Junot Diaz Bio Essay Example for Free

Junot Diaz Bio Essay Lent DDS was born In the Dominican Republic and raised New Jersey. He Is a creative writing teacher at MIT and fiction editor at the Boston Review. He also serves on the board of advisers for the Freedom university, a Volunteer organization in Georgia that provides post-secondary instruction to undocumented immigrants. From what I have read I have gathered that he really had to rely on himself. Getting him through college working the Jobs where you have to do the dirty work, dishes, and pumping-gas. Supposedly Drown reflects Diazs strained relationship with his own father, with whom he no longer keeps in contact with. Diaz was born in Villa Juana, a neighborhood in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He was the third child in a family of five. Through most of his childhood he lived with his mother and grandparents while his father worked in the united States. Diaz emigrated to Parlin, New Jersey, in December of 1974, where he was able to reunite with his father. He lived close to what he considered one of the largest landfills in New Jersey. His short fiction has appeared In The New Yorker magazine, which listed him as one of the 20 top writers for the 21st He has also been published in Story, The Paris Review, and in the anthologies The Best American Short Stories four times (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000), The PEWO. Henry prize stones (2009), and African voices. He s best known for his two major works: the short story collection Drown (1996) and the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007). 80th were published to critical acclaim and he won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for the latter. Diaz himself has described his writing style as a disobedient child of New Jersey and the Dominican Republic If that can be possibly Imagined with way too much Diaz has received a Eugene McDermott Award, a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, a Lila Acheson Wallace Readers Digest Award, the 2002 PEN/Malamud Award, the 2003 us-Japan Creative Artist Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, a fellowship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard university and the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was selected as one of the 39 most important Latin American writers under the age of 39 by the Bogota World Book Capital and the Hay Festival. [18] In September 2007, Miramax acquired the rights for a film adaptation of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. [19] The stories in Drown ocus on the teenage narrators impoverished, fatherless youth in the Dominican Republic and his struggle adapting to his new life in New Jersey. Reviews were generally strong but not without complaints. 20] Diaz read twice for PRIs This American Life

Tragedy in Allen Ginsberg’s Sunflower Sutra and Tom Waits’ Small Change :: Sunflower Sutra

Tragedy in Allen Ginsberg’s Sunflower Sutra and Tom Waits’ Small Change In both Allen Ginsberg’s â€Å"Sunflower Sutra† and Tom Waits’ â€Å"Small Change†, tragedy is the major premise for the sad and melancholy tone the authors share. In his poem, Ginsberg describes the fall of a mighty flower, the sunflower. Once a bright yellow beacon of life, it now is â€Å"broken like a battered crown.† Having been covered by the dirt and grime of industry, by human â€Å"ingenuity,† this sunflower is really representing a demise in humanity. Rather than choosing nature as a prime example for life, choosing the â€Å"perfect beauty of a sunflower,† we have chosen industry and technology, and have forgotten that we are flowers. Ginsberg berates the dust and grime which have rained down from the locomotives onto â€Å"my sunflower O my soul† and wonders â€Å"when did you forget you were a flower?† This poem really is not about a flower, but the tragedy of losing one’s inner beauty, the vivacity an d brightness which makes one shine. Thus Ginsberg delivers his â€Å"sermon of my soul† to whoever shall listen in hopes that we, unlike the sunflower, do not turn gray in despair and gloom but shine brightly among the soot of the world we live in (Ginsberg 36-37). Similarly to â€Å"Sunflower Sutra,â€Å" the lyrics from â€Å"Small Change† pose a tragedy, which, though more concrete of a scene, shares all the gloom and weariness of the gray sunflower. In a Ginsberg-esque lyrical style, Tom Waits’ rambles through his lyrics (his mind), posing vivid descriptions of the depths of life. His victim is not a flower, but someone by the name of â€Å"Small Change,† who, when killed by his own thirty-eight, gains the headstone of a â€Å"gumball machine† on the street. The real tragedy in this song lies in the first line of the third verse: â€Å"And no one’s gone over to close his eyes.† Though there is enough cruelty in the world to kill â€Å"Small Change† for a â€Å"fistful of dollars,† there is not enough kindness to shut his eyes to the cruelty which has slain him. Tragedy in Allen Ginsberg’s Sunflower Sutra and Tom Waits’ Small Change :: Sunflower Sutra Tragedy in Allen Ginsberg’s Sunflower Sutra and Tom Waits’ Small Change In both Allen Ginsberg’s â€Å"Sunflower Sutra† and Tom Waits’ â€Å"Small Change†, tragedy is the major premise for the sad and melancholy tone the authors share. In his poem, Ginsberg describes the fall of a mighty flower, the sunflower. Once a bright yellow beacon of life, it now is â€Å"broken like a battered crown.† Having been covered by the dirt and grime of industry, by human â€Å"ingenuity,† this sunflower is really representing a demise in humanity. Rather than choosing nature as a prime example for life, choosing the â€Å"perfect beauty of a sunflower,† we have chosen industry and technology, and have forgotten that we are flowers. Ginsberg berates the dust and grime which have rained down from the locomotives onto â€Å"my sunflower O my soul† and wonders â€Å"when did you forget you were a flower?† This poem really is not about a flower, but the tragedy of losing one’s inner beauty, the vivacity an d brightness which makes one shine. Thus Ginsberg delivers his â€Å"sermon of my soul† to whoever shall listen in hopes that we, unlike the sunflower, do not turn gray in despair and gloom but shine brightly among the soot of the world we live in (Ginsberg 36-37). Similarly to â€Å"Sunflower Sutra,â€Å" the lyrics from â€Å"Small Change† pose a tragedy, which, though more concrete of a scene, shares all the gloom and weariness of the gray sunflower. In a Ginsberg-esque lyrical style, Tom Waits’ rambles through his lyrics (his mind), posing vivid descriptions of the depths of life. His victim is not a flower, but someone by the name of â€Å"Small Change,† who, when killed by his own thirty-eight, gains the headstone of a â€Å"gumball machine† on the street. The real tragedy in this song lies in the first line of the third verse: â€Å"And no one’s gone over to close his eyes.† Though there is enough cruelty in the world to kill â€Å"Small Change† for a â€Å"fistful of dollars,† there is not enough kindness to shut his eyes to the cruelty which has slain him.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Studying in Foreign Universities

During this era, students who have completed their secondary studies may want to further their studies in local universities or foreign universities. The students may either find a job after leaving their school or further their studies in university. Some of the well to do students may opt for foreign universities. But there are advantages and disadvantages while students pursuing their studies in foreign universities.The advantage of pursuing studies in foreign universities is, they have better exposure and wider knowledge. Foreign universities are prestigious and reputable. They hired experienced lectures to teach the students, resulting the students improved tremendously, as the students will understand the topic easily. The university has a big and cozy school compound for students to release their stress. They are also providing with complete facilities for students such as well equip library, research center, free wi-fi spot and many more for students to access. Students will be able to do their project or assignment while using these facilities.The other advantage of pursuing studies in universities is they can acquaint new friends from other parts of the world. Students will have to leave their beloved parents and friends when they head to overseas. However, universities will organize some social activities to allow the new intakes to meet their new friends before they start their semester. The new intakes will be able to find their new friends here during orientation through hobbies and common interest. If the students have depended on their family members at home to do their daily chores, he or she will have to seek their friends when they are abroad.Last but not least, the crucial advantage of pursuing studies in foreign universities is to be self- independent that is once students leave their cozy home, there will be no one to wash up their clothes, tidy up their messy room, prepare and cook delicious meal and no one to greet them good morning nor good night. Therefore, students have to manage things, make decision and do all their housework by themselves.Besides the advantages, there are also disadvantages. The disadvantage is that their parents have to pay an expensive fee in order for them to complete their education abroad. Some the students may come from a medium family and has the opportunity to pursue their studies in foreign universities but they faced financial constraint to pay for their school fees. This forced them to get part time jobs in order pay their own fees. It will be tough for them as they have to rush to the working place after their studies. Some of them just gave up and they packed their bags and headed back to their own country due to financial problem. However, they are still some of them who studied hard while struggling with the fees problem, as they trusted there is always a rainbow waiting for them after the rainstorm.The next disadvantage is students may be homesick. They may feel lost when they are new in the unfamiliar city. They will feel anxiety if they cannot adapt to it. This may cause students to lost their initial aims, their fighting spirit and they start fleeing to places to escape from the reality such as pubs. This is will ruin their education if they cannot extract themselves from that negative emotion. In conclusion, everything has its pros and cons in it where there is always advantages and disadvantages of pursuing studies in a foreign universities and one may excel if one work hard despite far away from home.

Empowerment and Leadership - 1032 Words

Leadership is a term that generates a variety of definitions from people. The definition of leadership is defined as much from what a person has experienced with previous leaders just as much as what they have been taught about leadership. There is a common school of thought that leadership and management are synonymous. I personally do not participant in that sentiment. I believe that leadership is not the same as management, because you can lead without having any management or positional power. The author John C. Maxwell defined a test of leadership from management this way, â€Å"To test whether a person could lead rather than manage is to ask him to create positive change.† Leadership is promoting a positive experience and is not due to a position or rank. Leadership can be categorized by three traits. Those traits are; Empowerment, Discipline, and Character. The first trait, empowerment is one’s ability to create a positive change by helping others achieve their own great success. The second trait is discipline or consistency, which is defined as a leader’s ability to gain support from the dependability of their actions and motivations. The third trait of leadership is an individual’s character or professionalism. A leader needs to be professional in all of their interactions with others regardless of the other person’s position or rank. Empowering Helping Others / Building Relationships There is a quote by Zig Ziglar that I think is a good mantra forShow MoreRelatedUnderstanding Leadership And Empowerment Of The Workplace972 Words   |  4 PagesAnnotation Ba, B.-G. M. (2015). Understanding leadership and empowerment in the workplace. European Scientific Journal, 11(35), 342. Critical Summary of Article Employee empowerment has become an important strategic tool used by leaders of the 21st century. According to Ba (2015), a recent change in management style has led to the empowerment of employees in the workplace creating a situation where empowering followers is an assumed responsibility of all leaders and thought to be a motivationalRead MoreThe Importance Of Teacher Leadership And Empowerment983 Words   |  4 Pages. What is teacher leadership and empowerment and why should it be promote in schools? Teacher leadership is defined as â€Å"teachers who aspire to stretch beyond their classrooms to engage in leadership roles that take many shapes and forms, both â€Å"informal and formal†. (ECS, 2010). The teacher leadership role is also described as â€Å"the process by which teachers, individually and collectively, influence their colleagues, principals, and other members of the school community to improve learning practicesRead MoreThe Leadership Authority, Empowerment, And The Quality Imperative Essay791 Words   |  4 Pagescomprehensively discuss three connected facets of leadership: leadership authority, empowerment, and the quality imperative. While each have distinct qualities and characteristics, they are closely connected. Of these three, empowerment is the focus of two peer-reviewed articles examined for correlation and contrast in this paper. Manning and Curtis refer to â€Å"Robert Cole, influential author and educator† (2015, p.177) and his serie s of principles that describe empowerment in the workplace. The principles includeRead MoreDeveloping Leadership Skills: the Art of Empowerment1332 Words   |  6 PagesExecutive Summary This report explores the art of empowerment and the key dimensions needed to create such a work environment. It exposes the empowerment techniques needed for managers to foster in their employees. It suggests that management empowerment is critical in creating a successful organization. Employee empowerment will incite loyalty and tenure which subsequently will increase productivity. The purpose of adopting and implementing this principle is to promote talent management throughRead MoreModern Leadership: Trust Empowerment - a Literature Review and Discussion3630 Words   |  15 PagesModern Leadership 1 PMN 6043 LEADERSHIP IN ORGANIZATION MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION UNIVERSITI UTARA MALAYSIA Modern Leadership 2 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the project paper is based on my original work except for quotations and citations that have been duly acknowledged. I also declare it has not been previously or concurrently submitted for any other degree at *** or other institutions. Modern Leadership Abstract 3 Today, leaders must understand the needsRead MoreDelegation Is A Leadership Skill For Job Satisfaction, Empowerment, And Effective Patient Care Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pages p.132). Delegation is a leadership skill because the person who delegates the task is using judgement to transfer the task to someone whose skills are better matched and it empowers other health care members. For example, when a registered nurse (RN) delegates to a certified nursing assistant (CNA) to start an IV this is freeing up time so the nurse can perform discharge instructions to another patient. â€Å"Effective delegation contributes to job satisfaction, empowerment, responsibility, productivityRead MoreLeadership Roles And Lead Teams During My Internship With Community Empowerment Solutions Essay1327 Words   |  6 PagesThis past summer, I was able to take leadership roles and lead teams during my internship with Community Empowerment Solutions in Ecuador. It was during this experience where I beg an to see my leadership skills unfold. One big critique of my leadership is that I can be mean. It was times when my teammates weren’t working hard enough or not moving where I wanted to be that I didn’t know how to communicate these problems in an efficient manner in order to get my point across. This caused tension andRead MoreCitigroup : A Leading Multinational Investment Banking And Financial Services Corporation1653 Words   |  7 Pageswill be a direct reflection of how effectively my leadership skills will influence our organizational culture. Empowering Leadership and Organizational Culture The expectations for today’s workforce are as diverse as the workforce itself. With changes in workplace trends driven by new technology and Millennials and Generation Z’ers becoming the largest share of the American workforce, organizations are demanding more from their employees and leadership teams (Fry, 2015). As a result, there is a paradigmRead MoreLeadership And Leadership : The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership1105 Words   |  5 Pageslaws of leadership No one said leading was easy, and in the book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell addresses the principal of transformational leadership, and how there is more than one aspect in becoming a successful leader. Leadership is one of the many desirable qualities in becoming successful not only in everyday life, but also in nursing. This paper will discuss ways to develop into an effective, successful leader, the necessary steps to increase leadership ability,Read MoreWhat Is Selfless Service Or Servant Leadership?1066 Words   |  5 PagesGroup Consensus     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In reviewing the various topics studied in the textbook Resilient Leadership by Maj. Gen. Robert Dees,  in conjunction with Satterlee’s textbook Organizational Management Leadership,  the group  was in accord choosing  the  underlined  topics/concepts, which are: selfless service or servant leadership, vision, wisdom, integrity and empowering others.  Group Four felt that these  topics /  concepts are important for organization’s leaders,  since they  will  most definitely  improve  the