The Transformation of Ishmael in Snow Falling on Cedars :: Snow Falling Cedars Essays

The Transformation of Ishmael in Snow Falling on Cedars What can be said about a novel of such luminance as Snow Falling on Cedars that has not already been said? Certainly it is a work of much vision and insight and speaks volumes about prejudice and race. The wordplay of Guterson creates a world of vivid reality-it surrounds the reader with sights, smells and a clearly defined sense of touch. Perhaps lost amidst the smells of the strawberry fields, the cold of the winter storm, and the deep social statements about the nature and quirkiness of prejudice is the fact that this beautifully crafted story of immense complexity is in reality a very simple story about the identity of one man. Guterson himself says, "Post-modernism is dead because it didn't address human needs. The conventional story endures because it does. I'm interested in themes that endure from generation to generation" (qtd. in Kanner). This book is a conventional story, a simple story about the internal battle of Ishmael Chambers as he struggles with himself. This is made evident in the subtle and not too subtle comparisons made between Ishmael and other characters. Taking all of this into account reveals that the true theme of the book centers on the transformation of Ishmael from weak to strong. First, who is Ishmael Chambers? He is the son of a very well-respected and prominent citizen of San Piedro, Arthur Chambers. When Arthur dies, Ishmael takes over the job as the local news reporter. He is introduced into the story as a journalist in the trial of Kabuo Miyamoto and appears to remain aloof, a passive third person eye that would analyze the information impartially. In addition to being a reporter, Ishmael is also a war veteran with a missing limb as a souvenir to boot. The reader gets the feeling that Ishmael plays a small and minor role in the upcoming plot. This, however, is false. As the book gathers momentum, it becomes increasingly clear that Ishmael ties into the fabric of the outcome of the story-from the childhood and young adult romance between Hatsue and him, to the emotional scene where his arm is amputated, to the final climax where he discovers the evidence that can clear Kabuo's name, Ishmael is the crux on which the storyline hinges.

Bei Behavioural Event Interview

Behavioral A common type of job interview in the modern workplace is the behavioral interview or behavioral event interview, also called a competency-based interview. This type of interview is based on the notion that a job candidate's previous behaviors are the best indicators of future performance. In behavioral interviews, the interviewer asks candidates to recall specific instances where they were faced with a set of circumstances, and how they reacted. Typical behavioral interview questions: â€Å"Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream. What did you do? † â€Å"Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do? † â€Å"Describe the worst project you worked on. † â€Å"Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn't like. † â€Å"Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you had made, even though it made you very unpopular. † â€Å"Give us an example of something particularly innovative that you have done that made a difference in the workplace. â€Å"What happened the last time you were late with a project? † â€Å"Have you ever witnessed a person doing something that you felt was against company policy. What did you do and why? † A bad hiring decision nowadays can be immensely expensive for an organization – cost of the hire, training costs, severance pay, loss of productivity, impact on morale, cost of re-hiring, etc. (Gallup international places the cost of a bad hire as being 3. 2 times the individual's salary) . *The AssessmentIndia* Core Competency! Behavioural Event Interviews constitute a powerful tool for numerous organizational processes like recruitment, selection, performance management and even research. The interviews are backward looking and are based on the assumption that human behavior has patterns which repeat. Like the track record of a horse or sportsman, behavioral event interviews seek actual behaviors of a person and the underlying characteristics which power the behaviors like – attitudes, motives, intents, self image, world views or even drives. Based on the work of David McClelland, Flanagan and others, the Behavioral Event Interview presents a powerful tool for the professional. This interview tool looks at critical incidents in a person's life or career and the behavior patterns. Have a well defined competency model and competency framework in an organization and Behavioral Event Interviews can produce sharp competency profiles of people. Often key decisions like putting the right person in the right job are well facilitated by Behavioral Event Interviews.

Attenuation Effect Of Single And Combined Treatment With...

Attenuation effect of caffein and/or nifedipine against selenite-induced cataractogenesis Abstract Objectives: The current study was performed to investigate the anti-cataractogenic effect of single and combined treatment with caffeine and nifedipine in sodium selenite induced cataract. Methods: Seventy five healthy albino Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups; the first group received intraperitoneal injection of saline and served as control, 2nd group received a single subcutaneous injection of 30 nmol/g body weights of sodium selenite to induce cataract. 3rd and 4th groups received 0.1 mg/kg of nifedipine and 5.15 Â µmoles of caffeine respectively, starting two days prior to the administration of selenite and continuing such treatment till the end of experiment. Last group got the combined treatments of nifedipine and caffeine in the same regimen. Animals were decapitated after 5, 15 and 25 days of the experiment. Results: The results indicated a very highly significant decrease (PË‚0.001) in total soluble lens protein and Na+-K+ATPase activity, a very highly significant increase (PË‚0.001) in calcium lens content in selenite cataract group. Also significant changes in the molecular weight and area under peaks estimated in profile of electrophoretic mobility of lens proteins were found in selenite group. All these changes reduced markedly in caffeine and nifedipine group. Conclusions: nutrients with antioxidant capabilities can potentially delay against these changes such