Tuesday, November 23, 2010

MBA Essay Writing

MBA Essay Writing Help

Do you have no idea how to write a good MBA essay for your admission? Do you need guidelines about writing MBA essays? Each student can find free MBA essay writing help online by visiting different helpful resources with tips and articles written by professors for students. Some suggestions regarding MBA essay topics and ideas, how to created an effective title and outline for MBA essays and finally how to organize a successful MBA essay will be helpful to all university students. In addition to tutorials and guides students also can browse MBA essay databases from which they can download MBA essay samples and examples of MBA essays on a number of topics. However, all free MBA essays are plagiarized, they can help students with writing their own academic MBA papers. Sample MBA essay writing and MBA essay writing examples are designed for university students to assist them in MBA essay paper writing.

Our professional MBA essay service will provide you with quality MBA writing assistance on any topic. We work with qualified MBA writers to produce non-plagiarized essays of the finest quality. Your MBA essay paper will be properly formatted in APA or MLA citation format. Our MBA writers will do everything possible to meet all your academic degree needs. We write your MBA essays from scratch, so you won't have to worry about plagiarism in our custom works. Just place a custom MBA essay order with us including your MBA essay topic, number of pages and sources to be included in your paper, delivery – when you need your MBA paper is finished by writers and some additional details. When it is completed, pay with a few clicks for custom essay for MBA degree with PayPal or MoneyBookers, and only after we got notification that you paid for service, the work on your MBA essay, term paper, research paper, thesis or dissertation begins. Your MBA essay assignment will be delegated to the best MBA writer who will complete your paper within your deadline. For convenience, you can contact 24/7 customer support who will answer all your questions regarding your MBA essay writing. Buy a custom written MBA essay online and forget about your academic writing problems.

Essay on "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow

Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow Summary

There seems to be a never-ending debate on whether popular literature or artistic literature is more appealing and more importantly contributes to its society. Completely transcending this debate is Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow. It has undeniable proven its success in both areas. Unlike other works of art whose freshness makes them too difficult for widespread audiences, Ragtime became a best-seller in its hardcover edition during the mid 1970s when it was released.

Every American family seemed to have a copy of the literature. Doctorow and Ragtime instantly became a household name. Although it is hard to believe that an event like Ragtime could happen more than once in an author’s lifetime, it seemed that every single one of Doctorow’s releases turned into a literary event after the huge success of Ragtime. Like all books, it is never perfect and can never please its critics who seems to find the littlest faults about the novel.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Ragtime for You!

It is sure that most reviewers like Newsweek’s Walter Clemons, Fiction International’s Daniel J. Cahill, and American Literature’s Barbara Foley can agree that Doctorow took the combination of historical and imaginary characters, a technique often used in historical novels but with only weak results, and manipulated these characters into a rich blend of writing that is entertaining, challenging, and most importantly brings forth the spirit of the time. Ragtime deals with a clashing culture with its victims and victimizers in the early turn-of-
the-century post World War I.

Walter Clemons of Newsweek points out in his article entitled “Houdini, Meet Ferdinand,” that many events like Younger Brother’s love affair with Evelyn Nesbit is of course fictional. But there is Evelyn Nesbit’s meeting with Emma Goldman, Henry Ford’s with J.P. Morgan, Houdini’s encounter with the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, whose assassination will touch off World War I and close out the era of ragtime? Did Houdini really become one of the first person to own a plane? And did he really spend the later years of his life looking into was to communicate with the dead to only come up empty hearted. Doctorow pushed the reader beyond his book to search for the validity of his characters. He claims that its admonitory epigraph from Scott Joplin, “Do not play this play fast. It is never right to play Ragtime fast” is impossible to obey. One can just rapidly read through the book to get know the ending but in order to really understand and grasp the magnificence of Ragtime, one must trace through the lines of events, coincidences and chance meetings of the men and women of the industrial manufacturing of America in a place where “the forms of life were volatile…and everything could as easily be something else (p. 73, 76),” could one truly comprehend the magnificence of Ragtime. Through this one find historical resonates in a fresh way to orchestrate the themes of American innocence, energy and inchoate ambition in a place with disorder and disillusion.

Daniel J. Cahill’s article entitled “History As the Dreams of Its People,” in Fiction International supports the idea that Ragtime incorporates historical characters into a rare view of American life before World War I. It shows a family seeking its way toward the dreams of a peculiar brand of human achievement and ultimately to the ironic discovery of the dissolution of its dreams.

Pointing out that Ragtime brings Harry Houdini to the Archduke Francis Ferdinand, but he also incorporates elements of fiction that force the readers to bring forth their own personal information of history to differentiate the facts from the fictions in the book. It can be argued that Ragtime “seizes the feel of human actuality and recreates a crucial turning in the “great experiment” of American life-a fusion of fact and interpretation, of history and imaginative illumination. (18: 121).” It is important to point out that Ragtime offers no ready references of ethical directions or indirections, leaving to the readers to interpret using their experience to feel the true message being conveyed.

Barbara Foley of American Literature argued in her article entitled “From ‘U.S.A.’ to ‘Ragtime’: Notes on the Forms of Historical Consciousness in Modern Fiction,” that Ragtime is a satirized commentary upon the development of American society in the early years of the twentieth century. Doctorow seemed to focus on problems stemming from sexual and racial oppression in the prewar period. While containing numerous sketches of historical personages, it incorporates fictional events with nonfiction characters while also adding true events that draws from the minds of the readers to test their history knowledge. Only through this way is the reader able to filter the fact from the fiction. It also does not contain and clear-eyed standard of ethical judgment but leaves it to the reader to determine from his or her own experience the morality of the characters and determination of the character’s role.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

ATTENTION!!! HotEssays.blogspot.com provides free sample essays and essay examples on any topics and subjects. EssayLib.com essay writing service produces 100% custom essays, term papers & research papers, written by quality essay writers only. The prices start from $10 per page. You can order a custom essay on Ragtime now!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Essay on "Ways of Seeing" by John Berger

John Berger, in his book of essays, "Ways of Seeing", offers provocative reasoning why the historical nature of art is critically important to both the individual and society. He argues that the most significant aspect of viewing art is its historical significance, not as a relic, but as a personal testimonial of a specific time and place. Berger boldly criticizes what he calls the “mystification” of visual art, created by elite classes. He argues that, in effort to maintain the status quo of a fragile, outdated, social structure; art and its valuable historical content has been controlled and obscured. Although his cultural critique is controversial, Berger poses a convincing argument for the historical relevance of art.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Ways of Seeing for You!

The ruling classes have always maintained the financial power to control works of art physically, and consequently their meaning. For this reason, as Berger illustrates statistically, the less educated lower classes have little or no interest in “art appreciation.” These heavily guarded “holy relics” are viewed as priceless objects, owned and maintained by the wealthy.

Consequently, these objects are not viewed as direct historical links offering crucial perspective for an individual to understand their present existence.

Berger illustrates convincingly that this historical ignorance negatively impacts the choices and actions one makes in the present. The past can be a powerful learning tool, offering proven examples for positive solutions. Henry David Thoreau’s essay, “Civil Disobedience”, inspired Mahatma Gandhi. The success of Gandhi and his peaceful methods became an example which later inspired and educated leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. to accomplish other changes. These examples may seem unrelated to Berger’s point; however, the significance of these events has been translated into visual art. Diego Rivera’s murals depicting the political and social struggles of Mexico are a perfect example of this translation.

In the ambitious task of his essay, Berger is largely successful in bringing attention to the historical relevance of visual art. Although Berger expands on what he views as a highly complex social problem, he offers no solution. A positive solution is the increasing trend of donations from private collections to museums, provide public accessibility to experience our artistic history.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Essay on Gangs of New York

Gangs of New York is a vengeful story based in 19th Century Manhattan. In 1860, Amsterdam Vallan (DiCaprio) is a young man who sets out to avenge the death of his father by killing his murderer, William Cutting a.k.a. “Bill the Butcher” (Day-Lewis). The story is raised out of the conflicts between the American born “Natives,” and the unwelcome Irish immigrants coming into the area, all being set in the Five Points District of New York, a seemingly barren and extremely violent neighborhood. Amsterdam’s father was killed in a gang war between the natives and the Irish at the hands of rival gang leader Bill the Butcher, a sadistic and remorseless thug who maintains the Native gang in order to “protect” their country from the hundreds of immigrants who came off the boats into America everyday. Ultimately, Amsterdam avenges his father’s death, and the movie ends after the historical “draft riots,” and in the middle of the Civil War.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Gangs of New York for You!

This film tells a small piece of American history, as many historical events and figures are depicted in the movie. In his show, All Things Considered, Robert Siegel interviews historian Tyler Anbinder to help point out the historical discrepancies in the film. Anbinder states how the film overall does a good job at depicting the conflict between the native born Americans and the settling foreigners immigrating to the area, as well as the Irish’s struggle to get a “fair share of the American pie.” The film also did very well in visually portraying the Five Points district, when it came to its scenery and setting. The purpose of the infamous “Draft Riots,” where mobs burned, killed and looted, rioting against the Civil War draft, was also a good portrayal in the movie. The riots were started mostly because of their refusal to fight for the end of slavery, and ended up taking out their anger on many of the African Americans in the city, lynching them in the streets. However, the major struggle of the Irish in Five Points was somewhat misplaced in the timeline, as by the Civil War the Irish were doing much better in society. According to Anbinder, director Martin Scorsese exaggerated and over-dramatized the actual amount of violence going on in that area during that era. Anbinder also listed other small inaccuracies, such as the time of year certain events took place, and overdone violence. One famous historical figure in the film was William “Boss” Tweed, a notorious politician and the leader of New York’s Tammany Hall. Tweed controlled Democratic nominations, fixed elections, and later held higher positions in government. But early on, he saw the Irish as an asset to the electoral process in New York. The depiction of Boss Tweed, played by Jim Broadbent, was also done acceptably. Anbinder concludes that when it comes to the historical specifics, the movie was satisfactory, but when it came to the overall conflict and premise, it was done exceptionally.

In Gangs of New York, politics is one of the main themes. The American born natives basically run the show, holding high positions in government and maintaining a violent presence in the streets. All the while, immigrants couldn’t get better jobs or earn a descent wage without having to deal with the will of the natives. In the film, government only had one role, and that was to reinforce the actions and conclusions of the natives. This film basically shows how corrupt a city can be on both sides of the spectrum, because ironically, the immigrant population had to cheat an election just to get one of their own into office. Personally, I find it hard to imagine living in such a place, with hardly any social order or safety.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Essay on The Bible as a Historical Document

There is much debate over the issue of the Bible’s validity as a historical document. Many believe that the Bible was never intended as a historical text. Instead, these people believe that the writings were meant to teach us life lessons and open our eyes to The Light. Nonetheless, the Bible tells the story of Jesus’s life, so many people read the Gospels as historical documents. Therein lies the problem.

One cannot take everything within the four gospels as fact. Each gospel offers a different version of events; different individuals wrote all four at different times and in different locations. The basic outline of Christ’s birth, life, death, and subsequent resurrection is consistent through all four gospels. It is only when one investigates the intricacies of the stories that the numerous discrepancies are revealed.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on The Bible for You!

One example of an inconsistency between the four Gospels comes when Jesus and his disciples are marching toward Golgotha. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Simon carries Jesus’s cross to the crucifixion. According to John, however, it was Jesus who carried the cross. Although this is only a minor detail within the story, it is significant because it casts doubt on the Bible’s validity as a historical document. How can a book contain such contradictory accounts of the same story and still be considered factual?

Another inconsistency occurs between the accounts given about the time of Jesus’s death. According to Matthew, a tremendous earthquake shook the ground after the Messiah took his last breath. In the other three Gospels, there is no mention of an earthquake.

The dialogue that occurs at the time of Jesus’s death also differs between Gospels. Within the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, just before dying, Jesus yells, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me,” (Matthew 27.46). After which, a centurion who had been observing the crucifixion says, “Truly this man was God’s son,” (Matthew 27.54). In Luke, Jesus instead yells, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” (Luke 23.46). The centurion says, “Certainly this man was innocent,” (Luke 23.47). In the Gospel according to John, Jesus dies quietly and the centurion is never mentioned. Given the importance that the Christian religion places on the death of Christ, it is hard to believe that the accounts given within the four Gospels could differ in so many ways.

In Matthew, Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary” are the first to learn of Christ’s resurrection. In contrast, the Gospel of Mark presents a third woman, Salome, and in the Gospel of Luke, many of the women who followed Jesus are present at the tomb. According to the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene is the only woman at the tomb on the day after the Sabbath.

Matthew’s account describes how the women are aided by an angel who rolls back the stone from the tomb’s entrance. In the other three Gospels, the stone is already rolled back when the women arrive.

The four Gospels seem to tell the story differently regarding what the women see while at the tomb as well. The women see an angel in Matthew’s version. According to Mark, they see a man in a white robe, and in Luke’s Gospel, the women see two men in dazzling clothes. Mary sees two angels and Jesus in the Gospel according to John.

The Gospels also differ on how many times Jesus appears to the disciples after his resurrection. In Matthew’s account, the Messiah appears to the disciples once on the top of a mountain in Galilee. Mark never even mentions the disciples encountering Jesus after his death. Luke explains how Jesus appears to two of his disciples while they are walking outside of Jerusalem, but they don’t recognize him until after he breaks the bread at their table. In the Gospel according to John, Jesus appears to his disciples on three separate occasions. First, he appears to all except Thomas in their home. Then, in order to eliminate Thomas’s doubt, Jesus appears to the disciples again. He appears to them one more time while they are fishing.

The death and resurrection of Jesus is the final chapter in his life story. Through this phenomena Jesus fulfills his prophecy, reassures those who have doubted him, and establishes himself as the world-renowned martyr people know him as today. How is it then that this section of the story has more discrepancies than all the others?

The only possible explanation is that the Bible was never intended as a historical document. Nor is that what it has been used for. People take faith in the teachings of the Bible, and they use this faith to help them live better lives. In their opinion, it is not necessary for the Gospels to be identical. The minor details are not what matters. The valuable component of the Bible is the lesson that the story can teach you.

There are people out there, however, who study the Bible as a historical text. These brave souls face many challenges. First of all is which account to believe. Many believe that Matthew’s Gospel is the closest to the truth factually because it was written earlier than the other three.

Others call Matthew, Mark, and Luke the Synoptics and claim John is the only Gospel that tells a different story. Others still use other Gospels that aren’t even written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John. With so many different opinions and so many different accounts to choose from, it is impossible to discover the one story that actually explains the history of Jesus’s life. The inconsistencies between the Gospels prevent the Bible from being read literally. It is valuable strictly as a religious text, not a history lesson.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marginality Theory Essay

Based on the study conducted by G Kathleen Grant and Jeffrey R Breese, marginality has always been targeted toward colored or minority groups in the American society. Grant and Breese are both sociologists. Grant is currently at the University of Findlay and Breese is at Saint Mary’s College under the department of sociology. They had different assumptions and categories in which they expected each individual respondent would fall under. Their categories were Affected, Emulative, Defiant, Emissarial, Withdrawn, and Balanced. We can see that these categories were conjured from four different assumptions. One is that inequalities of social resources can lead to marginality. A second is that marginality can narrow down one’s full participation within his or her social domain. Third are those social psychological reactions will occur when participation is limited. Finally, marginal behavior will proceed after social psychological reactions.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Marginality Theory for You!

The study was conducted at a state university in a midwestern city. It took them a few approaches before the number of potential respondents was large enough to conduct the study.

There were not many responses to the first approach mainly because it was only flyers seeking for volunteered participants. Second approach was the same as the first with an additional offer of ten dollars for participating, yet the expected number was still too low to form a study. They then decided to give out flyers at the student union where the majority was African American. They were able to gather twenty-three students at this state university for interviewing on marginality issues.

The results came out to be none in both Affected and Emulative from the study. Four cases demonstrated themselves to be characterized under Defiant. These respondents all had the ability to become successful but because of their refusal to obey the system of education this category would best fit them. One respondent was under Emissarial because of her background. She was raised from a middle-class African American family as well as being exposed to Anglo-American. Similarly, one respondent was categorized under Withdrawn due to the fact that she did not want to explore the resources that were available to her as a guided aid. There were nine cases experienced Balanced category. The respondents under this category were aware of the existence of two cultures and that they knew how to negotiate between the two. Although there were six expected categories for twenty-three students, several respondents did not match any of the six. Two new categories were introduced for the remaining students, which were Paradoxical and Uninvolved. Several students were under Paradoxical because they felt that using the system could help them succeed, but at the same time, they did not want to be with the dominant culture or view as being dominant. Uninvolved ended up with six cases. These respondents had very few or no exposure to racial experience. They were mainly in the atmosphere where there were predominately African Americans.

One defines different meanings of marginality base upon his or her personal experiences and social factors.

Marginal means excluded from or existing outside the mainstream of society or a group. Many of the students in this article were referring themselves as being marginal because they felt that there was an invisible barrier between them and the society. I believed that this barrier was formed by three major components and they were family background, personal experiences, and social influence.

Family is a major influence in one’s life. The children usually obey or follow the footsteps of their parents. More often than not, successful parents mostly expose their kids to the positive view of the society and tend to stray away from the negative. Successful parents does not necessary mean that they must have some sort of college degrees as long as they have the time to educate their kids to be well rounded. I noticed in the reading that those students who were listed under Balanced had at least a family member with a bachelor’s degree or had experiences at the universities. These respondents here had a very positive attitude. One clearly stated, “I can live on both sides of the track” (8). This shows that this person had had adequate exposure to both cultures in which he or she would rather focus on achieving personal goals than involving in racial issues. Growing up in America has had a huge influence in my life. I am from a family with both parents having a bachelor’s degree. They always encourage my brother and me to work ten times harder in education because they know that we are the minority and that the language is our disadvantage. I took that as a very serious statement because it is true that if you work hard you will succeed. I never really felt marginal in that the dominant culture will always get the advantage, although I am aware that there are many different cultures comprise in our society. I view that there is a big competition between everyone and not see it through racial image. Having an educated environment does play a role of balancing the marginality theory. In my case, I do see the distinction between my culture and the dominant ones yet I believe in achievement through self-identity.

From time to time, people will start to build up an image of who they are through personal experiences. Students who seek help for resources are most likely to become successful. Those who are in denial to look for resources or are just too lazy will result in lack of confidence and find life to be uncomfortable. This type of reaction eventually leads to being marginal because the students will alienate themselves from the academic system. For instances, one of the respondents thought, “I feel I don’t really get a fair shake. Everything here is geared for the Whites…Society have high standards and it doesn’t want the minorities to really achieve” (7).

The respondent seemed to endure quite a lot of racial experiences to have stated such a strong statement. We can see that a few of the students in the article viewed education as being a choice and not a must have. As we all know, education is the key to success. I have never felt that education was a choice to me. It was a little difficult finding help when I first entered the university. The language and culture have always been a big concern. I knew school was the right choice but I felt that I was not ready to take on the competition. I struggled on my own and it was not long till I found myself the Learning Resource Center. This was an excellent place for students like myself because it provided tutors, advisors, and extra classes. I had gained a very good experience and developed a much higher confidence level. If it was not for the resources, I would have felt very marginal due to the fact that my language and culture are not the dominant. Students who are not seeking for the resources are creating themselves a margin from the society. It only takes a little commitment to spark a brighter future.

It is always better to follow a group than being alone. This is one of the major issues in social influence. Social influence can affect one’s thoughts or ideas dramatically through group presentation. These ideas can be affected if there is a strong enough influence from the social group. Most of the time social influence can easily affect the individual due to psychological effect. Marginality plays a major role because our instincts are usually based upon what others have to say. Not many of these African American students were successful because they had lack of encouragement from their own culture. Those who were successful would be viewed as “kissing up to a White person.” This type of attitude will always maintain the marginal issues between two cultures. The students should face the reality themselves and not to let others affect them mentally. Social influence is a necessity only if it benefits and not to isolate from the society.

Since we are living under the atmosphere consists of predominantly Whites, it does automatically create a margin for us. As a Vietnamese American, I do depend on the dominant culture for supports but at the same time I am trying to accomplish my educational goal.

The overall result of this study is very biased and has an inaccurate representation of marginality for the colored or minority groups. Method of selecting was very untruthful because money was taken into account to attract the students. The size for conducting a study of a culture’s reactions was very small to represent the whole group. Although the study was not able to have an adequate size for the interview, the conductors were able to prove their point that marginality exists in different forms within a culture. I feel that the study has a few holes in it in which it caused the students to buy into marginality when they were being interviewed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday, November 19, 2010

Essay on Nonverbal Behavior vs. Self-Presentation

In this day and age, it is hard to grow up without being surrounded by social pressures and constant dehumanization. We live in a world of overly obsessed people who regard every movement of every part of the body as a sign of happiness, lying or social anxiety. When did we have to start worrying about each little thing we do? Who is to say that the observations of others aren’t true? Maybe they hold a secret clue to something we, ourselves, do not even notice our bodies doing. Well, in Mark R. Leary’s book, Self Presentation: Impression Management and Interpersonal Behavior, his thoughts narrows down some of the most significant actions we engage in and has spent a large portion of his life studying why we do the things we do.

Our Service Can Write a Custom Essay on Nonverbal Behavior for You!

Because people are raised to learn that a great deal of their lives is determined by how others perceive and judge them, most are then provoked to work their hardest to refrain from conveying false images. This, then, triggers an effect on people that, most of the time, they might not even notice. By subconsciously knowing that people are evaluating their every move, individuals are then prone to supervise and manage their public impressions. In Leary’s book, we learn that we plan a large part of our everyday behavior in an effort to put our best foot forward and avoid flawed evaluations from others. Leary’s encouraged goal is to make the reader take a step back and allow him or herself to view these situations in their own lives. He enlightens us with explanations of impression monitoring, self-esteem, and intimidation. The book provided me with a self-realization into my own actions and thoughts that I engage in. Sometimes self-presentation efforts center on being perceived accurately, but at other times people try to mimic someone they are not. That brings us to the subject of nonverbal behavior, which is one means of self-presentation.

Nonverbal behavior is defined as the way in which something functions or operates involving minimal use of language. This is very prominent in the collection of chapters titled, The Social Context of Nonverbal Behavior. In this collection, the authors, 34 in all, attempt to examine questions and assumptions about the use of communication and its meaning. Within the chapters lies the authors views on everything from mimicry to cultural status to the obligation to smile. I have learned through this book that expressions can be influenced by many factors including gender, age, cultural surroundings, television, social status/power, and mentality. One chapter reports, “ Each individual’s communication style is the result of a complex interaction of social, interpersonal, cultural, and biological influences” (Philippot, 43). This statement embodies one of the main themes of the book. A lot of the context deals with those issues on a number of different levels. In another chapter, we read about how “ it is clear that there is a relationship between expressive behavior and social success” (Philippot, 156). This worries me. Will my children not be socially popular and successful if I do not bring them up in a fashion where they are secure in their feelings and expressions? The ability to communicate with positive images is viewed as the acceptable way to “squeeze out” your approach.

For me, the most interesting subject in this book is that of the smile. It has been proven that there is no gesture with more meanings and appearances than the smile. The smile has always been a source of happiness, joy, delight and friendliness across the world for it is the most easily recognized facial expression internationally. Marianne LaFrance and Marvin Hecht are the authors who take charge of this section by revealing such smile facts as, “ Available evidence does not provide unequivocal evidence that those in low-power positions smile more than those in high-power positions. There are indications, nonetheless, that in power-unequal situations, low-power people likely experience more concern about impression management than high-power people”(LaFrance & Hecht, 48). These findings are exactly what I meant by things you do not usually notice about yourself. Although, now that I have become aware of these activities, I am going to be more attentive to when and why I smile.

Lefrance and Hecht have also conducted tests on gender roles and smiling. They believe that females smile more than males. “For example, others have argued that women smile more than men because of their lower power relative to men in the U.S. society (LaFrance & Hecht, 50). This can be viewed in a number of ways, one being the emphasis on smiling and social acceptance. People, in general, often feel more uncomfortable if they are not smiling during an embarrassing situation. The authors also suggest in this section that people with higher social status do not need to worry about impressing people around them because they already know that they have power, but people of lower status are always trying to make a good imprint on people of higher rank, so they try to appear more approachable. Overall, the book describes many traits that each one of us possesses and use on a daily basis. We all use a certain amount of deception in our relationships, tend to mimic people, and are influenced by our family and the way they express their feelings towards us. All of this is clearly stated in The Social Context of Nonverbal Behavior, but at times overly exaggerated and very repetitious. There are a lot of things the writier write about and then end up just emphasizing the same things over, but in a different setting or with an assortment of different words.

These books are similar in some ways, but different in others. For starters, in Self Presentation, Leary is better at explaining his topic. I related more to his book on a personal level and found it to be more likeable than Philippot’s collection. Leary wrote a greater variety of expressions. He also, in my opinion, wrote more about things that were interesting and that made me wonder, “Do I do that?” His book is outstanding in the fact that you leave it with so much more insight into our own, and others actions. Every time I was done reading a section of the book, I had discovered something new about my motives for doing things. I found it to be so much more interesting than the writing style and context of decoding nonverbal behavior. The main focus in both books is the way you present yourself. They both give great insight into these characteristics and also provide wonderful reasoning as to the way we function. Both address the qualities and effects of facial behavior, society, social norms, the use of smiles, gender-related differences, childhood implications and cultures. While Leary addresses these issues with a lighter style of writing, the authors of The Social Context of Nonverbal Behavior use a more scientific and analytic approach to the subject.

Through both of these books, I have learned about the way people perceive me and what my actions might really mean. I find this especially helpful with my major in public relations and advertising because I now have more confidence in how I can present myself to others. It has really opened my eyes to my behavior and how to use it to get desired reactions from other people. I believe having this information now puts me one step ahead in that I can now evaluate others movements and presentation, and really start to understand them more. This information is a very valuable thing to have because of the way it enables a person to be extremely aware of the way they are portraying themselves and use that to improve their communications with others.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tuesday, November 23, 2010