Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony free essay sample

The elaboration of such principles in current states and social orders accounts to a limited extent for the development and expanded intricacy of formal authoritative structures. Institutional standards work as legends which organizationsincorporate,gaining authenticity, assets, soundness, and upgraded endurance possibilities. Associations whose structures become isomorphic with the fantasies of the institutional condition interestingly with those basically organized by the requests of specialized creation and trade decline inward coordination and control so as to look after authenticity. Structures are decoupled from one another and from continuous exercises. Instead of coordination, assessment, and assessment, a rationale of certainty and great confidence is utilized. Formal organizationsare for the most part comprehended to be frameworks of facilitated and controlled exercises that emerge when work is inserted in complex systems of specialized relations and limit spanningexchanges. Yet, in current social orders formal authoritative structures emerge in exceptionally standardized settings. Callings, arrangements, and projects are made alongside the items and administrations that they are understoodto producerationally. This licenses numerous new associations to jump up and powers existing ones to incorporatenew practices and methods. That is, organizationsare headed to fuse the practices and systems characterized by winning rationalizedconcepts of organizationalwork and regulated in the public arena. Organizationsthat do so expand their authenticity and their endurance possibilities, autonomous of the quick adequacy of the procured practices and strategies. Standardized items, administrations, methods, strategies, and projects work as incredible legends, and numerous associations embrace them ritualistically. In any case, adjustment to systematized controls frequently clashes strongly 1 Work on this paper was directed at the Stanford Center for Research and Development in Teaching (SCRDT) and was upheld by the National Institute of Education (contract no. NE-C-00-3-0062). The perspectives communicated here don't, obviously, reflect NIE positions. Numerous partners in the SCRDT, the Stanford Organizations Training Program, the American Sociological Associations work bunch on Organizations and Environments, and the NIE gave assistance and support. Specifically, H. Acland, A. Bergesen, J. Boli-Bennett, T. Arrangement, J. Freeman, P. Hirsch, J. G. Walk, W. R. Scott, and W. Starbuck made accommodating proposals. 340 AJS Volume 83 Number 2 Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony with effectiveness standards and, then again, to arrange and control action so as to advance proficiency subverts an associations stately conformityand sacrificesits backing and authenticity. To keep up stylized similarity, organizationsthat reflect institutional standards will in general support their conventional structures from the vulnerabilities of specialized exercises by getting inexactly coupled, assembling holes between their proper structures and genuine work exercises. This paper contends that the proper structures of numerous associations in postindustrial society (Bell 1973) drastically mirror the legends of their institutional surroundings rather than the requests of their work exercises. The initial segment describesprevailing speculations of the sources of formal structures and the principle issue the hypotheses face. The subsequent part talks about an elective wellspring of formal structures:myths embeddedin the institutional condition. The third part builds up the contention that associations reflecting standardized situations keep up holes between their conventional structures and their progressing work exercises. The last part sums up by examining some researchimplications. All through the paper, standardized principles are recognized strongly from winning social practices. Systematized rules are arrangements incorporated with society as responded epitomes or understandings (Berger and Luckmann 1967, p. 54). Such principles might be essentially underestimated or might be upheld by popular assessment or the power of law (Starbuck 1976). Foundations unavoidably include standardizing commitments yet regularly go into public activity fundamentally as realities which must be considered by on-screen characters. Regulation includes the processesby which social procedures, commitments, or realities come to take on a rulelike status in social idea and activity. Thus, for instance, the societal position of specialist is an exceptionally standardized principle (both regulating and psychological) for overseeing disease just as a social job comprised of specific practices, relations, and desires. Innovative work is a systematized class of organizationalactivity which has importance and incentive in numerous parts of society, just as an assortment of real innovative work exercises. In a littler manner, a No Smoking sign is an organization with lawful status and suggestions, just as an endeavor to direct smoking conduct. It is principal to the contention of this paper institutional guidelines may have impacts on authoritative structures and their implementationin real specialized work which are totally different from the impacts created by the systems of social conduct and relationshipswhich form and surrounda given association. Winning THEORIES OF FORMAL STRUCTURE A sharp qualification ought to be made between the conventional structure of an association and its real everyday work exercises. Formal structure is 341 American Journal of Sociology a diagram for exercises which incorporates, above all else, the table of association: a posting of workplaces, offices, positions, and projects. These components are connected by unequivocal objectives and strategies that make up a levelheaded hypothesis of how, and why, exercises are to be fitted together. The substance of a cutting edge bureaucratic association lies in the legitimized and generic character of these basic components and of the objectives that connect them. One of the focal issues in association hypothesis is to depict the conditions that offer ascent to supported conventional structure. - In customary speculations, normal proper structure is thought to be the best method to arrange and control the complex social systems engaged with current specialized or work exercises (see Scott 1975 for an audit). This suspicion gets from Webers (1930, 1946, 1947) conversations of the chronicled development of bureaucraciesas consequencesof financial markets and incorporated states. Financial markets place a premium on sanity and coordination. As business sectors extend, the social systems in a given space become increasingly mind boggling and separated, and organizationsin that area must oversee progressively inside and limit spreading over interdependencies. Such factors as size (Blau 1970) and innovation (Woodward 1965) increasethe unpredictability of inner relations, and the division of work among p organizationsincreasesboundary-spreading over roblems (Aiken and Hage 1968; Freeman 1973;Thompson 1967). Since the requirement for coordinationincreases under these conditions, and in light of the fact that officially planned work has upper hands, associations with excused conventional structures will in general create. The arrangement of incorporated states and the infiltration of social orders by political focuses likewise add to the ascent and spreadof formal association. At the point when the social systems associated with monetary trade and political managementbecome incredibly complex,bureaucraticstructuresare thought to be the best and sane intends to normalize and control subunits. Bureaucratic control is particularly helpful for growing political focuses, and standardizationis frequently requested by the two communities and fringe units (Bendix 1964, 1968). Political focuses compose layers of workplaces that figure out how to stretch out congruity and to dislodge customary exercises all through social orders. a The issue. revailingtheoriesassumethatthe coordination nd controlof P h activityare the criticaldimensionson whichformal associations avesucceeded in the cutting edge world. This supposition that depends on the view that associations work as indicated by their proper plans: coordination is normal, rules and proceduresare followed, and genuine exercises fit in with the solutions of formal structure. Be that as it may, a great part of the observational examination on associations gives occasion to feel qualms about this suspicion. A prior age of analysts inferred that there was an incredible hole between the formal and the casual association (e. g. , Dalton 1959; Downs 1967; Homans 1950). A related 342 Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony perception is that conventional associations are regularly inexactly coupled (March and Olsen 1976; Weick 1976): auxiliary components are just approximately connected to one another and to exercises, rules are frequently disregarded, choices are regularly unimplemented, or whenever actualized have questionable outcomes, advancements are of hazardous proficiency, and assessment and review frameworks are ubverted or renderedso ambiguous as to give little coordination. Formal associations are endemic in present day social orders. There is requirement for a clarification of their ascent that is mostly liberated from the suspicion that, practically speaking, formal structures really arrange and control work. Such a clarification should represent the elaboration of purposes, posit ions, approaches, and procedural guidelines that portrays formal associations, however should do as such without supposingthat these structuralfeatures are actualized in routine work action. By concentrating on the administration of complex social systems and the activity of coordination and control, winning speculations have disregarded an option Weberian wellspring of formal structure: the authenticity of legitimized formal structures. In winning speculations, authenticity is guaranteed: statements about bureaucratization lay on the suspicion of standards of sanity (Thompson 1967). At the point when standards do assume causal jobs in speculations of bureaucratization

Learn How to Conjugate Sécher (to Dry) in French

Figure out How to Conjugate Sã ©cher (to Dry) in French Which means to dry, the French verbâ sã ©cherâ will be a decent expansion to your jargon. So as to state she dried or we will dry, in any case, you should examine its conjugations. That is the focal point of this early on French exercise. The Basic Conjugations of Sà ©cher Sã ©cherâ is aâ stem-changing verbâ and that messes up the conjugations. In any case, it is generally simple to deal with when you recognize what to search for. Give close consideration to the characteristic state of mind structures ofâ sã ©cherâ and youll notice that occasionally the accentedâ 㠩â changes toâ ã ¨. This happens frequently in the current state and the future gives you a choice between the two. Other than that,â sã ©cherâ follows the conjugation rules ofâ anyâ regular - erâ verb. You can utilize similar endings you know for words likeâ tomberâ (to fall) and apply them here. To consider these, essentially discover the conjugation that compares to both the subject pronoun and the strained of your sentence. This outcomes inâ je sã ¨cheâ for I am drying andâ nous sã ©chiezâ for we dried. Present Future Defective je sche scheraischerai schais tu sches scherasscheras schais il sche scheraschera schait nous schons scheronsscherons schions vous schez scherezscherez schiez ils schent scherontscheront schaient The Present Participle of Sà ©cher Theâ present participleâ ofâ sã ©cherâ does not get the stem change. Rather, you will basically add - antâ to the stem to formâ sã ©chant. Sã ©cherâ in the Compound Past Tense Passã © compos㠩â is the French compound past tense. This is the place youll use theâ past participleâ sã ©ch㠩â along with the assistance of a helper action word. To frame it, start by conjugatingâ avoirâ into the current state, at that point include the past participle. This gives usâ jai sã ©ch㠩â for I dried andâ nous avons sã ©ch㠩â for we dried. Progressively Simple Conjugations of Sà ©cher You should focus on the stem change in these structures ofâ sã ©cherâ as well, especially inâ the subjunctive, which calls the demonstration of drying into question. The conditionalâ gives you the decision between the two structures since it suggests that something may be dried later on if certain conditions are met. There is no stem change in eitherâ the passã © simpleâ orâ the defective subjunctive, the two of which are abstract tenses. Subjunctive Contingent Pass Simple Flawed Subjunctive je sche scheraisscherais schai schasse tu sches scheraisscherais schas schasses il sche scheraitscherait scha scht nous schions scherionsscherions schmes schassions vous schiez scheriezscheriez schtes schassiez ils schent scheraientscheraient schrent schassent For short sentences, you may useâ sã ©cherâ inâ the imperative. Beyond the stem change in theâ tuâ form, youll likewise need to recall that the subject pronoun isn't required here. Basic (tu)â   sã ¨che​​ (nous)â â sã ©chons​​ (vous)â â sã ©chez

The Bad Influences of Television Free Essays

Let’s let it out. We love sitting in front of the TV. Truth be told, we love it so much that we can go through hours simply sitting before our little boxes just to get our portion of must-see TV. We will compose a custom paper test on The Bad Influences of Television or on the other hand any comparable subject just for you Request Now TV offers every one of us sorts of things to keep our eyes stuck to the little screen, for example, late night syndicated programs, hit parody sitcoms, and games shows that keep you speculating which folder case contains a million dollars. With all the hours we spend on staring at the TV, there is no uncertainty that by one way or another it has affected us by one way or another. In spite of the fact that that it can impact mentalities of grown-ups, more seasoned crowds can dispose of specific subjects since we as of now have our own inclinations. In any case, TV can be a perilous impact to small kids who are as yet building up their cerebrums. This paper will talk about the negative impacts of TV on kids and how these issues can be unraveled. Sex is a typical issue that guardians experience with TV. A few shows as a rule have sexual subjects that are not appropriate for youthful crowds. These pictures may remain with the youngster as they grow up and lead them to turn out to be explicitly dynamic in an early age. Since they don't have satisfactory data about sex in early ages, this can make a youngster become pregnant or get tainted with STDs. Beside seeing these pictures, network shows may likewise have scenes wherein the characters are talking about sex. This is similarly as hazardous as observing these pictures for they can likewise influence the youngster by intriguing them progressively about what the characters are discussing. To give you a thought how brutality can be an incredible effect on youngsters, American watchers see a normal of â€Å"200,000 demonstrations of savagery before they arrive at the period of 18† (How TV influences your Child) and this can be an intense issue later on the off chance that it isn't tended to appropriately. Viciousness on TV messes some up, for example, imitating the pictures they see, horrendous weight on the kid, and loss of compassion to the individuals who are languishing. Heroes in TV shows have incredible impact on youngsters. At whatever point kids see their most loved hero kicking or punching the â€Å"bad guy† and spare in the long run â€Å"saving the day† they will imagine that these activities are right as long as the superhuman does it. Beside proposing vicious activities to youngsters, kids may mirror these activities for no particular reason since they would envision themselves as these superheroes. Beside making kids mimic rough activities, these pictures may likewise make injury a youngster. Startling pictures of beasts may have some horrendous symptoms on kids since they despite everything can't recognize the distinction between this present reality and an anecdotal one. At long last, observing an excessive amount of savagery on TV can prompt lost compassion towards individuals who are languishing. Much the same as a rival who flops toward the finish of the show, youngsters would imagine that the individuals who are enduring merit it since they have accomplished something terrible previously. At long last weight is another difficult that guardians may look with TV. Television can make kids lessen their chance to play and exercise since they will be plunking down for a considerable length of time. Beside getting extremely detached, kids generally will in general have snacks while viewing because of the business of the celebrated brand potato chips they just observed. So not exclusively will they need work out, youngsters will likewise start to eat sorts of food that don't have any dietary benefit, which is a significant factor in growing up. Beside stoutness, TV can likewise make a youngster become against social since they would as a rule spend a larger number of hours observing as opposed to cooperating or playing with others. As we have found in this paper, TV can be an exceptionally perilous effect on youngsters. In any case, there are things that we can do understand this difficulty. As a matter of first importance, guardians need to consistently screen what their youngsters are viewing. This will permit the parent to shield their youngster from watching shows that are improper for their age. Guardians ought to likewise be comfortable with the shows that their youngsters are observing so they could see promptly whether their kid can watch the show. Guardians ought to likewise reason out to the youngster at whatever point they are sitting in front of the TV. They have to disclose to their youngster the pictures they see on TV to keep them from impersonating these pictures or seeing them in an inappropriate light. Works Cited â€Å"How TV influences your youngster. † KidsHealth. organization. 20 Sept. 2007 http://www. kidshealth. organization/parent/positive/family/tv_affects_child. html â€Å"Facts and Statistics. † Parentstv. organization. 20 Sept. 2007 http://www. parentstv. organization/PTC/realities/mediafacts. asp Step by step instructions to refer to The Bad Influences of Television, Papers

William Goldings Lord of the Flies Essay -- Essays Papers

Ruler of the Flies I decided to do one of my book gives an account of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. The explanation I picked this book is on the grounds that it manages numerous issues that are essential to driving a strong Christian based life. It likewise manages a few issues that were discussed in class, for instance separation, supplication and humanized conduct. The book begins with Ralph and Piggy strolling through the forested areas on what has all the earmarks of being a remote location. We are informed that a plane moving numerous little fellows between the ages of 5 and 12 smashed on this island and these are the initial two characters that we meet. Ralph and Piggy discover out of the forested areas and onto a sea shore where they find a conch shell that can be played as a horn. Ralph sounds this horn and not long after various little youngsters rose up out of the forested areas. It is presently uncovered that no grown-ups are on the island and it is only the young men. They at that point choose to shape a make move government and piggy designates Ralph to be the pioneer since he started the gathering. One kid named Jack, an individual from a boy’s ensemble, fights the way that Ralph was named the pioneer. So to please Jack, Ralph reveals to him that he will be responsible for chasing and assembling food, this alongside prodding Piggy about his weight satisfies Jack. The young men them split up and start to investigate the island and Jack sorts out the principal chase, which is ineffective. Over the long haul Ralph sees that a considerable lot of the young men aren’t truly accomplishing any work and would prefer to play or resting rather, this concerns him a bit. He at that point goes out to investigate the island with a choirboy named Simon, when they returned they assembled a conference by flagging the conch. At this gathering Ralph sets up some essential guidelines. The principle ones being that you can possibly talk at a gathering in the event that you are holding the conch and that a fire must be prop up constantly on the mountain on the off chance that a boat passed by with the goal that they could be safeguarded. Different young men like the thoughts and surge up the mountain to light a fire. After they accumulate a lot of kindling they understand that no one can light a fire without matches. Piggy at that point recommends that they utilize the focal points of his glasses to start a fire. The fire begins and gets somewhat wild and Piggy imagines that one of the more youthful young men has been singed to death. The entirety of different young men giggle at Piggy and deny the episode. This is the first ... ...ll right. So we perceive how significant guardians are and the amount they can impact their youngsters. These young men were too youthful to be in any way abandoned alone and they couldn’t recognize good and bad. I’m sure that as grown-ups they would think back and perceive how threatening and insidious they had become. Somebody who has a comparative perspective on this book is Kristian Moe who is an instructor in New York. I discovered this announcement at www.malvik.no/engelsk/lordoftheflies.htm, he composes, â€Å"I feel that the book is miserable. Here and there it is even somewhat bizarre. It depicts human instinct in its most noticeably awful and darkest. It is exceptionally terrifying, and it makes me consider the universal wars, and about Hitler’s bigotry and scorn. I can not accept that we have such huge numbers of dim sides inside us, however perhaps we do.† Taking everything into account, I need to state that I appreciate this book since it is energizing and alarming simultaneously. I’m sure that everybody at one point in their life has longed for being on a remote location, however I’m additionally sure that no one would need their experience to resemble the one we find in this book. Except if obviously that have no feeling of Christian qualities and are eager to expose themselves to that kind of underhanded conduct.

Andrew Carnegie A Captain Of Industry

Numerous industrialists in the plated age were somewhere in between a looter noble or a commander of industry. Of these industrialists was a very achievement helpful specialist Andrew Carnegie. Andrew could be contended on the two sides of the issue. Carnegie molded his steel creation business to #1 on the planet, he sold it a ND utilized the cash towards numerous cause organizations.I accept that Andrew Carnegie e was a commander of industry since he committed his life to helping society with open exercises and gave in excess of 100 million dollars to schools, libraries, a d through a few different gifts. He formed industrialization as well as the United s tastes. Individuals accept that Andrew Carnegie was a looter nobleman since he was conniving, narrow minded, and left laborers in deadly work living spaces with low wages .Andrew put his representatives in hurtful workplaces with not exactly safe hardware NT. Wounds happened regularly in Carnegie;s business from detonating iron, f lares, and slang. It was difficult for the laborers to be caution and prepared with just two or three hours of rest and a work SSH attack of twelve. Alongside the methods risky work conditions they needed to live off low compensation. Carnegie likewise double-crossed one of his nearest business companions Henry Fricke by three tatting him to sell his stock in the steel business for cheap.Many accept that Andrew Carnegie double-crossed his laborers as well as his companions. Albeit many will firmly pundit Andrew Carnegie as a Robber Baron consider h to be perhaps the best skipper Of industry. Carnegie utilized his â€Å"last days† serve Eng others by building libraries, schools, and giving gifts. â€Å"Carnegie gave endorse copy 5$ million to the new York open library so it could open a few branches†. Also, even opened up his own college so he could share his insight and achievement the harsh future business owners.Carnegie put his men through some serious hardship so t hey c boisterous have the #1 steel business on the planet that would before long sell for in excess of 200 plant Andrew Carnegie did what he needed to do with the goal that he could be fruitful in the overlaid age and lose himself in the administration of others. Carnegie transformed himself for the beet blunder in his later years. He composed books on being socially answerable for the rich and delighted in meeting with different experts from various fields. Carnegie may have lo deed like simply one more snotty,cocky entrepreneur however truly needed to help others.An drew Carnegie was a chief of industry yet in addition a molded the industrialization by b Ewing a case of shrewd work and compelling activities. Taking everything into account, Andrew Carnegie was a splendid agent who finished with the best steel plant on the planet. Despite the fact that he treated his representatives ineffectively he did it to be effective which worked. Carnegie went through the cash from his steel c reation n to help other people be effective as well. Andrew Carnegie was skipper Of industry and had any kind of effect in people groups lives to improve things.

Do You Have A Core Curriculum

Do You Have A Core Curriculum Today, Im back in the office (but only for a day) after doing three college fairs in New York City this past week. It was a fun week! First was the College Night at the Bronx High School of Science. Fellow alum/interviewer Mark, who graduated from Bronx Science back in the day, joined me in the classroom to which MIT was assigned. Next door was a nice colleague from Washington University in St. Louis, and down the hall was a colleague from Bowdoin College. Overall, more than 150 other colleges were scattered in classrooms around the building. It was pretty busy for the duration of the two hour event. Each college fair I do seems to have one question that gets asked with proportionate frequency, and on this night that question was, Do you have a core curriculum? The answer is, yes, there are some classes which all MIT students, whether they major in Biology or Music, must take, though there is some degree of choice for each of the required pieces. These mandatory classes are known as the General Institute Requirements, or GIRs. The GIRs consist of 17 classes, 9 in math, science, and technology, and 8 in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. The math/science/technology component of the requirement breaks down as follows: 2 classes in calculus: single and multivariable 2 classes in physics: mechanics and electricity/magnetism a class in each of chemistry and biology a Lab class (usually in your major; 46 choices) 2 Restricted Electives in Science Technology, or REST classes (44 options) Some of these requirements, most often single variable calculus, can be fulfilled with AP/IB exams or college transfer credit. The first six courses listed above are most commonly taken in the freshman year and are known as the science core. There are a variety of ways to take these courses. Each of the science core classes have different flavors. For example, biology, or 7.01x, has three different flavors which cover the MIT basics of biology but each with a different focus, such as genetics/genomics or the environment. The different flavors are not the only options for the science core. Many students will join Freshman Learning Communities to take much of the science core. The freshman learning communities often offer a coherent freshman curriculum, very small classes, and a common meeting space. There are four Freshman Learning Communities: the Experimental Study Group, or ESG, the Concourse program, Terrascope, and the Media Arts Sciences (MAS) First Year Program. Each of the 8 required humanities, arts and social science (HASS) classes are elective, but must fulfill several requirements: 3 classes must be HASS distribution, or HASS-D, courses, each chosen from a different one of five lists 2 classes must be labeled Communications Intensive, or HASS-CI 3-4 classes must go deep into one area of your choice to form your HASS concentration Unlike the science core, you cannot fulfill any of these requirements with AP or IB classes. Also, please note that the intersection of any of the above groups need not be the null set. That is, some classes will fulfill 2 or 3 of the above criteria. For example, many of the HASS-D courses are also HASS-CI courses, and your concentration may have a HASS-D or HASS-CI course as a part of it. Also unlike the science core, these HASS classes are usually spaced out over the length of ones MIT career. With 8 required classes and the normal student using 8 terms to get a degree, most take at least one HASS course a term. I averaged closer to 2 HASS classes each term, mostly because there were many classes I wanted to take. The second college night I participated in was at Stuyvesant High School. The Stuy college night was more structured than that at Bronx Science, with 4 presentation periods where families could choose the four colleges they wanted to hear from, and rotate through one 20-minute session with each. A fifth session was designated an open session for questions and answers. There was a standing room only crowd at Stuyvesant. I was joined at this college night by recent graduates/interviewers Ed and Jen, both of whom are off to Columbia School of Business next year for their MBA, and Larry, an MIT-trained architect and long-time interviewer in Manhattan. Larry also has ties to Columbia as he is helping to develop the Universitys master plan. It is hard to present MIT in 20 minutes, especially when youre used to having 40 minutes for an on-campus information session. I had to very quickly run through things that I normally have more time to explain. For most of my four sessions, though, I did get to have tangents to this weeks two big events, President Susan Hockfields inauguration and the Time Traveler Convention. One thing that seemed to surprise many of the students and parents at this college night is that we require three SAT IIs (one in math, one in science, and a third of your choosing). If you are a junior and have not taken any SAT IIs yet, I highly encourage you to sign up for the June administration of the exams (and, yes, pay the College Board a late registration fee). You can take 3 SAT IIs in one sitting, and it is usually a good idea to take at least two. We will also accept scores from the SAT II administrations in the fall. The final college fair I did was for the Gateway Institute, a program for minority and low income students. The fair was held in the Great Hall of City College, a beautiful space. Some students posed for pictures at the MIT booth. The Great Hall looks like a Cathedral of education. The popular question of this fair was, Tell me about your neuroscience (or psychology) major. At MIT, Course 9 is Brain Cognitive Science, which the department describes as at the nexus of neuroscience, biology and psychology. Some of the notable Course 9 faculty include Nobel Prize winner Susumu Tonegawa, Nancy Kanwisher, Ann Graybiel, Emilio Bizzi, and of course President Susan Hockfield. Course 9 is also completing an awesome new building this fall; check out the images at this site. The coolest thing about the project is that railroad tracks and trains go through the middle of the building. The building will house both the Picower Center for Learning Memory and the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. Tomorrow, I will fly to Phoenix to attend the Intel International Science Engineering Fair (ISEF). I will be hosting a reception on Thursday afternoon after the public viewing, and also checking out the various projects. If youll be participating in ISEF, best of luck to you, and I hope to see you there!

Levin and Mowing - Literature Essay Samples

Constantine Levin, a hero of Tolstoys Anna Karenina, longs to discover some harmonious part of himself through experiencing the peasant way of life. He believes there to be something profoundly rewarding in the simple act of working as ones needs dictate. By working with and alongside the peasants for a whole day of mowing in his own fields Levin seeks to gain some of the uncomplicated peace-of-mind that he feels the lower farming classes enjoy. However, Levins motives for mowing are distinctly different from those of the hired workers. Levin feels he must mow as a kind of remedy for the type of aristocratic life he has been leading. His first experience with the activity came when he had lost his temper and to calm himself had used a remedy of his own he took a scythe from one of the peasants and himself began mowing. Levin mows to relieve himself of the pressures brought on by the work of his own class (giving orders to his steward, running his farm indirectly through middle -men). Not only does he mow to soothe his stresses, but also to give himself a greater feeling of connection to his land and farming process. Levin cannot understand why the Russian peasants do not commit themselves entirely to the well-being of the farm why some men could be so careless as to handle equipment so that it breaks, or why they would defy orders and harvest a field easier to finish than the one they were directed to harvest. The peasants work for their direct benefit: spend a day working in the field, earn a set amount of money. It does not matter to them exactly how much work is accomplished. But for Levin, the work translates more ambiguously into gain. It matters how well the fields are mown, and how much is done by each man. Levin stands to either gain or lose wealth based on the quality and quantity of his hired help. This is a great stress to him, and he longs to be more connected to the land and its rewards the way the peasants are. Thus Levins mowing is soothing to his own work-related stresses, and it builds a positive connection between him and the land. Through mowing, he can work and see a direct result result.The Russian peasants need to mow so that they can provide for themselves and their families. For Levin, mowing is almost as necessary. He does not need to work to be able to eat, but he needs to in order to feel at peace with himself and his own role. However, to the outside eye, a day spent mowing appears to be a sort of aristocratic game. Levin is aware of this fact, and is even intimidated enough so that he is in doubt whether to go mowing or not upon Koznyshevs arrival. He fears his brother might laugh at him. Levin is embarrassed by his deviance from his upper-class role while he is embarrassed by the high status itself. He experiences a distinct confusion caused by his innate role as boss in conflict with his desire to lose himself as a cog in a wheel. This confusion is perhaps the root of his abnormal r elationship to his peasants. He places his property in their control and even decides for a time that he must become one of them.Koznyshev embodies the unconfused aristocratic opinion. He and Levin talk freely about how enjoyable the work can be until he understands that Levin intends to mow all day, just like the peasants, as opposed to sort of playing at it until one gets tired. He reprimands Levin that it is splendid physical exercise, but that he will hardly be able to hold out. Looking at mowing as the benefit of exercise instead of as the necessity of work shows where the aristocratic and peasant classes distinctly veer away from one another. Levin exists as a medium between the two ways of thinking. Levin desires to mow hard the entire day and is driven by the desire to keep up with the peasants and exist as their equal. Levin seeks not only emotional gain, but also the actual profits of the crop. Levin does posses somewhat of an aristocratic view upon entering into his commitment; he comments: I need physical exercise; without it my character gets quite spoilt. Here, instead of focusing on the value and direct reward of the work, Levin seeks to remedy the physical frustrations of an upper-class, indoor life spent primarily in celibacy. Levin experiences some moments where he looks to mowing as a sort of prescription for his stifled and frustrating life as an aging and wifeless man in a drawing room. Not only does this way of thinking undermine the real work of mowing and the healing properties it can offer, but it shows a temporary misunderstanding between Levin and nature. Mowing can not ultimately cure his frustrations with his present life. Mowing one time, or even several times, can only provide temporary relief from emotional ailments. To be entirely cured by mowing, Levin would have to actually give himself to it completely and become a peasant himself. And while Levin fantasizes about doing just this, he can never commit himself e ntirely. Even if Levins wet nurse were a peasant, his blood still would run blue. Everything Levin wants in life is still wrapped up in the duplication of the aristocratic family life he enjoyed with his mother and father. While he can use mowing to escape what is lacking in his regular life, Koznyshev and the other peasants are ultimately right: mowing can not save an aristocrat. It can only turn him into a peasant. Before he actually begins to mow, Levin is quite clearly confused between the aristocratic and peasant modes of reasoning and necessity.Although the decision to mow causes some anxiety and confusion in Levin, the longer he works at it and the deeper he falls into the rhythm of the scythe, the more he feels at peace. As Levin approaches the field where the men have already been at work and each man has already completed his second swath, Levin views the peasants following each other in a long straggling line, some with coats on, some in their shirts, each swinging his scythe in his own manner. Levin sees each mower as a distinct individual. He notices specific men he has had working on his farm before. He notices each mans various clothing, and each mans distinct mowing technique. He sees each of the peasant mowers, and undoubtedly himself, as distinct and individual men, which in this case has as a connotation of inefficiency, insofar as straggling men cannot mow a field; only a group can. It is only in the midst of the entire day of mowing that Levin is able to leave this view behind, and take on the feeling of a group of men toiling as one and losing themselves in their work.Although there is variance in each peasants mowing technique some are younger and newer and therefore mow more stiffly, while some are older and more seasoned and can mow so well it appears as though they are at play one comes to realize that it is not the individual that carries importance in the act of mowing. A tall old man with a shriveled, beardless face advises Levin to Mind Master! Having put your hand to the plough, dont turn back!, suggesting a rejection of the idea of mowing for ones health or for a game. Levin promises to try not to lag behind, meaning that for the next few hours he will leave his status as master behind, and will instead respect the wisdom and authority that the oldest and most experienced mowers possess. He begins to mow badly at first, because he feels he is being scrutinized as different from the other mowers. He is conscious of the desire to prove himself, and therefore mows too vigorously and with too much thought. His desperate desire to perform well is what keeps him from accomplishing his aim. An experienced mower knows that the best way is to let the scythe mow of itself. As the day progresses, Levin realizes that he must swing the scythe less with [his] arms and more with the whole of [his] body. This is his first major step toward releasing his unnecessary pretensions of proving himself and his own level of skill. The change from working with a specialized (and fairly weak) selection of limbs to mowing with the whole of ones body implies the end of acting out of the strained section of the mind and body and the beginning of using ones entire being.Soon after Levins realization, he begins to give himself entirely over to his task. As Titus, the man Levin has placed in charge, mows faster and longer, seemingly as a challenge, Levin begins to think of nothing and [desire] nothing, except not to lag behind and do his work as well as possible. Nothing exists at all but the task of mowing in front of and all around him. All of Levins senses become dominated by mowing, and he hears only the swishing of the scythes and [sees] only the convex half-circle of the mown piece before him, and the grasses and heads of flowers falling in waves about the blade of his scythe. Mowing becomes all of nature. The sounds and shapes in the field are made by the scythe, and the grass an d flowers exist only when the scythe strikes them. They move in waves, a term that alludes to another great part of nature: the ocean, whose movements can be imitated by the swinging of the scythe. In a sense, the mowing field begins to embody the entire world.With mowing as the world and Levin working in it, the entire experience becomes bathed in innocence and purity. Nothing matters but the work. At one point Levin is suddenly conscious of a pleasant coolness on his hot perspiring shoulders, without knowing what it was or whence it came. Such description bears some resemblance to biblical content, and finally to Eden. Levin look[s] to the sky to find its origin. Everything is beautiful and merciful to Levin. He works hard, and eventually there comes rest at the end of the swath. The work, the rest, and the swinging of the scythe itself take on a certain rhythm that runs through to Levins core. In this state of peacefulness, the scythe begins to mow by itself, and the w ork is really more like play. Submerging oneself in this mowing world is no longer a chore. The work becomes its own reward when one can become so close with it. Even the kvas (lukewarm water with green stuff floating in it and a flavor of the rusty tin box) tastes better to Levin than anything ever has, because of the work he has done to earn it. The rhythm involved in the actual swing of the scythe, the steps across the fallen grass in Titus footprints, and the rests at the end of each row create a harmonious experience. Another part of the rhythm of mowing is the respect given to the aged and experienced. Where a younger and stronger man might normally be valued as optimal for physical labor in another field, in the art of mowing, a man who is aged, experienced and therefore skilled is appreciated as the most valuable. The emphasis on experience goes to show that mowing is indeed an art where skill may be valued over brute force. The rhythm of the planting season and the harvesting season, the syncopated work and rest of each meal break and the mowing of each swath: each year that comes makes a man wiser and more valuable in the field. Where a young man might mow with a strained kind of movement as if in feverish labor and not be able to change the motion of his body and at the same time observe what lay before him, an old man might go along, holding himself erect and cut the juicy grass with a precise and even motion that seems to cost him no more effort than swinging his arms when walking. To these peasants of age and experience, mowing has become something unlike toil. For these men the scythe seem[s] to mow of itself. It is this kind of working nirvana that Levin strives for and is able to achieve in fleeting moments. Levin is able to leave his identity as the master behind, and is taken under the wing of the old peasant in front of him. Levin trusts him to decide the correct rhythm of the proceedings, (deciding when it is dinner time, or what pace to mow at) and does not struggle to be in control as he does with his steward and in other aspects of farming. Levin even makes the decision not to go home for dinner and highlight the difference between him and the other mowers. Instead he elects to stay with the old man and share his rye bread mash, and then nap with him in the grass regardless of the flies and of the crawling insects that ticked his perspiring face and body. Levin gives even his body over to nature. By dining with the old man and the other peasants, especially by actually eating the old mans food, Levin obliterates the uncomfortable distance of class or status between himself and the others. He seems to establish himself as a young mower in need of guidance, not as a master who is playing at laboring. Although the act of mowing can not cure Levins aristocratic self, by submerging himself in the natural order and rhythm of the peasants work, Levin, in effect, temporarily becomes a peasant himself.