The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Essay Example

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Paper The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Barry J. Owens Jr. October 9, 2008 Eng. 262-Paper 1 Dr. Liesl Ward The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Have you ever made a decision that you eventually regretted? We make decisons on a daily basis. The decisions that we make have consequences. Some of the consequences are good and some are bad. We should be very careful when making decisions, because there are some decisions that you cannot easily change. In Mr. Coleridge’s’ poem, â€Å"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner†, we find an elderly man who has made the wrong decision. In the Christian aspect, a bad decision is a sin. It is hard for me not to believe that Mr. Coleridge develops this poem from a Christian aspect. The theme of the story reminds me of the salvation of a personwho has become a Christian. The poem also reminds me of the story of Adam and Eve. I find it interesting that the mariner told this story to a person that was going to a wedding, When Christians witness to others most of the time the listeners do not want to listen. The ancient mariner commits the sin, realizes that he has sinned, faces punishment for his sin, is redeemed from his sin, and is required to share his testimony with others. We will write a custom essay sample on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The ancientmariner makes the wrong decision when he decides to kill the albatross. He did not have any need to kill the albatross. He did not have anything else to do. He didn’t even think about what would happen if he killed the albatross. He just did it. Most of the time when we make decisions we do not weigh the consequences. The mariner realizes that he has â€Å"done a hellish thing† (2. 91). He does realize his wrongdoing until after it is done. Most Christians do not think about their wrong decisions while they are in the act. It does not dawn on them until after it is done and most of the time, by then it is too late. Themariner probably wanted to impress the other men that were on the ship. The albatross reminds me of Jesus Christ. He died because mankind sins. The albatross died to change the heart and mindset of the Ancient Mariner. We are not told exactly why the mariner killed the albatross or what were his intentions, but we do know that the albatross is dead. The ancient mariner also realizes that the albatross had brought good things and was meant to bring joy. He learns a lesson from his sin. The lesson that he learns is that God created all things equal, whether it is a human, or an animal. He also learns that every creature has its own niche. Nature punishesthe mariner by not giving him a â€Å"drop of water to drink†. (122) The crewmen’s mouths were so dry that they did not have any saliva to swallow. Nature punishes them by not providing them with any winds and the ship barely moved. Nature also punished the crewman by creating an uncomfortable environment. The mariner was not only punished by nature, but he is punished by the crewmen on the ship. They were upset with him for killing the albatross and claimed that it was his fault that they were in this horrible situation. The crewmen gives themariner gave the mariner â€Å"evil looks†. (139) The crewmen also punished him by putting the dead albatross on his neck. The crewmen do not take any blame for telling him that it was alright to kill the albatross. The crewmen, however, did face punishment. The crewman all passed away. The mariner wasthe only one that remained alive and this was perhaps the biggest punishment. I believe that the only way that the mariner could truly repent was for the crewman to die. The ancient mariner proves to mankind that when you are sincere and when you pray to God he will forgive you immediately. The average person does not forgive you that quickly. After he is finally was able to spend some time with God he was able to lift the burden. The â€Å"albatross fell off â€Å"(290). The albatross symbolizes the sin and when he repented the sin was removed. The Christian belief is that when you accept Jesus into your life and ask him to forgive you, sin is removed. When Jesus lifts your burdens, he will bear them for you. The ancient mariner finally realizes that he should respect all living creatures. He realizes that God has given us dominion over the animals and we should respect them. At times, we believe that if we hurt an animal that we have not sinned, but God looks at all of his creatures the same. We should make sure that we are taking good care of God’s creatures, because he gave us dominion over them. God is the best creator, because he loves â€Å"all things both great and small† (615). There are many times in life we take advantage of the animals that God has placed on Earth. We should appreciate the animals. The mariner did not appreciate the albatross until after it was dead, but it is a part of God’s will so that he can tell others the consequences of sins. I believe that God sometimes has to punish us to make us see ourselves. If God would have let the mariner easily get away with killing the albatross, he would have never developed a respect for animals. He probably would have just sin again. After God forgives our sin and saves us, we are required to become recruiters for him. We must tell others of his goodness. The mariner was happy to share his testimony with others. The big companies use the celebrities to share their testimony of how well they enjoy the product. In God’s eyes, everyone is a celebrity and we all have the responsibility of sharing our testimony with others. Our testimonies are not the same, but we all can relate, because sin is sin. The mariner is grateful that God chooses him to share his experience and can’t help but share it. Themariner is grateful that he has accepted God and wants to make sure that everyone gets a chance to accept God. There are people who believe that experience is the best teacher; however at times I believe that wisdom is the best teacher. If I can listen to someone that has been down the same road before I would rather take their advice than to go through the horrible punishment of sin. The wedding guest left â€Å"a sadder and wiser man†. (624). He is probably saddened by the story when the punishment of sin is told. The wedding guest will leave wiser, because now he knows that he doesn’t have to face sin and its punishments, he can just talk to God and ask for forgiveness.

Level 5 Leadership Walker Essay

Level 5 Leadership Walker Essay Level 5 Leadership Walker Essay The Theory of Level Five leadership firstly brought up by expert on high performance organization-Jim Collins who is a famed American business consultant in the field of sustainability and growth for companies. Level Five leaders integrate ambitious willing and modest personality that promote corporations from good to great that the â€Å"success formula† reveals culture overrides competence. Collins overthrows charming and possessing of the CEOs. Research through years emphasizes that getting the right people on the bus (wrong people off the bus) is the prior thing for Level Five leaders to fulfill. Compared with the four levels that are contributed by Collins, Level Five leaders possess ability of eliminating nepotism and ignoring family ties which are counterintuitive and countercultural. According to (Johns, 2011)ï ¼Å'Business Development Bank of Canada set training program to assess and blossom employees that in the Level Five Leadership scenario it concerns the culture of the organization override the competence to empower and develop personnel. Especially in a globalized corporation, such as Bonnie Brooks- the president of Lane Crawford Joyce Group represents duality, savvy as wells as unbridled inquisitiveness to function effectively in variety of cultures, language and economic factors. In the article of (Collins, 2005), Darwin Smith reveals the traits that Level Five leader possessing: Humility plus professional will by selling mills from Kim Berly-Clark which associated with servant leadership in (Johns, 2011)-going beyond self-interest and holding a cordial concern to serve the organization and motivate

Argo case study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argo - Case Study Example The frequency of their meeting after every three months is evidence that assessment was done appropriately. The change was thoroughly evaluated by the committee and found it right to restructure the client teams. They sought to embark on changing in order to achieve desirable results. In an effort to solve the issue, they deployed an external team of consultants for reviewing the policy. The team interviewed the managers and employees. The team of consultants was also tasked with the responsibility of recommending changes. This indicates that the capacity of the management to asses and review happenings in the organisation was at a good position. Assessment focuses on regular review of the activities and results of the organization to ensure adherence to the excellence model. Through the review, Argo ID was able to identify its strengths. Another area the organisation did well was in deployment. After the team of consultants administered the recommendations, the line manager and questionnaires administered on to the employees on their preferential positions in the new organisation did briefings. The success of deployment was evidenced by the ability of more than 80% of the total number of employees getting their preferred positions. In addition, the rest does not lose anything since they were interviewed for other positions. The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Bill Marshall made presentations that featured how the work was to be done and the scheduling thereof. 2. Argo Areas According to Subcategory (1e) of the Case Study Organizational and Management Review did a review on the way the operations were being conducted and went a step ahead to outsource for services of specialists in order to streamline the situation. The recommendations by the consultants helped reshape the organizational structure of the compa ny hence conserving it from the blink of failure. This time round the approach was rectified, hence changing the expected scenario. The results of the initial process were not right. They called for a reshuffle of the entire employment structure in order for it to deliver desirable results. The failure in achieving the results was expensive to the organisation since they had to re-embark on a new strategy that involved an overhaul of the entire system. Results are the ultimate goal of every organisation, it emanates from a wrong approach taken in implementing a good idea. Sometimes, the approach my be wrongly placed and may not be a making from the individuals involved leading to undesirable results. This was the case with Argo. 3. Site Visit Issues One of the main issues to check in the organisation is the staff interactions in the organisation. The questions are how the employees interact in the organisation at the different levels. The relationship between the juniors and seniors in the organisation is paramount; I would like to know why majority of the staff preferred a change in the place of work. Underlying issues in the organisation may cause a disparity and breakdown in communication. I would also like to know about the structure and the policies of Organizational and Management Review. It seems they play a very important role in the organisation, understanding their composition, the mandate and their way of operating is very important in the organisation. Part B 1. Comments on People Strategy Argo seems to be on a positive trend in achieving satisfaction for the employees. Considering

Critical Thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Critical Thinking - Essay Example â€Å"A leaders own strength in critical thinking and decision making is the central platform on which their influence transcends through other managers in the business† (Hilliwell, 2000). The management career requires the use of critical thinking because this job entails making operation and strategic business decisions. The purpose of this paper is to analyze critical thinking and its applications in the workplace. The utilization of critical thinking is something every human has performs hundreds of times during their lifetime. Critical thinking can be classified as a core competency. Not everyone has the same aptitude and skill level. According to scholars there is a direct correlation between a person critical thinking ability and their coefficient of intelligence. In the managerial field critical thinking abilities are imperative due to the fact that managers are responsible for the overall performance of the company and its employees. In the workplace in general employees that have critical thinking abilities have a higher probability of achieving success. Personally I consider myself an individual with pretty good critical thinking skills. As a working professional I have applied my critical thinking abilities in the workplace. A few years ago I worked at a start-up company. I was not officially a manager, but I was involved in the decision making process which implies my job duties were similar to a managerial position. The company had a new innovative product. The two functional areas I worked were finance and research and development. In the research and development department the engineer in charge would meet with me once a week to discuss product improvements ideas and production methodologies. When I started meeting with him he told me that he liked the way I process and interpreted information and that the feedback she received from me was very useful. The engineer would talk to me and tell about different issues

Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Reform - Essay Example At that convention, the delegates adopted a platform that called for a broad range of social, economic, legal, and political reforms that would dramatically raise the status of women in American life. To the surprise of most of us today, the demand for womens right to vote (called woman suffrage) was the most controversial reform proposed at the convention. From the time it was first formally proposed in 1848, gaining the right to vote took the womens movement 72 years of struggle to achieve. This exhibit examines the development of a distinct female political culture and imagery that evolved to promote voting rights for women†. (Political Culture and Imagery of American Women Suffrage) However, Why there were Political Reforms movement, now and then and before? Meanwhile, â€Å"Political science and theory have evolved on the understanding that national boundaries demarcate the basis on which individuals are included and excluded from participation in decisions affecting their lives. There is a growing perception that democracy has failed to deliver both economic and social development. This perception has often been used to explain the rise in nationalism and ethnic tensions due to unmet expectations. It raises the question whether democracy should be pursued as an intrinsic or instrumental good and whether political justice seeks substantive equality or equality of opportunity? Is it appropriate to expect democracy to deliver human development?† (Political Power and Development). On this note, it is incumbent by those holding the mantle of leadership, (steering the government), and other stakeholders to adapt to the Political Justice. Without Political Justice, no meaningful changes will occur in making reform on the sector. As â€Å"political justice connotes the notion of fair and equitable exercise of political power a discussion of a political system that has the capacity to deliver political

Americanism In Back To The Future Film Studies Essay

Americanism In Back To The Future Film Studies Essay If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything: Constructions of America across the space-time continuum. Robert Zemeckis Back to the Future is a motion picture classic. The time traveling Delorean and the Marty McFly character are imprinted upon the minds of audiences all over the world. The American government recognized the movies significance to American culture by inducting it into the archives of the National Film Registry in 2007. This induction officially made the movie a culturally, historically or aesthetically significant work to be preserved for all time, thus labeling it as an important non-traditional cultural text in the context of American society. In his article Reconfiguring Academic Disciplines Paul Lautner presents the analysis of these kinds of non-traditional cultural texts as being a vital part of the American Studies discipline. He reasons they help construct the frameworks, fashion the metaphors, create the very language by which people comprehend their experiences and think about their world. Using Lautners approach, this essay will examine the significance of the first Back to the Future movie for key aspects of American culture and society. Topics that will be discussed are American exceptionalism, American identity, American myths, American political rhetoric of the 1980s and popular culture. The movie starts off in the year 1985 and focuses on seventeen year old Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), who is part of a lower-middle-class family living in suburbia. His father, called George McFly, is afraid to stand up for himself and his mother, called Lorraine McFly, is an alcoholic. Martys friend Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) has created a time machine which takes Marty across the space-time continuum back to the year 1955, the year that his parents fell in love. At the movies first turning point, he endangers his future existence by accidently preventing his parents meeting. Thus, Marty spends the rest of the movie solving this. He helps his future father stand up for himself and makes his parents fall in love at the high school dance while playing rock and roll music. In the end, Martys actions changed the future, because when he returns to 1985 he sees that his family has transformed into yuppies who live in upper-middle-class suburbia. This is the exact opposite of the family life Marty left at the beginning of the movie. Having explained the movies plot, one can take a more in-depth look at the movies cultural significance. First of all, American exceptionalism, often defined as being the way in which America differs from other nations. The movie shows idealized versions of the typical American way of life in the 1950s and 1980s. These time periods show how Americaness is also deeply rooted within American history itself as it provides a distinct American identity. The 1950s are pictured as being peaceful, conservative and family oriented. Traditional values maintained the importance of community and family life. In 1955, Marty is warmly welcomed by Lorraines family who lives in quaint suburbia. Lorraines mother is a happy housewife, who cooks dinner and takes care of the children, while her father supports the family. As for the town, it looks clean and fresh during Martys exploration accompanied by the upbeat song Mr. Sandman. In contrast, the 1980s at the beginning of the movie look miserable. Mar tys family flaws and failures are expressed and there is no happy family life. The town square is filled with litter, almost to a point where it becomes cartoonish. Martys house stands in a run down neighborhood and its interior looks old and smudgy. However, at the end of the movie, Martys home and family have transformed into the 1980s version of idealized America. His home looks newly build and his family is all smiling faces wearing slick looking clothes and having a BMW standing in the driveway. These developments promote a celebration of Americanness, it is part of the 1980s version of the American Dream. The filmmakers commentary state that European reviews were very critical of this outcome. An internet search was unable to locate these reviews, but according to the filmmakers they did not agree with the fact that the movie equated happiness with material possessions. However, once again according to the filmmakers, not one American critic commented on this. Therefore, exemp lifying how exceptional America is on a cross-cultural level. Moreover, the movie also promotes Americas exceptionalism by focusing on individualism, an important element of Americanness. Martys individual actions changed his future. Related to this is the notion that the movie sees the future as having unlimited possibilities. It treats the future as the new frontier, hence comparing it to Wild West. This frontier is the origin of the strong sense of freedom and individualism deemed essential in American life. Throughout the movie, Marty is constantly reminded of his individual freedom and liberty as demonstrated by the often recurring line If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything. Political rhetoric of the 1980s embraced this mindset. It is no secret that President Ronald Reagan loved this movie, because of this message and the fact that he was the subject of a joke. Reagan even quoted the movie in his 1986 State of Union address: As they said in the film Back to the Future,Where were going, we dont need roads. Once again promo ting Americas access to unlimited possibilities and its exceptionalism in contrast to other nations. However, the movie also expresses the double-edged characteristic of American exceptionalism, an idea put forward by Seymour Martin Lipset in Exceptionalism: A Double Edged Sword. Lipset explains that America is a country of contrasts. High morality is promoted in society, yet Martys morality is constantly being challenged. It starts off high by not willing to seduce his mother, but it declines rapidly when he finds out that it is an essential part in the scheme of making his parents fall in love. This also suggest that Marty is more concerned with the ends rather than with the means. He is willing to seduce his mother if it helps secure his future. This focus on the ends rather than on the means is typical for American identity according to Lipset. He states that Americans put a lot of stress on success which often leads to a decline of morality. Criticism on the movies showing of American exceptionalism is centered on the argument that it mostly focuses on white heterosexual middle class America. The filmmakers included a small subplot on an African-American male, who starts off being a cleaner and ends up being the major of the town, but this storyline feels very forced. Thus, the movie mainly addresses the experience of one specific group in explaining America, at the expense of other groups. This kind of criticism relates to Neil Campbell and Alasdair Kean perspectives on the subject matter. They explain that subordinate groups are not completely ignored, but they are given a certain position within the dominant group. Thus, Back to the Future gives the African-American male an identity within white society. An issue related to this idea is Martys redefinition of the racial history of rock and roll music. Marty plays the song Johnny B Goode at the school dance. Chuck Berrys cousin hears this and calls Chuck Berry to tell him that they found their much needed new sound. It is possible to overanalyze this segment as being part of a white supremacy narrative, but it is better to accept it as a joke made by the filmmakers. The plot is temporarily stopped to demonstrate Michael J. Foxs comedic guitar playing skills. Nevertheless, white hegemony remains the consensus in the movie and this consensus is incorporated into the prevalent power structure with the help of ideologies and cultural myths. These ideologies and myths help construct an American identity. There are three prevalent American myths present in Back to the Future. They are incorporated into the overarching ideology of the American Dream. First, the myth of small town America. Small town life is pictured as being the perfect definition of American society. The localized life excludes Big Corporations and the Big Government which fulfills Americans desire to be free. The second myth deals with the suburban dream. This myth is embodied by the McFly family at the end of the movie. Their happiness sends across the message that every American should pursue such a life, because it is within everyones reach. The third myth concerns the idea of the scientist who in his own garage invents something which can change the world. I.e. Doc Browns DeLorean. Thus, the ideal of living happily without needing any help from big corporations or the government is once again promoted. This also refers back to Americas strong sense of individualism. These three myths are used as discourse for the construction of Martys America and they serve as ideologies. They convey and reinforce an image of both 1950s and 1980s America. In addition, the movie touches upon Americas fascination with the past and its attempt to reconciliate between the past and present. The time traveling aspect addresses this attempt of reconciliation, while the 1950s outlook shows a nostalgia for the past. This nostalgia is much in line with Reagans 1980s political rhetoric. He had a 1950s conservative outlook, as he promoted traditional values and gender roles. However, 1950s Lorraine challenges these values and roles by drinking, smoking and being assertive. The filmmakers specifically state that they rebelled against Reaganite politics by addressing parts of the rebelliousness of 1980s teen movies. Consequently presenting a vision of American youth challenging power and authority. Moreover, youth practices are used as a junction point for various discourses within the story. For example, the school dance being the crucial place where Martys parents fall in love. Overall, the movie prefers to connect to youngness and newness. Two notions which America prefers to associate itself with. Teen culture is put into the spotlight, thus demonstrating America as a place of renewal. Lastly, by being part of popular culture, Back to the Future helps American society understand itself better as M. Thomas Inge reasons in his introduction to American popular culture. The movie analyses American society by giving a sketch of American culture in the 1950s and 1980s. However, the 1950s and 1980s that the movie shows are specifically developed for the story. I.e. Back to the Future provides interpretations of those time periods. Thus, the 1950s images are constructions and fabrications in themselves. The portrayed 1950s cannot be considered to be more real for an audience who experienced the 1950s firsthand than for the 1980s teen target audience. Hence the movie fits within a postmodern perspective, because it creates one cultural memory narrative. This particular approach to filmmaking is probably what made the sequels so successful. The interpretations of the past, present and future make the movies fascinating. To conclude, Martys adventure enabled him to take a step back from his culture to understand his own 1980s reality, consequently learning to see events in their particular form and context. This essay attempted to follow in Martys footsteps. By critically analyzing Back to the Future audiences are able to reconstruct and renegotiate American identity and exceptionalism both from a 1980s and 1950s perspective, even though they are Hollywood fabricated. These perspectives can then be incorporated into a broad overview of American culture which helps form answers to the question: what is America?. This essay cannot provide definite answers to this question, but Marty McFly himself seems to have found his answer to it. He negotiates his identity and constructs his reality through a discourse centered around the motto If you put your mind to it you can accomplish anything. This encompasses his America, it is a variable within the grand narrative of American identity construction.

Willa Cather Describes Erotics of Place in her Novel, A Lost Lady Essay

Willa Cather Describes Erotics of Place in her Novel, A Lost Lady To discover an erotics of place in Willa Cather's A Lost Lady, takes little preparation. One begins by simply allowing Sweet Water marsh to seep into one's consciousness through Cather's exquisite prose. Two paragraphs from the middle of the novel beckon us to follow Neil Herbert, now 20 years old, into the marsh that lies on the Forrester property. This passage, rich in pastoral beauty, embraces the heart of the novel-appearing not only at the novel's center point but enfolding ideas central to the novel's theme: An impulse of affection and guardianship drew Niel up the poplar-bordered road in the early light [. . .] and on to the marsh. The sky was burning with the soft pink and silver of a cloudless summer dawn. The heavy, bowed grasses splashed him to the knees. All over the marsh, snow-on-the-mountain, globed with dew, made cool sheets of silver, and the swamp milk-weed spread its flat, raspberry-coloured clusters. There was an almost religious purity about the fresh morning air, the tender sky, the grass and flowers with the sheen of early dew upon them. There was in all living things something limpid and joyous-like the wet morning call of the birds, flying up through the unstained atmosphere. Out of the saffron east a thin, yellow, wine-like sunshine began to gild the fragrant meadows and the glistening tops of the grove. Neil wondered why he did not often come over like this, to see the day before men and their activities had spoiled it, while the morning star was still unsullied, lik e a gift handed down from the heroic ages. Under the bluffs that overhung the marsh he came upon thickets of wild roses, with flaming buds, just beginning to open.... ...arsh. A final glimpse of marsh turned wheat field comes in the fourth chapter of the novel's Part Two. Heavy rains have come to the Sweet Water valley, lifting the river over its banks and swelling the creeks. Cather reports that "the stubble of Ivy Peters' wheat fields lay under water," (121) raising the hope that Peters' intrusion upon the land is merely temporary, that given respite from human meddling, the marsh will reassert itself. I admit that this is my hope more than it is Cather's. But even if this is so, it is Cather who arouses the desire that invites me to hope. Works Cited Cather, Willa. A Lost Lady. Ed. Susan J. Rosowski with Kari Ronning, Charles W. Mignon and Frederick M. Link. The Willa Cather Scholarly Edition. Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 1997. Williams, Terry Tempest. An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field. New York: Vintage, 1994.