Biography of Augusta Savage, Sculptor and Educator

Biography of Augusta Savage, Sculptor and Educator Augusta Savage, an African American sculptor, struggled to succeed as a sculptor despite barriers of race and sex. She is known for her sculptures of  W.E.B. DuBois,  Frederick Douglass,  Marcus Garvey; Gamin, and others. She is considered part of the  Harlem Renaissance arts and culture revival. Early Life Augusta Christine Fells Savage  lived from February 29, 1892, to March 26, 1962. She was born Augusta Fells in Green Cove Springs, Florida to Edward Fells and Cornelia (Murphy) Fells. She was the seventh of fourteen children. As a young child, she made figures out of clay, despite religious objections of her father, a Methodist minister. When she began school in West Palm Beach, a teacher responded to her clear talent by engaging her in teaching classes in clay modeling. At college, she earned money selling animal figures at a county fair. Marriages She married John T. Moore in 1907, and their daughter, Irene Connie Moore, was born the next year, shortly before John died.  She married James Savage in 1915, keeping his name even after their 1920s divorce and her remarriage to Robert L. Poston in 1923 (Poston died in 1924). Sculpting Career In 1919 she won an award for her booth at the county fair in Palm Beach. The fairs superintendent encouraged her to go to New York to study art, and she was able to enroll at Cooper Union, a college without tuition, in 1921. When she lost the caretaking job that covered her other expenses, the school sponsored her. A librarian found out about her financial problems, and arranged for her to sculpt a bust of African American leader, W.E.B. DuBois, for the 135th St. branch of the New York Public Library. Commissions continued, including one for a bust of Marcus Garvey. During the Harlem Renaissance, Augusta Savage enjoyed growing success, though a 1923 rejection for a summer of study in Paris because of her race inspired her to get involved in politics as well as art. In 1925, W.E.B. DuBois helped her get a scholarship to study in Italy, but she was unable to fund her additional expenses. Her piece Gamin brought attention, resulting in a scholarship from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, and this time she was able to raise money from other supporters, and in 1930 and 1931 she studied in Europe. Savage sculpted busts of Frederick Douglass, James Weldon Johnson, W. C. Handy, and others. Succeeding in spite of the Depression, Augusta Savage began to spend more time teaching than sculpting. She became the first director of the Harlem Community Art Center in 1937 and worked with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). She opened a gallery in 1939, and won a commission for the 1939 New York Worlds Fair, basing her sculptures on James Weldon Johnsons Lift Every Voice and Sing. The pieces were destroyed after the Fair, but some photos remain. Education Overview Florida State Normal School (now Florida A M University)Cooper Union (1921-24)with sculptor Hermon MacNeil, ParisAcademie de la Chaumiere, and with Charles Despiau, 1930-31 Retirement Augusta Savage retired to upstate New York and farm life in 1940, where she lived until shortly before her death when she moved back to New York to live with her daughter Irene.​

Value Diversity in Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Value Diversity in Workplace - Essay Example Every company needs to have a solid legal framework behind its diversity policies. According to Tyre, (2007) " while there is no specific law governing 'diversity' per se, the framework for diversity is shaped by judicial interpretations of actions taken to affect diversity that violate equal opportunity or constitutional rights" (n.p.) A good diversity program should not be subject to any quotas or any inherent rigidity ; in actuality it should be flexible and permeable. Setting aside a quota would merely perpetuate the notion of the 'minority', and would merely pave the path to more discrimination. Aside from that, it would serve companies significantly if it hire people based on the entirety of their qualifications, and not just utilizing race as the primary mitigating factor. The essential challenge facing employers is to create a working environment where people working at all levels are ingrained with the company's drive and vision, and they are continually recognized for their efforts. Executing this platform effectively would ensure a synergistic approach towards innovation, growth, and success. Culled from my own personal experience, I have borne witness to several situations where workforce diversity could have been a mitigating factor if only properly executed and rendered. One particular incident which particularly stands out was during my stint as a sales representative for one of the nation's leading real estate firms. The company specialized in developing properties in the Mayaguez and Aguada areas. The primary duty assigned to me was to handle its premium line of exclusive oceanfront homes, which appeal to a very high-end niche market. A good part of the company's prospective clientele is comprised of wealthy foreigners looking for a good vacation home in the country. My experience had me dealing with a rich politician hailing from the Dominican Republic. He had some close ties in the Aguada area, and was planning on buying a vacation home with his new wife. I was tasked to handle his account, and he was very keen on purchasing one of our featured properties, which was an oceanfront, three- level home worth $535,000. If the deal would fall through it would have been my biggest sale at the time, and would have greatly augmented the company's flagging fortunes. This happened at a time when the housing market was really plummeting, and real estate companies were fighting tooth and nail for every sale that they could get their hands on. The effects of the subprime mortgage crisis were far-reaching, and a sale of this magnitude would have certainly helped my company a great big deal. I had personally accompanied the couple to the site, and they were highly impressed with the oceanfront property. They were displaying a high level of interest, and I was almost certain that this was a sure sale. I could almost feel that my fat commission was on the way. The main issue emanated from what at first seemed like an almost trivial matter. On the way back from our viewing trip, the client had learned that the driver of the company car that we were using also hailed from the Dominican Republic. They engaged in light banter, and I thought that was a pleasant coincidence. My complacency soon was shaken, as

Victim Blaming and Victim Defending Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Victim Blaming and Victim Defending - Essay Example In most cases, people who are exceptionally familiar with victimology do not view the victim as the one responsible for the misdemeanor. However, knowledge about the prior rapport between the fatality and perpetrator maximizes the perceptions of victim blame for cases such as wife battery. In addition, most of the psychologists argue that the victim is not necessarily fallacious. Roy Baumeister; a personality and social psychologist, argues that showing the victim’s responsibility can be shrewd, contrary to typical clarification of meanness and aggression (Said & Hitchens, 2001). Furthermore, in these two concepts there are factors such as secondary victimization, just-world hypothesis, rape shield laws, sexual purity and family honor which are of crucial importance (Ryan, 1976). These terminologies are quite common in association to victim blaming and victim defending. In relation to this case, secondary victimization can be identified as the retraumatization of the abuse victim through the response of the community in general. For example in the case of battered women, the women might be blamed. For instance, they might be accused of not acting as to the stipulated guidelines set by the husband or even cheating on the husband. These are some of the most common acts that may trigger the husband to beat his wife. Hence, this phenomenon is identified as secondary victimization. Rape shield laws have also become common according to most jurisdictions. These laws are liable for protecting the alleged victim with respect to certain phenomena. Another common factor related to the issue of victim blaming and defending is sexual purity and family honor. This prevalent factor involves social relationships in which women are mostly blamed for their indiscriminate acts. Lastly, there is the just-world hypothesis issue which is also prevalent in issues related to victim blaming and defending. This aspect describes the phenomenon that people believe

A Review Of The Novel Alias Grace English Literature Essay

A Review Of The Novel Alias Grace English Literature Essay Grace Marks is one of the two accused for the murders of her employer, Mr. Kinnear and his housewife, Nancy. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. Initially she claims that she does not remember what happened at the scene of the crime. Grace is introverted and carefully chooses what she says so that she does not reveal much information about herself. After Dr. Jordan comes, she opens up a little and tells him her tough childhood and what she remembers about the murders. By the end of the novel, Grace is pardoned, marries her lover, Jamie Dr. Simon Jordan is the physician that is to analyze Grace. He is interested in her circumstances and wants to use what he knows about psychology to pry as much information from her as possible so that it can be determined whether or not she really is suffering from amnesia. After entering in a relationship with Mrs. Humphrey, his landlady, and the results of Graces hypnotism, Dr. Jordan becomes disillusioned. He is unable to come to a conclusion and in the end just returns to Europe. Mary Whitney is a girl about Graces age who also worked for Mrs. Parkinson. Mary is more experienced with worldly matters and thus becomes sort of like a mentor to Grace. It is through Mary that Grace is able to find family. They are like sisters and become close to each other. She has an affair with Mr. George that ends up in a pregnancy and a failed abortion that takes away her life. Grace seems to care more for Mary than her own mother because when her mom died, she thought twice about using the sheet to cover her. On the other hand, Grace uses her money to provide the best possible funeral for her friend. Supposedly, the spirit of Mary resides in Grace and will come out during hypnotism. Nancy Montgomery is the housemaid of Mr. Thomas Kinnear. When she is first introduced, she is looking for extra help. She is not as welcoming or friendly as Graces last employer, Mrs. Parkinson. She feels as though she is superior to Grace. Nancy has an affair with Kinnear and gets jealous of Kinnear when he starts lusting for Grace. She is later found in the cellar, strangled and her throat cut. 4. Conflicts: One major conflict in the novel is determining Graces innocence and also her identity. Much of the book is concerned about Grace giving the readers background information about herself and her version of what happened during the time of the murders The conflict never gets resolved because Dr. Jordan never comes to a conclusion and just abandons his all of his findings. He does not know what to think after he witnesses the spirit of Mary Whitney possess Graces body. Atwood gives you all of many small pieces and it is up to readers to put everything together and then decide whether or not Grace is guilty or not 5. Opening chapter or scene: Alias Grace opens with a dream about Nancy, a dream that also occurs again later on in the novel. The year is 1851 and Grace is twenty-four years old. She has been in prison ever since she was sixteen. She tries to be the model prisoner even though life in the penitentiary is described as tough. She tells this dream to Dr. Jordan when they arrive at the part of the story. In the next section is a little poem that gives a quick but somewhat inaccurate summary of what has already happened before the novel started. The opening gives some background information about Graces life and also foreshadows many events. 6. Plot: Grace has been kept at the Kingston Penitentiary when Dr. Jordan comes and performs his project with Grace, the inciting incident After Graces initial reluctance to participate with Dr. Jordan ends, the rising action occurs when Grace relates her past to him. She is an immigrant from Ireland to Canada and suffers from a dysfunctional and poverty-stricken family. Life was hard for her because her father was worthless. She was able to find a job as a housekeeper. While working, she befriends Mary Whitney. She is traumatized when Mary dies because of an unsuccessful abortion and quits her job. She takes up another job with Nancy Montgomery, who works at the Kinnear estate She also meets James McDermott, another worker under Mr. Kinnear. Nancy and Mr. Kinnear seem to have a relationship together but now Kinnear is paying more attention to Grace. James thinks that Nancy and Kinnear should be killed. Grace then tells Dr. Jordan that James kills them both and then faints when James threatens her. When she awakens, James says that she must keep her part of the deal which implied that she was to go to bed with him. Grace tries to put him off and persuades him to escape to Toronto but they soon get captured. In the climax, Dr. Dupont hypnotizes Graces but instead a spirit comes out saying that she is not Grace but Mary Whitney. When the trance is broken, Grace comes back but does not remember what happened during the hypnosis. 7. Conclusion: In the novels falling action and conclusion, a disoriented and confused Dr. Jordan ceases his investigations and returns back to Europe Grace is pardoned and released from the penitentiary at the age of forty-five. She ends up marrying her childhood lover, Jaime Walsh and soon gets pregnant. The novel ends with a passage about how Grace will quilt the Tree of Paradise. She will interweave Marys petticoat, her prison nightdress, and Nancys dress altogether. The ending was only somewhat appropriate because it did not really feel as if he flowed with the rest of the story, that it did not belong there. It just seems attached on. 8. Themes: One theme of the novel is gender and feminism in the nineteenth century. Women back then were supposed to act a certain way. They were to be submissive and modest with the men dominating. Women were also thought to be more petite and moral. This may be a reason why James was executed and why Grace was only sent to prison. Another theme of the novel is that of sexuality. This theme seems to be a big driving force in the story. Mary Whitney gets involved in a sexual affair that has big repercussions. While in prison Grace must deal with the verbal abuse and sexual advances of the guards. Grace is accused of having a sexual encounter with Jamie in the orchard. Also when Mrs. Humphreys husband leaves her, she turns to a sexual relationship with Dr. Jordan for comfort. Dr. Jordan, on the other hand has fantasies of Miss Lydia and even Grace. Both Mr. Kinnear and James lust after Grace. Kinnear and Nancy have an affair too. Either way, sexuality plays an important role in the novel. 9. Symbols/Archetypes: One big symbol is that of the quilt. There is both a physical quilt, the one that Grace is working on, and a mental quilt. Each time Dr. Jordan examines Grace, it seems if as though another piece of Graces life and identity are sewed onto a quilt. All of the little intricate bits and memories are stitched together make up the whole quilt and there are also different ways to look at and interpret quilts. In addition, the title of each chapter is a name of a real quilting design. Another symbol may be that apples. They could symbolize the truth and knowledge. It could also represent the apple in the Garden of Eden. Grace could symbolize Eve, who was manipulated by something evil and then was punished for it. 10. Parallel events/parallel works: Alias Grace is similar to the story of the Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gillman. Both works of literature were about psychiatric care. Women were the protagonist in both stories. Also both women were isolated from other people, one in an asylum, another in a lonely room. The dream that Grace describes in the opening chapter makes another appearance in the middle of the novel. In it, Grace sees Nancy with blood all over her face. Alias Grace is the retelling of the real story of Grace Marks. It is a historical fiction novel though, so some aspects such as the character of Dr. Simon Jordan are made up. 11. Style: Atwood rarely uses quotations in this novel. This makes the text more confusing as to who is talking and thinking which thoughts. This does emphasize the ambiguity of Graces life and her account of the murders In addition to the lack of punctuation, Grace also uses the word could very often. This makes it seems like she is making up some of the details, that what she says is conditional The story is presented from the point of view of Graces At the beginning of each chapter, Atwood uses a real historical article and/or a quote that describes something about Grace to introduce the next section. To highlight the quilt theme, Atwood also names each chapter after a genuine quilting pattern and even provides a small picture of the design. 12. Significant lines: I would rather be a murderess than a murderer, if those are the only choices (23) showing feminist attitudes like passing through the gates of Hell and into Paradise (447) when she left the penitentiary and went off into the real world and that is the same with all quilts, you can see them two different ways, by looking at the dark pieces, or else the light (162) there are always more than one way to look at things in life and everything has a dark and light side Murderess is a strong word to have attached to you (27) she has a label attached to her and it makes her think a certain way And so we will all be together (460) the last line of the novel, Grace will all of the remnants of her past onto one quilt so that she can look at it and move on

Ronald Reagan Administration Essay -- American History Politics Politi

In 1980, troubled by a unstable economy at home, a hostage crisis overseas, and the end of prior administrations that were not trusted, America elected Ronald Reagan by a landslide margin of victory. At sixty-nine years old, he was the oldest President to be elected. He was born in a small town in Illinois and served two terms as California governor starting in 1966. Reagan's track record proved to be very strong and included welfare cuts, decreasing the number of state employees, and halting radical student protesters. Like other GOP members, Reagan came into office promising to limit the power of government and to strengthen American military power overseas. "In this present crisis," Reagan said in his inaugural address, "government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."(Reganfoundation). The new president wasted little time in institutionalizing the new conservative creed. In 1981, after surviving an assassination attempt, Reagan pushed his agenda of lower taxes (a measure that proved most beneficial to the rich) and steep budget cuts through a hesitant Congress. Furthermore, Reagan cut spending on social security, weakened organized labor groups, and lived up to his campaign promises by reducing government regulations that had prevented mergers while supervising the banking industry. At the same time, he appointed conservatives who would carry out his vision of smaller government to agencies like the EPA, his cabinet, and the courts. Anti-Communism was the cornerstone of the Reagan administration's foreign policy. The Reagan Doctrine had a turbulent relationship with the Soviet Union and Central America, more so than with other nations. President Reagan pushed for a space-based missile system to ... ...l fell and the Cold War ended in 1991. The Soviet collapse was the result of a culmination of many events, including the Chernobyl disaster, rebellion in the Baltic republics, and the rising expectations of consumers in a socialist system that could not produce anything of use. Reagan was indeed judicious in his rhetoric and in his Anti-Communist views. These actions on his behalf led to greater worldwide investment in democracy. 1. Anderson, Annelise, Martin Anderson, and Ronald Reagan. RONALD REAGAN'S PATH TO VICTORY: SELECTED WRITINGS BOOK. New Yrk: Free Pr, 2004 2. .Strober, Gerald S.. Ronald Reagan. Triumph Books, 2004. 3.10 Apr 2007 . 4. Reagan, Ronald. 06 Apr 2007 . 5.Robinson, Peter. How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life. Regan Books,

Final Essay

He is stuck on the bridge between being an adult and a child and does not know here he wants to go. He doesn't know what he wants to do or be in the future. Throughout the book, Holder makes many references to the ducks that he saw a few times in Central Park. He says, â€Å"The ducks. Do you know, by any chance? I mean does somebody come around in a truck or something and take them away, or do they fly away by themselves- go south or something? â€Å"(Slinger 91 This could be a symbol for Holder and his life. Holder is wondering where the ducks will go, very much like he is wondering where he himself will go.Holder wonders if he will have to get up and go nowhere on his own, or if someone will come along and help him out before things get too difficult. Holder is thinking about where the ducks will go when it gets cold and hard for them to survive. He is also thinking about where he will go when life gets even more difficult and harder for him to survive on his own. Holder is also scared for the future of children. He has experienced firsthand what it is like to be extremely stressed and forced to grow up quickly. He does not like growing up and he just wants to be a child forever.Holder wants to save children from falling into the world of adulthood. He says, â€Å"Navy, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody's around – nobody big, mean – except me. And I'm standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they're running and they don't look where they're going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all. Know it's crazy, but that's the only thing I'd really like to be.This shows that Holder actually is caring for the children in the world and he wants to help them keep their innocence in any way that he can. Throughout the Story, Holder mentions his little brother Allele. Allele passed away when they were little of cancer. Holder feels guilty and upset over Allies death and really misses him. Allele was one of the few people who Holder actually loved and cared about. Allele had an old baseball mitt with poems written all over it that he would read while standing in the field. While talking about Allies old baseball mitt that Holder kept, he says â€Å"You'd have liked him.He was two years younger than I was, but he was about fifty times as intelligent. He was terrifically intelligent. His teachers were always writing letters to my mother, telling her what a pleasure it was having a boy like Allele in their class. And they weren't just shooting the crap. They really meant it. But it wasn't just that he was the most intelligent member in the family. He was also the nicest, in lots of ways. He never got mad at anybody. God, he was a nice kid, though. He used to laugh so h ard at something he thought of at the dinner table that he just about fell off his chair.

American Capitalism And Soviet Communism - 1344 Words

American capitalism and Soviet Communism were incompatible systems; Washington shouldn’t have been surprised to hear this in George Kennan’s long telegram. But the tensions were not always this high between the two word powers. In the end of world war two, â€Å"Stalin s empire was won with reservoirs of soviet blood†(cite 1). The thought to be never ending Soviet army was not limitless anymore. The estimated cost of the war was at 2.6 trillion(cite 4), with most of the population wanting to focus on reconstructing. But the inevitable behavior of the soviets to push east for bases, land with oil, and to help to instill a communistic government, led to the pause of any rebuilding in the USSR. The United states alliance with the Soviets was catalysed by Hitler s attack on the soviets on June 22, 1941, and the Japanese attack on the US. The US and the new dealers became Stalin’s strategic partners against the Axis powers. The US lend lease program helped the soviets immensely with the Germans and Stalin had acknowledged that without it, they would not have been able to endure the Nazi force. At the time, â€Å"Roosevelt had believed that Russians would come bow down to America, would humbly beg, since the USSR is a poor country, without industry, without bread–so they had no other option. But we looked at it differently. Our people were ready for sacrifice and struggle†(cite 55). The Soviets may have not needed the alliance but it was very profitable to them and vital toShow MoreRelatedCommunism : A Economic System921 Words   |  4 PagesThe Communism is Karl Marx’s ideal economic system, which promotes a central plan economy. A central p lan economic is when the government places quotas on companies that manufacturers goods. After the end of World War II the spread of Communism began to raise in the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is the makeup of different European, African, and Asian countries. Communism seem to be a utopia to the poor and working classes of these countries, because of the dismantled the bourgeois and proletarianRead MoreThe Cold War : American Liberalism Vs. Soviet Communism1627 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cold War - was at its root a battle of ideas: American liberalism vs. Soviet Communism. The two ideologies clashed at their very nature, which led to deep mistrust and fear of the unknown about the unpredictability of the other. The two world powers simply could not exist without conflict. As a result, The United States of America took measures to prevent the worst: war. The steps the U.S.A took to quench the possibility of war separated the world even more, as they gave aid to some countriesRead MoreThe War Of The Cold War1644 Words   |  7 Pagesand military tension stemming from World War II fought primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union. Although the start and end dates of the Cold War are frequently disputed over, it is generally accepted that the conflict started at the conclusion of the Second World War and stemmed from the social climate and lingering tensions in Europe and the increasing power struggles between the Soviet Union and the United States. Along with economic separation between the USSR and the West, the threatRead MoreEssay The Power of Ideology1484 Words   |  6 Pagescollateral damage. Conflicting ideologies of Communism and Capitalism were set aside in World War II when the Russians and the Americans united as allies to face Nazi Germany as the common enemy. With the defeat of Germany, Russia and the United States emerged as the two competing superpowers. These victors had the power to decide the fate of the world. The Communist S oviet Union had a world to win while Americans opposed this horrific design and favored Capitalism. This ideological conflict developed tensionsRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1160 Words   |  5 Pagesfought over communism and capitalism. One of the longest and intense conflicts was the Cold War. â€Å"The Cold War was a nearly 50-year long period of tense relations between the United States and the Communist-ruled Soviet Union. The Cold War began almost immediately after World War II and ended with the 1991 dismantling of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics† (Turner, 2001-2014 p.1). The Soviets fought to expand communism and destroy capitalism, but in theRead MoreThe Containment Of Communism And The Cold War1343 Words   |  6 PagesDuring World War II, the United States and the Soviets put their political differences aside in their need to defeat their common foe, Germany. However, even during the war against Germany, and later Japan, the political and post-war tensions between the United States and the Soviets were ever underlying and continued to grow. As both sides of the Axis allies continued to gain ground, during their victories in Europe, the questions and positioning for future world domination of political idealsRead MoreThe Cold War Essay1029 Words   |  5 Pagesdiplomacy. The clever Americans used many tactics to create a â€Å"cold† war that would benefit them in every aspect. The fear of communism consuming smaller countries exaggerated the possibility that America’s economy could be jeopardized. Politicians also helped guarantee anti-communist principles in the United States. Imitating the government, the media and other political figures helped create a frenzy of fear. The United States was more to blame for the Cold War than the Soviet Union. AfterRead MoreThe Cuban Missile Crisis During The United States1219 Words   |  5 PagesS. and the Soviet Union resulting from the placement of Soviet missiles in Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis was considered the climax of the Cold War, a period lasting from about 1947 to 1991, in which a political rivalry between Eastern and Western Allies surfaced. The Soviet Union was being run by Joseph Stalin, who wanted to expand communism through Eastern Europe and make a group of united communist countries, while the Western Allies favored capitalism and strongly abhorred communism. The CubanRead MoreUnited States Containment Policy During The Cold War Essay1023 Words   |  5 PagesDuring the Cold War, Americas basic policy was that of containment of the Soviet Union. The policy of containment was based upon several principles. First, the Soviet Union wanted to spread socialism to all areas of the world. However, it was felt that the leadership of the Soviet Union felt no particular r ush to accomplish their goal. The Kremlin is under no ideological compulsion to accomplish its purposes in a hurry. Like the Church, it is dealing in ideological concepts which are ofRead MoreThe Cold War And The Soviet Union1413 Words   |  6 PagesThe Cold War was a state of political rivalry and tension existing between the Soviet Union and Western allies. This war is categorized by distrust, espionage, the storing of weapons, and a race to develop technologies. The struggle for global supremacy lasted for more than forty years. Cold War was the name given to the relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States that was developed after World War 2. The Cold War existed to manage international affairs for many years. Many big crises