle Julius relays these stories with much detail. Though, at the conclusion of each, the reader is left wondering whether the tale was true or if Uncle Julius had conceived of it merely to satisfy his own desires. Chesnutt has added to the end of each story an ulterior motive of Uncle Julius that seems to be met by the telling of his tales. By doing this, Chesnutt discretely satirizes whites in general.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the first story, The Goophered Grapevine, Uncle Julius tells of a conjure woman putting a â€Å"goopher† on the grapevines, causing all blacks that eat the grapes to die within one year. This story is relayed upon the first meeting of the northern white couple (John and Annie) and the native South Carolinian. After telling his tale of Henry and the others that suffered from this spell, Uncle Julius concludes that these northerners should not buy this vineyard, adding conveniently that he is not afraid to eat the grapes because he know the â€Å" ole vimes fum de noo ones.† John decides to buy the farm in spite of Uncle Julius's warnings, but he does offer him employment as a coachman. It seems as if Uncle Julius had been trying to guarantee his usefulness on the plantation even after its sale. Was white man tricked into believing Julius' knowledge would be useful in the renewing of the vineyards? Chesnutt lets the reader wonder, but regardless of his tale being ... ... of blacks, especially her own black heritage. When scolding her son Tom for refusing to challenge the twins, Roxy blames his cowardice on â€Å"de nigger† in him. After noting all of the predominant white members of his pedigree, she concludes that â€Å"de nigger† is his soul. Twain seems to have some assumptions of his own that blacks have no pride in their own heritage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Twain and Chesnutt both satirize whites, but in different ways. Twain, being a white, satirizes the slave holding south, rather than whites in general. Chesnutt, on the other hand, uses a couple from the north in a story set in the free south. Chesnutt also is more descrete in his satire, while Twain pokes fun directly. Twain also displays some of his own prejudices, being a white trying to explain the black culture. On the contrary, Chesnutt honestly portrays blacks from an inside perspective. Roxy was ashamed of the black blood in her, while Uncle Julius seemed to be a proud old man, happy to tell of his black friends and past. From the analysis these literary selections we can gain a greater understanding of racial views but, one may say that everything is not as simple as black and white