Saturday, October 5, 2019
Relationship Between Theories of Motivation Assignment - 78
Relationship Between Theories of Motivation - Assignment Example Stacy Adamââ¬â¢s equity theory states that people are motivated when they feel fairly or advantageously treated as opposed to when they feel disaffection and demotivated due to unfair treatment (Mind Tools) while Vroom in his expectancy theory, stated that employees are realized to do what they can do when they want to do it (Vroom). According to his expectancy factors of Expectancy, Instrumentality and Valence, this theory has an implication in Adamââ¬â¢s equity theory in that as equity theory explains that the input of an employee is commensurate to their expectation of the organization, an employee, therefore, requires to work hard so as to achieve their desired level of performance. It means one who puts a little effort will expect little outcome from the organization, therefore, the motivation is brought about by the level of performance one would like to achieve. Since Vroom believes that successful performance will be followed by rewards and desirable outcomes, therefore , the equity theory enables one to only expect an outcome just compared to the amount of effort they put in the organization. Edward Locke introduces the third theory: the goal-setting theory, which enhances satisfaction and work performance (Mind Tools). Managers and leaders must work together with others so as to set the right goals in the right way and set harder goals since the harder the goal, the higher the motivation. However, the goals must be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) (Reilly, Minnick and Baack). According to Vroom, hard work pays and when an employee expects a high compensation in terms of pay or praise, they must work hard for it. So, the goal setting theory will help the employee to achieve better job performance since they will be able to set hard goals which come withà high motivation hence enable them to achieve what they believed to be high dreams.Ã
Friday, October 4, 2019
Week 1 journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Week 1 journal - Essay Example According to (Millie, 2008) most of the antisocial behavior in children are brought up by poor parenting. Children in their industry vs. inferiority developmental stage according to Erik Eriksonââ¬â¢s psychosocial theory, learn a lot by observation. These children, when exposed to poor parenting, would emulate what the parents do and socialize the acts as the societally acceptable norms. Drawing an inference from the video ââ¬Å"in the shadow of feeling,â⬠I have come to understand that psychopathy is a trait attained by individuals at different stages of development. From interviews with doctors, business people and the identified psychopaths, the video give an insight on psychopathic cases that have not committed an actual crime (Bar-Levav, 2008). The intensity of the condition as well as the level of the provoking factor influence commitment of a crime by psychopathic children. Nevertheless, genetic predisposition is found to be one of the major psychological factors that expose children to psychopathic condition. Consumerism, which is the ever-growing desire to possess a greater amount of goods and services is equally associated to psychopath. Consumerism as psychopathy trait can be linked to childhood development, especially if the child was brought up in an environment with little resources. Consumerism thus acts as a compensatory mechanism for the earli er deprivations. Resch, F., Parzer, P., & Brunner, R. (2008). Self-mutilation and suicidal behaviour in children and adolescents: Prevalence and psychosocial correlates: Results of the BELLA study. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 17,
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Code of Conduct Essay Example for Free
Code of Conduct Essay Public office is a public trust. It is the policy of the State to promote a high standard of ethics in public service. Public officials and employees shall at all times be accountable to the people and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and uphold public interest over personal interest. RULE I NORMS OF BEHAVIOR Section 1. Norms of Conduct/Behavior of NBI Officials and Employees. 1. NBI officials and employees shall always uphold public interest over and above personal interest. All government resources and powers of their respective offices must be employed and used efficiently, effectively, honestly and economically, particularly to avoid wastage in public funds and revenues. 2. NBI officials and employees shall perform and discharge their duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence and skill. They shall enter public service with utmost devotion and dedication to duty. They shall endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage. 3. NBI officials and employees shall remain true to the people at all times. They must act with justness and sincerity and shall not discriminate against anyone, especially the poor and the underprivileged. They shall, at all times, respect the rights of others and shall refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety and public interest. They shall not dispense or extend undue favors on account of their office to their relatives, whether by consanguinity or affinity, except with respect to appointments of such relatives to positions considered strictly confidential or as members of their personal staff whose terms are coterminous with theirs. 4. NBI officials and employees shall provide service to everyone without discrimination and regardless of party or religious affiliation or preference. 5. NBI officials and employees shall extend prompt, courteous, and adequate service to the public. Unless otherwise provided by law or when required by the public interest, NBI officials and employees shall provide information of their policies and procedures in clear and understandable language, conduct public consultations and hearings whenever appropriate, encourage suggestions, simplify and systematize policies, rules and procedures, avoid red tape and develop an understanding and appreciation of the socio-economic conditions prevailing in the country, especially in the depressed rural and urban areas. 6. NBI officials and employees shall, at all times, be loyal to the Republic and to the Filipino people, promote the use of locally produced goods, resources and technology and encourage appreciation and pride of country and people. They shall endeavor to maintain and defend Philippine sovereignty against foreign intrusion. 7. NBI officials and employees shall, at all times, uphold the Constitution and commit themselves to the democratic way of life and values and maintain the principle of public trust and accountability. 8. NBI officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income. They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form. In addition to Section 1, NBI Agents/Special Investigators are also duty-bound to: 1. Safeguard lives and property; and protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder. 2. Respect the Constitutional rights of all persons to liberty, equality and justice. 3. Keep their private lives unsullied as an example to all. 4. Maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule. 5. Develop self-restraint. 6. Be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. 7. Be honest in thought and in deed, in both their personal and official lives. 8. Keep secret what they hear or see of a confidential nature or that is confided to them in their official capacities, unless revelation is necessary in the performance of their duty. 9. Keep personal feelings, prejudices, animosities or friendships from influencing their decisions. 10. Enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, without employing unnecessary force or violence, and without accepting gratuities. 11. Be exemplary by obeying the laws of the land. 12. Never use unnecessary force or violence. 13. Recognize their badge of office as a symbol of public faith and accept it as a public trust, to be held so long as they are true to the ethics of the law enforcement service. 3Public office is a public trust. It is the policy of the State to promote a high standard of ethics in public service. Public officials and employees shall at all times be accountable to the people and shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and uphold public interest over personal interest. RULE I NORMS OF BEHAVIOR Section 1. Norms of Conduct/Behavior of NBI Officials and Employees. 1. NBI officials and employees shall always uphold public interest over and above personal interest. All government resources and powers of their respective offices must be employed and used efficiently, effectively, honestly and economically, particularly to avoid wastage in public funds and revenues. 2. NBI officials and employees shall perform and discharge their duties with the highest degree of excellence, professionalism, intelligence and skill. They shall enter public service with utmost devotion and dedication to duty. They shall endeavor to discourage wrong perceptions of their roles as dispensers or peddlers of undue patronage. 3. NBI officials and employees shall remain true to the people at all times. They must act with justness and sincerity and shall not discriminate against anyone, especially the poor and the underprivileged. They shall, at all times, respect the rights of others and shall refrain from doing acts contrary to law, good morals, good customs, public policy, public order, public safety and public interest. They shall not dispense or extend undue favors on account of their office to their relatives, whether by consanguinity or affinity, except with respect to appointments of such relatives to positions considered strictly confidential or as members of their personal staff whose terms are coterminous with theirs. 4. NBI officials and employees shall provide service to everyone without discrimination and regardless of party or religious affiliation or preference. 5. NBI officials and employees shall extend prompt, courteous, and adequate service to the public. Unless otherwise provided by law or when required by the public interest, NBI officials and employees shall provide information of their policies and procedures in clear and understandable language, conduct public consultations and hearings whenever appropriate, encourage suggestions, simplify and systematize policies, rules and procedures, avoid red tape and develop an understanding and appreciation of the socio-economic conditions prevailing in the country, especially in the depressed rural and urban areas. 6. NBI officials and employees shall, at all times, be loyal to the Republic and to the Filipino people, promote the use of locally produced goods, resources and technology and encourage appreciation and pride of country and people. They shall endeavor to maintain and defend Philippine sovereignty against foreign intrusion. 7. NBI officials and employees shall, at all times, uphold the Constitution and commit themselves to the democratic way of life and values and maintain the principle of public trust and accountability. 8. NBI officials and employees and their families shall lead modest lives appropriate to their positions and income. They shall not indulge in extravagant or ostentatious display of wealth in any form. Section 2. Norms of Conduct/Behavior of NBI Operatives. In addition to Section 1, NBI Agents/Special Investigators are also duty-bound to: 1. Safeguard lives and property; and protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder. 2. Respect the Constitutional rights of all persons to liberty, equality and justice. 3. Keep their private lives unsullied as an example to all. 4. Maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn or ridicule. 5. Develop self-restraint. 6. Be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. 7. Be honest in thought and in deed, in both their personal and official lives. 8. Keep secret what they hear or see of a confidential nature or that is confided to them in their official capacities, unless revelation is necessary in the performance of their duty. 9. Keep personal feelings, prejudices, animosities or friendships from influencing their decisions. 10. Enforce the law courteously and appropriately without fear or favor, malice or ill will, without employing unnecessary force or violence, and without accepting gratuities. 11. Be exemplary by obeying the laws of the land. 12. Never use unnecessary force or violence. 13. Recognize their badge of office as a symbol of public faith and accept it as a public trust, to be held so long as they are true to the ethics of the law enforcement service. 3
Are Humans Naturally Violent?
Are Humans Naturally Violent? Its evident that most human beings think that war can never be avoided and for these reason many of the societal ideas have been based on the concept that violence is part of human nature. Human social, scientific thinking, religious and political ideas are basically based on idea that every person is born a killer. Violence is much in us that its rarely questioned by the society and other people. As human we tend to look for the cause of evil things or those that are considered to be vile for instance violence as we fail to look for the cause of the good things that are happening around us. Violence is thought to be caused by frustration and this is best explained by the aggression theory. For these reason one of the many questions in the human minds is how violence became part of us (Senker and Gifford 8). Violence is one of the prominent things in our civilization. Smell of war and violence has left its victims confused about what they might have done to deserve such a harsh treatment. As those who caused the much affliction and pain to humanity defend themselves by saying that was all that they had to do; we cant help it but wonder if violence is truly inborn in us. Despite the fact that violence is one of the best way that is applied by human to cover their inner emptiness and frustration it usually brings more harm than any good. For example those who have been victims of bombing and war are usually left with a scar that can never disappear or heal. Its very painful and difficult to loose your whole family in war and this are some of the daily happenings in our society (Kurtz and Turpin 100). Despite the controversies and argument surrounding these concept there are organizations which have come up with some evidence to dispel the concept of violence being perceived as innate human trait. For example UNESCO came up with a statement to oppose these belief and they further planned to incorporate their research into the student curriculum in order to mould the young people in the rightful way. Sigmund Freud argues that there is a spontaneous and natural aggression energy which is reserved within humans. And in order to avoid harmful deeds he recommends that one should do competitive sports more often in order for this energy to be removed. Freud argues that those who do not do exercise are more likely to indulge into violence as a way of removing the extra energy (Senker and Gifford 10). Many have regarded this model to be false since other behaviorist have indicated that the origin of violence is something which is external as opposed to internal stimulant. Some irritant external factors are thought to stimulate violent deeds and behavior. They support this fact by the aspect that many communities live quite well without any form of aggression and secondly he argues that there is no evidence to prove that there exists an in build pressure within people that makes them to behave violently. On the contrary if its true that there is energy that accumulates within us then we are not supposed to be aggressive as Aristotle indicates in his theory. Research that has been done indicate that people become violent by consistently watching or taking part in violent deeds. This is attributed to the fact that engagement in aggressive deeds enables one to react aggressively therefore if one has not accumulated violent scenes in his mind as a result of watching or practicing viole nt deeds they cannot become violent. Scientist concluded in 1986 that there is no scientific evidence to prove that aggression and violence is inborn. Despite the fact that it cannot be scientifically proven whether men are naturally violant the belief of the same is strongly held by our society. Some argue that animals are naturally violent and since we share the same ancestral line we cannot alienate ourselves from this truth. Our history has many stories about war, and cruelty and at the same point the physiologist has indicated that our brains have some hormones that are related to aggression and for these reason biologically man is created violent. Its important for humans to draw a line between themselves and animals since human beings are very complex than animals. There are many aspects that are in humans which are absent in animals. For example humans have the ability to reason whereas animals are not in a position to critically reason (Kurtz and Turpin 57). In spite the fact that science informs us about our ancestry we should not limit our mind to the actions of animals. Lets not allow the animal behavior to influence our actions as a society. For these reason we should not allow our instincts to influence us the same way animals are influenced. When we are violent because our relatives which are animals are also violent then we are not using the knowledge that we were given as humans. On the other hand animal are not very violent as many think unless they equate hunting to violence. Animals rare form aggression groups and if this actually happen it must be as a result of the circumstance animals found themselves in or because of the environment. Among the humans there is violate behavior but that does not give us the reason to belief that violence is innate. Therefore its important for us to realize that by the fact that something is universal done does not mean that its natural and innate. For instance, by the fact that several commu nities may be producing pottery is not an indication that there is a pottery gene in that community (Baumeister and Bushman 306). Therefore aggression is not a universal thing since there are some cultures which are peaceful. For these reason humans are not born violent simply because not all people are violent. Its also true that men who are very primitive are not war like; war like character has increased among the modern men. One can choose to be violent or peaceful and a good example is Sweden which in the past years was a violent nation but at the moments its rated among peaceful industrialized nation. On addition violence and war has a lot to do with politics, personal interest as well as the social setting therefore this practice has little to do with nature. The fact that war is a dominant aspect of our history does not men that war is part of a humane nature. Therefore whether we believe that we are naturally violent or not its our decision. The belief is still rooted in our society and the many controversies about the same will still continue. Finally everyone has a responsibility to make a rightful decision. Therefore one can choose to be peaceful or violent because there is much knowledge that is bestowed upon humanity to make the rightful decision. Our bad choices and character should not be excused in the name of nature because them that succumb of this ill remain in a state of confusion as they keep wondering about the turn of things. Life is precious and peace is a wonderful experience that every sensible person may ever long for (Baumeister and Bushman 304). Work cited Cath Senker and Clive Gifford. Violence on the Screen. New York, NY: Evans Brothers, 2010. Roy Baumeister Brad Bushman. Social Psychology and Human Nature. London,UK: Cengage Learning, 2007. Kurtz Lester Jennifer Turpin. Encyclopedia of violence, peace conflict. New York, NY: Academic Press, 1999.
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
The Role of Postmodern Military Coup of 1997 on Transformation of Turk
INTRODUCTION Since the early days of the Turkish Republic, Islamist parties and groups positioned themselves against the values and institutions of the secular republic. Their stance against the secular state also defined their position against the west and modernization. For Islamists, the Kemalist state was in cooperation with the West and all the decisions made by the secular state against religion were inspired by the West. According to them, all the attempts to modernize and westernize the state specifically were aimed at undermining Islamic values. The struggle between state and Islamists, initiated by the reforms to create a modern nation state, such as the abolition of the Caliphate, the abolition of Islamic schools, the abolishment of sharia law, the introduction of Latin script, the removal of state religion from the constitution, deepened after `the transition to multi-party period. This struggle shaped the mindset of Islamist political parties until mid-1990s. During this period of time, Islamic parties defined themselves as ââ¬Å"anti-westernâ⬠and rejected political culture and values of the West. Therefore, their political discourse always attacked to liberalism, democracy, secularism and the European Union since they were the products of the Western world. However, the liberalization of the Turkey after 1980 in economic and political realms and the developments in global political order transformed the political nature of Turkish Islamist movement and Islamist parties have turned to a liberal and democrat wing in Turkish political life. In this paper, I will focus on the dynamics of the transformation of Islamist groups and argue that the military intervention on February 1997 became a turning point for the Islamis... ...Partisi Seà §im Beyannamesi (2002 and 2007). Ankara: Saadet Partisi. Sayarà ±, Sabri (1996). "Turkey's Islamist Challengeâ⬠, Middle East Quarterly, September, Volume 3, Number, 3 Tanà ±yà ±cà ±, Ã
žaban (2003). ââ¬Å"Transformation of Political Islam in Turkey: Islamist Welfare Partyââ¬â¢s Pro-EU Turn.â⬠Party Politics 9(4):63-83. White, B. Jenny (2002). ââ¬Å"Ak Partiââ¬â¢nin BaÃ
Ÿarà ±sà ±nà ±n Ardà ±nda Yerele Dayalà ± Siyaset Yatà ±yorâ⬠, Interview by Ã
žahin Alpay, Zaman, December 18, 2002. Yavuz, Hakan (2009). Secularism and Muslim democracy in Turkey, New York: Cambridge University Press, YeÃ
Ÿilada, A. Birol (2002). ââ¬Å"Virtue Partyâ⬠, Turkish Studies, Volume 3, Number: 1, Spring. Zarcone, Thierry (2004), La Turquie moderne et lââ¬â¢islam, Paris : Flammarion Periodicals Milliyet, YeniÃ
Ÿafak, Hà ¼rriyet, Zaman, Birikim Web Site: www.akparti.org.tr www.saadet.org.tr www.milligorus-forum.com.tr www.tbmm.gov.tr The Role of Postmodern Military Coup of 1997 on Transformation of Turk INTRODUCTION Since the early days of the Turkish Republic, Islamist parties and groups positioned themselves against the values and institutions of the secular republic. Their stance against the secular state also defined their position against the west and modernization. For Islamists, the Kemalist state was in cooperation with the West and all the decisions made by the secular state against religion were inspired by the West. According to them, all the attempts to modernize and westernize the state specifically were aimed at undermining Islamic values. The struggle between state and Islamists, initiated by the reforms to create a modern nation state, such as the abolition of the Caliphate, the abolition of Islamic schools, the abolishment of sharia law, the introduction of Latin script, the removal of state religion from the constitution, deepened after `the transition to multi-party period. This struggle shaped the mindset of Islamist political parties until mid-1990s. During this period of time, Islamic parties defined themselves as ââ¬Å"anti-westernâ⬠and rejected political culture and values of the West. Therefore, their political discourse always attacked to liberalism, democracy, secularism and the European Union since they were the products of the Western world. However, the liberalization of the Turkey after 1980 in economic and political realms and the developments in global political order transformed the political nature of Turkish Islamist movement and Islamist parties have turned to a liberal and democrat wing in Turkish political life. In this paper, I will focus on the dynamics of the transformation of Islamist groups and argue that the military intervention on February 1997 became a turning point for the Islamis... ...Partisi Seà §im Beyannamesi (2002 and 2007). Ankara: Saadet Partisi. Sayarà ±, Sabri (1996). "Turkey's Islamist Challengeâ⬠, Middle East Quarterly, September, Volume 3, Number, 3 Tanà ±yà ±cà ±, Ã
žaban (2003). ââ¬Å"Transformation of Political Islam in Turkey: Islamist Welfare Partyââ¬â¢s Pro-EU Turn.â⬠Party Politics 9(4):63-83. White, B. Jenny (2002). ââ¬Å"Ak Partiââ¬â¢nin BaÃ
Ÿarà ±sà ±nà ±n Ardà ±nda Yerele Dayalà ± Siyaset Yatà ±yorâ⬠, Interview by Ã
žahin Alpay, Zaman, December 18, 2002. Yavuz, Hakan (2009). Secularism and Muslim democracy in Turkey, New York: Cambridge University Press, YeÃ
Ÿilada, A. Birol (2002). ââ¬Å"Virtue Partyâ⬠, Turkish Studies, Volume 3, Number: 1, Spring. Zarcone, Thierry (2004), La Turquie moderne et lââ¬â¢islam, Paris : Flammarion Periodicals Milliyet, YeniÃ
Ÿafak, Hà ¼rriyet, Zaman, Birikim Web Site: www.akparti.org.tr www.saadet.org.tr www.milligorus-forum.com.tr www.tbmm.gov.tr
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Dogs Essay -- Shelter Dogs
The results of the study scaled the dogs on five dimensions of behavior temperament: playfulness, curiosity/fearfulness, chase-proneness, sociability, and aggressiveness (De Palma et al., 2005). Dogs living in rescue shelters were assessed as demonstrating a low degree of playfulness, showing distraction by the environment when being enticed to play. The sheltered dogs also scored low on curiosity but, high on fearful behavior. The cortisol levels for the sheltered dogs were significantly higher than the cortisol levels of canines living in households, indicative of stress and anxiety associated with shelter lifestyle. Shelter dogs showed a low proportion of chase-proneness supported by demonstrations of low physical activity and excitability. Shelter dogs were assessed as exhibiting low levels of sociability toward conspecies but, a high sociability when concerning humans (De Palma et al., 2005). This trend was also demonstrated when observing levels of aggressiveness; the dogs seemed more antagonistic toward conspecies than humans. It should be noted that shelter dogs displayed rare bouts of hostile behavior and results were supported by little data. It is interesting to find a set of shared characteristics existing in canines living in rescue shelters. Such findings lead one to speculate if the shelter environment may be partly responsible for inducing behavior characteristics? After all, dogs living in shelters are subjected to a variety of stressors including isolation from attachment figures, loss of control, intense noise, and a multitude of other distressing stimuli (Tuber, Miller, Caris, Halter, Linden & Hennessy, 1999). A dog enduring such a harsh environment is likely to acquire abnormal social behavior, retarded ... ...able the rescue staff and volunteers to be proficiently skilled in executing canine behavioral therapies. As a result, shelters would be able to help community members eradicate problem behaviors and improve the bond with their pets. This would allow shelters to become a first resource, not just a final solution. Part Two Review of Personal Experiences Since as far back as I can remember, I have always loved dogs! As a young girl, I would often beg my parents to let me adopt one, but they refused. My father was not keen on dogs and had a low tolerance for their typical behaviors. I was determined to get a dog, despite my parentsââ¬â¢ denial. Whenever I would encounter a dog unaccompanied by its owner, I would take it home with me. When I was confronted by my parents, I would cry and make up some elaborate story as to why we had to ââ¬Å"rescueâ⬠that dog.
The Five- Forty Eight
Peaceful Triumph in the Face of Evil Atonement can be achieved without vengeance. Revenge is so basic, so animal a reaction to evil; it takes a higher level of thinking to achieve redemption without hateful spite and revenge. Atonement is satisfying after the anguish of rancor and internal violence brought on by maltreatment. When the goal is to equalize oneââ¬â¢s enemy rather than destroy him, the end result is fulfilling. Although one immediately wants to take down his aggressor, in the long run, he will discover that this does not bring him the peace that they seek. In the short story ââ¬Å"The Five- Forty- Eightâ⬠by John Clever, a businessman named Blake is kidnapped at gunpoint by his former secretary, Ms. Dent. She is mentally ill and angry with him for ignoring and promptly firing her after their one night stand, bringing him to a warehouse where she contemplates shooting him in revenge, but instead simply walks away. Having confronted the man that has wronged her without taking his life, Ms. Dent eventually leaves the scene, reborn without her anger. Redemption found in the absence of revenge is far more fulfilling a solution to a problem than one found through vengeance and violence. ââ¬Å"The Five- Forty- Eightâ⬠is a prime example of this philosophy. Ms. Dent feels that Blakeââ¬â¢s malice is the root of her unhappiness. While her mental illness has contributed to her deep inner turmoil, a great deal of it has been stirred up by his cruelly insensitive actions towards her. He preyed on her as he had other women, revealed through the narratorââ¬â¢s assertion that ââ¬Å"most of the many women he had known had been picked for their lack of self- esteemâ⬠(Cheever). This gives us a brief glimpse into Blakeââ¬â¢s past treatment of women. It is meant to be assumed that the women that Blake has ââ¬Å"knownâ⬠in the past are others that he was intimate with in brief and loveless affairs. Having said ââ¬Å"pickedâ⬠allows the reader to recognize that these were not simply women he happened upon in passing, these were in fact women that he specifically chose amongst all others, having perceived them as the easiest targets. Most importantly, the narrator says that these women were picked for their ââ¬Å"lack of self- esteem. This reveals Blakeââ¬â¢s true predatory nature. He wanted a woman he perceived to be weak and easy to manipulate for his own devices. Blake used Ms. Dents ââ¬Å"oversensitivityâ⬠(Cheever) and ââ¬Å"lack of self- esteemâ⬠(Cheever) in order to satisfy his own desires. Blake personifies evil within this story, and his actions against his secretary are the execution of aforementioned evil. Had Ms. Dent killed Blake and therefore vanquished evil, she would not have found peace with her inner demons. Ms. Dent was quite ill to begin with, having spent eight months in a hospital prior to her work for Blake, and her handwriting giving ââ¬Å"the feeling that she had been the victim of some innerââ¬âsome emotionalââ¬âconflict that had in its violence broken the continuity of the lines she was able to make on paperâ⬠(Cheever). The use of the word ââ¬Å"victimâ⬠incites that she is suffering unduly by no fault of her own. The idea that there is ââ¬Å"violenceâ⬠in her illness lends to the reader the severity of her disease. That the disease should have ââ¬Å"broken the continuity of the lines she was able to make on paperâ⬠shows that the troubles of her disease are now pouring outward, evident through things so ordinary as her handwriting. Ms. Dent is quite ill, the impact of this illness becoming obvious long before she kidnapped Blake. Shooting him and thereby expressing the violence and ââ¬Å"conflictâ⬠within her would push her over the edge and completely destroy her. Had Ms. Dent destroyed Blake, the evil in her life, she could never and been vindicated of the burdening emotional pain she felt. She is quite capable of overcoming the sadness he caused without killing him. Ms. Dent successfully overcomes the reprobate, evil character in her life without killing him. After bringing him to the warehouse, Ms. Dent forces Blake to the ground, repeating several times, ââ¬Å"Put your face in the dirtâ⬠(Cheever). He is now beneath her, having been forced to bend to her will so far as to put his face against the dirty floor of a city warehouse. She then goes on to say ââ¬Å"I can wash my hands of thisâ⬠(Cheever) several times as well. The washing of hands is an allusion to the Bible, where Pilate, the Roman general who decided to hang Christ upon the cross, also claims to wash his hands of any fault he has in persecuting Jesus. In saying this, Ms. Dent cleanses herself of the ââ¬Å"filthâ⬠in her life that has caused her such misery. She then leaves Blake there on the ground, crossing a wooden footbridge and disappearing. This crossing of the bridge metaphorically shows that she is now beyond the obstacle that had impeded her ability to be happy, having done so without harming the obstacle itself, much like a bridge continues oneââ¬â¢s path over a river without ever disrupting it. The narrator goes on to say that ââ¬Å"he saw by her attitude, her looks, that she had forgotten himâ⬠(Cheever), and we finally know that she is ultimately at peace with herself, and has managed to find this peace without resorting to the ultimate violence of murder. Ms. Dent had purged herself of evil without ever having to destroy its source. The root of nearly all great pain and emotional toil is evil. However tempting it may be to destroy this evil, to vanquish it, to kill it, this will never bring he who suffers the peace he seeks. Should Ms. Dent have killed Blake, she never would have found the redemption she sought. Forcing him into the dirt, lowering him below her, and therefore allowing her to elevate herself above evil gave her the fulfillment that she desired and alleviated the pain that she felt. John Cheeverââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Five- Forty- Eightâ⬠shows us that the destruction of evil is not necessary when overcoming it. It is in elevating oneself above evil, the realization that one is greater than that which has caused one such suffering, that peace is finally found.
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