A Christmas Carol Essay Example for Free

A Christmas Carol Essay What evidence is there in A Christmas Carol of social, cultural and historical contexts? A Christmas Carol is rich with historical, cultural and social contexts, all poignantly intertwined throughout the text. As the story is set in Victorian times, we are immediately given a sense of time and place in stave 1, by descriptions of both customs and daily routines. As the tale was set so long ago, there were obviously no modern appliances or conveniences. Dickens shows this as he describes Scrooges counting house. Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so much very smaller that it looked like one coal, and tried to warm himself at the candle. We are also given an insight into the era when Dickens outlines customs in the streets Meanwhile the fog and darkness thickened so, that people ran about with flaring links, proffering their services to go before horses in carriages, and to conduct them on their way The language used, I believe, is also influential to the overall story. Again Dickens is setting a time frame, which the tale adheres to, and the phrases used by some characters highlight this I am sorry with all my heart to find you so resolute. We have never had any quarrel, to which I have been a party. But I have made the trial in homage to Christmas, and Ill keep my Christmas humour to the last, Stop till I shut the door of the shop. Ah! How it skreeks! There ant such a rusty bit of metal in the place as its own hinges From the beginning of the novel and, obviously due to its title, we can see that there is much influence from the cultural aspects of Christmas. As the story is set in the festive season, great emphasis is stressed on Scrooges attitudes compared to those around him at this traditionally jovial time of year/ This is a major factor in the structure of the story, although it is the general social and cultural side of the holiday rather than the religious meaning. In fact religion is only suggested once, It might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see, but isnt as important as the suggestion of charity and kindness to ones fellow man. The social aspects of the time, particularly the attitudes of some upper class towards the lower classes, play an important role in the story and are voiced by, and then turned against, Scrooge. When asked whether he wishes to support a charity, Scrooge replies that prisons and workhouses are all the charity the poor need. The harshness of these remarks are later presented to Scrooge in a different context and he begins to realize the full error of his ways- a major point in the story. Dickens, contrary to Scrooges thinking, later criticizes these opinions when we are shown the extent of the Cratchits poverty. I believe the sympathy Dickens arouses when describing the house, stems from his own childhood where he was forced to work in a workhouse similar to those Scrooge talks about. This, I think, provides strong emotional aspects in the text and enables Dickens to effectively compel his audience to disagree with the social views presented.

Framing Apologies in a Political and Diplomatic Context Essay -- criti

Introduction This essay is an analysis of the 2005 paper, by Janna Thompson, â€Å"Apology, justice and respect: a critical defence of political apology.† A paper presented at the Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics 12th Annual Conference, Adelaide, September 28–30. This paper can be found at http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/gig/aapae05/documents/thompson.pdf. Summary This paper critically evaluates the importance of negotiations and expansive discourse in framing apologies, especially in a political and diplomatic context. Focusing on two relevant Sino-American issues, viz. the 1999 bombing at the Belgrade Chinese embassy by US aircraft and the 2001 airplane collision between a Chinese fighter jet and an American spy plane, the author evaluates pragmatism in diplomatic apologies, with specific reference to the US apology to China during these two events. Methodology and Objectives This study was based on off-the-record interviews that were conducted in late 2001 with four anonymous US State Department officials who were involved in public negotiations of the US apologies. The author writes that his aim in carrying out these interviews was threefold. Firstly, he wished to clarify the intricacies of international diplomatic apologies. Secondly, he intended to â€Å"probe† the opinions of official diplomats on such apologies. Finally, he aimed that this study would contribute to a greater understanding of the characteristics of diplomatic apologies and the pragmatics involved therewith. Observations Through this study, the author puts forth the fact that most political apologies are framed in such a way that both the nations’ real political goals are achieved. For carrying out an act ... ...graphs 51, no. 3: 227-242, accessed August 10, 2011, http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/13165_Chapter1.pdf. Gopen, George, and Judith Swan. â€Å"The Science of Scientific Writing.† American Scientist, November, 1990. Accessed August 10, 2011. https://www.americanscientist.org/issues/issue.aspx?id=877&y=0&no=&content=true&page=4&css=print. Strongman, L. 2011. ‘What on earth?’: Understanding ambiguity toleration in business communication. PRism 8(1): 1-14, accessed August 10, 2011, http://www.prismjournal.org/fileadmin/8_1/Strongman.pdf. Thompson, Janna. 2005. â€Å"Apology, justice and respect: a critical defence of political apology.† Paper presented at the Australian Association for Professional and Applied Ethics 12th Annual Conference, Adelaide, September 28–30. Accessed August 10, 2011. http://www.unisa.edu.au/hawkeinstitute/gig/aapae05/documents/thompson.pdf.

The starry night

The Starry night Now the darkness took over the sky and a chill ran down my body. The wispy breeze was cold too. The somber path curving up to the ghastly trivial hill, on which I walked alone. But the other side of the hill was proud with light. The path ran amidst prickly scrubs trampled by the locals. On the path were laid water drenched leaves from the shower in the afternoon. The sky was illuminated with tiny emotive objects.Under he colossal tree laid a pit of dry leaves with some streaks of gray smoke making their way through the long butted sack of heat. The starry night started with a chilled breeze blowing and fireflies rode the air current making their way through to safer grounds. I made myself comfortable on soft damp grass and lay down. A man stood on the front, barring the view. He crushed a stalk in his mouth, a Mexican poncho crowned his head, and he bore a cowboy outfit on a lean build.He had his own way, e stood tall with a silhouette marking his practical personal ity. He asked â€Å"what are you doing out here, kid? † I was bewildered and I said Just had food, ‘am chilling, you? † He kept quiet, wind blew, the leaves rattled and the light smoke hustled to get attention. The sky had a startling clout which made me contemplate the environment. In front of the long butted fire stood a rock which stood crisp and rough by the blowing air.It was midnight, an' I still lay on the velvety grass sensing a deep, amp scent of rain, a little bit of moist mud. The cynical curls of clouds ruled the skies, and the stars seemed to have been standing overpowered by the vicious clouds of rain, but as time went past the mighty clouds had been triumphed by the robust Lulus. It seemed very positive while the person by my side lay with his hat covering his cryptic and diplomatic personality. The sky was clear and the moss started to deluge on my face like god left his shower running.I felt exuberant, I unveiled my yes and witnessed the Jovial an d stunning sky and it mesmerism's me, as I gradually stood up and could not see the man. The rabbits hurried as silently as they could to get out of sight. For a moment the entire place felt dull until I the bright sunlight struck my eyes and forced me to look at it. The tedious darkness was defeated by the bright streaks of sun, the light climbed up the hill and it was five in the morning. The ‘cowboy man patted me on the back, his face blushing with an optimistic glow, like it said â€Å"let's move on†.

Emotional Intelligence - 2094 Words

The Five Competencies of Emotion Intelligence With the publication of Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence in 1995, the business world got an answer to a question that had been plaguing it for decades: â€Å"Why did some people of a high IQ struggle at managing teams while other leaders of lower IQ excel at it†? Goleman asserted that the traditional measurement of IQ (intelligence quotient) was not enough to determine a good leader. Schools and universities concentrated on developing the cognitive and analytical part of the brain, while the teaching of how the emotional side of the brain worked was ignored. Goleman defined this â€Å"emotional intelligence† of a human being as a set of competencies that distinguish how one manages†¦show more content†¦Few workers would want to follow a passionless leader. However, if that same passion blinds the decision making process to the point of failure, than passion obviously went from good to bad. As excess anger can be one of the most destruct ive of all emotions, Goleman spends a good deal of time speaking to it. He quotes Benjamin Franklin: â€Å"Anger is never without a reason, but seldom a good one†. He speaks to the folly of trying to prevent anger and focuses on techniques to diffuse it before it becomes personally or career damaging. Anger in a business setting can cause one to act inappropriately or unwisely by blowing an incident out of proportion and possibly irrevocably damaging a career. Learning that at any moment we have the ability to consciously control our anger is empowering but not that easy to accomplish. Goleman asserts the body’s chemical reaction to stressful situations, relating back to our ancient ancestors, is the reason for this difficulty. The introduction of hormones into the body is not a gradual elevation, but a quick release relating back to our basic fight or flight response to environmental dangers. Every day, hormones are incrementally released into the body with each passing taxing stressful episode until a level is reached that triggers anger. He offers two weapons against anger outbursts. The first is method is to recognize, as early as possible, what is triggering the anger. This disruption of the angerShow MoreRelatedEmotional, Emotional And Emotional Intelligence166 6 Words   |  7 PagesEmotional intelligence is ‘the ability to perceive emotions, to access and generate emotions so as to assist thought, to understand emotions and emotional knowledge, and to reflectively regulate emotions so as to promote emotional and intellectual growth’ (Mayer Salovey, 1997). Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand, accept and recognize our own emotions and feelings, including their impact on ourselves and other people and to use this knowledge to improve our own behaviours as wellRead MoreEmotional Intelligence: Emotional Intelligence Essay1344 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is Emotional Intelligence: Emotional Intelligence, or EI, is defined as the ability or capacity to perceive, assess, and manage the emotions of ones self, and of others.ï ¿ ½ Arriving at the Emotional Quotient is the standard means of measuring the Emotional Intelligence of an individual. | The importance of EQ in the workplace: In recent times behavioral scientists around the world have arrived at the conclusion that IQ alone is not the primary factor that leads to better performing managersRead MoreEmotional Intelligence. I View Emotional Intelligence As1238 Words   |  5 PagesEmotional Intelligence I view Emotional intelligence as being able to keep my emotions in check, making sure they are appropriate, and that I am handling situations in the best emotional manner possible. Our emotional intelligence or lack there of, can significantly impact our future work relationships, and personal relationships. How we emotionally interpret information we are given and then process it for each situation we face is totally up to us. I encountered a situation last semester thatRead MoreEmotional Intelligence3151 Words   |  13 PagesEmotional Intelligence? Organizational Behavior Tamara Ramsey August 12, 2012 Abstract This paper examines how emotional intelligence and cognitive intelligence are associated with academic success and job performance. Emotional intelligence continues to pick up momentum in the world of business and academia. More and more research supports the concept that emotionally intelligent employees, managers, leaders, and companies produce noticeable business results. Employers are now lookingRead MoreEmotional Intelligence1914 Words   |  8 PagesEMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE `ABSTRACT Emotional Intelligence is a way of recognizing, understanding, and choosing how we think, feel, and act. It shapes our interactions with others and our understanding of ourselves. It defines how and what we learn; it allows us to set priorities; it determines the majority of our daily actions. Research suggests it is responsible for as much as 80% of the success in our lives. The Effective leader requires a high degree of Emotional Intelligence. In this studyRead MoreEmotional Intelligence15079 Words   |  61 PagesAn investigation of the employee perceptions on the relationship between employee job satisfaction and the leader’s emotional intelligence among the workers of Eskom in Alice Town 1 INTRODUCTION For organisations to survive in today’s changing world they should maintain their competitive advantage through the use of the whole workforce. In order for the change to take place, the employees, and the leaders should be adaptive to the environment, effective working and the continuous improvement ofRead MoreEmotional Intelligence7706 Words   |  31 PagesESSAY No. 19: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE This assessment pertains to my personal emotional intelligence. This assessment aims to examine the four dimensions of my emotional ability and capacity based on Tapia’s emotional intelligence inventory chart. This assessment also aims to pinpoint the strong and weak points of my personal emotional behaviors especially in my daily encounter with the people inside and outside my organization. Based on the chart my scores for the four emotional dimensions are:Read MoreEmotional Intelligence And Physical Intelligence1655 Words   |  7 PagesEmotional Intelligence 2.0 In today’s society, there is a lot of emphasis placed on getting along with others. When working in a healthcare environment, this is especially important. We must be able to work well with a wide variety of personalities. Whether dealing with a difficult patient, a hostile coworker or handling our own emotions, it is necessary to be able to keep our own thoughts and emotions in check in order to have successful outcomes. I have decided to learn more about EmotionalRead MoreEmotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Intelligence1478 Words   |  6 Pagessituations regarding emotional intelligence. More specifically, the emotional intelligence faced between the employee and employer relationship. Emotional intelligence can be best defined as the ability to control and express one s emotions in a professional manner. In other words, emotional intelligence is the ability to communicate one s emotions in a manner that is both professional and productive. From this definition we can begin to make connections as to how emotional intelligence could cause problemsRead MoreEmotional Intelligence And Interpersonal Intelligence912 Words   |  4 PagesEmotional Intelligence Picture a world where humans could not understand each other’s feelings. It looks pretty bleak, right? Luckily, humans do have the ability to comprehend others’ facial and body expressions, emotions, and language. Since this is such a beneficial and amazing power that we hold, it has been labeled as a sort of intelligence- emotional intelligence. The ability to control and express our emotions, as well as understand, recognize, and response to others’ emotions is essential