Recruiting and Selecting Employees Who Look Good and Sound Right Essay Example for Free

Recruiting and Selecting Employees Who Look Good and Sound Right Essay Present day business industry is highly dependent on the general success of the people within organizations who are commonly referred to as the human resource. Important to note is that the human resource prospect is defined under two categories within any given organization; firstly there is the employees of an organization themselves and secondly the people in management who are responsible for promoting the values of the organization through ensuring that human aspects within an organization are satisfactorily taken care of (Fernandez-Araoz, Groysberg and Nohria 2009 ). With regards to the aforementioned details, the human resource department is usually tasked with the responsibility of bringing in new employees whose skills sets suit an organization’s mandate and values in general through a rigorous recruitment and selection process. During the recruitment and selection process of prospecting employees, companies usually set out on a hunting mission for the crà ¨me de la crà ¨me who are available in the job search market. How an individual who is in pursuit of a job opportunity dresses and carries themselves in an interview and further their conversational skills greatly determine whether or not an organization will hire them; this is what is described as looking good and sounding right in this paper. How an employee is dressed decimates into how they think and interrelate with customers in an organization thereby offering quality services and creating a conducive business environment in return. The underlying chapters of this paper will be keen on reflecting on the prospects and influences of dressing smart and sounding right with an inference on analysis and compilations from multiple academic literatures on the same topic while at the same time illustrating the influences of looking good and sounding right through the lens or organizational examples. Having a human resource that thinks right and has an exquisite recruitment strategy in place is what defines organization’s competitive edge in the current market; it is every organization’s dream that its employee’s appearance influences how the customers relate to the company on a broader perspective thus promoting their brand in the long run (Warhurst 2012). The prospect of looking good and sounding right within organizations Human resource practitioners will agree to the fact that a great deal of time goes into activities and processes related to recruiting and selecting new staff for a particular position in an organization. Many at times the long durations tied to recruitment are connected to the ideal of companies to not only want to source for staff who are knowledgeable about what their companies deal in but also look the part of any given brand and are easily approachable by customers. Staff selection during a recruitment process of an organization is one of the most vital decisions that the organizations have to undertake to ensure that their normal operations are running smoothly (Taylor 2008). Businesses have to know what they are clearly looking for in an employee before signing them up, not only how red-hot the skills of an individual seeking employment look will determine the long-term success of an organization and recruitment of the correct person but also the most important aspect is how t hey look and how they carry themselves while conversing with customers in an actual business setting (Quast 2012). It is critical that organizations have systems and a recruitment process in place which is capable of accessing how the applicants of a particular job opening portray these traits before their full time absorption by any organization. Take the case of Richer Sounds an electrical retail chain store with over 53 stores across the nation: it has in place a three stage recruitment process for new staff seeking any job opportunities within the company. The first stage of recruitment involves placement of advertisements at the stores windows and also through the company website where people who are interested are requested to e-mail a CV to the company. The former kind of advertisement mainly targets people who pay attention to their brand and customers who are regular visitors to the shop thus are knowledgeable about the products (Fisher 2014). On the other hand, the latter advertisement is aimed to attend to a greater pool of applicants irrespective of their familiarity with Richer Sound s products. Considering the advertisement strategies imposed at this point, it is evident that a great pool of applicants will be willing to be signed; the most integral part of this initial stage is demonstrated through a store manager’s initial interview who is keen on sorting the applicants to remain with those who look the part through analysis of their dress code and personality. Operations director John Clayton suggests that, â€Å"Richer sounds hires on the basis of personality then later train for skills (Martin and Whiting 2010).† These instance posters a scenario where people get accessed on the basis of how they look even before a company takes a look and considers an individual’s qualifications. Second in line of the recruitment strategy is a paid trial day for an applicant which in some circumstances stretches beyond the one day period. Here, the applicant is accessed on whether or not they are consistent in their dressing and how they sound when conversing with customers. Upon completion of the trial stage, other members of a particular store are asked on their opinion of what they think about a new recruit and whether they embody the company’s aspect of looking good and sounding right (Nickson and Dutton 2005). Last in queue of the recruitment process is stage three where an applicant’s qualifications are now accessed to see how suitable they are for the job after considering that the individual’s personality is suitable for Richer Sounds. From the Richer Sounds case, it is evident that the way companies approach their recruitment processes over the years has greatly revolved and now companies are keen on how an individual looks and how their conversa tions sound before customers. Irrespective of the costs of recruitment, companies are willing to dig deep into their financial coffers so that they can get the right group of employees; Williamson argues that, â€Å"it is arguably more expensive hiring wrong people in an organization as opposed to the cost of having a stringent recruitment strategy in place that is time consuming (McMillan 2014).† Richer Sounds is just one among the many companies that are currently inclined towards accessing applicants for job openings on the grounds of how they look and opulence they execute through their conversations with customers. On a broader perspective, how an individual looks has a great influence on the operations of people within different organizations; important in the process of advocating for employees who look good is an employer who serves up to their word of promoting smart dressing for the workplace by leading as the actual ambassador of what their brand should be defined as. Looking good while pursuing a job opportunity has positive impacts and a higher probability one is going to achieve the job, people will ascribe good qualities on the prospect of your perceived appearance thus want to always associate their company with an individual who looks good. A Macquarie University research carried out in both the United Kingdom and United States suggests that looking good improves the chances of one scoring a job opportunity and also is responsible for boosting one’s career once they are employed in different organizations (Arkin 2007). The research further suggested that employees who look go od and sound right are usually rated highly by their employers and the probability of them losing their jobs is usually minimal. In essence, looking good attracts a myriad of premium rewards for both the person and organization at large whereas those who are unattractive and have a poor personality in most situations lose out on several job opportunities (Boxall 2008). Moreover, having in place a clearly defined staff is the key component that ensures customers to a particular organization have a clearly defined experience that warrants their coming back for the same services once again and consequently creates a solid positive internal culture of an organization. It is ideal that organizations have a culture that existing employees are well versed with so that when the recruitment process for new staff is commenced, it is one that runs smoothly. New recruits to any given organization should find in place, a culture where staff are usually well dressed and converse excellently with customers thereby prompting an easier transitioning process for new staff into the operations of an organization. Efficiently articulating a particular dress code for existing staff is key in determining and sourcing for new recruits who will promote the same culture and easily get acclimatized with the practices of any given organization which in return will yield posit ive results for the same company (Churchard 2010). Indeed, some positions within an organization do require employees with a particular set of skills usually defined as experience and qualifications for a specific job but setting out a hunt on this basis is the first step that organizations usually make during their recruitment process; companies should attend to the recruitment process with a different perception where the individual’s character is assessed for they are buying into the person’s character and not their qualifications. Possessing both this attributes is a plus for any prospecting employee and is a sure combined package to score one a job (Faccini and C 2010). Arguably, the perception of looking good and sounding right in a respectable number of business circles usually refers to an individual’s physical appearance, a definition that has triggered a trend of the working class turning to the gym as a means of staying fit. The service sector for instance has rampantly changed over the years where unlike the previous years where service providers never met their customers currently employees are always in constant contact with their customer; a fact that influences the need for staff to dress the part and portray their organization in positive light (Emott 2007). How affluent and efficient an employee’s speech is determines the placement of any given company as a brand to all its customers which is greatly dependent on the employees. The enforcement and prescription for employees to embody both the aspects of looking and sounding good is referred to as aesthetic labour and this characteristics play an integral point of how new e mployees to any organization relate with customers. Companies have learnt that before their recruitment process, that for the success of any business to be achieved, recruitment of workers should be expressively based on labour aesthetics of any individual before they are taken in. Finding and incorporating the right people with this kind of characteristics is a daunting task for many organizations and the only means of recruiting an individual with the right skill set involves having in place a well structured selection system during the recruitment process (Hofstede 1997). However, the daunting recruitment process does not stop at this point, it is equivocally difficult to select out a specific candidate who suits the needed requirements for your organization. Fast forward to the case of Nestle Group of companies which has a human resource policy that the company abides by whenever any recruitment is being carried out in their group of companies across the world (Kaplan 1992). Their recruitment processes is respectful of the varied legislation practices of different countries but above all the recruitment strategy is underpinned under the mantra of looking good and sounding right as a means of selecting new recruits into various positions of their wide range of companies across the globe. Underpinned in the promotion of its human resource policy, is the responsibility for employees of the organization to be capable of satisfying the needs of its customers (Hutchinson 2003). The human resource department is tasked with the requisite responsibility of proposing individuals that suit the aforementioned requirements. Furthermore, the Nestle Group has in place a mentorship programme that offers guidance to new recruits into the organization so that the company’s mission statement can be achieved in the simplest ways possible after assessment of recruits on the basis of how they look and sound good before the customers (Letmathe 2008). This partnership and mentorship programme between existing staff and new incoming staff is an efficient means that has been in use for a very long period of time for people recruitment and their management in general. The recruitment cases of both Nestle Group and Richer Sounds demonstrates that companies are currently turning to the looking good and sounding good trait in applicants as a means of selecting who is suitable for any given position within their organizations (Paton 2008 ). This trend has been fuelled by the fact that there exists a broader pool of unemployed individuals with right qualifications but they cannot secure for themselves any jobs; looking good and sounding right is the ideal means used to disqualify this wide pool of applicants. Looking good and sounding right has become the ideal filtering tool for companies when they are sourcing and on a search for new employees through a well structured recruitment process. Irrespective of the fact that recruitment of new staff by the human resource department is a difficult task, clearly defining what the human resource management is looking for in a customer then crafting a description of the same as a recruitment step is usually in strumental in attracting the right cadre of individuals any given company is keen on hiring despite the fact that there are many people out there looking for jobs. Looking out for these two qualities in individuals is the first step towards narrowing down the wide numbers of applicants for any given job so that any company’s job opening can remain with only potential clients that can meet the values of the company while at the same time promoting the mission statement of the same company. Categorical in the recruitment process and requirements for applicants is the prospect of an applicant having passion for whatever job they are trying to achieve, their commitment to any given company, their general problem-solving skills and lastly any relevant experience they have in the field being advertised (Ritzer 1985). Clearly outlining what as an organization you need in an applicant is instrumental in helping organizations know how attentive applicants are to detail as opposed to only looking at their resume which offers little or rather basic information about an individual. Before conceptualizing and kick-starting any particular recruitment and selection process, an organization must first attune its strategy to be relatively inclined to the values of the organization and is fully supportive of the organization’s culture. Pre-employment testing like the case of Richer Sounds is an ideal way in determining whether or not a company is making a wise decision by investing into an individual with the set capabilities of looking good and sounding right so that an organization can fully accrue its set goals (Gilmore 2000). The people recruitment strategy is a determining factor on whether a company is going to succeed or fail and also influential on how employees develop during their stay in a particular organization thus there general motivation that in return bears fruit through excellent service delivery to customers. New recruits embodying the prospect of looking good and sounding right is highly dependent on how the company itself is culturally inclined towards the promotion these two traits. References Arkin, Anderson. Street Smart . People Management , 2007: 28-29. Boxall, . Purcell. Strategy and Human Resource Management. London : Houndsmills: Palgrave McMillan , 2008. Churchard, Christopher. Power brokers. People Management , 2010: 38-40. Emott, Drucker. CSR Laid Bare . Harper Business , 2007: 14-32. Faccini, R., and Hackworth C. Changes in output, employment and wages during recesrecessions in the UK . Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin, 2010: 43-50. Fernandez-Araoz, Claudio, Boris Groysberg, and Nitin Nohria. The Definitive Guide to Recruiting . Harvard Business Review , 2009 : 14-21. Fisher, Annie. How to spot the right cultural fit in a job interview. August 8, 2014. http://fortune.com/2014/08/08/job-interview-cultural-fit/ (accessed January 16, 2015). Gilmore, Stewart. The McDonaldization of Society: New Century Edition. London : Pine Forge Press, 2000. Hofstede, George. Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind. London : McGraw Hill , 1997. Hutchinson, Purcell. HR roles and responsibilities: the 2010 IRS survey. IRS Employment Review , 2003: 14-17. Kaplan, Norton. The balanced scorecard. Harvard Business Review , 1992: 71-79. Letmathe, P. Brabeck. The Nestle HR Policy Report . Policy Report , New York : Ndestlesy Inc. , 2008. Martin, Malcolm, and Fiona Whiting. Human Resource Practice . In Recruitment and Selection , by Tricia Jackson, 109-157. London : CIPD , 2010. McMillan, Andrew. Recruitment at Richer Sounds . London : Cambridge University Press , 2014. Nickson, Dennis, and Eli Dutton. The importance of attitude and appearance in the service encounter in retail and hospitality. Managing Service Quality, 2005: 195-204. Paton, Oliver. Gen Up: How the Four Generations Work Together,. Joint Survery Report , London : CIPD , 2008 . Quast, Lisa. Companies Are Using Social Media In The Hiring Process. May 21, 2012. http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/05/21/recruiting-reinvented-how-companies-are-using-social-media-in-the-hiring-process/ (accessed January 17, 2015). Ritzer, Solomon. Packaging the service provider. Service Industries Journal, 1985: 65-72. Taylor, Kate. Recruiting and Hiring Top-Quality Employees. August 23, 2008. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/76182 (accessed January 16, 2015). Warhurst, Chris. Employee Screening nad Selection . References for Business , 2012: 134-152. Source document

Free Epic of Gilgamesh Essays: Character of Gilgamesh -- Epic Gilgames

Analysis of the Character of Gilgamesh  Ã‚     In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters.   Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.   The main character in the novel is Gilgamesh.   Gilgamesh is a character who is very self-confident.   He feels that he is superior to others, due to the fact that he is two-thirds god, and one-third man.   This arrogance leads to his being cruel at the beginning of the story.   Gilgamesh is described as, à £two-thirds of him divine, one-third human... Gilgamesh does not allow the son to go with his father; day and night he oppresses the weak... Gilgamesh does not let the young woman go to her mother, the girl to the warrior, the bride to the young groomà ¤ (tablet I, column ii, 1, 12-13, 27-28).   Gilgamesh is a man with no equal, so he feels superior.   Although Gilgamesh starts out cruel he develops into a very kindhearted man.   He is extremely supportive of Enkidu and encourages him in various situations.   When the men are fighting Humbaba Gilgamesh says, à £[you] will surpass all of them... a fri... Free Epic of Gilgamesh Essays: Character of Gilgamesh -- Epic Gilgames Analysis of the Character of Gilgamesh  Ã‚     In the epic of Gilgamesh, there are many complex characters.   Every character involved in the story has their own personality and traits.   The main character in the novel is Gilgamesh.   Gilgamesh is a character who is very self-confident.   He feels that he is superior to others, due to the fact that he is two-thirds god, and one-third man.   This arrogance leads to his being cruel at the beginning of the story.   Gilgamesh is described as, à £two-thirds of him divine, one-third human... Gilgamesh does not allow the son to go with his father; day and night he oppresses the weak... Gilgamesh does not let the young woman go to her mother, the girl to the warrior, the bride to the young groomà ¤ (tablet I, column ii, 1, 12-13, 27-28).   Gilgamesh is a man with no equal, so he feels superior.   Although Gilgamesh starts out cruel he develops into a very kindhearted man.   He is extremely supportive of Enkidu and encourages him in various situations.   When the men are fighting Humbaba Gilgamesh says, à £[you] will surpass all of them... a fri...

Pride and Prejudice

These people are general dreadful to talk to and are not enjoyed by many. While these horrid people symbolize all that is bad and prideful within the book, Jane Bennet symbolizes all that is good and lovely. Her caring, accepting, humble attitude towards everything, along with her immaculate beauty, makes her a very desirable woman to be around.While er incredibly positive outlook on life gives many positive qualities, it also hinders her in multiple ways as well. Jane's forgiving nature benefits her throughout the book by allowing her to come to peace with scarred relationships that might have been lost, had she decided to be cold and unforgiving. On the other hand, it also opens her up to being taken advantage of by people. This was the case after her fallout with Caroline Bingley, the sister of her husband. When Jane first becomes acquainted with Mr.Bingley, his friend, Mr. Darcy, also becomes interested in Elizabeth Bennet, Jane's younger sister. Because Caroline had interest in Mr. Darcy, this made her very upset and caused her to ultimately convince her brother to move back home, away from the Bennet sisters. This crushes Jane, because the move is so sudden, and she ultimately blames herself. Although Caroline succeeds in her efforts of separating the lovers, it is short lived. Mr. Bingley ends up returning to propose, adding Jane to the Bingley family permanently.Jane's forgiving nature finally comes in handy when she decides that it s time to forgive Caroline. In doing this, she is mending a broken bond throughout the Bingley family, and brightening the future for her and her husband. The negative effects of this, however, are that she did not stand up for herself when it was due, and could lead to being taken advantage of again by Miss Bingley in future situations. While many characters throughout Pride and Prejudice are conceited and selfish, Jane is humble and giving, despite being the most beautiful and kind Bennet sister.Elizabeth says, † Com pliments always take you by surprise, and me never. (16) Elizabeth says this to Jane after Bingleys party because Jane cannot believe that Bingley could possibly be taking a liking to her. It is this exact trait that attracts Bingley to her, because many other beautiful women are the exact opposite of humble. He adores her beautiful soul, which matches her beautiful face. Had she not been so humble, Mr. Bingley would not have found her any different than the countless pretty faces that he had seen throughout his life.A large concern of many of Jane's close friends and relatives are the thought the he could be taken advantage of because she sees the world unrealistically, believing that everyone is as good and pure on the inside as she is. It is said by her father, mfour tempers are by no means unlike. You are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so discovering her engagement to Mr. Bingley. His main concern is that neither she nor her husband will be able recognize when they are being taken for granted, due to the fact that Jane and Mr.Bingley share a very similar personality. They are both too unrealistic in their expectations of the amount of good in people. Elizabeth Bennet, Jane's younger sister, often praises Jane for her good-natured spirit. She often questions how pure ofa person could have ever been created. She states about Jane, â€Å"What a stroke this was for poor Jane! Who would have willingly gone through the world without believing that so much wickedness existed in the whole race of mankind†¦ † (217) While she often praises her sister's innocent outlook on life, she is also concerned for her well being.She is afraid that she will not Judge people for what they truly are, and will end up being brought down by them because of it. She loves her sister dearly and longs to protect her from all those who try to bring her down. Because of this, she often tries to e xplain to Jane that you cannot always defend the actions of others. Elizabeth says, â€Å"This will not do, you never will be able to make both of them good for anything. Take your choice, but you must be satisfied with only one. † (217) She says this after Jane has been told the truth of the tension between Mr.Darcy and Whickham. Jane attempts to believe that both men are defendable in their actions and neither was wrong, but Elizabeth explains to her that one of them has to have been wrong. This is hard for Jane to understand, because she tries to go through life trying to believe that everyone has only done a wrong thing for some right reason. In order to succeed in life, though, she must eventually accept that she needs to defend her own goodness. Not everyone is as pure as she is on the inside. Jane Bennet is an extraordinary kind of person.It is not often, even in reality, that someone can have such self-control and faith in others as to go through life believing that e veryone is filled with kindness and good will for others. While this is a rare and incredible trait, it is also negative, for it can make a person naive and allow them to be taken advantage of. Jane's life is filled with more positive effects than negative effects, but she will eventually need to learn to be a little selfish. If she continues to live her life in such a way, the negative effects will begin to out weigh the positive ones. Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is a story about how other cultural institutions (like marriage) can transcend economics. It’s a novel that illustrates the power of love and how it can rise above class distinctions and social norms. â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (9). This first sentence of Pride and Prejudice introduces the idea that economics and social status affects cultural institutions such as marriage. The boundaries of love is restricted by the social and economic differences amongst the characters in the novel. The situation between Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet is a prime example of the power of love in the novel. The two have contrasting background in which one is an aristocrat while the other is but a mere bourgeoisie. Such difference in monetary wealth and social class is highlighted throughout the novel. Miss Bingley is a character that supports the separation of classes. Her sarcastic letter towards Jane explaining Bingley’s, Darcy’s and her departure from Hertfordshire is a revelation of how love is hindered by socioeconomic boundaries. In her letter, Miss Bingley states â€Å"he [Mr. Bingley] will be in no hurry to leave [London]† (109). She is insinuating to Jane that Bingley is by no means attracted to anything in Hertfordshire. Miss Bingley’s letter also contains disparaging remarks about Jane’s inferiority. She states that â€Å"Many of my acquaintances are already there [London] for the winter; I wish that I could hear that you†¦had any intentions of making one in the crowd, but of that I despair (109). † These words says that Miss Bingley does not believe that Jane can afford to travel to London; she is putting off the idea before Jane can even think of going to London. However, even with the efforts of Miss Bingley in trying to prevent the marriage of Jane and Mr. Bingley, love in the end conquers all and the two are united. The two main characters in Pride and Prejudice plays a vital role to the â€Å"love transcending economics and social norms† motif. On one side stands the highly prideful, aristocrat Mr. Darcy, and on the other is the rebellious bourgeoisie Elizabeth Bennet. Two very contrasting figures who happen to fall for one another. However, their love is also hindered by money and class distinctions. Darcy first proposal to Elizabeth reveals his love goes beyond any socioeconomic boundaries he is tied down to. â€Å"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed (170). † This statement highlights the strength of Darcy’s feelings towards Elizabeth. The word â€Å"repressed† alludes to the difference in social class between him and Elizabeth. Society in Pride and Prejudice would consider the rich marrying the rich a social norm and anything less is a disgrace to aristocracy. Evident of this is Lady Catherine’s confrontation of Elizabeth. â€Å"Because honor, decorum, prudence, nay interest forbid it†¦Your alliance will be a disgrace†¦(298)† Lady Catherine’s words of inclinations show how important boundaries are for the aristocrats in the novel. However, her words have an opposite effect and instead of building a gap between Elizabeth and Darcy, Lady Catherine pushes Elizabeth closer to Darcy. The union between Elizabeth and Darcy shows the surpassing of class distinctions. Pride and Prejudice is truly a literary wonder in which readers are shown that money and fame is not everything; that true love can rise above social norms and economic differences. Even today, with interracial couples and same sex marriages, love is a force to be reckoned with. Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is a story about how other cultural institutions (like marriage) can transcend economics. It’s a novel that illustrates the power of love and how it can rise above class distinctions and social norms. â€Å"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife† (9). This first sentence of Pride and Prejudice introduces the idea that economics and social status affects cultural institutions such as marriage. The boundaries of love is restricted by the social and economic differences amongst the characters in the novel. The situation between Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet is a prime example of the power of love in the novel. The two have contrasting background in which one is an aristocrat while the other is but a mere bourgeoisie. Such difference in monetary wealth and social class is highlighted throughout the novel. Miss Bingley is a character that supports the separation of classes. Her sarcastic letter towards Jane explaining Bingley’s, Darcy’s and her departure from Hertfordshire is a revelation of how love is hindered by socioeconomic boundaries. In her letter, Miss Bingley states â€Å"he [Mr. Bingley] will be in no hurry to leave [London]† (109). She is insinuating to Jane that Bingley is by no means attracted to anything in Hertfordshire. Miss Bingley’s letter also contains disparaging remarks about Jane’s inferiority. She states that â€Å"Many of my acquaintances are already there [London] for the winter; I wish that I could hear that you†¦had any intentions of making one in the crowd, but of that I despair (109). † These words says that Miss Bingley does not believe that Jane can afford to travel to London; she is putting off the idea before Jane can even think of going to London. However, even with the efforts of Miss Bingley in trying to prevent the marriage of Jane and Mr. Bingley, love in the end conquers all and the two are united. The two main characters in Pride and Prejudice plays a vital role to the â€Å"love transcending economics and social norms† motif. On one side stands the highly prideful, aristocrat Mr. Darcy, and on the other is the rebellious bourgeoisie Elizabeth Bennet. Two very contrasting figures who happen to fall for one another. However, their love is also hindered by money and class distinctions. Darcy first proposal to Elizabeth reveals his love goes beyond any socioeconomic boundaries he is tied down to. â€Å"In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed (170). † This statement highlights the strength of Darcy’s feelings towards Elizabeth. The word â€Å"repressed† alludes to the difference in social class between him and Elizabeth. Society in Pride and Prejudice would consider the rich marrying the rich a social norm and anything less is a disgrace to aristocracy. Evident of this is Lady Catherine’s confrontation of Elizabeth. â€Å"Because honor, decorum, prudence, nay interest forbid it†¦Your alliance will be a disgrace†¦(298)† Lady Catherine’s words of inclinations show how important boundaries are for the aristocrats in the novel. However, her words have an opposite effect and instead of building a gap between Elizabeth and Darcy, Lady Catherine pushes Elizabeth closer to Darcy. The union between Elizabeth and Darcy shows the surpassing of class distinctions. Pride and Prejudice is truly a literary wonder in which readers are shown that money and fame is not everything; that true love can rise above social norms and economic differences. Even today, with interracial couples and same sex marriages, love is a force to be reckoned with.

The Lost Maya Village of Cern

Cerà ©n, or Joya de Cerà ©n, is the name of a village in El Salvador that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Known as the North American Pompeii, because of its level of preservation, Ceren offers a fascinating glimpse into what life was like 1400 years ago. The Discovery ofCern Shortly after dinner started, one early evening in August about 595 AD, the Loma Caldera volcano of north-central El Salvador erupted, sending a fiery mass of ash and debris up to five meters thick for a distance of three kilometers. The inhabitants of the Classic period village now called Cerà ©n, a mere 600 meters from the volcanos center, scattered, leaving dinner on the table, and their homes and fields to the obliterating blanket. For 1400 years, Cerà ©n lay forgotten—until 1978, when a bulldozer inadvertently opened up a window into the perfectly preserved remains of this once thriving community. Although it is presently unclear how big the town was before it was destroyed, archaeological excavations conducted by the University of Colorado under the auspices of the El Salvadoran Ministry of Culture have revealed an astonishing amount of detail of the working lives of the people who lived at Cerà ©n. Components of the village excavated so far include four households, one sweat bath, a civic building, a sanctuary, and agriculture fields. Negative impressions of agricultural crops, saved by the same flash-heat that preserved images at Pompeii and Herculaneum, included 8-16 row corn (Nal-Tel, to be exact), beans, squash, manioc, cotton, agave. Orchards of avocado, guava, cacao grew outside the doorways. Artifacts and Daily Life Artifacts recovered from the site are just what archaeologists love to see; the everyday  utilitarian wares that people used to cook in, to store food in, to drink chocolate from. The evidence for ceremonial and civic functions of the sweat bath, sanctuary, and feast hall is fascinating to read and think about. But really, the most spectacular thing about the site is the everyday normality of the people who lived there. For example, walk with me into one of the residential households at Cerà ©n. Household 1, for instance, is a cluster of four buildings, a midden, and a garden. One of the buildings is a residence; two rooms made of wattle and daub construction with a thatched roof and adobe columns as roof supports at the corners. An interior room has a raised bench; two storage jars, one containing cotton fibers and seeds; a spindle whorl is close by, suggestive of a thread-spinning kit. Structures at Cern One of the structures is a ramada—a low adobe platform with a roof but no walls—one is a storehouse, still filled with large storage jars, metates, incensarios, hammerstones and other tools of life. One of the structures is a kitchen; complete with shelves, and stocked with beans and other foods and domestic items; chile peppers hang from the rafters. While the people of Cerà ©n are long gone and site long abandoned, the excellent inter-disciplinary research and scientific reporting by the excavators, coupled with computer-generated visuals on the website, make the archaeological site of Cerà ©n an indelible image of life as it was lived 1400 years ago, before the volcano erupted. Sources Sheets, Payson (editor). 2002. Before the Volcano Erupted. Before the Volcano Erupted: The Ancient Cerà ©n Village in Central America. University of Texas Press, Austin. Sheets P, Dixon C, Guerra M, and Blanford A. 2011. Manioc cultivation at Ceren, El Salvador: Occasional kitchen garden plant or staple crop? Ancient Mesoamerica 22(01):1-11.