Maslow Theory Of Motivation

Questions: 1.Does each person need to be Motivated and Communicated with differently? Can this be done in a small team? How about a large team?2.If you were a member of this group, what type of Communication or Motivational approach by Carol would be most likely to result in your working at your highest level?3.What should she do? Answers: 1.In accordance with Maslow theory of motivation, the employees may be at different levels of motivation and hence their need and desires can potentially vary. For instance, for certain employees salary may be the prime motivator while for others recognition at job may be more significant. Further, in relation to communication also, there are several factors at play particularly cultural which are especially significant in the multicultural corporate world. While in a small team, personalisation should be given more preference but in a large team commonly accepted approached to motivate employees coupled with communication methods should be preferred (Shriberg and Shriberg, 2011). 2.As a leader, it is imperative that the team members should be kept in open communication so that they are aware of the exact situation especially in case of any calamity. Besides, with regards to motivation, I would suggest Carol to focus on the motivators that are highlighted in the Herzbergs hygiene theory of motivation (Miner, 2011). 3.For Carol, it is imperative to motivate the team as a whole by emphasising the underlying importance of the underlying task at hand. Besides, Carol must communicate with team members on a regular and individual basis and seek to iron out the various issues which may act as inhibitors and in the process could also indulge in motivation at an individual level without compromising group cohesiveness (Miner, 2011). References: Miner, J.B. (2011), Organizational Behaviour 6, New York: ME Sharpe Shriberg, D., Shriberg, A. (2011).Practicing Leadership (Principles and applications),New Jersey: John Wiley Sons Inc.

Stanley Kubrick and A Clockwork Orange Essay Example For Students

Stanley Kubrick and A Clockwork Orange Essay What was once a dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange, has become much more than just that. It all started when screenplay writer Terry Southern gave Stanley Kubrick a copy of the novel, but, busy with another incumbency, Kubrick put it aside. Although out of sight and out of mind for Kubrick, his wife decided to give the novel a read and insisted Kubrick do the same. It had an immediate impact on him. Of his enthusiasm for it, Kubrick said, I was excited by everything about it: The plot, the ideas, the characters, and, of course, the language. The story functions, of course, on several levels: Political, sociological, philosophical, and, whats most important, on a dreamlike psychological-symbolic level. Kubrick wrote a screenplay faithful to the novel, saying, I think whatever Burgess had to say about the story was said in the book, but I did invent a few useful narrative ideas and reshape some of the scenes. (The Clockwork Controversy) Set in a near future English society that has a subculture of extreme youth violence, the novel’s protagonist and main character, Alex DeLarge, narrates his violent exploits and experiences as he rapes and pillages innocence throughout the city with the help of his â€Å"droogs† Georgie and Dim. However these escapades would soon come to an end after Alex’s droogs betray him and leave him to the authorities. After being detain ed, Alex is convicted of murder and sentenced to 14 years in prison. We will write a custom essay on Stanley Kubrick and A Clockwork Orange specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now A couple years later he is chosen by the prison chaplain to undergo an experimental behaviour-modification treatment called the Ludovico Technique in exchange for having the remainder of his sentence commuted. The technique is a form of aversion therapy in which Alex was to receive an injection that made him feel sick while watching graphically violent films, eventually conditioning him to suffer from nausea at the mere thought of violence. And this is where one of the major themes of this story comes into play; free will. Very hard ethical questions are involved, he went on. You are to be made into a good boy, 6655321. Never again will you have the desire to commit acts of violence or to offend in any way whatsoever against the States Peace. I hope you take all that in. I hope you are absolutely clear in your own mind about that. (A Clockwork Orange) The prison chaplain cautions Alex about how his fundamental nature will be changed by enrolling in the program. Specifically, his desire to be violent will be abolished altogether, and he will not have the free will to choose actions that spring from a violent nature. A Clockwork Orange is the story of what happens when a person has his or her free will taken away. Alex is a dangerous and wicked criminal, and the idea of treating him so that he is no longer able to commit crime seems pretty reasonable. At the time of Burgess’s writing, operant conditioning was an exciting new idea, presented as a â€Å"technology of behavior† that could be used to solve many societal problems, including warfare, crime, and overpopulation. Skinner- Operant Conditioning) A Clockwork Orange warns against the use of such technology. Not only does it depict Alex’s loss of free will through his inability to enjoy violence, sex, and unfortunately, Beethoven, but it is also made clear by the prison chaplain who accuses the state of stripping Alex of his free will. (A Clockwork Orange) Burgess believed that a person who has been conditioned to behave a certain way loses the God-given right to free will and becomes something like a machine, something as unnatural as a clockwork orange. .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 , .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .postImageUrl , .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 , .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:hover , .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:visited , .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:active { border:0!important; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:active , .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994 .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8b36f5af39951dd50bc9b7e3228ca994:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Star Wars Extended EssayIt is true that after his treatment, the once violent Alex appears â€Å"good† to the outward eye. However, since he is not capable of moral choice, his â€Å"goodness† is hollow and insincere. He is like a robot or wind-up toy who functions as his superiors’ desire. Now powerless to defend himself, the tables turn for Alex as he is served the same violence and exploitation he once dished out. Another theme that Kubrick makes very apparent through his characters is the necessity of evil. Kubrick suggests that dark impulses are fundamental in human nature and that human destructiveness and lust don’t go away with proper conditioning, except when that conditioning is so extreme that it makes us inhuman. Alex is despicable because he gives free rein to his violent impulses, but that sense of freedom is also what makes him human. When the Ludovico Technique eliminates the evil aspects of his personality, he becomes less of a threat to society, but also, less human. He is not truly good because he didn’t choose to be good, and having the choice to be good or bad is part of being a human being. In my opinion Stanley Kubrick did an outstanding job at portraying one very important message: No matter how wicked a criminal may be, even more sinister is a government that can take away the free will of its citizens. Thought or behavior control, even when used seemingly for a good purpose (i. e. lowering crime) is fundamentally wrong and could have terrible side effects for all parties involved. Bibliography: A Clockwork Orange. Dir. Stanely Kubrick. Warner Brothers, 1971. DVD. A Clockwork Orange. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. Bugge, Christian. The Kubrick Site: The ACO Controversy in the UK. The Kubrick Site: The ACO Controversy in the UK. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork Orange. New York: Norton, 1986. Print. Holden, Stephen. Stanley Kubrick, Film Director With a Bleak Vision, Dies at 70. The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Mar. 1999. Web. 16 Dec. 2014. The Kubrick Site. The Kubrick Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. Kubrick, Stanley, Alison Castle, Jan Harlan, and Christiane Kubrick. The Stanley Kubrick Archives. Ko?ln: Taschen, 2005. Print. McLeod, Saul. B.F. Skinner | Operant Conditioning | Simply Psychology. B.F. Skinner | Operant Conditioning | Simply Psychology. N.p., 2007. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.

Important Dangers of Ordering a Fake High School Diploma

Important Dangers of Ordering a Fake High School Diploma SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Fake high school diplomas are definitely out there. Whether you're thinking about purchasing one or doing your utmost to avoid ending up with just such a phony document, pause a moment and read this article. We'll cover reasons why a person might get a fake diploma, whether it's legal to get one, and how to make sure any document you obtain is the real deal, not a fake. Why Do People Get Fake High School Diplomas? There are a few reasons a person might look into getting a fake diploma. Some reasons are perfectly innocent, and some are more devious. However, even the supposedly innocent reasons have a somewhat fishy feeling to them- it seems very odd, for instance, that someone would invest a few hundred dollars in a very realistic-looking replica diploma intended only as a practical joke prop. Dishonest Reasons Dishonest reasons include submitting a fake high school diploma to convince a school or potential employer that you have credentials you never earned. This is the primary reason you'd need such an exactly convincing version of of diploma. It's hard to imagine why you would need to dupe people so entirely unless you honestly wanted them to believe that the document was official. Practical Reasons Many sites offering fake diplomas point out that high school diplomas are relatively likely to get lost and relatively difficult to replace. (If you're in this boat, read our guide to replacing a missing diploma.) The idea is, then, that a substitute might be a nice thing to have and to hand down to future generations. There's some logic to this argument, and yet it seems odd to hand down a fake diploma; I struggle to understand why future generations would be so attached to a stand-in document in place of simply knowing the true story of how Grandpa Bill lost his diploma from such-and-such a high school. Just-for-Fun Reasons There are all sorts of practical jokes a person could play with a fake diploma- not to mention straight-up teasing. One online figure mentioned getting a fake diploma for his dog. The question, then, becomes why you would need a document of such high (deceptive) quality; does Fido really need a seal produced with the precise embossing style that colleges use? I say no. He's sad because his diploma isn't 100% realistic. What Can You Do With a Fake High School Diploma? High school diplomas serve as a way to prove to the world that you completed your high school education with passing grades. Most of the time, you're trying to satisfy a college or an employer about your educational background; schools and businesses want to know that you have the level of education they require of their students or employees. This is where we circle back to the dishonest reasons for getting a fake diploma listed above; with a phony document, a person may be able to garner an acceptance to a college or business that would not otherwise have been offered. The story typically doesn't conclude with a happy ending, though, as we will see in the following section. What Can Happen If You Get a Fake Diploma? For one thing, it's extremely likely that you'll be discovered. In most cases, a simple phone call from the college or business to the school from which you allegedly graduated is enough to undermine your plans. Plus, organizations like schools and background check companies keep tabs on illegitimate diploma operations, updating their databases frequently. Discovery means loss of any position you may have gained with the aid of your fake diploma- at best. It can mean prosecution and conviction at worst. Are Fake Diplomas Legal or Illegal? Fake diplomas occupy a legal gray area. Laws are not stringent on this particular issue, and the exact strictness of laws varies somewhat by state. The actual production or ownership of a fake diploma is apparently not illegal if it's not technically a forgery of an actual document (for example, a replica of a Harvard diploma). Using a fake diploma to gain goods or a position you would otherwise not have access to is considered fraud, however, and can be legally prosecuted. Plus, if you're performing services you're not qualified to perform under the cover of your fake diploma, that's a big legal problem- especially if anyone suffers harm as a result. GUILTY. How to Get a Legitimate High School Diploma First and foremost, getting a high school diploma requires time and work. There's no way to get a valid diploma without completing a number of graduation requirements. There are several options for students wishing to put in the necessary work to get a high school diploma. You can, of course, attend a traditional high school. Your local school district is always a great place to start exploring that option. There's also night school, which usually intended for students who need to make up a few credits, not those wishing to start and finish their high school careers there. There are alternative high schools, too, which are structurally like your average high school but have their totally non-traditional methods. There's also the online option. Online high schools are becoming more popular these days; they basically entail getting curriculum from an online source and turning assignments in remotely. Typically, there are lectures or discussions to attend via chat or video conference. In some cases, you may want to think about the GED, which is primarily intended for students no longer enrolled in high school who have not earned their high school diplomas, though there are other circumstances where the GED might make the best sense. You can learn more about the GED and how to get a GED online through other articles on our blog. Don't you mostly just want to wear that funny hat, though? How to Make Sure the Diploma You're Getting Is Real If you're thinking of buying a diploma online, you're most likely more interested in the online mode of schooling, so these tips will focus primarily on identifying legitimate online institutions. Traits of a Legitimate Online High School Online high schools need accreditation, unless they happen to be run by a specific school district or through the state. This is a hugely important quality to check up on; accreditation is absolutely essential. You can check with your state's department of education or attorney general to see if an online program is accredited or otherwise approved. Also check out our own article explaining accredited online programs. While reviews are not 100% reliable, do check what reviewers have to say. Also, look up the online program you're considering with the Better Business Bureau. A legitimate online high school should have reasonable reviews; not everyone may be in love with the school, but if there are a lot of accusations of illegitimacy, it's something to be concerned about. Call a well-respected college and see if they would accept a diploma from the program you're looking at. If they would, that's a good sign you're on the right path; if they wouldn't, keep searching. Warning Signs of a Fake Online High School Fake online schools often charge a flat fee for a degree program, rather than charging by class or credit. Fake online schools frequently charge for the diploma itself, in addition to or instead of classes. Fake online schools may entail little or no coursework and promise little to no interaction with teachers. Some promise degrees based solely off of life experience with no classes required. Fake online schools may promise you a degree in a very short amount of time- months, weeks, or just days. The address (not just the mailing address, but the actual address of the school) may be shown as a P.O. Box rather than a physical location. The name of the school may be a knock-off of a legitimate institution. Also, some schools will maintain a cheap-looking website full of typos as well as a well-groomed and professional website, just so that you'll assume the well-groomed website must be legitimate. Look at this beautiful website! How could it possibly be unreliable? Conclusion The moral of the story here is that fake high school diplomas are, overall, not good things. They may be technically legal in some cases, and some people use them for innocent reasons, but mostly they're fraudulent and put to fraudulent use. There are ways to make sure that any program you're enrolling in is the real deal, so make sure you do your homework. Don't get stuck with a fake high school diploma: it's not worth it. What's Next? Are you wondering whether online high school is right for you? Before you make any commitments, read our articles on the pros and cons of that set-up and whether or not you need a high school diploma in the first place. If you do decide to go with an online high school, read about how to make sure you're getting the best experience possible. Another thing to consider is whether you might want to get your GED. Find out what this means and why you might want one in our article on that very credential. We also cover how to take the GED online and the best GED practice tests here. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Karl Marx and a Sociology Subfield

Karl Marx and a Sociology Subfield Marxist sociology is a way of practicing sociology that draws methodological and analytic insights from the work of Karl Marx. Research conducted and theory produced from the Marxist perspective focuses on the key issues that concerned Marx: the politics of economic class, relations between labor and capital, relations between culture, social life, and economy, economic exploitation, and inequality, the connections between wealth and power, and the connections between critical consciousness and progressive social change. There are significant overlaps between Marxist sociology and conflict theory, critical theory, cultural studies, global studies, the sociology of globalization, and the sociology of consumption. Many consider Marxist sociology a strain of economic sociology. History and Development of Marxist Sociology Though Marx was not a sociologist- he was a political economist- he is considered one of the founding fathers of the academic discipline of sociology, and his contributions remain mainstays in the teaching and practice of the field today. Marxist sociology emerged in the immediate aftermath of Marxs work and life, at the end of the 19th century. Early pioneers of Marxist sociology included the Austrian Carl Grà ¼nberg and the Italian Antonio Labriola.  Grà ¼nberg became the first director of the Institute for Social Research in Germany, later referred to as the Frankfurt School, which would become known as a hub of Marxist social theory  and the birthplace of critical theory. Notable social theorists that embraced and furthered the Marxist perspective at the Frankfurt School include Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Erich Fromm, and Herbert Marcuse. The work of Labriola, meanwhile, proved fundamental in shaping the intellectual development of the Italian journalist and activist Antonio Gramsci. Gramscis  writings from prison during the Fascist regime of Mussolini laid the groundwork for the development of a cultural strand of Marxism, the legacy of which features prominently within Marxist sociology. On the cultural side in France, Marxist theory was adapted and developed by Jean Baudrillard, who focused on consumption rather than production. Marxist theory also shaped the development of the ideas of Pierre Bourdieu, who focused on relationships between economy, power, culture, and status. Louis Althusser was another French sociologist who made expanded on Marxism in his theory and writing, but he focused on social structural aspects rather than culture. In the U.K., where much of Marxs analytic focus lied while he was alive, British Cultural Studies, also known as the Birmingham School of Cultural Studies was developed by those who focused on the cultural aspects of Marxs theory, like communication, media, and education. Notable figures include Raymond Williams, Paul Willis, and Stuart Hall. Today, Marxist sociology thrives around the world. This vein of the discipline has a dedicated section of research and theory within the American Sociological Association. There are numerous academic journals that feature Marxist sociology. Notable ones include  Capital and Class,  Critical Sociology,  Economy and Society,  Historical Materialism, and  New Left Review. Key Topics Within Marxist Sociology The thing that unifies Marxist sociology is a focus on the relationships between economy, social structure, and social life. The following are key topics that fall within this nexus. The politics of economic class, especially the hierarchies, inequities, and inequalities of a society structured by class: Research in this vein often focuses on class-based oppression and how it is controlled and reproduced through the political system, as well as through education as a social institution.Relations between labor and capital:  Many sociologists focus on how the conditions of work, wages, and rights of workers differ from economy to economy (capitalism versus social, for example), and how these things shift as economic systems shift, and as technologies that influence production evolve.  Relations between culture, social life, and economy:  Marx paid close attention to the relationship between what he called the base and superstructure, or the connections between the economy and relations of production and the cultural realm of ideas, values, beliefs, and worldviews. Marxist sociologists today remain focused on the relations between these things, with a keen int erest in how advanced global capitalism (and the mass consumerism that comes with it) influences our values, expectations, identities, relationships with others, and our everyday lives. The connections between critical consciousness and progressive social change:  Much of Marxs theoretical work and activism was focused on understanding how to liberate the consciousness of the masses from domination by the capitalist system, and following that, to foster egalitarian social change. Marxist sociologists often focus on how the economy and our social norms and values shape how we understand our relationship to the economy and our place within the social structure relative to others. There is a general consensus among Marxist sociologists that the development of a critical consciousness of these things is a necessary first step to the overthrow of unjust systems of power and oppression. Though Marxist sociology is rooted in a focus on class, today the approach is also used by sociologists to study issues of gender, race, sexuality, ability, and nationality, among other things. Offshoots and Related Fields Marxist theory is not just popular and fundamental within sociology but more broadly within the social sciences, humanities, and where the two meet. Areas of study connected to Marxist sociology include Black Marxism, Marxist Feminism, Chicano Studies, and Queer Marxism. Updated by Nicki Lisa Cole, Ph.D.

Current issues in hrm - Final report (build up from the draft report Essay

Current issues in hrm - Final report (build up from the draft report. id no.78155928) - Essay Example Equal opportunity concentrates on eliminating any forms of discrimination and embarks on respect and fair treatment for all. Both the management of diversity and equal opportunities are policies which the human resource department should manage to create strategic plans to implement throughout the organization. Managing diversity recognises that every one is unique and that people have different abilities to contribute to organisational goals and business performance. This is what is termed as a ‘valued-based approach’, which enables organisations progress towards embracing equality. When it comes to equal opportunities organisations aim at following the law and not really harnessing the potential advantage of a diverse workforce or checking to ensure that diversity is not an obstacle to achievement of organisational goals. However, managing diversity is pro-active approach that seeks to root out any unfair bias that affects operational activities, and it goes beyond follow the law to extent it is about being competitive or surviving in the market place. Managing diversity is inseparable from the core functions of the HRM system, as it is connected with the development of communication within the organisation, as well as creating a flexible system of psychological and economic motivation so that to boost the employees’ performance. As the competitive advantage of any company depends upon its staff and their characteristics, diversity becomes crucial to consider while talking about managing personnel. It is essential for the human resource department of companies to integrate the personal attributes of its employees to form a cohesive unit. Social management is therefore an inseparable part of HRM. The end of the 19th century was characterised by a rapid transition from national to multicultural societies, and this transition concerned organisations as well ( ). These changes are extremely important, as

Game Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Game Theory - Essay Example In context, Marx and his wife Anna are faced with critical decisions in their life. Given that their marriage has been on the rocks for a period, each of them separately relies on the game theory as the route towards getting preferable choices in their marriage, which is one of the top techniques to resolve marital problems (Szuchman). In addition to being a couple, the two operate separate but similar businesses, on which they have had fights because of their stiff competition. Their profiled problems start on Valentine’s Day, regarding the gifts they want to buy for each other and even proceed to resolution of their business woes, whose best propositions are determined by the game theory. The couple requires solutions that will salvage their marriage and prosper their businesses using the best strategies. Scenario 1 Marx wants to buy a comb for Anna this Valentine’s Day so that she can tend to her long hair. On the other hand, Anna would love to buy a wrist strap for her husband’s pocket watch, who has difficulties in keeping time at his place of work. Despite their perfect love for each other, neither has enough money to purchase the gift they would want to give. We may want to assume quite a different scenario, where the two lovers are in an uncertain short-term relationship and are self-centered. In this perspective, they do not care about each other, but are more concerned on the gains or losses they hope to make in the term of their relationship.

How did Bobbie Ann Mason`s upbringing in the rural south influence her writing of Shiloh Essay Example for Free

How did Bobbie Ann Mason`s upbringing in the rural south influence her writing of Shiloh Essay Bobbie Ann Mason is considered as one of the great American writers from the South. Her personal background as a Southerner influenced and set a backdrop for most of her fiction stories. From a small country girl who used to read Bobbsey Twins and the Nancy Drew mysteries, Bobbie Ann Mason has become one of the Americas leading fiction writers. In 1980 The New Yorker published her first story. It took me a long time to discover my material, she says. It wasnt a matter of developing writing skills; it was a matter of knowing how to see things. And it took me a very long time to grow up. Id been writing for a long time, but was never able to see what there was to write about. I always aspired to things away from home, so it took me a long time to look back at home and realize that thats where the center of my thought was† (Bobbie Ann Mason’s Homepage). This discourse will try to map out the journey that Bobbie Ann Mason has taken from being just a country girl to being one of America’s leading fiction writers as well as how her upbringing has been manifested in her writings, especially â€Å"Shiloh†. Bobbie Ann Mason was born in 1940 in a small town in Mayfield, Kentucky. Growing up in her parents’ dairy farm, she spent most of her childhood days in the typical rural Southern setting and experiencing the Southern way of upbringing. (â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason,† Wikipedia) The first nine (9) years of her educational life were spent in a rural school. Shortly thereafter Bobbie Ann Mason attended a city school where she stayed until her graduation. It was here where she first experienced living in the city and experiencing the hustle and bustle that was absent from the rural setting that she was accustomed to in Kentucky (Webber). It was her love for literature that prompted her to pursue a degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky and eventually attain a Ph. D. in English from the University of Connecticut. (â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason,† Wikipedia) This seeming â€Å"duality† of her background, growing up in the Southern Setting and highly educated in a metropolitan setting, is reflected within most of her written works (Hunt). Rothstein describes Mason’s style as a combination of her â€Å"intellectual sophistication† (after all, she had a doctorate degree) and â€Å"the sense of isolated, yearning existence of her rural characters [is] one she has never quite shed herself. The influence of growing up in the South is clearly shown in most of her characters in her stories yet the theme and feel of the story reveals her intellect and cosmopolitan views as well. A perfect example of how Mason reveals this â€Å"duality† is in Shiloh. In Shiloh, Mason shows this through the challenges that the characters undergo; some of these changes that the characters in experience deal with the nature of human life, the changes brought on by death, the issues on disease and aging; but these changes are not so common, nor as troublesome, in Masons stories as the changes brought on by a changing society. These changes, as Edwin T. Arnold correctly observes, are brought about by the fact that the present has effectively displaced, transformed, and cheapened the traditional, and Masons characters are depicted as they lose their strengths and beliefs and find nothing substantial to replace them (136) Bobbie Ann Mason’s writings are mostly set in the South. Her version is more realistic and not romanticized; unlike the works of Faulkner or O’Connor (Hunt), she depicts small-town rural Southern living, using dialogue and settings characteristic of the South (Hunt). However, southern history and all it represents seems irrelevant to her characters lives (Fine 87). Bobbie Ann Mason occasionally reveals her talent and wit by being able to focus more on her characters and their sense of isolation and their want for something more from their lives and draw the reader towards the characters and make them empathize with the characters. These characters are not simply depicted as typical Southerners, but rather as people who are trying desperately to get into the society rather than out of it (Reed 60). Mason shows the Southern Influence by creating believable characters that are caught in the transition between the old, pastoral, rural world of farms and close-knit communities and the modern, anonymous, suburban world of shopping malls and fast-food restaurants (Shiloh: Themes). In Shiloh, for example, Leroy did not notice the change in his hometown while he was on the road as a trucker. However, now that Leroy has come home to stay, he notices how much the town has changed. Subdivisions are spreading across western Kentucky like an oil slick. Change, a theme often used by Mason in her works, shows just how much Mason is influenced by her upbringing and also reveals how she laments over how people are slow to realize the changes in southern society. In this story, it takes a traumatic event of some kind to make the characters see that the land has changed or that they no longer know who they are. In Leroys case, it is his accident and injury in his rig that make him see that the land has changed, that Norma Jean has changed, and that in all the years he was on the road he never took time to examine anything. He was always flying past scenery (2). Several of Masons characters react to the changes in their lives by trying, at least momentarily, to go back. Leroy thinks that he can hold onto his wife if he can go back to a simpler time. He decides to accomplish this by building her a log cabin for which he goes so far as to order the blueprints and to build a miniature out of Lincoln Logs. Mabel, Leroys mother-in-law, is convinced that if Leroy and Norma Jean will go to Shiloh where she and her husband went on their honeymoon, they can somehow begin their fifteen-year-old marriage anew. So does Leroy. He says to Norma, You and me could start all over again. Right back at the beginning (15). It is ironic, fitting, and symbolic that it is at Shiloh that Norma tells him she wants to leave him. By storys end, Leroy knows that he cannot go back as it occurs to him that building a house of logs is . . . empty too simple. . . . Now he sees that building a log house is the dumbest idea he could have had. . . . It was a crazy idea (16). He realizes that the real inner workings of a marriage, like most of history, have escaped him (16). The female characters that Mason brings to life are what set her stories apart from the usual literature which depicts Southern women; their dreams, goals, and their want for progress significantly differs from those of the traditional Southern belle characters such as Scarlett O’Hara and Adie (Hunt). The female characters of Mason embrace change and are not afraid of it (Kincaid 582). This seemingly feminist theme reflects the change in social relationships between men and women; how evolving and rapidly shifting gender roles affect the lives of simple people. Mason also shows how some of her women try to forge new identities in the wake of shifting gender roles and how their efforts often include a blatant shrinking of traditionally feminine behaviors or characteristics; sometimes they seem almost completely to be trading roles with the men in their lives. And since change often causes uncertainty and instability, another aspect is the way these women find some solid ground through connections with other women (Bucher). â€Å"Shiloh† is a story that symbolizes the modern woman striving to find her identity (Cooke 196). In this short story, Bobbie Ann Mason masterfully portrays the lead female character, Norma Jean, as one such woman; strong, determined and confused in a search for her identity. Mason is able to show this to the reader through the acts of Norma Jean as she tries to improve her physical appearance by â€Å"working on her pectorals† (Mason 271), enrolls in a variety of classes, from weightlifting to cooking exotic foods to English composition in an attempt to become a new woman (Thompson 3). These actions of Norma Jean actions reveal more of a strong desire for inner personal transformation, much more than anything else. However, Mason also recognizes that abrupt change in one’s personality has its own dangers (Hunt), as illustrated by Norma Jean and Leroy’s relationship. Norma Jean and Leroy’s relationship is a perfect example of the dangers of an abrupt change as it shows a marriage with serious problem and the effect that change has on it. Leroy and Norma Jean Moffitt, are working-class people living in the modern South, and thus they bring into their marriage all sorts of unspoken expectations of who they should be, which often contrast violently with who they are even more so with who they are becoming (Bucher). When in a twist of fate, Leroy loses the use of his leg, Norma Jean suddenly assumes the role of being the man in the family and this leads to problems. It is this sort of change that is not only abrupt but also drastic which Mason shows in Shiloh that reveals her Southern influence. She emphasizes the changing role of women in society by using the Southern setting as a backdrop. Mason is a lover of rock and roll music. This passion and preference for rock music and pop culture are frequently reflected throughout her stories as well (Webber). â€Å"Writing is my version of rock-and-roll,† Rothstein quotes her (Webber). This is aptly shown in â€Å"Shiloh,† where the main characters themselves are named after Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe, popular icons of the rock and roll scene and pop culture in the early 1950s. All in all, it can be said that Bobbie Ann Mason’s personal background shows a very consistent influence in the fiction stories that she writes and provides a deeper and different perspective about living in a Southern setting and rural life in general. In the country in Kentucky, people are just amazed that anybody in New York wants to read about their lives (Rothstein). With fiction stories of Bobbie Ann Mason, however, it is not surprising that people will want to read more about Kentucky or the Southern locales of the United States, for that matter, for her stories speak of the universal human experiences that transcend physical and cultural boundaries which people can identify with. WORKS CITED: Arnold, Edwin J. Falling Apart and Staying Together. Appalachian Journal (1985): 135-141Aycock-Simpson, Judy. Bobbie Ann Mason’s Portrayal of Modern Western Kentucky Border States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association, No. 7 (1989) â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason. † Wikipedia: Free Encyclopedia. August 30, 2006. November 11, 2006 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Bobbie_Ann_Mason â€Å"Bobbie Ann Mason. † Bobbie Ann Mason’s Homepage. September 17, 2005. November 24, 2006 http://www. eiu. edu/~eng1002/authors/mason2/bio. htm Shiloh: Themes. Short Stories for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes. com. January 2006. 24 November 2006. http://www. enotes. com/shiloh/32686 Bucher, Tina. â€Å"Changing Roles and Finding Stability: Women in Bobbie Ann Mason’s Shiloh and Other Stories† Border States: Journal of the Kentucky-Tennessee American Studies Association, No. 8 (1991) Cooke, Stewart J. Masons Shiloh. The Explicator 51 (1993): 196-197. Fine, Laura. Going Nowhere Slow: The Post-South World of Bobbie Ann Mason. The Southern Literary Journal 32 (1999). Hunt, Kristina. â€Å"Mason’s Transformation of the South. † October 27, 2000. November 11, 2006.