The Beginning Of American Literature Essay - 1322 Words

The beginning of American literature started in the 17th century when pirated, adventurers, and explorers started to write about the new continent. These people became permanent colonists. The writing during this time varied in terms of quality and subjects. This early literature was made up of creation myths, travel journals, history writing, poetry, religious writing, and personal narratives. Creation myths are some one of the six genres we see in the beginning of American literature. They are a symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. Many of the Native American creation myths show a strong resemblance to Genesis. Percy Bullchild, a Blackfeet Indian from Browning, Montana, describes the beginning of his people as stated: â€Å"This story is about a lone spirit that lived in this spiritual place before there was a world of any kind of life †¦ He has been alive from ever and will continue to live forever †¦ Life is given to all o f us humans and to all the creations of the earth †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Bullchild). This tribe describes the Creator God as the Creator Sun. The first beings were snakes that rebelled against their creator and were punished. Then describes the Creator Sun making people in his image. This is an example of part of a creation story. The majority of stories indicate that a creation where people are given, along at the time of creation, awareness that they were created. Similar to Genesis, the stories follow how we will be judged atShow MoreRelatedWhat Does Ethnic Literature Mean?994 Words   |  4 Pagesdoes ethnic literature mean? 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The three authors that are representative of these ideals are the following; Hector De St John Crevecoeur Benjamin Franklin, andRead MoreColonial American Literature844 Words   |  4 PagesAmerica, Native Americans began to focus on the fur trade, and by the end of the time period the â€Å"population of the thirteen colonies was over two million people.† (Colonial Time Period NP) All of those events helped shape the American Literature that is still read in High Schools to this day. American Literature from the colonial period was influenced by many historical events. It shares common characteristics and its authors greatly influenced the times. The Colonial period was the beginning of greatRead MoreNaturalism : The Great. Who Has Read American Literature1368 Words   |  6 PagesNaturalism the Great Anyone who has read American literature will know of the significance of naturalism as a literary genre in American literature. 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While this is a theme in all types of literature, it is one that is especially prevalent in American literature because the settlers were an entire people who left their home in search of something betterRead MoreNaturalism As A Literary Genre1367 Words   |  6 PagesAnyone who has read American literature will know of the significance of naturalism as a literary genre in American literature. Merriam Webster’s definition of Naturalism is as follows: A theory that art or literature should conform exactly to nature or depict every appearance of the subject that comes to the artist’s attention, specifically a theory in literature emphasizing the role of heredity and environment upon human life and character development. Naturalism went from being a movement in theRead MoreThe Native Americans, Puritans, And The Rationalists721 Words   |  3 Pages America’s history is rich with literature. The beginning of American literature dates back to the Colonial times, but that began way before the colonists even stepped foot in America. There are three major groups of people from the colonial peri od that impacted literature. That is the Native Americans, Puritans, and the Rationalists. Before America was corrupted by European colonists, it was home to the Native Americans. Native Americans depended on the word of mouth, there wasn’t aRead MoreThe Influence Of The Harlem Renaissance On African American Literature1144 Words   |  5 PagesThe Affect of the Harlem Renaissance on African American Literature The second half of the eighteenth century introduced a new expression to the literary world. The new expression was a voice that belonged to the African American writers. The African American writers wrote with a flair and brought a new perspective to the realm of literature. Literature, as America had known it, consisted of works from Christopher Columbus, John Smith, William Bradford, and Mary Rowlandson; these writers capturedRead MoreWashington Irving s The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow Essay1604 Words   |  7 Pagesbe recognized as â€Å"the father of American Literature† (â€Å"Washington Irving†). Irving was the first American writer to establish the new American identity through his writings, as a result, he is esteemed as one of the â€Å"inventors† of the short story (â€Å"Washington Irving†). One of Irving’s more famous short stories, â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow†, was published in 1820 (â€Å"Washington Irving†). â€Å" The Legend of Sleepy Hollow† is not merely a significant work of early American fiction, it established the frameworkRead MoreDisillusion, Defiance, and Discontent (1914-1946)780 Words   |  4 PagesUnit 5: Disillusion, Defiance, and Discontent (1914-1946) â€Å"We asked the cyclone to go around our barn but it didn’t hear us.† -Carl Sandburg from The People, Yes Carl Sandburg was an American writer, best known for his poetry during modernism. The quote means people like to think they are in control and then something like this happens, and they realize that they re not. The themes of the work is implied not stated Timeline The most significant ten year period is from 1920 to 1930 because

The Great Gatsby “Fitzgerald Tying Is Life to the Book” Free Essays

Fitzgerald writes The Great Gatsby as a mirror of his own life describing his life through such characters as Nick Carraway, the narrator and the Jay Gatsby the, protagonist which are representations of Fitzgerald’s life. Fitzgerald uses his own events to play key parts in this novel. Throughout The Great Gatsby characters and events are a written reflection of Fitzgerald life making The Great Gatsby an autobiography. We will write a custom essay sample on The Great Gatsby â€Å"Fitzgerald Tying Is Life to the Book† or any similar topic only for you Order Now Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul Minnesota (A Brief Life of Fitzgerald). Francis’ parents enrolled him at the Newman School in 1911 when he was 15 years old, Newman School was a prestigious Catholic prep school located in New Jersey (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). After graduating from Newman in 1913 Fitzgerald went to Princeton University. At Princeton he devoted himself to working hard on becoming a writer. With all of his focus on writing, he began to struggle in other classes. Around 1917 Fitzgerald was on academic probation and it was very unlikely for him that he would graduate so he thought it was best for him to join the Army. Fitzgerald became a second lieutenant in the infantry (A Brief Life of Fitzgerald). Fitzgerald was so convinced that he would die in the war and scared that he had not accomplished his literary dreams in time, that he quickly wrote a novel called The Romantic Egotist. The novel was very well liked by the publishing company known as Charles Scribner’s Sons, but they asked him to revise it before sending it back to them(A Brief Life of Fitzgerald). Around June 1918 Fitzgerald was stationed at Camp Sheridan, near Montgomery Alabama (A Brief Life of Fitzgerald). While he was stationed in Camp Sheridan, he met a girl named Zelda Sayre (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). Zelda was 18 years old and Fitzgerald eventually fell in love with her. And he would continue to pursue after her. Fitzgerald was never actually deployed into the war, because World War I ended in 1919. After being discharged from the army, Fitzgerald decided to move to New York City where he hoped to start a career in advertising hoping that Zelda would marry him for having a job (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). Although Fitzgerald wanted Zelda, he quit his job and decided to return to St. Paul to rewrite his novel. Fitzgerald really hit a breakthrough when his novel, This Side of Paradise was published in 1920 (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). After finally having success from his novel, Zelda finally agreed to marry Fitzgerald only after a week of the book being published. Zelda and Fitzgerald married in New York. The couple had one child, a daughter named Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who was born in 1921 (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). Fitzgerald quickly became famous and wealthy from his writings as he began to write more novels and short stories as the year passed. Fitzgerald became a so called, â€Å"playboy† (F. Scott Fitzgerald Bio). Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby and it was published in 1924. The novel was closely based off most of Fitzgerald’s own life. Using his own experiences Fitzgerald was able to write his greatest novel ever. Fitzgerald shows himself throughout the book through mostly two characters; Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. Both characters had some aspect to Fitzgerald’s life. For instance Jay Gatsby and Fitzgerald both had a lover whom they wanted to marry so badly. Nick is the vision of what Gatsby saw of the â€Å"roaring twenties†. Jay Gatsby represented Fitzgerald’s personality as a lavish partier when Fitzgerald first became wealthy. Gatsby threw great parties that everyone wanted to go to. Fitzgerald became rich just like everyone wants to be. It was not just the partying that is seen as Fitzgerald, but Fitzgerald seems to describe his own young life through Gatsby as if he was writing an autobiography. Fitzgerald went to Princeton only for a while just as Gatsby went to St. Olaf’s College only to leave the school just as Fitzgerald left Princeton. Gatsby was blinded by Daisy’s beauty just as Fitzgerald was to Zelda. Both were determined to have their women. It seemed though Fitzgerald could not accept rejection or a loss, an example in Fitzgerald’s life was that Zelda broke their engagement, because Fitzgerald was not making enough money (A Brief Life of Fitzgerald). Fitzgerald drove himself to win Zelda. Fitzgerald put his emotions into Gatsby by trying to say he would do whatever it would take to have Zelda. Gatsby got all his money from illegal activities, because he was willing to do whatever it took to have Daisy. Like Gatsby, Fitzgerald was blinded by the beauty of one women that having Zelda, as Gatsby having Daisy, was all he wanted. Gatsby represented the partying celebrity. Nick Carraway represents the other side of Fitzgeral,d as he represents the quietness the better minded version of Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald and Nick Carraway were able to see that all this materialism and partying in the â€Å"Roaring Twenties† were morally decaying, yet they were both fascinated by the lifestyle. Nick represented Fitzgerald’s true feelings of the era where life was fun and flashy, but morally wrong to him. Nick Carraway at the end of the novel decided to move back to the Midwest to escape the craziness and hyped life happening on the east coast even though he was curious about it. (Fitzgerald 176). Fitzgerald puts his true feelings into Nick. Even though the fast rich life seemed fun and exciting it was morally decaying and he misses living normally. Fitzgerald showed many signs of an autobiography, in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald showed himself as idealized version of himself in Gatsby, doing whatever he could to have Daisy and never once thinking his plans would not work. Nick Carraway was Fitzgerald’s old self stuck in a place full of drama and morally decaying events that everyone in the party life thought as ok, because they thought they were better than everyone else. Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, shows readers that his life was put into two characters; Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway, to show the views of that era. . Works Cited â€Å"A Brief Life of Fitzgerald†. University of South Carolina. Web. 24 April 2012. â€Å"F. Scott Fitzgerald biography†. A+E Televison Network. Web. 24 April 2012 Fitzgerald, Francis S. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 2004. Print. How to cite The Great Gatsby â€Å"Fitzgerald Tying Is Life to the Book†, Essay examples

Psychological Testing in the Workplace free essay sample

Psychological tests are popular among private and public companies, government agencies and in the military as well. Psychological testing is used for several purposes, they can be used in the pre-employment process, and they can be used as an aid in regarding employment retention as well as in job placement. While the uses of psychological testing are wide spread, there are issues revolving around the validity and reliability of these tests, when a person’s employment is at risk this can be considered a heavy issue to be considered. Along with the reliability and the validity, there are ethical issues to be considered that the employers must keep in mind. Types of Personality Tests There are a variety of different types of personality tests. Three in particular are popular among private companies as well as government agencies; these are the Myers-Briggs type indicator, the IPIP-NEO personality test, and the Kolbe Index (Basu, 2012). We will write a custom essay sample on Psychological Testing in the Workplace or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Myers-Briggs type indicator is a personality test that organizes an employee’s personality data along four scales of opposing characteristics. These scales include whether the employees energy source comes from within or is a reflection of his/her environment, whether the employee focuses more on intuition or sensory input, whether the employee uses reason and logic or personal values, and whether the employee is an organized individual or is spontaneous in their daily activities. This personality test may be utilized for employee retention especially in allocating tasks to a group of employees finding which employee is best suited to each task required (Basu, 2012). The IPIP-Neo personality test (international personality item pool test) measures an employee’s personality using five broad categories and thirty sub-categories. This personality test is used to see how well employees will be able to work in a multicultural setting, especially in multi-national companies that pull employees from different cultures from around the world. The five broad categories and examples of their sub categories include xtroversion and its subcategories of friendliness and social engagement, agreeableness with its sub-categories of trust and cooperation, conscientiousness with its sub categories of self-confidence and cautiousness, neuroticism and its sub-categories of sensitivities of others opinions and openness to new experiences which includes adventurousness and how readily that individual may challenge authority. This is a personality test that seems best suited as a pre-employment test, especially when an individual is applying for a position in a multinational corporation or there is a diverse cultural background in a given location (Basu, 2012). The Kolbe Index, named for Kathy Kolbe an organizational theorist, is based on the premise that an individual’s ability for problem solving are stable and independent of the individuals intelligence, personality and education. According to this index, there are four problem solving modes: fact finder, which relates to the gathering of information; follow-through, which refers to the organizing and scheduling of tasks; quick-start, which contains the risk taking and innovation; and the implementation of the solution. A series of multiple choice questions are given, based on problem solving scenarios. The results will indicate which of the four modes the employee is best suited and can help in job placement as a leader, a researcher or other such tasks that suits that employee’s ability’s (Basu, 2012). Validity and Reliability The issue of validity is a major issue surrounding psychological testing. Each individual psychological test must measure what it was intended to measure. The test must contain construct validity that is it must measure the psychological construct, such as depression, that it was designed to measure. The test must also have content validity; it must adequately sample information from the broad range that composes the construct in use. The criterion related validity is important as well, this is the type of validity that is most relative to performance psychological tests. The test to measure performance must have valid criteria that can be tested by having employees that already perform, the tasks the test is supposed to measure, well. If those employees do well on the tests then the test should be valid for those who haven’t done the tasks yet (Raymond Richmond, 2012). In order for any psychological test to be valid, it must also be reliable. There are two types of reliability that makes up the total reliability of the given psychological test: internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability. The internal consistency reliability measures how well all the items listed in the test relate to one another. If they relate well then the internal consistency can be found to be reliable. The most important of these types of reliability is the test-retest reliability. This measures how well the results of one testing match up with the results of another testing by the same individual using the same test but at different times (Raymond Richmond, 2012). Given that the human mind is so complex that it is impossible to know anything with full and total confidence, no psychological test can ever be entirely valid or reliable. Even with extensive testing it is not yet possible to fully assert any conclusion with total certitude (Raymond Richmond, 2012). Ethical issues There are several ethical issues involved in workplace psychological testing; the most easily abused is that of stereotyping. When an individual takes part in a personality test, the results classify them in one personality group or another. The inherent inaccuracies of these personality tests, that come from minds too complex to properly measure, can cause errors in the results and the results are from the majority of the answers given, as no person is entirely of one type, a person can have scored only slightly more as an introvert as opposed to being an extrovert in one testing, but can then be seen as an introvert by the manager or fellow employees. Assumptions that come from the generalization of these types can lead to job discrimination (Marshall, 2010). There is an ethical consideration to asking employees to take psychological tests without making it clear that the results will be kept confidential. Often time’s employers will not give this consideration to their employees, making it mandatory and not giving the reassurance that it will be kept confidential. The results from these tests when shared among other employees may lead to harassment in the form of teasing and such, making the workplace feel more hostile and a less productive environment. It is also unethical to use personality tests as the basis for decisions regarding promotions and work assignments (Marshall, 2010). Conclusion The variety of psychological testing, especially personality testing used in the work place can be a factor in a person’s career. As long as the validity and reliability of these tests are as secure as any psychological test can be and the employers utilize these test ethically, these tests can help individuals grow within their companies. When a test shows a weakness in a certain area, the individual can use those results to improve skills to help strengthen those weak points and employers can help employees follow their strengths that will help in their rise through their companies.