John Lewis Uses The Jeremiad Rhetorical Tool - 1655 Words

America is built and founded on the sweat and tears of the working class. A lot of advancements in the workplace today have been won by unions and the efforts of labor organizations. John Lewis founded one of the biggest institutions that remains at the forefront of the labor movement, the CIO (Committee for Industrial Organizations, now the Congress of Industrial Organizations.) John Lewis delivers his speech to organize workers. He reminds the American working class of the need to unite. Lewis uses the Jeremiad rhetorical tool. John Lewis criticizes the government and businesses disregard for labor and how they have exploited and abused workers, by violently stopping them from unionizing. Lewis describes a â€Å"utopian society,† for this society to become a reality he calls on the working class to unite under the CIO. The influence John Lewis had on the labor movement is unparalleled. Lewis grew up in a working class home. He is the son of a miner and eventually became a miner himself. As a miner he was a union member of the United Mine Workers union and eventually became a prominent figure in the labor movement. Lewis is responsible for more industrial unionism than any other person in American labor (Martin). Lewis fought for the rights of unskilled workers such as miners, and steel workers. Lewis founded the CIO to better represent unskilled workers. Under Lewis the CIO became the biggest organization of unionized unskilled workers. â€Å"Lewis may have personally brought moreShow MoreRelatedAmerican Literature11652 Words   |  47 Pagessermons, diaries personal narratives captivity narratives jeremiads written in plain style Effect: ï‚ · ï‚ · instructive reinforces authority of the Bible and church Historical Context: ï‚ · ï‚ · a person s fate is determined by God all people are corrupt and must be saved by Christ Rationalism / Age of Enlightenment period of American Literature - 1750-1800 Content: ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · ï‚ · national mission and American character democratic utopia use of reason history is an act of individual and national

Turnover Rate in Corrections Free Essays

The Nation Wide Dilemma in Corrections CJ 2500: CORRECTIONS Professor November 04, 2012 Running Head: Turnover Rate in Corrections Abstract Throughout the years, there has been one major dilemma that continues to hassle the administration whose sole purpose is to provide institutional sanctions, treatment programs, and services for managing criminal offenders. This dilemma is the high turnover rate of the Corrections Officers, whom agencies nation wide are losing at an extremely high rate. Recent statistics indicate that nearly half of all Corrections Academy graduates will have left their agency within a two-year period (â€Å"State questions high, â€Å"2004). We will write a custom essay sample on Turnover Rate in Corrections or any similar topic only for you Order Now This high turnover rate is causing a staff shortage, which is forcing agencies to put new officers on the job immediately while being untrained. Though the amount of Corrections Officers departing from their agencies continues to rise, the amount of inmates entering prisons remains the same. This of course can become a serious safety issue for the departments employing these new hires that are inadequately trained. Throughout this paper I will explore the numerous possibilities of what’s causing Corrections Officers to depart from their agencies at such a high rate. Whether it’s the demanding hours associated with shift work, the high stress and burnout, or the inadequate pay and benefits, all possibilities will be discussed in an attempt to understand why the retention rate of Corrections Officers is lower compared to various other careers across the nation. The Department of Corrections (DOC), privately owned jails, parish jails, and local city jails not only face the hardship of maintaining inmate property, specific calorie counts from meals provided, medicine dispensing, doctor visits, and numerous other tasks required that Corrections Officers tend to on a typical day of work, but these facilities also face the hardship of retaining these Officers for extended lengths of employment. As stated in the Abstract of this paper, â€Å"Recent statistics indicate that nearly half of all Corrections Academy graduates will have left their agency within a two-year period† (â€Å"State questions high, â€Å"2004). This has become a major problem for agencies that have a continuous increase in the number of inmates entering these facilities each year, while becoming almost impossible to keep enough manpower to operate shifts in a safe and secure manner. It is stated that in 1999, the turnover rate of Officers and Corporals within an agency was 29. 6 percent, while the average tenure of Officers was 3 years (â€Å"Department of corrections,†). The turnover rates in 2000 ranged from a low of 3. percent in New York, to a high of 41 percent in Louisiana (Lommel, 2004). Typically, once an Officer has been hired and accepted the job, they are to be trained in some type of Corrections Academy. The department hiring the Officer may host this Academy, or the Officer may have to travel to receive their training. Either way, prior to an Officer actually beginning their job monitoring the walkways of a prison or jail, the Officer should first be well trained to ensure theirs, the inmates, and other Officers safety. However, due to the high number of vacancies within Corrections, Officers are being hired without any experience, while hoping to receive this training academy shortly after becoming employed. Some agencies have established a policy that once the Officer has completed their training at an Academy, they are to sign a contract stating that they will remain with the department for a set amount of years. This is due to the high costs that an agency incurs by having these Officers sent to an accredited Academy to receive their training. The dollar amount that an agency may spend on an Officers training may range anywhere between a few hundred dollars, to a few thousand dollars. To elaborate on the amount of vacancies within Corrections, this could very well be a contributing factor to the increased amount of Officers who resign due to stress and burnout. Officers are being ordered in on their off days or holidays, forced to work mandatory overtime, a higher inmate to Correctional Officer ratio, as well as experienced Officers having to work with an extensive amount of â€Å"rookie† or inexperienced Correctional Officers. This combining of experienced officers with new hires, who have not received any type of prior training, raises the stress level during dangerous interactions with inmates, as well lowering the morale of the Officers who remain and attempt to complete their careers with a specific agency. This may be due to long term employees realizing that many of the new hires are using their time as a Correctional Officer to gain experience, or as a stepping-stone to eventually become a road or patrol Officer, which may involve more experienced Officers not spending the time necessary to assist, or provide â€Å"On the job training† to the new hires. Additional causes of stress may include the threat of inmate violence, actual inmate violence, inmate demands and manipulations, problems with co-workers, as well as having a poor public image. For example, â€Å"Between 1990 and 1995, the number of attacks on correctional officers in State and Federal prisons jumped by nearly one third, from 10,731 to 14,165 (Lommel, 2004). An additional stress added to a Correctional Officers life is being able to balance and separate work from their personal relationships. Workdays at a correctional facility often involve long hours of uneventful and routine procedures. This â€Å"routine† may quickly be disrupted by a brief period of crisis. Some Officers have issues with being able to return to a calm state once a crisis occurs, often times bringing their problems home to their families. This may lead Officers to substance abuse, or alcoholism. Law Enforcement careers can be an extremely difficult, stressful, yet rewarding career, even when referring to Corrections Officers. However, due to the long work hours associated with shift work, combined with the stressful and strenuous workdays officers are exposed to, it seems as if all Law Enforcement, to include Corrections officers do not receive the pay and benefits that they are entitled to. A large number of Corrections Officers are leaving this career field due to struggling with raising families while trying to balance and survive on the annual salary of a Corrections Officer. It seems as if economically speaking, the value of everyday necessities ontinues to rise in value, except for the officers’ paychecks. This dilemma, combined with the additional stress an Officer encounters on the job, could possibly explain why many Officers leave their jobs due to stress and burnout. The benefits that an Officer, or Corrections Officer receives is usually the highlight of their employment contract. Officers usually do receive good insurance and retirement plans. Not just for them, but for their families as well. However, the type of insurance that an Officer receives depends on the plan that the agency has purchased. Some agencies will have top of the line benefits, while others may have insurance carriers with extremely high deductibles and rates, due to tight budget restraints and cutbacks within the department. In addition to the stress, burnout, long hours, and low pay, many officers are never set on retiring within corrections. As previously stated, numerous officers, such as myself, use corrections as a stepping-stone, or training prior to being hired for a patrol position. Numerous agencies such as Sheriff’s Offices of various Parishes within the state, require that an individual hired first serve one to two years within the parish jail prior to being sent to a Police Academy and ultimately landing a position on patrol. Many agencies have come to realize this, which is why they may not spend the time, effort, and funds to train the individual to become a more efficient Corrections Officer. By reflecting on the issues presented in this paper, it is determined that turnover rate in Corrections Officers will likely continue to be a rising problem for agencies. Administrators seeking seminars on retention strategies, which may depend on additional funding, can combat some of these issues. Agencies can improve their policies, improve management, increase criteria of the screening process, as well as address the wage and benefit issue. However, no matter what an agency decides in attempting to retain there officers, there will always be the Officers that slip through the cracks and ultimately cost the department more funding in training the individual, only to have them leave the agency before reaching their desired and previously stated commitment. WORKS CITED Department of corrections background and statistics. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://legisweb. state. wy. us/progeval/reports/2000/turnovr/Chapter4. htm High turnover of corrections staff, excessive priosoner head counts attract media attention. (2006, Sep 06). Retrieved from http://www. bcgeu. ca/node/1314 Lommel, J. (2004, August). Turning around turnover. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com. ezproxy. liberty. edu:2048/docview/215699356 State questions high turnover among prison officers. (2004, 04 05). Retrieved from http://www. corrections. com/articles/1862 How to cite Turnover Rate in Corrections, Essay examples

Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard free essay sample

Era, Thomas Gray expresses the beauty of life and conveys the themes of death and self-search in his pastoral elegy, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. The poem was written at the end of the Augustan Age and at the beginning of the Romantic Period, where both periods are evident in the poem. Gray combined in a unique way a classic form typical of the Augustan Era with contents and attitudes portrayed from the Romantic Period (Gray, Thomas). On one hand, it has the rdered, balanced phrasing and rotational sentimental of Neoclassical poetry. On the other hand, it tends toward the emotionalism and individualism of the Romantic poets; most importantly, it idealizes and elevates the common man. (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 73). His poem focuses on common people and really describes their lives and ponders on the things they could have accomplished if they were given the chance to do greater things. He also uses georgic verses, poetry that describes agriculture, which was popular in the eighteenth century. Gray also ssociates man and nature, which suggests a romantic attitude (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 78). He is able to combine both the Augustan Era and Romantic Period into his poem, making it unique and different from others. This poem was written in heroic quatrains, which consists of four lines per stanza. Heroic quatrains have a rhyme scheme of abab pattern and are written in iambic pentameter. Its regular, steady rhythm helps create a tranquil and quite mood, which is appropriate to the pondering nature of this poem (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard). Gray sets his lyrics in the comforts of nature and selects mild images a knell, fading, drowsiness, and moping rather than the extremes of gothic horror. (Snodgrass, Mary Ellen). The poem begins with an observation of a country day coming to an end and farmers returning home. The first line of the poem sets a solemn tone that makes the mood of the poem gloomy, which can lead to the description of the graveyard and the pondering of the speaker. The speaker considers the pleasures that the dead will no longer enjoy and invoke the idea that everyone dies eventually. Earthly matters once aluable will no longer matter when a person is dead. He tries to persuade the reader not to look down on the poor because of their simple accomplishment have accomplished a lot. The speaker is wondering if someone will remember him when he is dead. He imagines an old farmer remembering him after his death and describes what the old man would say about him. (The speaker wonders if someone will remember his when he is dead and imagines what an old farmer would say about him and finish it somehow)The last three stanzas of the poem are the speakers epitaph. In his epitaph, he asks anyone that passes his grave to be emembered for being generous and sincere rather than wealthy and famous. The speaker wishes to be recognized not with the great and famous, but with the common people he has praised in his poem (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard). Grays poem is reflective towards the questions of life and death and shows sympathy for the underclass society. He uses syntax, diction, and organization to express the tone of beauty and equality in humanity. With syntax, which is the grammatical arrangement of words in a sentence, Gray creates multiple meanings in a line and truly expresses the beauty and equality of life and death. One type of syntax that he uses is repetition, in which he places emphasis on the simple Joys and beauty of life that the common people enjoy by reusing common ideas throughout the poem. For example, Gray uses repetition to describe a beautiful morning, The breezy call of incense-breathing Morn, The swallow twittering from the straw-built shed, The cocks shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed. (Gray, Thomas 17-20). He illustrates the beauty of life and to get the point across that life is precious because humans are mortal. Gray also uses rhetorical devices such as alliteration, personification, paradox, and allusion to get his message to his readers. He makes the poem more interesting and draws the reader into the poem. An example of personification would be in lin e 44, Or Flattery sooth the dull cold ear of Death? Here Gray uses the words flattery and death to personify death having a will or mind of its own. By personifying death, Gray is trying to explain that death can come and take a persons life away at any moment. In the poem, Gray also uses paradox to suggest that the troubles and worries of life re more enjoyable when he compares them to death. The pleasing anxious being in line 86 means that Just living can be anxious, and filled with tons of worries, but being alive is pleasing compared to death (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 78). In addition, he alludes three famous and powerful people in order to compare them to those who are buried in the churchyard. Some village-Hampden, that with dauntless beast/The little Tyrant of his fields withstood/ Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest/ Some Cromwell guiltless of his countrys blood, (Gray, Thomas 57-60). John Hampden is a parliamentary leader who defended the people against the abuse of Charles l, John Milton is a great poet who wrote Paradise Lost, and Oliver Cromwell is the Lord Protector of England from 1653 to 1658. T he allusion to the three illustrious men suggests that those who were buried in the churchyard could have opportunity to become someone great (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 78). Alliteration was also used to emphasis imagery, such as solemn silence in line 6 and sturdy stroke in line 28. Gray also uses a series of analogies to examine the talents of the poor. For example in like 53-56, Full many a gem of purest ray serene/ The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear/ Full many a flower is born to blush unseen/ And waste its sweetness on the desert air. He compares the talents of the poor to hidden gems in the ocean and to flowers blooming in the desert. The analogies he uses here express beauty, while still getting his point across to the reader. Gray is suggesting that the uneducated talents of the poor are a waste because they remain unused and undeveloped, but their talents are still present (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 78). Gray is reflective over death, which is the only thing that makes all men equal and reminds the reader about human mortality. In the poem, he ponders over the dead and thinks about how they will no longer be able to enjoy the pleasures of working in the fields each day and seeing their loved ones (EXPLORING Poetry). By comparing these common people to those of high status, he sympathizes with the fact that they did not have the chance to become great, but he still praises the simple lives that they lived. The common people live a steady simple, but meaningful life even if they id not get to accomplish great things (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 78). Gray also reminds the reader that these common people are long dead, but suggests that they deserve homage and tribute even if they are not famous and powerful (Poetry for Students). There are two main themes expressed in this poem, one of them being death. Out of sympathy with the universal terror of death, he elevates humankind with a serene melancholy at common place losses and disappointments from lives cut short. (Snodgrass, Mary Ellen). Gray uses the poem to compare death with sleep to make death seem less horrifying. Death is presented in a better way in this poem; instead of it seeming like the worst thing that could happen the speaker talks about the dead peoples family loving them and how they were cheerful at work when they were alive. He establishes a theme of mortality and reminds the reader that everyone dies eventually and nothing can be done to prevent death from occurring. The graveyard acts as a memento mort, which in Latin means Remember that you must die (EXPLORING Poetry). In death, there is no difference between great and common people. Gray conveys the message that in the end no matter if you are rich, oor, famous, or well known that all men will become equal through death. Another theme that is expressed in this poem is self-search. Gray conveys that attributes normally considered important and desirable in life are now pointless and useless when compared to the lives of the dead. According to the speaker Ambition should not think of the common people in the grave any less because their accomplishments are not as grand as others. He also states that Pride and Memory they are dead (Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard 81). Gray uses personification on these attributes to emphasis his point.