Coming to Terms Essay Example for Free

Coming to Terms Essay Her argument was based fully on fast food restaurants adopting ideas from fine dining restaurants . Falk inserts an inordinate amount of her own feelings on the topic and doesn’t analyze the subject as well as she should have. She focuses mainly on the fast food business while lacking in her analysis of fine dining. She also should have made the paper more about what caused the changes in the restaurant business instead of the changes themselves. In the essay Falk has many examples of foods and restaurants that have changed and became noticed for their modern style, such as Panera Bread and Chipotle. She appeals to a large audience by adding examples many people can relate too. On the other hand, her article is extremely biased in multiple ways. She makes too many generalizations that may not particularly be true in some cases. For example she states, â€Å" the fact that people today hate to make choices, preferring to have the best of both worlds † (Falk,33). This may not be exactly true for everyone. She uses the previous quote to support her argument in saying that since people are so indecisive quick casual would be a good alternative. Another instance is when she states, â€Å"There are significantly more calories at table service restaurants† (Falk, 35). The prior quote shows her bias towards dine-in restaurants because she only uses negative examples of fine dining. Furthermore, her essay is very restricted. She aims her essay towards adults and college students with her use of language and examples of certain restaurants; But a lot of her writing makes you think otherwise. The core of her essay is stating that quick casual is the new alternative to fine and fast food dining. Though she never takes into consideration the ideas of being a vegetarian or that college students have dining halls or even the fact that not all people eat out. She had good arguments but they did not affect the people they were meant to affect. One of her main argumentative statements is at the very end of her essay when she says, â€Å"The country is focused on problems with obesity and poor eating habits .. until major changes are made, food prepared at home will almost always be healthier than food eaten away from home† (Falk,36) . These type of statements should have been more prominent in the essay, she only brings up this type of conflict in the last paragraph and nowhere else. By tying in the eating at home or the obesity aspect more, she would have had a strong argument. As mention earlier, if she touched on all the aspects possible that would have made her essay more relevant Some of her most outstanding focuses were â€Å"Trend Mapping† and the â€Å"Trickle Down Theory†. Trend mapping helps culinary experts predict which menu items will be popular in the future. The trickle down theory helps quick casual restaurants enhance their menu with more fine dining dishes. These ideas help customers make smart choices. I was impressed with her inclusion of these two innovations because they go right along with her topic and fit into the main idea . Even though her essay was poorly structured at some points, there were also some good points throughout. I feel that her style was very laid back and readable because she used places her target audience have been and can relate to, as examples. Brenda Falk creates this article with the objective of describing the many similarities between the food industry and that the in between â€Å"quick casual† style is the most convenient. She successfully describes these similarities and elaborates on the new innovative style but never fully creates a legitimate argument. If she discussed more on the topic of eating at home or the factor of money or even brought in some positives of fine dining, that could have created a stronger argument. She has a great sense of organization and style but needs to focus more on her analysis of the topic.

Irony, Satire, Symbols, and Symbolism in Voltaires Candide :: Candide essays

Use of Irony, Satire, and Symbolism in Candide In the novel, Candide, Voltaire uses many literary writing tools to prove the points in which he believes. Some of these many literary tools are irony, satire, and symbolism. Through these tools, Voltaire proves that greed is a universal vice, and usually ends in ones own destruction. Voltaire strongly emphasizes his pessimistic view throughout the story. During Chapter 10, he uses his philosophies, as well as other literary tools, to present greed as a devastating factor of society's corruption. For example, Cunegonde found that someone had stolen her money and jewels. "Who could have stolen my money and diamonds? ...I strongly suspect a reverend Franciscan who slept in the same inn with us last night in Badajoz."(Pg. 40) She was sure that the thief was the reverend; how is it that money can makes someone so holly, corrupt enough to make a sin? Voltaire uses irony here to show the pessimistic view of greed overcoming a holly person's wholesomeness. Voltaire satirized philosophical optimism. He used exaggerations and berated all the petty inhumanities of society. This is illustrated in the scene where Cunegonde was ready to marry a man for money, not on love. Â  "'Madam, you have seventy-two years of nobility, but not one penny. You now have the chance to become the wife of a man who's the greatest lord in South America and has a very handsome mustache." (Pg. 51) As Cunegonde ponders whether or not to marry a man for money, she provide support for Voltaire's overall theme of pessimism. Candide and Cacambo traveled to Eldorado, and found it to be the best place ever. "If our friend Pangloss had seen Eldorado, he wouldn't have said that the castle of Thunder-ten-tronckh was the finest thing on earth." (Pg. 68) Leaving a perfect place, such as Eldorado, where they could be seen as equals, and extremely pleased, seems insane. However, Candide and Cacambo found money more important. They left to live in a corrupt world, filled with riches and wealth. "[If we return to our world] we'll be richer than all the kings of Europe put together." (Pg. 70) This just goes to show that humanity see more, and better of money than happiness, and riches in contentment.

Conflicts in the work of teams are inevitable since

Conflicts in the work of teams are inevitable since team members will undoubtedly find themselves in contradiction over the nature of work and ways it can be done in the best possible way. In teams involving members with culturally diverse backgrounds, the challenge of conflict management will be even greater.These people will rely on â€Å"different conflict norms, different conflict styles, and different conflict rhythms† (Ting-Toomey, 1999). Therefore, the training program for cross-cultural supervisors has to involve issues related to cross-cultural management and its relationship to conflicts. The consideration of the following two cases can be a useful guide to managing cross-cultural conflict in organizational teamwork.Situation 1This situation arose in a team that included a Chinese, three Americans, and an Indian employee. The five worked pretty comfortably together until a certain point. However, it was soon found out that one of the Americans regularly involved in p reparing reports for the Chinese man was not happy with his obligations. It turned out that the Chinese man expected him to do more than was accepted in other departments in preparation of similar reports.The Chinese naturally relied on the American to do it because they were friends. However, Jon (the American employee) was soon tired of doing extra work for someone without getting recognition for the project. At first he tried to be nice, but soon rebelled, which resulted in a nasty scene between the two.In this case, the conflict was the result of both cultural and personal differences. Both were unprepared to handle similar situations and perhaps uncertain of their exact responsibilities in the project.The Chinese employee, coming from a highly collectivist culture, expected friends to help even if it meant serious effort investment on his side. The American, on his part, was bound by the cultural notion that one has to be nice and helpful in professional surroundings. The typic al response of an open US business culture would be to vent unwillingness right away. Jon, because of his personal character, did not share his feelings only to rebel later on.In this case, the team leader solved the problem in a ‘global’ way. He realized that part of the problem was the loose definition of boundaries between employees’ respective responsibilities, which caused confusion. So, all five team members took time to sort out their duties in an effective way.The team leader also proposed a strategy for handling conflict, suggesting that issues be brought up immediately and discussed in the open. To stress this effort, he proposed to organize a team get-together every Friday night where he encouraged employees to confront each other with problematic issues in a friendly atmosphere. This communication strategy seems effective as long as employees are enthusiastic about the initiative.Situation 2The second situation involved a Native American employee in a team supervised by a Western European manager. The problems started right from the time when the team was put together. The Native American employee, aged 32, came from an impoverished reservation background, and learned his computing skills after moving to the city at the age of 23. Being naturally smart, he soon became an expert in his field.However, he had a distinct problem with time management: never submitted reports on time, tended to complete assignments in a haphazard manner, and in general worked in the â€Å"fits and starts† mode. This served him well in an IT company where he was previously employed. However, the new project manager of mixed Dutch-German origin was not at all pleased with the new employee.The source of the conflict was a distinctly different understanding of time by European and Native American culture (LeBaron, 2003). Time was less important in the understanding of the Native American employee. It was a continuum involving past and present and s tretching into the future, rather than the dominant present with its strict deadlines and pressures. Another contributing factor was the European manager’s lack of intercultural experience.He had hardly ever worked abroad before the assignment and certainly never dealt with indigenous cultures. Added to the ethnic culture clash was the conflict of cultures supported by different industries. IT companies are known for their relaxed employee attitudes, while manufacturing to which the IT specialist transferred is less relaxed.

The Cathedral By Raymond Carver - 1280 Words

Raymond Carver’s short story â€Å"The Cathedral† is one that was published with a collection of other books in 1983. This particular short story is one that presents multiple views, including real life ethical and stereotypical situations correlating with the specific time this story was published in. Through these ideas and also the symbols created through the characters one receives a vital message. This message that the author is trying to convey is to look further past what one may see at your first encounter, whether or not it be a person and even an actual intangible or tangible thing. The author tries to help one realize; to truly understand a person or thing one must not let past or present presumptions of the subject cloud your†¦show more content†¦Carver presents the story through a negative viewpoint through the narrator, opposed to the much more open minded wife because it helps aid his message. It’s arguable, but you can make the point that the narrator becomes more ethically just due to his interaction with this blind man at the end of the story. Nonetheless going from not wanting to be in the presence of this blind man to actually sitting down; talking, and drawing with this blind man shows, even stereotypes can be changed if subjected to a positive influence. In addition to the use of stereotypes and ethical views the author used another next key element to develop his message and purpose. This element was the use of symbols that were developed and interpreted through the characters and their situations in this story. The most important of these symbols is arguably blindness. Now in a sense, I do mean the actual blindness of Robert the blind man; however, there is also the idea of being oblivious or blind not in your eyes, but in feeling. This idea is visible through the relationship of the narrator and his wife. Ironically this whole story may not be a thing if not for the blindness, or rather the inability of t his narrator to see the needs and wants of his wife. The wife who the narrator explains attempted suicide in her last marriage due to, theShow MoreRelated`` Cathedral `` By Raymond Carver992 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Cathedral† is a short story that was written by Raymond Carver in 1981. Raymond Carver is most well known for his short stories and is even an writer credited with reviving the then dying form of literature. A part of a collection of short stories, â€Å"Cathedral† was the last to be published and was included in 1982’s Best American Short Stories. â€Å"Cathedral is different from the other works of Carver due to the humanistic realism that is given to his characters, which had not been seen before in hisRead MoreCathedral (by Raymond Carver)1131 Words   |  5 PagesCathedral: A Lesson for the Ages Raymond Carver s short story, Cathedral, portrays a story in which many in today s society can relate. We are introduced from the first sentence of the story to a man that seems to be perturbed and agitated. As readers, we are initially unsure to the reasoning s behind the man s discomfort. The man, who seems to be a direct portrayal of Raymond Carver himself, shows his ignorance by stereotyping a blind man by the name of Robert, who has come to stay withRead MoreThe Cathedral By Raymond Carver Essay937 Words   |  4 Pages â€Å"Cathedral† Born on May 25, 1938 in Clatskanie, Oregon, Raymond Carver was destined to be a writer. He was a son of a sawmill worker and grew up working hard majority of his life. He married year after he finished high school and had two children with his wife at the time. He raised and supported his children with normal working class jobs such as delivering, janitorial and gas station services. Carver discovered his interest in writing after taking a creative writing course in collegeRead More`` Cathedral `` By Raymond Carver1027 Words   |  5 Pagesfirst, I thought she was ridiculous, and I laughed at her. But later, I realized that she was suffering a hard disease and that was the reason she had lost her hair. I felt bad myself because at the end I was the ridiculous. In the story, â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver the narrator was thinking wrongly about Robert because Robert was a blind man. The narrator was accustomed to what we usually watch on TV about blind people. He thought that Robert was one of those who walked slowly accompanied by a dogRead MoreThe Cathedral By Raymond Carver978 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"The Cathedral† by Raymond Carver, a man named Robert is coming to spend the night at the narrator’s house. Robert is a friend of the narrator’s wife who happens to be blind, which doesn’t sit well with the narrator. Robert and his wife have a ten year relationship which started with her working for him. Since then they’ve stayed in contact by sending audiotapes to each other. When Robert reaches the house, the narrator is a bit uncomfortable. The first reason being because the man is blind, andRead MoreThe Cathedral By Raymond Carver1202 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Cathedral† written by Raymond Carver is a short story that unfolds as a first-person narrative of the main character named Bub. The story beautifully depicts the process of an individual who transforms from a person with lack of knowledge a nd ignorant towards knowledgeable soul, due to an encounter with his wife’s blind friend Robert, to an individual that is enlightened. The cathedral, in this story, is a mere subject brought up at the end of this story which becomes the object of his enlightenmentRead MoreThe Cathedral By Raymond Carver1294 Words   |  6 Pagesthat with self-awareness, a person â€Å"comes to know what [their] destiny is, who [their] wife or husband will be, what [their] mission in life will be† (Maslow 440). In the cases of those who aren’t aware of their self, like the narrator of â€Å"Cathedral† by Raymond Carver, they lack all behaviors of self-actualization as well as the experience of transcendence that follows suit. In order to open the door to their selves, a â€Å"metacounselor† guides them through their mind or activities that would embrace individualityRead MoreThe Cathedral by Raymond Carver1281 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cathedral by Raymond Carver is an exemplar of a literature with the use of realism in which a realistic, non-ideal, ordinary life of an individual is depicted to represent a wider meaning in life or the society. The anecdote is narrated through the narrators point-of-view about a blind man, Robert, who is a friend of his wife. A theme is presented using a foil, Robert, or a character whose traits are ideal and contrast with the protagonists to highlight some qualities in the central characterRead MoreThe Cathedral By Raymond Carver1758 Words   |  8 PagesIn Raymond Carver’s â€Å"The Cathedral†, the unnamed husband narrators the tale of his wife’s old blind friend Robert coming to visit after not seeing each other for years. They had remained in contact through audiotapes, but the husband seems to not understand the significance of their relationship, showing distaste with the visit for the majority of the story, due to his uncomfortableness. In this story, the writer displays his t ale and its morals; by using the narration of the husband; Carver showsRead MoreCathedral Raymond Carver Analysis1212 Words   |  5 PagesIn â€Å"Cathedral,† Carver’s use of visualization and climactic change of character emphasizes the theme that looking and seeing are two very different things. When Raymond Carver had his wife’s blind friend, Robert, join them for a few days, he should’ve been more understanding and empathetic with Robert’s blindness instead of just avoiding it or brushing it off as if it’s not there. Carver did very well in changing his ways and learning to accept and understand Robert. Carver also did a good job of