Cultural Intelligence in Thai Society

Cultural Intelligence in Thai Society Abstract The purpose of this article was to explain and discuss cultural intelligence in Thai society where Buddhism plays a very important role to daily life of Thai people. Cultural intelligence is important can be helpful for individuals who interact with people from different cultural backgrounds and help for manage effectively culture differences. According to the model Thomas and Inkson (2004), the development of cultural intelligence occurs in five stages are reactivity, recognition, accommodation, assimilation, and proactive. There are three characteristics to increase cultural intelligence including integrity, openness, and hardiness. These characteristics look similarly in Thai culture factors. As Buddhism plays a very important role in the daily life of the Thai people. Since about 95% of the people in the kingdom of Thailand are Buddhist Therefore, Thai society or Thai people have basic from Buddha core teaching which helps people in everywhere to become more to develop cultural i ntelligence. Keywords: cultural intelligence (CQ), development cultural intelligence, Thai society Introduction In the recent year cultural intelligence (CQ) has been introduced into the global business literature (Earley, 2002; Earley Ang, 2003). This concept is meant to reflect the capability to deal effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. The ability interacts effectively with people who are culturally different. Globalization has been accelerated by a host of factors in the international business environment, including the following: New international trade agreement the growth of international trade the growth of multinational corporations the restructuring and downsizing of organizations the privatization of state enterprise the ability to locate business, particularly manufacturing, wherever cost it lowest the ability to execute financial transactions instantaneously on a global basis the transition of command economies to free markets the expansion of international migration the ability of information and communication technology to transcend time and distance (Th omas Inkson, 2004). Although international commerce may have existed for many years ago, it is only in the past few years that globalization has such a broad effect on business. Until recently only a few very large multinational companies were concerned with foreign operations. For most firms business was largely local, tried closely to the city or region in which they were located, and certainly limited to the confines of the country. Now, business extends across all manner of porous boundaries—some of which have become so porous they have almost ceased to exist—across the entire globe. Even very small firms now have the capability to be global. With a computer, a modem, and telephone connection it is possible to be a global business almost instantaneously. Because of globalization, the environment of business is now more complex, more dynamic, more uncertain, and more competitive than ever before. And there is no evidence that these trends will reverse or decrease (Thomas Inkson, 2004). Globalization of people is the result of dramatic shifts that have taken place in economics, politics, and technology. However, the day-to-day reality of global business involves interactions and relationships with people who are culturally different. In business today, we travel overseas among people from other cultures, we speak with them on international telephone calls, and we correspond with them be e-mail. Even in our home cities, we notice that more and more of our colleagues, our clients, and even the people we pass in the street are observable from cultures different from our own. The trend is inexorable. The range of different cultural backgrounds in huge; colleagues, business associates, and contacts probable represent countries or ethnic groups from all over the world. Johansen and McLean (2006) said that: Globalization, communications technology, immigration, an increased focus on religion and spirituality, and the ease of both domestic and international travel offer an opportunity to work, learn, and interact with people whose backgrounds differ from our own. To be effective, HRD practitioners must recognize how cultural background, assumptions, and view of the world influence an understanding. (P. 1) Culture can be seen as shaping the nature of social structures as they grow and adapt (Hofstede, 1991). Earley, Ang, and Tan (2006) suggested that â€Å"cultural intelligence as operating within a diversity context consisting of at least three layers – individual, team, and organization† (p. 168). As mention above, Earley (2002) concluded that it is a challenge to create suitable behavior in a new cultural setting that makes cultural intelligence unique. What is exactly cultural intelligence look like? How to improve cultural intelligence? Thomas and Inkson (2004) suggested three characteristics to increase cultural intelligence including integrity, openness, and hardiness. They also describe that culturally intelligent people see the connections between a culture and its context, history, and value orientations. People realize that knowledge of the culture of a country or region is only valuable in the context of understanding its religious, philosophical, and historical issues. All of these inspire the author to think about what does the relationship between cultural intelligence in my home county, Thailand. Thai culture has been greatly influenced by Buddhism. Thai culture is often known as â€Å"Thai-Buddhist culture† (Dhirvegin, 1998, p. 13). Buddhism plays a very important role in the daily life of the Thai people. Since about 95% of the people in the kingdom of Thailand are Buddhist (Chadchaidee, 2005). Do any Thai people really need to develop cultural intelligence? If yes, what kinds of cultural intelligence that Thai people needed? Purpose of the article This article is aims to explain and discus about cultural intelligence issue especially in Thai society. In order to clearly understanding, the author will present the concept of cultural intelligence, Thai culture and society, Buddhist core teaching will be discussed. Cultural Intelligence Issue There are many scholars define cultural intelligence (Earley, 2002; Early Ang, 2003; Earley, Ang Tan, 2006; Erley Mosakowski, 2004; Earley Peterson, 2004; Tomas, 2006; Thomas Inkson, 2004). In this section, the author will present an overview of cultural intelligence that including definition of cultural intelligence, components of cultural intelligence, characteristics supportive of cultural intelligence, and developmental stages of cultural intelligence. Cultural intelligence, one component of cultural competence, is defined as â€Å"a person’s capability to adapt effectively to new cultural contexts† (Earley Ang, 2003, p. 59). More specifically, cultural intelligence is â€Å"a seemingly natural ability to interpret someone’s unfamiliar and ambiguous gestures the way that person’s compatriots would and colleagues would, even to mirror them† (Earley Mosakowaski, 2004, p. 140). Cultural intelligence captures a person’s capability to adapt effectively to new cultural contexts and it has both process and content features (Earley Ang, 2003; Thomas Inkson, 2004). Similar to earlier definitions, Thomas and Inkson (2004) present the three component of cultural intelligence.   According to the Figure 1, Thomas and Inkson (2004) described at first, the culturally intelligent manger requires knowledge of culture and of the fundamental principles of cross-cultural interactions. This means knowing what culture is how cultures vary, and how culture affects behavior. Second, the culturally intelligent manager needs to practice mindfulness, the ability to pay attention in a reflective and creative way to cues in the cross-cultural situations encountered. The last, based on knowledge and mindfulness, the culturally intelligent manager develops behavioral skills, and becomes competent across a wide range of situations. These skills involve choosing the appropriate behavior from a well-developed repertoire of behaviors that are correct for different intercultural situations. All of three elements are interrelated with the other. This knowledge is only the beginning to becoming culturally intelligent. Cultural intelligence involves understanding the fundamentals of intercultural interaction, developing a mindfulness approach to intercultural interactions and finally building adaptive skills and a repertoire of behaviors so that one is effective in different intercultural situations. If we accept the notion that cultural intelligence is learned over time through intercultural interactions we can also envision that individuals pass through various stages of development in their level of cultural intelligence. Thomas and Inkson (2004 pp. 66-68) presented five stages to develop cultural intelligence including: Stage 1: Reactivity to external stimuli. A starting point is mindlessly following ones own cultural rules and norms. This stage is typical of individuals with very little exposure to, or interest in, other cultures. Parochial individuals do not even recognize that cultural differences exist. If they do, they consider them inconsequential. People at this stage of development can be heard to say things like â€Å"I dont see differences, and I treat everyone the same.†. Stage 2: Recognition of other cultural norms and motivation to learn more about them. Experience and mindfulness produce a newfound awareness of the multicultural mosaic that surrounds us. A heightened sense of mindfulness presents a sometimes-overwhelming amount of new information Curiosity is aroused, and the individual wants to lean more. People at this stage often struggle to sort through the complexity of the cultural environment. They search for simple rules of thumb to guide their behavior. Stage 3: Accommodation of other culture norms and rules in ones own mind. Reliance on absolutes disappears. A deeper understanding of cultural variation begins to develop. The cultural norms and rules of various societies begin to seem comprehensible and even reasonable in their context. The recognition of appropriate behavioral responses to different cultural situations develops; however, only fairly obvious cues are attended to, and adaptive behavior takes a lot of effort and is often awkward. People at this stage know what to say and do in a variety of cultural situations. However, they have to think about it, and adaptive behavior does not feel natural. Stage 4: Assimila tion of diverse cultural norms into alternative behaviors. At this stage adjusting to different situations no longer requires much effort. Individuals develop a repertoire of behaviors from which they can choose depending on the specific cultural situation. They actively experiment with new behavior. They function in a number of different cultures almost effortlessly and with no more stress than if they were in their home culture- Members of other cultures accept them as culturally knowledgeable and feel comfortable interacting with them. They feel at home, almost anywhere, Stage 5: Proactivity in cultural behavior based on recognition of changing cues that others do not perceive. People who are highly culturally intelligent have the ability, through continuous sampling of internal states and external cues, to sense changes in cultural context, sometimes even before members of the other culture. They are so attuned to the nuances of intercultural interactions that they almost automa tically adjust their behavior to anticipate these changes and facilitate better intercultural interactions among others. They seem to intuitively know what behaviors are required and how to execute them effectively. Individuals at this stage of development may be quite rare; however, it is a level of cultural intelligence to which we all might aspire. Griffer and Perlis (2007) stated that the development of cultural intelligence begins with a study of self and the awareness that everyone has a multi-perspective identity. Many people look into a mirror and describe themselves on the basis of what they see and subsequently describe others in the same way. Looking into that mirror, we see characteristics that can be easily described as race. Multi-perspective identity is defined as â€Å"characteristics of our identity that enable each individual to view reality through specific perspectives based upon ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class† (Perlis, 2001 p. 11). This concept can certainly incorporate other forms of difference that comprise one’s identity; however, the definition for our work addressing the development of cultural intelligence will focus on these basic cultural characteristics. As pre-service we begin to see themselves as multi-perspective individual s and understand the interrelationships between these forms of their identity, they will develop cultural intelligence. Thomas Inkson (2004) suggested the possession or development of these underlying characteristics – integrity, openness, and hardiness – can support acquisition of a cultural intelligence easier. Integrity is â€Å"having a well-developed sense of self and understanding how one’s own belief system motivates behavior† (Thomas Inkson, 2004 p. 65). People differ in the ways they describe our inner self cannot be directly known by other people. It is important for us to have an honest understanding of ourselves. Openness is â€Å"showing deferential respect and a willingness to learn from others† (Thomas Inkson, 2004 p. 65). It is mean inquisitiveness particularly about people from different cultures. Hardiness is â€Å"robustness, courage, intrepidness, and capability of surviving unfavorable conditions. If we are hardy we can cope with stress, recover from shocks, and perceive stressful events as interesting and meaningful and as an opportunity for growth and learning. † (Thomas Inkson, 2004 p. 65). In summary, Cultural intelligence is a person’s aptitude to task successfully with people from different culture background and understanding. Cultural intelligence has three component of cultural intelligence include with knowledge, mindfulness, and behavior. The development of cultural intelligence occurs in five stages are reactivity, recognition, accommodation, assimilation, and proactive. Finally, the author present three characteristics to increase cultural intelligence including integrity, openness, and hardiness can support acquisition of a cultural intelligence. The next section the author will present about Thai culture and society. Thai Culture and Society Thailand is situated in the heart of Southeast Asia with Bangkok as the capital city. Thailand spreads out over 513,115 square kilometers of land and stretches some 1,620 kilometers from north to south and 775 kilometers from east to west. Thailand is divided into four natural regions: the north, northeast, the central plain, and the south. The Kingdom, a society that is also free, cohesive, and open, remains one of the most attractive places in the world to visit and conduct business. Buddhism is the faith of approximately 95 percent of the population (About Thailand, 2007). Today, Thai people share a rich ethnic diversity, Mon, Khmer, Tai, Chinese, Malay, Laotian, and Indian stock, with the result that there is no typically Thai. About 80% of all Thais are connected in some way with agriculture, which influences and is influenced by the religious ceremonies and festivals that help make Thailand such a distinctive country (UNDP: Thailand Human Development Report, 2007). It should be noted that the concepts of Thai culture are mostly similar to Buddhist principle. Buddhist principles are pragmatic (Payutto, 2003) as we can see from one of the teachings about pairs that though little he recites the Sacred Texts, but put the precepts into practice, forsaking lust, hatred and delusion, with right knowledge, with mind well freed, cling to nothing here or hereafter, he has a share in religious life (Wannapok, 1988). There are the main ideas of Buddhism are contained in the statements known as The Noble Eightfold Path and the Middle Way. Truth defines the Buddhist way of life and contains ail the ethical teaching and practices of Buddhism. It provides the way and means to attain the goal as set forth in the third Truth. This way is called the Noble Eightfold Path as it consists of eight factors as show in Table 1. Table 1: The Noble Eightfold Path as it corresponds to the Threefold Training The Threefold Training The Noble Eightfold Path ‘Panna’ or Wisdom Right View Right Thought ‘Sila’ or Morality Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood ‘Samadhi’ or Meditation Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration. Knietim (2009) suggested that Right View is means to see and to understand things as they really. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. Right Thought is the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. It can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Right Speech is importance of speech can save lives or break, make friends or enemies. Right Action is expression and involves bodily actions. Right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Right Livelihood means that one should earn ones living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. Right effort is mental energy, it is the force behind right effort. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right mindfulness is the ability to see t hings as they are, with clear consciousness. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualization in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Right Concentration is through the practice of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations The eight aspects of the path are not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other. The eight factors of the Path are therefore organized into a system called the Threefold Training of morality (comprising the Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood factors), concentration or thought development (comprising the Right Effort,  Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration factors), and wisdom (consisting of the Right View, and Right Thought factors) (Chanchamnong, 2003). One of the most complex values in Thai culture is â€Å"The concept of Kreng Jai†. It is very difficult for foreigners to understand. This concept is the concept of being â€Å"considerate†. Komin asserts that this concept underlies a significant portion of everyday interpersonal behavioral patterns of the Thais (Komin, 1990). She further explained that: Its closest meaning is to be considerate, to feel reluctant to impose upon another person, to take another persons feelings (and ego) into account, or to take every measure not to cause discomfort or inconvenience for another person. Kreng jai refers to such attitude predisposing to ones resulting behavior towards someone else. Kreng jai behavior is to be observed by all, superiors, equals, and inferiors, including intimate relationships like husband-wife, and close friends, with differences in degree. (pp. 161-162) In general, Thai people helps others people without expecting any return or any compensation. At the same time the person who receives help will feel indebted to the helper and he will remember that and try to repay or return the favor at a later date. This is one of culture factor called â€Å"The concept of helping each other† (Joungtrakul, 2008). One of the most important in Thai society is the concept of ‘Bunkhun’. Thai people deeply and will be quite difficult to change. There are limitations in applying this concept as it may go beyond proper practice. However, to ignore or to delete it from a model would be difficult and may cause some problems in practice. Its removal could do more harm than good. There is no doubt Buddhism has a conscious significant role in the everyday Thai life. With regard to religious activities, likewise, the Thai are constantly engaged in merit-makings, and numerous other religious ceremonies. These activities are religious rituals. And as a Buddhist country, there are such activities to perform all year round, at home, at work, and in the community. Komin (1990) described that Thai people are sympathetic to others and it becomes the nature of the Thais in general. The application of this concept will create cooperative attitudes and collective efforts by the two parties to achieve common goals. Thai people also practice this concept in their daily lives and the phase of ‘meet half way’ is understandable by the Thais. This concept calls â€Å"The concept of compromising†. As the Thai culture is a â€Å"Thai-Buddhism culture† (Dhiravegin, 1998, p.l3), the middle path is a way of life for a Thai. Thais are compromising in nature and try to avoid any explicit confrontation. Thais follow the Buddhist principles of helping all people. This is usually done by joining in constructively creating social harmony and unity according to the four principles of helpful integration (Sangaha-Vatthu), which are: (1) Dana: giving, sharing (helping through money material goods); (2) Piyavaca: amicable speech (helping through words); (3) Atthacariy: helpful action (helping through physical effort); (4) Samarattata: participation (helping through problem solving) (Payutto, 2000 p.7). Buddhism Role’s and Cultural Intelligence in Thai Society According to three characteristic of Thomas and Inkson concept, there are integrity, openness, and hardiness which can support acquisition of a cultural intelligence. They explain that ‘Integrity’ is having a well-developed sense of self and understanding how one’s own belief system motivates behavior. ‘Openness’ is showing deferential respect and a willingness to learn from others. ‘Hardiness’ is robustness, courage, intrepidness, and capability of surviving unfavorable conditions. In the view point of the author, these three characteristic of develop cultural intelligence relate to some part of Buddha’s core teaching that show in Table 2. Characteristics to improve cultural intelligence relate to Buddha’s core teachings Characteristics Buddha’s core teachings Integrity Chanda: the will or aspiration. This is compatible with the faith that leads to achieving wisdom (Chanchamnong, 2003, Payutto, 2003). Openness Citta: Thoughtfulness, i.e. making a conscious effort to think analytically in order to achieve the right views (Chanchamnong, 2003, Payutto, 2003). Hardiness Viriya: the effort, the energy which one exerts in the right way to accomplish the right view (Chanchamnong, 2003, Payutto, 2003). According to Table 2 shown the relationship between the three characteristics to improve cultural intelligence relate to Buddha’s core teachings is very closely. For the stages of cultural intelligence development, from literature review and compare between cultural intelligence concept of Thomas and Inkson (2004) with Buddhist principle concept especially as shown Table 2. The author beliefs that in Thai society, Thai people will be getting into develop stage of cultural intelligence with not too different. In fact the Buddha core teaching trains the people go to be the good person like other religion, help each other’s sympathy and support the society. Indeed, the Buddha core teaching focus in human resource development specially begins from self development, physical and mentor. That is mean the people who develop their own self will gain more cultural intelligence. Conclusion Cultural intelligence is important for individuals who interact with people from different countries, religious background – those with different cultural backgrounds. Cultural intelligence is a person’s aptitude to task successfully with people from different culture background and understanding. According to three characteristic of Thomas and Inkson concept, there are integrity, openness, and hardiness which can support acquisition of a cultural intelligence. They explain that ‘Integrity’ is having a well-developed sense of self and understanding how one’s own belief system motivates behavior. ‘Openness’ is showing deferential respect and a willingness to learn from others. ‘Hardiness’ is robustness, courage, intrepidness, and capability of surviving unfavorable conditions. Three characteristic of develop cultural intelligence have relate to Buddhist core teaching. Indeed, the Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world and it provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to right happiness. Buddhism in Thailand is strongly influenced by traditional beliefs regarding ancestral and natural spirits. Therefore, Buddha ways can help Thai people to develop a repertoire of behavioral skills appropriate to different intercultural situations and will be able to choose the right ones for a given interaction. The Thai word say â€Å"Khao mueng tar-lew, tong lew-tar tarm†, the meaning in English is â€Å"When in Rome, do as the Romans do† as a great cultural intelligence. References Chadchaidee T. (2005). Essay on Thailand. (17th enlarged edit.). Bangkok: Thanapol Vitayakarn. Chanchamnong S. (2003). The Buddha’s core teachings. Bangkok: Saisungsukaphapjai. Dhiravegin, L. (1998). Evolution of Thai political and dministration (in Thai) (6th ed.). Bangkok: Thammasat University Press. Earley, P. C, Ang, S. (2003). Cultural intelligence: An analysis of individual interactions across cultures. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press. Earley, P. C, (2002). Redefining interactions across cultures and organizations: Moving forward with cultural intelligence. Research in Organizational Behavior 24, 271-299. Earley, P. C. Mosakowski, E. (2004). Cultural intelligence. Harvard Business Review (10), 139-146. Earley, P. C., Ang, S., Tan, J. S. (2006). CQ: Developing cultural intelligence at work. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. Earley, P.C. and Peterson, R.S. (2004). The elusive cultural chameleon: Cultural intelligence as a new approach to intercultural training for the global manager. Academy of Management Learning and Education 3(1), 100-15. Griffer M.R. Perlis M.P. (2007). Developing cultural intelligence in preservice speech-language pathologists and educators. Communication Disorders jhQuarterly, 29(1), 28-35. Hofstede, G. (1991). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind: Intercultural cooperation and its Importance for survival, Cambridge, England: McGraw-Hill. Johansen B. P. McLean G. N. (2006). Worldviews of adult learning in the workplace: A core concept in human resource development advances in developing human resources, Advances in Developing Human Resources 8(3), 321-328. Abstract retrieved July 8, 2009, from http://adh.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/8/3/321. Joungtrakul, J. (2008). The Stride: A concerted industrial action in Thailand. Bangkok: Business Law Center. Knierim T. (2007). The Noble Eightfold Path. [Online] Available from http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html. [2009, July 25] Komin S. (1990). The Psychology of the Thai people Values and Behavioral Patterns. Bangkok: National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), Research Center. Payutto , P.A. (2000). A Constition for Living (6th ed.). Bangkok: Saha Dhammikkha Press. Payutto, P.A. (2003). The Pali Cannon: What a Buddhist Must Know. Bangkok: S. R. Printing Mass Products. Perlis, S.M. (2001). Sexual orientation and multiperspective identity on a small, Catholic campus: An analysis of the cultural climate and multicultural organizational change. Doctor dissertation, Temple University, Philadelphia. The Royal Thai Embassy (2007). About Thailand: An overview of Thailand. [Online] Available from http://thaiembdc.org/aboutthai/overview.htm. [2009, July 1] Thomas, D. C., Inkson, K. (2004). Cultural intelligence: People skills for global business. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Thomas, D.C. (2006). Domain and development of cultural intelligence: The importance of mindfulness, Group and Organization Management 31(1), 78-79. United Nations Development Program: Thailand Human Development Report 2007; Sufficiency Economy and Human Development. [Online] Avaliable from: Retrieved http://www.undp.or.th. [2009, July 18] Wannapok S. (1988). The Buddha’s words in the Dhammapada (6th end). Bangkok: Chormafai Press.

Richard Wright and Black Boy :: Black Boy

Richard Wright and Black Boy One main point of the United States Constitution was missing from the Jim Crow South: equality. The Constitution clearly states that "all men are created equal," but in the Jim Crow era blacks were continuously persecuted for something that would be acceptable in today's society. In the early 20th century the South was a place of racial prejudice, discrimination, and hate; blacks could be punished for simply looking at a white person in the wrong manner. Punishments included arrest, beating, even lychings were a common part of the age. This is how life was while Richard Wright was growing up; but in his autobiography Black Boy we learn that despite his being a black boy in the Jim Crow South, born on a Mississippi plantation, he is eventually able to achieve success. Although independence was a crucial factor that enabled Richard Wright to succeed, his rebelliousness, intelligence, and perseverance were also important contributing factors. Richard Wright was an independent person by nature. Throughout the book Richard never seemed to have an extreme emotional attachment to anyone. It was as if he did not need or want anyone's assistance or approval, except his own. Ever since Richard was very young he was forced to be independent. When he mother had her stroke, Richard was forced to take charge and become the person of the house and he would accept no one's help. "Though I was a child, I could no longer feel as a child, could no longer react as a child...When the neighbor's offered me food, I refused, already ashamed that so often in my life I had to be fed by strangers."(pg.97) While Richard was living at his Granny's his independence really started to show through. All Richard ever thought about was leaving to go to the North; especially after being ridiculed for writing his story, The Voodoo of Hell's Half-Acre. No one supported him. He wanted to be able to do what he wanted to, by himself. "I drea! med of going north and writing books and novels."(pg.186) Once Richard was on his own he felt free of the burden, of other people's opinions that had tied him down his entire life. Along with independence, his rebelliousness was another beginning point of Wright's drive to make it in a white man's world. The very first sign we see of the rebel in Wright is when he is only four years old. Richard and his brother are playing with a stray cat one day when his Richard Wright and Black Boy :: Black Boy Richard Wright and Black Boy One main point of the United States Constitution was missing from the Jim Crow South: equality. The Constitution clearly states that "all men are created equal," but in the Jim Crow era blacks were continuously persecuted for something that would be acceptable in today's society. In the early 20th century the South was a place of racial prejudice, discrimination, and hate; blacks could be punished for simply looking at a white person in the wrong manner. Punishments included arrest, beating, even lychings were a common part of the age. This is how life was while Richard Wright was growing up; but in his autobiography Black Boy we learn that despite his being a black boy in the Jim Crow South, born on a Mississippi plantation, he is eventually able to achieve success. Although independence was a crucial factor that enabled Richard Wright to succeed, his rebelliousness, intelligence, and perseverance were also important contributing factors. Richard Wright was an independent person by nature. Throughout the book Richard never seemed to have an extreme emotional attachment to anyone. It was as if he did not need or want anyone's assistance or approval, except his own. Ever since Richard was very young he was forced to be independent. When he mother had her stroke, Richard was forced to take charge and become the person of the house and he would accept no one's help. "Though I was a child, I could no longer feel as a child, could no longer react as a child...When the neighbor's offered me food, I refused, already ashamed that so often in my life I had to be fed by strangers."(pg.97) While Richard was living at his Granny's his independence really started to show through. All Richard ever thought about was leaving to go to the North; especially after being ridiculed for writing his story, The Voodoo of Hell's Half-Acre. No one supported him. He wanted to be able to do what he wanted to, by himself. "I drea! med of going north and writing books and novels."(pg.186) Once Richard was on his own he felt free of the burden, of other people's opinions that had tied him down his entire life. Along with independence, his rebelliousness was another beginning point of Wright's drive to make it in a white man's world. The very first sign we see of the rebel in Wright is when he is only four years old. Richard and his brother are playing with a stray cat one day when his

Article Presentation Mgmt 591

Article Presentation – Leader-follower relationship What is the issue that necessitates that such an article be written? The purpose of this article is to determine who the leader is and who the follower is, how they are connected and what are the differences between them. One of the issues in this article is that the followers are not as well defined in literature as leaders, not much attention is paid to this important group. Another issue of this article is how to develop good relationship between leaders and followers.Simpson and Harris proposed 5 ways in which leader-follower relationship develop. What strategies or techniques are used to address the issue? Once we are fully connected in our leader-follower roles, we have a foundation on which to build. Trust, energy, openness and attitude can emerge from within. We will be mutually empowered to listen to each other and to be aware of proper distance and positioning. Just as dancing is an art, so too is leading and follow ing.We can execute our strategic plan and still miss our objectives if we get disconnected along the way – from ourselves or from our leader. Your conclusion and recommendations. The common theme here for leaders and followers is frequent interaction resulting in a shared understanding and a mutual respect to achieve established goals. Much like any relationship, the leader-follower/follower-leader relationship requires mutual commitment and effort, and the input and ideas of both parties needs to be valued. My recommendation is clearly define which role plays each character-leader and follower.They both are very important in any organization, and they can’t exist without each other, because one comes from another one. Provide a list of discussion questions useful for leading a discussion of the article. * How do you personally define a leader and a follower? How to become a good leader/follower? * In your organization, who is more important –leader or follower? Why? * What are the guidelines that should be at the foundation of a healthy leader/follower relationship? * In your organization or in personal life, do you have followers? Why are they following you?

Conversation In The Odyssey - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1128 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/01 Category Literature Essay Level High school Tags: Odyssey Essay Did you like this example? Conversation in the Odyssey Author Background: The name of the author of the article Conversation in the Odyssey is Scott Richardson. Scott Richardson is a professor of classics. He teaches at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint Johns University in Minnesota. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Conversation In The Odyssey" essay for you Create order He has a B.A in Classics from Harvard University, an M.A from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, from Stanford University. Scott Richardsons educational background is a bachelor from Harvard University in 1978, Master of arts from Stanford University in 1980, and a Doctor of Philosophy from Stanford University in 1984. He teaches Latin and Greek and Human Languages and Culture. He is an assistant professor of classics at Saint Johns university and is an associate professor at Saint Johns university. Scott Richardson has interests in writing about the authors Homer, the Greek playwrights, Fyodor Dostoevsky, James Joyce, Dorothy Dunnett, Thomas Pynchon, and the writers of Icelandic sagas. Another work done by Scott Richardson is The Homeric Narrator, a book that he published. He also has written other articles on Homer. He does not have an active twitter or other social media accounts. Scott Richardsons teaching and research interests are Greek and Latin languag e, Greek and Latin literature, European and American literature (especially Scandinavian and British), and narrative theory. Analysis: The thesis statement of the article is the various conversations in the Odyssey. The article is about what is spoken by both parties that is not truly conveyed. The concluding statement that the author makes is that conversation in the Odyssey is a cryptic puzzle, intelligible and rewarding to those who know how to solve it, baffling to those who take it at face value. Summary: One claim that Scott makes is that the bulk of dialogue that is straightforward and honest comes from the mouths of characters who prove in other ways articles: Zeus, Nestor, the servants, and the suitors. The author supports the claim mentioned by stating that Zeus and nestor, the divine and human voices of social and narrative order, stand above the game of saying something in a conversation, and not stating exactly what you mean to say or what you want the person you are having a conversation with understand. Richardson came to that conclusion because a great majority of conversations in the Odyssey feature indirect address, impolication, hidden, or coded meaning, lying, feigned, ignorance, secrecy, concealment of facts, end expressions of disbelief. In Richardsons article, Conversation in the Odyssey, he makes a second claim. The second claim was that Odysseus, a suspicious man, is the champion of all these kinds of indirection and concealment, the consummate manipulator of language to suit his advantage. He backs up his claim by saying that Nausicaa has the Odyssean instinct when she manipulates her father into giving her mules and a wagon, but she fails to see that Alcinous has seen through her request. This claim is important because in conversation, you have to be good at the game you are trying to play, so that when your conversing, you can mean something other than what you are actually saying without anyone figuring it out. A third claim that Scott Richardson makes in his article is that Penelopes indirect address to the man claiming to be her husband by way of an apparently direct statement to her son and the implication in her bed trick that she has been a faithful wife represent the two most prevalent forms of indirect communication in the Odyssey. Scott Richardson backs up his claim by saying that Penelopes entry in Book 1 marks the first instance of indirect address, which will become almost the norm in conversation with more than two people present . When Penelope berates that bard Phemius for his song about misadventure on the return from Troy, her real targets are the hateful suitors who relish the topic. This claim is important because in conversation, directly telling the other person what you mean is a better way to approach a conversation. A fourth and final claim that Scott Richardson makes is that when the point of ones word is to manipulate the situation to suit ones interests rather than to reveal and communicate, conversation is game and performance. The game of language in the Odyssey can be playful, but the perplex use of speech reflects a treacherous and precarious world in which survival and happiness depends on assuming that appearance is deceiving. Richardson backs up his claim by saying that the straightforwardness is masking a reality that must be deciphered. Those who play the game well listen carefully to what is not stated outright and express what they mean by not actually saying what they mean. This claim is important because when conversing, one can use different words to try to manipulate the other person in the conversation, which makes the conversation tricky to comprehend. Evaluation: I believe that the author of Conversation in the Odyssey, Scott Richardson, did a very good job developing their arguments. I also believe that the author is qualified to write on the subject of the Odyssey because he has a B.A in Classics from Harvard University, an M.A from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, from Stanford University. I also believe that he is qualified to write on the subject of the Odyssey because he has interests in writing about the authors Homer, and the Greek playwrights, and has other work done by Scott Richardson is The Homeric Narrator, a book that he published, along with other articles on Homer, the author of the Odyssey. I think that Scott Richardson left out a little bit about the game that was played during conversations that he was trying to describe. I am convinced of their argument by the end of the article. A passage that was referenced in the article is, Then, when the wheeling seasons brought the fourth year on, one of her women, in on the queens secret, told the truth and we caught her in the act-unweaving her gorgeous web. So she finished it off. Against her will. We forcer her. This passage was described in Scott Richardsons article as a secret that Atena told Telemachus. When I read the passage while reading the Odyssey, I interpreted it the same way. Scott Richardson really stuck to his argument, and ended up convincing me about his argument at the end of the article. I think that Scott Richardson supported his claim well, compared his examples to other situations, he gave in depth explanations, he talked about individual characters. Works Cited Richardson, Scott. Conversation in the Odyssey. College Literature, vol. 34, no. 2, 2007, pp. 132149. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25115424. Scott Richardson. I Am Malala Book Review CSB/SJU, www.csbsju.edu/languages-and-cultures/faculty/scott-richardson.