Use of IQ and EQ in latter selection and promotion apprach Essay Example for Free

Use of IQ and EQ in latter selection and promotion apprach Essay The aim of this essay is to analyse the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) and the Emotional Quotient (EQ), it will also endeavour to assess the Emotion Quotient of potential employees and how organizations have justified in adopting this in the final selection and promotion approach. LITERATURE REVIEW (MAIN BODY) Intelligent Quotient is a score derived from one of several standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. The abbreviation IQ comes from the German term Intelligent-Quotient, originally coined by psychologist William Stern. When modern Intelligent Quotient tests are devised, the mean (average) score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation (SD) almost always to 15, although this was not always so historically. IQ scores have been shown to be associated with such factors as morbidity and mortality, parental social status, and, to a substantial degree, parental IQ. While the heritability of IQ has been investigated for nearly a century, there is still debate about the significance of heritability estimates and the mechanisms of inheritance. IQ scores are used as predictors of educational achievement, special needs, job performance and income. They are also used to study IQ distributions in populations and the correlations between IQ and other variables. The average IQ scores for many populations have been rising at an average rate of three points per decade since the early 20th century, a phenomenon called the Flynn effect. It is disputed whether these changes in scores reflect real changes in intellectual abilities. Whether IQ tests are an accurate measure of intelligence is debated. It is difficult to define what constitutes intelligence; instead, it may be the case that IQ represents a type of intelligence. Whether IQ tests are an accurate measure of intelligence is debated. It is difficult to define what constitutes intelligence; instead, it may be the case that IQ represents a type of intelligence. The concept of Intelligence Quotient (IQ) which relates to the determination of level of intellect or sharpness of mind of a person is very common. We normally use in our daily conversation that the IQ of a specific person is high or low. Intelligence tests are fast, accurate ways of determining a persons strengths and weaknesses, and through the study of intelligence test results, schools and institutions can  design better courses based on the test-takers needs. Without a test, a student or parent may continue to waste time teaching a child about areas she already understands while the educator may ignore areas that need the most attention. Some Institutions, however, focus on strengths, finding areas where a test-taker may excel in the future. A psychological report from one of the universities abroad uses intelligence tests to identify jobs that best fit the mental qualifications of individual recruits. Instead of years of trial and error and doubt and indecision, a person can find out more quickly where she would do a better job. The advantages of Intelligence Quotient among others is that one of the best ways to get an overall view of human behavior which can then be analyzed by age, race, and gender. This allows behavioral scientists to study trends in various groups as they take the test. Analyzing the data in this way provides these scientists with insight into how different groups of people learn based on their test results. This insight helps educators to tailor their teaching to get the best results. Since the IQ can identify the potential for academic achievement, schools can begin to develop students in a way that takes advantage of their natural talents. If a childs talents are developed correctly, he has the potential to maximize his skills to be beneficial to society. For instance, if an IQ shows that the child has some talent in math and science, those interests and talents can be developed to help the child get into a medical, research, or engineering field. This helps a society keep a steady supply of people who can provide benefits, making life better for all of their citizens. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a relatively recent behavioural model, rising to prominence with Daniel Golemans 1995 Book called Emotional Intelligence. The early Emotional Intelligence theory was originally developed during the 1970s and 80s by the work and writings of psychologists Howard Gardner (Harvard), Peter Salovey (Yale) and John Jack Mayer (New Hampshire). Emotional Intelligence is increasingly relevant to organizational development and developing people, because the EQ principles provide a new way to understand and assess peoples behaviours, management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential. Emotional Intelligence is an important consideration in human resources planning, job profiling, recruitment interviewing and selection, management development, customer relations and customer service, and more. Emotional Intelligence  links strongly with concepts of love and spirituality: bringing compassion and humanity to work, and also to Multiple Intelligence theory which illustrates and measures the range of capabilities people possess, and the fact that everybody has a value. The EQ concept argues that IQ, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow; that there are wider areas of Emotional Intelligence that dictate and enable how successful we are. Success requires more than IQ (Intelligence Quotient), which has tended to be the traditional measure of intelligence, ignoring essential behavioural and character elements. Weve all met people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially and inter-personally inept. And we know that despite possessing a high IQ rating, success does not automatically follow. The word â€Å"emotion† is derived from the Latin verb emoverse meaning to stir up or to move. Emotions may arise from internal or external stimulants which enkindle some needed actions to survive in the given circumstances. Some psychologists have listed primary emotions and they believe that primary emotions blend together to form the full spectrum of human emotional experience just like primary colours make up the whole range of colours. According to Robert Plutchik eight primary emotions are anger, fear, sadness, joy, disgust, curiosity / interest, surprise, and acceptance. Plutchik reasons that these eight are primary on evolutionary grounds, by relating each to behaviour with survival value. For example, fear motivates flight from danger and anger motivates fighting for survival. They are considered to be part of our biological heritage and built into human nature. Emotional intelligence is a person’s ability to perceive and manage his own emotions in such a way that it ends with a successful interaction with his environment. He can also perceive and manage his emotions in a manner that ends in a successful interpersonal interaction with others The emotions have scientific elaboration. In the realm of memory, emotional events are laid down differently by a parallel memory system involving a brain area called the amygdala. Emotions appear to employ largely unconscious machinery. For example, brain areas involved in emotion will respond to angry faces that are briefly presented and then rapidly masked, even when subjects are unaware of having seen the face. Your Emotional Intelligence is your ability to deal effectively with other people based on an understanding of their feelings, as well as your own emotions. People  with well-developed EI are effective communicators with strong, healthy relationships. They are able to read people and situations accurately and respond appropriately. They feel comfortable in a variety of circumstances and have learned how to manage conflict, anger, fear and stress, making them good problem solvers. Researchers believe that E.Q. is influenced by early attachment relationships. The way that you handle these relationships is what decides your E.Q. Through training you are able to increase your E.Q. Some companies provide E.Q. workshops to help their employees better understand themselves Emotional Intelligence links strongly with concepts of love and spirituality bringing compassion and humanity to work, and also to ‘Multiple Intelligence Theory’ which illustrates and measures the range of capabilities people possess, and the fact that everybody has a value. This is the essential premise of EQ to be successful requires the effective awareness, control and management of ones own emotions, and those of other people. EQ embraces two aspects of intelligence which are: (1) Understanding yourself, your goals, intentions, responses, behaviour and all and (2) Understanding others, and their feelings. Goleman identified the five domains of EQ as: i)Knowing your emotions. ii)Managing your own emotions. iii)Motivating yourself. iv)Recognizing and understanding other peoples emotions. v)Managing relationships, i.e., managing the emotions of others. Emotional Intelligence embraces and draws from numerous other branches of behavioural, emotional and communications theories, such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Transactional Analysis, and empathy. By developing our Emotional Intelligence in these areas and the five EQ domains we can become more productive and successful at what we do, and help others to be more productive and successful too. The process and outcomes of Emotional Intelligence development also contain many elements known to reduce stress for individuals and organizations, by decreasing conflict, improving relationships and understanding, and increasing stability, continuity and harmony. When it comes to happiness and success in life, emotional intelligence (EQ) matters just as much as intellectual ability (IQ). Emotional intelligence helps you build stronger relationships, succeed at  work, and achieve your career and personal goals. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. Emotional intelligence impacts many different aspects of your daily life, such as the way you behave and the way you interact with others. If you have a high emotional intelligence you are able to recognize your own emotional state and the emotional states of others and engage with people in a way that draws them to you. You can use this understanding of emotions to relate better to other people, form healthier relationships, achieve greater success at work, and lead a more fulfilling life. The EQ concept argues that IQ, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow; that there are wider areas of emotional intelligence that dictate and enable how successful we are. Success requires more than IQ (Intelligence Quotient), which has tended to be the traditional measure of intelligence, ignoring essential behavioural and character elements. We have all met people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially and inter-personally inept. And we know that despite possessing a high IQ rating, success does not automatically follow. In short the significance of studies on EQ has increased with the expanding scope of knowledge. It has the same qualification in the field of law as well. The people related to field of Law everyday come across a number of stories which gave rise to conflicts and disputes evoking the need of solution through law suits. These stories are brimmed with emotional and sentimental behaviour of people. Legislators, advocates and judges may not ignore the emotional aspect of any incident. It can, therefore, be concluded that the knowledge of EQ should not be confined to the books of psychology; rather it should be made applicable to all fields of life. Emotional intelligence can help you navigate the social complexities of the workplace, lead and motivate others, and excel in your career. In fact, when it comes to gauging job candidates, many companies now view emotional intelligence as being as important as technical ability. Emotions have a physical as well as a psychological component. There are researchers who consider emotions to be biochemical reactions while other researchers define emotions as a conscious mechanism. Most people who study  emotions are somewhere in between and they view emotions as a coordinated response systems, so that an emotion occurs when there are certain biological, certain experiential, and certain cognitive states which all occur simultaneously. In other words, emotions operate on many levels. In the book Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman describes the brains flight or fight response when exposed to a perceived stressor. Under stress, a nerve running from the brain to the adrenal glands atop the kidneys triggers a secretion of the hormones epinephrine and nor epinephrine, which surge through the body priming it for an emergency. These hormones activate receptors on the vagus nerve; while the vagus nerve carries messages from the brain to regulate the heart, it also carries signals back into the brain, triggered by epinephrine and norepinehrine. (Goleman, The ability to control these various biochemical reactions has a proven direct positive impact on an individuals health status and can help to reduce the risks of developing heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. In addition, individuals have used various substances (alcohol, stimulants, depressants, etc.) in efforts to control the effects of these biochemical responses to stress, which often have further detrimental impacts on their welfare and safely. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in an organizations decision making, leadership, strategic and technical break through, open honest communication, trusting relations and teamwork, custom loyalty and creativity and innovation. (Cooper. Sawaf. p.2) these factors directly relate to TQM principles and ultimately relate to the employees just how much they are valued and appreciated by the organization. How employees view themselves within the context of an organization is fundamental to their motivation and to their ability to strive for customer satisfaction. In addition, how the employees supervisor views EI and participation in training will greatly impact their willingness and ability to participate openly in the various sessions. The more open and honest the supervisors are, the more likely the employees will feel safe and encouraged to participate without feeling threatened. Studies have indicated that the benefits of improving an employees E.I. through education and training have led to improved subjective and objective responses to stress. One study indicated positive impacts on electromyography, adrenaline levels and blood  pressure. Further data from organizations which have participated in stress management programs have indicated a reduction in health care claims and malpractice claims. By improving an employees ability to deal with stress, through raising their emotional intelligence quotient, the organization benefits as well as the individual. The organization needs to understand and identify the need for helping employees; the process begins with the leadership. The leadership style and approach in dealing with their employees has a direct impact on the quantity and intensity of the stress experienced by the employees within that culture. The culture, in turn, is directly influenced by the leadership, who determine whether EQ training is relevant and important or whether the investment in time and resources are better made elsewhere. How significantly the leadership values its employees has a direct impact on the milieu and on efforts to invest in the health and welfare of those employees. Furthermore, a non-punitive approach, with an emphasis on confidentiality and establishing trust with the employees, is essential for participants to accept the feedback they receive and to respond positively to this feedback. Individuals need time to process the information they are given and to be able to respond to this feedback; a safe environment in which they do not feel threatened is crucial to this process. Initially, once an organization has decided to provide EI training, an initial assessment should be performed. One of the first tasks of this initiative was to assess the level of stress in the organization, which was accomplished via a climate survey that allowed comparison with national benchmark data. (Stress management training p.1) This assessment would explore the understanding and willingness of individuals regarding EI prior to participating in the training and, in addition, their perception of the validity of E I, which is then incorporated into the training program. A trainer also needs to assess the readiness of the participants to make these changes. There are multiple stages that individuals evolve through when confronted with the need to change. Once they have evolved to the stage at which they perceive themselves to be ready for this change and determine it to be beneficial, they are then more likely to accept positive feedback and be able to make the needed changes. As indicated earlier, there many tools employed to assist with the training of stress management and the enhancement of emotional intelligence. Multiple analytical tools are  available to assess emotional competence. With these tools it is possible to do an assessment, providing data which can later be analyzed and categorized. Two specific tools, the Emotional Competence Inventory 360 and the Work Profile Questionnaire-EI Version are designed to be utilized in the work environment. (Emotional Competence Framework, p. 1) Emotional competence framework outlines key competencies such as self awareness, self regulation, self motivation and social competency indices. Sub-categories have been identified under each main category, which are measured. This framework establishes and documents the ideal characteristics exhibited by those with emotional intelligence. The best assessment approach for rating social and emotional learning is usually based on multiple ratings conducted from multiple perspectives Once individual assessments and scores have been obtained, training and education can be individualized to enhance assets while improving those areas where deficits exist. Training should include role plays, simulations, and group discussions since these techniques appear to reprogram the amygdale and neocortex. As is the case in a TQM endeavor, this is an ongoing, never ending process. Formal training usually is concluded within a 10-12 week time frame. Individual and group training continues, but is structured within the context of continuing the growth and development of the employees. Generally, it is recommended to outsource training to professionals trained in EI. Once the formal training has ended, the organization can transition to resources within the organization. As individuals establish and strengthen their emotional intelligence, their ability to adapt to their changing environment improves. Research suggests that emotional learning and behavioural changes can occur in all individuals, regardless of their age. A major consideration though is to consider different types of learning. Training and development efforts in industry have not always distinguished between cognitive learning and emotional learning, but such a distinction is important for effective practice. Emotional incompetence often results from habits deeply learned early in life. These automatic habits are set in place as a normal part of living, as experience shapes the brain. As people acquire their habitual repertoire of thought, feeling, and action, the neural connections that  support these are strengthened, becoming dominant pathways for nerve impulses. These habits can be replaced with new habits. Motivation is also a more significant factor with emotional learning then it is with cognitive learning. Linking the participants values to the behavioural adapting appears to influence positively the ability and desire of the individual to modify the negative behavioural trait. Developing goals which are obtainable and lead to increased self-confidence appears to be a key element in development of new habits that are representative of emotional intelligence. The goals attained reinforce the behaviour and further lead to continued attempts at learning and improving ones EI through behavioural changes. Use of models that demonstrate the desired traits are very important to sustaining growth and continued learning in the adult participant. In addition, aiding employees in development of insight is fundamental to the ability to make behavioural changes and to continue to strive for improvement. Insight serves as a natural link between situations, thoughts and feelings. It enhances self-awareness, the cornerstone of emotional intelligence. And insight often paves the way for meaningful behaviour change. The direct supervisor, in addition to the leadership as a whole play a major role in modelling the constructive behaviour and setting the tone for further growth. Not only does leadership have a role in identifying the need for training, provides the resource for training while establishing a safe environment in which this learning can take place, they are looked upon as role models, and as such must demonstrate the traits that are encouraged in the subordinates undergoing such training. In any TQM system, the leadership plays a significant role in nurturing the environment so that improvements can occur and be sustained. Reduction in swamping and the negative physical and psychological symptoms associated with stressors increase morale and job satisfaction, and retention of staff, which are all positive outcomes from developing skills in emotional intelligence. In all environments, the ability to improve interactions and to control ones negative responses to stressors are beneficial and enhance the individuals quality of life. The organization benefits since an employee who is healthier and happier is more likely to work to a higher standard, maximizing their creativity and ultimately be more invested in their job and the companys vision and mission. Why focus on emotions? Emotions are the glue that holds the cells of the organism together in the material world, and in the spiritual world theyre the glue that holds the classrooms and the society together. If you’re unable to manage your stress levels, it can lead to serious health problems. Uncontrolled stress can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. The first step to improving emotional intelligence is to learn how to relieve stress. Uncontrolled stress can also impact your mental health, making you vulnerable to anxiety and depression. If you are unable to understand and manage your emotions, you’ll also be open to mood swings, while an inability to form strong relationships can leave you feeling lonely and isolated. The advantages of emotional intelligence among others are Self-awareness and Self-management, effective Communication SkillsEmpathyAbility to sense what others are feeling and respond appropriately Ability to control and use Emotions to get results. Knowing your own emotions and how they affect performance and how you can improve them fostering a culture of enthusiasm, commitment, initiative, innovation and determination to achieve corporate goals. Using emotion to motivate yourself and others to achieve goals and business success Reducing stress levels and enabling individuals to manage their own feelings and emotions positively Building stronger and trusting relationships with your staff Encouraging openness and bringing out the best in others Managing conflict, anger and change positively. Emotional Intelligence and EQ allows both individuals and teams to gain insight into the key elements of leadership. Through professional coaching, leaders can work on targeted competencies to recognize current behaviour, thoughts and actions Explore and develop strategies for enhancement Gain higher levels of personal awareness demonstrate effective leadership and notice the impact on people around them reflect upon and review progress, recognise current behaviour, thoughts and actions explore and develop strategies for enhancement Gain higher levels of personal awareness. Demonstrate effective leadership and notice the impact on people around them Reflect upon and review progress Express and articulate feelings in a positive, clear yet assertive manner celebrate success and learn from development opportunities are great listeners and understand others exceptionally well Adapt to changing circumstances, manage stress and show self-control Are optimistic  and determined are simply great people to be around. The root of this low emotional intelligence for not succeeding even with a high intelligence quotient is the quality of parenting values, beliefs and feelings which are acquired in the homes and the first models are the parents. Emotional intelligence therefore is a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions to discriminate among them and use this information to guide one’s thinking and action (Meyer, 1990). The way a Man relates his behaviour and feelings to others and the way he associates with his environment is another factor of emotional intelligence. Indeed, the development of emotional intelligence is an important component of intelligence. It can help individuals’ development. It is therefore necessary for an individual to understand what emotional intelligence is in order for them to become successful in their life. CONCLUSION To date, many companies have focused their selection criteria and training programs on hard skills (e.g., technical expertise, industry knowledge, education) and the assessment of personality traits. Topics including competencies like stress management, assertiveness skills, empathy, and political/social acumen were never measured in the selection process or focused on in training and development programs. In reality, these are critical success factors that should not be dismissed, and have a direct impact on the bottom line. For example, the Hay Group states one study of 44 Fortune 500 companies found that salespeople with high EQ produced twice the revenue of those with average or below average scores. In another study, technical programmers demonstrating the top 10 percent of emotional intelligence competency were developing software three times faster than those with lower competency. Additional research unearthed the following success stories. A Fortune 500 company in financial services proved that their high EQ salespeople produced 18 percent more than the lower EQ salespeople. One recent study conducted by a Dallas corporation measured that the productivity difference between their low scoring emotional intelligence employees and their high scoring emotional intelligence employees was 20 times. A Texas-based Fortune 500 Company had utilized  personality assessments for candidate selection for years with little results in reducing turnover in their high turnover sales force. After turning to an emotional intelligence-based selection assessment and EQ training and development program, they increased retention by 67 percent in the first year, which they calculated added $32 million to their bottom line in reduced turnover costs and increased sales revenues. A large metropolitan hospital reduced their critical care nursing turnover from 65 percent to 15 percent within 18 months of implementing an emotional intelligence screening assessment. A community bank that reduced staff by 30 percent due to the sluggish economy assessed the remaining workforce for their emotional intelligence competencies, placed them in the right role for those competencies, and the bank is now producing more with less people. Lastly, through a series of recent studies conducted by ZERORISK HR, Inc., a correlation was found among low emotional intelligence and theft and shrinkage. One other study in the construction industry yielded results showing workers with low emotional intelligence had a higher likelihood of getting injured while on the job. All of these cases are starting to prove the value of having highly emotionally intelligent employees make up your workforce if you want a competitive advantage in this highly competitive business world.

Environmental Impacts: The Fashion And Textile Industry

Environmental Impacts: The Fashion And Textile Industry This report aims to understand the social and environmental impacts of the Fashion and textile industry, and the Sustainability challenges in the industry. The main focus of our work is on finding innovative solutions. However, first it is important to understand the issues. We have observed that there has been a lot of commotion revolving around fair trade fashion and new niche clothing labels emerging. We need to make sustainable clothing mainstream, for which there are some aspects of the industry that need to be tackled. Key issues in this regard are: Consumption the increasing number of fashion goods being purchased and disposed of Cotton production requires lots of energy, water and pesticides. Working conditions across the supply chain from cotton production to factories. Unsustainable man-made fibres can take longer to degrade Throughout this report we focus on ways for moving towards sustainable fashion. The sustainable garment should be designed carefully and made from renewable material. It would be pesticide free and produced by workers in decent working conditions. It would be washed at low temperatures and have fashion upgrades to extend its life. Recycle, Reuse or Compost. To make this vision a reality, the headline issues are: Raising awareness among the key industry players. There needs to be a common understanding within the industry of the scenario- the sustainability issues that need to be focussed on. Transparent supply chains should be developed. Brands and retailers should be able to trace the origins of their stock. This will ensure they can enforce high standards of sustainability. International standards need to be reviewed and developed. This will help in creating a common ground so that brands and retailers can differentiate on other issues for example fabrics used, design etc. Training and support should be provided along the supply chain. As well as a fair price and terms of trade, suppliers need support, time, encouragement and incentives to convert to sustainable practices. Empowering consumer An important driving demand for sustainable clothing. Research shows that most of the carbon footprint of an item of clothing tends to be in its washing, ironing and tumble-drying. Raising awareness to change behaviour will make a big impact. Designers are crucial in the success of sustainable fashion. They play a key role in coming up with innovative solutions for clothing, and making ethical fashion appeal to the target consumer ensuring it is in vogue, functional and stylish. Contents Introduction This report aims to draw a line in the sand for Primark to be able to move forward and seize opportunities. Primark and (un)sustainability Primark, the clothing industry, is challenged with the cycle of unsustainability. The relationship between productivity and resource use has entered into a lasting and unsustainable pattern. The lifecycle of any common item of clothing are shown below. There are social, environmental and economic impacts at every stage. Research shows that energy use at the usage phase overlaps that of any other stage so focusing on how we care for our clothes will have a significant impact. Having said that, impacts can be reduced at every stage. Why is Primark clothing unsustainable? The social and environmental factors are poorly considered in clothing and this becomes very complicated. But there are two main factors that have mainly pushed the sector towards unsustainability. One is the high street dynamic. High competition has been blamed on driving costs and standards down. And fast fashion changes means that clothing has become more disposable. The other is the complex and opaque global supply chain. Primark has different stages of production, often taking place in different parts of the world. Retailers can either purchase clothing directly from known suppliers or through agents and vendors. Before doing that, most fabrics (wool, cotton etc.) are bought on global commodity markets. Keeping track of items can be difficult in high stock turnover. To identify and ensure standards of sustainability throughout the supply chain, Primark should know the origins of their materials or stock. These challenges hold the key to creating a more sustainable industry. We are seeing some mainstream that primark embrace more sustainable options such as organic or fair trade products- and reap the benefits. Better traceability of the supply chain will allow Primark to procure more ethically and will allow customers to make more informed choices. Findings Fashion fabrics: producing natural fabrics sustainably The issues à ¢-  Pesticide use in growing cotton à ¢-  GM- Genetic modification à ¢-  Water use à ¢-  Fair conditions and prices for growers Clothes these days are made with a combination of wide range of Natural, man-made and synthetic fabrics. The sustainable impact of all types of fabric need to be managed and, where harmful to people and planet, should be reduced. Cotton as is by far the largest single fibre in production. The global demand for this amount of cotton, cheaply, encourages large scale, intensive production. Cotton fibres are blended from different origins around the world and sold on commodity markets and hence tracing the origins is very difficult. This complexity in the supply chain makes the incorporation of sustainability more of a challenge. Pesticides cause serious health problems to the cotton workers, and degrades the soil and also Biodiversity loss. Cotton needs a lot of water to be grown which is why it is called a Thirsty crop. This is made even worse by poor agricultural practices, where in some cases over 10 tonnes of water are used to grow enough cotton to make 1 pair of jeans The impact of this level of water use can be gigantic. Also cotton provides significant employment to local population and has a lot of economic benefits to the developing countries that produce it. What are the solutions? Naturally grown raw materials: They should be produced to the highest standards. While organic cotton production is still less than 1 percent of total cotton production, it is in increasing demand in the many developed countries. Water efficiency: Special reference to cotton production (including organic), is important. When Water havesting and drip irrigation are combined, Irrigated cotton can be very efficient. Labelling Country of Origin: There are calls for labelling, so that consumers can make an informed choice, and this creates more awareness of the social and environmental issues in that country. This would also allow retailers to control their supply chain. This also requires direct relationship with suppliers. Search for a substitute: Substitute cotton for other natural materials can be an overall solution Fashion workforce The issues à ¢-  Working conditions à ¢-  Human rights à ¢-  Boycotts à ¢-  Supplier audit fatigue Just like major global cloth producers, primark clothing industry has re-located much to low-cost economies, where labour costs are lower. The working conditions and human rights have forced to show concerns that many trade unions and NGOs may not have been maintained in some regions of the world, giving rise to what are referred to as sweatshops. The Textile workers in Bangladesh are working at as low as 5pence an hour for Primark, according to a recent study. This is largely due to workers being prevented from forming and joining trade unions. Poor treatment of labour can include people working for unreasonably low wages, excessive hours or overtime, in dangerous conditions and employing child workers. Boycotts can upset the production cycle and can damage the brand, the staff morale, and retention of both cuonsumers and employees, and to a very large extent sales and share prices. High street working conditions is a concern. Primark is a victim of Audit fatigue as they get to asked to fill in multiple questionnaire from different retailers and brands. Even if supply chains can be traced, the auditing, monitoring and enforcement of standards is often weak. Just being compliant is complex for suppliers. What are the solutions? Raising standards: The UK government took a lead and has set up the Ethical Trading Initiative in 1998.This organisation includes trade unions, NGOs and companies who work together improve working conditions. Membership only shows a commitment to addressing the issues but not a proof of actual standards. In addition, some companies have adopted the SA8000 standard which covers many aspects of working conditions. Many fashion retailers and brands have called to come together and draw up regulations to enforce minimum standards to draw a baseline for competition. This helps in real leaders to seize opportunities to seize more.To date 968 facilities have been certified worldwide. Transparency: Transparency is very crucial. Retailers and brands now include information on how they assess and how many they have conducted and what actions they have taken in their annual corporate social responsibility (CSR) / sustainability reports. Support for suppliers is the solution to help combat audit fatigue and improve conditions along the supply chain. There are various tools like the e-textile box are emerging that provide suppliers with the manual to be able to adhere with various different codes. The website provides guidance on setting up very basic management systems like how to measure water use. It explains the business benefits for improving social and environmental performance. Retailers, at the top of the supply chain, often have the power to encourage social and environmental good practice through: à ¢-  fair pricing policies Ensuring fair prices for producers à ¢-  lobbying Encourage suppliers to clean up the acts by lobbying for other incentives à ¢-  longer term commitments with suppliers Remove barriers by working together à ¢-  country of origin labelling- Support small suppliers by labelling country of origin on garments, à ¢-  Auditing garment suppliers and reducing this approach down to fabric, dye house and component suppliers paying particular attention to key points of production including any outsourcing or home working Global fashion markets and trade The issues à ¢-  Subsidies and quotas à ¢-  Price pressures à ¢-  Fair pay along the supply chain The reason to issue subsidies and quotas is to protect the domestic players and also to limit economic impact. This is mainly to protect the players from Free Market that would over whelm them. to prevent the sudden closure of critical industries in poor economies, free-trade is introduced it is clear that transitions need to be handled responsibly. As with most industries that involve long supply chains there are concerns over distribution of profits. The chart shows that besides production occurring mostly outside the UK, the largest gross profit throughout the clothing supply chain is for the retailer. This reflects the high costs of operating in the UK but also raises questions over fair pay further down the supply chain. What are the solutions? Lifting subsidies will help counter the downward pressure on price. Incentives should be given to command higher prices that may come from improving fibre quality Quality control in harvesting and efforts to improve the grade of cotton sent to market. Reflect the terms of trade between buyer and seller through Fair Trade standards which exist through International Fair Trade Association (IFAT). Fashion consumption: Disposal The issues à ¢-  Unsustainable consumption à ¢-  Recycle Clothes which are ending up in landfill Clothing has become increasingly affordable for everyone, and especially over the last two decades. Retailers have cashed on this affordability by shifting away from seasonal collections to fresh collections throughout the year. Because of much lower unit costs retailers have to sell significantly more product in order to maintain levels of turnover and market share. The success of retailers and brands currently demands an increase in volumes of clothing and apparel.. Increasing amounts of clothing is ending up in landfill when it could be recycled or reused. What are the solutions? Raising awareness- show the impact of clothing disposal and making recycling as easy as possible. Include promoting clothing hire and other entrepreneurial solutions. Take care of the easy ways to win, by reusing coat hangers and carrier bags and reducing packaging waste. In the longer term, government / industry could develop a producer responsibility policy where customers can take used clothing back to where they bought it to be disposed of in the most appropriate way. Conclusions These issues are inter-related and need to be considered in the wider economic context. Integration of the clothing industry, regulators, designers, the recycling industry and consumers need to work together to deliver these improvements so that we can continue to enjoy fashion without damaging the environment and people; industry can thus be productive and gain economic sustainability. Recommendations

The White Hip Hop Fan :: Music Racial Race Papers

The White Hip Hop Fan Methodology In case you are not accustomed with the group Public Enemy, the subtitles names is a play of their album "It'll Take a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back." Being not only a white hip hop fan, but a white kid trying to become a rapper, I have obviously been faced with the problem of society's non-acceptance of my type. I interviewed a friend of mine who I rap with quite often about his feelings on the subject of the white hip hop fan, and have long pondered it on my own. I read books and web sites recommended by friends and continue to search out more information on the subject. In this paper I look at the state of the white hip hop fan and of the white rapper, focusing mainly on the social and cultural impact, the way the white fan feels and is looked at by society. Description ON HIP HOP IN GENERAL: The term hip hop relates to four areas of urban culture: mcing, djing, break dancing, and graffiti art. Hip hop basically started in New York city. Who knows which of the four areas really came first, but the important thing is that they evolved together. Many of the graffiti artists were rappers who would tag their name or crew to get publicity. However, if one had to pick who really came first, I would say it was the DJs. The most important early DJs were Grandmaster Flash and Africa Bambaataa, who were hip hop kings of their respective parts of New York City. MCs began to show up in this context as people began to talk over the DJs scratching and they mostly talked about the DJ's skills and pumped up the crowd. Finally, break dancing was obviously started when people began dancing to the music. All four areas have grown up together and taken their own outside influences as well. Now that hip hop has been around for a few decades (it started back in the early 80s), it has gone thro ugh many phases, and is constantly evolving. Some of the earliest hip hoppers say that hip hop died in the 90s, but there are those purists in every musical genres who dislike its evolution for whatever reason, and they are not the majority. Today, hip hop comes in a wide variety from gangsta rap, to underground rap, to jazzrap fusion, to what I like to call pophop, and much more.

Private Schools vs. Public Schools Essays -- Compare Contrast Comparin

Sending your child/children to school is a decision every parent/family has to make. Choosing where to send your child is a different story though. No matter where you live, there is always a public school in the area that your child can attend and you have no annual fee. Public schools are paid for with taxes that every citizen has to pay. Private schools on the other hand have an annual fee that can range up to around $20,000 per year. Paying for private schooling is almost like paying for college tuition. Some parents prefer public schools because of the children’s freedom while on the other hand some prefer private schooling because of the curriculum and religion learned. Sometimes parents change their mind about where they want their child to attend based on many different reasons. Switching from either Private to Public or vise versa is very common, especially when a parent feels there child can do better or needs to be challenged more. The switch can either be to benefit the child to learn at there best ability or to punish a child. The following is about how private school and how public schools have their pros and cons and also how the switches from either private to public or vise versa can either benefit a child or how it can destroy them. Public schooling is offered around the country and does not cost anything to go to school and just simply learn. The majority of schools are public schoolings because the majority of children in the United States attend public schooling for many different reasons. A public school will obtain a more diverse environment than let’s say a private school or even the thought of being home schooled. In private schools, most of the inferior groups such as African Americans are... ...I feel that the best thing for a child is to be at a school that they enjoy. I think that a child is better off staying in the schooling environment they started off at. In conclusion, I am neither for nor against either private schooling or public schooling. I think that both have their benefits and both have their downfalls. I do not think that private schools should cost so much because it takes away from the diversity in the school system. Without diversity in private schools, children will never learn about it or be aware of it until they are out of school. From what I have read, a lot of people have bias opinions on both topics and they are all wonderful points. Now you can read the facts and observe what is better, private or public schooling and the effect is has on children when you start them off with one system and switch them to another.

The Death Penalty Is Unfair, Inhumane, and Ineffective Essay -- anti-c

Although the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly prohibits â€Å"unusual and cruel punishment†, the United States Supreme Court in the 1947 case of Louisiana ex rel. Frances v. Resweber ruled that the death penalty is not cruel or unusual, and it is still in practice (Hartley 1). While all the other democratic countries have already abolished the death penalty, it is still legal in most of the states. As for today, thirty-five out of fifty states have capital punishment statuses. The state of Texas â€Å"had carried out slightly more than a third of all the executions in this country† (Death Penalty Progress). An issue of should or should not the death penalty be constitutional is at its rise for about three decades now, since the Supreme Court reaffirmed its acceptance of the use of capital punishment in the 1976 Gregg vs. Georgia case (Hartley 1). The arguments for and against the death penalty are strong on both sides, but the capital punishment should not be constitutional in such a civilized and democratic country as it is the United States of America. There are many people who see the ultimate punishment as essential castigation of those who do not value a human life. Nevertheless, there is a risk of executing an innocent person. A case of Cameron Todd Willingham may be just one example. He was convicted to the capital punishment for setting a fire and thus killing his three small children. After remaining on death row for 12 years, he was executed in Texas in 2004, but later â€Å"rigorous scientific analysis has since shown that there was no evidence that the fire in a one-story, wood frame house in Corsicana was the result of arson, as the authorities had alleged† (Herbert 1). Moreover, as Death Penalty Information Cen... ...015. http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/death-penalty/us-death-penalty-facts/death-penalty-and-race â€Å"Death Penalty Progress.† Dallas Morning News, The (TX). (Dec. 2013): A14. Web. 30 Dec. 2015. Enquirer, Cincinnati. â€Å"Death penalty not a good answer to crime.† National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. 27 July 2012. Web. 3 Jan. 2015. Hartley, Rogen. "Capital punishment." In Schultz, David, ed. Encyclopedia of American Law. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2002. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 30 Dec. 2015. Herbert, Bob. "Innocent But Dead." New York Times 1 Sept. 2013: A29(L). InfoTrac Newspapers. Web. 3 Jan. 2015. â€Å"There Is No ‘Humane’ Execution.† The New York Times 14 Dec. 2014: A30. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. â€Å"Top 10 Pros and Cons. Should the death penalty be allowed?† Death Penalty.ProCon.org. N.p., 2014. Web. 4 Jan. 2015.

Welding with Children

Seth Bohlander English 1102 Mrs. Hammonds 10 October 2010 Bruton’s Change â€Å"Welding with Children† is a short story that illustrates thematic ideas from beginning to end. Throughout the story, Bruton, an older redheaded man with papery skin, shows that his parenting skills have suffered, and he is embarrassed with how he raised his four daughters in the past. With his daughters now grown, the reputation of their upbringing still haunts him. Examples like Bruton’s car being referred to as the â€Å"bastardmobile† show just what type of reputation he is dealing with.Though as the story progresses, Bruton shows change. Through a series of epiphanies or awakenings, he realizes he can’t undo his previous mistakes, but believes he can redeem himself by parenting his grandchildren the correct way, all while welding with children. From the beginning of the story, Bruton shows his carefree attitude on things that are considered important to most people. After dropping out of college in his first semester, he states, â€Å" I may have flunked out that semester, but I got my money’s worth learning about people that don’t have hearts no bigger than birds shot† (Gautreaux 200).His attitude shows he has no drive to fix problems. In an interesting way, he sees some sort of accomplishment from his failure. This attitude is similar to how he raised his children. He knows he messed up, but feels he can do nothing but live with his mistakes. Bruton continues to show his stagnant attitude throughout the story until experiencing his first epiphany. While driving home, one of the grandchildren Freddy says something that indicates to be a curse word. When asked where he heard words like those, Freddy says he heard it on a late night comedy program.Bruton is enlightened, and thinks back on his four daughters. â€Å"None of them has any religion to speak of. The girls grew up watching cable and videos every night, and thatâ⠂¬â„¢s where they got their view of the world, and that’s why four dirty blondes . . . thought they lived in a Hollywood soap opera (Gautreaux 202). This is suggests that television is to blame. Seeing that history does repeat itself, Bruton takes advantage of the situation and sits the kids down and begins teaching them about the bible.The sense of urgency shows this to be an important aspect of parenting that he forgot. Before being enlightened, Bruton believed that the reason his four daughters turned out the way they did, was solely his wife’s fault. Since she was gone all the time, he found it easy to point the finger to her. He never felt accountable, but after the first awakening, Bruton takes full responsibility for his actions and signs of change. With the weight of responsibility on his back, Bruton turns to the only people he knows who can help him. The Tree of Knowledge†, a group of men whom have already insulted Bruton, give him three helpful suggest ions. They tell him to clean his yard, join the Methodist church, and keep the children with him as much as possible. At first, the suggestions appear to be patronizing, but somehow Bruton sees a positive message through their comments. Turing to these men for advice shows that Bruton is sympathetic. After the vicious comments that were made to Bruton’s daughters, he shows signs of forgiveness and remorse to go to these men for help.In conclusion, Bruton sends a message that is simple and bold. Embracing opportunity enables the probability of change. â€Å"Time for a change† (Gautreaux 210). Being assigned the duty to babysit his grandchildren appeared to be a simple task, but seeing the opportunity to fix a problem that has been passed down through two generations makes Bruton a heroic and dynamic character. Work Cited Gautreaux, Tim. â€Å"Welding with Children. † Perrines’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 10th ed. Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnso n. Boston: Wadsworth, 2009. 198-211. Print.

Rhetoric in Writing and Audience

Rhetoric is the study of effective speaking and writing. It is the art of persuasion and many other things. Over its long history there have been many different definitions of rhetoric, which stretches back to the Ancient Greeks and Romans in particular. In its long and vigorous history rhetoric has enjoyed many definitions, accommodated differing purposes, and varied widely in what it included. And yet, for most of its history it has maintained its fundamental character as a discipline for training students 1) to perceive how language is at work orally and in writing, and 2) to become proficient in applying the resources of language in their own speaking and writing. To see how language and thought worked together, however, it has first been necessary to artificially divide content and form what is said and how we say it. How we say things is precisely the way in which we ensure that our desired meaning has been transmitted to others, so there can be no passing on of ideas without also taking into account lexis. Because rhetoric examines so attentively the how of language, the methods and means of communication, it has sometimes been discounted as something only concerned with style or appearances, and not with the quality or content of communication. For many (such as Plato) rhetoric deals with the superficial at best, the deceptive at worst (â€Å"mere rhetoric†), when one might better attend to matters of substance, truth, or reason as attempted in dialectic or philosophy or religion. Rhetoric studies the effectiveness of language comprehensively, including its emotional impact, as much as its propositional content. Why Rhetoric is Important? The importance of rhetoric provides significant changes in the areas of learning and the development of a persons and institutions. The study of rhetoric, nearly continuous over 2500 years, has always been central to the objectives of a liberal arts curriculum. Extending that study to film, television, protests, politics, debates, philosophy and all forms of discourse has advanced such study into the 21st century. Here are the following reasons why the study of rhetoric is essentially important. It gives scientific writing a focus on argument in scientific debate Numerous studies have called attention to the importance of rhetoric in scientific writing by focusing on arguments presented in scientific debate articles. Rhetorical analysis and textual analysis stress the importance of studying scientific writing to provide better instruction of students learning the genres of academic writing. For example, Swales describes the difficulties of novice researchers or students with English as a second language in learning the literary conventions of American journals. Gusfield is one of the early writers to argue that scientific methods courses should include the study of literary techniques as well as statistical procedures. Davis subscribes to a similar view in that he claims only to be formally describing a model that he believes many social scientists intuitively or inadvertently follow. Davis argues that a conscious awareness of the importance of defining and then denying audience assumptions would ‘increase the Interesting Quotient (I. Q. ) of their discipline relative to the Interesting Quotient of other disciplines. It enables to better understand the processes of communication. Rhetoric is a subject of importance because its study enables us to better understand the processes of communication that underpin decision making in free societies. Judgments on matters of public policy take their cues from rhetoric, and so an understanding of any society's rhetoric will tell us a lot about its ideas, beliefs, laws, customs and assumptions – especially how and why such social features came into being. We don't typically think of it this way, but every law that is on our record books began as an act of rhetorical undertaking by some public or private citizen trying to fix a problem. Statutes and policies are the ends; rhetoric is the means. If law is the architecture of public life, rhetoric is the art that brings it into being. We don't typically think of it this way, but every law that is on our record books began as an act of rhetorical undertaking by some public or private citizen trying to fix a problem. Statutes and policies are the ends; rhetoric is the means. If law is the architecture of public life, rhetoric is the art that brings it into being. It serves as a means for public deliberation about public issues Those who identify rhetoric primarily with ornament, passion, specious argument and deceit, and even those who defend rhetoric as a desirable alternative or supplement to legal reasoning, fail to do justice to the signal importance of rhetoric in the ancient world as a means for public deliberation about public issues under conditions of uncertainty. Despite Plato's famous criticisms of rhetoric as mere flattery, the ancient world well understood that rhetoric had a substantive as well as a stylistic dimension; hence the common association of rhetoric with the merely stylistic aspects of deliberation is entirely misleading. It provides as a precursor for the semiotic study of communication Under the influence of Structuralism, rhetoric has been seen as a precursor for the semiotic study of communication, as in the work of Genette and the Rhetorique generale by a group of scholars headed by J. Dubois. More in keeping with the pragmatic nature of ancient rhetoric, Chaim Perelman and L. Olbrechts-Tyteca attempt in their La Nouvelle Rhetorique (1958) to formulate a modern rhetoric of persuasive argumentation. At the other end of the spectrum, writers associated with Post-Structuralism stress the playful, subversive side of the subject. And finally, the 1980s saw the revived use of explicitly rhetorical models in composition classes in secondary schools to combat an apparent decline in pupils' communication skills. How to Apply Rhetoric in Writing? In order for a writer to know how to apply rhetoric to his writing, he must first know and understand the fundamental forms of persuasive appeals, encompassing forms and rhetoric devices. Persuasive Appeals According to Aristotle, rhetoric is â€Å"the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion. He described three main forms of rhetoric: Logos, or the appeal to reason; Pathos, or the appeal to emotion; and Ethos, or the appeal to character. Logos, pathos, and ethos are completely different, yet, they all correlate. In order to be a more effective writer, you must understand these three terms. Logos meant more in ancient Greek than logic or reasoning, it meant â€Å"thought plus action†. It appeals to patterns, conventions, and modes of reasoning that the audience finds convincing and persuasive. Ideally, a writer should be able to persuade someone based solely upon reason. Although the ability to reason and to think are abstractly two of humanity’s defining characteristics, we are often guided by our passions—even if they lead to our ruin. Pathos is appeal to emotion. a writer needs to consider the things that the listeners value, need, hope for, fear, and so on; once the writer understands the things they care about, he or she can show how what the readers is asked to do is in accord with values they already hold. Ethos is your persona or â€Å"image† as a writer—your ethical character. If a writer communicates good will, good character, and good judgment, the reader will be far more likely to trust him or her. Trust is at the heart of effective communication, and without careful attention to ethos, the effectiveness of the other two modes of persuasion — logos and pathos — is also diminished. Encompassing Terms Next a writer should learn apply the three-ways, of rhetoric in the larger sense. Which can be distinguished between: Kairos, or the occasions to write, which include considerations like the contexts for piece of writing, while audience, or who will read it, looks at where a discourse may take place. Decorum, or fitting words and subject together, lastly, deals with making appropriate use of rhetoric, depending on both kairos and audience. Kairos is an ancient Greek word meaning the â€Å"right or opportune moment†. You should take time to consider what possible considerations for a piece of writings. Isocrates writes that educated people are those â€Å"who manage well the circumstances which they encounter day by day, and who possess a judgment which is accurate in meeting occasions as they arise and rarely misses the expedient course of action†. As a writer you should develop the ability to adapt to and take advantage of changing, contingent circumstances of your environment. Audience, all rhetorically oriented discourse is composed in light of those who will hear or read that discourse. Or, in other words, rhetorical analysis always takes into account how an audience shapes the composition of a text or responds to it. As writer you should choose an appropriate subject to the prospective readers. Make sure that your reader is appropriate to your purpose, because when it’s not your ideas will just be set aside. Decorum, lastly, refers the appropriateness of style to subject. It involves a range of social, linguistic, aesthetic, and ethical proprieties for both the creators and critics of writing. Each of these must be balanced against each other strategically in order to be successful in understanding or creating discourse. A writer should learn the degree appropriateness or suitability on the use of his words and language in his writing, to enable the interest of the readers to his own discourse. Rhetorical Devices. Good writing depends upon more than making a collection of statements worthy of belief, because writing is intended to be read by others, with minds different from your own. A writer should know how is to get through his readers–or even to be read and considered at all–it must be interesting, clear, persuasive, and memorable, so that he will pay attention to, understand, believe, and remember the ideas it communicates. To apply rhetoric in writing you must know, learn, and understand rhetorical devices in how they have be employed, as well as learning how to use them ourselves. The following are common rhetorical devices used in writing. Apophasis Apophasis asserts or emphasizes something by pointedly seeming to pass over, ignore, or deny it. This device has both legitimate and illegitimate uses. Legitimately, a writer uses it to call attention to sensitive or inflammatory facts or statements while he remains apparently detached from them. Example: 1) Luckily we need not discuss my opponent’s marital infidelities when evaluating his claim to hold the moral high ground. ) I would call you a liar and a cheat if you weren’t my best friend. Aporia Aporia expresses doubt about an idea or conclusion. Its several uses are the suggesting of alternatives without making a commitment to either or any. Such a statement of uncertainty can tie off a piece of discussion you do not have time to pursue, or it could begin an examination of the issue, and lead you into a conclusion resolving your doubt: 1) I have not been able to come to a decision about the new policy, since there seem to be good arguments both for and against it. ) I am not sure whether to side with those who say that higher taxes reduce inflation or with those who say that higher taxes increase inflation. Asyndetons and Polysyndetons Asyndeton is consists of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. In a list of items, asyndeton gives the effect of unpremeditated multiplicity, of an extemporaneous rather than a labored account: On his return he received medals, honors, treasures, titles, fame. Polysyndeton, the opposite of asyndetons, is the use of a conjunction between each word, phrase, or clause, and is thus structurally the opposite of asyndeton. The rhetorical effect of polysyndeton, however, often shares with that of asyndeton a feeling of multiplicity, energetic enumeration, and building up. Example: They read and studied and wrote and drilled. I laughed and played and talked and flunked. Enthymemes Enthymemes is a figure of reasoning in which one or more statements of a syllogism (a three-pronged deductive argument) is/are left out of the configuration; an abbreviated syllogism or truncated deductive argument in which one or more premises, or, the conclusion is/are omitted. Ex: 1) Since she lost the case, she must have been guilty. ) There are only two options available to us and we have seen that the first failed. Expletives Expletive it is a figure of emphasis in which a single word or short phrase, usually interrupting normal speech, is used to lend emphasis to the words on either side of the expletive. Typical examples include: in fact, of course, to be sure, indeed, I suppose, I hope, you know, you see, clearly, in a ny event, in effect, certainly, remarkably. Metanoia Metanoia qualifies a statement by recalling it (or part of it) and expressing it in a better, milder, or stronger way. A negative is often used to do the recalling. Example: 1) Your proposal will affect everyone is this area, or even the entire region. 2) You fail to realize the impact of these measures – or at least you have not considered the consequences in enough depth. Parallelism and Chiasmus Parallelism is recurrent syntactical similarity. Several parts of a sentence or several sentences are expressed similarly to show that the ideas in the parts or sentences are equal in importance. Parallelism also adds balance and rhythm and, most importantly, clarity to the sentence. Example: Quickly and happily he walked around the corner to buy the book. Chiasmus might be called â€Å"reverse parallelism,† since the second part of a grammatical construction is balanced or paralleled by the first part, only in reverse order. Example: He labors without complaining and without bragging rests. Questions: Hypophora, Rhetorical and Procatalepsis Hypophora is one or more questions is/are asked and then answered, often at length, by one and the same speaker; raising and responding to one's own question(s). Example: 1) What are the consequences of such an approach to history? There are several, of which the most important is†¦ 2) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter?. . . What does the Scripture say? â€Å"Abraham believed God. –Rom. 4:1, 3 (NIV) Rhetorical Question is a question which ask, not for the purpose of further discussion, but to assert or deny an answer implicitly; a question whose answer is obvious or implied. Example: What kind of person would bet against the sun rising tomorrow, though? Procatalepsis is when questions are asked and answered by the writer or speaker, usually by anticipating objections: It is typically suggested that this team will lack the strength in midfield to cope with the opposition, but this neglects the experience gained in the recent tour against†¦ Analogies, Metaphors and Similes Analogy is a kind of extended metaphor or long simile in which an explicit comparison is made between two things (events, ideas, people, etc) for the purpose of furthering a line of reasoning or drawing an inference; a form of reasoning employing comparative or parallel cases. Example: You may abuse a tragedy, though you cannot write one. You may scold a carpenter who has made you a bad table, though you cannot make a table. It is not your trade to make tables. Metaphor is figure of explication occurring when a comparison made by speaking of one thing in terms of another; an implied comparison between two different things which share at least one attribute in common; an association between two unlike things (A vs. B) achieved by borrowing the language that refers to thing A and applying it to thing B. Example: Then Jesus declared, â€Å"I am the bread of life. † –John 6:35 [And compare the use of metaphor in 6:32-63] Simile is a comparison between two different things that resemble each other in at least one way. In formal prose the simile is a device both of art and explanation, comparing an unfamiliar thing to some familiar thing (an object, event, process, etc. ) known to the reader. Example: After such long exposure to the direct sun, the leaves of the houseplant looked like pieces of overcooked bacon. Hyperbole, Litotes and Understatement Hyperbole is ,the counterpart of understatement, deliberate exaggeration of a person, thing, quality, event to emphasize a point external to the object of exaggeration; intentional exaggeration for rhetorical effect. Example: There were millions of people at the bus stop today. Litotes is an understatement formed by the denial of an opposite. This sounds confusing but is actually quite straightforward and a common rhetorical device. For example: Performances like that from the All Blacks are not uncommon. Understatement deliberately expresses an idea as less important than it actually is, either for ironic emphasis or for politeness and tact. When the writer's audience can be expected to know the true nature of a fact which might be rather difficult to describe adequately in a brief space, the writer may choose to understate the fact as a means of employing the reader's own powers of description. For example: 1) I think there may be some additional factors that you may not have accounted for. 2) Your analysis is far too simplistic. Amplification Amplification involves repeating a word or expression while adding more detail to it, in order to emphasize what might otherwise be passed over. In other words, amplification allows you to call attention to, emphasize, and expand a word or idea to make sure the reader realizes its importance or centrality in the discussion. For example: This orchard, this lovely, shady orchard, is the main reason I bought this property. In conclusion lots of practice and experimentation are necessary to develop your rhetorical ability. A best way to experiment is writing in a journal or notebook. Consistency in doing such experiment will develop a natural ability and theory or art in rhetorical aspect. Remember that rhetorical devices are aids to writing and not ends of writing. Further, if used carelessly or excessively or too frequently, almost any one of these devices will probably seem affected, dull, awkward, or mechanical. But with a little care and skill, developed by practice, anyone can master them, and their use will add not just beauty and emphasis and effectiveness to your writing, but a kind of freedom of thought and expression you never imagined possible.