Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe Essay -- things fall apart, chinua

Post colonialism deals with cultural identity in colonized societies and the ways in which writers articulate that identity. Things Fall Apart is a good novel that serves as a reminder of what Nigeria once was. It shows how a society can deal with change, how change affects the individuals of that society, and how delicate a change can be; so much so that the people themselves are surprised at the change. Things Fall Apart is an English novel by the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe which was published in 1957. Throughout the book the role of customs and traditions is very important and decides the fate of men, women, and children. Some of the customs practiced in this culture would certainly be frowned upon in the West yet are perfectly acceptable. It talks of the Ibo society. The protagonist of the novel is Okonkwo. He is a respected and influential leader within the Igbo community of Umuofia in eastern Nigeria. He first earns personal fame and distinction, and brings honor to his village, when he defeats Amalinze the Cat in a wrestling contest. The first part of the book deals with the proof of tribal life in Africa and the rise in power and authority of Okonkwo. The author highlights his strengths as well as his obsession with success. Okonkwo does not show any love in dealing with his three wives and children. This part reveals that Okonkwo actions are often irrational and imprudent, which will be the cause of his eventual fall. We learn about the traditions, superstitions and religious faiths of the villagers. The second part begins with Okonkwo exile to his mother’s land for seven years. This part also marks the entry of the white man into the lives of the African people. Though inwardly disappointed, Okonkwo begins a ne... ...Apart. London: Heinemann Press, 1958. The Women's Review of Books. 18 (July 2001): p30. From Literature Resource Center "When Things Fall Apart" StudyMode.com. 05 2002. 2002. 05 2002 Chua, John, and Suzanne Pavlos. Cliffs Notes on Things Fall Apart. 18 Jan 2014 Benjamin, Walter. â€Å"Critique of Violence.† Reflections: Essays, Aphorisms, Autobiographical Writings. Trans. Edmund Jephcott. Ed. Peter Demetz. New York: Schocken, 1978. 277–300. Print. George, Olakunle. Relocating Agency: modernity and African letters. Albany: SU of New York p, 2003. Print. Mbembe, Achille. On the Post colony. Berkeley: U of California P, 2001. Print. Ogede, Ode. Achebe’s Things Fall Apart: A reader’s Guide. New York: Continuum, 2007. Print. Chinua Achebe - Chinua Achebe - Things Fall Apart: A Novel - New York - Broadway Books - 1994

Organizational Behavior Assignment

Since this business has been around and owned by my family for over 40 years, we still have leadership harries from 40 years ago that has kept them going for so long. We have adapted new leadership theories from the times changing but most of them have stuck. The owner in our business it not really a leader, since she is retired from her other job, it is up to the manager to lead the employees in the right direction. Some of the aspects of leadership that has stuck with the business over the years would be, what the main focuses are (the customers), the training process and how the manager interacts with the employees.In this business it is like a family so there is a close relationship between the anger and the employees. I believe the theory that best goes along with this family business would be a combination of traditional and contemporary. We have many factors of the traditional but also contemporary because we are always trying to keep up with what is going around us but we als o are stuck with the old leadership from 40 years ago that has gotten us this far in the business. Overall, each leadership will work but for different businesses. You need to find the one that will work the best for you business.Working at a family business creates a lot of stress for not only the family UT the employees also. Since there is only five employees it is hard to get off or call in sick at times; this causes stress between the employees and we have been able to figure a way out to create less stress. We have a sheet where people can list when they need off and another list that people can sign up for the hours that are going to need to be filled. It is almost as if the employees have control but we just put the outline there. Next there is the job roles, each and every person does everything, not just one part.This causes stress sometimes because the employees are not sure what to do first hen there is so much work to get done. We recently fixed this problem, making a l ist of priorities. So when there are many tasks to get done they know what to do first and then they can work their way down the list Also we have made it so if they do not get something done, that list gets passed down to the next shift. I have noticed that this has lifted a lot Of stress Off of all the employees because they have some type of structure and order. The one good aspect that I have noticed in this business is that there are great working conditions.Customers and employees have mentioned that they love working here because of the working conditions and they feel safe and their moods are brought up. The next part of stresses would be within each worker themselves. This honestly has been a hard one to overcome with this business. The top one would be type of personality; the manager here has the type of personality that it is their way or no way. That is good that they have a strong head on their shoulders but that is not always good for a business. When she is around ev erything gets done but all the employees are extremely stressed out when she is here.We have tried to fix this problem but it has not been successful. This is why family business can be hard to work for sometimes, each family member has their own personality and sometimes it clashes and it would be hard on the family if you had to fire them. Other than the type of personality, the individual stresses are not really an aspect at this business. Overall, stresses are a huge part in a business and the faster you catch it the easier it is to fix the problem or work with it to work around it. Group work is a large part in any business.For Franks Beer Stein, it makes up the whole business; since there are no specific tasks dedicated to any specific person, it all takes teamwork to get everything done. We have many steps to make sure everyone is working together; the top one would be everyone's mood that day. We have a policy that you leave your problems at the door unless it deals with wor k itself. If you have a problem with work you can either call the manager or the owner to talk about the problem. This has seemed to work so far, and there has been a huge turn around while everyone is working together.Next would be make a list of what needs to get done and you assign people to do a certain task so everyone knows what each person is doing and does not get frustrated when you do not know where everyone is. Finally, like mentioned before, if the list is not completed by the time your shift is over, that is k, you hand it off to the next shift and so forth. This way it relieves the stress of having to get everything done and rushing instead of taking your time and doing it correctly. Overall, that is not many steps but being a small business it has seemed to work wonderful here ND could possibly work at other companies.There are many potential sources of conflict within a group; these link with the five conflict management styles. The first one is competing; this would be when the workers are competing to either finish first or do a better job. Either way the work is not going to be done the way it should on one of the sides. Also, this would not be working together in a group but working against each other, which from experience does not turn out to be good. Next there is compromising; this would be where to parties would not agree and end up owing to an agreement which they would fall short on each side because they had to come to an agreement.I have never experienced this at my work but if it came to that no one would be making progress so there would have to be changes. Then there is avoiding which I have seen many times and it always has ended horribly. When two or more people would avoid someone because of either they did not get along or they are avoiding a problem that is going on. This overall is not a good thing if you are avoiding something or someone that means something is not getting done at your job and it could urn out with someon e getting fired just because of not facing the problem but rather avoiding it.Next there is accommodating; when you are doing things the way someone else says and it could be working against your full potential. Finally there is collaborating this could be good and it could also be bad. This would be teamwork but two people coming together to work on both of your tasks. This could take up more time because you both are working on one task at a time but it also could make sure you are doing everything correctly because you have two eyes on what you are working on.Overall, most of these management styles are huge conflicts but some can also be good at times to. There are many barriers in communication but there is always a way to fix it. One barrier would be cultural; this is when Someone knows their own culture but not another persons, this could lead to them understanding something differently then one another. This could highly impact teamwork because if a task is said and they mea n one thing but the other person heard it differently, this could impact the relationship and business.The one person would think hat they did it wrong but they could have done exactly what they heard and understood. One way of addressing this would be writing things down and showing at the same time. This will make sure they understand because they will see what you said and physically see what to do, this will limit a lot of problems with cultural barrier. Another barrier would be biases; this would be if someone does not talk to another person because they think that they will not understand or agree with us. This aspect is very common and could effect the teamwork.If you are working with a couple people and you always talk to the same person because in your conscious you know that they are most likely to understand you the most, other employees could see this and it could cause a problem. I have personally seen this happen is my work, with different ages and different genders of the employees. Other employees might get mad or think that you do not like them which would create a whole different situation. A way to solve this would be try' to see who you talk to the most and try and talk to everyone else instead, equally.It would make everyone feel like they are involved and that you do not just favor one person over the rest. Overall, most businesses have these communication problems and there are many different ways to work around them and fix them. But if you do not fix them when they first start happening it could grow into a much larger problem and would be so much more stress on the whole company. Furthermore, there are many problems and conflicts that can come across in every business. Many people thin their lifetime will see most of them and might not even realize what the true problem is.

A P Character Analysis - 930 Words

Impending Reality In John Updike’s short story â€Å"A P†, a dynamic and round character expresses his subjective attitude towards his views, a plot twist causes him to realize his future. Sammy an opinionated cashier at A P grocery store does not agree with his Lengel, his manager after he reprimands a particular group of customers at the store. Sammy’s further actions cause him to face the true reality of his future. Sammy who is nineteen years old, is working his usual shift at A P. Suddenly a group of three girls walk into to store barefoot wearing bathing suits. He is instantly shocked when he glances upon their beauty. In no time, Sammy is carefully looking over and describing in detail the girl’s appearance. The first girl was†¦show more content†¦Sammy surmises how he will never know for sure how girls’ minds work, he says â€Å"do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?â₠¬  I personally believe that Sammy is attracted to the girls in a way that he undermines their intelligence because he feels their beauty is beneath him. He criticizes the way they walk and their appearance, but perhaps he is jealous of them, thus making this remark. What truly gets the attention of Sammy is Queenie’s pink bathing suit that had straps that were pushed off which exposed her bare shoulders. He describes that with the straps down you can see just â€Å"her† and how she was â€Å"more than pretty.† Customers of A P are in shock when they witness the girls’ appearance in the store. Stokesie, another cashier at A P who is only three years older than Sammy, is married with two kids. He does not resist fantasizing over the girls. He makes commentary along with Sammy, again clearly displaying the mindset of that age group. The store is quiet, Sammy is anxiously awaiting the girls to come into view as there is nothing else to do. He fabricates s cenarios in his head such as which check out aisle they will choose when their shopping has concluded. When the time came Sammy had lucked out, they had decided to check out with him. In a daze, he carefully watched every movement they made as items were placed on the counter. At the peak of the moment Lengel, the manager and strictShow MoreRelatedEssay on A P: A Character Analysis of Sammy734 Words   |  3 Pagesgrowth of the main character from childhood to maturity. This is a prototype of John Updikes short story, A P, the protagonist, Sammy, is faced with a difficult dilemma, and comes to realize a universal truth about human behavior. 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