Analysis of Desirees Baby By Kate Chopin

Analysis of Desirees Baby By Kate Chopin Desirees Baby has been set in the days before the abolition of slavery in the big farms/plantations owned by whites and tendered by black slaves in the Southern State of Texas. Monsieur Valmonde finds an abandoned baby by the wayside. His wife, Madam Valmonde, does not have a child of her own thus; she takes the baby and names her Desiree. Madam Valmonde and her husband, Monsieur Valmonde raise the child, until she turns 18 years-an age considered ripe for courtship and marriage (Chopin). Her beauty, elegance, and white skin attract Monsieur Aubigny, a plantation owner and widower who just returned from burying his wife in France. This essay provides an insight into alienation in relationships, the consequences of mans evil institutions like slavery and racism. Aubigny, the main character, feels a strong sense of alienation in his relationship with black slaves, a people that he greatly despises. They are an inferior race, generally a non-people in his eyes. Aubigny a rich white landowner is endowed with wealth and the right color. In the society that all the characters live, white is deemed acceptable and good. Anybody with a black skin is a social outcast, and they should be rejected to live the cursed life, that of slavery. Aubignys parents were white, and they instilled into him the right color that an endowed person should have or associate. His family is one of the initial sources of alienation. His upbringing constantly placed him on top of blacks, and this is why he denies his baby because it is turning black. Madam Valmonde also exclaimed that Desirees baby was not the baby implying that the babys origin and color will not be accepted by society as that of Aubignys. The society, immediate family, and close friends shape the status of an individual. The way people behave is largely affected by; how they perceive themselves and what society will think about them. Madam Valmonde refuses that Desirees baby is not the kind of child that society will accept. Society cannot accept that both Augbiny and Desiree, both white can have a black offspring, the cursed race. Augbiny cannot accept living with a woman who has given birth to an inferior being (Chopin). He cannot imagine what his close friends, family, and society will think about him. This is why he decides to alienate himself from both wife and child before society judges his behavior. His actions are dictated by society and not by self-worth. If society does not accept blacks, then he too cannot accept them. He burns everything that belongs to Desiree and her baby to get rid of any information that links his private life to blacks. This shows that he cannot outdo the code of conduct in his white dominated society. Desire too cannot imagine what society will think of her black baby and she chose to drown with him in a swamp. Madam Valmonde plays the role of society. She knows that the real father, Aubigny, will not accept the baby. She tries to express this to Desiree although she does not understand. She also plays the part of society that will accept the rejected. She willingly takes her daughter and grandson back. This shows her motherly love and concern for the unhappy daughter. Failure to accept her adopted daughter and grandson may cause her to be labeled as selfish and inhuman by society. The letter from Augbinys mother to his father serves the role of a wakeup call into reality. It jerks Augbiny into knowing that whatever he has rejected (black) is in his blood and in fact the source of his life (mother) (Chopin). A popular culture metaphor taken from the story is the one that describes Armand Aubignys features. He is described as a having a dark and handsome face that had not been disfigured by frowns. This metaphor implies that black is handsome although society does not accept people of color (Chopin).This metaphor shows the irony in societys code of acceptance. A person can be black and handsome and yet society had rather accept white and ugly because the later comes from a superior race while the earlier originates from an inferior race. Aubigny lacks a complete sense of direction. He knows that the origin of Desirees parents is not know and yet drinks into her beauty. He cannot accept the color of slaves thus results to deceit and wickedness to save his face in society. He is very ignorant of his looks and denies his looks. The fact that he does not acknowledge his ignorance, wants to satisfy the code of acceptance of society makes him ruin his relationship with his family. Ironically, He begins to treat the slaves fairly because he realizes that he has a black baby! Aubignys chooses the wrong path of letting go of his family because of the color of the baby. The baby just like his parents did not choose where to be born and in what color. Desiree also chooses the wrong path of killing herself and son. This because she feels that society cannot accept her and they may label her as a failure. She does not understand that one cannot satisfy the demands of society and being black is human. My sympathy goes to the baby who dies because of something that he does not have any power over. As for the married couple, they deserve what they get; they let society dictate everything that they believe in without realizing that nothing is perfect in the eyes of man. Society and its representatives like race, marriage, and slavery are faulted in this story. During the pre-colonial times, a slave could only marry a slave and a white to a white. However, whites could have sex with slaves with or without their consent. This resulted to colored people who could not be accepted because of their mixed heritage and the act of a white male siring with a black slave (one of the lowly acts). This story highlights racism, its effects on people who are victims and cannot accept it like Desiree and Augbiny. In this story, there is a great conflict between reality and fantasy. Augbiny fantasizes that he should get a girl instead of a boy. He further fantasizes that the beauty and fair skin of Desiree will help him to get a purebred white child who does not have any black flaws. Madam Valmonde also fantasizes that the child should have been white she says that openly à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦this is not the child (Chopin). She knows that if the child is not white, then there is nothing foe Desiree. This is why she accepts both daughter and grandson. Women/girls are victims of their own making. They fail to understand that beauty or color alone cannot lead to a happy life. They do not comprehend their needs and the reason to live. Desiree argues with Augbiny that she is whiter than Augbinys. She writes a letter to her mother telling her that she is unhappy because of the mistreatment from her husband. This shows that she cannot accept to live as black, with a black child in a society that labels black as bad and cursed. In a case like these, men like Augbiny take advantage of misunderstandings and capitalize on them making women unhappy. They strain their relationship because they feel that they are following the code of acceptance of society. Women are also victims of societal demands. Desiree cannot be happy without a man and she does not want to imagine how society will see her. This makes her end her life and that of her baby in a tragic manner. A man like Augbiny is a victim of society and its institutions like slavery. Man spends so much time building racism and slavery and in the end, these two things swallow their lives into the unknown. Racism and slavery are meant to serve the interest of whites but it is ironical that they again destroy him especially when Augbiny discovers that he too is black. Augbiny expects his fantasies to be true thus lays all his hopes in color. If it is now white, he does not want anything to do with it. He falsely expects that society will accept him now that he has done away with family only to discover that he too is black. The moral issues that arise in this story are wickedness, deception, and misunderstanding. People shudder at the thought of being black or even being associated with the cursed race. Augbiny does not understand that color and origin of a human being can neither be changed nor be discarded. Desiree discards her color, that of her son and her origin in death. This implies that slavery and racism are things that are very evil in society and should be discarded or they will eat into the human soul. Blacks are human beings and color is only skin-deep and is dictated by their genes; things that none can suppress or change (Schneider). Madam Valmonde accepts her daughter and son. She is that part of society that embraces what the elites have rejected. Madam Valmondes letter to her daughter show the humanity, acceptance that can be found in the heart of the human race. The wickedness of the institution of slavery and racism is clearly depicted in this story. Augbinys mother prays that his son should never discover that he has a black mother. It clearly shows the way whites deny that blacks are human beings and a part of society. Death is very wicked because it embraces even the innocent like Desirees baby. It does not discriminate between the ignorant, rich or color. It just takes everything that comes on its way.

Developing Leaders Essay -- Business Management

Peter F. Drucker once said, â€Å"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things† (Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, n. d.). Leading is a key function of management. Without leadership, valuable time spent on planning, organizing, and controlling can be lost with no productive end result. Because leadership is the core of management, a great deal of focus must be placed on its key components. â€Å"Leading means influencing other people to get the job done, maintaining morale, molding company structure and managing conflicts and communication† (Dessler, 2004, p. 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effective leadership is the foundation for any business. Developing leaders, leading strategic planning, overcoming obstacles, and motivating and inspiring employees are major components of leadership. Many articles and publications have been devoted to these four components. In selecting the articles to be summarized, emphasis was placed on articles that discussed universal methods utilized by businesses, along with recommendations for promoting successful leadership. Developing Leaders From front-line employees to mid-level managers, expectations of employees in today’s organizations have become more demanding. â€Å"Today, employees are given leadership titles and expected to figure out how to handle their new roles, but aren’t effectively trained† (Gale, 2002, p.1). Companies benefit when they have leaders positioned throughout the organization. This positioning distributes knowledgeable and skilled employees to benefit all aspects of the organization. In the past, leadership development was limited to executive employees. This training process must change as companies strive to become more adaptive to the competitive world. With the downsizing of staff, additional work responsibility with less guidance is becoming the norm. The need for leadership must evolve as the organization grows. A great manager may not be a great leader. Great leaders must be able to communicate as well as motivate employees. â€Å"The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager imitates; the leader initiates† (Bennis, 1994). Jon Katzenbach best described leadership â€Å"as a mind set of adaptive responsiveness† (Gale, 2002, p.2). Some will argue that leaders are born, while others will say leaders are trained. In either case, a qualified well-rounded leader must be found. Sourcing and rec... ...d tend to lead in smaller, more informal ways throughout the company. This natural progression allows them to gain the experience they need to become future leaders (Kotter, 1990). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a myriad of publications available to assist with leadership issues. Most consistently refer to the specialized skills and traits needed to be an effective leader. Choosing a leader with these specialized skills is only part of the challenge facing organizations today. Providing effective training for new and existing leaders is becoming increasingly important. Such training should include recommendations on how to plan for and address real-world scenarios as well as examples of situations that may occur in order to strengthen comprehension. Leadership training should be viewed as a process, not a one-time event. Training leaders on how to plan and deal with obstacles, as well as how to motivate and inspire employees is critical to organizational success. Leadership should be a focus at all levels of the company whether it would be individual, departmental, or organizational. The key to successful leadership is to create a sense of belonging by getting a ll parties involved. Developing Leaders Essay -- Business Management Peter F. Drucker once said, â€Å"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things† (Famous-Quotes-And-Quotations.com, n. d.). Leading is a key function of management. Without leadership, valuable time spent on planning, organizing, and controlling can be lost with no productive end result. Because leadership is the core of management, a great deal of focus must be placed on its key components. â€Å"Leading means influencing other people to get the job done, maintaining morale, molding company structure and managing conflicts and communication† (Dessler, 2004, p. 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Effective leadership is the foundation for any business. Developing leaders, leading strategic planning, overcoming obstacles, and motivating and inspiring employees are major components of leadership. Many articles and publications have been devoted to these four components. In selecting the articles to be summarized, emphasis was placed on articles that discussed universal methods utilized by businesses, along with recommendations for promoting successful leadership. Developing Leaders From front-line employees to mid-level managers, expectations of employees in today’s organizations have become more demanding. â€Å"Today, employees are given leadership titles and expected to figure out how to handle their new roles, but aren’t effectively trained† (Gale, 2002, p.1). Companies benefit when they have leaders positioned throughout the organization. This positioning distributes knowledgeable and skilled employees to benefit all aspects of the organization. In the past, leadership development was limited to executive employees. This training process must change as companies strive to become more adaptive to the competitive world. With the downsizing of staff, additional work responsibility with less guidance is becoming the norm. The need for leadership must evolve as the organization grows. A great manager may not be a great leader. Great leaders must be able to communicate as well as motivate employees. â€Å"The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager imitates; the leader initiates† (Bennis, 1994). Jon Katzenbach best described leadership â€Å"as a mind set of adaptive responsiveness† (Gale, 2002, p.2). Some will argue that leaders are born, while others will say leaders are trained. In either case, a qualified well-rounded leader must be found. Sourcing and rec... ...d tend to lead in smaller, more informal ways throughout the company. This natural progression allows them to gain the experience they need to become future leaders (Kotter, 1990). Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a myriad of publications available to assist with leadership issues. Most consistently refer to the specialized skills and traits needed to be an effective leader. Choosing a leader with these specialized skills is only part of the challenge facing organizations today. Providing effective training for new and existing leaders is becoming increasingly important. Such training should include recommendations on how to plan for and address real-world scenarios as well as examples of situations that may occur in order to strengthen comprehension. Leadership training should be viewed as a process, not a one-time event. Training leaders on how to plan and deal with obstacles, as well as how to motivate and inspire employees is critical to organizational success. Leadership should be a focus at all levels of the company whether it would be individual, departmental, or organizational. The key to successful leadership is to create a sense of belonging by getting a ll parties involved.

Rhetorical device Project on Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation Essay

The Japanese Empire bombarded Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 it was a surprise attack to the United States. This event caused the loss of many innocent people as well as material destruction to the country. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president during that time, his duty was to address both, the nation and the Congress to inform them about what had happened he did this through his speech â€Å"Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation†. The speech was extremely important, not only because of how delicate was the subject, but also because he had the challenge to inform two very different audiences about the occurred. His first audience was Congress which was important because in the end they would determine whether or not to go to war. Also the nation would listen to this speech, while Congress got to see and hear him during the speech Americans would only hear the speech through radio, which made this an even harder task to accomplish. However, Franklin D. Roosevelt did a truly amazing job addressing both the nation and Congress because he did not focus on only one audience. He clearly addresses both audiences when he says, â€Å"I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he takes both opinions into consideration. By doing this Roosevelt gives equal importance to the nation and to Congress, which helps him get a positive response from both audiences. This shows that he successfully informed the nation and Congress about the war and both audiences understood. He accomplished two things at once because by addressing both audiences in one speech he shows that he had them both in mind. He did not include the kind of language that the nation would not understand just because he was talking to congress. Also he did not deliver the speech on a manner that would not be appropriate for Congress he used just the right language that would be understood by both audiences. Another important aspect of this speech that made it so successful is the way that he delivered the speech. He knew that the nation would be listening to the speech and he obviously knew that Congress would be present when he would be delivering the speech. Therefore he had to use a tone that would accomplish the purpose of the speech. This had two purposes first to inform his audience about the occurred and second and most important to keep the  nation calmed and assure them safety. He does this when he informs the audience that, â€Å"the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked†¦Ã¢â‚¬  although this was something very shocking he managed to stay calmed and transmit that to others. He also assures safety, â€Å"I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which gives the nation some kind of tranquility knowing that things are being taken care of. Roosevelt’s tone was very calm yet very powerful as it is shown in Fig. 1, when he is presenting his speech to Congress and the nation. As a result of Roosevelt’s capability to address two audiences at once and to deliver the speech with an appropriate and effective tone the speech was very successful. He successfully informed the audience about what happened without causing confusing in neither of them. He used the appropriate language to address both the Congress and the nation. Roosevelt was also aware that his speech would be presented to the audience in two forms, via radio for the nation and in person to the Congress. This played a big role in how he delivered the speech but he managed it very well and used a tone that projected confidence in providing safety for the nation and was powerful enough to ensure that things would be taken care of. Roosevelt delivered this speech very well and the outcome was good.

Declaration Of Independence By Richard Henry - 1212 Words

Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was definitely a day to remember. The events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence played a key role in it. â€Å"Resolved, that these United Colonies, are and of right to be free and independent states.†(Declaration of Independence). That quote, coming from the Declaration of Independence, pretty much sums up the reason for the writing of the Declaration of Independence, becoming independent from the rule of Great Britain, or the British. An examination of primary and secondary sources will reveal the significance of this key event in American history. Richard Henry Lee is the man responsible for introducing a dependence resolution. Richard Henry Lee did this on June 7th. Soon after, congress began its debate. A little after that, a committee was appointed to draft a Declaration of independence. 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