Lessons in Leadership in Demian Essay -- Demian Essays

Lessons in Leadership in Demian In Demian, Hesse uses a comparison to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel to convey his ideas about those who are different. The idea arises again and again, causing the reader to look at it from a very unique perspective. Through this comparison, the reader begins to see the mark of Cain as a positive symbol -- as the mark of those who would lead the world into the future of mankind, without fear. When Emil Sinclair first meets Max Demian, he sees that Demian is not like anyone he has ever known. Unconsciously, he views Demian as having a mark -- something that sets him apart from the others. Sinclair isn't sure if it is the adult-like manner in which Demian carries himself, or the vast store of wisdom and truth behind his eyes. Whatever this difference was, it was something that could not be denied. Demian -- almost immediately, upon meeting up with Sinclair -- tells the story of Cain and Abel with an entirely new perspective. This greatly upsets Sinclair's small world, in which the pious are always in the right, and the "sinners" are in the wrong. Sinclair finds himself both repulsed by and obsessed with this story. In Demian's version of the story of Cain and Abel, Cain was actually the better man of the two. Abel was described as being weaker, and therefore less necessary than Cain to mankind. Demian didn't doubt that this part of the story was true, but he put much less stock in the notion that Cain was then marked by God. Rather, in Demian's version, Cain was labeled by the society he was in. They were afraid of the "faintly sinister look" that ... ...is apparent, in everyday life, that people such as these exist. Throughout Demian, Hesse proves that those who bear the mark of Cain in Demian's Biblical interpretation are superior in nearly every way. They are innovative, brilliant, and strong enough to follow their own paths. Hesse provides a spark of something else, however, something that not every reader may pick up on. This spark is the inspiration to look into one's own soul, and to examine oneself in all honesty. The questions to be answered are these: "Who am I? Do I bear the mark of Cain?" Each answer will be different, but the point is not to be the same as others. The point is to see that one is different from all others, and to find the strength to walk forward, into the light of our future... As a leader, and not as a follower.

Rights and Status of Women

Overall, the rights and status of women have improved considerably in the last century; however, gender equality has been threatened within the last two decades. Blatantly sexist laws and practices are slowly being eliminated while social perceptions of â€Å"women's roles† continue to stagnate and even degrade back to traditional ideals. It is these social perceptions that challenge the evolution of women as equal on all levels. In this study, I will argue that subtle and blatant sexism continues to exist throughout educational, professional and legal arenas. Women who carefully follow their expected roles may never recognize sexism as an oppressive force in their life. I find many parallels between women's experiences in the nineties and Betty Friedan's, cofounder of the National Organization of Women, in her essay: The Way We Were – 1949. She dealt with a society that expected women to fulfill certain roles. Those roles completely disregarded the needs of educated and motivated business women and scientific women. The subtle message that society gave was that the educated woman was actually selfish and evil. I remember in particular the searing effect on me, who once intended to be a psychologist, of a story in McCall's in December 1949 called â€Å"A Weekend with Daddy. † A little girl who lives a lonely life with her mother, divorced, an intellectual know-it-all psychologist, goes to the country to spend a weekend with her father and his new wife, who is wholesome, happy, and a good cook and gardener. And there is love and laughter and growing flowers and hot clams and a gourmet cheese omelet and square dancing, and she doesn't want to go home. But, pitying her poor mother typing away all by herself in the lonesome apartment, she keeps her guilty secret that from now on she will be living for the moments when she can escape to that dream home in the country where they know â€Å"what life is all about. † (Fetzer, 57) I have often consulted my grandparents about their experiences, and I find their historical perspective enlightening. My grandmother was pregnant with her third child in 1949. Her work experience included: interior design and modeling women's clothes for the Sears catalog. I asked her to read the Friedan essay and let me know if she felt as moved as I was, and to share with me her experiences of sexism. Her immediate reaction was to point out that, â€Å"Betty Friedan was a college educated woman and she had certain goals that never interested me. † My grandmother, though growing up during a time when women had few social rights, said she didn't experience oppressive sexism in her life. However, when she describes her life accomplishments, I feel she has spent most of her life fulfilling the expected roles of women instead of pursuing goals that were mostly reserved for men. Unknowingly, her life was controlled by traditional, sexist values prevalent in her time and still prevalent in the year 2000. Twenty-four years after the above article from McCall's magazine was written, the Supreme Court decided whether women should have a right to an abortion in Roe v. Wade (410 U. S. 113 (1973)). I believe the decision was made in favor of women's rights mostly because the court made a progressive decision to consider the woman as a human who may be motivated by other things in life than just being a mother. Justice Blackmun delivered the following opinion: â€Å"Maternity, or additional offspring, may force upon the woman a distressful life and future. Psychological harm may be imminent. Mental and physical health may be taxed by child care. There is also a distress, for all concerned, associated with the unwanted child, and there is the problem of bringing a child into a family already unable, psychologically and otherwise, to care for it. In other cases, as in this one, the additional difficulties and continuing stigma of unwed motherhood may be involved. † (Goldman, 205) I feel the court decision of Roe v. Wade would not have been made in 1949. Even in 1973, it was a progressive decision. The problem of abortion has existed for the entire history of this country (and beyond), but had never been addressed because discussing these issues was not socially acceptable. A culture of not discussing issues that have a profound impact on women is a culture that encourages women to be powerless. The right of abortion became a major issue. Before 1970, about a million abortions were done every year, of which only about ten thousand were legal. Perhaps a third of the women having illegal abortions – mostly poor women – had to be hospitalized for complications. How many thousands died as a result of these illegal abortions no one really knows. But the illegalization of abortion clearly worked against the poor, for the rich could manage either to have their baby or to have their abortion under safe conditions. (Zinn, 499) A critic of the women's movement would quickly remind us that women have a right to decline marriage and sex, and pursue their individual interests. However, I would argue that the social pressure women must endure if they do not conform to their expected role is unfair. The problem goes beyond social conformity and crosses into government intervention (or lack thereof). The 1980's saw the pendulum swing against the women's movement. Violent acts against women who sought abortions became common and the government was unsympathetic to the victims. There are parallels between the Southern Black's civil rights movement and the women's movement: Blacks have long been accustomed to the white government being unsympathetic to violent acts against them. During the civil rights movement, legal action seemed only to come when a white civil rights activist was killed. Women are facing similar disregard presently, and their movement is truly one for civil rights. A national campaign by the National Organization of Women began on 2 March 1984, demanding that the US Justice Department investigate anti-abortion terrorism. On 1 August federal authorities finally agreed to begin to monitor the violence. However, Federal Bureau of Investigation director, William Webster, declared that he saw no evidence of â€Å"terrorism. Only on 3 January 1985, in a pro-forma statement, did the President criticize the series of bombings as â€Å"violent anarchist acts,† but he still refused to term the acts as â€Å"terrorism. † Reagan deferred to Moral Majoritarian Jerry Falwell's subsequent campaign to have fifteen million Americans wear â€Å"armbands† on 22 January 1985, â€Å"one for every legal abortion† since 1973. Falwell's anti-abortion outburst epitomized Reaganism's orientation: â€Å"We can no longer passively and quietly wait for the Supreme Court to change their mind or for Congress to pass a law. † Extremism on the right was no vice, moderation no virtue. Or, as Hitler explained in Mein Kamph, â€Å"The very first essential for success is a perpetually constant and regular employment of violence. † (Marable, 40-41) This mentality continued on through 1989 during the Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (109 S. Ct. 3040 (1989)) case. â€Å"The Reagan Administration had urged the Supreme Court to use this case as the basis for overturning Roe v. Wade. † (Goldman, 767) It is disturbing that the slow gains achieved by the women's movement are so volatile and endangered when conservative administrations gain a majority in government. To put the problem into perspective: a woman's right to have an abortion in this country did not come until 1973. Less than two decades later, the president of the United States was pushing to take that right away. It seems blatant that society is bent on putting women in their places. From the above examples, it appears American culture prefers women as non-professional, non-intellectual, homemakers and mothers. This mentality is not easily resolved, because it is introduced at a young age. Alice Brooks experienced inequality on the basis of her race and her sex. In her autobiography, A Dream Deferred, she recalls the reaction of her father when she brought up the idea of college to him: â€Å"I found a scholarship for veterans' children and asked my father to sign and furnish proof that he was a veteran. He refused and told me that I was only going to get married and have babies. I needed to stay home and help my mother with her kids. My brother needed college to support a family. Not only was I not going to get any help, I was also tagged as selfish because I wanted to go to college. † (Fetzer, 234) This is another example of women being labeled as selfish for wanting the same opportunities as men. Alice Brooks is seemingly a very courageous woman; having the ability to overcome any oppression she may encounter. She states that â€Å"women who succeed in male dominated fields are never mediocre – they are extraordinary achievers. † Her insight encapsulates much of the subtle sexism that exists today. I feel that no one can truly be equal in a society when only the â€Å"extraordinary achievers† are allowed to succeed out of their expected social role. This attitude of rising blatant and subtle attacks on women's civil rights is further exemplified in recent reactions to affirmative action plans. These plans have been devised to try to give women and minorities an opportunity to participate in traditionally white male dominated areas. However, we see the same trends in legal action for the use of affirmative action plans as we saw in the 1980's backlash against the Roe v. Wade decision. A few interesting points were presented in the case, Johnson v. Transportation Agency, Santa Clara (480 U. S. 616 (1987)). Mr. Paul E. Johnson filed suit against the Santa Clara County Transportation Agency when he was denied a promotion, feeling the company's affirmative action plan denied him of his civil rights. Some interesting facts were presented in this case: â€Å"Specifically, 9 of the 10 Para-Professionals and 110 of the 145 Office and Clerical Workers were women. By contrast, women were only 2 of the 28 Officials and Administrators, 5 of the 58 Professionals, 12 of the 124 Technicians, none of the Skilled Crafts Workers, and 1 – who was Joyce – of the 110 Road Maintenance Workers. † (Goldman, 784) The above statistics show women have been considerably underrepresented at the Santa Clara County Transportation Agency. These numbers are not uncommon and are found throughout business. It is interesting to note the current popular perception is that affirmative action precludes white males from finding employment with companies that implement these plans. The truth is in the numbers, however. The fact that Mr. Johnson felt he was denied his civil rights because an equally qualified woman was given a promotion, instead of him, is just a small window into the subtle sexism that exists today. Most critics of affirmative action do not consider the grossly unequal numbers of men in management and professional positions. Secondly, it never seems an issue of debate that a woman may have had no other previous life opportunities in these male dominated areas. I do not intend to argue that affirmative action is good or bad, but only wish to point out that the current backlash against these programs is heavily rooted in sexism and racism. Often blatant violence or unfair acts against a group of people will cause that group to pull together and empower themselves against their oppressors. The women's movement has made large steps to eliminate many of these blatantly sexist acts in the last century. Now the real difficulty is upon us: subtle acts of sexism and the degrading social roles of women in today's conservative culture. Alice Brooks so eloquently described her experiences with inequality, stating, â€Å"the worst pain came from those little things people said or did to me. † (Fetzer, 236) As these â€Å"little things† accumulate in the experience of a young woman, she increasingly finds herself powerless in her relationships, employment, economics, and society in general. The female child has as many goals as the male child, but statistically she is unable to realize these goals because of the obstacles that society sets in front of her. Society and media attempt to create an illusion that women have every right that men enjoy. However, women will never be equal until the day female scientists, intellectuals, professionals, military leaders, and politicians are just as accepted and encouraged to participate in all of society's arenas as males.

Discrimination in the Workplace - 1276 Words

English 112 51-A September 27, 2010 Discrimination in the Workplace In today’s society, people claim to be so open minded and tolerant in regards to other people’s beliefs, lifestyles, and appearance. However, in reality people with tattoos are often discriminated against for the way they look. Visible tattoos have a negative effect on finding employment, as well as commission based occupations, and also jobs in the childcare field. Physical appearance should not have an effect on opportunities for employment or career advancements. Employers often do not hire a person with tattoos because they think that their image will negatively affect the company, or they believe the person is not†¦show more content†¦Kyle Reed, a marine that was honorably discharged because of disability, lost his job as a server at a Red Lobster restaurant in Jacksonville. When he rolled up his sleeves as part of their dress code, the managers saw his tattoo and immediately stopped him, and told him he h ad to go home. In an interview with First Coast News, Reed says, â€Å"I’m sitting there pleading with these people saying I can cover this up, I can do this, anything to keep my job and they just turned me away† (1). This guy was attentive to his customers, a hard worker, polite, considerate and well received by his patrons. Having honorably served his country, he should be allowed to serve as a waiter. However, the discriminatory policy prevents it for him, and many other veterans like him. In addition to the difficulties people with tattoos face finding a job, and people in commission based jobs, people working with children also face discrimination because of their tattoos. People feel they cannot leave their children with someone that has tattoos because they think that person is inferior, and unfit to watch their child. One school district in Joplin Missouri recently enforced a strict dress code policy that forbids teachers from having visible tattoos. Prior to t his policy, teachers had been allowed to show part or all of their tattoos that were not usually covered by clothing. For example, tattoos on the forearm or ankle. In an article printed in Education Week journal,Show MoreRelatedWorkplace Discrimination : Discrimination And Discrimination1588 Words   |  7 Pagesothers with prejudice because of particular features they possess. Unfortunately, prejudice and discrimination occur even in places which, by definition, should be free of all personal prejudices – specifically, in offices and other business surroundings. This tragedy is called workplace discrimination; not every unfair behavior at work, however, can be assessed as discrimination. Discrimination in the workplace happens when an employee experiences unfair treatment due to their race, gender, age, religionRead MoreWorkplace Discrimination : Discrimination And Discrimination1205 Words   |  5 Pages Workplace Discrimination Employment discrimination manifests in a variety of forms. The most common scenario is when the employer unfairly treats job applicants and employees because of their gender, race, age, disability, nationality or familial status. Often, employment discrimination that emanates from familial status occurs because of events such as pregnancy. The employers usually take adverse and cruel actions against these employees or rather potential employees. Contextually, adverse actionRead MoreDiscrimination in the Workplace1265 Words   |  6 Pages Why does discrimination occur at workplace? There are multiple explanation for the issue. It can be ranged from generational differences, lack of diversity training, absence of good behavior modeling, and many other reasons. In every workplace, it is consists of different cultural, religious, and social backgrounds. There are different perspectives and conversations that take place at the workplace. An individual’s aspect on race, culture, sexual orientations, gender, and political views is disparateRead MoreDiscrimination at Workplace873 Words   |  4 PagesDiscrimination at workplace In the USA there has been the problem of discrimination at places of work against people with disability, based on race, sex, religion in almost all quarters and this has prompted quite a number of legislations and acts to be passed in a bid to guarantee the people the access and right to use and utilize all the public amenities as well as get the right and equal treatment as an American. Vivian Pearson (2012) notes that the federal law prohibits the employer fromRead MoreDiscrimination In The Workplace1211 Words   |  5 Pages While the world has unanimously advanced and is more accepting of change, the workplace continues to be a place of discrimination, prejudice and inequality. Discrimination is broadly defined to ‘distinguish unfavourably’, isolate; and is context based (Pagura, 2012). Abrahams (1991) described the workplace as an ‘inhospitable place’ where gender disparity and wage gaps persist (Stamarski Son Hing, 2015). Among other states and countries, the Australian government actively implements and passesRead MoreDiscrimination In The Workplace1423 Words   |  6 Pagesa challenge to the government and employers to find solutions in diversity and discrimination issues. Discrimination may be appeared to be prevalent, this may cause unemployment. Anti-discrimination policies have been employed to combat discrimination in the workplace, however nothing has been done to analyse the policy. This paper will examine whether the anti-discrimination legislation is effective in the workplace to provide a fair working environment. In Australia, it is considered unlawfulRead MoreDiscrimination in the Workplace2033 Words   |  8 Pages Despite popular belief, discrimination occurs every day worldwide. It occurs for different reasons, but is detrimental to any company or individual. The judgments that occur based on physical appearance, height, weight, gender, and race are affecting the potential professional careers of many. Many companies are limiting their full potential due to the fact that they are discriminating interviewees and employees based upon physical traits. It lessens the chances of developing a strong staffRead MoreDiscrimination And Discrimination Within The Workplace1633 Words   |  7 Pagestaken to assure that employees and applicants enjoy equal employment opportunity. Discrimination or harassment by any supervisory or non-supervisory employee based upon the protected conditions or characteristics listed above or any other legally-protected condition or characteristic is a violation of the Code of Conduct. An employee or applicant, who believes that he or she has been the subject of such discrimination or harassment, should promptly report the alleged incident to the Owner or CFO. ARead MoreDiscrimination And Discrimination Within The Workplace919 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Discrimination is defined as making a distinction in favor of or against a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs to rather than on individual merit (definition 2). Discrimination does not just relate to just one meaning but several, and it can be described in many ways. This action is not only offensive but hurtful as well. Denying any individual a job because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender is an example ofRead MoreGender Discrimination And The Workplace Essay1242 Words   |  5 Pagesmake towards gender workplace equality but gender workplace discrimination continues to be an impediment to gender equality. For the purpose of research on gender workplace discrimination, I used four journal articles. The first article, Minimizing Workplace Gender and Racial Bias, by author William T. Bielby, discusses stereotyping in the workplace. The article offers suggestions on how organizations should review their policy and procedures to minimize bias in the workplace. This article only