Nature Vs Nurture Essay - 1023 Words

For centuries, criminologists and scholars alike have explored different theories to help determine what causes one to engage in deviant behavior. In this paper, I will discuss one of the longest standing criminological disputes, nature versus nurture. After describing both theories in detail, I will determine whether I believe our intelligence, behaviors, and personality traits are genetically predetermined or if they are a product of our environment and the way in which we were raised. Science has proven that certain physical characteristics, such as hair color, eye color, height, and skin tone, are undoubtedly, genetically determined. Supporters of the nature theory, also known as nativists, argue that genetics and biology influence†¦show more content†¦These and several other studies alike revealed a positive correlation between low IQ scores and deviant behavior. While supporters of the nurture theory, also known as empiricists, do not fully discount the biological bel iefs of nativists, they argue that personality and intelligence is primarily sociological. In other words, people come into this world as a tabula rasa, or blank slate, and environmental influences and socialization are the most important factors in determining who we are and how we behave (Crossman, 2016). Nativists discredit the notion that people commit crimes because they have low IQs. Instead, they believe that environmental stimulation from parents, relatives, social contacts, schools, peer groups, and innumerable others create a child’s IQ level and that low IQs result from an environment that also encourages delinquent and criminal behavior (Siegel, 2018). Put simply, low IQ scores reflect a criminal’s cultural background, not their mental capacity. Examples of the empiricist perspective include John Bowlby s Theory of Attachment and Albert Bandura s Social Learning Theory. Bowlby’s theory suggests that children come into the world biologically pre-progr ammed to form attachments with others (McLeod, 2007). In his 1944 study on juvenile delinquents, he concluded that maternal separation early on in a child’s life causes permanent emotional damage. TheShow MoreRelatedNature vs. nurture Essay1322 Words   |  6 PagesNature vs. Nurture It is a matter of concern whether human behaviors and characteristics are determined by nature or nurture. If a person’s behavior is inherited directly from the genes of his/her parents or other biological factors, then it is the nature that determines his character. But if the environment that a person grew up in, affects his behavior, then it is the nurture that determines his/her character. It became a great matter of controversy among scientists, psychologists and sociologistsRead MoreNature Vs. Nurture Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesNature vs. Nurture Essay Throughout many years, scientists have been debating about whether nature or nurture is the driving force that shapes a person’s cognitive abilities and personal traits. Before the ongoing debate can be explained, it is necessary to understand what nature and nurture actually are. Nature is loosely defined as the genetics one inherits and tendencies that influence development. Many things in an individual are hereditary, for instance; gender, disease, height, eye color,Read More Nature vs Nurture Essay804 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture In his book, the universally acclaimed and bestseller The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins presents his viewpoint that living organisms are but survival machines, that the individual [is a] selfish machine, programmed to do whatever is best for its gene as a whole. In fact, this is the central concept in his book that he brings across. An individuals behaviour and actions are 100% determined by its genes and the individual behaves in accordance to ensure the best persistenceRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay1585 Words   |  7 Pages Nature or Nurture? The Determination of Human Behaviour The nature versus nurture debate has spanned over decades, and is becoming more heated in the recent years. Following the mapping of the human genome, scientists are pursuing the possibility of controlling human behaviour such as homicidal tendencies or insanity through the manipulation of genes. Is this possible for us to ensure that humans behave in certain ways under certain circumstances in future? This is highly doubtful, as the determinationRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay570 Words   |  3 Pages Nature vs Nurture The issues pitting nature against nurture are exceptionally significant for the gamut of discoveries that attribute an increasing proportion of traits and behaviours to ones genetic makeup. The resulting variety of physical shortcomings and limitations in each person has, for centuries, been countered by endeavours to improve or interfere where necessary, and every individual is consequently the product of a delicate middle path of balance between the two. The importanceRead MoreNature vs. Nurture Essay794 Words   |  4 Pages Nature vs. Nurturenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Through time, psychologists have argued over whether only our genes control our behaviors in life or if the environment and the people surrounding us have any effect in our lives. This is called nature versus nurture. We do not know what dictates our behavior, or if it is a combination of both. One question is, if genes control our behavior, are we really responsible for our actions? I think that if we can make choicesRead MoreNature Vs Nurture Essay882 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture The discussion about nature and nurture can be considered one of the oldest problems in psychology, the main question of which is: Are human traits present at birth or are they developing through experience? (Meyers, 2013). The natural side of the discussion asserts that the facial features and the way of their development strictly through DNA and genetics are transmitted by parents and grandparents. The nurture side of the debate argues that we are born with a clean list andRead MoreNature vs. Nurture Essay1250 Words   |  5 PagesNature vs Nurture   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the past five weeks we have studied three different but influential people in our perspective on human nature class. They are Freud, Plato and Tzu. The main discussion between all of them is nature versus nurture. I will discuss the difference between nature and nurture and then I’ll apply to each of these philosophers and how they react to it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When looked up in the dictionary the term nature means the universe and its phenomena or one’s own character and temperamentRead More Nature vs Nurture Essay778 Words   |  4 PagesNature vs Nurture Most of us have an intuition that, although our genes provide advantages and constraints, we retain great control over our lives. However, we are developing a second, competing intuition that, like it or not, our genes determine our abilities, our preferences, and our emotions. We would like to think we are much more than the sum of our genes, but scientists have apparently demonstrated that our genes determine some of our most complex behavioral and cognitive characteristicsRead MoreEssay on Nature vs Nurture1052 Words   |  5 PagesNature vs. Nurture M. B. Liberty University Psychology 101 Nature vs. Nurture There has been extensive debate between scholars in the field of psychology surrounding the Nature vs. Nurture issue. Both nature and nurture determine who we are and neither is solely independent of the other. â€Å"As the area of a rectangle is determined by its length and its width, so do biology and experience together create us.†(Myers, 2008, p. 8) Carl Gustav Jung, and leading thinker and creator of analytical

A Theoretical Perspective On Organisational Socialisation

Introduction Individuals spend their lives trying to fit in. Fit into their family roles, fit into their circle of friends and fit into their workplaces. Being a part of a group, a team or an organisations provides a sense of comfort and belonging. Furthermore, it instills confidence to carry out respective roles efficiently. The process by which individuals incorporate themselves into society and into organisations is defined as socialisation (Jablin 2001). Socialisation theories usually focus on paid workers and their experiences within an organisation (Miller 2012). What they fail to consider is that volunteers within an organisation are also equally important and in need of the same guidance and knowledge that paid workers are provided with. Kramer (2010) brings volunteers to the forefront stating that volunteers are an equal asset to an organisation, especially in the Non-profit sector. The purpose of this research is to explore the process of socialisation among volunteers in a Non-profit organisation. The paper will provide a theoretical perspective on Organisational Socialisation in terms of its definition and its process. It will then examine how a particular volunteer socialisation process is applicable in the case of a unique project conducted by a Non-profit organisation. Background The International Society is a Non-profit organisation in Manchester that supports international students in enhancing their experience while studying in the United Kingdom. ItShow MoreRelatedHr Strategy Competitive Advantage3921 Words   |  16 Pagesadvantage. Critically analyse this statement using one or more theoretical perspectives that explain the link between strategic HRM and performance outcomes.† Abstract The focus of this paper is on the relationship between Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and organisational performance outcomes, specifically sustained competitive advantage. Using the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm as an underpinning theoretical framework, this paper examines several components of StrategicRead MoreOrganisational Culture And Organizational Culture2261 Words   |  10 PagesThroughout this essay organisational culture will be examined, including the two approaches mainstream and critical. What managers can do to shape culture and also an example of when culture has in fact been changed. Organisational culture can be acknowledged as the organisations personality; which is also referred to as corporate culture. Organisational culture is defined as the process of how things are dealt with within an organisation on a daily basis, affecting the employees and how they workRead MoreThe Association Between Worker Prosperity And Authoritative Viability Essay1718 Words   |  7 Pagesintercessions in the organisation. (John P. Meyer, 2010)The employee satisfactions depends upon the happiness and working environment of an employee. The fundamental point is that the representative prosperity absolutely relates with emotions, perspectives and impression of the worker about their work and their firm. On the off chance that the worker is content with their occupation and their executive means they get the correct admiration about their position than just the representative can giveRead MoreHuman Relation vs Human Resources4513 Words   |  19 Pagesimplications which each strat egy has for issues of socialisation and performance control. Which of these theories appears to be most consistent with the behaviour of contemporary managers? There are so many fallacies for instance the term of ‘human relations’ and ‘human resources’ where the contemporary organisation unseen the differences between this two approaches. Both human relations and human resources manager might use the same kind of organisational behaviour but for very different reasons (MillerRead MoreEssay on Compare and Contrast Criminological Theories3231 Words   |  13 PagesNature From Classicisms perspective, individuals are free and rational thinkers, but are ultimately governed by self-interest (Young, 1981). This voluntaristic outlook considers men equal in terms of free-will and the ability to reason; nevertheless some of the population are seen as pre-rational or sub-rational. Nevertheless, the central contradiction between formal and substantive equality plays a key role, not just classicism, but in many theoretical perspectives, as it does not depict whyRead MoreCritical Evaluation of the Benefits and Limitations of Using Ict in Knowledge Management Processes2357 Words   |  10 Pagesitself is created through the conversion between tacit and explicit knowledge, through the processes of socialisation, internalisation, externalisation, and combination. Technology has often been used to facilitate and support the processes involved in knowledge management. Knowledge management is essential for sustaining the growth of an organisation and ensuring its su ccess. From the perspective of investors, the worth or value of an organisation is as a result of its ability to strategically retainRead MorePerformance Management Effectiveness: Lessons from Worldleading Firms9948 Words   |  40 Pagesperformance measurement; senior management involvement; training Introduction Performance management refers to a range of activities engaged in by organisations to enhance the performance of individuals and units, with the ultimate purpose of improving organisational effectiveness (DeNisi 2000). Activities that ï ¬ t within this deï ¬ nition are, for example, the setting of corporate, departmental, team, and individual objectives, and the use of appraisal systems, reward strategies, training schemes and individualRead MoreFamily7546 Words   |  31 Pagesthese images reinforce the dominant ideology of the traditional nuclear family. Functionalists Roles of the Family – Parsons The Functionalist Talcott Parsons sees two main functions that the family performs these are: †¢ The primary socialisation of children Parson argues that every individual must internalise the norms and values of society. He said it is the family that moulds the child’s personality to fit the needs of society, producing children who are committed to shared normsRead MoreHealth: Sociology and Social Care9095 Words   |  37 Pagesage, sex, sexuality, ethnicity, gender, education, social class Legislation, charters and codes of practice: national, European, United Nations (UN) as appropriate eg equality, diversity, discrimination, confidentiality and sharing information Organisational systems and policies: information, documents, systems, structures, procedures, practices Good practice: in accordance with practice and service standards, challenging discrimination, ethics, values, ensuring dignity and rights; data protectionRead MoreManagement and Mcd2040 Managing People6266 Words   |  26 Pagesobjectives When you have completed this unit, you are expected to be able to: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ define management and summarise the evolution of management ideas on how managers may influence, people, organisations and their contexts to achieve organisational goals. This includes an awareness of the cultural contexts of the original source and the development and contemporary application of management theory and practice. identify and discuss contextual factors in the organisation s environment that

The Setting of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay

â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† – the Setting Clarice Swisher in â€Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne: a Biography† states that â€Å"critics of Nathaniel Hawthorne must deal with . . . imagery of light and dark† (13). There are more dimensions to Hawthorne’s setting in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† than light and dark, but these aspects do play a part. It is the purpose of this essay to explore the elements in the setting in this short story: the general locale, the historical time, the social circumstances in which the action occur, and various physical settings in the tale (Abrams 284). The tale opens at Goodman and Faith Brown’s house in Salem village, a small town in Massachusetts. Regarding the dating of the story: â€Å"Since three Salem women†¦show more content†¦The fellow-traveller’s staff â€Å"bore the likeness of a great black snake, so curiously wrought, that it might almost be seen to twist and wriggle itself like a living serpent.† Bringing a large black snake into the physical setting is indeed one way to dramatically ratchet-up the tension and the foreboding of ill. In this passage the narrator identifies the traveller with the snake: Sayest thou so? replied he of the serpent, smiling apart.† In turn, the traveller identifies the forbears of Goodman with part of the physical setting, namely the path through the woods: Well said, Goodman Brown! I have been as well acquainted with your family as with ever a one among the Puritans; and thats no trifle to say. I helped your grandfather, the constable, when he lashed the Quaker woman so smartly through the streets of Salem. And it was I that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philips War. They were my good friends, both; and many aShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Setting of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1660 Words   |  7 PagesThe Setting of â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†      Ã‚   This essay will examine the main physical settings within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† These are four in number and begin and end in the village of Salem. The tale opens at Goodman and Faith Brown’s house, in the doorway where the protagonist is telling his wife goodbye, and where she is trying to dissuade him from his planned adventure on this particular night. Most of the elements in this setting are positive, brightRead More The Powerful Settings of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay1688 Words   |  7 PagesThe Powerful Settings of Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown Setting can be a powerful literary device, and Nathaniel Hawthorne wields it to great effect. There are four major settings in Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† and they all take place in Salem. This essay is an examination of those settings and their effects. The tale opens in a doorway as the reader is presented with two lovers saying goodbye. The two lovers are Goodman Brown, who is eager to leave for his adventure; and his wifeRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Young Goodman Brown And The Devil And Tom Walker 1219 Words   |  5 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving are two of the most prolific and successful writers of their era. Hawthorne’s, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is a story about a man, Goodman Brown who happens to set out on a trip for an evil purpose. On the way he meets a man who offers him his staff, saying that it might help him walk faster, but Goodman Brown refuses and wishes to return back to his village for the sake of his wife, Faith. On the other hand, Irving’s, â€Å"The Devil and Tom Walker† is about an individualRead MoreFiction Essay - Young Goodman Brown and the Lottery1051 Words   |  5 Pagesand Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† reveals that different li terary elements, such as tone and setting, are used to convey the characters’ arrival at dark, sinister places. II. INTRODUCTION III. SHIRLEY JACKSON’S â€Å"THE LOTTERY† A. Setting the tone: Peaceful and relaxing B. Irony: Even though the mood is relaxing, there is a premonition of something bad to come C. Ending: The ending is implied IV. NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE’S â€Å"YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN† D. Setting theRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown and The Fall of the House of Usher964 Words   |  4 PagesWhile reading â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I couldn’t help but feel a constant overwhelming sense of dread. The root of this could have come from the story’s dark setting deep within an â€Å"haunted forest† or from Brown’s mysterious â€Å"Devil†-esque companion. While I read, another story came into my mind; the story of the â€Å"Fall of the House of Usher† by Edgar Allan Poe. In Poe’s tale the same heart pounding emotion can be felt as he describes the reunion of two friends within â€Å"the HouseRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne865 Words   |  4 Pagesequally, if not more, serpent-like staff carrying dark companion. This respectable man is Young Goodman Brown, as portrayed in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†. The forest is only a sm all part of the setting, as this also takes place in a village in Salem Massachusetts and surrounding area the year 1692. The mood is heavy with superstition, confusion, doubt, betrayal, and shallowness. Goodman Brown sets the exposition as he parts with his sweet, pink-capped wife, Faith, to leave atRead MoreNathaniel Hawthornes Literature During Early America1560 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthornes literature exhibits the influence of many factors. Much of his literature addresses Puritan culture in early America, commonly focusing on the shortcomings and hypocrisies that became apparent during the numerous witch hunts. Many of his works are allegorical, using the Puritan setting to portray his own ideas about ancestry, history, and religion. While The Scarlet Letter and House of the Seven Gables are among Hawthornes most known works, he produced a large sum of workRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown from a Moral Standpoint1352 Words   |  6 PagesHawthorne discovered that h is ancestors were founders and Puritan leaders of the Salem witch trials. Shortly after this tragic finding, he wrote â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† a tale that is considered one of the greatest in American literature. Analyzing Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work from a moral perspective can help illuminate his short story: â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.† Hawthorne was both prideful and embarrassed in the actions of his ancestors. According to Jacqueline Shoemaker, Hawthorne felt pride in seeingRead MoreAnalysis Of Hawthorne s The Man s Fall 1438 Words   |  6 PagesCalvinistic, and ancient beliefs that form the basis of Hawthorne’s work (Hawthorne 392). Besides, the researcher notes that Hawthorne’s life is authentic although fictional. There is a psychological aspect of the story in that the man’s fall is unavoidable. The narration contains metaphoric and literal journey of the newlywed male character. However, he is making the treacherous journey with the devil himself therefore creating a spiritual crisis. Goodman Brown’s decision is ambiguous to his audience becauseRead MoreThe Brown s A Forest, And The Devil !1742 Words   |  7 PagesThe Brown’s, A Forest, and The Devil! Oh My Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† tells a tale of when man, who is supposedly good in nature, faces temptation and evil head on. The story, much like the tale of Adam Eve, is an allegory for the evil and selfishness of mankind; for young Goodman Brown s fight with his inner temptations and his outward struggle with the devil himself represents mankind s lost encounter within the battle of good and evil. Though it is not clear whether the events in

Womens Repression in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin...

Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour is a great story that conveys an important message about life and how difficult it can be for women, particularly in previous centuries. Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, when this story was written, women were quite often mistreated and had to live restricted lives that lacked opportunity. Generally, women weren?t liberated during the 19th century. Traditionally, women did all the hard work in the house and had no opportunities to make their own living or pursue their own personal dreams. Kate Chopin does an outstanding job of portraying a woman living in these times. The Story of an Hour is a good depiction of the unspoken repression that women faced in the past. Kate Chopins major theme of the†¦show more content†¦(654) It is quite apparent that Mrs. Mallard was struggling to fight back certain feelings about her husband?s supposed death. Although she is at first sad, she slowly begins to realize that the death of her husband can me an a number of great things for her. As the story progresses Mrs. Mallard eventually solves her internal conflict by accepting her husband?s death as a gift. Chopin also uses foreshadowing as a tool to describe to the reader what ?The Story of an Hour? truly represents. The most vivid example of foreshadowing is at the beginning of the story, where Chopin wrote, ?Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband?s death?(653). The reader is given a large clue that Mrs. Mallard has heart trouble which is a slight foreshadowing of her impending death at the end of the story. Chopin uses hints throughout the story that foreshadow upcoming events, but each hint is deceptive and often hard to comprehend at first sight, adding a bit of mystery to the story. The symbols in ?The Story of an Hour? are very important to the overall theme of the story itself. Chopin uses symbols such as freedom repetit ively to emphasize the theme of repression. When Chopin wrote, ?Free, free, free? it was an indication that up until that certain point, Mrs. Mallard had not been free (654). She hadShow MoreRelatedFemale Repression of the 19th Century as Seen Thru the Two Stories: the Necklace and the Story of an Hour652 Words   |  3 Pageswhen literary writers started to expose this female repression. Guy de Maupassant and Kate Chopin clearly express definitive examples of female repression in their stories, The Necklace and The Story of an Hour. During this time period, women’s role in society was that of a submissive, powerless position. They often relied solely on their husband for direction, allowing the husband to make decisions and take lead no matter what. In the story of The Necklace, Maupassant illustrates these submissiveRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin862 Words   |  4 PagesFiction Analysis: The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin’s short story, â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, is about one married woman’s true hidden feelings of being married in the 19th century. The story was published in 1894, a time where it was unacceptable for women to express their wants and needs as a woman. Women were not seen equal to men and did not have the same privileges as men such as voting. Therefore, some of her literary works were considered controversial. It wasn’t soon until the late 20 centuryRead MoreThe Story of an Hour Essay860 Words   |  4 PagesThe Story of an Hour By Kate Chopin The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin describes the thoughts and feelings that are depicted in a single hour of the life of Louise Mallard after hearing that her husband has been killed in a railroad accident. As the story begins we are told that Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with a heart condition so the news of her husbands death is broken to her gently by her sister. Mrs. Mallards initial reaction, upon hearing of her husbands deathRead MoreEssay on Marriage According to Kate Chopin868 Words   |  4 Pages Kate Chopin is an experienced short story writer from the beginning of the 1900s, who was ahead of her time due to her amazing ability to take such complex characters that are easy to identify with and create amazing short stories in such a small amount of space. Marriage is a common theme in her stories, because a wife was a defining role in womens lives back then. The only thing is, marriage is not always shown to be flowery and romantic like writings before her. She looked at the painfullyRead More The Story of an Hour Essay example846 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"The Story of an Hour† By Kate Chopin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Story of an Hour† by Kate Chopin describes the thoughts and feelings that are depicted in a single hour of the life of Louise Mallard after hearing that her husband has been killed in a railroad accident. As the story begins we are told that Mrs. Mallard is afflicted with a heart condition so the news of her husband’s death is broken to her gently by her sister. Mrs. Mallard’s initial reaction, upon hearing of her husband’sRead MoreNurse2025 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å" Common Themes Found in Kate Chopins Short Stories Kimberley J. Dorsey Stevenson University English 152, Writing About Literature 152-OME1 Charlotte Wulf November 14, 2010 Abstract Many of Kate Chopin’s short stories share the common themes of female oppression. The females in her stories are trying to find a way to escape their oppression and have a sense freedom and individuality. TheyRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1248 Words   |  5 PagesThe Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, is a protofeminist short story that contains emotional twists and turns of irony and tragedy in just an hour. Kate Chopin displays the dynamic between men and women in relationships during the nineteenth century as this story was written in 1894. The story begins with the main protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, who is introduced to us by the heart problem she has. Her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend Richards, are with Mrs. Mallard to inform her with cautionRead MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1137 Words   |  5 Pages Antonio Anteola Professor Sophia Funk Enc1102 / 869023 3 September 2015 An Analysis On The Story of an Hour In the story of an hour, Kate Chopin has depicted a tone amongst many wives of the late nineteenth century. Women, by this time, were very far from the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution or the â€Å"Women’s Suffrage Movement.† What this explains is that women of this era are still being undermined by society, neither unequal nor independent from that of the voice of the masculine genderRead MoreStory Of An Hour Critical Analysis1123 Words   |  5 Pagesallotment of resources. Kate Chopin was a feminist author who, composing a plethora of short stories, poems, and novels, played a large role in revolutionizing how society views and treats women in relation to men. Although she did not live to experience women’s suffrage or many of the other laws that protect women’s rights today, her role in realizing them was invaluable (Harris 461). When viewed through a feminist lens, one of Chopin’s most famous short stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour ,† provides insightRead More Comparison of Kate Chopins Story of an Hour and William Faulkners A Rose for Emily1437 Words   |  6 Pagescitizens. The Napoleonic Code stated that women were controlled by their husbands and cannot freely do their own will without the authority of their husband. This paper shows how this is evident in the Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. In both stories, the use of literary elements such as foreshadowing, symbolism, and significant meaning of the titles are essential in bringing the reader to an unexpected and ironic conclusion. The background of both

How Organizations Can Learn from Failure free essay sample

Even though there is a no precise definition for failure in organizations, there is a general agreement to what failure means and could lead to. Failure is broadly defined as a condition of not meeting the intended objective or end. Failure could result in the depletion of finance, shrinking market, exit from the market, loss of market share, project failure and loss of legitimacy. We can assume that failure has negative consequences even though the final outcome may be positive, with firms learning from failure. Understanding the need for learning from failure is unquestionable; however it is tough for organizations to put this into practice. It is crucial that organizations understand failure and think about it in the right way before they can go about implementing procedures to prevent such failures from happening in the future. Learning from failure involves understanding that failure is not always bad and that learning from failure is no straightforward task. An organization cannot simply reflect on what they did wrong and expect to not make the same mistakes again. Organizations have to understand about the different degrees of failure which occur on a scale ranging from blameworthy to praiseworthy. They fall into three broad categories which are 1, failures which occur in predictable operations which could be prevented. 2, unavoidable failures which occur in complex organizations which can be managed to prevent snowballing. 3, unwanted outcomes†¦. To learn from failure, we require different strategies for each setting. It is key to detect them early, analyze failures with depth, develop hypothesis, experiments and projects to product them. In order to minimize failure employees first have to feel safe to report these failures. In the article titled strategies for learning from failure the author Amy C. Edmondson talks about http://hbr. org/2011/04/strategies-for-learning-from-failure/ar/1 First the organization has to go about understanding failure in the right way as well as all the possible side†¦ Important for managers to think about failure in the right way. Failure is not always bad. It is sometimes bad and sometimes inevitable and sometimes good. Learning from failure is not a straightforward task. The attitudes and activities required to effectively detect and analyze failures are in short supply in most companies and the need for context-specific learning strategies is underappreciated.? Organizations need new and better ways to go beyond lessons which are superficial( procedures which weren’t followed) or self serving ( The market just wasn’t ready for our great new product) That means jettisoning old cultural beliefs and stereotypical notions. The blame game? A spectrum of reasons for failure? http://www. uk. sagepub. com/upm-data/10989_Chapter_9. pdf Failing to learn from failure reasons? -Simply experiencing a negative event is not sufficient for learning. Learning can be a complicated process, the acquisition of knowledge and the shifts in behavior must occur at all levels of a highly complex system. â€Å"Bazerman and Watkins (2004) contend that, when organizations fail to learn failures, they become susceptible to predictable surprises. What is the difference between predictable and unpredictable surprises? Predictable surprises occur when an organization leadership ignores or fails to understand clear evidence that a potentially devastating problem to occur. There are different sort of failures and not all failures are created equally. Bazerman and Watkins( 2004) identify four ways in which organizations fail to learn from failures that occur around them: Scanning Failures: failure to pay close attention to potential problems both inside and outside the organization; this failure could be due to arrogance, a lack of resources, or simple inattentions? Intergration failures: failure to understand how pieces of potentially complicated information fit together to provide lessons of how to avoid crises. 3. Incentive Failures: failure to provide sufficient rewards to people who report problems and take actions to avoid possible crises 4. Learning Failures: failure to draw important lessons from crises and preserve their memory in the organization Organizations who face these failures potentially could damage their organizational integrity. Eg Mitroff and Anagnos 2001, Managing Crises before they happen: what every manager needs to know about crisis management. 1982, Johnson and Johnson could respond to an external crisis with their product being linked to cyanide poisoning and thus the company responded quickly by pulling their stock of capsules from the shelves and having great PR work. J and J knew how to handle their PR well and their product managed to get back to the top seller. J and J however became a victim of its previous succ ess and had not done well with ‘Predictable surprises’ where crises occurred within the company. J and J had failed to do proper product scanning and had been a different sort of failure. failure of a different type? Failure of Success. Problem 1 and 4. Learning from failure: Sitkin 1996- Mittelstaedt (2005) Failure is an essential part of learning for many organizations. Failures, should not be hidden or avoided. Making mistakes is essential to success, a company which appears to be free from disruption may be operating unrealistically and from a uniformed perspective. â€Å"learning to identify mistakes analytically and timely is the difference between failure and success. † Too often employees and managers are unwilling to admit small failures for fear of reprisal. The unwillingness to recognize and embrace failure is also a failure to recognize and respond to potential crises. The longer these small crises build up the higher likelihood it could escalate into a major crisis. In successful organizations, failure creates recognition of risk and a motivation for change that would not exist otherwise. Describes this recognition as a â€Å"learning readiness† without failure, very difficult to produce in most organizations. Sitkin cautions that not all failures are equally effective in fostering good risk management. Organizations learn best from intelligent failures, which have these characteristics, result from planned actions, uncertain outcomes, modest in scale, and take place in domains that are familiar enough to permit effective learning. Organizations need to recognize risks by accepting and acting on failures. Learn the best when failure results from competent actions, not major crises. Still within the comfort zone and employees are eager and experienced enough to respond. These opportunities arise: Vicarious Learning – learning that occurs as a function of observing, retaining and replicating behavior observed in others. Organizations need not fail as an entity in order to learn. Successful organizations engage in vicarious learning in order to recognize risk, organizational leaders observe the failures or crises experienced by similar organizations and take action to avoid making the same mistakes. Examples of Vicarious Learning- Give!!! Organizational memory: Without learning from their own and other’s mistakes organizations stagnate and fail to respond to potential threats in an ever-changing world. Learning has no use if the knowledge is not retained. An example of failure in organizational memory is the Union carbide plant in Bhopal, India in 1984. Early in December morning, the plant leaked a deadly cloud of gas that settled over part of the sleeping city of a million residents. Within two hours 2000 of them were dead with thousands left injured? Part of the reason for the disaster was a loss in organizational memory. The plant had been slated for closure and many experienced staff had been transferred out, leaving minimal crew with little work experience, with the training for remaining crew at a minimum. The crisis was traced to staff reductions and oversight failures. Much of the blame for the tragedy rests with a rapid reduction in experienced staff that took with them a large share of organizational memory. Organizational memory comprises of, a) Acquiring knowledge, done by recognizing failures within the organization and by observing failures of similar organizations. b) Distributing knowledge is the key to organizational memory. Highly experienced employees will leave the organization and these people should be given an opportunity to share their knowledge around or those departing personnel will go along with their experience. ) Acting upon knowledge, is important for organizational memory to serve an organization. New employees need to learn from those departing ones.! New employees cannot do things their own way or else it will lead to repeat failures†¦.!!!! Employees have many opportunities to discard the hard-earned knowledge. Because organizational memory depends on exchanging information from one person to another perception change , mistreatment and stubbornness to learn can disrupt preserving organizational memory. Organizations need to learn and build from previous experiences. Unlearning: Effective organizational learning depends on an organizations ability to unlearn practices and policies that have become outdated by environmental changes. Example of Unlearning 1. Expanding Options: When organizations are unwilling to forego routine procedures during crisis or potential crisis situations, they lose the capacity to react to unique circumstances. Unlearning enables the organization to expand its options. 2. Contracting Options: In some cases, organizations may respond to a crisis with a strategy that has worked well in the past. In the current situation, however, the strategy from the past may actually make matters worse. In such cases, organizations must be willing to reject some strategies in favor of others. 3. Grafting: In the previous section, we discussed the need for organizations to hand down existing knowledge to new employees. If the socialization of new employees is so intense that they cannot bring new knowledge to the organization, however, the organization is doing itself a disservice. Although organizational memory is essential, some degree of unlearning Opportunity 1: Organizations should treat failure as an opportunity to recognize a potential crisis or to prevent a similar crisis in the future. Opportunity 2: Organizations can avoid crises by learning from the failures and crises of other organizations. Opportunity 3: Organizational training and planning should emphasize the preservation of previous learning in order to make organizational memory a priority. Opportunity 4: Organizations must be willing to unlearn outdated or ineffective procedures if they are to learn better crisis management strategies Bazerman, M. H. amp; Watkins, M. D. (2004). Predictable surprises: The disasters you should have seen coming and how to prevent them. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Huber, G. P. (1996). Organizational learning: The contributing processes and the literatures. In M. D. Cohen amp; L. S. Sproull (Eds. ), Organizational learning (pp. 124-162). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Mitroff, I. I. , amp; Anagnos, G. (2001). Managing crises bef ore they happen: What every executive and manager needs to know about crisis management. New York: AMACOM. Mittelstaedt, R. E. (2005). Will your next mistake be fatal? Avoiding the chain of mistakes that can destroy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Wharton. Sitkin, S. B. (1996). Learning through failure: The strategy of small losses. In M. D. Cohen amp; L. S. Sproull (Eds. ), Organizational learning (pp. 541-578). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Tompkins, P. K. (2005). Apollo, Challenger, Columbia: The decline of the space program. Los Angeles: Roxbury. Organizations who face these failures potentially could damage their organizational integrity. It is important for an organization to identify these failures and act on them while the company is still in operation. Having a crisis management team to prepare, respond and recover from a crisis is paramount in ensuring that the organization recovers and continues. Preparation must happen before a crisis occurs. In times of crisis, organizations need to systematically analyze its errors, acknowledge the errors and limits of the organization as well as address the issue with a level of sophistication. When an organization continually fails to differentiate and neglect crisis and failures it could lead to detrimental problems for the organization. Failure/ Crisis Management Case Study 1 A hypothetical example would be the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (BP oil spill) that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico from 20 April 2010 to 15 July 2010. The estimated 185 million barrels of oil first made landfall in Louisiana. By June 2010, the tar balls and oil mousse had reached the shores of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. By August, it had smeared tourist beaches, washed onto the shorelines of sleepy coastal communities, oozed into the marshy bays that fishermen have worked for generations as well as killed millions of wildlife in the process. Instead of dealing with the failure in a professional way, BP inadvertently created a PR situation synonymous with herding cats. It’s had to fight to clear up two quagmires – its oil mess and its tarnished image. (Please Refer to Appendix- New York Times, Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill) In times of crisis or failure, it is important for an organization to understand the need for a comprehensive risk analysis. Should the failure be environmentally or socially threatening, impressions demonstrations of empathy and competence are vital. BP was not prepared to successfully deal with such a catastrophe. To minimize the damage, BP should have immediately accomplished five tasks: 1. Issue regular, frequent progress reports 2. Control the pictures (even some on the Web site appeared to be canned or generic) 3. Transparency 4. Display empathy as a concerned corporate entity comprised of authentic people diligently making a good-faith effort to solve the problem Failure/ Crisis Management Case Study 2 Failure, if properly attended to and rectified is a great plus. It gives the much needed confidence to the public, client or stakeholders in the product and organization. Furthermore, with proper management, the organization will be able to assess its capacity to deal with the systemic and circumstantial deficiencies leading to failures and work out a way forward. A great example would be the Johnson and Johnson Tylenol poisoning crisis in 1982. When the Tylenol scare occurred, Johnson and Johnson responded immediately and positively, taking the analgesic off the shelves, keeping the public apprised of the investigation, and their instituting new tamper-proof seals to make their product more secure. An organization needs to be upfront and out front with their communication about the situation and what they are doing to correct it and protect the public. The organization has to keep the public’s best interests at heart when communicating the issue effectively, clearly, accurately, and promptly upon discovering the problem. Having a crisis management plan in place before a crisis occurs puts an organization in a solid position to handle it more effectively and responsibly. Detecting failure, analyising failure, promoting experiementation? Deviance Inattention Lack of Ability Process Inadequacy Task Challenge Process Complexity Uncertainty Hypothesis Testing Exploratory Testing Blameworthy Praiseworthy Violating a prescribed practice or process by choice Straying away from specifications Does not possess the necessary qualifications or skills for the task Adhering to a prescribed but faulty or incomplete task Task too difficult to be executed reliably each time Process comprises of element breaks when encountering interactions Lack of clarity causes actions which seem reasonable but produces undesired results An experiment to prove and idea, fails Experiment to increase knowledge and understand possibilities leads to an unwanted result

Personal Struggle Depression free essay sample

I really wish I hadn’t given into what my mom said, maybe I didn’t know who she was and why she said that, but it hurt. I remember walking down the stairs from my old house in Bainbridge Island. I walked each step mindlessly and came down into the hallway and saw my mom reading something in the kitchen. She told me, â€Å"Be bright† again. I wanted to ask her what she meant by that. I thought to myself, I am bright. I wanted scream and tell her I was bright, and that I didn’t understand why she said that. I wanted to ask her if I would ever be enough to her. I thought she knew me better than anyone else in the world because she was my mom, but I was wrong. I knew deep down that I was bright but then the doubts started to arise. I started to doubt what being bright meant, and I started to think what if I’m doing everything wrong? Is there something wrong with me? This was a breaking point for me. This didn’t happen to me once, but many times. I really started to question my goodness. Unfortunately, I decided to give in to what she said, maybe she was right after all, maybe I’m not bright? I decided to change my life so it would fit her expectations. I decided to do everything differently from what I understood as being bright. I learned that words can hurt, that there is such a thing as depression, that sometimes you have to stand alone, and that there is always time to start doing things right again. I know depression is real and that it’s important to keep on trying. I never quite understood my mom and always struggled to impress her. It’s hard to talk with my mom. When I sit down and try to have a normal conversation with her it doesn’t work out. I will talk about how my day went and sometimes I feel like she’s present but not really there for me. Also if I had a fight with her, I wouldn’t express my true feelings because I was afraid of getting hurt. If I say something that she doesn’t like, she will force me to say I am wrong. So I always ended up feeling worthless and powerless. I always felt a tension between my mom and I. Every time I try to impress her by means of getting good grades, practicing piano or violin, and etc. She wouldn’t seem that satisfied. When I would ask her why she doesn’t seem so excited for me, she would say â€Å"why do I have to? Do you want me to sing your name or something every time you do something good?† I would then reply, â€Å"No that’s not what I mean, I just want you to say something more than just good job.† And then she will respond, â€Å" Okay good job, Awesome, fantastic!†, but it wasn’t from her heart. It hurts that every time I try to talk to her it always ends up like this. I wish she could be there for me emotionally but I feel like she isn’t actually there. I wish she knew that being a mother isn’t just providing food, clothes, and things like this, but providing emotionally. I long for a relationship where I can talk with my mom without any worries and that she would really be there for me. It’s always been a struggle to understand my mom and I did my best to please her and understand her. But did she do that for me? I made the worst decision in my life thinking that there would be an easy out, I decided to do everything differently from what I thought was being bright. I wanted to figure out for myself if there was something wrong with me, if the idea of what I thought was being bright was wrong. I walked out of door onto the doorsteps of my old house in Bainbridge Island, as my family was about to leave, I made a silent decision to myself to do everything opposite of what I thought was being bright. I knew that this wasn’t right but I was willing to give my whole energy and soul into this unexamined life, because what if I was wrong after all? Junior year begin as the usual, new school, making new friends, adjusting to your classes and teachers, and so on. Except there was something different about me. At first I was having a good time, ignoring my feelings and just being happy. But then I became disconnected to my feelings and my friends. I chose to look at the world differently than I did before. I chose not to be cheerful anymore but sad. I chose not to be confident but shy. I remember in English class, I forced myself to feel shy, which choked the words that were coming out of my mouth when I spoke to someone. I forced myself to pretend I didn’t know how to smile, I became awkward. But I still didn’t let go of changing because it felt so new, I didn’t know what was coming. I also hurt a friend along the way, she was an international student from Japan, she spoke good English. She was so nice and fun to be around. But our friendship didn’t last long because one day I accused her that she didn’t want to hang out with me, after she told me that she had to go to the library for an emergency. I remember thinking to myself what am I doing? But I still went along with it because I wanted to see the outcome of doing the opposite of what I thought was being bright. I tried to be friends with her afterwards, but it was hard. She didnâ €™t understand me and at that point I was suffering mentally and emotionally. I remember thinking to myself, what did I do? What have I become? I was becoming more like my mom every day. The day after realizing what I did to myself, I felt lost and I didn’t know how to handle it. I felt like I didn’t know what it was like to be happy, or how to be happy. I felt like I was present but not really there. I felt like had all these emotions at once and if I let those emotions out it would make me collapse into a ball. I was really lost. I struggled to make it out alive throughout the day, I wasn’t living it. I struggled to keep a smile on my face, words just came out as words, and was I suppose to feel after I said something? The natural emotions that came to me mindlessly were now alien to me . And I wasn’t quite sure how to produce these emotions either. I never really thought about how I should respond to something but now I did. I felt heartless. Life was dull and meaningless. I felt as though this gray cloud followed me everywhere I went, and sleep was the only escape. Later, my mom told me that I needed to see a therapist because she was sick of having to deal with me, so was I. The therapist told me I had a major depressive disorder. I was happy to be diagnosed, but was I ever going to get out of this oppression? My mom told me that she didn’t understand why I got depressed even though I tried explaining it to her, and she told me not to blame her for any of it. She didn’t even feel sorry for saying those hurtful words to me. I had no one to turn to after that. I felt alone and hopeless. I still tried to get better. I did everything I could to get better. I told myself that everything was going to be fine in the end. I tried my best efforts to live life. I tried making friends again, not sleeping as much, trying to be happy, and doing things right again. Although the effects of depression never went away, I reminded myself at least I was going the right direction. And there were many times when I wanted to give up, give up on life and everything else. I would have major melt down moments in my room. Did my mom know my pain? Still though there was something inside of me wanting to keep on going, and I did. There is going to be days where you just want to give up, but remember that life gets better. I remember the day when I felt like I could breathe again, it was great. I still struggle with depression but I always keep on trying. Sometimes in life there are going to be people who take you down, but don’t let that in, and if you do there is a way back. I will never come to understand my mom or her intentions of saying that to me, but I know someday I won’t care after all why she said that. If people hurt you, don’t let that define you. Maybe depression won’t get better, but I can at least start the long journey ahead to happiness.

Doomed Youth Essay Example For Students

Doomed Youth Essay Anthem for doomed youth is a poem by Wilfred Owen in which there is a sinister atmosphere evoked by the poets use of imagery, rhythm, alliteration, symbolism and structure. This sinister atmosphere add to my appreciation of the poem by the effectiveness of these techniques at bringing me closer to the emotions and allowing me to consider the impact of such event on real people. The poem has an ironic title, an anthem being a celebratory song whilst doomed has negative connotations of death and sadness. It is set in the trenches of World War One and compares the realities of death on the battlefield with the traditional, religious funeral service. The poem is split into two parts, first part, an eight line octet evokes the noises of battle, whilst the second part, a six line sestet, deal with the settled grief left behind after a death. Throughout Owen skilfully evokes a sinister atmosphere by using various literary techniques to suggest the cold, ominous and sinister atmosphere of a funeral. In the first line of this sonnet Owen refers to the dead soldiers as those who die as cattle, this simile introduces the idea of death and compares the deaths to those of cattle to suggest for the first time his theme that death in such circumstance is not glorious, but futile. He then further develops the sinister atmosphere by introducing the thought of a funeral, by using the word bells in the first line, this is then developed by mentioning orisons, which are prayers at a funeral, in the forth line. With the thought of a funeral firmly now in the mind of the reader, Owen goes on to compare the noises of war to the songs and prayers of the funeral service. He emphasis the cruel noise of gunfire by using the alliteration rifles rapid rattle, and further compares the sounds of battle to a service by using the metaphor The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells. The impression of these sounds of war, add to the ominous and sinister atmosphere by the clever use of alliteration to bring the sounds to life and transport the reader to the battlefield and get a sense of the horror, fear and death that lies there. The metaphor of the choir again reminds the reader of death and the atmosphere at a funeral. Owen then link this initial octet to the sestet by the symbol of a bugle, which is played both on the battlefield and at a military funeral. The focus is shifted front the battlefield to the sad shires, symbolising the homes of the soldiers where their loved ones wait. The rhythm of the poem continues reminding the reader of a slow military march carrying a coffin, with its regular beat. We are then brought to a church scene by the words candles and in the hands of boys which suggest a choir of young boys, and holy which has connations of a church. The sinister atmosphere is further developed by the pallor of girls brows which bring to thought of sweethearts pale faces at the funeral, and Owen states that their pale face will act as the funeral pall. These thoughts of a funeral and of the sad mourning of love ones focus the readers mind on the sad reality of the death of the soldiers and on the lasting effects on those left behind. This sinister atmosphere allows the reader to imaging the horrors and sounds of the battlefield, and the reality of death brought home by the analogy of a funeral. This combined with the sympathy for those left behind evoked by the second half of the poem put me in a much better position to contemplate Owens theme of the futility of the deaths of the first world war, which many believe was unnecessary. .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 , .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .postImageUrl , .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 , .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:hover , .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:visited , .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:active { border:0!important; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:active , .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031 .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u29b9280788093ed92ed421f935be6031:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Love and Divine Love EssayIn summary I found this poem very effective in conveying Wilfred Owens message of the futility of war. The skilful use of imagery and rhythm at creating the impression of a funeral added a sinister atmosphere, which was enhanced by the use of alliteration and symbolism to evoke the noises and sights of a battle. This sinister atmosphere aroused my emotions and allowed me to identify with those who needlessly suffered, and those left to mourn. This resulted in the poem having a strong impact on my and my grasp of Owens themes.

The Aviary, The Aquarium, And Eschatology Essays - Ufologists

The Aviary, the Aquarium, and Eschatology by Vince Johnson Eschatology: 1: The branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind. 2: A belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of mankind; specifically any of the various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgement. As more than a casual observer of contemporary ufology, I've recently become aware of a what could be a significant new twist in popular perception about UFOs. For many, UFOs are not the manifestation of extraterrestrial intelligence, but instead, are a metaphysical phenomena -- a manifestation of spiritual entities. Many abductees/contactees are now characterizing their "unusual personal experiences" in a religious or metaphysical context. As an unabashed secular humanist, I am skeptical of these claims. But there are several aspects of the metaphysical interpretation of the UFO phenomenon that should be considered before rejecting it out of hand. Admittedly, a lot of what follows is based on rumor, hearsay and circumstantial evidence. Much is derived from numerous phone calls from Dan Smith, whose religious beliefs regarding the UFO phenomenon have induced a messianic zeal to "spread the Word." These calls have provided a flurry of information on what I have previously termed "fringe" beliefs, as well as providing the names and backgrounds of the birds who comprise the Aviary. According to Dan, who undoubtedly is privy to a wealth of accurate, though not widely known UFO information, this data is being released through him due to the grave concern by high government officials about impending metaphysical catastrophe - the eschaton, or the end of the world. Mr. Smith first came to my attention after the "Aquarium Conspiracy" article (see inset) was disseminated to computer bulletin board systems in the Spring of '93. In this article, Smith and Rosemary Ellen Guiley, directors of the Center for North American Crop Circle Studies, warned of an "eschatological emergency, "the reaction of various organizations--both inside and outside the government, and their attempt to establish a network of spiritually advanced individuals, the "Aquarium," to assist the Aviary in dealing with this crisis. The "Aquarium Conspiracy" by Dan Smith and Rosemary Ellen Guiley "In the beginning there was eschatology--the branch of theology dealing with the end times. Dan, having spent many years first studying physics and then metaphysics, came to the conclusion that the scientists have been looking at the world upside down. Mind, not matter, is the foundation for all realities. Moreover, the materialist paradigm was in danger of imminent collapse, being subverted on the inside by its own contradictions, and on the outside by the growing body of evidence for the paranormal. Creating and maintaining a reality is no easy game. It requires a lot of magic, and a lot of conscious critters like ourselves who are pretty good at collective self-deception. Fortunately-- or perhaps unfortunately--our particular reality game has about reached its natural conclusion, and we are waking up to the fact that mind and matter are not separate. We are undergoing an exciting but stressful revolution in our collective consciousness. This revolution, or global spiritual emergency, will bring upheavals and overloads in our global consciousness that will impact the material Earth for better or worse, and may quickly get out of control. We also will be opening up to other realities that will be impacting us as well. Our present very tidy sense of reality and its boundaries is due to become much more fluid and permeable. Every spiritual tradition takes very seriously its prophesies about the end of the world, but for the first time we are seeing these prophesies turning into believable predictions of earth and reality changes. That is how Dan fell from physics into eschatology. After experiencing numerous slammed doors among his former scientific colleagues, he decided that the most logical place to find fellow eschatologists would be in various intelligence agencies and among investigators of the paranormal. Dan next addressed how to communicate about the eschaton. Even a small hint that the government is worried about the end of the world might start a chain reaction of panic, which could possibly serve as a trigger for the eschaton. On the other hand, people inside the government might be wanting to set up a kind of civil defense network vis a vis the eschaton, and so they would be looking for people on the outside who could much more freely network among the general public. An important link in the communication chain is what has become known as