Communication for Effective Leadership as seen in the movie Invictus Research Paper

Communication for Effective Leadership as seen in the movie Invictus - Research Paper Example The most important trait of leadership as portrayed by the film Invictus is being visionary. The main characters in the film Invictus are visionary. The main characters of Nelson Mandela and Francois Pienaar had a vision with them of uniting the people of South Africa. Ideally, Francois and Mandela saw possibility where many people saw impossibility. Those are the aspects of being visionary leader. Mandela and Francois understood that the only way through which their people could prosper was through unity and the best strategy was to use sports. During this period, the people of South Africa were blinded by rage and the need to revenge that they could not carry the interest of their nation in their heart (Carlin, 2010). Good leaders are good at listening and understanding the human nature. First, Mandela listened to the message in the poem Invictus. The message in this poem changed him for the better, through decision making and not through the lenses of revenge but forgiveness. Mandela in the film is focused on understanding and listening to the rivaling sides. Through listening and understanding the needs of both parties, Mandela is able to formulate a strategy that would bring satisfactory solutions to both. That is unity. Mandela then with Francois finds the best way to unite the nation and that is through the sport of rugby which initially was a divisive factor as well (p. 46). Taking risks is a leadership trait amicably portrayed by Francois in the film. President Mandela called Francois, who was then the captain of the Springboks to his office. During that time, Francois was not aware of what the meaning of the call could be. At that time of hate and separation, everybody could fear for their lives, especially when faced with the task of meeting their key opponents whom they understand well are baying for their blood. Francois however, was courageous to face Mandela which is a show of risk

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay Example for Free

The Yellow Wallpaper Essay â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† is a short story that was written by American author Charlotte Perkins Gilman and was published in 1892. The story is narrated through the journal entries of a woman who is confined to her bedroom in order to cure her â€Å"slight hysterical tendency.† Although this treatment was well intended by her physician husband, due to her isolation and lack of mental stimulation the woman’s mental state steadily deteriorates until the end of the story when she goes completely insane. In order to better understand this story it is helpful to analyze it through the lenses of the seven schools of literary criticism which include, formalist, biographical, historical, reader-response, deconstructionist, psychological, and gender criticisms. From a formalist perspective, one of the most important things to note about this short story is how it is composed from the entries in the narrator’s secret journal, which she keeps hidden from her husband. The result of this diary-like construction makes the story seem almost autobiographical even though the narrator is a fictional character. Because of this, everything is relayed in a very personal way and gives an in depth view of the narrator and her feelings. The reader gets very little information about other characters and there is an intense focus on the narrator and the inner workings of her mind as her mental state steadily declines. While formalists argue that there is one true meaning that can be derived from the formal qualities of the text, deconstructionists argue that as time passes, the meanings of words change and thus the meaning of the text also changes. One word whose meaning has changed since the writing of this piece is â€Å"nervous.† The author seems to use this word as meaning an affliction or illness. Back in the nineteenth century, the word nervous seems most frequently attributed to women as if it is an unavoidable characteristic of the female nature. Today these same connotations do not exist and therefore a deconstructionist would argue that the meaning of this text has changed. In contrast with the deconstructionist style of criticism, which focuses on the text, biographical criticism focuses on the author of the piece and their experiences and motivations in order to understand a work of literature. The motivations behind the â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† become strikingly clear when the author’s background is revealed. Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote this piece in 1892, shortly after her own similar bout of mental illness. In her explanation of why she wrote â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper,† she explains that after being prescribed the rest cure, she â€Å"came so near the borderline of utter mental ruin that [she] could see over.† She also explains that much of her reason for writing this short story was to try to save people from the fate she narrowly escaped and the same fate that the narrator of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† ultimately fell victim to. Similar to the biographical method of criticism, gender criticism also focuses on the author’s background, specifically the aspects relating to his or her gender. The fact that Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived in the 19th century has a lot of impact on her writing. She lived in a time when society was primarily male dominated and women had few rights. Her experience with mental illness was also strongly affected by her gender. Similar to the narrator’s experiences, a male doctor prescribed Gilman the rest treatment, which ended up doing more harm than good. This was a time when women were stereotyped as fragile, weak, nervous, silly, and were generally not taken seriously. Doctors did not understand postpartum depression during this time period and believed that it was a â€Å"temporary nervous depression† or â€Å"a slight hysterical tendency† which they thought were simply characteristics of the female nature. The historical method of criticism focuses on the historical context of the story. As the previous paragraph discusses, this short story was written in the 19th century when postpartum depression was not understood and women had few rights. This is the historical backdrop of Gilman’s life and writing of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† Gilman wrote this story at a time when the â€Å"rest cure† was a real medical treatment that was being applied to countless women, most of whom suffered from it. When this piece was first published many of Gilman’s contemporaries were shocked. One physician wrote that â€Å"such a story ought not to be written, it was enough to drive anyone mad to read it.† Similar to biographical and gender criticism, the psychological school of criticism focuses on the author, but also looks at the readers and the characters of the story. This method of criticism looks into psychology to unearth the meaning in the story. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† would be full of interest for psychological critics. Both the narrator and the writer suffered from severe postpartum depression, which in the case of the narrator, progressed into full-blown madness. The last of the schools of criticism is the reader-response criticism, which studies the readers because without the reader, a text has no meaning. Many modern readers, for example, probably feel sympathy for this narrator because they have a better understanding of the disease that she was suffering from. Readers who were alive when â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† was first published would have probably had a much different reaction to this story. From Gilman’s piece on why she wrote the story, it is clear that her story did was not well received by many people due to its shocking and disturbing nature. I think that by far the most important school of literary criticism for interpreting â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† would be the biographical method of criticism. So much of the short story was influenced by Gilman’s own experiences with the rest cure and mental illness that it is almost essential to know about her background in order to understand this piece. Historical criticism and gender criticism are also very important but I think the biographical method encapsulates all of them because when trying to understand the author one must inevitably factor in the influences of their gender and the time in which they lived and wrote.

Land Use in the District of North Vancouver Essay -- Canada Environmen

Introduction Land use in the district of North Vancouver has been a very sensitive issue for many years. In this area, population growth has been substantial, especially because of the area's popular outdoor recreation opportunities. It is this relationship between population pressure and outdoor 'green zones'1 that is at the heart of the conflict in North Vancouver district. Residents are very passionate about, and emotionally attached to, the natural mountainous surroundings. Thus, when development plans were slated for Mountain Forest and Cove Forest, residents did not want development to take place in 'their forests.' The critical question is, how to incorporate influxes of people into a limited amount of urban area while keeping current residents satisfied? Stake Holders The conflict in the North Vancouver district is over the resource of land and how to use it. There are many stake holders involved in this conflict. The district owns the Mountain Forest and Cove Forest areas, and wanted to develop the areas in response to projected increases in future populations, taken from the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) reports. The individual residents of the district are also stake holders. As taxpaying members of the municipality they indirectly own the land. They are also stake holders from the point of view of citizens who live near the proposed development sites and use the forests for its recreation and aesthetic values. Other stake holders include the Lower Mainland residents; many of these people use the North Shore Mountains, and in particular Mountain and Cove Forests, for their outdoor recreation activities. If the land was to be developed they too would be affected.2 Definition of the Problem The... ...uld be informed on a continual basis as to what is happening in the development of their community. Communication is the key to having a fully functional, and well rounded community, that will be able to deal with the pressures of increased development in the Lower Mainland. Works Cited Greater Vancouver Regional District. Strategic Planning Division. Livable Region Strategic Plan. April, 1996: 2. Morton, Brian. "Anti-developers ask North Van council to save Seymour, Deep Cove forests." Vancouver Sun 6 June 1995: A2. ---. "Council convinced to save forests." Vancouver Sun 7 June 1995: B5. ---. "Residents fight to save pair of forests." Vancouver Sun 5 June 1995: B1. Smith, Desmond. "Local Area Conservation: How One Suburban Municipality Utilizes Environmental Planning to Conserve its Natural Heritage." Plan Canada September 1989. vol. 29: 39-42.

Role Of Socialization

Family is the first social agent which individuals are exposed to; they are the primary source of colonization (Bryn & Lie, 2012). This social agent is responsible for teaching individuals about ‘self â€Å"a set of ideas and attitudes about who one is as an independent being† (Bryn & Lie, 2012, p. 58). A functionalist view would argue â€Å"family is the most important agent of primary colonization, the process of mastering the basic skills required to operate in society during childhood† (Bryn & Lie, 2012, p. 60).Language is one concept aught by the family in order to communicate, without a basic form of communication fitting into society would be near impossible. Teaching children how to speak is considered part of being a parent and is not questioned; bad parenting in turn would lead to bad colonization. Families also provide ‘class' and how you as an individual, and family, fit into the order of society. Wealthy families may be able to provide different opportunities versus poor families, and different values may be taught such as wasting food and saving money.The lessons children are taught shape how they will act in society and what they will think of themselves and others. School is another social agent which impacts an individuals understanding of self and society (â€Å"Agents of colonization,† 2013). School teaches individuals how to be a productive member of society and gives them the means in order to succeed in society. One example is learning to listen to and respect authority. This is taught from kindergarten on.If a child breaks the rule and disrespects their teacher, or authority, they will be disciplined and taught to not do that again. Without the understanding of respecting authority an individual will have a hard time fitting into society since there is always rules to follow and authority to respect; bosses, RACE, laws and so on. School also teaches a work ethic which is an important aspect of each individ ual. Bad work ethic can lead to being less successful in life, being an underachiever, and in turn not living up to what one could.Norms are also an aspect of society that are taught in school. An individual's family is responsible for teaching communication and language, and the school builds on that basic knowledge to make it acceptable for societies standards. For example college students are expected to write at a specific level, in proper form, following rules and guidelines in order to convey their thoughts. If a student is unable to write at that level they will fail their courses and be unable to graduate in that program.The ‘norm' for adults to be able to read and write with specific accuracy, without this basic understanding the adult may not be able to hold a stead job, own a house, find a marriage partner, or, have kids. This would in turn impact their understanding of oneself and how they fit into society. Peers are a third social agent, which hugely impacts and s hapes our understanding of self. Interacting with peers teaches individuals what is considered normal and acceptable in society. From a young age children are taught to use words instead of hitting during an argument.This lesson carries forward and is a crucial part of colonization. As an adult one cannot hit somebody because they are upset- that can lead to a criminal charge (Barbour, 2008). Peers also teach sharing from a young age, which follows through to adulthood and an integral part of society. In adolescence peer roofs promote individuality from family, and finding oneself. Among peers adolescents are able to make choices on their own and learn from their own mistakes, and not the guiding of parents and authority. Peers also offer a challenge to individuals.Prior to having friends individuals are influenced by family, however, once peers and friends become more involved in their lives they are opened to new views and opinions that may differ from their own (Barbour, 2008). G ender roles are also another aspect of society, which peer groups heavily influence (â€Å"Agents Of colonization,† 2013). Boys and girls are treated differently, social expectations are placed on the different genders, and masculine and feminine ways are taught. Peer groups can have a negative social influence as well.Cliques, gangs, and peer pressure are all aspects of peer groups, it is up to the individual to chose right from wrong and look at how those peers will negatively effect them. Functionalist theory can also be applied to this agent of colonization, since functionalist look at † how colonization helps to maintain orderly social relations† (Bryn & Lie, 2012, p. 60). A functionalist would also argue â€Å"social structures are based mainly on shared values† (Bryn & Lie, 201 2, p. 12). That would explain gangs, cliques, and groups among peers. Mass media is one of the biggest social influences.All individuals have access to mass media in some form . TV, internet, social networking, advertising, videos, newspapers and books are just a few of the forms of mass media, which we are surrounded by. Media influences how individuals think they should view themselves; fat, skinny, popular, rich, different etc. Media also influences what we view as norms; fashion, technology, hair, engage, posture etc. With both norms and views individuals are faced with expectations of society. For example if you want to look rich and sophisticated you must drive an expensive car and wear expensive clothing.If you want to have an attractive boyfriend you must wear reveling clothing, act provocatively and be very thin. These are expectations that have been placed upon individuals by the mass media, and although they are not always true, they are viewed as the way that society works. When you cannot fit into size O pants your understanding of self will be shaped as well because according to he media you will not be able to be successful and marry an att ractive man, get a great paying job, own a house and start a family.All that is influenced from the media and shaped your understanding of what you can achieve in life and where you stand within society. By looking at all the different type of agents of solicitations it is easy to see how individuals are shaped based on the agents they are exposed to. Each agent has their own job in shaping individuals and teaching them lessons. The agents of colonization; family, school, peers, and media are what influence and shape our understanding of society and ourselves.

Howard Hughes

Legend of the Aviator Howard Hughes is a man of many mysteries, very few actual facts are known about him. Historians constantly argue to decipher which of their theories are correct and which are Just over glorified rumors. The fact is Hughes liked to keep to himself. This man left behind not only the â€Å"Legend of the Aviator† but also one of the biggest gaps in the world of film and aviation. â€Å"Hughes was the ambassador who ushered in a new era of living and a new way of life† (Hack 5). He introduced new ideas and accomplished things that people had deemed impossible.He believed that with his oney nothing was impossible, he made that very apparent through his invention's. He designed planes and made some of the most revolutionary movies that captivated the minds of millions. Howard lived his life behind closed doors, hiding all of his true ambitions and how he achieved them. He also hid the world from not only his crazed ideas but also his mental illness, perha ps because he himself did not know that he was mentally ill. Howard Hughes related every aspect of his life to modernism. Not only did he relate to modernism but he himself was a modernist.His ingenious ideas ere thought to be radical for his time but at the same time they were somewhat inspirational. He was an idealistic man who looked beyond the possible and did not take no for an answer. Because of this, he broke world records and raised the bar for the upcoming 20th century. In order to truly understand this man, his actions, and how the â€Å"Legend of the Aviator† started one has to look into early life. If there ever was a more crucial part of anyones life it was Howard Hughes' upbringing. Hughes birth place and date are not precisely known and are still a major controversy.What ou need to know is that he was born somewhere in Texas in the year 1905. He was born to a very fortunate family. At the time Hughes father Robert was the sole owner ofa crucial piece of equipme nt that was used to drill oil. His father made it rich selling land that contained massive oil deposits and by designing and selling the only drill bit that was strong enough to penetrate hard layers of granite. This drill bit was also the only one that could actually drill deep enough to tap into large oil reserves. In later years Hughes took over the family company after the death of his father in 1924.He inherited 75 percent of Hughes Tool Co. and later bought out the other 25 percent from the rest of his family (Hack 43). He was inspired to be like his father, a businessman. At heart, Hughes was not a businessman but his positive â€Å"go get 'em† attitude helped him seem like one. Hughes' company was once accused of being a monopoly, his response was simply â€Å"We don't have an monopoly. Anyone who wants to dig a well without a Hughes bit can always use a pick and shovel† (Howard 1). Howard Hughes was one of the most iconic fgures of the earlier half of the 20th century.He revolutionized the airline industry, presenting ideas that made flights smother and took less time from takeoff to landing. He single handedly defeated the social norms of his time and was known for setting a certain standard of class. Modernism by broad definition is, â€Å"a style or movement in the arts that aims to break that his individual attitude and matches that of modernism. In 1927 the film industry was booming, and Hollywood was at its highest peak in setting new standards. Out of now where a 23 year old millionaire came from Texas and dropped millions of dollars nto one single film.People were skeptical and thought of this producer as a crazed Texan with money that Just wanted to find a way to spend it, but as proven by Howard Hughes they were wrong. Three years later Hughes' movie was release. He had successfully raised the bar for film industry. The movie Hell's Angels had broken the record for the highest budget spent, most time ever spent on a film and t he highest yield (Hell's 1). The critics withdrew their previous remarks and Howard Hughes' name in the film industry was established. Now the man not only owned a great share of the oil arket but now had his foot in the film industry.He produced films, directed movies, and threw around his money around as if it would never leave his side. Some would call it a gamble, and it was but he never did lose that money. Many people that tried to follow in his footsteps ended up broke, and with nothing left in their pockets. For Hughes it was never the case, he was an invincible man. He could do anything he wanted and have any thing he desired. His bank account kept on growing despite his vast expenditures on his little projects. After working on Hell's Angels he got more nvolved in aviation. Howard Hughes, the man who is known as the Aviator. After production on Hell's Angels was wrapped up, Hughes became more involved in aviation and started designing his own planes† (Hack 103). He c reated some of the fastest planes and thought up ideas that seemed impossible or even pointless. For example, the Hughes H-1 Racer. He designed this plane to be fast, his goal was to take off everything on the plane that it did not need and by doing so he made it light and aerodynamic, thus giving the plane greater speed. He sunk the screws into the aluminum exterior educing wind resistance and made many other small advancements that gave his plane a design that was superior to others.Because of this fascination with planes he always had work. Aviation design opened the door for government contracts designing and creating prototypes of spy planes. Once this door was opened, it shaped Hughes future for years to come. His government contracts were the basis of most of the rumors about Hughes. In his later life scams arose about Howard Hughes, himself trying to plot ways to kill Cuban leader Fidel Castro, along with CIA operations that were claimed to be associated with Hughes. These c laims were later discovered to be coverups for a CIA reconnaissance mission of a Soviet Union Nuclear Submarine.To allude the attention of the public to their massive ships trolling international waters, the CIA claimed that it was simply a drilling rig operation owned by Howard Hughes (Central 2). It was later discovered that he had absolutely nothing to do with this government reconnaissance mission and had no knowledge of it. This man didn't always have the best of luck. On two occasions he came close to death. He dodged death and survived two deadly plane crashes. In his first plane crash he was one of the two survivors, out of the four XF-11, â€Å"a military plane that was designed with a counter rotating double propeller system† (History 1).It was the first of its kind and in early experimental stages. Hughes took the XF-11 for its first test flight. Upon his return to the Air Force base after a very successful first flight, he lost oil pressure in one of the right eng ines. Rapidly losing altitude he attempted to crash land in a Beverly Hills mansion. Upon impact the plane's fuel tank ruptured and ignited. Hughes barely managed to escape eath, sustaining third degree burns on most of his body and this left him with a severe case of â€Å"Complex Regional Pain Syndrome† (Hughes's 1).The Aviator died on April 4, 1976 (Hack 215). At this point in his life he was dependent on opiates and codeine and had a hygiene issues. He would only cut his hair once a year and was supposedly seen with long grown out fingernails. He became so mentally ill that he believed that the germs did not come from him but came from the world which is ironic because his health was in very poor condition. He died of malnutrition and kidney damage. X-rays later revealed hat he had five broken off hypodermic needles in his arm.