Susan Hills Im the King of the Castle and L.P Hartleys The Go-Between Essay Example for Free

Susan Hills Im the King of the Castle and L.P Hartleys The Go-Between Essay A comparative study of the role of children and the presentation of the experiences in fiction as illustrated in Susan Hills Im the King of the Castle and L.P Hartleys The Go-Between. The world of the child is often one of intense emotion, confusion, pain and suffering and is a rich source of material for the novelist Having only been alive for about twelve years, the lead characters of Im the King of the Castle and The Go-Between are inexperienced. The intense emotion, confusion, pain and suffering that a child would go through is caused by this. Adults have the advantage over children. They have faced these things before and got through them; the knowledge and experience from childhood that they use to get through bad times as adults is what helps them. Not having such weapons, children react very differently. Im the King of the Castle has a prime example of a boy, Charles Kingshaw, being bullied and not knowing what to do; as this had not happened before, he does not have the experience. Leo, the main character of The Go-Between, is an example of how a pursuit of knowledge can harm a naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, inexperienced boy. A novel with children in these situations can be very emotional and is thus a rich source of material for the novelist. The similarities that these books hold become apparent very early on. The main character in both are boys and of roughly the same age. Both Leo and Kingshaw have a personality that makes them vulnerable to the bullying which takes place. Romantic, sensitive Leo was easily manipulated into being the go between for Marian and Ted; his imaginative nature meant that he would always wonder what was in the notes, but his ethical beliefs, based on a school boys code which everyone followed, meant he that could not read the notes as they were always sealed. In class and out I had often passed round notes at school. If they were sealed I should not have dreamed of reading them; if they were open I often read them indeed, it was usually the intention of the sender that one should, for they were meant to raise a laugh. Unsealed one could read them, sealed one couldnt: it was as simple as that. Kingshaw was also very imaginative; his encounter with the crow in the field gave him a weakness, which Hopper exploited. His imagination ran wild, terrifying him in the case of the red room and the crow. He thought that the corn might be some kind of crows food store, in which he was seen as an invader. Perhaps this was only the first of a whole battalion of crows, that would rise up and swoop at him. Get on to the grass then, he thought , get on to the grass, thatll be safe, itll go away. He wondered if it has mistaken him for some hostile animal, lurking down in the corn. He was both attracted and repelled by the red room and what it held, as Leo was with the deadly nightshade. I was prepared to dread [the deadly nightshade], but not prepared for the tumult of emotions it aroused in me. In some way it wanted me, I felt, just as I wanted it; and the fancy took me that it wanted me as an ingredient, and would have me. Though Kingshaw had a brief friendship with Fielding, and Leo had Marcus, they were both, to all intents and purposes, alone. Marcus, being ill, gave Leo the chance to start being the postman, and by the time he was well again Leo was too caught up in it. The more I thought about these expeditions in Marcuss company the more impractical did they seem and the less I liked the prospect of them. Nor, though I practised in deceit and an uncritical upholder of the no-sneaking tradition, did I relish the idea of deceiving Marcus not on moral grounds, for any system of ethics, as distinct from the school code, I barely recognised but because I felt it would spoil our relationship. If Marcus had been there the whole time, Leo would not have been able to start taking the letters. The fact that the boys were both in a new, strange environment, Leo visiting some rich friends and Kingshaw having to move in with these strangers as his Mother was hired as the housekeeper, did not help the feeling of being alone. The only person Kingshaw had was his Mother and, in an effort to fit in, his mother sided with Hooper over Kingshaw in most situations even though Kingshaw was innocent. Charles, how can you speak like that, how can you be so naughty? I didnt touch him. Then why ever should Edmund say that you did? I am quite sure he would have no reason to tell an untruth. Oh yes, he would, hes a sneaky little liar, hed say anything. Well I didnt touch him. Oh, what a way to speak! You make me so ashamed of you. In The Go-Between it was the adults, the supposed carers, who were doing the bullying. In a way, it was similar to Im the King of the Castle, as it was not only Hopper bullying Kingshaw, but the adults, too, bullying them into being friends and siding with Hooper. The similarity in the way the boys relate, Leo and Marcus in The Go-Between and Kingshaw and Hooper in Im the King of the Castle, is also different. Both pairs of friends are fighting physically and verbally. However in the case of Marcus and Leo it is in jest; it is the way they relate as friends, although they are almost rivals. Often when we talked there was a spirit of verbal rivalry between us; we trod the knife-edge between affection and falling out; Yet in the case of Kingshaw and Hooper it is meant as harm: Youd better shut the window, Kingshaw said, its my window now. Hooper turned, hearing the new note in his voice, considering what it meant, and hearing the tremor of anxiety, too. He raised his fists and came at Kingshaw. The scrap was brief and wordless and violent. After that first fight, Kingshaw realises he is capable of a violent act. Hooper has brought out violent impulses in Kingshaw that he did not know were there. Leo, however, never reacted violently to the bullying adults. Though both Kingshaw and Leo almost allow the bullying, Leo does not realise they are bullying him into taking the notes so reacts differently. Whereas Hoopers bullying is more obvious, Ted and Marian are more subtle. Leo does what Marian and Ted say because he likes them. He admires Ted as a male role model substituting for his father and he thinks he is in love with Marian. Also Ted exploits his quest for knowledge, especially about spooning, and his inquisitive nature. Well, [Ted] said, Lets make a bargain. Ill tell you all about spooning, but on one condition. I knew what he was going to say, but for forms sake I asked: What is it? That youll go on being our postman. I promised, and as I promised the difficulties in the way seemed to dissolve. Really he neednt have added that final bribe. Kingshaw, however, acted as he did because of his fear of Hooper. However the power did occasionally switched to Kingshaw. When they were in Hang Wood during the storm and when they were climbing the castle, Hooper became afraid, and Kingshaw was the King of the Castle for a little while, but the power always returned to Hooper. Leo never had the upper hand though. He kept taking the notes right to the end. The most obvious technical difference between these two novels is the narrative. The Go-Between is a first person narrative. It is Leo as an old man looking back at his summer in the house. This gives the story a bias as you can only see the thoughts of Leo, giving the reader a sympathy towards him. Im the King of the Castle is, however, in the third person narrative. In this way, it is more neutral. You can see the thoughts of all the characters, and feel a sympathy for each, in a different way. It helps one to understand the characters a little better. Like the opening of the novel where Mr Hooper comes back from visiting his dying father. I am only showing respect now, to behave towards my father as I should because he is dying, because he is almost gone away from me. This helps the reader see that Mr Hooper is a caring man yet is unable to show or act upon his emotions. Because of changing social circumstances, it is harder to understand the thoughts and actions of Leo. It is hard to accept his naivety. In our society, a twelve year old boy would have no difficulty in coming to the conclusion that these secret business notes were in fact love letters but in the 1900s there was no media or social acceptance of discussing personal relationships. Totally ignorant as I was of love affairs, and little as I knew about their conventions, I felt sure that when a girl was engaged to a man she did not write letters to another man calling him darling. She might do it up until the day of engagement, but not after. It was automatic; it was a rule: like leaving the wicket at cricket when you were out; and it scarcely crossed my mind that to comply with it might be painful. However the idea that a twelve year old boy might kill himself as a result of bullying is more believable as this still happens in todays society as it did in the 1950s. Both books have a suicide at the end though in Im the King of the Castle it was the bullied and in The Go-Between it was the bully. Though these books hold some similarities they are also quite different. Though they both present the children in the same way, having similar personalities and experiences, they present those experiences differently. The role of these children also differs; Kingshaw is seen as a victim, and, though Leo is a victim too, in some ways he is almost considered the hero of the novel.

The Trouble with Boys :: Personal Narrative, Autobiographical Essay

My sister asks me how I am. I tell her I’ve been unproductive, distracted, and irritable. Â   I've been in a place before where I really didn't care to be dating anyone at all, but when I'm in that place it's usually because my defenses have gone haywire and are slaughtering innocent passers-by. It's not a lot of fun, I gotta tell you. What I can't remember is whether it's more fun - or less not-fun - than what I'm feeling now. Â   I mean, he seemed like a nice guy. He loves his mother. He holds down a good job. He said just enough of the right things that I believed him. Clever boy. Â   So now I'm shuttling distractedly back and forth between feeling sorry for myself and feeling sorry for him - the first, because I've been here too goddamned many times already and why don't these boys ever hang around? and the second because, bless his little heart, he never even gave himself the chance to know just how wonderful I am. It's irritating. Â   What bothers me almost as much, though, are the friends who, when I'm cool with things and don't care whether I date anyone or not, warn me that I'll be alone forever if I don't let down my defenses and open up to the possibility of meeting Mister Wonderful, but when I'm all in a terrible state because the guy for whom I've finally let down my defenses seems to be dumping me, tell me I shouldn't care whether he wants to see me or not, because I'm allathat and a bag of chips anyway and I'll be fine on my own. Â   Seems like good advice: care enough but not too much, want to see him but not care whether he wants to see me, keep my defenses in check but up and running... but I have yet to figure out how to do all these things at once. And while I am fine on my own, I'd kinda like the opportunity to be fine with someone for a while. Â   I have a friend for whom this is not a problem. Her tactic, upon suspecting she's being ditched, which she would like me to emulate, is to put on her sassiest attitude and start dating someone else - preferably one of his friends.

Media Hype, Racial Profiling, and Good Science Essay

Summary: Gold begins his essay right away, without any sort of formality. The essay begins with Gold laying a foundation for the requirements of â€Å"good science. † After which Gold spells out the requirements of articles to sell large volumes of newspapers. This latter generates the term anecdotes. The term anecdote is analyzed, scrutinized and concluded as unacceptable due to the evidence relying more on beliefs than facts. Thus creating a vicious circle. Gold than highlights the fact that there exists large numbers or web pages, lawsuits, publications and presentations specifically directed at the issue. Varying levels of government in the United States has passed legislation about the issue. Individuals known as experts of have been successful writing books and employed as expert witnesses or consultants on the matter. Departments of been created to address the issue and conferences devoted to the topic. The American experience has been deemed applicable in Canada. Gold delves into the high social costs involved in the existence and beliefs of the racial profiling anecdotes. The solution is more important than the conception. Gold offers that communication, building trust, transparency and any inappropriate behavior dealt with seriously by the government are requirements to the solution. Gold then goes on to say that the community must also realize that the guilty may use any method to escape punishment. Gold comments that racial profiling is a phenomenon that is supposed to exist in Policing. The Toronto Star claims to have proved this phenomenon by evidence. This evidence needs to be examined by science. Gold then begins to explore the definition of racial profiling. Sometimes the term is used when a handful of officers are bigots. Sometimes it is applied when it seems that the police service promotes racism through its training materials. There is no evidence that American policing material is connected to Toronto Police. Profiling is the activity and racial a subspecies of profiling. Criminal law literature hosts a variety of profiles. As well, police profilers generate ad hoc profiles. Profiling is a â€Å"junk science† involving vague and non-specific characteristics that can be manipulated. There is no scientific merit to profiling. Racial profiling is one-dimensional profiling where the race replaces all other characteristics. Profiling implies to tell us something about an unknown suspect by identifying characteristics. Racial profiling claims to predict the race of a suspect. Claims should recognize the difference between reactive and proactive policing. Reactive policing is when police seek out a specific gender and race because witnesses described the culprit as such. Reactive policing is irrelevant to profiling. Proactive police activity should be the only data used. Statistics on police-minority interactions need to take into consideration the demographics of a given area. Also, are police targeting specific activity due to community concerns in a certain area? It may surprise people to know how much police activity is reactive and how little is proactive. The Toronto Star fails to recognize such issues. The data collected by the Toronto Star also fails to make the distinction. Gold then moves into to the claims and conclusions aspect of the essay. Stating that data collected needs something to be compared to or measured against, some sort of baseline. The Toronto Star used general population figures from the last available census. Apparently, using uses such as a baseline in unacceptable in the expert statistical analysis. Gold attempts to illustrate that fact that the Toronto Star blundered their way from the statistical analysis without using any accepted criteria. After which Gold suggests that data collection needs to be done under comparable conditions. Gold then moves onto another publication â€Å"Wortley and Tanner,† and the definition used by them. The term greater levels are brought up, and Gold asks â€Å"compared to what? † Wortley and Tanner utilized surveys to collect their data, which results in an opinions and claims survey. Gold calls such data collection, â€Å"Anecdotes in bulk. † After this, Gold goes on for some time about assumptions and making the leap from report to reality based on anecdotal evidence. Gold implies that the Toronto Star failed to take into consideration population distribution and population concentration of identifiable groups. The Toronto Star assumes that all groups are even distributed amongst throughout the general population. The Toronto Star compares data of an ethnic population to number of arrests for violent crimes in higher. Violent crimes will be a reactive policing perspective with witnesses identifying physical traits of the culprits. Such data cannot be used for profiling. This was mentioned earlier on in Gold’s essay. Gold then gives an example of a specific case in the United States where profiling failed the Police investigation. Constant failure to identify criminals using a profile would become apparent with an increase in unsuccessful outcomes. For the conclusion, Gold regurgitates the term â€Å"junk science† and how it is unsuccessful. Then applauds Wortley and Tanner for their cautionary note to have such figures scrutinized by experts and peers before releasing results to the public and that quality control needs to be applied to media discussions on the topic. Strengths: Gold does a good job comparing â€Å"good science† with â€Å"junk science,† and how inaccurate the use of â€Å"junk science† will be. Gold quickly defines terms that he continually uses throughout the rest of his essay to assist the reader in following his train of thought. At the beginning of the essay Gold lays the groundwork for what he will discuss throughout the essay. He, quickly lays down his assumption of what racial profiling is and how unlikely that it is used by police. Gold lies out his essay with sections with subtle conclusions being drawn by the end of each. This helps to keep the reader on track as he attempts to dispel the phenomenon known as racial profiling. Hold spends most of his time attacking the foundation of each group or agencies bases for profiling. He uses references and his knowledge of statistical analysis to debunk each idea. Also, Gold uses various examples of how ineffective the outcome would be given each scenario. Gold illustrates how some groups confuse proactive and reactive policing as the same thing, when in fact they are not. He does his best bring that idea several time throughout the essay. Gold is forthcoming with the fact that he was retained by Toronto Police to make submissions on this same very topic. That mention shows that Gold is trying to be honest with the reader. Also, I believe that it aids the read into recognizing that Gold would have had to do a far amount of research to make such submissions. The fact that Gold is privately employed and not a government employee may make the reader feel that he is less-biased on this particular topic. Weaknesses: At some points during the essay Gold seem to gone off on a tangent. At one point he offers solutions to bridge the gap between government agencies and communities. This is done more than once, and was not relevant to the topic being discussed in the essay. There are a few points where Gold appears to be talking in circles with verbal jargon. I didn’t feel those points in his essay resulted in any valid point to validate his argument. It was almost as though Gold digressed or lost focus for a moment. There are points within the essay where Gold appears to put his personal thoughts in brackets, thereby taking away from his credibility. For most of the essay Gold is trying to prove that the Toronto Star wrote an article without merit or proper research. Near the end of the essay he brings up another writer â€Å"Wortley and Tanner. † I believe that it would have been more effective he had integrated both writings earlier on in the essay. It appears as though â€Å"Wortley and Tanner,† are almost an afterthought. Conclusion: I think Gold effectively made his point with this essay. He is credible and knowledgeable, proving his point with examples, scenarios and data. He shows an appreciation for other points of view and illustrates how they may be incorrect based on their data collection. He affectively dissects the definition of the issue and how come groups confuse racism with racial profiling. As well his recognizes the differences between proactive and reactive policing. Gold shows how reactive policing gets generalized by most groups when in fact the investigation is driven by information from independent sources. I believe the weak points in Gold’s essay are overshadowed by his strong points, resulting in a fair and reasonable conclusion to his argument.

Importance of Achieving Equity in Pay Structures - 5344 Words

Importance of Achieving Pay Equity Table Of Contents What is Equity in Organizations? 4 The Equity Theory 4 Inputs 5 Outcomes 6 Importance of Equity in Pay Structure 7 Internal Equity 9 Steps to Achieving Internal Equity 9 Methods Commonly Used 9 Job analysis 9 Job Evaluation 11 Ranking Method 12 Classification Method 13 Factor Comparison Method 13 Point Method of Job Evaluation 14 Strategic Considerations 15 External Equity 16 Steps to Achieving External Equity 16 Compensation Surveys 16 Benefits of Pay Surveys to the Organization 17 Published Compensation Survey 18 Custom Developed Compensation Surveys 19 Compensation Surveys: Strategic†¦show more content†¦When the ratio of inputs to outcomes is close, than the employee should have much satisfaction with their job. Outputs can be both tangible and intangible (Walster, Traupmann Walster, 1978). Typical outcomes include any of the following: †¢ Love †¢ Intimacy †¢ Job Security †¢ Esteem †¢ Salary †¢ Employee benefit †¢ Expenses †¢ Recognition †¢ Reputation †¢ Responsibility †¢ Sense of achievement †¢ Praise †¢ Thanks †¢ Stimuli Importance of Equity in Pay Structure Following are some of the benefits gained by having an equitable pay structure within the organization †¢ It is a protection against legal charges of discrimination based on race, gender, etc. †¢ It brings consistency in the pay structure, therefore allows for easy alignment with overall company strategy. Now it is only required to make adjustments for achieving organizational goals. The already structured and consistent pay structure will easily absorb the changes. 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