Saturday, October 5, 2019
Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Assignment Example By having monopolies on these sectors, economies of scale can be achieved; which means the cost of per unit production of a product or service decline as the output volume increases. By having more than one supplier would often be wasteful for consumers and economies; besides, this would increase the cost aggregately ( linfo, web). In the United States of America, United States Postal Service is government-owned entity that has monopoly over postal services with above given reason. The regulated monopoly of American Telephone & Telegraph Company, commonly known as AT&T, and its Bell System efficiently worked in its initial period of history. The AT&T came into existence in 1875, with founder Alexander Graham Bellââ¬â¢s invention of the telephone (Corp.att.web). It enjoyed the monopoly in the telecommunication industry due to its technological advancements at that time and there was no other firm that could become able to secure that kind of technology. As a result, telephones and telecommunication fast spread across America. Monopolies facilitate investment in research and development. Microsoft experienced monopoly by introducing the latest technology in the shape of MS-DOS and windows operating systems in its early era of 1990s and 2000s.
Friday, October 4, 2019
The Role of the Financial Manager Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Role of the Financial Manager - Essay Example Therefore it is imperative that the CEO knows how to manage investment and protect the interest of shareholders. He must be able to strategically plan ahead and decide on policies and activities that would increase operating income and stockholderââ¬â¢s equity. Evidently, the best candidate to the CEO post should be the CFO. Maximizing wealth is not something that is new to a CEO who has been managing the finances of the organization. The primary role of the CFO in the firm is to plan strategies and pursue activities that will improve the total value of the firm. In most successful organization, CFOs basically work side by side with the CEO in strategic planning and decision making. He has developed excellent communication skills as he present the current financial condition of the firm to different stakeholders, has been closely oriented with the companyââ¬â¢s product and operations, has been consistently working in line with the companyââ¬â¢s vision, and has been able to d evelop managerial skills. However this does not absolutely imply that all CFOââ¬â¢s make successful CEOââ¬â¢s. The total personality of the CFO, his business acumen, the quantity and quality of his past experiences, and his continuing passion for the organization combined, make for a better CEO. D.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Voyages Essay Example for Free
Voyages Essay People dont always reach their goals, the result sometimes ends up being drastically different then what was originally planned. That situation has happened many times in transoceanic expeditions in the Early Modern Era. The following either reached their expected goal or resulted in something different then what was expected to happen. The first is voyages of Ming Admiral Zheng He. Zheng He led seven expeditions to the Indian Ocean. The expeditions established the Ming dynastys Indian Ocean trade links. He went on these seven voyages in serch of precious land and traded goods that he would bring back to his homeland in China. His voyages went smoothly, resulting in new finds of land and new trading goods that would be higly regarded in China where is was rare. Zheng He reached his goal and actually recieved higher than what was expected. The second is the Portuguese exploration of the coast of Africa. The Portuguese were curious about Africa and their goal was to explore the west coast of Africa and find rare treasures to trade and to convert the Africans to christianity. When they arrived on the West African Coast their curiosity dissapated and they soon realized they would enslave the Africans and have human trafficking of them take place from then on. Their goal was short and simple, to convert people to Christianity. Instead of reaching their goal they reached a new goal that was not planned. They expected different but were more than happy with the results that happend.
Volunteering In Sports Social Work Essay
Volunteering In Sports Social Work Essay This literature review focuses on sports volunteering as part of an investigation into the successfulness of leadership academies. By critically examining existing research and related literature, this review aims to draw up key issues and identify gaps in the current volunteering system. The scope of the searches for relevant literature was restricted to material dated from 1990 onwards, with to enable the literature review to concentrate on the most recent information. Literature was sourced through databases and websites linked to volunteering, sport, active citizenship and leadership. As such, this literature review draws on a variety of subjects which will be identified throughout the review. This paper reviews key literature, focusing on the need for continued involvement in leadership and volunteer opportunities within the school and community context. Introduction It is a cherished belief within physical activity and sport communities that participation in leadership and volunteering has the potential to offer young people a range of physical, psychological and social benefits, whilst also as a provider of sporting opportunities and in the development of sport, from increasing participation through to supporting excellence and elite performance. More recently in the UK, this belief has become prominent in government policies, are seeking to engage young people in order to inspire individuals and even though the London 2012 Olympic Games is 3 years away strong planning for volunteering is being put in place as the aspect of major events that has the potential to contribute to social regeneration and the strengthening of social capital. The phrase volunteering is the lifeblood of English sport is often used in todays sporting society. With it being well recognised that volunteers provide the core support for sport in the United Kingdom and without the 2 million adult volunteers who contribute at least one hour a week to volunteering in sport, community sport would simply grind to a halt (Sports Council, 1996). The research, commissioned by Sport England (2003) and carried out by the Leisure Industries Research Centre, provided the hard evidence to support this contention. It demonstrates the breadth and depth of support given by people across the country, who provide their time and rarely look for any reward beyond the personal satisfaction they get from the opportunities they provide for others to participate and achieve in sport. Volunteers also play an incredible role in staging some of Englands most prestigious sporting events. Volunteering in the UK has a long and established history (Ockenden, 2007) and withou t its volunteer workforce, events simply wouldnt happen. Such reliance on volunteers in UK sport lead to the production of the government strategy, A Sporting Future for All. The policy has a major focus on ensures that volunteers get adequate training, support and strategic management (DCMS, 2000). Defining volunteering As suggested by Cluskey, et al (2006) defining volunteering is something that on the surface appears to be relatively simple, but in reality it is actually quite complex. Many researchers have stated that the term volunteering is vague, covering different activities and participation at all levels of society, with volunteering traditions being affected by cultural and political contexts (Salamon Anheier, 1997; Lukka Ellis, 2002; United Nations, 2001). Although the word volunteer may seem to have a common shared meaning, there is not universal consensus about the meaning of the term. It should be highlighted that there is no single meaning of volunteering or of a what volunteer is (Volunteering England, 2008). Davis Smith (2000) and Nichols (2004) highlight four characteristics of volunteering within a UK context: That it should be undertaken for no financial gain That it should be undertaken in an environment of genuine freewill That there are identifiable beneficiaries or a beneficiary That there can be formal and informal types Current context for sports volunteering in the UK The voluntary sector plays a central role in sports development and the provision of sporting opportunities in the UK. Volunteers are key in the organisation of UK sport and the sector also provides a major economic contribution to the total value added of the industry (Shibli et al, 1999; Gratton and Taylor,2000). Volunteering in the UK has a long and established history (Ockenden, 2007) and the valuable contribution volunteers make to society is increasingly being recognised. All levels of government are becoming more and more keen to raise active citizenship, and volunteering is promoted as one of the best examples of how individuals can make a meaningful contribution to civil society with volunteering seen as an important expression of citizenship and fundamental to democracy (EFSD, 2007). There has been two main research documents both commissioned by Sport England, which look into sports volunteering in England. The latest Active People Survey (2006) showed that over 2.7 million people put some voluntary time into sport (at least one hour a week volunteering to sport). The Sports Volunteering in England (2002) found numerous results some of the headline information from this research is below: There are 5,821,400 sport volunteers in England. This represents 14% of the adult population. 26% of all volunteers cite sport as their main area of interest. That makes the sport sector the single biggest contribution to total volunteering in England. Sport volunteers contribute one billion hours each year to sport equivalent to 720,000 paid workers. These results have seen a massive change as results from five years previous in the 1997 National Survey of Volunteering (Davis Smith, 1998) indicated a sharp reduction in levels of participation by young people. Volunteering by those aged 16 to 24 was down from 55% in 1991 to 43% in 1997, reversing the trend towards higher rates of volunteering in the previous decade (Lynn and Davis Smith, 1991). Government change over time Eley and Kirk (2002) identified during the 1990s there became a recognition of the benefits of volunteering which led to greater interest in volunteer activity among young people and the political parties developed strategies to help attract and encourage more young volunteers. The government has now identified engaging people in voluntary work as a key way to reaching out to those most at risk from social exclusion. This was linked with New Labour coming to power in 1997, as numerous initiatives recognised and supported volunteering were established: Millennium Volunteers an England wide scheme that aimed to increase volunteering for people aged 16 to 24 year olds. Now been re-branded as the vinvolved programme, currently funding voluntary organisations and encouraging young people to get involved in volunteering. The Year of the Volunteer 2005 a à £10 million campaign funded by the Home Office and aimed at raising the awareness of volunteering, increasing opportunities for people to become involved whilst also encouraging more individuals to volunteer Although these programmes are generic volunteer programmes they include projects that take place within sport. A Sporting Future for All (DCMS, 2000) and Game Plan (DCMS, 2002) ensured that volunteering in sport appeared on the strategic agenda. Sport England was made responsible for raising the profile of and promoting volunteering within sport. Given the role assigned to sport in achieving new Labours social inclusion and active citizenship agendas (PAT 10 Report, DCMS, 1999), numerous nationally driven initiatives that promote volunteering in a specifically sporting context have appeared. As stated by Volleyball England (2004) over the past few years leadership for young people within sport has become a hot topic on the Governments agenda leading to specifically targeted policies. The Physical Education and School Sport and Club Links (PESSYP) strategy which came into place in 2003, consisted of 8 strands which covered an array of areas aiming to enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities for pupils five to sixteen year olds. Step into Sport was one of the eight strands which focused on developing leadership. Now, the new PESSYP Strategy which shows the Governments continued interests in improving school PE, added 2 extra strands to the policy with Volunteering and Leadership having its own priority. Current Sport England programmes: Recruit into Coaching is part of the wider PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP) coaching strand. Recruit into Coaching focuses on the 70 most deprived areas of England as identified through the highest ranked local authorities. It is flexible in terms of the sports it includes as its based very much on local need. Which meets to the view of Rochester (2006) of using volunteering for civic renewal and social inclusion. The Young Ambassador Programme was born and initiated in the summer of 2006 as a direct response to the promise that London would use the power of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire millions of young people to choose sport. London 2012 Olympics volunteering The London 2012 games will depend on up to 70,000 volunteers to make sure they run smoothly and successfully. This has lead to the creation of a number of volunteer schemes, which are aiming to allow for the volunteer spirit spreading wider than the Games themselves by encouraging everyone to give their time to help others. The Young Leaders Programme, supported by BP,à is one of the volunteer scheme which is designed to give a group of disadvantaged young people the chance to make positive change to their lives by using the summer games as a catalyst. Rochester (2006) suggests that within the UK, two broad policy streams encourage voluntary activity within sport and other contexts. These consist of, civil renewal and social inclusion. The aspect of civil renewal is aimed at targeting the increasing amount of people who are becoming disengaged from public life. Disengagement is regarded by the government as posing a threat to democracy and having a harmful impact on community cohesion, with individuals progressively losing their sense of common purpose and belonging within the society (Jochum et al., 2005). Social inclusion has also become a hot topic for new Labour. The formation of the Social Exclusion Task Force, which was established in 2006 shows the commitment creating inclusive communities. It has been identified that participating in voluntary work as a way to reach out to people at risk of social exclusion and promoting correlative social inclusion (Social Exclusion Task Force, 2009). Champion Coaching was the first nationwide scheme created to help the support volunteers. Motives for volunteering Whilst evidence shows that there is widespread commitment to increase numbers and strengthen the volunteer base, a clear picture of what we know about young volunteers does not exist. Gaskin (1998) created the most detailed and comprehensive information on young peoples attitudes and what they want from participation in volunteer activity. It established that the personal benefits gained by young people through volunteer and community service in sporting (Hellison, 1993) and general contexts (Pancer Pratt, 1999) which include an increase in confidence, personal development and pro-social identity. Many researchers have identified that people volunteer for a variety of reasons, both egoistic and altruistic, and the motivation for engaging in volunteer activity can vary greatly from person to person and over time for one person and many volunteers commonly cite multiple reasons for their involvement (Clary et al., 1998; Clary Snyder, 1999, 2000; Farmer Fedor, 1999; Wardell et al., 2000; Coleman, 2002; Taylor et al., 2003). Different age groups may also change their motives for volunteering, with younger groups regarding volunteering as a way of using and expanding their leadership skills, learning new skills and helping them with their future career prospects (Davis-Smith, 1998; Eley Kirk, 2002; Coalter, 2004; Kay Bradbury, 2009) while older volunteers more commonly mention a desire to fill up spare time and cite involvement in volunteering as part of their philosophy of life (Doherty Carron, 2003; Low et al., 2007). The contribution of young sport leaders takes an added si gnificance because their leadership training in sport not only contributes to their own personal skills development but they also use those skills through volunteering to provide greater sport opportunities for other young people to participate in sport (Elay and Kirk, 2002). Perhaps one of the most widely adopted theoretical approaches to understand volunteer motives is that of Clary and Snyder (1991) citied in Cluskeley, et al (2006) who argued that people act to satisfy socio-psychological goals and although individuals may be involved in similar voluntary activities, their goals can vary widely. Their perspective identified four key distinct functions which categorise the motives behind an individuals involvement; Expression of value acting on the belief of the importance to help other Understanding and knowledge need to understand others Social engage in meeting others through volunteering Ego defensive or protective relieve negative feeling through service to others Issues faced by volunteers Volunteers are under increasing pressures in their roles, as indicated by Sport England studies (Taylor et al, 2003; Nichols et al, 2003; Gratton et al, 1996; Nichols, Shibli and Taylor, 1998). These include societal pressures such as the constraints of time imposed by the paid workplace and family commitments and some which are institutional: for example, heavier obligations as a result of legislation (e.g. health and safety, child protection) and greater demands from NGBs and Sport England (e.g. funding requirements, equal opportunities policies, accreditation schemes). Findings published in Gaskins (1998) Vanishing Volunteers created the message that volunteering has a poor image among young people. Although they generally approve of volunteering as beneficial to society and to individuals, its appeal to them is limited. An examination by the National Centre for Volunteering of the barriers to volunteering in 1995, for example, identified five obstacles for young people: lack of awareness of the benefits of volunteering, and negative images of voluntary work as boring, badly organised, the preserve of white, middle-aged, middleclass females, and expensive and time consuming (Niyazi, 1995). This view was also highlighted in the Millennium Volunteers scheme which concluded that for the programme to be successful it would need not only to raise the profile of volunteering but also to carry images of volunteering which are relevant and meaningful to young people (DfEE, 1998). OLYMPIC VOLUNTEERING CHANGING THE IMAGE Promoting active citizenship The British government has been concerned with increasing citizenship and a sense of community spirit in young people for a number of years. In June 1998 the government published a policy framework for a scheme called the Millennium Volunteers. This programme created by the Department for Education and Skills was the one of the first to incorporate aims focused around increasing citizenship and rebuilding a sense of community among young people. Tony Blair, the British Prime Minister at the time expressed his concern about the need to support and recognise community involvement in order to bring about a giving age (Heath, 2000). The government is attempting to increase public engagement in civic institutions and society and respond to societal breakdown by promoting active citizenship and public participation as the responsibility of every individual. The governments commitment to such policies can be seen by the promotion of volunteering in schools through the introduction of citizenship as a subject in the national curriculum, extra support made available for employee volunteering, the creation of institutions that promote citizenship and, new funding initiatives and policy proposals that link citizenship to volunteering (NCVO, 2009). This change to the national curriculum links closely to the view of Elay and Kirk (2002) who identified the benefits of volunteering are also evident from an educational perspective because it is central to the issue of how young people should be taught about their rights and responsibilities to the community. Conclusion This literature review has been able to identify that sport has had a long history on heavily relying on volunteers. It remains one of the most popular fields for engagement for volunteers, with between 13% and 26% of all voluntary work in the UK taking place in a sporting context. Although sport is so reliant on its volunteers it has only started to receive recognition and support from the government or the broader volunteering infrastructure in recent years. The significant difference now however is the substantial funding which is being invested into school leadership programmes designed at creating lifelong volunteers. Volunteering may well be a catalyst for changing communities with excluded individuals, but there is no guarantee that this will always occur and it isnt backed up with enough solid information to create a solid case. Although volunteering does have a vast array of people involved the message from young people is that it needs a make-over to gain further participants. By improving its image, broadening its access and provide what todays and tomorrows young people need. Volunteering suffers from outdated associations with worthy philanthropy and conjures up images that do not appeal to the young. However, it is recognised as potentially offering opportunities to young people that are scarcely available anywhere else. The research suggests that there is a vast pool of young people who could benefit from voluntary work, if certain conditions are met. (Gaskin, 1998)
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
Ambiguity in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodman Br
Ambiguity in ââ¬Å"Young Goodman Brownâ⬠à à à à à à à à à à à à Peter Conn in ââ¬Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nationâ⬠makes a statement regarding Hawthorneââ¬â¢s ambiguity:à ââ¬Å"Almost all of Hawthorneââ¬â¢s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. He required shadows and half-light, and he sought a nervous equilibrium in ambiguityâ⬠(82). There is considerable ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorneââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"Young Goodman Brown,â⬠and this essay will examine this and its causes. à R. W. B. Lewis in ââ¬Å"The Return into Rime: Hawthorneâ⬠mentions the ambiguity associated with the key imagery in ââ¬Å"Young Goodman Brownâ⬠:à ââ¬Å"For Hawthorne, the forest was neither the proper home of the admirable Adam, as with Cooper; nor was it the hideout of the malevolent adversary. . . . It was the ambiguous setting of moral choice. . . .â⬠(74-75). Henry James in Hawthorne, when discussing ââ¬Å"Young Goodman Brownâ⬠mentions how allegorical Hawthorne is, and how it is not clearly expressed with this author: à The only cases in which it is endurable is when it is extremely spontaneous, when the analogy presents itself with eager promptitude. When it shows signs of having been groped and fumbled for, the needful illusion is of course absent, and the failure complete. Then the machinery alone is visible and the end to which it operates becomes a matter of indifference (50). à When one has to grope for, and fumble for, the meaning of a tale, then there is ââ¬Å"failureâ⬠in the work, as Henry James says. This unfortunately is the case of ââ¬Å"Young Goodman Brown.â⬠It is so ambiguous in so many occasions in the tale that a blur rather than a distinct image forms in the mind of the reader. à The Norton Anthology: Amer... ... à Lang, H.J.. ââ¬Å"How Ambiguous Is Hawthorne.â⬠In Hawthorne ââ¬â A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. à Lewis, R. W. B. ââ¬Å"The Return into Time: Hawthorne.â⬠In Hawthorne ââ¬â A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966. à Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965. à Melville, Hermann. ââ¬Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses.â⬠In The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al. à New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995. à à ââ¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.â⬠The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al. à New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995. à Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne ââ¬â The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989. à à Ã
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Influenza and its Effects :: Journalism Media Studies Health Influenza Essays
Influenza and its Effects The latest outbreak of "Spanish Influenza" continues to have a significant impact on life both in London and throughout Europe. The economic consequences are troubling as more and more workers from textile houses, mines and other areas where people are working in enclosed and confined spaces succumb suddenly to the disease. In some cases the onset can be as little as two hours. Industrial areas like London and the Midland areas of Nottingham, Leicester and Northampton have been especially hard pressed. While rarely fatal in the middle-aged, the symptoms of influenza are still dramatic and usually keep the patient out of work for a number of days. However after this period it disappears as swiftly as it came. Already burdened by the demands of wartime production industry has taken a heavy blow. Despite effective treatment with quinine Influenza is spreading faster than doctors can keep up, and indeed now there is scarcely an area of the country left unaffected by it. In some p laces the number of workers affected is as high as 70 percent. This would be far worse for the Allies were it not that the Germans were also severely affected by this outbreak, as reported by correspondents on the Western front. Berlin is said to have upwards of 160,000 cases of influenza, half of which are children. This coincides with another influenza outbreak in India, which is depleting their work force in a similar manner to that in England. The current climate is exceedingly dry and hot and it is felt that this may be contributing to the spread of the illness. Before May few if any cases of influenza were reported in or around London or elsewhere in Europe lending credence to this association. Other nations in Europe are also significantly impacted and it is believed that this current outbreak came to Europe from the south and worked its way northwards, hence its characterization as "Spanish Influenza". The fact that half of the cases in Berlin are children is similar to the situation in England. In Birmingham several schools recently had to be closed due to influenza outbreaks and in Egham, Surrey one school reported 50 to 60 cases and another over 130. Again this is thought due both to the climate and the fact that the students are together indoors for extended periods.
Lifting the Veil
Striving to Live Above the Veil W. E. B. Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk, a collection of autobiographical and historical essays contains many themes. Themes such as souls and their attainment of consciousness and the theme of double consciousness appear in many of the compositions. However, one of the most prominent themes is that of ââ¬Å"the veil. â⬠The veil provides a connection between the 14 seemingly unconnected essays that make up this book. Mentioned at least once in most of the essays the veil is the stereotypes that whites bring to their interactions with blacks.African Americans are prejudged as incapable and thus not given a chance to prove themselves. This can become a self-fulfilling prophecy if one is told they can't do something, they may internalize that belief and think they can't, when in fact they can. Du Bois puts it as, ââ¬Å"this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of othersâ⬠(Du Bois 2). The veil is a metaphor for the separa tion and invisibility of black life and existence in America; also a way to represent the idea of blacks living in a ââ¬Å"white worldâ⬠. The veil is symbolic of the invisibility of blacks in America.Du Bois says that Blacks in America are a forgotten people, ââ¬Å"after the Egyptian and Indian, the Greek and Roman, the Teuton and Mongolian, the Negro is a sort of seventh son, born with a veilâ⬠(Du Bois 2). The invisibility of Black existence in America is one of the reasons why Du Bois writes The Souls of Black Folk, in order to explain the ââ¬Å"invisibleâ⬠history and strivings of Black Americans, Du Bois writes in the forethought, ââ¬Å"I have sought here to sketch, in vague, uncertain outline, the spiritual world in which ten thousand Americans live and striveâ⬠(v).Du Bois in each of the following chapters tries to build the idea of Black existence from that of the reconstruction period to the black spirituals and the stories of rural black children th at he tried to educate. Du Bois in the book is contending with trying to establish some sense of history and memory for Black Americans, Du Bois struggles in the pages of the book to prevent Black Americans from becoming unseen to the rest of the world, hidden behind a veil of prejudice.He writes in the after-thought, ââ¬Å"Hear my Cry, O God the reader vouch safe that this my book fall not still born into the world-wilderness. Let there spring, Gentle one, from its leaves vigor of thought and thoughtful deed to reap the harvest wonderfulâ⬠à (165). Du Bois wanted this book to inspire Blacks to fight for their rights and equality, he didnââ¬â¢t just want this book to be read, he wanted people to react to the writing and make a change. The veil also acts as a psychological barrier separating blacks from whites.The theme of this separation of blacks and whites is a central metaphor of the book starting with the first lines where Du Bois recalls his encounters with whites who view him not as a person but as a problem, ââ¬Å"They half approach me in a half-hesitant sort of way, eye me curiously or compassionately, and then instead of saying directly how does it feel to be a problem? They say, I know an excellent colored man in my townâ⬠(1). The veil in this case hides the humanity of blacks which has important implications to the types of relations that developed between blacks and whites.With their humanity hidden behind the veil black and white relations at the time of the writing of The Souls Of Black Folk were marked by violence: draft riots in New York during the Civil War, riots following the reconstruction period, the lynching of Blacks, and the formation of the Klu Klux Klan. The theme of separation caused by the veil is repeated throughout the book several times. For example slave religious practices were separate from white religious practices. Although many times slaves and their masters worshipped together.Religion during the slavery pe riod provided two very different things for master and slaves. For the master religion was a way to justify slavery and for slaves religion became a form of resistance; a way to resist social death and hope that they can overcome the barrier of white prejudices. Another difference is what the reconstruction period did for each race. For blacks reconstruction was a time of optimism and freedom; for whites reconstruction was a time in which the north repressed a defeated region, with ignorant former slaves, who unable to act constructively for themselves were pawns for the people of the North.These differences created immense misunderstanding and because of that neither race was able to overcome the obstacle of learning and excepting a different culture; both whites and blacks thought the worst about each other. Du Bois unlike other blacks is able to move around the veil, operate behind it, lift it, and even transcend it. In the forethought Du Bois tells the reader that in the followi ng chapters he has, ââ¬Å"Stepped with in the veil, raising it that you may view faintly its deeper recesses, -the meaning of its religion, the passion of its human sorrow, and the struggle of its greater souls. Du Bois in the first Chapter steps outside the veil to reveal the origin and his awareness of the veil. He also rises above the veil in chapter six, when he explores the great arts, ââ¬Å"I sit with Shakespeare and he winces not. Across the color-line I move arm in arm with Balzac and Dumas, where smiling men and welcoming women glide in gilded halls. From out the caves of evening that swing between the strong-limbed earth and the tracery of the stars, I summon Aristotle and Aurelius and what soul I will, and they will come all graciously with no scorn nor condensation. So, wed with Truth, I dwell above the veilâ⬠(67).No discrimination is to be had when he is reading great works of art because his race doesnââ¬â¢t affect his ability to read and interpret them. Als o it is Du Bois's awareness of the veil that allows him to step outside of it and reveal the history of the Negro. Du Bois goes on to show his white audience the history of the Black man following reconstruction, the origins of the black church. Du Bois then talks about the conditions of individuals living behind the veil from his first born son who, ââ¬Å"With in the veil was he born, said I; and there with in shall he live, -a Negro and a Negro's sonâ⬠¦.I saw the shadow of the veil as it passed over my baby, I saw the cold city towering above the blood read landâ⬠(128). In this passage Du Bois is both within and above the veil. He is a Negro living like his baby within the veil but he is also above the veil, able to see it pass over his child. After Du Bois's child dies he prays that it will, ââ¬Å"sleep till I sleep, and waken to a baby voice and the ceaseless patter of little feet-above the veilâ⬠(131).Here Du Bois is living above the veil but in the following Chapter he once again travels behind the veil to tell the story of Alexander Crummell a black man who for, ââ¬Å"fourscore years had he wondered in this same world of mine, within the Veilâ⬠(134). Du Bois relates to Crummell who struggled against prejudices while trying to become a priest. In the Chapter on ââ¬Å"Sorrow Songsâ⬠Du Bois implores the reader to rise above the veil. He writes, ââ¬Å"In his good time America shall rend the veil and the prisoner shall go freeâ⬠(163). Du Bois compared the veil to a prison that traps Blacks from achieving progress and freedom.According to Du Bois the veil causes Blacks to accept the false images that whites see of Blacks. Du Bois although not directly in The Souls of Black Folk critique's Booker T. Washington for accepting the veil and accepting white's image and misconception of blacks. Booker T. Washington accepts the white idea that blacks are problem people; not a people with a problem caused by white racism. Washing ton seeks to work behind the veil by pursuing polices of accommodation. Du Bois in contrast wants blacks to transcend the veil by politically disturbing the concept of what blacks are and what they are worth and by gaining a full education.The veil is a metaphor that suggests the invisibility of black America, the separation between whites and blacks, and the obstacles that blacks face in gaining self-consciousness in a racist society. The veil is not a two dimensional cloth to Du Bois but instead it is a three dimensional prison that prevent blacks from seeing themselves as they are, but instead makes them see the negative stereotypes that whites have of them. This book was Du Bois's ââ¬Å"letterâ⬠to the American people urging them not to live behind the veil but to live above it.
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