The theories of leadership and motivation

The theories of leadership and motivation Leadership is the character which every organisation wants to see in their staff and the person who is self motivated and who can motivate the team members become a good manager. Leadership is nothing but inspiring the team leader is the one who does it, inspiration is nothing but motivation. So leadership and motivation is a chemistry which can take any difficult task to success. The leadership and motivation chemistry is mostly helpful in management sector whether it is in business or in the team; every individual posses leadership but the one who practices on the go become a perfect leader. The main aspect a leader consists is a vision for the certain purpose. When a task or project is taken over by a company the company searches for a leader who posses knowledge on the project and vision how to develop the project, make use of colleagues and give the organisation a profit on it. A leader tends to influence the task to be continued and change to be taken place to make the organisation profitable. There are several theories on leadership by great leaders some of them say that leadership is an action not position or person. These theories help to prepare a perfect leader, all these theories are proposed and practiced by great leaders and managers but latest management considers a leader who follows his role. Leadership theories: Considering leadership reveals school of thought giving different leadership theories such as Great Man theory, trait theory, behaviourist theory, situational leadership theory, contingency theory, transactional theory and transformational theory. Great man theory is the one proposed before twentieth century where it says that leaders are born with the talent and leader should be a man this lead to the next theory trait theory. Trait theory: The trait theory rose from the concepts of the Great Man approach. This theory leads to identify the important characteristics of a successful leader. The people who got the characters as defined by the traits approach are isolated or shortlisted and those are recruited as leaders. This type of approach was mostly implemented in military and still used in some of the area. According to the trait theory the person who got the following skills is said to be a trait. Ambitious and success oriented Adaptable to all kinds of situations Co operative to all the members in the organization Highly active or energetic Dominative Good decision making ability Self-confident Adaptable to stress conditions and Dependable. These are the characters which make a person trait and they should posses some skills which are Skills Intelligent Skilled conceptually Creative Fluent in speaking Tactful Self motivated and self belief Skilled socially When these kinds of skills and characters are identified in the person, the person is recruited in the team. Behavioural theory: The trait study doesnt give any conclusive results and it was hard to measure some more critical issues such as honesty, integrity and loyalty. This leaded the attention to be diverted on to the behaviour theories. The behaviour theory focuses on human relationship and success performance as well. According to behavioural theory the manager believes that the working environment should be like an entertainment place where the expenditure of mental and physical efforts is treated to be play and rest. The idea of manager is an average person not only learns to accept but also seek responsibility. The people will automatically learn to exercise self-control and self direction to achieve the goal or target. The organizational problems can become imaginative and creative. Contingency theory model: This theory illustrates that there are many ways for the manager to lead the team to get best outcome. According to the situation the manager can find a best way to get the best outcome. Fiedler worked on contingency theory according to that he looked for three situations which define the condition of a managerial task. Leader and team member relationship Work structure or project structure Position and power The manager should maintain relation with their team members to get along and create confidence and make them feel free to think about the task and give their ideas to help the task to be finished. Project structure is the job highly structured or unstructured or in between. The power shows how much authority a manager does posses. This theory rates the manager whether the manger is relationship oriented or task oriented. The task oriented managers gets success in such situations where there is good leader and team member relationship and structured projects or tasks doesnt matter whether the position power is weak or strong. And get success when the project is unstructured and does have any sort of good vision by having a strong power and position. The variables which affect the task such as environmental variables are combined in a heavy some and differentiated as favourable and unfavourable situations. The task oriented management style depends on the favourable and unfavourable environment variables but the relationship management style stays in the middle by managing or changing the variables to accumulate with their style. Both styles of managements got their sides to be good when all the performance and team work well in the tasks. There is no good or bad management in these two managements. Task motivated management style leaders do best when the team performs well and they are good in achieving good sales record and performance better than their competitor where as the relationship oriented leaders are helpful to gain positive customer service and build a positive image to the organisation. Transactional and transformational leadership: Transformational leadership is a relationship of mutual simulation and elevation that converts the followers in to leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents Transformational leadership is communicating with the leaders and the team members to take them to higher level something like a leader can become a moral agent and the follower can become a leader. Transactional leadership technique builds the person to finish the certain task such as job done for the time being. Some of the differences between transactional and transformational leadership are Transactional style of leadership builds a man to complete a certain task where as transformational styles builds a member to become a leader. This focuses on task completion and tactical style of management where as transformational leadership focus on strategies and missions. These are some theories of the leadership which shows how a leader act on different situations and how different leaders behave to get success in the organization. Motivation in Management: Theories of motivation: The theories of motivation can be divided into 3 broad categories. Reinforcement theories emphasize the means through which the process of controlling an individuals behavior by manipulating its consequences takes place. Content theories focus primarily on individual needs the physiological or psychological deficiencies that we feel a compulsion to reduce or eliminate. Process theories focus on the thought or cognitive processes that take place within the minds of people and that control their behavior. Early Theories of Motivation: Hierarchy of Needs Theory Theory X and Theory Y Motivation-Hygiene Theory Contemporary Theories of Motivation: ERG Theory McClellands Theory of Needs Cognitive Evaluation Theory Task Characteristics Theories Goal-Setting Theory Equity Theory Hierarchy of Needs Theory: Abraham Maslow hypothesized that within every human being there exists a hierarchy of five needs: 1. Physiological. 2. Safety. 3. Social. 4. Esteem. 5. Self-actualization. Maslow then categorized these 5 needs into lower-order needs and higher-order needs.Lower-order needs are needs that are satisfied externally: physiological and safety needs.Higher-order needs are needs that are satisfied internally (within the person): social, esteem, and self-actualization needs. Theory X and Theory Y of Douglas McGrogor: McGregor concluded that a managers vision of the nature of human beings is based on a certain blend of assumptions and that he or she tends to mold his or her actions toward subordinates according to these assumptions: Employees naturally dislike work and, whenever possible, will attempt to avoid it Since employees dislike work, they must be coerced, controlled, or threatened with punishment to achieve goals Employees will avoid responsibilities and seek formal direction whenever possible Motivation-hygiene Theory: According to Herzberg, the factors leading to job satisfaction are dividing and distinct from those that leads to job dissatisfaction. Hygiene factors include factors such as: company policy and administration, supervision, interpersonal relations, working conditions, and salary. Motivator factors include factors such as: attainment, recognition, the work itself, responsibility and growth. Hygiene Factors Company rule and management; Supervision; association with supervisor; Work circumstances; Salary; Relationship with peers; Personal life; association with subordinates; Status; Safety Motivator Factors: attainment credit; Work itself; Responsibility; progression; Growth Contemporary Theories of Motivation: ERG Theory: ERG Theory proposed by Clayton Alderfer of Yale University: Alderfer fights that there are three groups of core needs: 1) Existence 2) Relatedness 3) Growth Existence group is worried with providing our basic material existence requirements. Relatedness group is the desire we have for maintaining important interpersonal relationships McClellands Theory of Needs: McClellands theory of needs focuses on three needs: 1) Achievement 2) Power 3) Affiliation Cognitive Evaluation Theory: Allocating extrinsic rewards for behaviour that had been previously intrinsically rewarded tends to decrease the overall level of motivation. (This concept was proposed in the late 1960s.)The interdependence of extrinsic and intrinsic rewards is a real phenomenon Task Characteristics Theories: These theories seek to identify task characteristics of jobs, how these characteristics are combined to form different jobs, and their relationship to employee motivation, satisfaction, and performance. Goal-setting theory: Specific and difficult goals lead to higher performance. Feedback leads to higher performance than non-feedback. In addition to feedback, 2 other factors have been found to influence the goals-performance relationship. These are: 1. Goal commitment. 2. Sufficient self-efficacy. Equity Theory: Individuals make comparisons of their job inputs and outcomes relatives to those of others and then act in response so as to remove any inequities. Stacy Adams proposed that this negative tension state provides the motivation to do something to correct it. There are 4 referent comparisons that employee can use: 1. Self-inside. 2. Self-outside. 3. Other inside. 4. Other outside. Conclusion The change in the leadership theories time by time says that the leader should posses certain characters which lead the organisational success whether to believe in maintaining a relationship or to go on tactically the manager or the leader should act to the situation and get success at the end. Depending on the companies motive the leader should react or behave with the team members to achieve the target. Usually maintaining a good relation helps to make the team members life easy and manage the work happily. The team members become more innovative and achieve targets easily where as with tactical style leadership may create some sort of pressure on the team members, there is no guarantee that in every situation relational ship management is successful. the leader should adapt himself for the situation and act according to a particular situation. We have discussed above only a collection of the motivation theories and thoughts of the various proponents of management .In some of the theories and opinion presented, however, one can observe some glimpses of the person and how, perhaps, he or she could be motivated. This is satisfying in itself. But, as noted earlier, practice has been in advance of theory in this field, so let us now move to the realistic side of management of human behaviour and motivation in the workplace. REFERNCES: AstraZeneca (1999) Leadership in AstaZeneca. AstraZeneca HR, Dec 1999 Bass, B. (1985) Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations. New York: Free Press. Blackler, F. and Kennedy, A. (2003) The Design of a Development Programme for Experienced Top Bergmann, H., Hurson, K. and Russ-Eft, D. (1999) Everyone a Leader: A grassroots model for thenew workplace. New York: John Wiley and Sons Gosling, J. and Mintzberg, H. (2003) Mindsets for Managers. Working paper, Centre for LeadershipStudies Hersey, P. and K.H. Blanchard (1977) Management of Organizational Behaviour. Englewood Cliffs NJ:Prentice hal1 Rodgers, H., Frearson, M., Holden, R. and Gold, J. (2003) The Rush to Leadership. Presented atManagement Theory at Work conference, Lancaster University, April 2003 Tannenbaum, R. and Schmidt, W. (1958) How to choose a leadership pattern. Harvard BusinesReview 36(2), 95-101

Dating on the Internet Essay -- Research Cyberdating Internet Essays

Dating on the Internet It has become today's method of communication, the wave of the future. The necessity to leave the home to do such things as shop for clothes or to go to the bank is diminishing. Business is being conducted more frequently from the home. Students will soon be able to interact with their teachers and fellow students while sitting in their bedrooms. The Internet will overtake all forms of personal interaction, and it stands to reason that this includes dating. From foreign pen-pals to heated Cybersex, the number of people who log on each day is growing rapidly. Those who used to race home from school to run outside and play, now race home to meet their best friend in a chat room somewhere; they've never met and yet they're soul mates. There are people who take these relationships so seriously, they will travel almost anywhere to meet the person of their dreams. Cyberdating is here to stay. According to Betty in California, it is the "nineties way for busy professional people to connect." She emphasizes, "Bars are out; computers are in!" (Women's Wire News). A survey conducted through Women's Wire News of 375 people revealed that 61% of those responding would "consider turning a Cyber-affair into a real-life one." (Women's Wire News). This being the case, what does this mean for society? Is personal socialization and face-to-face communication a thing of the past? Increasing reliance on computers certainly draws society in that direction. But possibly this isn't as new as people might like to think. Perhaps this is the direction in which society has been moving since the invention of the telephone. Fran in New Jersey supports this: I wonder if people got this worked up about the telephone? Because tha... ...ditha in Florida, Women's Wire News). Work Cited: "Do Boys Just Wanna Have Fun? Male Gender-Switching in Cyberspace (and how to detect it)," http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/ psycyber/ genderswap.html (May 1996,4/7/97) Sara Pitman. "From Keyboards to Human Contact: Love Relationships Through Computer-Mediated Communications," http://edie. cprost.sfu.ca/~chiklink/ sarticle.html (undated, 3/24/97) John Suler, Ph.D."Communicative Subtlety in Multimedia Chat How Many Ways Can You Say "Hi" at the Palace?" http://ww1.rider.edu/ ~suler/psycyber/hilucy.html (March1997, 4/7/97) John Suler, Ph.D. "The Psychology of Avatars and Graphical Space in Visual Chat Environments," http://www1.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/ psyav.html (May 1996, 3/24/97) "Women's Wire News, Cyberdating: The Dirt," http://women.com/wwire/archives/html/backtalk/ 960221.ba.html (1997, 3/24/97)

Sir Francis Bacon :: essays research papers fc

Sir Francis Bacon   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Francis Bacon was born January 22, 1561. He died April 9, 1626. He was an English essayist, lawyer, statesman, and philosopher . He had a major influence on the philosophy of science. When he was 12 years old, he began studies at Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1576 he entered Gray's Inn to pursue a career in law. He was first elected in 1584. Bacon's opposition to royal tax measures would probably have brought an end to his political advancement, but he had the support of the Earl of Essex, whose prosecution for treason he later managed. He was knighted in 1603 after the succession of James I. Bacon and he became solicitor-general in 1609, attorney-general in 1613, lord keeper of the great seal in 1617, and lord chancellor in 1618; he was also created Baron of Verulam I 1618, and Viscount St. Albans in 1621. Bacon retained James's favor by steadfast defense of royal prerogative, but in 1621 he was found guilty of accepting bribes and was removed from his office. Retiring to Gorhambury, he devoted himself to writing and scientific work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Philosophically, Bacon wrote marks such as the Instauratio Magna (Great Restoration), setting forth his concepts for the restoration of humankind to mastery over nature. It was intended to contain six parts: first a classification of sciences; second a new inductive logic; third a gathering of empirical and experimental facts; fourth examples to show the effectiveness of his new approach; fifth generalization derivable from natural history; and a new philosophy that would be a complete science of nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bacon completed only two parts, however, the Advancement of Learning in 1605, later expanded as De Dignitate et Augmentis Scientiarum (On the Dignity and Growth of Sciences, 1620); and the Novum Organum (The New Organon, 1620), which was to replace Aristotle's Organon. Sciences were under the general headings of history, poetry, and philosophy. Their culmination was an inductive philosophy of nature, in which proposed to find the natural laws, of bodily action. To this end, he devised so-called tables of induction designed to discover such forms with the goal of mastery over nature.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although Bacon was not a great scientist, he gave impetus to the development of modern inductive science.

Romeo and Juliet: Act 1 Scene 5 Essay -- English Literature Essays

Romeo and Juliet: Act 1 Scene 5 In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, about two love struck teenagers whom aren’t able to be together due to their families feud/ social situation. There are two key themes that of love and hate. Before Romeo and Juliet meet, the audience is only aware that he is a Montague and that she is a Capulet. This adds to the scene being so dramatically effective as do other happenings throughout the length of the scene. These include the speech of Capulet and the happy and joyous mood of the party, The romantic speech of Romeo, The hatred and harshness of Tybalt’s speech, a direct contrast with that of Romeo’s and the drama when the two lovers, Romeo and Juliet first meet. At the start of Act 1 scene 5, Capulet turns to the maskers at the ball and delivers a speech rather jokingly tell all to enjoy the night and dance to the music. This speech is important as it lets the Audience know and that this night is a happy and joyous occasion. As a reader or observer you feel Capulet is happy, because the event is just for Capulet’s. He and the others feel only happy when they’re with their own kind, this adds to the dramatic effectiveness of the scene because as an audience member you are now even more aware of the great tension that is waiting to explode between the houses of Capulet and Montague. This joyous occasion is also of stark contrast to the fighting at the beginning of the play. More important speeches are made including that of Rom...

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 42

By now Matt and Mrs. Flowers couldn't ignore the blinding lights anymore. They had to go outside. But just as Matt opened the door there was – well, Matt didn't know what it was. Something blasted straight out of the ground and into the sky, where it got smaller and smaller, became a star, and disappeared. A meteor that had gone through the Earth? But wouldn't that mean tsunamis and earthquakes and shockwaves and forest fires and maybe even the Earth ripping apart? If one meteor that hit the surface could kill off all the dinosaurs†¦ The light that had been shining upward had faded slightly. â€Å"Well, bless my soul,† said Mrs. Flowers in a small, shaken voice. â€Å"Matt, dear, are you all right?† â€Å"Yes, ma'am. But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt's vocabulary couldn't stand the strain. â€Å"What the hell was it?† And to his slight surprise, Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"My sentiments exactly!† â€Å"Wait – there's something moving. Get back!† â€Å"Dear Matt, be careful with that gun†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"It's people! Oh, my God! It's Elena.† Matt abruptly sat down on the ground. He could only whisper now. † Elena. She's alive. She's alive!† From what Matt could see, there were a group of people climbing and helping others climb out of a perfectly rectangular hole, perhaps five feet deep, in Mrs. Flowers's angelica patch. They could hear voices. â€Å"All right,† Elena was saying, as she bent down. â€Å"Now grab my hands.† But the way she was dressed! A scrap of scarlet that showed all sorts of scratches and cuts on her legs. On top – well, the remains of the gown covered about what a bikini would. And she was wearing the largest, most sparkly costume jewelry that Matt had ever seen. More voices, going on through Matt's shock. â€Å"Be careful, yes? I will lift him to you – â€Å" â€Å"I can climb out my own.† – surely that was Stefan! â€Å"You see?† Elena rejoiced. â€Å"He says he can climb out his own!† â€Å"Oui, but perhaps one small lift – â€Å" â€Å"This is hardly the time for machismo, little brother.† And that, Matt thought, fingering the revolver, was Damon. Blessed bullets†¦ â€Å"No, I want – to do it myself – okay – got it. There.† â€Å"There! You see! He's better every second!† Elena caroled. â€Å"Where's the diamond? Damon?† Stefan sounded anxious. â€Å"I have it safe. Relax.† â€Å"I want to hold it. Please.† â€Å"More than you want to hold me?† Elena asked. There was a blur and then Stefan was lying back in her arms, while she said, â€Å"Easy, easy.† Matt stared. Damon was right behind them, almost as if he belonged there. â€Å"I'll watch the diamond,† he said flatly. â€Å"You watch your girl.† â€Å"Excuse me – I'm sorry, but†¦could somebody please lift me out?† And that was Bonnie! Bonnie, sounding plaintive but not afraid or unhappy. Bonnie giggling! â€Å"Have we got all the sacks of star balls?† â€Å"We've got all the ones from that house we found.† And that was Meredith. Thank God. They'd all made it out. But despite his thoughts, his eyes were drawn again to one figure – the one who seemed to be supervising things – the one with golden hair. â€Å"We need the star balls because any one of them might be – † she was beginning, when Bonnie cried out â€Å"Oh, look! Look! It's Mrs. Flowers and Matt!† â€Å"Now, Bonnie, they'd hardly be waiting for us,† Meredith put in. â€Å"Where? Bonnie, where?† Elena demanded. â€Å"If it's Shinichi and Misao in disguise I'm going to – hey, Matt!† â€Å"Will someone please tell me where?† â€Å"Right there, Meredith!† â€Å"Oh! Mrs. Flowers! Um†¦I hope we didn't wake you.† â€Å"I have never had a happier awakening,† Mrs. Flowers said solemnly. â€Å"I can see what you have been through in the Dark Place. Your – er – lack of sufficient clothing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  A sudden silence. Meredith glanced at Bonnie. Bonnie glanced at Meredith. â€Å"I know these clothes and gems may seem a little too much†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Matt found his voice. â€Å"Those jewels? They're real?† â€Å"Oh, they're nothing. And we're all dirty†¦.† â€Å"Forgive me. We stink – which is my fault – † Stefan began, only to have Elena cut in. â€Å"Mrs. Flowers, Matt: Stefan's been a prisoner! All this time! Starved and tortured – oh, God!† â€Å"Elena. Shhh. You got me back.† â€Å"We got you back. Now, I'll never let you go. Ever, ever.† â€Å"Easy, love. I really need a bath and – † Stefan stopped suddenly. â€Å"There're no iron bars! Nothing to shut off my Powers! I can†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He stepped away from Elena, who clung with one hand. There was a soft, silvery flash of light, like a full moon appearing and disappearing in their midst. â€Å"Over here!† he said. â€Å"Anyone who doesn't want little beastly parasites, I can take care of you.† â€Å"I'm your girl,† said Meredith. â€Å"I have a phobia about fleas, and Damon never even got me any flea powder. What a master!† There was laughter at this, laughter Matt didn't understand. Meredith was wearing – well, it had to be costume jewelry – but still it looked like about a few million dollars' worth of sapphires. Stefan took Meredith's hand. There was the same soft flash of light. And then Meredith stepped back saying, â€Å"Thanks.† Stefan's low response was, â€Å"Thank you, Meredith.† Meredith's blue dress was at least in one piece, Matt observed. Bonnie – whose dress had been slashed into starlight-colored ribbons – was raising a hand. â€Å"Me, too, please!† Stefan took her hand, and it happened all over again. â€Å"Thank you, Stefan! Oooh! I feel so much better! I hated itching!† â€Å"Thank you, Bonnie. I hated to think I was dying alone.† â€Å"Other vampires, take care of yourselves!† Elena said, as if she had a clipboard and were checking items off. â€Å"And, Stefan, please – † She held out her hands to him. He knelt in front of her, kissed both her hands, then enshrouded them in the soft white light. â€Å"But I'd still like a bath†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Bonnie pleadingly, as the new vampire – the tall fit one – and Damon had each sparked a moonlight glow around themselves. Mrs. Flowers spoke up. â€Å"There are four working bathtubs in that house: in Stefan's room, in my room, in the rooms on either side of Stefan's. Be my guest. I'll put some bath salts in each right now.† And then she added, holding her arms out to the whole ragged, bleeding, dirty bunch of them: â€Å"My house is yours, my dears.† There was a chorus of passionate â€Å"thank yous.† â€Å"I'll arrange a rota. For feeding Stefan, I mean. If you girls are willing,† Elena added quickly, looking at Bonnie and Meredith. â€Å"He doesn't need much, just a little every hour until morning.† Elena still seemed very shy of Matt. Matt was very shy of her. But he stepped forward, empty hands held up to show that he was harmless. â€Å"Is it a rule that it's only girls? Because I've got blood, too, and I'm healthy as a horse.† Stefan quickly looked at him. â€Å"No rule about only girls. But you don't have to – â€Å" â€Å"I want to help you.† â€Å"Okay, then. Thank you, Matt.† The proper response seemed to be â€Å"Thank you, Stefan,† but Matt couldn't think of anything until, â€Å"Thanks for taking care of Elena.† Stefan smiled. â€Å"Thank Damon for that. He and the others all helped me – and each other.† â€Å"We Also Walk Dogs – at least Sage does,† Damon said slyly. â€Å"Oh – that reminds me. I should use that de-parasiting trick on my two friends. Saber! Talon! Heel!† He added a whistle that Matt could never have imitated. In any case, Matt was operating in a dream. A huge dog, almost as big as a pony, seemingly, and a falcon came out of the darkness. â€Å"Now,† the fit vampire said, and once again the soft light shone. And then: â€Å"There. If you don't mind; I prefer to sleep out-of-doors with my friends. I am grateful for all your kindnesses, Madame, and my name is Sage. The hawk is Talon; the dog, Saber.† Elena said, â€Å"Dibs on Stefan's bath for Stefan and me, and Mrs. Flowers's bath for the girls. You boys can work things out on your own.† â€Å"I,† Mrs. Flowers said gravely, â€Å"will be in the kitchen, making sandwiches.† She turned to go. That was when Shinichi arose from the earth above them. Or rather when his face arose. It was clearly an illusion, but a terrifying and marvelous one. Shinichi actually seemed to be there, a giant, perhaps supporting the world on his shoulders. The black part of his hair blended in with the night, but the scarlet tips made a flaming halo around his face. Having come from a land that was dominated by a giant red sun, night and day, it was an odd sight. Shinichi's eyes were red as well, like two small moons in the sky, and they focused on the group by Mrs. Flowers's house. â€Å"Hello,† he said. â€Å"What, you look so surprised? You shouldn't be. I really couldn't let you come back without popping up to say ‘hello.' After all, it's been a long time – for some of you,† the giant face said, grinning. â€Å"Also, of course, to share in the festivities – we've saved little Stefan, and, my, we even fought an oversized chicken to do it.† â€Å"I'd like to see you take Bloddeuwedd on, one on one, and get a secret key out of her nest, at the same time,† Bonnie began indignantly, but stopped when Meredith squeezed her arm. Sage, meanwhile was murmuring something about what his own â€Å"oversized chicken,† Talon, would do if Shinichi were brave enough to show up in person. Shinichi ignored all this. â€Å"Oh, yes, and the mental calisthenics you had to go through. Truly formidable. Well, never again will we mistake you for blunder-headed idiots who never really asked why my sister would give you any clues in the first place, much less clues that Outsiders could understand. I mean† – he leered – â€Å"why not just go and swallow the key in the first place, hmm?† â€Å"You're bluffing,† Meredith said flatly. â€Å"You underestimated us, plain and simple.† â€Å"Maybe,† said Shinichi. â€Å"Or maybe it was something else entirely.† â€Å"You lost,† said Damon. â€Å"I realize that may be an entirely new concept for you, but it's true. Elena has gained much more control over her Powers.† â€Å"But will they work here?† Shinichi smiled eerily. â€Å"Or will they suddenly disappear in the light of a pale yellow sun? Or in the depths of true darkness?† â€Å"Don't let him bait you, Madame,† Sage shouted. â€Å"Your Powers come from a place he cannot enter!† â€Å"Oh, yes, and the renegade. The Rebel's rebel son. I wonder†¦what are you calling yourself this time? Cage? Rage? I wonder what these children will think when they learn who you really are?† â€Å"It won't matter who he is,† Bonnie cried. â€Å"We know that. We know that he's a vampire, but that he can be gentle and kind and he's saved us over and over again.† She shut her eyes, but held her ground against the gale of Shinichi's laughter. â€Å"So ‘Madame,'† Shinichi mocked, â€Å"you think you have gained ‘Sage.' But I wonder if you know what in chess we call a ‘gambit' is? No? Well, I'm sure your intellectual friend will be glad to inform you.† There was a pause. Then Meredith said, with no expression at all, â€Å"A gambit is when a chess player sacrifices something – for instance, a pawn – deliberately – just to get something else. A position on the chessboard that they want, for instance.† â€Å"I knew you'd be able to tell them. What do you think of our first gambit?† Another silence, then Meredith said: â€Å"I presume you mean you've given us back Stefan to achieve something better.† â€Å"Oh, if you only had golden hair – as your friend Elena has so generously displayed.† There were various exclamations on the theme of â€Å"Huh?† – most of them directed at Shinichi, but some at Elena. Who promptly exploded. â€Å"You took Stefan's memories – ?† â€Å"Now, now, nothing so drastic, my dear. But a thirty-meld-a-session beautician – now, she was most cooperative.† Elena turned her gaze up at the giant face with a look of utter contempt. â€Å"You†¦cad.† â€Å"Oh, I'm stricken to the heart.† But the thing was, Shinichi's giant face did look stricken – angry and dangerous. â€Å"Between you, all such close friends: do you know how many secrets there are? Of course, Meredith is a mistress of secrecy, keeping her secrets from her friends all these years. You think you've already pumped her dry, but the best is yet to come. And then, of course, there is Damon's secret.† â€Å"Which if spoken of here and now will mean instant war,† Damon said. â€Å"And you know, it's strange, but I got the feeling that you came here tonight to negotiate.† This time Shinichi's laughter really was a gale, and Damon had to leap behind Meredith to prevent her being knocked into the hole the elevator had made. â€Å"Very gallant,† Shinichi boomed again, shattering glass somewhere on Mrs. Flowers's house. â€Å"But I really must be going. Shall I leave a synopsis of the prizes you still have to search for before your little company can look each other in the eye?† â€Å"I think we already have them. And you are no longer welcome around this home,† Mrs. Flowers said coolly. But Elena's mind was still working. Even standing here, knowing that Stefan needed her, she was searching for the reasons behind this: Shinichi's second gambit. Because she was sure that this was one. â€Å"Where are the pillowcases?† she said in a sharp voice that frightened and bewildered half the group, and simply frightened the rest. â€Å"I was holding one, but then I decided to hold on to Saber instead.† – Sage. â€Å"I had one, at the bottom of the hole, but I dropped it when somebody lifted me out.† – Bonnie. â€Å"I've still got one, although I don't understand what good – † Damon began. â€Å"Damon!† Elena whirled to him. â€Å"Trust me! We've got yours and Sage's safe – what's happening to Bonnie's in the hole?† The moment she had said â€Å"trust me† Damon had dumped his pillowcase on top of Sage's, and by the time she was finished, he had leaped into the hole, which was still so bright with leylight as to hurt any vampire's eyes. But Damon made no complaint. He said, â€Å"I have it safe now – no, wait! A root! A damned root is curled around one of the star balls! Someone toss me a knife, quick!† While everyone else was slapping their pockets for knives, Matt did something that Elena couldn't believe. First he glanced down into the six-foot-deep hole while pointing – a revolver, was it? Yes – she recognized it as the twin of Meredith's. Then without trying to let himself down easily, he simply jumped as Damon had, into the hole. â€Å"DON'T YOU WANT TO KNOW – † roared Shinichi, but no one was paying any attention to him. Matt's jump didn't end lightly as Damon's had. It ended with a gasp and a stifled curse. But Matt didn't waste time; still on his knees, he handed the gun up to Damon. â€Å"Blessed bullets – shoot it!† Damon moved very fast. He didn't even seem to aim. But he must have clicked the safety off and aimed immediately, for the root was now streaking for the soft wall of the hole, its end wrapped tightly around something round. Elena heard two shattering revolver shots; three. Then Damon stooped and picked up a vine-wrapped ball, medium-sized and crystal clear where its true surface could be seen. â€Å"PUT THAT DOWN!† Shinichi's rage was beyond all measure. The two burning red spots of his eyes were like flames – like moons of fire. He seemed to be trying to get them to comply by sheer volume. â€Å"I SAID, DON'T TOUCH THAT WITH YOUR FILTHY HUMAN HANDS!† â€Å"Oh, my God!† gasped Bonnie. Meredith said simply, â€Å"It's Misao's – it has to be. He'd gamble with his own; but not with hers. Damon, hand it up to me, along with the revolver. I bet it's not bulletproof.† She knelt, reaching into the hole. Damon, with a raised eyebrow, did as she said. â€Å"Oh, God,† Bonnie cried, from the edge of the hole. â€Å"Matt's sprained his ankle – at least.† â€Å"I TOLD YOU,† roared Shinichi. â€Å"YOU'LL BE SORRY – â€Å" â€Å"Here,† Damon said to Bonnie, taking not the slightest notice of Shinichi. Without any more ado, he picked up Matt and floated up out of the hole. He deposited the fair-haired boy beside Bonnie, who looked at him with the wide brown eyes of utter confusion. Matt, though, was a Virginian through and through. After swallowing only once, he got out a â€Å"Thank you, Damon.† â€Å"No problem, Matt,† Damon said, and then â€Å"What?† as someone gasped. â€Å"You remembered,† Bonnie cried, â€Å"You remembered his – Meredith!† she broke off, looking at the tall girl. â€Å"The grass!† Meredith, who had been examining the star ball with a strange expression, now tossed the revolver to Damon and tried with her free hand to tear away the grass that had twined around her feet and up her ankles already. But even as she did so, the grass seemed to leap upward and grab her hand, binding it to her feet. And now it was sprouting, growing, racing up her body toward the ball which she held high in the air. At the same time, it was tightening around her chest, forcing air out of her lungs. It all happened so fast that it was only when she gasped, â€Å"Somebody take th' ball,† that the others leaped to her aid. Bonnie was the first to get there, tearing with her fingernails at the greenery that was squeezing Meredith's chest. But each blade was like steel, and she couldn't rip away even one of them. Neither could Matt or Elena. Meanwhile, Sage was trying to lift Meredith bodily – to pluck her from the earth – and having no more success than the rest. Meredith's face, clearly visible in the light still shining from the hole, was going white. Damon snatched the star ball from her fingers just before the tangled greenery running up her arm could reach it. He then began moving literally faster than the human eye could track, never stopping in any one place long enough for any plant to grasp him. But still, the grass around Meredith was tightening. Now her face was turning blue. Her eyes were wide, her mouth open for a breath that would not come. â€Å"Stop it!† Elena screamed at Shinichi. â€Å"We'll give you the star ball! Just let go of her!† â€Å"LET GO OF HER?† Shinichi bellowed laughter. â€Å"MAYBE YOU'D BETTER LOOK TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS FIRST BEFORE ASKING ME A FAVOR.† Wildly, Elena looked around – and saw that grass had almost completely enveloped a kneeling Stefan, who had been too weak to move as quickly as the others had. And he had never made a sound to call attention to himself. â€Å"No!† Elena's desperate scream almost drowned out Shinichi's laughter. â€Å"Stefan! No!† Even knowing it was futile, she threw herself at him and tried to rip the grass away from his thin chest. Stefan simply gave her the faintest of smiles and shook his head sadly. That was when Damon came to a stop. He held the star ball up toward Shinichi's lowering visage. â€Å"Take it!† he shouted. â€Å"Take the ball, damn you, but let the two of them go!† This time the gale of Shinichi's laughter went on and on. A spiral of grass grew from a point beside Damon and an instant later had formed a hideous, shaggy green fist, which almost reached the star ball. But – â€Å"Not yet, my dears,† gasped Mrs. Flowers. She and Matt had come breathlessly from the boardinghouse storage room – Matt limping badly – and they both held what looked like Post-it notes in their hands. The next thing Elena knew, Damon was moving at ferocious speed again, away from the fist, and Matt was slapping a bit of paper on the grass covering Stefan, while Mrs. Flowers did the same to the greenery on Meredith. As Elena watched in disbelief, the grass seemed to melt, dying away into hay-colored blades that fell to the ground. The next moment she was holding Stefan. â€Å"Let's get inside, my dears,† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"It's safe in the storage room – the able help the wounded, of course.† Meredith and Stefan were taking great gasping breaths. But Shinichi had the last word. â€Å"Don't you worry,† he said, strangely calm as if he realized he'd lost – for now. â€Å"I'll get that sphere back soon enough. You don't know how to use that kind of Power anyway! And besides all that, I'm going to tell you what you've been hiding from your so-called friends. Just a few secrets, yes?† â€Å"The hell with your secrets,† shouted Bonnie. â€Å"Language, language! How about this: One of you has kept a secret all their life, and is doing so even now. One of you is a murderer – and I am not speaking of a vampire, or a mercy killing, or anything like that. And then there is the question of the true identity of Sage – good luck on your research there! One of you has already had their memory erased – and I don't mean Damon or Stefan. And what about the secret, stolen kiss? And then there is the question of what happened the night of the motel, that it seems that nobody but Elena can recall. You might ask her sometime about her theories about Camelot. And then – â€Å" That was when the sound as loud as Shinichi's giant-sized gales of laughter interrupted him. It tore through the face in the sky, leaving it drooping ridiculously. Then the face disappeared. â€Å"What was that – â€Å" â€Å"Who has the gun – ?† â€Å"What kind of gun could do that to him?† â€Å"One with blessed bullets,† Damon said coolly, showing them the revolver, pointed down. â€Å"You mean you did that?† â€Å"Good for Damon!† â€Å"Forget Shinichi!† â€Å"He is a liar when it suits him, that I can tell you.† â€Å"I think,† Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"that we can retire to the boardinghouse now.† â€Å"Yeah, and let's go get our baths.† â€Å"Just one last thing.† Shinichi's voice, giant-sized seemed to come from everywhere around them; from the sky, from the earth. â€Å"You're really going to love what I have in mind next for you. If I were you, I'd start negotiating for that star ball right NOW.† But his laughter was off and the muffled feminine sound behind him was almost like crying, as if Misao couldn't help herself. â€Å"YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE IT!† Shinichi insisted in a roar.

Bible: Exodus 20:4-6

The Old Testament ends with the prophets. These teachers provided insight on many issues facing Jews who were desperate to know God. Idolatry, social injustice and religious ritualism are three areas that are emphasized in their teachings and instilled in the minds and hearts of believers today. The prophets were great teachers who had much to say about God and the way man lived, social issues they faced, religious rituals they took part in, and their teachings are just as important today as they were in the past. Idolatry was a prominent issue among the Jews.God confronted this problem early in the Bible in Exodus 20:4-6. It is clear that following God requires complete and total attention on Him. The prophets considered this very an important issue. Consider Hosea who was commanded to marry an unfaithful wife to represent Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness towards God. During this time, Israel was unwilling to worship God and sought to find their own idols to worship and besto w glory upon. Hosea taught through his marriage the extent of unfaithfulness the Jews had in their relationship with God.Hosea compared Israel to spoiled grapes, a wild vine, a trained heifer, and a rebellious son and led into God to lay ruin to a large portion of His people causing the remnants to seek repentance before Him. Hosea, through using a marriage metaphor, showed the Jews how deep God’s love for them truly was and still is. Hosea’s example has modern implications. Because man can see how deeply God cares for them, there should be no reason to place importance of other things before their worship of Him. Yet, they do.If society could focus more on God today, the issues the world faces would cease to exist. Because this is not the case, man continues to destroy themselves as their eyes and minds stray from God and their own idols. The prophet Jonah put the truth about idolatry bluntly in his prayer to God: â€Å"Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake thei r hope of steadfast love. † Amos was a prophet with a lot to say about social injustice. He preached of a coming judgment against Israel for (among other things) oppressing their people.The Old Testament had charged the Israelites to take care of the disadvantaged and the poor, but there was a great disparity between the rich and the poor as Israel continued to reject God’s commands. Amos compared the wealthy women of Samaria to well fed cattle because they oppressed the poor while being consumed by selfish pleasures. Amos 5:14-15 states: â€Å"Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.†The goal of Amos was to show that Israel was not keeping their charge to care for one another despite God’s command. This was due, in large part, to the people focusing on self interest s. This sentiment is echoed in Micah where the wealthy conspired to steal the land of the needy. The world today mirrors Israel during the time of Amos. History has shown time again that wealth and personal selfishness blind man to the plight of the needy. In the United States, there is a huge disparity between the rich and the poor that requires personal conviction to change.Man must stay focused on God and care for one another to bring blessing upon them. Man’s negligence of the needy has led to homelessness and even suicides. Micah was a prophet who fought social injustice and idolatry like the other prophets. However, he offered a unique insight on what God looks for in man’s glorification of Him. As Micah reveals, God was not primarily interested in Israel’s sacrifices and offerings, no matter how extravagant they may have been, He was interested (and still is) in man’s humble obedience to Him reflected through a lifestyle of mercy and justice.The ot her prophets spoke to religious ritualism, but Micah put the concept simply and this concept is definitely true today. Man can go to church, sing the hymns, tithe their money, and hear a sermon, but God is most concerned with what man does in their obedience to Him and their receiving of His revelation. Church rituals are practically meaningless without obedience and positive action. James 2:20 is very relevant in this respect: â€Å"But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? † The Prophets of the Old Testament deliver instruction, wisdom, and warning.Man learned from them that idolatry takes the focus from God and puts the focus on self. Their teachings on social injustice show that God requires us to love and care for one another. Their teachings on ritualism show that God is more concerned with our obedience and reflection of Him than He is with offerings. Though the teachings of the prophets occurred many years ago, they are certainly releva nt today. Man can learn a great deal from the teachings and warnings presented by these men. Praise God for His patience in man’s stubborn ignorance.As man began to drift away from God’s own heart they began to create their own religion and beliefs. Many cultures have materialistic things that became their Gods! There social injustices in these cultures and many religious rituals. We all know the 10 commandments but the first commandment God said there will be no other Gods before me. A lot of people of that time were so far away of God and had so much wickedness in their hearts. In Ezekiel chapter eight it talks about an idolatry temple and God took him all around the area to show him how and why God’s presence has left.Ezekiel 8:17-18 says â€Å"He said to me, â€Å"Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trial matter for the house of Judah to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them. † Obviously after reading this you can tell how mad God was with all the Idol worshipping going along at the land.As you continue to read the book of Ezekiel you read that the presence of God departed from the temple. God seem so disgusted with the people and right fully so we see how man put other idols in front of God. The word of the Lord always came to the prophet Ezekiel and God exposed him to many things that the people did. When God told Ezekiel â€Å"set your face toward the south; preach against and prophesy against† not only did God believe in Ezekiel but he had enough with these false Gods. It’s so easy for our society to be drowned into having an Idol.In my opinion our time period has more of a temptation of having Idols because of social media and it’s easier to get the things you strongly desire to use a s an idol, but with that we are seeing the people getting to know Jesus by the millions. It has it’s pros and cons but I believe that we have so many things to guide us in the right path that it would help us to draw near to God. Amos’ statements are daring for him to make because they directly challenge the generally accepted religious practices of his time.Strong opposition to Amos developed at once when Amaziah, a priest, sent word to King Jeroboam that Amos was a dangerous character and should be expelled from the land. Although Amos insisted that he spoke only the words that Yahweh told him to proclaim, Amaziah told him to leave the country and never to prophesy again in the land of Israel. The prophecies of Amos mark an important point in the development of the religion of the Old Testament. The prophet was indeed a spokesman for Yahweh. That he was not speaking for himself or trying to please his listeners is made clear by the content of the message he delivered .Critics have often maintained that the Old Testament Prophets created the god of whom they spoke out of their own imaginations. However, had these prophets done so, it does not seem at all likely that God would have spoken so critically of what was being done by the prophets’ own people. Some of the rituals we in our time are like fasting (sun rise to sun set), acts of kindness, buying your way to heaven. Honestly if you can think of it being a ritual it probably is a ritual somewhere. Just like how it is today back then you the old days (bible) they were social injustice.The book of Amos 5:11 it says â€Å"You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not their wine. I wish I can just say that it’s only in the Old Testament that dealt with social injustice but it happen in the New Testament as well. Thinking about social in justice reminds me the time when Joseph was captured by pharaoh and he was held captive for such a long time. In our society we have so much injustice. We have the very wealthy branch of people then we have the middle and the lower.If you’re not in with a group of people then you are good enough to be around them. It seems like it is something you deal with in high school but not so much. I deal with it in the military. In the book of Micah chapter six verse eight it says â€Å"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? † what has our society has come to that they lost the love and compassion for people. We have become complacent that we forget to love our neighbor and I fall into this subject. We need to be a people who Love not hurt others

“Hurricane Hits England” and “Search For My Tongue” Essay

Compare how a person’s culture is shown to be important in â€Å"Hurricane Hits England† and in one other poem. In both â€Å"Hurricane Hits England† and â€Å"Search For My Tongue†, the poems explore the theme of culture being important to person, both poems approach this theme in different ways. In â€Å"Hurricane Hits England†, the poet uses the method of flashbacks to explore the theme, whereas â€Å"Search For My Tongue† approaches this theme by putting us in the author’s shoes. In â€Å"Hurricane Hits England†, the subject matter is based around the serious hurricane that hit Southern England 1987. This is a very rare life force that is unusual in this country, more frequently occurring in the Caribbean. This storm in England reminds Nichols about her culture and this life force has been able to â€Å"break the frozen lake† within her. This shows us, the reader her culture is important to her, by creating a fusion of human life and natural life forces; â€Å"Talk to me Huracan†¦Talk to me Shango†. These â€Å"gods† that she is calling out to us the reader, makes us also think that she is trying to create a chant as if she sees the hurricane as both â€Å"Fearful and reassuring†. Although she is happy that the hurricane has come for it has been able to help her discover her culture again, she is also reminded about what damage this ‘life force’ can do to a country, physically and emotionally. The poet is using this event in England to help call her â€Å"back-home cousin†. This is another reminder to us the reader that she wants this occasion to be a flashback of what would have happened if she was in the Caribbean. However, she knows that this is not the same as the storms in the Caribbean, as the trees are â€Å"falling heavy as whales†. This simile is used to represent the different types of ecosystems around the world, how different trees have different properties. If you go to the Caribbean, the types of trees are mainly palm trees, with the properties of having flexible bark. However, in England the types of trees are Oak and Pine which are quite heavy and inflexible. This makes the trees unsuitable for this type of weather, making this experience still remind the poet about her culture, but seeing this weather as a new experience. In â€Å"Search For My Tongue†, the way the poets shows us how culture is important to her is done in different ways, by showing us how it is to be in another country and not be able to express your â€Å"mother tongue†. In this poem, she describes how she is scared of loosing her â€Å"mother tongue†, how it would â€Å"rot† and she will have to â€Å"spit it out†. This demonstrates how her language is a very important part of her culture and heritage and during the first stanza in the poem; the use of botanical imagery shows a mood of death and decay. She explains how she could not create a hybrid tongue, the use of both languages; â€Å"You could not use them both together†. This botanical imagery is then used to help the re-growth of her mother tongue while she is having a dream; â€Å"munay hutoo kay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The way how she portrays this stanza of the poem, not only gives the impression of her doing a chant but also had a lyrical feeling towards it. This is then an awakening for her mother tongue to â€Å"grow†, thus rediscovering language and culture is obviously important to the poet. The final stanza is probably the most enlightening and meaningful stanza in the entire poem, for it finally concludes how culture can be extremely important to people and make them the way they are; â€Å"the bud opens in my mouth†. The use of botanical imagery has now been used to firstly represent death and decay, to now being represent growth and re-birth. This use of assonance in the last stanza also helps to change the mood of the entire poem, giving it a more positive feel to the poem; â€Å"blossoms out of my mouth†. This line not only tells us that she is happy with the culture that she has re-discovered, but it also means that she has found the item that she had lost; her tongue. We know this from the title of the poem â€Å"Search For My Tongue†. In conclusion, both of these poems have been able to show how a past culture can be important to a person’s character and future growth. This could teach all of us a moral lesson, by telling us that culture is important to everybody’s feeling of self by making it mould our characters to what we are today. In both these poems, they might have used different methods to portray these themes, with the outcome giving off the same message.