“Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby” Essay Example

â€Å"Story of an Hour† and â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† Essay Kate Chopin lived a conventional life, marrying young to a wealthy businessman and from a prominent family herself.   She began writing to help support her family when she was widowed at a young age and left with 6 children to take care of and only a meager salary to live on.   She was almost an immediate success in the literary field, but almost stopped writing completely after the publication of The Awakening, which had themes of personal and sexual freedom for women and shocked her American audiences.   Despite that, her work is still considered to be a prominent figure in early feminist literature.In the time that Chopin was writing, and the time she was writing in, both women and African Americans were considered citizens of secondary class.   They did not have the same rights, freedoms, and privileges as white males.   Women were males’ subordinates, expected to live and breathe for their men and their men’s benefit.   Any woman that strayed from this male-servicing mentality was considered to be an aberrant female—not normal, unfeminine, anti-woman.   Blacks were slaves, and that was as simple as that.   They were not people, they were property, and for a white woman to have a black child, meaning that she already betrayed her family and race by having sex with a black man and out of wedlock (since they were not allowed to intermarry) was considered among the highest atrocities.   The white men could sleep with the black female slaves, however, because (a) the slaves were their property and (b) women existed to fulfill men’s needs.â€Å"Story of an Hour† is about a woman who is told that her husband has died in a train accident.   Her friends were worried that the news would cause her severe devastation, but the result was quite the opposite.   She experienced relief, and was anxiously anticipating her newfound freedom†¦until her husband walked through the front door, alive and well, causing h er the â€Å"severe devastation† and resulting in her death.   â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is about a woman named Desiree whose recently-born child shows signs of undesired genetic makeup—the child appears to be of African American descent.   Desiree, who was adopted by a prominent family, is ostracized by her husband and thrown out of her home with the child, because he assumes it is she who is of â€Å"black blood† and disgraced him and his family’s good name.   We find out at the end of the story that it is not her at all, but him, and he finds out after he had already sent Desiree and the baby away.The main character is â€Å"Story of an Hour† is Louise Mallard.   Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition, but that is not all that appears to be â€Å"weak† about her.   She seems to be a very frail woman, the sort of woman who allows life to happen to her and who is a victim of her circumstance.   She is married to a man even she admits to be a wonderful person, and she never wanted for lack of love and affection.   Her situation appears to be a rather good one: loving husband who is not restrictive of her, well taken care of financially, friends and family that care for her tremendously.   And yet she still felt trapped.   She still felt as though she did not have her freedom, her ability to exist as a separate individual apart from her husband.   Her husband seemed to be the sort of man who would allow her to do whatever she wanted without question, yet she felt that the only way she could have her freedom was with him gone.   This mentality really only signifies her own mental weakness: that she is unable to take what resources she has to be independent and free and use them to her greatest advantage, instead once again being dependent upon another person for her own independence.Mrs. Mallard reacts in a number of ways when her husband dies.   When she first receives news of his death, sh e first weeps uncontrollably, then goes up to her room alone where she sits in silence, completely blank.   Then it dawns on her, and first she is gripped with terror, the excitement—she is free.   She became gripped with joy, until she saw her husband, still alive.   Whatever sorrow she felt initially was completely erased by the anxious anticipation of her freedom, her assertion of self.   She still felt a little sad for her dead husband, but that small feeling of sadness couldn’t compare to the immense joy she felt on top of it.Mr. Brently Mallard is a kind man.   He is, as described by Louise herself, a kind and loving man.   The way Louise herself describes him, it appears that he was a doting husband that would do anything for his wife and would also allow her to do anything she asked.   Their relationship seemed to be one that would be very positive; he did not appear to be a controlling man and would most likely have allowed Louise to pursue whate ver she wanted without question.I think that the end of this story shows Kate Chopin’s flair for tragic irony; that a woman with a heart condition would die of shock (and disappointment) upon seeing her husband still alive as opposed to finding out he died is incredibly ironic, and so much more considering her friends were reluctant to tell her for that very reason.   I think also that it is ironic that a woman with a husband who is so clearly understanding and loving would truly believe that her only chance of freedom is with him dead.   To me this shows a weakness in mind of the main character, and she deserved to be so overwhelmed by her husband’s reappearance that it killed her.   Louise Mallard would be a much more sympathetic character if her husband was cruel and abusive and controlling, but he was none of those things.   Therefore, her death, though definitely heavy in irony, is kind of anticlimactic.   By that point, I no longer cared what happened t o this fool of a woman.The character of Desiree in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is another victim of circumstance, but in her case it is completely outside of her control.   Desiree Aubigny is a beautiful young girl, who was abandoned at birth and taken in by an affluent Louisiana family.   She married what she thought to be a wonderful man, and soon gave birth to a son that she loved dearly.   Desiree was full of joy; she loved life fully, and loved her husband and son even more.   She was so blinded by love, in fact, that as people began whispering about the color of her son’s skin, she didn’t at first notice; and she never once saw the darkness in her son’s skin for herself.   It wasn’t until her husband Armand turned his back on her because of it that she began to pay attention to it.Desiree reacts in a variety of ways to the crisis in her life.   When the rumors begin, Desiree is still blissfully oblivious, and perfectly content wi th her child and her life.   Then she begins to sense that something is wrong, and this is when her husband starts to ignore her.   She is devastated by his treatment of her, but it still takes her some time to understand why.   When it finally dawns on her that her child is partially black, she is gripped with terror and confusion.   When her husband Armand accuses her ancestry as being at fault for their child’s color, she denies it, citing how white her skin is.   She cannot accept that she is to blame for what Armand is treating as an abomination.   In despair she writes her mother, who tells her to come home to her, and in one last pathetically hopeful attempt she questions Armand as to whether or not he wanted her to leave.   He did, and she left, dead inside, walking like a statue in a daze.Armand Aubigny is man in denial.   Poor adopted Desiree had no way of knowing that the man who would fall so madly in love with her would end up betraying her, turni ng his back on her, and all as a result of his own heritage (and which of her own she had no way of knowing, either, as a result of being abandoned by her birth parents).   Desiree is very much a victim in this case—a victim of a cruel, fickle man, who is more interested in protecting his own interests (such as his family’s name) than he is in standing by the love of his life’s side.   He turned his back on her, assuming immediately she was of African American descent, which she could not refute having been adopted, and cast her aside.   Armand is selfish, and his moods are like the weather—sometimes sunny and beautiful, other times stormy and vicious.   Before he and Desiree married, Armand had been a cruel and exacting man.   His nature became much gentler when he fell in love and married, and he was a wonderful, doting husband to Desiree.   But when his son’s heritage became increasingly more visible Armand’s cruelty came ragi ng back, and Desiree received the brunt of it.   He did not hit her—he just ignored her, as if she didn’t exist, which can be even more cruel.   And he remained in complete denial that he could possibly be at fault for the child’s blackness; and presumably continued to do so even after he discovered his own mother’s letter.The end of this story is another example of Chopin’s love of tragic irony, only in this story it was much more powerful.   Throughout the story the reader feels pity for this poor girl Desiree who had no way of controlling what was happening to her, no way to disprove what was being accused of her, and no way to talk sense into her boorish, pig-headed husband.   The entire story is heart-wrenching, and the reader experiences how badly Desiree suffers.   But at the end, when the audience discovers that it was Armand whose own mother was black, we realize how unjustly Desiree had been treated and just how cruel Armand rea lly was, and all because of him.   There is much more to sympathize with here, because Desiree’s suffering was much greater, and much less controllable.Louise Mallard and Desiree Aubigny are very similar characters.   Both women had husbands who, at least initially, adored them, and who were treated very well by their husbands.   Both women were victims of circumstances beyond their control—Louise with her heart condition and the false news, Desiree with her unknown parentage and black son.   Both women are dealt cruel blows at the hand of fate—Louise dies of shock at the sight of her living husband, and Desiree is thrown out of her home with her baby by her spiteful husband.   Both women are tragic characters.But for as many similarities exist between them, there are also a number of differences.   Desiree, for one, loved her husband and loved hr life.   She was happy and full of joy, until Armand turned against her.   Louise, on the other hand, was a miserable person who wished for death, and it was only at the thought of losing her husband that she felt excitement and joy.   Desiree did not want to lose her husband, and that was ultimately was drove her into despair.   Louise did want to lose her husband and was ecstatic when she thought she did; when she found out the contrary, it devastated her so badly it killed her.   Both are victims of circumstance, but Louise had circumstances she could change.   Whatever negative situation she believed herself to be in was of her own doing and existed primarily in her own head; her husband was not one who would try to control her or prevent her from doing anything she wanted to do, she just merely believed that to be true.   She was a victim of her own helplessness.   Desiree was in a negative situation completely outside of her control; she had no way of proving to Armand that she wasn’t black, since she had no way of knowing who her parents really were.   T hus her attempt at denial was futile, and she was a victim only of Armand’s cruelty.My opinion of â€Å"Story of an Hour† is that it allows the main character to be too much of a victim, without necessity.   If the readers are really supposed to feel sorry for her, then her husband probably shouldn’t be Mr. Wonderful.   â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† has a much more sympathetic main character in Desiree in that she was not able to prevent anything that happened to her from happening.   Everything that happened was as the result of other people’s doing; she had no role in any of it.   And yet she was the one who suffered the most and lost everything.   This is the ultimate cruelty.   Really, Louise Mallard simply just got what she wanted when all was said and done—before hearing about her husband’s death, she had been wishing for her own, which she got.  Ã‚   Desiree’s soul was crushed, and it was for no reason that she could control.

Self-Publishing Companies What to Expect If It’s Worth it

Self-Publishing Companies What to Expect If It’s Worth it Self-Publishing Companies: What to Expect If It’s Worth it It might not be clear to you yet (we’ll get to it), but you need some help self-publishing your book.I get it. The concept might seem a little crazy right now. After all, it’s called self-publishing, not self-and-a-company-publishing.But the thing isyou don’t know everything you need to in order to self-publish†¦Okay, that’s not true. You don’t know everything you need in order to self-publish successfully.That’s the key here. Do you have what it takes to self-publish and actually achieve the level of success you desire?The truth is that the large majority of self-publishers out there don’t. And we’re going to cover exactly how self-publishing companies can help you bridge this gap.What is a Self-Publishing Company?A self-publishing company is a business dedicated to helping you achieve your desired level of success within your self-publishing journey.They detail the process and streamline otherwise difficult avenues you mi ght not be able to maneuver yourself.But every self-publishing company is different.Here at Self-Publishing School, our mission is to make the process as easy as possible for you while ensuring you do everything you can to succeed the right way.Sure, you can throw your book online with a cover you created in Canva and call yourself a self-published author. But will that yield book sales? Will that give you the authority, recognition, and fulfillment you’re looking for?NOTE: We ARE a self-publishing company and ready to work with you. Join our VIP Self-Publishing Program to go from blank page to published author, all in 90 days. Learn more about it hereHow is a Self-Publishing Company Different than a Traditional Publishing House?Self-publishing companies and traditional publishing houses are completely different in the sense that the former does not publish the book for you, but rather, we help you by providing necessary (crucial!) information about how to complete the proce ss successfully.Traditional publishing houses are where you first land an agent, and then they submit your manuscript, and they take care of the printing/editing/publishing at the expense of your hard earned royalties, of course.Here’s a table detailing the differences between self-publishing companies and traditional publishing.What You GetSelf-PublishingTraditional PublishingSole control of your book's outcomeâÅ"“XSole control of your book's rightsâÅ"“XControl over the storyâÅ"“XControl over the coverâÅ"“X100% of royaltiesâÅ"“XEditing includedXâÅ"“Cover designXâÅ"“MarketingXXDeadlinesXâÅ"“Why Use a Self-Publishing Company?After all, you want to do this yourself, right? Self-publish. But like I mentioned before, you don’t know everything about self-publishing.Do you know the best method for actually writing your book?Do you know exactly how to craft your subtitle and book description to maximize sales?Do you know the best book launch process f or getting your book with the coveted orange â€Å"Bestseller† banner (that also increases your book’s ranking, and sales!)?There is far more to self-publishing than simply hitting â€Å"publish† on Amazon, and without the right process, your book might end up as one of those stereotypical self-published books that sells 3 copies to family members.And that’s why you use a self-publishing company. Someone else has already done the research, the work, and has the experience to guide you through the process.If you’re someone who wants to see real book sales and achieve other goals, like growing a business or becoming a full-time author, then a self-publishing company will help.What You Can Expect with a Self-Publishing CompanyWhat does working with a self-publishing company look like?While not all self-publishing companies are the same or provide the same type of information and training for you, it’s important to understand what you’ll take away from working with one.This is what you can expect when working with a company that helps you self-publish.#1 You keep all rights to your bookUnlike traditional publishing houses, you actually get to keep all the rights to your books.What does this mean?It mean that, when you publish, you are the sole owner of the book and all of its contents. It’s copyrighted under your name and the self-publishing companies will not have any of their information inside of the book (unless you want to thank them for everything they’ve helped you with).This is a major benefit because with self-publishing companies, you can keep the book in print for however long you want.On the flip side, traditional publishing houses can choose when to pull your book from shelves and simply no longer print or sell it. And since you no longer own the rights, you can’t self-publish that book unless you buy the rights back (which some publishing houses don’t even offer you the op tion of).#2 You’ll save timeTime is our most valuable asset. It’s the one thing in our lives we can never get back no matter what.Unless you’re a secret time traveler and have uncovered the secrets of bending and warping time (and if you are, PLEASE SHARE), you have to treat time like it’s precious.One of the biggest perks of using self-publishing companies to help you get your book published is the simple fact that they tell you what needs to be done, when, and how.Not only will you save time actually writing the book (assuming the company gives you instructions on how to write faster, like we do here at Self-Publishing School), but you won’t have to go through the hours upon hours of research in order to get it right.And, you don’t have to waste time making mistakes and adjusting them.#3 You keep 100% of royaltiesEverything you earn, you keep. Now, there may be self-publishing companies out there who require a percentage of your royaltie s, since they helped you, but here at Self-Publishing School dont’ believe in that.After all, you did the work. You put forth the time and effort. This is your book. Therefore, you keep what you actually earn.Aside from what Amazon takes for allowing you to use their platform, 100% of your profit is yours to keep.This is much different than traditional publishing houses in the sense that through them, you’re only pocketing about 10% of royalties (and sometimes even less).#4 You’re kept accountableThe hardship is in the name itself: self-publishing.It’s a very lonely process if you don’t have anyone else going through it with you. And we all know how much easier it is to stay on track when we have someone else rooting for (or hollering at) us.Many self-publishing companies have some sort of progress tracking, coaching, or community to help keep you motivated and working to achieve your dream.How we do that here at Self-Publishing School is through all three of those methods, including a Facebook Mastermind Community with hundreds of dedicated current and past students ready to help.#5 You get coached by expertsAt least here at Self-Publishing School, you do. Not all programs have this perk, and boy is it a perk.Our coaches are all experts in their field. You get one-on-one coaching that allows you to take personalized tips and put them to use in your own publishing journey.Since coaches have been exactly where you are and have come out on top, and maintained book sales themselves, you get a leg up on anyone else doing this without that help.Take a look at one of our amazing coaches, Lise Cartwright, and how she still manages to bring in $4,000 on her self-published books, all while helping our students learn to do the same. Again, not all self-publishing companies offer this service to their students, but if they do, it can help you understand a side of the industry you likely wouldn’t get to see otherwise.#6 You mak e connectionsThis is particularly true for programs that include access to a community of somesort.You never know who you’ll get to know, like, and befriend. These are all like-minded people who are after the same things as you.You can make dear friends, get even more advice when needed, and maintain a sense of purpose when you’re constantly fed motivation from them.#7 You create a bigger impact with your bookWhat’s the reason you’re self-publishing. Why do you really want to get your book out into the world?I’m willing to bet it has something meaningful to you. You want to help others, share information, or show the world a theme or message that’s important to you.By using one of the self-publishing companies out there, you’re able to create a bigger impact with your book.How?Because you will write it better, market it smarter, and sell more. And after all, that’s the point. Right? You want to get as many eyes on it as you po ssibly can.#8 You gain more opportunitiesBecause your book will do better than it would if you didn’t have that outside help, you gain many more opportunities.Becoming a published author places you as an authority in any field you’re writing in. Not only does this help your business grow, if that’s your goal, but it also helps you sell more books through new and better opportunities than you’d have otherwise.Take these students of ours for example:After publishing their books, they have been either contacted or pursued speaking engagements on their own along with other opportunities to grow their book and platform.#9 Your business will growLeveraging your book to grow your business is one of the best methods out there.Chandler Bolt, you know him- the guy who built this 8 figure business from his first bestselling book- swears by it.But he’s not the only expert out there who agrees. Ryan Deiss, CEO of DigitalMarketer, also uses a book to grow his business. You can check out how he does so in the video above, but the point remains: self-publishing is a perfect way to grow your business.And if that’s your goal, then you want to make sure you’re self-publishing for success. Otherwise, your book won’t make nearly as big of an impact on your business, which is why working with a self-publishing company can help.#10 You have a repeatable, successful processMany of our students write multiple books with our program not just one.As one of our favorite author says, if you write one book and you enjoy it, you will write another book.The most successful self-published authors out there are those who write more than one book. Not only do they maintain a steady stream of passive income this way, but since they have a reliable, repeatable process, it makes it easy for them to publish multiple.So long as the self-publishing company you’re working with has lifetime access (like we do), you can hop on and go thr ough the system every time you want to.Plus, imagine how nice it would feel to say, â€Å"Yes, I’m a published author of multiple books.† Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?Self-Publishing Companies to AvoidNot all self-publishing companies are created equal. Unfortunately, there are some self-publishing companies who only want your money and don’t want to see you succeed.These are some red flags to keep a lookout for when researching self-publishing companies to help you get your book out there.#1 They take a cut of your royaltiesWhy even self-publish if you don’t actually get to keep your hard earned money?This won’t necessarily mean that self-publishing company is a scam or fraudulent in any way. However, it is something to think about and be wary of.You want to make sure you’re actually benefiting fairly for your book’s success. So working with a company that allows you to keep every cent is essential.#2 They make you sign over your book rightsAs mentioned earlier, traditional publishing houses technically â€Å"purchase† your book from you. It’s why you get that nice big (usually not big, though) advance.However, self-publishing companies should not require this. Since you are self-publishing, all of the rights should remains 100% yours.#3 They maintain creative controlObviously, self-publishing companies are meant to help you.That being said, they can certainly offer advice on your book title, subtitle, cover, and even contents, but they should never demand something of your book in order for you to continue with their program.#4 Unrealistic expectationsSelf-publishing is a varied game. No two authors can expect the exact same outcome and your results largely vary on how much you’re willing to work and how well you’re following their program.However, self-publishing companies also shouldn’t guarantee crazy expectations- especially without having the proof t o back it up.Guarantees of making $10,000 in the first month are often unfounded. Look for company promises that you feel good about actually being able to achieve them.#5 There are a large number of complaints onlineNot every self-publishing company can meet everyone’s expectations. Not every single review will be positive and that’s understandable.What you do want to lookout for is a large number of negative reviews, complaints, or claims of fraud or scams. These are certainly something to be wary of, but make sure you research some positives as well. Ready to Self-Publish Your book with THIS Self-Publishing Company?Because we’re ready for you!

An eassy on HRM in John Lewis (UK Department Store) - employee owned Essay

An eassy on HRM in John Lewis (UK Department Store) - employee owned company - Essay Example Ultimately, whereas the EOB model promotes sustainable operational and financial profitability, its application to other contexts is limited to small-scale businesses since its governance model may come under pressure as the firm expands. Introduction This paper is a study of the general business and HRM of John Lewis Partnership, an employee-owned company and evaluates the various mechanisms of HRM policy and application of JLP in the context of the 4 key functions of HR which include; resourcing the organization, human resource development (HRD), employment relations, in addition to, performance and subsequent remuneration. Additionally, it also considers both the vertical and horizontal integration of JLP’s human resource component with its operations, the benefits and challenges of employee-owned business model, as well as the extent to which it can be applied in other contexts. Overall JLP’s business and HR strategy The John Lewis Partnership’s overall busin ess strategy is partners’ approach; the JLP’s approach to business entails prioritizing its clients and partner’s happiness and welfare which is achieved by placing their interests at the core of its operations (Aston, 2013). In this respect, the wellness of partners is of key importance to the business strategy of the John Lewis Partnership since the partnership believes that it yields many positive gains for the business (The John Lewis Partnership, 2013), which dedicates itself to serving customers with flair and fairness. The John Lewis Partnership’s overall Human Resource strategy, on the other hand, is employee ownership, which top management at JLP believes has a massive positive influence on the wellbeing of partners; in this regard, the John Lewis Partnership takes investing in people and seeing them as the core of the business as a fundamental Human Resource strategy. Employee ownership is built on values such as strong communication, from the b ottom upwards, and thorough consultation, both of which lead to inclusiveness and engagement of the employees in the day-to-day decision-making process at John Lewis Partnership effectively; employee ownership has a multi-plier effect on business gains since employee participation motivates high performance. JLP’s HR policy and practice The human resource is the primary source of competitive advantage to any organization today; all firms can potentially boost both their operational and financial performance through well-structured high performance human resource practices, thus the need to attract, recruit, and retain the best talents. Strategic HR management practices such as recruitment and selection, training and development, as well as performance management are fundamental aspects of John Lewis Partnership’s Human Resource policy and practice. The JLP recruits its human resources through selection and engages in effective talent management through training and dev elopment programs, as per the needs of the partnership. The task of resource recruitment goes beyond merely selecting the best people for the job; organizations must invest in human resources, which are not only valuable and