The Mystery That Was Jay Gatsby - 1272 Words

The Mystery that was Jay Gatsby â€Å"I carry on a little business on the side, a sort of sideline, you understand† (Fitzgerald 87). In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is the closest Jay Gatsby comes to revealing how he actually made his fortune. And even here, he doesn’t reveal much, but Nick Carraway assumes it’s something illegal when Gatsby goes on to say, â€Å"It happens to be a rather confidential sort of thing† (Fitzgerald 88). Gatsby is a mysterious man. Because he is evasive and even untruthful about his life and wealth, everyone around Gatsby makes up their own stories about him. Gatsby’s background is so unfathomable, it is speculated that he acquired his money by playing a part in illegal activities including fixing the 1919 World Series and Prohibition. Jay Gatsby’s is a rags-to-riches story that on the surface appears to be the fulfillment of the American Dream. Born James Gatz, he comes from the Midwest, specifically North Dakota. His parents were unsuccessful farmers. He was determined to be leave poverty behind. He first became the personal assistant of Dan Cody, who he happened to meet on Lake Superior. Cody gave him his first taste of wealth, and he liked it. They traveled around the world three times and stayed together for five years. After Cody died, Gatsby went into the military. It was during that time that he met Daisy Buchanan, a rich socialite. He fell in love with her, but because he was not wealthy, Daisy’s family did not approve of theirShow MoreRelatedEssay The Character of Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby526 Words   |  3 PagesThe Character of Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby Time tells us that success often comes with a price. Often money will create more problems than it can solve. The richness of a person’s soul can be hidden in the folds of money. Such is the case of Jay Gatsby. 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Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as a man who everyone wants to know and copy but deep down are very envious of him. Gatsby trusts few people and those whom he trusts know his life story. To everyone else, he is a mystery. Everyone seems obsessed with Jay Gatsby. For this reasonRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1720 Words   |  7 Pagesthem prosperity in life. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald delves into the American Dream and it’s demise. Fitzgerald focuses on the character of Jay Gatsby to materialize the false image that the American Dream created in the 1920’s. Gatsby is the protagonist of the novel, and is famous for throwing massive parties regardless of the secret life that he lives. The narrator, Nick Carraway, dives into Jay Gatsby’s li fe and the vision of the American Dream. 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Minimum And Livable Wage Term Paper - 3050 Words

MINIMUM AND LIVABLE WAGE TERM PAPER 1 Minimum and Livable Wage Term Paper Ben Berlin Xiaotong Huang Nikki Iloka Santos Rugel Loyola University - Compensation 413 Historical Overview Since its inception, minimum wage has been a controversial topic among economists. The United States passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a federal minimum wage law, in 1938 and has increased its wages and who it covers at sporadic intervals. Minimum wage can be defined as the smallest amount of compensation an employee receives for performing labor (depending on the industry). Since the federal government decided a minimum wage, it is illegal and a labor crime to pay any employee less than the federal minimum wage (Neumark and Wascher,†¦show more content†¦Roosevelt endorsed a series of economic programs called the New Deal. Before the FLSA came along, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) was the most important statute to help the U.S. recover from the Great Depression. The NIRA provided many provisions for the later statutes and the FLSA of 1938 is the one law that provides for a federal minimum wage (Congressional Digest, 2013). According to the FLSA, the coverage of the minimum wage is divided into enterprise coverage and individual coverage. At the company level, the organization must have more than two employees and more than $500,000 in annual profits. At the individual level, if the organization does not have more than $500,000 annual profits, employees will still be covered if they are individually engaged in interstate commerce. Interstate commerce means that the individual must have products that can be shipped out of the original state, in order to create more jobs and stimulate more than just the local economy (promoting trade) (Bradley, 2013). Throughout this paper we will delve into the history of minimum wage policies within the United States, explore its positive and negative side effects, and take a unique perspective on how heightened unemployment rates can be directly tied to raises in the minimum wage. Minimum Wage Policy The United States has a plethora of labor laws in place to help clarify the rights of workers, employers, and even labor unions. Federal

Human Resources Issues in Mining Free Essays

Human Resource Strategies 660 Monday, Trimester 1 2011, 18th April Assignment 3 HR Case Analysis at Workplace Word Count:2500 I. Introduction The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008 affected lots of industries including the miners. Employment in mining is particularly vulnerable to a cycle of rapid expansion and contraction, as changing economic circumstances cause demand and prices for certain commodities to rise or fall. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Resources Issues in Mining or any similar topic only for you Order Now Eventually the GFC resulted in lots of labour cutbacks in the resource industry (Australian Government, 2009). The key human resources (HR) challenges facing the West Australian mining industry for the next few years are considered to be: replacing retirees; the retention of key talent; growing the talent pool training and development; and keeping staff motivated (Dickie and Dwyer, 2010). On the other hand the WA Chamber of Minerals Energy (CME, 2006) identified a number of HR strategic issues for the WA resource sector like; skills shortage, employee attraction and retention, flexible workplace practices, indigenous employment opportunities and community-regional services. The company I work for decided to go through downsizing in order to reduce the operating costs during GFC. This article aims to delineate several HR issues as a result of global downsizing process in the organisation. The main focus will be sudden redundancies, decrease in motivation, labour shortage, health and safety issues and recruitment of new employees. Since several HR issues are interrelated to each other, with the purpose of this article, the main focus will be mainly on downsizing policy and its short and long term effects in the organisation. II. The Downsizing Policy and Its Effects Organizational downsizing is a prevalent strategy designed to improve organizational performance while selectively decreasing costs. It refers to â€Å"an organizational decision to reduce the workforce in order to improve organizational performance† (Kozlowski et al. , 1993). Therefore stemming from the desire to become more efficient and effective, firms in both the private and the public sectors has adopted downsizing strategies (Cameron, 1987). Furthermore, the increasingly dynamic and competitive workplace and the trend toward globalization have prompted many firms to downsize (Appelbaum et. l, 1999). The GFC created considerable uncertainty, in the mining industry. In addition to the recruitment and retention issues, organisations were faced with trying to keep staff motivated at a time when more job losses were predicted and budgets became getting tighter (Dickie and Dwyer,2010). My current employer decided to go through global downsizing as a response to GFC. Fifty per cent of the employees were made redundant and number of the projects was tremendously decreased due to the limited budget. The HR department played an active role in that period to manage the downsizing process. One of the strengths during this process was keeping good communication between HR and the upper level managers. The process was completed with collaborative work between HR and management. The professional assist received from consultants involved improvement the employees’ self awareness levels, increase their motivation and confidence as well as creating effective CVs. However during downsizing process several HR related issues started to rise in the company. The employees who remained in the company lost their trust and motivation. Besides due to loss of skilled labour the productivity decreased and the incident numbers dramatically increased. The turn-over rates were high and the team dynamics were damaged. Eventually the sudden decision given by upper managerial level due to economical downturn resulted serious HR issues in the company. The downsizing process and its long and short term influences for this case study is summarised in Figure 1 below. Global Downsizing Global Financial Crisis HR Issues Redundancies Survival syndrome in remaining employees Increased turn-over records Skills Shortage Increase number of injuries in the company Management of HR Issues Aggressive recruitment policy (overseas transfers, secondments , graduates) Employee Engagement Survey Re-evaluation of salary packages and staff benefits Job Analysis and Talent Assessment Improved Graduate Development Program Maintaining trainings and developments Improvement in Health and Safety System Figure 1. The HR Issues of company. II. A. Survival Syndrome Since company mainly focused on those who lost their jobs; the employees who remained in the company suffered more after redundancies. Employee resentment and concern, loss of morale was high among the remaining employees. The labour shortage created several issues for employees like job burnouts, working longer hours, increased pressure, and role overload and decrease morale. Unfortunately the bad influence of downsizing on the psychology of remaining employees was not well managed by HR department of the company. Brockner (1992) defines ‘the survivor syndrome’ as impact of downsizing on the remaining employees. There is considerable evidence that remaining employees feel shocked, embittered towards management, fearful about their future and guilty about still having a job whilst colleagues have been laid off. Such employees are more likely to have lower morale and increased stress levels, be less productive, and less loyal with increased quit levels. According to study 70 percent of senior managers who remained in downsized firms reported that morale, trust, and productivity declined after downsizing those who lose their jobs may seem the most affected by downsizing, it is more likely that the employees who remain suffer the more negative effects (Appelbaum et. al, 1999). Eventually the HR was not able to create good strategy to keep the remaining employees’ motivation high during downsizing process. Shook and Roth (2010) explained that failure to identify employee issues in the pre-downsizing due diligence phase creates a chaotic workplace atmosphere and increases employee fears and stress levels. These change events affect career uncertainty, fear, and stress in employees. Employees have long-term memories of their old comfortable culture and they fight to keep it. Employee resistance includes a variety of passive as well as aggressive techniques. Culture change may take years to complete and can be difficult to manage, even when HR is fully engaged and supported. These transitions are more difficult to manage when HR is not involved. In fact, culture change may never be fully realized without HR support because of the human resistance (Szabla, 2007). Furthermore due to limited professionals the remaining staff started to have difficulty to maintain the work and life balance. The consequences of imbalance between work and personal or family life were visible at the workplace. The emotional exhaustion, cynicism and burnouts were common. Unfortunately The HR department was not fully aware of the situation until the employee turnovers increased and also effectiveness decreased. With shortages of professionals and an active economy the pressures on existing employees looks set to rise and therefore this is an area which needs to be benchmarked and revisited with a view to adopting best practice throughout the sector (Wilkinson, 2008). II. B. Skills Shortage On the other hand downsizing affects employees’ affective commitment to the organization both directly and indirectly. However, its indirect impact is much stronger (Lee and Corbett, 2005). Apart form the short term sudden effects the long term effects of the downsizing started in the organisation. Working with less force resulted in company to have inadequate supply of talent, increasing number of health and safety incidents at workplace and delays in production due to limited talented labour force. Especially after the recent mining boom, the company decided to increase the number of production activities in spite of limited skilled labour. It is a big challenge nowadays to find the specialised professionals in the mining industry. Apparently the HR division and management team chosen to concentrate on short-term needs rather than the organisation’s long term eeds during GFC. Sheaffer et. al (2009) claim that whereas downsizing affects the short-term performance of larger and established companies positively, it generally affects long-term performance inversely. A common mistake for HR managers is to concentrate on short-term replacement needs rather than on the organisation’s long-range HR requirements. Such a non-strategic approach causes management to be caug ht unawareness by changes in employee availability and quality of labour, creates a series of short-term dilemmas. Stone also adds that of the right numbers of qualified and skilled employees are not available, an organisation may not be able to meet its strategic business objectives (Stone, 2010). The mining companies are now beginning to acknowledge that the current supply shortage is already impacting the productivity, efficiency and profitability of their operations. The shortage of skilled workers in combination with high turn-over rates are among the top factors impacting industry growth, either by stopping or delaying projects that would otherwise proceed, or by significantly adding to the cost of new projects (Schultz and Grimm, 2008). During boom times, mining companies find it difficult to attract staff, even though huge salaries are on offer. This highlights a challenge quite unique to mining; namely, attracting highly skilled people to the remote location of most mine sites (Ednie, 2004). Eventually the skills shortage is still one of the biggest issues in the organisation. Since most of the experienced (high-cost) employees were made redundant company faces challenges in finding the experienced professionals. The HR department started the recruitment process however the mining market is still sparse of skilled professionals in specific roles. This is one of the biggest challenges for the HR department. II. C. Health and Safety Issues Poor occupational health and safety (OHS) performance equates with poor human resource management (HRM), and poor ethical, legal and social responsibility (Stone, 2010). Since the mining boom hit the market recently the mining organisations increased their production activities in order to compete among the resource market. However the number of the staff stayed same while the number of projects was tremendously increasing. This lead to enhance health and safety related incidents at work place. Specifically in this case during the downsizing process most experienced staff with extensive safety culture made redundant. This created a big gap in management of health and safety issues in the company. When employees leave, they take valuable process knowledge, customer and supplier relationships and a host of organizational know-how with them (Schultz and Grimm, 2008). The inexperienced new employees (i. e graduates, overseas staff) have difficulty in implementing the high quality safety standards due to their sparse knowledge about the safety system of the organisation. Therefore increased emphasis on HR management is particularly important to the development of safety culture in the organisation. On the other hand once the crisis in the division was more visible due to increased number of incidents and low quality work the HR department started to take active role in collaboration with upper management. The pro-active recruitment strategy implemented in order to attract more skilled employees. Moreover â€Å"global employee engagement survey† was performed in order to evaluate the current employee’s satisfaction and asses the major HR related issues at that time. This survey added tremendous value to the group to define the major problems in the organisation. The HR department in collaboration with upper managers performed well by initiating extensive survey and also by following up the survey results. III. Improvement in HR Strategies Successive HR planning is essential in order to solve any HR issues at the workplace. During the downsizing process HR department has an important role. Chadwick et al. (2004) indicates that downsizing is more likely to be effective in the longer term when accompanied by accompanied by practices that reinforce the contribution of HR to financial success (e. . , extensive communication, respectful treatment of redundant employees and attention to survivors concerns over job security). Levin (2009) identified three broad priorities in Australian businesses: (1) Retention strategies. (2) Downsizing or â€Å"Right sizing† activity will continue. (3) Organisations need to continue to invest in their people. I n a downturn economy, HR practitioners need to be emphasising to their organisations that it is necessary to do the right thing for the long-term value and sustainability of the business (Levin,2009). This includes recognising the link between leadership and performance, and hence ensuring that leadership talent is retained, developed and, most importantly, allowed to lead through the tough times (HRL, 2009). Based on the literature survey several strategies are proposed in this section to manage the previously defined critical HR issues: A. Investment in HR systems in the organisation: Especially during the global decisions the HR should be in collaboration with all levels of management. Alignment between the business and human resource management (HRM) strategy is the key factor of success for organisations (Wylie,2005 and Wang and Shyu, 2008). Implementing proactive HRM practices and succession planning programs should be one of the targets. B. Gap Analysis: Clear understanding of the problems is severe in HR practice. In order to manage the ‘survivor syndrome’ HR should focus on motivation of remaining employees. The department can make detailed gap analysis and survey in order to assess the staff morale and expectations. This should be followed by upper management actions. C. Optimising Human Capital: Mining companies needed to communicate the reasons for staff redundancies and budget cutbacks and engage their staff in decisions going forward in order to generate trust among their remaining workforce so that they could remain competitive once the economy improved. HR should create serious strategies in order to make people connected to the organisation (Dickie and Dwyer, 2010). D. Talent Assessment: The employee talent assessment in collaboration with HR and line managers will address the current skills gap in the organisation. This will also give good understanding about the skills and expectations of the current staff. E. Training and Career Development: Developing a collaborative, cross-industry strategy for training/educational programs and employer-provided training to facilitate the availability of a skilled labour force is one of the retention strategies. Company should actively support and enhance the people skills and relational abilities of all employees through training and development programs (Dickie and Dwyer, 2010). With this perspective well structured graduate and mentoring program also can be attractive especially for the Gen Y workers. F. Focus on improvements in leadership: Training managers to actively manage retention in their areas also adds value. Besides the leadership competencies of the management should be improved ino der to solve the current challenge. Pick et. al (2010) proposes action reflection learning (ARL) methodology as an HR tool to improve the skills of leaders in the organisation. G. Improvement in Health and Safety: The current safety culture should be measured by HR. Sexton et al (2006) describes Safety Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ) as an HR tool which helps to measure the team work climate, job satisfaction, perceptions of management, safety climate, working conditions and stress recognition. Also learning from incidents as well as improved safety system should be managed by HR. On the other hand visible leadership and supervising on sites should be maintained to assist the new employees. H. Growing the Talent Pool: Since it is a big challenge to attract the best employees in the market, employee benefit offerings such as full medical, dental, profit sharing and wellness programs could be effective. Attractive packages in a work culture with a family-oriented atmosphere need to be developed. Recruitment strategies should be improved to persuade the skilled specialists in the market. I. Communication: The mostly effective companies have two-way communication between senior leaders and employees. A good communication plan on how to deliver HR initiatives would be beneficial (Dickie and Dwyer,2010). IV. Conclusion Since mining operations operate with a finite resource, often remote locations, require specialised skills, with high capital intensity and are subject to political, social and environmental global issues. Downsizing policies will be choice of the organisations in the market with plunging commodity prices and falling demand (Dickie and Dwyer,2010). Strong HR strategy creating a link between leadership and performance is a key factor to cope with these trends in the resource sector. References Appelbaum, S. H. , A. , Everard, and L. T. S. , Hung. 1999. Strategic downsizing:critical success factors. Management Decision, 37(70): 535-552. http://www. emeraldinsight. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au Brockner, J. 1992. Managing the Effects of Layoffs on Survivors, California Management Review. (34): 9-27. Cameron, K. S. , D. A. , Whetten, and M. U. , Kim. 1987. Organizational dysfunctions of decline, Academy of Management Journal, 30: 126-38. Chadwick, C. , L. W. , Hunter, and S. L. , Walston. 2004. Effects of Downsizing Practices on the Performance of Hospitals, Strategic Management Journal, 25(5):405–427. CME . 2006. Australia Strategic Management Issues Facing WA in 2007 and beyond, Chamber of Minerals Energy, Perth. Department of Resources Energy and Tourism, Australian Government, 2009. Our people: Demographics, workforce and Indigenous Participation. Enhancing Australia’s Economic Prosperity. ttp://www. ret. gov. au/energy Dickie, C. , and Dwyer, J. 2010. A 2009 perspective of HR practices in Australian mining. Journal of Management Development. 30(4):329-343. Ednie, H. 2004. Innovative solutions for mining’s human resource challenges, CIM Bulletin, 97(1076):9. HRL. 2009. How HR Can Revive to Survive, Human Resources Leader, Chatswood. Kozlowski, W. J. S. , G. T. , Chao, E. M. , Smith, and J. , Hedlund. 1993. Organizational downsizing: strategies, interventions, and research implications, International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 8: 263-317. Levin, A. 2009. HR Priorities in 2009: The Landscape Continues to Change, Brisbane. http://www. astorlevin. com Lee, J. , and J. M. Corbett. 2005. The impact of downsizing on employees’ affective commitment, Journal of Managerial Psychology,21(3):176-199. Pick, D. , K. ,Dayaram and B. Butler. 2010. Regional development and global capitalism:the case of the Pilbara, Western Australia, Society and Business Review, 5(1):99-110. http://www. emeraldinsight. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au Schultz, R. and M. , Grimm. 2008. Recruitment and Retention Challenges in the Mining Industry, MRC-Business Consulting Services. http://mining. com Sexton, J. B. , R. L. Helmreaich, T. B. Neilands, K. Rowan, K. Vella, J. Boyden. , et al. 2006a. The safety attitudes questionmnaire:Pschometric properties, benchmarking data, and emerging research. BMC Health Services Research, 6(1): 1-44. Sheaffer,Z. , A. Carmeli, M. S. , Revivo, and S. Zionit. 2009. Dwonsizing strategies and organisational performance:a longitudinal study, Management Divison, 47(6):950-974. http://www. emeraldinsight. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au/ Shook, L. V. , and G. Roth. 2010. Downsizings, mergers, and acquisitions –Perspectives of human resource development practitioners, Journal of European Industrial Training. 35(2):135-153. http://www. emeraldinsight. com. dbgw. lis. curtin. edu. au Stone, R. J. (2008) â€Å"Managing Human Resources† 3rd Edition, Brisbane: John Wiley Sons. Szabla, D. 2007. A multidimensional view of resistance to organizational change: exploring cognitive, emotional, and intentional responses to planned change across perceived leadership strategies, Human Resource Development Quarterly, 18( 4):525-58. Wang, D. and C. , Shyu. 2008. Will the strategic fit between business and HRM strategy influence HRM effectiveness and organisational performance? , International Journal of Manpower, 29(2):92. Wilkinson, S. J. 2008. Work-life balance in the Australian and New Zealand surveying profession, Structural Survey, 26(2):120-130. Wylie, J. 2005. The ideal antidote to shrinking margins – doing more with your existing assets and people, Engineering and Mining Journal, 206(6):58. How to cite Human Resources Issues in Mining, Papers

Langston Hughes English Term Paper free essay sample

English Term Paper Langston Hughes is a famous African-American poet whose work is known for interpreting racial relationships in the United States during the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a great literary and artistic movement that took place during the 1920s and early 1930‘s which celebrated African-American culture. Many of Hughes’ poems were influenced by the contemporary music movements as his sense of racial pride continued to increase. Furthermore, he is well recognized for including an African-American perspective in his work. Raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Hughes always had a passion for literature and poetry.He used his personal experiences with family to assist him when he wrote poetry. In response to W. E. B. Du Bois’ idea of â€Å"double consciousness† to the African American cultural identity, Hughes writes the poem â€Å"Theme for English B. † Hughes is able to implement the â€Å"double consciousness† in his poetry by expressing his own identity and struggle alongside with the struggle of African Americans. Furthermore, in this poem, Hughes writes â€Å"I am twenty-two, colored, born in Winston-Salem / I went to school there, then Durham, then here / to this college on the hill above Harlem† (7-9).Hughes explores his thoughts as he self assesses himself and this sets the tone throughout the poem. The setting brings forth a young college student experiencing the world through a coloured man’s eyes, a time during desegregation. Further into the poem, the reader is able to understand more about Hughes and his thoughts on racial difference. He is able to provide his views of racism, social status, and political equality in America. Hughes depicts himself as young, coloured and educated male and tries to give the reader an understanding of his life experience, thus implying the inseparability of his personal experiences from what he writes.He states his concern in the poem: â€Å"I wonder where Im gonna die, / Being neither white nor black? † (11-12). Hughes is able to relate to the subject in the poem to his life by connecting his personal experiences to the content of what he writes, therefore proving to the reader that that he is inseparable from what he writes. The subject in the poem mirrors his own personal dilemma; he is biracial and does not know his place in society. Neither of his parents raised him which added to his confusion of not knowing where he was going to die.However, it is evident from his writings that Hughes does not blame them for his own struggle with identity. Due to Hughes dark complexion, he was not accepted by the white community, and he began to answer the question of who he was by identifying himself with the black race. His inclination to the black race was shaped by his Harlem surroundings as it had a powerful influence on the Harlem Renaissance. During this time he went to school at Columbia University where he was able to witness and participate in the Renaissance firsthand. His decision to attend Columbia ruined the relationship between him and his father.During this time he realized that he should be proud of who he is, by celebrating his heritage and that disliking and blaming others cannot change who he is. In relation to his personal struggle, Hughes’ response and thoughts to racial discrimination and segregation are brought forward though his literature. Langston Hughes’, â€Å"Theme for English B† is one of his main works which addresses the issues of the problems of racial difference. His writing points out that race does not completely define the character of an individual. The diction used in this poem is very simple, but its meaning is very complex.His simple diction finds common ground between various class, culture and race. Hughes starts the poem by stating the things that bring him pleasure: â€Å"Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love. / I like to work, read, learn, and understand life. / I like a pipe for a Christmas present† (21-23). He exemplifies the fact that racial differences does not equal to one’s likes and dislikes. This is evident when he writes, â€Å"I guess being colored doesn’t make me not like / the same things other folks like who are other races† (25-26). He reasons, that being an African-American does not differentiate him from other races.Hughes shows that one’s colour should not divide communities. He then questions what if â€Å"my page be colored that I write? † (27) and beings to wonder if race will make a difference in what he writes and if he will be able to communicate with a white instructor since he is black. The subcultural* differences between the black and white races prevents each from determining common grounds for communicating. However, Hughes attempts to break down these communication issues through his poetry and by implying that every individual is part of different sub-cultures and that each individual varies from the other through their degree of education.However, Hughes states that everyone is alike because they share the same struggles. The theme of equality is introduced into his poem, an issue which at the time of its writing. He believes and portrays to the reader that African-Americans and Caucasian people can share the same beliefs and appreciate the same things. Furthermore, he perpetuates that Americans, either black or white, have similar interests. By using the instructor as his representation of white people, Hughes shows that black and white people share something in particular, in that they are all Americans.Ultimately, what Hughes points out that people of all races can co exist and can benefit and learn from each other as he writes, â€Å"As I learn from you, / I guess you learn from me / although you’re older and white / and somewhat more free† (38-40). It is evident that Hughes believes that people of all races are part of each other and should able to live together. He portrays this belief in his poem in a very powerful and motivating way. Throughout the poem his demeanor is very calm and is no way disrespectful. He brings controversial issues to the attention of the public without making accusations, instead he poses harmless questions, engaging the reader in critical thinking without insulting them. Hughes is aware that we may have racial feelings of separation from others but he believes that we are all still part of a highly interconnected network. Therefore, Hughes is able to encourage thought and inspired contemplation towards racial differences in his poem, â€Å"Theme for English B. † Through his writings and his responses to racial discrimination, Hughes attempts to conquer aspects of racial discrimination.In his poem â€Å"Negro,† Hughes narrates a story of his life as a Negro and the life that he is proud to have. The poem also reflects the history of African Americans and the trials and tribulations that he had to endure. The title â€Å"Negro† has two meanings relating to the identity of the subject and what the poem is about. Hughes starts his poem by displaying his pride in his self, culture and heritage, â€Å"I am a Negro: / Black as the night is black, / Black like the depths of my Africa† (1-3). Furthermore, this phrase is significant because it centralizes on the xenophobic nature of Caucasian people.Hughes himself becomes the entire black race throughout history and reveals his emotional ties that he has with Africa. To represent all the African-Americans, Hughes uses the pronoun â€Å"I,† â€Å"They lynch me still in Mississippi. / I am a Negro† (16-17). By doing this, Hughes is able to use many illusions to display the large role black people played throughout history despite racial discrimination. He goes on to include historical events involving African-Americans and how they were treated during his time. He expresses his emotional experiences and makes the reader contemplate the reality of the life of an African-American throughout history.Hughes does this so that everyone who reads this poem understands its meaning and his purpose in writing it. He adds well recognized landmarks that are familiar to the reader to describe points of his interest. By adding personal pronouns, the reader is able to imagine the pain and suffering African-American people had to endure. With the simple structure of the sentences arrangements, Hughes is able to clearly and concisely express to the reader some of the tremendous struggles of African-Americans. Thus, one may observe that his writings have a certain instructive nature to it.Hughes attempts to conquer racial discrimination for himself as well as the entire African American race by enlightening the reader about how far African-Americans have come from times of slavery. Thus, the reader may observe that the problems associated with race that Hughes identifies are issues which still exist. Hughes’ writing during the Harlem Renaissance responded to and questioned the problems associated with racial differences. Hughes tried to portray Harlem in positive words and images. He wanted his readers to think of Harlem as a place where everyone was alike and at the same time unique.Hughes was recognized for adding an African-American perspective in his works as he was immersed in the Harlem Renaissance. In his writings, the themes of struggling to accept and understanding ones ethnic identity are evident. In â€Å"Theme for English B,† Hughes attempts to dissolve racial discrimination by displaying how two different races have a significant amount in common and are dependent on one another. Furthermore, in â€Å"Cross,† Hughes displays that everyone should be proud of who they are and should embrace their cultural heritage.