Breaking the Shackles
If there is a theme that has been present in writings since the beginning of time, it is discrimination. Since the creation of man, discrimination has been a problem in society. The theme of discrimination is illustrated through the novel, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; the essay, “Indian Civilization Vs. White Civilization;'; and the speech, “I Have a Dream.';
The theme of discrimination is clearly present in Frederick Douglass’ Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Frederick Douglass was born in Tuckahoe, Maryland around 1818. He had no accurate knowledge of his age. Douglass was born to a black mother and a white father, who he believed was his master (Douglass 19). By secretly studying books, Douglass learned to read a crime punishable by death. He escaped slavery when he was barely an adult and wrote the story of his life and how discrimination affected it.
Not only is discrimination the theme of Douglass’ novel, it is also the cause of his horrible condition. In his autobiography he claims he “was made to drink the bitterest dregs of slavery'; (73). Throughout the novel Douglass never encounters a slave who is not black. “Why am I a slave,'; Douglass asks (Douglass 73). This is surely a question asked by every victim of prejudice. Another piece that illustrates discrimination is Joseph Brant’s, “Indian Civilization Vs. White Civilization.';
Joseph Brant was born in 1742 and died in 1807 (Barnett et al. 938). Brant, or Thayendanega, was educated at Wheelock’s Indian school in Connecticut. He served the British in the French and Indian war and the American Revolution. Being a Mohawk Chief, Brant was subject to much racially motivated discrimination.
Discrimination, though most author would like you to believe otherwise, is never one sided. “ Indian Civilization Vs. White Civilization,'; looks at the reactions of those victimized by racial discrimination. Joseph Brant initially takes a defensive stand, but quickly turns to criticism of white society. In this piece Brant is “obliged to give [his] opinion in favor of [his] own people.'; (Brant 939). He describes the white people’s judicial system a pompous parade'; (Brant 939). In conclusion of this piece Brant never overcomes his bitterness for white people and their actions calling them “tenfold more the children of cruelty'; (Brant 939). In addition to this essay, Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech , “ I Have a Dream'; also contains the theme of discrimination.
Joseph Brant was a Mohawk Leader and Loyalist during American Revolution. He was born on March 1743 and he died November 1807.Joseph Brant was involved in the French and Indian war when he was only 15. He received a silver medal from the British for his service in the war.Joseph Brant translated for the British empire during the American Revolution as he spoke six different languages. Joseph Brant helped the British during the American Revolution war because he felt the indians owed them after the French and Indian War.
Sears Holding Corporation is the fourth largest retailer in the United States and Canada. Their supplements include Sears, Roebuck and Co. as well as K-Mart. “The closing of the merger between Sears and K-Mart took place on March 24, 2005. Sears has more than 4,000 retail stores across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Sears offers products and services through over 2,700 branded and affiliated stores. Sears operates 894 broad-line stores and 1,354 specialty stores. Sears’ broad-line stores are mall-based locations. The specialty stores include Sears Hometown Stores that are mostly independently owned, Sears Home Appliance Showrooms, Sears Hardware Stores, Sears Auto Centers, and The Great Indoor Stores (Sears Holdings, 2011).”
In the passage of the Narrative of Fredrick Douglass, the author masterfully conveys two complimentary tones of liberation and fear. The tones transition by the use of diction and detail. The passage is written entirely in first person, since we are witnessing the struggles of Fredrick Douglass through his eyes. Through his diction, we are able to feel the triumph that comes with freedom along with the hardships. Similarly, detail brings a picturesque view of his adversities. Since the point of view is first person, the reader is able to be a part of the Douglass’ struggles with his new freedom. With diction, detail, and point of view, the reader is able to get a rare glimpse into the past of Fredrick Douglass.Fredrick Douglass’ diction is powerful as he describes his life as a slave and with his new freedom. Fredrick Douglass calls being enslaved an act of “wretchedness,” yet he was able to remain “firm” and eventually left the “chains” of slavery. Fredrick Douglass expresses that being enslaved is a wretched act and that no man should ever deserve such treatment. Despite being a slave, he kept strong and eventually broke the chain of society. However, Fredrick Douglass experienced great “insecurity” and “loneliness” with his new freedom, and was upon a new “hunting-ground.” His new freedom brought other devastating factors, being a new state without any friends, which caused his loneliness. In this new state, he grew insecure for he was in a new danger zone where at any time his freedom could be rejected. With new freedom come new obstacles, which are described in the diction of Fredrick Douglass.
During the time of slavery, slaves were put to work on plantation, fields, and farms. They were considered property to their slave-owners and put under unfair living conditions. Growing up in this era, we can see the injustice between white and colored people. And one slave by the name of Fredrick Douglass witnessed this unjust tension. And because of this tension, dehumanizing practices became prominent among the slaves and in slave society. The most prominent of these injustices is the desire of slave owners to keep their slaves ignorant. This practice sought to deprive the slaves of their human characteristics and made them less valued. Fredrick Douglass was able to endure and confront this issue by asserting his own humanity. He achieved
Sears began as a small retailer but as the years have gone by, they have become
Frederick Douglass brilliantly intelligent and defiant once led a minor insurrection against his masters and escapes his venture alive. Douglass’s career as a militant, uncompromising leader of the American Negro.
As we can see, the consequences of a longer life are not as positive as it may seem from scratch. Longer lives mean, for women, developing new duties towards the others, such as the duty to take care of grandchildren and husbands. Nevertheless, since men do enjoy a higher quality of life due to higher incomes, to have a higher life expectation would actually have positive consequences.
In sum, all of these key arguments exist in “The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” because of the institution of slavery and its resulting lack of freedom that was used to defend it. This text’s arguments could all be gathered together under the common element of inequality and how it affected the practical, social, and even spiritual lives of the slaves.
Frederick Douglass’ landmark narrative describes the dehumanization of African-American slaves, while simultaneously humanizing them through his moving prose. Douglass shows the dehumanization of slaves through depictions of violence, deindividuation, and the broken justice system. However, Douglass’ pursuit of an education, moving rhetoric, and critique of his own masters demonstrates to the reader that African-Americans are just as intelligent as white people, thus proving their humanity.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, brings to light many of the social injustices that colored men, women, and children all were forced to endure throughout the nineteenth century under Southern slavery laws. Douglass's life-story is presented in a way that creates a compelling argument against the justification of slavery. His argument is reinforced though a variety of anecdotes, many of which detailed strikingly bloody, horrific scenes and inhumane cruelty on the part of the slaveholders. Yet, while Douglas’s narrative describes in vivid detail his experiences of life as a slave, what Douglass intends for his readers to grasp after reading his narrative is something much more profound. Aside from all the physical burdens of slavery that he faced on a daily basis, it was the psychological effects that caused him the greatest amount of detriment during his twenty-year enslavement. In the same regard, Douglass is able to profess that it was not only the slaves who incurred the damaging effects of slavery, but also the slaveholders. Slavery, in essence, is a destructive force that collectively corrupts the minds of slaveholders and weakens slaves’ intellects.
When first introduced to Douglass and his story, we find him to be a young slave boy filled with information about those around him. Not only does he speak from the view point of an observer, but he speaks of many typical stereotypes in the slave life. At this point in his life, Frederick is inexperienced and knows nothing of the pleasures of things such as reading, writing, or even the rights everyone should be entitled to. Douglass knowing hardly anything of his family, their whereabouts, or his background, seems to be equivalent to the many other slaves at the time. As a child Frederick Douglass sees the injustices around him and observes them, yet as the story continues we begin to see a change.
I believe cell phones play an important role in our society’s evolution in communication and has fundamentally changed the way we achieve this task. However I firmly presume that we need to use this technology responsibly. Cell phones have many great uses, but when used improperly this amazing invention can be your worst
Society is so deceivable into believing that what is accepted by society is also correct and reasonable. One would not usually question the humanity of customs if one benefits in return. Frederick Douglass wrote The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass as a way to depict the development of a dehumanized slave progressing into a free man. Frederick Douglass did not start to reconstruct his own self identity until he broke the bindings of being ignorant which his masters placed upon him.
Poor organizational management, failure to innovate and adapt to the environment, and an outdated brand image have all contributed to Sears massive decline. By not setting a clear organizational strategy, executives of Sears strayed away from innovation, allowing for competitors to attract Sears loyal customers to their organization. In addition, the outdated brand image of Sears has failed to meet the ever changing customers of today’s society. Overall, there are many reasons that have led to the downfall of a once powerful retail giant.
Some core competencies that must be exploited are: Brand Kmart is an existing well-known and trusted national brand in USA Kmart has private label and designer clothing that is well endorsed Infrastructure Kmart has a large number of well-located, low-cost, leased stores in urban far away from competitors through out the country ( Appendix B ). Staffing Confidence by the market in Kmart is created by the achievements of its staff and management. With the turn-around strategy in place, new blood has been put into the top management structures. In any renewal there will be retrenchment as unprofitable stores are closed. This can be used as an opportunity to retain and move high performing staff to where they are needed and to get rid of non-performing staff. Anderson the chairperson of Kmart is well supported by Wall Street and the board of Directors. These new staff members enter the company with needed skills to address problems in certain areas that previously were poorly managed such as inventory control and merchandising. Store locations, layout and Performance Stores conveniently located away from competitors like Wal-mart and Target therefore less to compete for customers face-to-face. There are 250 non-performing stores who have already been identified as being more cost effective to close than continue with running costs. Expertise exists in-house for the planning of store layout and appearance to meet different customer segments. This concentration of effort will enable focus on key areas Technology Kmart has already invested in good retailing systems. The system can be use to control inventory, supplier payments, track customer buying and monitor income versus profit margins across all stores. Research and Development The planning department is well established and in cross-functional to provide various perspective. The planning department to ensure that strategies at all levels are executed can further use the access to past data and knowledge of changes in buying patterns. Financial Backing JP Morgan Chase has agreed to support Kmart to avert the current threat of closure due to bankruptcy.