The Tet Offensive through the strategic eyes of the Viet Cong and Research Paper

The Tet Offensive through the strategic eyes of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese - Research Paper Example However, the communist north decided to stage an offensive in what came to be regarded as the biggest attacks ever, since the Vietnamese war began. During this attack, the communists attacked major towns of the South to a tune of more than 100 towns, including the southern capital, while also spreading the attacks to over 36 provincial capitals of the south, using a brigade of more than 80,000 troops (Donaldson, 161). Despite the South Vietnamese and the USA army being caught by surprise, they responded to the offensive and eventually overcame the communists, although the whole scenario took two more months, with the worst occasion being the Battle of Hue, where the whole of the city was destroyed and thousands of residents, to a tune of 7600 executed by the communists, in what came to be referred as the Hue massacre (Collins, 42). There are three main aspects that have made the Tet Offensive stand out, in the whole episode of the Vietnamese war. First, the Tet offensive was launched by the North Vietnam against South Vietnam by surprise, allowing the communists to inflict more damage on the South, on the initial face of the offensive. Secondly, the offensive stands out as the largest military operation that was ever conducted by either the north or the south in the Vietnamese war. Thirdly, it stands out as the worst attack on the civilians, since the offensive did not only aim at the Southern Vietnamese and the USA armies, but also extended its attacks to the civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam, culminating with the horrific Hue massacre that left over 7000 civilians dead (Anderson, 183). Such a massive attack operation could not have just come on board, without efficient and effective planning and execution of the attacks. The Tet Offensive occurred at a time when the pressure was mounting on the USA military and government to consider dropping its involvement in the Vietnamese war, considering that close to 45% of the Americans beli eved that the war was not worth being pursued, mainly due to the losses it had inflicted on the USA, in terms of the number of the casualties of its soldiers, the increment in taxation to the citizens, and the lack of a slightest indication that the war was coming to an end (Robbins, 12). With such disgruntling within the public, and even some sections of the government and intelligence, the military command needed to act decisively in bringing the whole issue to a halt. The USA military command therefore reacted by mounting the success offensive in 1967, where it sought to assert to the public that the USA would win the war, and brings it to a speedy end. This was achieved through media propaganda where the army generals misled the American public on the capabilities of the Northern Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong, by asserting that they were losing ground and therefore were not in a position to launch any major attack. To curb it all, and give more confidence to the people, the US army General called on the communists to try something, because the USA was actually looking for a fight (Donaldson, 155). Therefore, the anti-war sentiments by the American public, coupled by the underestimation of the communists ability

My Ethics Awareness Inventory Summary Essay Example for Free

My Ethics Awareness Inventory Summary Essay In my Ethical Awareness Inventory I believe in what is right. Ethical awareness is gaining an insight in the perspective of having the determination of what you believe is wrong or right. My beliefs in decision making and obligation are mainly in the core values of the best ethical decision and what core beliefs I believe inspire my values and morality. The core beliefs I chose were character, obligation, results, and equity. I believe an obligation to make the right decision is very important in any decision making process. Results show how a person can provide the character that motivates them in the equity that is chosen to make the right choice. Factors that influence my decision making is pressure from peers and the pressure from the above, interest groups, personal financial gain, chance to get ahead, limited information to get ahead, convenience, and threats in the workplace that are used if not abiding by the Code of Ethics, which is a document signed when hired at a place of employment. Ethical Awareness is the key to sound ethical judgment. The answers to the questions posed in the EAI Inventory will assist you to make the â€Å"right† decision, but it is important to remember that there is no easy shortcut to ethical decision making. It requires you to make an important personal judgment about a matter that will have a significant impact on the lives of real people—not some faceless mass (Ethics Awareness Inventory, 2011). Obligations category defines my selections as individuals that I may work with as argumentative about the society who may not be able to work in their own best interest. Obligations to me are very important and need to look at as being at the top of a list and adhered to as promises made to be taken care of as soon as possible. In my own life the results have pretty much matched on how I am in real life, especially the personal financial gain. I always run short of money and looking for more ways to earn more. Another way is more information being available to me. I always have been willing to learn as much as I can to know about my tasks and duties within a job or even in my personal life. I was raised with strong personal ethics and apply those to my professional and personal life. In the educational field I have learned that ethics in decision making can be different than what I believe. My decision making is of right or wrong. In a professional setting the decision making can be one or the other due to the Code of Ethics and the supervisors that are the last say in a decision. My thinking has been altered to some point to obligations as to the community and diversity which shows how much we should think about the other cultures that have issues that need assistance and our ethical views which are a difference than what most are altered from my core beliefs. Reference Williams Institute(2011). (6th ed): www. ethics-twi. org [emailprotected] org. Retrieved April 23, 2012 from: https://ecampus. phoenix. edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/

The Current Trends In Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

The Current Trends In Hotel Industry Tourism Essay In  economics, a  service  is an  intangible  commodity. More specifically, services are an intangible equivalent of  economic goods. It sets a onetime benefit; delivered from the accountable service provider, mostly in close coactions with his internal and external service suppliers, effectuated by distinct functions of technical systems and by distinct activities of individuals, respectively, commissioned according to the needs of his service consumers by the service customer from the accountable service provider, rendered individually to an authorized service consumer at his/her dedicated trigger, and, finally, consumed and utilized by the triggering service consumer for executing his/her upcoming business activity or private activity. The nature of the service, strategies for improvement, and understand the customers perception of having that is very popular among researchers over the past two decades (for examples, leonard and sasser, 1982; lockwood, 1996; johns and lee-ross, 1998). Increases the other hand, the growing economic importance of the service sector in many countries has been in quality initiatives including guided centrally based European Foundation for Quality Management. Many hospitality, tourism organization have taken this challenge focuses on customer orientation employee performance in the interface, the recognition of the centrality of meeting service By this definition, customer / employee interviews have the potential for conflicts. In a service context that feeling cannot be met exactly, but it provides a cautionary note for Service Manager, because the customers perception of product quality connection often depends on the interaction between customers and employees. The History of Hotels: From Economic To Extravagant http://www.searchandgo.com/travel/hotels-history.php The hotel has a very long history, but not as we know it today, back in the 6th Century began to develop BC, when the first inn in and around the city of London. The first match for travelers, offering them a simple roof to stay. This condition of the hotel was long before the industrial revolution in England, the new ideas and developments made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹in the field to keep the inn. The invention of the steam engine to travel even more important. Who had more and more people are traveling not only for business but also for the sake of recreation. This will lead to the actual development of the hotel industry, as we know it today. Hotel today not only provide the basic needs of customers, such as food and shelter much more personalized services such as hotels, etc. are now a home away from home. Evidence of the hotels and restaurants has as far back as biblical times, when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem collected during the census. As shown in the Bible, Mary and Joseph were refused accommodations because it. No room in the inn Since the dawn of time, people have traveled for trade, religion, family, health, immigration, education and recreation. Such as Texas Tech University, cited the word hospitality from the Latin root meaning host or hospice. The University has also noted that the first hotels were only private homes open to the public. Most unfortunately had a bad reputation. Under the influence of the Roman Empire and breakfast and hotels catering to the delight of travelers began in an effort to encourage visitors. The first hostel in America was recorded in 1607 and paves the way for many other firsts in the hospitality industry. The first hotel of the public (City Hotel), owned in New York opened in 1792. The first modern (Tremont) opened in Boston in 1809 and the hotel first opened (Buffalo Statler) in 1908. Current trends in hotel industry Hospitality Industry continued to change, which has made it more practical and functional in the world! The types of services and facilities that are offered by the great industry and has emerged from the past decade. All this is possible because of the widespread use of technology, environment friendly services, pricing, market division, regional preferences, etc. The relation of technology and hospitality industry will grow stronger in the years to come. The use of technology is present in all departments of the hotel, the upgrade reflects the motion of the hotel services. http://www.indiaprwire.com/pressrelease/leisure-travel/20120419117728.htm Keeping the entire latest trend in the memory of the hospitality industry, KONEKT V4 application that you would definitely want to explore. This is the application that will help you reach your customers in one click. The main attraction is the dashboard application. Is an unconventional marketing tracker is sensitive facts giving minute to give you the latest campaigns and activities conducted by you. The time, name and number of customers who liked your Facebook page, make your table reservation, you asked for any questions or comments about your application also can track comments on the same page! CRM systems help you to increase the advertising campaigns for events, and you can send informative mailers to customers, after core build your brand. It is a system that works on all digital platforms and databases also you can get more for clients achieve your Hotel, Restaurant and Resorts. It is the only system to integrate the old with the new database, so that you can get, its data in a single view. It works perfectly with the iPhone and iPad systems. It is built in a way that let you miss any opinion or report, even when youre away! Travelers increasingly will turn to their mobile devices not only research accommodation and travel options, but to book and communicate directly with the hotel options. Booking mobile channel has been multiplied by four between 2008 and 2010 according to Forrester Research. In addition, Google provides the mobile PC that exceed the device the most common internet access by 2013! To smart phones and tablets travel at a rapid pace, it is imperative for hoteliers to use their website for mobile capture potential mobile transactions. Revenue management has changed since the days it was first introduced by the airline industry in 1970 to be a complex science today. Managers always lowering prices to stimulate sales when demand is low and prices have risen during periods of peak demand. Hotels are now able to update prices for all future arrival dates to meet the market demands every day, through the application of advanced market information. TravelClick has reported passenger demand and visualize group bookings a year in advance. In addition, the Smith Travel Research reports that will soon provide information by looking at future bookings, rather than historical figures that. (By Robert A. Rauch, CHA) http://ehotelier.com/hospitality-news/item.php?id=P22373 Gueridon a form of service in restaurants food service to their customers is provided. This type of service includes the preparation of food (mainly salads, main dishes such as beef stroganoff, or desserts) in direct view of the customer, with a round table. A table usually consists of a trolley equipped for cooking, preparing and serving food. There is a gas stove, cutting board, cutlery drawer, cold room (depending on the type of carriage) region and for general working capital. Dishes such as these are generally Crepes Suzette, Caesar Salad, Cherries Jubilee, and banana flambà © steak tartar Read more:  http://www.cooksinfo.com/gueridon-service#ixzz2Dq1Y1MxT FUTURE Trends of hotel industry The hotel industry is in the midst of a transformation that affects virtually all aspects of the industry and its stakeholders. Essences the transformation of the hotel industry is changing its approach to concentrate more focused on the customer and brand insentive. Product and support services are developed around the perceived needs and desires of the customer for customer satisfaction. In the future, the focus will be customer focused to a level that transcends medical examinations. It will focus on the emotional and psychological needs and wants more precisely defined target audience. Hotels then use this knowledge to market a wide range of products and services through strong brands to a loyal customer for life. Some ramifications of changes will be made as reserves, trading activities and high taste information will be more automated. There will be a greater personal guest of technology accurate and fast service. Services and mobile technologies will be prompted to supply any service in the property. Supports functions such as accounting, human resources, reservations, etc. will be centralized at the place the most profitable worldwide. Medium sized hotels will be taken by brand chain like the Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Ramada, etc. while location will be the priority to choose a hotel by future traveler, brand names will be the next preference. Another aspect of future trends would be fusion of cuisines. The French started this trend with the Nouvelle Cuisine mixing eastern food products with western ones. Fusions restaurant will grow as the new adventurous public will search for new gastronomic experiences. (Intro to Hospitality Tourism   By Sudhir Andrews) http://books.google.co.in/books?id=PrRdc5SI_R4Cpg=PT188dq=future+of+hospitality+industryhl=ensa=Xei=H327UJX5I8LsrAfKg4HgAgved=0CDYQ6AEwAA A  bunkhouse is a youth hostel or barracks-like building that historically was used to cowboys working on ranches in North America. Like most cowboys were young single men, the standard bunkhouse was a large open room with narrow beds or cots for each individual and little privacy. The bunkhouse of the late 19th century was generally heated by a wood stove and personal needs were attended to in an outbuilding. A capsule hotel is a type of hotel, developed in Japan, which is a large number of very small rooms (capsules) cheap and easy accommodation for guests who do not require offers the services of more conventional hotel services offered. A condo hotel, also known as the hotel-condo or a Condotel, is a building used as a hotel and two condominium. Condo hotels are usually high-rise buildings developed and operated as luxury hotels in major cities and resorts in general. These residential units which allow someone to have a holiday full service. If they do not use this home can be used to ensure that the marketing and management of the hotel chain and manage the condo unit than any other hotel room is. An  ice hotel  is a temporary  hotel  made up of  snow, sculpted blocks of  ice, and, in some cases, some steel framing. They are promoted by their sponsors and have special features for travelers who are interested in novelties and unusual environments, and thus are in the class of  destination hotels. Their lobbies are often filled with  ice sculptures, and food and drinks are specially chosen for the circumstances. A pop-up hotel is a hotel that is temporary, being in one place for a short period before being moved. These hotels can be constructed from prefabricated modules that are connected together on site or from removable structures such as tents or they can be completely mobile, being built on a large vehicle. These hotels provide accommodation for seasonal events or unique such as music festivals in the outdoors. A Turbaza is, generally the Soviet era, the Russian form of cheap, spartan, holiday, a visit or a base camp tour. Turbazas are generally rented to groups or companies who rent the entire facility for holiday accommodation Oops for their members or employees. They are gene rally rustic located in rural areas that offer outdoor recreation. Eat, sleep, and often is housed in a large open space and common. A  love hotel  is a type of short-stay hotel found around the world operated primarily for the purpose of allowing couples privacy for  sexual activities. (^  Schreiber, Mark, Back to the future of a hotel for 2001,Japan Times, 16 January 2011, pp. 7-8). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Hotel_types Managers problems In the hotel managers are responsible for all management of human resources, or as appropriate, all managers have the responsibility to understand their human resources. When providing services to our clients, our primary resource is our people, our workers, our employees. Successful hospitality managers must be able to work with people. We need to develop guidance of people in our management approach. As a manager with responsibilities for human resources, your concern is that people of their needs, wants, and desires fit the needs and desires of the hotel company. We define managers as the implementation of strategies, plans and programs to attract, motivate, develop, reward and retain the best people to meet the objectives of the organization. Mike Hurst also emphasizes the role of management changes over management in the past and in conduit. The hospitality is based on the gift of friendship friendly people who care, it has become imperative in a service management concentrate on the benefits to the people and his style. The managers of today have earned a place of respect for their contribution to organizational value. The contemporary role of managers with the human resources responsibilities is a critical one to any hospitality organization. Most of the people spends more than one-third of their waking hours at their jobs, and as a manager you will make the decision that affects and influence the lives, dreams, goals and ambitions of these individual and their families. Manager in the hospitality industry participate in strategic planning sessions, understand financial documents relating to the work and the bottom line. Many managers in the host organization is part of the management team. The managers role is more important than ever before in the hospitality industry. It is up to us to keep management informed of what their needs and desires of people to be productive, and to be faithful. There are some things that came into consideration to keep them loyal; management should recognize the importance of balancing work and personal life. An opportunity to grow within the organization. A better explanation of employee benefit. A feeling that their coworker have the necessary skills to do their jobs. (Mary L. Tanke, march 2000) http://books.google.co.in/books?id=1PcrHgw-FO0Cpg=PA4dq=problems+faced+by+managers+in+hospitality+industryhl=ensa=Xei=hDK6UM_TIcrWrQfDqYDQDQved=0CDYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageq=problems%20faced%20by%20managers%20in%20hospitality%20industryf=true The globalization of labor and continuing advances in technology are changing the way the labor market. Knowledge workers are known for their special properties. These are people who analyze, synthesize and evaluate information to solve different problems. Knowledge workers actually use their intelligence, ideas, products, services and processes to implement. Your most important asset of an organization is its ability to collect and analyze data and make decisions that benefit company (Jyothi, 2010), (Bohlander G. a., 2009) Technology has had a positive effect on the internal processes of an organization, but also changed the way the work of the HR staff. Some managers in the hospitality industry will see the application of technologies to operational issues as a problem. It is true that technological systems used in the bar, front office, restaurants, etc. much more advanced and complex than those currently available only for a short time, continue to grow, these systems quickly. The approval of the computer and other technologies from all levels of an organization is a major challenge in view of the sponsoring organizations. For example, if the systems are updated and new technologies have made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹the workers struggle to adapt. It is not a positive attitude towards it. (Bohlander G. a., 2009), (Hayes, 2009) The economic environment is very unpredictable and implementing change processes for each organization to make progress. Globalization and technology are the two main factors that drove the change in todays organizations. Globalization has opened new doors for business opportunities. It has led to many interventions, but also for how reform, reorganization, merger, downsizing, etc., in order to succeed, companies need to make these changes that have taken place with staff to manage the challenges occur. Change Management Sun is working smoothly for the vital organization. To do this, for example, when the new software is installed, which allows you to install the company has knowledge workers refuse to work on it. (Bohlander G. a., 2009) Due to the shortage of workers in the industry and the defection of customers of the quality of service that is affected. If the workload increases the performance of the employee moves. By too much work pressure, reduces the employees performance and, in turn, affects the quality of service. It is very important to overcome the various challenges faced by the organization to success. Company is now a day to develop the human resource function, because the meaning of HRM have been seen in the highly competitive market that exists today. In todays world of increased competition in the local and global. To succeed, businesses become stronger, more flexible and customer-oriented. Hr after for these changing market trends is adjusted. (Karan, Challenges faced by HR in the hotel industry, 2009). http://www.ukessays.com/essays/management/challenges-faced-by-hr-in-indian-hospitality-industry-management-essay.php Staff turnover is critical for a hotel, especially if you have a high quality hotel as we do. The goal of our hotel is on exceptional customer service that will exceed customer expectations, and therefore, we invest heavily in our people. A high rate of staff turnover has an immediate effect in the hotel industry, particularly in the areas of customer service, and therefore we can not afford to lose a single employee. The rate of staff turnover in the hospitality industry is generally higher than in other sectors. One reason for this is that many of our employees are students to work at the hotel is a first step in a career for them, and as soon as they graduate from the institute, they may consider working in their field of specialization. (Jason C. Cho, 14 June 2011) The hotel industry has a high turnover, which decreases productivity and costs companies time and resources. A number of factors affect the fluctuation in the hotel and one of the reasons is ineffective in recruiting. Identify many hotels and difficult to recruit the right people. Hotel staff need advanced knowledge of beverages, which are difficult to measure for recruiters during the interview. However, recruiters develop recruitment strategies that will identify the best opportunities and recruit the best workers. Do you understand what a candidate looking at the recruitment stage can help the hotel staff turnover. (Rose Johnson, 2008) Read more:http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business_for_business/article/staff-turnover-in-the-hotel-industry-two-realities/438729.html#ixzz2DpWNZeiu The Moscow Times To overcome this staff turnover keep in mind few thing. Which help in reduction on turnover. Understanding why employees leave. All organizations should conduct a confidential face-to-face exit interview with a HR manager (instead of the boss). Benchmark your company against current industry and geographical location. If you work in a restaurant business, you will naturally have a much higher turnover than auditing and consulting firm. Context and location are key. Set clear promotion and development policies that are transparent and fair. If an employee feels they do not progress in their role, and has no control over career development, after a certain time they will begin to look externally for a new position. Develop effective workplace policies and maintain a positive culture. Opened on appeal, bullying and harassment, the employee should be in an environment where employees feel confident to communicate about reporting problems. Investing in people management training for executives. This will enable them to not only support and reward employees effectively, but also t o intervene before small problems or escalating workloads are a reason for leaving.. http://www.caterersearch.com/Articles/02/06/2010/333690/How-to-manage-staff-turnover.htm The recruitment process can only be doing well if only the organization understands its requirements. The candidates should be selected according to the requirements of the organization. Different strategies are required for focusing on hiring high performers and average performers. The strategy has to be clear about the amount of experience they require. It can range from an experienced senior professional to a new fresher. It should also describe as in from which industry they require the employee. That is from the same industry, different industry, employed or unemployed professionals.

No Tax Dollars for Religious Education Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

No Tax Dollars for Religious Education Tax dollars are your money at work.   Do you want your money to go to fund private religious schools?   Tax dollars should not fund religious education because it is a violation of the separation of church and state clause of the first amendment to the constitution. Lately we have seen proposals for vouchers.   These vouchers are public money given to low income family so they may send their kids to private schools.   Most of the schools who use this program are religious.   In the Cleveland voucher program we see there were 3,761 children are enrolled and 96 percent of those children are attending religious schools.   Also 82 percent of the participating schools were sectarian.   This voucher program was challenged in the 6th circuit court with the Simmons-Harris v. Zelman case.   It was ruled the Cleveland voucher program â€Å"clearly has the impermissible effect on promoting sectarian schools†. Voucher plans have been brought up in many different places and most of the time they seem to receive the same reactions.   They are being shot down a...

Poliomyelitis Paper Essay

Poliomyelitis is a viral disease that mainly affects the young children, it is highly infectious that caused by three types of poliovirus which targets the nervous system of the person, it may result to be   abortive poliomyelitis, non- paralytic and paralytic poliomyelitis. There are many   initial symptoms of polio fever (up to 103 °F or 39.5 °C), less of appetite, vomiting, constipation and pain in the limbs. We can diagnose this by having complete physical examination; having a complete test of throat, urine, lumbar puncture or spinal tap. Medical history of a child who does not have his/her polio vaccine or not complete polio vaccines series is also one of the caused of this infection.   The treatment for this is determined by your physician base on your age, tolerant for specific medications, procedures or therapies. Although we have come to prevent this disease not to infect young ones by having a complete vaccines which have two versions Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) and the best way for this is to have good hygiene and clean surroundings but for   those who had already been infected will have no cure, the supportive means of treatment is the only way to help them to ease some pains like analgesics, a bed rest to reduce fever, a good balance diet, hot compress for the pain of your muscles, if the patient is paralytic poliomyelitis it requires a hospitalization.   In early days infectious disease like this maybe a threat to our society but its a good thing to know that now we have the treatments and the best of this is that to follow the first step of cure which is prevention. References World Health Organization (2007). Poliomyelitis. Retrieved December 10, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.who.int/topics/poliomyelitis/en/.   University Health Care (2003). Poliomyelitis.   Retrieved December 10, 2007 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthinfo/adult/infectious/polio.htm

Study of Theatre’s -isms

The only form of theatre known before realism was romanticism so the world was very scared to accept the new, scary kind of plays. Especially considering that the new style was not always perfect and nice, but sometimes sad and disappointing. Realism didn't really catch on so only 20 years later, naturalism was formed. Unfortunately, naturalism did not do so well either. In the 18805-1 9005, symbolism started to appear. This was a very significant step in the life of theatre and is still very often used today. The creators of homeboys believed that reality can only be expressed indirectly and through symbols.They used many medieval symbols and religious paintings in their plays as well as allegorical signs. Around the same time period is when impressionism made it's short appearance. This movement was primarily seen in the set designs because it was believed that â€Å"artist is affected internally through external reality†. Oftentimes in plays today, you will notice a certain painting or color in the background of the set that looks random but always has a deeper, much more interesting reasoning. This all started in the asses with symbolisms and impressionism!In the years 1916-1924 is when theatre started to become more†¦ Artsy. This is when dada and surrealism became genres. Both of these focused on what was unusual and different to the audience. Dada started as a reaction to the First World War. The word â€Å"dada† itself is a made up word that means nothing. It was sought to outrage the audience into action. Sets and costumes often looked blurred together like a big mess – or they were just completely outrageous. Similarly, surrealism said that art must transcend reality by ding all arts into one single vision that suggests a harmony.Many times, there would be what seems like way too much on stage or on a costume but in surrealism, somehow it always blends together peacefully. Surrealism seems to be, in many ways, the most precedi ng of the -isms because of how prominent it still is in theatre and film. Through all of my research, have learned that theatre today is nowhere close to what is was when first created. Am sure that in the next years, theatre will continue to change even more and I cannot wait to see where it ends up when my children are my age!

Not My Business and ‘District 6’ compared Essay

The poem ‘Not My Business’ is written by a Nigerian poet Niyi Osundare. This poem is a dramatic monologue and uses a fictional narrator to reflect upon how the Nigerian society is affected by the political and military misuse of power and authority in addition to the people’s rejection to revolt against injustice. The poet uses the narrator’s ignorant and selfish personality to display the abuse of power not only in Nigeria but also around the globe. The title ‘Not My Business’ is short and simple to communicate the idea that South Africa’s socio-political status has not changed since the end of apartheid. The tone is very direct and shows the narrator to be ignorant and selfish. In addition to this, the structure of the poem emphasises his detachment with the people; the lines in which the narrator talks about himself are kept separate by the poet to stress his feeling of superiority over others. However, the narrator suffers the same fate at the end of the poem. The first stanza consists of Akanni being kidnapped. ‘They picked up Akanni one morning’. The poet uses the kidnapping to emphasise how the government’s attitude towards the public is like. The use of ‘they’ is an obvious indication of the military to the audience but is kept vague to engage the reader’s mind to the poem. Furthermore the poet uses ‘stuffed him down the belly’ to make the reader feel as though the government are like predators waiting to leap at anyone who opposes them. Osundare also uses this stanza to elaborate on the soldiers’ relentlessness towards the people, ‘beat him soft like clay.’ He uses this line to show the cruelty and injustice laid upon the people, because of the abuse of power and violence used to discourage individuals who resist them. The word ‘clay’ helps to describe the methods of torture used to punish attempts at what the government calls transgression. The poet goes on to show the ignorance of some of the people, ‘What business of mine is it so long they don’t take the yam from my savouring mouth.’ The narrator’s selfishness is shown by the mention of ‘yam’ which represents his food, comfortable home and self-occupied lifestyle, despite mentioning what happened to Akanni. Also, the poet uses the narrator’s eccentric personality to reach out to people who share a similar attitude. Additionally, the word ‘savouring’ helps to illustrate the greediness and materialism of the narrator in the reader’s mind. The second stanza begins by showing the mysteriousness of the military, ‘They came one night’. This implies that the army can come at anytime and the people are never safe. The narrator further goes on to show the brutality of the military, ‘booted the whole house awake’, which suggests that the army has injected fear in the minds of people. An abrupt feeling is formed with the use of ‘booted’ creating a sudden sentiment of fear. Furthermore vague terminology is used by the narrator to describe what happened to Danladi. ‘Then off to a lengthy absence.’ This emphasises the narrator’s desire to distance himself from reality. The poet uses the phrase ‘lengthy absence’ to show the narrator’s unwillingness to acknowledge that a threat is eminent from the government. Therefore the narrator regardless, lives with the atrocities that surround his society. In the third stanza Chinwe is fired from her job. ‘Her job was gone.’ The poet once again shows the government can strike at anytime any day. Osundare uses the repetition of ‘no’ to emphasise that Chinwe was sacked without legitimate reason. He does this further with ‘a stainless record’. This shows the influence and injustice of the government in the society as well due to the incident occurring in spite of Chinwe’s innocence. The refrain is used to make the reader feel that the narrator doesn’t have any remorse or guilt for not caring about the other people around him. The last stanza involves the narrator himself being taken away, ‘And then one evening as I sat down to eat my yam a knock on the door froze my hungry hand.’ The narrator’s tone is fearful and surprised. His ‘hungry hand’ shows his selfishness and greed. The poet uses alliteration to put emphasis on this. Furthermore, the repetition of ‘waiting’ creates tension in the reader’s mind and stresses the helplessness of the narrator when his own words come back to haunt him. It also coincides with the second stanza where the jeep is also ‘waiting’ for danladi. Lastly, the structure of the stanza shows the irony of the narrator’s situation, that he also suffers the same fate as his neighbours. The poem District 6 is written after apartheid by Tatamkhulu Afrika who is a white South African poet and is a dramatic monologue. Afrika amplifies his anger at the situation of South Africa by using a black South African narrator to show that discrimination is still widely active. The narrator feels the post-apartheid period should have been different. Throughout the poem the poet voices his disappointment with the racism and discrimination. The poet’s attitude consists of anger and frustration which is reflected and emphasised at the end of the poem where the narrator want to resort to violence. District 6 is shown to now be a run-down levelled place, ‘Small round hard stones’. This quote displays to a certain extent how District 6 has not changed since the apartheid government destroyed the area. In addition, the poet uses the consonance in ‘small round hard’ to depict the hostile and unpleasant environment. Furthermore, he uses a bitter tone, ‘seeding grasses thrust bearded seeds’. This is shown by ‘thrust’ which carries an aggressive attitude making the statement resentful. This is emphasised by the continuous repetition of ‘sss’ sounds used in this stanza. The narrator continues to stress District 6’s destruction, ‘trodden on, crunch in tall, purple-flowering amiable weeds’. He repeats the same idea twice using ‘trodden on’ and ‘crunch’ for emphasis showing the unchanged situation of district 6. The poet further uses the narrator to show a sense of belonging to District 6 in the second stanza, ‘my feet†¦my hands†¦my lungs†¦my eyes.’ Throughout the stanza the narrator emphasises his recognition and ownership of District 6 as if he grew up there. His defiant tone suggests that he is demanding back what is his and continues to do this with the repetition of ‘my’. At the end of the stanza anger is shown which shows his connection with District 6. The poet goes on to emphasise his anger at the contrast between races. ‘Brash with glass, name flaring like a flag, it squats’. He uses an aggressive tone to display his fury at the existence of a structure with thrives on racism. The rhyming ‘ss’ sounds at the end of ‘brash’ and ‘glass’ help to fuel the effect of anger in the reader’s mind. Also, the narrator shows how active and unopposed racism thrives through, ‘name flaring like a flag’. This shows the freedom of racism specifically because the inn is located in District 6 due to its significance in South African history. Furthermore, a mocking tone is used for emphasis with ‘it squats’, suggesting the white are occupying the inn illegally. Tatamkhulu relates to the title in the fourth stanza, ‘No sign says it is, but we know where we belong.’ The narrator conveys a mocking tone which echoes the idea and base of the poem, coming from the title ‘Nothing’s Changed’, that the situation of District 6 has been constant due to whites still occupying it since apartheid. The stanza is used to remind the reader of the cause of the destruction of District 6 which happened due to racism and discrimination. Furthermore, the poet uses the narrator to how his exclusion and separation from the white society, ‘I press my nose to the clear panes.’ This shows the narrator’s curiosity, but also suggests the existence of an invisible barrier, ‘clear panes’, between him and the whites. In addition, the narrator anticipates and emphasises the lavish lifestyle, ‘know before, I see them, there will be crushed ice white glass, linen falls, the single rose.’ The poet creates an atmosphere of luxury and beauty in the reader’s imagination. The use of ‘single rose’ at the end of the stanza suggests an upper-class influence. The reader is made to feel anger and disposition to antagonism towards the unfairness and discrimination directed from the white society. The next stanza leans towards the inequality still overshadowing the non-white society, ‘working man cafe sells bunny shows, take it with you, eat it at a plastic table’s top.’ The blacks are shown to be a lower class which contrasts to the upper-class whites in the previous stanza, despite the end of apartheid. The narrator also uses ‘plastic top’ to show the difference and neediness between blacks and whites. The last stanza reverts to the main picture of the poem, ‘boy again†¦hands burn, for a stone, a bomb to shiver down the glass’. The use of ‘boy again’ suggests that nothing has changed since the narrator was a boy and the word ‘shiver’ reflects the frustration in the narrator’s mind. Furthermore, the use of ‘stone†¦bomb’ helps the reader to understand the possible causes of violence throughout South Africa to be like calls of anger against racism. To conclude, the poem ‘Not My Business’ was written because the Nigerian public has no motivation to rebel and fight against injustice or tyranny enforced by the government. The narrator is shown as an example of what will happen to the people if they refuse to repel the injustice laid upon others and that they will eventually succumb to the same fate if they continue to be ignorant. In the second poem, ‘Nothing’s Changed’ summarises that South Africa has not yet managed to overcome its issues of racism, injustice and inequality despite being in the post-apartheid era. The poem acts as a plea to all South Africans to come together and unite to create a civilised society with equal rights. In my opinion, both poems share the idea that the people should unite and act against injustice and oppression, though in different ways; the message is universal: Unity will bring peace and harmony amongst the people.