The Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe - 1161 Words

Gennaro Napolitano Sandi Van Lieu English 102 25 September 2015 Rough Draft Throughout the thousands of years our old Earth has been around the idea of writing books and telling stories has marked itself as an important part of the history of the place we live in today. There are many famous English historians that have achieved the status of being considered, classical literature writers. These writers have mastered writing, many of them have dedicated their entire lives to it. Out of a vast quantity of these English historians, one stood out to me, his name is Edgar Allan Poe. Poe’s writing had its own unique gothic and horror style. The story, The Tell-Tale Heart is one of his very popular pieces of literature, it not only tells a story, but uses Poe’s unique style of writing to silently incorporate different genres, themes, and symbolism to create a sub-story within the text itself. Poe was born in Boston Massachusetts on January 19, 1809. At the young age of just 2 years old, Poe’s mother died, because of this he was put up for adoption and was soon taken in by the Rosalie family. After his 17th year of studying in England, he decided to return to America and continue his learning there. As time passed Poe started to drink. He became a heavy drinker and dropped out of school.( Biography of Edgar Allan Poe. Par. 1-3) The consequence of this was being kicked out of his foster parents’ house. After being homeless, Poe decided that he had no choice but to join the U.S.Show MoreRelatedThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1569 Words   |  7 PagesIn the short story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† author Edgar Allan Poe employs several literary devices such as symbolism, allegory, and imagery. These devices enable us to see and better comprehend the story’s events through the eyes of the narrator. The narrator explains that he is extremely nervous but clarifies that he is not insane; he even goes so far as to share an event from his past to prove that he is not crazy. He believes that he loves the old man and has nothing against him except his horribleRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe Essay1477 Words   |  6 Pagesyourself and others that you weren’t in the wrong for doing something bad? Well, the narrator in the story The Tell-Tale Heart does. Edgar Allan Poe is known to write stories that are of Dark Romanticism. Dark romanticism is a literary genre that showcases gothic stories that portray torture, insanity, murder, and revenge. The story â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† is no different. Edgar Allan Poe does a great job with making the readers wonder throughout this short story. This allegory makes reader’s questionsRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe986 Words   |  4 Pagesbade the gentlemen welcome. The shriek, I said, was my own in a dream.† The Tell Tale Heart is one of Edger Allan Poe’s most famous and creepiest stories. The premise of this gothic short story is that a man’s own insanity gives him away as a murderer. By usi ng the narrators own thoughts as the story Poe displays the mental instability and the unique way of creating a gothic fiction. While other stories written by Poe reflect this same gothic structure and questionable sanity, this story has aRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1502 Words   |  7 PagesThe author Edgar Allan Poe created a beautiful writing piece called â€Å"Tell Tale Heart†, which included literal elements such as mood, tone, and point of view. The story included a tremulous mood for the reader to be able to feel the excitement of the story. According to the text â€Å"Tell Tale Heart†, it states â€Å"And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror.† This illustrates that the details of the storyRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1030 Words   |  5 PagesA Guilty- Mad Heart â€Å"Burduck then goes on to ponder how Poe used cultural anxieties and psychological panic to advantage.† (Grim Phantasms, G.A. Cevasco). In The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe, a nameless man narrates the story of how he murdered an elderly man because of his eyes. In his short story The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe shows the themes of guilt and the descent into madness through the narrator, in this gothic horror story. Edgar Allan Poe wrote many gothic tales throughout his lifeRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1133 Words   |  5 Pages Written in 1843, The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe incorporates nearly all of the gothic elements. While this piece of art may not contain all of the gothic elements, it is the epitome of a gothic short story. In The Tell-Tale Heart, the setting seems to be inside an old house, which strengthens the atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The madness and overall insanity of the narrator illustrates the sense of high, overwrought emotion. The presence of creaking hinges and the darkness representRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1644 Words   |  7 Pages Edgar Allan Poe was a prominent American writer whose writing reflected his tragic life. He began to sell short stories for profit after being forced to leave United States Military Academy for lack of financial support. Over the next decade, Poe published some of his best-known works, including The Fall of the House of Usher (1839), The Raven (1845), and The Cask of Amontillado (1846). It is in these stories that Po e established his unique dark writing style that often have the recurring themeRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe879 Words   |  4 PagesIn between guilt, paranoia and obsession The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe uses several literary elements to support the themes of the story. The story is based on a gruesome murder of an old man. The author uses madness, obsession and guilt as themes to prove how the narrator is truly twisted and insane. Madness is the first theme of the story; in the beginning the narrator tries to convince the audience he is not mad (insane). â€Å"TRUE!... nervous very, very nervous I had been and am; but whyRead MoreA Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe1156 Words   |  5 Pagescontain some level of madness. For example in the short stories â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† by Charlotte Perkins Gilman â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe, both of the main character in these stories believe that they are perfectly wise, but their out of control behaviors proves that they’re mentally ill or to be more specific insane. In the short story â€Å"A tell-tale heart† the unknown narrator is telling us a story about his neighbor who is an old man but his of a vulture: blue pale eye is whatRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart By Edgar Allan Poe2007 Words   |  9 PagesThe Tell Tale Heart Research Paper In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† by Edgar Allan Poe, Poe delights readers to a very thought out and psychological based short story of a very in depth murder from the murderer’s perspective. In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart: Overview† it is proven that: â€Å"One of the most powerful contributions that Edgar Allan Poe made to the short story genre was his insistence that every element of the work contribute to the story’s overall effect. Poe frequently gave this aesthetic demand realistic

The Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini - 1795 Words

â€Å"That was a long time ago, but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can bury it, because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have been peeking into that deserted alley for the last 26 years.† (Hosseini). The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, is the story of Amir, a Sunni Muslim, who struggles to find his place in the world because of the aftereffects and fallout from a series of traumatic childhood events. In addition to typical childhood experiences, Amir struggles with forging a closer relationship with his father, Baba; with determining the exact nature of his relationship with Hassan, his Shi a Muslim servant; and eventually with finding a way to compensate for pre-adolescent decisions that have lasting repercussions. Along the way, readers are able to experience growing up in Afghanistan in a single-parent home, a situation that bears remarkable similarities to many contemporary households. On e of the biggest struggles for Amir is learning to navigate the multifaceted socioeconomic culture he faces, growing up in Afghanistan as a member of the privileged class yet not feeling like a privileged member of his own family. Hassan and his father, Ali, are servants, yet at times, Amir s relationship with them is more like that of family members. And Amir s father, Baba, who does not consistently adhere to the tenets of his culture, confuses rather than clarifies things for young Amir. Many of the ruling-classShow MoreRelatedThe Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini883 Words   |  4 Pagesregret from past encounters and usually feel guilty and bitter about the situation. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, revolves around the theme of redemption. Redemption can be used as a cure for guilt. Throughout the novel, the author shows that redemption requires some sort of sacrifice and the only way that is possible is if you can forgive yourself from the mistakes you have made in the pas t. Khaled Hosseini effectively portrays redemption through motifs such as rape, irony and flashbacks, symbolismRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1651 Words   |  7 Pages  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel â€Å"The Kite Runner† by Khaled Hosseini describes the life of a boy, Amir. Amir’s best friend and brother (although that part isn’t known until towards the end), Hassan, plays a major role in Amir’s life and how he grows up. Hosseini portrays many sacrifices that are made by Hassan and Amir. Additionally, Amir seeks redemption throughout much of the novel. By using first person point of view, readers are able to connect with Amir and understand his pain and yearning for a way to be redeemedRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1655 Words   |  7 PagesSarah Singer Major Works Data Form Title: The Kite Runner Author: Khaled Hosseini Date of Publication: 2003 Genre: Historical Fiction Historical information about the period of publication: Since the September 11th attacks in 2001, the United States has been at war with Afghanistan. Their goals were to remove the Taliban, track down those in charge of the attacks, and destroy Al-Qaeda. Biographical information about the author: Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965. HIs motherRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1098 Words   |  5 PagesIn The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we learn a lot about Amir the main character, and Hassan his servant/brother. In the beginning Hassan and Amir’s relationship was one of brotherly love despite the fact that Hassan was a Hazara and Amir a Pashtun. Back in the 1970’s race and religion played a big part in Kabul and these two races were not suppose to have relationships unless it was owner (Pashtun) and servant (Hazara). Baba Amir’s father had an affair with Hassan’s mother, but it was kept aRead MoreThe Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini1313 Words   |  5 Pagesis not unique to just J.K. Rowling. Khaled Hosseini also incorporates life experiences into some of his novels. A prime example of this is The Kite Runner. The storyline of this novel reflects his past to create a journey of a young Afghanistan boy, whose name is Amir. This boy changes drastically throughout his lifetime from a close minded, considerably arrogant boy to an open hearted and minded man. This emotional and mental trip is partially based on Khaled Hosseini’s own life. Throughout Hosseini’sRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1908 Words   |  8 Pages​In the novel, â€Å"The Kite Runner†, written by Khaled Hosseini, was taken place in Afghanistan during the 1970’s to the year of 2002. Many historical events happened during this time period and Hosseini portrayed it into his novel. Kabul, the capitol of Afghanistan, was a free, living area for many Afghanistan families to enjoy the life they were given. Until one day, Afghanistan was then taken over and attacked. In the novel, Amir, the protagonist, must redeem himself and the history behind his actionsRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1050 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"There is a way to be good again.† (Hosseini 334). This quote given by Rahim Khan to Amir holds a great amount of force and symbolism. In theory, this quote symbolizes the beginning of Amir’s path to redemption. The eye-opening Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini tells about the struggles of Afghanistan before and during the Taliban, and one’s struggle for redemption and acceptance. With regards to the opening quote, some see Amir’s actions as selfish. However, others may believe that Amir truly changedRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini1583 Words   |  7 Pagesnovel the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, Amir, the main character, shares his thoughts and actions due to his poor decisions. The problems he encountered were all because of the sin committed in his youth. His sins taunted the beginning of his life and gave him a troublesome memory full of guilt. As the novel continued, Amir attempted to disengage the memory of his sin and forget about it. Amir then faced the long bumpy road to redemption. Khaled Hosseini’s novel the Kite Runner is about sinRead MoreThe Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini871 Words   |  4 Pagesthat person is trying to fix that mistake. This also applies to the novel The Kite Runner. The story revolves around the main character Amir, and his childhood friend, Hassan. After Amir came to America with Baba, his father, he still regrets the things he had done to his childhood friend. He left Hassan getting raped by Assef in a small alley in 1975. Thereafter, Amir always feel regret and seeks for redemption. Hosseini -the author, argues that redemption can be achieved by helping others, teachRead MoreThe Kite Runner By Khaled Hosseini3402 Words   |  14 Pagestitle â€Å"The Kite Runner† is symbolic as fighting kites and the kite runnings are impacting moments in the novel. Hassan was the best kite runner in Kabul, if not the whole country, after Amir won the kite fighting the running of that last blue kite triggered the monumental changes for Amir. For the beginning of the story the kite running was associated with Hassan’s rape and Amir’s grief. As kites appear throughout the story, they begin Amir’s story and also end it. Amir flying the kite with Sohrab

The Golden Lily Chapter 8 Free Essays

GOING OUT AGAIN didn’t really happen until the weekend. Brayden and I were both overachieving enough to manage weeknight outings and still finish homework – but neither of us liked to do it if we could avoid it. Besides, my weeknights usually had some other conflict with the gang, be it a feeding or the experiments. We will write a custom essay sample on The Golden Lily Chapter 8 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Eddie had given his blood this week, and I’d made a point to not be around when it happened, lest Sonya try to pitch to me again. Brayden had wanted to go out Saturday, but that was the day I’d promised to drive Adrian to San Diego. Brayden compromised on breakfast, catching me before I hit the road, and we went out to a restaurant adjacent to one of Palm Springs’ many lush golf resorts. Although I had long since offered to pull my share, Brayden continued picking up the bills and doing all the driving. As he pulled up in front of my dorm to drop me off afterward, I saw a surprising and not entirely welcome sight awaiting me: Adrian sitting outside on a bench, looking bored. â€Å"Oh geez,† I said. â€Å"What?† asked Brayden. â€Å"That’s my brother.† I knew there was no avoiding this. The inevitable had happened. Adrian would probably cling to Brayden’s bumper until he got an introduction. â€Å"Come on, you can meet him.† Brayden left the car idling and stepped out, casting an anxious glance at the NO PARKING sign. Adrian jumped up from his seat, a look of supreme satisfaction on his face. â€Å"Wasn’t I supposed to pick you up?† I asked. â€Å"Sonya had some errands to run and offered to drop me here while she was out,† he explained. â€Å"Figured we’d save you some trouble.† Adrian had known what I was doing this morning, so I wasn’t entirely sure his motives had been all that selfless. â€Å"This is Brayden,† I told him. â€Å"Brayden, Adrian.† Adrian shook his hand. â€Å"I’ve heard so much about you.† I didn’t doubt that but wondered who exactly he’d heard it from. Brayden gave a friendly smile back. â€Å"I’ve actually never heard of you. I didn’t even know Sydney had another brother.† â€Å"You never mentioned me?† Adrian shot me a look of mock hurt. â€Å"It never came up,† I said. â€Å"You’re still in high school, right?† asked Adrian. He nodded toward the Mustang. â€Å"You must have a side job to make those car payments, though. Unless you’re one of those slackers who just tries to get money off of their parents.† Brayden looked indignant. â€Å"Of course not. I work almost every day at a coffee shop.† â€Å"A coffee shop,† repeated Adrian, managing to convey a million shades of disapproval in his tone. â€Å"I see.† He glanced over at me. â€Å"I suppose it could be worse.† â€Å"Adrian – â€Å" â€Å"Well, it’s not like I’m going to work there forever,† protested Brayden. â€Å"I’ve already been accepted to USC, Stanford, and Dartmouth.† Adrian nodded thoughtfully. â€Å"I guess that’s respectable. Although, I’ve always thought of Dartmouth as the kind of school people go to when they can’t get into Yale or Harv – â€Å" â€Å"We really need to go,† I interrupted, grabbing hold of Adrian’s arm. I attempted to tug him toward the student parking lot and failed. â€Å"We don’t want to get caught in traffic.† Brayden glanced at his cell phone. â€Å"Traffic patterns should be relatively light going west this time of the day, but being a weekend, you never know how tourists might alter things, especially with the various attractions in San Diego. If you look at traffic models applying the Chaos Theory – â€Å" â€Å"Exactly,† I said. â€Å"Better safe than sorry. I’ll text you when I get back, okay? We’ll figure out the rest of this week.† For once, I didn’t have to stress about handshaking or kissing or anything like that. I was too fixated on dragging Adrian away before he could open his mouth and say something inflammatory. Brayden, while passionate about academic topics and me disagreeing with him, tended to otherwise be pretty mild-mannered. He hadn’t exactly been upset just now, but that was certainly the most agitated I’d ever seen him. Leave it to Adrian to work up even the most easygoing people. â€Å"Really?† I asked, once we were safely inside Latte. â€Å"You couldn’t have just said ‘nice to meet you,’ and let it go?† Adrian pushed back the passenger seat, managing the most lounging position possible while still wearing a seatbelt. â€Å"Just looking out for you, sis. Don’t want you ending up with some deadbeat. Believe me, I’m an expert on that kind of thing.† â€Å"Well, I appreciate your insider knowledge, but I’ll manage this on my own, thanks just the same.† â€Å"Come on, a barista? Why not some business intern?† â€Å"I like that he’s a barista. He always smells like coffee.† Adrian rolled down a window, letting the breeze ruffle his hair. â€Å"I’m surprised you let him drive you around, especially considering the way you freak out if anyone touches the controls in your car.† â€Å"Like the window?† I asked pointedly. â€Å"When the air conditioning’s on?† Adrian took the hint and raised the window back up. â€Å"He wants to drive. So I let him. Besides, I like that car.† â€Å"That is a nice car,† Adrian admitted. â€Å"Though I never took you for the type to go for status symbols.† â€Å"I don’t. I like it because it’s an interesting car with a long history.† â€Å"Translation: status symbol.† â€Å"Adrian.† I sighed. â€Å"This is going to be a long ride.† In actuality, we made pretty good time. Despite Brayden’s speculations, traffic moved easily, enough that I felt I deserved a coffee break halfway through. Adrian got a mocha – â€Å"Can you spot me this one time, Sage?† – and maintained his usual breezy conversation style throughout most of the trip. I couldn’t help but notice, when we were about thirty minutes out, he grew more withdrawn and thoughtful. His banter dropped off, and he spent a lot of time gazing out the window. I could only assume the reality of his seeing his dad was setting in. It was certainly something I could relate to. I’d be just as anxious if I was about to see mine. I didn’t really think Adrian would appreciate a shared psychotherapy session, though, so I groped for a safer topic to draw him out of his blue mood. â€Å"Have you guys learned anything from Eddie and Dimitri’s blood?† I asked. Adrian glanced at me in surprise. â€Å"Didn’t expect you to bring that up.† â€Å"Hey, I’m curious about the science of it. I just didn’t want to participate.† He accepted this. â€Å"Not much to tell so soon. They sent the samples off to a lab – one of your labs, I think – to see if there’s anything physically different between the two. Sonya and I did pick up a†¦ oh, I don’t know how to describe it. Like, a ‘hum’ of spirit in Belikov’s blood. Not that him having magic blood should surprise anyone. Most people seem to think everything he does is magic.† â€Å"Oh, come on,† I said. â€Å"That’s unfair.† â€Å"Is it? You’ve seen the way Castile worships him. He wants to be just like Belikov when he grows up. And even though Sonya’s usually the spokesperson for our research, she won’t breathe without checking with him beforehand. ‘What do you think, Dimitri?’ ‘Is this a good idea, Dimitri?’ ‘Please give us your blessing so that we can fall down and worship you, Dimitri.'† I shook my head in exasperation. â€Å"Again – unfair. They’re research partners. Of course she’s going to consult him.† â€Å"She consults him more than me.† Probably because Adrian always looked bored during their research, but I figured it wouldn’t help to bring that up. â€Å"They’ve both been Strigoi. They’ve kind of got a unique insight to this.† He didn’t respond for several moments. â€Å"Okay. I’ll give you points for that. But you can’t argue that there was any competition between me and him when it came to Rose. You saw them together. I never had a chance. I can’t compare.† â€Å"Well, why do you have to?† Part of me also wanted to ask what Rose had to do with this, but Jill had told me numerous times that for Adrian, everything came back to Rose. â€Å"Because I wanted her,† Adrian said. â€Å"Do you still want her?† No answer. Rose was a dangerous topic; one I wished we hadn’t weirdly stumbled into. â€Å"Look,† I said. â€Å"You and Dimitri are two different people. You shouldn’t compare yourself to him. You shouldn’t try to be like him. I mean, I’m not going to sit here and rip him apart or anything. I like Dimitri. He’s smart and dedicated, insanely brave and ferocious. Good in a fight. And he’s just a nice guy.† Adrian scoffed. â€Å"You left out dreamy and ruggedly handsome.† â€Å"Hey, you’re pretty easy on the eyes too,† I teased, quoting something he’d told me a while ago. He didn’t smile. â€Å"And don’t underestimate yourself. You’re smart too, and you can talk yourself out of – and into – anything. You don’t even need magical charisma.† â€Å"So far I’m not seeing a lot of difference between me and a carnival con-man.† â€Å"Oh, stop,† I said. He could make me laugh even with the most serious of topics. â€Å"You know what I mean. And you’re also one of the most fiercely loyal people I know – and caring, no matter how much you pretend otherwise. I see the way you look after Jill. Not many people would’ve traveled across the country to help her. And almost no one would have done what you did to save her life.† Again, Adrian took a while to respond. â€Å"But what are loyal and caring really worth?† â€Å"To me? Everything.† There was no hesitation in my answer. I’d seen too much backstabbing and calculation in my life. My own father judged people not by who they were but by what they could do for him. Adrian did care passionately about others underneath all of his bravado and flippancy. I’d seen him risk his life to prove it. Considering I’d had someone’s eye cut out to avenge my sister†¦ well. Devotion was definitely something I could appreciate. Adrian didn’t say anything else for the rest of the drive, but at least I didn’t get the impression he was brooding anymore. Mostly he seemed thoughtful, and that wasn’t so concerning. What did make me a little uneasy was that I often caught sight of him studying me in my periphery. I replayed what I’d said over and over in my mind, trying to figure out if there’d been anything to warrant such attention. Adrian’s father was staying at a sprawling San Diego hotel with a vibe similar to the resort Brayden and I had eaten breakfast at. Businessmen in suits mingled with pleasure seekers in tropical prints and flip-flops. I’d almost worn jeans to breakfast and was glad now for my choice of a gray skirt and short-sleeved blouse with a muted blue and gray print. It had a tiny ruffled trim, and the skirt had a very, very faint herringbone pattern. Normally, I wouldn’t have worn such contrasting textures together, but I’d liked the boldness of the look. I’d pointed it out to Jill before I left the dorm for breakfast. It’d taken her a while to even find the contrasting textures, and when she did, she’d rolled her eyes. â€Å"Yeah, Sydney. You’re a real rebel.† Meanwhile, Adrian was in one of his typical summer outfits, jeans and a button-up shirt – though of course the shirt was untucked, with the sleeves rolled up and a few top buttons undone. He wore that look all the time, and despite its casual faà §ade, he often made it appear dressy and fashionable. Not today, however. These were the most worn-out jeans I’d ever seen him wear – the knees were on the verge of having holes. The dark green shirt, while nice quality and a perfect match for his eyes, was wrinkled to inexplicable levels. Sleeping in it or tossing it on the floor wouldn’t achieve that state. I was pretty sure someone would have to actually crumple it into a ball and sit on it for it to look that bad. If I’d noticed it back at Amberwood (and hadn’t been so distracted getting him away from Brayden), I would’ve insisted on ironing the shirt before we left. He still looked good, of course. He always looked good, no matter the condition of his clothing and hair. It was one of the more annoying things about him. This rumpled look made him come across as some pensive European model. Studying him as we took the elevator to the second floor lobby, I decided it couldn’t be a coincidence that the most disheveled outfit I’d ever seen Adrian in had fallen on the day he had a father-son visit. The question was: why? He’d complained that his dad always found fault with him. Dressing this way seemed like Adrian was just providing one more reason. The elevator opened, and I gasped as we stepped out. The back wall of the lobby was almost entirely covered with windows that offered a dramatic view of the Pacific. Adrian chuckled at my reaction and took out his cell phone. â€Å"Take a closer look while I call the old man.† He didn’t have to tell me twice. I walked over to one of the glass walls, admiring the vast, blue-gray expanse. I imagined that on cloudy days, it would be hard to tell where sky ended and ocean began. The weather was gorgeous out today, full of sun and a perfectly clear azure-blue sky. On the lobby’s right side, a set of doors opened up onto a Mediterranean style balcony where diners were enjoying lunch out in the sun. Looking down to ground level, I caught sight of a sparkling pool as blue as the sky, surrounded in palm trees and sunbathers. I didn’t have the same longing for water that a magic user like Jill possessed, but I had been living in the desert for almost two months. This was amazing. I was so transfixed with the beauty outside that I didn’t notice Adrian’s return. In fact, I didn’t even notice he was standing right beside me until a mother calling for her daughter – also named Sydney – made me glance aside. There, I saw Adrian only inches away, watching me with amusement. I flinched and stepped back a little. â€Å"How about some warning next time?† He smiled. â€Å"I didn’t want to interrupt. You looked happy for a change.† â€Å"For a change? I’m happy lots of times.† I knew Adrian well enough to recognize the sign of an incoming snarky comment. At the last second, he changed course, his expression turning serious. â€Å"Does that guy – that Brendan guy – â€Å" â€Å"Brayden.† â€Å"Does that Brayden guy make you happy?† I looked at Adrian in surprise. These kinds of questions were almost always a setup from him, but his neutral face made it hard to guess his motives this time. â€Å"I guess,† I said at last. â€Å"Yeah. I mean, he doesn’t make me unhappy.† That brought Adrian’s smile back. â€Å"Red-hot answer if ever there was one. What do you like about him? Aside from the car? And that he smells like coffee?† â€Å"I like that he’s smart,† I said. â€Å"I like that I don’t have to dumb myself down around him.† Now Adrian frowned. â€Å"You do that a lot for people?† I was surprised at the bitterness in my own laugh. â€Å"‘A lot?’ Try all the time. Probably the most important thing I’ve learned at Amberwood is that people don’t like to know how much you know. With Brayden, there’s no censoring for either of us. I mean, just look at this morning. One minute we were talking Halloween costumes, the next we were discussing the ancient Athenian origins of democracy.† â€Å"I’m not going to claim to be a genius, but how the hell did you make that leap?† â€Å"Oh,† I said. â€Å"Our Halloween costumes. We’re dressing Greek. From the Athenian era.† â€Å"Of course,† he said. And this time, I could tell the snark was about to return. â€Å"No sexy cat costumes for you. Only the most dignified, feminist attire will do.† I shook my head. â€Å"Feminist? Oh, no. Not Athenian women. They’re about as far from feminist as you can – well, forget it. It’s not really important.† Adrian did a double take. â€Å"That’s it, isn’t it?† He leaned toward me, and I nearly moved back†¦ but something held me where I was, something about the intensity in his eyes. â€Å"What?† I asked. He pointed at me. â€Å"You stopped yourself just now. You just dumbed it down for me.† I hesitated only a moment. â€Å"Yeah, I kind of did.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Because you really don’t want to hear about ancient Athens, any more than you wanted to hear Brayden talk about Chaos Theory.† â€Å"That’s different,† said Adrian. He hadn’t moved away and was still standing so, so close to me. It seemed like that should’ve bothered me, but it didn’t. â€Å"He’s boring. You make learning fun. Like a children’s book or after school special. Tell me about your†¦ um, Athenian women.† I tried not to smile. I admired his intentions here but knew he really wasn’t up for a history lesson. Again, I wondered what game was going on. Why was he pretending to be interested? I tried to compose an answer that would take less than sixty seconds. â€Å"Most Athenian women weren’t educated. They mostly stayed inside and were just expected to have kids and take care of the house. The most progressive women were the hetaerae. They were like entertainers and high-class prostitutes. They were educated and a little flashier. Powerful men kept their wives at home to raise children and then hung out with hetaerae for fun.† I paused, unsure if he’d followed any of that. â€Å"Like I said, it’s not really important.† â€Å"I don’t know,† said Adrian thoughtfully. â€Å"I find prostitutes vastly important.† â€Å"Well. How refreshing to see that things haven’t changed,† a new voice cut in. We both flinched and looked up at the scowling man who had just joined us. Adrian’s father had arrived. How to cite The Golden Lily Chapter 8, Essay examples

Cultural Differences in International Human Resource Management

Questions: What are the key cultural differences between China and Europe and what significance will these have for the HRM approach? Should the orientation of the organisation be ethnocentric, polycentric or geocentric? What policies and practices would you recommend for the recruitment and selection of local staff? Answers: Introduction to IHRM: Human Resource Management can be defined as a process which effectively deals with directing the human resources/labour so that plans can be directed accordingly and organizational goals can be achieved (Rowley and Jackson, 2011). International Human Resource Management (IHRM) is a new and dynamic changing area of practicing the HR policies in the global market. It is defined as a set of activities that is used to manage and control all the resources at international level to achieve the organizational objectives at international level. All the activities like recruitment; appraisal is been done and matched according to the international level. This method is a new and latest technology that is driving all the multinational companies adhering to the international standards. This is the area where globally standardized policies and practices are adopted by the companies and they are implemented (GOLUBIN, 2008). Organizations have started to increase globally in the market and this has increased the workforce diversity and practice of work culture has also deviated from the initial stage. The main advantages of global HRM are that it generates awareness about cross cultural activities across other geographical boundaries. And this helps companies to identify themselves as global brands. IHRM caters to international business operations and this help to develop the multinational enterprises. Gamescorp Plc is a UK-based company that provides computer games and has presently their business in Europe, they are planning to open their stores in China to which a proper study on cultural difference is required. Thus in this situation International Human Resource management plays a significant role. This is because IHRM have to build incorporation among the policies and practices of its forms which are subsidiary in order to achieve the overall objective of the organization. The discussion emphasizes on the main difference between Europe and China that reflects on the organizational behavior of Gamescorp. It elaborates about the main cultural difference according to the Hofstede model of cultural dimension and highlights on the orientation of the organization. The objective is to establish recommendation on the practices and policies in order to select and recruit local staff. Importance of IHRM: IHRM is very complex in some cases. It is very essential to make an integrated system along with all the HR practices and policies of the company along with its subsidiary firms in all the territories so that the company can achieve organizational objectives. It is also important for a company to ensure that organizations are flexible in implementing their IHRM strategies and aligning them to their business goals as well. With the advent of strong forces of globalization it was necessary to develop and implement them to ensure a significant level of flexibility (Gannon, Roper and Doherty, 2010). IHRM should also align its objectives with the performance management system as well. To sustain an organizational standard it is also important to develop a capable and efficient workforce system. Role of Human Resource Managers in Internationalization of Business: IHRM has few important functions that can be effectively implemented to bring change in the dynamic environment. IHRM aids in providing training and development: It is necessary to maintain a productive environment by ensuring employees having effective knowledge and skills. This is an important function because companies like Gamescorp who are trying to expand their business in other countries needs to know the cultural difference in business operation. After having an idea of the difference the IHRM must implement a strategy for introducing the product to their employees and train them how to sale these products. IHRM should also foster global collaboration along with keeping a view about the day to day business operations as well. IHRM encourages building teams and effectively working with managers so that all administrative tasks are completed effectively and company profitability is increased (Lee Jungah and Chunsu Lee, 2013). In case of a diverse workforce it is very much important to maintain a unity among their employees. This can be achieved through ice breaking sessions and teamwork. Key cultural differences between China and Europe The main objective of Gamescorp Plc is to establish its business in China so that the company can easily penetrate and access to more potential resources (Trestl, 2009). Different cross cultural dimensions are used in terms of societal and cultural profiles (Pandey, 2010). The key difference between Europe and China can be established with the help of Hofstede six dimensions in culture model. They are as follows: Power Distance: In this dimension china accepts a society with inequality whereas the people of UK has a belief that inequalities should be minimized. In British culture the class system has always been an inherent tension and they are trying to reduce the inequalities in order to prevent class differentiation consequences. Whereas in China, they consider the capacity of leadership differs from person to person. Collectivism and Individualism: China has a culture of Collectivist and in such societies people provide care in return of loyalty. In UK, the people are highly individualistic. Children at a very early age decide for their purpose of life and how they could uniquely contribute to the society. In their team works they highly depend on the leader and their instructions. Masculinity: masculinity refers to the value system and the orientation towards success. The Chinese people consider sacrificing their leisure and family by prioritizing their work. They are ready to provide service irrespective of time. UK in this term has a masculinity driven culture which means that the modesty in British culture and their understatement is at odds having an underlying value system for success. Avoidance of Uncertainty: UK doesnt consider the importance of avoiding uncertainty. Their general attitude is like they dont want to take necessary steps before any uncertainty. In an ambiguous situation they are comfortable and believe they could overcome it. The Chinese people are also comfortable with ambiguity. Their language has meanings which state the degree of ambiguity. They are entrepreneurial and adaptable. Orientation for Long term: In this dimension comparison, China stands as a very pragmatic Society. The people there believe that truth depends and varies according to situation. They have an ability to adapt traditions very easily. Whereas in UK it cannot be determined in the culture of British whether there is a dominant preference (Geert-hofstede.com, 2015). Indulgence factor: Indulgence is the extent to which impulses and desires are controlled by people. In this dimension the British are classified Indulgent. They have a desire to understand their impulses and desires in regard to enjoying life. They also consider the importance of leisure and spend money whimsically. Whereas China is a restrained society, they dont emphasize on relaxing and free time and have a high degree of control over their desires. The Chinese philosophy plays an important role in developing the Chinese society and it is very vital factor in defining the social relationships today (Shen and Edwards, 2006).It is also an important fact to consider that every firm has its own enterprise culture and it plays an important role in reflecting values and ethics been highlighted by the Chinese culture of work (Miller, Ochs and Mulvaney, 2008). Guanxi is a connection between people in which one succeed upon another to perform service or favor or be succeeded upon. For this the people involved necessarily ahs to be of same status. The Chinese believes in taking favor from their connection in times of need. This states that in Gamescorp the Chinese market may propose a negotiation for some possible favor (Lin, 2010). The cultural environment is deeply influenced by the management of joint venture of Chinese and European market as well. Therefore it is necessary to avoid misunderstandings as that can hamper the risks and problems associated with it. This will also affect the management styles associated with the markets as well. Therefore it can be inferred that both the cultures have a strong dominance over each other (Zhang, 2010). Orientation of the organization In this case study the approach that is to be followed is of the ethnocentric approach which implies that the parent country brings all the natives of other countries all together and develops an interconnection between all the countries. Here the native country is UK and all the other parent countries are Berlin, Paris and Milan. Even the company was planning to set up outlets in China and merge with such a developing country. This provides a deep insight into the fact that the company adopted ethnocentric approach to stabilize globally in the market. This approach had a strong notion that if the system did well in the domestic market then it would perform well in international markets as well. It is also necessary to understand and adopt the marketing mix and understand the need of the overseas market (Folsom, Gordon and Spanogle, 2009). In the case study it is also mentioned that there should be knowledgeable individuals who can effectively sell the managerial qualities to the host country so that business can be merged with those countries. This also enhances the customer service standards and allows flexibility by giving high status to the employees. The main objective of geocentrism is to integrate both the headquarters and its subsidiaries along with. The whole focus lies on the fact that to solely maximize the worldwide objectives as well as local objectives that helps to develop unique competency to the host country. To achieve a set of common objectives it is also very important to entail and implement a set of universal standards that can be used as a guideline to achieve managerial goals and objectives. It is necessary to work for global goals rather than defending the values of the home country itself. Geocentric approach helps to determine all sorts of success in the business which leads to attain long term stability and empowerment in business (NEWMAN and SAHAK, 2012). Therefore it is very important to select the right individual by the upper management who can be exposed to such activities. In Ethnocentric approach the main aim of this approach is to train and develop employees in the host country. These approaches also represent the interest of the headquarters and provide a link with the parent company as well. Sometimes it is also seen that the natives are culturally sensitive of not working properly. One of the disadvantages of this is that the local workers are sometimes deprived to work effectively. There is no language or cultural barriers that will restrict the process of communication in any way (MACHIDA, 2012). The Polycentric approach uses natives of the host country of a business so that the operations of the parent country as well as of the native country can be managed. This situation is generally preferred by managers of the parent country itself. This approach is adopted by those companies those who have a localized HR department ant the entire human resource are managed by the company itself. Polycentric and Ethnocentric approach are not applicable in this approach because ethnocentrism focuses on the home country and polycentrism focuses on the host country. This is a global expansion, both the host and the home countries have their own business culture and business policies that needs to be kept in mind. If the Company makes an Ethnocentric approach then the home country will have advantage because the product is UK-based and so as their operation, but the country for expansion in China and the hiring employees from China would help to make the product acceptable in the market. A British selling a UK product will be less effective to the customers than a Chinese selling a UK product. In case of Polycentric approach, if products are sold emphasizing more on the host country then the advantage will be the attention of the Chinese customer but the product is UK-based so to some extent the policies of UK also needs to be involved. Policies and practices recommended for recruitment There should be deliberate efforts given in selecting the right candidates and this gives focus to increase the diversity and engage new audience in the organization. There are certain critical factors that should be kept in mind while recruiting locally. There should be programs developed to supports the needs of local recruiting. There should be consultation of facilities and recruitment processes within the local unit. Various methods must be developed to conduct and coordinate the position searches as well. Emphasis is to be given to hiring supervisors as well (Adano, 2008). There are few points that are to be kept in mind in order to implement broader recruitment efforts. Building relationships with cultural groups and organizations those work with diverse communities: this involves interacting and contacting the local immigrant service agencies which can provide employment advice and services to learn about their programs and policies. They can assist the organizations in implementing various programs such as temporary foreign worker programs , post graduation work permits for international students as well (Diederich, Gunay and Hogan, 2010). Get the word out: It is necessary to go through regular channels and contacting such suspects would be safer and easier for the busy managers but that wont bring new or diverse talent into organizations (De Vos, De Hauw and Willemse, 2015). The positions must be advertised in a number of places including service agencies, settlement boards, and local community groups, local as well as community newspapers, and other local language schools as well. Organization should be promoted as a viable place to work: This can be done by challenging the misperceptions about employment in the nonprofit sector and also by attending various job fairs and networking events. By connecting with the volunteer base: this is basically done to gain experience build and find networks so that individuals are interested to apply. Sourcing candidates: this means the employment specialist utilizes the professional contacts and all the detailed knowledge of the vacant position is identified by the company applicants as well (Danowitz, Hanappi-egger and Mensi-klarbach, 2012). Sometimes this process also involves outsourcing the selected number of candidates via social networking sites, trade shows, seminars and other means of convention. Job announcements are also made through word of mouth. Screening and Reviewing the applications posted: this is basically done by a software called Application Tracking Systems (ATS). In todays worlds online submissions are replacing the submission of hard copy applications. This process starts with identification of keywords that match with the organizational standards as well. This also allows recruiters to narrow the list of candidates to a few numbers that could be managed easily and interviewed (Kramar, 2013). Pre Employment process: After all the processes have been done another round of interview is conducted along with a panel of high level colleagues. This can be the final round for the candidate being interviewed. After this all the negotiations are been undertaken. This in turmn brings about preparing employment offer letter in which all the work details and its terms and conditions are mentioned. After this the documentation part is been carried forward which is the sole responsibility of the human resources department (Yang and Doh, 2014). Recommendations given to Gamescorp in China: Few recommendations are suggested in favor of adopting the company rules and policies. It is recommended to the company to understand the basic principles underlying all the cultural aspects of the market established in China. The company wanted to set up and align its business with developing countries like China. Therefore to penetrate the Chinese market it was necessary to have enough knowledge about the Chinese culture, their work environment and how a business can develop in such a market in a short span of time. Therefore it was necessary to develop a corporate strategy consisting of business plans and formulating the plan when needed. Conclusion: It can be concluded from the case let and research work been done that China was a fruitful market that the company was planning to penetrate in such a market. Not only China the company had future plans to develop in other countries as well. 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