Effectiveness of Organizational Development Models

Effectiveness of Organizational Development Models This article shows the effectiveness of Organizational Development models in order with the example. In this article we have discuss the comparison of three OD models mentioning their effectiveness in order with example. The world is passing through the turbulent times. Companies are expanding their business, acquiring new enterprises, and going through significant changes, including outsourcing, downsizing, automation etc. Tomorrows world will be different from todays, calling for new organizational approaches. Organizations will need to be adapting to these changes market conditions and at the same time coping with the need for a renewing rather than reactive workforce. Organizations are never completely stagnant. External forces i.e. Government, Stockholders, Unions, Competitors, Suppliers, and Customers etc continuously affect the activities of the organization. Changing consumer lifestyles and technological breakthroughs all act on the organization to cause it to change. Many of these changes are forced upon the organization, whereas others are generated internally. Because change is occurring so rapidly, there is a need for new ways to manage it. Organizational Development is a relatively recent invention. It started in the late 1950s when behavioral scientists steeped in the lore and technology of group dynamics attempted to apply that knowledge to improve team functioning and intergroup relations in organization. (French and Bell, 1999). Organizational development (OD) is an application of behavioral science to organizational change. It consists of a wide array of theories, processes, and activities, all of which are oriented toward the goal of improving individual organizations. OD focuses on carefully planned approaches to changing or improving organizational structures and processes, in an attempt maximize organizational effectiveness. Background of Study In present era of cut throat competition, globalization, erasing trade barriers, rapid innovation, advancement in new technology, reduction in product life cycle and huge investment requirements to get entry into industry increase the essence of formulating an effective strategy in an organization in order to gain a competitive edge in market place. It is utmost important for each and every organization to be consistently competitive at the market place in order to save organization from entropy and make it possible for organization to constantly grow through application of Organizational Development concepts. Strategy is a comprehensive plan to achieve organizational goals or strategy is a comprehensive master plan stating how the corporation/organization will achieve its mission and objectives. It is not only important for any firm to develop an effective organizational strategy but also proper implementation and control mechanism is very crucial for success. Organization strategy is the one of element among various elements that may require OD interventions if not effective. According to Burke-Litwin model, organization may require first order or second order change or may require both(First order and Second order changes). If OD interventions directed toward structure, systems, and management practice result in first order change, if interventions directed toward mission, strategy, leadership, and organizational culture then result in second order change (French and Bell, Jr, 1999). Companies today are exposed to much more rapid changes than they were decades ago. This development provides the reason to analyze approaches that help to overcome inflexible, conservatively-managed companies and lead change initiatives successfully. (Kotter, 1996). Organizational Development is planned change in an organizational context. The development of models of planned change facilitated the development of OD. Models and theories depict, in words or pictures, the important features of some phenomenon, describe those features as variables, and specify the relationships among the variables. (French and Bell, 1999). Corporate restructuring, strategies, and development models may be based on various factors viz. Human Resource Management, Financial revamping, International competitive market, post merger and acquisition etc. The globalization, commercialization, privatization, and deregulation have changed the whole scenario as such change has become significant factor in business survival. This has brought far-reaching changes in economic structures and patterns of organizations. The OD is getting increasing attention as such it plays a key role in the description of recent developments. The institutions private or public now realize the recent trends and prospects and have started giving priority to OD. These organizations now adapt and act OD at their workplace by redefining its role in promoting efficiency and economic growth. The organizations, particularly those without strong change element are in favor of encouraging the vigorous growth of OD in corporate governance. The organizations the y do not undertake measures to enhance their capabilities through planned change by employing OD risk not just being marginalized but also being completely bypassed in the new global order. The organizations those face severe competition today are completely dependent on behavioral interventions for organization improvement. Conceptual Understanding of the Organizational Development Organizational Development (OD) bridges an organizations need for continuity and its need for growth. It helps the organization change to meet the changing demands of its internal and external environments (Culbert Reisel, 1971). Organizational development is a theory and practice of bringing the planned change to organization. These changes are usually designed to address an organization problem or to help an organization prepare for future. It is the one method of quickly bringing change, which focus on human and social aspects of the organization as a way to improve organizations ability to adapt and solve problems. Organizational development is both a professional field of social action and an area of scientific inquiry. The practice of OD covers a wide spectrum of activities, with seemingly endless variations upon them. Team building with top corporate management, structural change in a municipality, and job enrichment in a manufacturing firm are all examples of OD. (Cummings and Worley, 2005). Different theorists have provided with their own definitions of organizational development. Some definitions are : Source Definition Porras and Robertson (1992) Organizational development is a set of behavioral science-based theories, values, strategies, and techniques aimed at the planned change of the organizational work setting for the purpose of enhancing individual development and improving organizational performance, through the alteration of organizational members on-the-job behaviors. Cummings and Worley (1993) [OD is] a systematic application of behavioral science knowledge to the planned development and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processes for improving an organizations effectiveness. Burke (1994) Organizational development is planned process of change in an organizations culture through the utilization of behavioral science technologies, research, and theory. French and Bell (1999) Organizational development is a long-term effort, led and supported by top management, to improve an organizations visioning, empowerment, learning, and problem-solving processes, through an ongoing, collaborative management of organization culture-with special emphasis on the culture of intact work teams and other team configurations-using the consultant-facilitator role and the theory and technology of applied behavioral science, including action research. The gist of above definitions is summarized below: Culture and processes are the key areas of the OD Specifically, OD encourages collaboration between organization top managers and staff members in managing culture and process. Teams of all kinds are particularly important for accomplishing tasks and are targets for OD activities. OD focuses on the human and social side of the organization and in so doing also intervenes in the technological and structural sides. Participation and involvement in problem solving and decision making by all levels of the organization are hallmarks of OD. OD focuses on total system change and views organizations as complex social system. OD practitioners are facilitators, collaborators, and co-learners with the client system. OD makes the client system effective so that the client systems solves its problem at their own and provide necessary coaching / teaching in order to enhance the knowledge and skill level. OD relies on an action research model with extensive participation by client system members. OD takes a developmental view that seeks the betterment of both individuals and the organization. Attempting to create win-win solutions is standard practice in OD programs. In the 1970s, organization development evolved as separate field that applied the behavioral sciences in a process of planned organization-wide change, with the goal of increasing organization effectiveness. Today the concept has been enlarged to examine how people and groups can change to a learning organization culture in a complex and turbulent environment. Organization development is not a step-by-step procedure to solve a specific problem but a process of fundamental change in the human and social systems of the organization, including organization culture. It is a process in a sense that a process is an identifiable interrelated event moving toward some goal or end. Organization development is a journey, not a destination. It is an unfolding and evolving series of events. Every organization program is unique because every organization has unique problems and opportunities. Yet all organization development programs are identifiable flow of interrelated events moving over time to ward the goals of the organization improvement and individual development. Organization development is an organizational improvement strategy, which is about how people and organization function and how to get them to function better. The field is based on the knowledge from the behavioral science disciplines such as psychology, social psychology, sociology, anthropology, systems theory, organizational behavior, organization theory and management to create trust, open conformation of problems, employee empowerment and participation, knowledge and information sharing, the design of meaningful work, co-operation and co-ordination between groups and full use of human potential. Organizational Development can help groups and individuals improve various aspects of organizational life necessary for success, including culture, values, and systems and behavior. The goal of O.D. is to increase organizational effectiveness and organizational health, through planned interventions in the organizations processes, operations, and behavior. Most often, O.D. services are requested when an organization (or a unit within an organization) is undergoing a process of change. Organizational Development services can assist in having a positive impact on most, if not all, factors that contribute to high performance. These include: Accountability Team interactions Strategic planning Skill alignment Professional development strategies Effective use of technology Workplace climate Employee morale A primary goal of organization development is to optimize the system by ensuring that system elements are harmonious and congruent. When organization structure, strategy, culture, and processes are not aligned, performance suffers. Different organizations interventions focus on align the organization with environment demands. Organizations are examples of open systems, that is, system interacting with their environments. Many problems of organizations today emerge from rapid changes in environmental demands, threats and opportunities. The Growth and Relevance of OD: Organizations must settle themselves in increasingly complex and uncertain technological, economic, political, and cultural changes. The speedily changing conditions of last few years shown that the organizations are facing the unprecedented uncertainty and nothing short of a management revolution will save them. Globalization, information technology, and managerial innovation are the major trends which are shaping change in organizations. First: globalization is playing vital role is the organizational life cycle. Organization is growing in the changing markets and environments. New governments, new leadership, new markets, and new countries are emerging and creating a new global economy. Companies in Russia, China, Hong Kong etc. are the examples of globalization. Second: information technology has drastically changing the old business model and defining the new parameters of how knowledge is used, how work is performed and how to calculate the cost of doing business. Now the organizations are going for ERP, e-commerce, SAP etc. Amazon.com, E-Trade, are among many recent entrants to the information economy, and the amount of business being conducted on the Internet is projected to grow at double-digit rates for well over ten years. Due to revolution in information technology, electronic data interchange, a state of the art information technology application, few years ago, is now considered as routine business practice. Due to this revolution, organizations moved towards downsizing and restructuring of the firms. Finally, information technology is changing how knowledge is used. Organization members now share the same key information that senior managers once used to control decision making. Ultimately, IT will generate new business models in which communication and information sharing is nearly free and easily accessible. Third: managerial innovation has responded to the globalization and information technology trends and has speed up their impact on organizations. New organizational forms, i.e. networks, virtual corporations etc, provide organizations with different ways of thinking about how the produced goods and deliver services. The strategic alliance, for example, has emerged as one of the indispensable tools in strategy implementation. No single organization, not even IBM, Mitsubishi, or General Electric, can control the environmental and market uncertainty it faces. New methods of change, such as downsizing and reengineering, have drastically reduced the size of organizations and increased their capacity, and new large group interventions have increased the speed with which organizational change can take place. OD practitioners, managers, and researchers argue that these forces not only are powerful in their own right but are interrelated. Organization development is the continuous process of improvement. As change is the continuous process so also to cope with such changes is necessary of organizations survive. As the time passes the new changes occur in the market dilemma. The organizations on their peak position need to maintain their peak position and continuously improve to provide better benefits to their customers. Timely they have to adapt new technology, enter in to new markets, beat the competition etc. The organization development is not only for the failure organization but the successful organization also adapt new technology and innovations to maintain their success. Organization may face different problems in their different departments like finance, management, marketing, production, sales and so on. So the OD consultant diagnoses these problems to provide solutions to that organization. Human resources our people may be a large fraction of our costs of doing business. They certainly can make the difference between organizational success and failure. We better know how to manage them. Changing nature of the workplace. Our workers today want feedback on their performance, a sense of accomplishment, feelings of value and worth, and commitment to social responsibility. They need to be more efficient, to improve their time management. And, of course, if we are to continue doing more work with less people, we need to make our processes more efficient. Global markets. Our environments are changing, and our organizations must also change to survive and prosper. We need to be more responsible to and develop closer partnerships with our customers. We must change to survive, and we argue that we should attack the problems, not the symptoms, in a systematic, planned, humane manner. Technological improvement: Organizations from time to time innovate and create new technology for better product development and management of organization. Because in era of competition the managers overall attention is toward the proper management and allocation of resources. Models of Organizational Development and its Effectiveness Organizations are facing continuous pressures due to change in global pace, economic and technological development and organization is making the same a feature of its life cycle. Every organization is going for development and directed at bringing about planned change to increase organizations effectiveness and efficiency. Managers, generally, initiate and implement the same with the help of an OD practitioner either from inside or outside of the organization. Organizations can use planned change to solve problems, to learn from experience, to adapt to external environmental changes, to improve performance, and to influence future changes. Organization Development (OD) covers all aspects of an organization; its functional scope is very vast as such it: Focuses on culture and processes Encourages collaboration between organization leadership and members in managing culture and process and makes it more efficient. Teams of various kinds are the target of OD. It focuses on the human and social side of the organization and in doing also intervenes in the technological and structural sides. Ensures participation and involvement in problem solving and decision making by all levels of the organization, which is hall mark of whole process. Also focuses on total systems change and views organizations as complex social systems. It leads to a development that seeks the betterment of both individuals and the organization as a whole. The OD consultants/ practitioners therefore plays an important and vital role as such they are facilitates, collaborates, and co-learners with the client system. At the outset OD consultants seeks top managements commitment and consent to initiate the process. The major events in the process then include: Sensing Diagnosing Planning Actions Evaluation Adjustments, and Repeating OD is an iterative process, it a journey not a destination. The goal of OD consultants is overcharging to make clients systems able to solve their problems through learning and teaching self-analytical methods. OD in fact is not one time process; rather it relies on action research model with extreme participation by client system members to bring sustainable growth. The knowledge base of OD is extensive, dynamic, and consonantly growing. Today the organizations prefer for holistic action plan as compare to linear or cyclic kind of interventions. The holistic approach presents a theory that the universe and especially nature should be viewed as interacting wholes rather than as distinct parts. This approach definitely caters to dynamic and most contemporary techniques for the planned change. There are numerous models and several recent theories those promises planned change. Few are highlighted below: Kurt Lewins Change Model Three stage theory of change was proposed by Kurt Lewin (founder of social psychology). Initially the theory was presented in 1947 and since then a lot of changes has been taken place in the original work. Actually there are various models of change which are based on the Kurt Lewin model. According to Kurt Lewin, change in organization is commonly referred to as  Unfreeze, Change, and Freeze. Change entails moving from one equilibrium point to another. Kurt Lewin model is useful to frame a process of change for people which can easily understand. Although this theory got so much popularity but it has been criticized for being too simplistic. The detailed explanation of each stage of the model is given below: Stage 1: Unfreezing Unfreezing is the first stage of Lewins Change Model. This stage focuses on the need for change and it is the starting point of change process. This stage emphasizes the importance of change and helps in moving move away from our current comfort zone. Change will not occur unless and until we understand the urgency of change. The more we feel that change is necessary, the more urgent it is and vise versa. When it becomes evident that the organization requires a change then the next step is to identify the pros and cons associated with the implementation of change. For example it would be wise to proceed with the change if the pros outnumber the cons before you take any action. This is the basis of what Kurt Lewin called the Force Field Analysis. In field force analysis there are various factors related to the change. Some of the factors are in favor of change while others are opposing factors. A change cannot takes place unless the factors for change outweigh the factors against chan ge. In the Unfreezing stage a department or an entire business moves towards motivation for change. The Kurt Lewin Force Field Analysis is a helpful way to know this process and there are ample of thoughts of how this can be done. Stage 2: Change or Transition The second stage of Lewins Change Model is a process of transition which is the inner movement or journey we make in reaction to a change. In transition process the current states is unfrozen and movement is started towards the new state. Lewin argued that the second stage is often the hardest as people are unsure or even fearful. Basically in this stage people are not much aware about the benefits of change so they are in the process of learning about the changes and require time to understand. In this stage people scan the environment for new relevant information and try to identify new role model or mentor. People must have clear picture of the desired change so they dont lose sight of where they are heading. Using role models and allowing people to develop their own solutions also help to make the changes. Stage 3: Freezing (or Refreezing) The last stage of Lewins Change Model is freezing or refreezing. Once the change has been made, the next step is to freeze the change in order to establish stability. In this stage everything is going to settle down because people are in the process of accepting the new changes. Thus all the changes become new norms of the organization and people form new relationships. People will become comfortable with their routines but it will take time. Many people argue that there is no freezing because of dynamic environment in which things are changing very rapidly. Therefore there is always a continuous change and freezing has become a chaotic process in which great flexibility is demanded. In this way unfreezing for the next change might be easier. Lewins tried to reinforce the change and ensure that the desired change is accepted and maintained into the future. Reinforcement is very important because people tend to go back to doing what they are used to doing. Effectiveness of Kurt Lewins Model of Change: There is lot of real life examples of Kurt Lewins Change model. Example # 1 Continental Airline By applying the Kurt Lewins Change Model, Continental Airlines became Airline of the Year. The awards won by Continental so far include No. 1 Most Admired Global Airline from Fortune magazine (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009), Airline of the Year by OAG (2004, 2005), Best Trans-Atlantic and Trans-Pacific Business Class among U.S. airlines by Condà © Nast Traveler (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006), and many others. [Video available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wxKv6K1-V0] Following is the another example of Kurt Lewins Change model: By doing attitude and satisfaction survey in the organization of all staff, management may come to know that the moral of the staff members is quite low and due to this risk of safety is quite high. This may hinder the change process. Similarly when information is being delivered to the field, but negative events are continuing to occur, this may reflect to the management that the message is not being heard and some required changes are in order. During the unfreezing step generally most of the staff members and management are willing to change. Kurt Lewins model suggests that one of the best ways to motivate people to change is to first get people see the need for change. Even when a change if for the persons long term health benefits such a ceasing a bad destructive habit, few people ever change because someone else tells them to. People generally need to see for themselves the need for change, for the catalyst to occur, to provoke them to unfreeze. Educating employees in regards the pressures for change is a first step. Organization leaders will begin to highlight gaps between current and desired states and put forward a vision as it needs to be. They further express the change in terms of particular outcomes that the organization desired from its operation and employees and their belief and confidence that these changes are possible. Before installing a new way of operations, the existing system needs to be broken down. At this stage, the goal of change agent is to create a strong reaction. To get the relevant staff management participated and examining the status quo. Create an environment on which people are forced to seek out a new and better way to do things. To re-set the normal order of things to new heights and standards. Tips to Unfreeze: Change is necessary because the businesses, market or product are changing. Analysis should be carried out that what is required. Build an understanding. Existing status quo will be required to break down before developing new way of doing things. Guide the people to know and understand that the old ways cannot continue and prior poor results will be used. Message should be passed on. What, who, when, where, why and how changes and improvements are necessary. Regular and frequent communication lines will be open with all employees. In order to eliminate the barriers of change, open door policy will be introduced with the aim to allow the employees to feel comfortable in sharing their concerns with the leadership. Remain open and honest with feedback to staff and continue to build solid interaction with the affected groups. Build a guiding partnership and support from management and understand and consider the needs of stakeholders. Transition During the transition phase we aim to shift or alter the behavior of the There are at least three planned change models that have been identified by Cummings and Worley (1997): Lewins change model, the action research model, and contemporary adaptations of action research. Kurt Lewins Change Model: Organizational change can occur at three levels- and, since the patterns of resistance to change are different for each, the patterns in each level require different change strategies and techniques. These levels involve: Changing the individuals who work in the organization-that is, their skills, values, attitudes, and eventually behavior-but making sure that such individual-behavior change is always regarded as instrumental to organizational change. Changing various organizational structures and systems-reward systems, reporting relationships, work design, and so on. Directly changing the organizational climate or interpersonal style-how open people are with each other, how conflict is managed, how decisions are made, and so on. Whatever the level involved, each of the three interventions is needed to make organizational members address the levels need for change, heighten their awareness of their own behavioral patterns, and make them more open to the change process. Stage 1: Unfreezing Three ways of unfreezing an organization are: i. Disconfirmation ii. Induction of guilt or anxiety iii. Creation of psychological safety Disconfirmation or lack of confirmation. Organizational members are not likely to embrace change unless they experience some need for it. Embracing change typically means that people are dissatisfied with the way things are quality is below standard, costs are too high, morale is too low, or direction is unclear, for example. Unfreezing involves reducing those forces maintaining the organizations behavior at its present level. Unfreezing is sometimes accomplished through a process of psychological disconfirmation. By introducing information that shows discrepancies between behaviors desired by organization members and those behaviors currently exhibited, members can be motivated to engage in change activities. Induction of guilt or anxiety. This is a matter of establishing a gap between what is current but not working well and some future goal that would make things work better. When people recognize a gap between what is and what would be better and more desirable, they will be motivated via guilt or anxiety to reduce the gap. But disconfirmation and induction are not enough to accomplish the unfreezing stage. One more process is necessary. Creation of psychological safety. To face disconfirmation, experience guilt or anxiety, and be able to act or move, people must believe that moving will not bring them humiliation or loss of self-esteem. People must still feel worthy, psychologically safe. The consultant must be concerned with people not losing face and must take car that when people admit that something is wrong they will not be punished or humiliated. Stage 2: Moving (Changing) The second step, movement, involves making the actual changes that will move the organization to another level of response. On the individual level, we would expect to see people behaving differently, perhaps demonstrating new skills or new supervisory practices. On the structural level, we would expect to see changes in actual organizational structures, reporting relationships, and reward systems that affect the way people do their work. On the climate or interpersonal level, we would expect to see behavior patterns that indicate greater interpersonal trust and openness and fewer dysfunctional interactions. There are two main processes for accomplishing this stage: Identification with a new role model Scanning the environment for new information Identification with a new role model, mentor, boss, or consultant to begin to see things from that other persons point of view. If we see another point of view operating in a person to whom we pay attention and respect, we

Uncle Tom’s Cabin American History

1. Slavery in the nineteenth century was different than slavery during the colonial times because nineteenth century slaves were exactly that – slaves. In colonial times, black slaves were actually treated more like indentured servants. Census records from 1651 indicate that Africans who completed their indentured servitude were set free as well as given their own land (McElrath, 2009). However, the practice of allowing indentured black slaves to be free increased the need for laborers and many landowners began requiring black people to become servants for life. This was unsuccessful and white landowners began to consider slavery as an option (McElrath, 2009). This differed from other countries and their practice of slavery because America began to implement complex and demanding slave codes that dictated exactly how slaves were to live and exactly what was required of them. For example, in 1661, Virginia devised a statute that required that newly born children would have the same status as their mother. As a result, the slave population continued to increase as female slaves gave birth to children (McElrath, 2009). Further, as time passed, America began to recognize slavery as a law, which also differed from other countries who relied on slavery. These laws required that all black people, even those that were already free, and their children would be considered slaves (McElrath, 2009). Therefore, Harry, the young son of Eliza was considered a slave because his mother was a slave (Stowe, Chapter 1, 2004). Finally, the nineteenth century practice of indentured servitude no longer applied to black people. Slavery is similar to indentured servitude but when black people are slaves they have no hope for freedom as they did during the colonial times. When a black person became a slave, he became a slave for life whereas a black indentured servant could look forward to a future of freedom. 2. According to Marie St. Clare, slavery is an essential aspect of life. Marie is a selfish and self centered woman who only cares about herself. She is constantly dreaming up afflictions in order to gain attention. At the same time, she views slaves with disgust and impatience (Stowe, Chapter 15, 2004). This may also be considered an argument against slavery as well. If Marie is so dissatisfied with her slaves then what is the point of having them in the first place? Marie’s husband, Augustine St. Clare denounces slavery and admits that it is evil. Augustine treats his slaves with compassion but also accepts slavery and continues to have slaves in his household (Stowe, Chapter 14, 2004). Although Augustine makes use of slaves in his own home, he does feel that slavery is morally wrong. This is in direct contrast to his brother Alfred, who strongly believes that the white race is the dominant race. A good example of this conflict comes in chapter nineteen when Prue, a slave from down the street, visits the St. Clare home selling rolls and tells Uncle Tom the sad story about the selling of her children as well as the death of one of them. Very shortly after, word comes that Prue’s master had whipped her to death. Augustine quite obviously disagrees with this act but admits that while he does not agree he is not going to do anything to make such events stop. He states that he is simply going to stay out of the way (Stowe, Chapter 19, 2004). Another example, tells of Augustine and his twin brother inheriting their father’s plantation and all the slaves. While Alfred embraced the notion of slavery and believed that dominating slaves was the rightful job a white man, Augustine had more compassion and â€Å"tamed† one specific slave and then gave him his freedom (Stowe, Chapter 19, 2004). Ultimately, the St. Clare family differed in their views on slavery but the fact remained that all three of these people relied on slavery every day. Marie was indifferent and Alfred wholeheartedly accepted slavery. However, Augustine felt that the danger of slavery would continue to be the difference in moral lines that human beings would draw with regards to what freedom meant and who it was meant for (Stowe, Chapter 19, 2004). 3. The paternalistic view towards slaves that many defenders of slavery internalized allowed them a sort of denial because deep down many of knew that enslaving human beings was morally wrong (Harper, 2003). Many Northern slave owners adopted their slaves and treated them like members of the family (Harper, 2003). However, kindness and compassion for slaves is never enough security for the slaves themselves. Uncle Tom had the good fortune to be sold to Augustine St. Clare and was treated respectably in his household (Stowe, Chapter 14, 2004). No amount of kindness could save Uncle Tom from the harsh reality of slavery after Augustine’s death. He is sold to Simon Legree, who is a cruel slave owner and treats his slaves in the worst possible ways (Stowe, Chapter 30, 2004). The Shelby’s own many slaves and they treat them kindly. However, Mr. Shelby, no matter how kind he is, has to sell some slaves and resolve some debt. In the end his kindness did not protect Uncle Tom from being sold (Stowe, Chapter 1, 2004). Similarly, the St. Clare family is mostly compassionate towards their slaves until Eva and Augustine die. Simon Legree becomes Uncle Tom’s next slave owner, and he is a harsh and cruel man, illustrating once again that the kindness of Augustine did not protect Uncle Tom from the cruelty of Simon Legree (Stowe, Chapter 30, 2004). Mr. Haley is largely indifferent to the slaves and sells and buys them when it will benefit him monetarily. His actions are not directly cruel but they do not ultimately protect the slaves either (Stowe, Chapter 1, 2004). Finally, George Harris tolerated slavery although his disbelief in Christianity prevented him from denouncing the moral problems associated with slavery. 4. The existence of a slave was a hard one. Many slaves ran away because they were tortured or beaten. Others ran away because the constant buying and selling of slaves tore apart families and many slaves escaped in an effort to reunite with their loved ones. Slaves were not allowed to get an education and were only provided the bare essentials for survival (Hayden, 2008). George Harris and his wife, Eliza are both slaves. George had the good fortune to work in a factory where he invented a machine that would clean hemp more efficiently. However, the owner of the factory believed he had invented the machine because he was lazy and removed him from the factory. As a result, George saw very little of his family. After some time passes, George decides to escape because he can no longer tolerate his existence as a slave. Further, George was being pressured by his master to take a new wife. George informs Eliza that he plans to escape to Canada and will try to secure her and Harry’s freedom once he gets there (Stowe, Chapter 1, 2004). George escaped slavery for the same reason that many other slaves escaped – he was tired of being treated so badly. Eliza also escapes when she learns that her young son, Harry had been sold. She had already suffered the loss of two children and did not want to lose her only remaining child. Eliza visited Uncle Tom’s cabin and he encouraged her to escape before being sold. Eliza tells them of her intention to follow after George and slips away before she can change her mind (Stowe, Chapter 1, 2004). While Eliza did not suffer direct abuse at the hands of the Shelby’s she did feel a compelling need to escape in order to protect her only remaining child. She obviously did not want to be separated from him, but she also did not want a wicked slave owner to get his hands on her son either. She felt her only option was to run. Ultimately, this husband and wife are both able to escape, but for very different reasons. George is tired of being treated badly and Eliza fears for the safety of her son. These two illustrations show the human nature of slaves and show their strong desires to be treated equally, remain close to their loved ones and protect their children. 5. The primary reason why slaves did not attempt to escape even when they outnumbered the white people is because they were afraid of being caught and returned to their rightful owners subject to even harsher treatment than before as punishment for trying to get away. This was the main obstacle slaves faced. If they were successful at escaping they really did not have any place to go because they lived in fear of being returned to their masters if caught. The main difference with the Federal 1850 Fugitive Slave Act was that it was ultimately created to keep the nation united. It was so controversial because it fueled the flames of the anti slavery versus slavery debated that continue to rage across the country. This Federal act allowed for a compromise. Texas gave up land in return for ten million dollars while the new states would not mention slavery and the issue would be left up to the individual states. Further, the act required that citizens participate in returning escaped slaves. Therefore, people helping slaves to freedom could face trial if they were caught aiding and abetting escaped slaves (PBS. org, 2009). Other things impeded slave action as well. For example, the slaves who belonged to Augustine St. Clare opposed action because they may have felt that life would not get any better than it already was. The slaves were treated with compassion and generally treated well when compared to other slave owners. At the same time, slaves belonging to Simon Legree may have been afraid to revolt because they feared for their lives if they were caught and returned to such a wicked slave owner. However, the interests of all slaves remained the notion of freedom but this freedom was not acted upon for fear of not finding anything better or fear of being caught and returned to an even worse life of slavery. Finally, many slaves may have felt that they were receiving everything they needed and allowed themselves to be dominated by the white people simply because they were afraid that nothing better would come along. They allowed the racial divides to continue because they were certain that black people would never be equal to white people and therefore, escape was futile (Stowe, 2004). 6. Slave rebellions were an extreme form of resistance by slaves against their white masters. Since the Haitian uprising in 1792, white landowners lived in fear of their African American slaves (Hooker, 1996). This slave rebellion proved that African Americans did not accept their status as slaves and there came a breaking point when they just needed to assert their independence and fight for their freedom. The Haitian slaves began an uprising that would leave thousands of people dead. Denmark Vesey was able to purchase his freedom but he was still very angry about the slave situation. Quoting scripture, Vesey motivated slaves to revolt and the result was countless white deaths. The slaves would post themselves at the doors of white landowners and start fires. When the whites came to the door they would be killed and then everyone else in the home would be killed also. Similar to the Haitian revolt, this revolt struck fear in the hearts of white slave owners. Nat Turner succeeded far more with his revolt. He and a slave named Will began the revolt by killing Will’s masters and then methodically killing all white slave owners they could and taking their slaves as part of their cause. Turner went into hiding and during this time the white slave owners were extremely afraid of his return (Hooker, 1996). The Underground Railroad was another form of slave resistance although it was a much more peaceful one. The Underground Railroad was made up of mostly black people, most famously Harriet Tubman, and some white people who helped fugitive slaves escape to freedom. This organization enabled many black slaves to find their freedom (PBS. org, 2009). However, many black slaves quietly resisted their white masters without escaping or revolting. For example, after Uncle Tom is bought by Simon Legree he befriends another slave by the name of Cassy. One afternoon he and Casey help each other in the fields and when Legree finds out he orders Uncle Tom to whip her. Uncle Tom refuses, which is a form of resistance, and he is beaten almost to death. However, he shows further resistance by accepting the beating in order to prevent the injury of a fellow slave (Stowe, Chapter 33, 2004). 7. Abolitionists such as Harriet Stowe called for an immediate end to slavery. In contrast the Anti-Slavery Movement of the 1800s was more of a gradual resistance to the continued use of slavery in the United States. Abolitionists wanted the entire slave trade to come to an end while the Anti-Slavery Movement was more concerned with stopping the spread of slavery into the colonies of the United States. Many abolitionists were Christian people who felt that slavery was against moral rules. However, abolitionism ended up being a gradual process as it took a great deal of time, energy and people to effectively gather the strength necessary to truly make changes that moved towards the freedom of black people. The Anti-Slavery Movement was able to make immediate changes with such passages of law as the Missouri Compromise of 1820 (Vernon-Jones, 2009). The Missouri Compromise determined which states would allow slavery and which states would not allow slavery. The compromise allowed the balance of power in Congress to be equal among slave and anti slave states (Vernon-Jones, 2009). Therefore, the Anti-Slavery Movement was able to immediately make some states free states and some states slave states. So while the Anti-Slavery Movement did not abolish slavery all at once as the abolitionists were trying to do, it did have more success making immediate and lasting changes than the abolitionists were able to do. Further, the primary way that abolitionists were able to gain support was through persuasion. Human persuasion is an extremely difficult task that takes a great deal of time. The Anti-Slavery Movement was more dependent upon actual laws and policy changes which made it more successful in the short term. However, neither movement was without violence as was evident in the Anti-Slavery activities at Harpers Ferry led by a famous anti slavery advocate, John Brown (Vernon-Jones, 2009). 8. All Northern whites were not committed to ending slavery. Many of them felt, as Augustine St. Clare felt, that slavery was wrong but they were not going to do anything about ending it because it certainly benefited their way of life. The senators included in the story held this opinion. For example, Senator Bird votes in favor of the Compromise of 1850 under the guise that slavery does not have anything to do with personal feelings but is more a matter of what the entire country wants instead. In other words, he defended his actions by agreeing that slavery was wrong but also realizing the importance that slavery had come to have in America. An example of this attitude is when Eliza and Harry come to his home looking for help and he helps them escape (Stowe, Chapter 37, 2004). Ophelia holds similar opinions. She does not agree with the idea of slavery while also believing that black slaves were inferior to white people. For example, she does not want Topsy, a slave friend of Eva’s, to touch her (Stowe, Chapter 25, 2004). However, after Eva’s death, Ophelia begins to realize that if a child could have such love towards the slaves, then she could to. She petitions to have Topsy given to her so she can reform her and then take her North and set her free. She finally begins to realize why she believes slavery is immoral through her relationship with a human slave (Stowe, Chapter 28. 004). While many people from the Northern states held similar opinions that slavery was bad many also disassociated themselves with the whole issue. Free black people and former slaves were not treated as cruelly as they were as slaves but they still did not gain equal status either. They were treated as human beings, but as inferior human beings. 9. The Christian churches and Northern economic inte rests helped contribute to the continuation of slavery because they also saw the economic value of slavery. The plantation owners in the North realized the benefit of slavery just as the Southern plantation owners did, even if they did not agree with the idea of slavery. This passive attitude allowed slavery to exist in America far longer than it should have. In this way, the North was every bit as responsible for the continuation of slavery as the South was. Many Northerners were unwilling to take a stand to help abolish slavery because it would hurt them economically, socially and in matters of convenience. This attitude helped contribute to what Stowe felt as the worst part of slavery – the separation of families. The book discusses the separation of parents and children often over the course of the story. Stowe repeatedly discusses the fear that parents will become separated from their children (Stowe, 2004). Further, Stowe felt that slavery as a whole corrupted everyone’s ideas because it allowed white people to view black people as inferior to themselves. Even non slave owners did not entirely embrace the idea that white people and black people were equal. The fundamental principle of slavery is an important component of American history and it was hard to let go of even when slaves earned their freedom. Stowe staunchly advocated for the abolishment of slavery but also for the equal treatment of black people. She believed that black people had equal rights to justice and freedom as those enjoyed by white people. She firmly believed in a society where colonization would be a reality even though equality was a long way off. However, when the white people agreed to colonize with the black people they would be taking one step towards helping justify the hurts caused by slavery (Stowe, Chapter 45, 2004). References Harper, Douglas. (2003). Slavery in the North. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://www.slavenorth.com/index.html. Hayden, Scott. (2008). The underground railroad. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://americanhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_underground_railway. Hooker, Richard. (1996). Slave rebellions. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/DIASPORA/REBEL.HTM. McElrath, Jessica. (2009). Slavery in Colonial Times. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/slavery/a/colonialslavery_2.htm. PBS.org. (2009). The compromise of 1850 and fugitive slave act. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2951.html. PBS.org. (2009). The underground railroad. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2944.html. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. (2004). Uncle Tom’s Cabin. New York: Barnes and Noble. Vernon-Jones, Russ. (2009). John Brown. Retrieved on April 4, 2009 from http://www.arps.org/aro/john_brown.htm.

Essay on Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice

Letters in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is one of the great love stories of our time. Its continued popularity shows that its essential story can still be adapted to modern day life. Set in the 1800s, it tells the love story of two people who gradually learn to understand each other and themselves. In the time that the novel is set, modern means of communication, for example telephones and computers were not yet invented. The most effective way of corresponding, especially over long distances, were letters. In this period, when people met in formal circumstances, for instance at a ball, where they were in company and never alone, they could not express their inner thoughts. Letters provided a†¦show more content†¦The tone Mr Collins uses immediately suggests a serious, aloof man who is self important, and this is reflected in his style, where the points he makes are laboured and unclear. He does not always use very specific language and his elaborate sentence structure and lack of paragraphs un derpin this impression. â€Å"I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace within the reach of my influence†. This illustrates the long winded sentences that Mr Collins often uses. Mr Collins mentions in his letter that he has recently been ordained; this might suggest that this vocation requires humility, compassion and understanding. However, in complete contrast to this, Mr Collins seems to use it as an opportunity to elevate his status. The only time does he appear to be servile is when mentioning Lady Catherine De Bourgh, â€Å"I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine De Bourgh† Mr Collins believes mentioning Lady Catherine De Bourgh would impress the Bennet family and raise his status in their eyes. 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Silica Tetrahedron Defined and Explained

The vast majority of minerals in the Earths rocks, from the crust down to the iron core, are chemically classed as silicates. These silicate minerals are all based on a chemical unit called the silica tetrahedron. You Say Silicon, I Say Silica The two are similar, (but neither  should be confused with silicone, which is a synthetic material). Silicon, whose atomic number is 14, was discovered by Swedish chemist Jà ¶ns Jacob Berzelius in 1824. It is the seventh most abundant element in the universe. Silica is an oxide of silicon—hence its other name, silicon dioxide—and is the primary component of sand. Tetrahedron Structure The chemical structure of  silica forms a tetrahedron. It consists of a central silicon atom surrounded by four oxygen atoms, with which the central atom bonds. The geometric figure drawn around this arrangement has four sides, each side being an equilateral triangle—a  tetrahedron. To envision this, imagine a three-dimensional ball-and-stick model in which three oxygen atoms are holding up their central silicon atom, much like the three legs of a stool, with the fourth oxygen atom sticking straight up above the central atom.   Oxidation Chemically, the silica tetrahedron works like this: Silicon has 14 electrons, of which two orbits the nucleus in the innermost shell and eight fill the next shell. The four remaining electrons are in its outermost valence shell, leaving it four electrons short, creating, in this case, a   cation with four positive charges. The four outer electrons are easily borrowed by other elements. Oxygen has eight electrons, leaving it two short of a full second shell. Its hunger for electrons is what makes oxygen such a strong oxidizer, an element capable of making substances lose their electrons and, in some cases, degrade. For instance, iron before oxidation is an extremely strong metal until it is exposed to water, in which case it forms rust and degrades. As such, oxygen is an excellent match with silicon. Only, in this case, they form a very strong bond. Each of the four oxygens in the tetrahedron shares one electron from the silicon atom in a covalent bond, so the resulting oxygen atom is an anion with one negative charge. Therefore the tetrahedron as a whole is a strong anion with four negative charges, SiO44–. Silicate Minerals The silica tetrahedron is a very strong and stable combination that easily links up together in minerals, sharing oxygens at their corners. Isolated silica tetrahedra occur in many silicates such as olivine, where the tetrahedra are surrounded by iron and magnesium cations. Pairs of tetrahedra (SiO7) occur in several silicates, the best-known of which is probably hemimorphite. Rings of tetrahedra (Si3O9 or Si6O18) occur in the rare benitoite and the common tourmaline, respectively. Most silicates, however, are built of long chains and sheets and frameworks of silica tetrahedra. The pyroxenes and amphiboles have single and double chains of silica tetrahedra, respectively. Sheets of linked tetrahedra make up the micas, clays, and other phyllosilicate minerals. Finally, there are frameworks of tetrahedra, in which every corner is shared, resulting in a SiO2 formula. Quartz and the feldspars are the most prominent silicate minerals of this type. Given the prevalence of the silicate minerals, it is safe to say that they  form the basic structure of the planet.