Child prodigy Essay Example

Child prodigy Essay If you have ever regretted volunteering for a task, but had to continue, despite this, you will know how I felt, as I boarded the coach that would take me to the venue of the chess tournament. It was an all-consuming, unforgettable, always nagging sort of worry: that I would bring about my own humiliation as I lost game by game at the prestigious tournament. No. Not a worry but a certainty. For I had not practised once in the past months, while in my prime, it was normal for me to spend a couple of evenings per week at a board, revising combinations. Yes, it was this lack of practice that troubled me to the very core, that I would disappoint my team and be humiliated for it. So the odour of the garbage on the coach had little effect on me, as I contemplated the nature of the disgrace that I would bring upon myself. In an attempt to banish these thoughts from my head, I brought out my reading book, which I soon immersed myself in, but the cheers and chit chat from my team mates as the coach started could not be ignored. As I snapped out of my ponderous trance, I became aware of the true stench of this appalling place where rotten eggs and ham from long forgotten packed lunches lay neatly stacked under the seats and the random splodges of yogurt were spread over the once-fine seat covers. But as the hours passed, none of these were noticed as my nose grew accustomed to the constant whiff, and my eyes remained firmly fixed on the pages of my book. It was finally four hours later that we pulled into the drive of the B B where we would stay. Just one more night till I would be a humiliated man We will write a custom essay sample on Child prodigy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Child prodigy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Child prodigy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer My first match of the next day started and ended badly. I was to play against a boy of no more than 8, who sat precariously on the very edge of his seat, with legs dangling aimlessly under the table. His age and the innocent gaze gave me hope that I could at least secure 1 point for my team. But I was wrong, very wrong. As he made his first moves, I saw he was no novice and despite my best efforts, my fiendish foe struck mercilessly, felling my pieces one by one. It was an uphill struggle, a battle I could not win and yet I tried, while to my annoyance, he squealed with delight after each capture in a childlike manner, though he had the skill of double his apparent age. I can tell you this was terribly shocking. So there was no surprise when he finally delivered checkmate, though while we did this, I dreaded the teases I would be sure to receive as the result of this lost battle, especially due to my opponents age. As I stepped from the room, my fears were confirmed. My humiliation had begun. My next match went just as badly. Still in a daze from the jests endured, my head spinning, as I tried desperately to win against my unsympathetic opponent. But my efforts were to no avail, as I lost, even more swiftly than before. But my thoughts cleared as I left the tournament room: one round to make a win. One round to avoid disgrace! After my disastrous rounds, I expected nothing more than another loss from equally capable opponents, knowing my fate for humiliation had been sealed the moment I agreed to come. But my next opponent was not something I could have anticipated given even the wildest imagination. Like a giant, he towered over the board, but it was not his height which troubled me but his bulk. His fat bulged in great flabs so that I felt he might burst and his slow, lumbering walk scarcely surprised me. One could tell clothes were not made to his size; the Nike logo on his shirt was stretched into a thin line while his fat writhed under his tight top as he reached out to move his piece. I made no mistake in underestimating my opponent this time, however, it was soon clear he was less gifted than the child prodigy I had played the first round. But there was still something strange about the game play, there was something about the way we played in his shadow that unnerved me, and before long, I once more felt myself sailing against the wind in this battle of mine. But as does a wounded animal strike back, so did I, knowing the fate that would come to me if I lost this match. But then, my silent prayers were answered: in the form of the biggest blunder I had ever seen at this level of play, and I pounced upon it, like a hungry wild cat as he throws himself on a mouse. The tide had changed, and I finished him off easily. The victory was mine, no disgrace for me.

Free Essays on Arthur Ashe Jr.

Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. is a man of trust, courage, grace and honor. Although many of these attriobutes I share with Arthur, his high level of moral values and self reliance I aspire to achieve. Arthur was of African American decent and being born on July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia he had to face many racial struggles and hardships. On the contrary, I was born and raised in somerset, New Jersey, in the 1990’s so my racial struggles were close to non-existent. Being of Italian- American decent, if I had lived in the time of Arthur Ashe I still would not have faced racial struggles as greatly as African Americans did in that time. Arthur was the first born just as I was, except he was the first and only while I on the other hand have three siblings. We were both born into extremely loving and caring families. Arthur was raised by extremely strict parents and was not even allowed to go out after school or hang out with friends as I do occasionally. His father just like my parents set goals for self-reliance, discipline and responsibility. Because of those goals Arthur began to take great pride in his reputation. I also feel as if I’m always being judged. We have both been called â€Å"quiet† people but Arthur eventually grows out of that and my parents tell me I’m beginning to do the same. Both of our parents, to our displeasure, force us to do our numerous chores before anything else. The difference lies within the punishment for disobeying our parents wishes. The so called â€Å"beatings† that Arthur received in his time were nothing unordinary yet if those beatings were to occur t oday they would be seen as wrong and inhumane. Despite the differences we share many similar diversions such as good quality time with our families. Arthur was known to spend countless hours reading and listening to music with his mom. Yet at the age of 6 Arthur had to face one of the most traumatic expierences of his life when he lost his mother, M... Free Essays on Arthur Ashe Jr. Free Essays on Arthur Ashe Jr. Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. is a man of trust, courage, grace and honor. Although many of these attriobutes I share with Arthur, his high level of moral values and self reliance I aspire to achieve. Arthur was of African American decent and being born on July 10, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia he had to face many racial struggles and hardships. On the contrary, I was born and raised in somerset, New Jersey, in the 1990’s so my racial struggles were close to non-existent. Being of Italian- American decent, if I had lived in the time of Arthur Ashe I still would not have faced racial struggles as greatly as African Americans did in that time. Arthur was the first born just as I was, except he was the first and only while I on the other hand have three siblings. We were both born into extremely loving and caring families. Arthur was raised by extremely strict parents and was not even allowed to go out after school or hang out with friends as I do occasionally. His father just like my parents set goals for self-reliance, discipline and responsibility. Because of those goals Arthur began to take great pride in his reputation. I also feel as if I’m always being judged. We have both been called â€Å"quiet† people but Arthur eventually grows out of that and my parents tell me I’m beginning to do the same. Both of our parents, to our displeasure, force us to do our numerous chores before anything else. The difference lies within the punishment for disobeying our parents wishes. The so called â€Å"beatings† that Arthur received in his time were nothing unordinary yet if those beatings were to occur t oday they would be seen as wrong and inhumane. Despite the differences we share many similar diversions such as good quality time with our families. Arthur was known to spend countless hours reading and listening to music with his mom. Yet at the age of 6 Arthur had to face one of the most traumatic expierences of his life when he lost his mother, M...

Human Resources Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Resources Management - Essay Example It is a means of industrial government since it is different from unilateral and workers’ control management. The Donovan Commission bargained for it in 1960s, but in 1980s and 1990s, the employers reduced the range of issues regulated jointly, e.g. work pace and organization, and restored unilateral management (Braton and Gold, 2001:318). After the World War II, bargaining was used to determine the working condition of employees and their pay. This transformed the workplaces bringing with it power balance and the growth of shop stewards’ organization. This organization aimed at fighting for the employees’ rights using striking strategies (Inman et al., 2010:214). The conservative government in 1970 was against the trade unions; a move that led to political and industrial militancy. This saw the labour government create a social contract in order to control the employees’ wages. This was followed by strikes between 1978 and 1979 to oppose the move by the g overnment (Gilmore and Williams, 2009:24-44). In light of this information, this paper examines the managerial styles, objectives and strategies used in trade union and non-union organisations. Employment relationship With the election of Margaret Thatcher under the Conservative government in 1979, the reversal of conservatives’ policies was experienced. ... This saw election of union leaders and an increased union militancy. Major challenges during this time included reduced state jobs and services and an increase in the private sector influence. This had a dramatic influence on employment relations leading to massive opposition from trade unions (Price, 2007:413). Managerial Styles and Objectives of Managing the Employment Relationship There are four styles of managing employment relationships, which influence management strategies and human resource management practices. These are traditionalist, sophisticated paternalists, sophisticated moderns and standard moderns. These styles have different objectives that define their nature. The traditionalist style is authoritative, hostile and does not entertain trade unions (Pynes, 2008:215). Sophisticated paternalists refuse to recognize unions, but they ensure employees are committed to the organizations’ goals and their needs are satisfied. Sophisticated moderns, on the other hand, accept trade unions as well as collective bargains to determine the terms and conditions of employment relations. Standard moderns also accept trade unions, but they change their approach towards them depending on internal and external pressures and responses. It is thus clear that, in traditionalist and sophisticated moderns style, both the manager and employees have the same goals and interests i.e. they are unitary. The other two recognize that the employees and the manager have different goals and interests (Guest et al., 2003:291-314). Managerial Strategies to the Employment of Non-union Organizations Non- union organizations are a disadvantage to the