Before beginning my volunteer work I faced quite a dilema. Where could I influence children, help them develop their leadership potential, educate them about agriculture, and have fun-all at the same time? After a single telephone call to the Children’s Hospital Volunteer Services Coordinators, I learned that volunteers were readily accepted to serve within the hospital’s recreational therapy deparment. When they asked my reason for volunteering, I explained to them that I wanted to help the children develop their leadership potential as well as other abilities. The members of volunteer services seemed excited. On the first evening of service, I was prepared, yet scared that I would say something wrong or the children there would not accept my ideas. When I arrived, the group was small, as promised since it was a Saturday and many of the hospital guests were out with their parents or home for a fun weekend of activities. The children and youth who were there, however, gathered 'round for some of the activities I had planned. First, I made it a point to learn everyone's name which meant that I p... ... middle of paper ... ...en who are there each week are incredibly inspirational, and they never seem to be discouraged, even though some of the patients have been there for five to six weeks in a row. I look forward to seeing their smiling faces each time I visit, yet I cannot help but hope they will not be there but will be at home the next time I visit. The children and youth I have met at Children’s Hospital have become dear friends, and they have taught me that leadership involves making the most of the talents we each have been given, and seeking excellece, not perfection.
In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the nature of individual and societal morality is a pivotal theme to Huck’s storyline and the lens through which he views Southern culture. Through the storyline, Huck is introduced to multiple renditions of moral codes from pap, the widow, Tom, and Jim. Additionally, Huck is also given an ideal seat to view the motives of the multiple mobs and how they interact as a part of society. In Huck’s narrative, an individual 's morality is directly linked to personal benefit being valued above all else and this shapes how and where Huck applies his moral code. Despite this, Huck is able to cultivate his sense of moral responsibility. Moreover, societal morality is even less developed than personal and
In John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums, the reader is introduced to the seemingly timid and shy Elisa Allen. Elisa is routinely planting her yearly sets of Chrysanthemums, which appear to be the sole receptor of her caring and gentle touch, but all the while it is evident that “the chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” Her hidden eagerness seems not only out of place, but out of touch with her dry and wilted surroundings, of which her husband, Henry, abruptly interrupts her steady pace. Inquiring of dinner plans, he is quickly shuttered out, so that Elisa can continue her work in the fenced in flower bed. This seems to be the only place on the ranch that belongs to her, and thus devoting the entirety of her time, and consideration, towards this lonely sandy square.
John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" shows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa's feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner.
“It has always seemed strange to me... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” This quote was once said by an amazing author, who described the world’s society today so perfectly that one may forget that he had was describing his society in the early and mid-nineteenth hundreds. John Steinbeck is considered one of America’s greatest author of literature. Many of his work is still read today as required reading in most high schools and college literature classes throughout the United States. His most famous story that had outlived him was the Grapes of Wrath, which led to him receive the Nobel Prize in Literature and the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. Many of John Steinbeck told in a realistic view of life and how men lived in them. Steinbeck grew up in California's Salinas Valley, a diverse area with a rich history. His upbringing help shape his writing, which gave many of his works a sense of place. The Chrysanthemums is a short story a part of John Steinbeck collection of The Long Valley. In his short story, The Chrysanthemums, it deal with different problems in society; however, some problems stand out more than others. Many people have interpret the story into many different ways, but my interpretation of the story depicts the inequality of gender in society, the analysis of the character Elisa , and the symbolic meaning of the Chrysanthemums.
English Instructor at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, Cynthia Bily in her article “The Chrysanthemums” (2002) argues that in a male-dominated or practical-minded society, Elisa is oppressed and her chrysanthemums are compensation for what she is missing in her life. She supports her claim by first explaining ecofeminism and how women and nature are connected, the shows how Elisa is limited by her husband and the tinker telling her what she cannot do, then discussing the strength Elisa gets from being one and connecting with the plants, and finally sharing examples of how every man in the story subdues and disrespects nature instead. Bily’s purpose is to show the various connections between Elisa, the men, the plants, and the society in
John Steinbeck's works often deal with social and economic issues. In the short story, "The Chrysanthemums", John Steinbeck portrays a tone of oppression and isolation. The chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's femininity, along with the confinement she faces.
In John Steinbeck’s, "The Chrysanthemums" we find husband and wife Henry and Elisa Allen as the main characters. Henry and Elisa live a peaceful stationary life on their farm in the Salinas Valley in California. Henry spends his days tending to his orchard and steers while Elisa is busy with housekeeping and cultivating her flower garden.
When I found out that I had to do seven hours of volunteer work I immediately knew that I wanted it to involve children. I attended the volunteer fair that was held earlier in the semester and signed up for programs such as Louie’s Kids and Wings for Kids. Unfortunately I could not volunteer for either of these programs because they were not in walking distance of the college and I did not have transportation. A couple weeks after that I saw a flyer advertising for “Reading Partners.” I attended an informational event that they held and signed up to volunteer at Memminger Elementary, which is about two blocks from the college.
Hester Prynne, the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, exhibits considerable character growth both over the course of her life and during the events of the novel. Her view of herself and her perspective on the role of women in the world evolve as she learns from new experiences. She moves through the stages of self-centered happiness in her childhood, deep despair and depression as an adult, and a later more hopeful and selfless existence.
During Huck’s Second Crisis of Conscience episode in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s sheer tenacity to uphold his friendship with Jim indicates that a human being’s sense of camaraderie displaces racism. Through his resolution to no longer base his actions on what is most convenient for him, Huck demonstrates promising development concerning his conscience and his heart. Furthermore, Huck matures by exhibiting amiable emotions towards Jim and deciding to protect Jim’s freedom at all costs. Notwithstanding, Huck’s maturation has space for refinement because, pertaining to his overall grasp of slavery, Huck needs to understand the cruelty that enslavement harnesses.
My community service work at County Hospital is to care for the rudimentary needs of each patient. My goals are to provide inspiration during the healing process, teach kindness and compassion, and discover my own abilities for empathy. "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I'll try again to tomorrow (Mary Anne Radmacher)." My hope as a volunteer is to help each patient find that voice, find that courage to go forward.
Volunteering enables a person to develop new skills that he or she would otherwise not have been able to develop. Unlike most other organizations, a charitable organization is happy to give positions to passionate, though inexperienced, individuals who desire to help others and benefit the community. Therefore, an individual with little experience in a field of work can gain meaningful skills that he or she can use in the future. For example, while I volunteered at the hospital this summer, I learned about the daily work lives and professional duties of doctors and nurses. Had I not volunteered, I would not have learned about these things. I was always interested in the medical field, but volunteering at the hospital let me explore my interests and en...
Mona Counts is a Nurse Practitioner at her own primary care facility. Her clinic provides health care to over five thousand patients who live in the heart of Appalachia. Bob Wilkinson is a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. Bob takes care of very sick children and their families. Ardis Bush started as a Staff Nurse over 25 years ago and worked her way up to being Nurse Manager. These nurses establish a rapport with their patients and their patients’ families by talking to them like normal human beings, and not just as patients. These nurses relate and listen to their patients, which makes them feel comfortable. Both Mona and Ardis even make house visits to check up on patients and to see how they are doing.
Like adult education, the field of volunteer management shows increasing movement toward professionalization, as practitioners attempt to define a knowledge base, establish philosophical and ethical foundations and standards for entry and practice, form a distinctive subculture, and achieve recognition (Fisher and Cole 1993). The demographic profile of both adult learners and the volunteer pool is changing. No longer do full-time homemakers constitute the majority of volunteers; opportunities for service draw senior citizens, students in service learning projects, full-time professionals, and people with disabilities (Geber 1991). These changing demographics propel changes in the practice of both fields. Volunteer managers are changing the type of tasks assigned to volunteers, the hours and places in which tasks are done (including offsite and online), and the kinds of training and recognition they offer to accommodate the needs of the new breed of volunteers (ibid.). Both fields are concerned with issues of recruitment and participation. People with more education a...
Volunteering benefits a person by building connections with peers, improving family life, expanding career skills, overcoming self doubt, having lasting life impressions, and creating new opportunities. Just a small act can make a huge difference in someone’s life. The future is dependent on the individual person and the people they surround themselves with. Just a few hours will change both the volunteer’s life and the one that is in need.