Source Criticism and Narrative Criticism of Genesis Essay

Source Criticism and Narrative Criticism of Genesis - Essay Example Carvalho in her Primer on Biblical Methods (4) cited one source inconsistency in Genesis where in Genesis 6:3, God limits human life to 120 years, but Abraham lives to 175 (Gen 25:17) and Sarah to 127 (Gen 23:1). This inconsistency, however, is not just limited to age but even in the Name of the Supreme Being Himself suggesting that there were different mindsets with a different parallel universe wrote the Genesis. In Genesis 1:12:4b, the Supreme Being was addressed as Elohim whereas in Genesis 2:4b-3:24, the Supreme Being was addressed as YHWH. The same God is called by different names. The contextual placement of the narrative (for narrative criticism) was also different from each other which further suggest that the text came from different perspectives. In Genesis 1:1-2:4b where God was called Elohim, God was characterized as majestic, distant and cosmic and does not interact with man. In Genesis 2:4b-3:24 where God was called YHWH however, God is more personal and interactive as He was walking around the Garden and even talks to people. Narrative criticism is another method to evaluate the contextual integrity of the Bible. Narrative criticism invites the reader to assess the work as a whole and to note its stylistic characteristics which resemble those of other literary works with a beginning, a middle, and an end (Browning). There were basically two narratives of the creation in Genesis which sounds almost the same but close scrutiny of the narrative reveals its inconsistency.  

Fate in Death of a Salesman

Fate in Death of a Salesman Abstract Death of a Salesman is a tragedy written by American playwright Arthur Miller. It describes a story about Willy Loman whose American dreams shattered and eventually he lost his life for it. Willy Lomans tragic experience reveals the conflicts between the individual, the family and social values of the United States. Miller tells us that we should not be misled by the money worship; otherwise we will become victims of commodity wrong values. This paper will analyze the tragic fate of Willy Loman from four different perspectives: inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being a victim of the American Dream, hoping to inspire and enlighten the readers from the tragic fate of Willy Loman and to find our real selves in the complicated and changeable world. 1. Introduction 1.1 Arthur Miller Arthur Miller was one of the most distinguished dramatists of the twentieth century. He was born in Jewish family in New York on October 17th 1915. As his fathers business failed during the Depression and the family suddenly became poor, Miller had to discontinue his studies and go to work to earn his university fees after he finished high school. He worked various jobs, such as a truck driver, a waiter, a farmhand, etc. Through these jobs, he saw the injustice of the capitalist system and understood the hard life of workers. The personal experiences provided him with firsthand knowledge about the lower class when he came to write plays and fiction. Through Millers career, he wrote lots of valuable masterpieces which contributed a lot to the American theater, ranging from All My Sons (1947) to Death of a Salesman (1949), from The Crucible (1953) to A View from Bridge (1955), from After the Fall (1964) to Broken Glasses (1994). Miller continually addressed several distinct but related issues in both his dramatic and contemporary writings: the form of tragedy applicable to modern times and contemporary characters, the individuals relationship to society, and family relations, particularly interactions between fathers and sons (à ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ®, 2007: 421). He criticized the social problems sharply and at the same time showed his compassion to the common people living at the foot of the society ladder. He has influenced many younger American dramatists, such as Edward Albee, August Wilson, and David Mamet. Miller is a major pioneer in the development of American theater alongside Eugene ONeil and Tennessee Williams, and Death of a Salesman is his important work. The play suggested new theatrical possibilities with its unique blend of realism and expressionism, as well as offering a challenge to previous definitions of tragedy (Susan C.W., 2007: 71). 1.2 The plot of Death of a Salesman Death of a Salesman is one of the best three plays with Eugene ONeils Long Days Journey into night and Tennessee Williamss A Street Car Named Desire. After it staged in 1949, it ran for 742 performances on Broadway. It won important awards, including the New York Drama Critics Circle Best Play, Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play. The play presents the tragedy of a common person, Willy Loman, an aging travelling salesman who is working for the Wagner Company. After having labored for thirty-four years for that firm, he is fired by Howard Wagner, the head of the company, because he is too old to sell products to make profits for the company. But he is still in debt, so he and his wife are struggling to pay the bills while his two sons are not helpful. Willys two goals throughout his life have been to be popular and have his own company, but they havent come true. Biff, a habitual thief, and Happy, a self-deluded guy, have failed to fulfill their fathers dream of achi evement. Reviewing his life, he is forced to confront its futility and failure. He kills himself in a planned car accident, hoping to provide Biff with twenty thousand dollars from the life insurance company to start his store. The play has profound social significance, because it is from the real life and authentically reflects the tragedy of common man in America (à ¥Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ »Ã‚ £Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã‚ Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2008). 1.3 Purpose of the paper Willy Lomans tragic experience shows the conflicts between the individual, the family and social values of the United States. Miller tells us that we should not be misled by the money worship; otherwise we will become victims of commodity wrong values. In materialistic society, People tend to ignore the cruel reality. Their cravings for material things seem never satisfied. People cannot distinguish reality and illusion. Inevitably, this will causes contradictions between individual, family and society and eventually brings about peoples downfall, like Willy Loman in the play. According to this phenomenon, this paper will analyze the tragic fate of Willy Loman from four different perspectives: inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being a victim of the American Dream, hoping to inspire and enlighten the readers from the tragic fate of Willy Loman and to find our real selves in the complicated and changeable world. 2. Literature Review Death of a Salesman is written in realistic dialogue about ordinary people. It is based in large part on the experiences of Millers family during the Depression and his passionate belief in the honor of work and the difficulties of living the American dream. After its opening in Broadway, response to the play was tremendous; audiences and critics had been attracted. The criticism on Death of a Salesman came from the anti-communist movement known as McCarthyism,but the larger part of comments are praises. Robert Coleman of the Daily Mirror called the play emotional dynamite and reported that sobs were heard throughout the auditorium, and handkerchiefs were kept busy wiping away tears (Robert Coleman, 1949:360). Brooks Atkinson declared it superb, commenting on its poetry and calling it a wraith-like tragedy (Brooks Atkinson, 1949:27). Richard Watts asserted that under the director, Elia Kazens vigorous and perceptive direction, Death of a Salesman emerges as easily the best and most i mportant new American play of the year (Richard Watts, 1949:359). Yes, Death of a Salesman is a significant masterpiece of the American play. In theme, the play criticizes the role of capitalism in American society and condemns human nature with pity and sorrow. In technique, Miller broke out of the realistic confinements of time, space and psychology, with the innovative interweaving of the past with the present and of events inside Willys mind with those outside, which merges elements of both realism and expressionism(à ©Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ®Ãƒ ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’2007:423). Compared to traditional tragedy, Loman, as a protagonist, is neither upper class nor very intelligence. But he still manages to strike an emotional chord. He has a faulty vision of what makes a person successful, which makes him flawed, but regardless of the opposition and the ultimate cost to himself, he refuses to give up that vision, which makes him, in Millers eyes, a tragic hero. A man of his time, Loman bears realistic and far-reaching significance and connotation. In Contemporary American drama:a study in the plays of Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Edward A, Singh Abha comments that Willy Loman, the salesman, is a typical embodiment of modern business morality, but he is also a more universal figureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Like the great tragic figures of Sophocles and Shakespeare, Millers Willy is both an individual and a type (Singh, Abha, 1998: 70-71). Furthermore, Loman has attracted international audiences and continues to interest them to the present day. Theater scholar Brenda Murphy talks about the ease with which audiences all over the world have understood and sympathized with the plight of Willy Loman, and have grasped the issues of the play (Brenda Murphy, 1995:126). No doubt, the play attracts numerous audiences and critics. Whereas, the common audience are seriously concerned about the fate of Willy and are melt into tears for this tragedy of an everyman. In china, based on my survey on the domestic journals from 1979 to 2009, there are above 22 articles studying on Willy Lomans tragic fate in Death of a Salesman. Different critics have their own views. Wang Yan, from Shandong University, considers that Lomans tragedy is caused by the conflict of his dream and the reality. Zhu Yaning, from Foreign Languages Department of Henan Mechanical College, views that the disillusionment of American Dream leads to Lomans tragedy. W ang Dongmei, from Foreign Languages Department of Liaoning Technical University, regards that Lomans fate is caused by his own personality distortion. Wang Hong, from Huainan Normal College analyzes Willy Lomans fate from the respect of family factors. But for me, inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being a victim of the American Dream resulted in Willy Lomans tragedy. 3. Analysis of Willy Lomans Fate Willy Lomans whole life seems to have been a sellout; his sons have turned out badly, and his relationship with Biff has soured. Disappointedly, Willy chooses to end his life with expectation that his death could exchange for his sons success. The quasi-resolution that his suicide offers him represents only a partial discovery of the truth. He fails to grasp the true personal, emotional, spiritual understanding of himself. His name provides insights. Compared to William, Willy is a childish version indicating an intrinsic immaturity in his nature. He is too driven by his own willy-ness or perverse willfulness to recognize the slanted reality that his desperate mind has forged. Loman has been read as indicating Willy to be a low-man, common and insignificant. From the insights of his name, we can infer that Willy Lomans life will be a tragedy in the end, like characters of Dream of the Red Chamber. Not his name resulted in Willys tragedy fate, but his inaccurate self-evaluation, incom petent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and a victim of the American Dream resulted in his tragedy. 3.1 Willy Lomans inaccurate self-evaluation As a travelling salesman, Willy Loman sells products for Wagner Company by driving around New England. When he was young, he was ambitious and set his mind to provide a good life for his family. He worked diligently and enthusiastically, so that he made good profits. He averaged a hundred and seventy dollars a week in the year of 1928. He built up good relationship and reputation among his clients. He has much confidence about his life and dreamed that one day he would set up his own company. However, thirty-four years later, as he became too old to make profits for the firm, he was fired by his employer relentlessly, regardless of his thirty-four years contribution to the company. But he could not confirm his failure. When he would not sell products and get his commission, he borrowed money from his neighbor Charley and deceived his wife that the money was his commission. He trapped himself in the illusion and memory most his time. Under the pressing realities of his life, he could not endure the overwhelming tensions and commit suicide to earn the insurance money to help Biff become successful. Why Willy Loman lived so afflictingly? One of the reasons is that he can not evaluate himself accurately. Throughout the play, there are many implications that Willys wrong self-evaluation leads to his wrong choice of profession. He failed to find his real self, because he was covered by the illusions and the myths. From ACT ONE, Willy told Charley that, A man who cant handle tools is not a man (Arthur Miller, 1949:44). He can put up the ceiling in the living-room. That is a great piece of work, but Willy managed to do it. He, like his father, can build things with his own hand. However, Willy failed to recognize his abilities. If he could realize his talent and choose the job that can fulfill his talent, instead of being a salesman that way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine (Arthur Miller, 1949:138), Willy might seek both job satisfaction and fortune from his job. Also, he failed to recognize his natural inclinations and instincts. When Biffs decision to seek a business loan raises Willys spirits, and the way in which Willy expresses his optimism is quite revealin g. The first thing Willy thinks about is planting a garden in his yard; he then muses to Linda that they should buy a house in the country, so that he could build guesthouses for Biff and Happy when they have families of their own. These hopeful plans seem to illustrate how ill-suited Willy is to his profession, as it stifles his natural inclinations. His wistful fantasy of living in the forests of Alaska strengthens the implication that he chose the wrong profession. Indeed, the competitive, hyper-capitalist world of sales seems no more appropriate for Willy. He does not seem to like living in an urban setting. He complains that the way they boxed us in here. Bricks and windows, windows and bricks. The street is lined with cars. Theres not a breath of fresh air in the neighborhood. The grass dont grow any more, you cant raise a carrot in the back yard. They shouldve a law against apartment houses (Arthur Miller, 1949:17). From his words, we can infer that Willy is looking forward to living a leisure life, a farm life, not the busy, atwitter and strenuous life in New York. But Willy was unaware of this; he chose to be a salesman that conflicts with his natural inclinations and instincts. At first, his motivation to be a salesman was impure. He chose the job not from his own abilities and interests, but from the admiration for Dave Singleman. If Willy could evaluate himself accurately and respect his own needs, he would live a totally different life from now. He would not commit himself to a pathetic death and meaningless legacy. 3.2 Incompetent Role-player in family Willy is a salesman who struggles for a better life in the cruel society, a husband who has his wifes love and support and a father who lives with his children. It is important to examine the evolution of Willys relationship with his family, as the solid family is one of the most prominent elements of the American Dream. But in the present, Willys relationship with his family is fraught with tension. 3.2.1 A father unfit for his position As a common father, he hopes to win the respect and love of his sons and has great expectation to his two sons. But the cruel reality is that Biff is a pilferer and Happy is a liar. Everything goes against his wishes. The main reason is that Willys improper education to his sons. As a youth, Biff was led to believe that since he was well liked he could get away with anything. He begins to steal: a football from school, lumber for the house, a crate of balls from Bill Oliver. Willy is desperate that Biff should succeed in life, so instead of punishing him, he condones the thefts and makes excuses, neglecting to instill in his son the moral values a parent should teach a child. For instance, when the young Biff stole the football from the school, Willy said, Coachll probably congratulate you on your initiative! à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Thats because he likes you. If somebody else took that ball thered be an uproar (Arthur Miller, 1949:30). This way of education makes Biff lose the ability to recognize the correct moral views. Biff appears successful in high school as a football player, but reaps no benefit from this as he never goes to college. Initially he had planned to retake the math course he needed, but he catches his father with a mistress. After leaving the high school, he did many jobs but all failed. As biff said to Willy, I never got anywhere because you blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody! Thats whose fault it is! (Arthur Miller, 1949:131) Obviously, again it is Willys improper education that leads to Biffs failure. 3.2.2 A husband disloyal to his wife In Willys reminiscence, there exists a woman, his mistress. Willy has affair with the woman and the affair was discovered by Biff. As a result of this, his belief in the fantasies his father has fed him cannot be maintained. This adultery is an indirect cause that Biff gave up to retake he math course, but evidence that Willy betrayed his wife, Linda. If Willy had had not affair with the woman, Biff might retake the math exam, and then he would go to college and had a promising future. Willy is always untrue to Linda. He tries to play the salesman with her. Every time he over his trip, he inflates his commission, but Linda also his lie. Although she does not buy his pitch to her, she still loves him. She does not measure Willys worth in terms of his professional success. Willy, however, needs more than love, which accepts character flaws, doubts, and insecurityhe seek desperately to be well liked. As such, he ignores the opportunity that Linda presents to him: to view himself more honestly, to acknowledge the reality of his life, and to accept himself for what he is feeling like a failure (Selena Ward, Brendan Greaves, 2003:61). If Willy could be true to Linda and himself, he would not choose to commit suicide. 3.3 Wrong outlooks on values Willy Loman is living in a time when the nature of business itself is undergoing intrinsic changes, partly due to the capitalist pressure to make more money and become more efficient. But he fails to understand the complex and ruthless business community and he still pursue equity and justifiability blindly. So he hugs his outmoded beliefs: Just work hard, be honest and well-liked, you will succeed. However, he is rebuffed in the real life. The reason is that Willys outlooks on values are wrong. His recurring description and memory of Dave Singleman manifest his ideal life in his mind: What could be more satisfying than be able to go, at the age of eighty-four, into twenty or thirty different cities, and pick up a phone, and be remembered and loved and helped by so many different people? and When he diedand by the way he died the death of a salesman, in his green velvet slippers in the smoker of the New York, New Haven and Hartford, going into BostonWhen he died hundreds of salesmen and buyers were at his funeral. Things were sad on a lotta trains for months after that. (Arthur Miller, 1949:81) He speakes of Dave Singleman as a legend and imagines that his death must have been beautifully noble. But he fails to realize the hopeless of Singlemans lonely, on-the-job, on-the-road death. During Singlemans age, there was personality, respect, comradeship and gratitude in it. But in the present day, it is all cut and dried. The time full of light and friendship is long gone. Todays American society has been a concrete jungle. Here the survival law is like the law of the jungle in the animal world in primitive time, even more relentless and ruthless. People are molded to be more indifferent and greedy. They worship money. Money dominatesalmost everything including personality, respect, gratitude and even man, could be evaluated in terms of money. But Willy doesnt realize the shift of the times and values. He still keeps riding on a smile, making friends, exaggerating and hoping being liked so as to make a sale. He adheres to his own principles and wrong values that cost his life i n the end. 3.4 A victim of the American Dream The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States of America in which democratic ideals are perceived as a promise of prosperity for its people. In the American Dream, first expressed by James Truslow Adams in 1931, he states, The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position (James Truslow Adams, 1931) The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence wh ich states that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (the Declaration of Independence) However, the industrialization of the 19th and 20th centuries began to erode the dream. After World War II, the United States faced profound and irreconcilable domestic tensions and contradictions. Although the war had ostensibly engendered an unprecedented sense of American confidence, and security, the United States became increasingly embroiled in a tense cold war with the Soviet Union. The propagation of myths of a peaceful, homogenous, and nauseatingly gleeful American golden age was tempered by constant anxiety about Communism. (Selena Ward, Brendan Greaves, 2003:3)The government cannot provide the citizen with a fair environment. People feel desperate and lose themselves. They consider their American dream as making a fortune. They pursuit their dreams by centering their lives around material possessions, such as cars, appliances. There are exhausted to keep up with their equally materialistic neighbors. Seemingly, they are rich in materials, but they are in poor spirit. Many American families become the victims of the American Dream. Unfortunately, the Lomans is one of them. In the search of the good life, the Lomans surroud themselves with many things above and beyond the necessities of life. However, these goods are only available at a price, and not everyone in society can afford them. The Lomans try to keep up, with a refrigerator, a vacuum, and a new car, but they find themselves in a constant state of worry that they may be not able to meet all the payments. So when Willy is sixty-three years old, he is still in debt. In Willys life, he has two dreams. One is to set up his own company while the other is his two sons can succeed. But Willys two great dreams come to a totally failure. Because he believes that any well liked and personally attractive man can achieve the dream. And he also passes this belief to his sons. Bernard can get the best marks in school, y understand, but when he gets out in the business world, yunderstand, you are going to be five times ahead of him. Thats why I thank Almighty God youre both built like Adonises. Because the man who makes an personal in the business world, the man who creates personal interest, is the man who gets ahead. Be liked and you will never want. (Arthur Miller, 1949:33) His understanding of the qualities of attractiveness and likeability is very superficial. He blindly expects to achieve material, emotional, and even spiritual satisfaction through personal attractiveness and being well liked. He fails to see that Charley and his son are successful because of lifelong hard work and not because of the illusions of social popularity and physical appearances. His blind faith in his stunted version of the American Dream leads to his rapid psychological decline when he is unable to accept the disparity between the ideal dream and his own life. 4. Enlightenment from Willy Lomans fate From the previous analysis, we have a better understanding of Willy Lomans fate. We cannot help showing our sympathy for his downfall. But this tragedy leaves us not only the sigh, but also the deep meditation. We can gain a good deal of enlightenment from his fate. Firstly, we should have a round and accurate evaluation about ourselves. Everyone is unique in the world. We have both merits and demerits. If we can make best use of the advantages and bypass the disadvantages, then we will become more competent and more confidence to deal with the changeable and competitive society. Secondly, our dreams should not go too far away from the reality. It is good to have dreams. Dreams can motive us to work hard to live a better life. In this way, the society can make progress. But our dreams should base on reality. It should be practical to realize the dreams. If the dreams seem impossible to realize, we may feel disappointed and lose confidence when we find the disparity between the dream and our life. Thirdly, we should make a plan that fit ourselves to realize the dream. We should see through the key to success. We should not like Willy Loman think it is well liked. But we can learn from Charley that the key to success is hard work and maintain our morality intact. Fourthly, spiritual wealth is more important than material wealth. In the modern society, material civilization is highly developed while there exists a crisis of mental world of human beings. Money worship and hedonism are prevailing, the view of value is collapsing, and men tend to become the slaver of material desire. So we cannot ignore our spiritual world. In our spare time, we should enrich our spirit world by reading books of real worth and live a worthy life. 5. Conclusion In Death of a salesman, Miller charges America with selling a false myth constructed around a capitalist materialism. And this materialism obscured the personal truth and moral vision of original American Dream described by the countrys founders. Willy Lomans inaccurate self-evaluation, incompetent role-player in family, wrong outlooks on values and being a victim of the American Dream bring about his downfall. His fate reveals the contradiction between material and spirit, reality and dream. Thus it makes the play become one of the best modern tragedies.

The Fungi Formerly Known as Dentinum Repandum :: Hydnum Repandum Fungus Essays

The Fungi Formerly Known as Dentinum Repandum This paper will cover a description of Hydnum repandum, its ecology, and some research involving the species. The first topic to be discussed in this paper is a description of Hydnum repandum, which was until recently referred to as Dentinum repandum. The description of the fungi will start with the appearance of H. repandum, and will be followed by the life cycle of the noted species. The appearance of Hydnum repandum is quite unique. The stipe of the fungi can range from two to seven centimeters tall, and one to three centimeters thick (Wood). The surface of the stipe can range from cream to yellow in color, and is dry and smooth. The cap of the mushroom is two to ten centimeters broad, with a smooth, dry surface (Graham 84). The caps color can range from cream to orange. It has a thick flesh that is very brittle, with a mild taste and odor. The hymenophore has teeth that are 0.4 to 0.6 centimeters long. They are cream colored, and also brittle (Wood). The life cycle of Hydnum repandum is fairly simple, as you can see from Figure 2. It falls into the subdivision of Eumycota, called Basidiomycotina (Ross 18). This group contains many large, fleshy fungi, To begin this discussion on the life cycle of Hydnum Repandum, this text will start with the basidiospore germination (Webster 295). This results in a haploid mycelium with a single nucleus in each cell. It is then referred to as the monokaryon, or the primary mycelium (Ross 141). Following this, two genetically different thalli come together, and the nuclei move from one thallus into another. The migration of nuclei usually results in both of the thalli becoming dikaryotic (Ross 142). This nuclear migration is very quick, and every hyphal tip becomes binucleate. The subsequent growth of the mushroom is all dikaryon (Ross 143). The next step includes the two nuclei of the dikaryon fusing through karyogomy (Ross 146). The resulting diploid zygotic nucleus then undergoes meiosis, and four haploid nuclei are formed in the basidium (Webster 280). The haploid nuclei move into projections on the basidium, which turn into spores. The spores are attached to the sterigmata until they are released (Ross 146). The cycle then starts over again. The next topic for discussion in this paper is ecology. This will include, preferred habitats and interactions with abiotic and biotic elements of the environment.

Genres Of Literature

Genres of literature are important to learn about. The two main categories separating the different genres of literature are fiction and nonfiction. There are several genres of literature that fall under the nonfiction category. Nonfiction sits in direct opposition to fiction. Examples from both the fiction and nonfiction genres of literature are explained in detail below. This detailed genres of literature list is a great resource to share with any scholars. Types of Nonfiction: Narrative Nonfiction is information based on fact that is presented in a format whichtells a story. Essays are a short literary composition that reflects the author’s outlook or point. A short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative. A Biography is a written account of another person’s life. An Autobiography gives the history of a person’s life, written or told by that person. Often written in Narrativ e form of their person’s life. Speech is the faculty or power of speaking; oral communication; ability to express one’s thoughts and emotions by speech, sounds, and gesture.Generally delivered in the form of an address or discourse. Finally there is the general genre of Nonfiction. This is Informational text dealing with an actual, real-life subject. This genre of literature offers opinions or conjectures on facts and reality. This includes biographies, history, essays, speech, and narrative nonfiction. Nonfiction opposes fiction and is distinguished from those fiction genres of literature like poetry and drama which is the next section we will discuss.

Failure Analysis Essay

Team D will analyze the organizations Samsung Electronics Company (SEC) and Research In Motion – Blackberry (RIM). The study will analyze in depth the success of Samsung and the failure of Blackberry. The paper analyzes how Samsung evolved into one of the largest conglomerates in the world during the past decade the demise of Blackberry and how the company failed. Vision and Mission Statement Samsung Vision Statement, The vision of SAMSUNG Electronics is â€Å"Leading the Digital Convergence Revolution† (Samsung, 2013, p. 1). Mission Statement â€Å"To experience the joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public† (Samsung, 2013, p. 1.). Established in 1938, Samsung has gone thru many changes. During its various changes, Samsung continues to modify its mission statement according to its own change and to new developments globally. â€Å"Economic contribution to the nation† â€Å", Priority to human resources† â€Å" Pursuit of rationalism† are slogans that represent important moments in Samsung’s history. The organization has grown from a national leader to a worldwide consumer leader. The constant fluctuation in the global economy, competition, and operations, Samsung transformed its mission statement in 1990. According to Samsung’s philosophy, â€Å"We will devote our human resources and technology to create superior products and services, thereby contributing to a better global society† (Samsung, 2013, p. 2.). The organizations attitude is a representation of its determination to contribute to the success of people globally. Key factors for Samsung is the dedication, creativity, and talent of its employees. The strong leadership and team support has made endless opportunities for new technology and achieving higher standard of living globally. Leadership at Samsung believe its success is due to its contribution to people worldwide and to the shared prosperity between national boundaries worldwide. This determines how they manage their  company. The objective for Samsung Electronics is to generate the future with its consumers. SEC can be considered as one of very few companies that â€Å"manage to go beyond mere imitation of global competitors, leverage resources, accelerate the pace of organizational learning and manage to attain seemingly impossible goals† ( Hamel and Prahalad, 1989). Vision and Mission Statement Blackberry vision statement, â€Å"Blackberry aims to be the premier center for management development excelling in developing managers of tomorrow; strengthening management capabilities and facilitating policy options to meet emerging challenges†. (Blackberry, 2013, p.1.). Mission statement, â€Å"To develop socially and professionally responsible and proactive managers and leaders with holistic perspectives and competencies.† (Blackberry, 2013, p.1.) In realizing the above vision and mission, RIM focuses on the following strategic areas: In 1994, Blackberry (RIM) was created. The organization is located in Waterloo, Ontario Canada. Other locations include Europe, United States, Mexico, and Asia Pacific. Blackberry lead the design, fabrication, distributor of its wireless solutions for the global cellular communications market. The creation of combined software, services, and support, Blackberry provided solutions for email, cell phone, SMS, MMS, Intranet, and Internet applications â€Å"The beauty of this device was that users could do all of these functions even as they were striding down the sidewalk, far from any desktop computer† (Kim, 2008). . The organization provided services for Civil Service, local governance, and the private sector. This enabled Blackberry to strengthen and develop into a strong financial, self-supported Institute. The downfall of Blackberry began on January 9, 2007, with the introduction of the iPhone. Apple sold a million iPhones the first week of its release, signaling the era of the smartphone. In a conference call on March 29, 2012 CEO Thorsten Heins stated, â€Å"It is now very clear to me that substantial change is what RIM needs,† (All Thing D, 2012, p. 1.). The CEO is creating something Blackberry has not had for a long time, a vision. . â€Å"We believe that BlackBerry cannot succeed if we try to be everybody’s darling and all things to all people†, (All Things D, 2012, p. 1.). It might be too late but  the organization will undertake a complete review analysis of the way the company operates. Leadership style, management, organizational structure, and culture Samsung Electronics is a worldwide organization with nearly 160,000 employees and operates in countries worldwide. Samsung is devoted to having a healthy organizational culture. It believes that ethical management is not only a tool for responding to the rapid changes in the global business environment, but also a vehicle for building trust with its various stakeholders, shareholders, customers, partners, employees, and local communities around the world. Samsung’s aim is to become one of the most ethical companies in the world that is respected by its stakeholders, Samsung Electronics continues to train its employees and operate monitoring systems, while practicing fair and transparent corporate management. Samsung has established a good and safe working environment for its personnel, this improves employee morale and productivity and commitment to the organization. Employees respect all workers despite the positions they have. Workers and leaders have a good relationship that allows both side to work together on workers grievances relating to their work environment. The relationships between the workers and leaders are interactive and workers grievances relating to their working environment and other labor related issues work well. Workers at Samsung will respect all workers despite the roles they play. CEO Kwon Oh Hyun is a commanding leader, almost militarist in leading. In South Korea, this style of leadership is very effective; unlike in the United States a commanding leader for a non-military organization would be ineffective. Kwon Oh Hyun is direct, takes tight control, very demanding, disciplined, and demands immediate compliance within the company, from top to bottom. It is difficult to recognize what leadership style is within Blackberry. What has brought Blackberry to its demise is not having a clear vision from its upper executives. Their leaders had no sense of direction to innovate the organization. Blackberry ten years ago was a leader in the cellular business. Customers who owned a blackberry phone felt important, celebrities, Wall Street investment bankers. Today Blackberry is at jeopardy on becoming obsolete. Blackberry made some critical mistakes, which put the organization in jeopardy. The organization  disregarded the iPhone until it was too late. Prior CEO Lazaridis â€Å"told his employees that no one would buy the iPhone because customers did not want a personal computer on their cell phones.† (Forbes, 2011, p. 2.) Blackberry promoted a culture of unwillingness and closed communication. Upper executives did not want to listen to ideas from below. Additionally, a critical mistake was waiting too long to innovate new products into their product line. Their current product line is a big dinosaur and still look much like their first phones. To further trouble Blackberry, two major outages occurred on April 2007 and again in February 2008, each outage lasted for a few days. Leading Organizational Change Team D would use the Kotter’s Eight Steps Detailed guidance for managing change. First major change is to establish a sense of urgency, in order to create a compelling reason for change. The compelling reason for change is to seek new ways of innovation. Keeping up with the global rapid change in the telecommunications, industry is vital. [Change process theories describe a typical pattern of events that occur from the beginning of a change to the end, and in some cases they describe how earlier changes affect subsequent changes. The theories may identify distinct phases in the process, stages in the reaction of individuals, or effects of repeated changes on people.] (Gary Yukl, 2013, p. 1.) In order to keep Blackberry competitive with the market, the organization must find new products to introduce into the market. Introducing a new lineup of products such as new cell phone models is vital for the company to compete with its competitors. The sense of urgency is creating and updating our products in time to keep up with the competition. The team would create a coalition between upper management to establish the new change for blackberry. The coalition between top executives would facilitate the introduction of the new strategy into our new business plan. A major priority for blackberry and its top executives is to create a clear vision for the upcoming change of the organization. The next hurdle is to widely open up communication barriers and simplify the communication between upper management on down. Blackberry will promote a culture of open communication and willingness for all its employees. The open communication will enable the organization to communicate the vision throughout the company. Good communication will help the organization with employees who resist change. Communication between upper management and employees will help give a clear vision of the change. Inadequate communication will give employees a sense of false information for example believe that change is not feasible, fear of personal failure, loss of status, and economic threat. The CEO will empower other managers to act on the vision by encouraging risk-taking and removing barriers to help solve problems. The new plan will take two years to implement. The action plan will include short-term goals that move blackberry toward the new vision. The change will allow upper management on down to consolidate improvement. All management reassess all changes to include analytical information, the consolidation improvements will allow the organization to make any necessary adjustments in the new programs. All management will have to lead by example and demonstrate the success of the cultural change. The new plan will reinforce the changes by demonstrating the relationship between the new behaviors. The leadership styles will be between transformational and visionary leadership. These leadership styles will inspire the conviction of the new vision and will give blackberry a clear direction to succeed in the new change. Transformational leadership will inspire and develop empowering focus on the new plan. Conclusion During significant change to a company’s structure and strategies, personnel can experience high levels of stress on the job. Prior to executing the strategies, organizations must empower employees to adopt the role of change and encourage them to take action to solve the problems that stresses them. A large piece of the puzzle is communication between upper management on down. Personnel need to feel that they are empowered during the phase of the change. Although few organizations fully acknowledge their role in helping employees, cope with change. Individual reactions to change your complex and most experts agree that people tend to be uncomfortable with change; employees do not want to depart from their comfort zone.