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Critical Analysis of Where are you going, where have you been by Joyce Carol Oates
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Critical Analysis of “Where are you going, where have you been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
It is during the summer when Connie, a young girl aged 15 spends most of her time meeting boys, hanging out with friends, and lounging around houses. On one occasion, a strange man uses threatening gestures toward her when she was at one of the drive-in restaurant’s parking yard (Oates 211). Connie is not bothered by this threatening gesture until on a Sunday afternoon when she is left alone at home after the rest of the family members attend a barbecue hosted at Connie’s aunt’s house. It is during her lonely period at home that the stranger who had used threatening gestures at her pulls up in a company of a friend while driving. The man on the steering takes the lead by introducing himself to Connie as Arnold Friend. After the formal introduction, Arnold requests Connie (the little girl) to accompany him for a free ride around the village.
Along the way, Connie and Arnold engages in a conversation, and it is through that conversation that Connie starts doubting this man’s intention as he is more of a threat to Connie than first thought. Arnold’s language gets more sexually violent and explicit, and he even threats to harm the whole of Connie’s family if she tries reaching out to the police for help, (Oates 671). Although Connie tried to reach out to the police, her effort was not successful as she panics. In the end, Connie leaves their house and forcefully joins Arnold. Therefore, there is a protagonist-antagonist between Arnold and Connie with Arnold being the antagonist while Connie is the protagonist. This is evidenced throughout the story from the forceful ride to Connie’s innocent death.
Connie looks obsessed with her physical looks and beauty, and she relishes on the fact that she is centre of attraction for both young and old men in the town. This is a cautionary story of the little innocent Connie who is introduced to the harsh and evil world having flirted her way off home. Connie’s mother is concerned about her carefree and beauty that makes men to find as being attractive and charming (Wilson 53-4). However, Connie’s contempt makes her to rebel against her mother. The differences between Connie and her mother did not start now as her mother often tried to ask why she was not like her sister. For instance, Connie’s mother as kept asking her “Why don’t you keep your room clean like your sister? How do you got your hair fixed-what the hell stinks? Hair spray? You don’t see your sister using that junk?” (Oates 947). Throughout the story, the once innocent girl becomes more careless, daring, and provocative. This is evidenced by her actions when she starts acting devilishly promiscuous without mind about her parents’ advice. Having not listened to her parents, Connie faces the consequences of her deviant when she gets a face-to-face encounter with danger and evils at the mercies of Arnold (Oates 731).
Although Connie tries to works hard to show her appearance as being an experienced and mature girl when it comes to her interaction with men, the encounter with Arnold Friend finally reveals that it is only but a performance. Connie, through her hairstyle, general behavior, and clothing has created attractive adult persona that makes her to get the desired attention from boys (Oates 652). However, she confuses her ability to attract the attention of the male fox with the desire for sexual interaction. The romance and love evident in the music that Connie listens to and also the pop culture images in her surrounding are apparently different from what she perceives as the reality concerning adult sexuality (Keilbach 167). Though Connie and Eddie go into alley to experiments the adult sexuality, she is remains fearful of her adult status. Connie is forcefully take into adulthood by Arnold, however, this violent act of adulthood ends up representing unexpected shift within herself: abandoning of her childlike fantasy as a way of facing the realities surrounding being a mature girl. The thin line between reality and fantasy is blurred by Friend Arnold himself as he never let fall into another category. Arnold’s physical look makes it hard to know whether he is less human or pure human (Wegs 88). Arnold may be a strange man, a nightmare, or a devil that Connie has from her long sunlight stay.
Oates implies that Friend Arnold is a Satan by offering some clues to the reader, particularly the name that this character is given hint his evil characters:
“Connie looked away from Friend’s smile to the car, which was painted so bright it almost hurt her eyes to look at it. She looked at the name, Arnold Friend. She looked at it for a while as if the words meant something to her that she did not yet know” (Oates 583).
Besides, Arnold’s appearance is an indication that she is worth doubting his characters and behaviors, “There were two boys in the car and now she recognizes the driver: he had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked as a crazy wig”(Oates 583). As the narrator describes, Arnold’s diabolic presence are evidenced using sunglasses to hide his eye identity. The narrator describes his eyes as “chips of broken glass that catch the light in an amiable way” (Oates 584). These show how evil Arnold is. Connie develops a strong sexual desire that makes her fall in the hands of sexually exploitative men led by Arnold.
Oates’s evocation of Dylan Bob is purposeful in adding to the richness of the setting of the story, particularly during the 1960s when social revolution was taking place. During this period, most American women were using all the possible means of asserting their independence and rights from men, and also claiming their human sexuality in a unique way than before. One of the frequently discussed topics during this period was the adolescence, anxieties, and struggles ensured by the young girls like Connie who lost their valued sexual innocence on their way adulthood. After being undervalued in their relationships with men and at home, women questioned their position in the society and the contribution of gender and sex in their lives. In this book, Oates explores the social upheaval in the miniature: Connie (representing young women in the country) should confront her anxieties and struggles in the processes of transcending into adulthood. Her violent separation from the love of her family marks the beginning of self-independence, with Arnold Friend coming into Connie’s life as a savior by no means. The sweeping and dramatic changes in the American society during the 1960s are evident in the story by the Connie’s psychological terror and the dark journey awaiting her.
Works Cited
Keilbach, Andreas. The Concept of Duality in Joyce Carol Oates’s “where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. München: GRIN Verlag, 2009. Internet resource.
Oates, Joyce C, and Elaine Showalter. “where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers Univ. Press, 1994. Print.
Wegs, Joyce M. “Don’t You Know Who I Am?”: The Grotesque in Oates’s ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?'” Critical Essays on Joyce Carol Oates. Linda W. Wagner, ed. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1979, p.87-92.
Wilson, Jacqueline, “Joyce Carol Oates’s ‘Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?’ As an Initiation Story”. Eureka Studies in Teaching Short Fiction 3, 2 (2003): 47-58.
Critical analysis of Wal-Mart
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Wal-Mart
Prominently recognized as one of the most successful discount stores globally, Wal-Mart is an international chain of discount department stores that is involved with the sales of various commodities and products (Lichtenstein 1). The company runs a number of retail stores, as well as, warehouse stores, which are exploited for the supply and sales of various goods and services for its consumers. Specifically, the company owns a total of 8500 retail store in an estimated 15 countries worldwide, hence allowing the company to generate a considerable amount of annual revenue as compared to its competitors (Lichtenstein 5). Accordingly, the company has been ranked as one of the largest employers as compared to its competitors as it employs over 2 million people worldwide. The company has also made the list for the top 20 largest corporations in the world, making it an interest for academicians in the field of business and management (Lichtenstein 12). Researchers have demonstrated a considerable degree of curiosity regarding the business approach that the company embraces in running its operations for success. Accordingly, researchers have examined the business strategies that the company utilizes for its success, illustrating every single decision that the company makes with regards to prices, products, and other operational activities (Emek 204). Research studies illustrate that the strengths and weaknesses of the company’s business operations are reliant on the fact that the company makes available products and services at a discounted rate. However, even with its success, environmentalist, labor unions, business organizations, and other community groups for its business approaches have criticized some of the company’s business strategies (Ingram 53). These groups have protested against the company’s product policies, entertainment policies, as well as, their well-famed discount policies.
This paper presents a critical analysis of Wal-Mart. Specifically, the paper examines Wal-Mart as a one-stop shopping store, an entertainment center, as well as, the imp0lication of this. The paper also evaluates Wal-Mart’s provision of discounts, illustrating the various criticism’s of Wal-Mart’s discount offers.
One-Stop Shopping Store
The concept of Wal-Mart being a one-stop shopping store has been associated with the company’s overall success in the retail industry (Emek 204). This is because the company’s consumers are provided with access to all of their preferred goods and commodities all under one roof. A recent survey on this business reveals that the customers to the business a find this strategy as efficient and beneficial to them as they can purchase all goods from one shop as opposed to different shops. With this strategy, customers can be assured of purchasing all commodities that they want at a discounted price, which in turn increases the customer base for the organization. This strategy, however, is not favored among the company’s competitors. Especially those that are concentrated on the sale of specific goods and services. Fundamentally, this business strategy has seen such competing companies lose their customers to Wal-Mart, owing to the discounted prices that the company offers to its consumers (Emek 208). Only those customers who have access to a considerable amount of income can purchase products from specialty stores, leaving those that cannot do this to purchase similar items from retail stores such as Wal-Mart. Contrastingly, Wal-Mart has also been criticized for going against its one-stop shopping store rule because of their exclusion of the sale of certain products and commodities. Some of the products that have recently been excluded from Wal-Mart’s shelves include certain magazines, RIAA music albums, and emergency contraception among other things. Their exclusion of such products goes against their “one-stop shopping” strategy, thus illustrating some of the company’s problems regarding their business strategies.
Entertainment
Wal-Mart has also been credited for its ability to provide entertainment to its consumers during their shopping period. Entertainment offered in this store is in the form of games and movies that are aimed at marketing the company to its consumers, as well as, their potential markets (Panle 1263). Research studies illustrate that small towns are quickly putting Wal-Mart at the top most consideration for their source of entertainment. Instead of visiting other entertainment stores for their services, consumers in such towns are quickly engaging in entertaining activities at Wal-Mart. There are various implications of Wal-Mart’s entertainment provision especially in relation to plummeting some educative entertainment activities for consumers. Accessing entertainment at Wal-Mart reduces access to other outdoor activities for consumers. Consumers are unable to engage in physically demanding activities thus reducing their chances of healthy living. The production of their own movies at a subsidized price has also seen consumerism behavior change, as more consumers shun away from the real entertainment production houses and instead seek these services from Wal-Mart. In essence, offering entertainment by Wal-Mart has changed the way Consumers behave with regards to purchasing entertainment products and services.
Discounts
Offering discounts is the business strategy that Wal-Mart is well-famed for (Emek 214). The company has embraced offering products at a discounted price as their primary business strategy, which has enabled the company to succeed in the industry. Not only has this strategy increased the company’s customer share, it has also increased revenues for the company. The enormity of Wal-Mart has also been associated with this business strategy as it provides access to numerous products and services by the company. However, this strategy has also been linked with various criticisms of Wal-Mart regarding employee rights, abuse of power and constant conflict with suppliers. With relation to employee rights, the company has been accused of underpaying their employees and reducing employee benefits, something that is goes out of the requirement for the labor unions. Providing discounts on the products sold in their company forces Wal-Mart to search for other economically feasible options to support this price reduction. The most viable option for the company, is therefore, cutting down the wages and salaries of employees in the company. in addition to this, Wal-Mart has also been accused of employing illegal employees and children so as to maintain their operations and sales costs at a balance owing to their discount strategy. Wal-Mart’s discount strategy has also been linked with some of the problems that the company faces with regards to suppliers. Wal-Mart has been indicted of using “monopsony” power to force their suppliers into producing products the best way that suits the company. More specifically, the issuance of discounts for their products and services has forced suppliers to re-invent their operational strategies and activities, which in most cases does not favor the supplier, as they are forced into loses. For example, most suppliers to Wal-Mart are being forced to shut down their operations or lay off their workers so as to balance operational costs with the cost of sales for their products and services.
Work Cited
Emek, Basker. Selling a Cheaper Mousetrap: Wal-Mart’s Effect on Retail Prices. Journal of
Urban Economics 58(2005): 203-229.
Ingram, Paul et al. Trouble in Store: Probes, Protests, and Store Openings by Wal‐Mart, 1998
2007. American Journal of Sociology 116.1(2010): 53–92.
Lichtenstein, Nelson. The Retail Revolution: How Wal-Mart Created a Brave New World of
Business. USA: Metropolitan Books, 2009. Print.
Panle, Jia. What Happens When Wal-Mart Comes to Town: An Empirical Analysis of the
Discount Retailing Industry. Econometrica 76(2008): 1263-1316.
Critical Analysis of Thirty Years of Global Leadership Training A Cross-Cultural Odyssey
Critical Analysis of Thirty Years of Global Leadership Training: A Cross-Cultural Odyssey
The interesting article is by Randall White and Sandra Shullman (2012), who are known professionals in the field of human resources. The authors of this journal article first focused on leadership principles and emphasize was on the American form of leadership, which seems to be practiced in emerging nations. The sectors that are most likely to benefit are educational and consulting services as compared to other sectors. Furthermore, American leadership principles will not be practiced by the emerging societies for long because they have to come up principles accepted in their society. The various leadership models and principles are often influenced by the culture that exists in a given society. The argument presented by White and Shullman (2012) is that human resources consultants should have a business survival strategy as well as an ethical obligation. It will ensure that they do not completely assume value and model of American leadership from its engagement. Consultants need to ensure that all learners have critical thinking skills as well have knowledge of the local cultures. It is vital to know if western principles can be well adjusted to meet the demands of the local and corporate cultures. This will be possible if a classroom learning approach is used as well as other methods, such as training. The authors refer to the approach as learning with partners who in this case are the clients.
The fact that White and Shullman (2012) are trained psychology professionals means that they are able to understand how people function and thus influence them to become better leaders. There has been an increase in the number of companies that need the services of organizational consultants based on various reasons. These include the 2008 financial crisis, which created competitive and new opportunities for the various developing and emerging markets. The emerging nations have been successful because they became aware on the importance of leadership. In turn, they were able to compete with superpowers who failed to succeed in their investment and banking ventures. It is true that many nations are now employing their own nationals to head their organizations because such individuals are informed about their nation’s business leadership models. An example of a country that now employs many leaders from the East is China (Osland, 2001). However, the western leadership model is still in demand and the reason why many nations have acquired the services of the Executive Development Group.
There are four key themes and factors that are extremely important in International organizational consultation. They are; the unique situation, the client as being privileged or elite, the consultant as a stranger, and the influence of local customs and multiculturalism on corporate culture. The work place is affected in many ways by the existing national and local culture. Westerners who want to work in other nations need to be fully informed on leadership styles as well as the customs of the country where they want to do business. Both authors know that corporate culture tends to be influenced by multiculturalism. In most international companies the employees usually come from different parts of the world and thus bring their cultures to the workplace. It is quite unfortunate that in most organizations, a huge variation exists with regards to reinforced and practiced multicultural attitudes (White & Shullman, 2012).
A corporation tends to have different corporate cultures depending on where it is situated. For example, the Shell company in the United States has a different corporate culture than one situated in a developing country. This means that leaders of multinational companies have most influence in their corporate office found in their home country. Therefore, an intersection is created between the local and corporate culture, and the integration and identification of unique talent becomes a challenge. Corporate culture in a multicultural organization does not have a huge impact on cross-cultural differences and conflicts. Individuals at the workplace sometimes tend to solve challenges depending on their culture. This means that they ignore the existing corporate culture as they believe that it does not compare to their beliefs (Osland, 2001).
In any consultation, when meeting a client, certain protocols have to be met in order for it to be successful. In this case an outsider or a stranger in a new environment has many advantages. It is a known fact that many global organizations have at one point interacted with Americans at the work place. When a meeting between a client and consultant it taking place, differences are ignored so as to achieve the desired goals. The key goal of a consultant is to deliver knowledge despite there being language barriers. Clients are usually well informed that American consultants are knowledgeable because they follow protocol. White and Shullman (2012) believe that it is possible to train expatriates to have the desirable traits needed at the work place. When the role of a stranger is practiced by a consultant they can conduct their work without any prejudice. Leaders should also act as strangers so that they have a positive impact on their organizations.
Leaders are motivated by different reasons when they want to climb up the success ladder. It is suggested that a number of high-performing and high-potential executives display the mystery-seeking behavior. They succeed in new environments as they are highly motivated to find out what they have never experienced before. Culture seems to affect how leadership positions are given in some organizations. For example in India, a woman or a person from a lower caste may not get a high-ranking job because of the existing culture and traditions. Depending on the organization, western leadership should be tailor made to fit in with the corporate culture (White & Shullman, 2012).
Consultants have a task of addressing cooperate cultural and multicultural responsibilities. An organization has to be analyzed well so that all the elements of corporate culture are known and this will make consulting easy. Clients will at times need the services of consultants even without prior notice and this means that the consultants should always be prepared (Chhokar & Brodbeck & House, 2007). Faith, politics, customs and language differences need to be kept in mind when consulting in international and domestic nations. Most times, the organization’s mission statement dictates the way forward with regards to establishing leadership traits among executives.
American leadership is viewed both negatively and positively depending on the perception of the person making their opinion known. Sometimes, clients want to be taught about American leadership principles and models, but this does not mean that they practice it in their organizations. Learning international English ensures that consultants remain cultural sensitive and effective. They should also keep in mind that some words are interpreted differently depending on how they are used. White and Shullman (2012) have provided some unique examples of some words such as ‘naïve’ and ‘collaborator’ which are used differently depending on a culture. Working with translators is seen to be effective as they are responsible as they act as a link between the client and the consultant. They have to be provided all the relevant information to avoid encountering any challenges. The learning approach has proven to be effective as it enables students to give their input with regards to translation. The various experiences with translation ensure that more knowledge is gained because of the different perspectives.
It is interesting to note that organizations value the input of consultants because they provide them with a non-biased view point. However, it is such a pity that gender and race issues continue to affect consultations. Most corporations still prefer white males who are Americans to provide them with consultancy services. White and Shullman (2012) claim that men of color and women are quite few in the corporate world. They should have instead said that the numbers are increasing because cultural barriers are now being removed. Terms of engagement has been proven to pose a challenge especially when referring to established customs and procedures. Therefore, the authors are correct to claim that before signing a contract all aspects of the consultation should be known.
A lot of emphasize has been put on the importance of cross-cultural awareness as well as making sure that clients always benefit. It has been proven that when individuals learn they gain knowledge and thus overcome any feelings of prejudice. Many professionals in human resources will agree that culture is as important as corporate culture. Communication channels should exist in large co operations as they influence how people will respond to corporate culture. The article has been successful in addressing the fact that it is vital to respect other cultures while maintaining personal values. Human resource professionals should ensure that they motivate individuals so that they choose leadership models and principles that will suit them best (Osland, 2001).
The article by White and Shullman (2012) has provided in depth information about global leadership. Furthermore, it has focused on leadership based upon a cross-cultural context. The information from the other notable authors has ensured that the topic has been well analyzed and addressed. The authors have spent many years consulting in the international arena and thus their input is valid. Human resources interested in the field of consultancy will benefit from this article for various reasons. Firstly, they will learn how to respect the culture and customs of their clients. Secondly, they will help develop better leaders who have multicultural knowledge (Chhokar & Brodbeck & House, 2007). In turn, this will assist in ensuring that once the consultancy work is over they improve the organization.
In conclusion, future leaders have to undergo the needed learning and training required for them to compete effectively in the globalised environment. Part of an organization’s vision is to ensure that it has a corporate culture that accommodates different cultures. The article proved that people can be trained to acquire leadership skills that make them quite effective at the workplace. However, the authors should have provided some information on cross-cultural leadership in some African countries, such as South Africa and Nigeria, and how they view American leadership models and principles. Furthermore, it would have made the article offer more knowledge concerning the issue discussed. Therefore, the article has been quite beneficial as the issues of culture and leadership are addressed appropriately by the authors.
References
Chhokar, J. & Brodbeck, F. & House, R. (2007). Culture and Leadership across the World. The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Osland, J. (2001). The quest for transformation: The process of global leadership development. London, England: Quorum Books.
White, Randall. & Shullman, Sandra. (2012).Thirty Years of Global Leadership Training: A Cross-Cultural Odyssey. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice & Research, 64, 4, 268.