Christianity Essays (719 words) - God, Antigone, Civil Disobedience

Christianity And Greek Gods The Revolutionary War was an enormous part of American history. The revolution in Russia, that sparked the overthrow of communism, was a huge part of Russian history. The revolution of Christianity from the concepts of Greek gods was also a large part of religious history. Christianity and Greek gods have many comparisons, contrasts, and these contrasts resulted in Christianity being revolutionary. The concepts of Christianity and the religious concepts of the Greek gods are comparatively alike. To begin, in both religions, humans believe that there are speakers for their God/gods. Gods do not speak to mere mortals. These people are the priests who teach of the gods? ways and wants. Some are fortune tellers or prophets, as they were called in Greek times, that foretell the future. For example, Tiriesias, in the plays Oedipus the King and Antigone, was a blind prophet who could see the future and foretell it to people. In Greek times the prophets were of high social status. Also, the people believe that their God or gods are above all human ranks. They believe a god is above all and listens to people when they need help. This is why humans pray to the God/gods for forgiveness. The two religious views also believe that the God/gods are watching over their followers. The God/gods decide either before or after a person?s life on earth where the person will live in the afterlife, depending on the person?s values. Both believe one would either go to a bad place, called Hell or Hades, or a good place, called heaven or the Elysian Fields. Likewise both believe in an afterlife that is eternally chosen. The ideas of the followers of Christianity and Greek religions are also very different. To begin, Christians believe in one almighty God. This is also known as monotheism. Christians believe this God gave the world his only son. When that son was put to death by a human, He told the people He would die to forgive their sins. This shows that God and His son were both caring and forgiving beings. They are respected by the followers of Christianity. God helps humans. Humans pray to this God for help and forgiveness. People also go to church to learn about their religion and to pay their respects to God. The church is thought to be God?s house. This is why people get dressed up and try to look nice when they are guests in God?s house. God and Jesus are thought to live in heaven. Greeks, however, are very different from Christians. They believe in many gods. This is also known as polytheism. These gods are mean and torture the humans for doing wrong. In the play Antigone, the leader speaks, ?Must, King and quickly too. The gods, provoked, never wait to mow men down.?1 This quote proves how quick tempered the gods are. These same gods destine a human?s fate. Fate is also determined usually by a family curse. As in Antigone, the Greek tragedy, Antigone states, ?What more do you think could Zeus require of us to load the curse that?s on the House of Oedipus2 This quote shows how Zeus, a Greek god, has determined Antigone's fate by the curse that has been placed on her family. A human?s fate is foretold and is kept by the oracles. Oedipus? oracle states that he would kill his father and marry his mother. This oracle comes true even though many people of the city of Thebes do not know that Oedipus is Jocasta and Liaus? son because they ordered their son to be put to death. People of Greek times do not attend church; they are told of their futures by prophets or by other family members. They do, however, also try to please the gods so that they are not punished. The Greek gods are thought to live above the Greek citizens on a mountain named Olympus. Christianity was considered revolutionary by many. Revolutionary is defined as: ?having the nature of, characterized by, tending toward, and causing a revolution, or drastic change.?3 Christianity was a major change in beliefs causing many to think it was wrong. The evolution of Christianity was hampered by the beliefs of the people and their familiarity with the ways of the Greeks. This was such a giant change, many did not like it. Thus, although Christianity may seem similar to the concepts of the Greek gods it has many distinct differences. These differences explain why Christianity can be considered revolutionary.

Romantic movement essays

Romantic movement essays Dr. George Boeree best describes the Romantic Movement in the following, Reason and the evidence of our senses were important no doubt but they mean nothing to us unless they touch our needs, our feelings, our emotions. Only then do they acquire meaning. This meaning is what the Romantic Movement is all about. There were many changes that made this movement. The Romantics turned to the poet before the scientist to harbor their convictions. They found that Science was too narrow-minded, and held no room for emotion or feelings. In England, there was a resurgence into Shakespearean drama, and numerous techniques and styles such as Sturm and Drang, a style of writing in Germany, and in art the title sublime to describe the power of natural disasters that developed in the Romantic period. The perception that the Enlightenment was destroying the natural human soul and substituting it with the mechanical, artificial heart was becoming prevalent across Europe. Also another thought that was at the wake of romanticism were the words of the French revolution emphasizing liberty, freedom, and individuality as well as the need in England to escape what the industrial revolution was doing to the country. There are many people and expressions either art, thought, or music that made the romantic period what is was. There are however key people who are involved in cementing certain expressions. Many writers such as William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, and George Gordan, Lord Bryant, classified the Romantic period. One writer however Johann Wolfgang von Goethe of Germany really expressed this movement with "The Sorrows of Young Werther", which epitomized what Romanticism stood for. His character expressed feelings from the heart and gave way to a new trend of expressing emotions through individuality as opposed to collectivism. He was also known for the Sturm and Drang style that was popular in Germany. This style wa...

Reading and Writing Processes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading and Writing Processes - Essay Example The assumption under the product school of writing is that writing, like any other skill, can be taught. By giving students proper and rigorous instruction in language usage and basic principles of writing, it is suggested they will be able to then be able to start producing high quality essays and research papers entirely on their own (Hairston, 1996). Using this approach, instructors use sample texts and ask the students to mimic the processes they see in the book, such as the traditional 5-paragraph essay. Grammar and rules are very important in this approach and a strong message is sent that the first draft is the final draft and the only draft that matters (Hairston, 1996). Creative exercises are seen as a waste of time because they tend to break the rules the teacher is trying so hard to enforce. Not surprisingly, the teacher is the guiding force in the classroom with the students simply doing as they are told. This approach is most helpful when students are learning about how to write mostly formulaic-type work, such as business reports or cover letters. It helps students identify poor grammar structure early in the process at the same time that it gives them a relatively predictable structure on which to build as they face complicated academic writing assignments. However, using this approach doesn't usually produce quality work. According to Eschholz (1980), such an approach will only result in "mindless copies of a particular organizational plan or style" (24). It has often been described as habit formation. "Writing is messy, recursive, convoluted and uneven", but the product approach with its focus on mimicry, ignores these characteristics of writing and can quickly set up students for failure. The process school, on the other hand, operates with the assumption that the skill of writing can only be acquired gradually. Rather than drilling students with the rules and conventions of writing, this school holds that it is better to allow students to dev elop their writing through a slow evolution of working with the instructor and other students in a process called peer review (Eschholz, 1980). In fact, the concept of collaboration is considered to be an important tool in learning to write. It more closely matches the actual writing process by acknowledging that there are several stages involved in writing a paper. There are multiple drafts and proper time and place for grammar - mostly in one of the final stages before the paper is turned in. Creative exercises are often encouraged as a way to get students past the blank page and perceived writer's block and students are much more involved as they work with each other and bounce ideas off of each other. This school was essentially founded by Janet Emig with the publication of The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders" (1971). One of the biggest advantages of this approach is that it takes the pressure off of students that they have to get their papers right the first time. Instea d, they are encouraged to explore their ideas and play with their writing a little bit. This enables them to find their own voice, language, and style. It also gives the students a greater sense of control as it positions the teacher as facilitator or coach

Learnig styles and Personality types Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learnig styles and Personality types - Essay Example Howard Gardner (1983), in his theory of multiple intelligences, proposed that learning, for every individual, is a distinctive combination of intelligences, resulting from one's distinctive abilities, challenges, experiences, and training (Stremba & Bisson, 2009). Individuals possess distinctive learning styles depending on their process of focusing, processing, assimilating and reproducing content. Effectiveness of learning is mostly influenced by the mode of communication which connects the learner with the learning, through words, pictures, thoughts, feelings (verbal, visual, nonverbal, kinesthetic), sounds, numbers etc (Ryan & Cooper 2008). The visual learners have a tendency to relate their learning to observed events, objects, situations thereby forming impressions that help them retrieve information when they visualize these events or objects. Auditory learners tend to grasp information presented to them in some form of sound, like lecture, recording, music, discussion etc. this is characteristic of a classroom teaching, learning through audio-visual aids in training sessions, or in group discussions. Kinesthetic learners are more inclined to learning through experimentation, touching, and feeling. These learners tend to learn more when they move around, act out concepts while reading and by touching or feeling structures such as historical monuments. Effective learning can be ensured by adopting specific strategies that can match these learning styles, and help in better understanding, remembering, relating to facts and better reproducibility. For this, assessment of personality type is also important. Myers-Briggs model identifies four types of personalities based on specific traits possessed by people; they are thinker, organizer, giver and adventurer (Carter, Bishop & Kravits 2007). Keeping in mind these personality types and the aforementioned learning styles, different strategies can be developed that will aid in effective communication and collaboration among different people within a group. For instance, organizers with visual learning style can use colorful flashcards to emphasize on main learning points, use visual aids, pictures, graphics, maps etc. Thinkers with visual learning can make use of innovative designs, puzzles, and specific problem solving methods. Givers with auditory learning style can ensure better learning by teaching others, conducting group discussions, and enacting plays. Enacting plays can also help the visual learners. Organizing group activities using physical resources skillfully and games involving different people can be used for kinesthetic learners. This will also help the thinkers as it will give them an opportunity to problem solving with different approaches. Conducting lab experiments or practical study, in case of arts, along with lectures will benefit people with all the three learning styles. This process will also make use of different characteristics of organizers, givers, and thinkers in bringing about

Effective Leadership And Management Styles

Effective Leadership And Management Styles According to Ward S (2010) Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act in a specific way towards achievement of a common goal. A leader therefore is a person who has a combination of skills and personality that will make people want to follow his or her direction. The leader should have the ability to manage all the resources under his or her disposal. Successful leadership as a discipline involves communicating, supervising and inspiring people under his or her leadership. On the other hand, Management is the organization and co-ordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and achievement of certain pre-defined objectives. As a discipline, it involves formulation of policies, organizing, planning, controlling and directing firms resources towards achievement of the policy objectives. According to Reh .J. (2010) a manager is a person who plans and directs the work of other individuals by monitoring their work and taking corrective action when necessary. Skills are the capacities and abilities obtained through deliberate and sustained efforts to carry out complex activities or job functions. It involves use of ideas (cognitive skills), interacting with people (interpersonal skills) and doing things (technical skills). Qualities are the attributes that define the degree of excellence. Something of quality is that which is free from deficiencies and ineffectiveness. Knowledge is the expertise acquired by a person through education or practice. Ability is the acquired or natural capacity, competence or talent that enables an individual to perform a particular job or task successfully any time. This paper will analyze the specific skills, knowledge, qualities and abilities that an individual will need to develop to become an effective leader and manager. MAIN BODY There is an argument that there is a difference between a leader and a manager. Indeed it is true that all leaders must be managers first but not all managers are leaders. There are several theories put forward to distinguish between leaders and followers. According to Cherry K (2010) there are several leadership theories. These include: Great man theory: It postulates that great leaders are born and not made. Leaders in this group are heroic, mythic and their destiny is to rise to leadership whenever needed. Trait theory: This theory assumes that people inherit certain traits and qualities that enable them to be best suited for leadership. The theory identifies particular personality and behavioral characteristics which are common for all leaders. Contingency theories: This theory focuses on variables related to the environment that determine the leadership style to be used in different situations. Thus leadership styles will have to be changed according to the situation. Success therefore depends on various variables like the situation in question, the qualities of followers, number of variables and leadership style. Situational theories: Leaders will choose leadership styles depending on the situation. Different leadership styles may be more appropriate for certain decision making than others. Behavioral theory: This theory is based on the belief that great leaders are made and not born. According to the theory people can learn to be leaders through observing and learning. Participative theory: In this style the output of others is taken into account in decision .Leaders will therefore encourage participation and contribution of the group members and make the members to feel more relevant and committed to the decision making process. Management theory: This theory is based on the system of reward and punishment. In this case, when employees succeed, they are rewarded and when they fail they are punished. The role of the manager is thought to be focused on supervision, organization and group performance. Relationship theory: This theory focuses on the connection between followers and leaders. Leaders motivate and inspire followers by helping the group members to see the importance of the task. Leaders in this group will have high moral standards because they are focused on performance of group members and they want everyone to fulfill his or her potential. Effective leadership An effective leader must have followers because the essence of leadership is to convince people to act the way you want. Therefore, a leader must have the ability to convince people to pull people towards his direction. This will entail good communication in order to explain goals clearly to the followers. This will bring about better results because the followers understand the goals to be achieved well. According to Walker .C.A. (2005) effective leadership must be built on a solid foundation which is in turn dependent on the qualities of integrity and humility. He goes further and defines integrity as firmness of character, honesty, uprightness, sincerity and good moral character. Integrity not only influences the goals that leaders chose but also the type of followers that they get. It means therefore that, high integrity builds trust, honor, respect and loyalty among followers. Humility on the other hand, has the effect of avoiding arrogance in the work place and also allows you to share glory and celebrate success with followers. Thus, to be successful as a leader, you should build your personal and organizational code of conduct on humility and integrity. According to White B. (2010), a good leader has several qualities that characterize him or her. These qualities can be summarized as: Availability: A leader should be available and in touch with the people he leads. This means that he should be sensitive to the needs of people and respond in time. Maintaining good relationship: Successful business leaders know the importance of good relationships. They will therefore prioritize on minimizing conflict and lack of harmony. Self motivation and development: Successful leaders will do anything acceptable to ensure that their skills and knowledge base is kept on track because they know the importance of personal and professional development. They therefore set and use goals for motivating themselves and others. Appropriate use of authority: Good leaders use their authority with wisdom and sensitivity to different circumstances. Authority should therefore not be used in gratifying or promoting oneself or even controlling or dominating others. Understanding of group dynamics: Successful leaders are good at using both the strengths and weaknesses of a group to achieve the best results. They also have the ability of bringing groups together by leading them without conflict and minimizing harmony. Having incentives and building team spirit: A result orientated leader will give his juniors incentives in order to improve their performance and maintain quality results. According to Burger (2004), there are certain abilities that a good leader should have several vital abilities. According to him, leaders are born leaders and develop according to their environment and education. Management on the other hand, can be learnt and obtained by sufficient training, education and acquiring additional skills. Leaders are necessary to drive the vision home and making sure that the drive stays alive in the hearts of the staff, members and contributors. The abilities which are very critical for leaders are: Encouraging workers to be creative and contribute: This is achieved by setting guidelines and encouraging them to participate at their level. People are individuals: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your group, listen to their fears and encourage them to achieve their aspirations. Lead by example: A leader should have the ability to build up a team to support him or her and this means that the leader should first volunteer. Therefore the example that is set by the individual is followed by the rest of the team. Effective Management According to Francis M (2007) the quality of a manager and effective management styles determine the culture of the organization, productivity of its staff and the ultimate success of the organization. As such a manager should striver to use the best Management styles. A manager should have the ability to direct supervise, encourage, inspire and co-ordinate and as a result facilitate action and guide change. In doing this the manager should develop his qualities and those of others. Managers use planning, Organizational and communication skills. There are certain other skills which must be possessed by effective managers. These skills are: Creative problem solving skills-A good manager should have the ability to describe and analyze a problem critically. During the analysis, there is need for a good manager to identify the causes of the problems in question and identify the best options and the best courses of action to take. The manager should then implement and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of his actions. Communication Skills-A good manager should be able to listen to the juniors and any other ideas from that may be of importance to the organization. He should also be able to make good presentations, give feedback on issues relating to running of the business and be able to write good reports. Conflict management skills.-The manager should have the ability to identify the sources of conflict in the organization and understand the personal style of conflict resolution. He should also develop the best strategy of dealing with the conflict and promote positive conflict in the organization. Negotiation Skills -The ideal manager should develop rational thinking in negotiation. By doing so, he will avoid various mistakes in negotiation and develop an effective skill in negotiation that assists both parties. Self-awareness and improvement-The manager should understand the importance of emotions in work and self-development. In addition, the manager should attempt to understand the importance of self-motivation and how to effectively manage self-learning and change. Successful managers must have certain qualities which should be able to define them. They should therefore be: Enthusiastic: This means that the manager should always be positive about everything because it helps to motivate those under them. Enthusiastic managers are committed to their goals because they express this through their optimism. Good communicator: The best managers who have good communication skills support individual and team achievements by creating guidelines for accomplishing tasks and career advancement for team members. Competence: Managers should have the ability to successfully lead others by having a past winning track record. A competent manager has expertise in management skills which enables him to inspire encourage, challenge and model. Ability to delegate: The way a manager checks and controls the work of others demonstrates his ability to delegate. A good manager should leave the other team members to participate in the work actively. Help employees set goals: Talking to employees assists in enabling them to understand the overall goals of the business. The manager should then help them to set individual goals which are geared towards achieving the long term business goals. Positively talking with employees and allowing them to participate in goal setting will motivate the workers to work harder. Effective management styles Managers are those people who can make the most out of their employees through their inspiration. According to the tutor2u business site (2010) Managers use different types of management styles according to the preference of the individual manager. These management styles are discussed below: Autocratic management style: There is close supervision and control of employees and all decisions are made by the manager. Workers are not trusted. They are just given orders which they are expected to follow to the latter. It means that in this style communication is one way. This style is very important when dealing with large number of semi-skilled workers who can not make certain decisions on their own. It may also be appropriate in time of crisis when fast decisions must be made. Paternalistic management style: Managers using this style give more importance to the social needs and view of workers. Decisions are therefore made in the best interests of workers. In addition, managers consult employees over issues and they listen to their feedback and opinions. Democratic Management style: Managers using this style trust their employees and will delegate to them some of the duties and encourage them to make some decisions. This requires two way communication and listening to employees advice. This means that the managers should encourage democratic discussion groups which form the basis of useful ideas. This style is only effective when decisions are made based on the major views of most workers. According to Vercillo K. (2010), there are ten traits that an effective business manager should have. These are: Self motivation: The manager should understand the goals of the business and develop individual strategies for achieving the goals. As such, he should be capable of doing the job with minimum supervision. Great customer service skills: An effective manager should be effective in dealing with customers and /or clients. He should thus be effective in handling problems which may occur with the customers. This means that the manager should be capable of making even the difficult customers happy in order to retain the customer and ensure business growth. Be a team player: The manager should be interested in making the business to grow. This means he should be ready to work with a team of people for the improvement of the overall business. Conflict resolution abilities: The manager should serve as a middleman between the lower employees and the company. He should therefore make an effort to solve any disputes that may arise between employees themselves or employees and the management. Knowledge of the industry: The manager should be able to answer all questions asked by customers, clients and even staff members. The manager should not only have advanced or specialized experience in the fields but should also have a thirst for more knowledge about the industry. CONCLUSION Although there are some people who still argue that leaders are the same as managers, there are some differences between the two concepts which can not be ignored. Managers have subordinates unless the title is honorary. This means that managers are paid to get things done and can therefore be said to be subordinates of other people. On the other hand, leaders have followers and it therefore means that when somebody is leading, he or she has to give up formal authoritative control because leading is majorly about voluntary work. There are however some attributes that must be possessed by both managers and leaders. For instance both the leader and the manager must have good communication skills to be able to clarify issues for attainment of overall best results. According to Clemmer J (1996), both management and leadership are important for a high performing organization. It is therefore important to understand the similarities and differences between the two concepts. This will help us to balance and improve the two roles. It is for instance important to understand that you can only lead people and manage people. According to Kotelnikov V (2001), leaders strive to seize opportunities and amplify strengths while managers avert threats and reduce weaknesses. As the old proverb says, leadership is doing the right thing while management is doing things right. However you should not dwell so much on the differences because both roles are required for corporate growth since the risk of leadership creates opportunities while the strictness of management turns them into tangible results. It means therefore, to be successful in business one must be both a good leader and manager because you will have to get followers who can easily listen to you and put the set goals into action .Proper management of organizational resources will minimize losses and in the long run maximize the value of the firm. Excessive use of managerial authority may deter the workers from doing their work well because they will be executing their duties with fear. The managers should thus device good communication mechanisms that will ensure that they are able to understand the fears of the workers and in turn help solve their problems in time. In conclusion, good management and leadership skills should be used effectively for the betterment of the organization because the two are inseparable and in most organizations leaders are the managers.

What Really Happened in World War 1 and 2 :: essays research papers

The definition of a world war is "a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world." The First World War was a unique even, because such thing has never happened before in history. Today it is still a topic discussed in details. The causes of the First World War are many, among which the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Other causes were the alliance systems and the nationalism . During the years before the war, a "system of secret alliances" was formed in Europe. The whole point for creating these alliances was maintaining peace throughout Europe. Everybody thought that if countries join forces together, there will be no point for a country to declare war on another. Should this happen, however, both countries will be protected from their allies. This "perfect" on first sight system did not really work well. In fact this is how the war started. Austria - Hungary declared war on Serbia, but both countries had other nations protected World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars, so how was it that America had to yet again fight in what is considered our world?s second war? Throughout time fuel kept on being added to the fire and America found themselves in what is now called World War II. It seems funny to say that the very thing that ended World War I actually caused the second World War. The Treaty Of Versailles marked the end of World War I but not all countries were satisfied with this. The Germans thought it was unbalanced and unfair to them. Hitler detested the treaty by creating a military and occupying its surrounding neighbors, including Austria-Hungary. Germany continued to take over Czechloslovokia due to its strength in minerals. England and France watched as all this was happening becoming more and more angry. Then England and France decided to declare war if Hitler took over Poland. Another thing that sparked the beginning of World War II was something called militarism. Countries figured that if they provided themselves with a strong military that it would solve their economic problems. Germany started to develop an air force along with a fleet of submarines called U-Boats and battle ships. Along with this, Germany blamed the jewish people for the economic problems there. What Really Happened in World War 1 and 2 :: essays research papers The definition of a world war is "a war engaged in by all or most of the principal nations of the world." The First World War was a unique even, because such thing has never happened before in history. Today it is still a topic discussed in details. The causes of the First World War are many, among which the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Other causes were the alliance systems and the nationalism . During the years before the war, a "system of secret alliances" was formed in Europe. The whole point for creating these alliances was maintaining peace throughout Europe. Everybody thought that if countries join forces together, there will be no point for a country to declare war on another. Should this happen, however, both countries will be protected from their allies. This "perfect" on first sight system did not really work well. In fact this is how the war started. Austria - Hungary declared war on Serbia, but both countries had other nations protected World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars, so how was it that America had to yet again fight in what is considered our world?s second war? Throughout time fuel kept on being added to the fire and America found themselves in what is now called World War II. It seems funny to say that the very thing that ended World War I actually caused the second World War. The Treaty Of Versailles marked the end of World War I but not all countries were satisfied with this. The Germans thought it was unbalanced and unfair to them. Hitler detested the treaty by creating a military and occupying its surrounding neighbors, including Austria-Hungary. Germany continued to take over Czechloslovokia due to its strength in minerals. England and France watched as all this was happening becoming more and more angry. Then England and France decided to declare war if Hitler took over Poland. Another thing that sparked the beginning of World War II was something called militarism. Countries figured that if they provided themselves with a strong military that it would solve their economic problems. Germany started to develop an air force along with a fleet of submarines called U-Boats and battle ships. Along with this, Germany blamed the jewish people for the economic problems there.

Revisioning the Scholarship Boy

Re-Visioning the Scholarship Boy In â€Å"When We Dean Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision,† Rich describes the dilemma we all face as humans in our search for identity. Are we to allow the forces of the past to define us, or are we to transcend these forces creating a new identity? For Rich her struggle with a male dominated society causes her to redefine herself through writing. As the title of her piece suggests, Rich uses â€Å"writing as Re-vision,† a way to rewrite the past, effectively breaking free of tradition.In â€Å"The Achievement Of Desire,† Rodriguez is faced with a similar crisis of identity, when faced with Hoggart’s concept of the â€Å"scholarship boy†. While this concept seems to represent the hold of authority over Rodriguez, he instead uses it in his search for identity, breaking the hold of authority over him. Rich writes, â€Å"until we understand the assumptions in which we are drenched we cannot know ourselves†¦. †(Ric h 18). In much the same way Rodriguez must understand the assumptions imposed by the concept of the â€Å"scholarship boy† in his quest for self-identity.When examining Rodriguez’s struggle the following questions arise: Has Rodriguez broken free of the academic authorities in his life, which attempt to rigidly define his identity? Is he a â€Å"scholarship boy,† or something more? When contemplating these questions, we come to a surprising result; Rodriguez had used his quest for identity as a catalyst, allowing him to solidify his own philosophy of education. Throughout the achievement of desire Rodriguez uses the concept of the scholarship boy to express his philosophy of education.While at first we see the scholarship boy as a mere caricature, eventually it begins to increase in depth, until finally we realize that Rodriguez is in fact talking about himself. Rodriguez writes: â€Å"In large part, however, the reason he is such a bad student is because he re alizes more often and more acutely than most other students – than Hoggart himself – that education requires radical self-reformation. †(529) In this passage we begin to see pieces of Rodriguez’s philosophy of education. For Rodriguez, a successful education exists as a force of inevitable change.This change often pulls one away from their native culture, integrating them with society. Rodriguez states, â€Å" Radical educationalists meanwhile complain that ghetto schools oppress students by trying to mold them†¦the truer critique would be just the reverse: not that schools change ghetto students too much†¦they change most students barely at all. †(529) For Rodriguez a proper education inevitably â€Å"molds† the student. The emphasis in the American educational system on â€Å"creativity and originality† ultimately hinders the success of the student.Rodriguez furthers his philosophy on education with his views on imitation. For Rodriguez imitation i â€Å"From the story of the scholarship boy there is no specific pedagogy to glean†¦ he makes clear that education is a long unglarorous even demeaning process†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Great quote to set up another paragraph For rodriguez, education need not be a pleasurable process. While thescholorship boy seems a negative story in reality it is a necessary one in terms of education. For the student of immigrant parents to become educated he must be ripped from his native cultureRodriguez reveals; â€Å"A primary reason for my success in the classroom was that I couldn’t forget that schooling was changing me and separating me from the life I enjoyed before becoming a student. †(516) During the beginning of his life, Rodriguez lives as the â€Å"scholarship boy†. Rodriguez writes, â€Å"I lacked a point of view when I read. Rather I read in order to acquire a point of view. †(527). Furthermore Rodriguez writes â€Å"I knew too much (and not enough) to be able to write anything but sentences that were overly cautious, timid, strained brittle under the heavy weight of footnotes and qualifications.I seemed unable to dare a passionate statement†(531). After these realizations Rodriguez searches for an answer to his shortcomings in academic literature coming face to face with Hoggart’s concept of the â€Å"scholarship boy†. For the first time Rodriguez begins to question himself, framing these inquiries through the concept of the â€Å"scholarship boy† Through questioning himself Rodriguez finally comes to terms with himself allowing a synthesis to occur, applying his skills of abstraction to his problem of identity.Rodriguez writes â€Å"And yet, positively: the ability to consider experience so abstractly allowed me to shape into desire what would otherwise have remained indefinite. †. Rodriguez takes this synthesis further concluding â€Å"If, because of my schooling, I had gr own culturally separated from my parents, my education finally had given me ways of speaking and caring about this fact†(532). Rodriguez goes further to illustrate his transformation, by contrasting his thoughts as a â€Å"scholarship boy† with his thoughts in the present.Rodriguez writes â€Å" Faithfully, I wrote down all that they said. I memorized it: â€Å"The praise of the unlettered by the highly educated is the primary theme of ‘elitist’ literature† But, â€Å"the importance of the praise given the unsolitary, richly passionate and spontaneous life is that it simultaneously reflects the value of a reflective life. †(532). To Rodriguez this quote falls perfectly in line with his own conclusions from his experience, the wisdom of learning to balance the two opposing forces in his life. Yet as a scholarship boy these words mean nothing to him.Rodriguez writes, â€Å"But there was no way for any of it to mean very much to me. I was a sch olarship boy at the time, busily laddering my way up the rungs of education. †(532). Throughout â€Å"Achievement of Desire†, Rodriguez maps his transformation from a â€Å"scholarship boy†, to someone with his own authority. It is possible to see a similar transformation occur for Rich when we examine â€Å"When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision†. For Rich the final step of this transformation is through her act of writing about her struggle.Rich writes, â€Å"Moreover if the imagination is to transcend and transform experience it has to question, to challenge, to conceive of alternatives, perhaps to the very life you are living at the moment. †¦. For writing is re-naming. † (Rich 23). It would seem that a final piece of evidence for Rodriguez’s transformation is â€Å"Achievement of Desire† itself. Rodriguez’s ability to write about his struggle allows him to use the transformative power of the imagination, effectively using writing as Re-Vision.