Toppled from a Shrine Hurstons First Novel - Literature Essay Samples

For hundreds of years, the dominant culture in America has categorically underestimated black southern culture and vernacular, mistaking these segments of American life as largely simple, vulgar, and uneducated; Zora Neale Hurston sought to change those perceptions. One of her most significant attempts to do so is her first novel, Jonah’s Gourd Vine. Here, Hurston often changes the style of her narrative voice, going from a biblical tone in one moment to dry, journalistic writing in the next. She uses this technique to great effect during John’s divorce trial, creating a grand sense of tension that is immediately dashed in the eyes of the prejudiced white judge and jury. Furthermore, she is able to use John Pearson as a trickster from African folklore, putting the same judge and jury at the butt of a joke and making them look like fools for minimizing the complexity and depth of John and Hattie’s relationship. In a novel operating almost entirely within black com munities, John’s divorce trial provides the largest and most significant interaction with white society. With this scene, Hurston uses metaphor, varying levels of diction, and the trickster archetype to demonstrate that white society has categorically underestimated the complexity of black life in the south at this time, and that that white people have made fools of themselves as a direct consequence. In Jonah’s Gourd Vine, Hurston wields her mastery of language and of different levels of diction to promote the value of black culture. John’s divorce trial is one of the best examples of her talent; Hurston jumps, in this instance, from her unobtrusive narrative voice into a prophetic rant about the two-faced members of John’s congregation. She proclaims that there is â€Å"no fury so hot as that of a sycophant as he stands above a god that has toppled from a shrine,† not two paragraphs after talking about potato pones and corn-bread dressing (Hurston, 166). These words are distinctively biblical, not simply in talking about a god but in inverting a traditional word ordering (â€Å"no fury so hot†) to give the passage a biblical diction. This decisive and abrupt shift in language is meant to set up John’s trial as a pivotal point within the story, and it works very effectively. Everything about John and Hattie’s divorce is sanctified by Hurston’s words; it becomes a dire and sacred affair. Even Hattie, the antagonist of the scene, â€Å"was a goddess for a moment† (Hurston, 167). However, the tension and direness Hurston weaves in the pre-trial moments is immediately undone once the white judge takes his seat, â€Å"as a walrus would among a bed of clams† (167). Due to his own racism, the judge is blind to the intense personal drama playing out before his own eyes; Hurston says herself that the â€Å"waves of pangin the room did not reach up to [his] bench† (167). This reality is reinforced even further by the abrupt shift in language once the trial begins. The prophetic voice is gone, and Hurston shies away from almost any descriptive language at all. It’s as if the text itself becomes as blind to John and Hattie’s complex emotional struggle just as the white jurors do. With the divorce trial, Hurston is able to demonstrate that the black culture that white society sees as mundane is in fact rich with emotionality and drama on a biblical scale. By having John Pearson remain silent during his trial, Hurston sets him up to operate in the â€Å"trickster† archetype present in African and African-American folklore. As he explains to Hambo after the trial, he withheld information about Hattie practicing voodoo because â€Å"dey some things [white folks] ain’t tuh know† (Hurston 169). Much like Brer Rabbit from plantation folklore or Anansi the spider from African folklore, John is able to put himself in a position of power over a seemingly more powerful adversary (in this case white society as a whole) by outsmarting his observers through manipulation and secrecy. Furthermore, in the world of the novel, voodoo appears to be a legitimately powerful force; this potentiality is suggested through Lucy’s untimely demise and Johnâ⠂¬â„¢s initially complacent attitude toward his marriage with Hattie. By choosing to withhold the details of Hattie’s conjuring from the court, John is quite literally protecting a powerful form of magic from people who would not be able to understand nor control it. In this case voodoo serves as a metaphor, suggesting that there are incredibly valuable and powerful aspects of black folk culture that most of white society could not hope to comprehend. John acting as a trickster character in this setting inevitably puts the white jury members and judge, as well as all who underestimate black culture, at the brunt of the joke. In the eyes of the reader, this tactic severely undercuts the court members’ perceived sense of cultural superiority, making them the stupid ones in the scenario. Through Jonah’s Gourd Vine, Hurston is able to turn racism into something that makes its perpetrators appear foolish. She rejected the idea of eschewing black stereotypes in favor of white cultural norms, instead choosing to promote the aspects of African-American culture that much of white society incorrectly viewed as primitive. As she stated in her essay, â€Å"How It Feels to Be Colored Me,† Hurston is not â€Å"tragically colored. This idea is largely seen as a response to W. E. B. Du Bois’ theory of double consciousness, the idea that African Americans are divided in their identity between being black and being American. Rather than fit a predefined mold of what being â€Å"American† meant, Hurston chose to redefine those terms through glorifying and illustrating the beauty of everyday life for black Americans, thereby creating a new definition of American identity.

Effective Communication in the Business Meetings - 2164 Words

Effective Communication in Business Meetings The great management guru Peter Drucker once said, â€Å"Business communication is all about understanding what has not been said.† Especially today business communication is one of important factors to be successful in the changeling business environment because during opened working environment one can meet lots of others for discussing but how to make an effective communication in business meetings? There are some of factors to impact deeply on result of an effective communication in the business meetings as clear goal or objective, careful planning, use materials, communication skills and conflict management. People may ignore to be involved in meetings, if they know their time will not be†¦show more content†¦The fourth resource is research methodology. Appropriate methodology is taking short time to find out the needed information. Pullin (2010, Oct) states â€Å"the research methodology was qualitative in nature and , to ensure scientific rigor, a multi-method approach was taken in collecting and analyzing the data† (p. 460). The fifth source is other people. In order to accurately use other people as a source is also a shortest way to help presenter receiving needed information for meeting, but presenter should clarify the provided information as doing an informational interview with the person. Research can make the presenter feel more confident in communicating the presentation, and as a result, the presentation will be more powerful. â€Å"The vital elements of the communication process are the source, encoding, the message, the medium, decoding, the receiver, and feedback. An understanding of those components can help you design effective conversation communication programs† (Jacobson, 2009, p. 12). Those components will be handled easily by effective communication skills, which are essential in conducting a successful business meeting. Communication is an art which is not mastered by all so an effective communicator should be taken clearly when sending or receiving the messages. â€Å"Effective communication is one where you are able to send and receiveShow MoreRelatedThe Relationship Between Effective Communication And Organizational Efficiency1123 Words   |  5 Pagesrelationship between effective communication and organizational efficiency, showing in particular how communication barriers may impact adversely on an organisation. This essay will focus on the relationship between effective communication and organizational efficiency, highlighting the main barriers in communication and their consequences. In order to facilitate the understanding of this relationship, it is very important to comprehend the purpose of communication in business and the meaningRead MoreBusiness1647 Words   |  7 Pagespresenting a quarterly sales information meeting to a group of stakeholders, including managers, salespeople, and customers. I will discuss what communication channels would be appropriate for this meeting and what are some of the considerations that I need to keep in mind given the diversity of the audience attending the meeting. Then I will discuss how I would ensure that my message is effective to the group attending this meeting. To make an effective presentation I would need to learn who myRead MoreEffective Communication And Good Leadership Skills1340 Words   |  6 Pages Managers or leaders for such task are responsible for successful communication and understanding of messages with each and every attendee involved. A person having good leadership skills but lack in skills of communication will never be preferred in any industry for conduction and delivering meetings and speeches or any other sort of public communication. Effective communication skills are necessary not only in business meetings but also in several other private and public relations including hospitalsRead MoreThe Importance of Effective Team Communication and How It Is Achieved1313 Words   |  6 PagesRunning head: THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAM COMMUNICATION The Importance Of Effective Team Communication and How It Is Achieved Janette L. North-Kabore University of Phoenix References Internal Communication - Getting Your Companys Brand Across to Your Employees. (2009, February 17). Retrieved from http://www.teambuildingtips.com/team-building-articles/team-communication/internal-communication---getting-your-companys-brand-across-to-your-employees.html Introduction To Teams. (n.d.). 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Rapier BUS 600: Management Communication with Technology Tools Instructor Cheryl Moore July 27, 2014 It’s been understood that â€Å"communication in business involves a complex set of unwritten rules governing speech, written correspondence and body language that varies in different parts of the world† (Ingram, 2014). Communication is the essential component of business, â€Å"from the entry-level manager to the seasoned ventureRead MoreP1 -Unit 8: Business Communication Through Documentation1267 Words   |  6 PagesUnit 8: Business Communication through Documentation Title: Identify, using examples, the purposes of written business communications in four different business contexts Written Business Communications Introduction: John Lewis, as a business, was founded in 1864 when it was just a shop  on  Oxford Street, which expanded over the years to become the third largest retailer in the UK. John Lewis is a Public Limited Company, this means that anyone with the right capital can buy (or sell) their sharesRead MoreCase Study : Business Practice, Work Orientation, And The Human Resource Management1310 Words   |  6 PagesSnemps Consulting Firm has been in business since 2001, we are located at 400 East Avenue in Warwick, RI. For over 15 years we have continuously strived for excellence. We pride ourselves on providing the most up to date technology and techniques. We approach every client as if it were one of our own. We believe our company should be more than just an advisor. We offer a full service training program including coaching, implementing effective tools to resolve and cope with conflict with the most

Social Class And The Hidden Curriculum Of Work By Jean Anyon

In the article â€Å"Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† by Jean Anyon. She argues that there is a serious gap in quality and level of education in the public school system. The gap widens as you progress up from working class to middle class and on through affluent professional to executive elite. Based on her research I would have to agree with her. Anyons research revealed that the working class students are not given the same opportunities to learn as students in the other classes. Whether it be by the teacher editing the curriculum because as one teacher in Anyons article said â€Å"Simple punctuation is all they’ll ever use†. This points to a problem with quality of teachers and their attitude more than a problem with curriculum.†¦show more content†¦All this information goes more to proving that the real problem is that the lower classes are more often stuck with teachers that are not motivated enough to teach students the complete curriculum because they don’t believe the children will amount to anything more than their parents.The lack of motivation could be caused by their low pay, crowded schools or maybe the location affects the students and teachers to a point that eventually no one cares and this compounds over the years. Creativity or the lack of encouraging creativity can be seen decli ning as you get lower in the class level in Anyons research. She states â€Å"Work tasks do not usually request creativity† and â€Å"Creativity is not often requested in social studies and Science projects†. In an article entitled â€Å"The Impact of Creativity on the Brain† by Judy Willis M.D; M.E.D posted on the website Radtech.com. â€Å"Neuroscience and cognitive science research are increasingly providing information that correlates creativity with intelligence; academic, social, and emotional success; and the development of skill sets and the highest information processing (Executive functions)†. This basically states that if creativity is encouraged then the upper intelligence functions of students are developed which includes social and emotional success. Which shows that if you stifle creativity you basically limit theShow MoreRelatedSocial Class And The Hidden Curriculum Of Work By Jean Anyon1447 Words   |  6 PagesIn the article â€Å"F rom Social Class to the Hidden Curriculum of Work,† written by Jean Anyon, he argues that the working-class and affluent communities both receive a learning-based education, the working-class lacks the fundamentals. Supporting this claim is Diane Ravitch in â€Å"The Essentials of a Good education† stating affluent communities provide classes beyond the essentials, including extra-curricular classes and activities with well-equipped material for their children to obtain. ContrastivelyRead MoreJean Anyon s Social Class And The Hidden Curriculum Of Work1245 Words   |  5 PagesJean Anyon’s â€Å"Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† What does social class mean? Social class means a division of a society based on social and economic status. Now, what does hidden curriculum mean? Hidden Curriculum means a side effect of education, such as norms, values and beliefs in the classroom. Accordingly, Jean Anyon’s, author of â€Å"Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† claims that each and every social class has it’s own very different way of teaching in schools. 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Accordingly to Jean Anyon’s, author of â€Å"Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work† she claims that each and every social class has its very own different way to teaching schooling. Anyon states a plethora of s trengths and weaknesses in this article.Read MoreEnglish 1011689 Words   |  7 Pagesis it such an easy word to understand but such a tedious task to accomplish? We come from a society that hands out education easily, however that education comes with a price. Jean Anyon explains this process through her research in From Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work. Anyon dissects the socio-economic class that determines the types of instruction students receive. Through her research one can compare her findings to Mike Rose’s narrative, I Just Wanna Be Average, to be true andRead MoreEssay on Prejudice Destroyed the American Dream1008 Words   |  5 Pagesmultiple discriminations in this country, which make it impossible for everyone to have the same chance to succeed. 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Is There Evidence of Female Participation in the Ancient Olympic Games free essay sample

Women and Sport in the Ancient World Is there evidence of female participation in the ancient Olympic Games? According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) there have been over 30,923 women participating in the modern Olympic Games over the period of 108 years since the first women participated at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games. At the latest Olympic Games held in Beijing, out of the 11,196 total athletes, 4,746 were women that were involved at the Games. Although female participation has grown, the number of female athletes is still less than half of those participating. Women are still fighting stereotypes that began with the Olympics in Ancient Greece where women were banned from watching and participating in the Ancient Olympic Games. Instead they fought back and held their own Olympic Games dedicated to the goddess Hera. [1] Pausanias who was a Greek traveler and a geographer informs in his book of Elis that women were prohibited in watching the Olympic Games. [2] If women were caught entering the Olympic festival, their penalty was death by being thrown from a precipitous mountain with high rocks called Typaion. 3] Only one known married women called either Callipateira or Pherenike gain entrance to the Games. She was the daughter of Diagoras of Rhodes who was a famous boxer. As her husband was dead, she disguised herself as a gymnastic trainer and brought her son Pisirodos to Olympia to compete. Pisirodos was victorious and as excited as Callipateira was, she jumped over the enclosure in which they kept the trainer and enclosed herself which relieved her sex. The authorities let her go unpunished out of respect for her father, her brothers and her son, all of whom had won at the Olympic Games. For the future trainers, a law was passed that required them to strip before entering the arena. We don’t know whether Callipateira was the first mother to attend the Olympia but since she was discovered, she was responsible for the failure of other mothers sneaking in. She might be the last mother at the ancient Olympics Games. [4] Even though Pausanias stated that women were prohibited from attending the Olympic Games, unmarried women were allowed to watch the Games so their fathers could find them a suitable husband. Women were not allowed to complete in the Games but that didn’t stop them participating indirectly. When equestrian events were added, women were allowed to own competing chariot teams and individual horses, but couldn’t ride the horses or guide the team themselves. The first was Kyniska, daughter of King Archidanos of Sparta. Her brother Agesilios convinced her to enter one of the chariot races to prove that victory in equestrian events was a result of wealth and not skill. Pausanias stated that Kyniska had always dreamed to win an Olympic victory which she was able to accomplish and in celebration of the event she set up two bronze monuments representing chariots, a small one in the antechamber of the temple of Zeus, and a larger one in the grounds of the Altis. Part of the inscribed base of the larger monument has been found and it read: [5] â€Å"Sparta’s kings were fathers and brothers of mine, But since with my chariot and storming horses I, Kyniska, Have won the prize, I place my effigy here And proudly proclaim That of all Grecian women I first bore the crown† (Swadding 2000, p. 43). Athletes in Ancient Greece were considered a male domain. Yet there was an exception for unmarried women. They held their own Olympic festival at the Olympia called the Heraea Games in honor of the Goddess Hera sister-wife of Zeus. It was only celebrated every four years but with only one type of event – footrace organized. It was categorized into three separate contests for virgin girls of different age groups: the youngest first, the slightly older ones next, and then the oldest virgins final. 6] The race was held at the Olympic Stadium, but for women the track was shortened by one-sixth making it over the 160 metres. One could assume that women could run 180 metres without having to shorten the race to 160 metres. But maybe it was the Greek male’s view that women were by nature inferior to men. The winners of the race were rewarded with a crown of olives like the victors of the Olympics a nd they also received a portion of a cow sacrificed to Hera. The winners of the race were allowed to dedicate statues of themselves so the victors had the privilege of setting up their images in the temple of Hera. Religious conservatism was probably the reason why no other competitions were ever introduced for women at the Olympia even though most of the major Greek games included women’s events. However women raised in Sparta were encouraged to be athletes where they were trained in the same athletic events as men because Spartans believed tough, strong mothers produced good Spartan soldiers. Even Plato advocated running and sword-fighting for women. We don’t know whether women participated in other events besides the foot-race but eventually the Heraea Games discontinued about the time the Romans conquered Greece. [7] In conclusion, women of modern society have the freedom to do what they want to compared to women from Ancient Greece. Ancient Greek married women were forbidden to watch or participate in the Olympic Games or they were sentenced to death. There hasn’t been any evidence of women being thrown to death by being caught at the Ancient Games. Today women are competing at the Olympic Games but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Even though women first competed at the Olympic Games in 1900, the number of events were strictly limited to tennis and in 1904 to archery. Slowly the contest open to women increased but for many years the longest running event was the 3,000 metre run and it wasn’t until 1984 that the women’s marathon was introduced at the Games. I believe that women participating in the Olympic Games has come a long way from Ancient times. Even though the founder of the Modern Olympic Games Pierre de Coubertin disapproved of women participating, unless they could play every sport as well as men, I believe women could have played every sport as well as men if they were given the opportunity. Women should be proud of their achievements and what they have accomplished throughout the Ancient and Modern Olympic Games. Reference: Scanlon, T, 2002, Eros and Greek Athletics, Oxford University Press, USA. Swadding, J, 2002, The Ancient Olympic Games, 2nd edn, University of Texas Press.