Eudora Welty a Worn Path - 12166 Words

A Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storage retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher. For complete copyright information on these eNotes please visit: http://www.enotes.com/worn−path/copyright Table of Contents 1. A Worn Path: Introduction 2. Eudora Welty†¦show more content†¦Ã‚ » Back to Table of Contents Summary The story opens on a chilly December morning. An elderly African−American woman named Phoenix Jackson is making her way, slowly but surely, through the woods, tapping an umbrella on the ground in front of her as she walks. Her shoes are untied. While she taps along, she talks to the animals in the woods, telling them to keep out of her way. As the path goes up a hill, she complains about how difficult walking becomes. It becomes evident that she has made this journey many times before; she is familiar with all the twists and turns in the trail. She talks aimlessly to herself. Her eyesight is poor, and she catches her skirt in the thorns on a bush. After walking across a log to traverse a stream, she rests. She imagines a boy bringing her a slice of cake but opens her eyes to find her hand in the air, grasping nothing. The terrain becomes more difficult, and at a certain point she thinks she sees a ghost, but it is only a scarecrow. Blaming the confusion on her age and the fact that her senses is gone, she moves on. She meets a black dog with a lolling tongue. She hits the dog lightly with her cane, and the effort knocks her off balance and she falls into a ditch. The dogs owner, a white hunter, happens by and helps her out of the ditch. When he hears that she is attempting to make it into town, he says it is too far and tells her to go home. But Phoenix is determined, and Author BiographyShow MoreRelatedA Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay1702 Words   |  7 Pages A Worn Path Research Paper The introduction of historical figures, events, and documents sparked in the twentieth century. Documents such as, the Declaration of independence, Bill of Rights, United States Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address are some examples of historical documents. These documents carry such a heavy meaning that the blood and gore that were included are often ignored. Although when the Civil Rights movement is mentioned, there are judgments that are made and accusationsRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1707 Words   |  7 PagesMichelle Andrews Dr. Goss ENGLISH 1102 9 February 2016 A Worn Path In the Eudora Welty’s ‘‘A Worn Path’’, there is a distinct description of characters that live in the era of segregation and the great depression. Because Welty is a native of the south, this story is based from the experiences during her life. Her struggles are relived in the characters of not just â€Å"A Worn Path† but also a lot of her other stories. She uses hidden messages in her stories and includes deep meaning in the simplestRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty944 Words   |  4 Pagesones you love? In â€Å"A Worn Path,† by Eudora Welty, the reader is taken on Phoenix Jackson’s, the main character’s, journey to the doctor’s office to obtain the medications needed for her ill grandson. Having to commute in such difficult conditions, Phoenix endures through the dense and tiresome woods, stretching from the countryside to the town. After persevering through the long journey to her destination, Phoenix arrive s at the building and receives the medication she needs. Welty concludes the storyRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty Essay1481 Words   |  6 PagesA Worn Path (1940) On an everyday basis people are encountering challenges that stand in their way of them achieving their set goals. However, with determination the vast majority will accomplish the mission they have set out to conquer. In the short story â€Å"A Worn Path† written by Eudora Welty in 1940, Phoenix Jackson, the main character has a mission in which she is trying to complete when she is faced with many challenges. This short story is centered on the challenges that are faced by an elderlyRead MoreEudora Welty a Worn Path12173 Words   |  49 PagesA Worn Path by Eudora Welty Copyright Notice  ©1998−2002;  ©2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design ® and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.  ©2007 eNotes.com LLC ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, Web distribution or information storageRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1495 Words   |  6 PagesIn the short story â€Å"A Worn Path,† the author, Eudora Welty uses mythical, religious, and spiritual symbols as well as the setting to help the reader understand an old African-American woman’s life. Welty also uses the symbolism to represent the hardships old woman has faced during the old woman’s life. The old African-American woman’s name is Phoenix and is on a journey to town as the readers are taken on jou rney through her life. Welty also uses fine details and sentence structure in addition toRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty879 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story A Worn Path by Eudora Welty she focuses on the journey of an old woman heading into town. She uses ridiculous amounts of imagery which really make the story come to life. I believe this short story to be about a woman that has gotten so old, she has cataracts and it seems, the air of a wise woman. Speaking of wise women, it also shows that she really has grown up on this path- even in her old age, her stumbling blindness she knows the characters of these woods, and the ways inRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1441 Words   |  6 Pagesargue that â€Å"A Worn Path† by Eudora Welty mirrors that of a slave narrative while at the same time illustrates the racism that blacks faced while on their journey to equality. Great descriptions are used to illustrate Phoenix Jackson. In the beginning, Welty states that Phoenix has her head tied in a red rag with a dark striped dress reaching down to her shoe tops and an equally long apron (274). Kevin Moberly notes in his article, â€Å"Toward the North Star: Eudora Welty s ‘A Worn Path’ and the SlaveRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty762 Words   |  4 PagesStrongest Will Survive Is it true that younger people in better health and conditions will always complete a task better than an older not so well fit person? In these two short stories â€Å"A Worn Path†, by Eudora Welty, and â€Å"To Build a Fire†, by Jack London, shows us how true that is. The protagonists in â€Å"A Worn Path† is named Phoenix Jackson who is an older black women living in Natchez, Mississippi in the 1930s. The protagonists is a man unnamed in â€Å"To Build a Fire† traveling in the Yukon. In both ofRead MoreA Worn Path By Eudora Welty1005 Words   |  5 Pagesracism because the path represents the slavery path when black folks escaped from their owners and most of all their hiding place so they wont find them . Also the woods represents they same symbols as the path because they ran through there in order to lose their own owners. In this story of â€Å"A Worn Path† is about a grown up woman who goes into town to get her grandson some medication. Phoenix risks her life by walking in the empty woods through path she already knows

The Civil War Was The First Modern War - 1289 Words

The Civil War was during 1861-1865 . It was known to be the first modern war . It had very high numbers in death compared to any other war .Because this war followed the Industrial revolution ,this war was the beginning of new technologies, new weapons It was a war fought between the North ( Union) and The South (Confederates). The North did not want to keep slavery but the South did . Slavery was the cause of the separation between the two.There were many laws that were created that started conflicts. Some of those law were created to oppress slaves.Which caused the problems to get bigger. Eventually the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act. The Fugitive Slave Act states that if a slave runaway they should be captured and returned to their masters. Section 8 of the Fugitive Slave Act states that anyone who caught a slave would receive a payment of five dollars . Then the Dredd vs. Scott Decision , a decision made by the supreme court , that African Americans, free or ens laved , were not allowed to be citizens . When Lincoln became President he gave freedom to slaves . And because of that decision the South seceded from the Union . Some Evidence will show that slavery was the cause of the Civil War , however ,because of political , social and economic factors , it was not the main cause of the war . In the 1850s , the three main political issues were over whether a new state would become a slave state or a free state , the South Secession from the Union ,Show MoreRelatedThe Civil War- Modern or Napoleonic War? Essay991 Words   |  4 Pages Was the Civil War the first modern war or the last Napoleonic War? This question has plagued historians for years. Joseph Dawson, author of the article â€Å"The First of the Modern Wars?† argues that the Civil War was the first Modern War. His view is the commonly accepted one. Alternatively, in his book Battle Tactics of the Civil War, Paddy Griffith compares the tactics used in the Civil War to those used during Napoleon’s time. He counters the common belief and argues that even though the Civil WarRead MoreInfluences of Civil War Technology 1432 Words   |  6 PagesWar is something that everyone knows about. it is very prominent and chances are throughout the history of the world there is always someone effected by it during any point in time. Wars come and go leaving many good and bad things behind, whichever light it is looked at from, weaponry is always one of those things. War time is notorious for pushing technology to the edge, this including weaponry. There have been several wars that impacted future weaponry but the Civil War is on the farthest awayRead MoreThe Battle Of The American Civil War1335 Words   |  6 Pageswith hindsight and the knowledge of warfare of the 21st century it is easy to say that the American Civil War was simply put, a very traditional war. Thinking of modern tactics and a course of numbers and deployment one might come to the conclusion that the Civil War was fought centuries ago; nevertheless, it only occurred 152 years ago. This hard fought national struggle was in fact a very modern war for many simple reasons, including the emergence of a new form of large national government with centralizedRead MoreHistory of Civil War882 Words   |  3 PagesUnfortunately, our modern society has been marred with war and strife over its eventful lifespan. A civil disagreement, when accompanied by mass offenses, often ends with deadly war. Throughout history, many nations have been unable to solve their personal griev ances with one another in a diplomatic manner. In many instances are solves through protest, boycotts and other contentious means. However, in some instances, society elects the worst possible alternative, which is often war. In retrospect, wars have beenRead MoreThe Tensions Of The Civil War988 Words   |  4 PagesThe tensions of the Civil War are very much still alive in the Southern United States one hundred and fifty years after the Confederacy surrendered to Union forces to end the war. While the tensions may have mitigated away from full-fledged war between North and South, there still remain tensions along racial and cultural lines well beyond the war. In Tony Horwitz’s Confederates in the Attic these long standing tensions left over from the war are delved into by Horwitz as he makes his way acrossRead MoreThe Institution Of Slavery And Attitudes Towards It Changed Drastically Throughout The Late 18th And Early 19th Centuries1431 Words   |  6 Pagesattitudes towa rds it changed dramatically in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Describe the changes and explain the various arguments made for and against the expansion of slavery. Who, if anyone, was arguing for abolition and who was defending the institution of slavery? Finally, in your opinion was their room for compromise on the issue of slavery that could have averted conflict? Why or why not? From as far back as history goes there has been slavery and the sad fact is that even today slaveryRead MoreThe American Civil War858 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Civil War was an event that changed the landscape of America and brought it into the modern era. This transition was facilitated by the separation between the emergence of conflict between the North and South, the civil war that ensued, and what the end of the war meant for America. The resulting conflict had turned a separated America into a more united country as the shift from the bloody war lead to the birth of modern America. Firstly, the conflict was a result of ever increasingRead MoreMilitary Historians And Theorists Postulate That Napoleon Invented Modern Warfare916 Words   |  4 PagesNapoleon invented modern warfare. This belief is not true. Although there are aspects of how Napoleon fought that are used by many modern armies today, and his tactics and philosophy of fighting should continue to be studied, Napoleonic warfare is not fundamentally similar to modern warfare. Napoleon implemented ideas that modern armies use today; however the Revolutions in Military Affairs (RMAs) of the Franco-Prussian Wars and American Civil War, and the military revolutions of World War I, and the NuclearRead MoreWarfare During World War I1472 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Civil War and the start of World War I. Within those years numerous technological advancements took place. Many of those advancements directly impacted the warfare in the First World War. The Civil War, also referred to as the first modern war, gave way to an even more modernized style of warfare used during World War I. Much of this modernized technology of warfare had a great impact on how tactics and strategies were used throughout the First World War. Toward the beginning of the Civil WarRead MoreReasons For The Civil War1516 Words   |  7 PagesKaylea Simas U.S. History Mr. Burkey 11 December 2015 The Civil War There had been many misunderstandings between the North and the South in the years that led up to the Civil War, but the most tragic misunderstanding of all was that neither side realized, until it was too late, that the other side was desperate. Not until the war had actually begun would men see that their rivals really meant to fight? By that time it was too late to do anything but go on fighting. Southerners had been talking

European Journal Of Business And Management - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the European Journal Of Business And Management. Answer: Introduction In the current business scenario, one of the key and important considerations for the contemporary business organizations is the human resource management. This is due to the reason that, current business scenario is much more challenging in nature compared to what it was a decade ago. Thus, effective communication among the employees and managing them effectively helps the contemporary business organizations to enhance the skill sets of the employees along with increasing the productivity and effectiveness of the organization (Purce, 2014). In accordance to this theory, various contemporary business organizations initiate the process of teamwork among the employees in order to promote the connectivity. However, there are various challenges and other factors to be considered by the business organizations in initiating the ideal teamwork. Woolworths is one of the leading retail giants operating in the Australia. They are having the majority of the market share with them and are known for their effective customer service (Woolworths, 2018). On the other hand, Woolworths is also being considered as one of the most attractive employers in the Australian region. This is due to the reason that, Woolworths promotes effective and efficient policies of teamwork in their internal organizations. However, as discussed earlier, they are also facing different issues related to the teamwork and management of their employees. In the recent times, teamwork is facing different challenges and issues and it is important for the business organizations to have the effective mitigating process to overcome the issues. This report will discuss about the concept of the teamwork in the organization along with determining the effectiveness of the teamwork for the organization. This report will also discuss about the issues being faced by the team in their workplace. Importance of the communication in the teamwork will also be discussed in this report along with providing recommendations to overcome the issues. Team formation in Woolworths Woolworths is having different departments in their operation across Australia. In accordance to that, teams are being created. Selection of teams on the basis of departmental activities helps Woolworths to generate accurate outcome. For instance, they are having teams for the marketing departments. Thus, having employees in the team for the similar objectives helps the team leader to create the consensus. The members in the team are also being selected based on the qualification and experience of them in the related fields. Thus, team members of marketing department are having the qualification and experience related to the marketing field. Team building activities of Woolworths In the current business scenario, contemporary business organizations initiate the process of teamwork in order to enhance the productivity and communication among the employees (Armstrong Jackson-Smith, 2013). Initiation of the teamwork involves various stages from selecting the right member in the right team to creating the consensus. The first step involves creation of the team (Fapohunda, 2013). This process is the selection and nomination of the right members in the right team with having right expertise and qualifications. This step is important due to the reason that, the effectiveness of the team building is the determining factor for the effectiveness of the whole team. The next step involves the creation of the mutual understanding among the team members. This is important due to the reason that, if there is no mutual understanding among the team members, then the chance of emergence of consensus will also get lowered. The next step is to having an effective leader in the team (Hoch Kozlowski, 2014). This is also a key factor in determining the success of the team due to the fact that, the leadership skill and power of the team leader will determine the effectiveness and productivity of the team members. The leader should be selected based on the qualification and the eligibility. In addition, another factor to be considered in selection of the leader is the acceptability among the members (Ziek Smulowitz, 2014). This is due to the reason that, leaders should have the influence among the team members. The last step in the working of the team is the generation of the consensus among the team members. Consensus is important due to the reason that, different team members will come up with different approaches and opinions, which should be merged in to one final solution. Thus, the effectiveness of a team will get determined by how efficiently the consensus will be created (de Wet, ODonnell Bowie, 2014). In this case also, the relationship among the team members and the influence of the team leader on the team members is a determining factor. Figure: 1 Process of teamwork Team composition Currently Woolworths is having total 1, 75, 000 employees across all their business operations. This large number of employees is not belonging from single culture; rather they are from different social and cultural backgrounds. Thus, Woolworths is having diversified workforce in the organization. Moreover, the entire workforce is having the equal representation of both the genders. They are having equal female representation in the upper management also. Employees are given training to develop multiple skills in order to deal with the organizational challenges. However, employees are being given training based on the department they are working. Team effectiveness in Woolworths As discussed earlier, the majority of the contemporary business organizations are initiating the concept of the teamwork in for their employees. However, there is a difference between the teamwork and the effectiveness of the teamwork (Drouin Bourgault, 2013). This is due to the reason that, teamwork may have negative as well as the positive implications on the business organizations. In the case of Woolworths, team effectiveness will help the organization to effectively manage the employees. This is due to the reason that, initiation of the teamwork will enhance the network and connectivity among the employees. Thus, determination of the requirement and feedback of the employees will be more effective (Hu Liden, 2015). On the other hand, Woolworths is having the benefits of having multi skilled employees in the workplace. This is due to the reason that, with the help of the effective teamwork, employees will have the opportunity to gather different and diverse idea from other team members. Thus, Woolworths is having the advantage of gaining different approaches of solutions for any certain issues. Moreover, customer service of the Woolworths is also getting enhanced with the help of the effective teamwork. This is due to the fact that, the more effective will be the teamwork; the more effective will be the determination of the requirement of the team members. Thus, team members will be more motivated and engaged if their requirement and expectation are being met. Eventually, having motivated employees in the place is helping them to provide quality customer service (Orel Kara, 2014). Employees are more motivated to engage with the customers and to meet their requirements. Thus, the level of customer satisfaction and loyalty is getting increased for Woolworths with the help of the teamwork. Team members in Woolworths have their own online portal, which is being used for the purpose of the communication. Woolworths is having their managers across all levels along with the employees in the portal. Thus, it helps their internal stakeholders in communicating with each other. It also helps the employees to directly communicate with the upper level managers. Effective communication process among the internal stakeholders helps in initiating the consensus in the team. Issues in the teamwork Difference in opinion One of the key issues in the teamwork is the difference in the opinion of the team members or the emergence of the conflict among the team members. This is due to the reason that, each team is having god number of team members from different social and cultural backgrounds. Thus, they will have different approaches in certain situation (Salas et al., 2015). However, issue gets emerged when different team members comes up with different solutions. This is due to the reason that, each member will have certain point of view and they will not be ready to accept the view of others. This cause origination of the conflict in the team. Team diversity Another key issue being faced by Woolworths in their teamwork is the diversity among the employees. Woolworths is having diversified workforce in their organization with having employees from different social and cultural backgrounds (Bond Haynes, 2014). Thus, these employees come up with different approaches and it becomes difficult for the team leader to oppose their views. This is due to the reason that, preferring ones opinion over others will create employee issue in the organization. Team building Another issue in the teamwork is the selection of the right set of members. This is due to the reason that, if the employees with right set of qualifications and approaches are not being selected in the team, then it will be difficult for the team leader to manage the team (Hayano, Hamada Sugawara, 2014). Moreover, building the consensus among the team will also get difficult for the team leader. However, on the other hand, it is also difficult to select the team members according to the expected criterion. Thus, this is one of the key issues being faced in the teamwork. Team communication Another key issue for the teamwork is the ineffective communication. Communication is one of the key elements in having ideal teamwork. Thus, lack of effective communication system in the teamwork will create gap among the employees. Moreover, diversity among the team members will also further create barrier in enhancing the communication in the team (Zhang Venkatesh, 2013). Thus, without having the effective communication process in the team, the expected result cannot get derived. Innovation Another issue being identified is the lack of creativity and innovative thinking among the team members. The basic motive of any team is to generate innovative ideas from the employees. Thus, without having the innovative thinking of the employees, the objective of the team will not be met. It is a challenge for the team leader to generate innovative thinking from the side of the team members. Communication in the teamwork of Woolworths As discussed in the above section, communication is one of the key elements in the teamwork to be considered. This is due to the reason that, initiation of the effective communication process in the teamwork is having multiple benefits for the business organizations. One of the key benefits gained from the effective communication is the cohesiveness among the team members (Karanges et al., 2015). Cohesiveness among the team members will be created if there will be mutual understanding in the team. Thus, communication in the team will help to enhance the connectivity and understanding among the team members. Team building skills also get enhanced with the help of the effective communication process. This is due to the reason that, with the help of the communication process, team leader can communicate with the team members and can effectively determine the requirement of the team members. Another key importance of the communication in the teamwork is the enhancement of the productivity and effectiveness of the team. The more effective will be the process of communication among the team members, the more effective will be the team productivity. This is mainly due to the reason that, with having the effective communication process among the team members and with the team leader, the requirement of the team members will get fulfilled. On the other hand, team leader can share his vision to his team member effectively with the help of the communication process. Thus, the entire process of teamwork will get enhanced along with the team productivity. Recommendations It is being recommended that, Woolworths should initiate the effective diversity management in their organization in order to reduce the issues related to the diversity in the workforce. Initiation of the diversity management will help the organization to promote the equal representation of the employees from different social and cultural backgrounds. Moreover, the employees should be made aware regarding the benefits and advantages to be gained by the team members in the diversified workforce. Thus, it will help the organization to cut off the issue related to the diversity. Another recommended step will be to promote training and development program for the employees. This will enable the employees to have the awareness regarding the benefits of the teamwork along with having the idea of the basic rules to be followed in the team. Thus, the emergence of conflict will get lowered with having trained employees in place (Jehanzeb Bashir, 2013). Moreover, initiation of the training and development program for the employees will help to train and equip the employees and thus the initiation of the innovative thinking will get further enhanced. It is also being recommended that, different communication channel should be initiated in the teamwork. This is due to the reason that, each team will have team members from different social backgrounds. In addition, each member is comfortable in different communication channel. Thus, it is being recommended that, implementation of the different communication channel will help to engage the team members effectively. Conclusion Thus, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that, for the contemporary business organizations such as Woolworths, initiation of the teamwork is having multiple benefits. This report has discussed about the various advantages that can be gained from an effective teamwork. Moreover, there are various issues that can get generated in the teamwork that are being identified and analyzed in this report. In accordance to that, various recommendations are being discussed in this report in order to overcome the identified issues. In addition, this report also concludes that, communication is having the prime importance in the teamwork. Different advantages that can be gained from the initiation of the effective communication process in the teamwork are being discussed in this report. Reference Armstrong, A., Jackson-Smith, D. (2013). Forms and levels of integration: Evaluation of an interdisciplinary team-building project.Journal of Research Practice,9(1), 1. Bond, M. A., Haynes, M. C. (2014). Workplace diversity: A socialecological framework and policy implications.Social Issues and Policy Review,8(1), 167-201. de Wet, C., ODonnell, C., Bowie, P. (2014). Developing a preliminary never eventlist for general practice using consensus-building methods.Br J Gen Pract,64(620), e159-e167. Drouin, N., Bourgault, M. (2013). How organizations support distributed project teams: Key dimensions and their impact on decision making and teamwork effectiveness.Journal of Management Development,32(8), 865-885. Fapohunda, T. M. (2013). Towards effective team building in the workplace.International Journal of Education and Research,1(4), 1-12. Hayano, M., Hamada, D., Sugawara, T. (2014). Role and member selection in team formation using resource estimation for large-scale multi-agent systems.Neurocomputing,146, 164-172. Hoch, J. E., Kozlowski, S. W. (2014). Leading virtual teams: Hierarchical leadership, structural supports, and shared team leadership.Journal of applied psychology,99(3), 390. Hu, J., Liden, R. C. (2015). Making a difference in the teamwork: Linking team prosocial motivation to team processes and effectiveness.Academy of Management Journal,58(4), 1102-1127. Jehanzeb, K., Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study.European Journal of business and management,5(2). Karanges, E., Johnston, K., Beatson, A., Lings, I. (2015). The influence of internal communication on employee engagement: A pilot study.Public Relations Review,41(1), 129-131. Orel, F. D., Kara, A. (2014). Supermarket self-checkout service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty: Empirical evidence from an emerging market.Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,21(2), 118-129. Purce, J. (2014). The impact of corporate strategy on human resource management.New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals),67. Salas, E., Shuffler, M. L., Thayer, A. L., Bedwell, W. L., Lazzara, E. H. (2015). Understanding and improving teamwork in organizations: A scientifically based practical guide.Human Resource Management,54(4), 599-622. Woolworths. (2018).Woolworths.com.au. Retrieved 13 January 2018, from https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/discover/our-brands Zhang, X., Venkatesh, V. (2013). Explaining employee job performance: The role of online and offline workplace communication networks.Mis Quarterly,37(3). Ziek, P., Smulowitz, S. (2014). The impact of emergent virtual leadership competencies on team effectiveness.Leadership Organization Development Journal,35(2), 106-120.

The variety of specifically religious programmes on terrestrial TV Essay Example

The variety of specifically religious programmes on terrestrial TV Paper There are many different types of religious programmes, and seeing that there is so much choice over the five terrestrial channels, the importance of religious television has started to drop. The decline in the viewing of sacred programmes brings forward two major questions: Are people less interested in watching such programmes, or are they, as a society, not as religious as they once were? Religious programmes have always been present for as long as the television has been around. An example of a religious programme is a magazine show. The typical features of a magazine show are a presenter, comments on a variety of different issues relating to religion and faith, interviews with celebrities as well as personal stories from ordinary people. An example of a magazine show is The Heaven and Earth Show, normally shown around mid-day on a Sunday. Before watching the show, I believed that the audience of this programme would be of an old age, and would be people who are very religious, whereas after watching the show, I saw that there was no specific target audience, as the audience was people of all ages. The show concentrates on four main things, reviews, interviews, news and a viewer phone session. The news section talks about topics in which the public has shown interest, which they review. The Heaven and Earth Show also investigates about different parts of religion like the spiritual side. Many famous people and ordinary citizens are both interviewed about their religion, and/or on what they think about a specific religious issue. Ultimately, the phone in section is where people phone in and state their views on an important subject. Conclusively, a magazine show, in my opinion, is very interesting and is not always about religion. We will write a custom essay sample on The variety of specifically religious programmes on terrestrial TV specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The variety of specifically religious programmes on terrestrial TV specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The variety of specifically religious programmes on terrestrial TV specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another type of a religious programme is a religious documentary, which has examples like Everyman and Heart of he Matter. This type of programme sometimes does not even look at religious viewpoints and usually displays a debate or a documentary about something, which is important in the publics eye e.g. the Iraq crisis at the moment. Religious documentaries look at all the viewpoints to then construct a list of arguments for and against the matter. Their ending is quite stereotypical, as they seem to end in such a way that allows the viewer to make up his/her own mind. I am of the opinion that because broadcasters desire to show what society wants to see, new types of religious programmes like religious documentaries and magazine shows, have started to be shown on terrestrial T.V. Worship programmes, such as Songs of Praise, which includes Church ceremonies and hymn singing, have been present from the first days of the television. Conversely, as society has undergone a dramatic change (for example society has now become multi-faith) the stereotype of the typical religious programme has also been altered. Due to this alteration that has occurred in society, worship programmes have been forced to change. Songs of Praise, showed around 6-7pm, has started to include new features. These include features like human-interest stories from ordinary people, inspirational music performances, and how faith has affected their lives. Songs of Praise analyses many different dominations of Christianity, such as Catholics etc. The traditional features of the programme are still shown, for instance the audience can sing along with the hymns as the words actually appear on the television screen. Overall worship programmes have changed by a considerable amount as they have now started to attract viewers from a younger age group. Additionally, religion has always played a role in society; however, the role of religion upon society is now very different to that of the traditional role; consequently numerous new varied religious programmes are being displayed. Traditionally, society was regarded as strictly religious Christians, and people attended Church and prayed there more often. A recent poll displays that 85% of our society still have faith in God or a superior being. Even though this displays that the majority of people still believe in God, we cant categorise them as strictly religious. The change in society has altered the way that people view their religion, and modern-day society can be classified as indistinctly religious. I believe this for several reasons, initially people do not pray as often as they used too. Secondly, many people only focus on their religion, during festivals and religious events. Thirdly and lastly, people do not visit their holy places of worship, as often as they used too. As a consequence of society becoming indistinctly religious, the God slot has officially been eliminated. The God slot is a period of time every day where worship programmes are displayed on T.V. Conversely, due to society not wanting to view such programmes, the only enduring worship programme, Songs of Praise, has been forced to modernise. At first Songs of Praise only illustrated Church ceremonies, but it now concentrates on moral issues and interviewing celebrities, which clearly demonstrates the enormous influence that society has on religious television. The fact that society has become increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-religious has led to many people converting to other religions, which they find right for themselves. Broadcasters must respect this, thus they have began to display religious programmes that do not just focus on Christianity. Conclusively, the variety of religious programmes has increased from just worship programmes to a range of different shows, such as, magazine shows and documentaries etc. I believe that society converting from a strictly religious one to an indistinctly religious one is the main reason as to why this change has occurred.