Quotes from I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Quotes from 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings' I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a famous book by Maya Angelou, is the first in a series of seven autobiographical novels. The book has been popular since it was first published in 1969. Oprah Winfrey, who read the novel when she was 15, said in a forward to the 2015 edition of the book, ... here was a story that finally spoke to the heart of me. These quotes show the searing journey Angelou traveled transforming from a victim of rape and racism into a self-possessed, dignified young woman.   Racism In the book, Angelous character, Maya, confronts the insidious effects of racism and segregation in America at a very young age, according to SparkNotes. Racism and bigotry are major themes in the novel, as the following quotes make clear. If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. - PrefaceI remember never believing that whites were really real. - Chapter 4They dont really hate us. They dont know us. How can they hate us?  - Chapter 25How maddening it was to have been born in a cotton field with aspirations of grandeur.  - Chapter 30 Religion and Morality Angelou- and her protagonist in the novel, Maya- was raised with a strong sense of religion, which serves as her moral guide, according to GradeSaver. And that sense of religion and morality permeate the novel. I knew that if a person truly wanted to avoid hell and brimstone, and being roasted forever in the devils fire, all she had to do was memorize Deuteronomy and follow its teaching, word for word. - Chapter 6See, you dont have to think about doing the right thing. If youre for the right thing, then you do it without thinking.  - Chapter 36 Language and Knowledge The description on the back cover of the 2015 edition of the novel, notes that the book captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make things right. Probably more than anything, it is the power of Angelous words- and her emphasis on understanding- that helped to shine a light on the harsh realities of bigotry and racism. Language is mans way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals. - Chapter 15All knowledge is spendable currency, depending on the market.​  - Chapter 28 Perseverance The novel covers the years from when Maya is 3 until she turns 15. Much of the book is about Mayas attempt to face bigotry and degradation. Finally, though, near the end of the novel she also sees the honor in surrendering- giving in- when necessary. Like most children, I thought if I could face the worst danger voluntarily, and triumph, I would forever have power over it.  - Chapter 2We are the victims of the worlds most comprehensive robbery. Life demands a balance. Its all right if we do a little robbing now.  - Chapter 29At fifteen life had taught me undeniably that surrender, in its place, was as honorable as resistance, especially if one had no choice.  - Chapter 31 Fitting In In a parable for the novel- and the world around her- Maya wanders around town one night and decides to sleep in a car in a junkyard. The next morning she awakes to find a group of teenagers, composed of many races, living in the junkyard, where they get along well and are all good friends. I was never again to sense myself to solidly outside the pale of the human race. - Chapter 32 Sources Angelou, Maya, and Oprah Winfrey. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Ballantine Books, 2015. GradeSaver, â€Å"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Study Guide.† SparkNotes, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Improving your hiring process, according to a former Google recruiter

Improving your hiring process, according to a former Google recruiter For years, Google has been considered kind of a gold standard in the tech recruiting and hiring field. It’s not just the lavish cafeteria or the geek-utopia vibe that has made the company such a giant and lasting success- much of the credit goes to smart hiring strategies and implementing an adaptive approach. If you’re looking to make your organization more Google-esque in your hiring (regardless of what field you’re in), former Google recruiter Kevin Grice has some fantastic insight into what you can do on a practical level.â€Å"Recognize your unconscious biases.†Most organizations have come in line with non-discriminatory policies that seek to eliminate blatant bias in hiring. But no matter how strict those policies are, or how conscious we are of hiring a qualified person without regard for their personal gender, religion, or race, unconscious bias will likely always come into play. For example, studies have found that people with identifiably ethnic names receive fewer interviews. And while unconscious bias means (by its very nature) that we don’t know exactly why we’re rejecting a person, it’s important to be aware that it exists and to evaluate whether it could be at play in any given step of the process.According to Grice, using systematic, consistent interviews is one way to limit bias. After all, if every candidate is answering the same questions at the same point in the process, it’s less likely that you’re asking a particular question because you have made an assumption about the interviewee. It also makes your job easier when it comes to evaluate and differentiate each candidate.â€Å"Don’t look for your doppelganger.†Speaking of bias, according to Grice, people tend to be drawn toward others who remind them of themselves, and organizations want to bring in people who fit in with a particular vibe. It’s basic human nature, which means it will inevitably come into play during the hiring process. And unfortunately, a philosophy of I like you because you remind me of myself leads to less diversity in your talent pool. With increased diversity a non-negotiable goal for so many organizations, specifically looking for people with different backgrounds or experiences is a way to increase that diversity throughout the hiring process.â€Å"Research the person you’re interviewing.†Just about every candidate who comes through your door for an interview will have spent time prepping for it: researching your company, reading up on the job description, tailoring their resume to the job. It’s not only common courtesy to do some prep work yourself, but also, according to Grice, an opportunity to show off your well-oiled organizational brand to your potential new hire.hbspt.cta.load(2785852, '9e52c197-5b5b-45e6-af34-d56403f973c5', {});That means not only researching the candidate so that you can ask substantive questions, but also ensuring that everyone on your interview panel is well-versed on the candidate as well. Grice recommends â€Å"digging a little deeper,† going beyond the standard checks of public social media profiles. A person’s past writing online, videos, etc., can help give you a fuller sense of the candidate- much more than a cursory read of their resume 10 minutes before the interview.â€Å"Be present.†Grice recommends giving all of your attention to an interview. We live in a multitasking world, but stepping away from email for an hour and focusing attention on a candidate not only ensures that you’re getting the most out of this conversation with a potential new hire, but that you’re also being a good ambassador for your o rganization. â€Å"I’m sorry, I really need to take this† or â€Å"I’m just finishing this email really quick† is rarely a mortal insult to an interviewee, but it does convey a message of, â€Å"this is not my top priority right now, sorry.†Whether your organization is a media conglomerate or a small business, Grice’s experience and insights show that all it takes to improve your hiring and interviewing skills are a few mindful, common-sense tweaks that can make all the difference.

How White Privilege is Manifested on the Internet as Covert and Overt Term Paper

How White Privilege is Manifested on the Internet as Covert and Overt Racism - Term Paper Example The fact that even talking has become a fringe activity is the biggest marker yet of how much we have moved our lives online. However, the entry of this new mode of communication has not changed some of the ways in which we relate to other people in real life. One of the areas of great interest is with regard to race relations. For a long time we have got used to the idea that whites are portrayed as superior to all other races. There are different constructs in society that help reinforce that stereotype. The internet is now one of the mediums through which white privilege is passed on. There are several ways in which white privilege is manifested with regard to the internet. This paper shall seek to, explore those ways. In addition to that, the paper shall explore some of the ways that have been tried out to bring a about a more level racial playing field on the internet. White privilege has been defined variously but the basic components of that definition remain the same. It has to do with access for instance and the rewards that one receives for belonging to the white race. Further still there is a component that that states that there is some power to affect norms and values as a result of someone being white. Finally there is an agreement that white privilege can either be manifested consciously or unconsciously. The first point of entry when discussing a topic of this nature is to look at the development stage with regards to new technologies and software. It is known by all technology enthusiasts and mere watchers of the industry that Silicon Valley in California is the technology capital of the world in many ways. This is an area where developers and geeks gather to try and discover the next big thing in the world of technology. Most internet startups are located in Silicon Valley. Above all, this is an affluent part of California (Nakamura 2002). Most of these young men and women it must be said are white. They develop technologies that are genuinely designed to help the rest of humanity. However, we all know that diversity is a theme of continuing importance in this age of globalization. The lack of diversity in such places where technologies are developed is the first stage at which tendencies that are racial in nature later come to dominate people of other races when they eventually make them to the internet. Racial diversity might not add anything tangible in the process of developing these technologies, but at the very least it gives the developers an alternative viewpoint of the technologies that hey are developing. After all they are going to be used by people of all races (Nakamura 2002). To further illustrate this point, think about the world famous owners and founders of all the big global internet and technology companies. The most eminent of them, the now deceased Steve Jobs, was white. The founder of Facebook, mark Zuckerberg is white also. The Amazon founder is white also. It therefore begs the question, why is ra cial equality or rather diversity not reflected in the development of the major internet and technology firms? This is because there is limited access for those who belong to other races. Why for instance would a black man be the president of the United States but there is not even one renowned black founder of any of the big global internet and technology firms? The answer is that there is a lack of access (Racism review). On