Importance of Employee in the contemporary people management

Question: What Is The Importance Of Employee In The Contemporary People Management? Answer: Introduction The primary purpose of this essay is to understand the significance of employee engagement in the contemporary people management. With the extremely dynamic business environment, the way of managing the human resource has also changes. Earlier the employees were just considered as the working of the organisation but today, there is an extensive need of increased employee engagement. The importance of engaging the workforce is rapidly increasing. The human resource or the employees are the most precious assets of the organisations; therefore it is essential to have their increased involvement in the various process, functions and decision making of the organisation. The primary reason of focusing on the subject of employee engagement is to understand the associated benefits of getting the employees engaged with the organisation. These benefits have a direct impact upon the sustainability and growth of the companies (Markos and Sridevi, 2010). The essay will highlight the significance of employee engagement through various examples and evidences which can justify the arguments provided in the essay. The evidences are from the various industries in the business environment that shows a strong relevance with the primary objective of this essay. There will be laid emphasis upon aspects like employee engagement, human resource management, employee relations, competitive advantages of workforce engagement, self-efficacy, organisational effectiveness and significance of employee engagement in the business organisations. It is important to take use of these evidences and the associated terms to have an in-depth understanding of the subject. There is strong association of all these terms with the key focus area of the essay i.e. employee engagement. Based upon the discussion, evidences and arguments, there will be a concluding paragraph in the essay for summing up the key finding and analysis drawn. Importance of Employee Engagement in the contemporary people management Employee engagement can be understand as the organisational approach for developing the sense of importance among the organisational employees so that they can sense that are a significant part of the organisation and thus they perform with utmost efficiency and contribute with the best of their productivity (Macey and Schneider, 2008). The employee engagement results in development of the appropriate conditions for all the organisational employees so that they can give their best, remain committed to the aims and goals of the organisation; remain motivated for contributed significantly in success of the organisation with increased sense of individual well-being (Shuck and Rose, 2013). Employee engagement is based upon the two way communication, commitment, integrity and trust among the organisational employees and the organisation. It is that practice which enhances the chances of success of the business while contributing to the well-being, productivity and performance of the organ isational employees (Gruman and Saks, 2011). The concept of employee engagement is different for the employees as well as for the employers. For the employees, the employee engagement is to understand ones role and working in the organisation, to develop understanding that in what manner the organisation achieve its objectives and purposes and the employees are offered with an opportunity to raise their voices for providing their view-points in relation with the organisational decisions. And for the employers, the employee engagement is to develop those practices and approaches which can boost the morale of the employees to work hard so that there can be decline rate of absenteeism and conflicts can be there in the organisation (Noe, et al., 2006). There were increasing issues in the past related to employee relations, these issues were the prime reason behind the deteriorate performance of the organisation. The employee relations comprises of all the association among the employers and the employees of an organisation. The human resource department implements rules and policies for maintain the effective employee relations. There are certain employee relation issues which have gathered the attention of several researchers and the organisation such as legal issues which are related to the employment and labour law (Blyton and Turnbull, 2004). In the past decades, there were several issues related to workplace inequality and discrimination and workplace harassment because of which the reactions among the employees and employers get disturbed and which results in disengagement of the employees with the organisation and the various functions. Another aspect of employee reactions is the conflict management. There are several number s of times when conflicts occurs among the employees, employers and the mangers. These conflicts decrease the level of demotivation among the employees which restricts them to effectively engage with the organisation or the organisational activities. Therefore, to manage the employee relations there is an efficient need of the conflict management practice in the organisation for resolving the disputes among the employees and the employers and developing increased level or coordination among them. Maintain the employee relation is a major and primary initiative for having increased employee engagement (Gennard and Judge, 2005). There are several examples and evidences in the real life of business where there have been identified cases of employee disengagement. The one biggest example where there have raised number of issues related to the workforce dissatisfaction and disengagement is Amazon. The renowned online retailer is one of the most non-preferable places for the employees to work at. There were several incidents and reports which discloses the working conditions and stress level of the employee working at Amazon. There are controversies in which the company has involved related to the oppressive and ruthless treatment to the organisational employees. There was no involvement of the employees in the organisation because of such bad and wicked human resource management in the organisation. From the various report and surveys, there were recognized issues of employee relation issues and controversies. All these issues laid a direct impact upon the brand value and organisational and employees productivi ty at Amazon (Scott, 2015). It is not at all worthy to buy the products from the disengaged employees. To have pleased customers, the first point is to please and satisfy the organisational employees. Because of all such issues, there were increased rate of attrition in the company which leads to decline organisational productivity and sales. A contended employee has greater chances to fascinate the potential buyers to make a purchase rather than a dissatisfied or unhappy employee (Saks, 2006). On opposing to this, there are evidences which show that how companies spend high amount of capital just to have increased employee engagement and satisfaction. The recognized example in this case is of Google. It is one of the most successful and renowned organisation across the globe. Google has also earned several rewards and recognitions as the best employer of the year because of its innovative and pioneering activities in the employee development and employee welfare programs. The workplace flexibility, employee engagement, employee welfare and development at Google are the recognized practices which have been discussed by several researchers for having a new approach to the effective human resource management (Kuntze and Matulich, n.d.). To have increased employee engagement, the organisation offers an opportunity to the employees to give their innovative ideas and view points by which the company can attain higher success. These kind of open discussions are a regular part of the organisation, so that the employees can consider themselves as a potential asset of the organisation who possesses equal right to offer feedbacks and suggestions. Because of the increase involvement of the employees and other numerous flexibilities and benefits offered to the employees in Goggle, the organisational workplace is the most preferred place by the employees to work at. By this evidence it is demonstrated that there is increased importance of employee engagement in the present scenario for retaining the best talent in the organisation only (Shuck, et al., 2014). It is essential to have high employee engagement in the organisation because of the several benefits and advantages which are associated with the increased employee engagement in the organisations. The primary reason is the productivity, the engaged employees are often regarded as the top performers which are committed to the organisation for going an extra mile for the attainment of the organisational success (Guest, 2014). As there is increased level of employee engagement there is a reduction in the arte of employee absenteeism as well as increase in the level of employee motivation which results in enhances productivity of the employees. There is comparatively increased arte of productivity at the organisation where there is more engaged workforce (Sorenson, 2013). In the contemporary people management there is need to have improvement in the set practices and functions of human resource management for developing the employees at individuals levels so that in return they can be b eneficial for the organisation and its success. In present scenario, the arte of employee attrition is much high in the organisation which lay down the most drastic and negative impact on the organisational productivity and sustainability (Albrecht, et al., 2015). To control the rate of attrition and retaining the efficient and potential human resources, it becomes vital for the organisation to focus on the employee engagement practices. The engaged employees is the best source of innovation in the business practices mad operations. The higher employee engagement offers a chance to employee to provide innovative idea to the organisation and the implementation of those ideas leads to the organisation growth and development. As well as there is development of high level of self-efficacy because of the higher engagement with the organisation (Carter, et al., 2016). There is less need for evaluation and control as the employees are efficient enough to perform the nosiness operations. Ha ving engaged workforce also leads to attainment of higher competitive advantages such as improved organisational efficiency, enhanced organisational productivity, improved brand value, increased retention rate, efficient human resource management and rapid generation of revenues (Shantz, et al., 2013). Conclusion Employee engagement is the essential need of every organisation in the current scenario because if increasing market competition and dynamic business environment. An engaged employee is more beneficial for an organisation rather than an efficient and skilled but disengaged employee. From this essay, it can be concluded that there are organisations which have disengaged employees and this is the primary reason of declining organisational productivity of those organisations. To have a suitable business and continuous development of the organisation, it is essential to have improvements in the human resource management and enhance focus on the employee engagement practices. In such a globalized business environment, taking acre of the needs and demand of the employees is very much essential because of that fact that today organisations are paying higher attention on the employee development y for fetching the attention of the competent and potential talent. Therefore, it is necessary to have increased employee engagement for faster accomplishment of the organisational goals and for achieving several other competitive benefits. References Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M., 2015. Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach.Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance,2(1), pp.7-35. Blyton, P. and Turnbull, P., 2004.The dynamics of employee relations. Palgrave Macmillan. Carter, W.R., Nesbit, P.L. Badham, R.J., Parker, S.K. and Sung, L.K., 2016. The effects of employee engagement and self-efficacy on job performance: a longitudinal field study.The International Journal of Human Resource Management, pp.1-20. Gennard, J. and Judge, G., 2005.Employee relations. CIPD Publishing. Gruman, J.A. and Saks, A.M., 2011. Performance management and employee engagement.Human Resource Management Review,21(2), pp.123-136. Guest, D., 2014. Employee engagement: a sceptical analysis.Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance,1(2), pp.141-156. Kuntze, R., and Matulich, E., n.d. Google: searching for value. Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics. Pp.10. Accessed on: 28th April, 2017. Accessed from: https://www.aabri.com/manuscripts/09429.pdf Macey, W.H. and Schneider, B., 2008. The meaning of employee engagement.Industrial and organizational Psychology,1(1), pp.3-30. Markos, S. and Sridevi, M.S., 2010. Employee engagement: The key to improving performance.International Journal of Business and Management,5(12), pp.89-96. Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B. and Wright, P.M., 2006. Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. Saks, A.M., 2006. Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement.Journal of managerial psychology,21(7), pp.600-619. Scott, R., 2015. What Amazon's Work Culture Tells Us About Employee Disengagement. Accessed on: 28th April, 2017, Accessed from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/causeintegration/2015/08/21/what-amazons-work-culture-tells-us-about-employee-disengagement/#7523266754f0 Shantz, A., Alfes, K., Truss, C. and Soane, E., 2013. The role of employee engagement in the relationship between job design and task performance, citizenship and deviant behaviours.The International Journal of Human Resource Management,24(13), pp.2608-2627. Shuck, B. and Rose, K., 2013. Reframing employee engagement within the context of meaning and purpose: Implications for HRD.Advances in Developing Human Resources,15(4), pp.341-355. Shuck, B., Twyford, D., Reio, T.G. and Shuck, A., 2014. Human resource development practices and employee engagement: Examining the connection with employee turnover intentions.Human Resource Development Quarterly,25(2), pp.239-270. Sorenson, S., 2013. Ho

Cttls Level 4 free essay sample

Certificate in Teaching in the Lifelong Sector. Planning   Enabling Learning. Assignment 1- What is the purpose of initial assessment and what kind of methods could be used? Evaluate these methods with reference to the ways they can help in the overall objective of achieving learning goals. How can you ensure learners are kept motivated and working towards these goals? Name: Date: 21st October 2010 Word Count: All learners are entitled to undergo a period of initial assessment. Initial assessment is the process of identifying an individual’s learning and support needs to enable the design of an individual learning plan which will provide the structure for their learning. Initial assessment is a critical process because it represents the first stage in the learning cycle. The Learner Failure to accurately identify an individual’s learning needs may result in a learning plan, and a learning programme, which does not address those learning needs. The learner lies at the centre of the learning process and needs to be fully engaged with the initial assessment process. It is important that they feel that it is done with them and not to them. An individual’s learning and support needs are identified from the collection and analysis of a wide range of information. The different types of information which need to be considered during the initial assessment process are shown in figure 1. 1 below. There are a number of Initial assessment methods available. The methods fall into six groups: * Appraisals of written information, such as learners’ application forms, records of achievement, progress files and references. * Individual interviews. Formal tests. * Learner questionnaires. * Observed group activities. * Practical vocational activities. We do not normally use all the methods but chose those which are appropriate to the needs and circumstances of the learner. Typically you should use a combination of methods to assess an individual, in order to gain an accurate, overall picture of their needs. Information collected through one method well may reinforce information collected through a different method. In the some instances it may be contradictory and require the use of additional methods. Application Forms: Application forms are completed prior to entry onto learning programmes and are often used for selection purposes at that stage. They contain information that can be used to determine the individual’s learning plan and therefore useful in the initial assessment. The application form includes: * The courses the learner has studied and the qualifications that he or she has achieved. These are helpful in selecting whether a pre vocational, foundation or advance learning programme is appropriate. Eg, GSCE in English may give the learner exemption from part of the key skill requirements. Employment and work experience, which may include their current work. This information is useful in matching the learner to the appropriate occupational area and in deciding the level of qualifications to target. * Career interests and aspirations. Learners would expected these to be reflected in their learning plans * Previous work based learning. The learning plan should build on previous learnin g. If it is in a different occupational area there may be parts of that learning that are common and therefore do not need to be repeated. For learners with literacy difficulties, specific disabilities or where English is a second language, asking them to complete an application form may not prove beneficial. Suitable arrangements may need to be made for prospective learners where help can be provided. Interviews Interviews provide opportunity to discuss and gather information on: * The accuracy of the information contained in the learners’ application form. * Learners’ knowledge and understanding and suitability to undertake particular types of careers and jobs * Expected examination grades if these are unknown. This may help in the identification of the level of programme to be undertaken. * The results of any formal â€Å"tests† which have been undertaken prior to the interview such as psychometric tests or basic skills or key skills assessments. * Learners’ personal effectiveness. Where gaps are identified they need to be addressed within individual learning plans * Any health problems which might affect the type of job which they do. * Travel to work areas. Interviewing young people and adults who have been long term unemployed is a skilled process. If you are to get the best out of learner interviews, which forms an important part of the initial assessment process, we must ensure that we have a well developed and effective processes in place, and staff who are competent at conducting interviews Record of Achievement and Progress file Learner’s record of achievement can be used to both support and verify information recorded in the application forms and provided during the interviews. They can provide a focus for discussion during interview and give the learner confidence in talking about themselves. The progress file aims to build on the good practise from the National Record of Achievement. Progress file is a set of materials which are designed to help young people and adults make the most of themselves and their opportunities. It is a useful way of identifying learning and supporting requirements during the initial assessment process. References Gathering information from other sources about a learner is useful. It can be used to verify or support the information which has been gathered during the initial assessment. It may also provide another person’s viewpoint which may be contrary to your own. It may also reduce the likelyhood that the same information is repeatedly asked of learners. References sources include schools, colleges, careers services, employers, and voluntary groups, clubs. Basic Skills Assessment. Basic skills are the ability to speak, read and write in English and to use mathematics at a level sufficient to function and progress at work and in society. The initial assessment of basic skills is therefore crucial. Learners with a lack of basic skills are liable to make poor progress in their training and to have difficulty sustaining employment. Each and accurate assessment of their basic skills learning needs, followed by a learning plan to address those needs, can make a substantial difference to the learner. Tests are available for use in the initial assessment of basic skills. The tests fall into two categories: * Initial Screening. * Diagnostic assessment. Screening tests aim to identify those who may need support and to indicate an approximate level of their skill. Diagnostic test aim to identify the specific nature of an individual’s strengths and weaknesses and to clearly identify the learning needs. Key skills Initial Assessment Key skills are generic skills which can help individuals to improve their own learning and performance in education and training, work and life in general. Key skills are linked to basic skills in that they require their application in a wide range of contexts and the ability to transfer skills learnt in one environment to another. There are six key skills, performance in each of which is graded level 1-4: * Communication * Application of Number * Information Technology * Improving own learning and Performance * Working with Others Problem Solving Initial assessment of learner â€Å"key skills† on entry measures the distance each learner has to travel to reach that minimum target. Accurate initial assessment of key skills can lead to substantially different individual learning plans. Initial assessment of key skills may also determine the level of key skills an individual is capable of achieving during the learning programme. An assessment of a le arner’s existing level of key skills maybe possible from other initial assessment methods such as by looking at the application form. Psychometric Tests Psychometric tests are widely used in giving guidance on careers and in the selection of staff by employers. They are not used in isolation, but as a source of information alongside others, such as interviews. They can form a useful basis for discussion about a person’s career or about his or her suitability for a job. The impact of psychometric testing on an individual’s learning plan is more likely to be in the choice of occupational area, and the level of programme, than in the structure of the learning plan itself. Learning Styles Assessment Assessing learners’ learning styles is important in ensuring that they learn quickly and efficiently during their learning programme. Individuals learn best in a variety of different ways and have preferences for certain ways of learning. Some for example, learn best by doing things as opposed to thinking about them. Others prefer to learn by listening and sharing ideas with others. Learners are at risk of their training being ineffective, where the trainer’s own dominant learning style is in conflict with their own preferred learning style. There are some different learning style assessment tools which can be used. Learner Questionnaires. Learner questionnaires are often used to help learners indentify their own strengths and weaknesses and assess their own learning support needs. The results contribute, along with other sources of information, to the individual learning plan. Questionnaires can be designed to collect information on almost any aspect of a learner’s experience. This may include eg, A self assessment of their perceived skills and current performance. The outcomes are based on the learners’ perception of themselves which may not always be accurate. They are however an effective way of involving the learner in the identification of their own strengths, weaknesses and learning needs. Group Activities Observing a learner engaging in a group activity with others learners helps to measure specific attributes and to identify personal strengths and weakness. To be successful, group activities rely on having a number of observers who are properly trained and clearly defined criteria on which to ase their judgements. Eg Self confidence. Practical Vocational Activities It is often not until the learner actually experiences a job first hand that they know whether they like it or not. One of the reasons why many young people drop out of their learning programme is because the occupational area in which they are placed does not match their expectation. Allowing â€Å"taster or trials† allow the learner to experience at first hand a number of different occupations and helps them decide which most suits them. It also provides the opportunity for the employer to assess the learner’s vocational skills and suitability for the job as well as his or her learner and support needs Summarising the Outcomes of Initial Assessment The Initial Assessment involves the collection of a substantial amount of information about each individual, using a range of different methods and with often more than one member of staff involved. It is essential that the information is brought together to form a picture of the whole person. Information should be brought together on: * Career preferences and suitability * Achievements and Qualifications Attitude and potential * Prior learning and experience * Any basic skills assessments and their results * Any Key Skills assessment and their results * Any learning difficulty * Interests of the learner * Learning style * Job role * Personal effectiveness and areas which need to be addressed * Any personal circumstances which may affect learning All members of staf f involved in collecting the information should jointly agree the learner’s learning and support needs from the information which is available. The information should be used to set learning goals and used to develop each individual learning plan.

Describing an Experience With a Sample - Describing an Experience About a Place

Describing an Experience With a Sample - Describing an Experience About a PlaceDescribing an experience can be an incredibly difficult task. Not only does the phrase 'describe an experience' give you problems when you use it in a sentence form, but it also can actually put you off from using that term when you're writing a creative essay on your own. You don't have to have all the details or even the name of the place to know it's a place, but writing about your experiences will make a big difference to how you feel about yourself and that place.Writing is about exploring your surroundings and the elements that surround you. When you're describing an experience you're providing a glimpse into your world for other people to see. Describing a place is usually not as explicit as this, but the idea is similar enough that it doesn't really matter whether it's a place in itself or a part of a larger context. Using the phrase 'describe an experience' is more than just being unclear about th e experience.We all know that it takes more than just a mere description to make an experience stick in our minds, and a writing sample of a place is often better at this than just a phrase. Reading a whole paragraph that contains your 'word' or phrase can be misleading, especially if you've just written a paragraph that includes a very brief description. A different way to describe a place can draw people into the experience and make them want to read more.In addition to pulling you into the experience, the paragraph can add impact to your writing. Experiences happen in a relatively small space, and by reading a paragraph that clearly describes your experiences can have a different effect from reading the same paragraph but with very little information. By pulling readers in your experiences can get them to ask more questions and start to explore more about what you're talking about. This will help you establish the confidence you need to continue your story.If you don't know anyth ing about places, consider giving a short description of what you've experienced and how it felt before you got to write. Then break your experience down into a few components such as weather, places to eat, and weather and food combination to get some clarity to how you experience the experience. For an example of a unique experience, imagine someone telling you about their ride on the roller coaster and how the ride made them feel while on the ride.Describing an experience without getting too specific can work for more experienced writers. Try describing your story with plenty of detail and you'll find that you're able to stay on track and stay focused. The main benefit is you'll be less likely to skip over parts of your story that you don't want to have, but keep this in mind that you don't want to use too much detail. Make it clear and simple to follow.Remember to break up the information and keep your sentences short. Many writers will stop short of including as much detail, be cause they feel that it might clutter up the piece and it will make it harder to understand. If you keep the concept simple and can comfortably tell a story in a few sentences, the experience can flow much easier.

Great Gatsby Analysis Essay Example

Great Gatsby Analysis Paper The descriptions of individual characters and settings convey ethical and moral judgments of a society. In the Great Gatsby, the descriptions of the Eggs, the â€Å"valley of ashes†, Gatsby, and the Buchanans all convey the judgment that the upper class of the society are shallow, empty and hollow and therefore, lacking morals and ethics and because of this, that the American dream has failed as citizens have become obsessed with the material aspect of the American dream rather than the spiritual aspect. Firstly, one of the settings described in the Great Gatsby is the contrast of West and East Egg. The descriptions are highly symbolic and convey that the upper class of the society is lacking in morality and ethics because it has been corrupted by material wealth and power that comes from this wealth. In the novel, West Egg and its citizens represent the newly rich, while East Egg and its citizens represent the old aristocracy. East is symbolic of wealth and corruption, west of morality. In the story, east is symbolic of wealth and the corruption it causes. In the east, having money is having power, and that power corrupts. Indeed, in the east, few truly take responsibility for their actions. Early in the story, Jordan Baker is nearly suggested in the newspapers to have moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-finals of a golf tournament. Witnesses later said they might have been wrong, no doubt with the encouragement of Jordans money. Also, when Daisy ran into Myrtle, she didn’t stop the car. We will write a custom essay sample on Great Gatsby Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Great Gatsby Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Great Gatsby Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In the corrupt East, people don’t take responsibility for their actions. The west, on the other hand, is symbolic for morality. The west was known for its values and its work ethic. Nick refers to the place as the warm center of the world. Nick later talks of the west as the place where â€Å"houses are called by the name of the family†. With all of its morality, the west was still unfashionable, people (eg. Gatsby and Nick) wanted to move to East Egg drawn by the wealth and care-free attitude. However, as Nick says, â€Å"we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly inadaptable to Eastern life. This means that Nick and Gatsby will never get there because they lacked taste. Fitzgerald portrays the newly rich (west eggers) as being vulgar, gaudy, ostentatious, and lacking in social graces and taste. Gatsby, for example, lives in a monstrously ornate, gothic mansion, wears a pink suit, drives a Rolls-Royce, and does not pick up on subtle social signals, such as the insincerity of the Sloane’s’ invitation to lunch. In contrast, the old aristocracy (east eggers) possesses grace, taste, subtlety, and elegance, epitomized by the Buchanan’s’ tasteful home and the flowing white dresses of Daisy and Jordan Baker. What the old aristocracy possesses in taste, however, it seems to lack in heart, as the East Eggers prove themselves careless, inconsiderate bullies who are so used to money’s ability to ease their minds that they never worry about hurting others. The Buchanan’s exemplify this stereotype when, at the end of the novel, they simply move to a new house far away rather than condescend to attend Gatsby’s funeral. Gatsby, on the other hand, whose recent wealth derives from criminal activity, has a sincere and loyal heart, remaining outside Daisy’s window until four in the morning in Chapter VII simply to make sure that Tom does not hurt her. Ironically, Gatsby’s good qualities (loyalty and love) lead to his death, as he takes the blame for killing Myrtle rather than letting Daisy be punished, and the Buchanan’s bad qualities (fickleness and selfishness) allow them to remove themselves from the tragedy not only physically but psychologically. This shows that the upper class of the society has no morals or ethics because they have been corrupted with excessive materialistic wealth. This conveys the materialistic excesses the 1920s and the decline of the American dream. Secondly, the road from West Egg to New York City exemplifies decay. It is a valley of ashes, a place of uninterrupted desolation. It is where the rich dump their troubles and this conveys that the rich are immoral and unethical because they’re living in luxury using the valley of ashes as a â€Å"bin† whilst the lower class people living in the valley are poor and living in poverty. It is described as; â€Å"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens, where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air† (p. 27) The valley was first introduced in chapter 2. Described as a gloomy land created by the dumping of â€Å"industrial ashes,† the valley acquires a sense of decay. It seems as if the rich, men like Tom Buchanan and Gatsby dump their â€Å"ashes† (their troubles) in the valley, with nothing but concern for themselves. This connects with the rest of the book, as Tom and Daisy are seen as a â€Å"reckless† couple, and one that only care about themselves. The eyes of Dr. Eckleburg symbolize in this chapter advertising and materialism gone mad, one of the central themes of the plot. Fitzgeralds description of the drawbridge and passing barges makes an allusion to the River Styx, a mythological river which one crosses to enter the realm of the dead. This descriptions shows that this is a place of poverty and troubles where troubles â€Å"dumped† by the rich eggers to rot and die; the valley was the place of murder (Myrtle getting run over by Daisy, chapter 8). The murder was also the result of two rich men, Tom (had an affair with Myrtle) and Gatsby (let Daisy drive). So, the valley of ashes does in fact represent a place of decadence; a place where the rich dump their â€Å"ashes† (or troubles). The novels only non-wealthy characters live in the valley of ashes; it is the grim underside to the self-indulgence of the Eggs, and of New York City. George Wilson, Myrtles dejected husband, seems almost already dead â€Å"walking through her husband as if he were a ghost. † (p. 28) and made of ashes: ashen dust veiled his dark suit and pale hair. This dust that is around and the fact that Wilson is ghostlike portrays how desolate and dead the valley of ashes is. Everything is grey and covered by ashes and in contrast to the rich vibrant colours in East and West Egg, the â€Å"valley of ashes† can be seen as a very grim place where people live in poverty even though they live right next door to people with more wealth than th ey need (the eggers) This can be related back to the failure of the American dream because even though there is great wealth in the society, it has not been distributed evenly and people are still in poverty. Fitzgerald represents poverty as lying beneath wealth and providing the wealthy with a dumping ground. It is what the wealthy wish to avoid seeing at all costs. Through the descriptions of the â€Å"valley of ashes,† we see how immoral the rich upper class are to just dump their troubles there without thinking about what it might mean for the people living there. They are only caring about their personal comfort. Thirdly, through the descriptions made of Gatsby, we see the immorality of the society at the time through the illusion of Gatsby’s dream and how the original spiritual aspect of the American dream has gone and made way for xcessive materialism. He stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. When I looked once more for Gatsby he ha d vanished, and I was alone again in the unquiet darkness. (p. 16) In our first acquaintance with the green light, we see Gatsby reaching out for it, almost, in a way, worshipping it. We find out later that this green light is at the end of Daisys dock, and is a symbol for Gatsbys dream and the hope for the future. Green is the color of promise, hope, and renewal so it is fitting that Gatsbys dream of a future with Daisy be represented physically in the novel by this green light. Later, in the final chapter of this novel, Fitzgerald compares Gatsbys green light to the green breast of the new world (115), comparing Gatsbys dream of rediscovering Daisy to the explorers discovery of America and the promise of a new continent. However, Gatsbys dream is tarnished by his material possessions, â€Å"the colossal significance of that green light had vanished forever,† (p. 90) The means corrupt the end, and Gatsbys dream dies because of Daisy, Gatsby, and Toms carelessness and superficiality, as does Gatsby for the same reasons. At the end of the first chapter, we see Gatsby reaching out for the green light, a symbol for the hope and promise of the future, almost in the attitude of a worshiper. This is the first suggestion Fitzgerald gives us that Gatsbys quest for Daisy is more than just a physical endeavor, but a spiritual one as well. Also in this chapter, we see Gatsby, after the car accident, looking over Daisy from her yard, trying to protect her. His watch over her window is compared to a vigil, and while Nick talked to Gatsby that night, he sensed that his presence was ruining the sacredness of the moment. However, Gatsbys vigil was over nothing Daisy was never in her room that night much like Gatsbys dream is over a nonexistent person. The Daisy he met and fell in love with years ago is not the same person anymore, and as much as Gatsby thinks that he can repeat the past, in the real world it is proven to be impossible. On one level, Fitzgerald gives us Gatsbys dream as a spiritual quest, but on another level, we find out that this is yet another reason why his dream fails. His faith is misplaced, because the object of his quest is nothing more than Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is also associated with moonlight/starlight and artificial light. For example when Jordan is talking about Gatsby with Nick, Gatsby is described as dispensing, â€Å"starlight to casual moths,† The starlight/moonlight is representative of the fantasy/illusion or unreachable quality of Gatsby’s dream, this quote is saying that his dream is unreachable and doomed from the beginning because he wants Daisy (the â€Å"casual moth†) who is attracted to artificial light which is representative of the material means that he hopes to attract Daisy. There is a lot of proof of this in chapter 5 when Daisy and Gatsby meet for the first time, Gatsby describes the front of his house as, â€Å"catching the light,† (p. 7) the front of his house faces Daisy so he is trying to attract Daisy with his vast material wealth which is represented by the artificial light. Even though Gatsby is an, â€Å"ecstatic patron of recurring light,† he is giving lots of light to attract Daisy, we know his dream is doomed from the start because Dais y has, â€Å"snapped out the lights,† (p. 17) Therefore, Fitzgerald is saying that the spirituality of the American dream is misplaced because of our obsession with material wealth, which creates a sort of national delusion and this conveys an immoral judgment of the society. Fourthly, the descriptions of the Daisy convey an immoral and unethical judgment of the upper class in society by showing the shallowness, hollowness and idleness of them. When we first meet Daisy at the Buchanan’s mansion, she is described as; â€Å"Buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon†¦their dresses were rippling and fluttering. † This quote establishes the fact that Daisy is shallow and hollow because they are so purposeless that they just sit there and go where the wind â€Å"blows them. † This is reinforced when it says, â€Å"sometimes she and Miss Baker talked at once†¦their impersonal eyes in the absence of all desire. (p. 17) And when Daisy remarks that, â€Å"I’ve been lying on the sofa for as long as I can remember. † (p. 16) This conveys the idleness and purposeless way of life the Daisy follows. The description of Daisy’s voice also conveys the hollowness and shallowness of Daisy. For example, Nick says that, à ¢â‚¬Å"her voice compelled me forward breathlessly as I listened-then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret†¦her voice glowing and singing. † (pg. 19) and â€Å"as if each speech is an arrangement of notes that will never be played again. † (p. 14). These suggest the hollowness of Daisy Buchanan because although her voice and her stunning beauty draw people in. When they â€Å"lean in† to hear what she actually has to say, they hear â€Å"nothing† because she is empty and hollow. Also, a lot of Daisy’s descriptions are associated with white light. In the Great Gatsby, white represents emptiness or hollowness. This is associated with Daisy a lot because she is empty and hollow, for example Nick describes Daisy at Daisy’s house, â€Å"They were both in white,† (p. 13) and â€Å"white dresses† (p. 17). Another theme that Daisy is associated with is materialistic wealth. For example, Nick says that, â€Å"Her voice is full of money. †(p. 115) She is attracted to money, she is not pure, she is yellow (has a dazzling appeal) eg. â€Å"two rows of brass buttons on her dress gleamed in the sunlight. † We see that the only reason that she is attracted to Gatsby is because of his great material wealth. We know this because Daisy tells Gatsby that he, â€Å"resembles the advertisement of the man,† (p. 114). This statement confirms that Daisy does not like Gatsby for himself, but for the wealth and superficial illusion he represents. Daisy is associated with darkness/twilight, for example she is at the beginning of the novel, she says â€Å"why candles? † and then, â€Å"snapped them out with her fingers. †(p. 17) also while Gatsby is watching for Daisy in case Tom acts violently to her, she, â€Å"comes to the window†¦then turned out the light. † (p. 140) This is symbolic of Daisy’s â€Å"snapping out,† or destruction or Gatsby’s dream because she is turning off the light on Gatsby’s dream and not giving him a chance of fulfilling, therefore the dream is doomed from the start. Daisy is also representative of the American Dream and because she has snapped out the light on Gatsby’s dream, it shows the disintegration of the American Dream. This shows the immorality of Daisy who is representative of the upper class in society because she is so obsessed with materialistic aspect of the American dream rather than the spiritual aspect. Lastly, we can say that Tom Buchanan, who is another representative of the upper class, is also hollow because of the descriptions given of him. For example, at Tom’s house when Nick first goes over, he suddenly exclaims, â€Å"If we don’t look out, the white race will be utterly submerged. It’s scientific stuff; it’s been proved. † (p. 18) This racism and utter nonsense shows the shallowness of Tom because not only does he make racist remarks, he doesn’t know what he is talking about when he says that, â€Å"it’s been proven. † Tom’s beliefs are hypocritical but lack moral caliber, compassions and idealism. In the same section, Tom is described as, â€Å"hovering restlessly around the room,† (p. 15). This shows like Daisy, he seems to want to do something but is unsure of what to do. Also, we notice that Tom is associated with words of movement (â€Å"shifting and moved by â€Å") and this can again be seen in relation to Fitzgerald’s description of him and his wife as wealthy drifters. What is interesting about Tom’s cruel body is that normally cruel is referred to a person and not to a body. Fitzgerald doesn’t write that Tom is cruel but that his body is cruel, suggesting problematically a separation between his body and his character, as if Tom’s cruel sensuality may assert itself despite his will. The fact that Tom’s cruel body comes so close in the text to the description of his muscles almost bursting through his clothes suggests that the purely animal, physical part of his nature (his cruel body) is capable of bursting out instinctively at any moment, as indeed it does. In fact Tom bruises Daisy’s finger and breaks Myrtle Wilson’s nose in a rage. This shows the hollowness of Tom because he can’t control his violence or actions. Tom never considers living up to the standards he expects of people around him. For example, he doesn’t want Gatsby to take Daisy away from him going to great length to â€Å"investigate him,† while he is oblivious to the double standard in his practice of maintaining sexual relationships with other women, like Myrtle. Therefore, Tom has values, but they’re conveniences, easily disposed of as the whim takes him and he is only physically powerful. This shows the shallowness, hollowness of the upper class and conveys the judgment that they are lacking in ethics and morals.

Industrialization and The Jungle essays

Industrialization and The Jungle essays Immigration in America came as a result of the industrialization of the United States. The American business class needed a larger working class to perform the extra labor the country now needed to have done in order to have a strong economic system, especially with the construction of railroads. Between the 1860s and 1890s ten million immigrants had come to the United States. It wasnt very difficult for American companies to attract immigrants, they advertised the American Dream to the people of Europe and Asia. Once one person from a community did well in America, word spread throughout their homeland and many more would come. The problem with this is that too many people had come to America and there would soon be a shortage of jobs and the corruption of the business owners towards the immigrants. The Jungle goes into the overpopulation of small cities and the exploitation of immigrants, in particular Jurgis and his family from Lithuania. Sinclair had a cynical view of industrialization, The Jungle portrays the American Industrialization at its worst. He shows the working conditions and corruption, in particular the meat packing industry, as they actually were in the late 1800s. Sinclair showed the terrible working conditions that Jurgis, his family and all the other immigrant workers had to endure. He shows how the American employers, and others, took advantage of immigrants who werent well educated, knew little English, or just had no other alternative but to agree to the terms of the higher class. Most immigrants were paid next to nothing by their employers, which made just about every member of the family go out and get a job. Jurgis did not let Ona, Teta Elzbieta or the kids work, Jurgis wanted the children to get an education so they didnt have to work in the stockyard their whole lives like he will have to. The upper class would do almost anything to stay in the upper class, ...

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