American Dream And The Civil Rights English Literature Essay

American Dream And The Civil Rights English Literature Essay As a continuation of the African-American quest for their racial pride and the creation of African-American political and cultural institutions in the United States of America, the role of dream was significant to the African-American people. It was not only a motif that was very much a part of the American phenomenon157, but was as a part of African culture as well. Dream had a reverence in the African-American community. African-Americans dealt with dreams as â€Å"part of their reality, and the course it’s related to the spiritual†.158 They believed, that was how God communicated to them. African Americans had a traditional way with dreams. Dreams were used all over Africa as part of â€Å"the healing process†, â€Å"if they [Africans] don’t dream, I [healer] cannot heal them†.159 That was from Zulu culture.160 Africans trusted dreams. They believed, in dreams their spirits came in touch with ancestors, or with the spirits of their living person s, or with higher spiritual being. Sometimes, dreams were used as a means of witchcraft, or they were sent by deceitful spirits. Other dreams might convey wisdom and interests of the departed. People, therefore, watched their dreams and talked about them, and they often took them to experts for interpretation. Traditionally, the interpreters of dreams included herbalists, sorcerers, diviners, and priests.161 Such beliefs (connecting dreams with ancestors) led Westerns to suppose mistakenly, that Africans worshiped their ancestors. However, the founder of Kwanzaa, 162 affirmed that Africans worshiped only God, the Creator, in his many manifestations. Ancestors were merely â€Å"spiritual intercessors between human[s] and the Creator†.163 These traditional dream beliefs were part of a broad enhancement of African-Americans’ identity in the United States of America. They represented the survival of African dream culture in Northern America.164 The cultural survival was mo re than just a useful concept. It was a deep article of faith for many of those whose forebears were torn from their native ground, scattered, and deliberately stripped of their cultures. In his play Going to Meet the Light, interviewee, Daniel Wideman linked between cultural survival, personal survival, and dreams. A character repeated what her grandmother taught her: She told me, the only thing that kept black folk going, through slavery and ever since, was that we got the power to remember what we never knew. That power is what kept our culture alive through the dark timesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦But, no matter how dark it gets, we still rise. We rise because, together we can always remember a story we never knew, a dream we never dreamed and we can ride that dream out and up into the light.165 In an old short story, Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) had called attention to dreams as one device by which a slave kept going. â€Å"To [a slave,] slavery was [a] deep night. What a wonder, then , that he should dream, and that through the ivory gate should come to him the forbidden vision of freedom†.166 The general point was, however, the meaning of â€Å"survival† meant â€Å"dreaming†, which was one of the sophisticated coping devices by which African-Americans had â€Å"survived so well† through slavery to the present. This was what Darry Burrow stated, â€Å"It was a way to keep going and be a normal person, despite things that are designed to make [African American] not a normal person†.167 African-Americans’ endurance and survival during slavery were recognized by dream.

The term globalization used in relation to a host of social, economic, Essay

The term globalization used in relation to a host of social, economic, cultural and political processes - Essay Example To provide the reader with a broader meaning of globalization, I provide lists of selected definitions from recent authors and writers. These experts are from different disciplines and organizations as well as from both poor and rich countries. The organizations include the United Nations systems, universities, and leading media outlets. The disciplines include management and journalism. Still, the list must be seen only as a small sample and is not intended to be comprehensive. "It is the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before-in a way that is enabling individuals, corporations and nation-states to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before, and in a way that is enabling the world to reach into individuals, corporations and nation-states farther, faster, deeper, cheaper than ever before." "Globalization is the growing interdependence of the world's people a process integrating not just the economy but culture, technology, and governance. People everywhere are becoming connected-affected by events in far corners of the world." "Present day globalization is a unique convergence of technological, economic and political forces of daunting power and influence, having a massive impact on all aspects of public and private life in economic, social, political and cultural affairs at global, national and local levels. As it influences states and their partner actors, it is also exploited and shaped both positively and negatively by those with the foresight and resources to appreciate its power. Yet, so diverse and overwhelming is globalization's manifold influences that no one group or sector can control or stop it. As such, it has been responded to and manipulated by a range of actors in the public, private and civil society actors, is instigated in good and bad motives, and has benefited some social and economic groups, but has hurt others who have become more vulnerable and disempowered due to its influence." -United Nations (2000:10) "Globalization has three dimensions: cultural-ideational, politico-institutional, and economic. There are three ordinarily ranked levels of economic integration: existence of global infrastructure, harmonization and convergence of economic policies and institutions, and/or borderlessness. To understand the policy implications of cross border economic integration, we need to focus on flow of goods and services as well as factors of production-land, labour, capital, entrepreneurship, and technology." -Aseem Prakash and Jeffery A. Hart (1998:611) "All institutions have to make global competitiveness a strategic goal. No institution, whether a business, a university, or hospital, can hope to survive, let alone to succeed, unless it measures up to the standards set by the leaders in its field, any place in the world. The world economy is increasingly becoming global. National boundaries are impediments and cost centers." -Peter F. Drucker (1999:61, 63)"We cannot live as isolated individuals. As market

Critical Appraisal of Business Planning Process Essay

Critical Appraisal of Business Planning Process - Essay Example In most cases, the entrepreneur himself will not be capable of raising the required capital for the business. Sometime, even when the initial capital is brought in by the owner, further expansion or the need for additional working capital requirements will force him/her to approach a venture capitalist or financial institution. In any of these cases, the clarity of the business plan is what convinces the concerned institution for granting finance. A good business plan should be prepared based on an outside-in approach. An entrepreneur should have a good understanding of the external environment in which the business will operate. A vision and mission for the business forms the two main components of the business plan. Vision is the ultimate goal that the business wants to achieve and mission statement states in brief about how the vision will be achieved by the business. Thus a well charted out business plan is an inevitable component for a successful business venture. The following section will give a critical analysis of the various steps of the business planning process. ... Identification of a problem that exists in the market is the first step that an entrepreneur should take. â€Å"If you keep up with your industry, talk to customers, study what is not working in your business, you should have a ton of problems you would like to solve.† (Starak, 2006) Identification of problem will lead to finding of various alternative solutions for the problem. All ideas should be screened well and the entrepreneur should select the one best solution that becomes the real business idea. Thus it can be said that the first thought that should come into the minds of an aspiring entrepreneur is a market problem. Strategic Objectives: Strategic objectives refer to the core business objectives of the venture. It mainly consists of the vision and mission of a business. Apart from that, it also consists of the other objectives of the business. Formulating good strategic decisions are extremely important for the success of a business. Most of these objectives are long term in nature. Therefore, an entrepreneur should have good foresight in order to formulate clear business objectives. Also, the entrepreneur should have a good understanding of the market and environment situation in order to make the objectives clear, focused, realistic and achievable. The objectives are the motive behind a business success. The various strategies that the business should take will depend mainly on the business objectives. Clear objectives imply that half the work of an entrepreneur is complete. He/she just have to manage the business to make sure that it is operating as per the objectives. Market Analysis and Research: It was mentioned that an understanding of the market is very much essential for idea generation