Friday, January 24, 2020

Richard Wrights Black Boy as a Catalyst to End Racism Essay -- Wright

Black Boy as a Catalyst to End Racism Around 2000 B.C., Egyptians enslaved Jews in bondage like caged animals because they were targeted as a lesser race and thus chosen for labor. Just 1500 years later, the Jews themselves were the culprits of racism labeling the very association with Samaritans as a deep sin. In 1861_1865, the United States divided brother against brother in one of its bloodiest battles of all time over black slavery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Racism survives not simply as an intangible historic fable but as a real modern problem, also. In current civilization Arab Palestinians war with Israelis to find a homeland; the Ku Klux Klan draws its biggest membership influx in over 20 years; and in the U.S. where freedom reigns, Americans have never to date voted a person into the president's office who was not a white male. Denny's restaurants, Texaco gas stations, and Avis car rental are a few of the number of national companies accused of extolling racism in this "apartheid America." Although less subtle in the lives of Americans then, racism also thrived in the souls of people living during the 1920's. Even though the war on slavery was over in the battle fields, white racists were blood thirsty lions at heart, as was demonstrated in the book Black Boy.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting of Black Boy is in the deep south of Jackson, Mississippi where whites attempted to tame into submission blacks by hard discipline. Such was the case for Richard in Black Boy, his autobiography. It seemed that the more Richard gained success, the more he was hurt. In Black Boy, Richard is abused by whites because he reminds the whites of their lack of identity and failure to meet society's expectations.   Their lives became bland... ...elf_imposed humility, the person gets a sense of gratification in his life. He now knows that he has a good reason to keep going. Eventually the person will also receive that same love from others. Therefore, a new source for positive gratification and love is created, making racism obsolete.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These principles have not been fully successful as people are naturally more willing to be lethargic than active, more likely to be followers than leaders, usually submit rather than stand up for themselves. They need courage. The courage must come from the love within, it must be true courage. For some, it doesn't come naturally, but with one strong foot forward, and a heart for others, racism can be defeated and the world can live in peace and equality. Works Cited: Wright, Richard. Black Boy (American Hunger): A Record of Childhood and Youth. 1998 ed.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

My Personal Goals And Expectation As A Student Essay

It has been 20 years since I have been in school and I want to be here at The University of Phoenix to finally get the degree that I have put off for so many years. I realize there may be road blocks ahead of me that I am not aware of at this time, but I am making a commitment to myself to be successful. The road I have chosen is long overdue, but I believe it is the right choice and something I strongly desire. I selected the U of P due the accelerated program offered, the high caliber of educators, and recommendations by friends. After just one class, I’m very excited about my choice and look forward to the challenges ahead. At the U of P, I hope to obtain the knowledge and tools to help me be successful and to finally make things â€Å"right† with myself and my employer. I say this as, in the past, I have misled my former and current employers that I have an education beyond high school. Through hard work and dedication, I have been able to produce and prosper in my professional life, even without an education beyond high school. But I feel with a â€Å"real† degree in hand, I’ll be more confident and proud of myself for the hard work and dedication it will take to accomplish this goal. Also, the dark cloud of my misrepresentation will finally be lifted. I believe I will finally be proud of myself and gain the honor and integrity I desire. My personal goal is to obtain a Bachelors degree in Business Management. As I pursue my goal at U of P, I must dedicate myself. To achieve this goal, there must be commitment, discipline, desire and expectations. There will be many challenges that lie ahead of me as I steadily make my journey to achieving a degree. But I feel I can overcome any obstacles and face any challenge, due to my maturity level and positive outlook. Twenty years ago, I did not feel the need or have the desire as I do now. Other than the obvious goal of obtaining a degree, I hope to finally have the skills, knowledge and tools to obtain further success in my professional life. I also feel a degree will give me more confidence in myself both personally and professionally. The education that I will receive will help me tremendously in my professional career. I feel I will be much more marketable to my present employer as well as future employers. Advancement  opportunities will come to fruition as I go through the educational improvement process. Throughout this new learning process, I hope to develop the skills to be a better communicator, both orally and in written communications. I’ve always somewhat lacked confidence in writing and I hope to gain the skills to write effective letters and reports. I hope to develop leadership skills and have confidence in myself and in the decisions I make. I hope to learn how to set priorities and manage my time better both at home and at work. Just making the decision and taking the steps to further my education feels liberating and eases the anxiety I’ve always felt about not furthering my education. I feel my fears about â€Å"not measuring up† will subside and a sense of camaraderie will develop with my associates at work. Since beginning classes, I hope the stimulation I feel now will continue to grow and ease the fears I’ve always had about â€Å"learning† again. I expect my confidence level to rise and as I get more confidence, my mind will open up to new ideas and better ways of doing things. I hope this stimulating environment will foster new ideas that I can use in my professional life. Above all, I believe this journey will bring to me a sense of accomplishment, pride, and confidence. In my personal life, I realize I must make many sacrifices. The time I must invest in obtaining a degree will require I give up the very little free time I currently enjoy with my family. My work schedule is extremely full now and leaves very little time with my family. Taking classes will totally eliminate any time I had to spend with them, but they are very supportive and understand the rewards we will all reap from this undertaking. I’m doing this for all of us, as I know the personal and professional growth and successes will be invaluable for our future.