Power Of One: Peekay's Motivator

Parental figures tend to shape children into the individuals they become later in life. In The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, Peekay lacks the traditional parental figure that most people have, and instead crosses paths with many significant people over the course of the book. This puts Peekay at an advantage because he is able to see the world through different perspectives, the perspectives of those who mentored him. He learns from people of all walks of life, which leads to him being unbiased and open minded. Peekay also is at an advantage because he has to learn to think for himself. His mentors help him with this, but the lack of a true parent forces him to learn this skill early on and master it by time is was older. Finally, each of Peekay's mentors have something different to offer, a different key piece of advice, that give him a set of morals to live by. In the Power of One, the lack

The article “The Secret of Effective Motivation” by Amy Wrzesniewski and Barry Schwartz, appeared in Sunday Review on July 4, 2014. The article introduces different types of motives and examines their effectiveness with the help of real life social experiments. The differences between two main types of motives: internal and instrumental, are introduced in the first part of the article. Although, many people think that both internal and instrumental motives are good in engaging some kind of activity, authors argue that instrumental motives are not so useful and sometimes can be counterproductive for success. Authors develop their argument by analyzing the results

“ Police brutality refers to force used by law enforcement officers that is excessive and/or unnecessary in dealing with civilians. Excessive use of force means more than is needed in a given situation. It may include physical injury…” ( "Police Brutality and Race."). In the book. through pages 19-23, describes an incident that happened between a police officer and a young black male. Rashad was wrongfully accused of shoplifting and assulting a white woman. The white lady stubbles over rashad which causes him to drop his bag of chips next to his bag, this caused the owner of the shop to think that rashad was shoplifting. So, the local police officer took action and handcuffed him. The police officer was hurting Rashad and he moved, Guzzo (the police officer) believes that rashad was resisting and throw him on the ground which results in a broken nose and cracked ribs. The authors purpose is to show the readers about a fictional situation that often occurs in real life. This can cause an effect on readers by showing them how racist some police officers can be. Along with that how stereotypes can often ruin and harm many lives. Many readers can relate to seeing something, that they wished they didn’t, and not knowing what to do after. “.... but i spent most of the night still stuck on the sidewalk outside Jerry’s, me heart pumping fiercely in my throat, and when someone

Whether it is sunshine or rain, the plant tries to stay in place and develop. However, sometimes a storm comes by and moves the plant out of place, but it comes back to how it was at last. Sometimes life’s ups and downs do a similar thing to humans. They try to stand strong and still, but a wave of change or in this case a wave of discrimination comes by which causes them to lose their innocence at an early age. In Scout’s case, she is introduced to a different language people use to describe certain races or to categorize people. Atticus, Scout’s father, said, “Nigger-lover is just one of those terms that don't mean anything—like snot-nose. It's hard to explain—ignorant, trashy people use it when they think somebody's favoring Negroes over and above themselves. It's slipped into usage with some people like ourselves, when they want a common, ugly term to label somebody,” (Page 107). Scout, at first did not understand why people would do such a thing; however, her father tries to make her understand how racism works. He tells her that he is arguing for African American to have equal rights and others to love them instead of thinking they are given special rights. Scout learns the power of language; how it can shame others for who they are and what they do, and how it ignites a debate between individuals. Scout, also learns that if someone is convicted of a crime, it becomes extremely hard for their family members

Scout’s school did not stress the importance of equality, and it showed in the town’s ignorance. But, Scout did not let school taint her perception of others, and she believed “everybody’s gotta learn, nobody’s born knowin’. That Walter’s as smart as he can be he just gets held back [...]. Nothing’s wrong with him. Naw, Jem, I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” (Lee 304). Scout’s friend was going to get held back in school because he was poor and unable to attend as often. She stood up for him, because she thought everyone deserves an equal chance. However, a place that did not give everyone an equal chance was the courtroom where Atticus defended a black man accused of a crime he did not commit. After losing the case, Atticus consoles his children and tells Scout and Jem that “as you grow older, you’ll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but let me tell you something and don’t you forget it- whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, or how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash” (Lee 295). While others may see a situation such as this and say that the black man was at fault, Atticus sees through the color of a man’s skin. He wants to make sure his children do this, too. Growing up in the south, racism was expected to be seen. But, just because something is common does not make it right. Atticus made it a priority to teach his

During the section of the book entitled, Application of Laws Bill Bradley Senator, D-New Jersey, Smith scorns and resents police force by, providing a personal story given by Senator Bill Bradley’s about his friend who was racially profiled and harassed by police officers. As the police officers wrongfully arrest the African-American man with insufficient evidence, one of the officers states “You’re being held against your will, aren’t you, being held against your will” to the young man’s white passenger. Cather exposes the racialized mentality that is ingrained into the officer’s minds. Not only did they wrongful detain the black man, they accused him of kidnapping a white woman. This personal story told by a prominent political figure elucidates and strengthens Smith’s critique of the police brutality sprouted by institutionalized racism within American society. Not only are ordinary citizens aware of the misconduct of the police, but Smith uses this personal account emphasizing that prominent political figures also are aware of police corruption. She places the audience into the victim’s positions, compelling individuals who identify with the white-dominated hegemony to comprehend the racist ideals that continue to plague the country. Another detail that criticizes American law enforcement is when the white passenger provides her thoughts of the altercations by

Think back to when you were five years old. Were you sent to a boarding school with kids a couple years older than you? Were you persecuted and bullied for being a “redneck” or for just being who you were? Chances are, the answer to these questions should be “no”. However, a small little boy growing up in Africa during the mid-1990s can probably describe every single tortuous day that he went through in this situation. His name is Peekay, and he is the narrator in Bryce Courtenay’s award-winning novel, The Power of One. Peekay describes his life form being a small five-year old boy to a teenager. Along the way, he meets many mentors and friends, such as Hoppie Groenewald, a champion boxer,

Diving deep into his journalism Coates wrote about the PG county police department. The black people in the PG community want to be safe and the author empathizes with this desire but their idea of safe is part of their american dream. There is a high price for police support that the community pays for and Coates believed innocent black men like Prince Jones have been the

Having integrity is more challenging for one than one may think or imagine. Those who possess integrity are individuals who are essential to the many changes that have occurred over time in our world. The impact of someone with true integrity is important because not only can it create change for the better but it will also inspire others to act with integrity as well. An example of this is Nelson Mandela, a man who grew to fight the discrimination around him in South Africa sacrificing his freedom and putting his life at risk. His actions against racism have changed south Africa Forever and inspired others to think the same way which one can see from the amount of followers that he had around the world. To Kill A mockingbird by Harper Lee is a book about the Finch family, Scout, Jem and Atticus Finch, living in Maycomb. The characters are faced with a society of people who are prejudiced towards those who are different from themselves in one way or another. Throughout the course of this book integrity is crucial for the development of the characters and their actions against discrimination. The film The Power of One directed by John G. Avildsen is about a boy, Pk, who grows up in South Africa first living with his mother and after her death with a man named Doc. Pk becomes a symbol of hope to the kafirs as he begins to help them in the prison. Assuming his role in helping the kafirs, PK begins a life of proaction against the condescendence towards the native african

Later in life when Doc, Geel Piet, or Big Hettie all died, Peekay could have thrown in the towel but he worked through it. He didn’t let anything big or small influence his goals. With the help of the Judge’s endless torment, Peekay became a more self-dependent and strong

According to our lecture,“Racism and discrimination are what we call a ‘root problem’ in society because it also affects the way we discuss” various social topics such as violence (Reali, 2018). Hence, the stereotype that young African-American men are violent, which is most likely why the policemen automatically detained Grant and his friends for violent behavior. As for discrimination, the policemen also treated these Black men in an unfair manner by using the N-word, pushing, and physically harming them. It brings up the question of “What would have happened if these men were white,?” and if things would have turned out differently if they were. Furthermore, the gunshot that killed Oscar Grant is another example of the policemen’s prejudice and discrimination towards African-Americans, since he allowed a prejudgement thought influence his actions, even though there was no need to use violence (Reali, 2018). In my opinion, this goes back to the prejudice and discrimination that has lasted hundreds of years against African-Americans that still continues to affect these minorities. One of the characteristics of this minority groups is the unequal treatment they experience with having “less power over their lives than members of a dominant group have over their own lives,” clearly being the case, in which Grant had no power over the fate of his life. (Reali,

In Bryce Courtenay's The Power of One, Peekay's loyalty to those who help him throughout his life allows him to honor their wishes and bring them justice when the need arises. When Peekay finds himself face to face with the Judge at the end of the book, part of why he fights the Judge so fiercely is because the Judge killed Granpa Chook. Granpa Chook is Peekay's first real friend, and the chicken does a lot to protect him during boarding school. Peekay wants to avenge the death, so he tears away at the Judge mercilessly until the Judge is lying weak on the floor. From there, rather than scream something about payback for all the torture and bullying he put Peekay through in boarding school, Peekay screams, "'You killed Granpa Chook!'" (Courtenay

While watching “The Puzzle of Motivation” by Dan Pink, I was very intrigued. Throughout the entire talk, there were several interesting points that were made. It really interested me when Pink talked about the group that was rewarded. Pink stated that if the contestants were in the top 25% of the fastest times, they would be rewarded five dollars. With this incentive, most would hope to do well, if not better than the person that would not be rewarded. Pink then goes on to point out the results. How much faster did the group that was offered a reward actually do? On average, it took them three and a half minutes longer. This really stood out to me because when offered a reward for a task, normally a person would be more motivated and thus do better. What amazed me even more was that this isn’t just a one time thing. This is has been replicated over and over for nearly 40 years. As Pink says around 04:33, “These contingent motivators -- if you do this, then you get that -- work in some circumstances. But for a lot of tasks, they actually either don 't work or, often, they do harm.” These rewards that are being offered are being used to attempt to sharpen thinking and accelerate creativity, but instead it’s proving to do the opposite. It’s proving to dull thinking and block creativity.

“The Mystery of Motivation” appeared in the January-February 2017 article written by Gary Drevitch, who is a senior editor for Psychology Today. Drevitch a Yale graduate, currently resides in New York City with his wife and three kids. His previous work includes senior editor at PBS, Time Inc., Scholastic and Parade Publications, and is the former editor-in-chief of Grandparents.com and an AOL blogger on weight loss and nutrition.

The Expectancy Theory illustrates the mental process that employees endure when making decisions while doing voluntary things. The theory describes that the effort will determine the performance and the performance will help indicate the overall outcome. “Expectancy represents the belief that exerting a high level of effort will result in the successful performance of some task,” (Dr. Creasy PowerPoint). There are some advantages of the expectancy theory. One advantage is that it emphasizes on rewards or pay-offs,” (Expectancy Theory of Motivation, n.d., para. 5). In Remember the Titans, Coach Herman Boone, portrayed by Denzel Washington, expects big things out of his high school football team. As the newly appointed head coach and a black man, Coach Boone was faced with big expectations or else he would have to face the consequences. Coach Boone established that his team would show tremendous effort in the fall football camp at Gettysburg College. He set ground rules as he told all of his players that they would leave the school by 7:29 AM and made them all wear dress shirts, ties, and a jacket. Coaches appreciate the athletes that display the expectancy theory because they want more out of their team. At Gettysburg College, All-American linebacker Gerry Bertier, confronted fellow starting linebacker, Julius Campbell and wanted him to put in more effort during practice and play the right assignment. As