THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE Essays

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE Essays THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE Essay THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION AND PERFORMANCE Essay Motivation can be a key-contributing factor in employee performance. It is of great importance to an organization to recognize ways in which it can use employee motivation to positively affect employee performance. The methods used by organizations to motivate its employees are essential in determining how they affect employee performance. There are both positive and negative motivational tools that may be explored. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between motivation and employee performance. Motivation is generally defined as the psychological forces that determine the irection of a persons level of effort, as well as a persons persistence in the face of obstacles. When a person has an increased level of effort and persistence in the workplace they tend to be highly motivated and this more often leads to a higher level of performance. However, the reason for an employees motivation may not necessarily be attributed to the organization . It is possible for an employee who is highly motivated to have low performance and the opposite for a lower motivated employee to have high performance. Although possible, most research studies show higher correlation between higher motivation and higher employee performance. There are both positive motivators and negative motivators that can be utilized by the organization. Positive motivators as employed by organizations may include employee benefits such as increased compensation, bonuses, stock options, profit sharing and other such rewards. Employees may be motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Intrinsic rewards may be the ability to work autonomously, acknowledgement, and an interest in the type of work they are doing. Extrinsic rewards may be employee recognition, monetary benefits, and other such material rewards. Negative motivators may include a bad performance review, verbal and written warnings, suspension, and termination warnings. An employer may use these various methods in which to motivate its employees. Performance is an evaluation of the results of a persons behavior: It involves determining how well or poorly a person has accomplished a task or done a Job. High employee performance leads to greater organizational success. In order for an rganization to try to acquire higher levels of employee performance via increased employee motivation they must have a strategy to do so effectively. The strategy must ultimately focus on achieving organizational goals while maintaining ways in which to influence motivation, which then inspires employee performance. From the organizational standpoint, there are key factors that impact motivation and its effect on employee performance. One such factor is setting goals for employees that incorporate the vision of the organization. When goals are set for the employee t provides an incentive for the employee and also benefits the organization upon completion relatlve to tne organlzatlons goals as well. Anotner Tactor Is employee engagement. Employee engagement and input allows for a level of commitment from the employee and may serve as an organizations way to be in tune with employee concerns. It is also extremely important to recognize the treatment of employees as a factor of motivating employees and their performance. Employees that are treated well by their organization in turn feel that they are a valued member of the team and ssentially its employer. This contributes to the level of trust that the employee has in the organization and can positively impact how well they perform for the company. Also, it is important to have a clear sense of leadership demonstrated for employees so that they are able to learn from these qualities displayed by successful leaders in the organization. Great leadership helps to motivate employees to perform at high levels and achieve organizational goals, which provide employees with the opportunity to develop within the organization. There are several theories based on motivation provide support for the relationship between motivation and performance. These theories include: Expectancy Theory, MasloWs Hierarchy of Needs, Herzbergs Motivator-Hygiene Theory, McClellands Needs for Achievement, Affiliation and Power, Equity Theory and Goal-setting Theory. Expectancy theory suggests that motivation is high when employees believe that high levels of effort lead to high performance and high performance leads to attaining desired outcomes. MasloWs Hierarchy of Needs says that five basic needs must be et by people in the order from bottom to top with each higher level upward leading to motivated behavior. Herzbergs Motivator-Hygiene Theory focuses of two factors attributed to the workplace: 1) meeting basic expectations 2) leading to increased performance. McClellands Needs for Achievement, Affiliation, and Power identifies three needs for a person 1) achievement 2) affiliation 3) power; of which all three pertain to a persons desire to perform well, have positive interpersonal relationships, and the desire to influence others. The Equity Theory is ones perception of fairness elative to their work outcomes and work inputs. Goal-setting Theory focuses on motivation of workers in order to contribute to overall performance of organization based on goals set. All these theories provide explored background information for employee motivation and its relationship to performance. An employees performance isnt solely based on the level of motivation but has an enormous amount of potential to have the greatest influence. There has been consistent empirical evidence to suggest that motivated employees means better performance. Due to motivation being linked to employee engagement, satisfaction, commitment, and an employees intention to quit, it can be said that these major factors also contribute to performance. Their contribution to an employees performance can be directly linked therefore the way in which they serve as components of motivation shows linkage to employee performance. These indicators play a major role in an employees overall performance. An organization and its managements focus through the utilization of employing ways in which to motivate its employees as a performance enhancement should be a rlmary Tocus. I nere are countless ways In wnlcn tney are aDle to ao so ranging from both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards and employee recognition. However, these are valuable for leaders and their organization to know and actively participate in these activities as the idea of motivating employees is not only of beneficial importance to employees but also to an increased level of performance for company employees and the overall organization. Bibliography Motivation in Todays Workplace: The Link to Performance, SHRM Research Quarterly: Second Quarter-2010 hrm. org/research/articles/articles/ Owen E. Richason IV, Motivation Employee Performance, Small Business Houston Chronicle http://smallbusiness. chron. com/motivation-employee- performance-1964. html George, Jones. Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior Sixth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc. , publishing as Prentice Hall, 2012. Nohria, Groysberg, Lee, Employee Motivation: A Powerful New Model, Harvard Business R eview http://hbr. org/2008/07/employee-motivation-a-powerful-new-model/ aril

Business Ethics Corporate Social Responsibility Assignment

Business Ethics Corporate Social Responsibility - Assignment Example Their importance is hierarchical as explained above. That is, from top to bottom. 2. The potential costs of such an investment is that a lot of money will be pumped into carrying out research that is related to development of medication that can be used to treat the river blindness disease. The revenue likely to be generated from the sale of this drug is likely to be lower than the money invested. However, the benefit of such investment is that millions of lives would be saved. This would help the company to create trust among different stakeholders. In the long run, this drug is likely to generate profits when people realise its effectiveness. 3. Indeed Merck could justify this investment given that their operations are guided by their value system which posits to the effect that medicine is for people not for profits. It is important for Merck to convince the shareholders that profits can be reaped from the sale of the drug in the long run after people have first gained trust in th e new drug. In order to make such a decision, it is imperative for Merck to show other shareholders that the health of the targeted people is more important than the company’s profit oriented goals. 4. ... These employees value the life of people hence they would not support action that jeopardises the live of the targeted people. If the decision to develop the drug is made, then employee loyalty is likely to decline since they would also have a guilty conscience that they are selling a drug that is not safe to people. 5. If the decision to develop the drug is made, there is likely to develop media hype that is likely to tarnish the image of the company. There would be a public outcry that the company that is supposed to be saving the interests of the people is now putting its profit oriented goals ahead of the health and safety concerns of the targeted people. The company is likely to lose its credibility since it would be jeopardizing the lives of the targeted people. As aptly stated by its value system, the company should not prioritise its profit oriented goals ahead of the interests of the people who are supposed to benefit from the drug offered. On the other hand, if a decision n ot to develop the drug is made, the company is likely to gain the trust of people since it would have proved that it is oriented towards the needs of the stakeholders. Indeed, there might be a public outcry from some sections of the society but this decision is justifiable since it does not aggravate the situation. A lasting solution is needed to solve the problem at hand not decisions that are likely to impact negatively on the targeted people. 6. Merck had an ethical obligation in as far as the development of the drug was concerned. First foremost, it is Merck’s responsibility to establish the impact of the drug on the targeted people. Even if the drug had a small

Duke Ellington Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Duke Ellington - Essay Example â€Å"gotta hurry home†.  These records did not  hit  as they expected, and it was until 1926 when Irving mills became their  manager  that they had their massive hit.  They  later  recorded â€Å"black and tan fantasy† a song that associated with Ellington throughout his career. Later he  was  put  at the  top  by his  acceptance  to be a  house  band for cotton club. This made him well known in America and contributed to financial security that his  band  needed. It left cotton club in 1931 to  tour  the world; they managed to change with time. In 1930s swing music  hit, New York and Ellington managed to change from  hot  jazz of 1920s to this genre. The  record  Ã¢â‚¬Å"doesn't mean a thing if it  ain't  got that swing† created that  era. In 1940s, the  band  strength  increased even more, and  new  soloist joined them (Pinkney & Pinkney). They recorded various records including â€Å"per didoà ¢â‚¬ , and â€Å"jump for joy†. In 1943, Ellington gave his first  hall  concert debuting â€Å"black, brown and  beige†. In late 1940s, his music continued to be of high quality, and his  band’s turnover increased. Many influential bands broke up during this time due to the rise of bebop. In spite of, Ellington’s  band  never broke up. In 1950s, he had his worst moment of his career, but it was not a problem with his art. The band struggled for a while, but in 1955, they realized "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" which brought him back to  fame. Duke brought various innovations to the music industry back then; making it acceptable for a black person to succeed in music. He was among the earliest jazz singers to make a  record  that took more than three minutes. His songs were more untraditional and had  different  modulations from what people  were used  to back then. The melodies of... The biggest contribution of Duke was his effect on the black community; he was able to show the world that blacks too had talent. His discipline was also notable; this is has been explained his ability to keep the band together until his death. His contribution, however, went beyond music; he contributed a lot to his culture as a black person. He fought for racial equality and even became part of civil rights movements. Duke contributed an immense deal in making blacks feel worthy, and he was quoted saying that his race was his inspiration. He was able to influence many musicians including Thelonious Monk whose piano style was influenced by Ellington. Monk is a modern jazz musician, as well as a pianist. His unique arranging concepts influenced a number of modern day composers. Even if, Duke's main forte was jazz, he also composed for ballets, films, operas and church services. He was kind hearted and would regularly display his musicians; enabling them to make a strong impact on the ir own jazz styles. Ellington received various Grammy awards all the way through his career and many other awards. He continued to perform until his demise after suffering from cancer. His band continued with his legacy headed by his son Mercer. Ellington's legacy was to remain the greatest jazz musician of all time, and he has done that considering his name is, as vital, as it was then. His influence to musicians has remained strong and relevant. Until today musicians revisit his work for inspiration and as a bedrock to their own careers.

Gender and sexuality Essay Example for Free

Gender and sexuality Essay Gender and sexuality has permeated the character of Latin American nations throughout history. Latin America has demonstrated examples of the manipulation of gender as a means of a nations government asserting its political and social control, and the history of the Cuban Revolution shows that Cuba is among such nations. Since its infancy in 1959 and through the 1990s, the Cuban revolutionary government has managed to achieve a well-documented history of oppressive practices that has made the Cuban government the subject of much worldwide criticism and scrutiny over the years. Among the root of this oppression is a commitment to political and social control along gender lines for a greater nationalistic cause. Not unlike other Latin American nations, gender roles as they are recognized in Cuba have been constructed and forcefully prescribed by the government. The citizens of the nation have been socialized to discern between masculine and feminine traits, as well understand why certain traits are desirable while others are not. These determinations have had far-reaching consequences in the cultural realm of Cuban society. Social circles are designed partly upon a person’s recognition of and adherence to specific gender roles. A part of the Cuban revolutionary government’s use of gender for political and social control is its attitude toward and relationship with male homosexuality. The systematic persecution of homosexuals in Cuba has been used by the state in an insular fashion against its citizens for the purpose of controlling them, but also as an outward political maneuver of serves to uphold national dignity and honor as part of a Cuban national identity that is to be recognized and respected throughout the rest of the world. In addition to this paper’s thesis being based on the Cuban revolutionary government’s use of gender and sexuality as a tool of political and social control, the notion of patriarchy is a theory that is central to this thesis. Part of Cuba’s national identity is the patriarchal nature of its government, which not only applies to the relationship between the state and its citizens, but also applies to the relationship between Cuba and other nations. Dominance and strength, two factors upon which patriarchy is based, are what Cuba stands to project to larger, more powerful nations as a symbol of an exalted position in the world. As discussed in the paper, Cuba’s patriarchal government uses its rejection of homosexuality outwardly as a tactic of resisting and rejecting the systems and ideals of nations that the Cuban Revolution finds itself to be fundamentally at odds with. Evidence of this can be found in works such as Ian Lumsden’s Machos, Maricones, and Gays: Cuba and Homosexuality. The arguments made in this paper are written around various primary documents that not only support the central thesis, but also serve as a base for extended discussion of certain elements that have contributed to a greater part of a nation’s history. One such element is the notion of gender roles and norms being defined and prescribed by the state, which in turn affects its society’s views. This includes the legal and penal mechanisms through which the prescriptions are upheld. Legal enforcement leads to a second element, which is nationalism as the motive for the state’s manipulation of gender and sexuality. This control of the Cuban people is part of a greater political agenda: ensuring the success of the Cuban Revolution. A part of this political maneuver is maintaining the honor of the nation and defending its worldwide image. A third and final element is the concept of cultures and governments undergoing change over a period of time. Such changes include the state’s gender-based ideas and prescriptions, as well as the catalysts for such change. These changes are ultimtately reflected in the attitudes of a nation’s people. The film â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate† is one of the primary sources that this paper is written around. Set in Cuba circa 1979, â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate† reflects the attitudes toward homosexuality that were the norm in Cuba during the first couple of decades of the Cuban revolution, and also depicts the government’s use of gender and sexuality to advance its own political agenda. What qualities make or do not make the revolutionary? What place does a homosexual have in the Cuban revolution? What is homosexuality supposed to mean to the communist youth? These are questions that â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate† raises and helps answer. The other primary documents that this paper is written around are the writings of controversial gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. This paper discusses some examples of the persecution that Arenas endured as a homosexual coming up during the Cuban Revolution. From physical attacks and censorship to arrests and imprisonment, Arenas symbolized to the Cuban revolutionary government the classic threat to the patriarchal state that the government feared and aimed to neutralize. Although writings from a persecuted homosexual in Cuba stand to possibly reflect certain biases, it is important to look at alternate points of view with the purpose of still supporting the basic arguments conveyed herein. For that reason, this paper will also discuss the works of writers such as Rafael L. Ramirez and Rafael Ocasio, who did not emerge from a situation similar to that of Arenas’s. Ocasio explains that Reinaldo Arenas initially expressed interest in the Cuban Revolution, having left home at the age of fifteen to become a guerilla fighter for Fidel Castro. (14) Arenas was rejected due to his young age and the fact that he had no firearms. His enthusiasm for supporting Castro eventually waned, however, and it was the sexual repression that Arenas encountered at his boarding school that began his discontent with the Castro regime. (17) Ocasio cites the reprisal that students faced if caught committing homosexual acts. In addition to expulsion, school officials also went as far as detailing the nature of student’s transgression in school records, thereby barring these homosexual students from other state-run schools. According to Ocasio, Arenas stated that arrest and incarceration could also result from certain instances of such activity. (17) This made Arenas aware of politically-related persecution of homosexuals as an adolescent. Systematic, state-sanctioned persecution of homosexuals is further exemplified by the nighttime roundups of homosexuals organized by Cuban police, a practice that traces back to 1961. The earliest documented case of this is known as the Night of the Three Ps (prostitutes, pimps, y pederasts). Gay playwright Virgilio Pinera was among those who were arrested. (Ocasio 24) These raids were purely politically-motivated, for as Salas explains, police targeted anything they found in these raids that appeared to be antisocial or non-conformist, including clothing or hairstyles deemed inappropriate. In support of this, Salas cites an instance in which a Young Communist League leader was arrested in one of the raids despite not being involved in any homosexual activity. Police targeted him because of his long hair, which was cut by authorities. The man was released once he confirmed his identity. (155) Homosexuals targeted in these raids were considered part of a greater antisocial element that the government sought to eliminate. Ocasio explains that while officials assigned prostitutes to schools where they could supposedly be rehabilitated, Castro stated that homosexuals would be barred from the possibility of having any influence in cultural life, schools, or the arts. (24) The aforementioned roundups of homosexuals organized by Cuban police had an affect on Cuba’s intellectual community, and was only one example of the Castro regime’s politically-inspired oppression. Various official statements were made by the Cuban government against homosexuals as part of a nationwide campaign promoting proper ethical policies that fostered acceptable revolutionary behavior. It was clear that writers such as Arenas and artists such as Pinera were not seen by the new regime as conducive to the political achievement to which the Cuban revolutionary government aspired. This is supported by Castro’s famous â€Å"Words to Intellectuals† speech, which Ocasio cites as the first official statement made by the Cuban revolutionary government that determined the boundaries within which revolutionary writers and artists were to operate: â€Å"What are the rights of writers and artists, revolutionary or not? In support of the Revolution, every right; against the Revolution, no rights. Homosexual persecution rooted in the Cuban revolutionary cause is indicative of the revolutionary government’s concept of what it referred to as the New Man. In Social Control and Deviance in Cuba, author Luis Salas discusses the state’s concept of the New Man as Cuba’s ideal revolutionary, which allows no place for a homosexual in the revolution. (166) According to Salas, such a question was clearly answered by Fidel Castro with the following statement: â€Å"Nothing prevents a homosexual from professing revolutionary ideology and consequently, exhibiting a correct political position. In this case he should not be considered politically negative. And yet we would never come to believe that a homosexual could embody the conditions and requirements of conduct that would enable us to consider him a true revolutionary, a true Communist militant. A deviation of that nature clashes with the concept we have of what a militant Communist must be. † Salas contends that to the Cuban revolutionary, the New Man represents strength, honor, and â€Å"connotes maleness and virility. †(166) Conversely, homosexuality is considered to represent weakness, a classically feminine trait. The strength needed to be a true revolutionary is something that the Cuban revolutionary government saw in the uncorrupted youth of Cuba. The youth of the nation was regarded by the state as â€Å"one of the most treasured possessions of the nation† that was expected contribute to the success of the revolution, and as such, was to be protected from â€Å"a group viewed as seducers of small children. †(167) This aforementioned political attitude with regards to homosexuals in relation to the communist youth of Cuba was reflected in the film â€Å"Fresa y Chocolate. † In the film, David is a young communist university student who initially views an older homosexual artist named Diego as someone who is to be avoided and not to be trusted. David’s roommate Miguel is even more militant in his revolutionary, homophobic stance, and resorts to using David to spy on Diego due to his belief that Diego is a danger to the revolutionary cause and thus cannot be trusted. Although Diego eventually befriends David, there is a mutual understanding between both characters of the dangers that such a friendship can pose to a young communist like David, and David makes it clear to Diego that they are not to be seen together in public. This depiction is indicative of the state’s effort to socialize its youth towards anti-homosexual sentiment by portraying homosexuals as political obstacles and enemies of the state in order to influence public opinion and sway political action in the government’s favor. As Leiner explains, homosexuality played a role in Cubas prerevolutionary tourism economy, for the widespread solicitation of male prostitutes by gay tourists contributed to the economy. Furthermore, the stratification of prerevolutionary Cuba also lured many heterosexual working-class men into the underworld of homosexual prostitution in order to earn a living. According to Leiner, the homosexual bourgeoisie largely controlled this underworld as did American organized crime, which managed the lucrative, but seedy occupational sector based on prostitution, drugs, and gambling. Such an aspect of prerevolutionary Cuban history is indicative of fears present among state officials in revolutionary Cuba, who perceived homosexuality as fertile ground for the re-emergence of American imperialism, the bourgeoisie, and classism in Cuban society. This is consistent with Lumsdens contention of revolutionary Cubas regulation of gender and sexuality in Cuba being a part of the state’s willingness to overcome underdevelopment and resist American efforts to prevent the revolution from succeeding. (xxi) According to Salas, gays were a remnant of capitalism in the eyes of the militant Cuban revolutionary. According to the Cuban government, the New Man was not motivated by the decadence and wanton lusts that characterize homosexuality, which the government believe was associated with the selfishness that marked capitalist societies. In a speech given on July 26, 1968, Fidel Castro characterized the revolution’s ideal New Man as possessing an altruistic and humanistic nature: â€Å"In a communist society, man will have succeeded in achieving just as much understanding, closeness, and brotherhood as he has on occasion achieved within the narrow circle of his own family. To live in a communist society is to live without selfishness, to live among the people, as if every one of our fellow citizens were really our dearest brother. † In addition to the idealism of Castro’s statement, there is also the character of the language behind his statement that is undoubtedly male as well as overwhelmingly exclusionary. The ideals promoted by Castro in the above excerpt can just as easily be prescribed to women for them to live by such ideals, but the â€Å"macho/socialist amalgam questioned whether male homosexuals could. †(Leiner 27) Leiner explains a study conducted by esteemed commentator Lourdes Casal, who analyzed the influence that the Cuban revolution had on Cuban literature. According to Leiner, Casal discovered a general disdain for homosexuals reflected in over 100 novels. Casal contended that the rejection of homosexuality was the rejection of femininity. Accusing a man of being a homosexual was to be considered an assault on that mans masculinity, and was considered synonymous with deeming that man a female who is devoid of strength and unworthy of holding power. (23) Such a meaning prescribed to the title â€Å"homosexual† underscores the nature of the Cuban governments patriarchal structure, in which power is directly associated with being a man both physically and sexually. Leiner also explains that in revolutionary Cuban society, the perception of homosexuality – and therefore, femininity – went beyond mere sexual preference. Physical weakness and lack of muscularity, a lack of interest in physical competition, the display of a quiet demeanor, or a gentle, nurturing or sensitive nature were enough to raise suspicion of homosexuality. According to Leiner, such qualities were perceived as weak and inferior, and therefore effeminate. The strong, abrasive, and competitive male was above suspicion of homosexuality. (22) The question of why homosexuals were perceived by the state as counter to the revolution remains partly unanswered. In addition to the Cuban government’s belief that homosexuals possessed undesirable qualities such as weakness, cowardice, and perversion, the state’s view of homosexuals as a danger to the institution that is the traditional family further compelled the state and the society it influenced to write homosexuals off as â€Å"antithetical to a socialist society. †(Leiner 25) Lesbian playwright Ana Maria Simo was jailed for four-and-a-half months in 1965 and also suffered shock treatment to correct her simply due to her associating with people who were suspected of being homosexual. She was not a lesbian at the time. She states that she and her friends were political individualists and anarchistic, and that is what bothered the government, not their being gay. (Ocasio 30) According to Leiner, lesbians were no cause of concern for the revolutionary government. Leiner states that Lourdes Casal found no mention, or even the vaguest hint of evidence of concern over lesbianism in either the pre- or post-revolutionary literary works that she analyzed. This is a manifestation of the Cuban government’s patriarchal structure in that the government’s complete absence of concern over the lesbianism in Cuba is indicative of the government’s â€Å"relegation of women as secondary, lesser others. (Leiner 23) Unlike homosexuals, lesbians posed no threat to the Cuban revolutionary cause, for the revolution never looked to women for signs of strength or power upon which the government could rely in order to ensure the success of the revolution. However, lesbians, even those who displayed overly masculine qualities, were still considered women just as homosexual males were, and both were deemed unqualified for revolutionary status by the state. Standards of gender and sexuality were prescribed and legitimized by the revolutionary state, thus criminalizing homosexuality. The government’s enforcement of its prescriptions has been carried out via formal as well as informal means. A prime example of a formal method of this enforcement is penal legislation. Such legislation involving homosexuality can be found in two sections of the Cuban statutes. In one section of the statutes, legislation involves the relation between homosexuality and the state’s concept of social dangerousness. Article 73 of the Cuban Penal Code regulates social dangerousness, and cites behavior deemed antisocial as its target. In Cuba, homosexuality has been legally deemed antisocial. (Salas 151) Lumsden cites the use of the word antisocial as a code to describe displays of homosexuality deemed ostentatious. (83) According to Salas, anti-homosexual legislation was considered a preventive measure, for the display of so much as even an attitude that authorities perceived as antisocial justified police intervention. (Salas 153) These laws stem from government fears, such as the fear of the threat that homosexuality poses to the traditional family structure. There is also the government’s fear of homosexuality hindering the success of the revolution, of which the fear of homosexuals corrupting the nation’s youth is a part. (Salas 154) The latter fear can explain homosexual males receiving much harsher punishments for having sex with underage boys compared to the punishments that males faced for having sex with underage females. (Lumsden 82) The fact that laws pertaining to homosexuality are in a section of the Penal Code that pertains to violations against sexual development and sexual relations that are considered normal is indicative of the state’s perception of homosexuality as a condition that is contagious and leads to pedophilia. For this reason, Article 317 also includes the act of propositioning an adult for homosexual sex in its permanent barring of convicted sex offenders from the teaching profession and any other field in which such an adult stands to have authority or potential influence over children. (Lumsden 84) Aside from the Cuban revolutionary government’s fears related to the issue of homosexuality, the eagerness of some government officials to enforce anti-homosexual law is also indicative of their determination to remain above suspicion of being homosexual for their own fear of legal and social reprisal at the hands of the government. Examples of this are provided by Reinaldo Arenas in his highly acclaimed autobiography Before Night Falls, in which he discusses various sexual encounters he had with homosexual government officials in Cuba. Arenas cited an incident in which a police officer with whom he had just had sexual intercourse actually arrested Arenas â€Å"for being queer. † â€Å"Perhaps he thought that by being the active partner he had not done anything wrong,† Arenas stated. This statement by Arenas is a clear reference to the commonly held perception of the active, penetrating partner in a sexual act between two men not being a homosexual because his dominant position is considered a product of masculinity and power. This perception is diametrically opposed to the perception of the penetrated partner, for this partner assumes a role that is subordinate to the dominant penetrator, thus representing the role of a woman. In Arenas’s aforementioned discussion of his arrest, he stated that at the police station, the arresting officer attempted to explain his arresting Arenas by falsely accusing Arenas of groping him. However, Arenas managed to prove the officer’s involvement in the homosexual act by quickly admitting to the other officers that he still had the officer’s semen on his body, thus making the officer the subject of much surprise and scorn from his colleagues and work superiors. As part of his account of this incident, Arenas alluded to the revolutionary government’s belief that it is not possible for a homosexual male to possess the qualities that makes a true revolutionary. At the same time, Arenas also made a reference to the belief of a homosexual male being equivalent to a woman: â€Å"They ended up saying it was a shame that a member of the police force would engage in such acts, because I, after all, had my weakness, but for him, being a man, there was no excuse for getting involved with a queer. † Because he managed to achieve a position as a police officer in the Cuban revolutionary government, which included a convincing display of the masculine traits that the Cuban government believed were instrumental to the composition of a true revolutionary, the police officer was undoubtedly a â€Å"man† in the eyes of the state, whereas Arenas was not. The engendering of the passive and active partner in homosexual intercourse is not exclusive to Cuban revolutionary society, however. In What It Means to Be a Man, Casper and Ramirez cite the bugarron, a term used in Puerto Rican society to describe a male who is always the one to penetrate the male partner, yet always considers himself heterosexual. The bugarron blatantly dismisses the notion of his partner’s masculinity, and confirms his partner as the â€Å"woman† of the situation by calling his partner names such as mujer, mami, mamita, or loca. (96) Furthermore, the bugarron’s â€Å"usage of sexuality is highly ritualized to conserve his manhood and avoid being questioned about it. †(Casper, Ramirez 97) The desire to only be a penetrator and never a recipient of penetration serves as a political metaphor. The perception of a penetrator as heterosexual and undeniably male is underscored by masculine traits such as strength and dominance. Pingueros, a name given to male prostitutes in Cuba who only penetrate and refuse to be penetrated, represent the conquering of foreign bodies when solicited by gay tourists. (Chant, Kraske 139) This representation mirrors the notion of Cuba not just fending off but successfully invading and â€Å"screwing back† the imperialist, capitalist nation that has – or might wish to – exploit Cuba for its own self-interests. Just like the concept of prescribing gender to an active and passive partner in sexual intercourse between two men was reached over time by way of changing attitudes, beliefs, and perceptions, attitudes and behaviors toward homosexuality in general changing over time is also to be considered. Cultures are not static; they change over time, as do the notions of gender and sexuality in a culture. (Casper, Ramirez 27) Over the past decades, Cuba has witnessed a certain degree of change in attitudes and actions toward homosexuality on behalf of Cuban society at large as well as on behalf of the state.

Marvell Vs Herrick Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During the 17th century the style of writing was changing from poems about death to ones whose subject was about living life to it’s fullest extent. This kind of writing was also known as carpe diem. Robert Herrick and Andrew Marvell were two of the first carpe diem poets. Although their styles were similar their subjects differed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Marvell and Herrick used metaphors in their writing. In To His Coy Mistress, Marvell writes, â€Å"Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness lady were no crime,†(414). This is a metaphor saying that if they had all the time in the world to spend together that he would not be so worried about getting married right away. Herrick says in To the Virgins to Make Much of Time, â€Å"And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying,†(416). This means that whatever man likes a girl today, tomorrow may like somebody else. Both Marvell and Herrick’s poems are in the form of an argument, they are trying to convince the young women in the poems to forget their morals and live life like it should be lived. Both poets also used personification in their writing. Marvell personifies youth by comparing it to a drop of dew, â€Å"Now therefore, while the youthful hew sit on thy skin like morning dew,†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (415). Here he is sayi ng that like dew youth does not stay around forever. In Herrick’s poem he gives the sun life-like qualities in the line, â€Å"The glorious lamp of heaven, the sun, The higher he’...

The Grave: Redemption and Coming of Age

The Grave: Redemption and Coming of age Everyone has that one person that they look up to as a child. In the short story â€Å"The Grave,† a young girl named Miranda grew up without a mother and is considered to be a tomboy. Her older brother, Paul, is that person she looks up to. She has a sort of epiphany after playing and digging through dirt in her grandfather's old grave with her brother and finding a gold ring which gears her into discovering her femininity.The author, Katherine Anne Porter uses symbolism to a great extent to illustrate the themes of redemption and Miranda's epiphany of deciding to accept and embrace her existence as a woman. The main form of symbolism that porter uses in the story is Christian Symbolism. Prior to when Miranda and Paul explore the graves, Porter describes the cemetery by stating: â€Å"The cemetery had been a pleasant, small, neglected garden of tangled rose bushes and ragged cedar trees and cypress. . . † (362). The description o f the grave refers to the Garden of Eden which is a Christian Biblical setting.Grubbs acknowledges that: â€Å". . . Something that Miranda says about a snake following their exploration of the graves makes the Biblical connection almost obvious. â€Å"We [the reader] guess that there will be a fall however, when Miranda asks if she can ‘have the first snake’ in their hunt, suggesting the snake that led Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge† (Smith, Ed 3). This supports the theme of redemption to this Biblical reference. Miranda and Paul feel much like how Adam and Eve felt in The Fall of Eden; the reader can make this comparison by this quote in the short story saying: â€Å". . The cemetery was no longer theirs, and they felt like trespassers† (Porter 363). When Adam and Eve begin to feel as if they have done a forbidden act, they start to have negative feelings such as shame and the fear of being discovered, just like Miranda and Paul, and how they do not want anyone to know that they have been playing in their grandfather's grave. Grubbs points out the meaning of the graves being, â€Å". . . symbols of experience . . . and one of the story's many links to the fall† (2).In the graves Miranda found a silver dove and Paul found a gold ring, which they soon traded their findings. Considering the dove as well, Grubbs notes that â€Å"The dove's emergence from the grave suggests innocence born from experience . . . † he reports as well that â€Å"Graves and treasures represent loss and recovery; together they suggest continuity† (2). The symbolic meanings of the dove and the gold ring have a large impact on the story. The gold ring though has an even more of an impact on Miranda than it does on Paul.Following trading the ring with Paul, Miranda has an epiphany regarding her feelings about her existence as a woman and moving away from being a tomboy and move toward embracing her femininity. Once Miranda saw the ri ng she loved it, in the short story it states: â€Å"Miranda was smitten at sight of the ring and wished to have it† (Porter 363). The ring becomes to have a stronger effect on her when she begins to resent her boyish clothes. â€Å"Now the ring, shining with serene purity of fine gold on her rather grubby thumb, turned her feelings against her overalls and sockless feet . . . (Porter 365). She then wanted to go home and wanted to â€Å". . . dust herself with plenty of Maria's [her older sister] violet talcum powder† and â€Å". . . put on the thinnest, most becoming dress she owned, with a big sash, and sit in a wicker chair under the trees . . . † (Porter 365). With this being stated the reader can observe how Miranda is realizing the reality of the true differences between her and her brother. Cromie and Karr reason that: â€Å"This fantasy obviously works to prepare us for Miranda's acceptance of her destiny as a woman, but it is also reminiscent of the F all† (4).This is true because Miranda accepting herself as being a woman reflects her loss of innocence in relation to the story line in the Fall of Eden. Porter uses many different examples of symbolism throughout the story to connect the concept of death and rebirth [redemption] and Miranda's maturing into a young woman. Grubbs comments that: â€Å"The narrator draws us into ‘The Grave' through several layers of time and seemingly disjointed events, each layer revealing more than the one before† (2).Throughout the story the reader can follow Miranda's thoughts and behaviors to conclude her significant changes from a young girl who looked up to her older brother as a role model to designating her older sister as her role model, not to mention Miranda's discovery of continuity. Work Cited Porter, Katherine Anne. â€Å"†The Grave†Ã¢â‚¬  The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter. Orlando: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1979. 362-68. Print. Rooke Const ance and Bruce Wallis. â€Å"Myth and Epiphany in Porter’s ‘The Grave,’. Studies in short fiction 25. 3 (Summer 1978): 269-275. Rpt. In Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jenny Cromie and Justin Karr. Vol. 43. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. Literature Resource Center. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. Grubbs, M. A. â€Å"The Grave. † Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition (2004): 1-2. Literary Reference Center. Web. 26 Oct. 2012. â€Å"The Grave. † Short Stories for Student. Ed. Jennifer Smith. Vol. 11. Detroit: Gale Group, 2001. 78-93. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

Plastics in Childrens Toys

Neither you nor your child can escape the touch of plastics, and for the most part, you dont need to worry about it. Most plastics are perfectly safe for even very small children. Plastics in their pure form typically have low solubility in water and have a low level of toxicity. However, some plastics found in toys contain a variety of additives that have been found to be toxic. Although the relative risk of injury from plastic-based toxins is low, its prudent to select your childs toys carefully. Bisphenol-A Bisphenol-A -- usually called BPA -- was long used in toys, baby bottles, dental sealants, and even thermal receipt tape. More than 100 studies have linked BPA to problems including obesity, depression and breast cancer.   PVC Avoid plastics that are marked with a 3 or PVC because polyvinyl chloride plastics often contain additives that can make plastics more harmful than they need to be for children. The volume and type of those additives will vary by the object and may differ significantly from toy to toy. The manufacture of PVC creates dioxin, a serious carcinogen. Although the dioxin shouldnt be in the plastic, its a byproduct of the manufacturing process, so buying less PVC may be an environmentally smart decision. Polystyrene Polystyrene is a rigid, brittle, inexpensive plastic commonly used to make plastic model kits and other toys. The material is also a base of  EPS foam. In the late 1950s, high-impact polystyrene was introduced, which was not brittle; it is commonly used today to make toy figurines and similar novelties. Plasticizers Plasticizers such as adipates and phthalates had long been added to brittle plastics such as polyvinyl chloride to make them pliable enough for toys. Traces of these compounds can possibly leak out of the product. The European Union placed a permanent ban on the use of phthalates in toys. Furthermore, in 2009 the United States banned certain types of phthalates commonly used in plastics. Lead According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, plastic toys may contain lead, which is added to the plastic to soften it. If the toy is exposed to high heat, the lead may leach out in the form of dust, which may then be inhaled or ingested by a child or pet. A Little Bit of Vigilance Almost all plastic childrens toys are safe. A vast majority of toys are now made with polybutylene terephthalate plastic: You can tell these toys apart by sight, as they are the brightly colored,  shiny, very impact-resistant objects littering toy boxes across the country. Regardless of the type of plastic you encounter, its always wise to discard or recycle any plastic object that shows obvious signs of wear or degradation.   So although theres no need to panic about toxic toys, a little bit of vigilance -- especially with antique toys, or very inexpensive mass-produced toys -- may protect your children from unnecessary exposure.