Monday, May 18, 2020

Characteristics Of Medieval Romances - 2016 Words

When someone thinks of a medieval romance, that person will more than likely think of these common characteristics: knights, quests, a lady, magic, romance, Christianity, and of course King Arthur. There is actually much more to these stories than just â€Å"A knight goes on a quest. He meets a lady. And they all live happily ever after.† A reader needs to know what features to look out for in order to know for sure what kind of story he is reading. A Handbook to Literature by William Harmon and C. Hugh Holman says that a medieval romance is a tale of adventure that contains knights, kings, or distraught women. That person is usually motivated by either love, religion, or s/he is just wanting an adventure. Medieval romance was first seen in†¦show more content†¦Medieval romances succeeded the epic of the 12th century, which was the main kind of story anyone ever wrote or read. There are many differences between an epic and medieval romance story. Epics tend to tell a story about a hero and how he must fight evil monsters, while romances tell how a knight expresses his chivalry through one or more quests. While an epic is more serious and usually consists of â€Å"everyday† life, a romance is more mysterious and usually about fantasies. Romances will more than likely be comical and end happy, while epics are very solemn and have a sad ending. Epics follow a straight path to the ending. The reader knows that the he ro will fight some evil villain and win. Medieval romances are not like that. While the story does follow a slightly straight path to the end, the reader never knows what the protagonist will face on the way. The structure is very relaxed in a romance, while in an epic it is strict. The reader will know whether he is reading an epic or not by the amount of romance or love that is displayed. Epics do not contain love, and if they do, it is not much. There may be women in the story, but they are not usually part of the actual story. That is not true of medieval romances. It would no longer be a medieval romance if it did not contain romance throughout the story. In epics, the charactersShow MoreRelatedAspects Of The Arthurian Romance In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight1335 Words   |  6 Pagesover a number of eons tracing back to quite a number of languages native to the writers that immortalized the tales, this including Welsh, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and Sc andinavian. Medieval romance is defined by the ideals that stood out from the tales including the romance, honor, loyalty and the moral authority as well as it explicated the social order which left a lot to be desired of the position of feminism in the society. Marie de France perhaps the only female write ofRead MoreFirst Knight Character Analysis762 Words   |  4 PagesMedieval romances are narrative fictions representing the adventures and values of the highest class. Medieval romances were around the 15th century, which is around the late 1300s. One of the many movies made about this time period was the movie the First Knight, it was produced by Jerry Zucker in 1995. In the movie, First Knight, the characters act like they are the best of the best and that they have nothing to hide when it comes to their romantic relationships. The movie shows the knight in shiningRead MoreEssay about Chaucers Use of Courtly Love856 Words   |  4 PagesChaucers Use of Courtly Love Chaucers Use of Courtly Love Chaucer admired and made use of the medieval courtly love romance tradition, although he did not fully buy into it. The courtly love code is based on the woman as the center of attention. The medieval knight suffers greatly for his love, who is often someone elses wife. He will do anything to protect and honor her, remaining faithful at all costs. Adultery and secrecy characterize these relationships. The knight views a womanRead MoreSir Gawain and The Green Knight1018 Words   |  5 Pages Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Prompt #1 â€Å"Sir Gawain, think on this when you go forth among great princes (Gawain poet.373-374.243).† The Medieval Age had a general literary focus about Romance; the stories in that era consisted of imaginative adventures containing faraway places following the chivalric code, similar to fairytales. Writers often use symbolism to give significance to the plot and reference a deeper meaning. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poet uses symbolism to representRead MoreTheseus Character Analysis1459 Words   |  6 Pagesany two characteristics of a romance evident so far. Refer to the prezi. A romance requires the telling of a true story in remote places and times. The Knight’s Tale begins with the lines â€Å"Once upon a time,† to retell the old events of Theseus in the ancient city of Athens (24). The Knight’s tale meets the requirement of a medieval romance in the first sentence, as it opens with a tale of a far off land in ancient times. Idealized aristocratic conduct, another requirement a medieval romance mustRead MoreEssay on Unraveling the Mystery of William Shakespeare582 Words   |  3 Pagesnew and awakened perspectives of man. However before the Renaissance, known as the medieval times, people were considered subject to God. For this reason, medieval literature placed a great emphasis on the blend of fantasy and reality. Though literary characters displayed human characteristics, their personalities transcended those of fictitious figures such as leaders, Saints, and even God. Even works of romance and honor had a religious overtone hidden within them. Unfortunately this limitedRead MoreMedieval Poetry3509 Words   |  15 PagesMedieval literature is a very diverse subject. The term covers the literature of Europe during the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginnings of the Renaissance in the 15th century, spanning a period of roughly 1,000 years. As a result, it is difficult to make generalizations about medieval literature. It is, nonetheless, possible to identify a few general trends. Allegory and symbolism are common in medieval literature, perhaps more so than in modern writing. Religious and philosophicalRead MorePortrayal of Women in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Lanval1382 Words   |  6 PagesIn medieval literature, the role of women often represents many familiar traits and characteristics which present societies still preserve. Beauty, attractiveness, and grace almost completely exemplify the attributes of powerful women in both present and past narratives. European medieval prose often separates the characteristics of women into two distinct roles in society. Women can be portrayed as the greatest gift to mankind, revealing everything that is good, pure, and beautiful in a womansRead MoreEssay on John Keats La Belle Damn Sans Merci Analysis1365 Words   |  6 Pagesthis point, it’s only natural for the knight to believe that the love his felt for the maiden was exactly proportional to what she was feeling, and their ‘wild’ r omance would continue when he awakes. However, as he awakes from his slumber, he found that the maiden was nowhere to be found. He was all alone and the his expectations of the romance was shattered. It then dawned that his suffering disappointment stemmed from the realization that she never really loved him the way he thought she did. At thisRead MoreThe Heroes Of The American West1449 Words   |  6 PagesKnights. There are many parallels between the modern Cowboy and the medieval Knight, and I agree with Felicity Riddy who observed that â€Å"[t]he medieval knight is like the cowboy of our own day.† Those parallels include such outward characteristics as their dress and countenance, and such inward characteristics as the code of conduct under which they operated and the courage they displayed when confronted with danger. Those characteristics have become symbols and images of something almost larger than

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Fixer Essay - 900 Words

The Fixer In the novel, The Fixer, the author, Bernard Malamud, presents to us a poor Jewish handyman living in Russia during the early 1900’s, before the Russian revolution had begun. Destroyed by his wife’s disavowal, Yakov Shepsovitch Bok leaves his shtetl in search of opportunities for a better life. After a few months of desperate searching, Yakov sneaks out of the ghetto to look for work among the goyim. As he searches the streets, he stumbles upon a man who lay drunk on the floor. Yakov immediately recognizes a pin on the man’s coat as belonging to the anti-Semite organization called the Black Hundreds. Putting his doubts behind him, Yakov decides to help the fat Russian. Not aware of Yakov’s origins, the Russian offers him a†¦show more content†¦He states he is a Jew only â€Å"by birth and nationality,† though nobody understands what is meant by that. To the Russians he is legally a mere Jew. At one point Yakov says to himself â€Å"Iâ€⠄¢m Yakov Fixer... the kind of man who finds it perilous to be alive. One thing I must learn is to say less-much less, or I’ll ruin myself. As it is I’m already ruined.† During his first few months in prison, Yakov does not seem to get accustomed to the hardships. As time passes him by, however, he grows used to life in a prison cell, but it only gets worst. As the novel unfolds, Yakov becomes extremely weak and thin and he looses the trifling faith that was still left in him. Throughout the novel, the main idea is very obvious. It is Yakov falsely accused of the murder of a young boy in order to drain his blood for the baking of the Passover matzos. The theme of anti-Semitism in Russia during the time of pogroms and of Tsar Nicholas the second is a universal theme presented to us as the book unravels. It is evident that if Yakov had not been born of the Jewish faith, he would not have been charged with the murder of Zhenia Golov. He was being used only as an example to the three million Jewish residents of Russia. He was being used as a warning. The meaning of the title The Fixer,Show MoreRelatedIdentity and Responsibility: Fatherhood in The Fixer Permit me to ask, Yakov Shepsovitch, are800 Words   |  4 Pages Identity and Responsibility: Fatherhood in The Fixer Permit me to ask, Yakov Shepsovitch, are you a father? With all my heart. Then you can imagine our anguish, sighed the sad-eyed Tsar. (Malamud, 332) This passage, coming in the final pages of Bernard Malamuds The Fixer, represents a human reality commonly portrayed in both real life and fiction: the truth one feels is often much more significant than the sum total of the events that have actually transpired. In actuality, YakovRead More The Fixer 2397 Words   |  10 Pagesoccupations, and extreme racism. 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Global Training and Development Trends

Question: Discuss about the Global Training and Development Trends. Answer: Introduction The paper firstly focuses on evaluating the workplace practices introduced by the new yard manager at Wollongong Yard of Top Truck Company and aims to understand whether the same are complimentary to each other. Secondly, the paper would focus on understanding the risks regarding sustaining of the changes introduced in Wollongong Yard beyond the presence of the new yard manager and also the trade union leader. Finally, it would focus on comparing the participation of blue collar unions with public or service sector unions to changes introduced in an organization. Evaluation of the New Workplace Practices The new yard manager employed by Top Trucking Companys Wollongong Yard reflected the requirement for effective communication practices with both the trade union leader and also the employees. The managers of business institutions are required to ideally focus on conducting both formal and informal communication practices with the leaders of the trade union. The engagement of trade union leaders by managers through collaborating and communicating with the former contributes in the meeting of business and institutional objectives in a joint fashion (Rozkwitalska, 2012). Moreover, the development of effective communication of managers with trade union leaders also contributes in enhancing the quality of relationships between the two parties. It would also contribute in motivating the trade union leaders for actively collaborating and working with the managers and employees and also in enhancing the productivity at the workplace. Further, the engagement of trade union leaders by managers enhances the level of participation between the parties which in turn reduces the level of resistances to new changes introduced in the business institution. It also reduces the level of internal tensions between the managers and trade unions in the organization and thus enhances the level of trust and workplace cooperation for meeting of business goals and targets (Shi Wang, 2011). Similarly, the new yard manager also focused on engaging the employees in the Wollongong Yard of Top Trucking Company such that the same contributed in growth of teamwork and coordinated practices within the firm. Development and growth of teamwork practices between managers and staffs is considered potentially effective for generation of creative and novel ideas in rendering effective solutions to emerging business problems (Podsiadlowski, Grschke, Kogler, 2013). Further, the practice of involvement of employees by managers in workplaces ideally helps in gaining needed feedbacks from the former relating to new changes and policies introduced in the firm(Olsen Martins, 2012). It would also encourage the employees for disclosing problems faced by them at the workplaces and thus would enhance cooperation between the managers and staffs in meeting of business goals and objectives. Improved levels of communication between the managers and employees in the organization rightly helps in enhancing the performance levels and also the quality of work performed in the institution (Ferdman Sagiv, 2012). Further, the new manager employed at Wollongong Yard focus on improving the health and safety of employees in the firm through generation of training programs associated to technical and customer servicing parameters is also considered to be highly relevant. The development of such training programs by the new manager in the firm would contribute in enhancement of workplace productivity through reducing the chances of accidents and also in reducing the level of absenteeism of employees in the institution (Khanaki Hassanzadeh, 2010). Further, the incorporation of such training programs by the managers in the organization also would contribute in enhancement of the knowledge and expertise of the staffs in the firm for meeting of institutional objectives and goals in an effective fashion (Ongori Nzonzo, 2011). The chances of reduction of accidents and absenteeism of staffs at the workplace would contribute in reducing the level of manpower and business cost for the firm. It would help in reducing the need for the organization in recruiting new staffs in the firm and thereby would contribute in enhancing the level of trust and corporate citizenship in the organization (Ongori Nzonzo, 2011). The different activities undertaken by the new manager Wollongong Yard like the enhancement of communication practices with the trade union leaders and staffs, growth of teamwork between the different hierarchical levels and also the incorporation of skill enhancement and customer services training programs are observed to be complimentary to each other. The above activities increased the growth of trust and dependence of the drivers on the management such that they highly supported the activities undertaken by the manager like the introduction of new trucks and uniforms. It also increased the level of respect of the staffs towards the new manager (Olsen Martins, 2012). Similarly, the enhancement of communication practices between the manager and the trade union leader, George also contributed in sharing effective information associated with the yards performance. Increased consultation between the manager and the trade union leader potentially helped in earning new ideas for meetin g the objectives of the organization in a productive fashion (Ferdman Sagiv, 2012). The results of new practices undertaken by the new manager rightly helped Top Trucking in earning new contracts and also in successfully meeting the different benchmarks in an effective fashion (Bhatia Kaur, 2014). Risks to Sustaining the Changes The changes introduced by the new manager in Wollongong Yard need to be effectively sustained in Top Trucking Company irrespective of the presence of the George, the trade union leader and the newly appointed yard manager. The successful implementation of change in the firm requires the changes to be effectively planned, organised, directed and also rightly controlled by the management in the firm (Shi Wang, 2011). The change leader in the firm is also required for the development of a new vision and strategic framework for the firm and also in development of an effective organizational culture that would encourage the sharing of values, vision and mission objectives while also rightly motivating, empowering and also in potentially inspiring the potential stakeholders in the firm. The new manager is thus required to formulate an effective vision that would reflect the benefits of the new changes introduced in the firm (Rozkwitalska, 2012). Mission objectives are also required to hig hlight new directions for the organizational members for successful implementation of the changes introduced and thereby to reap the potential benefits. The change manager or leader is also required to rightly share the vision and mission objectives with both the existing and new staffs in the organization (Nilson, 2010). Further, the change leader or the new manager is also required to effectively motivate and inspire the staff and thereby in aligning staffs with like intellectual and emotional potential for meeting the business objectives. Along with sharing new vision and mission guidelines and objectives the new manager and George are required to rightly empower the organizational members for being actively involved with the change process. It would help in development of new leaders and supervisors in the firm that can further help in continuing with the implementation and sustaining potential changes introduced in the Wollongong Yard (Olsen Martins, 2012). Blue Collar Unions vs. Service Sector Unions The blue collar unions generally refer to the small trade unions like the Transport Workers Union as reflected in the case of Wollongong Yard of Top Trucking Company. These small unions to take active part in the change management process of the organization are required to be ideally trained and empowered by the change leaders of the institution. Here, also it is observed that the new manager of the Yard operating as the change leader continually interacted with the trade union leader and also the other staffs for implementing the new changes (Jehanzeb Bashir, 2013). On the contrary, the public or service sector unions are generally identified to be larger union bodies. These union bodies take active participation in the change management program of the institution based on formulation of training modules for the union members (Slavi? et al., 2014). These unionized bodies interact with the top management of the firm and thereby gain effective insights needed for training the instit utional members and in introducing the employees to the new vision and mission objectives of the firm. It is thus observed that Blue Collar Unions are less engaged compared to the public or service sector unions regarding change management initiatives of the firm (Dartey-Baah, 2013). Conclusions The analysis carried out in the paper ideally reflects that the different change management initiatives undertaken by the new manager at Wollongong Yard of Top Truck Company were complimentary to each other in enhancing workplace productivity and in motivating the staffs with the trade union leader. It also reflected on the importance of an effective change leadership model such that the same would contribute in sustaining the change ideology in the Wollongong Yard unaffected by the future moves of the new manager and George. Finally, the paper reflected that blue collar union leaders are less involved in the change management process of the firm compared to public or service sector unions. References Bhatia, A., Kaur, L. (2014). Global Training Development trends Practices: An Overview. International Journal of Emerging Research in Management Technology , 3 (8), 75-78. Dartey-Baah, K. (2013). The Cultural Approach to the Management of the International Human Resource: An Analysis of Hofstedes Cultural Dimensions. International Journal of Business Administration , 4 (2), 39-45. Ferdman, B. M., Sagiv, L. (2012). Diversity in Organizations and Cross-Cultural Work Psychology: What If They Were More Connected? Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice , 5 (3), 1-51. Jehanzeb, K., Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and Development Program and its Benefits to Employee and Organization: A Conceptual Study. European Journal of Business and Management , 5 (2), 243-252. Khanaki, H., Hassanzadeh, N. (2010). Conflict Management Styles: The Iranian General Preference Compared to the Swedish. International Journal of Innovation , 1 (4), 419-426. Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at Its Best: A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. United Kingdom : John Wiley and Sons. Olsen, J. E., Martins, L. L. (2012). Understanding organizational diversity management programs: A theoretical framework and directions for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior , 33 (8), 1168-1187. Ongori, H., Nzonzo, J. C. (2011). Training and development practices in an organisation: an intervention to enhance organisational effectiveness.. International Journal of Engineering and Management Sciences , 2 (4), 187-198. Podsiadlowski, A., Grschke, D., Kogler, M. (2013). Managing a culturally diverse workforce: Diversity perspectives in organizations . International Journal of Intercultural Relations , 37, 159-175. Rozkwitalska, M. (2012). Accepted and strong organisational culture in multinational corporations . Journal of Intercultural Management , 4 (3), 5-14. Shi, X., Wang, J. (2011). Interpreting Hofstede Model and Globe Model: Which Way to Go for Cross-Cultural Research . nternational Journal of Business and Management , 6 (5), 93-99. Slavi?, A., Berber, N., Lekovi?, B. (2014). Performance management in international human resource management: evidence from the cee region. Serbian Journal of Management , 9 (1), 45-58.