Biography of Martha Rogers

Born on May 12, 1914, Martha Elizabeth Rogers shares the same birthday with Florence Nightingale. Her passion for nursing persisted in 1933 and she received the degree in 1936. Although this was not her first line of choice in pursuit of a career, still she managed to enter a nursing school at Knoxville General Hospital. Her continuing desire in the nursing field had given her several achievements in different schools. For one, she attained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Health Nursing at George Peabody College in Nashville, subsequently becoming a Public Health Nurse at the University of Michigan in 1937. She continued her professional studies of Master’s Degree in Teacher’s College Columbia University New York. Soon after, she became a public health nurse in Hartford, CT afterwards, an acting Director of Education. After having a good position in her job as the Executive Director of the first Visiting Nurse Service in Phoenix, AZ, she further fortified her knowledge at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD in 1951. In 1954, Martha Rogers took the place of Head of the Division of Nursing at New York University and edited a journal called Nursing Science in 1963. There were certain affirmations that during this time Rogers were already formulating ideas for her third book An Introduction to the Theoretical Basis of Nursing (cited in Rogers, 1970). For 21 years, Rogers served as the Professor and Head of the Division of Nursing. Although she retired from service, she continued to serve her role in the development of nursing and of the ideology concerning the Science of Unitary Human Beings until her passing on March 13, 1994 (Martha E. Rogers: A Short Biography, 2008). Science of Unitary Human Beings Dramatically, the progress of Science of Unitary Humans Beings occurred in Europe. Some of the aspects of that improved are the nursing process, quality assurance, primary nursing, and nursing models included in the theory. However, the prevalent progress does not exhibit its full nature rather remains obscure. Primarily, the principle of Martha Roger’s theory is based on non-predominant aspect of nursing practice, research, and education. According to Smith (1989), Rogers’ perspective on nursing practice is â€Å"guided out of a concrete, static, closed system world view.† In other terms, it is seen as reductionistic, analytic, and mechanistic (Biley, 1990). These ideologies did not prevail as traditional means to deliver care but challenged nursing preexisting ideas. Moreover, the ideology of Roger’s has been at a perspective contradicting the overall aspect of care. Mainly, the Science of Unitary Human Beings covers a vast array of subjects from anthropology, mathematics, astronomy, Einsteinian, and philosophy. Hence, many believe that Rogers concept demand a wider range of knowledge incomparable to what Nursing has. They call it an â€Å"outrageous nursing theory† (cited in Thompson, 1990) because its complexity derives those to difficult comprehensive ideology. Nonetheless, Martha Rogers is vied as a genius, as she is referred to as â€Å"a brilliant nurse theorist† and â€Å"one of the most original thinkers of nursing.† (Daily et al., 1989). Significantly, the foundation of Rogers concept, seen in her 1970 book, lays five basic assumptions on man and his life processes. First is Openness, wherein a human being perceived as a whole is a sum more than different of the other parts. Second is Unidirectionality, describing life processes occurring in an irreversible space-time continuum. Third is Pattern and Organization that characterizes individuals through progressive reflection of their entirety. Finally, is Sentience and Thought, which speaks of life, particularly human beings, capable of abstraction and imagery, language and thought, and sensation and emotion (Rogers, 1970). Notably, the theory expanded into the four critical elements, namely energy fields, open systems, patterns, and pandimensionality (cited in Rogers, 1986). Initially, energy fields were described as â€Å"fundamental unit of the living and the non-living† comprised of the human and environment energy field. Consequently, the human field is irreducible, indivisible, and has a pandimensional energy identified by pattern but is specific to whole (cited in Rogers, 1991). On the other hand, the environmental field is expressed as integral with the human field. In effect, environmental field specifies itself with the human field. Subsequently, there is Rogers’ Open systems critical element. In this area, it is described that the open nature of fields is where the interchange of energy and matter exists. In other terms, there is a continuous process inside regardless of energy and matter. The third element is Pattern, which gives insight to the characteristic of the energy field uniquely perceived as a single wave. For instance, is human behavior, a factor of human being that constantly changes; hence, identifying an individual. Another is a pattern constantly changing in the body that may signify a disease, pain or illness. Finally is the critical element called pandimensionality, which is according to Rogers (1991), â€Å"a nonlinear domain without spatial or temporal attributes.† Focusing on this theory, many have remained inconclusive, undetermined, and still incomplete. Although it seems genuinely brilliant, the theory exists as impossible, yet, structuralizes the nursing concept in a depth. Moreover, factors remaining in sight of Science of Unitary of Human Beings somehow do not coincide with the nursing process, even in educational or health care service. Hence, the theory still serves alienation from the nursing profession. Even if it is significant, many find it difficult to understand and implement. References Biley, F. (1990). Theory: An overview of the Science of Unitary Human Beings. Retrieved on February 27, 2008 from UnitaryHealthCare.com. Hektor LM (1989). Martha E Rogers: A Life History. Nursing Science Quarterly 2; 2, 63-73. Rogers ME (1970). An introduction to the theoretical basis of nursing. F A Davis, Philadelphia. Martha E. Rogers: A Short Biography. (2008). Retrieved on February 27, 2008   

Operational Analysis and Effectiveness Essay

Competition in a corporate world is becoming intense. That is why strategic plans for a business in order to advance from competitors should be given proper attention in a business. Operational Performance is one of the important areas in management that needs to be taken focus in a company. It is a complex task in handling the operations of the business. In a manufacturing company, the performance of its facilities can be measured through various parameters, considering the external constraints of the market and defining it to follow its strategy and vision. Performance is all about capability; it is about the future. In any business, operational performance is an important issue. In needs to be measured The focus of achieving results on useful products and services for customers inside and outside the organization is the major contribution of performance management. It emphasizes the objective not only implementing strategic plans but doing them in the most effective way as possible. (McNamara, 2007) The first thing that comes to our mind when we hear this term is the performance in terms of the manpower or basically, the performance of employees. However, performance management refers to the areas where man is involved. First, it focused on the organization. The different activities in a department are involved such as computer support, administration, sales, etc. , the processes that concerns the billing, budgeting, product development, financial management and other), the programs for employees such as implementation of new policies and procedures to provide safe workplace and training programs, the products or services to internal or external customers, the projects (automating the billing process, moving to a new building, etc. ) and the teams or groups organized to accomplish a result for internal or external customers. Critical outcomes and Its Cost In this field of management, there are several activities that can be problematic. These areas have huge impact on the whole system. Costs are involved direct or indirectly. The key areas for measurement that should be considered are the profitability, market performance, resource utilization and people performance. (Wright & Race, 2004) Other matters such as score cards, statistical process control and benchmarking. When performance reviews fail, performance management often conflicts with relationship management. Negative feedback doesn’t motivate; ignoring the subjective element in reviews undermines employee attitudes. (Simmons, 2003) Performance reviews often conflict with relationship management. Negative feedback doesn’t motivate, and ignoring subjective elements in reviews can undermine employee attitudes. In fact, Simmons says this primary tool designed to improve performance can, and often does, create the opposite of the desired and intended result. Instead, she suggests an alternative review system that takes into account the important emotional aspects. (Simmons, 2003) The core assumption of most performance reviews is that if you clarify the gap between current performance and desired performance that will drive improved performance. However, that’s not the case. Instead, reviews tend to amplify the quality of the personal relationship between boss and employee. (Simmons, 2003) Measurements are significant to provide analysis to a certain area that to be studied. These will give valid conclusions on the subject. It is important to find improvements and effectiveness of the activities. Design and Implementation of a Performance Measurement System The main reason for constructing a measurement system for the case organisation was to obtain a tool for developing the organisation. The purpose of the measurement system was to improve the circumstances and the organisation’s employees. In addition, the measurement system was designed for guiding the implementation of the strategy. While designing and implementing the performance measurement system, the special characteristics were taken into account. (Mettanen) In an operational unit, individual approach emphasizes on individual performance appraisal, goal setting, and feedback. Performance appraisal has been a subject of much interest to HRM researchers. Literally hundreds of articles have been written on the subject over the past few decades. Most of this effort has been devoted to characteristics of instruments and raters, with underlying goals to eliminate errors of bias, better understand performance-related information processing, and ultimately to improve rating accuracy. Research on performance management has included other individually-focused phenomena that may occur before, during, and after appraisal. These include planning processes and interventions designed to maintain or improve performance. For example, individual feedback and goal setting have both received much acclaim as ways to manage task performance. Characteristics including the specificity of feedback and the extent to which it includes both behaviours and outcomes, and the degree of goal difficulty have been especially associated with higher performance (Chhokar and Wallin, 1984; Kim, 1984; Locke et al. , 1981). The interconnectedness of goal setting and feedback has also been discussed. Tolchinsky and King (1980) and Bandura and Cervone (1986) proposed that the effect of feedback depends on the beliefs that such feedback generate and, specifically, on the goals that are set in response to feedback. A TQM-compatible Approach Under this approach, the activities are on direct supervision. Their reasoning was largely based on the problems discussed above and the degree of system contribution to variance in work performance. A system-oriented approach would be primarily oriented towards improving processes which affect the performance of all individuals within the system. For example, in a production area, workflow or other technological processes might be evaluated and then improved in such a way as to enhance the performance of an overall work unit. Forms of performance management which attempt to link individual- and unit level performance are consistent with a system-oriented approach and TQM philosophies. Such a linkage may be accomplished in two ways. First, in line with the work of TQM proponents performance management may focus on ways to evaluate and improve the work system. In essence, this involves an identification of the internal or external customers associated with a work unit and measures to determine the extent to which customers’ needs are being met. Group-level involvement is attained so that co-workers and management work together to determine potential chronic problems which may be causing performance variance within the system and low levels of performance in relation to customer needs. A second mechanism for linking individual- and unit-level performance is to focus performance management largely at the unit level in terms of appraisal and rewards. This would be in contrast to the more common existing practice of making fine distinctions among individuals when appraising and rewarding . Individual efforts in organizations must increasingly be integrated in a total group effort and output. This idea leads to conclude that the natural unit of analysis for appraisal in organizations should be the group rather than the individual. Although group level assessment raises potential problems associated with social loafing demonstrated how having group-level goals causes individuals to accept more difficult goals for themselves. Matsui et al. oncluded that by having group goals, members develop a sense of shared responsibility for the attainment of their individual goals. It was showed how membership in quality circles could increase the commitment and productivity of individual members. had argued earlier that the group could be used as a â€Å"medium of change† to ensure the control of individual behavior and performance. (Waldman) Corporate Performance Management methods intend to provide improved. Roles of Operations Manager The operations manager is in charge of the supervision of the operations within the system. First, there must be qualifications for the said job. Operations manager should develop strong analytical skills and a logical approach to problem solving. It is advisable for them to take additional courses in statistics and computer systems. The operations manager is in charge of a more technical side of business so he should know how to handle multiple situations and problems. And also he must be able to communicate with different types of people in various functional areas for him to implement his plans effectively on his subordinates. If he aims to reach the highest levels of operations management he must acquire a master’s degree (MBA). According to a survey to general managers at large, global business firms conducted by (Reilly & Reilly, 2002) , the performance system on their company can be described as the company strategy includes measurable goals that the company is trying to achieve ,the performance measures collected and communicated in the organization are useful to managers in running the business ,managers understand how effective measurement provides key support in the pursuit of corporate goals, an understanding of the consequences of performance results is communicated and understood and the current measurement system encourages behavior that is good for the organization. The methodology used to gather information on managers’ feeling about their performance measurement systems is a questionnaire administered to attendees of various executive education courses at the University of Michigan Business School. Respondents are mostly general managers at large, global business firms. Almost half come from countries other than the United States. The number, form and content of the questions have varied somewhat over the years, but the following conclusions represent a reasonable consolidation of the results. (Reilly & Reilly, 2002) Responding managers most strongly agreed with the following descriptions of their performance measurement systems as the company strategy includes measurable goals that the company is trying to achieve, the performance measures collected and communicated in the organization are useful to managers in running the business, managers understand how effective measurement provides key support in the pursuit of corporate goals, an understanding of the consequences of performance results is communicated and understood, the current measurement system encourages behavior that is good for the organization Survey respondents tend to agree strongly with the most general kinds of statements about performance measurement. Measures are seen as supportive of the business strategy. Managers are positive about the firms’ efforts to communicate measurement results, analysis and significance. They view measurement systems as an important contributing factor to the success of the firm. Responding managers most strongly disagreed with the following descriptions of their performance measurement systems as the complexity of the business is fully reflected in the detail and structure of the measurement system, the company understands and measures the specific aspects of value it creates for customers, investors, employees, suppliers, and other key stakeholders, the measurement system helps managers understand the interrelationships among business activities across all parts of the business, managers at all levels of the business measure and understand the extent to which their process activities contribute to creating value for stakeholders, performance standards are to a large extent determined from a comparison to external sources such as other divisions, competitors, or unrelated, world-class, benchmark companies. As managers get into thinking about their systems in greater detail, they become more negative about their performance measurement systems. They do not think their systems fully capture the complexities and subtleties of the operation of the firm. Interrelationships among measures are not made sufficiently explicit. The â€Å"line of sight† between measures of operating activities and the value-creation results for corporate stakeholders is unclear. Standards for measures are not externally-driven benchmarks. While managers are generally satisfied with the measurement culture, level of measurement understanding, and communication of measures and their consequences, they are less enthusiastic about the structure, content, and connectivity of their measurement systems. Why might this be the case? Three reasons stand out. First, managers support the concept of performance measurement because their experience has shown it to be a positive force in helping to achieve corporate success. The more one knows about measurement, the more open that person is in communicating results, and the more positive a person is about the role of measurement, the greater the chances of achieving the desired business outcomes. Ignorance, secrecy, and negativism regarding measurement are a sure recipe for failure. Second, managers who use measures on a regular basis understand the difficulties inherent in the performance measurement process. Sometimes, the thing being measured and the measure itself are one and the same. Cycle Time, Number of Units Produced, Number of Errors are examples. More often, measures are an imperfect specification of the underlying idea. Return on Assets is meant to comment on the efficiency of the use of capital, but assets are measured using the principles of accrual accounting and are thereby measured by historical cost, or perhaps, not at all. Third, managers know the shortcomings of their own systems. They are aware of the distortions that can be introduced through cost and asset allocations. They know there is a tendency to measure the things that are easy to measure, and to avoid measures that are more difficult. They have watched as others engage in activities that clearly hurt the firm but help a key measure, for example, avoiding value-creating investment because it would drive down Economic Value Added in the current period. Please ensure that measures at the individual level aggregate upwards to the organization level. If the business wants to increase sales or reduce unsafe behavior (Reilly & Reilly, 2002) Improving Performance Measurement Systems It is an indicator of how the business is operating. The key to improved performance measurement is the development of integrated performance measurement systems. Integrated systems are constructed around a unifying theme such as business strategy or value creation, and are concerned with measuring the critical aspects of the structure that links the activities of people and processes in the firm to the intended outcomes for the company’s stakeholders. Integrated systems embody the quality concerns of production, the customer satisfaction focus of sales and marketing, and the monetary discipline of accounting, among other corporate sub-systems. They use measures denominated by money, units, time, feelings and other expressions of actions and results. But they present all these dimensions as parts of a single, overall representation of all aspects of company activity. When there is need for a sub-system, measures are taken from the whole and applied to the part. Measures used in pay-for-performance schemes are selected from the complete structure in recognition of their ability to drive the desired behaviors and outcomes, and will probably be different for different parts of the company. Measures selected to represent the performance of a unit of the organization reflect the unit’s performance, the linkages between the unit and other organizational units, and the linkage between the unit and the firm as a whole. (Kaplan & Norton, 1992) The sophisticated structure of integrated performance measurement systems is highly beneficial to management, but it does not eliminate some of the basic difficulties of performance measurement. There is still the unavoidable disconnect between our desire to know the future and our ability to measure only in the past or present. Some of the things we measure today may have the power to give insight into the future, but future outcomes per se cannot be measured. It must also be recognized that businesses are highly complex organizations that offer far more opportunities for measurement than can effectively be employed by management. The challenge of reducing the required number of measures to a critical few will always be present. Finally, the relationships among measures denominated so differently defy mathematical representation. As a consequence, we must be satisfied with understanding rough approximations of the strength and direction of interactions among measures. (Kaplan & Norton, 1992) In spite of these difficulties, the benefits of measurement integration far outweigh the costs. A better measurement system helps align the actions of people in the organization to ensure they work together to accomplish the intended goals. A unified system facilitates the creation of a â€Å"single version of the truth†, which helps avoid conflicts and misunderstandings resulting from inconsistent data or inappropriate comparisons. Finally, an integrated system motivates individuals by conveying a sense of fairness and logic in the scorekeeping. Employees can seek to do their best knowing that the measurement system will accurately and impartially measure the contributions they make and the extent of their success.

African Americana Subject To Oppression And Discrimination History Essay

African Americana Subject To Oppression And Discrimination History Essay Historically, African Americans were subjects to severe oppression and discrimination from the part of white Americans, who hold the leading position in the American society and used their power to keep African Americans under their control. The historical development of African American community was accompanied by the permanent struggle of African Americans for civil rights and equal opportunities. At the same time, the development of the African American community led steadily to consistent changes in the attitude of Americans to African Americans because the latter attempted to gain equal rights and liberties compared to white Americans. On the other hand, such a struggle costs many African Americans life, whereas oppression and discrimination of African Americans persists till present days. Nevertheless, on analyzing the development of the African American community in the course of the US history, it is possible to trace consistent improvements that have occurred to the positi on of African Americans in the US since the Civil War to the present time. The Civil War targeted at the liberation of African Americans, who were enslaved by the dominant white Americans. However, the idealistic struggle of the Civil War did not bring a consistent improvement of the position of African Americans. Instead, African Americans had to spend over a hundred years in the permanent struggle for their rights and equal opportunities with the white population to partially realize ideals of the Civil War both white and African Americans had been fighting for during the war. In fact, the Civil War became the starting point when African Americans have started to change their position and their role in the American society but they had to pass a long road to gain equal rights and liberties, especially due to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960-s, and carry on the struggle for equal rights and opportunities even today, when some elements of racial discrimination persist. The rise of the social consciousness of African Americans as the community equal to whites and as the community that has its own rights and liberties which are equal to those other Americans have, had started prior to the Civil War, whereas the Civil War marked the attempt of African Americans and abolitionists to change consistently the position of African Americans in the US society. In fact, the abolition of slavery was one of the major driving forces of the Civil War and it was one of the primary causes of the war. In fact, after the end of the Civil War, African Americans were liberated, but the change of their social status did not bring a considerable relief for them because they still suffered from economic and political oppression. The period from 1865-1876 was probably the most dramatic period in the history of African Americans because it is during this time their dreams of the liberation and new life had reached the apogee and it was by the end of this period their dreams had be en totally ruined. At first glance, the progress in the position of African Americans was obvious. After the Civil War African Americans were freed, the 13th amendment of the US Constitution, ratified in 1865, outlawed slavery in the US, while the 14th amendment, ratified in 1868, granted full US citizenship to African Americans Moreover, in 1870, the 15th amendment extended the right to vote to black males (Franklin, 2001).

Research Summary and Ethical Considerations , spiritual coping Essay

Research Summary and Ethical Considerations , spiritual coping strategies - Essay Example Some of the spiritual coping strategies discussed in this paper include Jewish meditation, trust and acceptance and expansion of our personality. They are elaborated more by a mother who revealed about her boy, who was suffering from CF illness. She was incapable of healing mental illness, ease pain or motivating somebody to live. The first spiritual coping strategy is Jewish meditation. She focused on few verses that shaped her experience. She used to sing or chant them several times. One of the verses was (Ps. 51:15) which request God to open person’s mouth in order to praise Him. She used to say Adon Olam meaning God was with her, and she would not fear. When she faced confusion times and thought would be different, she would say there was nothing else but God (McSherry & Ross, 2010). The mother would elevate her mood being happy and rejoicing the day God has made for her. When she brimmed with thankfulness, she would give thanks to God claiming His kindness is everlasting. Meditation helps the nurses to show no tears, feelings or fear towards patients. The nurses harden themselves to patients’ suffering. If the nurses turns toward patient’s suffering, have a feeling towards them and work with compassion, they will end up suffering. The second spiritual coping strategy is to build trust and strength. The mother just accepted the things how they were and had the capability of doing what was necessary. The only tool she used was the prayers (McSherry & Ross, 2010). She regarded God as her caring father. She thought in two ways. One way was to thank God for taking care of all her needs, and the other was to thank God for creating all her needs. Building of trust is long term process. She trusted on what happened or was happening was from the will of God. The same case should apply to nurses; they should always accept the conditions the patients are

Down's syndrome is strongly associated with coeliac disease Dissertation

Down's syndrome is strongly associated with coeliac disease - Dissertation Example The remaining fifty five respondents were each matched with control patients based on sex, age and residence. In addition, in the research, both positive IgG and IgA, anti-gliadin levels were got by endoscopial duodenal biopsy of the given patients and initial titres taken. Initially, only twenty one patients plus two from the control group showed raised levels of IgG and IgA antibodies. When tissue samples were obtained from 18 of the patients, it was found out that only two shoed characteristic lymphocytic infiltration that did not qualify for the diagnosis of coeliac disease. In addition, they also found two giardiasis, while eight of the rest were normal. Furthermore, in one of the obtained tissue, analysis was not done since it had not be obtained well. In the analysis, few differences were found to occur between the various subgroups in their hematological, anthropomorphic and biochemical findings. It was found out that the prevalence of coeliac disease in Down’s syndrom e patients was higher than in the controlled group. In the controlled group, coeliac disease occurrence was very little as compared to the population that had down’s syndrome. In another research conducted by Lenshin et. al. in 2004, while studying coeliac disease, discovered that Down’s syndrome patients were more likely to suffer from the condition and attributed it to their autoimmune state. Lorete et.al , on the other hand, was studying the relationship of celiac disease in adolescents and children and found a link too to those having Down’s syndrome.

Mass transportation in los angeles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mass transportation in los angeles - Essay Example The express buses do not stop often and normally drive on the freeways where it is possible to cover the shortest distance, which means that it skips various stops and areas. The rapid buses normally travel and pick passengers on local streets, although they do not make as many stops as the local buses and, therefore, can be considered as better when it comes to beating the traffic. However, one is advised to review the schedules prior to travelling since these buses change routes and, during the late hours, their frequency is reduced. Fares for a weekly pass are $20, for a day pass one has to pay $5 and $1.50 for a single ride (Shanks, 2001). Metro buses in Los Angeles also use the orange and silver rapid transit lines to operate metro liners, which are present on the metro rail map due to the fact that, along majority of their routes, they operate transit-ways (Shanks, 2001). The Department of Transportation In Los Angeles also operates white buses on top of the Metro on local lines so as to supplement their bus service Downtown and in other areas with high population densities. In addition, cities that neighbour LA also operate bus systems that extend their routes into LA and charge different fares. These buses overlap with the Metro bus networks. Some of these bus systems also run rapid line routes, which are parallel to local routes but have fewer stops. Some of these include the Big Blue Bus that is operated by Santa Monica City and serves Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Brentwood and other West LA districts, LAX, and downtown LA. The Culver City Bus serves Culver City, LAX, Century City, Mar Vista, Rancho Park, Marina Del Rey, Palms, West LA Transit Centre, UCLA, Venice, Westwood, and Westchester (Bottles, 2011). The Burbank Transit operates around North Hollywood and Burbank, while Torrance Transit operates around Torrance to Long and Redondo Beach, downtown LA, and LAX. The Foothills Transit also operates

Discuss and explain the conceptual link between the principles of Essay

Discuss and explain the conceptual link between the principles of effectual entrepreneurship and the resource-based view of strategy - Essay Example It might represent an essential change in philosophy for some companies, so strategists must be skilled to expect and constructively reply to issues and questions as they arise (Foss 2011). In the long run, strategic management is about maintaining and creating a sustained competitive advantage (SCA). Strategies might be demarcated as plans for developing SCA. Therefore, SCA is the main thing that scholars of strategic management seek to clarify. It is defined as the organizational ability to build and appropriate more value than the opposition on a continuous basis. However, it must be noted that a firm having an SCA does not mean superiority in economic performance; instead SCA is a possibility for such a performance, which might or might not be realized. Entrepreneurial organizations vary in form and constituent from their enormous and well-established counterparts. Alternatively, they are viewed as more practical, better risk-takers, and not as much official than their big counterparts. Instead, they suffer or at least appear to, from their distinctive features of smallness and newness. Being small and new, they time and again lack the necessary resources to develo p and survive competitive advantage. We can examine the exclusive characteristics of the entrepreneurial organizations through two distinct theoretical lenses, namely the resource-based view and resource dependence theory (Peng 2001). In the present version, the resource-based view of strategy is considered by finding the potential to build and appropriate more value than the opposition to the resource benefits of organizations and the features of these sources. It focuses on competitive advantage created by the organization from its distinctive set of resources. An organization is said to possess a competitive advantage when it is executing a value constructing a strategy that is not executed by any potential or current

Score Normalisation in Voice Biometrics (CASE STUDY) Essay

Score Normalisation in Voice Biometrics (CASE STUDY) - Essay Example Standardisations of score distributions include Z-norm, and T-norm. Score normalisation helps achieve separation between score distributions of known and unknown speakers. A reduction in equal error rate is achieved by the use of score normalisation methods. Speaker recognition is required in applications, such as operating in environments that are uncontrolled or while transmitting speech over communication channels. Speaker verification involves assessment of similarity scores between registered or unregistered users and reference models. The expectation is that verification scores should be high for true speakers and low for impostors. However, true speaker verification scores could be adversely affected by background noise, speech variations of the speaker, variations caused by the recording apparatus, and/or effects caused by the communication channel. Score distribution plots enable observation of true speaker scores and impostor scores relative to each other. Test utterances from true speakers and impostors obtained experimentally can be used to generate score distribution plots (see fig. 1). Since, there is an overlap between true and impostor score distributions, an acceptance threshold is chosen. The accuracy of verification process is directly proportional to the distance between the score distributions. Overlapping of score distributions could result in errors, such as false acceptances and false rejections. False acceptances involve accepting impostors as true speakers. False rejections involve rejecting true speakers. Adjusting the threshold could result in reduction of one type of error while increasing the other. This could be overcome by setting the threshold, so that the two error types are equal. This technique is known as the equal error rate (see fig. 2), where false acceptance rate is set equal to false rejection rate. Variations in speech characteristics are caused

THE FINAL SELF-REFLECTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

THE FINAL SELF-REFLECTION - Essay Example I designed my pet’s house when I was fifteen. I always wanted to learn how to draw maps and design structures of buildings, roads, and bridges. The fantasy grew into my ambition, and I wanted to learn more about architecture. My passion made me explore more about these issues, and I joined a local library to study the related literature. I have also studied a number of journals and articles that have increased my interest. My basic inspiration was a family friend, an uncle who was an architect and was helping my father in a project regarding designing a low cost orphanage facility in Congo. He inspired me into creating structures, and this increased my enthusiasm about architecture. Thus, I planned to extend my degree in architecture so that I may be able to excel in my field of interest and be a useful professional in my career. I feel it important to state here how pleasing it was for me to pursue architecture. I enjoyed the architectural studies a lot, and came to know about modeling, materiality and aspects of interaction between people and buildings. I learnt how to work in teams to achieve the goals. I gained knowledge of many architectural softwares and programs, like Rhinoceros, AutoCAD, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop. In my university, I have been a very active student, and have always gained the praise of my teachers and peers. I was a student representative in my first and third years. I also possess interest in games, and have stayed part of the volleyball team in my second year. I also deem it important to describe some of personal qualities. I can prove to be an ethical leader for teams, since I plan my work according to rules and standards. I care about my co-workers; keep in view the goals and objectives; and, have a broad vision regarding the advancement of my semester projects. My leadership qualities have always made me succeed in all university projects that I have taken so far, and I am proud

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie Essay Example for Free

Hickory Dickory Dock by Agatha Christie Essay Hickory Dickory Dock is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on October 31, 1955[1] and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in November of the same year under the title of Hickory Dickory Death[2][3]. The UK edition retailed at ten shillings and sixpence (10/6)[1] and the US edition at $3.00[3]. It features her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. The novel is notable for featuring Poirot’s efficient secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon, who had previously only appeared in the Poirot short stories. Plot introduction An outbreak of apparent kleptomania at a student hostel is not normally the sort of crime that arouses Hercule Poirots interest. But when he sees the bizarre list of stolen and vandalized items including a stethoscope, some lightbulbs, some old flannel trousers, a box of chocolates, a slashed rucksack, some boracic powder and a diamond ring later found in a bowl of a soup he congratulates the warden, Mrs Hubbard, on a unique and beautiful problem. It is nevertheless not long before the crime of theft is the least of Poirot’s concerns. Explanation of the novels title The title is taken, as are other of Christie’s titles, from a nursery rhyme: Hickory Dickory Dock. This is nevertheless one of her most tenuous links to the original nursery rhyme, consisting of little more than the name of a road. Plot summary Poirot’s solution of the petty thefts is unsubtle but effective: once he has threatened to call in the police, Celia Austin quickly confesses to the pettier amongst the incidents. She denies specifically: stealing Nigel Chapman’s green ink and using it to deface Elizabeth Johnston’s work; taking the stethoscope, the light bulbs and boracic powder; and cutting up and concealing a rucksack. Celia appears to have committed the lesser thefts in order to attract the attention of Colin McNabb, a psychology student who at first regards her as an interesting case study, and then – almost immediately – becomes engaged to her. Celia makes restitution for the crimes and is seemingly reconciled with her victims, but when she is discovered the following morning dead from an overdose of morphine it does not take the investigators long to see through attempts to make her death seem like suicide. Several of the original incidents have not been solved by Celiaâ€⠄¢s confession. Inspector Sharpe quickly solves the mystery of the stolen stethoscope during his interviews with the inhabitants of the hostel. Nigel Chapman admits to having stolen the stethoscope in order to pose as a doctor and steal the morphine tartrate from the hospital dispensary as part of a bet to acquire three deadly poisons. He claims that these poisons were then carefully disposed of, but cannot be sure that the morphine was not stolen from him while it was in his possession. Poirot turns his attention to the reappearance of the diamond ring, and confronts Valerie Hobhouse, in whose soup the ring was found. It seems that the diamond had been replaced with a zircon and, given the fact that it was difficult for anyone but Valerie to have put the ring into the soup, Poirot accuses her of having stolen the diamond. She admits to having done so, saying that she needed the money to pay off gambling debts. She also admits to having planted in Celia’s mind the entire idea of the thefts. Mrs. Nicoletis has been behaving very nervously, as if she were losing her nerve. One night someone gets her drunk and kills her. Poirot focuses his attention now on the cutting up of the rucksack. By comparing an example of the rucksack type destroyed with others, he identifies an unusual corrugated base, and suggests to the police that the rucksack may have been part of a clever international smuggling operation. The rucksacks were sold to innocent students, and then exchanged as a means of transporting drugs and gems. Mrs. Nicoletis had been bankrolling the organisation, but was not the brain behind it. When the police visited Hickory Road on an unconnected issue, the murderer had cut up the rucksack to avoid its being found and removed light bulbs to avoid being recognised. Patricia Lane comes to Nigel an d admits that, in an effort to keep a dangerous poison safe, she has taken the morphine from the bottle in his drawer and substituted for it bicarbonate of soda. Now, however, the bottle of bicarbonate of soda has been taken from her own drawer. While they are searching for this bottle Patricia mentions that she is intending to write to his father in order to reconcile the two. Nigel tells her that the reason for his estrangement from his father is that he discovered that his father had poisoned his mother. This is why he changed his name and carries two passports. Nigel comes to Inspector Sharpe and tells him about the missing morphine, but while he is there, Patricia telephones to say that she has discovered something further. By the time that Nigel and Sharpe get to the house, Patricia has been killed by a blow to the head. Mr. Akibombo comes to Sharpe and says that he had taken Patricia’s bicarbonate to ease a stomach complaint; when he took a teaspoonful of the bicarbonate, however, he had stomach pains and later discovered that the white powder was in fact the boracic powder. By the time Patricia had substituted the bicarbonate, the morphine had already been substituted by the stolen boracic powder. Poirot, whose suspicions about Valerie Hobhouse’s role in the smuggling operation have been proved correct by a police raid on her beauty shop, now closes the case. The murderer has been the most obvious person, Nigel Chapman, who was known to have the morphine in his possession. He killed Celia because she knew about his dual identity and also knew that Valerie travelled abroad on a false passport. He killed Mrs. Nicoletis because she was sure to give the smuggling operation away under pressure, and killed Patricia because she was likely to draw to his father’s attention the recent events. When Poirot outlines to Nigel’s father’s solicitor the case against Nigel, the solicitor is able to provide final proof. Nigel’s mother had been poisoned, not by his father, but by Nigel himself. When the father discovered this he forced him to write a confession and left it with his solicitor together with a letter explaining that it should be produced were there any evidence of further wrongdoing by his son. Valerie confirms Poirot’s solution further. She has placed the call to the police station, apparently from Patricia, after Nigel had already killed her. The green ink was a double-bluff intended to divert suspicion away from him. Valerie is willing to incriminate Nigel fully because Mrs. Nicoletis was actually her mother. Characters in Hickory Dickory Dock †¢ Hercule Poirot, the Belgian detective †¢ Inspector Sharpe, the investigating officer †¢ Miss Felicity Lemon, Poirot’s secretary †¢ Mrs. Christina Nicoletis, the owner of the student hostel at Hickory Road †¢ Mrs Hubbard, Miss Lemon’s sister and the warden of Hickory Road †¢ George, Poirot’s valet †¢ Celia Austin, chemist in the dispensary at St. Catherine’s Hospital †¢ Colin McNabb, a psychology student †¢ Nigel Chapman, a History student, a resident at Hickory Road †¢ Valerie Hobhouse, a resident at Hickory Road and partner in a beauty shop †¢ Sally Finch, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Elizabeth Johnston, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Patricia Lane, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Genevieve, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Leonard Bateson, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Mr. Chandra Lal, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Mr. Akibombo, a student resident at Hickory Road †¢ Maria, the cook at Hickory Road †¢ Geronimo, Maria’s husband

Instrumental And Integrative Motivation

Instrumental And Integrative Motivation Robert Gardner established a model of motivation in second language acquisition in 1985. The field of language teaching has been influenced for many years by the model which came from the studies of language immersion in Canada (Ehrman, 1996, p.139). The model describes two forms of motivation, instrumental and integrative. Instrumental motivation refers to learning to accomplish a task, such as passing a course, getting better pay, and so on (Ehrman, 1996, p.139). Integrative motivation refers to a favorable attitude toward the target language community, possibly a wish to integrate and adapt to a new target culture through use of the language (Gardner, 1985, p. 54). One of the Gardners main ideas is that the integrative motivation plays an important role in second language acquisition. It is directly and positively related to second language achievement. However, the Gardeners model has received lots of criticisms since it was published. The criticisms will be discussed in the foll owing. The model is criticized for overstating the importance of the integrative motive. Gardner simply used the candidates selection of integrative reasons over instrumental ones as evidence that integrative reasons have a higher level of motivational intensity (Gardner, 1985, p.53). Gardner found that the integrative motivation has an extremely high significance in his studies. Nevertheless, the instrumental orientation such as getting a job and passing an examination is also an important factor in second language learning. If learners with integrative motivation can achieve success since they are active in their learning, the same theory might be applicable to the learners with instrumental motivation. Instrumentally motivated learners may be successful since they are eager to learn to achieve their instrumental purposes. Integrative motivation is the central concept in the Gardners model. However, the support of the importance of the integrative motivation is not consistent. Some early studies did agree that integrative motivation was significant in second language learning (Gardner and Lambert, 1959) but some recent researches has shown that the instrumental motivation has an equal or better impact than the integrative motivation. In some cases, the integrative motivation is even considered as having a negative correlation with proficiency which in turn affecting the success of second language learning (Belmechri and Hummel, 1998; DÃ ¶rnyei, 1990). DÃ ¶rnyei (1990) suggested that instrumental motivation could be more important than integrative motivation for foreign language learners since foreign language learners are not likely to have sufficient knowledge and experience to take part in the culture of the people who speak the target language in their early stage of language learning. Integrative motivation may not play a significant role in the early stage of foreign language learners. The importance of different kinds of motivation can be different between second language learners and foreign language learners. Gardners emphasis on integrative motivation for language learning may not fit in all language learning situations (Schmidt, Boraie, and Kassabgy, 1999). The Gardners model have limited applicability for the learners who do not have frequent contact with the target language speakers since they have few opportunities to integrate with the speakers. There are many other factors contributing to the motivation of the learners who are far away from the target language speakers, such as instrumental motivation and knowledge orientation. Gardner should not overstate the importance of integrative motivation in all language learning situations. The significance of different types of motivation may vary from one to another language learning situations. Actually, integrative and instrumental motivations are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Brown (2000) stated that learners rarely select only one type of motivation when learning a second language. The motivation of learning a second language is usually a combination of different forms of orientations. He has cited an example of international students who are residents in the United States. The international students learn English for academic purposes while wishing to be integrated with the people and culture of the country at the same time. This example has clearly shown that integrative and instrumental motivations can mutually exist. In some cases, it is difficult to divide instrumental and integrative motivations. To conclude, the importance of instrumental motivation is being concerned more in the later studies while the significance of integrative motivation has continued to be emphasized. However, it is important to note that the instrumental motivation has only been regarded as an important factor in second language learning while integrative motivation is continually linked to the success of second language learning. Motivation is a significant contribution to second language learning achievement. Therefore, identifying the types and combinations of motivations is one of the keys to successful second language learning. At the same time, learners should be reminded that there are always other variables which can be unique to each language learner affecting the success of second language learning. References Belmechri, F., Hymmel, K. (1998). Orientations and motivation in the acquisition of English as a second language among high school students in Quebec City, Language Learning Brown, H.D. (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice-Hall. DÃ ¶rnyei, Z. (1990). Conceptualizing motivation in foreign language learning. Language Learning Ehrman, E. (1996) Understanding Second Language Learning Difficulties. London: Sage Publications Gardner, R. C., Lambert, W. E. (1959). Motivational variables in second language acquisition. Canadian Journal of Psychology Gardner, R.C. (1985). Social psychology and language learning: The role of attitudes and motivation. London, Ontario: Edward Arnold. Schmidt, R., Boraie, D., Kassabgy, O. (1999). Foreign language motivation: Internal structure and external connections. In R. L. Oxford (Ed.), Language learning motivation: Pathways to the new century. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.

Grapes Of Wrath - Stereotyping :: essays research papers

Stereotyping and Its Effects Stereotyping, brought on by the existence of a class system, has many positive effects in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. This class system, made up of migrants and affluent people, is present due to the fact that many of the affluent people stereotype the migrants as poor, uneducated, and easily agitated human beings. Thus, this sets a boundary between the educated individuals and migrants. At first, most migrants ignore the effects stereotyping has on them. But towards the end of their journeys to California, the migrants’ rage that had been gradually building up inside lets out and the migrants take action. The effects are more positive as the migrants strive for an education, receive sympathy, and calmly deal with conflicts. Farm owners, successful businessmen, and generally all inhabitants of the Mid-West have a sense that all migrants are dumb, uneducated people in 1939. They lower wages for fruit-picking at farms which were the only jobs offered to the migrants because of their proposed lack of intelligence. But migrants do not necessarily choose not to educate themselves. Ma Joad announces to her family that she will send her two youngest children to school once they are settled. Connie, Rose of Sharon’s husband, also plans out his goals with Rose of Sharon saying, â€Å"An’ he’s [Connie] gonna study at home, maybe radio, so he can git to be an expert . . . † The migrants have their mind already set on education and chose not to be ignorant all of their lives. Often in Grapes of Wrath, the affluent people stereotype the migrants as poor and penniless. As the Joads pull into the gas station, the attendant immediately asks, â€Å"Got any money?† He views the Joads as one of many poor, migrant families arriving to beg for some gas. But not all people who view migrants as poverty-stricken, hungry people see them in such a way. Mae, a waitress at one of the restaurants pities a family asking for bread and shows her compassion by letting the children have candy for much less than its worth. Instead of the anticipated let-down, the migrants receive pity from those with compassion and sympathy. Not only do affluent individuals see the migrants as uneducated and penniless, but also as easily agitated human beings. Because farm workers are afraid that these migrants may someday take over their farms, they try to make the migrants’ stay more unwelcoming.

The Stereotypical Old-West Lawman :: Media Stereotypes Stereotyping

The Stereotypical Old-West Lawman Justice, duty, silence, wisdom, bravery, self-reliance, independence, respect; these are all characteristics of the old-west lawman. Matt Dillon, marshal of Dodge City, is just such a lawman. His sense of justice, duty, and wisdom epitomize the stereotypical old-west hero. In the episode entitled Fawn, Marshal Dillon is charged with a woman that escaped an Indian camp. She is accompanied by a young Indian girl. They are in Dodge till the womans husband arrives fetch her. While the woman is waiting for her husband a man comes to speak to her. He accepts her and the little girl. When the husband arrives he wants the girl to go to a reservation, but the woman refuses to let her go. The husband divorces the woman and goes back east. The woman must run with the little girl because the government wants to put the little girl on a reservation. Marshal Dillon arranges for the man that spoke to the woman earlier to take both the woman and the little girl away with him. This saves the little girl. Throughout the episode Marshal Dillon defends the woman, because he thinks she and the little girl are treated unjustly. In the episode entitled How to Kill a Friend, a pair of gamblers come to town. They try to bribe Marshal Dillon, but he refuses to take their bribe. Later, someone shoots at the marshal as a scare tactic. He figures out that the gamblers shot at him and he runs them out of town. Usually such men move on to another town and dont return; but these men returned. This time they brought a gunman to keep Dillon in check. The gunman turns out to be an old friend of the marshal. He tries to convince his friend to leave, but the man has turned bad and refuses. Eventually they get into a confrontation. In the process, Dillon shoots and kills his friend. Though he is saddened that he killed his friend, he had to do his duty. He had done his best to dissuade his friend, but had to fulfill his duty. In the episode How to Die for Nothing, a bunch of cowboys from Texas come into town. One of them is drunk and when the marshal tries to take away his gun, he tries to shoot Dillon. Dillon had to shoot the cowboy and he ended up dying.

True American Essay examples -- Ethnicity Personal Narrative Citizensh

True American To be a true American, some people think that a person has to agree with everything our government says, right or wrong. My belief is that, to be a true American one must strive to make this country a better place. A place that can be respected and looked up to by the rest of the world, rather than shunned and feared as it is today. To say that I am only interested in one specific social issue would be a lie. One person focusing on one problem will not make an impact. Being socially conscious is a big part of my life. I feel guilty when my life becomes stagnant, and I dont have any goals or concerns. Under the conformity of my button-down shirt and tie, I am wearing an American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, t-shirt. It reads: Justice, Equality, Education, Involvement", all things I stand for and strongly support. There are so many problems in this country that can't be ignored, some so complicated, I doubt they will ever be solved in my time on this earth. I've heard over and over that, "Every journey begins with the first step", and the fact that there are people out there like me trying to deal with problems other people create out of hatred, greed, or sheer stupidity, makes the world a better place. Some of the most important issues in my eyes are: poverty in the United States, racial equality, and nationalism. The best way I have found to deal with these problems is through writing. I live in a very diverse neighborhood where I am exposed to dif...

Human Rights Essay

In the bible it says being a homosexual or transgender is a sin and therefore isn’t permitted into heaven. People make signs saying â€Å"GOD HATES FAGS†, â€Å"FAGS ARE WORTHY OF DEATH†, yet it also says in the bible god loves everyone, sinner or not. Our society has created this propaganda that homosexuals and transsexuals are horrible people and should be eliminated. This is biased. Now here’s a question. Have we ever stop and thought about how they feel about all this hatred and isolation towards them? They didn’t wake up one day and decided to be gay or dress like the opposite sex they are.In the year of 1998 a major hate crime case set in, the Matthew Shepard trial. Matthew Wayne Shepard, An openly gay American student at the University of Wyoming, was tortured and killed near Laramie, Wyoming on October 1998, only 21 years old. He was attacked on the night of October 6-7 and died five days later, October 12th. Matthew lived a life outside of the sexual norm of our society. As a result of this he was brutally murdered. This case commenced major public reaction all around the world and opened thousands of eyes.This case angered the homosexual societies. Most importantly battered Matthew’s family and changed their lives forever. Matthews’s journey began on December 1st, 1976. He was born to Judy and Dennis Shepard in Casper, Wyoming. Matthew’s father described him as an optimistic and excepting young man. Matthew could relate to almost everyone. He was very approachable, or easy to talk to, always was up for a new challenge, made friends easily, and he had a great passion for equality and always defended people’s differences.Throughout his life, he was always moving schools and traveling. With that being said his experiences fueled his love for traveling and gave him the chance to socialize where ever he went. Matthew had friends all around the world who loved and cared for him. He was a good ki d, didn’t bother anyone, was always friendly, and willing to give a helping hand. That all changed unfortunately while Matthew was on a high school trip in Morocco, he was raped. This caused him to have depression and panic attacks.When he came back from the trip his mother Judy Shepard took him back to Casper, Wyoming. Once back home he was required to take pills for his panic attacks. Matthew then went back to college, but didn’t stay in Casper for long. While in college he met Romaine Patterson and became really good friends with her. They both decide they would transfer to a different college in Laramie. Matthew struggled once he went to Laramie. He lived in the most dangerous part of town, where people didn’t accepted â€Å"gays† and his depression took over. Matthew started to do drugs.It took him a while to dig his way out of this hole he made himself but with the help of Romaine and his parents he made it. Went back to school again and became a fi rst year political science major at the University of Wyoming, in Laramie. One night on October 6 of 1998 he decided he would go to Laramie and get a drink, on his lonesome. He arrived at the fireside lounge. Sitting at the bar alone, just him and his beer, but he had a sudden urge to look over at the pool tables and notices two guys looking at him, quickly he looks away minding his own business.Again he makes eye contact with the two guys, Then goes walking off to the bathroom, as he’s walking away both guys mumble something to each other and follow Matthew. He’s washing his hands when both guys walk in. there’s no paper towels to dry his hands in and that’s when Russell Henderson give Matthew some paper towels and says that they are both gay as well. A sigh of relief for Matthew, They continue to speak and Matthew within a few sentences began to trust them, and eventually asked for a ride home.At the bar Aaron and Russell planned to only rob Shepard, bu t during the trial Aaron Mckinney said as they we’re driving Shepard home Shepard was rubbing his leg and grabbing his genital areas, thus Matthews actions, that is what supposedly caused Aaron to break out and beat Matthew. Mr. Mckinney says that he hit Matthew about 6 times on the head while they we’re driving not to his house but to a remote area. Then once arrived to this place Russell then tied Matthew to a fence, that is when Mr. Mckinney pistol whipped, punched, and kicked Matthew one to many times to the back of his head.Once the job was done, both men left the scene. Eighteen hours later Matthew still alive was found by Aaron Kreifels who mistook Matthew for a scarecrow. Matthew’s face was covered in blood; the only clear spots on his face were the tear drops going down his face. Matt hadn't actually been tied like a scarecrow: when he was approached first by the mountain biker, Aaron Kreifels, and then by Reggie Fluty, the sheriff's deputy who answered Kreifels's emergency call, Matt lay on his back, head propped against the fence, legs outstretched. His hands were lashed behind him and tied barely four inches off the ground to a fencepost.He was then taking to Ivinson Memorial Hospital in Laramie, then to Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. Shepard suffered a fracture from the back of his head to the front of his right ear. He had severe brain stem damage, which affected his body's ability to regulate heart rate, body temperature and other vital signs. There were also about a dozen small lacerations around his head, face and neck. His injuries were deemed too severe for doctors to operate. Shepard never regained consciousness and remained on full life support.Matt died at 12:53 A. M.  on October 12, 1998, at Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins. Matthew was brutally murdered, and was given no second chance. No one heard his screams, his cries; no one was there to comfort him, he didn’t get to see his family or say good bye to loved ones, no one knew where he went or where he was going, he was gone and no one knew. Just like in Night by Elie Wiesel, no one heard his cries just like Matthew, although he had his father with him, he still felt alone; slowly his soul was beginning to die, just like Matthew slowly died those last five days in the hospital.No one deserves to die by being tortured, and treated as if they were nothing. The life and death of Matthew Shepard changed the way we talk about, and deal with, hate in America. Since his death, Matt’s legacy has challenged and inspired millions of individuals to erase hate in all its forms. Although Matt’s life was short, his story continues to have a great impact on young and old alike. His legacy lives on in thousands of people who actively fight to replace hate with understanding, compassion, and acceptance.

Historical Investigation Essay

â€Å"Assess the impact of the period from 1969 – 1982 on the IRA/Sinn Fein and their development into a significant political force in Northern Ireland† â€Å"Assess the impact of the period from 1969 – 1982 on the IRA/Sinn Fein and their development into a significant political force in Northern Ireland† During the period from 1969-1982 both the IRA and Sinn Fein underwent significant change. Sinn Fein moved from a fringe role, in the nationalist movement of Northern Ireland, to a dominant political position. During a time of intense violence in the region an internal discussion was taking place, deliberating on the value of armed resistance versus political engagement. The ideals that rose out of this transformed the movement and laid the basis for the central role it would play in the eventual Good Friday Agreement of 1998. The re-emergence of the nationalist movement led to the rise and resurrection of groups such as the IRA. Naturally this caused much tension, and incidences of violence began to rise. Acts of exceptional protest showed the incomparable power of politics over violence and led to international recognition of the issue. Ultimately Sinn Fein developed into one of the most powerful political forces in Northern Ireland. After years in the dark the nationalist movement began to rapidly gain momentum when the Belfast Troubles began in 1969. The IRA had been deeply divided since 1921 when Dail Eireann chose to ratify the Anglo- Irish treaty. The treaty established the autonomous Irish Free State whilst the province of Ulster remained under the direct control of the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that IRA member Michael Collins had played a role in writing the treaty there was still a major difference of opinion between members of the IRA.1 They were divided between those who were for the establishment of the Free State and those who believed it was illegitimate and illegal. The Split over the treaty led to the Irish Civil War from 1922-3. Many of the opposing leaders had been close friends and comrades during the Irish War of Independence. The civil war split the IRA and this rift would continue to haunt Irish politics for many years to come. In the 1960’s the IRA was further marginalised as it came under the influence of left wing thinkers. This caused a split between the factions of the IRA based in Dublin and Belfast.2 In 1969 the wounds of old were once stirred again when Northern Ireland was rocked by bloody sectarian rioting. The bloodiest rioting was in Belfast where seven people were killed and hundreds injured.3 Violence escalated sharply after these events and new paramilitary groups came into existence on either side of the conflict. The Provisional IRA received an upsurge in membership. It was from here that ‘The Troubles,’ one of the most infamous periods in Irish history began. The violence was characterised by armed campaigns of paramilitary groups. Conflict hit the streets and many innocent people were often attacked. Alongside the violence there was deadlock between the major political parties of Northern Ireland over how the province would be administered and governed. 1972 saw an explosion of political violence in Northern Ireland in which many people lost their lives. The nationalist community saw the Provisional IRA as their defenders, who began an armed campaign in reaction to loyalist provoked violence. During this period the party Sinn Fein had no interest in electoral politics.4 They voiced the need for military opposition to British rule in Northern Ireland. They gained control of the Republican movement and began to focus on flooding nationalist propaganda throughout Northern Ireland. Membership began to skyrocket as anti-British sentiment ran rife. The Republican political party Sinn Fein built the foundations for a movement which in ten years would expand to have branches in every town in Ireland. Atrocities by loyalists and British forces themselves were used to justify the IRA as a movement and inspired many to stand up and fight for the cause they all believed in. On 30 January 19725 in the city of Derry, Northern Ireland border, perhaps one of the largest single atrocities of the ‘Troubles’ period occurred. During a Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association march in the bogside area of the city members of the 1st Battalion of the British Parachute regiment opened fire on many unarmed protestors. Twenty seven people are known to have been shot and fourteen of those were killed with at least five of the latter confirmed as being shot in the back. 6 Witnesses, including bystanders and British journalists, testify that all those shot appeared to be unarmed. Many individual atrocities occurred that day witnessed by hundreds of people. Eye witness Michael McCallion testified that â€Å"A fellow came out with a white flag, no sooner had he done this when the middle of three British soldiers pulled the trigger and shot him through the head†¦.I have witnessed this as God is my judge and I say that it was cold blooded murder.†7 Testimonies such as this confirm the extreme acts of violence the British committed unnecessarily on that day. One paratrooper who gave evidence testified that they were told by an officer to expect a gunfight and â€Å"we want some kills.†8 The reason for the uproar over such killings was the British soldiers were essentially not an occupying force but a measure of peace between nationalist and loyalist paramilitary groups. As Catholic Bishop of Derry Edward Daly commented â€Å"What really made Bloody Sunday so obscene was the fact that afterwards at the highest level British justice justified it.†9 Acts such as this by official British forces reaffirmed the belief of many that the British Government was still the real enemy and behind the problems that continued in Northern Ireland. This justified the cause of the nationalist movement and subsequently the IRA and Sinn Fein as well. Both organisations had now developed a strong following throughout the Republic and Northern Ireland. Whilst such occurrences did cause much suffering and pain they proved useful to both the IRA and Sinn Fein in acquiring widespread support for the movement. Sinn Fein and the IRA were not officially linked but both strived for the same goal. The Provisional Irish Republican Army was a paramilitary organisation that considered itself a direct continuation of the IRA that had fought in the Irish war of Independence.10 Its stated objective was to end British rule in Ireland and withdraw Northern Irelands status as part of the United Kingdom. The Provisionals advocated for armed defence of Catholic communities in the north and an offensive campaign to end British rule. As the violence in Northern Ireland steadily increased the IRA began to call for a more aggressive campaign against British loyalists. Sinn Fein was a political party of the Republican movement. It was formed in 1970 but has traces back to the original party founded in 1905.11 The party is believed to be directly associated with the IRA. Both Sinn Fein and the IRA played different but converging roles in the war for liberation. Whilst the movements were not officially linked it was widely thought that they were different faces of the same movement. In 2005 the British Government stated â€Å"We had always said all the way through that we believed the IRA and Sinn Fein were inextricably linked and that had obvious implications at leadership level.†12 Throughout the early seventies there was much internal argument between factions of the IRA and Sinn Fein over whether their movement’s primary role should chiefly military or political, although both groups viewed Britain as a colonial occupier and therefore viewed the political process as illegal. Until 1973 Sinn Fein had little interest in politics as the party was still deemed illegal by the British Government. Political activity began in 1973 when Sinn Fein opened the Republican press centre on Falls Road. In 1973 the first attempt at negotiations to resolve the situation led to the Sunningdale Agreement, which devised a power sharing system in the Northern Ireland Assembly, Although this did no include Sinn Fein and quickly collapsed under pressure from loyalist strikes.13 In May 1974 British secretary of State Merlyn Rees legalised Sinn Fein as a political party.14 This was perhaps the beginning of tacit recognition by the British Government that negotiations were only meaningful if they were directly with the IRA. Whilst local politicians such as John Hume, of the Nationalist Party, were respected they did not command enough power to have any effect. Secret meetings between Provisional IRA leaders Ruairi O’Bradaigh and Billy McKee with Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Merlyn Rees resulted in a ceasefire which began in February 1975.15 The truce proved to be disastrous for the IRA; leading to infiltration by many British informers into their ranks. After a build up of tensions and a series of sectarian killings the ceasefire broke down in January 1976.16 It was clear that the original aims of the IRA leadership for a quick military victory were receding. It was acts of violence by British authorities that justified the military side of the movement and ensured tensions would continue for years to come. As Sinn Fein began to move into the political process so did many former revolutionaries and IRA members. One such person was Gerry Adams; after being in prison for alleged IRA membership17 he turned himself in a new direction a moved towards the political process. In 1978 he was elected as the vice president of Sinn Fein. This most likely came as a result of the realisation by many senior figures that it was becoming more and more unlikely that a military victory could be achieved. Whilst significant events such as Bloody Sunday lead to anti-British sentiment to sky rocket many turned away from violence and embraced the political system. Protests by a number of imprisoned IRA members in Long Kesh gaol showed the power of political tactics, leading to the dominance of Sinn Fein as a political force. The 1981 hunger strike was the climax of a five year protest by Republican prisoners in Northern Ireland. The protest originally began in 197618 when the British Government removed its special category status for convicted paramilitary prisoners. This status had provided them with Prisoner of War privileges as specified in the Geneva Convention.19 Prisoners did not have to wear prison uniforms, do prison work and were allowed to be housed within their own paramilitary factions. They were also entitled to receive extra food parcels and have extra visits. When these rights were removed by the British Government, as recommended by the Gardiner Committee20, the prisoners began a protest to gain them back. It started with a blanket protest in which prisoners refused to wear uniforms but instead wrapped themselves in prison blan kets; they stated that they were not criminals but political prisoners. In 197821 the dispute escalated into a dirty protest in which prisoners refused to wash and covered their cell walls with excrement. In 1980 the first hunger strike took place but to no avail ending after 53 days.22 The second strike in 1981 is perhaps one of the best know instances of protest throughout the campaign. The strike was lead by former IRA Officer Commanding in the prison, Bobby Sands.23 At the beginning of the strike there was little progress and it didn’t receive much outside support. But after five days the strike received a much needed boost; the Independent Republican MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone died and a by-election was called to appoint his replacement. It was decided that Bobby Sands would stand against the Ulster Unionist Party candidate Harry West.24 On 9 April 1981 Sands won a narrow victory and was elected to the British House of Commons.25 The victory attracted worldwide attention and thousands of media personnel descended on Belfast. On the six ty sixth day of the hunger strikes, May 5, Sands died causing riots across Northern Ireland. One hundred thousand people lined the route of his funeral a few days later.26 In the weeks after Sands death three more hunger strikers died,27 and another by-election had to be held for the seat of Fermanagh and South Tyrone. Due to the fact that the British Government had rushed through the Representation of the People Act,28 which meant prisoners serving more than one year could not run for parliament, so Sands’ election agent Owen Carron had to run instead. He claimed a similar victory gaining a larger percentage of the votes. The success of hunger strike created a firm platform for Irish republicanism and paved the way for the formal entry of Sinn Fein into electoral politics the following year. It was also around this period that the British Government began reforming its policies in relation to the IRA and Sinn Fein. They now viewed Sinn Fein as a legitimate political movement who would be included in official negotiations. The achievements of the hunger strikers proved the power of political activism as opposed to violence; they also exposed the falseness of the British Governments claim that the Republican movement had no support. The events of 1969-82 transformed the Republican movement from a violence orientated force to a significant political force. As Sinn Fein began to grow as a political force the IRA slowly, and with considerable internal difficulties, changed its ways. This eventually paved the way for an official ceasefire in 1994. Their agreement to decommission their weapons meant that Sinn Fein was allowed to come to the negotiation table and play a significant role in the Good Friday agreement of 1998. That agreement resulted in a devolved power sharing structure of self government for Northern Ireland, whilst it still remained within the United Kingdom.29 In 2007 Martin McGuiness of Sinn Fein was appointed deputy first minister and held equal power alongside Ian Paisely of the DUP in the Northern Ireland Assembly Government.30 From the split in the nationalist movement in 1969 to its reemergence throughout the seventies, alongside the IRA, there was much change. Events such as Bloody Sunday increased the military overtone of the movement but ultimately peaceful political power prevailed. Acts such as the 1981 hunger strike proved the power of political protest as compared to violence. Ultimately Sinn Fein grew into a legitimate political party and as of 2009 they became the largest party in Northern Ireland following European Parliamentary elections.31 _______________________________________________________ Bibliography Literary Sources English, Richard (2003), Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, Pan Books, Stuttgart, Germany ________________________________________________________________________ Geraghty, Tony (2000), The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Maryland, USA ________________________________________________________________________ Hastings, Max (1970), Ulster 1969 – The Fight for Civil Rights in Northern Ireland, Victor Gollancz LTD, London, United Kingdom ________________________________________________________________________ McEvoy, Kieran (2001), Paramilitary Imprisonment in Northern Ireland: Resistance, Management, and Release, Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom ________________________________________________________________________ Moloney, Ed (2002), A Secret History of the IRA, Penguin Books, New Jersey, USA ________________________________________________________________________ Mullan, Don (1997), Eyewitness Bloody Sunday – The Truth, Wolfhound Press, Dublin, Ireland ________________________________________________________________________ O’Brien, Brendan (1995), the Long War, the IRA and Sinn Fein, Syracuse University Press, New York, USA ________________________________________________________________________ Electronic Sources BBC (2009), on this day – 9 Decmeber1973 (online), BBC, London, United Kingdom. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/9/newsid_2536000/2536767.stm (Accessed 26 July 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ BBC (2009), Profile: Martin McGuinness (online), BBC, London, United Kingdom. Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1303355.stm (Accessed 29 July 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ CAIN Web Service (2009), A chronology of the conflict (online), University of Ulster, Belfast, United Kingdom. Available from http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch76.htm (Accessed 27 July 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ Lord Gardiner (1975), Report of a Committee to consider, in the context of civil liberties and human rights, measures to deal with terrorism in Northern Ireland – Extract (online), University of Ulster, Belfast, United Kingdom. Available from http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/gardiner.htm#1 (Accessed July 28 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ McClean, Raymond, The Road to Bloody Sunday – Extracts (online), University of Ulster, Belfast, United Kingdom. Available from http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/bsunday/mcclean.htm (Accessed 28 July 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ National Archives of Ireland (no date), Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Series: text of the Anglo-Irish Treaty (online), Irish Government, Dublin, Ireland, Available from http://www.nationalarchives.ie/topics/anglo_irish/dfaexhib2.html (Accessed 1 August 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ Prime Ministers Office (2005), Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Anti Terror Law, President Bush/EU, Foreign Doctors in NHS, Hunting and Northern Ireland (online), British Government, London, United Kingdom, Available from http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page7148 (Accessed 29 July 20090 ________________________________________________________________________ Sinn Fein Official Website (2009), History made – Sinn Fein is now the largest party in the six counties (online), Belfast, United Kingdom, Available from http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/16580 (Accessed 29 July 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ University College Cork (2009), Multitext project in Irish History – Movements for Political and Social Reform, 1870 – 1914 (online), University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, Available from http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Ireland_politics__administration_1870-1914#12TheFirstSinnFeacuteinParty> (Accessed 25 July 2009) ________________________________________________________________________ 1 National Archives of Ireland, Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Series: text of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, n.d, (1 August 2009) 2 Moloney, Ed (2002), A Secret History of the IRA, Penguin Books. p. 246 3 English, Richard (2003), Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, Pan Books. p. 136 4 O’Brien, Brendan, the Long War, the IRA and Sinn Fein (1995) 5 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA. p. 80 6 McClean, Raymond, The Road to Bloody Sunday – Extracts, 1997, < http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/bsunday/mcclean.htm> (28 July 2009) 7 Mullan, Don, Eyewitness Bloody Sunday – The Truth, Wolfhound Press 8 Geraghty, Tony, The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence, unknown p. 65 9 Mullan, Don, Eyewitness Bloody Sunday – The Truth 10 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA. p. 432 11 University College Cork, Multitext project in Irish History – Movements for Political and Social Reform, 1870 – 1914, 2009, < http://multitext.ucc.ie/d/Ireland_politics__administration_1870-1914#12TheFirstSinnFeacuteinParty> (25 July 2009) 12 Prime Ministers Office, Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Anti Terror Law, President Bush/EU, Foreign Doctors in NHS, Hunting and Northern Ireland, 21 February 2005, < http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page7148> 13 BBC, On this day – 9 Decmeber1973, 2009, < http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/9/newsid_2536000/2536767.stm> (26 July 2009) 14 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA 15 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA 16 English, Richard, Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA, p. 136 17 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA p. 140. 18 McClean, Raymond, The Road to Bloody Sunday – Extracts 19 McEvoy, Kieran, Paramilitary Imprisonment in Northern Ireland: Resistance, Management, and Release, Oxford University Press 20 Lord Gardiner, Report of a Committee to consider, in the context of civil liberties and human rights, measures to deal with terrorism in Northern Ireland – Extract, 1975, < http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/hmso/gardiner.htm#1> (July 28 2009) 21 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict, 2009, < http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/othelem/chron/ch76.htm> (27 July 2009) 22 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict 23 English, Richard, Armed Struggle: The History of the IRA p. 196 24 Moloney, Ed, A Secret History of the IRA p. 211 25 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict 26 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict 27 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict 28 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict 29 CAIN Web Service, A chronology of the conflict 30 BBC, Profile: Martin McGuinness, 2009, < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/1303355.stm> (29 July 2009) 31 Sinn Fein Online, History made – Sinn Fein is now the largest party in the six counties, 2009, < http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/16580> (29 July 2009)

Nonfiction Piece

Essay ProposalThis piece draws a portrait of a stranger in a coffee shop. Offering a kind of weekly enigma to me, she has come to represent the constant allure of mystery in the seemingly trivial. This essay focuses on that enigma, and the possible answers I have for them.I start the essay with a snapshot of what this woman is. What does she look like? What does she do? In giving a descriptive appraisal at the beginning, I lay the foundation of the mystery. I note her gestures – the faint inclination of her head when she looks at her watch, the expectation apparent on her face when someone walks through the door, and the inevitable disappointment almost every time – and raise the question that would bring us closer to â€Å"solving† her mystery: Why? Why does she look the way she does? Why does she act this way? Why is she there? In this part of the essay, I create the mythos I have woven about her through the answers to these questions.In this essay, I depict he r as I see her – the woman waiting. Because of the questions she has raised in me, I have assigned her an identity.  This essay presents her as what she seems to be, and then seeks to go further, bringing both reader and author along for a venture into who she is, or at least, what she might be. In writing this, I thrust the philosophy that everyone really has a story. The natural inclination of the curious man is to find out. And if one cannot know, then you can always let your imagination run free.Literary Nonfiction EssayThere she is again, alone in the table at the far corner. Today, she has brought books with her: sonnets by Pablo Neruda, a creative writing textbook, and a discredited memoir. The book of poetry has been opened, and rests on her lap. A notebook, bound in leather, lies open on the table. A pen rests on the stark whiteness of the pages. She is looking at none of these. She smokes bent cigarettes every five minutes or so. She drinks her coffee as she glanc es at the door, trying not to look as if she were truly alone – that by looking at the doorway once in a while, she can pretend (and the world with her) that someone is coming to meet her.  Her cellphone, too, lies open. She takes a bite from her slice of lemon cake. The phone's screen remains dark, no matter how long she stares at it.Outside it is raining.She looks up, scans the crowd, most of whom are oblivious of her presence. I cannot be. I have known her for far too long. No, I do not know her name, and I do not think I will ever ask. But I have seen her so many times before, her presence is more familiar than a stranger’s should be. Today, I have positioned myself only two tables away from her. Because I know I can never march up to her and demand what she is, I content myself with absorbing everything I can of her. I have sat closer to her today. I cannot help this fascination. I simply want to know.Her gaze finally rests beyond me, towards the door. I see her face more clearly than I ever have before, after all these weeks. Oval, and wan – her forehead is high, her eyes wide and dark. It is not a delicate face, for perhaps the prolonged sadness has seeped into her bones that her face has toughened, has become stronger. Her cheeks jut out and her lips are thin and pale. Her mouth is arranged into its usual tightness. She sighs when the door opens, then closes, and turns away. She looks at her watch. She sighs once more, leafs through the open book of poetry.When will she realize that she is the only woman in a cafe of lovers? Or has she always known? She has one mug all to herself, the others have to share. One cup of coffee, one white porcelain rim, for two bleeding mouths of bleeding hearts.  Inevitably, I think of the possibility of the reluctant lover. Every week, I see her here, always alone. I have never seen her leave with someone. I have never seen anyone, man or woman, stride over to her table, hold her hand, to lead he r outside.Perhaps she has waited with the smallest of hopes that soon, someone would come to end the waiting. But perhaps the reluctant lover roams now the asphalt streets, in a suit and tie, a briefcase hanging from one hand as though it is an extension of his body. And this woman, with her poems and novels and empty notebooks – she is here, waiting, being watched by a person who has seen enough of her to realize that she is waiting.  Another woman – more of a girl, really – is at another corner. But she smokes her cigarette with the ease of one who knows that someone will meet her. Soon she will be gone and this woman, this woman, would light another cigarette and turn another page of one the books she has brought.I see her cellphone buzz, vibrating on the surface of the table. She twitches, then snatches it. Her eyes run over the illuminated screen, taking in the message quickly. Then, her lip curls, and she tosses her cellphone back to the table.Has she be en told that she has to wait longer?She returns to her book but her gaze is blanker now. This book she has been reading has quite possibly turned out to be a chore and all too soon, the words blur until they are white. There is too much of her coffee, and the crystal grains of sugar have refused to melt. The lemon cake crumbles. Even her cigarette offends her, and she puts it out, only half-consumed.  With her, this woman, her waiting – things pale and darken at the same time. Knowing these things are just distractions, something to pass the time that just seems to crawl slower and slower that it sometimes falls still: the coffee cannot be finished, the cigarette doesn’t burn, the page goes on and on and on. Something has cloaked her – is it the knowledge that all these are things she'd rather not be doing? Shouldn't be doing in the first place?She must finish her coffee, and only crumbs should be left on her plate. The book, open on her lap, can be replaced. There are two other books in her bag, and she takes them out: poetry speaking of a requited waiting.  She must think now: all this talk about unrequited love, when poetry should be made about unrequited patience: waiting for the phone to vibrate, waiting for the crumbs to settle, waiting for the coffee mug to empty, waiting for the cigarette to turn into ash, waiting for the books to turn to the last page, waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the clock to strike ten, waiting for someone to come through the door with the spaciest of smiles just for her. Waiting, waiting, waiting.If she wrote – and I have feeling that she does, in spite of the blankness of her notebook now – how many times has she written about women like her?  She looks at her watch. Her phone vibrates one more. Listless, she picks it up, punches at the buttons. In but moments, her face clears, she sags in her chair. She is starting to smile.  I wonder then: the reluctant lover (but only in h er mind, only when they are not together.) Has the un-reluctant lover tells her that he is near? Would Neruda, then, glow again?Because she is a woman who waits diligently albeit unwillingly, week after week, later, she will be disgusted with how much everything makes sense now. Even waiting in a parked car, while errands are run, will make her smile. The rain will fall harder. The drops will be opaque against the windshield and yet it shall leave shadows on her jeans.Oh, that smile.And she will think: Everything should be a familiar novelty, a novel familiarity. Yes, even waiting for him to come back with a bag or two of bread, while a Japanese love song drifts from the radio. She will think the song talks of a fulfilled longing, of a waiting ended.  But now, she is still waiting. But now she is sure that someone shall come for her.  She looks at me, sees me watching her. The smile she gives me is fleeting, the token nicety for strangers who stare too long at you. I smile back at her.She looks at the doorway, but it seems more out of habit, than anticipation.One last look, then it is time for me to go. Nonfiction Piece Essay ProposalThis piece draws a portrait of a stranger in a coffee shop. Offering a kind of weekly enigma to me, she has come to represent the constant allure of mystery in the seemingly trivial. This essay focuses on that enigma, and the possible answers I have for them.I start the essay with a snapshot of what this woman is. What does she look like? What does she do? In giving a descriptive appraisal at the beginning, I lay the foundation of the mystery. I note her gestures – the faint inclination of her head when she looks at her watch, the expectation apparent on her face when someone walks through the door, and the inevitable disappointment almost every time – and raise the question that would bring us closer to â€Å"solving† her mystery: Why? Why does she look the way she does? Why does she act this way? Why is she there? In this part of the essay, I create the mythos I have woven about her through the answers to these questions.In this essay, I depict he r as I see her – the woman waiting. Because of the questions she has raised in me, I have assigned her an identity.This essay presents her as what she seems to be, and then seeks to go further, bringing both reader and author along for a venture into who she is, or at least, what she might be. In writing this, I thrust the philosophy that everyone really has a story. The natural inclination of the curious man is to find out. And if one cannot know, then you can always let your imagination run free.Literary Nonfiction EssayThere she is again, alone in the table at the far corner. Today, she has brought books with her: sonnets by Pablo Neruda, a creative writing textbook, and a discredited memoir. The book of poetry has been opened, and rests on her lap. A notebook, bound in leather, lies open on the table. A pen rests on the stark whiteness of the pages. She is looking at none of these. She smokes bent cigarettes every five minutes or so. She drinks her coffee as she glances a t the door, trying not to look as if she were truly alone – that by looking at the doorway once in a while, she can pretend (and the world with her) that someone is coming to meet her.Her cellphone, too, lies open. She takes a bite from her slice of lemon cake. The phone's screen remains dark, no matter how long she stares at it.Outside it is raining.She looks up, scans the crowd, most of whom are oblivious of her presence. I cannot be. I have known her for far too long. No, I do not know her name, and I do not think I will ever ask. But I have seen her so many times before, her presence is more familiar than a stranger’s should be. Today, I have positioned myself only two tables away from her. Because I know I can never march up to her and demand what she is, I content myself with absorbing everything I can of her. I have sat closer to her today. I cannot help this fascination. I simply want to know.Her gaze finally rests beyond me, towards the door. I see her face mo re clearly than I ever have before, after all these weeks. Oval, and wan – her forehead is high, her eyes wide and dark. It is not a delicate face, for perhaps the prolonged sadness has seeped into her bones that her face has toughened, has become stronger. Her cheeks jut out and her lips are thin and pale. Her mouth is arranged into its usual tightness. She sighs when the door opens, then closes, and turns away. She looks at her watch. She sighs once more, leafs through the open book of poetry.When will she realize that she is the only woman in a cafe of lovers? Or has she always known? She has one mug all to herself, the others have to share. One cup of coffee, one white porcelain rim, for two bleeding mouths of bleeding hearts.Inevitably, I think of the possibility of the reluctant lover. Every week, I see her here, always alone. I have never seen her leave with someone. I have never seen anyone, man or woman, stride over to her table, hold her hand, to lead her outside.Pe rhaps she has waited with the smallest of hopes that soon, someone would come to end the waiting. But perhaps the reluctant lover roams now the asphalt streets, in a suit and tie, a briefcase hanging from one hand as though it is an extension of his body. And this woman, with her poems and novels and empty notebooks – she is here, waiting, being watched by a person who has seen enough of her to realize that she is waiting.Another woman – more of a girl, really – is at another corner. But she smokes her cigarette with the ease of one who knows that someone will meet her. Soon she will be gone and this woman, this woman, would light another cigarette and turn another page of one the books she has brought.I see her cellphone buzz, vibrating on the surface of the table. She twitches, then snatches it. Her eyes run over the illuminated screen, taking in the message quickly. Then, her lip curls, and she tosses her cellphone back to the table.Has she been told that she has to wait longer?She returns to her book but her gaze is blanker now. This book she has been reading has quite possibly turned out to be a chore and all too soon, the words blur until they are white. There is too much of her coffee, and the crystal grains of sugar have refused to melt. The lemon cake crumbles. Even her cigarette offends her, and she puts it out, only half-consumed.With her, this woman, her waiting – things pale and darken at the same time. Knowing these things are just distractions, something to pass the time that just seems to crawl slower and slower that it sometimes falls still: the coffee cannot be finished, the cigarette doesn’t burn, the page goes on and on and on. Something has cloaked her – is it the knowledge that all these are things she'd rather not be doing? Shouldn't be doing in the first place?She must finish her coffee, and only crumbs should be left on her plate. The book, open on her lap, can be replaced. There are two other books in her bag, and she takes them out: poetry speaking of a requited waiting.She must think now: all this talk about unrequited love, when poetry should be made about unrequited patience: waiting for the phone to vibrate, waiting for the crumbs to settle, waiting for the coffee mug to empty, waiting for the cigarette to turn into ash, waiting for the books to turn to the last page, waiting for the rain to stop, waiting for the clock to strike ten, waiting for someone to come through the door with the spaciest of smiles just for her. Waiting, waiting, waiting.If she wrote – and I have feeling that she does, in spite of the blankness of her notebook now – how many times has she written about women like her?She looks at her watch. Her phone vibrates one more. Listless, she picks it up, punches at the buttons. In but moments, her face clears, she sags in her chair. She is starting to smile.I wonder then: the reluctant lover (but only in her mind, only when they are not together.) Has the un-reluctant lover tells her that he is near? Would Neruda, then, glow again?Because she is a woman who waits diligently albeit unwillingly, week after week, later, she will be disgusted with how much everything makes sense now. Even waiting in a parked car, while errands are run, will make her smile. The rain will fall harder. The drops will be opaque against the windshield and yet it shall leave shadows on her jeans.Oh, that smile.And she will think: Everything should be a familiar novelty, a novel familiarity. Yes, even waiting for him to come back with a bag or two of bread, while a Japanese love song drifts from the radio. She will think the song talks of a fulfilled longing, of a waiting ended.But now, she is still waiting. But now she is sure that someone shall come for her.She looks at me, sees me watching her. The smile she gives me is fleeting, the token nicety for strangers who stare too long at you. I smile back at her.She looks at the doorway, but it seems more out of habit, than anticipation.One last look, then it is time for me to go.