Thursday, November 28, 2019

Steve Jobs Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

Steve Jobs Rhetorical Analysis Paper Steve Jobs Rhetorical Analysis BY Mike-Biello Steve Jobs lived a life unparalleled by the common man. Raising some of the most successful corporations from the ground up, being at the forefront of the technological revolution, and battling pancreatic cancer for a number of years were all things that he succeeded in accomplishing throughout his 56 years of life. He also happened to deliver a brilliant commencement address to one of the finest academic institutions in the world. Any college graduate in the audience that sunny afternoon at Stanford University was in for a treat. The irony behind the whole situation was the act that Steve Jobs himself, although arguably one of the most successful men of the 21st century, never graduated college. this is the closest Ive ever gotten to a college graduation, Jobs confesses immediately after he begins speaking. Throughout the speech, the experiences he shares with the audience all share a common theme; the pursuit of happiness will lead you down the road of success if you follow your intuition and do what makes you truly happy. He conveys this message with the use of a cause and effect analysis, contrast, and personal anecdotes. Personal experiences help to create and develop individuality. Steve Jobs learned this at an early age as a young man attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Jobs was not certain what he wanted to do with his life and was very indecisive when selecting a major. After six months he decided to drop out of school and found himself sleeping somewhere other than a place of his own. We will write a custom essay sample on Steve Jobs Rhetorical Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Steve Jobs Rhetorical Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Steve Jobs Rhetorical Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Jobs explains, l didnt have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5C deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. (l) Initially it seemed somewhat odd for him to be mentioning a stage in his life that resembled the lifestyle of a vagabond. As he continues to speak, you realize he shares his college experiences to relate to his audience on a more personal level. Jobs wanted to present himself in a manner that many college students could relate to in one way or another. Although these conditions may not seem ideal for most, Jobs loved it. With so much free time on his hands, he dropped in on classes he thought he would enjoy. Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in he country I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. (l) At the time, he took the class simply because he thought he would like it. Ten years later, his decision to learn calligraphy would pay off when designing the new Macintosh computer. When we were designing the first Macintosh (computer), it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, he Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. (l) Jobs had attended a class for no reason other than to learn something he thought he would enjoy and it ended up helping to define a revolutionary computer system. The way he coped with the adversity of his situation presented him with experiences and cause and effect strategy in his speech, the cause being him dropping out of classes and the effect being the acquisition of a priceless computer typeface system. And since Windows Just copied the Mac, its likely that no personal computer would have them (1). He also pokes a little bit of fun at his competitors. Starting a business is a decision that over half a million people in our country decide to make every year. The obvious goal of each business is to maximize profits, however many companies struggle to find the right recipe for success. Steve Jobs and close friend Steve Wozniacki decided to start up the company Apple in Jobs garage at the age of twenty. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from Just the two of us in a garage into a two billion dollar company with over 4000 employees(l). It seemed there was no stopping the growth of Apple, Jobs had finally found omething he loved to do. At the age of thirty however, Jobs received some unfortunate news. He was fired from the company that he had started. To go from a position of seemingly limitless potential to being unemployed, there seems no bigger contrast in lifestyle. However, rather than laying down and admitting defeat Jobs decides to brainstorm new ideas and enters what he considers to be one of the most creative stages of his life. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything(l). Over the next five years, several important events happen in Jobs life. He starts two new companies, NeXT and Pixar, and finds the woman he wants to marry. Soon after, something would happen next that no one could have anticipated. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, and I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apples current renaissance and he also adds, And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together(l). Steve shares this story with the audience to prove that no matter what situation you get placed in, making the most of it will pay off. He knows that as college graduates about to enter the orkforce, being placed in an environment unfamil iar to them is all too likely. In order to succeed you must be able to follow your heart and adapt to your new surroundings. Im pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadnt been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it(l). Finding the bright side of any situation, no matter how rough it may be, is an essential step in the rebuilding process. Jobs is encouraging the Stanford graduates to be resilient to any adversity they face. Throughout his speech, Jobs discussed in detail three events that had an infallible ffect on the person he had become. The reason these personal anecdotes resonated so strongly with me was due to the fact that all of them were negative experiences rather than positive ones. What Jobs wanted the audience to take away from these experiences was the fact that success is not easy to come by and you will face struggles along the way. The reason he succeeded is because he never gave up on doing what he loved, and any challenge you overcome will only make you more adept at handling similar situations in the future. Indicative of his track record, the audience has a solid incentive to listen his advice. When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: If you live each day as if it was your last, someday youll most certainly be right. (l). Jobs was determined to leave his mark on the world. By simply this man sets an example that would be wise to follow. He speaks with confidence and his tone assures those listening that his life would not have turned out the same way if he hadnt blazed his own trial and was influenced by the voices of others. mfour time is limited, so dont waste it living someone elses life. Dont be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other peoples thinking(l). Steve Jobs was an ndividual who knew what he wanted in life. He did not allow anyone to impede upon his progress and his success will have an effect on those Stanford graduates well after they proceed from the stadium. Speeches have the ability to be very powerful. However, when not delivered in an effective manner, they can also have an adverse effect. Steve Jobs does a brilliant Job demonstrating the way to go about delivering a speech. He does not speak down to the students, but rather he levels out the playing field. They students can relate to Jobs because everyone encounters struggles in life, its how you deal with those truggles that makes all the difference. What he wanted for the graduates he was speaking too was nothing more than to give them the confidence to do whatever they want in life with no reluctance. He also states, Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And Ive always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you: Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish(l). No matter what; the pursuit of happiness will lead you down the road of success if you follow your intuition and do what makes you truly happy.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Freedom Writers and the Economics of Race and Gender Essays

Freedom Writers and the Economics of Race and Gender Essays Freedom Writers and the Economics of Race and Gender Essay Freedom Writers and the Economics of Race and Gender Essay The movie Freedom Writers is one of the most touching to have come out of Hollywood in recent years. Starring Hilary Swank in a lead role, the movie takes up a subject that is at the heart of American culture, namely juvenile delinquency and ways of dealing with it. It also touches upon the economics of race and gender. On a cursory viewing the story looks deceptively simple. But when the storyline, screenplay and other nuances in the film are observed, numerous interpretations are made available. Embedded within it are themes of economics, especially that applying to race and gender. Moreover, what comes through the narrative is the strength of character and commitment shown by Erin Gruwell as she undertakes to set right a challenging group of students. For example, â€Å"She encounters a diverse but segregated community so racially charged, hostile and potentially combustible that she likens it to Nazi Germany. Without the support of her administrators (played by Imelda Staunton and others) and the school system, which views teenagers more as threats than scholars, Miss Gruwell devises her own methods for reaching students. She begins educating them about other young people who’ve endured wars, like Anne Frank, and simultaneously gives them journals so that they can tell their own stories, thus, giving each person a voice and a sense of value.† (Mayo, 2007, p.43) Another test of character and commitment for Erin was the divisions within the classroom on the basis of race, ethnicity and class. The term ‘Economics of Gender and Race’ is usually employed by economists to talk about disparities in income and work opportunities among different races and the two genders. In the American context, these disparities are skewered in favor of white Americans, especially the White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) group. The whites generally have a head-start in terms of standard of living they are born into, career opportunities they can avail of, neighborhoods they can inhabit, etc. Also, on average, whites earn more income than other minority groups. A similar disparity exists among the genders, where males are favored for both positions of high office and in the incomes they earn. In the movie Freedom Writers, the classroom under the charge of Erin Gruwell is a representative collage of these realities. There we see white pupils born to well-to-do parents (who also perform better in exams) contrasted against pupils from minority communities such as blacks and Hispanics, who are projected to be disorganized and less disciplined (indicative of their socio-economic backgrounds). The microcosm of the classroom is a reflection of larger realities in American society. The semblance to reality is all the more so because the movie was based on the real life story of an American teacher of the same name – Erin Gruwell; and the school she works for Wilson High School. (Pimentel, 2010, p.51) Hence only a person of impeccable force of character and commitment could have overcome these many disparities and bring out the creative energies. Any other ordinary teacher in Erin’s place would have utterly failed in uniting and pacifying the group of students. : What moves the story forward are a) a racially motivated shoot-out involving members of the class and b) the interception by Erin of a racially-loaded drawing in the classroom board. This is a crucial juncture in the movie from where the students will embark on a creative, developmental journey. Instead of indulging themselves in gang-wars and wasting their lives, by recording and exchanging their experiences they would gain insights into other perspectives and viewpoints. Erin struggles to procure necessary stationary for students’ writing projects – since the class is largely comprised of minority students, their lower socio-economic background meant that they cannot buy stationary supplies with their own money. Erin’s out-of-the-box thinking helps her to transform the attitude of her pupils. The proof of her methods is that every one of her original 150 students went on to graduate from high school, and then to university, she says, and that every one of t hem has put their life as a gang member behind them. Beyond the movie, Erin Gruwell has also advocated a more compassionate approach toward juvenile delinquency. The following words from her truly capture her steadfast commitment and purposeful character: â€Å"We have to stop expecting disaffected teenagers to fit into the traditional education system, and instead tailor the system so they can connect to it. We need to show how every great piece of literature – essentially about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity – is their story, every journey their journey. And we have to free them as writers – letting them tell their story without worrying about spelling, grammar or it being graded. Writing validates what they’ve been through – just like it did for Anne Frank – and can help pull kids out of a spiral of violence.† (Gruwell, as quoted in Cohen, 2007, p.4) I personally admire the fact that Erin has continued to advocate her liberal and compassionate methods of teaching. She also strongly believes that government policy both in countries such as the UK and US is â€Å"failing disaffected teenagers because it’s reactive rather than proactive. The idea of putting more police on the streets and making membership of a gang an aggravating factor in prosecutions is not the solution. In America it costs $40,000 a year to incarcerate someone and just $8,000 a year to educate them, and the relative costs are similar in the UK. It’s a shame, because after they’re incarcerated, they become hardened criminals.† (Gruwell, as quoted in Cohen, 2007, p.4) As I watched the movie, I was able to reflect the relevance of the Holocaust in the plot. It then occurred to me that her employment of the Holocaust itself can be seen as the result of historical economic disparities leading up to Weimar Germany. That is, the systematic rounding up and extermination of millions of Jews by the Third Reich was in part economically motivated (for folklore and religious dogma portray Jews as the usurpers of wealth in which ever region they inhabit) and in part racially motivated (for Jews are also perceived to be of an inferior race to the Aryans). So within the main cinematic theme of economics of race and gender, the Holocaust provides us with a thematically consistent sub-plot as well. Adding poignancy to Erin’s allusions of the Holocaust is the usage of The Diary of Anne Frank as a model for students’ exercises. Erin Gruwell inspires her students to follow the example of 13-year old Anne Frank, the heroic historical figure, who r esorted to writing down her feelings and thoughts, when forced to live in an attic for fear of being rounded up by the Nazis. (Mayo, 2007, p.43)

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Project Life Cycle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Life Cycle - Essay Example The Project Manager requires various general management skills[4] during the different phases of the project. Initiation and Scope Definition, comprises determination and negotiation of requirements, feasibility analysis, and process for the review and revision of requirements. Planning follows and includes process planning, determining deliverables, effort, schedule and cost estimation, resource allocation, risk management, quality management, and plan management. The project manager's role is to verify the requirements, bring in the experts and revalidate requirements and technical feasibility. He needs to baseline the requirements, cost, schedule, and quality of delivery to the smallest detail, thus setting up a solid framework to start work on the project. This phase is critical because unless requirements are set and baselines are defined, the project cannot take off. The project manager needs negotiating skills, estimation and scheduling skills as well as, team building capabilities that help set the base for delivering a project of required quality at a realistic budget. In the Development phase, implementation of plans, supplier contract management, implementation of measurement process, monitor process, control process, and reporting and the various tasks in an IT project. It should be noted that although project objectives have been defined, there may surface problems when the actual developments are taking place. This will require the project manager and stakeholder to negotiate change requests that will continue the development of the project smoothly. About sixty percent of the project life cycle is done during the development phase and internal testing phase where the development team tests the application internally. This phase needs to be on schedule in order that the project deadline is met. The project manager needs good controlling skills to keep the work going and good negotiation skills to handle change requests as well as risk management skills in order that risk are mitigated. Also he needs to be able to keep the energy flowing and the team unified and happy to enable milestones to be met. The Implementation phase The project now moves into the Implementation phase where the IT tasks are Review and Evaluation, which includes the topics of determining satisfaction of requirements and reviewing and evaluating performance. The developed IT application is now deployed or implemented in the client's environment and tested using their parameters. The application is User accepted and then deployed either as a pilot mode or as a full launch. The project manager needs good negotiating skills in case some major fixes or "bugs" as per IT jargon arises during the transition since he needs to go back to client when budgets are almost over. Often the teams are all tired and are anxious to get the project over with and move on. Keeping up the morale to see the project to completion becomes imperative, and if the project manager is a good team player that really helps. The Closeout phase In the closeout phase, the tasks include determining closure and closure activities. The application is running smoothly and the production-support team has taken over. The development team is released. The project manager now documents the project for future reference as well as writes up a lessons-learnt document. In summary, a good project manager is