Analysis Of Babylon Revisited By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Jeff Kunkle Professor Shane Hall American Literature 26 April 2016 Babylon Revisited Written in 1930, Babylon Revisited is a story set in the Great Depression era, however the narrative represents American culture from across several years. F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of Babylon Revisited, succeeds in framing what American culture was in the 1920s as well as the early 1930s. The story exposes the two cultures through the protagonist Charlie Wales, a business man who â€Å"got lucky in the market.† In the story, Charlie’s lifestyle is shown as one of luxury and excess which defines the era before the Great Depression known as the â€Å"Roaring Twenties†. As Fitzgerald unravels the narrative, he creates a setting more representative of the time the story was written in. The underlying feeling of depression and loneliness contrasts with Charlie’s lifestyle creating an interesting clash of 1920s consumerism and the conservative culture Americans shifted towards as a result of the economic downturn. Babylon Revisited is a stro ng culturally relevant piece which explores American culture from the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† to the Great Depression era of the 1930s. F. Scott Fitzgerald incorporates both the culture of the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† and the culture of Americans during the Great Depression through the life of the protagonist Charlie Wales. The â€Å"Roaring Twenties† was a time of excess and celebration and the introduction of â€Å"consumer society.† According to the Cambridge Dictionary online,Show MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Babylon Revisited By F. Scott Fitzgerald2140 Words   |  9 PagesJosephine Camus Vernon English 1302.05 March 24, 2015 Babylon Revisited Though the shimmering street lights, aroma of spells and endeavors, and heart of the world is believed to rest in the city of Paris, Charlie Wales proves that no place on Earth is as perfect as described. Paris served as a bragging right, a place that only the wealthiest Americans can savor what they thought was their guilt-free pleasures, despite sacrificing all of theirRead MoreAnalysis Of F. Scott Fitzgerald s Babylon Revisited 1180 Words   |  5 PagesIn Babylon Revisited, F. Scott Fitzgerald introduces the reader to a character by the name of Charlie Wales. The reader learns that Charlie is a recovering alcoholic hoping to reestablish a relationship with his daughter, Honoria. Fitzgerald shows evolvement through the character of Charlie Wales. When readers are first introduced to Charlie, he is on his way to visit his daughter. Honoria has been living with her Aunt Marion and Uncle Lincoln after the death of Helen, Honoria’s mother and Charlie’sRead More Analysis : Babylon Revisited By F. Scott Fitzgerald And Sonny s Blues Essay1316 Words   |  6 Pagesaddiction can be an agonizing and insufferable adventure anyone can ever face. It usually starts small with a â€Å"I’ll try it once†, then eventually becomes a fully developed addiction. In Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin, both poems portray blindness verses sight. Babylon Revisited is about a man named Charles Wales who returns to Paris and is on a mission to regain custody of his daughter while being blinded by his addictions whereas Sonny’s Blues is about a narratorRead MoreAn Analysis Of Edith Wharton s Roman Fever And F. Scott Fitzgerald s Babylon Revisited Essay1315 Words   |  6 Pageswith conflict. People use deceit, manipulation and even other people as a way of creating conflict. 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His theme of the past being inescapable is oneRead MoreAnalysis Of The Story Babylon Revisited 1777 Words   |  8 Pages In the story F. Scotts Fitzgerald dubbed, Babylon Revisited a story about a man named Charlie Wales who goes on a quest to go to Paris and bring back his daughter, Honoria, back home to live with him instead of his sister and brother-in-law. Charlie was a man who had a drinking problem when him and his wife were still together even when they had Honoria. Eventually, Charlie s bad temperment led him to lock his wife out of his house which indirectly led to her untimely death and Honoria beingRead More Search for Innocence in American Modernism Essay1592 Words   |  7 Pagesthey hint at a way out. The path out of the wasteland is through a return to innocence. This is evident in the Modernist works o f The wasteland by T. S. Eliot, Directive by Robert Frost, Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Hills Like White Elephants by Earnest Hemingway as will be shown in an analysis of the inhabitants of the wasteland and their search for innocence, the role of children and pregnancy in the wasteland, and the symbolism of water and rebirth.    But before I goRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald And Breakfast At Tiffany s By Truman Capote1486 Words   |  6 Pagesconformity. The stories of Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote provide an excellent focal point to analyze the arguments above, because the two key characters, Charlie and Holly respectively, both exhibit self destructive behavior that inhibit their ability to maintain a prosperous relationship; however, Holly seeks to retain her self destructive characteristics whereas Charlie instead aims to abolish them. In Babylon Revisited, Charlie strives to perfectRead More Fitzgerald and Short Story Writing Essay1370 Words   |  6 PagesFitzgerald and Short Story Writing Although Fitzgerald today is usually considered a novelist, in his lifetime he was more well-known for his short stories. He was a prolific writer of short stories, and published around 160 of them (Bruccoli xiii). Many literary critics often separate â€Å"Fitzgerald the novel writer† from â€Å"Fitzgerald the short story writer†. In his own life, Fitzgerald felt somewhat of a disconnection between his ‘literary’ career as a novelist and his more professionalRead MoreThe Sensible Thing, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1643 Words   |  7 PagesWriting The Sensible Thing, by F. Scott Fitzgerald shares numerous characteristics with his other writings. Like many writers, his work was heavily influenced by his life. Published criticisms note similarities between attitudes of the Roaring Twenties. In order to interpret The Sensible Thing, it is necessary to examine F. Scott Fitzgeralds life and work. The materialistic, free-thinking ideas characterizing greatly influenced the writings of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Furthermore, his relationship

Olaudah Equianos Influence - 1139 Words

The Influence and Career of Olaudah Equiano There have been many authors throughout history who have impacted America, amongst them is Olaudah Equiano. Olaudah Equiano, a slave who wrote about his terrible experiences, not only changed America, but changed the world. Equiano s life and career were divided in two parts: his life as a slave and his life as a free man. He battled the slave ships and helped abolish the slave institutions with the power and depth of his writings. Equiano s most powerful piece of literature was The Interesting Narrative of the life of Olaudah Equiano because of its devastating impact on the slave trade. Olaudah traveled from country to country selling his book and promoting the anti-slave movement. He†¦show more content†¦While alive, he and William Wilberforce fought with other abolitionists to bring down slavery. After his passing the world changed for the better when slave ships were no longer permitted in England. Once this happened, ripples s pread throughout the world, leading many other countries to abolish slavery including the United States of America. â€Å"Equiano exhibited no bitterness or anger, revealing a moral superiority over his tormentors that spoke volumes about the potential of the human spirit.† He in his very actions and way of treating others proved that he was in fact completely correct. (norfolkblackhistorymonth.org). His spirit led the abolition movements even after he died. He not only changed the world s morals as a whole, but also changed how slaves themselves stood up to slavery. Equiano impacted the whole entire genre of slave writings. He was a major example in encouraging slaves to stand up and fight with the use of language. Olaudah s left behind his memories to the people of today, showing that slavery is wrong. Equiano proved to everyone that a black man could be just as smart, and in this case even smarter than many white men. A young boy, born in Africa, stripped of his name, and sold into slavery would become an anti-slavery hero. Olaudah Equiano became one of the most powerful leaders ever to live. Equiano could haveShow MoreRelated Jessica Rodriguez Essay1364 Words   |  6 PagesMoton and Paradise Historical Accuracy in Equiano’s Novel Olaudah Equiano’s autobiography, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, has become a very important piece of literature. Equiano established a new type of literature with this novel. It was the first autobiography/slave narrative ever written. Many other slaves, such as Fredrick Douglass, followed his example in writing autobiographies or slave narratives. EquianoRead MoreA Narrative Of Captivity By Mary Rowlandson Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesA Narrative of Captivity by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano are captivity narratives in which the two narrators share their individual stories of being abruptly kidnapped and enslaved. Equiano was an black 11 year old boy who was stolen from his home by African slave traders in 1756. Rowlandson, a 39 year old Puritan woman, was taken in 1675, during King Philip’s War, after Indians raided her town. Although the two authors are both kidnappedRead MoreThe Narrative Of Olaudah Equiano1123 Words   |  5 PagesAndrew Parrill Christopher McBride LITR220 July 2, 2017 Does It Matter Where Olaudah Equiano Was Born? The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, by Olaudah Equiano, can be described as one of the most successful literary prose written by an African-American up to the start of the Civil War. Autobiographies were not considered a form genre in the literary field at the time it was published in 1789 and few books that had been produced in America gaveRead MoreThe Persuasiveness of the Captivity Narrative955 Words   |  4 PagesAmerican author of his time, in The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African, Written by Himself, Olaudah Equiano illuminated for the masses many of the inhumanities and atrocities associated with the slave trade that previously had been known only to those more intimately involved with it and began an entire new genre known as the slave narrative. Part of the success of Equiano’s narrative must be ascribed to the familiar themes of capture, captivity,Read MoreSelfdom in Slavedom: Gustavus Vassa1503 Words   |  7 PagesFrom Africa, to Barbados, to Virginia, to a ship that travels the British Empire, if a steady location were the basis of identity, Olaudah Equiano would surely have none. However, he still develops a specific identity throughout his narrative, a striking task as he is ripped away from the family and c ulture he is born into and then never remains in one place for too long. In contrast to this, Harriet Jacobs develops an identity based largely on the family and community that surround her. Jacobs andRead MoreA Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano1246 Words   |  5 Pagesand of Africans being enslaved by whites. Two captivity narratives that were widely read during the time are A Narrative of the Capture and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson by Mary Rowlandson and The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano. They relate the experiences of a married white Puritan woman captured by Native Americans and an African boy captured for the American slave trade at a young age respectively. They were often used as propaganda, Europeans duringRead MoreOlaudah Equiano, A Reliable Source For Historians, Educators, And Students1140 Words   |  5 Pagesmanipulate this criterion, allows for the successful creation of an environment that builds a connection between the audience and his journey. The author, Olaudah Equiano, was born in African Providence of Eboe. Eboe was a small providence of the Kingdom of Benin. Up until 1756, Equiano had never encountered a white individual. In 1756 at the age of 11, Olaudah Equiano and his sister were kidnapped and taken to serve as slaves within Africa. After serving many years as a slave in Africa, he traveled acrossRead MoreOlaudah Equiano And Mary Rowlandson Essay1264 Words   |  6 PagesEnduring through hard conditions, facing unbearable horror, and events that deteriorated their lives forever, both Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano share similar experiences they encountered in their lifetime, as well as differences, allowing us to compare the two and the hardships they faced. As Mary Rowlandson and Olaudah Equiano had variation between both of their experiences, such as gender roles and different ages and past life, they both experienced relatively the same horror nobody shouldRead MoreOlaudah Equiano Essay1128 Words   |   5 Pagesneed for labor, which led to plantation owners to buy slaves for cheap work. There were no laws during this time that kept men from doing this type of act. Olaudah Equiano was an African slave from Essaka that has experienced many hardships as a slave. He wrote about his life as a slave in his book â€Å"The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavas Vassa, the African†. Equiano uses his experiences during slavery to show the type of difficulties slaves encounter in their lives, theRead MoreEssay about History At Its Best1616 Words   |  7 Pagesperiod of time in which the most advancement has occurred in society, in the shortest amount of time. The three books, The Interesting Narrative, by Olaudah Equiano, Victors and Vanquished, by Stuart B. Schwartz, and A Social Contract, by Jean-Jeacques Rousseau, each provide a view of the modern era in their own individual ways. Olaudah Equianos account of his life as a slave is directed at the problem of slavery. Stuart B. Schwartz Victors and Vanquished, provides a collection of personal

Keeping the Good Ones Free Essays

Training employees will lead to increased productivity and better outcomes. Therefore, it is necessary to treat team members as people first and as employees second. It will motivate their engagement in work and interest in outcomes. We will write a custom essay sample on Keeping the Good Ones or any similar topic only for you Order Now Actually, staff training will inspire employees and provide them with necessary practical tools in order to keep the good people the company already has. The core principles of successful management are: To offer yourself (director, senior manager) as a person firstly and director secondly To offer time with a regular take 10 check-in To offer motivation and appreciation It is known that companies spend lots of capital investments in tomorrow’s leaders without paying attention to today’s employees. It is suggested that money is the main reason of departures. Nevertheless, it is not. Money plays important part, though this part is minor compared with other factors. Motivation based only on material awards is insufficient, although lack of money is also a de-motivator. So, there is not need to throw money after employee who is unhappy, because it will create an unhappy employee who is better off financially. It is necessary to outline that variety of factors exist to motivate employees. Therefore, motivation should be intrinsic. There is not single method to motivate all the employees at once. Motivation depends on each employee. Directors should understand these principles, if they want to develop leaders. Otherwise, directors will serve only corporate ambitions of leading competitors. The first key is to build a better culture. If a company wants to retain its employees in whom it has invested capital, time and relationships, it has, firstly, to provide improvements of corporate structure. It s required to look at corporate hierarchy culture – vertical or horizontal. Vertical structure results in decreased communication, less employees’ empowerment and general decrease in commitment, whereas horizontal structure does the opposite meaning it aims at decreasing friction and power struggles between employees and senior management. Horizontal structure tends to ensure higher visibility and accountability. The next step is to improve employee commitment and communication mechanism. It is important to remember that to improve the quality of employees’ life means to ensure better commitment and performance of the company. The second key is to empower employees. Actually, empowerment is a matter of discussion, though often this concept is misunderstood. It is proved that empowered employees are able to make quicker decisions, they are more confident in their abilities, etc. Thus, empowerment increases employee’s satisfaction and decreases corporate costs related to remediation work. Motivated employees are willingly engaged in innovations and problem-solving processes. The main benefit of empowerment is that it generates loyalty among employees. Therefore, empowered employees realize that their contribution is valued and they are respected. Finally, the third key is to improve relationship skills. It means that relationships within corporate culture may either make or break the company’s performance. Relationship and communication skills are vital component of corporate culture. The company’s managers and directors should display corporate personality traits such as sense of humor, family values, empathy, genuineness to motivate employees follow their example. People should be valued more then outcomes. Further, chief executives should be readily accessible and easily approached. It goes without saying that the better relationship skills among employees and directors, the better the corporate culture. Effective communication is playing nowadays one of the most important roles in organizations and companies, because it is the only source of mutual understanding among employees and customers, directors and suppliers, etc. References Keeping the Good Ones. (2001). Retrieved March 11, 2007, from http://mpcfilms.com How to cite Keeping the Good Ones, Essay examples

Barclays Bank Initiative on ATM

Question: What innovative practices/product/service did they implement. What was the aim of the initiative? How did it come about and what research was taken to support it? How did the initiative impact on the organisation?. What success did the initiative have on the market? Answer: Background of the business Barclays Bank is an international bank with its headquarter based in London, England. Its foundation can be traced back in 1690 where two Quakers formed a partnership. In 1728, James Barclay became a partner in the private bank. His name became the origin of the bank. After the partnership, the bank was relocated to Lombard Street where other banks were also located. Initially, it was named private bank but later it was renamed Barclays Bank. In 1917, the bank was renamed as Barclays Bank Limited. (Lute, Douglas, Mleziva, Nelson, Magee Barker, 2009)The bank grew firmly from then to become one of the pioneer banks in the world. In 2005, the bank relocated its head office to the Canary Wharf where it operates to date. Today Barclay Bank is undoubtedly one of the largest banks in the world offering financial services like banking and investment. It has also employed more than 120,000 people worldwide, therefore, acting as a source of employment. Several changes have also been made in t he bank to ensure the bank offers better services. Innovative practice/idea In 1969, Barclays Bank Center adopted the use of ATM to dispense cash to customers and to ensure that the need to visit the bank to conduct basic financial transaction was eliminated Lute, R. C., Douglas, M. A., Mleziva, R., Nelson Jr, D. S., Magee, P. D., Barker, D. A. (2009. Automated Teller Machine commonly known as ATM is an electronic device that allows a bank customer to conduct their banking transactions such as cash withdrawal without necessarily queuing at the counter. By late 1980 this machine became more popular and handled many functions that were initially performed by human tellers (Magee, Barker, Ryan, Harry, Dunlap, Sedlock Kerstetter, 2003). Activity such as check deposit, cash withdrawal, balance inquiry and money transfer across different accounts and different banks became easier. Modifications such as providing customers with account balances were introduced therefore ATM was able to perform various multiple functions. Barclays Bank was, therefore, able to serve a large number of customers without delay and also offered various business activities through the ATM. As a result, the bank has grown rapidly. (Lute, Douglas, Mleziva, Nelson, Magee, Barker, 2009) In 1990, the bank began to charge fees for ATM services which was a profitable move. However, consumers in this bank faced increase ATM crimes and scams. Criminals devised ways that aimed at stealing customers personal identification number (PIN.) In response to this bank passed a legislation of installing surveillance cameras and reflective mirrors that were designed to reduce theft in ATM. This was a good business move as, by 2005, more than 1700 British over the age of 18 had got their ATM cards (Lute, Douglas, Mleziva, Nelson, Magee, Barker, 2009). Aim of the initiative This initiative was aimed at freeing the lengthy queues for services at the bank. Initially, people made a long queue that was time wasting. With this in mind, the initiative was developed to reduce time spent lining at the counter. The initiative was also designed to provide day and night services without limiting customers to bank hours to transact their business. Privacy was also a consideration. The initiative aimed at serving customers confidentially since it was designed to serve a single customer at ago. This move ensured that that customer could not shy off transacting their business transaction with fear. Target market The Initiative primarily targeted other banking institution to support them in serving their clients. The emergency was a key factor considered here. The machine could operate even during nonbanking hours. Therefore, the initiative targeted the individuals who urgently needed money during none banking hours. Banks that faced the challenge of serving their customers especially during peak hours of banking operation were able to serve their clients using the ATM. Emergence of initiative Planning The initiative of developing an Automated Teller Machine emerged due to the frequent banking problems that were experienced by tellers. The number of tenants who were to be served was relatively higher than some available the tellers. A plan was developed that aimed at designing an automated teller machine that was able to serve customers without going to counter. Research A well-conducted study was carried on how to come up with an automated machine that could serve customers without being served at the counter. This aimed at reducing congestion of clients at the counter. As a result in1967 two people came up with this idea of developing an automated teller machine that could serve customers without being attended to at the counter (Kang Lee, 2009). This idea was however implemented by different people. It was also realized that banking would become easier and services like cash withdrawal and balance inquiry would be offered by this machine. In early 1970, this idea was realized could be implemented and engineers started working on this idea. This marked the period during which ATM was developed. Impact on the organization Result ATM has contributed in a positive way in the organization. For instance, faster and convenient services have been offered to customers. ATM has also led to a vast increase in the number of banking activities even during nonbanking hours. (Lute, Douglas, Mleziva, Nelson, Magee, Barker, 2009) For example, during weekends when Barclays do not operate like other days customers still find it easy to serve themselves through ATM. The organization has therefore extended its working hours by ensuring that ATM can work during these days that they do not operate. Barclays Bank Success factors ATM has offered a considerable benefit to Barclays Bank. Barclays bank has been able to serve its customers without the customers necessarily queuing to be served at the counter. This bank has been able to operate even during nonbusiness banking hours. Quick delivery of service has been offered by ATM. This machine is faster compared to standard service provided at the counter. (Lute, Douglas, Mleziva, Nelson, Magee, Barker, 2009) The bank has also been able to allow other customers from other banks to transact their business using ATM in different banks. Market share has also been increased leading to rapid growth of Barclays bank. Barclays bank has also gained ground due to the fact it is the mother of ATM. Challenges Even though ATM has been outstanding in the field of banking today, it has been a lot of controversies from customers. Security remains a critical threat in delivering services to customers. Even after installing a surveillance camera and reflective mirror to reduce theft, criminals have devised ways that aim at stealing customers personal identification number (PIN). Customers still face increased ATM crimes and scams. (Kang, Lee, 2009) One could also end up draining his/her account accidentally. There are also other overdraft charges unless one has a credit line protection. Debit cards also have an annual fee or charges you are requested to pay every time you use your card. ATM does not offer any protection for refunds on purchases. Aims Barclays still have a plan of developing other initiatives to ensure that services provided to customers are convenient. There are other initiatives apart from ATM that has been implemented. But due to advancement in technology still there are a lot to expect from Barclays Bank. Barclays aims at serving customers to their satisfaction. Success on market Competitors ATM has been an outstanding initiative in the banking environment. ATM is used across all banks. Customers can transact their business activities like money transfer across different banks. This has significantly impacted on the activities that are carried out in other banks. Competitors have also been able to perform their business using ATM. This is a clear indication that ATM is universally accepted, and its effect is felt across the world. Market share ATM holds a relatively larger market share as compared to other initiatives for banking activities. Being an automated machine, customers find it very easy to carry out their banking activities. As a result, ATM has been used across different banks. In the recent past, ATM has emerged as one of the most used e-business platforms in the world. Growths ATM has gained ground in the platform of e-business. It has developed rapidly and today ATM serves very many people across the world. The impact of ATM cannot be ignored if customers expect to achieve their business goals. It has been introduced into the banking system to ensure that delivery of services like cash deposit is convenient. Globally ATM has been adopted and is still being adopted by different banking institutions. (Kang, Lee, 2009) Recent research conducted show that ATM is one of the most popular e-business platforms in the world. Banks have installed ATM world widely and still there is another banking institution planning to install ATM. Therefore, growth in the number of banks that deploy ATM across the world has also resulted in the growth of ATM manufacturers. (Kang, Lee, 2009) ATM, therefore, has remained an outstanding technological and business idea that has greatly revolutionized the modern business world of today. Reference Kang, D. G., Lee, J. O. (2009). U.S. Patent No. D596,374. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Magee, P. D., Barker, D., Ryan, P., Harry, D. W., Dunlap, R. E., Sedlock, G. T Kerstetter, T. E. (2003). U.S. Patent No. D481, 516. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Lerner, T. (2013). History, Technology and Commerce. In Mobile Payment (pp. 1-11). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Lute, R. C., Douglas, M. A., Mleziva, R., Nelson Jr, D. S., Magee, P. D., Barker, D. A. (2009). U.S. Patent No. D602,225. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.