Employee Performance Appraisal Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Employee Performance Appraisal Systems - Essay Example This essay declares that there are various benefits of these techniques; however, they are not without some limitations. Below, the paper is going to highlight the importance of employee appraisals, the reason why they are important, the benefits and banes of performance appraisals and more importantly, the legal implication of employee appraisals wrapping up the paper with a conclusive statement. This paper makes a conclusion that there are various researches conducted on the subject of employee performance appraisal. The basic concept is that employee appraisal has always been considered the task of the employer rather than considering in the element of a 360 degree evaluation. A 360 degree appraisal has several benefits that can be summed by saying that the evaluation works on all levels and provides a more comprehensive, well rounded approach to performance appraisals. Some researchers propose that self appraisals be made part of the appraisal process to evaluate work performance. Self appraisals however, are also studied to be more lenient, less variable and less discriminant with less halo effect as well. This is probably because the employee knows the amount of work they have done, how much effort they have put in, but leniency arises when employees consider themselves on an easier scale and project themselves positively than normal. However, problem areas of self appra isals become magnified in areas where decision making capability needs to be evaluated, along with identifying training need and applied criteria of elevation in terms of tasks and processes. (Murphy and Margulies, 1980) The research also points out that employee self appraisal is a method that falls in the same category as employer appraisal as it helps develop the employee's motivation and helps him or her participate in management. Murphy

Belonging Related Text Essay Example for Free

Belonging Related Text Essay George Orwell’s essays – related text ‘Marrakech’ explores the notion of ethnocentricity through a Eurocentric perspective, in which one is isolated at the consequence of differing morels. Orwell succeeds in doing so through various anecdotes â€Å"What does Morocco mean to a Frenchman? An orange-grove or a job in government service. † In essence this displays the failure of a migrant to withhold a deeper connection to the land. Orwell emotively describes the crippled elderly women who â€Å"answered with a shrill wail, almost a scream, which was partly gratitude but mainly surprise†, as a response to the charity he provided her with. The dramatic reaction displays her sense of alienation from her own homeland, at fault of those who are foreign, yet awfully powerful. This is furthered through the description of â€Å"the shy, wide-eyed Negro† where through his ignorance, he â€Å"has been taught that the white race are his masters, and still believes it. † A sense of melancholy pervades this essay through the harsh truth â€Å"How much longer can we go on kidding these people? † displaying the indigenous peoples disconnection to a place that was originally theirs. While ‘Marrakech’ explores the notion that one does not belong to their homeland. This is juxtaposed through ‘Shooting an Elephant’ with Orwell’s alternative experience of belonging. Through Orwell’s ambivalence we see the highly controversial understanding of â€Å"the hollowness.. of the white man’s dominion in the East. † It is ironic that a â€Å"sub-divisional police officer† should feel self-conscious with such authority. Controversially he â€Å"was all for the Burmese† juxtaposed to the grotesque imagery of his deepest desire to â€Å"drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts.

Systems Development: Concepts, Issues and Approaches

Systems Development: Concepts, Issues and Approaches Systems development concepts, issues and approaches and the relationship between technologies and their social context Question 1: Why are conventional approaches to systems design considered to be techno-centric? INTRODUCTION This paper presents a thorough explanation of the various processes related to systems design and to the problems that face the conventional, or traditional, methods according to which computer systems, of all kinds, are designed. The paper will then explain why the traditional approaches of system design are considered to be techno-centric. Before being able to answer the main question of this paper, we should define certain terms in order to clarify all the elements that will be discussed later on. Simmers (2004, p.542-543), states that â€Å"a computer system is an electronic device that can be thought of as a complete information-processing center. It can calculate, store, sort, update, manipulate, sequence, organize, and process data. It also controls logic operations and can rapidly communicate in graphics, numbers, words, and sounds.† Another definition is presented by Avgerou and Cornford (1998, p.1), as they state that information systems â€Å"refer to information and data handling activities in human organizations. Information handling in this sense is a purposeful activity sustained over time, and includes the activities of collecting information, storing it, directing it to appropriate places and people, and utilizing it in various tasks within the organization.† The designer of the system attempts to identify a specific problem within a given environment of work, for example, and creates a set of processes that should be able to resolve that problem according to pre-determined instructions and requirements (Kelkar, 2004). SYSTEM DESIGN A system is supposed to handle a variety of issues related to an organisation and to enable the people whom are considered to be the individuals that deal with those issues to function properly, swiftly, more efficiently, and more accurately. This usually also involves the interaction (inter-connectivity) between all those working in a specific section. The person (or group of people) that are supposed to design the desired system should study and analyse thoroughly the problem sphere, identifying the various elements and factors involved in it, proposing different system options, put them into test (preferably in real working environments), and finally selecting, with the help of the management of the organisation in question, the best solution. Computer systems designers, almost from the very beginning of this field, tended to work exclusively within their technical realm; meaning that they were identifying the problem and creating the solution that, evidently, was successful, but that was only operable and facilitated to themselves and to people of the same technical background. This created a reality which made it, somewhat, hard for average users, who are also supposed to be the end users of today’s computer systems, to deal, interact, let alone produce efficiently using those systems. The main problem in this context, as explained by Doherty King (2005, p.2), is that the designers do not, in most cases, follow most required steps in what concerns the analysis of the impact of utilising the computer solution on the organisation and in what concerns the interaction between the created system and the human factor of that organisation. According to Poulymenakou Holmes, 1996 (in Doherty and King, 2005, p.2), â€Å"the adoption of techno-centric development approaches can be a very dangerous strategy, as it encourages developers to deliver and implement the information system, and only then, if at all, worry about adapting it to its organizational context.† The conventional methodology, which depends solely on creating a computer system that is successful in resolving a given problem and that works from a technical (or computer programmable and configurable) point of view, is considered to be techno-centric because the most important factor in designing the system, which is the human factor, has not be taken into consideration fully by the designer (or the designers) during the implementation of their initial plan of work. Many specialists and researchers keep on calling for a methodology of system design that focuses more on the social aspect of the created tool: â€Å"little progress has been made in the development of practical socio-technical methods and approaches that have succeeded in making the transition from research laboratory to widespread commercial usage† (Doherty King, 2005, p.2). Davidson and Chiasson (2004, p.6) state that the three main stages of information technology are the development, the implementation, and the assimilation. They stress on the fact that all the details that are related to the daily use of the technology may not be seen at the time of planning because the â€Å"attention is focused on overall business goals and implementation strategy.† This makes the period following the installation and the initial implementation highly important as all the social and human related factors must be adjusted and modified to suit the users and the organisation as a whole. There are various examples of systems that were created according to the conventional, techno-centric, approach and that have failed at the time of implementation because the designers lacked the social-oriented element in their design Doherty and King (2005, p.2) mentioned several failed experiences of this kind; cases such as the London Ambulance System, the Taurus System, and the Benefits Payment Card System. Other examples were presented by Davidson and Chiasson (2005, p.6-12) who reported that the electronic medical record systems (EMRS) that were used in two healthcare organisations were also a cause of concern, to a certain extent. The authors confirm that the original systems created for the health organisations needed to be socially modified through the implementation of TUM (Technology Use Mediation) during system development stages and throughout the period in which the systems were in use. â€Å"System configuration required changes to software infrastructure and code. Organizational size influenced the availability and the effectiveness of mediation resources.† Another factor that is involved in the conventional approach is the total underestimation of previously existing systems which is also another characteristic of techno-centric methods of design and system development. Ignoring the ‘old’ systems leads the designer to create something that is totally new to the organisation, and this also excludes the effects, the advantages, and the usability of the previous system. The usability of the system and the ability of people within the organisation to work with it came as a result of a long period of system modifications (whether hardware or software) and of personal training and different processes of errors and corrections; which is what can be considered as the social-related side of system development. All those elements will be totally discarded by the designer during his/her development of the new system, which will result in the new system going through the same stages that the old system passed through, and this is anot her form of time-related and financially-related losses to the organisation. Chae and Poole (2005, p.19) pose an important question: â€Å"Is it possible for a large-scale information system to be developed ‘from scratch’?† Their explanation confirms that: Accounts of system development and the systems development literature often focus primarily on the new system and tend to underemphasize the role of pre-existing systems Few pay much attention to the role of pre-existing information systems in IS [Information Systems] development. To the extent the new system must integrate with pre-existing systems or use existing hardware and software Existing systems have also been regarded as problems or barriers to the development of new IS and as disablers of IS-based organizational innovation and change†¦ This approach, too, tends to treat pre-existing systems as objects, black boxes (e.g. Markus, 1983). Those mentioned above are the most notable points when studying computer design in its conventional method, which is, as can be seen, techno-centric. CONCLUSION Even though conventional approaches of system design have been applied from the beginning of the age of Information Technology, they are still techno-centric. What designers should focus on are those system characteristics that are more operable by the individuals of an organisation; this includes the interface design, the language used within the various parts of the system (those related to both the software and the hardware) Another important point is the adaptability to the organisation that requested the system; the designers should understand fully that various factors that can lead the newly created system to be more social-oriented and to be what the organisation needs. Techno-centric designs can work, but only in technical related fields and sections. Previous systems should be studied carefully before initiating the design plan for new ones; this will enable the designer to understand what characteristics worked previously, what structure are the employees and the managers used to work with, and which tools can be re-used within the new system. Anderson and Vendelo (2004, p.27) explain the problem of techno-centric design by stating that â€Å"when introduced into a field, the technical system often needs to be changed to take into account the more holistic requirements that are present in the field, as users need to accommodate the technology in their daily routines.† Reference List Anderson, K. V. and Vendelo, M. T. (2004) The Past and Future of Information Systems, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Avgerou, C. and Cornford, T. (1998) Developing Information Systems: Concepts, Issues and Practice, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Chae, B. and Scott, M. (2005) The surface of emergence in systems development: agency, institutions, and large-scale information systems, European Journal of Information Systems, 14, 19-36. Davidson, E. and Chiasson, M. (2004) ‘Contextual influences on technology use mediation: a comparative analysis of electronic medical record systems’, European Journal of Information Systems, 14, 6-18. Doherty, N. and King, M. (2005) From technical to socio-technical change: tackling the human and organizational aspects of systems development projects, European Journal of Information Systems, 14, 1-5. Kelkar, S.A. (2004) Structured System Analysis and Design, New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India. Simmers, L. (2004) Introduction to Health Science Technology, New York: Thomson Delmar Learning. Question 2: Are the work systems considered in week 2 readings based on an organisational or activity oriented perspective? INTRODUCTION This paper explains the various modes in which organisations operate in order to achieve their business related objectives. This includes the organisational approach and the activity-related approach. The paper also describes the work systems considered in the readings in order to identify according to which mode they operate, though the understanding of their structure and implementation of the various processes and procedures. To be able to give a comprehensive response to the main question of this paper, we should understand the meaning of each term presented within it; and this will be of great help in the next parts of this paper. As explained by Cope (2006, p.62), â€Å"a work system is a system of people and/or machines which perform a business process. An organisation is normally made up of many work systems. An information system supports and/or structures and/or controls and/or automates the work performed by other work systems† Another source defines a work system by stating that it is â€Å"a complex network of means-ends relations. The basic many-to-many relationships in this network and its loose coupling is the basic source of the need for human intervention in order to remove ambiguity and to control the functional state† (Salvendy Karwowski, 1994, p.69). This means that a work system includes every person and all items or tools that are functioning to perform a certain process required for the continuity, and profitability, of an organisation. ORGANSATIONAL vs. ACTIVITY-ORIENTED As explained by Sachs (1995, p.36-37) there are two perspective methods of performing the various operations and processes of an entity, these are either organisational or activity-oriented. The organisational scheme can be determined and discovered through the evident use of different â€Å"sets of defined tasks and operations such as those described in methods and procedures, which fulfil a set of business functions† The activityoriented method, on the other hand, â€Å"suggests that the range of activities, communication practices, relationships, and coordination it takes to accomplish business functions is complex and continually mediated by workers and managers alike.† As stated by the author, activity-oriented methods allow the employee or worker to improve, learn more, function better, and, ultimately, enhances the way in which the business as a whole functions. â€Å"An activity orientation draws on insights about work practice from several disciplines, includi ng anthropology, history, and psychology, and in so doing provides a holistic approach to the analysis of work.† Anderson and Vendelo (2004, p.143-144) agree with Sachs and explain that the method according to which an organisation functions will affect a â€Å"number of fields – including management studies, business administration, information systems development, organizational behaviour, job design, human resource management, training, etc.† and in relation to systems design, the authors confirm that this growing significant view reconceptualises â€Å"the nature of work and organizational life, and the role of information technology support. It emphasizes work practices, and the way learning is accomplished within communities of practice.† They also state that organizational mode is still the major one in the organisations of today; as it is considered to be â€Å"grounded in scientific management ideas, focusing on training, tasks, procedures, workflow and teams† while the activity-oriented method concentrates on â€Å"learning, know-how, networks, conceptual understanding, work practices, judgement, and communities†. The example reported by Sachs for what concerns the organisational perspective is the one of the Trouble Ticketing System (TTS) which is a huge database system that is based on organising work tasks and distributing them on workers. In this case, the tasks performed by workers are only those that are considered by the system, while the activity-oriented method depends on each worker to solve problems from start to end rather than perform single tasks. â€Å"The underlying design assumption in organizational thinking is that technology design should eliminate human error. This differs sharply from the underlying assumption in activity-oriented thinking, which is that technology design should enhance the human capability of finding problems and solving them. Organizational thinking assumes that people create human error. Activity-oriented thinking assumes that people solve problems.† (p.40). In the case of United Parcel Service (UPS), as explained by laudon and Laudon (1995, p.17), we find that it is clearly working according to the organisational method. This is evident as all the structure of work is organised through the use of a centralised system that communicates to drivers the required destinations of various packages, and gathers the delivery information concerning each package and adds it to its main database which can be consulted by anyone through the use of any Internet connected device. Communications between the employees are reduced to the minimum as all work related information can be obtained from the system; this includes the delivery department, the customer service department, the shipment department and management. Even the requests of customers can be done directly through the system as all the required information is provided (shipping rates, shipment routes, times, etc). But on the other hand, there is a side of UPS that can be considered activity-oriented; this can be found in what concerns the sales department and the marketing department; these two functions require a different approach and it is being followed. The focus, when it comes to these two sections of the work process, depends solely on the performance which is not measured through tasks, but through problem solving from start to end. Communication, training, and know-how are essential here. The duty of the departments in question is to identify problems, locate the causes, and come up with successful solution. A clear case of the organisational approach is the one of the company called Electronic Banking System Inc. In this company, every single individual is responsible for a specific task, he/she is being monitored all the time, the production of each individual is checked continuously, conversations between employees/workers are not allowed if not related to task performance, and even looking out the window (which is considered to be nothing more than distraction from work) is not allowed (Horowitz, 1996, p.322). According to this system, any error is digitally monitored and immediately reported. As explained earlier, in a system such as this one, there is no space for improvement, and there is no need for problem solving skills; what each person should do is pre-set and no special talents or know-how qualities are required. CONCLUSION System design in organisational businesses and entities is, to a certain extent, fairly simple; as the tasks are well defined before the designer, the level of the various users’ rights and privileges is evident, and the processes to perform are directly requested by the organisation. Development in the activity oriented environment is difficult as it is needed to separate the situational and the personal elements and the effects each one has on the other during the process of interaction. The designer should be able to identify the required processes and operations through the help of analytical tools (Peiro, 1995, p.284). This means that a social study in what concerns the various functions of the system should performed by the designer in advance in order to enable him/her to produce the required work system. Another important factor for the designer is to be able to comprehend the various policies within the organisation in question in order to reach the desired system which complies with those rules and policies. It is also possible for the designer to offer a possibility of continuous communications, learning, and enhancement through the system even in businesses based on the organisational method. Reference List Cope, C. (2006) Beneath the Surface, Santa Rosa, CA: Informing Science Press. Salvendy, G. and Karwowski, W. (Ed.). (1994) Design of Work and Development of Personnel in Advanced Manufacturing, New York: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Sachs, P. (1995) Transforming Work: Collaboration, Learning, and Design, Association for Computing Machinery. Communications of the ACM, 38, 9 36-44. Anderson, K. V. and Vendelo, M. T. (2004) The Past and Future of Information Systems, Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann. Laudon, K. and Laudon, J. (2005). Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital Firm, 9th edn, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Horowitz, T. (1996) Mr. Edens Profits from Watching His Workers Every Move, in Kling, R. Computerization and Controversy, San Diego: Academic Press, pp.322-325. Peiro, J.M. (1995) Work and Organizational Psychology: European Contributions of the Nineties, East Sussex, Erlbaum (UK) Taylor Francis.

Negotiating Reality: Studying Neurons In Denial :: Biology Essays Research Papers

In comparing the articles I read to research this paper, I noticed a distinct dichotomy between the ways in which the phenomena known as anosognosia was approached, a kind of binary: psychological versus neurological. The former seem to me, though not quite magic, to have that same hint of abstraction, whereas the latter are much more functional and conceptually conceivable...that is, they are hypotheses which are solidly rooted in the neurobiology of the brain, hypotheses which are falsifiable and, therefore, more salient than those which make obscure references to unknown and unobservable psychological processes. The implications which neurobiological hypotheses, if shown to be accurate, would have are many; before exploring them, however, I shall first discuss this "denial of illness," (3) which is in itself fascinating. Anosognosia is a disorder occurring in about 5% of patients who have had a stroke affecting the right side of their brain (6), in particular the right parietal cortex, causing left hemiplegia (paralysis of the side of the body opposite to the affected side of the brain). Its characteristic feature is the inability, or, some would say, unwillingness of patients to perceive their own paralysis, and in extreme cases, that of others. It is important to note that anosognosia occurs only when the right side of the brain is involved; the effects of damage to the left hemisphere are, as shall be explained later, quite different (1). Dr. Vilayanur Ramachandran of UC San Diego has made anosognosia one of his primary foci of research and has proposed intriguing, neurological hypotheses as to what might be going on in anosognosiacs' brains. In his research, he has found that anosognosiacs do not deny paralysis merely because their brain damage causes them to be inattentive to the left side of their body; when attention is drawn to a paralyzed limb, by asking patients to perform simple motor tasks, for example, anosognosiacs will either assert that they are indeed carrying it out (when they obviously are not) (1,2,4,5,6) or make up stories to explain it away, claiming, for example, that their arthritis is acting up and that they therefore don't feel like doing it (1,2). In many cases, patients refuse to recognize the paralyzed limb as their own, accepting the bizarre and irrational implications such a statement brings with it (e.g., the limb belonging to a relative, their doctor having three arms) as quite normal (1) .

Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Stephen King)

Luis Alban Professor J. Kenny CIN 100 SEC#9044 {text:date} Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (Stephen King) After I read the novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King and see the movie The Shawshank Redemption, based on the book, I have to denote some differences and similarities. In general the movie is very loyal to the book but I believe that the most important aspects are as follow. For example, they are similar in the time line. In the movie we can observe with clarity the 40’s environment, old fashion car, the shoes of Andy and his custom is related at that time. Even though in the movie no date appears in the beginning we can infer the time, later Red speaks the date in what Andy arrives to the prison. In the novella the date is stated in the beginning â€Å"When Andy came to Shawshank in 1948, he was thirty years old†¦. _† (King 5). _ Another similarity is the dialogue in the trial. Both are very similar, for example, in the book we can read â€Å"But this revenge had been of a much colder type. Consider! the DA said at the jury. Four and four! Not six shots, but eight! He had fired the gun empty†¦and then stopped to reload so he could shoot each of them again! Four for him and four for her†¦_† (King 7). _In the movie the lawyer uses the same words of the novella when describes that Andy reload the revolver for killing his wife and his lover. Of course the dialogue is fixed from the novella to the movie highlighting the most important aspects in the trial. Another match is when Andy meets Red in the prison yard. Both, the movie and the novella, displays the dialogue between Andy and Red, it uses almost the same words _â€Å"I _understand that you’re a man who knows how to get things. † â€Å"I agree with that I was able to locate certain items from time to time. (King 16). Of course we can appreciate the artistic way to put in the movie the essence of the novella. Even though in the movie the dialogue is simpler in the book is full in details and expressions. Another passage with similarities is when Andy and his co-workers are doing the job over the roof and listen Byron Hadley speaks with his partners about 35,00 0 dollars that he received as inherit of his dead brother. Andy is approaching him and saying _â€Å"Do you trust your wife? †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ Boy†, Hadley said,† I’ll give you just one chance to pick up that pad. And then you’re goin off this roof on your head. (King 33). It is almost the same dialogue that the characters use in the film. It is very remarkable the part when Red reminds the event explaining how they felt in that time. â€Å"That’s how, on the second –to-last day of the job, the convict crew that tarred the plate-factory roof in 1950 ended up sitting in a row at ten o’clock on a spring morning, drinking Black Label beer supplied by the hardest screw that ever walked a turn at Shawshank state prison. †(King 37)_. In the movie he finishes the narration felling like a free man tarring a roof of one of their own houses, arguing why Andy did that. For him he did it just to feel normal again. It is pretty similar when you read the book. Of course the novella has much of detail that it can’t fit in the length of a movie. Like I said in the beginning, the film is very loyal to the novella but I notice some differences or parts that you don’t see in the movie and you don’t read in the book. For example one thing can be the physical traits of the protagonists. Andy Dufresne is described in the novella as follow â€Å"_He was short, neat little man with sandy hair and small, clever hands. He wore gold-rimmed spectacles. (King 5)_ In the movie Andy is characterized by Tim Robbins. We know that actor. He is tall, handsome, and don’t use any kind of spectacles in his performance, at least not in the beginning. Another is Red who is performed by Morgan Freeman. That actor is black but in the novella _Red is a white Irish man with red hair. â€Å"A kid had come in back in 1938, a kid with a big mop of carrot y red hair†¦Ã¢â‚¬ __(King 45)_ Another difference is Brooke Hatlen, the librarian, the novella tells us about his parole in 1952. He never threatens to cut the throat of another prisoner in order to avoid being parole like we observe in the movie. The novella states that Brooksie died in an indigent’s home in 1953 â€Å"_I heard he died in a home for indigent old folks up Freeport way in 1953†¦ (King 39. ). _ In the movie Brooks suicide later that he got freedom. He doesn’t know how live outside the prison and take his life away. It is only happen in the movie not in the novella. At the time in when Andy become a new librarian the warden of the prison is a man called Stammas_ â€Å"He began to write to the State Senate in Augusta in 1954. Stammas was warden by then, and he used to pretend Andy was some sort of mascot. †(Kings 40). _ In the film Norton is the warden throughout the movie. This character in the novella is multiple, Norton was the last one in the novella but in the movie he is the only one. In the novella Samuel Norton_ _resigned three months after Andy’s escape but in the film he is killing himself with a gun. Another difference is Tommy Williams, a professional thief, he arrives at Shawshank in 1962 not in 1965 like the movie show us. He has wife and a three years old baby boy not a baby girl like in the movie the narrator does. In the film when Tommy_ _discovers that he knows who killed Andy’s wife and his lover, Sam Norton killed Tommy to avoid set Andy free. Consequently he could speak about Norton’s monkey business when he is releasing from the jail. In the novella Norton transferred Tommy to a minimum-security prison: At that, Andy fell silent. He was an intelligent man, but it would have taken an extraordinary stupid man not to smell deal all over that. Cashman was a minimum-security prison far up north in Aroostok County†¦Norton had almost surely dangled all of that under Tommy’s nose with only one string attached: not one more word about Elwood Blatch, not now, not ever†¦(King 61-62). Another variation is something that I noticed immediately when I read the passage of the book in page 44. The novella speaks about Normaden, an Indian prisoner who was the unique cellmate Andy had. In the movie this character never appears, only in the novella. â€Å"_But in all that time Andy never had a cellmate, except for a big, silent Indian named Normaden (like Indians in The Shawshank, he was called chief), and Normaden didn’t last long. (King 44)_. I think that character has not a great impact within the movie to put in on the screen. I have noticed more differences between the book and the movie but I have to remark the last one. The ending of the movie is pretty different from the novella. In the film the end is an encounter between Andy a Red in a beach in Mexico, but in the novel the ending is Red traveling to Zihuatenejo, the place that Andy mentioned Red when he was in prison: I hope Andy is down there. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope. (King 101) I have to conclude that the movie is artistically adapted to communicate the essence of the novella. But I prefer to read the novella. It is more plenty of details and some parts of it are not included in the movie. However I like the movie too. It is pretty similar but I understand that is a quite impossible to put on the screen all of details we read in the book. Works Cited King, Stephen. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. U. S. A. : Viking Press, 1982.

Endgame

Endgame The Hegelian definition of tragedy is defined as good intentions will collide in a finite area where those good intentions will develop a tragedy. Beckett’s Endgame can be included within the definition of the Hegelian tragedy. Both main characters in the play had good intentions, but were formed through obligations. These good intentions through obligation made the novel suitable to be a Hegelian tragedy. The characters good intentions were shown throughout the play. Both Hamm and Clove depended on each other to survive. They were both afraid to leave each other and be left alone.Clove admits that Hamm became a father figure to him and he once loved him but not anymore, but he has nowhere else to go. Also Hamm points out that Clove stays with him out of compassion. Nagg depends mostly on his wife, Nell. He would only wake up from his garbage bins to tell the same story to his wife and attempt to give her a kiss. However Nell dependency is the past. Nell in the play re presents life where in this type of story it is unlikely to see. The script and the film made Hamm’s parents look more childlike and pet like.The play had several themes, which consist of emptiness, loneliness, and the overall nature of beginnings and endings in other words- life and death. The repeated lines such as â€Å"finished† and â€Å"zero† represents Hamm, the protagonist, wanting to welcome in death but he is too scare to finish the â€Å"endgame†. The script made me think the characters were trapped in this small dark hole full of nothingness, which emphasizes the emptiness of the play. However, in the film there was light coming from the two windows. Outside the windows, there is â€Å"zero† nature, which also helps to illustrate the emptiness of play.Another example of emptiness being represented in the play, is that there was absolutely no sound coming from the outside or inside in the film, except for the character’s voices. T he killing of the rat and flea demonstrates the beginnings and endings of the play. Hamm told Clove to kill the flea because he is afraid of the rebirth of humanity. The stage directions in the script represent Hamm and Clove’s fear of escaping. In the film, when Hamm directs Clove to move him back to the center of the room after being pushed around the room, is one example of Hamm’s fear of escaping the room.Another example is Clove’s failed attempts to leave the room to go to the kitchen. In the film, it showed Clove’s many hesitations before leaving the room. Even though the characters had good intentions to help each other survive the â€Å"endgame†, the tragic flaws were overpowering. Nagg mentions in the play that since birth Hamm has always being afraid of loneliness. Clove finally had courage to escape but eventually returns because he didn’t have enough courage to end one thing and start a new beginning somewhere else. Hegelian trag edy suited the Endgame because the characters good intentions collided in this finite dark hole.