Free Scarlet Letter Essay: Secrets :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Secrets of The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is considered by many to be the greatest accomplishment of an author hailed as the master of the American short story. It is set in Salem, Massachusetts. In this strictly controlled Puritan town the inhabitants live by harsh laws and fierce prejudices. Hester Prynne, a young wife whose husband is presumed dead, is being publicly humiliated for the sin of adultery. The proof of her sin is her baby girl Pearl. She conceals the identity of Pearl's father to protect him from the harsh judgement of Puritan law. She however is doomed to spend the rest of her life marked as an adulterer by wearing a scarlet "A" on her chest. Hester's husband meanwhile has arrived in the colony and taken up practice as a doctor. He makes Hester promise that she won't reveal his identity to anyone. The book covers a seven year period during which the identity of the father becomes known. It is the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, who is renowned as an especially holy and pi ous man. Wracked by guilt he starts to show outward signs of serious illness. Hester's husband under the assumed name Roger Chillingworth moves in and begins taking care of Dimmesdale. Chillingworth soon discovers that the Reverend is Pearl's father. Dimmesdale however thinks that Chillingworth is simply a doctor. Chillingworth uses his influence to multiply the feelings of guilt in the minister while trying to keep him in physical health, as a form of emotional torture. At the climax of the story, Dimmesdale confesses and dies. Hester and Pearl leave the colony. Chillingworth whose whole purpose was to get revenge from Dimmesdale suddenly finds his life without purpose and dies within a year. Hawthorne used the settings in the book, not only to develop the story, but to make a statement about Puritan Society through the use of allegory. The Puritans were a people dedicated to perfecting themselves according to a certain set of values that were uniquely Puritan. On the individual level a Puritan would try to reach perfection by living out this series of values. If they did not succeed, as in Hester or Arthur Dimmesdale's cases, their punishment would be in the fact that they did not live up to the perfection they strived for. The prison, in The Scarlet Letter is proof that Salem is a society striving for self perfection, not only individuals dedicated to perfecting themselves.

Civil War Reconstruction :: essays research papers

AP American History The President versus Congress The President and congress both had different reconstruction plans for the south. These different arguments were based on different beliefs and different self interests. The President firmly believed on a soft-on-south reconstruction plan while congress believed that the south should be economically, socially, and politically reconstructed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both President Lincoln and President Johnson both believed that the war was fought over the succession of the south and because the north won, the south never actually succeeded. This resulted in their reconstruction plan to be very kind to the south. They required for each southern state to have 10 percent of their voters pledge allegiance to the union. This plan allowed for the southern Black Codes. These were instituted to keep the blacks as a cotton labor force as well as an inferior race. If the south followed this plan then they would be rejoined into the union.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congress’s reconstruction plan for the south was much more rigorous. The congress didn’t believe that 10 percent allegiance was enough, so they urged for that number to become 50 percent. Also, the republican dominant congress believed that the south’s reconstruction should give greater manhood suffrage towards blacks. Also, congress feared that now that the south had rejoined, republicans no longer would be the dominant political power in congress. Under the Presidents plan the southerners would have been allowed to rejoin congress, taking power away from northern congressman. So, to solve all of these problems congress instituted the 14th Amendment. In this Amendment ex-slaves were made citizens, states could no longer deny eligible citizens the right to vote, those who rebelled no longer could hold office, and debts incurred in aid of rebellion are void. Congress used this Amendment to deprive many southerners of political power as well as to try and reform the south socially. Also, congress planned their harsh reconstruction with the Reconstruction Act. This act split the south into 5 military districts headed by a Union general. Also, 10s of thousands of Union solders were disfranchised. Finally full manhood suffrage was part of this act. Fearing that one day the congress would be democratically controlled congress also created the 15th Amendment to give suffrage for blacks. This Amendment as well as all of the acts congress committed above were all ways in which congress attempted to socially reform the south.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reconstruction plan for the President and the reconstruction plan for Congress resulted in the two of them becoming involved in a conflict with each other. Civil War Reconstruction :: essays research papers AP American History The President versus Congress The President and congress both had different reconstruction plans for the south. These different arguments were based on different beliefs and different self interests. The President firmly believed on a soft-on-south reconstruction plan while congress believed that the south should be economically, socially, and politically reconstructed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both President Lincoln and President Johnson both believed that the war was fought over the succession of the south and because the north won, the south never actually succeeded. This resulted in their reconstruction plan to be very kind to the south. They required for each southern state to have 10 percent of their voters pledge allegiance to the union. This plan allowed for the southern Black Codes. These were instituted to keep the blacks as a cotton labor force as well as an inferior race. If the south followed this plan then they would be rejoined into the union.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congress’s reconstruction plan for the south was much more rigorous. The congress didn’t believe that 10 percent allegiance was enough, so they urged for that number to become 50 percent. Also, the republican dominant congress believed that the south’s reconstruction should give greater manhood suffrage towards blacks. Also, congress feared that now that the south had rejoined, republicans no longer would be the dominant political power in congress. Under the Presidents plan the southerners would have been allowed to rejoin congress, taking power away from northern congressman. So, to solve all of these problems congress instituted the 14th Amendment. In this Amendment ex-slaves were made citizens, states could no longer deny eligible citizens the right to vote, those who rebelled no longer could hold office, and debts incurred in aid of rebellion are void. Congress used this Amendment to deprive many southerners of political power as well as to try and reform the south socially. Also, congress planned their harsh reconstruction with the Reconstruction Act. This act split the south into 5 military districts headed by a Union general. Also, 10s of thousands of Union solders were disfranchised. Finally full manhood suffrage was part of this act. Fearing that one day the congress would be democratically controlled congress also created the 15th Amendment to give suffrage for blacks. This Amendment as well as all of the acts congress committed above were all ways in which congress attempted to socially reform the south.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reconstruction plan for the President and the reconstruction plan for Congress resulted in the two of them becoming involved in a conflict with each other.

Efficient and Economical Forms of Team Processes

Purpose: The research aims to study key team processes, through which the team members share their individual knowledge, create shared understanding of the team, situation, task, leading to high team performance. The current research also aims to understand how teams adapt with team processes to high task load situation. Design/Methodology: Video recordings of Nuclear Power Plant operator teams’ activity have been used for collecting and analysing data. 16 operator teams had to follow the selected same scenario, including 96 team members’ interaction. The performance scores were made by the instructors’ evaluation. Team process categories were developed based on different theoretical, empirical frameworks of team processes and semi structured analyses of transcribed communication and video recordings. Results: Specific forms of team processes help team members to build a shared conceptualization of the faced problems, thus lead to higher team performance, such as: providing directions, summarizing, projecting to the future, coherent information flow. Economical forms of team processes may help to lessen and manage high task load situation. Limitations: Team performance evaluations were based on subjective assessments of performance. The study lacks explicit team knowledge measurements. Research/Practical Implications: The revealed team process categories may serve as a valuable input for team members’ social skill focused selection and development methods. Originality/Value: The study aims to capture team processes in a naturalistic and complex work environment. The analyses reveal how good performing teams manage unpredictable high task load situation with team processes from information, knowledge sharing perspective.

Intermountain Healthcare Essay

Continuous improvement in quality and productivity processes is essential for any business that wants to be profitable but more so for Health care organizations due to the constant changing nature of their practice. The philosophy of continuous improvement is captured in the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) cycle proposed by W. Edwards Deming (Fitzsimmons et. Al. , 2013). The three principles that form the foundation for Deming’s teaching are Customer satisfaction, Management by Facts, and Respect for people. Health care delivery must focus on satisfying patients’ needs and this principle must be incorporated into the mind of every employee of a healthcare organization. Scientific thinking (collecting and statistically analyzing data) must also be merged with administrative analysis before decisions are made by the quality improvement teams. For quality improvement to be established in an organization, there must be mutual respect amongst employees where everybody’s ideas on improving processes are solicited. By implementing these principles, the idea of â€Å"higher quality could lead to lower cost,† can be manifested. How well is Intermountain Health Care performing? From the case study, intermountain Health care is performing very well. As of 2001, the intermountain healthcare (IHC) Health plan was the largest in Utah which covered about 460,000 individuals and a market share of 40%. The closest competitor being Blue Cross and Blue Shield, covered 425,000 individuals. IHC started with fifteen hospitals in 1975 and after 27 years grew it to 22 hospitals, 25 health centers and over 70 outpatient’s clinics all across Utah and Southeastern Idaho. IHC is a vertically integrated Health care organization that has won many top awards in the industry. In 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, Intermountain Healthcare was ranked No. 1 (among nearly 600 evaluated) integrated healthcare systems in the U. S. by Modern Healthcare magazine and the Verispan research firm. The rankings measured efficiency, communication cost and quality of care. As of 2013, Intermountain Healthcare is internationally recognized, has a nonprofit system of 22 hospitals, a Medical Group with more than 185 physician clinics, and an affiliated health insurance company, SelectHealth. It currently has 33,000 employees serving patients and plan members in Utah and Southeastern Idaho. Below is a list of other awards that IHC has received as a system: Hospitals & Health Networks recognized Intermountain Healthcare as one of â€Å"Health Care’s Most Wired 2013† in the nation. This was the fourteenth year Intermountain has been listed. Forbes magazine named Intermountain Healthcare to its list of â€Å"21 Most Admired Companies Making IT a Competitive Advantage† in 2013. American College of Medical Quality gave the â€Å"Institutional Quality Leadership Award† to Intermountain Healthcare, the sole recipient of this award in 2013, for Intermountain longstanding commitment to clinical quality programs and innovations in healthcare delivery. The Gallup Organization again presented Intermountain Healthcare with its Great Workplace Award for 2013 Intermountain Healthcare ranked No. 3 overall in the U. S. and No. 1 in the western U. S. on the 2012 list of the nation’s Top 100 Integrated Health Systems compiled by IMS Health and Modern Healthcare magazine. National Research Corporation presented a 2012/2013 Consumer Choice Award to Intermountain Healthcare for its hospitals, clinics, and business units’ having been selected by locally served consumers as having the best quality and image. What is Intermountain’s approach to the management of health care delivery? Intermountain uses Clinical integration as its approach to healthcare delivery. This involves both an organizational restructuring as well as the use of different set of tools (mainly technological tools). With this approach of healthcare delivery, both the administrative and medical staff (physicians, nurses and pharmacist) collaborate to implement the perfect system of gathering, storing, and making accessible medical data on each patient. Analyzing this data gathered enables the medical team to create protocols or use decision support tools that focus on improving medical intervention for each patient as well as removing inefficiencies from their service process. Its core aim was to establish quality and extend full management accountability to IHC’s Clinical Function. IHC health services was divided into four areas: Clinical conditions, clinical support services, service quality and administrative support processes. IHC also uses Deming’s PDCA Cycle and Lean Service to ensure continuous quality improvement. Why does Intermountain do it this way? Intermountain tries to continually improve its Quality improvement process by adopting the PDCA cycle. They plan by selecting â€Å"clinical problems† for Hospital based procedures. These processes are documented and data collected. By the top managers brainstorming, they are able to reach the root causes of the problems. The â€Å"Do† in the PDCA cycle is used to implement solutions or processes to solve the Clinical problems on a Trail basis. (The implementation process is monitored and documented). The Check in the PDCA cycle is used to review and evaluate the outcomes of implementing the solution. The Act in the PDCA cycle helps the company to reflect and act on the learning experience. The changes in the processes that were successful are standardized and communicated to the employees. IHC also uses a Biannual advanced Training program in Health care Delivery Improvement (ATP) to come out with best practice protocols. Here, they use the lean dimension ‘empowering those who do the work in continuous improvement’ or ‘human development’ which is a very important part of the lean process. Since the ideas are generated by the employees themselves, there is a lot of motivation to implement it. Why don’t all heath care delivery organizations do this? The implementation of information technology systems like Health evaluation through Logical processing system (HELP) and Electronic medical (EMR) are very expensive. The cost of training the staff and maintenance of these systems can be very expensive. Some health care delivery organizations also see the clinical integration system as a loss of traditional physician autonomy, prestige, power and income. Some health care organizations also enjoy having inefficiencies in their systems so that they can exploit unsuspecting patients. We go to the hospital now and are requested to do all kinds of unnecessary lab tests, just to increase our medical bills. Conclusion Intermountain has adopted the strategy of improving continuously by adopting the PDCA cycle and it seems to be working for them since they are the largest Healthcare providers in Utah and Southeastern Idaho. Its clinical integration approach to delivering care has resulted in the company winning numerous awards. The incorporation of information technology plays a crucial role in the quality improvement of their services. The incorporation of Deming’s idea that â€Å"Higher quality could lead to lower cost,† has given the IHC Health plan a competitive edge over other insurers in Utah. References Fitzsimmons, J. A. , Fitzsimmons, M. J. , & Bordoloi, S. K. (2014). Service Management Operations, Strategy, Information Technology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Intermountain_Healthcare http://intermountainhealthcare. org/about/overview/awards/Pages/home. aspx http://www. beckershospitalreview. com/strategic-planning/back-to-basics-understanding-the-5-performance-dimensions-of-lean-in-healthcare. html Bohmer, R. M. J. , Edmondson, A. C. , & Feldman, L. R. (2013). Intermountain Health Care. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publication Roger, R. (2008). Commentary: Intermountain Healthcare. High Performing Healthcare Systems: Delivering Quality by Design. 179-184. Retrieved from http://www. longwoods. com/content/20147

Traditional Methods of Performance Appraisal

Performance appraisal is a method of evaluating the behaviour of employees in the work spot, normally both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of job performance. Performance here refers to the degree of accomplishment of the tasks that make up an individual’s job. It indicates how well an individual is fulfilling the job demands. The purpose of performance appraisal is to update the worker on his progress, gauge his behavior and performance, praise good work, and note opportunities for improvement. A poorly conducted appraisal could cause the worker to lose morale, but a constructive performance appraisal can encourage him to go above and beyond the call of duty. People differ in their abilities and their aptitudes. There is always some difference between the quality and quantity of the same work on the same job being done by two different people. Performance appraisals of Employees are necessary to understand each employee’s abilities, competencies and relative merit and worth for the organization. Performance appraisal rates the employees in terms of their performance. The history of performance appraisal can be dated back to the 20th century and then to the second world war when the merit rating was used for the first time. An employer evaluating their employees is a very old concept. Performance appraisals are an indispensable part of performance measurement. Performance appraisal is necessary to measure the performance of the employees and the organization to check the progress towards the desired goals and aims. The latest mantra being followed by organizations across the world being – â€Å"get paid according to what you contribute† – the focus of the organizations is turning to performance management and specifically to individual performance. Performance appraisal helps to rate the performance of the employees and evaluate their contribution towards the organizational goals. If the process of performance appraisals is formal and properly structured, it helps the employees to clearly understand their roles and responsibilities and give direction to the individual’s performance. It helps to align the individual performances with the organizational goals and also review their performance. Performance appraisal systems began as simple methods of income justification. That is, appraisal was used to decide whether or not the salary or wage of an individual employee was justified. The process was firmly linked to material outcomes. If an employee's performance was found to be less than ideal, a cut in pay would follow. On the other hand, if their performance was better than the supervisor expected, a pay rise was in order. Little consideration was given to the developmental possibilities of appraisal, It was felt that a cut in pay, or a rise, should provide the only required impetus for an employee to either improve or continue to perform well.

Turning Point Essay

Mercedes Sitzler February 14th , 2013 ENG101 TuThu 11:30-12:45 Turning Point Essay Goodbye Fear, Hello New Life My friends never judged me, looked at me differently, or lost respect for me. To them, I was still the same Mercedes; I was simply just attracted to women. Being homosexual was not something I decided, or something I could control. My friends understood this and accepted me for who I was. I was not scared to tell a single one of my friends that I was gay; however, for some odd reason, I was beyond terrified of telling my parents. My parents have always been extremely supportive of me and every decision I have made in my life.Why was I so scared that would all change if I told them the truth? To tell them that their little girl was not going to walk down the aisle to meet a man in a tuxedo at the end. To tell them that my children would not be made the usual way but through insemination. To tell them that I am gay. I was still the same daughter I always was. I knew my parent s would love me no matter what; but, deep down, telling them the truth about my sexuality was the biggest fear I had in life. I was scared that the loving Mommy and Daddy I always knew I had would turn into judgmental and distant Tanya and Dean.Let us rewind back a little over a year ago when I came to realize, in myself, that I was lesbian. I had been dating this girl for maybe a month. I would see her almost every day behind my parents’ back. We would do everything any other couple would; date nights, cuddle, argue, make up, and argue some more. However, sometimes I thought to myself, â€Å"Maybe this is just a phase. † I knew that I liked her, but I questioned myself, â€Å"why? † and â€Å"how? † when I had always liked boys. One night, I decided to link up with an old ex of mine. My girlfriend and I were on a break because we had been fighting for a while.My ex and I went out to a party with a couple of friends and had a blast. The company of my ex w as great; he was an awesome guy. The emotional connection; however, was not all there. This was not because we had a harsh break up or anything, I just saw him in a completely different way. I was still questioning everything and at the end of the night, we kissed. My stomach turned and my head throbbed, I was disgusted. It was not what I wanted at all. It was not the same as kissing my girlfriend. It was not the same as holding onto my petite woman. It was not for me. This was the exact moment I realized that women were for me.I cannot control how I feel or what my heart wants, but I can control with whom I decide to share my life with. There is no doubt in the back of my mind that I will marry a woman and build an amazing life with her. About four months later I made the biggest decision of my life. It was the most nerve wrecking moment ever. I did not know what to expect, but I knew it had to be done sooner or later. It was April 21st, and I decided to come out of the closet to m y mom and dad. I have never kept such a huge secret from my parents and it was so hard for me to keep the biggest secret I had from them.I had been shopping all day with my best friend Marina for an outfit to wear the next day. It was the annual Gay Pride parade. My mom knew that I was attending; however, I had told her that I was going to support my gay friend David. I bravely walked into my house with a newly purchased button pinned right on my favorite denim vest. It said, â€Å"Come out come out wherever you are† with a cute little rainbow right underneath the words. I laughed about it, showing my mom, and she was very quick to ask me, â€Å"Are you trying to tell me something? Even though she said it with a smile on her face and laughing at the same time, my heart began beating faster than ever before. I replied, â€Å"Maybe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and she giggled. â€Å"Well, looks like I’m not getting grandkids from you! † It turned out that she had had a feeling for a while and already knew. My dad was standing in the kitchen and laughed about the whole situation. His response was simply, â€Å"Hey, at least we have something in common. † I was so terrified to come out to them for no reason at all. My parents love me for who I am, not for my sexuality, and they proved that to me that exact night.My parents are the best parents in the entire world. That moment completely changed the way I live my life. I used to live with secrets and sneak off to be with my girlfriend; now I live freely and do not have to hide anything. My parents have met my ex-girlfriend and loved her company. They have also met my current lover and enjoy her company even more. The best feeling in the world is feeling accepted from the two most important people in my life. To be able to have my girl over at my house for dinner, or a movie, or just to hang out is amazing.I love being able to explain to my mom why I just smiled at a text message or tell her the stori es of me and my girl. I love knowing that my dad still wants to protect me from being hurt over a female, and can sit and talk to me about my relationships with girls. I love that I am me and they accept that. One day, I will fall in love with the perfect woman and walk down the aisle to her standing there, as beautiful as ever. My mommy and daddy will be sitting right in the front row supporting me and my future wife because of the conversation we had on April 21st, 2012.

Analysing Biopower And Agency Linked To Euthanasia Philosophy Essay

Analysing Biopower And Agency Linked To Euthanasia Philosophy Essay Human life can be perceived as a way of being that ensures autonomy upon the physical body. However, state authority, surveillance and law are moderating this individual freedom and moral decision-making. Nowadays, euthanasia remains a highly controversial and sensitive medical and ethical issue. My research and final thesis for the master will focus on the narratives of people, residing in houses for the elderly in Antwerp, Belgium. Emphasis is placed on whether upcoming media interest in euthanasia influences elderly thoughts and decision making regarding assisted suicide. Wishes about end-of-life decisions, opinions of relatives and law interpretations of medical practitioners are being investigated in this study. And finally the way government’s authority influences people’s agency in end-of-life decision making. With this paper, I intend to widen my knowledge of two main anthropological topics linked to the subject of euthanasia, namely biopower and agency. Biopol itics concern the political implications of social and biological facts and phenomena, with political choice and action directly afflicting all aspects of human life. Agency, on the other hand, can be seen as an alternative attempt to maintain autonomy in one’s own life and death, under the influence of the state’s disciplining interference. Both forms of power are studied in this paper, and their interrelationship is critically viewed. Keywords: Biopolitics, Agency, Power, Health, Ethics 2. The history of biopower In Foucault’s The Birth of Biopolitics (Lectures at the College de France, 1978-1979), an analysis of liberalism and neoliberalism as forms of biopolitics is presented. According to Foucault, biopower can be perceived as a technology of power, intending to manage individuals as a group. This political technology differentiates because of its ability to control populations as a whole, and is thus essential to the development of modern capitalism (Fouca ult, 2008). This shift from the managing and micro-controlling of individuals to disciplining a population emerged in the eighteenth-century. Even though this seems as an opportunity to gain more natural rights and liberty for individuals, this liberal government no longer limits state power because of the incompatible tension between freedom and security (Foucault, 2008, McSweeney, 2010). As Foucault argued, liberalism concerns the biopolitical. For liberalism promotes an imagined self-governing of life through a certain capture and disciplining of natural forces of aggression and desire within the framework of a cultural game, governed by civil conventions and instituted laws (Foucault, 2004). In this conception, ‘life is as much of a cultural construct as is law, although the naturalness of life, thought of as innately self-regulating, is always insinuated. Both in economics and in politics, liberalism rejoice in an order that is supposed to emerge naturally from the clash of passions themselves (Milbank, 2008: 2).’ Rabinow and Rose seek to enlighten the developments in Foucault’s concept of biopower, which ‘serves to bring into view a field comprised of more or less rationalized attempts to intervene upon the vital characteristics of human existence (Rabinow, 2006: 196-197).’ Foucault distinguishes two poles of biopower: the first one focuses on an anatomo-politics of the human body, seeking to maximize its forces and integrate it into efficient systems. The second pole entails biopolitics of the population, focusing on the species body, the body imbued with the mechanisms of life: birth, morbidity, mortality and longevity (Rose, 2007: 53). Thus, according to Rabinow and Rose, ‘we can use the term ‘biopolitics’ to embrace all the specific strategies and contestations over problematizations of collective human vitality, morbidity and mortality; over the forms of knowledge, regimes of authority and practice s of intervention that are desirable, legitimate and efficacious (Rabinow, 2006: 197).’